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S.E. Cupp Unfiltered

U.S. Response To Saudi Arabia's Alleged Involvement In The Disappearance Of "Washington Post" Journalist Jamal Khashoggi; Speculations Still Swirls Around The Disappearance Of Jamal Khashoggi Speculations Still Swirls Around The Disappearance Of Jamal Khashoggi; First Lady Melania Trump Says She Was Blindsided By Her Husband's Zero Tolerance Immigration Policy; Trump Will Be Appearing In Richmond, Kentucky For Another Rally; Woman Called Police In Cobb County, Georgia Earlier This Week. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 13, 2018 - 18:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:12] S.E. CUPP, CNN HOST: Welcome to UNFILTERED.

Here's tonight's headline. Severe punishment. A very talkative President Trump for the second time in less than 24 hours, used the word "severe" to describe what the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in the disappearance of "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be during a press conference at the White House where he welcomed U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson. Brunson was just freed from detention in Turkey where Khashoggi just went missing on October 2nd inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There were other things we can do that are very, very powerful and very strong and we will do that. There are other things we can do that will be very severe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUPP: In a free wheeling press conference in which the pastor prayed for the President and the President went around the room asking various people to speak, Trump said he has not yet spoken to king Salman of Saudi Arabia or Turkish President Erdogan.

Just yesterday in an interview with "60 Minutes" Leslie Stahl, the President was a little more pointed about Saudi Arabia's potential involvement in the disappearance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There's a lot at stake and maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. There's something, you will be surprised to hear me say that, but really terrible and disgusting about that if that were the case. So we are going to have to see. We are going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CUPP: It is a welcome shift in tone from an administration that's offered a tepid at best response to Khashoggi's disappearance. However, it remain to be seen whether or not it is just lip service after the White House came under pressure from foreign allies and members of Congress to take a tougher posture with the Saudis.

So what does severe punishment entail? Well, we know what it doesn't. Scrapping our multibillion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Just hours ago, Trump again told reporters, again, why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When we take away $110 billion of purchases from our country, that hurts our workers, that hurts our factories, that hurts all of our companies. You know, you are talking about 500,000 jobs. So we do that, we are really hurting our country a lot more than we are hurting Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUPP: Here's the deal. We cannot be naive about the stakes here. Saudi Arabia is an important strategic partner on a number of fronts, both political and economical. We can't just blow up that relationship. But we can't use that relationship as an excuse for inaction either.

Jamal Khashoggi may not have been a U.S. citizen, but he sought refuge in this country. His children live here. For that reason alone, we have a moral obligation to bring those responsible to account.

But even if he had no ties to the United States, what then? The world looks to us to be a beacon of democracy, to set the tone. So Mr. President, this is your moment. Who will we be? A nation that stands on principles like free speech and basic human rights? Or a nation that looks for the exits when it might ruffle feathers? Yes, it's a difficult situation but principles only matter when they are hard.

All right. For more on the latest in this ever-evolving story, let me bring in CNN national security analyst Sam Vinograd.

So Sam, the Turkish government has reportedly told U.S. officials that they have evidence that proves that Khashoggi was murdered. Today, President Trump and secretary of state Mike Pompeo said they have not seen it or heard it. Do you think that they will?

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, S.E., why on earth have they not seen evidence to date? In situations like this, the first thing the U.S. government and the national security apparatus should be doing is reaching out to intelligence and law enforcement partners around the world including Turkey, including other countries that have good intelligence assets on the ground in Istanbul or in Saudi Arabia and asking, what do you know? And if that intelligence is not making its way to the President's books, the President's daily briefing, then we have a much bigger problem.

CUPP: How long do you think Saudi Arabia can credibly continue to deny any involvement without producing proof that Khashoggi walked out of the building alive as they are today still insisting?

VINOGRAD: Well, we have a temporal reality here. Every day that goes by, Jamal Khashoggi is not coming forward. He is not appearing. There is no proof of life.

CUPP: Right.

