Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Summit Between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin Will Proceed Monday; Fierce Clashes Between Israel And Militants In Gaza; Protesters Heckling President Trump As He Was Playing Golf At His Turnberry Resort In Scotland Today; Govt. Watchdog: Trump Golf Course "Destroyed" Dunes; Scottish Protesters Heckle Trump On Golf Course; Mueller Opposes Manafort's Request For Change OF Venue; Trump Wants New Patriotic Paint Job For Air Force One; Pew Poll: Obama Is Greatest President Of Our Lifetime. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired July 14, 2018 - 20:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:00:17] ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: You are live CNN NEWSROOM. I'm so grateful you are with me. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. And when President Trump walks into his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday night, he will be armed with more evidence than ever to confront him on Russia's 2016 election meddling. But whether he will use it or not remains to be seen.

Here is where all this is going down. Presidential palace in Helsinki, Finland. There is a live look at the site of Monday's summit and later joint press availability. There are have been growing calls for President Trump to cancel this meeting after Robert Mueller's grand jury delivered indictments that for the very first time directly connect the Kremlin to the 2016 campaign interference.

It involves 12 Russians from Putin's own government allegedly hacking Democrats emails to damage then candidate Hillary Clinton. And yet, instead of condemning Russia, President Trump points a finger at his predecessor.

These Russian individuals did their work during the Obama years. Why didn't Obama did something about it? Because he thought crooked Hillary would win. That's why. It had nothing to do with the Trump administration. But fake news doesn't want to report the truth as usual.

Meantime, today on the day before he leaves for Helsinki, President Trump got in a round of golf at his resort in Turnberry, Scotland.

CNN senior diplomatic correspondent Michelle Kosinski is joining us now from Helsinki.

And Michelle, how much have these indictments now raised the stakes for this upcoming summit?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: I mean, it's caused incredulity among some even within U.S. Congress that this meeting is still going on. The President hasn't given any indication that he wants to take a hard line with President Putin on this. I mean what he has been saying is that he essentially expects Putin to deny it. To continue to deny it. And what we have heard from President Trump on twitter over the past fee weeks is similar. I mean, when this was announced when we found out that he was definitely going to sit down with Putin.

what President Trump tweeted out was that Putin denies meddling in the U.S. election. So it was almost as if putting out Putin's own line, echoing the words of the Kremlin instead of the words of the U.S. intelligence community and now the department of justice.

Unclear exactly how President Trump will raise this. But like I said, every indication he has given so far has been that he fully expects what the answer will be from Putin, that it will be denials. That he is not going to get much more than that. And then he will move on. He clearly doesn't see the necessity to take a hard line or to criticize Putin, to harshly rebuke him for meddling in the U.S. election especially not publicly. And privately, we will see.

CABRERA: Michelle Kosinski in Helsinki. Thank you or laying it out for us.

Now, ahead of the meeting, the nation's top intelligence official right now is warning that Russia has not been deterred and is still meddling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN COATS, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Russia has been the it most aggressive foreign actor. No question. And they continue their efforts to undermine our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: A handful Democrats and at least one Republican are now calling President Trump to cancel this summit including the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM PEREZ, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Russia did this in 2016. They are doing this in other countries. They attempted to turn the tide in the French election in 2017. They continue their attempts here. Why? Because the leader of out nation is allowing it. He is Putin's poodle. When Putin granted asylum to Snowden in 2013, President Obama canceled a meeting that was on the books with Putin. That's what this President should do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I also talked to one of the most high profile victim of this cyber attack, former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and he accuses the White House of doing nothing to stop future attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN PODESTA, FORMER CHAIRMAN, HILLARY FOR AMERICA: As the director of national intelligence said the red lights are blinking but I think the White House is essentially threw a switch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Joining us to discuss, CNN political analyst and White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Network April Ryan, CNN political correspondent and chief political correspondent for "Esquire" Ryan Lizza and CNN legal and national security analyst Asha Rangappa who is also a former FBI special agent.

So Asha, I'll start with you because at least publicly the President hasn't signaled that he is going to hold Putin accountable. Instead, he is putting the blame on Obama. Now, there are those who feel like President Trump is the ultimate deal maker who has said repeatedly he doesn't show his hand in a negotiation. They would argue this could be just a roof (ph) that the President is trying to make Putin feel safe and then come Monday he is going into the meeting and he is going to drop the hammerer. What do you think?

