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Are Trump's Priorities Skewed?; Darline Graham 'Ready to Learn' after Stumbling in Debate; GOP Memo Warns Data Centers are 'Anchor' on Candidates. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired August 20, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:10]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, the national debt soaring, war in the Middle East raging. At the White House, show-and- tell day for a new driveway. Are the president's priorities in need of an upgrade?

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff's quip about one of Trump's most trusted aides still making headlines days later. Is it prompting a strategy shift for Democrats?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON KELCE, FORMER PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER: We want your pee to cool these data centers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Bashing A.I. data centers, now all the rage, and politicians are taking notice.

Plus, Sean Duffy's road trip reality show is finally here. Hundreds of people are watching. Was this the best use of a cabinet secretary's time?

Good Thursday morning, everyone. I'm Erica Hill in for Audie Cornish. This is where we start this morning.

Presidential priorities and some stark headlines this week, calling those priorities into question. The national debt reaching that grim $40 trillion milestone.

We've also learned more than 750 U.S. service members have been wounded since the start of the war with Iran.

Amid all of this, President Trump giving a tour of his latest renovations at the White House, a new driveway and helipad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm fixing the country. We're fixing the White House, too.

We got rid of the asphalt here. And this is granite. It's called the flawless granite. It's -- we get the best stuff.

This was all black asphalt that was in terrible shape. The grass was in terrible shape.

This has all been redone. It's all been topsoiled.

Ballroom is so much a military component. with the drones and the bomb shelters in it.

And that goes down five stories. You know, it goes down almost 65 feet.

This is a helipad at the highest level. It can land any helicopter in the world.

You look at the lettering, and you look at the joints. They're like flawless.

It was terrible. And now, it's perfect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Today in the group chat, Alex Thompson, CNN political analyst, national political correspondent at Axios; Ashley Davis, former White House official under President George W. Bush; and Meghan Hays, former Biden White House director of message planning.

Nice to see all of you this morning.

So, we look at where things stand. There was an analysis done by PolitiFact that found since January, the president has spent some 45,000 words talking about his construction projects.

The only thing he talked about more is the Iran war, which is probably a good thing. As you can see, though, foreign policy, the economy, immigration. Those are all a fair mark below.

There are real questions about the president's priorities in this moment. A tour of the new granite driveway yesterday: in line with the priorities Americans want to see?

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: No. Which is why you have a lot of Democrats now talking about the ballroom, talking about that he cares more about these projects in the White House.

And, you know, just based -- you saw that chart. Based on that, he spends a lot of his mental time talking about these projects, not just to reporters, but to people that come into the Oval Office, to friends.

He is obsessed with basically recreating the White House in his image, in many ways to -- to a level that no Democrat that comes in is going to be able to fully reverse.

HILL: Which I think is an important point, right?

THOMPSON: Yes.

HILL: It's the reversal aspect of it, right? That this has to last well beyond.

There's a cost element here, too. So "The Washington Post" looked at this, that the Trump administration is planning to spend at least $900 million for these construction projects on White House grounds.

Typically, Congress has appropriated about 2.5 million annually in its maintenance account for White House reuse repair and restoration.

That's also a tough thing to get behind, a number like that, when Americans are struggling and gas prices are not going down.

ASHLEY DAVIS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, right. And I also don't think -- because a lot of that, especially the ballroom, is paid for. However, that's not what the American people are hearing about.

I was actually doing my focus group last week of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I'm from, and I'm like, does anyone care about the ballroom or anything else? And they're like, absolutely not. But either way, like they're not mad about it, but they also just don't care.

And these were, like, middle-of-the-road Republicans and Democrats, blue-collar.

And -- but the problem is, is listen, he's accessible to the press. He is talking about Iran, obviously. But I think what he's missing is talking about the economy. And I think that's what's going to hurt us in the fall and in the midterms, unless he starts messaging.

We should be talking about that interest rates are down for the first time in six weeks. House prices are down for the first time in six weeks. We're not talking about that at all. And it's the same messaging that you dealt with.

[06:05:00]

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: Yes. I also think, though, that these are tangible things that people can see.

So, when you see a destroyed ballroom, when you see a new helipad, and you can't afford your gas, that's why the American people care. So, it's not that they don't necessarily -- they don't care that the White House is getting a new ballroom, or that there is a helipad being built.

It's that they care that we're spending taxpayer dollars, or what is perceived as taxpayer dollars. I'm not convinced that it's private donations to the ballroom, but whatever. That they're being paid, rather than taking care of themselves.

But not to defend President Trump here. And I'm sorry I'm going to do this. The helicopters were burning the lawn, and so they needed something to fix that. So, these are -- some of these things are things that did need to be done.

HILL: Sure.

