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Inside Politics

Trump on Key Outside Campaign Advisers, They Do Not Work for Me.; Israel Marks Three Years Since October 7 Attack With Memorials; Netanyahu Faces Voters for First Time Since October 7; Trump to Make Third Texas Campaign Stop in a Month. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired October 07, 2026 - 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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[12:32:04]

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR OF 'INSIDE POLITICS': OK. This is one of those moments that even in today's world you're going to have to just sit down and watch, because in the last few minutes, President Trump posted a pretty wild Truth Social post, saying he's open to firing two of his closest political advisers, James Blair and Chris LaCivita.

Now, this comes after The New York Times just reported in the last 12 hours or so that Blair and LaCivita were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through a D.C. law firm to help a pro-Russian government party in a small, self-governing territory inside Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now, here's what the president wrote on Truth Social.

"Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants. They do not work for me, other than as outside consultants. They most likely have numerous clients, but for that, you would have to ask them. They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C. I do not have any idea who else they work for, but will, on reflection, ask them. And if there's a conflict, I will terminate them immediately."

Now, James Blair has been a guest on this show. He is the president's former deputy chief of staff. And Chris LaCivita was, of course, Donald Trump's 2024 campaign manager.

Alayna Treene joins me now. Alayna, Blair is literally running MAGA, Inc. right now. But if you take a step back and talk about why the president decided to give this story more life. I know that there are probably lots of reasons, and this just happened, but what are you hearing from your sources inside MAGA World?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, this is astonishing because, and I think for our viewers, you know, Chris LaCivita and James Blair, these are huge names in Republican politics, particularly in an era that has been ruled by Donald Trump. And they are still, the president highlights here, he tries to point out that they are outside consultants to him. They do work for the president, and they are very close. They are very much considered part of his inner circle. Very close with Susie Wiles, of course. LaCivita and Wiles both were co-campaign managers. Blair, very close with them. And James Blair really is in charge of the president's entire political operation, even though it's being run on the outside of the White House. So keep that all in mind.

And that's why, one, this New York Times story, when I read it this morning, about this trip that they took and getting paid, as you mentioned, hundreds of thousands of dollars on behalf of a pro-Russian government, to help a pro-Russian government, I should say, was astonishing. But then the president, to amplify it even more.

BASH: Yes, exactly.

TREENE: And I think for your question about why is the president doing this? One, I think it's clear, he's someone who never really likes these kinds of things, people making money potentially using his name to do so. I think that's what was happening here when you read through this New York Times reporting. So that's one part of this.

But also, I think the fact that he is pointing out that he would perhaps terminate them if he believes that any of their outside work separate of him poses a conflict of interest.

[12:35:00]

That is a huge deal for people who have been loyal to him from the beginning and comes, of course, this comes less than 30 days away from the midterm elections. A lot of alarm bells, of course, going off across the country for Republicans in some of these very vulnerable districts and these tight races. And so I think that plays into this as well.

Now, look, this was just moments ago that the president posted this. I have a lot more reporting. I need to be, show some humility here --

BASH: Yeah.

TREENE: -- that I have a lot more reporting to do, Dana. But when you just know how close these men are to the president, how much work they have done and how much they are still doing to get Republicans across the country elected, I mean, it goes beyond the president himself. Just pretty remarkable words from the president here, Dana.

BASH: Yeah, absolutely. Alayna, thank you so much for that.

And real quick, Jasmine, you cover the president and his political team. I think the word amplifying that she just used is really key. The other is, and we were talking about this in the break as we were sort of taking in this post, that the president really doesn't like when people who are working for him are also making money elsewhere.

And it's not as if there aren't conflicts of interest everywhere on so many different levels. It's deep and it's wide. OK. But this one struck a nerve. JASMINE WRIGHT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE WASHINGTON SUN: Yeah, these are kind of like the two areas that could probably offend the president the most. I was talking to a GOP operative last night in MAGA World, who was really incensed about the story itself.

One, because the question of are these people who are supposed to be putting Republicans back in office, are they actually working to do so? And then, too, obviously, there's been a huge conversation on the MAGA right about advisers working for foreign governments. And should those advisers be doing so if they are MAGA first?

So last night, this person was upset. Today, I get a text saying, phew, with seven W's, just showing just how serious and how notable this message is, again, just to amplify, exactly what Alayna said. These are two people who are constantly on Air Force One when the president is going across the country traveling for the midterm elections, constantly going around giving the president what he should be saying, saying that he has the best political acumen of the party.

And so this is a huge, huge thing that the president decided to do.

BASH: Yeah.

