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Table For Five
Trump Toasts Communist Leader While Banning U.S. Media; Sources: Chinese Groups Aiding In Iran's Targeting Of U.S. Sites; More GOP Candidates Back Away From Trump Before Midterms; Trump Threatened To "Annihilate" Iran At The United Nations; AOC Questions Whether A Latina Can Be Elected President. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired September 26, 2026 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Today. An American president shuns the First Amendment while embracing an authoritarian. Plus, as Donald Trump's numbers hit a record low, more Republican candidates are backing away.
MIKE ROGERS, REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE, MICHIGAN: Groceries cost too much. The war with Iran needs to end.
PHILLIP (voice-over): Also, the president becomes the boy who cried wolf in the Iran war.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly?
PHILLIP (voice-over): And a growing number of Americans are calling his bluff. And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talks about a potential White House run, but questions whether a Latina could be elected president.
Here in studio, Adam Mockler, Kmele Foster, Lydia Moynihan, and Jason Rantz. It's the weekend. Join the conversation at a TABLE FOR FIVE.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIP (on camera): Hi, everyone. I'm Abby Phillip. If this week has taught us anything, we confirmed what kind of leader Donald Trump is thirsty to be. He went to war with the First Amendment this week, trying to ban CNN and other outlets from access to the White House until a judge blocked him from doing that. Why?
Well, first, it was because he wanted positive coverage. And then it was because the White House realized that wasn't a legitimate reason. So they cited national security, which also isn't a legitimate reason.
And his popularity has hit a new low. The White House launched a commercial paid for by taxpayers that praises Trump. And critics have called it propaganda. And then with all of this as a backdrop, Trump not only rolled out the red carpet for an authoritarian leader, but he gushed over China's Xi Jinping. The president also allowed Chinese state media to cover that visit. He praised them as nice.
And as a reminder, state media operates under the direct control and the strict censorship of China's communist government. Another reminder. China is right now helping Iran in the war. It's also involved in cyber warfare, fentanyl, crimes against humanity, and the wrongful detention of two Americans.
The president has had quite a week. And actually, some of the reporting suggesting, Kmele, that even in the White House, they recognize that none of this makes any sense. If you want press coverage for your state visit, don't ban the press.
You're in the middle of a midterm fight. People are already thinking you're not doing what they want you to do. And you seem to be really focused on a bunch of other things that are not the number one issue, which is the cost of living.
KMELE FOSTER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, TANGLE: This is not the first time that the president has made a very strange decision. That seems almost just kind of strategically bewildering. The president has always had a pretty good ability to get into these sparring matches with members of the press, and oftentimes kind of gives as good as he gets and at least puts on a show that a lot of his supporters are generally pretty happy to see.
The notion that he could kind of just throw them out of the White House, kick them out of the press corps in defiance of the First Amendment is absolutely absurd. It's something that we all knew wouldn't fly. But it's also not the first time he's tried something like this. And usually he kind of backs away after a couple of days.
And my suspicion is eventually that's probably what happens here, that they back down and that the hope wasn't so much that you could actually achieve this, but make a kind of grand spectacle. But again, from a strategic standpoint, it does seem sort of bizarre. It seems a bit weak kneed because it's not as though -- I mean, is it that he is too afraid to answer questions here, or is there something else that he's trying --
PHILLIP: Well, I mean, there is also the China piece of it, which is that -- I mean, it's not just that he's banning the press. He also is praising the authoritarian government that censors the media. I mean, the two things are happening at the same time. It could not be a worse side by side for the American public.
ADAM MOCKLER, YOUTUBE HOST, THE ADAM MOCKLER SHOW: Fundamentally, Donald Trump is the most anti First Amendment president that we've ever had. He has tried deporting immigrants simply for their political speech. He has gone after educational institutions and law firms simply for their political stances.
And now, after attacking journalists and the press for the past decade, he has banned them from the White House while then allowing Chinese state media to enter the White House, which to me is absurd. It also shows that he doesn't really believe a lot of the stuff he says. Remember when he gave that press conference to the entire nation about how China rigged the 2020 election?
[07:05:05]
I don't think he brought that up. I don't think he actually believes that. And also, as you pointed out, Iran is actively getting intelligence from the country of China.
I want strong leaders who can actually stand up to the authoritarian threats that we face, like Vladimir Putin, like Xi Jinping. And yet Donald Trump is rolling out the red carpet for both of their figures with very minimal pushback.
PHILLIP: He said today or on Friday, the meeting was one of friendship, strength and success for both China and the USA. He promises there will be another meeting in November. But a lot of questions right now about what actually has been accomplished from this meeting other than Trump just fawning over the Chinese for a couple of days.
JASON RANTZ, RADIO HOST, SEATTLE RED: We don't know what's been accomplished yet. That's part of the meetings. I mean, you're setting up these meetings, you're creating these relationships. You're negotiating behind the scenes.
