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Trump Declares Himself "The Father of IVF"; Gender Gap is a Key Feature in Deadlocked Trump-Harris Race; Phoenix Police Bodycam Video Shows Violent Arrest of Disabled Man; Just Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired October 16, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:01:05]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Trying to win over women, former President Trump makes his pitch to a group that he has struggled with. He's certainly struggling with right now as Vice President Kamala Harris tries a similar strategy, sitting down with Fox News and its audience of conservative voters. While the presidential race gets most of the attention, don't sleep on the Senate. We'll be looking at the race that keeps Republicans up at night, even as Democrats face the fact they may lose control of the upper chamber.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And forgive our excitement and our puns, but pandemonium in the nation's capital continues. China's newest diplomats get settled in their new D.C. home. We'll get you an update on these pandas as we follow these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

KEILAR: And we begin with the pandas. No, that's not -- we're not going to begin with the pandas. I know you wish we would. But we're going to begin with politics and with former President Trump's latest outreach to female voters, as polling shows him in some serious trouble with the group. He took part in an all-female town hall airing a short time ago. It was meant to focus on women's issues. But the emerging headline this hour is the former President renewing attacks against, quote, "the enemy from within."

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Trump used the phrase earlier this week when he raised the idea of using the military against his so-called enemies. For days, Republicans, including Trump's own running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, tried to argue that Trump was not talking about political opponents. But moments ago, Mr. Trump clarified that he was, in fact, referring to some U.S. citizens, specifically his political rivals. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is the enemy from within and they're very dangerous. We have China, we have Russia, we have all these countries. If you have a smart president, they can all be handled. The more difficult are -- you know, the Pelosis, these people, they're so sick and they're so evil. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene who's been tracking the Trump campaign. An interesting tactic there from Trump, Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. And it's notable for a couple of reasons. One is that, of course, this comment that he made over the weekend about the enemy from within being a bigger threat to the United States than our foreign adversaries drew a lot of backlash. And, you know, we saw a lot of Republicans take to the airwaves to try and defend Donald Trump on this.

And one of the key arguments we heard in those lines of defense was that he was referring to protesters, rioters, when he talked about sending in the military or the National Guard to deal with the "enemy from within." They argued, that is what, you know, other leaders have done in the past to deal with those types of situations.

However, he made very clear in that moment when Harris Faulkner asked him about this, that he was talking about his political opponents, that he was talking about Democrats. He brought up the Pelosi's specifically. So I think, you know, it's very clear where Donald Trump or what Donald Trump meant about that.

The other part of this, of course, is that we have heard from Republicans for weeks now really blaming rhetoric from the Democrats for what they argued led to some of the assassination attempts on his life. They argued that he's not doing -- he's not using that type of rhetoric. However, I think clearly, we are hearing some of that dangerous rhetoric from him.

Now, I do want to talk about another very notable moment during that town hall that's getting a lot of attention, which is when Donald Trump was asked about IVF, and protections, and access to IVF. Donald Trump essentially said, he loves that issue and that he is the father of IVF. I want you to take a listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's back in the states where they can have the vote of the people. It's exactly where they want to be. Remember this, this issue has torn this country apart for 52 years.

[14:05:04]

So we got it back in the states. We have a vote of the people. And it's working its way through the system. And ultimately, it's going to be the right thing. And IVF, you had mentioned before IVF.

HARRIS FAULKNER, FOX NEWS HOST: Right. Let's get this question, because I believe that's what this is about.

TRUMP: Oh, I want to talk about IVF. I'm the father of --

FAULKNER: You don't hear that everyday.

TRUMP: I'm the father of IVF.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Boris and Brianna, the first part of that question, he was talking about access to abortion. But look, obviously, it was a bit of a weird comment when he said, I am the father of IVF. We know that IVF really started in the '70s. But when I talked to Donald Trump's team about this, I tried to get an answer on what exactly was he trying to say there? And they argue that this is an issue that Donald Trump believes that he really set the tone for within the Republican Party. And they pointed back to in February that Alabama Supreme Court ruling where essentially they had a Trump ruled that frozen embryos are children. And then that led many hospitals and clinics to pausing IVF treatments.

