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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump Says He'll Meet With Putin In Alaska Next Friday; Trump's DOJ Subpoenas NY Attorney General Letitia James; New Netflix Docuseries Dives Into World Of SEC Football. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 08, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ILAY DAVID, BROTHER OF HOSTAGE EVYATAR DAVID: I mean, he hasn't -- he hasn't lost hope yet.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Ilay David, thank you for your time at this very difficult moment, sir. Appreciate it very much.
DAVID: Thank you, John.
KING: Thank you.
And that's all for us. Appreciate your patience for the breaking news. I'm John King, in for Anderson. Hope you have a peaceful weekend.
"THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: One week from now, Vladimir Putin will be on U.S. soil. What we know about this next summit, and the face-to- face meeting between President Trump and President Putin?
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Vladimir Putin is returning to U.S. soil, with President Trump announcing plans to welcome the Russian leader to Alaska, exactly one week from tonight.
But even in this post, the President making clear, there's still a lot of details to come, as we wait to see.
And in a sign of just how quickly all of this came together, this was the President, just a few hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'll be meeting very shortly with President Putin. It would have been sooner, but I guess there's security arrangements that unfortunately people have to make. Otherwise, I'd do it much quicker. He would do -- he'd like to meet as soon as possible. I agree with it. But we'll be announcing that very shortly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, word of this meeting comes, after President Trump's deadline for a peace deal came and went. The President has threatened secondary sanctions and tariffs. They have not been imposed, as far as we know tonight, as we come on the air.
But that could be because we are learning more, here tonight, about the deal that the Russian leader reportedly presented, to the President's Foreign envoy, Steve Witkoff, when he was in Russia this week.
According to what Putin proposed, the current battle lines would essentially freeze where they are right now, for the most part. Ukraine would hand over the Eastern Donbas region, the majority of which is still currently occupied by Russia, as well as Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. That means Putin would essentially get to keep a bunch of the land that he invaded, if what he has proposed is agreed to.
President Trump signaled today that at least some Ukrainian territory may remain in Russian hands, when all of this is said and done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's very complicated, but we're going to get some back. We're going to get some -- some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President didn't go into detail on what this swap would involve. We'll likely learn much of that, over the next seven days, as this meeting gets set to take place. But it comes as the administration has been trying to get European allies on board with the plan.
One leader we have yet to hear from, since this announcement from President Trump, is Ukraine's.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Zelenskyy wants to see peace. Now, President Zelenskyy has to get all of his -- everything he needs, because he's going to have to get ready to sign something, and I think he is working hard to get that done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Of course, the last time Zelenskyy, quote, had "To get ready to sign something," it triggered a major blow-up between Trump and Zelenskyy, inside the Oval Office, over that minerals deal.
One thing that has been clear, inside the White House, this week, is just how unsettled a lot of this still is. Even if this meeting goes forward, and we see what happens in this historic summit, Russia has a history of not honoring agreements that it makes with other world leaders, when it comes to invading other nations.
And President Trump says, though, that he feels confident, this time could be different.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think my instinct really tells me that we have a shot at it, OK? And you'll find that out later on, and maybe even today, but we have a shot at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: My lead source tonight is John Bolton, President Trump's National Security Adviser in his first term, who knows both of these men very well.
And Ambassador Bolton, it's great to have you here.
I mean, you were in the room in 2018, in Helsinki, when this happened. What do you make of the fact that Putin has now been invited to Alaska?
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, it's very gracious of Putin to come to former Russian America for this summit. This is not quite as bad as Trump inviting the Taliban to Camp David, to talk about the peace negotiations in Afghanistan, but it certainly reminds one of that.
The only better place for Putin than Alaska would be if the summit were being held in Moscow. So, the initial setup, I think, is a great victory for Putin. He's a rogue leader of a pariah state, and he's going to be welcomed into the United States.
[21:05:00]
Second, I have a feeling, this is sliding very quickly in Russia's direction. We're not quite back at February the 28th, in the Oval Office, when Trump told Zelenskyy, You don't have any cards. But what's happening is that Russia and the United States are discussing what terms they're going to present to Zelenskyy, and it may well be that Zelenskyy has no choice here. Surrendering is always one way to get a peace deal.
