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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump Heaps Praise On Saudi Crown Prince: "I Like Him Too Much"; New Book: Biden Didn't Recognize George Clooney At 2024 Fundraiser; Sean Combs' Ex-Girlfriend Cassie Ventura Takes The Stand. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired May 13, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: But it's good to know it's not at all gay.
That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Tonight, the President of the United States gets the royal treatment in Riyadh, as he lavishes praise on the controversial Crown Prince, amidst a major foreign policy announcement.
I'm Kaitlan Collins, live from Saudi Arabia. And this is THE SOURCE.
It's just past 04:00 a.m., here in Riyadh, where President Trump is set to kick off day two, in the same glittering fashion that he did for day one, alongside the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
The Kingdom's de facto ruler was the first to greet the President when he stepped off Air Force One, a few hours ago, personally overseeing the pomp and pageantry that met Trump, including that escort by F-15 fighter jets, as Air Force One touched down.
The Saudis rolled out the carpet, which, instead of being red, was actually lavender, as it represents the Kingdom's national identity. And then there was the Presidential motorcade that you saw, surrounded by a cavalry of Arabian horses.
Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince were virtually attached at the hip, for most of the day. It culminated in both of them addressing the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, in a room that I was in, and which was brimming with the world's top business executives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: We're here at the Saudi Investment Forum, waiting on President Trump to come, and make his first public remarks since he's arrived in the country, as he begins his first major foreign trip since returning to Office.
Right now, he is actually having lunch with the Saudi Crown Prince. Also at that lunch, a huge list of businesspeople inside the United States and abroad, including the CEO of Amazon, Palantir, Elon Musk is inside that room, as they are all meeting with President Trump, as really he has come here to secure one thing that he has been trying to secure his entire life, business deals.
The President is trying to get a trillion dollars in investment from Saudi Arabia, in the United States. So far, the Crown Prince has pledged $600 billion.
We're standing, right now, in what has been dubbed, Prosperity Hall. It's really highlighting a lot of the Saudi Crown Prince's investments that he's making in Saudi Arabia, including non-oil investments. Obviously, oil is one of the Kingdom's largest export that they have.
But as he is this newer, younger leader, and trying to transition away from that, they're highlighting the other efforts that they are making to invest here in Saudi Arabia. What's notable about that is, as the President, President Trump, is seeking a trillion dollars in investment from Saudi Arabia, there's been real questions about how the Saudis could meet that?
They pledged $600 billion so far, in this term. But obviously, they are facing a cash crunch here. The price of oil is lower than where they would like for it to be, and there's questions about how that is going to line up with their deficit that they are seeing, given all of these investments that the Saudi Crown Prince is making.
One thing is clear here, at the Saudi Investment Forum, as they are highlighting their relationships with past U.S. presidents.
As you can see, starting dating back to President Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon to my right, and then President Jimmy Carter.
When you look over here, Ronald Reagan as well. President Bill Clinton. President Trump, when he last visited here in 2017.
And then also when President Biden himself visited, a highly controversial visit that the President's aides then fretted over.
Of course now, that has completely changed, and the dynamic here is different when it comes to what is looming over this trip by this U.S. president, and also why he chose to make it the first major trip of his second term in office.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: On this trip, the President and the Prince have been mixing business with pleasure. They shared a ride to the Saudi state dinner, tonight, in the same golf cart. MBS, you could see, was behind the wheel, as President Trump rode shotgun.
And in the midst of the pomp here and the desert, there were also showers of praise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm so impressed with this young guy who, who was very wise, wise beyond his years.
I like him a lot. I like him too much. That's why we give so much, you know, too much.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I like you too much.
The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country, I have to say, right? You're hotter. At least as long as I'm up here, you're hotter.
Mohammed, you sleep at night? How do you sleep?
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: What a job. He tosses and turns like some of us. Tosses and turns all night, How do I make it even better, all night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:05:00]
COLLINS: When the sun rises soon here in Riyadh, the President is expected to do something that no American president has done in 25 years. At the urging of the Crown Prince, the White House confirms that he will greet the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who toppled the former, Assad, but also has his own history of extremism.
That meet and greet comes on the heels of this major announcement from the President today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: After discussing the situation in Syria with the Crown Prince, your Crown Prince, I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Oh, what I do for the Crown Prince?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: CNN's Jeff Zeleny is here with me, in Riyadh.
And Jeff, obviously, watching as this has played out today, as we've been reporting on this, it is remarkable just to see how this has played out, what the White House's priorities are, what the President's priorities have been.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: No question.
