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VP Nominee Walz To Take Center Stage For Acceptance Speech; Trump Holds First Outdoor Rally Since Assassination Attempt; Obama Mocks Trump's Weird Obsession With Crowd Sizes. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired August 21, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:02:26]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. And my colleague and good friend Boris Sanchez is in Washington. It is day three of the convention. And tonight, the spotlight is on Governor Tim Walz.

Here in the coming hours, Walz will face a major test when he takes the stage to introduce himself as the Party's vice presidential nominee. It's a moment that caps off a whirlwind month for Walz who is relatively unknown until Kamala Harris rose to the top of the ticket and picked him as her running mate. And he's got a lot of work to do here. He has to prove himself on the national stage. He has to help the Party convert this newfound energy and momentum into votes.

It's going to be a PAC night with other powerhouse speakers. You'll see former President Bill Clinton take the stage, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Let's go to CNN's MJ Lee. MJ, a big night ahead for Walz. What are you expecting?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Brianna, you know, at this point in time, most Americans know very little about Tim Walz. He has only been a VP candidate for 15 days now and actually doesn't have that much more time to introduce himself to the American people before Election Day, less than three months.

So when he does take that stage, and this will be the biggest audience that he has had since becoming Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, he is going to lean heavily into his biography, of course, highlighting his Midwestern roots, the fact that he was born in a small town in Nebraska. And then he is going to sort of trace the arc of his career and also his career in public service.

So the fact that he had worked as a teacher, as a football coach, his time in Congress, in the House of Representatives, and the fact that he is now, of course, a governor. And then when it comes to the political messaging, we are told that he is going to be leaning into what he believes he can bring to the table in terms of serving the working class families across the country. So that's sort of a marrying of his back background and what he believes the vision can be for the Harris-Walz administration. So again, expect this to be sort of an Introduction 101 into Tim Walz.

And also, Brianna, just pay attention to some of the people who will be on stage to help introduce him. This will include a former student who was coached by Tim Walz. It will also be a former football players that he has worked with and known his entire life, as well as a former coach that he also worked with. So those are the kinds of people that the campaign certainly believes can help tell the story of Tim Walz.

[14:05:01]

KEILAR: All right. We'll be looking forward to that, MJ. And you can hear the sound check behind me. We've learned from our Jamie Gangel that John Legend is going to be performing a tribute basically, a medley of Prince Songs ahead of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's appearance. And that's what you're hearing behind us. It's very fun.

So as Walz is getting ready to take the stage tonight, he is facing some criticism for past statements in his political career. With us now is CNN Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny. Jeff, tell us about this.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, Governor Walz, as MJ was saying, is just very new on the national scene. And a few of his pieces of his biography have been really highlighted by Republican, J.D. Vance in particular, on his military record. We know that he served in the National Guard for 24 years or so, starting in Nebraska, then transferring to Minnesota.

But some of his time near the end when he decided to leave and retired and run for Congress has been picked apart a bit. But it's a comment he made about the weapons of war when he was talking about gun control legislation. He sort of inferred that he used the guns in war. And he did not serve directly in combat theater, as we've talked about. So that's one piece of things.

The latest controversy, he talked a lot about IVF, how he and his wife used the method of IVF to have their two children. He actually did not use IVF. It was IUI, a different type of fertility treatment. Look, his spokesperson said Governor Walz likes to talk like the people talk. So I'm not sure that that specifically is of huge concern to voters, which specific form of fertility treatment he and his wife use.

The reality is anyone who rockets into public life, there are going to be a few biography things that will be looked at. But so far, I think in the first month of him roaring on the national stage, we have certainly seen many indications over the years of far bigger, bigger controversy.

KEILAR: Thank you so much. As it gets loud here, the music is great, but --

ZELENY: But if the John legend thing and Bill Clinton will be on that stage tonight, too.

KEILAR: Yeah, we'll be looking for that. With us now to discuss is Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania. And I assure you, Congresswoman, they can hear us on the TV. It's just -- it gets a little crazy loud here in the arena. But I do want to ask you, because we have heard Tim Walz be inexact multiple times about some things. Does he need to address that, his military record, for instance, because you have a bunch of Republicans in your colleagues in the House, also Senators out today attacking his military record.

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): I find that so beneath J.D. Vance as a military veteran to pick apart the service, 24 years of service to this country by the vice presidential nominee, Tim Walz. I find it beneath a fellow service member to have done this. Remember, he could have retired at 20 years. 911 happened, he re-upped. And he only stepped back and retired when he was pushed and eager to run for Congress, to continue service to this country. So no, he doesn't need to address it. His service speaks for itself.