And it seems to me, you listen to Trump talking about how things are progressing, that even without the meeting, Putin's got his old magic back, with Trump. And all that disappointment, all that outrage, so on and so forth, now you're talking about a deal between Trump and Putin? Think of the press that will get. I have to say, from the strategic perspective, from the U.S. interest perspective, this was not a good day.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, obviously the question had been where to meet there -- was discussion in the Middle East. Obviously, Putin can't go to Europe, or he would get arrested because of the ICC warrant.
Just the fact that he's coming to the United States. I mean, he has not been in the United States in 10 years, when he met with President Obama at the United Nations. Before that, obviously, there was a meeting with another president that you also served under. That was George W. Bush. Five times on U.S. soil, obviously, long before he invaded Ukraine. And that was when Bush had that infamous quote, where he said, quote, I looked the man in the eye, I found him very straightforward and trustworthy. I was able to get a sense of his soul. Obviously, that quote did not age well.
What would your advice be, to the person who's serving in the position that you used to be in, Secretary of State Rubio? He's the interim National Security Adviser right now.
BOLTON: Yes, well, by the way, they could have met in Geneva or Vienna. They're basically--
COLLINS: Yes.
BOLTON: --considered U.N. cities, and the ICC warrant could have been waived, and I don't think anybody would have objected, frankly.
Look, if Trump really wanted to get an equitable peace deal here, he could certainly listen to what Putin had to say. But they're doing a lot more than listening. They could -- they could receive the material and send it to Zelenskyy, and hear what he thought of it first.
This sounds an awful lot, from what we know publicly, and certainly we may not know at all, of the quote-unquote, Peace plan that JD Vance proposed in the fall of last year, during the campaign, where, essentially, Russia keeps all the territory it currently holds, a demilitarized zone, maybe with a peacekeeping force on the Ukrainian side is set up, and Ukraine pledges not to join NATO.
If Ukraine agrees to a ceasefire here, it's agreeing to its new border with Russia, effectively. I think this is a very dangerous point for Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government.
COLLINS: Ambassador Bolton, I have a feeling we will be talking a lot, over the next week. Thank you for joining us tonight to start us off.
Also here tonight, all my experts on all things Trump and Putin.
And David Sanger from The New York Times, you're here with us.
One, I just wonder what your latest reporting is on, kind of what the guidelines or basis of this summit are going to look like. We know what Trump wants. He wants this war to end. Now that he's secured this meeting with the Russian leader, what are your expectations, and what are you hearing tonight?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE & NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AUTHOR, "NEW COLD WARS": Well, I agree with Ambassador Bolton that this is a pretty dangerous moment for the Ukrainians. It may even be a risky moment for President Trump here.
So first of all, remember the old phrase during the Biden years, Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine? Well, this is a meeting that's going to take place without Ukraine. And the question is, is President Trump going to make a deal behind Ukraine's back, or is he going to go in with a set of parameters that he's discussed with President Zelenskyy, and know what he can't do or what Zelenskyy couldn't do?
It's not a surprise, Kaitlan, that the Ukrainians are going to have to give up some land here. But the question is, do they give up land because they have decided that's a worthwhile swap, and what do they get in return? And what we haven't heard yet at all is whether President Trump is going to insist that they get anything in return at all.
I mean, the two big issues have been that the Russians want to make sure that Ukraine has a limited ability to defend itself, a limited amount of arms coming from the West. We don't know if that's part of the deal or not. He wants to make sure that Ukraine never joins NATO, and that NATO lines sort of go back to where they were 15 years or more ago. We don't know if the President's willing to go do that.
COLLINS: Yes.
[21:10:00]
SANGER: But early in the administration, they gave up on NATO membership for Ukraine.
COLLINS: Yes.
And Jill, obviously, as our Kremlin expert, what is Putin's mindset going to be, going into this? I mean, we have a pretty good idea, based on what David just laid out there, of what he wants, and just how expansive he's viewing what he wants to get out of this. But what do you make of how they're approaching, coming to the United States the first time in over a decade?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Oh, I mean, I'm sure that he's thrilled. He's got, number one, he's got a meeting with the American president. That is something that he has always wanted. It's something that puts him on the international stage as an equal with the United States' president.
And they are meeting in Alaska, and the irony, as Ambassador Bolton mentioned, that used to belong to Russia. I mean, this is really very ironic. Alaska was part of Russia. I don't know whether that Putin will ask for it back. But it is -- you know, that's striking.
No Zelenskyy. Territorial concessions by Ukraine.
And remember, last night, yesterday, the big story was, What about sanctions? What will he do? What's going to happen?
