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CNN This Morning

Trump Campaign Says It Raised $50.5 Million at Florida Fundraiser; Biden Outlines Plans to Deliver Student Debt Relief to Over 30 Million Americans; Bad Weather Threatens to Spoil Plans for Millions of Americans Hoping to Get a Glimpse of Today's Solar Eclipse. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 08, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

KASIE HUNT, ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING: It's Monday, April 8th. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING, Donald Trump closing the financial gap with President Biden with a record fundraising haul as he teases a big announcement on abortion this morning.

President Biden preparing to bring a student loan relief to a new group of borrowers, plus, bad weather threatening to spoil plans for millions of Americans hoping to get a glimpse of today's solar eclipse.

All right, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington D.C., a live look-down at the National Mall, Washington monument and the Lincoln Memorial, good morning, everyone, happy Monday, I'm Kasie Hunt, it's wonderful to have you with us.

Team Trump claiming they raked in more than $50 million at a Palm Beach, Florida fundraiser Saturday night, that is nearly double what President Biden raised last month at a star-studded New York event featuring former Presidents Clinton and Obama. Trump's campaign has struggled to keep up with Biden's fundraising numbers.

The new head of the Republican National Committee, though, Michael Whatley says the former president is solid financially heading into the general election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL WHATLEY, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: We've raised over $100 million since the president became the presumptive nominee about a month ago. And I feel like we are very strongly positioned to go into this general campaign mode.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Former President Trump also promising a statement on his abortion stance this morning. We know that the former president has gone back and forth about how aggressively to confront that issue. Joining me now is "Semafor" politics reporter, Shelby Talcott. Shelby, good morning, great to see you. Let's talk a little bit about this fundraiser on Saturday night. They

-- we know that the former president wanted to post this massive total, but he also, you know, made a series of controversial remarks at this fundraiser that the "New York Times" is reporting here.

What does it tell you that they were able to post this kind of a number, and whether it means that, where they -- they are where they need to be.

SHELBY TALCOTT, POLITICS REPORTER, SEMAFOR: I think the most important thing to remember is in the primary. There were a lot of top donors who were really wary about backing Trump. Some of them stayed out of the primary, others decided to back some of his opponents. And now, we're seeing this sort of coalesce -- coalescing around Donald Trump.

And so that indicates to me that, at the end of the day, these wealthy donors are starting to get behind Donald Trump, even if they have reservations. And so, that's important because it does indicate that he is able to get a lot of money. It's not going to be as much as Joe Biden.

His campaign aides have acknowledged that, but there's certainly in a better position than they were a few months ago when they were really struggling with fundraising.

HUNT: Yes, the consolidation and absolutely a critical part of this. I mean, Trump posting "biggest night in fundraising of all time, will double the Biden number of last week. I want to make America great again", of course, "DJT". Here's how the Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler responded to this fundraiser. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL TYLER, BIDEN-HARRIS 2024 CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: He's down in Mar-a-Lago tonight with a bunch of billionaires, people like John Paulson, who not only wants to cut Social Security, but he's famous for as a hedge founder, rooting against the American economy, betting against the American economy.

So, I guess it's no surprise that he's investing in somebody like Donald Trump who is rooting for the economy to crash. But the whole lot of them is a bunch of billionaire scammers, extremists and racist who understand that if they fund Trump's legal fees, he's going to cut their taxes while he cuts our Social Security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So, there's a lot there. In terms of how he's talking about a lot of these donors, a preview, I think of what's to come. But that economic messaging from the Biden team, I mean, they have sort of struggled with how to frame that. What's your view of how they're doing it here in this context.

TALCOTT: This is the -- this is the big thing as both candidates in this election are really trying to build themselves as like the middle class every day candidate. And so, when we see Donald Trump go to these high -- you know, top donors, it gives the Biden campaign an opportunity to say, hey, voters, Donald Trump is not actually of the people, right?

