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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Woman Who Dated Graham Platner Says He Raped Her in 2021; NY Times: Investors Lost $3.8B On Trump Crypto Coin; Trump's Red Card Call Stirs Political Storm Around World Cup; Roof Partially Collapses At New Jersey BJ's During Heavy Rain, No Injuries; International Space Station Astronaut Captures Gorgeous Aurora. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired July 06, 2026 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Full court press on such a thing. Kristen, thank you very much, Kristen, as I said, joining us tonight from Ankara in Turkey, the capital there where the President will be heading for that NATO Summit.
Thanks so much to you, Kristen. And of course, thanks so much to all of you for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow. AC360 with Anderson Cooper begins, right now.
[20:00:27]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening from the Newsroom. Tonight, the woman who says Maine Democratic Senate Graham Platner raped her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNY RACICOT, GRAHAM PLATNER ACCUSER: He was heavily intoxicated, had intentions with me and wasn't listening when I said no, and --
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: And you were saying, no, don't, no, don't over and over and over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That is Jenny Racicot talking to CNN's Jake Tapper about some of what she says happened nearly five years ago. Jake joins us shortly with more of their exclusive conversation.
As you know, this is not his first controversy. There have been a number of them. This one, however, is already causing one-time supporters to back off supporting him as a candidate. Shortly after the story broke, Ro Khanna, the Democratic Congressman from California posted the following. "I've been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out of the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement".
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, also withdrew his support. Since then, Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin has also said that he should end his campaign quickly. So has Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts and shortly before air time, Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer joined that call, as did New York's Kirsten Gillibrand. State party leaders in Maine put out a statement tonight containing a simple message, get out. Quoting now, "Maine Democratic Party leadership is calling on Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate."
As for the candidate, he says he's, "... taking the time to reflect on the best path forward and said this about the allegations".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM PLATNER (D) MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious and false allegations against me. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: His campaign also weighed in. I want to read that statement in full. It said, "These allegations are very serious, and Graham vigorously denies them. They are also coached and coordinated by out of establishment operatives. For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham, calling him a Nazi, a war criminal and a communist. None of it has been true. And this is no different. It is not a coincidence that this story comes a week before the ballot deadline, just as the previous false allegations came a week before the primary".
"Graham began this campaign to fight for a Maine where everyone is treated with dignity and where Mainers are put first, and no amount of desperate smears will stop this movement from seeing that vision through. Now, this is the first allegation of rape against him. But there have been other allegations involving his behavior with women. That campaign statement references it. In addition, "The New York Times" recently spoke with several women who dated Platner, describing what some called unsettling behavior.
Jenny Racicot was one of those women who talked to "The Times," though what she told them stopped short of what she's now saying. And Platner two weeks after that "Times" piece ran, he was asked if anything else in his past had yet to come out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are there other skeletons from your past that still may emerge in this race?
PLATNER: No.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Is there something new you want to get ahead of?
PLATNER: No, I mean, look, I've been, I've lived my life. I know what I've what I've been through. I know what I've -- my behavior has been, I know all of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: As we learned tonight, that turned out not to be the case. Shortly before air time, I spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACICOT: It was a night where him and I were texting back and forth, and he had taken something that I said as an invitation, and that's not how I meant it. And I quickly clarified, and he sent a message back indicating that he would come over. And I said, no, don't come over. Like I'm not in the mood. Don't come over. And I was more stern with that message. And then I didn't hear back from him. So, I thought that that meant he got the message or gave up on it or whatnot. And so, like half-an-hour later, I heard a noise outside my door. And, then he -- he came in, he just came into my house. It was unlocked.
I live in an area where you don't usually have to lock your doors. I do now, so, he came in and I realized, okay, he didn't listen. He's in my home and I was laying on the couch. It was probably pretty late at night and I was getting -- I was already ready for bed. I just wasn't in bed. And so, he had kind of like jumped on top of me and indicated that he had intentions that were sexual in nature. And I remember just at first being like, hey, I'm not into this. Like, don't, I'm not in the mood. Like, don't whatever.
And it got to the point where I was like, okay, I feel like I've said these enough times. Like he's not listening to me or he's not hearing me. And I looked at him and I remember this very specific look in his eyes, and I could smell alcohol. And I was like, this is different. He is heavily intoxicated, like -- and that blank stare was kind of like a photographic memory that I still have of that night. And his --
That was me recognizing what the situation was. And this wasn't just like, oh, hey, somebody showed up and I'm going to tell him to go home, like, he was heavily intoxicated and had intentions with me and wasn't listening when I said no, and --
[20:05:57]
TAPPER: And you were saying, no, don't, no, don't. Over and over and over.
