Return to Transcripts main page

State of the Union

Interview With Anti-Defamation League National Director Jonathan Greenblatt; Interview With Republican National Committee Co- Chair Lara Trump; Interview With Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ); Interview With Fmr. Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD). Aired 9-10a ET

Aired October 06, 2024 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:42]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST (voice-over): Neck-and-neck. Thirty days to go, and despite her huge fund-raising edge, Kamala Harris is locked in a dead heat with Donald Trump.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is going to be a very tight race until the very end.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we win Pennsylvania, we will win the whole thing.

BASH: As wars abroad and natural disasters at home intercede, what will it take to win? Democratic Senator Mark Kelly is live from swing state Michigan ahead.

And going back.

TRUMP: As I was saying...

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

BASH: Donald Trump returns to the site of his attempted assassination in a dramatically different race than three months ago.

TRUMP: We will fight, fight, fight.

BASH: What is he willing to do to win? Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump joins me exclusively and then Senate candidate Larry Hogan.

Plus: a year of pain. With Israel set to mark one year since the October 7 attacks, its forces are escalating offensive in Gaza and Lebanon. Will the hostages ever come home?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Hello. I'm Dana Bash in Washington, where the state of our union is 30 days out.

We have just over one month left in one of the most extraordinary presidential campaigns in American history. And more than one million voters have already cast their ballots across 30 states in what is expected to be a hard-fought and close race right up to Election Day, no doubt with plenty more twists and turns to come.

Yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris surveyed damage in North Carolina, as that state tries to dig out of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, while Donald Trump returned last night to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he narrowly survived an assassination attempt just three months ago, and now faces a new opponent in a much tighter race.

He was joined on stage by there by my next guest, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump.

Thank you so much for being here. I know it was a late night last night.

We talked about what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, but you were there last night. And I'm sure that it was not easy, that it was emotional for you and your family. But, as I mentioned, a lot has changed politically since that happened three months ago.

Can you give me a sense of the state of things on the ground in Pennsylvania, where you just were?

LARA TRUMP, CO-CHAIR, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Yes, well, let me just briefly say, Dana, that it really was a beautiful moment yesterday in Butler.

And I think it was really important in terms of healing for this country. I don't think any of us will forget, whether you love Donald Trump or not, where you were when you found out what had happened to him on July 13. And that's a traumatic thing to happen to a country.

And I can tell you, when we got off the plane yesterday, I was a little bit emotional, and I got to sit right next to Helen Comperatore, Corey Comperatore's widow, and his two daughters. And it was a really beautiful tribute. And I think it was important for Donald Trump to go back and create new memories for the people of Butler, Pennsylvania.

And that's exactly what you saw yesterday. But, listen, you're right, this -- the polling would indicate that things are neck-and-neck. I can tell you there were over 100,000 people at that rally there last night. I have never seen a crowd like that. You couldn't even see standing on the stage how far back the audience went.

And I think that that shows you that there is continued enthusiasm and growing enthusiasm for Donald Trump. And I think, as every day goes by -- we are 30 days away from this election -- people are really considering what kind of America they want to live in.

Do you want to get back to a time where you have great economic policies, where you have more money in your pocket, a secure southern border, and peace agreements, instead of wars breaking out around the world?

They remember, I think, Dana, who brought them that. It was Donald J. Trump. And that's why I believe, on November 5, he's going to be victorious in this race.

BASH: Laura, I want to ask you about something that the former president said last night on that stage, specifically about Hurricane Helene and your home state of North Carolina.

He said that FEMA is only offering $750 to Americans who have had their homes destroyed. That's not true. He's also echoing conspiracy theorists online who falsely claim that the administration is redirecting disaster money for undocumented immigrants. That's also not true.

[09:05:08]

Why is he spreading misinformation in a crisis like that? And does that concern you about your fellow North Carolinians and how and whether they can actually get help?

L. TRUMP: I'm incredibly concerned in North Carolina. I hear every day from people on the ground there, and they are desperate for help. It is a dire situation there.

I actually think we don't even know the extent yet of truly how bad it is there. And, look, Kamala Harris did come out and say it's $750 per family right now. The idea that we have spent $650 million in fiscal year '24 on the migrant crisis that Kamala Harris was responsible for stopping and, by all accounts, she created by having an open door policy at our southern border, is infuriating to citizens of this country.