And on the personal issue of IVF versus ICI, I have a son and daughter-in-law who are doing IVF right now. And I've been allowed to say that it is terrible that people would pick into when families are having a struggle, having a family. Mister Walz doesn't need to explain anything about his service and his love of family.

KEILAR: I do want to note, because we're going to be hearing a lot about January 6th tonight, and you were in the gallery, in the house chamber on that day, it was a very scary scene. We've seen the pictures. We can only imagine what it was like to be there in person. Do you think that Americans have forgotten? And what do you think they need to know that I think Democrats are hoping to evoke this evening?

DEAN: Well, I think it's important that we remember January the 6th. In fact, I made a pitch to the house architect to make sure to preserve some of the damaged areas, the broken glass and splintered wood, to remind people of our history.

Can you imagine a sitting president incited an insurrection, an attempt to take over the government to avoid the transfer of power because of his loss. And even when he says he didn't incite it, he sat there for 187 minutes and didn't protect anybody. I will never forget that day. America should never forget that day because that's what's at stake. Our democracy is at stake. If this time around, Mr. Trump loses again, he will hope that his followers will do it again.

[14:10:01]

We'll never let it happen again. Number one, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to win. Pennsylvania is going to be providing the key to the key to the Keystone state and to this win. But we must not forget January 6th.

KEILAR: In Pennsylvania, you have a democratic governor. You have pretty permissive abortion laws. It's not something that I think an issue. I've heard this actually from some of your Pennsylvania colleagues. It may not resonate as much as in other states that issue that obviously does motivate the democratic base because it is something that appears to be very secure for base voters in Pennsylvania. So can you speak to that a little bit about how that issue is working,

but also what needs to be addressed when it comes to the economy, what it -- when it comes to immigration, and those topics that really need to be broached to win over people in your state?

DEAN: Let me disagree with you a little bit. Number one, you're right, our governor, Governor Josh Shapiro, who will be speaking here tonight, I can't wait for it, he is the backstop and is protecting women's rights of reproductive health. Abortion and abortion services are legal in Pennsylvania, but that doesn't mean they haven't been constricted. Access to abortion providers has been constricted. The number of places, clinics, planned parenthoods has shrunk. So Pennsylvanians don't take this for granted. They get what Project 2025 wants. They want a national abortion ban. That is what Donald Trump wants. That is what J.D. Vance wants.

He called rape and pregnancy as a result of rape and inconvenience. Trust me, in Pennsylvania, women and men, especially the men who love women, get this, and they are pushing back on it. We will restore healthcare, reproductive healthcare across, not just Pennsylvania, but across this country.

KEILAR: The economic message that your folks want to hear.

DEAN: Well, number one, take a look at what has happened with this economy. I have to tell you, our Congress, last Congress in the majority, helped the President and Kamala Harris put into law the big invest in America bills. Look what's happened, jobs are skyrocketing, 16 million jobs created. Inflation has been reduced. Take a look at what Donald Trump and J.D. Vance want in terms of the economy, they want massive tariffs and mass deportation. That will be extraordinarily inflationary. Economists know it. It would be -- so first of all, it would never happen and it would be disastrous for our economy.

We're moving in the right direction. Thanks to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Democrats in the House and Senate.

KEILAR: Congresswoman Dean, thank you so much.

DEAN: Thank you.

KEILAR: I really appreciate it.

DEAN: Good to be with you.

KEILAR: And still ahead, Trump and Vance on the campaign trail as the DNC rolls on. Here with a sound check for John Legend right now. We're also in North Carolina with more on how Trump is reacting to the energy and attacks from Democrats.

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[14:17:21]

KEILAR: It is Tim Walz's big day here in Chicago. It's also a big day for John Legend. We're hearing his sound check behind us here at the United Center. Delegates are eager to hear from the Minnesota Governor as he formally accepts his vice presidential nomination. But right now, former President Trump is on the trail with more DNC counter programming. He and his running mate, J.D. Vance, are holding a campaign rally in Battleground North Carolina, marking Trump's first outdoor rally since last month's assassination attempt.

CNN's Phil Mattingly is at the event in Asheboro, North Carolina. Phil, that is a big crowd behind you. Tell us about the event.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Yeah, that's actually one of the most interesting parts of this, Brianna. Over the course of this week, a full week of counter programming in swing states throughout the country. Most of the events been indoors, small crowds, policy-centric, and policy-focused. This is supposed to be a policy speech that we're expecting from the former president. He's actually right behind me, just brought local law enforcement up to the stage. That's why it's so quiet right now.