RACICOT: I remember, you know, obviously, I've had to recall a lot of this. This is something that I tried for many years to forget. And so, small details, you know, might get past me, but yes, I remember very specifically saying I'm not into this. And my message previously, I told him I had had an old back injury. And I remember saying like, I'm not in this, I've had a long day. My back hurts like, like I was in that kind of mood, like, leave me alone mood.
And there was a little bit of like, a scuffle, like altercation. The house that I live in, has like this antique sewing kit that I kept beside the couch and that got knocked over. He like backed into it or something was maybe pushed into it by me or something happened in that moment and that thing got spilled.
TAPPER: Do you remember pushing him away?
RACICOT: I remember potentially pushing away with my legs like, and then as he backed into it, it spilled. And all of the sewing needles and tape and yarn and everything went everywhere. Everything had fallen onto the floor. And in that moment, I evaluated my safety like a drunk person whose blackout drunk is in my home, has these intentions with me. You know, has already caused this amount of destruction and, and not listening to me and so I basically felt safest just complying.
TAPPER: You normally use protection.
RACICOT: Yes.
TAPPER: And this time he didn't and you didn't want that?
RACICOT: No.
TAPPER: And he didn't care.
RACICOT: No, I don't think -- my words were falling on deaf ears or drunk ears.
TAPPER: And you were still saying, don't do this or I'm not into this.
RACICOT: I remember specifically him, like grabbing at my chest and I, like, hit his hand and I said, don't touch me and I remember that during the altercation, specifically.
TAPPER: And then, he kept going?
RACICOT: Yes, and it was this weird mix of like coming in and out of, I think consciousness is the word, but like coming to and kind of falling back into that drunk and I don't know what I'm doing state, and yes, and he just, he would apologize in those moments and then go back to doing what he was doing.
TAPPER: So, he was aware that he was doing something wrong and saying, sorry.
RACICOT: Yes, I feel like he was in moments. So, after everything ended, I ran to the bathroom, which is just beside my bedroom, and I was in there for a while and just trying to like, comprehend things. And when I came back out, he was asleep in my bed. And at that point, I didn't know what my options were. Like, obviously, I don't want this person in my house. And when I, you know, earlier had realized how drunk he was, I knew that he had driven over that way. Like, I'm surprised he made it to my house.
And if I woke him up and sent him home, like I'm now making the decision to put somebody that drunk on the road. And I didn't want to live with the fact that, like, if he got into an accident or hurt somebody else. So, I was like, I'm going to let him sleep. And the second he wakes up; I'm going to tell him to leave. And so, he slept. I laid there in like a state of panic all night. In the morning he woke up and he went to go put his arm around me.
And I was like, whoa! And realizing this person doesn't know that what happened wasn't okay. And so, I remember taking his arm and throwing it back at him. And I said, are you fucking serious, Graham? And he's like, what? And I'm like, do you not remember what happened last night? He was like, no. And I'm like, okay, I need you to get dressed and leave and never talk to me again. Like nothing that happened was okay. And, he did, he just got up and got dressed and left and didn't seem concerned.
He left, he didn't talk to me and I waited a couple of weeks because I knew that with what had happened, I could have gotten pregnant. And I wanted to wait and to make sure that that wasn't the case. And so, I waited until that happened and I sent him kind of like a final send- off message.
TAPPER: What did it say?
[20:10:34]
RACICOT: I remember a few pieces of it, and I remember saying that like nothing that happened that night was okay or consensual.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And Jake joins me now. I should reiterate that Platner and his campaign deny these allegations. What else did Miss Racicot say?
TAPPER: It was really, I mean, it was a long interview. We ran 20 minutes of it on air, but it went a lot longer. She said some really interesting things. One of the things I asked her was if he had either the next morning acknowledged or apologized, or a couple weeks later, when she reached out to him and said, I'm not pregnant, thankfully, and you still did this and it's not okay. Or even after "The New York Times" first wrote about Jenny Racicot a month ago, she alluded to a bad night but didn't go into -- If he had come forward at any time and expressed any remorse or accountability, would you be still doing this? And she said she didn't know, but I do sense that the alleged rape was horrible, but also his indifference was also horrible.
COOPER: Yes, she said that when she told him to get out, that I mean, he just kind of seemed fine with it.
