Return to Transcripts main page

Inside Politics

Trump Ends The Week With Both Wins And Losses; Planter Campaign Rocked By Reports Of Extramarital Sexts; Interview with Iowa Democratic State Senator Zach Wahls; Poll: Becerra, Hilton, Steyer Lead Race for California Governor; Courts and Congress Pushing Back on Trump's Pet Projects. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired May 31, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:23]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Field of dreams. From a primary where no one has captured voters' hearts --

AD NARRATOR: Xavier Becerra deliver for you?

AD NARRATOR: The truth is Tom's scared.

RAJU: -- to a red state Democrats are hoping to flip.

JOSHUA TUREK (D), IOWA U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: But Iowa, we're not red. We are a common sense state.

ZACH WAHLS (D), IOWA U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: Representative Turek has not ever represented small town or rural Iowa.

RAJU: Will this Tuesday's results help Democrats this fall?

Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Zach Wahls joins me live.

Plus, win, lose or draw? President Trump won in the primaries, but he's losing in the courts and in the polls. Now stung by his choices, Republicans are back in town. Will they take a stand?

And -- drip drip, drip. Another damaging leak about an embattled Democrat.

I'm wondering, are there other skeletons from your past that still may emerge in this race?

The party needs him so they can win the Senate. Could new revelations keep them from taking control?

INSIDE POLITICS, the best reporting from inside the corridors of power, starts now.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Good morning. Thanks for joining INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. I'm Manu Raju.

President Trump's rollercoaster week of ups and downs showed both the power and limits of his presidency. It ended with two big losses in court. A federal judge temporarily blocked his plan that had roiled Washington, a $1.8 billion fund for people he says have been targeted by the government now at a standstill. And another federal judge delivering a major blow to Trump's drive to put his name on the iconic Kennedy Center.

But the week began with a giant political win for him in Texas, where his chosen candidate, Ken Paxton, crushed longtime incumbent John Cornyn in Texas Senate GOP runoff, and opening up a major wound within his own party while inviting major challenges.

First, holding that Texas senate seat in November just got far tougher for the GOP and much more expensive.

Second, now, three sitting Republican senators could be part of what some have dubbed the YOLO conference. Other, the Wounded Bear Caucus with nothing to lose by not going along with their party or Trump.

So, as he proves to be more dominant than ever in primary politics, is he losing control of his Senate majority and his agenda in Washington?

Joining me now is an excellent panel. Political reporter and author Molly Ball; "Semafor's" Burgess Everett; and "Puck's" Marianna Sotomayor.

Good morning to you all. Happy Sunday.

I'll start with that question that I just posed there to you, Molly, is the president is now showing -- he's always been dominant in primary politics so much right now, perhaps at the peak of his power. But we're seeing him getting pushed back on his agenda on Capitol Hill and in the courts.

What does it say to you about the moment we're in in the Trump presidency?

MOLLY BALL, POLITICAL REPORTER AND AUTHOR: You know, I think it's a very fraught moment for -- for President Trump. I mean, as you said, he's never been more dominant in his party. And yet there are -- you know, many Republicans believe that he has done politically productive -- counterproductive things to achieve that dominance.

I mean, case in point, being the Texas primary where, you know, he got what he wanted, but that may ultimately prove it's going to cost Republicans a lot of money, obviously. And they could even potentially put that seat in play.

So, you know, we -- there's a lot -- we've got this hot congress summer coming up. They've got a lot of legislating to do, a lot of deadlines. And I'm going to be fascinated to see how it plays out and whether any of this YOLO caucus becomes more vocal.

Certainly, Tillis has been out there. Do the others start joining him, and does that actually start to result in material defeats for the president, which is something that we haven't really seen?

RAJU: Yeah. And speaking of, Congress is coming back tomorrow after this recess, after this very this period in which they saw John Cornyn go down, in which they left town after revolting over this $1.8 billion fund. And now that Trump is seen the brakes put on by the courts, what do you think the -- how is the White House going to have to proceed here?

Because they want to get their big priority of -- billions of dollars of immigration enforcement money, that's the big last major piece of legislation that could get on the president's desk before November. That is stalled because of this $1.8 billion fund that Republican senators don't want.

So, how is this going to proceed, Burgess?

