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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Gov. Shapiro: I'm Going To Be Working My Tail Off To Make Sure Harris And Walz Are The Next Leaders Of America; Any Minute: Harris And Walz To Speak At First Rally Together. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired August 06, 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: North Philly in just moments, Vice President Kamala Harris is going to take the stage for the very first time with the man she just selected to be her running mate. The pick is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former high school teacher and football coach who served 24 years and the Army National Guard before being elected to the House of Representatives six times. Choosing Governor Walz highlights just how much the Harris campaign is focusing on the blue wall states of the Midwest, which sent Biden to the White House. Sources also say Harris felt Walz would be a trustworthy partner in both campaigning and governing.
So why did the Harris campaign pick Pennsylvania and specifically Philadelphia for its very first joint event? Because not only do Harris and Walz need to win the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, they need to drive up the vote both here in Philly and in the surrounding suburbs. And overlooking the popular governor of Pennsylvania as a running mate is something of a calculated risk for the campaign.
Let's get right to CNN's MJ Lee, who's here in Philly. And MJ, the crowd is pumped. What are voters telling you?
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's no question, Jake, that there is real enthusiasm in this arena. I'm sure you've sensed it too. It took a little walk around to talk to the folks that are in this room. And there are a couple of things that really stood out to me, Jake, for one, the voters in this arena very much really do believe that Kamala Harris represents something new and something different. This has to do with her age.
It has to do with the fact that she is a woman. It also has to do with her race. One woman I was talking to actually started tearing up because they said they were thinking about the possibility of there being a future biracial president, because she herself has biracial grandchildren. The other thing I notice, and I don't think this is surprising at all, a lot of people don't have a great sense of who Tim Walz is but they are starting to get read in they are starting to see those videos circulating on social media. They're using words like, he seems nice, he seems funny, as they're starting to just get to know the vice presidential running mate.
And also, every single person, interestingly, that I spoke to Jake, said that they were supportive of President Biden's decision to get out of the 2024 race, as much as they all did support his presidency. Now, when Harris and Tim Walz take the stage together, we certainly expect that the Vice President is going to take the opportunity to explain to this crowd why she decided to choose him. We will see what kind of chemistry they have together, and we will see the ways in which Tim Walz will try to complement Kamala Harris on the ticket by leaning into his biography. We expect that he is going to talk about his Nebraska roots, his Minnesota values.
And what is clear from all of our reporting right now, Jake, is that there are many reasons for which Tim Walz really impressed Kamala Harris and the vetting team. We are told, for example, by sources familiar that at one point in the vetting team's interview when the Minnesota Governor was asked the question of how he sees the role of the vice president, he said it is whatever she would like it to be, that essentially, he would be happy to do whatever she thinks is necessary. And then another point, when he was asked whether he has aspirations himself to run for president, that he said no. A different approach seems to have been taken by Josh Shapiro, the other contender. Of course, we are told that he actually brought in a lot of questions himself about what the role of the vice presidency would be under a Kamala Harris presidency.
But Jake, just looking around the room, you can't help but think about the fact that for so many years, Joe Biden and the advisers around him had said it had to be him running in 2024 that he had to be at the top of the ticket, of course, in 16 days, 16 very fast days. We have seen Kamala Harris sort of prove the president wrong and show that there can be somebody else at the top of the Democratic ticket, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, MJ Lee, thank you so much.
Right now on the stage, Senator Bob Casey is speaking. He is up for reelection. Let's bring in Cherelle Parker, the mayor of this great city of Philadelphia, the first woman to hold that title. And I've interviewed you a couple times, but this is the first time I've ever seen you in person. Congratulations --
MAYOR CHERELLE PARKER, (D) PHILADELPHIA: Thank you so.
TAPPER: -- on the trailblazing win for all the little girls of Philadelphia. It's great to have a female mayor.
Let me ask you, what do you think of the pick?
PARKER: Hey, listen, I am super excited to be here. The energy is palpable. People are excited about the Harris-Walz ticket. We are about to make history and ensure that Kamala Harris becomes the 47th president of the United States, and that Governor Tim Walz becomes our vice president. And I'm super excited.
You have to feel the energy to be able to understand this moment.
TAPPER: But I don't mean to bring up any moments that are -- were uncomfortable, but obviously you were pulling for your hometown boy, Josh Shapiro, the governor. PARKER: Unapologetic about that, Jake. Now, Jake, you have to know me. I'm a Philadelphia girl through and through. You are a Philadelphia guy, the Eagles, the Flyers, the Phillies, the Sixers, ever having an opportunity to be in the finals? I am going to make sure I'm rooting for the home team.
[17:05:08]
And I was proud to support my good friend and former colleague Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. He and I are looking forward to working with Senator Casey, along with Senator Fetterman and all of our stakeholders across the state, state party, local party, to elect the Harris-Walz ticket to the White House, and we're going to be working very hard to send them there.
