ExclusiveThe Divide of the Republican Party

One Republican looked at the election results and spoke about the cost. Another questioned whether Trump's response revealed a weakness in judgment. After Republicans lost control of Congress, Vice President J.D. Vance declared the reason they lost midterms, his response turning many Republican supporters away from the president. Then, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a different emphasis. Trump was elected to do the hard things. How should Americans judge a leader when the costs of a decision arrive before its promised benefits? Welcome to News Planet. I'm your host, Kathleen Lee. On November 4th, the morning after the midterms, Vance published his explanation of the Republican defeat. His argument was not simply that Republican voters had stayed home. It was that some Americans who supported Trump and Vance in 2024, returned to vote, but chose Democrats. Vance identified four concerns. Ending the Iran war, addressing inflation and living costs, putting America first, and changing the relationship with Israel. Because of this loss, Vance had started to distance himself from Trump, even turning some Republican leaders away from the president and betraying the hearts of many loyal Republican supporters. However, there are still some voices that see the bigger picture. During a YouTube livestream, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani addressed Vance directly. I see presidential potential with you. I also see certain dangers in your personality that make you a dangerous possibility as president. Giuliani argued that the war was only part of the explanation for the Republican defeat. To be president, you have to have the flexibility of mind, not to have slogans dominate your thinking, he said. Then came his most forceful accusation. It's making me very, very nervous that a country is burning effigies of you, and your president, and your two envoys, he said, referring to Iran. And because we lost an election, you want to cave in. His words were unmistakable. A temporary defeat should not make you abandon your leader and give up, just because one thing didn't go your way. It matters now more than ever to stay strong and keep fighting. And because of that, Vance's criticism and character had failed the Republican Party. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also had his take on the situation. On Friday evening, November 6th, Rubio spoke at a CPAC event at Mar-a-Lago. His emphasis was the president's responsibility to protect the country. The most important thing the president can do for our country is to keep it safe, Rubio said. He argued that Trump could have postponed confronting Iran and left the problem to a successor, but chose not to. Rubio framed that choice as a responsibility to future generations. He did it for you, he said, declaring that Americans and children not yet born owed Trump a deep sense of gratitude. Where Vance described the political damage, Rubio defended the strategic purpose. When Vance criticized their president and supporters, Rubio saw beyond the facade and knew the true reason. That Trump didn't have a choice. That he carried on anyway, sacrificing himself for the people of the United States. What Rubio had was vision, and he trusted the president and the process in these difficult times What Vance lacked was empathy, the inability to understand his leader and his people. Now everyone knows who really has the country's best interests at heart. That's all we have today for News Planet. Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time.