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Biden Makes Campaign Speech In Iowa; House Of Representatives Expected To Vote On A Resolution That Would Help Speed Up Its Subpoena Powers. Aired: 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 11, 2019 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FRM. VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's going on here? This is really dangerous stuff and it's not easy. He is a threat in my view, a threat to our core values and folks, the fact of the matter is that four years of Donald Trump will be viewed as an aberration to the American history. Eight years -- eight years will fundamentally change who we are as a nation and how we are viewed around the world.

We're not only the most powerful nation in the world, we've led America -- we've led the world not by the example of our power alone, but by the power of our example. That's why the rest of the world has followed us because of our values, who we are, who we say we are. Decency, honor and it is being absolutely thrashed around the world.

And look the idea that I believe and I didn't believe this -- if you had asked me this five years ago, I would have told you, you were crazy.

I think there's a genuine threat to American democracy. You know, I recommend a book to you by two professors Harvard's, "How Democracies Die."

None of them died in the last hundred years by someone battering down the door of the President or the Congress. They won a general election then they brought down all the barriers that prevented the abuse of power.

They brought down all those things that allowed us to be a nation that we were together, allowing us to work in a way that we had arrived at a consensus.

It's always been about the abuse of power and look what he is doing. He not only attacks courts because he said how can a judge with Mexican ancestry treat me fairly?

The news media, all of them back there, they're all fake news, he says. You know everybody thinks that's kind of you know -- it doesn't mean much, but look at the people copying his ways all around the world.

Whether it's Orban in Hungary, whether it's in the Philippines. There are thugs all over the world using the same kinds of language he is using now and what are we saying to the world? What are we saying to the world? And folks you know, the goal is simple. When he discredits the news,

discredit the Free Press, he gets to run roughshod over the country, and by the way, as you've noticed, the press isn't always that great with me. I'm not that crazy about him sometimes, too, if they are right.

But they are the Fourth Estate as Jefferson said, if I have to choose paraphrasing them, one of the three branches of the government or the Free Press, I'd picked the Free Press.

And folks, the fact of the matter is, we're at a moment where I think we have to reinstate our constitutional norms of the country. The Presidency is not without limits. It's not without limits. It's a co-equal branch of the government with the Senate, the House and the Congress, as well as with the courts.

And folks I'm not naive. You know, some say that this is an old- fashioned way of doing things. Well, if it's an old-fashioned way of doing things we're in real trouble, man. We're in real trouble.

If the idea that the very thing that holds the most heterogeneous nation and democracy in the history of the world together as it has now, for us, it is old-fashioned then well, I ask you how did we last for all these years and grow as diverse as we are? Because of these documents that we say we believe. We hold these truths self-evident that all men and women are created equal. We, the people -- no other, no other country in the world is unique as America.

We are unique in all of history because of the nature of who we are and the system we created to engage everyone and it is being ripped.

Look, I don't think it's naive, I don't think it's old-fashioned way of doing things that says the system has to be restored.

You know, I think it's time to -- he says let's make America great again, let's make America, America again.

(Cheering and Applause)

BIDEN: Look there's a lot going on to state the obvious, but notwithstanding all the problems we have, I am genuinely optimistic when the American people have been given a chance they've never ever, ever let the country down for real.

We not only have the most powerful military in the history of the world, as I said we rule not by an example of our power, the power of example, that's why we've been able to lead the rest of the world.

We're in a situation where in the United States of America, we have a great research university in Iowa to coast to coast than all the rest of the world combined, and every single major innovative thing has come out of a research university.

[14:05:17] BIDEN: It's been monetized by corporations, but it's because of the brilliance, you own those research universities. The American people own them. And it's time we begin to realize who we are. We're walking around

with our heads down like "Woe, is me," what's the matter with us? This is the United States of America. There's not a thing we've ever set our mind to that we haven't been able to do together, not a joke.

Never, never, never, never. But we're walking around like, "Woe is me."

There's not another country in the world if we do what we have the capacity of doing. They can't touch us, they can't touch us. And the rest of the world needs us as well. We are the indispensable nation because who else fills that vacuum, but us. Everything from our economic growth to our national security state.

There's not a thing we can't do and all the things that I talk about, whether it's my plan relative to the environment or healthcare or education; folks, we can afford it. You know, we can afford it without raising your taxes. And I tell you why, how many of you really did really well with that with that Trump tax cut? Raise your hand, man. Do you know what happened?

In addition to that you know how many -- you know how many tax loopholes are now in the law? When Reagan was President there were $800 billion around the tax loopholes. Do you know how many there are around now? A trillion four hundred six hundred and forty billion dollars in loopholes.

