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Musk Says He Plans To Spend "A Lot Less" On Politics In The Future; Chasten Buttigieg Writes New Book Celebrating LGBTQ Families; Chasten Buttigieg Weighs In On Husband Pete Buttigieg's Possible 2028 Run; New Data Underscores Erosion Of Democratic Coalition In 2024. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired May 20, 2025 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:32:15]
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: After spending nearly $300 million to help get Donald Trump re-elected and boost other Republican candidates, Elon Musk now says he's done spending so much of his money on politics. The world's richest man was asked about his political giving at an economic forum in Qatar.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA INC.: I think, in terms of political spending, I'm going to do a lot less in the future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And why is that?
MUSK: I think I've done enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it because of blowback?
MUSK: Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I don't currently see a reason.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
BASH: And our panel is back. I feel like you're old enough to remember this. Maybe you and I are the same age and that's about it. Remember the VH1, the pop-up video?
ABBY LIVINGSTON, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, PUCK: Yes, I saw that show.
BASH: Oh, OK. OK, so what they're saying -- what they're really saying, what he's really saying is, heck yes, this is about my own personal problems and the fact that, you know, he started -- in fact, we have a poll just to kind of give you a sense of where things were at the beginning of 2024 and where things ended for him just on popularity after he, you know, took a chainsaw, quite literally, to the federal government. His disapproval went up eight points, meaning, he is very underwater with the American people. BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: And in the past few weeks, since he has stepped back, since he's been less loud about the government, since he's been more engaged at Tesla, Tesla shares up more than $100. People want to see him back at Tesla.
They want to see him back at SpaceX. They want to see him back in his element. So I think that does have something to do with this.
It's also, you know, the subtext here also might be his dissatisfaction with some of Trump's moves. Is he having a little bit of a falling out? He'll probably never admit that publicly, but --
BASH: He doesn't like the tariffs. He's been very clear about that.
STELTER: He doesn't like the tariffs. There's some distance that we're seeing between Musk and Trump. Look, I think everybody who lived in a vulnerable district last year remembers the spending. It was an avalanche of spending from Musk.
It clearly had a big impact on some of these races. So as we think about House Republicans making decisions this week, this could have another impact on those midterms if Musk really does pull away.
BASH: He didn't leave the door open this much --
STELTER: Yes.
BASH: -- to spending --
SHANE GOLDMACHER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: He left the door open, and we should note that Elon Musk was spending money through vehicles where he didn't disclose his name before he spent this avalanche of money publicly in 2024. So he was spending money, we've since learned, through non-profit groups in 2022. So he could just as easily just remove himself from the public disclosures, not remove himself entirely.
LIVINGSTON: I think the question is, if he really does pull back, does some other multi-multi-billionaire step in? Like, did he set a new standard of how you spend as a super-rich person?
[12:35:04]
And the other question I have is, did he flame out too early for Democrats? Like, that image right there is --
BASH: Yes.
LIVINGSTON: -- TV ad gold, and does he matter?
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWS CENTRAL: That -- he didn't say it. One of the reasons he may not want to spend money is because the last time he did, it didn't work.
GOLDMACHER: Yes. BERMAN: Like, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, not only did he spend money and not win, but he himself became a losing issue. He was one of the issues that the Democratic-backed candidate could run on.
I will say, though, and I hadn't seen the statement yet, I had only read it --
BASH: Yes.
BERMAN: -- the way he ended it there, when he said, if I see a reason to spend, I will, but I don't see one right now. That was really loaded, potentially, where he's sort of saying, I'm not backing what the Trump -- I mean --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
BERMAN: -- because there will be midterms --
BASH: Right.
BERMAN: -- when the Trump agenda will be, you know, up for a vote. And is he saying he doesn't like where that is right now?
STELTER: Tell me a little bit cynical, though. He's someone who lives on his own social media platform, in that radicalized social media swamp. He's going to see things on his social media feed next summer and fall that are going to make him angry.
BASH: And --
STELTER: And I would be very surprised if he doesn't want to take action with all of his money.
BASH: All right, guys. Up next, Chasten Buttigieg is many things. He's a teacher, an advocate, and a political spouse. Now he can add children's book author to his resume. He'll be here next.
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[12:40:55]
BASH: When then small-town city mayor Pete Buttigieg beat longtime well-known Democrats in the 2020 Iowa caucuses, he shook the political world. He also became the first openly gay man to win a major presidential primary contest. And his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, was right by his side.
Since then, Mayor Pete became Secretary Pete, and he spent four years as President Biden's Transportation Secretary. The couple adopted twins in 2021, and the family then moved to Chasten's home state of Michigan.
