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Laura Coates Live
Nikki Haley Chooses Donald Trump For President; Second Provocative Flag Spotted Outside Alito Property; Mahomes Breaks Silence On Teammate's Controversial Speech; Meet The Trump Aide Dubbed The "Human Printer." Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired May 22, 2024 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: I mean, I went back and I was like, I love Butterfly, I love that album. But, you know, would I listen to it top to bottom? Maybe not, but she had some mega hits.
UNKNOWN: I mean, you know, it's nothing against Mariah and Whitney. We revere them. But this is steep competition. We're talking about "Songs in the Key of Life" and "Back to Black" and "Nevermind."
PHILLIP: Yeah.
UNKNOWN: I mean, these are extraordinary albums.
PHILLIP: Bodies of work that are essentially what they're saying here, as close to perfect as you can get, given that we all disagree about music.
UNKNOWN: Uh-hmm.
PHILLIP: Thank you so much for being here.
UNKNOWN: Thank you.
PHILLIP: It's great to have you. And thank you for watching "NewsNight." "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: So, remember when Nikki Haley was a hard no on Donald Trump? Well, apparently, now, it's a hard yes. One of Haley's supporters from the primary, former lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, is live with me to react. And just who is behind all these printouts that Donald Trump keeps reading outside of court? The new reporting and the aide being dubbed the human printer. Plus, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes breaks his silence on the cultural controversy surrounding his own teammate, the kicker, Harrison Butker. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
Donald Trump has defied political gravity yet again. And this time, his gravitational magnetic pull has sucked in yet another former opponent into a kind of a black hole, a place I like to call you can't be serious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Birdbrain. You know who Birdbrain is, right? Nikki? Nikki Birdbrain. Sir, I will never, ever vote against you.
When I watched her in the fancy dress -- that probably wasn't so fancy -- come up, I said, what's she doing? We won.
What happened to her husband? Where is he? He's gone. He knew.
She's not tough enough, she's not smart enough, and she wasn't respected enough. She cannot do this job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, everyone has different temperaments. I know what I would take. I know what others would take. And yet, despite all the insults you just heard, despite the policy differences, tonight, Nikki Haley finds herself as the latest in a long line of Republicans who once disavowed Trump, only to come walking, if not endorsing, crawling back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Man, it's a great movie. Now, to be clear, no one forced her to come out and force her to support Donald Trump. This was entirely her choice. And she explained it in a way that tries to suggest that she's voting for him, but not endorsing him. You listen and you decide for yourself if there is actually a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I've made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So, I will be voting for Trump. Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me, and not assume that they're just going to be with him, and I genuinely hope he does that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, those supporters, by the way, tens of thousands of them have voted for her in primaries long after she dropped out. Voters who clung to the Nikki Haley that they heard while she ran against Donald Trump. I mean, this Nikki Haley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: Everything he touches, we lose. Donald Trump has never been near a uniform. He has never laid on the ground. The closest he has come to harm's way is a golf ball hitting him on the golf course.
At some point, maybe we should say the reason that America keeps losing is because of Donald Trump.
Chaos follows him. And we can't have a country in disarray and a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We won't survive it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Hmm. Well, joining me now is one of those Haley supporters who probably remembers those comments that she once made, former lieutenant governor of Georgia and CNN political commentator, Geoff Duncan, a lifelong Republican. He endorsed Haley during her primary against Trump, and he just recently, in a powerful op-ed, endorsed President Biden.
Geoff, so good to see you. I'm wondering if you have a little bit of whiplash from the fact that that version of Nikki Haley to now, what she is saying about supporting and really voting for Trump. Are you surprised by this?
GEOFF DUNCAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Nikki Haley and I are certainly going to have to disagree on her supporting of Donald Trump. I do think we both agree that the future of the Republican Party doesn't include Donald Trump looking out. But we just have different versions of how to get there.
