Return to Transcripts main page
Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Appeals Court: Trump Unlawfully Constructing White House Ballroom; Senate Could Vote To Confirm Todd Blanche As Attorney General As Soon As Tonight; Interview With Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE); WSJ Report: Embattled Rep. Miller To Loan $1M To His Campaign; U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Lost 23,000 Jobs Last Month; SC Republicans Make Final Pitch To Replace Sen. Lindsey Graham's Name On Ballot Ahead Of Tuesday's Special Primary; NY Times: How The Reflecting Pool Became A Mirror Of Trump's Washington. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired August 07, 2026 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Where it gets much more complicated will be in urban areas, mountainous states across the Northeast and Midwest where there is severe winter weather to contend with as well.
But the bottom line is, there are a number of companies, not just Volvo pushing to put more of these just autonomous trucks on the highways -- Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Really interesting.
Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.
And thank you so much for joining us this evening.
"AC360" starts right now.
[20:00:24]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: A major legal setback that hits him right in the ballroom. A federal appeals court says the President's controversial White House construction project is illegal without congressional approval.
John Berman here, in for Anderson.
And tonight, the President is vowing to take his fight to the highest court in the land, writing, "We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court. The military and Secret Service are viewing this horrendous, politically motivated and unlawful ruling as a National Security threat to our nation and that the entire complex is being built for the protection of our country. And additionally, all future presidents."
This, after a two to one decision from the D.C. Court of Appeals today siding with the nation's top historic preservation group, which sued over the ballroom project late last year.
In the majority, one judge appointed by President Obama, the other by President Biden. They write in their opinion, "The national trust has shown compellingly that Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the executive branch to dramatically redesign, reshape and reconstruct the White House, the Peoples' House to fit a particular president's desires." The lone judge, dissenting, appointed by President Trump says her colleagues, "... affirm a lower courts judicial overreach."
Today's ruling is the latest chapter in a saga that started last October, when the Trump administration began demolishing the East Wing of The White House. Then in December, the nonprofit, National Trust for Historic Preservation, chartered by Congress to help preserve historic buildings filed their lawsuit, saying the President had skipped required reviews before tearing down the East Wing and that only Congress could authorize significant changes to The White House grounds.
The President and CEO of the National Trust said today, "This is a great day for our country and for the American peoples' right to voice their opinions about the historic places they cherish, including The White House."
Meanwhile, the President once again today called the project "vital" for National Security and military operations. He has been promoting this project for months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Look at the beautiful ballroom and military center. It is a military center much more than we have a drone port on top.
REPORTER: Mr. President, you mentioned that the ballroom was your gift to the country.
TRUMP: It's a gift. It's a gift from me and from incredible successful companies and patriots. And they put up close to $400 million and you see the -- you see what's happening and it is beautiful.
This ballroom is going to be something that's so beautiful for the city, so desperately needed by presidents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So keeping them honest, that ballroom price tag of $400 million you just heard is now at least an estimated $600 million, with half coming from tax dollars, that's according to "The Washington Post" in June.
The President has been personally involved in the sprawling project. The Ballroom Wing would cover an estimated 90,000 square feet, nearly double the size of the main section of The White House.
This, as you know, is one of several projects of the President's at The White House that are either underway or planned for D.C. Today, former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton slammed much of his White House overhaul in "The Pivot" podcast, especially the gold decor that was popular with an infamous dictator.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE: When I was in Baghdad after the fall of Saddam Hussein, I had meetings. I was then a senator. I had meetings in some of his palaces, and they were quite reminiscent of what we are seeing in our own White House. It is just insane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, with us now on the phone, CNN chief White House correspondent and anchor of "The Source," Kaitlan Collins, who was making her way here to Manhattan, to the studio for her show after flying up to New Jersey aboard Air Force One with the President.
Kaitlan, we wish you the best in your travels, but is The White House concerned about what a protracted saga this is becoming? Did they think there would be this much legal fighting on this?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, and also note that for the President not to take our questions as he did not speak with reporters during his travels today, also stands out because he was responding in real time on Truth Social to this ruling from this federal appeals court and saying that he is going to appeal it up to the Supreme Court to get their decision on this, they have allowed a stay here for 14 days.
He did not take questions in person, though, which stood out to me as we were flying with him from Washington to his golf club in New Jersey. And in terms of the legal battle, The White House really had this impression when they started this, as the President had been making smaller, other, more incremental changes to the Oval Office, to the colonnades, that this would go pretty much the route that did, that it would basically be seamless for them and they would not face a lot of pushback.
