Return to Transcripts main page
The Lead with Jake Tapper
Where Does The Presidential Race Go After The Debate?; Dem, GOP Leaders Stand Together At Ground Zero; Trump, Harris Clash Over Economic Plans In First Debate; Hurricane Francine Strengthens To Category 2. Aired 5:00-6p ET
Aired September 11, 2024 - 17:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:00:07]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, as we mark 23 years since the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, families of the victims are still fighting for justice. I'm going to be joined live by an activist who lost his dad that day about his quest for answers and questions for Saudi Arabia.
Plus, the very first ballots are now in the mail, meaning voting in the 2024 election has officially begun, but Republicans in one key battleground state are pushing forward with a rather controversial rule change fueled by Trump's disproved, debunked election lies about the 2020 election.
And leading this hour, Vice President Kamala Harris may have won the debate, but she could still lose the election. Today, the Harris campaign says despite any momentum from last night's performance, they still consider this a 50-50 race, a coin flip, and with just 55 days to go, the Harris campaign says they're not taking their feet off the gas. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is claiming he had the best debate of his life. Let's bring in CNN's Kristen Holmes, who covers the Trump campaign, and Priscilla Alvarez, who covers the Harris campaign.
Kristen, to you first, on this day after the debate, Trump is claiming victory, although many in the Republican Party have a much more realistic assessment of what happened last night.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake, of course, it's going to depend on what Republican you ask. Some of Donald Trump's most ardent supporters still say that he won the debate. They blamed the moderators, the setting, pretty much anything but the former president. But when you talk to some of his own allies within the Republican Party, many of them are disappointed in his performance. A lot of the people that I had spoke to leading up to the debate, who were talking to Donald Trump on a regular basis, had told me that they were encouraging him to stay on the issues, that multiple people had warned him that Kamala Harris was going to try to get under his skin, was going to try to goad him, and to stay away from getting angry or from using personal attacks. And obviously, as we saw that advice really went unheeded by the former president who did take the bait from Kamala Harris on multiple occasions, particularly on things that seemed obvious, like his crowd size. So we're talking to these various Republicans. They do say they don't think this is going to move the needle in any significant way, but they were disappointed in the fact that he, one, took the bait, two, seemed to get angry, and three, couldn't stick to those core issues that they believe are going to help him win in November, namely, immigration, the economy and crime. Jake.
TAPPER: Priscilla, the Harris campaign is claiming a cautious victory. What's their plan from here?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been talking to aides and allies who were very delighted with what they heard last night between the vice president the former president, but they are also aware that this may not move the needle much, so they plan to try to build momentum off of some of those key moments on the debate stage that includes on abortion and health care. And we might start to get a glimpse of that tomorrow, the Vice President heading to North Carolina, crucial state for the campaign, and one where they have been trying to capitalize on reproductive rights. So, that message is one that we expect to hear from her directly tomorrow, and then she'll follow on to Pennsylvania. But certainly the campaign's messaging over the course of the last several weeks has been that they are the underdogs. And even if they are pleased with the Vice President's performance last night, that is the message and narrative that they're going to continue on the campaign trail, noting that this is going to be a very close race.
Now, of course, the Harris campaign did get welcome news at the end of last night, one, that aides tell me they certainly didn't expect, and that was the endorsement of Taylor Swift. So that gives them a boost going into the next several weeks. But every aide and ally have talked to is well aware that it's going to be close and that they need to keep momentum going on some of the issues where they think that former President Donald Trump just couldn't articulate a vision on last night. And again, the two that come to mind for many is going to be on abortion and health care, and even, Jake, on Ukraine.
TAPPER: Interesting. All right. Priscilla Alvarez covering the Harris campaign. Kristen Holmes covering the Trump campaign for us. Thanks to both you.
With me now to discuss, Gretchen Carlson and Angela Rye. Thanks so much for being here. Good to see you guys.
ANGELA RYE, HOST, "NATIVE LAND" PODCAST: Good to see you.
GRETCHEN CARLSON, JOURNALIST: Good to see you, too.
TAPPER: Have a special little treat. I don't get to see either of you as much as I'd like. Where does the race go from here?
RYE: Well, there's 55 days, and it is a sprint. It is not a marathon. I think of Joe Biden had still been in the race, we would be talking about a marathon.
TAPPER: Yes.