WRIGHT: And I think it's probably that he's been hearing a lot from people complaining also about it.

BASH: All right, everybody, stand by. Up next, President Trump is going to head to Texas for a third time, campaigning in a district he won by more than 10 percentage points only two years ago. We'll tell you why he's going, after a break.

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[12:42:00]

BASH: Today marks three years since the October 7th terror attacks, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

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BASH: Across Israel, there was a moment of silence for the 1,200 innocent people murdered by Hamas terrorists. There were also memorials by the site of the Nova Music Festival where countless young people who came to dance were raped and brutally assaulted.

Hamas took 251 hostages to Gaza that day where they were tortured and starved and the depravity continued. For the first time since October 7th, Israel honors the solemn anniversary with every hostage home. I want to bring in Avi Mayer, who is the Founder of the Jerusalem Journal and former Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post.

Thank you so much for being here, Avi. The fact that this is a painful day, but it is the first time, as I mentioned, that all of the hostages are home, dead or alive. What is that like in Israel now? AVI MAYER, FOUNDER, JERUSALEM JOURNAL: Well, Dana, it's an extremely solemn day here. I think the closest analogy that I can imagine would be the years after the September 11th attacks, how we commemorated them, feeling that it was so raw. This is something, of course, that has affected every Israeli. You mentioned that there were national ceremonies and events taking place across the country, but it's also something that Israelis feel very viscerally.

Just to share a brief anecdote, I was at my Jerusalem barber shop earlier today getting a haircut, and I was chatting with my barber, as one does, and somehow October 7th came up, I think somewhat obviously, and this is someone who I have seen dozens of times since October 7th, and he mentioned, just parenthetically, that his daughter was at the Nova Festival, that music festival that was attacked by Hamas in which more than 300 people were killed.

And I sort of paused for a second, I said, wait, wait, what? And he said, yeah, no, she was there. She wasn't feeling well, so she left a bit. She and her friend were saved because she had a stomachache. But every Israeli has a story like that, a story of rescue, but unfortunately, many stories of loss and sadness as well.

BASH: Yeah, I mean, you're exactly right. That does seem as though it would feel like 9/11. The difference is Israel is such a small country that people either know somebody or know somebody or know somebody. I mean, there's almost no degree of separation.

Speaking of, Roubi Khen, his son Itay, he was killed by Hamas on October 7th, but his body wasn't returned for 760 days. Roubi, in a piece for USA Today, says his family could finally mark October 7th at Itay's grave. And here's what he wrote in part.

"I hope that one day we can tell him his country remembered, demanded answers, made his killers' patrons pay, and that his sacrifice will not be in vain but helped build a Middle East where no parent waits more than two years to bury a child."

[12:45:00]

There's so much in there, but what does the sentiment, the pain, but also his hope say about the current dynamic inside Israel right now?

MAYER: I think there are many Israelis who feel that there's this great sense of conviction that the loss of October 7th, the hundreds of soldiers who have been killed since, that that should not be in vain and that we should do whatever we can to forge a country that reflects our highest values and we will have the opportunity to do exactly that in just a few weeks time when Israel heads to the polls.

BASH: Well, OK, so let me ask you about that. Three weeks away from the first election since October the 7th three years ago and inevitably will be a referendum on that day and on the leadership at that time, which is still for the most part the same leadership now.

It will be a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu, I assume. Is there any other way to look at it? MAYER: That is pretty much the framework for not only this election, but really all recent elections here in Israel. More than 60 percent of Israelis say that the events of October 7th will be top of mind as they go to the polls, as they pull the lever or put the little note into the ballot box and, of course, the questions of responsibility of accountability of how the horrors of October 7th could possibly have happened are going to be very much on the minds of many Israelis as they make that decision.

BASH: Yeah, because there hasn't been a report, there hasn't been -- I mean, there have been some variations of reports, but you mentioned the word accountability, we haven't seen that. The prime minister has kicked the can down the road saying, for a long time, well, the country is still at war.

MAYER: Well, one of the debates that have sort of been racking Israeli society in recent months has been the question of whether or not there should be a state commission of inquiry. The current coalition is insisting that it be a government appointed commission and of course, many in the opposition say that that would be a toothless and rather ineffective way of investigating what actually took place.

And so that is one of the questions I think many Israelis will be thinking about as they head to the polls. And in fact, the leaders of the opposition have said very openly that on day one in office, they will establish exactly that commission to get to the bottom of what happened October 7th and ensure it can never happen again.

