Return to Transcripts main page
The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Local TV Station Receives Second Message In Guthrie Case; Trump Won't Apologize For Racist Video: "Didn't Make A Mistake"; Trump Says Schumer Floated Renaming Penn Station, Not Him. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired February 06, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Savannah did regular features with her sister, Annie, too, who is a writer and jeweler.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, DAUGHTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE: Annie and I would be in a fight as little kids, and my mom would separate us, and say, Go to your room. And then, about five minutes later, one of us would send a note under the door.
ANNIE GUTHRIE, DAUGHTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE: Oh, yes, I forgot about that.
S. GUTHRIE: You know, I just want to be friends again.
A. GUTHRIE: That's true.
S. GUTHRIE: And what are you doing?
KAYE (voice-over): Savannah, true to her faith, has said they believe God is the sixth member of their family. Now, they are counting on him to bring their mother home.
Randi Kaye. CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Yes. We wish them well.
That's it for us. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: And we do have breaking news out of Arizona tonight, as the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Office, now confirm they are investigating a new message connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of TODAY show host, Savannah Guthrie.
This is a message that was sent to the CNN affiliate, KOLD, which is one of three media outlets that actually got that separate unverified ransom note, earlier this week, that demanded millions in Bitcoin for Guthrie's return. Now, it's not certain if these two notes are from the same person or people or entity.
In a few moments, I'm going to speak with one of the anchors from KOLD who got this new email. Their newsroom, in turn, sent it to local officials. And the FBI is now investigating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: No, not at all. It's, again, given to the FBI. They're -- they've got this, and we'll let them probe (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, the timing of this new message, which, of course, I do want to stress, law enforcement has not verified yet, is critical. It could be at least. It comes after the first deadline from the initial ransom note passed at 05:00 p.m. local time yesterday. And of course, we all saw those two gut-wrenching and emotional pleas from the family that was posted to social media, asking for anyone who had information about their mother to contact them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. GUTHRIE: We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.
CAMRON GUTHRIE, SON OF NANCY GUTHRIE: We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now here's what also stands out tonight. We're watching this play out with law enforcement back on the ground at Nancy Guthrie's home in that surrounding area tonight. Officials were seen on the roof of her house. They were going door to door to speak with her neighbors.
And of course, as all this was happening, it's notable what we heard from the President. We'll see what pans out from this. But he suggested tonight to reporters, when he was asked for an update, that investigators are making progress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think we're doing very well on that regard. You're probably surprised to hear that. I think we're doing very well. Very well, meaning, we have some clues I think that are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon.
REPORTER: Is this a nationwide search? Is this a search going to Mexico? TRUMP: You're talking about a search. I'm talking about a solution. We have some things I think that will maybe come out reasonably soon. From DOJ or FBI or whoever, that could be a--
REPORTER: Suspect?
TRUMP: Yes, it could be definitive.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: When you, a lot's taken place in the last couple of hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: CNN's Senior National Correspondent, Ed Lavandera, is at the search scene.
We've got my full team of investigative sources who are also here with me for this breaking news tonight.
Ed, I want to start with you on the ground, because obviously, as we're learning about this new note, we're also seeing people show up at the house again. And this is now the third time we've seen this happen this week, from the initial search, then when they went back the other night, when you were there.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
COLLINS: What have you been seeing tonight?
LAVANDERA: Yes, well, this is day six of the investigation, and the search for Nancy Guthrie. And again, significant work being done here on the street where Nancy Guthrie lives.
And this one, this situation is actually different from what we saw a couple of nights ago, where now a small section of the street where Nancy Guthrie's home sits, has been cordoned off by law enforcement. We've seen a much larger presence of investigators here throughout the late afternoon, now into the -- into nightfall here.
And throughout the evening, we saw investigators laying down evidence markers around Nancy Guthrie's property. They were even on top of the roof of her home as well.
And we do know from other neighbors here in the area that FBI agents have been canvassing and also going back, knocking door to door, asking for follow-up questions about if they'd seen anything suspicious, over the weekend, had they seen, or do they have any other video, or their home cameras might have captured anything. All of that work expanding out from the immediate area, where Nancy Guthrie's home sits, and all of that work continues tonight. They've got the street cordoned off.
[21:05:00]
And we have not heard much from investigators here in Tucson. Just simply a couple of messages from the Pima County Sheriff's Office, saying that they had heard reports of the latest message coming from, that was sent to KOLD as well as that the work was being done here in this area, again tonight. But beyond that, no more information from law enforcement officials publicly here.
