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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Vice President Goes To Delaware, Sets Record For Fundraising Haul; Harris Gets Democratic Support; Lawmaker Claim Harris As DEI Hire; Trump Campaign Switch Gears On Democratic Shake-Up; J.D. Vance Invoking 25th Amendment On Biden; Sen. Manchin Backs Democratic Nomination Process; Harris In Delaware Meeting With Campaign Staff; Trump Campaign Reacts To Democratic Ticket Shake-Up; Now: Harris Speaking At Campaign HQ. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired July 22, 2024 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: And leading this hour, Vice President Kamala Harris making her first trip to visit campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware, since President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed her for president. Let's get right to CNN's Kayla Tausche at the White House and Priscilla Alvarez in Wilmington, Delaware, just outside Campaign HQ, what they're calling Kamala HQ.
Priscilla, Vice President Harris just arrived in Wilmington to meet with the staff there. You have new reporting about the mood. What can you tell us?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jake, there are certainly mixed emotions over the course of the day here at the campaign headquarters. Of course, there was a seismic shift for the campaign over the last 24 hours, and sources tell me there was a feeling of grief, of relief, and also excitement.
And that is what you heard as soon as the Vice President walked into headquarters, was that cheering and applause. But Jake, if you also notice in those images, while there is new signage of Kamala for president, there is also still Biden-Harris signage. That's how quickly all of this happened, that they still haven't been able to replace everything, though they did also hang up the California state flag.
And only moments before she walked into campaign headquarters, they also debuted a new website. Up until this point, the website was JoeBiden.com. It is now Kamalaharris.com. Now, of course, the campaign is celebrating a big fundraising haul over the last 24 hours, a whopping $81 million over the last 24 hours, the highest of any candidate in history, according to the campaign.
This, of course, welcomed news after the campaign had been struggling with donors because of all of the questions circling around President Joe Biden's candidacy. Well, now they are seeing that money flow right back in. Now, the Vice President, before coming here, had been working the phones yesterday, 10 hours on the phones, talking to more than 100 Democratic officials while she was in Washington, D.C., essentially telling them that she wanted to earn the nomination and also earn their support.
Now, Jake, I think it's also worth noting there's so much new here and there's so many questions as to how this campaign will take shape with her as the lead of the party's ticket. Well, the campaign manager has a long history with the vice president. She, Julia Chavez Rodriguez, had served as the state director when Kamala Harris was senator of California.
And so there are already some relationships here that they will be leaning on and that allies of the vice president have pointed to as she starts to take this role on. And we'll also hear directly from the vice president here at campaign headquarters later this hour, where she will deliver remarks to staff.
And that, too, will be a moment to get a sense of where her head is at and how she rallies the staffers who, over the last 24 hours, have just been through a really remarkable and pivotal moment in this campaign, a lot of them finding out with the rest of the American public when the president said he wasn't going to seek reelection. So all eyes on her remarks later this hour.
TAPPER: All right, Kayla, so far, we've seen statements online from President Biden and the letter that he signed. What are we going to hear from President Biden, his own words?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard this afternoon, Jake, from the president's doctor who said that his symptoms of COVID, which is why he's isolating in Delaware, have resolved almost completely and that the president completed his 10th dose of Paxlovid, which in standard dosing, that is the final one. White House officials had told CNN that the president was eager to address the nation as soon as possible to explain his rationale in making the decision to withdraw from the race.
And, of course, with every day that goes on, the shape of the Harris candidacy becomes even more filled out. And discussion moves on as to what her effort, what her platform and what the party's next steps are. So, certainly, Biden wants to get out there as soon as he gets cleared to come back to the White House and deliver that address, as he laid out in his letter on Sunday, that he would do to the American people.
He's also expected this week to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And White House officials expect that to happen mid to late week. So watch that space. But in the meantime, as I mentioned, the Harris candidacy is moving full steam ahead.
And there is going to be an effort on Wednesday to have the Vice President reach a majority of delegates to essentially firm up her nomination around the same time that the Democratic National Committee's rules committee is going to be convening virtually to discuss the path forward to lock up that nomination for Harris ahead of what they see as ballot access deadlines on August 7.
And in talking to a couple members of that committee, Jake, I have learned that there's also going to be a discussion, they expect on that call, about a timeline for selecting a running mate and whether that needs to happen by August 7, as well.
[17:05:56]
Of course, the timeline for this candidacy running straight into the convention has been expedited, as you know, this is a very unprecedented situation. And so any discussion that they have around setting a deadline potentially for choosing a running mate could put them on an even faster track, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Kayla Tausche and Priscilla Alvarez, thanks to both of you. CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill for us right now. Manu, former Speaker Pelosi waited until today to endorse Vice President Harris, while House Democratic Leader Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Schumer put out a statement this afternoon saying that Harris is off to a, quote, "great start to earn the nomination." But notably, neither of those men endorsed her. What is going on in top Democratic leadership circles right now?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, initially, right off the bat yesterday, Jake, the Democratic leaders did not want to put their fingers on the scale as they were grappling with this news, literally blindsided by this news that happened yesterday afternoon and trying to assess whether or not any rivals would jump into the race against Kamala Harris.
