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New Report on RFK Jr's Health; Mark McKinnon is Interviewed about Haley Voters; Stormy Daniels' Testimony. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 09, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:31:39]

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SETH MEYERS, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS": "The New York Times" today published a report on independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health issues, including a dead worm in his brain. Or, as that's known in libertarian circles, a running mate.

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KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: In case you missed it, as Seth Meyers points out, "The New York Times" reported that doctors once told independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that they discovered a worm inside his brain. Likely a pork tapeworm larva, according to experts. The dead parasite ate a portion of his brain before dying there. And apparently this is what caused Kennedy's memory issues at the time, according to "The New York Times."

I will say, we have been talking about this in the break. I don't know who wants to go first on what is going on here.

But, Elliot Williams, why don't I start with you. This, obviously, comes up in the context of his independent presidential bid for president.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes.

HUNT: And concerns about his health. But, yes, brain worms.

WILLIAMS: Yes. And to be clear, you know, we chuckle. It's not funny ultimately. Any - I mean it's --

HUNT: I mean, it's awful.

WILLIAMS: It's awful. It's awful.

HUNT: It is awful.

WILLIAMS: And so any -

HUNT: Can you imagine having a dead worm in your brain? WILLIAMS: I can't imagine having a live worm in my brain. And -

HUNT: Any kind of worm, anywhere. No.

WILLIAMS: And I think - you know, and I - and, you know, let's pray for his health and speedy recovery and all of that and thank God -

HUNT: Well, he says he's recovered from it now.

WILLIAMS: And thank God he's fine.

Now, I think there's a few things going on though. It's, one, how candid has his campaign been about his condition and health. He hasn't released his medical records. And I think particularly as the country is so intrigued by the age and health of the other people running for president, it's probably - it would serve the Kennedy campaign well to be more upfront about the shape he's in.

I think the other thing is, I remember the days of, I smoked it but I didn't inhale. And now here we are with, you know, number one, I've had a brain - you know, brain worms, but also having shot heroin and all kinds of other business in his background. Like, the - the standards for who can be a major presidential candidate have really changed.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Elliot, that - where's that from?

WILLIAMS: That's Bill Clinton. That's Bill Clinton. It's -

SINGLETON: It's like - but it's before my time, really. So, I'm just like where - where is that from, Elliot.

I mean, Kasie, I don't even know what to say about this. It seems so unrealistic, like an old movie from like the '70s, this hippie guy who was having a lot of fun and wakes up and they're like, dude, there's a worm in your brain. Like, I just don't know where to go from this.

When I saw this trending last night, Meghan, I did not think this was a real story. And here we are.

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: This is - he's not a serious candidate. This is not a serious - I mean this is like just more stuff for us to talk about. He's not a serious candidate. Like, let's be real. Like, to your point, like this is not something - the standards are so low on him that this doesn't - I don't think people are paying attention to this.

WILLIAMS: But -

MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, look, I think he had an opportunity to be a serious candidate, right? I mean I think it's why both major campaigns saw him and continue to see him as something of a threat. But we see him continuing to register really in single digits at best in most polls, and I think that's because, when you see a headline about RFK, it tends to be something like brain worms. It's not him going out there and giving a policy speech, right?

We had a fascinating expose on what's happening inside his campaign. And it's a bunch of weirdos and grifters and people who are so afraid of electromagnetic radiation that they can't keep a microwave in the office. So, like, this is not someone who has assembled like a - you know, a sort of respectable team of light heavyweights who are really trying to convince people that he could be a traditional president.

[06:35:10]

HUNT: Right.

BALL: And I think that's part of the reason that even though he is getting on some ballots and they're - both campaigns are still worried about him, he's not been making the kind of inroads to even be sort of like a Ross Perot 2.0.

WILLIAMS: That was the point I wanted to pick up on. It's - he's not a serious candidate. Everybody seems to be in agreement about that. But the other campaigns do appear to be at least concerned about what impact he could have. And I'd be curious from that side of the table, a switch of a few percentage points in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada and everywhere (ph) else.

HUNT: Well, and let's go with Arizona -

WILLIAMS: Right.

