Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Tonight: Former Pres. Obama, Michelle Obama To Headline DNC; Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) Talks About Joe Biden; Democrats Shift Focus To Harris After Biden Passes Torch; Several Republicans Will Take Center Stage At DNC. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 20, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:28]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Welcome back. I'm Brianna Keilar at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where a sound check is underway. My good friend and colleague, Boris Sanchez, is in Washington.

And it's homecoming day at the DNC as two of Chicago's hometown heroes' headline night number two here at the United Center, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, the star speakers set to take the stage later this evening.

Obama made his national debut at the DNC 20 years ago. He delivered a speech that laid the groundwork for his successful White House run in 2008. And, tonight, he will make the case to the American people for why Kamala Harris should be the nation's 47th president.

Unlike last night, Harris will not be inside the convention hall. She is heading to Milwaukee for a rally and a DNC watch party in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin. But her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, will be among tonight's keynote speakers here in Chicago.

I'm joined now by CNN's, MJ Lee. MJ, what can we expect to hear from the Obamas when they address the delegates?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, that was actually Patti LaBelle behind us. So, you come here early enough and you get to hear some of the snippets of those performances and rehearsals. But I think you're totally right, Brianna, that the Obamas are two of the biggest speakers we are going to see this week. You know, they are big figures in politics, but they also just bring a level of celebrity, I think, that goes beyond the politics.

The overarching message, we are told, that we will hear from the couple is that Kamala Harris is made for this moment and that she is qualified to do the job. Of course, the couple will be speaking as having spent eight years at the White House. And for Barack Obama and Kamala Harris, you know, they came up in Democratic politics together, and their careers have certainly intersected at various moments. The former president endorsed Kamala Harris when she was running for AG in 2010. Two years later, she would speak at the convention for him in Charlotte when he was running for reelection against Mitt Romney. She then - he then would go on to endorse her Senate race as well.

And, you know, one could even argue that this moment for Kamala Harris this week may not have happened were it not for Barack Obama. You go back to the fact that Barack Obama obviously chose Joe Biden as his vice president. Biden then chose Harris as his running mate as well. And all of this culminating in this moment with the Vice President formally accepting her party's nomination for the presidency with her big speech on Thursday.

And I do think, you know, the two can certainly connect as barrier- breaking figures of their own. You know, Barack Obama would certainly understand better than most people in politics what she is trying to do here, trying to become the first woman elected to the presidency, not to mention the first woman of Asian and black descent.

So I think there are a lot of sort of personal connections there for those two. And I think just separately for Michelle Obama, the fact that we are going to be seeing her at this convention speaking on behalf of the Vice President, it's going to be an interesting moment because she really did not play an active role in President Biden's former reelection campaign until it ended about a month ago. So I think just even the visual of her playing such a big political role this week and campaigning essentially for the Vice President, that is going to be a notable moment in politics as well.

KEILAR: And MJ, what are we going to hear from Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman tonight?

LEE: Yes, you know, four weeks ago, the Second Gentleman obviously was going to be speaking at this convention, but would have been a very different speech. And I think there's just added gravity here, given that his wife, the Vice President, is now at the very top of the ticket.

You know, you talk about some of the biggest names in politics speaking at this convention in Chicago this week, but the campaign really does see the Vice President's spouse as being one of the most important, simply just because of the obvious reason of he is the person that knows the Vice President best. And we are told by sources that he will talk about the story of how they met, the fact that she became a stepmom to his children, Ella and Cole, and will describe her as being the anchor to their blended family.

[15:05:04]

So those personal touches are going to be there.

We should note the Vice President will be at a political rally in Milwaukee. But given that convention planners are really eager to have moments of surprises, I do wonder if it's possible that they'll try to find a way to beam in the Vice President somehow so that she is a part of that event tonight as well. KEILAR: All right, MJ, thank you so much.

I want to bring in someone who knows tonight's headliner very well. David Litt is a former speechwriter for President Obama. And I wonder what we're going to expect, because familiarity is quite important, right? And Obama and Harris have known each other and supported each other now for two decades. So how are you expecting that to factor in tonight?