[20:05:17]
But obviously, they have faced a ton of pushback here. Now, this is going to be going to the Supreme Court, though this court is saying that the President could just go to Congress and if he just got their authorization, that that would be enough. But obviously, that is not the route the President is choosing to take here. He wants to fight this out in the courts.
But, John, I think my biggest takeaway after we've been reporting on this for months now is that the President's rationale for why this ballroom is needed has completely changed from when he announced it, when they demolished that part of the East Wing and started building the ballroom.
The President then was talking about state dinners, guests having to be outside in tents and walking to these big events that they have at The White House saying there wasn't enough room for people. Look at what he is arguing today and he is arguing that it is on the purpose of National Security, talking about the drone port that they are going to build, the state-of-the-art medical facilities that they are going to include in this. And he goes on and on at length in terms of what exactly that is going to look like, and says that this is being done because of a National Security threat at the highest level.
That is a totally different argument than what we heard from the President when he first started building this ballroom, and obviously, it seems that has to do with the legal argument that they are making in court for why they need this ballroom.
BERMAN: Certainly, it has been an evolving explanation. Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much. We will see you at the top of the next hour for "The Source." I hope and I am not just saying that because I want to go home.
All right, joining us now, former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger and former federal prosecutors, Elie Honig and Berit Berger.
And Elie, let me start with you.
So what do you make of this appeals court ruling, the language and the justifications that they make here?
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Kaitlan just zoomed in on the exact perfect, appropriate point that summarizes this.
The headline should not be court of appeals rules ballroom is illegal. The headline really should be court of appeals rules Congress has not authorized this ballroom construction. Congress, under the Constitution controls the spending, federal buildings, national parks.
And so essentially, the problem, the reason the Trump administration lost is they were trying to find -- put a square peg into a round hole. They pulled out this old statute that says, well, but the President can make alterations and improvements to The White House and the court, the majority, the two judges said this is not an alteration or improvement, this is destruction of one-third of the building and building of a new building that will dwarf the original White House, that does not fall within the purview of this statute.
And so, I think the bottom line here is this could happen. There could be spending authorized for a ballroom or something different, but it has got to come from Congress and the President cannot do it on his own.
BERMAN: Berit, let me ask you. The Supreme Court, in other rulings has said, you know, yes, Congress gets to decide this type of thing. Do you think the Supreme Court will take this up, and how do you think they will look upon this?
BERIT BERGER, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR AND COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL LECTURER: Yes, so, I think the Supreme Court will take this up. They will take it up on their emergency docket on summer break right now. I think it is likely that they will take this up, not only because it concerns something that's very important to the President, but also it goes along with this idea of what is sort of the extent of executive power, and how does that balance with Congress' authority that they've been dealing with the entire last session.
I actually think the administration has, I wouldn't say a good chance here of getting the Supreme Court to lift the injunction, but a decent chance. I am less convinced that the court would do it on this sort of broad proposition that the President has this authority. Instead, I think they may hang their hat on what the dissent did today in the court of appeals decision, which is this idea of standing.
The dissenting judge said that both, you know, on standing and the merits, but really on standing, the plaintiffs here just, you know, didn't have the authority and that would potentially be a way that the court could sort of sidestep this broader proposition and let the project go forward, but it is not a given either way.
BERMAN: We do know the Supreme Court loves a good off ramp on standing when they can find one.
Congressman Kinzinger, I am old enough to remember when Congress used to like to hang on to the power of the purse. They like to be the ones who decided what to spend on what things. That said, this is a pretty politically toxic issue at this point, the ballroom spending. How excited do you think Congress would be to take this up?
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I am sure they are really excited. They love taking back the power of the purse. They love reclaiming their authority, not in the last two years.
Yes, I mean, I think they are clearly excited to bring this up. Here is the interesting point about all this, by the way, is if Donald Trump had actually gone to Congress and said, I want you to authorize it, even not speed initially, he was going to raise all this money from the outside, Congress would have done it.
[20:10:10]
This is the GOP that basically does anything he wants. Now, Congress is not really going to be in session for the rest of the year. They come back for like a couple of weeks for, you know, September. They're out all of October. There is no mechanism by which they will pass something to approve it.
And so, I think he really could have been his own worst enemy in doing this unilaterally. If Congress wants, they could build a 500-foot duck in place of like the East Wing of The White House if they wanted to because, you know, they have that authority. But the President can't just come in and do that.
And the other point is, this is taxpayer money being used without the authorization of the people whose money it is. So I don't know, maybe the Supreme Court sidesteps on standing, but I think clearly the issue the President does not have the authority to do this. He is just obsessed.
BERMAN: So there is the standing issue, Elie, but there is also this other issue, which is that there is a giant hole in the ground.
HONIG: Yes.