[20:05:13] ASHA RANGAPPA, CNN LEGAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think that's wishful thinking. Though hope springs eternal.

You know, President Trump has accepted Putin's denial until now. And what these indictments show is that Russia was engaged in a covert intelligence operation to disrupt the U.S. elections. And a hallmark of a covert operation is plausible deniability. Which means that the state sponsoring it is going to say they didn't do it.

So every single one of the denials is actually also part of the covert operation. And at this point those denials are no longer have plausibility. So Trump is going to have to not only call Putin out on it but, Ana, we also have to wonder what he does at home our own intelligence agencies and whether he authorizes them to take aggressive steps moving forward.

CABRERA: As we play, DNI Coats says this is still a current problem. We heard from the department of homeland security secretary Nielsen today also talking about the threat that exists right now. And yet, April, in February, the heads of the NSA, the FBI and the national intelligence director testified that Trump hadn't even given them official orders to counter the Russian interference. Has that changed?

APRIL RYAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, what I will say is leading into Monday with this meeting with Putin, you know, this President, and over this controversial and very confusing last week overseas, this President has not denounced Russia or President Putin. He calls them a competitor and not a foe. So - and even with this, we understand the President is very upset with the timing of the release of this. What happened with these 12 indictments.

This President does not seem poised to come out in any way against -- he hasn't done it, you know, totally before. You know, before when he talked to Putin he said, you know, well, he said he didn't do it and I believe him.

So what is at stake right now? You know, we are hearing more and more evidence that Russia played a hand in our most sacred pieces of democracy, our election. And if this President had not done anything prior to, you know, or said anything that, you know, I'm going to go against him hard, don't expect it Monday. Do not expect it Monday. This is not the Donald Trump, but the pressure is on him. And we will see how he plays this. And it if there's no one in that room with him, what are we to believe, what he says? We don't know what's happening.

CABRERA: Right. April, just to pick up really quick, if you would be quick in your response, when you say that there are rumblings he's not happy about the indictment coming down when it did and yet we hear Rod Rosenstein say that he had briefed the President on this indictment that was coming earlier in the week, couldn't the President have said hold off on this because this could be a problem going to my summit with Putin?

RYAN: The President , he knew that this was going down but he is not happy about the timing at all. This President did everything he could, you know, without looking like he was desperate to get this to stop. But he knew it was coming but he is not happy with the timing. And this timing actually tells the President from the justice department, this justice department, he is totally opposed to at this moment. It tells and basically to cool his heel. He knew but now it's public. And he is -- we are going to see how this plays out. This President does not like to be back up against a wall. And yes, he knew but he does not like the timing off this at all.

CABRERA: Who is telling you he doesn't like the timing?

RYAN: Republican sources. My Republican sources who are very, yes, who are very close to this administration who are telling me that he was actually angry. So this is a very hot issue, yes.

CABRERA: Let me bring in Ryan. Because I wonder, Ryan, if the President would have a different reaction to election meddling, if the Russians were trying to hurt him instead of help him.

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't think there's any doubt about it. I mean, what we saw in 2016 is that at the highest levels of the Trump campaign, there was at the very least was tuccid inclusion, right. In other words, Trump took it as given that Putin liked him and wanted him to win and he never called out the Russian interference even what was known in 2016. Remember, this is an old new. We knew in 2016 in the final stretch what was going on and then candidate Trump basically was a cheerleader for it, right? He said he love WikiLeaks. He called on the Russians to hack Hillary Clinton. We now know from the indictment that that evening they tried to hack into new servers that then Hillary Clinton had after Trump made that call. So there was this kind of out in the open, you know, cheer leading for it all through 2016.

And frankly, that, you know, it was out in the open collusion. Whether that - whether there were actually people around Trump or associated with him who crossed the line to illegality, we still don't know. But he was a cheerleader for Putin's actions all through 2016. And frankly, hasn't really changed his view. I don't think he thinks this is a very serious or threatening to the United States because it helped install him as President, frankly.

[20:05:55] CABRERA: On his continuing to blame his predecessor for not doing more. But I recall President Obama did go to Congress and basically said how do you want to handle this? And Congress was the one who said let's not make more public. And so there was a little bit of the checks and balances going on within the administration a well as law makers on Capitol Hill at that time.

