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Source: Secret Service Never Used Local Radios For Trump Rally; Fed Chair Powell To Deliver Pivotal Speech Amid Calls For Rate Cut; Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) On Harris And Foreign Policy. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired August 23, 2024 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:30:25]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D.L. HUGHLEY, COMEDIAN: Of course, Kamala is getting broad support. They got Black men for Kamala, white men for Kamala, Latinos and Asians for Kamala. They even have Republicans for Kamala -- Republicans for Kamala. I guess Donald Trump will finally know what it's like when you get left for a younger woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Um, um. Alrighty then.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention is now officially in the history books with a very different ending than the one the party expected just a little over the four weeks ago. Kamala Harris completing her rise from running mate to the top of the ticket, accepting the nomination. Harris told her story and laid out some specifics for a potential future administration.
Joining us now, CNN political commentators Maria Cardona and Shermichael Singleton.
I'm starting with your, Shermichael, because I'm starting --
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: She's coming to me first.
SIDNER: -- where I left off, coming at you early.
You heard D.L. Hughley talk about Republicans for Kamala.
SINGLETON: Um-hum.
SIDNER: Last night, one does one Republican strategist think about how Kamala did in her speech?
SINGLETON: Look, I thought she came across well. And the interesting parts about the thematic elements of the speech -- SIDNER: I need you to stop --
SINGLETON: Oh, OK.
SIDNER: -- rewind. You what?
SINGLETON: I thought she came across very well.
SIDNER: I just wanted to make sure --
SINGLETON: Yeah, yeah.
SIDNER: -- I heard that coming from you.
SINGLETON: Yeah, no -- that was accurate.
SIDNER: Wow, OK.
SINGLETON: I mean, I thought the thematic elements of the speech when she talked about bolstering the military was really good. The way she looked. And I know for the general public this may not make a lot of sense but the colors of her attire. She looked president. She looked like she meant business.
And to me, if you understand that she has some -- I would say some vulnerabilities, let's say, with some men who may say well, can a woman do the job? Can she be strong or tough enough? I think visually, she came across well. That's important because we are visual creatures. And again, her oratory as it pertained to showcasing strength also came across well. So I would give her an A+ across the board.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Sara Sidner, I have to say that the little sleep Sara Sidner as (INAUDIBLE) danger to the broadcast, and I'm all in.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: But we love it. We're here for it.
BERMAN: I'm here for it and I want to know what's going to happen next.
SIDNER: He's afraid what is going to come out of my mouth, and he should be.
BERMAN: I am on the edge of my seat, literally, for the next 2 1/2 hours.
SIDNER: I saw you clinch like --
BERMAN: Yeah.
SIDNER: -- oh, no -- where's she going with this?
BERMAN: All right. Maria Cardona, I want to know what you think was accomplished last night -- CARDONA: Um-hum.
BERMAN: -- and what, if anything, is left to accomplish for --
CARDONA: Um-hum.
BERMAN: -- the Harris campaign.
CARDONA: I thought it was an artful speech, beautifully delivered, pitch perfect. I agree with Shermichael. She did what she needed to do, and it was very intentional in terms of who she was talking to last night. She clearly had already everyone in this arena, right, on her side and supporting her. She clearly had so many Democrats already around the country excited and supporting her.
What she needed to do last night with the speech of her political life and with the audience that was just millions of Americans that were tuning in to see who was Kamala Harris, she accomplished that.
The way that she did it was because it was an artful architecture of a narrative that started with her personal bio for those who didn't know who she was; her professional bio, getting to what you were talking about, Shermichael, in terms of well, what is she going to do for me? Then she followed that up with her own values and then talked about what she wants to do for the American people. And ended up with a very sharp contrast with what her opponent is doing in Donald Trump.
And the strength of it, both visually as well as verbally, was exactly what she needed to do for those voters -- Independent voters, men across the board, Republican who do not want to see another four years of Donald Trump but perhaps aren't sure about a Kamala Harris. She did exactly what she needed to do for those voters as well.
But now, you know, let's make no bones about this, the hard work starts because this was just the beginning, and it was a fabulous beginning for her. She now has to continue to write that book for all of those voters --
SINGLETON: Well, there --
CARDONA: -- who are going to be looking to her for that kind of leadership.
SINGLETON: Look, the race really begins now. You know, that economic issue -- we've talked a whole lot about it on this network. That is still going to be an issue for the vice president. She touched on it a little bit -- maybe halfway, I want to say, if I'm remembering well -- in the speech. I thought I was going to get a little bit more.