Chasten Buttigieg is now also the author of the new children's book, "Papa's Coming Home", and joins me here now live. First of all, it's Pub Day.
CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG, AUTHOR, "PAPA'S COMING HOME": Yes.
BASH: Happy Pub Day.
BUTTIGIEG: Thank you so much.
BASH: It's a great, great book. And --
BUTTIGIEG: Thanks.
BASH: -- I first wanted to know the obvious, which is what inspired you to do this.
BUTTIGIEG: Well, I wanted a book that looks like our family. And when I was looking around after our kids were born for books that looks like our family, I was coming up short. So that's where the idea came from. And then it was also just really important for me to have a book that had a central message of unconditional love.
It didn't have to have any moral or lesson up front. I just wanted a sweet day in the life story of a family that looked like ours. And then I actually wrote it on an airplane. I was coming home from a work trip and thought about how excited I was to get home and how excited they might be to welcome me home. And that's where this idea started.
BASH: Yes. And it's -- the idea in here is something that every kid of a working and traveling parent can relate to.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: And every parent, obviously this is what inspired you, you're saying --
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: -- who has kids at home who cannot wait to get home can relate to. But what you just said is really interesting. The idea that it's two dads --
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: -- is just part of the story. It's not the story.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes. Yes. I've always believed that, you know, some of the best work I can do for my community is just living with my values and just showing people who I am rather than telling. I also think it's really important that we have a book we can read our kids at bedtime that might not prompt a larger discussion or, you know, telling our kids or reminding them that they're different in some way.
I just want a sweet story to read to my kids at bedtime. And obviously I've had my copy for a couple more months. It's coming out today. But our kids have read it a thousand times. And it's so cool.
BASH: Do they like it?
BUTTIGIEG: They do. I mean, I think maybe they're a little biased because it kind of looks like them. But it's so nice to just read a story where in the end it's just about unconditional love. The "Papa's Coming Home" and the kids bring all this stuff to the airport because they think he'll have missed all this stuff.
And he tells them, you know, I like those things. But the best part about coming home is you. And that's just something I try to remind my kids all the time, that it's love is the most important thing. Love is what makes a family a family. And I love you so much more than I love all the stuff around us.
BASH: So that's a message that most parents, regardless of who they are --
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: -- can give and should give to their kids. What is the real thing that makes you and your husband unique is that you're in the public eye.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: Very much so. And when you had -- when your husband ran for office -- for high office the first time --
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: -- you didn't have kids.
BUTTIGIEG: Right.
BASH: And so how does the kind of way you look at your public life, both of you, now that you have kids?
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: How is it different?
BUTTIGIEG: Well, I think work life balance is real for every parent. For us, it's just different because it involves a lot of travel. It also involves having to say yes or no to things where people really need you. They really need you to step up.
Maybe they are making a hard case that it's a hard thing to say no to. People are either, you know, looking for leadership or they're feeling alone or misunderstood. And you have an opportunity with your platform to do some good there. But then you also have the school concert on Friday that you don't want to miss.
So it's a lot of negotiating, just like every other family, how much time you're going to spend on the road. And we try our best to make sure that one of us is always home with them.
[12:45:02]
BASH: Speaking of negotiations, I have to ask.
BUTTIGIEG: OK.
BASH: Pete Buttigieg, your husband --
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: -- he chose not to run for Senate in Michigan or governor.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: He's been out and about a lot. He has a new beard, which I do want to get your opinion on. But most importantly, have you discussed whether he will consider running again for president and how that affects your family?
BUTTIGIEG: You know, it's -- I'm glad that he said no to running in Michigan.
BASH: How come?
BUTTIGIEG: Well, I love him. I believe in him. I think he's fantastic. But we've spent the last four years in Washington. And I really wanted him to be home. And I think that was a really tough decision for him because papa was gone a lot.
And I think he wants to be home right now, too. One of the worst things I feel like people say to you when you're a parent is it goes by so fast. And I'm really scared of that, that you can believe that the work is so important, that you continuously sacrifice time with your family.
And I think right now just what we needed was time to be a family. Obviously, I'm very proud of Pete and the way that he can inspire people or communicate with people. So it's sometimes difficult to share him, right?
You want to be home and you want to be a family. But people are also hurting. And I know that he's really good at listening and inspiring. So, again --
BASH: So they're almost --
BUTTIGIEG: -- another negotiation.
BASH: Yes, well, they're almost four now --
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: -- in 2028, there will be almost eight.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: It has to be part of the calculus, no?
BUTTIGIEG: It's a scary calculus, and it's one that I try not to let seep into our home every day. I'm not naive to the reality that people talk about it, that he's very good at what he does. I think one of my jobs as their dad and as his spouse is to bring him back down to earth, right?
