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Laura Coates Live
Trump Rallies Amid GOP Fears; Retired Republican Backs Talarico; Trump Slams Zelenskyy; Trump Seizes on France Riots for Political Gain. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired October 19, 2026 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
(CROSSTALK)
JASON RANTZ, PODCAST HOST: What's his name in California? He's not an independent. He's a Republican.
PETER MEIJER, FORMER MICHIGAN REPRESENTATIVE, CO-FOUNDER AND HEAD OF STRATEGY AT THE NEW INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION: He's an independent, Matthew McConaughey said to vote.
RANTZ: But I'm not even entirely sure he knows what he's talking about there. It seems like he was talking more about trying to appeal to more moderates versus literally voting for someone who's an independent. There's no --
NEERA TANDEN, POLITICAL CONSULTANT, DEMOCRATIC THINK TANK, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS, FORMER DOMESTIC POLICY ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: No one heard negative and negative I got to hear it.
RANTZ: That was a version of Sahara when I wanted interstellar. How about that?
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What he was trying to say was like if enough of us come together and actually make being an independent lane a real thing it can be a real thing. I don't know. I just think Americans are addicted to partisanship.
TANDEN: We'll see in these elections.
RANTZ: The people who do identify either Democrat or Republican who are more moderate they get villainized all the time. Susan Collins is a good example of that. She gets villainized when she's not particularly conservative and so we say we want this but I don't think people actually want that.
To your point, I think they kind of don't want it.
PHILLIP: One of the reasons they're mad at Susan Collins is she calls herself independent but then she votes with Trump.
RANTZ: She's more moderate.
MEIJER: She impeached him too. I feel like they're going to defend my picture.
TANDEN: Ninety-eight percent versus 95 percent of the time.
PHILLIP: You could also say the same of John Fetterman too. He is technically a Democrat and considers himself independent but he votes with the Democrats.
All right, we've got some viewer feedback. Trump looks more like a traveling vaudeville act than the President. I guess that's a nod to his comedy routine later on.
ADAM MOCKLER, YOUTUBE HOST: Probably the comedy and the face full of makeup and the fake hair and the fact that he's constantly putting on a huge show.
MEIJER: I thought it was a little bit more silent. It was more expressive.
MOCKLER: He's expressive.
TANDEN: He's pretty expressive.
PHILLIP: All right, let's ask Cassidy Hutchinson if she wishes she'd been warned to think twice about going into the Trump orbit.
TANDEN: Excellent point.
PHILLIP: That's an interesting point.
RANTZ: You can do the same thing with John Bolton except of course he actually committed a crime.
PHILLIP: Trump is the one trying to prosecute her.
RANTZ: I agree that if you commit crimes or suspect there should be an investigation then you should control it.
TANDEN: That's exactly what it looks like.
MEIJER: I agree.
TANDEN: I'm glad you agree.
RANTZ: Except that's not what she actually said.
PHILLIP: Before we go, you can stream the show live or watch on-demand any time with an "All Access" subscription. Scan the Q.R. code on your screen or go to cnn.com/watch to learn more.
Thank you for watching "NewsNight." "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: We will win! We will win!
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Just pretend.
UNKNOWN: More than nine million people have already voted.
ADAM HAMILTON, KANSAS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: The Republican Party felt they needed to send the most powerful man in the country to try to save Roger Marshall.
TRUMP: I think he's tied or up by a little bit, according to polls. Look, the polls are fake.
REP. JAMES TALARICO (D-TX), TEXAS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: They are scared. They are terrified. We're about to win this election.
(APPLAUSE)
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: Republicans are coming together, realizing what is at stake. I think Paxton is going to win the race.
TRUMP: We've given a lot to Ukraine. They've given nothing to us.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R), NORTH CAROLINA: Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle.
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When it comes time in November, what are we going to say to those radicals? Hell no!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to another special midterm edition of "Laura Coates Live." Just about two weeks left until Election Day and the pressure is on for President Trump to try to fend off a potential Democrat wave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They think they're doing well, but they have no idea of the giant they have awoken and unleashed. It's this giant right here.
(APPLAUSE)
All over the country. And they'll find out the hard way on Election Day, November 3rd. I think Republicans, all you have to do is turn out. If you turn out, we win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I want to consider for a moment where exactly President Trump said that. That was Trump tonight in Kansas. Now, that's a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since, what, 1932? So, why is the top Republican there? Well, because polls suggest the Senate race is actually a toss-up. You've got Democrat Adam Hamilton appearing to have a chance to unseat Senator Roger Marshall. And, by the way, even Trump admits it's tight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's a close race. It shouldn't be. As you know, I won by a tremendous amount, like 25, 30 points. I won by a lot, Kansas. And they should be winning by a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: By the way, it's not just Kansas. Look at this map. Trump is holding a rally every single day this week. He's got stops in red states like Iowa, like South Carolina, and tomorrow, it's North Carolina. And to hear the president tell it, he's working magic.