And the meeting, later this morning, with the new Syrian president, that was at the urging, as you said, of the Saudi Crown Prince. So that shows you, right there, this is a mutually beneficial relationship. Having sanctions lifted in Syria is potentially so beneficial here to Saudi Arabia, opening up a huge potential new investment area, et cetera. So I think it's clear that the relationship goes both ways.
We know what President Trump gets out of this relationship. We saw the CEOs lined up, literally waiting to have those conversations. But it's also clear, there's conversation going both ways.
And they were literally together for nearly 12 hours, as you said.
COLLINS: Yes.
ZELENY: We can't overstate that. You and I have covered a lot of world leaders with the President. No world leader has ever spent this much time.
And we've talked a lot about this trip, eight years ago, so different for this reason, because at that point, he was just a junior member of his father's sort of leadership, very controversial inside the family. But now he's 39-years-old. He's clearly set to be the King-in-waiting here. So when the President talked about a new generation of leaders, in the Middle East, that's who he's talking about.
COLLINS: Yes. And in that Saudi Investment Forum, where the President and Crown Prince were, there were these models of what MBS wants to do, here in Saudi Arabia. Obviously, speaking to Trump's real estate brand -- I mean, Trump came out and said, I looked at a lot of models. I've never seen anything like what he's planning to do here. He was -- it clearly worked, essentially.
But you're also watching the lunch that they attended earlier where, I mean, if you looked at it, it was a who's who of business executives, not just people like Elon Musk, who obviously are close with Trump, but Amazon, Boeing, all of these executives.
ZELENY: All of these American CEOs, who have worldwide business interests, were here because President Trump was here, and because they see a business opportunity here. So all of that adds up to a lot of the investment, the White House has been talking about.
The question is, though, is it really going to reach the $1 trillion level that President Trump has talked about. Almost certainly not. It almost certainly will not also reach the $600 billion levels. There will be a lot of investment. But I think once we go back and look at some of these deals, some have been announced already, et cetera.
So one thing is clear, though. Going forward, for the rest of this administration, the relationship with Saudi is only growing.
COLLINS: Yes.
ZELENY: This country is on the rise, and this young leader is too.
COLLINS: Yes, you can see such a difference in that. Jeff Zeleny, thank you for that.
ZELENY: You bet.
COLLINS: We'll be in Doha next, after this.
Also joining me here tonight to talk about what's happening in Saudi is the Democratic senator, Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
And Senator, it's great to have you here.
I wonder what you made of what you saw playing out, on the first day of the President's visit, here in Saudi today.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Well, I mean, nothing I just watched seemed to have any relation to what the real reason for this trip is. The President is in the Middle East, in order to collect tribute from these countries. He went to Qatar, and the Emiratis, and the Saudis, because they are willing to pay him money.
Every single nation is doing personal business with Donald Trump, and Donald Trump's companies. The Saudis have been a major investor in his real estate company. The Qataris are buying him a plane. The Emiratis are the biggest investor in his cryptocurrency. So he's there on his behalf. He's there in order to profit off of U.S. foreign Policy. There's no way they're going to invest $600 billion. That's a made-up number. Most of those are commitments that they had already made.
The real story here is that Trump is cementing the fundamental corruption of American foreign policy. He is not pressing any of these nations to make concessions that would be beneficial to American foreign policy.
All he is asking is that they pay him money, they send him cash. That's what they've done, and that is essentially the trade that's being made here. The United States gives them favorable treatment, in a variety of really important ways, and they pay Donald Trump money. So that's the story of this trip, I think, first, second, and third.
COLLINS: I think what's striking is how the last time we were here, with a U.S. President, human rights loomed over the whole visit with Biden, after he had vowed to make Saudi Arabia a pariah. Obviously, something that Biden backed off of when he needed them to lower oil prices.
But this Crown Prince, that the President was with today, is the same one that U.S. intelligence concluded, ordered the assassination and was behind it, of the journalist and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.
[21:10:00]
And I want just to remind everyone what the president, President Trump, told Bob Woodward about how he handled that in 2020.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB WOODWARD, AMERICAN JOURNALIST: What happened, sir?
TRUMP: I saved his ass. That's what happened.
WOODWARD: You saved whose ass?
TRUMP: MBS.
WOODWARD: Yes. By?
TRUMP: They were coming down on him very strongly. But I was able to get Congress to leave him alone. And it wasn't easy, because they were, you know, that was a hot subject at the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I mean, just to hear that, and to see them side by side today, obviously embracing one another, I wonder what that says to you.
