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State of the Union

Interview With Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA); Interview With U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Interview With Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY); Interview With Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). Aired 9-10a ET

Aired November 02, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Stretched thin. A key weekend, as the shutdown ramps up Americans' pain.

BROOKE ROLLINS, U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: We have failed you.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): When she says "We have failed you," she means we, the Democrats.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Republicans and the administration should not be weaponizing hunger.

TAPPER: Will hungry families be Fed by the deadline? And what is the shutdown endgame? Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is here and then House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Plus: split screen.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have been warning you all.

TAPPER: Democrats call in their closer, as they hope for three big wins Tuesday. But would that help their party's identity crisis? Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman joins me.

And report card. Nine months in, an election test for the president.

JACK CIATTARELLI (R), NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Let's win and change direction of Jersey.

TAPPER: Will the Trump factor help or hurt his own party on Tuesday? Our political panel breaks it all down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Hello. I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, where the state of our union is waiting to hear from you, the voters. Forget the politicians and the polls and the pundits.

In just two days now, we get a chance to hear from the people in select states from coast to coast for the first big referendum on President Trump's norm-shattering second term, as well as Democrats' attempt to convince skeptical Americans that they have a better plan.

Meanwhile, Congress remains at a standstill with no apparent progress on ending the government shutdown. This weekend, tens of millions of Americans are wondering how they are going to be able to put food on the table after funding for SNAP food benefits, food stamps, expired.

Yesterday, a court gave the Trump administration a deadline of Wednesday to put out at least partial SNAP payments. We have not yet heard from the president on his plan.

Joining us now to discuss this and much more, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Secretary Bessent, thank you so much for being here. Always a pleasure.

So let's just start with the SNAP ruling, because two federal judges ruled Friday night the White House must tap into the contingency funds to partially cover SNAP benefits that expired this weekend due to the shutdown. Yesterday, the court clarified that at least a partial payment needs to be made by Wednesday.

When can we expect the Trump administration to make these payments?

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Well, President Trump just TRUTHed out that he needs to hear from the courts how this is going to be done.

And, Jake, as you know, the best way for SNAP benefits to get paid is for Democrats, five Democrats to cross the aisle and reopen the government.

TAPPER: Right, but there is this contingency fund. And, as recently as September 30, the Agriculture Department had a memo saying that these funds, the contingency funds, I think it's about $5 billion or $6 billion, could be used to pay these benefits.

Now, it would only be two or three weeks, but that's a lot for people who need the food.

BESSENT: Well, President Trump just -- as I said, President Trump just TRUTHed out that he's very anxious to get this done, and it's got to go through the courts.

The courts keep jamming up things. Democrats are in the middle of a civil war, and they should just open the government. That is the easiest way to do this.

TAPPER: Is the administration go to appeal the ruling by the judge? Is that what you mean by the courts need to weigh in? Because the courts have weighed in. BESSENT: No. But there's a process that has to be followed, so we

have got to figure out what the process is.

President Trump wants to make sure that people get their food benefits.

TAPPER: So it could be done by Wednesday?

BESSENT: Could be.

TAPPER: OK.

BESSENT: Could be. And five Democratic senators could cross the aisle and open the government by Wednesday.

TAPPER: Let's turn to trade, because that's been obviously your focus for several weeks. You're just back from China. President Trump called the summit with President Xi a great success. China's biggest concession was, it suspended the export controls on these rare earth minerals that were used for our phones and other things.

Trump said this settled the issue. The conservative "Wall Street Journal" editorial board, however, says the deal mostly restores the status quo that prevailed in may, and that if Mr. Trump wants to deter Chinese mercantilism, he needs a new strategy and more allies.

What's your response to their view of this?

BESSENT: Well, I couldn't disagree with that more.

Jake, what are the sources of U.S. strength and how does China view us? We have -- we're the greatest military power in the world. Number two, we have the greatest economy. We have the reserve currency. And, number three, it's our innovation and technology.

And everything that came out of the conference between President Trump and President Xi gave the U.S. more leverage. Now, China has invoked this rare earth export regime. They did it once on April 4 for rare earth magnets, and they tried it again on October 8. On October 8, the president very forcefully pushed back.

