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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Behind The Scenes This Year At The White House; MTG: "Dam Is Breaking" On Trump's Republican Control; One-On-One With Legendary Author James Patterson. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired December 26, 2025 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: The news continues right here on CNN.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Tonight, on a special edition of THE SOURCE, we're taking you behind the scenes of President Trump's first year back in office, with an exclusive look inside the White House and our reporting this year so far.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
Tonight, President Trump is getting ready to ring in more than just the New Year. In a few weeks, he is going to be officially embarking on year two of his second term, a second term that has been nothing short of remarkable.
With President Trump, I returned to my post at the White House, on a bitterly cold but sunny afternoon, last January. And in the year that followed, we have seen the President already reshape the federal government and resize it, pushing the boundaries of presidential power, waging an extraordinary retribution campaign since he's back in power. And all of it happening at lightning speed.
It's almost hard to keep up with, as you've been paying attention. And of course, you've seen here on THE SOURCE, we brought you a front-row seat to moments, including this one that stands out in Donald Trump's first year back in office, this blowup of epic proportions that happened inside the Oval Office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: I'm the president in a war.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You're gambling with the lives of millions of people.
ZELENSKYY: You think--
TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III.
ZELENSKYY: What you're -- what you're speaking about --
TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III.
ZELENSKYY: What are you speaking about? TRUMP: And what you're doing is very disrespectful -- disrespectful to the country, this country--
ZELENSKYY: I'm really respect your--
TRUMP: --that's backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.
ZELENSKYY: I'm really respect--
JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Have you said, Thank you, once, this entire meeting?
ZELENSKYY: A lot of times.
VANCE: No. In this entire meeting--
ZELENSKYY: Even today.
VANCE: --have you said, Thank you?
ZELENSKYY: Even today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Moments like that and many more inside the Oval and around the West Wing stood out to us. Here is an exclusive lookback at what we saw covering the start of President Trump's second term.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Is there any chance of that happening in your view?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Authoritarianism.
COLLINS: Donald Trump has now been in office for 100 days. And as someone who covered both his first term, and now his second, one of the biggest things that stands out is how much faster he's moving this time around.
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a hostile and political act by Amazon.
TRUMP: Any questions?
COLLINS: How did your call with Jeff Bezos go? How did your call with Jeff Bezos go?
TRUMP: Great. Jeff Bezos was very nice.
ON SCREEN TEXT: May.
SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Sean Duffy here.
COLLINS: We just heard from Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, as Newark Airport in New Jersey is in total meltdown right now. DUFFY: The new runway is going to come online, or the runway under construction is going to come online in the middle of June.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Standby.
COLLINS: We are in Saudi Arabia right now. We're in Riyadh. Trump's second stop on this trip is Doha. So he will be going and meeting with the very officials who are gifting the Pentagon that plane in just a few days from now.
I actually spoke to the President on Air Force One.
TRUMP: Nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together, OK? And obviously he wasn't going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn't going if I wasn't there.
COLLINS: Did you ask President Putin to meet with you?
TRUMP: About what?
COLLINS: About Ukraine.
TRUMP: Of course I did. I talked to him about it. I said, When are we going to end this, Vladimir? I've known him for a long time now.
COLLINS: Hi.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HHS SECRETARY: Hey, how are you doing?
COLLINS: Nice to meet you. I'm Kaitlan.
Looking at your April 10th comments, when you were inside the Cabinet meeting, you said, By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures.
KENNEDY JR.: Well, we'll have some of the information to get. The most solid information, it will probably take us another six months.
COLLINS: OK, so parents should not expect to know what causes autism by September anymore?
KENNEDY JR.: We'll see.
ON SCREEN TEXT: June.
LEAVITT: Good afternoon, everybody.
COLLINS: Karoline.
LEAVITT: Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Two questions for you as well. On the big, beautiful bill, you said recently that it is, quote, blatantly wrong to say that it adds to the deficit. You essentially said that an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office and other scorekeepers, you believe, are wrong. But Republicans like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul disagree. They are saying that it will add to the deficit. That is their concern.
Is the White House's position that those two Republican senators are, quote, blatantly wrong?
LEAVITT: It is.
COLLINS: You've always said that you don't believe Iran to be able to have a nuclear weapon. But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one? Because Tulsi Gabbard--
TRUMP: Very close.
COLLINS: Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon.
TRUMP: I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.
COLLINS: What's facing the President is a critical decision, and that is whether or not to get the United States more militarily involved between what's happening between Israel and Iran.
[21:05:00]
Does that mean you haven't made a decision yet on what to do?
