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State of the Union

Interview With Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ); Interview With Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ); Interview With U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired May 31, 2026 - 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)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST (voice-over): Red, white and blueprint. Ahead of America's 250th, President Trump looks to spruce things up.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: D.C. is looking beautiful.

BASH: But as a judge delivers one big blow and Trump makes the big party all about him, is his Washington makeover too extreme?

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is next.

Plus: fire and ICE, escalating clashes outside an ICE facility, as conditions inside said to spark a hunger strike.

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): We're seeing just a heightened level of danger.

BASH: The administration responds with a threat that could snarl international travel. Is this another flash point? A lawmaker caught in the chaos, Democratic Senator Andy Kim, joins me ahead.

And blue mirage? Democrats look to expand their Senate map, but how much could a drip, drip, drip of revelations about one candidate hurt their chances? Our political panel breaks it down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Hello. I'm Dana Bash in Washington, where the state of our union is getting a little work done.

In just over a month, America turns 250 years old, and President Trump is promising a wild and beautiful celebration featuring a MAGA rally by -- quote -- "the number one attraction anywhere in the world, the man who loves our country more than anyone else, the GOAT, greatest of all time," by which he means himself.

That's after at least five artists backed out of planned performances on the National Mall, saying they had thought they were signing up for a nonpartisan event.

To get ready for the festivities, Trump's administration is taking on improvement projects across the nation's capital, from coding the Reflecting Pool to upgrading fountains, parks and statues.

Here with me now is Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

Thank you so much for being here.

I do want to start with just the big picture and the celebration, because, as interior secretary, you are leading the initiative to celebrate the country's big anniversary.

As I mentioned, five musical artists dropped out of Freedom 250 this week after they were announced. And these artists say they found out it was going to be a partisan event and were misled. Your response?

DOUG BURGUM, U.S. INTERIOR SECRETARY: Well, Dana, let's just start with the big picture, which, of course, is celebrating our 250th anniversary as a country. I mean, what a miracle. We ought to -- everybody in the country ought to stand back and say, wow, how incredible is it?

You think about the revolutionaries that fought Great Britain, won independence. You think about the battles that we went through the Civil War to hold the union together. And then here we are across the nation, not just in D.C., holding events to celebrate this incredible thing, the abundance that we have, the freedoms we have, the freedom of speech we have.

And the American -- Great American State Fair, running 15 days here on the Mall, starting in late June and going through July 10, is a celebration of all 50 states and all territories. There was a planned -- there is planned event for the opening of that.

And, of course, I have -- with a smile on my face, I can't say -- I can't wade into the politics of musicians, because some musicians want to play music for everybody and some musicians seem to have segmented their audiences the same way politicians have.

But this Freedom 250 and the celebration of the 250th is a nonpartisan event.

BASH: Yes.

BURGUM: And I would encourage everybody in America to get out, celebrate in your own way, celebrate in your own community.

And if you're here over those 15 days, you get a chance to see the amazing things going on across all of our 50 states.

BASH: The argument by these artists -- and about half of them have now dropped out -- is that they agree with you, it should be nonpartisan, but that the information they were getting led them to believe it's going to be partisan. BURGUM: Well, I read that one of them just heard this morning that

they got their information from "Spin" magazine. What an appropriate name to get your information about an event. But Freedom 250 is about celebrating our nation and our celebration.

[09:05:05]

And, of course, we -- again, anybody that goes there, you've got a chance to hear from all of our states, all of our territories over 15 days.

BASH: Well...

BURGUM: It's just one of a number of different things.

It's a -- I mean, later on this summer, we've got IndyCar 500 coming to D.C. I hope that no one can find a way to make car racing partisan. Maybe some will. But that itself, again, nothing more American than car racing.

BASH: But just on the partisanship, the president after these artists dropped out called for the concerts to be canceled. First of all, are they all going to be canceled?

BURGUM: I don't know that that's going to be the case.

BASH: OK. Well...

BURGUM: But, again, this is a 15-day-long celebration, and focusing on one event where we've got the politics...

BASH: Well, no, no, this is what I was going to ask you. He said that he is going to now have a Make America Great Again rally that he hosts. Is that going to be a standard political rally?

