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Trump Signs Order To Lower Diesel Prices At Nebraska Rally; Trump Promises Direct Cash For Voters In Midterms Pitch; Tonight: First Debate Between Sen. Susan Collins, Troy Jackson; Democrats Sharpen Attacks On Collins Over Kavanaugh Vote; Democrats Hope Obama Can Be Their Closer In Key Races. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired October 06, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR, INSIDE POLITICS: President Trump is doling out goodies and promising Americans relief from high prices, but will voters believe him?

I'm Manu Raju in for Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines at Inside Politics.

There are 28 days until the election, and we're tracking the races, candidates, and stories that could shift the balance of power here in Washington and across the country. So, here's what's on our midterm radar. President Trump says he's taking action on rising costs right from the campaign stage. At a rally in Nebraska, he signed an executive order that he claims will lower near-record diesel prices by waiving restrictions on cheaper red dye diesel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The typical trucker will save over $100 every time they fill up, so it's more than $100 each time. And farmers will also save millions and millions of dollars. And this order will also drive down the cost of all goods, including grocery prices, very substantially. And it's an honor to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: The price of diesel is up by nearly three bucks from before the war in Iran. Now to new polling on a major campaign issue for progressives. A KFF poll finds 66 percent of Americans now support Medicare for all. That's the highest support since KFF started polling the idea in 2016, when Bernie Sanders made it a core issue. Among Democrats, support jumps to 84 percent, but perhaps more notably, the poll finds 72 percent of Independents are now in favor.

And over in Florida, the Democrat running for governor is defending his decision to skip debates with Republican nominee Byron Donalds. Here's what David Jolly said on MSNow this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID JOLLY, (D) FLORIDA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: If I platform debates where it all comes down to the vitriol and the division and the ugliness and the rancor, frankly, our seven-year-old and five-year-old are going to look at me and say, dad, what did you contribute in this moment? And I don't want them to see a dad that just says division is OK, anger is OK. I want to elevate our politics, and I don't think debates do that for us right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Donalds has said, Jolly is ducking debates to avoid defending his, quote, crazy liberal agenda. And a new report shows Republicans are pouring money into another Senate race that they expected to win easily. South Carolina, according to Axios, the main super PAC backing GOP Senate candidates is injecting $5 million into Darline Graham's campaign. A Republican briefed on the plan tells Axios, it's a quote, insurance policy. The Cook Political Report recently moved the state from solid Republican to likely Republican.

I'm joined now by a terrific group of reporters who are diving into all of these dynamics, including these laundry list of promises that President Trump seems to be giving on a day-by-day basis, one thing for Alaska, another thing for Iowa. Oh wait, there are some big Senate races there too. Surprise, surprise!

And also, the price of diesel. I mean, look at this on this type. The price of diesel has increased nearly $3 since the beginning of the war, so perhaps it's no surprise the president had to do something to deal with the backlash that Republicans, in particular, are getting over the rise in diesel prices, promising an executive order, signing an executive order that he says would cut back on diesel prices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Should I sign it or not? So, Pete and Jim, we should absolutely assure your election. I am going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America $5,000. I just sent out nearly 1 million refund checks for $500 each. The largest steel plant in American history in the great state of Iowa. This alone will be one of the largest energy projects in American history, and a gigantic win for the people of Alaska.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Gigantic win. Nia, are these election promises going to work for the president?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, BLOOMBERG POLITICAL & POLICY COLUMNIST AND CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, we'll see. I mean, so far, if you look at the polls, things are kind of getting away from Republicans. You know, you look at Donald Trump, and you say, why didn't you attend to some of these matters earlier, right? The party has been trying to tell him to grapple with some of these affordability issues and he hasn't wanted to do. He has wanted to pay attention to the ballroom or whatever it is on renaming a lake.

[12:05:00]

And so, here he found -- finds himself down the stretch with these sort of October surprises, right, that he thinks are going to really change voters' minds. I think part of the problem is voters have been living with these high cost of living issues. They're not going to change overnight, and they really, I think have hardened a lot of voters against this president.

