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President Biden's Commitment To International Debt Relief And Growth; Biden And Ruto Press Conference; U.S. Involvement In Africa; Trump's Campaign Efforts; Domestic Violence Awareness; Harvard University Walkout; Congressional Hearing On Campus Anti-Semitism; Ukraine Conflict. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired May 23, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We believe in supporting friends, and in this partnership, we're happy to do our part. And look, we've also doubled our commitment to the IDA, and I'm proud the United States is the biggest donor to the IDA in this cycle and proud to be working alongside Kenya to support robust financing and policy packages that are going to help the most vulnerable countries address their investment needs. There's debt and there's growth, and you can't -- you've got to deal with the debt before you deal with the growth. So, we're trying to use international lending organizations to be able to provide that capability so people can grow. That's what it's about.

UNKNOWN: Will you love your greatest friend?

(CROSSTALK)

UNKNOWN: Woah

(CROSSTALK)

UNKNOWN: This concludes the press conference, thanks everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A boisterous end there to the press briefing. Reporters shouting questions as President Biden and President Ruto concluded their press briefing. A lot of topics that reporters tossed questions at the two leaders about, multiple questions about Haiti specifically. Biden was asked about the U.S. decision not to deploy troops there. The President of Kenya was asked about his decision to send troops in and to lead the effort to help rebuild Haiti after months of cataclysmic political situation there. Notably, President Biden was asked one question about Israel. He seemed a bit irritated at the question. I think it's fair to say, right, he was asked specifically if the United States had any evidence that would either prove or negate the ICC's issuing of warrants out for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, specifically over whether Israel has used famine in Gaza as a weapon of war. The President's saying that the White House has made its opposition to these warrants clear. He said, quote, It's simple, we don't think there's an equivalence between Hamas and Israel.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yeah, this meeting here coming at a very critical time, but it was also interesting how he was asked that question about committing Kenya or an African nation to be engaged in a long-term conflict without committing American troops, which obviously there would not be an appetite for, certainly, and so he was trying, I think, to answer for some of that. But joining us now, let's talk to Judea Moore, senior policy fellow with the Center for Global Development. Judea, thank you so much for talking with us. Tell us a little bit more about this critical moment. Obviously, we're seeing huge shifts in Africa where the U.S. footprint there has been waning. The military footprint has been waning. The U.S. just kicked out of Niger. Chad as well. And Russia and China have really made some way in the continent. How do you see this time?

GYUDE MOORE, SENIOR POLICY FELLOW, CENTER FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT: Thanks again for having me. I think you're right. I think over the last 20 years ago, the U.S. was basically the only game in town. But over the last 20 years, new and emerging powers have come into Africa, especially China, who's grown in influence. And so far as the U.S. is concerned, it seems as if every increase in China's influence has come at American expense. And so, the Biden administration came to power looking to strengthen and upgrade U.S. relationship with Africa. And we've seen that happen here. So, I think if you place the Kenya state visit within the context of that, this is just a continuation of what the Biden administration has tried to do in terms of shoring up American presence in Africa.

SANCHEZ: We also have CNN's MJ Lee with us. She was in the room for the press briefing. MJ, what were your main takeaways?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Boris, one of the clearest ways in which the U.S. can demonstrate its commitment to an ally is by doing exactly this, hosting a state visit. And we saw that really on full display with this two-and-two press conference, President Biden announcing some of these major areas of cooperation, including, of course, that major announcement that we were talking about before of designating Kenya as a major non-NATO ally. This is, of course, symbolic, but is going to carry a lot of weight in terms of the symbolism, particularly given that Kenya is now the first sub- Saharan African nation to receive that designation. The president also talked about other areas of economic cooperation. And another big area of discussion was finding ways to alleviate the debt burden that countries like Kenya and other nations, developing nations, face. One moment that I thought was quite noteworthy from Kenyan President Rudo, he said this visit comes at a time when he believes democracies appear to be retreating worldwide.