BURGUM: Well, I think President Trump is -- it's important that whoever would be president of the country at the 200th, the 150th, the 100th, the 250th, the president plays a key figure in helping to, again, celebrate, kick off and be at the opening of these events.

It's very appropriate. President Trump's going to be at dozens of events.

BASH: He called it Make America Great Again, which is the name of his political organization.

BURGUM: Well, it is, but that's also something, I think, that is a -- something we all can certainly understand, that to -- and what we're doing here in D.C., when you think about what's going on in D.C., where what we inherited here 16 months ago, which was decay and deterioration across some of the monuments that celebrate our independence and our history and our memory.

And, again, the act of fixing these up, Americans shouldn't be conditioned to live in squalor. The fact that we want to clean up the city, that we want to get our monuments ready for the celebration, even that somehow has become a partisan...

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Well, I want to get to that, and I just have one more question on this, and I just want to kind of open the aperture a little bit here, because I think part of the reason why people are thinking that these events have become partisan is because there is also a nonpartisan America 250 that Congress created 10 years ago.

But when President Trump came in, he created Freedom 250, which is really what is governing a lot of these events. There's not a lot of transparency about where the funding has come from.

BURGUM: Well, yes, Congress creates a lot of things over the years, and they created this USA 250 those years ago. And there are USA 250s going on.

But it's absolutely appropriate to celebrate freedom in this country, and, again, private sector donations coming in to support that. But these are -- these events, again, across the country celebrating America and it's just a -- it's almost confusing to me why there -- the -- it's somehow that people want to turn this into outrage, as opposed to turn it into celebration.

BASH: Yes. And I understand what you're saying.

(CROSSTALK)

BURGUM: The real scandal is not about that we're fixing up monuments...

BASH: Yes.

BURGUM: ... making America's capital beautiful again.

The scandal should be, how in the world did we let our capital fall into such a disrepair? How did we fall into such a spot where celebrating America patriotism became partisan?

BASH: Yes, and I'm -- I want to talk about that, because, for example, the fountain just up the street at Union Station has been redone. There's water there for the first time in two decades, which is very nice to see as a resident here.

But just I hear what you're saying. It shouldn't be partisan, which is why there are lots of questions about why this Freedom 250 organization was created. And maybe it's not partisan, but there are questions from Democrats about where this private funding is coming from and it's not transparent.

Do you think that that should be opened up to the public, so that people see where it's coming from?

BURGUM: I think transparency is always a good thing.

And, of course, I work for the president that I think is the most transparent ever. I mean, who -- there's not a CEO in the country that invites the entire press pool into their board meetings. And we haven't we haven't had a Cabinet meeting in the first 16 months...

BASH: So, you're going to make the donors to Freedom 250 public?

BURGUM: Well, that's up to the Freedom 250 organization and their arrangements with their donors.

BASH: You're a leader right there, right?

BURGUM: The Freedom 250 organization is run out of the White House, but it is not a -- it's not about the transparency of the donors. And it's just -- it is -- again, I'm -- this is about Americans celebrating the 250th anniversary.

And it's -- and it's all -- it's -- again, the fact that we right now have so much to celebrate in our country and we're talking about a single event on a single night in D.C. is...

BASH: Well, no, this is about -- Freedom 250, as you know better than I, is governing a lot of these events. And I think that Americans want to be able to celebrate and make -- and be confident that the money is coming from a place that makes sense.

[09:10:08]

I do want to ask about something else in the news, Mr. Secretary, and that is the Kennedy Center. The -- a judge said that the president should not -- his name should not be on the Kennedy Center and that it should be taken down in the next two weeks. Is that going to happen?

BURGUM: That's the court order. I'm not sure if that's going to be appealed or not.

But I think you know there's controversy on both sides of this about that ruling. But the only thing I can tell you about the Kennedy Center is, this is another thing, which the President Trump took office, the structural integrity of the building, the deterioration, issues with the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, the HVAC systems, needed massive repairs.

And President Trump was willing to get out raise, private funds, dedicate his time as a master builder to restore this building. And now a judge says no. We -- and it needed to be shut down to complete these substantial repairs.

