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Walz Accepts CBS Debate Invite; Harris and Biden To Do Event Together; Disney Wants Lawsuit Dismissed; Trump Derails with Insults; RFK Junior Meets with Trump and Harris. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 15, 2024 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Derek, good morning.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kasie.

So, here's the result of that six to 10 inches of rain. This is footage coming out of the northern side of Puerto Rico yesterday afternoon. And you can see some of the flooded roadways across this region.

But what's also interesting to note is how much this impacted the electrical grid in Puerto Rico. We know from previous hurricanes how susceptible the power grid is in Puerto Rico, and a storm, which was a tropical storm as it moved through Puerto Rico yesterday, was capable of knocking out power for nearly a half a million customers. So, that's really saying something. It's going to take some time for them to recover and get the lights turned back on and, of course, the buildings cool down because, of course, temperatures will start to warm being that it is summer.

Now, this is the current path of Hurricane Ernesto. There's a lot of dry air starting to wrap into this system, so it's having trouble really coming to get that eyewall, like we would see with a strengthening storm. Nonetheless, it is anticipated to strengthen going forward. There are hurricane warnings in Bermuda. Worst timeframe for weather for Bermuda, late Friday into Saturday. That was - that is when we could see impacts from a category two or three hurricane depending on the exact strength.

Now, impacts along the East Coast, rip tides and large swells will impact the entire eastern seaboard from this system. Kasie, this is going to be an impactful storm for Bermuda. Remember, it's a popular tourist destination. Thousands of visitors visit this area frequently.

HUNT: All right, Derek Van Dam for us this morning. Derek, thanks for that update.

All right, still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, President Biden and Vice President Harris making their first public appearance together since he left the race. How that new dynamic might play out now that she's leaving the ticket.

Plus, could we soon have an official date for a vice presidential debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's talk about the maverick, John McCain. And, again, I love him. He's been a maverick on some issues, but he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people's lives.

PAUL RYAN, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: It's been done a couple of times, actually.

BIDEN: It has never been done before.

RYAN: Jack Kennedy lowered tax rates, increased growth. Ronald Reagan -

BIDEN: Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy.

RYAN: Ronald Reagan -

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 1864 -

MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I'd like you to answer the question.

HARRIS: Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking. OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: We may have another vice presidential debate on the calendar soon. Harris' running mate, Tim Walz, accepted an invitation from CBS to debate his Republican counterpart, J.D. Vance. Walz posting on social media, quote, "see you on October 1st, J.D." And while Vance had previously said he would debate Walz, the Ohio senator stopped short of committing to this yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I strongly suspect we're going to be there on October the 1st, but we're not going to do one of these fake debates, Laura, where they don't actually have an audience there, where they don't actually set the parameters in a right way where we can have a good exchange of ideas. In other words, we're not going to run in - walk into a fake news media garbage debate. We're going to do a real debate. And if CBS agrees to it, then certainly we'll do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, our panel is back.

We going to see this happen, do we think, and does it really matter, the undercard debate?

BRAD WOODHOUSE, SENIOR DNC ADVISER: Well, I would be very excited to see it. And I think, you know, Governor Walz has - has accepted it. And I think it would be - I think it would be a good thing to have. I think it would be entertaining. And, look, I think it'd be - it'd be great to see Governor Walz and J.D. Vance discuss ideas. But also J.D. Vance, you know, defend some of what's come out since he was selected.

I mean I wondered after you saw childless cat ladies and this in menopause, you know, postmenopausal women, and all the string of things that he said over the years, was he vetted?

HUNT: Well, Molly Ball, I mean, this - it's likely to be a relative form of strength for Vance. I mean he - this is the kind of thing that he would typically tend to be better at, but it will be an opportunity for the Democrats to try to pin him down on some of that stuff.

MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Yes, absolutely. I mean I think there is certainly a feeling on the Democratic side, and among some Republicans, that Vance has become something of a liability for the ticket. And that becomes more important in a situation where it's now Donald Trump who is the oldest candidate in history running to be the oldest president in history. And, you know, that was a contrast that I think would have been magnified if it was Vance versus Harris and you had these - the two old candidates.