HAYS: I'm just not sure that it needed to be done right now. And we don't need to be talking about it constantly. And I think that's the problem.

And when you went in and turns the Oval gold and when he turns -- puts new granite in the Colonnade and puts all these pictures up, it's -- that's the stuff that I think people have a problem with, and destroying the East Wing is what I think people have, like the issue with.

DAVIS: The East Wing needed updated, maybe not destroyed, but you know that, too.

HAYS: And I'm not -- and I also think there needed to be a ballroom on campus. There needed to be a bigger space. It just didn't need to be like this.

HILL: There's also --

THOMPSON: One Democrat that worked in the White House before said right idea, wrong designer.

HAYS: That's right, that's right.

HILL: Right. There has been, yes, a lot of -- a lot of support for something new, right? Perhaps just not tackling this way.

I also thought that this was a really interesting take from Adam Kinzinger last night. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM KINZINGER, FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN: Have you ever sat at your desk, and you had so much to do that you pull out your phone and start scrolling Instagram, right?

But part of him is out of control, recognizes he's losing this war that he promised was already over. The economy is in a bad place. The national debt.

I think he's just reverting to what he can control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: That is relatable, I think, to so many people. Right? You have this massive problem, and you don't want to deal with it, and you certainly don't want to talk about it. The reality, though, is that he's the president of the United States.

THOMPSON: And Republicans are now just resigned that they're never going to get him on -- consistently on message going through the midterms. And that, at one point was very frustrating. But now they just really don't believe that they're ever going to be able to do it. This is where his head space is.

HILL: And so, if they're never going to be able to do that, how do they then try to focus their campaigns heading into November?

THOMPSON: Keeping their head down and trying to just focus on their race.

HAYS: That's right. And also, this is what he knows, right? He's a builder. He's a developer. So, he is doing what he is comfortable with and what he knows.

But also, I think the Republicans are learning not to poke the bear, because then it just spirals more, and he focuses more on stuff that's not helpful to them. So, they're sort of like, you go over here and talk about the ballroom. We'll be over here talking about the economy.

DAVIS: And he also, though, does say he does this for relaxation. But listen, I don't think any of us, which would not be what I'm doing for relax -- but I think any of us would never take away the fact that the guy works really hard. I'm not saying the policies all work. Come on, he doesn't even sleep, which is not a good thing.

HAYS: I mean, I'm not sure what he's working on.

HILL: Is he working on the right thing?

HAYS: I'm not sure he's working hard or on the right things, but that's my --

DAVIS: I think he's working hard. I mean, I -- but I also think that he needs to be out in America.

Listen, I think there's going to be a big change. We all know campaigns start after Labor Day. Obviously, Republicans are not in the best place right now, but he's going to unleash this 350, $400 million or parts of it, or most of it. We'll see. And we'll see what happens.

THOMPSON: Well, to that point, they've been saying the money is coming. The money is coming for several months now. And now they won't commit to all the money. They say some of the money is coming.

And I think it's also causing a lot of anxiety for Republicans about this $300 million super PAC money that's still on the sidelines.

HILL: Yes. Watch this space. More to come.

More to come here on CNN THIS MORNING, as well. She's ready to learn. That's what South Carolina Senator Darline Graham has to say after admitting national security, not really her thing.

Plus, turning a viral moment into votes. Could Senator Jon Ossoff's strategy be a blueprint for Dems in the midterms?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:13:12]

HILL: Twelve minutes past the hour now. Here are five things making news this morning.

Five Americans are among the seven people killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya. An executive with Spanish-language network Telemundo, Ecuador's intelligence chief, and his wife were also on board that flight.

The helicopter went down during a trip that had been organized by a luxury tour agency. Officials say it's still unclear what caused the crash.

The DEA is now joining the investigation into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere. "The New York Times" and ABC first reporting its involvement.

Panettiere died on Sunday.

In a recent memoir, the 36-year-old addressed her struggles with addiction, postpartum depression, and mental health. No cause or manner of death has been determined.

The judge who presided over Karmelo Anthony's murder conviction has been removed from the case. In June, the 19-year-old was convicted of fatally stabbing a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet.

Anthony, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison, is now seeking a new trial and has claimed self-defense in the attack.

Promising results for a new mRNA vaccine to treat melanoma. Moderna's personalized vaccine was combined with an immunotherapy developed by Merck and shown to prevent the deadly skin cancer from returning or spreading.

In 2023, there were more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. living with melanoma.

South Carolina Senator Darline Graham doing damage control after this answer in a debate on Tuesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R-SC): National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise. But I do support the military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, important to note there, she was asked specifically whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues for the United States. She was not asked that question about the military.

