Return to Transcripts main page
Erin Burnett Outfront
GOP Rep. Miller Defiant As He Faces Abuse Allegations, Refuses To Exit Race; Armed Man Arrested At Trump's California Golf Course; Moments Away: Polls Close In Most Contentious Democratic Primary Yet. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired August 04, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:20]
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, Max Miller, defiant. The Republican congressman facing domestic abuse allegations tells CNN he's done nothing wrong and won't quit his race. Is he about to lose that once safe seat for the GOP?
Plus, more breaking news. The president reading Jeanine Pirro the, quote, "Riot Act" over the reflecting pool. This as we are learning what was in that very large box that Pirro rolled into her meeting with him.
And it's election night in America. We're live in Michigan for the most contentious and anticipated Democratic primary of the year.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
BOLDUAN: Good evening, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan, in for Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. A Republican congressman clings to power in the face of disturbing allegations. Speaking out on CNN moments ago, Congressman Max Miller of Ohio is defending himself against domestic abuse allegations and growing calls for him to quit Congress.
Miller's once safe Republican seat could now be in danger amid all of this. Miller denies all wrongdoing, any wrongdoing, and he's telling Jake Tapper that he's not bowing to pressure to get out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): I am never going to give up. And what I mean by that is my daughter's going to grow up one day, and she's going to see all of this. And she's not going to see that her father caved to political and social media pressures for something that he never did. I will never, ever, ever let my baby girl see her dad walk away as a quitter.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: Miller is forcefully pushing back on the allegations from his ex-wife that he abused her. Emily Moreno says that Miller held a gun to her head, threw hot water at her and allegedly threw her against a wall during a custody exchange.
Miller has never been charged and again he denies that he ever abused her. Miller's interview on CNN comes hours after he made the highly unusual move of himself asking the House Ethics Committee to investigate the allegations against him.
Now, his father-in-law, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, also of Ohio, is calling on Miller to resign. The senator laying out his own allegations against Miller, including an anecdote from recently when Moreno says he picked up his two-year-old granddaughter from Miller at an Ohio police station, where Moreno says the custody exchanges occurred because of their concern about Max Miller.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE MORENO (R-OH): She comes over, gets in our car. We drive away and if anybody is a parent, she has a little blue bunny that she sleeps with. Max would not hand over the little blue bunny, literally held it hostage for 48 hours this girl is crying at night because she can't sleep without her little blue bunny. His answer is, I'm just not going to give it to you.
So, finally, yesterday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, yesterday, he lets the little blue bunny go. This is the level of total and complete depravity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Depravity, how the senator is describing it. Senator Moreno also spoke about the impact that this very public fight is having on his entire family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORENO: This is truly the seventh level of hell. This has been a horrific experience for my entire family.
My daughter lives in constant fear of this man, not like something that's existential, but deeply in her heart. She fears what this guy is capable of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: So, Miller, when asked about his former father-in-law's push for him to get out of this race and even to resign Congress, he turned it around on Moreno. saying this to Jake Tapper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLER: He has taken two years to publicly acknowledge for me to resign from my seat. Why is that, Jake?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Moreno, though, said earlier that he didn't speak out sooner because his daughter asked him not to. Republicans now worry that Miller -- Congressman Miller will squander this once safe House seat that he now is sitting in.
One of the nation's top election forecasters, Larry Sabato, he just moved the race towards Democrats. And Miller tonight just passed over a deadline to remove his name from the ballot in his reelection in Ohio. And he now faces another deadline, a Monday deadline in order for Ohio officials to be able to replace him on the ballot.
So, there's still to come, but he's already passing over these deadlines and definitely says he's not getting out.
Manu Raju OUTFRONT live on Capitol Hill.
Manu, what are you hearing tonight?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Publicly, not a whole lot from top Republicans.
[19:05:02]
Privately, major concerns because of the concerns about this terrible election environment that Republicans are now in and now with Max Miller with facing these very serious allegations in a district that Donald Trump had won comfortably back in 2024 worried that all of that combined with this bad environment could be enough to flip a critical house seat when each seat is so pivotal in the battle for the overall House majority.
Now, one person we have not heard from publicly, Kate, is the speaker of the House himself. Mike Johnson has not weighed in about this in the aftermath of the recent comments by Max Miller over the weekend and into today. The House is out of session. The speaker is making an appearance tomorrow in Arizona.
We'll see how he deals with it then, but expect him and perhaps other top Republicans to point to the ongoing ethics process that is now happening in the House. The House ethics investigation announced today at the urging of Max Miller himself. But that ethics probe could drag on for months, potentially even years, which means that Max Miller, if he decides not to go with him, drop out for reelection, he will be on the ballot because it is a matter of days in which there could be a process to replace him if he were to decide to resign imminently.
But just like other members are not calling on him publicly to resign, the president himself has also not called him publicly to step aside. Matt Miller told me earlier today that the president, quote, "never told him to drop out of this race," although Miller did tell Jake Tapper that the president said that this race would be tough if he continued to run. But what you heard there from Miller defined deciding to run despite these very, very serious allegations and major concerns within the GOP ranks -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yeah. It's good to see you, Manu. Thank you so much.
