Trump Campaigns in Mississippi as GOP Fears Senate Seat at Risk

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1:14Good evening, everyone, and welcome to a special edition of Laura Coates Live Countdown to Election Night. Yep, we've got eight days to go. And tonight, President Trump is spending precious campaign time in one of the wettest states in the country. I'm talking about Mississippi, a state that he won by 23 points just two years ago. But now GOP Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is facing an unexpectedly tough challenge from Democrat Scott Colon, and he will join me live in just a moment. I've also got my panel here to continue the conversation and break down the latest twists and turns in the battle for Congress.

1:52We want you at home to join me on our coverage. Send us your comments and your questions at CNN.com slash We'll answer them live on air this very hour. Now, Trump is trying to pass off his campaign stop in Mississippi as no big deal. Take a close listen to what he's actually saying and maybe more importantly, how he's saying it. You know, I'm here because Cindy's doing great, but I just got to make sure I can't take a chance. Sometimes when you think somebody's doing so well, nobody votes. They all stay home. Oh, Cindy's great. She's going to do no problem. Let's stay home. And then bad things happen, Cindy.

2:35So that's why I'm here. Just get out and vote. A lot of just in case for a race, he says, in the bag. And in another possible sign of how stark the midterm map has become for Republicans, he is dangling and I mean dangling yet another election season promise. And this one involves a seven-figure payout. One million dollars. Reports a tip about voter fraud that leads to a conviction. Now, first of all, I have to tell you, voter fraud, thankfully, is extraordinarily rare. And the White House also has not explained just exactly how this reward would even work. But it's the latest midterm pledge with a price tag.

3:21Remember, you got the$5 ,000 Trump dividend checks if Republicans win the House and Senate. I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for$5 ,000. If we win the midterms, you're going to get the$5 ,000. The only caveat is you have to spend that$5 ,000 in the United States of America. Let's have lunch at Mar-a-Lago.

3:54where for$5 ,000 you'll get one hamburger and a small dessert. I shouldn't say that. Might be true. In Kansas, though, he is promising to make permanent year-round sales of a special type of fuel. Again, stay with me, if the Republican incumbent wins. With Roger Marshall in the Senate, we will make year round E-15 permanent. But if Adam Hamilton is in, I'm not doing it. That's it. I'm only doing it for him. And in North Carolina, he has tried to link compensation for veterans and families exposed to toxic water at a marine base, Camp Lejeune, to Republicans winning Congress. If we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible.

4:52So if we don't win, there's no money. If we do win, you're getting it. But there's there's one price tag I haven't mentioned yet. And that's the political cost of Trump losing a Senate seat in a deep red state like Mississippi. Here to respond to the president's rally tonight is Mississippi Democratic Senate nominee Scott Colom. Thank you for joining us, Mr. Colom. The president attacked you. He called you a disaster. He mocked your name. Are you worried that his visit tonight is going to give new motivation for Republicans to get out to vote for Cindy Hyde-Smith? Not at all, Laura, because the reality is Mississippians have been betrayed.

5:38They were promised America first, and they're getting Mississippi last. They were promised lower grocery prices on day one. The only thing that happened on day one is we got the largest sale tax in decades, and it's got prices through the roof. They were promised no more endless wars. We're back at war with no end in sight. It's got diesel that's hurting our farmers, diesel prices that are hurting truckers. We were promised the release of the Epstein file. Well, the only thing that happened is the president started protecting pedophiles, and Cindy High Smith let them. and all we're getting is corruption out of D.C.

6:09And that's why they're worried. That's why they're lying. But you can't pay for gas for lies. You can't pay for grocery for lies. You know, you chatted with voters who are waiting in line for the Trump rally tonight. What did you learn? Did you convince any of them to change their minds knowing that they're at a rally for Trump, but to vote for you? Yeah, listen, there was one person who you just showed took a selfie with me. Let me tell you how that happened. We were chatting as a group and one of them recognized me from the ads. And I said, listen, you know, some of those ads are full of lies.

6:39Whenever they're talking about the candidate and they aren't talking about you, the voters, or the issues that are affecting you, then you know they're lying. And this guy said, man, he's right about that. And he's like, listen, can I take a selfie with you? Because you're my type of guy. Took the selfie with him. And, you know, the voters out there, they want to fight on the issues. They were talking about gas. They were talking about groceries. There was a farmer out there that said the tariffs have been terrible. And, you know, they just want somebody that's going to look out for America first.

