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Democrats Hopeful for Senate Races; Food Insecurity Soars; Trump to Pardon Turkey Today. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired November 24, 2020 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:32:05]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, this morning, Democrats descending on Georgia where two U.S. Senate seats and control of the Senate yet to be decided. President-elect Joe Biden, who flipped the red state in November, plans to campaign there. His victory has the party hopeful about the runoffs.
Joining us now, Jaime Harrison, former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, he is announcing a new venture today, which we'll get to in just a minute.
Jaime, nice to have you here with us.
As we talk about Georgia and the runoffs there, what did you learn from your loss in South Carolina that might help the candidates, the Democratic candidates in Georgia, prevail in their races?
JAMIE HARRISON (D), FORMER CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE AND DIRT ROAD PAC: Well, you know, thank you for having me, John.
The one thing is, you've got to punch back and you've got to punch back hard. You can't allow them to define who you are. You have to help define who they are.
You know, right now, on so many of these things, I look at the ads in Georgia right now and they remind me of the ads that Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell ran against me here in South Carolina. It's about things that Jon Ossoff and Reverend Warnock are not supportive of. They don't support defunding the police, but that's all you hear on the TV screens.
The party that has really supported defunding the police is the Republican Party. Donald Trump put out a budget that cuts policing, community policing, by $500 million this year. So the question is, does Kelly -- does Loeffler and Perdue support those efforts? They haven't supported the Heroes Act, which would have put millions of dollars -- billions of dollars into our cities. And we need to make sure that they have those resources.
And so it's good to see that Warnock and Ossoff are fighting back and I think that's the lesson that you have to take from this last election. BERMAN: They're fighting back, they're raising money, they're putting
on their own ads.
You raised a ton of money, but what are the limits to spending? What did you learn about how much money can and can't do in a state like South Carolina?
HARRISON: Well, this is the thing, you know, I raised over $100 million. Well, Lindsey Graham raised over $100 million as well. And, in addition, the last few weeks of our campaign, Mitch McConnell put 30 some odd million dollars into South Carolina because they saw what we saw, the polls were saying that this was a close race. And it broke away at the very end because Donald Trump was able to have coattails.
Well, Donald Trump is not on the ballot on January 5th in Georgia. And so I think Reverend Warnock and Jon Ossoff get an opportunity to make the case on their own about their records and what they're going to fight for. And they're going to have support.
I have raised $450,000 for Ossoff and Warnock. And the venture that we are announcing today, my new PAC, is going to continue to raise those resources to make sure that they can get their message out to the people.
[08:35:01]
BERMAN: Talk to me about this new PAC, Dirt Road PAC, what it's going to do and what the name means.
HARRISON: Well, Dirt Road PAC, I'm very, very, very excited about it because, you know, you can't just parachute in for a cycle into a place like South Carolina or Georgia and then expect it to turn overnight. So we need long-term and sustained investments in state parties, in candidates and candidate recruitment, candidate training in order to really make a difference.
And so this PAC is going to focus on Georgia first. We're going to go to Virginia in 2021. But we're going to go to rural communities. We're going to go to purple states and red states and focus on a long-term effort in terms of building a foundation for Democrats to win. And I'm really excited about it. And, you know, folks who want to help, go to jaimeharrison.com and find out more about Dirt Road PAC.
BERMAN: Well, there seems to be one guy who wants to help you specifically, and that's House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn, who was on with Alisyn last hour. I want you to listen to what he had to say here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And do you think there's a role for the Stacey Abrams or Pete Buttigieg or Bernie Sanders in this cabinet?
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Yes, as well as the Jaime Harrisons. I'm not going to let y'all forget about Jaime. The fact of the matter is, he is co-chair of the DNC now or associate counsel of the DNC. He ran for that office four years ago. He is a young man who should not be left on the battlefield.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Alisyn didn't ask about you.
CAMEROTA: (INAUDIBLE).
BERMAN: Yes, that's right, Congressman Clyburn brought you up. He was going to be sure to get that in there. He's talking about DNC chair, which is a job that will likely be open soon.
How much does that job interest you? What other specific jobs might interest you in a Biden administration?
HARRISON: Well, listen, you know, when the president-elect and the vice president-elect call, you pick up the phone. And if they ask you to join them on the field, then -- and they call your number, then you get in the game. And so whatever they believe that I can do and be helpful on in terms of building back better, I'm on. I'm all in.
