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One World with Zain Asher

Uncertainty Grows For SNAP Recipients As Shutdown Hits Day 34; Trump Praises CBS Owners In First Interview Since Lawsuit Settlement; Trump Considering Military Action In Nigeria; Warnings Against Routine Use Of Leucovorin For Autism; Trump Approval Rating Dips To Lowest Of Second Term; Democrats Optimistic About The Upcoming Election Season; Trump Impersonator Becomes Social Media Star At Home; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired November 03, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:36]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Down to the wire. In just about 48 hours, the Trump administration could very well make American history once again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have voted 14 times to open the country and they vote to keep it close. All they have to do is

vote to open the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Thirty-four days and counting, if Congress can't come up with a deal soon, the government shutdown could become the longest in U.S.

history. Where they stand at this very moment?

Also ahead, anytime, anyplace. The Nigerian government says it's ready to meet with the White House, but respect for their sovereignty is non-

negotiable.

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN CHEN, DONALD TRUMP IMPERSONATOR: So the CNN people, they come to Chongqing. All they want to do is to shoot me getting my haircut. That's

crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: OK. He doesn't look anything like him, but come on, you have to admit he sounds just like him. An afternoon with China's wildly viral

version of John Donald Trump.

Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is on assignment. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

It would begin with a new twist in the U.S. government shutdown that has left millions of Americans trying to figure out how to feed themselves and

their families.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to say whether it will start paying November SNAP benefits by 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time today. That

deadline, as you may have noted, just passed about a minute and a half ago.

Well, funding for the critical food stamp program ran out over the weekend. Meanwhile, the shutdown has entered day 34 with no end in sight.

Senate is back in session today, but no, not expected to vote on any spending bill. Speaker Mike Johnson is still refusing to call the House

back into session, following a more than six-week recess.

And President Trump is showing no signs that he's willing to negotiate, saying that Democrats either need to give in or Republicans bring an end to

the Senate filibuster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: All they have to do is let the country open and we'll fix it.

NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: But ending the government shutdown --

TRUMP: They have to let the country open and I'll sit down with the Democrats and we'll fix it.

O'DONNELL: But so you're saying your plan is to tell the Democrats to vote to end the shutdown?

TRUMP: Correct. Very example.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Keep in mind, one in every eight Americans receive SNAP benefits.

Over the weekend, some Americans turn to food banks for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The holidays are coming. You know, it's -- people are going to be hungry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're basically to pass bills and pass the budget every year, but they've never done it -- doing it all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It ain't fair for everybody to suffer because they want to take all and do what they want to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know why these folks can't get together. I mean, they don't want to compromise. It's -- you know, it's -- it's black and

white nowadays. And everybody really needs to get together and compromise like we used to do for the last hundred years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Let's get the latest from CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak. So no surprise over the weekend at a "60 Minutes" interview, Kevin,

the president is putting all the blame squarely with Democrats.

But in terms of what he said should be the next step for Republicans, and that is getting rid of the filibuster, he is receiving some pushback from

members of his own party on that front. Talk more about that.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And they're essentially warning that this could come back to haunt Republicans. You know, if you

get rid of that 60-vote threshold, you're essentially eradicating precedent. And so if Democrats come back and regain power in the Senate,

they are warning that they could just go ahead and pass all kinds of progressive legislation, which is traditionally why those in the majority

have been so loath to get rid of the filibuster.

You remember even Joe Biden urged Democrats when they had the power in the Senate to create a carve out for abortion rights and voting rights bills,

but he was stymied by the Democrats, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, for this very reason.

And so that's why you hear the Senate Majority Leader John Thune pushing back so forcefully in quite a rare way. You know, you don't see that from

Thune very often when it comes to President Trump, but really saying that this is kind of a non-starter, but at least for President Trump, this is

kind of his only solution to ending the government shutdown.

And he said in that "60 Minutes" interview that, quote, Republicans have to get tougher, really pushing for what is called the nuclear option. And it's

called that for a reason. It would, you know, really view to something of a last resort, but also kind of incinerate the existing precedent.

[12:05:11]

And when you listen to the president talk in that interview, it doesn't suggest that he is, at all, open to negotiations. And I think the reason

that a lot of Republicans will raise their eyebrows at the filibuster question is that it would seem as if that's going to upend what have been,

you know, very delicate negotiations between the two sides.

