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Acting Secret Service Director to Testify on Capitol Hill; Harris Campaign Courts Disenfranchised Republicans in Georgia; Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) is Interviewed about the Harris Campaign; Vance Has History of Disparaging People Without Kids. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 30, 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]

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hospitalization for those who took Paxlovid, that sort of met those criteria versus those who didn't.

So, I wouldn't say for everyone. But if you're high risk because of age or something else, then I'd strongly consider it.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So interesting. It's great to see you, Sanjay. Thank you so much.

GUPTA: You got it. Take care.

BOLDUAN: And who doesn't want more Sanjay, OK, that's my one question for you today, because Sanjay's going to be back later this week to take your questions about just this. You can scan the QR code that you see on your screen, submit questions about the Covid summer surge, and we'll bring you those answers later.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

The Senate about to ask some serious questions about the security failures that led to Donald Trump's assassination attempt. Why the acting head of the Secret Service is now expected to testify that he is ashamed.

The Harris campaign drops a new attack ad against Trump and also sees the pool of potential VP candidates shrinking.

And it's now not just childless cat ladies comments. Turns out that Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, a longer history of some disparaging remarks about people without children.

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are standing by for tough questions on the failed assassination attempt about Donald Trump, including we will hear for the first time from the new acting director of the Secrets Service, Ronald Rowe.

We just got a look at his prepared opening statement to two Senate committees. He will say, quote, "what I saw made me ashamed."

With us now, CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild.

What are we expecting to learn today, Whitney?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: What we're going to hear from the acting director is that one of the first things he did in his role is he went to Butler and he climbed up on that roof, John, and he laid prone and he saw what the gunman would have shot - saw - would have seen. And right now what he's saying in his prepared remarks that we will hear live in about an hour from now is that he cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

So, there are many questions about the advance here. And one of the things that I continue to hear from sources, and certainly the acting director will be asked about this today, is, how is it possible that that building, just 150 yards from the podium, was not within the secured perimeter? Why was it so vulnerable and why was it exploited in such a way? So, those are going to be certainly some of the main questions here.

And then further, John, what Senator Josh Hawley has made very clear is that he is looking for accountability. He does not feel, even after the resignation of the Secret Service director, that there has been enough accountability at the Secret Service. What we heard in a previous hearing were questions about whether anybody had been - had been disciplined or placed on administrative leave in the aftermath of that attack. And certainly that question will come up again today.

And so, finally, John, what the senators are going to be looking for is more detail on what the Secret Service is doing right now, right this second, to ensure that this never happens again. Acting Director Ron Rowe says in his opening remarks that they are stepping up their threat assessment, stepping up their security plan. They have also picked up new protectees, so this workload is growing. But they are adamant that they are looking at their operations, increasing security for the protectees to make sure that this never happens again, and that they are well prepared, especially, John, as they move in to some of these larger events, like the Democratic National Convention that's going to be here in Chicago in just a matter of weeks.

John.

BERMAN: And we will see if those members of Congress are any more satisfied with the answers they get today than from the last hearing, which was, what, just one week ago.

Whitney Wild, great to see you this morning. Thank you very much.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, in just a few hours, Kamala Harris will head back to Georgia to make her case to voters in the key battleground state. It's a state her campaign believes she can win. Part of their new strategy, win over disenfranchised Republicans. A new Harris campaign memo says, quote, "Trump has waged a full-on war with Georgia's top Republicans, including Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger." And it points to Trump's performance in the Republican primary, and the votes he lost to Nikki Haley.

The Harris campaign also launching a new $50 million ad campaign in battleground states today.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is joining us now.

What can we expect, Priscilla, from Alvarez - or from - no, not Priscilla from Alvarez, but from Kamala Harris in Georgia this morning.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, her campaign is trying to keep this state in play. Of course, they want to build on the surge of enthusiasm over the last week in what is a critical state. As a reminder, President Biden only narrowly won the state in 2020. And when he did, it marked the first time a Democratic presidential candidate had won in nearly 30 years. So, that is why they are paying such close attention to this state. And of course, other swing states. They're going to release - and they already have released that ad that looks back at her history as a prosecutor, making the argument that they don't want to go back.

[09:05:07]

They're looking forward. That is part of the attack against former President Donald Trump.

