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Trump Accuses Nigeria Of "Mass Slaughter" Of Christians; Interview With Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA); Obama Stumps For Democrats In Virginia And New Jersey; Obama Rallies New Jersey Voters Ahead Of Election Day. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired November 01, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:03]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York.

We are following breaking news this evening as President Donald Trump says he's ordering the Pentagon to prepare for possible action against Nigeria after accusing the country of severe religious violations against Christians. Nigeria's president has repeatedly denied this claim, saying his government is working to safeguard freedom of religion.

Let's bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who is traveling with the president this weekend in Florida.

Julia, what is the president saying? What is -- what are the Nigerian leader is saying?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, we'll get straight to those comments. I want to pull up President Donald Trump's post and read it to you in full. It is very strong language. He said, quote, "If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately put -- immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country guns a blazing to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

"I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians. Warning the Nigerian government better move fast."

This post is an escalation of a post that Trump made on Friday, where he said that he was making Nigeria a country of particular concern. Now, we have not heard from the Nigerian president since that post that I just read, but he did put out a statement following the Friday post and in it he said in part, "The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians."

He went on to say that he is committed to working with the United States government, as well as the international community, to deepen understanding and cooperation for the protection of all faiths.

DEAN: Julia, also, we're hearing from the president, He's doubling down again on his calls for Republicans in the Senate to end the filibuster. He says it's the only way to end the shutdown, which is now at day 32. We know that the Senate majority leader, John Thune, has shown no appetite for that, nor do a handful of other Senate Republicans. So that does not appear to go anywhere.

But what more are we learning about impacts, particularly on today, November 1st, and where things may be going?

BENBROOK: Well, as this government shutdown continues to drag on, there are several key dates that we have been paying attention to, and today is one of them. That is when the funding for SNAP benefits is set to lapse, and that impacts about 42 million Americans who rely on that. Just yesterday, though, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration needs to tap into emergency funds in order to at least partially fund those food stamp benefits in November.

And those rulings, they reject an argument made by the Department of Agriculture that they could not use a contingency fund in order to do this. Now, Trump responded, saying that he needs some clarity on these rulings in order to get the SNAP benefits back up. And no matter what happens here, recipients will likely see a delay as it will take some time to get those back up and moving.

As you mentioned, this is day 32, the longest government shutdown was 35 days. That was at the end of 2018 going into 2019 during Trump's first term. And we seem likely to pass that record as there are no real substantial negotiations taking place. The arguments have continued to remain the same. Republicans are pushing for essentially an extension of current funding levels on a short-term basis, and then Democrats, they're focusing in on health care, specifically asking to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies.

Open enrollment for Obamacare started today. So Americans are already starting to see the impact this could have if that price tag goes up.

DEAN: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for your reporting.

As Julia just noted, millions of Americans have lost critical food benefits tonight. These food stamps are used by roughly 42 million Americans every month. Two federal judges have said the Trump administration is required to use emergency funds to at least partially fund that program. But again, as she was saying, unclear on exactly how much or when that money would be going out as this government shutdown continues.

We are joined now by Democratic Congressman James Walkinshaw from Virginia. He was elected in a special election just in September.

Congressman, thank you so much for being here with us tonight. I really appreciate it. I do want to start there.

REP. JAMES WALKINSHAW (D-VA): Thanks for having me. DEAN: Yes. On the SNAP benefits just because today is November 1st.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy, more than 800,000 people in your state, in Commonwealth of Virginia, received these benefits last year. What are you hearing in terms of the impact right now?

[19:05:08]

WALKINSHAW: Well, I spoke with food banks and food pantries here in northern Virginia, and the run up to this deadline, November 1st, and they were deeply concerned about the challenges that this would create for folks who utilize SNAP and need SNAP here in Virginia. But the delay in SNAP benefits moving to the folks who need it is because the Trump administration, Donald Trump attempted illegally to deny those benefits.

