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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Trump Delivers Remarks At New York Campaign Rally; Trump Sidesteps Question On Sanders' Dig At Harris Not Having Biological Children; Republicans And Democrats Accuse Each Other Of Spewing Dangerous Rhetoric After Second Apparent Assassination Attempt Against Trump; New Poll Show Harris Leads Trump In Michigan And Pennsylvania, No Clear Leader In Wisconsin; After Pager Explosions, Today Several Walkie-talkies Explode In Lebanon. Aired: 8-9p ET
Aired September 18, 2024 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Connie, thank you. It's wonderful.
CONNIE CHUNG, AUTHOR, "CONNIE: A MEMOIR": but can I tell you, you can get a five pack pre-roll for only $22.00, do you know if that's good or bad.
BURNETT: You're trying to find out if I would, I actually don't know.
CHUNG: See, I don't either.
BURNETT: Well, maybe we will try it. All right, I guess on that note, we'll leave this interview, not where anybody thought it would go.
CHUNG: No.
BURNETT: And that's what happens when you have Connie. Thanks so much to Connie Chung, and I hope will read "Connie: A Memoir". It is out now.
And thanks so very much for joining us for that conversation in our hour, as always. AC360 begins now.
[20:00:42]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": Tonight on 360 new polls from battleground states have some good news for Kamala Harris, but the bad news is the Teamsters declined to endorse her or any candidate for president.
Also, another jibe by a Trump surrogate at Harris for not having biological children. What Trump is saying about Sarah Huckabee Sanders' remarks at a town hall.
And, a day after hundreds of Hezbollah pagers exploded with devastating consequences across Lebanon, now, it's walkie-talkies being targeted as well, and the death toll is rising.
Good evening, thanks very much for joining us. Take a look at the live feed from Uniondale on New York's Long Island, where the former president is holding his first rally since Sunday's apparent attempt on his life.
Now, New York is not expected to be in play this election despite Trump's recent claims that it could be. The former president moments ago, blasted the Harris campaign for saying he's a threat to democracy and then immediately said that she is a threat to democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time to stop the lies. Stop the hoaxes, stop the smears, stop the lawfare, or the fake lawsuits against me, and stop claiming your opponents will turn America into a dictatorship. Give me a break.
Because the fact is, that I'm not a threat to democracy, they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, Vice President Harris meantime, spoke to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institutes Leadership Conference in Washington. She called for immigration reform and border security, saying it's possible to do both and put the spotlight on the former president's promise to carry out mass deportations if elected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We all remember what they did to tear families apart and now they have pledged to carry out the largest deportation, a mass deportation in American history.
Imagine what that would look like and what that would be. How is that going to happen? Massive raids, massive detention camps, what are they talking about?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, today also saw a new post-debate polling from three so- called blue-wall states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, conducted by Quinnipiac University, it shows the vice president leading outside the margin of error in the first two and up a point in Wisconsin, meaning no clear leader there.
More from CNN's Harry Enten on this shortly.
Today, also saw the Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut in four years, half a percentage point. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, a Trump appointee defending the magnitude of it saying, "The upside risks to inflation have diminished and the downside risk to unemployment have increased". The former president sees it otherwise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I guess it shows the economy is very dead. They cut it by that much.
Assuming, they're not just playing politics the economy would be very bad or they're playing politics one or the other. But it was a big cut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Mr. Trump also applauded the Teamsters decision today not to endorse either him or the vice president. He called it a great honor for union leadership not to endorse the Democrat.
Former president also ramped up pressure on Republicans to shut down the government unless lawmakers can pass a spending bill containing language targeting non-citizen voting. That bill failed today as expected, bringing a shutdown closer, something the Senate's top Republican minority leader, Mitch McConnell yesterday called and I quote, "Politically beyond stupid" because as he put it, we, meaning Republicans would get the blame.
Once again tonight, we have a lot to get to. CNN's Alayna Treene starts us off from the Trump event. So, what else is the former president have to say tonight?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Anderson, he has been walking through a lot and I apologize, it is very loud behind me. There is a massive crowd here tonight.
But one thing I want to bring up just immediately that I found very notable is he repeated some of his false claims about Springfield, Ohio.
He also vowed to visit Springfield, as well as Aurora in the coming weeks.
Now, this is all because of course, we've been talking about the Springfield repeatedly on this program and how Donald Trump and JD Vance's really baseless claims about Haitian migrants eating pets is affecting negatively that community in Ohio.
But Donald Trump continued to say that this is a huge problem. You could hear rally goers in the audience screaming, "save the pets, save the cats" and he said that he plans to visit there.
