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Trump's Record Unpopularity Creates Grim Midterm Picture for GOP; More GOP Candidates Distance from Trump as His Approval Falls; Hurricane Polo Intensified to Cat 5 Off Mexico's Pacific Coast; Captain Sully Sullenberger Opens Up About His Alzheimer's Diagnosis. Aired 8:00-8:30a ET

Aired September 23, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami has been in a huge slump in September. Not last night. He smacked a two- run shot as the White Sox piled on the runs.

14-11 they win. Chicago can make history. No teams ever made the playoffs after back-to-back hundred-loss seasons.

White Sox are coming off of three. Finally, Reds slugger Eugenio Suarez launches career home run number 350 here in Atlanta. Great moment.

But the real story, John, is where the baseball ends up. Young Kalia's sixth birthday. She's got the birthday crown, a milestone baseball, and then she throws it back onto the field.

Oh, oh, don't do it. Kalia, what have you done?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kalia, you got a home run ball on your birthday. Why did you throw it back?

KALIA: I don't know. I feel like a goalie.

We can't get you a baseball. Do you want some cupcakes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

KALIA: Do you want that cupcake?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can have, we got enough for everybody. You don't want any cupcakes? We got some cupcakes. Happy birthday!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Oh, Eugenio Suarez spent a lifetime trying to hit career home run number 350. Kalia kept it for like six seconds. She just wants to play and have fun.

Happy birthday, Kalia. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm going to spend my day like she did. Doing what I want and eating cupcakes right there. Plus, it was a Reds home run.

What does she want with that? She's throwing that back on the field. Coy Wire, thank you very much for that.

WIRE: You got it.

BERMAN: Brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the breaking news is the warning signs. New CNN pulling data out this morning, painting a grim midterm picture for President Trump.

Some Republican candidates now distancing themselves from the president a whole new way. And Captain Sully Sullenberger, the heroic pilot of Miracle on the Hudson, speaking out for the first time now about his battle with Alzheimer's. What he is saying this morning about not giving up.

And new developments in CNN investigation of a record-setting roller coaster in California. There are now more than 100 riders who say that that roller coaster led to brain injuries. So what happens now?

Sara's on the late shift. I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

Let's get to the breaking news and the new CNN polling numbers out this morning. Ringing new and fresh alarm bells for Republicans ahead of the midterms. Democrats now hold an eight-point lead over Republicans in the race for Congress on the generic ballot.

It seems from all from what voters are saying, Americans are saying here that President Trump is a major factor. His overall approval rating has sunk to 33 percent, a new low across either term in CNN polling. And when you dig into the issues that drive all of this, some of the numbers get even worse.

The president's approval on the economy is now standing at 27 percent. That is down 22 points from the 2018 midterms when Republicans lost 40 seats in the House. With polling data like this, Republicans are, well, they're on edge and they're looking for help.

A growing number of Republicans are now being seen in different ways distancing themselves from the president of the United States, breaking with him in campaign ads on cost of living, Iran, immigration. And now even some of his very loyal allies, formerly top surrogates for him, like Florida governor -- the candidate for Florida governor, Byron Donalds, they're scrubbing his name from their campaign websites. CNN's Washington bureau chief, political director for CNN, David Chalian, back with us to break down these numbers even further.

And you do -- I almost need to walk through them slowly myself, because the change, especially from 2018, it's startling. DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF AND POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, because remember, Donald Trump was not all that popular in 2018 either, but he was on that number one issue of the economy. That was still a sort of a card he could play. No longer.

You noted that 33 percent approval rating that is a historic low across both terms, according to our brand new poll from SSRS. And when you look at the intensity behind the approval/disapproval, Kate, a majority of Americans in our poll, 51 percent say they strongly disapprove, not just disapprove, but strongly disapprove. And his strong approvers has been cut in half in just the last year and a half.

It's down to 13 percent only who say they strongly approve.

[08:35:00]

You mentioned the issue set. I mean, look at the bottom here. Inflation, 20 percent approval. The Iran war, 26 percent. The economy, number one issue by far, 27 percent. Middle class, 28.

These are the issues that are driving voters, and they are the president's worst issues in the poll.

BOLDUAN: What does this say about the fight for Congress?

CHALIAN: Kate, you noted that so-called generic congressional ballot. Would you vote for the Democrat or Republican in the House today? Eight-point advantage for the Democrats.