The contingency fund is there. Congress has funded it. The law is clear. The courts have agreed with us that those funds need to be distributed. And the delay is because the Trump administration chose not to move those benefits forward.

DEAN: And at the current moment, obviously, we remain entrenched in this shutdown. I know you very recently got to Congress, just in the last really month or so. But as it stands, the Democrats are still holding out that they've really -- on one key issue, which is the Obamacare subsidies. Those also went into effect today. So people who are logging in to that exchange to see about enrollment for next year will see those premiums go up.

As we've noted, as you just walked through, what people are suffering through with the SNAP benefits, we see airports here in New York. We had a ground stop yesterday at JFK and all across the country delays. What do you think is the threshold for how much longer you think, personally, you'd be willing to let this shutdown continue for?

WALKINSHAW: Well, one, on the ACA tax credit issue, I heard this week, I'll just give you one story, one constituent, 25 years old, new father, has a newborn child. They're on the ACA exchange now. They logged in to see what they would pay next year. The premiums have skyrocketed so much that they've made the decision that mom and their baby will get health insurance next year, but dad will go without health insurance.

And those are the decisions that families across Virginia and across the country are making now. So it's a critical issue. And look, you know, I think there's positive movement in the sense that Republicans in Congress are having more and more conversations amongst themselves. They're very nervous about the political impacts of these ACA tax credits not being extended.

They're having more conversations about what a package could look like to extend them. I think that's positive, and I hope those conversations will continue and they'll return to Washington, end their vacation. have bipartisan conversations about addressing the health care crisis and ending the shutdown.

DEAN: I do want to ask you, you are in Virginia. You were just on the ballot in Virginia. Obviously, your Democratic colleague, Abigail Spanberger, is running to be governor of Virginia. You've been campaigning alongside her.

As someone who was recently on the trail there, we look to these off- year elections to try to glean, you know, something about what voters are telling us. What did you see as some of the challenges or weak spots, maybe that did you tell Congresswoman Spanberger, you know, hey, I saw this on the trail, think about this?

WALKINSHAW: Yes. Well, I was elected in a special election on September 9th, and we won a record margin. And I think we did that because we stayed laser focused on the kitchen table economic issues that are affecting folks in Virginia and Trump and the Trump attack on Virginians, Virginia jobs, Virginia's economy defined that.

In my district here in Virginia, everybody knows somebody who's lost their job because of Donald Trump. And I think Congresswoman Spanberger has done a great job of focusing in on that, pointing out that she will be willing to stand up to Trump and the Trump administration, focused on affordability. So I think that's -- that is the key, really stay focused on the things that are impacting voters as we speak today, that they're talking about at their kitchen tables right now.

DEAN: Yes. And look, I think that there's been a real story line about Democrats trying to find their footing in this second Trump administration. Obviously, you have been quite successful and you are a Democrat. You want them to be successful. Do you feel like they are finding -- are finding their footing in some way?

WALKINSHAW: Look, I think for Democrats, when we're talking about health care, when we're talking about jobs, when we're talking about affordability, that's when we're successful. And the good news for us is all of the things Donald Trump promised to do when he was campaigning, he promised to bring down the cost of groceries. He promised to focus on inflation. He hasn't delivered. Groceries, prices are skyrocketing. Inflation is back up. The tariffs are driving up costs. So for Democrats, we got to stay focused on those issues and give folks tangible solutions that we're going to deliver.

DEAN: All right. Congressman James Walkinshaw, thanks for your time tonight. We appreciate it.

WALKINSHAW: Thank you.