[05:05:00]

And on the flip side, when we see Democrats raise a lot of money from high donors versus Donald Trump's sort of small donor amounts, which has historically been higher. Donald Trump is able to say the same thing. So, it indicates the importance for each campaign to target this group of voters when it's -- and it's potentially going to determine who wins this election, right?

Donald -- Joe Biden is struggling with young voters. He's struggling with minority voters. And so, these are the kind of voters that they want to say, hey guys, we're going to help you. The opponent is not going to help you, and so, that's sort of what we're seeing.

HUNT: Donald Trump on a different topic also put this out last night, that he says he's going to be putting out a statement on abortion, right? He -- they're all caps here, it's kind of interesting, right? Exceptions. He's focusing on exceptions for rape, incest in the life of the mother.

He of course says this as well. "Win elections" is in all caps, "at the same time we must use common sense in realizing we have this obligation to win elections". This issue, he has been pushed by many in the pro-life movement to be more definitive about where he stands on a nationwide abortion ban.

But on the other hand, he seems to acknowledge that it is -- it has not been a winning issue for Republicans. And he has seemed to go back and forth about whether he wants to do something like this. What does it tell you that he is going to put out a statement today? Which also by the way, happens to be the day of the total solar eclipse.

TALCOTT: Yes --

HUNT: He says he wants that news eclipse.

TALCOTT: It is. It is really interesting because abortion has been such a hard issue for Republicans ever since Dobbs. And it's been something that Democrats have really highlighted on, and they plan to highlight and continue to attack going into this election because it's been so successful for them.

And so, it's notable that Donald Trump is actually coming out with a statement when he made that comment last week, saying that he planned to make a statement, it took his aides by surprise. And so, this isn't necessarily something that they have been prepping for it seems for a long time.

So, I'm curious to see what he ultimately ends up, but I think he recognizes that despite anti-abortion activists really pushing for much stricter restrictions, it's not what the American people want. And so, whatever he does come out with, I think both sides are going to be -- you know, there's no -- it's very difficult despite what he has said publicly to come to a consensus and to come to an agreement on this issue.

HUNT: Well, and the sort of consensus number if there is one, the way that he talks about it, and other Republicans talk about it as 15- comma-16 weeks. Glenn Youngkin tried to run on that in Virginia, and it didn't seem to really work for him, possibly because there are all these other examples of bans that are so much more draconian than that.

And Democrats are arguing -- OK, they say this now, but really they want to go further than that and they will. Is that -- do you think going to resonate?

TALCOTT: Remember, when Donald Trump came out last year and sort of criticized the anti-abortion movement for trying to be so strict, and saying that Republicans have failed to come to a consensus, that's the big thing here. I think Republicans problem has been that they can't find a consensus.

So, even when you have sort of these candidates who are focused on what the consensus could be 15 weeks, 16 weeks, you still have a portion of the party who is pushing for much stricter restrictions. So, regardless, that ends up affecting the candidates who maybe are willing to accept lesser restrictions.

So, it's going to be really tougher for Donald Trump and for the Republican Party as a whole, this election on the issue of abortion and Democrats know that.

HUNT: All right, Shelby Talcott for us, Shelby, thank you very much for getting us started this morning. All right, up next here, the Israeli military withdrawing some ground forces from a key city in southern Gaza. Plus, a Southwest flight forced to turn around after a scare in the air.

And the parts of the country where bad weather might impinge on your solar eclipse experience.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:10:00]

HUNT: Welcome back. Israel and Hamas may be inching closer to a ceasefire deal. Negotiations continue in Cairo today. Egyptian media reporting a significant progress with the talks. In the meantime, Israel's military claims that they've withdrawn ground forces from Khan Yunis in Gaza.

But a CNN team there says they only saw a large number of tanks pull out, not troops. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing criticism from President Biden after a tense phone call last week. Netanyahu putting the blame on Hamas as demands intensified domestically to bring the hostages home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator):

Hamas' extreme demands were intended to bring about an end to the war while leaving the group intact. It will not happen. Israel is ready for a deal. Israel is not ready to surrender.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, CNN's Max Foster joins us now live from London. Max, good morning to you. What do we know about the latest in these ceasefire talks, and what exactly is happening on the ground with Israel's troop movements in the wake of that call between the two leaders, President Biden and Bibi Netanyahu?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Well, a very positive news from the Egyptians who are obviously deeply involved in all of these negotiations. But at the same time, we are hearing from Netanyahu, no ceasefire until all the hostages are released.

