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Democrats Kick Off Historic National Convention In Chicago; Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton To Speak Tonight At DNC; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) Discusses About The Historic National Convention In Chicago; Trump Campaign Hits Swing States As Dems Hold Convention In Chicago. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 19, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:38]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Welcome back. I'm Brianna Keilar in Chicago, where it is day one of the historic Democratic National Convention. And my colleague and friend, Boris Sanchez, is in Washington.

Right now, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are on their way here to the Windy City, where, in just a few hours, they will be taking to the stage, each to make the case for why Vice President Kamala Harris should lead the country.

Tonight's keynote speech will be a bittersweet moment for the President, who had his sights set on a second term before leaving the race less than a month ago. Instead, he will now tell American voters why he believes Harris should be his successor. CNN's MJ Lee is with us now on this.

MJ, what are you hearing about Biden's speech tonight?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna. We have just learned that President Biden is going to be introduced tonight by his daughter, Ashley Biden. She is going to be speaking after the first lady, Jill Biden. This is really a moment of poignancy here for the entire Biden family.

You will recall that back in 2008 and in 2012, when President Biden was accepting the VP nomination, it was his late son, Beau, that introduced him. Beau Biden died in 2015, and that ended up being one of the big reasons that President Biden decided not to run for president back in 2016.

And then, four years later, in 2020, we, of course, know that it was Ashley and Hunter, his two children, that did introduce him when he was accepting the nomination for the presidency. And they chose to show remarks from their late brother, Beau, to include him as a part of those ceremonies and the moment of celebration.

So, again, just all of this, I think, will bring together just what a big moment this is and has been after sort of the culmination of a tough time for the entire Biden family, as they have been trying to support him, as he has really thought through what to do about his political future, of course, culminating in the President deciding to drop out of the 2024 race last month.

Now, we are told that we shouldn't see this as sort of a farewell speech from the President. Aides have told me that that moment is going to come later, probably in the month of January, really days before his first term ends. And that really what he is going to be focused on tonight is making the case for his vice president, Kamala Harris, and really trying to lay out and underscore the stakes of this election and telling Democrats they need to do whatever they can to help elect her, Kamala Harris, to the presidency.

And I think, throughout the week, we should note we are going to be seeing some of those tributes to the President. For example, just in this arena that we are in, Brianna, the staircase where the delegates will be entering the room, we are going to be seeing the words history is in your hands. That, of course, is a quote from President Biden's remarks from the Oval Office last month, when he explained to the American people his decision to drop out of the race.

KEILAR: And, MJ, Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state, former nominee, will be speaking tonight. What are we expecting to hear from her?

LEE: That's right. You know, for Hillary Clinton, obviously, she is no stranger to big political speeches and, in fact, no stranger to big political speeches made at the Democratic National Convention, including eight years ago, when she accepted her party's nomination for the presidency at the convention in Philadelphia.

I am told, though, that she is nonetheless taking the remarks that she will be delivering tonight really seriously, as she got to Chicago last night with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and a number of her longtime aides, and has been spending parts of the day today at her hotel in Chicago tweaking those remarks and actually doing run-throughs as well.

We had been previously told, according to a source familiar, that Hillary Clinton is going to be making reference to that proverbial glass ceiling that she, of course, failed to fully shatter. This is, according to her, eight years ago, when she ended up losing the election to Donald Trump.

So I do think, even for somebody like her, who really would not be fazed by a room like this and a crowd like this, she certainly understands the gravity of the moment and the barrier-breaking moment that this is for Kamala Harris, who is about to become, when she formally accepts the nomination tonight, the first black and Asian woman to win the nomination for a major political party. Brianna?

[15:05:08]

KEILAR: All right. MJ Lee, live for us here from the United Center. Thank you.

And I want to bring now CNN's Chris Wallace, who is, of course, the host of THE CHRIS WALLACE SHOW.

Chris, you've been to a few conventions and ...

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR, THE CHRIS WALLACE SHOW: Over six - a few.

WALLACE: Since 1964.

KEILAR: That's - and there's a bit of a formula to them, right?

WALLACE: Right.

KEILAR: It's evolved a little bit over time, but there's a bit of a formula you can look forward to. And yet, this is going to be a little unlike any that you've seen.

