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Trump Departs White House to Rally for South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham; Vance: Democratic Party Stands for Predators and Fraudsters; Polling Shows Talarico and Paxton Locked in Tight Texas Senate Race; Grand Prix Racing Take Over DC Streets for America's 250th. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 21, 2026 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Soon, President Trump will be heading to South Carolina, where he'll rally with Senator Darline Graham. Graham, of course, was appointed to fill the seat left by her late brother, Senator Lindsey Graham. She's facing a tough Republican primary runoff, though, right now against Congressman Ralph Norman.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And Trump is campaigning for Graham at a critical time. The election, of course, is next Tuesday. And this week, Graham's campaign was rattled by a shaky debate performance when she admitted that she's, quote, not that informed about national security.

Norman and many of his Republican allies quickly jumped on that debate performance. We're joined now by Rob Flaherty, who's a former deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign, and Rick Tyler, former spokesperson for Ted Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign. Thank you both for being with us. Rick, is Trump showing up in South Carolina going to be enough to get Darline Graham across the finish line?

RICK TYLER. FORMER SPOKESPERSON, TED CRUZ 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, look, I think a Republican will win that race, but she was ahead, like 33-25, and now she's closed that gap. And the debate really does matter, and in particular, when you're doing debate prep -- you've done debate prep -- and you know that foreign policy is going to be a vulnerability because Lindsey Graham solidly held that position, and they're looking for someone to fill that slot. And so you teach the candidate how to head for the mountaintops and not get down into the weeds into the debate, and instead she just threw up her arms and says, well, I just don't know about this subject.

[15:35:00]

And look, I just don't think that, you know, being appointed It just doesn't convey the expertise, and I think people deserve to have expertise in this particular area. Particularly on three issues, Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, and Lindsey Graham was solid on all three of those, and we don't need someone who's learning on the job on those things. So I think it's tough, I think it's tough for her. HILL: So that's what the president's working on today, the vice president in Ohio earlier. They're trying to draw up support in Ohio, also touting the president's economic agenda. He also had this message about Democrats, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Whether it's child predators, Somali fraudsters, foreign gang members, or even visa fraudsters who are working to undercut American wages and steal from American taxpayers, the Democrats know who they stand for, it's anyone but you.

If these radicals take control of Congress, they're going to pass the craziest agenda America has ever seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: He's saying these radicals. There is, of course, a lot of talk about Democratic Socialists and whether that is the Democratic Party writ large. Are Democrats ready with the messaging?

ROB FLAHERTY, FORMER KAMALA HARRIS 2024 DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Well, look, first of all, that is, to me, it's rich coming from J.D. Vance when you've got Donald Trump, who is the fraudster of fraudsters, who regularly swindled working people when he was a developer, who was a predator himself. You know, all of that, you know, you have to put that to the side. At the end of the day, this is a message, an election that's going to be about who's making people's lives better, and Donald Trump continues to make prices go higher and higher.

And just to me, you know, give me a break on that.

SANCHEZ: I'm curious, Rick, the Cook Political Report moved Texas and Iowa into the toss-up category, and yet President Trump is going to South Carolina and not Texas to campaign for Paxton or the Republican in Iowa. Should the focus be elsewhere for the president right now?

TYLER: Well, look, I've said on this network that the Republicans have made it very expensive for themselves in Texas because they had an easy win with the sitting Senator McConnell. Instead, they're going to take Paxton, who's an unknown quantity. He also seems to be the laziest Senate candidate that we've seen in this cycle, and maybe in many cycles.

I'm not sure what he's doing out there. I think now Ted Cruz has announced a marginal, but he's way behind in fundraising. And the question is, is the Republican Party really going to bail out Texas and not try to maintain the seats that -- well, there's, I count seven now, because Maine is in play, Michigan is an open seat.

There's a lot of other places that Republicans, that money could have been used, and are they going to bail out Texas? But look, if they lose Texas, that's a big problem. If they lose Texas on the electoral college level, there's no math that works for the Republicans.