And obviously, there's negotiating about all sorts of different issues behind the scenes. And we see what happens in the long term. I mean, generally speaking, one of two things happens after these kinds of meetings, regardless if it's a Republican or a Democrat.
They come out and they have this bullet point list of here's what we kind of agreed to. And then everyone forgets about it. And no one actually talks about it. We don't even know if it goes anywhere or there's relative silence until there's not.
That's how this generally works. Could it be a total failure? Sure. Could it be a huge success? Yes. The goal is to actually have these conversations. And in this case, it's an important conversation.
And it's not one that's only happening with Donald Trump. Barack Obama literally did the exact same thing, including rolling out the red carpet and having that conversation. And I don't recall folks on the left having that issue. Folks on the right did. Trump --
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: And that's normally what ends up happening is that the other party calls out the --
PHILLIP: Yes. I mean, Trump had -- Trump had a problem with it. Here's what he told Bill O'Reilly in 2015.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BEN O'REILLY, TELEVISION HOST: The president of China is coming. A man named Xi Jinping. He's getting a big dinner for free at the White House. Addressing the UN. If you were president, would you throw him a big dinner?
TRUMP: I would not be throwing him a dinner. We've had this conversation. I'd get him a McDonald's hamburger and I'd say, we got to get down to work.
O'REILLY: So you would be confrontational with the Chinese. You're saying, look, I'm not giving you a dinner.
TRUMP: Excuse me.
O'REILLY: Here's a big mac? I mean, really? Is that what you're going to do?
TRUMP: I would give him a very -- yes, but I'd give him a double -- probably a double sized big mac.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: It's still an option available to him, as far as I'm concerned. Wouldn't be the first time Trump has served McDonald's at the White House. But that's not how he's operating this time.
And I think, Jason, it's true. Yes, this could be a massive success. But I also think that, generally speaking, when you have these kinds of bilateral meetings, actually the normal course of affairs for previous presidents, which I've covered, is that, yes, you do get a readout of what they agreed to because the meeting between the principals is usually the final step.
It's the last thing that happens after everybody else has done the work behind the scenes. They are supposed to be able to come forward and say, here's what we agreed to. As far as I'm -- I can tell, President Trump -- the only thing he's talked about is that they have renamed, between the two of them, artificial intelligence -- superintelligence, which -- I don't know. I mean, sure, but is that really the deliverable with --
LYDIA MOYNIHAN, CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK POST: It's just like naming things.
PHILLIP: Is that really the deliverable with China?
MOYNIHAN: So look, I think -- I don't understand this sort of backlash to him hosting a foreign dignitary. Again, this is what Obama -- this is what Biden did. This is how you conduct diplomacy.
You have conversations with people. And that's -- he likes to wine and dine people. So ultimately, the test is going to be what they accomplish.
Now, I think the AI piece of this is really important. And we go into it having the upper hand with that. And that was certainly on display at the dinner last night.
You had every top tech executive, Jensen Huang. And I think that was a real display of American dominance in that space. And that's why China needs us now more than ever.
I think that is ultimately going to be the test of who's successful. I also just want to respond to some of Adam's points, claiming that Trump is the worst president for the First Amendment ever.
MOCKLER: Absolutely. He just banned multiple press corps.
MOYNIHAN: I find -- I find this reaction just so maudlin, and there's so much revisionist history. Every single president has tried to censor media they don't like. Biden was constantly kicking out the New York Post events. There were lots of conservative outlets. He --
MOCKLER: He did a blanket ban from the White House? That's why he did that?
MOYNIHAN: He would constantly.
RANTZ: This wasn't a blanket ban.
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: Are we on CNN, or are we talking --
PHILLIP: Wait. Hold on.
MOYNIHAN: Really, everyone --
PHILLIP: Did Biden -- did Biden take away the press passes of New York Post reporters?
MOYNIHAN: At various points, they were not invited to certain events.
PHILLIP: Wait. Hold on. Did they -- but did he take away the press passes and prevent them from covering the White House press conference?
MOYNIHAN: They were not allowed to come to certain events.
PHILLIP: You're not answering my question. Did he take away the press passes?
MOYNIHAN: I mean --
MOCKLER: That's what blanket means in this situation.
MOYNIHAN: The press passes are reinstated.
PHILLIP: So, it's a different -- it --
MOYNIHAN: The press --
PHILLIP: Yes, because a court ordered it to be. It's a different situation.
MOYNIHAN: OK. But it's a little maudlin.
PHILLIP: But on your first --
MOYNIHAN: He's the most accessible president -- I think probably, I would guess half of us have his number at this point.
PHILLIP: On your first point --
MOYNIHAN: A lot more accessible than Biden.