So if it's the DNC, call my number and I will be there, because I believe that we have to rebuild and revitalize this party. We have to transform the Democratic Party. We can't just be a political organization, we've got to be a community-based organization where we have sustained relations.
BERMAN: Transformed to what? Transformed in what way? I guess, and I don't want to frame this necessarily at all a weakness --
HARRISON: Yes.
BERMAN: But what do you need to do better next time? Obviously it didn't go as well for Democrats in the congressional races that they had hoped. So what can you do better?
HARRISON: Well, I think it's going into these communities -- the reason why we started this thing and called it a Dirt Road PAC was because of an experience I had in rural South Carolina. I saw and met an elderly African-American man who I was trying to convince to go out and vote. And he said to me, he said, son, you see that road you came up on, which was a dirt road, he said that it was a dirt road for generations and Democrats and Republicans have promised to invest in the infrastructure and all these things and nobody had ever paved his dirt road.
Well, that dirt road is symbolic of the broken promises we see all around this country that people hold and they come from Democrats and Republicans. And I believe that those are the people that Democrats need to come out. But those are the folks who are jaded right now with this political process. And we have to rebuild their trust that we are the party that's going to fight for them, that we see them, that we hear them, that we value them. And that is why we have created Dirt Road PAC, to go into those communities, to tell them, no, we have not forgotten you. We're going to invest in you. And this is going to be a long-term and sustained relationship.
BERMAN: Jaime Harrison, thanks so much for coming on the show this morning. We really appreciate your time.
Congressman Jim Clyburn, good friend -- good friend to have.
HARRISON: Thank you.
BERMAN: Good friend to have right there. I appreciate your time.
HARRISON: Thank you.
BERMAN: So many families finding themselves battling food insecurity for the first time in the pandemic. We have new information on the effort to help them underway right now, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:43:17]
CAMEROTA: Millions of Americans find themselves in need this Thanksgiving because of the devastating pandemic. Food banks are swamped with demand as families line up for hours to get their box.
CNN's Brynn Gingras is live at the Meadowlands in New Jersey where the YMCA is preparing to help.
What are they doing, Brynn?
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alisyn, good morning.
It's Tuesday, and that means every Tuesday since April there have been volunteers, like you're seeing here behind me, come here and pack food for families who are in need. Now, the difference between April and what they're seeing now is the need. They used to feed about 50,000 families a month here at the YMCA in East Rutherford. Well, now it's over 100,000 a month. And they're just seeing the demand increase.
Now, you can see all these boxes are getting filled but these volunteers. It's going to be a box of produce. It's going to be a box of refrigerated food that they get, food that will last these families about two weeks or so. And, again, the need is just incredible.
We have video of the lines, which are located a little far from where we are right now, and the cars have been -- are lined up for miles. There have been people here since 4:30 this morning, people who have been here for the first time ever. People who go from food bank to food bank to food bank all across this state getting meals every single day for their families or their loved ones and people who do this on a weekly basis, sometimes twice a day. That is the need we're seeing, not only just because of the fact that it's Thanksgiving coming up, but because unemployment has skyrocketed.
I want you to hear from these people themselves.
Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBRA BRODERICK: It's hard to find a job today. And I would do anything, you know, to just find something to, you know, get money and supply and -- but it's hard.
[08:45:09]
And because we're so worried every day, if it wasn't for this place, we don't know where we would get our food because we need to pay our bills.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: And that is a story that is just repeated over and over again. That woman and her husband lined up since 4:30 this morning. They still haven't even gotten their boxes because this place hasn't opened yet. All those cars are going to line up here to eventually get their boxes.
But it's so important to know, Alisyn and John, as well, that it's not just the people that are in need, it's the non-profit organizations like this food bank that are in need. They're telling us that they're operating with just a fraction of the volunteers and the people that are working that they had in the spring. They're also facing challenges themselves. And, of course, as we think about Thanksgiving, everyone should be grateful for what they have. And if they can give, that the time is now for sure.
Guys.
BERMAN: Brynn, it's such an important report and such an important reminder. Look, it's hard to volunteer at your local food bank for some the same way that it might have been last year, but check. Check to see what you can do, how you can help, if not in person, financially.
GINGRAS: Yes.
