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Vance Says Trump Didn't Lose 2020; Liam Payne Dead at 31; Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) is Interviewed about Voting in North Carolina; Politicians Asked to Say Something Nice About Opponents; Politicians at Al Smtih Dinner. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 17, 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: His running mate, J.D. Vance, says this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Did Donald Trump lost in 2020?

I've answered this question directly a million times. No. I think there were serious problems in 2020. So, did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: We've not heard him say a million times directly that, no, Donald Trump did not lose.

Vance went on to say why he thought there were issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that big tech rigged the election in 2020. That's my view. And if you disagree with me, that's fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, our panel is back.

Marc Lotter, you worked for - for many, many years for the former vice president, Mike Pence, who wrote in his memoir, and has, you know, broken with Donald Trump over that because he says that he later learned, after he was evacuated from the Capitol, that many had come looking for me, he said. And the reason why they were looking for him was because of what Donald Trump had said. It was because he had said he did not lose the election. He had ginned up that mob to be angry about what they thought was happening inside the Capitol.

How dangerous - dangerous is it for the country for Vance, now the number two, to be saying that? And what lesson should Vance have learned from Mike Pence's experience? MARC LOTTER, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESS

SECRETARY TO VP PENCE: Well, look, this is not a new phenomenon. There are Democrats who still think the Supreme Court stole the election from Al Gore. There are still Democrats who think Russia influence the 2016 election. We - and, by the way, it is a fact, George Bush won, based on the Electoral College. Donald Trump won based on the Electoral College. And so when you see him saying -

HUNT: Yes, but there was no violence, you know, when Bill Clinton left (ph) the White House and - and Al Gore conceded and -

LOTTER: Well, that is - that is a - that is a -- that's different. And I - and I have long condemned anyone who crossed that - that police line and gone into the Capitol. You violated the law. If you were at The Ellipse, you were practicing your First Amendment right. If you crossed into the Capitol, you violated the law.

But what we've got to do is stop on both sides. It's been happening now for 24 years where the losing side is going to claim that something was rigged with the election. 2004, they challenged Ohio. I mean all - we've got to stop it.

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: Challenging the election and the Democratic Party challenging the election is very, very different than the leader of their party challenging the election and blatantly lying and saying it's been rigged and that he won and continue -

LOTTER: Hillary Clinton still believes it was stolen. Al Gore thinks the Supreme Court stole it.

HAYS: I don't - I don't agree with you. I - they're not out there saying that.

LOTTER: I mean they all say - they said George Bush was an illegitimate president. Hillary Clinton, to this day, says that - that Donald Trump was. That -

HUNT: Marc, no one is arguing -

HAYS: No.

HUNT: That Donald Trump did not have a right to the court system in the wake of the election, or that any of the candidates that you name had a right to the court system. If they have concerns about whether or not something was fairly counted or evaluated, there are ways to deal with that in our system.

But the fact is that Trump did all of that in this period between the November election in 2020 and what we were playing on January 6, 2021. He lost them all. And then that's what happened.

LOTTER: Well, again, I - I condemn the - the - the riot at - at - on January 6th at the Capitol. But it's fake news to say that we - there's - I've seen it, there's endless amount of clips of Hillary Clinton leading Democrats, Donald - Al Gore saying, the duly elected president of the United States, months, years after the inauguration, were illegitimate. They were - they were fake presidents. It's been well-documented. Even after all of the losses, even after all of the (INAUDIBLE).

HUNT: They - they both did concede the election though. Continue.

HAYS: But -

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I was just going to say, let's - let's be honest. There's a difference between those things and also sicking (ph) and riling up a mob to attack the Capitol on the day of certification, right? It was just different.

HAYS: And not showing up to the inauguration and not actually having a peaceful transfer of government. But - but I - I - but to the point of this election, I think that people see this. And when J.D. Vance earlier - you played the clip earlier where he said people - or we are the party of common sense or people who have common sense are going to vote for us, I don't see how he's showing common sense and he is appealing to those people saying that - that they lost or that they won the election. I just don't see the - the correlation there.

LOTTER: Well, the -

HUNT: I mean, Marc, Donald Trump tweeted on January 6th at 2:24 p.m., quote, "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done," end quote. It was read over a loudspeaker. And the crowd chanted, "hang Mike Pence."

There's no other leader in the United States of America that has gotten us to the point where there's a mob chanting to kill someone of the same party. One of like - Mike Pence is one of the most conservative leaders this country's ever seen, right?

And, you know I covered him for decades and I think anyone that has worked with him would consider him to be an upstanding person, right? I mean we can agree on that.

