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Harris Campaign Releases New Ad Typing Trump To Project 2025; Trump Team's Use Of Photography Leads To "Incident" At Arlington; Pelosi On Trump After Jan. 6 Attack: "He's Got To Pay A Price". Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired August 28, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Percent of the income that is just shy of the 15 percent that experts recommended. So another encouraging sign here when you think about what all this means for the economy. Sara?

SIDNER: It sounds like people are being pretty smart with their money. Matt Egan, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Another hour of CNN News Central starts right now.

New details this morning about an incident that turned physical at Arlington National Cemetery involving the Trump campaign. What led to the altercation at one of the nation's most sacred sites? And Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have Georgia on their mind, so does Donald Trump. Their strategies playing out this week to win that battleground state.

And another tragedy on the football field, as a third student player this month dies after being injured. I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman. Kate Bolduan is out today. This is CNN News Central.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Moments ago, a brand new television commercial released by the Harris campaign trying to tie Donald Trump to Project 2025.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump may try to deny it, but those are Donald Trump's plans.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well, revenge does take time, I will say that. And sometimes revenge can be justified.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He'll take control, we'll pay the price.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Again, the Trump campaign maintains it is not affiliated with Project 2025 which is a document produced by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. But a large number of former Trump officials helped craft the manual. Vice President Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, they're getting ready to sit down with CNN's Dana Bash for their first interview since launching a campaign just over one month ago. They also begin a bus tour through southern Georgia today. CNN's Eva McKend is with us. Let's start with this ad, which is released just moments ago, Eva.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, Project 2025 is a real concern for Democratic voters in all parts of the c0ountry. What strikes me is that unprompted, without even me mentioning it to voters. They mention it to me how afraid they are of the implications of it. And so that is why, from a political standpoint, Democrats are leaning into this hard.

In the ad, they warn of a Trump White House that would overhaul the Department of Justice, give Trump unchecked power to seek vengeance and eliminate the Department of Justice. They're also leaning into this notion that he is hell bent on revenge, which bolsters this larger contrast that they are trying to make between Trump and Harris arguing that he's principally concerned about the past, but she has her eyes towards the future.

BERMAN: All right, Eva McKend, I don't think we have the sound there. I am so sorry for that. But talk to us about what Vice President Harris and Tim Walz are doing in Georgia today.

MCKEND: Well, they think that they can appeal to rural voters in the state. They don't have to win some of these rural counties outright, but playing in them, John, could really make a difference. They've got 24 field offices across Georgia, seven of which are in southern Georgia. And they're looking at the outer Metro Atlanta counties.

You know, when I speak to strategists and organizing in Georgia, they tell me that voters tell them that they wish that candidates would often campaign more in their areas and not only focus on Atlanta. So the campaign with this bus tour is speaking directly to those concerns. And then, of course, they will end their bus tour in Savannah. John?

BERMAN: All right, Eva McKend for us, thanks so much for being with us this morning and sharing your reporting. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, this morning, new details on an altercation involving Donald Trump's team at Arlington National Cemetery. The incident happened while the former president was visiting Section 60, the burial site for recent U.S. casualties during his visit on Monday.

Trump is now suggesting on Truth Social that the problems stem from his campaign's use of photography. CNN's Alayna Treene has more from Washington, D.C. There are some back and forth here about what happened from the park and the Trump campaign. What are you learning this morning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, there's still a lot of details that are unclear here, Sara. And we are still trying to learn more, get more information. But what is clear, and both sides agree on, is that there was some sort of incident, and you can see that what you saw that video of -- of Donald Trump laying flowers at the burial site for some of these recent fallen soldiers that's known as Section 60, that is really where some of this incident, we're told, has taken place.

Now, we had heard the Trump campaign had said that someone who had worked at the cemetery had blocked members of Donald Trump's campaign from joining him in that moment where he was laying those flowers. And part of this Donald Trump had argued stemmed from the use of photography.

