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Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle Responds to WH Request for Resignation; Trump Speaks to Reporters Before Heading to Alaska; Selma Blair Faces Assault Charges After Alleged Attacks. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 13, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is in a very lengthy Twitter post that came from her personal Twitter account, not her ambassador Twitter account. And we should note that she does not actually say in this post that she has put forth her resignation yet. So, we'll watch to see where that goes.

But she does very clearly come out against these reports, calling the reports of her misconduct false and saying she wants to address those allegations. They're false and, quote, "I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation and my integrity." She goes on to thank President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for her time being U.S. ambassador to Greece. She was on that post for just over a year before now she has been asked to resign.

But we'll watch and see where this goes, because she also notably says that even though it looks like her time is coming to an end, she wants to still be a part of President Trump's effort of the MAGA movement. We know that she is really an integral player in that world, given she has -- she had a very close relationship with President Trump's son, Don Jr., who she was engaged to for four years. She has still maintained close relationships, as we understand it, with the Trump family. So, this is an interesting dynamic here, but still not saying that she has put forth that resignation yet.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Well, it's hard to say no after the White House publicly -- in the White House briefing room, the new press secretary announces that the administration has asked her to resign.

ATWOOD: Yes. And it's also -- you know, we'll watch to see if that statement comes from her lawyers, because she is clearly saying in this lengthy post that she's going to be defending herself. She says that these allegations are false and that she did nothing wrong.

So, clearly this is going to turn into a potential legal battle, particularly because the main person who charged her with this, you know, pay-for-play scheme that he alleges is now saying that he will be suing for defamation. So, there could be a legal future to this problem that she has found herself in.

BLITZER: The story is not over yet. All right. Thanks very much, Kylie Atwood, reporting for us. Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Wolf happening now. Selma Blair is facing two assault charges after an alleged violent incident Sunday during a flight from L.A. to New York. Authorities say the 54-year-old actress is charged for attacking a Port Authority officer and a nurse who were responding to calls of a physically abusive passenger. Two flight attendants were also injured on board. Blair -- apparently President Trump is speaking now, I believe. So, let's listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How surprised were you to learn about these allegations?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: No, she wasn't a member of my family. She, I guess, dated my son a long time ago, but she wasn't. She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading. So --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you make of those allegations?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President. Excuse me, Mr. President.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you speak with Kimberly Guilfoyle personally? And what did she say to you?

TRUMP: I didn't speak to her, no. But she will not be there. I didn't like what I read.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, did you stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop sharing intel with Ukraine.

TRUMP: Say it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have we stopped sharing intel with Ukraine?

TRUMP: No, we haven't. We helped them. But we're really helping them get to a final answer. We want the war ended, Peter. We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end. So, we're working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what gives you such confidence that Putin wants the war to end more than Zelenskyy?

TRUMP: Only in dealing. That's what I've done my whole life is deals. I think Putin wants it probably -- I think they both want it to end. You know, honestly, they both want it to end, and they don't know how to get to that point. There's a lot of hatred there between the two of them. They both want it to end. They don't know how to get there. We're going to get them there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And can I ask you, there are some Republicans in the Senate who are upset about this diesel deal. Has somebody told you that Russia is not just going to take this diesel money and use it to buy bombs? TRUMP: Nobody's told me anything. That's a diesel deal not for us. That's being released into the world. That's not being released to us. That's a diesel deal that's going to be released into the world, for the world market, because the world market suffered with high prices. And when you knock out diesel refineries, that's not a great thing. But they're not releasing that to us. They're releasing it to the entire world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, have you decided on the live streaming of Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter? Have you decided on that? And are you concerned --

TRUMP: We're looking at it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. But are you concerned -- Mr. President, are you concerned it might --

TRUMP: I thought she was very good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she passed the Bar Exam then? She said that she's an attorney. Where did she pass the Bar Exam? Which state?

TRUMP: Which state?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did you have the bar exam?

[11:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the ICE arrest of Oscar Belgal, the criminal, illegal alien, and then I heard you had a phone conversation with Mamdani about it. He asked you to release him. Could you talk about that conversation?