[20:05:03]
He also said that he wants to go to Aurora where Colorado is a place where Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Venezuelan gangs are taking over, even though there's people on the ground who have argued law enforcement, for example, that have said he is grossly exaggerating that part of this.
But this is all again, part of Donald Trump's larger conversation. I think this is important to note, Anderson, about for example, that have said he is gross plague exaggerating but this is all again, part of Donald Trump's larger conversation. I think this is important to note Anderson, about migrants.
He is saying that the migrants in Springfield are there illegally. We know that's not true. They have given Temporary Protective Status. He's saying that they are committing violent crimes, again, without evidence.
And now, he's saying he wants to go there himself, so stay tuned on that one. I talked to Donald Trump's advisers about this, they say, as of now there is no specific plans but that Donald Trump shows this desire to go.
A couple other things I just want to point out, one is that, he went into detail at the very start of his remarks tonight about that apparent second assassination attempt on Sunday.
And at one moment, he said that he believes God spared him and that the reason for that is that so he could save states like New York as well, the country overall. Remember this is language that we heard him use in the aftermath of the first assassination attempt in Butler.
However, he also then went immediately into attacking Democrats and specifically Kamala Harris, saying that they are to blame for what has happened.
So a lot of his harshest rhetoric here in Uniondale tonight -- Anderson.
COOPER: Alayna Treene, thanks very much.
Joining us now is journalist and co-founder of Lift Our Voices, Gretchen Carlson; also CNN's Eva McKend, CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten, and Republican strategist, Brad Todd.
Harry, first of all, let's talk about the polling.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes. I mean, look, I think if you're a Kamala Harris supporter, you have to be quite happy with these new polls that came out. I'd argue its one of her best polling days in the campaign so far.
On a personal note, when you get three important polls from three swing states, it's almost like a Christmas Day for someone like myself. And when you look at these numbers, what do you see?
I mean, first off, obviously. in Wisconsin, you have a race that's way too close to call at this point with no clear leader, just a point. But Michigan and Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, the big enchilada, we spoke about it last Friday.
The fact that you're seeing five-point advantages for Kamala Harris in Michigan, and in Pennsylvania, which is arguably the most important state in this entire election, there's just no other word than saying that these polls are good for the vice president.
COOPER: What happens when you dig into specific issues?
ENTEN: Yes, you know, one of the ways you can kind of tell that these polls are good news for Kamala Harris is actually to look at the questions that ask about what are normally Donald Trump's strengths, right? You talk about immigration, you talk about the economy. Who do you trust more on those issues? Well, when you average across the three states, you see that more voters trust Donald Trump than trust Kamala Harris. But look at the margins, the margins are incredibly small.
We're talking about just three points on the economy, just four points in immigration. Donald Trump should be run running away on these issues. And the fact that Kamala Harris is keeping it, staying in the ballgame on here says everything.
The bottom line is, these polls tonight are good news for the vice president.
COOPER: Gretchen. I mean, do you buy polls like this at this stage?
GRETCHEN CARLSON, CO-FOUNDER, LIFT OUR VOICES: Great question.
COOPER: Given that traditionally, I mean, Donald Trump has underperformed in many polls.
CARLSON: Yes. I mean, look in 2016, he underperformed in the polls, again in 2020. I don't put much trust in the polls.
I mean, I think Kamala Harris has to be above by six, eight, ten points because there are so many people who are not going to admit in polling that they're voting for Donald Trump.
Another really important thing though, about this polling is that she's way ahead obviously on abortion in all of these swing states that were polled.
So, in my mind, abortion, abortion, abortion, abortion to try and get the Independents and the suburban moms.
At the same time, I also think she needs to give more details about her stance on immigration and the economy.
I know her aides right now are saying no because that's too much of a risk to go out there and actually do something that might be a flip- flop or that she might have said something different before.
But we saw after the debate that she went up in the polls, people thought she won that handily, because she gave some details about how she felt about certain issues.
I think she needs to give more details succinctly in interviews.
COOPER: Eva, I mean, you've traveled with Harris, you've seen -- in these states, what do you think is resonating? What do you think is not?
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT :Well, I think the reason why she is doing relatively well and they would argue that they are still the underdog, they're still running scared is because she's campaigning like a standard Democrat. There's no big surprise about how a future potentially President Harris would govern, right? She champions most issues that would expand the social safety net. She talks about immigrants in a compassionate way, but also emphasizes a strong border.
We know what we're getting with Vice President Harris, and I think that people under estimate how much voters really crave stability.
In the last election, we saw Independent voters put off by the former president based on the chaotic response to the pandemic. And that is why they flocked to President Biden.