[23:05:00]
I just think four more years of Donald Trump will continue to create chaos and confusion and totally destroy the Republican Party and possibly even destroy our status in the world as a county just because Donald Trump is a laughing -- a laughing joke at this point. He is proven to be a liar, he is proven to be a criminal, he is proven to be untrustworthy, he is proven to be a cheater, and the list goes on and on and on.
I do think this is going to be more about Nikki Haley's supporters showing up to vote, right? One out of five Republicans around most of these primary states that are showing up are still voting for Nikki Haley. I think that's more of a protest vote for Donald Trump. If those one out of five or at least a large portion of one out of five don't show up and vote for Donald Trump, then Joe Biden does win and we get rid of Donald Trump finally.
COATES: Well, if they do show up, and many, as you say, who have already continued to show support even through the primaries, what do you think their reaction will be now that she is saying -- after having said all the reasons, she thinks -- I mean, just time after time, pointing out why she believed that Donald Trump was the reason Republicans don't have the majority in the Senate, that they're not in the Oval Office, that there are states that were impacted up and down the ballot. Do you think that those Nikki Haley voters are going to say, all right, well, if she's endorsing him, we will acquiesce or might they choose the couch or Biden?
DUNCAN: The Nikki Haley on the campaign trail got it right. That's, to me, what the future of the Republican Party is, is proving Donald Trump to be the fake Republican and the liar that he is, the damage that he has done to the party, the $8 trillion worth of debt, the four years of chaos and confusion and lies, the willingness to do anything to stay in power. The Nikki Haley on the campaign trail got it right.
And I think that, you know, it's not a matter of if but when any sort of attachment to Donald Trump becomes the ultimate headwind to a Republican politician. Certainly, doesn't feel like it today, but in the coming years, it will not be a tailwind to be associated with Donald Trump. It'll be a headwind.
I think this hurts Nikki Haley's brand in longevity. I think she's certainly got a bright future in front of her. But we've got to turn the page on Donald Trump. And, of course, what I'm doing is a bank shot. Supporting a Democrat for president is certainly a bank shot for a lifelong Republican, but I think in order for us to move on as a party, we've got to do anything we can to get rid of Donald Trump.
COATES: Are you disappointed in Nikki Haley, given that you have chosen to support her when she's running against Donald Trump, only for her now to have this 180, from campaign Nikki Haley to now endorsing him?
DUNCAN: I've literally done everything I can do to beat Donald Trump. I've supported Nikki Haley. I've written her a check. I even thought about running as a candidate in the no labels category.
COATES: Really?
DUNCAN: But ultimately, at this point in the game, we had to find a way to move on and to try to figure out a better pathway forward. And obviously, the primary process didn't provide that for us. But, you know, watching these politicians, watching these leaders that have pushed up against Donald Trump for so hard and so long and then changed -- changed face, it's like -- it looks as authentic as an arranged marriage showing up, right?
Nobody wants to be endorsing Donald Trump. Nobody wants to attach their personal brand. Nobody wants to tell their kids why they're supporting somebody as morally corrupt and bankrupt as Donald Trump is. It got to be an impossible conversation. I can only imagine what's happening in some of these circles.
COATES: Geoff, the AJC, "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," is reporting that President Biden reached out to you after you endorsed him publicly. What did he tell you?
DUNCAN: Yeah, he did. It was a great conversation. I was actually sitting in the parking lot of my kid's baseball game. We talked more about my kids, my three boys and the sports that they play. We talked a lot about his experience with sports throughout his life. But we did get to business, and we talked about the fact that we disagree on a lot. I'm a lifelong Republican. He's a lifelong Democrat. There's a lot of policies that we disagree with.
But we do agree on one thing. The future of this country is too important to try to put somebody like Donald Trump back in the White House and give him the keys to running the most important office in the country, if not the world. And so, I'm committed --
COATES: Would you -- would you campaign with Biden if he asked you to?
DUNCAN: Well, I'm certainly committed to beating Donald Trump and supporting Joe Biden. I think, as I positioned in the op-ed, I'm perfectly fine with supporting a decent man that I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant and somebody with no moral compass. And so, if that means campaigning and trying to convince folks, likeminded like me, as independents, and commonsense conservatives that just want chaos and confusion to leave our party, absolutely, I will.