7:04And the reality is that the president and Sidney High Prices, that's what I call it, because that's all we get from her is high prices. She's betrayed us. In an interview with The Washington Post, a Trump supporter, Janet Middleton, who has seen you visit her community, says, this is her words, you're an all right guy, and she'd love to see you run as a Republican. But Janet won't vote for you. She worries your victory would hand Democrats control of the Senate. So how do you convince voters like Janet or the person in line wanting to take a selfie with you? You're their type of guy. You're a good person.

7:36But they are party captivated. Yeah, I mean, there's some Mississippians that don't feel like the Democratic Party is looking out for their values. And I just got to communicate to them that I've got their values and vision in mind. I believe in a secure border. I think the president's done a good job on that. I believe in protecting Second Amendment rights. You know, I think the president's done a good job when he's, you know, no tax on tips, no tax for overtime. He does good when he looks out for the working class. What I don't support is when he betrays the working class, when he does stuff like, you know, hurt our farmers, hurt the people that believe he will release the Epstein file.

8:14So what I would tell that voter is you need someone that's going to hold the president to his promises. And that's what they'll get with me. You know, you mentioned President Trump. He wants people to pretend he's on the ballot. Obviously, your opponent is the one on the ballot. But do you believe that Mississippi voters associate her directly with Trump? You know, I think she's uniquely disqualified. I mean, she does not campaign. She hasn't done a town hall in six years. She refuses to debate me. Whenever she does a news interview, she makes a gaffe. I mean, look at tonight. They put her on a rally.

8:48President Trump called her up there wanting her to speak. She had nothing to say. She said, listen, he's the best president ever. You looked at her awkwardly. She went back. And that's because she's got nothing to run on. She's got nothing to say to the voters. And so, you know, that's another reason why I want to beat her is because she's uniquely bad. I'm uniquely good. I'm uniquely fighting for the issues that matter. Anybody that supports that, go to Scott Colon dot com because we're about to flip the ship. Former President Obama, he endorsed you earlier this month and you've campaigned with the former vice president, Kamala Harris.

9:19And Secretary Pete Buttigieg is set to join you on the trail. I understand tomorrow. tomorrow, why are you embracing national Democrats that many Mississippi voters seemed to have rejected in the past? Well, here's the reality. I'm trying to bring attention to the issues that matter. Let me give you an example. You know, our junior senator, Cindy High Price, she voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill that brought billions of dollars to the state of Mississippi. But she loves to go to the ribbon cuttings and brag about the money because she doesn't expect Mississippians to know that she voted against it.

9:49Now, if I did a press conference outside one of those projects, nobody would come. You know why I know that, Laura? Because nobody came. I did some. But if I bring Pete Buttigieg down and I have him say, listen, I helped bring the money to expand Amtrak back to New Orleans, and then your junior senator voted against it. So the question is, why does Pete Buttigieg care more about transportation and infrastructure in Mississippi than Sydney High Prices? And I'm bringing attention to the issues that matter because I'm not going to let her run and hide. Well, you have about seven days to go until the voters will come out and tell you what they think.

10:20Scott Cologne, excuse me, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. God bless. I want to meet my panel, former advisor to the Biden White House press office, Yemisei Edbowale, CNN political commentator, Shermichael Singleton, former national security official during Trump's first term, Miles Taylor, and editorial board member for The Washington Post, Corinne Hajar. Glad to have all of you guys here. First of all, let's talk about for a second the fact that the president of the United States is in this very red state, Mississippi. He seems to be conveying that it's in the bag. He's just there so that nobody makes the mistake of thinking that she's so safe that you don't turn out to vote.

10:58Is that a stretch or a strategy? I mean, look, there's a large African-American population that doesn't traditionally vote in the higher numbers that they're capable of voting. And when you look at a lot of focus groups and survey data, African-American voters are angry at the president and they're turning out. A lot of the anti-DEI stuff, a lot of the loss of work for black women in particular at the federal level. So you think Trump is worried about that? I would actually be worried about that, particularly in the South where most African Americans reside. So I think Democrats, you just talk to a candidate that's been very effective at talking to African Americans about some of their plight and some of the issues that they have with Washington, engaging those voters, turning them out should be a concern for Republicans, particularly Laura, when we wasted the 24, 25 percent of black money that we got in 2024, we wasted that support.

