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CNN This Morning
Trump Voters Speak at MSG UFC Fight; Young Americans Get News from Influencers; Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) is Interviewed about Biden's Last Months of Office; Trump-Musk Bromance Enters New Phase. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired November 19, 2024 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:34:01]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome back.
President-elect Donald Trump taking a night off from his presidential planning over the weekend to attend a UFC event at Madison Square Garden.
CNN's Donie O'Sullivan was there to talk with young men as new research shows that conservative news influencers helped the former president win their support.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Are you guys excited for tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course. (INAUDIBLE) Chandler - Chandler knocking out Oliveira in the second round. Mark my words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, pow, pow.
O'SULLIVAN: We are here at Madison Square Garden for the UFC with special guest President-elect Donald J. Trump. And we are speaking to some of the young men who helped get Trump elected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saving our country. I don't got no taxes on my tips now. So, thank you, Donald Trump. Love you, pookie (ph).
O'SULLIVAN: You guys both vote for Trump?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been working at the same restaurant for four years. I've been a waiter. I've been a busser. I've been a barback. You know, I just don't - all the taxes that can occur and that no - (INAUDIBLE). Take as much as you want. They (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you up, man.
[06:35:00]
O'SULLIVAN: Well, I mean, where do you get most of your news and information?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of it through -
O'SULLIVAN: I know it's not CNN. What do you -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: That's why I'm here. Like, I want to hear, like -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually - actually, most of the information I got from - was from Joe Rogan.
O'SULLIVAN: Joe Rogan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Rogan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A legend, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But mostly like social media. If you want to be quite honest, social media.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's - that's what I -
O'SULLIVAN: TikTok?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's what everything spreads around, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, TikTok - TikTok's everywhere, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't watch a lot of mainstream stuff.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes, where do you get your news?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, like, Reddit.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of podcasting.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes, like who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Rogan.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Joe Rogan Experience."
O'SULLIVAN: Do you think it was a mistake for Harris not to go on Joe Rogan, or do you think -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably. Honestly.
O'SULLIVAN: What are -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, like a long - a long conversational talk is better than a debate, honestly.
O'SULLIVAN: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see how a person actually interacts.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Trump's good at interacting. I don't know. He doesn't need a script.
O'SULLIVAN: You're a New Yorker?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Born and raised.
O'SULLIVAN: Nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brooklyn, New York.
O'SULLIVAN: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the hood.
O'SULLIVAN: Did you ever consider voting for Harris?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I - I - I actually voted for Obama.
O'SULLIVAN: You did?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That was the last time I ever voted for somebody that's not Trump. Yes. So -
O'SULLIVAN: So, what changed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My level of thinking. Me not thinking that the police are above me and white men are above me. And I'm all good about, like, yo, we can learn about history and all that stuff, but don't tell me or don't - don't try to put it in a way that it's like our country is racist. Our kids are important, guys, you know? And if we're not teaching them well, if we're not teaching them about credit, if we're not teaching them about how to get a home eventually, and all we're talking about is racism, and, you know, trans and gays, which like I said, I'm all good. Like you do what you do. Just don't force it on poor (ph) people. And that's where we're about. Like, as long as you're not forcing it, we're good.
O'SULLIVAN: The power of the alliance between Trump and the UFC was on full display here in Madison Square Garden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sound in this room right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is so loud in here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is so loud.
O'SULLIVAN: Trump was flanked by Elon Musk, Kid Rock, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and some of his new cabinet picks, including RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. As he made his way into the arena, Trump embraced UFC commentator and the world's most famous podcaster, Joe Rogan, who'd endorsed him after Trump appeared on his podcast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNT: And what Donnie did not show you there was that the person who won that fight did the Trump dance after he won, as Trump looked on.
What Donie O'Sullivan just reported there relates to a trend that is really defining politics and news as we know it in this era.
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JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": According to a new report, one in five American adults get their news from social media influencers.
Yes, somehow in 20 years we went from Tom Brokaw to Haktua (ph). Haktua (ph).