BASH: Laura, let me just stop you right there. Let me just stop you right there, because I just want to not let this get out there. You are right that FEMA is giving $750, but that is a first step. It's for immediate needs. It's called the serious needs assistance.

L. TRUMP: Well, Alejandro Mayorkas came out, Dana, and said that they are out of money in terms of their hurricane relief.

We have another hurricane heading towards Florida right now.

BASH: What they have said is that there is money...

L. TRUMP: Why is this government inept right now? Why don't they have anything in order? Why is it that right now the citizens in Western North Carolina are screaming for help and it's having to come from local citizens?

People from my hometown of Wilmington are driving across the state six hours to go to the mountain and help people.

BASH: Yes. It is bad.

L. TRUMP: Why are they out of money? BASH: It is bad there.

But my question is about the misinformation, particularly the notion that they are moving money to migrants, to, you say, undocumented migrants, which FEMA says flatly is not true.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: And if people are not getting correct information, then they can't go for the -- for assistance, as they have been asked for.

I just want to quickly play what Senator Thom Tillis...

(CROSSTALK)

L. TRUMP: Let me just say for one second.

BASH: Go ahead.

L. TRUMP: You have migrants being housed in luxury hotels in New York City. We have paid so much money from our tax dollars into the crisis that didn't need to happen. We could redirect money to help people immediately on the ground in North Carolina or in Florida, where we're probably going to have a situation coming up in the next several days.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: That's a separate tranche of money. That's a separate tranche of money.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: I want you to listen to what...

L. TRUMP: If anyone believes that this migrant crisis isn't a disaster, every American. It is a big problem. And we're seeing the results of it right now.

BASH: But that has nothing to do with the people in your home state right now.

I want you to listen to what the Republican senator from North Carolina, Thom Tillis, said about the rescue and recovery efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I'm actually impressed with how much attention was paid to a region that wasn't likely to have experienced the impact that they did.

For anybody who thinks that any level of government, anybody here could have been prepared precisely for what we're dealing with here, clearly are clueless. But, right now, I'm out here to say that we're doing a good job.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: So, he and others are saying, please, to the former president and to others, stop spreading misinformation, because it's hurting people in North Carolina.

L. TRUMP: I'm so glad to hear that he feels that way.

But it's coming directly from people there. You can go online and you can look at videos of people recording themselves and posting online saying, we need help. No one has come here. We have nothing and no one has even addressed the situation in my neighborhood or my area.

So I'm glad to hear that he feels very good about that. And I -- honestly, I hope that we hear more of that. I want them to recover there as soon as possible. And it's tragic the loss of life that we have already seen. I think that number, sadly, is going to continue to go higher, and it's a tragedy all around.

BASH: I want to turn to something that we learned this week about -- from prosecutors on Donald Trump's role in trying to overturn the election results in 2020.

When Mike Pence's life was in jeopardy, an aide told prosecutors that a Trump said -- quote -- "So what?"

Do you think that's an appropriate response to the notion that his vice president's life appeared to be in danger?

L. TRUMP: Well, I think that this is a ridiculous ploy, of course, in 30 days to an election to try and dissuade people from voting for Donald Trump.

The January 6 situation has been amplified to a level that I don't think is almost believable to so many people right now, when they're struggling to put food on the table for their families, when they're struggling to fill up their gas tanks, when you have dog and cat euthanization rates at an all-time high right now because people are going to have to turn over their animals because they can't afford to have a family pet right now.

When you have wars breaking out around the world, this is not the top concern for the people of this country. And the fact that this is coming to the forefront just speaks volumes about the fact that the Democrats probably don't feel good about their candidate of Kamala Harris.

[09:10:04]

This is not the main concern of the American people. They want their affordable life back. They want jobs back. They want their country back and they want their safety and security back. And they know who brought it to them. It's Donald J. Trump.

BASH: Well, let me let me talk about where we are right now, because we are 30 days away from an election. So let's look ahead to how Donald Trump will respond to the results of this election. Polls, of course, show that it is very, very close. It could go either

way. Is there any circumstance in which Donald Trump would accept a defeat and concede?

L. TRUMP: Well, of course, if he feels that this is a free, fair and transparent election, which, by the way is my number one goal at the RNC.