Sanctions are really off the table. I mean, they did sanction India. But basically, that discussion is over. So, I think Putin goes in a good mood. And as usual, with the way the Russians negotiate, he will push for every single thing he can.
COLLINS: Yes.
And Simon Shuster, I mean, you just wrote this story, today, about the backchannel that paved the way for this to happen. Because obviously, there were questions about conversations, and what this was going to look like. This has come together in like, 48 hours. I mean, we found out about -- truly, I think it was on Wednesday that this offer had been made. They were going to try to set something up.
One, it's kind of shocking, even to White House officials, how quickly this came together. But you talk about how the authoritarian leader of Belarus, a strong ally of Putin's, Lukashenko, was a huge key in getting to this point.
SIMON SHUSTER, REPORTER, TIME: That's right. It looked like this has all come together in the last 48 hours. But in reality, it's taken months.
So, I went to Belarus, and interviewed Putin's best friend in the world, his closest ally, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and he explained to me this backchannel.
So, it's been working for a few months now, since at least February, with a number of Trump administration officials coming to Belarus, to meet with Putin's close ally, to talk about what could a summit look like between Trump and Putin, what would be the conditions?
And all those signals were reaching the White House, and they were doing a couple things. One thing was delaying Trump from imposing sanctions, getting tough on Putin.
Because the Russians and, their ally, Lukashenko in Belarus, were signaling to the White House, No, Putin wants peace. Don't pay attention to all those bombings of civilian neighborhoods in Ukraine. Putin wants peace. He wants to talk.
So that was delaying Trump. It was creating hope in the White House that a peace deal could happen.
And why did this happen now, this summit? It's because Trump did finally get sick of it and got tough. He imposed sanctions. He began to bring that economic pain on the Russians. And then they raised their hands and said, Oh yes, let's have a summit. Let's meet. Let's talk about it. Let's make a deal.
And then again, Trump backed off.
COLLINS: Do you think they're just buying time here, though, by--
SHUSTER: Yes. Yes.
COLLINS: --arranging (ph) a summit?
SHUSTER: That's what they've been doing for months. I mean, in order for Putin and the Russian military to conduct their summer offensive, that has allowed them to make plotting difficult, but still significant gains in territory in Ukraine, they needed that time. And Putin has been buying himself time by telling Trump, Don't worry, we're going to get to a deal. Russia wants peace.
COLLINS: Yes, it's excellent exclusive reporting, everyone should read it, and to get an understanding, going into the summit of what this is going to look like.
But David, I wonder, Marco Rubio is not a stranger to Putin's ways, or what his attempts are. I wonder, if you think that they -- the President's top national security aides are going into this, with a clear view of how Putin operates, and what that's going to look like, and if he is trying to just buy time here.
SANGER: I think that there's clearly concern on Mr. Rubio's part. All you have to do is listen to his public statements about this. I think he's concerned that this was timed well by Putin, to try to put off those sanctions.
Putin has clearly got an attack plan on Ukraine that's playing its way out. And presumably in the fall, he wants to move on to try to get the areas around Odessa and the ports. Now, maybe that'll get cut short by an agreement here.
[21:15:00]
But if the world community comes out and basically gives Putin an acknowledgement from the U.S., and others, that he now has Crimea, that he now has this section of the Donbas, that where the fighting has gone on? Not that it will be resolved later on, and the exact borders, but that he has it now? Well, then his aggression will have been rewarded.
It will -- the rule will be that, You know, if you go out and try to invade a country, even after all the lessons of World War II? You can seize territory, and ultimately you can get the world to recognize that.
COLLINS: Yes, a scary lesson, indeed.
It's great to have all of you here. Obviously, we'll be following all the developments, on this major summit that is going to be taking place, one week from tonight, in Alaska, next week, very closely.
Up next here. A new development in Washington from someone who prosecuted President Trump. And now, his Justice Department is trying to prosecute her. The Justice Department has subpoenaed Letitia James, mining for information about her case against The Trump Organization. Details, right after this.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We are following breaking news out of Atlanta tonight, where a police officer was shot and killed, we've learned, after authorities say a man opened fire at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, which is right next to Emory University.
Police say tonight the gunman is also dead. As we're learning tonight more about why they believe he was targeting the CDC, officials so far are operating under the theory that the shooter was either sick, or believed that he was, and that he blamed his illness on the COVID vaccine. He had multiple guns on him, two handguns, a rifle and a shotgun, and he was wearing what looked like a surgical mask, according to one official.