You can't find me an economist at any university in this state or anywhere in the United States of America that can justify the last six five to six hundred billion of those tax cuts. Why should you get a break for racehorses and not get break for childcare? You know -- no, I'm serious.

(Cheering and Applause)

BIDEN: We don't have to punish anybody. For example, we can put every single solitary qualified student in Community College as one example for free. Well there goes that big spending Biden. Okay, typical Democrat man -- he's out spending my money going to raise my tax. You can do it with one thing, just eliminate 17 billion of the one trillion six hundred billion plus dollars, you know what's it called? Think all stepped-up basis.

I didn't know what it was because when I was a senator, when I was listed as the poorest man in Congress, that's what happens when you get -- but still I got a good salary as a congressman. But it is one of those deals where, you know, when you get elected at 29, that's what happens, you know.

Well, here's the deal. The fact of the matter is, a stepped-up basis means if you go out making a capital gain, you buy stock, and it's worth a hundred thousand and you make hundred fifty thousand or a million you make -- so on. Well guess what? You pay a capital gains tax on that.

Well, the tax is much lower than your normal tax. That means the government in fact collects $17 billion less dollars in taxes because of that particular exemption in the code.

If you eliminate that one, you'd raise $17 billion out of one trillion six hundred plus billion dollars, you would hurt nobody, it's not going to change anybody's standard of living. Now what is it? It means that if you have a capital gain, I hope you do in the situation, and God forbid -- and a way to cash it in, you get struck by lightning you die. You leave your son or daughter -- they pay nothing.

It was a tax owned 12 seconds earlier, it's not an inheritance tax. You owed the tax 12 seconds earlier. You eliminate that one, you can put every single solitary person qualified in Community College in college, increasing numbers six to nine million people, increasing the economic growth of the country by two-tenths of one percent and you'd have $11 billion left to reduce the deficit. It's about priorities.

If you're in a town that is a big town and you have children, childcare averages for two kids, $24,000.00 a year, okay. That's after taxes. If we gave everybody in the United States of America, a single mother or father a child -- a tax credit for child care, you would increase about for $8,000.00 credit on your taxes. You would increase the number of women in the workforce by 750,000 people, because they're making sound judgments.

(Cheering and Applause)

[14:10:08] BIDEN: Guess what? We'd increase the growth of GDP almost one percent a year. What are we doing? What are we doing -- the priorities we're making. Look, let's think of how things have changed, not just for organized -- they were for labor generally. You know, you've got 40 million people who have to sign a non-compete agreement when they go to work.

Now, that non-compete agreement makes sense if you work for a tech company and you have secrets or you have an agency, you're going to open one, you sell it and you say, I promise I won't open one next door and compete with it, it makes sense. But the vast majority of those people are hourly workers.

Now, if in fact you are in a position -- what was the case, you've worked for Jimmy John's making sandwiches. You want to go across town to get five cents more working for McDonald's. You can't do it. What possible reason for that to exist, except to depress wages?

Look what's happened with corporate America where we are now today. Corporate America -- folks it used to be that they thought they had more than one job created, you know, I have a cartoon in my office from "The New Yorker" magazine, it's a picture of a great big rotund guy sitting in an interrogation table. He has a black turtleneck on, a black mask, and a black beret, and there's a big bag on the table with a dollar sign on it.

That's money he stole, and he is looking at the interrogator and says, "I'm sorry, how was I supposed to know he was a job creator?" Well, the job creators today, the only people that in fact get benefits, it used to be, there used to be a basic bargain in America and I'll end with this. If you participated in the growth of the well-being in the operation

you worked with, whatever it was, you got your share in the benefits -- you got to share in the benefits. That's not happening anymore.

People aren't getting their share. The rationale, a guy named Milton Friedman, an economist came along and said, the only obligation corporations have is to stockholders. They're the only job creators.

Well guess what? How about all those folks who work in a packing factory? How about all those folks who in fact work at John Deere? How about all those folks? Aren't they creating jobs? They're creating jobs. They're not the stockholders. Why don't they get to benefit anymore?

We've got to start to reward not just wealth. We've got to reward work. We've got to reward work.

(Cheering and Applause)

BIDEN: So folks, there's a lot more I want to say to you, but I'm taking too much of your time already. And the bad news here, as I said, I'll be back because I'm going to be doing this all -- this is a critical state.

Iowa is a critical, critical state. And the fact of the matter is, I don't -- I see all these polls, they give them to me. They don't mean a thing right now. This is a marathon, this is a marathon, and the marathon is just beginning. But at the end of the day, if you can't cross the line in Iowa, you don't win the marathon. It's an important deal.