BERMAN: More or less, metaphorically speaking, I do understand there has been some construction there, but there is kind of a giant construction project here. And if the Supreme Court agrees that its illegal, I mean, that's got to factor in.
HONIG: It could well be, that the end result of this whole legal process is that hole in the ground. If the Supreme Court declines to take this case, or if the Supreme Court takes the case and then agrees with the court of appeals, then we are going to be left in a scenario where you have this essentially paused construction.
The court today did say that the underground security building, that could continue. They only blocked the above ground building of the actual ballroom. And if that's the case, I think what better symbol, clarion call to Congress that you have to do something because guess what? Now there is a half-built construction on the grounds of The White House.
And I think if that doesn't spur Congress to some action, whether it is to say we are going to fund that ballroom, whether they are going to fund Kinzinger's 50-foot duck or something else, Congress is going to have to do something if the end result of this legal process is paused. Construction with a hole in the ground.
BERMAN: So, Berit, "The Washington Post" did find that there is taxpayer money going to this, it wasn't all privately funded, as the President initially said.
How much does that matter here from a legal standpoint?
BERGER: I mean, legally it both makes it better and worse, right? It makes it worse exactly as we were just discussing that, you know, you need to have Congress buy in any time you're having taxpayer money being used to support a project, it makes it better in the sense that there are real like legal and ethical issues of having a project like this be privately funded.
I mean, sort of draw out the idea if you can have the President using private funding to, you know, take care of any sort of federal projects he wants to, he can sidestep Congress, then that has some real issues related to, you know, where this money is coming from? What are the potential conflicts of interest that this raises?
So I think it is important if we do know that taxpayer money is being used, that Congress really narrows in on that and focuses on this issue exactly as Elie was saying.
BERMAN: You know, these construction projects, especially the ballroom, but also the reflecting pool, Congressman, they've become a political issue and Democrats have been seizing on them.
How much of a political albatross have they become for Republicans and the President? KINZINGER: I don't think it is helpful. I think things like the Iran War is probably far worse and a bigger albatross. But look, the reason these have become so big is because Donald Trump himself have made these like a tattoo of his presidency. He is the one that has obsessively talked about the ballroom, and so it is only natural then that people are going to say, well, I don't want the ballroom. I don't like it -- and it becomes a big issue.
He is the one obsessing about the Arc de Trump. He is painting sculptures gold and the Reflective Pool. Nobody cared about the Reflective Pool until he obsessively talked about how blue it is going to be, and then it immediately fell apart. So I think it is not going to be that people are going to lose their race, I think specifically on the ballroom issue.
But this goes into the whole kind of the whole economy of what's going on politically and this just makes President Trump look like out-of- touch. I mean, he has got an opulent new jet and he is taking pictures of it and showing people like we are going to be impressed that he is riding in a very plush jet. The American people don't love their President living in opulence.
BERMAN: No, they care about inflation more than they care about a ballroom.
Elie Honig, Berit Berger, thank you very much. Congressman Kinzinger, we will see you back a little bit later.
Next, the Senate is expected to narrowly confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general as soon as tonight. We are going to go live to Capitol Hill to get an update on when the voting will begin.
And later, new reporting on how the manager of one of the President's golf courses, with no formal training in engineering or architecture, came to oversee that botched renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:19:07]
BERMAN: And the breaking news: After weeks of uncertainty, the Senate is poised to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General, perhaps as early as tonight.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy announced this morning he would support Blanche, paving the way for a vote, though exactly when is not clear. Blanche could not afford to lose Cassidy after fellow Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski both pledged to vote against him, citing concerns over the so-called anti-weaponization fund and the President's immunity deal with the IRS. Critics argue the fund could be used to benefit the President's political allies, including individuals who assaulted law enforcement on January 6th.
CNN's Arlette Saenz live on Capitol Hill with the very latest.
Arlette, when is the Senate expected to vote? Is it clear?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, that's the question.
Everyone up here on Capitol Hill, including senators themselves, are asking when exactly this vote will be held. It is the last day before August recess. Typically, you'd be smelling the jet fumes, with lawmakers eager to get out of here.
[20:20:04]
But right now, Senate leaders are trying to work through a timing agreement, not just on the blanche nomination, but other matters that they have to take up.
There is a possibility this Blanche vote could have its vote a little bit later today. Potentially, this gets pushed into tomorrow, but there are a number of items that GOP leaders are still trying to work through before they leave for this August recess.
BERMAN: So Senator Cassidy's vote ended up being pivotal. How did he end up getting to yes on Todd Blanche?