But when I've talked to Democratic strategists, they say, look, there was a lot of apathy among voters with two unpopular candidates, former President Donald Trump and President Biden. That was especially true in Georgia. He was - President Biden was there earlier this year and there wasn't - there was some disillusionment among voters. But now what those strategists are now saying is that there is enthusiasm that they're observing among voters who are now at least thinking about putting in their vote instead of just not voting at all. And that is what they want the vice president to capitalize on.

But even if she does, it is going to be competitive. Take a listen to how the campaign is framing this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN KANNINEN, BATTLEGROUND STATES DIRECTOR, HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT: We have 24 offices in the state of Georgia and we do view Georgia as very competitive. It's clear the vice president is energizing and mobilizing our base. It's also true that Republicans, excuse me, Donald Trump and the ticket, have problems with Republicans in Georgia. Look at Geoff Duncan, who is a statewide official in that state who's repeated Trump's record and made it clear he's not fit for office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, the vice president is expected to be joined by Democratic lawmakers and officials, but she's also bringing the star power. She will also be there with Megan Thee Stallion. So, this is a rally that they're hoping again can energize voters and a rally that they hope will bring big, big turnout.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for your reporting there from the White House.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is the chair of the DCCC, the House Democrat's campaign arm, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene of Washington.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for coming in.

So, the DCCC says it had its best day of the cycle in the first 24 hours after Biden's announcement that he was stepping aside. One of the best online fundraising days in the House Democratic campaign arm's history. If vulnerable Democratic seats are better off with Harris at the top of the ticket now, how much better off would you describe it?

REP. SUZAN DELBENE (D-WA): Well, there is a ton of energy and enthusiasm all across the country. People know what's at stake this election. Our rights, our freedoms, our democracy, and our future. And so that energy, enthusiasm turning out every vote is so important in battleground districts across the country because we know that when people hear our message, we win.

And, number one, we've got to make sure people hear that and those resources that are coming into our campaigns make a huge difference. We've been outracing Republicans on the House side all this cycle. And when people hear our message, and we are able to turn out the vote, we win. So, that excitement and enthusiasm is going to be really important as we head into November.

BOLDUAN: House Democrats have to win four more seats if all incumbents are re-elected to retake the House majority. How much of an impact does a VP pick have on those chances?

DELBENE: Well, actually, I think our candidates are really authentic candidates running in their districts. So, these are very local races. But definitely the enthusiasm at the top of the ticket, the energy out there to turn out the vote is important. So, the top of the ticket will be important, but the most powerful thing in our battleground districts are our candidates themselves. They are strong voices for their communities and they're independent thinkers. And that makes a huge difference.

People can sense that, and they know how important it is to elect someone who understands their district.

BOLDUAN: Not that whoever Kamala Harris would pick would hurt any one Democrat in one of these - in one of these districts. Do you think a VP pick could make a - have a significant impact on helping in any of these places? I mean, I know a lot of the - a lot of the swing - the swing districts, or the crossover districts aren't really in the states that we're talking about, these VP candidates are, but still.

DELBENE: Well, I - you know, there are a lot of great options for a Vice President Harris to pick from. So, she's going to make the best selection as she looks at all of the various candidates. But I think there are strong options that really articulate the contrast that's so important this election between extremism and dysfunction and folks who want to govern and stand up for families and the middle class. And so I think all of her options are - are strong options and - and I'm excited to hear her choice.

BOLDUAN: Project 2025, we know that the DCCC is seeking to tie swing district Republicans to Project 2025 with now less than 100 days left to the election. Started circulating a memo this weekend accusing Republicans of pushing this. Donald Trump says that that is not true, that they're not pushing Project 2025. Chris Lacivita, the campaign manager, made clear during - especially during the convention that they were distancing themselves from the document at the convention.

[09:10:06]

Do you think this is what sticks with voters? Because many, you have to assume, still don't know what you're talking about when you say Project 2025.

