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The Source with Kaitlan Collins

Trump Rallies In North Carolina With Two Weeks To Go; WSJ: Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine; Ohio Governor's Race Roiled By New Viral Ad Featuring Dem Candidate's Estranged Mother. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired October 20, 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]

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest fight on the state level here is around voting machines, and what that state election board says are serious vulnerabilities. They have now sent a letter to the Justice Department, asking the Trump administration to intervene in Georgia elections. That has been met with a lot of criticism, from local officials as well as Secretary Raffensperger.

Now, DOJ says they're reviewing it. They are only going to act if it is appropriate. But it's only adding to those concerns that this administration could take action in the midterms here in Georgia.

Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Gabe Cohen, thanks so much.

That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: 14 days out from the midterm elections, President Trump is in another state that he's won repeatedly. And some of these races are getting extremely ugly.

I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is a special edition of THE SOURCE. Countdown to the Midterms.

Two weeks from tonight, and the campaigning will be over, and the vote counting will begin. The voting, of course, is already well underway across much of the country. And our latest CNN tally shows that more than 11 million people have already cast their ballots. That includes more than half a million in the State of North Carolina, where President Trump is tonight for his second visit in just over a month. And right now, the latest Elon University Poll shows that the Democrat Roy Cooper has a 13-point lead in the race to flip a Republican Senate seat.

Early voting data right now shows that registered Democrats are casting more than twice as many ballots as Republicans are so far.

And with that as the backdrop, the President is pleading with his base not to sit this one out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I got to show I'm all men. We're all men. We're all men. We're women. We're whatever the hell, we are.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: But--

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: But I know one thing: there's only two of us, right?

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: There's not seven of us. There's not six of us.

I'm studying his body. I've never studied the body of a man before. It's not my thing. Nothing wrong with it, of course. Nothing. I always preceded by saying nothing wrong. But it's never been my thing, to be honest with you. But I looked at his ass--

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: --and then I looked at his legs, and it might -- I said, His ass is -- it's like, it's like a pile of muscle.

I'm working like a dog.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: And I love being with you because, in the other ones, you know, the other ones when I ran, it was great because we got 50 percent -- almost 50 percent more votes, and we won everything. We won all the -- we won the Senate, we won everything. But when I wasn't running, I didn't really campaign. I let other people campaign. I figured that's it. What did I know? I hadn't been doing this that long, right?

But this time, so I've done like about 10 rallies in about eight days, and now I'm scheduled to do -- I think I'm even scheduled to come back here in another week. I come back here and--

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: --for my man.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: But so we have like 15 days, and I'm doing about 18 rallies. That's work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: --on the road in North Carolina. I should note that we want you to join our conversations that we're going to have here on THE SOURCE tonight about the midterm elections. If you have questions about what's going on in any of the races, not just in North Carolina, you can submit them, right now, at CNN.com/EngagePolitics. We're going to be taking a look at those questions, and our sources are going to answer some of them on air tonight. CNN.com/EngagePolitics.

Of course, one state that is not on the President's current travel plans is that of New Hampshire. Even though it's in our top 10 Senate seats that are most likely to flip, and one of the few places where Republicans are hoping to pick up a seat for the Senate.

The Republican nominee there, John Sununu, is out with a closing message that might explain why the President has so far stayed away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SUNUNU, (R) NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE CANDIDATE: The way Chris Pappas tells it, I'm President Trump's long-lost son.

I've never even met the man.

When the President's policies are bad for New Hampshire, I'll oppose them, just like I opposed the war in Iran and the trade war with Canada. That's New Hampshire Independent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Quote, "I've never even met the man." It's a Republican who is in a tight Senate race who is saying what the President says and what he often does to other people.

Those same issues that you just heard Sununu mention, that he opposes there, are also the ones that are driving up prices, which is something the President addressed in the Oval Office today.

[21:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know, when people are unhappy with the gasoline. I hate to sound trivial, but, they say it themselves. It's a -- it's a big price, but actually, it's a small price to pay for not letting Iran have a nuclear weapon. And they will never have a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, while the war the President started continues, the President is also under intense scrutiny about the other one that he promised to end if he was elected. Even some top Republicans are demanding answers tonight about whether the administration is actively throttling Ukraine's efforts to defend itself.

That's because, as Russia is continuing its relentless attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, Ukraine has accused the Trump administration of limiting the intelligence it shares with them. Something that the United States government, I should note, has denied.

