What's Life Like on the Campaign Trail?
2012 candidate Jon Huntsman and his daughters on their experience
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," November 10, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: In recent months, the Republican presidential candidates have been all over the airwaves. We watched them stumping in all the key primary states. But often times what we haven't seen are the people behind the scenes supporting them during their travels. Namely, their families.
Well, tonight, we are going to change that. Joining me now in the studio, Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and his three daughters, Elizabeth -- the trouble-maker, Abigail and Maryann. I thought that was a very good debate for you last night.
FORMER GOV. JON HUNTSMAN, R-UTAH, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought it was good. You know, they become more substantive with each passing attempt. There are more to go --
HANNITY: You have been shy -- is that a fair criticism -- because I think now that I have gotten to know you a little bit, I think you are more outspoken.
JON HUNTSMAN: Absolutely. You develop a rhythm with these things. You have to find your comfort zone. It's a new thing for somebody who hadn't done this before.
And you find as they become more substantive, you got more to say. But it gets a little lonely there on the end. So we are encouraging, incentivizing to do better in the polls, Sean. Because the better you do, the closer to the center of the room you get.
HANNITY: This is pretty interesting. Is she the trouble-maker?
ABIGAIL HUNTSMAN: Absolutely.
HANNITY: You really are you? You want to work for "Saturday Night Live" one day?
ELIZABETH HUNTSMAN: Hopefully.
HANNITY: You want to be a writer or you want to be on air?
E. HUNTSMAN: I would do both, I don't know. I live in a humorous world, as you can see from our tweets and some of our videos.
HANNITY: Now apparently, this is interesting. You had a Twitter account and you found out about it because the world started to pick up it was you and you weren't too happy with this, right?
JON HUNTSMAN: The only thing that comes out of Twitter are typically things that embarrass the old man. I thought, we are in for real trouble.
HANNITY: My son got a phone recently, he added 48 hours and I took it back. I was like, this is not good. No, I am not ready for this world.
All right, so you came up with -- first of all, you came up with an idea. You woke up one morning, why don't I let your sisters tell it because I think I might get a more accurate picture. She has this idea to spoof.
MARYANN HUNTSMAN: We are actually just sitting on the couch, 7:30 in the morning.
A.HUNTSMAN: No, she woke me up, I think it was 7:30 in the morning. She said, I have this crazy idea, but we are going to do it. We are going to spoof the Cain ad. I said absolutely not. That will be horrible. That will hurt dad. No way.
And somehow, we said we are going to blow bubbles that, will be age appropriate. We have to do it.
HANNITY: This is because of the smoking ad that Herman Cain, his chief of staff did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. I ran into him last night at the debate and we took a photo together. That was the highlight of my night.
HANNITY: Have they seen your ad?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!
HANNITY: It became a sensation. Were you surprised?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After watching a Youtube video like that become so viral, we thought, OK, we have to do ray spoof to this. We didn't think it would go as viral as it did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully, there is more to come.
HANNITY: And then you were critical of Mitt Romney. You are sweating already. Well, you called him for example, because you were the ambassador to China.
Why you worked for Obama, that's a whole question, I'm going to get to in a minute. But you're the ambassador to China. You said, what does Romney know about China, he was only there once and for the Olympics, Panda Express doesn't count. Whose line was that? Why am I looking at you? Did do you that?
E. HUNTSMAN: Maybe.
HANNITY: Girls?
M. HUNTSMAN: We were actually at the debate during that time. We looked down --
A. HUNTSMAN: We found out --
E. HUNTSMAN: I now haveparental supervision during debates with my iPad and Twitter.
HANNITY: You have a history of creating trouble. Governor, you explain the story of the night you were elected governor, she's dating the son of your opponent!
JON HUNTSMAN: Can you believe that? Up against the Democrat, Scott Matheson, you know, into the finals. It was, you know, an emotional, difficult moment as these things are as you get to the final phase, only to find that my daughter was dating the son --
HANNITY: You didn't know this.