TAPPER: No crime in rooting for the home team, although I really do wish you -- maybe could do something by consent and decree about the Phillies right now, the slump that they're in is very painful.
PARKER: Hey, watch it, Jake. Watch it, Jake.
TAPPER: I won by -- I'm rooting for them. But let me ask you, this does make winning Pennsylvania that much tougher for Kamala Harris, right? I mean, it's going to be a dog fight no matter what, but not having Shapiro on the tickets not going to make it easier.
PARKER: This is Philadelphia, Jake. And you know, we don't take anything for granted. And by saying that this is going to be even more tough. You're assuming that we won't be united in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You heard me in my remarks, we won't let anyone take our eyes off the prize.
Our North Star is simple and plain. We want to elect Kamala Harris as president and Governor Tim Walz as vice president. And we won't let anybody throw shade on our Harris-Walz shine. We're going to knock on doors, phone bank, host debate parties. You want to know one of the hottest questions for me coming in here?
What is it? What's going to happen when our Democratic nominee debates that god, I said she's going to wear his behind out. And they say, well, what about -- what about Walz and what about their vice presidential candidate? JD Vance ain't got a chance against Governor Walz. And we're excited about this competition because we're on the right side of the history where there's inclusion.
And we welcome people from all walks of life, no matter your race, class, socio economic status, zip codes, your religion, sexual orientational identity. That's who Democrats are. There's a seat at our table, and we're going out to earn every vote to make it happen.
TAPPER: Do you think Tim Walz as a -- he's a hunter, he's a sportsman, he's a fisherman, I know that Pennsylvania is a big state and big commonwealth. It's rural. You have a lot of hunters here, a lot of fishermen here. I did vacation a few years ago up at Lake Wallenpaupack in northeastern Pennsylvania. Can Tim Walz play with those folks, do you think? PARKER: Anyone who says that Governor Walz doesn't have appeal in Pennsylvania doesn't know Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is filled with extremely pride folks who are from urban, rural and suburban Pennsylvania. And so, those Midwestern roots, OK, that the governor brings to the table, his affection for even hunting gives him the ability to speak to Pennsylvanians who are in the middle of the state to know that, you know, he understands. But one of the things I do love about him is that he's an unapologetic Democrat. And while we may not agree, and I've heard him mention, you may not agree with someone all the time on everything, he stands firm for what he believes in.
And Jake, if there's one thing I want the American people, Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians to know about me, when I give my word, when I say, you have my support, when I fight for issue that I believe in, I won't flail in the middle of pressure. I'm going to stand firm.
TAPPER: So, I remember when Hillary Clinton lost Pennsylvania in 2016 and her turnout, her support in Philly -- I mean, it's always disproportionately democratic, but there were wards that Donald Trump picked up in parts of Philadelphia. And in order to win Pennsylvania, I know I don't need to tell you, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to need to have like 95 percent support or 90 percent support in Philly and the collar counties, Montgomery county, Chester County, Bucks County, Delaware County, it needs to be up, up.
PARKER: Listen, we are one Philly and one region united for Kamala Harris and Governor Walz, and that's why you heard me reference our collar counties here, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgo (ph), and we're all going to lock arms and do what we need to do to motivate our base to get engaged and come out and vote. You want me to tell you why? Because we all understand that freedom's not free, OK? And if we care about protecting democracy that was born right here, 248 years ago, a few blocks from here at Independence Hall, we will make sure that we are working together.
[17:10:04]
And I do also have to say this, Governor Josh Shapiro, I've worked with him for many, many years. He's a consummate professional, and we know he knows and all of us are going to come together to ensure that we defeat Donald Trump.
TAPPER: Is Shapiro speaking at this rally?
PARKER: Yes, I believe you are going to hear --
TAPPER: Yes.
PARKER: -- from him soon.
TAPPER: OK, all right. Well, what an honor to sit with my mayor here, mayor of Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker, thank you so much.
PARKER: Thank you. TAPPER: Let me bring in James Carville, who led the Bill Clinton campaign to victory in 1992's presidential race. First of all, what do you think of the pick, Governor Walz?
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I'm going to do something. You danced around him, but I'm going to go right to it. I think paramount in mind was the mail vote. I noticed the old karate NPR crowd is going to think that someone mentions the mail vote, but it is 48 percent. And the guy, as you point out, he's an enlisted combat veteran of the army.
He's a football coach, he's a hunter, he's a fisher. I think this is a good signal, and I'm very excited about it. And we need to improve our number among males. And I hate to say that people will get mad at me, but it's just a fact, and I think he can help in that area. And he has a very interesting life story, and I think more people know by the betting, I like it.
TAPPER: So obviously he's very progressive. He also, at the same time he's very progressive, is a hunter, he's a fisherman. I heard somebody jokingly describe him as an REI hire, instead of DEI hire. That's a reference, of course, to the sporting goods store. Will that matter?