[14:05:09]

That line stood out to me because the message that some Biden administration officials would say is being delivered to the Kenyan leader today is basically you're better off working with us, a democracy like the United States, rather than, say, a country like China or Iran or Russia. So that was an interesting line. Of course, we saw the president take a number of questions, including on the issue of Haiti, also on the issue of Israel. On that issue, when he was asked about the ICC issuing these arrest warrants, he said pretty bluntly, I'm going to reiterate what I have said before, that he does not believe that that is an appropriate step that the ICC is trying to take. And he also said that there is simply no equivalence between Hamas leaders and Israeli leaders. So that's something that we expect the president and, frankly, administration officials to continue repeating that point, that they really do not see this as an appropriate step that the ICC is trying to take.

KEILAR: Yeah, we're keeping an eye on that, of course. MJ, thank you. And Gyude, just to you, as U.S. officials are trying to, you know, they're trying to say that there's China fatigue on the African continent. I wonder if you think that is true.

MOORE: No, I think the instructive thing about Kenya is that Kenya hasn't really renounced this relationship with China. Kenya remains one of China's biggest allies and partners on the continent. And I think the U.S. government has gone out of its way to say that it isn't trying to force African countries into that position where they have to make a choice between either the United States or China, because both the United States and China are important. And each of them has unique competencies that makes it sort of difficult for one to replace the other. But I think here, the Biden administration, from the leaders summit to now a state visit and the promise of if he wins the second term of a visit to Africa, I think the cherry on this would be that Biden, if he gets elected, reelected, sees through the reauthorization of AGOA. I think that strengthens the U.S. position vis-a-vis China, although because China spends so much on infrastructure, China is going to continue to be an important partner there. But I think the Biden administration has gone a long way in showing up and strengthening American presence on the continent.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. And you heard that from the Kenyan president saying that the African continent and Kenya specifically has a great partner in Joe Biden. Judea Moore, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate you sharing your perspective with us.

MOORE: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Off course.

MOORE: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: In just moments, Senate Democrats are going to revive that bipartisan border bill that the Senate already rejected back in February. This is the bill that would have brought major reform to border enforcement that hasn't been seen in a generation or so. But after months of Republican and Democratic negotiations, Donald Trump, effectively pressured his party to reject it.

KEILAR: Yeah, very effectively did so, killing the bill, paving a way for Trump to continue leveraging the border as a campaign issue. And today, Republicans are expected to reject the bill once again. This time, even more Democrats could be joining them on that. We have CNN's Lauren Fox up on the Hill for us. Lauren, tell us what's happening and the chances for this bill. LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we expect that this vote will get underway shortly. There were closing speeches happening on the floor. A few moments ago. One thing to keep an eye on in today's vote is how Democrats actually vote on this legislation. That is because a number of Democrats have not said whether or not they plan to support the bill (technical difficulty)

KEILAR: All right. We have lost Lauren Fox there.

SANCHEZ: Yeah

KEILAR: Unfortunately, we're going to try to reestablish that connection.

SANCHEZ: Meantime, former President Donald Trump is hitting the trail today in New York, a Democratic stronghold, specifically the Bronx, a county that Trump lost by wide margins in both 2016 and 2020.

KEILAR: Yeah, and Trump is expected to attack Biden on the economy. He's trying to chip away at Biden's support among black and Hispanic voters. We have CNN national correspondent Kristen Holmes, who is in the Bronx ahead of Trump's rally. Kristen, talk to us a little bit about the strategy here, because obviously it's not always about winning over a ton of people. It might just be about trying to convince a few to stay home. And in close elections, that can really mean the difference.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And Brianna, sometimes it's just the fact that you're supposed to be in court four days a week and you need a rally location that's nearby. But. There are multiple things that are true at one time, that being that Donald Trump does see an opening when it comes to black and Latino voters. And that's something we've really seen in recent polling, show some kind of movement towards the Republican Party and towards Trump as well. So that's what you're seeing here today. Now, the other part of this, of course, being that they believed he was going to be in court today, court wrapped on Tuesday. They thought the trial was going to be a little bit longer, and they have been planning this rally for a number of months. But what we're seeing here on the ground is really interesting, because it is a complete mix of people here in the Bronx. We've had people drive by telling Donald Trump to get out of here but we've also had people saying that they voted for Joe Biden in the last election.