And today, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said that intelligence sharing is working yet again, as Ukraine also continues to say that either somebody at the White House or at Elon Musk's SpaceX is interfering with the Starlink internet service that Ukrainian forces rely on to repel those incoming Russian attacks.

Was it the Trump administration? Was it Elon Musk? Was it a technical glitch, as the Secretary of State said? The answer is we don't really know tonight. What we do know is how the President feels about Ukraine, as today he was lamenting Russia's strategy when it invaded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've given a lot to Ukraine. We've gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss. We've given incredible amounts of equipment and military, primarily military equipment, but equipment of all kinds. And it's time. I gave them javelins.

When the stupid general for Russia, very stupid gentleman, they had a 1,000 tanks riding up a concrete highway. They would have been in Ukraine in four hours, going maximum tank speed, which is 48 miles an hour to be exact. Nothing to stop them. The war would have been over in one day.

And this very stupid general -- I have no idea who he is. I doubt he's still with us. I doubt he's still living. He decided to hang a right onto the farmland and then take a left and go up to Kyiv. And rather than staying on the highway, the concrete highway, perfectly good highway, where they were doing very nicely, would have been there in three and a half -- four hours, and the whole war would have ended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And we start tonight with the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren.

And thank you, Senator, for being here.

You're a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Can I first get your take about who you believe is responsible for the disruptions of what is the military version, the encrypted version of Starlink, that Ukraine uses?

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Well, partly we'd like to know exactly who is responsible for what happened.

If it is one man, Elon Musk, who is dictating our foreign policy, then he puts the United States at enormous risk. He's the one who decides whether or not Ukraine, out there fighting on the front lines to protect its democracy, lives or dies? No, we should not have one man in that position. And if Donald Trump is the one who made this decision, then I will just say that's one more reason we need a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate, so that we can actually put some constraints on Donald Trump, so that we can investigate and get to the bottom of this.

Two more years of an unconstrained Donald Trump, and two more years of an Elon Musk who does whatever he wants to do, it's going to be an America that's going to have a hard time surviving.

COLLINS: Well, I mean, The Wall Street Journal is reporting tonight that it was, they say, Elon Musk who ordered Starlink -- the Starlink slowdown that blindsided Ukraine.

They said, some U.S. officials say Elon Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump did not specifically order any retribution against Ukraine. They also cite another person who says that he talked to senior administration officials, including the President, before imposing a new speed cap, which, of course, is what Ukraine says made it harder to evade Russian missiles.

Do you think that there's any way that there could be restrictions to Starshield, which is this program, without the Pentagon knowing about it?

WARREN: Look, this is the problem. Elon Musk wants to be able to run his outfit however he wants to run it. He wants billions of dollars in government contracts, and then Elon Musk wants to call all the shots.

Now look, he wants to sell equipment to the United States. Then it's the United States government, through its elected officials who make those decisions.

[21:10:00]

But Elon Musk thinks that he's got a way to wire around that. He has already contributed a third of a billion dollars to these midterm elections, hoping that he can prop up just enough Republicans and Democrats, that no one will challenge Elon Musk's ability to do whatever it is that Elon Musk wants to do. And I just got to say it again: that is a real threat to the security and safety of the United States of America.

COLLINS: Speaking of Elon Musk. We recently learned that he has contributed, so far, $276 million to Republicans in these midterm elections alone.

Also today, Michael Bloomberg's team detailed his plans to spend $80 million to support Democrats.

You're someone who has said billionaire donors should not be in politics. Given what you've said, do you want Michael Bloomberg's help here?

WARREN: Look, what I want is to get this kind of money out of politics. Right now, the Republicans know that their only chance, as they see it, to be able to hang on to the House and the Senate and some of these governors' mansions is to be able to just drown people in money, to be able to run all the ads on TV, to lie, to cheat, and that there won't be any opportunity for Democrats to be able to respond.

We need a very different system. And part of that is we could start by at least stopping corporate contributions to political campaigns. We could require much more aggressive and immediate disclosures.

Look, we need to push back because, this campaign, this 2026 midterm, really is about the money or the people. Because, the Democrats have got the people on their side. The Republicans have got the money, and they think if they can spend it, they can maintain control of this country, and I sure hope they're wrong.

