How Russia Owns Trump with David Corn

Al Hunt (0:09)

Hello and welcome to Politics War Room with James Carville and Al Hunt. This week our guest is the Washington Bureau Chief for Mother Jones, David Corn, and the author of a new book, How Russia Won, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Fight for America. Remember, we love taking your questions. So write to politicswarroom.gmail.com for next week's show. I'm going to get to as many as we can, but don't forget to tell us where you're from. You also can get text updates about what's next for Politicon and Politics War Room by signing up at politicon.com. Tell your friends about us and remind them to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please check out the links to our sponsors, Miracle Made, Quince, Three-Day Blondes, and Broto and our episode, Jono's. We thank you for supporting these sponsors. It really helps make this podcast happen.

You know, James, my first check on election polls, which I actually suspect are pretty accurate, is I go to RealClearPolitics.

There will be a dozen races there. What I first do is look on the right hand side, where it's color coordinated, blue for D and red for R's. It's a sea of blue almost every day with only a couple of reds. With less than four weeks, it looks like a wave. I worry a little bit about the GOP's massive money advantage. I worry more that Trump is going to try to intimidate voters and steal the election.

But one thing I'm not worried about is Donald Trump out there campaigning. He is out of control. He suggested Iran might bomb Los Angeles and San Diego. He denied he said it or didn't mean it. It was actually on tape. He said, there's almost no inflation. There's actually 3.4% inflation, higher than when he took office. But it doesn't matter what he says. People know there's inflation. I mean, you can't tell people they don't feel something when they feel it. He called Democrats dumb sons of bitches. Panicking a little bit, Mr. President.

He goes into Nebraska, Nebraska, except he avoided Omaha, where there really is an important house race.

He just doesn't... Any Democrat out there, James, and in a competitive race, there should be a simple message to Mr. Trump. Come on in, baby. We like having you here.

James Carville (2:45)

Yes, in the Nebraska trip, there was a place called Grand Island of Nebraska, which is in Hull County, Nebraska, of which he got, I think, 69% of the vote.

I just got to keep asking the same question. Is Trump trying to lose?

I mean, there's nothing that he does that's consistent with trying to win. There's probably not much he can do. He has the central issue in the campaign. He dominates everything. But I got to keep asking, is he trying to do this? Is he just want to screw the congressional Republicans? Does he hate them? I don't know. There's some other explanation for this behavior. It might be that he's just out of his goddamn mind. Who knows? But he is a man of real grievances, and this behavior is the only thing that can really explain it, is he's clinically insane, or he wants the Republicans to lose. I don't think there's any other explanation for it.

Al Hunt (3:40)

Well, I'm hard-pressed to give you one.

If I weren't so damn concerned about him cheating in the election, I would certainly think that was the case.

James, you know, let me give a shout-out to another Republican, Mike DeWine, the Governor of Ohio. A young migrant named Pierre DeMauze Bell was in Springfield, Ohio. He was a good student. Teacher said one of the best kids she's ever had, ROTC, college band, living the American dream. He arrived from Haiti some years ago. And then these ice henchmen, more interested in numbers than just going after criminals who should be deported, came to Springfield and told him he was going to be deported back to Haiti and put an ankle bracelet on him. Depressed that everything he had worked so hard for and dreamed about was being taken away, he threw himself in front of traffic on a highway, suicide. DeWine went to Springfield to comfort that community and talked about how terrible this Trump policy is. In the meanwhile, Trump was 25 miles away, not a word, just bloviating.

James Carville (5:00)

Well, I think you do have to give DeWine credit, and we always like to give Republicans credit for something. You also got to give JD. Vance credit. He's the one who said they were eating cats and dogs in Springfield.

But a lot of this anti-Haitian garbage, crap, prejudice comes from none other than JD. Vance. So I'll give Governor DeWine the credit, but equally, let's talk about JD. Vance, and I think what he's done is more damaging than the good that Governor DeWine has done. That's my...