Now, everyone is here with me now listening to all of this and where we've been.
S.E., it's this, what we've just seen. You have all told there are three different women who have made allegations of violence against Max Miller now, including his ex-wife.
And you have a sitting senator saying everything that Bernie Moreno just went out and said. What do you do with this? What do you make of it tonight?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, just as a woman, I was very uncomfortable watching him play the victim in that interview with Jake Tapper. I was very uncomfortable watching him in the video he released on Sunday, where he offered this proof to him that these allegations were false. Would she, my ex-wife, have gone and made me dinner a couple days later?
The more people see of this, the more uncomfortable they're going to be with him. So, to me, there is no question that he is imperiling this seat. And the only, I think, proof you need is to ask yourself if you are Brian Poindexter, his Democratic opponent, who do you want to be facing? Do you want to be facing some little-known state rep that they put in that seat that is not being accused of domestic violence and child abuse? Or do you want to run against Max Miller?
I think you want to run against Max Miller. So, the longer this goes on, I think, the tougher this race is going to be. And that's just talking about the politics of this and not the human, the humans behind this ugly, really, really sad, sick story. But on the politics, I think it's clear. His defiance is going to cost him this seat.
BOLDUAN: Astead, Manu mentioned the phone call that Mick Miller had and talked to Jake about that he had with Trump and it was interesting how he talked about it and described his conversation with Trump. But, yeah, Trump said it your race is going to be tough but Miller described it in an interesting way that I think is illustrative.
Let me play part of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLER: He called me and he said, Max, he said Maxie, it's going to be a tough race. And he said, I don't know if you're going to be able to you know pull this one out. And you know what, Jake? I reminded him of the same resilience that he had when people told him that he was going to struggle in 2016 and he became the 45th president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: And that was the second time actually in the interview that Miller brought up kind of like flipped it on the -- this is just like Trump, like Trump's resilience. Trump stuck with it in the face of allegations. A choice, clearly a choice, and we've seen this before with others.
What do you think of this?
ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: We know who he is trying to ingratiate himself to, to Trump. That audience of one is part of the reason why he's being so defiant, I think, to the question of why won't he drop out. He's running the playbook that Donald Trump has made clear for Republicans over the last several years.
Even things specific to domestic abuse allegations, whether it's Corey Mills, whether it's Pete Heseth, whether it's Herschel Walker who was running in Georgia, we've repeatedly seen Republican not stepped away when those allegations come and we've repeatedly seen Republican voters look over them, much less with Donald Trump himself.
[19:10:06]
And so, he -- Max Miller knows what he is doing. He is playing to the playbook that Donald Trump has laid out and to the question of politics. It's to me one that I get, you know, to the cynical political brain. I get why he's playing to the audience of one because the biggest determining factor about whether he loses or keeps that seat is if Donald Trump sides with him or his father-in-law and that is unfortunately from what we have seen from the Republican electorate, the biggest determinant about how they will move rather than the specificity or credibility of the allegations themselves.
BOLDUAN: I do -- and maybe call me the Pollyanna then, because then I do wonder -- and tell me, as a former member of Congress, what you think on this, because I do wonder if it's -- the details of the allegations, the fact that Bernie Moreno, who has, like, politically speaking, Bernie Moreno has everything here that one would suggest he would want Max the Republican to get reelected in this safe seat.
And what Bernie Moreno is saying has happened to his family is truly gut-wrenching. And that there's a two-year-old little girl that is caught up in this. Sometimes I wonder if, yes, Trump is definitely always a factor when it comes to Republicans and Republican support, but does the details of this make this somehow different?
JAMAAL BOWMAN, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Yeah, I mean, listening to that is sickening, sickening for me. Like in my gut right now, I feel very uncomfortable because of the allegations and because of a child, a toddler being involved in this.
And for me, I go right to the human side, right? It's not, for me, it's not about a political seat. And it's not only about the Republican Party. We just went through this on the Democratic side with Graham Platner. We went through this on the Democratic side with Eric Swalwell, right?
So, it's an institution, not just Congress, but a country that normalizes the abuse of women, and harm towards women. And we have a conversation about it when these things rear their ugly head and someone resigns or someone maybe gets a slap on the wrist and then we move on until the next allegation, as opposed to like really having a public conversation about the disease that is the abuse of women in our country and the abuse of children. right?
If you look at social media alone and how Ms. Rachel gets attacked for defending children both here and abroad, it's just a disgusting aspect of our country that's normalized, that happens all the time. Domestic violence is a real issue and a real thing that we need to talk about. And this particular representative has been accused of abuse by multiple women, not just his ex-wife.
So yes, the political situation will work itself out, but for me, it's about a bigger conversation about our society and our patriarchy and how harmful it is towards women.
BOLDUAN: Yeah. You have Miller making the move, the rare -- strange move, one would say on his face, saying, House Ethics, please investigate me. So, House Ethics is investigating. One we know that can take truly years.
BOWMAN: And he knows that. As a former member of Congress, he knows that too. Go ahead. I'm sorry.