[23:04:59]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I went to Alaska, and Dan Sullivan is up. I went to Ohio, Jon Husted is up. I went to Texas, and Ken Paxton is up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, I actually have no clue what he's looking at to back that up because we've certainly not seen anything to suggest that that's all true and neither has the president's favorite network.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIT HUME, FOX NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: The president has been out campaigning vigorously, but I'm not sure it's making any difference and what difference it's making. I'm not sure it's helping.
You look at that situation, for example, in Texas. He's calling James Talarico "Tala-freako." Now, look, it's true that James Talarico has endorsed some pretty exotic positions. However, what he does not seem to be is a freak. You see him. He seems mild-mannered.
I mean, this cuddling up to Vladimir Putin at this moment and his turning his back seemingly once again on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, I don't think that plays well.
Then you had this fiasco last week where they appointed this press secretary who might, with some time, have turned out to be a competent press secretary, and they sent the poor person out there with no time to prepare, really, only a matter of a day or two, and it didn't go well. Well, of course it didn't. It was crazy to send her out like that.
So, I don't see this White House and this campaigning by the president as having made much headway so far of the kind that, you know, you can sort of see just watching the campaigning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Let's talk about this. My panel for the hour, former special assistant to President Biden, Michael LaRosa, CNN political commentator Shermichael Singleton, former chief of staff to the Biden White House Press Office, Yemisi Egbewole, executive editor of the Washington Examiner magazine, Jim Antle.
And, hey, we want you at home to be a part of our coverage, so send us your questions and comments at cnn.com/engagepolitics, and the panel will answer them here live on air this very hour.
And I did see you, Yemisi, on that very program. I'm going to ask you about that in a moment. I saw the little thing. Welcome to here. I'm glad you're here with us.
Shermichael, let me ask you this, because it's not just the president's favorite network, as we call it, who is saying this. You've got Roger Marshall's opponent, somebody I interviewed, Reverend Adam Hamilton, who's taking the president's visit to Kansas as a sign of panic. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMILTON: Well, I took it as a big compliment. I took it as a statement that the Republican Party felt they needed to send the most powerful man in the country to try to save Roger Marshall. And I think it's only going to hurt him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: All right. Well, he takes it as a compliment. Obviously, Trump is there because he knows, he says, it's much closer than it ought to be. So, how do you see it? Is it a sign of panic? Is it a sign of --
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It is not a sign of panic. It's a sign that the Republican Party is being strategic about engaging and motivating low-propensity voters, who are indeed a sizable percent of the president's coalition. These are voters that are not tracked in most of the traditional polling or survey methodology. You have to acknowledge that.
And when you factor those numbers into these close races within the margin of error, you do see Republicans having a one or two-percentage increase, meaning it's going to be close.
But most of these Senate seats, I absolutely feel confident we will win and maintain. And so, you have got to get the president out there turning out that base. I would rather have him out there than to not have him at all.
COATES: Really? Do you agree with that?
MICHAEL LAROSA, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, it's interesting. It's such a jarring difference from four years ago when President Biden was in the White House during our midterm. And you saw all those places Trump was going to. Biden wasn`t allowed anywhere. Biden didn't go to one. I don't think he went to one state. You can correct me if I'm wrong. But the first lady did. She had a little bit more popularity. But he didn't go to one single state. Not one Democrat wanted to be seen with him.
And it's kind of interesting that they want to close in the closing weeks in these states that are margin of error races with him. And so, they clearly think that their best bet here is to bring out the voters who are part of their base. If you motivate them with President Trump, they might come out and stick with Robert Marshall -- Roger Marshall.
COATES: Yes. Yes, Roger Marshall.
LAROSA: Roger Marshall.
COATES: Reverend Adam Hamilton wants you to forget that name.
LAROSA: He does.
COATES: As you did, but it's Roger Marshall. There you go. But thinking about this, is it a factor of low propensity voters or is this a factor of -- look, they haven't had a Democrat since the 30s. And all of a sudden, even in spite of all you've just said, the president of the United States is going there in a place that has normally been very red.
YEMISI EGBEWOLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO BIDEN WHITE HOUSE: Well, we've got to talk about Adam Hamilton if we're going to talk about the candidate. I mean, as the daughter of a reverend myself, I have to say those are the kinds of quality candidates, and I have to give to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that found him, those are the kind of quality candidates that you need in red states.
