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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Back On Campaign Trail, As Trump's Allies Share Concern Over Missed Opportunity During Debate; Tropical Storm Francine Ravages Louisiana, Southern States; Taylor Swift Endorses Harris, Urges Young People To Register To Vote. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 12, 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]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Haitian immigrant who had a driver's license that was not valid in Ohio, as reported by The New York Times. Aiden's father declined to speak on camera, but as others have posted about the tragedy recently, he told CNN in a statement, we just want our family out of the news and for Aiden to not be mentioned in regards to politics.

Putting aside any unverified theories about cats and dogs, Vilbrun Dorsainvil, also Haitian, says he understands the criticisms about the strain on resources caused by the influx of immigrants.

VILBRUN DORSAINVIL, SPRINGFIELD, OH RESIDENT: I agree with these people.

JIMENEZ: But he also painted a harsh reality.

DORSAINVIL: If it was not for a matter of death or life in my country, it would be better to get back.

JIMENEZ: Omar Jimenez, CNN, Springfield, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Kicking into high gear, the new phase the Harris campaign says it is now jumping into as Harris just picked up this morning a notable Republican endorsement.

And a major first for space exploration. A tech billionaire and an engineer, now the first non professional astronauts to conduct a spacewalk. What this means for space travel now.

And the Swift effect. Taylor Swift endorses then calls on fans to get out the vote at the VMAs. Can you measure the impact of such a star? I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

(MUSIC) SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Campaign says get ready to see and hear more from Vice President Kamala Harris. Her team says she will speak to the media more as she enters what they call a more aggressive phase of the campaign. They are pushing to keep the momentum from her largely praised presidential debate performance.

North Carolina is her first stop today in what the Harris-Walz campaign is calling the new way forward tour. They are also launching new TV and digital ads highlighting what they believe are her best moments from the debate stage. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in North Carolina for us there in Charlotte. What are you learning about the plan that the campaign has today?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly want to amplify some of those debate moments where they thought that she was at her strongest. In a state like North Carolina, one of the top issues is reproductive rights. That is something that the Vice President has been talking about for the whole year. And she has become a key voice on this issue. And that's a message that she's expected to bring here to North Carolina.

The North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper, who backs the Vice President, also said this week in the moments after the debate that healthcare and abortion are two of the key issues. And he believed that her debate performance does move the needle. But the resounding message from her aides and allies has been that this is going to be a close race.

So, while they're trying to build on the momentum from Tuesday night's debate, they're also keenly aware that there is a long way to go. So, the narrative from this campaign has been that she is the underdog in the race. And that is the message that the Vice President will continue to deliver on the campaign trail, including here in North Carolina, which, by the way, is where her reproductive rights bus tour is right now.

Of course, we've talked about this before. The campaign launched this in Florida. It's going to be running until the Election Day with at least 50 stops. And this stop here in North Carolina for the Vice President is coinciding with that. And I mention it because it gives you a good sense of how they are trying to capitalize on this very issue, particularly in states like North Carolina, where -- where President Joe Biden lost by a very small margin.

And so, these are some of the messages that we'll be hearing from the Vice President today here. And then she goes to Pennsylvania again. Of course, that is going to be such a crucial state for her heading into November. So, the play here by the campaign and their strategy is to use the debate to build their momentum, to highlight and amplify what they found to be the most notable moments where she drew a stark contrast from former President Donald Trump.

But still to make the point that she is the underdog with a very clear understanding that it is going to be a close race and it by no means has been decided yet. Sara? SIDNER: Take nothing for granted. The message from the campaign. Thank you so much. Priscilla Alvarez there on the trail, Charlotte, North Carolina. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Donald Trump on the campaign trail today as well, with a stop in Tucson. It comes as his closest allies are doing damage control, trying to clean up after his debate performance. CNN's Alayna Treene is with us now. What are you hearing this morning, Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, John, you're exactly right. Donald Trump is going on a campaign blitz of his own. He's going to be talking to supporters in Tucson, Arizona later today.

[09:05:00]

That is an event that his campaign is billing as focused on Latino Americans, outreach to Hispanic Americans. Tomorrow, he'll be in Vegas and a couple other events over the weekend.

