Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Kamala Harris Accepts Historic V.P. Nomination. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired August 20, 2020 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If Trump is re- elected, things will get even worse.

[05:59:02]

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I know about Joe, what I know about Kamala, is that they actually care about every American.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We must elect Joe Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: College move-in day, 2020 style. Masks, staggered rivals, mandatory testing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To young people, to children and young adults, you are not invincible to this virus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can test everybody before they come in. If you can't, it will be more problematic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Thursday, August 20, 6 a.m. here in New York.

And we begin with an historic night. Kamala Harris accepting the nomination for vice president, becoming the first black and South Asian woman ever on a major party ticket.

And that was only one of the historic moments. Another was President Obama breaking with tradition to rebuke his successor and list the failings of President Trump and to give a stark warning to the American people. He said that America's democracy is at stake, and what we do in the coming days will impact generations to come.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, you know, for all the focus on one president condemning another, what might have been even more important was that suggestion right there, that the current administration would tear down democracy. Obama used those exact words. And he said it's up to voters in now 75 days to make sure the basic tenants of democracy endure. Again, his words.

He portrayed the filling out of a ballot as an act of defiance, responsibility, almost salvation.

Tonight, we hear from Joe Biden himself. He will accept his party's nomination. We have new details about what he plans to say. And interestingly enough, what he intends to avoid saying. So stay tuned for that.

All of this as the U.S. records 1,300 new deaths from coronavirus in a single day.

Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Jessica Dean, live in Wilmington, Delaware. We saw history with Kamala Harris last night. We'll see Joe Biden tonight. And again, the words from President Obama ringing out across the country, Jessica.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning to you, John.

This is the biggest political night of Joe Biden's life. He's run for president now three times, decades in public service. He thought he was done with elected office. And tonight, he will accept the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.

And this after last night, when three history-making figures argued that Biden is uniquely qualified to be president at this moment and that nothing less than our democracy is on the line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN (voice-over): Kamala Harris making history, officially becoming the first black woman and the first Asian-American woman on a major national party ticket.

HARRIS: I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman, all of 5 feet tall, who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California. On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now and speaking these words: I accept your nomination for vice president of the United States of America.

DEAN: The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants spent time honoring her late mother, saying the values she taught Harris are ones also shared by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

HARRIS: A vision of our nation as a beloved community, where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, no matter where we come from, or who we love. A country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity, and respect.

DEAN: Along with outlining her policy plans and record --

HARRIS: I have fought for children and survivors of sexual assault. I've fought against transnational criminal organizations. I took on the biggest banks and helped take down one of the biggest for-profit colleges. I know a predator when I see one.

DEAN: The vice-presidential nominee also laying out her case against President Donald Trump.

HARRIS: Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods.

DEAN: Harris joined virtually by former president Barack Obama, who told voters why they should also support his former running mate.

OBAMA: Twelve years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I didn't know I'd end up finding a brother. That empathy, that decency, the belief that everybody counts, that's who Joe is.

DEAN: And in a rare move, Obama giving a scathing critique of Trump.

OBAMA: I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. That he might come to feel the weight of the office. But he never did.

Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe: 170,000 Americans dead, millions of jobs gone, while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished.

DEAN: The former president ending Wednesday's speech with this warning.

OBAMA: This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down, if that's what it takes for them to win. So we have to get busy.

[06:05:03]

DEAN: Also taking center stage Wednesday, leading women of the Democratic Party, including former Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, recalling her 2016 candidacy.

CLINTON: Look, this can't be another would've, could've, should've election. And don't forget: Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose. Take it from me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: So tonight, the last night of the Democratic National Convention, the spotlight turns to Joe Biden and we're told in his speech, he does not intend to make President Trump a central figure. Yes, there will be critiques, especially around the coronavirus response, but we're told this will be more optimistic, more forward- thinking, more aspirational. That this is all about what America can do and could be.

As for President Trump, he has some counterprogramming. He is traveling to Old Forge, Pennsylvania. That's just outside Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he will deliver remarks this afternoon centered around Biden -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Jessica, please keep us posted if you get any more details about Biden's speech tonight. We'll talk about that in a little bit.

In the meantime, let's bring in CNN political commentator Angela Rye. She's the host of the podcast, "On One with Angela Rye," and a former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. Also with us, CNN political commentator Paul Begala. He's a former adviser to President Bill Clinton and the author of the new book "You're Fired: The Perfect Guide to Beating Donald Trump."

I think there were two historic things that happened last night. There was an act of history, where we saw the first woman of color accept the party's nomination, a party's nomination for vice president.

And then we saw a speech from former President Obama that has, I think, historic implications.