The comparison doesn't - it just doesn't hold up.

LOTTER: Well, again, what you saw J.D. Vance saying yesterday was that big tech - he believes - in his estimation, because big tech censored the information about Hunter Biden's laptop, that that influence the election.

There's a difference between saying that big tech or the Supreme Court or Russia changed the outcome of an election and what we saw on January 6th.

HUNT: Do you think that J.D. Vance has the same kind of character as Mike Pence?

[06:35:02]

Would he have stood up and done the right thing on January 6th? Because that is the question at hand here. LOTTER: Absolutely. I think he would - he would act within the color of what he thought the law says and his responsibilities as vice president of the United States would be.

THOMPSON: But he said otherwise. That's probably the reason why he was picked, right, is he said that he wouldn't have certified and that he would have sent it back to the state.

LOTTER: Then he's going to have to come - he's going to have to make that legal determination that in he believes that power exists or doesn't exist. Mike Pence made his decision based on legal, obviously, and that's why he acted the way he did.

If we get to that position, then whether its Kamala Harris on January 6th certifying Donald Trump's victory, even though she's not a fan of it, or whether it is a future vice president Vance, they well look - they will advise their lawyers and act accordingly.

THOMPSON: So, it's a question of legal interpretation? There's not one clear -

LOTTER: Of the power - of the power of the vice president as the president of the Senate? I'm not a legal scholar on that.

HAYS: I just don't understand how this helps the Republican Party long term. I don't see how this helps any election. I think the people - the American people, both Democrat and Republican, have found January 6th to be abhorrent and disgusting. And here we are still talking about it because one person just can't own the fact that he lost and he's so upset that he just can't own it and it's just - I - I mean, toddlers can say that they like did something wrong and take responsibility for that and move on with their actions.

I just don't see how this helps him. I don't see how this impacts voters or helps him get more voters.

LOTTER: This is - look, January - people who are deciding on January 6th have made up their mind. If - if - if you wake up every day and you think January 6th is the reason why you should vote, you know where you're voting. But what we need to do -

HUNT: But aren't there -

HAYS: I disagree.

LOTTER: What we -

HUNT: Aren't there voters who, if reminded of January 6th, might be more likely again to get off the couch and go vote? Isn't that (INAUDIBLE)?

HAYS: Or stay home.

HUNT: Right.

HAYS: Or stay home. LOTTER: (INAUDIBLE).

HAYS: There are - there are Republicans that are like, I don't want to vote for Kamala Harris but I am going to stay home. And I just - this is an election, as you said, many times of inches. They are just not going to go the extra step to vote for someone who can't even own the fact that he did not win the election. And he - they are running a campaign based on lies. It just - it doesn't - I just don't understand, it does not hold water with me.

THOMPSON: Well, and you saw in the Univision town hall last night, there was a man that clearly wanted to vote for Trump, thought his life was going to be better if Donald Trump was president again, but said like, listen, January 6th, please explain. Please, please help me, try to explain. And Donald Trump basically did not walk away from it and said, well, I - I at least said that they should be peaceful.

LOTTER: I - again, those voters who believe every day is January 6th will make their decisions. They've probably already have made their decisions. But as opposed to fixing the problem, you had Kamala Harris last night who don't think people in rural areas can Xerox a photocopy and make a photo ID. We're never going to fix this problem if we just keep using it.

HUNT: I would just say that it's clear that Mike Pence has made his decision about all of this. And I - I'm going to -- we're going to leave it there because we do need to get also do this story this morning.

A shocking, tragic death. Popstar and One Direction member Liam Payne has died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ONE DIRECTION (singing): You know, I love it when the music's loud but c'mon, strip that down for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The 31-year-old died Wednesday in Buenos Aires after falling from his third-floor hotel room. 9-1-1 calls reveal that hotel staff had been concerned about Payne leading up to the incident. The hotel manager saying, quote, "we have a guest who's overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol. He is tearing the whole room apart." Adding, quote, "he's in a room that has a balcony and well, we're a little afraid he'll do something."

New images of that room appear to show a cracked TV screen. Hotel staff noting they hadn't been allowed inside for several days.

Fans across the globe morning the singer this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't really believe it. Right now if - it's part of my past. Like my - my adolescence,

basically, One Direction. So it's really, like, there. Yet I'm - I'm - I haven't liked processed it yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a fan of One Direction since I was a kid. I'm really nervous because it's my idol and I'm - I'm chocked. I don't believe this is happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Joining us now, Brittany Spanos. She's a senior writer for "Rolling Stone."

Brittany, good morning. Thanks very much for being with us.