Do people care about that? Do hunters and fishermen care more about if somebody has those hobbies, as opposed to what their policies are?
CARVILLE: Well, he's a football coach and he ran a four defense. He's an EA in the National Guard. He's a combat veteran, he's a parent, he's a lot of other things too. And he's also been a highly effective and highly popular governor in a purple state. So I think there's a lot to speak for him.
And I'm very -- I love Governor Spiro. I was kind of secretly kind of pulling for him, but part of life in politics is disappointment at due course, some scores will be settled, but this is not the time for it. Let's get beyond November.
TAPPER: Do you think that as Republicans and some commentators have suggested, not picking Shapiro was Kamala Harris bowing to the left who -- the people who wouldn't tolerate a more or more centrist candidate or even perhaps wouldn't tolerate a Jewish candidate?
CARVILLE: I don't know Joe Lieberman here, you know I'm not -- you're not so old, so young. You can remember 2000, I don't think Joe Lieberman cost us 5,000 votes. The rule is that Vice President Harris husband is Jewish, that somebody can confirm that, Atlanta to fact check, maybe David Dale or somebody like that. So, I think all of this is a talk is, frankly, doesn't add up from me. We got our pick, the Vice President made that choice.
We got a EA number 0E4 (ph) and I'm ready to fall in line with our future command in chief and that's Sergeant Walz. Let's go. Let's grab our piece and go off the hill.
TAPPER: What are -- what do you recommend that Harris and Walz do? There's less than 100 days to go. Still at this at this moment, I think that you would give the edge to Trump, just because it's a change election, and he has been leading in the polls. Harris is a new candidate. She still hasn't done an interview.
She still hasn't done a press conference. Who knows what's going to happen? What would you recommend that the Democratic ticket do?
CARVILLE: Well, first of all, not call Trump a change candidate. He's a backwards candidate. We're not talking about four years from now. He wants to talk about four years ago. And I think that's a pretty simple dynamic on our part.
And what I'd like to see him is come down tough on the side of consumers. Come down tough on corporate price fixing and price gouging. I think this would be something that would be eminently beneficial. And let's get the convention behind us. So Trump -- I don't think Trump wants to debate. JD Vance don't want to get within 50 miles of Governor Walz, I can tell you that.
So we got, there's a lot of football left to play here, and I'm excited. And I'm tired of banging my helmet against the locker, and let's go out and play some ball. We're ready. We're excited, Jake, we really are. And I got mayor of Philadelphia, I don't know her, but man, she's full of -- she's on fire.
[17:15:00]
TAPPER: Yes, she was fun. She was fun. James Carville, thank you so much.
Let's bring back the panel. And they are rallying here in Philly, as we do here in Philadelphia.
Abby, the Philadelphia Mayor, Cherelle Parker, told me she fully backs the Walz ticket, but she was, in her language, unapologetically, pro Shapiro. Wanted Shapiro on the ticket, but obviously with the program now.
ABBY PHILLIP, ANCHOR, CNN "NEWSNIGHT": Yes, I mean, as she's going to be, I mean, this is her home state, this is Shapiro's home state. And as we talked about earlier, he is so popular, there's really not a whole lot of parallels to the level of popularity that he has, which actually, honestly might be the reason that he's not on the ticket. I mean, at the presidential level, the main job of the vice president on the ticket, right, is to be the person blocking and tackling day after day for the person at the top of the ticket. And that's the main -- that's the main goal, that person themselves does not need to be a star, they just need to be nimble, they need to be good on television, which Walz was, and they need to be comfortable with the principle. And I think that's where we are here with the situation.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All the contrarian point of view, the old metrics is you have to bring a state, you have to bring a demographic, maybe what he brings is a message. Maybe being the most effective retail politician and messenger is something that's actually complementary to her, a skill she didn't prove to have in 2019 and maybe she felt like she could use it now. PHILLIP: My only argument is that you would have to go all the way back to 1960 to find a VP who brought a state. And so, it's really -- it's --
CORNISH: That's what I mean.
PHILLIP: Nobody is really --
CORNISH: I know where they really focused on it, but he's an effective messenger --
PHILLIP: Nobody is voting for that person.
CORNISH: -- as a liberal.
PHILLIP: Yes.
CORNISH: And this may be a moment where they're not talking about shying away from being liberals, but being a more effective defense and proactive offense of that ideology.
PHILLIP: Yes, yes.
KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST, "THIS MORNING": They needed more making sure that they shored up their more progressive base, the excitement among young voters that we've seen explode since Harris got nominated. I think the question is, I was talking to one Democrat today who did point to some of Kamala Harris's weaknesses as a candidate that we have not seen -- these 90 days, this may be the easiest way for her to ever become president of United States, right, because it's so fast. But she is going to have tough moments, right? It has been a high so far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nor that --
HUNT: She --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- this is that he goes in supplement.
