All Eyes on New Hampshire

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1:00Distributor The president versus the economy, his hot war with Iran and trade war with Canada are threatening the vulnerable Republicans Trump needs to keep control of Congress. I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines and inside politics.

1:24There are 56 days until the election and we are tracking the races, candidates and stories that could shift the balance of power here in Washington and across the country. Here's what's on our midterm radar. Today is the New Hampshire primary. No, not that one. There are competitive contests in both sides on both parties to replace retiring Senator Gene Shaheen. For Democrats, it's Congressman Chris Pappas versus Democratic Socialist Karishma Manzur, the final race of the year between the establishment on the Democratic side and the far left. For Republicans, former Senator John Sununu is facing off with former Senator Scott Brown.

2:05Sununu has President Trump's backing. Kansas is generally as ruby red as Dorothy's slippers, but Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall has a legit challenge, one that President Trump's latest fight with Canada isn't helping. Here's the president threatening Canada's largest aircraft manufacturer. No more selling Bombardier in the United States. Their products aren't good enough. Well, that doesn't play well in Wichita, where Bombardier has its U.S. headquarters and employs over 1 ,200 people. Moments ago, Marshall posted this on X. I'm going to fight to keep Bombardier's over 1 ,200 Kansas jobs.

2:48I've already taken that concern inside the Oval Office. In neighboring Nebraska, on the other hand, a new report about independent candidate Dan Osborne, who the Democratic Party is tacitly supporting, is less than ideal for his race in that red state. Politico reports Osborne called President Trump's border wall, quote, a symbol of racism in a private meeting in July. That's a U-turn from ads he ran during his 2024 campaign when he embraced the wall, even joking that he could help build it. Here's how he explained it to them. Campaigning is not being a U.S. Senate. So it is about trying to win votes in a Republican state.

3:33Osborne says, quote, I give President Trump full credit for securing the border. Some people don't like that, but because I'm an independent, I don't have to blindly support the purity tests of either party. House Republicans are stepping in to help embattled Ohio Congressman Max Miller with a$450 ,000 joint ad buy, attacking his opponent, iron worker Brian Poindexter. Brian Poindexter has Bernie Sanders' endorsement. He's a socialist. Because Bernie, he belongs in a nuthouse. When things are so expensive already, Brian Poindexter wants higher taxes. Don't we have enough taxes in our lives now?

4:14Miller is facing allegations of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. Miller denies her claims, but his decision to stay in the race has put a seat President Trump carried by 11 percentage points in play. Let's dive deeper now on the politics of President Trump's trade war. Today, Canada's retaliatory tariffs are now in effect targeting hundreds of industries, including American steel and aluminum. Canada is a major trading partner for pretty much all of the key battleground states. Think Michigan, Maine, Ohio. Tariffs hitting their right as voters are starting to tune in to the midterms. I'm joined by a terrific group of reporters today.

4:57Hello, one and all. Tamara Keith, I'm going to start with you. you are no longer covering the Trump White House, but you did for a long time. You, as really all of us, understand that there are just a couple of things that, back from when the president was a Democrat, thought about being an independent to a Republican, that he is just absolutely dogmatic to him, and tariffs is one of them. Which is why it's certainly not surprising that he keeps pushing on this for that reason, but for the reason of politics and the midterms and those states that we pointed out, it's not helping. No, tariffs, as you say, are a core belief for President Trump.

5:39He believes that they are a good thing. He believes they help with negotiating and everything else. If nothing else, though, he's now giving Republicans in all of these swing states something where they can show some separation between themselves and their president because they disagree with him and they have made no secret about that. Republicans in those states are, you know, Susan Collins in Maine, for instance, very clear that a trade war with Canada is not a good idea at this time, a big issue in Michigan, all of these states. But President Trump, he does what he wants to do when he wants to do it.

6:16And, you know, as he said, as relates to the Iran war, you know, I'm not worried about the midterms, though every other action indicates he is, in fact, worried about the midterms. So I mentioned at the top of the show that Roger Marshall, who has more of a competitive race than anybody probably would have imagined, considering the fact that he's a Republican in Kansas, just put out a statement saying, I'm on it. His Democratic opponent was pretty tough in his statement, and he did so yesterday. The decision to ban Bombardier from selling in the U.S. is a direct attack on Kansas workers and Kansas jobs.

