November 5, 2024 • 42 mins
It's go time!
Election Day is here, and CNN Anchor Kaitlan Collins joins Sophia to chat about what she's hearing from both camps, the gender gap, polls in 2020 vs 2024, youth voter turnout, and what it was like being called a "nasty person" by Trump. Kaitlan also talks about being prepared when things go off the rails, how CNN plans to cover election night, and when she thinks we will know the actual results.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to work in Progress. Hi
rips Marty's. I hope you're all taking care of yourselves,
you know, mentally, physically, emotionally. I'm trying my best over here.
(00:21):
Tomorrow is election day here in America, and today we
are joined for a special episode by one of the
most brilliant journalists I know, who's going to give us
her perspective from inside the newsroom. Today's guest is Caitlin Collins.
She is an anchor on CNN. She used to be
the co anchor of CNN This Morning and now hosts
(00:42):
the show The Source. She started as a political reporter
at CNN in twenty seventeen, covering the White House, and
within just a few years she became the youngest chief
White House correspondent in CNN's history. On her show The Source,
Collins chases the facts, asks the tough question, and connects
with her sources so that viewers can get the very latest.
(01:03):
In prime time, she manages to secure exclusive interviews with
political power players, including her recent attention grabbing interviews with
former Attorney General William Barr, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah,
who Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,
GOP presidential candidates, and more. In May of twenty twenty three,
(01:25):
cons also moderated CNN's Live Republican Presidential town hall with
former President Trump, during which she pressed him on some
things he apparently didn't want to be pressed on, and
he called her a nasty woman. Today, I'm going to
ask her how that felt, ask her what she thinks
is going to happen tomorrow and this week, and you know,
ask her how she's staying sane in an election season.
(01:46):
Let's get to it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I'm so excited to be here, to be doing this too.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I feel like people love this podcast so much and
the conversations are just so good, and as someone who
always tries to have like genuine, fun, interesting conversations, yeah,
you should be very proud of it.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Well, I am so proud, and that really means a lot.
And I guess in this moment I should thank our
listeners that are here with us today because if they
didn't show up, we wouldn't be able to do this.
So thank you for being here. Thank you to everyone
at home. We're taping this. Obviously a little in advance.
It's Friday, but this is going to air on Monday,
which makes my breath catch in my throat. I'm sure
(02:36):
it does for you as well. You are so steeped
in the news all of the time because of your job.
But obviously we are really we're down to the wire
on the election, like tomorrow's our big day, although thank god,
we've seen record numbers of early voting across the country,
particularly from women, So shout out to the ladies. Can
you give us a little bit of your newsroom perspective
(02:59):
and talk about what you're seeing as some of the
key trends and the demographic shifts that we're seeing in
twenty twenty four, Like from where you sit, is this
markedly different from the twenty twenty and twenty sixteen election?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I think it's a lot different because, for one, the
thing that I've heard from a lot of people I've
spoken away that both on the Trump campaign sides and
the Harris campaign side is don't look at twenty twenty
is like an indication that you're kind of measuring what's
happening right now up against because twenty twenty was such
an anomaly with obviously the pandemic and how differently people
(03:33):
were voting, and even the polling, Like I heard a
really smart polster, Democratic pollsters say today their polling was
different in twenty twenty because more Democrats were at home,
Like obviously everyone was at home during COVID, so more
people were answering the phone, which I thought was really
interesting actually, And so I think like maybe twenty twenty
(03:55):
two is a better thing to look at the midterms there,
which obviously did not go the way everyone thought.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
They were going to go.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
They were predicting this huge red wave that did not materialize.
And so in the sense of like looking at that,
I think what I'm most interested in on Tuesday is
what the early voting has meant in terms of Republicans. One,
because Republicans did not vote really early in twenty twenty
(04:21):
to a great extent because Trump was basically saying you
can't trust it and don't do it. And now they
realize how much that hurt them, and so they've totally shifted.
So a lot of Republicans are voting early, and you know,
does that cannibalize though their election day vote, which is
typically when the at the people come in and vote
in person, So I think that will be different. And
(04:41):
then I'm watching the gender gap. I think the gender
gap could be decisive in terms of the Trump campaign
is very clearly making a play for young men and
the Harris campaign is making a huge play for women.
And so is that a game changer on Tuesday? Is
the big question questions I have looking at it.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
And I know there's a lot of objectivity, you know,
required as journalists, you're not supposed to really bring your
opinions to the floor. So if you don't want to
necessarily bring them to the podcast, you just let me know.
But I guess it's particularly frightening to me when we
talk about the gender gap that the group of young men,
(05:23):
as you said, that the Trump campaign, the Trump Advance
campaign is going after, they're going after in this very
Andrew tatified way. They're going after men with really deeply
misogynistic messaging, the way they're talking about women, the way
they're talking about our lives, our autonomy, our economic value.
I mean, the fact that you've got the Vice President
(05:44):
of the United States of America and the former First
Lady Michelle Obama having to get on stage and beg
men not to let us die in the year twenty
twenty four, Is it's so shocking to me, even though
given what trump Ism is and what McConnell's been building
the GOP into, it doesn't feel surprising, sadly, is it?
(06:07):
Is it surreal for you to look at how these
messages work from from inside of you know, a news organization.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Yeah, well, it's always just you know, it's like, let's
see if this, you know, like bold strategy, cotton, Let's
see if it pays off. Because I think, as someone
who you know has reported, especially since Rover Wade was
overturned with the Dobbs decision, how women have shown up
has been amazing to watch in the sense of just
(06:38):
it's like nothing you've ever seen, and no political strategists
could have predicted it, and they didn't in a lot
of situations like I'm thinking of, you know, in Ohio
in twenty twenty two, where you know, they had an
abortion measure on the ballot, and we saw just how
there were voters who were women and Republicans that voted
(07:00):
for the Republican candidate but voted also for this measure
to protect the right to an abortion and put it
in the state's Constitution. That was fascinating to me looking
into that and what that looked like. That was more recently,
but in the other ones we saw on twenty twenty two,
and so seeing all of those measures since it was
a return has been interesting. I'm curious to see if
(07:21):
it's still that energizing mobilization that we'll see on Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Does it.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I've heard from Republicans who think, like in Arizona where
it's on the ballot, that people will still vote for
Trump but also vote for the abortion measure, which is
interesting to me. I don't know if that's true, Like
maybe it's just bluster. So I'll be looking at those numbers.
But I think just overall on the issue of the
strategy that you alluded to there, like it's like the
(07:47):
Joe Rogan kind of podcast, Like they're spending hours doing that.
To take three hours to do a podcast in the
final week of a presidential election is a big That's
a sign that they think that is going to be
their strategy. And I was at the Madison Square Garden
rally on Sunday that was like this eight hour you know,
trefecta that started off with that comedian who made the
(08:09):
joke about Puerto Rico that now has gotten them so
much backlash, and I remember hearing it, and I've been
to dozens of Trump rallies, reported from a lot of them,
and I was kind of you know, it's kind of
a moment where you're like when you're reporting on news,
you don't always know how big it is in the moment,
like you can feel something is weird, or a lot
of us were looking around, you know, wondering why there
(08:30):
was a comedian on stage at a political rally anyway,
and to see how it's blown up since then. But
it is part of their strategy. I mean, they're just
going all out for the young male vote, mostly white,
mostly non college educated, and the question is is that
a demographic that can deliver the White House for him?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And the answer might be yes.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Their strategy might pay off, but if it doesn't, I
do think it'll be a long hard look for Republicans
into you know, their messaging to women voters, which I
think should not be not been.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
You know, it hasn't resonated from what we've seen.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Well, because you know, they want to end no fault divorce,
which dropped the death rate of women substantially in America,
women were able to leave abusive marriages, and they think
that should end. They don't think we should have a
right to body the autonomy. And just this week we've
seen two women die in Texas in hospitals of completely
treatable and you know, preventable reasons. It's it's pretty hard
(09:34):
to argue that you're the party of family values when
you want to defund education and you don't think kids
should get to eat in schools. You know, Timwall's one
of the things I love about him on the campaign trailers,
He's like, you think I'm a communist because I want
to make sure kids in Minnesota have lunch.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Like really, yeah, And my mom's a public school teacher
for fourth grade, and that really makes a difference actually
for families. I come from not a wealth the area
in Alabama, a small town about thirty eight thousand people,
and school lunches are like, you know, it's a real
issue in the summer because that's sometimes the only meals
(10:08):
that those kids get that are consistent that they know
they're going to get. So on that note, I think
they have a powerful one. But on the women thing,
you know, I also have to remember j d Vance
just made the comment when he did Joe Rogan's podcast
that he was saying that, you know, states should decide abortions.
He's previously, you know, advocated for a national abortion band.
