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No Obvious Security Failures by Secret Service; Trump Plans Springfield Visit "In the Next Two Weeks"; Ramaswamy to Hold Town Hall in Springfield, Ohio Tonight; More Bomb Threats in Springfield, Ohio. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 19, 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]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now is Dave Aronberg. He's the state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, where Sunday's attempt -- apparent attempt on Trump's life occurred. Dave, good to see as always if you can, I guess, react to this news coming out of Congress that the Secret Service told this bipartisan group that there were not security failures, no obvious security failures. How does that square with where you see things?

DAVE ARONBERG, PALM BEACH COUNTY STATE ATTORNEY: Good to be with you, Jim. I thought the Secret Service did a really good job in identifying this threat. They walked ahead of the former president on the golf course, and they saw this guy with a rifle poking through the fence.

You know, it's not the first-time people have poked through the fence. Usually it's with cameras, though, not with rifles, because there are a lot of onlookers. It's a huge, sprawling property with a lot of shrubbery. It's not like Mar-a-Lago, which is bordered on one side by water. This is in the City of West Palm Beach. It's really hard to close down the roads.

And remember, he's an ex-president, not the current president. So, he has any Secret Service detail that's been stepped up since the first attempted assassination. But unless you're going to put like many more officers on the ground and start scoping out every place around this huge property, you know, you're going to have to depend on Secret Service to do what they did here, and they succeeded.

So, I thought this was not a failure with Congress on this one. I think they should get a lot of praise for the way that the Secret Service handled this.

ACOSTA: Interesting. And, Dave, I remember from my days covering Trump at the White House that I believe this golf course was one of those places where news photographers could even stick the cameras through the bushes and get footage of Donald Trump out there on the golf course.

Does the golf course need to put up a wall or something to sort of harden the security there? Is there more that could be done from that standpoint? ARONBERG: Yes, that could be a benefit. But, you know, how it is with walls, Trump would probably try to ask Mexico to pay for it. But eventually, if it does happen, it'll take some time and it could ruin the aesthetics. But, you know, that is something that they may have to consider because it's not totally realistic to have Secret Service people continually monitoring every bit of that property afterwards, especially after the election.

Now, right now, perhaps that is a good idea because of the heightened threats out there. We're getting close to the election. But as far as whether Secret Service had a failure, no, I'd say no, unless you want to put many more millions of dollars into having a much larger Secret Service detail wherever he goes at all times.

ACOSTA: And, Dave, what is the latest on the investigation? I mean, do we know more about the motivation of the suspect in this case? What can you tell us?

ARONBERG: Well, it looks like what we thought from the beginning that this is a guy with a screw loose, who is a megalomaniac, who thinks he's on the level of world leaders, Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Elon Musk. You know, he's trying to get Elon Musk to send him rockets, and he's recruiting Afghan soldiers to go fight in Ukraine. He was seen as a bit of a kook.

Now, that doesn't mean he can get away with an insanity defense, Jim, because he'd have to prove he didn't know the difference between right and wrong. And when he fled right after he was caught, that shows he knew what he did was wrong and illegal. So, that's going to be hard for him to do. But this is what it seems to me, it looked like he acted alone. He did not get any shots off. There were no shells outside from his side. The only shots that happened came from the Secret Service. It's just a guy who just has a problem mentally, although not enough, in my mind, to claim an insanity defense.

ACOSTA: Interesting. All right. Dave Aronberg, always good to talk to you. Thanks so much for your time this morning. Appreciate it.

ARONBERG: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up Springfield, Ohio, of course, dealing with the very real fallout of an unfounded conspiracy theory. How Donald Trump says he is going to be going there for a visit. Up next. We'll talk to a Springfield pastor who will tell us what people in his community are saying about all of this. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

ACOSTA: All right. This just in the mayor of Springfield, Ohio, issuing a proclamation granting temporary emergency powers because of the continued threats in his city. Former President Donald Trump says he will go there within the next couple of weeks after spreading baseless rumors that have been debunked about legal Haitian migrants eating pets in that city. Tonight, one of Trump's most vocal supporters, Vivek Ramaswamy is planning to hold a town hall there, even though mayors urging both campaigns to stay away. Trump's running mate, for his part, Senator J. D. Vance, was asked about the immigration status of Haitian immigrants and here was his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JD VANCE (R-OH), REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Kamala Harris used two separate programs, mass parole and temporary protective status. She used two programs to wave a wand to say, we're not going to deport those people here. Well, if Kamala Harris waves the wand illegally and says these people are now here legally, I'm still going to call him an illegal alien. An illegal action from Kamala Harris does not make an alien legal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: But that is not true. Here are the facts. The Haitian immigrants in Springfield are there legally. The city says they are there as part of a parole program that allows citizens and residents to have family members from Haiti come to the U.S. Springfield has been hit with dozens of violent threats since Trump and Vance made these false claims.

Our Ohio affiliate, WHIO, reports that just yesterday several grocery stores and clinics were evacuated because of these continuing bomb threats. And joining me now is Pastor Carl Ruby of Springfield Central Christian Church. Pastor Ruby, thank you so much for joining us. How's the community doing?