He threatened to add 100 percent tariffs to Chinese products, and we were able to negotiate a one-year pushback or a one-year suspension for this licensing regime. And the licensing regime, let me tell you, is for everything that contains rare earth produced in China that has 0.01 percent.

[09:05:17]

It was completely unworkable. And, Jake, it wasn't the U.S. versus China. It's China versus the world. They put it on the whole world. And the whole world pushed back. President Trump, the leader of the free world, the -- pushed back on behalf of the whole world.

TAPPER: So you disagree with the assessment that all this deal really does is reset things to where they were in May, before a lot of this trade war began?

BESSENT: Well, I think it's naive for "The Wall Street Journal" editorial board, who I call a bunch of grumpy old men, to think that the Chinese weren't going to roll out these rare earth restrictions.

They have been putting this plan together for 25, 30 years. And the U.S. has been asleep at the switch. And now this administration, we're going to go at warp speed over the next one, two years. And we're going to get out from under the sword that the Chinese have over us.

And they have it over the whole world. And, this time, we have rallied the allies. And so it is going to be all the Western democracies, the Asian democracies, and India are also going to join us in this in trying to form our own supply chains. We don't want to decouple from China, but we need to de-risk. They have shown themselves to be an unreliable partner in many areas.

TAPPER: Let's talk about Canada for one second, because, while this deal is going through, the president imposed a 10 percent tariff, additional tariff, on Canada because he didn't like this ad that Ontario had put out featuring President Reagan talking about tariffs.

The prime minister of Canada has apologized to President Trump for that ad. When can we expect that 10 percent tariff to be taken down?

BESSENT: Well, he hasn't put on a 10 percent tariff. He threatened to put on a 10 percent tariff.

TAPPER: So he didn't actually do it?

BESSENT: It hasn't been put on yet. And this is unacceptable that I read that the premier of Ontario spent $75 million sending propaganda across the U.S. border via our...

TAPPER: Well, it's just Ronald Reagan's own words.

BESSENT: ... via our airwaves -- via our own airwaves. It's the equivalent of election interference. Nobody likes foreign election interference. Nobody likes foreign governments trying to sway public opinion for their own good.

TAPPER: So the 10 percent tariff has not been enacted and it might not be enacted?

BESSENT: We will see. I do think it was a big setback for the Canadian government. And the premier of Ontario should be ashamed. He's probably still smarting from the Blue Jays' loss last night.

TAPPER: That's harsh. On -- congratulations to our Dodger friends out there.

Let's talk about this week, because, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court is going to hear arguments in two cases related to President Trump's tariffs. First of all, is President Trump planning on going, attending the oral arguments? And, second of all, given the fact that tariffs are the province of Congress, according to the Constitution, even though there is this exception for emergency tariffs, what makes you think that you guys will win this case?

BESSENT: Because the president is implementing the tariffs under an emergency authority.

And I actually think that the Chinese actions on October 8 by threatening the entire world with rare earth export controls that could have slowed down or shut down the Western manufacturing system by the threatening 100 percent tariffs, under the IEEPA authority, the president was able to get the Chinese to delay this.

So, if that's not an emergency, I don't know what is.

TAPPER: But the...

BESSENT: But, Jake, if we look back...

TAPPER: Yes.

BESSENT: If we look back to the spring, the president put 20 percent fentanyl tariffs on China and now brought China to the table. They are going to make an earnest effort to stop sending precursor drugs to North America, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans every year.

And if the fentanyl deaths are not an emergency, I don't know what is. So he is using these powers under an emergency act, and those are all emergencies.

TAPPER: Is President Trump going to be at the court on Wednesday?

BESSENT: I haven't seen his schedule.

TAPPER: You haven't seen his schedule.

Are you going to be there?

BESSENT: Sorry?

TAPPER: Are you going to go?

BESSENT: I'm not planning on going.

TAPPER: You're not planning on going.

President Obama is out on the campaign trail. And, not surprisingly, he's been pretty critical of President Trump. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: He has been focused on some critical issues, like paving over the Rose Garden, so folks don't get mud on their shoes, and building a $300 million ballroom. And if you don't get an invitation to the next White House shindig, you can always watch the festivities on Trump's live feed on TRUTH Social.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:10:04]

TAPPER: Now, these comments came within a day of the president hosting a Gatsby -- pardon me -- a Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago while SNAP benefits are set to run out.

