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Inside Politics

AOC 2028 Rumors Swirl As She Attends Global Security Conference; AOC Steps Onto Global Stage As 2028 Speculation Grows; Crowded Field Battles It Out To Replace Rep. Greene; Could A Crowded Field Elect A Democrat In MTG's District?; Six House Republicans Defy Trump To Reject Canada Tariffs; Trump Defends Secy. Lutnick After Epstein Revelations; WSJ: "Constant Chaos" Inside Noem's Dept. Of Homeland Security. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired February 13, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Absolutely. And I just think she's -- I do think she's, if nothing else, she's going to test the waters, you know, whether she ultimately puts herself out there, you know, I think it's probably a little bit early even for her to know for sure. But I think she's going to continue to be out there, she's going to continue testing the waters, and she could go far.

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, look, it reminds me of when Elizabeth Warren was considering running for president, and she joined the Senate Armed Services Committee and started to broaden her, you know, expertise on issues beyond just domestic, progressive politics. You don't hear, see AOC much talking about foreign policy.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and you can go back to Harry Reid making sure that Barack Obama was on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as much as Joe Biden, the chairman of that committee, was driving him insane during some of his opening statements back in those years.

It is a -- it is the next logical step for somebody who is considering the presidency, there is no question about that. But I also think it underscores an evolution of a member of Congress that has probably been somewhat underappreciated, probably not by you guys who are on the Hill every day and get to see her, but her path through being like a rock star who came in and was kind of a social media phenomenon and all that type of stuff, into a real legislator who did real work, who managed to start from being very unpopular in their caucus, where the Speaker, genuinely disliked her, I think, to having allies and building coalitions and working across the islands, something --

RAJU: The speakers and the Speaker Pelosi.

MATTINGLY: Speaker Pelosi at the time, yes, I should be clear about that, and this is kind of a natural next step of a progression we've seen play out over time. I do think for the Democratic Party, the debate over foreign policy and what they want their foreign policy to be is going to be a fascinating one, and her putting her voice in there and kind of her initial roadmap is a really interesting element.

RAJU: And we're seeing other potential 2028 candidates in Munich as well. Here's just a list of some of them. Ruben Gallego, Mark Kelly, Chris Murphy, Gavin Newsom, AOC, of course, and Gretchen Whitmer. So I guess it's the place to be.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. And I was just thinking, you know, there's an interesting split screen here. If you go back to a certain trip to Europe around this time last year as well, it was Vice President J.D. Vance, right, who also one of his first big trips was going to Europe. And his message was pretty much lecturing the region and European nations, accusing them of not being committed to free speech values, for not embracing certain far right figures, right, far right groups.

And now you have AOC coming, you know, also to Europe and this time with a message of, you know, we need to focus on the working class in order to push back against authoritarianism. She, over the past year, has sort of capped off this evolution of anti-establishment outside figure to now being one of the main sort of, you know, opposition figures, not just to Trump, but also to Vance as well, who's widely thought to likely be the heir to the MAGA movement. So seeing that split screen is also interesting.

RAJU: It really is. And the reason why she's a force to be reckoned with is the amount of money she raises and the amount of reach she has, and money raised. And she raised $23 million last year. That's the most of any House Democrat, $23 million.

And when you look at her social media following, hugely significant, 9.6 million in -- for Instagram, 4.1 million for TikTok, 12.7 million on X. That's far more than, say, Gavin Newsom.

MITCHELL: Yes. And again, she just connects with people in a very real way. I think her story resonates with people in ways, if you want to compare her to J.D. Vance, you know, that she has kind of a rags to riches story. The fact that she communicates her message very well.

It's easy to understand. She knows how to get people behind her. Again, she just really has a rare political talent that it's separate than, you know, not saying people are always going to agree with her, but you can't deny. And I think even Donald Trump, people like that who understand kind of the showmanship of politics, understand that she kind of has an it factor that know -- she also knows it can take her a long way. I think it really is up to her to decide what she's going to do.