You're seeing a little bit of this here on the campaign trail, sort of voters embrace, I think a sense of normalcy and a contrast with the former president talking about people eating animals.
[20:10:17]
COOPER: Brad, I mean, what do you make of this latest polling?
BRAD TODD, GOP MEDIA CONSULTANT AND STRATEGIST: Kamala Harris has had a good week increasing her favorability. I would not look at this polling to be very indicative, though this is polls with done by Quinnipiac, which I do this professionally and Quinnipiac has perhaps the worst reputation of any national pollster.
In 2020, they said Donald Trump was going to lose by 11 the night before the election. In Ohio they said he had 39 percent, the night before the election, he got 53.
So I would take this Quinnipiac batch of polling with more than a grain of salt. I look back a little bit further back a week or so ago, to CNN's polling, which showed Donald Trump in a little bit better position.
But Kamala Harris has done better improving her image, ballot has not followed yet.
ENTEN: You know, one thing.
COOPER: Yes, go ahead, data nerd.
ENTEN: Thank you very, very much. You know, the bottom line is, I wouldn't go on your program and put up polls that I didn't think were indicative of at least a larger trend in this race, right?
You know, you talk about pollsters who have a good record. How about Ann Selzer in the state of Iowa, nailed that race.
I remember the first time appeared with you on air was back in 2020 and this poll is big trouble for Joe Biden because it shows that he's basically doing about the same as Hillary Clinton in Iowa.
Guess what that poll showed this past weekend, it showed Kamala Harris only down four points in a state that Joe Biden lost by eight points, a tremendous improvement. You talk about another poll, how about UNH, their final poll of 2020 had a race that essentially matched the final result perfectly. Guess what that poll showed this evening in the state of New Hampshire? It showed that Kamala Harris was up by 11 points and another improvement of three to four points over Joe Biden stands in that --
COOPER: Do you think the with the Quinnipiac poll, do you think it's --
ENTEN: I would just say this. I'm not going to say that Quinnipiac is right on the button. But what I will say is at this particular point, I know that the polls that what I've been looking at, this is not the first poll out this week from the state of Pennsylvania that showed that Kamala Harris is doing particularly well. And I can guarantee you it will not be the last.
COOPER: All right.
CARLSON: Okay, but I would just add --
TODD: Pennsylvania though, Anderson --
COOPER: Sorry, there's no script about it that --
CARLSON: Sorry, there's another poll out today from Scripps that shows to what Kamala Harris was just saying about immigration and what Trump was saying that a majority of Americans, a majority support mass deportations.
MCKEND: Yes, but they don't really like -- I think that the question is bad. Like, do you support a result of wreaking havoc on the economy? Do you support law enforcement going door to door and ripping people out of homes? Like if you ask the question to people in that way, I don't think the response would be the same.
CARLSON: I'm just saying that I think that some of Trump's talk about people eating animals in Springfield rubs off when you get answers like this.
COOPER: I mean, there's certainly a reason why they're using that language. I mean, they clearly feel that there's a benefit for it. Whether it's awful or not, or whether it's true or not, certainly there is no evidence of it.
Brad, I'm wondering what do you think about the Teamsters declining to endorse either candidate?
TODD: Well, there's a realignment underway in American politics right now. The Republican party is becoming the party of the work and the working class. The Democratic parties become sort of the champagne party, people with a lot of education, lot of higher education degrees, and a lot of wealth.
And I think that this Teamsters' endorsement will not be the last shift you see in organized labor, maybe not be the only big one in this election, but certainly not in the near term. MCKEND: I just want to say there's some disagreement among members. I was speaking to the chair of the Black Caucus within the Teamsters. He's very disappointed by this.
The Black Caucus endorsed Vice President Harris several weeks ago and he argues that Sean O'Brien is not showing leadership right now and he essentially caved to a bully. Those are the words of the chair of the Black Caucus. So, there are going to be those --
TODD: You know --
MCKEND: -- within the Teamsters that organize on her behalf even though Sean O'Brien --
COOPER: There had been polls though within the Teamsters among rank and file that showed Trump has the majority of support.
CARLSON: -- Trump's support -- and by the way, in Pennsylvania, a really important state for the Teamsters, there's 95,000 Teamsters in Pennsylvania. So, I think that this endorsement was a big hit for her.
MCKEND: There's definitely a gap between sort of a cultural connection and the actual policies because Democrats have been far ahead in support of union policies, but yes, we do see a kinship there with some rank and file union workers with Republicans.
COOPER: Sorry, Brad, go ahead.
TODD: You know, well, Anderson, I just have a little issue with that, you know Democrats and Kamala Harris have been against fracking. They've been against things like the keystone pipeline. They've been for things that drove the price of energy up. Those things really matter to people in labor unions.