COLLINS: Troy Jackson is the Democrat who's running against Susan Collins in Maine. This is what he said last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TROY JACKSON, (D) MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: I know there are no billionaires funding me. So, we'll look -- I'll give you the report tomorrow, and then we'll talk about it on Thursday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A report that was subsequently released by his campaign shows he has accepted donations from at least four billionaires. I mean, he says there, there are no billionaires funding me.

Do you think that he needs to address that contradiction?

WARREN: So look, really? That's where we're going to make the focus? So, Susan Collins has all this money coming in against her. Elon Musk has come in and put, I don't know, what are the numbers now, how many tens of millions of dollars? And we're going to say, Oops, Troy Jackson may have gotten one of his numbers wrong. He may have gotten contributions from four billionaires.

I want to get all the billionaires out. I want to make this really clear. I don't think they ought to be able to control elections.

But understand this: it is the Republicans who are outspending Democrats like crazy. And it's not Republicans who are small-dollar donors. It's billionaires and a trillionaire who think that they can just back up dump truck loads full of money, and they will be able to buy a Senate seat in Maine. They think they'll be able to buy Senate seats all around this country.

And I think there are a whole lot of people who just say: No. I am sick of that. I do not want it. I do not want candidates who answer to a handful of billionaires.

That's a big part of why so much is broken in this country. It's that billionaires and insiders for Donald Trump are calling all the shots. And I think that a lot of folks want to see a House and a Senate where the people who are there are actually working for working people, trying to build out some opportunities for them, not just help the billionaires become trillionaires.

COLLINS: You've been out campaigning a bunch. I mean, you've been in six states, I think in just the last two weeks alone. We're looking and we've been tracking Democratic momentum. We'll see, obviously, if it pays off and if it's a real thing in two weeks from tonight when the votes are counted.

But when you look at the candidates in North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska, Georgia, where the Democrats are doing well, we're seeing different numbers in Michigan or Maine that seem to be within the margin of error. You're backing the two candidates in both of those states. Why do you think that is in those two races?

WARREN: Look, I think what we're seeing is enthusiasm on the ground.

[21:15:00]

And I get it. There's a lot of money out there. There's a lot of money that the Republicans have used to flood the zone. But at the end of the day, when I've been campaigning in both Maine and Michigan, I see crowds that are electrified by the opportunity to take their country back.

I see people who say Donald Trump promised us that on day one he would lower costs. Those were his words. On day one, he would lower costs. And they say, the cost of gas is up, the cost of heating oil is up, the cost of groceries is up, the cost of housing is up, the cost of health care is up, the cost of utilities is up, and it's all because of policies that Donald Trump has followed.

People are angry. They're angry about a war halfway around the world. They are angry about cuts to health care. They are angry about an illegal tariff war, good grief, with Canada. And angry about a president who is cozying up to Russia. The midterms are a chance, for people to go to the polls and say, I have had enough.

And boy, I just got to say, I'm out there talking with folks. I stand there with Abdul. I stand there with Troy. And I see the faces. I hear the voices of the people who say, We're going to take our country back. We're going to take it away from the billionaires. We're going to take it away from the corruption of Donald Trump--

COLLINS: Yes.

WARREN: --and we're going to make this country work again.

COLLINS: Well, given that, what's your prediction for what happens two weeks from tonight, as someone who has been out there?

WARREN: Look, right now, from what I see, I think it's going to be a night where people get to celebrate. They get to celebrate because their voices were heard. They get to celebrate because they used their power.

COLLINS: Well, Democrats or Republicans? Who is going to be celebrating, in your view?

WARREN: I think it's going to be Democrats. Are you kidding?

Look, you just heard in your clip, Donald Trump telling people that he doesn't care about the fact that their costs are up. He doesn't care about the fact that he has made himself richer. He made $1.4 billion just on his crypto scam alone. He doesn't care that he gets a big fancy gold diamond ring and then turns around and lowers the tariffs for the diamond importers. He's happy with the corruption, and he's happy to let the American people keep paying the price.

And I think what we're seeing, I think why we're seeing so much enthusiasm, is how many people feel frustrated that they see that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are sure not working for them. They're sure not making their lives better. And that two weeks from tonight, they actually have a chance to have their voices heard, to put some constraints on Donald Trump, to get some Democrats in there whose job number one is going to be, lower costs and stop that war halfway around the world.

COLLINS: We shall see what the voters decide.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, thank you for joining us here on THE SOURCE tonight.