[09:05:00]

Now, Trump's campaign and Donald Trump himself have been circulating a statement from some of the family members of some of the soldiers who were killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, particularly those who were killed at Kabul's Abbey Gate in that incident.

They said that they had given permission to the Trump campaign to film some of this. However, the Arlington National Cemetery, in a statement to CNN, said that that doesn't matter that their rules are that you are not allowed to have any sort of political event or have any sort of partisan campaigning taking place within Army National Military Cemetery, so a lot of back and forth here.

And I think, you know and -- what -- I think the bottom line is that even in a moment like this, that everything becomes political, and that there are, you know, different opinions on both sides of this. I think we will learn more. We are told that the Arlington National Cemetery has filed a report on this. But the Trump campaign has really been pretty harsh in pushing back and saying that it was inappropriate for members of the cemetery staff to try and prevent them from moving forward with their plans. And so for now, I think we -- we have to wait and see how this gets resolved.

SIDNER: Yes. I'm sure the -- the folks that work there, you know, have a job to do as well. We will wait and see how this works out in the end. Donald Trump did an interview with -- with Dr. Phil. He's done this before in the past, a very friendly interview. He's very calm in talking about a lot of different things.

But then he said something about Kamala Harris and -- and -- and Joe Biden concerning his as -- attempted assassination. What did you hear in that interview?

TREENE: That's right, he was asked about the attempted assassination on him in Butler Pennsylvania last month. And Donald Trump, he said two things. One is something that we have heard both from the former president before, but also from Republicans more generally, that both Harris and Joe Biden have some sort of -- of responsibility in that attempted assassination, given their rhetoric toward Donald Trump particularly.

We've heard Donald Trump himself really focus on him -- them calling him a threat to democracy. But then he also made a claim that perhaps the Democrats, and again, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris specifically, may be affecting his Secret Service detail. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When this happened, people would ask, whose fault is it? I think to a certain extent, it's Biden's fault and Harris's fault. And I'm the opponent. Look, they were weaponizing government against me. They brought in the whole DOJ to try and get me. They weren't too interested in my health and safety. I would be if I were in their position, but they weren't very interested. But they -- they were always making it, from what I understood, and -- and I could feel it, they were making it very difficult to have proper staffing in terms of Secret Service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: OK. I just want to be very clear with that last part, Sara, that there is no evidence that anyone in -- within the Biden administration, including Vice President Harris, have tried to make it difficult for Donald Trump to have the proper security, although I will point out that there are reports, of course, that this is unprecedented to have a former president who has a ton of Secret Service detail, has high security needs, is running for president against then it was President Joe Biden, a current president, but also now Vice President Harris.

So a lot to parse there, but this rhetoric about them having some responsibility is something we have heard before. I think, honestly, when it comes down to it, this is politics and a very, you know, tight, nasty election that this is turning into, and -- and some of that, I think, was playing out during that interview. Sara?

SIDNER: Alayna Treene, thank you so much for your reporting this morning. John?

BERMAN: All right. With us now is the communications director for the Harris-Walz campaign, Michael Tyler. Thanks so much for being with us, Michael. If I can, I want to ask you about this incident at Arlington National Cemetery. Donald Trump was invited there, he says, by the families of fallen service members killed two years ago during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. But there was some kind of incident that took place. What kind of questions do you have?

MICHAEL TYLER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN: Yes. Listen, thank you so much for having me. Frankly, I think this episode is pretty sad when it's all said and done. Listen, this is what we've come to expect from Donald Trump and his team. Donald Trump is a person who wants to make everything all about Donald Trump.

He's also somebody who has a history of demeaning and degrading military service members, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. We know he's referred to them as suckers and losers. We know that he belittles the Medal of Honor. And so frankly, this is, well, sad, it's not surprising coming from the Trump team. I think it's part of what the American people have come to reject when it comes to Donald Trump.