But Asha, as we dig in to some of the details of this indictment, I mean, it just incredible. This indictment covers every move by these Russians down to the malware they use, the location of their servers, how different technology interphase. As an investigator yourself, I mean, how do we understand what kind of investigative work this took. Put it into perspective for us.

RANGAPPA: This is really extraordinary because in the world of intelligence, again, if we are doing covert operation, they are covering their tracks. And Russians are very good. They are good at what they do. And what Mueller is doing in this indictment is not only letting the American public know this what happened, it is also letting Putin know that we are on to you. We have uncovered every single keystroke that you have made and we know every server, every intrusion that you have done. And this is a big deal because on the one hand, Russia can change its tactic. But on the other hand, it is making a very public stance, one intelligence service to another that they haven't gotten away with it. So it's a pretty extraordinary indictment, laying it out bit by bit, no pun intended.

CABRERA: April, the White House is also painting this as a victory. They are seizing on the fact that no Americans were named in this indictment.

RYAN: It is not a victory. This is not a victory lap. Of course, this White House wants to stand with the stance of strength to look like, you know, hey, we are always winning. This is not a win. This further shows that there was a problem and it's taken President so long to even say, OK, there was a problem. But jus acknowledge something happened.

But this is real. I mean, Ana, if you remember back during the Obama years, that fateful day in October that there was release of statement talking about the Russian involvement in the elections process. And 45 minutes late, I mean, was the DNI and other agencies to include homeland security came out with this statement saying that Russia was involved in our elections. They (INAUDIBLE) our election. And then 45 minutes later, it was at "Access Hollywood" tape that just dominated the landscape.

The rollout of this did not play well. But what I will tell you is the way this could be a win for this President, if he walks into the meeting, if he takes this meeting, if walks into that meeting and demands and negotiates in some kind of way to get those 12 who are under indictment to be extradited back to the United States. He as done stuff with North Korea, brought people home. Let's see if he can be the negotiator chief. And really take this seriously and say we want them back. That could be a win for him. That's the only way that it looks like a win. This President is walking on egg shells with this meeting with Vladimir Putin.

CABRERA: Ryan, I will give you the final thought.

LIZZA: Well, I think that would be extraordinary if he convinced Vladimir Putin to send those 12 individuals to the United States. The chances of that, as I think April will agree, is pretty much zero.

RYAN: Agree.

LIZZA: And the purpose of this meeting, I think, you know, is just completely puzzling. I don't understand why the President is meeting with Putin. There is no stated goal for the meeting. And now we have this cloud hanging over the whole thing about the detailed evidence of election meddling laid out in the days before. It's just absolutely mind boggling why the President is actually doing this. What is the purpose of the summit? Most summits have a purpose, have an agenda. This one doesn't. And I think the only way for him to save it is for him to make it strictly about this issue and nothing else.

[20:15:09] CABRERA: We will see what comes in about 48 hours.

Ryan, April, and Asha, thank you so much for joining me on this Saturday evening.

LIZZA: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Coming up, breaking news.

Word of a possible ceasefire after fierce clashes between Israel and militants in Gaza. What caused Israel to launch its largest bombing campaign in years?

And later the hunt is on for a low-flying protester who got through security during President's visit to Scotland.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:19:51] CABRERA: Our breaking news on this Saturday. The militant groups controlling Gaza say they have reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel after a sudden surge of fighting and rocket fire.

Militants reportedly launched more than 200 rockets and mortars in the last 24 hours. The Israeli air force meanwhile carried out its single largest campaign in several years.

Let's go live to Jerusalem and CNN international correspondent Ian Lee in why this sudden spike in fighting. Are Israeli forces saying anything about the ceasefire? [20:20:30] IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, to

answer the first part of that question, it really all can be traced to Friday when Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians during protest along the Gaza border with Israel. And then early on Saturday morning, that's when residents in southern Israel near Gaza woke up to sirens warning of incoming projectiles. And throughout the day at least 200 rocket and mortars were fired by Gaza militants towards Israel. And at least 30 were intercepted by Israel's iron dome missile system.