And you can understand the general theme. I have heard Republicans even express concern about the general optics here of parties and lavish ballrooms and such while a lot of Americans are hurting. What's your response?

BESSENT: My response is that the Democrats should reopen the government.

And President -- I believe President Obama played a record amount of golf of any president. So I'm not sure why he's out there throwing stones, and that it's unfortunate we have got 52 Republican senators who have voted to reopen the government, three brave Democrats.

And I'm calling here on five moderate Democrats to be heroes. Let's reopen the government.

TAPPER: This week, the Fed voted to lower interest rates another quarter-of-a-point to its lowest level in three years. However, the Central Bank's newest official, Stephen Miran, is warning that if the Fed doesn't continue to lower interest rates rapidly, the U.S. could face a recession.

Do you agree that the U.S. is at risk of facing a recession?

BESSENT: I believe that we are in a transition period here.

As we are seeing, the Trump administration has cut back on government spending, Jake. What has gone unnoticed during the shutdown is, for the fiscal year that ends September 30, the government spent less than it did the year before, and because the GDP grew, the GDP, which had been 6.4 -- the deficit to GDP, which had been 6.4, 6.5 percent deficit, the highest one we weren't at war, weren't in a recession ever, we were able to bring it down to 5.9 percent.

So we are bringing down government spending. And I would think that the Fed would want to assist with that, because, if we go back and look, MIT just published a study that said 42 percent of the great inflation of 2022 came from excess government spending.

So, if we are contracting spending, then I would think inflation would be dropping. If inflation is dropping, then the Fed should be cutting rates.

TAPPER: But do you think that the U.S. is at risk of a recession if the Fed does not continue to drop rates?

BESSENT: I think that we are in good shape, but I think that there are sectors of the economy that are in recession.

And the Fed has caused a lot of distributional problems with their policies. I wrote a 7,000-word essay on that. We have seen the biggest hindrance for housing here that are mortgage rates. So, if the Fed brings down mortgage rates, then they can end this housing recession.

Low-end consumers, who have gotten killed under President Biden, these high rates are hurting them, because they have debt, not assets. So I think that there are sections of the economy that could go into recession.

TAPPER: All right, Secretary Bessent, thank you so much. We really appreciate you being here.

BESSENT: Good to see you.

TAPPER: President Obama might not be getting an invite to the new White House ballroom any time soon after he roasted President Trump last night. We're going to have more on that ahead.

Plus, could the government still be shut down by Thanksgiving? The man leading House Democrats' strategy, Hakeem Jeffries, joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:17:35]

TAPPER: And welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

Americans in several states are headed to the polls on Tuesday, and leaders on Capitol Hill are going to be paying very close attention. Will the election results Tuesday night give either party a clue about how voters feel about the shutdown as it enters week five?

And joining me now is House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Leader Jeffries, thanks so much for joining us.

So even these emergency supplemental funds for SNAP, even if they ultimately -- the Trump administration ultimately does use them, it's only enough to keep benefits going, food stamp benefits, going for two to three weeks, which is significant, but obviously not a long-term solution.

I understand why Democrats are voting against the continuing resolution to fund the government. You're fighting for the extension of the Obamacare premiums. You're fighting to restore Medicaid funds. But I wonder, when these SNAP funds are gone, whether this week or three weeks from now, if the contingency funds are used, are you worried at all that pressure point will cause more Democrats to rethink the strategy and maybe ultimately vote for the government funding bill? JEFFRIES: Well, we're continuing to make life better for the American

people. We want to reopen the government. We want to enact the bipartisan spending agreement that actually makes life better for everyday Americans.

And, of course, we want to make sure that we can decisively address the Republican health care crisis, which is crushing people all across the country, including working-class America, rural America, urban America, small-town America, the heartland of America, and black and brown communities throughout America.

