Jeff Zeleny
@jeffzeleny
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Chief National Affairs Correspondent, @CNN. Covering the White House, Washington and the state of politics in America.
Washington, DC
Joined October 2009
The elections Trump can’t stop thinking about? Next year’s midterms. One adviser says he’s “obsessed” with 2026. Will Virginia and New Jersey send an early signal? Our new story…
cnn.com
Even as Tuesday’s elections hang in the balance, President Donald Trump has bluntly suggested that he is already looking ahead to the 2026 midterm races with a sense of dread.
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New — @InsidePolitics 8aET/11aET - Intense final weekend before NJ/Va/NYC elections - What early voting tells us - Live intvw w GOP Rep. Van Drew as shutdown set to be longest ever - Boat strikes in Caribbean and Trump’s military actions @DavidChalian @jeffzeleny @amyewalter
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President Trump on NYT reporting he's seeking $230 million from the DOJ in response to the investigations into him: "With the country, it's interesting because I'm the one that makes the decision, right? And that decision would have to go across my desk. And it's awfully strange
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President Trump may not be on the ballot in the fall’s biggest political races, but both sides are counting on him to help them win. Our story from New Jersey and Virginia.
cnn.com
Republicans are racing to motivate voters who love the president, and Democrats are rallying those who don’t, as the races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia play out as an early referendum on...
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CNN, Fox News, NBC, ABC and CBS just issued a joint statement: "We join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national
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NEW: European leaders are heading to Washington to join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks Monday with President Donald Trump. @SangerNYT and @juliaioffe explain to @jeffzeleny what's at stake. #InsidePolitics
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News: Ken Paxton quietly traveled to Scotland last month, where he and Trump briefly spoke at Turnberry golf course about the bitter primary fight in Texas Paxton believes a Trump endorsement would end his fight against Cornyn W/ @mkraju @jeffzeleny
https://t.co/bkz2hXTz9t
cnn.com
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently found himself roughly 4,500 miles from home as he sought one thing that could give him an edge in his bitter primary fight against GOP Sen. John Cornyn: an...
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Bacon, a rare outspoken critic of Trump in the House GOP, won't run in 26 A big Dem opening in NE-02. But his decision was widely expected by House R leaders, who saw him telegraphing his plans to leave, including with his voting record w/ @jeffzeleny
https://t.co/rpHzBE9IIX
cnn.com
GOP Rep. Don Bacon, who represents one of House Republicans’ toughest battleground districts, has decided not to run for reelection next year, according to three people familiar with his plans –...
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Medicaid is at the center of the tax-and-spending debate in Congress. The real-world implications are playing out across the country for those who rely on health benefits, food assistance and rural hospitals. Our story from Missouri:
cnn.com
Courtney Leader has been closely following the contentious tax and spending debate in Washington – not that she cares much for politics, but because she believes the proposed Medicaid cuts are a...
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As their blowup escalates, Trump suggests terminating Musk’s federal contracts.
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"Elon's really not leaving -- he's going to be back and forth," President Trump said during an Oval Office farewell to his high-profile DOGE leader.
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Asked about Biden's cancer diagnosis, Trump said: “I think it’s very sad. I’m surprised the public wasn’t notified a long time ago -- to get to stage 9." (Trump twice repeated that, but Biden's cancer is actually stage 4.) Trump went on to talk about cognitive tests...
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He campaigned on a promise of “America First” with deep isolationist strains, but President Trump is signaling a far more globalist view on his Middle East tour. @betsy_klein & I report from Abu Dhabi:
edition.cnn.com
For a leader who campaigned on a promise of “America First” with deep isolationist strains, the first major overseas trip of President Donald Trump’s second term signaled he may be emerging as more...
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In his speech to the Saudi-US Investment Forum, President Trump takes time to tell his Riyadh audience how he won all seven battleground states in America last fall.
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Speaking to CEOs at the White House, President Trump waxes nostalgic about the economy from his first term. As for now, he says: "I think you have to give us a little bit of time to get moving, but this is still the Biden economy."
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"Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally," President Trump said when asked about the prospect of empty store shelves in a prolonged trade war with China.
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On day 101, the buck stops with ..... "This is Biden. You can even say the next quarter is Biden," President Trump said when asked about an economic slowdown and rising anxiety.
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President Trump is heading to Macomb County, Michigan to mark his first 100 days back in office. We spent a little time here talking with voters, where the economic anxieties and questions about tariffs echoed through our conversations.
cnn.com
President Donald Trump is taking a self-described victory lap on Tuesday as he returns to one of the biggest battleground states for the first time since taking office, basking in the glow of 100...
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An extraordinary image and moment of Trump-Zelensky before Pope Francis' funeral. The White House calls it "a very productive discussion."
Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to
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Does President Trump plan to walk away from Ukraine talks if Zelensky doesn't accept by the end of the day? “Not by the end of the day today, but the president has maintained that its frustration is growing, and he needs to see this thing come to an end,” @PressSec tells me.
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