SANCHEZ: I think you meant to say Cornyn, but I got what you meant when you said McConnell.

HILL: Is it registering, though, to your point about where the money should be going, right, and what's not happening right now? It almost seems like there is a certain percentage, not all, right, but a certain percentage of the party that's just, I guess, holding their breath and hoping maybe things go their way.

TYLER: Yes, but I think that speaks to, it's, look, money doesn't -- money's necessary. And I know, and the media, and I'm not pointing at you all, but is focused, always focused on the money, and the money is important, there's no doubt about that. But the quality of the candidates is way more important, particularly in the Senate races.

And when you start picking people who have no business being in the Senate, and we've got, and we've now been through 12 years of that, where we put up candidates who had no business running for Senate, couldn't run for Senate, were never going to win for Senate, Hershel Walker comes to mind, but there are others, Oz comes to mind, there are others. These are seats that we were just giving up, and we were just spending ridiculous amounts of money putting up people who have no business running for the United States Senate.

SANCHEZ: Rob, I imagine you like hearing Rick sweat the possibility that Democrats might win Texas.

TYLER: Rob's been honest about Democrats, too, I've heard.

SANCHEZ: Because it's sort of like Charlie Brown with the football, going back to at least 2018 with Beto O'Rourke, in that Democrats felt that they've gotten close, they've gotten close. James Tallarico actually seems like he has a shot.

FLAHERTY: He does seem like he has a shot. I mean, I have a hard time believing it myself, but you look at poll after poll, and, you know, it points in a pretty clear direction. And again, I think to Rick's point, it has a lot to do with the weakness of his opponent as much as it has to do with him, but it's a difficult national environment for Republicans to run in, and a good one for Democrats, and so anything's really possible.

HILL: I'd love to ask you both, there has been a real focus this week on the role of AI in States, and we have seen this kind of remarkable bipartisan 180 when it comes to support for giant data centers. We saw the executive order from Josh Shapiro just this week, a little bit of a turn from Governor Abbott as well. How important will this be to voters come November?

FLAHERTY: Well, look, I think it's very clear that data centers is going to be an issue that matters quite a bit to voters locally. And I think that by the time we get to 2028, AI is going to be the biggest issue in politics bar none. And I think it's because this data center conversation is not just about nimbyism and the environment, it is about a sense of control.

It's about a sense that people don't have control over what's happening in their communities, what's happening in their economy, that this technology might take their jobs away or kill them.

[15:40:00]

And so, you know, I think there's a lot of reasons why people are feeling anger about this and this won't go away.

SANCHEZ: Pretty broad spectrum with AI is capable of taking your job, killing you, who knows? Rick, bit of a curveball here, totally unrelated topic. President Trump announced on Truth Social the U.S. is going to allow 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported without tariff for the next 90 days. Some Republicans in a ranch country are upset about this. Tim Sheehy and both Republican senators from Nebraska are speaking out against the move. I imagine it can't be helpful to Texas either.

TYLER: Well, look, that's the affordability question right there. And Trump is trying to do something, but he's not doing something systemically we should recognize a long time ago. The Keynesian and the Austrian school agree on one thing.

Tariffs are horrible for everybody. And it's not even conservative philosophy. What tariffs are is taking taxes from people who are poor and giving it to the government.

Now we're supposed to be -- Republicans are supposed to be the party who wants smaller, limited, less government, less taxes and tariffs do all the opposite. And they say, well, it's trying to protect American jobs. It doesn't do that either.

It just doesn't work. Like get rid of them. They're a loser.

You can use tariffs strategically for national security purposes and in a very limited way. But we should be for free markets. Why should the government say I can't buy a South Korean pickup truck?

Why? Because it's in the chorus agreement. There's no rational reason I can't.

It's just Ford or somebody else who makes a truck said, no, we don't want to compete now with the South Korean trucks.

SANCHEZ: Before we go, I do want to leave you guys with a question about your former employers. Is Kamala Harris running in 2028? Is Ted Cruz?

