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President Biden and Donald Trump Prepare for Their First Presidential Debate of 2024; President Biden and Donald Trump Campaigns Release Ads Ahead of Presidential Debate; Former Republican Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Interviewed on Possible Strategy for Donald Trump in Debate with President Biden; DHS: Immigrant Apprehensions Down 40 Percent Since Biden's Asylum Restrictions; Judge Skeptical of Trump Claim FBI's Warrant was Invalid; Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired June 26, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JASON REZAIAN, OPINION COLUMNIST, "WASHINGTON POST": So when you see in that glass box and you see him giving a knowing grand or holding up his hands in a heart sign, those are his ways of communicating to the outside world. And I am very much looking forward to meeting Evan and to comparing notes and, ultimately, laughing at the ridiculous farce that both of our imprisonments were.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm sure his family is praying beyond to try to get him home as soon as possible. Jason Rezaian, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us this morning.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: New reporting this hour on President Biden and Donald Trump, not just what they plan to do on stage during tomorrow night's CNN debate, but a focus now on what they plan to not do onstage during the debate.

New reporting also out of the Department of Homeland Security today, the new data pointing to a big drop in migrant apprehensions at the southern border in the three weeks since President Biden took those new steps to crack down on asylum claims. What the Homeland Security secretary has to say about that and is telling our team.

Julian Assange just pleaded guilty and is now home and a free man. So what is next? For the WikiLeaks founder?

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

SIDNER: It's crunch time. A historic night tomorrow right here on CNN when President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump square off, the first time a sitting and former president have ever debated. Sources tell CNN President Biden is expected to go on the offensive, focusing on the danger, he says, Donald Trump presents to the nation and democracy. What we're told he will not do is announce any major policy or personnel decisions.

As for Donald Trump, allies urging the former president to do the opposite, focus on policy driven talking points like inflation, immigration, and crime, all areas they feel Donald Trump is much stronger than Biden.

CNN's chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny joining us now from Atlanta. Jeff, Biden and Trump intend to, of course, show sharp contrast with one another. But how they do it is what is being wrangled with right now.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Sara. You're right, it is all about the contrast between these two candidates. Of course, they've been showing it on the campaign trail and certainly in their rhetoric for months and months. But they believe this big audience when voters are beginning to pay more attention to the race certainly will make either of their individual arguments here.

But we are getting a glimpse of what their respective arguments are in television ads, dueling television ads from both sides. Let's take a look at the Biden campaign ad, the case they're making against Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump loves to attack Joe Biden.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Joe Biden.

Joe Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he's focused on revenge and he has no plan to help the middle class. He'd just give more tax cuts to the wealthy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, to sum up that ad, that is one of the Biden campaigns main arguments, and the president, I'm told, will likely continue that tomorrow night here onstage, saying that Donald Trump is all about revenge, he's all about himself. So talking directly about those convictions.

But conversely, on the other side, a super PAC supporting the former president is airing an ad right here in Georgia and elsewhere talking about the economy and inflation under President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Biden created an inflation nightmare than dismissed families' worries.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The inflation rate month to month is just an inch, hardly at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hardly at all? After years of Biden's policies, prices are still rising. Atlanta rent is way up, food prices soaring to record highs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So when you boil all of this down, Sara, those really are their arguments in a nutshell there. The Biden team and the president, I'm told, is going to try and remind American voters what it was like living in the Trump era. Former President Donald Trump, for his part, is going to tell voters what it's like in this moment with inflation and the economy. So certainly, a contrast in message, but certainly styles and just their appearance also will be at the center this conversation.

SIDNER: Jeff, it was 2020. It was such a different time in the middle of the pandemic the first time these two men met, and now here we are almost four years later. You've been talking to Georgia voters where you are. What are they looking for at the debate in these candidates?

[08:05:03]

ZELENY: Sara, so many things have changed, and people's lives are so different now. Of course, the economy is front and center, but it is different than four years ago. But the Georgia voters we've been talking to our tuning into this race, and they are a deeply interested to what their plans are going forward. We talked a lot about the rearview mirror, but voters are looking for what the second term of either president will be like.

I think one thing is clear here when you see, as President Biden is trying to remind people of the Trump presidency, President Trump is trying to remind people of what's going on now. This isn't something that is going to be issue by issue. Voters are going to look at this and see who they are comfortable with.

