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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump: I Want To Share Iran Agreement Text In "Formal Setting"; Canadian PM Reveals He's Seen Text Of U.S.-Iran Agreement; CNN Projects Rick Jackson Wins GOP Nomination For Georgia Governor. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired June 16, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: And by then, they were able to get a number of people in custody.
But there's still more to go. They had the intent, and they had the capability because, they had ordered thousands of dollars of military equipment, rifles, ammunition, body armor.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Yes. It's incredible.
John Miller, appreciate it. Thanks very much.
MILLER: Thanks.
COOPER: Continue to follow it.
That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: We're coming to you live from Geneva, Switzerland tonight, where President Trump is gathering with world leaders just over the border in Evian, France.
There's a lot happening here, as sources are telling us more about what's in this agreement, between the United States and Iran that they signed about 48 hours ago. But still, 48 hours later, we have not seen for ourselves.
Sources say that there was intense disagreement and skepticism, at the highest levels of the Trump administration, about whether or not Iran is truly ready to make concessions about its nuclear program.
We'll have much more on that in just a moment, when I'm going to be joined live by the former Vice President, Mike Pence.
But also tonight, it is Tuesday, in an election year, which means we are monitoring primary elections in Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma. One of the most closely-watched races, right now, is that Senate primary race in Georgia. And CNN, as we come on the air, can now project that Republican Congressman Mike Collins is going to defeat longtime football coach Derek Dooley, and advance to face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November.
Collins had been backed by President Trump at the last minute, while Dooley had the backing of Georgia's Governor, Brian Kemp.
Harry Enten is at the Magic Wall for us tonight.
Harry, how did we get to this call? What are the numbers looking like so far?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I mean, you said it, right? Donald Trump has gotten his man in the Republican Senate primary runoff in Georgia. This lead, Mike Collins' lead, has been expanding as the night has been going on, as those Election Day votes have come in, Mike Collins has done very well.
Of course, the man waiting in the wings is the Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, and defeating him will be no easy task. Why is that? Because Jon Ossoff has already -- has cash on hand, at the last reporting, was $32.5 million. My goodness gracious. And of course, Jon Ossoff has eyes towards -- potentially has eyes towards 2028, this may be a test run for him.
Now, Donald Trump got his man in, Mike Collins, in this Senate race. However, there is also a gubernatorial runoff going on in the great state of Georgia, and that is a horse of a different color. OK, Rick Jackson, a businessman who has spent a ton of money on this race, Kaitlan Collins. Burt Jones, of course, the candidate who is endorsed by Donald Trump, as well as Brian Kemp. This gap has been closing, but Rick Jackson still ahead.
Why has this race been closing? Because it's the Election Day versus advance vote breakdown. Rick Jackson is getting about 60 percent of the early vote. However, that is mostly in. If you look at the Election Day vote, he's only getting 45 percent of it. Now, most of the vote is Election Day vote, that's the vote still out there. We'll have to wait and see whether or not Jones can catch Jackson. But right now, advantage Jackson, Kaitlan
COLLINS: All right, Harry Enten, we will keep checking back in with you at the Magic Wall, as we are watching these races tonight.
As I noted, the other major headlines that we're following are here in Geneva, where some of the details of that U.S. agreement with Iran are starting to come into focus, but the emphasis is on the word, Some, here.
We're learning also tonight about a pretty intense debate that was shaping up, between Trump officials, before this deal was even signed. Over the last two weeks, the President's national security team was meeting nearly every day to talk about this evolving deal, with many of them concerned that Iran was not going to hold up its end of the bargain.
Officials tell my colleague, Alayna Treene, that at various points, nearly every senior official, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were raising serious reservations about it. The CIA Director, John Ratcliffe, and the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, were also among what was described as the quote, Most pessimistic about whether or not the Iranians would honor their commitments to make substantive concessions on their nuclear program, even if they had agreed to negotiate on that issue.
Still, sources say that they ultimately reached the President's driven consensus, which was, quote, "We want to get this thing over with."
Now, as for when we might see this agreement, here's what the President himself said today.
[21:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Why not release it before Friday?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well because, I'd like to get a formal setting first before we do that. But I have no problem with that. It's a great document.
