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CNN International: Harris and Trump Face Off in a Fiery Presidential Debate; Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris After Debate; U.S. Marks 23rd Anniversary of September 11 Terrors Attacks. Aired 8- 9a ET

Aired September 11, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:12]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hi, everyone. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker in Atlanta and this is "CNN Newsroom." This hour, I will bring you all the details from the historic first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

And I'm Erica Hill in New York where a city and a nation prepared, remember September 11th, 23 years now after the terror attacks. I'll be bringing you the key moments from today's memorials and moments as they happen.

WALKER: We will go live to New York in just a moment where the candidates will be attending those 9/11 memorial events later this hour. But first, reaction and takeaways after the fierce clash between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in their first and perhaps only presidential debate. It started with a handshake, but quickly became a fiery face-off. CNN's Jeff Zeleny brings us some of the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You're not running against Joe Biden, you're running against me.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Vice President Kamala Harris made that point again and again Tuesday night, as she met former President Donald Trump for the first time.

HARRIS: Kamala Harris, let's have a good debate.

DONALD TRUMP, (D) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Nice to see you.

ZELENY (voice-over): In a red-hot Philadelphia debate, with the dueling rivals trying to break the deadlock in the final two months of the race for the White House.

TRUMP: She is Biden, the worst inflation we've ever had, a horrible economy because inflation has made it so bad, and she can't get away with that. HARRIS: Clearly, I'm not Joe Biden and I'm certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country.

ZELENY (voice-over): Harris baiting Trump on the size of his rallies.

HARRIS: People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.

ZELENY (voice-over): His criminal cases.

HARRIS: I think this is so rich coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference, has been found liable for sexual assault --

ZELENY (voice-over): -- and relationships with foreign allies.

HARRIS: World leaders are laughing at Donald Trump.

ZELENY (voice-over): Trump took that bait, rattled by Harris as he made one unproven claim after another.

TRUMP: People don't go to her rallies; there is no reason to go. And the people that do go, she's busing them in and paying them to be there. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats, they're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there.

ZELENY (voice-over): The former president criticizing Harris' attempts to run as a change agent, while being part of President Biden's Administration, especially on the economy.

TRUMP: She is going to do all these wonderful things, why hasn't she done it? I've never seen a worst period of time. People can't go out and buy cereal or bacon or eggs, or anything else.

HARRIS: What we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess.

ZELENY (voice-over): And the border.

TRUMP: I ask, what about all the people that are pouring into our country and killing people, that she allowed to pour in? She was the border czar, remember that.

ZELENY (voice-over): Harris hitting her stride on her signature issue, reproductive rights.

HARRIS: The government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.

TRUMP: They have abortion in the ninth month.

HARRIS: That is not happening. It's insulting to the women of America.

ZELENY (voice-over): Harris also addressing the war in Gaza, walking a thin line of support for allies and trying not to fracture a fragile Democratic coalition.

HARRIS: Israel has a right to defend itself, we would, and how it does so matters because it is also true far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed, children, mothers. What we know is that this war must end.

ZELENY (voice-over): And then there was the war over rhetoric.

TRUMP: Whatever she wants to be is OK with me.

HARRIS: I think this is a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president, who has consistently, over the course of his career, attempted to use race to divide the American people.

[08:05:00]

I think the American people want better than that, want better than this.

ZELENY (voice-over): Trump still falsely claiming he won the 2020 election.

TRUMP: There's so much proof. All you have to do is look at it.

ZELENY (voice-over): And refusing to answer this about January 6th.

DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS ANCHOR, PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE MODERATOR: Is there anything you regret about what you did on that day? Yes, sir.

TRUMP: I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.

ZELENY (voice-over): Harris made a direct appeal to Republicans or independents who believe Trump has gone too far.

HARRIS: We are not going back. It is time to turn the page and if that was a bridge too far for you, well, there is a place in our campaign for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Jeff Zeleny, thank you. Larry Sabato is here, the Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, and Editor of " A Return to Normalcy?: The 2020 Election that (Almost) Broke America." He is back with us today to do some post-debate analysis with us. Larry, it is great to see you. Who won?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Oh, Kamala Harris by a mile. And by the way, that's a consensus across the ideological chasm there. It is amazing how many people, including Trump supporters, have admitted he did extremely poorly.