COLLINS: Yes, hopefully, though, that movement means they are making progress.
Ed Lavandera, keep us updated if you see more tonight as you're there on the ground.
My next source tonight is Mary Coleman, who is an anchor for the CNN affiliate that I mentioned, KOLD, out in Tucson. That's the station that got the new message related to Guthrie tonight, that officials are looking into.
And thank you, Mary for being here. So, I really appreciate this. I know this is a sensitive thing for your newsroom to handle, and to deal with, and to pass on to officials. And so, being respectful of that. Can you just tell us a few answers about this, which is, one, when did this come into your newsroom, at what point today? And what stood out to you from this latest dispatch?
MARY COLEMAN, ANCHOR, KOLD; RECEIVED SECOND MESSAGE IN GUTHRIE CASE: Yes, Kaitlan, well, we got it around 11:45 this morning. And as you mentioned, the deadline of 05:00 p.m., last night, we have been refreshing our email constantly to see if there had been any updates. And we didn't get anything last night.
But around 11:45 today, that message came in. And of course, it set off red flags, considering we received the first note on Monday, and similar tone to it. So, we again did what we did for the last one, and immediately sent it over to the Pima County Sheriff's Department, to look over the letter and see what it was that they could find out.
And a couple of few things, I have some notes here. We sent that over to them, and we've learned that the IP address is different. So, it's not the same IP address. But it does appear that the sender used the same type of secure server to hide their IP address. Of course, that stood out. And this new note contains something that the senders seem to think will link them to the previous note, and prove to investigators that they're the same persons or person who sent this.
COLLINS: And, I mean, given that, did it -- so, it stood out to you that they were trying to convey it's the same person or people that sent the other note to y'all?
COLEMAN: Certainly. Well, of course, you know, we can't confirm that it is, just yet. But I would say the tone is very similar in both letters. And these people, again, or person, are trying to make a conscious effort to prove that they are that same person.
COLLINS: Can you say if the note acknowledged that outreach from the Guthrie family, where they were saying, Hey, please reach out to us, whoever you are, we want to talk to you. Did it -- did it acknowledge that at all? COLEMAN: You know, I can't speak too much on the details within the letter, because they are very sensitive. But I can say that it does seem like it might be in response to some of the pleas from the family.
COLLINS: I mean, one of those pleas, I mean, as Savannah said -- and it's still hard to even watch that -- but she was saying, We need to know without a doubt that she is alive.
Did this notice, in any way, without even having to get specific, did it -- did it at least try to speak to that?
COLEMAN: I would say that, yes, it definitely offered a little bit more insight on their response to the initial letter. But again, just really trying to play it safe here with how sensitive the information is in the second letter as well.
COLLINS: Yes. And of course, we completely respect that, and understand that. And I understand -- you're a reporter also, as you're reporting on this, and so I realize the tough position that you're in here.
One thing we did know, from the other notes were, there were deadlines. 05:00 p.m. And one on Monday that investigators described as more serious. Did this -- did this note include a deadline?
COLEMAN: This note did not have deadlines included. I know a lot of people have been wondering if this one was a ransom note. I will say that I would not classify this as a ransom note, this second one.
COLLINS: How would you describe it, generally, if you don't think it's a ransom note?
COLEMAN: I would say, as I said earlier, maybe a response to the initial videos that the family put out. And, typically, a ransom note, there's a cause and effect kind of thing, and I don't see that in this note.
COLLINS: How long was it? Could you tell us? Was it lengthy? Or was it pretty brief?
COLEMAN: It was a brief one. It was shorter than the last one that we received, certainly.
[21:10:00]
COLLINS: OK. If it's that -- one question I had was, as this was coming in, and we were hearing that y'all had gotten this request, there was a ton of activity happening at the Guthrie home. I mean, we're seeing people on the roof, outside of the pool, these investigators around the neighborhood. Do you think that those two things are connected? This new note, and that activity?
COLEMAN: I would say so. We actually received a note into our newsroom as well from the homeowners association out there, letting them know that there were going to be increased activity with law enforcement. And so, we asked when this note went out. And that went out after we received this letter. So, it would be, I think, a safe assumption to say that they might be, in that, that was the response after this came into our newsroom.
COLLINS: And obviously, the family here has basically been saying, Please reach out any way you can.