TAPPER: Yes, she said that, you know, you don't remember what you did last night. It was not okay. And he said no and then left. I mean, so, you know, and to this day, as you know, he denies anything. But I'm wondering what exactly he denied because he doesn't get specific about what he denies.
COOPER: You also asked why she decided to tell her story now. And I want to play part of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Why did you ultimately decide to do it? Why come forward?
RACICOT: A few reasons, one of the biggest ones is that I think that there are a lot of men in this world relying on the silence of women and to be where they are, and I don't want to contribute to that. I also want to just get my life back. TAPPER: There are going to be people, maybe even his campaign,
certainly his supporters who say this is politically motivated. What would you say to that?
RACICOT: I couldn't disagree more. That was actually one of the reasons that I didn't come out.
TAPPER: Because you agree with his politics.
RACICOT: I do, I really agree with his politics. I think we need somebody with those political stances and who are willing to do the work. And, you know, I see his political videos, they get me fired up as well. I understand why people want someone like him in office. You know, and I felt like me coming forward would essentially potentially take that away. And I felt really uncomfortable with the responsibility of and the weight of my story and what that might do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: In denying her allegations, the campaign also says, "... they are also coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives". She did not look very coached to me or controlled. Did she seem that way to you and that coached and coordinated, I mean.
TAPPER: No, she said.
COOPER: I've talked to people who are coached before and --
TAPPER: No, I found her very credible, very charming. She was very nervous. You know, after "The New York Times" story came out, you know, my booker got her number and I called her or texted her and like, she did not want to come forward. This was not something she wanted to do.
Now, it is true that she reached out to Cheyenne Hunt, who is kind of an activist for survivors of sexual assault and harassment and rape. And she was involved a bit in the in the Eric Swalwell story. And Jenny reached out to Cheyenne because she had heard Cheyenne was providing help to people like counseling and assistance with, you know, how do I move on with my life? Because one of the things that she talked about in the interview, is that, like, this has caused her to have intimacy issues with subsequent partners. Because Graham was someone that she trusted and then he did this to her, allegedly.
So, it is true that she reached out to somebody in a different state, but it's somebody who helps survivors of sexual assault and not somebody who's coaching. it's really kind of a wild allegation.
COOPER: Jake Tapper, thank you so much.
TAPPER: Thank you, Anderson.
[20:15:10]
COOPER: Joining me now from Washington, CNN political director David Chalian. So, David, as we mentioned, major supporters have been rescinding their endorsements now of Platner. The Maine Democratic Party leadership is calling on him to drop out. Do you see any path forward for his candidacy tonight?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It's really hard to see what that path would be at this point, Anderson. It is collapsing around him. The Maine Democratic Party is significant because they are going to be in the position the state party, should he drop out to pick a replacement. But I would also note what you noted at the top, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
You know, the Senate Democratic Leader, the Head of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, stating clearly that he must drop out and if he doesn't, they're not going to spend a dime in the state of Maine and the Super PAC that is allied with Schumer has said the same. They're going to redirect resources elsewhere. So, this becomes a very quick math problem. Not only is his support cratering, but he's just not going to have the money to be able to proceed with this campaign.
COOPER: And if he decides to drop out of the race, what happens next? Who might replace him?
CHALIAN: Well, there are a slew of Democrats up in Maine, some of whom just ran for governor in the Democratic Primary there and came up short. So, a couple of their names have been mentioned. They have long ties in Democratic politics in Maine. Troy Jackson is one, a logger who used to be the President of the Maine Senate may fit a profile like Platner, but without all the Platner baggage perhaps. So, he's a name to watch, but the Maine Democratic Party would get together and be able to choose the nominee if Platner gets out.
He has to do it by next Monday, a week from today at 5:00 P.M. Eastern, according to state law. And then the state party would have two weeks after. So, by July 27th to actually put forward a nominee to appear on the November ballot.
COOPER: And if Platner does not drop out, did the State or National Parties have any mechanism to force him out?
CHALIAN: Not that I can see in state law. And I think you're seeing the mechanism right now, which is public pressure, saying money won't be there, and rallying behind alternatives. It's really sort of shaming him out of the race, something that he had been resistant to. But you heard his statement in that video tonight. He is reflecting on the future path here. He seems to state that he understands the political implications of this, even if he denies the allegations.
COOPER: And just to remind people how crucial this race is for determining control of the Senate.
