Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Says, Zelenskyy Is Going To Have To Like Peace Plan; FAA Expects Busiest Thanksgiving In 15 Years; Mamdani, Trump Meet At White House To Talk Affordability; Jimmy Kimmel To Trump: "I'll Go When You Go"; Nationals' New Manager Hired Same Day He Became A Dad. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 21, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: And welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, the major choice President Trump is pushing to Ukraine and pushing for a decision in a matter of days. What do the people of Ukraine want nearly four years into their defensive war against Russia? We're going to get some insight.

Plus, the holiday rush begins less than one week out from Thanksgiving. We're going to take you inside one airline's nerve center as the FAA braces for this next week to be its busiest in 15 years.

Also, real life exorcisms on the rise across the United States, this is nothing like the 1970s horror film. What CNN learned about the practice happening in many Catholic communities.

And the Major League personal news just hours after the Washington Nationals named its new manager.

The Lead tonight, Ukraine at a major crossroads, either lose, quote, dignity, or U.S. support. That's according to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after President Trump issued an ultimatum connected to a proposed 28-point peace plan widely seen as favoring Russia. This afternoon, President Trump seemed surprised that Zelenskyy wasn't immediately on board.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You mean he doesn't like it?

REPORTER: It's unclear. He was sort of --

TRUMP: Well, he'll have to like it. And if he doesn't like it then, you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Republican Congressman Don Bacon, an Air Force general, retired, reacted to the moment calling Trump's view a, quote, ugly perspective. Earlier, he called the proposed deal, quote, the worst appeasement seen since 1938, referring to the Munich agreement, which attempted to appease Hitler by giving him some land, an effort that failed spectacularly.

Here are some of the key points of this proposal. Ukraine would give up not only territory that Russia has conquered, but some territory that Ukraine currently controls. Ukraine would agree to limit the size of its military. They would commit to not joining NATO. Russia would agree to not invade neighboring countries. Sanctions would be lifted on Russia. And Trump would oversee a peace council similar to the Gaza plan.

Now, Ukrainian and European leaders say they weren't involved at all in drafting this proposal. Now, Trump says Ukraine needs to respond by Thanksgiving. Today, Zelenskyy says he spoke at length with Vice President Vance, adding they agreed to, quote, maintain constant contact.

New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen joins us now from the Halifax International Security Forum. She's also the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator, thanks so much for joining us.

There are leaders there from Europe with a huge stake in Ukraine's future. What conversations are you hearing on the sidelines about this Trump-led peace proposal?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Well, this is a Putin plan for Ukraine, not a plan that really contemplates real negotiations. What I'm hearing from people who are here in Halifax, from Europe and around the world is that they have panned this proposal as being nothing but a complete cave into Vladimir Putin and Russia.

What the United States needs to do is to put pressure on Putin to provide those long-range weapons, to put sanctions, secondary sanctions on the companies that are fueling Russia's war machine and bring Putin to the table to really negotiate. We should not be representing Russia in this deal. We are a partner. We have been a partner of Ukraine, and we need to continue to support the courageous people of Ukraine.

So, I agree with Representative Bacon and with the others, my other Republican colleagues, Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who has put out a strong statement in opposition to this proposal.

TAPPER: Turning to domestic issues, you were part of that coalition of eight Democrats who broke ranks and worked with Republicans for that deal to end the government shutdown, affordable Care Act subsidies expire in just a few weeks.

[18:05:00]

As I don't need to tell you, Senate leader Thune agreed to a mid- December vote in the Senate as part of your shutdown deal, a vote to extend those subsidies. Have you seen any inklings of a plan that you think could pass both chambers and would keep these subsidies in place for at least a year or two?

J. SHAHEEN: Well, I think there's a fair amount of agreement on substance on both sides of the aisle, but the question is whether we can deal with the fine points of what that agreement might look like and do it in time to get a bill through. There's real concern that whatever we do in the Senate is not going to be taken up by the House unless President Trump recognizes that it's in his interest and in the interest of those Republicans who are responsible for the fact that these insurance rates are going up so dramatically to actually get something done.

