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Democrats Focus on Abortion Rights; Trump Posting Fake A.I. Images of Taylor Swift; Former Haley Supporters Weigh in on Race; UAW President Shawn Fain Joins CNN; Shawn Fain Calls Trump a Scab. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 20, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, there are different states, we have different election laws that's how the United States works. It's a -- the 10th amendment provides that.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, it's not acceptable for this issue.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I also want to note that Manu Raju is here on the program with us this morning. It's been very entertaining.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been very entertaining. You know, I had to let him go all day.

AMANPOUR: I got to give some time to Manu or I'll be in big trouble. No, Manu, Democrats spent much of last night framing Harris as a champion of the working class. Trump is a selfish billionaire out for himself. We heard that message time and again. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Kamala cares. Cares about kids and families. Cares about America. Donald only cares about himself.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): And I, for one, tired of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed trembling on our way of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I mean, there were -- there was a lot of applause for AOC last night, no question about it.

RAJU: Yes, AOC is a whole different story. I mean, she's someone who has been on the fringe of the Democratic Party, is coming in now very much in the establishment part of the party. But setting that aside, look, I mean, Democrats have struggled with union, rank and file, union voters. And clearly, this is an effort to try to reach out to that segment. I mean, but more broadly for Harris, I mean, look at the polling here. She is still relatively undefined among a large swath of the American public. That recent New York Times/Siena poll showed in the battleground states, roughly a third of voters weren't sure exactly what she would do if she were president. That is much different than they view Donald Trump.

So, both -- this is both an opportunity and also, of course, a risk, because it gives the Republicans an opportunity to define her on their terms, the fact that they don't really know her at this point. But clearly, we're going to see more of probably more of that.

ACOSTA: And, Manu, you've watched this for a long time. I mean, Hillary Clinton's speech last night, I think it probably took some people by surprise in this room because it was forceful, there was that moment -- and we all heard this when they were starting to chant, lock him up. You know, I think at one point she said, we've got Donald Trump on the run. I mean, she had this crowd really fired up and she did not exactly tamp down the lock him up chants when that happened.

RAJU: Yes. No, she did not. And there's some raw feelings there as well.

ACOSTA: Yes.

RAJU: But I think last night, in a lot of ways, was an effort to try to turn the page a bit from the Clinton years, the Biden years, although Bill Clinton is speaking in a day or so. But nevertheless, the hope is to -- for them to focus on what Harris has to bring the ticket. But pretty clearly, Clinton, at that moment, is an interesting choice.

ACOSTA: Yes.

URBAN: Bill Clinton much more popular than Hillary Clinton, right? So, you have --

RAJU: Although, we haven't seen him much on the campaign trail.

URBAN: No, no, but he's much more popular.

ACOSTA: I mean, David, you and I used to be at those Trump rallies back in 2016.

URBAN: We were there. I dragged him across -- around to show him the lines, say, Jim, Donald Trump's going to win.

ACOSTA: You did.

URBAN: And he was not a believer.

ACOSTA: I did believe after that night. But your thoughts, I mean, you and I both remember those lock her up chants and to hear lock them up being chanted in this--

URBAN: Listen, it's her moment. She -- it's her moment. Let her have it. I don't deny it at the moment, but she still lost, right? She lost that race. There's some of the most divisive figures in the Democratic Party. If you poll nationally, right, who ranks high, AOC in terms of like, you know, having a negative image amongst swing voters. AOC, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, those are not the top names you want.

If you're Kamala Harris and you're running as an outsider or a fresh perspective on a bridge to the future, there are a lot of new Democrats who are really -- where's Westmore? Where's Josh Shapiro? I know they're --

ACOSTA: I think they're coming.

CARDONA: I think -- well, I think --

ACOSTA: That was night one.

URBAN: I know, but night one, you set the tone.

CARDONA: I think the good thing --

URBAN: You set the tone.

RAJU: But, Jim, you remember when Michelle Obama said in 2016, when they go low, we go high?

ACOSTA: Yes.

RAJU: That doesn't happen anymore.

ACOSTA: Manu, we're in Chicago. There's something called the Chicago way.

CARDONA: The good thing for Kamala is if you want to talk about divisive candidates, the person she's running against is probably number one on the list of divisive people in this country. And so, I think, look, there is still a lot of love for Hillary Clinton, and we saw that last night. And yes, let's give her moment. She didn't inspire the chant. She didn't egg it on, but she also -- you know, she just nodded kind of ironically.