[07:10:09]
PHILLIP: On your first point about why people are so upset. Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by the Chinese groups have helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz and launch precision strikes on U.S. Military bases in the Middle East, according to a series of recent American intelligence assessments described by CNN -- to CNN by four sources. Now, this is happening at the same time that just this week, the Pentagon adds dozens of names to the list of American injuries and casualties as a result of this war. We are in a war, and China is on the wrong side of that war. That's why people are upset.
FOSTER: All of that is true. And look, it is a very bizarre thing to be hosting a state dinner in the midst of circumstances like that. But that isn't exactly unprecedented either.
The reality is that you hope that the President of the United States and his various representatives can carry on and have serious, sober, diplomatic engagement with their partners that describing your geopolitical rivals as friends in a context like this -- again, also not unprecedented. And the reality is that the President of the United States, for whatever reason, has always had these kind of warm public relations with these, again, leaders of opposing nations with whom we have incredibly tense rivalries. And one hopes that that can yield some benefit down the road.
It is hard to say what the tangible benefits of that are likely to be. But -- I mean, is anyone at all surprised that the President of the United States has managed to have a pretty good public relationship with China? I know I am, and I'm grateful for that fact.
MOCKLER: Can I just say that no one has a problem with the diplomatic meeting on its face? It's the lack of results combined with the way Donald Trump repeatedly falls on his face. He literally rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
FOSTER: Yes.
MOCKLER: And he said if they don't leave with a deal, then there are going to be severe consequences. I remember that. Did they get a deal? No.
Vladimir Putin went home, and there have been no consequences whatsoever. So now we go to China.
FOSTER: OK. Yes.
MOCKLER: China comes over. We roll out the red carpet. Donald Trump goes directly against what he said about a decade ago that he would do with China. And now they're paddling around buddy-buddy with no actual substantive results on AI, on the issue of Iran, on any of these issues.
FOSTER: AI is --
MOCKLER: If this --
FOSTER: AI is further out. And with respect to -- with respect to Iran, we'll have to see what they're actually able to bring.
MOCKLER: If there were results, I just want to say Trump would be gloating about it.
RANTZ: But that part's an important -- but that's the most important piece, I do think. It's not like China is going to come out and directly say, yes, we've been totally giving a lot of intel to Iran and now we've decided not to. That's something that is going to be handled privately. We obviously hope that it's -- everyone at this table hopes that it gets handled privately.
MOCKLER: Does Trump even know there's a war going on?
RANTZ: Yes. He knows there's a war going on.
MOCKLER: I don't think he does. Honestly, I don't think he does.
RANTZ: OK.
MOCKLER: I genuinely don't think he does.
RANTZ: Yes.
PHILLIP: All right. So silly.
PHILLIP: We'll leave it there for us. As the president's numbers hit new lows, more Republican candidates are backing away from him ahead of the midterms. Plus, can a Latina be elected president? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has her doubts about that as she considers a run. We'll discuss.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:17:51]
PHILLIP: Welcome back. Less than 40 days away from the midterms now, and Donald Trump's popularity has hit a new low. And even if it's not sounding alarms at the White House, it certainly is on the campaign trail. You've got Republican candidates backing away from the president, from scrubbing their references to him on their websites to demanding that he end that war and lower prices. So here's why. A new CNN poll shows just 27 percent of Americans approve of Trump's economy. His approval is in the low 30s, which is the lowest among modern presidents at this point in their terms.
And the Wall Street Journal finds that even MAGA broadcasters are tuning him out. Over 70,000 hours of political podcasts and 10 million TikTok mentions of Trump have plunged nearly 70 percent from their peak before the 2024 election. I am actually hearing a lot of freaking out now.
It's everywhere. Republicans are legitimately worried that things have gone from bad to worse. And I think a lot of it has to do with what the -- what is perceived to be the indifference over at the White House about what they're really facing, and also what the president needs to do to get things back on track. The money is proving to be not enough in a lot of these places. And Trump -- again, Trump seems oblivious to it all.
RANTZ: I -- let me push back on that last point a little bit, because I don't know anyone who expects any president to go out there and say, oh my God, we are screwed. And this is going to be the worst of the worst. Like, he's obviously not going to do that.
PHILLIP: That's not the expectation -- that's not the expectation. The expectation --
RANTZ: But what do you want him to say?
PHILLIP: The expectation is that he takes seriously --
RANTZ: I think he's taking it seriously.
PHILLIP: -- that there -- that there are issues that Americans care about, specifically cost of living issues.
RANTZ: Sure.
PHILLIP: And that he doesn't get distracted by a bunch of other things.
RANTZ: He's on the campaign trail.
PHILLIP: That's the thing, right?
RANTZ: Holding rallies. Delivering speeches.
PHILLIP: So then --
RANTZ: They just did the midterms.
PHILLIP: So -- but --
RANTZ: That shows that he is engaged.
PHILLIP: -- in this environment. Right? OK. You know the issues.