RYE: Maybe in some ways, a drag. And I think every single moment counts from the moment that Kamala Harris left the her after party last night, from the debate that she clearly won, she is on back on official duties for 9/11 commemorations in New York, in Pennsylvania, and then back to D.C. So she's got a sprint for official duties as well as for campaign duties.
TAPPER: Gretchen, you posted on Instagram last night, quote, "I met Donald Trump the first time when I was competing for Miss America, no, he didn't own it, that was Miss USA, and subsequently, I interviewed him many times over the years. I met Vice President Kamala Harris for the first time when she was running for president and more recently, in 2022 when I was with President Biden as he signed the first bipartisan bill I championed into law having to do with NDAs." You know, both of them. What did you think last night? What do you think happened?
[17:05:22]
CARLSON: Well, I think from Big Picture point of view, that Donald Trump made a lot of mistakes with regard to only placating to his MAGA base. We all know that independents and undecideds are going to basically decide this election, so that was a mistake, in my mind. But for Kamala Harris, look, there was a lot of talk about whether or not she would command the stage, whether or not she would have leadership skills, even about her height, and as a short one myself, I can relate to being underestimated from time to time. She came out on that stage, she reached for his hand, she wanted to shake it, and she introduced herself to him, and at that moment, that is when the power shifted to her. She was exquisitely prepared for this debate.
And I think that this is a bigger message for a victory for women. We take politics away from this for a moment. We're not talking today about whether or not Kamala Harris commanded that stage or whether or not she exhibited leadership skills. We're saying she won that debate, and we're now maybe closer to having a woman actually be the president of the United States. So we need to stop talking about women's height, whether or not they can lead, and whether or not a woman can be president.
We need to just go back to this debate and see how she performed.
TAPPER: Yes, I don't understand the height thing, too. I saw some conservative women and conservative commentators on social media last night talking about how, I mean, who cares?
CARLSON: Who cares?
RYE: Who does care?
CARLSON: It has nothing to do with your brain, right?
RYE: Well, I think what is really very frightening is they're still trying to find ways to say where she is deficient, instead of looking at all the many deficiencies. The fact that Kamala Harris's bar for competition yesterday was very different than Donald Trump's, as it always is, he could get up there and spew lies from what people eat for dinner to what his accomplishments were in the White House to him firing very bad people and she has to go up command the stage, get to know voters who still don't have a clear vision of who she is and what her vision is for the country, as well as talk about policy prescriptions in a digestible way for the American people to embrace them and understand it. The bar was sky high, and she hurdled it, and she did it with the moderators not enforcing the rules against Donald Trump, but enforcing them against her.
TAPPER: I don't know that. I don't know anything about that, but I do think in terms of the moderates, I do think it's interesting --
RYE: Jake, you know, you watched them, let her -- he jumped in, just like I did with you just now.
TAPPER: Well, they -- but they also --
RYE: And they turned the mic back on.
TAPPER: But they also fact checked -- he fact checked him.
RYE: Three times.
TAPPER: Well, whatever it is, my only point is, I think they probably, by the rules, had to give him more time because of that. But I don't -- let's just talk about Harris and Trump --
RYE: OK.
TAPPER: -- if we could. One of the things that I thought was interesting about the performance is like how often she baited him --
CARLSON: Yes.
TAPPER: -- and how often he took the bait. It was --
CARLSON: Well, we know this about Donald Trump, right?
TAPPER: Right.
CARLSON: I mean, we know that that's how you get to him. Now, I'm sure his adviser said to him, don't fall for her.
TAPPER: Don't take the bait.
CARLSON: Don't take the bait.
TAPPER: She's going to mention John McCain, don't take the bait.
CARLSON: But look, he could have insulted her much more than he did last night, right? I mean, if you watch his rallies, he's insulting her and calling her stupid and she's not smart because she's a woman.
TAPPER: That's the nice stuff.
CARLSON: He -- that's the first stuff.
TAPPER: The worst stuff is on social -- Truth Social. Yes.
CARLSON: Exactly, but he didn't drop to that level. He didn't look at her. He didn't want to shake her hand.
TAPPER: Yes.
CARLSON: And that was very disrespectful. But I think at least on that regard, he stayed somewhat in line. And with regard to having more talk time, look, if he had been talking about substantial policies, then maybe I would have a problem with the fact that he had five minutes more. But I think he just made a grave error about really not jumping on any policy talk whatsoever.
RYE: You know, he did -- sorry, Jake, one second. I would say where he also made an error is he never looked at her and never said her name.
CARLSON: Right.
