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Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Meets with Vice President Harris; Parts of Florida Underwater as Helene Hits Category 3 Ahead of Landfall; Melania Trump Speaks Out in Rare Interview; Harris: My Support for the People of Ukraine is Unwavering. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 26, 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]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: ...has gotten himself into a bit of hot water with the Speaker of the House and former President Donald Trump over a recent visit to a Pennsylvania munitions factory, notably with Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Bob Casey, also a Democrat, and others. I wanted to get your take on this because, listen, Zelenskyy is here specifically to advocate, as he has advocated on behalf of his own country, to get American help in this war. But what kind of challenges can American domestic politics pose to that effort?

LT. GENERAL BEN HODGES, FORMER COMMANDER OF U.S. ARMY FORCES IN EUROPE: Well, first of all, this is a gigantic non-story. It's a political effort by the Trump campaign and his supporters in the Congress to diminish the support for Ukraine. You know, never in my life did I imagine that the Republican Party would be using Kremlin talking points, talking about how Ukraine has already lost.

Russia, after ten and a half years, controls only about 18 percent of Ukraine, and they've lost over half a million soldiers. So the idea that somehow Ukraine is losing, that is a total fairy tale.

But also this visit to the ammunition plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is important for a couple of reasons. Number one, it reminds everybody that American factories and American workers are producing this ammunition. This is good for the United States. It also counters the statement by Senator Vance a few months ago that America doesn't have the industrial capacity to compete against Russia, which is absolute nonsense.

And then finally, of course, President Zelenskyy was out in Utah a couple of months ago with a Republican governor. There were no calls for investigations after that. So I think this is already a nothing story, and we should focus on helping Ukraine defeat Russia because it's in our strategic interest.

FREEMAN: Well, I really appreciate your opinion, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, and your expertise on this issue. Thank you so much for your time.

HODGES: Thanks for the privilege.

FREEMAN: All right, coming up ahead, we're taking you live to the part of Florida that's expected to bear the brunt of Hurricane Helene's landfall in just a matter of hours, as tens of millions of people hunker down for the storm's life-threatening flooding and storm surge.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Breaking news. Hurricane Helene is now a major Category 3 storm. Wind speeds of 120 miles per hour. And this is a storm that's expected to make landfall up there on that area that is very familiar to these hurricanes, Florida's Big Bend hours from now.

FREEMAN: But still no reason to not take it incredibly seriously. Cameras from the outside the International Space Station captured views of Helene from space. Look at that. Showing the storm's eye and massive wall of clouds.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is in Apalachicola, Florida. Derek, tell us what are the conditions like right now?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Danny, no stranger to major hurricanes here. Now that Helene is a major hurricane, this will be the fifth major hurricane to strike Florida since 2017. And the trajectory, the exact path, looks like it's going to go very close to Tallahassee.

And this could be the first major hurricane to pass within 40 miles of Tallahassee in modern record keeping. So what are the threats that we're facing? A multitude of threats.

Flash flood warnings ongoing. We have a hurricane and storm surge warning. Tornado watches in and around the Florida panhandle.

And I want to show you just how saturated the environment is in Apalachicola. And this is just kind of paints the picture of what the entire state has been contending with as the storm edges closer and closer.

This is somebody's backyard in Apalachicola. The water's starting to pond up, and that is because we've had over seven inches of rain just in the past 36 hours. And this is before the main event, that being major hurricane Helene this evening.

So it has pre-saturated the environment. And so I really want to highlight not only the catastrophic wind threat and the storm surge threat, but the flash flood potential that faces many of the southeastern United States, including here where I am in Apalachicola.

So I want you to see with my graphics, what is called a rare high risk from the Weather Prediction Center. They only issue it about 4 percent of the time, but that's where about 40 percent of fatalities occur and 80 percent of damage within those high risk locations.

Remember, you can hide from the wind, but you need to run from the water. And that goes for flash flooding and also storm surge. Now here in Apalachicola, they're no stranger to these hurricanes.

They've done every precaution that they can. We're still under this mandatory evacuation in Franklin County, but they've put all the sandbags, boarded up the homes and the businesses in their best preparation and their defenses against what is the oncoming major hurricane. But the flash flood potential needs to be discussed inland as well.

