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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
IDF Drone Video Shows Hamas Leader Sinwar's Final Moments; Trump Blames Zelenskyy For Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine; Donald Trump Speaks At Annual Al Smith Dinner In NYC. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired October 17, 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]
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: --still a long way to go. There is a lot of progress. But we saw precincts today, jampacked. Neither hell nor highwater is going to keep North Carolinians from voting in this election.
Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Yes. It's so awesome what he's doing, helping people out. And, as you said, he's been doing that for--
MARQUEZ: Yes.
COOPER: --for weeks now. Incredible.
Miguel, thank you. I'm so glad you're there.
MARQUEZ: Incredible to see it. Great to ride along.
COOPER: Yes.
MARQUEZ: You got it.
COOPER: Yes. Thank you.
The news continues right now. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now. I'll see you, tomorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: It's 9 o'clock here in New York. This is THE SOURCE. And I'm Kaitlan Collins.
We're expecting Donald Trump to speak at any moment now, not far from where I am, tonight, gathered at a high-powered dinner for the political elite.
Right now, you can see the former President sitting with Melania Trump at his side, a rare joint appearance from the two of them, in the closing weeks of this campaign.
The Trumps are seated right next to Cardinal Dolan.
And right next to Cardinal Dolan is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who, just a few months ago, Trump called Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States, I should note, a proud member of Hamas.
And yes, if you look at the top left corner of your screen, that is the New York Attorney General, Tish James, sitting over Donald Trump's right shoulder, among a few other notable names.
We're going to bring those remarks to you live.
Because what all of these people are gathered at is known as the Al Smith Dinner. It happens every year. But also, it gets the most attention just before the election, where typically the two presidential candidates are there, dressed up in their Sunday-best, to make lighthearted speeches, and poke fun at themselves and each other, to benefit Catholic charities. It's usually a rare moment of levity, on the campaign trail.
This year, maybe not so much. Vice President Harris decided against attending tonight's dinner. Instead, sending along a videotaped message. She's instead rallying in battleground Wisconsin. And there may not have been much for her to laugh at, if she was there, especially when your opponent is floating the idea of using the U.S. military against his political opponents.
The Vice President actually brought that comment up from Donald Trump, tonight, while she was out on the campaign trail in Wisconsin. And she also went after Trump on reproductive rights, playing his own words for the crowd, when doing some roasting of her own.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Now the man calls himself the father of IVF?
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: I mean, what does that even mean?
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: When you listen to Donald Trump talk, it becomes increasingly clear, I think, he has no idea what he's talking about.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: When it comes to the health care of women in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That was Harris on the campaign trail, just a few moments ago.
Earlier today, while she was there, we also heard her weigh in on the death of one of the most wanted men in the world, Yahya Sinwar, who was the mastermind behind the October 7th attacks on Israel, killed by Israeli forces in Rafah.
How it went down is nothing short of extraordinary. Israeli forces were in a firefight with Hamas. They sent a drone into the building that they had just struck. And as that drone entered the second floor, as you are seeing here, there, sitting in that chair, his face covered, is Yahya Sinwar, in his final moments alive.
The IDF says that his hand had been shot. He's holding what appears to be a stick, as you can see there. He then throws it at the drone that is staring him down. That would be the last thing that he saw before moments later, the IDF leveled the building, eliminating the leader of Hamas.
As proof for the world to see, they released this footage. I must warn you, some may find it disturbing. Showing Sinwar's body in the rubble. Israel says that he was identified by his dental records, his fingerprints and DNA. The most hunted man in Gaza, as you can see here, now gone.
My sources tonight are:
CNN's Chief Intelligence Analyst, John Miller.
Retired Army Major Mike Lyons.
And Israeli journalist, Nadav Eyal, who is also professor at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs.
I mean, John, the fact that this happened is massive. But how it happened is almost as significant, it seems.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: It's interesting that -- it's interesting what it wasn't. It wasn't a team of elite Israeli special forces, acting on intelligence gathered by the Mossad and other agencies, at a pinpointed location.
It was a reserve team, a very well-trained team, on routine patrol, an infantry team with a tank, and people walking. They spotted people. They encountered them. Shots were fired. And they sent a -- they sent a tank round into that building.
And then, rather than go running in, to see who was there, because of booby traps, and IEDs, and everything else they've experienced on their rounds there, they sent that drone in, and they looked at that subject.
[21:05:00] And only later, when they were cleared to go in there, and look around the rubble and find him, did they see the stark resemblance to who they thought he was.
COLLINS: They didn't even realize that they had just killed the most wanted person in Gaza.
MILLER: They didn't realize they'd encountered him. They didn't realize they killed him, until they got up close. And even that -- and when you look at the pictures, it looks just like him. But it required dental records, DNA, blood, everything else. But once they had that confirmed by any doubt. And it really changes the game.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, Nadav, you and I met when I was in Israel, after October 7th. Obviously, just a foundational moment that had such a deep impact, obviously, with so many Israelis brutally killed that day.
What does a moment like this just mean? I mean, everyone in Israel, we saw celebrations today, just in this moment.
NADAV EYAL, ISRAELI JOURNALIST, AUTHOR, "REVOLT," COLUMNIST, ISRAELI YEDIOT DAILY NEWSPAPER: Well, I think that Americans can relate to this because of the killing of Osama bin Laden.
For Israelis, this is a somber moment, but it's a watershed moment. They did not only manage to get to Sinwar. Israeli Air Force got to Hassan Nasrallah, and Fuad Shukr, the Chief of Staff of Hezbollah, and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. And actually, if you look at the so-called Axis of Resistance, or the Axis of Terror, every leader of that axis is now gone, besides the leader of the Houthis, and the Supreme Leader of Iran.