You know, they haven't really progressed to the point of a deal. But the Republicans and Senate -- Democrats in the Senate do appear to be talking

to some degree. And that's why I think there's so much question about what the president's strategy here is if he's encouraging the Republicans to

kind of blow up the filibuster. The fear is that that could kind of end run what negotiations do exist at this time.

GOLODRYGA: Right. Because some Republicans are hoping that more and more moderate Democrats can come to their side and agree with them on this front

and reopen the government. This could definitely impact those conversations.

Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

Well, immigration raids in the U.S. haven't gone far enough. Russia and China are secretly conducting nuclear weapons tests. And the U.S.

government shutdown is all the Democrats' faults. Those were just some of the comments made by Donald Trump during that wide-ranging interview with

"60 Minutes" over the weekend.

And over the course of an hour and a half, the president also suggested that previous President Joe Biden is to blame for current costs of living

increases. And he weighed in on Wednesday's Supreme Court arguments that will decide the fate of his signature economic policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'DONNELL: What happens to your economic plan at the Supreme Court invalidates your tariffs?

TRUMP: I think our country will be immeasurably hurt. I think our economy will go to hell.

I think it's the most important subject discussed by the Supreme Court in a hundred years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And when asked about a potential U.S. escalation with Venezuela, Trump declined to confirm any strike plans. But he did suggest that

President Nicolas Maduro's time and power is coming to an end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'DONNELL: F-35 fighter jets, roughly 10,000 U.S. service members, and multiple warships are in the Caribbean.

And now the USS Gerald Ford, that is the world's largest aircraft carrier on the way to the Caribbean. Are we going to war against Venezuela?

Trump: I doubt it. I don't think so. But they've been treating us very badly.

Well, if you had to send in the Army or if you had to send in the Marines, I'd do that in a heartbeat. You know, you have a thing called the

Insurrection Act. You know that, right?

O'DONNELL: Mm-hmm.

TRUMP: Do you know that I could use that immediately and no judge can even challenge you on that? But I haven't chosen to do it because I haven't felt

we need it.

The Insurrection Act has been used routinely by presidents. And if I needed it, that would mean I could bring in the Army, the Marines. I could bring

in whoever I want, but I haven't chosen to use it. I hope you give me credit for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The president also offered praise for Bari Weiss, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And actually, "60 minutes," paid me a lot of money, and you don't have to put this on because I don't want to embarrass you. And I'm sure

you're not.

You have a great -- I think you have a great new leader, frankly, because the young woman that's leading your whole enterprise is a great, from what

I know, I don't know her, but I hear she's a great person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: It was Trump's first interview with CBS since he sued the network over his accusation that it deceptively edited an October 2024

interview with Kamala Harris.

CNN Sara Fischer joins me now live in New York.

Sara, a lot has transpired, including new ownership, following that 2024 CBS interview with Kamala Harris. So, what is the significance of the

president now sitting down with the same program that he sued and attacked? And what is it saying? What is he saying about the interview today?

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: It suggests that the new owners of Paramount, the concessions that they made, Bianna, to get this deal

approved to buy the company, have appeased Donald Trump and the right.

Now, many things have occurred in the past few weeks since that deal closed on August 7th. As Donald Trump mentioned, they brought in a new editor-in-

chief, a woman named Bari Weiss, who runs a blog called the Free Press. They acquired that company.

It is considered to be much more favorable to certain conservative ideals than CBS necessarily. They canceled the late show with Stephen Colbert.

That will go off air next year. Many CBS' "60 Minutes" staffers have protested about what they say has been overreach and a lack of editorial

independence at that show.

And so Donald Trump sitting down with CBS praising its new leadership suggests that they're happy with the changes and the concessions that have

been made. And, of course, that's puzzling to the media community who worries that in order to get any deal done in the media industry now, you

have to make these types of, you know, changes, if you will, to sort of suck up to the administration.

[12:10:07]

GOLODRYGA: And he's speaking out about that interview today. I believe he posted on Truth Social already. Obviously, the issues that he had with

their previous interview with Kamala Harris was what he thought was editing that he didn't think met editorial standards. There had been a lot of

pushback to that, nonetheless, CBS did agree to a significant amount of money in terms of settling that deal.

What is he saying about the interview today and the way that it's been published?

FISCHER: Well, he's much happier about it. I mean, the thing is when it comes to what happened with Kamala Harris, he leveraged that interview to

say that CBS engaged in essentially voter interference. That then turned into an FCC investigation around news fairness and CBS ultimately settled

$16 million with him over it.