Roger Marshall won by 53 percent six years ago. It was not a tight race whatsoever. It was not the focus of Democrats or Republicans, and now it is.
[23:10:00]
Republicans have spent -- their estimated ad spending is up to $936 million. They've only spent around $314, I believe, on House races. So, the Senate really is, for Democrats and Republicans, the goal here. Who is going to win it?
And I just think with candidates like Adam Hamilton, that gives Democrats a bigger edge than they would have before. Look, I see Shermichael's face.
(LAUGHTER)
We have long-shot states. We know. Look, this ain't Georgia. This isn't Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins.
SINGLETON: It is not.
EGBEWOLE: I understand that. However, Trump went down to see Mike Collins. And he went to Dalton, Georgia, an area that's already very red, that he won by 40-plus points. He should have gone to Metro Atlanta where I'm from, Cobb County, Cherokee County, Gwinnett, areas where you need to compete with Jon Ossoff for those suburban voters.
So, even when Trump is going to those states, is he going to the right areas that lift up the voters out of what he needs?
COATES: And is he saying what needs to be said all along on the campaign trail, not just the last 15 days? Because, Jim, the president has spent the past few days, he has been demanding that New Mexico is renamed New America. He is attacking a federal judge for pushing back on his plan to revamp the D.C. golf course. He's hosting a four-hour dinner with Bill Maher, Stephen A. Smith, and Kid Rock. We interviewed Stephen A. on this very point. You should check it out.
And is this -- is this the split screen that Republicans want voters when you're talking about either low-propensity voters or those who feel like there are some faulty campaign promises?
JIM ANTLE, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, WASHINGTON EXAMINER MAGAZINE: Well, it's interesting because President Trump sort of made his bones as a T.V. guy. He has always been this big T.V. star. But as a politician, he sometimes forgets that his real audience is the people on T.V., not the people who are at the rally. And a lot of times, he tailors his remarks very much for that crowd, and he feeds off of the energy of that crowd.
But I do think the White House's theory of the case here is that, especially in these red estates, these are base elections, and they just need to turn out Republican voters because there are so much more Republican voters than Democrat voters in these states.
And as a corollary of that, unlike in the swing states, Trump won't be able to turn out as many Democratic voters because he's good at turning them out, too, inadvertently. But in places like Kansas, there just aren't as many of them.
Now, it may be the case you have enough rural voters who are angry or farm state people who don't like the tariffs, and maybe they vote differently than they normally will. Clearly, it's a bad sign that these races are this close. But these are the states where Trump probably has the best chance of doing some good for Republicans.
COATES: But you have this corruption issue, and I don't use that phrase lightly. It has become, even on a new Fox News poll just last week, the biggest concern for voters. I mean, it's above the economy. And I don't think, by the way, these are mutually exclusive. I think people can think about corruption and have it tied to their personal views of accountability, of the economy, of their own accounting.
But, Shermichael, a new Washington Post poll shows about one-third of Republicans believe the president is using the presidency to enrich himself. That's up, by the way, 12 points from just a year ago. The vice president, though, he says this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: I've never seen any evidence that anybody is selling access to the president or certainly selling access to me. But, like, if there's a credible accusation there, I guarantee you, the president of the United States is going to be the first person in line to say, that's ridiculous and despicable, and I am, too. So, I do think that what happens sometimes with this stuff, Mark, is that people convolute and conflate two separate things. I just -- it's laughable to me, the idea that Donald Trump has somehow been enriched by political office. He nearly had his life destroyed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: It's laughable? I mean, I can do the math. I think the word "billion" is part of it.
SINGLETON: Is it -- for me, I think about it through this vein. Is it a mitigating factor to determine whether or not these voters will vote or not? The Republicans that you just cited. I don't think it is.
And I think there's enough evidence in some focus group data that I've recently seen that suggests despite some of the concerns that Republicans may have, there are Republicans who aren't happy about the conflict in the Middle East. There are Republicans, a cohort of our base, that's not happy about the increased support and continued support of Israel. There are Republicans that aren't happy about the price of gas, food, etcetera.
COATES: So, you don't see corruption as being a motivating factor?
SINGLETON: Well, I'm listing a multitude of things that even Republican voters are not happy about. Despite all of those things, they still feel motivated to vote against the Democrat running against the Republican. And I think we're betting that that is enough to help many of these senators get across the finish line. I think it's going to pan out to be true.
LAROSA: But do you think -- what has been interesting, when you look at some of these Democratic candidates, take Adam Hamilton, for example, former Republican, David Jolly in Florida, former Republican, Rob Sand in Iowa doesn't even want to be tied to the Democratic Party. He calls himself an independent. He doesn't really embrace the label at all. I could go on about some other candidates, too.
