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Rogers Distances Himself From Trump's "Jihadist" Comments On El-Sayed; Republicans Accuse El-Sayed Of Having Ties To Muslim Terrorists; Spending On AI-Generated Ads Nears $140M, Most Of It By GOP; Trump Endorses Netanyahu Days Before Israeli Election. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired October 19, 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]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: All right, everybody standby.

Up next, you're going to hear Michigan's Republican Senate nominee, Mike Rogers, respond to President Trump's attacks on his opponent, Rogers' opponent, Abdul El-Sayed. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: When President Trump heads to Michigan this week to campaign for Republicans up and down the ballot, he'll likely talk about Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. He does it a lot, after all, even when he's not in Michigan. I spoke with Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers yesterday on State of the Union, and he distanced himself from the President calling El-Sayed a jihadist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:35:09]

MIKE ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Listen, I've never called him a terrorist. I wore the uniform of the United States of America, so people can pray any way they want. That is not the issue here. What has become the issue is his relationship and his family relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in five Muslim countries.

You know, he wants to play the victim. This is not about that. This is about the way you think, not the way you pray. This is about your ideology and how dangerous it is. I mean, he has a long history of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which, by the way, diminishes women's role in society, just as they did when they took over in Egypt in 2012 and 2013.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, El-Sayed was asked by a man named Tommy over the weekend in a clip that went viral if he condemns the Muslim Brotherhood. There was a long back-and-forth exchange, and during that, El-Sayed responded, sure, yes, absolutely. Rogers said that that wasn't a total disavowal. El-Sayed was later asked about Rogers' comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said that you had lied about your connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and that you were refusing to condemn them. Obviously, that was a message from President Trump, as well, yesterday. Do you want to clarify at all?

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm sure everybody has heard about Tommy at this point. You saw that clip?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

EL-SAYED: So clearly condemned. That's not a difficult thing to do. But I do want to talk about why they want to make this their closing argument, right? Because they want to speak to a certain implicit dual loyalty that they're trying to say.

But this has a long history in our politics, that notion that people who might pray a little bit differently have a dual loyalty. It was the same thing that they did to JFK when he ran for president, right? The notion that because he was Catholic, that somehow he had dual loyalties.

They did the same thing to President Obama simply because his father was of Muslim origin, even though President Obama is an avowed Christian. So this is nothing new. This is what they do when they have no actual message about the real issues in people's lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Shelby?

SHELBY TALCOTT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, SEMAFOR: I mean, I think that this is a really interesting way to frame the last few weeks going into an election. And on one hand, I think it's successful for Republicans because you have this candidate who is now being forced to answer about the Muslim Brotherhood instead of talking about, you know, the cost of living or gas prices or what he's going to do to sort of bring down those kitchen table issues that voters are so concerned about.

But this is really the core Republican argument as a whole when it comes to, I think, this election, not just in this state, which is to take some of these more progressive candidates and tell voters, no, they're too far to the left. And you're seeing that. I think this is a prime example of how that's trying to play out on the Republican side here.

BASH: Yes, I think that's true. It is just an interesting tactic just by way of observing this, as we've seen, you know, for years, different ways that candidates take on different attacks that on this issue for El-Sayed. There are tweets that his half-sister has out there from back in 2012 saying how proud of her mother, their mother, she was, because she was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

And El-Sayed has said he didn't have a relationship with his mother and he didn't know anything about those tweets. But the fact that he decides to condemn the Muslim Brotherhood, but then not end it there and go back to, let's talk about the price of gas, and instead say, this is my JFK moment, is a fascinating tactic. And I'm just wondering if that is going to play with the people he wants it to play with.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think he had no choice but to do that. I mean, we've gotten to this point now in politics where we've institutionalized xenophobia and racism. We pitted each other. We've allowed these influencers and politicians to pit the nation against each other. Jews versus Muslims, you know, Catholics, you know, white people versus brown people.

And I think that El-Sayed is really trying to just address it head on. I don't know if it will be effective in doing so --

BASH: Yes.

PRESTON: -- but, like, you have to address it head on to try to stop it.

BASH: There are tensions in lots of communities, real organic tensions, including in Michigan. There's a very big Muslim community, smaller Jewish community, but there's obviously a huge African- American community, which is a hugely powerful voting bloc for Democrats.

Mike Rogers opened up an office in Detroit over the weekend. He is trying very hard to build what he calls a new coalition, including black and Jewish voters. But on the black voters, listen to what he said and El-Sayed's response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGERS: If you can bring in Barack Obama, as they say, still love him. They do love Obama. They're going to show up in droves. Doesn't mean they're going to vote for Abdul El-Sayed by our own conversations.

