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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Obama Unloads On Trump: Word Salads Like "Fidel Castro"; Deadly Milton Leaves Florida With Flooding, Widespread Damage; New Polls Show Dems At Risk Of Losing Senate Control. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired October 10, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: --yes. Well, Dr. Meghan Martin, thank you so much, for all you've done. I really appreciate talking to you.
For more information, about how you can help Hurricane Milton victims, and also Helene, go to CNN.com/impact. Excuse me. I got a little bit of a cough, last night. Again, that's CNN.com/impact.
That's it for us. The news continues. I'll see you, tomorrow night. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Trump, meanwhile, insulted the entire City of Detroit today, while he was stumping in? You guessed it. Detroit. Taking another swipe also, while there, U.S. allies in favor of Putin.
And tonight, an urgent rescue and recovery operation is still underway, after Milton's deadly strike in Florida that spawned supercharged tornadoes. We're going to speak to Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the latest.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Vice President Harris is about to take stage, in battleground Arizona, where early in-person voting just got underway. We're going to monitor those remarks, and bring you news, as it happens this hour.
But this is all coming as her party's biggest star just hit the campaign trail, for the first time, to try to help supercharge the base, amid some growing anxiety, within the party, ahead of the election.
Former President Barack Obama is embarking on a multi-state campaign blitz for her, starting in Pennsylvania, tonight, where he unleashed a blistering attack on former President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT: There is absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself.
Donald Trump is a 78-year-old billionaire, who has not stopped whining about his problems.
(CHEERING)
OBAMA: Since he rode down his golden escalator, nine years ago.
The ranting and the raving about crazy conspiracy theories. The two- hour speeches, word salad, just, you know, it's like Fidel Castro, just on and on.
Constant attempts to sell you stuff. Who does that? Selling you gold sneakers and a $100,000 watch and, most recently, a Trump Bible. You know, he wants you to buy the Word of God, Donald Trump Edition, he got his name right there, next to Matthew and Luke. It's crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That speech from Obama, tonight, as we are hearing from his aides, that he's viewing this election as an all-hands-on-deck kind of moment.
Shortly before he got on stage, in Pittsburgh, tonight, he made a surprise visit to a field office for the Harris campaign. And there, we saw in this video that you're about to see here, the nation's first Black president made a direct and impassioned plea to Black men amid a concern that they may not be on board with Harris yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: You're thinking about sitting out or even supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you? Because you think that's a sign of strength, because that's what being a man is? Putting women down? That's not exciting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: It was quite blunt.
My political sources, here at the table, tonight, include:
A former senior policy adviser under President Obama, Ashley Allison.
And a former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, Scott Jennings.
Ashley, that appeal to Black men there, was really interesting.
Because we've heard from party members, and leaders, recently, that they're worried, that there's -- the campaign either isn't doing enough to connect with them, or that something's just not happening, that connection is not happening. That they're worried, maybe they're disillusioned, they're not going to vote for her and turn out in November.
ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, NATIONAL COALITIONS DIRECTOR, BIDEN-HARRIS 2020 CAMPAIGN, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR POLICY ADVISER UNDER PRES. OBAMA: Yes, I think Black men have said continuously that, Our vote is not guaranteed, that we need to hear the policy positions that are going to benefit my life, my family's life, my community's life.
And so, having President Obama, someone who is extremely popular, a Black man himself, go in and make that impassioned argument to them, and have that conversation, really, with them, is important.
I think that President Obama needs to get out there. But other Black men that support the Vice President need to go. Not just to campaign offices. But go into the barbershops, go where Black men go, have those conversations. There's no need to be afraid of Black men. They are the -- they are the backbone of the Democratic Party, just like Black women. And we have time to have this conversation.
[21:05:00]
I will say. The campaign is not just starting this. They have been doing a lot of -- having a lot of conversations. Particularly, the Vice President herself, has had Black leaders, Black male leaders, Black entrepreneurs come to the White House, have the conversation, and her leadership. But more has to be done to ensure that they not just show up, but when they show up, they vote for her.
COLLINS: Yes. And we didn't know he was making that stop. So, that was kind of off the cuff, at least for us, as far as what we knew he was going to do. It was interesting to see him say it in that setting.
And then to see his speech tonight, Scott, where, obviously he went off on Trump, for selling $100,000 watches, for selling Trump Bibles, all the things that he's doing.
But there was also an interesting point that he made, about someone we haven't seen, out on this campaign trail. And that's the former Vice President, Mike Pence.
Listen to what Obama said about Pence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We learned that on January 6th, couple years ago, Donald Trump was told that Mike Pence was in the Capitol, about 40 feet from an angry mob chanting, Hang Mike Pence. And his response was, quote, "So what?"
If Donald Trump does not care that a mob might attack his own Vice President? Do you think he cares about you?