It's very unfortunate that Donald Trump and Republicans have decided to weaponize hunger and withhold SNAP benefits, even in contravention of two federal courts, which have made clear that not a single person in this country should go without their nutritional assistance and, of course, that the funds exist to make sure that those SNAP benefits are paid through November, as has been the case with Donald Trump and his administration finding funding for other projects.

But, somehow, they can't find money to make sure that Americans don't go hungry.

TAPPER: You're refusing to fund the government until Republicans join you to help prevent Americans' health care costs from skyrocketing, as well as to restore some of the money from Medicaid that was cut.

I understand why Democrats are making the choice, but you acknowledge that it's a choice here, right?

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JEFFRIES: No, what I acknowledge is that we're asking Republicans to sit down, as we have indicated our willingness to sit down with them any time, any place, anywhere, either at the Capitol or back at the White House, in order to find a bipartisan path toward enacting a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people.

So, yes, we are committed to doing things like lowering the high cost of living for the American people in an environment where Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. But costs haven't gone down. Costs are going up. Housing costs are up. Grocery costs are up. Childcare costs are up. Electricity prices are through the roof.

And now, because of the Republicans' refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, we know that tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays, and deductibles, such that they will be unable to go see a doctor.

In some cases, Jake, you're talking about premium increases of $1,000 to $2,000 per month. That is completely and totally unsustainable, unacceptable, and un-American.

TAPPER: I understand, but the decision to not fund the government means very real pain caused today, people not getting paychecks today and SNAP funds today. And then, obviously, at airports across the country, delays are

getting worse due to air traffic controller shortages. The FAA says that, in the New York area, nearly 90 percent, 90 percent of air traffic controllers are out. The White House says that Thanksgiving travel could be a disaster if this shutdown continues that long.

Are Democrats prepared to keep the government closed through Thanksgiving if it comes to that?

JEFFRIES: The question is, why are Republicans continuing to keep the government shut down?

They have the House, the Senate and the presidency. Donald Trump just made clear over the weekend repeatedly that Republicans have the ability to reopen this government. They don't want to do it because they'd rather continue to gut the health care of the American people.

And here are some questions that need to be asked. Why have House Republicans remained on a taxpayer-funded vacation for the last six weeks? They keep canceling votes. They have canceled votes for next week. Of course, they are unserious as it relates to reopening the government.

Why has Donald Trump spent more time on the golf course, including this weekend, than he has in talking to Democrats on Capitol Hill, who represent half of the country? It's because, apparently, Donald Trump is uninterested in reopening the government. He doesn't want to stand up for hardworking federal employees.

They fired more than 200,000 federal employees prior to them shutting the government down on October 1. And why are Republicans so unwilling to even sit down and have a conversation with their Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill in order to find a bipartisan path forward?

It's because they are trying to inflict this cruelty on the American people. And, Jake, this is a group of folks who passed their one big ugly bill, largest cut to Medicaid in American history, at the same time they cut $186 billion from SNAP, literally ripped food out of the mouths of hungry children, seniors, and veterans.

They did this in July, and that was done so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks that they made permanent. And now they're unwilling to extend tax credits for working-class Americans.

TAPPER: So, you alluded...

JEFFRIES: It's all unacceptable, and it's obviously part of their plan.

TAPPER: So you alluded to President Trump saying that the Senate Republicans have the power to pass a government shutdown. He's saying that by saying that they should get rid of the filibuster.

You're saying that they should get rid of the filibuster and just own this entirely? JEFFRIES: No, what I'm saying is that that's a decision ultimately

for the Senate to make.

However, President Trump has acknowledged -- listen, from the very beginning of this presidency, he's enacted a my-way-or-the-highway approach to jam their extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people, reckless Republican policies, which are now causing hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health centers to close all across the country.

Now he's saying to his Republican colleagues, senators, those who actually just work for him, because they don't work for the American people, reopen the government, and they refuse to do it.

TAPPER: Big elections coming up in just two days, governor's race in Virginia, governor's race in New Jersey, and then the mayor of the city in which you live, New York, New York.

You have already cast your ballot for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Do you see Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party?

JEFFRIES: No, I think the future of the Democratic Party is going to fall, as far as we're concerned, relative to the House Democratic Caucus and members who are doing a great work all across the country, as it relates to our need to both take back control of the House, but, in doing so, make sure that we're communicating to the American people, like, we understand, you deserve better than the country that you have received.