WARREN: You bet.

COLLINS: Up next. We have more on that shocking new Wall Street Journal report that Elon Musk slowed the -- ordered the slowdown of that crucial satellite communication system that Ukraine relies on.

My next source is a Congressman who is leading -- who is a leading Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and is going to respond to his thoughts on that and what else Trump said in the Oval Office about Ukraine today.

[21:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: As we're two weeks away from the midterms, we are following some breaking news tonight.

As just before we came on air, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk personally ordered the slowdown of that critical military- grade version of Starlink, that is relied on by Ukraine on the battlefield. It's a decision that blindsided Kyiv and also sparked a lot of confusion inside the White House.

According to The Journal, one source, quote, claimed that Musk and Trump discussed the matter prior to the decision to throttle Starlink.

Inside the administration, however, The Journal also reports, some U.S. officials said that Elon Musk acted unilaterally; that Trump did not order specifically any retribution against Ukraine. But another person in this report told The Journal that Musk talked to senior admin -- multiple senior administration officials, including with the President, before imposing this new speed cap, which Ukrainian officials said had allowed Russian missiles to evade their defenses.

Joining me tonight is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who's spoken to Zelenskyy a lot, traveled to Ukraine, talked about this issue at length.

And Congressman, when you see this report, I wonder what your response is tonight. Is it clear to you who is responsible for this? Is it Elon Musk?

REP. BRIAN FITZPATRICK (R-PA): Well, that's what the report says, but we got to investigate, Kaitlan. I'm a career FBI agent. When I read the report, I dig into it. We got to call the witnesses. Got to bring them in, put them under oath, and get to the bottom of it.

Because, this is -- this is a very, very serious matter. It cannot be glossed over. We cannot just move past this. This is a serious, serious issue. Because, lapsing Starshield in that manner that costs human lives, there's got to be consequences to that.

[21:25:00]

So, my first reaction, Kaitlan, when I read it, if it is in fact Mr. Musk that ordered this, that is likely a violation of the law. Because, he has authority and decision-making authority over Starlink, the civilian commercial product, but not Starshield, which is a military-grade national security tool. So, no civilian, no individual civilian, should have any decision-making authority on how that's deployed. So, that's what we need to get to the bottom of.

And I promise you, Kaitlan, I've talked to -- I've spoken to several of my colleagues, across the aisle, over the past several days. There is a strong, strong resolve to immediately, upon our return, get to the bottom of this through oversight. And there's got to be consequences, Kaitlan.

The executive branch of government does not have a dime of their own money in their own right. The taxpayer money is sent to them through the legislative branch, and there needs to be financial consequences to any agency or any agency head that had any part in this.

COLLINS: So, that could include putting Elon Musk under oath, in your view?

FITZPATRICK: I think this is an investigation. You got to interview everybody. Yes.

COLLINS: We heard from Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, when he was asked about this today. Because obviously, these are questions everyone has. This was his answer to that reporter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: You said the U.S. policy on Ukraine hasn't changed. Does that include Starshield coverage? Has that been pulled back?

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We haven't pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to, and that -- that's where -- that's where Starlink has the option to make those decisions.

But nothing's changed from our view. We haven't made any directives or anything like that. And we wish the Ukrainians obviously success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Based on what you know, is there any way there could be restrictions to Starshield without the Pentagon knowing about it?

FITZPATRICK: No. I mean, there shouldn't be. If there is, that's a major, major process flaw that also needs to be addressed, investigated, and fixed.

But Kaitlan, these answers are wildly insufficient. There's a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of people saying, Well, not me. OK, if not you, then who? Right?

They have the ability, inside the executive branch, to determine where the problem was. Identify the person. Identify the policy. If they're claiming it was a breakdown, where was a breakdown? If it was negligence, where was the negligence? If this was intentional, then who was it that made this decision?

We have to get to the answer to -- we have to get to the bottom of it, and we will. We absolutely will. There are a lot of people, Kaitlan, in Congress, myself at the very top of the list, that are very, very strong supporters of NATO, of Ukraine, and freedom-loving democracies across the world, especially when they're invaded by brutal dictatorships like Russia.

We cannot equivocate. We cannot both sides this. Ukraine is the victim here. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine did not provoke anything. They are defending their own land, and we need to stand by them unequivocally and unapologetically.

