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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Trump Defends MBS Over Khashoggi Murder, Things Happen; Senate Agrees To Pass Epstein Files Bill; One Dead, Three Injured After Attack In West Bank; Soon: Trump To Host Lavish Dinner For Saudi Crown Prince; Nicki Minaj Speaks At U.N. On Christian Persecution. Aired 6- 7p ET
Aired November 18, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.
Two major events breaking tonight in Washington, D.C., the Senate has unanimously agreed to pass the bill to release the Epstein files, which passed the House overwhelmingly earlier today. It's a rare move, meaning the moment that bill gets to the Senate, it will be fast- tracked to President Trump's desk. We'll have much more on that in a moment.
But right now at the White House, the president and first lady are preparing to host a lavish dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS after a, shall we call it, remarkable press conference in the Oval Office, where Trump blatantly defended MBS when he was asked about his role confirmed by the CIA in the murder of Washington Post Journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Earlier today, a flyover of F-35 fighter jets, the same kind Trump says he will sell to Saudi Arabia.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House for us. And, Kaitlan, President Trump shockingly opened the meeting by praising, of all things, Saudi Arabia's record on human rights.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake. And then came the question to the Crown Prince directly from a U.S. reporter in the room, my colleague at ABC News, Mary Bruce, who asked the Saudi Crown Prince, MBS, about Jamal Khashoggi's killing and the fury that not only his family and loved ones, but also the family and loved ones of 9/11 victims have about his presence inside the Oval Office today, obviously the first time that he has been inside the West Wing ever since U.S. intelligence agencies determined that he had personally ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. And it was the president who stepped in, Jake, in that moment to defend the Saudi Crown Prince and say that he believed that he had nothing to do with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You are mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that. You don't have to embarrass our guest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, Jake, on this notion that he knew nothing about it, that is the direct opposite of what President Trump's own CIA determined in 2018 after Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside that Saudi consulate when they put out their own intelligence assessment that CNN reported on and others did at the time, saying that they believed that he had ordered it. And to speak to the degree of that investigation and what that looked like in that time, Jake, for those who don't remember, then the CIA director, Gina Haspel, went over to Turkey to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. She listened to tapes, she interviewed officials, and, obviously, the CIA came back with that highly likely assessment that the Saudi Crown Prince had ordered this.
And so the president was not only saying that he has a good record on human rights. He was contradicting what his own CIA said at the time and defending him as reporters were questioning him about it.
TAPPER: He also was throwing shade at the late Jamal Khashoggi, saying people didn't like him. It's opposite day almost.
Kaitlan, let's talk about the other major story in Washington today, the Epstein files vote. You're hearing that the MBS dinner may play into the timing of when President Trump signs this bill.
COLLINS: Yes, because the, the Crown Prince and, and his wife are about to show up here in about the next half hour or so, Jake, for their arrival. Then there's a receiving line at the White House and then that dinner that is everything but a state dinner that is going to be taking place here with a lot of high-profile guests at the White House.
And so we're waiting to see when the Senate actually sends over the bill to the White House and how that factors into when President Trump is going to sign it. I'm told that he's going to basically be presented with options, whether he can do so tonight on camera or off camera, or if he waits and does so tomorrow morning, if it doesn't come over here, until after that dinner has started.
But one thing we do know is that, Jake, the president, said yesterday he will be signing that bill. So, the question that comes after that is what exactly the Justice Department is going to do with it because there's a few caveats in the language of that resolution. So, that remains to be seen.
TAPPER: All right. Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you so much. And, of course, don't forget to watch The Source with Kaitlan Collins this evening. On the show tonight, Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie, those two led the push to get the Epstein bill passed. She's also going to talk with more Epstein survivors. That's again on The Source with Kaitlan Collins tonight at 9:00 P.M. Eastern, only on CNN.
Joining us now to discuss is the widow of Jamal Khashoggi, Hanan Khashoggi. Hanan, first of all, I'm so sorry for your loss. It is so awful what you and your family had been through.
HANAN ELATR KHASHOGGI, JAMAL KHASHOGGI'S WIFE: Thank you, sir. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
TAPPER: I'm wondering, I'm wondering what you, what your reaction was when you heard President Trump today asked about your husband's murder calling him controversial and defending the man that U.S. intelligence says was directly involved in his murder. What was your response?