[19:10:04]

DEAN: Still ahead, nearly a decade after leaving the White House, former President Obama still one of the most powerful voices in the Democratic Party. He hopes that voice will get two candidates over the finish line as they run for governor there in Virginia and also in New Jersey. He's set to take the stage in New Jersey shortly. We'll have more on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:05]

DEAN: And we are looking live at former president Barack Obama alongside the Democratic candidate for governor, Mikie Sherrill. Let's listen in from Newark, New Jersey.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Oh, it is --

(CHEERS)

OBAMA: It is -- now don't worry. It is hard to know where to start because every day this White House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and carelessness and mean spiritedness and just plain old craziness. We've got a president who thinks it's OK to use the Justice Department, just for example, to use the Justice Department to go after his political opponents.

(BOOS)

OBAMA: Wait, wait, wait. Here's a rule. You can't boo.

CROWD: Vote!

OBAMA: You got to vote. They won't hear you if you're booing, but they'll hear your vote.

(CHEERS)

OBAMA: So you've got a president who replaces career prosecutors with loyalists who will do his bidding, and now he's telling them to hand over millions of taxpayer dollars that he had to pay in expenses for previously violating the law. We've got a commander-in-chief who has fired decorated military officers because he thinks they might be more loyal to the Constitution than they are to him.

(BOOS)

OBAMA: Now don't boo.

CROWD: Vote!

OBAMA: He's deployed the National Guard in American cities and claimed to be stopping crime waves that don't actually exist. We got masked ICE agents pulling in unmarked vans and grabbing people off the streets, including U.S. citizens.

(BOOS)

OBAMA: Don't boo. Vote.

Grabbing them on the suspicion that they don't look like real Americans. We've got a Health and Human Services secretary who opposes proven science, and then peddles quack medicine. We've got a top White House aide who calls Democrats, the whole Democratic Party, domestic extremists. We -- and then we've got some poor labor economists who got fired for accurately reporting bad job numbers that Trump didn't like. It's like every day is Halloween. Except it's all tricks and no

treats. And here's the thing, here's the thing, New jersey. It's not as if we did not see some of this coming. I mean, I'll admit it's worse than even I expected, but I did warn y'all. I did. And you know what, Donald Trump warned you, too. He told you what he was like and how he was going to act. But the fact is, the truth is, right here in New Jersey and all across the country, there were plenty of people who voted for Trump and the Republicans anyway.

Not because they wanted to give up their right to free speech or because they wanted to see our public health systems torn down, but because they were understandably frustrated with inflation and high gas prices and the difficulty of affording a home and they were worried about their children's futures. Now nine months later, you got to ask yourself, has any of that gotten better?

CROWD: No!

OBAMA: Is the economy working better for you?

CROWD: No!

OBAMA: Because it sure has gotten better for Trump and his family. Since he's been in office, the family crypto business and other ventures have made hundreds of millions of dollars and getting investment from foreign nationals and rich folks looking to stay in the president's good graces.

[19:20:14]

The economy has been really good for some of Trump's billionaire friends, and it's been good for some finance bros and well-connected corporations who've seen their tax bill go down and don't have to worry about all those pesky regulators anymore. But for ordinary families, for you, your neighbors, your friends, costs have not gone down. They've gone up. Partly because of Trump's shambolic tariff policy.

Young people, they're not having an easier time. Young people trying to get a start in life are having a tougher time than ever finding a job, Entry-level hiring is down 16 percent from last year. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have lost their jobs to pay for those billionaire tax cuts. We're talking about people who dedicated their lives to public service and help make this country work.

Meanwhile, the government is shut down, which means small business loans are suspended and help for vulnerable people is delayed. Health care premiums for millions of people are about to double or even triple next year. And the Republicans who are running Congress right now, they're not even pretending to solve try to solve the problem. They're not even going to work. They haven't been in session. They're not showing up.

And as for the president, I mean, in fairness, he has been focused on some critical issues like paving over the Rose Garden so folks don't get mud on their shoes, and building a $300 million ballroom -- (BOOS)

OBAMA: Do not boo. Do not boo. Vote.