WALKER: I mean, there was so much -- there's so much to talk about. And of course, the overall theme seemed to be that Kamala Harris dangled out the bait and each time Trump was unable to resist the bait, but he was also self-destructive. I mean, where there any really -- what were the biggest low points for you when it came to Donald Trump? Was it the dog and cat eating, those racist comments about Haitian immigrants?

SABATO: Well, that was certainly one of them. That will live forever in the debate reels that are replayed every four years when presidential candidates debate. You know it is going to be in there. It is absurd, totally untrue. Ad honestly, I thought I had mistakenly to tuned into a comedy show instead of a presidential debate. His arguments in his statements and his lies were so numerous. Well, you're a debate checker. I wish you all would replay his segment on the 33 most prominent lies that Donald Trump told on the debate stage, which is Trump's technique.

If you tell enough lies, if there's a torrent of lies, the people don't even know where to begin to correct them.

WALKER: Yeah, including the lie about the 2020 election and refusing to say that he actually lost the election, as we know it. What about the moderates, and the 200,000 some voters who could decide this election? Did Kamala Harris say enough? Did she give it enough details? And she was very strong on abortion, but she also didn't answer some questions that were pointedly asked of her, including the reasons behind some of her flip-flopping and such.

SABATO: Well, she certainly had her weak moments too and she missed opportunities to drive home some of her central points, but everybody doesn't debate. You're not going to fit everything in. And I have to say, the moderators who were put under great stress and I think basically, they did a good job, but they did not enforce the rules that were drilled into us for weeks. They were supposed to have an equal amount of time and so on. Once the tallies are done, I think people are going to see that Trump dominated the debate in only one way, he took the most time and the moderators let him.

WALKER: Yeah, I think CNN did have an analysis and it looks like Trump had about six more minutes in terms of speaking time than Kamala Harris did. And of course, yeah, last time when I was watching, it definitely felt like he had much more time and his mic wasn't always muted. He was -- they were turning up his mic every time you wanted to do a rebuttal, even though it wasn't his time for a rebuttal. So then, what next? I mean, in terms of -- because we talked about this yesterday, right, Larry? That debates don't always translate to win presidential elections, but this just gives Kamala Harris that continued momentum.

SABATO: Oh, absolutely. This was just one sided in her favor as the debate on CNN, June 27th was in the favor of Donald Trump over Joe Biden. But of course, he's not running against Joe Biden anymore, which clearly he has problems with, even in that debate. He is running against Kamala Harris and I've just got to be blunt about it. She cleaned his clock.

WALKER: Yeah.

(LAUGH) WALKER: Good way to put it. And yes, she did have to remind him a few times that Trump is running against her and not Biden. Larry Sabato, great to see you this morning. Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Thank you.

SABATO: Thank you.

WALKER: Kamala Harris received a major endorsement just shortly after last night's debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:10:00]

Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for president, many have wondered when and if the support from the global superstar would ever come and it arrived through an Instagram post. Soon after last night's debate ended, Swift cited LGBTQ and IVF and reproductive rights as reasons for her choice. The singer also rejected Trump's A.I. generated posts, falsely claiming and making it appear as if she had endorsed him, and that his misinformation compelled her to make her stance known.

Let's turn now to CNN's Eva McKend, who is joining us now live from Philadelphia. Eva, tell us more about how the Harris campaign is feeling?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, bottom line for them is they believe they accomplished their mission. A little pep in their step last night in the spin room. Listen, they set out to characterize the former president as fundamentally unserious, as principally concerned about himself, as easily susceptible to being needled on trivial matters like crowd sizes, to being easily susceptible to weighing in on these conspiracy theories, falsely maligning immigrants as eating animals, eating people's pets. And so, they feel as though he wasn't disciplined and that the vice president was, and came across as having a really firm command on the issues when it comes to reproductive rights, when it comes to foreign policy and the economy, and really showing compassion. And so, that was their ultimate goal.

They are under no illusion that the next several weeks are going to be easy, but they got what they wanted to get out of that debate, and that was essentially to roil Trump and to illustrate her as the leader that America needs in this moment, Amara.