HUNT: Because he's on ballot there.

HAYS: I mean, I think that we should - that Joe Biden and his campaign should be looking at the Nikki Haley voters who continually - she's outperforming and she is not even running anymore and she continues to get - I think she got 120,000 votes in Indiana.

SINGLETON: Yes.

HAYS: She got 150,000 votes in Pennsylvania. Like, that is someone that the Biden campaign should be focused on, if converting those voters to him. I don't think they should be focused on RFK Jr.

SINGLETON: I mean to that point, I'm not exactly sure anymore if we're going to see a peal off from either candidate. I think RFK may turn out individuals who weren't going to be engaged in the process, generally speaking, anyway, who may be sort of in to some of his conspiratorial leanings, if you will.

HUNT: I mean, I'll be honest, that sounds like a Trump voter more than a Biden voter.

SINGLETON: But I'm not convinced, Elliot, to that question that either Trump or President Biden would lose a substantial number of voters, Kasie. I think these would be new folks who weren't going to vote at all who are going to say, now my guy is in, I'm going to vote for RFK.

HUNT: Yes. OK. So, two things here. RFK said this on the platform formerly known as Twitter yesterday. Quote, "I offer to eat five more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate." So just - just so we have his response on the record there.

But this broader kind of question that - Molly raised this in terms of the prospect that Kennedy had to be a serious conversation here. I mean he is from a storied political family. So many voters still know the name Kennedy. That there was significant concern in Democratic circles about it.

But he has come under attack from his own family. The Kennedy family is rejecting his candidacy. The - perhaps the person who has had the most interesting set of takes on this is Jack Schlossberg, who is the daughter - or son, excuse me, of Caroline Kennedy, who is, of course, the daughter of JFK. Watch what he's been doing on Instagram.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK SCHLOSSBERG, GRANDSON OF JOHN F. KENNEDY: He's lying to us. That's for sure. Plus, I raise horses. And you can always tell when a horse is being pumped full of testosterone. Steroids. It doesn't make the horse think any better or run any faster.

For apple doesn't always fall to close.

Third party independent, yes, freaking, right. He's got Trump's donors. He's got Trump's advises. Him and Trump go way freaking back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Molly Ball. Pretty remarkable.

BALL: Well, it is. And, on the other hand, you also see the Trump operation increasingly attacking him because they also see him as a threat because he does have this crossover appeal to some of those conspiratorial voters.

You know, I think, to Shermichael's point, what pollsters are seeing in this election is, there is an unusual level of undecided. And it's those casual voters, it is those disaffected voters, it's a lot of young voters, it's a lot of sort of, you know, non-partisan voters who dislike both major candidates. And I think there was the potential - there continues to be a potential for an RFK-like candidate to make inroads with that group. And, honestly, this sort of conspiratorial or the anti-vax stuff may not be that much of a hurdle to some of those people. And we've seen, you know, RFK get traction by really maximizing his platform, going on every two-bit podcast there is, right, and seeking to appeal to that sort of interesting slice of the electorate.

So, I think -

HUNT: Where, by the way, he can say all of these things basically unchallenged often.

BALL: Exactly. Well - and, but - but that's why - you know, you're going to continue to see, you know, the Biden campaign trotting out Kennedy family and others because they need people to know who he really is, in their view, and that he is not, as he might appear, you know, a representative of the Kennedy family and its legacy.

HUNT: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Just - I more question, does JFK's grandson mocking accents and going after his uncle or I guess cousin, how does that - what does that do for the Kennedy family's image? I'm actually curious about that.

SINGLETON: I was thinking about that.

WILLIAMS: Right. Is it a good look?

SINGLETON: (INAUDIBLE) with the testosterone and the horse.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

SINGLETON: It's not a good look. And a lot of people will look at the Kennedy family and say, look, these are, you know, Democratic elites. They're a bit out of touch with us. Look how they're making fun of the way we talk in sound. You really should just stay away from that type of stuff if you're trying to critique your cousin.

WILLIAMS: Yes, and he -

SINGLETON: I wouldn't go that far.

WILLIAMS: And I think we have a different relationship with politicians today.