CHALIAN: Yes, I mean, it is unbelievably consequential. So, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to go from the minority party to the majority party in the United States Senate. And where do you look on the map to start to do that? Well, the first place you look is if you're a Democrat, you say, is there a Republican up for reelection in a Blue State? Well, Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, is the only Republican
running for reelection in a state that Kamala Harris won in 2024. So, this is supposed to be one of the top tier targets to have Democrats start making their build towards the potential for flips that they would need as a net gain to win the majority. Without Maine, if Susan Collins is to win reelection here, this becomes a much, much tougher climb for Democrats to win the majority.
COOPER: All right, David Chalian, thanks very much.
Just ahead, what our political team from across the partizan spectrum makes of this latest allegation and what impact it may have on Democratic hopes to retake the Senate.
Also later, President Trump admitting he stepped in to get a suspended U.S. Soccer star reinstated for the game tonight. That and what the rest of the world thinks of his knowledge of foul play.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: All I did, I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I'm good at this stuff. I didn't think it was a foul.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:23:06]
COOPER: With the Democratic leaders now calling on Graham Platner to end his race against Senator Susan Collins after a woman came forward and accused him of rape, we're talking tonight about the impact, first and foremost, on his accuser and what she faces now that she's speaking out. Here, again, is what she told Jake Tapper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACICOT: I waited a couple of weeks because I knew that with what had happened, I could have gotten pregnant, and I wanted to wait and to make sure that that wasn't the case. And so, I waited until that happened, and I sent him kind of like a final send-off message and...
TAPPER: What did it say?
RACICOT: I remember, I remember a few pieces of it, and I remember saying that like nothing that happened that night was okay or consensual.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, there's also the question of what happens next to Platner, who has just been accused of a major felony, which he categorically denies. And on national politics, potentially, who controls one chamber of Congress this fall?
Joining me now is CNN political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin. Also, Christine Quinn, Executive Committee Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee and CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings. Christine, what's your response to when you hear her story?
CHRISTINE QUINN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR OF THE NEW YORK STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE: It's horrible, it's horrible and there is no way a woman comes forward and says something like this. And the detail she has and the way that she has and is making it up, I mean, her statements are completely, completely credible and it is incumbent on everyone to believe what she is saying. And it is incumbent on Graham Platner to get out of this race immediately, and then I hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Maine law.
COOPER: And Alyssa, based on what you've seen, do you think the response so far to this is markedly different than previous?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It is markedly different. You know, a number of prominent Democrats have asked for him to step aside. But I want to know why, I knew the first accuser who did not accuse him of sexual assault, but of domestic violence that came forward in "The New York Times". She was a longtime GOP operative. She's somebody I've worked with, but that does not make her allegations any less credible.
I don't know why that wasn't the line. I don't know why the Nazi tattoo wasn't. I don't know why demeaning Purple Heart recipients, homophobic slurs, racist and bigoted slurs on his reddit posts weren't enough. When politics becomes winning at all costs, we end up with the worst people in office and I think this is what we are running into.
Democrats did not do their due diligence in vetting this man and now their path to the Senate looks significantly bleaker because they went all-in on this one.
[20:25:29]
COOPER: Which people had raised that concern about the vetting. The flip side of it is, you know, if you want candidates who are, "authentic".
QUINN: He went typically what?
GRIFFIN: He went to an elite prep school, but kind of masquerades as a working man. Like this isn't even that authentic of a guy. This is what I think and I've seen it happen on the right to some degree. This is what happens when the base of a party sometimes takes over the establishment, and they want to burn it to the ground.
This is a man who has dabbled in antisemitic tropes. He has gone the -- I would struggle to find things to defend him at this point. Yet most of the establishment stand stood beside him and Democrats, one of their strongest arguments they want to make going into the midterms is it's about character, it's anti-corruption. It's about getting the Epstein files out.
When you're standing by a man who's been accused of these things, you can't make that case as credibly.
COOPER: Scott, if Platner does decide to step aside, do you think the Maine Democratic Party will be able to nominate someone new without alienating former Platner supporters? How do you see it?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's great question, because something that Alyssa said, I agree, by the way, with everything Alyssa said, she raised all the correct issues and said this is what they had signed on to. The only thing I disagree with is when she said that he hadn't been vetted. No, he had been vetted. All of the things that have been stated, it was all out in the public and people like Ro Khanna, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Walz, "The Bulwark," "Pod Save America," all of these people came together to overlook it all, to explain it all, to rationalize it all.