[09:25:25]

Donald Trump and Republicans have gone way too far and have failed to deliver anything meaningful for the American people. And, as Democrats, we're going to focus on lowering the high cost of living, on fixing our broken health care system that Republicans continue to make worse with their toxic policies, and, of course, on cleaning up corruption in the Congress, in the courts, and within the administration with Donald Trump running the largest pay-to-play scheme in the history of the country.

So we're going to continue to affirmatively lean in on the issues that we know matter to the American people. I expect that we're going to see a big night on Tuesday in New Jersey and in Virginia, and certainly as it relates to Prop 50 in California, where we stop Trump from stealing the election, and then that will lay a foundation for Democrats to take back control of the House in 2026.

TAPPER: Well, I mean, I had asked you -- I asked you if Mamdani was the future of the party, and you didn't answer the question. You said the House Democrats are.

I would note that at least a couple House Democrats from the New York area are not endorsing Mamdani. Your endorsement took a long time. Schumer still has not endorsed him. Are you concerned about Republicans using him as a lightning rod so as to hurt your ability to win back the House in 2026? JEFFRIES: No, the lightning rod in terms of what's going to impact

the ability of either side to win control of the House or hold control of the House in 2026 is going to be the failure of Republicans to actually deliver on the promises that they have made and to actively make life worse for everyday Americans.

The country knows that we're heading in the wrong direction. We see it repeatedly. The country knows that Republicans have refused to make health care affordable and are actively making it unaffordable, depriving working-class Americans of their ability to see a doctor when they need one.

And the country knows that Republican policies have been all about the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected, and they have not focused on making life better for everyday Americans. We will as House Democrats.

TAPPER: All right, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, thank you so much for your time today, sir. Appreciate it.

JEFFRIES: Thank you.

TAPPER: And make sure to join us Tuesday for our special election coverage, all the best reporting and analysis from coast to coast. Our coverage starts at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. See you then.

Could this weekend be a turning point in the government shutdown? Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

This weekend, as the government shutdown makes life more painful for even more Americans, we return to a question that's been unclear from the first day: How is this going to end? Are there any new signs this week that one of the political parties might blink?

Joining us now is Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. He's one of three Senate Democrats who has been voting with Republicans to continue to fund the government.

Senator, thanks for joining us.

So, as you know, 42 million Americans, including two million Pennsylvanians, will not receive food stamp, or SNAP, benefits this month because funding officially lapsed yesterday. The White House says this is the fault of Democrats for shutting down the government. Democrats note that the Trump administration is not dipping into the contingency funds for SNAP.

And they think that Trump is doing that to pressure Democrats. How do you see it? Who do you blame for this? SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Well, I mean, for me, fundamentally, I'm

-- deeply, deeply distressing to know that 42 millions Americans are going to lose their SNAP benefits.

And, now, that's one of the big reasons why I refused to shutting our government down. And, again, I feel like the Democrats really need to own the shutdown. I mean, we're shutting it down. I know why. They claim because they want to address the tax credits. And I fully support that.

I voted for all of their C.R.s, our C.R.s, every single time. And I refuse to put 42 million Americans in the kinds of food insecurity. Now, this is all solved by just reopen our government and the people are now paid. Now, if we are -- we are the party that are fighting for working people.

Now, as far as I'm aware, every single union that's involved in this now is now demanding to us to reopen that. Those are -- that's the side that I'm in through this. And now the four airlines are now saying, we really have to stop this right now. And why do we really want to make flying less safe by forcing this -- times of situation and making things that much stressed?

So it's not something I support of and I don't want to be involved. And now we can find a way forward. We need to find a way forward. And we really -- I do believe we can achieve these kinds of tax credits. And this is something I support, but it's the wrong tactic. It was wrong when the Republicans did it. It's wrong now that we seem to be driving it.

TAPPER: Senators say that bipartisan talks to end this logjam seem to be gaining steam, though an actual agreement is out of reach as of now. Do you know where these bipartisan talks to end the shutdown are? We're on day 33 of the shutdown, obviously.