RANTZ: Sure.
PHILLIP: In this environment, if you are the White House, would your choice be to put out an ad paid for by the United States government, that is just a bunch of images of Trump and, like, flashing on the screen over and over again for --
RANTZ: Yes. And -- but --
PHILLIP: -- 60 seconds?
RANTZ: Sure. The reason why he's doing that --
PHILLIP: Or would you put out an ad that actually touts the things that you guys think are the things to tout? Maybe the tax cuts. Maybe --
RANTZ: So political ad, which would be illegal.
PHILLIP: Yes. Maybe the -- well, I mean, look --
RANTZ: I mean, is this pretty much a political --
PHILLIP: He's got a Super PAC. He's got $800 million --
RANTZ: Yes. I mean, the Super PAC is spending money. The money is getting out there.
PHILLIP: he's got -- he's got a ton of money.
RANTZ: Sure.
[07:20:26]
PHILLIP: The RNC is rolling in the dough. They've got a lot of money. Anybody could spend this money. But you could talk about prescription drug prices. You could talk about tax cuts. He isn't doing it.
MOCKER: The Kennedy Center.
RANTZ: Well, he's not doing it at this point. And I think part of the issue, at least with that particular ad, the more I've been thinking about it over the last couple of days, I do think it's more about the concern that the base isn't going to turn out, which is historically what ends up happening when the position -- when the party in power is in power, they are not going to win in the midterms. There are some people who don't want to be honest on my side of the aisle about what's going to happen, at least in the House.
The House is going to the Democrats. That's not news. It's not a breaking story. Unless the numbers are dramatic.
The polling doesn't look great. But also, the polling told us that Francesca Hong was going to win by a landslide in Wisconsin, that Abdul El-Sayed was going to win by a landslide. The polling has not been very good this year or in previous years, because they don't know how to really go after Trump supporters. But I do think internally, they're looking at some of the numbers and they're worried about turnout, as they should be worried during a midterm.
FOSTER: I do worry --
RANTZ: But he is engaged.
FOSTER: I do worry a little bit about hiding behind the fact that, you know, historic midterm results haven't worked out too well for the incumbent. All of that is true.
RANTZ: Except for --
FOSTER: But in these times.
RANTZ: Yes.
FOSTER: But in this particular circumstance, the President of the United States has been talking about the Kennedy Center and renaming it and placing his name on buildings. There have been all kinds of conversations about putting his face on the money and all sorts of other things. These things seem completely out of phase with an administration that finds itself brought into power in order to whip the economy into shape, in order to get inflation under control, generally make things better for people. And people are struggling with price increases. There is a great deal of economic uncertainty.
RANTZ: Yes.
FOSTER: And you've got the Vice President of the United States out there in public saying, give us some more time. Give us another chance. The president ought to be making the case to the American people that he and his party are the right people for the job.
And for the most part, it really does seem like he's distracted. And even this most recent ad, like his very bizarre, unusual, unprecedented, even midterm celebration of himself, all seemed to be focused on just pay attention to me. Just pay attention --
RANTZ: He's paying -- he's talking to the base. But --
FOSTER: -- who I am.
RANTZ: But --
FOSTER: That's sufficient here.
RANTZ: But I do think it's --
FOSTER: They don't actually have to care about the circumstances of your --
RANTZ: It's talking to the base that got him elected because the base of the MAGA movement traditionally doesn't vote or doesn't vote for the Republicans either. So that's what his issue is. FOSTER: But why should that base continue to have faith in him? What has he achieved --
RANTZ: That's --
FOSTER: -- in the past 18 months or so.
RANTZ: Yes. So I -- think --
FOSTER: That should suggest that he's the guy.
RANTZ: You know -- so I agree that the messaging should be more focused on issues in a general sense, because he does have a story to tell. I think, Abby, you point out some of those issues.
MOCKLER: Well, she's talking about water.
RANTZ: When you talk specifically -- it's not about whether or not someone's above water in a poll. The issues that work for him right now are the issues that work for Americans, specifically around the cost of drugs, which have obviously gone down. We have success at the border.
It's a little bit tricky because of some of the polling around ICE enforcement. But there are success stories with the border and on crime. Those were driving issues for the base. And there are successes.
PHILLIP: So --
MOYNIHAN: I also think --
PHILLIP: So, let me just play -- I just want to show you guys and the folks at home a little bit about what some Republicans are saying about the war, about the economy, about immigration. This is what they're saying to their voters as they're trying to navigate this tricky political terrain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGERS: Michigan families are struggling with the price of everyday life. Groceries cost too much. We have to bring prices down. The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly.
REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL): Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policies. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP: I mean, you could -- you could lie to me and tell me that those were two Democrats, and I might believe you because that's the -- that's the Democratic message. End the war, bring prices down, stop doing the immigration raids. What's perplexing? OK, this is going to that -- to what we were talking about. They're doing immigration raids in Kansas where they've got a competitive -- a seat that should not be competitive in the Senate. That's up in Texas where they've got a competitive governor's race and a Senate race in Oklahoma.
So literally, at the very moment that some of these places that should not be competitive are competitive, they're doing a bunch of immigration rates that are unpopular and controversial. The White House seems to be not on the same page as their party right now.
MOYNIHAN: Well, I think Republicans should do whatever they can to win. It doesn't surprise me that we see some of these candidates pivoting to more of a general election strategy. That's typically the case.
[07:25:04]
You try and win over the base in the primary, and then you want to make more of a moderate centrist appeal. And so I think that's the message. Look, people aren't super thrilled with the way things are going. And so it makes sense that Republicans trying to win in a tougher election are going to appeal to the average person.
And look, I think JD Vance's message, at least, he's reaching people sort of where they are. And I think Republicans need to continue to hit home on the fact that, OK, look, maybe things aren't exactly where we thought they would be. And in fact, Donald Trump promised prices would go down.
They haven't gone down. The rate at which they've increased has not gone up as quickly as it did under Biden. But I think Republicans need to continue to draw the contrast with Democrats and say, look, Democrats are pushing policies that are absolutely going to inflate things higher.
They're literally suing the Trump administration right now to make sure that people who are getting green cards can have welfare benefits. That's what Republicans need to keep hammering on, is look at the alternative. Those are all inflationary -- really insane policies.
PHILLIP: That would be an interesting pivot if you're -- if you're going to try to pivot from that to the price that people are paying at the gas pump. But --
MOCKLER: Republicans are rapidly jumping ship as were getting closer to the midterms. And the funniest one that you didn't mention was Byron Donalds, the gubernatorial candidate out of Florida, who reportedly scrubbed Trump's name and face from his website. Scrubbed all photos of him and Trump from his website.
This is like a high school breakup. Like when I break up with my girlfriend and I scrub all of my photos off of Instagram.
PHILLIP: You keep summing references -- MOCKLER: There was no references of Donald Trump anymore. Trump is now the toxic --
MOYNIHAN: He spoke at the convention.
MOCKLER: He -- everyone is trying to distance themselves. That is in a contentious race. I promise you, when you're listing these issues that Trump is now winning on or whatever, the list narrowed, so much so that it used to be inflation, prices, the cost of living.
And now all you can list is the cost of drugs as one thing that he may be able to accomplish. He has failed on every single thing he promised. And it's not --
RANTZ: So drug prices are not down?
MOCKLER: Sure, sure. But --
RANTZ: OK. So that -- then when we say he's failed on absolutely everything that's true. Poverty --
MOYNIHAN: I mean, poverty -- unemployment, there's a lot of things he can --
RANTZ: Yes.
MOCKLER: I'm talking about you narrowing it down. The entire --
MOYNIHAN: Obviously, he can tell people that things are better if they don't feel it. So --
RANTZ: Yes.
MOCKLER: Tariffs made everything more expensive. And now you guys are narrowing it down to one specific field. I think broadly the macroeconomic --
MOYNIHAN: Well, typically somebody wants to highlight an accomplishment. Sometimes it's narrow.
MOCKLER: My point is there are no accomplishments. So, you're narrowing it down to the smallest.
PHILLIP: Next for us. After the American president threatened to annihilate another nation this week, there was a collective shrug around the world. So, what does that say about Trump and America's credibility?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:32:12]
PHILLIP: Donald Trump has become the boy who cried wolf when it comes to Iran, and it's hurting his credibility among Americans.
He declared that the U.S. has won this war for months and months now, even though it's clearly still not over. He also claims that the U.S. controls the Strait of Hormuz, even though Iran's actions and oil prices prove otherwise. He has made threats using apocalyptic rhetoric for months and months, and this week he threatened to annihilate the nation.
He claimed over and over that Tehran is so desperate to make a deal, and nearly nine months later, there is no deal. So, Americans have largely tuned all of this out. A CNN poll shows that just 29 percent approve of his handling of foreign affairs, and only 26 percent approve of it when it comes to Iran.
A big majority of Americans say that Trump's decisions have hurt America's standing around the world, and even bigger majorities say that the actions that he's taken against Iran have hurt the U.S. And even higher than that, 75 percent say that he has no clear plan to end this war.
It is actually insane that the president threatens to annihilate a country at the United Nations, and then, nobody cares. It just gets glossed over.
MOCKLER: He threatened to annihilate an entire nation at the United Nations General Assembly, where the foundational principles of the U.N. was to promote peace and prosperity among nations.
It's kind of like when he walked into the White House Correspondents' Dinner, being the most anti-First Amendment president ever.
