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Inside Politics

White House Tries to Contain Fallout from New Epstein Documents; Few Americans Feel Leaders Care About What They Have to Say; Ahead of 2026 Midterms, Americans Say Leaders Aren't Listening; The GOP in 208: Political Reset or Trump Replay?; Vance Tops Betting Market for 2028 GOP Nomination; Crowded Field Expected for Democratic Nomination in 2028. 3-3:30p ET

Aired December 24, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:39]

SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Welcome to a special Christmas Eve edition of INSIDE POLITICS. I'm Sara Sidner, in for Dana Bash.

While many are focusing on last-minute gifts today, the Trump administration is in deep damage control. They are attempting to quell the fallout from the latest Epstein documents release. And there's more, additional documents are expected to drop throughout the next week. CNN's Kevin Liptak is in West Palm Beach, Florida, for us, avoiding all the winter chill, where President Trump is celebrating Christmas at Mar-a-Lago.

Kevin, give us some sense of -- of how White House officials have been responding to all the new information involving Donald Trump in these documents, in this latest dump.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. I think there's a fair amount of frustration at how all of this has been handled, directed certainly at members of Congress who compelled these documents released, but also at the Justice Department, at how all of this has sort of played out over the last, really, several months, but also over the last several days.

There is a sense, in certain corners, that they have just whiffed all of this, to use the word that Susie Wiles used when she was describing all of this. And I think how these documents have come out over the last several days has only compounded that viewpoint.

What we saw yesterday was pretty extraordinary. And it was a sign, perhaps, that the Justice Department is looking to do better, at least in the eyes of the White House. They used their own social media accounts to essentially go to bat for President Trump when it comes to these documents, to try and bat down what they said were sensationalist claims. And you saw them just out and out say that that, you know, disgusting letter that was written in the hand of Jeffrey Epstein and signed by "J Epstein" was false.

And so, quite an extraordinary move there. It's a much different approach than we saw them take on Friday, when that batch of disclosures included so many mentions of Bill Clinton. You saw the administration officials really kind of fanning those mentions, a much different approach when it came to President Trump.

Now, we did hear last night from Todd Blanche, the number two at the Justice Department. He has been very much at the center of all of this. And he wrote on social media: "Document production is just that. We produce documents, and sometimes this can result in releasing fake or false documents because they simply are in our possession, because the law requires this. And then, he goes on to say, let's not let Internet rumor engines outrun the fact.

Now, what does seem clear, based on our reporting, is that these disclosures are not over. There are more to come. And, in fact, just last night, senior Justice Department officials asked prosecutors here in Florida, career prosecutors, to volunteer to continue redacting these documents, asking them to work over the holiday stretch to ensure these get out. As he put it, and as I think the sentiment among so many people involved as this is, he says, I am aware that the timing could not be worse. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes. There is certainly, as you mentioned, there's a lot of hypocrisy in how they are responding to Donald Trump vis-a-vis what happened with former President Clinton. But everyone is going to be watching this space, obviously, because there are a lot more documents that have to be dumped, even though they were supposed to put all of this out by last week. So, we will see what happens. Kevin Liptak, I know you'll be following all the details and getting response from the White House there. Thank you, and have a lovely holiday.

All right. It's called the most wonderful time of the year, but this morning, we've got brand-new CNN polling that shows the American people really aren't feeling wonderfully about their leaders. Just 36 percent of Americans say Democratic leaders care what people like them have to say, and 34 percent say the same about President Trump. CNN's Aaron Blake joins me now.

Are you at all surprised or stunned at how strongly Americans feel about not being heard by their -- by their leadership?

AARON BLAKE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: You know, in one way, it's -- it's not surprising. I think we've learned over the last couple of decades, especially, that people have gotten pretty cold about how political leaders are hearing them. They think the political process isn't speaking for them.

[15:05:01]

On the other hand, we do see with President Trump somebody who came along and really sought to be a populist leader, somebody who kind of felt Americans' pain and really worked towards the goals that Americans had. That's how he's always fashioned himself as a politician. So, to see him at 34 percent in this poll is not much lower than where the Democratic leaders are, but if you look at how congressional leaders and party leaders generally poll, they're usually pretty low. The idea that the President is that low, I think, speaks to some of the problems that are going on with this administration right now.

SIDNER: I mean, speaking of which, you know, Americans had some tough feedback for President Trump in this poll. Fifty-one percent said that President Trump didn't care -- and I'm quoting here "at all" about what people like them have to say. One Trump voter told CNN -- and this is a quote from that voter: "My message to him right now would be, please, take care of the economy because it's awful. You know, being out of work now, I wonder down the road, you know, how will I survive? And I just don't know what's going to happen."

