Return to Transcripts main page
CNN This Morning
Harris Secures Support From Enough Delegates To Win Nomination; Secret Service Director Grilled On Capitol Hill; Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) On Dems Swift Rally Around Harris After Biden's Exit. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired July 23, 2024 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:30:28]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Five-twenty-nine a.m. here in Washington. A live look at the nation's capital on this Tuesday morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
Democrats incredibly energized by Kamala Harris' presidential bid and they have lined up to help the vice president seize the moment for the -- for the party. In just 24 hours, the campaign announced it had raised more than $81 million and that there were 30,000 new volunteer sign-ups. An official telling CNN that in two battleground states volunteers "literally showed up at field offices asking to help."
Harris vowing to bring the Democratic Party together against Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the next 106 days, we are going to take our case to the American people, and we are going to win. We are going to win. I, together with you, will do everything in my power to unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The newfound momentum, of course, in the wake of President Biden's decision to end his own campaign. The move offering Democrats a reset.
Former Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan writes this in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Biden might have created the necessary pivot point for his party to stave off the almost certain electoral disaster it was headed for in November. More important, he might have created the necessary pivot point for the country to save us from another four years of Donald Trump."
And Geoff Duncan joins us now. Geoff, good morning to you. Always wonderful to have you. So you endorsed President Biden before all of this unfolded as a necessary step to defeat Donald Trump which, of course, you view as an unacceptable scenario.
Are you ready to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president?
GEOFF DUNCAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, (R) FORMER GEORGIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR (via Webex by Cisco): Well, I first endorsed Joe Biden because he's a decent man, and I endorsed him over Donald Trump, who is not a decent man, in my opinion -- morally bankrupt. And Joe Biden, by stepping out of this race, really proved that narrative that he is a decent man and did the right thing.
This is probably the most epic pivot point in all of politics, at least in my lifetime and probably for the foreseeable future. This has given the Republican Party, really, a strong test again. They were probably flat-footed coming out of the debate -- or out of the convention thinking that they were just going to read their own press clippings all the way through November, and that's not going to happen now.
Somebody who cares about this Republican Party's future -- somebody who doesn't want to see Donald Trump continue to wreck the brand -- yeah, I look up and watch a Harris, or a Shapiro, or a Whitmer, or a Cooper, or a Beshear -- anybody that the Democrats pick in that grouping is going to be a better short-term fix for Republicans that want our party back and also want to firewall this country against chaos and confusion that just follows Donald Trump everywhere he goes.
HUNT: Is there a reason why you're not quite at the point where you want to say I fully endorse Kamala Harris for president?
DUNCAN: Well, she isn't the nominee yet. Certainly, there looks like there's tracking. Her first day on the job as a -- as a -- as a candidate was about as solid as you could probably get. I mean, the numbers I'm seeing are $80-plus million in fundraising. All of her -- or a majority of her alleged opposition is coming back to endorse her. So, yeah, it certainly looks like that train has left the station.
And, yeah -- look, if Vice President Harris ends up being the nominee -- yeah, let's do this. Let's go ahead.
And as a Republican -- somebody who doesn't agree with her on all of these policies -- but I will encourage her or whoever the ultimate nominee is look, us 10 percent in the middle are still going to determine this election, right? I get it that their base has got to figure out how to coalesce around the candidate and that certainly does look like Vice President Harris. But us 10 percent in the middle are going to determine who the next president is.
And so, I encourage the Democratic base to give whoever their nominee is -- if it's Harris or anybody else -- some leniency to be able to talk to the policies that matter to us in the middle, which are immigration, which are inflation. Use some empathy to understand where we're at on some of these issues -- even tough ones like abortion. We're not all the way there with where the left is. We may be in a different spot, and we'll just agree to disagree.
And use a tone that invites and encourages us to join this short-term journey of trying to win this election so we can beat Donald Trump once and for all.
HUNT: Really interesting way to think about it.
[05:35:00]
Geoff, I want to ask you about a moment -- and I think -- I think I thought of you as I was -- we were pulling the show together this morning because I think it may speak to some of the reasons why you have been so outspoken in opposing Donald Trump.
And this is an Ohio state senator who was involved in introducing J.D. Vance yesterday at an event in Ohio. I want to show you what he said and then I'll ask you about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LANG, (R) OHIO STATE SENATE: I'm afraid if we lose this one it's going to take a civil war to save the country, and it will be saved. It's the greatest experiment in the history of mankind. And if we come down to a civil war, I'm glad we've got people like Schmitty (PH) and the bikers for Trump on our side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Pretty ominous framing. Now, I do want to note that state senator, George Lang, spoke to Politico and said, "I regret the divisive remarks I made in the excitement of the moment on stage, especially in light of the assassination attempt of President Trump last week. We should all be mindful of what is said at political events, myself included."