So, it is heartbreaking for me, personally, Kaitlan. I lived in Ukraine. I was an FBI agent there. That was my last FBI assignment before leaving the FBI to run for Congress. And I grew very, very close to the people. I now chair the Ukraine caucus in Congress, and I am going to get to the bottom of this. And I have a lot of allies across the aisle, Democrat and Republican, who are going to make sure that we deal with this, first thing.

COLLINS: Do you think President Trump is equivocating on Ukraine and Russia right now?

FITZPATRICK: I think they all are. Every single person that I've heard asked this question in the administration has not given a sufficient answer, none of them.

COLLINS: But even just on the war itself. I mean, the President said yesterday, Russia hasn't been doing that much lately. He meant fighting. But I mean, they're bombing Ukraine every single day.

FITZPATRICK: It's ridiculous, Kaitlan. I think we all know that, that the equivocation of moral equivalency, is ridiculous. Ukraine is the victim here. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine is our ally. Russia is the self-identified enemy of the United States. That's them saying that, Kaitlan. They've declared the United States as their enemy. We cannot both sides this. We cannot equivocate. There has to be moral clarity here, and we're not getting that right now.

COLLINS: Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, thank you for joining us tonight. And we look forward to covering your investigation.

FITZPATRICK: You bet. Thanks.

COLLINS: Up next. I mentioned races getting uglier as we're getting closer to Election Day. Well, that race for governor in Ohio is basically what I'm talking about. There is a controversial new video, and Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign is responding tonight. We'll show you what everyone's talking about, right after a quick break.

[21:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tonight, one of the closest election battles that is happening this year is taking a really ugly turn, with two weeks to go before the actual Election Day. That's because a new attack ad that is being pushed by Republicans, features the estranged mother of Amy Acton, who is the Democrat running for the governor of Ohio against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.

Now, Acton has previously shared that she hasn't actually seen her mother since she was 12-years-old, after her stepfather faced criminal charges for sexually abusing her. Amy Acton says their family was living in a tent at a campground outside Youngstown, Ohio, at the time.

And in this new video that came out today, and everyone's been talking about, Donna Arthur urges voters not to support her daughter and calls her a lifelong liar.

[21:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA ARTHUR, ESTRANGED MOTHER OF OHIO DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE AMY ACTON: I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent, it's not easy for a mother to say this. But Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She's lied her entire life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, for hours today, Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign would not say if it was behind that ad.

And Ramaswamy himself was confronted by a heckler during an event tonight about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK RAMASWAMY, (R) OHIO GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: Packed house here. Look at this tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible).

RAMASWAMY: We're ready to do this.

Sir. Sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amy Acton's mother, who let her husband rape her.

RAMASWAMY: Excuse me. Excuse me. You're going to leave this room before you're going to--

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She let her husband rape her as a child.

RAMASWAMY: Sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A child. She was 12-years-old and her mother let her husband rape her.

RAMASWAMY: Sir, if you want to, if you want to be patient and you want to ask a question at the end, you'll be free to do that. Thank you for making your contribution today.

We'll give a round of applause. We say a friendly goodbye.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

RAMASWAMY: A friendly goodbye. Thank you, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, after that town hall, Vivek Ramaswamy told reporters his campaign is in fact behind that ad. CNN has learned that it will invest $4 million to boost it statewide.

Now, Amy Acton's brother has released a statement, in his own video, on behalf of his sister's campaign. He says their birth mother stayed married to, quote, Amy's rapist until he died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP STEARNS, BROTHER OF AMY ACTON: I received a lot of abuse, but Amy always got the worst of it. She continued to receive that abuse because she knew she had to protect me from that. And that, if she hadn't done that, who knows where I would have ended up? And she's 11- and 12-years-old, and to think that that's somehow a talking point. Shame on Vivek.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: I want to bring in my political sources tonight, including:

Van Jones, a former Obama administration official.

Ashley Allison, who is the former National Coalitions Director for the Biden-Harris campaign.

And Shermichael Singleton, our Republican strategist.

Van Jones, just this story has gone so viral today with people responding to this. What is your takeaway from what has happened and what Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign is saying tonight?

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think this is a tragic -- a tragedy in this election. First of all, what this young woman went through as a 12- year-old, if it's going to be discussed, it should be discussed with nothing but sympathy for her.

To bring a mother who hasn't seen her child for three or four decades, and to think, Here's a great idea, let's record her saying terrible things about her daughter. I just -- I think that the lapse of judgment here is terrible.