Obviously, fans, fellow musicians are reacting to this extraordinarily tragic news. What are we hearing from them this morning?

BRITTANY SPANOS, SENIOR WRITER, "ROLLING STONE": No, I mean, it's such shocking news. Liam was only 31 years old. You know, I think people are still just trying to wrap their head around it, around him being so young, around it being so sudden.

You know, I think there were - there were rumors and kind of indications that he'd been struggling for a long time with addiction, with his mental health, but, obviously, no one really knew the extent of which he had been struggling.

HUNT: Brittany, One Direction was discovered by the British talent show, "The X Factor," and it was back in 2010 that that happened. They became one of the bestselling boy bands of all time. After they were no longer together, Payne went on to have his own solo career.

Talk to us a little bit about what all that was like.

SPANOS: Yes, I mean, Liam was the first to audition for the show of the five boys in One Direction.

[06:40:00]

He'd auditioned prior to the 2010 year and ended up coming back and being put together with this boyband. And I mean we - we all sort of witness the phenomenon that was One Direction. I mean that's still ongoing. They're still so popular and beloved, as we can see by the responses by fans across the world. And we're just on a - they were the zeitgeist for years. They were on tour constantly, playing stadiums, released these massive albums, you know, and built a huge, huge global fan base.

And when it ended, you know, the band all went their separate ways. They all pursued different solo careers and we've seen different levels of success over the course of the solo careers. And Liam's never really took off I think the way that there was an indication he might be able to after One Direction ended. He released one album in 2019 and a few singles here and there.

And so the last few years it's sort of been up in the air what Liam would do next in his career and kind of where he would go from there.

HUNT: All right, Brittany Spanos for us this morning as we remember Liam Payne.

Brittany, thank you very much. I really appreciate you being here.

SPANOS: Thanks so much for having me.

HUNT: All right, ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, the Trump and Harris campaigns descend on the tar heel state this week as early in person voting kicks off today. We're going to speak live with North Carolina Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards.

Plus, the age-old question for candidates during the election cycle, how Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are answering it this time around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are the three virtues that you see in Vice President Kamala Harris?

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's a very hard question. That's the toughest question. The other ones are easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:51]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's get our people out there. Even the ones that don't care about politics. Maybe especially the ones that don't care about politics. We've got to make sure they get out there and vote. Maybe they're going to vote early. Maybe you're going to vote on Election Day. Just get out there and vote before November the 5th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: That was Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance encouraging North Carolinians to head to the ballot box as the tar heel state begins early, in-person voting. Both campaigns will be out in full force throughout North Carolina this week. The team Trump bus already making its way across this battleground state.

Today, former President Bill Clinton set to campaign alongside Governor Tim Walz in Durham and Winston Salem. Their visit comes three weeks after Hurricane Helene's deadly landfall and amid recovery efforts that the governor says have been disrupted by misinformation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): This is happening in the middle of an election where candidates are using people's misery to sow chaos for their own political objectives, and it's wrong.

We don't know how many people are not going to apply for FEMA because they have heard misinformation about FEMA taking their property or other wild accusations that are out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, joining us now, Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards of North Carolina.

Congressman Edwards, I'm very grateful to have you on the show today. Thanks for being here.

REP. CHUCK EDWARDS (R-NC): Yes, good morning.

HUNT: So, you've become somewhat famous for this press release that you put out as your region has struggled to recover from Helene, and as you have tried to debunk the myths that are making it harder for FEMA to help some of your constituents. You said Hurricane Helene was not geo-engineered by the government, FEMA is not stopping trucks, the FAA is not restricting access to airspace, FEMA has not diverted disaster response funding. That top one in particular stood out to me, not geo-engineered by the government.

My question for you today, as people start to be able to head to the polls for early voting, how much do you think the response to Helene, the recovery efforts from Helene have enabled people to be able to get to their early voting locations if they want to, and is this misinformation that's still circulating around the hurricane affecting voting as it gets underway?

EDWARDS: I don't think that the misinformation, the rumors that have been out there are going to affect voting at all. I believe that while here in western North Carolina, we've been very busy not necessarily paying attention to politics, but trying to dig out from underneath this storm and help people put their lives back together.

But now that early voting has kicked off today, it is clear, it's apparent that the political season is here, and I just encourage everyone to make a plan to get out and vote. We can't procrastinate, as we always have. We need to put together a plan.

HUNT: Congressman, J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, has called for the leadership of FEMA to be fired in the wake of Helene. Of course, they are also grappling with the hurricane that hit Florida, Milton, as well. Do you think firing the female leadership would be productive for your state at this time?