But I think you - look, Vance is someone who is quite quick on his feet. Walz, I know a little bit less about sort of his debating style and his rhetorical (ph) style.

HUNT: HE came to them and said, I'm bad at debates. I mean that was reported during the vetting process, along with not using a teleprompter. Like, he's bad at debates. So, I guess we'll find out.

BALL: So, I guess - I guess we'll find out. I think it's going to be - its very interesting - its a very interesting contrast between these two men and I think these vice presidential debates are always revealing, in part because they're not the presidential debates. So there's a little bit more latitude for, you know, the undercard candidates to both define themselves and try to define the top of the ticket. You know, traditionally, the attack dog role.

[06:40:04]

HUNT: Sure.

BALL: So, I hope it happens.

HUNT: All right, so today Kamala Harris is going to be joined by President Biden at a public event. This is going to be the first time they appear together since he left the race and she became the Democratic nominee. They're going to appear together at an event in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, for a passing of the torch moment.

This is a very delicate balancing act for Harris. She's obviously trying to carve out her own path and distance herself from the president on some issues, like the economy, despite the fact that her boss thinks the current path is the right one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has the U.S. beaten inflation, Mr. President?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes. Yes. Yes. I told you we were going to have a soft landing. We're going to have a soft landing. My policies are working. Start writing that way, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Not happy to be left out of the spotlight for too long, Donald Trump has announced he'll hold a press conference at his Bedminster club following the Biden-Harris event.

Brad Woodhouse, I actually have to say, I question why it is that Harris is doing this with Biden. I mean the - I - like this - it feels - I mean it feels uncomfortable straight up at the outset. Now, maybe it's not going to be. Maybe they're going to, you know, it's - but why do this if you're her?

WOODHOUSE: Well, look, I don't think it will be uncomfortable at all. And remember that this event is announcing one of the seminal successes of this - of this administration, which is driving down drug prices. Today HHS is announcing - or CMS is announcing the ten drugs that they've negotiated. This was a 40-year effort of Democrats to pass legislation to require Medicare to lower drug prices. And so, she's getting ready to be part of an announcement that is historic. And it's an important part of the - it's an important part of the argument about the economy and lowering prices.

HUNT: I get that. I get that.

WOODHOUSE: It will be an important part of her remarks in Raleigh tomorrow.

HUNT: But she's got to - she's got to play number two with him in a world where like you want to - really want to look like number one.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely.

WOODHOUSE: I think the way - look, I think Joe Biden will make this completely work for her. It will be completely comfortable. And I'll tell you who will love this scene our core base Democrats -

WILLIAMS: Yes.

WOODHOUSE: Who love Joe Biden, who were concerned about him running. Appreciate that he passed the torch to her. It's going to be a great event. And I'm going to be there.

WILLIAMS: He's still - he's still - he's still president of the United States, though. And she's the vice president. And it's all in the stage craft. How they manage to establish that even when standing next to the president of the United States, this - is the future in that, like you said, Brad, its - you know, it's a very delicate balance.

Look, we're going to see that again next week at the Democratic National Convention where not only for the first time in our memory do you have a bunch of former presidents coming up to speak, but the current sitting president of the United States, how do you craft that in such a manner that doesn't step on the nominee? And that could be challenging.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And, look, in one vein the vice president is saying, I am my own person with my own policy positions. I will do well in improving the economy. Yet she's still going to be with the sitting president, who most Americans do not believe is doing well on the issue at the economy. (INAUDIBLE) duality here.

WOODHOUSE: Except - except this - this policy - this policy has 90 percent support with the American people.

HUNT: The drug stop.

WOODHOUSE: The drug stop. And Donald Trump has vowed to repeal it. Project 2025 would repeal it.

HUNT: Well, and -

WILLIAMS: An optic that -

WOODHOUSE: Would - would raise prices on - you know, on seniors, though.

HUNT: And here's the other reality is that Donald Trump is going to do a press conference right afterwards. So, you know, if he wanted to let whatever - if this is awkward. you know, he - he's going to step on it. I - like -

BALL: Well, look, I think one thing that Kamala Harris still needs to do in this campaign, according to a lot of polls, is just convince voters that she is ready to be president, that she is ready to lead, that despite all of her qualifications, voters still are not completely convinced that they can see her in that office being the person in charge.