One difficulty they seem to be having, before this, was how to get in touch with these people who were sending these notes, as unverified as they are. Did this note offer any way for either your newsroom, or for the Guthrie family, to get back in touch with this person or these people?
COLEMAN: Still no line of communication there, and I think that's the big thing right now that law enforcement is trying to crack is, who is this person, and how do we get in touch with them to verify some of this information? And again, the big priority is finding Nancy, and I think that's top of mind for everyone right now.
COLLINS: Any sense to you why this is coming to a newsroom? Like, why this person, or these people are sending it to you and not to the Pima County tip line that's been out there, or Savannah Guthrie, or any of the FBI?
COLEMAN: Yes, I -- I don't know. I don't want to speculate. I know that our newsroom does have a system, where you can submit tips anonymously. And as you can see, they took advantage of that. So, that perhaps may be part of it. That's a possibility. But law enforcement hasn't indicated why it is that newsrooms, and specifically ours were among them.
COLLINS: Yes.
Well, Mary Coleman, we're really grateful for you for joining us tonight. I know y'all are in a difficult position, but you're handling it with grace, and I'm sure the Guthrie family is very appreciative of that. We are, I know. So, thank you for joining us tonight.
COLEMAN: Thank you so much, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: And my investigative experts are here.
And John Miller, when you just listen to how -- I mean, Mary is limited in what she can say, understandably. But what stands out to you about what this new note? And I want to stress, it is unverified. What stands out to you, though, from what you said?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, the note is trying to give enough sensitive information, on one hand, to make sure that they understand it's from the same writer as the first note. That actually seems pretty credible. They're using a encrypted email system that changes IP addresses every time you use that system to send something, so it can't be traced back. She referenced other sensitive information. It feels like that might be sensitive information about the victim, or about the home, to further verify that. But what we didn't get from the note, other than it was a response, and this is a good thing to the -- to the two pleas from the family, particularly the second one, urging them to get back in touch.
But they're still using the newsroom, at least one newsroom -- we don't know if the other newsrooms will get similar notes -- as a portal, which actually suggests some kind of -- I was talking to Mary Ellen O'Toole, the FBI profiler, earlier, and she said, someone who is -- could easily communicate directly with the family, if not law enforcement, using -- kidnapping the daughter (ph) of a famous anchor person, using three television outlets as his communications portals, seems to have some kind of obsession with media or television, that they are bringing all of this together.
COLLINS: Yes, that stood out to me. That's -- because, I mean, the Guthrie family made clear, Here is how to get in touch with us. And they're obviously not using that.
I mean, Elie--
MILLER: And remember, a faker pretending to be the kidnapper, reached out directly to the family. So, it's not that they can't be found.
COLLINS: And got arrested. Yes.
MILLER: And got arrested.
COLLINS: And when you hear -- I mean, she didn't say it's proof of life. I mean, obviously, she has to be careful what she can say. But she said, there was something specific in there, in terms of what they were trying to communicate about Nancy Guthrie.
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: So, first of all, the fact that there has been a new communication in and of itself is extraordinarily important. Because before, assuming it's the same people, assuming this is accurate, they had said, There will be no further communication. So this, at least, has opened up, clearly, some investigative leads. I found it really interesting that the reporter just said that some of the search activity that's going on appears to be connected to this new letter.
It also was a good reminder of how sophisticated these attackers are. Because when we talk about IP addresses, just so people understand, every electronic device, every cellphone, every laptop, has an IP address associated with it. It's sort of like a vehicle identification number for a car.
[21:15:00]
And in an ordinary case, with an unsophisticated person, you get the IP number, you go back to the service provider. It requires some legal process. You see who it's registered to, and then you can sort of geolocate it, with some degree of precision.
But as John said, it appears that what these people are doing is using some form of dark web server that's essentially scrambling the IP numbers. So, we are dealing with people with a bit of local familiarity, and plainly a bit of familiarity, maybe with the media, and also with some technological sophistication.
COLLINS: Yes.
And Andrew McCabe, you're here with us as well.
I mean, hearing what she talked about there. We're watching this new activity tonight at the house. There's people on the roof, which stands out to me, as they seem to be doing something. She said, that doesn't seem to be there's a demand in this letter from what they got today.
But then we also heard from the President. And I don't know what he knows, but he seemed to be hinting at some kind of progress here, as he was talking to reporters on Air Force One about 90 minutes ago.
