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Inside Politics
Trump Promises "Most Unforgettable" July 4th Celebration; Watch Parties For U.S. Men's World Cup Match Draw Huge Crowds; Rep. Dan Goldman On His Primary Loss And Democrats' Future; GOP Rep. Gimenez & Dem. Rep. Vindman Reflect On America's 250th After Immigrating As Children, Fleeing Communist Countries. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired July 02, 2026 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Three days from now, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. What a document that was.
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DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump is really raising expectations for D.C.'s July 4th celebration, going as far as calling it the most unforgettable birthday party any country has ever seen. But in some great CNN reporting from behind the scenes at the White House, sources tell CNN that lackluster attendance for Trump's speech on the mall last week infuriated the President and has sparked some fears about disappointing turnout for the 4th.
My smart panel is back, including Kristen Holmes, who is part of the reporting on that story. Crowd size gripes, state fair troubles, the problems of America 250 celebration tied to Trump. And I'm just going to read -- oh no, I read part of it. You go.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, there are a lot of concerns about the 4th of July now. I mean, what happened with last week is that it wasn't necessarily that when he was there, he thought that there were smaller crowds. It was that somebody posted an aerial photo that showed a gap of space in one of the fields, and it got amplified by White House officials who actually thought it was a nice photo.
And then he saw it and was very angry. And all of those officials have since taken it down. The concern is the same concern that any staff would have of a principal, which is this guy has built this as the biggest event he'll ever do. It is 107 degrees.
People have to go through security without any shade, no coolers, no water. This city officials are concerned about people passing out, having any kind of heat episodes, making sure people are on standby. He's not expected to speak until 9:45 or 10:00. And that already limits your attendance pool. People with kids can't go. So you're there -- they're trying to make this an event that he wants it to be, but there are a lot of hurdles here.
BASH: And, you know, I don't know that it matters at this point with the numbers so high, but New York is supposed to be a heat index of 107, D.C. 112. Let's listen to what the President said about the weather when he was in North Dakota yesterday.
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TRUMP: On July 4th, it's going to be approximately 107 degrees out. And I'm going to go and I'm going to make a really long speech just to show that I could do anything.
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SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, like Kristen pointed out, a lot of these factors that could affect attendance on on the 4th of July is out of control. Obviously, he does not control the weather. But, I mean, whether he's being serious or not, I mean, he is -- we know that the President does have a propensity to go long and kind of ramble in these speeches. So he is not helping the environment in which his speech is happening.
BASH: And the fireworks aren't going to start until he's done, right?
KIM: Right.
BASH: Which is --
HOLMES: Though, at some point, 10:30, 11 o'clock.
BASH: Yes.
KIM: I think 11 o'clock was a concern that would be that late.
ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I also heard that comment from the President. And I wondered, yes, it's a test of, you know, his -- the -- this event that he's kind of staked his brand on. But also, you know, stamina as well. There's been a lot of scrutiny --
HOLMES: Right.
KANNO-YOUNGS: -- as well over his age and whatnot. And hearing that, I'm going to go for a long speech. You wonder if it's also his way of sort of showing also stamina at this time.
BASH: All right. Let's give credit where credit is due. And that is President Trump was very aggressive in bringing the World Cup to North America. And it is really bringing Americans together across the political spectrum. This is a decision back in 2018 to back a bid to bring a FIFA and the World Cup here. The U.S. bore fruit with a big men's national team win last night.
And so what we're seeing is people all across America very, very excited about it. Here's just some examples of what happened in the U.S. last night.
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(CHEERING)
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
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[12:35:14]
BASH: So Atlanta, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, Kansas City and Washington, D.C.
KIM: I love a good sporting event.
BASH: I mean, who doesn't.
KIM: Who doesn't?
BASH: Yes.
KIM: And it's also the -- what you pointed out about the President's role in bringing the World Cup to the United States is really interesting, because Andrew Giuliani has told me the leader of the White House Task Force has said when President Trump thought he was going to win his second term in 2020, he was kind of wistful saying, oh, I may not be and I wouldn't be around to enjoy this World Cup as President. And he gets to.
But this is, I mean, this is great. This is -- I mean, I think we all watched the game last night, screamed, especially the last half hour or so of the game. And this is just -- and you have tourists seeing how great America is. I believe Friday, the tourists are still scheduled to come to the White House --
KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes/.
KIM: -- even though he's deleted his Twitter account. So it's fun to watch.
KANNO-YOUNGS: I visited my home state and was in Boston this past week. And as soon as I got off at South Station, just Norwegian -- Norway fans everywhere, Norwegians everywhere and Scots as well. They actually were at Fenway Park.
