Hello there I'm Chuck Todd. I just stepped off the meet the press set today.

We focused exclusively on one interview, former Vice President Mike Pence. We sat down in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday. I got him to weigh in on whether he would pardon his former running mate, Donald Trump, how he would plan to govern as a conservative president and his overall outlook on the developing primary field to take on President Biden in November and as

Trump's political and legal peril continue to escalate his rivals could have an

opening to come for the king so to speak should they choose to accept that?

But the questions I've been asking all week are, will they take it, should they take it,

and really can they take it?

So to break more of this down, I'm joined by Peter Baker.

He of course was on the panel, she's the chief White House correspondent for the New York Times.

You know, so Peter, first of all, Trump's blotting up the sun.

And I, you know, I look at our own jobs here of, you know, I always say, particularly what you and I do in our respective

news organization, we're stuck with having to cover and examine the politics as

it is, not as it we wish it were. Right, but you know.

How does this Republican primary get out from under the Trump indictment cloud?

Like it feels like it's not just an indictment on him. It just colors the entire race.

It does call the entire race.

And the problem for the Republicans

is that, okay, fine, maybe in a week or two,

people get tired talking about the indictment but then what about the

Georgia investigation then what about the January 6 investigation that

jacksmith is leading what about the trial that will be held on on civil financial crimes being alleged by the New York

Attorney General. What about this? What about that? There's so many different

court investigations coming up with Donald Trump.

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