FLAHERTY: You know, listen, I think that's up to Kamala Harris. I mean, clearly, she's a formidable candidate if she does get in and, you know, is making a lot of moves in that direction. But ultimately, that's her decision.

And I don't have anything to say on that.

SANCHEZ: Bracing himself.

TYLER: Ted Cruz is running for president. Well, he has a path. It's a narrow path.

It's not paved. It's not very wide, but he does have a path. There is -- I do think.

Look at populist economics on the left, it's no different than populist economics on the right. And that's what we're getting from most of the candidates who are speaking right now from the right perspective. And Ted Cruz is offering an alternative to popular populism economics.

He's right on Israel. So he does have a lot of good things to run against. For instance, J.D., Marco Rubio would be the obvious to others who would be in contention.

SANCHEZ: Rick and Rob. Great conversation. Appreciate you both, thanks so much.

So the streets of Washington, D.C., are turning into a racetrack this weekend. What we know about the IndyCar Grand Prix celebrating America's 250 when we come back.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: A new kind of traffic is going to take over the nation's capital this weekend, and instead of slowing down, drivers will be reaching triple-digit speeds in the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. This is an AI-generated promotion of the event, part of America's 250th celebrations. For the first time, street racing is going to hit D.C.'s public streets, zooming by the country's monuments. 200,000 people are expected to see 25 pro drivers from around the world.

HILL: Those drivers will reach speeds of up to 180 miles per hour. The course itself, 1.7 miles. There are seven tight turns there.

They'll do a total of 147 laps, which should add up to just about 250 miles. The Penske company shelled out $35 million to make this happen. And while general admission is free, some spectators paid 200 to 300 grand for a special suite to view the racing.

The main event takes place on Sunday. Joining us now is Jay Busbee, senior writer at Yahoo! Sports. This is logistically, this was a lot.

D.C. streets are not exactly set up for Indy cars for these tight turns. How difficult was it to get this city ready for this course?

JAY BUSBEE, SENIOR WRITER, YAHOO! SPORTS: I mean, it was phenomenally difficult. I think the most fascinating thing is that somebody is going to be able to actually drive for 1.7 miles straight in D.C. without stopping at any point, as we all know, D.C.'s traffic gridlock. And it took many, many months of getting the streets prepared, getting all the walls in place, because you obviously want to keep these cars contained, getting the grandstands up. All of the elements of this took several months. And it was only a short period of time that President Trump authorized this to take place. So usually there's a lot more lead time.

It's going to take a while to take it down as well, but it's going to be a spectacular scene for the for the few hours that the race is going on Sunday.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Jay, I have to tell you, I didn't know this about Erica, but she actually has experience driving an Indy car in a city.

HILL: I did. Yes. I drove in Toronto on the street track in 2010.

It was amazing. I still have my helmet. It was signed by all the drivers.

SANCHEZ: We actually have a clip of this, Jay. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Now I'm starting to get nervous. But in I go.

HILL (voice-over): Determined to break 70 miles per hour, which I'm told is tough as a first timer. The turns on this course come so fast. When I hit the straightaway, though, I knew it was now or never.

And that's when I felt the rush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Nice, you clearly have the need for speed.

HILL (on camera): I had the best time. You also just got me a lot of street cred with everybody in the studio. Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, there were there were people gasping. But the point of showing this and sharing this is that once you're exposed to it, you get hooked, Jay. So how much of this is an opportunity to expand the fan base?

[15:50:00]

BUSBEE: This is a tremendous opportunity for IndyCar because it's one thing seeing cars going around on an oval somewhere in a distant track, but it's something very different seeing them flying right in front of the U.S. Capitol, flying through these national monuments, as you mentioned, down these very familiar streets. There's just something about street racing and seeing cars, whether it's IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula One, seeing them on streets that you yourself have driven, except at a much higher rate of speed that really makes it more relatable, if perhaps a little bit more dangerous than most drivers can handle.

HILL: Yes, definitely a little bit more dangerous. It is such a cool event, right? And so unexpected to have on the streets of Washington, D.C., but there have been, you know, a little bit of politics thrown in. Has that tainted this event in any way?