BOLDUAN: No, no, please. And one thing I would say we know is working in Max Miller's favor, if there is anything right now, is the fact that the House is not in session. Because members of the House don't want to be walking the halls and facing questions over and over again about this.
But do you think his speaking out, calling for an investigation, helps him with his Republican colleagues, who most definitely don't want to be answering for this right now?
JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, first of all, it's the blue bunny for me, right? That's the story -- anybody's --
BOLDUAN: Yeah, it's a lovey in my household.
SIMMONS: Right.
BOLDUAN: And it's been fair with my other daughter. I mean, we all exactly. I mean, we all know --
SIMMONS: Child not being able to get to the thing that helps him or her go to sleep. And that's the thing for me that it's --
BOLDUAN: I mean, driving hours back in the wrong direction to go pick it up before we go to trip, and that is why it does, it's --
SIMMONS: That's the one. That's the part. And so all right, so I'll get past the moral outrage about it.
BOLDUAN: Max Miller said that that did not occur. Continue.
SIMMONS: He said it didn't occur. That's an awfully specific example from grandpa.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
SIMMONS: So I don't know.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
SIMMONS: So, let's talk about the politics. So in the politics of this, look, as a communications and crisis kind of guy, there is a guide here. And so, you're asking for an investigation. You know what that means? Every time somebody asks you a question about this, you could say, I requested an investigation. If I didn't do anything wrong, I wouldn't have asked for an investigation into my behavior. That happens.
And then there's the more cynical part is, let's say he does end up with a criminal case at some point from this. It's better to be a sitting member of Congress going into a criminal case than it is to be an average citizen.
One, you can raise money. Two, if you get in really big trouble, you can trade your congressional seat to get out of some of the charges. This is super cynical.
BOLDUAN: I had not -- I had not gone there in my head. I had actually not thought about that yet.
CUPP: I don't think it's Pollyanna, though, to your point and to Astead's point.
[19:15:02]
Like, Herschel Walker did not get elected. Roy Moore did not get elected, right? And they all denied allegations as well.
But I think voters have an appetite until they don't. And I think what both parties are kind of playing with right now with the political stakes so high is how much does character matter when the political stakes are so high? And Democrats thought maybe a couple allegations in a tattoo don't matter enough when we're trying to flip the seat. Actually, voters said it does.
Maybe Max Miller's calculus is they will care and flipping this seat or maintaining this seat is going to be more important than character. I actually think voters are going to care.
BOLDUAN: I'm going to find that line.
HERNDON: I just think Donald Trump has made shame lesser of a factor in politics and so much was assumed that the political pressure would cause people to step aside. He's changed that calculus.
BOLDUAN: Yeah. Where's the line? We're going to find out. We will find out one way or the other.
Thanks, guys. Stick with me here. We've got much more ahead.
Coming up for us, OUTFRONT next, we do have breaking news. We are learning an armed man was arrested at Trump's California golf course, found with a loaded pistol and ammunition. We have details just coming in. We have that next.
Plus, Jeanine Pirro on thin ice. New details on her explosive showdown with Trump over the dropped reflecting pool case. And we're learning Pirro brought evidence to the White House as backup. And is Todd Blanch's nomination in trouble again?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:42]
BOLDUAN: All right, let's get to this breaking news just in. CNN is just learning that an armed man was arrested at one of President Trump's golf clubs in Southern California.
This happened on Sunday, but we're just now hearing about it at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes after officials say federal agents reported a suspicious person walking around the property, and they later found -- that they later found with a loaded pistol and ammunition.
Trump is attending an RNC fundraiser tonight in Los Angeles.
Holmes Lybrand is OUTFRONT. More details just coming in.
Holmes, what else do you know so far about this arrest?
HOLMES LYBRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): That's right.
So, we know that this man, he was arrested Sunday. This is before when advanced teams are going through looking for individuals, especially outside of those key locations. where Trump might visit, now arrested on Sunday after federal agents reported that there was a suspicious person walking that property. Still a lot we don't know, still a lot we're trying to get from locals there as well as from federal officials. But that is right now what we know.
BOLDUAN: And what do we know about how the Secret Service is investigating this?
LYBRAND: Secret Service is very, very heavily invested in this. They're investigating it right now. They're trying to figure out whether or not this man posed a threat to Trump, that he had material indicating why he was in that specific area or other items that could indicate why he was there.
Now, this is a kind of a longer process because we do have locals involved. You have federals involved. So, these investigations sometimes take a little bit of time in terms of clarifying and getting down to the motive of the individual.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Holmes, thank you so much for jumping on with us as you're getting this reporting and I really appreciate it.
Also, breaking news that we have right now, Jeanine Pirro on thin ice. New details tonight about Pirro's explosive meeting, apparently, with President Trump after she blindsided him, dropping the charges against four people that the administration had accused of vandalizing the reflecting pool and then publicly airing the case's shortcomings.
