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Biden Takes his Message on the Road; Mitch Landrieu is Interviewed about the Biden Campaign; James Crumbley Trial Resumes; Trump Cements Control of RNC. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired March 08, 2024 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Team Biden fanning out across the country today, trying to drive home the president's fiery new message.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, today it becomes the Trump national committee, or is it the Republican Trump committee? The Trump family takeover of the party about to become official.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: A huge tire falls off a United Airlines airplane as it lifts into the sky at the start of an overseas flight. The damage it did on the ground, and how the investigation is going into how this happened.

I'm Sara Sidner, with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: Democrats say they are fired up today. In Chuck Schumer's words, exhilarated still today day after Biden's State of the Union Address last night. Well, now, today, Biden is hoping to capitalize on that energy. Very soon he's heading to Pennsylvania to talk to voters and then team Biden is fanning out. The 22 states lighting up behind me on that map from coast-to-coast will, by the end of this month, a White House official will the visit -- an administration official will visit each one of those states.

The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, last hour was talking to John. I want to play for you about -- what he said about how he's feeling right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The speech showed that America is strong and Biden is strong. And anyone who sat in that room would have no doubt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Something else that the White House is sure to be happy about today is touting the new jobs report just out this morning.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House for us once again.

Arlette, what are you hearing from there about the new jobs report just out.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, I think that the president's State of the Union outlined how they're feeling about the economy. The fact that he was making these arguments that the economy is starting to improve for voters. Of course, it comes at a time when many Americans don't feel that the president's policies are personally paying off for them. So we're still waiting to get an exact reaction to this jobs report, but it is likely welcome news.

But really what the president is now facing is a key test in carrying on that fighting and fiery spirit that was seen in his State of the Union Address last night. A little bit later this afternoon he will face his first test when he travels to battleground Pennsylvania for a campaign speech where he's expected to really talk about some of that similar themes that he discussed last night. One of the central focuses of the president's remarks really were trying to make this contrast with former President Donald Trump, even as he did not name his predecessor by name, he simply use that term, "my predecessor," as he referred to Trump.

And part of what the president was stressing is that democracy is under threat here at home and abroad. And that a large part of the reason why is the former president.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today. What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack at -- both at home and overseas at the very same time.

My predecessor, and some of you here, seek to bury the truth about January 6th. I will not do that. This is a moment to speak to truth and to bury lies. Here's the simple truth, you can't love your country only when you win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now the president also tried to draw some contrast with Trump and the GOP over reproductive rights. He also directly tangled with Republican lawmakers in that chamber over issues like immigration and taxes. And he used this speech to try to address those concerns about his age head-on, saying that this is not a campaign about age, it's a campaign of whether there are old ideas in this country.

Now the president will hit the road over the course of the coming week to put this message directly in front of American voters. Today that begins with that push in Pennsylvania. Tomorrow he will be on the battleground state of Georgia. Vice President Harris, for her part, is traveling out west to battlegrounds Arizona and Nevada. We expect that there will be more travel from Harris and the president in the coming weeks. And really the Biden campaign is trying to use this as a moment to

build off of the momentum of last night and take their message directly to voters. One thing officials have pointed to was the fact that they saw their best online fundraising in those two hours around when the president was delivering that State of the Union. They say that's a sign of energy and enthusiasm for the president's message. We will see how that translates out on the road as he prepares this blitz a little bit later this afternoon.

BOLDUAN: That's exactly right.

Arlette, thanks so much for wrapping it up for us.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, to continue that conversation with me now to talk all about this is Mitch Landrieu, the national co-chair of the Biden campaign, here live and in-person.

OK.

MITCH LANDRIEU, NATIONAL CO-CHAIR, BIDEN CAMPAIGN: OK.

SIDNER: We like that here on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

LANDRIEU: It's great to be here.

SIDNER: I want to get quickly to a CNN flash poll -

LANDRIEU: Sure.

SIDNER: That we did of voters' reaction to the State of the Union, with the caveat that the audience tends to be more Democratic when the president is a Democrat.

[09:05:08]

But they, if you look at this poll, more than six in ten had a positive view of Biden's speech. What did you think of how he did?

