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Tonight: Harris To Formally Accept Presidential Nomination; Tonight: Harris To Share Her Personal Story In Remarks; Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) Talks About What She Expects From Vice President Harris; Harris Campaign: There's A Home For Unhappy RFK JR Voters. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 22, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And when she does, she is expected to be greeted by many delegates wearing white. We're already seeing them filter in here to the arena, even hours before. It's, of course, the color of the women's suffrage movement, a nod to Harris potentially becoming the first woman to lead the country.

And we're also learning some new details about Harris' goals with her speech tonight. CNN's Eva McKend is with us now.

Tell us what you're learning, Eva.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we know to the extent that she could be. She has been hunkered down, not appearing at the convention every night in this arena because she has been preparing for this speech, even trying to anticipate how certain moments might land. We know that she is going to make a forceful case against former President Donald Trump, talk about how he is a threat to democracy, talk about Project 2025, that conservative policy proposal.

We also know that she is going to lean heavily into her personal biography, talk about growing up, the product of a single mother. You know, she is going to use her personal story to really illustrate that she understands what it's like to be working class and try to connect with working class voters.

And, Brianna, I will leave you with this: this is going to be a history-making night. It's a big moment for black women in politics. They say, race aside, that she is eminently qualified for this time, this position. But they hope that she does acknowledge the historic nature of this moment and she speaks to the broader legacy in play here. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, Eva McKend, thank you so much.

And here with me now is the political speechwriter for the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign, Dan Schwerin, and former communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, Ashley Etienne, here at the United Center with us.

Ashley, I want to start with you because we have reported that Harris has been working on this speech for weeks now, even as she's really only had just a few weeks, right, to know that she was giving this. How does she prepare for a moment like this?

ASHLEY ETIENNE, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR VP HARRIS: Well, she - to Eva's point, she's hunkered down and has been for some days and focused on the speech. I'm hearing from her team, I met with them yesterday, that she's more focused than she's ever been. She understands the significance of this moment, not just in part - not just to mark history, but really to lay out the future for the country.

Where are we going to take this country? Where does she plan to take this country? There's, as you know, polls are saying there's a sizable number of people who don't yet know who Kamala Harris is. So this is the moment for her to say that and to lay that out through her own - out of her own mouth, in a way that only she can.

And I expect that she'll show the Kamala Harris that I've seen in those rooms, in the White House. And that is someone who has a heart and a compassion for people, the plight of people, understanding their circumstances. She is of them, from - coming from a middle class, worked her way through college.

So she's going to talk about that and how that grounding in a real American story has really influenced not just her decision making, but across her entire career from being an AG to her days as the vice president.

KEILAR: And, Dan, I'm sure as a speechwriter, I think when you talk to speechwriters, they always, even when they're not the ones writing the speech, I think it's an interesting practice to kind of think of where they might like to go and capitalize on what the person speaking may say, what would you like to say or what would you like to hear from her? What do you think would be most impactful for her to say?

DAN SCHWERIN, POLITICAL SPEECH WRITER AND STRATEGIST: I do think this is her chance to introduce herself to the American people, her story, her values, her vision in a way that she hasn't had the chance to do yet. I think it's also a really important opportunity to frame the choice in this election between moving forward and going backwards. And I think she's going to offer a vision about the promise of America that will appeal to a broad cross-section of voters, not just Democrats, but independents and some Republicans as well.

KEILAR: And how specific do you think she should get, Dan?

SCHWERIN: This is not a policy speech. I think she will talk about what she will do as president, but those policies will be in service of sharing her values and animating her story. So I'm sure she will talk about how she will restore abortion rights across our country. But this is not an opportunity to do a 10-point plan with footnotes. It's really about values and her story and her vision.

KEILAR: Yes. No power point tonight, Ashley. This isn't like a State of the Union. It's not a litany of ...

ETIENNE: Absolutely. KEILAR: ... prescriptive policy things, but people want to know where she stands. And if they've had concerns about the Biden economy, they do want to know how she is different. So how do you want to see her articulate that?

ETIENNE: Well, I think she did that last week when she laid out the opportunity agenda.

KEILAR: But a lot of people didn't hear that, right?

ETIENNE: Yes.

KEILAR: They may be watching this, so how does she do that tonight?

ETIENNE: So I think what she's going to do is she lays - she's going to lay it out through the lens of - enter into that conversation about what she wants - how she wants to build the middle class through her own personal experience, through her own biography, that's how I expect her to do it.

