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Cuomo Tells NY Times He Regrets Resigning As Governor; Six Democrats Face Off In Wife Open NJ Gov. Primary; Venezuelan Makeup Artist Andry Hernandez Romero Was Deported To El Salvador's CECOT Prison In March; New CNN Poll Finds Democrats Have A Brand Problem; Convicted Ex-Sen. Menendez Makes Appeal To Audience Of One. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired June 03, 2025 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: -- really crazy it wasn't even four years ago. Andrew Cuomo talked to the New York Times about this very thing. Here's what he said, "If I had to do it again I wouldn't have resigned. At that time I thought that I would be a distraction to government functionality and that they would all be involved in impeachment proceedings, blah, blah, blah. Looking back, what has really been done in the past four years anyway, right?"

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Yes. This is where our politics has gone where, you know, people like Donald Trump and others seem to have modeled that you dig down, you double down, you don't back down, and you can get rewarded politically even if you're accused -- quite frankly credibly accused of bad behavior.

And I think that seems to be one of the lessons that he's taken away is that, you know, yes, I was credibly accused of bad behavior and it looked bad for me for a point. But if I had just dug in and toughed it out, I could have stayed there. And quite frankly, he's probably right.

BASH: Yes.

MITCHELL: I mean that's what the polls are showing.

BASH: Yes. And for those of us who have trouble remembering what we had for breakfast this morning, let me just remind you of the report he asked when he was fighting for his job. He asked the Attorney General to do an investigation of the allegations against him and here was the conclusion, multiple conclusions.

It concluded that he sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees, engaged in unwelcome and non-consensual touching, made numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature contribute to a workplace culture filled with fear and intimidation. And I should say that he denied the allegations in this report.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I do think this is also a story about the Democratic Party not having a unified response to his campaign, right? I mean I thought it was so interesting you lay out sort of all of these huge party players including Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, other big names in New York who are staying neutral in this race and part of that is probably because of what you said Cuomo remembers who was with him and who wasn't.

And if you look at all the polls, perhaps, he's going to be the next mayor and you don't want to be going up against him. But I do think that it's such a fascinating story about if you don't have any response, then a comeback is a lot easier, right?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: But it's also where the field is and nobody has put themselves forward as a strong candidate, but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez obviously a big player nationally but a big player in New York. I reported the story, a lot of candidates have come to her and said, please endorse me, and she says, can you get a coordinated strategy. And they can.

And they -- some of them have ended up saying you don't understand how politics works in New York --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

DOVERE: -- which is, you know, that's a kind of a comment to say to Ocasio-Cortez.

BASH: I do want to talk a little New Jersey here, Jeff. And what we're going to see later this month is a primary campaign among a lot of Democrats who want to be the next governor of New Jersey. And as I mentioned, that includes some mayors and the Newark mayor who has been involved in a kerfuffle of sorts in New Jersey is one of the candidates along with some of the lawmakers that we have seen here in Washington, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill.

So it's a pretty big group of people there on the Democratic side, not a small group on the Republican side as well. Let's just zero in on the Democrats for a second. This is -- has been a blue state. We'll get to that in a minute.

It seems as though Mikie Sherrill is the candidate that her opponents think is the most important to attack. Let's watch some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mikie Sherrill let us down. Mikie took $30,000 from Elon Musk's campaign fund while Trump attacked abortion access.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sherrill made a killing in the stock market during the pandemic and was fined for breaking ethics rules by not disclosing trades and she's handpicked by the political machine. Mikie's just too risky for Democrats in November.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: Now, Mikie Sherrill just got an endorsement from Billie Jean King, I don't know if that's going to move the dial in New Jersey but, you know, she certainly is a well-known figure. Can you talk about the sort of dynamics among Democrats in New Jersey and also how it speaks to the soul-searching in the Democratic Party nationally?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, every year after a presidential election, the elections in the New Jersey and Virginia are overanalyzed and analyzed for what it means for the party out of power usually and for the party in power. But a New Jersey at this primary a week from tonight will know the answer to this. And she does appear to be leading because everyone's going after her.

And in Virginia, sort of someone who came of age in the house at the exact same time as Mikie Sherrill, Congresswoman Spanberger is also running and she does not have a competitive primary like this. But New Jersey, it will be fascinating because President Trump did make inroads there four years ago.

[12:35:03]

Obviously, Chris Christie, was a Republican governor of New Jersey, it happens, but it is still a blue state. We shall see. It's going to be fascinating. If she does not win the primary, that will be a surprise to a lot of Democrats because they believe that Mikie Sherrill is probably the strongest general election contender.