Israeli jet fighters retaliated by hitting dozens of Hamas targets including tunnels, training facilities, weapons depots and command centers. It was the single largest bombing campaign in Gaza since 2014 warrant. And in that two Palestinian teenagers were killed and a dozen injured in that bombing according to the Palestinian ministry of health. Israeli medical official say four people were injured including three people who sustained light to moderate shrapnel entries after a rocket hit their house in the town of (INAUDIBLE).

This kind of situations always have the potential of getting out of hand and possibly leading to another warrant. That's why there were reports that the U.N. in Egypt were working hard behind the scenes to broker a ceasefire. And Islamic Jihad and Hamas have confirmed that they were able to start -- have a ceasefire starting at 8:00 p.m. local time.

And this highlights it the pivotal role that Egypt is playing here in keeping the peace. And to go to the second part of your question, Israel's prime minister's office has no comment on the ceasefire. And that typical. They usually don't talk about this. And right now it, it does seem to be holding. But this isn't the first time in recent months we have seen a ceasefire like this where there might be a few exchanges that take place before it does really go back to calm -- Ana.

CABRERA: All right. We will keep our fingers crossed that it stays calm.

Thank you, Ian Lee for that update.

Coming up, teaming up a controversy as President Trump hits the links in Scotland. Why environmentalists are sounding the alarm about one of his beachfront golf courses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:27:16] CABRERA: Those are protesters heckling President Trump as he was playing golf at his Turnberry resort in Scotland today. And there you see him in the white hat. You can also see a line of Scottish police there at the bottom of your screen.

Now others have gone to great lengths to let him know exactly how they feel. A paragliding protester apparently from Green Peace who surprisingly close to the President also during his visit to Turnberry. He carried a banner that read Trump well below par hashtag resist. And he managed to get away after that stunt. CNN White House correspondent Abby Philip joining us from Glasgow,

Scotland.

Abby, in addition to the protesters there at Turnberry, there is also controversy involving Trump's other golf course in Scotland?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana. As the President's affinity for Scotland days back year and it prompted him to buy not one but two beautiful coastal golf courses here. And he may be the first half-Scottish President. But that hasn't meant that he hasn't been controversial. Now that he is the most powerful man on earth, many in his mother's home country have changed their view of him over the years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MILNE, ABERDEEN RESIDENT: The view behind me is the best part of 40 miles of natural Scottish coastland.

PHILLIP (voice-over): In Aberdeen, miles of untouched beaches and pristine Scottish sand as far as the eye can see.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, everybody.

PHILLIP: Until Donald Trump moved in next door in 2006.

MILNE: What do we have dumped in the middle of it? An artificial landscape by an American who doesn't care what he destroys in the process. It doesn't fit. It is not necessary. We don't want it here.

PHILLIP: It's not exactly the welcome a half Scottish president might expect.

TRUMP: My mother was born in Scotland and stoned away. She loved Scotland.

PHILLIP: President Trump making a golf detour to a different Scotland course on his visit to the U.K. Amid a mountain of controversy and protests. Locals like David Milne have battled with the Trump organization for years over the course in Aberdeen. When Trump bought the beachfront land next door, he pressured Mine to sell calling his house and other ugly and a slab. Mine refused.

MILNE: It almost like a practice run for this presidency. He is doing the it exact same thing internationally as he tried to do here. He failed here.

PHILLIP: Then Trump built a fence around known's property and sent him the bill. So he put up a Mexican flag in protest.

MILNE: Anyone who disagrees with him is seen as an idiot, a fool.

PHILLIP: The disputes don't end there. The Scottish government eventually won a year's long dispute with Trump over putting windmills along the coast cline. And a colleges lament that Trump's manicured golf course has ruin the once protected sand on the Scottish coastline.

[20:30:07] Back in the U.S., ethics watchdogs ringing the alarm, as Trump marks more than 120 visits to a Trump golf course since becoming president.

WALTER SHAUB, FORMER DIRECTOR, U.S. OFFICE OF THE GOVT. ETHICS: This detour to his Scotland property is really disturbing. Because it's yet one more advertisement for his properties. Every one of these trips is not only an advertisement, but it's a taxpayer funded advertisement.

PHILLIP: Trump claimed he handed over his businesses to his sons when he became president. But that hasn't stopped him from making Trump organization properties in the U.S., the second and third homes. Amid rising unpopularity in the U.K. and in Scotland, some Trump backers here are undeterred.