AUDIENCE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Do you think that's an effective point?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO MITCH MCCONNELL: Well, I think the people who care about January the 6th the most have already made up their minds. Number one. Number two. I think Democratic Party elites, like Obama and like others, have been viciously attacking Donald Trump, since 2016. And everything they said about him is what they have always said about him. And I don't think it's particularly effective, right now.
I think their problem isn't attacking Trump. Their problem is finding reasons to give people to support Kamala Harris.
The stop he made, and this plea he's making to African American men. I mean, he said today -- he insulted them. I mean, he first of all, admits that they're not enthusiastic about her. He said, You just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and reasons for that.
And I think one thing we've seen about Democrats, over the years, is that when they can't convince you to do something, they begin to insult you. Obama, specifically, when he was having trouble with rural voters in Pennsylvania, go back all the way into his campaigns, he insulted them about their culture and values.
I don't think it's helpful, to insult a group of people, who are already not enthusiastic about your campaign. But I think that's what he did today.
ALLISON: I don't consider that an insult. What I think it is, is important to have a conversation.
We have never had a female president in this country. I mean, we have to ask why. And so -- and half of this country is men. And men, there is a gender gap. So, I think that it is important for men to be having conversations with men about why they might not want to support a female candidate. It may be because of her gender. It may also be because of her policies.
I have a feeling that he said things in addition to just, Look, if you feel uncomfortable having a female leader because you've never had it before, let's have that conversation.
But also, I mean, it's not just Black men, who needs to have this conversation. We need to have conversations with Latino men, and White men--
JENNINGS: Yes.
ALLISON: --and Asian and Pacific Islander men. All men need to understand why, and women to that point, why there may be a reason we've never had a female president, and why now may be the time.
COLLINS: Yes, it's an undertone that we don't talk about that often, and especially compared to how we did in 2016.
Scott, speaking of insults, there was a pretty clear one, today, that came out of Detroit. Donald Trump was there, speaking in Detroit, and this is what he had to say about Detroit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The whole country is going to be like -- you want to know the truth? It will be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit, if she's your president. You're going to have a mess on your hands. She destroyed San Francisco. She destroyed, along with Newscum, California. And we're not going to let her do that to this country. We're not going to let it happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I mean, it literally says Detroit Economic Club on the lectern that he's speaking in front of.
But Scott, and the bigger point, one, I can't imagine if Harris said that in Wisconsin, rural Wisconsin, was that critical that it would just kind of pass by.
But Michigan obviously is a state that Trump needs. He won it in 2016, lost it in 2020. He could be getting votes in the area that he's criticizing.
JENNINGS: Yes, it is a constant Republican refrain for many years that these large American cities, that have decades of history of electing Democrats, and then have poor economic outcomes, or poor crime outcomes, or poor education outcomes, it's because of the local leadership.
And so, I think the point he was making is maybe we could do something different than just keep electing the same Democrats, who've hurt these cities.
ALLISON: Donald Trump said -- wanted to say, Detroit equals Black. That was a code word that he just did.
And I would say, if you go to the City of Detroit, the revitalization of Downtown Detroit, Detroit has been pretty substantial. Is it all the way back to where it was when it was booming? No. But the investment in local Detroit, is real.
[21:10:00]
And he -- you just said insulting the people you want to have vote. I think that's an insult from the own candidate.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, I looked into the numbers. The homicide rate's actually gone down there, in the last year. They are making improvements. But regardless.
I also want to bring in the man, who helped mastermind Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. Jim Messina is joining us now.
Jim, I'm just curious, given what your view of the race is, as it stands right now. Because we're seeing Obama out on the campaign trail now. Obviously, he's being deployed later on in the game to try to make the biggest impact.
But we did wake up to a bunch of headlines this morning about, Democrats are concerned, They're nervous.
What's your view of where things stand right now?
JIM MESSINA, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Well, look, I think this race is basically tied. I think it's a toss-up, sitting 26 days before the election. And Democrats shouldn't wring their hands. They should go out and knock on doors and do phone calls.
And I think Barack Obama is the best person to put out for this moment. There's this silly debate, in our party, about whether you do turnout or whether you talk to swing voters. Obama is the one political figure, in the Democratic Party, who understands you win by doing both. And in one speech, he can do both of those things. And I think that's what you saw tonight. That's what I think you'll see as they put him on.
Bill Clinton's coming on the stage Monday, I think. They have Walz doing events in Michigan. They understand now is the time, and they're in absolutely close race, and it's time for a little all-hand-on-deck.
COLLINS: Do you agree with what Ashley said, about in this appeal to Black men, who may not be on board with Harris yet. The Harris campaign, maybe Harris herself, should be going to barbershops, or maybe to a megachurch, or making those kinds of stops, to make that appeal directly herself, in person.
MESSINA: Look, I think Ashley's right. In general, the campaign's taking this very seriously. They've been running a very big campaign, for a while here.
