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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Qatar Welcomes Trump With Red Cybertrucks, Mounted Camels; New Book: Biden's Inner Circle Kept Cabinet From Him; Combs' Ex-Girlfriend Testifies For Nearly Nine Hours Over Two Days. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired May 14, 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]
DR. PETER HOTEZ, CO-DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT AT TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, CO-AUTHOR, "SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE" DEAN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: --that's what he did with COVID, that's what he's doing with measles, saying that the hospitalizations were due to quarantine and isolation. That's total BS. They were there -- and those kids were there in the hospital, in West Texas, because they're very, very sick, including two deaths.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: And, I mean, for all the cuts -- and we're almost out of time -- but for all the cuts, I mean, you can cut these things quickly, but to get researchers back to start these studies up, it's going to take a long time.
HOTEZ: We risk, right now, Anderson, losing a whole generation of virologists, vaccine experts, at a time when pandemics are accelerating in an incredible clip.
COOPER: Dr. Peter Hotez, it's great to have you. I really appreciate it.
HOTEZ: Thanks.
COOPER: The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight, red carpets, Tesla Cybertrucks, and mounted camels, as President Trump's tour of the Middle East continues, scoring a big deal for the United States and Qatar, and doubling down on his plan to accept a $400 million gift from his host.
I'm Kaitlan Collins, live from Doha. And this is THE SOURCE.
Good evening from Doha. We are live, during the second major stop on President Trump's opulent and certainly controversial, at times, Middle East swing.
We started the day in Saudi Arabia before jetting off to the nation that plans to gift President Trump's administration, a $400 million plane, to replace the same one that I was just aboard, and that we just took, here to Doha. President Trump met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's new president, who ended Assad's brutal regime, before he left. He praised the new leader's quote, very strong past. And by strong past, I should note what the President was referring to is how he joined forces with al Qaeda, to fight American troops in Iraq.
I asked the President about that directly, and that meeting, and his takeaways, and a lot more during our flight over here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You're going to be surrounded by eight fighters, you know, in about seven minutes. And you say, "Do we need them?" And when they say, "Yes." That doesn't make me feel good, right?
COLLINS: How did you find the Syrian president?
TRUMP: Great. I think very good. Young, attractive guy. Tough guy, you know? Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.
COLLINS: Does that worry you at all?
TRUMP: But he's got a -- he's got a real shot at pulling it together. I spoke with President Erdogan, whom I'm very friendly with, and he feels he's got a shot at doing a good job.
COLLINS: As you can see, we just touched down, here in Doha. Behind us, they have literally just rolled out the red carpet for President Trump's arrival. He'll be descending the steps of Air Force One shortly where he's going to greet the Emir of Qatar.
This is where the two leaders will come shortly, with both of their respective delegations.
But on the plane, President Trump told us something significant about those upcoming talks that are supposed to happen, between Russia and Ukraine and Turkey, this Thursday.
What happens on Thursday if President Putin doesn't show up in Turkey for the talks with Ukraine? What will you do?
TRUMP: Well, I don't know if he's showing up. I know he would like me to be there. And that's a possibility. I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out. Marco's going, and Marco's been very effective.
COLLINS: If the President does decide to go to Turkey, it would, of course, be in the middle of his first major foreign trip here abroad. He's got one more stop in the UAE, coming up. But also, it would be significant to have him as a third party at those talks, and amid a major question about what the outcome would be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: A look at a very busy day here. and about that potential meeting with Putin, I should note, it now seems to be off. We've since learned that the Russian leader is not planning on going to Istanbul, on Thursday. And a short time after that, confirmation came that the President was not going to go either. We'll stay tuned to see what happens next there.
But once on the ground here in Doha, the Qataris upped the ante on the royal treatment that Trump has been getting, during his first major foreign trip, rivaling the Saudis, and impressing the President. That included an arrival that had government vehicles that were red Tesla Cybertrucks, leading the motorcade, after we touched down here into the city.
And at the Emir's administrative office, where we were earlier, President Trump and his team was greeted by Arabian horses, mounted camels. The President, though, seemed to be quite taken with the latter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This is what they call perfecto. And just a great job you've done. And what a beautiful place. And we appreciate those camels. I haven't seen camels like that in a long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President ended his day after those meetings, by attending a State Dinner, here in his honor, where the Emir, that you just saw seated to the President's left, presented him with a soccer ball, since the last World Cup was here, and the next one will be held in North America.