COATES: Geoff Duncan, thank you so much. If only people knew how many important calls with parents are taken in the parking lot of our kids' sporting events. Let's say that right now. Nice to talk to you.
DUNCAN: Thanks, Laura.
COATES: Let's talk more about this with CNN political commentator Shermichael Singleton, a Republican strategist, and Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist. Glad to have both of you guys here. You know, it's almost mind-boggling to think about.
[23:10:00]
He talked about authenticity. It's still confounding to so many people how there can be the Ted Cruzes, the Marco Rubios, the Ron DeSantises at different points, the Nikki Haleys who are coming as Republicans to have this 180. Do you have concerns that Republican voters will look and frown upon the authenticity and the sincerity of the campaigning they do?
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, and I say no, Laura, because I think many of the Republicans who are voting for Haley or who have voted for Haley more than likely voted for President Biden in 2020. We haven't seen a lot of data on this. I think "The New York Times" did a pretty fascinating in-depth report on who those voters are. So, I'm not convinced that they would have voted for Donald Trump, regardless of what Nikki Haley would have done.
I think, ultimately, this is still going to come down to turnout. I'm looking at two groups in particular. I really want to see what the Latino group will do, how they perform. We've seen some interesting, fascinating numbers there.
And I'm also curious to see what some African-American men will do. I'm not convinced by the numbers of 20, 30 plus percent. I think that's a bit ludicrous. But I do think it's possible to increase the numbers from 12% to maybe 13 to 14%. And that 2% marginal increase could make an interesting difference.
So, this is going to be a fascinating race, but I'm not necessarily concerned because, again, I think those voters will always be against Trump no matter what. I think the question for Republicans such as Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan and others, not necessarily Trump, but whenever he's gone, whether he wins or loses, how do you bring those voters, that third of the party, back into the fold?
COATES: That's the question.
SINGLETON: That's the question.
COATES: And Maria, I mean, it's pretty extraordinary that the lieutenant governor, a lifelong Republican --
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah.
COATES: -- not only did he write the op-ed saying that he would --
CARDONA: Right.
COATES: -- support and vote for Joe Biden, he didn't have to come out and say that before.
CARDONA: Right.
COATES: -- and now saying that he'd be willing to do what it takes, including maybe even campaigning if he was asked. That's pretty significant. This is from Georgia.
CARDONA: Right. That is a man with standards and with a backbone who really understands what's at stake in this election. And I think he is going to have a lot of influence over a lot of the Republicans and moderates and independents and suburban voters. And I think what you're missing in this, Shermichael, is you might be right that a lot of the Nikki Haley voters were voters who voted for Joe Biden in 2020, but those are voters that Trump needs in order to win. That's where, I think, Nikki Haley could have made a big difference.
And I do think that a lot of voters are looking at her and saying, what happened to you? Because -- and I got to tell you, from a democratic standpoint, there is so much richness in terms of ads that we're going to be able to run from what Nikki Haley said. She said so many times that Donald Trump is not fit to be president, that he is corrupt and that he brings chaos. I mean, that's going to be golden for Democrats in terms of the campaign.
But I also think it underscores what a huge component of what I think is going to be really tough for the Republican Party to recover from, and that is they are cowards, they have no backbone, they have no moral compass. And all of that is exactly what lieutenant -- former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan was talking about.
COATES: But, you know, Senator J.D. Vance, he embraced the fact that Haley is doing this. And he actually -- listen to what he had to say about whether he thinks MAGA will then embrace what she had to say and a bit of an about face. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH): So, I know a lot of people are going to attack Nikki Haley for not getting on board sooner. My attitude is we're thrilled to have Nikki Haley's support for the Republican Party in 2024.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Oh, I guess is it better late than never?
(LAUGHTER)
That's surprising. You dragged us all this time, but good. Thank you for bringing --
SINGLETON: Welcome to the party.
