Paul Begala: Trump ‘Is Enormously Talented’ but ‘He’s Fatally Flawed’

CUOMO: “Paul, obviously, there are always surprises. You can never guard against whatever surprise might crop up on the campaign. 2015 certainly was filled with many surprises. Care to predict what’s going to happen on the other side?”

BEGALA: You know, we’ve all sat around for the last six months as Donald Trump has dominated, and presumed, all the professionals, ‘Well, Trump will go away and then what?’ You know, the last month of this year, last year, he didn’t go away. He kept going up. And I think Democrats now have to be prepared for a Trump nomination. And he is enormously talented. He’s fatally flawed. I don’t think he can be president, but holy smokes, he’s upended the Republican Party. It’s been astonishing and very impressive.”

CUOMO: “Fatally flawed is exactly what the GOP says about Hillary Clinton, and if you face Donald Trump, how do you think she weathers the relentless battering that he will give her on all the things that you guys don’t like to talk about?”

BEGALA: “You know what? Trump against Hillary, I would, I would bet the farm. Here’s why.”

CUOMO: “Why?”

BEGALA: “On that, he loves to attack, but he’s a bully. And bullies back down when you stand up to them. OK? Donald Trump couldn’t last three hours in a debate. He had to negotiate it down to two, because he’s a paper tiger. Hillary testified under oath for 11 hours under withering questioning from her political opponents; and she didn’t faint, and she didn’t negotiate it down to one or two hours.”

CUOMO: “She wasn’t dealing with truthful hyperbole, though, Maria Cardona.”