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Trump Says He Won't Debate Harris Again; Blinken Hints at Lifting Ukraine's Restrictions on Long-Range Weapons; Harris Holds First Campaign Event Since Presidential Debate. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 12, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: He will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris. Here is the former president's post.

He says, quote, when a prize fighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, I want a rematch.

He goes on to say that polls show that he won the debate Tuesday night against Harris and that she called for a second debate. He goes on to attack the current administration, which obviously Harris is a part of. He then later says she was a no-show at the Fox debate and refused to do NBC and CBS. He says there will be no third debate.

Quickly, we should point out that the former president originally agreed to three debates with President Biden, one right here on CNN, the other we saw on Tuesday night on ABC, and then one in late September on NBC.

The Harris camp had talked about potentially rescheduling it for October, though it's not clear that the vice president ruled out doing it on NBC in late September or on CBS for that matter.

Further, the president's quote about polls at this point, it's unclear exactly according to polls who won the debate, but according to CNN's reporting, a lot of Republicans were actually disappointed in his performance on Tuesday night -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: As Russian forces are ramping up their attacks on Ukraine, Secretary of State Tony Blinken is once again hinting at the possibility of lifting restrictions on the long range weapons that says it needs to strike deep inside of Russia. This is what Blinken said this morning when asked whether the green light has already been given.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: Look, a hallmark of what we've done from day one, in fact, even before day one of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022, was to try to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, when it needs it to deal with that aggression. And as what Russia is doing has changed, as the battlefield has changed, we've adapted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Joining us now is principal deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel. Thank you so much for being with us. And I did just want to ask you, because we've just gotten this in that Vladimir Putin, while taking some questions in Russia, responded to one about this question of the U.S. giving Kyiv the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia using Western long range weapons.

And he said this, I'm going to read this quote, Vedant.

He said: Only NATO military personnel can assign flight missions to these missile systems. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. Therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is about deciding whether NATO countries become directly involved in the military conflict or not.

He went on to say: If this decision is made, it will mean nothing short of direct involvement. It will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries are parties to the war in Ukraine.

What is your read on that?

VEDANT PATEL, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: So first, Brianna, so good to be with you. First and foremost, let's be incredibly clear are the United States and NATO's policy of no boots on the ground has not changed. But when it comes to threats against NATO and NATO allies, I can speak clearly that the United States takes its Article 6 obligations incredibly seriously.

But to take a step back, what the secretary was referring to is a matter of fact of how the United States has approached the kinds of assistance we've been providing our Ukrainian partners over the past two and a half years. The war in February 2022 and now in September 2024, of course, has not stayed the same. And thus, the kinds of assistance and the ways in which we've been supporting our Ukrainian partners has, of course, changed over the course of that time.

We don't have any policy change to announce, but what this trip was about, the secretary's most recent travel into Kyiv, about ensuring that Ukraine can stand on its feet strongly, of course, militarily, but also economically and democratically as well.

KEILAR: Well, you have Blinken saying that the U.S. will adapt. That is the word he used, adapt as the war changes. Are you running out of time here? Because Donald Trump could very well win the election. He won't even say if he wants Ukraine to win this war. You heard that in the debate.

Does the administration need to pull the trigger on this sooner than later?

PATEL: What we're focused on is making sure that we're doing everything we can to secure this path that the Ukrainian people themselves have decided on, which is a path of greater Euro-Atlantic integration, one with further integration in the European Union and NATO. And that's what we're focused on.

And if you look back at the past two and a half years, the kinds of support that we have provided, whether it be militarily, whether it be economically, whether it be democratically, has been extraordinary. And I expect that kind of support to continue.

KEILAR: OK, but Vedant, I don't feel like you're answering my questions.

[15:35:00]

I mean, do you see a window closing on making this decision? Will there be a change in this policy?

PATEL: I'm just not -- I don't have any policy to announce, and I'm certainly not going to speculate. You have to remember that Secretary Blinken was on this trip with his foreign secretary counterpart in the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Starmer, of course, will be here tomorrow with President Biden.