But in the last day or so, it's been very clear that those rivals, potential rivals, have endorsed Harris. And it's very clear that Harris is well on her way to securing the Democratic nomination. Those two leaders, Jeffries and Schumer, have made it very clear that they are almost certain going to endorse her imminently.
It may not happen today, but they want to have a meeting with her first. They said that will happen probably in the next day, maybe a couple of days before they actually sit down and meet with her and then at that point issue their formal endorsement.
But the Democratic Party is in a much different place than they were just a couple of days ago when this party was distraught, when Schumer and Jeffries themselves made the case to Joe Biden that there was widespread concern within their respective caucuses to Biden continuing on as a Democratic nominee.
Now there is a much upbeat tone and there's a belief that this campaign could turn around and it's been going Donald Trump's way for so long. And that is a view among Democratic leaders themselves, as we expect an endorsement to come, maybe not today, but as soon as tomorrow, maybe the day after, Jake.
TAPPER: All right. And Manu, how are Republicans there on Capitol Hill handling this 180 at the top of the Democratic ticket?
RAJU: You know, they're still finalizing their strategy. Several of them said that they believe that they could tie Kamala Harris to some of the more unpopular aspects of Joe Biden's presidency, namely how immigration and border security have gone down. She, of course, was named to try to help find the root causes of migration. And we've seen what's happened at the border and Republicans want to
hammer that issue home, some of them criticizing her more liberal policies. One congressman, Tim Burchett, indicating that perhaps that she was plucked from the position as vice president simply because of a diversity issue, despite her past background as a senator and a prosecutor.
And the Speaker of the House indicating to me earlier that there could be efforts by Republicans at the state level to try to deny Harris access and her name on the ballot, suggesting it could run afoul of election law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I said that we have 50 different systems in each of the states when it comes to presidential elections and choosing electors and all the rest. And in some of the states, there are impediments to just switching someone out like that.
RAJU: Are you suggesting she was a DEI hire?
JOHNSON: One hundred percent. She was a DEI hire. He said he was going to hire and then -- and she didn't. Her record is abysmal at best.
RAJU: Are you concerned at all about her more liberal politics for a moderate district like yours?
JOHNSON: It's funny, during the primary in 2020, right, she was getting a lot of flak from progressives that she was too far to the middle. And so, you know, everyone's trying to frame her, oh, she's to the left or she's to centered depending upon, you know, what side of the aisle you're on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: And that last comment coming from a Democratic congressman, a more moderate freshman Democrat, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, who has endorsed Harris and making it very clear that despite the Republican efforts to try to tie them to -- tie her to those more vulnerable Democrats, that some of them are embracing Vice President Harris as their party's standard bearer, believing that Jake, should be helpful down the ticket.
And that is a much different calculation, Jake, than a lot of Democrats had for Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, worried that he would depress turnout and would not be able to put back together that coalition that took him to the White House in 2020. So, much different views of both parties as they grapple with this momentous news over the past day, Jake.
TAPPER: And Manu, just a fact-check here for Congressman Burchett. President Biden, when he was running, I think he said he was going to pick a woman running mate. He didn't pledge to pick a black woman running mate. He said he would put a black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, but he never said that he was going to pick a black woman as his running mate. So the suggestion that she was picked for his race, that's, I mean, her race, that's in Congressman Burchett's faulty memory, presumably. I can't find that as established fact.
RAJU: Yeah. And he made the same argument today at a Secret Service hearing too, Jake, going after the Secret Service director for calling her essentially a DEI hire.
[17:10:00]
So, that is the pointed criticism from that Republican congressman, even if it may not stand up to the facts, as you suggest there, Jake.
TAPPER: Pointed would be one word for it, I suppose. Manu Raju on Capitol Hill, thank you so much.
Today marks 106 days until the November election. It's also the first full day without President Biden in the race. Does Vice President Kamala Harris really have the full court support of the Democratic Party? We're going to talk about that as we stand by to hear her message to her newly inherited campaign staff.
Plus, Donald Trump's reaction to all this and how his campaign is already launching new political attacks. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: And we're back with more on our "2024 Lead," Republican vice- presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, the senator from Ohio reacted to the news today that Vice President Kamala Harris is now the likely Democratic nominee for president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, REPUBLICAN VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I was told I was going to get to debate Kamala Harris and now President Trump's going to get to debate her.