It's 65 years of deferred maintenance going on. I mean, I think people say it's great that we have a president that wants to fix up our institutions and wants...

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Yes, I think the judge just said he needs to take his name off of the site.

BURGUM: And he also said you can't shut it down for repairs. I mean, these -- this is...

BASH: Without more information given to the board -- by the board.

BURGUM: And the judge had photographs, details. I mean, the amount of information that he was given about the condition of that building, I mean, it's shocking to me that he would say, no, you can't shut it down.

I guess, I mean, the conclusion is, we'd rather have an institution that is deteriorating and falling apart than let our president step in, again, arguably the most experienced builder we have ever had in the Oval Office, to step in and turn this thing around.;

BASH: He says it's going to be given back to Congress. Do you think that's going to happen? Or is there going to be a pause until the appeal process goes through?

BURGUM: Well, I think, right now, President Trump has made a statement that he -- if he can't fix it, then give it to Congress and let them figure out how to manage this thing, because he wants -- President Trump wants to get things done.

He's got a sense of urgency. He's got the capabilities. He's got the ability to raise money, execute. He knows how to build things. And we're very fortunate to have someone like himself. I mean, take the Reflecting Pool.

I mean, he literally came over one evening at 8:00, met all the construction workers. He's been on construction sites his whole life. His rapport and understanding of how construction works on complex projects, restorations, new construction is unmatched in the presidency. And let's turn him loose.

And he's the -- and the things that he touches, he makes better.

BASH: He is definitely very excited about all things building. We have seen that with our own two eyes.

BURGUM: And I do want to say -- you mentioned the Columbus Circle.

BASH: Yes.

BURGUM: I mean, this is a -- Carrara marble...

BASH: This is right by the...

BURGUM: Right by the Union.

And when -- 16 months ago, when President Trump took office, the Union Station was where the homeless hung out. There was a homeless encampment on that square. That statue was covered with graffiti about supporting Hamas, a terrorist group. All of that's been cleaned up. The water is flowing.

And it's not just one. We have done that at 22 fountains across the city. BASH: Right.

And I think -- and, I mean, no residents of D.C. or visitors to D.C. would say anything other than thank you for the idea of cleaning it up.

BURGUM: Well, and thank you for saying that.

BASH: Of cleaning it up.

The question is, and you mentioned the Reflecting Pool, of how it's getting done. For example, on the Reflecting Pool, "The New York Times" is reporting that you awarded two multimillion no-bid contracts to repair fountains at Lafayette Park and to coat the Reflecting Pool.

Is that right? There were no-bid contracts?

BURGUM: Well, this is expedited contracting to get this project done. And, as I just said, we're doing 22 fountains across the city.

BASH: Right.

BURGUM: We're doing 48 monuments. We have removed over 1,000 graffiti sites.

BASH: But does expedited mean no-bid?

BURGUM: Expedited...

BASH: Were there bids?

BURGUM: I think that you're implying that, if you have an expedited process...

BASH: Right.

BURGUM: ... that somehow there's something untoward going on.

But if you have got one vendor that has the material, has the labor, has the ability, can meet the timeline and can get it open...

BASH: Yes. Well, it's also the price. I mean, you know this better than I do.

"The Times" said the company doing the Reflecting Pool has a 20 percent profit margin. Standard is 6 to 12 percent going through the regular process.

BURGUM: Yes. And that was a -- again, that's -- I always say, fake news is too simple. But on...

BASH: Is that not true?

BURGUM: Well, it's true that someone can say that.

But now they get into this project. They -- these folks are awarded the bid because they have the material. They have the capability. They have things. Then you get in -- you're doing -- that Reflecting Pool is eight acres. It's the size of seven football fields. It's taller than the Empire State Building.

It's like the length of like five Washington Monuments. You get into that. There's 2.5 miles of expansion joints. The amount of things that they have uncovered that are extra cost. And then every time there's a rain, there's a rain delay. They had to bring labor in from out of state.

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BASH: Well, cost is one thing. Profit is another.