6:51Yet Roger Marshall is notably silent. OK, he's not anymore. But then Hamilton went on to say, we cannot allow this chaotic economic policy to continue to hurt Kansans. They deserve so much better. Yeah, I mean, I thought the key part of what I saw from the Roger Marshall statement was him saying, I've already expressed these concerns to the White House, which is really from a political strategy perspective, the best these Republican candidates can do, which is at least try to emphasize that they have an open line of communication with the administration. So when things do go sideways for their state, at least in their view, they can highlight the fact they have a productive, working relationship with the president, and they can then make the case that my Democrat, that all goes away if we elect a Democrat.

7:29We'll see if that kind of strategy resonates with voters, but in these moments where the president is doing something that is such a political liability for Republican incumbent, that's one of the best, I think, strategies they have within reach is to say they're at least in touch with the administration, they have an open line of communication. Yeah, and other Republicans in Kansas did similar. Jerry Moran on Monday, I reached out to the Trump administration to make certain the president is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers.

8:01Ron Estes, congressman from Kansas, Bombardier's impact locally plays a critical role in our region's dominance. I have long advocated for aircraft and aviation parts to be exempted from all tariffs. Yeah, so the problem for these Republicans is, you know, yes, they can use these private channels to try to influence. And even if they dare create some separation, like Senator Marshall has to some effect with his statement saying, you know, he will fight for Bombardier. At the end of the day, they still have to deal with the fallout. They have to deal with the fact that the president that they support is now threatening thousands of jobs.

8:39They have to deal with the fallout from farmers and businesses who are dealing with the effects of the tariffs. They have to deal with the fallout from voters who are saying Trump keeps doing things that affect the economy and affects the bottom line and affects the price of goods. They are dealing with the effects of what Trump says and does, and they don't have a lot of power to control what he says and does. So that's tariffs. The other thing that a big issue that it doesn't matter where you live that Republicans on the ballot are dealing with are high gas prices. And I just want to review some of the promises that the president has made on Truth Social just over the course of the year since this war in Iran started.

9:27March 8th, short-term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay. In July, gas prices will soon be back to record low prices. And then just yesterday, oil prices will drop precipitously like everything else is dropping, but more when we win the war with Iran. Meanwhile, that's up against the reality that people are seeing and paying when they go to the pump. Today, the average gas price is$4.50 a gallon. A month ago, it was$4. And then, of course, before the war, he had helped. I mean, it came down, certainly from the Biden years, to a pretty good price,$2.98 a gallon.

10:11Yeah, I mean, I think the key phrase there in that last social post was, when we win the war with Iran, which has been a little bit of Lucy in the football. It just keeps slipping away. It keeps getting pulled out. You know, I talked to swing voters, people who voted for President Trump sometime in the last two years, some of them sometime in the last two years. And they were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at the beginning of the war. But it has now been more than six months. And the message is the same as it was before. One of the voters I've been talking to said, you know, maybe the president just shouldn't have promised to bring down prices if this is the way things are going to be.

10:49he shops at dollar stores and he's like, you know, for Biden made it a buck 25 store, but Trump has it up at a buck 50, a buck 75. And Patrick, this is all related to this great story that you have this morning talking about Democrats entering, trying to get into red territory. And there's a, we're going to talk a little bit more about that in the next block, but there's a quote in here that is very relevant to the discussion that we're having. It's from Tom Barrett of Michigan. President Trump is not on the ballot, he said in an interview. I'm on the ballot, and my opponent is on the ballot, and that's the choice people are going to be faced with.

11:25I mean, that's actually true. President Trump is not on the ballot, but we are one day away from the president going to Texas to this convention that they're having for the midterms where he is going to say, I'm on the ballot. Of course, and he's already said on the campaign trail, I believe, starting in South Carolina when he was there for that Senate special election. You know, he told voters, pretend I'm on the ballot. That was in reference to that election. But it's clear that that is the message that he is going to take probably to this convention. And, you know, Republicans are caught in a tough spot here because they want to turn out those Trump voters from past presidential elections, including in 2024.

