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Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) On Republican Candidates Going After Biden In Second Debate; Suspect Arrested In Murder Of Baltimore Tech CEO; American Soldier Expelled From North Korea Arrives In U.S. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired September 28, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:31:40]
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.
Well, today, President Biden heads to Arizona where he will make a speech warning about the ongoing threats to democracy. He will reportedly highlight Donald Trump's role in those threats. He is expected -- Biden, that is -- to say in part, quote, "There is something dangerous happening in America. There is an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy. The MAGA movement."
At the same time, the House Oversight Committee will hold its first hearing in the Biden impeachment investigation, and they will also discuss the Constitution. Chairman James Comer says a constitutional expert is going to testify today as to why he thinks an impeachment investigation is justified.
And last night, Biden was one of the chief targets of attacks at the second Republican presidential debate -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe Biden should not be on the picket line. He should be on the southern border working to close our southern border because it is unsafe, wide open, and insecure.
MIKE PENCE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bidenomics has failed. Wages are not keeping up with inflation. Auto workers and all American workers are feeling it and families are struggling in this economy. And Joe Biden's Green New Deal agenda is good for Beijing and bad for Detroit.
GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The reason why people are striking in Detroit is because of Joe Biden's interference with capital markets and with free markets. The subsidies -- we're subsidizing the automakers but particularly, we're subsidizing electric vehicles.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HARLOW: Joining us now to respond to all of that, one of the president's closest allies, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons. Senator, good morning. Thank you for being here.
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Good morning, Poppy.
HARLOW: It wasn't just them. We heard the former President Trump in Detroit also railing against President Biden on EVs. Here he was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's selling you out to China. He's selling you out to the environmental extremists on the radical left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: He is -- he is saying that the Biden administration policies on electric vehicles and these subsidies will ultimately lead to American job losses.
Can the Biden administration guarantee it won't?
COONS: Well, Poppy, let's look at the record. When President Trump was in office we lost manufacturing jobs.
In the first two years of the Biden administration, our private sector created more than 800,000 manufacturing jobs. The first two years of the Biden administration actually had the strongest job creation in decades -- more than 13 million new jobs. And we've had unemployment at its lowest level for the longest time in our lifetime.
So, frankly, I think the best predictor of what's going to happen in the coming years, if President Biden is reelected, is what's already happening. A very strong economy. Compared to every other advanced economy --
HARLOW: Right.
COONS: -- and redeveloped ally of ours, our economy is in very strong shape.
HARLOW: That --
COONS: Now, folks may not be feeling it yet but the investments we've made in infrastructure, in manufacturing, and growing our economy are paying off and the numbers show it.
HARLOW: It is an important record -- the numbers you point out. However, some of the requirements for electric vehicles on the roads and these subsidies aren't -- weren't fully in place then. I'm talking about now. Given this administration's stance, is it a guarantee from the administration that they will not cost those American jobs in the auto sector?
[07:35:03] COONS: Look, in a global competition for who is going to be building the automobiles of this century, Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress have made a critical strategic bet. A bet that the economy is going to follow a clean energy future globally. That's what our competitors in Europe, and in Japan, and in China are doing. All of their automakers are transitioning rapidly to electric vehicles.
And in the Inflation Reduction Act, we lay the groundwork for that -- not with mandates, but with incentives. With tax incentives that are part of why you're seeing record groundbreakings in new battery factories, new automobile factories, and new manufacturing-related construction here in the United States.
In fact, I've been in meetings in Europe where our close allies and partners in the fight to help Ukraine regain their territory have complained bitterly that we in the United States are rocketing ahead of them and creating a risk of their major industrial companies choosing to move to the United States. So I'm optimistic about this.
And frankly, if you look back to when the auto industry was in bankruptcy -- was nearing collapse in the United States in '08-'09, it was then-Vice President Joe Biden who fought hard to save the American auto industry.
He was on the picket lines yesterday because he believes --
HARLOW: Yeah.
COONS: -- in the American worker, the American middle class, and the American auto industry.