[07:35:00]
If I were drafting the speech I probably would have wanted to put in one or two concrete things -- more substantive things, particularly for white working-class and men. I would have probably wanted to hit a little harder on that front. Now, I will say Democrats have the opportunity on the campaign trail to do that. But conversely, on the Republican side, I think the former president will look at that and say well, you know what, she didn't talk about these things the way she should have. She's been the vice president for 3 1/2 years. What is she doing now?
And so you're going to see that sort of back-and-forth dance between the two camps I think on that issue, particularly in the state of Pennsylvania, which I think is a must-win for Donald Trump.
SIDNER: It has to be said that prices are up 20 percent --
SINGLETON: Yeah, yeah.
SIDNER: -- from when they began, although there was the pandemic. You know, there are lots of reasons but nobody --
SINGLETON: Yeah.
SIDNER: -- cares about the reasons. If your groceries are more expensive, your groceries are more expensive.
I do want to ask you though about your boy, Donald Trump because of what he --
SINGLETON: You're just coming after me today, Sara --
SIDNER: I'm sorry.
SINGLETON: -- but that's OK.
SIDNER: I'm sorry. I'm fighting again.
CARDONA: John is on the edge of his seat.
SIDNER: I'm qui (PH) petty again. I apologize. My mother is going to be very disappointed with me.
But Donald Trump is trying to respond to this in real time and he is having a -- what used to be called a Tweetstorm. He now has Truth Social, so a Truth Social storm of things to say, and none of them -- I mean, he's talking about Hunter Biden. He's talking about where is he?
I mean, what did you think about his response to this?
SINGLETON: So I did look at some of the posts. When he was talking about the economic issues and why she didn't do this, I thought that was good. All of the other stuff, I don't know. I haven't spoken to the former president.
My -- but my presumption is that he recognizes the race has changed. Even Thomas Sowell, the conservative, you know, philosopher and thought thinker wrote a piece, I think in The Wall Street Journal, pretty much saying Republicans need to get their stuff together because the messaging just isn't sticking. The momentum is obviously shifting to the vice president. The former president needs to figure out a way to shift things back to himself. I think he has an opportunity. I think you can make the argument.
Credit card defaults are at an all-time high. I think CNBC had an article that came out a couple of days ago talking about the number of Americans who can't afford to pay their mortgage on a consistent basis or their rent on a consistent basis.
So there are some elements that he should be talking about and if I were advising him, I would say focus and hone in on those points. You're probably not going to defeat the cultural phenomenon that we're seeing but maybe on the policy front you can distinguish yourself there.
BERMAN: One of the things that Harris said in the speech last night was calling Donald Trump fundamentally unserious --
CARDONA: Um-hum.
BERMAN: -- which was this theme of this convention, sometimes explicitly, like, there, but sometimes also just under the surface. And then also projecting the idea of order and calm --
CARDONA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- and normalcy --
CARDONA: Um-hum.
BERMAN: -- there.
CARDONA: Um-hum.
BERMAN: And I wonder, Maria, when you look at this speech -- her speech, which was disciplined --
CARDONA: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- and focused and compare it to what Donald Trump did. And they had a -- the Republicans had a good convention --
CARDONA: Um-hum.
BERMAN: -- Shermichael, up until Donald Trump's -- halfway through his speech --
SINGLETON: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- when it lost focus.
CARDONA: Yeah.
BERMAN: And I do wonder how much Democrats can gain from that unfocused contrast they're trying to present with Donald Trump. CARDONA: I think it's something that Democrats can both leverage, but at the same time -- and I think Democrats have been very good at this -- we can just get out of the way. Because he becomes his own worst enemy when he gets into his own head and he literally has meltdowns, right? He's completely discombobulated with a completely new version of this campaign that they were not expecting and he has absolutely no idea how to run against.
And, you know, my dear friends Shermichael, and Scott Jennings, and David Urban, and all of them can say until they're blue in the face well, Donald Trump should talk about policy. But Donald Trump cannot just talk about policy. That's not who he is. That's never been who he is, which is why what Kamala Harris said last night rings so true to, frankly, the vast majority of Americans out there who are thinking yeah, he absolutely is unserious.
Let's remember the last four years of Donald Trump. And that's part of the strategy because there has been a little bit of amnesia. There has been a little bit of fuzzy memory about what happened under Donald Trump.
They keep talking about this glowing economy. Let's also remember that under Donald Trump, millions of jobs were lost. Hundreds of thousands of Americans died because he was unable to deal with a global pandemic and take seriously the science behind it. That is something that Democrats are going to continue to remind Americans about.
And then she's going to go to solutions. She's going to talk about the economic accomplishments, which by the way, a lot of the economic policies under Biden-Harris are incredibly popular.