11:59And who is the best person to turn them out? President Trump. That's at least what they believe. So they believe there is a benefit to putting him a little more front and center so they can get those presidential voters to turn out those low propensity voters that he has kind of a special connection with, if you want to put it that way. But of course, that puts President Trump more front and center and all his political vulnerabilities for the broader electorate more front and center. So they're in a really tough political situation here. All right, everybody stand by. Up next, today is the last big Senate primary in a state Republicans think they might be able to flip in November.

12:31We're looking at the New Hampshire Senate race. And can't we all just get along? Utah Governor Spencer Cox offers a roadmap to an off-ramp of political contempt, and he'll be here live to talk about it.

12:50I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast. We get to talk to the men's winner of the New York City Marathon, Andreas Almgren. He's a self-coached 31-year-old who was, get this, making his marathon debut. He never ran a marathon before he won it. If someone wanted to start getting serious about running, and they wanted to approach it like a data scientist like you do, how would you suggest they start? Be patient. My peak weeks, I ran like 140, 150 miles per week or something. Wow. Either increase the distance or you should increase the intensity. You should never increase both at the same time.

13:29Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now wherever you get your podcasts.

13:37Right now, New Hampshire voters are heading to the polls to pick their Senate nominees. Democrats will nominate a candidate they hope can hang on to the seat currently held by retiring Senator Gene Shaheen. Their choices, Congressman Chris Pappas, and a challenger from the left, scientist Karishma Mansoor. And on the GOP side, Republicans will pick between former New Hampshire Senator John Sununu and former Massachusetts senator, now running in New Hampshire again, Senator Scott Brown. Now, Sununu is the primary favorite, and Democrats worry that his long history in New Hampshire politics, not to mention that of his family, could flip the seat.

14:18A Democratic loss in New Hampshire would be a big setback in the party's attempt to take back control of the Senate. Tia, this is really fascinating because we're already thinking certainly about the general election. It's kind of late to have a primary, but yet that's where we are. But before we get there, we do have to see what ends up happening, particularly on the Democratic side. As I mentioned, that matchup is kind of an example of the classic matchup we've seen throughout the primary season in the Democratic primary. Most of the polls show Pappas with a pretty sort of healthy lead, but some have also showed his...

15:00It's narrowing. Yeah, it's narrowing, so we'll see what happens. Yeah, I find it interesting, and I think, you know, yes, we're looking at these national trends with the rise of Democratic socialists. We're looking at these national trends with a lot of voters, particularly on the Democratic side, but in both parties wanting generational change, fresh blood, someone that they think is a fighter and is going to stand up to the establishment. And so both of these dynamics are at play in this Democratic primary. But I also feel like we should just remember New Hampshire is such a small state. You know, it's not like a big state like Texas or even Georgia, where a lot of voters are having to go off of what they've heard about candidates, not necessarily what they know about candidates.

15:43It's much more intimate in a smaller state. You get to really attend these events and get to know the candidates in a way that may be foreign to people who don't live in such a small state. And so I think that means the individuals are going to matter even more. It's going to really come down to how voters decide who they want specifically between these two individuals. So that's the dynamic in New Hampshire where even Democrats are saying that this could be a sleeper not in our favor. But the sort of big picture theme right now, and which you explore, as I mentioned, in this great piece that you have today about Democrats entering the midterms looking to conquer red territory.

16:28Let's just get a little bit specific. This is from the Cook Political Report, but it helps illustrate the thesis of your story, Patrick. First of all, let's start with North Carolina. Right now, that leans Democrat. That is currently held by a retiring Republican. And then you have all those yellow toss-up seats, Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas. And then you have Kansas that we were talking about is likely R but not solid R. But just even those yellow states that you're looking at, red seats. Yeah, I mean, going into this cycle, of course, you know, we knew that probably a Maine and Ohio would ultimately be ranked as toss-up races.

