Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Interview With Harris/Walz Campaign Senior Adviser David Plouffe; Interview With Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; Kamala Harris Announces Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as V.P. Pick. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired August 06, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Ready to run.

Hours from now, Vice President Harris will take the stage with her new V.P. pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. We will look at who he is, why he is the pick, and why strategists are divided over the choice.

Bounce-back mode for markets? After stocks plummeted yesterday, investors looking for some stability today, but concerns about the U.S. economy remain.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: And Debby's downpour. The storm is dumping potentially historic amounts of rain on coastal cities, raising fears of catastrophic flooding. And at least one dam is at risk of failing.

We're following these major development stories and more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

KEILAR: The Democratic presidential ticket is now officially set. Vice President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate.

And in the next hour, Harris will head to Philadelphia to join her new vice presidential pick for their first joint campaign rally to mark this pivotal moment. This afternoon's event is the first stop of a five-state campaign blitz of several key battleground states.

Walz's selection capping the Midwestern Democrats short, but meteoric rise from a relative unknown on the national stage to a leading voice of the party's attacks on former President Trump and the MAGA agenda.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is joining us now from Philadelphia.

All right, Jeff, walk us through how we got here.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, it was a short and sweet rise at least for Governor Tim Walz, really over a period of the last two weeks. He went from being a third-tier contender in the ranks of potential

running mates to being her first choice. I am told that happened largely through his record, largely through his record as governor of Minnesota. He's been very progressive for the last two years in a second term, but he started out in the House of Representatives being elected to a district that had been represented by Republicans, so sort of the span from moderate Democrat to progressive Democrat.

He believes that you should use your political capital for a reason. That's what he said at the end of the last legislative session in Minnesota. He believes that you should not let it go to waste. So he signed many progressive bills into law, but progressives across the agenda really throughout the Democratic Party and moderates as well rallied behind him.

It was quite an internal campaign over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. But I am told, at the end of the day, Vice President Harris simply found an authenticity with Governor Walz. She warmed to him immediately when she was interviewing him on Sunday.

They have not known each other all that well, but she saw him as a governing partner. I'm told that none of the final contenders really moved the needle in terms of polling who could help one place or the other. And that's a reminder that this is Vice President Harris' race to win or lose.

She is at the top of the ticket. But she believes, by bringing on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who has been very successful in some of those old Obama counties, if you will, in the middle of America that have turned red in the last decade or so, he has won over many of those voters.

So they believe that he is a good sort of contrast not only to Vice President Kamala Harris, but also to Donald Trump and to Ohio Senator J.D. Vance -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Jeff Zeleny live for us from Philadelphia for this big day, thank you so much.

Maybe he didn't move the needle in polling, but a lot of momentum for Tim Walz, and it certainly pushed him over the finish line.

JIMENEZ: A lot of momentum.

And, lucky for us, we have ways that we can measure some of that momentum, especially over the past few years.

That's why I have got CNN political director David Chalian here with us to dive a little bit deeper into what we have got here.

So can you just take us through the district where Governor Tim Walz served when he was in Congress?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I will get there.

JIMENEZ: OK.

CHALIAN: But just before we get here, I just want to show you this is a recent poll just out August 4 here, NPR/PBS/ Marist poll, about the opinion of Governor Walz. This is overall among Americans, OK?

Seventy-one percent have no opinion. That's how largely unknown Tim Walz is to the American people. That's going to change. That number is going to come down a lot over the next 92 days.

(CROSSTALK)

CHALIAN: What matters here is, what do these numbers look like in 92 days, right? So as he becomes more well-known, is it with a favorable impression or an unfavorable impression?

And, Omar, let me just show you also here what that is among Democrats, because what I showed you there was among everyone. Among Democrats, he's very favorable versus unfavorable, 31 percent favorable, 7 percent unfavorable, but still even among Democrats, more than six in 10 Democrats have no opinion of him.

That -- he is really known in Minnesota, not really well-known that much out of Minnesota. And favorable, 7 percent of variable, but still even among Democrats, more than six in 10 Democrats have no opinion of him. That -- he is really known in Minnesota, not really well-known that much out of Minnesota.

[13:05:10]

So that is why there's going to be a battle to define him now as the race goes forward. To your question about his district, this is from 2022. He was not running for the House, obviously, in 2022. But if you take a look here in the First Congressional District, you see here the Republican Congressman, he won by, what is that, 11 points, 11.5 percentage points.

