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Inside Politics

Gavin Newsom On Potential 2028 Presidential Run; Millions Of New Gen Z Voters Could Swing Midterms; New Memoir Recalls Life Behind- The-Scenes As A Charlie's Angel. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired September 15, 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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[12:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Slight evolution in his thinking. I talked to Governor Newsom back in February when he was out on a book tour and talked about the fact that he and Kamala Harris, not only do they have the same donors and so on and so forth, they came up together. They've known each other for decades. Listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: She was prosecutor, California D.A., and senator. You were San Francisco mayor, lieutenant governor, and governor. What happens if and when those parallel careers intersect and collide?

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Well, I'm San Francisco, now she's L.A. So we're a little bit -- there's a little distance --

BASH: I'm talking about running for president in 2020.

NEWSOM: -- between the two of us.

BASH: The whole country.

NEWSOM: You know, that's fate. We'll determine that. And I've never gotten away of her ambition, ever. I haven't. I don't imagine I would in the future. But I don't --

BASH: Well, if you run against each other for president.

NEWSOM: Yes. That's fate. I don't know it yet. You know, you can only control what you can control. I can't control whatever decisions she makes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So much more definitive now. If she runs, I will not run. Also makes you think that he does not think she's going to run.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: No question about it. I mean, that's exactly what my first instinct was when I heard him say that to, Jake, there. But look, I mean, the reality is he's not wrong about the fact that there's likely not space for the two of them because of their overlapping circles. But he also, the rest of the field as well, is going to have to wait for her to make up her mind, because for all of the criticism, for all of really a lack of demand for her on this midterm --

BASH: Do you think so? I mean, yes, maybe for Newsom, or maybe not. But you think all of those people on the screen, they're not going to wait for her.

ZELENY: They're not going to wait for her, but their ambitions or their path is going to be determined by what she does.

BASH: Fair. Got it.

ZELENY: Particularly because South Carolina now is starting the Democratic primary process. But look, I think there -- no one knows exactly what she's going to do. If so, she hasn't revealed it. I think there's largely a sense that she's not going to run. Someone yesterday mentioned Al Gore. Think back to '02. He traveled all around the country on a listening tour.

He decided not to run. She is doing some things, but she's not -- she's keeping her decision much closer to the vest here. But we'll just have to wait and see what she does.

BASH: What do you think?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE ATLANTA-JOURNAL CONSTITUTION: Yes. I get the sense that, you know, I think Kamala Harris would love to run and win. And so she's making the calculus if that is a possibility. And until she rules it out, there is still a chance. And I think Gavin Newsom knows that, again, the math just becomes difficult as long as she's still part of the conversation. Until she completely says, I'm in or I'm out, he's got to hedge his bets a little bit.

FRANKLIN FOER, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Yes, it's a lot of, you know, chatter at this point. And I'm sure, you know, if Harris starts to run and has no traction, he's not going to sit on the sidelines and wait for her forever. He'll jump into the race because he clearly, clearly wants to do this.

MITCHELL: Yes.

ZELENY: She can wait longer than others to make a decision.

MITCHELL: Absolutely.

BASH: And also, it depends how you define jumping in. I mean, obviously, there's the Exploratory Committee and all that, but like.

ZELENY: Yes, yes.

BASH: He's out there. He's visiting states. I mean, I guess she is, too. But it's happening. You can watch Jake's full interview with Governor Newsom streaming on CNN's All Access with a subscription.

[12:33:25]

Coming up, Gen Z helped Donald Trump retake the White House, but they're swinging back toward Democrats ahead of November. What's driving them? I'll talk to a Gen Z researcher about how the parties are trying to win this generation over.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: There could be 8.5 million new Gen Z voters this November, not to mention the approximately 20 million who voted in 2024 and swung sharply towards Donald Trump. But Gen Z is perhaps being hit the hardest by the Trump economy. And who they decide to vote for and whether they vote at all could determine if there is a blue wave this November or how big it is.

My next guest is a Gen Z researcher and founder of The Up and Up and a member of Gen Z herself, Rachel Janfaza. Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. I want to start with a new New York Times/Siena poll that just came out today, 18 to 29 year olds seem to be swinging back towards Democrats. Among Gen Z likely voters, Democrats lead 64 to 29.

Now you've been talking to this generation of voters about what matters to them ahead of Election Day. What are they telling you about the key issues and whether they say they're looking to ship back to Democrats?

RACHEL JANFAZA, FOUNDER, THE UP AND UP: Well, thank you so much, Dana, for having me. When I'm talking with young voters across the country, I am hearing one primary concern, and that is economic anxiety. We did a big Gen Z voter report at The Up and Up. We spoke to more than 70 young people in 28 states and D.C. over the summer, and we really were just hearing this pervasive sense of anxiety, insecurity, fear of what is coming down the line when it comes to the economy, jobs.