So the storm has so much forward trajectory with it. So it's not going to have that time to weaken before it goes inland. So it will bring hurricane force winds into central Georgia and then the flash flood potential.

We're facing unprecedented amounts of rain in and around Asheville and Western North Carolina. This is an area we need to monitor closely for a historic event -- Brianna.

[15:40:00]

KEILAR: All right, Derek Van Dam, thank you so much. We are keeping our eye on it. It's really something to see with how it's already so saturated, as he says, and they're just going to get more.

FREEMAN: Hour by hour.

KEILAR: So straight ahead, a rare and wide ranging interview with former first lady Melania Trump. Hear her reaction to the two assassination attempts on her husband's life next.

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KEILAR: Former First Lady Melania Trump largely absent from the trail, but in a rare interview, she's talking about moments forever marked in history. The attempts on her husband's life.

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[15:45:00]

MELANIA TRUMP: When I saw it, I, you know, it was only, nobody really knew yet. Because when you see him on the floor and you don't know, you don't know what really happened.

I called again, and he was OK because Secret Service were great. The guys that they team. They were fantastic. And I think both of the events, they were really miracles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Kate Anderson Brower, the author of First Women, is with us now. She also has a new book coming out, The Hill Inside the Secret World of the U.S. Capitol, which is set to be published October 8th. Kate, what were your takeaways from this rare interview with Mrs. Trump?

KATE BROWER, AUTHOR, THE HILL, INSIDE THE SECRET WORLD OF THE U.S. CAPITOL: Well, I thought it was, it's always interesting to hear her speak because we never hear her speak. It's been two years since she did an interview. I think that it shows that there's really no daylight between her and her husband.

She was very careful in her wording and what she said. I was struck by her use of the word beautiful when she described a letter that she wrote. She said she didn't go to the RNC.

Instead, she didn't speak at the RNC. Instead, she wrote this beautiful letter, which is kind of something that he would say, right? Using that word beautiful.

I think they're very similar in ways that people don't necessarily understand. So that was an interesting little peek into their world.

KEILAR: And what have you made of her role or really lack of a role on the trail? And for instance, some unusual for candidates' wives, maybe not too unusual for the former first lady. But CNN has reported that she received a six-figure check for one appearance that she's made, which was just one of the few times that she actually has attended a political event.

How unusual is that for a candidate's spouse?

BROWER: It's very unusual. And especially given, you know, CNN's polling that shows this gender gap that Trump is facing, it would make sense to have her out there talking about being a mother. I mean, one thing that struck me in her interview is she talks about being a working mother.

KEILAR: Kate, I am so sorry to interrupt you. We have to go now to Vice President Harris and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the podium.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: ... Putin's brutal aggression and war against Ukraine. My support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering. I've been proud to stand with Ukraine. I will continue to stand with Ukraine. And I will work to ensure Ukraine prevails in this war.

To be safe, secure, and prosperous, the United States must continue to fulfill our longstanding role of global leadership. We must stand with our allies and our partners. We must defend our democratic values and stand up to aggressors. And we must stand for international order, rules, and norms.

Each one of these principles is at stake in Ukraine. And that is why Ukraine's fight matters to the people of America. The Ukrainian people are bravely defending their homes and their homeland, their freedom and their democracy against a brutal dictator.

And the American people know well the meaning of freedom, of independence, and the importance of rule of law. These ideals are central to who we are as Americans. And some of the most important moments in our history have come when we stood up to aggressors like Putin, just as we must today. Indeed, standing with our friends and defending our ideals against tyranny has helped make America the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world. Putin's aggression is not only an attack on the people of Ukraine. It is also an attack on fundamental principles such as sovereignty and territorial integrity.

International rules and norms are not some abstract notion. They provide order and stability in our world. They support American security and American prosperity.

And when they are threatened anywhere, they are threatened everywhere. History has shown us if we allow aggressors like Putin to take land with impunity, they keep going. And Putin could set his sights on Poland, the Baltic states, and other NATO allies.