Actually, I'll not only release it, I'll probably have a press conference and read it to you word by word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, when the Vice President was asked about the same thing, he said it's because they want to, quote, Do it the right way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: The reason why we haven't released it yet is there are some delicate diplomatic things going on, where the Iranians, and not just the Iranians, but some of our mediators, the Pakistanis and the Qataris, have asked us to sequence this in the right way. I don't, frankly, fully understand it, but there are sensitivities that exist in the Arab and Muslim world that we're trying to be responsive to.
Now, if they comply with this deal, I think it's much better for the United States, and it's going to be much better for Iran. But if they don't comply with the deal, the Straits are still open, we've still done incredible damage to their nuclear program, and it's really, you know, we can get on with our lives as a country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Here to talk about that, and a lot more, is the former Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, who has a new book out that is titled "What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience."
The former Vice President, thank you for being here. We'll talk about your book in a moment.
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, Kaitlan. COLLINS: On what's shaping out with Iran so far. Does it make sense to you why the administration has still, 48 hours later, not released the text of that agreement?
PENCE: Well, Kaitlan, look, Iran has been at war with the United States and our cherished ally, Israel, for 47 years. And I strongly supported the President's decision, for the first time in modern history, to take the fight directly to the mullahs in Tehran, last year, and then again this year, and I do believe the President has earned some latitude in negotiating an end to hostilities.
But I have very real concerns. Look, I, like apparently, like an awful lot of people on the -- I just don't trust the Iranians. I've been too close to those issues from my time in the White House, many briefings in the Situation Room, as well as my years on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House.
I mean, the Iranians, particularly on with regard to their nuclear ambition, have essentially a legacy of lies. They lied their way through the Obama Iran nuclear deal. We tore that up during the Trump- Pence years. Joe Biden returned to the politics of appeasement.
And at least what we're hearing echo out of this, this potential memorandum of -- this memorandum of understanding, it smacks of appeasement. I mean, it sounds a bit like what I write about in my book, that the progressive left has long embraced appeasement against our adversaries like Iran, but there are voices on the populist right that would have us pull back from our role as leader in the free world.
I don't think this is the time to pull back. I don't think this is a moment for appeasement. And I think I would urge the President to stand firm on the fundamental elements, that Iran has to dismantle and abandon its nuclear program, dismantle its ballistic missile program, renounce the support of terrorist organizations, and restore freedom of navigation--
COLLINS: Yes.
PENCE: --in the Strait of Hormuz.
COLLINS: I mean, they keep talking about what a good deal it is. Obviously, we have not been able to see it for ourselves.
Do you agree with -- I mean, you know the President really well. Do you agree with David Urban that if it really was a good deal, the President would stay around to sign it himself publicly, and pass out pens, like he does with so many executive orders on a daily basis?
PENCE: I'd like to see us be at a place where the President would do just that, and that we would see people in both political parties in this country cheer it on.
But look, at least what we're hearing about this, I mean, think about it. The language that has come out -- and you're closer to sources there in Geneva than the rest of us. But the language that has come out, there's no mention of dismantling the nuclear program or the ballistic missile program. There's no commitment to ending support for Hamas, Hezbollah, or other terrorist organizations.
But in contrast to that, there is immediate sanctions relief from the moment the MOU is signed. I mean, that could be upwards to $3 billion a month into the coffers of the Iranian regime. There's a pledge of a $100 billion in Iranian frozen assets being freed up, at least some of the language that's leaked that it would -- that would be released even before a final deal is struck in the event of progress. And then finally, calling for the United States and others to arrange for a $300 billion reconstruction fund, when the IRGC and the radical Islamists continue to be at the helm in Iran is deeply ill-advised.
[21:10:00]
And again, I believe it smacks of the kind of appeasement that we saw during the Obama years, the kind of appeasement that Joe Biden tried to accomplish and was ignored by the Iranians, and we rejected categorically during the first Trump administration.
I think the President should simply stand firm, draw that red line. And if the Iranians won't come to those fundamental terms that are in the interest of our security, Israel's security, and the peace and stability of the region, then I think we ought to let the Armed Forces of the United States open the Strait and eliminate the threat on our terms.
COLLINS: I mean, the President is not signing it. Vance, the Vice President, is going to be here on Friday, signing it. I mean, you know how the President approaches these things, how he thinks about them.
By having Vance be the point person, in these negotiations, and in signing this. Do you think he's being positioned to take the heat if this goes awry?
PENCE: Well, look, when I was Vice President, I had -- I had one answer with one notable occasion, when the President asked me to step into a role, and I said, I'm here to serve.