[21:05:00]
But for all the focus on gifts, from planes, to swords, to soccer balls, this is what President Trump used to say when it came to gifts from the very countries that he has been visiting so far in this swing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's a criminal enterprise. Saudi Arabia giving $25 million, Qatar, all of these countries. You talk about women and women's rights? So, these are people that push gays off business -- off buildings. These are people that kill women and treat women horribly. And yet you take their money.
So I'd like to ask you right now: Why don't you give back the money that you've taken from certain countries that treat certain groups of people so horribly? Why don't you give back the money? I think it would be a great gesture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That was 2016. This is now. There are fewer journalists in the region who are better-sourced than my first source tonight. The Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi, and the host of CNN's International "CONNECT THE WORLD," Becky Anderson.
It's so great to have you here.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR, CNN ABU DHABI MANAGING EDITOR: Good to be here.
COLLINS: It's been obviously quite a busy first day already that Trump has been here in Doha. And as we were hearing from him, on his expectations for the visit, you actually sat down with the Qatari Prime Minister who, he was seated right off camera, there, to the left of the Emir, about this very gift that has kind of loomed over all of this, this plane.
I want people to listen to what he told you about this transaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL-THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: We will not do anything illegal. I mean, if there was something illegal, there were many ways to hide these kind of transactions when it will not be visible for the public.
I mean, this is a very clear exchange that's happening between two governments. And this is happening between countries around the world. I don't see any controversy. I don't know why it's been taken to a different direction, and it's been politicized this way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: What were your takeaways from that?
ANDERSON: Well, I did ask the Prime Minister whether the country had anticipated this furor, and if that had been the case, whether they would have indeed made this offer. And he's absolutely indignant about it. I mean, his bottom line is, This is a government-to-government offer. This is not a personal offer to the President.
They have a very deep relationship, certainly much better than that which was being sort of laid out by President Trump. Back in 2016, it wasn't a good relationship in the first Trump administration. But it's deepened significantly since then, the Prime Minister said.
And frankly, he said, just as when Qatar helped out the U.S., repatriating Americans from Afghanistan, and others from Afghanistan, this was about a mutually beneficial relationship, not by any stretch, because they are looking for influence. He said, That is absolutely not the case. They didn't need any influence, he said. This is about a deep relationship, government-to-government. And they have no regrets, as long as he said, this is legal, and he said it sits currently with the lawyers.
COLLINS: Yes, and on the just relationship overall, I mean, there's a major U.S. base here. Obviously, they've played a huge role in helping release the hostages that are being held by Hamas. What else did he have to say to you about the focus of this talk?
ANDERSON: Yes, it was a wide-ranging interview. We talked about Iran, and behind-the-scenes. The Qataris have a very good relationship with the Iranians. And President Trump had suggested that the Emir had been helping out in these U.S. talks. I mean, he didn't give me any further detail than that, and what the offer from the U.S. might look like.
We also talked about Gaza. There is an Israeli negotiation team, here on the ground, with Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler. Some disappointment from the Prime Minister. He said that the sense was that the Israelis weren't interested in talking about a ceasefire. It was just about reaching a deal with hostages at the moment, and he said, That is not the right way to come into these negotiations.
He also talked about Syria, which he said is really important. The Qataris have an enormous sort of mediation file, and that is indispensable to the U.S., as a key ally. And on Syria, he said, what happens in Syria doesn't stay in Syria. He said, it's a center of gravity in this region, and stability there will cascade through the region.
I asked him very specifically about the offer that President Trump had made to the President of Syria, about the Abrahamic Accords--
COLLINS: Yes.
ANDERSON: --trying to encourage the President to sign up to the Abraham Accords, normalize relations with Israel. This is what he told me.
[21:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-THANI: We said it many times and repeatingly (ph), Arab Peace Initiative for Palestine, two-state solution, we are willing to normalize, we are willing to engage, we are willing to give the security guarantees for Israel. And I'm sure that the withdrawal from the Syrian lands also will bring back security to Israel, and will bring peace to -- for the Syria and Israeli people.
ANDERSON: What you're saying is that Qatar, along with many other Arab states, would normalize relations--
AL-THANI: Yes.
ANDERSON: --but for the current situation--
AL-THANI: Yes. Yes.