HARLOW: I spent many, many weeks in Detroit covering that and a lot of what the workers lost then is what they're fighting for now.
Turning to the president's speech today. Notable, he's going to give that speech near Arizona State University. Of course, that houses the McCain Institute. McCain -- the late John McCain a friend of Biden's who denounced autocrats around the globe. So the place is very intentional.
In terms of the address and what he's going to do -- this battle between democracy and autocracy -- it's a phrase he used a lot. He's used it less this year. As you know, The New York Times pointed out, quote, "Biden and other administration officials have come to think that framing comes with downsides." He didn't use it, for example, when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly.
Do you believe there are downsides?
COONS: Well, in talking to the United Nations General Assembly, our president cited the U.N. charter and the basic rule that you shouldn't change boundaries between countries by force. That has broad appeal to the nations assembled at the United Nations.
But the United States is a democracy and we stand up for and fight for democracy around the world. Our millions of armed forces members who are serving at home and abroad understand a key part of their service defending America -- to be defending our Constitution and defending our democracy.
That's why, Poppy, I am so upset and disappointed that we're just two days from a government shutdown that would make every one of our servicemembers continue to serve without being paid. That sort of instability and insecurity for our armed forces is just a horrible message --
HARLOW: Yes.
COONS: -- to send the world about the defense of our democracy.
HARLOW: Every American deserves a government that is up and open, and functioning. There is no question on that.
When it comes to his approach the president is taking -- anti-MAGA -- you know, democracy versus autocracy -- it was notable that you told CNN -- you told our colleague Manu Raju last week that, quote, "The polls head-to-head" -- meaning Biden-Trump -- "are more concerning than I would expect."
Why do you think, given that, the president is not doing better?
COONS: Well look, his record is very strong, as you were just agreeing with me. His record of job creation. His record of standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
HARLOW: I said the statistics are important to lay out. But continue, Senator.
COONS: His record is very strong and I'm, frankly, not that concerned about the current polls. If you look back at where Barack Obama stood in the polls in 2011, in 2007, it, at that point, head-to-head was predicting he would lose to Mitt Romney in 2011. He would lose to Rudy Giuliani in 2007. Even Ronald Reagan nearing this point in his first term was at real -- had a very low approval rating and facing significant headwinds and calls for him to not run for reelection.
So early head-to-head polls I don't think are predictive.
HARLOW: OK.
COONS: What I was saying to Manu was that given the president's very strong record on the economy, on our place in the world, on restoring a commitment to democracy and the guardrails that are critical to our Constitution and our order here in the United States, I would expect he would be doing better.
But if I had to choose between a very strong record of accomplishment in his first two years as president and polls that are lagging or being really strong in the polls having accomplished almost nothing, I'd prefer what President Biden and Vice President Harris have, which is a tremendous record of accomplishment.
Investing in community mental health --
HARLOW: Senator --
COONS: -- signing into law the strongest gun safety bill in 30 years, and reducing unemployment to record lows.
[07:40:00]
HARLOW: Senator, before you go, you are the chair of the Ethics Committee. We have not heard you on the record yet about whether you think Sen. Menendez should resign given the fraud allegations and the indictment. Do you believe he should resign?
COONS: As the chairman of the Ethics Committee I cannot comment on any matter that is or may be before the committee.
HARLOW: Appreciate you coming on. Thank you, Sen. Chris Coons.
COONS: Thank you, Poppy.
HARLOW: Phil.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Chris Christie and Mike Pence -- they join us ahead to talk about last night's debate and their attacks on Donald Trump. He wasn't even on the stage.
And police in Baltimore have arrested a convicted felon suspected of killing a tech executive. The details of that capture coming up next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK LEPERE, FATHER OF PAVA LAPERE: She was the definition of daddy's little girl. She turned from being daddy's little girl into being a girl boss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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MATTINGLY: New this morning, an important development on a story we were following yesterday. The suspect in the murder of a 26-year-old tech CEO in Baltimore is now in police custody. Pava LaPere was found dead Monday, having suffered blunt-force trauma.