And I respect the Vice President's role here. But I know who's making the deal. You know, nothing has changed in this new Trump administration from the last one, as far as I can see. I mean, the President is the one that's green-lighting this tactic and this strategy.
And I would -- if I was still at his side, I would urge him to go back to his first instincts when it comes to Iran, and that is peace through strength. And I don't know how we're going to have greater leverage, over what remains of that terrorist regime in Iran, after we go into another 60 days or more of a ceasefire and negotiations.
Now is the moment to stand firm. And quite frankly, if Iran is not convinced that they are defeated and need to come to the table and yield on those points, then we ought to allow the Armed Forces of the United States and, our ally, Israel, to convince them.
COLLINS: So, I mean, pretty bluntly, it sounds like you think, from what we know so far, this is a mistake by the Trump administration.
PENCE: Well, it's much bigger than a mistake. I mean, when the President took that historic step to strike those nuclear facilities, last year -- this is the first time in 47 years that an American President had taken the fight directly to the mullahs in Tehran, and America was safer as a result.
And the fact that he tried diplomacy for the following year to begin to make progress, and then finally recognized that we just got to take the fight to them, launched Operation Epic Fury, our military responded brilliantly.
But in this moment, the posture that we're getting from the Iranians. But my concern is what appears to be leaking out. These immediate concessions, particularly sanctions waivers--
COLLINS: Yes.
PENCE: --right out of the gate, that would essentially be a lifeline to the Iranian regime, I think, is ill-advised. We ought to keep the pressure on, keep the blockade on, and if need be, let our Armed Forces get back to work.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, I think that's a good point, in terms of -- I mean, the administration keeps saying that it's performance-based, that sanctions relief, being able to sell oil, maybe getting their assets unfrozen. I mean, it seems like it's happening quickly. We'll have to see what the MOU says.
But when you were in office with the President, your administration, the Trump-Pence administration, criticized the Obama-era nuclear deal for unfreezing $50 billion in Iranian assets.
PENCE: Right.
COLLINS: I mean, if what happens here, and they get six times that amount, plus potentially a $100 billion, another, you know, $100 billion, and funds that are being unfrozen. I mean, do you think that's a defensible position for this Trump administration?
PENCE: Well, whether it's a defensible position or not is the wrong position. I mean, to throw a lifeline to the Iranian regime when they are weaker and more isolated than they have ever been in history, I think would be a historic error.
We have an opportunity, right now, to continue to pressure either just through the blockade, or through additional use of force, we have the opportunity here to really end five decades of threats to the American people, to our cherished ally, Israel, and to the region as a whole.
[21:15:00]
Make no mistake about it, the pledge to renounce the pursuit of nuclear weapons, Iran has made that promise again and again and again, it was always built on lies. The only thing that would be acceptable here is the verifiable dismantling of their nuclear program, their ballistic program, renouncing terrorist support and organizations.
You know, there's an old adage that says Trust, but verify. But if I was sitting next to the President, I would say, Mr. President, this deal should verify and then trust. We should demand that Iran, under the economic and military pressure, we and Israel have placed on them, come to the table and verifiably abandon the course they've been on for five decades.
COLLINS: You mentioned the one moment where you did not do what the President wanted you to do is pretty notable. It was obviously in reference to overturning the election and January 6th.
You have a new book out that is titled about "What Conservatives Believe," and you talk about the President's agenda, so far in his second term, and you say that he has not always governed as a conservative. You write, To make matters worse, many Republicans have rushed to align themselves with every aspect of Trump's agenda, even when it has clashed with the traditional beliefs of conservatives.
But, in this moment, and as we're watching what's happening in these races tonight, when the President has successfully primaried Republicans who did push back on him, they get primaried out of Congress. I mean, what options are left for Republicans who do disagree with the President, in your view?
PENCE: Well, look, as we learned in state legislative races in Indiana, and we saw in Louisiana, and Kentucky, and Texas, and with his endorsement tonight, having its good effect in the Senate race for Mike Collins. Look, I think the President enjoys a well-earned level of appreciation from Republican primary voters, who defer to him and his choices, after 10 years of battling the radical left, I know that appreciation is there. I witnessed it firsthand for the four and a half years we were together, and since.
But what I say in my book is that there is a movement, as the Democratic Party is overtaken by the progressive left and embraces socialism, there's a movement of the populist right that would take the President's periodic departures from the conservative agenda and equate that with the support that he has among Republicans.