And we're really talking about margins. She does have the support of huge numbers of African Americans, both men and women. But she needs to get that number up. And there's a variety of things she's going to do. You're going to see her do some of it. Obama's going to do some. Hopefully soon you'll see Michelle Obama. There's huge field investments.
It's not just one speech from the candidate. It's got to be a whole concerted effort. And I think that's what the community is telling the campaign, and I think the campaign's responding by doing these kind of activities.
COLLINS: I'm especially curious for your view on what I'm about to ask you. Because in a new piece that was out today, for Politico magazine, Jonathan Martin was writing essentially what Harris, he believes, must do to seal the deal, and making the point that he thinks she needs to assure Republicans that she'll govern from the middle.
Scott Jennings is shaking his head as I'm asking this.
But Jim, as someone who spent the 2012 campaign, harshly critical of Mitt Romney, what did you make of the suggestion that she preemptively say, I'll make Mitt Romney my Secretary of State, to try to convince those disaffected voters, disaffected Republicans, of how she'll govern if she wins?
MESSINA: I've heard way worse ideas than that.
I really respect Governor Romney. I think he'd be great in any sort of public service he can do.
I mean, you saw last night. Liz Cheney, out there, very, very forceful in why she's supporting Kamala, in what Trump has done.
I do think her saying, I'll put a Republican in the cabinet, is one step and exactly the right step. There could be other steps. But I think she understands that. And she's been talking repeatedly about the need to reach out and put Republicans in the cabinet.
COLLINS: Jim Messina, thank you.
Scott. Why were you shaking your head?
JENNINGS: Well.
COLLINS: Because Jonathan's -- JMart's piece was essentially arguing she has nothing to lose, when it comes to Democrats. That she should go out there, go to the border with James Lankford, take all these steps. Say she's going to put Mitt Romney in her cabinet tomorrow. Basically say, You don't have to worry about how I'll govern.
JENNINGS: Have they even vetted Mitt Romney? I mean, this man tortures dogs. He specifically murders people with cancer. He tries to hire women into government positions. And worst of all, according to Joe Biden, he would -- it'd be quite a thing if the sitting Secretary of State tried to put the President of the United States in chains. Have they vetted Mitt Romney?
This is crazy idea. That's not what they have to do. They have to come up with a message that doesn't feel contrived, that doesn't feel like it's made up just for the moment.
There's just no authenticity in any of this. This is throwing spaghetti at the wall. Because they've neglected men, all this time. And it's a political party that thinks gender is just a state of mind, and all of a sudden they're like, Oh my god, we have a trouble with moderate biological males? I mean, who is surprised about this?
COLLINS: Yes, but the race is close. I mean, it's way closer than it was when Biden was at the top of the ticket.
JENNINGS: What do you mean the -- oh, the -- of course the--
COLLINS: This race.
JENNINGS: Of course, this race was always destined to be close. Nobody's under any illusion here.
But the story tonight is they're struggling with men. Obama's insulting men. And they're out saying, Well, let's fix it by sending Tim Walz out and hiring Mitt Romney. It's crazy to me.
ALLISON: I'm sorry, I just -- this is not a campaign strategy to, name Mitt Romney, the Secretary of State.
JENNINGS: Are you agreeing?
ALLISON: And I don't -- I don't--
COLLINS: It's just a suggestion in a report.
ALLISON: Exactly. I don't think that we--
JENNINGS: JMart. Come on.
ALLISON: I don't think we should force any candidate to name who their cabinet is prior to even winning. I think they should be out there--
JENNINGS: Agreed.
ALLISON: --talking to voters.
JENNINGS: I totally agree with that.
[21:15:00]
ALLISON: See?
COLLINS: Wow.
JENNINGS: Complete agreement with Ashley.
COLLINS: Scott Jennings, Ashley Allison, agreeing?
JENNINGS: Seems right.
COLLINS: Jim Messina, as well. Thank you so much for everyone for being here.
Speaking of Donald Trump, he issued a new threat, to America's allies, today, when it comes to Russia. On top of revelations that we've gotten recently, a new reporting about his secret calls with Vladimir Putin.
Also, the danger, tonight, in Florida is far from over. We're going to bring you the latest on the rescues, the relief effort underway in, after Hurricane Milton.
We're going to speak live, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Anderson, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:20:00]
COLLINS: Tonight, the death toll from Hurricane Milton is now at least 14 people, as rescue teams are continuing to search the storm-ravaged areas, in Florida, for people who are in need of help.
Nearly a 1,000 people and over a 100 pets have been rescued, so far. As officials today found a 14 year-old-boy clinging to a piece of broken fence. He was trying to get home from a friend's house, when he became trapped. Thankfully, he was saved by the Hillsborough County Sheriff, as you can see here.
In the 24 hours since Hurricane Milton made landfall, as a devastating Category 3 storm, last night, we have seen entire streets turned into flowing rivers.