Sources now tell CNN the president's frustration was palpable during their meeting, Trump yelling at Pirro and, quote, "Read her the Riot Act", though it appears that she still has her job tonight. White House officials do say that Jeanine Pirro is still on thin ice this evening, something that President Trump made clear last night when he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Jeanine Pirro made a mistake. It was vandalism. Frankly, I think she choked. She choked. I don't know what the hell happened. I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: So, we're also learning tonight what was in that very big box that the U.S. attorney was seen wheeling from the White House. A source says that Pirro confronted Trump with actual evidence backing up her reasons for dropping the case. Evidence that the reflecting pool damage was caused by a, quote/unquote, "botched installation", not vandalism. Still not clear what the president himself is going to do next about this, but it is clear that this is a wild turn in this once very solid partnership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Jeanine Pirro is unbelievable.
JEANINE PIRRO, U.S. ATTORNEY: Donald Trump is the only man that our enemies fear.
TRUMP: Jeanine Pirro is doing a fantastic job.
PIRRO: This man is the tip of the spear who goes out there every day and fights for us.
TRUMP: She was the toughest, smartest DA, maybe in our countries, in our cities and states' history.
PIRRO: You have changed the course of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Kristen Holmes OUTFRONT at the White House for us.
Kristen, you've got more reporting on all of this. What more are you learning about this? What went down in that meeting between Trump and Pero?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, and Kate, the sources point to exactly what you just laid out. This decades long friendship with Jeanine Pirro as to why she likely still has her job. Now, President Trump, we are told, laid into Pirro. It's particularly
not just the fact that she stopped these charges, but the fact that she aired these shortcomings in the case. She had put this directly on Interior, saying this was all about shoddy workmanship.
[19:25:00]
She didn't have any of the material or evidence that she needed and this was not vandalism and she brought, as you said, the receipts in that box. That was the evidence she had to show Trump, and it wasn't just Trump in that meeting. It was also Secretary Burgum of the Department of Interior, and we're told that it got tense between Burgum and Pirro as well during that meeting, she laid the blame on him, saying that his department didn't provide her with enough information and there's no love lost between these two right now, particularly as we're seeing this deepening divide.
Burgum's team, as well as the secretary, felt that they were blindsided by Pirro. Again, not because she was dropping these charges, but because she put this blame on the Department of Interior. They viewed this as unnecessary and antagonistic. And on top of that, they felt like she should have discussed this with them in private.
So, all of them were in this meeting yesterday, which culminates in yelling, tension, heated conversation back and forth. One thing it doesn't end in is Jeanine Pirro without a job. Sources say that right now, while she could be fired, of course, at any time it is President Trump, they believe her job is safe. Again, pointing to that long friendship.
BOLDUAN: Quite a thing and quite great reporting. Thank you so much, Kristen. It's great to see you.
OUTFRONT now for more on this, Democratic Senator Alex Padilla. He sits on the Judiciary Committee.
It's great to see you, Senator. Thank you for being here.
Trump has not yet fired Pirro, as we have now established. You voted against her nomination as U.S. attorney for D.C., and you at one point said she may belong on Fox News, but she does not belong in a federal law enforcement role.
But you heard what Kristen Holmes laid out there. Jeanine Pirro appears to be standing up to the president on this one, dropping charges, saying the evidence is not there. So, do you applaud her?
SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Well, I guess in this one case, she's doing the right thing. But when there's so many facts, so much evidence that goes against what the Donald Trump has been saying about the cause of the problems with the reflecting pool, she could only take it so far. maybe even risk her own credentials as an attorney by pursuing it even further in a court of law. So, we'll see what her -- the future fate is for her.
I still recall from the first Trump administration so many senators at the running joke was what do you call a senator who votes with Donald Trump 99 percent of the time? A traitor, because the one time you break from Donald Trump, he throws them under the bus. That's been the case for senators. That's been the case for cabinet members. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happens with U.S. attorneys that fall out of his favor.
Has her job tonight, at least. I haven't looked at my e-mail yet in 20 seconds, but as far as we know, she's keeping her job at this very moment.
Senator, your committee also voted today to advance Todd Blanche's nomination to be the permanent attorney general of the United States. Cornyn and Tillis, the Republicans, they supported Blanche, saying that their demands, they were met for getting clarity and kind of finality, they said, and assurances that the DOJ's anti-weaponization fund is fully dead.
I want to play for you what Cornyn said today, talking about President Trump in this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Well, there's nothing we could do to rein in the president when he said he likes the fund and he wishes it still exists, but the fact of the matter, it's dead. And That's all we could do under these circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Senator, do you agree with that?
PADILLA: I couldn't disagree more. Senator Cornyn. Of course, Trump can be reined in, but it takes Republican senators because they're in the majority to hold the line. People were hopeful when both he and Senator Tillis said they would not vote to advance Todd Blanche until there were assurances, legal guarantees that this weaponization fund would not be created.
And the language that came out public that is supposedly sufficient for Cornyn and Tillis to vote the way they did today doesn't hold water. And this became a focus in today's hearing before the vote. There's nothing, nothing that can keep Donald Trump from creating a new fund by any other name starting tomorrow.
My prediction is it'll be the day after the election because they don't want the consequences impacting the midterm elections. And so, I'm disappointed but not surprised.
