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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump "Not Sure" If Iran Will "Ever Get There" On A Deal; Alabama Gov. Launches Push For New Congressional Maps; Rogan Blasts DOJ's "Nuts" Comey Indictment Over "Silly" Post. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired May 01, 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]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Just in. President Trump rejects Iran's latest offer, as the war in Iran now becomes as unpopular as Vietnam.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
And tonight, sources say, the President's frustration is growing over the inability of the United States and Iran to make a deal.
He has repeatedly said that Iran wants to make a deal, and he's also said that Iran has already agreed to almost everything. So, it was striking today to hear the President say this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're doing everything in terms of negotiating right now. In terms of the negotiations telephonically. They've made strides, but I'm not sure if they ever get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President says he's not sure that Iran will ever agree to what he's demanding. It's a sentiment that he just repeated a few moments ago, while speaking in Florida tonight.
And those remarks about Iran maybe never coming to a deal with the United States comes hours after the President rejected Iran's latest proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They're not coming through with the kind of deal that we have to have, and we're going to get this thing done properly.
REPORTER: Can you tell us about the new Iranian proposal, please?
TRUMP: So, they want to make a deal, but I don't -- I'm not satisfied with it. We'll see what happens.
Iran wants to make a deal, because they have no military left, essentially, and they want to make a deal, but I'm not satisfied.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: You heard the White House reporters there, on the South Lawn, trying to get details on what exactly Iran is offering that the President has turned down. He didn't say.
But his irritation is quite clear, as he's also watching coverage of how the stalemate is playing out here in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We get the radical left to say, We're not winning, we're not winning.
They don't have any military left. It's unbelievable. It's actually, it's actually, I believe it's treasonous. OK. You want to know the truth -- it's treasonous.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The President there inching closer and flat-out stating a sentiment that he had been hinting at in the last several weeks, accusing Democratic lawmakers of treason for not uniformly declaring that the United States is winning the war in Iran. As he's also telling Democratic lawmakers and a few Republicans that he doesn't need their authorization of his war powers.
Now, today marks 60 days since the United States first struck Iran, and the law states that the President has to go to Congress after 60 days if he wants to continue.
But in a new letter to congressional leaders today, the Trump administration made the case that this is not actually the 60th day of the war, because, quote, "The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated."
Have they? Is the U.S. blockade of Iranian oil shipments, an act of war?
Either way, as this blockade is going on, and as Iran is continuing its control over the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. gas prices have been surging, officially again, now, pushing the national average to $4.39 a gallon. That marks the biggest one day price jump in weeks.
And today, in Florida, the President seemed to be asking voters for patience, as they've been facing more pain at the pump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Think you understand. But I am surprised. I thought the stock market would go down by 25 percent. I thought that oil prices would be at much higher than they are right now. They're not nearly as high as I thought. And we're going to -- look, we're winning so big. We're winning again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Here to tell us, if voters do understand, is our Chief Data Analyst, Harry Enten.
And Harry, you heard the President saying gas prices will go down, they'll tumble, as he put it, right after this war is over.
Obviously, everyone who's driving a car knows gas prices are up. But are they going up faster in recent days?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, gas prices have hit turbo speed. My mother who wants to fill up her SUV? She's in for a big sticker shocker the next time she goes to the pumps.
Because what are we talking about, Kaitlan Collins? I mean, just take a look at this. Take a look at the change in gas prices each week. At the beginning of the war, they shot up like a rocket. But then the last few weeks, they had been pretty stable, until this week.
Because just take a look here, change in gas prices each week. Two weeks ago, the weekly change was it was actually down 2 percent. One week ago, the weekly change, it was flat. But look at this. Over the last week, we're talking about a rise in gas prices of 8 percent over just the last seven days.
And of course, over the course of the war, we're talking a rise in gas prices of 47 percent. That's the largest increase over a two-month period, dating back since at least the beginning of this century.
COLLINS: I mean, and Harry, when you look at those numbers, and 8 percent this week. Republicans and Democrats both buy gas. They both fill up their cars.
[21:05:00]
What we've heard from Republican lawmakers who keep getting questions about this. They seem to have settled on a message about gas prices. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): It's terrible that we have higher gas prices. But the trade-off is we're going to live in freedom and democracy, and we don't have somebody that's a lunatic, that's going to drop a nuclear weapon on us.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): And if that means prices go up for a short time, I think Americans understand we can -- we can live with that.
CHRIS WRIGHT, ENERGY SECRETARY: We believe this is a small price to pay to get to a world where energy prices are returned back to where they were.