VINOGRAD: So the whole notion that he walked out and roaming around Istanbul or somewhere in Riyadh illogically becomes less plausibly less. And as I just mentioned, we have the intelligence reality. Every day that goes by, I hope the U.S. government is working with its intelligence and law enforcement partners to get more clues. To listen, perhaps, to more chatter that Saudi officials are having through intelligence methods. So more information is hopefully coming to light as time goes on. And every second that goes by and I feel so much for Jamal's family and friends, they don't have answers because he just is not there and the Saudi conclusion or Saudi reasoning behind what happens becomes less plausible.

[18:05:36] CUPP: Sam, thanks so much for joining me tonight. Really appreciate it.

VINOGRAD: Thanks.

CUPP: For more on this, I would like to bring in Republican congressman from Illinois, Adam Kinzinger. He seats on the House of foreign affairs committee.

Congressman, you heard the President today. As it said earlier, he was very talkative. Have you been satisfied with the way that the White House and in particular, President Trump, has responded to the disappearance of Khashoggi so far?

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R), ILLINOIS: Well, you know, in some of the way the President speaks sometimes, I wouldn't say exactly like he does. But I think the President has to, like, you have some people that are like leaping to this conclusion of we needed just basically excommunicate Saudi Arabia from the entire world.

We need to be cautious about this. This is an egregious thing that happened. And it looks like all the evidence is pointing to, in fact, that he was tortured and dismembered to death and that's an awful, awful thing. But we also have to understand that in the world of international relations, caution but firmness is important. And I think the President today saying things like, you know, this will be severe. I think we have to take him at his word. A lot of people jump to the conclusion of blaming President Trump somehow for what's going on.

Look, this was the Saudis in Turkey. So were a side partner to what's going on and so we will figure out what the appropriate response is at the right time.

CUPP: Sure. But you know that the President first said, look, this guy is not even a citizen. Sort of trying to imply he is not, this isn't our problem. I take issue with that a little bit but also what do you make of the fact that Trump says he hasn't even spoken with king Mohammad of Saudi Arabia yet?

KINZINGER: Well, I mean, if it's true, he should. But we are also, you know, I understand, trying to get all of this information together. And I trust Mike. I know Mike Pompeo well.

CUPP: Yes.

KINZINGER: And he said he and the President haven't seen it yet. It's not necessarily because they don't want to see it. That is maybe the Turks haven't released this evidence yet. They have said here is what we have and maybe here's a transcript, but it's not like they can just email the stuff over to their Gmail account and show them what they have. There's a process here.

So you know, I think we have to understand, for whatever reason, sometimes in partisan lines, sometimes in people's foreign policy view lines. In the United States, it seems like folks are falling kind of along sympathy towards Shia or sympathy towards Sunni now which is unfortunate.

We need to just base and look and say, what is the right way for us to respond to uphold human rights. But understand, the greatest human rights violations that have occurred in the Middle East right now is not from Saudi Arabia. It is by barrel bombing in Syria and the destruction of 50,000 children and 500,000 Syrians supported by the Russians, Iranians and of course, Assad.

CUPP: Yes. And look, I'm going to talk to a Democrat colleague of yours in the next block too, to push him on the idea that we should just throw this relationship away and risk some of the security in the region you just mentioned. But a few of your colleagues in the Senate or not your colleagues but a few senators sent a letter to secretary of state Mike Pompeo, this week, raising concerns about the high number of civilian casualties in the Yemen Saudi Arabia skirmish.

On the other hand, Rand Paul is suggesting cutting off military aid to Saudi Arabia. Which of these kind of responses do you think is getting it right? If any of them?

KINZINGER: Well, I think questioning the way the war in Yemen is being waged is always a good thing to do. We want the least civilian casualties as possible, but let me just address Rand Paul for a moment.

I mean, he wanted us out of basically old world affairs from the beginning since he ever came to the Senate. It is a legitimate libertarian point of view at times but this is the impetus that now changed his mind on Saudi Arabia when at the same time, keeps telling people like the administration that we should have a better relationship with Russia, who, by the way, poisoned people in NATO territory, in the United Kingdom, using weapons of mass destruction as well as basically hid the fact there were chemical weapons in Syria.

