Return to Transcripts main page

Inside Politics

Trump Attacks On Bombardier Jets Could Hurt GOP In Kansas; New Trade War With Canada Hits 2026 Battleground States; Gas Prices Remain Above $4 In Final Stretch To Midterms; Democrats Worry About Keeping New Hampshire Senate Seat; Democrats Look To Win In Deep Red Territory; Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch Steps Down. Aired 12- 12:30p ET

Aired September 08, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: The president versus the economy, his hot war with Iran and trade war with Canada are threatening the vulnerable Republicans Trump needs to keep control of Congress.

I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines at Inside Politics.

There are 56 days until the election, and we are tracking the races, candidates, and stories that could shift the balance of power here in Washington and across the country. Here's what's on our midterm radar. Today is the New Hampshire primary. No, not that one. There are competitive contests in both sides, on both parties to replace retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

For Democrats, it's Congressman Chris Pappas versus Democratic socialist Karishma Manzur, the final race of the year between the establishment on the Democratic side and the far-left. For Republicans, former Senator John Sununu is facing off with former Senator Scott Brown. Sununu has President Trump's backing. Kansas is generally as ruby red as Dorothy's slippers, but Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall has a legit challenge one that President Trump's latest fight with Canada isn't helping.

Here's the president threatening Canada's largest aircraft manufacturer. No more selling Bombardier in the United States. Their products aren't good enough. Well, that doesn't play well in Wichita, where Bombardier has its U.S. headquarters and employs over 1,200 people. Moments ago, Marshall posted this on X. I'm going to fight to keep Bombardier's over 1,200 Kansas jobs. I've already taken that concern inside the Oval Office.

In neighboring Nebraska, on the other hand, a new report about independent candidate Dan Osborn, who the Democratic Party is tacitly supporting, is less than ideal for his race in that red state. POLITICO reports, Osborn called President Trump's border wall, quote, a symbol of racism in a private meeting in July. That's a u-turn from ads he ran during his 2024 campaign when he embraced the wall, even joking that he could help build it. Here's how he explained it to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN OSBORN, NEBRASKA SENATE CANDIDATE (voiceover): Campaigning is not being a U.S. Senate. So, it is about trying to win votes in a Republican seat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Osborn says, quote, I give President Trump full credit for securing the border. Some people don't like that, but because I'm an independent, I don't have to blindly support the purity tests of either party. House Republicans are stepping in to help embattled Ohio Congressman Max Miller with a $450,000 joint ad buy attacking his opponent, ironworker Brian Poindexter.

(PLAYING VIDEO)

BASH: Miller is facing allegations of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. Miller denies her claims, but his decision to stay in the race has put a seat President Trump carried by 11 percentage points in play. Let's dive deeper now on the politics of President Trump's trade war.

Today, Canada's retaliatory tariffs are now in effect, targeting hundreds of industries, including American steel and aluminum. Canada is a major trading partner for pretty much all of the key battleground states, think Michigan, Maine, Ohio, tariffs hitting there right as voters are starting to tune in to the midterms.

I'm joined by a terrific group of reporters today. Hello, one and all. Tamara Keith, I'm going to start with you. You are no longer covering the Trump White House, but you did for a long time. You as, really all of us, understand that there are -- there are just a couple of things that back from when the president was a Democrat, thought about being an independent to a Republican, that he is just absolutely dogmatic to him and tariffs is one of them, which is why it's certainly not surprising that he keeps pushing on this for that reason, but for the reason of politics and the midterms and those states that we pointed out, it's not helping.

[12:05:00]

TAMARA KEITH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NPR: No. Tariffs, as you say, are a core belief for President Trump. He believes that they are a good thing. He believes they help with negotiating and everything else. If nothing else, though, he's now giving Republicans in all of these swing states something where they can show some separation between themselves and their president because they disagree with him and they have made no secret about that.

Republicans in those states are, you know, Susan Collins in Maine, for instance, very clear that a trade war with Canada is not a good idea at this time, a big issue in Michigan, all of these states. But President Trump, he does what he wants to do when he wants to do it, and you know, as he said, as relates to the Iran war, you know, I'm not worried about the midterms, though every other action indicates he is in fact worried about the midterms.

