i'm lee cowan. join us when our trump again next sunday morning. enjoy the rest of your weekend. ♪ ♪ i'm margaret brennan in washington. this week on "face the nation" -- we'll talk exclusively with one of the two candidates standing between donald trump and the republican nomination. former south carolina governor nikki haley. plus, democrats ramp up their efforts to motivate voters on the issue of reproductive rights. with just hours to go before the polls open in the first in the nation primary, former president trump actually isn't exaggerating. >> this is a big deal. the whole world is watching now in new hampshire.

>> nikki haley agrees with him. the world is watching. but she says people are looking for a new generation and a different tone. i mean, i think they both are chaotic. look at our country right now. >> we want people at the top of their game. these are people making decisions on our national security. >> but that's only one side of campaign 2024. we travel to another early primary state, michigan, where we sat down with the governor and co-chair of the biden campaign gretchen whitmer. her message is loud and clear. >> abortion is on the ballot in all 50 states. >> the challenge for democrats, using that message to build enthusiasm about president biden. arkansas governor sarah huckabee sanders will join us to talk about the issues republicans hope will motivate their voters. it's all just ahead on "face the nation." ♪

good morning. welcome to "face the nation". the new hampshire primary is just two days away. can anyone stop the trump steamroll towards the republican nomination? we go now to former u.n. ambassador nikki haley who is hoping to be the one to stop him. she's on the campaign trail in dairy, new hampshire. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> as you know, our cbs polling shows that you are the republican candidate with the best chance at beating joe biden in a head-to-head race, and yet, donald trump is the party's frontrunner. why do you think, ambassador, that the republican establishment isn't doing more to help you? >> well, i mean, this is what primaries are all about. this is about the fact that, you know, people get to decide which

way they want to go forward. i have said you can pick more of the same or you can go forward with a new generational leader. more of the same is the fact that you have 70% of americans don't want to see a trump-biden rematch, more of the same is the fact that both of these presidents put us trillions of dollars in debt and our kids are never going to forgive us for it. more of the same is the fact that we're going to have two presidential candidates in the 80s. that's not what our kids want. that's not what we should want. more of the same is more of the same is the fact the fact that we can't be a country in disarray and have a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. we won't survive it. >> 26 republican senators and all of the house republican leadership have lined up behind donald trump. why? # are they afraid of him? >> not surprised at all and i'll tell you why. you'll see a lot of the south carolina legislature line up behind him, too, and it's because i've never really taken care of elected officials. i call out elected officials because i think they need to be accountable to the people. i call out republicans and

democrats when they don't do the right thing. it's not surprising that is going towards trump because he's going to take care of them. i'm not going to do that. i'm going to take care of the taxpayers. i've done that my entire career and keep dong that. >> can you win in south carolina? >> i won twice as governor. >> former president trump on friday repeatedly and wrongly said that you were in charge of the january 6th security response at the capitol, and he said your name four times. i want to play this for our viewers. >> they never report the crowd on january 6th. you know, nikki haley, nikki haley, nikki haley, you know, they -- do you know they destroyed all of the information, the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it, all of it, because of lots of things like nikki haley was in charge of security. >> it's unclear what he's talking about as being deleted, but you said yesterday, hearing this made you question donald trump's mental fitness. is that the first time you questioned his mental fitness?

>> if you look recently there have been multiple things. i mean, he claimed that joe biden was going to get us into world war ii. i'm assuming he meant world war iii. he said he ran against president obama. he never ran against president obama. he says i'm the one that kept security from the capitol on january 6th. i was nowhere near the capitol on january 6th. margaret, don't be surprised if you have someone that's 80 in office, their mental stability is going to continue to decline. that's just human nature. we know that. what i'm saying is first of all, you're talking about somebody only going to be in office four years. secondly, you're talking about someone who continues to -- look, i don't know if he was confused, i don't know what happened, but it should be enough to send us a warning sign if you look at joe biden, he's very different than he was two years ago. are we really going to go into a situation where we have wars around the world and we're trying to prevent war, and we're going to have someone we can or can't be sure they're going to get confused?