It is really, you know, we can look at this and say there's atrocities all over the place but to somehow put a moral equivalency and yet turn your back on what's going on in Syria and say the Russians are great, just can't happen.

CUPP: So yesterday, Turkey released pastor Brunson and Trump insists without any kind of deal. Turkish president Erdogan tried to broker a cease-fire in Syria and he has promised to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance. Do you think we are seeing a softening of Erdogan to is this sort of the PR front?

[18:10:15] KINZINGER: I actually do think there's a softening going on. And think about Erdogan is actually pretty interest in because, you know, shifts down Russian megs. And then he has got a close relationship with Russia. Now, he is trying to I think to repair the relationship with the United States.

CUPP: Yes.

KINZINGER: Turkey will always take the side of who has momentum. And right now, under this President, you know, whether you agree or disagree, I'm going to tell you, the momentum in the Middle East is back with the United States of America. And you look at the sanctions the President put on Turkey which, you know, a year ago is unthinkable, the are NATO ally.

CUPP: Right.

KINZINGER: I think Turkey is desperate for some relief and glad they let this pastor that never should have been detained go and hopefully this is a new era in our relationship. I have been to Turkey as a military pilot. It's a very important location.

CUPP: Hopefully some of the other prisoners that are still be in held there are coming out soon as well. Saudi Arabia is hosting the future investment initiative later this month as an important economic summit. Secretary of the treasury Steve Mnuchin has already stated that he still plans on attending the summit as others have pulled out. What do you think? Should he withdraw or should he go?

KINZINGER: Well, if I was him, I wouldn't go. I think it sends a strong message. Saudi Arabia, like it or not, is going to continue to be an economic powerhouse. But I think this could be a broader response of what will happen. I wouldn't be surprised to see this be part of a broader response to what happened. I think it is a moment where we can say, look, we are going to make it clear that murdering and dismembering journalists is not something we stand for. And while we may not cut off relations with you totally, there is going to be a cost. And this is a little piece of probably a broader package of hurt for Saudi Arabia.

CUPP: Congressman Adam Kinzinger, thank you so much.

KINZINGER: You bet. See you.

CUPP: Next, I will turn to a Democrat on the House intelligence committee.

And later, why both parties have started focusing on anger as we hit the midterm home stretch. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:02] CUPP: Speculations still swirls around the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi but the ultimate fate of the Saudi journalist is remains unknown. What we do know is that the consequences of his disappearance have the potential to shake America's relationship with one of its most important ally to its very core.

Joining me now to discuss this further is Democratic congressman from Connecticut, Jim Himes, who seats on the House intelligence committee.

Congressman, the President today said there are many possibilities for what the U.S. could do in retaliation for potential Saudi involvement in this disappearance. What more do you want to hear from the President?

REP. JIM HIMES (D), CONNECTICUT: Well, S.E., let me do something I'm not in the habit of doing which is I actually praise the President for his change in tone with respect to Saudi Arabia's possible involvement in this what appears to be a pretty brutal murder. Really concern when he was sort of (INAUDIBLE) and saying, but you know, we saw a lot of weapons.

You know, I was listening to Adam Kinzinger, my colleague, you know, and I agree with most of what he said but we do need to be really clear here. I would have used different words than the President's use. This is not us really punishing somebody. We are not an international court. We are not some kind of global parent. What we are or at least should aspire to be is to be out front in leading on basic values and ethics, like, you don't kill journalists anywhere, much less in a foreign country.

So I would hope that we would sort of frame this as we are standing up against the behavior we saw Putin engineer in London with the attempted murder of a dissonant there and what we may have been saying in Istanbul.

So we are going to need to get to the bottom of this. I suspect our intelligence community has a pretty good sense for what really happened and then the sanctions should be severe.

CUPP: Trump has taken a lot of flak for talking about jobs when it comes to this disappearance. And it is somewhat grotesque to sort of nakedly calculate the cost of a human life. He's not the first president to do it. He is the first to really do it openly.

But you know, we also have to sort of be grown-ups about this and recognize that, you know, your and my state of Connecticut, for example, directly benefits from these arms deals. You know, Connecticut took in, Connecticut companies received $23 billion in defense contracts, just last year, between 2017. The state got over $182 billion in defense contracts. I don't think you are willing to tell your constituents that those jobs shouldn't matter. So is it what Trump said or how he said it?