And there are really just a core set of issues that they are uniting behind. And that's, again, the economy, inflation, A.I., of course, and then war, corruption, really these concerns that all voters share.

BASH: And one of the dynamics that emerged in the last election was Gen Z men particularly mostly drifting right. The women seem to go further to the left. In 2024, the Gen Z gender split between Harris and Trump was more than 30 points. That's according to Tufts University. Is that something that you're still seeing in your research, or has that changed?

[12:40:12]

JANFAZA: So what we're seeing today is that while the gender divide still exists, this idea of a culture war and a real split in the issues that are dividing or were dividing young men and young women in 2024 has sort of evaporated because, again, there are a core set of unifying issues that are bringing all young people together, that they all can see as concerns in their lives. And that's not as gendered as the issues were in 2024, when, for example, in 2024, there was really an emphasis on the parts of Democrats to talk about abortion and reproductive health care access and to make that a central point in the election. And you had a woman running against a man. And so you kind of saw Gen Z splitting along those same lines. But today, while young people are still seeing gendered content on their social media algorithms, on their For You pages, they are in their real lives rallying around the same core issues. And so, you know, when you think about it, we're kind of past this peak gender divide, culture divide moment in the country. And really, all young people have identified this same core set of issues.

BASH: Economic anxiety is the great unifier. Obviously, it sounds like the culture situation, not that it's not important to a lot of voters, but in some ways, it's -- they don't have the authority, not the authority, the ability to focus on that when they have to focus on the bread and butter issues. The whole notion of Gen Z and the Democratic Socialist candidates has been fascinating. Do you think Gen Z is socialist curious? Or is there something else that is more sticky with this generation and those voters and those ideals?

JANFAZA: I've been asking about this nonstop since the start of the summer. And young people see a system that's broken, and that's not working for them. And they want an alternative to the current status quo. And so socialism is one of those alternatives, but it's not the only alternative. And when we asked young voters all summer, when you think about socialism, what comes to mind? What is it that you're actually in favor of?

And what they shared were more social issues. So what I've been talking a lot about is that socialism isn't really the point, but social policies are. They're looking for things like affordable, affordable education, affordable health care, affordable housing, taxes on big corporations and wealthy individuals, a higher minimum wage, more so things that speak to the economic anxiety that they're facing and would benefit their bottom line and the American people.

And so again, when it comes to, you know, we asked them point blank, do you consider yourself a socialist or Democratic socialist? And very, very few people were willing to say that they actually call themselves a Democratic socialist or a socialist at all. Instead, they're in favor of these candidates, many of whom are younger and offer some new, fresh energy to the Democratic Party, who are talking about bold ideas and solutions for the future, rather than just, you know, speaking about the status quo and things that have already existed, because for young people, they really don't feel like the current system as it stands today is working for them.

BASH: I want to ask about A.I. and NBC poll out last week asked voters who they trust more on A.I. policy. Everybody was pretty evenly split, 20 percent trust Democrats, 16 Republicans, 44 percent trust neither. A.I. is really a salient issue for everybody, but especially Gen Z. How could distrust among Gen Z voters play into this November's election, not just in who they'll vote for? But my question is whether they'll vote at all.

JANFAZA: Yes, so I'm very concerned with that as well. And in this youth voter report that I put out last week, I actually made a prediction that I worry that youth voter turnout could be lower than it has been in recent midterm elections in which Gen Z has been eligible to vote. And the reason for that is, is because they're just not feeling inspired by either side of the aisle. They're not feeling inspired by many candidates. There certainly are a few who we heard about who came up in our focus groups who they are paying attention to. But overall, they just don't see the government as necessarily the lever that is going to affect the most change in the country right now.

And again, as you mentioned, Dana, you know, A.I. is a top concern. It is really driving that economic anxiety that they're feeling in many cases. And they don't hear leaders necessarily talking in a coherent or decisive way about A.I. And it's sort of, you know, there's been a lot of talk about data center moratoriums and things like that. Young people do want to see A.I. regulated. They know that this is here to stay. They are not trying, they're not anti-progress. They're not trying to say, you know, let's do away with it. Instead, they're saying, how can we actually regulate it to make sure that it is something that augments human capacity and potential rather than replaces it?

[12:45:23]

BASH: So fascinating. Thank you so much for coming on. Appreciate it, Rachel. Thanks for all your research and your work on this.

JANFAZA: Thank you for having me.

BASH: And up next, original "Charlie's Angel." Jaclyn Smith talks about her new book, "I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie," and how she found her voice playing the former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. That's next.