11:48I want to hear from you. I have a question from you. I want to hear what you say about us too, Miles. If Scott Colon pulls off, this is one of you, if Scott Colon pulls off an upset in Mississippi, will that make the Democrats take the South more serious and start paying more attention to the South? Why don't you try to address that? Yeah, well, maybe. I mean, I think, You know, but I can't avoid, though, saying that this is just politically bad, bad, bad, bad, bad for the president of the United States, that this is where he's spending his time right now. I mean, the president or Republicans more broadly.

12:24Both. The light is blinking red for them. I mean, we were talking just a little bit ago during commercial break that this is the anti-corruption election. We have now seen Fox polls and AP polls and Reuters polls and Gallup polls all show that Americans say corruption is the number one issue or among their top issues. I did the analysis a week ago. I think we were the first to say this is the first election since polling began in the 1930s that this is the top issue for American voters. Not even in 1974 after Watergate was corruption number one. The economy was. And you're seeing that affect the deep red battlegrounds the president should be defending.

13:04I'm going to give you a number, Laura. I'm going to break some news tonight because right now we just released on CorruptionLand.org a documentary about corruption in Washington. We did a back of the envelope assessment and found that the top 100 instances of corruption in the past two years total$377 billion. So when you hear the candidate talk about Americans dealing with high prices, they then look at, well, where's the money going. It's getting traded among insiders in Washington. Their taxpayer dollars are being misappropriated. Democrats, Republicans, and independents are waking up to that.

13:37I mean, that's got to be a long documentary on corruption in Washington, D.C. I'm going to tell you that right now. Go ahead, Karine. What do you think about that? It kept changing right to the final cut. Agreed that corruption is, I'm hearing it from voters on the ground, too. This is trickling down. But it's not just where Trump is tonight. Where is J.D. Vance? Kansas? Montana? We're talking about a lot of red states that voted for Trump double digits and it was interesting to hear Scott Cologne bring up issues that Trump ran on and voters feel he has not fulfilled his campaign promises on. He brought up Epstein, he brought up agriculture, he brings up the economy and so when you're seeing Republicans in these places where there is you know deep red support it seems to me a sign that Republicans are saying please hold on, bear with us, we failed you on the issues that we promised to follow through on and give us a little more time.

14:23Is there a path for him in Mississippi, do you think? I mean, incumbents clearly are on the chopping block for a lot of voters in general on both sides. Do you see a path in Mississippi? I think if Democrats had invested in the infrastructure before this instead of scrambling, Scott Colon would have a very different situation. It wouldn't feel so uphill. I want to really bring it back to the South as a Southern Democrat. I've gotten to see Georgia change from having a David Perdue, a Johnny Isakson as senators, as a Sonny Perdue as governor. And we've totally transformed at the federal level. Georgia is still a Republican state.

14:58But you look at Mississippi had a super majority. It's shrunk. Brandon Presley ran for governor last year, comes within three points. They have more elections coming up, especially next year. This is the time to make a strong investment in the South because you have really exceptional candidates coming up. And what does that look like? Just money into the different campaigns or something different? Full support for the state party. I mean, Stacey Abrams may have lost the gubernatorial, but what she did was she made investments from her campaign in the state, really raising up that grassroots base.

15:31And now Georgia, I think, is a state we don't lose as much sleep over. More to talk about here for sure. Everyone, please stand by. He said this isn't a cheesecake factory. Can you believe it? which is a very successful company. The Cheesecake Factory has just entered the chat. President Trump responding tonight to that viral attack line from President Barack Obama. The question is, did Trump just make Obama's queen? That's next.

16:12All I want. Right. Okay, we can afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for a 12-month plan required,$15 per month equivalent, taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. At Farmers, we go out of our way to keep you in the know. Like by singing, everything for emphasis. That, and by providing you with coverage on a page, in easy-to-understand language, so you know what's covered and what's not.

16:48No confusing legalese that no one gets. In full transparency, we do have to put a disclaimer at the end of this ad, though. Just being honest, that's what you get when you have farmers. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Learn more at Farmers.com. Underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state.

17:08Well, by now, you might have already seen this jab from President Barack Obama taking one at President Trump over the weekend. What's up with the gold?