What stands out to you?
ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, well those are all interesting developments.
I don't really know what to say about the President's comments. Those are always kind of hard to pin down.
But the increased investigative activity in the latter part of the day, it could have been related to the letter, or it could have been related to anything else. It's possible that they developed some new information in the course of their investigation, either related to that letter that we've been talking about, or entirely disconnected and related to something else, that led them to go back to the site of the crime and look for new things that they hadn't thought about before.
It was a little concerning to me to see like, obviously neighborhood canvases going on in a way that's interviewing neighbors in a way that we haven't seen so far. That's certainly activity you would have expected to see much earlier in this process. So, that's a little harder to explain.
At the end of the day, as far as this letter goes, the question -- we still have this question, because the representative that you just spoke to, of course, could not confirm this. That's understandable. But we don't know if that new letter contained a proof of life. And that is the one kind of Rubicon here that we're trying to cross.
Until these letter-senders, whether it's one person or many, provide proof of life, it's hard to take their demands and their role in this entirely seriously.
COLLINS: Yes.
MCCABE: Because any kidnapper knows they must provide proof of life before they can get the money out of the kidnapping, which is the goal of every kidnapping. And so, that's kind of the one thing that we're still left with. There's a lot to indicate that this might be the same person. But again, it comes back to the same question we had last night, Kaitlan, which is like, is this person legitimate? Do they have Nancy Guthrie? And at this point, that's just very hard to tell.
COLLINS: Yes.
John, is it weird to you, that there's no new demand in this letter? Typically, would they repeat what they said, if it's the same person?
MILLER: It could be that, I said there was going to be no more communication, and this communication is to say, pay me the money.
Mary Coleman told us, it wasn't another ransom demand. We don't know if it contains another threat. It does contain sensitive information. And when you look at that activity around the house. Could be connected. But look at how they're looking. I don't know if we can go back to those pictures.
COLLINS: Yes, we can show it. What stood out to you? Because it was bizarre seeming.
MILLER: So, if the letter gives you a clue, saying, If you look under the milk box, you'll find another letter. That's a directed search.
What you're seeing here is people going through the yard with flashlights. You're seeing people examining the air conditioning ducts that run along the rooftop. You're seeing people search. In other words, they're looking for physical evidence. They're looking for something they missed. They're looking for something that they know they're looking for, but they don't know where it is. That could be a body. That could be an item of evidence.
But clearly, that search is for something that they don't know the location of, because they're looking in all these different places, and examining things, like air conditioning ducts on the rooftop, that raise a question about what they're looking for.
COLLINS: Yes.
MILLER: So, it's entirely possible that that is based on an entire separate thread of information.
COLLINS: Yes, that's a good point. I'm glad you noted that.
John Miller. Elie Honig. Andrew McCabe. Thank you all for being here.
And I do want to reiterate. Officials are saying that anyone who's got any information about Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, please call the FBI, at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tonight, we are all still keeping the Guthrie family in our prayers during such an immensely difficult time.
We are going to continue to monitor that breaking news this hour. We'll bring you any new live developments as we get them on that new message that was received in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. [21:20:00]
Up next here for us. The President tonight has also just commented publicly, for the first time, after he posted and, then 12 hours later, deleted a racist video, depicting the Obamas as apes. What the President said to reporters on Air Force One, including when he was asked directly, will he apologize?
Plus, tonight, a judge has just thrown a wrench into his plan to try to get the Dulles Airport and Penn Station renamed after him. I'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Even in a political career that started with a racist conspiracy theory, what we saw from President Trump today was outrageous. The naked racism shared on his own account, last night, stands out even among the depths of social media.
[21:25:00]
What differs tonight from other moments, when the President has said, written, or shared, racist or offensive things, is the response coming from his own party. And given that response, it became quite clear inside the White House that their usual response of defiance or laughing it off wasn't going to work this time.
Let me fill you in. Shortly before midnight, a video that was posted to the President's personal Truth Social account included this image at the end, depicting the Obamas as apes. Now, despite how obviously racist and ugly that is, and how many people quickly pointed that out, it would go on to be more than 12 hours before it was ultimately removed.
Initially, we heard from the White House press secretary, actually defending it. In a statement to CNN this morning, Karoline Leavitt said, quote, "This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King." Leavitt said, "Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public."