I went to the Red Sox Yankees game and did the crew celebration like in the crowd. Not something I ever thought I would see. It was awesome.
HOLMES: I mean, my biggest takeaway has been I love sharing the thing that I care about most with other countries, which is ranch dressing. So, it is lovely to see other cultures and countries get to really experience that firsthand. BASH: I love these segments because then you get to really see and hear the people behind the great reporting we have at CNN.
KANNO-YOUNGS: Right.
BASH: And that is classic.
KANNO-YOUNGS: Red Sox, ranch --
BASH: Yes.
KANNO-YOUNGS: -- as well.
BASH: Sports (INAUDIBLE) bringing it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
BASH: Up next, very different conversation, and that is what Dan Goldman told CNN about the reason he thinks he lost his Democratic primary in New York City last week.
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BASH: The recent string of incumbent losses is highlighting where the Democratic Party's energy is today, far left and anti-Israel. After losing his primary last week, Congressman Dan Goldman sat down with my colleague Jake Tapper.
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JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Why do you think you lost your primary race?
REP. DAN GOLDMAN (D), NEW YORK: Well, look, I think ultimately this really did come down to Israel-Gaza. It has taken on a massive and outsized role in Democratic politics, and it's a really complicated issue. But ultimately people are, I believe, just incredibly, incredibly horrified by all of the devastation and destruction and death that is going on in the Middle East. And I agree.
TAPPER: So looking at you and the man who defeated you, former comptroller Brad Lander, you both believe that Israel should exist. You both believe Israel should be a Jewish state and a democracy. The difference is you really have to go deeper than just the shallow superficial level.
You don't call what's happening in Gaza a genocide. You have a relationship with AIPAC, and you -- I think you don't refer to what's going on in the West Bank as an occupation. Is there room in the Democratic Party for somebody who is progressive on all these other social issues having to do with the United States?
GOLDMAN: There has been nobody in Congress that has been more aggressive at pushing back and fighting Donald Trump and his cabinet and his threats and real attack on democracy. I support Medicare for All. I support the Green New Deal. I support universal child care. You go down the sort of list of progressive policies, and I'm on board there.
What has, I think, happened, and I think this is really dangerous, is that some of these, as you say, beneath the surface, very complicated, difficult issues have become buzzwords and litmus tests. And genocide in particular, as you point out is -- has been adopted by many as a morality test.
The real concern I have is that that has translated into a tremendous danger and fear against Jews in America because American Jews are now being held responsible by too many people for what the Israeli government is doing, and that is antisemitism. And it's becoming normalized. It's becoming more and more frequent.
And both as a Jew myself and having many, many Jewish constituents of all types, a lot are really, really afraid because Jews are -- and American Jews are now being dehumanized because of frustration and anger with what's going on in the Middle East. That is anti- democratic. That is anti-American. And that fundamentally flies in the face of everything the Democratic Party has always stood for.
What I will say is that you're seeing much more frequent use, for example, of Jews being compared to and equated to Nazis, and that that feels to be normalized, and that feels different than a year ago. That just the fact that I was, you know, prospectively banned from a coffee shop because I broadly support the state of Israel is something that's really dangerous.
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BASH: My panel is here now. It's really interesting to hear him talk about this and the fact that he clearly wanted to speak out, you know, ex post facto about where he sees the party given the fact that he was just ousted even though, as he just ticked off there, he is in line with all of the progressive social issues --
KANNO-YOUNGS: Sure.
BASH: -- that the base wants.
KANNO-YOUNGS: Sure. I almost heard sort of two things there. I mean, there's the politics, which we can always talk about, and how the issue of U.S. military support for Israel will continue to be a question that's put to candidates. But then there's something else, which is the rise of antisemitism in the United States, coming at a time of rising threats in the political system and rising political violence as well.
And you can see those two things as separate there. And now that he is out of the race, it seems he's putting a flag up and raising awareness, really, of that latter issue. On the first one, this isn't going away, right? We've seen now that this isn't just limited to deep blue New York, right? Yes, another deep blue Colorado. We've seen that it's relevant, right? But this is going to be a question that's put towards Democratic candidates moving forward.
BASH: OK.
KIM: Right. And I think related to that point, I think he makes a very good distinction to the point that I think it is one thing where, you know, whether voters or candidates or whomever else can criticize the actions of the Israeli government and of Benjamin Netanyahu.
But all too often that can, you know, veer into this very dark antisemitic side, which is completely unacceptable. And that is really the distinction I felt the congressman is trying to emphasize and highlight because it's been such a problem, especially for the last, you know, three years.
BASH: All right, everybody, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
Up next, they are living proof of the American dream as the USA celebrates 250 years. Two immigrant lawmakers from two different parties reflect on how this country changed their lives.