ANDERSON: --and the root cause.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Time and again, as I speak to officials around this region, who have these really ambitious economic visions, in Riyadh, here, and in the UAE, they say it is imperative that they see de-escalation around this region, and that they see economic integration. And they all say, and you just heard the Qatari PM say that, these countries will normalize with Israel, if Israel addresses the root cause of the problem.
No normalization, of course, on the table for President Trump during the trip to Riyadh.
COLLINS: Yes.
ANDERSON: Because the Saudis see a pathway to a credible Palestinian state is absolutely imperative before they would sign that deal.
COLLINS: Yes. A huge if, on that point.
ANDERSON: If.
COLLINS: Excellent interview. Becky Anderson, thank you for that.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
COLLINS: And my next source sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democratic senator of California, Adam Schiff.
And it's great to have you here, Senator.
Because, we heard the Qatari Prime Minister who was in that meeting with President Trump, and the Emir today, telling Becky Anderson that if there was anything illegal about this transaction, that the offer for the jet would not be so public. I wonder what you made of that response.
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Well, I don't think he's exactly the arbiter of what the U.S. Constitution says. And plainly, the Constitution prohibits a foreign government, a foreign King or Prince, from giving a President of the United States, or really anyone holding office, a gift.
And this is a massive $400 million gift to Donald Trump. And of course, the Qataris, they're not stupid. They know exactly what they're doing. They're buying influence with that gift.
That gift will need to be scrubbed. It will need to be retrofit. It will cost taxpayers a great deal. And by the time that plane is ready for service, Donald Trump will be on his way out of office, and he will essentially have that private plane for himself. That's the whole intent of this deal. It's a great deal for Donald Trump. It's a terrible deal for taxpayers, and for the country, but it is a clear violation of the Constitution as well.
COLLINS: Yes, and Trump has said that he won't use it when he leaves office. Obviously, there's questions, because there's no Trump Library yet that it would technically be donated to.
But on the security front that you just mentioned, are you worried that that would be an issue? I mean, there's real questions of how they would even go about ensuring that it would be completely safe and secure for the President's use.
SCHIFF: Oh, it absolutely is a national security issue. The Qataris are very sophisticated with electronic surveillance. They've invested a lot of money in it, as have other Gulf nations. So that plane will need to be thoroughly scrubbed to make sure that they're not listening to the President's conversations on board that aircraft.
Now, this administration that has always played fast and loose with security, as we saw with that Houthi chat, using commercial apps for discussions of military strike plans. So Donald Trump may not care about that, but the American people do. And it's going to cost a lot, take a lot of time, to go through that plane. And when there are other planes, there is already an Air Force One, for the President to use, he might not like the age of the aircraft.
But what we should care about is that prohibition, in the Constitution, is designed to stop a foreign government from buying influence. And the Qataris are buying influence with this plane. They are going to want something back in return. And what they're going to want back in return is favorable U.S. policy towards Qatar, and that is not where the American people are coming from.
COLLINS: Yes, it was striking to see the Boeing CEO sitting in the room today, as they were signing agreements between Qatar and Boeing to buy planes, as Trump has obviously complained about Boeing's delays with producing the new Air Force One models.
On what you mentioned earlier, the Constitution here. Even though it does say that the President would need congressional consent to accept a gift, like this, from a foreign government, is there actually any mechanism in place to stop the White House from accepting this plane?
SCHIFF: Well, it's unclear during the first Trump administration, when there was a similar case, but much less significant, the Gulf nations buying suites and whole floors at the Trump hotels to curry favor.
[21:15:00]
There was an emoluments case brought against the Trump family, against the President. It worked its way through the courts. But of course, the courts delayed so much, and in particular the Supreme Court, delayed so much that by the time it was ready to be decided, Trump was already out of the presidency, and the Supreme Court found the matter was therefore moot.
And we can expect the same kind of Trump delays, when this transaction, if it goes through, when this transaction is tested in the courts, the same kind of Trump stall tactics. And that just is hugely problematic.
But in addition to all of that, what he is essentially seeking to do is launder this plane through the Defense Department. Even Pam Bondi has said, it would be illegal for Trump to accept it directly to the foundation, so they want to launder it through the Defense Department, as if that removes the illegality and the taint. It does not. It just embroils the Defense Department in this corrupt scheme. COLLINS: While we were on Air Force One today, still the U.S. plane that was made by Boeing, we talked to the President about what's happening -- what's supposed to happen in Turkey this week, these all- important talks between Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet Putin there.