CARL RUBY, SENIOR PASTOR, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH: A lot of stress. I talked to one of our city leaders and there are more bomb threats unfolding right now. So --

ACOSTA: Really?

[10:40:00]

RUBY: -- tremendous stress. Yes.

ACOSTA: And does anyone know --

RUBY: We've never experienced anything like this. And I think the real story is for 80 years' worth city that has been shrinking and now we're growing, and I wish that were the story that everyone was telling.

ACOSTA: Well, tell us the story of Springfield. Tell us how this community was doing up until this point where these racist lies were being told about Springfield.

RUBY: Yes. There was a lot of tension about a year ago. There was a tragic school bus accident and a child's life was taken. And there was a lot of stress, a lot of a lot of anger provoked by that. City council meetings were very combative. And then that had really died down and pretty much gone away until the debate. And since the debate, it's been just complex.

And I want to let President Trump know that I pray for his safety this morning. He does not have my vote, but he has my prayers. And I just wish he would, out of the goodness of his heart, just acknowledge that he was misinformed and ask the groups that are here for hateful reasons to leave our city. They love him. They think he's the greatest president ever. And I think just a couple of words of restraint from him would get them to leave, and that's what we would like.

ACOSTA: You think that's going to happen?

RUBY: No, but I wish it would.

ACOSTA: Yes.

RUBY: And -- you know, and to be fair, I appreciate President Biden's policies on immigration and refugees that comes from my Christian faith. I believe that one of the clearest ethical issues in the bible is that we are to care for immigrants, orphans, and widows. And so, I'm all for that, but their policy did not provide money and we need -- I talked to city leaders this morning, we need $5 to $10 million like right now, because we've had over 50 bombs in the last three or four days. And we desperately need help for translators, healthcare.

You know, I have a personal invitation to President Biden and Kamala Harris, give me a call. I'd love to talk to you about what's happening in Springfield and we really, really need your help.

ACOSTA: And do you have -- how much contact do you have with the Haitian community there? What are they saying to you about what this climate of fear has done to them?

RUBY: You know, we went out and we're handing out cards that are in Creole and English that say, we're glad you're here. Christ loves you and so, do I. And I had a teenager, I think it was two days ago, just break down and sob. And I just held him in my arms and prayed for him. So, they are under a tremendous amount of pressure. They fear for their safety. I've heard of scuffles with white supremacists. So, yes, they are very, very frightened.

But let me say, on the other hand, several of them talked to me yesterday and they said, you know, most people here are really, really good to us. So, this is not -- you know, generally speaking, people in Springfield are treating Haitians well and love the fact that we're here. We need them. But this outside stuff since the debate has just been awful. I mean, it's one of the worst things our city has ever seen.

ACOSTA: And just quickly, very finally, it's your view that the Haitian migrants have enriched the community. They've been a net positive for the community.

RUBY: Yes, absolutely. They're starting non-profit organizations. They are starting churches. They're spending money. And the flip side is, since the debate, we -- businesses are hurting. I talked to one business that lost $8,000 this weekend due to canceled visitors. ACOSTA: Wow.

RUBY: So, businesses are really hurting.

ACOSTA: Well, Pastor Carl Ruby, we --

RUBY: We lost a third of their businesses.

ACOSTA: Pastor Ruby, well, thank you very much for your time. Thank you, Pastor Carl. We appreciate it. And we'll be discussing more about all this with our political panel after the break. Thank you so much, sir. God bless.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

ACOSTA: We just heard from a Springfield, Ohio pastor about how false accusations pushed by Donald Trump and J. D. Vance are hurting his community. He told me there are even more bomb threats this morning after the former president and his running mate continued to spread baseless claims that Haitian migrants are eating pets there.

Let's bring in Democratic Strategist Chuck Rocha, CNN political commentators S.E. Cupp and Shermichael Singleton. Guys, great to talk to all of you.

Chuck, you're here with me in the studio. I'll start with you first. What was your reaction to what the pastor had to say? I mean, you and I were talking about this during the break. That's how a pastor sounds. This is what -- this is how you treat newcomers to a community, right?

CHUCH ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND SENIOR ADVISER, BERNIE SANDERS 2016 AND 2020 CAMPAIGNS: Right. And it stuck me and I said that soon as I walked up because I was in the groom room watching it and it made me think about back in the day and I don't go to church as near as much as I should go to church. Let me be honest.

But when I -- I used to go to church all the time, that's what we were taught. You go and help the most vulnerable. It made me think when I was a young man in East Texas, how on Christmas Eve there were folks that would come in and out of East Texas in the little town I was from, which looks a lot like Springfield, where we would take Christmas toys, because back then I was one of these childless dog men, like you are, and I would go there and I'd do these things and that's how you were taught in the church. And I think we got to get back to more of that.

[10:50:00]

That preacher man wasn't talking about Democrat or Republican, he was talking about his community.

ACOSTA: That's right. And, Shermichael, but do you think it's a good idea for Ramaswamy to be there in Springfield and for Trump to go there in two weeks? I mean, Trump has said he'll do things in two weeks and then that doesn't happen, but maybe he is going to go, but what's your sense of it as to whether or not he should go?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, look, I listened to the pastor and I'm not surprised by the pastor's words. I think people expect empathy and compassion coming from religious leaders, generally speaking. In terms of governance, I think the role of government is a bit different.

