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Trump Repeatedly Slams Harris; Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) is Interviewed about Trump and Harris; Putin Vows Strong Response to Ukraine; Zelenskyy Says the War is Coming Home to Russia. Aired 9- 9:30a ET

Aired August 13, 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]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The new investigation.

And is this good news if you are thirsty in outer space and also have a giant drill. New evidence of water beneath the surface of Mars.

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

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: It began with 40 minutes of silence and then a Roe-pocalypse of politics. No matter how you frame it or what caused the glitch, what was finally said between Donald Trump and Elon Musk at last night's big X event can largely be defined as a rant filled with familiar lines and lines of attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Kamala wouldn't have this conversation. She can't because she's not smart.

ELON MUSK, CEO, X: No.

TRUMP: You know, she's not a smart person.

She is a radical left, San Francisco liberal. And now she's trying to protect - now she's looking like she's - she wants to be more Trump than Trump, if that's possible. I don't think it's possible. But she wants to be more Trump than Trump.

MUSK: Well -

TRUMP: She's terrible, but she's getting a free ride.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: All right, but did it do what it was designed to do, which was to put the brakes on Harris' momentum, or did it help the case that she's been making? Alayna Treene and Isaac Dovere are leading us off.

First to you, Alayna.

You know, are they thinking mission accomplished with this conversation or what are folks saying?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, there's a few things they wanted to accomplish, Sara. One is that it's been no secret that Donald Trump has been eager to steal the spotlight back from Harris' campaign. We've been reporting, and you and I have been talking about this, that he's been frustrated over the last several weeks with the amount of enthusiasm he's seen Harris enjoy, and that it's been sustained longer than I think the campaign had anticipated. So, that was one - a part of this.

The other part, of course, is this was Donald Trump's triumphant return to X. He was initially banned in the aftermath of January 6th. Elon Musk was the one who reinstated Donald Trump's Twitter account once he took over. But this was really Donald Trump's first foray back onto the website.

And I'm told part of that is they are trying as hard as they can to attract all different voters. And X is one way to further amplify his message ahead of November. And you could see him trying to court this part of the internet.

And then, of course, he's also been fostering this relationship with Elon Musk, who recently endorsed him. He's one of the wealthiest people in the world. And so, there's benefits to that as well.

And what we really saw happen last night in this conversation was the two of them bro out. You know, we -- I talked to many people on Donald Trump's campaign, but also many of his allies, and they said, this is what Donald Trump sounds like when you're having a phone conversation with him. It was very clear that he was comfortable. It was a casual setting. I mean it was two hours long, so a very long phone conversation if we're going to relate it to that. But they talked about a number of things.

The only thing that I found - you know, my big takeaway was that, we didn't learn anything new. I think that they were billing this as, you know, some sort of, you know, once in a lifetime conversation, something that could make a lot of news. Donald Trump didn't make news. Instead, he aired a lot of the same grievances and attacks that we've heard him make repeatedly on the campaign trail. He went after Harris. He criticized her on the border. He called her not that smart.

He also attacked Joe Biden frequently, even though Biden is no longer his opponent. I want you to take a listen to just a little bit of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This was a coup.

ELON MUSK, CEO, X: Yes.

TRUMP: This was a coup of a president of the United States. He didn't want to leave.

MUSK: Yes.

TRUMP: And they said we can do it that nice way or we can do it the hard way.

MUSK: No. Yes. No, I'm - they just took him out back behind he shed, and basically shot him, yes that's (ph) what they did with Biden. So -

TRUMP: Oh, what they did with this guy.

MUSK: Yes.

TRUMP: And I'm no fan of his. And he was a horrible president, the worst president in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, there's a couple of underlining things there, Sara. But the big one is that, you know, when I've been reporting this out, it's clear that regardless of Donald Trump saying on the campaign trail that he thinks Harris might be easier to beat, there's no question that Donald Trump has been repeatedly frustrated with this change with the top of the ticket, that Joe Biden is no longer the one he is facing off with.

And we heard some of that come out last night. But I think major takeaways from my point of view is we really didn't learn anything new. Musk through softball questions at him, even at some points tried to guide him toward answering certain campaign lines. And Donald Trump, instead, went on and talked about the same grievances we've all heard. So, not much new, but we definitely got a glimpse into the relationship between these two men.

SIDNER: Yes, and the only sort of policy thing, there were a couple, one of them was that he would close the Department of Education. So, bits of policy, but a lot of just bromance going on there.

Thank you so much, Alayna Treene.

Isaac Dovere is joining us as well.