And anyway, I don't know why y'all complaining. If you can't afford to visit the doctor, don't worry. He'll save you a dance.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: And if you don't get an invitation to the next White House shindig, you can always watch the festivities on Trump's live feed on Truth Social.

Look, the point is, there is absolutely no evidence that Republican policies have made life better for the people of New Jersey. They've devoted enormous energy to entrenching themselves in power, punishing their enemies, enriching their friends, silencing their critics.

They've put on a big show of deporting people and targeting transgender folks. They never miss a chance to scapegoat minorities and blame DEI for every problem under the sun. You got a flat tire? Must be DEI. Your wife kicked you out, DEI. Who knew? But what they haven't done is help you. They haven't put forward serious proposals to lower housing costs or make groceries more affordable.

They haven't improved our schools or made health care more accessible, or shorten your commute, or prepared young people for a future where A.I. might take their jobs. All, all the nonsense that we see on the news every day, the over-the-top rhetoric, the fabricated conspiracies, the weird videos of a U.S. president with a crown on his head flying a fighter jet and dumping poop on American citizens.

(BOOS)

OBAMA: Don't boo. No, no, no, no, no. Wait, wait, that's not even worth booing about. Because all of that is a distraction. All of it is designed to distract you from the fact that your situation, your life, has not gotten better.

[19:25:07]

They do it so you won't notice that at the same time that they're helping the wealthiest, most powerful people in the country consolidate more wealth and more power, your bills are still going up. You're waiting longer at airports because there aren't enough air traffic controllers. The program that helps your kid with special needs just got gutted. They are hoping you don't notice that.

But the good news, the good news, good news, is there is something you can do about it, New Jersey. Right here, right now. Because you've got a candidate for governor who's a proven fighter, who's got a track record of getting stuff done. Somebody who sees you and knows your struggles and will work for you every single day.

New Jersey, it's to point America to a better direction by electing Mikie Sherrill as your next governor. Thank you. (CROWD CHANTING MIKIE)

OBAMA: Now, you know, I've met a lot of tough people in my life. I was -- I was watching Mikie backstage, and there were some people from the security detail for all kinds of folks. You can see they'd been in the weight room, you know, suit was all just -- I don't know how they got in that suit. It's not a problem I have. My guns slip in there pretty easily.

I've met a lot of tough people in my life. I don't know many people. We need a medic here. They'll be coming. Give him or her a little space. Probably just a little dehydrated.

Everybody, bend your knees. Bend your knees. Yes, you got to -- you can't stand still and not have any water.

All right, we got some medics coming. Oh, I love you, but hold on. I heard you, girl. Just settle down. I'm here to talk to everybody, not just you. I mean, you look cute. But I am married. Michelle is fine, too.

(CHEERS)

OBAMA: All right. I think a medic is coming. So listen, I don't know many people who started their careers as a Navy helicopter pilot.

(CHEERS)

OBAMA: Then went to law school. Then became a federal prosecutor, keeping communities safe, and she's doing this while raising four kids.

(CHEERS)

OBAMA: And then because apparently that was a little bit too easy, she decides to run for Congress. I get tired just thinking about it. But I do know that it makes -- it makes her the kind of leader who understands the mission, who knows who she is supposed to serve, who doesn't have a lot of time for excuses.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

OBAMA: And that is exactly what New Jersey needs right now.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Mikie doesn't just say the right thing. As your governor, she will do the right thing.

(CHEERS)

OBAMA: She understands that government can make a difference in people's lives by educating our kids for the jobs of the future, keeping our air and water clean, protecting consumers from fraud and dangerous products, providing a safety net for seniors and folks with disabilities, investing in the infrastructure and scientific research that drives economic growth.

[19:30:12]

She knows what government can do, but she also knows that good intentions alone are not enough, that we can't afford to waste taxpayer dollars on programs that don't work, and that instead of simply tearing down government, it's her job to make it work better for you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: You've heard Mikie talk about bringing costs down for working families. Remember how Donald Trump declared a "state of emergency" so he could put tariffs in place that are now driving up costs for you? Attacks on every family in America.