49 percent say they'd vote for the Democrat. 41 percent say they'd vote for Republicans. They only need a net gain of three seats.

This would probably do that. Take a look at what's driving it, though. Independents really are fleeing from the president.

That margin for the Democrats goes up to 11 percent when you just look at independent voters. And among the most motivated to vote, Democrats have a 20-point advantage here. You said Donald Trump is a major factor.

I do not recall seeing this in the last 20 years or so, where we asked folks, is the president a factor in your vote? Usually, a plurality say sort of, no, the president's not a factor. Not so now.

44 percent, the plurality here, say they're voting in the midterms to oppose Trump. Only 19 percent say they're voting to support Trump -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: It is. These are important numbers to look at, especially this close to now, the midterm. And we have even early in-person voting happening in some states right now.

David, it's great to see you. Thank you so much for breaking that down for us -- John. BERMAN: With us now is Jake Tapper, CNN Washington correspondent and chief Washington correspondent, anchor of "THE LEAD." You know it's close to midterm season if we have CNN All-Stars David Chalian and Jake Tapper back-to-back. Jake, I want to compare 2026 to 2018.

Donald Trump was president then, and the Republicans lost 40 seats, a net of 40-41 seats in the U.S. House. Chalian's got some numbers up here on the screen we're going to show right now. The difference between now and 2028, current economic conditions are good.

Now, just 28 percent say they're good. In September of 2018, it was 69 percent that said economic conditions were good. This is just a different political planet.

And remember, at 69 percent, Republicans still lost 40 seats. How tough are these headwinds?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: They're very, very difficult for Republicans. And you see Republicans all over the country breaking with the president on any number of issues, including the war in Iran. And I'm not just referring to Republicans running in swing districts.

I mean like Senate candidates, Jon Husted in Ohio, Tom Tiffany running for governor of Wisconsin, Mike Rogers in Michigan, all of them saying the war in Iran now has to end. To a lot of voters, the war in Iran and the economy are inextricably linked because of higher gas prices. You now have senators calling for a ban on exports of diesel, Senator Sullivan running for re-election in Alaska, among those senators calling for that.

These people are breaking with the president publicly because of the albatross he is, as you see in those numbers. His disapproval on the war and on the economy is just striking. As you note, even in 2018, there was, I think it was still a bare majority supported the president on the economy, even as the public gave 41 net seats to Democrats.

And now his disapproval on the economy it's in the 60s or 70s, depending on which poll you look at. It's really shocking. And the fact that the president is so focused on things other than economic messages, other than trying to bring it into the war, other than reflecting the pain and the concern voters have, that's not doing any favors to the Republicans on the ballot.

BERMAN: And the president has said very publicly and adamantly, pretend I am on the ballot. It does seem like we are seeing more and more Republican candidates saying I don't want to play that type of make-believe.

TAPPER: Yes, I mean, look, he's a he's a drag on the ticket, even in places like Florida, even in places like Ohio. And while he still enjoys majority support among Republican voters, the numbers are down significantly when it comes to any number of issues. I saw I think if you go deep into the CNN poll, even among Republican and Republican leaning independents, when it comes to disapproval, when it comes to the war and the economy on young men, it's a majority.

[08:40:00]

On non-MAGA affiliated Republicans, it's a majority disapproving of the president. Now, if there's any good news for Republicans, for Trump in this poll, it is that voters still seem very skeptical of Democrats.

There is that eight point approval on the on the on the generic ballot. But that's not as high as it was in 2018. It's barely a one point, I think, a difference when it comes to Democrats on the matter of the economy. They do think Democrats will be better for them when it comes to health care, not necessarily on the economy.

Though they think Democrats agree with them on the economy. So there are some serious weaknesses built into what voters look at the Democratic Party for.

BERMAN: Jake Tapper, great to see you this morning. Thank you so much for getting up. We appreciate the work you're doing on the midterm coverage.

And we will see you at five o'clock today for "THE LEAD". Now, after the lead concludes --

TAPPER: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: -- you and Jake can join us. Jake, if you have nothing to do at seven o'clock tonight, log into your computer, stream "OFFICE HOURS," CNN.com/OfficeHours.

Sara Sidner, Kate Bolduan will be with me. We're going to be answering any questions anyone has on the midterms or the morning show or on each other. Feel free.