TRUMP: We had a very nice conversation. We disagree. This is a very bad actor. And we have to take care of the bad actors, because we don't want our people hurt or killed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you made a decision on striking the Houthis? Mr. President, have you made a decision on the Houthis?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Mr. President, are you concerned --

TRUMP: Who's asking that question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Down here. Have you made a decision on striking the Houthis?

TRUMP: They're behaving very badly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to do about that?

TRUMP: I mean, if I told you I made a decision -- the Houthis have acted very badly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you asking (INAUDIBLE) in Yemen? Did they (INAUDIBLE)? TRUMP: I might do it. He's a great friend of mine, as you know, and I might do that. I have a lot of respect with the president of Turkey. President Erdogan I think would do as I ask. I have a lot of respect for him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why haven't you endorsed the Israeli elections?

TRUMP: We haven't even thought about it. I may be doing something. I may be doing something.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: You have to speak up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, are you hopeful --

TRUMP: Always Iran.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will be your next step regarding Iran? Mr. President, are you hopeful for peace?

TRUMP: Iran is a failed country. They have no economy, they have 300 percent inflation, they have no money, they're not paying their troops, they're not paying their -- they're not paying anybody. We'll make a decision on Iran very soon. We have -- and we control the Hormuz Strait, and a lot of oil is coming out of the Hormuz.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about the base in (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: And they want to build a base, and we'll let -- we'll see. They're going to pay for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your message to --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)?

TRUMP: On what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Saudi Arabia. Did you speak to the Saudi crown prince?

TRUMP: I did. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what did you offer --

TRUMP: Well, I can't tell you that. Do you really think I can tell you that? I'd love to tell you, but I'm not going to tell you that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, (INAUDIBLE) Ukrainian energy facilities since you announced the --

TRUMP: Well, we'll see. They're both a little bit off, but we'll see. You know what, bottom line, it's going to all work out. You know why? It always does.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three weeks until the midterm election. Harder for Republicans to keep the House or the Senate?

TRUMP: I would say equal. I think, you know, it's -- for some reason, when you have a sitting president, no matter how good -- nobody has done what I've done. Nobody. Not even close. But no matter how good they seem to be at their big disadvantage. Tremendous disadvantage. But I'm doing a tour right now, and I'm doing rallies. The level of enthusiasm for the Republican Party is way up. Not just where I'm doing them.

For instance, Jon Husted, I heard he went up nine points yesterday. I did the rally for him. And he went up -- he's going to be a great senator. Jon Husted went up nine points yesterday, Peter. So, I'm doing rallies. I'm right now going to Alaska to try and help Dan Sullivan. That's a long way away. And I would only do it if I thought he was good. And he's very good. And so, I'm going to Alaska to help Dan Sullivan. And then I'm stopping at numerous places.

But I'm doing, on average, a rally a day. Do you think that's easy? It's not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)?

TRUMP: I don't take a position. I think she's a terrible person. I think she's a terrible congresswoman. I don't think she loves our country at all. But I don't take a position.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia hit six energy sites on yesterday, according to the Ukrainians. What evidence do you have --

TRUMP: Well, Ukraine hit many sites the day before. But Ukraine hit many.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, in your view, Russia has not broken the ceasefire?

TRUMP: I'll let you know about that later. But they're hitting each other. But it'll all come to an end. They both want it to come to an end. They just don't know how to get there.

[11:40:00]

It's a deal for the world. It's not a deal for us. It's a way of getting a lot of oil out to the world. It's not a deal with me. It's a deal for the world. And it brought down prices, by the way. You know, the oil deal brought down prices. But that's a world deal. That's not a USA deal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think some of your colleagues are making it harder for Republicans to win?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). He said that he thought that George W. Obama, he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. What's your take on this?

TRUMP: That who deserves it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Erdogan, if he solves the Gorbachev issue, do you think he deserves that?

TRUMP: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does Russia need a new president?

TRUMP: Does anybody want to see a great work of art, a great thing of beauty?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

TRUMP: The helipad, right? The helipad has gotten unbelievable architectural reviews, but that's nothing compared to what's being built right there. You see those cranes? They're the most powerful cranes in the world. They're lifting up massive steel beams. There's one on each side. The red and the yellow. They're lifting up massive steel beam, which is the roof of the ballroom.

