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Never Trump Republican Lays Out How To Beat Him In New Book; Stars Prepare For 2026 Primetime Emmys Tonight; Can Democrats Finally Win A North Carolina Senate Seat?; Whatley Defends Trump On Inflation, Tariffs, War In Iran. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired September 14, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: So what is your prescription for changing that?

SARAH LONGWELL, PUBLISHER, THE BULWARK: Well, the book's 330 pages, so there's not just one prescription. There's a lot of different prescriptions, right? There's -- there are things to do on the policy side. There are things to do on the communication side. But --

BASH: Yes.

LONGWELL: -- I think the closest thing to a central thesis really is that Donald Trump has changed the Republican Party in very specific ways. He has hollowed it out and taken it from something that has anything connected to ideas or policies, and it's all about him.

And in 2028, whether, you know, he's going to be gone. I know that there's going to be a big debate about does Trump actually leave, but whether it's for actuarial reasons or constitutional reasons, Donald Trump is going to reach the end of his power in the Republican Party as an officeholder.

And that means that Democrats have a generational opportunity to reset the narrative about who they are and how to go on offense against the MAGA movement. Now, some of that right now is about making sure that Donald Trump, when he leaves office, leaves as one of the most historically unpopular presidents ever, because you want Donald Trump. I call it being below the Bush line, because when George W. Bush left office, he left office at 32 percent.

BASH: Yes, I remember.

LONGWELL: And after that, the Republican Party couldn't find their way back after that. It was a party at sea that was then able to be hijacked by Donald Trump. And so, you want people to look at the MAGA movement and say that was a mistake, right?

BASH: So --

LONGWELL: But that is -- we cannot repeat that.

BASH: OK, so you're -- but the -- I hear what you're saying about lots of different prescriptions, but just on the comms part, I hear what you're saying about it being all about Trump and about how things are bad and we can't repeat that. Is it just that or do you have to have some, why do you want me instead of them kind of comes message, right?

LONGWELL: That's right. And look, Democrats, I think, have had a hard time figuring out this new information environment. But suddenly, like in the last really few months, we're starting to see people emerge who seem to get it. And they're very different from Mamdani to Jon Ossoff, to Pete Buttigieg, to AOC.

Each one of them has a different theory of the case about how to communicate with people. But each of them does have a theory of the case. They are out there. Jon Ossoff does it by giving these sort of soaring speeches where he's being filmed from below and then he releases it on social media.

AOC approaches it much more like an influencer where she even talks about her personal life and struggles with fertility. Mamdani, for all of the reasons I might disagree with him on his specific policies, he is relentless on the affordability issue, right? He says, I know it's too expensive to live in New York. I'm going to talk about that all day long.

And so some Democrats are starting to do it. But what I want is for the entire party to understand that they are competing with the narrative dominance of Donald Trump and the right wing infotainment media ecosystem. And that they've got to build their own mechanism for competing with that.

They need to be out there all the time messaging against Trump's corruption and then also saying it's about contrast. It's about he's -- here's why he's wrong and here's what we have to offer. And Democrats haven't seemed to be able to find their footing.

And look, it's all about the economy. I listen to voters all the time in the focus groups. And when you say, how do you think things are going in the country? They say bad. Why is it bad? It's bad because they can't afford groceries. They know exactly how much milk costs. Their gas is too expensive. Their health care is too expensive.

This is all you hear from voters. And Democrats need to have an answer on that. While also -- and this is also important, personal safety also matters a great deal. It's why Donald Trump was able to go on off --

BASH: Yes.

LONGWELL: -- on immigration and on crime. And Democrats need to have an answer for that. They need to be able to say as a matter of sort of an opening salvo, the border should be closed and we should have a way for people to come here legally because voters still do want immigrants to be able to come here. They don't like the way Donald Trump has approached the excesses of his immigration policies, but they do want the border to be closed.

BASH: Sarah, one of the things that you talk about that I really want you to expand on now for our audience, people who are not necessarily chronically online like you and I are, is what you call the Republican triangle of doom and why it's so hard to beat. Explain what it is and give an example.

LONGWELL: Yes. So this is the toxic and symbiotic relationship between the right-wing infotainment media ecosystem, Republican voters and Republican politicians. And they reinforce each other. So I'll give you an easy example, which is how did it come to pass that 70 percent of Republicans believed that the 2020 election was stolen?

[12:35:05]

Well, Donald Trump sets the Republican triangle of doom in motion. He says, listen, this is stolen. Those right-wing media outlets run to bless the lie, right, to amplify the lie, which means that voters come to demand other outlets bless the lie.

So, you know, you saw Newsmax, OANN, lots of right wing podcasters. So suddenly Fox News is under fire for calling the election for Joe Biden. I listened to voters say that Fox News was a left-wing rag because it called the election for Donald -- or for Joe Biden in 2020.

And so then you've got the politicians say their voters want them to go out and bless the lies. Then you get semi-normal Republicans like Kevin McCarthy out there saying, yes, something was wrong with that election. And before you know it, it becomes orthodoxy on the right.