DELBENE: Well, when people hear what their plans are, they are strongly against it. And we are seeing that more and more across the country, people's concerns about the Republican agenda and their support for Project 2025. You know, they have been very clear that they want to take away reproductive rights across the country, put in place a nationwide abortion ban. You've heard Donald Trump talk about his immunity and ability to do whatever he wants. He even talked about, if folks vote this cycle, they never have to vote again. This idea of kind of unchecked presidential powers, gutting Medicare under - overwhelming or taking over or undermining Social Security. All of these things are things that are part of the agenda of Project 2025, and things that Republicans have been working on already.

So, I think it's important that we hear what they're saying. They're extreme. We talk about the issues that they continue to push in Congress, like taking away reproductive freedom. And we've seen that across the country. Iowa put in place one of the strongest abortion bans just yesterday.

So, as House Democrats, we have opportunities. In fact, we have two great pickup opportunities in Iowa. Abortion's also going to be on the ballot. We have a strong messenger in Vice President Harris on standing up for reproductive freedom. And so that also will be a strong issue for folks as we head into November.

BOLDUAN: Republicans are definitely making clear that in terms of talking about extreme, that is how they are describing Vice President Harris. Republicans are leaning hard on a 62nd ad which started running I believe yesterday in Pennsylvania by the Republican Senate candidate there. Part of it, a laundry list of statements that Harris has made in the past in 2019 and 2020. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The nonpartisan GovTrack has rated you as the most liberal senator.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am prepared to get rid of the filibuster to pass the green new deal.

There's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you ban offshore drilling?

HARRIS: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Now, Harris' campaign has said that she no longer - she would not ban fracking. But I think the question then becomes, as "The New York Times" put it is, does Harris of four years ago, is Harris about to haunt the Harris and the down-ballot of 2024 with those statements?

DELBENE: Well, I actually think when we talk about extreme, Republicans are the definition of extreme. And we're going to drive that contrast. I mean we have - we're not in session this week in the House because Republicans who are in the majority are incapable of governing. They can't even agree with each other. We've seen chaos and dysfunction this entire Congress. They want to put in place a nationwide abortion ban. They are continuing to undermine our economy. You heard Donald Trump talk about wanting to put tariffs and basically raise costs for American families.

This is the Republican agenda. And so I think that contrast is very, very clear. We're driving that contrast. Vice President Harris is going to prosecute the case versus Donald Trump and House Democrats are going to prosecute the case verses House Republicans and Republican candidates across the country for their extremism.

Folks want to see governance work. They want us to find solutions to the problems that Americans face. That's what we've come to Congress to do. We're going to elect more people who want to do that, take back the majority in the House, and work with president Harris to get that done.

BOLDUAN: Very clearly going to see more of that contrast playing out on the airwaves and on the campaign trail from here on out.

Thank you so much for coming in, Congresswoman.

John.

BERMAN: The newly discovered comments by J.D. Vance about childless Americans. He calls them, quote, "more sociopathic" and "less mentally stable." Today, we could see the first major effort by Congress in decades to

hold social media companies accountable. New reporting on the bipartisan push to keep kids safe online.

And then they came from the sea, or maybe they came from the other direction. To be honest, I'm not really sure where they came from. But the important thing is they showed up and they terrorized unsuspecting Rhode Island beachgoers. We have a survivor of this onslaught here. Her dramatic story ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:18]

BOLDUAN: More sociopathic, less mentally stable, miserable. A new CNN Kfile report finds the J.D. Vance's childless cat ladies was not a one-off. He has a history of disparaging remarks about people without children.

CNN's Alayna Treene has much more on this. She's joining us now.

So, Alayna, walk us through what the Kfile team found.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean it's a stunning report from the Kfile team. They did a great job on this.

But you're exactly right, Kate, essentially what they found was that, you know, despite Vance last week trying to clean up his remarks and saying that those comments to Tucker Carlson in 2021 about childless cat ladies, that wasn't a one-time thing. He has had a history of saying multiple, similar things, calling people without children sociopathic, psychotic.

[09:20:05]

I want you to take a listen to what he told this podcast in 2020.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are just these basic cadences of life that I think are really powerful and really, really valuable when you have kids in your life.

And the fact that so many people, especially in America's leadership class, just don't have that in their lives, you know, I worry that it makes people more sociopathic and ultimately our whole country a little bit less - less mentally stable.