Isaac, the Harris campaign was quick with a response after all of this.

[09:05:04]

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, and it goes to the way that the Harris campaign has been responding to Donald Trump in the last three weeks when she became the candidate, which is to have the candidate herself not really engaged with Donald Trump, except to knock him about a little bit in campaign speeches, but not get into it with him. Whereas to leave it to aides to kind of belittle him, denigrate him, trying to make Donald Trump seem like it's all part of a cynical circus sideshow. And that's what they were doing last night, making fun of the technical problems that they had, but also saying that it's just two self-obsessed rich guys that had - has nothing to do with where most Americans are. We will find out if that's true. Some of the numbers from last night

showed that up to 2 million people were watching that. It's hard to tell what the numbers actually are reflecting and what - how reliable they are. But if that's true, that's a lot of people. And not all of those people presumably would be die-hard Donald Trump supporters. So, in an election where things are going to come down to the wire, most people believe any group of voters that you can appeal to and get to through non-traditional means is of great appeal.

SIDNER: All right, Isaac Dovere, thank you to you and also to our Alayna Treene for that report.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me right now is the Democratic governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy.

It's good to see you, Governor. Thank you for coming in.

Elon Musk wrapped this conversation with Donald Trump saying this in part, that he thinks the country is, "at a fork in the road of destiny of civilization, and I think we need to take the right path, and I think you're the right path," he told Donald Trump.

Not a hard-hitting interview, but as Trump made the point to say he is doing interviews, Kamala Harris has not yet. Do you think that is becoming a problem for everyone's - for you all supporting Kamala Harris in that it's not just a scheduling issue?

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): You won't be surprised to hear, I had no time for the Musk-Trump interviews. So, I can't comment on any content. But, no, not at all. I think she's had an extraordinary several weeks. Tim Walz is an inspired pick. She's on a roll. She is - as he has said, she's brought joy back into the whole arena of politics. There'll be plenty of time to do interviews. And God knows one thing about last night, without having heard it, that was no interview. So, when she does interviews, she'll do it with real journalists like yourself.

BOLDUAN: Well, buttering me up will get you very far. So, thank you very much. Here we go.

No, the new poll - I do want to ask you about the new polling out of "The New York Times" in the Siena College. It shows that there is momentum behind the Harris campaign right now. This poll also shows the voters in battlegrounds still rank the economy, abortion, immigration as top issues, and that Donald Trump still leads on the economy and immigration in these key states.

Despite any data that has been put out there by Biden before Harris and now it would be coming from Harris and this administration, at this point can Kamala Harris say anything to make people feel differently about their economy because this is a big problem for the Harris campaign.

MURPHY: Yes, I think she can is the answer. And even though Trump may still have a slight lead in those polls, she's gaining ground on the economy as well. I think the "Financial Times" had her slightly ahead, and for good reason. She stands, as does Tim, for middle-class out, bottom up, believing in capitalism, period, full stop, but also believing that government can help at the edges. Whether its Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security. It can cushion what can sometimes be the brutal impacts of capitalism.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe that with all of their hearts. They've proven it and they will continue to prove it. And I think with the benefit of time over the next several months, I think you're going to see them prosecutor a very compelling case on the economy. That's not to say that they will ignore the hurt out there because the hurt is real. Inflation has been real. It's coming down. It's going in the right direction.

But there's also the reality that stuff still costs more than people feel like it should. And so I think the message they will deliver is, the economy is better in our hands. It's a pair of safe hands. The one thing you don't want if you're at the kitchen table or at the boardroom table is uncertainty or volatility. The other guys will bring you plenty of that. The Harris-Walz ticket will bring you a safe pair of hands, stability, exactly what America's kitchen table needs.

BOLDUAN: You know Tim Walz well. Republican Senator Eric Schmitt was just on speaking with John Berman.

[09:10:02]

And in that conversation he called Walz a socialist, says that he identifies himself as a socialist. I think what he's getting at is a comment made on a fundraising call at the end of July which - where he - when Walz said one person's socialism is another person's neighborliness. Is Tim Walz a socialist?

MURPHY: No. Tim - Time Walz - first of all, he's a great guy. What an inspired pick. He's a great governor. He's done an extraordinary job in Minnesota. He succeeded me as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. He's led that organization with distinction.

Look at his economic record. This is not the record of a socialist. Is this the record of a guy who believes government can play a role, particularly to cushion, as I mentioned, the bad side of capitalism? You betcha. But Minnesota has the lowest unemployment rate in the entire United States of America. That's not by accident. That's because of policies and laws that Tim Walz has led and signed. This guy gets that balance. A proud progressive, but also believes in the market - the free market system. And he's an incredible addition to the - to the Harris ticket.