Another issue, I think, if you look at, you talked about the KFF poll there. One of the affordability issues obviously is gas. Another is healthcare, right? You talk to people. I talk to some folks in Iowa about this. That One Big Beautiful Bill, a lot of those cuts to Medicaid have affected some of the rural hospitals. People are very, very worried about the present cost of healthcare, but also if they're going to be able to afford it in the future, and they're looking to Democrats to solve that problem and not really Republican --

RAJU: This has been a pattern with this president. Tolu, you heard about this with the headline of the Santa presidency. Trump is trying to fix the economy by handing out cash and that was in December 2025 and it's -- he's still doing it.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: He's still doing it. He's still the reality TV show star that wants to hand out sweep state style checks to people, and he believes that that's going to win him votes. He's been doing it for a big chunk of his career. It's not really a Republican kind of policy. People talk about the $40 trillion debt. A lot of these potential programs are not paid for in any way.

And so, the president is going against the grain of his party to try to buy votes because he realizes that the image of the Republican Party, the image of his presidency is the image of the war in Iran, the high costs that have not come down since the Biden presidency. And so, there is an effort to try to change the focus of the American voter to not to the cost, not to the high cost of the gas prices that you drive by every day, but to this check that has my name on it that's going to your account.

And as I wrote about back in December, a lot of those programs were not programs that actually led to money actually coming to people. There were fantasies that the president kind of put forward the $5,000 check that he's promised in the minds of Republicans and Democrats on the Hill. That is another fantasy that the president's cooked up. That's not actually going to lead to anything.

JACKIE KUCINICH, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE BOSTON GLOBE: That they'll have to approve.

OLORUNNIPA: Right.

KUCINICH: That will need congressional approval.

RAJU: Yeah. I mean, it's promising $5,000 checks. He's saying it so directly and I'm going to give everybody $5,000 checks and wave a magic wand and you can do it. It is a Congress that -- actually Republicans control Congress. They could do it right now.

KUCINICH: Exactly, right.

(CROSSTALK)

RAJU: But they don't -- they don't really want to, so that's kind of an issue for him. So, there was -- while this was all going on, the fact Jackie that we saw the president backtrack on these ads that the White House had put out was pretty remarkable. Of course, these were these -- they claim that these public service announcements, these advertisements that very much look like a very political ad that was paid for by taxpayer dollars, and the president had defended it.

J. D. Vance yesterday was defending it, saying that this was -- these are public service announcements, these are patriotic announcements. But the president decided to said this yesterday. He said the radical left is upset with the fact that I'm taking ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for a great U.S.A., and paying them -- for them with U.S.A. money. He said, although nothing will make them happy, I've decided to do the patriotic ads among others, and pay for them myself, and with the money I raise for MAGA Inc.

That is something you do not see very much from the president. There was backlash from Republicans too, not just the radical left, as he says. But he is -- what do you think is behind the president backing down here?

KUCINICH: I think Republicans in these states, which you know, they wouldn't normally be fighting for their political lives are -- their constituents are seeing these ads during football games. They're seeing, and it says, you paid for by the U.S. government, and they started hearing from them. Meanwhile, this was a Trump project for and by Trump. He wanted these ads, and they -- he asked for money for these ads, and they found it for him. He said he was going to be on the ballot, and he wants to remain front and center, even if he actually isn't physically on the ballot. And that's really not good for Republicans.

So yeah, you're right. It's very different that he backtracked here, but I think it was because of an outcry from Republicans who don't need this right now, even if he very much wants it. And you can't compare this. I think they were comparing it to like ads that help people figure out Medicare Part D, and you know, some of -- some other presidents have pushed for helping with government programs, helping get the word out. That is not this.

RAJU: Yeah, it did not quite seem that way. Meantime, you talk about president on the trail. He says vote for him, and he says pretend that I'm on the ballot. But then when he goes on the campaign trail, he says things like this that put Republicans in an awkward spot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. Let them take -- let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay and it's going to be over very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:10:00]

RAJU: Patrick, that is not what Republicans want to hear. As he says, he was going to be on the campaign trail.

PATRICK SVITEK, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: It's another example of kind of Trump arching to the beat of his own drum with the midterm strategy and messaging here. Of course, you know, he's helping Republicans, I think, in that he is echoing some of their attacks on their Democratic opponents as, you know, crazy and too liberal and whatnot. But in terms of what he says proactively about his agenda, what he's doing, the way he discusses the war, the way he discusses the economic pain that Americans are feeling, it's often not totally in line with what Republicans in these tough races want to hear.

There was another rally recently in Ohio where he talked about -- talked very favorably about data centers in Ohio in that Senate race. That's obviously a political liability for the Republican statewide candidates. And so, he's getting out there on the campaign trail, but he's not always saying what these Republican candidates want to hear.