On her first day as governor, Mikie will declare a state of emergency to bring costs down, starting with utilities.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: She's going to create more energy right here in New Jersey because more supply means lower bills. She's going to take on the states grid operator to stop them from driving up costs that will affect your pocketbook in a good way.

As a mom of four kids, Mikie knows what parents see every day. So she's got plans to put more physical and mental health resources in schools.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: She's going to make tech companies do more to keep kids safe online. She'll invest in high impact tutoring to get kids who are struggling back on track. And she's going to make sure you can see exactly where your tax dollars are going and whether the programs you are helping to fund actually do what they're supposed to do.

Mikie will work with anyone if it helps the people of New Jersey, and she will listen to everyone, too. Whether they voted for her or not. Because she knows that if we want to make progress on the things we care about, we have to be able to disagree without calling each other nasty names or demonizing each other.

At a time when our politics feels just so broken, we need leaders like Mikie, public servants who are in it for the right reason, who are focused on the future and who will always stay connected to the people that they were elected to serve.

Now, her opponent, not so much.

Mikie's opponent has now run for governor three times in a row. I mean, I believe in persistence but at a certain point, so, three times in a row, other two times he lost. So, this time his strategy is to suck up to the Republicans in Washington. So, Donald Trump called Mikie's opponent a hundred percent MAGA. Not a great endorsement, when he was asked to give the Trump administration a grade, Mikie's opponent said they deserved an A -- don't boo.

Hey, I mean, I know there's been great inflation, but really an A, this is the best we could do. I mean, these are the same folks who put secret war plans in a group chat.

You don't think there's anything they could be doing better? No room for improvement?

Jersey, we don't need a governor who puts party and ideology ahead of the people that elected that governor. You deserve a governor who's going to think for herself and work for you. A governor who will create jobs and not cut them, a governor who will lower costs and not raise them, a governor who will bring people together and not divide them, a governor who will do right for the people of New Jersey no matter what anybody in Washington thinks you deserve a governor like Mikie Sherrill.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CROWD chanting "Mikie! Mikie!")

[19:35:30]

OBAMA: I'm going to bring it down a little bit here. Just for just for a second. Hold on a second. I hear you, but I want to -- I want to kind of wrap up with something that I want everybody to think about.

At the at the end of the day, at the end of the day, what this election is about. What politics in a democracy is always about is values. What do we care about? What do we believe? What do we prioritize? What are our core convictions? You know, a lot of people have asked me lately whether I am surprised at the direction the country has taken.

And even though I'm the hope and change guy, I want to be honest with them. And so, I admit to them that I have caused for deep concern. I admit to them that I'm worried about how quickly basic Democratic rules and norms have been weakened.

I'm worried about how willing Republicans in Congress have been to abdicate their role as members of a co-equal branch of government, and how they refuse to buck the President even when they know he's out of line, even when a lot of them privately admit that power is being abused in ways that will hurt their constituents, that will hurt the country.

I worry about a Supreme Court that, so far at least, has shown no willingness to check this administrations excesses, even when those actions break all legal precedent and seem to defy the bedrock principle that no one's above the law.

I worry about the growing concentration of economic power in the country, with just a handful of mega billionaires and companies controlling what we see and what we hear and I worry about how much that economic power distorts our political process.

I worry about how readily, not just business leaders, but others with influence and law firms and universities have been willing to bend the knee to this President's autocratic impulses to avoid retribution or protect profits or just to avoid controversy.

But what I also tell people who ask, what would I remind them is that this contest of ideas, it's not new. America has always had competing stories about who we are and what this nation stands for.

The first story says We, the people mean just some of us that in order to qualify, you've got to be the right color. You've got to come from the right family. You've got to worship the right way. It says that even though we got rid of a king, that was the whole point of the revolution, there is still a caste system in America, a pecking order of who makes decisions and who obeys, who gets opportunity and who is obliged to serve.