WALKER: Eva McKend, thank you. And several analysts noted that Kamala Harris appeared to goad Donald Trump into perhaps losing his composure. Here is one exchange about rallies and their crowd size.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. TRUMP: Let me respond this to the rallies. She said people started leaving, people don't go to her rallies. There's no reason to go. And the people that do go, she's busing them in and paying them to be there. And then showing them in a different light, so she can't talk about that. People don't leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Of course, the economy also got a lot of attention with polls ahead of the debate showing the former president enjoys an edge over his opponent on that issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America. My opponent has a plan that I call the Trump's sales tax, which would be a 20 percent tax on everyday goods.

TRUMP: She knows that we are doing tariffs. I had no inflation, virtually no inflation. They had the highest inflation perhaps in the history of our country. I've never seen a worst period of time. People can't go out and buy cereal or bacon or eggs, or anything else. These -- the people of our country are absolutely dying with what they've done. They've destroyed the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Let's bring in Alayna Treene joining us now from Philadelphia. Alayna, even some of Trump's Republican allies are saying that he did not have a great night. What is Trump saying?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: While Trump himself is claiming that he won the debate, that this was the best debate ever. You heard him say that last night, but also this morning, he just called in to "Fox and Friends" to praise himself for his debate performance, but that is not what we are hearing and I'm hearing from some Trump allies, people close to the former president, even some of his advisers. Look, they recognize that Donald Trump needed to do one thing tonight, which was not take the bait, to not go into the his harsh, aggressive rhetoric, to go on rants, to go off script away from policy, and the focus that they wanted him to stay on.

They had prepped Donald Trump. Donald Trump's team and his advisers had prepped him not to fall for some of the goading that Harris was expected to use and tried to get him to fall for that. And yet, they were unsuccessful. I think was very clear last night that Donald Trump got derailed by some of Kamala Harris' needling of him. And look, I think, you know, when I talked to some people about this, there are some key arguments that Donald Trump himself, but also many of his allies and his advisers are making, the top one being that they believe that the ABC moderators were biased against him.

[08:15:00] They are saying it was a three-on-one debate. You heard that from Tulsi Gabbard. I heard that in my conversation with Brian Hughes, a senior Trump adviser. Trump said that this morning. I will note, Amara, that we know when people often try to attack the refs, it normally means they are on the losing side of that, but that is a key argument that they are making. They're also I've also heard though from people that some of this was on Donald Trump himself to do. There was a couple of moments there where Donald Trump's advisers and allies think Harris stumbled, particularly when the moderators asked her about how she would fix inflation, about her record on the economy. They believed that she did not answer that well.

Same thing when they asked her about her changing positions, some of the flip-flops, including her position session on fracking. Again, another area where people thought Donald Trump really should have jumped in and held her feet to the fire. We know that a key argument going into last night was that they wanted him to say if you want all these changes, why haven't you done them throughout the past three- and-a-half years. Donald Trump really didn't get to that point until his closing statement. So that was something I heard a lot of people, a lot of Republicans very frustrated about in my conversations with them.

And then one other note as well on this and I picked this up in the spin room, was the sense that Donald Trump, there was a couple of moments when he was getting derailed. Those were some of the moments actually that they wanted him to talk about the most, including when she went after him on crowd-size, said people were leaving his rallies early. Donald Trump kind of went off there on to his own airing of grievances, but that was during the segment, the section that was on immigration, an issue we know that they believe Donald Trump wins on.

And again, the economy, I mentioned that already, but that is another issue that many voters say is their number one issue and it is also one were Donald Trump polls higher, except he didn't pivot and land his policy points. Instead, he kind of went off, went on the attack and that was exactly what Trump's team did not want him to do. Amara?

WALKER: Alayna Treene, breaking it down for us, thank you.

Still to come, it was their first ever meeting. Now, political observers are asking if the Trump-Harris debate will make a difference, especially with swing voters in the presidential election. We have more insight coming up a little later this hour.

But next, we are going to go back to New York where commemorations for the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks are starting. My colleague, Erica Hill will have more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Today, of course, is September 11th. You're looking there at the Freedom Tower, of course, downtown in New York City. 23 years ago the United States and frankly, the world were changed forever. And here in New York, the city is preparing to mark a number of somber moments throughout the morning. You see a number of dignitaries, the former President Donald Trump there downtown.