COATES: Welcome to the party. What?
SINGLETON: I mean, Trump needs to say that. Trump needs that.
COATES: He's not going to say that. He is not --
SINGLETON: Laura, at some point, as a strategist, it would be in his interest to say that. Now, I agree with Maria that the former president absolutely needs some of those voters. But I do beg this question, Maria. If you see a slight decrease --
CARDONA: Uh-hmm.
SINGLETON: -- in some of President Biden's coalition --
CARDONA: Uh-hmm.
SINGLETON: -- if Donald Trump can't regain some of those numbers, will it really matter? I don't think as much mathematically.
CARDONA: Uh-hmm.
SINGLETON: And again, that's a variable that I wouldn't be willing to take that risk, but I think that's certainly something to ponder and consider. But look, I think Trump at some point needs to bring Haley out on the stage. He needs to say, look, this is division moving forward. We need to all coalesce as the Republican Party to beat Donald -- to beat Joe Biden. Now, will he do that? Probably not, but it will be in his interest.
COATES: Should President Biden have done -- excuse me, I don't want to talk over you, Shermichael. But should President Biden have done this? I mean, she dropped out of the race back in March. She was very adamantly against Donald Trump.
CARDONA: Yeah.
COATES: Is there a world where President Joe Biden could have extended an olive branch hand or otherwise and enveloped her in the fold?
[23:15:03]
CARDONA: He did, at least for her voters, the very day that she dropped out of the race. Let's remember, Joe Biden said, Nikki Haley, to you and your voters, you are welcome in the Democratic Party. And the Democratic Party and the Biden campaign has spent great investment in ads in swing states with messages that they know are the ones that move the Nikki Haley voters. And so, this is what is so interesting about this, is that Donald Trump should be the one to come out and embrace her and her voters. And who's actually doing it? It's Joe Biden and the Democrats.
SINGLETON: But I would say --
CARDONA: And I think -- I actually think, frankly, that is super smart. And all of the issues that Nikki Haley's voters are concerned about are issues that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are running on, and I think will win on.
SINGLETON: I think it's smart, but I would just say really quickly, I think that President Biden needs to spend also more time within his own base. He's having some real problems there.
COATES: As I say --
CARDONA: Well, I think more -- more -- that is more of a myth than it is a reality, Shermichael.
SINGLETON: I don't know, Maria.
CARDONA: Yes.
SINGLETON: I don't know.
COATES: I'm saying, well, when we've all flown, they say, secure your mask before helping others. And yet, he's trying to say, I don't know. I mean, look, that's just a metaphor for life. Shermichael, Maria, please stick around. Ahead, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was already facing some heat for a January 6th-linked flag that was flying outside of one of his houses. Now, there is a report of another. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:21:01]
COATES: So tonight, another controversial flag spotted outside of a Supreme Court justice's property. Again, Samuel Alito. "The New York Times" for a second time uncovering the photos. But this time, it was the "Appeal to Heaven" flag that was flying outside his vacation home in Jersey. Now, that flag has a long history dating back to the Revolutionary War. But it has been carried by rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th.
Now, Alito, he previously pointed fingers at his wife for raising the upside-down U.S. flag, a "Stop the Steal" symbol, at his Virginia home during a clash with a neighbor, notably just three days before Biden's inauguration. Now, one might wonder who was responsible this time.
Well, joining us now, senior prosecutor to Robert Mueller Special Counsel Investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and also the co-author of "The Trump Indictments," Andrew Weissmann. Andrew, so good to have you on. Thanks for stopping by today.
You know, when you hear about the Supreme Court justices and yet another controversial issue like this, does it raise questions for you about the fact that he is sitting and overseeing important cases like, I don't know, Trump's presidential immunity claim or other January 6th cases?
ANDREW WEISSMANN, FORMER FBI ATTORNEY: Absolutely. The idea that he sat on the decision to decide whether the president should be disqualified because he was an insurrectionist, should he be disqualified from being on the ballot again, that is a decision that you would think he might have to recuse himself on.
