The Excerpt podcast: Nikki Haley's first win in bid for GOP nom, beats Trump in DC primary

On Monday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley got her first win in a fight for the GOP presidential nomination, beating former President Donald Trump in the Washington, D.C. primary. USA TODAY National Political Correspondent David Jackson explains the chaos inside the Michigan GOP. The Supreme Court remains silent on Donald Trump's ballot status days before Colorado heads to the polls. USA TODAY Senior Reporter Jessica Guynn looks at a conservative plan on DEI for the next GOP president. Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark makes more history.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.  This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and today is Monday, March 4th, 2024. This is The Excerpt. Today, Nikki Haley's surprise win ahead of Super Tuesday. Plus, a look at chaos inside the Michigan GOP. And Caitlin Clark has made history again.

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Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley defeated former President Donald Trump yesterday in the Republican primary in Washington DC. It's Haley's first win in what will likely still be an uphill battle to catch Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Still, the surprising result may give her campaign confidence ahead of tomorrow's Super Tuesday elections where more than a dozen states will be holding contests. In DC, Haley claimed all 19 convention delegates and carried more than 62% of the vote. Haley is also walking back a pledge to support Trump if he's the nominee. She told NBC's Meet the Press in an interview that aired yesterday that she no longer feels bound by the Republican National Committee pledge to endorse Trump if he becomes the nominee. She said, quote, "The RNC is now not the same RNC. I'll make what decision I want to make," unquote.

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Michigan's Republican Party is in chaos. After weeks of arguments, the party held a convention Saturday where it awarded more delegates to Donald Trump. The latest scuffle came earlier this year when members organized the removal of Chair Kristina Karamo accusing her of mismanagement. She and supporters tried to organize a separate convention, but their plans fell apart right before Saturday's official GOP state convention. I spoke with USA Today national political correspondent David Jackson to break it all down. David, thanks for wrapping on today.

David Jackson:

Hey, thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So David, Michigan's GOP is in turmoil. What caused this split and who are the players here?

David Jackson:

Well, it's a long-running thing. The Michigan Republicans have been, like you say, in turmoil for many, many years, but the latest flap is over their chairman. She got herself elected last year to run the party, but many people feel like she did a very bad job. So they basically, a majority of Michigan Republican Party members expelled her from her leadership position because she was doing a poor job of management. And so what she did was she turned around and sued the party saying that they acted illegally.

Taylor Wilson:

And this rupture has not gone unnoticed by Republican voters. Might this hurt Republican efforts to turn out people at the polls this fall?

David Jackson:

I can't say how it can. Now, a lot of Michigan Republicans will tell you that this is an internal thing, it's about bureaucracy, and voters really care about the price of groceries and things like that. But it can't help but play a role in what's going to happen in Michigan, which is a very important state. I mean, just consider the fact that in recent years that parties had a hard time feeling credible candidates for governor and for US senator. Meanwhile, their Get Out the Vote program has a trophy. They're having trouble finding good candidates and they're having trouble getting their voters after the polls. And that latter situation is going to hurt Trump in a state that he really needs to win if he's going to win the presidential election in 2024. So the storm and drying about the lawsuits and the split conventions and all that stuff, it makes for good copy. But what it does, it illustrates the overall problems the party's having.

Taylor Wilson:

You know David, Michigan isn't the only swing state with discord in the GOP. Other states are seeing similar infighting. What are those states, and might Michigan be an omen for further tensions among Republicans down the road?

David Jackson:

Well, this has been a situation ever since Donald Trump came onto the scene in 2016. And in many instances, it's a case of the Trumpites versus what you call establishment Republicans. They're just having trouble getting along and it's manifested itself in party organizations in various states. But the most important ones to look out for are two other battleground states, the states that will decide the election. And when I'm thinking here of Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, all three have had problems with the organization that have manifested themselves and Get Out the Vote activities. In Georgia, for example, you've got this ongoing fight between Trump and Governor Brian Kemp who refused to go along with Trump during his election protest after 2020 that had a massive impact on Trump's defeat there. And there's no evidence that things have really improved since then. In Arizona, you've got a problem between the Trumpite senate candidate, Kari Lake and members of the state party in Arizona and that's created quite a kerfuffle. That's really going to hurt their efforts to turn out the vote in November.

In Nevada, the argument is between who is Trumper than thou. So you've got some basic Trump fans with some uber-Trump fans and they're fighting about how the party should proceed. And that definitely hurt Trump's chances in 2020 and it hurt other Republican candidates in 2022. And there's no indication that that's improved either.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. David Jackson covers national politics for USA Today. Thank you, David.

David Jackson:

Thanks, sir.

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Taylor Wilson:

Colorado will hold its Republican primary tomorrow and the US Supreme Court still has not said if votes there for Donald Trump will count. Voters will also go to the polls in Maine, another state where Trump's ballot eligibility is still waiting for a ruling from the court. And in Illinois, which votes on March 19th, the judge last week relied on the same anti-insurrectionist section of the constitution used by Colorado to declare that Trump cannot be a candidate. The judge immediately put that decision on hold until the Supreme Court acts. Experts say they're not surprised by the delay. If justice's comments during oral arguments correctly indicate they will eventually side with Trump, there's less urgency to act. Moves to remove Trump from Colorado and Maine's ballots remain paused until the Supreme Court weighs in. The court has indicated it will issue at least one opinion today that's raised speculation that it may make a Trump ballot decision ahead of Super Tuesday.