TRUMP: Well--
COLLINS: Or have you--
TRUMP: --I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final. I like to make the final decision one second before it's due.
Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.
You should really say how great our soldiers and our warriors are.
COLLINS: I think everyone appreciates our soldiers and our warriors.
Are you relying on Israeli intelligence for your assessment--
TRUMP: No. No.
COLLINS: --of the impact of the strikes?
TRUMP: The document said it could be limited or it could be very severe. They really didn't know. The site is obliterated.
COLLINS: Can you talk about the Alligator Alcatraz visit tomorrow? Are you going?
TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: Great facility. Can't wait for it to open. We'll put aliens in there as soon as we can. ON SCREEN TEXT: July.
COLLINS: I'm standing here outside the Blair House where Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is inside. He's got several meetings with top advisers to President Trump. Just a short walk away, they are protesting the Prime Minister's visit here to Washington. One thing that we know is expected to be discussed is the end of the war in Gaza.
Apparently, the Cabinet meeting has already started, and we'll get in there after it's already begun, and they've started going around the room.
Last week, the Pentagon paused some shipments of weapons to Ukraine. Did you approve of that pause?
TRUMP: We wanted to put defensive weapons because Putin is not -- he's not treating human beings right. He's killing too many people.
COLLINS: So who ordered the pause last week?
TRUMP: I don't know. Why don't you tell me?
The first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation. We mourn for every single life that was swept away in the flood.
Epstein was always a very controversial guy. I never had the privilege of going to his island.
COLLINS: You said Jeffrey Epstein was stealing young women from your spa. Did that raise alarm bells for you?
TRUMP: Be quiet.
COLLINS: Earlier this year, Virginia Giuffre died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia.
I want to bring in the members of Virginia Roberts Giuffre's family.
When you hear the word, Stolen, used to describe what happened to your sister, when she was recruited away and sex trafficked, I wonder what goes through your mind.
SKY ROBERTS, BROTHER OF VIRGINIA GIUFFRE: She wasn't stolen. She was preyed upon.
ON SCREEN TEXT: August.
COLLINS: 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.
This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we're placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control, and I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety.
COLLINS: And on what's happening in D.C., with the federal takeover. Who is in charge of the MPD right now?
LEAVITT: The chain of command is as such: the President of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, our DEA administrator, Terry Cole.
COLLINS: President Trump and President Putin just left the stage here behind me in Anchorage, taking no questions from reporters, as President Trump made clear, no deal had been reached between the two leaders, certainly not the deal that he came here to get, which was a ceasefire on Russia's war in Ukraine.
TRUMP: Next should be Chicago, because, as you all know, Chicago is a killing field right now.
I'm not walking in Baltimore right now. Baltimore is a hellhole.
COLLINS: You actually recently moved to deputize Customs and Border Protection officers recently, to be able to patrol national park sites in Washington. Why was that necessary?
DOUG BURGUM, INTERIOR SECRETARY: We've been working in collaboration on law enforcement, both on the border and on enforcing laws inside our country, on federal lands.
ON SCREEN TEXT: September.
REPORTER: How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?
TRUMP: I've been very active, actually, over the weekend. I didn't hear that one. That's pretty serious stuff.
REPORTER: Yes.
COLLINS: According to a CNN review of the President's daily schedule, this was actually the longest stretch that he has gone without speaking to reporters, on camera, since he took office again back in January.
BEAU MASON, COMMISSIONER, UTAH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Today at approximately 12:20 Mountain Standard Time, political influencer Charlie Kirk was shot at an event, at the Utah Valley University.
COLLINS: It's just an incredibly dark day for everyone.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Now is a time of reflection for America. We can stop this.
COLLINS: Anything in the investigation or anything on the latest that you've heard from the FBI or Kash Patel?
TRUMP: No. They've reported to me so far pretty much what you -- seeing in the news is what it is. They have a virtual manhunt out there. So we'll see what happens.
[21:10:00]
You can see they're professional agitators. I had one the other night. I had four. Started to scream when I got into a restaurant.
(PROTESTERS CHANTING "FREE PALESTINE")
TRUMP: And I've asked Pam to look into that in terms of criminal RICO, because they should be put in jail.
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)
COLLINS: Were those women in the restaurant inflicting harm, or terror, or damage, by protesting the President of the United States?
TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: So, you're asking whether there's damage done by four individuals, screaming and yelling at the President of our United States while he's trying to have dinner.
COLLINS: This is what it looks like outside, where we have seen some protesters.
President Trump likely has not seen the protests himself unless he's been watching any of the television footage. He's been safely ensconced inside the walls of Windsor.