HUNT: So the question -- this person was arguing to me that Josh Shapiro is a very strong candidate, and that he fulfills, potentially, some of those weaknesses that she has displayed.
Tim Walz may also have ways in which he compliments Kamala Harris. We don't know yet. I'm just saying this is what somebody was arguing to me, because this is about to get tough. It's going to be tougher than it's been.
PHILLIP: That's exactly right. I mean, look, up until this moment, the last three weeks for vice president Harris have been all about the base. It's been all about showing her strength and solidifying the base. That was necessary, but not sufficient. The rest of this race is going to be thought in the middle of this country, independent voters.
It's going to be about 100,000 people in this country who are going to decide this thing. And we -- honestly, we have not even seen them begin to have that conversation yet. So from this point forward, that's what the conversation is going to be about, not just about whether Democrats love her and how much.
TAPPER: Yes. Everyone stick around. Vice President Kamala Harris is in Philly. She is set to speak here at this rally in just a few minutes. It will be her very first campaign event with her brand new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Keep it here. We're going to squeeze in a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:23:00]
TAPPER: And we are back in Philadelphia, North Philly, to be exact, on the campus of Temple University, the Liacouras arena or stadium. We're waiting for Vice President Kamala Harris and her brand new running mate, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, to make their very first appearance together on this presumptive Democratic ticket at this rally in a jam packed arena. I believe, I believe this is where the Temple Owls play.
The Harris campaign, or I should say, the Harris-Walz campaign says it has raised ten million since the announcement of Walz earlier today. Let's discuss with the panel.
And Kasie, I will say this is a lot more excitement than I've seen the Democrats have since Obama. I got to say, like this transcends the excitement of the last several election cycles.
HUNT: Yes, well, I will say the last time I was in this arena actually was a Bernie Sanders rally, which felt like this, but I also covered Hillary Clinton in that same campaign.
TAPPER: I meant of the nominee. That's great correction.
HUNT: Of the nominee, sure.
TAPPER: Great correction. I meant of the nominee.
HUNT: Yes. I mean, the last time I was walking into events for a Democratic candidate where the place went up, it was Bernie Sanders, and that was not present for Hillary Clinton, and it hasn't been present for Joe Biden. And that is kind of the fundamental difference here. I mean, it is what has changed this race, in a fundamental way. It is a totally new race, and that is on display here. I mean, the lines coming in were like around the block.
I'm sure there's a lot of people here that couldn't actually get in. I mean, I remember covering Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016 and saying on the air at the time, it didn't feel like covering a winning campaign in the final days. This is an incredibly close election. It's -- in still in many ways, Donald Trump's race to lose, right? Kamala Harris has a hill to climb right now, but it's just got a completely different feeling than anything else I felt from a Democrat nominee in eight years.
[17:25:02]
TAPPER: And it definitely -- there is -- I understand the negative of doubling down on progressivism by picking Tim Walz, and that's what that's what Republicans are saying, and some more conservative or moderate Democrats are saying that this is a lost opportunity to appeal to suburban voters, centrist voters, et cetera. But I will say Bernie Sanders wanted Kamala Harris to pick --
HUNT: Yes.
TAPPER: -- Governor Walz. And I'm not saying that whatever Bernie has transfers, but there is an excitement here that, again, I haven't felt since 2012 at a Democratic nominees rally.
HUNT: I think that's right. And I think especially, look, there's going to be a race to define Harris and Walz, but Walz does speak to a constituency that he can, he is capable. I mean, look at that cap he was wearing in the call that he took from Kamala Harris, kind of the way he was dressed, the --
TAPPER: A camouflage cap.
HUNT: Right, like the stuff that's percolating online, like this is a guy that has some appeal to a constituency that, frankly, Democrats have struggled to appeal to lately.
PHILLIP: Yes. I mean, look, I think Bernie Sanders has made it clear who he wanted, but Joe Manchin loved the Walz pick. I mean, Joe Manchin couldn't even walk into this room, probably, because a lot of progressives don't want to see or hear from him, but he loves the Tim Walz pick. So --
TAPPER: (Inaudible) right now because here is the governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro. He is here. He got the news earlier today that he was not the pick, that Governor Tim Walz was the pick, and he is here in his hometown of Philadelphia. He's from right outside the suburbs, I believe. I believe he's from Malcolm X Park.
But in any case, here he is, and let's listen to him. Not a lot of time between getting the message that he's not the pick and having to give a big speech. That's kind of a -- it's kind of a challenge for any candidate to do that, but here he is. Let's listen in.
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I love you, Philly. And you know, what else I love? I love being your governor. Thank you very much.
You all fill my heart, and I love you so much. And I want you to know, every single day I go to work for you, I put my shoulder to the wheel and I focus on three simple letters in our alphabet, G, S, D. I focus on getting shit done for all of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And I want you to know I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor. And I'm going to be working my tail off to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America.