RAJU: And we've heard some backlash from some Republicans after the president's remarks there, and us, and Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, put out a statement on X. The media freakout over President Trump's comments is not rooted in reality. He went on to say that he clearly stated U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped. So, we'll see what voters ultimately think about the president's remarks.

All right, coming up. Are Republicans really worried about losing a Senate seat in South Carolina? We'll have more on a $5 million so- called insurance policy. And what can Democrats do to make sure nothing interferes with next month's elections. Well, we have some new original reporting on those doomsday preps.

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[12:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: Tonight, Maine GOP Senator Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson will meet for their first debate. A new poll out this morning shows, it's still a very close race with no clear leader. The debate tonight is the first of four. So, what can we expect to hear? Here's how they both describe their main messages to me on my recent trip to Maine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TROY JACKSON (D) MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: I actually see, you know, people around the state coming out like I've never seen before. And it's not about me, it's about her. You know, I mean, they're upset with the government we have, they're upset with the fact that she's not doing more to push back on Trump.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): People appreciate the fact that I've had a once in a century opportunity for a Maine senator as chair of the Appropriations Committee to really deliver to the state of Maine, helping communities with wastewater treatment plants, with recreational facilities, with childcare centers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: All right, my excellent panel is back. So, Jackie, when you look at the polls here, this is a -- such a tight race right now. This is a Marist Poll out today, 51/47. Look at no -- the margin of error is 3.8 percent on the top right of your screen there. That just shows you there's no clear leader in this race. The Times poll from over the weekend similarly was the other way around also within the margin of error.

But here's the thing that when you look at independent, this is how Susan Collins did back in 2020 when she beat Sara Gideon in that race. She won an exit poll, 46 to 43. That's plus three to Collins with independent voters. This time in this Marist Poll, if you were to believe that, if that bears on election day, she -- Troy Jackson is now up seven points. So that's a significant shift here when you look at the -- at the race.

So, you know, Jackie, there's been this view that perhaps Maine is slipping away from Democrats, or that Susan Collins is in better position to win re-election. She's obviously going to be very difficult to beat, but it is anyone's race right now.

KUCINICH: It truly is, and she is being, I mean, as much as she does have that clout that comes from being the appropriations chair and her long record of bringing money home to Maine. She also has been undermined by the Trump administration, by things like recissions that just happened or tariffs.

RAJU: Tariffs.

KUCINICH: Canadian tariffs are a huge, huge issue up and down the state. Also, there was a Vanguard daily news headline just a week ago, or maybe earlier this week, 80 percent increase on home heating oil. That's a huge, huge issue in a state where there's a lot of poverty, particularly as you go upstate. That's a huge challenge. Trump is a huge challenge for Susan Collins to overcome.

RAJU: Yeah. And look, it is all environment for Democrats. They want this to be a race about the national environment tie Collins with the national environment. She has to defy that national environment. Talk about what she has done and what can she do that again. Patrick, you just have a story out this morning that headlines, let Troy be Troy. A quote from a Maine organizer in that piece saying, obviously he doesn't carry the same energy as Graham, as a Graham Platner, and he referring to Troy Jackson, and he definitely doesn't have the speaking ability that Graham did. I think that's kind of hurt him the most.

We went from someone who's fiery, had a lot of fight in him, to a guy who's a bit more on the calm side. So, how much is that candidate quality issue in terms of the way that they portray themselves on the campaign? Never mind, Graham Platner's many scandals, but just the fact that the way they're able to deliver, how is that impacting this race?

[12:20:00]

SVITEK: Yeah, his style is definitely a contrast with Platner's. He is more understated, not as flashy of a personality, not as strong of a public speaker. But what stood out to me overall about this race is something that we just heard from Troy Jackson in an interview with him, which is it's not about me, and that's because, you know, that speaks to the strategy ever since Graham Platner left the Senate race, which is, make this -- reset this as a referendum on Susan Collins. Let's stop having to, you know, argue about the Democratic nominee. And I think some national Democrats do believe Troy Jackson has made headway in making this race more of a referendum on Susan Collins.

And their argument is, look, this is not -- this is not a complicated strategy. Susan Collins is a Republican incumbent, running in a blue state in a year when there's a Republican president who's very unpopular in a blue state. So, keep the focus on Trump, keep the focus on Collins, and everything will be OK. Of course, Democrats are still on edge about this perspective.