WALLACE: No, that's right. I mean, it really is the culmination of the 29 days that have been unlike anything that anybody has seen. Twenty- nine days ago, four weeks and one day, Joe Biden was going to be the nominee, was going to be speaking on the last night, not the first night of the convention. He dropped out of the race.

Kamala Harris came in, cemented support from the - astonishingly fast from the Democratic Party surged in the polls. And this has now become her celebration, not Joe Biden's celebration.

KEILAR: What do you think it's going to be like? And as he's - he's obviously - he's trying to pass the torch and signal this continuity. And yet, in a way, she is taking the torch, but she's also paving her own way. How does she do that?

WALLACE: Oh, I think, first of all, she's now the nominee and the party has made it very clear, and the voters have made it very clear. They're very happy with that. You know, people keep saying that this is going to be a bittersweet night for Joe Biden. I think it's just a bitter night for Joe Biden. You know, I think he's probably happy that she's doing so well and may be able to beat Trump and to the degree that he can reconcile himself to it after that debate in late June, it didn't look like he could beat Trump.

But having said that, he intended to have a second term. He intended to beat Trump again. And basically, the party kicked him out. And you know, there were a variety of people, from Barack Obama to Nancy Pelosi to Chuck Schumer to Hakeem Jeffries, who put more pressure - the donors put more and more pressure on him.

So, I mean, he'll put the best face on it tonight and indicate, one, what a good governing partner Kamala Harris is and why she should now be running this race and should run the country for the next four years. But, you know, deep down, he's got to be really upset about it and has to, to the degree that there's excitement about it. That's kind of tough for him, too, because it's like, well, we're excited about her, and we're excited you're not in this race anymore.

KEILAR: He's going to try to summon that, right? He's going to summon his enthusiasm, certainly, for Kamala Harris. And as the reporting that we hear is that he certainly does have some bitterness from some figures in the Democratic Party, but not for Kamala Harris. So perhaps that is going to shine through there.

We also are going to see Hillary Clinton speaking tonight. And before her, you'll see Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You'll also be hearing from women affected by Roe being overturned. So I think the historic aspect of her being this female candidate of color, the first one, is going to play very large. But I wonder what you think about this first night, very much appealing, clearly, tailor-made to women and maybe suburban women.

WALLACE: Yes. I think Hillary Clinton's - just her presence here is an indication of what the stakes are in this election, because think how different the world would be, and from a Democratic point of view, how much worse the world has been because she lost to Donald Trump in 2016. So there's, you know, just a bright flashing light saying, you know, if you don't get out there and you don't elect Kamala Harris and Donald Trump gets back in, that all the things that we've seen over the last four years, especially including the appointment of three Supreme Court justices who helped form the majority that overturned Roe v. Wade, you know, that's what will happen.

If she - so I just think she's a cautionary tale to the delegates and to the voters at home who are worried about Donald Trump. Here's what happen if you don't go out, work hard, get out and vote, get your neighbors to get out and vote on Election Day and Donald Trump gets back into the Oval Office.

KEILAR: You know, we should mention, you hear the sound check behind us, they're getting ...

WALLACE: Really? I hadn't noticed.

KEILAR: I know. We can hardly hear ourselves think. It's going to be a big night. There's going to be a lot of music. There's going to be a lot of celebration. But you've also seen outside of the United Center, there are a lot of protesters here congregating in Chicago.

And I wonder, we don't know how that's going to play out this week, but I wonder sort of what's on your mind as you're thinking about this sort of split screen.

WALLACE: Well, I was here in 1968. I was in college. I was an intern for CBS. I don't know why that network in particular chose me.

[15:10:02]

But I was in the Conrad Hilton Hotel on Michigan Avenue and saw what was later termed a police riot with the Chicago Police beating down the anti-war protesters. We'll see what happens. But I have to say, this doesn't feel, and I understand people are very upset, a lot of people about what's going on in Gaza and the terrible bloodshed there, according to some reports, over 40,000 people dead. This does not have anything like the same stakes as Vietnam.

I mean, at that point, American boys were being sent over into that war and it had gone on for years. And there was a personal stake involved. And yes, there are going to be tens of thousands, and Lord knows we'd hope there is no violence. There may be.

But there - and in addition, Brandon Johnson, the very progressive mayor of Chicago, is a very different figure than Richard Daley, who was, you know, tough Irish-American and was really spoiling for a fight with the anti-war protesters and gave it to them.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly got one. Chris, always great to speak with you. And thank you so much for bringing that eye to history. It's a really important reminder. Thank you.