There's new photos tonight from inside a CDC building that show bullet holes in the window. And this is what one witness, who works there, told CNN, in the last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CDC EMPLOYEE, WITNESSED SHOOTING (On Telephone): I noticed a gentleman, sort of walking on the sidewalk with what I thought looked like fishing gear at first, and then he sort of made a left, walked up a couple of steps in front of CVS, put his backpack down. That's when I realized that they were -- I think I saw two rifles, I can't be certain. But by the time, just before the light went green, he raised the rifle, sort of at an angle, and started firing at the CDC's campus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Officers found the shooter on the second floor of a CVS that's across the street from the CDC. Police say that he had been shot. It's unclear, still this hour, if it was self-inflicted.
We're continuing to learn all the details about that. And as we are, I'm joined now by the former Homeland Security Secretary under President Obama, Jeh Johnson.
And it's great to have you here, Mr. Secretary.
Obviously, there was a lot of other stuff that we were planning to get to. But just on this shooting, and being in the position that you've been in, when there -- if this is the operating theory that he was sick and he was blaming the vaccine? I mean, from a law enforcement perspective, how do you deal with the proliferation of conspiracy theories?
JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY UNDER OBAMA: Kaitlan, I look at it this way. I worry that Americans are becoming far too numb to mass shootings, attempted mass shootings. But the reality, in my judgment, is that mass shootings in America, attempted mass shootings in America, are the number one homeland security threat to our -- to our country.
Oftentimes, early on after an incident, there's a lot of misinformation about the motive and so forth. Except, we know that a good man, an officer in the DeKalb County police force, a family man, is dead tonight.
The other thing we know is that much of America is drowning in conspiracy theories, and losing grip on reality. Far too many elected officials, those with a microphone, pander to those conspiracy theories.
The other thing we know is that guns in America are far too prevalent. It is far too easy, for a deranged person, a person with serious mental health issues, to get his hands on the weapons of mass destruction. No constitutional right is absolute. Every constitutional right is subject to reasonable regulation, including the Second Amendment.
And Americans now ought to be saying to their leaders, Enough. Enough, because there has to be a way to do a better job to regulate the ability of someone with a serious mental health problem, getting their hands on an assault weapon, a gun, a handgun, or this is going to go on and on and on--
COLLINS: Yes.
JOHNSON: --in churches, in schools, universities. 345 Park Avenue, just a few blocks from here. Fort Stewart, two days ago. It's going to go on and on and on, unless the American people finally stand up and say, Enough
COLLINS: Yes, it feels like every week we're covering from a different perspective or a different angle, but obviously the same story at the center of it.
JOHNSON: Yes.
COLLINS: And we're continuing to learn more about how he -- how he obtained these firearms, tonight.
The other breaking news that we got today, speaking of New York, the Department of Justice subpoenaed the Attorney General, here in New York City, Letitia James.
JOHNSON: Yes.
[21:25:00]
COLLINS: She -- her office handled the civil fraud case against President Trump, which he has been incredibly angry about. And the subpoenas from the Northern District of New York are basically continuing this pattern, when it comes to Trump going after anyone who is involved in prosecuting him.
And I wonder, as a former federal prosecutor in New York, specifically on public corruption, your view on this.
JOHNSON: Hired by Rudy Giuliani in 1988.
COLLINS: Which is probably you could have never thought then, what the situation would be now, in 2025.
JOHNSON: Right. So, a theory by which this Department of Justice could go after the New York State Attorney General is incoherent to me. Let's put aside this allegation of mortgage fraud, which I don't really know anything about.
New York State Attorney General brought a civil case, against The Trump Organization. It was tried -- to a judge, over the course of weeks and months. It was hard-fought. Mr. Trump and his organization had attorneys, including the attorney he handpicked to be the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, and they lost. And there was a judgment issued for several hundred million dollars.
How that turns into a grand jury investigation, after all of that, is beyond me. There are 50 New York State -- 50 State A.G.s in this country, and this one happens to be the one who is subject to a grand jury investigation. It has the look and the feel of weaponizing the Department of Justice, to go after your political enemies.
COLLINS: Well, and in terms of just how he's wielding that power overall. One concern that we've heard from people is using it to go after those who prosecuted him. We've seen it with schools. And I should note, you're on the Board of Trustees at Columbia. They're pushing today for a billion-dollar settlement from UCLA, which the school has said, would devastate them if that came to fruition.