SINGLETON: Yes.

WILLIAMS: We've been talking about this for much of the show today, where things are just sort of looser and almost grosser than they were. But the - much of the country on all sides has a reverence for the Kennedy family and how they behave and how they comport it.

SINGLETON: Yes.

WILLIAMS: And that's an -

[06:40:03]

HUNT: Camelot.

WILLIAMS: Sorry - it's Camelot.

HUNT: Camelot.

SINGLETON: Yes. Yes.

WILLIAMS: It's Camelot. That's not Camelot there. Now, maybe it doesn't need to be, but that's just interesting to see.

HAYS: But I mean if you look back to the endorsement they did for the president a few weeks ago, that was like the storied Camelot, right? Like that was a very elegant, very, you know, great affair where they were very encouraging of supporting the president. So I just, I mean, I think he's probably appealing to the folks who are on TikTok, which are more of the young kids anyway.

WILLIAMS: Right.

HAYS: So, kids these days.

HUNT: Hashtag, kids these days.

OK, coming up next, Stormy Daniels back on the stand in Donald Trump's hush money trial. The Trump legal team determined to discredit her today.

Plus, an air traffic controller error that nearly led to a runway disaster.

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[06:45:04]

HUNT: All right, 44 minutes past the hour. Here's the morning roundup.

The Biden administration set to propose a new rule for asylum seekers today according to two sources. It would allow border officials to more quickly reject some migrants, but it does still need to go through a public comment period.

Disney and Warner Brothers Discovery teaming up to offer a new streaming bundle this summer, bringing Max, Disney Plus and Hulu together for the first time. The companies trying to sell it as the best value in entertainment, but no price is available yet. We do have to note, Warner Brothers Discovery is the parent company of CNN.

Then there's this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TOWER, American 2473. We had someone cross while we were trying to take off.

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HUNT: The FAA investigating a runway incursion in Orlando. An American Airlines flight forced to abort its takeoff while accelerating down the runway Monday night after an air traffic controller told the crew of a Frontier flight to taxi across the same runway.

And Barron Trump selected by the Florida GOP as an at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention. The former president's youngest son, joined by Donald Trump Jr,. Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump, who were also selected.

Molly, are you surprised he's stepping out in the spotlight like this. He's been - they've been - they've tried to keep him so private. BALL: I am a little. Yes, yes, they've always been very protective of

him. Melania especially wanting to try to shelter him from any kind of public attention. So, this is really his debut as any kind of political actor. And it will be very interesting if he's going to follow his brothers into that - into that spotlight.

HUNT: Yes, and, of course, Trump wants to go to his graduation next week, so his trial is not going to be active that day.

All right, let's turn now to this.

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JIMMY KIMMELL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Nikki Haley disappeared at the beginning of the March - of March, and she still took home more than 20 percent of the vote, which means either a large chunk of Indiana voters are not planning to vote for Trump, or Mike Pence voted 128,000 times.

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HUNT: You may remember Nikki Haley, Donald Trump's former Republican rival. She earned 21 percent of the vote in Indiana's Republican primary, which was held on Tuesday, despite the fact that she dropped out two months ago.

And though, of course, Trump has effectively locked the nomination, support for Haley could be a warning sign that he is struggling to get some key support from moderates in his party.

Trump lost 16 percent to Haley in the recent Pennsylvania primary. He responded to those results by saying this.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's a very small number because she was campaigning, she was spending millions of dollars. She was getting it from Democrats, frankly, much - much of that money. All of those people are going to come to me because what - what's - first of all, what's their choice? Biden? He's the worst president in the history of our country. They're all coming to me. We see it already. They're all coming to me.

HUNT: All right, joining me now is Mark McKinnon, former adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain, and a creator of Paramount's "The Circus."

Mark, thrilled to have you here.

MARK MCKINNON, FORMER ADVISOR TO GEORGE W. BUSH AND JOHN MCCAIN: Good morning, Kasie. How are you?

