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Ben Wikler is Interviewed about Wisconsin Politics; Johnson Suggests Health Care Overhaul; Wisconsin Senate Race Tightens; Jessica Huseman is Interviewed about Voting Fraud; Schwarzenegger Puts out Ad for Harris. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 31, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:31:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT FAVRE, FORMER GREEN BAY PACKERS QUARTERBACK: First and foremost, are there any Packer fans in the house?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Trump bringing out the ultimate hometown hero for the people of Green Bay. Cheese heads went crazy for Brett Favre as he opened up for the former president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Brett. What a great honor. What a great champion.

And I'm a little upset because I think he got bigger applause than me, and I'm not happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Trump was donning his sanitation suit in Green Bay.

Harris also spent her Wednesday in Wisconsin, making her eighth visit to the state during her campaign. New polling from Marquette University shows and essentially tied race between Harris and Trump, with third-party candidates earning a combined 9 percent of the vote, and amount that could surely tip the scales come Election Day.

A GOP-linked super PAC has been making robocalls to Wisconsin voters, urging them to back Green Party candidate Jill Stein over Harris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kamala Harris will never stop the genocide in Gaza. Do not vote for Kamala Harris. You have a better choice, Jill Stein for president. There is only one candidate for president who will fight for our planet, support a real green new deal and ban fracking. And it's not Kamala Harris, its Jill Stein.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, joining us now, Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Ben, good morning. Wonderful to see you.

Let's talk about this third party phenomenon because I was just looking back to 2016 where in Wisconsin Trump's margin over Hillary Clinton was 22,000 votes approximately, while Jill Stein won 31,000 votes. And clearly, you can see in our polling, that there is some discontent among people in Wisconsin.

How concerned are you that a third-party candidate could throw this election away from your candidate?

BEN WIKLER, CHAIR, WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Well, the biggest third-party factor in Wisconsin (INAUDIBLE) -

HUNT: Oops.

WIKLER: He seemed to try to get off. But the law is the law here. And we know that there are a lot of Republican voters who do not want to vote for Trump. We saw them voting in greater numbers for Nikki Haley in the primary than - than were uncommitted votes in the Democratic primary in the spring elections here.

In the final stretch, I think there's a lot of Republicans deciding, do they vote for RFK? Do they vote for Harris? Do they vote at all?

We know that there are also people who disagree with Vice President Harris over - over a number of policies but absolutely want to stop Trump. And our message to them is that if you want to ensure that Trump can't come into the office, write an absolutely blank check to Netanyahu, which would be bad for both Israel and for Palestinians, if you want to make sure that we don't wind up with a dictatorship on day one using U.S. troops to crush dissent in the United States, then Harris is your candidate.

But when you include the third-party voters in the electorate as the Marquette University Law School did, it finds that Harris' lead in Wisconsin grows. The third-party factor is worse for Trump. And I think that could be a major factor as we go into the final stretch.

HUNT: Interesting.

Ben, one of the things that we've seen that I think is a really interesting indicator for the presidential race is the tightening of the Senate race, which shows that Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic incumbent, is that higher risk than many expected of losing to her Republican challenger. And she's now airing ads that, honestly, seem to hug Donald Trump a little bit.

Let's watch that and then I'll ask you about it on the other side. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-WI): We can't let China steal Wisconsin jobs. So, I wrote a law to require American infrastructure projects, use American iron and steel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tammy Baldwin got President trump to sign her made in America bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: She's invoking President Trump's name. What does that tell you about where the electorate is in Wisconsin?

WIKLER: Well, listen to what the person said and how they said it.

[06:35:01]

This is about her by American provisions, which she has been championing for years. And as the person said in the ad, she even got President Trump to sign it. She's able to move both parties towards pro United States economy positions. She's a champion for Wisconsin workers. She stands up to special interests.

What we can see in the polling is that the Republican campaigning has been focused on getting Trump voters to support Eric Hovde, the Republican candidate for Senate. Now, Eric Hovde has some serious problems. Adam Schiff, the Senate candidate in California, released a video last night saying to Eric Hovde, please come home. California needs you. I want your vote. You're one of our most influential bankers.