RAJU: And the polls, of course, it's obviously way too early for 2028 polls, but we'll still talk about them. This is Inside Politics, after all. But there was a CNN poll that came out in December about the field, which, of course, there is no field yet. But, you know, we like to talk about it. Voters like to think about it. At least some do.

64 percent have no one specific in mind who they want to be the Democratic standard bearer. But look, the names that do register, I mean, AOC is on that list, 4 percent. Newsom still 11 percent. But, again, you know, what year are we in now, 2026?

MATTINGLY: Yes.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Maybe early, but they're still, you know, making moves.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTINGLY: Let me tell you why this matters right now.

KANNO-YOUNGS: I mean, look, I was at Davos a couple weeks ago and saw Gavin Newsom all over the place, including at Trump's speech, trying to solidify himself as the fighter to the president, too. So I think it's worth noting sort of the movements that some of these politicians are making, likely with an eye to the future.

MATTINGLY: I do want to note, though, in the graphic that we have potential contenders that are in Munich, David Sanger is there, too. And his face was not on that. And as we know, 60-plus percent of people don't know where they want to go. And I'm not saying he's R or D. No one knows where Sanger is politically.

[12:35:06]

But I'm just saying I'm not going to float the possibility of it --

RAJU: Well --

MATTINGLY: -- but people should be thinking --

RAJU: Yes.

MATTINGLY: -- Sanger is in all these places as well.

RAJU: The dark horse, heard here first, Inside Politics.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Well, well.

RAJU: All right. Coming up, could a Democrat win a special election race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress? Jeff Zeleny went to Georgia to find out.

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[12:40:01]

RAJU: Next month, voters in Georgia's 14th Congressional District will choose a replacement for former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Trump ally-turned-enemy stunned Washington last year when she announced she was leaving Congress. It's a deep red district, but Republicans fear the very crowded field could help elect a Democrat.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny traveled to the Peace State to take stock of the race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's hard to find a stage big enough for this Georgia blockbuster. The men and women sitting here, shoulder to shoulder, are only half of the 20 candidates fighting to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose resignation has sparked a free-for-all special election.

CLAY FULLER (R), GA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: We cannot let Georgia 14 turn blue. We have to keep it red. Now is the time to unite behind the candidate that President Trump has chosen.

ZELENY (voice-over): Clay Fuller, a former prosecutor and Air Force veteran, candidly admits being surprised when Trump called with his endorsement last week.

FULLER: On the phone call, at one point he just said, Clay -- OK, I'm going to do it, "Clay, I want you to talk to your next boss." And it was Speaker Johnson.

ZELENY (voice-over): It's an open question whether Trump's blessing paves the way for Fuller. His Republican rivals aren't standing down.

JIM TULLY (R), GA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I love President Trump, but we've never talked about this being President Trump's district.

TOM GRAY (R), GA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: We, you know, love and support him and his agenda, you know, strongly, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we don't want to choose our own representative.

ZELENY (voice-over): Star Black, a Republican who planned to challenge Greene anyway, assumed Trump would stay out of the race. Still, she isn't sure it changes much.

ZELENY: You need Trump voters --

STAR BLACK (R), GA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Absolutely.

ZELENY: -- to win.

BLACK: Absolutely. The Republican voters, they're smart voters. They know if someone is going to represent them or are they going to rubber stamp someone.

ZELENY (voice-over): Campaign signs are popping up everywhere for a slate of candidates that includes a pastor, former state senator, retired FEMA worker, trash company owner, horse trainer, risk engineer, small businessman, former congressional staffer, retired brigadier general, and prosecutor.

Among the Republicans we met, there's hardly a mention of Greene's fallout with Trump.

ZELENY: When Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

ZELENY: -- what did you all think about that at the time? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it was a big sigh of relief.

LYDIA ROLLINS, GEORGIA REPUBLICAN VOTER: Yes, we did not like her. You know, we thought she was a disruptor.

ZELENY (voice-over): The sprawling 14th Congressional District covers 10 counties across Georgia's northwest corner, stretching from the Atlanta suburbs over to Alabama and up to the Tennessee state line. It's deep red Trump country, but with enough Democrats and independents to cause heartburn for Republicans in a primary that sends the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, into a runoff if no one wins over 50 percent.