HUNT: So, let's talk about these Haley voters. Indiana, obviously, not a swing state, but it does give us a little bit of a window into kind of some of the thinking of these - of the Midwest, broadly, which is going to be a key part of this. Were you surprised that that number was so high? And we sort of

stopped talking about this because the Republican primary is petered out. But how much of a problem do you see this as being for Trump in a persistent way as we had to November?

MCKINNON: I think it's potentially very significant in a race that could be decided literally by 10,000 votes or so.

Nikki Haley's getting over - she got 150,000 votes in Pennsylvania. And so for somebody who's not technically - I mean technically on the ballot, she took her - she said she wasn't running. And to get almost a quarter of the Republican vote.

So, the issue is, you know, are those voters who voted for Nikki Haley going to come back and vote for Donald Trump if they didn't vote for him in a Republican primary? I don't think so. I think they're either not going to vote or they're going to vote for Joe Biden, but I don't think they're going to Donald Trump.

So, I think that is a persistent problem that could be a big issue for Donald Trump in the fall.

HUNT: Yes.

Mark, if you're the Biden campaign, how should you be, in your view, thinking about the tension that exists between this group of voters, right, these Nikki Haley voters that, as you say, could be guessable by President Biden and the issues that they have with the base on the progressive left, because we saw in this CNN exclusive interview Biden saying he's going to - he's withholding arms from Israel. He's going to continue to do it if they invade Rafah. That's really about this progressive left that's really pushing him on this issue. But Haley voters tend to be in a different place on that particular question. If you're them, what do you do?

MCKINNON: Yes, listen, if I'm - if I'm the Biden campaign, I'd be more interested in getting Haley voters than I am the progressive left. At the end of the day, you have to count on the progressive left coming home. They definitely have nowhere to go. They're not going to - they're definitely not going to vote for Donald Trump.

[06:50:03]

But the margin of victory for Joe Biden in 2020 was, and should be in 2024, those independent or soft Republican voters who are Haley voters. So, I would look at a strategy that increasingly appeals to the Haley voters rather than the progressive left.

HUNT: Yes.

Biden also talked a little bit about the economy with Erin Burnett. And he basically said - he said falsely that inflation was 9 percent when he came into office. It wasn't. It was down around 1.6. It hit 9 percent in June of 2022. And he keeps kind of saying, look, I - we've - we've fix the economy, but that's not lining up with where voters are. Were you surprised about how he handled that question, and how do you

think he should be looking at this?

MCKINNON: Well, listen, first of all I think it's - it's - it was - it's good that he's doing interviews. He needs to be visible.

Listen, there's 180 days left. He's got to be out there every single day bang the drum as loudly as he can, especially on the economy, which is a fundamental issue for voters of course.

The line that I like that I thought was really good was he put it right to Trump when he said, Trump has never - never succeeded in creating jobs. I've never failed. That's a good message. And that's going to get under Donald Trump's skin, which is where you want to go if you're Joe Biden.

HUNT: Yes, getting under his skin clearly provokes him to do things that his campaign advisers would probably wish that he didn't.

Biden was also asked, and I want to show this to you, about what advice he was getting from former President Obama about this race.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Keep doing what I'm doing and to make sure - what his advice is, the same advice I sort of gave him when I was his vice president, look, you've got to organize. Block and tackle. People knocking on doors, putting up signs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: What do you read into that there? Because there's some - there's some - there's a backstory, right, between former President Obama and current President Biden in terms of, you know, honestly, credit for accomplishments, kind of level of significance of their various presidencies. What is your read into how he answered that question?

MCKINNON: Well, yes, listen, he's a little prickly about it, but that's - there's generally some tension between presidents and vice presidents.

But listen, you know, Obama's a two-time winner, you know. I know how hard it is to get re-elected as president in the - you know, in our current era. It's tough. And so I would take any advice that Obama has - and he's right about the blocking and tackling. This race is going to come down to three states and thousands of votes. So, this is going to be all about just picking off one voter at a time and, you know, just play it like the Green Bay Packers. I think Obama's got it right.

