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CNN International: Day Two Of DNC To Kick Off After Emotional Opening Night; Chicago Police: Four Arrested After Fence Breached At DNC; Biden Takes A Bow, Passes Torch To Harris. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired August 20, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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RAHEL SOLOMON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, day two of the DNC kicks off later today with some familiar faces. We have a team of reporters bringing you all the latest from inside the convention. Plus, the Israeli military says it has recovered the bodies of six more hostages from Gaza. We will take you live to Tel Aviv. And specialized divers are back at work searching the waters off Sicily, a day after a luxury yacht sank in a violent storm with 22 people on board.
Well, on the heels of an emotional opening night that saw the passing of the torch, Democrats will move forward with day two of Democratic National Convention. You're looking at live pictures from Chicago, where the theme for today is "A bold vision for America's future." The speakers tonight include former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. One at the convention was the night for President Joe Biden, with some help from the new top of the ticket.
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His Vice President and now Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, setting the tone with a surprise stage appearance, thanking the man who chose her as his running mate four years ago.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible President, Joe Biden, who will be speaking later tonight. Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.
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SOLOMON: And there was also this emotional introduction from the President's daughter.
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ASHLEY BIDEN, PRESIDENT BIDEN'S DAUGHTER: Your 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.
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SOLOMON: During his speech, President Biden highlighted his time in office. He went after Donald Trump, and he ended the speech by quoting the song, "American Anthem".
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Let me know in my heart what my days are through, America. America, I gave my best to you.
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SOLOMON: The Democratic nominee is leaving Chicago for Milwaukee, where she will hold a rally today at the very same arena where the Republicans held their convention just last month.
Let's bring in CNN Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak, who joins us from inside of the convention. So, Kevin, give us a sense on how Joe Biden's speech was received. I mean, did he do what Kamala Harris needed him to?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, certainly here in the arena, it was very warmly received. And you saw President Biden, when he was walking out to that raucous reception, really become overcome by this crowd who was really warmly welcoming him into the arena. We talked a lot yesterday about how this wasn't the speech that he wanted to give. I would say today that it wasn't on the day he wanted to give it, but if you were listening to what he was saying, you could easily imagine in an alternate universe where he was still the Democratic nominee, him delivering almost exactly the same speech with the last 10 minutes cut off. He talked a lot about his legislative accomplishments. He talked a lot about Donald Trump and the threat he poses to democracy.
That is the campaign he wanted to run. A lot of Democrats didn't think it was going to work. Eventually, he was booted from the top of the Democratic ticket. But, I don't think you will hear many Democrats crouching about that today. They were certainly willing to indulge President Biden in that last night, in this swan song of an address, looking out at that crowd, that sea of signs that said, I love Joe. I think you could interpret it both ways. One, they were thanking him, certainly, for his record while he was in office, but Joe Biden has been in politics long enough to know that those signs were also thanking him for stepping aside and allowing a more competitive Democratic ticket to come to the fore.
Now, he did say in his speech that he was not angry at anyone for what transpired over the last month, but certainly he wasn't really being conciliatory at all. As he was departing Chicago last night, he said he still hasn't spoken to Nancy Pelosi, who is one of those who is trying to get him off the ticket, at least obliquely. Now, he is spending the rest of the week in Santa Ynez, California. He won't be here in Chicago. He'll probably be watching some of it on TV. But, this key -- the keys to this convention have been essentially handed over to Kamala Harris.
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And I think from here on out, we will hear a much more affirmative vision of what she would try to do in office, about her character, and certainly the imperative of electing her in November
SOLOMON: And Kevin, to that point, in terms of here on out, I mean, the theme now for day two is "A bold vision for America's future", and the major speaker will be the former President Barack Obama. Any sense, Kevin, of what we can expect to hear from him?
LIPTAK: Yeah. I think if Democrats want one thing from President Obama, it is to make this affirmative vision for Kamala Harris. For one thing, he is the most popular figure in the Democratic Party, along with his wife, Michelle Obama, but he also is someone who has actually known Kamala Harris for quite a long time. They have a relationship going back 20 years. Actually, she was in the convention hall in 2004 in Boston when President Obama, who was then-candidate Obama, delivered the keynote address that essentially thrust him into national politics. Back then, he described himself as this skinny kid with a funny name. Today, he is coming on the convention stage essentially as an elder statesman.
And when you talk to people who are around Obama, they do say he has sort of a difficult needle to thread here. He wants to make the case, the affirmative case for Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz. He will also have to separate her somewhat from the record of the Biden administration that hasn't resonated with voters, and he is also trying to sort of recoalesce the coalition that helped propel him to the White House in 2008. So, it's a tricky task.