ZELENY: Is there a true risk, do you think, for a district this red to be won by a Democrat?

FULLER: Absolutely, and we've got to operate that way. If Georgia 14 turns blue, it would be a tragedy for the president's agenda, and we as a party need to start having an honest conversation about that.

ZELENY (voice-over): Fuller is talking about Shawn Harris.

SHAWN HARRIS (D), GA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Courage is contagious.

ZELENY (voice-over): Harris is a Democrat who lost to Greene in 2024, but received nearly 135,000 votes, a fraction of which would likely vault him into a runoff now. After 40 years in the Marines, Harris returned home to a Georgia cattle farm. He's trying to tap into a Trump exhaustion that he believes gives him an edge to voters searching for a change.

HARRIS: The 17, 18 Republicans that I'm currently running against right now, every last one of those guys are trying to do their best to get Donald Trump. Even though he's actually endorsed somebody, they're still fighting trying to get his attention.

ZELENY: President Trump has been remarkably reluctant to weigh in on Republican primary races, but the narrow majority in the House led him to make an endorsement. Now, the power of that endorsement is a new test of Trump's popularity here in Georgia.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Dalton, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: All right, when we come back, we talk to one of President Trump's latest Republican targets. That's Congressman Kevin Kiley, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:48:27]

RAJU: This week, a small group of Republicans sent a blunt message to President Trump. They're not on board with his tariffs. Six House Republicans joined Democrats to rescind his tariffs on Canada. And President Trump was furious, posting on Truth Social, quote, "Any Republican in the House or the Senate that votes against tariffs will seriously suffer the consequences come election time, and that includes primaries."

Joining me now is one of those Republicans, Congressman Kevin Kiley of California. Mr. Kiley, thank you so much for joining me this afternoon. What do you say to the president who says you're going to suffer consequences for your vote?

REP. KEVIN KILEY (R-CA): You know, I've always approached my job as, first and foremost, being about responding to my constituents and what they're looking for. And I've always pledged to be an independent voice. And so, you know, this is politics, understandably.

You know, not everyone's going to be happy with every vote that you make. But I feel like, you know, when come election time, my constituents will judge, you know, my record in its entirety. And I think they'll respect the fact that, you know, I'm willing to stand up for what I think is right, regardless of what the political consequences might be.

RAJU: Are these tariffs hurting your constituents?

KILEY: Well, I mean, there's a lot of different tariffs, right? And they have very different effects. And so the first vote that we did a couple days ago was just about whether Congress should be allowed to weigh in on this topic at all, which I think, you know, obviously we should.

We're Article 1. We're, you know, we have jurisdiction over this area as well as, you know, all other policy areas. And the fact that the speaker had used this, you know, accounting trick to essentially shut off Congress's obligation, actually, to weigh in on this matter, I thought was the wrong thing to do. So I actually voted against that multiple times.

[12:50:06]

Now, when it comes to the Canada tariffs in particular, these ones are kind of unique in the general mix of things for obvious reasons, given the proximity --

RAJU: Yes.

KILEY: -- given the existence of free trade agreement, and particular impacts when it comes to housing and cars and energy.

RAJU: Mr. Kiley, as you know, the economy is always issue number one in any election. But I hear from Republicans concerns that President Trump is not focused enough in talking about the economy and gets bogged down in unnecessary controversies, like what we saw this past week, trying to indict six Democrats over that video where they encouraged military service members to not follow illegal orders. Do you share those concerns?

KILEY: Well, he certainly has a lot of balls in the air at any given time. I mean, I think he has actually been focusing a lot and talking a lot about the economy lately, about the stock market, about energy prices, about, you know, taking on housing prices. But obviously, you know, Americans are still feeling the effects of inflation in very serious ways.

And I have to add, you know, nowhere else more so than in my state of California. And so --

RAJU: Yes.

KILEY: -- and that's, by the way, a result mostly of state policies. So I think that, you know, my approach has been, I'm trying to work on the federal level and in counteracting some of the policies we have at the state level to make things more affordable for folks that I represent.