RYE: He called her he -- I mean her, she and and her boss. He never referenced Kamala Harris, madam vice president, Vice President Harris, Harris, Kamala, nothing. He only said her and she was --
CARLSON: And yet she dominated him back to my original point. She dominated him last night more than anyone else has in a decade.
TAPPER: Yes. Why do you thin that is?
CARLSON: And that is the biggest thing that will get under his skin.
TAPPER: Hillary Clinton did a -- you know, she did a good job --
RYE: She did a great job, too.
TAPPER: -- against Donald Trump, too, and still ended up losing the election. But why do you think she -- that she was able to do such a good job last night? She is not as experienced on the debate stage as he is.
CARLSON: But she's a prosecutor.
TAPPER: You think that's what it is?
CARLSON: Yes.
TAPPER: Yes.
CARLSON: And as I said before, she was superbly prepared for this. It was very obvious that -- and sometimes she was too scripted. I mean, let's just call a spade a spade there. But you know, I don't think he prepared much at all. In fact, he bragged about the fact that he wasn't going to prepare.
And when you go into something like this, I don't care who you are. Preparationships.
[17:10:01]
TAPPER: Do you think that she needs to do more to mix it up with voters? Congressman Clyburn was on the show earlier, and he said he'd love to see her talking to voters at town halls and more, talking directly to people, real people, not like me. I'm not a real person about issues that they care about. Do you want to see that as a supporter?
RYE: I absolutely do. And as a friend, and I will say to me, Kamala Harris's sweet spot are those one on one conversations and the small groups. The reason for that is she is not afraid of sitting with a team of rivals. She's not afraid of sitting with people with different points of view, and she's reasonable. She can hear your perspective and even figure out how to integrate that into some of her policy positions and her platform.
I've seen her do it multiple times on justice reform, talking about abortion, talking about immigration reform, that is where she is remarkably skilled. And I think it's not just that she's a prosecutor, she's also a very skilled legislator.
CARLSON: I agree with that 100 percent. However, I'm not sure I would recommend to her, if I were advising her to do another debate, because the bar was so high for her last night and she excelled that I think she could only do as well or not as well, and Trump could only do better. But I agree --
RYE: Oh, I don't agree with that.
CARLSON: -- I agree -- I --
TAPPER: Do you think she should do another debate?
RYE: I think she should absolutely do another debate.
CARLSON: I think more media interviews to give it to the media the policy.
RYE: I understand. But I think she should do more debates. She should absolutely do more media interviews.
CARLSON: Yes.
RYE: And she should do a lot more roundtable. She's killing it at the rallies, but people need to see her more.
CARLSON: Yes.
TAPPER: Gretchen Carlson, Angela Rye, you guys should have your own show.
CARLSON: Thank you.
TAPPER: Great to have you here. Thank you so much. Could new election rules and one of the key battleground states affect the outcome in November? CNN investigates next. Plus, we just got a new update, and after strengthening of the Hurricane Francine, it's now a category two storm as the eye nears landfall. Our team is in the extreme weather center are tracking all the new information, and we'll bring that to you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:15:58]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: All I want to do is this, I just want to find 11,780 votes. Which is one more that we have. Because we won the state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Still remarkable, still absolutely remarkable that that happened and it's on tape, and yet here we are. That was former President Donald Trump asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to quote, "find enough votes" to overturn the results in Georgia, a state that he lost and President Biden legitimately won in 2020. Now we are just two months before the 2024 election, and three Republicans on the five member state election board in Georgia are pushing ahead with a, shall we call it controversial rule change, this would allow partisans who serve on local election boards to conduct a reasonable inquiry before certifying election results. CNN's Sara Murray spoke with a Georgia State election board member and asked what a, quote, "reasonable inquiry" actually means.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA TINDALL GHAZAL, (D) GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: Faith in the outcome of an election.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sara Tindall Ghazal, the lone Democrat on the five member Georgia State election board, kept a low profile for years, until the board took a sharp right turn.
GHAZAL: We can't be doing this at the last minute, because it creates chaos.
MURRAY (voice-over): Less than two months before the election, three Republicans are pushing through new rules that could jeopardize election certification should Vice President Harris win the state.
GHAZAL: They're not taking the advice of attorneys. They're not taking the advice of election administrators who are really critical in this whole calculus. And they're certainly not listening to anybody who doesn't think that the elections are rigged.
MURRAY: As of this year, Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger is no longer on the board, stripped of his membership by the Republican led state legislature after he refused to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
BRAD RAFFENSPERGER, (R) GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: The state election board is a mess.
