'Sending a signal': CNN hosts predict what’s 'fueling' Trump’s 'attitude' in Iowa speech

Mere hours after Donald Trump's Monday night projected Iowa Caucus win, CNN hosts Kaitlan Collins and Abby Phillips agreed that the former president's tone, delivery and "attitude" during his victory speech were in stark contrast to many of his previous appearances.

"It shows how confident he feels coming off of this win," Collins said. "I haven't heard Donald Trump give a speech like that in probably years, and I've been to a lot of Donald Trump speeches. He hasn't called Ron DeSantis 'Ron' since Ron DeSantis entered the presidential race. He's only called him by nicknames and called him disloyal. To see him give that speech speaks to how he feels after this victory tonight. But I also think this is the speech that he's giving after he has not had any wins in several years.

She continued, "He lost the 2020 election, he's facing 91 criminal counts. He's going to be in a New York courtroom tomorrow for a trial, where a jury will determine how much he owes the columnist E. Jean Carroll for defaming her, something they've already decided. They're not deciding that. They're deciding how much he owes her. And I think that's what is fueling that attitude that you saw there. Where he was speaking graciously of his opponents, clearly calling on them to drop out of the race and talking about this notion of uniting the country, which struck me, given obviously how polarized the country is at this moment, and this idea of uniting liberals and conservatives in that speech. But I think it's also because he has not had a win like that in so long. I mean, he's only dealing with criminal charges and civil suits and trials."

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Phillips added, "He's trying to keep a sense of inevitability about this. This is the kind of speech you would expect to hear from a candidate after Super Tuesday, if they'd won five or six states and they're rolling into the nomination. This is the very first contest. The first one. And he was sending all kinds of signals, to Capitol Hill, to his rivals. He, just two days ago, was attacking Vivek Ramaswamy. Tonight, he was praising him. He was using Ron DeSantis' actual name. He's sending a signal to his party, 'this thing is over,' and he wants them to get on board. We'll see what happens. But that was a signal that was unmistakable to me as he heads in this next week going into New Hampshire."

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