But the backlash continued to grow, with Republicans condemning that post, and calling on the White House to remove it, and some of them even saying that they should apologize.
And shortly after her defense, from Leavitt, it was actually taken down and removed from the President's pages. A senior White House official subsequently told CNN that a White House staffer erroneously made the post.
And then, this evening, while facing questions from multiple reporters on Air Force One, about this, the President offered this explanation, but no apology.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: I looked at it. I saw it, and I just looked at the first part. It was about voter fraud in someplace, Georgia. There was a lot of voter fraud, 2020 voter fraud. And I didn't see the whole thing. I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of a -- people don't like. I wouldn't like it either, but I didn't see it. I just, I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud in -- and the machines, how crooked it is, how disgusting it is.
Then I gave it to the people to -- generally, they'd look at the whole thing, but I guess somebody didn't, and they posted, and we took it down and we did it, you know. But that was a voter fraud that nobody talks about. They don't like to talk about that post. We took it down as soon as we found out about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: It's not clear it was as soon as they found out about it, because people were criticizing it for hours this morning before it was ultimately removed.
Now, for congressional Republicans, this was a rare moment where they didn't claim to not see the post or say that they don't respond to the President's tweets. Instead, there was condemnation that came in loud and clear. Words like, Wrong, Offensive, Inexcusable and, yes, Racist.
One Republican voice stood out from the chorus. It is the sole Black Republican in the Senate, Tim Scott. He wrote, Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.
Now, you note there, he says, The most racist, indicating that there have been previous incidents. Some of those, we know, Senator Scott has criticized the White House for before, including when the President reposted a video of someone who was yelling, White power. Senator Scott called that, Indefensible. When Trump told Democrats, certain Democrats, to go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Senator Scott said, that was racially offensive.
And after the President's, Very fine people on both sides, comments, Senator Scott said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARGARET BRENNAN, "FACE THE NATION WITH MARGARET BRENNAN" MODERATOR, CBS: After Charlottesville, you said the President is not a racist, but he is racially insensitive.
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Yes.
BRENNAN: Is that still what you believe?
SCOTT: Absolutely. Yes, the President is not a racist. But is he racially insensitive? I think the answer is yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Now, it shouldn't just be on Senator Tim Scott to condemn these posts and call them out for what they are. Yet his voice certainly resonates when he does, especially within the West Wing.
When the President was asked tonight about that post. Not just why it was posted, and how it was removed, and who did it. He was also asked whether or not he'll apologize for what he said, and he made clear in his answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, a number of Republicans are calling on you to apologize for that post. Is that something you're going to do?
TRUMP: No, I didn't make a mistake.
I am, by the way, the least racist president you've had in a long time as far as I'm concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Joining me tonight, my sources are:
Former New York congressman, Democrat, Mondaire Jones.
Former New Orleans mayor, and senior adviser to the Harris campaign, Mitch Landrieu.
As well as the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, Marc Short.
And Mondaire Jones. When you see the President's post, I mean, do you want him to apologize for that?
MONDAIRE JONES, (D) FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: At a minimum, he should apologize, but I don't think it would mean anything, because it wouldn't be sincere.
This is exactly who this President is and has been for, apparently, his adult life, if you've lived long enough to study that subject, when he was in the real estate profession here in New York.
[21:30:00]
When you think about the way he started his political career, which is how you opened this segment, this birtherism, accusing then-President Obama of not being from here, of not being a U.S. citizen, even.
When you think about the way that he described white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville as, Very fine people?
When you think about the fact that he's trying to still push this myth that there was voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and he's specifically speaking about the voters who are black and brown who delivered the presidency to Joe Biden. When you think about the fact that every time in this country we have seen an unarmed black man gunned down by law enforcement, he has never been able to bring himself to criticize that law enforcement official, but rather has vilified the dead victim.
This is part of a pattern. And when he says that he is the least racist president in a long time? He doesn't even believe that, because look at who he surrounds himself with. We got people like Stephen Miller, who are running the show, and who are virulently racist, and that is a reflection of his policies throughout.
COLLINS: Mitch Landrieu, what stood out to you from what you heard from the President tonight, as he was saying, It was a video about voter fraud. Whoever he sent he -- I mean, the President made clear tonight, he saw this video, sent it to someone to post on his Truth Social, as he put it. And obviously, he says didn't watch to the end, and then whoever he sent it to didn't watch to the end and just posted it.
Do you believe that?