BURGESS EVERETT, SEMAFOR CONGRESSIONAL BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, I mean, Republican Senate leadership wants more information about this fund and the guardrails on it.

[08:05:02]

Now, what I don't know is whether they will be able to find a way to get 50 votes to advance that immigration bill while this fund is tied up in the courts. That's kind of a curveball here, because without that, this thing isn't moving forward until there's a resolution.

RAJU: So the bill is essentially stalled. This big priority that the administration wants --

EVERETT: Yeah.

RAJU: -- until they decide whether to kill this fund or not.

EVERETT: Because the big problem is this bill is exposed to amendments on this fund because of the way that it is written. It touches the Judiciary Committee, which exposes it to these weaponization fund amendments. Democrats had a bunch of them teed up. They're still working on them. They only need to pick off four Republicans for them.

You've talked to a bunch of the senate Republicans. You know, there's more than four of them that hate this fund and be willing to put guardrails on it through amendments on this immigration bill. And the president's made pretty clear to people on Capitol Hill that he does not want them to do that.

RAJU: Yeah.

EVERETT: And so that's how you end up in this sort of box canyon. RAJU: Yeah. And the president, will he see the writing on the wall?

That's the big question.

And as we talked about this, you know, this YOLO conference. You only live once -- of course, for people who may not know the acronym. But it's not just -- now we have John Cornyn in this mix, right?

He is someone who did everything he could to support the Trump agenda. He touted on the campaign trail. He voted with Trump 99 percent of the time, and he tried everything he could to get the Trump endorsement in his race. Trump then comes out for Ken Paxton in the final week of the campaign, and helps torpedo Cornyn's long career in the Senate.

And Trump -- we're going to put up this tweet on Friday. And it was an ominous tweet. It was a long -- long one. I'll let you read it yourself because it's a long -- it will take a while to get through it.

But he talks about this fable. He talks about a scorpion being stung by a frog, and he talks about the dying frog asking scorpion why it stung, despite knowing the consequence to which the scorpion replies, "I am sorry, but I couldn't t help myself. It's my character."

What is -- what do you make of this moment for Cornyn and for this con -- this group of members who could make life difficult for Trump?

MARIANNA SOTOMAYOR, PUCK NEWS CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. When Cornyn tweeted that, I mean, Republicans on the Hill very much privately were like, okay, how -- what does this mean for him? Is he going to come back and become a renegade and vote against a number of these priorities? Who's to say what's to come later on in the year that both the House and the Senate need to vote on?

But, you know, there's this question about endorsements, especially when these members are coming back. Obviously, Trump has also endorsed in other races, for example, South Carolina. Now you have potentially two more renegades in the House, Ralph Norman, who has obviously challenged leadership, and Nancy Mace.

And I've heard, especially on the House side, leaders are nervous because Thomas Massie is coming back. Chip Roy is also coming back.

And the question I've been asking a number of these lawmakers and aides and also leadership circles is -- you know, are members truly weighing the power of the endorsements, especially for 2028? Does that mean that they are going to still follow Trump and want to see where he's going, want to be on his good side?

And across the board, I've heard no. Members very much saying, you know, Trump isn't running again in '28.

RAJU: Yeah.

SOTOMAYOR: He might not have the willpower then, but what's the point of loyalty if we have been loyal for so many years and it's never returned? RAJU: It has been a one-way --

SOTOMAYOR: That's the feeling.

RAJU: It's been a one way street. As you mentioned here, he weighed in on Friday in the South Carolina crowded Republican primary, getting behind Pam Evette, the lieutenant governor in the state.

But yeah, as you mentioned, Nancy Mace, she's running for the seat. She can be complicated at times in the votes in the House, in a very narrow majority. Ralph Norman, more party line. But we'll see if that has any impact on him as well.

But, Burgess, on the John Cornyn question --

EVERETT: Yeah.

RAJU: -- I mean, it hits the Senate GOP in a totally different way than Bill Cassidy.

EVERETT: Yeah.

RAJU: Because Bill Cassidy, yes, Trump came out against him, but he also voted to convict Donald Trump in the second impeachment trial.

Cornyn was a loyal party player for so many years. He raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the Senate GOP, did virtually, you know, rose the ranks in the conference, has so many friends here. That is such a major wound that cannot be overstated within the halls of the Senate.