And is this really the closing argument you want to make? Just from a purely technical point of view. Your closing argument in this case -- in this election is: this woman's mother hates her. What the hell does that have to do with anything that people are going through in Ohio right now?

I think Vivek has been himself the victim of some of the most racist attacks from white nationalists in this campaign, and I think he has -- he had generated some real sympathy and empathy from people because of the despicable attacks against him from white nationalists. But I think he is -- he's errored gravely here. And I think you pull the pin on this hand grenade, and it blows up on you. I don't think you want to do stuff like this in American politics.

COLLINS: Shermichael. Do you agree that's a bad closing message?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, look, I don't think it -- Vance said it was a lack of poor judgment on Vivek's part. I don't think that's the case at all.

I think Vivek is doing exactly what he intended to do. This is the same guy who supported H-1B visas under the guise that Americans were somehow too stupid for complicated engineering jobs. It's why this race is so close. So, it doesn't surprise me that someone like this, with a very shady background in investments, taking people's money to make -- enrich himself. I'm not surprised that this is the decision that he decided to make at the end of this race.

And so, whether he wins or loses, I don't ultimately know where this direction goes. But it wasn't a lack of judgment. This was a purposeful thing to try to harm his political opponent.

And I don't agree with this woman on much of anything. I'm a Republican, for goodness' sake. But this is not the type of politics that I would endorse, as a candidate, and I think it's not the type of politics that many Republicans across the country would endorse. Which is why you've seen a condemnation on both sides.

COLLINS: So, you're saying it's not a lack of judgment.

SINGLETON: No, of course not. Of course not.

COLLINS: Because he doesn't have any--

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, PUBLISHER, THE ROOT, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR POLICY ADVISER UNDER PRES. OBAMA: It's really--

COLLINS: --he doesn't have any judgement--

SINGLETON: Of course not.

COLLINS: --in the first place.

SINGLETON: Of course not. It's not a lack of judgment. That's a -- that's a -- that's an excuse. I can't say what I really want to say. That's an excuse.

ALLISON: Yes, I commend you, Shermichael. Because I know, two weeks out from a midterm election where this race is an important race. Ohio has trended red.

SINGLETON: Yes.

ALLISON: Many Republicans in this moment don't have the courage to call right, right, and wrong, wrong.

[21:40:00]

I'm from Youngstown, where Amy is from.

First, I just want to say, when things like this happen, survivors often of sexual assault, whether they are adults or children, often are triggered. So, it's unfortunate that he is also causing harm to them. I think that Amy Acton probably had more courage at 12 than Vivek has right now as a grown man.

COLLINS: I mean, it's remarkable.

I mean, and also her mom, what she disputes is not what she alleges that her stepfather that she stayed married to did. It's--

ALLISON: The tent.

COLLINS: The only thing she -- she disputes is that they lived in a tent.

ALLISON: And it's clear the mother is not well. And I also think it is disrespectful for that campaign to go after someone who seems to appear not to do well.

SINGLETON: And again, I got to go back to our initial point. This race is close because of some of Vivek Ramaswamy's pronouncements as it relates to American children. We've debated about this on the right, how he views American kids being lazy. Americans are too stupid, so we have to have H-1B to bring in people from other parts of the world because we lack the skills. I mean, that's what this guy thinks about Republicans.

ALLISON: I mean he's following his boss though.

SINGLETON: So, my issues with him go far beyond just this particular ad.

COLLINS: I mean, Van, we -- my colleague Kit Maher's reporting that the Vice President is going to be campaigning in Ohio, tomorrow, with -- on behalf of Vivek Ramaswamy, obviously in his home state.

Do you think that the Vice President should disavow this ad, or what do you want to hear from him on it?

JONES: I think Vivek should disavow this ad. Listen, sometimes you just do something stupid, and sometimes you get in the heat of the thing, and you've got people around you who are maybe young or crazy, and they say, Let's do this thing. And at some point, you have to say, You know what? I'm a dad. I have children. This was wrong, and I'm pulling the ad.

I don't -- I don't think he should wait for JD Vance to come. I mean. And what is JD Vance going to do? You're putting the Vice President in a terrible position. He's either got to say he likes the ad or he doesn't. This is -- this is a woefully ill-considered move on the part of Vivek Ramaswamy, and I hope he pulls it.