And of course, you talk about going on Twitter. Final point I'll make is, you go on Twitter and almost always the people who are most deranged and most psychotic are people who don't have kids at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Kate, just, I mean, stunning remarks from Donald Trump's running mate. And I'll tell you this. I've spoken to both Vance's team, as well as

the Trump campaign extensively about some of these comments and having them resurface. And what I've been told is, look, of course they are not happy with these remarks coming to light and being resurfaced, especially on really what it was - was J.D. Vance's first real week on the campaign trail after being announced as Trump's running mate. And so, you know, at the same time, though, they're saying that Vance is not being reconsidered, that Donald Trump is not thinking of having someone else be named his running mate. But I do think that they're going to continue to try, of course, clean these up and see what they can do to try to move the media narrative away from these comments.

BOLDUAN: Yes, that's right.

And also there's new reporting - J.D. Vance's team is responding now, Alayna, to the reporting from "The Washington Post" about what he said in a private fundraiser to donors about the impact of Kamala Harris kind of taking over the top of the ticket.

Let me play this for everyone from "The Washington Post."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch.

The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might say, Kamala Harris is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Alayna, this is the exact opposite of what we just heard from Donald Trump say in an interview with Laura Ingraham last night.

TREENE: And this is remarkable reporting from Isaac Arnsdorf at "The Washington Post." I mean it's very clear that what they are saying publicly is not necessarily what they believe privately. And that's totally exemplified by what J.D. Vance said in that private donor meeting.

Look, it also is in line with what I'm hearing from Donald Trump's team. They acknowledge that of course Kamala Harris is an entirely different opponent and they do think it's going to be more challenging to face off against her, especially after they've seen some of the enthusiasm after her becoming the apparent, you know, successor of Joe Biden.

I can tell you that after that June 27th CNN debate, Donald Trump's team was incredibly confident. They were essentially measuring the drapes for November. And now they're not as sure and they are, of course, still trying to figure out how they're going to define her. Something they're also struggling with.

I do want to quickly read this statement, though, from Vance's spokesperson in response to that "Washington Post" reporting. They wrote, quote, "poll after poll shows President Trump leading Kamala Harris as voters become aware of her weak, failed and dangerously liberal agenda. Her far-left ideas are even more radioactive than Joe Biden, particularly in the key swing states that will decide this election like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin."

And so that's their response to this. But again, I mean, he said it himself, he's saying whatever we might say, it's clear that she's much younger and she's an entirely different opponent. And so I think that gives you kind of all the insight you need, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, definitely not denying what was said on the tape. Case closed.

TREENE: You got it.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Alayna. Thank you.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, with me now to continue this discussion is Michael Blake, former Democratic National Committee vice chair, and Liam Donovan, former aide for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Thank you, gentlemen, both for being here.

Michael, I'm going to start with you.

J.D. Vance's past comments, the people that are most deranged and most psychotic are people that don't have children. He's now not only attacking women, he's attacking anyone who doesn't have kids. How big of a gift is this to the Democrats?

MICHAEL BLAKE, CEO, KAIROS DEMOCRACY GROUP: Oh, it's the gift that keeps on giving. I mean J.D.'s going to need a cat when they take a loss in November because he's going to keep talking like this, it's only going to help us. It's sexist. It's derogatory. He's clearly not walking away from this.

And let's also be clear, Sara, he doubled down on this multiple times. He truly believes this. And so for anyone who doesn't have a biological child, he is making it very clear that you can't take care of families.

Now, let's make sure we're clear on the contrast. Vice President Harris leads the Maternal Health Taskforce. She leads on homeownership. She's clearly the highest ranking woman to serve in this nation's history. And so to say that she can't help families, let's be very clear, when she's commander in chief, she's going to help more families than J.D. Vance ever did with his books.

[09:25:04]

SIDNER: She also is a stepmother, and that's sort of been swept aside as not being a mother.

BLAKE: Yes, they called her Momala. I mean, let's be clear about that.

SIDNER: Right.

Let me let - Liam, I'm going to go to you next. But first I want you to hear how Vance talked about this and tried to clean this up just recently. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The simple point that I made is that having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother, I really do think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way.

People are focusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance of what I actually said. And the substance of what I said, Megan, I'm sorry, it's true. It is true that we become anti-family. It is true that the left has become anti-child.