I truly do believe this administration, Kaitlan, has gotten a lot right. They are rebuilding our military. As I said, they've taken on Iran like no previous administration ever. They extended our tax cuts. They secured the border after the worst border crisis in history. All of that is good. But the stops and starts on Ukraine reflect the isolationist views of many on the populist right, some big government programs, tariffs, nationalization.
But I still believe the majority of people that ever vote Republican, and that's Republicans, and Independents, and many Democrats, still embrace that broad mainstream conservative agenda that's defined our party for 50 years, and that's why I wrote "What Conservatives Believe." COLLINS: Former Vice President, Mike Pence, thank you for taking the time to join us tonight. That new book, "What Conservatives Believe," is out now. Appreciate your time, as always.
PENCE: Thanks, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: And up next here for us on THE SOURCE. I spoke with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today about the U.S. agreement with Iran. We keep talking about how no one has seen it. Well, he told me that he has.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Did you actually see the agreement itself?
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I've seen the agreement. Yes.
COLLINS: Oh, so the President showed it to you?
CARNEY: Well, I've seen the agreement. We have -- we have -- we have our sources, just like you--
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, as congressional lawmakers are anxiously awaiting to see the President's agreement with Iran, there is at least one world leader who has seen it. It's not the Israelis whose apparent request to see this was rejected, according to our colleague's reporting. But instead, it is the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who I spoke with, earlier today, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for being here.
You said, coming into the Summit, Iran was the number one topic--
CARNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: --for the world leaders here to discuss. What is your assessment of this preliminary agreement between Iran and the U.S.?
CARNEY: Well, I came in with that as the number one topic. I have to say, it's exceeded my expectations. We're very pleased with the deal that's been struck. It sets the groundwork for -- to ensure Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon. It sets the groundwork for a reintegration, over time, of the economies in the region. It sets the groundwork for a solution in Lebanon, which we discussed today. So, it's positive.
Of course, it has to be followed through, it has to be implemented. And I think one of the things is the President helped create that deal, led creating that deal. The rest of the G7 and the broader community need to help implement it.
COLLINS: Did you actually see the agreement itself?
CARNEY: I've seen the agreement. Yes.
COLLINS: Oh, so the President showed it to you?
CARNEY: Well, I've seen the agreement. We have -- we have -- we have our sources, just like you--
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: OK. Well, we haven't seen it publicly. Hasn't been released.
CARNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: Is it true, it's about a page and a half?
CARNEY: It's -- it is a reasonable length for an agreement, which is a -- in effect, it is a cessation of hostilities. It's a ceasefire for that 60-day period, as you know. But it sets out a series of conditions and what will happen when they are fulfilled.
[21:25:00]
So, I think it's -- I think it's well-structured, from our perspective. But I think, as well, is the regional countries are behind it. Of course, we met with the UAE, with the Qataris, the Egyptians. We have contacts as well. And again, it's well-structured. It creates -- I actually think, yes, I think it's a gamechanger, not just for this situation because, it starts to take off, certainly this issue, but it allows us, and this is what's happened in the meeting, to step back, look anew at Ukraine.
COLLINS: Yes.
CARNEY: The Ukraine situation. We had a very, very constructive conversation around Ukraine--
COLLINS: I want to ask you about Ukraine.
(CROSSTALK)
CARNEY: --and enforceability (ph) Ukraine.
COLLINS: But on this MOU itself.
CARNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: Because the administration has not released the text of it. Is there anything surprising in it? CARNEY: Anything surprise -- look, I think that we went through -- we all went through weeks and weeks, where it seemed close to having a deal, but there wasn't a deal. So, is the surprise that there's actually a deal? Maybe you could put it that way. But having the deal and then getting behind it, that's what's crucial. And you heard everyone in that room, last night, through to today, getting behind it, and the possibilities that are created by it.
COLLINS: Well, and the President says he thinks this next 60-day period will actually be easier to negotiate than to getting to this preliminary agreement. But of course, this period is going to deal with the big stuff. I mean, nuclear being the number one issue, the enriched uranium. Do you think it's going to be easier?
CARNEY: I think -- I think the way it's structured, it says what has to happen. So, for example, Iran will not develop or procure a nuclear weapon, and then there's follow-on implications of that for what to do with the uranium. So, in that regard, the Rubicon, if I can use that metaphor, has been crossed.
And when we went into this situation, the world went into this situation, the big risk, the big destabilizing force was Iran. It's been that way for decades, and the -- and the core issue was them never being able to have a nuclear weapon. That's at the heart of the deal.