That's right. Let me tell you, let me tell you about my friend, Kamala Harris, someone I've been friends with for two decades. She is courtroom tough. She has a big heart. And she is battle tested and ready to go.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[17:30:07]
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Whether in a courtroom, whether fighting as Attorney General, whether remembering the people who have oftentimes been left behind when she was sitting in the halls of power in the Senate, Kamala Harris has always understood that you got to be every day for the people, for the people.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And she has served with honesty. She has served with dignity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SHAPIRO: And every step of the way, she's broken barriers to serve all of us.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: Now, now, Philly, hear me on this. That's a hell of a stark contrast from the guy running on the other side.
(BOOING)
SHAPIRO: Oh, you all -- you all know who I'm talking about, I guess. You see, we remember here in Philly what it was like when Donald Trump was our president.
(BOOING)
SHAPIRO: We remember when he was president, it was more chaos, fewer jobs and less freedom.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE) SHAPIRO: You see, Philly, I know you all. We walked around, a little bit of a chip on our shoulder, because we remember, right?
(CHEERING)
SHAPIRO: And we remember that it was Donald Trump that ripped away the freedom of millions of American women to make decisions over their own bodies.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: We remember that.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: We remember that.
CROWD: We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: We're not going back.
CROWD: We're not going back. We are not going back.
SHAPIRO: We are not going back. You're right.
CROWD: We're not going back. We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: We're not going back.
CROWD: We're not going back. We're not going back. We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: And here's the thing, we don't want to go back, but -- but -- but let's go back for a second to just remember.
(LAUGHS)
SHAPIRO: Let's just remember, because I think there's some folks out there that still have a little bit of brain fog, remembering, having a hard time remembering what it was like. Now, listen, he brought all that chaos and limited our freedoms back when he was president, and let's be honest, didn't know what the hell he was doing.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: He didn't. But this is serious gang. He knows what he's doing now. He does. And the Supreme Court that he packed --
(BOOING)
SHAPIRO: -- the Supreme Court that he has passed has ruled that he is above the law.
(BOOING)
SHAPIRO: He is outside of the law. And now he's got a clear plan. They all wrote it down in that whole Project 2025 thing.
(BOOING)
SHAPIRO: And they got a quick clear plan to take away more of our freedoms. They got a clear plan to use the Justice Department to go against our enemies. They got a clear plan to isolate us in the world. And let me tell you something, I ain't going back. I am not going back.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: I'm not. And neither do you want to go back.
CROWD: We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: We are not going back.
CROWD: We're not going back. We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: We're not going back.
CROWD: We're not going back. We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: No.
CROWD: We're not going back. We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: We're not.
CROWD: We're not going back.
SHAPIRO: And not only are we not going back, we're not going into the future with Donald Trump, not going in the future with him --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: A guy who has made clear he's told us what he wants to do, more chaos, less freedom. And you all friends, it was Maya Angelou who said it, when they tell you who they are.
(CHEERING)
SHAPIRO: Yes. I believe him, and I don't want to see that. And Donald Trump, well, he's now got a partner with him. You all see that guy?
(BOOING) SHAPIRO: Yes. J.D. Vance, he's not -- he's not exactly off to a good start. I think we can all agree on. But I think part of the reason why he's not off to a good start is this, and it's serious, he doesn't know who he is. And he's not being honest with himself. So he can't be honest with the American people. He can't.
[17:35:07]
CRWOD: He's a weirdo. He's a weirdo.
SHAPIRO: Now --
CRWOD: He's a weirdo. He's a weirdo.
SHAPIRO: So -- so if -- if -- if I hear you right, and I think I do, you're chanting he's a weirdo.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: Which means, man, I love you Philly, which means, if you're chanting, he's a weirdo, then you heard of my good friend and our next vice president, Tim Walz.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: Because Tim Walz in his beautiful, Midwestern, plainspoken way, he summed up J.D. Vance the best. He's a weirdo.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And I want to talk -- I want to talk about Tim Walz, because Philly, in a minute, he's going to come out here, and I want you to give him a whole lot of love. Tim Walz is a great man. Tim Walz is an outstanding governor. Tim Walz is a teacher. Tim Walz is a Guardsman. Tim Walz is a great patriot.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: He is.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And I'll tell you what else. I'll tell you what else. Tim Walz is a dear friend. And I want you to know Lori and I feel blessed to have Tim and Gwen in our lives. They are outstanding public servants. And I can't wait for you, Philly, the rest of this commonwealth and our entire country, to get the chance to know the Walz is the next vice president and second lady of this nation.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: Now, I think -- I think it is fitting and it is special that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have chosen to launch their campaign right here in Philadelphia, in the City of Brotherly Love and shifting the effect.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And -- and importantly, they chose to launch their campaign right here in the birthplace of real freedom.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: You know, the other side, Trump and his sick of fans, let me tell you something, they love to talk a good game about freedom, right? They -- they love to cloak themselves in the blanket of freedom all the time. They love to talk a good game, but hear me on this. It's not freedom to tell our children what books they're allowed to read. That's not freedom.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: It's not. It's not. It's not freedom to say you can go to work but you can't join a union. That's not freedom.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: It's not freedom to tell women what they're allowed to do with their bodies. That's not freedom.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: It's not. It's not.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: It is not. No. It's not. It is not. And it won't be that way when Kamala Harris is our president. And it sure is hell isn't freedom to say you can go vote, but he's going to pick the winner. That is not freedom. (BOOING)
SHAPIRO: That's not what patriots have fought for over the years. It is not. You know what we are for? You know what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are for? They are for real freedom.