HUNT: Sure.

WIKLER: That message is also important in the state of Wisconsin. And I think that's critical in the home stretch -

HUNT: I'm tracking. But my point is, Tammy Baldwin -

WIKLER: Yes.

HUNT: Is not out there saying Donald Trump is a fascist. That's - that's not her message.

WIKLER: I -

HUNT: So, I'm - I'm curious, just, I mean, that does seem to mean that Donald Trump has - you know, is on to something in Wisconsin.

WIKLER: Well, she's running her own race. But let me say this, there's not a single poll that I've seen that shows - that shows Baldwin behind Harris. That means that Harris voters are supporting Baldwin. And she can go on offense into Republican territory to get additional votes and increase the margin of victory. All polls right now find Baldwin ahead. Often, you know, it's by a couple of points. It's not a big margin. And Harris, in the polling averages, is tied and slightly ahead if you look across most of the polling averages in our state. That means this could be a narrow, classic Wisconsin nail-biter election. But it's an election where we have a chance to elect both Harris and Baldwin in the final stretch.

And I will also note, Harris is also reaching out to Republican voters. We're on their turf at this point, making the case for Republicans to crossover. And even if they've voted for Trump in the past, vote for Harris and Baldwin this time.

HUNT: All right, we shall see. It was, of course, the closest margin last time around in Wisconsin. Right now, everyone seems to expect that's Pennsylvania, but I got - I - I don't know, I've got my eye on Wisconsin.

Ben Wikler, thank you. I'm very grateful for your time this morning.

WIKLER: Thanks so much.

HUNT: All right, let's turn now to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Health care reform is going to be a big part of the agenda. When I say we are going to have a out of this health care reform is going to be a big part of the agenda.

When I say we're going to have a very aggressive first hundred days agenda, we've got a lot of things still on the table.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No - no Obamacare?

JOHNSON: No more Obamacare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: House Speaker Mike Johnson suggesting Republicans have plans for a major overhaul of the landmark health care law, Obamacare, if Donald Trump wins the White House. Kamala Harris has warned that if Trump is elected he would look to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, while Trump says he would improve the law. Johnson later put out this statement clarifying his comments. Quote, "the audio and transcript make clear that I offered no such promise to end Obamacare, and, in fact, acknowledged the policy is deeply engrained in our health care system."

Harris' running mate, Tim Walz, seizing on Johnson's comments during a rally in battleground North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Now that's weird because a couple weeks ago I was in a debate and Senator Vance was standing right here and said, Donald Trump is the champion of the ACA. Donald Trump loves the ACA. And I responded, well, why did he run on getting rid of it? Why did he sign an executive order getting rid of it? Why did he sign onto a lawsuit getting rid of it? And why did he try 60 times to overturn it. And it was only the courage of John McCain, who said no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, our panel is back.

Matt Gorman, is it useful for Speaker Johnson? I mean he clearly felt he needed to clean this up rather fast.

MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Yes. Real quick also. One thing to watch in Wisconsin. I promise, I'll - I'll (INAUDIBLE).

HUNT: Yes, let's talk about Wisconsin for a second. That's - I'm into it too.

GORMAN: Really - really quick. Really quick.

One thing to watch there is a third-party - RFK is still on the ballot. They cannot get him off. There is a scenario - I know Republicans are watching - where Hovde could win and yet Donald Trump could - the share - the split - the vote could be different because some of those voters could go to RFK on the presidential. One thing to watch there.

BRAD WOODHOUSE, SENIOR ADVISER TO THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I agree with that.

GORMAN: I also think, when it comes to the ACA stuff, I think - I feel like I'm having flashbacks to all the campaigns that I've worked on. You had Romney before and now with the ACA in '18, I think the Trump campaign and Trump himself recognized what happened when he started as president in office early 2017 going after Obamacare. I don't think they would do that the same way again.

I think if you talk to the people close to Trump, they wish they'd gone infrastructure or tax reform rather than going through Obamacare because, again, as someone who dealt with House campaigns in '18, that was the crystallizing issue and through line through the election.

