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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Iran Threatens To Retaliate Against U.S; Trump Gets Physical Exam At Walter Reed; Final Hours Of Voting In Brutal Texas Race; GOP Braces For Costly Senate Race After Bitter Primary; Craig Ferguson Explores What It Means To Be American As The Country Prepares To Mark Its 250th Anniversary. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired May 26, 2026 - 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 ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour President Trump is expected to gather his cabinet tomorrow to discuss a deal to end the Iran war. We have frankly lost track of how many times the president has suggested an end to the war was imminent. It was a war that was supposed to last four to six weeks, both of which passed more than a month ago.

[18:00:02]

So, what is the actual status of a potential deal? We're going to go live to the White House for an update in moments.

Plus, President Trump visited Walter Reed Medical Center today for his six-month physical. The White House is expected to release details of his visit within the next day or two. So, what should we be looking out for? I'm going to ask a former White House physician ahead.

Also, they're in the final hours of voting in what turned into an ugly Republican primary down in Texas. Will the scandal-mired attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, be able to take down longtime Senator John Cornyn? And will the winner be so wounded that it gives Democrats a rare opening in the Lone Star State?

The Lead tonight, Iran is threatening to retaliate after fresh strikes from the U.S. last night. CENTCOM tells CNN that the U.S. was operating in self-defense, targeting Iranian missile launch sites and mine-laying boats around the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is now warning reciprocation against any violation of the ongoing ceasefire as U.S. and Iranian negotiators signal peace talks are, in fact, progressing.

Now, President Trump says his cabinet will be meeting at the White House tomorrow rather than at Camp David due to the inclement weather.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House. Kaitlan, what's the latest?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake, that meeting no longer taking place at Camp David, but still top of mind when the president and his cabinet are all gathered around the table for tomorrow's cabinet meeting will be Iran and the state of these negotiations that have been taking place, and according to what White House officials have said in recent days, have seemed to actually gain momentum. They were hopeful that a deal was potentially within reach, and talked about what the sticking points in that were, Jake, as they've been having conversations with top officials from different countries in the Middle East and U.S. allies here.

One question, of course, is after those strikes that happened yesterday that Iran said were a violation of the ceasefire and that warranted a response, is whether or not that happens and if it affects the state of these talks, because we're hearing different things at times from the president, from his top officials on where exactly these talks stand, Jake. The president has said he is in no hurry to make a deal, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said we could see one materialize potentially within days. But, you know, we've seen this moment before, Jake, where they've gotten close to an agreement, but then, of course, at the last minute, something has happened here.

And so a lot of that remains to be seen in terms of where this deal stands, and obviously that will be key questions for the president tomorrow as he is meeting with the cabinet here at the White House. And also officials here tonight, Jake, are watching what is happening in Texas and in these other races playing out. So, it's likely the president will also weigh in on that as well.

One other thing that he has commented on himself is his physical, Jake, today, that he went to Walter Reed to get. He offered his own assessment about everything going perfectly. I'm sure there will be some follow-up questions about that as well.

TAPPER: All right, Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you so much.

And, of course, don't miss Kaitlan on her show, The Source with Kaitlan Collins. That's tonight. Her guests tonight include New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. That is at 9:00 P.M. Eastern only on CNN.

My panel joins me now. So, Beth Sanner, here is how Secretary of State Marco Rubio described where talks stand right now between the U.S. and Iran. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I think there's strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like.

If there's going to be a deal, we're going to have to work through that. But this is -- you know, it's either going to be a good deal or there isn't going to be one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What is a good deal? Does it have to be much better than the Iran deal that Obama cut? BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think that this MOU does not have to be better than that. This MOU has to get us to a negotiation where then you have to work on a deal that is definitely better than JCPOA, which is really, really hard because the Iran nuclear program, even though it has been set back, you know, considerably, obliterated at least in part, it's still not the same program that it was before.

TAPPER: So, Vice Admiral Miller, the current deal on the table omits some of the thorniest issues, right, what happens with the nuclear program, what happens with the nuclear enrichment program, et cetera, et cetera, all of that is TBD. Who theoretically would come out the winner of this MOU? Would it be Iran just because they would get an end to the hostilities and not having actually agreed to anything important?