SAENZ: Yes, well, Senator Bill Cassidy really was that final holdout vote and after both Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Susan Collins said that they would not be voting in favor of Blanche, that was when all attention turned to Cassidy's decision.
He said that he really thought about this over quite some time. He actually had met with Blanche, spoken with him.
Blanche was up here on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for meetings with both Cassidy and Murkowski. He also, Cassidy said, spoke with other senators, along with former Attorney General Bill Barr, the A.G. in President Donald Trump's first term in office.
Ultimately, Cassidy said that he looked at the qualifications. He believed that Blanche is qualified to serve in this position effectively under President Donald Trump. But Cassidy in his speech on the Senate floor today did say that this is not a referendum of Trump. He was trying to decide, based on the qualifications of Cassidy. That is why he decided to move forward.
Of course, Cassidy has become a very vocal critic of the President, especially after he lost his primary bid to a challenger that was backed by the President, and so he did grow quite emotional on the Senate floor today as he talked about this decision, but ultimately, he did decide to side with the President, despite having some reservations about Blanche.
BERMAN: Arlette Saenz up on Capitol Hill for how much longer? Unclear at this point. Thank you so much for being with us.
Perspective now from Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who sits on the Judiciary Committee and questioned Blanche at his confirmation hearing. Senator Coons, thanks for being with us.
Todd Blanche's confirmation is all but certain and it comes on the same day that the President urged Jeanine Pirro to bring back charges on the Reflecting Pool vandalism case, the same day The White House announced it wants to go after Fed Governor Lisa Cook for potential mortgage fraud.
Do you think these types of cases will become more frequent under a confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche?
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Tragically, yes, John, and I frankly think that my colleagues, John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy know better and should have known better than to be willing to vote to confirm him.
President Trump ran on an election of grievance and a commitment to impose costs on his political enemies, and he is carrying that out.
Ever since Watergate, we've had a bipartisan commitment to an independent Department of Justice, to Attorneys General who don't just do the President's bidding, but who protect the American people, serve justice and protect the Constitution. That's not what Todd Blanche has done as acting Attorney General.
He badly fumbled and mishandled the rollout of the Epstein files. He mishandled it in a way that hurt Epstein's victims and helped Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who was one of Jeffrey Epstein's top accomplices.
He advanced the anti-weaponization fund. This $1.8 billion slush fund. That's a terrible idea. And frankly, that my colleagues and friends, John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy, accept this paper thin excuse of a signed deal by Todd Blanche doesn't pass the smell test because, frankly, President Trump is the one who continues to berate and push for that weaponization fund.
John, I have no confidence that Todd Blanche won't just turn around and give it to him once confirmed.
BERMAN: Senator Cassidy specifically argued that a Senate confirmed Todd Blanche would be more likely to push back on the President than an acting one. It doesn't sound like you buy that.
COONS: I don't buy that at all. It should be the case that that gives him some confidence, strength and independence. But what I've seen from Todd Blanche in the role of Assistant Attorney General and in his confirmation hearing, was that he still thinks of himself as President Trump's personal lawyer, not the person who is trying to protect the Department of Justice and the Constitution from presidential overreach.
Frankly, I've heard from former Department of Justice prosecutors who have left the department or been driven out or fired and my concern is that his recent actions going after, for example, elected Democrats, going after journalists, and now, with this latest assault on common sense by President Trump going after Jeanine Pirro for her refusal to move ahead with a prosecution that had no foundation, in fact, about the Reflecting Pool, all of that suggests to me a pattern where President Trump will continue to push, and Todd Blanche will continue to comply.
[20:25:14]
BERMAN: You're also on the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator, and CNN has new reporting tonight that Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, the General, is "looking for an off ramp in Iran" because of the military options on the table. He believes they are unlikely to achieve the President's stated objectives. So what does that tell you? If the General is looking for an off ramp, what does that tell you?
COONS: It tells me that General Caine knows that the announcements made by President Trump now, nearly six months ago, when he launched this allegedly short, quick and easy war of choice against Iran are not achievable.
Frankly, one of the problems General Caine has faced all along is understanding what President Trump's goals really are, because he announced so many of them -- regime change. Remember when he said help is on the way to the Iranians and then stood back while they were massacred by their government? Regime change is not likely to happen. Ayatollah 2.0 is in control and the IRGC is more brutal than ever.
Ending any path towards nuclear enrichment, well, under President Obama, we had searching inspections, international inspectors on the ground, and today there is no progress on those negotiations.
The Strait of Hormuz, it was open and there were no tolls or fees six months ago. Now, we understand that Oman and Iran are negotiating over how they're going to control the Strait of Hormuz, not us.