They're sick of the toxic brand of politics. They're sick of the MAGA extreme -- extremism. And they're sick of a person who, no matter what the issue is, is frankly just trying to serve himself rather than doing what one should be doing as a leader, which is fighting for the American people. And that's exactly what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to be doing for the remainder of this campaign, and once they get back into the Oval Office for the next four years.

[09:10:20]

BERMAN: Donald Trump is denied, he said, suckers and losers, though, retired General John Kelly, that is a story that has stem from comments that he has made. This debate on September 10th on "ABC," what rules has the Harris-Walz campaign agreed to?

TYLER: Yes, listen, I think both candidates here have agreed to the exact same rules, right? We're going to have a 90-minute debate. Both candidates have said that they are comfortable with live, unmuted microphones for the duration of the debate that allows for the free flow and exchange of ideas between the two candidates.

I understand that Donald Trump's team of handlers is now attempting to overrule him, but insofar as the candidates themselves, we're in total alignment that this should be a 90-minute debate with live microphones. So that's what we look forward to --

BERMAN: I'm just trying to understand where we are right now, because yesterday, the Trump campaign very clearly, put out a statement said they agreed to the same rules as took place in the June debate between President Biden and Donald Trump, where they were muted microphones. Have you not agreed to muted microphones?

TYLER: I think we've made pretty clear our preference, along with Donald Trump himself, is for unmuted microphones. I think the question that you'd have to ask is to Donald Trump and his -- and his team, are they in agreement between themselves on how we should approach this debate? Because we are in agreement with Donald Trump that they should be live and unmuted microphones --

BERMAN: If -- if they're muted -- if they're muted, will she go?

TYLER: Yes. Listen, we fully intend to debate. We're going to be there. The question is, will Donald Trump agree -- commit to the terms that he's publicly agreed to, or will he let his team overrule him? So I guess we'll see if, when he shows up on September 10th, which decision he has made.

BERMAN: We -- I think everyone's very excited that the Vice President and Governor Walz are sitting down for an interview, their first joint interview -- their first interview with a member of the broadcast media since she became the candidate for president. It's going to happen right here on CNN. I don't want to jump the gun on too much of it.

But -- but I do want to ask about at least one policy area that I'm -- I'm -- I imagine, will come up at some point, which is fracking. The Vice President has changed her position on fracking in Pennsylvania. Do you know why she's changed her position? TYLER: Listen, I mean, she's been very clear here. She's proud of the work that she's done as a part of this administration, making sure that American energy production is at an all-time high. We want to continue that progress into her -- her first term in office here. And, again, I think whether it's energy policy, economic policy writ large, that you have a fighter in Kamala Harris who is actually keeping the interest of the American people front and center, coming together to bring people together in search of solutions that actually improve people's quality of life, improve our economy, improve energy production.

I think that stands again in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who may say one thing when he's in Pennsylvania, may say one thing out on the stump. But frankly, if you look at the totality of his economic agenda, his Project 2025 agenda, writ large, the only solutions are those that benefit people at the very top billionaires, rich folks like Donald Trump, the wealthiest corporations, nothing for the American worker, nothing to actually improve the lives of the American people and our consumers. So again, I think the contrast is pretty clear.

BERMAN: I'll come back to Project '25 in just a sec. -- 2025 in just a second here. But -- but on fracking, was there something that changed her mind, specifically during the four years of the Biden presidency?

TYLER: Now, listen, again, the Vice President is very proud of the Biden-Harris administration's record on ener -- on energy production in the economy writ large. She wants to continue to build upon the progress that we've made here that goes for energy production and it goes for the economy across the board, right?

She's proud of the 15 million new jobs that have been created, of the 800,000 manufacturing jobs that have been created. She wants to con -- continue that work, and not just on ener -- energy production as she laid out a couple of weeks ago in North Carolina, the work that we're doing to lower costs for folks, right? It's about job creation, but also about making sure that we are lowering costs for the American people, whether that's groceries, whether that's energy production, whether that is the cost of housing, both for renters and for buyers.