And of course, the ways in which we are supporting our Ukrainian partners is, of course, a key aspect of our relationship with the United Kingdom. But what this are we're going to remain focused on is supporting our Ukrainian partners and making sure that they have everything they need to support their territorial integrity and sovereignty.

KEILAR: OK, so then how do you see it when Vladimir Putin is saying, look, we know he saber rattles, but at a certain point, it's important to state how seriously or not you're considering his threats. He's saying that allowing Kyiv to use these weapons to strike targets deeper in Russia is tantamount to the U.S. or to NATO countries doing it on their own, doing it themselves. This is direct involvement.

What kind of stock do you put in what he's saying?

PATEL: So first, you're absolutely right. Of course, the Russian Federation saber rattles. Number two, there has been no change in our policy and what we're focused on and what this trip was about was engaging with President Zelenskyy and his team, taking an assessment of what they additionally need help on, the ways that the United States can continue to support Ukraine, ways in which we can do that with the United Kingdom.

And as the secretary said over the course of this conflict, we, of course, have taken a look at the battlefield, the ways in which threats have changed and policies and the kinds of systems and the things that we have done have changed. That's a matter of fact. But we have no policy change to announce at this time. There's been no change in our approach.

KEILAR: I do want to turn to Afghanistan because the outgoing NATO chief, Jens Stoltenberg, said this to our Christiane Amanpour about the state of life in Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Extremely bad and a catastrophe, not least for the people of Afghanistan, in particular women, we were going to leave on a conditions based approach. But after 20 years and after paying a high price in blood and treasure, we realized, NATO allies realized, the United States realized that we could not continue this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So just a little more than three, you can react to that if you want, but also just a little more than three years from the withdrawal. This is how he is describing the state of life in Afghanistan. What is your message to Afghans who believe the U.S. promise that they would be helped and to Afghans who are qualified for protective status within the U.S. but have been unable to get out?

PATEL: Our commitment to our Afghan allies, partners is unwavering. And since the withdrawal, we have continued to marshal an across the government effort to do everything we can to keep the SIV process streamlined, to keep it robust, and to do everything we can to ensure that those who have supported us and stood by us are able to get the help that they need.

Additionally, in that interview, the Secretary General talked about the perilous situation that Afghan women and girls are facing, and we couldn't agree more. And that is something that continues to be at the center of our Afghanistan policy going forward. Ways in which we can do everything we can to hold the Taliban to account and to make sure that we are supporting efforts for women and girls.

The Taliban has stated that their stated goal is international recognition. Well, that cannot happen when they are intentionally leaving 50 percent of their population behind.

We have a number of officials deeply engaged on this here at the department, of course, including the secretary, and will continue to pay close attention to this important issue.

KEILAR: And how many people have gotten out? Oh, you're talking about the commitment to people who qualify for SIV status. How many people have gotten out since the collapse?

PATEL: There has been a process in place. I don't have the exact number. I believe it's in the tens of thousands of SIVs have been able to successfully been processed since the onset of this administration.

Earlier in this administration, we also announced some adjustments to make that process more streamlined --

KEILAR: Since the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

PATEL: -- those who are in chief of mission have been able to make sure that they've been able to resettle in the United States.

KEILAR: Are you saying tens of thousands since the fall of Afghanistan, or are you talking about since the beginning of the Biden administration?

PATEL: I'm talking about since the beginning of the administration. I'm happy to -- I don't have a number at my fingertips for since the withdrawal, but we're happy to check with check on that.

[15:40:00]

KEILAR: OK, thank you so much. And Vedant thanks for taking the time with us today. We do appreciate it.

PATEL: Good to be with you.

KEILAR: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The following breaking news into CNN. Former President Donald Trump says there will not be a third presidential debate.

KEILAR: And we are standing by for Vice President Harris to take the stage in North Carolina. It is the first time that she's on the trail since that debate. Let's bring in our political commentators, Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist, and David Urban, who is a Republican strategist who served as a Trump campaign advisor.

[15:45:00]

David, Trump saying he is not going to debate Vice President Harris. Do you think it's the right call?

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, after watching the debate, I think it's the right call. I think what I'd like to see, I'd like to see Donald Trump out and about and doing smaller events, some manufacturing facilities, businesses, meeting people where they are. Donald Trump is extremely good in kind of the retail setting.