Certainly, Ramaswamy or the former president being there, I don't think will absolutely help the situation. It will probably make it a lot worse, Jim. Is there an argument to make about immigration, which is a top, what, three-issue for most American voters from Donald Trump? I think there is. Can you talk about the impact that it's having on communities across the country in a compassionate, empathetic way? You can. Resources are not unlimited.

A lot of these counties and cities and municipalities are having issues with employers trying to find it -- find -- try to find workers. But why is that? Why are people leaving small towns for larger cities? I mean, there are some very complicated problems here from a policy perspective that I think Donald Trump would bode well if he were to discuss versus some of the rhetoric we're hearing thus far.

ACOSTA: Yes. S.E., I do want to play a little bit of what Trump had to say last night about the Haitian immigrants. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The mayor of Springfield, and I think he's a very nice person. But instead of saying, we're getting them all out, we're getting them out, he says very simply, we're hiring teachers to teach them English. What the hell is wrong with our country? No, no, we're getting them out of our country. They came in illegally. They're destroying our country. We're getting them out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Yes, S.E., I mean, we've said this over and over, J. D. Vance, I mean, made this claim last night that they're illegal. They're not illegal, and in Springfield, they're here legally, but your response to all that?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's disgusting and also not surprising, but I think we really need to hone in here on the most shocking part of this, 50 bomb threats in one community because of a lie, a lie that the former president, a guy who wants to be president again, and his running mate keep telling, because they don't care. They don't care that this could result in somebody getting hurt.

Relatedly, did you know that election workers across the country are being given panic buttons, active shooter training, bulletproof glass, fortified fencing, badges, magnetometers. I mean, this is America, and there's only one reason why any of that is happening around our elections, because of a lie that Donald Trump keeps telling. Because he doesn't care about actual Americans. He just wants the power. And if he has to lie a little or a lot to get it, he'll do it shamelessly.

So, the pastor is right, and his pleas were incredibly heartbreaking to hear, but I promise you they will fall on deaf ears.

ACOSTA: Yes, Chuck, and let's talk about the politics of this a little bit. I mean, I -- you know, I remember the 2018 campaign when Trump was hitting the migrant caravan that was coming up and I was talking to Republican aides up on Capitol Hill at the time who worked for swing district Republicans who were just so worried about Trump using that kind of rhetoric because they just thought it was bad politics.

And it seems in 2018, 2022 we've seen the results of this kind of rhetoric, politically speaking, for Donald Trump. It doesn't work. It alienates swing district independent voters who go to the Democrats, in large part because they're turned off by this kind of rhetoric.

ROCHA: You're exactly right. And in congressional races I'm working in across the country, the Republican congressmen are doubling down. And what I'm hearing from them, from their research, is that they're trying to figure out a way to get back suburban women who have left them because of the Dobbs decision. And they think, if they can demagogue people who look like me and say immigrants are all bad, that it will scare them back to the Republican Party, that's their words, not mine.

Immigration system has been broken for a long time. We can all agree on that. This week, my business partner was sworn in as a U.S. citizen after coming here undocumented over 20 years ago, he got to be a DACA kid. One of those DACA kids. He married his college sweetheart. And after seven years, he got sworn in. And what the unique thing about that is, and the serendipitous of all of that is, now he works against those Republican congressmen trying to elect Democratic congressmen and makes more money than them. That's the American dream.

AMANPOUR: Yes. Shermichael, I mean, you were saying that the immigration issue is a good issue for Republicans, but if you're talking about in a way that you're just demagoguing human beings, might that be a turnoff? It seems like the evidence has shown it has been a turnoff in recent elections.

[10:55:00]

SINGLETON: Well, first of all, congratulations to Chuck's business partner on making money. This is capitalism. I love it. So, congratulations to him, also on becoming a citizen. But, I mean, Jim, again, it goes back to my original point, is there a way to talk about these issues?

Some cities are going to need more immigrants to fulfill certain jobs. How many? That's a question that municipalities have to figure out. State governments have to figure that out. How much funding do they need? Can the states redirect funds? And if they don't have those funds, then what role should the federal government play in making sure those places that are attracting immigrants into their areas have the funding they need so that they have translators, more educators, so that they can build up the local infrastructure, housing, healthcare?

I mean, these are real policy discussions that I think the American people would benefit from if we were having. Unfortunately, we're not having them, and I think that's a part of the problem.

ACOSTA: Yes. S.E., quick final thought from you?

CUPP: Once again, as he did in the four years that he was in the White House. Donald Trump is bad for Republicans. In that short period of time he lost the House, the Senate, the White House. Now, with less than 50 days until election, Republicans are voting essentially for a government shutdown. They're voting against IVF. It's like they're not aware that this guy is leading them into oblivion. He's threatening to lose Republican control of the House. I just don't get it. I don't get what they're doing. You got to divorce him. Divorce him.

ACOSTA: All right. Guys, thanks very much. Appreciate it. We'll be right back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]