VIC ANDERSON, GROUNDS WORKER, ABERDEEN GOLF COURSE: It was (INAUDIBLE) for me.

PHILLIP: Vic Anderson, a former grounds worker at the Aberdeen Golf Course counts Trump as a boon for his town.

He's been good for this community?

ANDERSON: Absolutely, absolutely.

PHILLIP: And that hasn't gone unnoticed.

ANDERSON: With friends like you, Trump International golf links will soon become our greatest achievement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP: And President Trump did take time away this weekend to visit his golf course and play golf on that range. And the protests that we saw there this weekend really highlight that the president's controversiality (ph) in Scotland isn't just about the golf course. It's his also about his policies. Some seventy-nine percent of Scots have an unfavorable view of him, according to a recent poll. And it seems very much that that is not changing anytime soon. Ana.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Abby Phillip, thank you for that report.

Coming up, Paul Manafort's new reality. The so-called VIP treatment he lost after being moved to a new jail before his upcoming trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:35:13] CABRERA: Welcome back. President Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has apparently been living the VIP lifestyle in jail. And those aren't my words. VIP are his words. According to special counsel, Robert Mueller, Manafort was recorded on jailhouse phone calls bragging about how he was being treated like a, "VIP" behind bars. Prosecutors say Manafort didn't have to wear prison jumpsuit. He had a private bathroom, his own cell phone. He even had his own computer where he's been able to review all the evidence ahead of his trial. This week though that was all ripped away. Manafort was moved to a different prison where he won't have internet and the meals are said to be carb heavy. He also has to wear a jumpsuit seen here in his new mug shot.

I want to bring in CNN legal analyst, Paul Callan. He's a former prosecutor. And, Paul, before we get into some of the legal detail of the upcoming trial, is it typical for a high-profile offenders to have this kind of treatment, have these accommodations?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it varies from place to place because you have to remember that there are different jails in every jurisdiction in the United States. Now, he happened to luck out because when he was sent to jail for violating his bail conditions, they sent him to rural Virginia to a very small place in Warsaw, Virginia and they're not used to having high profile people there and so whatever facilities were available which included the private shower the nice room and the internet connection --

CABRERA: He was supposed to be in "solitary confinement."

CALLAN: Right. He was supposed to be in solitary confinement and they only had these quarters available. So he kind of -- he locked out. But then, Manafort made a mistake and this is a lesson in be careful what you wish for. He was 100 miles away from his lawyers who were preparing his case to go to trial in Alexandria. And they complained that they were having trouble meeting with their clients. So the judge said, you're having trouble? All right. Let's move him to Alexandria where we keep terrorists, spies, and all other kinds of miscreants like drug dealers and whatnot. And so now he's in a more conventional, rather nasty federal facility.

CABRERA: And now as the details leak about of his VIP treatment. Do you think impacts the upcoming trial? Because he had been asking for a delay in the trial.

CALLAN: I don't think it will. I think that -- and I think there's one thing you have to remember. He is presumed innocent. He hasn't been convicted of anything. And at least in theory, being presumed innocent, jails aren't supposed to be to punish people. They're just supposed to be to keep --

CABRERA: But I guess my point is the fact that he had argued they needed a delay because he wasn't able to do the kind of preparation he would be able to do if he had closer access to his lawyers. Now, we've learned he's had all the documents right there in front of me, he has a computer, access to phones all the time.

CALLAN: He may not have had the ability to meet with the lawyers face to face. I suppose that's probably the chief thing that he's complaining about. But I'm sure he deeply regrets now that this complaint was made because he didn't never anticipated that he'd wind up in a real jail.

But I think the other lesson of this is, is a lesson that, I don't care whether you're Paul Manafort or somebody in on a drug offense. If you're incarcerated, as opposed to being out on bail, it's much harder to meet with lawyers and prepare your defense. And Manafort has a complex defense. This is a complicated financial case. This is not a case where there are three witnesses and you just have to figure out what their testimony is and how you're going to cross examine. There are thousands and thousands of documents that have to be looked at and explained for the jury. So it's a complex case that probably does require the lawyers to be close by.

CABRERA: The other thing is Manafort's been trying to get the trial venue moved to Roanoke, Virginia versus Northern Virginia. Why would that be beneficial to him?

