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CNN This Morning

Trump Leans On Immigration During Michigan Campaign Stop; Israel: Deadly Strike On Aid Workers A "Grave Mistake"; Biden And Xi Speak For First Time Since November Summit. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired April 03, 2024 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:30:22]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: A live look at Capitol Hill on this Wednesday morning. Good morning to you. Thanks for being up with us. I'm Kasie Hunt.

Former President Donald Trump back on the campaign trail with stops in the key swing states of Wisconsin and Michigan. During an event with law enforcement in Grand Rapids, Trump hammered President Biden over his border policies using a newish catchphrase to make his point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I stand before you today to declare that Joe Biden's border bloodbath -- and that's what it is -- it's a bloodbath. They tried to use that term incorrectly on me two weeks ago. But it's a border bloodbath and it's destroying our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The former president also invoked the death of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student whose suspected killer is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The Democrats say please don't call them animals; they're humans. I said no, they're not humans. They're not humans. They're animals. And Nancy Pelosi told me that -- she said please don't use the word animals, sir, when you're talking about these people. I said I'll use the word animal because that's what they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. Joining us now, Margaret Talev. She is the director of Syracuse University's Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship Institute. Also joining us is Rina Shah.

Margaret, let me start with you on this. The former president there obviously really hammering on immigration. And he was talking also about this woman, Ruby Garcia, who was allegedly killed. She was found dead on a highway. And he talked about -- he talked about speaking with the family and the family has sort of disputed that. That the politics of this -- this is an issue that really cuts across party lines, no?

MARGARET TALEV, DIRECTOR, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY DEMOCRACY, JOURNALISM, AND CITIZENSHIP INSTITUTE, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS: It absolutely is, Kasie, and we're just seeing this consistently. I mean, I watch a lot of focus groups -- some with swing voters, some with Democratic and Republican voters -- all over the country, and inflation continues to be a concern -- the other concern that really unites people on issues where people are not united in America on a lot of issues. But this border issue has resonated with people and it's for different reasons.

For some, it is a jobs thing. The idea that migrants are taking their jobs away and depending on what field they're in, that may or may not be closer to true on any level.

But the other really is this idea of public safety or crime. And when you ask people, like, maybe you're very far away from the border, like the two states we're talking about --

HUNT: Yeah.

TALEV: -- they will still talk about crime that's in their communities and say that they think that that's because of immigrants. And it is a really interesting trend that we're seeing and one that the former president has obviously tapped into and is leaning into.

HUNT: Yeah.

I mean, Rina, let's do make a distinction here -- and I should have done this at the top -- that there is, on the one hand, the very real concerns we see that voters have. There's also very dehumanizing language, right --

RINA SHAH, FOUNDER, RILAX STRATEGIES, FORMER SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL GOP ADVISER: Sure.

HUNT: -- around -- and you heard the former president there call migrants animals.

Is there -- when I -- when I talk to Democrats they will say that Americans are not in the dehumanizing space when they -- when they poll on this issue.

Does Trump -- I mean, how is it that Democrats are trying to make an argument that he is too far on this issue? Like, that he is not where voters are. And is it damaging or is it not?

SHAH: It's an argument that I don't think Democrats have been able to make successfully that this dehumanizing language is a point against Trump and not for him. Because look, every time Republicans come out linking the border to crime and public safety they realize they don't have to provide empirical evidence -- HUNT: Yes.

SHAH: -- of that. They realize the messaging works.

That the fear works even in the suburban young mother who has a distaste for Trump's language. Has a distaste for perhaps even the policies they're seeing out of Congress right now from Republicans when it comes to the border. They don't want a dehumanizing yet. That fear compels them to give Trump another look.

And we've got to remember though, in Wisconsin, Trump did win by such a razor-thin margin -- .77 percent. And so, what the Trump team is essentially trying to do here is tip the scale on the one issue they believe resonates the most.

HUNT: So, speaking of crime, Margaret, and this kind of connection that you're making, Trump also did that in his speech. He talked about -- he called them suburban housewives and why they like -- they like him -- the former president. Watch what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The suburban housewives actually like Donald Trump. You know why? Because I'm the one that's going to keep them safe. They like to say well, the suburban housewives, I don't know. I think I do great with the suburban housewives because they want to remain safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:35:09]

HUNT: OK, so let's set aside the fact that there is a massive gender gap here, so it's not necessarily blanket truth. However, the point that he made about women being concerned about crime and saying they want to remain safe, Margaret -- Celinda Lake, who is a pollster for Biden's campaign --

TALEV: Yeah.