TAPPER: Are you going to get that vote, though, that Thune promised?

J. SHAHEEN: We are. I believe that we will get the vote. Senator Thune is good at his word and he promised the vote. We're working on the Democratic side. People are working on a bill. I know some of my colleagues on the Republican side are working on a bill. And there are people on both sides of the aisle who want to get this done and provide the real relief that people need.

And there's urgency about it, as you point out, because the marketplace is open. So, people have already seen their insurance rates more than double in many cases and it's unaffordable. We're going to have 4 million people who are going to lose their health insurance if we don't address this.

TAPPER: I interviewed somebody who disagreed with what you did in terms of that government funding deal. She wanted the Democratic Party to still fight for these subsidies. Her name's Stefany. She's running for a House seat in New Hampshire. She's your daughter. Here she is Monday on --

J. SHAHEEN: She is, and she's going to be a great congresswoman.

TAPPER: Take a listen.

J. SHAHEEN: Because she's independent. She worked in healthcare and --

TAPPER: I want you to listen to this clip of her on the show earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANY SHAHEEN (D), NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE CANDIDATE: Well, sure, I understood where she was coming from. She knew where I was coming from. And, ultimately, she did what she believes is right and I'm doing what I believe is right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, I know you've endorsed her. She mentioned she was so focused on healthcare because of experiences with her daughter, your granddaughter. How is Thanksgiving --

J. SHAHEEN: Who has type one diabetes.

TAPPER: How is Thanksgiving going to be like at the Shaheen household? Is it going to be tense you think?

J. SHAHEEN: Absolutely not. We are fortunate because we have three very independent daughters who -- and we have robust conversations at our Thanksgiving dinner, it will be just like it always is.

TAPPER: All right, Senator.

J. SHAHEEN: In fact, she's even going to feed me. Her husband always cooks.

TAPPER: All right. Well, I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving. Thank you so much, Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

J. SHAHEEN: Thank you. You too.

TAPPER: And Kira Rudik, a member of Ukraine's Parliament, joins us now. Thank you so much for joining us.

This afternoon, President Trump said, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is, quote, going to have to like the peace plan. You just met U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll in Ukraine. What did you have to say to him?

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: Hello, Jake, and thank you so much for having me. Well, that Ukraine wants peace most than any other nation in the world, but we want it not at all cost. And we did not accept capitalization in 2022 when the situation was really dire, and we will not accept it right now. We have already paid an ultimate price and we are looking forward to a really just piece that will ensure that Russia would not attack us again.

Unfortunately, what we see right now at this 28-point plan, there is no confirmation and no pass on how to make sure that Russia would not attack us again, what would be the security guarantees, and what is also important, what does Russia give up to bring the peace closer.

TAPPER: The survival of Ukraine as a sovereign state was, of course, not a given in those first few hours of the war in 2022. Is Ukraine prepared to make some concessions to guarantee its sovereignty?

RUDIK: First and foremost, we need to know like, again, what are the security guarantees, so then we can discuss if that is something valuable that will push us to some concessions. However, we are a sovereign state and sovereignty means that we are deciding the size of our army. Sovereignty means that our borders are not changed.

So, I think we are right now at a very difficult situation where we should be looking at this path, this plan as first draft, that will be discussed further where Ukraine's part and Ukraine's position will be also taken into account.

[18:10:07]

Because I'm sure it is understandable that something that is drafted by the United States together with Russia without Ukraine, about Ukraine is not something that we can accept, neither is something that our European partners can accept, given that we are talking about the security of the whole Europe.

TAPPER: Let's talk specifics because point 21 of the plan of this potential you know, proposed peace plan states that Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk will be recognized as Russian territory. When looking at the Donbass area, specifically Luhansk and Donetsk, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh points out, quote, Luhansk is almost all Russian-occupied now, but Donetsk is key to Ukrainian resistance. Moscow has lost stupendous amounts of troops fighting for it, and the parts key retains are important bulwarks against further Russian advances. Politically, Zelenskyy cannot give them up either. It would be wildly unpopular, and his polling is not good now, unquote. Do you think that Zelenskyy risks losing his job if he were to agree to this plan?