But when I look at this Iran war nine months in, I see a complete failure on behalf of the president of the United States. I know my conservative counterparts, month after month after month, will claim that we are winning or that we're on the verge of something. But the reality is, the debt is spiking. We have more deaths being added to the Pentagon web site, and there is a complete reversal of what America used to stand for on the global stage.
Our biggest enemies right now, according to Trump are Canada and South Korea. Meanwhile, we see him rolling out the red carpet for Xi Jinping, for Vladimir Putin, and basically inversing reality.
I mean, you guys are making faces, but China and Russia are directly helping Iran target U.S. troops.
MOYNIHAN: Wait. But for you to say that he is more adversarial against Canada? Then, the --
(CROSSTALK)
MOCKLER: Towards Canada? He absolutely is. Are we joking here?
MOYNIHAN: Are we -- are we --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Well, he --
He actually -- well, actually --
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: Which country are we bombing? Are we bombing Iran or Canada? I just want to make --
PHILLIP: Hold on Lydia.
MOCKLER: I didn't say (INAUDIBLE) Russia and China, particularly.
PHILLIP: Lydia, Lydia. He -- literally, what you just said, what you just suggested is outrageous. Is literally what the president said. The president and the White House, Scott Bessent included, have said that Canada is more hostile to us than China. That's what they have said.
MOCKLER: They have said this exact thing. Do you agree?
PHILLIP: I mean, we are not making that out.
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: I don't -- that is -- there is a little bit of hyperbole. There is -- but look, there is --
(CROSSTALK)
MOCKLER: But they are also talking about (INAUDIBLE) thing.
MOYNIHAN: There is one country that we are bombing.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: I am just saying --
MOYNIHAN: And I don't think it's Canada.
MOCKLER: I didn't -- let's (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: I'm just saying, like on the facts, like what is Trump saying about Canada versus what is he saying about China?
[07:35:06]
He has called --
(CROSSTALK)
JASON RANTZ, RADIO HOST, SEATTLE RED: He is talking about the --
PHILLIP: He has called Canada more hostile.
RANTZ: : Yes.
PHILLIP: That's his language.
RANTZ: What's the context of that?
PHILLIP: It's -- yes, it's about trade. What's the context --
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: About -- but so -- that's the context.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: What's the context of our relationship with China?
RANTZ: But it's not just about trade.
PHILLIP: His gripes about China historically have been about trade.
RANTZ: But he's also called China the greatest threat that faces --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Are we really -- are we really (INAUDIBLE)?
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: He was -- bear in mind, 10 plus years ago, we were -- China wasn't even on the radar as something that we would should be alarmed about.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: Jason, are you really going to defend him claiming that Canada is our worst trade partner than China?
RANTZ: He is arguing about the negotiations with Canada. That's --
MOCKLER: OK, now, you are backing up even more.
RANTZ: No, I'm just -- I'm arguing what the context was.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: We are not even -- we are not even capable of getting to a negotiation with China. That's how bad things are.
RANTZ: We are in the middle of a negotiation. We just had a summit that ended over this.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: We -- no, no, no, no. We, we -- OK. Hold on a second. But Jason, we have basically in place with China a -- let's -- it's a truce is how it's being described.
Everybody backs down for a second because they can't get to a deal. With Canada, we have a trade agreement that Trump himself negotiated. OK? That he is mad about his own deal --
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: That Canada violated.
PHILLIP: And again, he was saying -- no, Canada did not violate.
RANTZ: You know they did. They were found --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: How?
RANTZ: They were found to have violated the USMCA under the Biden administration.
PHILLIP: OK. And on what basis?
RANTZ: On the -- it was around dairy trade.
PHILLIP: Oh, listen.
RANTZ: And literally Canada was set up --
(CROSSTALK)
MOCKLER: To the worst of China. To the worst of China.
PHILLIP: Hold on. Hold on.
RANTZ: But you are arguing (INAUDIBLE) have a points.
PHILLIP: So -- but you understand that there is a process with the trade agreement that if there are violations, there are processes to resolve it. Right?
RANTZ: Correct. Yes. No one is arguing against that.
PHILLIP: OK. So, the issue -- the issue right now -- this is reason we got here is because Adam correctly points out that Trump has made Canada a worse adversary than Russia and China. He has made enemies of Greenland and Europe at the same time.
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: What? We are not enemy with Greenland.
RANTZ: We just -- he just start Greenland deal.
PHILLIP: At the same -- at the same time that --
FOSTER: What preceded that?
RANTZ: Yes, a negotiation.
FOSTER: Oh, come on. (CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: At the same time that he is cozying up.
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: OK, Greenland, we just find the great deal with them.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: He is cozying up to -- of the former Venezuelan dictator's deputy, who he has now, you know, created this strategic partnership with, that he has --
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: To the benefit of the United States.
PHILLIP: He has inverted these relationships.
MOYNIHAN: And the China's detriment.