Ending their support for proxies, the Houthis who are currently holding hostage the entrance to the Red Sea are more effective than ever. So I don't see how any of President Trump's stated goals are achievable and General Caine is simply recognizing that without a much longer -- much more costly war with U.S. troops on the ground, as we saw in the expensive and long war in Iraq, we can't achieve these many goals.
BERMAN: Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, it could be a long night of voting for you, or early morning in the Senate. Make sure to hydrate. Thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.
COONS: Thank you, John.
BERMAN: Up next, Ohio Congressman Max Miller remains defiant, vowing to still seek re-election as he denies domestic violence allegations, even as some fellow Republicans are calling for him to drop out. Now, he is reportedly making a big investment into his campaign. Details ahead.
And later, the President says that voters are not angry at him, who he says they're upset with. That's when we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:31:51]
BERMAN: The clock is ticking if Republicans hope to replace Congressman Max Miller on the Ohio ballot. The deadline for that is Monday, and so far Miller has said he is staying in the race as he denies allegations of domestic abuse. The Wall Street Journal reports that Miller plans to lend his own campaign $1 million.
He told the paper in a statement, quote, "I am invested in this election in every way, and I will invest the resources into my campaign to win." Now, his district voted solidly Republican the last election. President Trump won by 11 points, but the scandal has given hope to some Democrats that the district could flip.
At least four Republican senators have now called for Miller to drop out of the race or resign, including both Ohio senators, one of whom, Bernie Moreno, is the father of Miller's ex-wife. President Trump notably has not publicly called for Miller to drop out or resign and in fact said, quote, "I feel badly for him." Miller was an aide to Trump in his first term.
With us now is Former Congresswoman Susan Wild, a Democrat from Pennsylvania and former chair of the House Ethics Committee. So nice to see you tonight. Congressman Miller has pointed to your former committee, the Ethics Committee, as a reason for him not dropping his reelection bid.
Wait for the investigation before dropping his reelection bid or resigning from Congress. As someone who used to chair that committee, is that a reasonable explanation or excuse?
SUSAN WILD (D), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, PENNSYLVANIA: No, it's not. He needs to resign and he needs to resign now. But let me explain why. You know, public officials are held to a very high standard, as it should be. And as we know, Congress has got historically high disapproval ratings right now.
And so in my view, every member of Congress has an obligation to do everything they can to uphold the standards that the public has expected. And they have to hold themselves to a higher standard of behavior than ordinary people. But just as importantly, and maybe more importantly, every member of Congress has an absolute duty to their constituents to attend to their job to carry out the duties of their job.
And there is absolutely no way that Max Miller can do that when he's got this hanging over him, this kind of scandal, this these kinds of allegations. I'm not even commenting one way or the other on the veracity of the truth of those allegations. But having this hangover means that he absolutely cannot do the job that he was elected to do. And for that reason alone, he absolutely needs to step down from Congress, and he needs to end his reelection campaign.
And let me just say, if you'll let me, by saying all of this, I am not suggesting that Max Miller is guilty as he as might be interpreted in a court of law, as might be found in a court of law. That's not the standard for public officials. Public officials, frankly, one of the job requirements is that you be willing to let go of your privacy, and let go of the presumption of innocence.
Once something like this is hanging over you, you are doing a disservice to your district, you're doing a disservice to your constituents, you're doing a disservice to the body, and your fellow members of Congress. And for that reason, he absolutely needs to step down.
[20:35:16]
BERMAN: You know, to be sure, Democrats don't have a perfect record on this sort of thing, either. They were late to push Graham Platner out of the main Senate race, although they did, ultimately, almost everyone elected official got on board suggesting he should drop out before the deadline to change the name on the ballot. In that vein, is it odd to you that more Republicans aren't coming out publicly saying that Max Miller should drop before this deadline on Monday?
WILD: It's not odd to me because I'm sure that leadership, aka Speaker Johnson, is asking members not to call for Max Miller to resign because of their very slim majority. And that's why you won't hear Speaker Johnson criticizing him in any way, but saying, let's let the facts hold out.
And let me just say, you mentioned Platner, there's a big difference between being a candidate and being an elected official. And there are, unfortunately, numerous examples, or at least several examples, where elected members of Congress have resigned on both sides of the aisle. And it is, I believe, up to leadership to demand those standards be upheld from their own members.
I can think of a situation early in my first term when Speaker Pelosi called on a member on the Democratic side to step down. And so this is -- no, I'm not surprised that more Republicans haven't called for him to because they are -- in fact, his own former father-in-law didn't until very recently, because he's very, very aware of the slim margins that the Republicans have.
BERMAN: Bernie Moreno, the Senator from Ohio, did say he was reluctant to speak out because he was protecting his daughter. But I understand your point.