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HUNT: A new Pew research study revealing that one-fifth of U.S. adults regularly receive their news from online influencers who post about current events. For young adults aged 18 to 29 that number jumps to nearly 40 percent. According to the study, those influencers are predominantly male and more likely to be conservative, something that Donald Trump took advantage of this past election cycle.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what live streaming is on these platforms?
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENT-ELECT: More or less, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
TRUMP: It's the new wave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the new wave.
TRUMP: And you love going in there after the fight and they're sweating all over you, they're slopping all over you.
Is cocaine a stronger, ah, up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes.
TRUMP: I have respect for fighters. You know, when you can take 200 shots to the face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your message to younger voters right now?
TRUMP: Well, the big message is, vote for Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): It's fun to stay at the YMCA.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: OK, our panel has returned.
There was a lot there just now.
KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: There was a lot. This is a lot to absorb.
HUNT: The men talking to Donie O'Sullivan, what - what - what was your reaction watching that?
BEDINGFIELD: Well, I mean, look, it's - I think it is probably, broadly speaking, a good thing that young people are at least looking to engage on politics in some way, shape or form, OK. So, I'm going to start with that. Like, I think that's actually probably a good thing.
Now, I obviously have a lot of issues with the way that Donald Trump leverages his influence in this in this space. But I think that's actually probably I see like signs of hope in that. But the fact that people have abandoned the idea that news needs to come from an arbiter of facts, an arbiter of truth. I mean, that's where the breakdown is, right? I mean if people are getting their information from social media influencers who have, you know, who have their own bent, who have their own slant, who are presenting information in the way that, you know, they - that best suits the argument they want to make, that's not really getting news, right, that's getting entertainment or opinion.
So, I mean, look, I think Democrats are at a huge disadvantage here because we have not built up the ecosystem that the Republicans have built up over - I mean, you could - you could look at the - you know, you could look at Fox News 1996, an arc of conservative media since then, and - and I think make a really important case that Democrats have not really built an infrastructure in the same way, which is - is hurting us.
[06:40:13]
But I also think - and here's the - I'm going to give Donald Trump his due, which is not something that I often do, but part of Donald Trump's effectiveness in those settings is Donald Trump and the way he talks. I mean you could - you could take a lot of Republican leaders and put them on Joe Rogan, and those guys that we were hearing would not come away saying, that guy's awesome and he's totally got my back. So, I got to give Donald Trump his due there.
LANHEE CHEN, HOOVER INSTITUTION FELLOW: Yes, I mean, look, these formats, they benefit people who can have these relatively natural interactions, right? And, look, I mean, that makes me feel very old when I watch all of that because I don't feel like - I feel like I get my news in a very different way, right?
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You've never done a news interview while smoking a fatty on - on -
CHEN: I - no. I don't know that I actually even know what that is.
But - I mean it's just - we are in a different era. And the way in which people absorb information, the speed with which that information turns over, I mean it's really just a remarkable thing. And the lack of any kind of intermediation, I think, is - is - I mean, to me, I think that's a problem.
HUNT: Yes.
CHEN: But I also feel like we - politics just changes so fast.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
CHEN: And if you think about the politics of 2024, even versus 2020 or 2016 -
BEDINGFIELD: Yes, sure.
CHEN: Totally different.
BEDINGFIELD: Sure.
KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND POLLSTER: Yes, there is always some kind of technology that seems to be defining in an election. So, like 2008, Facebook massively defining in that election. Twitter becomes really defining around the time of the Tea Party era. We are now in the podcast election moment where what I thought was so interesting, that second interview, they talked about how it was good to just hear people kind of speaking at length, not in a debate format. I don't think it's bad that a new generation craves to know, what do my leaders think -
HUNT: Right.
ANDERSON: In a format that might actually be more revealing -
HUNT: Right.
ANDERSON: Than the traditional staid, let's put two people at a podium kind of format. I don't think that's a bad thing.
WILLIAMS: And I think printing press, radio, television, cable television all came with a backlash in various different ways that they would rot peoples brains, and that people weren't ready, and we'd start, as human beings, failing in how we took information. And now all of the points being raised here are valid, which is that, when information is not checked or when it's not properly vetted, you run the risk of mis and disinformation.