[05:15:00]

And we're also hearing from Hamas that they are not near an agreement here. So, it's the same as it always is. You know, we're listening to different soundings from different groups, we -- you know, we really can't -- you know, bet anything until there actually is some sort of ceasefire deal, a lot of those ongoing issues are still there.

On the ground, we are seeing troops leave Khan Yunis and you know, Palestinians able to get back in there and see all the -- you know, absolutely horrific destruction there. It's not entirely clear what's happening. They're clearly regrouping, recreate -- recuperating after, you know, really tough period of war within Gaza.

But the big question is whether or not they're preparing to go into Rafah, which is where, you know, the suggestion has been, the next fight will be, and there are huge amount of civilians there. So, we're really waiting on what happens to those new troop deployments there.

The other big talking point today is one of the crossings into Gaza from Israel, that it said it would open. It hasn't opened yet, because there are big logistical issues. So, we're -- you know, those -- that aid corridor, that land, crucial land corridor of aid into Gaza isn't opened just yet.

HUNT: Max, can we just talk for a second about the pressures on Prime Minister Netanyahu right now, because there were some news analysis in the "New York Times" over the weekend suggesting that the people in Israel raising questions about whether he is continuing this war and the way that he's conducting this war has to do with domestic political considerations and pressure on him to keep it going in order to keep this fragile government -- governing coalition together. What do those pressures look like?

FOSTER: Well, the pressures -- you know, the coalition, the pressures are that there are members of that coalition who are now calling for early elections. So, this -- you know, it's not quite fragmented there. It's still a war cabinet, but you know, there's pressure on it. At the same time, you know, we've talked in the past, haven't we?

About the immense amount of pressure on Netanyahu even before we went into this war, and how he handled the judicial review process. For example, he was very unpopular then, but there was, you know, a war boost, dare I say, you know, he was seen as very strong leader going into the war, but it's being six months.

And there isn't a deal. And you know, October 7th still very clear in everyone's minds, of course, in Israel. But you know, the time -- you know, it's been six months now and still very fresh memories and still no real progress for many Israelis, is just this constant argument about how do you deal with Hamas?

Everyone has clearly agreed broadly in Israel that the fight is with Hamas. How do you break them down? And Netanyahu's --

HUNT: Yes --

FOSTER: Argument is still, we have to destroy them before we leave and reach any sort of, you know, lasting deal.

HUNT: Right, so, Max, on a slightly lighter note, I've never actually witnessed a full eclipse in my life, but it sounds like you have. What are people in for?

FOSTER: Well, we had a total eclipse in 1999. So major bit, but I remember I was working in another organization then, going outside the building and it was a really hot day. And it was really weird and eerie. So, if you do get that chance to see it today, I'd certainly recommend it, because it just goes dark.

I know that sounds obvious, but it's really weird, but it also gets really cold suddenly. And for me, that was quite stark because it was a hot day and it's the silence. I think it's the silence because people go quiet because they are trying to take in the moment, but you know, all of nature went quiet as well.

So, birds stopped tweeting. It is the most mesmerizing experience, then it's suddenly over -- also lasts a bit longer than you imagine as well, but it's definitely worth seeing if you get the chance.

HUNT: Yes, have you appeared on television with these on yet?

FOSTER: No, and I have to say a lot of people didn't wear them, but the recommendation --

HUNT: No?

FOSTER: Is you do. But here you are --

HUNT: Because it's the first time --

FOSTER: This is your moment.

(LAUGHTER)

HUNT: Should we agree with many of them? I don't know. I can't read the teleprompter with them on, so --

FOSTER: Are you going to get a chance to see it? You'll get -- you'll be able to see it, will you?