But, there is a reason they've given it to probably the best speech maker in the Democratic Party. He has spoken at so many conventions and so many memorable lines, and I think back to the one in 2016 when he was warning about a Donald Trump presidency. He said that Trump was selling a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other and turn away from the rest of the world. Not much has changed in the last eight years. You can imagine him reviving many of those themes this evening.
And when you talk to Obama advisors, they say that he views this as an all-hands-on-deck moment. He is ready to commit to do whatever is necessary to elect Kamala Harris. In some ways, he is paying the favor. Back in 2008, Kamala Harris made the trek to Iowa before the caucuses there, to knock on doors, to make phone calls, to hand out pizzas. President Obama probably won't be handing out pizzas this fall, but certainly he is ready to do whatever it takes to get her to the White House.
SOLOMON: Perhaps helping in his own way, Kevin Liptak. OK. A lot to watch tonight. Thank you.
And few issues have divided Democrats more than Israel's war in Gaza. Outside the convention hall, some pro-Palestinian protesters breached the DNC's outer security fence on Monday. Take a look.
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Dozens of demonstrators broke off from the larger march and targeted the United Center's metal barriers.
Let's bring in scene in Whitney Wild, who joins us from outside the convention, if I'm not mistaken. Whitney, give us a sense of what we can expect and what security is expecting moving forward with day one going relatively smoothly.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think now they're still expecting anything can happen, and that is certainly the posture out here. Law enforcement has said, for months, we've been at briefings for months, Rahel, where law enforcement has described this multilayered security approach. Last night was an example of being able to breach that outer security perimeter. The redundancy there behind the fence was teams of law enforcement who jumped on those protesters very quickly.
And just to put it in perspective for our viewers, there were four people arrested. It was a relatively small group, relative to the rest of the protest, which was noisy, but it was very peaceful. And so, while that was a small, again, a small problem, it was representative of how the security layer can be breached, but now they're fortifying that layer here, Rahel.
So, let me show you a little bit about what it looks like out here. So, this is outside the United Center. There is these metal fences. This is the type of fence that the demonstrators breached. But now there is another fence. So, before, there were just two fences here. Now you see a third inner fence. That is all brand new this morning, and is a direct result of protesters being able to breach that area. What we also see, Rahel, are different types of just physical ways that they fortified the fence. So there is -- you see this lock here. There is more metal slats here with dead bolts. And then additionally, Rahel, there is this other layer. This top layer was not here the last few days that we've been out here. So, this is another example of the way that they're beefing up security.
Certainly, the footprint is going to change. The strategy is going to change. But, what police had made very clear was that throughout this entire process, they were trying to do a balancing act. They were trying to make sure that people could feel comfortable exercising their First Amendment rights without feeling like the police were right on top of them. They wanted to give people space.
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But, at the same time, police say that they can't let criminal activity go.
Superintendent Larry Snelling came out here. He saw it firsthand. Here is what he had to say.
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SUPT. LARRY SNELLING, CHICAGO POLICE: Our job here is to make sure that we keep the DNC safe, keep our city safe and keep our people safe. We have no idea what they would have done if they gotten on to the other side. But, as I said before, we're not going to tolerate anyone who is going to vandalize things in our city. We're not going to tolerate anyone who are going to commit acts of violence.
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WILD: Of course, Rahel, a best-case scenario was that that breach never happened, to begin with, and again, it happened during a protest. So, there are questions for the Chicago Police Department about how it got to the point where the protesters were able to breach that fence, maybe questions about more preventative measures going forward. We do expect to hear from them later this morning. So, we'll keep you updated on that, Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. Keep us posted there. Whitney Wild, thank you, reporting live in Chicago.
All right. Let's continue the conversation on the DNC at large. Let's welcome in our panel. We have former House Republican Charlie Dent. He is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program. We also have Democratic Campaign Consultant Tim Hogan, who is also the spokesperson for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
Tim, I want to start with you, but welcome to you both. I want to play a short clip from Hillary Clinton's speech last night.
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HILLARY CLINTON, 2016 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Together, we've put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling. On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States.
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SOLOMON: So, Tim, I'm wondering what you were thinking during that speech, I mean, hearing her speak about the cracks in the ceiling, perhaps now shattering come November. What were you thinking as you listened to her in that moment?
TIM HOGAN, DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT: Yeah. I think for a lot of former Hillary Clinton staffers who were in attendance, it's a bittersweet moment. Any time she speaks, we recognize the history of the campaign that she ran, and the contributions that she made, making history as the first female nominee of the Democratic Party. Look, she is absolutely right. There is so much energy behind Kamala Harris' campaign, and it's hard to not look back at 2016 and 2020 and all the women who ran in 2020 as well to normalize what the face of power can look like in America. And those are women candidates, and she is such a representation of that. She is such a representation of all of the historic energy. I think she gave a fabulous speech last night.