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Former President Donald Trump tried to squash efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion during his time in office. And conservative interests have drawn up a plan in anticipation of his possible return there. I spoke with USA Today senior reporter Jessica Guynn for more. Hello, Jessica.

Jessica Guynn:

Hi.

Taylor Wilson:

So how did Donald Trump try to crush DEI efforts during his presidency?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, towards the end of his presidency, the White House issued an executive order cracking down on diversity training. Basically, training that teaches about systemic racism, white privilege, unconscious bias. And the order basically banned all of this training by the federal government, but also government contractors. So loads and loads of companies or government contractors. And the administration threatened to suspend or cancel federal contracts with companies that violated the order. So it had an immediate chilling effect on corporations efforts to give this training that they pretty routinely offered and they protested about it. But Trump only was asked about the executive order during a debate with Biden said they were teaching people that our country is a horrible place. It's a racist place and I'm not going to allow that to happen.

Taylor Wilson:

And so Jessica, more recently, what have we been hearing from Trump on the campaign trail as it pertains to DEI? What does he appear to be campaigning on this time around?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, the rhetoric is pretty similar. DEI is not quite as big an issue as the border or immigration, but Trump tends to pounce on it anyway. And he says things like, "We will terminate every diversity, equity, and inclusion program across the entire federal government."

Taylor Wilson:

So what is Project 2025 and what is it planning for Trump or the next GOP president? What are some of the DEI related measures that it recommends?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, Project 2025 is the work of a coalition of conservative groups led by The Heritage Foundation, which has helped shape policies of Republican administrations going back to Ronald Reagan. The plan for a second Trump administration or the next Republican president basically lays out plans for the first 180 days and touches nearly every federal agency. And it also touches on the labor department and on the workplace. And basically, the conservatives who are behind the project say the private sector has been really corrupted by doctrines like critical race theory, which argues that historical patterns of racism are embedded in the law. They're embedded in American institutions, and they harm Black people and other people of color. And they want to reverse what they call the DEI revolution in labor policy, in favor of what they think are more race neutral policies. Specifically, that means things like they want to stop the government from collecting data on the race, ethnicity, and gender of American workers. And they want to stop the federal government and government contractors from using taxpayer dollars to conduct training about racism, things like that.

Taylor Wilson:

And why exactly do supporters say this project is necessary?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, supporters say these policy changes are necessary because the Biden administration and corporate America are just not abiding by the intent of our civil rights laws, which they say call for colorblind or race neutral rules in the workplace.

Taylor Wilson:

And what do critics say about Project 2025?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, they see it a bit differently. Civil rights leaders and activists say Project 2025 is the work of a small minority of vocal conservatives who are trying to roll back civil rights laws and water down safeguards against racial discrimination. When civil rights leader told me they're not advocating for colorblindness, they're advocating for the return of white privilege.

Taylor Wilson:

And Jessica, how have we seen attacks on DEI ramp-up in recent years, especially in the wake of George Floyd's murder?

Jessica Guynn:

As the nation grows more diverse, businesses have been working hard to try and make their workforces and their leadership teams better reflect the communities they serve. And the murder of George Floyd was really a wake-up call to redouble those efforts. And polls show that Americans broadly support this corporate diversity push, but conservatives definitely don't. And last year's Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions set off a wave of legal threats against corporate diversity policies and programs from folks like former Trump administration official Stephen Miller and anti-affirmative action activist Edward Bloom. Even billionaires like Elon Musk and Bill Ackman have gotten in on it and have assailed DEI efforts as racist. And we've seen things not just at the national level, but also in the states. Republican led legislatures are introducing dozens of bills to restrict DEI in state government, contracting, and pension investments. And I think you can expect to see these attacks intensify as we get closer to the election.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Jessica Guynn is a senior reporter with USA Today. Great insight as always. Thanks, Jessica.

Jessica Guynn:

Thanks so much for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Caitlin Clark has made history again. The Iowa women's basketball star yesterday became the leading scorer in NCAA division one basketball, passing former LSU men's basketball star Pete Maravich. He set the record from 1967 through 1970 before freshmen were eligible to play and the three-point line existed. And his record had stood for more than five decades. Clark previously set the women's college scoring record last month. She set the latest record yesterday in front of her home Iowa crowd for the final time. Last week, she declared for the WNBA draft. She had one season of eligibility remaining thanks to NCAA athletes getting an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she's now widely expected to be selected as the number one overall pick. You can read more from USA Today Sports.

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And before I go, I know it's Monday, meaning a work week ahead for many. Take a deep breath, you can do this. Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio. And if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson. Back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA Today.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Excerpt podcast: Haley's first win in bid for nom, besting Trump