This is -- it has gotten more Republican over the years since Tim Walz represented this district. But when he won this district back in 2006, he defeated an incumbent Republican congressman by more than five points. It was a Republican-leaning district then as well, and Tim Walz was able to win it.

JIMENEZ: And so -- I know we talked about 2022. Is there anything that we can learn from the governor's race in 2022 that might apply here?

CHALIAN: Yes.

So let's go back into Minnesota here. This is what the governor's race was for his reelect.

JIMENEZ: OK.

CHALIAN: He won here 52.3 percent to 44.6 percent. About 7.5 points or so there is what he won by. He actually had a bigger margin of victory in his initial run in 2018. It was a bigger Democratic year than 2022 was, but he still wins reelection with a very healthy margin and considerably more votes than the Republican did there.

And when you look at that, you just say -- and I'm going to just pull out here and if I can get to the 2020 presidential map -- here's Minnesota, right?

JIMENEZ: Yes.

CHALIAN: So, when you look at this blue wall here of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, these three states have a lot of similarity with Minnesota, especially Michigan and Wisconsin.

I can imagine, Omar, given Walz's success in winning over a place like Minnesota, we're going to see him for the next 92 days parked in that line of blue wall states that are so critical.

JIMENEZ: So let's stay there here. What is that crossover appeal? Do you think he can help Kamala Harris solidify some of those states? Or will he be seen as too progressive by some?

CHALIAN: There's no doubt that Republicans are going to argue that he is a radical lefty liberal. They're starting to do it already.

And there is a progressive record that he has with the Democratic legislature in Minnesota, where he signed a lot of progressive bills into law. He's going to wear a lot of that as a badge of honor, of course. But they are -- the Republicans are going to try to paint him that way.

The reality is, his electoral success in Minnesota has been at the hands of not just unifying Democrats, but winning over independents and some Republicans as well. That's what he and Harris hopes he will translate to the more critical states they need to win this election.

JIMENEZ: And, of course, the big question was Pennsylvania and whether this would move the needle in some ways in Pennsylvania or help Kamala Harris win it.

Josh Shapiro was obviously, we knew, in the running here. Is there any sense that the Trump camp is breathing a sigh of relief that it's not Josh Shapiro? I'm wondering how that side is interpreting the news that we have got.

CHALIAN: Well, every Republican I was talking to in the days leading up to this really thought that Shapiro would pose a strong pick for Harris and concern to them because of Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes.

Now, had Harris been -- had Shapiro been the pick, Omar, no guarantee that the Democratic ticket would have won Pennsylvania. Yes, he's a very popular incumbent governor there. But what she went with here was somebody that obviously she feels very comfortable joining as a governing partner should they win, thinking about working with him for the next four or eight years in the White House, and somebody that she thinks can appeal to a whole swathe of Americans, not just playing for one state, but hopefully across this whole Midwest region.

JIMENEZ: Well, it was veepstakes for weeks to this point. Now we have our answer. Now the campaigning begins.

CHALIAN: Yes.

JIMENEZ: David Chalian, really appreciate it -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, joining us now is David Plouffe in his first interview since he became senior adviser to the Harris/Walz campaign. David, of course, served as a senior adviser in the Obama White House and was campaign manager for the Obama 2008 campaign.

David, great to have you

And this is a huge day. Walz, of course, was very moderate in Congress. He represented a district that certainly was more conservative than he was before and after. Then he did adopt more progressive policies as governor. Do you think that makes him appealing across the spectrum? Or could it turn off some moderate Republicans that he shifted left?

DAVID PLOUFFE, SENIOR ADVISER, HARRIS/WALZ CAMPAIGN: Well, Brianna, he's shown great electoral strength winning his House district, as you mentioned -- that's a Trump 15 district -- and winning twice in very comfortable fact in Minnesota, which is not a deep blue state.

But, listen, what he did as governor, the first state to ensure constitutional protections after Roe v. Wade got overturned by Donald Trump's court, passing the largest tax cut in Minnesota history aimed at middle class and working families, paid medical leave, capping the cost of insulin. These are seen as mainstream, extraordinarily popular accomplishments.