Angela, I want to start with Kamala Harris, because that was the official business last night. What do you think it does, or what did it do, or as we sit here this morning, what has it done for women of color across the country, young women, to see that moment and to hear from Kamala Harris like that?

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think she did exactly what she started doing during the Democratic primary, and that is to show little brown and black girls black girls all over the world that a vice presidency, that a presidency, that leaders are not only something that we should aspire to, but it is possible for us to become.

It's something that she did as the first black state attorney general in California. It is something that she did as a prosecutor, as a United States senator. So she has continually demonstrated her ability to do just that.

I was floored by her speech, because I'm so used to her taking on and prosecuting a very effective case. And last night, Barack Obama did it, and then handed over a baton to Kamala Harris that could center us on hope, that could center us on change, and could center us on what is possible. And she did that so effectively, reminding us of this tragic moment that we're living in with coronavirus, and saying that there is no vaccine for racism and we've got to do the work. And she didn't just put it on the American people. She included herself, and she started last night. It was a hell of a job.

CAMEROTA: And Paul, just sticking with the implications of that, you know, every time you see something like we saw last night with Kamala Harris there at the podium, it normalizes it. You know, it normalizes seeing a woman at that podium, seeing a woman of color, seeing a woman who, from about the age of 5, was raised by a single mom. All of those things, you know, used to not be considered traditional in politics, but somehow last night, it just, you know, it broke the old mold, and now it feels totally normal. PAULA BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It does. And I think that's

terrific. You know, 50 years ago, when Americans first landed on the moon, everybody in America was proud of that. And I think, certainly, when President Obama was elected, I think now when Kamala Harris is nominated, it says something about the whole country.

Obviously, it's an enormous step forward for Senator Harris and for little girls of color. As Angela said, it was such a beautiful statement.

It also says in America, anything is possible. And it's a very ennobling thing. And I think that's -- that's part of the lesson here. These are terrible times. These are tough times. These are divided times. And yet this is still a country, at least one of the parties, where the child of immigrants from India and Jamaica can rise to the highest levels.

BERMAN: I want to talk about what President Obama did. And there's been a lot of focus on the fact that, unless you were alive for John Tyler and Teddy Roosevelt and President Taft, you've never seen a former president criticize a current president like this. Let's stipulate that. That is true.

But I think that there was something else going on here, Paul. I want to play a little bit more sound of President Obama, former President Obama, from last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that's what it takes for them to win.

[06:10:12]

So we have to get busy building it up, by pouring all our efforts into these 76 days and by voting like never before, for Joe and Kamala, and candidates up and down the ticket, so that we leave no doubt about what this country, that we love, stands for. Today and for all our days to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, yes, Paul, he named names when it came to President Trump, but one of the things that I think seasoned political strategists like you have taught us over the years is it's not about him in an election. It's not about me in an election. It's about you.

And one of the things that President Obama, former President Obama did over the course of that speech was turn it to you, the voter, say, it's up to you. We are counting on you to make a difference. How effective do you think that was? Talk about that moment.

BEGALA: I thought that was terrific and very, very empowering. We're all focusing on sort of the partisan aspect of it. That for the first time in memory, the Democrats are using their elder statesmen, former President Clinton and now President Obama, not to validate, but to eviscerate. And I think that's noteworthy.

But I think you're right, that it's more important is the empowering argument that President Obama makes, both to voters -- you have the choice in your hands -- but also the consequences. He said this. I wrote this down. He said, "Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't, and the consequences are severe: 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone."

In other words, the consequences aren't just, oh, we have a rude guy in the Oval Office who breaks norms and mean tweets at Chrissy Teigen. The consequences are, as Kamala said, your lives and your livelihoods. So that's what I am really happy about.

I mean, look, I wrote a whole book about it. When you attack Trump, it always has to be about what he's done to you, to voters. When you talk about the future, it's got to be about what I'm going to do for you, the voters. And I think the Democrats are -- have a really good strategy on that now.

CAMEROTA: You know, Angela, over the past three years, many Democrats have said, Where's President Obama? Why isn't he engaging more? You know, when President Trump says outrageous or offensive things or dismantles his agenda, why isn't he engaging more? Did last night sort of answer why he was holding his fire?

RYE: I don't think that he would have ever anticipated that he would have to do that, right? I think that this has been shocking to many. I think that he wanted to try to be an elder -- elderly -- elder statesman, as Paul said, and it's just not -- he doesn't have that luxury.

And I think that yesterday, almost looking like he's holding back tears, it was clear that he knew that he had to engage. And most importantly, that we all have to engage.

I think I just wanted to go bac to another real good moment, I think, and may have been slight shade from the folks who helped to collaborate on Kamala's speech. But you all may recall during the 2016 election, as Trump campaigned and tried to solidify his base, surprisingly, with evangelical voters, by talking about 1 Corinthians, remember that?