MURPHY: Well, I mean, there's one way to take care of any issue with Donald Trump, and that is to pay him. So, what happened after Trump left office was that the Saudis did a massive $2 billion deal with the Trump family. They were the biggest investor in Jared Kushner's private equity fund. Since then, they have financed a major Trump property in the Middle East.
And so, of course, the President is going to look the other way, when it comes to the horrific human rights abuses of the Saudi government, if he gets money in his pocket. That's extraordinary. That has never, ever happened before in the history of the United States.
We have never allowed a President to take gifts of $400 million planes. We have never allowed foreign governments to finance a President's family's private equity fund. And so, the reason why he's not raising any of Saudi Arabia's human rights issues is because he's been paid. Pure and simple.
COLLINS: On the plane, can I ask you, because the President just posted at about 03:00 a.m., so roughly an hour ago here in Riyadh, essentially defending taking the plane, saying that it's going to save U.S. taxpayers money, in his view, this Qatari luxury jet that he -- the administration will be accepting, and he said that Qatar wants to reward the United States for a job well done.
MURPHY: Yes, he means that Qatar wants to pay Donald Trump money, in order to get favorable treatment.
We have a really nice private jet that ferries around the President. I've been on it. It's wonderful. There's no need to replace it.
The thing that's different about the jet that the Qataris are giving Donald Trump is they're not giving it to the United States. They're giving it to Donald Trump, personally. He gets to keep it after he leaves the White House. He gets to fly around in a free private jet with all of his Mar-a-Lago buddies. And Qatar knows how you get good things from Donald Trump. You just pay him money, you give him free things, you give him a jet. It's outrageous.
It's outrageous, because Trump is going to trade away America's national security. The Saudis want to be able to enrich uranium. They want a nuclear deal that would allow them to get as fast as they can to a nuclear weapon, in the case that Iran does the same. That would be terrible for the United States. A nuclear-armed Middle East. But that's what Trump seems prepared to do, light the whole region on fire, so long as he gets paid.
COLLINS: Well, he was arguing against that today. He was essentially saying that the Middle East should focus on investment, and A.I., and what we were looking at, at that forum today, instead of bombing and wars and whatnot.
And I should note, the plane is going to the Defense Department, which says -- which, then we are told, will be donated to the Trump Library.
But on this front, Senator Schumer says he's doing a blanket hold on all Justice Department nominees, political nominees, until he gets answers. Do you support that, Senator?
MURPHY: Well, first of all, I mean, come on, do we really believe that the plane is being -- is not going to be used by Donald Trump, personally? Do we really believe that the Trump Library isn't just going to be another mechanism for Donald Trump to make tons of money? I mean, we all know what's going on here.
And yes, we have to take extraordinary measures to shut down this level of corruption. Again, this is unprecedented. We have never had a President of the United States on the take, like this President is who, again, is literally willing to turn the Middle East into a nuclear weapons zone, because he is getting paid, not through the back door, but through the front door.
So we absolutely have to do whatever we can, in the Senate, to work with our -- with Republicans who seem to be understanding how fundamental a corruption this is, to try to shut it down before it's too late, before this whole country normalizes this level of grift.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, Senator Tuberville was defending it today, one of your colleagues.
On the major announcement though, about lifting sanctions on Syria. I mean, that would essentially, could be a huge economic lifeline for the new leader there, that Trump's going to be greeting tomorrow. Is that a move that you support?
MURPHY: Kaitlan, you're cutting out a little bit. But if you're asking about the Syria sanctions, listen, this is important, actually--
COLLINS: Yes.
[21:15:00] MURPHY: --that we establish relations with Syria, to the extent that Donald Trump follows through, and gets rid of these sanctions. That could be a positive step. So, amidst all of the massive corruption today, which is really the story, the only good news is that we might be giving this new Syrian regime, a chance to show us that they're serious.
Now this guy who is meeting with Trump tomorrow, he is a former member of an extremist group that worked to kill American soldiers in Iraq. He's not a good guy. But he has made commitments to build a multi- sector -- multi-sectarian, multi religious society in Syria. He's certainly better than Bashar al-Assad, and it probably does make sure to give him -- probably does make sense to give him a shot.
COLLINS: OK. Notable to hear you -- your support for that.
Senator Chris Murphy, as always, thank you for your time tonight.
Up next here for us. Is the President's trip here to the Middle East, just about diplomacy? Or does it also have to do with expanding his family's fortunes? Maggie Haberman, from The New York Times, is up next, as we analyze that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Good things come to those who wait.
