presidential politics are taking center stage.

Let's discuss that and more with Brooks and# Capehart.

That's New David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart,# associate editor for The Washington Post.

It's good to see you both.

Let's talk a David, the latest poll of Iowa voters# found that, amon President Donald Trump has a dominant# lead.

That hasn't changed.

But this is# the first poll to find that Nikki Haley is# now opening a real lead over Ron DeSantis She has 20 percent to his 13 percent, and her# lead is outside of the poll's margin of error.

How do you interpret these numbers?

DAVID BROOKS: Disastrous for sa id to have an amazing ground game.

He's# invested zillions of dollars in Iowa.

And## if he's down to 13 percent, I don't see# how the campaign really goes forward.

He said he will go to South Carolina, maybe# skip New Hampshire.

But I just don't he recovers from a showing that bad, when# he's invested this much time and effort.

As for Nikki Haley, very good number# for her.

She's kind of late in the game,## less organized on the ground.

On the other hand,# there is a ceiling on her.

And that's bec if you look at who's voting for her, it's# college-educated Republicans.

And this is a## working-class party, and she has done very poorly# trying to crack into that working-class She's done very poorly trying to crack into# that evangelical group.

And so Trump has## great organization, great presence.

People are# waiting to wait around, I have read recently,## five and six hours as he shows up late.

They# will stick around.

They want to see Donald Trump.

So all indications are that Donald Trump is# sitting pretty.

And if those polls are right,## then Ron DeSantis is in trouble.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Jonathan, yo that, one, Nikki Haley is even better# es pecially if she has a strong showing in Iowa,## or that the race for number two is meaningless# How do you see it?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Exactly.

(LAUGHTER) front-runner is 34 points ahead in that poll,# in the Suffolk University poll you just showed?

But, also, he's ahead in all of the polls.

And# they have not taken the gloves off against him,## except for, I think, Nikki Haley took the gloves# off this week.

And Ron DeSantis in some way took## the gloves off.

But they should have been doing# that from the moment they got into the campaign.

And so, again, as I have said on Friday nights now# for at least a month, maybe two, when it comes to## the Iowa caucuses, I will be curious to see if# that 34-point spread in the Suffolk University## poll shows up in actual votes.

And if Donald Trump# doesn't wipe the floor with Haley or DeSantis,## whoever comes in number two, then we have to start# to wonder, can he make it through New Hampshire?

And does that provide an opportunity for# Nikki Haley to maybe win New Hampshire,## but then get obliterated in her# home state of South Carolina?

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, how can Nikki Haley# capitalize on Chris Christie's exit from the race?

Because the one thing his campaign proved# is that there is no nationwide constituency## for a Republican who's willing to break# with Donald Trump in the way that he did.

DAVID BROOKS: Right.

optimist.

And there's a scenario for Haley.# She does well in Iowa, or better than expected maybe comes within 25 points of Donald Trump.# She goes to New Hampshire, Christie's gone,## DeSantis is sort of out of it, even# if he's not officially out of it.

And then she's really -- with Christie out, she's# in the realm of tying Trump.

the ballpark.

That would be big news.

He's# basically a sitting incumbent president.

And## if a sitting incumbent president loses# New Hampshire, then that's big news.

I agree with Jon.

She will then go on to# lose her home state.

But then, after that,## we have Michigan, which has an open primary,# and independents can vote in it.

And so t looks a little better for her.

And then# after that, we have a whole run of states.

So there's some plausible scenario# of, the way things are breaking,# it turns out to Haley, Trump in short# order, and then she has some remote chance.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, what do you# think?

Does Chris Christie's exit## change the dynamics of this# race in any me JONATHAN CAPEHART: No.

No.

And,# unfortunately, that's the case.

I mean, I don't agree with Governor Christie on# a whole lot of things, but I thought his role as## a candidate for the Republican nomination was# an important one, because he was fearless in## taking the argument to the party against Donald# Trump.

And the fact that a person who is telling## the truth about a four-times-ind cted-on-91-counts# former president shouldn't be the standard-bearer## of their party, the party rejected him by# not supporting him, meaning Chris Christie.

