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Interview With Former Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA); Interview With Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL). Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 15, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: For some, the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was a rude awakening to just how polarized American politics have become. But for others who've watched the recent rise in threats to lawmakers, the violent attack on the Capitol say that it was just unfortunately almost a matter of time.

Joining me now is someone whose family has been devastatingly affected by America's painful history of political violence, the former Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy.

Sir, very grateful to have you here today?

JOE KENNEDY (D), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

HUNT: I just like to first ask for your reflections. You lost your grandfather and your great uncle. Of course, they both meant a lot to the country. A country lost them as well. But you have a unique perspective on this.

How do you take in what we saw and what is your message for the country in this moment?

KENNEDY: Look these are hard times, I think for all of us. It's hard times for our country.

I think oftentimes as understandable, Americans are seeing what's playing out on our television screens and think of this as, you know, politicians or people far away.

[06:30:03]

They don't -- they don't see the human side of this.

I talked to a number of my former colleagues in the House and Senate over the weekend. Folks are scared. They're scared for our country.

They've got to be out campaigning over the course of the months ahead. Many are nervous about their own safety. You've got to be out with people. It's part of the job, shaking hands, town halls, parades.

What the implication of this is and what this might mean for them, I'd urge some of those lawmakers that are -- and candidates that are using some of the rhetoric that the prior panel highlighted, what if it were your family, your wife and your kids that you were trying to get back to? And if you saw some of -- you are the victim of some of these threats as, by the way, almost everybody is at this point?

But it doesn't have to be this way, right? We can choose to take a step back from that brink, highlight the differences which are real between our political parties and our candidates, without entering into the vilification that starts to create a sense of normalcy for this type of violence.

HUNT: You are working right now as the special envoy for Northern Ireland, which is a place that has grappled with political violence in a really terrible way.

What lessons have -- have you learned in that work? And how -- what have you learned that could help us through this moment?

KENNEDY: Look, I think what's transpired in Northern Ireland over the course of the past 30 years should be instructional and instrumental to the United States. This is a place that went through a brutal history of 30 years of conflict and you now have a new generation of political leaders there that are saying, we're not going to go back to that. There are real big divides about the future for Northern Ireland within the political system in Northern Ireland.

And yet, those leaders are making space for alternative viewpoints. They are saying that Northern Ireland is big enough and bold enough to make sure we can have that debate without entering into the vilification and the trauma that society there has experienced.

And, you know, we talk about -- and obviously, my -- my -- my prayers along with -- you mentioned it before, have been with Mr. Comperatore and his family and other victims yesterday, and, obviously, former President Trump and his family.

There were thousands of people that watch an assassination attempt on live television. There thousands of people there that are going to experience some level of trauma and that could be impacted by this. We need to create the space here to process it, and to try to heal going forward. This cannot be where we go to as a country where people are scared about participating in a democracy, about being formed for discussion and debate and disagreement.

It's not about making sure there's no disagreement. Democracies need disagreement. It's about being able to have that disagreement without the vilification and the threat of violence that shuts down that debate and shuts down those forums, because if we do that, we do lose our democracy. We lose -- we lose our country.

HUNT: Sir, President Biden gave an Oval Office address. He obviously has been grappling with his own political crisis as Democrats have tried to decide if he is the right person to remain at the top of the ticket.

How do you think he is handling this moment? And how would you like to see him proceed? KENNEDY: Look, I think President Biden, over the course of the weekend, in particular, last night, did exactly what -- not only many Americans would expect that he would do, but he did it in a way that is quintessential Joe Biden.

It was empathy. It was grace. It was in creating again that space to bring people together.

This is a commander-in-chief that has now -- you know, had been running essentially against Donald Trump for several years between the prior election and this one. He called President Trump immediately after the assassination attempt, wished him well, checked in on him and his family, pulled down political advertisements amidst of a contentious period of a campaign as we're going into the conventions, and there's going to be a lot of rhetoric there by Republicans as -- as is the case in a convention, right?

But he pulled down that -- those ads beforehand. He's talking about trying to find ways to bring people together.

And I thought Bakari Sellers said it very well. This is going to come not just from political leaders, where it should come and others have to meet now, President Biden, where he was, which some have failed to do.

But it's going to come and spread through communities, right? Through our leaders in those communities, through preachers and pastors and teachers, and non-profit leaders, where we all have to model this, and where we see people going down a different path to pull them back from it because you can't expect this to be solved by speeches, however grand, in -- at a convention or from an Oval Office. This is something that at this point is inside all of us and we all have a responsibility to do better.