Great things come to those who don't.
The world's most talked about name is now in Dubai.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That is the message for anyone who is looking to buy or stay at the upcoming Trump International Hotel & Tower in Dubai. It's one of the new deals, President Trump's family business has unveiled, in the Middle East. And for President Trump himself, one of the many opportunities for financial gain while he is in office for his second term.
Right now, The Trump Organization is doing business in all three countries that the President is visiting on this trip, including here in Saudi Arabia, where there is a Trump-branded tower on the way in Jeddah. Renderings show apartments with expansive balconies, pools, water views.
There's also The Trump Organization's partnership with LIV Golf, which is the Saudi-backed league that hosts some of its tournaments at Trump properties in the U.S.
In Qatar, where the President is heading tomorrow, his son, Eric, recently unveiled a new beach villa and golf community. That project is backed by the nation's sovereign wealth fund, seemingly a break with a pledge by The Trump Organization to avoid new deals with foreign governments, during the President's second term.
His third stop on this trip, the United Arab Emirates, which is home to the major investments in one of the Trump family newest ventures, the Trump's crypto company, World Liberty Financial. This month, an Emirati investment firm, announced it would use the company's digital currency for a $2 billion transaction.
While the President is in office, his assets are in a trust, and his son, Eric Trump, says that the President is walled off from all of the company's deals. But as the President is here, and touting the deals that he's been making for the United States, on this trip, there is a backdrop here of new seaside villas, and crypto coins that bear his name and his face.
My source tonight is The New York Times' White House correspondent, Maggie Haberman.
And Maggie, it's great to have you here.
Because just when you look at the broader portfolio here, and you've been talking to your many sources, is there anyone who is around him that is concerned about the ethics, or maybe just the optics of how this looks and how this plays out?
MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: There is a general awareness that there could be a problem, down the road, with some of these business deals, or even not so far down the road. In terms of the general optics, anybody who has a problem with that is not somebody who is really currently serving in Donald Trump's administration.
You are correct that he had -- he had said that he was divesting from his business, the first time -- sorry, not divesting. That he was going to put his business in a blind trust, and he was not going to be involved in it, in his first term. He never divested.
This time, yes, it's in a trust, but they are not making the same statements about, No more foreign deals, no -- you know, we're not doing things completely separately. We are not trying to create an appearance where we're at least pulled away from it. This time, they're just sort of doing what they want to do. And they feel like they got criticized last time, so what's the difference?
Other presidents have been concerned about the appearance that this would create. And that's not an issue here right now.
COLLINS: I think that's a good point in terms of what you just said there, that he said he would divest the first time when he took office. But that never actually ultimately happened. I think a lot of people may not realize that.
HABERMAN: Yes, so I actually -- you know, I misspoke. He didn't -- I don't remember if he actually said he was going to divest during the campaign. What he did do was put his holdings in a blind trust, and he said he would have nothing to do with the company and running it. And we don't know whether he did or didn't have anything to do with decisions about running the company.
We do know that they put a hold on certain new deals while he was in office then. They're obviously not doing that now to the extent that they were before. And as you say, this new -- this new deal that Eric Trump announced, would seem to violate that pledge about, no new foreign deals while Trump is actually in office.
But either way, look, we've never had a situation, Kaitlan, where there is a president with this much wealth, and this many assets. And so, how he could make more extensive efforts would be to divest, would be to fully step away, he's clearly not doing that.
COLLINS: Yes.
And we are here in Riyadh. We have not seen the President's children. The White House said they're welcome to come. But we haven't seen any of them actually accompany him on this visit, or his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. We've not seen any of them.
I wonder just what you've noticed about the trip, what has stood out to you, in your reporting so far, of either expectations going into this, or what has happened on the ground so far?
[21:25:00]
HABERMAN: So, two things, Kaitlan, that I'm looking at. And you're there, so you're seeing it much more closely. I'm watching from afar.
But number one, there is no real foreign policy agenda or aim that has been laid out for this trip that I'm aware of. Now, yes, the President announced that he is going to halt these sanctions on Syria, and that is significant. If that moves ahead, that is a big deal for the region.
But in terms of what he is hoping to accomplish with this mission, in terms of the U.S. and its relationships with the region, they haven't really articulated a longer arc. They have talked about deals that they want to do for investment in the U.S. And there are real business deals that could take place. But certainly, as you're raising questions here, these are countries with significant interests in -- for the Trump family businesses.