HUNT: -- was quoted in Politico yesterday as saying that "Voters are definitely feeling crime is increasing. I think you have a combination of increased shootings, increased media coverage of crime, increased petty crime post-COVID that is really unnerving to voters, particularly women voters."

So it seems like both sides are saying the same thing.

TALEV: Look, you've got -- what you saw in that segment from the former president is some wishful thinking. He's got problems with a lot of suburban women over reproductive rights and what you can do with your own body. And, you know, should the government be regulating abortion and taking away rights.

What he's trying to do is say that is not many suburban women's priority. Protecting their children and protecting their families is. It -- I think when you look at the statistics, you've then got a huge

leap to try to say violence in your community is because of undocumented migrants in some other place. But it is a message and an issue and right now, former President Trump is more successful on this messaging issue than President Biden.

SHAH: To me, it's AEB -- Age Economy Border -- that are front of mind for that suburban woman. And age, it's because of the trust thing, right? Biden's not going in reverse. Do they trust his successor? Who that might be -- V.P. Harris?

Again, the economy looking strong on paper, yet the feeling at home -- the feeling of the pocketbook when they're balancing their checkbook -- well, who really does that any more? When they're looking at their bank accounts, right, and feeling like can I get that house that I was supposed to get a few years ago? And then, the border.

Like you said, it's the messaging that wins and in these three areas, this is the door through which Trump will enter with this segment.

HUNT: So, Margaret, bottom line here in these two blue-wall states. We do have polling that shows President Trump ahead of Biden. Obviously, it's early. A lot of this polling is registered voters.

TALEV: Yeah.

HUNT: It's not necessarily a screen for people that are actually going to show up. But it does show things that we didn't see in 2020 when we had the -- these two men originally running against each other.

What do you see as those numbers telling us right now if anything?

TALEV: The numbers are certainly telling us that young people, Arab- American voters, African-American voters like those pieces of Biden's coalition -- if they don't turn out he's in huge trouble, especially in Michigan, but in both of those states.

And the other is that I think people blame or reward, but blame it on the incumbent for the moment that they're in. And last time around, it was Donald Trump as the incumbent and Joe Biden as the rival. And this time around -- weirdly, because this is the moment we're in -- the roles are reversed.

And so, he -- President Biden has got the weight of all the current circumstances and ultimately, people's frustration with inflation and an unease about what's coming next. And if you can imagine that on these packaging itself and an imaginary figure whose transfer (INAUDIBLE) a border, it is a difficult sort of amebous (PH) fear that he has to counter. And his messaging has not caught up to these numbers yet.

SHAH: And if I may add, this is the era of punitive politics, right, so turnout is essential on both sides. But who is going to punish who here, and that's the real question.

HUNT: All right, Margaret Talev, Rina Shah. Thank you both very much for being with us this morning. I really appreciate it.

All right. So, Israel trying to answer for its strike in Gaza that killed seven aid workers from the non-profit World Central Kitchen. The deaths include one dual U.S.-Canadian citizen.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on CNN last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAL HEINRICH, SPOKESPERSON FOR BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: When we make mistakes -- when Israel makes mistakes, even the most tragic ones to admit, we take responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: CNN senior correspondent Melissa Bell is in Jerusalem for us. Melissa, good morning. What more can you tell us about the victims and the way that Israel has reacted and responded to this?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been hearing from World Central Kitchen, Kasie, about who these aid workers were -- a wide variety of backgrounds. Not just the American-Canadian but also a British citizen, a Polish citizen. There was a Palestinian amongst them. An Australian aid worker as well.

And there was so much outrage expressed over the course of yesterday not just by international aid organizations and United Nations relief agencies but, of course, by President Biden himself, saying that he was outraged and heartbroken by their deaths.

And what you saw at the same time over the course of yesterday were Israeli officials scrambling to show how seriously they were taking this and how quickly they intended to investigate and launch this probe Kasie at the highest level. By the end of the day, it culminated in this -- a very fulsome apology in English from the chief of the general staff of the IDF.

[05:40:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERZI HALEVI, ISRAELI CHIEF OF STAFF: It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during the war in very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: There have been so many questions over the course of the day about how this convoy -- clearly identified and coordinating its movements with the IDF -- could have been struck.

And so, that announcement late at night yesterday with the added announcement that the IDF is creating a special command center with which -- through which it will coordinate better with humanitarians on the ground. Because, of course, the problem for the IDF is that the heart of their message over the last few weeks and months has been, Kasie, that is exactly what they're doing -- ensuring they're working with aid agencies so that much-needed aid can get through -- Kasie.

