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John Kelly's Claims about Trump; Battle for Congress; Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is Interviewed about Running for the Senate; Trump and Harris Select Venues for Closing Arguments. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 25, 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]

BRAD TODD, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: We all, certainly (ph), have gratitude to John Kelly for his military service to the country, and we need to state that upfront.

But there's something going on here. There are plenty of other people who worked in the White House at that time who have come out on the record and said John Kelly's not telling the truth about this. You know, and there's something about having a falling out with Donald Trump that tends to make a person literally lose it I think sometimes. And it's not the - it's not the only indication.

And I wasn't there. I don't know what happened in that White House. But I can tell you, people I do know have been willing to say that John Kelly's not - not got his facts straight on this. And I - and John Kelly does have an axe to grind with President Trump. We should be clear on that. And President Trump has an axe to grind now with John Kelly.

I think the American public knows enough about Donald Trump that this is not going to decide their vote on him.

You know, I think one thing about the way people think about Trump as a good metaphor is to say, you can't make the ocean more salty and you can't make the ocean less salty. It's so vast. And the American public's opinion of Donald Trump is based on so many things that they've known for so long. None of these individual spats he has with people changes how they think of him.

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Kate.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I mean, John Kelly is not the only person who served with Donald Trump in a - particularly in a national security role who's saying they can't support him and that he has done and said things that are appalling. And it's - this is also not the first instance we've heard this - the things that Kelly has said in this most recent interview. That's not the first time that we've heard that he's, you know, that he's been critical of veterans, people who've served this country.

And so I think you've got to look at the fact that you've got Donald Trump, who is probably one of the most sort of bald-faced liars in modern American public life, just absolutely has no compunction about lying, and then you have people who have served for him in serious and important roles that are responsible for our national security who say, I saw him up close, I saw the awful things he said. He's somebody who should not be within 100 yards of the Oval Office ever. You know, you've got to weigh those two things. And I think for people who are trying to decide, make a decision in this election, I do think it carries weight to say, you know, nobody who served with Donald Trump in these important roles thinks that he should go back to the White House. And that, I think, gives voters some pause.

I - I agree be that one given story in this media environment is probably not enough to puncture, but I do think that the full tapestry of these stories and the people who are saying, I can't support him because I saw him up close in this role, I do think that that has an impact with voters.

TODD: Well, you know, the -

HUNT: Well, Annie -

TODD: There's a new poll out yesterday -

HUNT: Sorry, go ahead.

TODD: Go ahead, Annie. Go ahead, Annie.

ANNIE LINSKEY, REPORTER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, no, I was just going to say, I mean I think - I mean I think - I think Kate has a - has a good point here. And partially because, look, the fact that - that J.D. Vance and Trump are taking the time out of, you know, the very - out of the campaign to deny these reports, I mean, it's very rare as a journalist, quite frankly, that somebody goes on the record with their name and lies. I mean, I - you know, that - that hasn't been an experience that I've had in my career.

So, I think, you know, given John Kelly's - I think his credibility is - is fairly clear. But they're denying it. And I think the reason for this denial is that they are seeing something that - it is impactful. That this does get voters' attention.

It does surprise me - I mean I would think, at the end of the campaign, the decision really is about economics. And when we look back at, you know, why this campaign goes the way it does, it very well may be because of economics and inflation. And those have been like the larger issues that have voters that I talked to talk about. But the - you know, the end here has been about character. And Harris is seeing something in her data that shows that it's a useful closing argument. And Trump is - is making a show out of denying it. So, he clearly has some concerns about it as well.

HUNT: Brad.

TODD: If you look at polling, Harris leads on temperament, right? She leads on that. You can see the CNBC poll yesterday was a - was a - was a great example of it. She leads on a lot of things, frankly. But what she doesn't lead on is controlling the borders, foreign policy, and the economy. And that's what the election is being contested on.