You mentioned at the top I am the co-chair of the Republican National Committee. And our number one charge has been trying to make sure that we restore faith in our electoral process. There were a lot of people after 2020 all across this country who felt like maybe they couldn't trust that system.

We want to restore the faith in that because it is really foundational, Dana, to who we are as a country, as American citizens. Every vote matters and every vote counts. And we have extended this offer to our friends across the aisle at the DNC. Please be -- at the DNC, please come join us in this pursuit of election integrity.

And so we want every person to feel, when they go vote in America, whether they're voting Republican, Democrat or third-party candidate, their vote matters and their vote counts. And assuming everything is free, fair and transparent, absolutely, if Donald Trump loses this election, he has said himself he will be happy to accept those results.

BASH: Part of the reason why people are so unsure about what happened in 2020 is because Donald Trump claimed that it wasn't a free and fair election. And there is no evidence to prove that. There were, what, 60 lawsuits where lawyers, like the ones that you're hiring, went through the process, which he had every right to do.

And there was no evidence of widespread fraud. His attorney general, Bill Barr, said that again. So it sounds like you're setting up the same question of free and fair, when that is what we saw. So, again, do you see a scenario where he will take a different approach this election year?

L. TRUMP: Well, we are setting things up differently from the RNC standpoint. And we, instead of having to respond days, weeks or months later to any issue that we might have, are going to have people in the room every time a vote is cast and counted, so that we can ensure if there is any question about anything we're addressing it right then in that moment and we're not waiting later.

Those lawsuits you referenced, by the way, the vast majority of them were not dismissed based on merit. They were dismissed on clerical errors. And if you go back and look at that election, let's just be honest. Everybody watching this understands that was a very different, very unique election.

Laws were changed state by state illegally. It's the state legislature that decides the voting laws in each state. That didn't happen. And it was because of COVID-19. You had poll watchers who had to stand across a room and couldn't even see anything going on. You had massive information coming out.

The people just said, I don't understand what's going on here, and we never got answers to that. We're trying to rectify that right now. And we're hoping that 2024 is the year and going forward that people trust our electoral process once again. Again, it is our number one focus.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: I just -- I want to say that there was -- there were more than 60 cases that weren't clerical issues. And what -- the thing that people need to understand is that, if there was widespread fraud, as the former president still claims, he would have had to give evidence.

And no judge saw evidence. His only attorney general didn't see evidence of that fraud.

I want to ask you quickly, because you are co-chair of the RNC. I have been talking to Republicans who are talking about the ground game. And this year, Republicans, you at the RNC are doing things differently. You have outsourced the get-out-the-vote operation to big super PACs.

Several veteran Republicans I have spoken to say that this is very risky. What do you say to that?

L. TRUMP: Well, that's not true at all. We have over 300 campaign and RNC offices open around the country. We have our Trump Force 47 team.

We have three -- sorry -- 30,000 captains. These are people we have trained to go out and door to door target people who are low- propensity voters. And that's going to be a very big thing for us, a very important factor in this election.

Are we happy to have the assistance of outside groups? Absolutely. And they have been really wonderful to work alongside of us in every legal way they can. But make no mistake about it. We have taken this very seriously. We have a great, robust ground game.

I was just in an office in Fulton County Georgia last week speaking with our team. They're enthusiastic. They're very excited about what's going on. And they're getting great responses from people when either they make calls or go knock doors. So any suggestion otherwise is completely erroneous.

[09:15:05]

BASH: Lara Trump, thank you so much for being here this morning. It's going to be a very busy 30 days.

L. TRUMP: Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

And there are signs of a new strategy from Kamala Harris. We're going to get into that with Senator Mark Kelly, who joins me next.

And then: He's a Republican who's splitting with Trump. Maryland Senate candidate Larry Hogan will be here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

With a month to go, Vice President Kamala Harris is stepping up her media appearances this week, sitting down with "60 Minutes," as well as friendly audiences like "The View" and the popular podcast "Call Her Daddy."

[09:20:03]

But, as we saw yesterday, when Harris canceled a Pennsylvania bus tour to survey hurricane damage in North Carolina or as Israel prepares to launch a new offensive in Gaza this morning ahead of the October 7 terror attacks, the year anniversary of that, voters are watching events far and beyond the campaign's control.

Here with me now is Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

Senator, thank you so much for being here.