Former Congressman Susan Wild, Congresswoman, thank you so much for sharing your unique perspective from your former post on the Ethics Committee. Appreciate it.
Up next, pushback from the President. He says the Republican base -- no, he says that voters are not mad at him. You will hear who he says they are upset with, and our political panel weighs in.
Plus, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham is seeking a full term as a successor with a special primary just days away. We'll take you to South Carolina, where she faces a crowded field of opponents.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:41:38]
BERMAN: A new jobs report is giving elected Republicans one more thing to worry about as they hit the campaign trail, making the case to frustrated Americans as to why the Republican Party deserves to keep control of the House and the Senate. There were 23,000 jobs lost in the month of July, plus big downward revisions the previous months, adding to concerns of voters already weighed down by rising prices.
The President, for his part, says he hears the public's anger, kind of. In a new interview with Punchbowl News, he admits that getting Republicans to the polls for the upcoming midterms, he says that getting people to vote for Republicans in the upcoming midterms could be a problem, but he says it is not his fault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I don't run, will those people go out and vote? And that's the one thing I can't -- I'm going to ask them to, but I'm just watching guys like you and you're very talented people. The question is, will they vote? Because a lot of them are very angry at Republicans, to be honest with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is that?
TRUMP: I don't know. I mean, they're angry at Republicans, but they're not angry at me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's an interesting thing. Why?
TRUMP: They're not angry at me, but they are angry at Republicans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: With us now, CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings and back with us Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger. You know, Scott, there are a few different ways of looking at this. Harry Enten, our friend, this morning was going through some different numbers, and Harry points out that if you average it, you know, about 43 percent of voters right now say they would vote for Republicans to retain control of the House.
The President's approval rating is at 37 percent. So by that measurement, Republicans writ large are doing better than the President is, yet he says they're angrier at other Republicans than they are at him. What do you think?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, trying to measure who's mad at who and how that's going to affect their vote, I mean, it's a little bit of a witch's cauldron. It's entirely possible that more Republicans would trust President Trump to set the agenda for the party than they would prefer congressional leadership do that. In fact, I think that's quite likely.
But it's also true in the job approval ratings overall that President Trump has dipped some in the middle of this term. And it's also true that Congress generally has a very, very low approval rating just as an institution. And at the end of the day, the debate is over which party do you think can take the country in a direction that would make your life better? And that's really where the fight is.
Democrats have a small lead on the national generic ballot right now, but I wouldn't be too comfortable with it if I were the Democrats. It's not a very big lead at all. The redistricting wars netted out 10 to 12 seats for the Republicans. The Republicans have money. And I think the Republicans have done better candidate recruitment around the country. And Democrats are still suffering from their own low approval rating.
So it's a, you know, I guess it's one of those in the eye of the beholder or what you choose to make of it. But there's going to be a real debate and there's going to be real contrast made. And some of it's going to be made around Trump and some of it's going to net out good on that front for the Republicans and some of it will net out bad.
BERMAN: Yes. On the subject of discomfort, Congressman, this new job support losing 23,000 jobs in July with November just around the corner. At what point does this type of economic situation with inflation outpacing wage growth get baked into the cake for voters?
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, I think we're kind of getting there now. I mean, I think there's been this kind of feeling over the last maybe five months or so that the economy is not where it could be, not where it should be. And there may be more. I mean, clearly, if the economy tanks even harder, if gas prices come up harder, that's going to be even worse for Republicans.
[20:45:17]
But I think that is kind of baked into the cake right now. I think what's going to be interesting is over August here, certainly, and definitely over September, you'll see if this is actually going to be a blue wave or not. I tend to feel like it is right now. It depends how you define that.
But what you always end up seeing is like kind of polls are close and then you have this August recess when everybody's gone. And then in September, you're going to really get an idea how this is going to lay out. So you'll either see Democrats kind of running away with it and you'll see Senate races in play that maybe nobody predicted or expected, like Kansas.
Of course, Texas is on people's, you know, radar or else it's going to tighten up. And I think if it tightens up, that's a bad omen for Democrats. But I don't have any reason to think that's necessarily what it's going to do right now.
BERMAN: Scott, I want to play something that the President said today at the White House. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: I didn't know I was going to have so many people. I'll be here all day. If you could go quickly, I would appreciate it because we have a war to prosecute, OK? That's my excuse for getting out of here a little bit early.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So he was talking to a business group. He's talking about American mining and jobs there, but said he had to go deal with Iran. It's a little bit of a metaphor, right? Because 73 percent of Americans say he's not paying attention to the country's most important problems.