Donald Trump came out on that and said, I support IVF. The party should support IVF. And really, since then, I can tell you from my conversations with people close to the former President that this is something he brings up a lot, particularly when people ask him, why do you not think that you're doing -- why aren't you doing well with women voters? And remember, that was what this town hall was all about, him trying to narrow that gender gap with Harris.

And he often argues he's not sure, he thinks they don't like his rhetoric, but that he should -- they should like him on the issues. And this is one of the issues that he often talks about. So I think that's where a lot of this was coming from, despite it being a bit of an odd answer.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. He clearly believes it will help him. Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

We want to drill down now on the question of the gender gap by starting with a look at where the presidential race stands right now. Let's take a look at a new CNN poll of poll average.

Right now, there is no clear leader in this race. An average of 51% of likely voters support Vice President Harris, while 48% back former President Trump. But this relatively small gap falls within the margin of error. On the other hand, the gender gap remains quite wide. A recent ABC News poll and Ipsos also is included in that poll, found a 17% difference based on gender. Trump winning male voters by eight points as Harris leads by nine among women voters, zooming in specifically to the support for Harris among women, they're bolstered for her by women under 40, black women and Hispanic women.

Meantime, the margins for Republicans among white women seem to be dwindling. And this is raising all sorts of alarms for the Trump campaign.

In 2012, Mitt Romney, who famously had a line that he regrets, I'm sure about binders full of women, he was up by about nine points. Then four years later, and the access Hollywood tape later, also, we should note, Donald Trump was up six points. Most recently, he built on that in 2020, getting a seven point advantage among white women. But if the current polling holds on Election Day, Donald Trump would only be up plus one. That would be the lowest margin for Republicans among white women in this century. Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, acknowledged that gender gap last night during an event in Pennsylvania, and he made this direct appeal. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The polls also tell you that we're doing better. President Trump and I are doing better with male voters. And the Democrats are doing a little bit better with female voters. Well, I think moms are the best ambassadors to say, look, don't believe the lies that you've heard about these guys. Vote for what's in your best interest. Vote for public safety. Vote for lower grocery prices for your family. Vote for, you know, housing prices that are affordable for normal people to live in American homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We'll see if that pitch, and Trump calling himself the father of IVF during that town hall on Fox News, might move those numbers in either direction, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yeah. We'll have to wait and see, Boris. Joining us now to discuss all of this is Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina. Congresswoman, thanks for being with us. I wonder if you think Trump can win if he doesn't do better than that, you know, up about just one with white women.

NANCY MACE, CONGRESSWOMAN OF SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, I think it's up to the voters, right? So in a couple weeks and 20 days or so, the country will decide. I do think he has that he's peaking right now, that his numbers are increasing. I live in a swing district. I live in the only swing district in South Carolina. And I've been talking about women's issues since Roe v. Wade was overturned. I've been screaming it from the rooftops about how we need to show that we as Republicans support women.

And in the 2022 cycle, in swing districts like mine and in swing states across the country, about 55% of the electorate were female voters.

[14:10:05]

This is not a voting bloc that anybody can ignore, Republican, Democrat or independent. It's one of the strongest voting blocs in this country. And it's the reason why I talk to women day in and day out. I was really glad to see that Trump did an all-women's town hall. I think that's really important to speak to an audience that is going to decide this year's election.

KEILAR: And do you think with what he's polling right now, that it could mean he loses because of this voting bloc?

MACE: Well, I think it's really hard to say. There are other factors at play. It's not just female issues like abortion and IVF, and rape, and incest, it's also about the economy and inflation. The cost of baby formula over the last four years has gone up about 31%, gas is up 40%. So there are still some kitchen table issues that voters, male and female alike, will take into consideration.

And then the other elephant in the room is illegal immigration. We've seen the effects of fatal fentanyl on the streets. We've seen the effects of, you know, violent, illegal, criminal aliens who are here. And so there are other factors at play. But you cannot discount abortion, you cannot discount the female voter. And it's why I work really hard to earn the votes of women in my district and across South Carolina.