Teamsters depend on the cheap price of diesel fuel and this non- endorsement is not a one-off.
If you look at the Missouri Senate race, the Teamsters endorsed Josh Hawley in that race, Republican incumbent senator. There is a change underway in America's labor unions and America's -- especially the trail trade unions.
The government unions still side with the Democrats, AFSCME and teachers' unions still side with the Democrats, but the trade unions, the real working class in America, there's a shift and it's real.
[20:15:15]
COOPER: Harry, what would happen to the electoral map if these latest polls hold --
ENTEN: Yes, let's just these latest polls are right on and the average at this particular point that do show Kamala Harris up in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are correct. That would get her to 270 electoral votes, even if she loses in the Sun Belt battleground, states of Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina. So again, these polls are good news. We'll obviously wait to see if there are more particular polls. I can tell you. It keeps me awake at night, it is one of the few things that keep me awake at night that will see an error like we saw in 2016 and 2020.
So to Brad's point, to Gretchen's point of whether or not we trust the polls. For now, I trust them, but the bottom line is the voters, my friend have the ultimate say.
COOPER: That's for sure. Harry Enten, thank you. We're going to take a break. We will have the panel back.
Another Republican question for vice president for not having biological children, this time, while hosting a Trump town hall. What the former president has to say when asked about it today.
And later, Arizona Senator, Mark Kelly joins us. His wife, Gabby Giffords, obviously survived an attempt on her life. His thoughts now in the wake of a deadly shooting, a thwarted shooting involving candidate Trump and Trump's allegations of Democratic rhetoric played a role.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:20:49]
COOPER: Before the former president's rally tonight, he was asked about something Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said while introducing him at his town hall last night, here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS (R-AR): So my kids keep me humble unfortunately Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble.
You would think after four years of straight failure, she would know a little humility. Unfortunately, she doesn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: She said that about a minute-and-a-half before Trump walked on stage. Here's a question about it today, and the answer that Trump gave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Governor Sanders yesterday had a dig about Harris not having biological children. She is a stepmother but doesn't have a biological children. Do you think that's something she should be attacked for?
TRUMP: Well, I just don't know, I'll think about it, thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, whether he heard that part of the introduction or not, it's hard to imagine he hasn't heard about it since given the coverage it has been getting.
In any event, Governor Sanders' remark is of a piece mostly with things running mate JD Vance has said over the years and continues to defend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JD VANCE (R), VICE PRESIDENT NOMINEE: We're effectively run in this country via the Democrats via our corporate oligarchs by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's from 2021. He's expressed similar sentiments before and since, here he is in July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: I was talking about people who have turned anti-child into the ethic of their entire party. Democrats don't want to own up to the fact that their party has become very anti-family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Just moments ago, the first gentleman, Doug Emhoff spoke out about Governor Sanders' remarks and I'm quoting him now. "They said that somehow because Cole and Ella aren't Kamala's 'biological children'" that she doesn't have anything in her life to keep her humble as if keeping women humble, whether you have children not is something we should strive for.
Back now with the panel. Joining us, former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who is now supporting Vice President Harris.
Gretchen, I mean, when you hear this, again, bringing up this idea of childless people, and also just the idea that she should be humbled.
CARLSON: Well, actually, I would give the humble award to people who raise stepchildren because that's probably more difficult than in some cases, than if you actually have your own biological children.
But another point that I was thinking about earlier today is toxicity starts at the top and it dwindles down. And I would know something about this having worked for Roger Ailes at Fox News, right?
Toxicity eventually becomes normalized when it comes from the top. You have Donald Trump saying all of these similar things, right? So it's no surprise that his spokespeople would eventually say the same thing.
They've watched him have absolutely no repercussions for saying crazy things and now they say the same thing.
In a deeper level, I believe that the strategy of the Trump campaign right now is to go full red meat to the MAGA base. And this is what they want to hear because that will be turnout. There are very few undecideds left right now, and they would have to be watching every news cycle to hear things like this and be offended by it.
So, I think the strategy right now is full-court press, sail the offensive things. There have been no repercussions. Get out the MAGA base, turnout will decide this election.
COOPER: Congressman Kinzinger, do you believe that that is the strategy because, I mean, again, we're hearing more now -- we continue to hear more about Springfield, Ohio. They're still talking about cats and dogs.
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: First off, it's just awesome to be on with Gretchen, let me just say that, it's great.
CARLSON: I feel the same about you.
KINZINGER: But look -- well, thank you. I missed you. But look, I think it's absolutely about that. It's about division.