RUDIK: There are also limitations of what Ukrainian president can and cannot do, and whatever -- if there was a person who would ever want to give up on any Ukrainian territories, it cannot be done by the president. It should be done by making changes to Ukraine's Constitution, which cannot be changing during the war time. And, again, you are absolutely right that it's just a bigger question, not only about the territories, but about the people and about our ability to defend ourselves without the security guarantees that are being -- not being given right now.

So, we cannot be discussing anything about the concessions, about the plans moving forward before we learn, okay, so how do you ensure that Russia would not attack us again?

TAPPER: Kira Rudik, thank you so much.

RUDIK: Thank you. And glory to Ukraine.

TAPPER: Coming up, the must-see moment of the day after throwing insults just weeks ago. Today, it was all kindness and sweetness and pleasantries between President Trump and New York City's new mayor- elect, Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office. It was odd. Was it sincere? We're going to talk about it.

But, first, CNN is going inside one airline's mission control just as the Thanksgiving holiday rush gets underway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

TAPPER: In our National Lead, the government shutdown is in the rear view mirror and the FAA predicts this will be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years with next Tuesday being the peak day for flights.

So, who's going to be watching all those jets and trying to make sure that you get there on time and safely? CNN's Pete Muntean just met some of those folks at Southwest Airlines' big control hub.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, good morning Southwest. PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is mission control for your Thanksgiving trip from storms --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some scattered showers with isolated thunderstorms.

MUNTEAN: -- to software snags.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll keep you updated if that status changes.

MUNTEAN: 300 workers here inside Southwest Airlines Network Operations Control in Dallas are diving headfirst into the biggest travel rush of the year. Justin Lebon is helming what's called the bridge and reporting to him are about a dozen different divisions on the floor, all monitoring everything, from crew schedules to space launches, to keep 800 airplanes moving.

JUSTIN LEBON, NETWORK OPERATIONS CONTROL DIRECTOR, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: We move about five to 600,000 people a day. And you never know what's going to walk through that door with a problem.

MUNTEAN: Thanksgiving is this team's latest challenge after the government shutdown forced Southwest to cancel hundreds of flights a day.

ANDREW WATTERSON, COO, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: That's about what you'd see from a very bad winter storm.

MUNTEAN: Andrew Watterson is Southwest's chief operating officer.

WATTERSON: So, it wasn't that bad. Not easy, but it did not stress the network at all.

MUNTEAN: Southwest says, even still, 83 percent of its flights arrived on time, a testament to improvements it made after its massive schedule meltdown of 2022.

WATTERSON: We have redundant technology. We have a better staffing, better decision-making. And so we're able to handle these large scale events very well.

MUNTEAN: These numbers are the flights that Southwest is monitoring in real time. There are about 500 flights in the air right now, but the day is still pretty young and the airline still has about 2,500 flights left to complete for the entire day. On the biggest days of the Thanksgiving rush, that's like moving the population of Minneapolis.

STEVE WEST, V.P. NETWORK OPERATIONS CONTROL, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: That's our goal, is to complete the schedule.

MUNTEAN: Steve West heads the command center and showed me the scope of the work that goes on here. On this day, teams are monitoring bad weather coming for Las Vegas and Phoenix, both major bases for the airline. The goal here is to maintain what's called A30, that's getting flights to their destinations no more than 30 minutes late. Is this stressful? It seems kind of stressful.

WEST: It can be, but you know, these guys have been doing it for so long that it becomes natural for them.

MUNTEAN: For Justin Lebon, he says just ten people not making their connections becomes personal. It's why he's confident Thanksgiving for the airline will be something to be thankful for.

LEBON: It's looking pretty good. I think the weather next week is looking pretty good. We always kind of stay, you know, about a week ahead, looking at general trends and everything, pretty good spirits and everything. So, we're looking forward to it.

MUNTEAN: Pete Muntean, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: And our thanks to Pete Muntean for that report.