SEN. ROGER MARSHALL (R-KS): Freedom is not free. Americans are going to have to make some sacrifices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Do Americans agree with those sentiments?
ENTEN: What a losing political message that is, if that's the message that Republicans have settled on.
The American people have quite a message contra to that. Because, just take a look here. I mean, hello, is the Iran war worth higher gas prices? Just 34 percent of Americans say yes. About two in three, 64 percent say no, no, no. Nay-nay-nay (ph), they do not like this one iota. So when they hear Republicans saying what they're saying about the war being worth it, in terms of higher gas prices, they say, What are you? Out to lunch?
COLLINS: Well, Harry, what does it mean, in terms of popularity of this war?
Because we've heard from the President and Secretary Hegseth this week. They say the American people are on board with this war.
ENTEN: No. No. No. No, absolutely not. Again, you're hearing one thing from Republicans. But the American people, we see it over and over again in the numbers, say something completely different.
I mean, just look at this. Say the Iran war was, in fact, a mistake. 61 percent overall say that, in fact, it was a mistake. You look among Independents, it's 61 percent who -- 71 percent who say it was a mistake.
And Kaitlan, I see these numbers, and I go to myself, My God, these are bad. And it's happened over just two months. It has happened over just two months. So, I was interested looking back through history. How long did prior wars? I mean, just look at this. At least 60 percent say the war was a mistake. Months it took. Iran was two. You go back to the Iraq War, it was 51 -- it was 51 months it took. That is what, 25 times as long for the Iraq War to get at least 60 percent of the public to say it was a mistake.
COLLINS: Wow.
ENTEN: And Vietnam. Look at that. It took 74 months. 74 months.
So, this is just on a completely different planet. This war is horribly unpopular. And Republicans completing their political message, like we heard in those earlier clips? It is a political loser, Kaitlan Collins.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, on Vietnam, it's remarkable.
Harry Enten, thank you for bringing us those numbers tonight.
For more perspective on what we just learned in that data. The President's former National Security Advisor in his first term, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, is here. Ambassador, I mean, you see those numbers, why do you think this war is so unpopular?
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, for several reasons, I don't think Trump made the case to the American people. I think it's a very compelling case why regime change in Iran is necessary. I don't know what Trump's objectives are today, but he did no preparation.
And leadership in American politics is explaining to the people why certain steps are necessary, certain costs have to be incurred, for American national security. That just didn't happen. So, it's a self- inflicted wound in many respects.
And one of the -- one of the ways to explain it is, consider Iran smuggling two or three nuclear devices into the United States, and setting them off in a basement in a building, in the center of two or three American cities. Maybe your colleague has the cost estimates for what that would be. Or, ask people what their risk of -- their tolerance for the risk of an authoritarian, militaristic government of religious fanatics possessing nuclear weapons? My tolerance for that is zero.
It's a strong case. Trump hasn't made it. And now, Republicans are trying to catch up and begin to make the case that should have been made, not just in one speech, but for weeks and months, before we undertook this operation.
COLLINS: So, you think it's just unpopular because the President hasn't explained it well enough?
BOLTON: Well, I think it's clear he hasn't explained it well enough. Whether it could be made convincing or not, remains to be seen.
But I think Americans understand the risk of nuclear proliferation, and I think that if people had thought about how to communicate the risk we're taking, and the potential damage that could be done by this regime, that he would have had support for it.
COLLINS: The President said tonight, Frankly, maybe we're better off not making a deal.
What happens if the United States doesn't come to an agreement with Iran?
[21:10:00]
BOLTON: Well, look, I think this ceasefire has been a mistake. I don't think this is a regime that you can negotiate with. I don't think they keep their word.
And I think one of the most important things that Trump has said in the past few days is that it's not at all clear who in the quote- unquote, Government of Iran is really calling the shots. He's referred to different factions that have different views, that express different deals he thinks they want to make. This is exactly what we would expect from devastating their top leadership, pounding on the instruments of Iranian state power, the Revolutionary Guard, its subsidiaries, the Quds Force and the Basij militia. I think this regime is coming apart at the top, and I think this disagreement, this inability to come up with a -- with a coordinated negotiating posture, help show that.
We ought to be putting more pressure on this regime. We ought to be working with the opponents of the regime inside Iran, which, as far as I can tell, we have not done at all, because they're the people that are going to have to carry the burden, ultimately, of continuing to increase the fractures within the regime--
COLLINS: Yes.
BOLTON: --and help pull it down.
