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Trump Arrives in Turkey for Critical NATO Summit; Graham Platner Faces Growing Calls from Democrats to Drop Maine Senate Bid; Parts of New Jersey Cleaning Up After Day of Flash Flooding. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired July 07, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Trump in Turkey. The warm welcome that precedes an expected chilly reception among at least some U.S. allies at the NATO summit. We're live on the ground with the key issues that leaders will try to tackle.

Also, Graham Platner under pressure, a new accusation of rape has prominent Democrats pulling their support for the Maine Senate nominee despite his denials.

Plus, dangerous deluge. Torrential rains topple roofs and flood roads in the Northeast, and a new severe weather threat emerges today. We're tracking the storm.

And home team heartbreak. The U.S. World Cup run comes to an end in Seattle, and Belgium wasn't holding back.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is on assignment. You're in The Situation Room.

Breaking news right now, President Trump is in Turkey where he's expected to test existing tensions with NATO allies over their defense spending. Sources now tell CNN that the president was so angry about NATO's refusal to join his war with Iran that he considered slashing U.S. troops in Europe by one-third.

And this morning, the president also confirmed that he will consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. That would reverse his own ban from his first term and a ban later adopted by the U.S. Congress.

CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes is in Turkey's capital of Ankara along with CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson.

Kristen, let's begin with you. What can you tell us first of all about President Trump's considering such a dramatic pullout of U.S. troops from Europe?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was asked about that just moments ago during this bilateral meeting, and he wouldn't answer the question. This is something that European leaders have been deeply concerned about. Of course, we reported last night his consideration at one point to withdraw one-third of troops. And when he was asked about it, he just said, we'll see. It's something we're thinking about. We'll see. Not answering that question.

Of course, as we know, often when President Trump says we'll see, he has some sort of action in mind planned. They'll see how, of course, the meeting goes when all the leaders are actually together. So far, he has just met with the Turkish president. They are still in this expanded bilateral meeting.

Now, the big news, of course, coming between the U.S. and Turkey is this consideration of President Trump to sell F-35s to Turkey. And just for our viewers who are not well-versed in this topic, the whole entire point around this was that President Trump put a ban on the selling of F-35s to Turkey during his last term in office after they purchased a Russian air defense system. This system would override or defeat U.S. stealth systems.

So, the concern became that if they got any of our stealth military equipment that Turkey and then Russia would have information, proprietary information, about those kinds of jets and planes. Now, President Trump is saying that he is willing or at least considering selling these F-35s to Turkey. Here's his reasoning why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Many people, I can tell you, many people, including the people sitting right here, thinks, you know, why wouldn't we do that? We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey's been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal. So, yes, it's something certainly we'd consider. It's a great plane. It's the best -- currently the best plane by far, and it's certainly something we will consider.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, he also said that he'd be lifting sanctions regarding Turkey and that purchase of that Russian air defense system, saying, we don't sanction friends, or we don't want to sanction friends.

The thing to note here, though, is that it's not really clear how this sale would happen given the Congressional portion of this. They had ratified that into law, that ban. So, how President Trump would go around that, that's still a big question.

[10:05:03]

There's likely to be a lot of Republicans who are angry as well as, of course, Democrats on the Hill. And we've already heard from Israel that they do not want the sale of F-35s here to Turkey.

BLITZER: All right. Kristen Holmes reporting for us from Ankara, thank you very, very much. President Trump is expected to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the sidelines of this NATO summit.

I want to bring in CNN's Nic Robertson right now. Nic, the president clearly has been focused on Iran, not necessarily Ukraine, over at least these last few months. What will President Zelenskyy's message be for the president today?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, he's been speaking as well with the European defense ministers foreign ministers, and other European leaders this morning at a military industrial fund designed specifically to do with what President Zelenskyy needs and wants, and this is very much what President Trump is going to hear, and that is defensive missile systems, not just to be able to purchase Patriots, for example. Ukraine also relies on French air defense system for ballistic missiles.