EVERETT: Almost became majority leader just a year and a half ago. I mean, he came within just a few votes of beating John Thune for that job. And I think they -- Republicans are looking at this and wondering, why did Trump need to weigh in -- weighed in on that.

It looks like Ken Paxton was going to win pretty comfortably without Trump's endorsement at that point. So I think the -- at least for the rest of the Congress, the smarter play would have been to stay neutral. But, you know, you saw what President Trump was posting in the aftermath of that primary, his record -- his endorsement record in these races. And he likes to be on --

RAJU: And he wanted to show that he was instilling some discipline into his conference by saying, hey, look, you know, this will happen if I go against you.

EVERETT: But the thing is, John Cornyn's sin, I guess, in the Republican Party, was to say that maybe Trump's time had passed him by three years ago. And, I mean, we were all talking to Republicans in 2023.

RAJU: Yeah.

[08:10:00] EVERETT: There were plenty of them that thought, hey, maybe we need a different nominee. Two of them, including the current Senate majority leader, endorsed Tim Scott.

RAJU: Yeah.

EVERETT: So this was not like an out of line thing. And to see Senator Cornyn punished for that in a primary, I think, shocked a lot of his colleagues.

RAJU: Yeah. One other thing, Molly, there was news from this weekend about this great American state fair that Trump wanted to hold to celebrate America 250 with a bunch of performers.

A bunch of these performers have now pulled out of this state fair. And Trump now says in Truth Social -- Truth Social post that he's thinking about being the person who will be the headliner in that event here.

It just kind of goes to show you that even America 250 is becoming very, very political.

BALL: Well, and I think it's reasonable to ask the question, is this a celebration of America or is this a celebration of the president? With everything that's been done and with the various -- you know, the presidential arch and the UFC fight and everything that's being done, I don't think anyone begrudges the White House wanting to put on a big show for the 250th. This should be a big patriotic celebration.

But increasingly, it's becoming more and more just about Trump. And that -- that doesn't quite feel like the sort of unifying celebration that maybe a lot of people are looking for.

RAJU: Yeah. We'll see, still another month ahead for that.

And still ahead for us, news in Maine. The Democratic Senate candidate there, Graham Platner, told me a few months ago that there were no more skeletons in his closet. But we're learning this weekend that his closet may still have some, including sexually explicit text messages sent to women who are not his wife.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:06]

RAJU: Another controversy giving Democrats major heartburn and dogging Graham Planter, the presumptive Democratic nominee in the high stakes Maine Senate race.

"The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Times" published reports yesterday that claimed Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, told Planter's campaign last August about sexual text messages she found between her husband and other women early in their marriage. These were messages his wife found last year but were sent before the campaign began.

The publications reported that Gertner flagged the messages while his campaign was internally vetting the candidate. A former political director for Platner's campaign confirmed to CNN that Gertner told her Platner had been sexting multiple women, though CNN has not independently verified the existence of the texts.

Now, Gertner says she felt betrayed by that ex-campaign aide, whom she confided in and considered a friend. In a statement, she said, quote, "I trusted this person with the most private chapter of our lives -- the early days of our marriage before any campaign was on our mind -- and I am deeply hurt by her betrayal and the invasion of our privacy.

I know who Graham is. I know the man I married, the husband he has been to me on the best and worst days of my life. That hasn't changed and it won't."

Now, the campaign also shared this video from Platner's wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY GERTNER, GRAHAM PLATNER'S WIFE: I find it really shameful that there's a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip, instead of talking about real issues that Graham is -- is running on, like health care and education and child care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: All right. My excellent panel is back, including the man from Maine himself, Burgess Everett, a keeper of all things Senate.

So, how damaging, Burgess, will this be for Platner?

EVERETT: Well, this comes on the heels of plenty of other revelations about him, including his Reddit posts and his tattoo. So I see it kind of as another brick in the wall there.

The problem for Democrats is Janet Mills, the governor dropped out. So there is a mechanism for them to perhaps nominate another candidate later if Graham Platner were to drop out. But there have been no signs of that. He's been acting pretty defiant, I would say, since the story's out there pushing back hard against it.

I think like you're going to hear a lot of people say, this is not that bad for the Graham Platner campaign. People that support him -- I think you got to flip it on its head. This is not good for the Graham Platner campaign.

RAJU: Yeah.