17:22I mean, he's got the last looking like Saddam Hussein opening a cheesecake basket. You know, that clip is now racked up millions of views on social media, a reference to the president's revamp of the White House and Oval Office, of course, with gold ornaments. But President Trump was not laughing along with the joke. In fact, you know, he spent a little near 10 minutes at his rally tonight responding to Obama. He came in yesterday and he made a speech and part of his speech was to say, isn't it terrible that Donald Trump spends a lot of his time, very little time, I do it very good, I'm really good at real estate and fixing things.

18:04Donald Trump spends a lot of his time fixing up the White House. Isn't that a nice thing to do? He said, this isn't a cheesecake factory, can you believe it? Which is a very successful company. We have the most beautiful marble, the most beautiful, it's not money, it's peanuts. We built the most magnificent ballroom you've ever seen. It's under construction. It's ahead of schedule. Barack was saying he didn't talk about that. He really didn't talk about all that. He talked about the ballroom, that he spends all his time thinking about the ballroom. That has to be pristine. And I would try and explain that to a guy like Obama, but he wouldn't understand.

18:40I report to you that it is in better shape than it's ever been. It looks beautiful. Our country must have a beautiful, pristine. It's a symbol, the White House. Wow. Are there other things to talk about, Mr. President? You know what? My panel's back. Let me give you all a topic, as they say, on this. First of all, why is he so... I mean, it's almost... My question's not rhetorical, but it is. Why would this be the focus? You watch people behind him. They're not leaning in. They laughed initially or they wanted to address it, But why focus so much on this? Because it's his only dig to try to get to the working class.

19:25It is the only way to distract from the fact that he has made$2 billion, that he has employed people like Secretary Besant that are doing little pop-ins to the Cheesecake Factory and popping out worth half a billion dollars and saying, this is really the bastion of the working class. Let me tell you something. The Cheesecake Factory is like a fancy night. I really think if you want to get at the working class, if you would have made fun of like the Waffle House, we would be understanding each other a little bit more. But to him, I also think that there is a personal animosity when it comes to how loved and favored Barack Obama is and what a rhetorician he is as well.

20:00There is like an obsession that the president has with Obama that he cannot get over. When you see that those two clips side by side, we've all gotten that adage before in politics. When you're explaining, you're losing. when you're explaining for 10 minutes and you're taking the joke so poorly, it does the whole job for you in the opposite way you wanted it to. And what struck me about Obama's clip, and look, this comes from someone I spent a decade working against Obama's politics on Capitol Hill and beyond, but the humor works. It lands. It lands so well. And we know that throughout history is that when wannabe autocrats fail, They fail the worst when their opponents are able to poke fun at them and they can't take the job.

20:47We'll see if it lands. I mean, where was Obama when he made those comments? He was in Michigan. Why? Because El Saeed is struggling with black voters in and around Detroit. We'll see if those remarks turn out black voters and mobilize them to believe that Democrats actually care about their issues and not what's going on with Palestinians and Jewish Americans. We'll see if President Obama, being in Michigan, somehow secures support for Jewish Michiganders, who do not believe that El Saeed represents their views or will protect him in the United States Senate or believes in the statehood of Israel.

21:19That's why he was there. And so I think it's great to talk about Obama's oratory skills and to laugh about how cheered the crowd was and rallying behind the former president. But does it move the needle fundamentally for a candidate who's struggling with two core groups that he needs to win, particularly African-Americans? I'm not sure yet. Well, we'll see actually right now that the president was in Michigan over the weekend and repeated a string of Islamophobic attacks against the candidate Abdul al-Sayed. Will this land? I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator.

22:01And that's the fact. We're not going to let that happen. If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadists to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas. Karin, do you think that this lands with Republican voters in a place like Michigan, let alone the fact that the president is campaigning, saying, pretend I'm on the ballot, obviously in other places as well, will this land, do you think? Actually, he's playing right into El-Sayed's hand here because El-Sayed has started to say, as people are questioning, you have Republicans frantically looking for a Muslim Brotherhood membership card, and he's able to say, why are you guys asking that question?

22:46Why are you paying attention to me this way? He's conflating in some cases, actual prejudice and Islamophobia and the type of rhetoric you're seeing with Trump, and then very valid reasons about the people he associates with, the problematic policies he champions, choosing to campaign with somebody like Hassan Piker, the things he said about Israel, his response to things like the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. So if anything, Trump is really helping al-Sayed here by laying the path there for him to say, oh, they're just focusing on my religion. And really, voters should have valid questions about al-Sayed's radical associations with people like Hassan Piker and his policies.