So, it becomes, what's the timeline for dealing with the enriched uranium, how much is blended, how much is surrendered, and worked out from there. But agreeing to the core, I think is -- I think is credit--
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: And what does it say about sanctions relief and unfreezing their assets--
CARNEY: So well--
COLLINS: --which they definitely want.
CARNEY: Well, they definitely want that, and they definitely want financing more broadly, and there is language. And I, you know, I should -- not my agreement, so I should let others really go into all the detail. I think what is crucial as well is it's performance-based. I mean, you have a big financial incentive.
COLLINS: Yes, how do you measure the performance-based? I mean, we keep hearing that, but how do they--
CARNEY: Well, I think part of--
COLLINS: --how does the U.S. intend to measure it?
CARNEY: --part of it is well what happens in this -- first and foremost, what's happening in the Strait? Is shipping unimpeded in the Strait? Are the mines all being cleared? Are the Iranians helping with clearing the mines? We'll help, and others will help with clearing the mines. But what's actually happening day-to-day, hour-by-hour, in the Strait in the flow of -- flow of oil and others. So that's one, LNG.
Secondly, the progress on the next phase of the negotiation. So, what is going to happen with the uranium, and what's the -- what's structured around that?
So, you look at that, and then you set up a series of milestones. I mean, this is why you have negotiators and mediators and guarantors in peace agreements. And so, you set up milestones and then connect those to some of the financial and other -- and sanctions relief.
COLLINS: OK.
CARNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: So, you're on board with this agreement as it is right now, from what you've seen?
CARNEY: Yes, absolutely. As--
COLLINS: And you've--
CARNEY: And I can say this unequivocally, as is everyone else who's been in that room.
COLLINS: And Canada plans to help with opening the Strait of Hormuz?
CARNEY: We will help with -- we will help as we can. I mean, we're not a big regional naval power. We have some -- we have some assets that we can -- we can help with this. We can do some stuff on monitoring. But importantly, we can do things on the financial side -- on the financial side, overseeing on the financial side because, remember, there is -- there are assets that are being unfrozen, there's a process--
COLLINS: Yes.
CARNEY: --by which they. And so, we can help on that.
The other thing, Kaitlan, if I may, we also, collectively, we have to take the lessons of this. And one of the big lessons here is that don't be held hostage to one chokepoint in the global economy, whether that's for oil, whether that's for gas, whether it's for critical minerals, whether it's for a large language model cyber capability, all things we're discussing here. So, how does -- what's Canada's role? In some of these cases, we can really help in lessening that.
COLLINS: When you look at this war in hindsight. Because obviously, it's been a key question for almost every world leader here that has had to deal with the ramifications.
CARNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: The President lashed out at pretty much everyone who's here, for not helping out more at the beginning of this war. CARNEY: Pretty much everyone in this interview.
COLLINS: Yes, that's true.
And in terms of when you look back at this, do you believe this war was worth it, in Canada's view?
[21:30:00]
CARNEY: I think that, you know, the number one risk -- I answered this question, three years ago, or so, at Davos, and I was asked, What's the number one risk in the global economy, and I said, Iran, and it was at a time when people were not focused on Iran. Because I've always believed that it's the biggest exporter of terror. It was hell- bent, sorry if I can say that, on getting a nuclear weapon, and the force multiplier on that, of course, was terrible.
And so, going and getting to a position where Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon. Look, I'm not naive about this. The reintegration of Iran, this is a regime that needs to learn to be civilized, needs to behave. That's why you have performance measures. Lots needs to happen. We all have to support it. But moving to this position, where that's been taken off the table? Yes, that's worth it.
COLLINS: You mentioned President Zelenskyy. You met with him today.
CARNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: He's also been in these meetings behind closed doors with President Trump. You said you think that Ukraine is going to ultimately win this war.
CARNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: When you were talking behind closed doors, and the U.S. President was there, is that a view that he seemed to share as well?
CARNEY: I think it's a view that is held strongly by those who are very active. Canada is the biggest per capita supplier of aid to Ukraine. We're one of the biggest trainers of the Ukraine army. We have joint production agreements with Ukraine. We're on the frontlines in the Baltics. So, we are in and around.
We, the Germans, the U.K., the French, all are of the view that the tide has turned in this war, it is a matter of time. Putin is going to lose this war, and from now until the point where he realizes that, or accepts that, it is absolutely senseless slaughter.