And that story is policed by fear and by force and it tries to convince people that for their group to win another groups got to lose. It tries to convince people that if somebody doesn't look like you or doesn't think like you, or practice religion exactly the way you do, they must be a threat to your way of life and need to be put in their place.

That's how Donald Trump thinks about America. That's what Make America Great Again means, putting people like him back in charge, even when they don't know what the hell they're doing.

Now so, that's one story and that story has been part of America. You know, you can pretend it hasn't been, but you can get rid of -- you can try to whitewash school books and, you know, go to National Parks and say, let's get rid of that. And that sign that says Native Americans used to live here. You can do all that but that story has always been part of America and that story isn't even new. It isn't even uniquely American.

For most of human history, it's the way society worked.

[19:40:8]

There was a hierarchy, and there were lords, and then there were peasants, and some people had everything, and some people had nothing. There are -- all kinds of countries that still operate that way. And for a long time, that story of caste and privilege and concentrated power was the law of the land in America for decades.

If you looked like me, you were property. For decades, if you were a woman or a White man who did not own property, you couldn't vote. For decades, if you were an Irishman or an Italian immigrant and you tried to apply for a job -- oh, we're not hiring.

For decades, if you were Jewish or Asian, don't bother applying to this school. If you were native American, they didn't even talk about you, even though you were here first.

But here's the thing, New Jersey, from the very start, there was another story born of this nation's true revolutionary spirit. And that story says we the people means what it says, that all of us are included, that we are not subjects, we are citizens defined not by race or religion or gender or sexual orientation, but by our commitment to a common creed and a willingness to accept not just the privileges, but responsibilities that come with citizenship.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That's what made the American experiment unique, not just the size of our economy, not just our military might. It was that idea that you could get people from every corner of the globe, and they could come here and decide, you know what, I pledge allegiance to this flag. I will defend this country. I will make a life for myself here and we could all get along. That's what made America special.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And through generations of struggle and sacrifice, through the faith of abolitionists, the struggle of suffragists through a civil war and civil rights protests, through union organizing drives through government reform initiatives, through investment in public education. Year by year, decade by decade we move closer to those founding ideals and in the process, we inspired the world.

That's the story, I believe in New Jersey. An American which we all deserve equal protection under the law, and no one is above it. An America where every child has a chance at a good education. And anybody who's willing to work can find a job or start a business and make a decent living, an America where we don't fear each other, but we look out for one another. And we find ways to work together and if we want that story to continue, then we need leaders who believe in it too. Leaders who will tell the truth and take responsibility. Leaders who will tackle hard problems and bring people together instead of dividing them. Leaders who won't serve big bosses in Washington or big corporate donors, but instead will serve the people who put them there.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

[19:45:23]

OBAMA: New Jersey we need leaders like Mikie Sherrill. So, yes, I am still hopeful. Yes, I still believe our best days are ahead of us. But here's the thing New Jersey, even somebody as tough and talented as Mikie can't make it happen alone. Because all of us, all of us are being tested right now. Our convictions are being tested.

Donald Trump and the Republicans, they want you to think that change can only come from on high, that a few people in power make decisions, the rest of us just have to live with the consequences but when you look at the history of America, real change has always come from the bottom up. From ordinary folks who believe we can do better and join together to make change happen. So, it's up to all of us as citizens to stand up for the values that we profess.

If we want a country that believes in free speech and fair elections and rule of law, then we can't just leave it to somebody else. We have to fight for those things, even when it's hard.