And this is for, Israelis, something that is maybe more than Osama bin Laden. Because it was prophesized by many in the West that it would be impossible. You had intelligence reports, saying whatever the IDF is going to do in Gaza, and specifically in Rafah, is going to be immaterial. They're not going to get anywhere.
And they got him. And the way that they got him, as John just mentioned, was through going house to house in a specific neighborhood called Tel es-Sultan, which is a stronghold of Hamas, where they thought they might find him, not far from the place in which six hostages, one of them an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin were murdered.
And they found DNA evidence that Yahya Sinwar was in that tunnel, in the proximity, in terms of time to the time in which these hostages were murdered. And it's very possible that he was there with them. And because he was running away from the IDF, they were ordered shot and murdered there, and he began his struggle to survive in that neighborhood. And of course, he failed.
COLLINS: Yes, just the idea that he was moving with bodyguards. They saw suspicious activity, and then realized they had -- they had killed this person. The big question, though, is, what does this mean? What are the next steps in this war? You're hearing from President Biden praising this. But that is the question is, what is the day after? Because this is one of Netanyahu's stated goals in the war that Israel has been conducting in Gaza.
MAJOR MIKE LYONS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, Kaitlan, first of all, Israel fights like a superpower. They use incredible intelligence, airstrikes, drone technology.
When you look at that video of them taking of Sinwar there. The fact that they wanted to definitely identify him. They don't rush in there. I mean, they've become masters now at urban warfare. I hope the United States Army, and I'm sure we are, we're going to bring these people back to our war colleges, and we study -- we'll study this for years.
But what's next? Lot of confusion. There's going to be confusion on, really, three elements.
First, Hamas leadership. What does that look like? I mean, that didn't look like a military leader there in that room. There's no radios around him. He's not commanding anything. He's an aspirational leader, and that's about it. So, he was not commanding people on the ground. So anything that's going on in Hamas militarily is very dispersed. There's no -- it's all about intent right now. So that's the first thing. There's going to be chaos there.
I think the second thing in there is Israel's not stopping. They're going to continue to put military pressure on, as they should, right now. They'll maybe a short window of, you know, kind of a pausing a little bit. But they're not going to stop. They're going to continue to go after Hamas, go after their capability to wage war.
And then that last thing is, what does the humanitarian effort going to be?
COLLINS: But can we just talk about that video again? The video showing Sinwar on the second floor of that building. He has no bodyguards. They had already been killed, we believe.
LYONS: Yes.
COLLINS: But, I mean, that seems like something out of a movie.
LYONS: Yes.
COLLINS: The idea that they have this footage. I mean, have you seen something similar to that?
LYONS: No, nothing like this. And again, this is not someone running anything. This is someone running from Israel. He's not running a military.
This is not a military operation. It was clearly a tactical victory now, for Israel, and they should be obviously proud of what they took down. What the strategic implications are? We just have to see it.
Everything is going to eventually come back, What does Iran do? Does Iran decide to double down now and support more Hamas? Do they support more there? Do they decide to ignore what's happening in Gaza, and focus more on what's going on in Hezbollah?
COLLINS: Well, you actually have reporting. Because that is the question. Everyone is -- as this is happening, it's in the middle of waiting for Israel's retaliation against Iran, after they launched that major missile attack on Israel. What is your sense of how this impacts that?
[21:10:00]
EYAL: I spoke with a senior security official just before going on this show. And what he told me, an Israeli security official, and he told me, This changes nothing in terms of our reaction towards Iran.
Israel at this point, unless the Axis of Resistance is being ordered by the Supreme Leader of Iran to stand down, something that the Israelis, and the Americans have been pushing, since the beginning of the war. And this is not a likely scenario. Israel will respond, say Israeli officials, to the Iranian attack on Israel.
Now, the type of response, the intensity is this, what kind of installations, Iranian installations, Islamic Republic installations, are going to be hit? Is this going to be Revolutionary Guard? Is this going to be maybe oil and production? That's a different story.
COLLINS: Yes.
EYAL: And right now, they might dilute it because of pressure coming from the administration. But it's going to happen
COLLINS: Well, and John, what we had heard from U.S. officials all along was a lot of blame on Sinwar, for the idea that there were no more hostages being released, for what he was just bringing up with the six hostages, who were murdered not long ago in that tunnel.
His brother is still alive. There's a question of who resumes the top of Hamas leadership? How quickly they act? What that looks like in terms of, they're weakened. Are they more pragmatic? Are they going to release the hostages as part of this? I mean, what does -- these are pretty critical next 72 hours, it seems like.
MILLER: Exactly. And for both Prime Minister Netanyahu and for Hamas, because they're they both are at the same two forks in the road, you know?
So, what the U.S. intelligence community has been talking about all day is what happens in those 72 hours.
Version one. Hamas announces a new leader within 72 hours, and says, It is so and so. Questions spill from that. Is it Mohammed Sinwar, or is it somebody from the political side? What does the new leadership signal to what could happen at a table of negotiators, in Qatar?
But then, what else do they do? Do they take a stand and send some long-range missiles into Israel that they still have stashed someplace, to say, We have a new leader and we're back in business? Now for Bibi, that means, OK, we're back in the war game. This isn't what it could have been.
The flip side of that is, does Bibi say, Sinwar is dead, Hamas is crushed. I have broken Hezbollah on the other side. So Iran, who was 10-feet tall, a month and a half ago, their sword is broken, their proxy is disabled. We can now start, to begin with, Give us back our hostages, and we'll get into some talks about what comes next.
COLLINS: Yes.
MILLER: This week is going to be critical in seeing who moves which way.