BASH: Yeah, and I hope you do come back as we get closer to the election because it is very --

(LAUGH)

BASH: -- very complicated given the fact that it is parliamentary and you know, the leading party doesn't necessarily have to win the most votes. It's all about coalitions and so forth. So as we get closer, you'll come back and help explain it.

Thank you so much for being here, Avi. Appreciate it. We'll be right back.

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[12:52:15]

BASH: In most election years, a lone campaign visit from a Republican president to the Lone Star State would be notable. In a year where Texas Republicans redrew the map to favor Republicans, a third visit shows a Texas-sized GOP worry.

In just a few hours, the president will head to San Antonio, where he will talk to people there who are voting. And it's a district where he won by 10 percentage points only two years ago. And it now is apparently very much in play. President Trump will campaign alongside Air Force veteran, Carlos de la Cruz, who's in a tight race with Democratic Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy, Johnny Garcia. This is for Texas's 35th district.

I don't even know where to start with this. Jasmine, I'm going to start with you.

(LAUGH)

BASH: Never mind the fact that Paxton is going to be there, of course. Greg Abbott has other plans.

WRIGHT: Yeah.

BASH: That all speaks to kind of what's brewing or not brewing for Republicans right now in Texas.

WRIGHT: Right, every Republican across the map that isn't, you know, winning their state by, you know, a lot, has to decide whether or not the president is a net positive and a net negative. And then they're going to be asked by journalists about whether or not they're going to appear with Trump as a positive or a negative. I think you've seen Greg Abbott make that decision.

Listen, I think it reinforces this idea that Republicans are concerned about Texas, right? You see them dumping a ton of money in Texas. The president said at that Dallas Midterm Convention that he's going to be in Texas maybe two or three times. He's gone to Texas two or three times in the last two weeks.

We still have about three more weeks in this election. Who knows how many more times he's going to go? And so I think you're trying to see the president really drag along Paxton across that finish line and whoever else is lingering on the sides.

BASH: Yeah.

WRIGHT: But not everybody in Texas is going to be benefited by the president. And I think that Republicans are starting to see that.

BASH: I want to show you and everybody, Ron, the Texas Tribune.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah.

BASH: They have a map where they have the most competitive races and they rank it as --

BROWNSTEIN: (Inaudible).

BASH: Exactly -- as warm and hot.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.

BASH: OK? So warm and you see two of the races, Texas 9 and 23. Hot, meaning super competitive, four of them. Again, I just want to remind people, this is the state that started the mid-decade redistricting in order to try to avoid all of that from happening, making it a shoo-in for Republicans.

BROWNSTEIN: So many things. The redistricting in Texas was based on the assumption that the '24 Trump performance among Latinos --

BASH: Yeah.

BROWNSTEIN: -- was a new baseline. And it's not. It's reverting back to something like, you know, Latinos in Texas still vote more Republican than elsewhere, but it's going to be something like 60/40.

[12:55:00]

Talarico is polling a little bit above 60, and so all of those districts are at risk. Gas and groceries did what January 6th could not. It's fractured the Republican coalition. And you know, what you're seeing in Texas -- the reason why a state like Texas is in play and Kansas is in play, Ohio, Iowa, is that not only is Trump losing ground among the groups that moved toward him in '24, Latinos, young men, et cetera, but the rot is spreading into blue collar and rural communities.

That Quinnipiac poll that just came out in Pennsylvania, Republicans are up plus 16 among non-college whites. I tell you, that sounds great. It was, you know, it was over 20 in 2018.

BASH: Yeah.

BROWNSTEIN: That is what broadens the map. And many of those people may not in the end vote for Democrats, but many of them just simply may not vote. And that's going to make it very tough for Ken Paxton to overcome this lead.

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: But there's also what's going on, I was in Texas a couple of weeks ago doing reporting and Talarico is running strong, it's true. But there are more Texas Democrats running for state House seats --

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.

DOVERE: -- than have ever been for the last 50 years. And also importantly, Gina Hinojosa, who is running for governor, is a Democrat. She is from the Rio Grande Valley. She always says, I'm not going to be the first Latino governor, I'll be the first governor from the Rio Grande Valley. But that is that area of the map that you were just showing, and it's pulling Latinos all over the state as another thing that could happen here.

For that story, I talked to Beto O'Rourke, who, of course, fell far short of where he wanted to be in 2018. And he said some of these people are going to lose, but some of them are going to win when they all push forward here, as Democrats actually seem to have kind of haphazardly pulled their act together to take advantage of what might be a perfect storm.

BASH: Thank you so much, one and all. Appreciate it. Thank you for joining "Insight Politics." "CNN News Central" starts after a quick break.

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