HIMES: Well, S.E., I get concerned when people go down that path. In other words, when they start putting our values, basic values of decency, like you don't kill journalists on one side of the scale and jobs or money or profits on the other side of the scale.

CUPP: Yes.

HIMES: Look. Who are we? You mentioned Connecticut. You know, Connecticut lost an awful lot of people to become the United States. Farmers left their farms. Merchants left their stores to die to established the country. And of course, Connecticut like every other community in the United States has always made huge sacrifices in favor of this idea that there should be liberty and freedom which, if the Saudis did this, they have fundamentally violated. So the idea that we should sort of weigh commercial or, you know, gain or profitability against being a leader for the values that really matter to us is just I think a very bad path to go down.

CUPP: So there's been what seems like a contagion in brazen human rights violations over the past few years. Some of which happens while Obama was in the White House. Some of which Trump from the death of Otto Warmbier in North Korea to the kidnapping of a former Interpol chief in China. Do you feel bad actors have been emboldened in recent years and does America need to assert herself more muscularly on these abuses?

[18:20:06] HIMES: We do. We do. And having complimented the President at the start of this segment, I'll say, you know, he is really raised the ante in this statement of severe punishment because if he says that to the world and he doesn't follow that up, of course, with, you know, a very significant set of measures, whatever those might look like, it doesn't have to be, you know, it doesn't have to removal of ambassadors. I think there is a lot we can do there.

CUPP: Yes.

HIMES: If he hasn't followed that up, the message that is sent to the many dictators around the world which sadly I think has been sensed quietly by his administration over the two year period of the President being very touchy feely with Vladimir Putin, with President of Philippines who is a self-admitted murder.

CUPP: Duterte, yes.

HIMES: You know, this is an opportunity for the President to say, hey, this may cost us a little bit of profitability in the short run, but we are a country that will stand up loud and clear against this kind of behavior. So look, I'm glad he said it but did raise the ante. And if American power and American values are to mean anything, he better follow up.

CUPP: Yes. Before I let you go, I want to ask you about the op-ed you wrote for CNN.com. You challenged an assertion made by the President in the "USA Today" op-ed this week declaring that quote "the centrist Democratic Party is dead." How is he wrong?

HIMES: Well, you know, the President politically is sort of trying, as he did in the op-ed, to paint the Democratic Party exactly as he painted it. As you know, some sort of extreme group of people who want open border socialism. I don't actually know what that means and I'm a Democrat. That's just an outright lie. I think most people recognize it as such.

We do have political disagreements, you know. We don't believe families should be separated on the border. We do believe we should invest in schools and health care system rather than making them worse and take it away. So we have legitimate disagreements.

But to your question about centrists, you know, I chair the new Democrat coalition. We are sort of known as the centrists in the Congress. There is almost 70 of us. And we are pretty sure that on the other side of the election, there will be a lot more.

And so, yes, we are gong to have an argument, hopefully a civil argument within our party between people who are maybe further out there on the left and people who are not that far on the left and that's great. Republicans do it too. But to say that, you know, to say that the centrist instinct, the pragmatic instinct is just flat out wrong.

CUPP: We will see come November. Congressman Himes, thanks so much.

OK, coming up, Republicans paint Democrats as the angry mob ahead of the midterms but will the message resonate with voters?

And later, Trump wants to be everywhere. Is that a good idea?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:24:51] CUPP: First lady Melania Trump says she was blindsided by her husband's zero tolerance immigration policy that led to family separation and thousands of children in detention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[18:25:02] MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't know that that policy will come out. I was blindsided by it, I told (INAUDIBLE) and I said to him that I feel that is unacceptable and he felt the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUPP: But in that same ABC News interview which aired last night, the first lady also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. TRUMP: I believe in the policies that my husband put together because I believe that we need to be very vigilant who is coming to the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUPP: Well, at least 1500 unaccompanied immigrant children are still being held in the detention shelter in Texas. Trump, just a few hours ago, said the separation policy is a deterrent at the our southern borders but illegal crossings skyrocketed in August. And homeland security says family crossings are rising.