WOODHOUSE: Oh, yes.

GORMAN: And so, look, I - you know, we'll see what happens, of course, but I think that's very acute still for the Trump team.

WOODHOUSE: Let's be clear, if they had a trifecta, they would try to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Donald Trump said in the Republican primary this cycle that he wanted to terminate the Affordable Care Act. It's known as Obamacare. What does Donald Trump hate? He hates Barack Obama. He has a thing about Obamacare. He has a thing about the Affordable Care Act. He couldn't on the debate stage say that he would preserve it. He said he had concepts of a plan. And the transcript is clear, Mike Johnson said no more Obamacare.

[06:40:01]

This is a gift. Health care has been a top issue in election after election after election. And this is going to be exploited in the final days.

HUNT: Yes.

Let's talk - can we return to the Wisconsin conversation for second because I also was kind of interested to hear - in hearing what Wikler had to say there.

And, Stephen, I mean, this third-party question, Wisconsin was so - so close in both 2016 and 2020 that the third-party vote could very much throw this one way or the other. And it does seem to me that in Matt's scenario where you have a Republican Senate candidate winning, but Donald Trump potentially losing. That does - I mean, I think you would see a lot of Republicans, Trump certainly raising questions about it in a way that's a little tricky to think about.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Certainly. They're going to look at any scenario they can to bolster this, frankly, not true campaign to say that the election isn't fair.

To your point about the numbers in 2016, Biden, I think, only won by about 20,000 in 2020.

HUNT: Yes, that's right. Yes.

COLLINSON: So, Jill Stein's number from 2016 is well above that.

My question would be whether people are voting for RFK because they want to cast a protest vote while they're still a little confused about what exactly is on the ballot. So, the whole thing can be a real mess.

MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Yes, I mean, it's generally the case that that third party vote share is higher in the polls than it is in the final vote because, at the end of the day, most people decide that they don't want to throw their vote away.

But I think that the scenario that Matt raises is important because, you know, I've spoken to a lot of RFK voters who struggle with this - with him endorsing Trump, who are not necessarily on board with getting behind Trump, even though RFK has. And so the fact that he's still on the ballot gives them somewhere else to go instead of getting behind Trump. And so that is a potential third-party vote that hurts Trump instead of - instead of hurting Harris. So, you had this going in both directions. And I don't think we can say which way that factor is going to cut.

GORMAN: And look, going at it another way, Hovde's right there at the race. He's turned this race around where it really wasn't as competitive if you asked them three months ago. He's - he's gotten an offense against Tammy Baldwin. And look, there is a very real scenario where, you know, you - he could be that third Republican pick-up very, very easily on election day where, again, three months ago, never would have thought that.

WOODHOUSE: There is no legitimate poll that has shown Tammy Baldwin running behind Hovde in - in Wisconsin.

COLLINSON: But it's a close race.

BALL: But it's very close.

WOODHOUSE: But it's a close race.

GORMAN: But - but - but watch their actions.

HUNT: (INAUDIBLE)

GORMAN: Don't watch the polls, right? If you're invoking Trump in an ad, that tells me that it is at least tight in your internals. Watch their actions.

WOODHOUSE: Well, if - if you have Republican - if you have a Republican super PAC trying to turn out voters for Jill Stein, it tells me something different about what Republicans think is going on.

GORMAN: I'm talking about the Senate race.

WOODHOUSE: Well -

GORMAN: I - look, we can - we can - we can kind of go back and forth.

WOODHOUSE: Right. Yes.

GORMAN: But like, again, well, who else did that? Kasie (ph). Toss-up race, or very, very tight race.

HUNT: Yes.

GORMAN: All these - you're not doing it by accident.

WOODHOUSE: Well, there's nothing novel about - about that. There's nothing - you know, Kamala Harris is reaching out to Republicans. Kamala Harris is reached out to Trump supporters.

HUNT: Well, it's novel (ph) when you have the top of the ticket calling her opponent of fascist. I mean like the - the disparity is normal (ph).