Look, we learned in politics, basically from the day I got in there and we kept learning this lesson every day, which is if you make people fearful or you make them angry you can drive them to action. You can raise money from fearful and angry people because you can convince them.
As an example, Nancy Pelosi is going to kill your family. Well, you will part with any dollar that you have if you're convinced -- if I convince you that I'm the only thing standing in between that action in that horrible outcome.
[20:25:04]
And so, that's what they're doing. It's this constant division.
When you're terminally online, like evidently JD Vance is because he's now, "tweeting" people personally in the middle of a campaign.
You know, this algorithm and I hate that word, but all that does is shove at you this kind of angry right-wing stuff when you're on Twitter. And that's what he's bathing in.
And so to him, that's what his people want to hear and they have no interest in uniting the country and in leading and inspiring, it's all about winning and power. And we know that about Donald Trump, that's no surprise.
COOPER: Eva, I mean, you're on the ground speaking to voters all the time as you travel around with candidates. Does this resonate do you think?
MCKEND: So, I'm surprised that any campaign would even flirt with this idea of assigning a woman's value to whether or not she has children just because you hear all the time from campaigns that they're trying to get every available voter and trying to bring as many voters as possible into their coalition. So, it surprises me that they're doubling down on this strategy. I can tell you that this is deeply galvanizing for women. I was at
that rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin shortly after Governor Walz was named as Vice President Harris' running mate.
This childless cat lady phenomenon, was just a few days old. And you saw women in hats and shirts "I'm a childless cat lady who votes" and it's everywhere.
So, you don't want to give the other side, right, something to rally around. And that is essentially what they have done in this case.
COOPER: Brad, I mean, what do you think the message that Governor Sanders was trying to send to voters?
TODD: Well, you know, first of, Anderson, I thought the most endearing moment at the Chicago Convention was when Doug Emhoff talked about the vice president and the way their family works. I thought it's the most authentic thing I saw from that podium.
Similarly, I also thought that Kai Trump, President Trump's granddaughter did the best job of anybody at the Republican Convention.
I didn't like it when Whoopi Goldberg attacked Kai Trump the next day and if Sarah Sanders meant to attack her for this, I don't like that either, but I think she -- I think she was really just -- it was a transition that was poorly chosen.
She spent the next 300 words or the previous 300 towards talking about her own child, Scarlet, and how her own child kind of keeps her in check.
And I've heard her talk about her child many times like that in other speeches. And I think that's really what she was trying to do is have a revealing moment about herself.
Candidate's families should be off-limits, but we do need to hear people talk about their own families. It humanizes them and lets us know how they are as a person offstage.
COOPER: I will say she redirect, I mean, whatever she did make comments about her own family, but then she chose to use it and redirect to -- directly to Kamala Harris and her family, but -- I mean, Congressman, if you were on down-ballot ticket this November and the prevailing lines from Republican leaders kept coming back to disparaging women who don't have biological children, would you be concerned?
KINZINGER: Oh yes, I would be running as fast away from Donald Trump in a general election as I could. This is a very damaging thing.
I mean, we can try to justify this by saying it was an awkward transition and you know okay. But she could always come out and apologize today, but nobody apologizes anymore because that's weakness. Look, this is driving turnout on the left. This is going to drive turnout in the middle, and this is going to drive turnout to some, even on the right, women that just feel like, we're done with this division against us, just like --
You know, look, politicians have tried to divide people for a long time. Now, dividing men against women, or dividing women with children against women without children. I mean, look, it's not a recipe for success and I think a lot of people know that, but they can't push back on Donald Trump and Donald Trump always doubles down when he makes a mistake because he'll never admit to mistakes.
He says it again and again, so that people think that he meant to say it and we see that, that's just a pattern that's existed since he's gone down the escalator.
COOPER: Gretchen, I mean, we were talking about polls -- oh sorry.
MCKEND: I was just going to say really quickly though, there is a risk in Democrats' overplaying their hand on this. We know that most voters are concerned about the issues that matter to them.
Racism and sexism are often a distraction. Yes, you want to lean into this cultural moment a little bit because you see that the way that it is unifying your voters, but the same time they really have to stay on message in talking about the issues of concern to most Americans.
CARLSON: Yes, I mean, the gender lines are so split right now.
TODD: Anderson, I agree with that.
CARLSON: Oh, sorry. Brad.
The gender lines are so split right now. I don't think historically there's ever been an election or pre-election where the Democrat candidate is so far ahead with women and, you know, maybe the Trump campaign has just decided back to my earlier point that they are just going to double down on the MAGA voter.
And it's going to be turnout in this election, whether it's Independents and suburban moms for Kamala Harris or the MAGA group for Donald Trump.