[13:10:03]

So -- and I think they dovetail very nicely with both Kamala Harris' record and what she's promising to do as president. So I think he's going to be a huge asset. He can campaign anywhere in the country. I think he's got a skill as a communicator, and he's accomplished real things for working people in Minnesota.

KEILAR: We pay so much attention to these picks. There is some debate, obviously, about whether they move the needle.

And, certainly, we have heard recently from Trump where he said that it does not. Do you think that Harris picking Walz will move the needle for her in a positive way?

PLOUFFE: Well, Brianna, pretty telling that Donald Trump just weeks after his announcement is basically trying to suggest the most important decision he's made so far in this campaign doesn't matter, so pretty remarkable.

So, listen, history suggests -- and I have been through this personally -- this is about the top of the ticket. Most voters are going to vote based on their views of Harris and Trump and who they think is going to be better for their family and their future. But the vice president does have an important role. First of all, if

you make a mistake, historically, that's where it's made the biggest impact. And, right now, J.D. Vance is the least popular vice presidential choice this soon after being picked in American political history. Pretty extraordinary.

They need to do well in the debate, assuming J.D. Vance actually debates. Trump looks like he wants to be a coward and run. But if Vance debates, you will want Tim Walz to do well in that debate. I think he can.

To campaign hard in every corner of every state. And that can help,because it's another person, particularly, I think, Walz's background. He's got -- and I think this is what makes him as good as a governing partner. He's got D.C. experience, was the ranking member on the Veterans Affairs committee, but also experience as a governor.

Kamala Harris also has state experience. What's interesting, by the way, the Trump/Vance ticket, the only public service experience they have is in Washington. Interesting coming from the person who likes to talk about the swamp.

So I think he's really able to talk about: Hey, I have been in a state. I have seen what these policies can matter.

Kamala Harris has the right vision for America, but I think he's going to be very compelling. And, listen, campaigns are about a lot of things, the right policy, the right message, the right allocation of resources. But it's also about the performance of your principals.

And I think Kamala Harris is off to an extraordinarily strong start in that regard. And I think Tim Walz is going to really light it up, up there in the seven battleground states and the Second Congressional District of Nebraska.

KEILAR: He may have a vulnerability in the response to the protests and riots that we saw in Minnesota. The bipartisan Minnesota Senate report found that Walz and the Minneapolis mayor failed to realize the seriousness of the riots and failed to act in a timely manner to confront rioters with necessary force.

I also want you to listen to something that J.D. Vance had to say about this very thing this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They make an interesting tag team, because, of course, Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020, and then the few who got caught, Kamala Harris helped bail them out of jail.

So it is more instructive for what it says about Kamala Harris, that she doesn't care about the border, she doesn't care about crime, she doesn't care about American energy, and most importantly, she doesn't care about the Americans who have been made to suffer under those policies. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What is your response to that line of questioning specifically related to the response in Minnesota?

PLOUFFE: Well, listen, Governor Walz has spoken to this and he will continue to speak to it. Obviously, that was an unprecedented situation.

And I think, on balance, he handled that as well as we could. It was a moving event, by the way, much better than Donald Trump, who basically incited Americans, didn't bring us together and threatened to bring in the military, number one.

Number two, every time I hear J.D. Vance, he does remind me of someone, which is kind of, I think, endemic of this modern Republican Party. Their talking points, what they say, they're only used to being in their own little soft, protected, cuddly bubble of FOX News and Sinclair Broadcasting and these other outlets.

And so the things they say don't comport with the things Americans believe or I think who Americans are going to see Kamala Harris as. Energy, America's obviously succeeding in all fronts in terms of energy production. And she's going to double down on that, kind of an all of the above as we make that important transition to alternative energy.

So I think J.D. Vance is someone who's a flawed messenger. And I'm excited both about what Tim Walz is going to be able to do to support Kamala Harris when they campaign together and separately, but also that matchup for people, because this choice, it does say something about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in terms, of all the people in their party, who could they have picked?

By the way, Donald Trump is the oldest nominee in American political history now. So it's a fair question to ask, is J.D. Vance the kind of person you would want to succeed him? I think the question so far is unequivocally no. And is he going to be an asset on the campaign trail? And I think so far the answer is no.

I think Tim Walz could be an excellent governing partner to Kamala Harris and a real asset here over these next 92 days.