23:24You also have focused a great deal on national security, and obviously Republicans in the past have used this as a kind of feather in their cap to talk about national security interests. Now, we can obviously disagree whether this, in fact, is really about national security or something else. But is this tactic likely to be successful in 2026, given the messengers? Unfortunately, I think the jury's out. I would like to say it's obvious. Lindsey Graham was the one who said in 2016, If we elect a race-baiting, xenophobic bigot, we will lose and we deserve to lose. That's basically what Lindsey Graham said.

24:00Donald Trump thinks it's politically advantageous. I'll tell you, Laura, in 2016, when Donald Trump said Muslim ban, I was one of the Hill staffers on the Republican side. They sent up to try to give the candidate, Donald Trump, an alternative policy and say Muslim ban is not what you want. What you want is to screen out radical, violent jihadists from the immigration flows and protect America. And at the time, I naively thought, you know, he's probably just he doesn't know these issues enough. He's saying something really inartful and racist like Muslim ban. I no longer believe that anymore. Donald Trump meant what he said when he said Muslim ban.

24:38Now Donald Trump is getting to be Donald Trump. And the question will be, without people to paper over his deficiencies, is he right that politically this benefits him? And I think it tells us a lot about who we are if these attack lines actually work in Michigan. Well, candidate Mike Rogers is also talking about similarly and hoping that that will obviously not to the same extent that President Trump is. But he thinks it's a winning argument. Yeah. I mean, look, again, I go back to my point about Jewish residents in Michigan. You've had, I believe, 60 or 70 rabbis who came together and issued a statement against El Saeed from all across the country that said your responses to where you stand on Israel are unsatisfactory for us.

25:15We do believe some of your views are radical. We are worried about Jewish Americans in this country and the policies you've supported, the individuals you've surrounded yourself with, and what that means for voters in your state that you must represent. Look how you have articulated that. Well, I mean, I'm not running, Laura. I wish I were running. I wish I were running. I mean, it's one of you who has articulated it in a way that was not the way the president of the United States felt it was appropriate to do so. Well, you've made a really great point here, because if Republicans were being precise, they could highlight these more problematic associations, more problematic stances that El Saeed takes.

25:52Which he has defended himself on many of these comments. Defended himself, they're not sufficient. He doesn't defend himself well. It's really hard to defend standing up there and stumping with Hassan Piker or trying to rationalize, for example, the almost attack of a synagogue in your home state. I think a lot of Democrats would like him to come a bit off of the defense and understand that voters do have questions because they are hearing a lot of this rhetoric on the TV and to respond in a way that feels less contentious. Well, one viewer has this question or a comment. Fear is a motivator. Does your panel believe that the Republicans fear message will resonate this cycle?

26:29Well, to your larger point about the idea of the defense and beyond, what is your reaction, guys? The idea that you do have people realizing that fear is a motivator. We talked about it as a strategy in the past, whether you agree with it or not. But the fear message more broadly, is that going to resonate? Republicans have got to pick which fear they want to stick to because it keeps backfiring on them. The president and his team wanted to make this election about the fear of socialism. And then the president of the United States promised everyone$5 ,000 checks if he voted for him. And then the president of the United States took more stakes in different companies around the country.

27:01And the president of the United States rewarded his business interests and his oligarchs. They're having a really hard time making the case about socialism when they're hosting the Chinese president at the White House and bringing in all the top business leaders in the United States and hugging the Chinese Communist Party. That's not working. So he's shifting tax to fear about jihadists. I don't think they can land on a message to actually make the fear stick. We have more to come. I want to hear everyone's response. So please stand by. The problem in this environment isn't that I used to be a Republican.

27:32is that Byron Donald still is one, because the reality is people are exhausted by this president's Republican Party. Democrat David Jolly pulling no punches in Florida's governor's race as he suggests he's in a position to beat Congressman Byron Donald. So why is that race so tight? You know what? I'll ask Congressman Donald about that and much more next. This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just$15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song, like All I Want... Right. Okay, we can afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain.

28:11Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for a 12-month plan required,$15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms.