COLLINS: Axios is reporting tonight, citing the Pentagon, that this blockade the President has put in place on Iranian ports is costing Iran $5 billion so far.
Do you view the blockade as a success?
BOLTON: Yes, as far as anybody can tell, no Iranian oil is coming out onto the water. They may be shipping it in tank cars to China. Good luck with that. It will take a long time to ship what they're producing.
COLLINS: Yes.
BOLTON: And the loss of revenue added to the absolutely wretched state of the economy, before the war started, added to the enormous damage that's been done to the military-industrial complex in Iran in the six weeks of bombing. Those three factors together, I think, are punishing the economy in ways they've never seen before. I think that's obviously going to add to popular dissatisfaction.
That's why I would go back, try and clear the Strait of Hormuz, militarily, finish off the missile launchers, missiles and drones they've been digging out of storage areas underground. Complete the task that we didn't complete before the ceasefire was called.
COLLINS: Yes, well, I mean, we'll see what the President does on that, if they resume the bombing campaign.
But can I ask you. Because he's been facing some criticism, and he's been criticizing Europe, because he doesn't like that they're not supporting this war wholeheartedly.
After the German Chancellor said that the Iranians were humiliating the United States in talks about this war. The Pentagon confirmed today that the United States is going to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months.
Now, we have been hearing that this was under consideration. But I think the Pentagon is making clear, this is in punishment, because they don't like what the German chancellor has been saying.
What is your view on that?
BOLTON: Well, if it's punishment, it's childish, it's a bunch of kids at a playground. There are always good reasons to re-evaluate our force deployments in Europe. I would personally shift troops out of Germany, into Poland and the Baltic Republics closer to where the real danger is. I don't think that's what this is here.
I think Trump made a big mistake by not consulting not just the NATO allies, but the Gulf Arab states, our Asian allies, that buy a lot of oil from the Gulf region. He didn't consult anybody beforehand.
But the Europeans have also made a mistake here, and the German Chancellor made a mistake in that comment. They shouldn't behave like they're on a playground any more than Trump should. They should be thinking strategically. And Europe has as much at stake in getting rid of this threatening regime in Iran as we do.
COLLINS: Ambassador John Bolton, thank you for joining us tonight.
Also here with me tonight, at the desk is CNN Global Affairs Analyst, Iran expert, and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Karim Sadjadpour.
It's great to have you here. Because, where is your view of the talks?
Because the President is basically saying, We're not going to go meet them in person. It's too far to go to Pakistan. Maybe we'll never make a deal. No one really knows what's going on beyond me and a small circle.
What's your sense of this?
KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE, IRAN EXPERT: Kaitlan, I'm actually starting to see the Iranian position start to crack.
Now, I'm not arguing that they're about to capitulate. But I think this blockade is actually having a real impact on Iran's economy. As you read in Axios, it's costing the country several hundred millions of dollars a day. There are no signs that Iranian oil is making its way to China. And this is a country which is already suffering from 70 percent inflation.
And I think they are -- they want to talk to President Trump about doing a deal. Now, this is a regime which, as I said, is willing to inflict enormous hardship on its people, but they do tend to compromise as a last resort when they're desperate, and I think we're starting to see signs that they want to talk.
[21:15:00]
COLLINS: And in terms of the blockade. I mean, Iran has always been under sanctions, and whatnot. But they've been able to send out their ships, have them go dark and still deliver that oil to China. I mean, there's a physical blockade, they literally cannot do that right now.
SADJADPOUR: This is a physical blockade. They're not able to send their oil and the resources to China. And vast majority of their oil exports were going via sea.
To give you a sign of the desperate measures they're contemplating. The Wall Street Journal reported today that they're contemplating measures like suicide dolphins, you know, dolphins equipped with mines to try to go after U.S. ships. So that's not a--
COLLINS: What?
SADJADPOUR: --that's not a measure which projects real strength.
COLLINS: Wait, I'm sorry, you have to -- how would that even work?
SADJADPOUR: So, this has been discussed in the past by the Iranian regime that--
COLLINS: They want to strap bombs to dolphins?
SADJADPOUR: To dolphins, with mines, to go after U.S. ships. Now, that's a pretty crazy asymmetric tool. But this is some of the measures that are being reported right now.
COLLINS: I mean, do you think that they could actually try -- if they actually tried that, what would that say about their desperation?
SADJADPOUR: Well, this is something that they've thrown out in the past to show the various options they have at their disposal. But again, this is not a show of a country which is strong. You don't contemplate those kinds of measures when you're strong.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, what do the dolphins have to do with this?