PHILLIP: What is -- what's the argument against that?
RANTZ: Well, the argument against that is just taking out of context the statement that was made. There is no one seriously believes that this administration believes that China is -- or Russia is less of a threat than Canada.
They were talking about very specific issues. You can argue with the language, and you can say the hyperbole. But no one actually believe that.
PHILLIP: True. I -- what I hear you saying is you can argue with the thing that Trump actually said, and I am like --
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: If you take it out of context, yes. Yes.
PHILLIP: What do you -- what do you want me to do? Take -- I'm taking him at his word.
RANTZ: If you look at all of those -- was he talking about trade?
PHILLIP: Yes. But do you think --
RANTZ: Yes. OK, but hold on. Was he talking about trade? Yes, we agree with that.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: What do you think is -- what do you think he is talking about when he comes to China?
Is it not trade? (CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: It's not just trade. No, the threat coming from China is much broader
MOCKLER: Is different. It's bigger.
RANTZ: Yes.
PHILLIP: Did he not -- did he not campaign? Did he not -- hold on, did he not campaign on China being our biggest economic adversary for three separate campaigns? Was that not what he campaigned on?
RANTZ: Yes, and he still believes that, which is precisely why we had this summit.
PHILLIP: Oh, oh.
Next for us, President AOC Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, she is questioning if America is actually ready for a Latina president. The same week that she doesn't rule out a run for the highest office. We will discuss that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:43:13]
PHILLIP: Welcome back. Can a Latina be elected president? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has questioned it as she considers a 2028 run. "Pretty candidly, I think about my identity. I'm not naive to the fact that we are living under a very regressive administration, and I happen to be a woman, and happen to be Latina. And I think that there is a lot of conversation about electability, and I don't kind of shy away from those realities."
It's worth noting a July poll of New Hampshire Democrats had the Democratic Congresswoman as their top choice for a possible 2028 candidate. And as you see there on the list, there are a lot of people who are pretty well known, including the former vice president of the United States, who is at five percent in that poll.
Way too early for any of this to be real, but I mean, I have heard a lot of Democrats -- this goes back years, basically saying, the next president is going to have to be a boring white guy. I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: OK.
PHILLIP: That's the feeling among some people.
MOYNIHAN: OK. Well, I found her whole diatribe about I'm a woman and a minority to be really offensive to voters. Right? This is a woman who's lived the American Dream. She was, I believe, the youngest woman at the time elected to Congress. She is a superstar. She raises all this money. America has been very good to her, and she turns around and says, oh, I think voters essentially are too sexist and racist to empower me, I think that's an incredibly offensive --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: So, you think she can be -- you think she can be elected president?
MOYNIHAN: Yes, yes. Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote. Barack Obama won. I think, in this day and age, to make that accusation is really unfounded, and especially after her whole shtick that Woke 1 is dead. Really, we are still talking about identity politics in this day and age?
RANTZ: Yes. It's -- it is a smart strategy, I think, that she is playing into here because she is raising the idea that I will not be able to get -- this generates some sympathy from folks --
(CROSSTALK)
[07:45:08]
MOYNIHAN: If she loses, it's because people are bigots.
RANTZ: And if she loses, she is able to say, it's because of racism or sexism. It is a strategy.
The fact to the matter is, to your point, I mean, you are going to show that poll, and it's just -- I can't. I don't know of. Clearly, she can.
Now, her, specifically, I don't know, because of her politic.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: I mean, like as the poll -- look, I should poll because it's -- it is what it is. But I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: But she is doing better than the boring white people, and she is doing better than some of the others.
PHILLIP: It's like two years away, you know. These -- this gets very hypothetical, right?
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: Yes. It gets people talking about it.
PHILLIP: And I think she is smart to not -- you would be foolish to take a poll two years in advance to the bank.
RANTZ: Oh, for sure.
PHILLIP: You know, because there are crazier things have happened than these things have completely inversed. So, the person running at one percent suddenly surges to the top. So, I mean, I think, she is actually being wise to not -- to not get high on her own supply, so to speak.
MOCKLER: Yes, I thought this was interesting. So, a YouGov survey reports that about 60 percent of Republicans answered no when they got asked if they want to see a female president in their lifetime. So, I think there is a very real uphill battle that certain women in politics have to face.
And you guys can like smirk or act like that's not true. But the way that Trump treats women in politics proves that. When it comes to AOC --
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: OK, he has empowered a lot -- I mean, first, openly gay treasury secretary, first Latino Secretary of State.
MOCKLER: Empowered is the word. What is up to the women empower thing?
MOYNIHAN: First female chief of staff.
RANTZ: Chief of staff --
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: I'm saying, if you want to do the identity politics game, Trump actually does pretty OK there, but he does it because they have merit, not because they out of the box.
