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J.D. Vance Speaks Out on Walz V.P. Pick; Kamala Harris Chooses Minnesota Governor Tim Walz For V.P. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired August 06, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:31:59]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Right now, reaction is pouring in following Vice President Kamala Harris' decision to tap Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

And the Trump campaign is wasting no time going on the attack, already painting the Midwestern governor as a -- quote -- "West Coast wannabe and dangerously liberal extremist." Those are quotes coming from the Trump campaign.

Kristen Holmes joins me now. She follows the Trump campaign for us.

Kristen, one thing I also noted is that Trump has put out a TRUTH Social post saying simply "Thank you!" with an exclamation point. Normally, he has attack lines ready to go. He's come up with nicknames and so on. We haven't heard any of that yet.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, but, Jim, I will tell you one thing. His team is happy that it is Governor Walz of Minnesota. Even before we broke the story that he was going to be the pick, I was literally on the phone with someone who said to me that they hoped it was Walz because it would fit into the narrative that goes with Kamala Harris.

They have said that she is a radical liberal from California and they think that he fits into that because he is a favorite among progressives. I'm going to read you one quote from a source close to the campaign, who said the choosing of Walz, in that, that Harris bent a knee to the antisemitic, anti-Israel left and chose someone as a dangerously liberal as she is.

You are going to hear this over and over again, the particular part of that phrase, dangerously liberal. We have seen Republicans across the board who are working to define Tim Walz as someone who the progressive loves, as somebody who is part of a liberal agenda.

And just to give you some of what that statement said -- I know you talked about part of it just now, in the...

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Kristen, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. The control room has asked me to break in to go to J.D. Vance. He's responding to Walz. (JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, we're here in Philadelphia to highlight the Americans who have suffered under Kamala Harris' policies, especially Kamala Harris border policies, to remind you she on day one suspended deportations, proposed mass amnesty for millions of illegal aliens.

She stopped construction of the border wall and she stopped the remain-in-Mexico policy that kept a lot of Americans safe. Now, today, we're going to talk to a lot of Americans who have suffered and had children and loved ones who have died because of these border policies.

It has led to record fentanyl overdoses in our country. It's led to a lot of migrant crime from people who shouldn't even be here. And it's, of course, driven up the price of housing for a lot of Americans who shouldn't have to compete with 20 million illegal aliens for scarce homes.

Obviously, the big news of the day is that Tim Walz has been nominated as the V.P. or is now the presumptive nominee, I should say, for Kamala Harris. My view on it is, it just highlights how radical Kamala Harris is. This is a person who listened to the Hamas wing of her own party in selecting a nominee.

This is a guy who's proposed shipping more manufacturing jobs to China, who wants to make the American people more reliant on garbage energy, instead of good American energy, and has proposed defunding the police, just as Kamala Harris does.

I think it's interesting, actually. They make an interesting tag team, because, of course, Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020, and then the few who got caught, Kamala Harris helped bail them out of jail.

[11:35:03]

So it is more instructive for what it says about Kamala Harris, that she doesn't care about the border, she doesn't care about crime, she doesn't care about American energy, and most importantly, she doesn't care about the Americans who have been made to suffer under those policies.

I will take a couple questions, and then we're going to hit the road and go to this press conference. Yes.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) that it's antisemitism the reason why you believe Kamala Harris didn't choose Josh Shapiro?

VANCE: Well, it's not what I believe. It's what the Democratic leadership has said. Many, many people said repeatedly that the reason Kamala Harris was going away from the Josh Shapiro selection is because they were worried about antisemitism. They were worried about certain voters. They were worried about some of the leaders and the grassroots activists and their party wouldn't take a Jewish nominee. I think it's despicable, I think it's disgusting, but that is right

out of the words of many members of the Democratic leadership. And so now we have Tim Walz, but, again, most importantly, we have Kamala Harris. Her policies have been a disaster, and they will remain so if the American people give her a promotion.

(CROSSTALK)

VANCE: Yes.

QUESTION: Senator, have you or Governor Walz reached out to one another? I know, when you...

(CROSSTALK)

VANCE: Yes.

QUESTION: You guys have reached out to..

VANCE: I actually, on the way to the flight in Cincinnati, I guess in Northern Kentucky, I actually called Tim Walz. I left a voice-mail. I didn't get him.

But I just said, look, congratulations, look forward to a robust conversation, and enjoy the ride. And maybe he will call me back, maybe he won't.

Yes.

QUESTION: Governor -- Senator. Excuse me.

VANCE: Yes.

QUESTION: The governor and Vice President Harris are expected to take a battleground state tour in the next couple of days.

VANCE: Sure.

QUESTION: Former President Trump won't be giving a public campaign appearance until Friday in Montana. Is that a missed opportunity?

VANCE: No, look, I think -- I think I'm making a number of public appearances over the next few days just to drive home the fact that Kamala Harris' policies have been such a failure for normal Americans.

I know the president is very busy over the next few days. One of the things you have got to do is, of course, get out there and speak to people and speak to reporters. A final thing you have to do, of course, is raise the resources. And I know the president is very busy doing exactly that.