But the idea, as Kristen, you know, to your - to the point of your book many years ago was that, you know, as media changed, people evolve to meet the medium, not necessarily expect it to conform to what - what people used to be - used to want before.
BEDINGFIELD: The video killed the radio star.
WILLIAMS: Quite literally, the video killed the radio star.
HUNT: All right, straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, what will be Biden's legacy with two months left in office? Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley weighs in next.
Plus, pausing transition talk to watch a rocket launch. Donald Trump heading to Texas in support of Elon Musk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENT-ELECT: I see this massive tube is coming down the fire is burning and bright - it was exploding all over the place. I said, oh, my, this is terrible. It's going to crash.
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[06:47:37]
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JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": President Biden, this weekend, became the first sitting president of the United States to visit the Amazon Rainforest, and he was never seen again. He just wandered off, got mixed up with some monkeys, and that was that. The ayahuasca hit him pretty hard.
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HUNT: Oof. With Donald Trump's inauguration looming, President Biden, in a race against time in his last two months in office. In a major move over the weekend, Biden authorized Ukraine's use of U.S. supplied long range weapons for strikes inside Russia. The president's decision representing an effort to cement his foreign policy legacy. A legacy that some in his party say has been tarnished by his late withdrawal from the 2024 race and Kamala Harris' election loss.
Our next guest was one of the first sitting Democratic members of Congress to signal an openness to replacing Biden as the party's nominee back in July after his debate performance against Trump.
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REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL) (July 2, 2024): We have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn't just a horrible night.
But it's his decision. I just want him to appreciate, at this time, just how much it impacts, not just his race, but all the other races coming in November.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: And joining us now is Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley of Illinois. He's a co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.
Congressman, thanks so much for being here.
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Good morning.
HUNT: So, I'd like to start by asking you about Ukraine. You were there shortly before the election. You, obviously, saw the results play out. I'm interested to know how you think - what - what lessons you took away from the election results, the fact that Republicans have now swept all three, you know, the House, the Senate and the White House, and how that's going to impact the foreign policy priority that you have put at the forefront.
QUIGLEY: Sure. I mean it's a great concern. You know, Senator Vance and candidate Trump both talked about Ukraine not being worth the fight and real concerns about pulling out of NATO. We're fighting the war - helping to fight the war in Ukraine for the same reasons we fought the Second World War. We created this liberal democratic order after the Second World War, and I think that's in peril.
HUNT: So, what do you think is - can the Biden administration do in the last remaining months? Have they gone as far as you would like them to go? Do you think there's more things they could do between now and Inauguration Day?
QUIGLEY: I think President Biden deserves a tremendous amount of credit for uniting NATO at a difficult time, for helping probably the person most responsible outside of Ukraine for Ukraine's ability to hold back the biggest army in Europe in extraordinary odds against them.
[06:50:17]
If I had any criticism, the fact that it took them too long to get to that long range weaponry and all the weaponry that was needed during the course of the war, and now sending military people to help our contractors, help with their moving forward with the weaponry they have.
So, the concern is, is it too little, too late in a war that was really a race against time. Putin saw what could happen here. He was able to use - willing to use his own people as cannon fodder at a much larger country. The odds are against Ukraine with that taking place.
HUNT: Sir, you served on the intelligence committee for quite some time, and President-elect Trump has said he wants to choose Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence. She's a former Democrat, but she also has become something of a celebrity on Russian state TV.
What do you think she brings to that job? And knowing what you know behind the scenes, what concerns do you have?
QUIGLEY: Yes, help wanted, no experience necessary, apply in the White House, must have a destructive personality and be a sycophant. That's what concerns me.
This is a critical job. It is a post-9/11 job to coordinate our intelligence community, to have them all work together, to share information so we can prevent another 9/11. Well, part of that sharing is involving other countries. It's what keeps us safe. I'm wondering if those countries are going to trust that information with her when she had secret meetings with Assad, said he was an enemy of the United States, seems to be a favorite of Putin, likes Putin criticized Ukraine for the fact that this war took place and blaming them seemingly for Putin's invasion.