You have one candidate in this race who is actually focused on finding solutions, bringing people together. And you have another candidate who is focused on exacting a dangerous and extreme ideological Project 2025 agenda, and that's Donald Trump.

BERMAN: All right. And, again, and I imagine the fracking thing will come up again in the future. But on Project 2025 we did just play some of that ad that was just released a -- a few minutes ago, and I know is airing in Georgia and other key battleground states. Why is Project 2025 so important in terms of the Harris campaigns messaging when Donald Trump and his campaign worked so hard to disavow their connections with it?

[09:15:07]

TYLER: Yes. I mean Donald Trump can try to disavow his connections to it. I think the problem for Donald Trump that it's written by his people, by his former staffers for him. You don't have a blueprint unless you're going to build a house. You don't have a playbook unless you intend to run the play. They made it very clear that that's exactly what they intend to do, whether it is banning abortion nationwide, with or without Congress, as liad -- as laid out in the plan, whether it's monitoring women's pregnancies, whether it is, again, the tax cuts for the rich and the corporate giveaways, whether it's the gutting of checks and balances, the consolidation of power inside the Oval Office so that Donald Trump can go after his political opponents.

The threat that Project 2025 poses to the American people is abundantly clear. And we're going to make sure that, as the Vice President and the Governor are out on the stump communicating their positive vision to the American people between now and the debate on September 10th and through Election Day, we are simultaneously going to make sure that the threat that Donald Trump's Project 2025 agenda poses to the American people is also front and center.

BERMAN: All right. Harris campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, great to see you. Thanks, Michael. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, brand new footage obtained by CNN shows Nancy Pelosi blaming Donald Trump as rioters attacked the Capitol on January 6th.

And Donald Trump indicted again in his federal election interference case, how the Special Counsel adjusted the allegations in the wake of the Supreme Court's immunity ruling?

And a tragic start to the school year, a third student football player dying this month after an incident on the field.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:21:19]

SIDNER: Brand new this morning, new footage from January 6th of Nancy Pelosi, her reactions as the insurrection was unfolding, and her mission the morning after to make sure Donald Trump would, quote, as she put it, pay the price.

But first we want to play for you a never before seen moment with her daughter who filmed all of this. Pelosi is describing how she felt when the day was finally over and she and her colleagues were safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDRA PELOSI, NANCY PELOSI'S DAUGHTER: You're done with Donald Trump. How does it feel?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I just feel sick that what he did to the Capitol and to the country today. He's got to pay a price for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: Pelosi the next morning, in a candid call with her staff, then worked on a speech to address the nation, her focus again on Donald Trump and his actions that day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: How many times did the members ask, are we prepared? Are we prepared? We're not prepared for the worst. We're calling the National Guard, now? It should've been here to start out. I just don't understand this. I just don't understand it. Why do we empower people this way by not being ready?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Why do we empower people this way by not being ready? Here last words there. Joining me now is CNN senior political commentator and former Republican Congressman Adam -- Adam Kinzinger. He also sat on the House committee that investigated Trump's role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

Looking at those images and -- and seeing that again. First of all, what does that do to you? Because you were -- were very, very, very disturbed by what you saw that day.

ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I mean, look, it takes me back to and it reminds me that it wasn't just Nancy Pelosi saying we have to go after Donald Trump here. This was, like, literally everybody. I mean, keep in mind the very first time a member of Congress defended what happened on January 6th. I mean, I guess in theory, Matt Gaetz said that there, you know, there's supposedly rumors that it's Antifa, but the first time, really, that you saw any Congressman come out and -- and sort of defend it, it took weeks to get there.