[06:35:01]

HUNT: We do.

Sir, very briefly, your uncle has been running for president, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Do you think that he should have Secret Service protection in the wake of what we saw?

KENNEDY: Yes. Look, I have some disagreements with my -- political disagreements with my uncle. He's -- he's still family and certainly, given what we've seen and what I know Bobby has experienced over the course of the past several months on a campaign trail, he needs to have that protection, as any candidate for office at this point I think is going to need.

HUNT: All right. Former Congressman Joe Kennedy, very grateful to have you today. Thank you very much for coming on.

KENNEDY: Thank you. Thank you.

HUNT: All right. Still ahead here on CNN this morning, a changed race. How both Trump and Biden's campaigns will move forward. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:05]

HUNT: All right. Welcome back.

President Biden, Donald Trump both say they're trying to unify a divided nation after Saturday's deadly shooting, Trump tells "The Washington Examiner", he has written a speech, a new speech for the RNC.

He says, quote, I basically had a speech that was an unbelievable rip- roarer. It was brutal, really good, really tough. Last night, I threw it out. I think it would be very bad if I got up and started going wild about how horrible everybody is and how corrupt and crooked, even if it's true. Had this not happened, we had a speech that was pretty well set that was extremely tough. Now we have a speech that is more unifying.

Here was President Biden addressing the nation from the Oval Office last night. He says, there's no room for violence in politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Republican Convention will start tomorrow. I have no doubt they'll criticize my record and offer their own vision for this country. I'll be traveling this week, making the case for our record and vision -- my visions of the country, our vision. I'll continue to speak out strongly for our democracy. Stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law, to call for action at the ballot box, no violence on our streets. That's how democracy should work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So, Shane Goldmacher, you could almost hear me -- Trump in that interview said, he's going to give a unifying speech, but also he -- he said, well, if I were calling them these names, but actually they are those things. You can sort of see the person that Trump is come through there. So I guess my question is -- is he -- is he going to continue on this line? Because we know that he's different on the teleprompter than off.

SHANE GOLDMACHER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: I mean, history was just that there is one Donald Trump and the Trump that we all know. And he can have moments of different elements of presenting differently, but he is fundamentally who he is. He is running for president because he thinks there are problems in this country, and he sees deep problems and he cast them darkly. That's -- that's been the beginning.

And what we see this week is, this is the third consecutive time he's getting these -- this nomination. And so, you see a Republican Party that reflects his vision. And it's expected throughout the week. There's not going to be a big dissent. It's going to be Trump's party. JASON OSBORNE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: But I have to just one I'm wondering your points, right. I mean, I think when you -- I can only imagine what its like to almost be killed, right? To have a bullet whizzed by your ear that that has to change somebody and I think Joe Kennedy said it pretty eloquently in what he was speaking about.

And I think what we're seeing right now is Trump realizing that what happened to him could have gone completely. Another way and it impacts him, right. And so I think he is being who he is that we don't see necessarily on camera and at these rallies, and I think we're going to see a stronger Trump talking about unity, and then over the next course of the next few weeks demonstrating what that really means.

HUNT: Jump in.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: My question would be therefore, is Trump. Despite everything that's happened, capable of unifying the country, given the turmoil of the last well, ever since 2016 clearly he's seen as a personality by at least half the country who himself has attacked democracy, obviously, the attack on Saturday was a heinous attack on democracy himself --

HUNT: But also on Capitol on January 6.

COLLINSON: Right, right.

HUNT: I mean, this is not the beginning of this point.

COLLINSON: We have come to this -- could be unified. It seems like the incentives for division a greater than a political incentives for unity.

MATT GORMAN, FORMER TIM SCOTT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR: I'm not sure regular going to see a presidential candidate or president get above 60 percent approval rating ever again, unless it's an absolute national crisis, like a 9/11. I just don't I think those days regrettably may be gone but also there's short-term message alterations.

You saw President Biden postponed the speech on democracy in Austin, Texas. This unity speech now that it's going to be focused on Thursday. We'll see if it lasts longer than a couple of weeks. Short term? Yes.

HUNT: All right. Jason Osborne, thank you so much for joining us today.

OSBORNE: Thank you.

HUNT: We'll look at the convention. I think were going to see you on -- later on in the week.