And so it's unfortunate that# he had to get out of the race,## but it's also unfortunate that there's no# constituency for the truth-tell GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk about the Biden# campaign, because The Washington Post reported## this past weekend that former President Barack# Obama has raised que of President Biden's reelection campaign, and has# even discussed this with President Biden himself.

Of course, David Axelrod, the former Obama# strategist, he's been very public about his## own criticisms about the campaign.

And, to be# clear, they're not criticizing President Biden.## They're criticizing the effectiveness# and the messaging of the campaign.

In your view, is there a reason for worry?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, I mean, there are now -- well,## first, there's rea Donald Trump would be elected president.# So that's reas And in my conversation with Democrats around# the country, I have noticed th million political consultants.

Every# Democrat I know has got some words of## advice on how Biden can do a lot better.

And# I happen to agree with the Obama people.

And,## by the way, the Biden people hate# it when the Obama people judge them.

And I do think Axelrod and Obama are# essentially correct that, of course,## he had to do a January 6 speech.

Of# course, going to Mother Emanuel Church## was important.

But he does have to show# how I'm going to make your l And the core reason Donald Trump# is doing OK is a lot of Americans## think their life was better under him than# under Biden.

And so they'r he has to look at the Reagan campaign in 1980,# an old guy who said, no, here's to do for you.

And he has to have law and order.# Donald Trump is an agent of chaos, a lawbreaker.

For a Democrat to be a law and order --# a persuasive law and order candidate at## a time of global chaos, that would# be a good thing.

And then I think he## really has to somehow get into the working# class.

You can't give away that many votes,## especially among the Hispanic working class.

So I think he has to champion# business, sm and show he's for enterprise and aspiration.# And these are not the usual Democratic theme but I think he really needs to do it to sort# of claw back some of that working class.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, I know you're deeply# sourced in both Biden world and Obama world.

What do you make of, this Democrat --# the sense among some Democrats that the## campaign isn't as nimble or as effective# as it needs to be to meet the moment?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: I mean, this --# I file this under the -- it's like a## file folder within the Democratic# bed-wetting folder that I keep.

But I do -- but, that being said, I do think that# Democrats should be running scared.

I do think## that it is important that former President Obama# is talking to the current president and saying,## hey, you need to take this seriously.# But I am also confident that President## Biden and the Biden campaign absolutely# are taking the threat of Donald Trump## seriously and taking seriously that# their message isn't getting through.

I mean, I take David -- everything# he just said is right and true.

But## as he was talking about the things# that the president should be doing## or the campaign should be doing,# I was thinking bac when the president was doing and the campaign# and the administration was doing exactly that.

I think that we have to not look at this campaign# as -- from the snapshot of one week and, oh,## my God, because they didn't talk about this# or they didn't have a message on that this## particular week, that they're not going to be# talking about it or have been ta So, I am not worried, but I do think that# Democrats need to give the administration,## give the president, give the campaign# the room to let its campaign unfold,## and rest assured that they take# the threat of Donald Trump,## but also the Republican Party# seriously, because think about this.

If Donald Trump, through some miracle,# is not the Republican nominee,## Trumpism is still abroad in the land.

MAGA# is still abroad in the land.

And so whether## Trump's the nominee or not, there still will# be an alternative for Biden to run against.

GEOFF BENNETT: You know, that raises the# question in the minute-and-a-half we have## left.

I was going to move to another# topic, b What is the future of the Republican Party?# I mean, Donald Trump will cede the grou some point as the sort of titular head# of the Republican Party.

What is left?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, it's going to be a different# party.

It's going to be a working-class party.

And we too often look at America only.

Every# country has a right-wing so it's going to be a party that's going# to be suspicious of foreign adventures,## unlike the earlier Republican Party.# It's going to be a party suspicious## of international trade.

It's going to# be a party that represents hope for the Republicans is, we're going# to be a multiracial working-class party.

And they're not far away.

The Hispanic movement# to the Republicans among the has been very significant.

Even some of the Black# working class has moved a little, not that much,## but a multiracial working-class party is what# they are hoping for.

And it's not impossible.

GEOFF BENNETT: David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart,# good to see you both.

Have a good weekend.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Geoff.