BURGUM: Yes, but if their costs are going up because of trying to get this project done, that's a theoretical number that somebody said they might make that much money. Doesn't mean they're going to make that much money.

But what we are doing is, we are getting the thing fixed, because this is -- "The New York Times" also wrote 12 years ago that the Obama administration spent more money. It was -- Reflecting Pool was closed for two years. It never worked. That thing, even right now when we took this project over, was leaking 45,000 gallons of water a day...

BASH: Yes. Yes, it's a mess.

BURGUM: ... 16 million gallons a year, because the thing never worked. And they spent more money and it was closed for two years.

So everybody should be celebrating President Trump getting a project done in one-tenth of time, so 10 times faster, at a fraction of the cost of a previous administration. There was no outrage then. There should be outrage.

That thing turned into an algae-driven slew. And this thing is going to be fantastic. It's going to be open in time for the celebration.

BASH: Real quick, before I let you go, it is summer national park season. Do you feel confident that people are going to be going there, especially with the cost of gas and oil higher than it has been in a while?

BURGUM: Well, our -- we -- our parks are looking great. Our park team is doing great, just like they all hear.

BASH: Yes.

BURGUM: All the work that's being done on the Reflecting Pool in D.C., on these monuments, shout-out to the U.S. Park Police making D.C. safe, the U.S. Park staff, the Historical Renovation folks doing amazing work, but just last weekend at Yosemite, record a number of attendance at Yosemite over Memorial Day weekend.

We expect to have a record-breaking summer across the country. Get out and see one of our amazing national parks. And don't forget, we're -- one of those things, the only park named after a person, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, opening the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library as part of an official USA 250 celebration.

BASH: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it.

BURGUM: Thank you, Dana.

BASH: And the area around a New Jersey ICE facility is put under curfew. Are violent flashes spiraling out of control there?

New Jersey Senator Andy Kim was in the crosshairs. And he joins me next.

And then: Could another revelation in Maine dim Democrats' hope of winning the Senate?

Stay with us.

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[09:21:28]

BASH: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

Local officials are imposing a curfew around an ICE detention site in New Jersey after worsening clashes this weekend over the treatment of migrants inside the facility.

Here with me now is a lawmaker who was caught in the melee when he visited the site, New Jersey Democratic Senator Andy Kim.

Thank you so much for being here.

Earlier this week, you were there. You told my colleague that pepper balls were shot toward your feet. You said your eyes and throat were burning after the clash. And now, as I mentioned, there is a curfew there because clashes are so bad.

What's going on at this point, and how do you think it can tamed?

KIM: Well, let's make sure we focus in on what is really at stake here.

It's not about me. It's really about the detainees, about the -- really the unsafe and conditions that we're seeing within Delaney Hall. That's what this has to be about. So, all of the protests, it needs to focus in on that, not about anything else.

When I see this unrest growing, we want to make sure that these detainees are able to get visited by their families, by lawyers. And I was heartened to hear just before I came on here that Governor Sherrill announced that visitation will start back up today. It's the first time in over a week.

And these families of these detainees have been just besides themselves that they haven't been able to see their loved ones. But we also have to make sure that we're focusing on increasing the medical care, that we're getting better food, that the conditions are there.

That's where we need to be focused on. It shouldn't be easier for ICE to deploy pepper spray and riot police than to be able to provide medical support, as well as better food.

BASH: You know, we're seeing these images. I'm hearing what you're saying, which is you're hoping that these things -- everything calms down, which is understandable, and focus on where you're trying to focus.

But people are looking at these images and thinking of earlier this year in another city. Are you concerned about that?

KIM: Oh, I'm hugely concerned, absolutely. I have gotten so little sleep this past week. I mean, this has been one of the most difficult weeks of my entire life.

And, again, it's not about me. It's just I am so worried about my state. I have not seen my state with this level of precariousness during my entire time in elected office. So I'm worried about what comes next.

It's uncertain. And I'm hopeful. Again, the reason why I keep going back to the detainees and their families, it's like, that needs to be our North Star right now, because I get it. I talked with a lot of people. A lot of people are angry. A lot of people are frustrated, feeling like they're seeing and hearing about things happening on our soil with our taxpayer dollars that is not in line with our values as a nation.