So, events like this help remind people of her qualifications, the fact that she's been vice president. That may not be entirely a negative for her, although it does tie her to the unpopular policies of this administration.

Another thing that a lot of Democrats have found in polls is that when you ask about the policies without Joe Biden's name attached to them, they are much more popular. And we've seen Joe Biden's approval rating has gone up since he decided not to be a candidate any longer. So, it is possible that a lot of the unpopularity around this stuff was just about Biden, people's disapproval of his choice to run for re- election, people's concerns about his age and his capabilities. Now that he's not the candidate, I think there is a hope that she can sell these policies in a new way, to Brad's point, and make them more appealing to voters, who are more open to these policies when they're not Biden policies.

SINGLETON: (INAUDIBLE).

HUNT: All right, Molly Ball, thank you so much for joining us this morning. I really appreciate it.

The rest of the panel's going to stick around.

Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, RFK Junior looking past the 2024 election. The deal he is trying to offer to Kamala Harris and to Donald Trump.

Plus, how badly rattled is Trump by President Biden's departure from this race?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe Biden is a very angry man. You know that, right? Because they - they took it away from him. They usurped it. They took it away from him.

[06:45:00]

Terrible. Terrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNT: All right, 48 minutes past the hour. Here's the morning roundup.

This just in to CNN, the latest death toll in Gaza and a grim milestone. Forty thousand Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the war ten months ago. At least 10,000 people are also considered missing. Ceasefire talks are set to resume in Qatar today.

Columbia University's president, Minouche Shafik, resigning after months of backlash over her handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. She is the third leader of an ivy league university to resign following appearances before Congress over anti-Semitism on college campuses.

A man suing Disney for the wrongful death of his wife is facing a new legal challenge.

[06:50:04]

His wife had a reaction to severe food allergies at a Disney World restaurant and she died. Now, the company is trying to get the suit tossed because the man signed up for a one-month trial of Disney Plus five years ago.

Elliot Williams, can they do this? Like, what?

WILLIAMS: It's - it's buried in the fine print that they'd - that anybody who sued any Disney property would have to submit to arbitration. Now, that's absurd. You hear about reading the fine print, but this stretches the limits of fine print. And, you know, I think a judge will probably throw that - that portion out.

HUNT: So basically they're saying because he agreed to the terms of use of Disney Plus -

WILLIAMS: Yes. Yes.

HUNT: He waived his right to sue Disney?

WILLIAMS: And the Disney Plus contract says that per any dispute you have with any Disney property, you have to go to arbitration. Now that's ridiculous. Thats like saying, if you choke on a quinoa salad at Whole Foods, that you can't sue "The Washington Post" because they're owned by the same parent company. That makes no sense whatsoever.

But we, in our lives, sign contracts all the time with arbitration provisions and things that we didn't negotiate. Think about anytime you go to a baseball game, all the rights you waive that are on the back of that ticket.

And so there's a lesson here for all of us. Read the fine print, if you can. But some sometimes you're going to win.

HUNT: I mean it's basically a situation where it's like the fine print basically says, you can't participate in society. Like -

WILLIAMS: It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. No, it is - it is - even - even as a lawyer that is very, you know, I'm quick to say, oh no, it's fine, its fine, it's fine, it'll get the work out. No this is stretching the limits of rights and fine print beyond what is rational at all. And I think a smart judge will probably cut it out.

HUNT: Fingers crossed.

All right, let's turn back now to the 2024 campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH MEYERS, HOST, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS": Former Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said that former President Trump needs to make a serious shift and, quote," quit whining about Vice President Kamala Harris." And Trump must have listened because now he's whining about Nikki Haley.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Despite warnings from several of his allies to stick to policy, Donald Trump, once again, veering into personal attacks against Kamala Harris at that campaign rally yesterday, as he continues to struggle with how to take on his new opponent.

Our next guest puts it this way. Quote, "Biden's abrupt departure deeply unsettled Trump. His entire campaign was built to defeat Biden. Trump survived an assassination attempt, then met a rapturous reception at the Republican National Convention and concluded that the race was won. And it was until Biden stepped aside and Harris stepped up. Trump, enraged and rattled, is reverting to his feral ways."