Lara Trump, we just spoke about what her campaign is doing, the Trump campaign, and also what's happening in her home state of North Carolina with that devastating, devastating hurricane. She says that -- she continues to say that the money is maybe going to be diverted, that they're not going to get enough. FEMA is pushing back on that.

As somebody who has a vote on where federal disaster aid goes, what's your response?

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Well, Dana, this is -- this hurricane's a great tragedy, and I feel for the people of North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, other states that were affected.

I mean, Lara Trump comes from North Carolina. I'm kind of shocked that she is willing to spread misinformation. But I think the folks know that the Trump family at every opportunity uses information, misinformation to lie to the American people.

Thom Tillis, I think, said it well, my colleague from North Carolina, that they're -- the response has been good and they're doing everything they can to help folks in North Carolina. It's a tragic situation. It's very difficult for FEMA to deal with this. It's -- many of these areas are very remote.

But I was kind of shocked that, for her home state, she's making things more difficult for people on the ground, not sharing the real information.

BASH: I want to quickly ask you about something that happened last night in Butler, Pennsylvania. Elon Musk was there. He spoke at the rally. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELON MUSK, OWNER, X: This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to vote, effectively. President Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: He said, if Trump doesn't win, this will be the last election.

Musk, as you know, has a huge social media platform and a lot of influence there. He receives billions of dollars from the federal government in contracts. Does it worry you to hear what he said and see what he's doing?

KELLY: Well, it's also hypocritical.

He's standing next to the guy that tried to overturn the last -- the 2020 election January 6, you know, saying that this is somehow going to be the last election and they're going to take away your vote. And it just doesn't pass the logic test.

I think it also highlights the amount of influence that dark money and billionaires have in our political system. It's not lost on me and it shouldn't be lost on the American people that Donald Trump, when he was president, gave a giant tax cut to billionaires. Elon Musk is the richest person in the world.

He's got a tremendous amount of interest in Donald Trump being elected president because Donald Trump made it -- I mean, it's clear he's going to double down on tax cuts to billionaires, while sticking it to American families. Middle-class and everyday folks are going to get a bad deal under Donald Trump and billionaires like Elon Musk will get their giant tax cut again.

So, it makes sense, I guess, that he's there. But it highlights that we have got to do something about getting the dark money out of our political system, super PACs funded by Elon Musk and others.

BASH: Yes. And, as you well know, dark money is -- Democrats are beneficiaries of dark money right now as well.

I want to turn to foreign policy. You visited Israel right after the October 7 attacks. I'm sure you never imagined that here we would be one year later and there would still be more than 100 hostages in Gaza, including four Americans still believed to be alive.

The families of those American hostages have heard President Biden repeatedly say that a deal was in reach, only to see their hopes dashed again and again. Why should they believe that Vice President Harris would have any more success in bringing their loved ones home safely?

KELLY: Well, it's a challenging situation, and I feel for the families of the hostages.

I have met many of the families, not only of the American hostages, but the Israeli hostages as well. I know it's a priority for President Biden and I know it's a priority for Kamala Harris. The loss of life has been tragic. Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary. Israel was attacked so violently.

[09:25:04]

The -- and Israel then defending themselves against Hamas has resulted in loss of life in Gaza. And now this conflict, because of Hezbollah attacking the Israelis in the northern part of the country, has spread to their northern border as well.

And whenever innocent people, old people, women, children, lose their life in a conflict, it is tragic. I know the vice president is committed to solving this and getting this done and getting some amount of peace in the Middle East. And when she's sworn in on January 20, I know this is going to be one of her top priorities.

BASH: Senator, you are in Dearborn, Michigan right now. There is a large Arab-American population there very open about its frustration with the Biden/Harris administration's support for Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza.

Tensions are even higher because a U.S. citizen from Dearborn was killed as part of an Israeli strike in Lebanon. What is your message to Muslim and Arab-American voters there who are seriously considering either sitting out this election or voting Republican?

KELLY: Well, they shouldn't be considering that. They should be voting for Kamala Harris.

I mean, she is committed to their values. She met with them, many in the Muslim and the Arab community here, earlier in the week to talk about the issues that they care about. And, certainly, peace in the Middle East is at the top of the list. And the American citizen that was killed in Lebanon, that is tragic.