Also up in recent weeks? Melania's favorability rating now at 54 percent. Her message to those families who are still separated? Keep strong.

We will be back in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:28:26] CUPP: In the Red File tonight with just 23 days before the midterm elections, most projections have Democrats winning back control of the House and Republicans maintaining a majority in the Senate.

Senior analyst for CNN Politics Harry Enten estimates the Democrats will gain a 23 seat majority in the House while Republicans will expand their majority in the Senate to four seats. However, those estimates are still well within the margin of error.

President Trump will hold another rally in just about half an hour in Richmond, Kentucky. Last night, he was in Ohio. During the rally, the President hit on what has become a common theme amongst Republicans in recent days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. TRUMP: From the moment Brett Kavanaugh was announced, an angry Democrats mob was on a mission to resist, obstruct, delay, demolish and destroy him. And before they even know, I tell you, you saw it. Before they knew his name, they were saying horrible things. These are bad people. We can't let this happen to our country. Republicans believe in the rule of law, not the rule of the mob. That's what it is. It's a mob.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUPP: Republicans have seized on the vid pictures of protesters storming the steps of the Supreme Court shouting at Republican lawmakers in elevators and ambushing them as they eat dinner, and cast them as evidence that Democrats have become too extreme and mob-like to govern.

Over the past week, prominent Democrats including Hillary Clinton have responded by rebuffing calls for civility, choosing instead to double down on the passions of their base.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[18:30:13] HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about. That's why I believe if we are fortunate enough to win back the house and/or the Senate, that's when civility can start again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUPP: So, is this the strategy moving ahead to midterms from both parties? Anger above all else? For more on this, let me bring in CNN political commentators, Republican strategist Doug Heye and Democratic strategist, Maria Cardona.

Maria, so you have got Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder on the one side saying, kick them until time for civility and Michelle Obama saying fear is not going to win. Who will be right in November?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes. I think the voters will be right in November.

CUPP: No, no.

CARDONA: I'm going to explain. What I mean is that there are nuggets in both of those.

CUPP: OK.

CARDONA: Not the violence piece, not the we can't be civil because if we say that, then we are essentially stooping to the level of the opposition party that we believe is so horrible.

CUPP: OK.

CARDONA: But we do need to channel all of that anger into actual mobilization and that's where I think Michelle Obama has a point. Fear is not a way to essentially get to where we need to be, or at least it shouldn't be.

CUPP: It's a terrific motivator.

CARDONA: Well -- yes. And it worked for Trump.

CUPP: Yes.

CARDONA: But a better motivator is to channel that fear and that anger into actual action that will get to where voters want to be. This is why Democrats are doing so well in house races. Because they are actually talking to the issues that their voters care about. They are not running on impeachment. They are not running on the Russia investigation. They are running on issues like healthcare. And yes, they are stating the facts which is the fact is that Republicans have done everything that they can to repeal the affordable care act and get rid of preexisting conditions. That's what Democrats are running on and that is hopefully what they will win on.

CUPP: Well Doug, I a week ago, I asked you if Democrats really got it, you know. Do they know how big a boost Kavanaugh was for turnout potentially. And in the past week, we have heard calls to impeach Brett Kavanaugh of Democrats take control of the House. Do you think Democrats understand the potential sort of silent undercurrent of the Republican wave that might be coming their way?

DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I don't know if it's a wave but certainly it has been a big boost for Republicans in the short-term. I think the challenge for Republicans is, God, not only are we not really talking about Brett Kavanaugh right now, we stop talking about Nikki Haley in about 2:00 on Monday.

CUPP: That's right.

HEYE: This news cycles happen so fast. In part, because the President and the President being out there, that this may not still be that motivator.

CUPP: Right.

HEYE: And what we actually don't know and I don't we will until after the elections is how much of this is Republican base coming home, the Democratic base coming home.

CUPP: Yes.

CARDONA: Right.

HEYE: Which we have seen in every election cycle over the past ten years.