COOPER: Yes, Brad, really quick.
TODD: It does -- she is right. There is a gender division and in a CNN poll in Arizona, it was 14 points, Donald Trump led men by Kamala Harris led women by three.
But if you watch the rest of that town hall, the questions were all about prices, immigration and taxes. That's the way for Donald Trump to grow his votes. One is to talk about how prices under this administration are out of control.
COOPER: Brad Todd, thank you. Congressman Kinzinger, thank you. Eva McKend and Gretchen Carlson, great to have you here. Thanks so much. CARLSON: Thank you.
[20:30:32]
COOPER: As both Republicans and Democrats argue over whose rhetoric is more inflammatory following the apparent second assassination attempt against Trump, I'll speak to Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, who knows all too well how dangerous our politics can be.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: As the former president holds his first rally tonight since the apparent second assassination attempt against him, both campaigns have been facing questions about heated political rhetoric, and which candidate and their supporters have contributed most to our tense political climate.
[20:35:00]
While Trump has blamed Biden and Harris over the assassination attempt and criticized Democrats for calling Trump a threat to democracy, Democrats have defended their claims and pointed to Trump's frequent attacks on Biden and Harris. He has repeatedly claimed if Harris is elected, the country will cease to exist. Joining me now is Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, whose wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords survived an assassination attempt in 2011 that badly wounded her and 12 other people and killed six.
Senator Kelly, what is your perspective on this? Has political rhetoric gotten out of control in the run-up to the election?
SEN. MARK KELLY, (D-AZ): Well, Anderson, let me just start by saying no family, no individual should ever be subject to political violence. It has happened too many times in our country's history and certainly, my family, what happened to Gabby over a decade ago, there's no place for that. And we've got to consider what are the language we use and what it means, and how it could incite people. But what Donald Trump is doing is what he always does, right? He points the finger and he places blame in other places.
COOPER: I mean, literally tonight, we just played a clip of him at a rally in Long Island and saying, don't call your opponent -- say your opponent is going to end democracy. And then he immediately said, she's going to destroy the country.
KELLY: Well, it's interesting. I mean, it comes from a guy who, shortly after I got sworn in to the U.S. Senate, assembled a mob in Washington, D.C., and then spoke to that mob and instructed them to go to Capitol Hill because he didn't like how the election turned out. So, it's quite odd to hear those words come out of his mouth, but we've seen this before. We've seen this for over a decade, the way he uses language to divide the American people. And it's really uncalled for and it's dangerous. So, I would hope that going forward here, he rethinks how he's using this language to divide us.
COOPER: Do you think changes need to be made with the Secret Service? I mean, it seems like they're understaffed, certainly, working multiple overtime shifts. It seems stretched thin.
KELLY: I mean, I think this is always a hard period for the Secret Service when they get close to an election, a presidential election. They've got to protect more people. I mean, you've got another candidate, you got another vice president, former president in this case. I think it's important that the Secret Service take a close look at what they need, come to Congress, ask for the resources. If they need more money, they can ask us for that. I also think it's important that Congress has an investigation -- I mean, to have two of these incidents here in such a short period of time and the first one, clearly, there are some issues that have to be addressed.
I want to applaud the Secret Service for what happened over the weekend. I mean, in that case, we saw what was a really bad outcome did not happen.
COOPER: Yeah.
KELLY: And we're all glad that the former president is safe.
COOPER: Yeah. I mean, the fact that a Secret Service agent saw a rifle in the bushes and through the fence is remarkable. You're traveling into to southern swing states this week, North Carolina and Georgia, to campaign for Harris. A CNN poll of Arizona shows the former -- or shows former President Trump leading Vice President Harris in Arizona among likely voters, 49 percent to 44 percent. What do you think she needs to gain ground in your state?
KELLY: Well, elections in Arizona, statewide elections like mine in 2020 and President Biden and Kamala Harris' in 2021, mine in 2022, they're close elections. I mean, that's the way it is in Arizona. And -- but on the issues that matter to Arizonans, I mean, the choice between the two and the contrast could not be more clear. On the issue that Arizonans really care about because of what Donald Trump did when he was president, which is set up the conditions to take away women's reproductive rights by who he appointed to the supreme court. And he even staked claim on this, he said he broke Roe v. Wade, and what that meant for women in Arizona is they've been bouncing back and forth between one bad abortion ban and another, and it has put their health at risk.
You see the same thing in Georgia. But in Arizona, women know that this was Donald Trump that basically threw their rights into a dumpster fire and they're upset about it, as they should be. And they know Kamala Harris will restore these rights. So, we have (ph) a choice between somebody who's going to fight for them, fight for the reproductive rights, and Donald Trump who said he wants to punish women for getting an abortion or punish doctors, or on the debate stage when asked about a national abortion ban, could not say he would veto it.