(10:28):
But he said that he has seen women who are
making cakes and celebrating their abortions, and even Joe Rogan said,
I haven't, I haven't seen that, like women's cell Like obviously,
having an abortion is a deeply personal decision, often a
painful one, and you don't know why someone's making that decision.
(10:49):
And I, as a young thirty year old woman, have
not seen any I don't know anyone who's you know, yeah,
celebrating my abortion. And so uh, it was just like
a very tone deaf comment. As they're still trying to
appeal to women.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
That was striking to me.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, it's all pretty shocking to me. I mean, it
was shocking to me that that, you know, quote unquote
comedian also made a joke that he thinks Travis Kelcey
will probably be the next O J. Simpson and I'm like,
I'm sorry, are you suggesting that Travis Kelcey should un
alive his girlfriend because she's a pop star who's voting
(11:27):
for your opponent, you know, and then Donald Trump's on
the news calling for Liz Chaney to be executed by
a firing squad. I mean, it's like, I don't really
know how much more egregious you need to be to
the fifty one percent of the population that you and
I fall under. And clearly we know there's a there's
a gender gap, as there should be, and I wish
(11:47):
more men were appalled by the messaging here, But I
also know that the youth vote is a really key
demographic in the election. They're incredibly powerful in the political landscape. Historically,
young people don't vote in the ways that older people do,
and I think it's been really helpful to remind young people,
like what you want your grandparents to make all your
(12:07):
decisions for you? Like, what are we doing? What are
you seeing about the youth voter turnout this year? What
do those numbers look like?
Speaker 3 (12:15):
So I'm obsessed with this and we're talking about it tonight.
Actually because they're both targeting different, you know, demographics of
the youth vote, but they're both going after them because
they are hoping that it'll be different and that they
will come out in large numbers. We actually saw a
higher turnout from the youth vote in twenty twenty than
we had seen in a while. But the question it
(12:36):
feels like one of those moments where it's like it's
like with Texas, like people always like is it gonna
turn blue or not? We're always watching it, and it's
like Lucy the Football, like it never does. You watch
Democrats get so excited and then it doesn't actually materialize.
That could actually also happen on Tuesdays, so we'll be
watching that fort the Senate race. But with the youth vote,
it always feels like there's such mobilization and like they're
(12:57):
there and you see these get off the vote efforts
and you see what's happening on Instagram and TikTok and whatnot,
and then it doesn't show up because they're low propensity
voters and they don't really show up on election day.
They just they're not driven to go to the polls.
And so with the Trump team, this is fascinating because
they're counting on those young men to show up on Tuesday.
Whether or not they do could could alter the election.
(13:18):
But then with the Harris campaign, you know, I noticed
one thing that's been going around on TikTok that you
just had to remember how young these voters are a
lot of them. This is their first election and eight
years ago they were like in junior high or in
high school. And the access Hollywood tape is actually having
a resurgence on TikTok right now by all these young
(13:39):
voters who are seeing it and have never heard it,
which to me is stunning because like everyone else has
it like memorized because it was such a shocking moment
before the election in twenty sixteen. It's all these young
voters who'd never like you just have to remember they
were young when this happened. They were like thirteen, they
were paying attention to the new and so sure, you know,
(14:01):
how does that you know, shift their opinion if at all?
Speaker 1 (14:06):
That's really interesting?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Is that amazing it is?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
And now a word from our sponsors who make this
show possible. Do you feel like you have a really
good perspective on what the top issues are for the
youth vote.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I think the youth vote is it's different.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
It shifts because, like you know, obviously with older voters
and most voters who are actually likely voters, it's economy,
immigration and democracy is actually higher ranking that I think
a lot of people would give it credit for. We
saw that in a sne And poll it was the
third ranking issue a few months ago, which was kind
of amazing to me because the whole, you know, common
(14:55):
conventional wisdom is that it's nice to talk about, but
if you're actually worried about your bills, that's not what
you're thinking about. But clearly people are thinking. But for
younger voters, I think that there are issues that are
just totally different to them, like gay marriage, climate change,
all of these things are they're like givens to them,
like there's not you. You'd be hard pressed to find
(15:16):
a lot of young people who are like, yeah, the
climate's not changing, or this isn't climate change as a hoax,
like and that was such a fight for so long
in politics with Republicans, and so I just think that
they're thinking of it differently. But I think the economy
is big for them because they're coming out and they're
not satisfied with their jobs, entry level jobs or where
(15:37):
they're you know, upward mobility, and they can't afford homes
and that is just not something that you know of
Like our parents' generation, they never had to worry about it, Like.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Their parents had homes by the time they were thirty
years old, and.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
So I think that has been a huge, a huge
thing for.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Them as well.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, I think what's been really interesting to your point
about even that tape receins surfacing on TikTok. I've been
really relieved to see some younger, more financially minded influencers
on TikTok being like, hey, if you're not super happy
with the economy right now, like you know, we're still
living in Trump's tax policy right like tax cuts he
(16:16):
gave to billionaires, or why your taxes are so terrible?
And I was like, wow, guys, yes, you should probably
make sure everybody knows that, just like I think it's
really great that, you know, we're able to talk about
the fact that the Harris Walls campaign has plans to
aid first time home home buyers, you know, to help
people kind of close that gap between our generation and
(16:37):
our parents generation either are focusing on, like the Sandwich generation,
even with healthcare for parents, making sure you can be
a home career, especially if you have an elderly parent
and young kids. You know, these are things that really
feel like they matter to folks, And I think pierce
(16:57):
some of this idea that the right way is better
for the economy, even though all the economic data for
the last hundred years disproves that. I am really curious
why you think that message seems to stick. Is it
one of those things, like Trump says, that you repeat
a lie enough and people will believe it, Like or
(17:17):
is it just that that's what they've made the focus
of their campaigns for so many decades now that everyone
kind of plays the word association.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
You mean, just like why voters trust Trump on like
the economy and stuff.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Yeah, because, like he added, twenty five percent of the
entire United States national debt was created under Donald Trump.
Like when you think about that, you know, in the
two hundred plus years we've existed, that in four years,
twenty five percent of our debt was made under one person.
That's a pretty alarming statistic. So why do voters trust
this guy this bankruptcy king about money?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Yeah, it's that, And it's like they just view him
as a very successful billionaire, even though he has declared
bankruptcy a lot. You know, he never would release his taxes.
Is the New York Times that had to get access
to parts of them.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
It is.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
It's a fascinating thing because also, you know, okay, in
this moment right now, if I went.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Home, which obviously Alabama is a very conservative.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
State, but if I went home and said, Okay, you know,
how's everyone feeling about this, my dad would say, well,
I'm voting. And this is just an example. If my
dad's listening, I just don't. I'm not revealing his vote.
This is just hypothetical. But if I said, you know,
how do you feel aout the economy, my dad would
be like, it sucks and I can't do this. And
it's like, actually, your furrowook is doing better. You're you're
(18:37):
not at risk of the Harris tax policy plan, like
if you make under four hundred thousand dollars, same thing
that Biden argued, the capital gains tax part I think
concerned people. But she's kind of like dialed back on
that after we heard from economist weighing in. But on this,
you know, gas prices, they'll say gas prices are so
high right now, the US is producing more oil than
(18:59):
it ever had in the nation's history. And but it's
something that the the White House doesn't often tout because
it's not popular with progressives who care about the climate
and want to see changes there, but it is a
fact that is happening.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
And so we have Republicans on all the.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Time who say, you know, Caitlin, it's the economy that
people are worried about, and it's like, okay, but can
you point to something, and they'll point to energy prices,
and it's like it's one of those things where I
think so many lawmakers and politicians, not just Trump, but
they say it all the time, and voters still feel
like a malaise because of all the inflation and everything
(19:35):
coming out of COVID, which look at how the US
did compared to other countries, and.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
We fared so much better than most other countries because
of Biden and.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Harrison's well and no recession, you know, the flood's monetary policy,
and so it's all of those things.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
But it's like you can tell people all the facts
and the numbers, and it's how people feel how they vote.
And so.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
I'm not a politician, thankfully, but I think that's probably
got to be one of the.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Most frustrating parts is being like, well.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
It's fine, so I don't know what you feel this
way because you can't you know, if you have a
friend who's frustrated, it's something you can't just say, well,
that's not real, because it is how they feel.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
So it's like, how do you talk to them in
that sense of it?