VICE ADM. JOHN FOZZIE MILLER (RET.), U.S. NAVY: Well, at the end of the day, whatever deal is finally negotiated has to include the nuclear weapons program and all of the material that's already in Iran, the 60 percent-enriched uranium.

So, in order for this to be a victory for the United States, two things really have to happen, as red lines on the U.S. side, and the president's talked about them a number of times.

[18:05:02]

One is they have to give up their nuclear material. There's no doubt if they had a nuclear weapon today, they'd use it. If they have a nuclear weapon five years from now, they're likely going to use it. So, that material has to be turned over as part of the deal. And we need to have the Strait of Hormuz open and free and unimpeded by the regime.

So, I think those are the two things we look at probably the strait right away, and then in a negotiated settlement the nuclear program.

TAPPER: And, Beth, the fact that Iranian officials are now warning that they have the right to retaliate after these new U.S. strikes, which the U.S. says they were carried out, that what they, the U.S., did was in self-defense. Will that have any impact on this meeting, this cabinet meeting, or do you think it's kind of just background noise?

SANNER: We'll have to see if Iran does more. I mean, they haven't done more yet. They shot down a drone, reportedly. You know, that's $30 million or, you know, whatever it is, depending on the type. So, you know, they've gotten their pound of flesh in response. And, usually, what Iran tries to do is this kind of reciprocal shots that they take, this retaliation. So, they may not do more.

But I think more importantly is that we're seeing that the Iranian negotiating team, when they return back to Iran today, there was reports that one member of the negotiating team said, you know, look, they're asking us to surrender. And he wasn't saying it as, like, we should do this. And then you have just in the last hour or so President Trump putting out another Truth Social that demands that Iran, you know, walk out of Tehran waving their white flag, surrendering, admitting that they have been defeated. And while this is all, I guess, for a domestic audience, it certainly makes it a lot harder for the Iranians to actually agree to this.

TAPPER: The U.S. couldn't even get Hamas to do that.

SANNER: So, we're kind of raising the level of difficulty with this, with each of these kind of negotiating in public, raising these terms of humiliation, like, yes, look, true, but, like, you know, we're trying to get to a deal right now.

TAPPER: Yes. What are you expecting will come out of the meeting tomorrow, the cabinet meeting?

MILLER: Well, I think what the cabinet's going to recommend to the president is that he continue the negotiations until we get to a point where it looks like the Iranians really aren't going to negotiate a deal at this time. You know, they were caught putting mines in the Strait of Hormuz. That doesn't sound like a country that's ready to give up control of the strait. They were firing weapons at aircraft presumably in the Strait of Hormuz, which is international airspace.

So, I think the team from the cabinet is going to insist that the president, or recommend that the president hold the line here and make sure that we're going to get a negotiated settlement that we need. And if the Iranians really aren't ready to negotiate now, then it's probably time for us to force the Strait of Hormuz open. And there'll be at least some members of his cabinet I think that are going to discuss that openly.

TAPPER: How would we force the Strait of Hormuz open?

MILLER: We can do it through military power. Admiral Cooper talked about it a couple weeks ago when he was testifying before Congress. It's a difficult task. I don't want to undersell that at all.

TAPPER: It might result in U.S. casualties.

MILLER: It very well could result in U.S. casualties. But at the end of the day, as the secretary of state said, the Strait of Hormuz is going to be open.

TAPPER: All right. Beth Sanner and Vice Admiral John Fozzie Miller, thank you to both. I appreciate it.

President Trump visited Walter Reed Medical Center for his six-month physical today. He says the exam went perfectly, that he's in perfect health. How much of his results will the administration actually release? We're going to discuss with the former White House physician next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't happen to be a senior. I'm much younger than you. I'm a much younger man than you -- look at you old guys.

I don't know how long I'll be around. I got a lot of people gunning for me, don't I, huh?

I don't think there's anything going to get me in heaven, okay? I really don't. I think I'm not maybe heaven-bound.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: In our Health Lead, for a man who frequently muses about age and mortality, President Trump's own assessment of his physical exam taken earlier today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center should calm any anxieties he might be having, theoretically at least. He posted this afternoon that everything checked out perfectly. The White House has not yet released any information to support that claim about today's clinical exam, as questions continue to swirl about Trump's health.