Ask us anything. Be provocative. We will see you at 7 p.m. tonight -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: I'm putting an asterisk on the any question aspect of this. Any-ish question. How about that?

BERMAN: Just try to build an audience.

BOLDUAN: We'll see. OK, absolutely anything about John Berman. Let's do it that way.

So the FBI is investigating an apparent new breach. Hackers say they stole the personal data of thousands of agents. What we're learning about this.

And threats of violence and even threats to ruin the legacy of the late Dolly Parton, all allegedly coming from a member of her own family. We've got more on that.

And some serious warnings also about a powerful storm now targeting the northeast that could bring some dangerous flooding with millions in its path.

[08:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Right, happening now, severe weather brewing every direction you look at a rare September nor'easter could slam the northeast and bring dangerous floods and strong winds. Out west, hurricane Polo has intensified to a category five storm. Senior meteorologist Derek Van Dam is here with the latest on all this.

Derek, what do you seeing?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, John, let's start across the Pacific where we have a trio of storms. There's Polo off the southwest coast of Mexico, though you want to see that this tropical depression south of Hawaii could form into a tropical storm that would be no low, potentially impacting the Big Island as a hurricane this upcoming weekend. Hawaii needs to be on high alert for that.

Here's Hurricane Polo. Luckily, this monster of a storm is staying offshore, all interests away from Acapulco, not being impacted by this, but it is skimming the coastline with tropical storm force winds. The next five days does have kind of a recurve into this, so the southern Baja Peninsula could potentially be impacted.

Here it is on water vapor imagery, and you can kind of see that we call it a teleconnection. A lot of the moisture streaming northward into the southwestern U.S. and this is helping fuel the thunderstorm as part of the southwest monsoon, but it's also propagating a flood threat across eastern sections of New Mexico. Here's the potential nor'easter that we're talking about across the east coast this weekend.

This low pressure system and that high to the north, putting the squeeze on the wind field here across the mid-Atlantic. Northeasterly winds gusting over 35 miles per hour for the Delmarva Peninsula. Guess what that does?

It is pushing up the Atlantic Ocean for hours at a time and helping create this coastal inundation. We have coastal flood advisories and warnings in place across the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic City included into this, all the way down to the outer banks, but that's not even the main event because this storm is actually going to strengthen into the weekend, kind of gather some steam as it travels towards southern New England and this is the latest computer model, the European model, putting this low pressure system near the Long Island Sound and potentially into eastern Massachusetts with strong winds. Again, coastal erosion as we have this low pressure just kind of funneling in the Atlantic Ocean for hours at a time. It'll sit there right through the weekend, producing several inches of rain, especially near the coastline, and this is what we can expect.

Coastal flooding, Virginia to Massachusetts, beach erosion, and then strong gusty winds potentially leading to power outages -- John. BERMAN: Great news for those of us supposed to be in both Virginia and Massachusetts this weekend, like me. Derek Van Dam, thank you. Thank you very much for that.

All right, Captain Chesley Sullenberger of the Miracle on the Hudson speaks out for the first time about his Alzheimer's diagnosis.

And a high-speed chase. He can see if a suspect in a suspected stolen car comes to a crashing end eventually at some point. I'm reliably assured. We'll show you the crash if you come back.

There it is.

[08:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: For the first time, Captain Sully Sullenberger is speaking out about his Alzheimer's diagnosis and what he now wants people to know about recognizing the early signs of it. He, of course, is the hero pilot who made an incredible emergency landing in New York's Hudson River back in 2009, saving all 155 people on board. It was called Miracle on the Hudson.

Sullenberger retired from flying in 2010 and he first revealed this diagnosis this summer. He spoke to ABC this morning alongside his wife to talk about this new chapter for them and the subtle early signs that they picked up on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. CHESLEY "SULLY" SULLENBERGER, MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON PILOT: One of the first things I noticed was it was harder and harder to remember people's names, even people we knew.

LORRIE SULLENBERGER: A lot of what I think people see in the news are late-stage Alzheimer's symptoms. They were so little that it was easy to dismiss in the beginning. And my advice to someone would be it's what's unusual for your person.

C. SULLENBERGER: An early diagnosis is so critically important. If you have doubts, get tested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Let's get to CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a brain surgeon, of course, himself. Sanjay, what did you think of what Sullenberger is sharing here with his story?