JANELLE KING, (R) GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD MEMBER: I would love for him to tell me how we're a mess. Come to the board meeting.
MURRAY (voice-over): Republican media personality Janelle King joined the board just months ago.
KING: The amount of times I've been told not to do something because we could possibly be sued. I mean, if we were doing a drinking game, we would all be drunk.
MURRAY (voice-over): One controversial change allows partisans to conduct a, quote, "reasonable inquiry" before certifying votes.
KING: If you can't get what you need out of that time frame, you're breaking the law.
MURRAY: Why didn't you guys define reasonable inquiry? I mean, you guys made the rule.
KING: How best should we define reasonable? I thought -- we thought that most people knew what reasonable is.
MURRAY: I mean, I'm not on the state election board.
KING: No, no, I'm -- well, I guess I'm asking. It's more rhetorical question.
MURRAY: Right.
KING: So, I didn't think we would have to write the definition of reasonable within the rule. But if that's the case, we'll post what the definition of reasonable means.
MURRAY (voice-over): She's standing by the board's new rules.
MURRAY: There's also a lot of, you know, members of the public who are upset, and I think would like to see --
KING: They want to know.
MURRAY: -- more of an explanation.
KING: Yes. And then there are a lot that are in support of what we're doing.
MURRAY (voice-over): Former Republican state senator Rick Jeffares also joined the board this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have no further discussion. All those in favor signify by saying, aye. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aye.
MURRAY (voice-over): Appointed by Georgia Lieutenant Governor and 2020 fake elector, Burt Jones. Jeffares, already courting controversy by putting out feelers for a role in a future Trump administration, "I said, if you all can't figure out who you want to be the EPA director for the southeast, I'd like to have it," Jeffares told The Guardian. He later told the Atlanta Journal Constitution it was never a formal ask.
Janice Johnston, who spread falsehoods about the 2020 election was appointed to the board in 2022 by then, Georgia GOP chair David Shafer, another fake elector. She spoke at this MAGA branded event.
JANICE JOHNSON, (R) GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD: It's a relatively young board, now I'm second in seniority and -- which is shocking because it's just been a couple of years.
MURRAY (voice-over): And appeared at a rally where Trump applauded the newly activist board.
TRUMP: They're on fire. They're doing a great job.
MURRAY (voice-over): Cathy Woolard, a Democrat and former Fulton County election board chair, filed an ethics complaint against the new board members.
CATHY WOOLARD, FORMER CHAIRWOMAN, FULTON COUNTY ELECTION BOARD: We're having a partisan split on every single issue. And you know, election boards should be very predictable plotting, you know, not partisan. Again, you can have your different interest.
[17:20:12]
MURRAY: Pretty boring. It seems like they should be pretty boring.
WOOLARD: We should be boring, right?
MURRAY (voice-over): Instead, she worries the board's actions could lead to disarray in certification and election worker training, with potentially dramatic consequences.
MURRAY: Do you think they've done enough where they could swing an election?
WOOLARD: Oh sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MURRAY (on camera): Now, officials in the Georgia Secretary of State's office are close watching the board very closely. We see what they're doing. They say they still believe that certification will go off without a hitch, or at least without a hitch that's going to delay the State Certifying the results. But obviously there's a lot of concern about what's going on, and the state election board is set to meet again later this month where they're going to consider nearly a dozen additional rules about the upcoming election, Jake.
TAPPER: What could go wrong? What could go wrong? Sara Murray, thanks so much for that investigative report. Appreciate it.
Coming up, one part of last night's debate that has not gotten much attention, but really should, the comments from Donald Trump that could change the course of two global conflicts. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:25:31]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Do you want Ukraine to win this war?
TRUMP: I want the war to stop. I want to save lives that are being uselessly. People being killed by the millions. It's the millions. It's so much worse than the numbers that you're getting, which are fake numbers.
MUIR: Do you believe it's in the U.S. best interest for Ukraine to win this war? Yes or no?
TRUMP: I think it's the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done.
MUIR: All right.
TRUMP: Negotiate a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Former President Trump last night refusing to say whether he wants Ukraine, a democracy and an ally, to win the war against Russia, which is neither. Mr. Trump also claimed the Vice President Kamala Harris hates Israel and made the apocalyptic prediction that the whole Middle East is, quote, "going to get blown up," unquote, under her leadership. Let's check in with our correspondents in Israel and Ukraine for something of reality check. CNN's Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv, Fred Pleitgen in Kyiv.