BOLDUAN: So, Blanche's nomination obviously still needs to go before the full Senate. He can lose only two Republicans and still get through. Susan Collins just came out today and said that she's a no on Todd Blanche. So, there's one Republican for you.
Do you think Blanche's nomination is actually in question or, you know, you've got a good sense of where people are going, this will get through. PADILLA: Right, look, I mean, my hope was my appeal was for Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to just look at the facts. Todd Blanche is not fit to serve as Attorney General of the United States.
[19:30:03]
He puts his loyalty to Donald Trump above the Constitution.
We need a U.S. -- excuse me, an attorney general for the United States, not an US, not an attorney general to protect Trump's interests. He's botched the Epstein files and investigations He is implementing Trump's agenda of political retribution of his perceived enemies.
There's so much that's wrong with this, but Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have folded. Susan Collins, great, we need her no vote. Are there two other Republicans who will put the Constitution above their loyalty to Trump? We're about to find out.
BOLDUAN: Got it.
Quickly before I let you go, I need to ask you about the breaking news that we just learned about, which this happened on Sunday, but we were just learning about it now, which is a man, an armed man was arrested at one of President Trump's golf clubs in Southern California.
Trump's on his way there now. Are you concerned about his safety? Have you heard about this incident, Senator?
PADILLA: Well, honestly, I just heard it from you before the last break, so it is breaking news, not a ton of information out there. So let the investigation go through. I hope the federal law enforcement officials are working closely with local law enforcement to find the details on this matter.
I'll say two things. Number one, there's no place for political violence anytime, anywhere, period, number one.
Number two, Donald Trump. If you're going to be in California, don't play golf. How about supporting the victims of last year's wildfires? They've been waiting more than a year and a half for disaster aid and assistance as they're trying to rebuild their homes, trying to rebuild their lives, trying to rebuild their communities.
BOLDUAN: Senator Alex Padilla of California, thank you for coming in this evening. I appreciate your time.
OUTFRONT for us next, we have breaking news. We are getting more details on just that. That armed man now arrested at one of President Trump's golf clubs in California, at the same golf course that President Trump is headed to right now. We're going to get more details coming in. We're going to bring it to you.
Plus, polls are about to close in Michigan, the most expensive and closely watched Democratic primary out there right now. We're going to take you there live. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:36:46]
BOLDUAN: All right. We got to get back to the breaking news here. We're showing you live pictures right now of Air Force One just landing in Los Angeles. This as CNN is getting new information about an armed suspect who was arrested at one of President Trump's golf clubs, one of his clubs in Southern California.
The president will be on his way to that very same golf course right now. Let's get back to Kristen Holmes who's at the White House.
Kristen, I know you've been speaking to sources. What are you picking up on this?
HOLMES: Well, Kate, look, the Secret Service is still doing their investigation to see what if any threat this man posed to President Trump. We'll remind you, this happened on Sunday and President Trump is now there on Tuesday, but just because of the timing doesn't mean there wasn't something in the works.
And I will note what we've learned that they were -- that they basically arrested him for or at least detained him for originally, more suspicious of, was the fact that he seemed to be monitoring, quote, "security planning activities". He was taking videos and photos of the grounds and any kind of security that they were putting in place.
And the reason why this is so significant is if you go back to the multiple assassination attempts on President Trump, one of them being at his Golf Club in Florida, we know that that individual had been essentially casing that golf -- that golf club for a number of days, even the day of he sat there for hours waiting for the president. He was learning the schedule, his routine when he was at the golf club. So, anything like that is likely to raise alarm bells.
Now, we also know that this individual is also under investigation for a burglary. So, he has other issues here going on. But the big question right now, of course, is what was his intention there and was the president at any point going to be threatened by him?
BOLDUAN: And, Kristen, you've been to this golf club, you know, traveling with the president. What is the security situation just in general there?
HOLMES: I wouldn't imagine an individual like this would stick out like a sore thumb just given how open this space is. When I was there last time during a campaign event, there were a number of security concerns about President Trump. That's because it's located on the water and they were concerned about making sure they had enough blocking in the water because President Trump was going to speak outside. There's also a big building, with lots of windows there that President Trump was in the main area.
So, they obviously wanted to make sure it's secured from all angles. When you have something that's on a bluff on a body of water, it's a lot harder. So, you have Coast Guard out there in the water.
They were actually more concerned about any kind of drones at the time than they were about someone actually storming the area because it is somewhat secluded. It's down a cliff and like I said, it's a very open sprawling golf course, so it'd be easier to spot somebody walking around.
But there again, were concerns at that point that they might need to ramp up security because of how open it is.
BOLDUAN: All right, much more to learn here, that's for sure.
Kristen, thanks for jumping on. I really appreciate it.
Again, live pictures, President Trump landing -- landing just now in Los Angeles headed to. that very same golf course tonight before he goes to a fundraiser for the RNC.
Also tonight, polls about to close in Michigan for the most contentious, high-stakes Democratic primary of the year. Abdul El- Sayed is up against Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens in a Senate Democratic primary there, and it's being called also a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party with Stevens billed as the moderate candidate with the with supporters like the minority leader Chuck Schumer and the retiring senator from Michigan, Gary Peters.