[23:14:59]
And so, I think it's a great -- when you pull back the curtain, when you pull back the layers, look at the Democrats that are running in these states. The Democrats we're talking about that are going to flip states from red to blue are not DSA candidates. They're not from the left, they're capitalists, they're moderates, and they're mainstream Democrats.
SINGLETON: But Jolly is not going to win in Florida. Let's just be honest about that.
EGBEWOLE: But he's going to make you spend your money. But --
SINGLETON: We have the money to spend, unlike Democrats. You don't have the money to spend. So sure, I will cede the point that Democrats are running far more competitively than we prefer.
EGBEWOLE: But Talarico is raising a lot of money.
SINGLETON: But being competitive and winning are two separate articles.
COATES: I want to hear your point.
EGBEWOLE: The Democratic apparatus, right. OK. Senate leadership fund, John Thune has done a great job, prolific fundraiser. You might have more money to spend. But when people like James Talarico send out a text message and ask for money, Democratic donors give.
And also, Trump is going to areas that I just don't think are worth the money. We're talking about Greenville. We're talking about areas in Florida, even where he's going in Iowa. Those are all districts that he won. Those aren't competitive or swing districts.
SINGLETON: But why --
EGBEWOLE: We're talking a lot about the Senate, but have you given up the hope on the House?
SINGLETON: But why is the president going to places that he won?
EGBEWOLE: Because he wants to hear people cheer his name.
SINGLETON: No, that's not only why.
EGBEWOLE: And that is not --
SINGLETON: It's for the reason that I laid out --
COATES: Not only why. Not only why. Well, hold on. I want to keep it there because I want to get back to the second reason about this.
SINGLETON: OK.
COATES: And, by the way, for those out there, Republicans are outspending Democrats by $15 million in Ohio, and also nearly four to one in Texas. What will that mean? We'll ask everyone to stand by. And remember to send those questions in to cnn.com/engagepolitics.
My next guest spent 16 years as a top Republican judge in Texas. This year, he's putting his support behind Democrat James Talarico. We'll ask him why and get him to answer and just how many there might be like him. And later, Trump trashes Ukraine's Vladimir Zelenskyy as he suggests he's open to meeting with Putin and Xi and what critics fear may be a summit to sell out Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TILLIS: Russians are lying. Putin is lying. Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [23:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: It's time to leave it all on the field. Remember, clear eyes, full hearts.
TALARICO: Can't lose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Early voting did start today in Texas. And James Talarico hopes that football classic Friday night lights are going to help him deliver an upset for the ages. Talarico is crisscrossing the state as part of his "clear eyes, full hearts" bus tour for Senate.
Not to be outdone, though, Republican Ken Paxton is on his own bus tour, "come and take it," ending at the Alamo in San Antonio.
But not every Republican is on board with Paxton's tour. In fact, one retired conservative judge is jumping on the Talarico bandwagon or should I say bus, and he has some harsh words for his fellow Republican.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLEN WHITLEY, FORMER TARRANT COUNTY JUDGE, ENDORSED JAMES TALARICO (voice-over): Ken Paxson has spent years embarrassing Texas. He's known for scandal, indictment, infidelity, and putting his own interests ahead of Texans. That's exactly why I cannot support Ken Paxton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, the voice behind that ad joins me now. Glen Whitley is a former Republican judge in Tarrant County, and he has endorsed Talarico for Senate. Judge, thank you for joining. I am interested as to what impressed you about Talarico that made you comfortable not only supporting him, but publicly doing so.
WHITLEY: First of all, let me thank you for having me on this evening. You know, I guess where I began was there was no way I could support Ken Paxton. And once I made that decision and started talking with James, what I realized is that he was a very solid candidate, he had integrity, he had character, he wanted to get things done and not just keep kicking things down the road. And so, as a result, I feel very good about supporting James as our next U.S. senator from Texas.
COATES: Obviously, Paxton was the attorney general down there, well known in the legal community and across the state and, frankly, the country. Trump has given him a lot of credit for influencing a lot of matters that are of national importance. Why couldn't you support Paxton? WHITLEY: Well, first, he works only for himself, in my opinion. He was indicted on securities violations. His top staff at the A.G.'s office turned him into the FBI for robbery and abuse of office. A Texas Republican-controlled House, by a vote of over 80 percent, voted to impeach him. His wife filed for divorce on biblical grounds. Just one thing after another. You know, it recently come out that he was in the bar with one of his mistresses. They were partying and with two people who had been indicted for health care fraud. One had contributed over $190,000 to his campaign.