COLLINS: And as Biden said today in his statement, President Biden, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out an October 7th level attack. We'll see what happens to those hostages who are still there.
MILLER: That's true.
COLLINS: Thank you to all of my experts who are here.
As I mentioned a few moments ago, any moment, Donald Trump is going to address the dinner that we are looking at here in New York, seated next to some of the people he has been the most harshly critical of, and some of whom are investigating him and have investigated him.
Vice President Harris is also said to deliver remarks.
We'll bring both of those moments to you here. Stay with us.
[21:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Any moment now, we're about to hear from Donald Trump speaking at the annual Al Smith Dinner, here in New York City, a major fundraising event for Catholic charities that's seen as this basically ritual of American politics. It's usually a moment for presidential candidates to get up and joke about their opponent and themselves.
Trump was actually mocked, the last time he attended in 2016.
Harris, I should note, tonight, is skipping the tradition altogether, opting to campaign out in Wisconsin instead, and sending in a prerecorded video to those that you see here seated on the dais.
My political sources are here.
Maria Cardona is a Democratic strategist.
Scott Jennings was a senior adviser to Mitch McConnell. And Sara Fischer is a Senior Media Reporter for Axios.
Maria, what do you make of Harris' decision not to attend this dinner. Instead, I think she held three rallies today, in Wisconsin.
Trump earlier was saying, she shouldn't have been allowed to send a prerecorded video in.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I don't think it's a big deal for her. I don't think there's really any real political consequences to her not going.
I took a look at the video. It's funny and it's serious. I think it gets done the kind of message that she would want to have sent, even if she did go personally. So, I really don't think she's missing anything.
And she's doing, frankly, what she should be doing, right? And this very contracted timeframe for her, she should be out doing everything she can in the battleground states.
COLLINS: Well, and it seemed -- I mean, this is a dinner, where people will kind of roast each other. It's supposed to be funny.
CARDONA: Yes.
COLLINS: But it seems like that was what was happening out on the campaign trail today. We saw Bill Clinton out there. We saw Harris out there.
CARDONA: Yes.
COLLINS: Here's a little bit of what voters heard out on the trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
BILL CLINTON, 42ND U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm only two months younger than Donald Trump.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: But--
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: --good news for you is, I will not spend 30 minutes swaying back and forth to music.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I mean, Scott, in a real sense, when they're making fun of Trump, on the campaign trail, and you're kind of listening to how they're approaching him, in these final closing weeks. What do you think voters think about that?
[21:20:00]
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO MITCH MCCONNELL: Not much really.
I mean, I think Bill Clinton's been a terrible surrogate so far, honestly. I mean, the last two times we saw him in public, once he was making the case about how Kamala Harris has failed on immigration, by invoking the Laken Riley situation, and saying that the Biden-Harris administration not properly vetted the illegal immigrants who killed her. And then--
COLLINS: Yes, he criticized Republicans for sinking the bipartisan border deal too.
JENNINGS: Fine. And then -- and then--
COLLINS: I just noted.
JENNINGS: And then, secondly, we saw him at the funeral for Ethel Kennedy, making bizarre, like quasisexual references about her. I mean, he's been a terrible surrogate.
And Obama was a terrible surrogate.
And Harris was terrible on Fox News, the other night.
This is a campaign that cannot find a way to land the plane.
And she's skipping the Catholic dinner. At the same time, one of her top surrogates is out cutting bizarre videos, mocking Communion. And I'm talking about the Governor of Michigan, Whitmer.
And so, they have problems with Catholics. There's polling showing that Trump is bouncing back to 2016 levels with Catholics. They got problems with their surrogates, and they got problem with a candidate, who can't answer basic questions about the economy and immigration? I think Trump's OK to that. COLLINS: Can we talk about that Fox interview, last night? We obviously had a big breakdown of that last night. But we just now found out how many other people were watching it. 7 million people, Sara, tuned into that. I mean, that's a lot of eyeballs who were watching her.
That yours is a Republican view of what you thought of her answers.
But the fact that she was there, maybe some of those viewers having never seen her kind of in an unfiltered moment, where she's speaking and taking questions.
SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST, SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes, so just for context, normally, you're going to get about 2 million viewers on Fox, during that hour. So, to get 7 million, that's a very big jump.
And I think what it speaks to is, if you're a candidate on the trail right now, you have to really focus on hitting those undecided voters in battleground states. So, for Kamala Harris skipping the Catholic dinner in New York. I mean, New York is not a battleground state. Donald Trump skipping CNBC. I mean, that's reaching a small amount of business elites, mostly on coasts.
You can start to see them peeling out from the opportunities are that are and (ph) going to hit people in Michigan, in Nevada, in those swing states, that's going to be the strategy from now to Election Day.
COLLINS: Yes.
CARDONA: And I was going to say that what Kamala Harris is doing, right now, is she is actually showing strength. Regardless of what my dear friend, Scott, is saying. She is campaigning from a position of strength, from a position of confidence.
I think doing the Fox interview fed into that confidence. She gave it to Bret Baier. She got some really tough questions. She answered them well. And then, she also called him out on something, when he tried to pretend that Donald Trump said something that he didn't. She called him out on it, and he apologized. He realized what he had done.
So, I think that what she's doing now, she's going to all of the platforms to speaking to all of the voters, because this is going to be a campaign, and an election that is going to be won on the margins.
And there are a lot of Republicans, I think, disaffected Republicans, even people who voted for Trump in 2020, who are now seeing Trump now. And even though people say, Oh, but people know what they're getting with Trump.
Trump has been more deranged every time he speaks, and a lot of people are saying it, he is not the same man that he was in 2020. And that, I think, is something that the Kamala Harris campaign is focusing on, message-wise, about how dangerous he is, how unserious he is, but the consequences of him getting into office again will be brutally serious.