[07:40:00]
She needs to go beyond that to where people are feeling what you were talking about, Sara, in their pocketbooks. The cost at grocery stores, right? The cost of housing and rent. She is dealing with that head-on and that's why I think she is really looking at this and actually offering solutions where it most matters.
SINGLETON: And see, everything Maria talked about -- not being disciplined and how it gives Democrats a strategic advantage is absolutely why every single Republican continues to say to the former president you have to be different this time. You cannot do 2016, you cannot do 2020 if you want to win this.
And the implications are not just on the executive. You're also looking at the Senate --
SIDNER: The down-ballot, right.
SINGLETON: -- you're also looking at the House.
CARDONA: Right.
SINGLETON: And so there's a lot at stake here for the party writ large. And so to say become disciplined is not a knock against the former president; it is you are going to impact everyone else if your performance is not as strong as it can be if you showcase a different version of yourself that the American people don't often get to see.
SIDNER: I remember a time when we were saying the same thing -- Democrats were saying the same thing not about message but about Joe Biden and the down --
SINGLETON: Yeah.
SIDNER: -- ballot --
SINGLETON: Um-hum.
SIDNER: -- Democrats. And so here we are.
BERMAN: That's why we -- it's not like it was that long ago. I'm old enough to remember it.
CARDONA: You remember a time.
BERMAN: Right.
All right, Maria Cardona, Shermichael --
SIDNER: I can't remember what happened yesterday.
SINGLETON: Thank you, guys.
BERMAN: -- thank you so much --
CARDONA: Thank you.
BERMAN: -- for being here.
Kate, we have long, long memories.
SIDNER: Please take it away -- just please.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I just kind of want to sit on it.
SIDNER: Get me off TV.
BOLDUAN: I'm going to sit on it. But, yeah, OK.
SIDNER: No. No.
BOLDUAN: We will be back.
We're also following this right now. There are new details coming out this morning about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the series of failures that may have led up to that terrifying close call.
CNN's Zach Cohen has more on this for us. He's joining us now. Zach, forgotten radios? What are you learning?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Kate. We're learning that local officers did set aside radios explicitly for the purpose of communicating directly with U.S. Secret Service before Trump's July 13 rally, but Secret Service never picked those radios up. And if they had, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger tells us they would have likely heard that warning about a man on the roof before Thomas Crooks opened fire at Donald Trump, killing a rallygoer and hitting the former president.
I want to read what the district attorney in Butler County told us when we asked him about these radios and why they were never picked up.
He says, "I can confirm that the Butler County ESU team made radios available to the Secret Service and that they were not utilized by the Secret Service. It is safe to assume that if a holder of an ESU radio was paying attention, they would have received the call." And he's referring to that warning minutes before Thomas Crooks opened fire.
And that's really been the prevailing question over the last month as we have looked into how Thomas Crooks was able to get off eight shots before he was ultimately neutralized by a Secret Service sniper.
The acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, has even acknowledged that they just needed seconds of a heads up or a warning before the shooting occurred and that they could have prevented it from happening.
So this is going to raise a lot of questions. This is something that was initially pointed out by Congressman Clay Higgins who served on that congressional task force that's investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. That task force is scheduled to make a visit to Butler County and the rally site next week where they're going to meet with local officials in, really, their first investigative step.
So this is going to raise even more questions about the communication breakdowns that occurred and that led up to the shooting and allowed Thomas Crooks to open fire at a former president.
BOLDUAN: And I know you said it, but just to reinforce, it's not just security failures leading up that led to a close call on the president, which is bad enough, but a man was killed by those shots that he was able to get off. I mean, this was a deadly incident --
COHEN: Yeah.
BOLDUAN: -- that obviously should have been avoided.
But what is the Secret Service saying about what you've now learned?
COHEN: Absolutely. The Service says they are going to look into this and try to identify why these radios were never picked up. But as you mentioned, this is a serious lapse, it appears, in the preplanning process that did result in someone getting killed and a former president being shot.
The Secret Service has made some changes following the Trump -- assassination attempt of Donald Trump.
They've added its own mobile communications apparatus to try to create this private cell network that can sort of facilitate communication between Secret Service officials on the ground and local officers that are there to help provide security at events -- big events like the Trump rally on July 13.
They've also added ballistic glass around Trump when he gives speeches. You saw just yesterday when he was giving a speech, he's now encased in that glass casing of ballistic bulletproof glass.
And they've also increased the number of agents on Trump's security detail trying to provide more of a security presence around the former president.