MITCH LANDRIEU, (D) FORMER MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS, SENIOR ADVISER: How could you? The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is a racist. There's no question about it. He has been his entire life. In this administration, the fish rots from the head. I think that that post is disgusting. It's vile. It should be unacceptable to everybody in America.
And while I appreciate some of my Republican friends stepping up, and saying, Oh my gosh, I'm so surprised. I would like them to do something about limiting his authority.
Basically, what you just saw the President do was deny, and then he made an excuse, and then he blamed voter fraud, and then he said, Go to hell, I'm not going to apologize.
If he were -- if he were a university president? If he were the president of another country? If he were anybody that led a major corporation? He would have been sacked already. And it says something about his political friends that they won't call him to task for this.
I saw Donald Trump give a speech the other day for 40 minutes, and he sounded like a lunatic. And I think this guy, who is a bad guy, has finally lost his cookies, I don't think the country should tolerate this.
And I don't think this should go away. And even if he did apologize, I agree with the Congressman, it wouldn't mean anything, because he doesn't believe it. He has no sense of sorrow about any harm that he does to anybody else. And he's abused his power in a way that I think is unacceptable.
COLLINS: Marc Short, you worked inside the White House in the first term. You know what it's like when moments like there -- this happened, and people were kind of scrambling when the President has posted something on online. What do you make of how -- I mean, not only did the White House come out tonight and say, Well it was a staffer who erroneously posted it. Very few people have access to the President's social media account. And I'll note, it came at 11:44 p.m. Eastern, when he was in the residence. But what do you make of -- I mean, the press secretary came out and defended it initially today.
MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: Right. They changed the story a couple times. I would imagine that the same staffer is the one who posted kerfuffle a couple years ago in the middle of the night.
But I think the process actually, despite the Mayor's assertions, I actually think the President's explanation probably is the way it happened. I think that the President, he has been phenomenal at using social media, but there's always this desire and need to put content out in ways that can be really harmful. And I think this is obviously a big mistake.
But they get all sorts of content that's fed into them that they look at and put out, at all hours of the night. And I think that probably, I don't know this, Kaitlan, you might know, but with Dan being married last weekend, I don't know if he's around, but he would be the one who would filter it. And if Scavino is not there, then I'm assuming that the President did just tell somebody to put it out. And it's a huge mistake, and he should apologize for it.
COLLINS: It is kind of a wild scenario, though, that the President was posting a video about voter fraud that doesn't exist. And this chart, that looked like the meme, trying to explain all the crazy conspiracies. If that is actually the explanation that he was so focused on that, that he did not notice the racist part at the end. I mean, is that -- how does that land with you?
[21:35:00]
JONES: No, it's completely implausible. And we know that the President has engaged in the trafficking of other racist imagery. So this is -- this is not something where he deserves the benefit of the doubt. And we have to stop telling this lie to ourselves that the President of the United States is not racist. Because once we start to tell the truth, we can actually then begin to do something about it.
And to your point, I'm tired, I -- look, I appreciate Senator Tim Scott's courage. He was in rare form today when he -- when he said that the President was wrong to do something. And obviously I wish that more of his colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle, in the Senate and in the House--
COLLINS: And he was the first to speak out, I believe.
JONES: He was. He was. And I don't -- I don't -- you know, and I know that it's personal for him, as it should be. But it shouldn't -- it shouldn't be that it takes something like this to prompt you to speak out, and it shouldn't be that you have to be a black senator to take the lead on this kind of thing. This should offend every civilized person, the world over.
COLLINS: Yes. Before we go, I know -- we're out of time. But I just want to play what the Democratic Leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, and how he responded to this post.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): This disgusting video, posted by the so- called president, was done intentionally. (bleep) Donald Trump and his vile racist and malignant behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: On that note. Mondaire Jones. Mitch Landrieu. Marc Short. Thank you all for joining me tonight.
LANDRIEU: Good night.
COLLINS: Up next. Also on Air Force One tonight, the President weighed in on this reporting that he wants, in order to release billions of dollars in funding for New York State and the surrounding area, Chuck Schumer to rename an airport and a train station after him. What the President said in response to that tonight.
[21:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: There has been a major fight that's been playing out between lawmakers in New York, both Democrat and Republican, after the Trump administration froze billions of dollars in funding for one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the nation.