[06:45:00]

OSBORNE: Yes, thanks. HUNT: All right. The rest of panel is coming back in just a few

moments.

Still ahead here on CNN this morning, Congressman Byron Donalds joins us live as the Republican National Convention begins here in Milwaukee.

Plus, where do we -- where does America go from here? Some are looking back to leaders from our past to try to pave the way to a better future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNT: Welcome back.

Just a day after surviving an assassination attempt, the former President Donald Trump arrived in Milwaukee, where he will formally accept his party's presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention this week. The security lapses at Saturday's rally though are raising new safety concerns about this largest gathering of the GOP in the 2024 cycle.

The mayor of Milwaukee telling CNN there will be no changes to the city's convention security plan.

[06:50:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR CAVALIER JOHNSON (D), MILWAUKEE: We've worked at this for some 18 months, some 18 months, and Milwaukee is designated a national special safety or security event.

And this is the highest level that you can possibly get in terms of the designation that we have for the Republican National Convention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, joining me now is Republican congressman from Florida, Byron Donalds. He is a strong supporter of the former president.

Congressman, thank you very much for being here.

REP. BRYON DONALDS (R-FL): Good to be with you.

HUNT: So, first, have you spoken to the former president since the attempt on his life?

DONALDS: I haven't talked to him personally. We texted back and forth that night, late -- late Saturday evening. We texted -- talked to some of his senior team yesterday.

He's in good spirits. He's excited to be in Milwaukee.

And no, I don't want to speak for him, but knowing him, his mind is on getting back to business, getting back to working hard for the American people. And the assassination attempt, which obviously what would be chilling for anybody, what it has done for the president is as given him new sense of purpose, focus, and energy to move forward with this campaign and get back into the White House.

HUNT: We heard from the former president in a pair of interviews yesterday. He says that he has changed his speech for here at the RNC, that he was going to give one that attacked President Biden as crooked and other things, but that he's not going to do that. He's going to give a speech that's more focused on unity.

Is that the right path? And what tone do you hope that the former president strikes?

DONALDS: Well, it is, and I think it's the right path because -- look, we have major disagreements in politics. We know this, but it can't go to that level. It cannot go to where now people are being targeted for assassination, where you have violence between citizens.

We're allowed to have disagreements. It's part of the American way. We have disagreements as families. We have disagreements with businesses, in politics, obviously.

But when something like this happens, it requires you to reassess. The president has done that. Unity is going to be our message of this week and not just this week, for the rest of this campaign, and going forward in our country because at the end of the day, no matter how much we might disagree, vehemently, on these issues, we are all Americans. We're one country.

HUNT: "The Wall Street Journal" editorial page is calling this morning for people who engage in conspiracy theories from the right and the left and specifically members of Congress, they named Congressman Mike Collins, who referenced Biden in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, they said that those people, right and left should be ostracized from our conversation, that we instead should be having a conversation that focuses on some of the things that you just outlined.

Do you agree with "The Wall Street Journal"?

DONALDS: Well, firstly, I'm never getting into the business of ostracizing anybody. People have their opinions no matter what -- no matter how much you might agree or disagree. I think the important thing is that we actually operate with the facts going forward from what happened Saturday in Pennsylvania.

There are going to be congressional hearings on this. I sit on the Oversight Committee. I know Chairman Comer has already started to begin that work for us to get to the bottom of what happened, whatever lapses occur, make sure that if somebody has to be held accountable, but there's an opportunity to do so.

But the biggest thing is, obviously, President Trump is safe. We had a former fire chief lose his life protecting his family in Pennsylvania. The biggest thing I want to make sure now is that whatever that lapse that occurred is fixed, and that we proceed going forward.

People are going to have their opinions in your viewpoints, but let's make sure the American people have the facts.

HUNT: So obviously, the Secret Service agents who rushed that stage when those shots started to be fired are heroes.

DONALDS: Yes.

HUNT: We don't want to lose sight of that. But also, there clearly was a massive security failure as you alluded to, and there are going to be these congressional investigations.

Who do you hold responsible right now? I mean, what -- and I should also ask, have you asked President Trump about how he feels about what the people -- that he was left unprotected?

DONALDS: Well, I haven't talked to him about that specifically. I talked to a couple of my colleagues who served in the military, who've had -- who have done advanced work, have done security details. They've laid out some of their concerns.