CUPP: Right.

CARDONA: Right.

HEYE: So in these abnormal times, are we actually seeing the natural order of things?

CUPP: Go ahead.

CARDONA: But what is interesting is that I saw a poll just this week, a morning consulate poll that actually said that this wasn't the motivator Republicans thought it was going to be because the motivation for them actually was, stay the same.

CUPP: Yes. But Maria, my point all along has been silent majority for a reason.

CARDONA: Yes.

CUPP: Polling down and pick it up.

CARDONA: That is correct. And this is why I have never, and I don't think Democrats should ever talk about a blue wave.

CUPP: Or take this for granted, yes.

CARDONA: Or take it for granted.

CUPP: Well, let me talk about one aspect of the Democratic demo that might have your party in trouble. According to a recent NPR-PDF Marist poll, President Trump has a 41 percent approval rating among Hispanic voters. Another poll put it around 35 percent. That's within about 10 points of Barack Obama's approval among Hispanic voters but at the same time in his presidency. Roughly a third of Latino voters self-identify as conservative. And a fourth of them self-identify as Republicans. That might surprise some people, not if you talk to actual Hispanics, it wouldn't. But are Democrats worried enough about Hispanics?

CARDONA: No, I don't think they are worried enough. And I think we need to invest more time, more money, more resources, more energy into talking to the Hispanics that we know need to turn out in order for us to do what we need to do.

CUPP: Well, and they are worried about the economy, not so much immigration.

CARDONA: Well, they are worried about the economy as everybody is.

CUPP: Yes.

CARDONA: And the way that we can talk to them about that is this tax scam was actually a scam that was not designed to help middle class working class voters which is the majority of them are. But on the issue of immigration, what they are worried about is how immigration and how this President has painted our whole community. He has painted our whole community as MS-13 gang members. He had painted our whole community from the moment he stepped out on to the election trail as rapists and criminals. That's what we need to understand that, you know, Hispanics are going to come out to vote for their community.

[18:35:06] CUPP: Doug, on the other hand, Beto O'Rourke in Texas, is I don't know you would say giving Ted Cruz a run for his money, but is he closer than he should be in Texas?

HEYE: I think he is giving Cruz a run for the money because the money that he is raising, it's absolutely astounding.

CUPP: It is astounding.

CARDONA: $38 million.

CUPP: And yet, he still --.

HEYE: But you talk about Hispanic voters in Texas.

CUPP: Yes.

HEYE: Ted Cruz does pretty well with Hispanic voters in Texas.

CUPP: He does.

HEYE: It is according, you know, and compared to what other Republicans do. And if Beto O'Rourke is this national cause for Democrats, they are going to be sorely disappointed. Beto is not going to beat Ted Cruz and that money could be better used in Arizona where Christine Cinema (ph) is really taking it on the chin right now to Mark McSally who is one of the best Republican candidate. CARDONA: This shouldn't even be a race though. It should not be a

race. The fact that it is a race and that we are even talking about it and that he has to have his people, Jarred Kushner go down.

HEYE: We are talking about it because the national press said let's do another Beto.

CARDONA: But why?

HEYE: Because he skateboards on stage.

CARDONA: Well --.

CUPP: Doug and Maria, thanks for joining me.

All right. Next, will Trump use the media to win the midterms?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:4041] CUPP: For the party in power, midterms are usually historically not kind. For that reason, it's not always a given that the sitting President makes his presence felt in the weeks leading up to those elections.

Well, President Trump is not most Presidents. A new report in the "Daily Beast" reveals he wants to flood the zone, according to a senior administration official. With midterms on the horizon, Trump told his top lieutenants he was frustrated and believed he wasn't getting his message out enough on mainstream channels. By the way, you are welcome here anytime.

In the last week alone, there's been multiple impromptu press conferences, informal Q&A sessions with hand selected journalists, air force gaggles and of course multiple phone-ins to his favorite FOX shows, some lasting almost an hour.

There was also a widely scrutinize "USA Today" op-ed this weekend which he blasted Democrats over Medicare.