How do you make sense of how he's handling this approach to universities?
JOHNSON: Well, first, on this question of the Department of Justice. Questions need to be put to Senate Republicans, specifically the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, for example, who, in theory, have oversight over the Department of Justice.
Chuck Grassley has been a U.S. Senator for 44 years. Lindsey Graham was an Air Force Judge Advocate General, before he became a United States Senator.
Senate Republicans, House Republicans, who have oversight over DOJ, need to be asked, Why are you not investigating this, looking into exercising your oversight function?
When it comes to the universities--
COLLINS: And what do you think the answer to that is, though?
JOHNSON: Someone should ask those who are responsible.
I think that -- I'll say this. I'm a student of history. History rhymes. In January 1965, Martin Luther King said to a mostly white audience, in the thick of the civil rights movement, This generation will have to repent, not just for those involved in the bad actions, but the appalling apathy and indifference of the good people.
And those, who have the ability to exercise oversight, over law enforcement, in this administration, need to think about their own place in history, right now.
When it comes to the universities, I am a Co-chair of the Board of Trustees of Columbia. I can't speak for the university tonight. I can't speak for my fellow trustees. I'll say this. A big part of me wanted to walk away from any discussion with the Trump administration, and say, I'll see you in court. But the stakes were very high.
When you added up, between grants suspended, grants terminated, and grants where we were not getting paid, it was -- it was coming in at almost a billion, maybe over a billion dollars a year, in important grant money for science, medical research, dementia, cancer, diabetes. We had to lay off almost 200 people, and we were looking at laying off a lot more. And for the good of the university, and its mission, including its health mission, we had to stop the bleeding.
COLLINS: Do you fear that he's not done yet, though, because so many universities do see it that way? They just want to stop the bleeding?
JOHNSON: Well, there are reports that there are numerous universities under investigation. And there are reports, I don't know this firsthand, that there are universities engaged in discussions with the administration. We'll see what happens.
COLLINS: Secretary Jeh Johnson, it's always great to have you. Thank you for joining.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next here tonight. We're hearing from young Democrats who are trying to use right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk's tactics, to win over Gen Z voters. Can they be successful? We're going to speak to Donie O'Sullivan about that, ahead.
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: One of the most consequential media architects in the Trump- driven MAGAsphere has a message for Democrats tonight. Charlie Kirk declared to his millions of followers that, quote, "Conservatives are funnier than liberals."
[21:35:00]
And as CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reports, it's a narrative that has fueled the Turning Point USA Founder's media strategy to push young voters closer to MAGA, while pushing everything else out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLIE KIRK, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, TURNING POINT USA: Hello, everyone. I am Charlie Kirk, Founder of Turning Point USA, and I am surrounded by 20 woke college kids.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under a tent, with the words, Prove me wrong, Kirk brought online debater culture directly to hundreds of college campuses during the last election cycle.
KIRK: We have a problem in black America. The biggest problem is not racism. It's the lack of dads.
When exactly do heart waves begin in utero?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know that, but you don't know the--
KIRK: Hold on, no -- what you see -- well tell me when -- tell me when heartbeat--
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): And while he uses it to make viral content, its primary goal is to register Gen Z to vote MAGA.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: A wave of progressive media activists are now trying to use Charlie Cook's playbook -- Kirk's playbook, to bring young voters over to their own liberal media sphere.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'SULLIVAN: Charlie Kirk's been doing this a long time, more than 10 years. Why has it taken the left so long to catch up, and it still hasn't caught up?
STEVEN BONNELL AKA "DESTINY," ONLINE STREAMER: Republicans, vertically, are very well integrated when it comes to making sure that they're winning elections. Right?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
BONNELL: Those are people who in 2020, they thought the election was stolen in every state, basically--
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
BONNELL: --but they still showed up to vote next time. So something is happening there where they're really big on going out and winning elections
And I think that that shows at every single level to where when people are organizing, or when people are creating alternative media networks, whether you're talking Tim Pool, influencing other ones, like Joe Rogan, or trying to do things with college kids, like Charlie Kirk? They're making these events and they're gathering all these different people. For Charlie Kirk, it's school kids. But the single focus is winning elections. It's incredibly important.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And my sources tonight are the star you see there, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan.
Harry Enten has also been allowed to join us here at the table.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Thank you.