The reality is -- I mean, this sort of undertone has been there for a little while. What's your reaction to hearing that?
DUNCAN: Well, it's par for the course. I mean, I've been behind the curtain watching Donald Trump make decisions.
I've watched him make horrible, selfish decisions around COVID. Around $8 trillion worth of money we didn't have and spent it against Republican conservative principles. I've seen him try to steal an election. I've seen him lie, cheat. I've seen -- the world who gets behind the curtain with him. I mean, it explains why his entire former cabinet is gone.
That kind of rhetoric happens because there's no guardrail. Winning an election is more important than winning as a country. And look, that's how we got to January 6. That's how we got to the chaos in the streets here in Georgia. That's how we get to all the chaos that funnels -- follows Donald Trump.
Look, it's not easy for a Republican like me that believes in conservative values to support a Democrat, but it's what we need to do. I think history will be kind to us that stood up above party and did the right thing. And I'm certainly hoping the Democrats are able to pull this off and beat Donald Trump to allow us to start to heal and rebuild this Republican Party for a GOP 2.0.
HUNT: All right, Geoff Duncan for us this morning. Geoff, always grateful for your thoughtful perspective. Thank you so much.
DUNCAN: Thanks, Kasie.
HUNT: All right. Just over a week after the assassination attempt against former President Biden, the director of the Secret Service came in for it on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle taking Kimberly Cheatle to task over the stunning security failures that led to the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Have you provided all audio and video recordings in your possession to this committee as we asked on July 15 -- yes or no?
KIMBERLY CHEATLE, DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: I would have to get back to you on that.
MACE: That is a no. You're full of (bleep) today. You are just being completely dishonest.
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I just don't think this is partisan. If you have an assassination attempt on a president, a former president, or a candidate, you need to resign.
REP. JAMES JORDAN (R-OH): You might want to, but you haven't answered -- I don't think you've answered one question from the chairman, the ranking member, or me.
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): We don't have confidence -- not just in Congress, but I don't believe the American people tonight when they go to bed are going to have confidence that the Secret Service is the best it can be.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): I will be joining the chairman in calling for the resignation of the director.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Joining me now to discuss, congressional reporter for The Hill, Mychael Schnell. Mychael, good morning to you.
MYCHAEL SCHNELL, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Hey.
HUNT: Thank you so much for being here.
This hearing was, quite frankly, disastrous for her and -- as has the aftermath of this. And I think the writing is really on the wall when you have someone like Jamie Raskin joining someone like Jim Jordan --
SCHNELL: Yeah.
HUNT: -- to say you've got to get out of here.
SCHNELL: Um-hum.
HUNT: What did you see yesterday?
SCHNELL: Well, you know, this was in the Oversight Committee, which is typically a rancorous, very contentious committee hearings where Republicans and Democrats are down each other's throats as they question the witness.
But what we saw yesterday was this odd show of bipartisanship. Both Democrats and Republicans strongly criticizing Dir. Cheatle and her handling of the investigation, and her apprehension to give out details about the investigation and what happened on the day of the shooting. And, sort of, these bipartisan calls, as you mentioned, for her to resign.
There were a number of Republicans before this hearing who had called on Cheatle to resign, but only one Democrat, Brendan Boyle. That number rose after the hearing. Jamie Raskin, Jared Moskowitz, Ro Khanna -- all three of them calling on Cheatle to resign.
So what I found most striking -- you know, aside from the content and Cheatle's inability to disclose key details about this assassination attempt on not just a former president but the nominee of a major party, was the bipartisanship in terms of how they all -- both came -- both parties came down pretty strongly on Cheatle.
HUNT: Mychael, what moments did they really zero in on in this hearing? Because, I mean, I feel like the more we learn about what happened that day the more stunning the security failures seem. I mean, the number of minutes when law enforcement seemed to be aware that this guy was on the roof.
[05:40:09]
SCHNELL: Right.
HUNT: The various things that seemed to fall through the cracks.
Like, where did lawmakers really put their focus yesterday?
SCHNELL: There were two striking details that came out that really elicited strong responses from lawmakers on both sides.
A) when Cheatle said that Secret Service was informed between two and five times about a suspicious individual at the rally. There were photos taken of the gunman around the rally site. That was one detail that they zeroed in on.