We will probably overanalyze what this means for 2028 and 2026 --

BASH: Never, Jeff.

ZELENY: -- but it's certainly --

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: -- the November out I think is more important than the primary next week.

BASH: Yes. And I just -- as we go to break, I just want to put the numbers on the screen that you were referring to about the shift in the presidential election from 2020 to 2024 -- oh excuse me, we're just looking here at Arizona versus New Jersey, this is a better way to look at it anyway. You see the percentage that Kamala Harris won by was the same as what Donald Trump won by in Arizona.

Point being New Jersey is a blue state, but there are a lot of Democrats nationally. And in New Jersey who are concerned about whether or not that will stay in the Democrats column for this governor's race.

Thank you so much. Don't go anywhere.

Up next, we have a former Obama speechwriter, a never Trump Republican. You see them there, Jon Lovett, Sarah Longwell will be my guest after the break. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:41:03]

BASH: I'm joined now by two people with big political brains and popular podcasts who are teaming up this week for a special what they're calling a crossover event in honor of world pride. Jon Lovett, former Obama speech writer, co-founder of Crooked Media, co-host of "Pod Save America" and Sarah Longwell, never a Trump Republican and publisher of The Bulwark, host of "The Focus Group" podcast.

Thank you both for being here. Jon, I'm going to start with you. Let's start with this event that I mentioned that you are co-hosting, it's this Friday, it's in honor of Andry Hernandez Romero, a Venezuelan makeup artist who, as you put it in your press release, quote, "was disappeared by the Trump administration and wrongly sent to El Salvador."

Tell us the story and why you're so passionate about fighting back and raising money for this.

JON LOVETT, FORMER OBAMA SPEECHWRITER: So, this is a person who did what he was supposed to do. He was only grabbed by the Trump administration because he touched the government, because he came in for his appointment. And the last we've seen of Andry was by happenstance of a journalist happening to be in El Salvador, a man begging for his life, begging for his mother, begging to God that he is in a nightmare.

His head being shaved. They're claiming he is a violent gang member, all evidence, including the social media that the administration has pointed to as evidence he's a member of a gang that shows him to be just a flamboyant and artistic and dramatic makeup artist and actor. Despite all that, he has been disappeared to this prison. We can't even get proof of life.

Kristi Noem, a mother herself is asked on behalf of Andry's mother, can they get some sign that he's even alive, she won't do it. And this is the nature of the Trump administration's chaos and noise. The press moves on, the world moves on, but he's still down there.

And if they can do this without a hearing to one Venezuelan who did nothing but come to this country and follow the rules, they can do it to immigrants here legally, they could ultimately make this kind of mistake with anybody. And so we have to keep attention on this story. We can't just move on to the next.

And so, this is what led Tim Miller and Sarah at the Bulwark to want to join forces with Crooked Media and, you know, we need to build a big democratic, small d, democratic movement. And I think if Tim and I can share a stage with a lesbian, that speaks to the kind of collaboration we need.

BASH: Sarah?

SARAH LONGWELL, PUBLISHER, THE BULWARK: A big tent indeed, yes. The gays and the lesbians coming together, not our natural allies.

LOVETT: No. LONGWELL: But, you know, listen, but also, Tim and I, you know, we are both sort of lapsed Republicans now but for us, we are people who were animated by fidelity to the Constitution, by the rule of law, by due process. And all are -- all of these are things that the Trump administration has totally abandoned in order to erroneously send not just to Andry.

Andry is the person that we are going to raise money for, but we want to raise awareness about the fact that this is being done to a lot of different people where they are being denied due process before being sent to places where they have no ability to come back from.

BASH: And that's really a key here that I want to underscore and highlight which is that, you know, the Trump administration makes claims. They do so in public.

[12:45:01]

The issue is the process, due process that should be afforded to Andry, and everybody else that we are talking about was not and continues to be ignored.

LOVETT: Yes. And I just --

LONGWELL: That's right.

LOVETT: -- I think it's worth pointing out that -- sorry, Sarah, go ahead.

LONGWELL: No, it's OK, it's just like the show where I'm not going to get to talk because there's going to be two gay men who are going to do all the talking, I'm sure. But it just -- this due process question or the idea of -- this is about -- we're also going to hold a rally.

And I think maybe this is what Jon was going to say, like, we want to raise awareness about what the Trump administration is doing to deny all of these people due process to, you know, forego -- just the way that they're doing an end run around Congress, everything that the Trump administration is doing nothing about it comports with the way Conservatives would normally view this issue, which is why you have Conservative scholars coming out and constantly pushing back on the way that the Trump administration is illegally --

BASH: Yes.