In St. Petersburg, on the west coast, the force of the storm tore off the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium, which was initially going to be used as a makeshift shelter for first responders.
The eastern side of the state was not spared either, though. Dozens of tornadoes, that were spawned by Milton, tore through hundreds of homes with little or no warning at all.
Anderson Cooper is in Fort Pierce for us tonight.
And Anderson, last night, we were talking, you were on the western side of the state, where the hurricane was hitting. Now, you've driven closer to the eastern side, where people were not expecting to get this kind of an impact, and to see--
COOPER: Yes.
COLLINS: the highest death toll over there.
Tell us what you've seen so far.
COOPER: Yes, I mean, this is where those dozens of tornadoes that you were talking about hit, before Milton came onshore, on Wednesday afternoon, is when the tornadoes hit here.
This is Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County. There were two tornadoes that hit around this area.
You can see, obviously, this tractor trailer that's been flipped over. We believe it was actually hit by another tractor trailer that was over in that direction. That one flew over, according to the owner of the tractor trailer, hit this one, and that other second tractor trailer is on the other side of the highway still, right now.
The roof of a church was ripped off by one of the tornadoes.
Two tornadoes touched down in a retirement community, for people 55 and older, a number of mobile homes and smaller homes.
There's, according to the Sheriff, six fatalities. But they have been trying to search the area, looking for anybody else, who may have been killed. They don't have -- they didn't have a number of how many people were there, before the tornadoes hit. So, it's a little hard for them to tell. But they've been searching. They've got dogs out. They've had people out all day looking.
But there's a lot of people out here. There's a lot of people without power, still, a lot of downed powerlines. It is still very much an unpleasant, difficult circumstance. It's going to be a while before power is restored for a lot of people in this area. And there's a lot of rebuilding to do around here.
COLLINS: Yes. And I should note Anderson, the death toll now is at 15. I mean, just 30 seconds ago, it was 14. We've now learned 15 people have been killed.
And what's so remarkable about where you are is that they were not really in an evacuation zone. Some of the mobile home communities were, because of just given the nature of them, they're not as stable, obviously, as another home.
But when these tornadoes come, and they pop out of nowhere. I grew up in Alabama. You have tornado sirens. You know kind of when one is coming.
COOPER: Yes.
COLLINS: These people had basically no warning what was coming their way.
COOPER: Yes, I mean, we've heard from a number of people saying, they were inside their homes. They got a warning on their phone, and had to, you know, just enough time to run into the bathroom, or to run into, what, a doorway, wherever they felt was most secure.
And a lot of these homes were just obliterated. I mean, these -- and it wasn't just, especially in this community, it wasn't just the one tornado. It was two tornadoes about 40 minutes or so apart. So, people were still hiding from the last tornado, and another one hit, which is what, you know, it just it added to the devastation.
And obviously, the images from that community. It's just been flattened. It's really just awful to see. We've seen a number of people coming by, trying to access this. The police have the whole area closed off, as they continue to search.
COLLINS: Yes, just thinking of all of them tonight.
Anderson, thank you.
And for more on the recovery effort, I want to bring in the Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, who is at the FEMA headquarters today.
And Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here.
I know that as part of the federal response as well, you've been monitoring the roads, the bridges that have been closed, airports, the Tampa Port, all of these things that are so crucial, obviously.
What is the latest on getting things back to normal? As Anderson was just pointing out there, just what this recovery process is going to look like.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: So, there is enormous coordination and work going on, across sea, air and land assets that need to be brought back online.
Had a good conversation today with my Florida counterpart, the Secretary of Transportation there. They're doing extraordinary work. More than a 100 crews, out doing inspections, to help get roads safely reopened.
Already, the interstates are back up. Major bridges are back up. That's the good news. But more work to be done, of course, to get many of those roadway connections restored.
[21:25:00]
When it comes to airports, we're seeing more and more of the airports come online as well. We've got hundreds of FAA Technical Operations personnel helping do things, like make sure the radars, towers, beacons, anything else that could have been impacted is restored, so that flights can return.
Of the impacted airports, roughly half are open or in the process of opening. Hoping to have Tampa open tomorrow. Orlando opening, as we speak. And a lot of that work is being done by a team that we had pre- positioned at Jacksonville, before the storm struck, so that they could get out there and help at the airports.
On the maritime side, the biggest thing that we're looking at continues to be Port Tampa Bay. Looks like the land side infrastructure there was largely spared. But more work will have to be done before the Coast Guard can certify that it's safe to reopen, including making sure things like navigational buoys that -- and beacons that may have been knocked loose, moved or taken out, are all back in place.
But hopeful that relatively soon, that port will be back up and running, because that supplies a lot of the fuel, a lot of the energy that people--
COLLINS: Yes.
BUTTIGIEG: --really, across the whole State of Florida count on.