[20:40:13]
So, women in Arizona know that she is on their side. And I think because of that reason, they're going to turn out, and Kamala Harris and Governor Walz are going to -- they're going to win Arizona. They're going to win this election.
COOPER: Yeah. Senator Kelly, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much.
KELLY: Thank you.
COOPER: Still ahead, yesterday, it was exploding pagers; today, walkie-talkies. New details on a second round of remotely detonated explosive devices targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. A live report from Beirut next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:45:00]
COOPER: Lebanon's health ministry says at least 20 people are dead and more than 450 injured after Hezbollah operatives were targeted for a second day, this time by explosives hidden inside walkie-talkies. Dozens of devices exploded across the country today, just a day after blast from pagers killed at least 12 people and injured thousands more. And Hezbollah says 16 of their members were killed today, one of the deadliest days for the Group since October 7th. CNN sources say that Israel is behind the unprecedented attacks. CNN's Ben Wedeman has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A funeral for those killed a before is disrupted by another explosion, a wave of walkie-talkie blasts across Lebanon killed more than a dozen and injured hundreds Wednesday. Coming barely 24 hours after hundreds of pagers blew up across the country at food markets and shops, killing at least 12 people including two children and injuring around 2,800 others. In what CNN sources say, it was an attack by Israel's Mossad and military against Hezbollah, unprecedented in its scale and nature. Outside the American University of Beirut Hospital, distressed family members wait for updates on their loved ones.
WEDEMAN: Friends and relatives of the injured don't want to speak on camera. But off camera, one told us, for instance, that a friend of his received a message on his pager. He looked at it and the page blew up in his face, damaging his eyes and his fingers. And in fact, the chief medical officer here told us the majority of the injuries are to the eyes, to the hands, and the hips, where of course people were holding their pagers.
DR. SALAH ZEIN-EL-DINE, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT MEDICAL CENTER: We received around 200 patients and we receive them in a very short time, about within an hour or two, almost all of them went inside our door. So, this stretched us pretty much too thin.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): A Lebanese security source says the militant group bought the devices that exploded in recent months from a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo. However, Gold Apollo denies manufacturing the devices and says a distributor in Hungary is responsible. A Taiwanese security official said there's no record that pagers were shipped to Lebanon or anywhere in the Middle East. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate, a message echoed by one of the group's lawmakers.
HUSSEIN HAJ HASSAN, HEZBOLLAH LAWMAKER AND FORMER LEBANESE MINISTER (through translator): The Resistance will continue. The support for Gaza will continue. And the Israelis will regret what they have done.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The tension between Israel and Hezbollah is nothing new. For most of the past year, cross-border skirmishes have been common. These device explosions represent a new level of escalation. And Wednesday, Israel's defense minister said, the explosions mark a new era in Israel's war against Hezbollah. Worried citizens are suspicious of everyday devices here, including one found in a parking lot near a busy hospital. Security destroyed it in a controlled explosion.
WEDEMAN: Until this week, most of Lebanon had been spared the direct effects of the now almost one year of exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, which have raged mostly along the border. The thousands of pager and walkie-talkie blasts Tuesday and Wednesday have changed all of that, prompting Lebanon's foreign minister to tell CNN he fears war with Israel is coming. Anderson?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Ben Wedeman, thanks very much.
Coming up next, talking politics at a MAGA boat parade, what CNN's Elle Reeve discovered there.
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[20:53:00]
COOPER: CNN's Elle Reeve is known for traveling all over the country and engaging people in very real conversations about their politics or their beliefs, and how they see the world. Tonight, she takes us to Panama City, Florida for the MAGA boat parade where entrants compete to be, what they call, the most Trumpian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We are at the MAGA boat parade in Shell Island, which I've never been to. So it's my first time coming. We were in the middle of the parade following a lead boat well decorated with all the flags.
DELORES MACE, TRUMP SUPPORTER: There's a contest who can be the most Trumpian and I want to win first place.
ALICIA BADGER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: It's a weed eater motor. It is a 21 horsepower that makes a very frozen (inaudible).
DARLENA IBANEZ, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Trump is pro-America. He loves America for one. I love America. I served this country. I love America. We're from the same place in Queens, New York. So that's my home.
JOE HARNER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I live in Latitude Margaritaville.
REEVE: What's your most important issue?
HARNER: The economy, getting the interest rates down, getting it where we can afford to live in America. Right now, it's too expensive.