[20:40:04] CALLAN: Well, the lawyers obviously feel that the jurors in Alexandria, Virginia and in Washington D.C. had read so much about his case in the press where it's heavily covered that they're already prejudice against him. If you go to a more rural location where maybe people aren't so focused on Manafort and all things Trump, maybe at least there's a shot at getting a fair jury. That's the argument his lawyers are making.

CABRERA: All right. Paul Callan, as always, thank you for lending us your legal expertise. We appreciate it.

Coming up, flying in style. President Trump wants to change up the look of Air Force One. Is he going to give it the golden touch?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:45:10] CABRERA: The president wants to make Air Force One great again, or at the very least at a splash of red. The last time the president's plane got a makeover was actually when President John F. Kennedy picked the iconic sky blue and white style. But Trump is looking for a more patriotic red, white and blue. A color scheme that brings to mind another famous plane. CNN's Tom Foreman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Say goodbye to the old Air Force One with its sleek blue and white design. And say hello to what exactly? Team Trump is not offering details, but initial reporting by the Axios news website suggests something that sounds like one of his private planes, red, white, and blue. He also wants a larger comfier bed and well, who knows?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You'll notice the seatbelt, as well as everything else, are 24 karat gold-plated.

FOREMAN: Trump finalized the project to replace the presidential planes early in his term, striking a $3.7 billion deal with Boeing and boasting he'd more than a billion from the original estimate.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That plane as beautiful as it looks is 30 years old. Can you believe it? What can look so beautiful at 30 on an airplane?

FOREMAN: Hardly the first to oversee changes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Eisenhower returns to Washington.

FOREMAN: The president's plane called Air Force One since the 1950s has experienced many upgrades and modifications. And once featured a gaudy orange front. But when John and Jacky Kennedy proposed a new design in the early 60s, it's stuck. Air Force One has looked like this ever since. The flying White House in times of conflict, confusion and more. The worldwide symbol of presidential stability and power. In fact and fiction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get off my plane.

FOREMAN: For all that, an official close to the project tells CNN Trump has been deeply involved in the new a design.

TRUMP: That was a 22-hour flight. Do you think that's fun? That's not even fun in Air Force One.

FOREMAN: Nothing appears set in stone yet, but while 10 other presidents have left Air Force One largely as they found it, this one seems intent on leaving his mark.

FOREMAN: Again, what that will be precisely remains a mystery. Although the idea of some brighter colors might very well fit with this president who rightly or wrongly clearly sees himself as boulder than the rest.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Well, let's discuss this potential new Air Force One look with CNN presidential historian, Tim Naftali. Tim, it's always good to have you with us. A different topic tonight than usual. So I'm excited to get into this. I want you to take a look at how award- winning cartoonist for The New Yorker, Liz Donnelly. Her take at least, on what the new plane could look like. You saw the one there with a hat on it, the Make America Great hat. There's the mini-me plane, the American flag plane. What is your take on President Trump wanting to do this Air Force One makeover?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: this is very Trumpian. After all, the only president who really bothered with the colors on Air Force One was John F. Kennedy. In 1962, they were going to roll out a Boeing 707 and he took an interest in the iconography of the plane. It's John F. Kennedy who decided that the United States Of America should be printed on the livery and he also said to Raymond Loewy, the industrial designer who provided the design. He said, I want you to use the font from the Declaration of Independence.

So from the beginning, this aircraft was supposed to be extremely American and extremely patriotic. When Loewy came to Kennedy with the colors for the plane, he suggested gold and red and Kennedy didn't want gold and red.

CABRERA: Maybe that would have been more liked -- well liked for this president.

NAFTALI: Well, the irony is that this president may turn it back to what John F. Kennedy rejected. John F. Kennedy said, my favorite color -- he said something like -- my favorite color is blue and he liked it to be blue. And so John F. Kennedy chose the color for that plane and every president since has maintained it because of its iconic status. So since this is a president -- we have a president now who doesn't care really about presidential legacy. He wants to be the world's -- he wants to be America's best president, but doesn't care what previous presidents did. He always says they were bad and not smart enough and tough enough. It makes perfect sense that he wants to stamp his Trump, his "T" on Air Force One, because he's tried to stamp his T on every other aspect of presidential activity.