[15:05:08]

But here's one thing I just want to caution, tonight is not the only night that she's going to have the opportunity to lay out her vision for America, to get into policy details and specifics. It's only been four weeks, she laid out an incredible agenda last week about strengthening the middle class, going after corporate greed. She's going to do that tonight as being the people's prosecutor. She's going to talk about her time as attorney general, going after greedy insurance companies, big banks and big pharma.

She's going to do that and really make the case to the American people that you can trust me that I'm going to do these things because I've already proven that I can do them.

KEILAR: How much will she or won't she focus on the historic nature of her election? Because it sounds like she might not be leaning into that as much and maybe relying on others.

ETIENNE: Well, I think she will. I don't - I just also think that her presence really makes the point, you know, kind of very much like Barack Obama, like his presence made the point. I don't think she has a lean into it, but I think just given what I know about her and her essence, she will make a nod to it.

KEILAR: And I wonder, you know, Dan, because Hillary Clinton, she really did lean into it. That obviously was so much of what that candidacy was about. She was the first woman to receive that nomination. Kamala Harris will be the second here. I wonder in retrospect how you look back on kind of approaching that topic of leaning into the narrative using surrogates to do it versus the principal.

SCHWERIN: Well, I think what you heard from Secretary Clinton on Monday was - it was - that it is not about electing the first woman president. It is about what she will do when she gets into office and how she will serve people and make the country better, and freer and fairer.

So what Secretary Clinton said is on the other side of that glass ceiling is freedom. And I think that's what Kamala Harris represents and is going to be - that's the message she's going to be carrying is what does that freedom mean for people in a - both uplifting way and in a really practical way.

So I think that Secretary Clinton made that clear on Monday and that was also - that is always what she's believed and Monday was a deeply personal speech for her, and I think that it reflected that.

KEILAR: Yes. And I know you work closely with her on that.

Dan, as this convention is winding down here, how would you rate what you have heard the speeches? There've been a lot of them, but how would you rate what you've heard so far?

SCHWERIN: It's been a terrific convention and I think that Vice President Harris is going into tonight with a lot of momentum behind her: The Obamas, the Clintons, Gov. Walz last night, Oprah, we've just - we've heard speeches that have lifted people up, have offered positive energy and vision.

And I think that she can bring it all together tonight and make it her own and put her own stamp on it. And we really want to hear her singular voice tonight and this is her chance.

KEILAR: Ashley, I want to ask you because this beautiful noise behind us ...

ETIENNE: Yes.

KEILAR: ... has actually been, I believe, a Bruno Mars sound check.

ETIENNE: That's true. He's going to perform.

KEILAR: I think that's what it is. But here's the deal ...

ETIENNE: Yes.

KEILAR: ... I heard this before, I heard it on Monday ...

ETIENNE: Okay.

KEILAR: ... because some other acts had to be jettisoned because of some of the timing issues on Monday. We still saw on Tuesday and even last night, the big speeches getting pushed into the very late hours. And I wonder what you think is going to happen tonight. And I wonder if you think looking back on that, if it matters, if people are going to say that was kind of problematic that things went so late or if they're going to say, you know, what, actually, ratings held, it was fine, it was great.

ETIENNE: Listen, I don't think anyone's paying attention to how long these nights have gone.

KEILAR: It is late.

ETIENNE: It's been so electric. Drink your coffee. Take a little shot of a - but nevertheless, I think the one think that ...

KEILAR: Shot of what, Ashley? Okay, sorry, I'm just kidding.

ETIENNE: Yes, I had to stop, right? I stopped myself.

KEILAR: I noticed.

ETIENNE: I could go anywhere. But I will say the one thing that I've been so incredibly impressed with is the unity of this party and what we put on display on that stage. Not just Democrats, not just our base, Democrats across the spectrum of our party, independents, Republicans.

I mean, it's just been a convention that has really provided a permission structure for independents, disaffected Republicans to come and support this ticket. It really has been incredible in that regard.

KEILAR: Ashley and Dan, thank you so much. Obviously, a big historic night and I appreciate you talking with me about it.

And with us now, we have Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. She is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Congresswoman, thanks for making some time for us.

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): I'm thrilled to be here.

KEILAR: What do you want to hear from Vice President Harris tonight that is really important to progressive voters?