HUNT: Do you think that Tulsi Gabbard has ties to the Russians?
QUIGLEY: I don't know that she has ties to them, but she acts as if she does. She acts as if - you know, she said that Zelenskyy was corrupt. She blamed Zelenskyy and as - as Trump seemed to, for this invasion taking place, even though it was Putin, said that they had security concerns that were legitimate and seemed to give them the right to invade an independent, autonomous country.
HUNT: Before I let you go, I do want to ask you, there's been some reporting about, you know, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, was quoted in "The New York Times," former House speaker, saying that she thought President Biden should drop out of the race earlier. And if he had done that, Kamala Harris might have had a better chance to win. Perhaps there would have been a primary.
Do you agree with her analysis? Do you think that's productive?
QUIGLEY: You know, there's Monday morning quarterbacks at this time. You know, it was frustrating for me at that point in time recognizing just - we weren't trending down in the polls, we were spiraling down. And, of course, the quintessential aspect of that was the debate performance.
At this point in time, we recognize that the economy probably had the most to do with this election and, you know, I'll leave it at that.
I appreciate the president getting out and his legacy. Right now it's time to live with what we have and move forward.
HUNT: All right, Congressman Mike Quigley, thanks very much for being here.
QUIGLEY: Thank you.
HUNT: I appreciate your time.
All right, 53 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup. The murder trial involving the death of Laken Riley resumes in about
90 minutes in Georgia. New testimony on Monday revealed how officers found defensive wounds on the suspect, Jose Ibarra, one day after Riley was killed near the University of Georgia, where she was out for a run.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On his left arm he had a forearm scratch that was very similar, which, in my mind, I - it looked like fingernail scratches to me. I could see, like, wet flesh, like almost like it was fresh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The state expected to rest its case against Ibarra sometime today. The judge will render a final verdict in this bench trial.
Three people are dead after being stabbed in Manhattan Monday morning. Police say the attacks were unprovoked. A 51-year-old man is in custody. He's been charged with three counts of first degree murder.
A royal robbery. The grounds of Windsor Castle, home to King Charles and Queen Camilla, broken into. Police say the incident happened last month and the suspect stole two farm vehicles. Right now no arrests have been made.
Today, Texas education officials set to vote on a proposal that would incorporate the Bible into elementary school lessons. The curriculum covers kindergarten through fifth grade. It would be optional. Critics say it blurs the line between church and state.
All right, today, President-elect Donald Trump expected to attend a SpaceX launch in Texas with his new buddy and DOGE department co-chair Elon Musk.
[06:55:03]
The billionaire has been a near-constant presence at Trump's side, often attending meetings with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, sitting in on job interviews for his administration, joining in on a family photo. Trump, at least publicly, has had nothing but praise for Musk, but has joked about his constant presence.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENT-ELECT: What a job he does. He's a great - and he happens to be a really good guy. You know, he likes this place. I can't get him out of here. He just likes this place. And you know what? I like having him here, too. He's good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Is Elon wearing out his welcome? "Axios" reports there are signs of tension between Musk and top Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, clashing over Trump's cabinet picks. They write this, "their rocky relationship came to a head last Wednesday during a heated discussion at a dinner table in front of other guests at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, three people familiar with the episode told Axios. At one point, during what sources described as a massive blowup and a huge explosion, Musk accused Epshteyn of leaking details on Trump's transition."
Our panel has returned.
I have been wondering how long the Trump-Musk like two egos in one room was going to last.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
HUNT: It does seem as though it's a little tricky now.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes. Well, I mean, well, look at Donald Trump's history with the people around him. He's not exactly somebody who creates a sense of stability amongst the people around him to begin with. And then you take Trump's ego, you take Musk's ego. I can't imagine that it's going to be very long that they are going to be working in harmony with the Department of DOGE, but I guess we'll find out. And I suspect the explosion will be quite spectacular.
WILLIAMS: You know, everyone who's worked for an elected official knows that at some point they have folks from the old neighborhood who are still hanging around -
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Who are in their ear and provide insight and guidance and whatever else. And at some point it - they always end up crosswise with the staff who have been appointed to that member. It happens, not just to Donald Trump, but to everybody else.