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[12:50:10]

BASH: The voice is iconic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, angels.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, Charlie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The show "Charlie's Angels" took American culture and television by storm in 1976. Few knew the voice of Charlie better than actress, entrepreneur and designer, Jaclyn Smith, who, of course, played Kelly Garrett.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've already made arrangements for you three to go to prison.

JACLYN SMITH, AUTHOR, "I ONCE KNEW A GUY NAMED CHARLIE": Prison? You've got to be kidding, Charlie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's no joke, angels.

FARRAH FAWCETT, ACTRESS: You can say that again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Last night, Jaclyn Smith reunited with angels Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd at the Emmys, celebrating 50 years since the show's debut and honoring their late beloved co-star Farrah Fawcett. I talked to Jaclyn Smith about her new book, "I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie," which is out now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Thank you so much for being here. It's such a thrill. Congratulations on this book. And I do want to say that you have had an illustrious career since Charlie's Angel, never mind in show business, but as an incredibly accomplished businesswoman. But that Charlie's Angels was a game changer in the 1970s. And what I think is so interesting and actually makes me so happy is that you call it a sisterhood.

SMITH: Yes, it was a sisterhood. And the odd thing is, it was a real sisterhood. It had permanence and we're still friends. I mean, after all these years. And I think when you talk about business, "Charlie's Angels" opened that for me. It was sort of a threshold that many doors opened after "Charlie's." So I'm really grateful. It's funny, seeing that was really kind of emotional. You know, I don't go back and see the show.

And it really got me at first because, you know, we're missing some people, which is always hard, always hard. But it was a true, the first season was a true sisterhood. We launched it together. I think at the time, we had no idea that we'd be talking about it 50 years later and it would have the strange afterlife that it's had.

BASH: Oh, yes. I mean, it is so embedded in American and really international culture. And you write that the show actually changed pretty dramatically from the Carter presidency when you started to the Reagan presidency. Was it just the hair or was it the storyline?

SMITH: Oh, that's a very good question. I think everything, you know, we grew into our parts and I think we became -- we changed television for women. You know, it had a strong feminist backbone and I think it resonated on screen and off. And I think, yes, that the hair was kind of had its mystic charm on the show, especially my friend Farrah Fawcett's hair. But we all had our own look and things did change.

Aaron Spelling did not want us to change that much. We had to really fight to have a new hairdo, as you see on television today. Each season, somebody will change their look. He wanted us consistent throughout the five years. By the fifth year, I got to wear my hair in natural curly state. But in general, he wanted the clothes classic so it wouldn't be dated and reruns. He had his own philosophy about television. And I think he had a real good instinct. BASH: Jaclyn, I love that you talk about the feminism because I will tell you that as a little girl growing up when I pretended to be you, I felt stronger and smarter and, you know, sort of more on top of it. And that was the kind of role model that young women or girls didn't have really until you showed up on screen.

SMITH: Well, I think that's the power of it. We were in people's living rooms once a week and we drifted into the imagination of women and young girls and gave them a chance to be brave and to step out of a conventional role. And yet there was also that sense of girlfriends. I mean, we were carrying out a job, but Charlie was not our controller. We were independent, strong, courageous. And I think that was the great thing about the show. It gave women a new place on television.

BASH: And being an angel, you write, almost kept you from what you call your favorite role. You say, "The producers told my agent, we don't want a "Charlie's Angel" playing Jacqueline Kennedy. Jackie Kennedy was so distinctive, a far cry from street smart Kelly Garrett. She was elegant and cultured. I had to convince them that I could pull off playing a Northeastern Vassar girl." You got the role. And I want to play a little clip.

[12:55:10]

SMITH: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: All the ride to the hospital, I kept bending over him saying, Jack, Jack, can you hear me? I love you, Jack. But he was dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I mean, the fact that you had to push so hard to get that role, and I remember it very well, seemed like a natural fit.

SMITH: Well, I'll tell you, I had, first of all, a girl with a Texas accent, which I still have. But I had Robert Easton on that set with me, really giving me that Eastern sound to my voice of dropping the Rs. And she was so familiar pictorially to us.

But we didn't really like today. We hear First Ladies. They're out there and they're talking. But Jacqueline was much quieter. So I really had to search to find her voice. And at the time, Stephen Gethers was the director. He did not want me to have as whispery a voice as she had, which was beautiful and lovely. But he wanted a stronger voice when I did the role.

BASH: Well, it was great. The book is terrific. The book, "I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie" is out now. A wonderful read. Jaclyn Smith, this has been a thrill. Thank you so much for being here.

SMITH: Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: That was so cool. Thank you so much for joining Inside Politics. CNN New Central starts after a quick break.

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