And the Democrats have to find a way to overwhelm the lies of the Republican triangle of doom with truth. And they do not have the media amplification system in place to do it. They rely very much on singularly the mainstream media. But obviously, that's not enough in this new fragmented, fractured media environment.

BASH: It sure isn't. But luckily, we're still here and you blessed us with your presence. And this is your book, "How to Eat an Elephant." First of all, just how great is that cover? It's pretty cool.

LONGWELL: I love it.

BASH: Sarah -- and more importantly, the inside of the book, the content is great.

Sarah, thank you for being here. Congrats on the book.

LONGWELL: Thanks so much for having me.

BASH: And coming up, who will score TV's biggest prize and who will go home empty handed? We have an Emmys preview from the red carpet after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:41:04]

BASH: In just a few hours, the biggest stars from television attend the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. CNN Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister is already on the red blue carpet. Elizabeth, we can talk later about why it's blue and not red, but what are you watching for tonight? ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the carpet is blue. And as you see, the red carpet is getting set up. A lot of construction behind me. Everything is getting underway. But we're just a few hours away from all of the stars arriving, Dana.

Tonight, all eyes are really on the best comedy race. "Hacks" is the most nominated comedy with 24 nominations coming into the night. And it's being honored for its fifth and final season. Typically, the Television Academy loves to honor shows for their farewell season.

But "Widow's Bay" is a show that came out of the gate really in the final stretch of the voting period. And really has struck a chord with critics and also with fans. So that is the big award that everyone is wondering. Does it go to "Hacks" or does it go to "Widow's Bay"?

Now, Jean Smart, of course, the star of "Hacks," she is expected to win for best actress in a comedy. She would make Emmy's history, Dana. Becoming the only woman in all of the Emmy's to ever win for every single season of a series.

Now, we go over to the drama side. And "The Pitt," which I know is one of your favorite shows, and also one of my favorite shows, Dana, "The Pitt" is expected to have a very good night. It won last year. It's the reigning champ. It's expected to win again.

And its stars, Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa, are also expected to win in their categories. So we'll see what happens because those are my predictions. But, you know, Dana, anything could happen. So it should be a very exciting night. TV's biggest night. And again, we're just hours away from all of the stars arriving right here on the blue, not red carpet.

BASH: Well, first of all, I want to tell our viewers, obviously, there's a little bit of an issue with Elizabeth's microphone. I am very excited, not just to see who wins, but to watch Mariska Hargitay, who is just having the best year. I loved her, the documentary she did on her mom, "My Mom Jayne," which she already won for, and now she gets to host First Woman in 15 years, as you said.

Elizabeth, thank you so much.

Be sure to join Elizabeth for a front row seat to all the stars and the glamour for CNN and Variety's Red Carpet Live, streaming on CNN's All Access subscription.

Up next, North Carolina's Democratic Senate candidate says he has one big worry, that his party might think his race is already in the bag. Manu Raju went to the Tar Heel State to get the lay of the land.

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[12:48:03]

BASH: Democrats are feeling pretty good about their chances of winning a Senate race in North Carolina for the first time since 2008. But their prized recruit is warning these final few weeks will be a dogfight. Former Governor Roy Cooper is facing a GOP onslaught to boost Republican Michael Whatley in a state that President Trump has won three times. And on Wednesday, President Trump will be there to campaign for Whatley in a rural part of North Carolina.

Manu Raju just visited and talked with candidates and the voters deciding between them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What about the Democrats? The Democratic brand? Is it popular? Is it unpopular here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just have to not screw it up.

RAJU (voice-over): Roy Cooper, the former two-term governor, is key to Democrats' quest to take the Senate. A mission that would almost certainly be derailed if he fails to defeat Michael Whatley, the former RNC chairman and close ally of Trump's.

ROY COOPER (D), NORTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: He will do and say whatever the president tells him to do and say.

RAJU: A lot of Democrats have written off North Carolina. They think they have it in the bag. But why would they think that? I mean, Donald Trump has won here three times. And there's been no Senate Democrat who's won statewide in a Senate race since 2008.

There have been polls that have shown Cooper well ahead in this race. But at least one poll from High Point University actually showed this race to be much tighter. A five-point race, that's within the margin of error, meaning there's no clear leader in this race.

There's this view in Washington that you kind of have this race in the bag. I mean, but the polls actually show that this is actually a tightening race.

COOPER: It really is.

RAJU: So what has changed here on the ground?

COOPER: Well, nothing's really changed that we didn't anticipate. North Carolina hasn't elected a Democrat in almost two decades and only two in almost the last 40 years. So it's tough for a Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina.

This is going to be anywhere from a 1 percent to 3 percent race. Someone asked me what my biggest concern was, and I said that people take this race for granted --

RAJU: Complacency.

[12:50:08]

COOPER: Complacency. They've been pounding us with false, negative ads for -- since July. And the race is tightening just as we knew it would. RAJU (voice-over): Republicans clearly have not given up, reserving more money for TV ads in the final eight weeks of the campaign, with more than $50 million. With Trump's approval sagging, Cooper is barnstorming the state, attacking wildly, over high costs caused partly by the President's war with Iran and sweeping tariffs.