Kamala Harris also understands that loss of life in any conflict, innocent loss of life is a tragic situation. And I know she's the person that's ready to deal with this on day one. And they also should consider what this means for their families, for their economics.

If you're a senior, reducing the price of prescription drugs is something she worked on as vice president. Out-of-pocket expenses for seniors are going to be $2,000 a year starting on January 1. Donald Trump and his Project 2025, that will go away under a Trump presidency.

Also, just the cost of things like housing and childcare and health care, I mean, Trump's plan is tariffs on everything that's brought into this country. It's going to raise costs for American families, $4,000 a year, where Kamala Harris is -- has a plan to reduce costs.

BASH: Senator...

KELLY: So that should be a consideration here as well. BASH: Senator, before I let you go, you, of course, are from Arizona.

That is a neck-and-neck state as well. I want to ask you about a key constituency there. A Marist poll showed last month that Trump and Harris are effectively tied among Latino voters in Arizona.

Four years ago, Joe Biden won Latinos by 24 percentage points. Why is she underperforming so dramatically in that voting group?

KELLY: Well, I did a -- tight races in 2020 and 2022. Polls in Arizona, they can bounce around a little bit.

I will say this. Just like the Muslim community in Michigan, the Latino community in the state of Arizona is going to benefit significantly from a Kamala Harris presidency. Harris and Walz are committed to their values. These are often middle-class and working- class folks.

They're not monolithic on issues, but Kamala Harris cares about them and cares about their families. When you consider the way Donald Trump talks about immigrants and talks about people of color, my hope is that, over the next 30 days, that that starts to resonate with folks more in the state of Arizona...

BASH: Yes.

KELLY: ... and she can win the state.

I'm confident that she's going to win Arizona, she's going to be elected the next president of the United States. Obviously, in the next 30 days, we have some work to do.

BASH: Yes, I will say, and, certainly, those voters who are saying that they are interested in voting for Donald Trump, particularly Latino voters, they have heard all the things that Donald Trump has said for the past eight years. And it's still really remarkable the way that it is tied among those key voters in your state.

Thank you, Senator Mark Kelly. Appreciate you coming on this morning.

KELLY: Thank you, Dana.

BASH: And up next: He says he won't vote for Trump. Is that enough to convince voters in blue state Maryland to support a Republican?

Senate candidate Larry Hogan will be here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:34:09]

BASH: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

Republicans are hopeful they can take control of the Senate next month. One of the unlikely places they would really hope to pick up the seat is in Maryland, where the popular former Republican governor is trying to win in part by appealing to Democrats. Here with me now is Maryland Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan.

Nice to see you in person.

FMR. GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R-MD), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning.

BASH: I want to start with what the special counsel, Jack Smith, unveiled this week, which was new evidence in the election interference case against Donald Trump.

Prosecutors allege that, when an aide told Donald Trump that Pence had been taken to a secure location January 6, he replied, Trump replied, "So what?" and that he told family members -- quote -- "It doesn't matter if you won or lost the election. You still have to fight like hell."

I'm asking you this in part because you were involved in the response that day. You were governor of Maryland. You helped with the National Guard.

[09:35:04]

When you hear that, what do you think what -- that voters should think as they head into the polls in November?

HOGAN: Well, this -- none of this was really new information. I mean, we heard all of this quite a while ago. And I'm not sure why it's all coming up right at the end of the election, other than just to remind people what we heard all throughout the hearings.

But it was outrageous.

BASH: Are you worried he's going to reject election results again in November?

HOGAN: Well, I pray that that's not the case.

Look, that was a dark, terrible day in American history. And, as you point out, I sent in the Maryland State Police and the Maryland National Guard to protect the Capitol after leaders of Congress begged me for help. We should never have that repeated again.

Then I called on Donald Trump to resign and let Mike Pence conduct the peaceful transition.

BASH: If you are elected to the Senate, one of the first votes could be whether to certify the election results.

The question is, what is -- what's your view on election results and do you believe that all Republicans should cert -- and Democrats should certify no matter what?

HOGAN: I think all the conspiracy theories about the stolen election are nonsense. I mean, certainly, there were some irregularities, but not enough to overturn an election. I thought it was -- it was a lack of courage on the part of some folks

who got pressured into taking positions I would never take. And I was the one -- first Republican to congratulate President Biden and ask Donald Trump to concede.