COLLINS: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your time.
CARNEY: Thank you, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Really appreciate it.
CARNEY: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Up next. It is primary night in the United States. A key race has just been called in Georgia, following President Trump's 11th-hour endorsement. Will Democrats be able to hold on to Senator Jon Ossoff's Senate seat? Harry Enten is back with our political panel to crunch the numbers.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We have some breaking news, as CNN can now project that the billionaire businessman, Rick Jackson, has won the Republican nomination for governor in Georgia. It's a major upset for the Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who was endorsed by President Trump in this race.
As CNN's Harry Enten is back with the latest vote count.
Harry, what are we seeing so far?
ENTEN: Yes, what are we seeing? Pretty much, I mean, look, he got 82 percent of the vote. Rick Jackson ahead, 53 percent to 47 percent.
He had been closing the gap, Burt Jones had been, with that Election Day vote coming in. But the bottom line is with that 55,000 vote lead that Rick Jackson had in that early vote, Burt Jones simply could not close that gap. That is a loss for Donald Trump. Of course he also -- his endorsement lost in 2022, in Georgia, as well, in the governor's race back then, the gubernatorial race. He had endorsed David Perdue, who, of course, lost to Brian Kemp, the incumbent governor.
Now, better news for Donald Trump here, as the businessman, Rick Jackson, wins in the governor's race, but better news in terms of the Senate runoff. We had spoken about it earlier. Mike Collins, of course, who Donald Trump backed, he won in Georgia. So, he is one for two in that state.
Another state in which, at this point, that we see that Donald Trump's candidate is winning is Barry Moore in the great state of Alabama. He's ahead right now with 44 percent of the vote in.
And I will also note that if we zoom out a little bit and we go to the great state of Oklahoma, Kevin Hern, who is another Donald Trump- backed candidate, is winning there.
So, Donald Trump doing well on the Senate side. But on the governor's side, I mentioned Rick Jackson, of course, not endorsed by Trump, winning that race, and that follows in Iowa, where, of course, Zach Lahn, the Republican, won that nomination, who, in fact, was not endorsed by Donald Trump. And so, governors not so hot for Donald Trump. Senate races, better for him, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Yes. And obviously, he's pretty invested, especially in the governor of Georgia race.
Harry Enten, thank you for that.
ENTEN: Thank you.
COLLINS: My political sources are also here tonight.
Karen Finney is the former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.
Also, Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, is here.
Karen, can I ask you because, we're looking at this right now, and in terms of the Senate race that's going to play out in Georgia, and we now know it's going to be Mike Collins versus Jon Ossoff.
Jon Ossoff, the incumbent Democrat, has responded, and I just want to read what he said in full. He said that, Donald Trump's handpicked candidate Mike Collins is a notorious bigot, antisemite, and extremist currently under federal investigation for the illegal misuse of tax dollars. Collins, who is only a congressman because his daddy was a congressman, voted to double health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians, for the Iran War, and for the Trump tariffs.
What do you make of how that argument is shaping out so far within minutes of this race?
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 CAMPAIGN, FORMER DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, I would say them are fighting words. Jon Ossoff, I think, is making it clear that he is ready to bring the fight to Collins. You know, the other thing Collins has is he's an election denier.
I can tell you, having done a lot of work in Georgia, this issue of hospital closures and Medicaid expansion, those are huge issues because, some of these rural hospitals are really suffering. And so, that is going to be -- that, along with affordability, which we've been talking about all year long, are going to be big issues.
I think Ossoff is making it clear he is ready to fight and ready to make character an issue, and ready to point out that you know, if you are someone who may have corrupt or questionable, shall we say, ties, are you going to be a guy who can come to Washington and deliver for the people of Georgia?
COLLINS: Doug Heye, how do you see this race?
[21:40:00]
DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, FORMER RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Look, it's going to be a very close race because, Georgia Senate races have been close for a while. And ultimately, Jon Ossoff owes Donald Trump one, as does Russell (ph) Warnock. Donald Trump has been fantastic for Democrats in Georgia.
But ultimately, Kaitlan, I think we view things the wrong way in Washington, that everything has to be about Donald Trump. If Donald Trump endorses and that candidate wins, it's a huge boon for Trump. If that candidate loses, it's a huge loss for Trump.
Not everything that happens in politics, even within the Republican Party, is about Donald Trump. I think the Texas Senate race actually shows us that very well. John Cornyn, somebody I like and respect tremendously, was the wrong candidate at the wrong time.