HUNT: All right, Melissa Bell for us in Jerusalem. Melissa, thanks very much.

Up next here, what President Biden and Chinese President Xi discussed in their first conversation since November.

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[05:45:30]

HUNT: Welcome back.

President Biden and Chinese President Xi speaking by phone for the first time since their historic in-person summit last November. There are tensions between the two countries on multiple fronts, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear capabilities. Not to mention Biden stressing the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The White House says the call lasted an hour and 45 minutes. They called it candid and constructive.

China's foreign minister summing up the relationship between the two superpowers as, quote, "beginning to stabilize."

Joining me now is CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. He is also the author of a new book, "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West." David, good morning. I'm thrilled to have you.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, AUTHOR, NEW COLD WARS: CHINA'S RISE, RUSSIA'S INVASION, AND AMERICA'S STRUGGLE TO DEFEND THE WEST", NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Good morning. Good to be here.

HUNT: Congrats on the book. It's out in two weeks.

SANGER: Thank you.

HUNT: No one better to talk to than you about what is going on kind of under the surface for this call. This is a long time for these two leaders to go without talking, or at least it seems that way.

What do hear in those statements that the two sides put out, and what do you think was accomplished?

SANGER: Well, first, it's always fascinating to read, Kasie, the American account and the Chinese account. The Americans say what the Americans said and say nothing about what the Chinese said. The Chinese say what the Chinese said and say very little about what the Americans said. And so, you just gave a pretty good summary of what the White House said.

The Chinese version of it said, you know, the United States is once again trying to suppress our development by restricting the kind of computer chips we can get. By restricting the kind of equipment we can get. And Xi made it very clear to Biden he would not put up with that and he would not put up with the U.S. interfering in the South China Sea. And then, of course, there's Taiwan, which is always the touchpoint.

HUNT: Where do things stand on Taiwan right now? Because it does seem like there is -- you know, as we confront widening conflict it seems -- Ukraine, of course; the war in Gaza another one -- but sort of this sense of general instability in the world. How close are we do you think to something hot in the Taiwan context?

SANGER: Well, first of all, obviously, the Taiwanese right now are dealing with this awful earthquake --

HUNT: Yeah.

SANGER: -- which is quite tragic and will also be an interesting test for all of us about how well the semiconductor industry there, which we depend on and which may be Taiwan's biggest defense against a Chinese invasion, survives. The Chinese need the semiconductors from there as much as we do.

The -- I don't think we're anyplace close to a Chinese invasion or even significant military action for a couple of reasons. First, the Chinese economy is slowing down a lot or is pretty slow right now. This is a much riskier thing for the Chinese to do with all the sanctions and condemnation that would come about when their economy is not in great shape. Secondly, I don't think they're ready for a military confrontation.

I argue in "New Cold Wars" that if this happens it's likely to be a much small -- slower squeeze on the Chinese making sure, on Taiwan -- making sure that goods can't through without them being inspected by Chinese forces and so forth that they would not want to create a crisis that would lead us to immediately intervene. They'd rather have a slow constriction. Think Hong Kong.

HUNT: Very interesting.

David, I'm curious. We spend a lot of time thinking about what our foreign adversaries and other countries think about our looming presidential election -- who they'd like to see in the White House. Vladimir Putin -- obviously, we speak about him a lot. The Chinese question of what -- who the Chinese would prefer to see in the American White House is a really interesting one to me --

SANGER: It is.

HUNT: -- and I'm wondering what your assessment of that is.

SANGER: OK. So, as you say, for Putin, it's easy, right? I mean, if President Trump comes in, President Trump has said he would solve the Ukraine problem in 24 hours. The only way you do that is by sitting down with Vladimir Putin and saying OK, which of these parts of Ukraine are you holding onto, right? Not exactly what the United States and its current leadership have in mind.

[05:50:09]

HUNT: Right.

SANGER: For China, it is more complex. On the one hand, they object strongly to what Biden has done. And he has been much tougher on the export issues, on almost every one of the security issues than Trump has, though he has built on Trump policies.

At the same time, the Chinese love the fact that Donald Trump is a chaos agent because it gives them the ability to go try to garner support elsewhere and keeps the U.S. distracted in its own politics while China goes about doing what it's doing.

HUNT: Very interesting.

David, on another topic, there still is incredibly difficult fallout from the attack in Gaza -- the Israeli strike that killed seven workers for Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen. This is something that the Israelis came out and said was this terrible accident. Benjamin Netanyahu talked about it. The words from the White House were very sharp.

SANGER: They were.