[17:15:00]
I'm kind of pissed off about that, if I'm being honest with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: With me now is CNN's Phil Mattingly, as well as Kristen Holmes. And Kristen, this Democratic shakeup has major implications for the Trump campaign. Are they -- I know that they're saying that this doesn't change anything, they're going to be able to beat her just like they're going to beat Joe Biden, but is that the reality? Are they as confident as they're acting like they are?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The truth is that they don't know right now what exactly this means. I mean, one of the things about President Joe Biden is that they saw an enthusiasm gap. It's not just that they had this enormous campaign apparatus that they had put into place with millions of dollars in modeling, and that was what they were going off of.
But it was also the fact that Democrats weren't rallying around President Joe Biden even before the debate. That led to what they believe to be a turnout gap in November. And they just don't know what this means in terms of actual enthusiasm. Are people going to rally around her? Is she going to be able to bring out different groups that President Joe Biden wasn't going to be able to bring out?
Now, there is some confidence in the fact that one of the things that Donald Trump's team likes about it being Kamala Harris, rather than being somebody who's not part of the administration, is that they still believe that they can run on three issues, crime, immigration and inflation. And they believe that they can tie Kamala Harris to all of those policies because she is the vice president of the United States. So that gives them some hope in that way.
But really, right now, it's not so much that they even know what this looks like exactly. I mean, there's still not even -- if she's the nominee, we still don't know who the vice president is going to be, which is going to shift things again. So right now, it's a lot of trying to figure out what does this actually mean moving forward.
TAPPER: And Phil, this morning, Fox aired a clip from an interview they taped with Trump and Vance. It's going to air this evening. Well, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: Is it a coup against Joe Biden?
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's sort of --
VANCE: I think it is. I mean, look, there's a constitutional process, the 25th Amendment. If Joe Biden can't run for president, he can't serve as president. And if they want to take him down because he's mentally incapable of serving, invoke the 25th Amendment. You don't get to sort of do this in the most politically beneficial way for Democrats. If it's an actual problem, they should take care of it the appropriate way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I mean, I feel like we should have Daniel Dale here, really. But what's your response?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHORE & CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: I mean, first thing I thought was that pause from the former president was the pause of somebody who's like, wait, I actually did try and do a coup once. How am I supposed to respond to this --
TAPPER: Right.
MATTINGLY: -- in terms of trying to overturn a free and fair election?
TAPPER: Right. They didn't even have an angry mob.
MATTINGLY: Right. Yeah. No, they weren't giving their full effort there. TAPPER: Nobody died. The thing is about what J.D. Vance and the 25th Amendment, we've seen it from Republicans, Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, other Republicans have said something similar. The fact that this isn't constitutional, this is a party issue and party politics and a campaign. The current president said he's not running for re-election because he's going to spend the next six months focused on the presidency.
These are two separate things, two separate kinds of tracks here on some level. I do understand that Republicans are trying as hard as they can to continue to sow chaos, chaos that has been enormously beneficial to them over the course of the last three plus weeks. I think some lawmakers are talking about introducing resolutions, trying to push cabinet members to pursue the 25th Amendment.
It's a sideshow. It has no kind of basis in either what Democrats who control the Senate would actually do or the fact that Biden said, I'm not running for re-election, not that I'm not capable of --
TAPPER: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: -- being president.
TAPPER: I think there is a legitimate question about the president's health and abilities --
MATTINGLY: No question.
TAPPER: -- and that should he, I mean, if they want to do that, should he be president --
MATTINGLY: And those are fair questions --
TAPPER: Right.
MATTINGLY: -- based on everything that's happened over the course of the last three weeks.
TAPPER: But what just happened is not -- there is -- anyway. Go ahead.
HOLMES: I also think that part of the language that they were using was an attempt to try to get Joe Biden not to drop out of the race. I mean, now it has happened, but talking about how if he drops out of the campaign, he can't serve as president.
That's a warning sign that this is the next message that we're going to send to Joe Biden. If you hear them continue to say this is going to be a coup, they're trying to throw him out. That's trying to signal to Joe Biden, you shouldn't let them try to throw you out.
TAPPER: Right. Yeah.
HOLMES: These are not just what -- you're saying now that he's out. That was what they were trying to message before he dropped out of the race in attempts, I think, to try to keep him in. TAPPER: Yeah. And again, there are legitimate questions about the
president's health, but they're like trying to tie things together that aren't necessarily together. And as you note, how you campaign and decisions having to do with the politics of it are not relevant to the 25th Amendment.
MATTINGLY: They are two distinct things.
TAPPER: But there is this coup issue that dates back to January 6, 2021. And then we heard some language today at the J.D. Vance rally. This is Ohio State Senator George Lang, who spoke before Vance, and he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LANG, OHIO STATE SENATE: I believe wholeheartedly Donald Trump and Butler County's J.D. Vance are the last chance to save our country politically.
[17:20:01]
I'm afraid if we lose this one, it's going to take a civil war to save the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Not if we lose this one, it's going to cause a civil war because the left is so insane, but it's going to take a civil war to save the country, which suggests like we're going to have to -- if the Trump-Vance ticket doesn't win, we're going to have to stage a civil war. That's the implication in terms of the construct of the sentence.