EVERETT: This is a problem. It's taking up all the news cycle I was seeing over the weekend in terms of these Senate races. And it's not a great way for him to enter the general election period.

RAJU: Yeah. And this is why the Democratic leadership wanted Janet Mills. This is why Chuck Schumer recruited Janet Mills. I mean, she could not catch fire in the campaign, which is why she dropped out, because they were concerned about a novice candidate with a checkered past. SOTOMAYOR: Yeah. You know, Democrats have been critical of Chuck

Schumer. They know that he is a good campaign strategist. But again, lots of criticism over the past year on his handling of a number of different things.

The one thing that I have consistently heard from those same critics is, man, if Graham becomes the nominee and you just can't flip Maine in the general election, or if, for example, in Michigan, a non- Schumer candidate comes forward, particularly Abdul El-Sayed said, then we could potentially lose a state that we currently have the majority in, and that is a problem.

Does that mean at the end of the day in November, if, let's say the Senate gets so close to flipping Democrats in particular, flipping the majority, but they lose it because of these more unconventional, authentic candidates?

[08:20:01]

I have heard already that people are very worried about that potential outcome.

RAJU: Yeah. It's a challenge here because it's -- yeah, it's the base, the energizing the base. But that could be a risk when you have some of these candidates who have not gone facing the spotlight and face a lot of questions.

One of the questions that I put to Graham Platner himself, I talked to him back in January and about, as Burgess mentioned, there were all these Reddit posts from his past. He said that he was a different person. He apologizes for those posts and he says that he was, of course, a military veteran. He was going through a different time in his life. He was in combat.

But I asked him if there were any more skeletons in his closet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: I'm wondering, are there other skeletons from your past that still may emerge in this race?

GRAHAM PLATNER (D), MAINE U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: No. I haven't lived a boring life, but I haven't lived a very complicated life. I've never been close to money. I've never been close to power.

I've never really had the ability to screw people over. My life is not very complicated. And there -- no, there is not anything else coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: There's not anything else coming. Turns out there was more coming, and there have been some stories since then as well.

BALL: Yeah. Well, it would have been weird if he had answered that question yes.

(LAUGHTER)

RAJU: Yeah, I guess --

BALL: It would have naturally created some other questions in the course of that.

RAJU: Yeah.

BALL: So that is one of those sort of like little white lies that people tell in politics.

But look, the appeal of someone like Platner is that he's a political outsider, is that he's imperfect, is that he's a regular guy who's -- who's been through the sort of pitfalls of someone who didn't come up through the political system. That being said, that means that his bio is all he has.

He doesn't have a record in elected office. He doesn't have, you know, a long resume in politics that he can point to, to sort of tell the voters what kind of senator he would be. And so, you know, in an uphill environment for Democrats on the map, right? It's a good year for them vibes wise, but still a very tough Senate map.

And there is no way they get to the majority without a state like Maine, which is a blue state where Susan Collins, of course, has managed to hang on for so long.

RAJU: Yeah.

You know, these stories about Platner's past have been out for months. And he is -- I've asked him about this, about the impact that this would have on him and the campaign. He said, "Look, this is baked in. I've spoken about this. I've talked about how I was wrong. This is not having an impact on the race."

But one of the things that happened while Janet Mills was a candidate is that she didn't really launch much of a paid media attack campaign against Platner over these posts. There was some -- there was an ad she put out late, but really not a ton of money.

Republicans are now spending a lot of money to go after Platner, including this Susan Collins super PAC ad attacking him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD NARRATOR: Twenty years of bigotry and hate from Graham Platner. He calls police officers all (AUDIO DELETED), and Platner insults black people, saying they don't tip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now again, Platner has said that he was wrong with some of his past posts. He said does not reflect who he is.

But nevertheless, Burgess, how much of an impact will this GOP attack machine that is coming, that we're seeing on air about these -- about Platner's past, how much of an impact is that going to have on Platner?

EVERETT: I think it will have an impact in the sense of this is going to be the story. You already see how he's on the -- he's on the defensive.

We're also seeing that in Texas, right? Like when Republicans concentrate paid and free media on something, it becomes an issue. And that's what's happening to James Talarico as well.

And you made a great point about Janet Mills, who kind of launched a small ad campaign, seizing on those Reddit posts, but she didn't spend enough money for it to really resonate and sink into voters.