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Yeah, well, and I think there are certain things that
hopefully are breaking through. You know, even the fact that
Vice President Harris said she would go after companies for
price gouging, and then suddenly you saw all these big
corporations and grocery stores lowering their prices and everyone was like, oh,
so it isn't inflation. It was a choice because y'all
are bragging about your you know, record record breaking financial
(20:37):
quarters every quarter on your earnings calls. So I, ah,
I know those things because I'm a news nerd. I know,
you know those things you work in the news. It
is hard to see what's breaking through to voters, but
clearly there's you know, a lot of anxiety, and we
do know that there is a lot of fear on
the right that they're you know, uniting around hate campaign
(21:00):
isn't working because all these ballot boxes are getting set
on fire, and you know, Washington and or really.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Scary for what's going to happen on what.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Happens there, because we know that some states and obviously
they know too. All of this is public information. We
know that in some states it's been less than twelve
thousand votes, and there could be thousands of ballots in
those in those ballot boxes that are in very progressive
zip codes. How can public officials identify those voters? How
do they rectify the situation? Have you heard of any
(21:31):
precautions that are going to be put in place across
the country to stop this from continuing to happen like
what we do here.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
We actually talked to Marie Glusen camp Perez. She's a
fascinating a politician for people to don't love maker, for
people don't know who she is. She represents a really
competitive district in Washington. She was elected in twenty twenty
two because I interviewed her maybe twenty twenty it was
either twenty twenty or twenty twenty two, and she her
(21:57):
family owns like an auto repair shop and Washington. She
ran because she was frustrated. She's a Democrat, but she's
very moderate and has a very very she flipped a
red seat, so she's very middle of the road but
it's her district where the ballot boxes were set on fire,
and she was so her quote was pissed off when
I talked to her about it, because she was like,
(22:19):
these people did their duty, they went and voted, They
took the time after like picking up their kids and
going to the grocery store and doing this. Yes, and
now it's like we have to find them and track
them and make sure that they know that something happened.
I saw they laid out all the ballots, so they
were trying to identify people who had not reached back
out to say, hey, I cast my ballot here the
(22:40):
other day to find those voters. But you make a
good point overall, and something crazy I learned the other day.
These poor election workers who are volunteers doing their civic duty,
going to help to ensure that you can go cast
her ballots because it doesn't matter who's running, what the
issues are if you can't actually vote. And they are
(23:01):
under such threats, largely because of Trump and his allies
and how they handle the twenty twenty election. But in Georgia,
the Secretary of State there ordered lanyards for all the
poll workers.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
There's thirty hundred.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Precincts that have a mobile panic button in them so
they can push it and it calls notineven one if.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
They're having issues.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
I just think that's crazy in the United States of
America that we have to have mobile panic buttons.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
For our pollwark for election. We don't know what could happen.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Yeah. Well, and I saw a great effort that was
gaining some traction this year where a lot of veterans
were signing up to go and be poll workers because
they were like, oh, you want to come threat in
the democracy we risked our lives for not here, Oh
that's not on American soil. And I've loved it. You know,
a lot of the guys behind vote vets have been
(23:51):
advocating for this stuff, and I'm just like, yeah, you guys,
like a lot of I don't think people realize that
so many folks who work at the polls are actually
military veterans.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yeah, that's actually really interesting.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
And it's just we've seen it, like, it's not a
made up thing, a made up concern. It's a hypothetical.
We've seen it happening in Florida and in other polling
places where it's a real issue, and so it just
you know, Ruby Freeman and Shay Mosk, the two Georgia
election workers who still have not gotten a dime.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
From Rudy Giuliani.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
I just think about them because they lived in their
community and what happened, how how much they were lied
about impacted their lives that before. Like now they've won
and they've won their court case and everyone can see it,
but at the time that no one knew.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You know, Ruby Freeman talked about how she was scared
to go to the grocery store.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yes, she was scared to leave her home, and.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
People were showing up at her house. And it just
is like nuts to think about. And the sense of how,
you know, a citizen who's done their duty is being harassed, like.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Up, Yeah, it's pretty alarming, you know how that feels though,
I mean granted, not on the scale certainly of what
Ruby Freeman went through. You know, the attacks on her
were unconscionable. But you hosted a town hall on CNN.
You interviewed Donald Trump. It was twenty twenty three, and
(25:20):
he didn't like that You pressed him, which is your job,
and he called you a nasty person. His favorite insult
to you know, throw at women. He calls us bitches
on the golf course, but on the news, he'll call
us nasty. How did that feel to you? Obviously you
(25:43):
kept your professional hat on, but what's it like to
have the former president of the United States call you
names and incite the kinds of violence that he does
from his crowd personally?
Speaker 2 (25:58):
For you?
Speaker 3 (25:58):
You know, I have covered Donald Trump for eight years now,
and even long. I met him in twenty fifteen when
he was running, and I think from covering him, I
just knew I know his playbook. Like in that town hall, really,
I basically could have predicted every answer he gave.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
You don't always know exactly.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
He just always repeats himself, so you have a pretty
good idea of where he's going. But in that moment,
what we were and I had you know, this had
happened to me in the briefing room before, or just
in the moments the White House. They banned me from
the Rose Garden, an event at the Rose Garden once
because he didn't like the questions I had asked when
he was in the Oval office, and so it wasn't
(26:41):
my first rodeo basically, right, But in that moment, we
had been asking him about the classified documents investigation, and
he had obviously taken them, it was before he had
been indicted, and.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
We were asking, you know, why he took them and
what was happening with that, and.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
He very clearly didn't want to answer the question, and
so he kind of gave his talking point and then
tried to move on. But then, you know, the art
of journalism is in the follow up questions. It's often
not your first question, it's your follow up that really
makes the difference or the news. And so he clearly
didn't want to answer that, and I kept pressing him,
and so his tactic is kind of to divert and
(27:19):
say you're a nasty person. But in that moment, you
have a choice. You can either respond to that, which
certainly is a human response. I think a human impulse
is to say okay, like when someone calls you a name.
But you know, being there as a reporter, you have
to think, okay, I'm here. Fans of his are watching,
(27:40):
detractors of his are watching. How do you maintain your
credibility as a reporter and also not get knocked off
your line of questioning. I think you can never take
the bait as a reporter, and that's the probably one
of the best things I've learned. This just happened when
I interviewed carry Lake the other day. She kept making
these digs about my age or you know what I
meant to ask, And in that moment, it's easy to
(28:02):
see how you can be like, okay, But I think
as a reporter you've got to stay with your line
of questioning and keep going because they want you to
go and get in that fight, because then they're not
being asked the question they don't want to answer.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Right. Oh, it drives me a little crazy, but I
also love it. We'll be back in just a minute.
But here's a word from our sponsors. Given the rhetoric,
the temperature, the nastiness, if you will, that you face
(28:35):
in rooms like that one with him and what you
just mentioned with Carrie Lake in Arizona, Like, is it
a drastically different thing for you as a person, not
just a journalist, but as a person when you prep
to go in a room and you're interviewing someone, say
from the Democratic side of the ticket, like or do
(28:56):
you always feel kind of the same.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
I think it depends because there's certainly some Republicans who
you know would never go there and would never you know,
they have decorum and like you know, they want to
have a substantive back and forth. And maybe you don't
agree or maybe they don't like, you know, the questions,
but they're willing to play ball and come on. And
you know, we try to do that at nine o'clock
every night. We have people from both both parties on
(29:22):
because you got to ask everyone a question. And like,
you know, Democrats are taxpayer funded officials too, and like
we always like to press people because I just think
if you get paid by the taxpayers, you should have
to answer tough questions. And honestly, sometimes they usually like it,
like I think, you know, they're out in the political
arena for a reason, and they like they don't want
(29:42):
to just do an easy interview, Like they like to
get pushed like well why do you think that way?
Or why is this the best policy? And so I
like when people show up to play and they want
to engage and have a good a good engaging interview that.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
People want to watch.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
But it is when people, you know, are to go
off the rails that you kind of have to be
prepared anything, and you know, it kind of depends on
who you're interviewing. You can get a sense of of
how they are in that way, and if they're going
to you know, you never know where an interview who's
going to go. We had Trump's transition coach here on
the other night, Howard Lutnik. He's the boo of Canner
(30:20):
Fitzgerald here in New York. He's an amazing story about
you know, nine to eleven he wasn't in the office
and he was one of the few who survived and
just this incredible story. He's kind of like a pillar
in the New York business community and he's running Trump's
transition and we had him one we were going to
talk about, you know, staffing and personnel and what's this
going to look like, and you know, we prepare pushback.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
And like, you know, what do we think they're going
to say? What are we going to say back to that?
My team?
Speaker 3 (30:47):
And it went on this like totally left turn into
vaccines and like the conspiracy theories about vaccines, like we
were not expecting at all, and like, you know, you've
got to fact check that in the moment and push
back on it, because you know, you can't just let
someone come on air. Lie, Yeah, and so in moments
(31:07):
like those, really, what I try to do in every
interview should just be as prepared as.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Possible because you never know where it's gonna go.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Yeah. Well, I mean even that stuff. You know, you've
got all this RFK running around saying he's gonna take
over the you know, the CDC, And I'm like, what
we don't need is a resurgence of a measles epidemic.