Fred, let me start with you in Ukraine. Trump ragged about his great relationship with Putin last night. He also reminded everyone that Putin has nukes. How is the debate and his remarks in the debate last night, how is it playing in Kyiv, in the capital of Ukraine?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Jake. Well, first of all, the Ukrainians really are trying to lay low, as far as this election campaign is concerned, not to try to look as though they're taking one or the other side. But one of the things is definitely clear is that remarks like the ones that we just heard from former President Trump are definitely something that have been for a very long time concerning to the Ukrainians. They obviously fear that if President Trump does try to negotiate some sort of settlement to all this, essentially that it would amount to a surrender by Ukraine, and they obviously fear that they would have to give up in the end some of their territory, which is definitely the opposite of what the Ukrainians want. The Ukrainians are still saying they want to gain back all of their territory, and that they want to win the war that Russia has imposed on them through the invasion.
One of the interesting things today was Secretary of State Blinken, obviously, here on the ground together with the British Foreign Secretary also saying the Biden administration wants Ukraine to win. But one of the things that the Ukrainians are looking for is for the U.S. to ease restrictions, and so those longer distance weapons to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory, and there really wasn't very much in the way of commitment from the Secretary of State on that point. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: Among other things, we discussed long range fires, but a number of other things as well. And as I said at the outset, I'm going to take that discussion back to Washington to brief the President on what I heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Now, one of the reasons, of course, why that's so urgent for the Ukrainians now, Jake, is because the U.S. now says that the Iranians have now given ballistic missiles to the Russians as well. Those are shorter distance ballistic missiles. And one of the things that Ukrainians have said is they want those U.S. ATACMS, for instance, surface to surface missiles, to be able to attack not just airfields inside Russia, but possibly also missile launch sites as well. So for them, it's an extremely important point as the Ukrainians right now in a really difficult situation, especially in the east of the country, Jake.
TAPPER: All right and Nic, did any Israeli leaders react to Trump's assertion that Israel will no longer exist if Kamala Harris wins or Harris repeating her wish for a two state solution, which so many Israeli leaders have ruled out.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I don't think it was anything of any surprise to any of the Israeli leaders in the debate last night. Certainly, most of them appear to stay out of it and recognize, and I know this from speaking on background, I suppose, with ministers here. This is not something they're going to get involved in. They are going to stay away from the U.S. election. This is something that they believe is the domain of the U.S. public, and they'll deal with whichever leadership there is.
Although I don't think there's any doubt here that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would rather see Donald Trump in the White House come next year. That said, Yair Lapid, leading opposition figure did comment, did say that he was heartened to hear both parties in the debate speaking strongly about Israel when he was reminded in a radio interview that Kamala Harris had spoken about the two state solution. His answer to that was, well, that's not anywhere near, I don't see that in the next couple of years. But most commentators here have really -- or leaders at least, have stayed out of it. And Kamala Harris's assertion that there would be a two-state solution, that she would support Israel, that she would give all the weapons to Israel, that it needs to protect itself. All lines clearly intended to undermine what President Trump was saying that she would destroy Israel within a couple of years. People are watching this carefully, because there's a lot that rides in the outcome, but not getting in -- involved in it. Jake?
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right, Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv, Fred Pleitgen in Kyiv, thanks to both you. Appreciate it.
As we mark 23 years since the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 many victims family members are still fighting for answers and for justice, and one of them will join us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: Today, 23 years after that horrible day on September 11th, 2001, leaders of the Republican and Democratic Party stood together at ground zero in Manhattan, Vice President Harris and President Biden and later former President Trump, also traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the four hijacked airplanes crashed after passengers hero -- heroically thwarted the attempt by al-Qaeda terrorists to fly that plane to Washington, D.C. to wreak havoc.
[17:35:24]
Joining us now, Brett Eagleson, he's the president of the group 9/11 Justices. His father, Bruce, was killed in the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Brett was 15 years old at the time. Brett, first of all, how are -- how are you doing? How are you holding up on what must be an awful anniversary for you every year?
BRETT EAGLESON, PRESIDENT, 9/11 JUSTICE: It's always tough this time of year, as soon as the leaves or as soon as the air starts to get a little crisp and kids go back to school, it always brings back memories. But I think, more than anything, we as a community stand in front of America today and in front of these two candidates, absolutely incensed, like no longer are we here wanting to talk about it, and they're all important. But, you know, we're -- we're not going to come on camera and cry and pour our hearts out anymore. We've done that for 23 years. We're angry. We want answers and we want closure.