RAJU: Yeah.

EVERETT: Maine is a small state, about 1.3 million people. Folks are going to see a ton of these ads. But I do think that there is a question of whether they might backfire, because I believe in 2020, Democrats launched so many ads attacking Susan Collins, supporting Sara Gideon, that I think Mainers started to tune it out. They're not used to being saturated --

RAJU: Yeah.

EVERETT: -- with these sorts of ads, these negative ads.

So I do think there's a risk for Republicans to go too far in attacking him, because I do think Mainers might tune it out eventually.

RAJU: Yeah, and it's a good point. And as we go to break the poll, one of the most recent poll had Graham Platner up 51-42 over Susan Collins. We'll see if those numbers change in the aftermath of all of this.

All right. Still ahead, why is Iowa suddenly at the center for the fight for the Senate majority? I'll ask a key Democratic candidate that question ahead of this Tuesday's pivotal primary in the Hawkeye State.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH WAHLS, THEN UNIVERSITY OF IOWA STUDENT: My family really isn't so different from yours. A sense of family comes from the commitment we make to each other, to work through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. It comes from the love that binds us. That's what makes a family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: That was Democrat Zach Wahls in a moment that went viral 15 years ago. Then 19-year-old was testifying against a ban on same sex marriage and in defense of his two moms. Now, Wahls is an Iowa state senator and running for the United States

Senate with a primary against Iowa State Representative Josh Turek on Tuesday. The winner is expected to face Ashley Hinson, a Trump- endorsed GOP congresswoman.

As the environment sours on the GOP, Iowa has suddenly become pivotal in the fight for the majority, with tens of millions in outside money set to be spent in the state.

Ahead of Tuesday's primary, Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls joins me live now.

Senator Wahls, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate your time.

[08:29:42]

As you know, over the past decade, there's been a real shift in your state to the right. President Trump has won it three times and Democrats have not won a Senate race in your state in almost two decades.

So if you do capture the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, how can a progressive candidate like yourself actually win in a red state like Iowa?

STATE SEN. ZACH WAHLS (D-IA): Manu, it's great to be with you this morning. And we're really excited as we head into the home stretch before our election on Tuesday.

I will tell you, over the last decade, what you've seen is really a continuation of the anti-establishment sentiment that has prevailed in our state going back, I would say, to the farm crisis.

This is a state, of course, that Barack Obama carried twice in 2008 and 2012. And as you pointed out, Donald Trump has carried in the last three presidential elections.

But over the last 18 months here, we have seen a string of special elections in our state legislature. Democrats have had six straight overperformances in these special elections of ten points or more. The most recent one was a 27-point overperformance relative to 2024.

Donald Trump's approval rating in our state is collapsing because his policies that Ashley Hinson has been a rubber stamp for and doing just devastating damage to our state's economy, whether it's the tariffs, the cuts to Medicaid, or so much more. Of course, now this war with Iran.

Iowans here are fed up. They're ready for a new direction. That is a message that is resonating with people as we travel all over the state, because Iowans trust that I'm not running to work for Chuck Schumer or Donald Trump. I'm running to do what I think is right for Iowans. That's what Iowans are looking for.

RAJU: But Senator Wahls, the question over electability in the general election is what is looming over your primary. You represent a reliably blue district in the State Senate. You have a progressive record.

Your opponent, Josh Turek, is pitching himself as someone who has a more moderate profile, representing a more conservative district in the state house.

This is what Turek told my CNN colleague, Jeff Zeleny. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: I think that I have a unique ability, proven ability to reach out and connect with Independents and moderate Republicans that I think that my opponent would struggle to do. And that is what it is going to take to be able to win in a state like Iowa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Is Josh Turek wrong?

WAHLS: Yes, I think so. So I want you to know, Manu, when I was first elected in 2018, my district had two Obama-Trump counties. I had Olive, Cedar County, slice of Muscatine County -- rural small-town Iowa.

Those are communities where I campaigned in. I won a lot of votes from folks who voted for Barack Obama in 2012, Donald Trump in 2016, and voted for me in 2018.

And in this campaign, we've been traveling all over the state in the 74 and 99 counties, 350 campaign events. I've been able to win the support of 150 Democrat, Independent, and even some Republican elected officials and community leaders, 27 labor unions representing 30,000 hard-working, blue-collar Iowans.