So, it clearly showed me that he was not in this for the people that he was supposed to be serving, but more for what he could get for himself. His income -- his net worth has gone up over 7,000 percent in the time that he has been A.G.
COATES: That's very telling, based on what you're saying. And yet, the response and the campaigning that Paxton has done has obviously not been featuring and televising those perceived shortcomings, right? It has been about culture war issues. He's been calling Talarico nicknames like "Tala-freako," low T, low testosterone. He has also been bringing up another T-word, transgender. Listen.
[23:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): James Talarico is a hypocrite when it comes to fighting for families. Talarico wants to teach trans ideology in schools and let boys compete in girls' sports.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, these are the issues that he wants to put front and center against Talarico. I'm curious. From your perspective, in Texas, are these attacks resonating with other Republicans like you or you talk to?
WHITLEY: I think once you get past the fact that you're not going to vote for Paxton. That was one of the first hurdles that I sat down and talked with James about, and what I found out in that discussion with him is, one, he has never supported and never will support a gender- changing surgery for a minor. He feels like that's something that nobody should be able to make that decision until they're an adult. He is not for boys playing in girls' sports or boys going into girls' bathrooms. Those are all just, again, fabricated lies that are coming up from the Paxton campaign.
So, that was the first hurdle that I had to get past before I started talking to him about issues like immigration, social security, affordability, public education, the deficit. Those are all things that were important, and I think are the priorities that everybody is really wanting our Congress, our Senate to address. And I think James will do that, never has and never will support a minor being able to get a gender-changing surgery.
COATES: Well, judge, Trump is already pointing the finger and blaming Senator Cornyn and Karl Rove for being weak and ineffective political hacks if Paxton loses. And, of course, these are separate points than what you have articulated as the reasons you're supporting his opponent. Do they deserve any blame for not getting behind Paxton?
WHITLEY: None whatsoever. As I said earlier, I think Paxton is the most corrupt politician Texas has ever seen. Trump has nobody to blame for that other than himself. Cornyn, I've supported Cornyn from the first time I supported him when he was running for A.G. He is a great man. He's a great character.
The more that -- you know, once I knew that I couldn't vote for him and started looking at Talarico, what I realized is that James has the same integrity, the same character, the same service for his citizens that John Cornyn has had and has demonstrated all these years. So, it's not -- we wouldn't even be having this discussion if John Cornyn was the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
COATES: Meaning you would not be supporting, looking at a Democrat? It would have been Cornyn all the way?
WHITLEY: It would have been Cornyn all the way, and I think that would be the same all over this state. It's just one of those things. I think a lot of people are going to possibly just not vote in that particular race. I've had a lot of Republicans come up to me and say, look, we appreciate and we want to thank you for having the courage to get out in front and to endorse, openly endorse James Talarico. They've said, we can't -- we don't feel like we can do that, but we certainly are going to vote for James when it comes Election Day.
COATES: Fascinating. Judge Glen Whitley, not much time left, so we'll see what they actually make good on that statement to you. Thank you so much for joining.
And still ahead for us, the chaos in Paris suddenly starting to become a key part of Republicans' closing message here in the United States. Plus, the president's pivot to Putin now and how he's turning his back on Ukraine all while giving Russia a pass.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TILLIS: Putin is lying. Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle. And history is not going to look good on an America that failed to rise up and defend the western world if Putin actually gets his way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Republicans tonight are slamming President Trump for actions they say undermine Ukraine and eliminate the pressure on Russia. And Trump's latest move? The Washington Post is reporting his administration is holding up the transfer of Patriot interceptor missiles Ukraine needs to defend against Russian drone attacks. It comes shortly after the president told reporters he has been open to a meeting with Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, just without Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I would do it. Not so much for Ukraine because Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much. And the same thing with China. We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Zelenskyy says you're on the wrong side of history on this one.
TRUMP: Zelenskyy said it?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
TRUMP: Zelenskyy doesn't know what he's talking about. Zelenskyy is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago. I think it is time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. We've given a lot to Ukraine. You know what? We've given a lot to Ukraine. They've given nothing to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[23:34:56]
COATES: My panel is back with me along with Josh Rogin, lead global security analyst for Washington Post Intelligence and also a father of a new baby boy as well. Congratulations. I'm glad that you're with us because I need your mind here. Is there any truth to President Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy in this war?
JOSH ROGIN, LEAD GLOBAL SECURITY ANALYST FOR THE WASHINGTON POST, AUTHOR: No. I mean, I think President Trump is sincere when he says he wants the war to end soon. That's what makes it so tragic, that the policy that he's pursuing is actually going to extend the war. It's pretty clear that if you pressure Zelenskyy and release pressure on Putin, that will remove the incentive for Putin to deal.