Coming up, why it's worth watching out for more big name businesses mixing it up with right wing media.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

TAPPER: In our Money Lead, we're seeing a trend in Washington, more big companies cozying up to right wing media outlets like Breitbart. Breitbart, which Trump's Svengali, Steve Bannon, once called the platform of the alt right. And it's not just any companies. It's blue chip companies.

Yesterday, for example, Bank of America, Meta and Microsoft, all co- sponsored Breitbart's event, showcasing their desire to do whatever it takes to protect their interests in this second Trump term, even if that means underwriting an event put on by a MAGA propaganda engine that spreads anti-immigrant hate and vilifies the news media, and, in fact, might vilify some of those very own companies.

Vice President Vance spoke at the event, and true to form, he began on that theme.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I'm being dead serious that this is the most well-sourced journalists in Washington, D.C. And if you remember maybe six months ago, maybe it was actually a year, year-and- a-half ago, when there was this big conversation at The Washington Post about what do we do to actually get in touch with the other half of America, how do we actually make our journalism more appealing to the half of the country that doesn't agree with far left politics, and, actually, I think I texted Jeff Bezos and I said, if you're really serious about this, you should just hire Matt Boyle and make him run your entire political reporting shop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Oliver Darcy, author of the Status Newsletter, which covers media, joins us now. So, Oliver, the thought of companies such as Microsoft and Bank of America aligning themselves with Breitbart just a few years ago was frankly unfathomable. What's changed?

OLIVER DARCY, AUTHOR, STATUS NEWSLETTER: I think Donald Trump 2.0 is totally different and these companies are approaching it in a much different way. You're right, ten years ago when Donald Trump was first elected, these companies would never have associated their brands or even put money behind a company like Breitbart. And even a few years ago, if you remember, Jake, after the January 6th insurrection, companies talked about not supporting politicians and other entities that had been responsible for spreading election lies. But now, a few years later, these companies are desperate for insulation in Donald Trump's Washington.

And so what you're seeing is them supporting companies like Breitbart. I mean, I was still a little surprised, to be honest, to see a blue chip company, like the Bank of America, or Microsoft, or even Meta, get behind Breitbart, but I think that they need to in order to dodge regulatory scrutiny given that Donald Trump has weaponized government in an unprecedented way.

TAPPER: A lot of people watching might not know who Breitbart -- what Breitbart is, might not know who Matt Boyle is. Explain why not only a vice president but these big companies associate themselves with Breitbart is so shocking to you.

DARCY: They're basically underwriting MAGA propaganda, Jake. That's what Breitbart is. It's a MAGA propaganda machine. And it pumps out, you know, support for Donald Trump on a regular basis. But it also has done what he has done, which has vilified the news media, cheered on as he's warped the Department of Justice, been happy to see Robert F. Kennedy Jr. take a baseball bat to our nation's health centers, you know, on and on it goes. That's what they're supporting when they support Breitbart, when they sponsor a Breitbart event. They are basically underwriting the destruction of a lot of our institutions. And, you know, I wonder actually how many Bank of America customers want their dollars to go towards such efforts.

And, Jake, we should also note these companies, I don't think they're very proud of this. This isn't something that they're going to brag about on their websites. Frankly, they wouldn't know about it or people wouldn't know about it had we not reported it in status yesterday, because I think these companies want to put on the face that they're socially responsible. They all talk about corporate responsibility on their webpages, in press releases to the media. But in Trump's Washington, they are, you know, quietly cozying up to the powers that be these days.

TAPPER: Yes. I mean, this is a site that used to have a black crime vertical, meaning it's a bunch of -- if you want stories about African Americans committing crime, they have a whole section for it.

This week, we also saw Trump give a full-throated of defense of the Saudi Crown Prince MBS, despite MBS's murder, or he ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump rolled out the red carpet for him. That included a lavish dinner. And many of the CEOs of these companies were there. What message do you think that sends to journalists around the world?

DARCY: It's alarming, Jake. And it shows, I think, that these leaders, these business leaders who, again, portray themselves as somewhat guardians of democracy, or at least they have over the years, they really have no principles. I mean, the principles of these companies and these leaders say they stand by are apparently non-existent if there's regulatory scrutiny or political pressure on them, which there is now.