I like him in those settings much more than in a wholesale, kind of in a big rally. I don't think the rallies, look, they motivate people. The former president loves to do it, but it doesn't allow the interaction, the one-on-one interaction that I think is so important.

And I see Kamala Harris doing these big rallies now because it's easier for her to do. She doesn't have to answer questions like you do in an OTR, kind of stop at a business or at a restaurant. So I think she's going to be out there doing those things in Pennsylvania and that Donald Trump will be doing the same thing as well in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, these battleground states.

You'll see a lot more of this kind of action on the ground because, you know, this is, as Al Pacino said in the movie famously, this is going to be a game of inches.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Any Given Sunday, great movie if you haven't seen it. Maria, I'm wondering what you make of the former president saying that if you win a boxing match, you don't ask for the rematch. MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He's delusional, as he was during the debate. That is why and how Vice President Kamala Harris cleaned his clock. And look, I get it.

If somebody mopped the floor with me during the debate, I wouldn't want to do it again. Why would I want to suffer through that? And so I think this allows the Harris campaign to kind of leave that out there.

Donald Trump has never sort of diminished himself before a challenge. Has he ever? He hasn't. So this, to me, speaks volumes. He is afraid of her. He couldn't even look at her during the debate.

And the moment that she came over to shake his hand, she shook his hand and then she shook him to his core. And that's what we saw in that hour and a half of the debate.

But more importantly for her now, she has to maximize on that. She has to leverage that moment for her and get out there and talk to as many voters as possible. She will do rallies. She's going to do small events as well. She's going to be talking to voters where they are. She's going to be doing a lot of more interviews. I'm sure you all will be happy to hear that.

She's going to do all of that between now and the election.

KEILAR: OK, so maximize, as you say. You have Senator Chris Coons saying she should go on Fox to do a debate. Seems like that is not going to happen.

But we've also heard --

CARDONA: I think she could absolutely take them on.

KEILAR: We've heard from other, you know, political observers of repute saying she should go on Fox and she should do interviews. She should be reaching out to as many people as possible. Should she go on Fox and do appearances there?

CARDONA: I think she would be fantastic. I think that what we saw in that hour and a half, and it doesn't surprise me, it doesn't surprise people who have known her for more than two decades, how good she was, how prepared she was, how presidential she was, how in command of the facts she was, and how focused on the messaging for what she's going to do for voters in a Harris administration she was. And that's exactly what she'll do.

If she does decide to do Fox, it's up to her. It's up to her team. That's exactly what she'll do.

As she goes around to each of these events in these key battleground states, she's going to continue talking to voters about how she's going to wake up every day to focus on creating an opportunity economy, how she's going to fight for them in contrast to Donald Trump. We saw the only person he cares about, the only person he fights for every single day is himself. SANCHEZ: I just want to point out quickly for our viewers, there's Vice President Harris attending a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, her first campaign event since the debate.

David, I'm curious to get your response to Maria saying that from the moment of the handshake that Donald Trump was shaken to his core, now him not wanting to do a third debate is him avoiding the vice president.

URBAN: I don't think that's the case at all. And to Maria's point, she's saying she gave all these great answers. I would say she didn't give any answers.

Listen, James Clyburn said that she needs to get out and talk to people. People want to hear what she stands for. She didn't answer any of the questions.

When she was posed the question by one of the moderators, she said on fracking of all the things that she's had different positions on, she said, I will answer each one of these individually. She started to answer the fracking question. She didn't finish it. And then she didn't bother to answer any of the other questions.

And so, interestingly, she was very good at punching Donald Trump in the nose. She was very bad at answering questions, didn't answer any specifics.

She was allowed to kind of twist off the hook. And the moderators didn't follow up and say, hey, are you going to provide us an answer? My old boss used to say to me, that's a very good answer to a completely different question.

I wish the moderators would have said that. Heck, I wish Donald Trump would have said that to her. You know, are you going to answer the question where you stand on reparations? Where do you stand on all these issues that you are on one side, now the other?

I think the American people deserve to hear from her directly, not through some speech in front of 10,000 people, but directly in one-on- one interviews with Fox. Heck, with you guys. I'd love to see Boris and Brianna, I'd love to see you talk to her and her answer questions.