COLLINS: Well, speaking of fuel, we were just reading that GasBuddy, according to them, a quarter of Florida's gas stations do not have fuel. Obviously, it's a demand issue.
What is the federal government able to do to help with that? Whether it's a manpower issue. How to make sure that Floridians, who understandably were filling up, before the storm hit, what they can do now?
BUTTIGIEG: So, the key to that really is on the ground. And the state has been working to facilitate deliveries, helping with police escorts, for example, to make sure that tanker trucks can get to locations, where there isn't fuel.
As you mentioned, it appears that this has been driven by spikes in demand, not an inability to get overall supply to the state. But of course, that doesn't do you any good if you're in a particular location that doesn't have that supply.
We do expect that those efforts to get those tanker trucks to where they need to be will help take care of that in relatively short order. And we're keeping an eye on that, and in touch with industry and the state as they work to address them.
COLLINS: Today, at the White House, we heard from your boss, President Biden. And he told former President Trump, and I am quoting him now, to get a life and to stop spreading misinformation about the government's response and how they're helping with this.
I just want everyone to listen to that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Mr. Trump and all those other people know it's a lie to suggest that's all they're going to get. That's bizarre. It's bizarre. They got to stop this. I mean, they're being so damn un-American with the way they're talking about this stuff.
Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life, man. Help these people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: You've been hanging out at the FEMA headquarters. I just wonder, are they getting calls there, of people listening and hearing this misinformation. What are they saying about the impact that these lies are having on their work?
BUTTIGIEG: Yes, when I was at the FEMA headquarters today, I saw extraordinary discipline and teamwork and coordination. We're talking about public servants, who have been working around the clock. I saw the same watch floor, a week ago, when they were working on Helene -- response to Hurricane Helene, as they are still doing.
Right now, they're doing two major disaster recovery operations. And they have their heads down. They're doing their job. They're pros. But you can tell that many of them are rattled by the level of just online vitriol and straight-out false information, that, by the way, isn't just a problem, because it's hurting somebody's feelings. It is actively making it more difficult, for responders to do their job.
Imagine if somebody sitting at home believes, for example, Donald Trump, that all you're going to get is $750? And they get that initial support, which is something that disaster victims can get, that help to get immediate diapers, food, that kind of thing. They think that's all they can get. If they believe that? Then they might not apply for other funding that they absolutely deserve and should be getting. That's just one example of the sort of thing that can happen when those lies go around.
Now, I will also say this. Having looked at the level of misinformation and the number of lies that spread, the last week, related to Hurricane Helene, and President Biden's forceful response, and the fact that we had a lot of leaders standing up to that, and I would say leaders in both parties? I do think that had a beneficial effect with regard to Milton.
Don't get me wrong. Lots of misinformation and scam attempts going around in the context of Milton too.
But one thing that was critically important is that when residents were warned, by local trusted authorities, and by FEMA, and by the President, to listen to those evacuation orders, to get out? They did.
And when they were told to -- that we're past the point, where you can do that, and if you are in one of these locations, there's a need to shelter in place? People, by and large, responded to that guidance. And I believe that guidance saved a lot of lives.
COLLINS: Hopefully, it certainly did. Obviously, we know how important those instructions are.
Secretary Pete Buttigieg, thank you for your time tonight.
BUTTIGIEG: Thank you. Glad to be with you.
[21:30:00]
COLLINS: Up next. A big question about something Donald Trump said in Detroit today, not the comment that we played earlier. But we're going to let you hear it for yourself when it comes to Vladimir Putin and U.S. allies. Then we'll have his former National Security Adviser here, to respond.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: During his speech, in Detroit, today, the same one where he insulted Detroit, Donald Trump also bragged, before the City's Economic Club, about his willingness to abandon NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Does that mean that if we don't pay you will not protect us from Russia? It used to be the Soviet Union. Now it's Russia. Sort of the same thing. I said, That's what it means.
I will not protect you. Under any form, you will not be protected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:35:00]
COLLINS: Donald Trump was talking about NATO allies, who don't spend enough percentage of their GDP, on defense. And the U.S. would have to come to anyone in NATO's defense, obviously, if one of them was hit by a -- by an attacker, that is in the, of course, NATO Treaty.
But that chapter in his first term, something that we have long heard him echo, has led some lifelong Republicans, including some of the ones who served in his administration, to say that they cannot support Donald Trump, a second time.
My source tonight is one of them. Former Trump National Security Adviser, John Bolton.
Ambassador, I just wonder what you make of, it's not just this comment, because we've heard Donald Trump say things like this before. But it's the comment in the context of what we've learned recently, from Bob Woodward's new book, which is that he and Putin have reportedly spoken, at least seven times since he left office.
What do you make of the comment in light of that reporting?
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, I think the number of times that he's spoken with Putin is in dispute. The Russians deny it. We don't have any other independent evidence. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he did.