And just on your lead in, you were talking about how two candidates for the top office of this land gathered in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Well, that's where heroes on Flight 93 took down that aircraft before it destroyed the legislative branch of our government. That build -- that plane was intended to hit the United States Capitol building. Those heroes in our community died saving that branch of government.
So we as family members deserve better. We gave our lives that day, the least we can do is, is to have leaders of this country put Americans first and bring us that closure that we so desperately want.
TAPPER: So "The New York Times" is reporting that this week, of all weeks, this week, the PGA Tour and the Saudi public investment fund officials are in New York, in Manhattan to continue talking about forming an alliance between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which was founded by the Saudis, who still continue to stonewall about Saudi government involvement in 9/1. Now, sources tell "The Times" that the timing of these meetings was coincidental. What -- what's your response?
EAGLESON: It's completely tone deaf. It is outlandish. It's insulting. Look, at one point in time, the PGA Tour were brothers in arms with us. They were standing lockstep, fighting the battle about, you know, Saudi Arabia doing 9/11, about all these other atrocities, women's rights, humans right, you know -- you know, all these different issues that Saudi Arabia is -- is -- is infamous for. The PGA was standing side by side with us, and then all it took is a couple billion dollars, and they caved like a cheap suit.
Of all days they pick this day, the day that we mourn the death of 3,000 Americans to be blocks away as we speak right now, they're likely locked in arms smoking cigars while our family members burned alive 10 blocks away. It's just, you know, what happened to Monahan? He said that he was going to meet with us. He said he owed us an apology. We haven't heard words from him. He sent Jimmy Dunne in front of a Senate committee panel and make him took arrows.
Monahan -- Monahan just stepped away, and then he came back. Miraculously, he wasn't sick anymore. So you know what the PGA, shame on you. You should be advocating that we have closure first, and then let's talk about your golf deal next.
TAPPER: Speaking of golf deals, we saw Donald Trump participating in events today in New York and in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, his golf courses have hosted multiple LIV Golf events partnering with the Saudis, not to mention the numerous ways that he acquiesced to the Saudis when he was president, not -- not that -- that -- that President Biden is above criticism on that respect, either. How -- how do you, well, how do you think? What do you think about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden on this day?
EAGLESON: Well, look, I think there's blame to go around everywhere on this. You know, the -- the refusal for any candidate to publicly address our pleas. It -- it's -- it's just heartbreaking. I was at the 9/11 memorial today, and I heard a 9/11 widow who pleaded with Vice President Harris, President Biden and former President Trump, to do something. She took her time when she was reading those names, and she turned to the political leaders that come to our hallowed ground every year, and they talk about how 9/11 means so much to them and how we should never forget.
Well, there's something that our political leaders can do, and that's hold Saudi Arabia accountable. And -- and -- and you know what, Jake, I'm going to be fair here, and I'm -- I'm -- I'm totally going to tell you that to President Trump's credit, he did meet with some of the family members today. I was part of that group of people. Now he -- he didn't pledge to do anything, but he -- he did he hear our stories. And it was the regime of 23 years ago that -- that -- that -- that did 9/11. So I think that Vice President Harris has a real opportunity here to -- to step up and -- and help these families as well.
[17:40:16]
TAPPER: All right. Brett, thank you so much. Really appreciate it, and we're sending as always, our --our -- our strength and our hearts and -- and our love to you and -- and all of the other 9/11 families. And may your father's memory be a blessing. We will continue to provide a forum for you and the other 9/11 families to come here until you feel that you have seen justice.
EAGLESON: We -- we so appreciate that. It means so much to us -- for us to able to come out here and talk to the American people and -- and keep this story in the fore of their minds. So thank you so much.
TAPPER: Open invitation all the time.
EAGLESON: Thank you.
TAPPER: So be well, my friend.
The very first issue brought up in last night's debate, inflation, and how so many Americans are struggling to pay their bills. So what exactly is Vice President Harris's plan to lower costs? I'll ask one of her allies, Senator Bernie Sanders about her policy proposals and lack thereof, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:44:59]
TAPPER: And we're back with our 2024 Lead in the first and potentially only debate of the presidential campaign under Trump and Vice President Harris, they both offered quite different visions for how they might handle the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My opponent has a plan that I call the Trump sales tax, which would be a 20 percent tax on everyday goods that you rely on to get through the month.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: First of all, I have no sales tax. That's an incorrect statement. She knows that. We're doing tariffs on other countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Joining us now to discuss Independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. The first question Vice President Harris was asked in the debate last night was if she believed Americans are better off now than they were four years ago. Listen to part of her answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I was raised as a middle class kid. And I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America. We know that young families need support to raise their children, and I intend on extending a tax cut for those families of $6,000 which is the largest child tax credit that we have given in a long time.