[13:15:03]

KEILAR: According to CNN reporting, as Harris was going through the vetting process, she was impressed in part by Walz for being a happy- go-lucky warrior and for his joyful presence.

As you are well aware, Obama ran very effectively on a positive message. How much will that define this race, Harris running with optimism, against the darker tone of Trump's? And do you think that that will work at this moment?

PLOUFFE: Well, Brianna, that's a great question. So, I do think Kamala Harris will obviously speak to exactly why she

picked Governor Walz. But I think the two of them, they are serious people with serious accomplishments, serious proposals for the future, and I think a serious contrast with the destruction that Trump and Vance would bring on this country.

But they're optimists. They're optimists about American businesses, about American workers, about American families. I think they enjoy being with people. And I think Trump and Vance is probably the darkest ticket we have seen maybe in history, certainly in recent history.

And at the end of the day, I don't think that's going to work. I think that they don't seem like happy warriors. They blame everybody for everything. They paint a picture of the country that's not realistic. They paint a picture of their opponents that's not realistic.

And so, at the end of the day, I think going out there -- and, yes, the country has serious challenges and serious opportunities. And I think both Kamala Harris and Governor Walz will speak to those with good policy, with good ideas, with serious of intention, but in a way that is optimistic, that believes in America, that believes in Americans, and believes better days are ahead.

And that is a huge contrast. And I think that will be a powerful weapon in the closing weeks and months of this campaign.

KEILAR: We can't help but note that the gang's all here. There have been a lot of Obama world hires when it comes to the Harris campaign, yourself included. She has been talking to Obama, we have also learned, increasingly.

Is the Harris coalition the same as Obama's, or what is different in the Trump era about it?

PLOUFFE: Well, I think, Brianna, first of all, I think in the last couple weeks you have seen people in the Democratic Party, people in the private sector a lot of excitement. People want to get involved and help, which is great. And I'm one of those people.

I think every election is a little bit different. So I think how Kamala Harris gets to 270 will have some similarities with Barack Obama, but she's also going to have to look at what Joe Biden was able to do. So the recipe to win 270 electoral votes, it's super hard to do, but it's not that complicated.

You obviously have to maximize your vote share and turnout in areas and states where you're going to do well. So, instead of winning 74, you win 76. You max turnout. You win the swing areas, you win the middle. I think Harris and Walz have a very good opportunity to do that, because I think a lot of moderate voters agree with them more on policy and really don't want a return of Donald Trump.

And then you have to minimize your loss where your opponent is going to do well. This is something I think was underappreciated about Barack Obama. Yes, he was able to drive huge margins out of cities and suburban areas, but he was able to lose rural and exurban counties by a smaller margin. And that's one of the reasons Joe Biden won in 2020 is he was able to limit Trump's margins there a little bit more than Hillary Clinton was.

So it's going to be all of that. To win the presidency is an all-of- the-above strategy, but I think Kamala Harris, we have already seen a significant increase in the last couple of weeks amongst enthusiasm, number one, her vote share amongst younger voters, number two, her vote share amongst voters of color, number three.

And I think she's holding on to where Joe Biden did have some electoral strength with suburban voters and seniors. So it's going to require all of that to win. And I think Tim Walz will be able to help with all of that.

But, again, we have seen this race move pretty significantly over the last couple of weeks. It's still going to be close. It's still going to come down to a small number of people in a small number of states. And I think Kamala Harris has built a great campaign, along with Jen O'Malley Dillon, the campaign chair, to win a close race.

And so I'm excited about that kind of movement. It's now something where you can see. The other thing I'd say, Brianna, yes, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin critical, but we are back to having North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada being absolutely winnable states for Kamala Harris.

And that's incredibly important when you're running a campaign, because you want to get multiple pathways to 270. And that's, again, been another change in the last couple of weeks.

KEILAR: Well, David, it is a big day for the campaign. And we thank you so much for being with us and taking the time.

David Plouffe, thank you.

So, ahead, what more we're hearing from the Trump campaign, as Republicans are rushing to try to define Governor Tim Walz.

[13:20:00]

Plus, Wall Street bouncing back from its worst day in nearly two years. While investors may be breathing easier, a new report shows how American households are being slammed by high interest rates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The Trump campaign wasted no time going after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, releasing a new attack video moments after Vice President Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: Kamala Harris just doubled down on her radical vision for America by tapping another left-wing extremist as her V.P. nominee.