He was vetted. People knew all these things and a whole bunch of Democrats in Maine showed up and voted for him anyway. And a bunch of from around the country sent him money anyway. I agree with Alyssa's question. What changed? Why are you bailing on Graham Platner now? You already signed off on Nazi tattoo, a self-described communist somebody who's had rape fantasies, somebody who has been on a social media platform known as a playground for predators, and on, and on, and on, and on and on.
And the difference between this accuser and the previous one is simply this, she's a liberal. It's okay, I guess, for Democrats that their candidates assault conservatives. But he broke into someone's house. And apparently, according to her, raped her. And because her politics are correct, they can now believe it.
All of this whole thing is disgusting but to say that they hadn't vetted him, or that they didn't know about all this is totally false. They knew it and they signed up for it and I don't know why they're backing away from this scumbag today when they had already signed off on all that other crazy behavior.
COOPER: Christine, what do you say to that?
QUINN: I mean, look, there's not a lot to defend in this scenario in Maine right now. You know, I'd like to think that they didn't do a good vetting, right? I'd like to think that folks didn't know all of this in the way that Scott said that, that things came out as revelations as it moved forward. You know, the kind of looking back on this very, very soon, I hope, will give us the answers to that question about whether there was vetting and how deep it was. But, you know, the Republican woman who came out in "The New York Times" was treated terribly.
You know, when somebody says, whether it's Donald Trump or Platner supporters this is a scheme by the other side. You know, that is code Were trying to cover something up. It is what people say when they have done something wrong. And we -- and a lot of people owe her an apology for how she was treated.
GRIFFIN: And by the way, sexual assault and domestic violence are underreported crimes because women are so often not believed. And I think that it was so wrong how Lindsey Fifield was treated after that "New York Time" reporting came out. And then for the statement today from the Platner campaign, it seemed to once again allege that there may be some kind of smear campaign underway, rather than just denying the allegations and moving on.
I do think the pressure is going to be overwhelming for him to step aside, because as you covered, they have about a week to replace him on the ticket. Now, our own David Axelrod said on your program, Jared Golden is somebody they could put into that. A moderate Democrat, a centrist, somebody who won a competitive district before. That's going to be their best bet at this point. But I mean, it is really hard to be a heavyweight like Susan Collins when you change your candidate at this juncture and defended this guy.
COOPER: Scott, how do you think the Collins campaign deals with this? Do they even need to? I mean, this has a life of its own, obviously.
JENNINGS: Yes, I don't really think they need to deal with it at all. I mean, she's not in charge of picking the Democratic opponent for herself. All she needs to do is be herself. She's the most moderate bipartisan senator in the United States Senate, and she doesn't have any of these kinds of crazy allegations. Not one single issue for her laying out there.
All she has to do is campaign as someone who does what she thinks is right, no matter who the President is, no matter which party had the idea. She's a very bipartisan person. She's a very even keeled person who's got a long record in Maine. People know her and so I don't she needs to do much of anything at all.
I do think the Democrats here, though, are starting to have to answer some questions about their party's process. They did this with Biden. He had no business running for reelection. They nominated him and they took him out. And through an undemocratic system they put in Harris.
Now Platner, they nominated him and now through a, I guess, an undemocratic process, they're going to take him out too, and put somebody in that the voters didn't actually choose. This is happening over and over and over again. The party of Democracy is turning out to be anything but when it comes to these candidates who get all these votes and then they take them out, you know, right before the deadlines of putting people on the ballot.
[20:30:58]
COOPER: Well, I mean, Christine, what other option -- there's been on that?
CHRISTINE QUINN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR, NY STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE: I mean, look --
COOPER: What other option there?
QUINN: There's no other option. And it is certainly not someone who was picked by the voters, but it is what is legally allowed for either side when something like this or there's a death or some other thing. It's a legal mechanism to do it. And for the good of the election, Platner should drop out tonight so there is, you know, close to a full week to find -- well, you actually have until the 27th. So there's more as much time as possible. But, look, this is a bad scenario just if you look at the politics of it. This significantly weakens our Democratic chance to beat Susan Collins. There is no way around that, and the more quickly we pick a candidate, the better.
COOPER: Yes. Alyssa Farah Griffin, Christine Quinn, Scott Jennings, thanks very much.
Coming up next, having learned from federal filings what the President made from selling his meme coin last year, $636 million, new reporting on how much his investors lost, and the sum is staggering.