EDWARDS: I think that we definitely have to have a discussion once we get out of the emergency that we're in right now. I'm a - I'm more concerned about the Harris and Biden administration and how they direct it and - and run FEMA. Ultimately, it is their agency. The buck stops there. They - they are responsible for responding to folks that are going through a crisis. And in many ways they have failed the citizens here in western North Carolina.

HUNT: Can you talk to me a little bit more about that? We're, obviously, weeks from Hurricane Helene having hit.

[06:50:03]

What is not being done right now on the ground that you think needs to be done?

EDWARDS: Well, first of all, I think we've got to remember the slow response. It took over three days before we saw the first FEMA boots on the ground, before we saw the first supplies coming in of water and food. While we had about 300,000 households without power, most of those without water. The county leaderships that I represent were clamoring, asking for supplies. It took more than three days for us to see FEMA even in the region. One county, it took six days.

Right now the weather has turned cold. It got down into the low 30s last night. We've got many folks in our rural mountains that still have no power. They have no heat. Counties are waiting on mobile housing units. Counties are waiting for FEMA to still set up stations to take applications. The process, I've learned, is just so incredibly clunky. There's plenty of room for improvement in - in that system.

HUNT: Yes.

Sir, in terms of misinformation and some of the threats that we've seen that have impeded FEMA's work, have you seen that continue to affect whether or not your constituents can get what they need from the government? Do you have any updates for us to that press release that you put out? What would you say today about this?

EDWARDS: I would say that my press release and the fact that folks like you have been working to report that most of this information is misinformation and rumor. The rumors have very much subsided, and we've been able to get more focused on the task at hand, which is helping folks here in western North Carolina rebuild.

HUNT: Well, I'm glad to hear that. And our thoughts continue to be with you, with everyone in the region that is struggling with the aftermath of this really historic disaster for - for you. So, I really - I really appreciate you taking some time to talk to us today, sir.

EDWARDS: Sure. Thank you.

HUNT: Congressman Chuck Edwards, thanks very much.

All right, let's turn to this now.

It's a question that sometimes comes up in debates and town halls. Quote, "can you say something nice about your opponent?" Well, here's how Kamala Harris and Donald Trump answered that question recently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's a very hard question. That's the toughest question. The other ones are easy. I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan. But she seems to have an ability to survive and she seems to have a nice way about her. I mean, I - I like the way, you know, some of her statements, some of her - the way she behaves.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he - I think Donald Trump loves his family and I think that's very important. I think family is one of the most important things that we can prioritize.

But I don't really know him, to be honest with you. I only met him one time, on the debate stage. I'd never met him before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: If you think that was frosty, here's some - how some other familiar faces answered that somewhat awkward question. This was back in 2007 at a Democratic primary debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARDS (D), FORMER NORTH CAROLINA SENATOR: I admire what Senator Clinton has done for America, what her husband did for America. I'm not sure about that coat.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Clinton.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, John, it's good thing we're ending soon.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I actually like Hillary's jacket. I don't know what's wrong with it.

COOPER: Senator Biden.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't like a damn thing about it. I - no, I'm only kidding. I'm only kidding. Dennis and I have been friends for 25 years. I think this is a ridiculous exercise. Dennis, the thing I like about - best about you is your wife.

COOPER: And -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Oh, and we didn't even get to the, well, you're - what was it, you're nice enough, Hillary, Obama said.

I mean, look, this is - these are some of our most divided times. And you could see them both really struggled to come up with something, anything. I mean what does that say about where we are?

THOMPSON: I mean what do sports broadcasters often say, these two teams just don't like each other. That is essentially what you saw here. And part of it is because they don't know each other, but also part of it - I was also thinking back to 2016 when they - Donald Trump was asked the same thing about Hillary Clinton. And actually it was a really notable answer because he said, she's tough, she never gives up. There clearly was a little bit more of a respect factor, partly because they did know each other, in that exchange than there is with Kamala Harris. HUNT: Yes. What did you make of it?

HAYS: I mean it just shows like where we are with all the vitriol. You just - I - you can't help but think about how, you know, that - that famous thing where John McCain stood up and, you know, stuck up for Barack Obama not being, you know, in that - that town hall moment and it's like, we are not there anymore.

[06:55:07]

We are not there as a country. And that's like sad and unfortunate.

LOTTER: No, it's - I mean, I agree with all of that. I mean this is something you actually prepare for. I mean having prepped many candidates, I mean you actually have to work with them to go, OK, you're going to get this question. We've got to come up with something to say. And clearly they struggled even after that.