To me, it's a thing of great beauty. They've wanted it here for 150 years, and now they're getting it. The ballroom will be the greatest anywhere in the world. And it's a military complex also, but the ballroom will be the greatest anywhere in the world. And I think maybe -- I know at least Peter agrees with me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When will the ballroom be built? When will it be finished?

TRUMP: We're right on -- we're a little ahead of schedule, right on budget. We're in good shape. Looks good, right? Look at that snow, Peter. It's pure.

BROWN: All right. We just heard from President Trump there on his way to Alaska. He is followed by his new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia. And we know one of the things on his mind, as we're just a few weeks away from the midterms, is, of course, his construction projects there on the White House. You just heard him there touting the helipad, the cranes and the East Wing and so forth, the ballroom, some of these projects that he has initiated as president.

He also talked about the request from the White House for Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her position as U.S. ambassador to Greece, saying, I didn't like what I read. He also talked about the controversial diesel deal with Russia that has drawn bipartisan condemnation, backing this, defending it, saying that it's for the world, not just for the U.S., in terms of allowing more imports of diesel.

On the public execution that Pete Hegseth said will be live streamed, Vidal Hassan, he said, we're looking at it, which I found interesting. Clearly, he is not fully on board at this point. And also, interesting, Wolf, when he was asked about what's harder, Republicans keeping the House or the Senate, he said, equally hard.

BLITZER: Yes. And he says wherever he goes, the receptions have been great, and he's doing wonderful things for these Republican candidates who are in very tight races right now, and he's insisting that he's bringing up their numbers big time. And that's why he's off to Alaska, head back to other states in the coming days. He says he's doing at least one political rally a day, getting ready for the midterm elections on November 3rd. That's pretty close.

BROWN: That's pretty close. He's going to deep red states, as well as battleground states, and it is interesting to get a little glimpse there of what's on his mind as we head into the midterms. We're so close at this point.

BLITZER: Yes. And, you know, he was making it clear that, you know, he's concerned about all the national security issues with Ukraine and Russia, and the Houthis attacking various facilities in Saudi Arabia, blowing up the Riyadh International Airport for all practical purposes in Saudi Arabia, the main international airport in Saudi Arabia.

He didn't abundantly make it clear that he was ready to join Saudi Arabia in going after Houthi targets, but he didn't rule that out either. So, you know, he's got a lot on his agenda right now.

BROWN: And it is, as we wrap up, worth noting, he said, we haven't stopped sharing intel with Ukraine. There had been reporting that the U.S. had, and his press secretary this morning was asked that by Peter Doocy of Fox, and she didn't have an answer. She didn't know. She said, I'll get back to you. Now, we know the answer from President Trump himself. He is saying that the U.S. has not stopped sharing that intel.

We're going to take a quick break, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

BLITZER: I want to get back to the story about Selma Blair. The actress is facing two assault charges after an alleged violent incident Sunday during a flight from Los Angeles to New York. Listen to what her attorney told the court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your Honor, the circumstances alleged in the complaint are the product of a medical emergency, not intentional criminal conduct.

[11:50:00]

Prior to the flight and issue, Ms. Blair missed several doses of Nuedexta, a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms. And Ms. Blair boarded this flight after being on set and working extensive hours and exhaustive hours in the days leading up to this flight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean is joining us now. Pete, tell us more about what led up to this arrest. PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: One of the unusual things here, Wolf, is that we have a pretty good window into what happened on board that Delta flight because of what the pilots reported to air traffic control. They asked for medics to meet the flight, describing injuries and what may have happened to Blair herself. Listen to the air traffic control recording here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One flight attendant and one passenger that sustained some minor injuries, a bloody nose as well as some bite marks as well. And then one additional add-on, it sounds like the disruptive passenger also bashed her head on the bulkhead or something like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: CNN has learned that Blair allegedly bit one flight attendant and cut another. Also, that Blair had to be restrained on board this flight with plastic restraints. Even still, the defense insists this was a medical emergency. As you heard, not intentional violence. Blair now faces two state assault charges for allegedly kicking a police officer and nurse after landing. She pleaded not guilty and is now out on $20,000 cash bail.