BUSBEE: I mean, at this point, every event that involves President Trump to one way or another, I think I don't think anybody's changing any minds at this point. It's been 10 years. He shows up at an event.

It causes logistical challenges. There are going to be some people who are happy he's there. There are going to be some people who are unhappy he's there.

It's kind of a fixed element now of sports in America. He was at the NBA Finals. He was at the Ladder Cup.

He was at the World Cup and obviously the UFC on the White House lawn. So it's sort of baked into the American sports landscape. I don't know that it's going to be such a big deal at this race because it's actually in D.C. and it's going to be taking place right down the street from his house. So it's not very difficult logistical lift for him to get there. But yes, Trump at sports now in America is something that we just accept at this point.

SANCHEZ: And of course, the fact that it's happening in D.C. in summer means there's a high chance of rain on both days. How might the weather impact the race, Jay?

BUSBEE: If it's just rain, it's not going to be a problem. If it's just these cars can run in rain, unlike some races, they can run in rain. If it's a problem where the issue is going to come in is if there's lightning.

And obviously that's always possible in summer of D.C. But if it runs in rain, I mean, it would be messy, but it won't be quite as cinematic as it might look, but they will still go might not be as much fun for those spectators who paid a quarter of a million dollars, but it'll still go.

HILL: Real quickly, who do you think will handle this course the best?

BUSBEE: I mean, you got to look at Alex Palou. He's been doing so well all the way through the last few years. I think it's going to be a course that sets up well for him.

And this is the kind of course that every driver is going to be unfamiliar with. So whoever adapts the fastest is going to be able to hang on. But it's a tight course.

It's a course unlike any that they're used to before. No familiarity. So that's what's going to make it so much fun.

HILL: Anybody's race.

SANCHEZ: My money's on Erica. I saw you in there.

HILL: I'll throw my hat in the ring or my helmet, as it were. Jay, thank you. Really appreciate it.

BUSBEE: Thank you. SANCHEZ: Still to come, how one CNN hero is giving life changing

medical equipment to people with disabilities in poverty stricken areas along the U.S. Mexico border.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: In Mexico and other developing countries, government health programs often don't provide wheelchairs or prosthetics for people living with amputations or other disabilities. But this CNN hero is an engineer in the Mexican border city of Nogales who has made it his life's mission to empower people with disabilities. For him, it's not just his life's work, it's personal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANCISCO "KIKO" TRUJILLO, CNN HERO: If someone is amputated, they have two choices, go home or go out on the streets and beg. And the same goes for kids that are born with a neuromuscular disability that require a customized wheelchair. We need to help them.

TRUJILLO (through translated text): I don't know what you financial situation is, but I don't want that to worry you.

TRUJILLO: Nobody walks out of here without what they need. I've been living on the border for many years. I come from a family of 11 brothers and sisters.

One of my brother was born without his left hand. I took on industrial engineering, but I wanted to do something for my community. I got a phone call from Dr. Duke. He's a pediatrician. He said, I'd like to help people with disabilities. My brother came to my mind at that time.

DR. BURRIS "DUKE" DUNCAN, PEDIATRICIAN: He's just a very resourceful guy. Kiko knows everybody in Nogales. We're a village and everyone is kind of contributing to make things happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translated text): I had the opportunity to be one of the first patients they treated. I was born with a condition involving the absence of my lower limbs and somewhat abnormal hands. There are other people who refuse to give up and that motivates you to keep pushing forward.

TRUJILLO: We hire folks with the same disability that the devices they're going to be building. The person that makes prosthesis, he wears a prosthesis. Once we receive people that have lost the limb, they're devastated, they're depressed.

When they talk to a guy that makes the prosthesis and he lost his leg, they'll listen. Close to 3,500 people with disabilities have benefited from our program. We're located right next to the border.

We have been able to involve all sectors of the society on both sides and work towards helping people overcome the barriers that they face. We are changing the lives of not just the patient, but the entire family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: It's really an incredible story. For the full story about Kiko and his work, go to CNN.com/heroes. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon.

"THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END