So he and I are taking a divide-and-conquer strategy to this campaign. Sometimes, we obviously do events together, but I think we're going to use the fact that we have two people who can both get out there and prosecute a message. We're going to hit the road. But I really want to make just one final observation. I know most of

you. I like all of you as people, or at least I like the ones of you that I know. I think that you guys have got to do a better job at actually forcing Kamala Harris to answer questions.

This is a person who's been the presumptive Democrat nominee for 16 days. She hasn't taken a single real question from a reporter. The American people deserve to get to know the people who want to lead them. And I think it's shameful for Kamala Harris, but increasingly for the media that she's taking a basement strategy of running from reporters, instead of getting in front of them, answering tough questions about her record and letting the American people know who she is.

President Trump and I take hostile questions. We take non-hostile questions. We get out there and talk to people because we respect the American people enough to want to persuade them, and not to try to run for them. So I think you guys got to do a better job. That's my humble opinion.

Take it easy, guys. Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right, and that was Donald Trump's vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, who has had a bit of a rocky rollout himself, but he's test-driving some lines of attack aimed at Tim Walz.

Kristen Holmes, I know you're covering all of this. What did you hear out of J.D. Vance there just a few months ago? What stood out to you?

HOLMES: Well, certainly, what's news in that is the fact that he called Tim Walz and left him a voice-mail congratulating him, saying he wasn't sure if he would call him back or not.

That is usually political protocol. And, as we know, this is a pretty divided race. So the fact that J.D. Vance did reach across and reach out to Tim Walz is notable. But the other part of this, as you noted, J.D. Vance has had a rocky rollout, but part of the reason they selected him was because they believe he is a bulldog.

They want him out there attacking on the front lines. He really hasn't had a full opportunity to do that because he himself has been under an enormous amount of scrutiny. That is going to change as he moves forward, as he can continue to double down on these attack lines.

And what you heard from him there is what we have been hearing from Republicans across the board. Again, they want to paint this as the most liberal ticket in modern history. And while we have talked about the fact that Tim Walz is from a state where he has had to reach out to independence, it appears that the campaign actually has noted that.

They have talked about his reaching out to moderates. And I know that your team is probably going to kill me here, because we went over a bunch of full screens that I was going to toss to, and what I'm about to read isn't on any of them, but I do want to pay attention to it here...

ACOSTA: No worries.

HOLMES: ... because I think it's important.

He says -- he says: "While Walz pretends to support Americans in the heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is mostly cows and rocks," and they link to a video of Walz from 2017, "from proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote. Walz is obsessed with spreading California's dangerously liberal agenda far and wide."

There is a part of Governor Walz which we have heard from Democrats who know who describe him as folksy, as somebody who can reach out to independence. They clearly see that and they are trying to turn that moderate, that idea that he is a moderate into this idea that he is part of a far left ticket.

[11:40:06]

And I think we're going to hear more of that today. And I will say, just moments ago, they released their first reactive ad to Tim Walz being on the ticket. Again, goes after him, same attack line, saying that he's far left. We will see that in an upcoming ad buy. Unclear where it will air and how much money they're putting into it.

But it is interesting they have already pushed that out.

ACOSTA: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you. And never mind upsetting the control room. I do it all the time.

But thanks, Kristen. We appreciate it. Great job out there.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: And we're continuing our breaking news coverage.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be joining the Democratic ticket as Kamala Harris' running mate President Biden, we should note, is weighing in.

[11:45:04]

He just tweeted out a statement, saying: "The Harris-Walz ticket will be a powerful voice for working people and America's great middle class. They will be the strongest defenders of our personal freedoms and our democracy, and they will ensure that America continues to lead the world and play its role as the indispensable nation."

Joining us now is Larry Sabato. He's director of the Center of Politics at the University of Virginia.

Larry, I know we have been having you stand by for a while as we have been following the breaking news bouncing ball this morning, but your sense of Tim Walz as a running mate? I was talking with Van Jones about this a little earlier. It kind of feels like a Joe-Biden-to- Barack-Obama-type choice.

But maybe you have other thoughts. And what about the fact that she didn't pick Josh Shapiro, who comes from a very important state of Pennsylvania?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Well, the Josh Shapiro part is obviously upsetting part of the Democratic coalition.

But, Jim, it's been what, 16 days of vetting or 16 days of thinking about this for Kamala Harris.

ACOSTA: Yes.

SABATO: And I think we're at the point where Democrats will pretty quickly reunite and support the ticket, whether they had a favorite or not.

Imagine if this had been three months or four months or five months. You would have warring camps this morning.

ACOSTA: Yes.

SABATO: So that's a point right there.

The old rule, which you have heard many times because you're older than you look...

(LAUGHTER)

SABATO: ... is that you do no harm. With the vice presidential nomination, you do no harm.