A lot of liberals and a lot of people on the left will say, well, we can just replace American children with - with immigrants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: So, he did not really clean it up there. There are 21 million women in the United States between the ages of I think 20 and 39 from the data I looked up in 2022 that had not given birth. Is this a real liability for Donald Trump's campaign?

LIAM DONOVAN, FORMER AIDE, NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE: Well, look, I think it's a reflection of two things. Number one is the political incentives on the right of trying to build a name for yourself. It plays to a glibness and a tone that doesn't really play when it comes to national politics. But this also reflects the fact that Donald Trump has been able to say and do whatever he's wanted for about nine years. And Democrats have found sort of a soft spot on this ticket. And by going after J.D. Vance, he's judged by a different standard than Donald Trump does.

My question is, why has it been two weeks without - without J.D. Vance really taking the opportunity to reintroduce himself. You know, I like J.D. Vance. I supported him in his Senate campaign. I see a lot of myself in him as a millennial dad. I think his family is probably the best thing he brings to this ticket. But he hasn't been able to be out there and introduce himself to most of the country, which hasn't really met him. They might have a vague notion of who he is. But they're really seeding the playing field to Democrats. And I think it's a mistake. They need to get on an offensive message and reintroduced J.D. in a proactive way, not a reactive way, trying to play cleanup. If you're explaining, you're loosing.

SIDNER: I - just on following that, can he be reintroduced, Michael? I mean these comments have said over and over and over again. It's kind of hard to clean something up that you keep repeating over time.

BLAKE: Let's be clear, the subtitle of his book, when we're talking about reintroducing himself, is "A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis." He was talking about himself.

SIDNER: Right.

BLAKE: So, the notion that somehow childless cat ladies are not - it's absurd. It's sexist. And let's make very clear, it's derogatory and racist that now he's saying, well, it's immigrant children are going to be doing this. And so, at the end of the day, they had to - they did a terrible vetting job. They clearly were not prepared for the moment. And they have a disastrous candidate for their VP nominee, which will make it much easier for Kamala Harris to become president of the United States.

SIDNER: I want to ask you one more question about Vance. His former classmate was on with Erin Burnett last night. They were in Yale together. And he said - he showed all these emails and text message between him and J.D. Vance at the time, and they were very personal. But in it, some of those text messages said things like, you know, he hates - that J.D. Vance hates the police. And there are some shifting views that you start to notice.

Can you imagine at any time Kamala Harris using the words "I hate police" and that not being used by the other side?

BLAKE: It would be disastrous. And let's be clear, the so-called law and order party is ignoring the fact that they have a VP nominee who literally wrote and said to his friends he hates the police. So, I don't want to hear any more about us being liberal, us being left in saying that in regard. And to your question, there is no scenario where they would not be up and down TV losing their mind talking about us if they ever had a black woman talking about, she hates the police. They want to talk about her being a prosecutor. Maybe they should get their house in order first.

SIDNER: Liam, what do you think Republicans need to do to deal with Kamala Harris? Because it seems like the messaging keeps changing. It's like they're trying to find the attack, but they haven't found it yet.

DONOVAN: You know, they've been slow. They've been on the backfoot. As J.D. Vance mentioned, it was a bit of a sucker punch. I think they - they weren't surprised by the shift away from Biden. They were - they were surprised by the - how quickly people have coalesced around Kamala Harris. They thought they were going to have a few more weeks of chaos to exploit. But I think they really need to coordinate this message.

I think it's pretty clear from the best message we've seen up on the air, that needs to be communicated and distributed. The surrogates are not on message. There need to organize this and really prosecute the case against Kamala Harris because she is not defined in the way that Joe Biden was, but that means that the American people need to hear the case against her. There's plenty to work with in her own words, she has staked out positions that are out of step with the mainstream. That's what people need to be reminded of. And that's what I expect to see for the next 99 days.

SIDNER: It's interesting -

BLAKE: That doesn't - that doesn't make sense. How are you going to prosecute a prosecutor? That's what I'm saying, they don't have their messaging tight. Even their own surrogates can't even get it right. I mean the reality is, they're - they're in complete disaster.

[09:29:59]

The notion that they're saying they weren't prepared for the vice president to be running, that just shows where they're at right now. And they - they have no message. They have no argument.