This is his third publicly disclosed checkup at Walter Reed since becoming the oldest president ever inaugurated last year.

Joining us now, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who was chief White House physician for President Barack Obama, and the former White House physician to the president under Barack Obama, and director of the White House Medical Unit under President George W. Bush.

Dr. Kuhlman the White House has repeatedly touted Trump's health throughout last year, even as the reports have stayed fairly vague, and we've seen things. A recent example, the takeaway from his doctor, Sean Barbabella, in the release about the preventative imaging Trump had done last October was that Trump remains in excellent overall health.

As a White House physician, particularly one for a president who is 79 years old, how do you balance public interest with patient privacy when sharing information?

DR. JEFFREY KUHLMAN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN: Well, for the past decade, we've seen from both administrations and also the White House physicians denial, delusion, deceit, and delay. And my bar is pretty low. Just be truthful and be transparent. What evaluation did you did, did you do, and what were the results?

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So, that's what we should expect.

The patient can say whatever they want. That's just their political rhetoric. But a physician who has a medical license that signs a piece of paper they do not have a license for a poetic license. They need to tell the truth to the American people. TAPPER: One of the things that has concerned me about the White House physician, both the current one and under the previous president, is that sometimes they list some medications that the president is taking, but not all of them. Another one is that sometimes they don't give tests to the president perhaps because they don't want the results to be known.

KUHLMAN: Well, I think that the information, if we say it nicely, is incomplete. What they should address to an 80-year-old are the big three. Advanced age is the number one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, for cancer, and for neurodegenerative disease. So, for an 80- year-old, it is not acceptable to say, here's a blood pressure, here's an EKG. They should be assessing his cardiac function, anatomic or functional.

For example, we see that he walks up long stairs on Air Force One, that's commendable, or we see that he walks across the South Lawn to the helicopter. Again, those are average fitness scores for an 80- year-old American male, about a VO2 max of 22.

To actually have fitness that's above average, they should do objective testing, like a treadmill, like a stress test, a cardiac imaging of the heart, the coronary arteries, the calcium score, ultrasound of the valves, and not just say normal, but they should say, here's the ejection fraction, here's the function of the four valves. And they are not even listing the different tests that he's had.

TAPPER: The previous president did not take any sort of cognitive test, we're told. Trump, on the other hand, often brags about acing cognitive tests. In an interview with New York Magazine back in January, he talked about a health issue his father had. Quote, at a certain age, about 86, 87, he started getting, what do they call it, Trump pointed to his forehead and looked to his press secretary for the word that escaped him, Alzheimer's, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Like an Alzheimer's thing, Trump said. Well, I don't have it, unquote.

The president turns 80 next month. Is Alzheimer's something he would be genetically at risk for because of his father having it?

KUHLMAN: Well, Alzheimer's, and there's many other forms of dementia, as well as mild cognitive impairment. It's multifactorial that genetics plays a part. Also, we're learning more and more lifestyle plays a part.

The screening test that he has taken, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, I have no doubt that he got 30/30. It's kind of like when you do an eye exam and you can see the big E on the See and Chart or read the 20/20, that just means that screening test is okay.

But to actually go farther, we do a couple hours of executive cognitive testing. I guarantee that after the age of 60, he like every human, they start to have cognitive decline in memory, reasoning, speed of processing, and spatial visualization. So, it would be good for him to have that information, his family, those around him. And if he wants to release that to the American people, sure.

What I would say with President Biden and his personal physicians, you know, the screening test is a screening test, but more importantly is get them to a neurologist who can evaluate for the different symptoms that kind of all of us saw. And the neurologist that he was evaluated several times, the former president, is one of the world's leading experts in Parkinson's.

So, there's screening tests, but the purpose of a screening test is further evaluation needed.

TAPPER: Yes.

KUHLMAN: And currently President Trump is passing. He can name objects, he can draw a clock. He seems to be doing well in those screening tests.

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TAPPER: Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, thank you so much. I appreciate your time and expertise, sir.