That is the coalition that you need to win in this state.

And unlike Representative Turek, I've represented small town and rural Iowa. And I don't need to tell you how important that is to winning a statewide election.

If you go to our Web site, ZachWahls.com, you can see the agenda that we have laid out, talking about the challenges that are facing our communities.

And that's where I know we have a vision that is resonating with the people who we have lost. And the folks who this party has lost, they are folks who don't trust leaders in either party. They want an independent voice for Iowa.

And, you know, Josh is Chuck Schumer's choice. Ashley Hinson is Donald Trump's choice. I'm the right candidate for Iowa.

RAJU: Yes. You've made no secret that you don't think that Chuck Schumer should be the Democratic leader. Josh Turek hasn't said if he would back Schumer as leader. But he's also said that voters don't ask him about this either. So, is he right to suggest that this is not an issue that animates most Iowa Democrats?

WAHLS: Well, I'll tell you this, Manu. Last night I was in Scott County, which is one of the most important, pivotal battleground counties in our state. I asked the audience, who here thinks that Chuck Schumer is doing a good job as the leader? 350 people, not a single hand went up.

And to your point about electability, I mean, my Democratic opponent is only viable in this primary because a super PAC that is directly linked to Chuck Schumer has spent $10 million trying to get him over the finish line. That is not the sign of a strong campaign that is able to win in November.

I think the good news is that our grassroots campaign is incredibly strong. I have the courage to take on failed leaders, whether that's Chuck Schumer or Donald Trump.

That message is resonating specifically with the voters who we need to win back. And that's why the polls have shown me as the strongest candidate to win in November. And anyone who's watching wants to join us at ZachWahls.com.

RAJU: As you can see on your screen, referring to VoteVets, that's an outside group. Schumer has denied any involvement, but has spent about 10 million bucks on Turek's behalf.

[08:34:49]

RAJU: You told "The Atlantic" that -- Mr. Wahls, that the winning -- that winning in Iowa will be, quote, "a hell of a lot harder if Democrats cannot be honest with people about the failures of the national Democratic Party leadership. So how has the Democratic leadership failed, in your view?

WAHLS: So a couple of things. Number one, you have in Chuck Schumer, a leader who went on television and said that the Democratic Party can write off rural and blue-collar voters. Each one of those votes we lose, we're going to pick up two more in the suburbs.

That math might work in New York, Manu. It doesn't work in Iowa. And frankly, that is not a Democratic Party that can win elections in this state.

I look at how this is a party that has failed hard-working Iowa families by failing to pass a farm bill when Democrats had the majority, by supporting policies that have resulted in the loss of manufacturing jobs up and down the Mississippi River.

A party that has failed to fight for the labor unions that have been so important to organizing in our state to negotiate better wages, good contracts, unions like the one that my mom, Jackie, a union nurse at the University of Iowa Hospital, belonged to when I was growing up as a kid. And when you think about how you have seen this damage take place in

our state, it is, of course, partly from Republicans, but part of it is because of the failure of national Democratic leaders. And that is why I won't vote for Senator Schumer to remain as the leader or any other Democratic candidate for that leadership role who says that our party should write off rural and blue-collar voters.

That is not a winning coalition for this party. And that's not the party that I want to belong to.

RAJU: And your opponent, Josh Turek, he calls himself a, quote, "common sense prairie populist".

Now, he was born with spina bifida. He won two gold medals as a Paralympian. I'm wondering about what you think about his profile. Isn't that a profile that could sell well in a general election?

WAHLS: I mean, look, here's what I'll tell you, Manu. I think a lot of folks are looking for someone who's willing to fight back against an establishment in Washington, D.C. that is broken.

I think everybody agrees. And I've gotten to know Josh better over the course of the campaign. He's a good guy. We agree on a few things, and he has an inspiring story.

But when you talk to the voters who this party has lost to we need to win back. They're looking for a fighter. They're sick of watching leaders in both parties side with the swamp in Washington, D.C. and sell them out. They're sick of watching a Democratic Party that is unable to actually deliver for working families.

And if you look at my record in the State Senate over eight years, I'm someone who has been able to challenge leaders in both parties, to go after the people who are doing damage in our state. That's the big corporations that have been coming in screwing over my constituents.

You see, Donald Trump now passing policy after policy. These tariffs, Manu, are devastating our states ag economy.