RAJU: Yes. And I'm wondering, just to follow on that, I mean, do you think the Justice Department should try to indict those Democrats?

KILEY: I have no idea. I haven't really followed it. I mean, it doesn't seem like the normal thing to do. I didn't like the video that they put up. I thought that it was, you know, very objectionable for a lot of different reasons. But, you know, the grand jury reached its verdict in that case.

RAJU: Yes. So let's turn to the Epstein files, because you were at that raucous House hearing this past week with Attorney General Pam Bondi, and there has been a lot of back and forth there, including what we have learned is that Bondi had a copy of Congressman Jayapal's search history of the unredacted Epstein files. Are you OK with the Justice Department monitoring lawmakers' search history?

KILEY: I don't really know what the full breadth of that is. I mean, I tend to think probably that's not the right thing to do, at least in a general sense. I mean, there may be reasons why they want to have records of, you know, which files have been accessed and so forth. But, you know, they have made these files available for lawmakers of both parties to come and look at.

There's been millions of files that have been released now. There's, you know, an explanation coming, a report coming to Congress about the reason for redactions or the reason for documents being withheld. So I was one of the first people to come out, at least on my side, in support of full transparency here --

RAJU: Yes.

KILEY: -- in support of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. And I think that, you know, more or less, we've gotten what the legislation accounts for, that there will be some edge cases, obviously, going forward.

RAJU: So what we've also learned from the Epstein files is that they have actually contradicted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who falsely claimed last year that he had cut off ties with Jeffrey Epstein in 2005. It turned out he had several other communications, including lunch with his family on Epstein Island, even after Epstein had pleaded guilty to sex crimes in 2008.

Congressman, there have been people held accountable for their recently revealed ties to Epstein, but not in the Trump administration. Should Howard Lutnick lose his job over his Epstein ties?

KILEY: I'll be honest. I don't really know what the extent of those ties were. I -- there's been so many Epstein-related stories out there of this person and that person, and that hasn't really been my priority. So --

RAJU: But he went to the island. I mean, this is the Commerce Secretary went to the island, Epstein Island, after he had pleaded guilty, Epstein did, to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. I mean, that has to alarm you.

KILEY: Yes, I think certainly, you know, those who remained in touch with him after he had been convicted, that certainly raises different questions than before that. But again, I'm not really in a position to comment on each and every person's --

RAJU: So you think he should keep his job? Just to be clear, do you think he should keep his job?

KILEY: I'm not in a position to say -- with respect to the Epstein issue.

RAJU: OK. So speaking of Cabinet secretaries, there's been a lot of controversy over Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, not only the way she sort of jumped to conclusions in those fatal shootings involving American citizens in Minneapolis, but also a new Wall Street Journal report really depicting an agency that seems like kind of a mess, frankly. Do you have confidence in Kristi Noem?

KILEY: Well, I mean, I have enough confidence that at this point, you know, I would defer to the president's prerogative to choose his team. I will have questions for her when she comes before my committee, the Judiciary Committee, in a couple weeks. I've been, you know, critical in some ways of how those incidents were handled, and I think even the administration itself has said that the entire surge operation in Minnesota could have been handled differently in some ways.

I've also said I support bipartisan reforms in order to focus and advance the mission on ICE, which, by the way, must go hand-in-hand with trying to crack down on these policies of non-cooperation and disruption sometimes called sanctuary policies that make immigration enforcement inherently more disruptive.

[12:55:11]

RAJU: But do you think she's the right person for the job?

KILEY: Well, look, the president has the prerogative to choose his team members, and, you know, at this point, as I said, we'll have the opportunity to evaluate her record in full in a couple weeks when she comes before our committee. RAJU: OK. Mr. Kiley -- Kevin Kiley of California, thank you so much for taking your time this afternoon. I really appreciate it.

KILEY: Anytime. Thanks for having me.

RAJU: Absolutely. Thank you for joining Inside Politics. I'll be back this weekend for Inside Politics Sunday. My guest, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. CNN News Central starts now after this very quick break.