Coming up next, I'm going to be joined live by the congressman who is leading a new effort to block President Trump's giant arch from being built right outside Arlington National Cemetery.

Stick with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, a new challenge to try to stop President Trump's arch from being built outside Arlington National Cemetery is expected this week. The effort largely coming from Congressman Don Beyer, a Democrat whose Virginia district includes Arlington National Cemetery, where his grandparents, parents, and sister are all buried.

Congressman Beyer joins us now. Congressman, Trump's arch is already facing a legal challenge from a Vietnam veterans group arguing that the project will need Congressional approval to move forward. How is your bill different, and do you have any Republican support?

[18:25:00]

REP. DON BEYER (D-VA): No Republican support yet, Jake, but I'm very much hopeful that we will. We've just introduced it the other day. We have two dozen Democrats, including some of the committee leaders. I'm trying to -- we've been on break this week because of Memorial Day, so I'm going to shop it among our Republican friends.

I don't think they're any more excited about having Trump's name or more investments to Trump's ego than we are.

TAPPER: Tell me about your grandparents, parents, and sister all buried at Arlington National Cemetery. This arch would be built outside there. Is that largely why you're going forward with this bill to stop the arch from being built right near it? BEYER: No. I mean, there is a personal interest in it, but it's much more the fact that, you know, this was dedicated out of Robert E. Lee's land for the Civil War dead, and since then, it's taken all the dead from the various wars in between. It's a great memorial to the people that are sacrificed.

My grandfather served in World War I as an Army captain. My dad was West Point, lived through World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and a full career. And so, yes, it's personal that they're there, but much more so the tens of thousands of Americans that are buried there.

And we have an amicus brief, obviously, on the suit, and we'd hope that the courts will stop it. But in the meantime, it's already clearly illegal. We just put this legislation in to try to get Congressional a clear message that Trump should not go ahead with this.

TAPPER: President Trump seems to basically just take the position of it's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission, although he never seeks forgiveness. I mean, he's done this now with the Trump Kennedy Center, as it's now called, and the Reflecting Pool and the ballroom, and now this arch, where he doesn't seek permission at all. He just does it and basically dares anybody to stop him. Are there any Republicans willing to stop him?

BEYER: I hope so. I mean, he's done his best the last couple of weeks to alienate many of his once Republican allies, turning away from John Cornyn, defeating Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Tom Massie. I think the Republicans realize that he is not a loyal friend.

And in the meantime, you know, I think most people on the Hill, Democrats and Republicans, are there to serve the American public, not to inflate their ego. And this, once again, is a step for the biggest narcissist in American history.

TAPPER: Democratic Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia, thanks for joining us today. I appreciate it.

A program that lets Gold Star families have flowers placed on their loved one's graves at cemeteries that are overseas, that program, we've been telling you about it for more than two years, it's finally back more than a decade after it was shut down for cost-cutting. We're going to take a look at the impact this had on military families this Memorial Day, just yesterday. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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TAPPER: In our World Lead, longtime viewers know that two years ago, on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we brought attention to the fact that in 2015, the Obama administration ended a program that honored fallen service members. The AMBC, American Battle Monuments Commission Flower Program allowed Gold Star families to pay to have flowers placed on the graves of their loved ones at cemeteries abroad, like Normandy. But now, 11 years after the end of that program, and two years after we brought attention to it, the tradition is back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER (on camera): On Memorial Day, we honor American service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. And this year, a once longstanding program that places flowers at the graves of American heroes buried overseas has finally been reinstated.

STEPHEN MUNRO, SUPERINTENDENT, AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION: When I receive these flowers, it's quite touching to know that there's still Americans back home that are continuing to send flowers.

TAPPER: The program is run by the American Battle Monuments Commission. And today, Superintendent Steven Munro placed flowers at the final resting place of Lieutenant Oliver Judd Kendall in Northern France.

MUNRO: Kendall was from Naperville, Illinois, and he volunteered for service in the United States Army as part of the First Division, First Engineers. There was an artillery barrage, and Lieutenant Kendall continued with his men until he went missing.

We made a promise to the families that if their sons and daughters would rest in France, we would always take care of them.