COOPER: I know costs are way up, and it's a senator's job to do something about it.

RAJU (voice-over): As Cooper was seizing on cost-of-living concerns in a suburban Charlotte county that Trump carried three times, about 120 miles southeast from there, Whatley was attacking Cooper's record in a Democratic stronghold. And I caught up with Whatley to ask whether he was aligned with Trump on Iran and tariffs. Whatley's careful not to break from the President.

RAJU: Since the President came into office, inflation is still higher than when he first came in in January 2025. I'm wondering specifically when it comes to the issues of Iran and tariffs. Should he change course at all, given how much more people are paying here in North Carolina?

MICHAEL WHATLEY (R), NORTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE: Well, what I'll say is inflation is a whole lot less than it was under Joe Biden, right? And so they are significantly lower than they were, and they need to get them even lower still. Obviously, we need to ensure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons. And so I think the President took decisive action, and we're moving forward with that.

RAJU: So are you 100 percent behind him when it comes to Iran and tariffs specifically

WHATLEY: Well, what I would say is that we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon that they can develop and deploy.

RAJU: And tariffs, too. You're 100 percent behind him on his tariff policy as well.

WHATLEY: What I would say is we need trade policies that are going to help North Carolina farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses.

RAJU (voice-over): Whatley has centered his attacks on Cooper's record on crime, criticizing his rival over a court-ordered settlement, that Cooper reached as governor with civil rights groups to reduce the prison population during the COVID era.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Behind the numbers are real victims and families who will never be whole. We paid the price when Roy Cooper put criminals before the innocent.

RAJU: The centerpiece of the Republican campaign against you is this deal that you had, settlement deal that you reached about the prisoner release, roughly 3,500 prisoners released early. When you look back at the way that that was handled by you and your administration, do you have any regrets about the way you handled that? COOPER: This is something that the state had to do because the court ordered it. And I think a lot of people believed, if you ask the plaintiffs, they were very frustrated that more weren't released. And this was something that we wanted to do to make sure we worked to protect the public.

Public safety officers made decisions about this. They followed the lead of President Trump's team. President Trump released 13,000 prisoners at least during this COVID era. He signed a bill to do that. And the problem here is that they are lying about all of these cases that they're trying to connect to this.

And the trail of lies is long when, in fact, I'm the one who's actually prosecuted violent criminals and put them behind bars. Michael Whatley actually appointed a convicted child molester who served six years in prison on the sex offender registry above the objections to many Republicans in his party --

RAJU: Yes.

COOPER: -- to a position that would have access to children and teenagers. That's what we need to be talking about.

RAJU: Because some of those who were released did end up committing murders afterwards.

COOPER: Well, I'm not sure about that, but what I do know is that they made the decisions that they could at the time. Most of the people were -- toward the very end of their term who would have been out very soon anyway.

RAJU: One of the things that we're hearing a lot from voters who plan to support Roy Cooper is that they think that these attacks on crime could actually work.

SPENCER HAMILTON, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: I think fear-mongering about crime works. I think it's bad, but I think it works.

RAJU (voice-over): Cooper has found a response, attacking Whatley for appointing a man who pleaded guilty to sex crimes to a position in the North Carolina Republican Party.

RAJU: Roy Cooper's going after you about Harvey West, the appointment of him for the North Carolina GOP. He's, of course, a convicted sex offender. What do you say to him? And do you regret how that was handled?

WHATLEY: Well, I didn't hire the guy. I absolutely did not hire the guy. He was a volunteer with the party beforehand. But I think when we talk about crime, Roy Cooper is the one with the record. Roy Cooper is the one who let 4,200 criminals out.

RAJU: Do you want Trump to campaign for you here?

RAJU (voice-over): To win over Trump supporters, Cooper has to make sure his party doesn't bring him down. [12:55:03]

RAJU: How much of this has to do with the Democratic brand? How damaged is the Democratic brand here in North Carolina?

COOPER: No, I think that there are enough people in North Carolina who are skeptical of national Democrats, and that's why we have more success in electing Democrats as governor and attorney general and secretary of state than we do sending them to Washington.

RAJU: One of your first votes, if you win, will be whether or not to vote for Chuck Schumer as the Democratic leader. Would you vote for him?

COOPER: Well, first, I've got to get elected. Second, I've made no commitments to anyone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And Manu is still here with us. It's so funny how these issues, they never change.

RAJU (on-camera): Yes.

BASH: Crime has been an issue like this that Republicans have taken up for decades, especially in the Carolinas.

RAJU (on-camera): Yes, and the Republicans see a clear opening here. They have been hammering him with these campaign ads for months, and why -- this is the reason why Republicans think that, yes, they see the polls, they see Cooper ahead, they also see a possibility of pulling off an upset on this issue.

But also interesting there, Dana, how the issues of Iran and tariffs, how they put Republicans on the defensive. While they had a very difficult time defending the President on those issues.

BASH: Yes, you can see that. And also, candidates matter.

RAJU: Yes.

BASH: The Democratic Party might not be popular, but Roy Cooper certainly seems to be.

All right, thanks. Great piece, Manu.

RAJU: Thank you.

BASH: Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

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