28:32People are worried about the economy, frankly, in Florida, a little exhausted from the culture wars and the continued lessons, arguably, from our Republican candidates that say if we just stay divided a little bit longer, somehow life will get better. That's Florida Democrat David Jolly making his case for why he thinks he's got a shot at the governor's mansion. That's despite Florida's track record is a reliably red state. But polls suggest it's an uphill battle, but that Jolly may be within striking distance of his opponent, Republican Congressman Byron Donalds. Now, if Donalds wins, he would be the first black governor of Florida and the first black Republican governor anywhere in this country.

29:14Joining me now is a Republican nominee for Florida governor, Congressman Byron Donalds. Welcome back to the program, Congressman. As we just talked about, your race seems to be close. Your opponent, David Jolly, says it's close because, quote, people are exhausted by this president's Republican Party. And he's associating that with you. Do you think that's the reason this race is close? No, I don't. I think, look, you have two new people on the ballot. And so everybody's having to take the time to go see the voters. We've been crisscrossing the state of Florida, talking to voters nonstop. My campaign team and I, we've knocked over two million doors in this campaign to be Florida's next governor.

29:55And what the people of our state are concerned about, they want to lower insurance premiums in our state. That's why my plan lowers insurance 20 percent for Floridians. But I'll tell you, above all else, as I talk to the voters all through Florida, they want Florida to continue to be the best state in America. so many people have chosen our state over California, over Illinois, over New York, New Jersey, and so many other blue states because they're tired of Democrat governance in those states. They want to live in a common sense state. That's what Florida has become. And that's why we're going to win on November 3rd.

30:28Which is strikingly interesting that you are close, given the track record of it being a very red state and that voters in Florida have overwhelmingly chosen Republicans, at least in these statewide offices, including when it came to the presidential election, but I take your point. The voters must decide next week. But as you mentioned, the issues that are very important to you and voters in Florida, one of the big issues this election is, of course, high costs, affordability. Pick any synonym you want. But some of that is tied to President Trump's actions in Iran, which he has defended. And he now says America is getting richer because of the spike in oil prices.

31:05Listen. So our country is making hundreds of billions of dollars because of what's happened in the Middle East, because they're coming to Texas and they're coming to Oklahoma and they're coming to Louisiana and they're taking that oil. I could just see the fake headlines. President Trump is talking about all the money they're making while people are suffering at the pump. That'll be the headline. But I said, I don't give a damn. I'm going to say it. We'll make it a freaking fortune. Our country is getting stronger and stronger. He's right. That will likely be the headline because, as you mentioned, affordability is very top of mind.

31:44Do you think that the voters in Florida that you were trying to appeal to would see it the way the president does in terms of the gas prices, well, being something to downplay? Well, I will tell you, talking to people in our state, we want to see lower gas prices. Everybody wants to see that. I want to see that as well. Obviously, we can't let the Iranians have a nuclear weapon. But when it comes to the economics of the great state of Florida, even though people want to see those prices come down just like I do, there are things that the governor of Florida has control over. And that's why our campaign has been laser focused on lowering the cost of insurance in our state.

32:25Well, hold on. Making sure that we lower property taxes. I don't want to cut you off. But I want to dig in. And I want you to say the rest. Yes, but I want to clarify this point. I think it's an important one because I don't want to gloss over what I think the voters would really want to hear from. And then you can finish your point, Congressman, please. But the idea of having these two things be true, no nuclear weapon, gas prices, you mentioned what a governor could do. Could what the governor could possibly do override the impact what our chief is able to do by having a war? I believe so. And I'm going to give you another example.

32:58Let's talk about housing costs. We know that 30 percent of the cost of a new home is government permitting and permitting costs and permitting timelines. It's not a roof. It's not sheetrock. That's just government policy and processes on the local level and actually at the state level. So my plan is to reform permitting and planning in the state of Florida to drive down construction costs. When you talk about affordability, they're looking at everything, not just one item. You would be, if elected, the first black governor of Florida. You would also be the first black Republican governor of any state.

33:34And earlier this year, you told me your campaign is, quote, not really about my race. But you seem we're open to talking about it now while trying to win over black voters. What has changed? well actually a lot of the press talks about it and now that we're in the general election yes i've been going to all voters in florida you know political consultants they like to get to just 50 plus one i'm trying to get the support of all floridians so yes i do talk to black floridians i talk to hispanic floridians white floridians and i talk about the same policies no matter what room i'm in because it doesn't matter if you if you live in overtown or little haiti or if you live in Fort Walton Beach or Pensacola where I was this morning.