Donald Trump - a lot of people have an issue with what he - the way he talks, things he says, the way he acts. But they're - they believe that he - they were better off when he was president than they've been when Harris and Biden have been in office. And that's the crux of this election.

HUNT: Mark Preston, you want the last word here?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, I think when Brad said earlier in an earlier segment, that the voters have - you know, you look at this as stock and they've baked it into the Donald Trump stock price. And let's not forget, all these little things that we're hearing and this micro-targeting we're seeing at the end, abortions, you know, the sanctity of it, the border, what have you, yes, it's being targeted. But remember, it's being micro targeted at a very small group of people right now. Even though it seems very big and they're going to Texas, they're really reaching out to that very small group of voters, you know, in the - you know, the blue wall states in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and, of course, down in the sunbelt states of Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.

[06:35:11]

HUNT: All right, still coming up here after the break, control of Congress also at stake on Election Day. New polling on where that stands.

Plus, Trump and Harris planning their final pitch to voters with an emphasis on the venues?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:09]

HUNT: All right, so we, obviously, talk all the time about Harris and Trump vying for the White House. Sometimes you overlook that Republicans and Democrats are also fighting for control of Congress. Both the House and the Senate, of course, on a razor's edge, controlled by a slim margin. Democrats, of course, currently the majority in the Senate. They're trying to flip the House. Republicans hoping to take control of the Senate.

A new CNBC poll shows this, 48 percent of registered voters would prefer Republicans control Congress, while 44 percent said Democrats.

And, Brad Todd, this number really stood out to you. We were trading notes about it. Why?

TODD: Well, its wider than the presidential. This same CNBC poll has Trump leading Harris 48 to 46. And so, if the Republicans - you know, the Republican vote is less concentrated than the Democratic vote. The Democratic vote is very clustered in urban areas and on the coast. And so therefore Democrats could win the national popular vote for House, right? If you add up all the congressional House member's votes, Democrats could win that by a couple of points and Republicans still control Congress. And so, if Republicans end up with a plus four advantage in the vote for Congress, and I'm not saying that's where this goes, you've got some undecided people that have to vote there. And of course, it's - a generic vote doesn't always translate into a district. But a 48-44 Republican advantage would give Mike Johnson a lot of comfort going into election night to hold the House.

HUNT: Kate, what did - what do you make of this survey?

BEDINGFIELD: Well, I think - I think it's interesting that you - that you have this gap. I mean, I think there was, you know, when Biden was at the top of the ticket and there were really concerns about where his numbers were going. There were a lot of congressional Democrats who were talking about running explicitly as a check on Trump. Obviously, as Harris has made this race much more competitive, I think that has fallen by the wayside in a lot of districts, although not - not entirely. Some in - in some more Republican districts, moderate Republican districts, you're still hearing that messaging.

So, you know, I think the other thing to think about is, you know, split ticket voting is largely a thing of the past, not entirely, but largely a thing of the past. And so I think, particularly for the House, you know, where the presidential race goes will probably determine where control of the House goes. It's just there aren't all that many people in this country who are going to go, especially in such a nationalized election like this where people are going to go pull the lever for, you know, Donald Trump and then the Democrat for Congress.

So, it will be - it will be interesting to see. I think the House is probably going to be tied - the fate of the House is going to be tied very closely to the presidential. The Senate, obviously, slightly different. Obviously, this is a tough map for Democrats in the Senate, but, you know, we're seeing encouraging signs in places like Texas, where Kamala Harris is going to be tonight. So, we'll see.

HUNT: Yes, Mark, I was going to say, I mean, Sherrod Brown is certainly counting on running ahead of national Democrats.

PRESTON: No doubt. And he has not really connected himself to Kamala Harris, hasn't been, you know, somebody who's been out there vocally. I mean he says he supports her and what have you, but he has been somebody who's trying to run his own race.

But, you know, Kasie, you know, the geek in me and the geek in you, you know, looks beyond the election and says, hey, what's going to happen after Election Day and - and what's going to happen to the House of Representatives.