So everybody at this moment, including Kevin McCarthy, who gave a speech that said Trump bears responsibility, he should have called the mob off. You remember, McConnell eventually said that he bears moral responsibility. So this was a very unifying moment. She was reacting how we all did, and it just kind of takes me back to that, and makes me furious that my party decided to -- to memory hold that whole day.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean all the people that you just mentioned from, you know, McCarthy to ship, they -- they have all backed Donald Trump now. I -- I -- I like to get your take on why this was released, because Republicans are looking in -- in -- in the house, looking for ways to dispute what happened on January 6th. What do you make of -- of them trying to use some of this video as a way to try and say what happened didn't happen, or there was something nefarious on the Democrat side?

KINZINGER: I mean, this is exactly what they do. So they try to -- they try to obfuscate and say that, look, oh, it was Nancy Pelosi's fault that the Capitol wasn't ready. Now, let's keep in mind there's a -- the -- and here's the problem, and this is what they take advantage of, OK, is that there is complicated -- talking about how things work, it's sometimes complicated, and you can just react with a quick thing.

[09:25:08]

So the complicated thing is, there is a Capitol Police Board that governs the Capitol Police. Nancy Pelosi has no control over the National Guard. That is not even the mayor of D.C., both people that the Republicans try to blame for not having the National Guard there. The D.C. National Guard is controlled by one person, the President of the United States.

So what they're going to try to do is say that, since she's focused on Donald Trump, she's ignoring her -- her desire to secure the Capitol. No, the Capitol was very secure that day, the day after January 6th, we had what, 20,000 National Guardsmen there. The focus of all of Congress on that day was getting justice for what happened.

I mean, I called for the 25th Amendment, you know, that came to the floor for a vote. There was -- that's what the focus was that day, is ensuring that Donald Trump paid for what he did, which we all agreed on at that moment, until, of course, politics comes into play, and boy, I got to get reelected. That's so much more important than actually dealing with an insurrection on the Capitol, which, unfortunately, a lot of my colleagues now saying.

SIDNER: I -- I do want to ask you about something that happened at -- at Arlington National Cemetery. Donald Trump went there to honor the families of -- of those soldiers who were killed in the Afghanistan withdrawal, a -- a noble reason to be there. But then there turned out to be some sort of altercation, some sort of issue, with the folks at the -- the at the -- at the cemetery, the workers there and Donald Trump's campaign team.

The campaign, saying that they were trying to stop them that had to do with cameras because, of course, there's this federal law in place that says you cannot use this cemetery as a campaign event, a place to -- to -- to take video and then use it in your campaign. What do you think of -- of all of this? And are you surprised that this sort of thing happened at such a solemn moment?

KINZINGER: No, I'm not surprised anymore. I'm not. I mean, this is Donald Trump. I mean, let's -- like, I don't want to be like, gratuitous here. But how many times every week, there's a new story about how -- him disrespecting a veteran, he would see our -- if I went to Arlington National Cemetery, I would be there, like, very solemnly, I guarantee you.

I -- I think we've known him long enough to say, I guarantee you, he was thinking about, what does this mean for me, politically? So he went there. He wanted to get his video and pictures. People that worked there at Arlington did the right thing, which is to try to stop it from happening, because this is disrespecting the memory of those that have fallen.

And, of course, their team, who doesn't also care gets into it with. I mean, look, how many times did he use the White House as a background for political events, which, up to that point, was not allowed. But of course, when he's the president, he can change that. Look, to all Americans, regardless if you think that, you know, we should be having every campaign now, stopping in every congressional campaign and every Senate campaign, going and doing campaign rallies, in essence, at Arlington National Cemetery. That's fine. I don't think the vast majority of Americans agree with you. And -- and this is, again, it's just par for the course with Donald Trump. And I can't wait until we never talk about him again.

SIDNER: Adam Kinzinger, thank you so much. Appreciate you coming on this morning. John?

BERMAN: All right. New details on the new federal indictment filed in an effort to salvage the election interference case against Donald Trump.

[09:28:24]

And for the first time, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz campaigning together in battleground Georgia. This morning, they kick off a bus tour. And tomorrow they will sit down with CNN's Dana Bash for their first interview of the campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)