DAVID LITT, FORMER SPEECHWRITER FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well - and I'm a professional words guy. That's my ...

KEILAR: Yes.

LITT: ... formal title. But I actually want to start with some numbers.

If you look, Obama's approval rating has been about 60 percent since he left office. And Kamala Harris is polling about 48 percent. And so you have this group of Obama approvers who are not yet Harris voters. And I think what you're going to see tonight is the president try to persuade, you know, you don't have to get all of them. If you can just get some of those Obama approvers to become Harris voters, she's going to win this election. And I think he can lean on both his personal connection and his experience, right? Very few other people in the world can say, trust me, I've done this job. She's ready.

KEILAR: How does he approach the objective of a speech like this and the execution of it when the stakes are so high?

LITT: One of the things that's really interesting about President Obama, I don't think since Lincoln we've had a president who started as a writer. And so President Obama is a lawyer. He likes to make the case in a very sort of A to B to C way, but he also likes to tell a story. And I think you'll probably see both of those things in the speech tonight. It's a story that has an argument couched within it.

And if you can do all of that and make it look like you didn't have to do any work on it, you know, that that's really when it gets knocked out of the park.

KEILAR: I wonder, David, as a professional words guy, as you've been watching some of the speeches and not just the ones in the prime spots, but some of the ones throughout earlier in the day as well. Are there any folks whose appearances have really stood out to you as being good communicators or even surprising you of how they carry the message for this ticket?

LITT: Well, I think the Democratic Party has a very deep bench. But at conventions, what always really stands out to me are the people who are not politicians. I mean, to me, if you look at Hadley Duvall last night, the woman who spoke about her own experience and what a Trump abortion ban has done to her. And, you know, you can get applause at a convention, but it's very hard to get silence.

And when she said Donald Trump calls these abortion bans a beautiful thing, what's beautiful about a child having to carry their parent's child, and that was a silent moment. And that is a really strong, powerful moment that I think a lot of people are going to take away from this convention.

KEILAR: Yes, it took the air out of the room ...

LITT: Mm-hmm.

KEILAR: ... I think. And as you watched President Biden's speech, what stood out to you?

LITT: I think what really stood out, I mean, you know, President Biden was great. But I think the real thing that struck me in that moment was how much love there is in this room. And I think it's reflected across the country for him as not just as a president, but as a lifelong public servant.

And I think that question of what service looks like and what service means, it sounds corny to say it, but that is absolutely something that we are - that is on the ballot and that we're all talking about right now. Who are you serving? Are you serving the country or are you serving yourself?

And Joe Biden, I mean, he's now spent half a century serving this country. And that's something that I think as he exits the political stage, more and more people are realizing that's a very special thing and he's a very special man.

KEILAR: President Obama's DNC speech in 2004 really propelled him into political superstardom. And I just wonder how you see that moment with this moment.

LITT: Well, I think it's a really interesting thing. And the Obama White House, whenever we were struggling or trying to figure something out, the advice we always got from the head speech writer or from the senior advisors was always go back to that 2004 convention speech, because that's his story. It's the direction that he sees the country going.

And so I wouldn't be surprised if, in an authentic way, because this is who he is, there is a sort of bookend quality, you know, one was this person who was introducing himself on the national stage and now he's, you know, introducing, in a lot of ways, the Vice President to people who know who she's done, but they don't know her as a presidential candidate yet.

KEILAR: So last question, I want to have a little fun here, because Obama was, and I think there's some bipartisan agreement on this, pretty good at a joke. And you're a professional words guy, but you're also a professional funny guy. And he would deliver a lot of jokes, specifically at White House Correspondents' dinners and you were one of the masterminds behind one of his best moments, which was Luther, the anger translator, let's - and stick with me, because I'm going to bring this back to the here and now.

But here is the moment that we may remember. [15:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm a mellow sort of guy. And that's why I invited Luther, my anger translator, to join me here tonight.