REEVE: OK, now, let me maybe ask him like a slightly impolite question. But, you know, if you can afford a boat, you're not hurting so bad, right?
[20:55:00]
Because a boat costs a lot of money and it is a lot of upkeep.
HARNER: Listen, nobody gave me shit. I earned everything that I've got. I'm retired military, retired power plant (ph), and I am successful and retired and with boats, jet skis because I did it right. And everybody has that chance. Whether they choose or not, that's up to them.
REEVE: I would never try to take anything away from you in that way. But what I'm asking is, groceries are probably a smaller part of your budget than say, you know, someone who is like a little worse off. I think it's interesting that people who are a little bit more comfortable are still so concerned about the economy. Do you see what I'm saying?
HARNER: Because I want my money to go further. I want inflation to go down. I want interest rates go back down. I want all that. But that covers everybody in the economy, not just me, not just the poor, not just the rich. It covers everybody.
REEVE: Now, something I've heard from some people, tell me if this applies to you, is like they are worried their kids aren't able to afford a house or a car.
HARNER: Well, I trained my kids and taught my kids properly. They have great educations and they're both successful in their careers. Actually, they're doing better than me.
REEVE (voice-over): Another woman told us that she had a good retirement, but she is worried about others who are having a hard time with higher prices. Whether they are locals or on vacation, everyone we spoke to at the boat parade was in a good mood. But underneath, there was anger about immigration.
MARY ZAHASKY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We need a secure border. I mean, it is your right and I like letting people in the right way.
REEVE: Can you give me some specifics on that? Like, how do you see immigration affecting you and your life in Texas?
MARY PROCTOR, TRUMP SUPPORTER: So I'm recently retired, but I was in the multi-family business which was managing and owning apartments. And I see the effects of illegal immigration at my properties.
REEVE: So, you're telling me there have been incidents at your apartment building? And you've had to call the cops and talk about it?
PROCTOR: Oh, yeah.
REEVE: So, I've seen it firsthand.
REEVE (voice-over): Most said Trump didn't do well at the presidential debate, though they didn't think it was his fault. And while they were ambivalent about his false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating pets, they tended to defend Trump for saying it.
DIANE CHUDOBA, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I'm not saying they're eating cats and dogs. I think that's a little cuckoo (ph), but they do have a different belief system. They're polite, they're nice, they're not hurting anything or anybody, but it's just -- I can see the change in demographics and not every town can absorb a big influx of population.
JASON MORGAN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Do I believe that actually happened or not? I have no evidence of it. Do I doubt it? I don't know; I can't say -- I can't say thumbs up or thumbs down.
REEVE: Do you think it shows good judgment on Trump's part to talk about it if it's not confirmed?
MORGAN: I think it shows good judgment for every one of us on every side to look into it. I dare all of us to investigate it. And I live there, so I will.
REEVE: Well, the police said they don't have any record of it and the city manager says they don't have a record of it, and the governor has now said it (ph).
MORGAN: Not my governor -- my governor.
REEVE: (Inaudible) do I?
MORGAN: No.
REEVE: Do I -- if I said something about it --
MORGAN: I don't believe you.
REEVE: Will you (ph) look it up?
MORGAN: I'm happy to look it up all by myself.
REEVE: You know, just Google it if I have service, like Ohio, DeWine (ph), Haitian, cats. This is something that came up on the internet and the internet can be quite crazy sometimes DeWine told CBS News -- DeWine says he trusts city officials who have said they do not -- they have not received any credible reports of such conduct. Mayor Rue of Springfield says no, there's no truth in that. They have no evidence of that at all. So, I think we go with what the mayor says. He knows the city, DeWine said.
MORGAN: Sure. That's a great way to pass the buck.
REEVE: You think Trump's going to win?
MORGAN: I do.
REEVE: What do you think?
KYLE BROWN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think we will be in the middle of a civil war either way, don't matter who wins. Like he says, you stop polarizing on both sides.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, what stood out to you about the folks you talked to you?
REEVE (on camera): Well, a lot of them kept saying no more wars, which surprised me. They thought that Democrats were more likely to cause military escalations around the world, particularly in the Middle East. Even though they've been Republicans for decades and they acknowledged this with a change in the Republican Party, they liked that change. And some were ex-military and said they'd been overseas and they didn't think America should have been involved in what they are in.
COOPER: Elle Reeve, thanks so much. Always fascinating. Appreciate it.
That's it for us. I'll see you tomorrow. "The Source" with Kaitlan Collins starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR OF "THE SOURCE": Straight from "The Source" tonight, Trump and Harris both getting snubbed as a major union declines to endorse either one of them for the first time in nearly 30 years, while Trump says it's an honor.