But you said things are different, Sara. It is so clear, going back to watch the old debates, it's amazing how many things have changed. The Dobbs decision, for example, the invasion of Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, immigration certainly is at a different place. So, so many different issues. The only the same really are the two candidates standing onstage. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thank you, live there for us from where the debate will be held. John?

BERMAN: All right, with us now, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Sir, thank you so much for being with us. So people have been reporting that Donald Trump is bouncing debate ideas off of his potential vice presidential candidates. You are said to be on that list. What policy areas has he come to you for?

VIVEK RAMASWAMY, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, I'm going to avoid any specific discussions I've had with President Trump, but talk about why I think this debate is going to be good for America if --

BERMAN: Have you had -- have you had -- have you had policy -- hang on. Have you had policy discussions with Donald Trump recently? RAMASWAMY: I had a conversation with Donald Trump before the debate,

and I'll be in Atlanta this evening as well. But what I will say, is in my impression, Donald Trump is prepared on his own two feet for this debate. My best advice to him is be yourself. Don't do what anybody else tells you to do. He's served as president United States, and if this is about the policy records of both presidents, and this is about their actual policy vision for the next four years, this debate is going to be good for America. If it's about relitigating past grievances or attacks or accusations on either candidate, I think it's going to be bad for America, and I think that's what's at stake tonight.

BERMAN: Yes, and on the issue of policy, I am curious, because when you ran for president, one of the things you proposed was abolishing the FBI. What have you discussed with him on that front?

RAMASWAMY: Look, what I said in the presidential campaign reflected my own views on reorganizing the administrative state. I think the people we elect to run the government are really no longer the ones who actually run the government. And that ought to be a nonpartisan issue.

But for President Trump, the top areas of focus are the areas that matter to Americans right now -- fixing the mass influx of illegal migration into this country, reviving the economy, and think about stable foreign policy as well. We're closer to World War Three than we've ever been this century. It was very different under the Trump years. And I think that that should be the area of focus at the debate tomorrow night. I think that's what's affecting Americans at home. And the more this goes into relitigating personalities or past accusations, the worse it's going to be for the country. And so I'm looking forward to hopefully what is a policy rich debate that actually informs Americans of facts they need.

I'll also tell you something I told President Trump and I'll tell you as well is I give him a lot of credit for doing this debate on the terms that were effectively set by Biden. Hosted by CNN in Atlanta without a live audience would be the equivalent of Joe Biden agreeing to do a FOX News hosted debate in Alabama with 3,000 live audience members. So I give Donald Trump a lot of credit for that. If you're going to lead the country, you've got to be able to show up. And that's exactly what he's doing.

BERMAN: Yes. Look, every aspect of this debate was agreed to by the Trump campaign, and Jake and Dana are award-winning journalists who are relentlessly fair. They will do a fantastic job. The only presidential candidate Republican to lose Georgia in decades is Donald Trumps, so Georgia is pretty friendly territory, or should be, at least for a Republican candidate.

You have some experience, recent experience on the debate stage, and you were pretty aggressive. And some people liked it, but other people didn't. For instance, the other candidates who were on that stage with you. Nikki Haley said, you're just scum. Chris Christie called you the most obnoxious blowhard in America. So what lessons did you learn about aggressive tactics in debating? RAMASWAMY: Well, look, one of the things I would say is just be

yourself and be true to Americans. I think the people of this country are able to snuff through pre-prepared, pre-canned talking points. One of the things I love about President Trump is he's not a guy who just sticks to a script. He is a guy who actually speaks his heart and mind.

But one piece of advice I would give him, and I've gotten to know President Trump, especially after I've left the presidential race, is he is actually somebody who deeply cares about national unity. And that does not come across in the media's normal reporting of them. So one of my pieces of advice to him, and I think that he will be successful in getting this across, if not at the debate, for the rest of the campaign, is how much he does care about reuniting one nation in this country.

[08:10:04]

Biden pledged to unite the country. He has failed miserably. And I think this debate tonight has a chance to focus on that vision for the future, rather than relitigate.

BERMAN: Have you, have you ever looked at Donald Trump's social media account like on major national holidays where he says happy Easter to all, even the scum and filth of the earth, things like that? That's a message of unity?

RAMASWAMY: Well look, obviously, because the media is actually picking a lot of the things that he said in a position of having been a fighter. Look, that first term had to be about fighting fire with fire because that's the position --

BERMAN: No, no, no. I'm talking about talking about like three weeks. I'm talking about like -- I'm talking about three weeks ago. Do you think his social media account is unifying?