There are certain things we should, I think, just be
able to agree on and then build forward.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
And think, if you're the scientists who came up with
that vaccine, you're like, really, I put all his hard
work into like saving the lives of children, and.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Now I have to deal with yeah, people who want
to undermine it.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
This close to eradicating polio, and now we're dealing with
this because of these yahoos. And you know, it isn't
lost on me that a lot of us on the
you know, more sort of progressive side, if you will,
of activism and organizing have been working on forcing the
US to meet the EU's food standards for so long.
I'm like, I think you're going for the wrong side here,
(32:03):
but here we are. Everything is upside down at this
point and we're almost through it. You know, tomorrow is
going to obviously be a very big day. I'm curious
how you're preparing for election Day but also for the week.
And when do you think, given the early voting numbers
we're seeing, when do you think we're going to know
(32:24):
or is it too soon to say even now?
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Well, as far as preparing, I'm always like, okay, you know,
how can I brace myself for what this is going
to look like. I'm mentally preparing for it to go
on for a long time, you know, in kind of
the situation where you prepare for the worst, hope for
the best, and you know we're going to go Well,
I'll be in Florida at the Trump headquarters tomorrow for
(32:49):
the as the results are coming in, Abby, Philip will
be with Vice President Harris's headquarters. So we're kind of
like stationed to you know, in real time on CNN
be able to say here, here's the mood in the
campaign right now, here's what they're looking at, and these
numbers that are coming in, and.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
When you're each in those different locations, but as you said,
you're you're stationed on site, you know, you've kind of
got a divide across the country. And then what for
the folks at home that are like, but how does
that work? You're patching in live to a studio and
doing shows together, right.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Yeah, so we'll have and then we'll have like John
King and the Magic Wall, like looking at all the numbers. Yeah,
and Jake there if you know, as we're getting numbers,
what are we calling? And so basically it's just seeing
it in on election night is at its best because
it's like we have so many resources, Like we're so prepared,
We've been doing rehearsals. Everyone's kind of like, you know,
(33:40):
this could happen, or this could happen, or this could happen.
Trump could declare victory prematurely like you did in twenty twenty.
Like we're just kind of game planning all that. I know,
it's crazy that you even have to like think about that,
but so that's basically it. And like we'll be texting
in real time and being like here's what we're seeing,
here's what we're hearing, and so if you're watching, you'll
(34:01):
be able to see all those updates of like what's.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Going on the ground.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
And then I don't know how long it's gonna last.
I don't think we'll know on Tuesday night. I think
everyone feels pretty Maybe we will, but everyone feels pretty consensency.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
From what I've heard from my sources.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
It's gonna take a little bit just because the counting
of those mail in balance, they can't some of them.
They can't start counting in some states until seven pm.
And so you know, these pullworkers are doing the Lord's
work and.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
They really are, like they seriously are. They deserve like,
you know, all the treats of the world.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
So maybe by Thursday, you know, last year or in
twenty twenty, last selection, it took until twenty It took
until Saturday when we found out. Yeah, we had a
pretty good idea though on Thursday and Friday. If you're
looking at the numbers, I think they just wanted to
be one hundred percent sure. They wanted to feel good
because public trust is so important, and being able to
say we'll see it and called it. I believe them,
(34:56):
and you know, it really was the difference maker, I think,
And so we we work so hard to get it right.
That's what people at home should know is we're looking
at every inch of this, so we'll see how long
it takes. The question is, you know, is it all
gonna come down to Pennsylvania. We're gonna be hanging out
there for a few days, Georgia and North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
You know, we don't.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
You never know, And you know what the other thing is,
there's always surprises that happen in the numbers or in
the Senate races. You know, who's going to control the Senate,
who's going.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
To control the House. So we'll be like digging through
all of that.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Yeah, okay, so maybe maybe we assume that we'll know
at the weekend, Saturday or Sunday, and if we know
sooner than we're through exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
And I think the one thing that is so important
for people to know is just because we don't know
an election night doesn't mean anything's wrong. It takes time
to count and there's a lot of ballots and they
want to be sure, and so it's not a sign
of like, you know, you're like, why am I still waiting?
Speaker 2 (35:56):
This is weird, it's normal.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
It's just because we're such a big country.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Yeah, and turn out it's going to be so crazy.
I heard a poster say he thinks about one hundred
and seventy million people will vote, so we'll see. Wow,
Like he said, that was like the high number.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
He thought, it's amazing. Do you think, I guess the
better question is what do you think? How do you
estimate from what you see every day, how we as
a society get to move forward after such a contentious
and abnormal and historic election. Do you maybe have two
(36:35):
different answers depending on who wins, or do you think
there's kind of a roadmap forward for Americans in general?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
The problem is with that, I don't want, I don't know,
and I'm always hopeful that people will will rise to
the occasion. But I think when you look at the polling,
if it's accurate, and even if it's two points off,
the country is basically split, and most people feel pretty strongly.
And so what we do know is how polarized we are.
(37:04):
So on election day, one person's team is going to
win and one person's team is going to lose, and
how people deal with that, You know, accepting a loss
is a real thing. And yea, we saw that in
twenty twenty. It was so sad to see, like, and
this is why, you know, anytime we have on someone
who's an election denier. We always ask them about it,
(37:24):
regardless of what the news is that day, because it's like.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
If you're a tax parafunded official and you've got this
platform and you're misleading people who trust you because of
your position, I just think that's, you know, one of
the lowest things that someone can do. And so.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I just you know, obviously, if Harris wins, she said
she would accept the outcome, Trump still waivers on that
and says, you know, if it's free and fair, which
obviously wasn't twenty twenty. So I think that's the thing
to watch after is what does the environment look like
after Do people accept it or are we going to
I mean, you know, both campaigns have a ton of
(38:01):
attorneys already stationed in the battle ground states because they're
preparing for it to be one of the most litigated
elections in US history. And in two thousand and four
when this happened, you know, al Gore accepted it and
you know, gave a concession speech and said, you know,
we're accepting the decision of the Supreme Court, and that
(38:21):
was not a given and so so I don't know,
So we'll see, But I do think Yeah, things are
not over on Tuesday night. This is going to be
a story that we're still following up until the inauguration
and beyond that.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Right well, there's obviously a lot to think about, a
lot to prepare for. As you said, you've got a
lot to sort of rehearse and make sure you're ready
for any outcome. It's a lot of work and it's
mentally taxing. I'm curious if you feel like you can
also take a step back and insulate yourself a little bit,
(38:59):
or if it's just all in all election you'll catch
your breath when it's over. Because normally I like to
ask people, you know, at the end of an interview,
what your work in progress is right now, but I
don't know if you even have time to think about it.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
That's a great uh, it's a great question.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
And you know, I'm such a political junkie that I
love the election because I think the one thing that
we've been talking about polls for two years now, and
the one thing that we'll learn on Tuesday is like,
how did the people, how do people actually feel, what
did they actually decide? What do the numbers look like?
And who showed up where? So I love that because
(39:41):
I love it's always really informative, and I think you
learn a lot. I think as a reporter, you know,
who has covered two historic elections already and now approaching
the third, I always just think, how can I do
my best? Like how can I be the clearest? How
can I see as someone who studies this every day,
how can I see what maybe other people who are
(40:02):
busy and at home I are tuning in, Like how
can I help them understand it and ye think about
it and process it? Like I just want to be
of service in that sense. And so that's what I'm
thinking of going into election night is best reporting, clearest reporting,
cutting through the bullshit, Like that's what I think is
our responsibility as reporters, And so that's what I'm going
(40:24):
you know, I always want to get better at every election.
Twenty sixteen was crazy, twenty twenty was crazy. I was
at Trump campaign headquarters in twenty sixteen, I was the
White House in twenty twenty, and I'll be back at
the Trump campaign headquarters tomorrow night. And so, you know,
doing my best there as like my goal right now.
Then I'll catch my breath, like in January or February well,
(40:45):
we'll talk.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
About our personal work in progress maybe around the holidays.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Yeah. I love that.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Okay, good, well, thank you so much. I'll be thinking
about you tomorrow, you know, you and Abby. My fingers
are crossed for you. I hope it is. I hope
it's a good night.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
For us all. I hope it's.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
I just hope everyone's you know, respectful and not violent.
We're going to make it through it patient. But thanks
for having me on.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
This has been so fun and it's such an exciting
time and it's great to talk and I just love
how much you know and care about it. And I
think that's you know, it's always really inspiring for people.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Thank you. Yeah, I mean you said it. We're political
junkies for sure, and yeah, I think my you know,
for me, once I realized that every single thing I touch, do, see,
you know, observed, smell, experience in the world is the
result of policy, I was like, oh, I have to
know everything about how all of this happens. And so
(41:48):
if I can you know, play any part in supporting
the work you all do and reminding people that the
political is personal, It's like then everything is creevy for me.
I'm thrilled about it.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
And the more involved you are and the more you know,
like people really can individually make such a such an impact.