We also know that other would-be aggressors around the world are watching to see what happens in Ukraine. If Putin is allowed to win, they will become emboldened.

[15:50:00]

And history reminds us, and history is so clear in reminding us, the United States cannot and should not isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Isolation is not insulation.

So then, the United States supports Ukraine, not out of charity, but because it is in our strategic interest. We will continue to provide the security assistance Ukraine needs to succeed on the battlefield, as demonstrated by President Biden's significant announcement earlier today. I have been proud to work alongside President Biden and the 50- nation coalition we have built up to allow Ukraine to defend itself.

Thanks to this coalition, and the skill and the bravery of the Ukrainian people, along with your courageous leadership, President Zelenskyy, Ukraine has stood up to Russia's aggression. And today, Kyiv stands free and strong.

President Zelenskyy, I am clear, Putin started this war, and he could end it tomorrow, if he simply withdrew his troops from Ukraine's sovereign territory.

Of course, he has demonstrated no intention of doing that. Instead, he continues to assault civilian infrastructure and terrorize the people of Ukraine.

In Switzerland in June, along with 90 other nations at the Ukraine Peace Conference, I told you that the United States shares your vision for the end of this war, an end based on the will of the people of Ukraine and the U.N. Charter. And that we must work with the international community to secure a just and lasting peace. And I told world leaders there, nothing about the end of this war can be decided without Ukraine.

However, in candor, I share with you, Mr. President, there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations. These proposals are the same of those of Putin. And let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.

So, President Zelenskyy, I look forward to our discussion today, and I will continue to work with you to ensure Ukraine prevails in this conflict and remains a free, democratic, and independent nation. Welcome back again.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. Madam Vice President, thanks for the invitation. Happy to see you.

Dear journalists, I want especially thank you for your participation in the peace summit. And really, it was very important, and we remember it. The format was successful.

We are preparing the second one now. We have to end this war. We need a just peace, and we must protect our people, Ukrainian families, Ukrainian children, and everyone from Putin's evil.

And we are grateful to America for supporting Ukraine all along. And we'll have an important meeting today, right after I talk to President Biden about the plan of victory, and I will share some details of the plan with Vice President Harris. It's crucial for us to be fully understandable and to work in full coordination with the United States.

And this morning, I talked also to the congressmen, both chambers, both parties, and I'm thankful for the bipartisan support. We believe this war can be won, and just peace can be closer only with the United States. Madam Vice President, this is our -- you said seventh meeting?

HARRIS: Seventh.

ZELENSKYY: And not last. And the third meeting, as far as I remember, the third meeting this year.

HARRIS: Yes.

ZELENSKYY: Thank you. And I want to inform you about the latest developments on the battlefield, of course, and about Ukraine's actions in the Kursk region on what has been achieved and the ambitions ahead.

[15:55:00]

Today, we have a new strong support package, as you said, and we have common view on the things that need to be done.

We have to keep pressure on Russia to stop the war and to make truly lasting and just peace. It's a top priority for us and for other freedom-loving nations to achieve not a freezing but real peace for us. So we need to keep sanctions against Russia strong, and we need to use the process from immobilized Russian assets to protect Ukraine, our people, our cities, our front line from Russian evil. And of course, we must work hard to bring all Russian war criminals to justice.

And one more thing. I want to inform Madam Vice President about the latest Russian missile and Shahed's attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. We need to urgently strengthen Ukraine's air defense to save thousands of lives and reduce Russian terror to zero. It's achievable.

Thank you again. Thanks, America. Thanks to you, Madam Vice President, for Ukraine.

KEILAR: So Vice President Harris many not have mentioned Trump by name but man, oh man, I think maybe his ears and J.D. Vance's ears were burning because it was very clear who she was talking about there. She rejected comments about Ukraine ceding territory to Russia, which is something Vance had suggested. And those who suggest that Ukraine embrace neutrality and forgo security relationships like joining a NATO.

FREEMAN: And as you noted, not mentioning Trump by name was supposed to steer clear of explicit mention of U.S. politics, but clearly U.S. politics part of this conversation and meeting today.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly does. And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after a short break.

END