[08:20:00]

And I believe that is the back of Senator J.D. Vance. We see one of the president's sons, Eric Trump there as well. A number of dignitaries, a number of officials on hand this morning, and most importantly, the families of those who were lost on September 11th. They will be there to mark a number of somber key moments. The first one being of course, 8:46 a.m., when that first plane, American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

You see he those gathering there at the 9/11 Memorial, what will also be happening this morning starting just a short time from now, the families of the victims of both the 2001 terror attacks and the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center will read the names of the nearly 3,000 loved ones of theirs who were killed. President Biden and Vice President Harris set to attend that ceremony at Ground Zero as well, they will then make their way to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and later on to The Pentagon for wreath laying ceremonies. Former President Trump, you saw him there, also set to be of course, at the ceremony in New York and plans to travel to Shanksville as well.

My next guest lost his brother on 9/11 and in the wake of that loss, he founded 9/11 Day. It is a non-profit which helped to make September 11th a National Day of Service in the United States. He is now the executive director of that organization and Jay Winuk joins us now from New York. Jay, it is good to have you with us today. And so important I think to focus on what has happened in the wake of these terrible tragedies, including the loss of your brother Glenn. This is a day that you have worked so hard to make a day of unity and of service for this country. Talk to me about why that has been so important to you?

JAY WINUK, CO-FOUNDER, 9/11 DAY: It is important and thank you for having me, Erica. You know, in the wake of 9/11, when the attacks happened, the nation came together in remarkable ways. We weren't red states and blue states then, we were all Americans, and it didn't matter where you lived or how much money you had or any of the things which typically separate us. We all came together as Americans and some of us in the 9/11 community wanted to try to create a ritual in this country where at least on 9/11, at least on this one day each year, we put aside our differences.

In fact, we embrace our differences. Come together as Americans and do good deeds, be kinder to each other. Remember what is really important that we are all in this together and when we work together, we can be very productive and move forward. So, that was really the instigation for this. Certainly, my brother Glenn, who was not only an attorney, but a volunteer firefighter and an EMT, lived his life and died in service to others. So, he is my personal motivation for having started this initiative with my colleague, David Paine and some others.

HILL: And what you and David started has grown exponentially. I mean, you started this, I believe, in 2002, in 2009. Your efforts to make this a recognized National Day of Service came to fruition. Talk to us about the evolution of 9/11 Day and the participation of Americans across the country.

WINUK: Yeah, it is pretty extraordinary and for that matter, gratifying. The anniversary of 9/11 has grown into the nation's largest annual day of charitable engagement. Tens of millions of people today, right now, and all through the day will be doing good deeds either in self-directed ways or as part of organized activities, and it started as a grassroots movement. Who knew that 23 years later, this would be as relevant as it is today, and maybe that is a statement about our times, the times that we live in. You know, people are yearning for something that can bring them together and remember how it was after 9/11 and what we need to do more of. So, something has started small has really resonated with people in every corner of the country.

HILL: I know that you have asked both campaigns, both the Harris and Trump campaigns, to pause their political ads today from 6:00 a.m. until 9 o'clock tonight, to essentially pause their campaign activities as well in the spirit of not only observing this day, but also in the spirit of unity, to opt instead for service, for volunteering. You established this first in 2024 as (inaudible). For the most part, campaigns have done that what have you heard from both the Trump and Harris campaigns in terms of that request that you made for this year?

WINUK: Yeah. We did start this in 2004 and do so every presidential cycle, so every four years. And for the most part, all major presidential candidates have acknowledged our request and have agreed to pull their ads and at least on this one day, pause the divisiveness. We are certainly an apolitical non-profit organization, 9/11 Day. We don't choose sides.

[08:25:00]

We focus on bringing people together as Americans. Early this morning, we did hear that the Harris campaign has paused it's ads for the day and we are still working on finding out the details of that. But that's a great acknowledgement. We've not yet, to my knowledge, heard from the Trump campaign about whether or not they are going to do the same. But it was encouraging to hear this morning that the Harris campaign has likely chosen to do that.

HILL: You noted -- look, things are different today in 2024 than they were in 2001 in terms of how divided the country can feel to so many Americans, in terms of this being a day of unity. Does the message changed at all when you're -- when you're dealing with such a divided country?