WOODHOUSE: Well, I mean, look, let's remember - let's remember, Kamala Harris is not running a single ad in this country calling Donald Trump a fascist. She was asked a question on, you know, on a news program. And of course, he's a fascist. She's not running a -

HUNT: Sure, but they're - you know she's calling Trump dangerous.

WOODHOUSE: She's not -

HUNT: I mean the closing message ad - it may not use the word fascist, but -

WOODHOUSE: Well, I mean, January 6th, Kasie. Don't you think - don't you think Donald Trump's is dangerous. HUNT: I'm not - that's not the point that I am making, Brad.

WOODHOUSE: You know -

HUNT: The point that I'm -

WOODHOUSE: But nobody was running a campaign calling Donald Trump -

HUNT: The point that I've been making is that Tammy Baldwin is saying nice things about Donald Trump, while the top of the ticket is saying he is dangerous for the reasons that you outline.

WOODHOUSE: Well - well, she didn't say anything about - she did not say anything nice about Donald Trump.

HUNT: But she put his name in her ad in a positive way.

WOODHOUSE: The ad said - the ad - the ad - the ad said that she -

(CROSS TALK)

WOODHOUSE: The ad said that he signed her bill. That's - that's - that's a compliment to her, not to him.

BALL: Well, and I can - well, and I can bring this full circle because I was on the campaign trail with Tammy Baldwin in 2018, and she was talking about working with Donald Trump. And she was going out to those rural communities and talking to dairy farmers. And she was talking about buy American. And she was talking about health care. And she has always put a relentless focus on these bread and butter issues and on this idea of bipartisanship so that the Wisconsin electorate doesn't see her as a lesbian from Madison, they see her as someone who is focused on their practical concerns. And that's why she won that race by double digits. And if she's going to pull out this race, which is tight, which is in a presidential year, it's going to be because she has, throughout her career, relentlessly focused on those issues.

HUNT: Yes, very interesting.

All right, coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, claiming fraud before the votes are counted. How Donald Trump appears poised to challenge the election outcome if things don't go his way.

Plus, why former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's voting for Kamala Harris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: I'll be back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[06:49:08] GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN (R-VA): I'm' very pleased with the decision out of the Supreme Court this morning that provides a stay on the junction to put 1,600 people back on the voter rolls who did self-identify as non- citizens. And, of course, that just provides further, further, comfort across the commonwealth that this election will be secure. It will be accurate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, a divided Supreme Court ruling that Virginia can continue its program, which Republicans say is aimed at purging suspected non-citizens from its voter registration rolls. And in states across the country, officials are bracing for an onslaught of similar election lawsuits.

Some claims of voter fraud already spawning vicious online conspiracy theories and, of course, contributing to a tense election environment, forcing some election hubs to install bulletproof glass and provide wearable panic buttons for poll workers.

[06:50:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: What world do we live in that poll workers need mobile panic buttons just in case?

BRAD RAFFENSPERGER, GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, obviously it's the world we live in. But they're doing work that - just imagine if you showed up and there wasn't a poll worker. How would we vote.

So, what they do is public service at its finest. And they're your neighbors. They're people you meet at church, out there at the ballfield, or at the grocery store. Just good people. Just like everyone else, you know, trying to give back to their community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, joining us now, Jessica Huseman. She's the editorial director of "VoteBeat."

Jessica, good morning to you.

Let's talk about this Supreme Court ruling and the election - and lawsuits that are popping up that may be similar. In this case it's focused on non-citizens voting, which is, of course, something that many Republicans have focused on. But we do know there are instances where these are simply mistakes, like the case of a woman in - in this case Ohio, a mother of two in Columbus got a notice that she could face a potential felony charge if she voted. Although she's a registered voters, documents at the state's motor vehicle department indicated she was not a U.S. citizen. But Hilaria (ph), who immigrated from the Philippines, was naturalized in 2022, she just had not renewed her driver's license since 2021.