COLLINS: But Donie, I mean, it is fascinating, because you went to one of these Turning Point USA summits, alongside some of the liberal activists. I mean, how did that play out?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes, so they're trying -- I mean, what Charlie Kirk does is he goes from campus to campus. And they have hundreds of chapters, Turning Point USA has these conservative chapters in campuses all across the country. And Democrats have nothing like that, right? So, this group is trying to start that momentum, that campaign, to push back on campuses, because they're convinced that if they do bring that debate to the college campus, that they can win it over.
But it really does, I think, like underline the complacency on the left, and on the part of Democrats, when you just see this massive infrastructure that Kirk has.
COLLINS: Yes, and if you're not even trying?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
COLLINS: Where is that going to go?
What do the numbers look like on this front, Harry?
ENTEN: Yes, I mean, look, Donald Trump made tremendous gains in 2024 among Generation Z voters compared to 2020.
Look, Kamala Harris still won them, but by a significantly lower margin than Joe Biden won them. You can see it right here on your screen. Look at this. Joe Biden won Gen Z voters by over 30 points. Kamala Harris barely won them by double digits. That's an over 20- point shift.
And more than that, Kaitlan, it is the gender gap among Generation Z. Look at the party ID margin among men versus women among Generation Z. And you can just see among men, you can see a double-digit advantage, identifying more as Republican than Democratic. Versus among women, you can see it's a double-digit advantage for Democrats among women.
So the bottom line is Generation Z moving towards the right, moving towards Donie O'Sullivan's side of my equation, but it's men moving significantly more than women are moving.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, and Donie, this group's name, which I love, is UnF (ph) America--
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
COLLINS: --that they are trying to, basically try to, in their view, UnF (ph) America. But what does that look like for them? What did they tell you about this?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes, so, I mean, this is the big thing, right? Where, the guy we saw there, he's -- his name is Destiny. He wasn't christened that. But that's his online name. He's a gamer.
And what these guys do, because they're online, like, eight, 12, hours a day, live, right? So they say a lot of things, and they're online, like they're playing video games, they're watching social media, they're reacting in real-time.
As a result, they say some, a lot of effed up things sometimes, and really, really controversial things. And things that, like, when you play them, perhaps somewhat out of context, like you'll see that they have this, what they call edgy humor, like they're trolling. But it is the sort of thing that if you're the Democratic Party, or if you're a campaign, that you're like, Well, do I really want to be associated with this person?
And I think we have a tweet from Destiny, where he's trying to poke at conservatives, after the floods in Texas. And he sort of says, All the children that died so unfortunately in Texas, that this is proof that God doesn't exist, right? That is like just a straight-up tasteless, obviously, kind of joke, attempt at a joke to make, like this is the sort of humor, or, if you want to call it that, that is -- that is happening back and forth, every day in this space.
And we have a clip, I think, of us asking Destiny about that.
[21:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'SULLIVAN: The tweets you sent about the kids in Texas would probably disqualify you, or would probably have somebody in the upper levels of the Democratic Party say, OK, we'll never work with this guy again.
BONNELL: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you regret sending those tweets?
BONNELL: I think they have to get over it. I don't regret them. I love poking the bear on the right. I feel like Republicans are so good at owning the space.
Republicans do this thing where they say, you know, Comedy is legal again, and we can joke about anything. But when they say, Anything, they really just mean, like, immigrants and Black people, right? Because if you make fun of anything on their side, they lose their minds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'SULLIVAN: But this is the challenge that -- what Michelle Obama said, When they go low, we go high? These guys think that that is not working.
And they think there's so much vulgarity in the sort of the -- Trump's embrace of the manosphere, that there's these sort of controversial, edgy things that are said every day. And where it might disqualify you in the sort of Democratic circles? That that's embraced in Republican circles.
I don't know if it's necessarily a good thing for society or political discourse. But that's what they're talking about--
COLLINS: Well, and--
O'SULLIVAN: --appealing to Gen Z and younger online people.
COLLINS: From a political perspective, I mean, the question is, is it working?
ENTEN: I mean, look, we know that younger folks, Gen Z, do not trust mainstream media. I mean, you ask them, Where do you prefer to get your news from? You prefer to get them from television, or you prefer to get them from digital sources, say, your podcast, your social media, et cetera? Look at this. 86 percent of Gen Z say they prefer to get their news through digital sources, like podcasts, like social media, compared to just 8 percent for television.