KHASHOGGI: I was disappointed for two reasons. First to kind of stopping a journalist to do her job by asking, and this remind me some of a country in Middle East, which we don't like to see this practice here in U.S.
[18:05:03]
And second, to describe Jamal in such a way is not true. It is not related to Jamal and the kind of justifying the crime by presenting Jamal this way and saying he's controversial and some people does not like him, which has happened with every human being, does not mean to kidnap him, torture him and to take his life away. And Jamal was not this person as being described to today. It was upsetting for me. I have to say it was upsetting for me.
TAPPER: Yes, almost like blaming a victim for what happened to him. If President Trump were listening right now, what would you say to him?
KHASHOGGI: I will tell him, Mr. President, I look at you as a peace man and I really wish to meet you for I can introduce Jamal in the right way and as the real way you're not aware of. And I will share with you a lot about Jamal, and it'll change your opinion totally about him. Jamal was a transparent man, was a kind man, and he was very, very stable and being loved with a lot of normal people who love such a person, who was transparent and honest, like Jamal.
TAPPER: You're showing the president a lot of grace with those comments. You had previously written directly to both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump asking for help with accountability over Jamal's murder, including the recovery of his body. Do the president's remarks today make you less hopeful about getting a response?
KHASHOGGI: I feel like they're not been alerted maybe for about my message, but today by appearing in a media, maybe it'll alert them and it'll open the door for me, which is, I wish, I really wish to share with him the real Jamal and what's his vision and mission, and also what happened after this horrible crime, how is bad impacting me? This is what I wish.
And even if they did not respond yet, I'm still resisting to get -- to seek help and to continue seeking justice for myself and Jamal.
TAPPER: You called him a transparent man. You called him a kind man. What has your life been like without him?
KHASHOGGI: It's hell. It's seven years of hell, sir. It is -- basically, I'm a second victim. They killed Jamal and they killed me in the same day they killed him. I don't have any normal life and I live isolated with less income. I'm speaking only to my first family because of sensitivity of my case. I'm speaking to my lawyers and trying to get justice at any country anywhere because I have a privilege as a previous cabin crew for 22 years with Emirate Lion. I did land in a lot of countries and I been spying a lot of countries as they're spying me before they killed Jamal. And this is giving me opportunity to file a case in different location, like U.K., France, Canada, and to Norway.
TAPPER: Hanan Khashoggi, thank you so much. May the memory of Jamal be a blessing. Thank you so much for being with us.
KHASHOGGI: Thank you for remembering him. I really appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
TAPPER: We remember him all the time and we mention him all the time.
KHASHOGGI: Thank you.
TAPPER: And we'll be keeping watch for the first images as the president welcomes the man said to be responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's murder, Saudi Crown Prince MBS, for a second time today at the White House.
But, first, the breaking news on Capitol Hill moments ago, the U.S. Senate agreeing unanimously to just fast-track the vote to release the Epstein files and send the legislation over to the president. I'm going to talk about this moment with an Epstein survivor what accountability might look like if those files are ever released and the names are named. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:10:00]
TAPPER: Now to that other major story in our Law and Justice Lead, you're watching members of the House of Representatives looking up and applauding a group of brave survivors of dead pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, survivor of his abuse and his trafficking. That was just seconds after the House almost unanimously passed that bill to release the Epstein files.
Take a listen to one survivor earlier today before the vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESS MICHAELS, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Without transparency, there's no accountability. Without accountability, there is no justice. And without justice, democracy dies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: That was survivor Jess Michaels. You might recognize her from her appearances on this show. She held up a photograph of herself in 1991. When she met Epstein, she was only 22. And Jess, Michaels joins us now.
Jess, how are you? How are you feeling? This must be quite an emotional day. MICHAELS: It's overwhelming. It's hopeful. It's more than we expected to get. So, we're truly grateful.
TAPPER: You and other survivors watched the vote from the House balcony. What was that moment like?
MICHAELS: Well, they initially decided to do just a verbal vote, you know, when they just scream out whether it's yay or nay? But then they decided that they wanted to do an electronic vote, which means we actually sat there for 15 minutes and watched the names change with their vote. So, we have this visual representation of all of us unanimously joining, joining in supporting survivors and showing us that they are not going to stay silent about powerful predators.
TAPPER: The House bill says that the attorney general can redact victims' names in any information that would compromise any ongoing investigation. There might be some heavy redactions. Speaker Johnson insists that this is to protect the victims.