ANDERSON: Yes, but what -
WILLIAMS: We could have seen this coming. Yes.
ANDERSON: But what's so fascinating is that Elon Musk is not like from the old neighborhood for him.
WILLIAMS: I know that. I know.
ANDERSON: Like, it's actually the - the newness of this connection that I find so fascinating here, that Elon Musk was not hanging around Trump Tower in 2016. He was not hanging around even in 2020. This is a new development.
Some of it is, of course, Musk saying that he's changed his positions and he has now seen the light and likes Donald Trump. But I think the newness of this relationship is actually what makes it more fascinating.
WILLIAMS: I - I use the term broadly. Yes.
HUNT: Well, he's also - here's the thing, though. Like, Elon Musk is - is like a principle, right? He is like the richest man on the planet. It's not the same as like a staffer fighting with a staffer.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
ANDERSON: Yes. Well, and I think that's one of the things that is going to be so interesting to see, how does it play out with both - like Elon Musk is not the vice anything in his orbit. He is somebody who is building rockets that go to the moon, or building things that get caught when they come - land back down on earth. He is someone who's building companies that do tunnels cheaper than the government can build them with infrastructure funding. He is - I mean Elon Musk is building things and, frankly, I think that is part of why he appeals to Donald Trump in a way that other sort of wealthy, high profile individuals might not be able to have that level of access.
CHEN: If there is a - if there is really a conflict between Elon Musk and a - and a staffer or an adviser, my money's on Elon Musk. I mean, I - honestly. Like, I don't - I don't really know how much of this is real versus manufactured.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
CHEN: I mean I - you know, we'll see as time goes on. But what is absolutely clear is that there is a real connection between the president-elect and Elon Musk. That is a real thing.
And -
WILLIAMS: However, the counterpoint - a counterpoint is, without question, if it's Elon Musk versus number four guy at the GAO, absolutely Elon Musk ends up winning that. At a certain point you end up with an Elon Musk-Donald Trump confrontation.
BEDINGFIELD: Right. That's -
WILLIAMS: It has to happen. It's almost inevitable, right?
BEDINGFIELD: Yes, and - yes, it's totally inevitable. And the currency in - not just in Trump world, but in any White House, is closeness to the president.
WILLIAMS: Right.
BEDINGFIELD: And Musk is somebody to - to your point, Kasie, a principal. Musk is somebody who is used to running his own show, being his own person. And I think that the moment that he sort of realizes, wait, have I fallen in stature because Donald Trump is angry that I said x, y, or z? I think that's going to be a real awakening for the Musk ego.
So, it's -
WILLIAMS: Or -
BEDINGFIELD: You know, it doesn't matter how rich and powerful you are, closeness to the president is currency in the White House and -
WILLIAMS: Or upstaging the president.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes, that too.
WILLIAMS: At a certain point, antics - or not even antics, just behavior can upstage the person who feels that he came in and was elected with a mandate. I would think that that ought to get under the skin of someone who's president of the United States.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: And I think could lead to problems.
HUNT: I mean we also, I don't think, should lose sight, Kristen, of the fact that Musk has so much business before the United States government. I mean there are literally billions of dollars on the line based on this relationship, whether it's, you know, SpaceX, the approvals. And that's not even money. That's - you know, they need the government to allow them to do things. His security clearance, Starlink, he's involved with the FCC. I mean there - there are so - there's so much here.
ANDERSON: And yet, does it seem, you know, I think of Elon Musk as somebody who makes a lot of electric vehicles.
[07:00:02]
Like, will this mean that Donald Trump is suddenly pro electric vehicle? I mean, it - let's - I'm reserving judgment on whether or not this relationship is actually directly benefiting Elon Musk's business. For right now, I think it's - he's just enjoying the ride.
HUNT: Yes, well, and here is the - in infamous rocket - or famous rocket catch, I should say, that Donald Trump has also repeatedly mimed in his campaign events. So, there you go, that's what's at stake.
Guys, thanks for joining us this morning. Thanks to all of you at home for being with us as well. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere, "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.