It now appears that neither Putin nor Trump are going. The President told me today, he would go and be present if he thought that would help bring an end to this war.
I wonder your view of what the Russian leader is actually doing here, where he's daring Zelenskyy to meet him. Zelenskyy says, OK. And then right now, it doesn't seem like the Russian leader is going to show up there.
SCHIFF: Well, I think it's been very clear, since the President pushed these negotiations, that notwithstanding the fact, he was really requiring Ukraine to surrender, to give up its own lands, to give up its sovereignty, to give up its claims in the future, that Russia still was no -- in no hurry to end the conflict, or even bring about a ceasefire.
Even with all of the leverage Donald Trump gave the Russians, just a wish list of Russian demands? For Ukraine, the threatening of continued support for Ukraine, militarily, and intelligence support, by Donald Trump against Ukraine. Even with all of that, Putin feels like he's in no hurry. He's not the least bit intimidated by Donald Trump.
Trump is now threatening, Oh, there will be massive sanctions on Russia. Putin could care less. He has, sadly, got the President's number all too well. He knows that the President is essentially a paper tiger and has already betrayed Ukraine.
So, I don't know what to make of this, what now seems to be a boarded meeting in Turkey. But I think Putin is playing the President perfectly.
COLLINS: Well, Trump seems to be getting potentially fed up with Putin. I mean, he suggested a few weeks ago that he was tapping him along. He told me today, when I asked, when do you know, like, how he's viewing this? He said, to give it a few days.
I mean, what outcome would you like to see happen here?
SCHIFF: Well, the outcome I would like to see is the United States unequivocally supporting our ally, Ukraine, not undermining it, not forcing it to accept some resolution that cedes Ukrainian territory and sovereignty. But we're well past that with this administration.
I think, frankly, Kaitlan, the Kremlin doesn't take Donald Trump's threats credibly. They don't take it seriously. There are already sanctions on Russia, the most meaningful ones, I just don't see this President embarking on, and that would be to go after Russia's oil industry. Because that would raise oil costs, and the President is simply not willing to go there. But I don't really expect, notwithstanding Trump's frustration, it to materialize into anything to benefit Ukraine.
COLLINS: We'll see what happens.
Senator Schiff, thanks for your time tonight.
SCHIFF: Thank you.
COLLINS: Coming up. One of the biggest takeaways from the President's trip here to the Middle East may be the historic meeting that he just had with the new President of Syria, a man who once fought against U.S. forces in Iraq.
A retired four-star general will join us to discuss, next.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The handshake that you see on screen could reshape the Middle East for years to come, because it shows the United States President embracing a once-U.S.-designated terrorist who is now the leader of Syria.
Ahmed al-Sharaa spent years fighting U.S. forces in Iraq. There was a long-standing $10 million bounty on his head, and the U.S. just dropped it actually a few months ago. He was once known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, and was placed on the U.S. global terrorist list, back in 2013, for leading an al Qaeda affiliate in Syria. He allegedly orchestrated suicide bombings across this -- across Syria.
And as a reminder, I want you to listen, just one more time, to what President Trump had to say, following that historic meeting when I asked him about it on Air Force One today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: How did you find the Syrian president?
TRUMP: Great. I think very good. Young, attractive guy. Tough guy, you know? Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.
COLLINS: Does that worry you at all?
TRUMP: But he's got a -- he's got a real shot at pulling it together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A strong past, indeed.
My source tonight is retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal, who has a new book out, "On Character: Choices That Define a Life" that's available now.
And it's so great to have you here, sir.
On what the President was just saying there, in this meeting, which is, I mean, nothing short of historic between the two of them.
[21:25:00]
You commanded forces in the Middle East. I wonder what your reaction is just to -- if I told you, 15 years ago, that this would be happening, what you would have said?
GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL (RET.), RETIRED U.S. ARMY GENERAL, AUTHOR, "ON CHARACTER: CHOICES THAT DEFINE A LIFE": Well, I probably would have said, unlikely.
But the reality is, people who are enemies often evolve into not being our enemies, and people who are terrorists evolve into something else. Menachem Begin was a terrorist in his early days. Nelson Mandela was labeled a terrorist.
And so, many people who feel very strongly about something actually exhibit a force of will, and then they can mature and evolve into being more. I'm not sure if that's the case here. But I think we need to be open-eyed and open-minded about it, and give it a shot.
COLLINS: Yes, we've seen some hope for what this could mean for Syria. I mean, that's certainly the President's view of this, as he kind of sees it as an economic lifeline.