17:11but to be at this moment in the election and for us to be talking about, you know, Texas is not only a competitive race, but a toss-up race is really a remarkable indicator of where the political environment is and how favorable it may be to Democrats. And so, but just to be clear, to win the Senate majority, Democrats do need to compete in those states. That was always going to be part of the path to the Senate majority. I mean, they could not rely on just traditional battleground states. They would have to - With the back of their own toss-up. Right, exactly. But they would, you know, if you look at that path through the four seats that they need to pick up to get the majority, they were always going to need to show some signs of real competition in Alaska or Texas.

17:50Yeah. And it wasn't that long ago that the notion of a Democrat representing one of these red seats in the U.S. Senate was that far-fetched. Certainly, even before I started covering politics and since, I mean, if you think about it, just since 2013, there has been a Democrat representing Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida. And don't forget that two Democrats represented West Virginia and Montana not that long ago, just a little more than a decade ago. That is true. It's also true that the Trump era sort of swept in a lot of change in politics and red states got redder and blue states got bluer and there was a lot of sorting and all of these things.

18:45But certainly Democrats, if they are going to continue to be a relevant national party, they are going to have to win in places where they haven't won in the last 10 years or so. They're going to have to go into these red areas and compete. And that's why you are seeing different sorts of candidates. You have two different pastors or people with pastoral training who are running in Senate seats. One of them is the Kansas seat. Yes, exactly. And obviously Texas with Tallarico. So you have Democrats fielding different sorts of candidates and delivering a different sort of a message in some of these redder states.

19:21Yeah, because in these red states, it's very important or red-leaning states for the Democratic candidate to distinguish themselves. or as we've talked about, some of them are just running, some candidates are just running as independents aligned with Democrats. And that's because if you look at the polling in these states, yes, Trump may be unpopular, his policies may be unpopular, but when you ask people what is their perception of the Democratic brand versus the Republican brand, they tend to give poor remarks to the Democratic brand over the Republican brand. And so that's the kind of data that still gives Republicans a little hope here, that they have people slightly less dislike their brand compared to the Democrats.

19:54All right. Coming up next, breaking news, the head of the Smithsonian is retiring after months of pressure from the Trump administration to change how the nation's museums approach American history.

20:17breaking news lonnie bunch the head of the smithsonian is stepping down cnn's renee marsh joins me now live renee what do we know about bunch's decision well we know that the smithsonian they just put out a press release announcing his retirement uh lonnie bunch as you know uh the head of the Smithsonian has, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian, has really been at the President Trump's crosshairs of this political pressure on this institution. And he's really done this delicate dance of trying to maintain the independence of the Smithsonian, as well as kind of navigate the politics that is Donald Trump here in Washington, D.C.

20:59But this is the headline that he is going to be retiring. When I first heard the news, I was taken by surprise because I had the opportunity to speak with him one-on-one back in May as he was unveiling the America 250 exhibit at the Smithsonian Castle. It was an exhibit that he curated himself, and he spoke with so much passion. And you can just tell he is this student of history. He loves his job. He He loved that position and he loved the Smithsonian. So when you see so much passion to know that he was going to be walking away from it all, it took me by surprise. But I just got off the phone with a very close friend of his, John Fahey, who was on the Smithsonian Board of Regents up until recently, as of March.

21:45He has recently departed. And he said that Lonnie Bunch has been speaking about his retirement for some time, for the last couple of years. This is not in due to any political pressure that Lonnie Bunch has family and wants to spend more time with family. But we all know that the Smithsonian and Bunch has been at the center of President Trump's pressure as it relates to President Trump's idea that the Smithsonian and exhibits, as he says, are too woke. And Lonnie Bunch has really tried extremely hard to keep this institution independent. And really, when you look at the larger picture, you know, President Trump has put forth this White House report examining all of the Smithsonian's exhibits.

22:32Much of the Smithsonian has really remained intact despite the president's threats. And that in part due is to Lonnie Bunch and his ability to try to navigate all the political headwinds with preserving history and what he says is America's truth. AMNA NAWAZ, All right, Renee, thank you so much for giving us this news. And back here with the panel, the, I mean, we have heard time and time again the president complain about the Smithsonian. In March of last year, 2025, he did it officially in an executive order, saying the Smithsonian institution has in recent years come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.