Well, yesterday, in Kamala's speech, she talked about walking by faith and not by sight. That comes from what Donald Trump would probably call 2 Corinthians, but it's 2nd Corinthians, 5 and 7. So I also just want to commend the fact that, again, it is grounding us in the faith that we need to go forward. It's grounding us in what we hope this country would be in.

Even though Barack Obama's tone was somber yesterday, and for good reason, I think that he still successfully passed a baton to another child of at least an immigrant. He's a child of an immigrant. To Kamala Harris. And she was so powerful, in not only taking that somber moment, but turning it back into one that is filled with promise, hope, and faith, especially if we do what we need to know at the ballot in November. BERMAN: You know, I think that's helpful that you pointed out 2

Corinthians for the president who may be watching, because I bet he missed that. Because I'm not so sure he's completely versed in that.

RYE: I agree.

BERMAN: Stick around, both of you. We have a lot more to discuss, including Joe Biden. We are going to hear from him tonight. I want to know what you think he needs to do. What is left now for Joe Biden to make the case to the American people? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:19:05]

CAMEROTA: Joe Biden will accept the nomination for president with a big speech tonight to close out the Democratic National Convention. We are now 75 days away from election day.

Angela Rye and Paul Begala are back with us.

So, Paul, how hard will this be for Joe Biden tonight to follow what we've already discussed have been, you know, pretty remarkable speeches from, well, everybody from Michelle Obama to Barack Obama, Kamala Harris? And what does he need to say?

BEGALA: Well, I actually think it's easier, because of the remarkable work that Michelle, President Obama, President Clinton, Hillary, Speaker Pelosi, Gabby Giffords. That all makes it easier for him. Because it makes his job simpler.

I loved Jessica's report. I'm sure it's right. I hope it's right, that he's going to focus more on the positive than on the negative. Now, I love negative campaigning more than anything. It's the only reason I got in this business. But for Joe tonight, here's what he's got to do.

Tell us who you are. People don't know the story of how he healed his shattered family. The people who cover him may be sick of hearing it, but most folks haven't heard it.

[06:20:07]

He got 17 million votes in the primary, 17 million. He needs 70 million to be president. So he's got to introduce himself.

Second, root your policies in your values, Joe, and root your values in your biography. Joe is not for child care because some propeller- head at a think tank gave him a position paper. It's because he was a single dad, trying to hold down a pretty important job while doing the most important job of raising his kids. He's got to do that.

Third, he's got to do addition, right. Reach out, reach out, reach out to that 70 million.

And finally, focus on the future more than the past. He has a great record behind him. He's done a lot of good. Don't talk too much about that. Talk more about what he's going to do for me in the future.

BERMAN: Yes. You don't need to hear about the 70s, I hear a lot of Democrats saying at this point. You need to hear about the 2020s.

Angela, if you've looked at the three nights, you can see which voting groups have been focused on so far. You've had the John Kasiches of the world and sort of the "never Trump" Republicans brought in. I know that you had some issues with that. But they were a focus.

You've also, I think, to an extent, now had some reach-out to the progressive wing of the party and also African-American voters, who didn't show up in numbers that they had in the past in 2016.

But one group that I'm not sure, I'm not sure has been directly addressed is that Obama to Trump voter. Specifically, the voter in Michigan or in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania. The so-called non-college white working-class voter that had been in the Democratic column for a long time and has shifted. How or should Joe Biden address that group?

RYE: Well, I'm not the best person to ask that question, because my truth is that I think that the Democratic Party has spent a lot of money, has spent a lot of time, and has spent a lot of effort on courting voters that they, quite frankly, have lost.

When we talk about the 53 percent of white women who voted for Donald Trump, you are forgetting about all of the people that they could have won over if there had been greater investment and targeted outreach to communities of color. Because there was still other voters who were available and just didn't even vote at the top of the ballot in 2016. I think that is a real challenge.

When we talk about this other amorphous voter, I think that John Kasich can certainly speak to that voter. I think that they have been integrated at every single stage of this convention, and I actually disagree a little bit. I don't think they're the only ones left. I also think there's a young voter who is not in party politics, who is turned off by both sides of the aisle. And I'm not at all saying that the Democrats are the exact same as the Republicans, but I do think that we struggle a little bit with being honest and transparent.

And so when you talk about what Joe Biden needs to do today, he absolutely should go forward, but he should go forward by reckoning with his past, by understanding that it is not leadership to dig your heels in to policies that may have worked before, that have not served in this particular demographic, the young voter, that first-time voter who may have been adversely impacted by some of the policies that he pushed.