I want to get straight to CNN's Omar Jimenez. What do we know, Omar, at this point? The concerns were I think palpable from law enforcement. What do we know about the suspect?
[07:45:03]
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They really were. I mean, this was someone the Baltimore city mayor called extremely dangerous. And it was in the overnight hours that 32-year-old Jason Billingsley was arrested, as we understand, by Baltimore police. They tracked him to a train station in Bowie, Maryland, according to one of our affiliates. And look, this is someone who was suspected of killing 26-year-old Pava LaPere. She was a tech CEO for a Baltimore-based company. This was something that really shook that community.
And while police were searching for Billingsley, a vigil was being held for La Pere. A vigil that included her father, who told the crowd that was there that this was someone who was like him -- an early riser who he would talk to in those early-morning hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAPERE: She was the definition of daddy's little girl. She had me wrapped and still does. She turned from being daddy's little girl into being a girl boss and she treated me the same way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: She was 26 years old -- just named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 for social impact this past year.
Now, as for the man suspected of killing her, we learned from Baltimore police he was actually a suspect in a separate attempted murder, rape, and arson case that happened just last week about a mile from where LaPere's body was found. So they're looking into that.
But also, he has a history. He was charged with assault and pleaded guilty to assault in '09. In 2011 -- was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015. But as we understand, he was released in 2022 under mandatory supervision. At least that's what officials told The New York Times.
And so, since he's been released, police are now pouring over all these cases to see if he's connected to anything else they may have missed.
MATTINGLY: Yeah. Heartbreaking for her father.
Omar, appreciate it as always. Thanks -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Well, this morning, Ukraine is working to get the full picture of the damage caused by what it is calling a massive Russian drone attack overnight.
MATTINGLY: And last night, the GOP presidential candidates sparred on the debate stage on how the country should handle the war in Ukraine. We'll ask former national security adviser to President Trump, John Bolton, about those candidates' plans. Stay with us.
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[07:50:27]
HARLOW: Overnight, Russia launching a massive attack -- a drone attack on the southern city of Odessa. That is according to Ukraine's military spokesperson in the region who also said that Ukraine's air defense was successful in destroying more than 30 drones. This comes after the U.K.'s defense minister met with Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a surprise visit to Kyiv to show their support for the country.
Back in the United States, that same support was not shared by all the Republican candidates on the debate stage last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's in our interest to end this war, and that's what I will do as president. We are not going to have a blank check.
TIM SCOTT, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our national vital interest is in degrading the Russian military.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just because Putin is not an evil -- Putin's an evil dictator does not mean that Ukraine is good. This is a country that has banned 11 opposition parties.
NIKKI HALEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A win for Russia is a win for China. A win for Russia is a win for China.
RAMASWAMY: That has actually -- that is not true. We're driving Russia -- excuse me -- excuse me, Nikki.
MIKE PENCE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Vivek, would you let Putin have Ukraine? That's a green light to China --
RAMASWAMY: The final answer is --
PENCE: -- to take Taiwan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Joining us now, former Trump national security adviser and former ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. Ambassador, thank you for being with us at the table this morning.
It's stark the change in it -- particularly Republican support -- not just the candidates but just Republican voters across the country -- for more aid for Ukraine. Looking as recently as July, 59 percent of Republicans say the U.S. has done enough.
What changed?
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Well, I think there are not enough Republican political leaders explaining the strategic reasons why the United States should not only aid Ukraine but get to victory over the Russians.
Frankly, Biden isn't doing a very good job either. And I think a lot of this has turned into a kind of partisan battle because it's a Democratic president. My strong belief is if we got a responsible Republican nominee, which is open to question at this point, and he became president, Republican support for Ukraine would solidify and it would be the Democratic progressives who would break off.
HARLOW: You think it's just political?
BOLTON: I think a lot of it is political. I haven't heard from the Republican or the Democratic opponents of aid to Ukraine -- a single strategic argument. They come up with bumper stickers and non- sequiturs like Biden won't defend our border with Mexico. Why should we worry about Ukraine's border with Russia, which is a) a total non sequitur and translated says well, we're failing at the Mexican border -- let's fail with the Ukrainian border, too.