Later, the President's intercession to get a suspended American World Cup star back in the game. Fair play or interference? Ahead on 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:36:18]
COOPER: New details on just how many people lost money buying President Trump's cryptocurrency. As you probably have heard, President Trump raked in $636 million in just one year last year from his familys cryptocurrency business. And that is $636 -- that's $636 million is just the money he made from the crypto business which he oversees.
The regulation of the total amount he made last year, including all the products and commemorative coins and phones and other businesses that he profits from was more than $2 billion, just last year. What's interesting about the crypto windfall is that in 2021, he wanted no part of cryptocurrency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bitcoin just seems like a scam. I don't like it because it's another currency competing against the dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, that was 2021. Two months before the 2024 election, he founded, along with his sons, a cryptocurrency exchange along with Zach Witkoff, the son of his Middle East and Russia envoy Steve Witkoff. And by January 17th, 2025, three days before Inauguration Day, the 47th President was hawking a meme coin named after him.
Now we know just how much a lot of people lost, and there's a good chance a number of them were actually Trump supporters. According to reporting published over the weekend in The New York Times, nearly 1 million people who bought Trump crypto coins lost a total of $3.8 billion.
Quoting now from The Times report, which had a crypto analytics firm followed the transactions, quote, "The odds were always in his favor. Mr. Trump profited whether the price of his meme coin went up or down. He collected returns whenever anyone traded the tokens, as he repeatedly pushed his followers to do using his Truth Social account to promote the coin."
On top of that, the President also made several hundred million more when a UAE linked firm bought a 49 percent stake in that company. Now he's denied any wrongdoing concerning any of this. And today, the White House had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well I'm a big crypto -- I become a big crypto guy only for one reason. If we don't have it, China's going to have it and they would like to have it. But now they're not even trying that hard because we've taken over crypto. But I'm a fan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Portraying crypto as a patriotic stand in some way against China. He did not mention, however, the $636 million other reasons he had to like it last year.
Joining us now is The New York Times' Eric Lipton, who's done the reporting on this. What did this report reveal about just how unprofitable Trump's meme coin was for most people who bought it?
ERIC LIPTON, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Yes, it really is quite a disconnect. I mean, this is someone who was there, you know, running for election to try to help bring the common person up. And here he is urging his followers to take a bet on him. You know, he's always presented himself as, you know, the apprentice guy who learned how to be rich.
And if you follow his lead, you can be rich yourself. And, you know, very much pushing his followers to take a bet on him and to follow him into crypto. And then, you know, he walks away with $600 million and nearly 1 million people who made the bet on -- at his urging lost almost $4 billion. It's -- it really is a pretty incredible expression of the disconnect that's playing out through his crypto game.
COOPER: There was a small minority of folks who did profit from it. Were they people -- sort of more sophisticated traders? Who were they? Do we know?
LIPTON: Yes. So, you know, what happened was that as soon as that meme coin was was pitched by him, it was January 17th, the night -- three nights before his inauguration, there was a crypto ball in D.C. And he was, you know, and a lot of his supporters were there. And so as soon as that went on sale, people who knew that it was going to rise in value, they pumped up the price.
[20:40:03]
It went from worth $0.18 to nearly $72 within a, you know, quickly. And people who, in the first few hours, bought in and then sold it, they're the ones that made money. And then all of the kind of the MAGA people who are supporters of Trump came in and they became like exit liquidity, is the term that they use in the industry, exit liquidity. They were the way that the people who were cashing in could make their money because there were these, you know, basically, you know, unfortunate, bad investments that were being made. And the people who were the insiders who had moved quickly were profiting at the expense of the -- of his supporters who were a little more slow.
COOPER: Yes, I mean, he had that dinner at which like the top earner -- the top buyers would -- could come. And it did, as you said, it jacked up the price. And then as soon as that kind of just left, the whole thing kind of went down again.
We played the clip of the President today declaring himself a big crypto guy. He says the only reason he embraced crypto was to stay competitive with China. Do you buy that?
LIPTON: That doesn't make any sense. I mean, China has actually moved to try to ban crypto, although there's a lot of crypto trading that comes out of China. I mean, you know, he himself, he said even today when he was at the White House, that one of the reasons that he did it is he saw a constituency.
You know, crypto is a little bit like vaping. You know, he's -- he grabbed on to the vaping movement because he sees a constituency of voters who are a bit disaffected with the American mainstream economic system. And they -- and so this was a constituency and also was an easy way for insiders to make money.
