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Trump, Harris Take Jabs At Each Other's Cognitive Abilities; AP: New Book Says McConnell Called Trump "Stupid ... Despicable" After 2020 Election; Execution On Hold For TX Death Row Inmate In Shaken Baby Case; Soon, Harris Delivers Remarks At Michigan Campaign Stop. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 18, 2024 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:00]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: That remains to be seen.

Gershon Baskin, thank you as always for your thoughts and for your time today.

GERSHON BASKIN, FORMER HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: And a new report on what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the 2020 election about then-President Donald Trump. McConnell reportedly called Trump "stupid, ill tempered, and a despicable human being." What he's now saying about those remarks, that's next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[13:34:58]

MARQUARDT: In this final stretch before the election, we are seeing a familiar attack line making a serious comeback on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I put out my medical records. He won't put out his medical records. And you have to ask, why is his staff doing that? And it may be because they think he's just not ready and unfit.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think people should take cognitive tests, not because of the age, but because of something else.

Now, here's the problem, they say it's unconstitutional, OK? But I would love to see cognitive test. I don't think she could pass a cognitive test.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: The Harris campaign is also using events like this one to try to make it's point, when Trump abruptly ended a town hall a few days ago and then just danced on stage for almost 40 minutes.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Now we should note, in the past, Trump has said that he would release his health data. Harris released hers earlier this week.

Joining us now is CNN's Chris Wallace. He is the host of "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE," with new episodes streaming right now on Max. And he also anchors the "CHRIS WALLACE SHOW," with new episodes airing Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on CNN, also on CNN Max.

And he has -- where do you find --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: He has a new book out called "Countdown 1960, The Behind-the- scenes Story of the 312 Days that Changed America's Politics Forever."

Good subtitle there. I really liked that.

But back to Trump --

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR, "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE" & "THE CHRIS WALLACE SHOW": Yes.

KEILAR: -- and what sort of observing -- I wonder if you think, as someone who, of course, yes, he's going to be 78-years-old if elected. He'd be the oldest person to become president.

Are these questions, these criticism, is it warranted?

WALLACE: Well, people have to judge for themselves, but I think that there's plenty of evidence out there, Brianna, that could give people cause.

Clearly, what happened at the town hall where he just stopped and is sitting there swaying to the music for 40 minutes as people leave. And there have been some awfully strange comments.

The interesting thing is, after the debate between Trump and Biden back in June, the polls showed that Trump led Biden by 29 points on the issue of who is better physically and mentally fit to be president.

After the Trump/Harris debate, now Harris leads Trump by 20 points on the exact same issue.

So this question of mental and physical fitness to be president, which was working for Trump against Biden, is now very much working for Harris against Trump.

MARQUARDT: And this is something that you and the panelists on your show we're going to be exploring this weekend. How concerned do you think that voters should be about his mental acuity?

WALLACE: You know, it's up -- it's up to them. As I say, in the poll, they certainly are. You know, what's interesting, I've been reading a lot about this recently. There's something, as people get older and diminish, there's something called disinhibition, basically that they lose their inhibitions, they lose their filters.

My kids sometimes say that about me.

Trump was on "FOX and Friends," this morning. And he said, you know where I'm going after I leave you guys -- and they're all on the air -- he said I'm going to meet Rupert Murdoch and I'm going to tell them that he shouldn't have any ads attacking me and he shouldn't have any Democrats who are.

Now, this is something I can understand him perhaps thinking. I'm not sure it made sense. And you could tell from the discomfort of the "FOX and Friends" anchors, they we're not pleased that this was being shared, what Trump was going to be talking in a few minutes to Rupert Murdoch about.

KEILAR: I think sometimes, as people get older, they're out of, you know, what's. They're fresh out of them. And so they just say whatever they want, you know?

I do want to switch gears a little bit and talk about some news that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has made.

The Associated Press obtained excerpts from a book that is set to be released about him, which claim that McConnell called then-President Trump, quote, "stupid," that he called him a "despicable human being" and a "narcissist."

McConnell, in a statement, saying, "Whatever I may have said about Trump pales in comparison to what J.D. Vance, Lindsey Graham and others have said about him. But we are all on the same team now."

What do you think about this business?

WALLACE: I'm not at all surprised that McConnell feels that way. He was pretty clear and really, for about two or three years after January 6th, refused one to meet with Trump or even to say his name in public.

What -- what I find most troubling about this is he believes all that. He says all that on the record and some of that in private. But he's going to vote for Donald Trump. He has said, we're all on the same team.

He has endorsed Donald Trump, who has attacked his wife, who is Chinese, in racial terms. And yet he seems to feel that his political influence, his political position is more important than his personal feelings or principle.

[13:39:59]

And I find that troubling that -- that a guy could be insulted as he has been by Trump and be offended as he has by Trump and yet he is going to vote for Trump to be the next president of the United States.

MARQUARDT: And, Chris, in your book, you write about the 1960 election between JFK and Richard Nixon. And that goes into this race that very well could have been stolen.

And you compare that to these elections in 2020 and 2024. So what parallels did you find between the Nixon-Kennedy race and this one that we're watching today?

WALLACE: I think 1960 sort of sets where we are now and have been since 2020 on its head. That is an election where there really is evidence that it may, I'll say may, have been stolen. Rampant vote fraud in Illinois for Kennedy, rampant vote fraud in Texas for Kennedy.

Nixon had to decide, was he going to contest it or was he going to observe and participate in the peaceful transfer of power? This is the height of the Cold War. Are you going to have the question of who is president?

And Richard Nixon who is not generally seen as a great moral figure, decides, no, it's unthinkable that we're not going to let the country know who the president is.