SOLOMON: And Charlie, we hear Tim talk about the energy there behind the Harris campaign. From your perspective, is all the talk about this energy, this enthusiasm, is it overblown, or are Republicans watching this and looking at the lineup for the rest of the week, looking at each other, thinking we have a major problem?
CHARLIE DENT, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN, & EXEC. DIRECTOR, ASPEN INSTITUTE CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM: Well, I think Republicans clearly recognize that the Democrats have a lot of energy and enthusiasm going into their convention. No question about that. They're very pleased by what's happening. And I would have to think that the Republicans are anxious. They want to slow this momentum. They're probably not going to be able to do it this week, maybe the protesters will, but it's not going to be from the Republicans.
And frankly, Republicans know too that there were two defective candidates. Many won't admit that their own candidate is defective, but many know that he is, and of course, Biden wasn't. The Democrats did something about it. And the he fact that they have a younger, more enthusiastic candidate is really reflected in the polls, and this has really become a binary race at this point. So, Republicans are anxious, and they know they're probably behind right now.
SOLOMON: What about the potential, Charlie, let me stay with you for one moment more, for a larger sweep? You're now hearing talk about, I mean, could Dems keep the Senate, pick up the majority in the House, win the White House, a full sweep, the potential there?
DENT: Well, I think the Senate is a pretty high reach for the Democrats. I mean, it's -- they're going to lose the West Virginia seat, and then Montana and Ohio obviously are very competitive for the Democrats, difficult to hold on to. So, I think Republicans are still in decent shape to take the Senate. But, the House is a different matter. Republicans were feeling pretty confident when Joe Biden was at his lowest moment. They thought they could easily hold the House and maybe even pick up some seats. Now, they're not so sure.
So the down-ballot damage has been mitigated for the Democrats just by swapping out Joe Biden for Kamala. So, it's very much in play. But, you can just get -- it's a palpable sense that particularly House Republicans know that they are at a deficit on fundraising as well. Democrats are outraising them, particularly in those key battleground districts. So, I think -- Republicans are a little bit on the back foot right now, and they have to get off it if they hope to win this election. But, right now, they've -- they're anxious.
SOLOMON: Tim, was there a moment last night when either you exhaled figuratively, or you thought, OK, November is let a little more certain?
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Was there a defining moment of the night from where you were sitting? HOGAN: I think the buildup for the entire night was to President Biden's speech. We talked for a week plus now about passing the torch. What does that look like? And I think he absolutely met the moment with the speech last night. I mean, look, he came out here and could not get a word out for four plus minutes because the appreciation for him, the deep goodwill for him in this convention hall, it is immeasurable. I think the way that he was able to talk about his record and everything he has accomplished, and then pivot to the future with Harris, and to say, look, I'm going to be the best volunteer that the Harris-Walz campaign has ever seen, is the personification of the passing of that torch moment. I think it was really successful.
SOLOMON: Tim, let me stay with you for one more moment. As a campaign consultant, is there anything more the campaign, the Harris campaign, could be doing, should be doing? Or do you sort of feel like, I mean, it is working? Just ride the wave. Just ride the momentum.
HOGAN: Yeah. I mean, right now, you'd like knock on wood, and look, we're all -- I'm a Democrat. We're all Democrats here. We're all anxious. We're all nervous. We're all bedwetters. So, it's like, how long can we hold on? But, look, the convention is always like a four- day infomercial. I think they're executing very well here, I think tonight, with former President Obama speaking, as well as some Republicans who are not going to support Donald Trump.
I think it is key for the campaign to communicate that there is a permission structure for independents and for Republicans to join the Harris-Walz team, to vote for them. They may not agree with everything and may not agree with all the policies, but they know for whatever reason, whatever issue they care about, whether it is protecting democracy or minimizing chaos in the White House, that there is a home for them on this campaign.
And then look, we come out of this convention. We go into Labor Day. We're then going to go to the first debate and that is where the momentum goes from there. But, up until now, the last four weeks, it's been a very positive trajectory.
SOLOMON: Charlie, last word. I mean, what's the countermove? I know you mentioned there is not a lot that they can do this week at least to try to get some media attention or oxygen. There is actual counterprogramming. Trump is using the week to visit battlegrounds. Is there anything more the Republicans can do at least this week to try to get some attention to their side?