But what President Zelenskyy wants to get is for Patriots to be licensed, to be made inside of Ukraine. I don't think that certainly doesn't appear to be on the table at the moment, or at least the president willing to do that. But I think if you listen to what President Zelenskyy says here, it is air defense that's so important to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The one thing we still need to do here in Europe is build a strong defense against Russia's ballistic missiles. This is a big challenge, it's true. This is Russia's last major advantage. And as well we, and as we have seen from the wars in the Middle East and the Gulf, this is an issue of global importance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: But I think what we've heard from the president already today, President Trump speaking again about Greenland, thinking that that's better for the United States to have it than for Denmark. It's very clear for these NATO leaders that this is a version of President Trump coming in as strong-willed, as he always is, again, sort of bucking against what the NATO allies and partners want to do, which is present unity here.

I spoke just a few minutes ago with one NATO foreign minister and I asked, look, you know, how is it to have President Trump coming in in this mood? And I was told, Look, this is not the way we are used to doing diplomacy, but it is essentially the way that we're used to President Trump. It's not the version of the president that they'd like to see, but they know it's the one they're going to deal with, and they do admit, and some of them say, that the president's pressure, President Trump's pressure, has got them to spend more on defense. But everyone's waiting to see what else the president will say.

BLITZER: And what else the president will do, in fact, as well.

Nic Robertson, thank you very, very much.

Still ahead, will the Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Maine drop out of the race? The growing pressure on Graham Plattner after newly surfaced rape allegations against him.

And the investigation underway after a man with a gun is shot dead by National Guard troops in Memphis.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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[10:10:00]

BLITZER: We're following the breaking news in the key election for control of the United States Senate in the upcoming midterm elections in November. A growing chorus of Democratic officials are calling on their own party's nominee in the Maine Senate contest, Graham Platner, to drop out in the high-profile race against Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins.

Platner now faces an accusation of sexual assault from a woman named Jenny Racicot which he strongly denies. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM PLATNER (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious, and false allegations against me. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Racicot told CNN's Jake Tapper in an exclusive interview that Platner raped her while he was heavily intoxicated nearly five years ago back in 2021. And a warning to our viewers, they may find this upcoming account disturbing. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNY RACICOT, GRAHAM PLATNER ACCUSER: He came in and I realized, okay, he didn't listen. He's in my home. And I was laying on the couch. It was probably pretty late at night, and I was getting -- I was already ready for bed. I just wasn't in bed. And so he had kind of like jumped on top of me and indicated that he had intentions that were sexual in nature.

And I remember just at first being like, hey, I'm not into this. Like, don't. I'm not in the mood. Like, don't, whatever. And it got to the point where I was like, okay, I feel like I've said this enough times. Like he's not listening to me or he's not hearing me. And I looked at him and I remember this very specific look in his eyes.

And I could smell alcohol and I was like, this is different. He is heavily intoxicated. Like -- and that blank stare was kind of like a photographic memory that I still have of that night. And his -- that was me recognizing what the situation was. [10:15:06]

And this wasn't just like, oh, hey, somebody showed up and I'm going to tell him to go home. Like he was heavily intoxicated, had intentions with me, and wasn't listening when I said no.

And --

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: And you were saying, no, don't, no, don't, over and over and over?

RACICOT: The house that I live in has like this antique sewing kit that I kept beside the couch, and that got knocked over. He like backed into it or something. It was maybe pushed into it by me or something happened in that moment, and that thing got spilled. And --

TAPPER: Do you remember pushing him away?

RACICOT: I remember potentially pushing away with my legs, like -- and then as he backed into it, it spilt, and all of the sewing needles and tape and yarn and everything went everywhere. Everything had fallen onto the floor.

And in that moment, I evaluated my safety. Like a drunk person who's blackout drunk is in my home, has these intentions with me, you know, has already caused this amount of destruction and not listening to me. And so I basically felt safest just complying.

TAPPER: You normally use protection.