Whether you're talking about a Texas Republican, like John Cornyn, or a Maine Democrat like the governor who lost to Graham Platner, at what point -- Janet Mills -- at what point in 2026, do we think an elderly candidate who is a longtime incumbent, that's who we want to be the face of the party.
Parties are changing. Our politics are changing. But it's not always about Donald Trump. I think only in Washington, D.C., do we make everything about Donald Trump. And maybe it's time that we break that Trump derangement syndrome, that everything has to be about him, and actually look at the quality of the candidates who are running in primaries and then in generals, and that will tell us what happens in November.
FINNEY: But Doug, I would say -- I just want to point out, though, that he is a factor in a number of these races, in part because, if you are someone who voted for tariffs, if you are someone who is seen as a rubberstamp for Trump.
And, look, people want different things from their senators than they do from their governors, that is true. But if you're going to send somebody to Washington to deliver for your state, you want to know that that person can put your needs ahead of their loyalty to Donald Trump.
And so, when you're talking about candidates who have shown themselves to be beholden to Trump, that does make them vulnerable in a general election context, particularly in a state like Georgia, where I will also point out, with Keisha Lance Bottoms at the top of the ticket, she is going to help draw out the black vote on the Democratic side. Raphael Warnock -- Senator Warnock has a really strong operation, I know he's going to be helping the ticket. And you've got, you know, with Ossoff, he's very -- has a strong turn of -- operations.
So, you have a number of factors. Look, it's going to be close. I'm not saying it won't be. But you have a number of factors working in their favor this year, in terms of both the issue environment and the politics.
COLLINS: Well, also Ossoff has got a huge cash advantage right now that Mike's going to -- Mike Collins is going to have to work on.
Doug, I wonder what you made of that new CNN poll that came out. It shows nearly half of Americans don't consider themselves Democrat or Republican. At least 27 percent of Americans identifying as Democrats, 26 percent as Republicans. A lot more are feeling like they are Independents these days.
If you're in a battleground state, like Georgia, does putting up someone who maybe fits that definition of an Independent more, a more moderate candidate, does that seem to be a safer bet for your party?
HEYE: Potentially. Look, it tells us that how the parties have strayed farther, farther to the left, and farther to the right, makes it harder for those candidates to win.
And Karen knows this very well. The Citizens United decision meant that the parties became a lot weaker. And so, what have we seen? We've seen a lot of candidates who just can't win after they get through the primaries. Republicans have gave up so many seats. Potentially may do it again.
COLLINS: Karen Finney. And Doug Heye. Great to have both of you here tonight to respond to these new races.
We'll continue to monitor what we're seeing playing out across the nation tonight.
Also in Washington, you've probably seen this, the renovation to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, it cost more than $14 million. The President praised the American flag blue color. But why is it green?
A new report also tonight finds that taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars on another Trump renovation project, the White House ballroom. We have the investigative reporter who broke that story joining us, right after this, with her answers.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARA TRUMP, AMERICAN POLITICIAN: I think you talk to people who live in D.C. and they will say that it was just overrun with algae and it was green and murky.
D. TRUMP: It was disgusting.
I'm using swimming pool material. It's going to be blue, beautiful blue, which is what they always wanted.
It's going to be something very special, and it's going to be a beautiful color.
Everybody's looking at that Reflecting Pool, they can't believe it. Reflects. We used a dark blue, it's called American flag blue.
It's like a piece of glass, beautiful color, beautiful everything. You could never get any -- anything like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That's how President Trump's renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool started.
But here's how it's going tonight. More than $14 million and 6 million gallons of clean water later, the pool is green again. The algae that has been plaguing administrations for decades has already returned just a week after the pool was refilled.
The administration says the algae is what they describe as residual, and crews were back out there today, trying to fix it, as Parks Service workers were seen dumping gallons of hydrogen peroxide in the pool, racing to get it cleaned up before the nation's big 250th birthday on the Fourth of July, and also raising questions about the ducks that live in that water.
Also tonight, we're learning this. There's new reporting that is casting doubt on another promise that the President has made. This one, though, on his White House ballroom project.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D. TRUMP: We're donating a $400 million ballroom.
Myself and donors are giving them, free of charge, for nothing.
We did this, no charge to the taxpayer whatsoever.
Rich people and people are putting up the money. Zero taxpayer dollars.