34:14Everybody wants to drive down the costs in this state. But the other thing they also want to do, Laura, they want to make sure that Florida continues to be a common sense state that values law and order, backs our law enforcement officers, and make sure that our children have a true shot at the Florida dream. This is why in my education plan. You're not politically naive. You've been successful running and being elected as a member of Congress. So the idea of political ads or negative political comments and beyond, certainly not foreign to you. But there are some people who support your campaign, who have made racist comments about some black Democrats.

34:53Laura Loomer happens to be one of them, and she's called Angie Nixon, who is running in your state. Things like a ghetto black communist the word. She's done it multiple times. Are you tolerating that from your supporters? Are you speaking out about that? No, what we are focused on is something very clear. We want Florida to continue to be the best. And look, when you're in campaigns, like you said, people get called a lot of things. I've been called a lot of things by people on the left, everything from an Uncle Tom to a coon and things like that. I never really hear Democrats come to my defense on those matters.

35:28And so I think the voters of Florida are going to decide this election in another eight days. On November 3rd, I think Florida is going to speak loud and clear once again that they reject the insanity from blue states. That's why so many people have chosen Florida. I will tell you something real quick, Laura. When I do events all across Florida, I ask people who was born and raised in our state. And you get about 10 to 20 percent of the hands in the room go up. These are people like my wife, multiple generation Floridians. They love this state. They want Florida to continue to be Florida. But then we also see the people who've come from blue states and they're sick of that governance.

36:04They're sick of the crazy policies. They're sick of the big government policies that have actually made their lives tougher and made their communities and their states safe. And that's why they choose Florida. They're also sick of racism. They're also sick of comments that they believe belittle or paint with a broad stroke. And just as the comments, I'm assuming, were offensive to you that you say have been made, wouldn't it be something in behoove a governor to condemn those things, to uplift Florida to the level that you would like it to be? Listen, I don't want anybody to be be targeted with racist rhetoric or anti-Semitic rhetoric.

36:42I don't tolerate those things. And as governor, the party that I am leading is a party, number one, that has always been focused on tolerance and making sure that everybody has access to opportunities, regardless of their background, regardless of their party, regardless of where they come from and where and how they've actually been able to matriculate in the United States. And so if you're going to talk about what the leader leadership looks like coming from me, you're going to see that we treat everybody with respect. Even the other day, I had a bunch of protesters at one of my rallies. Obviously, they were supporting other people on the ballot.

37:16And I went up and I actually talked to them and I engaged them, try to have respect for them, even though I know we have vehement disagreements. And so that's the type of governor I will be. I'll be very clear. I don't tolerate racist rhetoric. I never have. I don't tolerate anti-Semitic rhetoric. I never have. I'm going to be a leader in the great state of Florida that's going to respect all people, even when we don't agree on policy, even if we have disagreements on rhetoric. But I'm going to be a governor for all of Florida. If you are so intolerant, does that mean that you condemn what Laura Loomer has said?

37:51What I condemn is I don't condemn going after people just because of how you feel or you want to stereotype them. I don't support that kind of stuff. But I also but I also want to be clear. Listen, Laura, I've always condemned that type of rhetoric. I never comes out of my mouth. I don't appreciate it when it happens. I think it coarsens our politics and actually allows people to build up walls between them. But I will tell you that that type of rhetoric is quite frankly, it's far too common in our politics today. What I want us to get back to are just the common sense policies that people can agree on.

38:24In Florida, those common sense policies are based in conservative policy. Conservative policy is the policy that allows parents to decide where their children go to school. It allows for law enforcement to be supported. It allows for limited government that allows business owners to thrive and families to thrive. That's the leader I'm going to be as Florida's next governor. Seven days to go. Congressman Byron Donald, thank you. Thank you. A lot of questions coming in from you at home on our CNN.com slash Engage Politics page. Keep sending them in. We'll be answering them here, live, next.

39:20mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for a 12-month plan required,$15 per month equivalent, taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only, greater than 50 gigabytes, may slow when network is busy. See terms. At Farmers, we go out of our way to keep you in the know. Like by singing, everything for emphasis. That, and by providing you with coverage on a page, in easy-to-understand language, so you know what's covered and what's not. No confusing legalese that no one gets. In full transparency, we do have to put a disclaimer at the end of this ad, though.