And then the other thing was the -- the other detail that they had zeroed in on was the fact that this rally continued to go on despite those two to five warnings of the shooter being made very clear to Secret Service. So those were just two details of a number of them. And also, just her apprehension to come out and give core details. She did an interview with ABC News after the shooting. Some folks had said that she gave me details and more information during that interview than during a congressional hearing. So a lot of outrage, but those two moments were really specific in terms of what they zeroed in on.
HUNT: Yeah, it really -- I mean, it's really just quite stunning -- I mean, if they had been warned two to five times before. And it was so many minutes before.
SCHNELL: Right.
HUNT: I mean, it seems like they -- it seems to show -- I can understand the frustration on the part of the members of Congress because it seems to show they had plenty of time to prevent Donald Trump from walking out on that stage at all. But it's really hard to actually say that definitively because they're so unwilling --
SCHNELL: And sort of --
HUNT: -- to give details.
SCHNELL: -- on that note, a lot of lawmakers had pressed Cheatle on saying do you have a timeline of what exactly happened on this day in the lead-up to the rally. Cheatle said she did not have a detailed timeline to provide. That also ticked off a lot of lawmakers.
HUNT: Yeah, for sure.
All right, Mychael Schnell for us this morning. Mychael, thank you.
SCHNELL: Thanks.
HUNT: Very grateful to have you.
All right. Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, the vice president getting ready to hit the campaign trail for the first time as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
And we're joined live by Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan as the Democratic Party rallies behind Kamala Harris.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:46:12]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, NBC "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": President Biden decided to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. It is a historic move. Typically, on Sundays, everyone thinks about quitting their job, but Biden is the first person to actually go through with it. I quit.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: All right. In the two days since President Biden's historic exit from the 2024 presidential race, Democrats have swiftly lined up to support Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's presumptive nominee. Biden's abrupt reversal and Harris' bid energizing Democratic donors, lawmakers, and voters, many of whom had this reaction to Sunday's news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA MARQUARDT, WISCONSIN VOTER: I'm kind of relieved and hopeful. Like, I feel like I can breathe again because I didn't feel, sadly, like we had the opportunity that we may have now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: And joining me now is a Democratic congresswoman from Virginia, Jennifer McClellan. Congresswoman, thank you so much for being here.
REP. JENNIFER MCCLELLAN (D-VA): Good morning.
HUNT: So you and I had spoken in the waning days, as it turns out, of President Biden's campaign. You were insisting, of course -- at the time, you were really speaking on -- you know, for the -- for the -- as a campaign surrogate. That he would stay in. Obviously, that's changed.
How would you say the level of excitement has changed among Democrats now that Kamala Harris is the presumptive nominee?
MCCLELLAN: Well, there's an excitement I haven't seen in a very long time. Everything from on Sunday night, I was on a call with 40,000 Black women that raised a million dollars in a couple of hours. Last night, there was a call with 45,000 Black men who are all ready to go and ready to get out and knock on doors and go ahead to victory in November.
HUNT: Yeah. What does it mean to you as Virginia's first Black congresswoman that she is going to top this ticket?
MCCLELLAN: Well, it's very exciting. I mean, first, she's the most qualified candidate running and definitely going to step in with a very strong record, and ready to lead on day one, but in making history in the process. That's very exciting not only as the first woman president, the first Black woman -- the first woman of color, but the first generation X president. So it really is handing the torch.
And I remember the moment after the 2020 election when she came out on stage and my daughter said, "Mommy, who is that?" And I said, "That's the Vice President of the United States." And I looked at her and I was just like now she knows she can be whatever she wants if she puts her mind to it and does the work.
HUNT: Yeah.
So, let's talk a little bit about -- you mentioned the calls that you did with Black women. It seems very clear they are very galvanized by Sen. Harris (sic). I'm interested in your thoughts on Black men because the Trump campaign has been very focused on them. There was some clear erosion among Black men in Donald Trump's direction when Biden was at the top of the ticket.
What do you think Vice President Harris needs to do to reverse that in her campaign?
MCCLELLAN: Well, I think she needs to do what Democrats have been doing for a while now, and that is getting out and talking to them about what the Biden-Harris administration has done as opposed to the Trump administration. Talking about the dangers of Project 2025, particularly for the Black community on everything from economic opportunity to rights.
And when we have done that through roundtables or one-on-one conversations, the conversation shifts because up until recently -- you know, Democrats don't always do a good job about bragging about the work that we have done. But when we do, and people see a very clear contrast between the dystopian view of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance implementing Project 2025 versus building on the Biden-Harris administration's legacy, they are going to vote for Kamala Harris.