Tim Walz will be a rubber stamp for Kamala's dangerously liberal agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:25:03]

JIMENEZ: And it goes without saying her name is pronounced Kamala Harris.

But Republican vice presidential hopeful J.D. Vance has also come out swinging, speaking at a campaign event last hour in Philadelphia.

That's where we find CNN's Kristen Holmes.

So, Kristen, what was Vance's response to Walz joining the Democratic ticket?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar and Brianna, it's the same as what we have heard across the board among Republicans and as well as the Trump campaign.

They are essentially painting him as a radical liberal. Remember, the line of attack that we have heard from Donald Trump -- he has been trying numerous attacks on Kamala Harris, but the one that he has said over and over again is that she is a radical liberal, far left of President Joe Biden, she was from California, basically linking all of that together.

And now, because Governor Walz is supported by progressives, they are putting him in with her. And this is what they said in a statement here. They said: "It's no surprise that San Francisco liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State. If Walz won't tell the voters the truth, we will. Just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist. And the Harris/Walz California dream is every American's nightmare."

This is something we're hearing across the board here. They are pulling out every single policy that Walz has ever been in approval of, everything that he has ever agreed to, every agenda item he had while in office and saying again that he is far left.

Now, in terms of J.D. Vance, he just echoed those remarks. One thing to note about J.D. Vance, part of the reason the campaign was so excited to have him on board was because they believed he could be an attack dog, he could be the tip of the spear for Donald Trump.

He hasn't really had an opportunity to do any of that because he himself has been under an enormous amount of scrutiny. They hope that that changes, so that he can actually play that bulldog role.

And one thing is, I did ask J.D. Vance if he would be willing to agree to a debate with Governor Tim Walz. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I absolutely want to debate Tim Walz, but I want to debate him actually after he's actually officially the nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, one thing to note there is that he had not agreed to debate Vice President Kamala Harris when she was the vice presidential nominee with President Joe Biden.

Obviously, now that is shifting. He says he will take the debate stage with Governor Walz. As we know, there is no debate set for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump at this time.

KEILAR: Yes, very interesting.

Kristen Holmes, thank you so much.

Let's talk about all of this now with CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton and former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mayor, what do you think about the pick?

BILL DE BLASIO (D), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Incredible pick, Brianna.

It's laughable that the Republicans are trying to paint a high school football coach, a National Guard member, all-American guy from -- born in Nebraska. Come on. They cannot paint this guy as some West Coast wannabe liberal. It's insane.

Tim Walz combines really impressive policy achievements with a great personality and a kind of amazing ability to get under the skin of what's wrong with Donald Trump. When he said that comment about the Republicans being weird at this moment, he tapped into something a lot of people are feeling, but he said it in this very straightforward, kind of honest, open way that registered.

So, I think Kamala Harris made a brilliant choice here.

JIMENEZ: And, Shermichael, I want to pick up there, because, as the mayor was saying, how could you paint someone like this as a West Coast wannabe, dangerously liberal? That's exactly what Trump's campaign is starting with.

And I just want to -- in that space, who does that resonate with? And do you think that resonates with the right voters?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I think that they're looking at some swing voters. I think they're looking at some non-college-educated white voters to attempt to draw a contrast based upon some of their potential concerns about the extent of how far liberal and progressive policies typically go.

I think one of the reasons the vice president likely chose Governor Walz is because I think he's probably going to be pretty effective at assisting her with appealing to a certain percent of white men. I think he will assist with helping her be more aggressive with getting her message in an effective way to some of those non-college-educated whites in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa.

And so I think, if you're looking at the three individuals, Senator Kelly, Shapiro and the governor, I think he probably was the best bet, if I were on the opposite side. So I'm actually looking forward, Omar, to this contest.

And, hopefully, the governor and J.D. Vance gets an opportunity to debate. I think that contrast of ideas are going to be very pivotal for those folks in the middle in terms of helping them make their decision.

JIMENEZ: And, Mayor, I mean, if you're sitting on Harris' team right now, I mean, look, you know the Republicans are going through Walz's record, pulling some of the most progressive policy achievements that he has on his side of things.