So, let's give it to her, because frankly, it is very ironic, those chants were alive and well in 2016, and Donald Trump was egging people on for those chants. And when it ends up that he is now the one that is a 34 times convicted felon, there's a little irony in that.

URBAN: Well, as Manu noted, AOC got a really big round of applause in this room, right?

ACOSTA: She did.

CARDONA: Absolutely.

URBAN: If I was Chuck Schumer, I'd be a little nervous. That is a very -- that was a very well welcomed.

CARDONA: I think they welcome that. ACOSTA: Speaking of getting nervous, and David, I'm going to put you on the spot here. Trump also posted these fake A.I. images suggesting that Taylor Swift or the Swifties have endorsed him. That's obviously not true. She is in fact endorsing the Democrats very likely this time around.

URBAN: Oh, no, I think he says he'll take the endorsement from the people. He'll take -- listen, Swifties --

ACOSTA: Well, there is an image there that says, Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.

CARDONA: Yes, that's probably not true.

RAJU: Yes, but not --

CARDONA: I don't think so.

URBAN: Listen, I'm not so sure who created that one on the right, but the one on the left, I've noticed it. I am sure --

ACOSTA: You're not shaking this one off, David.

[10:35:00]

CARDONA: Good one, Jim. Look at you.

ACOSTA: Sorry, buddy. Sorry. Yes, I did.

URBAN: Somebody gave that to you, I know. Listen, Swifties are not monolithic is my guess. They represent a wide swath of America, right? They're red state, blue state people. And so there, I'm sure there's a large group of Swifties that are Swifties for Trump.

ACOSTA: There's a new rule in politics, don't piss off the Swifties.

CARDONA: Maybe not so large.

URBAN: Oh, you don't make them up. We want -- listen --

CARDONA: There's probably one or two for Trump.

ACOSTA: Yes.

URBAN: We have a big tent. Welcome, welcome, Swifties.

ACOSTA: Yes.

URBAN: Listen, I'm not the one that kicked James Taylor off the concert stage last night, right? Come on. Listen, we're --

ACOSTA: Night one, night one. Yes.

CARDONA: Night one.

URBAN: -- 60-year-old James Taylor fan. We're not going to vote for Kamala now.

ACOSTA: What about Joe Biden? Was that a swan song? Was that passing the torch, Maria?

CARDONA: I absolutely believe it was. And I think that, you know, so many Democrats were waiting to hear not just what he had to say, but the tone and frankly, how his delivery was, and his delivery was incredible. I think everyone was so happy to see him in his moment.

He did, of course, the history of his accomplishments, which he is absolutely entitled to. He did the passing of the torch. He did what this election represents for this country, not just the threat that Donald Trump represents, but the hope and the optimism and the joy that Kamala Harris represented. That, I think, was passing the torch.

RAJU: And he had to redefine what his presidency has been.

ACOSTA: He did.

RAJU: It's been dominated over the past six months. And of course, the last month about him being too old, unable to accomplish his agenda. And we didn't hear all that praise over the past several weeks when they were trying to push him out of the race. A lot of Democrats were holding that praise until he decided, I'm not going to run anymore. And then he showered with praise by --

URBAN: Yes, you kind of feel bad for him. Listen, I have a great deal of respect for Joe Biden. He and my former boss, Arlen Specter, are very close. I used to ride the train with then-Senator Biden back to Wilmington, Delaware. So, I've got a lot of respect for the guy as a public servant and American.

And I felt badly how he got treated by the -- by your party, by any party, right? That -- and that he was relegated last night to speaking, you know, really late. I did love his line that I was too young to be president. Now, I'm too old to be president. And I think that the best part of the speech was, I gave America my best. I gave it all.

CARDONA: That's right.

ACOSTA: Yes.

URBAN: And you know, congratulations to him and --

CARDONA: And it underscored the selfless nature of who he is as a politician, and that will go down in history

URBAN: I don't think he had a choice.

ACOSTA: There's something to be said for a graceful exit though. All right. Maria, David and Manu, thanks very much.

Head -- coming up, the head of the nation's largest union joins me next after his fiery speech at the DNC. You might know who this person is. It's Shawn Fain. He's coming up (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN FAIN, PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS UNION: In the words of the great American poet, Nelly, it's getting hot in here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

ACOSTA: Welcome back here at CNN. We've been trying to get to what's on the minds of voters and our John King was recently in Iowa speaking to voters there. Here's what he found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shannon Ebersole (ph) cherishes her Maverick streak, not afraid to wander a bit from the herd.