I feel it too, which is why I have gone there so many times. So I just urge everyone, please, let us try to do what we are set out to do, which is trying to make sure that there is a level of dignity and decency in this country, and that we can try to make sure that people can get the care that they need, and we can have accountability for what is happening in our name.

BASH: But let me ask you, because attorneys for detainees at the facility, they say hundreds of them went on a labor and hunger strike last Friday in protest of what they call inhumane and unsafe conditions.

[09:25:00]

You were able to get inside the facility, and you said they were absolutely unacceptable. Secretary Mullin, homeland security secretary, disputes that.

KIM: Yes.

And I have talked to the secretary about this past week. And I told him my accounts. And I told him, I'm going to be following up with more here. But, look, there's undoubtedly things going wrong inside Delaney Hall. When I talk to -- with a man who has stage three lung cancer and he's

not getting the medical care that he needs, these stories, they need to be heard.

BASH: Yes.

KIM: And, look, I get it. This is something that I hope the American people see. It's a choice.

Like, Delaney Hall is run by a group called GEO Group. GEO Group is getting nearly a billion-dollar contract to run Delaney Hall. So they tell me there's one full-time doctor. They could have -- for 800 detainees. They could have more doctors if they wanted to. But, again, that's cutting into the profits that they're trying to pocket.

So, this is a solvable problem.

BASH: Just real quick, and then I want to move on, the secretary also said that he is proposing punishing sanctuary states like New Jersey by cutting customs staffing at airports, potentially making it difficult to process international travelers.

Is that something that you think he can do?

KIM: Look, that would be akin to just shooting ourselves in the foot.

Then it would just be -- it would do so much economic damage. And it's not just about Newark. If you try to shut down or make it hard for people to be able to fly into Newark, that's going to have repercussions all across our country. So it makes no sense.

Why doesn't he just focus in on the things that can solve these problems? I will just lay out three quick things. One is that, like, we should just immediately be able to have medical personnel go to Delaney Hall, be able to make sure that we're hearing from all those that need care and adjust accordingly.

We should have an independent investigation from the DHS inspector general, something I have called for. And, three, what the detainees are really focused on, it's not just about the conditions. It's about the fact that they are not getting their cases heard in courts. That's something we can fix.

BASH: I want to ask you about the Senate race in Maine and "The Wall Street Journal" and "New York Times" reporting that, last August, Democrat Graham Platner's wife told his campaign about sexual text messages she had found between her husband and other women early in their marriage, and they were married in 2023.

"The Times" says Platner exchanged messages with as many as a dozen women, and his campaign said, no, it was up to six. In a statement, Platner's wife said she feels betrayed by the ex-campaign aide who revealed the information and that the couple went to counseling.

Do you have concerns about Graham Platner? KIM: Well, first I will say is I have been very much focused on the

crisis in my home state, so I haven't been able to focus as much on this.

BASH: Yes.

KIM: But, right now, this information is out there. With any campaign in the country, the character and the transparency about the different candidates is going to come out. That's part of the campaign. And the voters will decide what it is that they ultimately think in terms of their ability to trust those candidates or not.

BASH: What do you think?

KIM: Well, look, right now, for me, like, I have not met him. I have never talked to him yet.

But what I am -- what I do hear from people in New Jersey, around the country is that they don't trust this U.S. Senate right now, led by the Republicans, as we are about to go back in the session this coming week. And what they are pushing on is $60 billion to $70 billion more for ICE, for CBP, for immigration.

They want that stopped.

BASH: So do what it takes to elect Democrats, regardless of questions like this?

KIM: From my standpoint, I will work with whoever the people of Maine elect, but I hope that they elect somebody that is going to stand up to this president, work with me to be able to fight back against all these dangers.

BASH: Yes.

One of your fellow Democrats, Jake Auchincloss, said that, because of other red flags, including the fact that Platner had a tattoo with Nazi origins that he later covered up after that came out, Auchincloss said that Platner's tattoo and his commentary about it were disqualifying.

Do you agree?

KIM: Well, like I said, this is up for the voters of Maine. In New Jersey, I stood up against my previous Senator, who was indicted for corruption.