But even more important is the point that you're making, which is that he has just heard in his sitting on a case deciding the issue of presidential immunity. And if you think back to what those flags mean at the time, as you reported, this is about flying that flag just shortly after the January 6th insurrection. We all can remember our reaction to what was going on, particularly if you were in Washington, D.C. But I think for the nation, it was shocking and horrifying.
And not only was he flying a flag that was a symbol used during that insurrection, but his sort of claim that it was something that was okay to do because it was retaliation for a sign that was sort of against Trump that his neighbor was flying. So, his neighbor has a First Amendment right to fly that, and so a sitting Supreme Court justice has on his lawn. And I don't buy that sort of like "my wife did it" defense when it's on his own front lawn.
To me, the issue is it's an appearance of impropriety. And there really is, unfortunately, right now, there is no system to hold him to account so that he isn't sitting on cases where there's an appearance of impropriety.
COATES: I mean, he does have life tenure, much like federal court judges do, the other Article III judges. But there is a difference in the way in which one has this code of ethics and guidelines that do require a certain behavior compared to really, it's good to be the king when it comes to the Supreme Court.
But speaking of another federal judge, I want to turn to Judge Aileen Cannon because she is presiding, as you well know, over Trump's classified documents case. They held a hearing today, and she seemed -- skeptical is the best way to describe it. I think I'm being generous of arguments to dismiss the case. She has 10 more, 10 more pretrial hearings and deadlines to go before she possibly even sets a trial date. I have to wonder what you make of her ability to oversee and handle this case.
[23:25:00]
WEISSMANN: You know, there obviously is a problem in the case. It's worth everyone remembering that before the case was indicted, she was involved in this case, the pre-indictment phase, she issued rulings, and she was reversed not once but twice by the 11th Circuit, a very conservative court of appeals. There were conservative judges on the panels, and they said what she did was beyond the pale.
And now, what we're seeing is either, in my opinion, sort of incompetence or partisanship or a combination of both. And what's really unfortunate is this is a case where basically the state is saying, we want to give the defendant his day in court. We want to carry -- be tested and carry the burden, to be able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, and to provide him his day in court. And she is really slow-walking the case to say that the defendant will not have his day in court, and that means the public will not have its right to a public and speedy trial vindicated before the general election.
COATES: I mean, you have written extensively about all of these cases in your book. And it's a really strong book. It lays everything out very thoughtfully and comprehensively. It's called "The Trump Indictments." And you had no shortage of material, frankly, when writing this book.
What if Alvin Bragg, the D.A. in Manhattan, what if he were to lose the hush money case and get an acquittal or some form, maybe even a hung jury or anything else other than a conviction? What effect do you think it would have on the rest of the criminal matters?
WEISSMANN: So, you know, it's a really interesting question. The reason that Melissa Murray and I wrote the book was to really try to make this legal process understandable for non-lawyers, as well as lawyers who are not criminal lawyers, so that something that is so unique in our American history is understandable to people because it's such a sort of specialized area.
To your question, I think that, you know, we don't know what the jury will do. It's somewhat unusual that you have so many sorts of potential political ramifications based on what just 12 citizens will decide. But I think the issue of what the ramifications are for the other criminal cases, I can really only answer that as a -- as a -- in my sort of dweeby, nerdy lane as a lawyer, which is that it really shouldn't have any effect.
Just because there's one case that is on topic A and it is the state's burden, and it's a heavy burden as it should be, if they haven't met that burden as found by a jury, then that's what should happen. And then other juries will have their own ability to assess other cases and other facts, and also hold the state in those other cases to that same heavy burden. And the defendant, Donald Trump, will be entitled to all of the rights any other defendant would have.
COATES: As he should. I mean, a presumption of innocence doesn't mean much if one case leads to a domino effect on everything else, even in unrelated matters.
Andrew Weissmann, this is a complex issue. You break it down well. Thank you so much for joining. And the book again is called "The Trump Indictments."
WEISSMANN: Thank you.