I think sometimes people feel powerless, and I think reminding
people that they're not and none of this is a
given is so important me too.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
Thanks for taking the time. I know you guys are swamped.
It means a lot.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Yeah, I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Okay, bye, guys. Thank you,
Hey everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to work in Progress. Hi
rips Marty's. I hope you're all taking care of yourselves,
you know, mentally, physically, emotionally. I'm trying my best over here.
(00:21):
Tomorrow is election day here in America, and today we
are joined for a special episode by one of the
most brilliant journalists I know, who's going to give us
her perspective from inside the newsroom. Today's guest is Caitlin Collins.
She is an anchor on CNN. She used to be
the co anchor of CNN This Morning and now hosts
(00:42):
the show The Source. She started as a political reporter
at CNN in twenty seventeen, covering the White House, and
within just a few years she became the youngest chief
White House correspondent in CNN's history. On her show The Source,
Collins chases the facts, asks the tough question, and connects
with her sources so that viewers can get the very latest.
(01:03):
In prime time, she manages to secure exclusive interviews with
political power players, including her recent attention grabbing interviews with
former Attorney General William Barr, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah,
who Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,
GOP presidential candidates, and more. In May of twenty twenty three,
(01:25):
cons also moderated CNN's Live Republican Presidential town hall with
former President Trump, during which she pressed him on some
things he apparently didn't want to be pressed on, and
he called her a nasty woman. Today, I'm going to
ask her how that felt, ask her what she thinks
is going to happen tomorrow and this week, and you know,
ask her how she's staying sane in an election season.
(01:46):
Let's get to it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I'm so excited to be here, to be doing this too.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I feel like people love this podcast so much and
the conversations are just so good, and as someone who
always tries to have like genuine, fun, interesting conversations, yeah,
you should be very proud of it.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Well, I am so proud, and that really means a lot.
And I guess in this moment I should thank our
listeners that are here with us today because if they
didn't show up, we wouldn't be able to do this.
So thank you for being here. Thank you to everyone
at home. We're taping this. Obviously a little in advance.
It's Friday, but this is going to air on Monday,
which makes my breath catch in my throat. I'm sure
(02:36):
it does for you as well. You are so steeped
in the news all of the time because of your job.
But obviously we are really we're down to the wire
on the election, like tomorrow's our big day, although thank god,
we've seen record numbers of early voting across the country,
particularly from women, So shout out to the ladies. Can
you give us a little bit of your newsroom perspective
(02:59):
and talk about what you're seeing as some of the
key trends and the demographic shifts that we're seeing in
twenty twenty four, Like from where you sit, is this
markedly different from the twenty twenty and twenty sixteen election?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I think it's a lot different because, for one, the
thing that I've heard from a lot of people I've
spoken away that both on the Trump campaign sides and
the Harris campaign side is don't look at twenty twenty
is like an indication that you're kind of measuring what's
happening right now up against because twenty twenty was such
an anomaly with obviously the pandemic and how differently people
(03:33):
were voting, and even the polling, Like I heard a
really smart polster, Democratic pollsters say today their polling was
different in twenty twenty because more Democrats were at home,
Like obviously everyone was at home during COVID, so more
people were answering the phone, which I thought was really
interesting actually, And so I think like maybe twenty twenty
(03:55):
two is a better thing to look at the midterms there,
which obviously did not go the way everyone thought.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
They were going to go.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
They were predicting this huge red wave that did not materialize.
And so in the sense of like looking at that,
I think what I'm most interested in on Tuesday is
what the early voting has meant in terms of Republicans. One,
because Republicans did not vote really early in twenty twenty
(04:21):
to a great extent because Trump was basically saying you
can't trust it and don't do it. And now they
realize how much that hurt them, and so they've totally shifted.
So a lot of Republicans are voting early, and you know,
does that cannibalize though their election day vote, which is
typically when the at the people come in and vote
in person, So I think that will be different. And
(04:41):
then I'm watching the gender gap. I think the gender
gap could be decisive in terms of the Trump campaign
is very clearly making a play for young men and
the Harris campaign is making a huge play for women.
And so is that a game changer on Tuesday? Is
the big question questions I have looking at it.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
And I know there's a lot of objectivity, you know,
required as journalists, you're not supposed to really bring your
opinions to the floor. So if you don't want to
necessarily bring them to the podcast, you just let me know.
But I guess it's particularly frightening to me when we
talk about the gender gap that the group of young men,
(05:23):
as you said, that the Trump campaign, the Trump Advance
campaign is going after, they're going after in this very
Andrew tatified way. They're going after men with really deeply
misogynistic messaging, the way they're talking about women, the way
they're talking about our lives, our autonomy, our economic value.
I mean, the fact that you've got the Vice President
(05:44):
of the United States of America and the former First
Lady Michelle Obama having to get on stage and beg
men not to let us die in the year twenty
twenty four, Is it's so shocking to me, even though
given what trump Ism is and what McConnell's been building
the GOP into, it doesn't feel surprising, sadly, is it?
(06:07):
Is it surreal for you to look at how these
messages work from from inside of you know, a news organization.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Yeah, well, it's always just you know, it's like, let's
see if this, you know, like bold strategy, cotton, Let's
see if it pays off. Because I think, as someone
who you know has reported, especially since Rover Wade was
overturned with the Dobbs decision, how women have shown up
has been amazing to watch in the sense of just
(06:38):
it's like nothing you've ever seen, and no political strategists
could have predicted it, and they didn't in a lot
of situations like I'm thinking of, you know, in Ohio
in twenty twenty two, where you know, they had an
abortion measure on the ballot, and we saw just how
there were voters who were women and Republicans that voted
(07:00):
for the Republican candidate but voted also for this measure
to protect the right to an abortion and put it
in the state's Constitution. That was fascinating to me looking
into that and what that looked like. That was more recently,
but in the other ones we saw on twenty twenty two,
and so seeing all of those measures since it was
a return has been interesting. I'm curious to see if
(07:21):
it's still that energizing mobilization that we'll see on Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Does it.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I've heard from Republicans who think, like in Arizona where
it's on the ballot, that people will still vote for
Trump but also vote for the abortion measure, which is
interesting to me. I don't know if that's true, Like
maybe it's just bluster. So I'll be looking at those numbers.
But I think just overall on the issue of the
strategy that you alluded to there, like it's like the
(07:47):
Joe Rogan kind of podcast, Like they're spending hours doing that.
To take three hours to do a podcast in the
final week of a presidential election is a big That's
a sign that they think that is going to be
their strategy. And I was at the Madison Square Garden
rally on Sunday that was like this eight hour you know,
trefecta that started off with that comedian who made the
(08:09):
joke about Puerto Rico that now has gotten them so
much backlash, and I remember hearing it, and I've been
to dozens of Trump rallies, reported from a lot of them,
and I was kind of you know, it's kind of
a moment where you're like when you're reporting on news,
you don't always know how big it is in the moment,
like you can feel something is weird, or a lot
of us were looking around, you know, wondering why there
(08:30):
was a comedian on stage at a political rally anyway,
and to see how it's blown up since then. But
it is part of their strategy. I mean, they're just
going all out for the young male vote, mostly white,
mostly non college educated, and the question is is that
a demographic that can deliver the White House for him?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And the answer might be yes.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Their strategy might pay off, but if it doesn't, I
do think it'll be a long hard look for Republicans
into you know, their messaging to women voters, which I
think should not be not been.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
You know, it hasn't resonated from what we've seen.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Well, because you know, they want to end no fault divorce,
which dropped the death rate of women substantially in America,
women were able to leave abusive marriages, and they think
that should end. They don't think we should have a
right to body the autonomy. And just this week we've
seen two women die in Texas in hospitals of completely
treatable and you know, preventable reasons. It's it's pretty hard
(09:34):
to argue that you're the party of family values when
you want to defund education and you don't think kids
should get to eat in schools. You know, Timwall's one
of the things I love about him on the campaign trailers,
He's like, you think I'm a communist because I want
to make sure kids in Minnesota have lunch.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Like really, yeah, And my mom's a public school teacher
for fourth grade, and that really makes a difference actually
for families. I come from not a wealth the area
in Alabama, a small town about thirty eight thousand people,
and school lunches are like, you know, it's a real
issue in the summer because that's sometimes the only meals
(10:08):
that those kids get that are consistent that they know
they're going to get. So on that note, I think
they have a powerful one. But on the women thing,
you know, I also have to remember j d Vance
just made the comment when he did Joe Rogan's podcast
that he was saying that, you know, states should decide abortions.
He's previously, you know, advocated for a national abortion band.
(10:28):
But he said that he has seen women who are
making cakes and celebrating their abortions, and even Joe Rogan said,
I haven't, I haven't seen that, like women's cell Like obviously,
having an abortion is a deeply personal decision, often a
painful one, and you don't know why someone's making that decision.