I felt like that was something where we had to draw a line. And we will make these decisions as they come. But, again, I think, right now, what I'm overwhelmingly hearing from people is that they are terrified about the trajectory of this country, that so much is at stake, especially a Senate majority that could very well put one or two more Supreme Court justices into the Supreme Court under -- for Donald Trump.

These are real concerns. And I think there needs to be unity, that we need to make sure we're focused on the change that the American people are demanding.

BASH: Senator Andy Kim, thank you so much for being here.

[09:30:01]

KIM: Thank you so much.

BASH: Really appreciate it.

And it is one of the Democrats' must-win Senate campaigns. Will new revelations about Maine's Senate candidate hurt the party's hopes for the Senate, as we were just discussing? Our panel is here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN HOST: Are there other skeletons from your past that still may emerge in this race?

GRAHAM PLATNER (D), MAINE SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: No. My life is not very complicated. And there's -- no, there's not anything else coming. It's why they led with what they had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That was just a couple of months ago. As it turns out, there was something else coming.

My panel joins me now to discuss. Thank you all for being here.

Just to recap, "The Wall Street Journal" and "New York Times" published reports that claim Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, told Platner's campaign last August about sexual text messages she found between her husband and women earlier in their marriage.

[09:35:04]

And I should also say that, according to the Platner campaign, they told her that -- this is "The New York Times" -- that her husband had been exchanging sexual messages with as many as a dozen women. And they say at the campaign, no, he was communicating with up to six.

Congresswoman, as a politician here, as a Democrat, what do you think this is going to mean going forward up in Maine?

REP. YASSAMIN ANSARI (D-AZ): My genuine belief here is that voters in Maine right now are concerned about the fact that they can't afford health care, they can't afford housing, we have the most corrupt White House in American history.

Susan Collins has enabled Donald Trump at every turn, not just in this administration, but from the very first administration, by voting to confirm people like Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, voting to cut Medicaid for millions of Americans, enabling his authoritarianism. I think that is what voters right now, not just in Maine, but across

the country care about, and I think that's what's going to matter in November.

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I think it's outrageous.

Where's the outrage? You -- Democrats went bananas on Brett Kavanaugh on an unsubstantiated allegation.

BASH: For sexual assault.

URBAN: Well, this -- we're going to see. We're going to see what shoes have to drop here yet. This guy had a Nazi tattoo, a Nazi tattoo.

BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Nazi death squad tattoo.

URBAN: Nazi death squad tattoo.

He's derided his fellow servicemen, saying, I wish he would have died, you deserve to die. I mean, the guy is a -- he's a terrible human being. And for your party to stand by him -- this is reminiscent of Jill Biden just this past week saying, you know what, I know Joe was kind of out there, but we just want to beat Trump. Anything to do to beat Trump.

You guys are willing to do anything, accept anything. I mean, there's got to be a limit.

(CROSSTALK)

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: To be clear, it's the voters of Maine who thus far have chosen Graham Platner. I mean, there was a very robust candidate in Janet Mills. She was getting absolutely trounced in the polls, couldn't raise money, and dropped out.

So it is...

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: Just come out and say what he's -- the allegations are terrible. This is -- if this were a Republican, you would be beating the hell out of the...

(CROSSTALK)

ANSARI: Donald Trump is the president of the United States who's in the Epstein files with allegations...

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Let's Kate in. Let's Kate in.

BEDINGFIELD: It is the sanctimony, not from you personally, David Urban, but the sanctimony from Republicans, who have embraced and allow Donald Trump to completely remake their party and have rolled over as he's done it, it's a little tough to stomach.

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: Every choice is a choice.

And on June 9, Graham Platner is going to run against the governor of Maine, someone who has a credible record, who can't raise a nickel because Democrats want someone who's crazy and awful. They're attracted to Platner because he's awful. It's not -- it's not a hesitation. It's what they want.

Maine primary voters like the awful. Think about what the general election is about, though.

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: Susan Collins voted for the Affordable Care Act under Barack Obama. She voted for the Stimulus Act under Barack Obama. She voted to confirm Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. She is as centrist a person in the United States Senate as you can find.

