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Presumptive Dem Nominee Faces Scrutiny Over Temperament; Democratic Divide On Display In Wisconsin Governor's Race; Trump Reignites Trade War With New 50 Percent Tariff On Canadian Goods; Wisconsin Primary Becomes Referendum On Democrat's Direction; Retirees On Limited Incomes Face Impossible Scenarios Amid Rising Costs. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 21, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

ALLISON GORDON, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: -- all of the folks we spoke with, including the most ardent Jackson critics, were quick to say that this is not a Graham Platner situation. You know, they are not worried about allegations of any kind of physical abuse or criminal wrongdoing. They're just concerned about his temper.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And what else is the campaign saying about this, the Troy Jackson campaign?

GORDON: Yes. So the Troy Jackson campaign is sort of framing this temper potential issue as passion, and they think that it's a good thing and that voters like that he's authentic and a little rough around the edges, and many of his supporters echoed that sentiment to us on the record, which you can read in our piece at CNN.com.

The Troy Jackson campaign also supplied us with -- or they told us about an eyewitness who was in the room that I spoke with, another state lawmaker, who says that yes, he did see Troy Jackson throw the plastic water bottle, but it did not appear to be aimed at anyone, which is what the campaign is also saying.

I will also note that the campaign said, and I quote, that Jackson's behavior is, quote, "passionate and deeply invested in the people and policies that he advocates for. Over 22 years in public office, there have been moments when he let his frustration get the better of him. When that happened, he took responsibility and apologized directly at the time." And that he, quote, "regrets the moments when disagreements became too heated, but passion for the issues he advocates for should not be confused with physical intimidation or bullying."

BASH: Jasmine?

JASMINE WRIGHT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NOTUS: I would say -- though not to downplay the situation, obviously I was in the room, that was fantastic reporting -- that if you are a part of the larger democratic apparatus, after what you saw with Graham Platner, seeing this in the headlines is probably, you know, obviously annoying, but it's not an end-all be-all after the last two weeks that they had.

I think Democrats are largely surprised at how quickly Troy Jackson was able to coalesce the support. I think they thought it would take longer. And obviously Democrats were worried of this idea that they saw in 2024, which is that people felt that Kamala Harris received a coronation from the Democratic Party to become the nominee, despite the fact that she worked through a lot of things to consolidate that support. And so now you're seeing them on a more stable footing going towards the general election.

BASH: Let's quickly listen to a part of a new campaign ad by Troy Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TROY JACKSON, DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINEE: Power does not give working people anything out of the goodness of its heart. Sometimes you have to make the people in charge so uncomfortable that they can't ignore you anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Andrew?

ANDREW DESIDERIO, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Look, I think it was notable that, you know, the Jackson campaign tried to emphasize his passion and his intensity and his authenticity. Those are the same things that helped Graham Platner, of course, win the Democratic primary in Maine. So they're trying to sort of, I guess, harness that same sort of energy.

But I think this also just underscores how difficult it's going to be for Democrats to defeat Susan Collins. And they have very few paths to the Senate majority without winning in Maine.

BASH: All right. Great reporting. Thanks for coming on and sharing it with us.

When we come back, it's one of the most unpredictable primaries of the year, and that is saying something. It's not Maine. I'm going to talk to a Democrat in the Wisconsin governor's race. He is trying to stop a socialist from becoming the Democratic nominee.

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[12:37:37]

BASH: It has been a chaotic few days for Democrats in Wisconsin, where the governor's race has become another front in the battle between the party establishment and the far left. It is a wild race. The frontrunner may be 37-year-old Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong. Party leaders are worried she can't win in a purple state like Wisconsin.

On Friday, the current lieutenant governor's campaign imploded over bombshell campaign finance issues. That left Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes as Hong's leading rival. But rather than coalesce around him, around Mandela Barnes to stop Hong, Governor Tony Evers and others scrambled to find an alternative.

Either -- excuse me, enter Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who had dropped out of the race nine days earlier. He got back in on Saturday, and Tony Evers immediately endorsed him. This primary is just three weeks away. Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany is the likely GOP nominee.

Joining me now to talk about this race is Mandela Barnes. Boy, that is something going on there. And I'm going to ask you about the race in one second, but I do want to ask about some policy and that is tariffs. The new tariffs that the President announced on Canadian goods.

Canada is Wisconsin's top trading partner. How will this affect business in your state? Can Wisconsin do anything to counteract the potentially negative economic impacts?

MANDELA BARNES (D), WISCONSIN GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I'll tell you this. Will he, won't he tariff strategy is completely destabilizing entire economies across the state. Our small business owners, our family farmers have felt the devastating impact of his tariffs. And a lot of that damage that has already been done has led people to the brink of closure, if they have not closed already.

We deserve more than hazard foreign economic policy. The President has shown a complete inability to lead. And we're going to do everything we can to make sure that our small business owners and our family farmers can fight another day despite the fact that Trump is doing everything he possibly can to make life harder for people.

BASH: But how do you do that? If you were governor, how would you do that?