And to win in November, we need to be able to contrast with Ashley Hinson, who's been a rubber stamp for Donald Trump and his failed agenda for this state.

And the best way to win those folks back is with a candidate who can look those voters in the eye and tell them, I'm not here to work for Chuck Schumer or Donald Trump or Elon Musk or the billionaires. I'm here to do what I think is right for you and your family.

That is what is resonating with those folks. I know that because I've represented these small town and rural communities. I've won these voters back before, and I know that we're going to do it again in November.

All right. We're going to have to leave it there. Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls, thanks for joining me ahead of your primary on Tuesday. Really appreciate your time this morning. And coming up --

WAHLS: Thanks, Manu.

RAJU: -- coming up for us, welcome to the jungle. We've got fun and games in California where voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose the top two candidates in their unique jungle primary. Is it possible we'll see an all-GOP race for governor in November?

[08:38:24]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: Tuesday marks another day of critical primaries that could reshape not only the midterms, but also the nation's most populous state. In California, in the wild jungle primary for governor, a former member of the Biden cabinet, a billionaire endorsed by top progressive groups and a British immigrant turned conservative commentator are battling it out to advance to the November general election.

Plus, a reality TV personality hopes to lead Los Angeles, the second biggest country -- city in the country.

My panel is back.

The governor's race is interesting because it's wide open. Look at the polls here, the most recent one.

Xavier Becerra, the former HHS secretary, is -- he's ahead. But there's no clear leader in this poll. He's up 25 percent. He's taken a ton of attacks in this race. But again, the top two can emerge here -- and will emerge, go to the general election.

Marianna, how do you see this very uncertain field playing out?

SOTOMAYOR: Yes, I mean, there's so many candidates there. Maybe that will be helpful in the general for Becerra. Let's say if he goes top two and Steve Hilton, what happens to all those other voters who voted for other people? They could coalesce, obviously, behind Becerra or Hilton in this case.

It's been fascinating. I mean, I know a lot of people out in California, whether it's family or friends, they are so over the inundation of ads.

But one thing that is something that Democrats should watch is enthusiasm. Obviously, California is a Democratic state, but my goodness, I've heard from so many people that they are just over it.

RAJU: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: They're over the number of candidates. They're not feeling very, very enthusiastic to learn about everybody.

[08:44:50] SOTOMAYOR: And this goes down ballot, too.

RAJU: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: They're just like, why are so many people running? Who are we going to choose from?

RAJU: Yes. It's possible. Look, there's a lot of questions here, so uncertain. There have been concerns among Democrats that perhaps two Republicans could make it in to the -- to the general election. It's possible two Democrats could.

That poll, of course, had Tom Steyer at 19 percent. So he is nipping on the heels of getting into that runoff. And look -- the general election -- just look how much money Tom Steyer has spent on his own, from his own personal fortune. About $201 million.

Most of that, almost all of that his own money. The next closest competitor, spent $35 million in campaign cash. Wow.

BALL: Well, I mean, look California, massive blue state should, by all rights, be an engine of Democratic talent. And yet in this race, in the L.A. mayor's race, Democrats are in complete disarray because they don't actually have high-profile powerhouse candidates that their base is excited about.

I mean, this is political malpractice on a grand scale for the Democratic Party, honestly.

And, you know, you look at those top four candidates and how they're clustered in the gubernatorial race. My sources think it's very unlikely that you will have two Republicans and the Democrats be locked out.

But if two Democrats are in the runoff, that presents problems for the party as well, because then it's harder to get the base excited.

RAJU: Yes.

BALL: And you have Democrat on Democrat violence going through to November.

RAJU: And that could impact down ticket races like in the House, because the race for the House goes through California.

EVERETT: Yes. And I wouldn't be surprised if, depending on these results, especially Democrats take a look at their jungle primary system in California.

In Louisiana, which we talked about earlier, they made some changes to that because of the way that was playing out. It was making it more likely for a center-right candidate to win in Louisiana.

I think in California, there is a scenario eventually where this backfires on Democrats and they do get locked out. That doesn't look like it's going to happen this time. But I think if you're -- if you're a Democrats who run the entire state, you're probably asking yourself, why would we even take this job?