[18:15:00]
What do you think of all this? Are you worried at all that the redactions might be excessive, not to protect survivors, but to protect the villains in this story?
MICHAELS: Of course. We are most definitely concerned about that, and we expressed that today. We were on the Hill all day speaking to representatives. We were in Speaker Johnson's office. We were in James Comer's office really making sure they understood that, as survivors, we've waited too long. There's never going to come a point when those files are perfect, perfectly safe to put out. And we have spoken to survivors that are even not public now, that are Jane Does. And we all agree it is time to release the files so that accountability and justice can happen.
TAPPER: And one of the things -- one of the questions I see on social media all the time is, why aren't you and your fellow survivors naming these perpetrators who are walking free, and I think it's important to remind people because you have all been threatened, some physically, some emotionally, and some with litigation, some with lawsuits, and it's not for you to name names, it's for the government, the Justice Department, the prosecutors, to name names.
MICHAELS: We need the people that have failed us for decades to finally do their job. And we don't need to continue forcing this. You know, there was a staffer there today that we spoke to and this phrase will live with me for the rest of my life. She, in tears said to us, it shouldn't take an act of Congress for you guys to get justice, and it shouldn't.
TAPPER: Given the overwhelming vote to release the Epstein files in the House and now this, you know, just the Senate just saying send it to the president, where, as soon as you send it here, it's passed, do you have a renewed hope for justice and accountability?
MICHAELS: I have a renewed hope that this incredible group of women and Virginia Giuffre's family, Sky and Amanda, that we have moved mountains. I have incredible hope in the American people standing behind us and forcing Congress to act in the American public's best interest.
So, what happens next? I'm not sure, but I have a great deal of hope and inspiration from what we have been able to accomplish in the last three and a half months.
TAPPER: Well, Jess Michaels, congratulations and thank you for your courage, and I hope that there is justice and accountability to come.
MICHAELS: Thank you.
TAPPER: This hour, we expect to see the second half of the day for the Saudi Crown Prince at the White House, President Trump pulling out all the stops for someone that U.S. intelligence once said is the guy who ordered the murderer of Washington Post Journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We're going to bring that to you.
But, first, the deadly stabbing and car ramming attack in the occupied West Bank. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
TAPPER: In our World Lead today, Palestinian attackers fatally stabbed one person and injured three others in a stabbing and vehicle ramming incident in the occupied West Bank. The incident comes one day after Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles in a Palestinian village southwest of Bethlehem.
This surge of violence in the West Bank played out as the U.N. Security Council was voting to back President Trump's peace plan for a post-war Gaza.
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from Jerusalem. Nic, what is the latest out of the Middle East?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Jake, this attack in the West Bank comes at a time of rising tensions there off the back of a number of settler attacks over recent weeks that's been spiking. The attack today, attackers ramming their car and then jumping out and stabbing people, one elderly man killed, a woman and a 15-year-old seriously injured, another person moderately injured, two people killed two Palestinian assailants shot dead at the scene.
And this, of course, coming right on the heels of the U.N. Security Council voting through a resolution penned by the United States that really gives a legal footing now for President Trump's 20 point plan for peace in Gaza. And it realizes now, or puts in place, if you will, a Board of Peace. It announces that there will be an international stabilization force formed. It announces that there will be a Palestinian police that are being trained by Egyptians and Jordanians, that all of those will go into place. What we haven't seen so far is some of the detail behind how precisely those different bodies work together, also the Palestinian Authority has to reform. But what does all that mean actually in the context of Gaza? Well, the Israelis clearly expect this international stabilization force, the Board of Peace. We've heard this from the Israeli ambassador at the U.N., Danny Danon. We've heard it from the Israeli prime minister as well, Benjamin Netanyahu, who say very clearly the expectation is on this international force to bring about a demilitarization of Gaza, a disarming of Hamas.
What we've heard from Hamas is that they reject the Board of Peace. They say it's an international guardianship. They reject that this body should then be sort of overseeing the disarming of them. They say, and we've also heard from Palestinians in Gaza, that they don't want this international force there. If they do, the last thing that they want them to be doing is disarming Hamas. They should be patrolling a ceasefire line monitoring a ceasefire.
So, what's clear is that while the ceasefire is in place, there's a mechanism to make it last longer, to push it forward.
[18:25:02]
The issues remain just as contentious as ever, Jake.
TAPPER: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you so much.
