When Biden Dropped Out, Kaitlan Collins' First Call Was To Donald Trump

Intro >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY. WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW." FOLKS, MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS A FORMER WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND NOW ANCHORS "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" ON CNN. PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," KAITLAN COLLINS. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ ♪ [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ ♪ >> Kaitlan: THIS IS AI, RIGHT? >> Stephen: NO REAL CROWD. NICE TO MEET YOU. >> Kaitlan: NICE TO MEET YOU. >> Stephen: I FEEL LIKE I KNOW YOU BECAUSE I WATCHED YOU MOST NIGHTS. YOU HAVE JUST PASSED YOUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HOST YOUR OWN SHOW. >> Kaitlan: IT FEELS LIKE 50 YEARS BUT IT'S ONLY BEEN ONE YEAR THAT WE'VE BEEN ON IN THE 9:00 SLOT. IT'S SAFE TO SAY WE WITNESSED A LOT OF HISTORY. >> Stephen: IT HAS BEEN A CRAZY YEAR. WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT IS, YOU WERE A WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT White House Correspondent vs Anchor BEFORE THAT. YOU DID A GREAT JOB AT THAT AND THAT'S A DIFFICULT JOB, VERY CHALLENGING. ANCHORING IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT THING. HOW DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE TWO AND DO YOU MISS BEING OUT THERE ON THE FIELD JOCKEYING FOR POSITION? >> Kaitlan: I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SOLDERING THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION I WAS ON THE FLOOR STILL JOCKEYING. I FELT LIKE I WAS COMBAT, GOING AROUND, MAKING MY WAY TO THE DELEGATION. >> Stephen: WITH A NICE QUESTION WORK WITH A HOSTEL? >> Kaitlan: THEY WERE NICE. EVERYONE WAS IN SUCH A GOOD MOOD. THEY WERE FLOATING ON AIR. THEY FELT LIKE THEY WERE WALKING INTO A VICTORY FOR THIS NOVEMBER. IT'S SAFE TO SAY I THINK IT WAS BEING HELD THIS WEEK IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT. [APPLAUSE] THAT'S THE TRUTH. >> Stephen: DID YOU HANG OUT WITH KID ROCK OR HULK HOGAN? >> Kaitlan: NO, THEY WERE ON TH STAGE AND WE WERE IN THE CROWD BUT TRULY PEOPLE WERE MESMERIZED. WE FELT LIKE HULK HOGAN'S T-SHIRT WAS GOING TO HIT US WHILE YOU'RE WALKING AROUND TRYING TO DO OUR INTERVIEWS. BEING AN ANCHOR IS GREAT. IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT MUSCLE. YOU ARE BOOKING GUESTS HANDLING LONG FORM INTERVIEWS. WHEN YOU'RE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, HALF THE TIME THEY WERE QUESTIONING THE PRESIDENT COMING OR SHOUTING QUESTIONS AT THEM OVER THE HELICOPTER, MARINE ONE. CHOPPER TALK. YOU HAD TO BE ABLE TO SCREAM SO THE PRESIDENT COULD HEAR YOU WHEN HE WOULD DO A 40 MINUTE PRESS CONFERENCE. >> Stephen: IT WAS SO LOUD, A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS WERE JUSTIN MIME. WE HAD TO GO BACK AND LISTEN TO THE ANSWERS. DID HE SAY THAT? YOU COULDN'T REALLY TELL. YOU HAD TO SLOW IT DOWN AND DECIPHERED. IT WAS QUITE A MOMENT. >> Stephen: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT ANCHORING? BOOKING GUESTS AND DOING ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS WHICH I NEVER DID BEFORE AS A WHITE HOUSE CORRESONDENT. HE WOULD GO TO THE BRIEFINGS, YOU HAVE TWO QUESTIONS, MAYBE THREE. DOING A SITDOWN INTERVIEW AS A DIFFERENT SKILL AND YOU'VE GOT TO REALLY RESEARCH THESE PEOPLE AND TRY TO BREAK NEW GROUND AND GET PAST HER TALKING POINTS. I REALLY ENJOY IT. Trump and Biden >> Stephen: BIDEN STEPPED DOWN AS THE NOMINEE. >> Kaitlan: A LOT OF NEWS HAPPEN WHILE YOU WERE GONE. >> Stephen: I KNOW. YOU KNOW TRUMP AND HIS STAFF, AS I SAID YOU COVERED THERE FOR FOUR YEARS. WHAT IS GOING ON BEHIND CLOSE DOORS? WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ABOUT THE MOOD IN THE CONVERSATION GOING ON THAT WE DON'T SEE YET? >> Kaitlan: INSIDE TRUMP WORLD? IT'S KIND OF AMAZING GIVEN THE TRAJECTORY AND HOW QUICKLY THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE CONVENTION. AT THE CONVENTION, NORMALLY I GET MULTIPLE TEXTS DURING THE SHOW ABOUT INTERVIEWS, COMPLAINTS, THEY DON'T LIKE HOW WE PHRASE SOMETHING WERE A QUESTION WE ASKED. THAT WASN'T REALLY THE CASE DURING THE CONVENTION. THEY WERE RIDING HIGH, WINDOW THEIR BACKS. THE QUESTION WOULD NOT THEY WERE WIN HOW MUCH BUT IT'S TOTALLY WE... GOT AT LASTLY, TRUMP HAS BEEN THROWN ON HIS HEELS AND HE'S NOT REALLY SURE HOW TO GO AFTER VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS. HE KNEW HIS ATTACK LINES ON PRESIDENT BIDEN. HE REALLY HAS STRUGGLED WITH HOW TO GO AFTER SOMEONE WHO'S 20 YEARS YOUNGER THAN HIM, DIFFERENT GENDER, DIFFERENT RACE. IT'S KIND OF BEEN THIS MOMENT WHERE HE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO COALESCE AROUND A SINGLE ATTACK LINE. >> Stephen: I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE OBJECTIVE OVER THERE, THAT YOU JUST REPORT THE NEWS AS IT IS. [LAUGHTER] NO, CNN -- >> Kaitlan: IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A LAUGH LINE? >> Stephen: IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE BUT I GUESS IT IS. WHAT I WANTED TO ASK, YOU HAVE YOUR OWN FEELINGS AND YOUR OLD N BETS ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK THIS MIGHT HAPPEN. DID YOU THINK BIDEN WAS GOING TO STEP DOWN? >> Kaitlan: AS A POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WAY TO BE SMART AND HAVE A LONG CAREER IS YOU DON'T MAKE BETS. YOU FOLLOW THE STORY AS IT HAPPENS. IT SEEMED LIKE THE SIGNS ARE POINTING TO PRESIDENT BIDEN STEPPING DOWN. >> Stephen: YOU WEREN'T SURPRISED. >> Kaitlan: BASED ON WHAT WE ARE HEARING BUT YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW. BIDEN, I COVERED HIM. HE'S QUITE STUBBORN AND HE OFTEN FEELS HE'S RIGHT AND OTHER PEOPLE TRY TO CONVINCE HIM OF SOMETHING. HE WILL STICK IT OUT A LITTLE LONGER THAN MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE WOULD. I WAS APPRISED WHEN HE TWEETED IT OUT. THAT IS NOT VERY BIDENESQUE PEER NORMALLY HE WOULD CALL PEOPLE TO THE OVAL OFFICE OR HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE WHEN HE WAS HOMESICK DEALING WITH COVID. HE TWEETED IT. ALL OF OUR REPORTING HAD BEEN FOR NAUGHT. >> Kaitlan: SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WERE YOU TAKING AN EASY QUESTION WORK >> Kaitlan: YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE LEARNED, THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIRST MOMENTS SINCE ABOUT A MONTH AGO THAT I'VE NOT HAD MY PHONE ATTACHED TO ME. YOU CANNOT PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN AT ANY MOMENT IN THIS ELECTION. I WAS IN AN UBER GOING TO BROOKLYN TO SEE FRIENDS BABY AND I LOOK AT MY PHONE WITHIN TEN SECONDS AFTER BEING IN THE CLIENT BIDEN HAS PLEADED HE'S DROPPING OUT OF THE RACE. I WAS LIKE, I NEED YOU TO TURN AROUND. THE UBER WAS DRIVER LIKE WHAT, CAN YOU GO BACK, CAN YOU GO BACK THERE. I NEED A BLAZER, MY CNN BADGE. HE WAS LIKE, OKAY. WE JUST HURRY? I RUN IN THE HOUSE AND COME BACK AND WE ARE ON THE WAY TO CNN. I DON'T HAVE MY HEADPHONES BUT WE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS TRUMP'S REACTION TO THIS MAJOR NEWS THAT IS TOTALLY CHANGED THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE FOR HIM. SO I CALLED DONALD TRUMP. I DIDN'T HAVE MY HEADPHONES I PUT IT ON SPEAKER IN THE BACKSEAT. I AM WRITING DOWN -- >> Stephen: THE GUY DOESN'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE. >> Kaitlan: NO, THE UBER DRIVER -- TRUMP'S VOICE IS BOOMING THROUGH. HE KNOWS WHY I'M CALLING AND WHAT QUOTES I WANTED. THE UBER DRIVERS LIKE TURNING AROUND. HE IS SO CONFUSED. HE'S LOOKING AT ME, MY PHONE, IS THAT WHOSE VOICE I THINK IT IS? I JUST SPRINTED OUT OF THE UBER AND EIGHT HOURS LATER I CHECKED THE APP TO MAKE SURE I TEMPT HI HIM. HOPEFULLY. MAYBE GIVE ME ONE STAR, MAYBE FIVE. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK. WE'LL BE RIGHT MORE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS, EVERYBODY. STICK AROUND.