SADJADPOUR: It's a terrible thing.
COLLINS: Yes.
Can I ask you, in terms of a deal. Is there anything -- if Iran does not agree to not enrich uranium, do you think the President would ever agree to that? Is there a deal where they -- that's not part of it that he would agree to, in your view?
SADJADPOUR: So, I don't think they're going to permanently give up the enrichment of uranium. The question is, how long will they agree to suspend it? I think that's what these negotiations are going to be about.
And just for historic context. When Ayatollah Khamenei, the previous Supreme Leader, signed the nuclear deal with President Obama, I was reading his speeches very carefully. For week after week, for about two years, it was defiance, defiance, defiance, bluster. And then suddenly he gave this speech, saying, calling for heroic flexibility as a prelude to compromise. So, Iran only compromises once it's exhausted all other possibilities. And again, this blockade, I think, is proving more effective than people know.
COLLINS: How much longer do you think they could last?
SADJADPOUR: They could probably still last weeks, maybe even months longer than that. But there are signs that they want to talk.
COLLINS: Karim Sadjadpour, maybe let's hope, for the dolphins' sake, that happens. Great to have you here tonight.
Up next. Another state has just joined the battle that is now playing out in the United States when it comes to redistricting. My congressional source will weigh in on that fight that could determine who controls Congress, come November.
Also, Joe Rogan says those charges against James Comey are nuts. His take, ahead, and why he's criticizing the Justice Department.
Also, it's wheels up for the new Air Force One, apparently now this summer. We have new reporting on why President Trump will have amenities fit for a royal family.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, Alabama has just become the latest state that is pushing to join a nationwide redistricting arms race. That's because the Republican governor there, Kay Ivey, is now calling for state lawmakers to implement a new congressional map, days after the Supreme Court ruled to significantly weaken the Voting Rights Act.
Governor Ivey is looking to resurrect that 2023 map in Alabama, which was actually struck down after a federal court ruled that it underrepresented black voters in Alabama by having only one majority black district.
The Governor initially said, that court order would make implementing a new map before the November midterm elections impossible. But an emergency filing from the State's Attorney General is now urging the Supreme Court to clear the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE MARSHALL, (R) ALABAMA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Alabama ought to have the opportunity, as we've seen Virginia, as we've seen California, we've seen New York, to draw districts that are consistent with those who are seeking that representation. Alabama is a conservative state, and they deserve conservative representation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: My source tonight sits on the House Judiciary Committee. Democratic congressman, Jamie Raskin.
And thank you, sir, for joining.
I mean, even putting aside which party winds up with more new seats. Do you think this is good for democracy?
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): It's terrible, Kaitlan. I mean, take Alabama, for example. There's seven U.S. House seats, and what we just heard, read properly, means that the Republicans should control all seven seats, and they should be seven majority white districts.
And that was the green light that was just created by the Callais decision, to gerrymander in the interest of enhancing total partisan lockups, in Florida, in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and so on. And then, that is going to create, as we've already seen, in California, Virginia, New York, Michigan, the parallel incentive for Democratic legislatures to try to create all Democratic districts.
So, it's terrible for democracy, and we've got to get out of this gerrymander box that the Supreme Court has put us in.
COLLINS: Well, and often when we hear Democrats criticize red states or red-leaning states doing this. People say, Well, Democrats are doing it too in places like Illinois.
But you're saying, it's bad if either party is doing it.
[21:25:00]
RASKIN: Yes. I mean, in fairness to my party, the Democrats, we have tried, for a decade, to pass the For the People Act, whose first plank was to mandate non-partisan redistricting commissions, across the country, without any politicians involved. But at this point, yes, we are fighting fire with fire. What else can we do?
But we are going to have to get bicameral congressional majorities in there that are committed to banning partisan discrimination, and then moving to something like multi-member districts with cumulative voting, or some other proportional representation system, like exists in most of the world, so that Democrats can get elected in Alabama, and Republicans can get elected in Massachusetts or in California.
But otherwise, what we're going to have, Kaitlan, is all Democratic congressional delegations from northern states, where legislatures are Democratic, and all Republican delegations from southern states. It's a very dangerous thing, this Supreme Court has done by saying that, A- OK, green light for partisan gerrymandering, and then dismantle the Voting Rights Act.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, you talk about needing members of Congress and the House and the Senate to do that. But I mean, if there's those new members of Congress that are there, because they benefited from these new maps that are being drawn right now, seems doubtful they'd support that.