23:12The shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive. Yeah, I think it's interesting because, of course, the shift in the Smithsonian and other museums was to more properly contextualize American history and be more truthful and honest about some of the maybe uglier, more uncomfortable parts about American history. But we know when Trump returned to the White House, he wanted to roll back some of that and kind of put it under the umbrella of reversing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across America in so many aspects. And so I hear what Renee said, that this could be just a scheduled retirement that isn't from a pressure campaign, but it's still, I think it's gonna lead a lot of people to be disappointed and concerned because now you have to wonder who will be the next person to lead the Smithsonian Institution.

24:09And I was talking to Renee in the break that Lonnie Bunch was appointed in 2019. So that was during Trump 1. Trump 2 sees things differently. Well, and also President Trump also appointed the Fed chairman who then he wanted out. So it's not like the president appointing someone in the first term means that he's going to continue to be happy with them forever. I do think that there is a real fight here happening where the Trump administration wants a different version of history. wants a, you know, like the airbrushed version of history, the one that maybe President Trump learned in school when he went to school all those many years ago.

24:50And it's different from the way history is taught and how history has been displayed in the Smithsonian institutions. Yeah, and all across the federal government. I was with Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania around 250, and there was a court battle to take down some images and explanations of the fact that George Washington had slaves and brought them to Pennsylvania. Fact. It's just, it is a fact. All right. We've all heard the call to just get along, to disagree without being disagreeable. But what if a Republican governor actually told you how to do it? Well, Utah Governor Spencer Cox will join me.

25:28He says he has a prescription. We'll hear it next.

25:39In a winner-takes-all political world, it can feel a bit utopian to ask, why can't we all just get along? But the Republican governor of Utah is imagining a world where that happens and wants you to as well. In his brand-new book, Off-Ramp, How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt, Governor Spencer Cox asks Americans to put down their partisanship and pick up their conversation tools. Governor Cox joins me now. Thank you so much for being here. I want to talk about the book in one moment, but it is, what, 56 days until the midterms. You are not on the ballot, but the environment for your fellow Republicans is not great.

26:17The president's approval rating is hovering around 35 percent. The average price of gasoline is$4.15 a gallon. Mortgage rates are surging. Why do you think voters should reelect your fellow Republicans in Congress and beyond? Well, I think they should elect Republicans. And by the way, it's great to see you again, Dana, because we bring actual solutions to the table and we still have a lot of work to do. I understand that. I will say that a couple of months ago, Democrats that I talked to were pretty excited about the midterms, feeling really great about their opportunity to have a big swing, something that used to be pretty normal in kind of midterms, where the other party, the party out of power, would would gain lots of seats and felt like this was going to be a layup.

27:03And then the DSA came along and suddenly they're panicking a little bit. The socialists kind of wing of the party, which is helping Republicans. And look, I admit that gas prices being high isn't great. It's something we all wish were different. We're hoping that we can put an end to the Iranian war as soon as possible. Those are all things we want to happen. But Democrats aren't that popular either. When you talk to voters, when you look at the polling, The Democratic brand isn't real strong right now, and there's certainly some candidates out there that are helping Republicans. So it's going to be very interesting to see how that turns out.

27:41Just real quick, when you say Republicans get things done, do you think that your constituents in Utah think Republicans who run Washington are getting things done? Well, I will say that I don't think most Americans think Congress has gotten anything done for a decade plus, no matter who's in charge. I make in the book, I make the passionate case that Congress was supposed to be the most powerful branch of government that was intended on purpose. There's real reasons for that. And and that hasn't been the case for a long, long time. And we need Congress to actually get stuff done again. No matter who's in charge, I wish we could that we could actually work to accomplish some things.

28:21OK, so let's talk about your book. And you write about the need for Americans to choose to reengage with each other. Unfortunately, Governor, this weekend an armed man allegedly pushed through a crowd toward Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton. Multiple people were injured. This happened at a fair, the type of community event that you believe Americans need more of. First, what was your reaction to hearing about that? And especially as you are talking about this book where you're saying, please, engage with one another in person. And a state fair is exactly the kind of place to do it.