He really wants Syria to sign on to the Abraham Accords, and normalize relations with Israel. He did seem to note that that's further down the road, if it happens.
I wonder if you see that happening anytime soon?
MCCHRYSTAL: Yes, I actually think it's possible. I think the Mideast is in a period, in which the tectonic plates are mobile now. They're not all moving like we'd like them to, but there's an opportunity for progress.
Now, there are certain very recalcitrant issues that still stay, and some opposition, Iran and whatnot. But the reality is, we've got regimes and leaders who are interested in a different future, and that could give a lot of options.
Now, the United States rule, I think, is critical here. We can't just be following, we can't just be doing what other countries want. We've got to have a plan, and we've got to play an activist role in it, in my view.
COLLINS: Yes, obviously, the geopolitics seem to be scrambled in a real way.
We're in Doha right now. And the Qataris, as you know, they've got a big military base here. They've been key mediators when it comes to hostages being released by Hamas and trying to end the war there.
A lot of the scrutiny, though, in this particular visit has focused on the administration's plans to accept that luxury jet from Qatar. I just wonder if that is something that you personally, given your experience, would you -- would you recommend that? How do you see that?
MCCHRYSTAL: I think it's problematic. As an American, I don't feel very good about it, simply because I think it projects a view of American character, what we're willing to do in a way that I'm not comfortable with.
Now, I'll leave it to legal people to argue about whether the Emoluments Cause or other things, whether they can make it work. But I would rather him not do it. And I think that in the long run, it's not either a good optic or a good reality for the relationship.
COLLINS: Yes, they have made clear they don't plan to back off of it. We'll see what happens there.
But one thing that was discussed with the Emir today was Iran, and that has been kind of an undertone of a lot of this trip, and what's going to happen with their nuclear program.
The President made very clear what the options are, he views, here today. I want you to listen to what he said at the State Dinner tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You're also working with us very closely with respect to negotiating a deal with Iran, which is the far friendlier course that you would see. I mean, two courses, there's only two courses. There aren't three or four or five, there's two. There's a friendly and a non-friendly. And the non-friendly is a violent course, and I don't want that. I'll say it up front, I don't want that. But they have to get moving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Do you think that Iran will, in the President's words, get moving?
MCCHRYSTAL: I don't agree that it's a binary choice. If we go back to our relationship, really, back to 1953 with Iran, and President Mossadegh, when he was overthrown, and the United States had some hand in that, we've had a problematic relationship for all those years, ups and downs.
We've always hoped that the more centrist part of Iranian populace would gain power and would move in a good direction. I think that's still a possibility. They are a democracy. We may disagree with the theocracy that they've got. But the reality is, I think if you make it binary, if someone came to the United States, and they gave us a binary yes or no, I don't think we'd respond very well to it.
Now, I don't think that Iran has been helpful. I think they've been an enemy for the last few decades. But the reality is, just having, Do this, or we're going to do a violent course, I'm not sure how that plays out.
[21:30:00] COLLINS: On this front, I mentioned when I was introducing you about your new book. It's called "On Character." It comes 15 years after President Obama accepted your resignation in the summer of 2010.
I always love reading people's stories, about their life experiences and what they learned from that. I think it can be such a guiding point for people going forward.
I just wonder when you -- when you look at that, in your story, what you want people to learn from that, and what you've experienced?
MCCHRYSTAL: Yes, I explored how I think about things, and how I think that's affected my character, shaped it, and what I want my character to be. And I don't have a prescriptive set of answers for people.
What I think I've done is identify a lot of questions that are pertinent to all of us. But the most important thing about it is the centrality of character. If we think about character, it's the essence of who we are, and it's reflected in our what we do, in our behavior.
And in many cases, in our lives, as I described, if you get off an airplane, you see people line up at the carousel, to get their bags. Nobody else can see or get through. People are being thoughtlessly selfish. And how often are we that?
But then you explode that up to the national level, and you say, what is our national character? Because our character is our fate.
And so, what I think when we decide who we're going to give money to, by buying their products, who we're going to give social media likes to, who we're going to vote for, that character really ought to be the governing criteria. Not something we go, Well, you know, I like that person's policies on this or their politics, but I'm willing to live with the character that I don't like. I think that's a recipe for real disappointment and potential disaster later.
COLLINS: Our character is our fate. Very well-put.