RASKIN: By my count, there are five states which can still now follow the indications and the lead of the Supreme Court. Florida is one of them. Georgia is one of them. Alabama is another one of them. But the real damage will be done in 2028, which means, if we can get a pro-democracy congressional majority, in 2026, we've got to move very quickly to ban partisan gerrymandering, across the country, and move to a different system of government.
I mean, right now, there's mandatory single-member districts, and I think those single-member districts help to generate that race to the bottom, and we might have to move to multi-member districts, where Democrats and Republicans alike can get elected within the same compact congressional district alignment.
COLLINS: Yes.
RASKIN: But otherwise, we're headed for very serious trouble.
COLLINS: Tonight, the President was in Florida, and he mentioned this recent -- the recent charges from the Department of Justice against the Southern Poverty Law Center.
You're actually demanding and want, seeking new information from the Justice Department on this indictment, because you say you got a whistleblower report against a top Justice Department official, and you claim that an Associate Deputy Attorney General, quote, "Ordered the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama to rush through the indictment of the SPLC, despite serious concerns about the strength of the case."
What information are you seeking? And I guess, if you know how the subpoena power. Do you think you'll actually get it?
RASKIN: Well, we won't have the subpoena power for long. But if the elections go a certain way, we will have the subpoena power when we get to 2027.
But we have a whistleblower who's telling us that this was rushed through, barreled through, even in the face of serious opposition raised by lawyers.
And of course, that opposition makes sense, given that everybody knows that the Southern Poverty Law Center is the sworn enemy of the Ku Klux Klan, and the various neo-Nazi Party factions. And yet, to believe this indictment would mean -- would require you to believe that the Southern Poverty Law Center is actually trying to help the extreme- right in America, which is just completely disoriented and cynical.
It was the Southern Poverty Law Center, in 1987, that worked with local lawyers to bankrupt the United Klans of America in Alabama, after they killed a 19-year-old African American man, and they got a seven -- they won a $7 million judgment against them.
Everybody knew, including the Department of Justice, that they use paid informants, which, of course, is very common to the FBI itself. And it was the information that came from informants like that, which allowed them to bankrupt the United Klans of America, and has allowed them to turn over information that the FBI and the Department of Justice has used to prosecute these people. So, the indictment on its face is fraudulent. But we now have a whistleblower who's come forward to say that they pushed this through, just so they can scapegoat and target the SPLC.
COLLINS: OK. So, we'll see if you get that information. Obviously, please keep us updated.
Can I also just get your take? Because some people might be watching right now that are affected by this. The budget airline, Spirit, they're on the brink of shutting down, potentially within hours, after two bankruptcies, higher jet fuel prices.
The President had been talking about a bailout. He had been facing some criticism on that. He told reporters, there is still a chance of that.
Would you support a government bailout of Spirit Airlines?
[21:30:00]
RASKIN: No. Absent the most extraordinary proof of why that was in the national security, I thought that that was the market system that we have.
But of course, the market system under Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans is the businesses that they're friends with, that bankroll their campaigns, are the ones that they're willing to put government money into. So, this is just a form of crony capitalism or bureaucratic state socialism that Donald Trump has put together. I would oppose that.
COLLINS: All right.
Congressman Jamie Raskin, we'll see if it happens. Thank you for taking the time to join us tonight.
RASKIN: You bet.
COLLINS: Up next here. I mentioned this new comment from Joe Rogan. He is criticizing the Justice Department for indicting James Comey again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ROGAN, PODCAST HOST: It's nuts. It's nuts, like you're going after someone for something that's just silly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all so crooked.
ROGAN: 86 47 is get rid of 47.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
ROGAN: Free speech.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then--
ROGAN: But it's just like arresting a guy for that is nuts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:35:00]
COLLINS: Joe Rogan is criticizing the Justice Department, here in Washington, for indicting the former FBI Director, James Comey, again this week.
Now, the Justice Department has accused Comey of threatening the President's life with a since-deleted Instagram post of seashells, as you see, arranged here, to form the numbers 86 47, which Joe Rogan is arguing, means something completely different than what the President was arguing to us in the Oval Office this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGAN: But 86 is--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Makes sense.
ROGAN: If you get fired. What happened to Mike? He got 86-ed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. Right.
ROGAN: It doesn't mean you get killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. No, a 100 percent.
ROGAN: The problem with these guys is it sets a crazy precedent.
It's nuts, like you're going after someone for something that's just silly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all so crooked.