And Democrats, if they prefer a Nazi death squad tattoo sexting with a bunch of other people person over that, then they have really jumped the shark.

BEDINGFIELD: Well, she's a centrist who voted to confirm justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. So to call her a centrist is a little...

(CROSSTALK)

BEDINGFIELD: I'm not so sure.

But, look, Democrats in Maine who were attracted to Platner are attracted to Platner because they think that he's going to upend a status quo that they feel like isn't working. I don't -- I would refute the idea that they're attracted to him because of some of these things that we have seen come out.

All that said, I want to say I am having flashbacks to 2020, when Democrats lost a flippable seat in North Carolina around a sexting scandal. I think there's a lot about Graham Platner, frankly, that is unpalatable.

Look, I have been very clear on here he was not -- he was not my choice.

(APPLAUSE)

TODD: You deserve credit for that.

BEDINGFIELD: Listen, I -- he was not my choice. But I do think we have to respect that this is where voters in Maine

said they wanted to go. But, look, I also would be concerned, frankly, as we have seen the drip, drip, drip here. Campaigns are ugly. Oppo research is intense. He has clearly signaled that there is more here.

I think that's troubling. So I would expect that we probably are going to see more.

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: They will be more. They will be more. Graham Platner is saying there was no more. Brad knows this. We have all been in campaigns a long time. You don't put the good stuff out at the beginning.

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: Until he is certainly the nominee. That's right.

URBAN: You wait until he's the nominee.

TODD: That's right. We've got 10 days.

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: ... locked in. It'll get worse.

BASH: Let's talk for one second about -- more than one second about Texas -- because it was a big week this past week, because the Republican nominee became clear. It is Ken Paxton.

And there's been a lot of trash talk. I say that, obviously, ironically, because it's been worse than that with both sides. And James Talarico, the Democrat, is really kind of getting a lot of incoming. Both of them are.

[09:40:03]

I do want to talk about the fact that one of the hits on Talarico has been that he is a single guy and he now has shown that he has a girlfriend.

(LAUGHTER)

ANSARI: Sorry. I -- yes.

BASH: And, by the way, that this is a thing is part of why I want to discuss it.

ANSARI: I mean, look, I think the I think Texas, we have a golden opportunity. I think James is going to win the Texas race in November.

The fact that somebody as extreme and corrupt and disgusting as Paxton is the nominee shows that Donald Trump still has a massive grip on his base and that many are fearful of retaliation and that anyone who may feel like they could speak out against him is going to lose. And that's going to hurt the Republican Party in the long term. It'll hurt -- it'll help Trump in the short term, but hurt the party in the long term. And, look, younger people are running for office. We're single. We're unmarried. It's OK. It's normal. It's America. So it's all good.

(CROSSTALK)

BEDINGFIELD: ... disavow quickly from my Republican friends here of Ken Paxton, who has an incredible ethical record?

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: I think it was a mistake. I think the president made a $100 million mistake in picking Ken Paxton and urging Republican primary voters to vote for him.

John Cornyn is a much more credible person. He is a much more moral person and he also was going to be a shoo-in. I think Ken Paxton is a real lift, and I think it was a mistake.

BASH: We're going to talk a little bit more about...

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Go ahead.

URBAN: I was going to say, listen, if people think Talarico is going to win, this is -- this is the state that's produced the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, the show "Landman," right? It has the stockyards in Fort Worth.

This is a soy boy vegan...

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: Everybody thinks -- Texas may have a Democratic senator at some point. It ain't going to be this guy.

BEDINGFIELD: That's exactly the argument that Democrats are making about Maine that you're excoriating.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Everybody, stand by. We do have to pay for this.

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: So, President Trump is still in control of his base, as we have been discussing, not the courts, possibly not some very angry Republican senators.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:46:33]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We will outwait him. He's got the midterms. I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the president was talking about Iran there, but it hit on something a lot of Republicans are concerned about.

Brad, I'm sure you're hearing the concern. If I'm hearing it, you're hearing it.