JENNINGS: It's kind of funny to me to hear Maria say that Trump's not the same person he was in 2020. When Kamala Harris has literally changed every position she ever took, in 2019. You tell me who the -- who's the same candidate and who isn't.
I have a disagreement on the position of strength. I don't think it's very strong, to schedule a 30-minute interview, show up late, do a few minutes, and then have your staff, off-camera, frantically waving their arms, trying to get Bret Baier to end the interview. That's equivalent in boxing to throw in the towel in.
CARDONA: But--
JENNINGS: So, this was not a position of strength
CARDONA: What?
JENNINGS: And I don't -- 7 million people watched it? I wish it was--
CARDONA: I don't know -- I don't know.
JENNINGS: I wish it really isn't 7 million.
(CROSSTALK)
FISCHER: It's like covering media. That's what every single corporate--
CARDONA: Yes.
JENNINGS: Oh, come on.
FISCHER: --executive and politician does.
CARDONA: Thank you.
FISCHER: But I will say this.
JENNINGS: No way.
FISCHER: What the point is, is they have two campaigns. You have your real-life campaign. You have your online campaign. When you go into the Fox den, and you cut those clips, that's how you're energizing young voters online.
CARDONA: That's exactly right.
FISCHER: More so than going on Call Her Daddy--
CARDONA: Right.
FISCHER: --which is like a clap, supportive audience.
CARDONA: Yes.
FISCHER: This is them watching her go into the den, and that, I think was going to help her with young people.
COLLINS: I mean, and there's a question of how many people watched it. But on the point about Trump and the interviews.
CARDONA: She got like double the viewers of Trump. More so.
COLLINS: Than his town hall that he did earlier--
CARDONA: You know that's going to really needle him.
COLLINS: --earlier during the day.
CARDONA: Yes, exactly.
COLLINS: Well, on that point, though, Trump is pulling out of the CNBC interview, and another NBC interview with Christine Romans, I believe.
He did do a podcast, Scott, where he was talking about Ukraine's war, and Russia's war in Ukraine, and what that's going to look like.
JENNINGS: Yes.
COLLINS: Here's something he said during that podcast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think Zelenskyy is one of the greatest salesmen I've ever seen. Every time he comes in, we give him a $100 billion. Who else got that kind of money in history? There's never been. And that doesn't mean I don't want to help him. Because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:25:00]
COLLINS: I mean, he didn't let the war start. Russia invaded his country.
JENNINGS: Yes, I'm glad he said he wanted to help him. This has to end with Russia's defeat.
And however this campaign turns out, and whatever happens in the Congress, there's only one way for this to end, whoever's in charge. Russia must be defeated. This has to come to an end at some point. I'm glad the President said he wants--
COLLINS: But he is wrong--
JENNINGS: --to help Zelenskyy.
COLLINS: He is wrong in how he framed that. He makes it sound like, like Zelenskyy just let it happen. I mean, they wanted to kill Zelenskyy.
JENNINGS: Yes, Russia is the bad guy here. I have no trouble telling the good guys from the bad guys. Russia is the bad guy here.
COLLINS: Yes.
CARDONA: I'm so -- I'm so glad Scott's saying this.
Because this is also, I think, a theme that the Kamala Harris campaign is putting out there, in terms of how Donald Trump literally bows down to Putin, and that is going to be something that will worry Americans. Worry a lot of Republicans who feel the way that Scott does, because that's the right way to feel.
COLLINS: Yes.
CARDONA: And I think it's a great message for them to underscore.
COLLINS: Yes, and well and he's seated so close to Schumer, right now, at that dinner, who obviously, they have very different views on--
CARDONA: Right.
COLLINS: --on aid to Ukraine.
CARDONA: Yes.
COLLINS: We are waiting to see what Donald Trump says when he gets up at that -- on that -- at that microphone in just a few moments from now. That should happen any moment.
Also up next. You're going to want to hear what Scott has to say about this. Because stupid, despicable, that is what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell apparently said about Donald Trump before he endorsed him. That's according to a new book, by a well-sourced reporter. And McConnell has a new response out today that you'll also want to hear.
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Stupid. Despicable. Narcissist. Those are the words that Mitch McConnell reportedly used to describe Donald Trump after the 2020 election, according to an upcoming biography of the Senate Republican leader.
The Associated Press has new excerpts from the reporter tonight, revealing that McConnell privately said in a recorded diary of his, quote, "It's not just the Democrats who are counting" down the days until Trump leaves office. And quote, "For a narcissist" like Trump, his 2020 election loss has "Been really hard to take."
In another, McConnell reportedly called Trump, stupid, ill-tempered, adding that he "Can't even figure out where his own best interests lie."
My panel is back, I should mention.
Scott, what are your thoughts on the book? JENNINGS: Ah--
COLLINS: Not on the book. What are your thoughts on what McConnell said--
JENNINGS: Yes.
COLLINS: --about Donald Trump?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, they're not going to be golfing buddies. These are two guys who are -- couldn't be different, you know? Brash New York real estate developer versus Southern institutionalist senator. That didn't stop them from working together before, and it's not stopping McConnell from realizing what the best direction the country is now.
But there is really, obviously, no disputing, McConnell was really, really upset with Trump, at the end of his administration, at the end of December and then -- and then on January the 6th. He made that clear in public statements. He made it clear on the Senate floor. He's made it clear in this book. That's never going to change.
I mean, he has very strong feelings about what Trump did that day. At the same time, he also has strong feelings about the future of the direction of the government and other country. And like he said, in his statement, today, a lot of Republicans have had disagreements with Trump over the years.