HUNT: Yes. I mean, do you think they got there in the end? I mean, like, she did say, OK, he cares about his family. I - he seemed to be walking right up to the line. He clearly wanted to say a little bit more about what he liked about her, but decided not to, it seemed.

HAYS: Yes, it's also like - this goes to like rally your base, right? Like I think that the - that everything is so divided that I don't actually think that they are able to cross over and say maybe things that they genuinely did like about each other, see positives about each other because I think that that will impact the base, which also goes to show how divided we are as a country. It's not just them that are divided. Like, their actual families that have - are divided from the politics of our - of our time.

HUNT: Yes, some of the - there's polling on people feeling stressed out about their family relationships, especially young people.

HAYS: Yes.

LOTTER: And it's also an instant social media ad.

HAYS: Exactly.

LOTTER: If - whatever she says nice about him, he says nice about her, they're - the other side's going to turn today and put it up on social media.

HAYS: Yes.

LOTTER: And use it. It's different times.

HUNT: Yes.

THOMPSON: Also, for what it's worth, I think all of our coats are great.

HUNT: Everyone looks wonderful today.

Thank you.

So, look, this is also part of this conversation that we're having. This has been one of my favorite events to cover on the campaign trail. And it's usually a rite of passage, the annual Al Smith Charity Dinner. It's a Catholic fundraiser that features a roast between the two major party nominees.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I must say, I have traveled the banquet circuit for many years. I've never quite understood the logistics of dinners like this and how the absence of one individual could cause three of us to not have seats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: That was Ronald Reagan at the 1984 Al Smith Dinner, seeming to joke about the absence of Walter Mondale, who was his opponent in that year's election.

And at this year's dinner, Kamala Harris is going to be the one who's missing. She's, instead, going to be campaigning in battleground states. There are some who think that that's a mistake.

Peggy Noonan, who, of course, was a speech writer for the man you just saw there, now she's at "The Wall Street Journal," she wrote this recently, quote, "the Al Smith Dinner is the only occasion each presidential year when both major party candidates come together, sit, talk, have a drink, give dueling speeches, and give them not only with wit and humor, but while radiating a deep, democratic regard. It is a splendid thing. Those candidates demonstrate through the act of their togetherness that our democratic system, which often seems so frail, so ready to give way, still holds, still endures, that it has a hidden health, a latent strength that will bear us through. Politicians speak plaintively of finding common ground. This dinner is common ground."

It's common ground and a little fun because not taking yourself too seriously, as one of these presidential candidates is historically what has made the Al Smith Dinner different.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: And whoever wins this election, the outcome will be historic. We'll either have the first female president, or the first president who started a Twitter war with Cher.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Michelle Obama gives a speech, and everyone loves it. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: I was - I will - I will say, I was admittedly bummed to hear the Kamala Harris wouldn't be at the dinner. I don't know what you think, Meghan, about her decision to skip it. I remember we didn't get - we didn't play the comment where Mitt Romney shows up in white tie and tails and says, hey, you know, like, it's great to be in - for Ann and I to be in our pajamas. This is just what we wear around the house. I got to cover that one in person. It's kind of - it's kind of a special thing and it speaks to what we were talking about a second ago in terms of the ability of people to set aside politics in this moment.

HAYS: Yes. But I also think this dinner is a little bit tone deaf and a little bit out of - out of touch with where we are right now. And I do think that it is more important for her to be in battleground states talking to voters who are actually going to impact the election. And I think that the stakes are too high for her. I mean this is a crucial time in the election cycle. But I understand the point of these things. I understand how important they are. But I do think that she's making the right decision to be in battleground states.

LOTTER: I disagree, not politically though, Meghan. I - and I could never say it as well as the great Peggy Noonan, but this is an opportunity to have people smile and laugh. And I think one of the things we're missing, and maybe that undecided voter, if you - if you cracked the good joke, you're a little self-deprecating, might go, I've never seen that side of Kamala Harris before, or Donald Trump before. And that's the opportunity I think will mean more than just another rally speech.

HUNT: Well, Peggy Noonan's also focused on Catholic voters too.

LOTTER: Yes.

THOMPSON: Yes, yes, yes. And Democrats are divided. Some Democrats definitely agree with Meghan. Others are sort of surprised because it's denying her a moment at a moment when a lot of polls show that they don't really know Kamala Harris.

[07:00:06]

They were surprised that she didn't take up the opportunity to sort of sit on the stage with Donald Trump, which would attract viewers, ratings, et cetera.

HUNT: Yes, interest for sure.

HAYS: OK.

HUNT: All right, guys, thanks very much for being here this morning. I really appreciate it.

Thanks to all of you for joining us as well. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.