[19:40:08]
El Sayed is a is a progressive and he is the backing in support of the likes of as you see there, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Elizabeth Warren. The winner here will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in the general election for this Senate seat.
Arlette Saenz is OUTFRONT in Michigan at El Sayed's headquarters.
Arlette, what -- what's the mood, as we say? Set the scene for us tonight. What are you feeling and hearing there?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, Abdul El-Sayed and his team are hoping for a victory tonight in this Democratic primary for Senate in Michigan. And in speaking with the senior advisor this evening, they told me that they believe that one of the reasons that El Sayed could be successful here in the state is because he has been very consistent in his messaging.
If you take a look at his campaign signs and many of his campaign speeches, he repeatedly points to three phrases, which is getting money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for all.
And I can tell you in speaking with supporters of El Syed throughout the day, that idea of getting money out of politics is something that came up over and over as they talked about why they decided to vote for him and against Congresswoman Haley Stevens in this election.
Stevens has seen more than $60 million poured into this race on her behalf by outside groups, and that is something that many El-Sayed supporters said that they were very frustrated with. They said that that is not the way politics should work in this country.
But many allies, progressive allies of El Sayed are hoping that tonight's campaign and election will send a message to the Democratic Party writ large as they are hoping that this could really show that a progressive can win just not in the Democratic primary in a battleground state like Michigan, but also potentially in the November election as they are hoping El Sayed will be the one to take on Mike Rogers, the Republican in November -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: All right, Arlette, who was up very early this morning and also on my show early this morning, pulling a very long day. It's great to see you, Arlette. There, I'll say it, headquarters.
Everyone is back at the table here with me.
Jamal, you are the resident Michigander at the table. How do you see things going tonight?
SIMMONS: Yeah, I was communicating with some folks in the state today. There is great sense that El-Sayed is going to win this election.
He's really just a better political athlete. than Haley Stevens is. He's better on the stump. He's got a campaign that seems to be working well.
I think even people who don't necessarily like his politics, they don't like all of his issues, just regard him as really a better campaigner. And so that's probably going to be helpful to him. If you're thinking about this as a schism, though, between the soul of the Democratic Party, I think everyone's getting perhaps getting it wrong.
BOLDUAN: Really?
SIMMONS: It's not about the left versus the right.
BOLDUAN: Okay.
SIMMONS: It's about, are you defending the institutions or are you trying to challenge the institutions and try to make them work for people? And so, I don't believe that everybody in the state who's supporting Abdul is doing that because they think that they agree with him on all of his positions.
But they do believe that he is challenging the institutions. And it's interesting because every time that the congresswoman brought a big national figure, the Senate majority leader or someone else, the governor -- it's like she's making the case that she is here as part of the institutional part of the Democratic Party. He was making the case that he was challenging the institutions of the Democratic Party and the country.
BOLDUAN: Yeah, that's quite a visual right there when you like that. You know better than anyone at the table. Winning a primary is very different than winning a general election. Could El Sayed be too progressive to win that seat in a state like Michigan right now, do you think?
BOWMAN: No, I don't think so. I agree with everything Jamal said. Thank you for saying.
BOLDUAN: Jamals --
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
SIMMONS: Jamals are aligned.
BOWMAN: My brother, Jamal.
When the S.E.s come, I don't even know.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
BOWMAN: I think you can win. I love the phrase and the term you use political athlete. That's a great way to describe him. And that's a great way -- that's a great way to describe how you have to win these elections.
Like you have to be like indefatigable. You got to be in every corner of the -- of the state. You got to talk to everyone. You got to listen to everyone. You got to be great on the stump.
All those things, Abdul is going to continue to be. And to the point you made earlier about character -- you know, we make the argument that maybe is challenging for him to win in a general election. We say that because he's a brown man in Michigan, and we say that about brown people in different parts of the country.
And I don't think the voters there and I was there last week with him, speaking of many voters. I think voters are ready to get beyond identity politics in a lot of ways, and I think they're looking at character and I'm glad you said that earlier and his character, his policies, affordability, getting big money out of politics.
I mean, that's the perfect thing to run on right now. We're getting said that earlier and his character, his policies, affordability, getting big money out of politics. I mean, that's the perfect thing to run on right now.
We're getting big money out of politics. We're putting money in pocket, and we give -- and we got Medicare for all.
[19:45:02]
That's what he's running on.
SIMMONS: That might be where the Jamal's not aligned. I do think identity politics still matters.
BOLDUAN: To clarify, you know, racism --
(CROSSTALK)
CUPP: --- Dems want to move beyond identity politics.
BOLDUAN: Me asking that question was not suggesting, and no way was I suggesting because he has brown skin was he not eligible.
BOWMAN: Not you. No, no, no. That narrative, that's -- that's out there.
BOLDUAN: You know, that we say that about brown candidates. We say that about Muslim candidates. We say that about black candidates. We say that about women candidates. We say that about marginalized, historically marginalized people running in a place.