(10:49):
And I, as a young thirty year old woman, have
not seen any I don't know anyone who's you know, yeah,
celebrating my abortion. And so uh, it was just like
a very tone deaf comment. As they're still trying to
appeal to women.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
That was striking to me.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, it's all pretty shocking to me. I mean, it
was shocking to me that that, you know, quote unquote
comedian also made a joke that he thinks Travis Kelcey
will probably be the next O J. Simpson and I'm like,
I'm sorry, are you suggesting that Travis Kelcey should un
alive his girlfriend because she's a pop star who's voting
(11:27):
for your opponent, you know, and then Donald Trump's on
the news calling for Liz Chaney to be executed by
a firing squad. I mean, it's like, I don't really
know how much more egregious you need to be to
the fifty one percent of the population that you and
I fall under. And clearly we know there's a there's
a gender gap, as there should be, and I wish
(11:47):
more men were appalled by the messaging here, But I
also know that the youth vote is a really key
demographic in the election. They're incredibly powerful in the political landscape. Historically,
young people don't vote in the ways that older people do,
and I think it's been really helpful to remind young people,
like what you want your grandparents to make all your
(12:07):
decisions for you? Like, what are we doing? What are
you seeing about the youth voter turnout this year? What
do those numbers look like?
Speaker 3 (12:15):
So I'm obsessed with this and we're talking about it tonight.
Actually because they're both targeting different, you know, demographics of
the youth vote, but they're both going after them because
they are hoping that it'll be different and that they
will come out in large numbers. We actually saw a
higher turnout from the youth vote in twenty twenty than
we had seen in a while. But the question it
(12:36):
feels like one of those moments where it's like it's
like with Texas, like people always like is it gonna
turn blue or not? We're always watching it, and it's
like Lucy the Football, like it never does. You watch
Democrats get so excited and then it doesn't actually materialize.
That could actually also happen on Tuesdays, so we'll be
watching that fort the Senate race. But with the youth vote,
it always feels like there's such mobilization and like they're
(12:57):
there and you see these get off the vote efforts
and you see what's happening on Instagram and TikTok and whatnot,
and then it doesn't show up because they're low propensity
voters and they don't really show up on election day.
They just they're not driven to go to the polls.
And so with the Trump team, this is fascinating because
they're counting on those young men to show up on Tuesday.
Whether or not they do could could alter the election.
(13:18):
But then with the Harris campaign, you know, I noticed
one thing that's been going around on TikTok that you
just had to remember how young these voters are a
lot of them. This is their first election and eight
years ago they were like in junior high or in
high school. And the access Hollywood tape is actually having
a resurgence on TikTok right now by all these young
(13:39):
voters who are seeing it and have never heard it,
which to me is stunning because like everyone else has
it like memorized because it was such a shocking moment
before the election in twenty sixteen. It's all these young
voters who'd never like you just have to remember they
were young when this happened. They were like thirteen, they
were paying attention to the new and so sure, you know,
(14:01):
how does that you know, shift their opinion if at all?
Speaker 1 (14:06):
That's really interesting?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Is that amazing it is?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
And now a word from our sponsors who make this
show possible. Do you feel like you have a really
good perspective on what the top issues are for the
youth vote.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I think the youth vote is it's different.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
It shifts because, like you know, obviously with older voters
and most voters who are actually likely voters, it's economy,
immigration and democracy is actually higher ranking that I think
a lot of people would give it credit for. We
saw that in a sne And poll it was the
third ranking issue a few months ago, which was kind
of amazing to me because the whole, you know, common
(14:55):
conventional wisdom is that it's nice to talk about, but
if you're actually worried about your bills, that's not what
you're thinking about. But clearly people are thinking. But for
younger voters, I think that there are issues that are
just totally different to them, like gay marriage, climate change,
all of these things are they're like givens to them,
like there's not you. You'd be hard pressed to find
(15:16):
a lot of young people who are like, yeah, the
climate's not changing, or this isn't climate change as a hoax,
like and that was such a fight for so long
in politics with Republicans, and so I just think that
they're thinking of it differently. But I think the economy
is big for them because they're coming out and they're
not satisfied with their jobs, entry level jobs or where
(15:37):
they're you know, upward mobility, and they can't afford homes
and that is just not something that you know of
Like our parents' generation, they never had to worry about it, Like.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Their parents had homes by the time they were thirty
years old, and.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
So I think that has been a huge, a huge
thing for.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Them as well.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yeah, I think what's been really interesting to your point
about even that tape receins surfacing on TikTok. I've been
really relieved to see some younger, more financially minded influencers
on TikTok being like, hey, if you're not super happy
with the economy right now, like you know, we're still
living in Trump's tax policy right like tax cuts he
(16:16):
gave to billionaires, or why your taxes are so terrible?
And I was like, wow, guys, yes, you should probably
make sure everybody knows that, just like I think it's
really great that, you know, we're able to talk about
the fact that the Harris Walls campaign has plans to
aid first time home home buyers, you know, to help
people kind of close that gap between our generation and
(16:37):
our parents generation either are focusing on, like the Sandwich generation,
even with healthcare for parents, making sure you can be
a home career, especially if you have an elderly parent
and young kids. You know, these are things that really
feel like they matter to folks, And I think pierce
(16:57):
some of this idea that the right way is better
for the economy, even though all the economic data for
the last hundred years disproves that. I am really curious
why you think that message seems to stick. Is it
one of those things, like Trump says, that you repeat
a lie enough and people will believe it, Like or
(17:17):
is it just that that's what they've made the focus
of their campaigns for so many decades now that everyone
kind of plays the word association.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
You mean, just like why voters trust Trump on like
the economy and stuff.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Yeah, because, like he added, twenty five percent of the
entire United States national debt was created under Donald Trump.
Like when you think about that, you know, in the
two hundred plus years we've existed, that in four years,
twenty five percent of our debt was made under one person.
That's a pretty alarming statistic. So why do voters trust
this guy this bankruptcy king about money?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Yeah, it's that, And it's like they just view him
as a very successful billionaire, even though he has declared
bankruptcy a lot. You know, he never would release his taxes.
Is the New York Times that had to get access
to parts of them.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
It is.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
It's a fascinating thing because also, you know, okay, in
this moment right now, if I went.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Home, which obviously Alabama is a very conservative.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
State, but if I went home and said, Okay, you know,
how's everyone feeling about this, my dad would say, well,
I'm voting. And this is just an example. If my
dad's listening, I just don't. I'm not revealing his vote.
This is just hypothetical. But if I said, you know,
how do you feel aout the economy, my dad would
be like, it sucks and I can't do this. And
it's like, actually, your furrowook is doing better. You're you're
(18:37):
not at risk of the Harris tax policy plan, like
if you make under four hundred thousand dollars, same thing
that Biden argued, the capital gains tax part I think
concerned people. But she's kind of like dialed back on
that after we heard from economist weighing in. But on this,
you know, gas prices, they'll say gas prices are so
high right now, the US is producing more oil than
(18:59):
it ever had in the nation's history. And but it's
something that the the White House doesn't often tout because
it's not popular with progressives who care about the climate
and want to see changes there, but it is a
fact that is happening.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
And so we have Republicans on all the.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Time who say, you know, Caitlin, it's the economy that
people are worried about, and it's like, okay, but can
you point to something, and they'll point to energy prices,
and it's like it's one of those things where I
think so many lawmakers and politicians, not just Trump, but
they say it all the time, and voters still feel
like a malaise because of all the inflation and everything
(19:35):
coming out of COVID, which look at how the US
did compared to other countries, and.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
We fared so much better than most other countries because
of Biden and.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Harrison's well and no recession, you know, the flood's monetary policy,
and so it's all of those things.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
But it's like you can tell people all the facts
and the numbers, and it's how people feel how they vote.
And so.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
I'm not a politician, thankfully, but I think that's probably
got to be one of the.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Most frustrating parts is being like, well.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
It's fine, so I don't know what you feel this
way because you can't you know, if you have a
friend who's frustrated, it's something you can't just say, well,
that's not real, because it is how they feel.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
So it's like, how do you talk to them in
that sense of it?