JON HUNTSMAN: Well, I found out very late in the game. Two cars were parked together on a date, one with a Huntsman bumper sticker and the other with a Matheson bumper sticker. What do you do?
HANNITY: You had to console the poor kids.
JON HUNTSMAN: Why did I become a diplomat? It's the only way to get through this family. Are you kidding!
HANNITY: Apparently, there was a moment too when -- was it you again?
E. HUNTSMAN: Which line?
HANNITY: With the pimp and the --
E. HUNTSMAN: That was me the night before my dad was announced to be the ambassador to China. I awoke to a pimp and two hookers above my face at the Marriott in D.C..
HANNITY: Did they say hello? Time to wake up?
E. HUNTSMAN: I was like, is this a new wake-up call? This is interesting. The Marriott's stepping it up.
HANNITY: What do you guys think of your sister?
A. HUNTSMAN: I think the fact that my dad is still alive, raising her is one reason he will be the best president of this country.
HANNITY: Same thing?
M. HUNTSMAN: Definitely.
JON HUNTSMAN: What is the best training for the presidency? You have lived overseas four times, ambassador three times, twice elected governor. Raising seven kids, I mean, you are seeing just a fraction of all of them here, Sean.
HANNITY: You are the three oldest. You seem like best friends.
M. HUNTSMAN: We are. We are very close.
HANNITY: Who came up with the brilliant idea about the comment about David Axelrod's mustache?
A. HUNTSMAN: That was actually all of us -- the two of us.
E. HUNTSMAN: Yes. That would be us.
HANNITY: Who wants to explain it?
A. HUNTSMAN: Well, you know, the definition we have is that the mustache, a flavor saver -- you save the flavors when you eat, so later on you can have the same flavors.
E. HUNTSMAN: Exactly.
A. HUNTSMAN: Apparently, there were different definitions of the term we found out later. It's a learning process.
E. HUNTSMAN: Apparently there are other terms for it on the Internet.
HANNITY: I don't know what it means. I'm lost in the dark, but I was born in 1940.
M. HUNTSMAN: But now you know.
HANNITY: I have to look it up, Google it. This is another moment on the campaign trail.
JON HUNTSMAN: I wake up every morning thinking, help us all, if I can make it to the end of the day without being highly embarrassed by my daughters, it will be a minor miracle.
HANNITY: One serious question. Your dad comes under fire. Your dad gets attacked. One by one, what's it like for you, you love your dad, obviously. He's been a governor, so you have been through some of it, but it's more scrutiny.
M. HUNTSMAN: This is a much bigger scale this time, but the important thing is that we are here together. We know what goes on in the home. That's the best you can do, going through this.
HANNITY: How hard is it?
A. HUNTSMAN: It's definitely hard. But we get through it, knowing the trouble we are in right now and we know our dad is the best to handle the situation. That keeps us going every day. We have our family and that supports is better than anything.
HANNITY: You travel everywhere with your dad?
M. HUNTSMAN: For the most part.
E. HUNTSMAN: I would agree. I think that we all are so confident in my dad and what we are doing and, you know what? In this world, nobody said it was going to be easy. We have kind of been out there and I don't know --
HANNITY: Last question. Are you dating anybody in any other campaign, maybe you want to tell your dad now, get it out of the way, so it won't happen on election night?
E. HUNTSMAN: Actually, dad. You know, Tag and I at the debate last time.
HANNITY: Tag Romney?
E. HUNTSMAN: I'm kidding.
HANNITY: I think he's married.
M. HUNTSMAN: He is married.
HANNITY: That would be a good scandal.
JON HUNTSMAN: That would be really bad.
HANNITY: I hate to think, there is a part of us in the media, we love trouble, as have you probably figured out. Girls, very nice to meet you, gives a lighter side of politics and a little insight. Governor, you and I are going to have a real interview now.
JON HUNTSMAN: Absolutely.
HANNITY: Although this was a real interview, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for having us.
HANNITY: Stay out of trouble, you.
E. HUNTSMAN: I will, I will.
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