But at the end of the day, it is -- it does go back to maybe just simple things like picking up radios to where you can speak to your local law enforcement partners.
BOLDUAN: Zach, thank you so much for giving us an update. Much more to come, very clearly, on this.
Also, in just a few hours, the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell will deliver a keynote speech at a summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that is grabbing and going to be grabbing a lot of attention as this week, the Labor Department issued revised figures for the 12 months through March that point to a still fragile economy.
[07:45:00]
U.S. growth was nearly 30 percent less than initially reported. Nearly 818,000 fewer jobs than initially reported. The biggest downturn in this aspect of economy since -- downward revision since 2009.
CNN's Julia Chatterley is here with much more on this. Add this all up and that could mean what, then, for Jerome -- what we could hear from Jerome Powell?
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, officially, he's going to talk about the U.S. economic outlook, unofficially. We're hoping that he ultimately signals that interest rates are going to start to come down in September. And actually, that's the easiest part of this.
So, two questions follow. How much do they cut rates in September? It's been an ongoing conversation. And then, how quickly can they bring rates down from thereon because that's what matters ultimately to borrowers out there?
I think the first one is pretty easy. Again, he'll signal that a quarter of a percentage point rate cut is what's expected in September. It fits with the data. He'll talk about the fact that the rise in prices, as painful as it's been, is slowing.
BOLDUAN: Um-hum. CHATTERLY: What we'll then focus on is the jobs market. I'm glad you mentioned those revisions because that is really important. It's eye- opening to see the economy adding a third less jobs than we thought.
BOLDUAN: It's crazy.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, it's crazy, quite frankly. They need to sort the system out.
But the key with this is that the Federal Reserve knew about it and they still chose to hold rates steady last month. However, we now have the minutes of that meeting and there were a number of policymakers that were saying look, we could cut rates -- and they could have done.
BOLDUAN: Huh.
CHATTERLEY: So it's seen as a positive signal.
On the pace afterwards, that's where it gets more complicated. We need the August jobs number. We kind of also need to see who wins the presidential election. Both policy platforms are vague. Both are high spending and both likely to be inflationary, but Trump's tariffs are the wild card.
BOLDUAN: Um-hum.
CHATTERLEY: But some estimates it could add a percentage point to inflation in 2025. Let's be clear. He's not going to touch that with a 10-foot pole today.
BOLDUAN: Right.
CHATTERLEY: But it has to be in the thinking.
BOLDUAN: Well, so he's going to be speaking broadly on the economic outlook --
CHATTERLEY: Yeah.
BOLDUAN: -- right?
How are investors likely to react to it?
CHATTERLEY: A great question. This is a pivotal speech.
And if I just take you back over the last two years, a year ago, he talked about the end of rate hikes. We saw the S&P 500 up one percent. Two years ago, he said look, we're going to have to curb inflation. It's going to be painful for people out there. The S&P 500 -- I'm showing you there --
BOLDUAN: How interesting.
CHATTERLEY: -- dropped 3.4 percent.
So these kind of swings he doesn't like. He'd rather not have them. Today, I think he'll be quite cautious about it and leave the outlook open as best he can. Politically and economically it's the right thing.
BOLDUAN: Still, what you see right there -
CHATTERLEY: But watch him.
BOLDUAN: -- everyone is going to be watching --
CHATTERLEY: I know.
BOLDUAN: -- because they --
CHATTERLEY: I know.
BOLDUAN: It's great to see you. Thank you so much. Much more to come on this, of course.
So it was a historic moment. Kamala Harris officially accepting the Democratic nomination for president. But can the honeymoon last? What one Democrat is saying has to happen next.
And a race from public life. The Taliban has just unveiled sweeping new laws further forbidding women's rights and now forbidding women from singing or even reading aloud in public.
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[07:57:25]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As vice president, I have confronted threats to our security, negotiated with foreign leaders, strengthened our alliances, and engaged with our brave troops overseas. As commander in chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world, and I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families. And I will always honor and never disparage their service and their sacrifice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Kamala Harris, last night, trying to make -- you know, make a clear distinction with Donald Trump there and also making that vow to always support America's veterans as she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.
Now with the convention wrapped, another key moment for Harris comes September 10 when she takes to a different stage - the debate stage -- to face off with Donald Trump.