Coming up next, the newly elected governor of Virginia, the first ever woman governor of Virginia, will be here in her very first interview on the lead ever since her big election night win, the request she made that has the current governor urging her to wait her turn.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, in eight weeks, Democrat Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in as the first ever woman governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. But before taking office, she's already in a back and forth with Virginia's current governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin. They are sparring over who should get a say in naming the next president of the University of Virginia.
A little background here. Last June, then UVA President James Ryan abruptly resigned amid pressure from the Trump administration to dismantle the university's DEI, or diversity equity and inclusion programs, amidst the threat of a cutoff in federal funding.
Last week, Ryan wrote a 12-page letter to the faculty Senate calling his ouster a hostage situation and revealing that a Justice Department official threatened that if he didn't resign, the Trump administration would, quote, bleed UVA white.
[18:30:07]
Governor-elect Spanberger asked the University Board of Visitors to stop searching for a new president until she takes office in January, prompting Governor Youngkin to complain that there's only one governor at a time, and he ordered the board to keep searching.
Governor-elect Spanberger, who is a UVA grad, we should note, joins us now. Governor-elect, first of all, congratulations on your election night victory. What is your understanding of where the search for a new UVA president stands right now and why did you make this request to be involved?
GOV.-ELECT ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-VA): So, importantly, and I thank you for having me on, importantly, this matters to people across Virginia because UVA is one of our flagship universities. We have extraordinary public universities here in the commonwealth and the Board of Visitors that make decisions for our public universities, UVA included. Those members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by our General Assembly. And while we have seen attacks on academic freedom, attacks on the choices that University of Virginia and other universities can make, what we haven't seen is a governor in our current governor stand up for UVA, stand up for academic freedom and set up for a process.
Currently, our Board of Visitors is short five members, and it is not statutorily compliant, meaning it does not have the requisite number of not just individuals, but meeting certain factors, Virginia residents, UVA, grads, et cetera. And so any decision that this board might make moving forward could be called into question.
So, my letter to the board was simply a request that they put a pause on their search process until I have taken office, not because I deserve to weigh in, that's not the case, but because I will quickly appoint five people, the General Assembly will quickly confirm them and then they will have a board at full compliment that is statutorily compliant, that can move forward in the best interests of the University of Virginia on its search process as they look for a new president.
TAPPER: How has this controversy affected your relationship with Governor Youngkin as you go forward with this transition process between gubernatorialships?
SPANBERGER: Well, I think, you know, I have been very critical of the way that he has not defended academic freedom and has not defended the University of Virginia, George Mason University, another Virginia public university, that has received efforts from the Department of Justice to kind of direct and dictate its choices. And so, you know, frankly speaking, he knows where I stand on this issue, which is that a governor should be standing up for universities. Not only are they valuable in that they recruit students and professors here to the commonwealth but they're major drivers of our economy. University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson. We call it Mr. Jefferson's University. An attack on UVA is frankly an attack on so much that makes up Virginia and the strength of our economy.
And so while we have been working together on the transition, I think there should be no surprises for the current governor, but I feel very strongly that not only should we have a governor who stands up for our academic freedoms and our institutions, but one that also allows for a non-political Board of Visitors to do right by the university and not do the governor's or the federal government's bidding.
TAPPER: I understand what you're saying about academic freedom, but what do you make of the argument that colleges and universities can be more receptive to criticism, that they have, in many cases, become hotbeds of progressive ideology that have resulted in incidents of anti-Semitism, incidents where conservatives don't feel like they can even just speak about their beliefs? What do you make of that argument when it comes to academic freedom and UVA?
SPANBERGER: Well, I think you make an important point, which is that, you know, universities and academic freedom doesn't necessarily mean that we should pivot one way or another. Dissent and discourse on a university campus is an important part of learning and development, but it also needs to occur within certain parameters where all students on campus feel safe. And those things should not be, and they need not be mutually exclusive or in inherent conflict.
But, unfortunately, what we have seen, and you mentioned former President Ryan's letter, you know, he laid out very clearly in his letter that the efforts that the University of Virginia had undertaken to ensure that they were meeting the requirements of this current presidential administration and that they had taken those steps while also endeavoring to uplift a community where students from across the commonwealth, rural communities, agricultural communities, urban communities, suburban communities, people of all different backgrounds and experience sets can come and prosper and learn and debate and foster that type of discourse that frankly is good for society as a whole.