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Yeah, well, and I think there are certain things that
hopefully are breaking through. You know, even the fact that
Vice President Harris said she would go after companies for
price gouging, and then suddenly you saw all these big
corporations and grocery stores lowering their prices and everyone was like, oh,
so it isn't inflation. It was a choice because y'all
are bragging about your you know, record record breaking financial
(20:37):
quarters every quarter on your earnings calls. So I, ah,
I know those things because I'm a news nerd. I know,
you know those things you work in the news. It
is hard to see what's breaking through to voters, but
clearly there's you know, a lot of anxiety, and we
do know that there is a lot of fear on
the right that they're you know, uniting around hate campaign
(21:00):
isn't working because all these ballot boxes are getting set
on fire, and you know, Washington and or really.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Scary for what's going to happen on what.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Happens there, because we know that some states and obviously
they know too. All of this is public information. We
know that in some states it's been less than twelve
thousand votes, and there could be thousands of ballots in
those in those ballot boxes that are in very progressive
zip codes. How can public officials identify those voters? How
do they rectify the situation? Have you heard of any
(21:31):
precautions that are going to be put in place across
the country to stop this from continuing to happen like
what we do here.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
We actually talked to Marie Glusen camp Perez. She's a
fascinating a politician for people to don't love maker, for
people don't know who she is. She represents a really
competitive district in Washington. She was elected in twenty twenty
two because I interviewed her maybe twenty twenty it was
either twenty twenty or twenty twenty two, and she her
(21:57):
family owns like an auto repair shop and Washington. She
ran because she was frustrated. She's a Democrat, but she's
very moderate and has a very very she flipped a
red seat, so she's very middle of the road but
it's her district where the ballot boxes were set on fire,
and she was so her quote was pissed off when
I talked to her about it, because she was like,
(22:19):
these people did their duty, they went and voted, They
took the time after like picking up their kids and
going to the grocery store and doing this. Yes, and
now it's like we have to find them and track
them and make sure that they know that something happened.
I saw they laid out all the ballots, so they
were trying to identify people who had not reached back
out to say, hey, I cast my ballot here the
(22:40):
other day to find those voters. But you make a
good point overall, and something crazy I learned the other day.
These poor election workers who are volunteers doing their civic duty,
going to help to ensure that you can go cast
her ballots because it doesn't matter who's running, what the
issues are if you can't actually vote. And they are
(23:01):
under such threats, largely because of Trump and his allies
and how they handle the twenty twenty election. But in Georgia,
the Secretary of State there ordered lanyards for all the
poll workers.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
There's thirty hundred.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Precincts that have a mobile panic button in them so
they can push it and it calls notineven one if.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
They're having issues.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
I just think that's crazy in the United States of
America that we have to have mobile panic buttons.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
For our pollwark for election. We don't know what could happen.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Yeah. Well, and I saw a great effort that was
gaining some traction this year where a lot of veterans
were signing up to go and be poll workers because
they were like, oh, you want to come threat in
the democracy we risked our lives for not here, Oh
that's not on American soil. And I've loved it. You know,
a lot of the guys behind vote vets have been
(23:51):
advocating for this stuff, and I'm just like, yeah, you guys,
like a lot of I don't think people realize that
so many folks who work at the polls are actually
military veterans.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yeah, that's actually really interesting.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
And it's just we've seen it, like, it's not a
made up thing, a made up concern. It's a hypothetical.
We've seen it happening in Florida and in other polling
places where it's a real issue, and so it just
you know, Ruby Freeman and Shay Mosk, the two Georgia
election workers who still have not gotten a dime.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
From Rudy Giuliani.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
I just think about them because they lived in their
community and what happened, how how much they were lied
about impacted their lives that before. Like now they've won
and they've won their court case and everyone can see it,
but at the time that no one knew.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You know, Ruby Freeman talked about how she was scared
to go to the grocery store.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yes, she was scared to leave her home, and.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
People were showing up at her house. And it just
is like nuts to think about. And the sense of how,
you know, a citizen who's done their duty is being harassed, like.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Up, Yeah, it's pretty alarming, you know how that feels though,
I mean granted, not on the scale certainly of what
Ruby Freeman went through. You know, the attacks on her
were unconscionable. But you hosted a town hall on CNN.
You interviewed Donald Trump. It was twenty twenty three, and
(25:20):
he didn't like that You pressed him, which is your job,
and he called you a nasty person. His favorite insult
to you know, throw at women. He calls us bitches
on the golf course, but on the news, he'll call
us nasty. How did that feel to you? Obviously you
(25:43):
kept your professional hat on, but what's it like to
have the former president of the United States call you
names and incite the kinds of violence that he does
from his crowd personally?
Speaker 2 (25:58):
For you?
Speaker 3 (25:58):
You know, I have covered Donald Trump for eight years now,
and even long. I met him in twenty fifteen when
he was running, and I think from covering him, I
just knew I know his playbook. Like in that town hall, really,
I basically could have predicted every answer he gave.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
You don't always know exactly.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
He just always repeats himself, so you have a pretty
good idea of where he's going. But in that moment,
what we were and I had you know, this had
happened to me in the briefing room before, or just
in the moments the White House. They banned me from
the Rose Garden, an event at the Rose Garden once
because he didn't like the questions I had asked when
he was in the Oval office, and so it wasn't
(26:41):
my first rodeo basically, right, But in that moment, we
had been asking him about the classified documents investigation, and
he had obviously taken them, it was before he had
been indicted, and.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
We were asking, you know, why he took them and
what was happening with that, and.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
He very clearly didn't want to answer the question, and
so he kind of gave his talking point and then
tried to move on. But then, you know, the art
of journalism is in the follow up questions. It's often
not your first question, it's your follow up that really
makes the difference or the news. And so he clearly
didn't want to answer that, and I kept pressing him,
and so his tactic is kind of to divert and
(27:19):
say you're a nasty person. But in that moment, you
have a choice. You can either respond to that, which
certainly is a human response. I think a human impulse
is to say okay, like when someone calls you a name.
But you know, being there as a reporter, you have
to think, okay, I'm here. Fans of his are watching,
(27:40):
detractors of his are watching. How do you maintain your
credibility as a reporter and also not get knocked off
your line of questioning. I think you can never take
the bait as a reporter, and that's the probably one
of the best things I've learned. This just happened when
I interviewed carry Lake the other day. She kept making
these digs about my age or you know what I
meant to ask, And in that moment, it's easy to
(28:02):
see how you can be like, okay, But I think
as a reporter you've got to stay with your line
of questioning and keep going because they want you to
go and get in that fight, because then they're not
being asked the question they don't want to answer.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Right. Oh, it drives me a little crazy, but I
also love it. We'll be back in just a minute.
But here's a word from our sponsors. Given the rhetoric,
the temperature, the nastiness, if you will, that you face
(28:35):
in rooms like that one with him and what you
just mentioned with Carrie Lake in Arizona, Like, is it
a drastically different thing for you as a person, not
just a journalist, but as a person when you prep
to go in a room and you're interviewing someone, say
from the Democratic side of the ticket, like or do
(28:56):
you always feel kind of the same.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
I think it depends because there's certainly some Republicans who
you know would never go there and would never you know,
they have decorum and like you know, they want to
have a substantive back and forth. And maybe you don't
agree or maybe they don't like, you know, the questions,
but they're willing to play ball and come on. And
you know, we try to do that at nine o'clock
every night. We have people from both both parties on
(29:22):
because you got to ask everyone a question. And like,
you know, Democrats are taxpayer funded officials too, and like
we always like to press people because I just think
if you get paid by the taxpayers, you should have
to answer tough questions. And honestly, sometimes they usually like it,
like I think, you know, they're out in the political
arena for a reason, and they like they don't want
(29:42):
to just do an easy interview, Like they like to
get pushed like well why do you think that way?
Or why is this the best policy? And so I
like when people show up to play and they want
to engage and have a good a good engaging interview that.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
People want to watch.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
But it is when people, you know, are to go
off the rails that you kind of have to be
prepared anything, and you know, it kind of depends on
who you're interviewing. You can get a sense of of
how they are in that way, and if they're going
to you know, you never know where an interview who's
going to go. We had Trump's transition coach here on
the other night, Howard Lutnik. He's the boo of Canner
(30:20):
Fitzgerald here in New York. He's an amazing story about
you know, nine to eleven he wasn't in the office
and he was one of the few who survived and
just this incredible story. He's kind of like a pillar
in the New York business community and he's running Trump's
transition and we had him one we were going to
talk about, you know, staffing and personnel and what's this
going to look like, and you know, we prepare pushback.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
And like, you know, what do we think they're going
to say? What are we going to say back to that?
My team?
Speaker 3 (30:47):
And it went on this like totally left turn into
vaccines and like the conspiracy theories about vaccines, like we
were not expecting at all, and like, you know, you've
got to fact check that in the moment and push
back on it, because you know, you can't just let
someone come on air. Lie, Yeah, and so in moments
(31:07):
like those, really, what I try to do in every
interview should just be as prepared as.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Possible because you never know where it's gonna go.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Yeah. Well, I mean even that stuff. You know, you've
got all this RFK running around saying he's gonna take
over the you know, the CDC, And I'm like, what
we don't need is a resurgence of a measles epidemic.
There are certain things we should, I think, just be
able to agree on and then build forward.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
And think, if you're the scientists who came up with
that vaccine, you're like, really, I put all his hard
work into like saving the lives of children, and.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Now I have to deal with yeah, people who want
to undermine it.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
This close to eradicating polio, and now we're dealing with
this because of these yahoos. And you know, it isn't
lost on me that a lot of us on the
you know, more sort of progressive side, if you will,
of activism and organizing have been working on forcing the
US to meet the EU's food standards for so long.