TRUMP: Tylenol during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.
Don't take it. Don't take it.
COLLINS: We are following major breaking news tonight, as former FBI Director, James Comey, is now the first senior government official to face charges in one of President Trump's biggest grievances. The 2016 Russia investigation.
We're just a couple hours away from the deadline for government funding. And right now, White House officials are bracing for the potential for a government shutdown.
Is your argument tonight that fighting for extending these subsidies is worth shutting the government down?
SANDERS: If we allow the Republicans to simply not negotiate, and to throw 15 million people off of health care? That will cause even more harm.
ON SCREEN TEXT: October. COLLINS: The President said yesterday that Democrats will be to blame if federal workers lose their jobs. Wouldn't that be the President's call to lay people off?
LEAVITT: These conversations about layoffs would not be happening in the White House today, if not for the Democrat shutdown.
COLLINS: The Supreme Court is back in session. They rejected an appeal by Ghislaine Maxwell to overturn her conviction. Her only chance at getting out of prison is a pardon from you.
TRUMP: I wouldn't consider it or not consider it. I don't know anything about it.
COLLINS: But she was convicted of child sex trafficking.
TRUMP: Yes, I mean, I'm going to have to take a look at it. I'd have to ask DOJ.
I was just given a note by the Secretary of State, saying that we're very close to a deal in the Middle East.
COLLINS: For the first time in two years, there are no living hostages in the hands of Hamas. This ceasefire that has been brokered is holding for now. And today, we've seen the release of 20 Israeli hostages who were still alive and being held in Gaza.
TRUMP: To the best of my knowledge, we've never had a president that solved one war. It will be a great honor to get it done.
COLLINS: Construction is now underway at the White House for President Trump's ballroom. He announced a few months ago that he was planning to build one at the White House.
The New York Times is reporting that your legal team is seeking $230 million from your own Justice Department.
TRUMP: I don't even talk to them about it. All I know is that they would owe me a lot of money. And it's awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself.
ON SCREEN TEXT: November.
COLLINS: If I had put us in a time machine and told you five years ago that Donald Trump was endorsing Andrew Cuomo, over the Republican candidate for mayor in New York City, you might not have believed me. But that is exactly what Donald Trump has just done.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, (D) NEW YORK CITY MAYOR-ELECT: Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you.
(CHEERING)
MAMDANI: Turn the volume up.
COLLINS: Mr. President, you sound very frustrated by last night's elections. What are the takeaways from people in this room?
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Press.
COLLINS: Do you personally approve of the deal that's happening right now on Capitol Hill to end the government shutdown?
TRUMP: Well, it depends what deal we're talking about. But if it's a deal I heard about, that's certainly, you know, they want to change the deal a little bit, but I would say so.
It's an honor now to sign this incredible bill and get our country working again. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: He's the Crown Prince.
COLLINS: The Saudi Crown Prince was visiting the White House for the first time in years, and for the first time since U.S. intelligence concluded that he had personally ordered the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
I'm standing outside the West Wing, where President Trump just got asked about that complete 180 that he's done on the discharge petition on Capitol Hill, calling for the release of all of the Epstein files that are in the possession of the Justice Department.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The Senate has now passed the Epstein bill as soon as it comes over from the House.
COLLINS: We do have some major breaking news as we come on the air tonight, because President Trump has now signed the Epstein files bill into law.
[21:15:00]
An absolutely fascinating meeting just happened inside the West Wing, between President Trump and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. The first time the two had met, obviously, since Trump had endorsed against him in his mayoral race, and also warned that he would withhold federal funding if Mamdani was elected.
Instead, inside that room, just now, it was warm, the two of them were shaking hands multiple times, in front of the cameras, and they were side-stepping any of the sensitive issues.
REPORTER: Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?
MAMDANI: I've spoken about--
TRUMP: That's OK. You can just say yes, so.
MAMDANI: OK. All right. TRUMP: It's easier.
MAMDANI: Yes.
TRUMP: It's easier than explaining it. I don't mind.
ON SCREEN TEXT: December.
COLLINS: When you heard the White House confirm that there was indeed a second strike on this boat after the first strike, what was your thought on that? Given we had seen the Pentagon denying The Washington Post report initially.
Voice of BARBARA STARR, FORMER CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For my money, you can't believe anything this current Pentagon really says.
It's the real bottom line here, that Trump and Hegseth are sidestepping any responsibility and basically throwing the U.S. Military under the bus, if you will.
COLLINS: You're expected to get the FIFA Peace Prize, Mr. President. What would you say to people who say that prize might conflict with your pledge to strike Venezuela?