HUNT: Yes. I mean it - look, I'm - I've been -- from my years of covering campaigns I've become a big believer in - in campaigns mattering, right? And I know you've run them. So, that - I think - I think that probably makes sense to you as well in that blocking and tackling situation. Mark, since we've got this Stormy Daniels back on the stand today, I'm really very interested in your perspective on how that testimony that we saw from her is or isn't going to impact the election. And we've - we've also learned at CNN that they are - they're going to do a more aggressive cross-examination than they had previously planned. In part because of the suggestions that were made that the encounter may not have been entirely consensual. I mean Stormy Daniels said it was, but she also kind of outlined ways in which she felt kind of coerced or threatened in terms of how she told the story.

I mean what impact does this have broadly on voters, if any? And what do you thing we're going to see from the Trump legal team today and how could that change things?

MCKINNON: Well, number one, I'm throwing out all of my Old Spice. Number two, I'm not sure it was smart to put Stormy Daniels on the stand. That - the issue of sex is not in question for the jury. They'd only be surprised if he paid not to have sex.

But, in the end, more broadly, is - does this have an impact on the election? In an election where, again, it's going to come down to three states and thousands of votes. At the end of the day, even though it's a trial where a lot of people say, oh, it wasn't that big a deal, you know, porn actress, consensual sex, blah, blah, blah, he still could be found guilty. And a president of a - you know, a nominee of a party running for president, who has been found guilty of a crime, could that affect enough votes to swing the election and win this tight (ph)? Yes.

HUNT: Fair enough.

Mark McKinnon for us this morning. Mark, always very grateful to have your perspective on the show.

MCKINNON: Thanks, Kasie.

HUNT: Thanks for being here.

MCKINNON: Kick it.

HUNT: And as we were just discussing, Stormy Daniels is headed back to the witness stand in Donald Trump's hush money trial in just a few hours with the former president's legal team cross-examining the adult film star. A source telling CNN that Trump's lawyers are planning a longer and more harsh cross-examination to help protect Trump's reputation after Daniels raised the possibility that her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump was not entirely consensual. She told prosecutors on Tuesday that after agreeing to have dinner with Trump, he greeted her at his hotel in silk or satin pajamas, with Daniels adding that she joked with Trump, "does Mr. Hefner know you stole his pajamas."

[06:55:08]

And later, after Daniels went to the bathroom, Trump was on the bed between her and the exit in just a t-shirt and boxer shorts. Daniels also detailed an incident involving a magazine that she previously disclosed to Anderson Cooper in a 2018 interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STORMY DANIELS, PORNSTAR WHO ALLEGES AFFAIR WITH DONALD TRUMP: It started off all about him, just talking about himself. And he's like, have you seen my new magazine?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: He was showing you his own picture on the cover of a magazine.

DANIELS: Right. Right. And so I was like, does this - does this normally work for you? And he looked very taken - taken back. Like, he didn't really understand what I was saying. I was just, you know, talking about yourself normally work? And I was like, someone should take that magazine and spank you with it.

So, he turned around and pulled his pants down a little. You know, he had underwear on and stuff, and I just gave him a couple swats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: A couple swats.

Elliot Williams.

WILLIAMS: I love Mark McKinnon. Love, love, love. But I have to push back on one thing he said.

HUNT: Great. Do it.

WILLIAMS: Which is that, it's not in debate that they had sex. And, no, it may not be in debate to any of us, but prosecutors have to establish every fact as charged or alleged in front of the jury. And that includes whether two people, who the public knows had sex, had sex. And it was important to put some witness on who could bring you into the room.

Again, we can debate till the end of the time whether spanking on the butt with the "Time" magazine is - is a necessary fact for the public to know, but they had to put that witness on full stop.

HUNT: Right, but to -

BALL: But can I just say -

HUNT: Yes, yes, go ahead.

BALL: As a long "Time" magazine reporter that I view this more than anything as an endorsement -

WILLIAMS: I should have said "Time" magazine (INAUDIBLE).

HUNT: Formerly "Time" magazine.

BALL: As an endorsement of great journalism.

HUNT: Yes.

BALL: Formerly "Time" - I don't know if we know that it was "Time" magazine. But, you know, it - it really speaks to the -

HUNT: I think it was "Forbes" magazine, actually.

BALL: The necessity of print, you know? We have to have these objects around us. You can't do that with a phone. You can't do that with a computer. You need magazines, you need print journalism.