Now fast forward to where we are today, some of Donald Trump's most puzzling answers to that interview did not actually air in the 20-something

minutes on CBS broadcast. So you have Democrats now coming out and saying, wait a minute, shouldn't we be filing complaints with the FCC that this

interview was edited in a distorting way?

It's kind of like the flip -- the script has flipped, if you will, Bianna. But ultimately, I don't think anything gets actually done about it. You

have a Republican-led FCC. You had the chairman of the FCC responding to Chuck Schumer today who says that he should file a complaint.

Basically saying, good luck with that. And maybe a consumer group could try to sue to try to get something done, but I think that's highly unlikely

that it goes anywhere.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Sara Fischer, always good to see you. Thank you.

FISCHER: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Nigeria says that it would welcome U.S. help in battling Islamist insurgents, but says Washington must respect its territorial

integrity.

It comes after Donald Trump said on social media that he was considering using the U.S. military to protect Christians in Nigeria, who he says have

been attacked by fundamentalist Islamic terrorists. An aide to Nigeria's president says, the two countries can cooperate in this fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL BWALA, ADVISER TO NIGERIAN PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU: Being a dealmaker, that's his approach, you know, to go hard and then force a sit-down and

then find a common front. We understand that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you're willing to find a common front with him?

BWALA: We're willing. Anytime, any day. I personally, I have a feeling that in the next couple of days, they are going to have a sit-down together. And

then we'll find a common front in this fight against insecurity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Nigeria's epidemic of violence is caused by many factors and it has impacted all groups, not just Christians. We get more from CNN's Larry

Madowo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The deaths of Christians in Nigeria, especially in the country's north, has been an issue for some Christians in

Nigeria for a while. It's made its way back to the American right-wing circles, to the MAGA faithful and now to President Trump. And there's some

in the country in Nigeria who still believe this is a problem.

So for me, it's very important that they come in because this has been happening for a couple of years now. Nothing has been done.

So I feel if Donald Trump said he don't want to come in, they should come in and there's nothing wrong with that.

MADOWO: Nigeria maintains there is no religious persecution happening in the country. What it has a problem with is terrorism from Boko Haram, from

Islamic State in West African province and from religious extremists. Islamist militants who target people, Christians and Muslims alike.

And that's something that President Bola Tinubu's government has struggled to contain, even though he ran on the subject of trying to deal with that

issue of terrorism. There's also an angle of the struggle for resources between farmers who tend to be largely Christian and herders who tend to be

largely Muslim.

It's an issue that President Trump's own advisor on Africa, a Lebanese- American businessman, who made his fortune in Nigeria, addressed recently.

MASSAD BOULOS, U.S. SENIOR ADVISER FOR ARAB AND AFRICAN AFFAIRS: People on of all religions and all tribes are -- are dying as a result of terrorist

acts, but it's very unfortunate. We -- we even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians. So people are suffering from

all sorts of backgrounds. This is not -- this is not specifically targeted about one group or the other. However, any loss of life is -- is -- is too

many. One is too many.

MADOWO: Nigerian officials tell me that President Trump is relying on incomplete data from events that happened more than 10 years ago. They also

say they have not officially been communicated to from the U.S. using diplomatic channels.

All they have seen are the post from Truth Social and the response from the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth saying he was getting the troops ready.

And they hope that they can get a meeting with President Trump to try and iron out some of those issues.

They're also anticipating that it might be an antagonistic meeting in the same way President Cyril Ramaphosa faced when he came to the White House

after those claims of white genocide in South Africa, but they say they're ready.

Larry Madowo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[12:15:10]

GOLODRYGA: Called a comeback for the ages. The Los Angeles Dodgers are once again World Series champions. Scores of Dodgers fans took to the streets of

Los Angeles Saturday night to celebrate their team's second consecutive World Series victory.

The Dodgers securing the title in game seven against the Toronto Blue Jays. This morning, the Dodgers flew back home, where the city is preparing to

hold a championship parade in the coming hours.

On board the flight, the players took turns passing around the top prize, the Commissioner's Trophy. Loyal fans never lost hope that their team would

bring home the trophy for back-to-back wins.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People were doubting it at the beginning of the game. Everyone online was going deeper mode. They thought we were going to lose.