TRUMP: I can tell you, I did settle eight wars, and we have a ninth coming.
I want to really save lives. I don't need prizes. I need to save lives.
COLLINS: We just got some breaking news here at the White House that a grand jury declined to re-indict the New York Attorney General Letitia James today, despite the Justice Department's best efforts to bring that case against her again.
The President gives himself an A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus. That's five pluses on the economy. What grade do you give him?
SANDERS: Well, Kaitlan, if this is an A-plus-plus-plus economy, God help us if we ever get to a B or a C.
COLLINS: Inflation is about where it was a year ago, as you know, and grocery prices have been up. So, we've covered the economy, but there's mixed signals in terms of what that looks like.
LEAVITT: Inflation is down from where it was. As measured by the overall CPI, it has slowed to an average 2.5 percent pace. This is down from what the President inherited--
COLLINS: It's down from where it was at highs at 9 percent, but it's at about 3 percent.
LEAVITT: The President inherited 2.9 percent in January. Today, it's at about 2.5 percent. So we're trending in the right direction.
COLLINS: I'm Kaitlan Collins, in Washington tonight, where we are waiting the President, who is set to address the nation in just moments.
The White House says we can expect President Trump to tout his accomplishments since taking office, and perhaps, the White House says, he'll tease new policy actions coming into the New Year.
TRUMP: A 11 months ago, I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it.
This is what the Biden administration allowed to happen to our country, and it can never be allowed to happen again.
Our country was laughed at from all over the world. But they're not laughing anymore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Coming up. One of the biggest voices taking on President Trump and Republicans, is a Republican herself. She's got huge warnings for not only the President, but her party, heading into the 2026 midterms. Marjorie Taylor Greene is my source right after this.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: At least two dozen Republicans will not return to Congress at the end of this term. One of those Republicans, in particular, though, has been very vocal in her criticism, not only of the President, but also her own party's congressional leadership. She doesn't hold back when she talks about the way Congress works, or, in her view, doesn't work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): And so, I put blame on both Republicans and Democrats for basically, Kaitlan -- can't say it on CNN, but it's basically a, You know what, measuring contest between the men in leadership. And I think the country is sick and tired of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, when you hear that, of course, remember that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene made her name in politics with her over-the-top shows of support for Donald Trump.
Now, as she is preparing to leave the House of Representatives, after resigning her post, I sat down with the Georgia Republican to talk about the President's hold on her party, Speaker Mike Johnson's future as the Speaker of the House, and some surprising on-the-record comments that were made by the White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Congresswoman, thank you for being here. Over at the White House, the people I've been talking to, it's a lot of the fallout from the Vanity Fair interview, the comments from Susie Wiles on the record, that they've been defending against.
Obviously, the President famously does not drink and never has.
TAYLOR GREENE: Right.
COLLINS: But when Susie Wiles compares him, and says that he has the personality of an alcoholic, and the way she described that, she meant that he basically has a view that there's nothing he can't do. Nothing, zero, nothing.
Do you agree with that assessment?
TAYLOR GREENE: I disagree with that. And we saw the major fallout happen, yesterday, with his statements on the tragic murder of Rob Reiner and his wife.
MAGA faithful reacted big time, and they called it out. It's all over social media.
People, his supporters, including myself, we didn't appreciate hearing the President, who himself was shot, and after Charlie Kirk's horrific murder, we didn't appreciate -- even if -- even if you don't agree with Rob Reiner, politically, there was no reason for his statement to be the statement that he made.
COLLINS: Yes, when he says -- I mean, it was in the immediate aftermath of us finding out about Rob Reiner. And obviously now his son has been taken into custody.
You've said that his murder was not about politics or political enemies.
The President called him, bad for our country, and said, he was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned.
TAYLOR GREENE: I thought that statement was absolutely, completely below the Office of the President of the United States, classless, and it was just wrong. That was a -- it's a tragic murder. It's a family ripped apart.
[21:25:00]
And from my understanding, what I've seen on the news, it was drug abuse and mental illness. And many families, across America, deal with family members that are drug addicts or have mental health issues. And I think the President should have responded with compassion and talked about those issues. He didn't have to make it about politics. And I think that was -- it was really below what we expect our President to talk like.
COLLINS: It's clearly also really tragic, just for the Reiner family.
TAYLOR GREENE: Oh, yes. COLLINS: I mean, you have no problem calling out what the President said. But why do you think other Republicans have struggled to do so?
TAYLOR GREENE: I can't comprehend it.