COLLINS: I mean, he's saying tonight they're putting more money into it--

JONES: I just think all--

COLLINS: --or putting money into it.

JONES: All that is ill-considered. It's just ill-considered.

COLLINS: Yes.

JONES: I mean, listen, this should not be the closing argument for the people of Ohio.

COLLINS: Yes.

JONES: I agree with Ashley. This is bringing up a lot of pain for people. He should just pull it. COLLINS: Ashley, we've also been following other close races, including one where you just did an interview with the candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan. He's the Democrat who's running there. And one question that he's faced in these closing weeks is whether or not he can generate enough enthusiasm among black voters and convince them that they should vote for him. And you actually asked him about this issue, and he told you this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLISON: What's one thing the black community can hold you accountable for and say that you will deliver for them?

ABDUL EL-SAYED, (D) MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: I want to end maternal and infant mortality disparities. Black women die at three to four times the rate of white women in childbirth, black babies die at two to three times the rate. That has been an issue I've been focused on my entire career. We need a real rethink of federal policy if we're serious about solving it.

The other one is I want capital in black communities.

And the third, there's no coincidence that public schools in predominantly black communities tend to be far less funded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: What was your takeaway from that answer?

ALLISON: Well, he gave me three, not one, which I appreciated because I think so often folks think they can placate black voters, and especially in the Democratic Party, assume that black folks will vote for Democrats. It's not just in Michigan. In Ohio, with this race, there's a large black population. In Georgia, in Texas, in Florida, in North Carolina, Black voters are consequential.

So, I think what Abdul El-Sayed did in that answer was say, I'm talking to black women. I'm talking to black men. I'm talking to black families. And I want to do something for you.

We talked a little bit more about the relationship between that community, and that he was willing to talk to anyone and do the work to garner their votes.

COLLINS: Van, I mentioned that we are asking for viewer questions ahead of the midterm elections. Someone actually has a question for you and your prediction on what's going on in the Texas governor's race. What would you tell that viewer, Van?

JONES: Look, I don't like the sitting governor, so it's going to be no surprise there.

But you got -- you've got somebody in our party who's coming on strong. And I would -- my only thing that I observe is that when you have some of these female candidates who start catching fire, I think our party is too late to the party, in terms of putting money behind Hinojosa, putting money behind Angie in Florida, putting money behind Keisha in Georgia.

[21:45:00]

You know, we've got some women of color who were catching fire here late, and I think that -- I think this party should get behind these women. The voters are seeing something in these -- in these candidates that apparently the party chieftains don't see. But listen to what's going on. None of these -- none of these women should be doing as well as they are. Imagine if they actually have some help and support.

COLLINS: Van Jones. Ashley Allison. Shermichael Singleton.

Our viewers who are submitting questions. We're going to be taking them more going forward. Don't worry about that if you didn't get it asked tonight.

Up next for us. With those two weeks to go, the President -- still no press secretary at the White House. How are they preparing for what's going to happen after the election? Anthony Scaramucci is here on his new book tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mr. President, are you--

REPORTER: Sir -- sir, on Ukraine--

TRUMP: Wait. We don't know--

REPORTER: --do you believe that these process--

TRUMP: Wait. Wait.

REPORTER: Do you believe--

TRUMP: Wait.

Go ahead.

Listen to you. Hey--

REPORTER: Sir.

TRUMP: I'm not pointing. You better -- you better -- I don't know who the hell you are, but you better be careful.

REPORTER: Mr. President--

REPORTER: --golf course, sir. You own a lot of golf course.

TRUMP: Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.

REPORTER: On who--

TRUMP: Quiet. Quiet. What's wrong with you? Are you a sick person?

REPORTER: Not that I know of, sir.

REPORTER: Mr. President--

REPORTER: Mr. President, I want to--

TRUMP: You know, I think there's -- I actually think there's something wrong with you.

Go ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: President Trump's frustration with reporters and their questions was on full display in the Oval Office today, as his own aides are apparently bracing for what happens if Democrats take control of Congress in two weeks.

Based on our new reporting here at CNN, administration officials have grown increasingly convinced that big Republican losses could lead to big personnel shakeups across the Trump White House. It's causing tension inside the President's inner circle, with one Trump ally telling CNN, quote, "It's more brutal than any other situation in modern times in the White House... You can't trust anybody here."