MATTINGLY: Yeah, look, the message of unity and taking down the temperature had a good run. It was about nine days, 10 days long on some level. I think there's a -- I should note, first and foremost, the state senator, George Lang from Ohio, who represents where they were today for the Vance rally, has since posted on X that he regrets his comments. He said they do not accurately reflect my views, which he stated --
TAPPER: Whose views do they represent?
MATTINGLY: Did not clarify that in the statement itself.
TAPPER: Was a ventriloquist present? What was going on?
HOLMES: Sounds like he got a call from the campaign.
TAPPER: Bingo.
MATTINGLY: And I think what that underscores more than anything else, one thing I was struck by last week at the convention, which I think everybody would acknowledge was extremely well run, went very well. The only kind of thing that got sidetracked was the former president's speech on some level, was the most divisive figures in the party, who are oftentimes the most dedicated Trump acolytes, were kind of buried before the primetime coverage started.
Peter Navarro's speech, which was absolutely bonkers and borderline insane, was at like 6:30 p.m. And so that was, I think, structurally intentional. Their issue, and we've already seen the Harris campaign put out a statement talking about how they're trying to sow hatred, and this is a reflection of Trump, is that comments like this, particularly if they ramp up because Harris looks like she's going to be the nominee, are problematic for them and the message that they're trying to send.
TAPPER: And Kristen, we saw the MAGA team launch their first attack ad against Vice President Harris. Here's a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Kamala knew Joe couldn't do the job, so she did it. Look what she got done. A border invasion, runaway inflation, the American dream, dead. They created this mess. They know Kamala owns his failed record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So it's interesting because they're kind of suggesting that she was like some sort of puppet master.
HOLMES: Yeah, I think that this is their attempt, as I said earlier, to try to link her to the Biden administration and say those policies are actually her policies.
TAPPER: Well, she's the vice president out there.
HOLMES: Right, which is not -- it's not an unfair linking. I will say one thing. One of the things that Donald Trump's team feels about Kamala Harris is that they've seen all the polling that shows that she has the highest name ID of anyone that could potentially be a Democratic nominee of the people that we think are in the mix, right.
But what they say is missing is this what they call name education, which means there's a gap there for them to paint her in whatever way that they want to for the next several weeks or months, which they're trying to take advantage of. And I think we've just seen the tip of the iceberg. I think it's going to get incredibly --
TAPPER: Absolutely. It's a race. It's a race between the Harris team and the Trump-Vance team who can define her quickest.
HOLMES: Exactly.
TAPPER: Thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. For a hot second there, for a hot second today, it sounded as though Vice President Harris may have had a clear challenger. Listen to independent Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia on CNN this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHORE: So, Senator, are you running for president? SEN. JOE MANCHIN (I-WV): I'm pursuing the process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Not even a full hour later, Manchin was on another network backing off the comment, confirming that he was actually not considering a run for office any longer. So, does Vice President Harris have any competition among her party or, you know, Democratic- friendly independents going into the height of this race? We're going to be back with that conversation next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:28:00]
TAPPER: Vice President Kamala Harris is addressing her inherited campaign staff right now in Wilmington, Delaware. Let's take a listen. Oh, it's not going on yet. Sorry. Apologies. We're not ready yet. Let's continue our "2024 Lead." Moments after President Biden upended the 2024 race by bowing out, Vice President Kamala Harris started working the phones in an effort to earn and win the Democratic nomination.
Potential challengers are now falling in line. High-profile governors throwing their support behind the vice president, Senator Joe Manchin, Independent from West Virginia, former Democrat, he briefly flirted with re-registering as a Democrat and running. He did finally say he's not going to go forward with that bid this morning, but he did call for a competitive process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANCHIN: Coordination doesn't always basically produce, I think, the strongest, if you will, the strongest team. Very well, Kamala could be that person and I think going through some sort of a process would have been very enlightening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Here with us is a panel of political voices and a reporter to discuss. Alencia Johnson, do you think it's a mistake for the party to have coalesced around Vice President Harris so there is no competitive process at all and it does kind of look like an anointing?
ALENCIA JOHNSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I actually don't think it's an anointing. I think that during the primary, folks understood that if I'm voting for Joe Biden, I'm voting for Joe Biden and Vice President Harris. And folks have had the concern about his age, so understanding that she could eventually be President Harris. And so I appreciate her tone and that she's looking forward to earning and winning the nomination.
But when you have the energy that we have seen, I mean, $81 million in 24 hours, a call that I was on of over 44,000 black women in the middle of the night talking about this, this unprecedented amount of support. It's not necessarily coordination. It is actually the factions of our party that were frustrated in the
last three weeks coming together and saying, we actually see this as the opportunity for the path forward.