General Stanley McChrystal, great to have you, and thank you.
The new book, "On Character: Choices That Define a Life" is available now, and I hope everybody reads it, and takes something away from it.
Up next here on CNN. We have new details, speaking of another book, when it comes to President Biden's state, when he was in the White House, and what Cabinet secretaries are saying about being kept out of meetings with the President.
The longtime Democratic strategist, James Carville, is here to respond.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Back on the ground here in Doha. As back in Washington, there are new revelations and new questions about the extent that President Biden's own aides went to hide what they believed were his limitations.
This is all laid out in a brand-new excerpt from the upcoming book, by my colleague, Jake Tapper, and also Axios' Alex Thompson, "Original Sin," and they're reporting details, how the President's inner circle kept the President away from his own Cabinet members during the second half of his first term.
The authors spoke to some of the President's Cabinet with one secretary telling them, and I'm quoting a Cabinet secretary of President Biden's now, They shielded him in every meeting. They always wanted to keep him happy. They would say, Don't say that. Don't tell him that. They always wanted to shield him from bad news.
From late 2023 on, the Cabinet was apparently kept at bay. That same Secretary told Jake and Alex that for months, they did not have access to the President, and said, quote, "There was clearly a deliberate strategy by the White House to have him meet with as few people as necessary."
Instead, Cabinet officials talked to senior White House aides, who then delivered that information to the President. And in one rare instance where they did see him, the Cabinet member described Biden as, quote, Disoriented and out of it. Other sources recount meetings with the President where he would occasionally be mumbling and not making much sense.
These damning revelations are no doubt discouraging for a party that is very much still reeling from the election loss, last November. A new poll tonight shows that just 35 percent of Democrats are optimistic about the future of their party, a huge drop from where they were last July, when Democrats nearly had a 60 percent positive outlook.
My source tonight is the veteran Democratic strategist, James Carville.
And James, it's so great to have you here.
Because, I mean, just hearing that Cabinet members were this concerned, and one of them told Jake and Alex that they did not believe Biden could be relied on to do his job at 02:00 a.m. if there was an emergency. I mean, these are not anonymous or -- they're not random staffers, or anyone like that. They are in the President's Cabinet.
JAMES CARVILLE, LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Right.
COLLINS: And it's pretty striking to hear them say that they had real concerns about his ability to do his job.
CARVILLE: Well, I have to -- you know, sometimes I think what Jake and Thompson did is what's called, the first draft of history. There's going to be, I don't know, 25 books on this, and we're going to find out more. I mean, I think that honest (ph) people that did as good a job as they could. They had good sources.
But there's going to be more. Somebody inside is going to get a $2 million advance, and the title of the book is going to be, I Was There. And it's just going to keep unfolding. I mean, history is just relentless. And it's obvious that people knew, and they were scared to say anything. I don't think that -- I think that's pretty established by now. I kind of knew it when it was going on.
But it's kind of hard to speak to, frankly, to a president, I can assure you that.
[21:40:00]
COLLINS: Well, I mean, that's the question also though, is that, these were probably the highest-ranking people. If anyone could have said something, it's the Cabinet.
And so, I think, to look back at this, and see that we were hearing from a lot of them publicly, anytime we would ask them, How's the President doing, what's your view of his abilities?
CARVILLE: Yes.
COLLINS: We got a lot of assurances from these Cabinet members that we were interviewing then--
CARVILLE: Right.
COLLINS: --saying, No, no, he's fine.
And now here we see what they were saying behind-the-scenes.
CARVILLE: I think that more than anything else, Democratic timidity cost the election with Donald Trump.
Yes, I mean, it's easy for me to be on the outside, and not have any position that anybody could do anything to me. But I knew this. I mean, I'm 80 myself, and I knew a little bit about what the job entails. And I always thought the idea of President Biden, who I'm, needless to say, I'm very fond of, running for reelection, was just a dumb idea. And I think a lot of people knew it. And it's very hard to say anything when you're inside. It's lot easier, sometimes, when you're outside, Kaitlan. It's kind of hard to explain.
But there's no doubt there was rampant timidity in the White House, in the Cabinet, in the Congress, a lot of places. I mean, people talking about this. I wasn't even mad, people called me about it, left and right. And I think that this is a lot of why -- how Trump won.
And then now we're finding out that Harris didn't have any leeway. And very difficult, this is a, I think, a very catastrophic time in American history. But I hate to say it, but I think my party shares some blame here.