BARNES: Yes, so we got to look at immediate resources, emergency resources for family farmers, especially as this all still plays out in course, the legal process still has a chance to run its course.

[12:40:04]

We've seen the reversal of these tariffs. We've seen the Trump administration lose time and time again because of its poor decision making. But I do think we should explore efforts to create whether it's bridge payments or loans with zero interest to help our family farmers, to help our small businesses continue to be able to provide the resources to communities that they haven't provided for so long.

If they are out of the mix, this leaves many communities with nothing, no source of economic activity, no source of food. Like, it's just a really cataclysmic mix.

BASH: So let's turn to your race for governor to win the Democratic primary. I'm just going to recap the sort of long and winding and twisting road that is still twisting. Last week, the Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez dropped out of the race, leaving you and Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong as the leading candidates.

Rather than endorse you, the governor, Tony Evers, who is term limited, backed a new candidate who reentered the race, David Crowley. Why not you?

BARNES: Well, I can tell you I got in this race because life is too hard for too many people. Families continue to struggle with high costs. People are finding it more difficult to stay in their homes. People are finding it more difficult to put food on the table, pay for doctor bills, you name it.

And I have zero interest in maintaining the status quo. I have zero interest in upholding a broken system that continues to make life hard for people. This is what I've fought against my entire career. I've gone against the grain time and time again.

I've fought against the establishment. And like I say, I don't have the receipts to prove it. I have the bruises to prove it. And we're going to continue to power through this primary campaign. Even the former -- or excuse me, the current Lieutenant Governor, her internal polling showed me ahead. And it show the -- it showed her in third place.

We're running a strong campaign that's reaching people in every corner of Wisconsin. We are leading on the issues that matter. We're talking about a plan to make life better for people, not just holding Donald Trump accountable, but showing up to do the hard work to make sure that our schools have the resource they need.

BASH: Why does the sitting Democratic governor --

BARNES: Thumbs up (ph).

BASH: -- not agree with that? What do you think the reason is?

BARNES: Well, again, this campaign has been about a complete rejection of the status quo. Our people all across this state deserve so much more. This isn't about continuing a legacy. This is about ushering in a new era of opportunity. I got a lot of respect for the governor, but I still think there's so much more that we can do as a state to bring about opportunity to every single county.

BASH: Let me put a finer point on it. And I just want to go back to 2022. You ran for Senate against Republican Ron Johnson, one of President Trump's biggest allies in Congress. And you lost that race pretty narrowly. But a lot of Democrats thought that it was winnable.

Do you think the reason why Tony Evers and others are not supporting you is because they don't think you can win against the Republican and keep the governor's seat in Democratic hands?

BARNES: Well, I can tell you, I'm the only person who's ever competed in one statewide. I was right alongside Governor Evers helping to kick Scott Walker out of office in 2018. Now, my Senate race in '22 was the closest Senate race in the state in over 100 years. It was the closest challenge to any incumbent. And I learned a lot from that race. But I can tell you, I was left out to dry by Chuck Schumer and D.C. establishment politicians. And the people who knew that I could win for sure were Republican billionaires. And that's why they spent so much money against me.

$50 million was spent against me. I was spent by $26 million. If we were not left out to dry by Chuck Schumer and establishment D.C. Democrats, we'd be having a much different conversation right now at this moment. But again, I am the only battle-tested candidate in this campaign, in this primary.

I've proven time and time again. I've shown up. I've done the hard work. I've taken on the tough fights. And nobody else can make that case that I've made. And I'm really excited and encouraged by the groundswell of support that we have seen ever since this announcement was made.

I'm really encouraged by the people who have stepped up almost immediately out of sheer frustration. And these are moderate Democrats. These are the most progressive Democrats. There have even been some conservative Republicans who have reached out out of a deep frustration because of what we are experiencing from typical insider politics. When we play insider politics, the only people that win are corporations and special interests (ph).

BASH: Let me just ask you one final question. Do you think if Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong becomes the nominee, could she win in November?

BARNES: Well, that's up to her to answer. And I can tell you that our fight is about uniting this party. It's about bringing people together from all stripes. But there is a reason why Republicans are lining up, spending $3 million to choose their candidate. She happens to be the hand-picked candidate for Republicans.

[12:45:02]

Now, while we have an establishment hand-picked candidate and a Republican hand-picked candidate, I'm the person who is committed to bringing this together, to fight for more, to deliver the real change that people deserve in every single corner, every zip code, the change that people have been denied for far too long. We're going to take on those tough fights regardless if it's Republicans or people in our own party that want to hold us back from progress.

BASH: Mandela Barnes, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate it.

BARNES: Thank you so much for having me.

BASH: And we invited David Crowley on the program. Hope to have him soon. We had an interview scheduled last week with Francesca Hong, but she canceled less than an hour before airtime. We hope to have her on before the primary as well.

Florida was the retirement dream. Now, soaring costs are pushing seniors on limited incomes off a cliff. More of Phil Mattingly's series Priced Out in America is next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who have worked their whole lives, end up in the hospital with something catastrophic and the only that they can get Medicaid is to sell their house. So they have no house. They have no asset. And they still have an illness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[12:50:35]

BASH: Florida has long been a top retirement destination, thanks to its climate, tax benefits, and massive senior communities. That also makes Florida a magnifying glass on the impact of rising costs on Americans with the least cushion to absorb the blow.