LONGWELL: -- using their executive powers.

BASH: Yes. And judges who were appointed by Republicans .I'm going to let Sarah speak for you on that point Jon, and I'm going to --

LOVETT: OK.

BASH: -- use this time with you to tap into your political brain and particularly the question that you talk to your co-hosts about every single episode, which is where, does the Democratic Party go from here. And I want to just point out a new CNN poll came out in the last couple of days about the fact that Americans not only do not think that Democrats have strong leaders, they don't even come close.

16 percent say that the Democratic Party has strong leaders. Republicans, 40 percent. What's your prescription for overcoming that?

LOVETT: Well, it's -- you know, you said where do the Democrats go from here, the only way we can go is up. So there's some good news there. You know, Tim Walz was in South Carolina and he talked about Democrats seeming like deer in headlights and that voters don't want road kill. And I thought that was a pretty good description.

And so I think sometimes Democrats love talking about what we should be talking about. We love to have a big meta conversation about what the message should be. And what I think we've learned from the first 100 some odd days of the Trump administration, that they are relentless and out there every day. And we need Democrats to be as relentless and willing to put themselves out there to match what Trump and the Republicans are doing.

We paid a very steep price for a president in Joe Biden who was unable to effectively communicate to the country. The bully pulpit was empty. And that has, I think, created a pretty deep hole that we are still crawling our way out of. And I think the way you get out of it is just -- and by the way, I think you're seeing it, right?

It's not going to change in a day, it's not going to change in a week, but I see Democrats from AOC and Bernie, to Chris Murphy, to Pete Buttigieg, to Brian Schatz, to Wes Moore and Tim Walz just getting out there, testing their messages but just putting their arguments on their feet. And I don't know what else we can do with that.

BASH: Jon Lovett, Sarah Longwell, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it. Hope to see you guys soon again in person.

Up next, he's --

LONGWELL: Thank you, Dana.

BASH: Thank you.

Up next, he's not saying pardon me but he's not, not saying pardon me. The Democrat desperately seeking President Trump's attention ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:53:12]

BASH: And now a Democrat with a surprising message. President Trump is saving the Justice Department and his own party weaponized it. Eyebrow raising, right? But consider the source. It's ex-Senator Bob Menendez, who was convicted last year of bribery and corruption set to begin an 11-year prison sentence this month.

See if you can figure out whose attention he's trying to grab here in a series of posts on X. Quote, "It was the Democrats who started weaponizing the Justice Department. Obama's Justice Department was used against me. My opposition to Obama's legacy policies on Iran and Cuba got me indicted by Jack Smith. These experiences, as well as those under the Biden administration, led me to understand why President Trump believes the Justice Department was weaponized against him."

Friend of the show Phil Mattingly's take, "I think this was meant for Truth Social."

My smart panel is back now. I mean, he might as well be just saying it in a banner over the White House. Please pardon me.

ZELENY: And perhaps he will be doing that coming soon or putting ads on Fox or something. But look, the bottom line here is, the President does seem to be in a mood for pardoning and issuing clemency, but the allies that former Senator Menendez has in the White House are very few, if any. So we shall see.

We would never want to close the door to this just given the Chrisleys and other pardons. But I would be very surprised because Senator Menendez does not have a long or really any relationship with the President, we're told. So it would be a little surprising. But, you know, perhaps Mrs. Menendez.

DOVERE: And yet you remember going back to the first term, stuttering John (ph) the podcaster called and got through to Trump on Air Force One to talk about this. There must be something there for Trump with that, I don't know. But, like, Bob Menendez has all those gold bars so maybe he can buy something.

BASH: Any more (ph).

MITCHELL: I just think it's so interesting. You know, when you think of presidential clemency in, you know, normal times or whatever you want to say pre-Trump, people wait years, spent thousands of dollars on attorneys, had to really make a case that they're remorseful or that they were wrongly convicted or sentenced improperly.

[12:55:19]

And now you've got a former member of the Senate who was just convicted roughly a year ago saying, even before I go to prison, please help.

BASH: And using exact language he knows are the triggers for Donald Trump.

FOX: I think that's like the most interesting part of all of this, is that he is appealing to him in a way that is going to appeal to Donald Trump. Knowing, as a member, a former member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that these are issues that when he was in Congress he talked a lot differently about, right?

BASH: So shocking.

FOX: Fascinating.

BASH: It's never happened here in this town. Thank you all so much. Thank you for joining Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)