And amid that fight, we have learned from sources that President Trump made the Democratic senator, Chuck Schumer, a startling offer. He'll unfreeze the money with a major condition attached. That Schumer must agree to rename New York's Penn Station, and Washington's Dulles International Airport after Trump.
Our sources tell CNN that Senator Schumer rejected this proposal. Right now, we know that money is still being withheld tonight.
But tonight, on Air Force One, the President was asked about this proposal and what happened here. And he argued that it was not his idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He suggested that to me. Chuck Schumer suggested that to me about changing the name of Penn Station to Trump Station. Dulles Airport is really separate. Dulles Airport is really not too involved with Congress. That's a separate kind of a deal, as you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Senator Schumer is denying this. He wrote tonight after that, saying, quote, "Absolute lie. He knows it. Everyone knows it."
My source tonight is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Democratic congressman, Dan Goldman of New York.
Would you have accepted this offer if the President made it to you? It's a lot of money in this funding.
REP. DAN GOLDMAN (D-NY): It's so preposterous that we're talking about the largest infrastructure project in the country, that is so central to the entire Northeast Corridor, that has been already funded by Congress, signed by a president, and it's literally being hung up based on whether Donald Trump gets his name on something? I mean, it's preposterous that he's even -- that this is even on the table. And thankfully, a judge has intervened now tonight.
And it is -- it is just yet another example, and we're seeing this across the board, whether it's offshore wind, where he's shutting down projects that are almost completed with billions of dollars. And with 2.5 million homes that can be funded, energy prices would go down because of offshore wind. But he doesn't like windmills off the coast of his golf course in Scotland. And so, he shuts that down.
It is so arbitrary, and it is so devastating to the American people, and to our country's policy, that this is how he governs.
COLLINS: But also, I thought the -- because Mike Lawler is someone who is a Republican, he wants this funding restored as well. He's got issues with this, and he'd been talking to the White House about it.
I thought the whole argument was that it was stopped because they wanted to investigate fraud and make sure New York was using its federal funds appropriately. Not because the President wanted something named after him.
GOLDMAN: You believe what they say? I mean, it's pre--
COLLINS: That was the argument they put forward.
GOLDMAN: Yes, there's no argument. It was obviously punishment against Chuck Schumer. It was trying to use leverage against the Minority Leader in the Senate, to turn the screws on him, so he would agree to other stuff. There's no rationale for why else you would stop what was already a funded project that is -- and let's be clear, this is not just for New York. This is for the entire Northeast Corridor that is so essential for our economy, transportation.
And look, Mike Lawler can talk about how he's against it all he wants. But he's a Republican. Get it done, Mike.
[21:45:00]
COLLINS: So, you wouldn't board a train at Trump Station, if that's what they changed the name to?
GOLDMAN: Well, I don't think anybody is changing the name to Trump Station. We've seen what happens when he tries to change the name of the Kennedy Center. The whole thing goes to junk, and he's--
COLLINS: Yes, but he did succeed in that and--
GOLDMAN: Not yet, no, that's his name, and it's unclear whether that will remain.
COLLINS: It's not recognized. But it is on there.
Can I ask you? You are on the Judiciary Committee. We have heard now that lawmakers are going to be able to go and see what is redacted from the Epstein files, what we, the public, cannot see. Do you plan on going to look at that?
GOLDMAN: Absolutely, as soon as I possibly can. Because, what is redacted is clearly not within the confines of the law. They redacted, in numerous occasions, names of either accomplices or other people involved. Not victims. Let's just put it that way. I don't know what they are. I don't want to cast aspersions. But it's clearly not victims. And so, the un-redacted versions will have the names of those people, and that's what the American people, and the survivors, especially, deserve to know about.
COLLINS: Will you be able to share that information, what you see in there? Will you be able to share that publicly? Or is that clear yet?
GOLDMAN: I don't know. You know, it's a good question. I think that to the extent that the redactions are legitimate--
COLLINS: Sure.
GOLDMAN: --under the law, we will follow the law. But if they are redacting things that are outside the confines of the law, I don't see why there would be any restrictions on us.
COLLINS: Congressman Dan Goldman, thanks for joining us tonight.
GOLDMAN: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next here. We're going to take you behind the scenes at quite a week at the White House.
[21:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Mr. President, thank you for taking our questions.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Monday, February 2.
TRUMP: We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones. Biggest and the best. And we have talks going on with Iran. We'll see how it all works out.