And so you're seeing them abandon what they've claimed to support over the years in favor of, you know, keeping a good relationship with Donald Trump. And so the fact that you have David Ellison, for instance, the head of Paramount, who owns a news organization, at a dinner celebrating a man who, according to the U.S. intelligence, ordered the butchering of an American journalist, is frankly pretty shameful.

TAPPER: There was some right wing journalists there as well, I should note.

Oliver Darcy, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

When you hear exorcism, do you think of that terrifying 1970s horror film? That was onscreen fiction. Exorcisms are a real occurrence in the United States and they are happening more. We have an eye-opening report from CNN's David Culver, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If a person's, you know, possessed by a demon or something, how do they get an exorcism?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the first thing I'd have to get them into a time machine and get him back to the 16th century.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That was a clip from the 1973 thriller, The Exorcist. And while you might think demonic possession is fiction, there are lots of people all over the world convinced that it's real.

CNN's David Culver went to one of the fastest growing Catholic communities in the United States. And, David, you found that exorcisms are what some called deliverances are often a last resort for vulnerable people.

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake, what struck me right away was how different this is than the Hollywood image that we all have when we hear the word, exorcism. And we shot this story over several months and we focused in on Arizona. It's a state with this really unique mix of cultures, traditional faith and new age spiritual practices. It's also home to one of the fastest growing Catholic communities in this country.

And on Sunday night, we're going to introduce you to several exorcists.

[18:35:01]

Some are very public, others, extremely private. One Catholic exorcist who asked us to hide his identity told us that he's doing more exorcisms now than at any point in his 25-plus years in that role.

Now, to see whether that extended beyond Arizona, we reached out to all 196 Catholic diocese and archdiocese across the U.S. Of the 48 that responded, more than two dozen told us that they have seen an increase in inquiries for exorcisms over the past two decades. Across other Christian churches, ministers that perform deliverances, which essentially is another word for exorcisms, they say that they're seeing more people show up as well.

What stood out to me, though, wasn't the spectacle of this. It's the vulnerability. People tell us that they turn to deliverances or exorcisms because they feel like they're out of options. They're dealing with depression, addiction, grief, fear. Some are folks that you might never expect would seek this out.

Here's a look at some of our reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A tunnel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a tunnel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a tunnel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay.

Oh, what's my favorite one? Who is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had reached desperation in my life countless times before. I had tried in the past to take my life, like I just was broken. And there was a spirit who had such a strong hold on me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, in the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The spirit was a demon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, come out of Abby (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, leave her all the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, demons come into trauma. They come into the trauma in your life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was beaten up as a child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll have to fight all our lives because Satan's always going to come against us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're infected by the demons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER: A lot of folks told us that they feel unseen or unsupported elsewhere, and that's where this gets a bit complicated. Misreading symptoms can be dangerous, but in this journey, we also saw real community, real belief, and people who said that this gave them hope when they didn't have much left.

We wanted to understand all of it, the faith, the fear, the risks, and why this spiritual searching seems to be growing even as fewer Americans identify with organized religion. That's the world we take you into this Sunday night, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, looking forward to it. David Culver, thanks so much.

The first to reporting on an all new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper this week, it's titled, The Exorcists. That's Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern here on CNN. And the next day, you can watch it in the new CNN streaming app.

Some pretty stark reaction coming in from Republican Congresswoman and New York gubernatorial candidate Elise Stefanik is something nice that President Trump said about Zohran Mamdani when they were meeting in the Oval. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani visited the White House today to sit down with President Trump. The mayor-elect requested the meeting with one word top of mind, affordability.

Both leaders have talked about bringing down prices and made it a central focus of their campaign pitches. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NEW YORK CITY, NY): We spoke about rent. We spoke about groceries. We spoke about utilities. We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Faiz Shakir is former campaign manager for Senator Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential run, David Urban, a former senior Trump adviser.