KEILAR: Yeah, abortion is a big issue for women. And at this Fox town -- I know you have been sounding that alarm. Just to be clear, there's been a lot of reporting about that. At this Fox town hall that was taped last night, he said some states have enacted abortion restrictions that are too tough. That's his quote, "too tough." And he said, quote, "those are going to be redone because there's a movement in those states." Which state with a tough abortion ban, have you seen that is actively working to make it less tough?

MACE: Well, the states that have virtually no exceptions, not even for life of the mother, rape or incest or fetal abnormalities, that is at a bare minimum for those that have banned it. It's a very small percentage of abortions. But there is a lot of common ground on the issue. And I know, you know, as Trump was one of the first republicans, myself included, I was the first Republican in Congress to speak out about the IVF ruling in Alabama. So too was Trump.

And so, you know, we know that he's going to be a strong voice. He put IVF in the Republican platform. He put the fact that Republicans want to protect access to birth control and contraceptives in the Republican platform. It had never been done before. This is a fight I've been making alone for a long time, as you know, since overturning of Roe v. Wade. And I'm glad that, you know, if he becomes president, when he does that I have someone that I can go to and talk to about women's issues because I do truly believe he gets it. He had his granddaughter on stage at the RNC, at the convention giving a speech.

You know, the women in his family are leaders in the public and private sector. So I think we see someone who is passionate about women's issues. I've talked to him about it privately and publicly, but it will be up to the voters to see what they say in November and why it's so important that he's stressing the women vote. And that's why it was important he had that all women's town hall today.

KEILAR: But what is he talking about? Because it's been years now since the Dobbs decision. And these states that lack what you consider reasonable exceptions have not adjusted them in a way that you clearly think would be smart.

MACE: Well, I think the smart thing to do for all states would be to put it as a ballot referendum. What are the voters in your state, even red states? I think that people would be -- elected officials would be very surprised to see where voters are. Again, I'm in a purple pro- choice district. I am pro-white (ph), but I found a lot of -- KEILAR: Okay. But I just want to get back to the question. I do want to just get back to the question because I hear what you're saying on that proposal, and there are certainly people who agree with you on that, but that's not what these states are doing.

So back to what Trump is saying about these are going to be redone because there's a movement in those states. There doesn't actually appear to be a movement in the those states, you know, correct me if I'm wrong on that.

MACE: Well, I think every state is working through their own state laws now. And I'm in South Carolina. There's a fetal heartbeat with exceptions for life of the mother, rape, and incest. Other states are doing other things. Some are all pro-choice, some are pro-life with exceptions. I think every state at this point is obviously very different. And some might still be in the process of changing their state laws, too.

KEILAR: And a number of them are not, just to be clear. Trump calling himself the father of IVF. Does that go over well with most women?

MACE: Well, I mean, it goes to show, again, he was one of the first people in the party when that crazy Alabama ruling came out a few months ago, banning essentially IVF in that state. He was one of the first people to come out publicly and say, no, we're going to protect women's access to IVF. And he's gone so far as suggesting that the government should pay for it.

And so I think he really believes in IVF and wants women to know that he's going to be right there with them to ensure that they are protected.

[14:15:05]

The same thing with contraceptives, contraception, birth control, etcetera, and protecting all those exceptions, particularly for women who have been raped and victims of incest. I think it's his way. I can't speak for the man, but I imagine the crowd probably laughed and I find some humor in it. But I think that's how passionate he is about IVF. And again, I've spoken to him privately about women's issues and he knows how important it is.

KEILAR: And lastly, I want to ask you, this Univision town hall, we just learned that he reiterated his rhetoric and actually went further about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. He said, quote, "they're eating other things, too, that they're not supposed to be." Do you think that rhetoric is helpful?

MACE: Well, I think that there's a lot of rhetoric that's unhelpful. You're talking about a man and someone who attempted to assassinated or --

KEILAR: But I'm asking you about this. I'm asking you about this.

MACE: I know. Bur if you're going to bring up -- if we're going to bring up rhetoric, let's talk about the rhetoric. This is a guy who was someone who've done (inaudible) which is found that (inaudible).

KEILAR: I want to talk about Springfield, Ohio.