But you know what? We won one. And now we got the second one, baby.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazing. It's a great series. Fought through adversity. I don't know how we won that, but we did. Let's go Dodgers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Dodgers, baby. Back to back. Let's go. We got this. What a win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: So at my household was watching Saturday night, I expect millions of other households were doing the same.

All right. Still to come on "One World." Some U.S. voters are heading to polls tomorrow. We'll look at the presidents' latest CNN poll numbers and

what they tell us about the outcome.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Real change has always come from the bottom up. For more ordinary folks who believe we can do

better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Former President Obama is doing his part to get Democrats fired up about tomorrow's vote. But will it be enough? We'll take a look.

And the Trump administration is touting its effectiveness. But advocates are worried that it may be creating false hope. What we know about the drug

that could help with autism.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: The American Academy of Pediatrics is warning against the use of a drug called Leucovorin as a treatment for kids with some forms of autism.

Just weeks ago, at the White House, President Trump, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted the use of the drug. Now, some studies find

that the drug may help certain children on the autism spectrum, but now, the American Academy of Pediatrics warned against Leucovorin's routine used

in kids with autism, saying more research is needed.

So how to read all of this? CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[12:20:05]

JOSE, CHILD WITH AUTISM: Ta-da.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is sweet little Jose. He's four years old. When he was 18 months, he was diagnosed with

autism.

JOSE, CHILD WITH AUTISM: Look at this.

GUPTA (voice-over): And every week since then, he has worked with a team of therapists to try and strengthen his speech --

JOSE: Jose.

GUPTA (voice-over): -- and motor skills and social awareness.

KEITH JOYCE, JOSE'S GUARDIAN: His world was like this big. Like, just, you know well, physically, he's right here. His world was like this big. Rarely

noticed other kids. If he did, he'd play, like, next to him.

GUPTA (voice-over): But then, something changed. Jose's guardian, Keith, said the last six months were somehow different. And he thinks it was

because of a new medication Jose has been taking.

JOYCE: I start doing some research. And I came across in December a news piece about this Leucovorin.

GUPTA (voice-over): Leucovorin is actually a pretty simple drug, a form of folate, Vitamin B.

JOYCE: The third day after we started it, he started babbling so much.

JOSE: OK.

GUPTA (voice-over): We have long known that folate is essential for brain development. What is new is the recognition that some kids with autism have

these antibodies blocking the receptor that lets folate enter the brain. As a result, they have something known as cerebral folate deficiency.

But Leucovorin, a slightly different form of a vitamin, is able to use a different pathway to enter the brain.

JOSE: Grape juice.

JOYCE: He had a personality, but you had to draw it out. And trying to have anything reciprocal with him was just not -- not happening. Now, we have

reciprocal conversations.

JOSE: T-R-L -- O-L-L-I.

JOYCE: Trolli.

JOSE: Trolli, please.

TRUMP: Hello, everyone.

GUPTA (voice-over): President Donald Trump and his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly recommended the drug.

TRUMP: The FDA will be updating the label of an existing drug to reflect potential benefits in reducing some autism symptoms.

GUPTA (voice-over): Since the president's endorsement, interest in Leucovorin has skyrocketed.

JOYCE: My first reaction was, like, better get -- get a refill in. Supplies are tight.

GUPTA (voice-over): At the FDA's request, GSK, which is the maker of the original name-brand Leucovorin, said it will be submitting an application

to update the drug's label to include use for patients with cerebral folate deficiency.

GUPTA: Do you treat something like Leucovorin differently? Because we're talking about autism, something that doesn't really have a therapy?

DR. MARTY MAKARY, FDA COMMISSIONER: I think because it's safe, it will go through a different process. And because it's been around for nearly a

century, it will go through a different process. And because of the urgency of the unmet public health need of the burden of autism in society.

GUPTA (voice-over): Normally, companies do need to run large trials before a label can change. But in this case, the FDA says smaller existing studies

may be enough, even though the data is limited and still needs to be replicated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Here you go.

GUPTA (voice-over): The agency notes that they have reviewed 23 studies since 2009 and found clinical benefit in 85 percent of patients with the

deficiency.

DR. ALYCIA HALLADAY, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, AUTISM SCIENCE FOUNDATION: The issue is whether or not that is sufficient evidence for the FDA to approve

this for treatment of autism, when there's very little efficacy data.

GUPTA (voice-over): But Alycia Halladay, chief science officer for the Autism Science Foundation, is mostly worried about this, creating too much

false hope.