[17:30:04]
TAPPER: I don't think it's a, you know, this is still going to be very competitive. But don't you think that -- that Vice President Harris as the nominee, is tougher than Joe Biden for -- for -- for President Trump to beat? That's not saying he won't beat her but I'm saying --
MARC LOTTER, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, AMERICA FIRST POLICY INSTITUTE: Right.
TAPPER: I mean, she is enthusing crowds. Democrats are smiling for the first time in like five months, six months. She is exciting groups that Biden was struggling with African Americans, young people, et cetera. That's, again, isn't she just inherently a better challenge?
LOTTER: I think it changes that narrative in terms of an energy standpoint from the Democrat party, but the policy underlying it doesn't. I mean, they're still running basically campaign 1A, which is substitute the name Harris or Biden for Harris.
TAPPER: Sure.
LOTTER: And it's still the -- it's still the gas prices, groceries, immigration, southern border, where were you for three and a half years? How long did you hide Joe Biden's infirmity from the American people? None of those things are going to change. It just depends on who they put on the bumper sticker.
TAPPER: And speaking of the bumper sticker, we're still figuring out or trying to wait for her to figure out who she is going to pick as her running mate. What can you tell us about that process?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, we know that it is a going to be a truncated process, obviously, because the vote on this could come as -- as early or before August 7th, so that doesn't leave a lot of time for vetting. So that largely means that it's most likely to be someone already in the public eye who's run for office before. She's looking at governors not surprisingly. We're looking -- we're learning that Democratic lawyers are beginning to look into the financial records and voting records and family histories of several governors, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, not a surprise, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, he has the deepest relationship with Vice President Harris because they served as attorneys general together at the same time.
And this is her first big presidential choice. This is her decision that she will make alone as she inherits this campaign. So it's certainly interesting, but also Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. He was the youngest person on the list of 46 years old. They don't have much of a relationship, but I'm told she was watching him, sort of auditioning this morning on cable television, and also J.B. Pritzker. He's on the list as well, the governor of Illinois, and it could be more. And Arizona Senator Mark Kelly --
TAPPER: Yes.
ZELENY: -- I forgot about him. He's the only Senator on the list and should she pick him and should they win? Arizona has a Democratic governor. So she would appointed Democrat to fill that seat. But otherwise, senators are sort of off limits here because the balance of power is so fragile in the Senate.
TAPPER: So Sarah, you've been doing at least 14 focus groups of swing voters since the debate, which was 700 years ago, actually three -- three weeks in a few days ago. And almost all of them wanted Biden to step aside. You say you posted this before Biden exited from the race, quote, the most alarming groups for Democrats are the ones we've done with Clinton-Biden voters, regular Democratic voters who are now undecided. Those groups also wanted Biden to step aside. And several people were third party curious, are talking about leaving by the top of the ticket blank. So what happens now that Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee?
SARAH LONGWELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think a lot of people come back. We were literally doing a swing group. As I left the office, seven of the eight of the people of the participants, they were all going to vote for Harris. People were just so bored and bereft over this choice. There's a reason double haters were the name that we were using for the persuadable group, because they really didn't like their choices.
And the reason we were seeing even some sort of soft Democrats turn on Joe Biden is they felt like it was irresponsible to have him run the country for another four years. And so for people for whom they hate Trump, but age was the real defining factor as to why they couldn't support Joe Biden, Kamala Harris takes a lot of that off the table. I will say, having done these focus groups now for a long time, swing voters are, you know, they've had sort of a negative-ish reaction to her for a while. They -- they feel like they don't see her. They don't know what she does.
But that's why she has a shot here. She has a shot to totally reintroduce herself to these voters. And if she can get them there, they're sort of waiting for somebody to make the case to get them there. They don't want to vote for Trump again, they just need something a little bit of something to before.
TAPPER: There's something normal, right?
LONGWELL: Yes.
TAPPER: So it doesn't say, I -- I hear you on the policy stuff. And that's a totally fair hit, Vice President's own the President's administration. But is there a way to go after Kamala Harris that you think for Republicans that you think will be successful because I haven't seen anything effective yet?
LOTTER: Yes. Well, I think the reintroduction will be done by the Trump will be done by the Trump campaign and will jump $100 million, introducing the real Kamala Harris to the American people. The woman who bailed out the BLM rioters, protesters, arsonists, one who's just now recently been charged with murder. It'll be the all of the mistakes that I ended the charges that she had when she was at the -- attorney general in California, that she was a co-sponsor or co-author of the Green New Deal.
There's plenty of material and tape. I mean thank God, she explained Ukraine to us as being a small country next to Russia which is a big one. I mean those kinds of things will leave an indelible mark as she tries to --
[17:35:06]
LONGWELL: Did Donald Trump give her $5,000 check to support her campaign?
TAPPER: Her Attorney General.
LOTTER: Attorney General.
TAPPER: Yes.
LONGWELL: Yes.