JAYAPAL: Yes, I think it's a lot of actually what everybody has been saying. I think of it as it's not as much what she says as how people feel at the end. Do they feel like she will stand up and fight for them? Do they feel like she is really going to provide a better life for them?

And I think the economic agenda that she's laid out, opportunity and freedom for everyone, but also the ability for everyone across this country, no matter who you are.

[15:10:07]

No matter - whether you're in a red state or a blue state or a purple state, that you see yourself in what she says. And so things that I know that she has already talked about that are important are the big investment in housing. You know, people have a really hard time affording a place to live.

She doesn't have to get into any details. She just has to talk about how that's going to be a priority. I know that child care is a huge issue for people across this country. And I think for her to say that we are going to invest in the care economy, in the people that care for our kids, for our seniors, those kinds of things are really what people want to hear. Not details, but really what is that working class agenda that is going to get things done for people?

KEILAR: I guess she doesn't have to get into details so much if she can convince people to trust her ...

JAYAPAL: That's right.

KEILAR: ... to tackle the problem. But you're seeing that there's a significant chunk of Americans who are not particularly familiar with her ...

JAYAPAL: Yes.

KEILAR: ... or her policies, how does she build that trust, because she does need to.

JAYAPAL: Well, I do think saying what she has done, she is remarkably accomplished. She is a part of the Biden-Harris administration that cut prescription drug costs for people across this country, that capped insulin, that made the biggest investment ever in taking on climate change, that reduced unemployment to the lowest level in 50 years.

Those are all things that she helped get done. She was a leader in that effort. She can mention those things, and then she can talk about how we're not there yet. We're going forward. We are still addressing the issues that so many people across this country have. And, of course, she's going to make the contrast with the other guy who absolutely, you know, in the words of Bill Clinton, me, myself, and I for Donald Trump. Kamala Harris is about the people. Governor Walz is about the people.

KEILAR: Is that some Dua Lipa I'm hearing? It is. I just want to make sure I got - I'm a little old other than ...

JAYAPAL: You're really getting the preview for all the good stuff.

KEILAR: I didn't know she was going to be performing, but it sounds like we're breaking some news here, okay.

So interesting thing to hear from Jen O'Malley Dillon, the co-chair of the campaign, saying - and I think this is sort of like maybe the reality check that Michelle Obama was giving on Tuesday night, but she was asked by Politico's Eugene Daniels whether there's a clear path to victory, and she said, quote, "We don't have it. We are a polarized nation in a challenging time. And despite all the things that are happening in the country, Trump still has more support than he has had at any other point. It is going to come down to every single vote."

I don't know if all of the folks in this room sort of are on the same level as that, that he has more support than ever. I think they kind of feel like, oh, out with the old, we're over him, people are kind of over him.

JAYAPAL: Yes.

KEILAR: That's a bit of a reality check. Do you think progressives get that?

JAYAPAL: Oh, yes, because we're the organizers, right? Progressives are the base. We are the ones that knock on doors. We are the ones that are out making phone calls. We are the ones that understand that the movement comes from the people. We can all sit here and say this is wonderful, but we've got to get people out to the polls. They need a voting plan. It's what Michelle Obama said.

But I also think - I look at things, I have a spidey sense for how things are going on the ground, and I've been in Georgia for the Harris campaign. I just came from Michigan. I'm going to Wisconsin. I'm looking at what's happening in Washington State.

What I can tell you is, there are more - these are indicators for me. More people who have contributed to the campaign who have never contributed before. I'm not as interested in the people. I mean, I'm interested. I care about them. But I'm looking at what's the enthusiasm level from new people. More voter - new voter registrations, 83 percent of those, even in the first 48 hours, I think it was 36,000 new voter registrations, came from people between the ages of 18 and 34.

I was at a young voters conference, you know, campus organizers from across the country, 300 of them. And the excitement about getting involved in democracy, which is sometimes the biggest challenge for us, is how do we make people feel like their voice matters, and we can't get it done without them. That is true on the ground.

Now, we have to keep it up. I don't, you know, I'm going to every delegation breakfast I speak at, and I'm saying, you know, you get 48 hours, if you're from Alaska or Hawaii in particular, you get a little longer to rest and sleep after this convention. But then we are working every day to make this happen.

KEILAR: Are uncommitted voters who have a really big problem with the Biden-Harris-Israel policy, are they really prepared to sit out this election? And let me ask you - I'm asking this because when you talk to them, they are so deeply affected by what they have seen done ...