WILLIAMS: That's a good point.

BALL: And it's a ringing endorsement for (INAUDIBLE).

HUNT: Hey, we are big fans of print journalism here, OK, at this show.

BALL: That's the real point of all this.

HUNT: Right.

WILLIAMS: Very true. Nice.

HUNT: Obviously.

Shermichael, we - to Elliot's point - I mean, look, he's - Elliot - I - Elliot has made this point this morning that - that Stormy Daniels had to be on the stand. The details of it though, we really need the details?

SINGLETON: I mean, no, but I - but, you know what, I've got to - I do have to be honest. This is me taking off my political strategies hat. This was really interesting. I mean I've talked to so many people who were just like, wow. Like, holy smoke. Like this is really a former president. Some people were interested in the fact that, you know, he and the former first lady didn't sleep in the same bed together, the same room. I mean so it's - there are some interesting facts that have come out of this. Will it move the political needle? I'm not necessarily sure. But holy smoke.

BALL: I - no, I - that's a really good point because - and we've heard reports from inside the room. We, obviously, don't know how any of this is playing with the jury.

SINGLETON: Yes.

HUNT: Right.

BALL: But they were transfixed by this testimony. And these are the sorts of human details, the people who are not into politics do tend to pick up and perceive and notice.

HUNT: Yes, I mean, look, I will say, and this is firmly in the anicdata (ph) realm, I'm just going to, like, full disclosure. But I was sitting at a bar around happy hour time one day this week and Meghan Hays, the - they were - they were talking about it. The bartender was talking about it with a couple of people down the way. I'm sort of eavesdropped. Now, they were comparing it to Bill Clinton and saying, well, like, this is nothing compared to that or whatever. They clearly were - I think the politics were clearly on the right, not the left, in terms of this conversation.

But it is breaking through in that way.

SINGLETON: Passing the baton.

HAYS: OK, thank you -

SINGLETON: I'm passing it to you.

HAYS: Thank you for that.

I agree with you, I do think it is breaking through. It also goes to show Donald Trump's character, which I think is important, whether or not -- like, whether - whatever side of the aisle you're on. It goes to show his character in it builds some perception there. I think if they weren't worried about his character at this point, they would not be cross-examining her for as long as they want to do today.

HUNT: Right. Well, I mean, and, look, in a - on a serious note, "The New York Times" kind of framed it this way in terms of the jury and what the jury is going to see, having lived in the same culture as all of us, and potentially being inured to what's going on. They say, quote, "the problem is the damage done to American society over the past nine years, a sense of lowered expectations about politics that affects all of us, including those of us selected for jury duty. Trump managed to do exactly what many far-sighted people warrant he would, inure large parts of the public to his depredations against honesty, integrity, and decency. He has, in effect, increased our tolerance for inexcusable behavior by our leaders."

And they argue, Elliot, that this applies to the jury.

WILLIAMS: Absolutely it applies to the jury. And you beat me to it because that was the next thing in my head, which is that, we have become desensitized in this country. Maybe it's Donald Trump. Maybe it started with Bill Clinton. Maybe it's a combination - something in the water, but desensitized to the madness that comes out of politicians.

And listening to this, it is - and we were talking about this in the break, that the Starr report, when it came out, was so seismic hearing about that cigar and that dress and so on. And by now it's, yes, the president, you know, got spanked with the magazine. Ah, you know -

[07:00:01]

HUNT: We've heard all that before.

WILLIAMS: We've heard all that before.

HUNT: Nothing new under the sun.

WILLIAMS: And it's almost depressing and embarrassing about where politics have sunk in America. HUNT: I would point out though -

SINGLETON: But, you know what -

HUNT: Yes.

SINGLETON: Politics has caught up with sort of our culture, right, in terms of reality TV and this sort of being the norm.

HUNT: Yes, very quick last word.

BALL: He has not won an election since 2016. So, it's not the case that people are coming out of the woodwork to say this is fine with me.

HUNT: That's a great way to punctuate this conversation, Molly Ball.

Thank you, guys, very much for being here. Thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.

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