Number two, Trump looks about as happy as you can imagine. He is being treated like a king. And we have seen many instances, where he has wanted to be treated sort of commensurate with leaders in foreign countries, in autocratic countries, or with autocratic leadership, and he looks as if he is ruling over everything right now.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, just watching the President and the Crown Prince make their way through that Saudi Investment Forum today, and seeing MBS kind of give him this tour--
HABERMAN: Yes. COLLINS: --show him these models of what he's doing. It just did say, we always see world leaders come in and try to appeal to the President and what he likes. I mean, this isn't new.
But just even looking at the room. And The New York Times had a great view of this up today, essentially saying, This isn't Palm Beach, but it looks so much like Mar-a-Lago in different rooms that he's in, and spaces that he's comfortable in, and how he's tried to remake the Oval Office, by putting more portraits and more gold--
HABERMAN: Yes.
COLLINS: --and just making it more in his liking.
HABERMAN: That's right. Mar-a-Lago East was, I think, Jonathan Swan's line. Jonathan is on the ground there. And it exactly captured it. I mean, if you look around the Oval Office, as you say, there is gold, or something covered in gold, a gold-like substance everywhere.
COLLINS: Yes.
Maggie Haberman, excellent reporting, as always. Thanks for joining us tonight.
Up next here. There are damning new details inside the Biden White House, and the President's reelection campaign before it came to an end. Just how bad was it, behind closed doors? Our White House insiders discuss the stunning details from our colleague's new book.
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Former President Joe Biden's apparent inability to recognize George Clooney, at a June 2024 fundraiser, is one of the starkest revelations from CNN's Jake Tapper, and Axios' Alex Thompson's new reporting for their upcoming book, "Original Sin."
They report that days before that debate, the infamous debate on CNN, between Biden and Trump, an aide had to gently remind the then- President and presidential candidate, who George Clooney was, saying, quote, "You know George."
The reporting goes on to detail the President's mental and physical decline, months before the presidential election, including concerns from people close to him who thought he may need to use a wheelchair when it came to his physical capability for his second term.
Tonight, the highest-ranking Democrat in Washington, Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, said this in response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Did you really not have any idea that he was not fit to serve a second term? SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Kasie, we're looking forward. We have the largest Medicaid cut in front of us. We have the whole federal government at risk.
HUNT: But I think you're facing all of this because you lost a presidential election.
SCHUMER: Right.
HUNT: And is that not Joe Biden's responsibility for deciding to run again?
SCHUMER: We're looking forward.
HUNT: That's it?
SCHUMER: That's it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Yet another excerpt from "Original Sin" suggests that Schumer had his own concerns ahead of the confrontation with Trump at CNN's debate.
At a wedding that was held the same night as that Clooney fundraiser, a guest at Schumer's table recalled him saying, and I'm quoting from Jake and Alex's book now, "If things go south at the debate, me, Barack, Nancy, and Hakeem have a Plan B." Though Schumer later denied saying that.
My sources tonight are:
Former Biden White House communications director, Kate Bedingfield.
And the former communications director for the Democratic National Committee, Xochitl Hinojosa.
And it's great to have both of you here.
Kate, what's your response to reading this, given you worked up and close with President Biden inside the White House?
KATE BEDINGFIELD, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well (Audio Gap) this is reported in these -- in these excerpts from the book.
COLLINS: Kate?
BEDINGFIELD: Everybody saw this in the summer of 2024 on that debate stage. And -- oh, sorry. You're having trouble with my audio?
COLLINS: Just a little bit. Just standby. We're going to fix your audio real quick.
Xochitl, let me get your view here. Because obviously, you worked at the Justice Department. You were there when Robert Hur's report dropped. The main takeaway from that was not even really about classified documents. It was about the President's age.
XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER DOJ DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, FORMER DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Yes.
COLLINS: When you hear this, how does this make you feel about your colleagues inside the White House?
[21:35:00]
HINOJOSA: Well, at the time -- and you're right. Kaitlan. At the time, when we released the Robert Hur report, the Justice Department faced a lot of criticism that Attorney General Garland should have somehow redacted the report, should have not sent it to Congress, should have edited it, should have somehow intervened. Which would have never happened, and actually would have had to have been reported to Congress, if that would have been the case.
And Merrick Garland said that he wanted an independent Justice Department, and promised to Biden that he would have an independent Justice Department.
As you'll recall, Robert Hur put in his report as part of the reason why he wasn't moving forward with the prosecution of Joe Biden after he's president, because you cannot prosecute a sitting president.