RAMASWAMY: Look, I don't think social media is set up to be unifying, period. And that's not a left during or right-wing point. That's a 280 characters point. But I'm revealing a point that I think is counterintuitive to a lot of people but is important.

BERMAN: It's counterintuitive because they don't see a message of unity.

RAMASWAMY: This is a president who cares about revitalizing the greatness of America and uniting this country. And I think that's important.

BERMAN: OK.

RAMASWAMY: I think that's a big part of what the debate provides an opportunity for, is a lot of -- so much of what the public gets. And this is what I learned through the presidential candidate. I think it's a sad feature of American democracy today. So, much of what the public gets, John, is through filters, either the filters of algorithms, the filters of cable news. And that's why I think these debates are unique moments where if

people actually watch it directly from the candidates, they get to assess for themselves who those candidates really are. And the more this is about the vision for the next four years and taking advantage of a unique opportunity that Americans have not had in more than a century. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to say you have two president, both of whom have four-year records --

BERMAN: Hundred percent.

RAMASWAMY: Compare four years of Trump with four years of Biden, and I think that's a rare opportunity that ought not be squandered by personality-based accusations --

BERMAN: Look, 100 percent. This the debate is an unbelievable opportunity for voters to look at both candidates and assess that. I think that is indisputable at this point. Again, I just -- people should go look at Donald Trump's social media account, which is unfiltered. He writes it, America sees it. There's no filter there.

On the aggressive tactics, the reason I did bring that up because Trump himself seemed to acknowledge that four years ago in the first debate he came out too hot. He told "The Washington Examiner," I was very aggressive in the first one. The second one, I was different, and I got great marks on the second one." So what you're saying here is you'd like to see him less hot, less like he is on social media, something different than maybe American has seen?

RAMASWAMY: I'd like him to be just himself so Americans can actually see it directly for themselves rather than through the filters. Sometimes they may require aggression, but there's an expression in my own family. I talked about it in the campaign trail, and I think Donald Trump embodies it as well. You have to be strong enough to protect your kindness. Strong enough he is, and most Americans know that about him, that he's a fighter. But I'd like for Americans to also see the side of him that I've had a chance to see since I've left this race, which is the Trump also cares about leading the entire nation. And yes, dare I say, uniting this country. That part, I don't think has come across through the filters. I do hope it comes across tomorrow at the debate.

And the reality is this. The last debate, let's talk about a lot of the things that happened. This is last time around during COVID. There were claims that Biden made, that he had no involvement in his son's dealings. We were in an era of social media censorship. We were in an era where the Hunter Biden laptop story was suppressed on the eve of the last election. I hope everybody has learned those lessons of the past to say that, you know what, we're not going the way of censorship this time around. We're not going the way of distorting the information the public gets. This time around as a country, let's learn from our mistakes of the past, give the information to the voters so they're able to make their own decisions.

And one of the things I really worry about for the country right now, John, is this, I think it's a very real possible scenario is that Biden is coming in -- you're talking about coming in hot -- probably going to call Trump a convicted felon. Well, let's play this out. A lot of legal experts believe this is going to be overturned on appeal or by the Supreme Court. And I worry about a scenario where, God forbid, we have another federal election, if Biden won it by a narrow margin and then the Supreme Court overturns it after the fact, and we know that actually affected the views of voters, I worry about this country. That's even worse than the suppression of the Hunter Biden story on the eve of the last election.

So this time let the voters have the facts, and I hope this country, from the media to the political establishment, has learned the failures of 2020 to do right by Americans this time around.

BERMAN: Well, look, I think it's refreshing to hear you say you want people to respect the results of the election. And I'm glad you also want people to see both candidates unfiltered, without the filter of say, a presidential rally, like people get to hear President Trump, former President Trump talk a lot. We will see this debate tomorrow night right here on CNN. Vivek Ramaswamy, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate your time.

President Biden and former President Trump will face off in the first debate of 2024. Look, it's the earliest election debate, general election debate ever. This is historic. It's tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. eastern. You can see it right here on CNN and on Max. Kate?

[08:15:00]

BOLDUAN: A significant decline in migrant apprehensions at the southern border. Is this evidence Biden's border crackdown now three weeks' old is working? Why the Homeland Security secretary told us the numbers are still now low enough.