He concedes, he meets with Kennedy. And on January 6th, as the vice president, he presides over the counting of the electoral vote and congratulates Kennedy as the next president of the United States.

MARQUARDT: Just an incredible chapter.

WALLACE: Incidentally, it just made "The New York Times" bestseller list.

MARQUARDT: Congratulations.

KEILAR: Congrats.

WALLACE: Thank you.

KEILAR: It's the subtitle, isn't it?

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: It grabs the audience.

WALLACE: Plus, there's those 400 pages in between.

KEILAR: It is -- it's a great -- it's a great cover and a great book.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Chris Wallace, thank you very much.

And we'll be right back.

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KEILAR: The Texas death row inmate who was scheduled to die last night for the shaken baby death of his toddler is now set to testify before a panel that is reconsidering his case.

We're talking about Robert Roberson. And his execution is now on hold, for now at least, after the Texas Supreme Court issued a temporary stay.

MARQUARDT: And that decision follows a big effort to save Roberson's life, including an appeal from the lead detective on the case, who now says, quote, "We all know he's innocent."

CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now.

So, Ed, Robertson could testify on Monday, if not sooner. What's the latest?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alex and Brianna, this subpoena to testify before the state legislature in Austin is essentially the thing that saved his life yesterday. And the legal fight over whether or not it was legal that continues to play out.

But as of right now, what we understand is that Robert Roberson is expected to testify before this state committee that is looking into the medical testimony controversy surrounding his case.

Lawmakers and other officials expect him to testify in person. We have not heard that officially from Texas prison officials.

But consider the magnitude of that. It's a Texas death row inmate who would be moved from a prison into the state legislature to testify before this committee.

We are told that, when Robert Roberson received the news, nearly four hours after his scheduled execution, he was shocked and praised God for the relief in that moment after he heard the news that his life had been spared yesterday.

Outside the prison in the execution changer -- chamber, his supporters were ecstatic as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER ROBERSON, ROBERT ROBERSON'S SISTER-IN-LAW: I'm just very excited. And I mean, like I said, justice has finally been served here. We -- he's been railroaded from the very beginning. It's taken almost 22 years for Texas to step up and do the right thing. And we're just really excited.

BRIAN WHARTON, SUPPORTER, FORMER DETECTIVE IN ROBERSON'S CASE: Finally, this evening, they did come and tell us that he got to stay and his wife started crying and everybody else just kind of took a deep breath because we all know he's innocent. We've been fighting this fight for a while and we've been trying and

to get a fair hearing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: That's Brian Wharton you heard from there. That's the detective who helped send Robert Roberson to a prison nearly 22 years ago. And he was there last night. He was supposed to be one of the witnesses at the execution.

But right now, what lawyers of -- this gives lawyers for Robertson is more time to try to plead with the courts that the medical evidence that was used to convict him and send him to death row was faulty and misdiagnosed.

And, ultimately, they say they've gotten a little bit more time here to prove his innocence. It doesn't mean the execution is off for good. This is still playing out in the courts for weeks and perhaps months ahead.

MARQUARDT: Yes. What an extraordinary case, now setting up this dramatic scene of his testimony in front of that panel.

Ed Lavandera, thanks so much for that reporting.

[13:49:09]

And still ahead, the Harris campaign is -- a little extra star power -- is going to have a little extra star power in these closing weeks. Trying to draw more attention and get people to get out and vote. Who is joining her out on the campaign trail? That's next.

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KEILAR: Minutes from now, Vice President Harris is kicking off her day-long campaign swing across Michigan, a key battleground state, where she is expected to deliver remarks, the first of three campaign events today.

MARQUARDT: And CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us now from Waterford Township in Michigan where Harris is going to be holding a rally with voters later today.

So, Priscilla, this is a busy day for the vice president. What do we know about what she's going to do?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a busy day, but it's a day that also gives us a glimpse into the vice president's path to victory in Michigan, or at least what her campaign believes that to be.

For example, she's going to go to Kent County. That's a county that had voted for Donald Trump in 2016, then voted for Biden in 2020. Also going to two other counties where President Biden won by wider margins.

And one of the places she's going to be going to is Lansing. That is where she's expected to try to appeal to union workers, to draw a stark contrast with her Republican rival on manufacturing.

And make inroads with this voter block, knowing that some rank-and- file members have shown, or at least have moved toward former President Donald Trump. So that's going to be a key area for the vice president as she comes here to Michigan.

[13:55:01]

But also, in talking to campaign officials, they tell me, look, we know that there may be some losses within some corners of the Democratic Party in this state. We've talked about this a lot with the Arab-American community.

But they also see a lot of opportunity with the suburbs and white college-educated voters, and especially when it comes to early voting in person.

This is the first presidential race here in Michigan where people will be able to vote early in-person. And so the campaign is hoping to capitalize on that and they're bringing in some star power to do it.

The vice president tomorrow, it's going to be with Lizzo in Detroit where they're going to kick off early voting at a get-out-the-vote event.

And later tomorrow, the vice president will be in Georgia where she's going to be with Usher to do much of the same, again try to bring and gin up that enthusiasm among voters and make sure that they get to the polls. Again, trying to capitalize on early voting.

Now, next week, we also so note that the vice president will be joined by both the Obamas, former President Barack -- or Barack Obama earlier in the weekend and later with former first lady, Michelle Obama.

That will mark for first time on the campaign trail for the Harris- Walz campaign -- guys?

KEILAR: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, live for us from Michigan, thank you.

And coming up, a trove of documents have now been unsealed in Special Counsel Jack Smith's election subversion case against former President Trump. So much of it, though, is redacted. So what does this evidence tell us about his case? We'll have that next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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