But once he leaves office, the reason why -- one of the reasons why he wasn't going to bring charges is because he said that if presented to a jury, once Joe Biden leaves office, in his mid-to-late 80s, that he would be seen to a jury as a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.
The White House slammed the Justice Department, at the time, calling it gratuitous, and saying--
COLLINS: Yes.
HINOJOSA: --that that was not appropriate for a prosecutor to do, that Robert Hur was a Republican.
Mind you, I want to note, that Robert Hur is now representing Harvard against the Trump administration. He is not someone who is political in any way. Has worked under Democratic and Republican administrations.
But the reality is, is that became the topic for many, many weeks, coming from the White House, and from Biden's allies.
And so to hear the reporting is really, frankly shocking, but also, at the same time, just goes back to, Robert Hur was not trying to insinuate in any way, or say, and he never said, that Biden was fit or wasn't fit to be president. What he was making a determination on is how a jury were to react later, down the line, which also seems like a concern to the White House, based on Jake Tapper's book.
COLLINS: Yes. And Kate, when you look at this, I mean, there's another part of this, in terms of the President's physical ability to just get around. We had heard the White House insist a lot that the President was fine. The new book says that the President's aides actually privately talked about putting him in a wheelchair, for part of his second term after the election.
Now, there's obviously nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair. Many capable people are in wheelchairs, and do their jobs just fine. But it did come as the White House was insisting publicly there's nothing wrong here. He just has a stiff gait.
As someone who worked there, do you -- how do you -- how do you see this, in terms of responsibility, or what the public knew, versus what people around the President thought.
BEDINGFIELD: Look, I worked there until March of 2023, and my experience with President Biden, he was certainly able to get around. He was riding his bike in Rehoboth Beach. But I also (Audio Gap) March 1st of 2023, and that's not the time period that Jake and Alex's reporting covers.
I will say that whether -- the question of whether somebody physically has to be in a wheelchair does not go to this question of mental acuity for one thing. So, the suggestion that somehow those two are related, I mean, the world saw that he was old, and that his gait was getting stiffer. That was on display for everyone to see. That, in and of itself, does not raise a question about mental acuity. So I think it's important to acknowledge the difference between those two things.
But the other thing I would say, just more broadly--
COLLINS: Yes.
BEDINGFIELD: --about the question of a coverup is, don't forget, it was the team around President Biden who put -- who advocated for the early debate, and put him on the debate stage, early in the campaign, thinking that it would be a favorable comparison for him.
So, I think the idea that there was some sort of conspiracy to cover this up is belied by the fact that they chose to put him on the national stage, and have that moment that ultimately became the undoing of the campaign. And that was because they thought it was (Audio Gap) obviously, in retrospect, politically, I think a lot of different choices should have been made noted (ph).
But this idea that there was an intentional coverup, that certainly doesn't comport with what I saw when I was in the White House. And I think the fact that they put him out on that debate stage undermines that a little bit.
COLLINS: Well, and we heard Senator Schumer telling Kasie Hunt, It's time to move forward and look ahead. But to her point, this is -- Democrats are still reeling from losing the election.
And Xochitl, David Plouffe, who was a top Obama campaign aide who helped run Harris' campaign, after the President did get out of the race, he was quoted in the book. He says, We got so screwed by Biden as a party... it's all Biden... He totally effed us.
I mean, that is quite a quote to say about the Democratic president who just left office a few months ago.
HINOJOSA: Yes, that's right. I worked at the DNC when Joe Biden was elected, and he was -- and I helped get him elected the first time. And what I'll say about that is that he won and he actually benefited from having a very competitive primary.
[21:40:00]
And so, I think that Democrats often do well whenever you are able to debate the issues, when you are able to have a 10-person double-digit primary. Yes, no one wants to go through that, but at the end of the day, the voters want it.
And so, I do think Democrats, looking back, whether Chuck Schumer wants to admit it or not, looking back, I think yes, should we have had a primary? Yes. Should he have been a bridge candidate, and a bridge president, and embrace the next generation of leaders, like Vice President Harris and other people? Absolutely.
I think everyone, looking back, believes that we should have, and that he should have gotten out of the race, and allowed that process to happen, and we would have had a stronger Democratic Party. And so, I think the realization across the Democratic Party, after losing the election is that one. Whether people like to admit it or not, is another thing.
COLLINS: Yes.
Xochitl. Kate. Great to have both of you here tonight. Thank you for weighing in on that.