And joining our panel now is Peter Wehner. He is former speechwriter for George W. Bush. Now contributing writer for "The Atlantic" and "The New York Times."

Peter, I'm so grateful to have you on the program. Thanks for being here.

PETER WEHNER, FORMER SPEECHWRITER FOR GEORGE W. BUSH: Thanks for having me on. Thank you.

HUNT: I think the most evocative piece of this story that you have describes who Trump is now. You say this. The rise of Harris instantly casts Trump in a new light. He formerly seemed more ominous and threatening, which whatever its political drawbacks, signaled strength. Now he seems not just old but low-energy, stale, even pathetic. He has become the political version of Fat Elvis."

WEHNER: Yes.

HUNT: Brad's trying to keep it together over there.

WEHNER: Yes, for a certain generation they remember Fat - Fat Elvis.

There was something when Biden dropped out and Harris got in, in the blink of an eye, that the whole lighting and landscape of this campaign changed. And, you know, Trump's show, which has been getting old, seemed to have crossed a threshold of a certain kind. Even some of his allies, Megan Kelly, Joe Rogan, are saying - saying the same thing. They're saying he's boring. And that's one line of criticism for Donald Trump that will - that will allow - that will drive him - drive him crazy.

HUNT: Well, and isn't boring, in many ways, kind of a political death sentence for Donald Trump?

WEHNER: It is for Donald Trump. I mean it's not good for anybody, but particularly for him. And I'd say in part, it's because of his psychology.

The central thing to understand about Donald Trump, and I thought this even in early 2016, was that he's a psychologically unwell man. He's - and he's a broken person. A narcissistic personality disorder. And people of that psychology, there are certain lines of attack, certain things that happened to them that really do rattle them, that knock them off stride.

And there are several things for Trump. One of them is mockery. Another is the sense that he might, he might be a loser. And I think once Harris got in the race, eliminated the deficit, he got so rattled by that, that he's never gotten on - on track again. His campaign can't get him there.

WILLIAMS: Question for you. Let's - can I stay on Fat Elvis for a moment.

WEHNER: Yes. Certainly. Of course.

WILLIAMS: And only - well, but only because - and when you talk about narcissism and so on, was there ever actually a "Jailhouse Rock" Trump, or a "Blue Hawaii" Trump? Like this is sort of what Trump has been all along. What's -

HUNT: "Blue Hawaii" Trump.

WILLIAMS: You like that?

HUNT: That's going to stick with me.

Continue.

WEHNER: Yes. Well, it's a good question. For a lot of Americans, no. But for some Americans, yes. I mean, obviously with the base of the Republican Party, he has been a rock star.

[06:55:02]

I think witnesses to the fact that he lost in 2020 and they brought him back, where most candidates would have been, you know, exit the stage.

So, there are two groups to think about. One is his - the base of his party, which is still with him but it's beginning to shake a little. But the swing voters, who are going to decide this election, who voted for him in 2016, left him in 2020, that's the group that he has to get. And when you become not only, you know, his Fat Elvis version, boring, but also psychotic, that is just pushing them away. And we're seeing that in the polls.

HUNT: Very interesting.

Speaking of that word that was - that was just used at the end of that sentence there, independent presidential candidate RFK Junior has been hedging his bets and doing some job hunting on the side. Sources tell CNN, Kennedy's campaign reached out to Kamala Harris' team last week to try to arrange a meeting about a possible role in a Harris administration if RFK Junior were to drop out of the race and endorse her. The Kennedy camp confirms that no meeting between those two candidates has taken place.

Weeks earlier, Kennedy and Donald Trump met in person during the Republican National Convention. They discussed a potential role for Kennedy in the Trump administration in exchange for an endorsement. Funny, her suddenly being ahead and Trump - this switch of Trump from a sure winner to a possible loser has also impacted RFK Junior. I wonder what he's really interested in. The latest polls show Kennedy, an independent, with roughly 7 percent of the vote. One of his campaign officials tells CNN he is open to dropping out if he believes he can serve the country in a better way.

