CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Flat-Out Says ‘Trump’s Pressure Campaign Has Failed’ After Redistricting Bombshell

KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight, Indiana Republicans handed President Trump one of his biggest defeats ever. Why they opposed him and how the President will react in the Oval Office tonight.

I’m Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.

There’s no other way to express it when we go on the air tonight. President Trump’s pressure campaign has failed.

In Indiana, a state he won by nearly 20 points last November, the President’s party rejected a call to create two more Republican-friendly seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Two seats that could help Republicans gain a majority in next year’s midterm elections.

But those hopes were dashed tonight. When we look at the number here, it wasn’t actually that close. More Republicans actually voted against it than voted for it.

This is just one of a number of states we’re seeing across the country where the President has attempted to use his influence, which can be overwhelming at times, to shield the final two years of his presidency from House Democrats. That means investigations, subpoenas and hearings while his Cabinet is on Capitol Hill.

But despite his pressure for it to happen tonight in Indiana, this is what he said in the Oval Office tonight in response to the rejection of what he was encouraging Republicans to do there.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I wasn’t working on it very much. It would be nice, if we did that I think we would get two seats. There was a gentleman, the president of the Senate, I think Bray, whatever his name is, I heard he was against it. He will probably lose the next primary as well. I hope so, because he has done a great evil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

-Collins: Rodric BrayThe person the president was referring to there is the state’s Senate Republican leader. But he’s not actually running for re-election until 2028.

Since the president was not in Indianapolis and downplayed his own efforts here, his presence and what he wanted the outcome to be were certainly felt during the debate.