RACICOT: Yes.

TAPPER: And this time he didn't, and you didn't want that.

RACICOT: No.

TAPPER: And he didn't care.

RACICOT: No, I don't think I've -- my words were falling on deaf ears or drunk ears.

TAPPER: And you were still saying, don't do this, or I'm not into this?

RACICOT: I remember specifically him like grabbing at my chest and I like hit his hand and I said, don't touch me. And I remember that during the altercation specifically.

TAPPER: And then he kept going?

RACICOT: Yes. And it was this weird mix of like coming in and out of, I don't think consciousness is the word, but like coming to and kind of falling back into that drunken I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing state. And, yes, and he just -- he would apologize in those moments and then go back to doing what he was doing.

TAPPER: So, he was aware that he was doing something wrong --

RACICOT: Yes.

TAPPER: -- and saying sorry?

RACICOT: I feel like he was in moments.

TAPPER: Is there any way that he thought this was consensual or no just because --

RACICOT: I don't believe that you can think that that scenario is consensual.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Platner says he's, quote, taking the time right now to reflect on the best path forward.

Joining us now in the Situation Room are CNN's Washington Bureau Chief and Political Director, David Chalian and CNN Investigative Reporter Allison Gordon.

Allison, let me start with you. You helped break this story with Jake. What stands out the most to you? Because you've covered these kinds of stories in the past, these politicians being accused of sexual -- of rape, in effect.

ALLISON GORDON, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes. Thank you so much for having me back on, Wolf.

I mean, covering these stories, as you know, is exceedingly difficult. Every woman's story is different, but what's so hard is getting people comfortable to talk about what they've experienced, particularly if they're someone like Jenny. And that's what really stood out to me, was how nervous she was, how much she did not want to come forward. She ultimately felt morally obligated to share with voters in Maine her story but she's a very private person, and she's also a Democrat, and she is a very progressive-leaning voter, and she likes a lot of what Graham Platner has to say politically. And so that was weighing on her mind as well, and that was really at the forefront of our conversations with Jenny.

BLITZER: But in the end, she decided to speak out. And did she explain to you why?

GORDON: Yes, she did. She said that she, you know, wasn't going to tell people how to vote one way or another, but, again, she felt morally obligated for Maine voters to know her story, a story that happened, you know, pretty recently. She talked about how, on the campaign trail, Graham Platner has talked about being accountable, and she did not feel like he was accountable to what had happened to her, and she wanted Maine voters to know that.

BLITZER: You know, David, it's a powerful accusation, very powerful. Let's talk about the politics. Some other Democrats are now openly calling Platner to abandon his campaign and why this is potentially so significant at this moment.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. I mean, let's start with the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, and the chairwoman of the Democratic Campaign Committee, Kirsten Gillibrand. They not only said he has to get out of the race, they said there will be no investment from the National Democratic Party and its outside affiliates into the Maine Senate race to defeat Susan Collins if he is still the candidate.

So, he's got some decision-making to do here. You noted he's reflecting on the future of his campaign, Wolf. The support around him has collapsed almost entirely.

[10:20:01]

And so as he's considering what is the best path forward, he said in that video statement he's considering not just what is best for but for the state of Maine and for the mission of defeating Susan Collins. Well, if that -- if you read the tea leaves of that wording, it certainly sounds like he's considering getting out of this race.

BLITZER: Because if he stays in and challenges the incumbent Democrat -- or incumbent Susan Collins, the senator from Maine, the suspicion is he doesn't have a chance of beating her.

CHALIAN: I think it would be enormously difficult given the lack of support he's going to have from any corner of the Democratic Party in pursuit of that Senate seat.

And we should just note for people how consequential this is, because, as you know, it's a tough map for Democrats this year in the Senate. They are long shots to win the majority of the Senate given how much red turf they have to play on. They need a net gain of four Republican seats in order to become the majority party.