In about 20 minutes, Trump will be appearing in Richmond, Kentucky for another rally. And tomorrow night, the President will appear on the popular Sunday night news program, "60 Minutes."

So is this a good strategy this close to midterms? Senior CNN media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter has been following this closely all week. He joins me now.

Brian, from a politics standpoint, I think this is a risky strategy. It is why most presidents, when they are worried about midterms, kind of sort of lay back. As we know, Trump is not most Presidents. Is there such a thing as too much Trump?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think when I see him giving all these interviews and taking all these questions, unfortunately, because he is so loose with the facts, it's like more pollution being added to the air. CUPP: OK. From like the consumer side.

STELTER: Yes, I wish it weren't so, but it is like more pollution because this means there's more spin and more misinformation out there. But from a political perspective, I think this is working for the President. It reminds us, there is no star nearly as bright as he is. There's no Democrat, there is no one on the left who is able to suck up the oxygen that the way he does.

CUPP: Not even close.

STELTER: Not even O'Rourke in Texas, you know.

CUPP: No.

STELTER: He is unique in his star power and he is using that to great effect. Whether this is Bill Shine helping do this or Sarah Sanders, ultimately, this is Trump as his own best communications director.

CUPP: Well, as you reported earlier this week, after turning down requests to do "60 Minutes" for about two years, he finally agreed to sit down. Reading Trump as I do, that strikes me as a sign of confidence.

STELTER: Absolutely. It is a sign of confidence. He is being interviewed by Leslie Stahl, one of the foremost journalist on television. We will see the results this time tomorrow. We will see if he's been tripped up in any way.

CUPP: Right.

STELTER: Because that is the risk, as he is very talkative and very available. It's that he steps, he can step in his own way, his own toes between now and the midterm elections.

CUPP: Yes.

STELTER: But so far, I think what we see with President Trump is that it's quantity over quality. Meaning, he says so much that no single comment, no matter how controversial or embarrassing or newsworthy, takes up too much attention or too much time.

CUPP: Yes. We learn that this week at that news conference with Nikki Haley. I thought he said something really egregious, which was that she had made the U.N. a more glamorous place.

STELTER: See, I don't even remember him saying that.

CUPP: Well, that's because Kanye happened.

STELTER: And I should have.

CUPP: That's because Kanye happened. And so, we didn't really get to sort of deal with that. Let's talk about Kanye. What did you think about that meeting as a media moment? STELTER: That it was sad. That it was sad to see this person being

exploited by President Trump, you know. It made for interesting pictures. I understand why the country is interested in seeing this. I was certainly interested in watching it, but Kanye West does not represent any particular constituency.

CUPP: President Trump thinks, says anyway, that he represents African-Americans.

STELTER: Which is not true.

CUPP: Right.

STELTER: It's objectively not true. And so as a result, you know, we end up seeing this kind of reality show storyline unfold in the oval office that ends up ultimately helping nobody but hurting Kanye West.

CUPP: Well, certainly, it didn't help anyone interested in the issues that were meant to be talked about at that meeting.

You know, I said on our air after that meeting, I thought it was sad. I thought the President was exploiting someone who, in my words, did not seem OK. I later heard from a friend whom I really respect, journalist Glen Greenwald who told me personally, I think you were well intentioned but I'm worried that talking about him like that stigmatizes mental health. And I'm going to be more aware of that. But do you think the media has been too dismissive of Kanye West? That's been the criticism.

[18:45:19] STELTER: Well certainly, there was some mockery of him. I don't think on this channel, but on the late night shows, the comedy shows, on the comedy shows, all over twitter, a lot of making fun of him.

CUPP: Yes.

STELTER: And in some cases, making fun of what could be a mental health issue. Now Kanye has talked about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the past. He has kind of owned that so to speak. He hasn't hidden from it.

CUPP: Right.

STELTER: He has also pushed away some people's concerns about that.

CUPP: Yes.

STELTER: Personally, I'm not a doctor. I can't diagnose anybody, neither can you.

CUPP: Right.