WALLACE: Thank you.

KEILAR: And so, as we do wait for the DNC to get underway in just a few hours, you hear the preps behind us. With us now is Democratic Congresswoman of Florida, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She is a former chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Huge week. What are you expecting tonight to kick this off?

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): Well, I think tonight we'll see our current president, Joe Biden, be classic Joe Biden, where he will make sure that not only does he pass the torch, but that he highlights the legacy, the historic presidency and the incredible accomplishments that they have really done together, along with congressional Democrats, and a contrast between extreme MAGA Republicans led by Donald Trump, and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, who have fought hard to make sure we can rebuild our economy from the middle out and not the top down. That's going to be the focus.

KEILAR: This was a gut-wrenching decision for him to step aside about a month ago. Are we going to get a sense of that? I mean, how emotional a night is this going to be? He's obviously going to try to project this path forward for her and hand the torch, but you can't ignore what are very recent events here.

SCHULTZ: You know, Joe Biden is a beloved leader because he's such a good man. I mean, I have supported Joe Biden since my first election that I could vote for, for presidents in 1988. And it's because he was the good, decent human being who you knew you could count on. And that's how the American people feel about him. And it's not surprising to those who care about him that he passed the torch and was selfless in his decision.

And I don't agree that he made this decision to - because he was forced out in any way. There were plenty of Democrats, me included, that were ready to press forward and ensure that he could get reelected. But the exuberance and the excitement right now and the way we're unified coming together as a party from all points of view across the spectrum has been remarkable.

KEILAR: He is passing the torch. But when it comes to the issues of economy and the inflation - economy and inflation and immigration, Donald Trump certainly is outpolling - he outpoll Biden. He's outpolling Harris on these issues. How does she navigate that, sort of owning Joe Biden's economy, while Donald Trump sort of excels when voters say, who do you trust more on these issues, even as she's receiving the torch?

SCHULTZ: I think she does it just like she did when she rolled out her economic plan at the end of last week. I mean, she really spoke to the heart of what people are feeling when they go to the grocery store. I know I feel pain when I go to the grocery store. It is difficult to see, you know, the price of eggs, the total grocery bill when you get to the checkout line, and it's higher than it used to be.

Prices are coming down. Inflation's coming down, but it has always enraged me. Like why, if we know that these large supermarket companies are saving money, why aren't they passing those savings on to customers? And making sure that we can do something about that and focus on bringing down the cost of housing. They've fought successfully to bring down the cost of prescription drugs.

These are bottom line kitchen table issues that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have focused on and fought for successfully. And under Donald Trump, he would roll back the Inflation Reduction Act and eliminate those prescription drug cost reductions. He wants to eliminate the Affordable Care Act.

And when it comes to your health care, having gone through a health care crisis myself, you know, that's a really scary thing to face. And they also are very concerned that what he wants to do is focus on restoring tax cuts for the most wealthy corporations and successful individuals.

[15:15:08]

KEILAR: You have been a champion of the U.S.-Israel relationship. You see a lot of people protesting outside, they're congregating here in Chicago and they are very much opposed right now to the Biden administration's approach and to the war. I wonder if you think, as we see, there have been a lot of uncommitted voters specifically in Michigan, which is essential for Harris to be successful in this election.

Members of that movement have requested a speaking slot at the DNC. Should a representative of that movement be allowed to address this crowd?

SCHULTZ: The program usually, really always, at a Democratic National Convention is focused on the agenda for the country and making sure that we can talk about the kitchen table issues, making sure that we can talk about immigration reform and balancing what we need to do at the border, as the Biden-Harris administration has and ensuring that we can still have immigrants come to this country to make a better way of life for themselves, while Donald Trump just said, no, we're not going to pass a bipartisan agreement because we need to save it as an election issue.

Those are the kinds of things that unify Democrats. And look, the U.S.-Israel relationship is critical. We are - we have the strongest platform plank of either party on the U.S.-Israel - the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and focusing on making sure that we can bring the hostages home, we can get a ceasefire deal, we can end the terrorist threat on Israel's doorstep. That's the kind of thing that we - and also make sure - we all want to make sure that the plight of the Palestinians, who are victims of Hamas, is relieved. And the way we can do that is push for a ceasefire deal, as the Biden-Harris administration has done.