HALLADAY: The indication that the FDA put out was for autism with cerebral folate deficiency. I don't think that that was understood by the autism

community who feels like this is a panacea for all people with autism. Most people with autism do not have a cerebral folate deficiency.

GUPTA (voice-over): Keith is convinced that it helped Jose, but it's still not clear what that means for everyone else.

GUPTA: And I will tell you that there is a blood test to determine the presence of these antibodies. And according to some studies, about 40 to 60

percent of children with autism do have those antibodies, meaning, folate may not properly be entering the brain.

And in those cases, Leucovorin might be of benefit for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:59]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

GOLODRYGA: All right. This breaking news into CNN.

The Trump administration has announced that it will partially fund food aid for millions of Americans. The announcement comes in response to orders

from two judges saying that the administration must use emergency funds to pay out benefits which lapsed over the weekend amid the government

shutdown.

Now, this news comes as two key races could begin to turn the tide for the Democratic Party, the New York City mayor's race and the Virginia

governor's race. Democrats need the momentum of these two races since they don't control the presidency or Congress. And the party doesn't really have

a clear national leader at this point.

So former President Barack Obama hit the trail hoping to get votes for Abigail Spanberger, who's running for governor in Virginia. Obama touted

her ability to reach across the aisle during a rally Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Abigail was ranked as the most bipartisan member of Congress from the Commonwealth. She's had bills signed into law by both President Trump

and President Biden. That is not easy to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say Zohran, you say mayor. Zohran.

ALL: Mayor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Zohran.

ALL: Mayor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Zohran.

ALL: Mayor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The New York mayor's race has also gotten national attention, mostly because of the meteoric rise of Zohran Mamdani. Not surprisingly,

the 34-year-old democratic socialist has not gotten a kind word from President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'DONNELL: What if Mamdani becomes mayor?

TRUMP: It's going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a communist running New York, all you're

doing is wasting the money you're sending there.

So I don't know that he's one. And I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it's going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I'm

going to pick that bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's latest poll of polls show Donald Trump's overall approval rating gained a few points and now sits at nearly 41 percent. This is an

aggregate of a number of polls from various sources. CNN's own poll shows Trump doing worse than that.

[12:30:05]

CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten joins us now from New York.

And, Harry, a second term low for Donald Trump when latest polling. What if anything can we extrapolate from that ahead of tomorrow's elections?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Well, I think there's a reason why, right, that the Democrats are favored in New York City, Virginia, as you

were mentioning. And New Jersey as well, which you did not mention, the state that's right next door where I go to lunch and that's all the gosh

darn time.

And I think that Donald Trump is a drag in all of those states. And when we take a look nationally, right, and we take a look at that picture, you

know, you mentioned the CNN poll. I mean, my goodness gracious, he's 26 points underwater on the net approval rating.

We had a slew of polls come out this weekend and they're all negative and Trump is underwater and all of them by a lot. He's swimming with a little

mermaid. We're talking about minus 18 point, CBS. Minus 18 points, ABC- Washington Post. Minus 12, NBC.

You mentioned in the CNN poll that he, of course, is reaching his all-time low for the second term. And when you apply this all, you believe that

Donald Trump would be a drag, a drag in New York City, a drag in New Jersey, a drag in Virginia. And one of the key reasons why Donald Trump is

a drag is the economy, right?

All right. What are we talking about here? All right. Rate U.S. economic conditions is poor or bad. Look at this, CBS News, 60 percent, three and

five, we're talking Americans rating the economy as bad.

How about this? CNN poll, 60 percent, not high enough for you in terms of rating economy is poor or bad. Look at that, 72 percent. That is such a

drag on these different Republican candidates, whether they be in New Jersey, whether they be in Virginia or that.

I don't even know what that endorsement sort of or not was for Cuomo. I think he's trying to have it both ways. He wants -- I'm fairly -- fairly

sure Andrew Cuomo to win that race. But whatever it is, it's not helping him out when he -- when Donald Trump comes out and says that.

And more than that, I think it's so important to note, you know, when we're talking about these off-year or midterm elections right, Bianna, we're

talking about the fact that you want people to come out and vote.

And what do we see here? Extremely motivated to vote in 2026. This applies though to the midterm -- to the off-year elections as well. Democrats way

ahead on this and this in NBC. And that spells potential disaster for Republicans tomorrow, my dear friend.