Faiz, obviously, it was a rather stunning meeting in terms of how nice they were to each other. How optimistic are you that what they discussed today actually will come to some sort of policy fruition?

FAIZ SHAKIR, FORMER BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Well, I'm not one to usually say nice things about Donald Trump, but I commend President Trump for starting on the right foot. You know, he had -- they had an alignment on goals, on structure, say, hey, affordability is your thing. You want to bring down rent, you want to bring down electricity rates, count me in on the effort to make New York City great. We start there.

To your point, it's going to -- we're going to hit some bumps when we start talking about, okay, how does a rent freeze go into effect? How does a bus, fast and free, go into effect? How do grocery stores get established? How do some of the things that Mamdani campaigned on when they come to that point? He's going to need some support. And I think he knows there's now an open line between the president of Mamdani, and that's a good start.

TAPPER: Absolutely. David, Mamdani is 34. That makes him the youngest New York mayor in more than a century. Trump is 79, the oldest person to ever be elected president. Talk a little bit about, if you could, about the dichotomy of these two leaders, two men with completely different philosophies on how America should be run, and both with very loyal followings and some T.V. and charisma skills.

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Jake, you know, as the kids say, game recognizes game, right? So, I think both on Mamdani has to recognizes and respects the president, what he's done, his following, what he's built. And I think Donald Trump, as you heard in that meeting, recognizes what the mayor-elect has done to get where he is. And I think he respects it.

And, look, you're right about my colleague. They're right about everybody wants the same thing, right? Everybody wants the same goals. How we get there, however, is going to be a little bit of a bumpy road, right? Everybody wants cheaper housing, more affordable groceries, heating bills to go down, more jobs created. But how we get there, ultimately, is two distinctly different visions between a Democratic socialist and someone who's kind of a free market Republican. So, we will see.

I hope for the 10 million people that live in New York City and for our country just writ large, I hope that the mayor succeeds and the president succeeds together and can help lift our country to a better place.

Elise Stefanik is a Republican congresswoman from New York. She's running for governor against incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.

[18:45:03]

President Trump was asked today in the Oval Office, if he agreed with Elise Stefanik, who is trying to make Mamdani the lightning rod of her campaign, if she agreed that Mamdani is a jihadist. And president Trump said, no, I don't.

Talk about a bad day. Elise Stefanik, she posted on social media, quote, "We all want New York city to succeed, but we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. If he walks like a jihadist, if he talks like a jihadist, if he campaigns like a jihadist, if he supports jihadist, he's a jihadist and he's Kathy Hochul's jihadist."

Bad day for Elise Stefanik, David.

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, listen -- well, listen, that's not going to be the first disagreement that she's going to have with the president. But listen, Elise Stefanik is a rock star. I suspect that she's going to have a have plenty of ammunition when she's running to use in campaign ads just from Kathy Hochul herself. She doesn't need the mayor, Kathy Hochul herself as governor, has been -- has done a lot of very questionable, weak things. So, I think that you know, Congresswoman Stefanik will run a very stout campaign. And I think you're looking right there at the next governor of the great state of New York on your screens.

TAPPER: All right. President Trump continues to rail on late night TV hosts. I mean, it's just incredible.

FAIZ SHAKIR, FORMER BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Not just -- not just late night TV host, right?

TAPPER: No, of course, but I mean -- I mean, it's one thing to rail on politicians when you're a politician, like. But this guy really goes after -- he just in the last week, he's done Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel.

Last night, Kimmel responded in kind. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, LATE NIGHT TV HOST: You tried to get me fired in September. It didn't work.

(APPLAUSE)

KIMMEL: Mr. President, I admire your tenacity. If you're watching tonight, which I presume you are, how about this? I'll go when you go. Okay? (APPLAUSE)

KIMMEL: Let's -- it'll be a team. Let's ride off into the sunset together. Like Butch Cassidy and the suntan kid. And until then, if I may borrow a phrase from you -- quiet, piggy.