BASH: So, I mentioned at the top of the show that Roger Marshall, who has a more of a competitive race than anybody probably would have imagined, considering the fact that he's a Republican in Kansas, just put out a statement saying, I'm on it. His Democratic opponent was pretty tough in his statement and he did so yesterday. The decision to ban Bombardier from selling in the U.S. is a direct attack on Kansas workers and Kansas jobs. Yet Roger Marshall is notably silent. OK, he's not anymore. But then Hamilton went on to say, we cannot allow this chaotic economic policy to continue to hurt Kansans. They deserve so much better.

PATRICK SVITEK, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, I thought the key part of what I saw in the Roger Marshall statement was him saying, I've already expressed these concerns to the White House, which is really, from a political strategy perspective, the best these Republican candidates can do, which is at least try to emphasize that they have an open line of communication with the administration. So, when things do go sideways for their state, at least in their view, they can highlight the fact they have a productive working relationship with the president, and they can then make the case that my Democrat -- that all goes away if we elect a Democrat.

We'll see if that kind of strategy resonates with voters. But in these moments where the president is doing something that is such a political liability for Republican incumbent, that's one of the best I think strategies they have within reach is to say they're at least in touch with the administration. They have an open line of communication.

BASH: Yeah. And other Republicans in Kansas did similar. Jerry Moran on Monday, I reached out to the Trump administration to make certain the president is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers. Ron Estes, Congressman from Kansas, Bombardier's impact locally plays a critical role in our region's dominance. I have long advocated for aircraft and aviation parts to be exempted from all tariffs.

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION: Yeah. So, the problem for these Republicans is, you know, yes, they can use these private channels to try to influence, and even if they dare create some separation, like Senator Marshall has to some effect with his statement saying, you know, he will fight for Bombardier.

At the end of the day, they still have to deal with the fallout. They have to deal with the fact that the president that they support is now threatening thousands of jobs. They have to deal with the fallout from farmers and businesses who are dealing with the effects of the tariffs. They have to deal with the fallout from voters who are saying Trump keeps doing things that affect the economy and affects the bottom line and affects the price of goods. They are dealing with the effects of what Trump says and does, and they don't have a lot of power to control what he says and does. BASH: And so that's tariffs. The other thing that big issue that it doesn't matter where you live that Republicans on the ballot are dealing with are high gas prices. And I just want to review some of the promises that the president has made on Truth Social just over the course of the years since this war in Iran started, March 8.

Short-term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay. In July, gas prices will soon be back to record low prices, and then just yesterday, oil prices will drop precipitously, like everything else is dropping, but more when we win the war with Iran. Meanwhile, that's up against the reality that people are seeing when they -- and paying when they go to the pump. Today, the average gas price is $4.50 a gallon. A month ago, it was $4, and then of course before the war, he had helped. I mean, it came down certainly from the Biden years to a pretty good price, $2.98 a gallon.

KEITH: Yeah. I mean, I think the key phrase there in that last social post was when we win the war with Iran, which has been a little bit of Lucy in the football. It just keeps slipping away, keeps getting pulled out. You know, I talked to swing voters, people who voted for President Trump sometime in the last two years. Some of them, sometime in the last two years and they were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at the beginning of the war. But it has now been more than six months, and the message is the same as it was before.

[12:10:00]

One of the voters I've been talking to said, you know, maybe the president just shouldn't have promised to bring down prices if this is the way things are going to be. He shops at dollar stores and he's like, you know, for Biden made it a buck 25 store, but Trump has it up at a buck 50, a buck 75.

BASH: And Patrick, this is all related to this great story that you have this morning talking about Democrats entering -- trying to get into red territory, and we're going to talk a little bit more about that in the next block. But there's a quote in here that is very relevant to the discussion that we're having. It's from Tom Barrett of Michigan. President Trump is not on the ballot, he said in an interview. I'm on the ballot, and my opponent is on the ballot, and that's the choice people are going to be faced with.