Joining us right now is Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts, Seth Moulton. He sits on House -- the House Armed Services Committee. He's also a Marine Corps veteran. It's good to see you, Congressman. Thanks so much. One thing --
REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA) (via Webex by Cisco): It's good to see you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: -- we saw throughout the week definitely on full display in a real way last night was Democrats reclaiming patriotism as their own. And you heard it very directly from the stage last night from Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. Let me play this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): I want you to proudly claim your patriotism. You are here because you love your country. Do not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in a flag but spit in the face of freedoms. America doesn't follow. We do not retreat. We are the damn United States of America. We lead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Republicans have long, kind of, I don't if won the battle but have seemed to win the battle, claiming patriotism as their -- as their own in terms of definitely when you talk about campaigning.
What are Democrats -- what do you think Democrats are doing here? It seemed different this time at this convention.
MOULTON: Well, it does, in a way, because I think there was a -- there's a previous generation of Americans that attach patriotism to the Republican Party, in part just coming out of the Vietnam War where Republicans were the party that supported the troops that were in the fight, and Democrats were the party of protesters.
[07:55:00]
And it's been a huge mistake for Democrats not to correct that record sooner because this generation is very different. You know, we are the party of believers in the Constitution. The people who fight to protect the flag, while Donald Trump tramples the flag. Donald Trump tried to take down the flag from the United States Capitol and put a Trump flag up instead.
We've never had an insurrection in American's history -- America's history, and we've never had a commander in chief before Donald Trump who absolutely attacked the troops. Who denigrated those of us who have served. Who called World War II veterans losers and suckers. Who attacked his own fellow Republican John McCain for getting captured in the Vietnam War.
Who questioned the service of people by saying I don't understand what was in it for them. He said that to his own chief of staff, Marine Gen. John Kelly, when they were walking through Arlington Cemetery where John Kelly's son is buried because he was killed in Afghanistan.
J.D. Vance has taken up that mantel and is attacking Tim Walz for his 24 years of service to the country. So the Republican Party, all of a sudden, under Donald Trump has become the party that is anti-patriotism. That attacks those who serve, and that, frankly, is dangerous for our national security.
So we're reclaiming that title, but we're also just on the right side of history here.
BOLDUAN: One thing in terms of making a distinction -- another distinction in terms of foreign -- in terms of foreign policy was how Kamala Harris spoke very directly about the -- about Donald Trump's tendency to cozy up, as she says, to tyrants and dictators.
Let me play this one for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators, like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump. Who are rooting for Trump. Because, you know, they know -- they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Donald Trump has -- went on -- said a lot on social media but specifically, kind of, it seemed on this one. He wrote that the tyrants are laughing at her. In three and a half years she's done -- she's done nothing except enabled them to get strong, rich, and powerful.
You say what?
MOULTON: I mean, this is so absurd.
I mean, Kate, my first reaction is listening to Kamala Harris' speech, she sounds like a commander in chief. She sounds like someone who can step into the role, knows what to do, and knows who our allies and our adversaries are around the globe.
We've got to be clear high about the national security threats that the United States of America faces today. Vladimir Putin does not like us. Vladimir Putin wants to see the United States go away. Xi Jinping wants to take over our ally, Taiwan, and risk starting World War III in the Pacific.
Kamala Harris gets that and she's willing to stand up to these dictators. She has a track record of doing so.
Donald Trump is doing the exact opposite. We all know that Trump has said he trusts Putin more than our own CIA. We all know that he has said he will not defend Taiwan, which is the single worst thing you could do for deterrence -- to preventing war in the Pacific.
So, Donald Trump is weak on national security. He's weak on patriotism. He's leading the Republican Party down a path of denigrating our troops. There's a huge contrast here for veterans and people who care about national security in the election this November.
BOLDUAN: Real quick, you -- I saw that you told Politico, kind of, about the race post-convention here that two things are going to happen. One, the honeymoon is inevitably going to end; and two, the Republicans are going to figure out how to attack.
So, what's your prescription of what to do about it?
MOULTON: Well, on the first point, yes. I mean, every honeymoon comes to an end at some point, but that's OK because we have a very strong platform, and we have a strong voice to lead us. We just need to hear more specific policy proposals from Vice President Harris.
Now, in terms of the Republicans, maybe I'm giving them --
BOLDUAN: Was that a miss not doing that last night?
MOULTON: -- too much credit here because they haven't figured out how to attack us yet.
BOLDUAN: Was that a miss last night? You don't -- you don't think she gave enough policy prescriptions last night?
MOULTON: Oh, no, no. I think she's been very clear about what she wants to accomplish and her vision for America. How -- what her values are. But, yes, people are going to want specific things and foreign policy is one of those areas. I think we're going to hear a lot more about that in the next few weeks.
BOLDUAN: All right.
Congressman, good to see you. Thank you so much for coming in.
MOULTON: Good to see you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.
BERMAN: And good morning, everyone. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. Look at that floor.