DENT: Well, it's tough to get attention this week. But, one thing they need to do is to get Donald Trump to focus. He has some powerful issues, if he could only articulate them. He just doesn't like to talk about public policy. I mean, he can make some very strong arguments on inflation, on the border, on any number of issues, but he is so undisciplined, so unable to focus and distracted, talking about him being better looking than Kamala Harris, questioning her race, going after to the governor of Georgia, all these distractions that really make him look rather petty and small at a time when he can really focus on some of these really big issues. He is just not able to do it.
So, that's the problem -- that's the challenge for the Republican team right now, for the Trump team, is that their candidate just is so undisciplined, even though they're trying to run a disciplined campaign outside of him.
SOLOMON: OK. Charlie Dent, Tim Hogan, we will leave it here. Thank you both for being here.
HOGAN: Thanks.
DENT: Thank you.
SOLOMON: All right. Still to come, the search continues for six people who are missing after what should have been a dream vacation turns tragic. We're going to have a live report from Italy straight ahead. Plus. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is rallying support for a Gaza ceasefire plan. But, are Israel and Hamas on board? We're live in Tel Aviv straight ahead.
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BIDEN: We're working around the clock, my Secretary of State, to prevent a wider war and reunite hostages with their families, to end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people, and finally, finally, finally, deliver a ceasefire and end this war. Those protesters out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. A new development today in Gaza underscore just how many lives are at stake, as mediators redouble efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal. Rescue crews in Gaza City dug with their bare hands through crushed concrete, desperately looking for survivors after an Israeli air strike on a school where displaced families were sheltering. Gaza's Civil Defense says that at least 12 people were killed, mostly women and children. Israel says that it conducted a precise strike targeting militants operating inside the school.
Also today, Israel announced that it had retrieved the bodies of six hostages from Gaza. It says that soldiers found them in Hamas tunnels in Khan Younis. Families of Israeli hostages say that the government must finalize the ceasefire deal now and bring the remaining hostages home. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to shore up support for the latest proposal, described as an attempt to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas. Today, he met with Egypt's President in Cairo, and now he is heading for Doha, Qatar.
Let's bring in Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv for more, Jim, let's start with this announcement about the hostages. Israel had already announced the death of all but one of these men in recent months. What more can you share here?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: Well, it's a sad fact, Rahel, that the number of hostages that may be released alive is constantly dwindling. Now, we are at 109 still being held, the vast majority of those following the October 7 attacks. But, here you have six more who were, we should note, taken alive on October 7. So, the IDF, as you know, knew that five of them were dead prior to today, and now a sixth.
The thing is, it just shows you that in these 10 months of war that many of those hostages, that families here have been clamoring to get home, they'll never come home alive, right? And while they're not public with their estimates, it is a large number, a large percentage of the remaining hostages that Israeli authorities believe have died in captivity. It's a sad fact, because, you've seen, Rahel, how emotional and understandably so this is not just for the families themselves, but for the Israeli population to see those people left behind.
Now, as you know, the Israeli Prime Minister has also come under criticism in this country for not prioritizing the hostages enough, and he gave a statement today in which he said, and I'm paraphrasing here, he said that he will make every effort to bring hostages home as part of these ongoing ceasefire-hostage release talks, but that he is not going to give up Israel's strategic assets, and that is that he wants to maintain some security control over Hamas presence there after a ceasefire, and even insisting on some security presence there, in particular along the border between Gaza and Egypt. The trouble is that position, Rahel, may stand in the way of any agreement to release hostages and come to even a partial ceasefire there. That's the state of the talks.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And that was my question, Jim. I mean, how do you square those comments with the comments from Blinken saying that the Israeli Prime Minister has agreed to a bridging proposal? I mean, where do the sides stand right now?
SCIUTTO: Yeah. It's -- listen, it's not clear. First of all, they haven't publicized what's in that bridging proposal. Second of all, Hamas is saying that Israel has moved the goal posts. And listen, normally, you will take what Hamas says with a grain of salt, but the fact is, there are even Israelis who accuse Netanyahu of not taking part really in a good faith negotiation here, or not giving enough ground to get to a deal.
One of the particular issues appears to be, as I mentioned, security along that corridor, the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt.
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The outlines of the deal, as we understood, it was that Israel would leave there and there were others who would provide security. It seems that Israeli -- the Israeli leader is insisting on some presence there, and that seems to be a non-starter for the Gaza side. So, when you add all of that up, the Hamas statements, the statement
from the Israeli Prime Minister, and the fact that the U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said that the U.S. and Israel have agreed to the bridging proposal, but not Hamas, it just doesn't seem that you have the mix of concessions and middle ground necessary to move these talks to the next step. And it's certainly difficult to see where the cautious optimism, what the cautious optimism that was expressed by Israeli officials over the weekend is actually based on, right? We could be surprised in the coming days. But, right now, I would say the mood around these talks and the hopes for an agreement in the near term, it is fading.