it's a real issue. that's not being disrespectful. it's a fact. >> why do you think trump's voters care about that and when you worked in his cabinet, did you ever question his mental fitness? >> when i worked in his cabinet i called him out if he was doing something wrong. i would show up and pick up the phone and say you dant do this. you can do x, y, z. i always told him what i thought was in the best interest of the country when i was in his cabinet. this is different. i mean, we're seeing -- he's just not at the same level he was at 2016. i think we're seeing some of that decline. but more than that, what i'll say is focus on the fact that no matter what it is, chaos follows him. rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him. >> does he cause it? >> america is tired. in some cases he causes it and some cases he doesn't. regardless he's like a magnet to it. what happens that puts the rest of america in chaos. people are tired and they're worried. >> i want to ask you about an ad you have released that includes video and testimony from the

mother of otto warmbier who was an american student from the university of virginia who was taken prisoner in north korea and died as you know after the trump administration did bring him home. pundits say national security does not matter to voters. why do you think this story is one you need to tell? >> i think this really does show the contrast. i worked with cindy and fred warmbier. they're amazing people. i will tell you, as a parent, no parent wants to see their child returned to them the way they saw otto returned. this was a happy, smart kid, he went to north korea and the thugs in north korea tortured him and returned him back in a state that is unconshunble. the difference is, i told fred and cindy, speak up, get loud, i will help you. let's smarter in. we'll call north korea out. i passed the largest set of sanctions against them in a generation by pushing china and russia to do it. what did trump do some instead,

he talked about love letters going back and forth to kim jong-un. cindy would contact me, she was so upset, and he went and said, but kim said he wasn't aware of torture that happened to otto. all you had to do was look at otto when he was returned back to his parents. this goes to a pattern. i mean, we saw this over and over again. it's not just that. he congratulated china's president xi a dozen times after china gave us covid. he congratulated the chinese communist party on their 70th anniversary. we don't congratulate the communist chinese party. i remember at the united nations i had to sit him down and tell him to stop the bromance with putin. you can't have someone who is trying to buddy up with dictators that want to kill us. instead you have to let them know what we expect of them. >> i want to ask you about clarifying your position here because you've spoken about the complexity of the abortion issue personally for you and you've said there's no national consensus so there won't be a federal law, but you've also said, if there were one passed,

if it were six weeks, 15 weeks, or it was restrictions after 20 weeks, which you signed when you were governor, you would be okay with that. when we spoke yesterday to gretchen whitmer of michigan, she said that you would sign a national abortion ban. would you? >> you know, it's so interesting because this is a -- you can't say that to the american people because all you're doing is putting fear and judgment in them. yes, i'm, unapologetically pro life, but i don't just judge anyone for being pro choice. i have said i am fine with a federal law. in order to get a federal law you have to have a majority of the house, 60 senators, and a signature of a president. margaret, we haven't had 60 republican senators in over 100 years. so no republican president can ban abortions any more than a democrat president can ban any state law. what we can do is let's find consensus. i think we can find consensus to ban late-term abortion, find consensus to encourage adoptions and good quality adoptions. i think we can find consensus that doctors and nurses who don't believe in abortion

shouldn't have to perform them. i think we can find consensus that contraception shouldbe accessible and i think we should find consensus that any woman who has an abortion no state law should say she's going to jail or getting the death penalty. i will not demonize this issue. it's too personal. we have to start doing that. democrats use fear and republicans use judgment. this is too personal of an issue to use fear or judgment and i won't be a part of any of that. >> okay. but you're not taking a ban off the table which allows for democrats to say that. that you would be on board. can you say you will not? >> 60 senators would never approve a ban on abortion. that's a fact. that's a fact. so why put out something that's implying something is going to happen to the american people that is a lie. that's never going to happen. >> you know democrats are using this to motivate voters. democrats are using this to motivate voters so they get the math to add up one day.

so if the math does add up one day, would you sign a ban? >> this is the problem with democrats. democrats put fear in the american people. the american people don't need fear. they need confidence. they need security. they need to know that everything is going to be okay. when it comes to the abortion issue i will never put fear in the american people. i will tell them the hard truth. the hard truth is, 60 senators will never agree to a full ban on abortion. that's a fact. republicans or democrats. 60 senators are not going to agree to that. i don't know what 60 senators are going to agree. right now they don't agree to 15 weeks. so we've got a long way to go. our goal should be how do we save as many babies as we can and support as many moms as we can. >> governor, we have to leave it there. thank you for your time. "face the nation" willbe back in one minute with michigan democratic governor gretchen whitmer. stay with us. 're first generatin ranchers from central texas. erica: and because of tiktok, we're able to show people from all over the world where their food and fiber come from.