COLLINS: Let me--
JENNINGS: And now we're all back on the same team.
COLLINS: No, no, this is a statement worth reading in full. Sometimes we sum them up.
This is what McConnell said today when this report came out. He said, quote, "Whatever I may have said about President Trump pales in comparison to what J.D. Vance, Lindsey Graham and others have said about him, but we are all on the same team now."
JENNINGS: Yes, and look, there are -- there are millions of Republican voters, all over this country--
COLLINS: I mean, that bus just ran over J.D. Vance and Lindsey Graham.
JENNINGS: Yes, but there's nothing -- there's nothing new about this. We know what J.D. Vance said, said some of it on CNN. We know what Lindsey Graham said.
We know what lots of Republicans have said. And we know that a lot of Republican voters have had issues with Trump, over the years, on January 6th and other issues. And now, they're confronted with a choice. And the choice is a center-right government and that kind of direction for our country, or Kamala Harris.
And Mitch McConnell, nor the average rank-and-five Republican voter thinks they got to have Kamala Harris ram down their throat, just because they had some kind of fundamental disagreement with their party's nominee in the past. So, all the Republicans are together, even if they're not going to go golfing this weekend.
COLLINS: OK, they're not all, together. I think Mike Pence, Mitt Romney and others would like a word.
Maria, what do you just make of this? I mean, all of those comments from McConnell, he has endorsed him. He is voting for him.
CARDONA: And that is one of the things I think, that the American people look at the Republican Party, and say, Where is your backbone, where are your morals, where is your true north? You say these horrible things about somebody, and then you just come back and you kiss the ring because you're afraid for your own political future? That is not real leadership.
And I think the vast majority of Americans believe that. And especially when this book comes out, they're going to see it yet again that yet another well-respected Republican leader, that historically represented Republican values, and Republican positions, said bad things about Donald Trump.
And Scott's right, they all did. But then, he also capitulated, bend the knee, kissed the ring, endorsed him, because he was thinking about his own political future. Now he's a free man.
FISCHER: But that's also to say there's really not--
CARDONA: So hopefully, he'll be starting to say, you know?
FISCHER: --there's not much more of a political future.
I think Mitch McConnell developed reputation for being one of the most careful, calculated politicians on the Hill. Now that he's on his way out, he can kind of let loose. And that's why that statement doesn't deny the reporting.
JENNINGS: Yes.
FISCHER: He's not trying to get into a fight--
JENNINGS: Right.
FISCHER: --with the reporter and say, I didn't say those things.
CARDONA: Yes.
FISCHER: His response is kind of like, Yes, I said it. We all said it. I'm on my way out.
JENNINGS: And this isn't--
COLLINS: Well, and it's he recorded it himself. I mean, there are quotes that McConnell, it's a recorded diary of basically--
JENNINGS: Well he--
COLLINS: --his audio.
JENNINGS: --he's keeping archives because of his leadership position.
[21:35:00]
COLLINS: Sure.
JENNINGS: Well, a couple things that are important to remember. What you said is true. He won't be the leader, after this term, so he doesn't have responsibility for the whole Conference.
Number two, he's got two years left in this term.
Number three, they had a pretty successful run on domestic policy.
They are going to have some run-ins, I think, on foreign policy, where McConnell is going to focus. The next couple of years is on defense spending, rebuilding America's military, making us the arsenal of democracy and our overall role in the world.
They may butt heads on this. But overall, McConnell would tell you, We cut taxes. We put judges on the court. We did the Supreme Court. We did things that moved the country in a direction that fundamentally reflect my Republican values. And I think that's why he has no trouble voting Republican--
COLLINS: But -- but--
JENNINGS: --in this election.
COLLINS: Despicable and a narcissist? Not clear what Trump will do on Ukraine. He wants to end the war. Zelenskyy has talked about, you know--
JENNINGS: Yes.
COLLINS: --ending it on Putin's terms, and not Ukraine's terms.
JENNINGS: They may butt heads on this.
COLLINS: There's also--
JENNINGS: Well--
COLLINS: It's more than butting heads, though. And it made me think of what is coming out in the Bob Woodward book, two books that are deeply revealing a lot of information.
CARDONA: Yes.
COLLINS: With General James -- Secretary Mattis--
CARDONA: Yes. COLLINS: --who was the Trump's Defense Secretary, his first one, who agreed with Mark Milley, who called Trump the most dangerous person ever. Now these -- this is something that's being reported in a book. He's not necessarily giving interviews, and saying this publicly.
CARDONA: Right. But that -- but that's -- he's also not the only one.
And so this, I think, also goes to a trend, which is where many Republicans are so worried about Donald Trump, that they are putting country before party, and they are going to support Kamala Harris. She had this big event with over a 100 Republicans. Many of them, many of the Republicans, who worked for Donald Trump, in his cabinet, the closest advisers to him.
When you are somebody that is -- wants to be the leader of the free world yet again, for the second time? And your closest advisers who work for you the first time, are the first ones to say, This person is too dangerous to be Commander-in-Chief again? The American people are going to listen to that. And especially Republicans, who might have voted for him the first time around, are going to take notice and be like, I don't know if I can do this again.
FISCHER: But can I just say one thing on that? There's very much a difference between people who were advisers to the president, versus elected officials who still need to go out and win seats or win other races, like they have very different posturing agreed.
CARDONA: I'm not surprised.
FISCHER: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: That the elected officials have no backbone.
FISCHER: Exactly.
CARDONA: They don't want to put country before party.
FISCHER: I'm not surprised about the former Trump cabinet people are now coming out and saying, Oh, he was the worst ever, when he's -- they're not running for new races.
COLLINS: But they're also not saying it publicly in interviews themselves. It's Bob Woodward's reporting, quoting them.