FETTERMAN: I sure hope so.

I mean, this is an absolute fail. It's -- actually, it's embarrassing, honestly, if we can't even kind of get -- keep the lights on like this, and now reminding everybody federal workers have had to borrow more than a third of a billion dollars just to pay their own bills. I mean, those are the kinds of workers that make this -- and they're really suffering now too.

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And now people now can't count on their SNAP benefits, and now also WIC and Head Start. These are the kinds of people why I'm a Democrat, fighting for people that -- just like that. Now it seems like we're moving against our core values to keep our government shut down at this point, as now we're approaching now 33 days now.

TAPPER: Yes.

So let's talk about the issue that Democrats say they're fighting for in the shutdown. Pennsylvania's Obamacare marketplace says that more than 150,000 Pennsylvanians are going to lose their coverage if these enhanced premiums expire at the end of the year.

In Allegheny County, where you live, average monthly health care costs are projected to rise 75 percent. In rural Juniata County, those prices are going to jump a staggering 435 percent. Have any Republicans offered you any assurances that they will work with Democrats to actually do something to prevent this from happening if Democrats reopen the government?

FETTERMAN: Yes, well, I absolutely do believe, because a lot of those counties that you just referenced now, they're all very, very red.

And I do believe many Democrats realize and now Republicans realize that we have to address this and extend these tax credits. And I absolutely hope that we do. This is what I'm saying. Like, I fully, fully support these things, but this is the wrong tactic.

And right now, by doing this, our government shutdown, we're getting neither of those things, and they guarantee neither you're going to get your SNAP benefits, and you're not going to get those kind of tax credits that we all need. Reopen this thing, and we can find a way forward. That's the way democracy operates for right now.

TAPPER: There are big elections on Tuesday, obviously, coast to coast, in New Jersey and Virginia. In California, there's a referendum on redistricting.

In New York City, polls show that the Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is in the lead for the mayor's race. You have previously dismissed him as -- quote -- "not even a Democrat." And it is true he's a Democratic socialist.

Do you think it would be a mistake for New Yorkers to elect him as mayor? Would you vote for Cuomo if you were a New Yorker or Sliwa?

FETTERMAN: No, that's going to be New York's voice. Socialism is not the future of my party. And if that's going to be their future, that's really up to New York City to decide those things. We all know how socialism works out.

Ask anybody that's lived under those kinds of systems all across the globe. But, for me, as a Democrat, as a committed Democrat, I might disagree in some areas, much like shutting down our government or other areas now. But, for me, as a committed Democrat, I'm going to push back and announce people that this is wrong.

And now we are hurting the very people that we fight for. And now we're getting nothing for them if we continue to keep our government shut down.

TAPPER: Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman, thank you so much joining us, sir. Appreciate it.

Coming up: A who's who of political heavyweights, they're on the campaign trail ahead of Tuesday's election. Who's in demand? Who didn't get an invite? What does it mean for the future of each major party? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:54]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: It's like every day is Halloween.

(CHEERING)

OBAMA: Except it's all tricks and no treats. Every day, this White House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and carelessness and mean-spiritedness and just plain old craziness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

Former President Obama is on the trail stumping for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia, but where is President Trump?

My panel joins me now.

Congressman Carter, where is President Trump? I mean, his nominees, his candidates in Virginia and in New Jersey are very strong MAGA supporters.

REP. BUDDY CARTER (R-GA): Absolutely, they are. And President Trump is right there with them. And I can assure you...

TAPPER: But not physically.

CARTER: Well, look, where is President Trump? He's in Asia. He's negotiating trade deals. He's negotiating world peace.

To ask where President Trump is, is really...

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Well, he's at Mar-a-Lago technically right now.

CARTER: Well, where has he been and where will he be? And certainly he is supporting these candidates. And we have got great candidates. I think Tuesday night is going to be a great victory for Republicans.

TAPPER: Ashley, what do you think? What is Tuesday night going to be?

And if Democrats win the Prop 50 out in California to allow Democrats to grab more House seats through redistricting and the governor's race in Virginia and New Jersey and also, as expected, the mayor's race in New York City, what does that say?