And the Ukrainians are not going to fold. They're not going to surrender. You can cut off their Patriots. You can cut off their intelligence. People don't like to live on their knees. The Ukrainians are not going to give up their territory because doing so would condemn all the people in that territory to torture, rape, and murder. So, it's not going to happen.
So, what President Trump has actually done is he has undermined his own objective to get to a quick resolution of the war, which I think he really wants, by pursuing a strategy which is to lower pressure on Putin and to raise pressure on Ukraine, which has achieved the opposite result. So, he has really done the opposite of what he thinks is pursuing the strategy that he thinks is right.
COATES: And haven't we been here before a kind of deja vu where he's having talks with people who does not include Ukraine, and now it's Russia and China? I mean, that would possibly fatally undermine the idea of Russia, even Ukraine, having a say in its own destiny.
ROGIN: Yes. So, it's not going to work because you can't choose a country's fate without including that country and its people, 44 million people who have a right to dignity and sovereignty and a say over how they live. None of those people want to live under the cruel rule of Vladimir Putin, no matter what President Trump thinks about it.
And then you add the fact that Trump is actively aiding Putin by promoting a narrative of the war that is A, false, B, exactly matches Russian propaganda, and C, places Zelenskyy in a terrible position where he's got to either decide to live in Trump's reality, which is a bunch of lies about how the war started and how it's going, or to defend his people and do his job as the president of a country.
You add all those things together, it's a perfect storm of toxicity whereby the president is putting America on the side of the aggressor and the war criminals and against the side of the victims of this conflict. It's bizarre. There's no way to look at that and to say that that's anything that America has ever stood for in the past, yet here we are.
And, again, the result is very predictable and predicted. He's going to get a lot of Ukrainians killed without actually solving the problem, and that's a tragedy.
COATES: So, Jim, I mean, weigh in on this, but what is -- what is the benefit that the administration might be seeing in terms of even among Republicans, among American voters? This seems so obvious, what Josh is saying. So, what are people missing?
ANTLE: Well, one, I don't think President Trump has ever wanted to be involved in this war, and the United States has remained more involved in it under his second administration than he would have preferred. Secondly, he has very bad relations with Zelenskyy. Now, that's not necessarily how you want all of these decisions to be made, but it is certainly how Trump makes a lot of decisions. And we've seen over time where Trump has gotten more irritated with Putin and over time where he's gotten more irritated with Zelenskyy. Clearly, they're at some kind of a breaking point here.
I'm not sure that there is a political calculation here other than that Trump sees a lot of his voters as not really being that interested in things that are going on overseas, not wanting to spend their money on things that are happening overseas, and he has already somewhat alienated a number of those people by doing the war in Iran, which cuts against his message and has also raised gas prices, raised diesel prices, cut against the whole affordability theme that this entire election is likely to be waged on.
COATES: And also, I mean, the president tonight saying the riots in France are a taste of what's to come in the United States if Democrats win the midterm. So, he does want some focus externally. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what's happening in France, a once great nation that is being conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists who hate Christianity, and they hate, frankly, the western civilization itself. This is -- what's happening to France, they want to happen to our country. It's never happening here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: It's not just Trump who's doing it. By the way, Vice President J.D. Vance replied to a video of a burning building in France and saying this is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country.
[23:40:01]
That was what he actually said. I mean, obviously, you can't have it both ways. You can't on the one hand say you are America-focused singularly, and then say you shouldn't be focused on other countries and other war efforts and then also point to other nations who are having what's happening there and say this, Americans, you must pay attention to.
SINGLETON: Yes, this is a reminder to his voters about immigration under the Biden-Harris administration, and what Trump is essentially saying is that Democrats will have a loose immigration policy, whereas the Republicans will have a strict immigration policy in terms of who enters the country.
COATES: Do you see the analogy as being accurate, the president is using?
SINGLETON: Oh, absolutely. It was a number one, number two issue for why he won the presidency.
COATES: My question --
ROGIN: Nothing to do with France.
COATES: I mean, France. Go ahead.
LAROSA: That's not what is happening in France. It's not an immigration issue.
SINGLETON: Yes, but that's the point. That's the connection that the president is making, though. You may disagree with it, but it's the point --
LAROSA: No, the president of France disagrees with it.
SINGLETON: Yes, but that has nothing to do with Trump's voters and why Trump is making this campaign message to his voters.
LAROSA: The issue in France is not an issue about immigration. I mean, these are like radical leftists, but it's not an immigration issue. I get what they're trying to do.