TAPPER: America's veterans and Gold Star families were able to send flowers to the graves of fallen U.S. members overseas for years. But two years ago, The Lead first reported the program had been ended, with desperate Gold Star families pleading with us to help them bring it back. And our reporting directly sparked the White House effort to reinstate the program.

STACI BOYER, COMMANDER, NAPERVILLE JUDD KENDALL VFW POST 3873: Putting those flowers on his grave to honor him and his connection to us and our community is very, very important.

TAPPER: Staci Boyer is the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter in Lieutenant Kendall's hometown.

BOYER: What was delivered and placed on his grave right now is remarkable because it is double the size and cheaper than what we have been investing in every year for over 30 years.

TAPPER: She says keeping that tradition going was not easy when the program was temporarily suspended in 2015.

BOYER: We've actually had members of our VFW past commanders go there in person to make sure that Judd Kendall's grave has been honored with flowers.

TAPPER: And Boyer says it's critical to keep honoring these fallen heroes, even as many of their immediate family members are also now gone. BOYER: And it's more than just the fact that we can get flowers. It's about the fact that people care. Keeping the stories of these veterans alive for over 100 years, it's a beautiful thing.

[18:35:03]

It makes my heart full.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER (on camera): Joining us now is Rondy Elliot, the daughter of Corporal Frank Elliot, an American soldier who was tragically killed in action during the first wave of the D-Day invasion. Rondy was one at the time.

And, Rondy, the program is officially back. When we spoke to you two years ago, you were leading the fight for it to be reinstated, so what does it mean to you that it's back?

RONDY ELLIOT, DAUGHTER OF FALLEN SERVICE MEMBER: Well, it means a lot to me, of course, but it means a lot to all Gold Star families because, really, the only way that we have of honoring and remembering our fathers is to lay flowers on their graves, the time-honored tradition of laying flowers, you know, on a grave.

And since their graves are across the ocean, these are all about the foreign cemeteries. These are not about -- this is not about cemeteries that are in America. These are about -- this is about the foreign cemeteries, putting flowers on their graves. And so it means a whole lot to all of us that the program is finally back, and that's largely due to you putting it before the American public and a couple other people who helped us get here.

TAPPER: Well, it's largely due to you and your advocacy, and I learned about your advocacy and that's what we do here at The Lead is we bring voice to people like you.

What were those 11 years like for you when the program was paused in 2015 and not brought back again until officially until this year?

ELLIOT: Well, you know, we just felt like our government had kind of abandoned us because what we wanted was the government -- the agency of the government responsible for taking care of the cemeteries, and that agency of the government was responsible for this flower program in helping Gold Star families to order flowers from a foreign florist and get those put on the grave of our loved one who's buried in a -- you know, our soldier.

And so, it was -- we felt disconnected, you know, and abandoned by the very government that our fathers died to save.

TAPPER: Remind us of your father's story, Corporal Frank Elliot, who died during the D-Day invasion.

ELLIOT: His story? My father was in a tank. He was in Company A of the 741st Tank Battalion, and that is the only tank battalion to my knowledge that was scheduled to land right on the beach at Omaha Beach. So, he did in that tank and him and his crew of five. Their tank was hit by German fire and it was sunk right off the shore. So, they all climbed out and fought as infantry for the rest of the day. Well, nobody really fought on that day on Omaha Beach. It was just all they had to do was get off the beach so they could stay alive because they were being shot at constantly.

So, my father died on his way up the bluff. He lived most of the day and he was -- he died going up the bluff of Omaha Beach behind it. And on top of that bluff is where the cemetery exists now. But he stepped on a mine. I think Hitler and his men had put down thousands of mines in every possible place. So, my dad stepped on one of them and was instantly killed. That is his story. So, he really didn't have a chance to fight very long.

TAPPER: Well, he died --

ELLIOT: Right at his (INAUDIBLE).

TAPPER: He died saving the world for you and for me and for my children in preventing Hitler and tyranny from conquering the world. So, we thank him and we remember him today especially.

Rondy Elliot, always an honor to talk to you. Thank you.

ELLIOT: Thank you.