MACE: How many attempts have they had to try to assassinate him? In Ohio, I mean, there were wacky videos online. And there were allegedly police reports. So if we're going to talk about rhetoric, I think we should talk about both sides. Rhetoric from both sides. I am someone whose house has been vandalized three times in the last four years. My car has been vandalized twice. I receive threats on a daily basis. I can tell you, there's a lot of rhetoric out there that's not healthy for our country or its citizens.

KEILAR: And what about this particular rhetoric about Ohio?

MACE: I don't have any qualms about anything that Trump has said about Ohio. I think if we're going to talk about rhetoric, again, let's have a conversation about the rhetoric online, how elected officials are threatened, how there are attempted -- assassination attempts against Donald Trump and others. This is something that we should have a straightforward, honest, and bipartisan conversation about. It's something that goes on where I know that Democrat officials are threatened, republican officials are threatened because of the violent rhetoric. I'm not worried about Ohio rhetoric. I'm more worried about rhetoric that might get somebody killed.

KEILAR: What he has said about Ohio has been false and has arguably endangered people there. But you have no qualms, to be clear, as you said about his rhetoric about Ohio?

MACE: I don't have -- nothing that I've seen about what he said about Ohio gives me any sort of pause. I am worried about violent rhetoric, that fits (ph) me and my family in danger.

KEILAR: Even the lies.

MACE: I'm afraid when the (inaudible) media docks (ph) where I live --

KEILAR: But do you care about the other people, Congresswoman?

MAC: -- it puts my kids in danger.

KEILAR: I hear what you're saying about yourself.

MACE: I care about everybody. I care about everybody.

KEILAR: Do you?

MACE: I absolutely do. And you know, and I see it on both sides, too. And I've called people out. I call the balls and strikes. But to my knowledge, no one in Ohio has been threatened because of something Trump has said about Ohio when there have been people that have given interviews about some of the challenges they've had with immigrants that are there, I haven't seen that. I think I've seen more cat memes and jokes about it than anything else.

KEILAR: All right. I'll send you some information. Congresswoman, thank you so much. We appreciate your time.

MACE: Wait. I look forward to reading it. Thank you.

KEILAR: Vice President Harris going into the Fox den following a recent blitz of mostly friendly interviews. She's going to sit down with Fox's Bret Baier later today for her first ever sit down on the network.

SANCHEZ: Joining us now to discuss the CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter. Brian, great to see you, as always. Up until now, Vice President Harris has avoided interviews with conservative news outlets. What are you learning about why she's decided to do this interview with Bret Baier?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yeah. And with Fox in particular, hour after hour, talking heads pummeled Harris and promote Trump. So the question is why now? I saw Harris spokesman Ian Sams on your show yesterday. I followed up with him today. He gave me a few different reasons why this interview is happening. He said, number one, there's still a lot of undecided voters who are watching Fox. He said Harris is not afraid of tough questions. And he said this, quote, "the Fox audience often gets fed a bunch of crap and Harris wants them to hear from her directly," basically her chance to refute the network's narratives about her.

Sam said one other thing. He said, she's tough, she's strong, she can go toe to toe with adversaries. And Trump is weak and withdrawn. So clearly, the Harris campaign sees a big contrast tonight because she's going on Fox while Trump is mostly just doing right-wing media interviews.

KEILAR: How do you think it works, Brian? How do you think this works for her or not? I mean, what does she have to gain? How receptive is this audience?

STELTER: I think she has a lot more to gain than to lose because at the end of the day, Bret Baier although he was very sympathetic to Trump's lies about the election in 2020, he is a journalist, and he wants to show his journalistic credibility when he heads into this interview. But, you know, he's -- I mentioned being pummeled, you know, Fox pummels Harris, bears being pummeled on social media from Fox's own fans who don't trust or believe him.

[14:20:09]

And that speaks to how radicalized some right-wing viewers are in this country, partly because of Trump's lies about the media. You know, I think about it as a trust deficit where Republicans are a lot less likely to trust institutions, even the media, even Fox News. And so you're seeing conservatives say, is the interview going to be edited? Can we trust you? Can we believe you? Is she getting the questions in advance of. It's that kind of conspiracy theory thinking, just like what we've seen about Springfield, Ohio, from Donald Trump that has also seeped its way into the right-wing media and affected a lot of these viewers. Baier saying this interview is unedited, it's uninterrupted. He's trying to reassure viewers that it's the real deal.