KEILAR: Yes, we are watching those developments as we speak. Congresswoman, thank you.

SCHULTZ: Hamas needs to take the deal.

KEILAR: Congresswoman, thank you so much.

SCHULTZ: Thank you.

KEILAR: We really appreciate it. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz ...

SCHULTZ: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: And we also will be speaking as well with a member of that uncommitted movement, who is a delegate here coming up in the hour.

Happening right now, counter-programming from the Trump campaign. The former president delivering remarks right now on the economy, as allies urge him to stay on message.

Also this hour, former Republican congressman George Santos is back in court. We have those stories and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:21:49]

KEILAR: Live pictures from battleground Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump is holding a campaign event. This is happening at a manufacturing facility called Precision Custom Components in York, Pennsylvania. Trump is expected to deliver remarks on the economy, an issue that the campaign believes could really be the key to helping him win in November.

The timing of this event is strategic. It's the first in a series of what the Trump campaign is internally calling messaging events in swing states. They've got one planned every day this week of the Democratic National Convention.

The Trump campaign's counter-programming is aiming to capture some of the spotlight while Democrats gather here in Chicago for their convention.

We have our panel with us now: Karen Finney, CNN Political Commentator; Scott Jennings, CNN Senior Political Commentator; and Jackie Kucinich, CNN Political Analyst and Washington Bureau Chief for The Boston Globe.

Karen, a historic night ... KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

KEILAR: ... for so many reasons. The kickoff to this nominating convention, the first woman of color to lead the ticket, but also a first night where Joe Biden is the keynote speaker in a culmination of events like we have not seen.

FINNEY: Yes, it is sort of an arc for Joe Biden. I mean, he was part of the - obviously the Obama-Biden ticket. And now, as he said, he would be a bridge. He will be passing the torch to Kamala Harris. And obviously having worked for Hillary Clinton on her 2016 campaign and a number of other races, it's a little bit emotional, frankly, to see Hillary pass the torch.

You know, she is such a strong believer in women and has always had a - throughout her career, tried to lift up women. And so to see her also pass the torch, because I think there's a real acknowledgement that you don't get a Kamala Harris without having had another woman get to the top of the ticket.

And last thing I'll say, I think we got - we just - all the women, Republican and Democrats, who have run for the presidency deserve credit that we are here in this moment, because they helped normalize the idea of a woman at the top of the ticket.

KEILAR: You know, Scott, you look at the polling and you're seeing things pretty tight ...

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

KEILAR: ... obviously nationally, but what do we say about that? Who cares, right? Let's look at the battleground states.

But things have really tightened there as well. And I wonder how Trump world is feeling going into this week?

JENNINGS: Well, it's obviously a different race. I mean, if Joe Biden is a bridge, he's a burn bridge. I mean, I don't think he's here happily tonight, as much as the mythology that's being written about it. But they're obviously now running against someone else who has consolidated the Democratic base in a way that Biden couldn't do.

So now you're running against baseline generic Democrat, and it's put them in a very, very close situation, particularly with independent voters, who I think have shifted somewhat.

So this message that Trump has on the economy today is critical, because that's what they care about. And what Trump has got to tell these people, very simply, and don't lard it up with a bunch of other stuff is, hey, if you're unhappy about what's happening in the country, don't leave the same people in charge. I think the effort to divorce Harris from Biden is what's going on, and Trump has to stop it.

[15:25:00] And that may decide who wins these sort of independent-type swing voters out in Pennsylvania and other swing states. Do they hold her responsible for the results of the administration that they really had soured on?

KEILAR: You can have the same or the other same, right? That's sort of I think ...

JENNINGS: Yes, right.

KEILAR: ... but that is the choice here. It's a very unusual one as well with Trump ...

JENNINGS: Yes.

KEILAR: ... on the other side of things.

To Scott's point, as Biden is preparing to take the stage tonight, Axios is reporting that the President is feeling - I mean, all kinds of things: relieved, nostalgic, stunned, pissed.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, let's - remember, Joe Biden never really got a convention.

JENNINGS: Yes.

KUCINICH: He got a bunch of stuff on television, but because of the pandemic, you couldn't - he never got a balloon drop. And I know that sounds petty, but he really didn't get any sort of celebratory situation that he might feel like he's due. And now it's more of a, okay, thank you, really appreciate you, bye-bye.