ROGAN: 86 47 is get rid of 47.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
ROGAN: Free speech.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then--
ROGAN: But it's just like arresting a guy for that is nuts.
It's like they're just looking for any reason. But it just doesn't seem -- it seems like there should be other reasons, like, if the guy really was dirty, you should have something on him other than--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ROGAN: --the seashell picture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: My political sources tonight are:
Ameshia Cross, a former Obama campaign adviser.
And Shermichael Singleton, Republican strategist.
Shermichael, I think James Comey might want to hire Joe Rogan as his attorney, in this case.
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He seems to be a pretty good spokesperson, I would say, Ameshia, right?
Look, Joe Rogan is entitled to his opinion. I think the President and the Justice Department would have a very different perspective. We've heard the Acting Attorney General opine on this. We've heard the President opine on this for months, from the first time, to Letitia James, the Attorney General in New York. So, I think we're very clear where he stands on it.
But look, Joe Rogan, certainly speaks to a cohort of non-traditional voters who did vote for the President, a lot of young men who really weren't involved and engaged in politics, who voted under the guise of economic possibilities. They thought maybe immigration had gone too far, maybe they thought it was a challenge on certain types of jobs, and they haven't really seen the fruition of those things.
And I think that frustration that Rogan is speaking of, and he's spoken on various other topics, critiquing the President in the past, speaks to those things and speaks, ultimately, for that group of young men, I think.
COLLINS: I mean, if you've lost Joe Rogan on this?
AMESHIA CROSS, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN ADVISER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes, I think that was Shermichael just said, was right.
One of the reasons why Donald Trump got rid of Pam Bondi was because he felt as though she could not prosecute the cases of the enemies that he was trying to go after. One of them was James Comey. And I think that at this point, we've already seen him throw a case towards James Comey before, and it kind of fell apart. This one's going to fall apart too.
If the biggest issue you have is seashells on a beach? Then you don't have a case, I'm sorry. If you're going to go after Comey after the exact same thing you went after him, just a few months ago? It seems completely ridiculous. At this point, Trump just needs to move on. Everybody knows he has an enemies list. He wants to check it off. He wants those people to be prosecuted. It's beginning to be embarrassing.
Because, folks can't pay their bills. They're asking for relief. They're asking for this President to pay attention to the very things that they're hollering out, all across the country for. And those hollers aren't just from Democrats. A lot of them are in red states and places that voted for Trump in plus-30 districts. It matters to them to have him pay attention to what they're asking for. And right now, he's just on his vengeance tour yet again.
COLLINS: Yes--
SINGLETON: Yes, this certainly isn't a serendipitous moment. It's like, we've seen this story before, and people are just like, All right, we get it, but we kind of want to move on here.
And I think that's sort of what Rogan is hinting at. Mr. President, you got a lot of supporters out there. You turned out people who neither side could turn out in the past. Deliver on some of the promises that activated that.
CROSS: Because I don't think Rogan wants him to fail.
SINGLETON: He doesn't. I don't think he does--
CROSS: I think Rogan is out here saying, essentially, Hey, move on to these things you promised people that you were going to do.
COLLINS: But I hear that, and I'm like, OK, we covered the President on the campaign trail. He made very clear what he wanted to do, that he wanted retribution.
SINGLETON: Sure.
COLLINS: And the White House would say, or the people who were then around Trump, his campaign, now the White House, would say, Well, his success will be his retribution.
Well, no, actually, his retribution is his retribution. And it seems like maybe some people weren't really paying attention to the fact that he was making pretty clear he would do this if he got back into office.
SINGLETON: Sure, sometimes politicians say things, and I think the public generally says, Maybe this is a little hyperbole.
But on this particular issue, if I'm an adviser at the White House, and I'm talking to the President about the political landscape? We have the gerrymandering wars that are ongoing. You have the conflict in the Middle East. You have housing, a big issue. The economy is certainly not where we want it to be, ideally. The Fed did not lower interest rates, any basis points at all, which was the expectation by some on the conservative side.
[21:40:00]
And so, my advice to the President is, Sir, you were elected with a huge mandate, I would argue, as a conservative. There are certain things that we promised. Now, allow me to pull the coalition together and the team to move forward with bringing those ideas to reality for a lot of people who said, Mr. President, I am hurting economically, help heal some of that pain. And they entrusted us to do that, and we have an amazing opportunity to do so, and I still believe that.
COLLINS: Well, and what else Joe Rogan said in that segment was he was saying, you know, James Comey posted this as a private citizen. He talked about free speech and protected speech. He said it sets a crazy precedent. I mean, seemingly worried that, you know, I mean, a Democratic president would do this.