So, he's not slowing down either. However, his events come as his team is trying, you know, to try to bat down some of the criticism that he is facing following his debate performance on Tuesday. Criticism, I should argue, that is coming from within his own orbit. I have talked to several people close to Trump, to his advisors, people on the outside. They have agreed privately that the debate did not go the way that they had planned, that he didn't perform as well as perhaps they thought he might have.

And part of that is, really, I've been hearing a lot of frustration that he did not talk about the issues more, that he did not go through the talking points that his campaign had prepped him for the past several weeks. Prep that our own Kaitlan Collins reported had been more then in the lead up to that debate in June with Joe Biden. Now, some of the criticism we're even hearing from his own surrogates publicly, including RFK Jr., who's told this to Fox News yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., POLITICIAN: Vice President Harris clearly won the debate in terms of her delivery, her polish, her organization and her preparation. I think, on substance (ph), President Trump wins in terms of his governance, but he didn't tell that story.

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TREENE: Now, John, RFK Jr. went on to say that he thought Donald Trump was distracted, calling it unfortunate, lining up with what I'm hearing behind the scenes from people close to the former president as well. And look, Trump has remained non committal about whether he would do another debate. However, when I talk to people close to him, people within his own campaign team, they all kind of at argue that they believe another debate will happen. So, I think stay tuned for any new developments on that. BERMAN: Yes. The New York Times this morning, you had Trump insiders calling the debate a colossal missed opportunity. Alayna Treene, nice to see you this morning. Thanks so much. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us right now is Harris Campaign Co- Chair, Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware.

Senator, thanks for coming in. So despite being happy with what they saw on the debate stage from Kamala Harris, some fellow Democratic senators say that they're still worried.

Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): Concerned. And I tell people all the time, you know, somebody asked me in Chicago, what'd you learn from 2016? And I said, you can't win by a little. You got to win by a lot. You want to win big to overcome the electoral college effect. You want to win big so that every reasonable person knows you won. And his lonely complaints about that he should have won are really just lonely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Tim Kaine saying that he's very concerned. I mean, the debate was in part supposed to allay fears among voters, including Democrats. I mean, are you worried after this debate or is this kind of a concerted effort to try to get people to not be complacent?

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Of course, this is a concerted effort to make sure folks don't get complacent. I'll remind you. I'll remind your viewers that Senator Tim Kaine, my friend and colleague, was the vice presidential nominee in 2016. And there was some significant problem in the 2016 campaign by then Secretary Clinton and Senator Kaine in that our base, Democrats around the country, took for granted that she couldn't possibly lose to Donald Trump. And she did very narrowly.

And the point Tim was making in that interview you just showed was that because we can count on Donald Trump to challenge the results of the 2024 election, as he has every day, the 2020 election, we need to win decisively, not by a tiny, thin margin.

So if folks were excited and energized by Vice President Harris' compelling, powerful performance on the debate stage in Philadelphia, they need to get up, get out, volunteer and get engaged. If folks were alarmed and concerned by former President Trump's unhinged performance on the debate stage, they should also get engaged and get involved by making sure that Democrats win in races for the Senate and across the country in the race for the next presidency.

BOLDUAN: Senator, the CNN snap poll of voters after the debate showed lots of things. One, that they all broadly agreed that Kamala Harris outperformed Donald Trump on that debate stage. You see it there. But also voters who watched the debate gave Trump a 20-point win over Harris on handling the economy. 55 to 35, which is a margin that is slightly wider than the measure was pre-debate. If that does not change, can Kamala Harris win?

COONS: She can. Of course she can, because there's lots of other issues that motivate folks. But if you watch the debate, as I'm sure you did, your viewers who watch the debate should remember the very first thing Vice President Harris spoke to was her concrete plans to address the high costs facing middle Americans.

[09:10:00]

She talked about her proposals to expand and increase the child tax credit, support for small businesses, innovation and entrepreneurship, innovative ways to reduce the cost of housing. Accomplishments she and President Biden have already had reducing the cost of prescription drugs.

She recognizes that the costs your average American face are a concern and has taken steps to address it and has concrete plans to do more.

But there are other issues, Kate, that will bring people out to the polls. Donald Trump refused to make clear on that debate stage whether or not he would sign a national abortion ban. He has taken credit for reversing Roe vs. Wade and unleashing a nationwide spate of state bans on abortion or restrictions and limitations on abortion.