COLLINS: Well, and the question is, what they're doing about it. I mean, we talk to Democrats every week, who we say, Have you recovered your footing, since the election, have you figured out a way to combat Trump?
CARVILLE: Right.
COLLINS: And the President today, he was deflecting a question about the Qatari plane. But he was going after Senator Schumer to me earlier, saying that he thinks the Democratic Leader of the Senate has lost his confidence.
You look at the numbers, and yes, the President is underwater when it comes to his approval, but so are Democrats in a real way.
CARVILLE: But--
COLLINS: I wonder, just as an advice-giver, what your advice would be.
CARVILLE: But first, my only advice to journalism, OK? We report this story as 35 percent of the Democratic Party don't feel optimistic. My friend Peter Hanby and Puck, well how well-esteemed the Democratic Party's held it. I don't doubt any of that's true.
But there's one thing. We're winning elections left and right. As we're talking about how the Democratic number, image is low, it's in the toilet, or whatever you want to say, I don't dispute that. We just won an election in Omaha, and beat a 12-year incumbent. We were winning elections that in Senate districts and Houses that Trump carried in Iowa, by 20, we were winning the elections. We won in Wisconsin by 10.
So I don't -- I'm not that upset and angst about mid-May of 2025. I think if we saw, you know, we got Virginia coming up, we're going to win that. And the political press is going to be reporting polling numbers, and I'm going to be looking at election results.
I mean, it's just, it's true, the party doesn't have much image. But it's true in these -- at least in these off-year elections, they're voting for the Democrat, and they're going to vote for the -- I don't think anybody wants to bet me that Spanberger doesn't win in Virginia. But if you do, I'm happy to book any bet that anybody has. But election returns, more returns (ph) have been polling.
COLLINS: James Carville taking bets, live on CNN. We'll see what happens there. It's always great to have you. Thank you, James.
Up next for us here tonight. We're getting the first images in court today of the parties that Diddy threw. I mean, you've got to be watching what is happening inside this courtroom every day.
CNN Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, an Anchor, was there inside the room. We'll tell you what she heard in that room.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In just a few hours, Sean Diddy Combs' defense team will get their chance to question Cassie Ventura, the star witness in his federal criminal trial, after her nearly nine hours of graphic testimony, over the last two days.
When she was on the stand today, she described several instances of physical violence against her, and others, including more disturbing details from that 2016 incident, at the L.A. hotel, where you saw that, Cassie said it left her with a black eye and a fat lip.
Today, for the first time, prosecutors showed the jury sexually explicit images, from the so-called freak offs, as prosecutors have detailed them, and as Ventura described today.
Laura Coates was inside, watching all of this unfold, and she joins me now.
And Laura, I know you couldn't see the images. They're not in the view to the public, or the press, in the courtroom. But what can you tell us? I mean, could you see the jury reacting, as they were getting to look at these today?
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, there was already an argument in court, yesterday, about why the public had a vested interest in seeing the full scope of the prosecution's case, even if it included these graphic images. They instead tailored it to only have the jurors and, of course, the parties view it.
[21:50:00]
And the jurors, at least one person, a woman, upon seeing the still images, screenshots, if you will, capturing moments of these so-called freak offs, sexual encounters with male escorts were paid to have sex with Cassie Ventura, while Sean Diddy Combs watched, one grabbed her chest, took a deep breath. Another juror, a man, looked quickly at it and looked away. A third was taking notes along with others.
Sean Diddy Combs also had this binder in front of him.
And I actually watched Cassie Ventura when she was handed the binder of different still images that the jurors were going to see, she looked at it, kind of rolled her shoulders and her eyes for a second, as if visibly reacting to what she was about to see. Because remember, Kaitlan, her biggest fear has been realized, the exposure of these videos, the exposure of these images. And here it was for a jury of her peers.
COLLINS: I mean, I think the real question, and I just wonder, given your legal experiences, how does his defense team get up there, and then what strategy do you think that they'll take? What does that look like?
COATES: This is the million-dollar question, or maybe it's the $20 million question, because the one of the last things that Cassie Ventura addressed in court today, during direct, was that civil settlement.
It will track back to what the defense had to say, was what they are calling a money grab. They conceived and they -- it was domestic violence. But they contend that Cassie Ventura was essentially a grown woman, making her own choices, and we were looking at a private bedroom relationship.