LANDRIEU: Well, fired up and ready to go is, I think, the way I would say it. The president showed up last night. He was tough. He was strong. He was smart. He was funny. He was pointed. He actually kind of laid out for the country what the stakes of this election are about. And basically said, very simply, you know, you have a choice to make. We're in an existential crisis. You can re-elect me, because I'm a person that believes in everyday Americans, that works hard for them, or you can elect Donald Trump again, who basically thinks about himself, thinks about revenge, thinks about shilling for the top 1 percent in this country. You can be for me, who thinks about going forward and including people, or you can think -- be for Donald Trump, who's all about the past, making us smaller, making us darker and making us more narrow as a country.

And then he laid out exactly what he inherited when he got there, what he has done, including the incredible jobs number today, and then what he is going to do in his second term. So, I thought he did great.

And let me just say this so we can just clear this up right now. In the last week-and-a-half, everybody in this country, pundits and everybody else, is acting like Joe Biden's got a half a foot in the grave. And last night he showed up and demonstrated to the American people that not only is he fit but he's ready. So, I'm hoping that we could just put that to rest. And I'm sure the president thinks so too. And he did a great job of moving towards that last night.

SIDNER: You know, normally during a State of the Union you also hear the sort of long list of like policy achievements and then, you know, things that you plan to do. That's not what happened here. And there's been, of course, from your Republican colleagues, some criticism that this sounded more like a campaign than it did a State of the Union speech. But is -- do you think that the president did this because he's dealing with a very unconventional person in the Republican Party who is the presumptive nominee, who doesn't follow the rules, who sort of baulks any kind of tradition? How does he take this moment that he is having right now and take that out to the American people? What is the plan?

LANDRIEU: Well, the Republicans are complaining because the president got the better of them last night. And, secondly, yes, there are no rules. We're not bringing a knife to this gun fight. That's not happening during this election.

And, by the way, last night the president did set out what he had done. He said that he took office during a catastrophic economic downfall. And when people were dying from Covid, he got shots in arms. He passed the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, the infrastructure bill, which, by the way, has 46,000 projects rebuilding the roads and the bridges and the airports and the ports, which are creating 15 million jobs, the lowest unemployment rate. We have an economy that is growing faster.

But he recognized, and he said very clearly, that people are hurting, which is why he's fighting so hard to lower the cost for people. And this is what the big issue is. Donald Trump's fighting for the big guy. The president's fighting for the little guy. He took on big pharma so that they could actually reduce prescription drugs for people, lower the cost of insulin, lower junk fees, lower student loan pain for people, really work hard to get the cost of living down.

And, by the way, he's actually talking about shrinkflation. The other day I went to the store. I bought a bag of chips. I almost had a stroke because it had like two potato chips in it and it charged -

SIDNER: You shouldn't be having those chips anyway.

LANDRIEU: I know. Maybe so, but I like the chips. And a lot of Americans like it too.

SIDNER: Yes.

LANDRIEU: So, he brought that. But he also laid out, in very stark terms, that this Congress, on the Republican side, the MAGA side, sat there and has done nothing. He gave them a border bill that they asked for, that was negotiated by the Republicans, and he said, yes, and Donald Trump shut it down. And the president -

SIDNER: I want to go to that.

LANDRIEU: Well, we can go there every day because this president has led and he showed what being a president looks like last night.

SIDNER: Immigration came up again and again. And in some of the times that -- most of the times immigration came up, the Republicans responded. There was booing. There was yelling. There was a specific moment that I think really stood out where Marjorie Taylor Greene had been demanding that President Biden say the name of a young woman who was killed by a man who was in this country illegally.

LANDRIEU: Correct.

SIDNER: Here is how the president responded. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Lincoln - Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal - that's right, but how many thousands of people being killed by illegals. To her parents I say, my heart goes out to you having lost children myself. I understand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: What did you make of that moment? There has been at least one Democrat that has criticized it. Joaquin Castro has said, like, this -- using that word "an illegal" dehumanizing is problematic. What did you make of that moment?

LANDRIEU: Well, that's probably true. He probably should have used a different word. And I think he would know that.

But what you should notice about that is not that he made a small mistake. The big thing that he did right, and this is what this president always does, is express empathy to people. He expressed kindnesses to people. He understands because, as you know, he lost a number of children in his life.

On top of that, the more important issue is this, the president, when he first got in office, one of the first things he did was send an immigration bill to Congress, and they did nothing. And then when -- a couple of months ago, when they were negotiating this deal, he let the Republicans in the Senate negotiate the deal and then basically said, I'm going to work with you to give you what it is that you say that you want, and they were ready to go to actually secure the border, to make sure that we had funding for border patrol officers, to make sure the judicial process worked well.