I mean, that -- those are the sentiments. That is the sentiment of Betty Glazebrook there. And she voted for Donald Trump. What are your thoughts on this?

BLAKE: I think this really speaks to something that we've seen in a lot of other polling data recently. And we've also seen in Trump's kind of uncertain approach to talking about issues like affordability. It seems to be an issue where the people around Donald Trump would like him to get religion on this topic, to really start talking about what he's going to do to help people with affordability. But polls over and over again have suggested that the American people just don't think that Trump has heeded that advice. They don't think that he's serious about this.

There's another survey, which I often cite, which shows three-quarters of Americans don't think the administration has been focused enough on lowering prices. I think that's a pretty stunning indictment of how the administration has handled this issue. And so, I think when you see surveys like this that show people don't think they're being heard, a lot of that is the economy.

SIDNER: And -- and look, Democrats can't gloat here, because Americans did not give them a ringing endorsement either. Thirty-six percent of Americans said that Democratic leaders cared a great deal or somewhat about what they had to say. I mean, what do the Democrats need to do? Obviously, they are not in power in the House. They are not in power in the Senate. What is it that they need to do going forward to try and gain some of that trust back?

BLAKE: Yes. I mean, look, there -- there's no question that the Democratic Party is in a bad spot right now. Their -- their numbers with the American public are some of the worst that they've ever seen. And -- and so that creates a question, you know, heading into a midterm election year. The idea is usually that this is a -- a referendum on the President. That's what matters. Do people like the President or will they vote against him?

But we generally don't see the opposition party being as unpopular as Democrats are right now. We generally don't see that party's base view their party's leaders as dimly as we do right now. So, I think that creates some unusual dynamics, even as the President's popularity probably matters the most.

SIDNER: Yes. And you talked about the -- the, you know, the -- the K- shaped economy, and that has a lot to do with it because it's basically the top 10 percent of U.S. earners are making up 50 percent of consumer spending. And it tells you a little something about if you look at Wall Street, it's not matching what people are feeling on the ground.

Thank you so much. Do have a happy holiday. I hope you get some -- some time to spend outdoors and enjoy yourself as the weather you said where you are is pretty -- pretty good. Pretty good right now.

BLAKE: Thank you.

SIDNER: Appreciate it.

Coming up next, it's never too early to start running for president. Dana Bash and an all-star team of political reporters will take you inside the emerging fields of 2028 presidential candidates in both parties.

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[15:13:17]

DANA BASH, CNN HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Welcome back to this special Christmas Eve edition of INSIDE POLITICS. I'm Dana Bash and we are two years and 11 months away from Election Day 2028. Yes, it does sound like a very long time, but you know, it's not.

There are ambitious politicians on both sides of the aisle getting ready to run as we speak. So, let's start with the emerging Republican field. For nearly a decade, it has been President Trump who has led the Republican Party. He's defined it. He defines it right now. And it is setting up a complicated succession battle.

Republicans look to turn the page in 2028, or will they try to hit replay on the Trump era? Is that even possible? I'm joined now by a terrific group of reporters. Merry Christmas, one and all.

Let's just start by showing the odds because, you know, I'm a -- I'm a betting lady.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing says Christmas like betting.

BASH: This is the odds market, Kalshi, and it shows the chance to win the 2028 GOP nomination. It's J.D. Vance's to lose, basically, according to the odds here.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Look, he has the biggest plane. He has the biggest office. And he, of course, is the leading contender. You know, add that to every caveat possible. Talk to Al Gore. How did that work out? It doesn't always work when vice presidents try to run.

However, of course, he starts the moment. I think a couple of things that we do know now. J.D. Vance, without question, has a sense of the challenges facing the Republican Party.

[15:15:07] When he talks about the economy, he does it in kind of a more nuanced, and I would say, perhaps a better way than the President, asking Americans for their patience. You know, that -- that the economy is not where it needs to be. Give us some time. So, I think he has a pretty good instinct there.

But look, we do not know where the base is. So, I think if once we know the outcome of the midterm elections, I think we'll have a better sense of how much of a challenge he's going to have. But that bombshell Vanity Fair story just last week, that Susie Wiles talking about J.D. Vance versus Marco Rubio, that will still resonate. And how that kind of plays into next year, I think, will be very important.

Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance get along well, but we'll see how well in the next year ahead.

BASH: Well, because you mentioned it, let me actually bring up a quote from Marco Rubio in that profile in Vanity Fair. He said, quote, "If J.D. Vance runs for president, he's going to be our nominee and I'll be one of the first people to support him."

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. And if you're Donald Trump, he has this idea of a dream ticket, which I think is J.D. Vance as the nominee for president and Marco Rubio as the number two in -- in -- as that quote suggests, Marco Rubio at least seems game to support J.D. Vance, whether that means he's actually on the ticket, we'll see.

You know, I think the thing about J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio, if they run together, they are asking for a third Trump term. So, you know, it matters how the economy is doing. It matters if people are sort of sick of -- of the chaos of that -- that Donald Trump brings, the corruption as well. They're going to have to run on Donald Trump's record. So, it really matters what we see over these next two years and 11 months.

BASH: Yes, and I mean, right now there's no expectation that like everybody's going to clear the field for J.D. Vance. There are a lot of potential contenders for the GOP field in 2028. And we have a list of the potential contenders. You see them there. I mean, we talked about J.D. Vance. Marco Rubio says no if he's running. But look at all these other potential, and I really underscore potential on a lot of these names.

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a lot of people who've been waiting for an opening to run for president for a long time. To Jeff's point about Al Gore, I -- I believe that the only two-term vice presidents who become president are John Adams, Martin Van Buren and George H.W. Bush.

So, it's really easy to get the nomination when you're the vice president, but to serve out a third term essentially of a presidency has proven very hard for a lot of these ambitious folks. The other thing that I think we need to really think about here is Donald Trump. I know, I'm aware that people would say it's alarmist and whatever. But we do see that when it came to losing the 2020 election, he was very reluctant to leave the stage. And I wonder how much we're going to see in just the political backing off Trump will be willing to do to let a field and a race take shape without him.

And then look, he keeps talking about running for president in 2028. He keeps -- he's got the hats that he gives people.

BASH: I know, but he doesn't really.

DOVERE: Well, I mean, that's ...

ZELENY: Even Susie Wiles said he doesn't believe it.

BASH: Yes, we'll see what that's ...

DOVERE: But let's see if that's true. Let's -- I mean, I -- I think that we ...

BASH: Am I going to have egg on my face at the end of this like -- this time next year?

DOVERE: I -- I -- look, I ...

BASH: I don't think so.

DOVERE: By everybody's interpretation of the Constitution that's being serious about it, the answer is no, he can't run and he won't run. But I do think that, again, there -- there is just the political question of whether he will let a race take shape without him being the dominant figure. He does not -- he hasn't taken well to that.

HENDERSON: (INAUDIBLE) ...

ZELENY: He's also not frozen in time.

DOVERE: Right.

ZELENY: His age is increasing,

DOVERE: For sure.

ZELENY: So, we'll see how he is sort of by the end, but to your point about the third term, is -- if every election is a change election, in the past almost two decades, every election seems to be a change election. So that makes it sort of harder for J.D. Vance. But of course, I mean, we'll talk about this, I'm sure, you have to run against someone. So, this, at the end, is a contest.

But I think we have no idea what the state of the country looks like. Looking on that list there, you always have to give ...

BASH: Yes, let's put it back up.

ZELENY: ... kind of a -- an upper hand to someone who's run again, who'd be running a second time and know what it's like, Ted Cruz.

BASH: Ted Cruz. HENDERSON: Yep.

ZELENY: Ted Cruz is perhaps should be -- I don't know if that's alphabetical, but perhaps he should -- he should be at the top there. Because he knows what it's like to run for president and has been kind of gently positioning himself on some key things there.

So, if there's going to be a race, if there's going to be a race, Ted Cruz will be near the head of the pack.

BASH: Because there really is, even though there's Trump and Trumpism, and that's the -- the loudest, proudest part of the Republican Party right now. And this is, I think, the point you're making, Jeff. People like Ted Cruz have been trying to remind voters that there are other flavors of Republicanism, maybe more traditional ...

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: ... Republicanism out there.

[15:20:10]

HENDERSON: I think that's right. And -- and -- and somebody like Ted Cruz, certainly in that wing, sort of Tea Party as well, kind of in between the wings in some ways. And then, you have somebody like Marjorie Taylor Greene, right, who doesn't really think that the Donald Trump we see in office is the kind of person who ran, that he isn't even true MAGA. There's this other wing that's like America First, America only. And those are the people who don't like that he's spending so much time with foreign leaders, that he's kind of cozying up to a lot of billionaires and seeming to sort of sell out regular folks for the attention and favor of rich folks.

