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CNN Poll Shows Anti-Trump Feelings are Fueling a Democratic Advantage in Midterms; Outrage Over Ramaswamy Ad Featuring Opponent's Estranged Mother; Trump Envoy Witkoff Urges Resumption of Ukraine- Russia-U.S. Talks. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired October 21, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: New CNN polling just dropped showing Democrats with a double-digit advantage in the battle for Congress. But if you think the love for the left is fueling these numbers, think again.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking just moments ago, Russia releases an American prisoner it seized at the beginning of the war with Ukraine, and there's new reporting it was Elon Musk who ordered the slowdown of a key communication system that hampered Ukraine's defenses.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And an extremely close call. What happens after a driver loses control at a roundabout as a scooter goes by.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: Breaking news this morning, new CNN polling is just out, and 13 days to the midterms, and here is what we have found, fed-up voters, one party with a clear edge, and a president losing ground.

The numbers show Democrats leading Republicans by ten points in the race for Congress among registered voters. That's the biggest advantage CNN has measured since just before the 2020 election. What is driving that? Well, you can probably guess it. A mix of anxiety over the economy, a desire to shake things up in Washington, and President Trump's sinking approval numbers. His approval rating in this poll is now at 32 percent. That is a new record low.

Here with me, CNN Washington Bureau Chief, Political Director for CNN, David Chalian. The vibes from voters, they want change, and the view on the president has gone from bad to not getting better, David.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. You are totally right about the change aspect. I think it's a hugely important factor. I mean, nearly eight in ten are looking to shake things up i- in Washington. You noted the ten-point advantage on what we call that generic Congressional ballot for Democrats, that is a good place to be, obviously, two weeks out for them. I want you to look among independent voters. Democrats have a 15 percentage point advantage among independent voters in the choice for Congress.

BOLDUAN: That's key.

CHALIAN: And, Kate, the Trump factor. So, if you look here, nearly six in ten voters in our poll say that Donald Trump is a factor, and by a margin of two to one, it's a factor in opposition to him.

BOLDUAN: Yes, he's a bad factor.

CHALIAN: This is what it means to be a drag on the party.

BOLDUAN: I would -- I think you could -- that would be a nice definition of what that would mean in politics.

How is -- so this is a drag on the party, but how about Trump on the issues?

CHALIAN: Well, let's look at the issues most important to voters overall in this election, 41 percent say -- oh, I'm sorry. You were correct. This is Trump handling the issues. So, look at his approval rating on the issues. There's nothing he has majority approval on at all. His best issue is on voting and elections at 41 percent. But I want to take you to the bottom of this chart, 27 percent approval on the economy, 23 percent on inflation.

I want you to see where the country was in Donald Trump's first midterm, Kate. Look at this. In September 2018, 69 percent of Americans said current economic conditions are good. 26 percent say so now. He has halved also his level of support on the economy in that time.

You noted his overall approval right now is at 32 percent. That is a record low. Look at it over this term. You see it's been on a downward trajectory since the start of the term. You don't want to hit a record low two weeks out from Election Day.

And I do want to show you, among his party faithful, he's also at a record low, 74 percent approval among Republicans, and look at this, white with no college degree. This is a core piece, as you know, of the Trump coalition that we've been following throughout his ten years on the stage. He's at 45 percent approval. He's upside down with white voters with no college degree, which has been a critical part of his base.

BOLDUAN: So, just to reinforce this point, he is -- the country --

CHALIAN: The country.

BOLDUAN: The president is looking at a completely different reality today in just how -- what Donald Trump, who Donald Trump is talking to, who any politician is talking to, they're looking at a completely different reality today than they were in 2018. CHALIAN: Without a doubt. So, voters are far more sour on the direction of the country and the economic conditions of the country, and they also have stopped giving him credit on the economy.

BOLDUAN: Yes. So, they're not cutting him slack. They're not saying any -- but then quickly, though.

CHALIAN: Yes.

[07:05:00]

BOLDUAN: Where are we on that one? Yes, no, just -- this isn't also like Democrats are the saving grace, we're absolutely obsessed with Democrats now.

CHALIAN: No, I don't I don't think this election is about what Democrats have on offer. I think you said it's a change electorate, and they're mad at the president, because look here, if you look at the favorabilities of both parties are wildly unpopular with Americans right now, right? I mean, a 35 percent favorable Democrats. It's not like the country is rallying around the Democrats. They're standing there as an alternative. In fact, we asked if Democrats win control of Congress, would the country be better off or worse off? You can see it's rather evenly divided between those things.

So, it's not some -- and, of course, a quarter say, no different at all. This gets to the --

BOLDUAN: I mean, a pox on both your houses.

CHALIAN: Exactly. This gets into the -- so the Democrats are standing there as the alternative right now. I don't see this as some huge validation of what they are offering.

BOLDUAN: If they win, they've got a lot of work to do.