And Kamala Harris has made it clear that she stands for restoring freedom, for restoring the protections of Roe vs. Wade, and making sure that women have control over their bodies and their lives.

There are so many other issues at stake in this election. Let me just mention one other. The ways in which Donald Trump, because of his support for the January 6th insurrection, has unsettled traditional Republicans has led many to endorse Kamala Harris.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, Donald Trump's own Vice President, National Security Advisor, Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense have said they will not vote for him and he doesn't belong anywhere near the White House again.

We just heard that George W. Bush's former Attorney General and White House Counsel, Alberto Gonzales, is endorsing Kamala Harris. So whether it's concerns about rule of law, strength at home and abroad, or concerns about reproductive freedom and rights, or concerns about the economy, yes, Kate, I'm convinced Kamala Harris can win, should win, and if all of us get engaged in this debate and in this campaign, she will win.

BOLDUAN: Sticking on the economy, though, as it is a priority of voters, inflation just slowed to the lowest rate in the United States since February '21, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates next week. It's been trending in that direction, though, for months, yet Harris, again to reinforce, is still 20 points behind Trump on the economy in this snap poll I'm talking about, and broadly ahead in other polling. If this really is a result of people just not getting engaged enough, isn't that also the campaign's problem? COONS: It is a challenge for us on the campaign to connect and communicate with people about the answer to this question. Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Because a lot of folks don't want to think about where we were in September of 2020. We were in a terrible place. The economy was in a free fall. Businesses were shutting down by the tens of thousands.

Americans were dying of the pandemic every single day. We were in a very desperate and difficult place four years ago, and we are a lot better off today. But your average American doesn't associate the economic chaos and the failure to deliver of that period with Donald Trump.

So it is our job, our challenge to remind them that Donald Trump talked and talked about rebuilding our infrastructure, but Joe Biden and Kamala Harris delivered. Donald Trump talked and talked about restoring manufacturing, but Joe Biden and Kamala Harris delivered.

When pressed on that debate stage, what are your plans for health care? Donald Trump, a decade later, still says he doesn't have a concrete plan for how to, in his view, repair and replace the Affordable Care Act.

And Kamala Harris is committed to keeping the Affordable Care Act in place as a floor that makes sure that all Americans have access to basic, affordable, quality health care.

If you look at the record, Kamala Harris has a much stronger record and vision for our economy. And yes, that's a challenge for us to connect with the average voter, remind them of the chaos Donald Trump caused, and the progress we've seen under the Biden-Harris administration.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, on health care, Trump said, you know, it's coming soon, which we've learned over the many years he's now been in public life. That is a Donald Trump version of no comment.

Senator Coons, thank you very much for coming on. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. A dangerous string of wildfires burning across California. People are now scrambling to evacuate before the flames hit their doorsteps. We will tell you more on that, what is happening with that fire.

And from fire to flooding, heavy rain and high waters from what was Hurricane Francine, forcing dramatic rescues in Louisiana. And the threat, it's not over.

And boldly going where no commercial space flight has ever gone before. The amazing moments from the Polaris spacewalk ahead.

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[09:15:00] SIDNER: Millions of people in the South racing for Francine. But we're getting a look at dramatic video of what happened when the storm hit New Orleans. Watch as a good samaritan risks his life trying to help a stranded driver whose pickup truck was submerged in high water. You see the truck there, just beyond that bridge, that railing there, and you see the first responders also start to show up, making it to the scene to help them out.

There are now more than 450,000 people without power in Francine's wake, and there's still the threat of flooding across the southeast. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, even though it is weakened now, I think, is it a Tropical Storm at this point? We can still see what is left behind. And more rain potentially on the way for some parts of the country, correct?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's right. The flood threat is not done. Even though the storm has moved on from this area in Southern Louisiana, including the greater New Orleans area, there are still pockets of flooding, just like what you see directly behind me. Water is not supposed to be lapping up to this particular building, on the bottoms of that vehicle that you can see in the distance there.

[09:20:00]

This is just a drop in the bucket, per se, of the flooding that was experienced here in St. Mary's Parish as Hurricane Francine made her final approach into New Orleans now, and into Southern Louisiana. Authorities are warning people to stay vigilant today as the floodwaters recede because there's still the potential for downed power lines, potentially chemicals still within the water.