HUNT: We're going to get partial totality here which I have seen before. I mean, it is incredible still, but my understanding is it's just not the same as being able to experience it in full. So, I guess I'm going to have to wait 20 years to get my shot.

FOSTER: I feel sorry --

HUNT: But that --

FOSTER: All these people that have been waiting years and have traveled and the weather is going to ruin it, I'm just holding out for them.

HUNT: One of my -- Shelby actually, who was just here, she said she has friends who booked three different flights and they're just deciding this morning --

FOSTER: Oh, my --

HUNT: Which one to get on?

FOSTER: Amazing.

HUNT: So that they can get some good weather. All right, Max Foster, Max, thank you --

FOSTER: Cheers, Kasie --

HUNT: You're such a good support. Talk to you soon. All right, coming up next here, we've got a new stage of the salvage operation at the site of the Baltimore bridge collapse, plus, Caitlin Clark's final college basketball game ending with a three-word message to her fans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:00]

HUNT: All right, 23 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundups. Scary moments for passengers on this Southwest flight after an engine cover fell off and struck the wing flap during takeoff. The Boeing jet made it to 10,000 feet before turning back and making a safe emergency landing in Denver.

Crews now are moving containers from the Dali, the cargo ship that plowed into Baltimore's Key Bridge and collapsed it last month. It is a major step toward reopening the critical channel and ports. Wins over 95 miles an hour, battering parts of Colorado this weekend, shutting down roads, causing power outages for more than 150,000 people.

[05:25:00] All right, heavy rain and severe weather expected from central Texas

to northern Arkansas. The good news is, the worst is expected after the eclipse. Our meteorologist Allison Chinchar tracking the system for us. Allison, I feel like people just want to know, are they going to see the eclipse? What's going on?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: Right. It really just depends on where you plan to go for the eclipse, because there are going to be some absolutely wonderful spots along the path. Some of those places include areas of northeastern Missouri, portions of southern Indiana and Illinois, also areas of Vermont up through Maine, also very nice conditions there.

The trouble spots are really going to be some of these areas across the Great Lakes and then again, yes, down into Texas and Oklahoma where we do have the potential for some severe thunderstorms. Now, as you mentioned, those storms are really expected to be after the eclipse-viewing, but a lot of those clouds could roll in ahead of time, and that could end up obscuring that optimal viewing time.

But even after that, as people are heading maybe home to where they came from, they may be encountering some of those strong to severe thunderstorms. This is the target area you see here, the green, yellow and orange colors. We can expect large to very large hail. You're talking maybe up to baseball-size hail, damaging winds and also the potential for some isolated tornadoes.

So, you can see a lot of those showers and thunderstorms already developing by 3:00 or 4:00, the bulk of them really ramp up after say, 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. But if you're headed, say, back towards Lubbock and Amarillo, where maybe home is over towards Shreveport in Jackson, Mississippi.

You are likely going to encounter some of those storms as you're heading back home after the eclipse. Some other places, again, Dallas specifically, still looking at pretty -- a pretty high amount of clouds for the eclipse-viewing today. Indianapolis going to be a much better spot, those clouds will actually be decreasing as we go through the day.

So, once we get to that time of totality, we should only have just a very few amount of clouds in the sky. Niagara Falls also going to be about that 80 percent range for cloud cover, Burlington, Vermont, only of, Kasie, about 20 to 30 percent, much better viewing there.

HUNT: All right, fair enough. It sounds like there may be some people getting stuck at the Dallas Airport, trying to get out of dodge after that, so, we'll have to keep an eye on that, too, thanks, Allison, I really appreciate it, we'll see you next hour.

All right, get your eclipse-viewing glasses ready. This is the rare opportunity that won't come around for two decades. Do join us here at CNN for special live coverage of the "ECLIPSE ACROSS AMERICA", it starts live today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also stream it on Max.

All right, coming up next, here, why Donald Trump says it would be a great honor to go to jail. Plus, a Republican congressman conceding some of his fellow Republicans are spreading Russian propaganda.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)