I love our small businesses. My plan is to give a $50,000 tax deduction to start up small businesses, knowing they are part of the backbone of America's economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: How satisfied were you with that response, Senator?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Well, I think it's a step forward. I think more has got to be done. Small business should be the backbone of -- of the American economy. Many of them are hurting right now, and a tax break would be a real help. But I think we've got to do more. She also mentioned the need to address the housing crisis in America, which I'll tell you, Jake, is severe in Vermont and all over this country.
People can't afford housing. Three million new housing units is what she wants. That is the right thing to do. I think she has talked about passing the PRO Act, which makes it easier for workers to join unions earn better wages and benefits. That is very, very important. But I think there's a number of other things that I would hope that she speaks about, and that is to understand that in America today, some 60 percent of our people are living paycheck to paycheck.
You got half of elderly people living on $30,000 a year or less. What do we have to do? In my view, and I hope she speaks to these things, very popular ideas, you have to increase, expand Social Security benefits by lifting the cap on taxable income. Widely popular. Strong majority Republicans, Democrats support it. We can raise benefits of Social Security beneficiaries by $2,400 a year.
Medicare expansion all over the country, elderly people can't afford dental, hearing, vision. You expand that, we can get great support. And it's good policy. We have got to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. I would say 17 bucks an hour. It's not acceptable. So many of our people working for 12, 14 bucks an hour. I think what we have also got to do is recognize that we have massive income and wealth inequality, and yes, billionaires are going to have to start paying their fair share of taxes.
I think some of those issues are what she's got to start talking about. She's talking about some of them, Child Tax Credit, very important, lowering child poverty. But he's got to do more if we're going to win over Trump's supporters who know that he's a liar, know that he has no agenda, but you've got to give them something to say, you know what, life will be better under the Vice President.
TAPPER: So it's a -- it was interesting in both 2016 when you ran for president, and 2020 when you ran for president, Donald Trump ran those years as well. There was an interesting overlap, where there were people who supported you and then when you did not get the nomination, they were more attracted by Donald Trump's message. I don't know what the exact numbers are, but in an election this close, any -- any vote in especially in battleground states, is significant.
Do you think that there's anything more that she needs to do beyond those policy issues you talked about, which are obviously important to your voters? Is there something stylistically like that she needs to do? Is there something message wise that she needs to do that she isn't doing?
SANDERS: Yes, Jake, I think here's the message, and -- and it's a message that I know it's difficult for many politicians to bring forth. And that is the recognition that increasingly, the United States is moving toward an oligarchic form of society. The economy is very clear. What's going on right now? The billionaire class and the 1 percent have never, ever had it so good, period. End of discussion, more income and wealth inequality than any time in American history, tens of millions of people, working people, struggling to put food on the table. That is the reality.
It's not Kamala Harris's fault, it's not Joe Biden's fault, not Donald Trump's fault, it's been that way for a long time, getting worse. But, you know what, you got to recognize that, and then what you got to say is, look, working people of America, I am on your side, and I am prepared to take on the billionaire class, including these wealthy campaign contributors who right now are dominating the political process.
[17:50:18]
In other words, among other things, we got rid of the Citizens United doctrine, which allows billionaires to buy elections. So in other words, I think you got a working class that is hurting, that I think is turning to Trump only because they don't see real alternatives. And I think if she gives them an economic alternative that says, I am going to stand for you, I'm going to take on these greedy people who want it all, I think she could turn some Trump people around and win this election, maybe win it big.
TAPPER: Take a listen to something we heard, pardon me, take a listen to something we heard from an undecided voter in Erie, Pennsylvania, in a focus group we did there last night after that voter watched the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Trump is in office, the economy was higher, inflation was lower. Things were better overall. And now with Kamala's administration, things haven't been so fantastic. And she is saying she can fix the problems that her administration has caused, but I just don't know if I can afford to take that risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: The Pennsylvania obviously a must, must win battleground state this year. What would you say to that voter?
SANDERS: Help me out. I didn't quite clearly hear, the sound is not so great here.