I mean, that's actually true. President Trump is not on the ballot, but we are one day away from the president going to Texas to this convention that they're having for the midterms, where he is going to say, I'm on the ballot.

SVITEK: Of course, and he's already said on the campaign trail, I believe, starting in South Carolina when he was there for that Senate special election. You know, he told voters, pretend I'm on the ballot. That was in reference to that election, but it's clear that that is the message that he is going to take probably to this convention. And you know, Republicans are caught in a tough spot here because they want to turn out those Trump voters from past presidential elections, including in 2024. And who is the best person to turn them out? President Trump. That's at least what they believe.

So, they believe there is a benefit to putting him a little more front and center, so they can get those presidential voters to turn out, those low propensity voters that he has kind of a special connection with, if you want to put it that way. But of course, that puts President Trump more front and center, and all his political vulnerabilities for the broader electorate more front and center. So, they're in a really tough political situation here.

BASH: All right, everybody, stand by. Up next, today is the last big Senate primary in a state Republicans think they might be able to flip in November. We're looking at the New Hampshire Senate race. And can't we all just get along? Utah Governor Spencer Cox offers a road map to an off-ramp of political contempt, and he'll be here live to talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Right now, New Hampshire voters are heading to the polls to pick their Senate nominees. Democrats will nominate a candidate they hope can hang on to the seat currently held by retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Their choices, Congressman Chris Pappas and a challenger from the left, scientist Karishma Manzur.

And on the GOP side, Republicans will pick between former New Hampshire Senator John Sununu and former Massachusetts Senator, now running in New Hampshire, again Senator Scott Brown. Now Sununu is the primary favorite, and Democrats worry that his long history in New Hampshire politics, not to mention that of his family, could flip the seat. A Democratic loss in New Hampshire would be a big setback in the party's attempt to take back control of the Senate.

Tia, this is really fascinating because we're already thinking certainly about the general election. It's kind of late to have a primary, but yet -- but yet, that's where we are, but before we get there, we do have to see what ends up happening, particularly on the Democratic side. As I mentioned, that matchup is kind of an example of the classic matchup we've seen throughout the primary season in the Democratic primary. Most of the polls show Pappas with a pretty sort of healthy lead, but some have also showed --

MITCHELL: It's narrowing.

BASH: Yeah, it's narrowing. So, we'll see what happens.

MITCHELL: Yeah. I find it interesting, and I think, you know, yes, we're looking at these national trends with the rise of democratic socialists. We're looking at these national trends with a lot of voters, particularly on the Democratic side, but in both parties wanting generational change, fresh blood, someone that they think is a fighter and is going to stand up to the establishment. And so, both of these dynamics are at play in this Democratic primary. But I also feel like we should just remember New Hampshire is such a small state. You know, it's not like a big state like Texas or even Georgia where a lot of voters are having to go off of what they've heard about candidates, not necessarily what they know about candidates. It's much more intimate in a smaller state. You get to really attend these events and get to know the candidates in a way that maybe foreign to people who don't live in such a small state. And so, I think that means the individuals are going to matter even more. It's going to really come down to how voters decide who they want specifically between these two individuals.

BASH: So that's the dynamic in New Hampshire, where even Democrats are saying that this could be a sleeper not in our favor. But the sort of big picture theme right now, and which you explore, as I mentioned in this great piece that you have today about Democrats entering the midterms looking to conquer red territory.

Let's just get a little bit specific. This is from the Cook Political lab report, but it helps illustrate the thesis of your story, Patrick. First of all, let's start with North Carolina. Right now, that leans Democrat. That is currently held by a retiring Republican. And then you have the -- all those yellow toss-up seats, Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and then you have Kansas that we were talking about is likely are, but not solid are. But just even those yellow states that you're looking at, red seats.