28:58Well, I was horrified to hear that report. I'm grateful to see the candidates both responding. Vivek Ramaswamy, her opponent, I think responded appropriately as well. And that is to condemn this type of violence, this type of attempted violence. It's why I wrote the book. Of course, we had the highest profile political assassination in 50 years in Utah, almost a year ago when Charlie Kirk was assassinated, which was one of the things that compelled me to finish the work I had started several years before. And I'm really concerned about our country because we are resorting to political violence.

29:36Threats against members of Congress have increased tenfold over the past decade. Not 10 percent, 10 times the number of threats. That's what we're dealing with in politics right now. And look, we're celebrating 250 years of this incredible nation. We can't keep going this direction. We have to try something different. And I truly believe that means that we don't have to compromise on our values. We don't have to compromise on the issues. But we do have to disagree respectfully and try to find ways to work together to solve the biggest problems facing Americans. You mentioned the horrible murder of Charlie Kirk, which happened in your state, and the anniversary is in just two days.

30:21At that press conference, the first one you had after his murder, you asked Americans to, quote, look in the mirror and to see if you can find a better angel in there somewhere. Has that happened? Well, I do think it is happening. Look, the polling is pretty powerful right now. Seventy percent of Americans hate what's happening in our country with politics right now. They're desperate for something different, for something better. And I truly believe that the answer to these issues aren't just going to come from me or from a president, from Congress, but from all of us expecting more of each other and of ourselves.

31:03Look, all of the incentives are aligned against this type of effort towards peacemaking. the algorithms on social media reward the extreme voices, reward the, you know, the loudest people in the room. But that's not where most Americans are. And so I am hopeful that more and more people, I can't tell you the feedback I've gotten over the past year, the number of people who've said, you're right, I'm logging off of social media, I'm going to stop posting, you know, the hate that I've been posting, like we can do better. Well, I'm glad to hear that. I do want to ask about something else you write about in the book and the opportunity you had to ride with then President Biden in his motorcade with him in 2023.

31:45And during that car ride, you said this to the president, quote, Mr. President, I know this might sound crazy, but I think you should pardon Donald Trump. And then you write, the president said to you, you know, I've actually considered this for a while. In fact, just this week, as we were lying in bed, Jill and I had a long conversation about I just think that too many people in our country are demanding justice. I just don't think I can do it, but I will consider it. Now, Governor, you know that you know President Trump ran his first presidential campaign saying lock up his political opponent.

32:17He obviously went on to pardon supporters of his who beat police officers on January 6th, saying that they wanted to hang his then vice president. Why did you want Joe Biden to pardon him? Well, my hope was that that could be a real example to the nation. Again, incredibly divisive time, certainly understanding what was at stake in that forthcoming election. And I think it could have been a really pivotal turning point in our nation's history, having someone do something like that in a very magnanimous way. He ultimately decided not to do that. And, you know, history will decide, I guess, if he was right or if I was right.

33:03But I like to think that maybe things would be a little different today if he had actually made that decision. Governor Cox, thank you so much. I appreciate it. The book is Off Ramp and it is out today. Thanks for being here. Thanks, Dana. Coming up, Bernie Sanders, kingmaker. His hand-picked candidates have dominated the Democratic primaries. But can all those primary wins translate into general election victories? We'll talk about his impact today on his birthday after a break.

33:42Senator Bernie Sanders is celebrating his 85th birthday today. And he's probably also celebrating his movement's massive inroads in the Democratic Party. He's the most popular Democratic leader in America, and he's not even technically a Democrat. In an interview with Politico, Sanders explained why he thinks his wing of the party is winning. It is no great secret, look, that there is a division within the Democratic Party party between those of us who are fighting for progressive ideas that take on the oligarchy that stand with the working class and another part of the party that looks at the world a little bit differently.