GOLODRYGA: So not a -- a replay of where we saw things in 2017, correct? Where Democrats had an astounding win over Republicans.

ENTEN: Yes. These -- Donald Trump's approval rating is maybe a little bit, a little bit higher than it was back in 2017 at this point. The economic

conditions though, is terms of Americans rating them, rate them actually far worse than they did back in 2017.

But in terms of the motivation of got them both, absolutely. And you see that in those special elections as well where Democrats are doing just so

much, so much, so much better.

And, you know, people like my mother who was so motivated to go out and vote, she already did so like last week. I think there are a lot of people

like her. I think we're going to see some really high turnout in all of these races.

GOLODRYGA: And no one is snubbing New Jersey. We love New Jersey --

ENTEN: No.

GOLODRYGA: -- over here.

ENTEN: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Because I left that out in the read, doesn't mean we're not focused on New Jersey always.

ENTEN: We love New Jersey, but as a New Yorker, you know, New Jersey is that place that's sort of across the river. It's fine. I don't want to give

New York -- New Jersey too much props. I don't want them to think they're up here with big brother. They ain't.

GOLODRYGA: Well, the whole Sarah Palin, I can see it behind outside of my backyard.

ENTEN: That's exactly right.

GOLODRYGA: Harry Enten, thanks so much.

ENTEN: See you later.

GOLODRYGA: Well, time now for "The Exchange" and a deeper dive into these latest poll numbers and the Democrats' optimism going into this week's

election.

Joining me now is Barbara Perry. She's a presidential studies professor at the University of Virginia. Barbara, it is good to see you.

So let's stick with this new CNN poll showing Trump's approval rating at a second term low. Seventy percent of Americans say the country is headed in

the wrong direction.

How much should we read into that? How much are you reading into that ahead of tomorrow's elections?

BARBARA PERRY, PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: First of all, great to be with you. It's so -- so often the case that for

the party who's in power in the White House for people to have a sinking feeling about where the country's going and where the economy is going is

always bad news for the person in the White House.

I'd point out, though, that Donald Trump was never above 50 percent during his first term and, of course, lost in the immediate reelection campaign of

2020, but then came back to win in 2024.

So, it doesn't always work to his disadvantage to be underwater in the polling. But for people to have the opportunity really for the first time

other than some of these so-called by elections around the country, but to have an election day with the New Jersey race, the Virginia race and the

New York City race, as well as in California, a ballot measure about whether to redistrict as a counterpoint to the Republicans redistricting in

Texas as an example.

I think this is going to be a time for reading the tea leaves, at least for where we are currently, whether that will hold if it's a democratic sweep,

whether it will hold for 2026 midterms, we'll just have to see.

[12:35:08]

GOLODRYGA: Yes. So let's talk about this. In Virginia, we have Abigail Spanberger running as a moderate in a purple state in New York. We have

candidates like Zohran Mamdani running as a democratic socialist, a much more progressive flank here.

If we see both win and also Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey, if we see all three win, two democratic moderates and then a progressive, what does that

say in terms of where the party is going?

PERRY: It'll be mixed signal, which is really not good for the Democratic Party and that it -- it won't help the Democratic Party to settle on one

point of the political spectrum, because as you point out, if Abigail Spanberger, who's more of a moderate Democrat, I would say, and the Joe

Biden mold wins.

And yet, in New York City, if you have a -- a young progressive win, again, it won't send a -- a clear signal to the party and it won't know whether to

go more moderate or more progressive. So it'll have to continue to read the -- the polling results and go from there.

But it's all -- again, if they run the table on the Democratic Party tomorrow with those three elections, I -- I think it will be a -- a jolt, a

positive jolt for the party that's really kind of in the depths of despair right now. And as you pointed out, doesn't have a national leader except

for someone like Barack Obama.

But I'd even say in 2009, I -- I covered his speech here after he had won in 2008. And Virginia has these off-year governor or selections. And so I

covered him in the same place he was yesterday at Old Dominion University near Norfolk.

And he gave a great speech for the democratic nominee, but the democratic nominee did not win. And yet, Barack Obama went on in 2012 to win

reelection.

GOLODRYGA: All right. We seem to have had an issue with your video, no fault of your own, just what happens some time to time. But your video is a

bit vertical and has turned vertically. So we're looking at you from the side. That's why we covered you with other video.