[14:10:09]

And maybe they don't feel like they have as much to lose with voting for Donald Trump in the next one. And again, that is the opening that his team is hoping for when it comes to minority voters, which is the largest demographic in this area in the Bronx. Now, all of that being said, Donald Trump has routinely since 2016 said that the state of New York is in play, 2016, he lost by more than 20 points. 2020, said the same thing, lost by more than 20 points. We'll see what happens this time around. To give you the demographics of the very location that we are in, in 2020, Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden in Bronx County 15.9%. That's what Trump had to Biden's 83.4%. So you got to see a very substantial movement if you were going to see Trump pull off a county like Bronx County here. But people are lining up. They want to hear what the former president has to say.

KEILAR: Yes, substantial movement, as you put it there, Kristen Holmes. Let's talk about Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and, of course, Republican presidential candidate, is now saying that she is going to vote for former President Trump. Talk to us about what's behind this announcement.

HOLMES: Well, there's a lot of significance here, given how deeply personal and bitter the rivalry was between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. And Donald Trump's team really was not sure that she was ever going to come out and say she would vote for Donald Trump or endorse him, which obviously she stopped short of doing yesterday when she was talking. But we still haven't heard from the former president. Now, there is an entire group of Republicans in his orbit who really hope that he will be gracious, that he will reach out to the former South Carolina governor. They believe that he really needs these kind of independent voters in the Republican Party who are looking for an alternative to Donald Trump. One of the most jarring numbers that I'm pointed to a lot by these Republicans. Who, again, are hoping that Donald Trump can make inroads with these voters is what happened in Pennsylvania after Haley dropped out.

This is a critical swing state in 2024. It was critical in 2020 and in 2016. And 16.5% of Republicans, keep in mind, no independents, no Democrats, voted for Nikki Haley in that primary. That is an alarming number to people on the ground in Pennsylvania and to Republicans across the country who think that Pennsylvania is a must-win state. So they are hoping that Donald Trump shows at least, some graciousness in following what Haley had to say.

SANCHEZ: Kristen Holmes, live for us in the Bronx, New York. Thank you so much. It wasn't that long ago that Haley called Trump too unhinged to ever be president again and said that Trump couldn't beat Joe Biden. Let's listen to Nikki Haley earlier this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Chaos follows him. And we can't have a country in disarray and a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We won't survive it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We're joined now by Bryan Lanza to discuss Haley's announcement and more. He was the deputy communications director of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. He's also a partner at Mercury Public Affairs. Brian, thanks so much for being with us. Even after Nikki Haley dropped out, she's received somewhere around the neighborhood of 20% of the vote in Republican primaries, including in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania. These voters are casting ballots against Donald Trump. What work do you think he needs to do to regain those voters? Is it possible that he could win a general election without them? BRYAN LANZA, FORMER DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2016

CAMPAIGN: First of all, thank you for having me, Boris. The answer is yes. I mean, he has to do everything. He's running for president. He has to go where the ground is very fertile and those voters are very fertile for him. So he's going to go there. He's going to make the appeal. It looks like Nikki Haley is going to be part of that team to help make the appeal. And he can get them back. What we've seen in 2016, when you had a lot of opposition in the primary against President Trump to the very end. And we've seen that by the by the following November, they lined up and they voted for President Trump. So we've seen this phenomenon before. Frustrated Republicans are sort of ultimately not happy that President Trump's the nominee. But we've also seen them fall in line in November. And that's ultimately what matters.

SANCHEZ: What about independent voters? Because I imagine that Democrats are going to take some of the soundbites from Nikki Haley saying that, you know, he's unhinged and some of these other things and use it in ads against Donald Trump. Could he do much to regain those voters that share Haley's distaste for Trump? At least her distaste when the primary was still on?

LANZA: Yeah, listen, I think independent voters like Nikki Haley are going to sit back and sort of look at the environment, see what suits them. I mean, Nikki Haley came to this difficult decision, sort of comparing the binary choice between President Trump and President Biden. And if you heard some of her statements, she said, you know, you need-we need to be an ally that can be a reliable ally to our partners. That was a direct shot at President Biden on the international stage, which she cares about foreign policy. She's basically saying Joe Biden has abandoned Israel, has abandoned Afghanistan and is not really giving Ukraine the weapons or the tools they need to win. And so that played a significant role in Nikki Haley supporting President Trump. I suspect those issues will play a significant role to those who support her.

