Amid a Monday phase designed to brag about and hype Republican infighting in Indiana relating to President Trump’s displeasure with state Republicans for not redrawing their congressional map, CNN Inside Politics host Dana Bash by chance admitted that Virginia Democrats had “gerrymandered” their state. She swiftly rephrased her remark as actions by voters.
Bash’s Freudian slip occurred close to the tip of her interview with Republican Indiana State Senator Rodric Bray. She was recapping different latest election and redistricting information objects when the reality slipped out, earlier than she caught herself:
Quite a bit has modified within the redistricting battles since December. Because you all made that call, in Virginia, Democrats voted to gerrymander their state – or voters authorized a Democratic plan to counter GOP positive aspects throughout the nation. The Supreme Courtroom dominated that efforts to eradicate some majority minority districts is okay in a handful of states. If you happen to had a do over on Indiana’s redistricting vote, would you do it the identical method?
However earlier than Bray may end his ideas, Bash interrupted him to ask if he had any regrets, and in her speedy log off, acquired his identify fallacious twice:
BRAY: , Indiana’s going to do the best way do issues the best way Indiana must do them. We’re not going to base that call on different states, together with one thing like –
BASH: So no regrets?
BRAY: So no, no regrets.
BASH: Okay. State Senator Roderic bay, the president professional tem there in Indiana. Thanks a lot for being right here, Robert Bray. I ought to say, Roderic Bray.
CNN’s Dana Bash by chance admits, “in Virginia, Democrats voted to gerrymander their state” earlier than catching herself and rephrasing it as “voters authorized a Democratic plan to counter GOP positive aspects throughout the nation.” pic.twitter.com/jCGHJrs4aJ
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) Might 4, 2026
All through most of phase, Bash’s questions have been meant to choose on the still-open wound that was the occasion infighting that will be settled by Tuesday’s main election.
“So you have clearly been in it. You are working very exhausting to assist your fellow incumbents,” she prefaced her first set of questions. “Who do you assume voters are going to finish up deciding to go together with? The incumbents who defied the President on redistricting or the GOP challengers the President is backing to take them out?”
Bash adopted up with repeated questions with how the infighting was due to Trump:
And I simply need to make it crystal clear to our viewers. We’re speaking about cash, not from Democrats and never solely from Republicans, however Republicans who’re supporting the needs of President Trump, who’re attempting to take – who’s attempting to take out your fellow Republican colleagues.
(…)
You say in Washington, D.C., simply to place a finer level on it, it is clearly coming from the President himself, and it has been private in the direction of you. He mentioned he would work tirelessly to, quote, “take you out.” He known as you a complete RINO who betrayed the Republican Occasion and that he is coming for you “like nobody has ever come after you earlier than.”
The CNN host even tried to egg on Bray to assault Trump:
BASH: I perceive you are saying it’s what it’s, and the voters are going to go to the polls tomorrow. However do you may have a message for the President who’s making this race and this sequence of races so powerful on your incumbent Republicans, as you say, from the surface, not from the within?
BRAY: No, I do not I haven’t got a message for the President. I’ve had various conversations with him about this problem, and he expressed to all of us that it was vital. And he is the president of the USA. So, if it is vital to him, it is vital to us.
“The underside line is we determined that as a as a caucus, we have been pretty evenly cut up. However we determined finally that it wasn’t the appropriate factor and it wasn’t the appropriate method for Indiana to maneuver ahead,” he mentioned.
The transcript is under. Click on “increase” to learn:
CNN’s Inside Politics
Might 4, 2026
12:31:18 p.m. Jap(…)
DANA BASH: Okay. So you have clearly been in it. You are working very exhausting to assist your fellow incumbents. Who do you assume voters are going to finish up deciding to go together with? The incumbents who defied the President on redistricting or the GOP challengers the President is backing to take them out?
(…)
12:32:12 p.m. Jap
BASH: And I simply need to make it crystal clear to our viewers. We’re speaking about cash, not from Democrats and never solely from Republicans, however Republicans who’re supporting the needs of President Trump, who’re attempting to take – who’s attempting to take out your fellow Republican colleagues.
RODRIC BRAY (R-IN, Indiana State Senate): Properly, that is appropriate. And, , primaries are powerful. There’s at all times a household battle. Any 12 months. And so, they’re at all times difficult. This one is one among a unique taste although, as a result of usually you see a main opponent come from contained in the district, someone who simply desires the state to run a bit otherwise. Perhaps there may be some points or that have been both voted for or towards throughout the senator’s final time period that – however they’re homegrown points. That is not what that is. That is actually pushed from outdoors the state of Indiana, largely in Washington, D.C. and the cash is coming from outdoors of Indiana as nicely.
BASH: You say in Washington, D.C., simply to place a finer level on it, it is clearly coming from the President himself, and it has been private in the direction of you. He mentioned he would work tirelessly to, quote, “take you out.” He known as you a complete RINO who betrayed the Republican Occasion and that he is coming for you “like nobody has ever come after you earlier than.”
As I mentioned, you are not on the poll, however the President and his staff need the Republicans who’re working to vow to not reelect you as president professional tem. Is he going to achieve success?
(…)
12:34: 24 a.m. Jap
BASH: I perceive you are saying it’s what it’s, and the voters are going to go to the polls tomorrow. However do you may have a message for the President who’s making this race and this sequence of races so powerful on your incumbent Republicans, as you say, from the surface, not from the within?
BRAY: No, I do not I haven’t got a message for the President. I’ve had various conversations with him about this problem, and he expressed to all of us that it was vital. And he is the president of the USA. So if it is vital to him, it is vital to us. The underside line is we determined that as a as a caucus, we have been pretty evenly cut up. However we determined finally that it wasn’t the appropriate factor and it wasn’t the appropriate method for Indiana to maneuver ahead.
(…)
12:35:20 p.m. Jap
BASH: Quite a bit has modified within the redistricting battles since December. Because you all made that call in Virginia, Democrats voted to gerrymander their state – or voters authorized a Democratic plan to counter GOP positive aspects throughout the nation. The Supreme Courtroom dominated that efforts to eradicate some majority minority districts is okay in a handful of states. If you happen to had a do over on Indiana’s redistricting vote, would you do it the identical method?
BRAY: , Indiana’s going to do the best way do issues the best way Indiana must do them. We’re not going to base that call on different states, together with one thing like –
BASH: So no regrets?
BRAY: So no, no regrets.
BASH: Okay. State Senator Roderick bay, the president professional tem there in Indiana. Thanks a lot for being right here. Robert bray, I ought to say, Roderick Bray. You’re going to have a really huge day tomorrow and possibly you will come again it doesn’t matter what the outcomes are.
BRAY: I’d like to. Yeah, I hope so. Thanks. Good being with you.
BASH: Okay. You too.