[18:35:19]
And, unfortunately, what we saw as it related to his ouster from the university was a mandate from the federal government and essentially a requirement that UVA fired him or the ultimately that he resign. Otherwise, federal grant dollars, research funding, all of it was under threat.
And so while I hear you on the first part of the question, and I think it's an important thing for us to continue to have conversations about how do we debate, how do we ensure all students feel safe amid that debate, you know, that shouldn't allow the Department of Justice and ultimately the Trump administration to mandate what happens on college campuses.
TAPPER: Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, I have a lot of other questions about other topics, the Democratic Party and affordability and this and that, but we are out of time. I know you wanted to talk about this breaking UVA story. Please come back, okay? Can I get a gubernatorial promise from you that you'll come back soon?
SPANBERGER: I would love to come back and talk about all the things that we are doing to focus on affordability here in the Commonwealth of Virginia as we prepare for swearing in come January. We're going to be ready to move and address the issues that have been pervasive in every corner of our commonwealth, issues that are top of mind for the people that I look forward to serving. TAPPER: All right. Thanks, Governor-elect, congratulations again.
Breaking news, new images from North Carolina's capital city of Raleigh, protesters pushing back on the major immigration operation going down in that area, what Congress thinks of these crackdowns going down in various U.S. cities. I'm going to ask a Republican lawmaker next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
TAPPER: We have breaking news in our National Lead. Right now, you're looking at live pictures of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Protesters, they are marching against the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. This is the latest major city expected to see an increase in immigration enforcement.
Earlier today, about 160 miles west of Raleigh, high school students in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area staged a walkout and protest against these recent ICE raids. This as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says more than 30,000 students, about 20 percent of the students enrolled in the district, were absent on Monday amid the illegal immigration crackdown.
Joining us to discuss is Republican Congresswoman Maria Salazar, a Florida congresswoman. So, we've seen this increase of federal immigration enforcement across major cities for months now. Obviously, nobody has any issues with violent criminals being taken off the streets, but we've seen several instances of ICE agents using aggressive tactics to arrest people who don't appear to be violent criminals at all. They're undocumented, but they don't appear to be violent in any way there's been instances of U.S. citizens being swept up and detained some for days. What are your views of the way the Trump administration is going about handling illegal immigration?
REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL): Well, thank you for the opportunity and talking about trial. 200 people in 48 hours were arrested. 70 percent of them did not have a criminal record, according to DHS. That's a mistake. And that is why I just wrote this book called, The Dignity, Not Citizenship. This is the name of a legislation that I just introduced, and basically what it says is the ICE should be concentrating on the bad hombres, exactly what President Trump said that he wanted to do a mass deportation, the most important in the history of the country, and we agree, kick out the ones who are bad hombres, the ones who have criminal record, the murderers and the rapists, but do not touch the lady who has been here for 10, 20 years contributing to the economy, those who have been picking up the jalapeno peppers or the dairies or the greenhouses or the slaughterhouses. Those people who are illegal and they broke the law, it's true, but we should give them the dignity status. No citizenship, no amnesty. Just let them stay and help with the economy. And that is why those people are protesting. They're not defending the Tren de Aragua. They're defending those who have been here, contributing and do not have a criminal record. So, we got to change directions. The White House needs to send the signal to ICE. ICE is just doing their job. I'm not criticizing ICE. I'm telling the president, Mr. President, you know you are a construction and a hospitality guy. You know, we need those hands, and I'm sure that is going to happen very soon.
TAPPER: So, let's talk about something else. President Trump has been talking about when it comes to immigration. He also supports H1-B visas. Those are special visas that allow immigrants to come into the United States and work temporarily in specialty jobs. I want you to take a listen to how President Trump defended H1-B visas in last week's interview on Fox.
SALAZAR: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: If you want to raise wages for American workers, you can't flood the country with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.
TRUMP: Well, we also do have to bring in talent when country.
INGRAHAM: Well, we have plenty of talented people here.
TRUMP: No, you don't. No, you don't.
INGRAHAM: We don't have talented people here?
TRUMP: No, you don't have certain talents and you have to -- people have to learn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: What was your response to that?