Now this comes as the podium, where the press secretary usually stands, is empty tonight after Katie Zacharia was ousted after only five days on the job.

My source tonight did his own short residency at that podium as the President's former White House communications director for 11 days. Anthony Scaramucci is the author of the new book "All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump."

Anthony Scaramucci, you worked in the Trump White House. What do you think it's like inside the Trump White House right now, with two weeks to go?

ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, AUTHOR, "ALL THE WRONG MOVES": It's got to be tough, but I mean, I would -- I would just a big shout out to Katie. I mean, she blew right by me. I mean, she made it look easy. OK? I didn't understand how she could get fired and hired so quickly, you know?

But Kaitlan, you know it's a nightmare in there. I know it's a nightmare in there. And by the way, they should buffer him from the press. I mean, those reactions tonight that you're showing are not good for the President. It makes him look unhinged. It makes him look temperamental and combative.

And if they had a comms team in there that was giving him good advice to say, Hey, you know, you got to relax on the press or do less press conferences. Because that's not helping him. It's certainly not helping with independents when they see stuff like that and they're about to go to the polls in two weeks.

COLLINS: You don't think he's already kind of buffered from the press? I mean, they put a lot of reporters inside those sprays that are going to ask questions that they know they want to get. You don't think that that's already -- I mean, he chooses who he answers to.

SCARAMUCCI: You're closer to it than me because you're in the White House, and I saw his interaction with you today and the nastiness of that. But what you just showed is a little bit more unhinged than we usually see him.

And so, maybe, maybe he's buffered, but he doesn't look buffered from my vantage point. And I would just tell him, you got two weeks to go. It doesn't -- you don't look right, talking to the press like that.

Now, now again, maybe his MAGA supporters think that that's great and that he should hammer the press all day like that, but it's unsavory and it just -- you know, it reminds you, when you're getting yelled at by your dad when you were like 5- or 6-years-old in front of your friends. You know, it's just not something he should be doing.

COLLINS: Yes, I'm not sure it does much to lower gas prices or the other things that we've heard voters care about.

In your book that I mentioned, your new book, you argue that one of the things that led to the rise of Donald Trump as president were the wars that happened under George W. Bush.

What do you think Trump's war in Iran that's still going on, what is that going to give rise to, if you had to guess?

SCARAMUCCI: Well, listen, I think it's a big problem for him, and I don't think it gets resolved anytime soon. I mean, it's likely the 48th President of the United States is the one that's going to be resolving that.

But you brought up those two wars. Remember, we had Mission Accomplished signs in May of 2003, two months after the Iraq War started. We prosecuted two wars for two decades, and we put $8 trillion on America's credit card bill.

And I think the President is not fully steeped in the economic damage here. It's not just the $45 billion in munitions and troop deployment. We're about to raise rates again another 25 basis points. If you look at interest rate costs and you look at energy costs, Kaitlan, it's $2,400 a family, since the war started. And just to remind people, that the 10-year Treasury in late February was at 3.96 percent, and it's now over 5 percent.

So, all of this is ancillary costs into the hundreds of billions of dollars for the American people, and it's not going to stop anytime soon. We both know that.

COLLINS: Do you think Trump realizes that impact, gas prices, and everything, for voters?

[21:55:00]

SCARAMUCCI: A 100 percent. That's why he's projecting that it's not a big deal. He's projecting that the affordability thing is a hoax. I mean, his spin is an indication that he's well aware of how problematic that is for people.

COLLINS: Anthony Scaramucci.

The new book is "All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump."

Great to have you. Thank you for joining us tonight.

SCARAMUCCI: Good to be here, Kaitlan. Thank you.

COLLINS: Up next. It is time for Source Code. Tonight, it is 2028. We'll be right back with the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tonight's Source Code is 2028. Because, President Trump was put on the spot in the Oval Office today.

[22:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: The Vice President said in an interview yesterday that he thought that you would endorse him if he does decide to run in 2028. Since we're here, could you tell us--

TRUMP: Well, I tell you this: he's a very talented person, and he's a very good person. But we've -- literally, I don't think we've ever talked about it. I don't think we've--

JD VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: No, sir. I said that too.

TRUMP: You know, who would believe that? I don't talk about it with him. He doesn't talk about it. It's early. We -- very early right now. We have to get through the midterms. We'll see how it goes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Quote, We'll see how it goes.

Thanks so much for joining us here on THE SOURCE tonight.

"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.