Obviously, we can't try to overturn the will of the voters. And we certainly...

BASH: So you will certify no matter what?

HOGAN: Oh, absolutely.

BASH: OK.

Independent Senator Joe Manchin just endorsed you and your bid for the U.S. Senate. He made a pledge earlier this week that if a nominee, for example, for the Cabinet or Supreme Court doesn't have bipartisan support in the Senate, he would not support them. Would you make that pledge?

HOGAN: Actually, I would make that pledge.

I -- if we can't get any bipartisan buy-in, then I'm not going to vote for that person. Look, I appointed six out of the seven members of our Supreme Court. All six of them received unanimous confirmation by every Republican and every Democrat in the Senate. In Washington, we can't even seem to get one vote.

It's like Democrats will only vote for Democrats and Republicans will only vote for Republicans. If there's one place that we should not be playing politics, it's on appointments to the Supreme Court.

BASH: And the Cabinet as well? I mean, you -- particularly former governors, a lot of them who I have talked to who are the Senate say, well, when it comes to the Cabinet, the president should have the ability...

HOGAN: The president has more latitude in the people that are going to report directly to him, as opposed to a separate but equal branch.

BASH: OK .

HOGAN: But I'm going to -- whether it's Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, I'm going to take a look at every single nominee on the merits.

And I appointed the most bipartisan Cabinet in Maryland history, half Democrats and half Republicans. If I think people have the ability to do the job, I will vote for them. If I think they're incompetent or don't have the capabilities, I will vote against them.

And that doesn't matter if it's Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in the White House.

BASH: You have said that you will not be voting for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Your fellow Republican Liz Cheney, who was campaigning with Kamala

Harris this week, says: "I don't believe we have the luxury of writing in candidates' names."

I want you to listen to more of what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration. It is our duty. I tell you, I have never voted for a Democrat. But, this year, I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: What do you say to her? And given what you just said again, which you have said many, many times about Donald Trump, even before January 6, if you think you're such a threat, why not vote for Kamala Harris?

HOGAN: Well, it's one of the reasons why I stepped up and ran for the United States Senate, because I think we need leaders who have the courage to put country over party and to put people over politics.

And that's why I'm focused on trying to do something about the broken politics in Washington. I respect her ability to take the position she's taking, and others will make similar or different decisions. But it's really up to the voters in 30 days. And I'm focused on my Senate race, which I think can really make a difference in making sure that we don't go off the rails with the extremes on the left or the right.

And that's what's desperately lacking in Washington.

BASH: So when she says that we don't have the luxury to basically leave the top of the ticket blank?

HOGAN: I'm not going to question people who make a decision that neither candidate has earned their vote. And I just have never voted for someone I don't believe in.

And I think some others may make the same decision.

BASH: You told Politico this week that you don't have -- let's focus on your race for a second -- that you told Politico that you don't have the support from Democrats right now that you need to win in Maryland.

[09:40:05]

You said -- quote -- "The last two elections, I think I got about a third of the Democrats. We're not quite there. I think we're in the high 20s at this point." First of all, why? Because you have won big in -- you're a Republican, won big in a very blue state, and you did so, as you well know, with Democratic support.And it's not happening for you so far this time. Is it just because it's the United States Senate?

HOGAN: Well, it is happening more than any other race in America, and I think I'm the only Senate candidate running ahead of the top of the ticket, and I'm running ahead of him by more than 20 points.

So I'm ahead. I'm doing better with Republicans than Donald Trump. I'm winning independents by more than 20 points, and I'm getting more than a quarter of all Democrats, and I'm working hard to try to convince others who actually thought I was a great governor and voted for me twice and have a favorable opinion of the job that I did.

But they're concerned about just making sure that we protect a Democratic majority. And I'm trying to convince voters that they should put country over party, and that we shouldn't just vote red and blue. We should vote for the person you think is best qualified for the job and the one that you think can stand up and be a key voice in the middle to make a difference.

So, that -- over the next 30 days, that's what we're working to convince.

BASH: And, Governor Larry Hogan, thank you so much for being here.

HOGAN: Thank you.

BASH: Appreciate it.

And we want to note that we are in touch with the campaign of Governor Hogan's opponent, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, and we hope that she will join us soon.