But there was a pivot in the summer that Barack Obama talked about with these young people, who have led us to a different, new, and better America. It's time for him to also unite with that part of not even the party, but that part of the country, because these young folks don't see themselves in any certain political party box. So I think that's super important for him to do tonight, as well.

CAMEROTA: But this is where it gets dicey, I think, Angela and Paul. And Paul, to you. While we are having this conversation right here on the air, over on President Trump's favorite channel, they are talking nonstop about the violence in the United States. They have scenes from Portland on repeat that they play over and over, as though American cities are in flames. And that's what they're talking about.

And so, for the swing voter, for people who are getting that message that something is going wrong in the streets, that President Trump is going to be tough on crime, does Joe Biden need to talk about that tonight and say explicitly, I will not defund the police? Does he need to reach out to people who are nervous on that level?

BEGALA: He has. And I don't really know if he will tonight or not. I think that particular phase, defund the police, has been discredited. Joe Biden has said, I'm not going to defund the police, don't worry.

I think it's more important, though, to use the word that Michelle Obama used and Bill Clinton used. This was intentional chaos. In other words, use all of that footage from Portland. When you talk about violence and gangs, I thought you were talking about Charlottesville. I thought you were talking about -- you know, 100 percent of the political murders in the last two years were by right-wing political extremists, not left-wing. So I think that Joe can speak to that very powerfully.

[06:25:00]

But you can't fall into their trap. The chaos in this country is at the doorstep of Mr. Trump. He feeds off of it, he loves it. That's his brand. And I think that chaos redounds to Mr. Trump's detriment. I think that's why Michelle Obama talked about it, President Clinton talked about it, and I think Joe can talk about it.

And that chaos is everywhere. It's not just in Portland. The pain is out there. My God, rural America is -- has the same -- self-same crisis of drug use, gun violence, lost economic hope that you see in cities and also in the suburbs. So I think Joe's got a chance to try to stitch this country back together, while Mr. Trump is trying to divide it. I like that Joe is pitching unity over Trump's division.

BERMAN: You heard Kamala Harris use the phrase, loss of certainty, which I think, is something that resonates with every group right now during this pandemic. Everyone is feeling a loss of certainty.

Angela Rye, Paul Begala, you were up all night. You didn't sleep. We appreciate you. We see you.

BEGALA: Sleep is overrated, Berman.

BERMAN: You're telling us? You're telling us? Thank you both. I appreciate you both being here.

CAMEROTA: Thank you guys very much.

RYE: Thank you.

BERMAN: So this morning we do want to take note of an important moment in U.S. history. The president of the United States has validated, praised, and maybe now even inspired a group about which the FBI has issued dire warnings.

An FBI bulletin states that QAnon's "Anti-government, identity-based, and fringe political conspiracy theories are likely to motivate some domestic extremists to commit criminal, sometimes violent activity." One more time with feeling. QAnon, a group with fringe political conspiracy theories that very likely motivates some domestic extremists to commit criminal, sometimes violent activity. That is what the president, I guess, now considers patriotic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate. I've heard these are people that love our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: This is what the president appreciates. QAnon pushes the insidious lies that Satan-worshiping politicians and A-list celebrities are engaging in child sex abuse and cannibalism. That JFK Jr. faked his own death and is about to reemerge and publicly support President Trump, and that the so-called deep state created the coronavirus and is spreading it over 5G cellular networks.

That is what the president has now validated, praised, maybe inspired. Here's more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the thrust of the theory is this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this Satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. Does that sound like something you are behind or --

TRUMP: Well, I haven't -- I haven't heard that, but is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Let's help you with that, OK? It's bad; it's dangerous. No amount of both-sides-isms or feigned ignorance can mask that the FBI considers this bad and dangerous.

A sea of conservative writers, including some very -- who are normally very defensive of the president, condemn this. Jeb Bush, Adam Kinzinger, others have directly come out. Yet, the president keeps saying it.

And now the question is, as we head into the Republican convention, will the party as a whole have the courage to condemn what the FBI says is a dangerous fringe group?

CAMEROTA: May I remind everyone that it's not just theoretical. A guy from North Carolina showed up with a gun and shot it, at a Washington, D.C. pizza parlor because he believed in these theories, in this Satanic, pedophile ring. And he got four years in prison.

And he then said it was an incredibly ill-advised decision to do that, to have read those conspiracy theories and to have acted on them. It's not just that they talk about it. It's that it does translate to violence and action. We've already seen it.

BERMAN: And the president of the United States validated it, praised it, and now maybe has inspired it. And they see it. All night long, they've been writing about it, jumping up and down for joy that the president did this.

CAMEROTA: OK. Meanwhile, as schools across the country struggle to contain coronavirus outbreaks, the key question remains, when will we see a vaccine? The timeline has changed. So we're going to tell you what officials have just laid out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END