EL-SAYED: I saw he opened a cute little office in Detroit where he brought all his friends from the suburbs to come clap him in. It was nice. Yes. As much as he thinks he's making inroads, folks are smart. They understand exactly who Mike Rogers is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:40:05]

BASH: Let's just quickly look at some of the numbers that kind of tell you why the Rogers campaign thinks that they have the ability to make inroads. This is a question on a poll about among likely voters, who are they going to vote for? Abdul El-Sayed gets 77 percent. It's big. Mike Rogers gets 22 percent.

But if you look at the results just two years ago among black voters, Elissa Slotkin got 85 percent. Mike Rogers got 12 percent. So there is a little bit of a gulf between, I mean, maybe enough if it's a tight race, between what Abdul El-Sayed is polling at and what Elissa Slotkin got. JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: And I think this is why the messaging down the pike really matters. And if else, I mean, they need to -- Democrats are talking about the economy for a reason. And the economy is, and the hardships of this economy are falling on voters of all stripes, but particularly black Americans and, you know, particularly in Michigan. So if Mike Rogers is able to keep on trying to bring the conversation in places that are not the economy, that definitely benefits him.

BASH: And then just the idea of Trump going there. I mean, he's going everywhere, but he is going to Michigan. And it's, again, that double- edged sword, getting out some of the Republicans who voted for Trump who are maybe not so happy, the low-propensity voters, but then perhaps turning off these voters that Mike Rogers is trying to get.

TALCOTT: Yes, it's a tradeoff. And that's one that the White House has been willing to make, because they believe that getting Trump out there will convince enough of that core voter base to go out and vote for somebody who is not Trump. But as we've seen with Mike Rogers in particular, he's sort of distanced himself a little bit from some of the Trump administration policies. So he's clearly eying that sort of push and pull, and I think it's going to come down to the wire.

BASH: Yes. It is not easy. That is for sure.

You've more than likely seen them, AI ads. They are actually taking over the midterms, whether it is AI-generated Jon Ossoff getting his hair and makeup done. You're looking at that. That is not real. Or Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith running away from questions, also not real. Who is using them most? We're going to have that answer and the dollars behind these when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:46:48]

BASH: If it feels to you like AI ads are exploding across the airwaves, you're not wrong. Only two years ago, just $50,000 was spent on ads using artificial intelligence. This cycle, that number is nearly $140 million. Wow. You can see it right there on the screen. It's not even close.

The latest example is an ad from GOP candidate for Pennsylvania Governor Stacy Garrity. In the ad, an AI version of Josh Shapiro gives voice to headlines about a sexual harassment allegation against a former aide and Shapiro's past support for data centers.

Now, I just want to be clear. What you are going to see is not Josh Shapiro, it's AI.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH SHAPIRO, AI-GENERATED: I'm Josh Shapiro, and I've been very busy. It started with all those sexual harassment scandals, then deleting incriminating emails. All of my accusers intimidated. Hush money paid. This ad was created with AI, thanks to big, beautiful data centers. Fact is, I was the one who fast-tracked data centers right here in PA, right after they handed me $5 million in political contributions. Coincidence?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I think it's pretty clear, but I'm going to say it again. That is not actually Josh Shapiro, it's an AI-generated version of him. And just to fact-check, the allegations were not against Shapiro. They were against one of his aides. Shapiro says that immediately after the allegations were made against that aide, an independent investigation was launched, and after that investigation, the aide in question immediately resigned.

Mark?

PRESTON: Well, let me answer two ways. One, morally awful, OK, like we understand, and we're entering this whole new age that we need to really understand and put the brakes on where we're going technologically. At the same time, incredibly creative, like incredibly creative, and given the time attention span of voters nowadays, I'm sure that ad is going to get the attention of folks who've seen it.

BASH: It's also, like, generational. I was looking at that and thinking, I can tell, my son could definitely tell, my parents, who are probably watching and are going to get mad at me, I don't know that they could tell. I mean, once they get into the content, it's pretty obvious that it's not him, but at first blush, I'm not sure everybody would know who's not at least a little bit tech-savvy.

KUCINICH: And it continues to feed this misinformation that voters are constantly, constantly having to contend with, and the other thing is, by the time a lawsuit is filed, this thing gets pulled down, the damage is kind of done, so you have to wonder at what point are there going to be rules about this sort of thing and how it's put out there. We're not there yet, but you would imagine that it's coming.

BASH: There is such a disparity between how each party is spending money and using these AI ads. This is from the Wesleyan Media Project, AI ads by party, GOP sponsors, 81 percent, Democrats, 12 percent. I mean, that's really stunning.