cody: we have dorper sheep and we have beef cattle for the sole purpose of going into the food chain. we use tiktok as a tool to inform people of what we do and why we do it. there's just a plethora of knowledge and of information swapping going on there. tiktok is helping us protect this way of life for future generations. a lot of new dry eye patients in my office tell me about their frequent dry eyes, which may point to dry eye disease. millions of americans were estimated to have it. they've tried artificial tears again and again, but the relief is temporary. xiidra can provide lasting relief. xiidra treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. don't use if you're allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. doctor: why wait? ask your eye doctor about a 90-day prescription for xiidra today. we turn now to abortion rights and we sat down yesterday

with michigan's governor gretchen whitmer and talked about why democrats want to draw attention to this issue. >> abortion is on the ballot in all 50 states. abortion is on the ballot for every one of us because if we -- >> theoretically speaking. >> well, if we elect a donald trump or a nikki haley or a ron desantis, they all have pledged to sign a national abortion ban. so in a state like -- >> they haven't signed -- donald trump hasn't said what he's going to do. he just said six weeks is too much for him. >> he's also the one out there taking credit for the supreme court ripping this right away with the dobbs decision that overruled roe v. wade. it is very clear that abortion is on this ballot for all of us. >> to pass a federal law you would need to restore what was in roe versus wade. democrats would need 60 senate votes. they would need to be able to get it through the house and they would need the presidency. that math isn't there.

so that claim that democrats could secure the right, isn't that giving people false hope? >> i don't think so. because right now, one in three women in this country live in a state where they have no access to reproductive freedom to make their own decision. if they have a partial miscarriage at home or sepsis or they're at the reproductive health is at risk, they have no ability to get that service, and so this is why i think if a donald trump is president or any of the people on the republican side right now unfortunately is, they are going to promote an abortion ban for all of us. right now, this president has said he is absolutely going to fight for reproductive freedom, even if he doesn't have a congress that will send that bill to his desk. him being in the white house keeps a national ban from happening. >> you're saying if somehow republicans were to sweep the senate and sweep the house, joe biden would veto that bill?

>> yes. >> you actually think that's a legitimate promise to make to voters? joe biden doesn't talk about abortion much, in fact, he has said he's not big on it because of his faith. does he need to talk about it more? >> i think it would be good if he did. i know that one tenant of his belief system is that women and only women with their families and health care professionals are the ones who know what decision is right for them, and that he is fighting and going to continue to fight to make sure that that squarely, the ability of an american woman to make that decision. >> you think he needs to be the messenger on that more? >> i don't think it would hurt. i think people want to know that this is a president that is fighting and i think he has said that. to use maybe more, you know, blunt lack wage, maybe that would be helpful, but he's -- that's his position.

>> so here in michigan it is now protected under law, access to abortion. viability is decided by health care professional who determines the likelihood of the fetus' survival outside the uterus. practically speaking, science is going to improve, viability is going to move closer and closer to conception. this is one of those challenges. is this an issue that just gets litigated again and again and again? >> i think i have come to the conclusion that a right that was there for almost my whole life, i'm 52, is now very much in jeopardy and that i'm going to have to continue to fight to protect this right. the roe standard was a question about viability, did have i think real -- made a lot of sense and i think that's why you see people coming out in states all across america and saying we're demanding this right and that should be the standard. >> roe had viability, the resumption being that was

roughly around 24 weeks. that is moving closer and closer to conception. so you're saying, even though you had this win in michigan, it's not a closed matter. it's a continued fight? >> absolutely. really. i mean, we made great strides here, but no one should feel complacent this work is done. a national ban would up end everything we've accomplished here, everything they accomplished in ohio. >> when you say national ban what do you mean? >> you look at the speaker of the house right now has absolutely vowed that he supports a national ban, sending something to the president's desk that ban, whether it's after six weeks -- >> the votes aren't there for it. >> at this moment. that can change and that's why codifying this right, having someone in the white house who would veto it if we see legislation like that passed through the congress is going to be really important. >> do you actually think there is a national consensus on abortion now? >> i think that the majority of people have the right to make their own decisions about their body.