But Kaitlan, I'd like to point something out. Just last week -- and I think the dam is breaking. Many Republicans may not have called him out. But last week, 13 Republicans voted with Democrats to overturn one of President Trump's executive orders, which enabled him to fire federal workers. We also saw Indiana Republicans vote against redistricting. He didn't call any of them, traitors, and call for primaries against them.
But I would like to say that that is a sign, where you're seeing Republicans, they're entering the campaign phase for 2026, which is a large signal that lame-duck season has begun, and that Republicans will go in, all-in for themselves, in order to save their own reelections.
COLLINS: You think the dam is breaking in terms of the President's iron grip of support when it comes to your party?
TAYLOR GREENE: Absolutely. Those 13 Republicans that voted to take down his executive order, last week, literally, that same evening, put on their tuxedos and their evening ball gowns, and went to the White House Christmas party. That's pretty bold.
COLLINS: What do you think that -- do you think that message is being received at the White House?
TAYLOR GREENE: I'm sure it's being received. And there's a lot of pushback happening. You're seeing it all within the conference.
And just to be clear, Kaitlan. I have a 98 percent voting record with President Trump.
The only places that I've stood against him on are, of course, with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and the discharge petition. Against destroying state rights when it comes to making regulation and laws on A.I. And then a few other issues, like bringing in 600,000 Chinese foreign students, replacing American students. And I'm largely opposed to H-1B visas and visas replacing American workers.
So, I've only broken from the President in a few places, but he came down on me the hardest. But yet, he's got real problems with Republicans, within the House and the Senate, that will be breaking with him on more things to come.
COLLINS: Yes, you wouldn't know that you have voted with him as often as you have, if you listen to his recent comments about you.
And he was really critical of you, when I asked him about, you saying that he needs to focus more on domestic issues than foreign issues.
That was something that Susie Wiles seemed to agree with, in this remarkable on-the-record interview. She said that there need to be more talks about the domestic economy and less about Saudi Arabia is probably called for.
Do you think that's a message that is breaking through with everyone but the President?
TAYLOR GREENE: Absolutely.
While CNN has been talking about affordability. All of a sudden, after Republicans got crushed in that election not too long ago, Fox News is all of a sudden willing to talk about affordability, because it is a crisis.
And health insurance is the coming crisis that we're trying to work on in the House, right now, but they waited too late. Speaker Johnson kept the government shut down for eight weeks -- not the government, I'm sorry. The House of Representatives. Kept us out of session for eight weeks, during the government shutdown. But yet, we could have been in Washington, working day in and day out, preparing for this upcoming crisis.
In my rural district, I have 75,000 people that are on ACA tax credits. And here's the truth for the Republican Party. The large portion of those 75,000 people are Republican voters. And so, this is a real issue. But instead of working hard to come up with a solution, they have waited till the last minute.
COLLINS: Do you think in one year from now, Mike Johnson will be the Speaker of the House?
TAYLOR GREENE: One year from now? I think that's hard to say. I think the midterms are going to be very hard for Republicans. I'm one of the people that's willing to admit the truth, and say, I don't see Republicans winning the midterms right now. So, that doesn't bode well for Mike Johnson.
COLLINS: You just got engaged over the weekend.
TAYLOR GREENE: Yes.
COLLINS: Congratulations to you. Best wishes.
TAYLOR GREENE: Thank you.
COLLINS: That's probably something that I imagine, six months ago, you thought the President would be invited to your wedding. Do you still think that that's the case now?
[21:30:00]
TAYLOR GREENE: Not necessarily, Kaitlan. I don't -- we -- Brian and I aren't like that. We'll probably do something a little bit smaller. And really look forward to it.
COLLINS: Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, thank you for joining us tonight.
TAYLOR GREENE: Thank you. I appreciate it. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Up next. There was a government shutdown lasting 43 days. And Democrats swept key races in critical off-year elections. Now there are huge questions about what comes next in 2026. Harry Enten is here with his predictions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: If you're still catching your breath, when it comes to the non-stop political drama we've seen playing out in the last year, so are we.
[21:35:00]
And since that frozen day in January, with the first presidential inauguration that was actually held indoors in 40 years, indicating just how cold it was outside, we've seen some extraordinary blowups inside the Oval Office with key foreign allies, as well as shockingly warm embraces of the President's political foes.
Global markets have turned their head on those Liberation Day tariffs from the President, and also the announcement of the American military strikes in Iran.
But with 2025 now coming to a close, what should we expect come 2026? My source tonight has some insight into that. CNN data guru, Harry Enten, is here. And Harry has been crunching the numbers.
Harry, what's the data that you could tell us about what's going to happen next and what we should be prepared for?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA ANALYST: Yes, Kaitlan, 2025 was quite the political year, right? Donald Trump starting his second term in office gave Democrats a lot of agita nationwide.