Another example of a Republican using it, part of that 81 percent. This is about the Democratic candidate for a Republican incumbent seat, Derrick Van Orden. This is in Wisconsin. What you're going to see is an AI ad against her, and then after she said, we want to cease and desist, he put another AI ad on air making fun of her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:50:09]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am running for Congress to lower costs. Lower costs. I am also running to booster our framers and make sure we take advantage of as much corruption as possible and give every illegal alien free health care. Cease and desist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TALCOTT: I mean, that, again, I think it's one of those things where a lot of people probably know at this point that it's AI, maybe not older generations, but I think one of the big concerns here is also what happens in the next few years, right? There's huge advancements in AI all of the time now.

And so if you don't end up having sort of some sort of maybe federal legislation instead of a state by state case, what happens in two years when the presidential election rolls around and these AI videos become much more realistic. And I think that's the concern that a lot of people on both sides of the aisle have at the same time because there's no sort of big legislation, it's allowed right now and so you're seeing Republicans take advantage of that fact.

PRESTON: And it doesn't matter. I mean the reality is people may know it's AI but if that message sticks in their head, they hear the verbiage in their head, then it's a fact.

TALCOTT: Coming from the person.

PRESTON: Correct.

BASH: Yes. Fun, fun, fun.

Coming up, President Trump is inserting himself in Israeli politics just over a before that country votes. Will it have an impact? We have a live report from Jerusalem next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:56:10]

BASH: President Trump isn't limiting his political involvement to elections here at home. Just over a week before Israelis head to the polls, he's giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quote, "complete and total endorsement." On Truth Social, the President wrote, in part, "Netanyahu has been strong, brave, and brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition. This is the kind of partner that the United States is demanding of Israel, a country for which it has done so much."

It's the kind of move that used to be unthinkable for an American president, not just in Israel, but any democracy around the world, to get involved in internal political matters. But here we are.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem. What's the reaction in Israel to President Trump's endorsement and what he said in the post?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the Israeli Prime Minister, it certainly represented a shot in the arm for his campaign, one that he has seized upon, pointing to this as yet more evidence that he is the candidate best qualified to maintain a good relationship with the U.S. president, a critical relationship, of course, for any Israeli prime minister.

But it has largely faded from the kind of public media sphere today in Israel, after a weekend during which Prime Minister -- President Trump made this announcement. That may have to do with the fact that while this is the first time President Trump has officially endorsed in an Israeli election, back in 2019, before those elections, he gave Netanyahu perhaps an even bigger gift by recognizing Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights.

And it's also worth noting that Prime -- President Trump is a lot less popular in Israel than he was perhaps a year ago. Still largely popular by and large, but trust in the Israeli public -- the Israeli public's trust in President Trump has dropped from some 34 percent having a great deal of trust in him in March to just 10 percent in August, largely a result of some of the back and forth over the Iran war this past spring.

BASH: And Jeremy, Israel, of course, has a parliamentary government. And that means that voters choose a party, not a Prime Minister. Can you explain how or whether Bibi Netanyahu can still find a path even if his party doesn't come out on top?

DIAMOND: It is going to be a really, you know, one that we're going to have to hang on to for a few weeks, probably after the elections before knowing who is going to be the next prime minister of Israel. And that's because right now, the change block, the opposition candidates and the Prime Minister's governing coalition, they're basically pulling neck and neck, and both of them are falling short right now of the 61 votes necessary to have a majority in the parliament.

And so what's going to happen is the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, is going to give a mandate to the leading candidate, either Prime Minister Netanyahu, or most likely to Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the kind of opposition change block right now. That's going to depend on a variety of factors, who's the candidate most likely to be able to form the next government.

And while Eisenkot has expressed some confidence that he could form a government, even a minority government with the abstention of the Arab parties who likely would not be part of a governing coalition, that still is up in the air. The Israeli President has expressed some preference for a unity government of the kind of more centrist parties that could potentially bring together Prime Minister Netanyahu and Eisenkot, something that so far the opposition candidates are not signaling a willingness to engage in.

But by and large, Dana, there are a lot of unknowns here. This is going to be a complex process, and it's one of the reasons why, while Prime Minister Netanyahu is polling well short of where he was before Israel's last elections, he still has a shot here given the number of variables.

BASH: Remember when you were covering U.S. politics and you thought that was maybe a tiny bit complicated? You're in it now, Jeremy. It is incredibly complicated what you just laid out. And I know there's so much more there there. And we're just going to be along the ride with you as the votes --

DIAMOND: I'll try and boil it down.

BASH: No, no, I mean, it's -- you did. And I don't think I could have done that. That was impressive. We'll be on the ride with you as Israel actually does go to the polls next week.

Thanks, Jeremy.

DIAMOND: Thanks, Dana.

BASH: And thanks for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts right now.