TAPPER: Well, let's say --
JOHNSON: But there's also -- I mean, to that point, I mean, look, she has been the leading voice on abortion access, which is actually the issue that is waiting for us. She also is a prosecutor going up against someone who is convicted of 34 felonies, right? So you can talk about all of that if she wants to. And then also, as you mentioned, some of these -- these positions, climate change, it actually galvanizes our base, you know, making sure that protesters are able to have their voice heard that galvanizes our base, so all of the issues that you all want to put front and center are the things that our coalition is actually excited about.
TAPPER: Everyone, stick around, we're going to keep talking. The podium is set for Vice President Harris to speak at campaign HQ. And to underscore just how new this new phases. Check this out, that his campaign staff just moments ago taping up Kamala signs to the wall there. We'll have much more of the conversation, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:40:09]
TAPPER: I'm back with my 2024 Lead as we await Kamala Harris's remarks to staff at her campaign headquarters. My panel is back with me. Marc, Senator J.D. Vance had his first solo rally in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio today, and comments made by an Ohio State Senator George -- named George Lang before Senator Lang -- Vance spoke are getting a lot of attention. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. GEORGE LANG (R-GA): I believe wholeheartedly, Donald Trump and Butler County's J.D. Vance are the last chance to save our country politically. I'm afraid if we lose this one, it's going to take a civil war to save the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: What -- what happened to taking down the temperature and everybody watching what they say?
LOTTER: Apparently didn't get to low level state officials. I mean, no, that -- that just an irresponsible comment. And I think he -- has he apologized for it or something along those lines since then? And if not, he should very quickly.
TAPPER: So anyway, turning to President Trump, he posted on his social media site, Truth Social, so we are forced to spend time and money on fighting Crooked Joe Biden, he polls badly after having a terrible debate and quits the race. Now we have to start all over again. Shouldn't the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud? You said that Harris at the top of the ticket doesn't change anything policy wise. But I -- I could seriously understand the frustration they have spent millions of dollars on modeling and advertising and figuring out how to go after Joe Biden and now they have a whole new person.
LOTTER: Yes. They've been preparing for it for weeks now when it -- when it became more and more clear that post debate that that call was really picking up speed. But now you have to execute to the benefit. You -- Joe Biden helped us define Joe Biden, with his actions, his words, his -- his physical appearance. Kamala Harris, you're going to spend a lot of money and to define her before she gets to define herself. And that's rule number one really of campaigns on all sides.
ZELENY: But they've also spent very little money on television. So I mean, that's one thing that Trump campaign has spent just a sliver of what the Biden campaign had spent on television, and, you know, look where the race is. So --
TAPPER: Right.
ZELENY: -- some would argue that the Trump campaign has been sort of behind in organizing and -- and building state offices and things. So they haven't spent that much money. I mean, Super PACs have. But the fraud was kind of rich. And that's always is worth noting.
JOHNSON: Well, that -- I mean, that posed to me was Trump being a toddler kicking and screaming, I think they are scared, which is actually really surprising to me, because they have always known that Vice President Harris was going to be on the ticket somehow. And so for them to really show their cards that they are flat footed, and not prepared, actually is another advantage for us. But all of his posts have shown me that they are actually really scared that she's at the top of the ticket.
LOTTER: They are not. They are not scared. SCIUTTO: What are the advance -- based pace on the focus groups you've done? What -- where are Harris's most biggest vulnerabilities and where her -- her potential biggest strengths?
LONGWELL: So the biggest strength is just the age thing. So Donald Trump they -- they were. They were thought they were facing Biden, and they built a framework around age, mental acuity, what. So now, age is a big deal.
TAPPER: It worked.
LONGWELL: And now Donald Trump is the oldest president -- oldest candidate ever be nominated for president. And so now they're living in the age framework, and they got to deal with that. In terms of reliability, I agree. It's probably immigration and the fact that they're going to try to dump $100 million on her head out of the gate. And because, like I said, the voters constantly talk about how they don't see her because she has been so sidelined has been so out of view, like it's a race to define Kamala Harris.
And Kamala Harris better realize that she needs to define herself before they define her. This was Ron DeSantis's big -- that Ron DeSantis got to find before he can even get in the race. And so this first month, I think people they shouldn't think, oh, we've got some time before the convention and then we're going to launch Kamala, no, no, no, she's got to go right now.
ZELENY: And he is doing defining it's Chris LaCivita, who of course, as we all remember, from the 2004 campaign, the Swift POWs Veterans for Truth, they define John Kerry immediately here. So that's what --
LOTTER: And the people who are going to be defining Kamala Harris, she's in Delaware right now meeting for the first time. They don't even know her name.
JOHNSON: They -- they know Kamala Harris. She's been on the ground. She has I mean, up until this point she has done like 80-some local interviews. It's just a matter of the national attention hasn't really been on her.