[21:50:00]
We're on time, on budget, it's going beautifully. Have all the money I need.
It's all donors. There's not one dime of government money going into the ballroom
This is not for me. This is my gift to the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Well, The Washington Post has obtained an internal cost estimate that shows the project's contractor prepared it for the White House, back in March, and it put the ballroom's price tag at $600 million, not $400 million, and more than half of that is coming from taxpayers.
One of the investigative reporters who was on the byline of that report is my next source tonight. The Washington Post's Sarah Blaskey.
And thank you, Sarah, for joining me tonight.
I mean, you're looking at these six different cost estimates that show this was always projected to rely heavily on taxpayer dollars. What else did you see in these documents?
SARAH BLASKEY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: That's right. So, the documents that my colleague Jonathan O'Connell and I got were dated between July of 2025 and March of 2026. And so, that first one actually predates when the public announcement of this ballroom, back when we were told it was a $200 million ballroom, and that was going to be entirely covered by donors. That very first estimate from the contractor, Clark Construction, was that the ballroom was going to be closer to $300 million, and $100 million of those would be coming from U.S. taxpayers.
Now, as the expense of the ballroom project continued to balloon, so did the percentage of that, that would be covered by taxpayers. And so, in the end, in March, the final documents that we obtained showed that taxpayers would be on the hook for about $300 million of the $600 million, that Clark was estimating this project would cost by the end.
COLLINS: I mean, how does that square with the President just saying repeatedly it's all coming from private donations, none of it's coming from taxpayers?
BLASKEY: Well, we've put that question to the President, and to the White House, and you can see from our report that there was not an answer to that question. They have not responded to the findings that The Washington Post published today, and they seem to be sticking with this as a $400 million ballroom. And so, I would love to know the answer to that.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, no answer is obviously an answer from an administration that typically does comment.
We did hear from a White House spokesperson, who said that the President and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for generations to come.
Obviously, you've seen that statement.
But when you look at the details of the most recent project summaries that you show, it shows that half of the $600 million would be paid for by private sources.
The rationale, and the question I think a lot of you all might have, is why does the other half need to be funded by the Secret Service and the White House Military Office, which, you know, are offices that are taxpayer-funded offices.
BLASKEY: I think the general information that the White House has provided from the beginning is that Secret Service would provide some funding for enhancements, security enhancements, to the White House, and to this East Wing, more generally.
That number was never specified, it was never stated as something that was going to be a large part of this project. But there have been some indications that both Secret Service and the White House Military Office would be doing some security enhancements to the project.
Now, when we look at these cost estimates and the cost breakdowns, there are line items that our experts, who we consulted with, who we showed these documents to, prior to publication, said didn't -- didn't seem like Secret Service expenses, they didn't seem like security enhancements. And one of those expenses was $1.6 million that, that was budgeted to come from Secret Service for the demolition of the East Wing itself. And so, our experts said it's hard to see how that is part of the U.S. Secret Service mission.
And another point that I think is important to make here is that this is one structure. There is, of course, some sort of secure bunker below. The President himself has acknowledged that in the past.
[21:55:00]
But that secure facility is part of the same structure. And the administration, and the President himself, have also made this argument that the ballroom is the same structure as that bunker below, and it's hard to separate one from the other. And so, the experts we consulted said it's really hard to believe that taxpayers would only be paying for the bunker, but not the rest of the ballroom.
COLLINS: Sarah Blaskey. Everyone should read the full report on The Washington Post. Thank you for joining us tonight to talk about it.
BLASKEY: Thank you.
COLLINS: Up next for us here on THE SOURCE. What our sources are telling us about why Secret Service officials are angry with the FBI Director, Kash Patel, for what he said about that alleged plot to attack the UFC fight at the White House.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, sources tell CNN that Secret Service officials are angry with the FBI Director, Kash Patel, over this post on Twitter today, announcing that, quote, "Multiple individuals" have been arrested in an alleged plot to attack the UFC fight at the White House on Sunday.
[22:00:00]
We're told, the FBI Director got ahead of plans to announce those charges once they had been unsealed in court. It frustrated FBI and Secret Service officials, with one telling CNN, quote, To put it out and just selfishly tweet it is just poor form. A separate law enforcement official told CNN, the agencies didn't want to jump the gun on announcing those arrests because, agents were still investigating.
Thanks so much for joining us here on THE SOURCE tonight, live from Geneva.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
