Booker says he wants to beat Trump ‘mano a mano,’ face him on debate floor

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday that he wants to beat President Trump “mano a mano” by facing him on the debate floor.

Booker said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he doesn’t know any colleagues in the Senate on either side that think the impeachment of Trump is a “good thing.” As a presidential candidate, he said he wants to face the president head on. 

{mosads}“As a guy who is a big competitor, I want to beat Donald Trump mano a mano, I want to face him down on a debate floor,” Booker said. “So this is not something that I want to do.”

Booker, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, added that he, along with the other senators, will swear to “this ideal of impartiality,” and he plans to maintain that oath. He said he does not think public opinion should influence the Senate trial “at all” as senators need to determine whether Trump violated the Constitution.

“I’m going to evaluate the facts objectively and honor the oath that I swore even though I think Donald Trump has violated his oath of office,” he said. 

The presidential candidate added the country is “fatigued” from the impeachment process and said the country should “move on” when the Senate trial is over.  

The House passed two articles of impeachment last week, meaning the president is set to face a trial in the Senate in January. The GOP-majority Senate is not expected to vote the president out of office.  

Booker has been struggling in the Democratic primary, currently ranking in eighth among the candidates, according to RealClearPolitics. The New Jersey senator did not make the stage for the December debate after not receiving enough support in the polls, although he met the donor threshold.