BERMAN: There's got to be a way that we can all pitch in.
GINGRAS: Yes.
BERMAN: Brynn Gingras, thanks so much for being with us.
Now here's what else to watch today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ON SCREEN TEXT: 1:00 p.m. ET, Biden announces cabinet picks.
2:00 p.m. ET, Trump presidents Thanksgiving turkey.
3:00 p.m. ET, California Gov. Newsom briefing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: As close to a concession as we are ever going to get from President Trump. So now that that's done, what can we expect for the next 57 days? "The Bottom Line," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:51:18]
BERMAN: We hardly see President Trump in public anymore. We occasionally get photos of him golfing. But today we are going to see him and it's a big moment because he basically conceded last night, or as close to a concession as we're going to get. Today he'll pardon a turkey in public.
Let's get "The Bottom Line" with CNN White House reporter John Harwood.
John, I really do think the question is, what are we going to see now for the next 57 days really starting today when the president walks into the Rose Garden?
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the one common denominator we've seen since the election is that he hasn't taken any questions from reporters because that is embarrassing in light of his defeat. It requires more contact with reality than he's been willing to accept.
You know, Donald Trump is only hard to figure out if you judge him by the standards of mature, rational, emotionally well-balanced adults. And he has shown us over and over again that that's not what he is. The president has been, since the election, kicking up dust, trying to protect himself from the humiliation of having lost the election, rally supporters to his cause, extract money from them through the fundraising process. But his calculations moment to moment change depending on how much heat he's feeling. Finally the legal effort looked so ridiculous and the legal team was embarrassing him and collapsing in on itself, so he finally yielded last night and the GSA ascertained that the transition could go forward.
But those calculations will change moment to moment and it's difficult to know when he comes out for this pardon -- you remember a couple of years ago when he did the turkey pardon, he talked about a recount and the disputed election among the turkeys. It was a joke. Will he make a joke in light of that this time? Who knows?
CAMEROTA: John, in terms of that money that you referred to that he is still fundraising, for what? I mean, if the legal challenges are over, what's the money for?
HARWOOD: Well, the money is for him looking forward to his future political endeavors. He's going to leave office on January 20th. He's going to try to remain a force in Republican politics. We'll see whether he can. But, again, Alisyn, all of the ways in which Donald Trump calculates his immediate self-interest, what will get me more attention, status and stuff in the moment will change. The closer we get to January 20th is the closer he gets to becoming an ex-president with two concerns in particular, one, he owes a bunch of people money and, two, he has got some vulnerability to prosecution. If Donald Trump thinks that either of those two things will be helped by being nice to Joe Biden, saying the word concede, nobody should be surprised if he does either of those things.
BERMAN: Well, look, we certainly don't have any reporting that he's about to invite Joe Biden over to the White House for a sit down, the likes of which happened two days after the final votes were cast in 2016. We also have no knowledge if Donald Trump will attend the inauguration or if he'll do like a John Adams, a John Quincy Adams and slip out in the dark of night. We just don't know yet.
One thing we do have reporting on, John, and this is interesting, is that while the GSA ascertained that Joe Biden is the president-elect, albeit it two weeks later than they probably should have, that Mark Meadows sent a note internally inside of the White House telling people, don't cooperate with the Biden team with the transition unless you receive specific authorization.
So how should we read that?
HARWOOD: Oh, I think it's Mark Meadows trying to do the minimum, like Emily Murphy last night, do the minimum required to move on to the next phase of the process.
[08:55:02]
But I don't think it's going to have all that much effect. Once you begin turning the wheels of the transition, Joe Biden gets the money that goes to a president-elect, he gets the access to government data, government space. I think that's a process that is not going to be stopped. The question is trying to do it in a way that, again, shields the president from as much embarrassment as possible and once it was done the president then quickly put out a tweet and said, well, I'll never concede. He, practically speaking, has done so. We're moving on. And that's the critical thing.
CAMEROTA: OK. John Harwood, we'll be watching the turkey pardon today. Thank you.
BERMAN: I hope he doesn't take it out on the turkeys. I mean if he's upset.
CAMEROTA: What if he doesn't pardon them?
BERMAN: I'm just saying.
CAMEROTA: All right, well, meanwhile, the Biden/Harris administration will introduce their cabinets picks today and CNN's coverage continues, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:00:09]