[09:10:13]

And that do nothing right-wing members of Congress shut that down because Donald Trump told them to.

And so now you must ask yourself, are they - like, who's puppet is who? I mean, in this regard. And ask yourself this question, who showed up last night and acted more presidential. So, now I want to put to rest about Joe Biden's fitness for office. But you know whose fitness for office we can't put down, Donald Trump's, because generally, when his lips are move he's lying and/or he's delusional. And trying to get us to try to remember a past that never was, thinking the American people have amnesia. But what they're not going to forget is that every day he was in office as country was in chaos. Seventeen cabinet members basically that worked for him quit and are begging us -- this would be the Nikki Haleys, this would be everybody that you talked about that was secretaries of defense, that were chiefs of staff saying, don't let this guy get back anywhere near the Oval Office because he is not fit to govern.

SIDNER: You are full of beans this morning. I know why.

LANDRIEU: I'm ready to go, baby (ph). Let's get it on.

SIDNER: You were very happy.

LANDRIEU: Thank you.

SIDNER: And I think a lot of people in the Democratic Party very happy with what they saw last night from President Biden.

Mitch Landrieu, thank you so much.

LANDRIEU: Thank.

SIDNER: Appreciate it.

LANDRIEU: Appreciate it.

SIDNER: John.

BERMAN: All right, happening now, we are watching the trial of James Crumbley in Michigan. It is about to resume. His son killed four people at a Michigan high school in 2021. Is wife Jennifer was convicted of the same charges just weeks ago.

CNN's Jean Casarez following every twist and turn in this case. Again, about to resume again this morning, Jean. Opening statements yesterday. The purchase of the guns seems to be front and central.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely front and center. And it's the manner in which that gun was stored, kept, and secured, and whether James Crumbley sitting right there had knowledge that his son could harm others.

But there was something that happened at the end of court yesterday. The jury had left. The attorneys, James Crumbley is sitting there. All of a sudden, the prosecution wants to put something on the record. They want an order. They want something. Defenses says, I'm really concerned about this being in open court. Judge says, but I have an open courtroom. That's how I do it. Judge said, I am concerned about violation of some rights here.

And then James Crumbley knew exactly what was happening. I want you to watch this interaction because it has to do with calls and communications he has been making from jail.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My client is not willing to agree to the order.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, so you -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's basically restricting his ability to speak to people, Judge. I mean it's -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm more - I'm most -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a complete revocation, except for counsel (ph) (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm - I'm most concerned about him being able to talk to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. And - and, absolutely, that's not part of what we're asking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, Judge, if - if (INAUDIBLE), we're asking that the communications be limited to only counsel and legitimate clergy during the rest of the trial. That's my request. We're talking seven or eight days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: OK, one thing to remember, there is no privacy in jail, right? So, the prosecutor was originally asking for that there be revocation of any communication by James Crumbley except to his attorney and legitimate clergy. Legitimate clergy as compared to non- legitimate clergy.

So, anyway, the attorneys go out of the courtroom. They come back in. And the order was that he is to not have any communication with anyone except his counsel. And he can do research himself to aid himself in his own defense until the verdict is reached.

And then the question was, what if there isn't a verdict? Well, they'll reassess it then.

But something's happening. They're not -- we did confirm with the sheriff's department this morning that it was threats, threatening statements via cell phone - I mean be a phone and then electronics. Threatening statements. Have no idea who they are to or what they are about.

BERMAN: All right, that is intriguing information. We, obviously, need to learn much more about that and we will see the impact it has when trial resumed shortly.

Jean Casarez, thank you very much for all that.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Donald Trump's takeover of the Republican National Committee will be complete today. What's all going down in Texas with this?

And a new warning from the CDC. Why they are now saying an over-the- counter sleep aid has landed thousands of kids in the ER.

And, on the heels of that jobs report, President Biden is trying to push his State of the Union message beyond the halls of Congress. The Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, will be joining us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:14]

SIDNER: It's a Trump takeover. In a matter of moments, Donald Trump will solidify his stronghold on the Republican National Committee just days after becoming the presumptive nominee. He's purging old leadership and bringing in his own family members shortly. Ronna McDaniel and her co-chair will step down and then Trump's handpick team, an election denier and his daughter-in-law, are expected to be installed.

