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Report: Schumer, Jeffries, Pelosi Have Told Biden They Don't Think He Can Win; WAPO: Obama Tells Allies Biden Needs To Seriously Consider His Viability; Rep. Nicole Malliotakis Discusses Republicans Gaining Ground In New York & Trump To Give First Speech Since Assassination Attempt; What Shooter At Trump Rally Was Researching Before Shooting. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 18, 2024 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Winning the general election and somebody who can satisfy the Democratic base, I'm not really sure they can do better than Vice President Harris.

Especially given, of course, if you know anything about campaign finance. She can take all the money that the Biden-Harris campaign has raised so far, and put on the air.

No other Democrat could do it. Another Democrat would start off much further behind in terms of name recognition and in terms of building the campaign infrastructure that, of course, will be needed.

Because every single day that we go on, we get closer and closer to November.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: It looks like the dollars and the numbers point in a certain direction.

(CROSSTALK)

ENTEN: I would say so. I would say so.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: -- President Biden were to step --

ENTEN: That's going to be the big question. It's obviously going to be up to him.

But obviously, there are a lot of Democrats at this point who want him to step aside. But at the end of the day, he's got the delegates. We'll see what he does.

SANCHEZ: Harry Enten, always good to have you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Ahead, much more from the Republican National Convention here in Milwaukee, as well as the growing panic in the Democratic Party over President Biden's chances in November.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:41]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Panic over President Biden's candidacy is not only growing, it is now coming from the biggest influencers in the party.

According to "The Washington Post," former President Barack Obama has told allies here in recent days that Biden's path to victory has greatly diminished, and he thinks President Biden needs to seriously consider the viability of his candidacy.

Sources tell CNN the top Democrats in the Senate and House, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, as well as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who, of course, wields so much power still, have all expressed similar concerns directly to President Biden.

And ABC News is reporting that Schumer went further, forcefully urging the president to bow out. Schumer's representative saying that that report is speculation.

Let's talk about this now. We have Meghan Hays, who is a former Biden White House director of message planning and a consultant for the Democratic National Convention. And Laura Barron-Lopez is a CNN political analyst, and White House correspondent for the "PBS NewsHour."

All right, do you think the president is going to drop out, Meghan?

MEGHAN HAYS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't. I think that he's made his -- his points very clear here. He's been saying the same thing now for three weeks.

I think that they are going to take this time to focus and to refocus their efforts on to Donald Trump. And I think that every day that the Democratic Party isn't focused on fighting Donald Trump here, they are, they're missing -- missing the thread here and being able to take their fight to the party.

KEILAR: And someone like Obama saying what he's saying has no bearing on President Biden?

HAYS: No, I think it has a bearing on him. I think, obviously, he takes all these things into consideration. I think he's taking all this stuff in.

But I think that he's out in the states and he's talking to voters. And voters, as you've seen in the past couple of days, have been very forceful not wanting him to drop.

So I think, you know, he -- he's out there and he's talking to people on -- KEILAR: He's not out there.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

HAYS: You know, and he was on the ground, out there just yesterday.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: He has Covid.

HAYS: He was out and about. He was in Michigan.

KEILAR: Yes.

HAYS: He's been constant. He's been in these battleground states talking to voters. So I just not sure that the -- that the elites of the party are correlating to the people on the ground.

KEILAR: OK. He's not going to be out there for days because he does have Covid.

What are you hearing? What is your expectation, Laura?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the current situation isn't tenable. And a lot of the Democrats I'm talking to, whether it's lawmakers, staffers on the Hill or Democratic donors, feel as though there is momentum right now to potentially convince President Biden to step aside.

Now, again, even though they feel is that there's momentum, there are a lot that think they could very well enter a scenario where he doesn't, where he sticks it out, where he fights it out and says, sorry, I'm not listening to you.

But I was just texting with a senior Hill aide who is saying that a lot of members are looking to the leadership, looking to those conversations that Schumer, Pelosi and Jeffries are having with President Biden and hopeful that somehow that can -- that can sway him.

Now, one key person who hasn't turned on President Biden is Congressman Jim Clyburn. He is a longtime ally of the president. And you haven't really seen any major voices in the Congressional Black Caucus break from President Biden.

And the big question will be, do any in the coming days? Especially as more defectors are expected.

HAYS: And I think the unions, too, right? The unions are still standing behind him. And I think that's really important in some of these battleground states. And I think that that's another place to watch for if people start to defect.

KEILAR: As you have people considering sort of what they're going to do, I wonder, we're watching today, we're watching Kamala Harris. She's just given this speech in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

And the president cannot because he is isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach.

Should we be viewing this, do you think, as something different, not just maybe for the first time the vice president campaigning for reelection, but perhaps a future and maybe not a too distant presidential candidate, who is out there on the trail?

How are your sources looking at this?

BARRON-LOPEZ: I think they're watching her very closely. And a lot of the Democrats that I've talked to think that, if President Biden ultimately steps aside, then Kamala Harris would be the person that would have to be the nominee.