LUTHER: Hold on to your lily white butts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And so it continued. It was a very funny bit. And I know this is an event where there's - it's about a lot of joy. But I also think there are people who have some upset as well. And so I wonder what Luther, the anger translator, might say if he was giving a speech tonight.

LITT: Well, first of all, let me say, I don't think I'm going to let you bait me into impersonating Keegan-Michael Key as Luther, the anger translator on national TV.

KEILAR: Just the words. Just the words.

LITT: But I do think - I think Luther would have some choice thoughts about the fact that this election is still close. I mean, look at these two people and look at what they stand for. And according to all the polls, this is still a toss-up race.

I suspect if you ask Luther, he would have some things he would like to say to all of our lily white butts at this moment in history.

KEILAR: David Litt, it is great to have you. Thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

LITT: Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: And with me now is Virginia senator and 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee, Tim Kaine. And it is hard, Senator, I know, to compete with Patti LaBelle. One ...

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): I love Patti LaBelle.

KEILAR: ... it's very - it is very loud.

KAINE: Right.

KEILAR: But two, she's hitting notes that are giving us goosebumps. And here we are, happy to concentrate. I just want to know if you can reflect on what you heard last night from President Biden. On one hand, there's a feeling from a lot of people that he was kind of shoved out. And then on the other hand, you can't ignore the poignancy of his words: I love the job, but I love my country more. How do you think history is going to judge this moment?

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): I think history - this will look bigger as we get farther away from it. It's a big deal now, but a leader at the top of his game who is serving in the most powerful position on the planet Earth, who still believes he has a lot to give, saying it's time to put the torch in the hands of the next generation. It just doesn't happen. It just doesn't happen. And it was obviously not an easy discussion, but we just have to give him the thanks to realize it was time to do that. And I think that's going to set an example for others in years to come.

KEILAR: It was really interesting because after his speech, he told reporters that concerns over whether Democrats would lose House and Senate seats if he stayed in the race was a factor in his decision to step aside. You, of course, are one of those senators up for reelection, so you can certainly feel this. Are you more comfortable with your chances behind a down ballot from a Harris-Walz ticket?

KAINE: The - every - all the polling in Virginia tells me yes. But set aside the polling, what - I've been doing this for 30 years from my first city council election. I know how to read energy. And for us to win in November, we need energy and we need unity.

We had unity in the sense that nobody was running against Joe Biden. So we had unity, but we didn't really have energy. And in the aftermath of the debate, we sort of were lacking energy and unity. Joe Biden was looking at the poll numbers, including in Virginia, and he made a decision that is very hard to make. Put the torch in the hands of the next generation.

And now I see all over the Commonwealth, I told you I was just ...

KEILAR: That's right.

KAINE: ... campaigning in every part, reddest Appalachia, bluest Northern Virginia, every part of the Commonwealth, surge of volunteerism, crowds at events. The energy, even before I was seeing any polling, I was like, I know what this means. And I feel very, very good about our chances in Virginia and nationally now.

KEILAR: Your campaign to defeat Donald Trump in 2016 failed in quite surprising fashion. I covered that campaign. I was there at the Javits Center that night. And as the Trump team is appearing poised to kind of return to their playbook of eight years ago, I wonder what lessons you think the Harris Walls team should take from that.

KAINE: Win by a lot, not by a little. You know, we won the popular vote by millions, but it wasn't enough with the Electoral College. And the Electoral College math may be getting more challenging going forward. So, you know, we need to win by a lot, not by a little.

We also know that Trump has come up with some new tricks since 2016. The effort to overturn the peaceful transfer of power in 2020 gives us a little bit of a glimpse about what they might try. And so that means as good as we might feel sitting here now with this burst of enthusiasm, we got to win by a lot, not by a little.

And that's the message I'm giving my team every day and I think we feel that very strongly. KEILAR: And obviously an important particular places, right?

[15:15:03]

KAINE: Yes.

KEILAR: Those blue wall states. So - and I suspect the message and what you heard as you traveled around certain parts of Virginia can carry over to what may target folks in those particular areas in the blue wall. What do you think that this ticket needs to really concentrate on when it comes to their message there?