SOLOMON: OK. Jim Sciutto live for us there in Tel Aviv with that context and analysis. Jim, thank you.
SCIUTTO: Thanks.
SOLOMON: All right. For a second day, a team of specialized divers is searching the Mediterranean for six missing people. They were on a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily when it sank in a violent storm on Monday. One person is confirmed dead and 15 people, including a one-year-old girl, were rescued from the wreckage. Among the missing are Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and British tech tycoon Mike Lynch.
Let's get to Barbie Nadeau, who joins us from Rome with the latest. Barbie, what's the latest on the search?
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. We've just got an update from the Coast Guard, who basically gave a grocery list of all the assets they've got there in place now, and that includes underwater robots, robotic devices and things like that. Their biggest concern right now, though, is how to get inside that boat where they believe these six missing passengers are in the suites, in the sleeping suites of this luxury yacht. And that's proven a very difficult task for them.
But, we took a closer look at the entirety of the tragedy.
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NADEAU (voice-over): A dream Mediterranean holiday turned deadly when a luxury yacht carrying VIPs was hit by a water spout early Monday morning off the coast of Sicily. Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, at least 15 people survived. Divers searched through the night to recover those trapped in the sunken vessel. On board, tech titan Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and prominent attorney Chris Morvillo and their wives, an official told CNN. Lynch's wife, whose company owned the 56-meter yacht, survived. All the passengers were guests of Lynch, who was acquitted of fraud charges in the U.S. over the sale of his company.
A local fisherman who was waiting out the storm saw the ill-fated yacht.
FABIO CEFALU, FISHERMAN (Interpreted): We waited about 10 minutes to see the intensity of the tornado and we went out to sea. We were first to give rescue, but we found no one at sea. We only found cushions and the remains of the boat.
NADEAU (voice-over): The luxury yacht's 72 meter, 236 foot aluminum mast snapped in the storm, sending 15 people into the sea, including a one-year-old girl whose mother carried her above her head in the wave, she told reporters. The survivors, including all 10 crew members, were rescued by a nearby sailboat who found them in a lifeboat.
KARSTEN BORNER, SAILOR: It was people inside, 15 people inside, four people injured, three heavy injured, and we brought them to our ship, and then we communicated with the Coast Guard. And after some time, the Coast Guard came, and later they picked injured people, and when we went two hours later, they picked up the other people.
NADEAU (voice-over): The local prosecutor has opened an investigation to determine whether the tragedy could have been averted or if circumstances were beyond anyone's control.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NADEAU: And it is a very, very daunting task. Once they even identify where inside that large luxury yacht the victims may be, it's going to be very difficult to get them out. These divers, these specialized cave divers, can only spend between 10 and 12 minutes at a time underwater, Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. Barbie Nadeau live for us there. Barbie, thank you.
And still ahead for us, a fight for the spotlight. Details ahead on how Donald Trump plans to shift the focus away from the DNC and back onto the Republican ticket. Plus, Vice President Kamala Harris makes a surprise appearance on the opening night of the DNC.
But, what's on tap for day two in Chicago? We'll explain coming up next.
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CLINTON: Nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dreams. Millions marched. Many ran for office. We kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here.
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BIDEN: I know more foreign leaders by their first names and know them well than anybody live, just because I'm so damn old. But, I'm not joking. They give a message, he sends around the world. When he talks about America being a fairly nation, he says we're losing. He is the loser. He is dead wrong. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. President Joe Biden there poking fun at his age last night at the DNC in Chicago, his age being the very issue that led to the change at the top of the Democratic ticket, after now to the past, a look to the future. Day two of the convention will kick off soon, and among the speakers scheduled, there is former President Barack Obama, who is expected to give a strong endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, former First Lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also take the stage.
Last night, an emotional President Biden graciously accepting a very warm reception that included chants of "Thank you, Joe." Biden told the crowd that he is not fitter (ph) about his exit from the race as he hands over the reins to Kamala Harris.
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BIDEN: I love the job, but I love my country more. I love my country more. With all this talk about how I'm angry when all those people said I should step down, that's not true.
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SOLOMON: Meantime, Hillary Clinton, the first woman to win a major party nomination, she highlighted the historic nature of Kamala Harris' campaign, and she also drew comparisons between her own story and Harris', and she went after Donald Trump.
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CLINTON: Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial. And when he woke up, he made his own kind of history, the first person to run for President with 34 felony convictions.
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SOLOMON: Now, while Democrats were swept along by enthusiasm for Kamala Harris, her opponent, while he is also competing for attention, Donald Trump is providing an alternative show to the second day of the DNC. He is holding a campaign event in Howell, Michigan. The former President due to speak later this afternoon about crime and safety.