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, just one thing. I also don't think President Trump has actually endorsed the governor -- the gubernatorial candidate in Virginia. So that's also where he's absent.

TAPPER: Not officially. He's said nice things about it.

ALLISON: Yes, but...

TAPPER: I mean, yes, correct.

ALLISON: ... you should endorse if you support the person, right?

I think, if Democrats win on all four of those areas, that it's a good sign that they are looking at this as a diversity approach. I think Spanberger, Sherrill, Mamdani and Prop 50 are all very different and kind of showcase the diversity of the Democratic coalition and how you have to run different races in different places. So I think it'll be a good sign.

TAPPER: What do you think? Why isn't Trump out there on the stump in places -- like, there are red parts of New Jersey and red parts of Virginia where he could do a lot to bring out voter turnout, but he's not.

[09:45:06]

KRISTIN DAVISON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, he's done tele-town halls, which I think is, when he's in office, makes sense.

But I think we should actually talk about why the only real power player the Democrats have to put out to help get over the finish line is Barack Obama, who hasn't been in office for 15 years. I mean, that really underscores, I think the divide you see with the Democrat Party now.

You have so many Democrats who I think quietly say they're afraid of a Mamdani win in New York and who don't know if Spanberger and Mikie in New Jersey have that basic excitement. So I think we're also seeing kind of like a family feud with the Democrat Party.

When Barack Obama is who you're rolling out, someone who hasn't been in office for over 15 years, we have got to look more towards the future. They're looking towards the past.

TAPPER: So, we should note, Mayor de Blasio, you have endorsed Zohran Mamdani.

BILL DE BLASIO (D), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: Yes.

TAPPER: You heard me ask Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House Democrats, a New Yorker who has endorsed Mamdani, is Mamdani the future of the Democratic Party? And he said no.

DE BLASIO: Well, I disagree with him.

First of all, I want to say it's fascinating to watch Donald Trump become Joe Biden, where you can't have him out on the campaign trail without causing harm. I'm being blunt about this. You can't send Donald Trump to Virginia or New Jersey, or it will backfire on the Republicans.

On the question of Mamdani, look, this guy is taking the Democratic Party to school. He's showing us how to talk about kitchen table issues that people care about, prices, rent, food, how you get to work, the basics. And that's why he's winning. This is the most fascinating example, Jake, of a guy who's being called all sorts of extreme names.

But, in the end, he's a classic New Deal Democrat. He's talking about how people actually make ends meet. And everyday New Yorkers are responding. The Democratic Party should take a lesson from Zohran.

CARTER: Where Mamdani is taking us is to socialism. And it's because of the groundwork that was done by Mayor de Blasio when he was in office, the policies that he enacted that caused the economic demise of the business community. Now they're looking for help.

And they, unfortunately, are looking at it and finding an antisemitic, Islamist, socialist. And that is not what they need. They don't need more taxes. They need less taxes. And I can assure you socialism is nothing more than just mutually shared poverty. And that's what New Yorkers are going to get when they -- if they elect Mamdani.

DE BLASIO: Hey, Jake, just really quick on that, will all do respect, Congressman, we did, for example, pre-K for all, universal early child education. New Yorkers love it. Business community loves it. It helps keep high-quality workers in New York City because they can afford the price to live.

So, my friend, I'm sorry, what we did was good for the economy.

ALLISON: I just want to say, OK, Mamdani is kind of running Donald Trump's playbook. What you all are saying about Mamdani right now, maybe some of the critiques are fair, are the same things Democrats were saying about Donald Trump, calling him names.

But guess what? The people voted for him. The people like him.

DE BLASIO: Right.

ALLISON: He probably is going to win. He won the Democratic primary. He's probably going to win on Tuesday.

The question is, what happens to the party after. On your case, Donald Trump reformed the Republican Party, and now it is not the Republican Party of your grandfather or even when you started in politics. It is this new MAGA party. The question is, will Democrats follow the same playbook and follow into the Mamdani...

DAVISON: I was just going to say, a lot of people are going to take a lot away from Tuesday, but we should caution.

I mean, there's only really been the last -- since the '60s, I think three off-off-year elections that have actually went on to predict. There was 1993, 2005 and 2009. So, regardless of what happens on Tuesday, we should all caution everyone not to read too much into that. I think good campaigns win elections.