FISCHER: Well, yes.
COLLINS: I think, a lot of it has to do with the military they don't want.
FISCHER: Yes.
COLLINS: They're worried about former military leaderships--
FISCHER: Yes. (CROSSTALK)
CARDONA: But they're like Olivia Troye--
COLLINS: --speaking out and being political.
CARDONA: --and then, I mean, so many others, who were there with him. I mean, they are coming out publicly.
And so, to your point, yes, it's not elected officials. Because that is not a profile in courage, right there, especially when we've seen the crumbling of the Republican Party, and then the remaking of the Trump party, because that is exactly what's happening.
And so, when you have a lot of Republicans, who are bending the knee, regardless of the bad things that they have said about Donald Trump. And then another group of Republicans, and Kamala Harris is a Democrat who is highlighting that? You're going to have a lot of Americans say, You know what? This is consequential. This person is too dangerous to elect yet again, and I am also going to put country before party.
COLLINS: Yes, and I should note--
JENNINGS: And I'm just saying--
COLLINS: Well, actually, Scott, I do want to talk about this, but speaking of people who have said critical things of Donald Trump. He is in a room with some of them right now.
Let's listen to what he's saying.
TRUMP: --under no circumstances are you allowed to use a teleprompter. And I got up here and I see this is beautiful teleprompter.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: So here I am.
But it is a tremendous thing. It's a tremendous dinner. I've come here with my father. So, it was three times, but it was also many times before that, a long time ago. And it's a very special dinner. And you've done a fantastic job, Cardinal. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: So, I'd like to thank Your Eminence very much, and members of the clergy, so many people I know.
Speaker of the House, Johnson, what a job you're doing.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: He's done a great job.
Senator Schumer, good. I supported him. I was -- I don't know. I don't know. He used to say that's true. Now I'm not sure he would. But I gave him his first check from an office in Beach Haven. And I was very proud of it. I don't know about lately.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: No, I was, I was. It was his first check. He was running, and I said, He's a good man.
Senator Gillibrand, thank you very much. Thank you very much for working hard.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Governor Hochul, wherever you may be, up -- this is a big dais, right? Where is the Governor?
[21:40:00]
Good job. It's not an easy one, is it? But you're doing all right. We have to get a little money from the federal government, I have to tell you.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: It's about -- it's about time. It's about time.
Mayor Adams, good luck with everything. They went after you.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: They went after you, Mayor.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Yes, boy, I do that.
Nine and a half months ago, I said, you need -- he just said something about it, about the administration. He's going to be indicted any moment.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And guess what happened? But you're going to win. I think you're going to win. I know you're going to win. So good luck. Good luck.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I don't like what they do. I don't like what they do.
And also distinguished guests. So many friends up here. It's great, not a great friend, some of my best friends. And you are right. They are distinguished, and they are wealthy, for the most part. Couple are having a hard time, but they're going to get over it.
(LAUGHTER) TRUMP: I also want to thank my very beautiful wife. And thank you for mentioning. But can you believe this? She did a book. And it's a really good book. And she worked hard on it. And it just became number one on The New York Times list. So I think that's OK.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: That's not an easy thing to do, especially when your name is Trump, and you're on The New York Times list, I think. That thing, that must be selling like hotcakes.
But thank you for mentioning, appreciate it. Good job you did.
It's a true pleasure to be with you this evening. Amazing pleasure. And these days, it's really a pleasure, anywhere in New York, without a subpoena for my appearance.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Any time I don't get a subpoena, I'm very happy.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: They've gone after me. Mr. Mayor, and you are peanuts compared to what they've done to me.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And you're going to be OK.
But I have to be careful, however, to understand that this will be the first time in the history of this event, where jokes will be fact- checked, and they will be. And they will be.
It's been a long tradition, for both Democrat and Republican candidates for President of the United States, to attend this dinner. Always, it's a rule, you got to go to the dinner. You got to do it. Otherwise, bad things are going to happen to you from up there. Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: You can't do what I just saw on that screen. But, my opponent feels like she does not have to be here, which is deeply disrespectful to the event and in particular, to our great Catholic community. Very disrespectful.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: The last Democrat not to attend this important event was Walter Mondale, and it did not go very well for him.
(LAUGHTER) TRUMP: He lost 49 states. And he won one, Minnesota.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: So I said, There's no way I'm missing it. Actually, it was not easy for me to get here tonight. Cardinal, I wasn't going to miss this thing, no matter. I didn't care.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I wasn't going to miss it.
But that's true. Walter Mondale, 49 and one. He was expected to do well, and it didn't work out.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: It shows you, there is a God. I mean, for those people that are questioning it.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I understand the real reason that she's not here. She's hunting with her running mate, spending a lot of time hunting.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: In any event, it's a weird, weird, weird, weird. You know the word, weird. They called me weird. They called J.D., weird. We're very solid people. This guy is calling us weird. But this was weird that the Democrat candidate is not here with us tonight.
I want to also congratulate somebody who's going to make us all healthy. RFK Jr., we love you. I don't see him. He's campaigning all over the place.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: He's campaigning.
He was -- you're all over. Hello, you both. Nice to see you both.
Doing a good job. He's a great guy too. He really is. He's going to make us a healthier place. We're going to let him go wild for a little while, then I'm going to have to maybe rein him back.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Because he's got some pretty wild ideas, but most of them are really good, I think.
(LAUGHTER) TRUMP: He's a -- he's a good man, and he believes, he believes the environment, the healthy people. He wants healthy people, he wants healthy food. And he's going to do it. He's going to have a big chance to do it, because we do need that.