But one thing that would lift Democrats' spirits? Well, how about the elections? I'm not just talking about Virginia, and New Jersey gubernatorial elections. I'm talking about the special elections for the U.S. House.
Look at this. 2025 U.S. House Special elections. Did the Democrats outrun Kamala Harris' performance from 2024 across the political map? They did. In the southwest Arizona 7, look at that, 17-point overperformance. Florida, 1, Florida 6, in the southeast, 16 and 23 points. Tennessee 7 happened earlier this month, a 13-point overperformance. And Virginia, 11. In the Washington, D.C. suburbs, look at that, a 17-point overperformance.
Now the party that normally, that usually outperforms in special elections, goes on to win the U.S. House in the following midterm election. That's more likely than not going to happen, but there's a bit of a warning sign for Democrats.
Take a look at the generic congressional ballot. The Democrats are ahead, but just by four points at this point. Compare that to, at this point during Donald Trump's first term, December of 2017, Democrats' lead was more than double what their lead is right now, 10 points. The same in December of 2005, Democrats ahead by 10 points. This four points likely gets the job done for Democrats come midterm time in 2026 if it held, but it would be a race that would be within the margin of error for sure.
Now, why are Democrats ahead right now? Why are they doing so well in special elections for the U.S. House, and in Virginia, New Jersey gubernatorial elections? It's Donald Trump, baby. It's Donald Trump. Look at this. Look at his net approval rating. On issues across the board, it's negative. Immigration, he's underwater by six points. Of course, that's what he's been running on since he was running -- first started running in 2015 in those Republican primaries. Foreign policy, something he's really been focusing on this second term, 14 points underwater.
Look at this. Trade and tariffs and the U.S. economy. Trade and tariffs, something he's really been focusing on, he's 15 points underwater. The economy very much affected by those trade and tariffs, the reason that Donald Trump got elected to a second term in office, he's 16 points underwater.
And then, of course, the Epstein case, something that Donald Trump wishes would go away, but Donald Trump can't wish it away. He's 29 points underwater there.
Now Donald Trump being underwater at this point, does that mean he'll be under water come midterm time, come 2026? Not necessarily, but history ain't so kind. Ain't so kind to those who have a negative net approval rating at this point in their second term.
Look at Barack Obama. He did not recover, he did not go positive, by the midterm election, he didn't go positive. His party lost the Senate, lost seats in the House.
George W. Bush, same deal, basically, his party lost control of the Senate, lost control of the House.
And Richard Nixon, of course, he was forced to resign, and his party suffered major losses in the 1974 midterms in both the House and the United States Senate.
For Donald Trump, it's a question mark. But if history holds, Republicans aren't going to get a president with a positive net approval rating, come midterm 2026, and therefore would likely suffer the effects.
Now, if Donald Trump has had a bad year. Still, the American people like what's going on in their own personal lives. You and your family had a good year. Look at this. In 2025, 59 percent. That is way up from the 40 percent in 2024. Bad year, fell from 50 percent to 41 percent. It turns out politics ain't life, Kaitlan Collins, it ain't life.
But let me tell you something, Kaitlan. If you want to look forward to 2026 and have a good year that year? Well, I want to share something with you and your audience, if you'd be so kind. That is my new streaming show on CNN.com, new episodes every week of "The Enten Scale." I think I look pretty gosh darn fantastic.
And let me share you a clip from one of my episodes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENTEN: Want to know what I'm thinking about? I might be the only person making videos on the internet who is asking you not to like them.
Ooh, I want to be liked. We are under constant assault, either in real life or on your various devices, from people desperate for approval. In fact, about one half of Americans describe themselves as people- pleasers. How freaking exhausting? You're out here chasing after every single positive emoji reaction like they're Pokemon, and you just got to catch them all.
In the words of the great Michael Jordan, and the even greater Michael Jordan meme, Stop it. You know what studies show? People who spend less time worried about what others think tend to be happier and less anxious.
[21:40:00]
As someone who has, shall we say, a robust, and it is robust collection of detractors, I can tell you with absolute mathematical certainty, somebody out there doesn't like you. Maybe a lot of somebodies. Maybe an overwhelming amount of somebodies.
Don't believe me? Let's look at perhaps the most beloved celebrity of the last 20 years, Betty White. She's a national treasure for goodness sake. She must have been universally loved, right? Wrong. Because it turns out, 3 percent of Americans polled didn't like Betty White. That means projected out, 10 million Americans looked at this sweet, hilarious old lady, and said, Ugh.