And it would simply confirm what has been evident for some time, that Trump thinks he's got a great personal relationship with Vladimir Putin. And in Trump's mind, this is consistent, whether it's Xi Jinping or Kim Jong Un or other adversarial leaders like that, that if he has a good relationship, personally, then the U.S. and that country have a good relationship. That's just utter nonsense.
And these comments about NATO, he's made before. Some of his advisers have written Op-Eds on how he'll interpret the NATO Treaty, about not defending countries that aren't spending adequately on defense. That means the end of NATO. Let's be clear.
I wrote about this in The Wall Street Journal months ago. You can't defend Poland, which is spending about 3 percent, and if we're, unfortunately driven back to the German border by the Russians, to say, Excuse me, Russians, can you just pause for a moment? Where -- you can do what you want in Germany. We'll see at the French border, because they're spending over 2 percent. It means the end of NATO.
And I'd just make one more comment, if I may. For Republicans who believe that Trump will be OK in a second term, that he won't ditch support for Ukraine, that he won't withdraw from NATO, that he won't interpret the Treaty of Washington in a way that makes it wholly useless, it's going to be OK? Go ahead and vote for Trump if you want. But for goodness sakes, do it with your eyes open. The odds that he will withdraw from NATO are very high.
COLLINS: If you were -- if you were the National Security Adviser currently, and you found out the former President was talking directly with Putin, a hostile foreign leader who had invaded a sovereign country, as Putin has done, and that former President was not briefing anyone at your State Department, or you, on those conversations? What would your response be?
BOLTON: Well, let me say, first, I think President Biden, very early in his term, made a decision that Trump would not receive any briefings of classified information. Which I think makes him unique, in contemporary times, as a former President, not to get briefings like that, just as a courtesy, so that the incumbent President, if he wanted to, could call a former President up, and talk with him about crises.
And I think it reflected Biden's concern, which is entirely legitimate, that Trump can't keep his mouth shut, and that he might reveal currently classified information to our adversaries.
But I do want to say this about the general subject, of a former American official, talking to leaders of friendly foreign countries, or even leaders of not so friendly foreign countries. I think it's a gross violation of the First Amendment to say that somehow the Logan Act makes that illegal. It may be imprudent. It may be unwise. In Trump's case, it may be dangerous, given what he may be saying to Putin.
But you got to be very careful what you say here. Otherwise, a lot of foreign -- former officials--
COLLINS: Yes.
BOLTON: --are in violation of the Logan Act. I think--
COLLINS: Well--
BOLTON: --remember when it was passed, remember it's been prosecuted twice. So, I think people need to calm down a little bit about this. Notwithstanding, I think it was ill advised for Trump to talk to Putin, if he did, after he left office.
COLLINS: Well and of course--
BOLTON: It's not illegal, and there's not a criminal conspiracy that immediately arises.
COLLINS: But of course, we all remember Trump wanted to prosecute John Kerry for talking to Iranian officials, even though he was briefing the State Department.
But I have to ask you about this, Ambassador, because in this book from Bob Woodward, he reveals that Trump sent Putin COVID tests, at the height of the pandemic. Putin didn't want anyone to know about it. According to this, he said, Don't tell them and it's worse for you than it is for me.
[21:40:00]
Which made me -- us think about this book that Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta, at The Washington Post, wrote about the pandemic, where they quoted Trump, at one point, saying that he hoped that you would -- you would die from COVID, essentially. He was worried about another aide, getting it. And then he said, quote, according to this book, "Hopefully COVID takes out John," referring to you.
I mean, in light of the fact that he was sending COVID tests to Putin, how do you read that now?
BOLTON: Well, I'm grateful that he was thinking about me. What can I say, during a crisis like COVID?
Look, this is pure Trump that people are getting now. And interestingly, Dmitry Peskov, who is longtime Vladimir Putin spokesman, confirmed that Trump and Putin had had that conversation about -- or that Trump had given the COVID tests, even as the Trump campaign was denying anything about it. So the Russians, in effect, have undercut Trump's effort to distance himself from Russia.
This is the way Trump reacts to these strong authoritarian leaders. I can't analyze it psychologically. But he just likes being a big guy with big guys. They don't have to deal with independent legislatures and judiciaries and due process and all that. They just do what they want to do. That's what he wants to do, too.
COLLINS: Ambassador John Bolton, we are glad that you're safe tonight. Thank you so much for joining me.
BOLTON: Thank you. Glad to do it.
COLLINS: Up next. We're going to take you back to the ground in Florida, the devastation that has been caused by Hurricane Milton, after those supercharged tornadoes tore through Florida.
We're going to talk to a first responder, who was on the scene. That's our next source.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, St. Lucie County, in Florida, is dealing with an incredible amount of destruction, after there were nine confirmed tornadoes that struck the area. At one point, three tornadoes hit within just the span of 25 minutes.