(CHEERING)
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SHAPIRO: They are. The kind of real freedom that comes when we looked at young girl in North Philly in the eye and we invest in her public school because we believe in her.
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SHAPIRO: We believe in real freedom, the kind of freedom that comes when we invest in our police and we invest in our communities, because we believe that young girl should walk to and from school safely and back to her mama at the end of the night.
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[17:40:14]
SHAPIRO: We believe in real freedom, where the young girl can grow up and be whatever she wants. She can be a welder. She can go to college. She can be who she is. That is real freedom, and that is what we are fighting for.
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(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: We believe in the kind of real freedom where she grows up in a community where she can breathe clean air and drink clean water, and know that she will leave an environment to the next generation that is great for her kids and her grandkids.
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(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: -- and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in a real freedom, where you can marry who you love and be who you are.
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SHAPIRO: Now, freedom, freedom is on the ballot. And our fundamental freedoms are at risk. And I know -- I know when it's at risk, it's easy to feel uneasy and it's easy to get down. But let me tell you something Philly. Let me tell you something Pennsylvania. Let me tell you something America. I am more optimistic than ever before.
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SHAPIRO: And the reason, the reason I'm more optimistic than ever before, is because of all of you. And because of what a band of patriots started here in our taverns, in our town squares and at Independence Hall, just a couple miles from here, nearly two and a half centuries ago. You see --
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: -- they came together. They came together to declare our Independence from a king, and we're not going back to a king.
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SHAPIRO: And we're not going back.
CROWD: We're not going back. We're not going back. We're not going back.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And when they declared that Independence from a king, they came together and they said, we are going to form a union. And over the last 248 years, the reason why I'm optimistic, the reason why I'm hopeful is because as we've written this American story, over the last two and a half centuries, it's been ordinary Americans taking up the baton from those patriots and saying, we're going to do extraordinary things. Octavius Catto understood that responsibility. Cecil B. Moore understood that responsibility.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: GEN Z when they're organized and on TikTok understand that responsibility.
(CHEERING) (APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And I'm optimistic today because the task of perfecting our union, the task of defending our fundamental freedoms, it now falls to all of you, to freedom loving Americans all across this great country, and to the good people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who will decide this next election and understand our unique responsibility.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: I love you, too. And this is a moment where we all have to understand that while we'll see Kamala Harris and Tim Walz's names on the ballot, that this election isn't just about their names on this ballot. This election is about all of you. And whether or not you're willing to do this hard work to fight for our freedom, whether or not you're willing to do this hard work that started here 248 years ago.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: I want to just say this. I lean on my family and I lean on my faith, which calls me to serve.
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[17:45:07]
SHAPIRO: And I am proud of my faith.
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SHAPIRO: Now, now, hear me. I'm not here to preach it, you all. But I want to tell you what my faith teaches me.
(CHEERING)
CROWD: Preach. Preach. Preach.
SHAPIRO: My faith teaches me that no one, no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it. That means -- that means that each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines, to get in the game and to do our part. Are you ready to do your part?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: Are you ready to form a more perfect union? Are you ready to build an America where no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love or who you pray to, that this will be a place for you?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: And are you ready to look the next President of the United States in the eye and say, hello, Madam President?
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
SHAPIRO: I am due, so let's get to work.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro giving a rousing speech extolling the virtues of the Democratic Party, of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee -- nominee Kamala Harris, and really just an effusive list of reasons why. In his words, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is a patriot, a good man, a great governor, really, quite a -- quite a speech.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: Reminds me of what a lot of people were saying, honestly, going into the 2020 election, which is that the Democrats have a pretty deep bench. And now Josh Shapiro not on the ticket, but he's on the bench, and he's going to be doing that all around the country. Gretchen Whitmer is going to be doing that all across the country. That's going to be very, very important.
I think you saw here in this room what a good circuit can do when they're able to really lift up a crowd like this, and it's not all riding on just one person at the top of the ticket. That's going to be very, very crucial for the Democrats going forward.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's also been so many years where basically Democrats have been reactive, right? They're constantly reacting to the linguistic kind of twists of Republican Party. And now you have a bench of people, Walz, Shapiro, others who are able to make affirmative arguments for being liberal, being progressive, and sell that vision without apology.