Trust me, in the summer of 2020, the Biden campaign, we tried to take advantage of unrest that was going on in the country and blaming the government for not doing enough, whether it was COVID or whether it was riots around the country.
The public doesn't like unrest. The public doesn't like chaos. And I get that they're trying to -- you know, they're trying to attach what's happening with radical leftists over in France, that President Macron has called them, to unrest and chaos. They're trying to say that the Democrats will just bring you chaos.
But it doesn't have anything to do with immigration. I don't understand why the president and vice president are drawing the immigration analogy when it's not --
SINGLETON: You really don`t?
LAROSA: I do, but --
EGBEWOLE: Well, they do love a scare tactic a bit. And going back to your point, do voters, especially midterm voters, do things that happen overseas actually affect how they vote in the ballot box? I don't think so. I think their main concern is domestic issues.
But a lot of the messaging, I believe, from national Republicans has been, we run on fear, we're not producing solutions, but we tell voters what will happen if Democrats come into power, not what we will actually do.
SINGLETON: But --
ROGIN: You know, the French have been rioting since the 18th century.
(LAUGHTER)
And I know that President Trump knows that because he went to see Les Mis and the Kennedy Center before it got shut down. Maybe he wasn't paying attention to the play. But if he had, he would have understood that this is not an immigration issue in France.
And the bottom line is that Trump and J.D. Vance have been aligning themselves with the far-right in France ahead of the next French presidential elections. And the rub there is that the far-right in France doesn't want to be associated with J.D. Vance or President Trump because they're toxic in Europe.
SINGLETON: But I think --
ANTLE: But they are saying similar things about the French riots.
ROGIN: They are, but the problem is that the more that J.D. Vance and President Trump align themselves with the far-right in France, the worse it is for the far-right in France. So, I say send J.D. Vance to Paris to help Marie Le Pen because it can only do her harm.
And the bottom line is that this idea that western liberal immigration policies are causing these problems is just not true in France and it's just not true in America.
SINGLETON: But, Laura, I would say quickly, this isn't a message for all voters, this is a message explicitly to the president's base. This may not motivate independent-leaning Republican voters or mainstream Republican voters. And I'm arguing here, that's not the point.
ROGIN: No, it's a sop to the bag of right white nationalists.
COATES: The point is -- the point is misinformation?
SINGLETON: Well, that's not what I'm saying.
ROGIN: But that's what it is.
SINGLETON: What I'm saying, the correlation that I'm drawing here is what motivates -- what themes motivate the president's base, and this happens to be part of those themes.
ROGIN: It happens to be racists --
COATES: I understand --
ROGIN: -- and anti --
COATES: But if it's inaccurate, isn't that speaking volumes about what he feels is the intellect and the interest level of the voters?
LAROSA: Immigration is fair game. In our immigration policy, absolutely, it was all fair game to use, to run against. But that's just not -- that's not what is happening in France. It's about something completely different.
SINGLETON: We are debating separate things here.
ROGIN: He doesn't care. That's the point.
SINGLETON: That's not the point that I'm making.
ROGIN: He doesn't care if it's true.
(CROSSTALK)
COATES: Hold on.
ROGIN: -- that it's all not true. We can all agree. EGBEWOLE: Let's all agree. The kids can go back to sleep.
ROGIN: All right.
COATES: Let's all agree that I think, sometimes, the point of politics is to -- by any means necessary. And I wonder if that satisfies you voters out there. You know what you can do? You can tell me. You can text us. You can be a part of the conversation. Go to cnn.com/engagepolitics.
[23:45:00]
I want to hear from you. We'll bring our answers to you in just a few moments.
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COATES: All right, my favorite part, you get to ask your questions. I want to get them answered with my all-star panel. And remember, you can send yours at cnn.com/engagepolitics. So, here's the first question.
[23:50:00]
What are the actual policy positions Republicans are currently running on? All I hear from them is how scared people should be of Democrat policies. Shermichael?
SINGLETON: That's not true. I mean, if you look at Susan Collins in Maine, Mike Rogers in Michigan, Michel Tafoya, who's also running, making that race far more competitive, these are Republicans who actually are talking about the cost of living. You've heard Susan Collins and Mike Rogers actually talk about the tariffs between the United States and Canada. They've actually tried to draw some separation from themselves and the president. So, it depends on where the candidate is and the race that they're running in.
COATES: All right. Well, next question. The Obamas have been popular and speak well about the issues when they are out. Why haven't we seen them on the campaign trails? Michael?
LAROSA: Well, I believe President Obama has cut ads for a lot of candidates, a lot of statewide candidates, and he is going to Michigan this weekend to campaign with El-Sayed.