CNN's Alayna Treene is outside that meeting that is about to start in Houston.

How did we get here?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, you're exactly right, Sara. Today we're really going to see Donald Trump put even more of his imprint on the Republican Party just days after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee. And it's really going to play out here in just about over an hour when RNC members and officials from across the country meet for their spring meeting here in Houston.

[09:20:05]

And I'm just going to walk you through how this process is going to work. We're going to see the current chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, step down from her role as she had announced last month that she would do. And this comes, of course, after more than a year of tensions between her and Donald Trump. There really had been a tenuous relationship between them over the last several months that has hit a tipping point, I'm told, in recent weeks given the RNC's lack of fundraising. They had the worst fundraising year in over a decade last year. And that's really led to some of these pushes for change from Donald Trump and his team.

So, shortly after McDaniel steps down, we are going to see members begin putting forward their nominations for who they want to replace her and to succeed her. And we're told that very quickly we are expected to see Donald Trump's hand-picked candidates to lead the RNC swiftly be elected. That includes the North Carolina Republican Party chairman, Michael Whatley, as you mentioned, Sara, an election denier, something that Donald Trump likes very much about him in particular, and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to become the chairman and the co-chair, respectively.

We also know that some of Donald Trump's top advisers, including Chris Lacivita and James Blair, are expected to take over roles at the RNC as well. Lacivita is supposed to become the organization's chief operating officer and Blair will handle more of the political operation for the RNC. Both will still remain in their roles with the Trump campaign.

But I have to say, I think this just represents really, you know, Donald Trump tightening his grip on the party.

Sara.

SIDNER: Alayna Treene, thank you for your reporting there in Houston.

I know that Kate is over there with Van Jones and it wants - makes me want to sing, it's a family affair. That's where I'm at this morning.

BOLDUAN: You know what? I'll take your singing any day. That is how we get through - that's how we get through a Friday. That's what we do.

All right, let's talk about it. Joining us right now is CNN's senior political commentator, former Obama administration official, the one and only Van Jones, and CNN political commentator and republican strategist, the one and only Alice Stewart.

All right, guys, Alice, I want to start with - with what Sara and Alayna Treene were just talking about. The way that it's being described as not as an overhaul but rather a takeover of the Republican - of the RNC. What do you think of this? Is this -- do you think this is good for Donald Trump? What's the impact on down-ballot races?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it is good for Donald Trump for a lot of reasons. And, look, I think we knew this was going to happen. He has had a slow and steady hold on the Republican Party. And as the primary process carried out state-by-state-by-state as we saw Donald Trump just steamrolling through the states and winning these primaries and caucuses, it was evident. Regardless of what you think about Donald Trump, Republican voters are standing by him because of his policies and what his policies have done to help the economy, with inflation, with regard to immigration, national security, and safety. And Republicans are standing behind him.

What we're going to see now with the RNC, in my view, as someone wanting the Republicans to do well, this is important for a lot of reasons. Now we have the RNC and the Trump campaign uniting forces. And what this means, the Trump campaign and the RNC have a joint fundraising agreements. So there's access to new lists and new donors who may have not given to Donald Trump in the past, now are able to do so. He has access to their election integrity units that are out there to make sure that our elections are run free and fair, which, in my view, they always have been. And also the communications team at the RNC, which is really powerful. And they take credit a lot for pushing out messages of Joe Biden, which led to his very low approval ratings. So, the merging of the RNC and the Trump campaign I think is a win-win for Donald Trump. And the goal also is to encourage and support and help fund these Republicans down ballot.

BOLDUAN: Yes, let's talk about - let's talk about the flip side when we're talking about money, Van. The Trump -- Biden's team is saying that the hours around the State of the Union speech last night, his campaign had its best online fundraising since the re-election launch.

VAN JONES, CNN SENOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

BOLDUAN: And what that gets to is grassroots voters. What do you think that means?

JONES: That means he was fired up and he fired up the base and the base was nervous. I got a lot of text messages. I hope he does OK. I hope he doesn't embarrass himself, blah, blah, blah. And Joe Biden put his chest out last night. He was directly challenging Republicans and Republicans were getting school by grandpa. Like they, they, they sat back. You know there were a couple of times, and we talked about it, he was like get - don't you guys want to give a (INAUDIBLE) these billionaires. There was silence. So, he was in command. He was a commander in chief. He was definitely the commander of that body. And people responded.