Look, at this particular point, we know that Generation Z, at this point their lives, are significantly less Democratic than millennials such as myself, and I'd like to think you too, Donie and--
O'SULLIVAN: I'm a millennial.
ENTEN: There we go. It kind of works for us.
Are significantly less Democrat. So they got to try something--
O'SULLIVAN: You think I am -- you think I'm a boomer?
ENTEN: No, but I could see as Generation X. You kind of -- you kind of remark that.
COLLINS: He's on the line.
O'SULLIVAN: I don't moisturize, that's why.
ENTEN: And that might be it.
O'SULLIVAN: I'm actually -- I'm actually quite young.
ENTEN: There you go.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
ENTEN: You're perfectly good.
COLLINS: Donie O'Sullivan.
What's your new -- Harry Emden?
ENTEN: Harry Emden, we're now going with.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
ENTEN: I've now gone down to the Bureau of Names, and I've changed my name. Thank you, President Trump.
COLLINS: Which is what the President--
ENTEN: Yes.
COLLINS: --referred to you as, this week. If anyone--
(CROSSTALK)
ENTEN: Did not get that--
O'SULLIVAN: Harry Emden.
ENTEN: Harry Emden.
COLLINS: Harry Emden, thank you so much.
ENTEN: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next. If you have ever watched an episode of THE SOURCE in the fall, you know where Alabama football ranks for us. My next source is the Executive Producer of a new Netflix documentary series that dives into the SEC college football season, like never before, including one painful episode that I'd like to forget.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We are less than three weeks away from the time of year that many sports fans, myself included, absolutely live for. With week one of the college football season kicking off, later this month, and any fan knows, the games with the biggest hype and the bigger stakes are played in the SEC, as the Southeastern Conference is leading the nation with 16 national championships since 2000.
And there is a new Netflix miniseries, "Any Given Saturday," that takes fans deep inside last year's SEC drama, with unprecedented access to the players, the coaches, and the fandom that drives this game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, all these teams are wrapped in the fabric of those communities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I have my life, mortgage and everything associated with these 18- to 21-year-olds.
What, am I crazy?
NICK SABAN, AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACH: The only place in the SEC that's not hard to play is Vanderbilt.
(LAUGHTER)
DIEGO PAVIA, AMERICAN FOOTBALL QUARTERBACK: I heard that. That fuels me.
GRAHAM MERTZ (ph), AMERICAN FOOTBALL QUARTERBACK: Whenever something goes bad, I can either feel sorry for myself, or I can embrace it, attack it. I still got a job to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the biggest game in a generation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One huge win can change your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And my source tonight is Paul Martin, who is the Executive Producer of "Any Given Saturday."
And it's great to have you here, Paul.
Because one, I should note, that Vandy episode is very painful for me, as an Alabama alum and a diehard fan. But just that video alone, just seeing this gets me so hyped for this fall, and what this is going to look like.
I learned that you never really followed college football before this, and I just can't even imagine what it is like to insert yourself in this world, not being deeply familiar with it beforehand. And what was it -- what was it like for you?
PAUL MARTIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "SEC FOOTBALL: ANY GIVEN SATURDAY," CO-FOUNDER, BOX TO BOX FILMS: It was pretty surreal. I mean, I'm, you know, I'm originally from the U.K., grew up watching kind of Premier League Football, and had real -- no real knowledge of the SEC, the teams within it, the history, the fanfare, all that stuff.
So it, bizarrely, is like not a bad place to be, as a kind of a producer of one of these shows. Because everything you see, you think, Wow, that would be amazing. LSU, have got Tiger that -- we should definitely get that Tiger in it, or, those marching bands, or whatever it is.
So it's actually not a bad place to be when you start a show like this, because everything, you know, you just see everything through the lens of, I guess, sort of childlike eyes, and you're excited by everything.
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: I wonder what it was like, covering it, as we're in this moment of an ever-evolving landscape of what college athletics actually looks like. I mean, mainly this is something that we focused on with football. But with NIL, and what all of this looks like, with transfers and who's staying where, the portal. I wonder how that played out, from your perspective, while you were shooting all of this.
MARTIN: Yes, it was an interesting time to be doing it, and I think as we got into it. I mean, it was probably a two-year process from the first conversations we had with the SEC, to today. And the landscape changed over those two years, and I think it was interesting to track all those kind of changes along the way.