COATES: You know, I interviewed him yesterday. Check out my Instagram for the full interview, by the way, on that. Next question. Do you think it will be a record turnout of voters on both sides and independents? Yemisi?
EGBEWOLE: I think it will be a record turnout for Democrats. I don't think that Republicans are going to break records, especially in the key states that they need to.
COATES: Why? EGBEWOLE: Well, I don't think that a lot of voters are inspired by some of their choices on the Republican side, and I think that they might just stay home. That is to say, I don't think that they'll be entranced by the Democratic candidate. I just think they'll stay out of it.
COATES: All right. We've got another one. Why can't Trump admit he was wrong? He said he would end the war in Ukraine on day one. It has been almost two years. He was wrong and making it worse by aiding Russia. Josh, why don't you take that one?
ROGIN: The short answer is that he's a narcissist. The slightly longer answer is that he still thinks he's right. He still thinks that helping Putin and hurting Ukraine will end the war. He's wrong about that, but he won't admit that he's wrong because he doesn't realize that he's wrong.
COATES: But you just mentioned that he wants to get out of that war. So, how does that impact it? He wants to help Ukraine and Russia end the war.
ROGIN: Yes. He's just doing everything the best, awkward way. And so, he's actually extending the war by reducing the pressure on Russia and lessening the incentive for Putin to make a deal. So, again, in his mind, he's right. In the real world, he's wrong.
So, he can't admit that he's wrong because he doesn't believe it, and that's the psychosis that we're all forced to deal with as people in the world where Donald Trump is president. It's an unsolvable problem that we have to live in our reality and his reality at the same time, and they're not the same thing.
COATES: All right. Why are we discussing the religion of candidates instead of the main issue, the economy? Why don't you take that one?
ROGIN: I'm happy to.
COATES: Go ahead.
LAROSA: Jim wants it.
ANTLE: I think that's in some pretty specific races that we're doing that. Michigan Senate race, I'm assuming, is what it's being referred to. But I think there's a lot of talk about people's policy stances, including El-Sayed, tying him to DSA, tying him to more socialist views,
And those Democratic candidates are underperforming despite being in relatively better states, you know, Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, relative to these Democrats we have running in really red places like Kansas, Nebraska, a semi-Democrat. We're seeing those candidates sort of underperform. So, in that case, it's really specific to El-Sayed.
But there's a broader anti-socialist message that's being run, keeping Republicans competitive in states where in an election cycle like this, they really have no business being competitive. LAROSA: And, by the way, it has nothing to do with El-Sayed's religion. I could care less what religion he practices or what he prays to. I'm the least religious Democrat, probably. Well, not Democrat, but I'm hardly religious.
What's concerning about El-Sayed and the reason why I think this comes up is because he seems to have a really difficult time standing up to extremism, and it really bothers people.
ANTLE: It's nationalism more than religion.
LAROSA: It bothers Democrats, it bothers members of the Jewish community, it bothers members of the Black community in Michigan who are really turned off by him right now. And he's going to cost the Democratic Party in the long term, I think, because he can't seem to stand up to radicals on our own side.
COATES: All questions I asked him in our interview. But you know who else did? Ashley Allison, for "The Root," had a sit-down with Abdul El-Sayed. You should check that out as well. A really fascinating interview that she did with him as well.
I just don't understand how Republicans still blame Biden. This entire time, you've been in control of the House and Senate. I'm going to take that. Go ahead, (INAUDIBLE).
(LAUGHTER)
Yemisi. Excuse me. I called you the wrong name. Yemisi?
EGBEWOLE: It's a good fallback. I think that they've gotten very lazy and used Biden. And now, when you actually have to take account for the way that you've run the economy, they don't know how to. The wheels are a bit rusty. They can't turn them as much.
COATES: Shermichael?
[23:55:00]
SINGLETON: I'm not worried about Biden. We have two years to go. We have an economy that's in shambles. You have a growing China that's showcasing extreme aggression in the South China Sea. You have a Vladimir Putin who not only disregards a free society, that being Ukraine, but according to the NATO secretary general, has plans to test the NATO alliance.
And so, the question for me and many of our allies is, where will the United States be on a number of these fronts? And it's unclear to me. And I'm not very comfortable with that at all. Maybe I'm more of an old school conservative, but I think the president needs to get answers to these issues.
COATES: Or answer them. Thank you so much, everyone. Remember, you can stream my show live or watch on-demand any time with an "All Access" subscription. Scan the Q.R. code on your screen or go to cnn.com/watch to learn more. And thanks for watching. "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson" is next.
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