PERRY: I promise I did not -- I did not do that on purpose.

GOLODRYGA: No. We can -- we can hear you perfectly.

PERRY: But -- but it could be turning upside down for the election.

GOLODRYGA: Well, you know what, that -- that will be something to watch. And I know you'll be doing just that for us. So apologies for that.

But we really appreciate your insights and analysis. And we'll be watching all of this closely tomorrow, see how voters weigh in on how they view, not

only those three individual races, but what it potentially says about the state of the country overall.

Barbara Perry, thank you so much for joining us. Yes?

PERRY: Thank you. All right.

GOLODRYGA: OK.

PERRY: Bye-bye now.

GOLODRYGA: Bye-bye. Thanks. So now you're good. Now we're all set. OK. Thank you.

Well, he walks, talks, and acts just like U.S. President Donald Trump, even though he's never even been in the United States.

Mike Valerio introduces us to a Trump impersonator who has become a social media star in China.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHEN, TRUMP IMPERSONATOR: In Chongqing, China. It's so high. It's so high.

Vintage style. I love the facade. Right?

They're doing a pretty good job. They're doing a pretty good job. It's a harmony. It's a harmony. I love this city.

People ask me, how do I feel today? I'll tell you, I feel fantastic.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it a different kind of U.S.-China summit with the Chinese Trump.

CHEN: Ladies and gentlemen --

VALERIO (voice-over): Meet Ryan Chen, a 42-year-old business manager who started making imitation videos of the U.S. president only a few months

ago.

CHEN: China. People from Qingdao, China, they love dumplings. They really do.

Trust me, nobody does seafood like Qingdao people. They literally turn all of their seafood into dumplings.

I think it's vegan food. It's still good. It's still good.

I went into a truth and dare with my friend, and I lost this dare. And he dared me to do Trump and put it on my account. And it turned out the -- the

video went viral.

You want to take a picture with me?

VALERIO (voice-over): He's now exploded into one of China's biggest online stars, with more than a million followers on the Chinese version of TikTok.

Trump's mannerisms down and even more astonishing.

VALERIO: It's incredible that you've never been to America, and you have Trump just spot on that you're able to do it.

CHEN: Yes, yes, because I'm a little bit gifted in acting. Actually, a lot of people, after they see my video, they come to Chongqing.

VALERIO (voice-over): Chongqing is his hometown, a mega city of more than 32 million people.

Chen highlights the metropolis and its culture and his Trump videos, trying to entertain and monetize while staying clear of any political landmines.

With the U.S. and China increasingly at odds with each other on the global stage, Chen says, he aspires to act as a comedic ambassador between the

superpowers.

CHEN: I can help bridge the gap of, you know, bridge two cultures so that spread happiness. So, I can help foreigners to see what real China is.

VALERIO (voice-over): Starting with the best of Chongqing's famous spicy cuisine.

[12:40:03]

CHEN: We call it thousand year egg.

VALERIO: Uh-huh. OK.

CHEN: And it's really delicious.

VALERIO: Wait. What is this taste like?

CHEN: MSG, right?

VALERIO: MSG? All eggs should be like this.

CHEN: Oh, really?

VALERIO: Yes.

CHEN: I love this guy. He likes everything. He likes every --

VALERIO: Not everything.

CHEN: -- controversial food.

So, the CNN people, they come to Chongqing. All they want to do is to shoot me getting my haircut. That's crazy. Well, today, I'm doing it.

OK. Let's go. Let's go. Hey, Mr. Tan. Mr. Tan. That's my guy. That's my guy. The best barber in town.

VALERIO: He's very professional, this guy.

CHEN: I'm going to look 30 pounds lighter after this. We had a promise, right? A deal is a deal.

TAN, BARBER: You like?

CHEN: I think it's tremendous.

TAN: Tremendous.

VALERIO (voice-over): After their meeting in South Korea, President Trump gave his assessment of the talks with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping.

TRUMP: From zero to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12.

VALERIO: Ryan, on a scale of zero to 10, how would you rate this interview?

CHEN: Interview with CNN people?

VALERIO: With us CNN people.

CHEN: I give it a 67. It's a big number. It's a big number.

VALERIO (voice-over): Mike Valerio, CNN, Chongqing, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: It is uncanny. He sounds just like him.

All right. Well, that does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. I'll be back in about 15 minutes

time with "Amanpour." African Voices Changemakers" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS)

END