So what do you think of the issue of focus? You know, I know he was joking there, but he is spending a lot of time on Iran. He spends a lot of time on the White House ballroom, a lot of time, you know, on the reflecting pool. Does he need to overtly focus on jobs and prices more?
JENNINGS: Well, of course, I mean, every election I've ever been involved in has been about the economy. But I think people also expect the President to pay attention to multiple things at the same time. We have troops in theater right now who are prosecuting military activities against our enemy, Iran.
I would be sort of shocked if the President said, yes, I'm not paying too much of attention to that. He's the commander in chief. Of course he has to pay attention to that. But voters expect you to pay attention to a lot of things. And they do want to hear him talk about how Republicans are going to improve the economy, why the Republicans would be better than the Democrats.
I mean, the truth is he is our best communicator. He is the best at drawing contrasts. And to some extent, the election is going to turn on how people feel about him. So how he messages all of these, whether it's Iran or whether it's the economy in the fall, is going to make a difference to whether, you know, those Republicans decide to turn out.
I mean, I think he alluded to it earlier in the piece here. But he's going to ask them to turn out. Sometimes they don't. And, you know, oftentimes when he's not on the ballot, Republicans do have trouble turning out those voters who love him but maybe don't love other Republican politicians. It's really on his shoulders and how he messages these issues will determine whether they break that spell or not.
BERMAN: So very quickly, Congressman, in about 20 seconds, you know, in past elections, historically, with approval ratings in the low 30s or mid-30s, you would see Republicans running away from the President, not inviting them to his districts. You think that can happen with President Trump and Republicans?
KINZINGER: No, never. They'll never run away from him. They can't. They're scared to. Look at Bill Cassidy today. The guy didn't even have a re-election and he was scared to turn against Todd Blanche. So no, he's got control over the Republican Party. That is one thing I will agree with everyone on.
He is dead set in charge of the GOP and they're going to be too scared to run away from him. He may not come to their district, but that's about all they're going to get from him.
BERMAN: Scott Jennings, Congressman Adam Kinzinger, great to see you both and have a wonderful weekend.
Now to South Carolina, where on Tuesday there will be a special primary for the late Lindsey Graham's Senate seat. The senator's sister, Darline Graham, was appointed to fill the seat until the end of the current Congress. She is also running for a full term with President Trump's support and that has prompted some, some backlash.
Dianne Gallagher has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As candidates look for a way to stand out in the crowded race to replace the late Lindsey Graham on the ballot --
MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: Pig math doesn't work for any of us as taxpayers.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): -- with just days to go.
RUSSELL FRY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: We'll see you at the polls on August 11th.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Republicans in Charleston packed a private club to hear from most of the GOP Senate hopefuls.
RALPH NORMAN (R), SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: We are getting ready to elect a person for the next six years.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): While there are 10 Republicans on the ballot, five are seen as top contenders. Senator Darline Graham, Congressman Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, former Governor Mark Sanford and businessman Mark Lynch. The splintered field means it's unlikely one person will get a majority on August 11th, which would lead to a runoff between the top two vote getters two weeks later.
KYLE SIMS, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN VOTER: I'm really kind of looking at a couple of the top candidates and see what they have to say about particular issues.
[20:50:01]
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Missing from the stage in Charleston? President Donald Trump's endorsed candidate, Darline Graham, whose campaign says has been busy in Washington with her new job in the U.S. Senate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please raise your right hand. GALLAGHER (voice-over): Republicans here were largely supportive of the President's push for Graham, who had not previously held elected office, to finish out her older brother's current Senate term.
DARLINE GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm here today because I'm answering President Trump's call to serve.
My late brother Lindsey --
GALLAGHER (voice-over): But her decision to campaign for the full term has left some of her rivals up in arms.
MARK LYNCH (R), SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: Queen Darline, she was only at one debate and she had to have her notes there and read from it. She's just not qualified.
FRY: What I hear from voters is no one knows who she is or what she's about. I've actually worked to pass bills and craft things and build coalitions.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Graham's opponents claim she's running a curated campaign based only on the Trump endorsement.
GRAHAM: I completely support the President's agenda. I'm 100 percent behind him.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Although those who didn't get the nod do still tout their own Trump alignment.
FRY: Everybody who runs in Republican Party politics would love to have the President's endorsement. But I think beyond that, too, it's important to have a working relationship with the President. I think that's what I, you know, what I carry with me.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): And while Trump's backing launched Graham into frontrunner status, the President's recent endorsement scorecard in South Carolina isn't without blemishes, with his initial choice in the governor's race losing in a primary runoff after he also endorsed her rival. Voters here seem less likely to take an endorsement as a mandate.