The judge made clear that Blair should not receive special treatment because she's a celebrity. Now, the alleged assaults on board the plane are a separate federal matter. And in a statement, Delta Airlines says it has no tolerance for unruly behavior.

Some perspective here. This is just one of roughly 1,300 reports of unruly passengers by flight crews to the FAA this year. The numbers have fallen dramatically since the COVID mask mandates, but the problem clearly has not gone away for flight crews. There were some 6,000 reports back in 2021.

BLITZER: Yes, awful situation. All right. Thanks very much. Pete Muntean reporting for us. Pamela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE ZACHARIA, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: President Trump, for his trust that he has placed in me, I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, that was the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, earlier this morning. And some White House officials are already wondering how long she'll keep the job. They tell CNN's Kaitlan Collins her performance was unlikely to satisfy President Trump. One White House official called the appearance quote, "unusual." Another called it brutal.

Here now is CNN political commentator and former Biden White House communications director, Kate Beddingfield. So, Kate, as a former White House communications director, what did you think of how the new press secretary did?

KATE BEDDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND FORMER BIDEN WH COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Yes, it was a rocky start to say the least. I mean, the responsibility of the person who goes to the podium is to convey a sense of confidence and also knowledge, be able to answer the press's questions about where the White House stands on different policies and where the president is. And she wasn't able to do that.

Now, it was her first day, but to send somebody out to the podium who seems incredibly unprepared, unable to answer five, six, seven, eight questions. I mean, typically these briefings last, can last as long as 45 minutes, an hour. And the press secretary needs to display a range of knowledge on all sorts of issues. And she really could not do that. So, very unimpressive right out of the gate. We'll see where she goes from here.

BROWN: But I mean, in a sense, was she set up to fail in terms of how the White House officials are describing her given the fact that she just got the job a few days ago and then is already at the podium?

BEDDINGFIELD: It is unusual for a press secretary to come into the job and go straight out to the podium like that. You typically want the person to feel armed and ready and confident. It's tough to come in to that job, which is one of the hardest in the entire administration and be in front of cameras two days later. So, certainly were it me, I would have wanted her to have more time to prepare. Clearly that was not the choice that they made.

I think the other thing to think about here is that, as you certainly know well, the press secretary's job is only in part what you see on camera. The other big piece of the press secretary's job is running the press shop, managing the team that's dealing with reporter inquiries, that's helping reporters get information for stories. She is not somebody who comes from a traditional press communications background.

And so, I think seeing her kind of underperform in the on-camera part of the job, which was presumably a big piece of why she was hired, also raises questions about how effectively she's going to be able to manage the off-camera pieces of the job too.

BROWN: So, she also came out and was touting the economy and that sort of monologue she gave at the very beginning. The former Biden press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, had warned that the Biden administration made a mistake with its economic message and that it didn't land.

[11:55:00]

Do you agree that the Trump administration is making the same mistake here, that the Biden administration did when you were at the white house when it comes to the economic message?

BEDDINGFIELD: Yes, I do. This is something I've talked about a lot across the course of this campaign, because you watch Donald Trump, you know, try to grapple with a lot of the same arguments that we were making in the Biden White House.

And it's, listen, it's frustrating. You know, you look at economic indicators. We were obviously coming out of COVID. We, our economy was at the time, you know, more resilient than any other Western economy. And you kind of, you know, you naturally want to make that argument. But the reality is when people feel that prices are too high, when they're struggling to put gas in their cars and put food on the table, they don't want to hear an argument about the macro strength of the U.S. economy.

And so, you know, to watch Donald Trump make a lot of those same mistakes has been interesting given how critical he was of President Biden at the time. You know, it's a lot easier to sit on the sidelines and lob criticism. It's a lot harder to make that case effectively. And he is absolutely not doing it. And it's part of the reason that Republicans are staring down a really ugly midterm three weeks from now.

People feel like prices are too high. They blame Donald Trump. And they blame Donald Trump for it. It's not just that they say, you know, gas has gone up. It's that they say Donald Trump bombed Iran. And as a result, my gas prices are higher. And that's the kind of thing that motivates people to go into the ballot, you know, to go into the polling place and vote against someone.

BROWN: All right. Kate Bennefield, thank you so much.

BLITZER: And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

BROWN: Inside Politics with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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