JAYAPAL: Yes.

KEILAR: ... with U.S. sold weapons to Israel.

JAYAPAL: Correct.

KEILAR: And it feels to so many of them that it is morally unconscionable to cast a vote, even as they look at what policy Donald Trump would likely have when it comes ...

JAYAPAL: Yes.

[15:15:09]

-- to Israel, are they really prepared not to vote for Donald Trump, but to sit out this election? JAYAPAL: Yes. Well, look, I think that Kamala Harris becoming the nominee is a new opening, and I've already seen it. I have several uncommitted delegates from my own district, and I've had a lot of ...

KEILAR: Even without a policy change, because there isn't one.

JAYAPAL: Yes, because it's about being seen and heard so that there can be a policy change. And you can't get a policy change if you don't even feel like you're being listened to.

So I think from the perspective of the leaders of the uncommitted movement that I've spoken to, they are looking at this very strategically. I do think there's an opening. I do think those conversations have to continue. And I think we have to make sure that that empathy that the Vice President has shown does translate into action, because even today, there are 40,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza, and we need to make sure that the pain of Palestinian Americans who are voting in this election, who have lost dozens of family members, is surfaced to the level where the American people can respond to that pain in the same way that we all responded to the heartbreaking pain of the American hostage families who are waiting for their loved ones to come home.

This is, I think, very, very important for the Harris campaign. And I hope to continue to push for that unity, because at the end of the day, as I've said to so many people, perfection is rarely on the ballot, but real progress always is. And this is a moment where we can work with the Vice President. She has said so many things that are important to making the Palestinian American community, but not only.

I mean, labor unions care about this. The black community cares about this. We care about making sure that we implement our domestic human rights laws, our domestic laws, our international humanitarian laws. And I think Kamala Harris is an incredible opportunity for us to really bring this movement together and to change U.S. policy.

KEILAR: Congresswoman Jayapal, thank you so much for taking the time.

JAYAPAL: Thank you.

KEILAR: You may have a political spidey sense. I'm having a little musical spidey sense. I'm - I will tell you, with what I am listening to behind me, I'm having major questions about whether there's some kind of power hour medley coming on. So this is what I'll be pressing on here in this coming hour. A lot more to come from the DNC here in Chicago.

Plus more on this: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to end his bid for president and potentially tell his supporters to vote for Donald Trump. How that shakes up this race?

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[15:22:13]

KEILAR: Today, the Harris-Walz campaign is reaching out to voters who back independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He is expected to fold his campaign tomorrow and is in talks about throwing his support behind former President Trump.

Harris' campaign telling disaffected RFK Jr. voters that if, quote, "they're looking for somebody who understood as it relates to the personal decisions that they make in their lives, the government should get the hell out of the way, then there's a home for them in the Kamala Harris campaign."

Let's talk about this now with CNN Senior Political Analyst Mark Preston and CNN Political Director David Chalian.

Okay, Mark, I mean, who do these voters naturally gravitate towards?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's interesting. Last night I was having a conversation with a Democratic operative. Guess where? The CNN grill. This Democratic operative had just had a poll, had come out of the field where Kennedy was still part of the poll.

Now, what this operative was saying is that this is not good right now, obviously, because what he sees is that that the remaining people that are with Kennedy, specifically in these swing states, are probably going to be Trump voters. They're more likely to go with Trump because any of these folks who were backing Kennedy before that were on the edge about Joe Biden, well, they came over in the last 10 to 20 days when Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: And by the way, about those polls, Kennedy's name is still going to be on the ballot in a lot of these states.

PRESTON: Right.

CHALIAN: He may not be able to pull them off. So even though he will end his candidacy, there may be some people that go there. But every Democrat I speak to believes they're in a better position with him actually in this race, draining some votes from Trump rather than in Trump's camp where, you know, even on the slimmest of margins, Brianna, I mean, that's how these battleground states are decided. They're battlegrounds for a reason. So even if he brings a percent to Trump, that is beneficial.

KEILAR: Okay. So is that a real play then for RFK Jr. votes? Because then where is the Venn diagram, David, where RFK Jr. supporters overlap with Kamala Harris supporters?