TAPPER: But don't you think she needs to? I mean, I realize it's been literally one day, but don't you think? I mean, they did -- he'd be scheduling big rallies and events and -- and doing interviews and doing town halls and all of that.
JOHNSON: Yes.
TAPPER: Like now.
JOHNSON: Yes. And -- and look, they are. They're planning all of that. And I will be honest, I get her readouts. She has been doing that. But national media is covering Trump-Biden. Now, the attention is going to go through Kamala Harris and what she's doing on the ground with these voters.
TAPPER: One interesting story I don't want to miss "The Washington Post" is reporting that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. floated to President Trump, a job in the second administration, as -- second Trump administration as kind of like the benefit, you know, if he endorsed Donald Trump he would get a job a senior role overseeing a portfolio of health and medical issues which is a horrifying thought given his rejection of science and -- and medicine.
[17:45:09]
TAPPER: The Trump campaign rejected it. It sounds like from "The Washington Post" reporting, and rightfully so, because there are serious quid pro quo questions there about that. But what do you make of that?
ZELENY: I mean, I make of that the meeting happened in Wisconsin, states like that are places where they're worried that Donald Trump voters otherwise may support RFK. And if it's going to be a margin, a race on the margins, I mean, he's clearly trying to get him out of the way. So I think that's all you can really read.
TAPPER: All right, thanks one and all. Appreciate it.
President Biden was supposed to meet tomorrow with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, just arrived in Washington, D.C. in the last hour. But now that meeting is pending because Biden we're told is recovering from COVID. So will Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu instead? The official word from her office, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: President Biden has called into this rally a campaign headquarters. Let's listen in.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- everybody in this effort. I know yesterday's news is surprising and it's hard for you to hear. But it was the right thing to do. It's a -- I -- I know it's hard because you've poured your heart and soul into me to help us win this thing, help me get this nomination, help me win the nomination, and then go on to win the -- win the -- the presidency. But, you know, you're an amazing team. But we've got a great, great -- I think we made the right decision.
I know how hard you've worked, how many sacrifices you've made. And so many of you, so many of you uprooted your lives for me, and the kind of commitment few people make or anything these days, but you made it. And I've been honored and humbled. I mean, this is from the bottom my heart, my word as a Biden, for all you've done for me and my family. And you -- we built the best campaign in organ -- organization in history. I've been doing this, like you're always kidding because I know I'm only 40. But I've been around a long time.
I don't know of a better campaign organization grassroots campaign. You know, we have over 230 offices opened. We have over 2,000-page staff. And we have literally several thousand volunteers on a regular basis, thousands of them and they've been relentless and tireless and reaching out and contacting voters. The leadership of this campaign has been amazing, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Julie Quinn, Michael Taylor and Rob Flaherty, Rufus on raising money and so many more. You built this team and you brought them together, you brought us together you've inspired them. And -- and you've done what leaders do.
Now -- now we got to, you know, the name has changed the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn't changed at all. And by the way, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be on the campaign with her, with Kamala. I'm going to be working like hell, both as a sitting president getting legislation passed, as well as -- and campaigning. You know what we still need to save this democracy. And Trump -- Trump is still a danger to the community. He's a danger to the nation.
And just, you know, satisfy foreign policy colleagues, my counterparts and other people around the world and at home. Look, so I'm hoping you'll give every bit of your heart and soul that you gave to me to Kamala. And -- and I want you to know, I won't be on a ticket, but I'm still going to be fully, fully engaged. I've got six months left in my presidency, I'm determined to get as much done as I possibly can both foreign policy and domestic policy, keep lowering costs for families continue to speak out on guns, and childcare, eldercare, prescription drugs and climate. Climate still is an existential threat that we face.
[17:50:35]
And we have -- if we don't -- if we don't win this thing, it's all in jeopardy. And we got to keep working for an end to the war in Gaza. I'll be working very closely with the -- with the Israelis and with the Palestinians to try to work out how we can get the Gaza war to end in the Middle East peace, and get all those hostages home. I think we're on a verge of being able to do that. And we got to keep our alliances together. It's critically important. It took a while for me to build these alliances. Most of these are my colleagues have acknowledged that.
But it's critically, critically important for our safety and security. And I know, I'll be doing whatever Kamala wants me and needs me to do in addition. So let me be real clear, we're still fighting in this fight together. I'm not going anywhere. And I want you to know I've always -- you've always had my back, and I promise you, I will always have your back. And I'm anxious to -- for you at all to hear from Kamala. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Julie. You're the best.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JULIE CHAVEZ RODRIGUEZ, CAMPAIGN MANAGER, VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS'S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, thank you so much, Mr. President.
BIDEN: Thank you. I'm -- I'm sticking around. I'm going to listen.