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40:10All right, my favorite part, that time of night where we invite all of you to join the conversation. So let's start answering some of your questions. You got a lot of good ones. If you still want to be a part of it, go to CNN dot com slash engage politics. And guess what? My panel is back with me to go through it. Here's a question, everyone. OK, first one. Does Trump really think Americans care about his remodeling projects when they are struggling? Hmm. Yes, I actually think he does. I mean, when he's responding to President Obama's, you know, cheesecake factory jab, he seems genuinely wounded.

40:44And I think that the president actually, we might not agree on his aesthetic choices, but I think he really does care about them. And it's funny because all the people who are complaining about all the time he spends on design and interior design and all of this seem to be the same people who are complaining about all the time he spends on policies they don't like. So maybe there's some tactical maneuvering that can be done there. Well, we'll see. He talks about being good at that. He wants everyone to know that. But there is a war. Number two, shouldn't we be asking what Mike Rogers is doing to get the Muslim vote?

41:18Well, you brought up Michigan. We shouldn't take any vote for granted. Many Muslim residents of Michigan are business owners. You've listened to the Democratic candidates' pronouncements about the role of government and higher taxation and more compulsory force over what small businesses can and cannot do, spreading the wealth around. I think there's a pocket of Muslim business owners that would say, wait a minute here. I may actually vote for the Republican candidates. So we should reach out and target and engage with those voters. Absolutely. Well, President Obama remains one of the most popular figures among Democrats years after leaving office.

41:51Will Trump have the same lasting influence among Republicans? What do you think? I think for Republicans that want to maybe end up in the same house that he has remodeled, he will have a lot of influence because he's going to have to give his stamp of approval. But I think that Majority Leader John Thune is going to breathe a sigh of relief when Donald Trump is out of the White House. I also wonder how many other Republicans, if we're going to see behavior just shift, if he does become a lame duck and Democrats take Congress, are Republicans going to speak out more the way that you see, for example, Tom Tillis speaking out more because he's not running again?

42:26That's what I'm really curious to see in the next, I guess, few weeks. We'll find out. What do you think, Miles? Look, a guy who builds monuments to himself over and over has a sneaking suspicion people aren't going to love him in the long run. And so he's got to put his name on every building, on every monument possible. Look, Barack Obama left office with an approval rating in the mid to high 40s. Donald Trump is likely to leave office with an approval rating in the 20s. He ain't going to be anything like Barack Obama when it comes to presidential legacies. All right, here's a new question. Does your panel believe the Alaska situation is the first round of many to come in an attempt by the Republicans to alter the midterms?

43:05That's, of course, they've got two of the same candidate names, and they're hoping to be able to stop the certification in some way around that based on potential confusion, which, by the way, it's a secret ballot. If you vote for a different candidate, that candidate doesn't win. It doesn't mean that you voted incorrectly or that it should be changed. But what do you think? Yeah, but the Secretary of State said, like, there's only one purpose that this guy's on the ballot. It is so confusion among the electorate there. And so I think we should be concerned. Now, I don't think we should prematurely file lawsuits.

43:34We should wait and see what the results are. But I am concerned that there are some voters there that may say, well, wait a minute. Is this the right guy? Is this not the right guy? But it says incumbent and Republican next to his name in the ballot. Well, it's common denominator here. That's all I'm saying. So no faith in the ability. I just worry about it. I love that they doubt Dan Sullivan. Mary Politola has been one of the highest earners for Democrats. She's done a great job of differentiating herself from the national Democrats. And she's even said, I don't need help from the lower 48. I can handle this all by myself.

44:02She's run a great campaign. I'm not surprised that they're going to try to pull everything out to stop her. We'll see. Thank you so much, everyone. Remember, you can stream my show live on the CNN app. And if you haven't heard, we're now streaming in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Scan the QR code on your screen or go to CNN.com slash all access to learn more. And thanks for watching. The story is with Alex Michelson is next.

44:27This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just$15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song, like All I Want... Right. Okay, we can't afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required,$15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. At Farmers, we go out of our way to keep you in the know.

45:02Like by singing everything for emphasis. That and by providing you with coverage on a page in easy to understand language. So you know what's covered and what's not. No confusing legalese that no one gets. In full transparency, we do have to put a disclaimer at the end of this ad, though. Just being honest. That's what you get when you have farmers. Learn more at farmers.com underwritten by farmers truck or fire insurance exchanges or affiliate products not available in every state.