COATES: Ahead, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, breaking his silence over his teammate's controversial comments about working women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK MAHOMES, QUARTERBACK, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: I'm no Harrison. I've known him for seven years. And I judge him by the character that he shows every single day. And that's a good person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Plus, she's nicknamed the human printer, and she even walks around with one. Serious. The woman whose job is to control access to the information that Donald Trump sees, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:33:32]
COATES: Super Bowl champ and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes weighing in on the controversial remarks made by his teammate, Harrison Butker. But, by now, you've probably heard these comments. But to remind you, here's a little small part of what he said at a commencement speech that he was invited to give at a Catholic college just last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRISON BUTKER, KICKER, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: And, well, here is Mahome's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHOMES: to be a member of the Catholic Church. I'm most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: And well, here's Mahomes response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHOMES: There are certain things he said that I don't necessarily agree with. But I understand the person that he is. And he's trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction. And that might not be the same values as I have. At the same time, I'm going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day. That's a great person. And we'll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: The Chiefs' coach also weighing in, saying that he's not going to be speaking with Butker about these remarks and emphasizing that the team is a -- quote -- "microcosm of life with varying viewpoints."
Shermichael Singleton and Maria Cardona are back with me now. Maria, is that what you want to hear from Pat Mahomes? You think that was the proper way to handle it? Because, I mean, he's essentially saying what some others have said that, look, I don't believe in it, be free to say it.
CARDONA: And it's true. And I do like that he was very high-minded about it.
[23:35:00]
I mean, they have to be teammates, and I don't think it's going to add anything to their rapport. It would probably make it worse.
COATES: Not just teammates. I mean, if he doesn't get a touchdown --
CARDONA: There you go. Exactly.
COATES: I don't want to alienate you.
CARDONA: You don't want to ruin that.
COATES: I might need you one day. Okay. Go ahead.
CARDONA: You don't want to ruin that. But it doesn't take away from others criticizing his comments, Laura, like me and us here, maybe.
(LAUGHTER)
As a practicing Catholic, it's very offensive, what he said, because why couldn't he have said that to everyone? Why did he have to just say to the women in the audience, right? Because you and I, and Shermichael, hopefully, one day, soon, you will have kids, they are our priority. But you are incredibly accomplished. I'm fairly accomplished as well.
COATES: Incredibly accomplished, Maria Cardona.
CARDONA: Thank you. Why do we have to choose? His mom, Butker's mom, went to Smith, went to Emory. She has a doctorate in psychology. So, to me, he is minimizing, making these women smaller in a world where they can have it all. And he should be somebody to encourage not just the men, but the women in that audience. I mean, look at Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney would say that his kids and his grandchildren are his priority. So, what's offensive to me is that this has to be directed just towards women.
COATES: What do you think about that? And by the way, I should say for my -- I am the daughter, aunt, and sister of a Smith graduate. (LAUGHTER)
CARDONA: There you go.
SINGLETON: People are entitled to their views. I don't necessarily agree with it. I don't have a problem with women exceeding and excelling. I mean --
CARDONA: Good for you, Shermichael.
COATES: I mean, you had no -- I just want you to clarify. If you had a problem with it, I'd be like, thank you, Shermichael --
(LAUGHTER)
SINGLETON: I come from a family of incredibly accomplished women. Grandmother, PhD, mom, former exec at a major Fortune 500 company.
CARDONA: See. Right.
SINGLETON: I think it's brilliant to have women like that in your life, in your family. They're always challenging you, sometimes too darn much.
(LAUGHTER)
But I love it. And I --
CARDONA: Look at the man that's made you.
SINGLETON: -- I just think that it's really important for men to understand how essential it is to support the women in our lives to excel because I do think when women enter certain arenas, they bring a different perspective. They bring and offer things that we as men oftentimes don't think about. So, I would have a different view on this issue than him.