Of course, when Donald Trump goes on Fox, it usually is pre-taped, sometimes is edited. He had a very friendly audience for that all- women town hall earlier today.

SANCHEZ: Brian Stelter, thank you so much. We look forward to seeing that interview. Should be interesting.

Still ahead this hour on CNN News Central, disturbing body cam footage shows Phoenix police officers shouting orders to punching and tasing a deaf man they were attempting to question. Assault charges have just been filed against that deaf suspect.

KEILAR: Plus, Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Colin Allred sparring in a fiery debate as polls reveal a tightening Senate race in Ruby Red, Texas. Could Democrats pull off a major upset? They're always dreaming of it there in Texas.

And a death row inmate making a last ditch appeal to the Supreme Court as a slew of advocates insist he's innocent. CNN sat down with him in what could be his final days.

These important stories and more all coming up this hour on CNN News Central.

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SANCHEZ: There is growing outrage today over the violent arrest of a deaf man in Phoenix. Police body camera footage was just released. And we want to warn viewers, the video contains graphic content and may be disturbing.

KEILAR: Yeah. Two Phoenix police officers can be seen confronting Tyron McAlpin in a parking lot. And while lying face down on the ground, one officer repeatedly punches him. The other officer tases him.

We have CNN's Josh Campbell following this story for us. Josh, tell us what led up to that moment that we just saw.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So this happened in August. We're just now getting a look at some of that video. What occurred is that there was a man at a gas station who told police that someone assaulted him. They tried to take his bicycle, as well as his phone.

At one point, he points nearby to McAlpin, who is walking away. And you can see this video from surveillance footage. I want you to pay particular attention at the door of that truck, just the speed with which that officer comes out. And then this fight is now on. Now, of course, the officers at the time, they didn't know that he was deaf, but this is someone who obviously could not understand the commands that he was receiving. Now, I want to play for you that police body camera, as you mentioned,

this is disturbing. This is the vantage point of the officer who was in that vehicle. He rolls up, he tells McAlpin to stop. And this is what happens next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAN #1: Tape him, tape him, tape him. Get your hands behind your back. Get your hands behind your back. Get your hands behind your back. Get your hands behind your back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, we know that paramedics arrived. They assessed McAlpin as he was still on the ground. He was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. Those officers involved also received injuries. But again, this is raising a lot of questions about someone with disabilities and also the tactics of this very quick incident happening.

SANCHEZ: Josh, the initial charges that led to the encounter were dropped. But now, McAlpin is facing new charges.

CAMPBELL: That's right. So that theft charge was dismissed, but he is now facing two counts of aggravated assault for the fight with those police officers. And what they say is that, you know, he was actually in that scuffle, hitting these officers as they were trying to take him into custody. Finally, it's worth pointing out that this is an occasion where training is also a major issue. Those two officers actually testified in court about the lack of training that they receive when it comes to people with disabilities. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAN #2: Light training with people who are hard of hearing.

WOMAN #1: Okay. Can you tell me more about that?

MAN #2: It was about seven years ago. I don't remember much of it.

MAN #3: Have you received any training in dealing with members of the public who have disabilities?

MAN #2: Maybe briefly, but nothing that I recall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: So neither could recall receiving training and dealing with people with disabilities. This is obviously a case that is garnering a lot of scrutiny for those reasons. It also comes, guys, as we've been reporting that the Phoenix Police Department was recently the subject of a scathing report by the Justice Department, accusing officers of using excessive enforcement techniques against people of color, as well as those who are experiencing disabilities, so a lot of eyes on this one. It is worth pointing out that the police union there said that they are asking the public not to jump to any conclusions based on video. They say, this is an incident where you had two officers in fully marked patrol cars who were attacked in their view. The head prosecutor in Maricopa county says, she will be personally reviewing this case, guys.

KEILAR: Yeah, that testimony certainly does back up what has become very clear in so many cases across --

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