So, I'm going to be back to make my case to you. Ask you as I used to say when I first ran, my name is Joe Biden, I'm running for -- in this case, running for President of the United States. Look me over. If you like what you see help out, if not vote for the other person, but give me a look, that's all I'm asking. Thank you all very, very, very much.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: You've been listening to the former Vice President there. I've got two words this afternoon, game on. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin here.

All eyes on Iowa as President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are battling it out for the spotlight in this first in the nation caucus state, after months of attack lines from afar and on Twitter, the President and Biden have multiple events in the same state all day.

You just heard Biden speaking at his first event there in Ottumwa. He just previewed a number of lines from a scathing speech, he is set to deliver later tonight, where he hits the President 76 times.

Biden's campaign leaked a copy of that speech this morning and as President Trump just left the White House, it was pretty obvious, he got a glimpse of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: When a man has to mention my name 76 times in his speech that means he is in trouble. Now, I have to tell you, he's a different guy. He looks different than he used to. He acts different than he used to. He is even slower than he used to be.

So I don't know, but when he mentions my name that many times I guess, I should be complimented. No, I'd rather run against -- I think Biden than anybody.

I think he is the weakest mentally and I like running against people that are weak mentally. I think Joe is the weakest up here. The other ones have much more energy. I don't agree with their policies but I think Joe is a man who is, I call him one percent Joe. Joe Biden thought that China was not a competitor of ours. Joe Biden is a dummy.

[14:15:11] BALDWIN: You heard it, CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins is live in Des Moines and CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny is in Ottumwa where Biden is right now. Also with us, our CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash.

So Jeff Zeleny, just first to, you know, let's start with just the fact that the team Biden leaked the speech. They had to know that Trump would pounce. Was this all part of their game plan?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, good afternoon. Definitely part of their game plan to frame this conversation as a one-on-one debate, a duel if you will, between Joe Biden and President Trump.

It almost feels as though we have fast forwarded through this primary process of 2019 and are at the general election. Of course, that's what Joe Biden would like to do. That's why he is framing his entire conversation here in Ottumwa around President Trump.

I just walked outside here, a sunny day outside, I was just inside there with the former Vice President and Brooke, five words stand out to me, "Let's make America, America again." We don't know if that is going to be the Biden campaign slogan, but it certainly sounded like that inside this hall today.

And the former Vice President went on to say that democracy is indeed threatened and he went through a fairly sober argument about what he sees as a threat to democracy. He talked about how fake news is actually very dangerous as the President refers to it.

So it was certainly a case here of Joe Biden going after the President. Now, of course the President will be landing in Council Bluffs, Iowa in not that long of a time. We'll see if he responds to that, but as you said, Brooke, you're right, "game on."

BALDWIN: With that, that was the one line I wrote down because I got such a huge applause, Jeff let's make America, America again. Kaitlan, to you, let's just not rush past the fact that the President of the United States called the former Vice President a dummy. Why does Joe Biden get under this President's skin so much?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, because the President is worried that he is going to threaten that blue-collar voter appeal, that middle-of-the-road voter appeal that he had so much and that he held on to so significantly in 2016.

And of course, the President watches a lot of cable news so this morning he had been watching, you could tell from his Twitter feed, he sent out over a dozen tweets and he was seeing the highlights of Joe Biden's speech, not only going after the President by name, but also framing him as this quote "existential threat to democracy."

So of course now, the President went after Biden, traded jabs of his own while he was on the South Lawn of the White House calling him a dummy, saying that he is mentally weak and slower than he used to be. Those are the President's words and now the President is on a flight on Air Force One and he is going to be able to see these highlights of Joe Biden's speech before they both touch down here in the same state.

Now, we should note, we've seen this feud bubbling up, Brooke between the two of them, but they're going to be on different parts of the state. They're not even going to come within a hundred miles of each other while they're both here in Iowa because the President as Jeff noted will be on the western side of the state and instead, Joe Biden is going to stick closer to the eastern side, so they will not be in each other's vicinity face-to-face.

But of course you can tell their feud is something that is already looming over this visit and it seems that the sparks are already flying between the two of them.

BALDWIN: They may be miles apart, but they will be on that split screen throughout cable TV today as the jabs have been traded.

Dana, you've been listening to all of this. What do you think?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what's interesting is that as we were listening, I was communicating with the source who was familiar with the opinion of many of Trump's advisers with regard to how to deal with Biden and what I heard was frustration, the same frustration I know that I've heard in the past when the President goes after Biden so aggressively.

I know Kaitlan and Jeff have heard the same thing and the reason is because the feeling among these advisers of the President is the more he goes after Joe Biden before the Democratic primary is over, the more he elevates Joe Biden in this primary and makes it more likely that Joe Biden will be his Democratic opponent, will be the Democratic nominee and the polls now as we've seen over and over show that Biden is Trump's most formidable Democratic opponent particularly in those rust belt states.