COATES: Well, here's one man, Jon Stewart, from "The Daily Show." They're taking on this controversy. Let's know what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, COMEDIAN, WRITER: Contrary to your conservative book industry, the outrage isn't just coming from the left. It's coming from the left, the right, for the right, for the left, and the Swifties, and Y.A. readers, and anybody who dares to lift their head up to say (bleep) anything. We are not censored or silenced. We are surrounded by and inundated with more speech than has ever existed in the history of communication, and it is all weaponized by professional outrage hunters of all stripes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Is this an instance of cancel culture or outrage hunters as he's describing attacking this speech or is there a different point? CARDONA: No. I mean, I think there is outrage on the speech, but I don't think he has been canceled. I mean, I don't see really the kind of outrage where, oh, my God, he's got to get off of Twitter or X or social platforms. I think he's being given the space. To your point, Shermichael, these are his views. But it's also, and I hope this is the case that continues to be the case, it's not keeping others, like what we're doing right here, in terms of criticizing it, not necessarily criticizing him, right?
SINGLETON: Yeah.
CARDONA: We're not calling him personal names, but criticizing it. And that's how you have civil discourse, right? I go back to think of our dear friend, Alice. This is -- right? I mean, that's what Mahomes represents. He disagreed, but he has called his teammate a good man. Alice and I did that every single day. Everyone should be able to do that.
SINGLETON: Yeah. I mean, I think it's one thing to call someone to be fired or removed from a social media platform.
CARDONA: Right.
SINGLETON: I agree with you. But a part of the process is being able to have that back and forth, that engagement. Maybe you'll learn something from him, maybe you'll learn something from you, but I think that's sort of essential. We definitely don't see that enough in our arena at all. We need more of it.
COATES: I mean, sometimes, one would say it's best to just know who the person is as opposed to shielding it.
SINGLETON: Yeah.
CARDONA: Right.
COATES: And then there are different consequences, as long as it remains that respectful light. And, of course, we'll think about Alice Stewart and the way that she always knew how to agree to disagree and civilly. At the end of the day, still friends.
Shermichael and Maria, thank you so much.
CARDONA: Thanks, Laura.
COATES: Have you seen Trump with a stack of papers outside the courtroom in Manhattan? Of course, you have. Turns out someone prints that for him, and she is dubbed the human printer. I'm serious. That's next.
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[23:44:23]
COATES: So, this has become a fixture outside the courtroom. Some would call it unorthodox. Others consider it quintessential Trump. The former president sifting through a stack of papers in front of TV cameras, citing what he perceives to be commentary that discredits the hush money case.
And you might wonder, who is handing him all of these newspaper clippings for the former president? Well, we've got an answer. Her name is Natalie Harp. And according to our next guest, she is known as the human printer, an aide who follows Trump everywhere. And yes, a portable printer is in tow.
I want to bring in national political reporter for "The Bulwark," Marc Caputo.
[23:45:02]
Marc, so good to see you. I got to ask you. Every day, I wondered about the Elizabeth Warren-sized stacks of paper that was handed to the president's hand every day. Give us the inside scoop here. Who is Natalie Harp, and how did she become, I guess, a kind of a confidante?
MARC CAPUTO, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE BULWARK: Well, Natalie Harp is a 32-year-old aide. She joined the campaign last year. She used to be a host on One America News Network, the far-right news network. And Donald Trump doesn't like to read stuff on his iPhone all the time. He doesn't spend a lot of time on a computer. If he is not in court, he likes to be on the golf course. And he likes to read things printed for him.
And so, Natalie Harp realized, well, if he likes to read things on paper, he likes to be on the go, so she got a portable printer. She has it in a duffle bag that she even brings out to the golf course. And if he likes something or if there is something she wants him to see, she will show it to him, and then maybe she'll print it out.
Now, she doesn't print everything with a portable computer. For instance, in court, there, they do have access to a back room where she prints stacks and stacks of papers, and the president certainly appreciates it or I should say a former president certainly appreciates it.
COATES: I'm fascinated by this and also where one can get a printer inside of a duffel bag. But the idea that he would like to have the on-demand information and be able to comb through it, sort through it, and then be able to convey the information as he is retaining it is really fascinating and part of his entire strategy.