HUNT: What did you hear in the White House response to this? And how big of a -- of an image problem is this? Obviously, it's a massive tragedy. The human implications are terrible. But for Israel, they are trying to maintain some semblance of support for their effort. This seems to do some damage to that. What is your view?

SANGER: Oh, absolutely. First of all, this project is the one thing that was working to get people fed in Gaza. Second, they had told the Israelis where their convoys would be moving. Now, accidents happen in war zones but his one was pretty unforgivable.

It is interesting when you look at that White House statement. It is as sharply worded as any I have seen during the war and you wonder whether that is because of the high-profile nature of this. The fact that there were people who were not Gazans who were killed. They were relief workers from many different countries that were killed along the way.

And you also have to wonder at this point how the Israelis make the case that their attacks have been targeted and careful and all that when they hit this convoy not once, not twice, but it looks like three or four times.

HUNT: Yeah, really remarkable.

All right, David Sanger. Your new book, "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West." Thank you.

SANGER: Thank you.

HUNT: You'll be back with us at 6:00. I really appreciate it.

All right, time now for sports. Millions of people tuned in to see Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese go head-to-head on Monday and make women's basketball history.

Carolyn Manno has this morning's Bleacher Report. Carolyn, good morning.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kasie.

We knew that millions were going to tune in but this number is astounding. Iowa and LSU playing in front of a sold-out crowd but the fans tuning in at home setting a ratings record for NCAA women's basketball. ESPN is reporting 12.3 million people watched Caitlin Clark's Hawkeyes go head-to-head with Angel Reese and the Tigers, which is more than last year's World Series-clinching game, by the way, as well as all but game five of the NBA Finals. It is a massive viewership.

And what a game for those who did decide to tune in if they hadn't been following these women all season long. Clark continuing this record-breaking run, delivering when it matters the most.

Here's what her coach Lisa Bluder had to say about her performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA BLUDER, HEAD COACH, IOWA HAWKEYES: When the stage is the brightest, when the spotlight is the brightest, she's at her very best. She loves this. You know, some people wither in the moment. She just gets stronger in the moment. When it's her time -- I mean, she's going to just shine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Incredible year for Iowa and Bluder's program.

In the NBA, Joel Embiid taking the floor for the first time since injuring his knee back in late January. The reigning MVP scored 24 in 30 minutes to lift the 76ers over the Thunder 109-105. That might be off from the 35 points per game that he was averaging before his injury. But for now, Phillies' MVP big man is happy to be back on the court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEL EMBIID, CENTER, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: I always say usually when I get hurt then I just move on to the next one. I'm like, you know, get on to the next one. This one was a little -- it took a toll on my comeback. You know, I just -- I think we've got a chance even at the level that I'm at and I'm only going to get better. But this one was probably the hardest by far, especially mentally. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: The Warriors and the Mavs meeting in a game with serious playoff implications, but Steph Curry and Luka Doncic still having a little bit of fun. This was an impromptu half-court shooting contest pregame. Really cool.

After tip-off, though, it was all business from there. Doncic going for his 30-point triple-double, but the Warriors rallying around Andrew Wiggins' team-high 23 points. And Draymond Green also came up with this really big resounding block to heal seal the win as Golden State is now three games clear for the final playing spot.

[05:55:05]

LeBron put up 23 in a win over the slumping Raptors to help the Lakers to their seventh win in eight games. The 20-time All-Star shot 10 for 12 and had nine assists. Several of those dimes going to Anthony Davis who added 21 points in 12 boards in the 17-point win. So, L.A. now with 43 wins in all, which matches their total from all of last year. And they still have six games left to play.

And finally for you this morning, Kasie, in baseball, Bryce Harper giving Phillies fans something to cheer about -- or three things to cheer about. The two-time MVP smacking three home runs, including a seventh-inning grand slam to give the Phillies a 9-4 win over the Reds.

But the story of the night was actually on the mound with the Phillies calling up pitcher Ricardo Pinto, who was in Rochester, New York with their AAA affiliate. He got in traffic on the way to the park and it was a five-hour drive. He ended up arriving in the fourth inning, which was time enough to pitch the final four and earn the save. His first appearance in the Majors since 2019 and he gets there just in time.

We loved this story because you just think about him being stuck in traffic and then parking the car, getting out there, and getting the job done.

HUNT: Yeah, that's -- good for him. I'm glad. I've been in situations trying to come here, for example, in traffic, but it really doesn't compare to that.

Carolyn, thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

All right. Coming up here, the search for survivors after a deadly earthquake off the east coast of Taiwan. Plus, a state of emergency in Kentucky after a night of devastating storms.

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