TAPPER: OK, no problem. So it -- it -- the voter said, when Trump was in office, the economy was higher, inflation was lower, things were better overall. And under the Biden-Harris administration, things haven't been so fantastic. Not sure that she can -- that Harris can fix the problems that her administration caused, this voter said.
SANDERS: Well, obviously, in my view, you know, given the fact that Biden and Harris came in, in the midst of this terrible pandemic, when, as you recall, unemployment was soaring, small businesses were going out of -- out of business. Workers were not going to work. We had a major public health crisis. I think that Biden and Harris did an excellent job, by the way, in getting our economy back on track in a way that economists did not even think possible. So I think they did a good job.
But her point is well taken in the sense that the economy today is an economy where working class people are struggling. That is absolutely true. And what we have got to do is not just demonize undocumented people, which is Trump's mantra, but have the guts to talk about the greed of the people on top, people who fight workers when they try to organize unions, people prepared to shut down factories in this country and move them to Mexico or China.
People who want massive tax rates, want to cut Social Security and Medicare. Do we have a political system today? Were members of Congress are prepared to stand up to these big money interests? And I think if we do that, she will understand that it's not Trump who's going to deliver for her or Kamala Harris.
TAPPER: Independent Senator Bernie Sanders from the beautiful state of Vermont, it's always good to have you on, sir. Thank you so much.
SANDERS: Thank you, Jake.
[17:53:11]
TAPPER: Hurricane Francine is gaining strength as it spins towards the Louisiana coast. We're just minutes away from the eye of the storm making landfall, and we are tracking all of the latest warnings in the CNN Extreme Weather Center, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: Live pictures of Hurricane Francine moving into Morgan City, Louisiana, in the southern coast of the United States. It is just strengthened to a category two storm. As the storm gets closer to landfall, the storm is now trending farther east, increasing the threat to the city of New Orleans. CNN's Michael Yoshida is there, and meteorologist Chad Myers is in the CNN Extreme Weather Center. Michael, what are you seeing right now where you are?
MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN REPORTER: Hi there, Jake. Yes, we're right near Jackson Square for those who are familiar with New Orleans, obviously a very touristy. It is completely empty at this point, except for the law enforcement that we're seeing move through the area. As Francine gets closer, we're seeing those winds really start to pick up, shaking the trees.
Also, if we look down Decatur Street, you can see some of the signs that were left up really just blowing in the wind at this point as we bring it back over, you can see a lot of the shops along the street have been closed. Officials throughout the last few days really urging people, especially it get closer to that landfall, to really hunker down some of the signs up talking about how for the safety of their employees, they have shut down because they want them, obviously, to be at home, not out on the roadways.
So conditions really getting worse at this point, of course, as this storm appears to be shifting, I expect it to get worse over the next few hours here in New Orleans. Jake?
TAPPER: And Chad, what more can you tell us as Francine prepares to make landfall.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It did shift to the east, and now I believe that New Orleans proper will be in the right side of the eye, which means maybe you are preparing for a 50-mile per hour storm. Now New Orleans, you need to prepare for 75. That's what's going to happen here. We're already seeing wind gusts over 100 offshore and onshore here in the bayous of Louisiana. A picture out of Morgan City, where that wind really has been blowing, 62 miles per hour at this point in time. And you're just getting the beginning of the eye wall right now.
We don't have landfall just yet, because the center of the eye has to cross land. It's very close, although sometimes there's not much land there. We are going to see the rainfall continue for New Orleans. We always know that they have those pumps that have to get the water out. Two to three inches of rain per hour is the threshold. New Orleans, you just had a gust to 41 miles per hour.
But if you're in the New Orleans, if you're in Metairie, if you're in anywhere in this area, I need you to charge your phone. I need you to charge your little batteries, your little backup power, because I know that power will be going out and stay away from the windows, especially the high rise windows when the storm gets close, we will have some damage there in New Orleans because of this slight eastward shift with the storm itself.
[18:00:04]
So get ready for it. It's on its way. It's going to be a bigger event for you, New Orleans, and I think probably we thought even 12 hours ago. But keep your head on. Get ready to put this together. Get ready. Get ready to go to bed, because this is going to blow all night long. But make sure you stay away from those windows, because certainly some glass could break in those high rises. Jake?
TAPPER: All right. Chad Myers and Michael Yoshida, thank you so much to both of you. Our teams will be following Hurricane Francine as it starts really battering the southeastern United States, including with Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room, which starts right now. I'll see you tomorrow.