The Trump administration would say, Well, they already did it by indicting Trump.
But obviously, there was a lot of evidence in that case, also when it came to classified documents.
CROSS: No, absolutely.
And to be -- and to be fair, if Trump is going to call this some type of incendiary thing, that is, should be criminally prosecuted? Then Donald J. Trump should be criminally prosecuted as well. He has posted or reposted several images videos of extreme violence towards his opposition, be it whether it was Hillary Clinton, be it whether it was Barack Obama who wasn't even running at the time, he's never run against Barack Obama, be it whether it was Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. So, it doesn't add up.
If it is wrong for Comey, who, I would argue, the seashells have nothing to do with anything criminal. Where we saw decapitation videos of individuals, up to and including AOC, that were retweeted by the President of the United States. I have a real problem trying to understand how he is not seeing his own issue with things that relate to extreme violence, versus a guy who put together some seashells on the seashore.
COLLINS: Shermichael--
SINGLETON: At least you admitted that he put them together, though, which he still--
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: --around them like that.
CROSS: --seashell as well.
COLLINS: Shermichael, what's your take on the Qatari jet that the President is going to be using as his version of Air Force One.
SINGLETON: Yes.
COLLINS: We found out about this last summer.
SINGLETON: We did.
COLLINS: The Wall Street Journal says tonight, it's a $400 million plane. It's had all the changes. It's had the modifications for security. None of the lux touches on the inside have been changed, maybe not surprisingly, which obviously, he's apparently going to be able to use this summer.
Do you agree with that?
SINGLETON: I didn't agree with it at the time, and I'm still hesitant and skeptical about this, in part, just because of national security. I mean, I know we see the Qataris as somewhat of an ally. But we know everybody spies on each other, even our own allies. We know this from reporting from CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, and many other outlet -- trusted outlets.
So, I just worry about the President's security, trusting a plane from a foreign country, I really do. This isn't about the gift, for me. It's about the security component of it.
And I just don't understand why it's taken Boeing so freaking long to build a new, modern, updated plane. This is insane to me.
COLLINS: Is there any irony, though, in the President getting this jet in time? I mean, this was planned, obviously, before he went to war with Iran.
SINGLETON: Yes.
COLLINS: But as Americans are paying $4.39 a gallon on average.
CROSS: It's irony, it's bittersweet, and it's actually disgusting. It shows that the President, who has been somebody who fervently understands PR at a very high level, at this point, he seems to not care. He's not trying to posture this in any other type of way, when we know that Americans can't afford fuel to go to work, to take their kids to school.
And you're doing this at the same time, when the Iran war show no signs of stopping, and, they've avoided that conversation about what a pullout could look like, why we're even there, how many more days, weeks, how much is it actually going to cost us in the end? They don't want to talk about that at all.
But I agree with Shermichael. The biggest issue here is that there is a surveillance risk. There are several risks associated with it, particularly as it relates to security.
And for Donald Trump to have been, unfortunately, the target of multiple security breaches and risk over the past few years, I would argue that he should probably be a little--
SINGLETON: You just can't help aware -- whether you like Donald Trump or not. I mean, he's still the president of the country, and I think all Americans want the president to be safe, and I think that's a shared concern when getting an aircraft from a foreign country.
COLLINS: Shermichael Singleton. Ameshia Cross. Great to have both of you here tonight. Thanks for joining us.
SINGLETON: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next. We'll take you behind the scenes this week at the White House, from the briefing room just after the Correspondents' Dinner shooting on Saturday night. To also, King Charles' historic visit. What we saw behind the scenes.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: From the attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, to a royal visit by King Charles, and the 60th day of the war with Iran. Here's a look behind the scenes of a historic week in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ON SCREEN TEXT: Saturday, April 25. White House Correspondents' Dinner.
(APPLAUSE)
(GUNSHOTS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the (inaudible) is wrong?
COLLINS: What the (bleep) going on?
Security is telling us that everything is OK.
The shooter -- there was a shooter?
We didn't know at first, but then we heard from our own security that they heard shots fired.
Can they hear me?
It's been this huge scramble to even assemble in this room. It's only about half full, but that's because all of the reporters, pretty much, who were inside this room, were gathered at that ballroom.
TRUMP: That was very unexpected, but incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement.
COLLINS: President Trump?
Thank you, President Trump, and thank you for updating us.
TRUMP: Go ahead.
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: Were you aware of any threats beforehand, and do you believe you were the target of this tonight?