What are the potential issues here? JESSICA HUSEMAN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "VOTEBEAT": You know, these databases are not perfect. "VoteBeat" has covered the case of a couple of people in Texas who were given notifications that they were potentially non-citizens in the mail. How often do you check your mail? Probably not often. These people missed the letters, and so were marked as non-citizens.

We just profiled a Trump voter in Texas who was removed from the polls - from the rolls for being a non-citizen, even though she was born in the United States and raised here. And that was because she didn't respond to a mailer.

So, this is - this is all human activity. These databases are maintained by humans. The checking that happens to make sure that the databases are correct, also done by humans. They make mistakes.

When we're talking about a number that's so small in the entire state of Virginia 1,600 people. That's actually not a huge number at all. And hundreds of those people are likely to be legitimate citizen.

HUNT: So, the question, of course, for a lot of this comes down to trust and the trust that voters have or don't have in our election system. And we're picking up a significant amount of distrust.

Let's listen a little bit to some of - our reporters have obviously been out talking to voters across the country here in the final days of the race. Let's watch what some of them had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you voting early?

MARK STREIT, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I want to make sure it counts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to make sure it counts?

STREIT: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean -

STREIT: I don't trust the system, especially after last time.

SEAN HAGGERTY, OREGON VOTER: It shakes you, right? I mean to now have to be concern and worry about the safety of your vote if you really want your vote to be tallied and counted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So clearly, many people are becoming more concerned about their votes being counted.

What impact does that have?

HUSEMAN: I think that it has a really big impact. I think that, you know, the Republican Party, for a long time, has been saying that the system is insecure, that your votes don't count as intended. You can only say that so many times before people start to believe you and act accordingly. So, fortunately, you found somebody who is satisfied with voting early.

There are going to be a lot people that choose not to vote at all because they don't believe that the system is secure. And I think one of the most unfortunate things that we've seen is that people tend to trust their elections, but they don't trust the elections elsewhere. So, if you ask somebody why they think the elections are insecure, they're going to say, because they're insecure in Philly, because they're insecure in Detroit, but they believe that there are local elections are doing just fine. And so I think it's distrust as the system - of the system as a whole that is really leading to this environment.

HUNT: All right, Jessica Huseman for us this morning.

Jessica, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

HUSEMAN: Thank you.

HUNT: All right, now this. He's back. Arnold Schwarzenegger with a message for Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: Hasta la vista, baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The former governor of California growing - joining a growing list of Republicans who are now backing Kamala Harris. Schwarzenegger writes this, quote, "my Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, driven up deficits and rejected election results. I will always be an American before I am a Republican. And that's why this week I am voting for Kamala Harris." Schwarzenegger went on to say that if Trump wins, the country will just be, quote, "angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful."

Our panel is back.

I mean, look, Molly, no single endorsement is going to move the needle in a significant way necessarily, but it does - it is a statement about certainly where Schwarzenegger himself is, but where a swath of these more moderate Republicans are here.

[06:55:10]

BALL: Absolutely. And if you go to Kamala Harris' rallies, if you watch her events, at every single one of them she has got Republicans introducing her. Republicans or former Republicans who are getting up there and talking about her candidacy as something that Republicans can support. So, this is a major part of the campaign's message.

Now, Trump also has Democrats and former Democrats supporting him. And so that's a part of his message as well. The RFK's and Tulsi Gabbards of the world. But - but - but, you know, so much of the point of the Harris campaign has been about this message to Republicans, former Republicans, conservative leaning independents that she is a leader who will represent them, well bring the country together, will work in a bipartisan way in an effort to, you know, rebut the accusation from the Trump camp that she's a far left liberal or a communist, as he's called her, and trying to position herself, you know, more in the center.

And, you know, she needs that, frankly, in order to win. She needs some of that crossover vote. She needs - and this is the erosion that the Republican Party has experienced since Donald Trump has been the nominee. Since 2016 we have seen more and more of, again, these particularly upper income, college educated suburbanites leaving the Republican Party and increasingly voted for Democrats. And what you see with the Trump campaign strategy of aiming at, you know, disenchanted, politically disenchanted young men is that they've largely given up on that vote. They know it's not coming back and they're looking elsewhere for the votes that will put them over the top.