RODRIGUEZ: All right, thank you so much, Mr. President, again, for taking time to join our call today. And, you know, as the President said, we are full steam ahead and supporting the Vice President. And we are seeing incredible enthusiasm already from our supporters, from Democratic governors, to senators, to House members, to mayors to folks across the country. You know, our Democratic Party is really uniting around our nominee. And we just announced that we raised $81 million in 24 hours.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
RODRIGUEZ: So now, I'm incredibly honored to bring up the Second Gentleman to be able to mark a historic day with us today. With that, I'd like to introduce second gentleman, Doug Emhoff.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
DOUG EMHOFF, SECOND GENTLEMAN: Wow, Julie, thank you so much. I've known Julie a long, long time, going back to her days working in Kamala's Senate office. And we put a lot of time together out on the road on the last campaign. And I can't think of anyone better to be leading this campaign, so thank you so much, you're the best.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EMHOFF: I was just very emotional, listening to President Biden, just saying. I was emotional before I heard that, because of -- of who he is, and what he represents, the dignity, the empathy. He's had my back, personally, some of my toughest moments as Second Gentleman. One, leaving the career that I loved. It was always the President who came up to me and said, look, I know -- I know, kid, you're a great lawyer. I know this must have been tough. But what -- what better way to -- to leave that and to support your wife who you love so much, and your country that you love so much.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EMHOFF: And it's hard to believe it was about four years ago, the first time I came to Wilmington is when she got the call from -- from President, then candidate Biden to be on the ticket. And we came here the next day, we went to their home. And he said with Dr. Biden, welcome to the family. You're now Biden's. And they made us cookies.
(LAUGHS)
EMHOFF: And they called our kids. And they called my parents.
(LAUGHS)
EMHOFF: This was day one four years ago. And now look where we are now to have been able to serve a Second Gentleman with him as our President, Dr. Biden as our First Lady. Unbelievable. (CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EMHOFF: And now, now I get to support my wife, Kamala Harri, running for President of the United States.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EMHOFF: Let me tell you something. We are going to win this election.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EMHOFF: We are on the right side of every single issue. And we have this team right here and thousands of others all around the country. How do I know? Because I've been traveling all around the country, and I've met them.
(CHEERING)
[17:55:11]
EMHOFF: We have an amazing team, you have done an amazing job and you're going to continue to do that. So we can elect Kamala Harris as an ex-President of the United States of America.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
EMHOFF: So let's hear it for Kamala Harris. Thank you.
(MUSIC)
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hey, Delaware.
CROWD: Kamala. Kamala. Kamala.
HARRIS: Thank you guys. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: Thank you all. Thank you. Can we just give it up again for my husband?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE) HARRIS: It is so good to hear our President's voice. Joe, I know you're still on the -- on the call. And we've been talking every day. You probably, you guys heard it from Doug's voice, we love Joe and Jill. We really do. They truly are like family to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So do we.
HARRIS: And we just everybody here on us.
BIDEN: It's Mitchell (ph).
(LAUGHS)
HARRIS: I know you're still there. You're not going anywhere, Joe.
BIDEN: I'm watching you kid. I'm watching you kid. I love you.
HARRIS: I love you Joe.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: So Joe I'm going to recognize some of the electeds who are here and then I'm going to get back to you, hold on a second. So let me do please acknowledged some extraordinary national leaders who are also dear friends both to the President and to me, Governor John Carney we are you. There you are. And his wife they are here. Senator Tom Carper, my former colleague, and his wife who's here. Chris Coons, my dear friend, Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: The mayor is here, Purzycki, where you are? There.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And the next United States senator from the great state of Delaware is here, Lisa Blunt Rochester.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And I know everyone here has seen these elected leaders in this very campaign office on a regular basis. And I know Joe is so thankful to them for their lifelong friendship, but I want to thank them also, because you guys really been carrying some heavy water from the first days of our campaign. So thank you all. This truly is a Delaware family. Thank you.
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: I want to thank Jen O'Malley Dillon, where is she? Jen?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: I'm going to talk about her in a minute, Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: Sheila Nix.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And the entire team that is here, I want to thank all of you and those who are joining from offices across our nation. So Doug, and I wanted to stop by today to thank everybody. And -- and to express just what we know to be true. You all have been working so hard. The people in this office have been working so hard. And you have given so much of yourselves long days and nights. What you are sacrificing in terms of the time you could be spending with other friends and other family. And you're giving yourselves to our country because you love our country and you love Joe and you love me and we know that.
And so today just right after Joe made his announcement, it was important for me to continue with his role of leadership in this office of like him was said for many, many, many months. And I say it today, thank you all so very much for what you were doing, and what you will continue to do. So let's applause --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: And I know it's been a roller coaster, and we're all filled with so many mixed emotions about this. I just have to say I love Joe Biden. I love Joe Biden. And I know we all do and we have so many darn good reasons for loving Joe Biden. And I have full faith that this team is the team will be the reason we win in November, you all who are here.
[18:00:05]
And as Julie always says and I will quote the great Julie, we are --