TRUMP: These people, look, they're crazy. Really, first line of defense, and they got them.
Go ahead, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Have any political motivations from this?
TRUMP: Well, you never know. Now we'll be able to tell you that maybe by tomorrow or the next day.
He's in custody.
Thank you, Kaitlan.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Monday, April 27.
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Saturday was supposed to be a joyful evening, celebrating free speech and the First Amendment with all of you, members of the press. The night was hijacked by a crazed anti-Trump individual. This is the third major assassination attempt against President Trump in two years.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: King Charles privately contacted the President and the first lady to express his sympathies and the Queen's sympathies with all those affected on Saturday night.
You know, President Trump is calling the Prime Minister, a loser.
COLLINS: And saying he's no Winston Churchill. That's the most polite thing. They're hoping this visit will remind the President of the importance of the U.K., that relationship, the alliance and hopefully ease those tensions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kaitlan (inaudible).
COLLINS: It's nice to meet you. And I'll be there tomorrow. I'm excited covering this.
Hi.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): How are you?
COLLINS: Just peachy. How are you?
SANDERS: You love that.
COLLINS: More charges are coming for the man accused of planning to assassinate President Trump and carrying out what could have been a massacre of America's leaders and the press corps that covers them.
When you look at political violence. What is your view on where it is today?
SANDERS: It's clearly worse than it's ever been.
I think what we have got to do is focus on issues and not personality. ON SCREEN TEXT: Tuesday, April 28.
TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. What a beautiful British day this is.
(APPLAUSE)
KING CHARLES III, KING OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Standing here today, it is hard not to feel the weight of history on my shoulder, because the modern relationship between our two nations spans not merely 250 years, but over four centuries. That partnership is more important today than it has ever been.
God bless the United States. And God bless the United Kingdom.
(APPLAUSE)
COLLINS: This event has been so carefully choreographed and scripted. All of those questions in terms of how the President is responding to this speech, what he thought of it, have still gone unanswered.
What President Trump just said he thought about that speech from King Charles, as his Justice Department has just indicted James Comey for a second time.
We are here on the North Lawn for a historic night, here at the White House. It is a state dinner for King Charles and Queen Camilla.
KING CHARLES III: On this occasion, I cannot help noticing the readjustments to the East Wing, Mr. President.
(LAUGHTER)
KING CHARLES III: I'm sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own small attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814.
(LAUGHTER)
COLLINS: He has had some humorous moments there out today.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he's also a good joke.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Wednesday, April 29.
COLLINS: I'm here today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.
TRUMP: We're very proud of these people.
COLLINS: On your call with President Putin today, do you think the war in Iran ends first, or the war in Ukraine?
TRUMP: Well, we talked about more about the war in Ukraine.
Maybe they're on a similar timetable.
COLLINS: James Comey was in court. He self-surrendered. He's now been charged a second time, this time over a social media post with seashells that said, 86 47. Do you really think that he was endangering your life or threatening your life with that post?
TRUMP: Well, if anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86 -- you know what 86 -- it's a mob term for kill him.
COLLINS: All right. Good job, folks.
Does 86 mean murder in mob parlance? Tell us.
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I dealt with all Five Families, Gambino, Genovese, Bonanno, Lucchese, Colombo.
Never, ever, not once, did I hear any real-world gangster use the term, 86, to refer to a murder or anything.
ON SCREEN TEXT: Thursday, April 30.
COLLINS: Tomorrow marks 60 days since the first American strikes on Iranian targets.
The President said today that he thinks it's -- basically the trade- off for high gas prices, is Iran not having a nuclear weapon.
SCOTT: It's terrible that we have higher gas prices. But the trade-off is we're going to live in freedom and democracy.
I don't want a nuclear weapon dropped in this country. Who does?
ON SCREEN TEXT: Friday, May 1.
TRUMP: The War Powers. Many presidents, as you know, have gone and exceeded it. It's never been used, it's never been adhered to, and every other President considered it unconstitutional, and we agree with that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Up next. Why I'll be in California, next week.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:00:00]
COLLINS: This Tuesday, all eyes will be on California, as both the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates are going to face off at CNN's debate, which I'm going to be hosting, alongside my colleague, Elex Michaelson. If you have a question for any of those candidates who are set to be on stage, next Tuesday night, let me know what you would ask them, on X or on Instagram. Now, The California Governor Primary Debate is going to air live, from Los Angeles, Tuesday, 09:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN, or you can watch it on the CNN app.
Thanks so much for joining us here tonight THE SOURCE.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