So I think his son's grabbed onto it as a way to make money. He saw it as a voting constituency that he could perhaps bring with him. And both of those things ended up working well for his family, at least.
COOPER: Yes. Eric Lipton, I appreciate the reporting as always. Thank you.
Joining me now is Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. He sits on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. Senator, to the fact that nearly 1 million investors lost a total of $3.8 billion, does that raise any concerns to you about regulation? Because, I mean, the President essentially has gone from saying he doesn't like crypto to taking regulations off of crypto.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): That is an absolutely key point, Anderson, because not only did he profit after he personally pitched this scheme, he went on Truth Social and he said, join my very special Trump community. But then he engaged in conduct that if this were a security would be a classic bait and switch or pump and dump.
But he personally exempted crypto from the normal financial service regulations that would apply to security. And he also disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Task Force. So he engaged in this profiteering, the presidency for profit, self-reverence and self- enrichment to himself and his family in staggering terms.
And there's also a national security point here, because you mentioned that the Emiratis invested in World Liberty Financial, his venture. They invested $500 million for a 49 percent stake. And then magically, Trump approved a $1.4 billion military sale and $15,000 advanced chip sale to the Emiratis. So there's really a pay to play here that undermines the national security.
COOPER: He gave them access to chips, which they hadn't had previously.
BLUMENTHAL: They had no access to it. And there were a lot of national security experts who were aghast that they would be provided with these kinds of chips that were enough to create a data center that in turn posed a national security threat. And it also emphasizes, going back to your first question, you know, cryptocurrency has been rife with human trafficking, money laundering, all kinds of problems that call for greater oversight and more transparency.
COOPER: The allegations, the new allegation against Graham Platner in Maine, what do you think he should do?
BLUMENTHAL: These allegations are serious. They're credible. They're unacceptable. This survivor ought to be recognized for the tremendous courage that she showed in coming forward. She should never have had to endure this kind of assault on her.
The Maine Democratic Party has called for him to withdraw. I agree. I'm not a voter in Maine, but I won't support Graham Platner going forward.
COOPER: Do you think he should withdraw from the race?
BLUMENTHAL: The Maine Democratic Party says he should withdraw. I'm not a Maine voter, but I agree with them. He should withdraw.
COOPER: What do you hope happens in Maine? I mean, do you -- is there another candidate you see there? Do you follow it?
BLUMENTHAL: There are other candidates. I'm not prepared at this point to endorse any one of them.
[20:45:00]
I think the important point here is to recognize the severity, the credibility of this survivor who has bravely come forward. And we ought to recognize that there are countless other survivors who have shown the same courage and others who ought to be really elevated and supported in this kind of frankness and candor.
COOPER: Senator Richard Blumenthal, I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Next, was the President out of bounds when he twisted arms to get a suspended American World Cup star off suspension in time for tonight's big game, or was it a clutch play?
Later, who could survive something like this? How every single person inside this store amazingly did? Thankfully. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: It was the foul and red card seen around the word. Tonight though the American soccer star who was shown that red card and given a one-game suspension is playing the game. He was supposed to sit out against Belgium.
[20:50:08]
The U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's red card suspension reversed and Belgium's appeal of the decision denied after FIFA's President got a phone call from the President of the United States, who took credit for that today and more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who's highly respected and, by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold. And he was good before this started, but, you know, he really pushed it in this country.
I'm the one that got them to do it. It was not Biden. Biden was asleep. I got him to do it. All I did, I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I'm good at this stuff. I didn't think it was a foul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, CNN has learned that it wasn't just the President. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other officials also lobbied FIFA, according to a source familiar with the matter. Global reaction has not been positive. The E.U. sports commissioner posting, "Decisions on sporting rules and sporting matters belong to sporting bodies, not politicians."
Norway's coach called FIFA's decision a, quote, "big mistake." Europe's soccer's governing body said FIFA, quote, "crossed a red line." And here was some reaction on British media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY MAITLIS, THE NEWS AGENTS: And this has left an extraordinarily nasty stench over a World Cup that up to this point was going fantastically well.
JON SOPEL, THE NEWS AGENTS: It is so ugly. It is so reprehensible. It was absolutely out of order for Donald Trump to have made the call to Infantino. And it was absolutely pusillanimous on the part of Infantino to go, oh, yes, Donald, let's look at it and we'll try and sort this out.