KASIE HUNT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, I mean I look, what we saw from Shapiro there, that was -- that's why he was almost the Vice President on his ticket, right?
PHILLIP: It might also be why he's not the -- on the vice presidential ticket.
HUNT: It -- it may also be why he is not on the ticket. I mean, he is incredibly talented. That was very much on display here. He does evoke another candidate, the last nominee. You say Democrats are really excited about, Jake, in the way he talks. I mean, you can hear kind of the way he has clearly studied Barack Obama, and the way Barack Obama presents in these kinds of environments. But I, you know, this really shows this is kind of the highest profile campaign style event Shapiro's gotten to do at this point in his career. I think fairly we can say that, right?
He ran for governor, obviously, but this is a different kind of stage, and I think that he really demonstrated that he can tie together a lot of the intellectual and other qualities that he has that impressed donors in small rooms, that have impressed the voters of Pennsylvania in his elections in a way that shows he's -- he's got a future where the sky is pretty much the limit.
CORNISH: It's another way -- it's such an unusual moment. I mean, for the public, we're going to get to see the study in contrast between Walz and Shapiro. We're going to have a better understanding of her decision by the end of tonight.
TAPPER: It's interesting also because, first of all, Governor Shapiro, I think he just secured a prime time speaking slot at the Democratic Convention later this month that we shows he really can -- can -- can get a crowd standing on their -- on their feet and very excited and enthusiastic. It's also you noted that -- and you could hear the Obama-esque cadences.
HUNT: Yes.
TAPPER: And -- and he was -- there was a -- a viral video of him speaking on social media where you could really hear it.
HUNT: Yes.
TAPPER: And J.D. Vance said something about that. I think J.D. Vance called Shapiro, this is before obviously Walz was picked. He called him like a knockoff Obama. And Shapiro was asked about it, and he said something along the lines of Barack Obama was the greatest order of our time. Is that supposed to be an insult?
[17:50:11]
And it reminded me there was this generation of senators, governors in like the 80s, that were just so focused on John F. Kennedy and trying to look and sound like John F. Kennedy, Gary Hart, the senator from Colorado, perhaps foremost among them, they were just doing everything they could, consciously or unconsciously.
And I agree, he -- you -- you can hear that he learned from Barack Obama, and that somebody else I heard speak recently in Atlanta with Senator Jon Ossoff, who also kind of has the Obama cadences.
HUNT: Yes.
TAPPER: And way of speaking, even if the word you all comes more naturally to Ossoff than Shapiro, you know, what do they say? You know, the -- great artists steal, or whatever. CORNISH: Yes.
TAPPER: You know, bad artists borrow. Great artists steal. So, I mean --
HUNT: Exactly.
TAPPER: -- there it is.
HUNT: No. I mean, it's not -- it's not unfair at all. And I think that, you know, good on him for recognizing that, hey, I -- I learned from this. I borrowed from this. And one of the things I think that was particularly effective, that I was actually curious how it would translate, you know, Obama, and, you know, you -- you all who have covered him as well can -- can also understand this. I mean, he calls and answers to a crowd in a way that is specific, oftentimes, to black audiences.
I wondered if Shapiro could, you know, do anything like that. And he -- when he said, you know, I care about my faith, the crowd started yelling at him to preach. I mean, he --
TAPPER: I don't want to preach. And -- and everybody starts yelling, preach, preach.
HUNT: And it -- and it didn't feel fake to me, now maybe it is to others.
PHILLIP: I mean, I -- I think that that's the point, you know, you can imitate Obama, and it doesn't land because it's not authentic.
HUNT: Right.
PHILLIP: Like it has to sound like it makes sense coming from you. And I do think if you listen to him, he sounds comfortable in it. And also this audience is receptive to it. And that is -- that is --
TAPPER: They love him, yes.
PHILLIP: -- that is -- that's the whole ball game. So it doesn't really matter who he's borrowing from it. The question is, can he sell it? And I -- and that moment where he said, I am proud of my faith, he looked directly into the camera and said --
HUNT: Yes.
PHILLIP: -- I am proud of my faith. That was obviously not by accident. He knows the environment in which this conversation is happening about him. But to Kasie's point, when that crowd yelled back, I was watching a group over here, a lot of -- a lot of black people in this audience watching a group over here, they were on their feet, and they yelled, preach like you would in church.
TAPPER: Right.
HUNT: Right. PHILLIP: Because he -- he won this state. And this state is powered, like a lot for Democrats, by this city, Philadelphia, which is heavily black, you have to know how to reach those audiences in order --
TAPPER: So he was attorney general. He's elected twice Attorney General of Pennsylvania and once governor of Pennsylvania. And as a Democrat, that does not happen without a lot of time speaking from pulpits in black churches.