KAINE: I really liked what Kamala did last Friday with her economic speech, because sometimes I feel like Democrats try to win on every other issue and then cede the economy to Republicans. But the economy is the issue that matters the most to the most people and Kamala has such a story to tell: Manufacturing jobs up, infrastructure, we're building again, farm income is up. Your 401k is up. The uninsured rate is down. We're dealing with inflation better than any other nation on the planet and yet we sometimes don't really sell that.

So I've been given the campaign a little bit of advice. I say the Republican economic message is really simple, cut taxes, cut regulation. I got a simple one for Democrats and it's just three words: Make, build, grow. We make it in America, we build it in America and we grow it in America.

And that takes advantage of some of the accomplishments of the Biden- Harris administration and also looks forward.

KEILAR: I think one of the toughest speeches to give at the convention might be that of the Vice Presidential candidate.

KAINE: Yes.

KEILAR: Because it's kind of a whirlwind from the time that you are announced and then you have to show up and do this. And so you have Tim Walz with this big night tomorrow.

KAINE: Yes.

KEILAR: You know what's that - what that is like. What was it like for you getting ready to give that kind of speech under this pressure, under this timeline and what do you think he's facing?

KAINE: Yes, it is a whirlwind. But look, people love what they see about Tim Walz. My wife is a - is an educator. And the excitement of teachers to have a high school teacher in the White House who's got a wife, who's a high school teacher, the football coach, his analogy the other day, politics and football, you're working in a team, you're doing something bigger than you can do on your own.

I think that he doesn't need to, you know, stress out about tomorrow night. People are very fascinated with this guy to talk about his military service, to talk about what he's learned with five terms in the House and then being a second term governor. I mean, he's got some great stories to tell. And he's demonstrated already with big crowds, right, before the convention that he can deliver a story in a really powerful way.

KEILAR: Senator Kaine, it is great to have you.

KAINE: Thanks, Brianna.

KEILAR: Thank you so much for being with us and taking the time. We appreciate it.

KAINE: Yes, glad to be here. Thanks.

KEILAR: In the meantime, former President Trump is hitting another battleground state today as his campaign looks to steal some of the momentum from Democrats. Right now he is in Michigan.

And then later, while the world waits on word of a ceasefire and hostage deal, maybe, maybe not, between Israel and Hamas, the humanitarian crisis on the ground remains dire. We have those stories and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:14]

KEILAR: Happening now, live pictures from battleground Michigan, where former President Donald Trump is holding a campaign event that is focused on crime and security. It is the campaign's latest stop in Trump's week-long tour of swing states. Trump's visit is happening ahead of night two of the Democratic National Convention.

On deck tonight, former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. We'll also be hearing from Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

I want to bring in our political commentators, we have Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton and senior advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, Karen Finney with us.

And another lovely sound check happening behind us, which is loud and sounds great.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it does. It does.

KEILAR: We may have to do a little lip-reading, so just so you know here.

I wonder, Karen, what you're looking for tonight from former President Obama?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's critical that former President Obama does a couple of things. Number one, speaking to that Obama electorate and reminding them how important it is to be engaged, to stay engaged and to vote for Kamala Harris. We need those voters, some of whom, as we know, were people who hadn't voted for Democrats before, to come back to the Democratic Party if they didn't vote for Joe Biden in 2020.

And the second thing is really part of this passing of the torch, right, passing the mantle of the Democratic Party, because when we leave here on Thursday, it will be clear that this is Kamala Harris' Democratic Party. And he has a role to play in doing that, in bolstering her and reminding people why she is a dedicated, qualified leader, who will be our commander-in-chief, who will be a good steward of our economy and keep our country safe.

KEILAR: Specifically, Shermichael, the Harris-Walz campaign thinks that Obama is a good messenger for black men on the economy, black men who Joe Biden may have lost ground with and that may not be won over yet by Kamala Harris. How concerned do you think the Trump world is (INAUDIBLE) ...