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BASH: From immigrants to members of Congress, that's the uniquely American story of Carlos Gimenez and Eugene Vindman. As America approaches its 250th birthday, I spoke to the Republican and the Democrat about what this country means to them.
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BASH: Congressman Gimenez, Congressman Vindman, you both have a unique distinction in serving here in that you are both foreign born.
REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R), FLORIDA: Yes.
BASH: You came when you were?
GIMENEZ: Almost seven.
BASH: Almost seven from Cuba. And you were even younger.
REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D), VIRGINIA: Four, from the Soviet Union. Refugees from communist countries. Yes, absolutely.
GIMENEZ: Yes.
BASH: How do you think serving in Congress feels different -- is different?
GIMENEZ: No, I don't feel any different. I mean, you know, I'm an American, you know?
BASH: Yes.
GIMENEZ: I just have -- I was happen to be born somewhere else. And I came here for political reasons. And, you know, I love this country. And sometimes I say I probably love this country more than people who were born here, because I appreciate it. I appreciate the freedoms that we have here. Maybe it's because I had that experience that this little bit, you know, it's just a little stronger in me maybe than folks that have lived here and maybe take this country for granted.
VINDMAN: I've always also considered myself an American. Came here at a young age. But very patriotic. I grew up originally in New York City. Went to public schools. And then when I was old enough, I served in uniform. I served in the Army.
I served in the combat zone in Iraq. I served at the White House. And I've always considered myself an American. You know, to come here as a refugee and to be a representative now for 780,000 Americans, I mean, if that's not a representation of what is possible in this country and the American dream, I don't know what is.
BASH: I mean, you're both refugees.
GIMENEZ: Same story. I mean --
BASH: Yes.
GIMENEZ: -- you know, we -- my dad and my mom wanted to give, you know, us a chance at freedom, a better life. About a year and a half after the revolution, things were already starting to change. And it was interesting because he said, well, one day you came from school and you asked me a question about America and the Soviet Union.
And he -- and I said, you know, who's the right, who's wrong? And my dad said, no, the Americans are right. I said, no, the Soviet Union is right. The Russians are right because they're more powerful.
So he said, really? Where did you learn that? And he goes, oh, they taught me that in school. And I said, oh, really? OK, a month later, we were gone because they were already starting to indoctrinate me.
And so, the next thing, you know, we're on a plane. And I came here. I think I got here on the 13th of November in 1960. And my dad, you know, we were upper middle class and we had -- but he came with two watches, 10 bucks in his pocket. And that was it.
BASH: Left everything.
GIMENEZ Left everything, yes. Yes.
BASH: For freedom.
GIMENEZ: Your son's a member of Congress. I mean, yes, that's the American dream, right?
VINDMAN: My dad was a middle class equivalent, you know, to the extent that existed in the Soviet Union. But he was an engineer, lived a fairly comfortable existence. But he was tired of the corruption. He was tired of the antisemitism. He was tired of the hypocrisy.
And so, you know, at that time, our mother had gotten sick with cancer. She ended up dying before we left. And he dropped all that, came to our country. We had $759 in fine suit cash.
GIMENEZ: You got us beat.
VINDMAN: The three boys, we all joined the military. My twin brother and I served over 20 years. Both deployed to Iraq. This country accepted us as refugees, immigrants. I think we provided a return on investment in our military service. And certainly, I'd like to think on certain days, maybe even here occasionally.
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GIMENEZ: I'd serve, but not in the armed services. I, you know, I was a firefighter and became the fire chief of the city of Miami. And where else is that possible, you know, for a kid that, you know, doesn't even speak the language, you know?
VINDMAN: Different uniforms but --
GIMENEZ: Yes.
VINDMAN: -- still serving the community --
GIMENEZ: Yes.
VINDMAN: -- still serving the country. My story, in some ways, is a version of the American dream. And what I want to do is make sure that dream is available for my kids and for all Americans, whether you were born here, whether you came here.
GIMENEZ: My job to me is that, hey, how can I make, you know, America better for my children, for my grandchildren? Because that's my duty. The fact that he and I have similar backgrounds, but actually can have differences of opinion and then can debate it over there, right, that's what makes this country great.
VINDMAN: I have optimism. You can't come here as a refugee and end up a representative without a sense of optimism, so.
GIMENEZ: We're still, you know, striving for perfection, and I think that the secret sauce to America is individual freedom. We can disagree, but we have the right to disagree.
Happy birthday, America.
VINDMAN: Happy birthday, America.
GIMENEZ: Wish you another 250 at least, all right?
BASH: Well said.
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BASH: Thanks for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.
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