The National Weather Service issued an unprecedented 125 tornado warnings, yesterday, across Florida, as Hurricane Milton was barreling through the state.
Take a look at this video from St. Lucie County Administrator, George Landry, that he sent us. It shows entire homes, completely destroyed, roofs, walls, doors just spread out across streets.
We're going to speak to George Landry, in a moment, as he's joining us from the County's Emergency Operations Center.
And George, thank you for being here.
Because that video of just surveying the damage is so remarkable. Can you just give us an update on, one, what you've seen now that the sun was up today, you were able to get a better look at all of this damage. And two, how the search and rescue operations are doing tonight.
GEORGE LANDRY, ST. LUCIE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR: Yes, Ma'am, yes, thank you for having us. With everything that we're experiencing, real quick, if I may. Our hearts go out to all the folks on the Florida's west coast, in addition what we're experiencing.
This morning, when the sun came up, we got out there early, right at first light, and was able to get a better look at things. And as we expected, it was worse than what we had thought from the -- from the day before.
Because these tornadoes came in late in the afternoon, and we had to do what we could. And then, all of a sudden, the night fell on us, and we had to get back at in the morning. And so it was pretty devastating.
COLLINS: I mean, these families that lost their homes, and lived through this, they must have been just in shock, today, when you were talking to them.
LANDRY: Yes, definitely -- definitely was. There was a lot of them that were really, dealing with shock, trauma, everything. It was a very tragic day, for St. Lucie County, to lose six of our residents, based on this event. And heart goes out to all the families, and what they're dealing with right now. And we're just trying to do all we can to support them and help them out.
COLLINS: You talked about your thoughts and prayers for everyone on the west -- western side of the state. Of course, we knew that that was where the impact was going to be. We've been talking to officials, all week there.
I don't think anyone expected that, 24 hours after this storm, as it stands right now, that the highest death toll would be on the eastern side of the state, and St. Lucie County.
And I think just, when you look at that, and you guys got so many -- over 900 9-1-1 calls, yesterday, in a window of about 90 minutes. How do you even know where to start, at that point?
LANDRY: Yes, it was -- it was definitely, taken us by surprise. Having our reports of multiple tornadoes, and then 90-minute window, over 900 calls for help in that same window in, it definitely is taxing, to say the least, burden on not only our 9-1-1 dispatchers, but all of our first responders, all three police departments here in the county, and the fire districts. And we started putting a plan together, while that was happening.
And if I may, something I'd like to share with you is, is while these calls were coming in. The dedication of our Emergency Management team, the County's Emergency Management team, our 9-1-1 dispatchers, police officers from all three entities, and the fire district. While these folks were out there trying to respond to these calls, we were listening on the radio.
And these officers and fire rescue were basically calling out tornadoes, as they were touching down, and still trying to work their way around them to get to the people. They weren't stopping. This wasn't getting -- this wasn't going to stop them. They were -- they were trying to get to the people as best as they can. And it was -- it's something that we can't commend them enough for all those efforts.
COLLINS: Yes, it's a shining moment of real selflessness, and a moment of such hardship.
George Landry, please tell everyone, we're thinking of everyone in your community. Thank you for joining me tonight.
LANDRY: Thank you. And thank you for thinking of St. Lucie County.
COLLINS: Absolutely.
And we'll continue to talk to everyone there, as the search and recovery efforts are underway.
[21:50:00]
We also are getting new video, tonight, inside Tropicana Field. That's in St. Petersburg. You saw yesterday as Hurricane Milton was tearing through, it tore the roof off of the ballpark, where the Tampa Bay Rays play.
It actually have been designated to house about 10,000 first responders and cleanup crews. Thankfully, it wasn't actively being used. When that roof was destroyed, they deployed them elsewhere.
CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, is there on the ground.
Bill, obviously, just, you're standing in front of that, and just looking at that image is mind-blowing. Even after seeing the drone footage earlier, now getting to actually see inside of it. I mean, what's it like up close on the ground?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It's really something, Kaitlan. I can't help but think about the great Mike Tyson quote that says, everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face.
And it feels like Florida had a plan for this hurricane, a plan for storm surge. But got punched in the face with monster tornadoes, on the other side of the state, and 15 inches of rain, and a completely different kind of fingerprint, for a storm that spread so much pain so wide that nobody could really anticipate for.
Because this is a much warmer, more violent Earth than it was a generation or two ago. The response is robust, and we're seeing lots of efforts everywhere, the cleanup and getting things going.
But Ron DeSantis, the Governor of the State, just this year, signed legislation that prohibits his agencies from considering climate science in new laws. And so, how can you plan for the storms, a few years from now?