But it's an outdoor rally with a lot of people, both in the event space itself, but also outside in the parking lot, hundreds of cars, thousands of people out here to not even get in to the rally, but just to watch the rally. It's his first major outdoor event since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. If you can see behind me on the stage, he is now surrounded by bulletproof glass. And this is a marketable market moment for the former President, getting back outside doing an outdoor event.

The crowd, it's interesting, Brianna. I was talking to some of them, not really paying much attention to what's going on in Chicago. Didn't tell them John Legend was playing, but now (inaudible) a ton of attention. What they are focused on right now is the former President. This is a stronghold part of North Carolina for the former President, second time he's been in the state in the last week, underscoring the importance of this state. He's won it twice. Republicans know, Brianna, he has to win North Carolina again to have any path to 270.

KEILAR: And you have been at these Trump events during the DNC. Phil, what are you hearing from his supporters?

MATTINGLY: You know, what's interesting is, I'll give you a crowd response from earlier, J.D. Vance asked a call in response. Has anybody been watching the Democratic National Convention? He called it coronation in a very pejorative way. And the resounding scream back at him was no.

[14:20:01]

And that's been my experience, too, in talking to people, not really paying attention to what's going on, very much still feel the way I think a lot of people in the Republican Party, a lot of Trump supporters felt 32, 33 days ago in Milwaukee. There is an understanding, though, when you talk to Republicans who know the kind of battleground states very well, particularly those who understand North Carolina, that this is a very real and very different race. The supporters, they are always where they've been over the course of the last eight or nine years, despite what might be going on in Chicago right now. The political operatives are very cognizant of the fact that this is as close as it can possibly get. All of the critical seven battleground states the former President and his vice presidential candidate will be visiting are absolutely essential. And they could go either way at this point, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Phil Mattingly, live for us in North Carolina. Thank you for that. And with us now we have our two CNN Senior Political Commentators, David Urban and Van Jones, who is also our Chief Modern Dance Contributor.

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Brianna, listen I --

KEILAR: As it turns out --

URBAN: It took everything in my power to keep him seated --

KEILAR: Well, that video --

URBAN: -- while they were playing.

KEILAR: There it is.

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, my God.

URBAN: Listen --

JONES: I'm going to kill (inaudible).

URBAN: Listen, when they were just playing prince, I was having to hold Van down to the chair when they were just playing Prince here.

JONES: I'm going to kill --

URBAN: I tell you, Van is a good dancer.

JONES: Got Jennings. I was minding my own business like 50,000 other Democrats happy because --

URBAN: No privacy.

KEILAR: You've got 19-year-old business.

JONES: NO privacy.

KEILAR: That's sharing your business.

URBAN: I was minding --

KEILAR: I mean, I love it.

JONES: Hey, listen, I got dad moves that would put the (inaudible) per se.

KEILAR: I'm not judging. I dance like Elaine from Seinfeld, so like, no judgment at all.

JONES: Why am I -- who put this -- can we talk about Donald Trump or somebody?

KEILAR: Van, it looks great.

JONES: Looking good.

KEILAR: Okay. Hey, we'll move on. We'll move on.

JONES: Jesus.

KEILAR: It's another big musical night though.

URBAN: I know.

JONES: I'm going (inaudible) Jennings.

URBAN: (Inaudible) from down.

KEILAR: We're going to see. I don't know. Let him be free.

URBAN: Let Van be Van.

KEILAR: Okay. So big night for Tim Walz. What do you think he needs to do here to introduce himself as Republicans have really tried to define him?

JONES: Well, look, I mean, I think that he's done a good job so far. There've been some potholes, which I'm sure you'll jump on in terms of how he got his family started, some stuff on the military service. He's got to handle that. He can't have a third one of those where it seems like something is not exactly lining up. But the thing that people like about him is the thing that's hard to fake. It's relatability. It's the authenticity.

It's the way that he just seems like somebody's dad you grew up with. And he just needs to fill that in. And I think he's going to be fine.

KEILAR: What do you think?

URBAN: Hey, listen, I'm not even going to knock on those things that Van is talking about because that's all out in the public domain. What I think Walz needs to do is he needs to make this convention more relatable to people. Listen, this is a base convention, right? The Republican convention is a base convention.

JONES: Yeah.

URBAN: Talking to your base, that's you're out there for. But this -- what Kamala Harris to do is expand her base, right? Go after those -- the swing counties in Pennsylvania. I'm just always focused on Pennsylvania. So Erie County, Pennsylvania, white working class guys in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Tim Walz has to be like the Bass Pro guy. Scott and I were talking earlier, guy, he has to be the Bass Pro guy showing up at the Bass Pro Shop in Erie County, Pennsylvania, or in Harrisburg. It's got to make it more relatable to those kind of voters that want to connect but don't feel a connection at this point, right?