I would not have missed the Al Smith Dinner for anything in the world. I still remember coming here, as a very young guy with my father, Fred. He was a great guy, my father. He was a -- he was a tough cookie, but he had a very big heart. He was.
[21:45:00]
Anytime would walk down the street, and you don't see it too much anymore, there'd be people standing with tin cans, tin cans. And he would always take out $100 and put it in that can. And I always thought it was beautiful. And frankly, I even think more so now it was beautiful because nowadays you don't see it so much. But I miss him. And we used to come here very religiously.
And a great New York tradition has been born, 79 years ago. It was born 79 years ago. And there are some people that were here for almost that length. I know many of them. And it's not a pretty picture.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: It's not a pretty picture.
The two candidates for president are supposed to exchange good-natured barbs. And you know, we get along very well. I didn't like Biden very much. And now I like him quite a bit, you know it's.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And now I say that she's much worse than him. He was a much better candidate than her, actually. And when we hopefully win, dispose of her. I like her a lot. But right now, I can't stand her. It's true.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I can't stand her. I've never liked people that I was competing against. When you do, a lot of bad things happen.
And we are doing well. By the way, the votes are starting to come in. You got to get out and vote in. Catholics, you got to vote for me. Just remember.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: You better remember, I'm here, and she's not.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I could have done that too.
But you do something that's incredible, the Catholic Church, you're helping the poor, educating children, and supporting the vulnerable.
But if you really wanted Vice President Harris to accept your invitation, I guess you should have told her, the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here, guaranteed, she would have been here.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: Guaranteed.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: She would have been OK. She would have been OK with that.
But I know this isn't my normal crowd, tonight, because it just isn't. It's not my normal crowd. Believe me, my normal crowd is younger.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Has a lot more energy.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But you have certain advantages too.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Like, cash, lots of cash.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But many of you are Manhattan liberals from the media and the Democrat Party. I always say the Democrat. You know, Chuck doesn't like that. He likes Democratic. And it sounds much more beautiful, the Democratic Party. I always say the Democrat Party, because it sounds worse.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And it's true. He likes Democratic. Why don't they just change the name, this way? You know, they -- it is Democrat.
But I must say, I was shocked when I heard that Kamala was skipping the Al Smith Dinner. I'd really hope that she would come, because we can't get enough of hearing her beautiful laugh. She laughs like crazy.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: We would recognize it any place in this room.
And all polls are indicating I'm leading big with the Catholic vote, as I should be, as I should be.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: But I don't think Kamala has given up yet. She hasn't. Instead of attending tonight, she's in Michigan receiving Communion from Gretchen Whitmer.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: That's not a pretty sight.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But Catholics, please don't be too insulted by Kamala's absence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
TRUMP: If the Democrats -- thank you very much. I appreciate it.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: If Democrats really wanted to have someone not be with us this evening, they would have just sent Joe Biden.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: You know, he's having second thoughts. You know that, right? He's having. He wants to come back. If she does any worse in the polls, they're going to bring him back again, I think.
Chuck, he's going to do it. He's the one that got him out. That's the guy. Much more so than Crazy Nancy, I will tell you, because I know him. He did it.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Joe has almost disappeared from view. The only way he could be seen less is if he had a show on CNN. They had nothing.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: They've got nothing. Fake news, right? Fake.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: That term wasn't good. You know, they say that term is no longer in vogue, because it's much worse than fake. I don't want to tell you what the real name is. I won't do it. Because all those cameras would shut off immediately. They don't like that.
But apparently Joe didn't think it was fair for me to have the podium to myself, with Kamala skipping the event. So he called, looked at me, and said, Don't. (LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Does anybody understand that? Yes, it's.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I was -- I thought it was actually very good until just now.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: It was announced this morning that at a funeral yesterday, in a rare moment of clarity, Joe told Barack Hussein Obama that, quote--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible).
(LAUGHTER)
[21:50:00]
TRUMP: Only a few people got that. Or as Rush Limbaugh used to say, Barack Hussein Obama. Remember Barack? He was a piece of work. We miss him.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But as he told, Barack Hussein Obama, quote, She's not as strong as me. She's not as strong. Do you understand that?
And Obama agreed, saying, That's true.
Other than that, I think the Democrats are getting along quite well, right? Again, nobody got that one.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: The fact is, we need new leadership in this country. Right now, we have someone in the White House, who can barely talk, barely put together two coherent sentences, who seems to have mental faculties of a child. This is a person that has nothing going, no intelligence whatsoever. But enough about Kamala Harris. Let's get on to something.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I know Kamala's word because she spends a lot of time complaining, I won't agree to another debate. But the truth is, I've debated twice this year, once against Joe Biden and once against David Muir of ABC.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: That was amazing 11 times. None for the other side. Do you think that's fair news? I don't think so. That's fake news.
I don't know what's going to happen three weeks from now. It's going to be very interesting. It just started. It's actually -- it's actually -- isn't it sort of exciting, right? Really? Isn't it just exciting, what's going on. It's a process. It's a rough process, too. Not so pretty. And yet sometimes very beautiful.
But the press is reporting, the Democrats are starting to panic. They're panicking. They are panicking. Because, you know, the votes that are coming in, they're coming in very, very strong, a certain way. I won't tell you what way that is.
But Chuck Schumer is here looking very glum.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Doesn't he look glum? He looks glum.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But look on the bright side, Chuck. Considering how woke your party has become. If Kamala loses, you still have a chance to become the first woman president.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And actually I said, Do you mind if I do that? He said, No, you got to do what you got to do. He's a pro. He's a professional.
No, he's a good man, actually, I hate to say it.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Don't ever use it against me, please. I'll say, this dinner was really setting me back, when I say that. But I've known him a long time.