COLLINSON: You know, the question I have is, do we have so far evidence that it's actually working for Harris in terms of early vote?

BALL: Right.

COLLINSON: That anecdotal stuff early on? I mean it would only take, what, a few thousand Haley supporters in each state to potentially make a big difference? But I don't think we've really seen yet how successful, for example, Liz Cheney is. She's still an important force in getting those Republican voters.

GORMAN: We're going to know in Georgia very early on election night in my opinion, right, because as you - to go back in full-circle, when you talk about them earlier in the show, we have low propensity voters, black and Hispanic men predominantly that we're targeting, our campaign. Obviously those suburbanites. Bucks County in Georgia. It's going to be the test of really those two theories at once, right?

And so, if Harris is really close in Georgia, tough night could be for our side. If Trump is over overperforming or doing OK, we're going to live to plan and talk about that blue wall and when the next round kind of comes in. We're going to know very early on.

WOODHOUSE: One thing we're seeing in the early vote is a big, big gender gap. And I don't think it's - it's not exclusive to Democratic women that are going out to vote, but also - also Republican women. So, I do think that - look, I - you know, I don't know if we're going to get a bunch of the - of the male Republican base that has traditionally supported Trump.

HUNT: Sure.

WOODHOUSE: But I believe that we're going to see a surge of women that are suburban, Republican women that are going to break with their husbands and support her.

HUNT: That secret woman vote that Liz Cheney keeps talking about. WOODHOUSE: Of Kamala Harris.

HUNT: OK.

WOODHOUSE: Absolutely.

HUNT: Fair enough.

WOODHOUSE: (INAUDIBLE).

HUNT: It is interesting that you say that - I agree with you, early - if Harris is overperforming in Georgia and North Carolina -

GORMAN: Yes.

HUNT: It's something that - to really keep an eye on early on election night.

All right, I'm going to leave you with this on this Halloween. It is just before 7:00 a.m. here in Washington. The White House, still dark at this hour. We are, of course, just five days away from finding out who's going to move into the executive mansion next.

Here's the question though, will the winner be moving into a haunted house? The Bush twins seem to think so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA PIERCE BUSH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: Dozing off, falling asleep, and then all of a sudden there is 1920s jazz music coming out of the fireplace.

JENNA BUSH HAGER, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: Piano. Piano.

PIERCE BUSH: Piano. Scares the hell out of us.

BUSH HAGER: But you're not supposed to say that. It's OK.

PIERCE BUSH: Scares us dreadfully. Dreadful scares us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: According to the White House Historical Association, ghost sightings at the executive mansion are not uncommon. President Ronald Reagan reportedly told dinner guests that his dog Rex would go into any room in the White House except for the Lincoln Bedroom. Rex would bark frantically at the door, and Reagan believed it was Lincoln's presence frightening his dog. Honest Abe, a common citing going back decades in the White House following his assassination in 1865.

One of the more humorous tales belongs to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was staying in the Lincoln Bedroom while visiting Franklin Roosevelt. According to an account retold in "The Washington Post," Churchill had just stepped out of a hot bath in the Lincoln Bedroom and was wearing nothing but a cigar when he encountered Lincoln by the fireplace. Good evening, Mr. President, Churchill reportedly said. You seem to have me at a disadvantage.

[07:00:03]

What do we think? Is the White House haunted?

GORMAN: Absolutely.

WOODHOUSE: Come on. Absolutely.

GORMAN: Knowing Churchill, there's nothing new when he steps out of a bath. So, it's really not - Lincoln should have been there for it, you know. But, yes.

HUNT: I - yes.

BALL: The question is, what was the ghost of Lincoln wearing?

HUNT: Definitely a top hat, OK.

BALL: And nothing else? I shouldn't say it.

WOODHOUSE: Molly, to leave us on that note.

BALL: OK. Do ghosts wear cloths? I'm just - I'm just curious.

HUNT: OK, thanks. Happy Halloween. Thanks to our panel. Thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.