Nobody planned for the roof to get shredded off of the trop, when they put 10,000 cots in there, as a first responder staging area. Just last month, FEMA announced this partnership with the NFL. They're
going to start using stadiums as these field hospitals and rallying points. But Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play, also flooded. And after what happened in New Orleans, after Katrina, who wants to evacuate into a stadium these days, not knowing what could happen.
So, it feels like the conditions are adjusting faster than the imagination of very professional, dedicated first responders, like your last guest. They're still going to try to get to the people in need. But now they have to go around a giant tornado that would never have been there, a generation ago.
COLLINS: Yes, it is remarkable, and it's an important conversation to have.
I was listening to Pete Buttigieg, also saying, building back, you've got to build back differently. You can't build it back the same way. Or the same result could happen again.
Bill Weir, thank you for your great reporting. Glad you're safe, after watching you last night. Thank you so much.
WEIR: You bet.
COLLINS: Tonight, we're also looking at some new numbers that paint a not so pretty picture for Democrats, as not talking about the White House, as they are trying to hold on to control of the Senate.
Harry Enten has been looking at the numbers. He'll join me, right after a quick break.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: One of the second most important things that we are going to learn, in this election, is which party is going to take control of the Senate. Based on the numbers, right now, it seems as if Democrats' control is slipping away, and that Republicans are poised to get the majority.
A New York Times/Siena poll of the critical race, in Montana, right now, shows the incumbent Democrat there, that it's the Senator, Jon Tester, he's down eight points to his Republican challenger, Tim Sheehy.
Democrats, right now, have a slim 51-seat majority in the Senate, and they're all but guaranteed, right now, to lose their Democratic seat in West Virginia.
My source, tonight, is CNN's Senior Political Data Reporter, Harry Enten.
Harry, this is like -- I mean, I get it. We all care about who's going to win the presidency. HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL DATA REPORTER: Sure.
COLLINS: But this also matters. Because if Harris wins, and she has a Republican Senate? That's going to change her cabinet. If Trump wins, and he has a Republican Senate? He'll be kind of unrestrained.
ENTEN: Runoff shot, right?
COLLINS: What races are you watching that are the most critical, when it comes to the path to keeping it, for Dems?
ENTEN: Right. You mentioned West Virginia. Adios, goodbye, Joe Manchin retiring. That's going to the Republicans.
Then, essentially you have these three races that I've been keeping an eye on. Montana, obviously, Jon Tester trailing in the polling, right?
What do we see? Texas, Florida, both out today, two different polls out. What do we see? Republicans ahead there.
The bottom line is, Democrats have to win one of those seats, most likely, in order to maintain control, and they're not really all that close in any of them. And I think that really paints the picture.
It's dire times for Democrats, who want to keep Senate control. At this particular hour, when it comes to the House, Senate, presidential? I feel most confident, saying that the Senate is most likely going Republican.
COLLINS: Well, and Trump is up in those states, right now.
And so, that's the question of what these other seats that everyone's been watching closely. Pennsylvania. Of course, Ohio. Looking at these, anything that you're -- that you're focusing on?
ENTEN: I mean, the real question is, is Donald Trump going to win in those states? Because what you looked at those three other states, we looked at, Donald Trump's ahead in all of them.
And we know, over the course of the Trump presidency, right, in 2016 and 2020, when you have a presidential race and the Senate race going on in the same time? Pretty much every single time, except for one time, the state voted the same way in the Senate and presidential race. The only time it didn't was Maine, back in 2020. Of course, Susan Collins won that race, despite the fact that Joe Biden won in the great State of Maine.
So, who wins in those presidential race in those states, I think, will tell us who wins in the Senate race as well.
COLLINS: Well, that's interesting. Because we're talking about the Senate. The question also is, what's going to happen in the House, and is that going to flip? Right now, Speaker Mike Johnson's got a pretty thin majority himself.
ENTEN: Yes. COLLINS: Could we see that change as well?
ENTEN: It could, and that would make history.
Because I went back through the record books. I went back since the 18th Century. And the bottom line is, when the Senate flips, which we think is going to happen, the same year that the House would flip to the opposite party? That has never, ever happened.
Of course, we live in crazy times. So, wouldn't it be nice that maybe we make history? I think Democrats would like to make history, if they lose the Senate, they would like to get in the House. They may just do that this year, and they would make history in the process.
[22:00:00]
COLLINS: Well, as long as someone's making history, right here.
ENTEN: We're making history right here on this set, right now.
COLLINS: But--
ENTEN: I made you -- I had you laughing before this segment. I'll note that.
COLLINS: But not during this segment.
ENTEN: Not during it.
COLLINS: So, are we getting like--
(CROSSTALK)
ENTEN: Although I'm getting a little smile right now.
COLLINS: Yes, but that's just because I'm being nice.
ENTEN: Aw.
COLLINS: Harry Enten, as always, thank you.
We'll be hanging with Harry, a lot, before the election.
Thank you all so much for hanging with us, tonight.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