the most important, profound, economic decision a woman and her family will make over the course of their lifetime is whether and when to bear a child. >> there are a lot of economic issues that go alongside raising children. do you think the biden administration needs to campaign more on the issue of expanding access to more affordable child care? >> we want to make sure that americans have the ability to raise children when they decide that they want to have a child, that it's easier for them to find child care that is affordable, that is high quality. we want to make sure that when they enroll their children in schools, that they're getting the kinds of support they need to be successful. >> so how do you make up for the challenge that we're seeing and we're seeing it in our polling because women think access to reproductive care is getting harder, not easier, and more than half of those polled by cbs say it's becoming more dangerous. how do you make up for those health care deserts in parts of

the country? >> well, the worst thing you can do is cut off access to medical ability to -- whether it's around abortion or obtain contraception. cut off access to women being able to get health care on -- through telehealth, for instance. >> are you satisfied with the biden administration's messaging on these specific matters related to women? >> you know, i know that this administration is doing the work, and they roll up their sleeves and i appreciate that they've been phenomenal partners to us here. i think all democrats and all people who are on the right side of this issue need to use their voices and need to be very clear to the american public, there's so much noise out there, there's so many stressors people are confronting, that it's hard to cut through sometimes and it's no fault of anyone. we've got to be very clear about how high the stakes are and what our priorities are.

>> because our polling is showing that president is under performing with the democratic base. this is black voters, hispanic voters. is the issue of abortion access enough of a halo effect to make up for that lack of enthusiasm and frustration? >> i'm not dismissing polls. i think that they are an imortant piece of data that should inform additional outreach, but i'm also not -- i'm not getting, you know -- i'm not freaking out. what i hear from people is a sense of urgency, a sense of how serious this moment is in this country. and i respect that and know that's why we have to continue to show up and continue to talk about these fundamental issues that americans and american families need solved. >> are you concerned here in michigan about the state staying blue? >> i think everyone should always focus on michigan. it's always going to be close in this state. you cannot make any assumptions about what the next election is

going to bring based on the last one in a state like this. they have to show up, do the work and show people you really care about them. >> it's still a purple state? >> absolutely. >> michigan is still up for play? >> absolutely. i think it always will be. >> i want to talk a little bit about the economy. our polling, by a 49-21 margin, voters believe former president trump will be better for their finances than president biden. so why do you think this perception exists? how do you fix it? >> we're seeing unemployment at historic lows. we're seeing take home pay going up. i think that we have seen a lot of progress happening. inflation coming down. these are important factors that take time for people to really see the benefit from. >> cost of living is still high. >> cost of living is still high, and for a young person to buy a home that is out of reach for more people than it has been in a long time, so i think that all the work around affordable housing, the story that this president is going to be able to

tell as people start to tune in closer as we get closer to the election, is going to be powerful. >> so this state in particular, michigan, it's an auto state. the future of the industry and electric vehicles in particular, which president biden has placed a very big bet on, is very dependent on the outcome of this next election, and the federal subsidies to make that transition to electric vehicles. are you disappointed that the autoworkers union, the uaw, has not endorsed president biden yet? >> i think that they will endorse the president, but i also think it's a good thing it's not just a foregone conclusion that that happens. you have to earn the support of people, whether it's voters or a union, or, you know, a business executive. you've got to earn individual support, and i think that their process will make sense, and i'm confident that the president will be the person they end up supporting. >> this could be, as you said,

another close election, so i have to ask you, since there are roughly 300,000 in this state who identify as arab americans, large muslim american population, there is a lot of pain and frustration with the president's support of israel, and its military campaign. how will he be received by this community when he comes to visit this month. >> well, no community is monolithic. i will start with that. i will say that one of the great things about this state is, this is where people came from around the world for a good paying job and a high quality of life. it's true today, but it's why we have such a robust and beautiful arab community in michigan and a robust jewish community in michigan. these two communities have lived as neighbors in harmony for decades, and what's happening in israel and gaza has certainly, i think, caused pain for everyone. >> as we spoke to one of your constituents last night who said he went door to door for joe

biden in 2020, but he's lost his vote in 2024, and he said he plans to protest against him. is president biden going to face protesters when he comes here because of this one issue? >> he may. a lot of voters are going to vote for things like individual freedoms, like the basis of our democracy, climate change, so there are a lot of things that are going to come into play as we get closer and closer to the election. but certainly these are legitimate and raw feelings that people have and they're entitled to their opinions. >> our full conversation with governor whitmer is on our youtube channel. we'll be right back. on our youtube channel. we'll be right back. i needed more from my antidepressant. vraylar helped give it a lift. adding vraylar to an antidepressant... is clinically proven to help relieve overall depression symptoms... ...better than an antidepressant alone. and in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight.

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we'll be right back wait lot more "face the nation." stay with us. us.

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