WINUK: I don't know. You know the need for it, certainly, hasn't changed and our mission hasn't changed to use the anniversary of 9/11 focus on our common humanity. We could all use some more of that, of course. People pitching in, lending a helping hand, doing any kind of good deeds that is in their comfort zone. I don't know that the message has changed. I do know this. I do know the need for it seems to be more relevant than ever. We need to tone down the rhetoric some. Certainly, there are political differences and those are important to be discussed. But we do need to come together as Americans and 9/11 reminds us of that, of the power of what we can and do when we come together and focus on our common humanity, as I said.

And so, you know, as we move forward, as we think a couple of years out, it'll be 25 years before we know it, since the attacks on 9/11. And one of the lessons of 9/11 is how we are as a nation and as a people when we come together and work together.

HILL: And what an important lesson that is, especially for this new generation who did not grow up, right, perhaps in the shadow of 9/11, younger people just learning about it to have that lesson. Before I let you go, you mentioned your brother Glenn, who was an attorney, but he was also a volunteer firefighter, and EMT. You talked about how he dedicated his life in service to others and that is the inspiration for you, for 9/11 Day. How are you spending your day-to-day? How will you honor and remember your brother as well?

WINUK: Well, right now, I'm speaking to you just steps from Ground Zero. And of course, that is a solemn place to visit which I do every year at this time. But I'll be aboard the Intrepid, which is the aircraft carrier in the Hudson River. We stage large-scale meal packs. 9/11 Day does all over the United States as one demonstration of how people can give back and come together. So, we'll be with thousands of volunteers today aboard the Intrepid. We are doing this in 20 other cities throughout the United States. And there'll be 30,000 volunteers packing meals for those who are at risk of hunger in those communities, in those cities. And that is just a fraction of the 30 million people who are anticipated to participate in this largest day of service ever. So, it feels good to give back. It feels good to recognize the way people stepped forward after 9/11. And we have an opportunity, of course, to do that every day in our lives, but especially on 9/11.

HILL: We certainly do. It is a beautiful and inspiring movement that you have started, Jay. Really good to have you here this morning. Thank you.

WINUK: Thank you for having me.

HILL: Still to come, our coverage of the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks continues. We are alive at Ground Zero. The ceremony to remember the victims about to get underway. Also ahead, we are taking a closer look at what began with a handshake. So, who actually won the presidential debate in the U.S. and how could it impact the election now, more than just a little over 50 days away. Amara Walker has that after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:00]

WALKER: More now on reaction and takeaways after the fierce clash between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in their first and perhaps only presidential debate. The former U.S. president and the current vice president started their debate with a handshake initiated by Harris, but it was gloves off after that. Harris repeatedly baited Trump on issues like crowd size and the January 6th unrest, while Trump tried to score points on the economy and immigration. The two fiercely clashed on a number of international issues, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and China's growing influence.

Harris appeared to get under Trump's skin several times, pointing out what she says is his affinity for dictators and saying that world leaders were laughing at him. Here is a sample.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let's be clear about that. And clearly, he is having a very difficult time processing that. I have traveled the world as vice president, United States and world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump. I have talked with military leaders, some of whom worked with you, and they say you're disgrace.

TRUMP: Let me just say about world leaders. Viktor Orban, what are the most respected men -- they call him a strong man. He's a sees a tough person, smart, prime minister of Hungary. They said, why is the whole world to blowing up? Three years ago, it wasn't. Why is it blowing up? He said because you need Trump back as president, they were afraid of him. China was afraid and I don't like to use the word afraid, but I'm just quoting him. China was afraid of him. North Korea was afraid of him. He said, the most respected, most feared person is Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Let's dig deeper into Tuesday night's big face-off. Stephen Collinson, senior reporter for CNN Politics writes this. From the opening moments, Tuesday night, when the vice president strode over to Trump's podium and all but forced him to shake her hand, she dictated the terms of their critical clash exactly eight weeks before Election Day. CNN's Stephen Collinson is here with us now, live from Washington, D.C. Sum it up for us, Stephen. I mean, Trump was Trump last night.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes and the vice president was very well prepared and I think it's difficult to see how she could have, from her own terms, done better in that debate. She had to come in there, spell out her own policies, make sure that Trump's attacks didn't put her off her game, and try to highlight the wilder and more extreme natures of his character and personality, which she says show that he is no longer suitable if he ever was for the Oval Office. So she did all that well. Objectively, I think she won the debate. It was extraordinary how many times that she set the bait for Trump and he went right into the trap on all sorts of issues, getting himself off track and distracted in such a way that he wasn't really able to prosecute a good case against her.