Some people just want to hate. My advice to you is, let them hate. We can't control others. But we can stop looking at our mentions for goodness sake. So, walk away from the Instagrams, TikToks, YouTubes and Twitches of the world, and instead go outside and touch some grass. Though, I'm sure some people hate grass because it leaves stains.
So on "The Enten Scale," which on your Y axis, goes from Haters got you down to Haters going to hate, and on your X from Online to Logoff, I put myself right up in this upper-left-hand quadrant, because haters are going to hate. But to be honest, I ain't logging off anytime soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENTEN: And if you like that episode, Kaitlan, of "The Enten Scale," you and your audience can find it right on CNN All Access. You can find it by going to CNN.com/AllAccess.
Oh, and Kaitlan, by the way, Happy New Year. COLLINS: Thank you, Harry, and a Happy New Year to you as well.
And speaking of what's next might come handy if you're thinking about New Year's resolutions. My source tonight is the best-selling author, James Patterson. He has his own tips for making a big change in your life.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, my next guest has turned disruption into one of his greatest advantages.
James Patterson walked away as the CEO of a powerful ad agency and became a best-selling author, as we all know now. But he's sharing his personal story and also giving advice now, to people who also want to take control of their futures and embrace change.
His new book is "Disrupt Everything and Win," as Patterson says that the moment he wanted to disrupt his life actually happened while he was in traffic on the way to work.
He said, I realized that my mission was to get on the other side of the highway. My whole life was going in the wrong direction. I didn't need to be in bumper-to-bumper traffic heading to a job I no longer really cared about. I needed to be on the other side of the road. I needed to be writing novels full-time. But to do that, I had to walk away from a powerful, high-paying job.
And joining me now is James Patterson.
And it's so great to have you back here on THE SOURCE.
Because I think people reading that might say--
JAMES PATTERSON, CO-AUTHOR, "DISRUPT EVERYTHING AND WIN," BEST-SELLING AUTHOR: Thanks. Nice to be here.
COLLINS: --you know, a lot of people reading that might think, I've been in that position, where I'm sitting in traffic and wondering about how to take a move and make a move like this.
PATTERSON: OK. Well, what the book is really about, mostly, is it's positive disruptions, and your situation is one, to be honest with you. You're correspondent to the White House, CNN's, and you're doing this show, so you get done and you run over here and do the show. That's a very positive disruption. I hope it's positive in your life. But it's a big deal.
And so, positive disruptions. Whether in the book business, the deal was supposed to be, You can do one book a year. And I'll go, Why is that? I mean, why does it have to be that way? So obviously, I do several books a year now.
You've changed what you're doing in a big way. And then the other piece of it is to be prepared for negative disruptions. Because every morning, we seem to wake up and there's something, Oh my god, tariffs, oh my god, they're putting robots into our business. So, to prepare people for negative disruptions. And also, in terms of how they can use positive disruptions in their life, to just improve their lives.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, I think that's a good point, because some people might see the cover of this and think, OK, well, I have to do something huge and very life-changing to get this positive disruption.
PATTERSON: Yes.
COLLINS: But actually, what you write about is that there are small disruptions that you can do every single day of your life--
PATTERSON: Yes.
COLLINS: --that actually add up to a lot.
PATTERSON: Yes. Yes. It's a combination. For some people, it's going to be a big, big step. And for some people, it's going to be small steps. And the small steps, they do add up, and they're important. And just getting ready to deal with it, the kind of disruptions that we have every -- the negative disruptions that we deal with every day, is also useful for people.
But the positive stuff, How do I do it? What do I do at work? How do I move forward? How do I -- how do I deal with my family life and work? How do we get that in concert? And I think the book does help you. And I've learned a lot of stuff over time, and I like passing it on now.
COLLINS: Well, I think one question is, what was it that got you over the line? Because some people might say, OK, well, I've got what feels like security and stability now, but have something like what you did that they really want to try, or they really want to do. How do you -- how do you muster the courage to actually take that step?
PATTERSON: Probably by taking small steps first, making sure that it's a sort of realistic goal. I mean, how did you decide to take the step? You obviously thought it would be important. I think it is.
And everybody deals with those every day, and some of it is courage. Some of it is the idea that you can -- with this book, you can -- you can -- the book will literally help you. You keep it on your desk, and you go, Well, OK, what happens if this happens at work? Or, What happens if this thing is going on with my family? And how do I make that first step?
[21:50:00]
The first step is really important. There was a book, 54321, it just -- and that was helping people to take the first step too, and that's what -- that's what's important, about this book.