[12:20:00]

SVITEK: Yeah. I mean, going into this cycle, of course, you know, we knew that probably Maine and Ohio would be -- would ultimately be ranked as toss-up races. But to be at this moment in the election and for us to be talking about, you know, Texas is not only a competitive race, but a toss-up race is really a remarkable indicator of where the political environment is and how favorable it may be to Democrats.

And so, -- but just to be clear, to win the Senate majority, Democrats do need to compete in those states. That was always -- that was always going to be part of the path to the Senate majority. I mean, they could not rely on just traditional battleground states. They would have to --

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: -- and toss up.

SVITEK: Right, exactly. But they would, you know, if you look at that path through the four seats that they need to pick up to get the majority, they were always going to need to show some signs of real competition in Alaska or in Texas.

BASH: Yeah. And it wasn't that long ago that the notion of a Democrat representing one of these red seats in the U.S. Senate was that far- fetched. Certainly, when I -- even before I started covering politics, and since, I mean, if you think about it, just since 2013, there has been a Democrat representing Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, and don't forget that two Democrats represented West Virginia and Montana not that long ago, just you know a little more than a decade ago.

KEITH: That is true. It's also true that the Trump era sort of swept in a lot of change in politics, and red states got redder and blue states got bluer, and there was a lot of sorting and all of these things. But certainly, Democrats, if they are going to continue to be a relevant national party, they are going to have to win in places where they haven't won in the last 10 years or so.

They're going to have to go into these red areas and compete and that's why you are seeing different sorts of candidates. You have two different pastors or people with pastoral training who are running in Senate seats. You have --

BASH: One of them is the Kansas seat.

KEITH: Yes, exactly, and obviously Texas with Talarico. So, you have Democrats fielding different sorts of candidates and delivering a different sort of a message in some of these reddit states.

SVITEK: Yeah. In these red states, it's very important or red leaning states for the Democratic candidate to distinguish themselves, or as we've talked about, some of them are just running -- some candidates are just running as independents aligned with Democrats. And that's because if you look at the polling in these states, yes, Trump may be unpopular, his policies may be unpopular.

But when you ask people, what is their perception of the Democratic brand versus the Republican brand they tend to give poor remarks to the Democratic brand over the Republican brand. And so, that's the kind of data that still gives Republicans a little hope here that they have people slightly less dislike their brand compared to the Democrats.

BASH: All right, coming up next. Breaking news, the head of the Smithsonian is retiring after months of pressure from the Trump administration to change how the nation's museums approach American history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Breaking news, Lonnie Bunch, the head of the Smithsonian is stepping down. CNN's Rene Marsh joins me now live. Rene, what do we know about Bunch's decision?

RENE MARSH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the Smithsonian they just put out a press release announcing his retirement. Lonnie Bunch, as you know, the head of the Smithsonian has the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian has really been at the President Trump's crosshairs of this political pressure on this institution, and he's really done this delicate dance of trying to maintain the independence of the Smithsonian, as well as kind of navigate the politics that is Donald Trump here in Washington D.C. But this is the headline that he is going to be retiring. When I first heard the news, I was taken by surprise because I had the opportunity to speak with him one on one back in May as he was unveiling the America 250 exhibit at the Smithsonian Castle. It was an exhibit that he curated himself and he spoke with so much passion. And you can just tell he is this student of history. He loves his job. He loved that position, and he loved the Smithsonian.

So, when you see so much passion, to know that he was going to be walking away from it all, it took me by surprise. But I just got off the phone with a very close friend of his, John Feighery, who was a -- on the Smithsonian Board of Regents up until recently. As of March, he has recently departed, and he said that Lonnie Bunch has been speaking about his retirement for some time for the last couple of years.

This is not due to any political pressure that Lonnie Bunch's family and wants to spend more time with family. But we all know that the Smithsonian and Bunch has been at the center of President Trump's pressure, as it relates to President Trump's idea that the Smithsonian and exhibits, as he says, are too woke, and Lonnie Bunch has really tried extremely hard to keep this institution independent.

And really, when you look at the larger picture, you know, President Trump has put forward this White House report, examining all of the Smithsonian's exhibits. Much of the Smithsonian has really remained intact.

[12:30:00]