KEILAR: Well, you know what? Let's listen, David, to her right now in Charlotte.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And can we please thank that incredible Anthony Hamilton for his incredible performance.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: I love Anthony Hamilton. And it is so good.

I love you back. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE) HARRIS: And we have so many outstanding leaders here today, including my friend, Governor Roy Cooper --

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: and your next governor, Attorney General Josh Stein.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: And here with us is your next Attorney General, Congressman Jeff Jackson.

(CHEERING)

Mayor Lyles, my dear friend, the Council of State Candidates, and all the leaders who are with us today.

I thank you all, everyone, everyone here, for taking the time and doing the work you are doing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: All right, so here's the thing. OK, we got a lot of work to do. We got a lot of work to do. OK, so North Carolina, you probably know, please have a seat if you have a chair.

Two nights ago, Donald Trump and I had our first debate.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: And I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate.

(CHEERING)

Because this election and what is at stake could not be more important. On Tuesday night, I talked about issues that I know matter to families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America's small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom, and keeping our nation safe and secure.

But that's not what we heard from Donald Trump. Instead, it was the same old show, that same tired playbook that we've heard for years, with no plans for how he would address the needs of the American people, because you know it's all about him, it's not about you. Well, folks, I said it then, I say it now, it's time to turn the page.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: Turn that page. Turn the page.

CROWD: Turn the page. Turn the page.

HARRIS: Because to your point, to your point, America is ready for a new way forward. We are ready for a new generation of leadership that is optimistic about what we can do together.

That is why Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are supporting our campaign.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Over 200 people who worked for President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney have endorsed me for president.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Congresswoman Liz Cheney are supporting me as well.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Because as they said, we have a duty as citizens to put country above partisanship and defend our Constitution.

(APPLAUSE)

[15:55:00]

HARRIS: And that is my pledge to you. I will always put country above party and I will be a president (INAUDIBLE).

And while Donald Trump is trying to pull our nation backward, we are fighting for the future. A future with affordable childcare, paid leave, and affordable healthcare.

A future where we build what I call an opportunity economy so every American has an opportunity to own a home, to build wealth, to start a business.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: And you know, I talked about it the other night. I love our small businesses. I really do. I love our small businesses. And there are many of whom are here.

And the thing about our small businesses is they are -- so first of all, my mother worked very hard and there was a lady who helped raise us who was a second mother to us, Ms. Shelton. And she was a small business owner. And I grew up then understanding who our small business owners are. They're the leaders in the community. They're civic leaders. They hire locally. They mentor. They're part of the fabric of the community.

And I know they are the backbone of America's economy.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: So my plan is to give a $50,000 tax deduction to start up small businesses.

(APPLAUSE) HARRIS: Because, you know, not everybody started out with $400 million on a silver platter and then filed for bankruptcy six times.

But a whole lot of people have the ingenuity, the entrepreneurship, the work ethic, and the ambition to do that kind of work and just need to be seen and supported for what they are and what they do for all of us.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: An opportunity economy. We need to build more housing in America.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: And so we are going to cut red tape and work with the private sector to build 3 million new homes by the end of my first term.

(CHEERING)

HARRIS: I have a plan to lower the cost of living for America's families on everything from healthcare to groceries. Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a tax break and thousands of dollars of your hard-earned money will go back into your pockets, including $6,000 during the first year of a child's life.

SANCHEZ: We've been listening to Vice President Kamala Harris there on stage in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vice President coming out to raucous applause and a big reaction from the crowd when she talked about Tuesday night's debate against former President Donald Trump. This appearance comes not only on the heels of that debate, but also on the heels of the announcement from Donald Trump on social media that there will not be a third presidential debate.

During the speech, the Vice President is expected to tout her policies on the economy, something that came up during the debate multiple times. She touted her promise to offer a $50,000 tax break to those who start new businesses and an expanded child tax credit. I can expect we're likely going to hear more of what we've heard from her before on reproductive rights and other issues.

An important period in the election cycle as we get closer to October and election day.

KEILAR: That's right, and "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after a quick break.

END