TOM SWARBRICK, LBC: What I'm about to play you made me wonder whether or not we're living in a simulation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Others could not help but point to the President's relationship with FIFA's head, who you will remember, concocted a special prize for him last year, which he was thrilled about after the Nobel Committee snubbed him. Some underscored the irony of Mr. Trump going to bat for someone he might otherwise be trying to deport.
Balogun is able to play for the U.S., thanks to his birthright citizenship, a passage in the Constitution that the President has tried to fight, even taking it to the Supreme Court. Mr. Balogun was raised in the U.K., but was born in New York to Nigerian parents.
His mom, who was visiting at the time, tried to get back to England, tried to fly back when she was seven months pregnant with him, but the airline refused to let her fly. So she stayed, gave birth and flew back to London with him weeks later.
Alyssa Farah Griffin is back. Where do you stand on this?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's a fascinating saga. OK, so I preface all this to say everything I know about soccer is from Ted Lasso. So I'm a bit of an armchair expert here.
It's not -- OK, so internationally, this is being received very poorly as you pointed out.
COOPER: That's a yes.
FARAH GRIFFIN: It's not the worst domestic politics. I have to be honest, like most Americans are rooting for Team USA. This was a call from what I saw, again, armchair expert should have been a yellow card. It shouldn't have been a red card that would have kept him out of the next game.
I think a lot of Americans are going to say we're OK with this kind of Trump corruption. If you're going to cut, you know, swoop in here and call in some favors with the FIFA President, it's fine. But the part you noted that's just so fascinating is if for Trump's own policies, he wouldn't be playing on the U.S. team right now --
COOPER: Right.
FARAH GRIFFIN: -- because of the desire to overturn birthright citizenship, which narrowly made its way and was upheld by the Supreme Court just last week.
COOPER: And, I mean, the -- do you think he, his advisers, Miller -- I mean, do you think they're done trying to chip away at birthright citizenship or do you think more to come on that?
FARAH GRIFFIN: This has been kind of a pet project of Stephen Miller's as well as other advisers for many years? I expect that there could be other efforts and other state led efforts. I was -- I thought it was remarkable that it was a 5-4 decision. To me, it's couldn't be more clearly laid out in the Constitution.
But this is also the saga on FIFA is a bit fascinating, too, because one, Andrew Giuliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, is essentially the sports liaison to the White House. And my understanding through reporting is that he flagged this to the President. He said this is blowing up.
People think this was an unfair call. This is a great politics moment for you to step in and get him reinstated. So it shows, you know, Trump does politics very differently than everyone else does, to put it mildly.
COOPER: It is interesting, though -- I mean, his ability and maybe his people around him, but also just to sense like areas that he can kind of campaign in a way or please people. I mean, he wants to sort of have his finger in a lot of different pause (ph).
FARAH GRIFFIN: He's the executive producer of America.
COOPER: Yes, that's what it is.
FARAH GRIFFIN: He wants to be tapped into what America is talking about --
COOPER: Yes.
FARAH GRIFFIN: -- what Americans care about. And he occasionally picks really smart fights. I think this is at least an 80-20 issue that he would win on in the U.S. Abroad, it's seen very differently. I think we're often seen as bullies right now on the world stage on more important matters like NATO. But this doesn't help either. But at home, it's not bad politics.
COOPER: Yes. Alyssa Farah Griffin, thank you very much.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Thank you.
COOPER: See, you know, a lot more about soccer than we thought.
[20:55:04]
Up next, a scary moment, incredibly scary caught on video. A roof partially collapses at a New Jersey store, temporarily trapping two people. But it's incredible, everyone got out OK. Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We've all seen a lot of sudden storms the last few days on July 3rd and July 4th, of course. But we want to show you some terrifying video from Ocean Township, New Jersey. Part of a roof collapsing at a BJ's Wholesale Club this morning as heavy rain hit the area.
More than a month's worth of rain fell in just a few hours in this area, according to estimates. It led to the ceiling crumbling down inside the store while people were shopping. Officials said 27 people were inside the building when it happened. Two people were trapped for a time, but thankfully, they were able to free themselves. No one was seriously injured. Incredible when you look at the damage done there.
Also finally tonight, stunning pictures from Space. This video of an aurora. Aurora shimmering in the Earth's atmosphere. It's incredible. It was taken by a European Space Agency astronaut on board the International Space Station.
She said it's the most amazing aurora she has seen on her mission. This astronaut, by the way, has now been in Space for more than 140 days and has orbited the Earth more than 2,000 times. Incredible images.
That's it for us. The news continues. The Source starts now.