CHALIAN: So it was interesting because this morning, Michael Tyler, the communications director for the Harris campaign, had that statement that said, we welcome the opportunity for people who supported RFK Jr. early. Remember when RFK Jr. was sitting at like 15 percent of the polls or 14 percent of the polls, early, because he had a larger universe to your Venn diagram question.

I believe as RFK Jr. has come down and political gravity has been applied, his universe has gotten without much overlap of a potential Harris voter. If people initially were like, hey, in this Biden-Trump matchup, maybe I'll look at RFK Jr. The Harris campaign would like to talk to those people.

[15:25:01]

PRESTON: And also to David's point, when people learn more and more about Robert F. Kennedy, you know, of that 10- to 15 percent, when they learn more about where he was on vaccines and what have you, and some of the things that he said, that's where he lost some of that support.

KEILAR: So RFK Jr.'s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, was speculating earlier this week that Kennedy, as you mentioned, a prominent vaccine skeptic, he would be open to taking a role as Secretary of Health and Human Services in a future Trump administration.

I see your face, and whenever you talk to people in sort of the political space, it's like a punchline to them, the idea that he might be the HHS secretary. I just wonder what you think about this idea.

PRESTON: Well, let me speak on behalf of scientists across the country and around the world. A big sigh if that happens. No, if that were to happen, imagine if Donald Trump does win, right? Robert F. Kennedy becomes, probably doesn't even get through a confirmation hearing, to be honest with you, but maybe he gets appointed because, you know, you can do it temporarily.

What he could potentially do to the research efforts that are ongoing right now, how he could scuttle them to put - to draw attention to what he believes to be the truth and fund studies that are questionable is very concerning. And I bet you, you would lose a lot of scientists in the federal government.

KEILAR: Could he lose voters?

CHALIAN: And bears that hangout in the park should be ...

PRESTON: There we go.

CHALIAN: ... bear, yeah.

KEILAR: Baby bears everywhere are so afraid.

CHALIAN: Sorry.

KEILAR: (INAUDIBLE) it was begging for it, David, it was begging for it.

Okay, but right now, if that is the scuttlebutt, do you see voters who might say, no way, I don't - are you kidding me? This guy would have a prominent role in a Trump administration and that could be a motivating factor?

CHALIAN: I'm skeptical that RFK Jr. if - after bowing out of the race, is going to have an enormous impact on the race. I think that he could have slim impact inside margins in these critical states. That is a big deal.

But I - to your point, I don't think you're going to see a huge swath of voters have a response to the fact that he's endorsed Donald Trump here. I think it is more that there is a lot of overlap in the sort of podcast world or in some conspiracy theory worlds where there's simpatico, and so people who've been with him, a small portion of them, may be going over to Trump. That's a problem for Harris.

KEILAR: He's not going to be Secretary of the Interior, probably.

CHALIAN: Though he's clearly - Trump has said and Kristen Holmes asked him, Trump has said he is open to him having a position in his administration.

KEILAR: Is that wild to you?

PRESTON: I don't know what to say.

KEILAR: All right, guys, final question, Beyonce or no Beyonce?

PRESTON: Well, I just say we start the rumor now that it is pulsating throughout the city that Beyonce's going to show up. I'm only kidding, I have no idea.

KEILAR: There's so much talk about it, though. Have you been running into that?

CHALIAN: There's so much. You cannot take two steps down the hall here without somebody saying, I think Beyonce's coming tonight, so we shall see.

KEILAR: Why do they have - do people ...

CHALIAN: It's wishful ...

PRESTON: Wishful thinking, though, in many parts.

KEILAR: You - okay, that's your take? Okay.

PRESTON: No, no, I'm not saying she's not going to be on that stage, but people are walking around kind of almost wishing that she (INAUDIBLE) ...

KEILAR: No, that's right. You think she's coming?

CHALIAN: I'm guessing she's here.

PRESTON: I mean, I saw her at the CNN grill.

CHALIAN: Oh, my.

KEILAR: See, that is not true, Mark Preston.

CHALIAN: It's not true.

PRESTON: I'm kidding. KEILAR: Your credibility is on the line.

PRESTON: Oh, come on.

KEILAR: All right. Well, clearly members of the beehive here. You guys, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

And so as we wait to see how much policy is going to make it into Harris' historic speech tonight, former President Donald Trump is at the border- the southern border, U.S.-Mexico. He's slamming Harris' record on immigration. He is scheduled to speak in Arizona any minute. We're going to head there live next.

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