And I think use -- I'm really at training point -- I started out, I went into Van -- I went to Vanderbilt, and I did a talk for the business students there, and I said, How many of you are living a good life? Or, Are you getting on -- have you been getting on a treadmill, to get on another treadmill, to get on another treadmill? And if that's what you want to do with your life, fine. But are you happy with that? Or do you need to change things about your life?
And the other thing about it is especially with businesses, and we're also involved with FranklinCovey, in terms of this book and this program. And it's really -- there's no business in the world -- I mean, CNN, for one, they have to disrupt. They have to seriously disrupt. I think you're disrupting your show, and I think it's better and better and better. It's more fast-paced than it's ever been. To me, it's just more vibrant and exciting. And that's a big disruption.
CNN needs to make disruptions. MSNBC, where they just made a big disruption, I guess. They changed the name. Network television, movies, which were involved with a lot, they have to disrupt, they have to change. And if you don't change, you're going to fall behind or fall off the planet.
COLLINS: James Patterson, thank you.
The new book is "Disrupt Everything and Win: Take Control of Your Future."
Up next. It's the Extreme Makeover: White House Edition, because after almost a year back in office, the President's updates when it comes to what the White House looks like keep on coming. We'll bring you all of them, next.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: So these new plaques have just been added to the so-called Presidential Walk of Fame. They almost read, some of them, like Truth Social posts, including the ones under President Obama's that says, he was one of the most divisive political figures in American history. Under President Biden's, it describes him as Sleepy Joe Biden, and also says that he was the worst U.S. president in history.
There are some that are nicer, including under Ronald Reagan's, for example, where President Trump says at the end that he was a fan of Trump's long before he ran for president.
The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, says the President actually hand-wrote some of these plaques himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And as President Trump is seeking to rewrite the legacies of his own predecessors, when it comes to the presidency, he's also rapidly pushing forward with plans to remake the people's house in his own image. That includes building his long-desired ballroom after they tore down the East Wing of the White House.
The President is now saying that project is going to cost $400 million. That's actually double what the projected cost was, just about five months ago. And it also comes after the President clashed with the original architect on this, and hired a new one to carry out his vision.
The President has maintained this ballroom will be paid for by private donors, not taxpayer dollars, but he's been pushing to make the ballroom as big as possible, bigger than initially imagined, because he says that he wants it to be large enough to even potentially host future inaugurations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: It will be the most beautiful ballroom, and it will handle inaugurations. It's got five-inch-thick glass windows, impenetrable by anything but a howitzer.
I think it will be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world. But I said, Who else, but in our country, would sue stop a $400 million beautiful ballroom that the people have been after for the White House?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The President there was talking about a lawsuit that was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It's a congressionally-chartered non-profit that is supposed to be tasked with preserving historic buildings. Their effort, though, so far, to stop this project until there's more oversight, so far has not worked.
Renderings show that the new ballroom will actually be another ode to the President's love for gold and his taste. As you can see here, there's golden floor lamps that are going to light the room, gold and crystal chandeliers that will hang from the gilded ceilings.
And it's the makeover that is not only happening inside the ballroom, this is also extended all the way to the Oval Office. Every time reporters go in there, you now notice that there are gold embellishments that gleam from the fireplace mantle, also on the fixtures on the walls. There's even that paperweight block that sits on the President's desk. Golden signs for the Oval Office and the West Wing have been permanently put outside, where the President has made his mark, as you can see here.
And of course, when you walk up to the White House, you see the large flagpoles that were planted on White House grounds, both the North Lawn and the South Lawn. And the legendary Rose Garden is now a paved- over patio.
Of course, it's anyone's guess to see what the next White House transformation project will be. The President has made quite clear, he is looking to imprint his image elsewhere in Washington, though, as well. Earlier this month, his chief domestic policy -- or his domestic policy chief's main priority is -- said that they are going to be building a new arch near the Lincoln Memorial, reminiscent of the one that you see in France. The structure is going to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary in July of next year. And it will be topped, unsurprisingly, by a figure in gold.
A CNN programming note, before we go. We're going to ring in the New Year here with this new CNN Film, "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not." It is the authorized yet very unfiltered documentary of the comedy legend, and it's going to premiere January 1st, 08:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. Don't miss it.
[22:00:00]
One last thing. There was an exciting addition to our team here at THE SOURCE this year. That's because our senior broadcast producer, Sehar, and her husband, Patrick, have now welcomed their sweet baby boy, Oliver, into the world. We are all so excited for their new journey as parents. We can't wait to meet him and have our first baby here on THE SOURCE.
Thanks so much for joining us. The news continues right here on CNN.