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Trump and his running mate started off the week in another battleground state, Pennsylvania, the Republican nominee pushing back against those voices in his own party who have accused him of not focusing enough on policy.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that I'm not a showman. I don't believe I am a showman. I think I'm somebody that has a lot of common sense that did really well in business, made a lot of money. Everything I touched, whether I went into entertainment with the apprentice, or wrote books, I was successful at. Now, I run for President, I win, and I did a real job.
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SOLOMON: All right. We have team coverage for you. Kristen Holmes is following the campaign trail. She is in the battleground state of Michigan. But first, let's go to Stephen Collinson, who is at the DNC in Chicago. And Stephen, when the President left the race, there were those critics who said he waited too long. He tainted his legacy by refusing to leave until the very end. Does the speech last night make up for that?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think there was no feeling in this arena last night other than respect and adulation and love for the former President. So, any hard feelings that were created, I think, have moved on. True, he did speak a lot about his own administration and his own presidency. I think that's only natural. But, he did give a very warm and personal endorsement to the party's new nominee. Look what he said about Kamala Harris towards the end of his speech.
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BIDEN: Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made before I became -- when I became our nominee, and it was the best decision I made in my whole career. She is tough. She is experienced, and she has enormous integrity. She'll be a President we can all be proud of, and she will be a historic President who puts her stamp on America's future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINSON: And with that, the President basically handed the Democratic Party, his legacy, and in his words, American democracy, to the person he hopes will be his successor. And now, the convention, in the next three days, will pivot forward to the future.
SOLOMON: And pivot forward to a look at the past with the Obamas. I mean, what can we expect to hear from tonight's guests, especially the former President?
COLLINSON: Former President Obama is still the party's most eloquent speaker. He has a task which is quite difficult. He has to honor the former President and then, as I say, pitch the convention back towards the future. He is renowned as a purveyor of hope and optimism and change. He hopes to frame Kamala Harris in exactly that sort of frame there. He -- what he is trying to do is create a sense that even though she is a member of an incumbent administration that hasn't been very popular, she, and not Donald Trump, is the change agent in this race, and that he, the Republican nominee, is the incumbent. So, it's a difficult job the former President has, but he has given a lot of these big, great campaign speeches before.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, you think about, it was 20 years ago that he gave that speech on --
COLLINSON: That's right.
SOLOMON: -- the floor, I want to say, in Boston, at the convention in Boston. That sort of catapulted him into the national spotlight. Stephen Collinson, thanks for joining us. Good to see you.
Let's now bring in my colleague CNN's Kristen Holmes, who joins us live from Howell, Michigan. So, Kristen, give us a sense of what we can expect Trump's focus to be in these remarks just a few hours from now.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, really what we're seeing from the campaign is them doubling down on what they call messaging events. That means smaller venues with smaller crowds, with one specific focus, and today's focus is "Make America Safe Again", meaning he is going to focus on safety and crime. And it's no surprise he is here in Howell, Michigan. This is part of the Detroit market. It is a large area, and they have seen some crime here.
Now, the sheriff is a huge supporter of Donald Trump. That is why they chose this specific area. And we expect him to kind of talk through the issue of crime, to talk about how he believes crime was lower under him. Now, if you look at the FBI statistics, it actually shows that in 2023 and now, the beginning, the quarter one of 2024, crime statistics are down. Now, one thing that was interesting about that is that just moments ago, we got a memo from the campaign, essentially negating the FBI statistics, saying that they were not correct for a variety of reasons, that there was a lot of local districts that don't actually report into that data. Clearly, they're trying to get ahead of any narrative that would counter Donald Trump's claims that crime was lower under his administration.
Now, again, we know that Donald Trump has had an issue with the last several weeks, particularly that issue of staying on message. He has tried a variety of various attacks on Kamala Harris, and even yesterday, in an interview, he continued those personal attacks.
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Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, I don't think she is a very bright person. I do feel that. I mean, I think that's right. I think I am a very bright person, and a lot of people say that. I don't think she is a very bright person. And you know what? A country needs a very smart person, and I don't think she is a very smart person. So, I'm not looking to -- I don't consider that an insult. That's just a fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's just a fact. Obviously, I think there are a lot of people, if not hundreds of thousands of people, who would disagree with that fact. But, these are the kind of messaging that they don't want, they being Republicans, Donald Trump to be sending. They don't want him doubling down on these personal attacks. Instead, they want him focused on things like crime, immigration, inflation. Those are the things that he pulled ahead of President Joe Biden on, and they believe that eventually he can pull ahead of Kamala Harris on, if he can link Kamala Harris to the Biden administration.