RAJU: And today is the eight-year anniversary of when Susan Collins cast a critical vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. At the time, Susan Collins supports abortion rights, she believes -- she had told her that he believes that Roe v. Wade was settled law. She ultimately voted to confirm him, and of course Kavanaugh then voted for the Dobbs decision. I asked Collins about whether she regretted that vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: So, when you look back at your vote, was it a mistake to put him on the court?

COLLINS: Well, let me make a couple of points to you. And the first is that you can never ask a judicial nominee how he or she is going to vote on any case. I believe that Kavanaugh was qualified to be on the Supreme Court. Do I like his decision on Roe v. Wade? It's obvious that I didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Nia, is she going to be able to navigate that? She opposed his decision on Dobbs, but she voted for Kavanaugh. This is the first time that Dobbs is on the ballot. And the other question is, are the people who are voting because they're upset about her vote on Kavanaugh? They're probably voting for Troy Jackson anyway.

HENDERSON: Yeah, I think that's right. And you know, if you look at sort of the issue set during this election, it has much more to do with heating oil, right? With these sort of bread and butter issues, the price of gas, of course, the price of groceries, the price of healthcare. All these issues are going to be much more front and center. You see, in Susan Collins, really trying to localize it, right? She talks about her being the head of the Appropriations Committee, and oh, wastewater treatment plant and daycare, and so those sorts of things.

And listen, she is going to be a tough out, right? You look at some of these other races, they're sort of open Senate races or people who have only been in the Senate maybe one term. This is -- she's in her fifth term, right? She has -- her name ID is through the roof, and in Troy Jackson, you have a neophyte, right? Somebody who's a rookie, so she is going to be a really, really, you know, tough, tough person to beat.

RAJU: As she's proven time and time again. I do want to turn quickly to South Carolina because there's a story about the Senate Republicans sending 5 million bucks to shore up Darline Graham's campaign in South Carolina and Trump yesterday used this transphobic slur, calling her -- saying this about his opponent and her opponent. Annie Andrews, saying Darline is a high-quality person, maybe the highest, and Annie Trannie is not in particular. That's referring to Annie Andrews here. Tolu, what do you think about the Republican scramble here in South Carolina?

OLORUNNIPA: Normally, you wouldn't even hear from a Republican president weighing in on a South Carolina Senate race, in part because Republicans normally would have believed that race is already in the bag. They'd be focusing on a lot of these other competitive races. But the fact that the president put out that post, it shows that they are nervous.

They are concerned. Maybe he's seen some polling. Maybe the reason that they're sending $5 million to the state is because they are worried that between the cost of living crisis, the depressed excitement among Republicans, Republican voters because of the war in Iran and because of the cost of living. That could lead into a state like South Carolina, which Trump won by double digits significantly. And so, they are concerned that South Carolina and some of these other red states could be in play.

RAJU: And the big question is going to be, will Democrats respond with that kind of money? They haven't quite yet. That's a big question for them as well. All right, coming up. In the home stretch of a campaign, Democrats know who they're going to call, but can former President Obama still turn out the votes?

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[12:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: Yes, it's that time again. The point in the campaign where Democrats turn to their go-to closer. Barack Obama, the former president about to hit the campaign trail, the airwaves and fundraisers. POLITICO Playbook reports, he already cut ads for two dozen Democratic candidates for governor and Senate. My panel is back. Nia, will this work? Will try? Will Obama be able to juice the base and change the dynamics of this midterm?

HENDERSON: You know, people love Obama. I mean, he always is kind of funny and charismatic when he's out on the stump. He typically goes viral with some sort of shade or burn for the opponent. So, I think this will be good. The thing is -- not only does the base like him, independents still really like him too, right? I mean, we sort of forget that Obama did really well with white voters too, right? It wasn't just black voters, and you know, Latino voters who voted in him twice.

He was very, very popular in places like Michigan. He won Indiana, he won North Carolina, he won Iowa. And so yeah, put them out there, put them, you know, in front of all sorts of audiences. And yeah, I mean, I think this is a move that was expected. You think about what they did in Michigan. Kamala Harris was also there, right, for Abdul El- Sayed, but it was a very small event, right, because they know that she doesn't have the kind of popularity.

RAJU: I mean, just shows you the Democratic bench how thin it is, right? There's really not a whole lot of people who can have that kind of sway.

OLORUNNIPA: Yeah. I was going to say he's especially, I think, helpful in Michigan

[12:30:00]