But tomorrow, when they're going to cross-examine her, she's visibly pregnant. The optics of her being viewed through the lens of these jurors, today, as the woman she was during a relationship, is very real.
In fact, at different points in time, as she was describing the abuse that she endured, including being kicked in the back with the bottom of the foot of Sean Diddy Combs, she moved her body as if to demonstrate for them. The jurors were seeing a pregnant woman, essentially mimic what had happened to her, through her own words.
They're going to have to be a little bit careful about those optics. But make no mistake about it, they've got to undermine her whole testimony. What they will focus on is what they say is a money grab. What they will focus on is what they believe is her consent. And what they will focus on probably, is that they feel that she may be a part of the enterprise she's claiming there exists.
COLLINS: Laura, I mean, I can't even imagine what it's like inside that courtroom. Thank you so much for that.
COATES: It's a lot.
COLLINS: And for everyone else, don't forget -- yes, I mean, wow. There's more, and you'll be able to hear everything that Laura saw and heard inside court, 11:00 Eastern for the special episode of "LAURA COATES LIVE: DIDDY ON TRIAL."
And I do want to note before we go, if you or someone you know, is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources available. That includes the National Domestic Violence Hotline. You can call it at 1-800-799-SAFE, or text "START" to 88788.
Up next here for us, as the sun is coming up in Doha, it's the final planned stop on the President's Mideast trip. What are we going to be looking for, and what is he trying to achieve? CNN's Becky Anderson will join me.
[21:55:00]
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COLLINS: In just a few hours, President Trump is going to get back on Air Force One, where he will then fly to the final leg of his Middle East tour, taking off for Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates.
CNN's Becky Anderson is back with me.
And Becky, when the President came back on, on Air Force One today, Jon Swan of The New York Times asked him about what we recently learned, that there's this Emirati-backed fund that is buying a $2 billion stake in Trump's crypto business, his family's business.
He said he didn't know that much about it.
ANDERSON: Right.
COLLINS: But I wonder just how it's being viewed in the UAE.
ANDERSON: So let me just explain what that is. That is MGX, which is $100 billion AI fund, also being heavily -- heavily invested in the U.S. as well, in OpenAI and these big, advanced AI data centers. $100 billion in that fund. $2 billion, it's actually going to be invested in Binance. That's the cryptocurrency platform, which is headquartered in Dubai. And that investment is going to be made in stablecoin. We knew that, a type of cryptocurrency.
What we didn't know until a week and a half ago, when Eric Trump was in town, is that that stablecoin will actually be what's known as World Liberty, which is a Trump family stablecoin. Now don't ask me any more details on this, because it's beyond me.
But virtual assets, I have to say, are a big deal in Dubai. There was a huge conference, the other day, called TOKEN2049. They want to be the center of the virtual assets world, and they're regulating for that at the Dubai DIFC, which is the financial center there, and in Abu Dhabi.
So yes, you're right, there is this massive investment. It is MGX in Binance, but using the Fiat, as it were--
COLLINS: Yes.
ANDERSON: --crypto, through the Trump family's World Liberty crypto.
COLLINS: Yes, and he was saying--
ANDERSON: Does that makes sense?
COLLINS: Yes. Yes, you laid it out beautifully.
But he was saying essentially that he believes the United States is so far ahead on crypto. We'll see, obviously. And obviously, he stands to benefit from that a lot.
Just on this final trip overall, when it comes to the UAE, is it tariffs? What is it that you're going to be looking for the most from this trip?
[22:00:00]
ANDERSON: So I think if -- when we went into this trip, it was clear that all sides, so the Trump administration, and then these three Gulf nations, all saw this as a pivotal opportunity to reimagine U.S.-Gulf affairs into a new era. After all, there's been a very fractured sort of relationship with Washington over the last three or four years.
And perhaps more than any other Gulf state, the UAE sees investment as central to its strategy of deepening ties with Washington. And it's got $1.4 trillion to spend. Why is that? It wants to be a global leader in AI, and advanced tech as well.
COLLINS: Yes.
ANDERSON: And it wants chips from the United States, NVIDIA chips, millions of them. Watch for something on that out of the UAE side of this trip.
COLLINS: Yes. We'll see what that looks like.
ANDERSON: Yes.
COLLINS: Becky Anderson, we'll see you there.
ANDERSON: Good to see you.
COLLINS: Can't wait to see your reporting.
Thank you all so much for joining us, live in Doha.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" is up next.