(END VIDOE CLIP)

SHAKIR: No one's endorsing the character and conduct of the president. But I do want to take the -- where's the commonality? Why is Trump acting the way he is with Mamdani? And I think part of it is that there's a desire for disruption of the status quo. To his credit, Trump has campaigned on this for a decade, as has Mamdani. Not only that, there's a disruption to the status quo that that people feel an affinity and emotional attachment to your style of politics.

There's a constituency of people who are saying, you got a vision. I agree with it. It takes on the elites and the status quo, and that with, I think Mamdani senses somebody with depth. There's integrity, there's integrity. I think of it with Bernie Sanders. I think of it with Zohran Mamdani that when they campaign, its not nonsense of bumper sticker slogans. There's a desire to do right by people who desperately need a change. And I think Trump, to his credit, recognizes that in Mamdani.

TAPPER: David, Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub is dismissing Trump's recent comments on the NFL's new kickoff rules. The league implemented this new rule in an attempt to make the place safer for those on the field.

When asked about what Trump had to say, Toub, who's usually pretty reserved, he had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE TOUB, SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: He doesn't even know what he's looking at. He has no -- he has no idea what's going on with the kickoff rule. So I'm going to take that for what it's worth, I hope he hears it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you think, David?

URBAN: Yeah. Well, listen back quickly to Jimmy Kimmel. I think he needs to break out that book that he had, "Winners Aren't Losers". Remember that from about a decade ago. The Dr. Seuss, Donald Trump collab. I think Trump may like that again.

And then look, one thing that Donald Trump does know is the former owner of the New Jersey Generals, as you remember, Jake, just across the river there.

TAPPER: Herschel Walker.

URBAN: He knows football. He -- yeah, he knows he knows him some football, whether it's Tom Brady, Herschel Walker, this kickoff rule. I got to sit next to -- I went to Dublin and watched the Steelers play the Vikings and sat with the commissioner and had a little chat with him about the rule myself.

I think it's -- it's a little odd if you grew up your whole life watching, watching the game played and then you watch that, it seems like people are frozen in time. They're still -- I agree with the president. They're still as much collision. And the ball gets advanced. The ball starts out like the 40-yard line now, all of a sudden.

SHAKIR: So let me make a plea to --

URBAN: I'm not quite sure what the what the overall objective was.

SHAKIR: If the president wants to continue on the NFL, let me ask him. Weighed in on astroturf fields. Let's end the astroturf fields. Bring back grass. Better for player health and safety.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks, everyone. Have a great weekend.

My guests coming up Sunday on "STATE OF THE UNION", National Economic Council director at the White House, Kevin Hassett, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. That's Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and again at Noon Eastern only on CNN.

Some incredible news for the man who just became the youngest Major League Baseball manager in more than 50 years, taking over for our home team here in D.C., the Washington Nationals. His news came just two hours after he signed his new contract, and the MLB manager will be right here on THE LEAD, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:54:21]

TAPPER: In our sports lead, tomorrow's National Women's Soccer League championship match is expected to be an epic showdown. Gotham FC versus Washington Spirit, two rivals going at it. For Gotham, a chance at revenge against the team that knocked them out of last year's semifinal for the spirit redemption from last years championship loss. Both teams ready to lay it out all on the field.

Also in our sports lead, 33-year-old Blake Butera, the Washington Nationals new manager, is not only the youngest Major League Baseball manager in more than 50 years, he signed his contract the same day that he became a dad. There's baby Blair with her parents sporting a Nats jersey, of course.

And Blake Butera joins me now.

First of all, Blake, double congratulations to you and your wife, Caroline, on the birth of your daughter and then becoming the new Washington Nationals manager at the tender age of 33. What a -- what a month? How are you handling these major life changes? BLAKE BUTERA, MANAGER, WASHINGTON NATIONALS: Yeah, I think still

trying to get acclimated. Just really excited, really fortunate to be in the spot we're in. And just really excited for what's ahead.

TAPPER: So these are two new jobs that you have limited experience in. No experience in the dad part of it. What's your message to those who might? There are a lot of Nats fans in this building I'm sitting in. What is your message to people who might be a little trepidatious about the youngest Major League Baseball manager in more than 50 years?