Up next. We go to New York, where there was dramatic testimony from the star witness today, in Sean Diddy Combs' criminal trial. Laura Coates was inside that courtroom. She'll tell us what she saw, what she heard, next.
[21:45:00]
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COLLINS: Today, Cassie Ventura, who is the star witness at the heart of the criminal case, against Sean Diddy Combs, took the witness stand, and testified about the years of alleged abuse by the media mogul.
At one point, Cassie, who is visibly pregnant, I should note, broke down in tears, as she talked about engaging in Combs' so-called freak offs, as prosecutors have described them, which were videotaped, coerced sexual encounters with male escorts. She said that she agreed to the days-long drug-fueled sex parties, throughout their relationship, because she feared his violence, and wanted to make him happy.
She also revealed more about his brutal assault in 2016, which CNN obtained exclusive footage of, last year, it's horrific video that you can't forget, and she testified that she was trying to run out of a hotel freak off, because Combs had given her a black eye, and she didn't want him to do, quote, Any more damage than he had already done before her first big movie premiere.
Asked how many other times that Combs had beat her in that way? Cassie replied, quote, Too many to count.
My source tonight is CNN's Chief Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, who was inside that courtroom.
And Laura, it's just hard to hear that testimony from her, I mean, and seeing her relive it. What else did she say when she was on the stand today?
LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST, CNN HOST, "LAURA COATES LIVE," CNN ANCHOR: I cannot overstate the importance, Kaitlan, of having this witness be there today to testify.
Everyone had been waiting to hear what Cassie Ventura would say. She is really the linchpin of the prosecution's case, to bridge the gap between the Sean Diddy Combs, the public may have known, and the Sean Diddy Combs, the prosecution wants them to know, the person who they claim is a racketeer and a sexual trafficker and a domestic abuser.
Hearing from her own voice what happened and the why, it's particularly around why it was an over 10-year relationship, the manner in which she described of her (ph) sexually inexperienced.
She talked about his dominance, the power dynamic at play, the humiliation and degradation that she was experiencing during the so- called freak offs, and also how, perhaps more importantly, for the RICO charge, which talks about enterprise, it was a whole hands-on- deck operation as a part of the high level officials, or high level employees, people who were his assistants, who all took part in facilitating these freak offs, and ultimately, she says, her exploitation.
COLLINS: How did Diddy react, as all of this was -- as she was testifying to all of this?
COATES: I was--
COLLINS: Could you see any visible reaction?
COATES: Oh, we were watching so closely, Kaitlan, to see. These people had not seen each other in over six years. And since that time, there's been obviously a civil lawsuit. They cannot say one another's names.
But she walked into that courtroom visibly pregnant. She's sitting across from him, turning her body slightly towards the jury pool. They never make eye contact, as far as you can see. In fact, as the jury walked past her, she had her eyes down. As she walked by Diddy, out of the courtroom, for different breaks, she never looked his way. He looked ahead.
But he was far more fidgety this time around than even yesterday, passing notes to his counsel, leaning in and conversing, at times, even pushing his body away from the table, he normally sits at with his back closer to the audience.
It was a moment that everyone was watching for. And we're only at the tip of the iceberg of the claims and the graphic nature of the claims being made.
COLLINS: Was the jury, did they seem to be watching Diddy more, or Cassie as she was on the witness stand?
COATES: They appeared to be really leaning in and captivated by the conversation, the testimony that she was speaking out. At times, they were very, very captivated, listening to some of the more salacious details, although they were not outwardly clutching their pearls, as one might think, with the graphic content involved.
[21:50:00]
However, they wanted to hear from her, in her tone. It's very important to say. She was not a charismatic or boisterous person. She really sucked you in with this sort of calm, steady tone, oftentimes soft-spoken, at times almost giggling at her own naivete or sarcasm in a moment. And so, they were really hooked on her testimony.
And they were obviously looking to see what Diddy was doing, but also the families in the room. Remember, they were together for over a decade. She knows his kids. Six of them were present. We were watching to see that interaction as well.
COLLINS: Wow. Yes, I mean, and obviously, we'll keep watching that, especially when the defense has their chance to question her, to see what that looks like.
Laura, I do want to ask you tonight, as you are our legal expert here. We're getting breaking news in another major legal case that has fascinated the nation, and this is a judge resentencing the Menendez brothers to 50 years of in -- to life in prison, which essentially makes them eligible for parole.
What does this mean? What could we see happen next here?
COATES: Well, part of the reason they did so is because the first D.A., in elected office, who was recently the D.A., wanted to have this resentencing. He then lost an election.