I'm like, I think you're going for the wrong side here,
(32:03):
but here we are. Everything is upside down at this
point and we're almost through it. You know, tomorrow is
going to obviously be a very big day. I'm curious
how you're preparing for election Day but also for the week.
And when do you think, given the early voting numbers
we're seeing, when do you think we're going to know
(32:24):
or is it too soon to say even now?
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Well, as far as preparing, I'm always like, okay, you know,
how can I brace myself for what this is going
to look like. I'm mentally preparing for it to go
on for a long time, you know, in kind of
the situation where you prepare for the worst, hope for
the best, and you know we're going to go Well,
I'll be in Florida at the Trump headquarters tomorrow for
(32:49):
the as the results are coming in, Abby, Philip will
be with Vice President Harris's headquarters. So we're kind of
like stationed to you know, in real time on CNN
be able to say here, here's the mood in the
campaign right now, here's what they're looking at, and these
numbers that are coming in, and.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
When you're each in those different locations, but as you said,
you're you're stationed on site, you know, you've kind of
got a divide across the country. And then what for
the folks at home that are like, but how does
that work? You're patching in live to a studio and
doing shows together, right.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Yeah, so we'll have and then we'll have like John
King and the Magic Wall, like looking at all the numbers. Yeah,
and Jake there if you know, as we're getting numbers,
what are we calling? And so basically it's just seeing
it in on election night is at its best because
it's like we have so many resources, Like we're so prepared,
We've been doing rehearsals. Everyone's kind of like, you know,
(33:40):
this could happen, or this could happen, or this could happen.
Trump could declare victory prematurely like you did in twenty twenty.
Like we're just kind of game planning all that. I know,
it's crazy that you even have to like think about that,
but so that's basically it. And like we'll be texting
in real time and being like here's what we're seeing,
here's what we're hearing, and so if you're watching, you'll
(34:01):
be able to see all those updates of like what's.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Going on the ground.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
And then I don't know how long it's gonna last.
I don't think we'll know on Tuesday night. I think
everyone feels pretty Maybe we will, but everyone feels pretty consensency.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
From what I've heard from my sources.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
It's gonna take a little bit just because the counting
of those mail in balance, they can't some of them.
They can't start counting in some states until seven pm.
And so you know, these pullworkers are doing the Lord's
work and.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
They really are, like they seriously are. They deserve like,
you know, all the treats of the world.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
So maybe by Thursday, you know, last year or in
twenty twenty, last selection, it took until twenty It took
until Saturday when we found out. Yeah, we had a
pretty good idea though on Thursday and Friday. If you're
looking at the numbers, I think they just wanted to
be one hundred percent sure. They wanted to feel good
because public trust is so important, and being able to
say we'll see it and called it. I believe them,
(34:56):
and you know, it really was the difference maker, I think,
And so we we work so hard to get it right.
That's what people at home should know is we're looking
at every inch of this, so we'll see how long
it takes. The question is, you know, is it all
gonna come down to Pennsylvania. We're gonna be hanging out
there for a few days, Georgia and North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
You know, we don't.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
You never know, And you know what the other thing is,
there's always surprises that happen in the numbers or in
the Senate races. You know, who's going to control the Senate,
who's going.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
To control the House. So we'll be like digging through
all of that.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Yeah, okay, so maybe maybe we assume that we'll know
at the weekend, Saturday or Sunday, and if we know
sooner than we're through exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
And I think the one thing that is so important
for people to know is just because we don't know
an election night doesn't mean anything's wrong. It takes time
to count and there's a lot of ballots and they
want to be sure, and so it's not a sign
of like, you know, you're like, why am I still waiting?
Speaker 2 (35:56):
This is weird, it's normal.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
It's just because we're such a big country.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Yeah, and turn out it's going to be so crazy.
I heard a poster say he thinks about one hundred
and seventy million people will vote, so we'll see. Wow,
Like he said, that was like the high number.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
He thought, it's amazing. Do you think, I guess the
better question is what do you think? How do you
estimate from what you see every day, how we as
a society get to move forward after such a contentious
and abnormal and historic election. Do you maybe have two
(36:35):
different answers depending on who wins, or do you think
there's kind of a roadmap forward for Americans in general?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
The problem is with that, I don't want, I don't know,
and I'm always hopeful that people will will rise to
the occasion. But I think when you look at the polling,
if it's accurate, and even if it's two points off,
the country is basically split, and most people feel pretty strongly.
And so what we do know is how polarized we are.
(37:04):
So on election day, one person's team is going to
win and one person's team is going to lose, and
how people deal with that, You know, accepting a loss
is a real thing. And yea, we saw that in
twenty twenty. It was so sad to see, like, and
this is why, you know, anytime we have on someone
who's an election denier. We always ask them about it,
(37:24):
regardless of what the news is that day, because it's like.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
If you're a tax parafunded official and you've got this
platform and you're misleading people who trust you because of
your position, I just think that's, you know, one of
the lowest things that someone can do. And so.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I just you know, obviously, if Harris wins, she said
she would accept the outcome, Trump still waivers on that
and says, you know, if it's free and fair, which
obviously wasn't twenty twenty. So I think that's the thing
to watch after is what does the environment look like
after Do people accept it or are we going to
I mean, you know, both campaigns have a ton of
(38:01):
attorneys already stationed in the battle ground states because they're
preparing for it to be one of the most litigated
elections in US history. And in two thousand and four
when this happened, you know, al Gore accepted it and
you know, gave a concession speech and said, you know,
we're accepting the decision of the Supreme Court, and that
(38:21):
was not a given and so so I don't know,
So we'll see, But I do think Yeah, things are
not over on Tuesday night. This is going to be
a story that we're still following up until the inauguration
and beyond that.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Right well, there's obviously a lot to think about, a
lot to prepare for. As you said, you've got a
lot to sort of rehearse and make sure you're ready
for any outcome. It's a lot of work and it's
mentally taxing. I'm curious if you feel like you can
also take a step back and insulate yourself a little bit,
(38:59):
or if it's just all in all election you'll catch
your breath when it's over. Because normally I like to
ask people, you know, at the end of an interview,
what your work in progress is right now, but I
don't know if you even have time to think about it.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
That's a great uh, it's a great question.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
And you know, I'm such a political junkie that I
love the election because I think the one thing that
we've been talking about polls for two years now, and
the one thing that we'll learn on Tuesday is like,
how did the people, how do people actually feel, what
did they actually decide? What do the numbers look like?
And who showed up where? So I love that because
(39:41):
I love it's always really informative, and I think you
learn a lot. I think as a reporter, you know,
who has covered two historic elections already and now approaching
the third, I always just think, how can I do
my best? Like how can I be the clearest? How
can I see as someone who studies this every day,
how can I see what maybe other people who are
(40:02):
busy and at home I are tuning in, Like how
can I help them understand it and ye think about
it and process it? Like I just want to be
of service in that sense. And so that's what I'm
thinking of going into election night is best reporting, clearest reporting,
cutting through the bullshit, Like that's what I think is
our responsibility as reporters, And so that's what I'm going
(40:24):
you know, I always want to get better at every election.
Twenty sixteen was crazy, twenty twenty was crazy. I was
at Trump campaign headquarters in twenty sixteen, I was the
White House in twenty twenty, and I'll be back at
the Trump campaign headquarters tomorrow night. And so, you know,
doing my best there as like my goal right now.
Then I'll catch my breath, like in January or February well,
(40:45):
we'll talk.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
About our personal work in progress maybe around the holidays.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Yeah. I love that.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Okay, good, well, thank you so much. I'll be thinking
about you tomorrow, you know, you and Abby. My fingers
are crossed for you. I hope it is. I hope
it's a good night.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
For us all. I hope it's.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
I just hope everyone's you know, respectful and not violent.
We're going to make it through it patient. But thanks
for having me on.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
This has been so fun and it's such an exciting
time and it's great to talk and I just love
how much you know and care about it. And I
think that's you know, it's always really inspiring for people.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Thank you. Yeah, I mean you said it. We're political
junkies for sure, and yeah, I think my you know,
for me, once I realized that every single thing I touch, do, see,
you know, observed, smell, experience in the world is the
result of policy, I was like, oh, I have to
know everything about how all of this happens. And so
(41:48):
if I can you know, play any part in supporting
the work you all do and reminding people that the
political is personal, It's like then everything is creevy for me.
I'm thrilled about it.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
And the more involved you are and the more you know,
like people really can individually make such a such an impact.
I think sometimes people feel powerless, and I think reminding
people that they're not and none of this is a
given is so important me too.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
Thanks for taking the time. I know you guys are swamped.
It means a lot.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Yeah, I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Okay, bye, guys. Thank you,
Host
Sophia Bush
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