TAPPER: Tick-tock, tick-tock, it's the final hours of voting in Texas. Will President Trump's last-minute endorsement of a candidate with, shall we say, baggage, have a significant effect on tonight's outcome? Our panel's going to weigh in next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, we are just hours away from the very first polls closing in the Texas primary runoffs. But no matter how the John Cornyn versus Ken Paxton showdown ends, some Republicans worry that tonight marks the start of a costly general election to clean up after a very bitter primary fight between the two men where the attacks continue right up until today, Election Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN PAXTON (R), TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: I've asked Texans across the state for the last 14 months, can you name, in every meeting, whether it's one person or thousands, can you name something good John's accomplished for us or for the country? No one's ever done it.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Texans have learned the hard way that you can't trust Ken Paxton.

He's lied to taxpayers, his senior staff, got impeached by a Republican-led House of Representatives and hung taxpayers with $6.6 million in a judgment from whistleblowers who turned him in to the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Here now, the panel. Shermichael, an unnamed Texas Republican state lawmaker warned that this vitriol will be long-lasting. He told Politico, or she told Politico, whichever, quote, Trump has destroyed that trust there. No matter what we do for you, you will stab us in the back. That's what he did to Cornyn. So, it doesn't seem as though, at least according to this unnamed Texas Republican, that the blowback is only for blow Paxton and Cornyn. Some people think that Trump betrayed, you know, a very like Texas institution, John Cornyn.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. Look, I mean, John Cornyn's been around a long time. He served in the Texas Supreme Court, is a stalwart in Republican circles, and even many Democratic lawmakers hold him in high regard. There are obviously ideological differences but they've always seen him as someone that they could work with in a bipartisan effort.

That said, looking at this politically, I still feel strongly that Republicans will maintain the seat. It is going to be costly. I have to be quite honest about that. We're expecting maybe to spend over $200 million. The NRSC also has other races that they must prioritize, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Susan Collins of Maine. And so my expectation is that the president's PAC, a MAGA Inc., will come in, and to help make up that financial difference.

[18:45:18]

Looking at Talarico, I think he's a good orator. He's an interesting candidate. But I think many of his pronouncements about policies, cultural issues don't resonate with the broader Texas electorate. So despite the shortfall of Ken Paxton, I ultimately think he'll still prevail.

TAPPER: So, Mo, according to FEC filings, Cornyn had a huge fundraising advantage, just huge. He raised $9 million. Paxton only had $2.2 million during the first quarter of 2026. Talarico, the Democrat, raised $27 million.

How much do you think Democrats are actually going to invest in this if Paxton wins?

MO ELLEITHEE, FORMER DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Yeah, well, Talarico is not going to have a problem pushing back on some of those attacks. You were just warning he's going to face, right. He's -- he's got the money to do it.

Look, Shermichael and I were just talking in the green room. People forget, Beto O'Rourke came within three points of defeating Ted Cruz in Texas back in -- I think it was '18, 2018. The changing demographics of the state have been making the state more competitive electorally, maybe slowly, maybe more slowly than some other states, but it's moving in that direction.

It's moving towards becoming a purple state. You've seen huge volatility in the way a lot of the Latino voters along the border have been voting. They had been stalwart Democrats. They voted for Trump last time. They seem to be swinging back.

Texas could be in play. We're seeing that not just in this race. There's polling that shows it maybe more competitive than expected in the governor's race. I think you are going to see investment in Texas. And even if it is a cycle too soon for it to flip, Republicans are going to have to spend money to delay that inevitability of it becoming a competitive.

TAPPER: So -- and just a note on that. So, Beto O'Rourke, when he ran against Ted Cruz and lost relatively narrowly, but still lost, he outspent Cruz.

ELLEITHEE: He did.

TAPPER: So money is not the be all and end all. It doesn't solve all the problems.

ELLEITHEE: That's right. But it could make Republicans divert money from, like the Maine race.

SINGLETON: Yeah. Some of the races I just pointed out, you're absolutely right. There are candidates like Mike Rogers, the former congressman running in Michigan, who's running a very competitive race. Some of the polling, internal and external, suggest that he could very well win that Senate campaign.