Graham, who was appointed to her brother, Lindsey Graham's, seat after he passed, is now running for that seat. She's telling South Carolina voters she's still learning. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM: You know, I answered it honestly, because I'm not a national security expert.

I've asked people, are y'all concerned about Taiwan? You know what they said? No. They're concerned about the price of groceries, the price of gas, rising healthcare costs.

Is national security important? Absolutely. Can I learn? I'm smart. Yes, I'll learn. I'll become informed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The group chat is back.

How would you rate that in terms of a cleanup? I mean, she's right. Right? In terms of things that people care about.

Even, if, though, you've just been appointed to the job as a -- as a U.S. senator, should you know whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are in fact, national security issues for the United States?

DAVIS: Yes, I keep going back and forth on this issue. First of all, I think because the election's next week, I don't know how much damage this does. It's the middle of August, and how many people are really paying attention?

I also think that what she does care about are the right issues. I mean, that was her passion. That's what she worked in.

I still think she wins. The president's going in this week to do an event for her. And I think that it doesn't do long-term damage.

HAYS: I think that that should be a disqualifying answer to be a U.S. senator. I think the circumstances here give her some grace. I don't think two months ago, she thought she would be in this position, running for Senate. So, I do think we have to give her some grace.

I think most people who are well-informed would know sort of a better answer on that. But I do think she gets grace for giving an honest answer. I think people would rather see that than her fumble over some nonsense that doesn't make any sense.

HILL: Yes, authenticity is key, right?

HAYS: Yes.

HILL: We keep hearing that authenticity across the board is key. So, owning it --

THOMPSON: Well --

HILL: -- is important.

THOMPSON: Authenticity. But it does reinforce what all the critics said about her, which is that she is not qualified for this position. She obviously -- part of the reason why she was appointed was because she was the sister of the late Lindsey Graham.

But she's asking for six-more-year term. And the question is, can she actually represent her citizens in an effective way?

Lindsey Graham, you know, was, you know, love him or hate him, he was an effective political actor in terms of getting his objectives. It's unclear if she can do that.

But he spent a lifetime making sure that -- I mean, that's what he did his entire career. And I think going back to what you're saying, he just -- she just -- her brother just dropped dead. And now she's, you know, running for the seat.

I'm not saying that she doesn't have to have some credibility, but I do think she'll learn.

And by the way, how many U.S. senators are not experts in every area?

HILL: But is this being an expert in an area, or is this understanding what some of the fundamental issues are for the United States when it comes to national security?

This wasn't a "Hey, I want to drill down on this very specific topic" type of question. It was a broad question. It was, are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security interests for the United States? You know, why or why not?

DAVIS: Yes, no, I get it. I just think that, if she's going to be taking a vote on these issues at the United States Senate, it's going to come up before them. Obviously, she'll be educated.

I just don't think it's going to impact her enough to not win. I may be wrong.

THOMPSON: I mean -- that's very possible. I mean, it's still the most powerful force in Republican politics, is Donald Trump's endorsement. And that could still get her over the line.

But no one's entitled to a Senate seat. And there are still significant questions of whether or not she would be an effective advocate for her constituents, even if you feel sympathetic for her right in this moment.

HAYS: I mean, we elect unqualified people all the time. I appreciate that she at least gave an honest answer that she did not know, and she will now learn. And I guarantee you, she'll never be in that spot again.

Because she's not -- clearly, she's not a dumb person. I just -- I just think we have to give her grace. And she is running and she -- people do like her. And I don't know that it's disqualifying.

I think it's disqualifying to be a U.S. senator and not be able to answer that question. But will she still win? Probably. HILL: We'll be watching.

Still ahead here. Long on miles, short on viewers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's road trip series is out. So, who's watching?

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELCE (singing): We want your pee. Please give us your pee. Let's pee on computers together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: It's the marketing mashup you never saw coming. Jason Kelce bashing data centers, promoting beer and water.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:08]

HILL: A.I. data center backlash now growing so fierce, Republicans are worried it could actually cost them elections.

According to a Republican Senate memo obtained by Axios, data centers are an anchor around Ohio Senator Jon Husted's neck. The memo warns, quote, "If he loses and data centers get the blame, politicians across the country will take notice -- and they will not go near the next one."

Being anti-data center is even becoming a marketing move. Take a look at this new commercial with Jason Kelce.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELCE: A.I. data centers waste millions of gallons of water. That's why Liquid Death and Garage have decided to team up. We want your pee to cool these data centers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead and have another Garage Beer or Liquid Death Sparkling Energy. Then send your pee to the A.I. data center of your choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Joining me now is Maria Curi, tech reporter at Axios.

Good to have you with us. I mean, the commercial is one thing, but on a more serious note, this memo, right, from the Senate Republican Committee calling data centers a third rail here. How much of a concern are they in this moment?