34:25People want change and they do not want status quo politics or status quo policies. We've got to talk about the real solutions to the very serious problems we have. progressives by and large are doing that. Politico says Sanders has spoken at 63 rallies this year to more than 300 ,000 people. Okay, I'm definitely somebody who's been covering Washington longer than every one of you here. And I can remember when Bernie Sanders was a lone wolf and he was such an outsider. Forget about, you know, he's obviously an independent, it, forget about each party, but just in the ideas that he was pushing.

35:05And he has gone from that to leading a movement that is very much disrupting the Democratic Party. Yeah, and he was very out front, I think, in leading the resistance to Trump's second term in particular. We forget about it now, but in those early months of Trump's second term, the Democratic Party was a little divided after Trump's somewhat upset, resounding victory in the 2024 election about how much to embrace his ideas, how much to work with Republicans. But early on in 2025, you saw Bernie Sanders go out and hold these fighting oligarchy rallies at a time when there weren't a lot of Democratic leaders stepping forward, at least to rally people on a large scale like that.

35:46And so, I mean, he has had a long and storied career, but I do think in the past two years, he's really, he was pretty perceptive in seeing just how much of a grassroots revolt there would be against this Trump second term and going out and kind of tapping into that before other Democratic leaders did. Yeah, absolutely. But the grassroots revolt is, and he made this very clear in a more diplomatic way when Joe Biden was president, was against the Democratic Party too and is still against the Democratic Party in a big way. Obviously, he became very well known to people in 2016 when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination the first time against Hillary Clinton.

36:26And let's listen to his 2016 message, and it will sound familiar to you. This country is not going to move forward in a significant way for working people unless we overturn this disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision. Unless we have real campaign reform so that billionaires and super PACs cannot buy elections. End a rigged economy where the rich get richer and everybody else get poorer. And create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1%. Exact same lines that he uses now a decade later. And by the way, he used a decade plus before that. Yeah, he has been incredibly consistent.

37:16I interviewed him in Burlington, Vermont in 2015. and he said many of these same things. He also didn't really want to talk about himself. He wanted to talk about the millionaires and the billionaires. I covered him in Iowa in the early days when he was just in a distant speck in the rearview mirror of Hillary Clinton. He obviously caught up. And he would work so hard on his speech that he was going to give and write it in longhand on a yellow notepad. And essentially, it was the same speech every time. his message has been extremely consistent. And in some ways, like the DSA, in part inspired by him, in part inspired by a lot of other things, has caught up.

37:59Like politics has caught up with where Bernie has been. And not all politics, which was, no, but I mean, it is absolutely true that a lot of people, he just kind of stayed the same and people found him or maybe were inspired by him. Matt Bennett with The Third Way, who, which is a moderate Democratic group, said in this Politico article, what Bernie's people do very, very effectively is turn blue places bluer. They have one nothing, nothing in places where we're trying to turn red to blue. These DSA candidates are being used against Democrats in swing districts. It was inevitable that this would happen.

38:37So that's what I was thinking when we were talking about Bernie. You know, there's a lot of concern among establishment mainstream Democrats that these progressive candidates can't win, just like, you know, Bernie Sanders ultimately fell short in the Democratic primary. They think that there's a ceiling on the level of support they can get even among left-leaning voters. Now, 2026 this year is going to be a big test of that. And I think we'll have a lot more data after the November elections about how much voters are willing to stomach in this current climate. That's the other thing. You know, Bernie Sanders, the political context of his 2016 presidential run is very different than the political context a decade later.

39:22That's right. Thank you all. Appreciate it. Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

39:34I'm Adi Cornish. I'm Ari Shapiro and it's Engagement Party. And we get to talk about what we're obsessed with, what we're engaged with, what we need to process with a friend. We are going to be talking about the booming market of toys, games, puzzles, crafts for not children, but adults. Okay, not just adults, kiddults. Kiddulting. This year for the first time ever, a majority of toy sales were in adult-only households. And there are some other numbers to back this up. Like in a Harris Poll survey published this year, two-thirds of American adults reported spending$100 or more on playful activities and products like craft kits or action figures.

40:1313 % of adults reported spending$500 or more on these things. So it's a massive market, and I think also a massive change in the culture. Follow Engagement Party wherever you get your podcasts.