So, when you look at the map, if you're a Democrat, you say, well, where do we start that process? Critical building block is Maine because Susan Collins is the only Republican senator up for re- election in a state Kamala Harris won. But this Platner situation completely complicates what should be one of their prime targets of opportunity, which is why the Democrats are so eager to get him out of the way before this deadline, get a new nominee in place, and reset this race.

BLITZER: How do they get a new nominee?

CHALIAN: So, the Maine State Democratic Party will be responsible for putting forward a new name should Graham Platner end his bid. He has to do that by next Monday, 5:00 P.M. Eastern. The state party will have two weeks, by July 27th at 5:00 P.M. Eastern, to put forward a name to be on the November ballot.

They're going to gather with all their sort of county chapters. There's talk of maybe a little mini convention. But there will be a process underway at the state party level to find a nominee. BLITZER: Yes, so it's a little complicated, but we'll see what happens right now. But a lot of Democratic incumbents around the country are now calling on Platner to go away. They don't want to have anything to do with him anymore.

Allison, we should note that Platner's campaign strongly denies this latest allegation. Share a little bit more about what else you uncovered.

GORDON: Yes. Wolf and David, as you know, a story this serious, for it to air on a network like CNN, it requires a lot of corroboration. And something that was helpful here was that Jenny was willing to go on the record, use her name, show her face.

But in addition to that, we also spoke with two people that she had told about before, about the assault. We also reviewed Facebook comments that she had made in an Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook group from 2024. We reviewed messages between her and another woman who she warned that he had been consensually careless. And we also looked at an email between her and her therapist from 2019 confirming that she, you know, had a relationship with him.

So, as a reporter, it's such a delicate dance because you don't want to pressure a woman to come forward or pull things out of her that she's not willing to share. But we also need that to make the story as unassailable as possible, and Jenny really understood that and tried to give us everything that she had.

BLITZER: Allison, you did a great job, you and Jake reporting, and we're grateful to you. David Chalian, as always, thank you very, very much.

And we'll be joined at the top of the next hour here in The Situation Room by longtime Democratic Strategist and CNN Chief Political Analyst David Axelrod. He will be here, and we'll discuss much more on this developing story.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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[10:25:00]

BLITZER: More rain is expected in the northeast today parts of which are already struggling to clean up after torrential rains caused flash flooding. Rising waters covered streets and submerged parts of a small market in Glendora, New Jersey, as the slow-moving storm hovered over the area for part of the afternoon yesterday.

More than a month's worth of rain fell in just a few hours in Monmouth County, leaving dozens of vehicles stranded and swamped by fast-rising flooding. And look at this. Part of the roof of a B.J.'s Wholesale Club collapsed in Ocean Township, New Jersey, as the heavy rain pummeled the area. Officials say only 27 people were inside the store when the ceiling caved in. Fortunately, thank God, no one was hurt. Let's go live right now to CNN's Derek Van Dam over at the weather center in Atlanta for us. Derek, some really severe rainfall in New Jersey, and that video of that roof collapsing at the store was awful. What can we expect today?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, if you think about it, if, if that roof was flat and it didn't have anywhere for that water to go to, there's about 62.4 pounds in each cubic foot of water. So, that weight adds up very quickly, especially when you see five inches of rain in a really short period of time on a rooftop like that.

Hey, if you were in New York City, specifically some of the boroughs, this is a look at Brooklyn and Queens yesterday, there were dozens of trees taken down by the weather. Remember, they were saturated from the weekend storms. Then we got what was produced yesterday across the area that was widespread, three to five inches of rain.

So, just replaying this video coming out of New Jersey, astounding that nobody was hurt, but look at the roof collapse under the weight of the water. Again, one cubic foot of water, 62.4 inches, or pounds, that is an incredible amount of weight that would be measured and displaced across a large roof.

So, here's the radar estimates since Saturday. So, we're going back through the course of the holiday weekend. Now, I'm going to get in a little bit closer, get specific into some local details, because this is just in a 24-hour period, since Monday.

[10:30:06]

And you can see over the western tip of Long Island --