[05:50:07]
HUNT: Congresswoman, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, has been in touch with members, surveying them throughout all of this as anxieties about President Biden grew. He still has yet to formally endorse Kamala Harris. We saw Nancy Pelosi came out and did it yesterday.
Do you expect him to do that shortly? What's the holdup?
MCCLELLAN: Well, you know, I think any good comms person would tell you you don't put out all of your endorsements on the same day. You want to time them out. And so, I think he will make that announcement at the appropriate time. But his brother gave us a little tease, saying that his wife and his mother are both AKAs and he understands the assignment.
HUNT: That, of course, the sorority --
MCCLELLAN: That's right.
HUNT: -- right, that Sen. Harris (sic) -- or Vice President Harris. I covered her for many years as a senator as well. That's great.
So, I mean, finally, do you think there's any hesitation among people in tough districts about backing Kamala Harris?
MCCLELLAN: There shouldn't be. I mean, again, when we talk to the American people about the clear contrast between Donald Trump, who has said he would be a dictator on day one. Who now, with J.D. Vance -- they're the most extreme ticket in American history to the far-right. They have a playbook in Project 2025 that is very unpopular with the American people, including in swing districts. And compare that to the vice president, who was a partner in the most
consequential administration in my lifetime. I think that once they talk to their voters and meet them where they are about what's at stake in this election, their voters will vote for her, and they will get behind the ticket as well.
HUNT: All right, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. Thank you very much for being here. I'm very grateful.
MCCLELLAN: Thank you.
HUNT: All right, time now for sports.
LeBron James will carry the U.S. flag at the Olympic opening ceremony. But first, he carried Team USA in a comeback win the final tune-up before the games begin.
Andy Scholes has this morning's Bleacher Report. Andy, good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, good morning, Kasie.
So, Team USA -- you know, they're heavy favorites to win gold in Paris but they've had back-to-back shaky wins now against South Sudan and Germany, and LeBron bailing them out in both of those games.
The 39-year-old -- he had the game-winner against South Sudan in the final seconds. Then yesterday, against Germany, LeBron just taking over down the stretch, scoring the U.S.' final 11 points of the game. He finished with 20. Team USA would squeak by again, beating Germany 92-88.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, FORWARD, TEAM USA: I love the competition. Man, seize the opportunity in the moment, man. Stay in the moment. That's all it's about. Stay in the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right, to the U.S. Open's play in Paris on Sunday against Serbia. And not only will LeBron be leading Team USA on the court, he's also going to be one of the flag bearers during the opening ceremony on Friday. This will be LeBron's fourth Olympics and it's first time ever a men's basketball player was picked to carry the American flag.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES: I understand right now in a country that's so divided, I hope this moment and that moment will unite us or bring us together even if it's for that split -- you know, for those split seconds. Those hours that we're traveling across that water in Paris. So I'm holding that responsibility with a lot of honor.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: All right. The Las Vegas Summer League, meanwhile, wrapping up with the Heat and Grizzlies in the title game. The second-round pick, Pelle Larsson gets the ball here with the game tied, and he hits a floater for the game-winner -- 120-118 the final. Miami wins. The first time ever the Heat win the Summer League.
All right. And finally, Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN and AT&T, announcing yesterday that it will match Amazon's $1.8 billion per year offer to remain an elite partner airing games. This means that if the matching deal is approved by the league, the iconic "INSIDE THE NBA" show will continue beyond this upcoming season, which is the last of Warner Bros. Discovery's previous rights deal.
The NBA Board of Governors still has to approve the 11-year deal.
NBA games have been on TNT since the channel launched in 1988, Kasie. I know a lot of NBA fans, including myself, really hoping this works out because "INSIDE THE NBA" with Chuck, Kenny, Shaq, and Ernie -- one of the best shows on television.
HUNT: Indeed, it is. It's really fun.
All right, Andy. Thank you so much.
SCHOLES: All right.
HUNT: I really appreciate it.
All right, coming up next here, Vice President Harris rapidly shoring up the support she needs to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Plus, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons joins us live to discuss the latest developments in this brand new presidential race.
[05:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL)
HUNT: It's Tuesday, July 23. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: We have doors to knock on. We have people to talk to. We have phone calls to make. And we have an election to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Vice President Kamala Harris says she's ready to put in the work. And after just two days, she's already the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But my friends, Kamala Harris is a million times worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Donald Trump's team already on the attack, trying to gain the upper hand against Harris.
And one-by-one, other Democratic hopefuls line up to pledge their support to Kamala Harris.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Trying to secure that all important youth vote. How Harris' team is trying to reach out to Gen Z.