But, of course, Donald Trump can be both his greatest advocate and his greatest enemy, and him out there, again putting forward these personal attacks instead of focusing on the issues, that has a lot of Republicans concerned, particularly in a state like Michigan, which is a battleground state, a state that both sides believe is necessary to win the election. It has them concerned it's going to turn off independent voters here.
SOLOMON: Yeah, in a state that could come down to just a couple of thousand votes, maybe. We'll see.
But, Kristen, I want to focus a little bit more about what you're learning about the location of this event and why the Trump campaign chose it. I mean, I heard you say that the sheriff there is a supporter of Trump's, but there is also some controversy about that location, because that was also the site of a white supremacists march.
HOLMES: Right. That was back in July when there was about a dozen people who came through, basically in support of Nazis. They were white supremacists that were chanting. This area has been very controversial. There have been a lot of these kind of racial incidents over the past several decades. I will note, President Joe Biden has also been to this town specifically. This is a critical area in Michigan. A reminder here that this state itself is one of the most important states in this race.
So, when I talked to Donald Trump's team, they insist that they had no idea that that had happened back in July. Obviously, we will try to see if he says anything about that in his remarks, although it seems deeply unlikely that he would address it at all. They said that they chose this area, one, because of the sheriff, because there have been increased crime rates, but also, two, Rahel, they are very focused right now on media markets. They are trying to reach big cities where they can actually talk to voters through the local media, through the local media coverage. This area where we are is also a suburb of Detroit, meaning the Detroit media market is covered by this area.
And one of the things that we're seeing, we saw him go to Asheville, North Carolina. That seems kind of crazy. That's a blue area in a very red area around it. Why wouldn't he go to a place that's more Trump friendly? Well, part of that was because of the media market that Asheville is in. It touches a lot of surrounding areas. They believed that they'll go there and they'll get the local coverage and they'll reach out directly to voters. Again, this is part of a larger strategy that we're still trying to see if it's going to work, because this race is in such an unprecedented state right now with the change at the top of the Democratic ticket.
SOLOMON: OK. Kristen Holmes reporting live for us there in Michigan. Kristen, thank you.
And still ahead for us, the campaign for Kamala Harris has its side set on the youth vote. Coming up, we will speak to a journalist in Chicago who covers Gen Z issues to find out if all the outreach is actually working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT: America, we cannot turn back, not with so much work to be done, not with so many children to educate and so many veterans to care for, not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save, not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back.
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MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: How explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: That was former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention in 2016. She will be back to speak at the DNC tonight, along with her husband and former U.S. President Barack Obama. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also be there, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. They are both scheduled to speak as well.
Now, today's theme at the DNC is "A bold vision for America's future." Here is a live look at the floor of the convention center in Chicago. It's a quite quiet. It was very late night for all those who stayed up to watch. That theme today is a nod both to the Democrat schools for the future and also the concept of outreach to younger voters. The youth vote is one that Kamala Harris' team has been focusing on since President Biden dropped out of the race. The Harris-Walz campaign has reached out to several youth voting organizations.
Last night at the DNC, one of the youngest members of the U.S. Congress spoke to the convention about growing up in New York and about her work ethic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): Ever since I got elected, Republicans have attacked me by saying that I should go back to bartending. But, let me tell you, I'm happy to any day of the week because there is nothing wrong with working for a living. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: OK. Joining us now is Rachel Janfaza. She is the founder of "The Up and Up." That's a newsletter which is focused on young voters and young people's political culture. Good to have you. So, let's start with just this energy and the enthusiasm that we hear so much about with the Harris-Walz ticket. Your reporting focuses on Gen Z. It focuses on young people. Your reaction, Rachel, to the day one speeches and how they landed.
RACHEL JANFAZA, FOUNDER, THE UP AND UP, & JOURNALIST: Thank you so much for having me, Rahel. So, looking at last night's convention, there was so much energy in the air. I was sitting around a bunch of the credentialed creators, actually, who were there. The DNC has made a concerted effort to credential more than 200 creators who can reach their audiences on social media. Many of those followers are younger voters, in particular, and there was a lot of excitement.
I think the speeches you mentioned, Representative Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez's speech, that was something that drove a lot of excitement. There were cheers echoing. And beyond that, I've been talking with young people since the speech wrapped up last night, and they were just saying that they could really feel how tangibly excited everyone there was.
SOLOMON: And I want to pull up some recent polling, which I'm sure the Harris campaign has to be thrilled about, but what it tends to suggest is that she is polling better with young people than Joe Biden. She is polling better than Donald Trump with voters of a certain age. Rachel, why do you think that is? Why Harris over, let's start with Trump, for young people?