PHILLIP: Absolutely. Absolutely.
TAPPER: He is -- it -- there -- I don't -- I just know it doesn't happen. And he -- you could tell he is comfortable, even if he's Old Testament. He's --
CORNISH: He's Old Testament, clearly.
TAPPER: -- you know -- you know. But, it is interesting that you noted that.
CORNISH: It's the ability to talk about your faith, I think, is very much appreciated by people. But it's also the idea that he could basically counter something from like a J.D. Vance saying, hey, this pick proves that he had to somehow hide his faith, or that it was a problem. Republicans are using that as a cudgel in this moment. So he was trying to deliver something clippable on the internet to respond.
PHILLIP: I mean Audie and I were talking as -- as the speech was going on about, you know, Tim Walz versus Josh Shapiro. What is it really about them? I -- I still do think that when you really look at Tim Walz's biography, you look at his persona, how he carries himself, he is culturally aligned with the type of voter that we're supposed to believe that J.D. Vance is culturally aligned with.
And -- and so I -- I think that's a real difference between them because Josh Shapiro, yes, he won this state, which is in the blue wall. But I still think that there -- I -- I have not yet seen evidence outside of this state how he reads to people in -- in Michigan and Wisconsin and Minnesota. Does he read coastal to them, or does he read Heartland to them? And I don't think I've seen that just yet.
CORNISH: In the middle of his speech, people started chanting the Tim Walz talking point, right? Like the weirdo thing.
HUNT: He's a weirdo.
CORNISH: Yes, that came from Walz, right?
TAPPER: Right.
CORNISH: And it's about the message.
TAPPER: No, absolutely. But look, there are a lot of reasons why people wanted Walz over Shapiro. And a lot of them have to do with policy, and a lot of them have to do with cultural literacy. I mean, I think I feel confident saying that I don't think Governor Shapiro is a hunter. And Tim Walz tweeted the other day that, you know, there were wild turkeys on his -- on his -- in his yard, and he and -- and -- and his -- and his gun was -- wasn't there.
PHILLIP: Wearing the camou cap this morning when he took the call from Vice President Harris.
HUNT: Yes. That stood out to me. And, you know, that -- that -- that was also the fact about him that stood out in when I was talking with sources in, you know, familiar with the process from Harris' perspective. That was the one fact about Walz that really stuck out to me as a contrast with Josh Shapiro. I mean Josh Shapiro is a candidate who clearly is comfortable in -- I mean, we're seeing him here in Philadelphia, but he is a suburban candidate, right?
[17:55:15]
I mean, I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I recognize this man. I went to high school with a lot of people like this man. I do not come from a, you know, farm -- farming community, you know, a gun owning community. Tim Walz has a rural background, right? It's the DFL. It's got farm and labor in it, in Minnesota, right? The way the party is. It's progressives. It's a -- it's a little bit different from the rest of the country.
And you can see, and it's very easy for them to clip on social media. He's there, you know, feeding calves. He's got these -- he -- he's -- he's very natural in a different set of circumstances that are, I think, important for Democrats to have some credibility in.
TAPPER: What Democrat can you think of on a national level, who has that kind of I -- I -- there's a better term for it, but I'm just going to say cultural literacy when it comes to the hunters and the farmers and the -- and the fishermen that -- that they because I know Bill Clinton attempted it. I don't know how natural it was. He certainly was a rural guy from Arkansas, but I don't know how much he actually hunted or fished. He probably did, and I don't remember it very well.
PHILLIP: I mean I don't know that you can really find that in the Democratic Party, you know, on a ticket, right, in -- in a quite a long time. And I think that some people would argue perhaps that that's one of the problems. I mean, maybe you have to go back to Jimmy Carter.
CORNISH: I mean Joe Manchin, right?
TAPPER: Joe Manchin, right.
PHILLIP: Well, yes, but -- but I'm talking -- no, but I'm talking about like --
TAPPER: Right.
PHILLIP: -- at the presidential level, Jimmy Carter was from a peanut farm. TAPPER: Right.
PHILLIP: OK.
CORNISH: Yes.
PHILLIP: Like he was -- he was from rural, true rural America, you know. And I do I think --
TAPPER: Literally had a peanut farm.
PHILLIP: Literally, yes. So I -- I -- it's been a long time. But I -- I also think that what Kasie is talking about, when you look at the actual history of the -- the Midwest and the Democratic Party's decline in the Midwest, that part of the country used to be actually quite progressive. This is a labor town. These are people who, you know, who -- who actually were pretty far to the left.
This is back in 19 -- 1988 Jesse Jackson won the state of Michigan. So these are parts of the country that have that kind of DNA.
TAPPER: I think this is the hype video. And I think we're going to watch this.
(MUSIC)
ANNOUNCER: Philadelphia, please welcome the next president and vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