COLLINS: Republic -- Alice, you were not impressed with the speech. I was listening. You were - you were up late. Both of you were up late last night talking about this. You were not impressed with the speech. A lot of other Republicans not impressed with the speech, including Don Bacon, "thus far one of the most divisive speeches ever for a State of the Union Address."

[09:25:02]

Dan Bishop, "this is not a State of the Union, this is an angry screed vilifying half the country."

John Berman spoke with Chuck Schumer just a little while ago and asked him about that Republican reaction.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Divisive, coming from the Republican House, which has been the most divisive body we've seen in decades, when all Democrats are united? Give me a break.

They didn't have a real criticism, so they call it political or divisive. Pat -- pot calling the kettle black.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Does Schumer have a point, Alice?

STEWART: Look, for Schumer to say that Democrats are united, he must not have seen the streets blocked off with the protestors last night that led to the president being late to get to this speech because they were so disenheartened (ph) with his handling of the situation in Gaza.

Look, I'll agree with Van 100 percent, that State of the Union speech did rally his base. It was perfect meat for the bones of what they wanted to do. But the problem is, he needs to expand on that base. He needs to reach out to independent voters. He needs to appeal to the Nikki Haley voters. But he came across as angry. He came across as divisive, loud. He came across as someone who is forcing his issues on the American people when they don't believe it. And these are all the things they talk about Donald Trump.

And the -- I think one of the biggest problems he had is - is not being able to recognize that his numbers that he's talking specifically about the economy, that is top of mind for people, he says were the envy of the world. He says were coming around. He says that America is doing great on the economy. That's not how people feel. That -- his rhetoric does not match reality. And when he doesn't understand that people are still hurting, no matter what he says about the numbers, that's not a good way to convince people that your policies are going to help them further down the road.

BOLDUAN: Not responding to necessarily to Chuck Schumer and the back- and-forth, what about that point that this was more campaign speech, Van, than State of the Union?

JONES: Yes.

BOLDUAN: What about the just saying you guys do it doesn't mean I should do it?

JONES: Yes.

BOLDUAN: When they go low, I go high. I don't know.

JONES: Look, I think it's a new day. It's a new day. There's not a single norm that's left standing because of the Donald Trump phenomenon. We -- 91 felony counts and, you know, Republicans embrace it.

I think he had to make a strong case to the people who needed to be reassured. And I'm going to tell you this, I heard a different speech. He was a little bit screechy. I agree with that. He had a microphone. He didn't have to yell as much as he did.

But what was the yelling about? He said, not reaching out to Nikki Haley voters. He started out with Ukraine. He started out with NATO. He started out with her core issue. That's reaching out. He's tone deaf on the economy. Look, groceries are too high. He's got

a commission going after the price gougers. Medicine costs too much. He talked about that. He talked about getting housing. And that's a big problem. Why do people not feel good about the economy even though you've got low gas prices, even though you've got low, low, low -

COLLINS: Can't pay rent and they can't buy a home.

JONES: Low, low unemployment. Student loans have been cut. You go down the list. Why? Because food costs too much and you can't buy a house. He went right after that.

So, for the people who weren't just sitting there mad because he was spanking them, looking for answers, he had answers. And Trump does not. It's not - it's a contest. Trump has no answers on housing. He has no answers on anything. He just talks about himself.

For the people in the base who need to understand, how am I going to talk to my neighbors. How am I going to talk to my colleagues. How am I going to talk to my relatives about this guy? He gave answers to real questions that I think people have and people were proud of it.

BOLDUAN: The contrast was he -- Joe Biden was definitely trying to make the contrast last night. We're -- I mean it's just this contrast, this is the entire general election right now. It is all about the contrast that we're going to see and who that wins over more.

JONES: Yes, it's on (ph).

BOLDUAN: It's great to see you guys.

JONES: Yes.

STEWART: You too, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Can't believe you said spanking.

JONES: He whooped them.

BOLDUAN: I can't believe you say - no spankings on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

JONES: Grandpa whooped them last night.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: It's not the first and it won't be the last time.

A huge and expensive deadline bearing down on Donald Trump. He needs to come up with tens of millions of dollars in days, half a billion in weeks. It's unclear if he will or even can.

And the wheels have come off literally. A United Airlines flight drops a tire mid-flight. So, what happened next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)