Even if it is emotional, even if it is, you know, you have all of these Democratic leaders bidding him farewell, they're still saying farewell and celebrating the fact that he's leaving.

FINNEY: But, you know, I will say, the one person who was crystal clear throughout the process who was very loyal to him was Vice President Harris. She never wavered for one moment, was very clear with her team. They're staying focused while this other process plays itself out, which I think he's very grateful for. And the love that he will feel tonight is going to be something I think we've never seen.

So I agree with you, it's not the balloon drop and it - but it's ...

KUCINICH: So --

FINNEY: ... it's a - it's going to be a powerful moment right now.

KUCINICH: I don't have any reporting, and I haven't seen any reporting that he's angry at Vice President Harris.

FINNEY: No, no.

KUCINICH: I've heard he's angry at the Democratic establishment ...

FINNEY: Correct.

KUCINICH: ... that decided that he needed to go and would - it said repeatedly or didn't say repeatedly ...

FINNEY: Yes.

KUCINICH: ... said things behind the scenes that it was time for him to step down.

FINNEY: As he should be, by the way.

KUCINICH: So I - and so I didn't mean to - I didn't imply that.

FINNEY: No, no. No, I didn't take it that way. I just wanted to point out ...

KUCINICH: Right.

FINNEY: ... that that is part of why when you're talking about passing the torch, you're passing it to someone who genuinely did a good job for you. What actually makes him look - I always believe that if you're a leader, when your people do well, everybody looks good.

KEILAR: Scott, I wonder, this is an election that could really come down to suburban women.

JENNINGS: Mm-hmm.

KEILAR: And this is going to be a big night focusing on that voting bloc. You have Hillary Clinton, AOC right before her. You have the first lady. You also have some women who are affected by the overturning of Roe vs. Wade and the tightening of abortion restrictions in their states. They're going to be addressing the crowd.

So, I mean, these are folks who are not a household name, but I suspect they're going to leave an impression this evening. What do you think is going to come out of that and how tough is that for Trump?

JENNINGS: Yes, it's tough because you see in the surveys the gender gap has widened significantly since Harris became the nominee. I think that was to be expected. I think the Trump campaign ultimately has to try to reel in some of those voters on economic messages, on public safety messages. And really it's a debate about what's more important to you, you know?

You've got one party making arguments on this bucket of issues and another party making arguments on a totally separate issue set. And so in any campaign, what you're ultimately looking for are finding the people who are more inclined to think the things they agree with you on are more important, right?

And so ultimately some of these kinds of voters will be lost to the Trump campaign, but some of these female voters who are worried about the inflation they've seen at the grocery store, who are worried about safety in their communities, who are worried about the crisis at the border, they will be inclined to listen to Trump.

But there's no doubt we have a massive gender gap going here: Men trending Trump, women trending Kamala Harris and it will be interesting to see how those worlds collide on election night.

KEILAR: Yes. What do you think, Karen?

FINNEY: Yes. Look, I think the gap is going to continue to widen, particularly among younger women, let's remember. And when we talk about reproductive rights, I mean, we haven't been talking about it as much, but, you know, it is an economic issue for a lot of women. It is also a personal, you know, bodily autonomy issue.

And the importance of these stories we're going to hear tonight are a reminder of the danger and the harms to women and frankly to doctors that - around some of the - this legislation. And it reminds people that Trump has - he will sign a national abortion ban.

If he gets a MAGA, you know, majority in Congress, that is a real danger. And so it's an important message for Democrats.

JENNINGS: Can you explain the algebra to me how you get 60 votes for any abortion legislation in the U.S. Senate no matter which party wins?

FINNEY: Can you explain to me how Republicans wouldn't try to pass a national abortion ban?

JENNINGS: There is none.

FINNEY: But the point is ...

JENNINGS: I mean, just be honest about it.

FINNEY: But ...

JENNINGS: There will be no federal legislation.

FINNEY: But Scott, if the message ...

JENNINGS: So it's a canard. It's not true.

FINNEY: But Scott, if your message is, don't worry, we won't have the votes, that still sounds dangerous to women because that says, it's not that you agree with us or believe that our bodily autonomy matters.

[15:30:08]

It's youth. It's a math equation.