MARY ANNE TAYLOR, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN VOTER: I give him credit for being a smart man, but I'm a smart woman. His endorsement did not mean anything or sway me in any way. Like I said, I do my own research and my own homework.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER (on-camera): Senator Darline Graham just announced that President Trump is going to hold a primary Eve teller rally for her on Monday. Nearly every candidate is scheduled to make campaign stops throughout the weekend, including Graham. And the state Republican Party has already scheduled a runoff debate for the top two vote getters one week after the primary.
John, the eventual Republican nominee will go on to face the democratic candidate, pediatrician, Annie Andrews.
BERMAN: Dianne Gallagher, thank you very much for that report.
Coming up for us, new reporting from the New York Times on the falsehoods and deadline pressure that plagued President Trump's reflecting pool renovations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:56:31]
BERMAN: What do a trade show in Las Vegas, a hospitality manager in New Jersey, and concrete slabs have in common? According to a really fascinating new investigation by the New York Times and to the Washington, D.C. reflecting pool, a lot.
The new investigation follows a timeline from when President Trump first decided to make over the pool and how a Trump golf club employee with no formal training in engineering or architecture worked with a company that had never won a government contract to help enact the President's vision.
From the Times, quote, "Put more simply, documents and interviews establish how a first-time contractor was paid millions of dollars to apply a novel solution designed by a golf club manager to a national landmark."
With us now from the New York Times, David Fahrenthold, who shares the byline on this investigation. David, this is a remarkable story. And you're, you know, from the beginning, this was sort of kissed by either mismanagement, misfortune, or just strangeness right from the start, right?
DAVID FAHRENTHOLD, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: It's -- it is bewildering. So the reflecting pool at the beginning of all this had the same problems it always had. It leaks some and it has algae blooms in the summer when it gets hot. The Park Service had a plan to fix those things. All it needed was money to fix it.
But instead, for some reason, President Trump taps this golf club manager who, as you said, had no experience in engineering architecture. Like he did have a swimming pool, but that was the extent of his knowledge, hands the job to him. And then he sort of makes up the plan from scratch.
BERMAN: I too have swum in pools, but would not venture a way to fix the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. There's just an unbelievable quote from the President of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, which is the nonprofit that sued unsuccessfully to stop the work on the reflecting pool. That quote is, "It's like asking the museum guard to restore a painting in the Met," end quote.
And I don't -- I hope people don't read that as an insult to security guards there. It just -- it's fish out of water here, no pun intended, with the people coming up with the ideas to fix this. Yes? FAHRENTHOLD: That's right. The people who -- this golf club manager, he's been the manager of Trump Bedminster since 2006. Trump obviously trusts him. Trump puts him in charge of this. And as you said, he just goes to a concrete conference in Las Vegas, the world of concrete, 47,000 people at the Las Vegas Convention Center and ask people there, what should he do?
And he comes out of that with this plan to put what we've all seen now, this sort of plastic polyurea lining on the floor of the pool. It didn't need to happen -- it wasn't a necessary repair. It was really expensive, took a lot of time, raised a lot of risks. It was basically all downside and no upside, but there was nobody within the administration willing to stop this plan because it came from Trump.
BERMAN: And all outside the normal processes, right? We always use the word bureaucracy as if it's a bad thing, but there are systems in place in theory to make sure stuff like this doesn't happen.
FAHRENTHOLD: That's what's so fascinating about watching the history of this is that there were these procedures that were in place in the law that were there to basically protect taxpayer money to make sure it was spent well, but also to protect officials like Trump and the head of the interior department from making bad decisions. And what you saw was the Interior Department just brushed those aside.
It approves a no bid contract, even though you're supposed to seek other bids. It bypasses review, even though they were supposed to ask preservationists about this possible change to this national landmark. It even bypasses a complaint about the profit margin this first time contractor had asked for.
They'd asked for 20 percent, which the Park Service found was inflated and excessive. They paid it anyway. So every time people raise questions and they just push them aside, hurtling toward this conclusion that you've seen now.
BERMAN: And just very quickly, is it clear what happens next?
FAHRENTHOLD: No. The pool is drained. It's being inspected, but there's big holes and tears all over it. And I do get the sense that they don't really know how to fix it. So I don't see a solution coming anytime soon.
BERMAN: David Fahrenthold, it's a terrific story. It was the first story my father told me about this morning when I talked to him. Quite an accomplishment. Thank you.
FAHRENTHOLD: Thank you.
BERMAN: That is all for us this weekend. I'm John Berman. Have a terrific weekend. See you Monday morning for CNN News Central.
The news continues now. The Source with Kaitlan Collins begins right now.