SALAZAR: Oh, that I'm on the same page with the president. That we do have talent, but we have hundreds and hundreds of thousands of jobs that need to be filled. And if those jobs are high specialty or what -- we have A.I. right now and we need to fill those jobs and we need Silicon Valley. We're not competing against the average American worker. We're talking about more hands, more economy. And that's -- and so he's absolutely correct. It's just that this country, and that's why I wrote this book, and I thank you very much for allowing me to show it to your audience, Dignity, Not Amnesty, and Not Citizenship.
[18:45:03]
We have an immigration problem that is -- that has been with us more than the Internet. Internet was created and we still do not have for the last 40 years an immigration reform.
And this is the time to do it, because President Trump is the only guy who's going to dare to do it, because, as you know, for 40 years, Democrats and Republican presidents have not dared to tackle it. This is the moment. And with what's happening right now, even more so.
So we need -- we need hands and we need talent, local and from abroad.
TAPPER: Before you go, I want to ask you a question for those people who don't know, you're a journal -- a former journalist. You have interviewed past presidents. You interviewed Bill Clinton, George W. Bush.
I was really curious in your response when I saw this clip of President Trump snapping at a female reporter asking questions about Epstein. This happened a few days ago on Air Force One before President Trump reversed his stance on releasing Epstein files. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: If there's nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not take --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Quiet. Quiet, piggy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I know it's loud because of Air Force One, but what the reporter says, if there's nothing incriminating in the file, sir, why not take. And he says, "Quiet, Piggy." What was your response to that?
SALAZAR: Hey, you know, President Trump is a very picturesque and difficult and different type of politician. But I always say that I look at his policies and not at his personality.
No one is perfect. Those who are perfect are in heaven. That's why I am saying to him, you, because you have that personality and you have that fortitude, and you dare to do things that other people do not dare to do, you are the guy who needs to fix immigration for this country for the benefit of the average American worker and for the economy.
If immigration is not fixed by him, it will take another 40 years for a Democrat, for a Republican to dare to do it. So that's why it's exactly -- you just gave me the perfect platform to platform to say to him, you are the guy you dare to do things that others don't, dare to fix immigration.
TAPPER: Republican Congresswoman Maria Salazar of Florida, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
SALAZAR: Thanks, Jake. I appreciate you.
TAPPER: Let's go back to the White House. We're standing by to see the president and first lady greet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Presumably, he's washed the blood off his hands, whom they are hosting for a lavish dinner.
The pomp and circumstance that were seeing, along with the warmth and the praise and the denial of Saudi Arabia's actual record, something more typical of a visit from an allied Western democracy, instead of a monarchy with a checkered human rights record. The visit to the U.S. marks the very first for MBS since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who worked for "The Washington Post" seven years ago.
Earlier today, President Trump even defended the crown prince when he was pressed about his murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: As far as this gentleman is concerned, he's done a phenomenal job. You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happened, but he knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that. You don't have to embarrass our guests by asking a question like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: By all means, don't embarrass the guest. There is President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at this dinner honoring MBS who -- just to remind everybody -- Trump's own CIA said that MBS ordered the murder and dismemberment of a "Washington Post" journalist. And the first couple is right there getting ready to honor MBS for coming to the United States.
My panel joins me now as we watch these images.
Former Democratic Congressman Max Rose, the president, staunchly defending MBS, we should note, we did see President Biden fist bumped the crown prince when he was in office. That was scandalous at the time, but nothing like this.
What's your reaction?
MAX ROSE (D), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: You know, at this point, Donald Trump is acting like an 80-year-old lame duck president. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? And we're seeing a connective tissue here over how he's acted today, the way he called had this crazy outburst to one journalist calling her piggy, reacted to another journalist in the Oval Office defending MBS over perhaps all of the American people, certainly in regards to our values and then leading from behind at the very best on the Epstein files, this is a man at this point, the only rational reason for why he's acting this way, in the end, is due to his family's business.
They have several deals that are pending in Saudi Arabia, and that appears to be his priority, because I can't understand any other rational justification for how he's operating.
TAPPER: What do you think, S.E.?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that Trump never looks weaker than when he's groveling and sitting across from an authoritarian that he really envies, whether its Putin or Kim Jong Un or, or MBS. And to be that cowardly and say, we don't want to embarrass him when
you could easily say the thing that is a normal thing to say, which is condemn -- condemn the killing of Khashoggi, he just looks weak.
[18:50:11]
He looks like a very useful idiot, being used, parroting the propaganda of MBS, in fact, making Khashoggi the -- you know, to blame in all of this.
TAPPER: Yeah, a lot of people didn't like him, very controversial.