There's a group called White Dudes for Harris. Have you seen this? White Dudes for Harris? Anybody know? Are some of you here? White Dudes for Harris.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: Doesn't sound like it.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But I'm not worried about them at all, because their wives and their wives' lovers are all voting for me.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Every one of those people are voting for me.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE) TRUMP: And as you may have seen, Kamala did an interview on Fox News, yesterday. It went so poorly for her that the Democrats have been forced to install another 100 drop boxes throughout the city.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And the upside really is Kamala now sees the benefit of deportation. She wants to deport people. She's vicious. She wants to deport people. And she wants to start by deporting Bret Baier of Fox.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: It's an interesting interview last night though.
A major issue in this race is childcare, and Kamala has put forward a concept of a plan. A lot of people don't like it. The only piece of advice I would have for her, in the event that she wins, would be not to let her husband, Doug, anywhere near the nannies. Just keep him away.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: That's a nasty one.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: That's nasty. I told these idiots that gave me this stuff, That's too tough.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Oh, I did -- I did. You know, they told me, the last time I did this, I was running against crooked Hillary.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And, I mean, Hillary.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: No, I was running against crooked Hillary, and I did it. And I thought it was a roast. So, I was told it's a roast. And I had the meanest guy you've ever seen write stuff up. And man, was the room angry? Even the Cardinal remembers. I went overboard. Don't you agree, Cardinal? It was like terrible.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And I knew I was in trouble around midway through. Because, you know, people are not -- even my own side was angry at me. They were saying, It's too much. But I did it anyway. I didn't give a damn.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Campaigning could take a toll on a family and family life, although I hear that Kamala and her husband carve out some really beautiful alone time at the end of the day for an intimate dinner. Just Doug, her, and the teleprompter that she uses quite well.
[21:55:00]
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And by the way, she wouldn't have liked this tonight, if she was told about no teleprompter.
I can't believe I saw a teleprompter. They said they've never had a teleprompter in the history of this dinner. I told that to the Cardinal, right? And then a teleprompter pops up for -- he must be a very important comedian to get that.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: They give you one, but not me. How about that one, huh? Come here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got one.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And you did a good job.
Tradition holds that I'm supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes, this evening. So here it goes.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Nope. I've got nothing.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I've got nothing.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: There's nothing to say.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I guess I just don't see the point of taking shots at myself, when other people have been shooting at me for a hell of a long time. And they shoot, right?
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: You know, they say about presidents, they say that Andrew Jackson was the president that was the most meanly treated. His wife died. She died of heartache. She was heartbroken at the way they treated him.
And they say that second was Abraham Lincoln. But he was in charge of a civil war, you know, so. But those were the two. Andrew Jackson. Up until me. Now, they say it's not even close. There's never been a president that's been treated so badly as me, and our people aren't happy about it. But I was treated a little bit rough. But I don't mind it, somehow, and I think it's just part of the game.
I'd like to thank our emcee this evening, Jim Gaffigan. Most recently, Jim has been playing Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live. And that will be a very short gig, I hope, Jim.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But it was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Let's see how that lasts, right? It better be quick. We don't want him, and we don't -- I'm not going to say anymore.
But unfortunately, Governor Walz isn't here himself. But don't worry, he'll say that he was. He's going to say he was.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I used to think the Democrats were crazy for saying that men have periods. But then I met Tim Walz.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: This stupid show, The View, is so bad now, that the other day, I was watching it, and thinking to myself, You know what? They really need to bring Rosie O'Donnell back.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: That show is bad. Those people are bad. I know every one of them, and they are bad news, I want to tell you. And it doesn't do very well either. I always like to say, You know, rating isn't very important, when they don't do well. It doesn't do very well.
As I look around the day, as I see all of the usual suspects. For instance, Mayor Adams. I'd like to poke some fun at Eric. But I'm going to be nice. I just want to be nice, because I know what it's like to be persecuted by the DOJ, for speaking out against open borders.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: We were persecuted, Eric.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I was persecuted, and so are you, Eric.
The Mayor's dietary restrictions are well-known. But I've got to say, I've never met a person, who's a vegan, who like turkey so much.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: There's something about him with Turkey, I just found that out today. You know, I haven't been in New York that much. Don't let it. In fact, you're going to win, Eric.
We have another former New York City Mayor with us, frankly, easily the worst in our history.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: And it's not Michael. That I can tell you.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I'm surprised that Bill de Blasio was actually able to make it tonight, to be honest. He was a terrible mayor. I don't give a shit, if this is comedy or not.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: He was a terrible mayor.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: He did a horrible -- he did a horrible job. That's not comedy, by the way. That's fact.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: But unlike the rest of New York, at least, Bill doesn't have to worry about the criminals. They owe him big.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: He let them get away with a lot of stuff.
Well, I'd better wrap up, because Mayor Adams told me earlier that I needed to make this one very quick. Especially, the City has reserved this room for a large group of illegal aliens coming in from Texas.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: That's right. They've reserved many rooms, many rooms, a lot of rooms, too many rooms.
But in all seriousness, it's an honor to be here to support the city and the community. It's a great community that I love. I've been here a long time, and I love it. And then it's going to make a big comeback, and I'm going to help it make a comeback. I'm going to win, and I'm going to make a comeback. We're going to turn this thing around.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[22:00:00]
TRUMP: And I want to pay tribute to a really incredible man, a man who was a tremendous politician. And actually the fact that he was Catholic was it probably did him in, right? It probably -- nobody knows for sure. But he was a great guy, Al Smith, great guy. Everyone says it. Happy Warrior.
I've said before that -- I'll say it again, and I'll say it again, as many times, as I have to, directly to the Mayor, the Governor, if I have --
