Sen. Tom Cotton: 'There's a Lot of Ferment in American Politics'

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., spent the duration of Sunday's CNN interview beating back host Dana Bash's questioning on Democrat election talking points, rejecting the seizing on anti-Trump endorsements, Russian election meddling, and gun violence after a Georgia school shooting.

Endorsements, Russian meddling, and the weaponization of gun violence against law-and-order conservatism will not decide the presidential election between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Cotton told CNN's "State of the Union."

"What it is a remarkable time in politics, you have Dick Cheney endorsing a Democrat and you have a Kennedy endorsing a Republican," Cotton told Bash, who attempted to seize on the anti-Trump Cheney endorsement of a Democrat, while dismissing the former Democrats endorsing Trump.

"I think what it tells us is that there's a lot of ferment in American politics. But in the end, endorsements are not going to make the difference in this race.

"So what's going to make the difference is their records."

Cotton did admit "this is a very unusual presidential election," but it still comes down to the issues and not the political narrative peddling on never-Trump endorsements, Russian interference, and Harris pivoting on policing.

"People remember that when Donald Trump was in office prices were low, wages were high," Cotton continued. "We had peace and stability around the world. Kamala Harris, as vice president, has brought a record high inflation, we have a wide-open southern border, and we have war everywhere you turn around the world.

"I know that endorsements sometimes make news, but most Americans are going to be making their decisions on the records of these two candidates. People remember that we had good times with Donald Trump. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden brought us very bad times."

When pressed on Cheney continuing his never-Trump position, Cotton pointed to Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., record loss in the 2022 midterm election.

"Some of this is probably Donald Trump beat his daughter in her last election by 39 points," Cotton said. "I think most Americans are going to look at this race and compare the records they have against the very unusual race.

"When you have a president who served in office, who brought good times to America, and you have Kamala Harris, a San Francisco liberal, who has brought to America exactly what you see in San Francisco as well."

The latest Russian election interference will be as ignored by voters, too, as the media managed to skirt the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020, according to Cotton.

"What didn't make a difference in the last election is the lies about Hunter Biden's laptop that more than four dozen former intelligence officials lied about in the middle of that campaign," he said. "And most networks to include this one bought that lie hook line and sinker. That didn't make a difference in the election."

Repositioning crime narratives against Republicans after the Georgia high school shooting cannot cover Harris' past calls to remove armed security at America's schools, something Cotton noted stopped more killing in the Georgia shooting this week.

"Here's what we also know about that shooting, even as we're still gathering all the facts: It wasn't as bad as it might have been because there was a police officer on the school premises that was able to neutralize the shooter," Cotton said. "Kamala Harris wants to take police officers out of school. She said it in the past. That's her position.

"It's not surprising because she's consistently taken positions against law enforcement throughout her career as a San Francisco liberal.

"If that police officer hadn't been there, and Kamala Harris had gotten her way, many more students and teachers might have been killed."

At the end of the nine-minute interview, Cotton declined to comment on a potential Cabinet position in a future Trump administration.

"I'm focused on Donald Trump winning, just as he's focused on winning," Cotton concluded. "There's plenty of time for him to put together a great team after the election, which I know he will."