CUPP: Right. I mean, that's such a weak sauce argument and he looks very small in that moment.
And I just also want to say kudos to Mary Bruce of ABC.
TAPPER: Yeah, she's great.
CUPP: Who asked really courageous and important questions, and then the answers from both MBS and Trump were appalling and cowardly.
TAPPER: So, Trump also announced that they're discussing military and business deals. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You've agreed to invest $600 billion into the United States. And because he's my friend, he might make it a trillion, but I'm going to have to work on him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I mean, I -- there is a lot of talk. President Trump talks about this all the time, $17 trillion, $18 trillion coming to the United States. Our fact checker, Daniel Dale, has looked into it, asked for evidence of it. And needless to say, the actual facts don't line up with the claims.
ROSE: Sure, even when the White House releases a fact sheet, one that presumably is researched, it doesn't match the president's claims and you can see here this wanton disregard for the actual way these things work. It's 600 billion one day. You know, a trillion. This is how people are negotiating the price of a hot dog in Times Square, not how they're doing any type of sophisticated business deal.
Again, I bring this back to his focus on the Trump family business right now. This is a man soon, with three years left in office, no hope for running for reelection. And on top of that, he is losing his base before our very eyes.
Just your last interview, Maria Salazar openly turned against him.
TAPPER: On immigration.
ROSE: On immigration. He's the -- he's in the wrong. Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace turning against him on Epstein. Marjorie Taylor Greene acting like a Democrat. He's lost the MAGA base. So he's focusing back on what he's always had, which is his own business.
TAPPER: On the question of Marjorie Taylor Greene and the Epstein files, which is where they really turned, I should note a senior White House official just texted me saying that Epstein bill will be signed whenever it gets to the White House.
I want you to take a listen to what Marjorie Taylor Greene said when asked earlier if she trusts the President Trump will sign the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Watching this actually turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart. And the only thing that will speak to the powerful, courageous women behind me is when action is actually taken to release these files. And the American people won't tolerate any other bullshit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: What do you think, S.E.? I mean, first of all, you know, were told President Trump is going to sign it, but she didn't sound like she was confident about that.
CUPP: MAGA is mad. And she, you know, she's hearing from MAGA. Maybe Trump is tuning the MAGA influencers out and tuning the bass out, but she is hearing from MAGA back at home, just as every house Republican is.
And MAGA is mad. MAGA feels lied to, not just on this, on America first issues and policies, too. On the economy, MAGA's mad. So -- and she is right to distrust Donald Trump. I'm worried that Donald Trump behind the scenes is trying, you know, working on these files to try to make them look less bad in these final moments.
But they all see the writing on the wall. They have to do this. There is no -- you know, delaying this anymore. If they want to keep the MAGA base intact in, in time for midterms.
TAPPER: All right. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
Why rapper Nicki Minaj felt compelled to take the mic today at the United Nations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:58:17]
TAPPER: Our last lead start in our pop culture lead.
President Trump is teaming up with Nicki Minaj. The rapper spoke alongside U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, today at the U.N. about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NICKI MINAJ, RAPPER: I stand here as a proud New Yorker with a deep sense of gratitude that we live in a country where we can freely and safely worship God, regardless of ones creed, background, or politics. No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Human rights experts say that while many Christians in Nigeria have been victims of tremendous violence by radicals, still, they also say Muslims have also been targeted in this situation is more complex than the Trump administration has described, however horrific.
Only four days left on the celebrity auction I'm hosting with George Clooney and Winona Judge. All of the proceeds go to build specially adapted custom homes, mortgage free, for wounded veterans. There are a slew of event tickets up for bid, Samantha Bee's "How to Survive Menopause" tour, the adapted stage play "High Noon in London", plus a backstage meet and greet with Billy Crudup, and the New York premiere of the movie "The Housemaid". Jerry Seinfeld's 2026 tour and a meet and greet with Jerry Seinfeld. Tickets to see "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" or "The Late Show with Seth Meyers", or "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert", or "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon", or "Real-Time with Bill Maher", all of those events. VIP with meet and greets.
There's also NFL tickets to see the Eagles against the Commanders in January. Check out more than 100 items to bid on. The auction closes this Friday. Find more at ebay.com/HFOT. That's ebay.com/HFOT, Homes For Our Troops.
You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X and on the TikTok @jaketapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN streaming app.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.