But to Mo's point, Jake, this is something that I think should not be lost upon the audience or even Republicans in Texas and outside of Texas. And that is a very real reality of migration pattern shifts, being people moving from Texas to California, but also immigration, people coming into the state of Texas. And how many who belong to those groups tend to vote more so to the Democratic side. Or if you're looking at southern parts of the state, they can be a little swingy. Maybe they'll vote Republican on some issues. Maybe they'll vote for the right Democrat with the right messaging under the right circumstances, I think well win this November.

But to your point, Mo, what does that mean about the next election cycle? You're looking at the numbers. Can Republicans make an argument that brings those disparate groups under our coalition? I'm not necessarily certain about that, Jake. As I look at things in this immediate moment now.

TAPPER: Yeah. Let's turn to the new construction going on at the White House. We have talked about the ballroom. We have talked about the reflecting pool. We've talked about the arch. This, however, is temporary. You're looking at pictures as Trump prepares for the big UFC cage fight on June 14th, June 14th being both Flag Day and the day that President Trump turns 80.

Now Democrats are posting a lot of these images on social media, this one from Gavin Newsom's press office. The Democratic governor of California says, quote, Mr. President, we just want lower gas prices. And the DNC post, quote, "We have no money for health care." And then, you know, with the picture of the UFC thing being constructed.

Your response, Shermichael?

SINGLETON: I think that politically this is culturally smart. You think about young men age 25 and slightly older, 45, who voted for President Trump, overwhelmingly. You look at the shifts, with many young men moving more to the right. The UFC is incredibly popular among younger men. I'm a big fan of the UFC, just to be honest about that a little of my bias as I give my analysis here.

But I can see how the president and Republicans would utilize the imagery of this to target young men with a message of masculinity, that being that the Republican Party is the party of men in some sort of traditional values. But I think most would resonate with a lot of younger guys out there.

TAPPER: What do you think? I mean, like this does a trap potentially for Democrats to look. Oh, no, we're, you know, like, coastal elites instead of, you know, people who like NASCAR, who like football, who like UFC. What do you think?

ELLEITHEE: I think people who like UFC, people who like NASCAR, people who like football are paying too much at the gas tank right now, right there at the gas pumps right now.

[18:50:00]

And I think they want a president who is focused on bringing that down. And one of the reasons we're seeing his numbers crater amongst some of those very groups you're talking about is because they see him focused on everything else, but that. Now, they're looking at images of him putting up this huge elaborate stage at the White House to celebrate his birthday. Maybe they don't have a problem with the UFC, but they certainly have a problem that that's where his focus is and not bringing down.

SINGLETON: And quickly my response -- well said, Mo. My response to my Democratic friends who would make that argument would be, we can accomplish both of those things. We can address cost of living, we can address forward and housing shortages across the country, while also targeting young men with a message about masculinity.

ELLEITHEE: You can, but you're not. And that's the problem.

TAPPER: Well, Shermichael is.

ELLEITHEE: Shermichael is, Shermichael, but the president --

TAPPER: As always -- as always, you have my vote, Shermichael.

Thanks to both of you. Coming up, you know him from late night TV. You know him from the view show. Now, actor and comedian Craig Ferguson is coming to CNN with a brand new original series exploring why he decided to become an American citizen. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [18:55:18]

TAPPER: Our pop culture lead, as the U.S. approaches its 250th birthday, comedian Craig Ferguson is hitting the road in a brand new CNN series looking for what it really means to be an American today. In our conversation about the show, I asked Ferguson why he left his native Scotland and decided to become "AMERICAN ON PURPOSE". Yeah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER (voice-over): For years, actor and comedian Craig Ferguson built a devoted following with his offbeat humor, sharp improvisation and unpredictable style.

(MUSIC)

TAPPER (voice-over): A native of Scotland and the U.K., where he enjoyed a successful decade long career, Ferguson took off in America with the sitcom "The Drew Carey Show".

CRAIG FERGUSON, ACTOR: All right, all right, I like it.

TAPPER (voice-over): His irreverence, charm and distinct Scottish accent became his trademark during his years in late night television.

FERGUSON: Oh, I got you going, didn't I?