So that's what I'm hearing, there is some frustration. Now, it is early, but it is remarkable that this the sort of toing and froing that that is going on while Joe Biden is certainly at the top of the field, but is still you know seven months away from the first votes to be cast to actually make him the Democratic nominee.

[14:20:02]BALDWIN: Okay, Dana, and Kaitlan and Jeff, thank you all very much. We continue on, the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sits down today for this extensive interview with CNN's Manu Raju. Her latest message that impeachment is not off the table. Plus, an update on the condition of legendary Red Sox slugger, David Ortiz, what we've just learned about a second surgery. We are live in Boston.

And the biggest battle for the U.S. women's soccer team, not on the field. We will talk to a two-time World Cup champion, Julie Foudy about today's big game, and these ladies fight for equal pay.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:24] BALDWIN: We are back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. To the Democrats latest salvo in their fight to get information from the President.

Just a short time from now, the full House of Representatives is expected to vote on a resolution that would help speed up its subpoena powers by allowing individual committees to get to court to enforce them.

Right now, it's the full House who must vote for that to even happen. Specifically, this resolution would also authorize the House Judiciary Committee to go to court to force former White House Counsel Don McGahn and the Attorney General Bill Barr to comply with their subpoenas, both moves no doubt would assist in any pursuit of an impeachment inquiry and yet the Democratic Party leader just displayed her resistance to that matter.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked to Mona Raju today showing that she has not moved from her position that impeachment proceedings are not off the table, but it's not happening for now. Here she was.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Nothing as divisive in our country on my view than impeachment. Impeachment if you're going on that path, you don't go to court with your weakest case as long as you keep getting more information to build your case.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you really believe the President may have committed crimes in office, isn't it your obligation to mount an impeachment inquiry?

PELOSI: My obligation is to do whatever we do in the most effective way possible.

RAJU: And you believe he committed crimes in office?

PELOSI: I think it's about the Mueller report. It very clearly spells out at least 10 or 11 instances of obstruction of justice, but I'm not here to have that discussion here. That's for the committees.

We have six committees that work on this. They're all doing their work very well and I believe in the committee system and it will bubble up from there. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And Manu Raju is with me now. He is our CNN senior congressional correspondent. Listen, you know you're asking the right questions and the tough questions when you're leaning in the edge of your seat and Nancy Pelosi is like, you know on all the questions on impeachment. She's sort of moving physically you know away from you. Great job. What did you think of that?

RAJU: Yes, look, she believes that moving forward on an impeachment and opening up an impeachment inquiry is a distraction for her caucus. She believes a better route is the one that they're on now that would allow them to essentially investigate, litigate as she says and legislates and that means, fight things out in court one by one.

But I didn't try to ask her about the argument that's being made by a number of key members of her caucus including the House Judiciary Chairman, Jerry Nadler who says opening up an impeachment inquiry would essentially strengthen their case in court.

We're told that he is saying this privately to her, and when I asked her about it, she said that that's an issue to consider, but she is not sure that that's actually the result.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: One argument that people are making in your caucus is that opening up an impeachment inquiry would strengthen your case in court, so why are you against an impeachment inquiry?

PELOSI: But is that true?

RAJU: Some people argue that.

PELOSI: I understand, but that's -- I mean, we have to -- that's a question to be asked. If you open impeachment inquiry, does it and do you get more information? You still end up in the court and that's a good question that you asked, Manu. Is it -- do you get more information by having an inquiry than if you just have investigations?

Well, I don't have a straight answer on that, but even if you could, you can't do it without going to the courts and that if I maintained to go to the courts, we have to have the strongest possible case -- ironclad.

The question you ask, do we get more by having an inquiry? Some say yes, some say no. I think, the Mueller report very clearly spells out at least ten or eleven instances of obstruction of justice, but I'm not here to have that discussion here. That's for the committees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now, Brooke, this is the first time we've had a chance to question her after she reportedly made that comment behind closed doors in which she believes the President should be imprisoned and not impeached, but she did not want to confirm that comment. She didn't deny it either when she had this chance.

She just said that she does not want to talk about him and talk about the President and the President of course sitting in that American Cemetery in Normandy laid into that broadside against her calling her a horrible person, vindictive, nasty -- those are the President's words.

I asked her to respond to that, she said she doesn't want to get into all of that, but she said every time the President attacks her, it helps her and the President today when he was asked about that remark attacked her again.

So the moment Pelosi trying to avoid getting into a tit-for-tat with this President even as some members want her to take a firmer line on impeachment, but she is staving off those calls for now -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, not going there for now and just quickly, you have some scoop on Donald Trump, Jr.

[14:30:10]