STELTER: But he does not seem to be someone who should be in front of the cameras right now. The cameras are only making something worse, whether he knows that, whether his family knows that, I don't know. Our colleague (INAUDIBLE) has reported this week that a camera crew

was following him around getting ready for the White House visit, you know. Is this all going to end up on E!? Is it going to be part of "keeping up with the Kardashians."

CUPP: Right.

STELTER: That does not seem like a good for him or frankly even President Trump. I agree though, we have to be careful not to stigmatize anyone. Take out Kanye West. Stigmatize anyone who maybe having a mental health problem. But this in particular, it is not about Kanye. It is about President Trump. And Trump inviting Kanye in the most powerful place on earth.

CUPP: Brian, thank you so much.

STELTER: Thanks.

CUPP: You can catch Brian Stelter on "RELIABLE SOURCES" tomorrow morning at 11:00 here on CNN.

We will be right back.

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[18:50:56] CUPP: It's every working parent's dream. They find a caregiver who they not only trust with their kids, but who is a life long child advocate, a youth specialist, a mentor for kids with incarcerated parents and the owner of the child development program that does things like shuttles kid to their camps in the summers, tutors them, works with homeless kids and children with behavioral disorders.

Well, a woman called police on just that person in Cobb County, Georgia earlier this week. She didn't know any of his background when she saw him with two kids he was babysitting, but she did know that he is black and the kids were white.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORY LEWIS, FOUNDER OF INSPIRED BY LEWIS: I'm babysitting, right? I got two kids in the backseat with me. I'm babysitting. There is a lady across the street. (INAUDIBLE). This lady over here, she is following me. This lady is following me because I got two kids in the backseat that does not look like me. This lady across the street, she asked to see the little girl so she can ask her if she knows who I am. All because I got two kids in the backseat that do not look like me, the police was there. Now I got to deal with this. It's crazy. I got to step out? Please explain to the officer who Mr. Lewis is. Please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUPP: I saw this and was heartbroken not only for Lewis but for these kids. But I was especially gob smacked (ph) when I looked up Cory and found he has devoted his life to working with children. Joining me now is Cory Lewis. He is the founder of Inspired by Lewis

and is with me to talk about, well, just doing his damn job.

Cory, thanks for being here. You were babysitting these two kids when what happened?

LEWIS: Well, it was a typical Sunday afternoon. We took the kids to catch air and Nick decided that he wanted to have Subway for lunch, so we went to Subway. And as we were leaving the Subway, I noticed that there was a female sitting in a car that was watching us, our every move. And as we -- when we got to the vehicle, she approached us and asked me if the kids were all right, and which I responded, why wouldn't they be?

CUPP: Right.

LEWIS: So she left. She then came back a second time and asked to speak to one of the kids to confirm that the kids knew who I was. When I denied her request, she got upset and she said she was going to take my license plate down and call the police. She left again, and we then went across the street to the gas station. I noticed that her car had moved closer to where we positioned. And as we are leaving the gas station, I noticed in my rearview mirror that she was trailing us all the way until I got to my neighborhood where the police had arrived.

CUPP: So, is this a common experience for you when you are working with kids? I know you have been working with kids in this area for a long time. Or was this the first time you were, like, noticed for babysitting?

LEWIS: This is the first time. I have been doing this for the past three years and I have never once been questioned my reasons for being with kids.

CUPP: Yes. Can you tell me about your child development program that you started, why you started it and what it does?

LEWIS: Well, Inspired by Lewis is a youth mentoring program, youth towards development of social skills, etiquette and (INAUDIBLE) development. I started the program after I worked a couple years for the local school district. I saw that there was a need for these kids to have a safe place, a safe haven to go to after school when school is out and also a place where parents didn't have to worry about their kids.

CUPP: Well, Cory, I just want to say, as working parents, there is no more important person in our lives than our caregivers, and any parent would be really lucky to have you as theirs.

Thanks for coming on and sharing this story. I appreciate it.

[18:55:04] LEWIS: Thank you.

CUPP: That's it for us tonight. Before we go, I want to wish a special happy 243rd birthday to the United States Navy. Up next, Van Jones has Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous

and his celebrity supporter comedian Dave Chapelle. Don't miss "THE VAN JONES SHOW." That's next right here on CNN.

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