Plus the judge overseeing Trump's classified documents case now seems skeptical somewhat of the Trump team argument that evidence from search of Mar-a-Lago should be thrown out. What she is saying now about the FBI's search warrant.

And the Hallmark Channel set to debut a new film inspired by the real- life romance of, of course, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: New this morning, the Associated Press is reporting a judge is setting $10 million bon for a second Venezuelan man who has been in the United States illegally and accused of killing a 12-year-old girl in Houston. Both men are now charged with capital murder.

This comes as the Department of Homeland Security, though is reporting a significant drop in the number of people trying to cross the southern border illegally.

[08:20:06]

DHS says since President Biden announced his asylum crackdown three weeks ago, migrant apprehensions have dropped by more than 40 percent. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joined us last hour on

the show and I asked him then if the new numbers that they are putting out are the direct result of that new executive action?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, US HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I wouldn't look at this in isolation. It is part of a larger effort.

I must say though, at the very outset that this is no substitute for congressional action. It is only Congress that can fix our broken immigration system and deliver to the American people an enduring solution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Rosa Flores has all of the reporting around this.

Rosa, can you talk to me about what you're learning about these two men I mentioned? Venezuelan nationals who have been in the United States illegally now charged with the murder of this young girl in Houston.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me start with her mother, Kate.

According to the Houston Police Department, this mother is devastated because her 12-year-old was strangled and killed, and according to police, the mother is simply trying to figure out life without her daughter.

Now, according to the Houston Police Department, through police work, police officers and investigators were able to trace video of the two suspects to the bayou where this 12-year-old girl was found dead and they were able to locate them.

They've been arrested, as you mentioned. The name of these two individuals are Johan Jose Martinez Rangel and Franklin Pena. They are charged with capital murder.

Now, they are from Venezuela. These are two Venezuelan nationals. We have reached out to ICE this morning. We have not heard back, but according to the Associated Press, the two men entered the US in March and they were released into the United States pending immigration proceeding.

Again, we are hoping to learn more from ICE when we hear back from them.

Now, we are trying to reach out to the attorneys of these two men, and we have not been successful, but Kate, back to this 12-year-old girl who was tragically killed. Her funeral services are scheduled for tomorrow.

BOLDUAN: The circumstances surrounding it all is just absolutely horrible. Rosa, thank you so much -- Sara. SIDNER: All right, WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange released from

jail and this morning arriving home after more than a decade in legal limbo for his role in publishing classified information from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have new details about his homecoming as you are watching there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:26:48]

BERMAN: This morning, fresh skepticism from the judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified documents case, but this time toward Trump's lawyers.

Judge Aileen Cannon now says she had "a hard time seeing any problem with the FBI's search warrant of Mar-a-Lago despite Trump's claim that the warrant was invalid."

CNN's Evan Perez has been following every inch of this and is here with the latest.

Evan, what is going on?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, just the fact that we had this hearing was a bit odd. This is one of a number of the attempts by the former president and his legal team to try to throw out these charges.

And this time, what they are saying is that the search warrant that was used by the FBI to seize the documents, the classified documents that the former president is charged with mishandling, that entire search back in 2022 was invalid and everything needs to be thrown out because the warrant was overly broad.

And after hearing a couple of hours of these arguments yesterday, the judge really just basically shut it down and said to the defense that she didn't really understand or didn't see their point of this being overly broad.

She looked at the search warrant that was signed by a magistrate in that district and said that to her, it seemed like it was pretty standard compared to other types of warrants of the same kind.

So the former president's lawyers were insisting, however, that they viewed some aspects of this to be off limits, certainly as part of the search.

I will note it also, John, that as part of this, things got a little heated with the prosecution once again, because they wanted to push back on some of the comments that were being made by the former president's lawyers, and she shut down and abruptly ended the hearing.

Part of what we've seen a lot over the last few days, some tensions between Judge Cannon and prosecutors over the conduct of this case and the pace in which the case has been moving -- John.

BERMAN: Yes. Well, they had the hearing, that takes a day. That slows things down.

Evan Perez, thanks so much.

PEREZ: That's right.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: President Biden is pardoning several thousand former members of the US military. Why he is making the move today? Why he says he is righting an historic wrong with this announcement.

Plus, life imitating arts and now art imitating life, Hallmark Channel style and the whirlwind romance of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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