BOLDUAN: In his first speeches as Kamala Harris' running mate, he talked about loving going to a Springsteen concert with Governor Josh Shapiro, who had just kind of warmed up the crowd before him. And then you jumped into confirm with photo evidence shortly after that you all were at a Springsteen concert together last year. What is the backstory here? MURPHY: We - we all - first of all, who is not a fan of The Boss. He's New Jersey's own. And what - we're quite - my wife and I are quite close to Tim and Gwen and to Josh and Lori. And we met Beto actually that night for the first time. And we knew they were Boss fans. The concerts in Philadelphia had been canceled due to Bruce's health. We had him at Met Life, and we said, come on over and join us and we had a ball. A classic three-hour Bruce Springsteen concert enjoyed with some great friends and great leaders.

BOLDUAN: I'll tell you, if anyone isn't a fan of The Boss, you don't say so publicly, especially in an interview with the governor of New Jersey. But I am a fan. Just -

MURPHY: Especially in Jersey, believe me.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. Exactly right.

All right, you have a decision before you, which is, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez resigning his seat next week after his criminal convictions. Have you decided at this point who you will appoint to serve out the rest of his term?

MURPHY: I have not, but I'm in the final stages. No news to report. But I promise folks it will be someone who will stand up for New Jersey's values and interests, and do a heck of a job. It's an interim appointment. As you - as you likely know, that that seat is actually on the ballot this November. Nut no news to make today. But I promise folks it be somebody who's got Jersey first in everything they do.

BOLDUAN: You don't need to say their name, but is it someone who maybe was your former chief of staff, or someone who is a former homeland security secretary, or someone you're married to?

MURPHY: It's not someone I'm married to. I can say that for sure. She went public a couple of weeks ago and said that she did not want to be considered. But beyond that, I'm going to have to leave you hanging.

BOLDUAN: So there's still a chance is what I'm hearing about your wife. No, I'm just kidding.

Governor, thank you so much for coming on. Look forward to hearing that announcement when it does come next week. Thank you.

John.

BERMAN: Narrowed it down there substantially. Very impressive.

All right, Russian President Vladimir Putin is now vowing to respond after Ukrainian troops launched a successful surprise incursion into Russian territory.

This morning, the FBI is investigating and attempted hack into the private emails of the Trump campaign. We've got new reporting on who may be to blame.

Plus, what is the wildest conversation you have ever had in front of an Uber driver? Unless your answer is one with former President Donald Trump, CNN's Kaitlan Collins probably has you beat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:18:37]

BOLDUAN: Russian President Vladimir Putin is vowing strong retaliation after Ukrainian forces seized dozens of Russian villages over the last week. A Russian official saying at least 28 communities are now under Ukrainian control in the Kursk region and more than 121,000 people have evacuated.

We're going to show you - we can see here this map. The part in blue is the area of the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk. Putin's claim - Putin claims that Ukraine's incursion is an attempt to, quote, "improve its negotiation position."

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is following this one for us. He's joining us now.

What's the very latest, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kate.

Well, it certainly seems as though the Ukrainians are still making advances in that area, not just the Kursk area, but also the Belgorod area as well. It's been quite interesting because throughout the course of the morning, what we've been doing is we've been taking a look at some of the social media posts that have come out for some of the Russian military bloggers, but also from the Russian ministry of defense as well, where they claim to be hitting those Ukrainian positions, where they claim to be holding the Ukrainians up, and where they claim to be pushing the Ukrainians back.

But at the same time, we are also seeing that there are now evacuation orders for an area that's even further to the east, that's not even on the border with Ukraine. So, it certainly seems as though the Ukrainians have made further progress into Russian territory and at least in some cases appear to be pushing the Russian security forces and the military back.

[09:20:04]

It's quite interesting down there. You don't really have a gigantic presence of Russian military. You also have some border forces down there as well. The Russians now issuing those evacuation orders. It's a stunning number really so far, 180,000 people have been under evacuation orders. You mentioned those 28 villages that the Ukrainians and the Russians now confirm are under Ukrainian control. It's around 600 square miles of territory that the Ukrainians apparently now have under their control.

And you're absolutely right that Russian President Vladimir Putin, he did say and claim that the Ukrainians want to improve their position at the negotiating table. He also said that he, at this point, would not negotiate. Well, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, he came out later

that evening and he said that the Russians need to be forced to negotiate because apparently Vladimir Putin does not want to.