They watched Barack Obama. They watched, you know, Kamala Harris. They see other folks. They're like, yeah, that's not really relatable. That party is not my party. If Tim Walz could do that, it'll be a tougher race. And interestingly, Brianna, what I noticed over the past two nights with President Obama, and Michelle Obama, and former Secretary Clinton, they have this cautionary tale. They're given a cautionary tale of, listen, guys, I know you feel good here, but we've been through this already. We've seen the football been moved.

JONES: Yeah.

URBAN: Donald Trump is going to be tough. And we leave here, we're going to have to get tough.

JONES: Yeah.

KEILAR: Yeah. And we'll talk about that. But I do want to talk about this moment from Barack Obama last night, a moment that I'm not sure we all saw coming. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

URBAN: See, I'm shocked because after Donald Trump was so gracious, he said such nice things to Kristen Holmes about Barack and Michelle Obama. He was so kind to them. And for Barack, it just means spirited, Brianna, spirited. I'm shocked. I'm shocked.

JONES: Yeah. Look, I was surprised. I think there's a strategy here to see if you can keep Trump crazy, if you can keep him reacting.

KEILAR: Like, trigger him basically?

JONES: Trigger him. Keep him reacting. Keep him saying straight nutty stuff because the Republicans desperately would like for Donald Trump to talk about something remotely relevant to the world besides himself. And so if you can keep him upset, you keep him off balance.

URBAN: I mean, imagine if he doesn't, if Donald Trump start talking about issues, right, so we've had the best -- that's 32 days, probably, the best 32 days of any modern campaign in American political history. And Kamala Harris in this campaign are still tied and neck and neck and behind in sub states.

JONES: Yeah.

URBAN: So if Donald Trump gets back on message, Barack Obama, Secretary Clinton, all those warnings about be careful, he's a tough guy, tough campaigner, going to hold true. [14:25:03]

KEILAR: Yeah. He might be his own worst enemy. And it seems like they are trying to keep him in that role. I do want to play a moment from Michelle Obama, which was one of her big ones last night. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be black.

Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: You know, look, I think that she had something to get off her chest.

KEILAR: Oh, for sure. She came to play.

JONES:" Yeah. And think that it has been troubling to watch this kind of -- it feels like a double standard. Like, Donald Trump seems like he can get away with anything and be forgiven. And they were held to such a ridiculously high standard that it was a scandal when he wore a tan suit.

And I think when you carry that, I think she has some stuff off her chest. and she was speaking not just for herself. I think there are a lot of people who feel like this so called DEI backlash or whatever is really just code for stay in your place, or if you got there, you didn't earn it. And given how hard people are working to get places in the black community, the brown community, and other communities, she's speaking for a lot of people.

KEILAR: But Trump is winning over some black men --

JONES: Yes, he is. Yup.

KEILAR: -- Latino men. And that is a real problem for Kamala Harris.

URBAN: Kamala Harris has got a big, big problem, right? I watched a Benny Johnson video out here in the south side of Chicago, walking around a strip mall with a microphone saying, who you vote for going after African-American men. Donald Trump. Donald Trump. This is Barack Obama's hometown. Donald Trump.

In the city of Philadelphia, Donald Trump has a great deal of support from African-American men. One of the things that I note is lacking from a lot of this program as well, a lot of outreach to Hispanic, the Hispanic community. I mean, you know, I don't see a lot of Hispanics on the stage, right? And so they got a lot of work to do. There's got a lot of work to do in the Hispanic community. You know, people -- the folks who are in the middle class feel a pinch on the economy, on immigration, in their communities. It's going to be a race. Look, nobody thinks it's going to be easy.

JONES: No.

URBAN: It's going to be down to a few votes in all these states and all these counties, and that's why it's important.

JONES: She's got work to do clawing back some of these young black men who want to hear that I want you to be successful economically, to be a business owner, to be an entrepreneur. It can't all be government programs. That's not landing well with these young black men.

When they hear opportunity, they mean -- do you mean charity? They want to be owners. They want to be builders. If she speaks to them in that way and listens to them on that point, she can get them back. But right now, she's got (inaudible).

URBAN: Yeah. And Trump still has the aura of strong businessmen, strong businessman. I build things. I'm a tough guy, right? People like that.

KEILAR: Van and David, thank you so much, especially for the moves. And I appreciate it.

URBAN: I had no idea you're doing that.

KEILAR: That keeps on giving. All right. I had much more from the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. And another story that we're following closely, the latest on the ceasefire and hostage talks between Hamas and Israel. And a warning from Iran which says time is on its side when it comes to its planned retaliation against Israel for an attack on its -- on a Hamas leader in Tehran. We'll have that next.

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