JANFAZA: When I talk to young voters, it comes down to the issues, and they're looking at a candidate who is going to prioritize the issues that matter most to them. I think there has been a surge in excitement, certainly since President Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Harris entered, and what she stands for, what she represents, the fact that she is younger, the fact that she could be the first woman, the first black woman, the first South Asian American woman, these are all things that matter when thinking about representation, and that can't be understated.
But, at the same time, she is also talking about issues that matter to young people. One of those issues is the economy. And we had previously seen former President Donald Trump talking about the economy. This is something that he does well with when it comes to younger voters. However, I think since Vice President Harris has entered the race, she has made the economy a big talking point, and we saw last week the announcement she made with regard to housing and what she would be doing for first-time homebuyers, and that matters to young people as well.
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So, whether it is economic issues or more social issues, when it comes to reproductive healthcare, LGBTQ rights, you can go on and on, there are a number of issues, gun safety prevention, gun safety -- gun violence prevention, climate change. These are issues that matter to young people and that her campaign is leaning into.
SOLOMON: What about the issue of Israel's war in Gaza? I mean, that was an issue that seemed to hurt Joe Biden. You think about those campus protests, especially with young voters. Does that not seem to be hurting Harris the way it did Biden?
JANFAZA: From the early days since Harris got into the race, I've heard a perception from younger voters in listening sessions that I've held that they believe her to be more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than perhaps President Biden has been, even though he has been as well. I think there is just a perception, maybe because she hasn't had so much time out on the forefront of this issue, speaking publicly that there is something to be left to the imagination, perhaps. But, I also do think that there is -- this is a concern from young voters, and I've heard this, and in a listening session I held just last week before the convention started, they said that they are looking for what she is going to say on this issue in particular.
But, I think it is also important to point out that while there are a number of young people who are deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, there is also a desire from -- for the hostages to be returned. This is something I've heard as well. So, I think it's -- there is a vocal minority that has been protesting very loudly since the start of this war. But, I really do think there is nuance to be used on the topic that sometimes get overlooked.
SOLOMON: No, it's a fair point. I mean, I think whenever you're talking about any voting group, sometimes it's hard to sort of group them together, whether it's a certain race, whether it's a certain age group. It's hard to talk about Harris in the campaign without talking about social media. Rachel, I want to play for you just one viral moment. There have been several. This is Parker Short dancing at an Atlanta Harris rally. And then we'll also play a short clip from an interview he did with CNN yesterday. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARKER SHORT, PRESIDENT, YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF GEORGIA: I was thinking, wow, this is a really great DJ. I love the energy in this room. It's great to see all of these wonderful Georgia Democrats, a lot of young folks. That room looked like Georgia. You know what I mean? Georgia is an extremely diverse state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, I'm curious, I mean, based on your conversations with young voters, obviously, no one knows how much social media enthusiasm will actually translate into votes, but when you're talking to younger voters, I mean, how much of these moments are factoring into their decision making, or at the very least, which candidate they seem to like more?
JANFAZA: Overall, I think young voters are craving values over virality. They are looking for a candidate who is going to speak to them on the issues that matter most to them. Yet, there is no denying that social media energy doesn't help. And the fact that there have been so much organic content, there has been so much user-generated content that young people are creating on their own, whether it's making mashups of -- with the Brat memes or Chappell Roan songs, or even using Taylor Swift sounds and Beyonce sounds, there is -- this does matter, and what young people see in their feeds, and sort of the positive adrenaline around it, I think, just boosted the overall level of energy and excitement. And it's a drastic shift from what we saw when President Biden was at the top of the ticket.
So, while at the end of the day, when they're going to vote, I don't think they're going to go vote because of a meme or a TikTok that they saw. I do think that they could see that on their For You page and then go and look up her policies. Or for example, if Megan Thee Stallion posts a video on Instagram, on reels, on TikTok, that gets millions of views, people who may not have Kamala Harris in their feed might have Megan Thee Stallion, and then may click the tag, go to the Vice President, see what her campaign is all about, and it could play a role in youth voter turnout in November.
SOLOMON: Yeah, maybe just enough to kind of get that sort of thought bubbling or that thought percolating.
Rachel Janfaza, good to see you. Thank you.
And coming up for us --
JANFAZA: Thank you so much for having me, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Good to have you. If you like gold, do we have some news for you? We will tell you how much it is worth right now. And here is a hint. It's a lot. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: And before we go, one more thing. For the first time, a bar of gold is now worth a million dollars. It hit a record high on Friday when the price went up to $2,500 per troy ounce, and the average bar weighs 400 troy ounces. So, you do the math, and the cost of gold is up 20 percent since last year. Higher gold prices can be a sign that investors expect the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates soon. We shall soon see.
And we know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me today. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.
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