I think it's easy to just point to may be local police or Secret Service. I don't want to do that right now. I want to make sure I have the actual facts of the -- of the hour by hour in terms of how they can visit, how they set up the advanced work, et cetera before I come out with a conclusion.

HUNT: All right. And last but not least, do you know if the president has selected his vice presidential running mate? He's running out of time. Do you know who it is?

DONALDS: I do not know who it is.

HUNT: Still want to make any news here.

DONALDS: No, I'm not going to make any news this morning. But look, I'll tell you this, the president -- you know, he's going to make a great one and at the end of the day, you know, the vice presidential nominee, along with President Trump, they are going to essentially be -- they're going to be our leaders moving forward.

Obviously, I fully anticipate he's going to be the 47th president of the United States. So the tone today really is really where the president has been going for quite some time. If you've watched him on the campaign trail -- yeah, you know, everybody has political barbs. We all know that.

[06:55:07]

But his primary focus has been the welfare of the American people, the security of the American people, and America being a great nation once again.

HUNT: Congressman Donalds, thank you so much for this and you're going to stick around -- DONALDS: I will.

HUNT: -- and be part of our panel here. So thank you.

All right. Lets turn back to where we do go as a country from here. I want to show you Abraham Lincoln during his inaugural address just before the Civil War, he said this, quote: The mystic chords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this land, will yet swell the chorus of the union when again touched, as surely, they will be by the better angels of our nature.

And then President-elect Biden echoed those words from history and he called for Americans to unite after the 2020 election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our nation is shaped by the cost of batter betrayed our better angels on our darkest impulses. Now what presidents say in this battle matters is time for our better angels to prevail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: And, of course, his RNC or his DNC, excuse me, speech in Delaware.

Our panel is back, and I have to say -- I mean, as I have been thinking, all of you about how to approach this because this is this one of those moments where I think everything that we all say and do whenever you have a platform, it is important to recognize and find the better angels among us.

And obviously, we have seen some people conduct themselves in ways that I would prefer not to highlight here. There are a couple of people, though, who I think we should try to lift up. And we did here in particular, you'll see at the end of what I'm about to play.

Steve Scalise who himself was a victim of political violence at a baseball practice and congressional baseball practice. I talked to him extensively after this happened to him. He handled what happened to him with incredible grace and he said he's doing the same in this moment.

We also heard from the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who similarly is someone who has been in a place that lifts this country up. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): In a certain way, Kristen, politics should be kind of boring. What we have got to see is serious discussion of serious issues and not this kind of harsh rhetoric that we have heard for the last number of years.

REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): And what can we do better? And I think -- look, I mean, clearly, we have differences politically. That's not going to change. We don't stop talking about those, but frankly, we ought to get back to just talking about those political differences.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: This is a moment where all leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity, where all leaders need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists and search for a better, brighter future for this nation.

HUNT: Stephen Collinson the reality is, you know, when I started out in this business, I have been considered myself a patriotic American. I believe very strongly in what we are capable of, what America has accomplished in her many -- in her many years. We have had our struggles.

This is not the America that I wanted to be covering. This is not the kind of campaign that I want to be covering right now.

How do you look at what we can all do as individuals, citizens to move forward?

COLLINSON: The question that president raised in that speech, the question of the better angels of our nature that is, the battle in America between its better angels and the things that have been tearing it apart for nearly 250 years. That's what we're seeing right now.

I hate to be a cynic, but I remember being at the Gabby Giffords service in 2011.

HUNT: I was there, too. It was devastating.

COLLINSON: For the young girl, Christina-Taylor Green, that was killed people talking about the better angels, then it was time to unify. Same after the Steve Scalise shooting at the baseball practice, people talk about it, but people need to live it, and that was back to what Bakari was saying.

One of the -- the legacy of Dr. King was that he was a leader who lived the example of his teachings. And we're going to see now whether our leaders are able to do that.

HUNT: Congressman?

DONALDS: I'll tell you, I think our leaders are.

And the biggest thing is that we have to be confident in our arguments as opposed to just arguing. It's not just politicians elected officials, it's news networks, it's social media platforms. Everybody today knows that headlines sizzle. So the more sizzling the headline, people but might click on it.

Chyrons -- people do watch that headlines and editorial rooms, that matters, but also the words that come from elected officials. We do have that capability, but we have to be focused on our arguments actually standing out for themselves and not trying to raise the temperature in order to get attention or get more focused on what we're trying to say.