I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. If you look at the DOJ, they released 3 million pages. There are a lot of questions about it, but nothing on me.
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Why have they decided to hold back 50 percent of the Epstein files and play games with where Trump's name is, and removing this photo, and redacting this, but then putting out the names of the survivors?
ON SCREEN TEXT: Tuesday, February 3.
COLLINS: What exactly did you mean when you said that you should nationalize elections, and which 15 states were you talking about?
TRUMP: I want to see elections be honest.
If they can't count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.
COLLINS: But the Constitution says it should be states that administer elections, Mr. President.
TRUMP: Go ahead. Yes--
COLLINS: That's what the Constitution says.
TRUMP: You know what? They can administer the election, but they have to do it honestly.
COLLINS: On the Epstein files. You talked about Democrats who were in there. Elon Musk was also in there, and so was your Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, and correspondence that he had with him. Did you read those new files that were published by the Department of Justice?
TRUMP: No, I didn't. I have a lot of things I'm doing, you know.
COLLINS: A lot of women who are survivors of Epstein's are unhappy with those redactions that came out.
Do you think that they should be more transparent?
TRUMP: Well, they're also unhappy with the fact that they thought they released too much.
I think it's really time for the country to maybe get onto something else, really.
COLLINS: But what would you say to people who feel like they haven't gotten justice, Mr. President?
TRUMP: What did you say? Go ahead, CNN. You are so worse, you know?
COLLINS: What would you say to the survivors who feel like they haven't gotten justice?
TRUMP: You are the worst reporter.
I don't think I've ever seen a smile on your face. You know why-- COLLINS: Well, I'm asking you about survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's, Mr. President.
TRUMP: --you know why you're not smiling? Because you know you're not telling the truth.
COLLINS: These are survivors of a sexual abuser.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go. Start moving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, guys, let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, press.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, press.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, press.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, press.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keep moving. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, press.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go. Go. Go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I've seen you smile plenty of times. I don't know anybody sane who smiles when they're talking about survivors of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
COLLINS: Many of them were incredibly young or underage when they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein. Not a laughing matter for them.
As the President is saying, it's time to move on. There's many people, including a lot of his own supporters, who do not feel that way.
Thanks.
Can I also ask you what you thought of the President and how he responded to our questions today, about Jeffrey Epstein, and what the survivors have said about the release and it being insufficient in their eyes.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): These survivors have gone through hell. Their lives have been traumatized to a horrible degree. All of the information that is possible should be coming out.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Wednesday, February 4. COLLINS: A third of the workforce at The Washington Post was laid off today.
I wonder what you thought and what you saw today.
MARTY BARON, FORMER EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE WASHINGTON POST: I think it's devastating.
In 2024, something dramatically changed, and that was the anticipated return of Trump to the White House, and when The Post decided to kill an editorial, of endorsing Kamala Harris. Hundreds of thousands of subscribers abandoned The Post. And then they were concerned about other things that Bezos did, all of which suggested that he was bending the knee to Donald Trump.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Thursday, February 5.
TRUMP: I don't know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat.
They do something to win. They cheat.
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: As for the left-wing agitators who have been illegally obstructing ICE's immigration efforts, we are not letting that behavior go unnoticed or unpunished.
He'd like to see a softer touch, but we are always going to remain tough.
[21:55:00]
COLLINS: Annie, we have talked multiple times about this, about the disclosure of these files, about the fight that you and other survivors have had here, and about your sister. When you hear the President say he thinks the country wants to move on from the Epstein files. Is that how you feel?
ANNIE FARMER, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I don't think it's something to smile about.
I'm not surprised that Trump is ready to move on, and that this DOJ is ready to move on. But we are certainly not, especially after we saw how poorly this last release of documents was handled.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Up next. Lindsey Vonn is hitting the slopes after rupturing her ACL ahead of the Olympics. What's her comeback going to look like? We'll talk about it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:00:00]
COLLINS: Today marked another step in Lindsey Vonn's already- remarkable comeback at the Winter Olympics. This is the three-time Olympic medalist completing a successful training run in Cortina. And as you watch her flight on that hill, keep in mind, it is exactly a week ago that the 41-year-old skier tore her ACL on her left knee and was flown off that mountain in Switzerland. Yet, there she is, looking completely fine, and completing today's training run fast enough to place her 11th out of the 43 finishers. Good luck to her. Good luck to all the athletes.
Thanks so much for joining us.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