KING: There's a little headbutt going on.

SHANNON EBERSOLE (PH): Like little boys wrestling.

KING: Yes.

EBERSOLE (PH): That's their version of it.

KING (voice-over): But now, it's time to line up and bring things home.

EBERSOLE (PH): I think it's an easy Trump choice because we have to put the American people first. I think that the policies that have been put in place in the Harris-Biden administration, they hurt this, they hurt our land and they hurt the people in middle America the most.

KING (voice-over): Ebersole (ph) supported Nikki Haley in the Iowa caucuses. A rare voice of Republican dissent in conservative Ringgold County. She then gave some thought to voting third-party, because she cringes sometimes at Trump's combative tone. But her family and her farm come first, and Ebersole (ph) sees backing Trump as the best path to reverse Democratic trade and climate policies she says punish family farmers and fill supermarkets with foreign beef.

EBERSOLE (PH): I can tell you that cow right there is better at carbon sequestration than anything else on the face of the Earth. And when she does it she turns it into the most nutritious meat that we could ever offer. When cattle are raised the right way, they help the Earth. They don't hurt the Earth.

KING: And Washington doesn't understand that?

EBERSOLE (PH): They don't at all. They don't live here, you know.

KING: They don't ask?

EBERSOLE (PH): They don't.

KING (voice-over): If you want to see a 2024 race up close in Iowa, the state fair is your best shot. There are debates over food here and games, but the presidential campaigns are nowhere to be found. Their time and money is for the swing states. That's because Trump is strong here, and not just in rural farm country.

This is Cedar Falls in Eastern Iowa. Midwest Solar is busy, in part because of Biden administration clean energy tax credits. But owner Chris Mudd is as loyal a Trump voter as they come.

CHRIS MUDD, IOWA VOTER: I think if all I was selling was government incentives, I don't think business would be very good. I -- but that's not what we're selling. We're selling the power to help people save money.

KING (voice-over): Mudd see's Trump is off his game a bit since the switch to Harris atop the Democratic ticket.

MUDD: I think he spends too much time bashing and complaining. You know, I don't know. I think he'll catch his stride and I think that he'll get back on his horse. And I think that he will say what needs to be said, and --

KING (voice-over): Mudd thinks the media is too easy on Harris, and like Trump, he sees no way Harris wins an honest election.

[10:45:00]

MUDD: I just don't believe it's possible, John. I really don't. Yes, I would think that. I would think many like me would think that same thing. If Kamala Harris gets 81 million votes, something really went haywire.

KING (voice-over): Betsy Sarcone sees such talk as a waste of time.

BETSY SARCONE: I don't buy the stolen election. But if she wins, she wins. I'm not getting on that bandwagon.

KING (voice-over): But that Sarcone plans to vote for Trump is a big change. She backed Haley in the caucuses, and when we first met a year ago --

SARCONE: What about brown and caramel?

KING (voice-over): -- Sarcone said she would vote for Biden if 2024 ended up as a 2020 rematch. But grocery prices are still high, she says, and her real estate business is slow.

SARCONE: I would describe myself as being resigned, I suppose, to voting for Donald Trump. Again, I just -- I can't look for the status quo and I was absolutely better off during Donald Trump's presidency than I am today.

KING: Right. I say Kamala Harris, you say?

SARCONE: I'd say far-left. I'd say woke. I'd say sidestepping. I'd say not truthful.

KING (voice-over): Sioux City is to the west where Iowa meets Nebraska and South Dakota. Attorney Priscilla Forsyth is happy to vote for Trump a third time, even though she, too, began the campaign hoping for someone new.

PRISCILLA FORSYTH, IOWA VOTER: Cheers. I started with Ramaswamy.

KING: Right, right. Started with Ramaswamy.

FORSYTH: Then I went to Nikki Haley.

KING: Now, back to Trump.

FORSYTH: I see Kamala and I see Walz as being so far-left that it concerns me. I'm comfortable with Trump. We had four years of Trump. We know what Trump is. I'm not voting for him to be my Valentine. I'm not voting for him to be my best friend.

KING (voice-over): Forsyth isn't worried about Iowa, but the past few weeks do have her worried Harris might win the White House. In lawyer lingo, she says Trump at the moment is presenting the wrong case, focusing on his grievances instead of her record.

FORSYTH: I think he can win on the issues. She doesn't seem to want to own anything. You know, she doesn't own the border. She doesn't own anything. I think right now he's off balance. Now, will he get back on track?