TODD: Well, I mean, right now, there are eight senators in the Republican Conference out of 53 who are pretty put out with the White House. That is a bad margin when you still have bills to pass and bills to pay.

We still have to keep the government open and pass continuing resolutions. Some of these problems are self-inflicted. They didn't have to happen this way. But keeping the coalition together on the outside in the public and keeping the coalition together inside the Capitol are two very different jobs.

And I think the White House is going to have to spend a month or two focused on the inside job, in addition to the outside job.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes, look, there's an enormous headwind that the Republicans are running into, just all from their own making.

Donald Trump was elected by a coalition of people who said, we want you to bring our prices down. He hasn't done that. He continues to focus on things that people feel like doesn't have a whole lot of impact on their lives. You have candidates who have emerged from primaries with Trump's blessing who are going to make it a lot steeper climb that Republicans are going to have to spend money on that they might not have otherwise had to spend money on.

So, yes, I mean, I think Democrats have as favorable a landscape ahead of them in November as possible. And they just have to keep hammering on this question of costs and the fact that Donald Trump is not focused on you and your life.

BASH: As a Democrat here on the ballot?

ANSARI: Yes, I mean, even in Arizona -- I represent Phoenix, Arizona, but we have multiple races in our state that we have been -- seats we have been trying to flip for many years.

We're very confident looking at the seat that currently Juan Ciscomani holds, even Eli Crane holds, David Schweikert running for governor. We -- everything is looking really good in Arizona because people are fed up. And it's not just Democrats. We have a lot of independents in the state. That's the highest number of registrants that we have. And whether it be ICE terrorizing people, the detention centers in our

communities, whether it be the fact that about half of SNAP recipients in Arizona have lost access since this Trump administration began, people cannot afford anything. So we're feeling really good.

BASH: So this is the political opposition.

URBAN: Yes.

BASH: And then, David, this week you have the House and the Senate coming back. They have been out for two weeks...

URBAN: Yes, exactly.

BASH: ... including Republicans who serve in the House who are not happy with the president, and then those, what, eight Republicans you talked about in the Senate.

TODD: Eight senators.

BASH: I'm sure you're hearing that too.

URBAN: Two distinct problems, right, this White House is facing, now until midterms, midterms forward, right?

So now towards the midterms, they have to pass a bunch of legislation. It's going to have to get done. Part of that is the president's -- the ballroom, right? Part of -- they're looking for funding there. Part of it is this fund, this compensation fund. It's being all held up in the Senate.

I don't think that gets through. I don't think it makes it through. I don't think the House votes are on -- I think the Senate votes are -- they're going to exact -- Republicans are going to exact a pound of flesh on that.

And then, moving forward, right, going to the midterms, it's very difficult. Republicans are structurally pushing a big rock up a hill because the party in power traditionally loses seats. And as the congresswoman points out, people are -- they're putting their pocket -- hand in their pocket and pulling out a $20, they got to pay -- pump their gas, get their kids a pizza.

It makes things much, much more difficult. And so the president may care a great deal when he comes back in January of next year, because they're going to get nothing but subpoenas and subpoenas, but from -- from the congresswoman and her colleagues if the House does flip.

[09:50:14]

So, two big concerns, getting -- keeping the government running and getting Trump's agenda done before the election and then after the election, two giant problems. And it doesn't get any easier when you got a bunch of angry Republicans right now.

TODD: The next 30 days is big. The president has 30 days to turn ship.

BASH: Thank you all for a great discussion this morning.

Don't go anywhere, because, up next: For Democrats, this Tuesday night could be really key to their plan to retake the Senate. We will explain after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:55:18]

BASH: This Tuesday, join us to see what voters decide in a few key races.

Here's what to look for. In California, only two candidates will move forward in the governor's race. If it's two Democrats, will that lead to a costly fight within the party or help the party in tight congressional races?

And then there's Iowa. Democrats are getting more hopeful they can flip this open Senate seat. Will the more moderate candidate, Josh Turek, beat his progressive opponent? And would that give the party a better chance this fall? Well, tune in to CNN for all the best reporting and analysis this coming Tuesday.

Thank you so much for spending your Sunday morning with us.

Fareed Zakaria picks it up next.