I'm sorry. Despite what this one and that one and the other one are saying, I don't think he does any serious harm at all and is a plus in other ways. Think Wisconsin and Michigan. If he did nothing else but campaign and camp out in Wisconsin and Michigan, he could do Kamala Harris a lot of good, two of the three states that she absolutely must carry in the blue wall.

ACOSTA: Yes.

SABATO: So, overall, I think, positive, he's an interesting guy. He has a good sense of humor. He's got a resume that will appeal to a lot of people.

And we need to remember vice presidential candidates shrink into the background relatively quickly.

ACOSTA: And I wonder, Larry, if the J. -- I mean, we just heard from J.D. Vance a few moments ago, and he had this kind of a disaster of a rollout, got really called out for making comments like childless cat ladies and so on, and if that maybe influenced the Harris campaign a little bit and said, OK, wait a minute, let's not go with anybody who's going to do all of that. And Tim Walz has sort of like this folksy charm and doesn't have a

whole lot of those types of hand grenades, it doesn't seem at this point, in his background.

SABATO: Yes. He is a very upbeat, positive person. You can watch it for one minute on television and see that. And I'm sure they recognize that.

J.D. Vance is a doom-and-gloom candidate. Have you noticed everything is on the brink of disaster or we're already in disaster? Over time, that doesn't sell well outside of your party base. So I think it's a good contrast. Who knows if we will ever have a vice presidential debate.

ACOSTA: Yes.

SABATO: But, if we do, it will be well worth watching.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. And the debates part of all of this is definitely up in the air.

Larry, thanks for hanging around this morning. Time is short, but always good to talk to you. We really appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you.

ACOSTA: And I am older than I look.

Thank you, Larry. We appreciate it.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:30]

ACOSTA: Back to our breaking political news. Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate.

His message this morning, he says he's all in.

Let's bring in CNN's Whitney Wild, who's all in for us outside the Walz home in Minnesota.

What can you tell us, Whitney? What are you hearing from folks out there?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They know that he is the right pick, because they say that he's steady, that he's one of them, and that he's a fighter, Jim.

These are the three things that we have heard over and over from voters out here today, who say that he is the one who's been able to usher Minnesota through some very turbulent times and is the one who can take this ticket to the finish line. What you're hearing right now is this movement today. This was

Governor Tim Walz's first ride as Kamala Harris' running mate. He was on the way to the airport. Now he's on his way to Philadelphia, where he will join her in a joint rally around 5:30 Eastern time this afternoon, very big day here.

There was a big crowd here. People have since gone home, but the energy remains, Jim, because voters here are very excited. Again, they say that what they know about him is that he is the real deal, that he's a steady, authentic leader, Jim.

ACOSTA: And, Whitney, I guess he is -- you cover the Secret Service and law enforcement.

He is under Secret Service protection, I suppose, at this point. This is -- he's now part of the apparatus of a campaign.

(CROSSTALK)

WILD: Well, there's a little bit of a handoff here. So what we saw in that video was his Minnesota State Patrol taking him to the airport.

This is according to our fantastic reporters Betsy Klein, Arlette Saenz, who've been reporting on this out of Washington as well. He is going to get picked up by the Secret Service once he gets to Philadelphia. His wife is also going to get protection. So that's how that handoff is going to happen.

ACOSTA: And, Whitney, what are just the folks in that community saying about Tim Walz? I mean, a lot of Americans, they're waking up this morning. They're turning on their TVs and finding out that Tim Walz is going to be the running mate. They just don't know who he is.

What can you tell us in terms of what folks in that community are saying about Kamala Harris' running mate?

WILD: I think the best way that they are describing him, as a humble fighter. He is a guy who was a former football coach. He was a geography teacher in public schools. He spent more than two decades as a member of the National Guard.

He deployed after 9/11. He has also been able to really bridge this gap with rural voters. Let's not forget, he's from a rural area of Minnesota. He's from Mankato. That is an area where, when he first ran for Congress in 2006, he ousted a six-term Republican incumbent. That was a huge win for Democrats at that time.

[11:55:02]

And he's one of just, I think, two Democrats who won that seat in, I think it was 100 years. So that was a momentous moment. And what they know he can do is bridge this gap between rural voters, urban voters. He -- the people we're speaking with really believe that he is the type of leader who can draw in a lot of different types of voters.

And, Jim, we were at a fund-raiser last night where he spoke about this. And what he said he really wants to do is move forward with a sense of joy and a sense of respect for people on the other side of the aisle. He talked a lot about the importance of being able to have a respectful discourse with people with whom you don't always politically agree.

But he said, this -- it's really the joy. He kept saying that word joy that he wants to bring to this campaign season. And then, finally, Jim, he did reference this catchphrase he's put forward about Trump and J.D. Vance, calling them weird.

And he said make no mistake. He doesn't call all Republicans weird. It was a specific observation for those two, Jim. Certainly, we will hear a lot more from him in coming days.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. And we will hear that later on this afternoon, when both candidates, both contenders will appear at a rally in Philadelphia. Stay tuned to CNN for that.

Whitney Wild, thanks so much.

And thank you for joining me. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts right after a short break.

Have a great day.