CHALIAN: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, David. Thank you. It's important testing the vibes, J.B.

BERMAN: Yes. All right, new this morning, a breathtaking display of attack politics. The campaign of Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly spending $4 million on an ad widely condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike. The commercial features the biological mother of Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Amy Acton.

Acton has been estranged from her for decades. Why? Acton's stepfather, the mother's husband, was accused of abuse and rape, and the mother, the woman you're about to see in this ad, sided with him, not her daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Donna Arthur, and I'm Amy Acton's mother. It's not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She's lied her entire life. My daughter needs help, and she can't help you if she needs help herself.

Don't vote for people who lie. Don't let her become your governor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, the stepfather was indicted and fled the state before trial, and the mother, the one you just saw in that ad, went with him.

So, this ad is shocking political professionals, again, on both sides of the aisle. Republican Nikki Haley says of Ramaswamy, he's a bad guy. It's a shame he continues to get away with it. Ramaswamy defended the ad overnight, calling Acton serially dishonest. Acton's campaign released a response video featuring her brother talking about the abuse she suffered for years.

With us now is Alex Isenstadt, senior political reporter for Axios. Alex, it's great to see you.

You broke the news that the Ramaswamy campaign was putting $4 million behind this, almost as stunning to me as the presence of the ad itself. Why don't you tell us what you learned?

ALEX ISENSTADT, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: So, basically, as you said in your lead up here, there was a ton of backlash to this ad from members of both parties yesterday. And then as the day came to a close, the Ramaswamy campaign decided that it was going to double down on this ad and announced that it was going to spend $4 million to air it statewide, both on streaming and regular T.V. platforms alike.

And so people across Ohio are going to be seeing this ad. The campaign believes that despite all the pushback that we're seeing play out on social media and elsewhere, that this ad is something that they want to go with heading into the final two weeks of this election.

BERMAN: Do you get any reporting on why? Why do they feel like it's such a good idea? And I will note when it first was released on blogs and on social media, there was some uncertainty about who was behind it. Not anymore. This is the Ramaswamy campaign, right?

ISENSTADT: Sure. So, here's what happened, which is that the ad started to leak out on Monday evening. There were screenshots of it. There were posts on social media. And what those screenshots were from test -- online testing platforms that the campaign had did. Basically, it sent the ad to a lot of respondents, and it asked them for how they felt about the ad after they viewed it. There was no disclaimer on the ad.

Then it came out yesterday that what they have told us, the campaign has told us, is that their responses to the ad were overwhelmingly positive. This is what the campaign is telling us, that the responses that they got were overwhelmingly positive and that the campaign tested well and that it's moving voters in their direction. So, what they're basically saying is, we don't believe the backlash that we're seeing online to this ad. We don't believe the backlash we're seeing on social media. We believe it's moving voters in their -- in our direction, and we believe it's testing well.

BERMAN: I will note again the backlash coming from both sides of the aisle, political professionals, including Republicans apologizing for re-tweeting the ad once they realized the context behind it.

[07:10:01]

Alex Isenstadt, like I said, your reporting last night was almost as surprising to me as the initial release of the ad itself. Thank you for being with us and explaining what you learned. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John.

Ahead, breaking overnight, a critical meeting between President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Vladimir Putin is actually underway right now. They're discussing key elements of some kind of peace framework potentially for Ukraine. But this as The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Elon Musk was the one who ordered the slowdown of Starlink satellite systems used by Ukraine's military. More on that ahead.

Plus, in Michigan, with a key Senate race at stake, some Democrats feel the race is closer than it should be. Can Abdul El-Sayed manage to keep voters who are pivotal to a Democratic victory?

And what doctors are saying this morning after actress Christina Applegate revealed she learned her multiple sclerosis diagnosis was wrong after five years. Now, she says she is back to square one.

Those stories and more ahead.

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[07:15:00]

SIDNER: Breaking this morning, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff calling for trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. They want, he wants that to resume. He is meeting right now with Putin in Russia, one day after holding talks with Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Norway.

CNN's Matthew Chance is in Moscow. He joins me now. What are you learning about what is happening in this meeting a- as it is ongoing?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're right, Sara. The, the meeting is ongoing. It is absolutely critical if there's going to be a some sort of progress made, any kind of progress made in ending the brutal war in Ukraine.

But at the start of the meeting, the whole thing was kind of hijacked by the release of Stephen Hubbard, which is a great thing for Stephen Hubbard's family, of course. Originally from Michigan, he's a 74-year- old man. He's been held by the Russians after being captured in Ukraine early on in the in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in 2022. So, four years he's been held behind bars here. And finally he has been released after experiencing a lot of bad health inside Russian penal colonies.