CUPP: Well, let me say, I've said it about people like Ken Paxton, too, right? Can he win a general election? I don't think. We'll have to see.
But there's some really interesting contours in this race that I'm going to be looking at after tonight. Bernie Sanders, I think, has made the case. that the point, the project of these progressive candidates is to win back working class and minority voters that the Democratic establishment has left behind. Fine.
Haley Stevens is leading among non-college educated voters by 20 points. She's leading among Black voters by 40 points. If he's not capturing those voters, where do they go if El Sayed wins?
If I'm a Democrat, I'm very worried about that. And you have Black leaders in Michigan coming down against El Sayed and progressive candidates.
So, I'm just looking as an outsider, because I'm no longer a Republican, but I'm not a Democrat, as an outsider, if people like El Sayed are winning certain kinds of voters at the expense of other kinds of voters that used to be very important to the Democratic coalition, how does that position him to win in November?
I don't have the answer to that. We'll all be watching. But those are the fissures that I'm sort of looking at if he does win.
BOLDUAN: This actually kind of speaks to something. So, Manu spoke with Chuck Schumer today and asked him about the rise of Democratic socialists, rising number of Democratic socialists who identify in the Democratic Party. And the way Schumer responded was, we're a big tent party.
And when I heard that, I was like, oh, my gosh, here we go again. But not every Democrat that I've had on we're spoken to it is one after another said, it is -- we're a big tent party, we're big tent party, we're big tent party, we're big tent party.
But, truly, is it -- is that the new form of like no comment, let me just see how this primary pans out? CUPP: Yeah.
BOLDUAN: Or is there a real question of is the -- is the tent big enough? Is the tent big enough for, you know, we'll call them centrist moderate Democrats and Democratic socialists to be able to come together and bring together? I don't -- I don't know these.
HERNDON: I think there's a lot going on here.
BOLDUAN: Really?
HERNDON: On one hand, I do think that there is a growing understanding that the tent has to grow, right? And that what might work in a Michigan is not what works in the Texas, that may not be what works in North Carolina, and that for the support of their battleground desires, even gerrymandering the ways Republicans have them on the defense on that front requires all of the above type of strategy.
But I also don't think we should skip ahead to the general without acknowledging what El-Sayed might do in this primary. I mean. I think the Democratic establishment has had their, you know, Stevie Wonder glasses on for like, you know, the last year and a half. They've tried to say that Zohran was just about Andrew Cuomo or that Platner was just about Mills or that Colorado or New York City congressional primaries were one offs.
This is a sea change in the Democratic Party. This is a fundamental shift in the electorate. What El Zayed have flipping a pack or corporate money back onto Haley Stevens is not just a rejection of that candidate or a testament to his political athlete-ness, which I think it is.
I think it is also them being on the side of a 70, 80 percent issue among the Democratic base right now, an issue that is a gateway for believing you about affordability, believing you about challenging corporate PACs or even challenging Donald Trump. And so what the establishment I think of Democrats is struggling with right now is clearing the baselines of believability on like important issues with their base that starts with A.I., that starts with Israel, that starts with big money and corporate money in politics, and they're not even hearing folks if you are not clearing that path, even though I do think that it's fair to say there are some parts of the Democratic base that might be slower to that message than others.
BOLDUAN: Yeah.
HERNDON: But it is a coalition you can build now in this 2026 version.
BOLDUAN: Give me a final thought on this.
SIMMONS: But here's something I don't want us to miss this, which is that you can still be kind of a more centrist Democrat or a more pragmatic Democrat and make a case. I mean, you look at somebody like Sherrod Brown in Ohio, who is something that everybody's sort of coalescing around, but he's challenging institutions. The question for the centrists is you can't just go and say and make
arguments about legislating. You've got to go and talk about how you're going to challenge. It is easier to get the pragmatists to go along in the end than it is to get the insurgents to come along in the end.
[19:50:00]
Insurgents may not ever move. The pragmatists will always come back home.
BOLDUAN: Keeping an eye on the clock right now as we're going to start getting some election results coming in.
And if it is an election night, it of course also means that John King -- it is John King at the magic wall.
Let's get to John right now.
Hi, John. It's been a minute.
Talk to me. What do you see? Democrats need to net four seats to win back the Senate. We know this. Can they get a 51-seat majority without Michigan?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That math gets very dicey. I was enjoying the conversation, Kate, you can keep going if you want. That is what's happened. I was just in Michigan. That conversation is what's happening.
Can they do the math? So these are the races that are up this year. If you see red, that's a Republican held Senate seat up this year. See blue. That's a Democratic held Senate seat up this year.
The Democrats need, as you said, plus four. So, let's game this out. Can they even after all the recent drama, can the Democrats pick up Maine? Possibly, right?
The Democrats have a very good candidate. Some even think they're favored in North Carolina. So, let's move that one to the Democrats.
I just heard Jamal talking about Sherrod Brown in Ohio. Can he get back into the Senate from Ohio? That gets you to 50/50. The Democrats need 51 because of J.D. Vance, remember.