TAPPER (voice-over): And now, in his new CNN original series, "AMERICAN ON PURPOSE", Ferguson travels across the country using comedy, history and conversation to explore the nation he chose to call home.

FERGUSON: It's a little more.

TAPPER (voice-over): I recently spoke with Ferguson in D.C., with the White House just behind us, about the series and why his fascination with America began early.

TAPPER: Why did you want to become a U.S. citizen?

FERGUSON: I've wanted to become a U.S. citizen since I was a little kid. I first came here when I was 13 years old. There used to be for about six months, they were discount flights from Scotland to JFK just at the right time where me and my dad could afford it.

So we came over on a really cheap flight to visit my Uncle James, my Aunt Susan, who lived in Long Island. I was 13, I came straight from Glasgow in Scotland to New York City. I was like, I'll do this instead.

TAPPER: Is it because you wanted to be a performer, and this is like the world headquarters of performing?

FERGUSON: I think that was part. I think that was part of it, but I think it was also, it. I think it was. I'm going to take my glasses off, too. I feel bad about wearing my glasses -- TAPPER: I'm scratching my eye.

FERGUSON: All right.

TAPPER: You do whatever you want to do.

FERGUSON: Now, I'm mirroring you. They teach you that in Hollywood. I'm mirroring you.

TAPPER: Just like Ferguson himself. The series is funny, eccentric, curious, and deeply interested in the idea of what it means to be American, just as the nation approaches its 250th birthday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the declaration of independence.

FERGUSON: Can I touch it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, don't touch it.

FERGUSON: The 250th became a kind of useful way for me to express my gratitude to the situation that America afforded me. I mean, everything in my life comes from America.

TAPPER: So you're also a very proud son of Scotland.

FERGUSON: Sure.

TAPPER: And how do you reconcile the two? Or is there no reconciliation? Because when you're American, you can be everything.

FERGUSON: You bring it in, you bring it in with you. I mean, the one thing I'm quite glad of that Scotland, we didn't bring all the food. The other cultures bring the food, and we brought some other stuff.

TAPPER: That whole -- all that the commonwealths, you can keep your food where they are.

FERGUSON: Well, I don't know. I mean, well, as you say it, I suppose, but you --

TAPPER: But you're a big haggis proponent.

FERGUSON: Haggis tacos. Get your haggis tacos.

TAPPER (voice-over): American on purpose arrives at a moment when the U.S. is facing many challenges, but for Ferguson, the show isn't about ignoring the country's problems. It's about exploring what still makes America worth celebrating.

TAPPER: So you are doing all this, celebrating your citizenship at a time that a lot of people are kind of worried about this experiment, the American experiment.

FERGUSON: Yeah, I think this -- I think if you look closely at the American experiment from even before 1776, a lot of people have been worried the whole time. I think part of an experiment, particularly when it involves a country like this, is that worry is involved. I was doing this thing in Pennsylvania. I was talking to some very, very close, right?

So I was talking to some very clever people there. And I was -- and I was talking about how people say at the moment, it's never been as bad as this. It's never been as divided as this. And all the academics always laugh when you say that.

TAPPER: Oh, it's been worse.

FERGUSON: It's been a lot worse.

Of course, it was not self-evident.

TAPPER (voice-over): For Ferguson. It was never just one thing that pulled him toward America. It was the sheer scale and variety of our culture.

FERGUSON: I found the Ramones and Iggy Pop, and I found David Byrne, who's from Scotland, who became an American, and there was Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock and country music, Johnny Cash. The diversity of American life, the absolute encyclopedic gigantic-ness of America appealed to me. It's not one thing.

TAPPER: OK.

FERGUSON: And that -- that kind of appeals to me. I'm very scatterbrained sort of a person does. I have a country that has this much in. It is a smorgasbord of culture.

TAPPER (voice-over): America's diversity, contradictions and constant reinvention are not a flaw in the experiment. For Craig Ferguson, they're part of what makes it worth joining.

FERGUSON: I'm very happy to be from Scotland. I'm very happy to live here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Craig Ferguson's American on purpose premieres Saturday at 9:00 p.m. on CNN and then streaming the next day on the CNN app.

If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, you can watch the show on the CNN App.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

Take it away, Erin.