One example, health care. As Obamacare subsidies expire, premiums are expected to double for nearly five million people in Florida. Some are being left to choose, my house or my health. Here's a clip from this episode of Phil Mattingly's Priced Out of America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Volunteers at this clinic provide care to seniors who would otherwise have nowhere else to turn. Seniors like Elen Trosino, a nurse who walked in still in her scrubs.

MATTINGLY: How long have you been living in your car?

ELEN TROSINO, TAMPA-BASED SENIOR CITIZEN: Like a week now.

MATTINGLY: What's the prospects for finding a new home?

TROSINO: Finding a home or getting a room is easy. But what about down payment, the security deposit? Where will I get them? It's kind of hard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there's a worse state than Florida when it comes to access to care.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Roughly 1 million Florida seniors depend on state-funded insurance, and that lifeline is fraying. Florida turned down federal dollars to expand coverage to residents just above the poverty line. Scott Darius (ph) has fought to close that gap.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What people assume about Medicaid is that it's there for all low-income people, right? But in Florida, if I'm a single parent with two kids, the most I can make in a year and still qualify for Medicaid is $8,000 for the year. But what we've seen in expansion states is that once you do that, the cost of private insurance actually goes down for everyone else. MATTINGLY (voice-over): And cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could strip coverage from more than 1 million additional Floridians by 2034. Medical expenses, rent, these are just some of the costs bearing down hardest on those with the least cushion left.

PHEBIE WHITE, TAMPA-BASED SENIOR CITIZEN: This is our favorite table over here.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Every week, Phebie White and her friends claim the same table at Feeding Tampa Bay's free senior lunch, a resource they never imagined having to rely on for the first time in retirement.

MATTINGLY: Without this, what would your week-to-week be like?

WHITE: A struggle.

MATTINGLY: Yes. Same for everyone?

WHITE: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

WHITE: This means a lot.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Phoebe is a mother of three who never stopped working. A social worker, a delivery driver. She paid her taxes. She saved. She came home to Tampa expecting to exhale. It hasn't worked out that way.

WHITE: I've got to keep checking to see what's in that account, what's in -- what's not in the other account. You've got to rob Peter to pay Paul. Yes.

MATTINGLY: But in this case, you're Peter and Paul.

WHITE: Yes.

MATTINGLY: It's just Peter and Paul are your own accounts.

WHITE: Yes, yes.

MATTINGLY: But presumably, the backstop to that was the idea of Social Security and Medicare benefits are part of the deal, right?

WHITE: Part of the deal.

MATTINGLY: Like, that's you worked hard for this many years. The way this country works --

WHITE: Yes.

MATTINGLY: -- is you should be able to retire on that.

WHITE: Yes. And one thing about it, your bills are going to go up.

MATTINGLY: Right.

WHITE: But your Social Security is not going to go up. I just keep it moving. And somehow with prayer, I made it. I'm not on the streets. I'm not homeless. I'm OK. And I do need to -- my car. I do need my car, just in case --

MATTINGLY: Yes.

WHITE: -- I need to sleep in it. And I pray that that never happens.

MATTINGLY: You're actually thinking through, like, I have to keep my car insurance up because I may have to live in my car.

WHITE: Absolutely. Absolutely.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): For so many like Phoebe, the promise at the heart of retirement, rest after a lifetime of work, has curdled into a daily balancing act.

WHITE: We thought we did all the right things. I guess if we had known better, we would have done better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And Phil is back with us for the second time that you have a person who you talk to who blames themselves that they didn't do the right thing. But it's very clear you are illustrating that the system isn't working.

MATTINGLY: Yes. It's the kind of the foundational cracks in what everybody kind of understood growing up, working hard, doing the right thing, paying your taxes, saving. Phebie White, who we were interviewing there, saved money for retirement and blew through it in less than a year.

[12:55:11]

And I think the reality right now, when you look at what people are dealing with, so much of this series has been trying to get at the idea that this isn't just an inventory of people's costs and expenses. This is about the structural issues, in this case, health care for retirees, that are compounding to push people right up to the brink.

And then you have the flat tire, then you have the surprise medical bill. Then you have a grocery item that you really need that really does start to go up in price. And all of a sudden, you have a significant issue. You're not just at the brink. You're over it.

And that's why, when you sit there and listen to Phebie talk about how, I keep my car insurance paid as a backstop, that was unsolicited. We were literally just going through line items of how she pays her bills, how she decides what she's going to pay if she asks for forbearance. The one she always pays is her car insurance, because she wants to make sure that she has a home if she can't afford her rent anymore, which has also gone up by $400 or $500 in the last several years. BASH: Phil, this series is remarkable. Thank you for doing it. Thank you for bringing it to us.

Please check out the whole series, Priced Out in America exclusively on CNN All Access.

Thank you so much for joining Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

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