KING (voice-over): A loyal Explorer's fan and a loyal Republican in a solid red county and state. But at the moment, she thinks her candidate is struggling, just like her team.

John King, CNN, Sioux City, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: Welcome back. Organized labor helped command the spotlight on day one of the Democratic National Convention. UAW President Shawn Fain joins us now. Shawn, good to see you this morning. You don't have the jacket on, so I guess you can't take it off for us as you did last night on the convention floor. But you went after Donald Trump, called him a scab.

For the voters out there who are wondering, well, what does all that mean? Can you explain that one for us? SHAWN FAIN, PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS UNION: Hey, thanks, Jim. And it's still hot out here, even from that last night. So, no, I mean, it's literally, you know, scabs, a term we use in organized labor for people that cross picket lines, people that don't respect workers' rights. And that's what Donald Trump is.

You know, Donald Trump openly admitted with his, you know, billionaire puppeteer Elon Musk, you know, that he's taken $45 million a month from, that, you know, they laugh about the fact that they would fire striking workers. He laughed about the fact -- he's basically said that, you know, Elon Musk was, you know, a champion and, you know, celebrating the fact that he fired striking workers. And that's the big contrast between these two candidates, you know, between Trump and Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris stood on the picket line with striking workers. Joe Biden stood on the picket line with striking workers. Tim Walz stood on the picket line with striking workers, and Donald Trump wants to fire him. You know, it's a federally protected right to strike for better conditions on the job. And like all wealthy people, Donald Trump thumbs his nose at the law when it comes to working class people. And that's just wrong and we're going to call him out for what he is.

ACOSTA: And so, Shawn, why is it that Trump does seem to have some support from union workers? I mean, it's obviously, to borrow a phrase from a previous segment on this program, not a monolithic group. We saw Sean O'Brien from the Teamsters speaking at the RNC. How do you carve into that support and get them on the Harris-Walz side of things?

FAIN: Well, I mean, you know, Donald Trump gets some supporters because, you know, he's a liar. I mean, he talks about what he calls alternative facts, which to common folk are lies. But you know -- so, the biggest thing we do to bring people in is we put facts out there. Every time I speak to our members and speak publicly, like I tell them, this isn't my opinion, this isn't party politics.

You look at these two candidates in their own words and their own actions, you put that side by side, and it's a very clear picture of who stands with labor, and who stands with working class people, and who doesn't give a damn about working class people. Donald Trump doesn't care about working class people. He serves one master, and that's the millionaire and the billionaire class. He doesn't care about workers.

And you know, it's been shown through his actions for decades. I mean, he blamed striking -- he blamed the auto workers for the recession in 2008, 2009. It's a lie. You know, he talked about doing a rotation of our jobs in 2015 when he was running for president. Rotating the good paying jobs out of the Midwest to places where they pay less. So, we'd beg for our jobs back at lower pay, driving a race to the bottom.

ACOSTA: Yes.

FAIN: You know, he claims he's going to save the auto industry, but when he was president, he did nothing to help alleviate plants that were closing, did nothing to help. So, he's all talk, and as we say, Kamala Harris walks the walk.

ACOSTA: You know, Shawn, but, you know, a lot of folks out there are concerned about inflation. They don't see inflation going down fast enough. I have to think a lot of your members are still worried about the high cost of things. What does a President Harris have to do to get that under control?

[10:55:00]

FAIN: Well, first we got to talk about inflation because Trump likes to claim inflation is caused by policy. It's not policy, it's corporate greed. That's the fight here. This election is about corporate greed. It's about taking back -- reigning in corporate greed and taking our lives back as working-class people. Working-class people in this country are hurting, but they're hurting because corporations took advantage of a pandemic and jack prices up. There was no means to do it. No need to do it. They did it because they got greedy and they wanted more, and they did it on the backs of the consumers.

That's what caused this and that's what we got to rein in. And Kamala Harris understands that. You heard her talk about corporate greed. And you know, you don't hear Donald Trump say those words because that's who Donald Trump serves. So, again, we got to talk facts. We got to make people see the reality of why their weight -- why their conditions, why cost of living went up. It wasn't because of policy, it was because of people taking advantage of a pandemic, by the way, that Donald Trump denied even existed while millions of people died. His inaction is what led us into this situation.

ACOSTA: All right. Shawn Fain, head of the United Auto Workers Union, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.

FAIN: Hey, thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. And coming up tonight, Former President Barack Obama takes the DNC stage for what's expected to be a forceful affirmation of Kamala Harris. That's what Democrats are describing it. More on that just ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]