I mean, this is like extraordinarily transparent here from a guy whose most recent claim to fame was acknowledging that he, you know, picked up a bear cub that was roadkill and put it in Central Park and like was going to put it in his freezer, which apparently he has a freezer of roadkill, and put his mouth in the hand of this bear. I mean, like, what the what?

WOODHOUSE: I don't even think Donald Trump would put RFK Junior in his cabinet. I can guarantee you that Kamala Harris is not going to put RFK Junior in his cabinet. It's just stunning.

HUNT: I mean look at that. Look at that. This is - so, he had to like come clean with this because "The New Yorker" obtained this photograph.

SINGLETON: Yes.

HUNT: So, the fact that they obtained this photograph means that he took this photograph and he sent it to somebody that would then go on to send it to "The New Yorker."

SINGLETON: I mean, look, maybe you wouldn't appoint him to a position, but if you can get the endorsement, you get 7 percent nationally. If you can shave off 4 percent of those numbers, that could certainly benefit Donald Trump in this very close race.

I also want to touch on something that Peter mentioned about Donald Trump being psychotic. The race is closed for a reason. There are some swing voters who are still on the fence, who are still open-minded to voting for the former president. And so whatever delusions of grandeur one may have about Donald Trump personally speaking, there are a lot of people out there who still believe the guy is a more effective leader on a whole host of very important issues.

HUNT: Yes. And it's a very, very close race.

SINGLETON: Yes.

HUNT: I'm glad - I'm glad that you raised that, Shermichael.

I will say also on this RFK question, and, Brad, this may be for you, but, Peter, weigh in if you want to. But third party candidates did derail Hillary Clinton in 2016. Is there a potential upside to Harris doing some sort of deal with Kennedy and getting him out of the race, or is she better off if he stays in?

WOODHOUSE: Well, I think a lot of the polling recently has shown that he's drawing more from Trump than he is drawing from Harris. Also, a lot of people had parked their votes in some of these third-party candidates, particularly in him because of his name recognition, his family's history, and that has really started to fall.

HUNT: Now they have another Democrat that they're excited about.

WOODHOUSE: Yes, now that they have somebody else to go to.

WEHNER: Yes, I'd say two things. And first, your point, it's obviously a legitimate one. And this is, to some extent, a toss-up race. But you can still be psychotic and in the race. That's actually the problem, which is in America a man who is so psychologically unwell may win the presidency. That - that underscores the problem. And in terms of RFK Junior, you know, he's almost the only person in American life that can make J.D. Vance look partially normal. He's a freak. And we see that in so many ways from - from the vaccine crusade that he did, which really caused kids - a lot of kids lives that he's been on, and now this latest thing with the bear cub.

There's something sad about him sort of shopping himself around, knocking on doors, whether it's - it's Harris or Trump. And basically no one is letting him in. So he's - he's dropping. And Harris does better with him in the race than not. So, I can't imagine she'd give him any kind of cabinet position in advance.

HUNT: Shermichael, how do you - you feel free to respond to that as well.

SINGLETON: I just think there - there is a better way to articulate ones differences from a candidate without insulting them. Eighty million people voted for the former president. And when they listen to rhetoric like that, it not only enrages them, but it also excites them. Even folks in the middle who may say, you know, I don't agree with the former president, but can you not articulate a better version of your differences from him policy-wise instead of attacking him because that will be viewed by many as an attack against people who support him, who I don't believe are crazy and psychotic.

WEHNER: Yes, I'd say a couple things. I'm not saying the people are crazy and psychotic, I'm saying Donald Trump is.

[07:00:04]

I think that's self-evident if you've seen how he's - who he's acted.

SINGLETON: You're a psychologist?

HUNT: We've got 30 seconds, guys.

WEHNER: I've talked to psychologists. You don't really have to be a psychologist. If there is smoke coming out of my car and there's oil that's spilling, I don't have to be a mechanic to know that there's a problem with the car that I'm - that I'm leaking oil. And I'm not saying Harris has to make this point. I'm not on her campaign.

SINGLETON: Sure.

WEHNER: I'm just saying as an observer and someone who has talked to psychologists and psychiatrists, he's not psychologically well.

HUNT: Peter, we have to go, OK.

Shermichael, thank you very much for weighing in on this. I really appreciate it.

All right, thanks to our panel. Thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.