So -- so, listen, I think Marjorie Taylor Greene, she might be out there. Does she win? Probably not. But she certainly, I think, wants to have a voice.

ZELENY: If there's room for one other person on there, I would add, and this is the time when we can add, not subtract ...

BASH: Right.

ZELENY: Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

BASH: Why'd you said that?

ZELENY: She is someone who is cut from the mold, obviously, of MAGA. But she also has her father's upbringing in her, her close connection to the evangelical Christian conservative community. I do not count her out in a -- a bid for public office at some point. You certainly have to put her in the mix, because at that point, she will have been a very successful governor of Arkansas, still young, and we see how Arkansas governors occasionally win the White House.

BASH: Fun fact, I first met Sarah Huckabee Sanders when she was only Sarah Huckabee, when she was in her early 20s. You probably did, too, when she was running her father's presidential campaign ...

ZELENY: And he won the Iowa Congress in 2008.

BASH: ... in Iowa, Mike Huckabee, her father, yes.

All right, now that I've shown my age, coming up, Democrats are looking at a crowded 2028 starting line, but who will sprint ahead of the potential pack? We're going to look at the D side of this all after the break.

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[15:26:19]

BASH: A year after their bruising loss to President Trump, Democrats seem to be regaining some of their footing, but they are still without a leader. Next year, there will be no shortage of presidential hopefuls looking to fill that void.

My panel is back now.

Isaac, let's just put some of the potential contenders up on the screen. Those who watch INSIDE POLITICS will be familiar with all of them. It's a -- it's a big field. I'm not sure that every one of this people is, like, going to jump in like Gretchen Whitmer at the end there, but maybe. You never know. Things change.

DOVERE: Yes. You're missing a couple that get talked about there, even with that big group, Mark Kelly, making some waves and getting conversations going. Look, in 2020, 27 people ran for president on the Democratic side. I know that because I collected campaign buttons for each of them. I have them framed at home because there were just so many. It was crazy.

The thing that is weird about this Democratic race is that it's going to be the first race since 1988 without an established leader in the field that the race sort of -- the -- the gravitational pull is around. In 2020, it was around Joe Biden and a little bit around Bernie Sanders, '16, Hillary Clinton. I can go all the way back through it.

But that means that it's sort of open season for the Democrats. And it comes at a moment when obviously the party is trying to figure out what it is, what it stands for. That conversation has been happening since the moment that Kamala Harris lost and it continues. We're going to see it over the course of this coming year with the midterms. But these Democrats, there are a lot of them with pretty thick records, a lot of accomplishments to go up against each other. And they're going to be talking about not just what the Democratic Party should be, but what their vision of a post-Trump America and American government and democracy and politics would be.

For example, you cannot see any of them, I don't think realistically, saying, we should just reopen the Department of Education to turn the clock back. What I hear Democrats say is, the last person who will ever talk about going back was Joe Biden. And now it's about figuring out what -- what it'll look like.

BASH: That's really interesting. So, let's look at the betting markets, Kalshi. Newsom is like, you know, shot up. And in fact, he shot up in August ...

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: ... when he started the fight for -- which he won for Prop. 50 to change the -- the maps in response to the fact that Texas changed the maps mid-decade. AOC is very far behind him and Kamala Harris, even behind AOC.

HENDERSON: Yes, and -- and Kamala Harris recently suggesting that maybe she would want to make another go at it. African-American voters, you know, are obviously important to the Democratic nominee in that whole process. We'll -- we'll see. Gavin Newsom, though, has, I think, stolen the spotlight from his fellow Californian by being in Donald Trump's face, right? You look at his Twitter feed, he's very pugnacious, very Trumpian in terms of how he is using ...

BASH: Intentionally so.

HENDERSON: ... intentionally so, and -- and -- and really kind of using social media to gather attention. You know, listen, social media is one thing and going to Iowa and South Carolina and New Hampshire is -- is another. But so far, he looks pretty good. The other person I might add to that is Raphael Warnock out of Georgia, who is incredibly talented. A politician, has won in -- in just recently gave a speech about spirituality and affordability at the Center for American Progress. So, he is one, I think, to that list of 500 people who had him.

[15:29:57]

BASH: Gavin Newsom is out with the book early in this coming year, in 2026. Let's listen to what he said when he announced it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D) CALIFORNIA: I hope that whatever ...