And then they're looking at some of the other stars on the bench to potentially be a vice-presidential pick, like a Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania.

And that's something that I'm also hearing from voters. You know, I've sat on a lot of focus groups in the last few days, even after the assassination attempt.

[14:40:02]

And there's two-time Trump voters who said -- who said that they wouldn't vote for either ticket right now. But that if Democrats replaced the person at the top of the ticket, some of them said they'd consider the Democratic ticket.

And so I think that's what a lot of -- you hear in a lot of focus groups. And polls do show that a lot of Democratic voters want President Biden to be replaced.

So even though President Biden says that, when he's at these rallies, voters are with him, the polls are showing a different story. And even the focus groups that I've sat in show a difference.

KEILAR: Is that getting through to him? Because there are polls that show, clearly, exactly what Laura is talking about. And these are critical days as he is there isolating with Covid. Is that getting through to him?

HAYS: You know, the president is not living in a box and isolation. He has a phone. He watches TV. So I assume that he is watching the same coverage that we're all watching.

So I assume it is getting through to him what people are saying. But whether or not he chooses to step aside is something different.

But I will say, about the vice president, she has been out on the trail for a long time. She's been quite a bit recently -- or not recently, but she's been out there a lot.

And I also would say she's polling really well with moderates and Independents. And I do think, as a strong point, if they do -- if the president does end up stepping aside.

KEILAR: It's a very important moment in this race. And sort of a feeling that who knows what's going to happen.

Laura Barron-Lopez, Meghan Hays, thank you so much to both of you. Really appreciate it.

And the last time that a Republican presidential candidate won New York was 40 years ago. But could former President Trump become the first to do that since Ronald Reagan back in 1984? Something that Democratic dysfunction could actually put the Empire State in play.

I'll be asking -- we will be asking a Congresswoman from New York for her take. Stay with us for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:46:27]

SANCHEZ: Here at the Republican National Convention, its clear the Republican Party is unified behind Donald Trump and is working to expand its outreach.

As for President Biden, polls show a steady erosion of support even in the deep-blue state of New York, a state that Biden won by 23 points four years ago and where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one.

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss with Republican Congresswoman of New York. Nicole Malliotakis joins us now.

Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

Something that struck me about this convention is that, from Sean O'Brien, a union boss, to the rapper, Amber Rose, to even a J.D. Vance himself being -- talking about working-class people and the effort to dismantle corporations and that sort of thing, is that the Republican Party is seeking to not only expand its base, but also to redefine itself.

Do you get that impression?

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): Well, I think that we're attracting every-day Americans, people who may not have voted for Republicans in the past. Had quite a few speak that voted for Biden in the past.

But they see how destructive the Democrat's policies have been for the country from the open -- open borders that have created mass migration in cities like fine in New York we're literally two cops we're shot by an illegal immigrant, a 13-year-old girl was raped by an illegal immigrant.

And so many other crimes being committed as a result of this open border policy, to the economic issues. They can't afford to put food on their table.

Gas is now about $1.25 more today than it was when President Trump was in office. It's because of the anti-energy policies of this administration that are fueling inflation.

As well as the highest interest rates in two decades. Americans, young Americans can't afford to live the American dream, purchase a home for their families.

And I think it's just gotten to a point where Americans are saying, hey, we're not better off than we we're when President Trump was in office.

And -- or perhaps they believed a lot of what his opposition we're claiming about him, the vile rhetoric, the lies that tried to destroy President Trump professionally, personally and economically.

So I think there is a shift happening in this country. I think people are seeing that this administration has taken us it's too far to the left and there's a correction that's to be made.

SANCHEZ: What are you anticipating from the president's speech? We understand that he's rewritten it following Saturdays attempted assassination?

MALLIOTAKIS: Well, I think it's going to be a unifying speech. I think that President Trump is not just unifying Republicans, as was evidenced this week, but he is getting that cross-party appeal.

You mentioned a couple of these individuals that spoke. But to have a teamsters president speak and say that he's the man that's been creating jobs for our members, that he he's the one that can bring economic prosperity back to this country.

Having a Nicaraguan immigrant, who said she voted for President Biden but will no longer do so. She is now with President Trump, having African-Americans speaking in support of President Trump.

I think that he is uniting America. And really, the division has gotten to a point, obviously, where it is dangerous for everybody. We need to find a way in this country to unite, to debate policy based on merit, whether it's going to be on the House floor or whether it's going to be in the media or whether it's going to be at the ballot box.

But I think it's responsible for all political candidates, all elected officials to tone down the rhetoric to speak with unity.

And I think that you'll hear that from President Trump today. I think you can see the gentler side of President Trump, the human side that we heard his granddaughter talk about yesterday. This is a family man.

[14:50:11]

He is a job creator. He loves his employees. He loves the people around him, his fellow New Yorkers, regardless of race and religion. So I think that's where you're going to see tonight.