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, I can certainly understand why Democrats would presume that first African- American man president, right? A lot of black men respect the former president. A lot of them were excited about him when he first ran. I remember being in college at the time.

However, black men have seen in many ways the erosion of their economic power. Black men are not graduating college at the same rates of black women. Men in general are not graduating from college or ascertaining the same economic gains in many regards as women.

And so I do think that is a part of the reason you have seen since the end of former President Obama's tenure a movement of men, broadly speaking, to Republicans. Pew Research had some interesting data that came out a year ago that showcased that young college men are starting to move more to the conservative side.

[15:25:07]

And so I think this trend is something that's slowly becoming crystallized.

KEILAR: CNN is learning, and we're just hearing as each day the lineups are coming out, and then we see Republicans confirming that they're going to be talking here at the convention.

Karen, Kinzinger - Adam Kinzinger speaking on Thursday ...

FINNEY: Yes.

KEILAR: ... that's a pretty cushy spot ...

FINNEY: Right.

KEILAR: ... to have. I mean ...

FINNEY: Yes.

KEILAR: ... so they're really viewing him specifically and just these Republicans in an unprecedented number as an asset. FINNEY: Absolutely. You know, it shows that what Kamala Harris is trying to do is to build a broad coalition that she's trying to be a president for everybody, right? I mean, you heard actually President Biden talk last night about the fact that the CHIPS and Science Act, a lot of the places where those microchip factors are going are red states, that when you're a president, you're a president for everyone.

Adam Kinzinger specifically is someone who can make one of the most powerful critiques against the former president, Donald Trump, than anyone having been part of January 6th commission, the way that he was treated by Donald Trump and others in the Republican Party, for merely stepping up to tell the truth.

And so absolutely, he will be very finely touted here. It's a welcoming audience for him on Thursday night.

KEILAR: Brian Schatz, the senator, said that having Kinzinger and others here gives a permission structure for maybe some Republicans. David Rohde disagreed with him. So I wonder what you think about who it may give a permission structure to go with Harris.

SINGLETON: Yes. You know, that's a good question. I'm not sure what calculus Democrats were looking at there. I mean, nothing against the former congressman. I certainly respect him. I think he's a great guy. But I'm not sure what significant or substantial number of even moderate Rs are willing to vote for Vice President Harris.

I can understand the argument of a vote for President Biden, but I think for a lot of moderate Republicans, they may look at Vice President Harris and say this is a vote too far. We've actually seen John King talk to some of those, quote-unquote, "Nikki Haley voters." And some of them have stated, it's one thing to vote for Joe. I'm not exactly sure I can vote for the Vice President. Some may stay home. Some may cross back over and vote for Trump this time around.

I mean, I'm looking at a place like Pennsylvania, where Republicans are doing a whole lot of work of registering new voters or voters who are low-propensity voters. Luzerne County, one county that Trump won in 2020. Governor Shapiro actually won in 2022 when he was running for governor by a slim margin. But Republicans are now focusing on registering new Rs there. Bucks County, which had more Democrats, Brianna, than Republicans, now have more Republicans now than Democrats.

And so Republicans are putting in that work to shift the map, mathematically speaking, in some concrete states. And so looking at some of those moderate Rs who are speaking here, I'm not certain their voices will be enough to move that needle.

FINNEY: But that's exactly why we do it. It is about creating information structure and it's a pretty tried-and-true tactic in presidential and other elections, where having someone who looks like you, who has a similar background to you, say, you know what, I am going to vote for this person. I do support this person. It's actually a pretty effective tactic.

SINGLETON: No, I ...

KEILAR: I'm so sorry, guys. We are just fresh out of time.

SINGLETON: That's okay.

KEILAR: I'm missing my time cues because the music is so wonderful but loud.

Karen, Shermichael, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

FINNEY: You bet.

KEILAR: Ahead on the show, we have much more from the Democratic convention here in Chicago and another story that we're keeping a close eye on, inching closer to a potential ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. The U.S. saying the decision is now in the hands of Hamas, but there is much work to be done. We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)