MARIA CURI, TECH REPORTER, AXIOS: They're a huge concern. And as we saw in that ad, it is becoming a good marketing tactic to bash on A.I. And these -- these companies understand that they have a massive challenge, trying to win over the local communities that they're trying to build these data centers -- the data centers in.

And it really is a local issue. They understand that they need to win over local politicians, governors, versus the people that are running for Congress in Washington, D.C., as seen in the Ohio race.

And these companies would tell you they already are taking a lot of action to address the public concerns around this. They say that they are, you know, promising to pay for the resources that they use, that they are doing workforce development programs, and that they are running these ads to try to fix the public perception issue that they're facing.

[06:25:07]

But, you know, we're talking to political operatives who say that these ads, you know, are just fluffy. They're not really convincing anyone. And the money that these Republican groups are raising from these tech companies are not being put to good use in order to really help candidates weather the storm.

HILL: There has been a pretty significant backlash, right, among the American public. I mean, there's certainly a fair amount of polling on it. A recent Gallup poll finding the vast majority of Americans oppose building a data center in their community.

We are seeing more and more community events where people are showing up. And we just had a story this week on CNN of a woman who -- her family, they were offered $26 million for their land. And she said no way am I selling it for an A.I. data center.

And the concerns are not just about jobs and -- and the money, right? And the power, although that's part of what Pennsylvania Governor, for example, Josh Shapiro put in his executive order this week, that they have to pay for the power, show how they'll pay for it, where it will come from.

It's also the drain on resources. It's the water.

Have you seen an effective -- I mean, you talked about how some of the ads are seen as not being sharp enough. Are you seeing any effective programing, if you will, or conversations about this that are actually hitting the mark?

CURI: Yes. So, as you mentioned, this is really a cross-partisan issue. It's Democrats; it's Republicans. It's Shapiro in Pennsylvania, but it's also Greg Abbott in Texas.

And, you know, I think one place to look for effective messaging is in New York, where Governor Kathy Hochul is really toeing the line between being a business-friendly governor that's wanting to promote innovation and bring investments into her state, but also implementing the nation's first, you know, statewide moratorium on new data center construction for up to one year while she figures out what the actual economic impact of these data centers are going to be: how much -- how much water exactly are they going to use? How much resources are they going to use? A lot of those questions are still open questions. She recognizes

that, and that's why she's taking a beat. But not going as far as some of the progressives in her state would want her to: you know, doing a three-year moratorium or going even further than what she's committing to right now.

HILL: President Trump was talking about data centers at the White House just yesterday. I want to play part of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an A.I. plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it, because the jobs are enormous. And the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous.

And if you don't take it, you're going to be left behind. Because there are plenty of places that want it.

So, I would say that maybe it can use a little public relations help, but if I were a governor or mayor, I would want that plant in my community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: I mean, to your point, the governors and the mayors are the ones hearing the backlash, right? And it can bring jobs, which we've seen.

I believe it was Louisiana. Apologies if I'm getting that wrong, but I remember just a couple of months ago talking about the bonuses that teachers were getting, right, because of data centers in some communities.

All that, though, being balanced with the drain on resources, the energy needs at a time when this administration, as well, has been looking to cut a lot of renewable energy projects that could fuel those very data centers.

I mean, we saw that in Virginia alone.

CURI: Right. The trade-offs are not clear, and they're hyper local. It's going to come down to what these communities actually negotiate. These labor unions; these, you know, city council members, what they actually negotiate with the companies that are coming into their local towns.

And it varies, you know, state by state, community by community.

And I was just, you know, talking to Governor Hochul the other day, and she mentioned that a lot of these groups don't have the power to negotiate and have a real seat at the table. And so, that's another challenge that's trying to be -- that she's trying to resolve here in New York.

But, you know, the White House, as we heard, that is the message that they are towing, that essentially, these companies are going to pay their fair share. You have the Trump administration's ratepayer protection program that all of the major companies -- Amazon, Google, OpenAI, Nvidia -- they have all signed on to it.

But you know, the -- the truth behind that is that these companies were always going to pay for it. And they would also claim they're not going to use that many resources in the first place.

And so, it's kind of promising something that they were going to do anyway.

And, you know, in talking to sources, not a lot of people know that that program exists. And so, it is a matter of marketing and making the PR around these -- around this issue better for the companies and its supporters.

HILL: It is yet another fascinating thread, too, to all things A.I. Maria, I appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you.

CURI: Thanks.

HILL: Still to come here, the right-wing meltdown. Megyn Kelly now taking aim at Senator Jon Ossoff for what she calls disgusting comments about Natalie Harp.

Plus, six years after a dramatic step-back from royal life, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now headed back across the pond.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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