MOCKLER: Every time there is -- every time --
PHILLIP: What about --
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: Biden literally only picked Kamala Harris. He didn't say, I want to pick the most qualified candidate. That I want a woman. Really?
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIP: But what about what Adam pointed out in the polls that --
(CROSSTALK)
MOYNIHAN: OK. I would be curious to see -- I don't believe that America (INAUDIBLE).
PHILLIP: This is not -- this is -- look, look, hold on a second. I believe in the goodness of Americans too. Trust me, I really do.
However, we also live in the real world in which people, for all kinds of different reasons, might say, yes, I don't think a woman should be president. There are lots of Democrats who would say that. There are lots of Republicans who would say that. Let's not pretend that's not a real thing. FOSTER: There are -- there are certainly some people who are that way. Is it a majority of Americans who feel that way? I really don't think so. And I'm curious to see the substance of that poll, as well.
(CROSSTALK)
MOCKLER: Republicans.
FOSTER: Either -- in either case, like, am I desperate to see a woman elected president in my lifetime? I'm not, but I'm just desperate to see well-qualified people, irrespective of the shape or shade of their genitalia, elected to be president in my lifetime.
I think that is the way I would answer that question. Might show up in the wrong way in the poll, but it's because the question itself is malformed, in my estimation. And I think is a bizarre thing for Miss -- for AOC, well, do it that way.
For AOC to be talking about running for president in this particular way, it doesn't actually strike me as particularly strategic. Talk about the policy goals that you have for the country. Talk about the things that you think you might be able to accomplish to the extent she can't win elected office -- a higher elected office at this point, it has a lot to do with her resume, with her track record, with quite frankly her inability to articulate the specific things that she got wrong during Woke 1 and specific reasons why she moved away from those bad things.
MOCKLER: I -- she -- really -- I agree. I think that the strongest barrier wouldn't even be her being a woman. I think that America can overcome that. I do think she has condemned a lot of her own past comments that will chase her. I do think there is a very real problem with people not wanting you know women to be the president or, you know, making it harder for women in politics.
FOSTER: Maybe.
PHILLIP: All right. Next for us, the panel's unpopular opinions. But first, the "CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR DEBATE" on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. will be followed by a special two-hour edition of "NEWSNIGHT", only on CNN and streaming live with an all-access subscription. We will see you then.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:53:26]
PHILLIP: We are back, and it's time for your "UNPOPULAR OPINIONS".
Lydia, you are up.
MOYNIHAN: There is nothing worse than trying to go to a restaurant or whatever, and you find out there is a parade that is obstructing an entire avenue, basically across the entirety of Manhattan. I hate parades. I hate them in New York City. If you want to have a parade, have it in Kansas. Have it anywhere else where there is wide open space, not where you're inconveniencing millions of people. No more parades.
PHILLIP: I will say parades in New York are a different animal. That is --
MOYNIHAN: Constant. It's every weekend.
FOSTER: But this is not an unpopular opinion. Let me show you how this is done. People -- you ask me like, what is the best movie of all time? Citizen, Kane, and all these other things get mentioned.
I just want to make the case for "Tombstone". This is Kurt Douglas's (PH) unbelievable western film. Westerns are the very best genre and the very best film ever made. Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in "Tombstone". You should go watch it, rent it this evening, buy a copy, watch it with your children. Doesn't matter how old they are. You can explain the violence away. This is cinema.
PHILLIP: I want to see you force your child to watch "Tombstone". That's very, very artistic.
FOSTER: I might do it tonight.
MOCKLER: I'm going to watch "Tombstone" during the storm this weekend.
FOSTER: Twice.
MOCKLER: I would say that my unpopular opinion is that pickles are bad. It's very simple. If I get a burger and the pickles are accidentally on there, and I take the pickles off, I can still taste the residual pickle. They are too strong, they are bad. I don't like them.
FOSTER: That is a bad take.
PHILLIP: Jason?
RANTZ: OK, I'm going to talk directly to the audience on this one. Because we are having a conversation, a debate about going to permanent daylight-saving time in certain states.
[07:55:02]
If you do that, I will all destroy you. Do you understand that in Pacific Northwest, that would mean in the winter, it would get bright at 9:00 a.m. That is insane.
Our body, our alertness is determined by the sun. That's how the circadian rhythm works. Please do not do this. And unfortunately, I'm going to lose this in Washington State because everyone wants to do it because they get upset during the winter that it gets dark at like 4:30 in the afternoon.
I get it, but that's when you are supposed to be. Get up early and enjoy the sun.
PHILLIP: I don't know. I don't know what the right answer is on that one. I will just get along.
(CROSSTALK)
RANTZ: I have the right answer.
PHILLIP: All right, everyone. Thank you very much for being here. Thanks for watching TABLE FOR FIVE. You can catch me every weeknight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern with our "NEWSNIGHT ROUNDTABLE".
But in the meantime, CNN's coverage continues right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