So, it's unclear what exactly the objective of this incursion is going to be. How much territory the Ukrainians believe they're going to be able to hold. But one thing that we certainly can ascertain is that the Ukrainians have already made a lot more progress than most people would have thought at the beginning of all of this. And at this point in time at least there isn't very much of a Russian response capable of pushing the Ukrainians back, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Great to see you, Fred. Thank you so much.

John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now, CNN anchor and chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto.

Jim, one of the things you said is that to a person, zero U.S. insiders or any of the foreign officials that you've been speaking to saw this coming. Literally no one. But my question now is, how much trepidation, if any, are you sensing in your discussions with them? Does it make them nervous what Ukraine is doing about what the possible response might be?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It does to some degree because, John, as you know, for months, well, years going back to the start of the invasion, this administration has been greatly concerned about escalation of this conflict, bringing the U.S. directly into conflict with Russia. And that's why there have been so many concerns about what weapons systems are supplied to Ukraine and what Ukraine can do with those weapon systems.

As you know, one of the restrictions has been, don't strike inside Russian territory, for instance, with long-range HIMARS or other missiles that have been supplied by NATO and its allies. Now, other NATO allies, they've been fine with it. The U.S. has been particularly trepidatious. So, now you have a large cross-border incursion on the ground by Ukrainian forces. It's not clear that U.S. supplied weapons have been central to this effort here, but there's no question that Putin will attempt to pin this, of course, on Ukraine's supporters, so there is that risk.

On the flip side I will say, I don't know anyone who is upset by this, right, because, listen, Ukraine has been getting pummeled, particularly in the eastern front. The losses have been enormous. Russia has been making some incremental ground gains there. And if you and I were talking two weeks ago, the read from inside the Pentagon would have been, we don't see this front changing really at all for the foreseeable future. But the front has changed. And you have Ukrainian forces now inside Russia.

And I spoke to a Ukrainian official yesterday who said, this is clearly no longer a raid, like a quick jump across the border and back. They're going to be there for some time. It doesn't mean they're there forever. Perhaps it is, as Putin says, a gambit to provide some leverage. But also it is certainly intended to show force to demoralize Russia and to draw some forces from elsewhere on the front.

BERMAN: Look, it's a stunning development and I don't use that term lightly.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BERMAN: Jim, I do want to ask about this, what could be Iranian hack, attempted hack, into the Trump campaign. The FBI now investigating that and also apparently attempts to get into the - I guess the Harris campaign, maybe it was the Biden campaign, as well.

Bottom line now is that Roger Stone, a guy who was at the center of the whole 2016 WikiLeaks situation, it may have been his personal emails that were hacked. What do you think of this whole situation?

SCIUTTO: Yes. So, listen, I mean, a couple points. One, big picture, it shows that foreign powers want to interfere in our elections. It goes back to 2016. We saw Russia do it. But China and Iran were also active then. Again in 2020 and again in 2024. The - DHS has been warning about this. The FBI. And we're seeing it play out in real time.

In this case, an effort to target, not just the Trump campaign, but as you say, that Harris, the Biden campaign as well.

So, it's a big threat. It's happening before our eyes. And everyone needs to be prepared for it.

One thing I will say is this. The means that they're using is actually pretty blunt. It's a spear phishing attack. It's exactly what they did in 2016 with John Podesta, which is how they got into the Hillary Clinton emails and communications. Basically, they send you a link - and all of us, I am sure, have been targets of this kind of attack, acts like it's a friend or a business, gets you to click on the link for, I don't know, an attachment or a sign-up, you know, a bar or whatever, and then that allows them into the system.

[09:25:10]

That appears to be what happened here. It happened eight years ago with John Podesta. Appeared to happen again. It seems that those on the Harris campaign were targeted, did not click on that link.

Listen, it shows that it's not that sophisticated, right? So, as concerning as these attacks are, there are ways to avoid them. And that is - I mean, and all of us need to be aware about this, not just for politics, but for like people who want to steal your financial information. If you don't know the person, if the email doesn't look right, don't click on the link. Just basic kind of online security.

BERMAN: Don't click on the link ever.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BERMAN: Ever.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BERMAN: Jim Sciutto, great to see you. Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: Thanks.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right ahead, just minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street. New economic data just in. Are the costs of things finally going down, and will interest rates follow. A look at the markets ahead.

And Vice President Harris is expected to finally lay out her economic plan for America if she wins the White House. When that's supposed to happen, coming up.

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