[14:15:09]

And she's going to make that message pretty clear. I mean, she clearly thinks that President Biden is a stronger threat to the future of this country than President Trump. And that's what she assessed.

SANCHEZ: Shifting gears and talking about Trump's rally in the Bronx today. Bryan, we both know Donald Trump is not going to win in the Bronx, right? I see you laughing. Why have that rally today?

LANZA: You know, I've been in the receiving end where the president says or then candidate says, hey, we're going to win California. I'm a Californian. I've never seen a circumstance where a Republican can win California. But I think it's important to sort of understand, you know, the president's movement, the people behind him, they're beyond sort of partisans. There are a lot of working class Democrats, working class independents that are sort of shifting over the Republican Party. And President Trump sees an opportunity to sort of step in and say, hey, you know, there's an alternative here to the coalition that was promised you in 2020. I mean, inflation has hit these communities, these working class communities, these middle class communities, harder than everyone else, including the minority groups. And so when he goes in there, he goes with the message, you know, listen, it's been a difficult four years. Do you remember what it was when I was here? And, you know, I can bring that economic opportunity and the hope back. And I think that's the message that you'll see today.

SANCHEZ: Ahead of Donald Trump's rally, the Biden campaign has been running ads hitting Trump for comments that he's made in the past. Specifically about black Americans. The Trump campaign is calling these ads a cheap attempt to gaslight black voters. Are some of those past comments that Democrats are highlighting specifically about the Central Park Five, the rally in Charlottesville and others? Do you see those as a problem for Trump as he tries to court African-Americans?

LANZA: You know, I don't think it's a problem for Trump. Just like, you know, Joe Biden's previous statements about the African-American community aren't a problem for him. And his statements have been pretty outrageous. It's really more egregious than anything President Trump has ever said about the African-American community. So I don't think--

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Really?

LANZA: I mean, do you want to go back to those reports and review them? I'd be embarrassed to read them to my mom. And you should be, too. But what I would say is when they make that comparison today of what the future looks like, Joe Biden is not running on the future for the African-American community because the future is pretty gleam if you look at what the past has been, the reason he's able to President Trump's been able to make inroads is because inflation. It's because the community is suffering tremendously under Joe Biden. That's why those inroads are taking place. It has nothing to do with what was said in the past. But it has to do with the future looks like.

SANHEZ: I certainly remember the way that each of them treated the first African-American president and questions about a, you know, a phantom birth certificate from some other country that never existed.

(CROSSTALK)

LANZA: I remember Joe Biden using the N-word on the floor before. So we have to be careful of how we're going to do comparisons. I've never heard President Trump use the N-word, whereas I have heard Joe Biden.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: I do think an intent matters. Certainly Bryan.

(CROSSTALK)

LANZA: I think the words offensive no matter what.

SANCHEZ: We have to leave the conversation there. Thanks for being with us. We look forward to having you on again. LANZA: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead this hour on CNN News Central. For the first time since CNN uncovered video of her being violently beaten by Sean Diddy Combs, Cassie Ventura is speaking out, what she wants the public to know. Plus, inside a town that Ukraine can't afford to lose, CNN was granted exclusive access to a village under attack by Russia and the soldiers fighting to save it.

KEILAR: And this year's hurricane forecast includes a dire warning that you can expect. Coming on what you can expect, I should say, coming up this hour on CNN News Central.

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[14:20:09]

SANCHEZ: Cassie Ventura is breaking her silence about a 2016 domestic violence incident involving her then-boyfriend, rapper Sean Diddy Combs. Last week, CNN exclusively uncovered surveillance video of the attack showing Combs physically assaulting her inside of a hotel. Since then, Ventura says that she's received an outpouring of support.

KEILAR: CNN Entertainment reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister first broke this story. She has been following it very closely all along. Elizabeth, what is Ventura saying here?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: So this is the first that we are hearing from Cassie Ventura. And she is thanking her friends, her family, strangers in the public for the outpouring of love and support. She says that she feels the support. And she says that it has helped her younger self really settle into who she is today. Now, she says that her journey for recovery will be ongoing, but that she is doing much better today. And I want to read you part of her very powerful statement. She says domestic violence is the issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become with a lot of hard work. I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.