The incoming D.A., now the incumbent D.A. said, No, no, no, I do not want to do this resentencing.
Well, the judge essentially said, Too late, the office has already initiated this motion. It's going to stand. And now they are eligible for parole, almost immediately. But they have to go before a parole board.
What they're hoping for, though, is for the Governor of California to give clemency, and do away, essentially, with their time in prison now, and allow them to return home.
This is a very significant case. It's been over 35 years. A lot of celebrity interests, a lot of people who have been pushing and rooting for them, documentary films, not the least of which his own family members, their own family members from both sides of the family of the parents that were killed.
COLLINS: Yes, that's a great point. We'll all be watching to see what happens.
Thank you, Laura.
Obviously, for everyone else, don't forget to tune in tonight, 11:00 p.m. Eastern, there's a special episode of "LAURA COATES LIVE" that will focus on the trial today and what she saw in court.
And also, just to say, before we take a break here, if you or someone you know is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources that are available. That includes the National Domestic hotline. You can call 1-800-799-SAFE, or you can text "START" to 88788.
Up next here for us from the Middle East. The President's extravagant trip is going to continue. His next stop is going to be highly scrutinized, especially given what the President is defending on Truth Social tonight, as he plans to have his administration accept a luxury plane from the Qatari government.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In just a few hours, President Trump will be up and about here in Riyadh. He's expected to meet the new Syrian president, after announcing earlier today that he's going to make a major step by lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria. That is a huge shift, in U.S. policy towards Syria, whose leader has not met with a U.S. president in 25 years. So keep that in mind when you're watching this meet and greet play out.
Because then, later on, we'll see the President take off for Doha in a matter of hours after that. That is his second stop on this three- nation, four-day tour in the Middle East.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny is back with me.
And Jeff, we talk so much about the business deals that are in the backdrop of this, the President's own financial interests. Foreign policy-wise, this is probably one of the biggest things that we're seeing come out of this summit so far, though, in terms of lifting sanctions. ZELENY: Without question, it's a change in U.S. policy. It was not telegraphed by the White House. So, I think the backstory of this will be actually very interesting, because the President said he was essentially talked into it, or advised to do it, by the Crown Prince. Now, this is not completely out of the blue. The U.K., the European Union, have already lifted sanctions.
But the meeting later today, here in Riyadh, is going to be extraordinary, because as you said, it's been 25 years. So just looking into the future, what does this mean for Syria?
It's also a bit of a thumb in the eye to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the President -- of U.S. President, to not only not visit him, but to also lift sanctions on Syria. Pretty extraordinary.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, we've seen Netanyahu totally sidelined, and that has been fully on display, I think, this week, in terms of the hostage release that basically sidestepped Israel. Trump touting today that they're not going to bomb the Houthis anymore in Yemen, and then this as well, does kind of -- you know, it's unusual to see that Netanyahu basically has no role in this trip to the Middle East.
ZELENY: It certainly is, and not that the relationship is permanently frayed or anything like that. We know that the Prime Minister has been to the Oval Office twice, just in a couple months. But it does show strain in the relationship.
And President Trump, in many respects, is moving on. He wants the conflict in Gaza resolved. That's also something we didn't hear much from the President today on. And that, of course, is hanging over everything here in the region.
COLLINS: Yes, normalizing relations, he said, Saudi would do on its own term.
Going to Qatar, it does stand out that the whole plane thing is kind of hanging over this visit in a way that the White House was obviously not anticipating, and certainly the President is not going to likely welcome.
ZELENY: There's no doubt about it. And the Qatari government has also still not confirmed this. They're saying that it's still being negotiated.
COLLINS: Yes.
ZELENY: So it is absolutely marring that portion of the trip, or overshadowing it, we should probably say. And it will be, again, because the President, as you reported, is still talking about it. Throughout the night here, he's been mentioning it.
COLLINS: Yes.
ZELENY: So I think there's no doubt that will hang over the visit. And in Qatar, the President is also going to an air base, the biggest U.S. air base, later on this week as well--
COLLINS: Yes.
ZELENY: --to see U.S. troops.
[22:00:00]
COLLINS: And you will be there covering that. We will be covering all this, from Doha, tomorrow. Jeff Zeleny, thank you for that.
ZELENY: You bet.
COLLINS: I should note, I'll be flying with the President, to Doha, in a matter of hours. We will bring you all of our reporting from that visit, tomorrow night, here on THE SOURCE.
Thanks so much for joining us tonight.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" is up next.