You don't want to traverse through any of this standing floodwater because of those concerns as well. Now, we got hit particularly hard within this particular location. This is where our live team, my photojournalists and producers, had to actually evacuate from this location yesterday because we were getting battered so hard by what was a strengthening storm that became a category 2 right before landfall.

And then it pushed water up and over a berm that was protecting our liveshot location and eventually inundated the area. And we're really glad that we did. So, you can see the floodwaters that still remain. You can imagine what it was like at the height of the storm. It would have been virtually impossible to evacuate this area. So, that just proves at how quickly things can change during a hurricane and a tropical system of this nature.

I want to get to what's next for much of the central U.S. because the storm is still going. It's located over the central parts of Mississippi and it is drawing in a lot of moisture off the Gulf of Mexico. So, heads up. Flood threat from Birmingham all the way to the Florida panhandle. And the potential for tornadoes still exists today across a good majority of Alabama and Florida into the panhandle. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. As a person who spent a lot of my youth in the South, you also have to watch out for the water moccasins and the alligators when that water comes up. So, don't go in the water. Thank you so much.

VAN DAM: And the floating ants, too. Fire ants.

SIDNER: And the floating ants, it's a crazy phenomenon. Thank you so much. Derek Van Dam live there in Louisiana Forest.

BERMAN: Just take a few steps back there, Derek. A few steps back. We'll see how it goes. This morning, Donald Trump hitting the campaign trail in damage control mode after a debate his allies call a, quote, colossal missed opportunity.

And calling all Swifties. One day after endorsing Kamala Harris, the newly minted VMA Artist of the Year, Taylor Swift has a simple request: Go register to vote.

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[09:25:00]

BOLDUAN: Swift supremacy. The MTV Video Music Awards happened last night, and Taylor Swift took home seven awards, the most of the night. She used the moment to not only thank her boyfriend, but also speak directly to her many, many, many fans, also known as young voters. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister joins us now. She's got much more on this. So, what did she say?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes, Kate, this is really a huge moment. Of course, Taylor Swift is not just the biggest name in music, but she's the biggest star on the planet and one of the most impactful people on the planet with an immense amount of reach. So, when she won one of her seven awards last night at the VMA's, because, of course, she swept and had the most nominations, she made a call for her fans over the age of 18, as you said, young voters, to register to vote. Let's take a look at that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, POP STAR: This is a fan voted award, and you voted for this. I appreciate it so much. And if you are over 18, please register to vote for something else that's very important coming up, the 2024 presidential election.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WAGMEISTER: Now, of course, this comes on the heels of Taylor's endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris, which she made right after the debate. And Kate, there's already been huge impact from that, as you see here. Some new reporting from myself and our colleague Betsy Klein, vote.gov saw over 330,000 new voters visit their site. And vote.org saw a 585% increase in voter engagement in the hours after Taylor Swift endorsed Harris.

So, this shows that it's not just a celebrity who's saying words, it's a celebrity who is having impact. Now, of course, do we know if this will translate into actual votes? No. But what we do know is that voters are engaged because of what Taylor's doing. In fact, the CEO of the organization, vote.org, this is what they had to tell us, Kate. They said, quote, Taylor Swift's impact on voter engagement is undeniable. So, there you have it.

BOLDUAN: Undeniable. It's good to see you, Elizabeth. Thank you. John?

BERMAN: She is inevitable, as they would say, in The Avengers.

All right, today, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, back on the campaign trail after their debate. A debate that insiders on both sides agree that Harris won. But there are still jitters on the Democratic side, mostly about whether all of this, including Harris' message overall, is reaching swing voters. This is what Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said just a little while ago this morning on CNN this morning about the state of the race in battleground Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DEBBIE DINGELL, REP. (D) MICHIGAN: Yesterday morning, one of my township supervisors called me and wanted to know what I thought. And I said, well, what did you think? And that discussion brought me right back down to Earth. I think Michigan is a dead heat, but there's just a lot of people in the middle. I don't understand at times what people see in Donald Trump. They know what will happen to this country if he's president again, but they believe --

[09:30:00]