She goes on to say, thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that everyone open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you are powerless in. Now, really, again, powerful words there from Cassie, because she is shining a light on the larger issue of domestic violence, which we know statistically so many people are suffering from in their own homes, certainly here in America. And with her sharing her thanks for the love and support, she is saying this is an issue that goes far beyond me. And essentially saying that she hopes to be a symbol that you can get out of it. And that you can get out of it. And that you are not alone.

[14:25:09]

SANCHEZ: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much for the update. We have some remarkable video just in to CNN showing a mass walkout during Harvard University's commencement this afternoon. Hundreds of people, including graduates, leaving the ceremony in protest over the school's decision to bar some 13 students from participating over their pro-Palestinian activism.

KEILAR: That walkout happening as more university presidents were being grilled by lawmakers over their handling of campus anti-Semitism and pro-Palestinian protesters. There were leaders from Northwestern, UCLA, and Rutgers who have been in the hot seat on Capitol Hill today. Some House Republicans saying they failed to protect Jewish students on their campuses, while Democrats say GOP lawmakers are playing politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HALEY STEVENS, (D - MI): We know what it costs to go to your schools. It's unbelievable how much it costs. That's what we should be focusing on. Not this pretend argument about equity when really they are just pretending here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN's Matt Egan is following the hearing for us. Obviously, a lot of people invested in this, Matt. This is the committee's third such hearing since the war in Gaza began. What's the latest?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, that's right, Brianna and Boris. Once again, college presidents getting grilled by lawmakers about campus anti-Semitism. And there were some contentious moments. Republicans accusing the presidents of UCLA, Rutgers, and Northwestern of failing to police hate speech and tolerating anti-Semitism, a charge that the college presidents, of course, denied. Then you heard from Democrats accusing Republicans of playing political games and pretending to care about equality. Now, the toughest questions by far went to Michael Schill. He's the president of Northwestern. He tried to defend his decision to reach a deal with the pro-Palestinian protesters on campus to end their encampment. And he said that it's something that he would do again, that they try to listen to all members of their community. But listen to this fiery exchange between the president of Northwestern and Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELISE STEFANIK, (R - NY): Isn't it also true that the Northwestern earned an F for your failure to respond and combat anti- Semitism, and they called for your resignation? Is that correct?

MICHAEL SCHILL, PRESIDENT, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: I have great respect for the ADL --

STEFANIK: I'm not asking your respect for the ADL. I'm asking, is it a fact that you earned an F and they called for your resignation? Isn't it true that a Jewish Northwestern student was assaulted?

SCHILL: There are allegations that a Jewish student was assaulted. We are investigating those allegations.

STEFANIK: Isn't it true that a Jewish student was verbally harassed and stalked to Hillel?

SCHILL: There are allegations of that sort, and we are investigating them.

STEFANIK: Isn't it true that a Jewish student wearing a yarmulke was spat on?

SCHILL: All of these are allegations that are being investigated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

EGAN: Now, Shill, who is Jewish himself, he stressed that these investigations could yet lead to disciplinary measures for the students. Now, Gene Block, the chancellor of UCLA, he also faced tough questions from lawmakers, including Democrat Congresswoman Omar, who really pressed him on the situation late last month, where there was actually violence on campus. She said that the chancellor should be ashamed of the fact that the university did not move in faster. The chancellor, he said that in hindsight he does think that they could have moved faster here to try to end that encampment and protect the students who were attacked, as you can see, by counter-protesters. At the end of the day, this issue, of course, is not going anywhere. At the end of the hearing, Virginia Foxx, the Republican chairwoman, she said that this investigation is not ending, that this is just the beginning. So more to come on this front for sure. Boris and Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Matt, thank you for that report.

SANCHEZ: Next, a view from the front lines. We'll only see here on CNN. Our team in Ukraine granted access, exclusive access, to a ghost town that Ukraine can't afford to lose as soldiers, short on ammo and weapons, try to hold off Russian forces.

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