It's been something that President Trump has immediately seized upon. He's issued a couple of statements on his Truth Social platform. One of them sort of, you know, obviously praising it, but one of them saying that basically the United States, out of respect for President Trump, it's obviously a statement he's issuing here, was not required to give anything in return, an unprecedented situation for Russia. And so President Trump playing this as something that was essentially a personal sort of favor from President Trump -- President Putin rather, to President Trump to sort of bolster his credentials as a sort of leading statesman on the international stage. So, that's all very well.

Stephen Hubbard is now at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg. He's going to be going home, we expect, with Steve Witkoff, the U.S. presidential envoy, later on today, but we'll get confirmation of that later.

The other stuff that's being talked about, well, I mean, there's been no response so far from the Russians about the proposal by Witkoff to resume a trilateral talks between Russia Ukraine and the United States to try and bring an end to the conflict. Putin seemed to be much more keen to talk about the economic potential cooperation between Moscow and Washington. He praised the recent deal to supply diesel to the international markets, and diesel to the United States. It required, of course, the lifting of sanctions on Russian diesel exports by Washington.

And he talked about how there could be fertilizer exports as well from Russia to the United States. So, you know, you get a real sense that it's economic cooperation that the Russians want to talk about, not necessarily compromising on the war in Ukraine. Sara?

SIDNER: Certainly not what Zelenskyy will want to hear here.

Matthew Chance, thank you so much for your reporting there from Moscow. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Here's a quote from an ally to President Trump now, it's more brutal than any other situation in modern times at the White House. The fear that sources are now talking to CNN about that big midterm losses for them could lead to a Trump rampage.

And new video of the closest of close calls, like a car coming within inches of slamming into a woman on a scooter.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00] BERMAN: This weekend, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El- Sayed will campa- campaign with former President Barack Obama. El- Sayed was in Detroit yesterday with Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. Some Democrats worry that his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, is making inroads with Black voters.

I want to get right to CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who is in Detroit reporting on this race. What are you seeing there, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John, good morning. I mean, certainly Republican nominee Mike Rogers has been working for weeks and months to make inroads in a lot of different communities, but Black voters certainly are at the center of that because they are a piece of the Democratic coalition. You cannot win a Democratic race here in Michigan without strong support from Black voters, at least that has been the case in time.

But it has been one of the challenges for Abdul El-Sayed ever since his primary victory in August, a narrow victory. He's been working at this as well. But as we've been spending time talking to voters here, as he says he's building a new coalition, the question is, is he keeping the old one intact?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: How important are Black voters to a winning coalition here?

CHARITY DEAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MICHIGAN BLACK BUSINESS ALLIANCE: Black voters are, oh, yes, underestimated but super critical.

ZELENY: Mike Rogers is clearly trying to make some inroads.

DEAN: He is.

ZELENY: Do you think his outreach to black voters is serious? I mean, should it be taken seriously by El-Sayed supporters?

DEAN: Everything should be taken seriously. This is not a campaign, this is not a year where we need to take anything for granted. He's seriously trying to campaign. He seriously wants to win their vote. He seriously doesn't want to make life better for black people.

ZELENY (voice over): That's not how Nora Evans sees it. Do you think the Democrats have taken the Black vote for granted over the years?

NAURA EVANS, ROGERS SUPPORTER: Absolutely, yes.

ZELENY: Evans, a teacher and mother of two, is supporting Rogers, and appears in this T.V. ad.

[07:25:01]

EVANS: I voted for Barack Obama, but this year I'm voting for Mike Rogers.

ZELENY: When we caught up with her, she said she's gradually become more conservative and is drawn to Rogers' message to improve literacy in schools and safety overall.

EVANS: The outcome of the election will send a loud message that the black vote is just not up for grabs, like you have to earn it. We are no longer just voting according to parties, but we are voting according to policy and plans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (on camera): Now, no one is suggesting that Mike Rogers, even him, that he will win a majority of the black vote. But when I talk to leaders here one longtime pastor told me that it's that sliver of the vote that he is concerned about.

And despite some $280 million being spent on the race here in Michigan all year long, there are also some questions about enthusiasm. This race, of course, is at the center of the fight for control of the Senate. Democrats need to hold onto this and pick up four more seats. But one of the reasons the enthusiasm gap is a bit of a question here, President Obama is coming on Saturday to try and rally support the first day of early voting.

President Trump is coming to Michigan the next day. John, a question, is Mike Rogers going to be on hand when President Trump is here? That is unknown at this point. He's been trying to distance himself from the president on many policies, but their final debate is this evening right here in Detroit. The last one was a fiery one. There's no doubt this is one of the closest Senate races in the country.

BERMAN: It'll be really interesting what part of Michigan Mike Rogers decides to be in when President Trump comes there, maybe the California part of Michigan.

Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

New reporting this morning that Elon Musk reportedly behind a slowdown of the crucial Starshield technology that is critical to Ukraine in the war with Russia.

And could A.I. predict your cancer survival rate with a single photo? Some new research on what your face may reveal about your health.

Those stories and more ahead.

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