So, if that's at 50, Iowa and Alaska would be the next targets, right? These are steep hills for the Democrats. But let's just say it's a moment year. It's a big year and they can get one of them. Let's say it's Alaska right there.
That would be it right there. As long as the Democrats hold their seats, they could get to 51 That's not easy. Don't get me wrong.
But what happens if they lose this one? If that one goes red, it's 50- 50. And then you have to essentially draw to an inside straight flush. You would have to win Iowa as well. If you're going to do that, if you're going to lose Michigan.
And here's what I would say after do this for a long time. If the Democrats are losing Michigan. Guess what? That means they're probably in a tough race in Ohio, and they're probably in a very tough race in Iowa as well.
So, if Michigan is going down, the Midwest is probably going with it, which is why for the math and for the morale, if you will, and for the moment, Michigan's critically important, Kate.
BOLDUAN: I really enjoyed your reporting and the conversations you had when you were in Michigan just a little while ago. Tell me more about what you -- what did you learn while you're there?
KING: It's a lot about what you're talking about right now. We don't have any votes yet, so you see the state of Michigan right there.
The Israel-Gaza issue is playing with young progressives. The inspiration aspiration is playing with young progressives. There are a lot of people. Let's just go back in time a little bit.
2024, Democrats don't like this map, right? Kamala Harris loses Michigan by 80,000 votes. But look what happened. A more moderate candidate won that Senate seat against the same Republican Mike Rogers.
So, this is the history argument that Stevens is making. Look, in a presidential year when Donald Trump carried the state, the more moderate candidate can win. It's an argument, and it's a factual argument if you're looking at 2024.
But then people, Kate, the -- El Sayed forces come back. Let's see how far I can get back in the map here a little bit. Let's just keep going. They come more back to this, the moment.
The history says, yeah, it's a purple state. You're probably safer with the more moderate candidate, but the energy in the party is this is a moment. There's an unpopular war.
There's a party that's got a lot of anti-establishment sentiment. It's not just Republicans who are just people want to kick the can, and so that's the competing forces out there tonight. Is it Michigan's history purple play it safe or is it? It's a moment year. Let's take a chance.
BOLDUAN: We're going to find out soon. John King at the magic wall tonight. It's great to see you, John. Thank you so much. And we'll be standing by for some of those results to start coming in.
OUTFRONT for us next, a new Texas poll giving Democrats even more hope of winning for the first time in 30 years. Again, many will say don't hold your breath, but still, Harry Enten is here with the numbers and to tell us something we don't know.
Hey, Harry.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hello, everyone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:41]
BOLDUAN: So, could Democrats really win a Senate seat in Texas? Back- to-back polls showed James Talerico narrowly ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in the state Senate race, fueling fears among Republicans that a Democrat could pull off what has long been talked about and never panned out, really, winning a statewide election in Texas for Democrats for the first time in decades.
Harry Enten is OUTFRONT to tell us something we do not know.
Harry, every so often, this does come up.
ENTEN: Yes.
BOLDUAN: It really is seen as wishful thinking among Democrats that they could win something like this. Why is this year different?
ENTEN: Why is this year different? Because James Talarico is actually leading in the Texas Senate polling. How unusual is that?
I went into the spreadsheets. You look back. When was the last time a Democratic candidate was leading in a Texas Senate race? You have to go all the way back since I was about -- yay big, very, very I'm holding my hands close together. Let's go all the way back to 1988. Lloyd Bentsen. Lloyd Bentsen, who has been dead for 20-plus years at this point, I believe, that is how far back you have to go. This is extremely unusual.
BOLDUAN: So more than a third of Texas voters identified as independent in '24. How is Talarico doing with this critical group of people?
ENTEN: Look, independents are the name of the game if you're a Democrat. You have to win them by a large margin. In 2024, Kamala Harris lost among independents. Look at where James Talarico is right now with independents. He is up by, get this, 40 points, 40 points. That is a 41-point shift.
No wonder that James Talarico may do the impossible for Democrats in Texas because he is winning in the center of the electorate, a place that Kamala Harris could not pull it off.
BOLDUAN: That was already something I did not know, but now tell me something I don't know.
ENTEN: Okay, I will tell you something else that you don't know, Kate Bolduan, which is, it's not just that Ken Paxton, who in my mind is as close to electoral poison as you could possibly be for a Republican, given all of his scandals, is losing ground in the center of the electorate. He is losing ground even amongst the Republican base because when I think of Republican base, I think of white men, I think of white men. And what is he doing right now amongst white men compared to Donald Trump? Look at this, yes, he is leading amongst white men but that lead is being cut in more than -- by more than half. Trump won him by 43 points, Ken Paxton is only up by 21 points.
If a Texas Republican can only win among white men by 21 points, you may very well get the first Senate Democrat from Texas in a generation.
BOLDUAN: Also a big question of what it means about enthusiasm here amongst that exact --
ENTEN: Hello.
BOLDUAN: Great to see you, Harry. Thank you so much.
ENTEN: Nice to see you.
BOLDUAN: Thanks so much for joining us tonight. I'm Kate Bolduan.
"AC360" starts now.