SANCHEZ: I think you we're in friends -- the friends and family box last night. Did you get a chance to speak with the former president? MALLIOTAKIS: Yes, I spoke to him briefly. And look, I just -- I just

told him I'm happy that he's with us today. Thank God he is OK. And it was just a brief exchange, obviously, because we we're watching the speeches.

And I think one of the most incredible moments was the Gold Star families standing on this stage in tears talking about their loved ones who we're killed.

Because I was -- I listened to those hearings when we had these individuals come speak before us. There we're two opportunities to stop the individual - the ISIS-K fighter that set off that bomb.

One was when they closed Bagram Air Base and all those prisoners we're released from jail. That released this individual onto the street.

And then the second time was when a sniper saw him and, in his testimony that came before Congress, the sniper saw him and they didn't take him out. They couldn't get the permission to take him I'm out.

So those 13 lives, that was preventable, and that is a failure of leadership. That is why we need President Trump back.

We had peace through strength. We had somebody who would do more to keep our military men and women safe abroad. We have somebody who had a border secure, was not letting in these dangerous people that are wreaking havoc in cities like mine.

And again, he made it very clear. He supports immigration. His wife is an immigrant. But it has to be legal and it has to be right. And if people commit crimes, they need to be deported.

And so I think that there's a stark contrast between President Biden and President Trump. And I think Americans are saying, gee, you know, President Trump is making more sense here, he's going to be better for me financially, for the economy, for jobs, for secure borders, for safe a nation.

And peace through strength, not appeasement of our adversaries.

SANCHEZ: I do want to ask you about that because there is some disagreement, even within the Republican Party, about the approach to foreign policy. And I think that's encapsulated by Senator J.D. Vance and his comments about Ukraine, saying that he doesn't really care about what happens in Ukraine.

Also, for the first time -- I know you're on the Taiwan Caucus. For the first time. Taiwan wasn't even mentioned in the Republican Party platform since 1980.

How do you see foreign policy being a part of the Republican platform moving forward when there are these disagreements so on Ukraine and there's still sort of a transactional view of the security assurances that the U.S. has made to partners around the world? MALLIOTAKIS: Yes, I think when people look at President Trump, they're saying this is somebody who brought peace through strength, right? We did not have these invasions when he was in office.

And he is somebody, I think, who can prevent this. Remember, this is a dealmaker. He has the ability, I think, and he's a strong -- strong president. So I think he was preventative in what happened.

And it wasn't until Joe Biden came in and showed weakness on the world stage with some of his policies. You know, rubber stamping the Nord Stream II Pipeline, what killed -- while killing our own. Lifting some of the sanctions on Iran and allowing them to prosper once again.

These are decisions that I think we're wrong decisions. Re-entering the Paris Accord without requiring China and India to play on a level playing field. These we're bad decisions for America. They helped our adversaries. And I think that that's the difference here.

So I think there is maybe -- there is a place where we need to get together and figure out what we're -- how we're going to proceed on foreign policy.

But one thing we know for sure is that President Trump is the courageous and fearless leader that we need. And I think that he really brought respect on the world stage.

And look, the bottom line here is -- and people ask me, well, how do you know this just wouldn't happen? Because it didn't happen. That's the best evidence you have is that it didn't happen for four years.

And here, we're on the brink of what seemed to be World War III for quite some time. And it's gotten a little bit, I think, under control and we're seeing China now step back from potentially invading Taiwan.

But the threats are still there. And -- and we need to again project peace through strength in this country. And I think President Trump is the one to do it.

SANCHEZ: I have a lot more questions for you --

MALLIOTAKIS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: -- about the idea that China is seeming to move away from invading Taiwan. Unfortunately, we're out of time though.

Nevertheless, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, we do appreciate your perspective. Thanks for being here.

MALLIOTAKIS: Thanks. Great to be with you. Thank you.

Still ahead, hundreds gathering to remember the former firefighter killed at Trump's rally last weekend as lawmakers demand answers about the security failures that allowed the shooting to happen in the first place and nearly cost the former president his life.

[14:54:45] Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Public memorial services are underway right now for Corey Comperatore, the fire captain, who was shot and killed at Saturdays Trump rally, while shielding his wife and children from gunfire.

There is new information about the man who tried to kill former President Trump and what he was researching in the months leading in up to the shooting.

Let's get the latest now from CNN's senior investigative correspondent, Kyung Lah, who's actually outside the shooters home.

Kyung, what have investigators found?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, what investigators were hoping bore is, by looking into his cell phone, looking through the search history is to try to get a better idea of what the motive might be.

Unfortunately, they're not really getting quite a full picture. And here's why. When they looked at the cell phone, there we're pictures of President Trump, former President Trump, but also pictures of President Biden and other lawmakers, other politicians, both Democrats and Republicans.

In the search history of the cell phone, there were specific -- a specific search for the dates of the Democratic National Convention. And also this, a search under these words, "major depression disorder."

And what this all adds up to, they were hoping for a better picture, Boris, but at this point, the motive still remains unclear based on what they found off that cell phone.

SANCHEZ: Kyung Lah, live in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, for us. Kyung, thank you so much.

[14:59:56]

The next hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.