And to your point, as much as I disagree with Mamdani, he is running the best campaign in that race.

ALLISON: Did you say 2021? Because I remember, in 2021, after Biden...

DAVISON: No, no.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLISON: But after Biden won and Youngkin won in Virginia...

TAPPER: She worked for Youngkin, but I'm just -- I'm surprised. That was predictive, though.

ALLISON: Yes, it was.

DAVISON: Well, no, no, to win both New Jersey and Virginia.

TAPPER: Oh, OK.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLISON: But Murphy had a very close race. And I remember the day after the election being told, watch out, Democrats. Watch out, Democrats.

DAVISON: Republicans took the House in '22.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLISON: So, but what I'm saying is, this might be indicative. Virginia, New Jersey, Prop 50.

But also there is a ton of mayor races that are happening across the city. I think Minneapolis is one of the races for mayor that is a little more indicative of where the Democratic Party is.

TAPPER: Tell us, because people -- tell us what's going on.

ALLISON: So there's 14 candidates in the race right now.

TAPPER: Right, including the incumbent Democrat.

ALLISON: Including the incumbent. This would be his third or fourth time being reelected.

There's a young Somali, first Somali person I think elected in the state legislature.

TAPPER: Also a member of the DSA, I believe, right?

ALLISON: No, the Democrat -- the Farmer-Labor...

TAPPER: Oh, OK. ALLISON: It's not the DSA.

TAPPER: But to the left of the mayor.

ALLISON: But to -- yes, right. And so the question is -- that is more middle of America. That is more where there have been a lot of racial tensions. There's a large immigrant population there. It might be more indicative of where the Democratic Party, if they break with...

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Let's just do quick -- a quick speed round what you're going to be looking for in particular on election night.

CARTER: On election night, I'm going to be looking at what happens in Virginia with Jay Jones. I mean, after all, you called Donald Trump all these names.

TAPPER: The attorney general candidate, yes.

[09:50:01]

CARTER: Absolutely. And here's someone who has called for his opponent to be killed and his children.

TAPPER: Yes.

CARTER: I mean, how can you accept that? That's so hypocritical with Democrats not to call that out.

TAPPER: What are you going to be looking for?

DE BLASIO: I'm looking at what male voters do. We lost a lot of men to Donald Trump in the 2024 election. I think it's been very interesting, after some of the policies Trump's put in place that actually have caused prices to go up, that have created chaos, will Latino men, for example, start to move back towards Democrats?

Will young white men start to move back towards Democrats? That's going to tell us a lot about '26 and '28.

DAVISON: I'm going to be watching Stafford County, Virginia. It's about an hour outside D.C., one of the exurbs, a lot of federal workers, a lot of military. Youngkin won it by 11. Trump lost it by one. Spanberger lost it by 121 votes in her reelect in '22.

Seeing how well -- what the margins are in that county is going to tell whether Democrats are going to have a good night, whether Republicans are going to keep it close, and that I think will be indicative of...

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: That's granular, Stafford County.

ALLISON: I know. TAPPER: What about you?

ALLISON: Biden, Trump, question mark voters, so, 2020 Biden -- voted for Biden, 2024 voted for Trump. What are they going to do, especially in New Jersey and Virginia? But, also, stay-at-home voters, do any of them come out in New York or in Minneapolis or across the country?

TAPPER: All right, fantastic stuff. Thanks, everybody, for being here.

Coming up next, our Sunday funnies, the clips we're sharing this morning.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:55:52]

TAPPER: Last night, "Saturday Night Live" took on the New York City mayoral primary.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I want to be mayor so I can deliver a better New York, free health care, affordable housing, free Wi-Fi. As mayor, can I make that happen? I'm not sure yet.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: But, together, we're going to find out that the answer is no.

JAMES AUSTIN JOHNSON, ACTOR: They can pretend this election is about housing and taxes, but we all know it's about me, right? Because I'm going to be very involved, very hands-on. This guy knows about hands- on, right, Cuomo?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hey-oh, you got me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: May the best man win.

Thanks for spending your Sunday morning with us.

"FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" starts next.