BUTERA: Yeah, I think I've been really fortunate to be surrounded by some pretty impressive people. You know, the last 11 years with the Tampa Bay Rays and, have had some different opportunities and experiences. You know, managing in the Minor Leagues with the Rays, overseeing player development and also some time with the World Baseball Classic and you know, around some pretty, some pretty special people.

TAPPER: We all remember the 2019 world series. And that's one. But the Nats have had six consecutive losing seasons since then. Gone are they of the days of Bryce Harper and Juan Soto. But you do have players such as James Wood, CJ Abrams, Jake Irvin and pitching. What goals are you setting for this team?

BUTERA: Yeah, I think what was just really fascinating right away and exciting is the fact that a lot of the players I've been talking to, they're all just really hungry. And they have a drive and a motivation to be great. And, they're excited to get a staff in here that's going to help push help push them.

And, I think they think the sky's the limit. And we absolutely agree with that.

TAPPER: What challenges do you think the team needs to tackle right away?

BUTERA: You know, I think it's a young team, right? I think there's a lot of talent on this team. There's a lot of young talent. When you look across the roster. So, you know, I think just building some experience you know having some people to lean on in the clubhouse. And that's what we're doing as we're building out our coaching staff.

So, you know, obviously always challenges come about, but excited about the direction were going to go.

TAPPER: A-nd tell me about the birth of your little girl. I mean, I know, I know firsthand its a pretty amazing experience. Have you been getting any sleep?

BUTERA: No sleep. Fortunately, you know, my wife's a champ, and she's been taking on a lot of it. And you know, our in-laws as well have been awesome. So just really thankful for the family support we have around us. But the sleep is very little.

TAPPER: And you're going to have to handle these two jobs. I know I assume that your wife and your in-laws will handle most of the tough work, but you're in there, too. That's going to be a challenge.

BUTERA: Yeah, absolutely. It's always a challenge. You know, going into a new opportunity here with Washington. Plus, our newborn Blair. But, yeah, just, you know, fortunate to have some, some supportive people around us. They're going to help make this a little bit easier.

TAPPER: And what do you make of the -- of the dominance of the Dodgers in these last couple of years? I mean, it's not a common occurrence to have back-to-back World Series victories.

BUTERA: Yeah. What they've done is really impressive. Like you said, it's not easy to go back-to-back. Doesn't matter how talented your roster is or how much money is on the roster. You know, hats off to the job they've done. It's a long season, right? 162 games plus playoffs. And it seems like the off season gets shorter and shorter. So, yeah, it's pretty impressive to watch as a baseball fan.

TAPPER: All right. Well, Mr. Butera, we appreciate your time. And congratulations on everything. But especially on your daughter. Thanks for -- thanks for joining us.

BUTERA: Thanks, Jake. Thanks for having me.

TAPPER: So, we are closing in now on literally the final minutes of this celebrity auction that I've told you about. I'm co-hosting it with George Clooney and Wynonna Judd. It benefits Homes For Our Troops. This top-rated charity, all of the proceeds help build specially adapted custom homes, mortgage free for severely wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. I want you to right now, go on the website, ebay.com/HFOT. HFOT, Homes For Our Troops, ebay.com/HFOT.

There are tickets. There are events, autographs, collectibles, zoom calls, meals, coffee. You can bid to win a Zoom call with James Marsden, the actor, or a conversation with Weird Al Yankovic or TV host Jeff Probst of Survivor, CNN's very own Phil Mattingly or Kate Bolduan or Kasie Hunt.

You can also get a video message personalized to you can get one from -- if you're a fan of "The Office", Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer from "The Office" will do a personalized message for you. There are more than 100 items to bid on, and they are all ticking down. These are the last few minutes the auction is closing 7:00 p.m. Eastern. You can still sneak in a bid, find out more. Once again, ebay.com/HFOT, Homes For Our Troops, and I'll stop talking about it until next year.

After such an intense week of news, how about this for you? Pandas. Two giant twin pandas in China rolling around enjoying lunch. That's it. That's the news. Enjoy this moment of Zen.

Have a great weekend.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.