[08:35:00]

The question is, do people vote on debates in an election which is so close? And which is being shaped to a large extent by the pressure a lot of people are feeling on their budgets, the high grocery prices, the difficulty of getting into the housing market? Did Harris give people enough who are wavering on their vote to make the decision and pull the lever for her in November?

WALKER: Yeah, that is the question. What are moderates thinking after this debate? But you do warn explicitly in your CNN.com piece that presidential debates don't win elections. But I'm curious because given the unprecedented twists and turns of this campaign, the fact that as you mentioned, the race is so incredibly close and the shortened timeline that Harris had from becoming the Democratic presidential nominee to Election Day, could this debate help her win then?

COLLINSON: It certainly could. If she was able to make a case to, what some polls say is about a third of Americans who say they want to know more about her, this could end up being decisive. Of course, debates have already been decisive in this campaign because President Joe Biden's disastrous performance in the first debate in Atlanta in June knocked him out of the race completely, and it was extraordinary to reflect last night, watching that debate -- the historic and political forces that landed the vice president on that stage, where she never expected to be.

So, I think what is crucial now is, and you see this off the presidential debates, is that the post-debate period is almost as crucial as the debate in defining how it went in the public mind. So people will be seeing clips on social media. The Trump campaign and the conservative media complex is already out there trying to recast this Trump is claiming without any evidence that the debate was rigged, that Harris had the questions in advance. And we also have to bear in mind that what pundits see and what people out in the country see is not always exactly the same thing.

WALKER: Stephen Collinson, appreciate you as always. Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

WALKER: Still to come, it has been more than two decades since the attacks that changed the world forever. After the break, Erica Hill will speak to a presidential historian about what we have learned since that fateful day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: This morning, we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost 23 years ago on this day, September 11, 2001.

[08:40:00]

You see there, of course, the president and the vice president, former President Trump, Senator J.D. Vance and also of course, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, all of them arriving just a short time ago. They are preparing now for the memorial. This has become of course, an annual moment to remember as you see there. You see some of the pictures; you'll be hearing the names of all of those souls that were lost on 9/11. The names of those killed in both the 2001 terror attacks and also the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center will be read as they are each year by families of those victims. And there'll be six moments of silence throughout the day. The first one just about five minutes away at 8:46 a.m. New York Time. That's the moment that the first hijacked plane, American Airlines Flight 11, hit the North Tower. Over the last 23 years, there have been, of course, a number of moments to put this day and the lasting impression that it has had on this country and on the world into perspective.

Joining me now, Presidential Historian Tim Naftali. Tim, it's good to have you with us this morning. As we look at this annual gathering, there is certainly a moment here in New York City for this closure (ph). I was living in San Francisco at the time, but it is amazing on a day like today, I think what you will hear from a number of New Yorkers is this is a day where the weather looks remarkably and feels in many ways like it did that morning 23 years ago.

But there is still a heaviness that comes with this day. You sense it as you make your way through the city on September 11th, a heaviness though that has brought with it for many Americans a different sense of purpose. And it pushed even more so now to perhaps regain or find again that unity that this country saw in the wake of these terror attacks, Tim.

TIM NAFTALI, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: I do remember that day, I was sitting outside of Washington, D.C. One of the things that has changed and that it's so clear looking at that tableau of political leaders, is that 9/11 was once a source of unity. And at this moment, and it's sad because it should remain a source of unity, that we are divided as to what to learn from that terrible day.

There was a time that Americans understood that preventing another 9/11 involved engaging with the world. That a mistake we had made after the cold war was to think that the world would be such a more peaceful place, that we could simply focus on our own domestic concerns, of which we always have many. And the lesson initially was no, we need to play a role in -- again, in stabilizing or helping to stabilize parts of the world, so that they're not a source of future attacks.