And tomorrow marks one year since the October 7 attack on Israel. We have some troubling new numbers about rising antisemitic incidents right here in the U.S.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:46:24]

BASH: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

Tomorrow, Israel is set to mark one year since the Hamas attacks of October 7. And here in the United States, we're getting troubling new numbers about the rising antisemitism in the wake of those attacks and the Israel-Hamas war.

Here with me now to bring you those new numbers is the CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt.

Thank you so much for being here. I want to dig into these numbers and show them to our viewers.

According to your report, there have been more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since the October 7 attacks, including over 8,000 instances of verbal or written harassment, more than 1,800 instances of vandalism, and more than 150 physical attacks targeting Jews.

And just for context, that's a 200 percent jump from the previous year.

JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO AND NATIONAL DIRECTOR, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Yes, Dana, so these numbers are truly astonishing.

ADL has been around for over 110 years, and we have never seen data like this before. Think about it. Like, we are honoring, commemorating, this solemn anniversary of the murder of 1,200 people simply because they were Jewish, right?

They were slaughtered, they were tortured, they were killed, they were kidnapped. And yet, here in the United States, that triggered a tsunami of anti-Jewish hate. And it's not just the numbers.

I travel all over the country, and the stories I have heard about restaurants being boycotted in Philadelphia simply because the owners are Jewish, about cafes in Chicago being targeted, ice cream parlors in the Bay Area, again and again, people are being told they can't participate in a conference because they're Zionist, again, you shouldn't patronize a restaurant because it's Jewish.

I mean, this is unbelievable. And, by the way, like, we're seeing these stories about what happened in North Carolina and that tragedy. And there has been an avalanche of antisemitic conspiracies directed at the mayor, directed at FEMA, as if somehow the Mossad is involved in distributing disaster relief.

So, I think conspiracism is at an all-time high and antisemitism is raging like we have never seen before.

BASH: And college campuses.Of those 10,000 incidents, at least 1,200 occurred on college campuses.

GREENBLATT: Yes.

BASH: Has that -- I mean, now that they're back on campus, has that curbed at all since what we saw last spring?

GREENBLATT: Not really.

I mean, I think for Jewish people in this moment, we all were in synagogue this week, found ourselves walking through metal detectors and passed arm guards simply to worship.

And then we have our kids on these campuses. Now, it's certainly true we haven't seen the wave of encampments, but, this week, the anti- Israel groups on campus are planning a week of rage to start tomorrow, on 10/7, when we are trying to commemorate those we lost in this heinous, unprovoked attack.

I can't think of anything more grotesque than these pro-Hamas groups, which, by the way, they were mourning the death of Nasrallah two weeks ago, a man with American blood on his hands. '

BASH: That's Hezbollah, of course, Nasrallah.

GREENBLATT: Sorry. That's Hezbollah.

BASH: Yes.

GREENBLATT: But they're waving the Hezbollah and the Hamas flags. And they are lionizing what happened on 10/7, calling it an act of resistance.

In my mind, rape is never resistance. But our kids are dealing with this. So we saw nearly a 500 percent increase in antisemitic acts on college campuses in the last academic year. I mean, again, in response to this act of terror, our students are being terrorized. It's unacceptable.

[09:50:07]

BASH: And as I thank you, I just also want to remind people that the ADL has warned and federal law enforcement has warned that, in and around the October 7 anniversary tomorrow...

GREENBLATT: Yes.

BASH: ... there is an increase in threat against Jews. And this is in the middle of the Jewish holidays. So...

GREENBLATT: It's really just so awful.

This is why ADL is mobilized the way we are. And if people -- I got to say something. If you see something, say something. We need people to report incidents. We need people to speak up. We should not be afraid in our own country.

BASH: Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.

GREENBLATT: Thank you, Dana.

BASH: And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:55:24]

BASH: Tomorrow marks one year since Hamas' terror attack inside Israel, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

On October 7, Israel says 251 people were taken hostage and brought into Gaza. And now, a year later, there are reportedly at least 60 people held captive by Hamas terrorists still, including four Americans believed to be alive. They are Edan Alexander, age 20, Sagui Dekel-Chen, age 36, Omer

Neutra, 22 years old, and Keith Siegel, 65.

Thank you for spending your Sunday morning with us. Fareed Zakaria picks it up next.