I think, the SEC, the individual schools, I think no one had a real understanding of where this sport was going to kind of land, because, the NIL or the rev-share, all that kind of stuff. So there was a -- there was a lot of nervousness about letting our cameras into this world, in this time, because it was -- it was just so unpredictable, and it seemed to be changing on a -- on a weekly basis.
COLLINS: Yes, and obviously, so many of these programs are so secretive, there's students at the heart of it.
It's a fascinating look, and I'm really enjoying it so far. Paul Martin, thank you for joining us tonight.
MARTIN: Thank you.
COLLINS: Our behind-the-scenes is at the White House next, from this week. And trust me, it is, cannot miss.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A Putin summit. An Epstein strategy meeting. And sweeping new tariffs. Here's a look behind another busy behind-the-scenes at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: That's just a way of trying to divert attention to something that's total bullshit.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Monday, August 4.
COLLINS: The White House spent the better part of Monday, defending the President's firing, on Friday, of the BLS Commissioner, who issued a report not only showing that slow job growth in July, but also major revisions for the few months before that. The President was so angry about them, and once he learned that she was an appointee of President Biden's, ordered her to be fired.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Tuesday, August 5.
COLLINS: Ready to head into the South Court Auditorium where President Trump is going to sign an executive order, creating a task force for the Summer 2028 Olympics that are going to be held in Los Angeles.
Were you aware of, and did you personally approve, the prison transfer for Ghislaine Maxwell?
TRUMP: I didn't know about it at all. No. I read about it just like you did.
COLLINS: Do you believe that she's credible? Your Deputy Attorney General sat down with her recently.
TRUMP: Todd Blanche is one of the most highly respected people you'll ever meet. COLLINS: The President is defending Todd Blanche sitting down with Ghislaine Maxwell. Whether or not the President personally believes Ghislaine Maxwell herself is credible, he did not answer.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Wednesday, August 6.
COLLINS: You got time for a question?
Do you believe that secondary sanction's still going in place tomorrow? What's the latest decision on that?
PETER NAVARRO, SENIOR COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT FOR TRADE & MANUFACTURING: Uh--
COLLINS: We had heard Yes, but then there was some confusion.
NAVARRO: I'm going to check for you.
COLLINS: So it's TBD, right now?
NAVARRO: I -- yes -- I--
COLLINS: So, you're not sure?
NAVARRO: I never get ahead of the boss.
REPORTER: Is Vice President Vance hosting a gathering this evening to talk about how to respond to the Epstein situation?
TRUMP: Look, the whole thing is a hoax. It's put out by the Democrats, because we've had the most successful six months in the history of our country.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Thursday, August 7.
COLLINS: Should they just call the pool?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost open (ph).
COLLINS: President Putin said this morning, he was pretty dismissive of this idea of meeting with President Zelenskyy.
TRUMP: Who was?
COLLINS: President Putin was.
TRUMP: I don't know. I didn't hear him.
COLLINS: So for you to meet with him, he doesn't have to agree to meet with Zelenskyy. Is that what you're saying?
TRUMP: No, he doesn't, no, no.
COLLINS: So when do you think that meeting will happen?
TRUMP: They would like to meet with me, and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing.
COLLINS: The White House said, urgently and immediately, the plans began to get underway for scheduling of some kind of meeting for this to happen. Where it would happen and how soon it could happen, remains to be seen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And before we go tonight, CNN's new Original Series, "American Prince: JFK Jr." follows the story and the lasting legacy of John F. Kennedy Jr., from his early years that were marked by his father's assassination, to his iconic love story with Carolyn Bessette. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROLE RADZIWILL (ph), AMERICAN JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: He wanted to maybe break some rules, and then he did. It sounds silly, but like he moved downtown to Tribeca, when his whole family lived on the Upper East Side. And it just is like, in these little ways, you're making boundaries, and you're creating independence, and you're creating this other life.
LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: There is no such thing as a private, normal day in the life of John F. Kennedy Jr. He is repeatedly a focus of not just tabloid fodder, but also awning public adoration.
ROBERT DE NIRO, AMERICAN ACTOR AND DIRECTOR: The first time I met him, he lived around the corner from where I lived. He would be followed more than, say, I was followed.
[22:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he was John Kennedy Jr. Who wouldn't be interested in him? He had those good looks, and he was a regular person. People were just, they couldn't get over him or get enough of him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: "American Prince: JFK Jr." airs tomorrow night, at 09:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.
Thanks so much for joining us.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT" starts now.