RAJU: Yes. And then in L.A., this is a race that's gotten a lot of attention too, the mayoral race there. Karen Bass, the incumbent facing some challenges here. This is the top two advance here also to November.

Nithya Raman who's a progressive councilwoman, is nipping at the heels of Karen Bass, as you can see. But Spencer Pratt is someone conservative, Republican. He's a -- he's a reality TV star and he's been catching fire.

SOTOMAYOR: Yes. It's interesting. And it's a reminder of my own age where, you know, I was watching "The Hills" and now people on reality TV are running for office. I guess that says something.

RAJU: I wish I had time to watch reality TV.

SOTOMAYOR: I don't anymore, but I grew up on "The Hills". So just seeing that dynamic.

I mean, look, we've been talking about, regardless of where elections are happening, authenticity, someone who's speaking to the challenges.

And I think that is why Spencer Pratt is --

RAJU: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: -- is definitely moving on up --

(CROSSTALKING)

SOTOMAYOR: -- in this race.

RAJU: Yes. And I wanted to just quickly see one of his ads that he cut. Do we have it? There we go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I met him, he got my number. I got his number.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you mean he got your number?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he got my number. You can record me. I met him at the Plaza Olvera, the mayor's day. Because. Because the corrupt Karen Bass came after me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: I mean, so it's trying to show this, you know, as Marianna was saying, this authentic type of man on the street type interviews. Not dissimilar to Zohran Mamdani.

BALL: It's very reminiscent of Zohran and very similar in the sense that he's focused on people's quality of life. And he's a political outsider, and he's trying to channel a lot of the frustrations that people feel with the system. You know, he's clearly got a lot of challenges, primarily being a

Republican in a Democratic city. But the fact that he's getting the kind of attention he is getting, I think shows you how frustrated people are.

RAJU: Yes. No question about it.

All right. A lot to see Tuesday, big day coming up.

And up next for us, as Trump works to leave his mark on Washington, a new thorn in his side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're making a gift to the United States. Not for me, because I'll be gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:48:55]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: Until recently, virtually no one has stopped President Trump from his vanity projects. But is that now changing? The billion dollars he wants from Congress to secure his new White House ballroom is almost certain to be dropped by the Senate.

His $100 million arch near Arlington Cemetery faces legal challenges and serious questions about whether the 250-foot structure would impair air travel in and out of Reagan Washington National Airport.

But he's still on a relentless drive to slap his name on virtually anything that he can, like the Treasury Department's plan to put Trump's signature on paper money starting this summer, a rare move by a democratically-elected head of state.

But now, a higher power stepping in to stop him in some cases. Like on Friday, when a judge ruled that Trump's name needs to be removed from the Kennedy Center, saying the law makes it clear the center is to be named after President Kennedy and him alone.

Trump responded to that on social media in a long ranting post complaining about the judge, the court and the decision. But in the end, bowing to the courts and saying he would go back to Congress to address the issue.

And now a new pet project, a special, unauthorized $250 bill with Trump's face on it to commemorate the country's 250th anniversary.

[08:54:52]

RAJU: But here's the catch. There's a law against living people appearing on the currency, meaning lawmakers would need to approve it.

Still, Trump is dead set on getting his projects done. As he told his daughter-in-law on Fox News about his new ballroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I can also check it right from the windows, right.

LARA TRUMP, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OF DONALD TRUMP: That's great.

TRUMP: This is all --

L. TRUMP: Main floor right here.

TRUMP: -- military.

L. TRUMP: We're on -- we're standing on what will be kind of the ground floor of the ballroom.

TRUMP: This will be the kitchen floor.

L. TRUMP: The kitchen -- and then the floor above. There will be one above.

TRUMP: Above. And then you have the drone ports and you have the sniper ports, and you have everything above.

L. TRUMP: Wow. Can't wait.

TRUMP: It's all one unified unit. Yes.

L. TRUMP: We can't wait to see.

TRUMP: It's going to be great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: So if all these projects go through like Trump's demand to quickly renovate the National Mall's reflecting pool, just how much will it all cost American taxpayers? Well, it's a question that has gotten little attention on Capitol Hill.

That's it for INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

Up next, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JAKE TAPPER AND DANA BASH". Dana's guests include Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Democratic New Jersey Senator Andy Kim.

Thanks again for sharing your Sunday morning with us. We'll see you next time.

[08:56:02]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)