You have to look at this from what the best interest of the United States is. Peace and stability in Europe and preventing aggression on that continent and around the world helps the United States. We're not doing this out of charity for the Ukrainians; we're doing it in our national interest. And politicians have to say that. They have to justify it to the American people and they're not doing it.
MATTINGLY: It's been striking that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been one of those I think every single day --
BOLTON: One of the two.
MATTINGLY: -- on the Senate floor making this case. His counterpart in the House certainly in a very different spot because of his conference.
I do want to ask you, though, about something that happened with former President Trump -- a social media posting where he essentially called for the execution of Mark Milley, the retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Milley responded on CBS. I want you to take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. MARK MILLEY, OUTGOING CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: As much as these comments are directed at me, it's also directed at the institution of the military. And there's 2.1 million of us in uniform.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you worried about your safety?
MILLEY: I've got adequate safety precautions. I wish those comments had not been made but they were, and I'll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: What's your response when you see that?
BOLTON: Well, what Trump said about Milley and what he said about investigating NBC for treason in another recent social post are absolutely disqualifying, and every Republican candidate for president should say that. Anybody who makes those kinds of comments demonstrates that they're not fit to be president. And the fact that there aren't enough Republicans saying that I find very troubling.
I think if there's going to be a successful challenge to Donald Trump, which I haven't seen emerge yet, it's got to be from somebody who talks sense to Republican voters. Reminds them of Ronald Reagan and his attitudes; not Donald Trump. So this is a debate we're still not having.
And I have to say with all due respect to the television and other media, these performances like last night are not debates. They are made for TV. They don't add to the discussion. You can't have a sensible conversation about national security in 60 seconds. And it's more about TV than it is about the candidates.
Who remembers who the moderators were in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, you know? There weren't any moderators in the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
[07:55:04]
So if you want to have real debates, I'm looking forward to Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom, and have the two of them face off. Let's end these charades because it doesn't help the people make up their mind.
HARLOW: We have you at the table, so I really want to get your take on Travis King, the U.S. Army private who crossed into North Korea willingly. Then all of a sudden, we learn yesterday morning that North Korea has, in their words, expelled him. We didn't know where he was going to be 24 hours ago. Now he's back in the United States.
Here is an exchange between our colleague Alex Marquardt and Matt Miller at the State Department on the questions surrounding this. This was yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MILLER, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR DEFENSE TRADE, BUREAU OF POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS: We did not give them anything. We've made no concessions as a part of securing his return.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Do you have any idea why they decided to suddenly expel him?
MILLER: I am going to follow my general over here and not try to get into the heads of foreign governments and certainly, not that one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Would North Korea expel him without any concessions?
BOLTON: Well, I think obviously, we don't -- we don't know what was on North Korea's mind. It's possible that they originally saw this attempted defection as a propaganda coup -- that they could turn Travis King and make him a public spokesman against the United States. It may be that once he got into North Korea this young man realized he had just made his life's worst mistake and wasn't going to cooperate. But why they just didn't throw him in a cell somewhere in the middle of North Korea and let him rot, I don't know.
So I haven't given up yet on the prospect that there's some hook in here that we haven't seen. So I think diligent reporters ought to be scurrying around trying to find out. We don't know the full story.
HARLOW: What Alex was trying to get to there, yeah, with the question.
BOLTON: Yeah.
MATTINGLY: I think they will, still.
Ambassador John Bolton, we appreciate your time, sir.
HARLOW: Thank you.
BOLTON: Glad to be here.
MATTINGLY: Well, the candidates trading attacks on the debate stage and even taking aim at the frontrunner who, once again, wasn't even there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald, I know you're watching. You can't help yourself. I know you're watching because you're afraid of being on this stage and defending your record. You're ducking these things. And let me tell you what's going to happen. You keep doing that, no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore -- we're going to call you Donald Duck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: We're going to speak to Republican candidate Chris Christie and the Donald Duck moment in just a moment. Later, Mike Pence will join us as well. Stay with us. A lot to come.
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