[20:50:03] CABRERA: And given his past life, as a businessman, he knows all about marketing, his own brand. I want to get your reaction to presidential historian Michael Beschloss, who was upset about this reported change. He said this for Axios, "Every time you see that blue trim and the words United States of America spelled out in that same type face as an early version of the Declaration of Independence, it brings back JFK landing in Germany to speak up the Berlin Wall. Richard Nixon flying to China. Ronald Reagan, stepping off the plane to see Gorbachev in Iceland and a thousand other scenes of presidents in our past." Your thoughts?

NAFTALI: Well, first, Michael Beschloss, he's a great presidential historian and I agree with him on this. There's a reason why we don't change certain things.

CABRERA: Would that be lost to some degree?

NAFTALI: What's lost is a sense that the president stands on the shoulders of the presidents before him. And one of the things that was so striking about President Trump's inaugural address was how he didn't mention anybody or anything before the advent of the Trump era. That's what's so -- that's one of the things that's so corrosive about this administration. The president's view of the presidency. He should be building on precedent before him. He can change things. He's been elected. But to reject everything that came before him is dangerous. So rejecting, this sounds like such a minor thing, but rejecting the color scheme of Air Force One and denying us to that iconic look is just another example of Mr. Trump's belief that nothing before him matters and nothing before him is as good as he can make it.

CABRERA: And it reinforces his detachment from past presidents. We know he hasn't had any calls with President Obama. Has hardly had any interaction with President George W. Bush. And on that note, when we talk about past president, I want you to take a look at this new Pew Research Center survey that came out this week on who Americans consider to be the best president in their lifetime. Now, as you can see, Barack Obama leads the pack followed by Reagan, Clinton. And then Trump there at number four. What's your takeaway from this?

NAFTALI: Well, people have to keep in mind that this is a poll about people of your lifetime and you have to be older than 55 to have coincided with John F. Kennedy and he would have made it if they had asked people about any modern president. First of all, people remember the president they first voted for. Barack Obama changed the nature of the presidency in the sense that he was the first African- American elected president and broke through an important ceiling, an unfortunate ceiling in our history. Ronald Reagan remains iconic to many Americans. And that didn't surprise me. The fact that Donald Trump was on the list is a sign of the fervent support that he has among of a small number of Americans.

CABRERA: Thank you so much. Tim Naftali, always good to have you with us.

Coming up, heartbreaker at Wimbledon. Serena Williams comes up short after an incredible run. Her message to all the fans and fellow moms out there.

But first, the CNN original series, the history of comedy returns tomorrow night with an all new season. And here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chemistry is the main special sauce in a comedy team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's one guy who's out of control and one guy trying to say calm down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The theme of sex in comedy is like there's a huge flow chart and everything leads to sex.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sex was always taboo and those walls been torn down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything I needed to learn about comedy, I learned watching Warner Bros. cartoons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get so many chances to be funny in animation with the writing, voice talent, animation realm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Comedians don't have a great mortality rate. We lose a lot of people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we lose a comedian, I feel it's more personal because I know them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really one of the highest forms of comedy when you can be totally and just as funny as the comedy dirty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sketches are really a fun way to talk about the culture with a quick turnaround.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just show up on set and you just roll. NO rehearsal, no discussion. You just roll and try not to laugh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The history of comedy starting tomorrow at 10:00 on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:55:44] CABRERA: Heartbreak for Serena Williams at Wimbledon. She fell just short of her quest for a 24th career grand slam which would have tied her with Margaret Court for the most all-time. The 36-year- old was also gunning for her eight Wimbledon singles title but lost in straight set to Angelique Kerber six-three, six-three. Williams who became a new mom last September had this to say when it was over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERENA WILLIAMS, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: To all the moms out there, you know, I was playing for you today and I tried but, you know, Angelique played really well. She played out of her mind, you know. So it was really good. I look forward to, you know, just continuing to be back out here and do what I do best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Well, the loss can't take away from Serena's incredible comeback. She battled life-threatening complications after her baby was born, again, less than a year ago. Cheering her on Sunday, a pair of Royal fans. The Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex were part of that crowd at Summer Court.

It's going to do it for me. Thanks for being here. I'm Ana Cabrera. Up next, it's the CNN Original Series, The 2000s. Have a great night and tune in tomorrow. I'll be back with you at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

[21:00:08]