If we're opposed to violence against people, we disagree with or look a certain way, than we have to speak out when those values are violated. If we believe in honesty and hard work and treating other people the way we want to be treated, we have to model it in our own lives, in our workplaces and our schools and our neighborhoods and our places of worship, and if we want a government that is responsive and honest and competent, that works for the many and not just the few, then we've got to get out there and vote for them.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: New Jersey, I remember just a year ago, just a year ago, I remember talking to folks who would tell me this election doesn't matter -- who these are some well-educated, bright, you know, people. They say, whoever the next president ends up being, it's not going to affect me. That's what they would say. If nothing else, the last nine months should have cured us of that idea because the stakes are now clear. We don't need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy, they're here.

We don't need to wonder if harm is going to be done to vulnerable people, or whether the public conversation will become meaner and coarser. We're witnessing it.

Elections matter, and they matter to you, and they matter to your family. We are being tested and what is remarkable about America is that it gives us the power as citizens to change this country. We all have more power than we sometimes imagine, we just got to use it.

So, if you believe in that better story of America, you cannot sit this one out. As citizens, you have to vote for leaders like Mikie who believe in that story too, leaders who care about your freedom, leaders who will fight for your rights, leaders who will go to work every day to make your life a little bit better.

Go get your friends, grab your family members. Tell them to go out and vote because if you do that New Jersey, if you meet this moment, if you believe change can happen, you will not just elect Mikie Sherrill your next governor. You will not just put New Jersey on a path to a brighter future. You will set a glorious example for this nation. Let's get to work, make it known.

[19:50:47]

DEAN: Former President Barack Obama there with gubernatorial candidate, Mikie Sherrill.

Eight years after he left the White House, President Obama, still the Democrat's closer of choice as we are now, just a few days away from election day and the weekend before Election Day, traditionally, when you bring out your biggest surrogates, make sure you get people to the polls.

The thing about New Jersey, traditionally considered a blue state, is that it has been trending much more purple recently. Trump lost New Jersey by 16 percentage points in 2020. He lost it by six percentage points to Kamala Harris in 2024.

Mikie Sherrill has been within single digits of her Republican Challenger, Jack Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed by Trump, but they have not appeared together.

So again, we're watching the former president try to close this deal for Democrats in New Jersey this Saturday before election day, we're going to catch up with Arlette Saenz, who's inside the hall there when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:55:50]

DEAN: Moments ago, we heard from former President Obama in New Jersey tonight campaigning for Mikie Sherrill, the Democrat running for Governor in that State. CNN's Arlette Saenz was there.

Arlette, the crowd sounded loud and a little bit rowdy. How did his message, how was it received?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, former President Barack Obama told voters here in New Jersey that they can send a message not just with the direction of the state, but also the direction of the country. He really rallied the attendees here at this event in Newark, New Jersey, to try to get out the vote for the Democratic nominee for governor, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. He ticked through a list of her accomplishments and her to do list if she does, in fact win the governorship, really pointing to her efforts to try to bring down utility costs. That has emerged as a hot topic among voters in this campaign.

But the former president also had sharp criticism for President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, criticizing them for their approach to the economy and also how they have handled this government shutdown. Former President Obama still remains one of the party's most popular Democratic surrogates. And you saw that on display today here in Newark, New Jersey, as well as down in Virginia as he campaigns with Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, down in that state.

Now, in contrast, while former President Barack Obama was on the trail, this weekend, President Donald Trump has not been here in the Garden State campaigning on behalf of the nominee that he's endorsed for governor, Jack Ciattarelli, instead of President Trump, held a tele-rally for Ciattarelli just last week. But for President Obama today, he's trying to do all he can to try to turn out the vote for the Democrat, Mikie Sherrill, and this race, which is very closely watched, not just in New Jersey, but across the country.

DEAN: Certainly, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. And next Tuesday, CNN will have results from all the critical races across the country. Our election night coverage begins at 5:00 P.M. Eastern on CNN and of course, streaming on the CNN app.

Thank you all so much for joining me this evening. I'm Jessica Dean. I'll see you back here tomorrow night starting at 5:00 Eastern. "Real Time With Bill Maher" starts after this short break. Have a great night.

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