But today, we see a disagreement over whether to engage the world or not. And that disagreement mean is personified by that tableau of political leaders that we just saw.

HILL: I am going to take a moment here to pause. Let's listen in to these somber important moments as we mark again, 23 years since the September 11th terror attacks.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: National anthem of the United States of America.

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HILL (voice-over): You are, of course, watching live coverage there from lower Manhattan, as ceremonies of remembrance get underway on this 23rd anniversary of 9/11. You heard the bell there marking the first moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the moment the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11 enroute from Boston struck the North Tower. It is the first of six moments of silence that will be observed throughout the day in both New York City, of course, as well as in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and also at the Pentagon just outside Washington.

You see the current and former president there, along with the Vice President Chuck Schumer, the senior Senator of New York, Mike Bloomberg as well, who of course was the mayor for -- is the former Mayor of New York City. And now, the annual reading of the nearly 3,000 names of those lost on the September 11th terror attacks. We are going to take a quick break here. As we go to break, please listen in to some of those lives lost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alena Abraham.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: William F. Abrahamson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Richard Anthony Aceto

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heinrich Bernhard Ackermann.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paul Acquaviva.

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HILL: The nation and the world reflecting this morning on a day that changed America forever. This is, of course, the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks. President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump, Senator J.D. Vance, all in attendance there along with Senator Chuck Schumer, you see Alejandro Mayorkas as well, the secretary there, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Among those in lower Manhattan to pay their respects, just moments ago, the city marking the first of what will be six moments of silence throughout the day to mark the moment at 8:46 a.m. when the first plane hit the North Tower. And the names of those lost in both the 2001 terror attacks and the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center currently being read by surviving family members.

I want to bring back now Presidential Historian Tim Naftali, who joins me. Tim, as we look at this, there are a number of these rituals which are so important to not only the families of the victims, but in many ways to the nation. It is traditions like this that are a reminder of not only the tragedy that has happened, of the loss and the void that will never be filled for those families, but also of what it means to come together as a nation, to pay respects to those who were lost and also to those who were lost in service trying to save so many, Tim.

NAFTALI: Indeed, and it's a mark of how countries respond to shocks. I was just reflecting on the fact that it was the 23rd anniversary and 9/11 shook America the way that Pearl Harbor, the surprise Japanese attack on the United States in 1941 had shaken the country. And to put this into perspective, we would be in 1964, where this -- a similar anniversary of Pearl Harbor and for two generations of Americans. So in other words, a generation that was not even alive at the time of Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor meant something to them. It was a symbol of a great shock and also a source of vulnerability that America could be hurt and could be surprised.

And so, 9/11 I think has the same effect on the American people and to some extent on others. First and foremost, keep in mind that not just American citizens died on 9/11. But -- and so, the interesting thing for Americans is how they work through that shock and grief, and what lessons generations take from it, and not -- and Pearl Harbor presented one set of lessons that actually she remained pretty clear and pretty widely accepted by Americans for two generations. It is not clear that Americans now agree on what to learn from 9/11. And over the next generation, I think we'll work through is a people how to deal with surprise, so that a 9/11 doesn't happen again.

But for the families affected, the meaning of 9/11 will never change. It will always be a source of deep, deep sadness and loss.

HILL: It has also been for some families, including the family of Glenn Winuk -- I spoke with his brother, Jay, a short time ago. He was an attorney. He was a volunteer firefighter and EMT. He died when the South Tower collapsed. For his surviving family members, including again, his brother Jay, this has been an impetus though turn this moment, this national and personal tragedy, into something for the greater good and unity. Is there an effort to bring that back? It seems that there is a real desire in this country, Tim.

NAFTALI: I would hope -- of course, it is one of the beauties of humanity that so many try to turn a tragedy into a source of a better world, if they can.

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And so, efforts like posts that you just described are a sign of hope really and of the resilience of human beings. Unfortunately, we don't always respond that way. And it's finding light out of the darkness that is so important to the humanity.

HILL: To that point, finding light, we will be seeing again, the points of light here in New York City that will be lit up in memory and we'll be looking for those later in the day. Tim, appreciate it, as always.

Thanks to all of you for joining us here on "CNN Newsroom" this hour. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned. After a quick break, much more of today's commemorations from New York and also the rest of the day's top stories. Stay with us.

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