When you're in politics, it feels like everyone around you, their job is to catapult you. And as a spouse, your job is to kind of hold on to the tether and pull him back down to earth and remind them of the things that really matter around them.
And I think Pete's really enjoying being a dad right now. And it's very difficult to go through life having people constantly remind you that that could be a possibility when you're just trying to focus on being a good dad and being a good family.
BASH: So TBD on 2028.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes, I'm not really ready to think about it.
BASH: I don't blame you. Well, let's think about this book. It's really terrific, very inspiring. And --
BUTTIGIEG: Thanks.
BASH: -- I love the art as well.
BUTTIGIEG: Thanks so much for sharing and making time for joy.
BASH: Thank you. Oh, yes, joy.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: It's nice to have that.
BUTTIGIEG: Yes.
BASH: And my panel is back next to talk more about Pete Buttigieg's political future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good guy.
BASH: Good guy.
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[12:52:02]
BASH: Before the break, you heard Chasten Buttigieg talking with me about his husband, Pete, potentially running for president. And my panel is back.
And Abby, before we got to the 2028 question, he brought up the fact that Secretary Buttigieg's husband decided not to run in Michigan for senator, or most specifically for governor, and he said, "I think he wants to be at home".
LIVINGSTON: I think it was an interesting comment, and that was such a thoughtful interview also. And -- because when that news broke, everyone thought, oh my gosh, he's gearing up to run for president, that this is -- he's bypassing that. And so, I think what that interview just revealed is that, like, sometimes the decisions aren't always made when we think they're made.
BASH: Or how.
LIVINGSTON: Or how.
BERMAN: Look, he's a twin dad, as a father, you know, of twins myself, I'm just impressed that he wasn't asleep on your desk with his head down there. It's hard work --
BASH: Yes.
BERMAN: -- with twins who are nearly four. I will say, when he told you he's not ready to think about yet the idea of Secretary Buttigieg running for president, I felt like saying, you know, he was just in Iowa last week. You know, I promise you he wasn't in Iowa because he's not thinking about running for president.
I mean, with all due respect to Iowa, that's why you go to Iowa, is if you think you're going to run for president there. So it's full on.
GOLDMACHER: And this is a politician who thought he was the best qualified Democrat in America to be president after he'd been mayor of a very, very small town, right? Now he's a national figure. He's respected for his ability to communicate. He's been a Cabinet secretary.
So look, in all likelihood, he is going to run for president. But it shows that there's real personal considerations in addition to the political ones.
BASH: Yes, which, you know, we hear that and we sometimes think that's like F4 on the computer. I have to spend more time with our family. But it happens to be a thing. And I like also the fact that he said he -- it's his job to sort of tether him back down to earth.
Speaking of Democrats, Brian Stelter, there is some new data that came out of Catalist, which is a Democratic group emphasizing and explaining how Democrats lost the presidency in 2024. And we'll just kind of give you an overview of some of the key demographic groups.
Latino men down 12 percent. Black men down 7 percent. AAPI, 6 percent. Latina women, 7 percent. AAPI women, 4 percent. And 18 to 29 voters, the young people, down 6 percent.
STELTER: Political geeks look forward to this report for months and for good reason, because it's an authoritative source of what happened. In the case of Democrats, what went wrong? I was blown away by the stat from Catalist finding that 30 million voters who showed up in 2020 did not show up in 2024.
Now, you have to assume a small number of those may no longer be living. But let's take that 30 million figure. That is a Biden cohort. Fifty five percent of those folks in 2020 voted for Biden and they didn't show up in 2024. So either they weren't buying what Biden and Harris were selling in 2022, in 2023, in 2024, or they had other reasons why they didn't want to show up at all. But that ultimately swung this to Donald Trump.
[12:55:04]
GOLDMACHER: I mean, what you saw in that data is hemorrhaging among key parts of the Democratic base, right? That list that you just put up there, those are core Democratic constituencies. And they turned out in lower numbers.
And at the same time, Trump showed a way to maximize the core Republican base. I think something that we haven't really fully looked through all this data is what happened with the swing votes, because I'm not sure there was this much movement. It was really the Democratic base being depressed and the Republican base turning out.
BASH: It's a difference between staying home and not staying home.
BERMAN: Absolutely. And look, infrequent voters also went for Trump there. It just endorses the podcast strategy that you saw from the Trump campaign, reaching out to people who don't normally vote.
BASH: Will you have me on your podcast?
BERMAN: Absolutely.
BASH: Yes.
BERMAN: The minute I launch it, you're guest number one.
BASH: Thank you.
Thanks, guys. Thank you so much.
STELTER: Thanks.
BASH: Such a great discussion.
Thank you for joining Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts right after the break.
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