[08:55:00]

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN's CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think just the fact that people are talking about their diagnoses in a way that they didn't even a decade or a couple decades ago, I think, is so important for all the reasons they mentioned. Getting an early diagnosis can be really important for potential treatments and things like that. I just got to say, Kate, this guy is known for competence under pressure. That was sort of his identity. To see him talking about this and taking charge of this part of this phase of life, I think, sort of tracks as well.

I think the important thing that I think Lorrie, his wife, said there was that in the beginning stages, it can sometimes be hard to tell. You have to know the person, right? A lot of times people will come to a physician, but they're sort of looking at that sort of out of context.

But for someone who knows the person and knows that something has definitively changed, pay attention to that. So he had some of these early signs that subsequently led to his diagnosis.

BOLDUAN: And what are some of those early signs? He started talking about what it was for him and forgetting people's names, he said.

GUPTA: Yes. So again, it can be different for different people because of the lives they have led. But one thing I always sort of try and remind people of is to sort of distinguish Alzheimer's and dementia from what would otherwise be considered just normal, maybe age-related changes that anybody might have.

So for example, when it comes to Alzheimer's and dementia, forgetting the name of a family member, that would be a significant thing. Forgetting the name of an acquaintance, that happens to everybody. Trouble naming a familiar object, something you deal with every day, that would be more concerning than just trouble finding the right word occasionally.

And then also putting an item in an unusual place. Again, something you use every day and all of a sudden, you've put it in a totally different place, can't find it at all, that's different than occasionally misplacing something. You know, people say all the time, look, I forgot where I put my keys.

That happens to everybody. And for most people, that's not a reflection of memory loss, even. It's just that you're not paying attention to when you put your keys down.

But forgetting what the keys are for or being unable to name that that is a key, that's when it starts to get concerning. Again, these are general sort of things, Kate. It's different for every single person, but that gives you some guidelines.

BOLDUAN: They talked about, Sanjay, getting tested. Should people be tested for Alzheimer's?

GUPTA: Yes, this is a great, great question. And I got to tell you, my own views on this have changed even over the last several years. I think for a lot of people, they say, why am I going to get tested if there's nothing to do?

And I think the answer to that question has changed over the last decade. There are things to do now. There are certain medications that can be used, Lecanemab, Donanemab.

We've reported on those medications on this show. They're not home runs, Kate, but they can slow down the progression of the disease if in fact it is Alzheimer's dementia. And they are most effective if used early.

So that would be one reason to get tested. I think the second thing is that testing itself has gotten better. There's still no absolutely ironclad 100 percent test for Alzheimer's while someone is alive.

But there are blood tests now that are quite good. I had some of these blood tests done when I worked on a documentary. It's fascinating.

Through the blood now, you can get a sense of how much plaque is in your brain. Now, that plaque doesn't always mean that you will develop cognitive symptoms or develop Alzheimer's, but we're starting to get closer and closer to being able to more definitively test and then offer treatment. So, yes, I think if there's concern, genetic testing, blood testing for this plaque, that can be really, really useful.

BOLDUAN: I think this is also just a reminder, Sanjay, and you talk about this all the time and have found this not only in your private practice, but also in your -- I call it your public health work and in the books that you've authored, is that things are changing. There is more hope when it comes to a disease that really leaves people feeling so hopeless. There is hope in this.

GUPTA: Yes. Yes, absolutely. I think one of the statistics I remind people of when it comes to Alzheimer's dementia, one thing we can say now that we couldn't say 10 years ago is that maybe 40 percent to 50 percent of it is preventable, which is a remarkable thing.

I think, Kate, for a lot of people, they thought, look, either I'm going to get it or I'm not going to get it. I have no control over that. There's nothing I can do.

I think we can definitively say that's not the case, maybe 40 percent to 50 percent preventable, which is extraordinary. The other thing, and I learned this again from working on the documentary for CNN, was that for some people who have early stage Alzheimer's, who have recently been diagnosed, there is a component of it that may even be reversible, which again, it's an extraordinary statement in the world of brain health and brain science, but that's what the data is starting to show. It's not a panacea, and I don't want to offer false hope in any way, but reversible to some extent and preventable, up to 40 percent to 50 percent of the time, that should provide a lot of hope for people -- Kate.

[08:30:00]