But what exactly is her role on the campaign? I mean, obviously, she's there in the court, but your sources say that she may have had something to do with the now-deleted Unified Reich video post on True Social?
CAPUTO: Right. In addition to sort of being the portable printer Sherpa, as it were, Natalie Harp also has access to Donald Trump's Truth Social media account. And from what I understand, and from what sources of the campaign tell me, she was the one who flagged this video that she had seen, thought it was interesting, they discussed it, and she wound up posting it. Of course, it sorts of blew up in their faces.
And for once, something that the Trump campaign and Trump doesn't do, they actually erased the post, even though in this case it's disputable whether or not the Unified Reich had all of these Nazi references or the like. But that was the result of her having seen it, her having shown it to him, and her having posted it.
COATES: So, one of Trump's most controversial campaign managers, a man people remember quite well, Corey Lewandowski, he is apparently returning to Trump world after he was kicked out of a pro-Trump super PAC over accusations, I recall, of unwanted sexual advances. He is now set to serve as a convention advisor. Why is he resurfacing after all of that?
CAPUTO: Donald Trump's campaign and his orbit can be thought of in a certain way as a giant T.V. show and, you know, soap opera in some respects. And every season that goes by, you can always expect a character from a former season to make a cameo or return.
(LAUGHTER)
If you think of it that way, you know, sort of, I don't know, "Falcon Crest" or "Dallas" or "Dynasty," I'm probably dating (ph) myself here, you know, Corey Lewandowski fits that role. In fact, one of the interesting things is before or right after Trump announced in November of 2022, it was a flat announcement, some of his advisors told me at the time, my God, like, we need new material, we're sort of a stale rerun.
And what do you do in a T.V. show if you want to kind of spice things up? We have a courtroom drama. And, well, we've got that now in spades with former President Trump. So, again, if you look at Lewandowski, it's just sorts of a recurring character that the main characters decided to bring back. It makes perfect sense.
COATES: Hmm. I got to tell you, you're speaking my language. I love "Dallas." That was a great show although I still want to know who shot J.R.
CAPUTO: "Falcon Crest." I don't know. I don't remember seeing all of these things. You know, it has been some time.
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: Don't worry, it'll come back again. Mark Caputo, thank you so much for joining us.
CAPUTO: Thank you.
COATES: Ahead, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is calling it "freedom summer." Now, what does that mean? Well, for one, say goodbye to rainbow lights on bridges. I'll tell you more, next.
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[23:53:59] COATES: Well, summer kickoff is here, and whatever your summer plans are, I bet they aren't as free as Florida's. Wondering what I mean by that? Of course, you are. Well, Governor Ron DeSantis has dubbed the summer Florida's "freedom summer." Families can visit the state parks for free this coming weekend, and he's lifting sales taxes for the month of July on camping and fishing items.
But his latest act of freedom? Well, if Florida cities want to light up their state-run bridges at night, they can only use the colors red, white or blue. That means no rainbow for Pride Month, no black and green for Juneteenth, no orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue posting on "X," thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida continues to be the freest state in the union. Hmm. Freest state in the union, but not, I guess, when it comes to the colors that are used? And I guess, why now? Well, those questions will have to wait for another day.
[23:55:00]
Thank you so much for watching. Our coverage continues with "Anderson Cooper 360," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Tonight on "360" breaking news, no trial but already a fight between prosecutors and defense attorneys in the classified documents case. Former FBI Director James Comey joins us ahead.
Also breaking news tonight, "The New York Times" report on a second controversial flag flown at the home owned by Justice Samuel Alito. The reporter on those stories is here.
And Nikki Haley, she called Trump unhinged, but now says she will vote for him. Will the Republicans who voted for her do the same?
Good evening. Thanks for joining us. A shouting match erupted today in a federal court in Florida during the first of a series of pretrial motions in the long-delayed case against the former president for mishandling classified documents. There were two pretrial hearings today.