And I will say this, regardless of who wins and who controls the House and who controls the Senate, I would say that the Democratic Party, shockingly for me to even say this, are even - are - will be more operationally ready after the election because they will not have the infighting that we have seen over the past couple years in the House Republican conference. And we're going to see continue, Democrats more united in the U.S. Senate. The same thing, we're going to see Mitch McConnell step down at the

end of this year. He's been there a long time. You're going to see this fight over control within the United States and it - within the Republican conference.

So, again, let's go six months down the road and have this discussion. Even if Republicans win, it's going to be really difficult for them.

TODD: I think that's - I might take issue a little bit with that, Mark. I think that Mitch McConnell's been a very divisive leader in the U.S. Senate for Republicans. You know, he's not popular with Republicans nationally. Democrats are using him as a foil in their attack ads everywhere. And he's got a chunk of senators in the Republican conference in the Senate who - who not like the way he's led the Senate lately.

And so I think the next Republican leader in the Senate actually will have a lot more support. And I think you'll see a Senate conference that's united on the Republican side.

The House is a different story. You know, we don't herd very well as Republicans. And to say we heard like cats is an insult to cats, you know? And so I - I think that narrowly -

HUNT: I feel like, Brad, you're talking about how people used to talk about Democrats.

PRESTON: Exactly.

TODD: Well, there's a lot of truth to that, Kasie. There's, you know, in many ways the Democratic Party is more ideologically homogenous than the Republican Party is today. And that's why we fight so much. Maybe we got some other contrarian problems we need to work out. I'm not sure. But, you know, the House will be closely divided.

HUNT: I don't know. I think if you called Nancy Pelosi, she might have a different version of this story, but - but I do take your point.

[06:45:01]

All right, still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, former President Trump very popular in his home state of Florida. Will that popularity help keep the state's open Senate seat red? Most likely. But we're going to talk to the Democrat who is hoping to flip it.

Plus, closing messages from both candidates. It's not just what they say, it's where they said it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNT: All right, the Republican Party has set its sights on flipping the Senate, while Democrats face a daunting election map and a narrowing, if all but impossible path, to 51 seats. Despite the political landscape, Democrats, this month, have poured money into Senate races in Texas and Florida.

[06:50:02]

There are only two opportunities to pick up seats in the upper chamber. In Florida, incumbent Republican Senator Rick Scott hoping that Donald Trump's popularity in the sunshine state will help push him over the edge to re-election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): If he doesn't win, we don't get a win - a majority in the House and a majority of the Senate, then all the Trump tax cuts (ph), or most of them, go away.

He's going to help all of us win. He'll help us get the Senate, help us keep the House, and put us in a position for a greater future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right, joining us now, Florida senate candidate, former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

DEBBIE MUCARSEL-POWELL (D), CANDIDATE FOR UNITED STATES SENATOR, FLORIDA: Good morning, Kasie.

HUNT: So, let me - let me start with the money because while there has been some late here in the game, it's not nearly what it was in the past in Florida. I mean Democrats spent, you know, 60 million plus dollars in previous Senate races and they have sent less, considerably less, to your race this time.

Is that a sign that they've given up on - on your seat?

MUCARSEL-POWELL: Absolutely not. Actually. Kasie, just yesterday I saw yet another poll that has me and Rick Scott tied. I mean we are tied. And everywhere I've been, everywhere I've traveled to, I have Republicans, independents, Democrats. They're coming to our events. They're voting for me in this election.

Rick Scott is one of the most vulnerable Republicans running for re- election. He has not been able to cross a 46, 47 percent mark in any of the polls. He's below 50 percent. We still have a group of undecideds. And we know that in the past year independents have been voting for us in all the special elections. In the primary elections, we were able to defeat the Moms for Liberty candidates here for schoolboard. And they were outspending us two to three against them on the - our candidates for schoolboard.

So, I'm telling you, Kasie, I think there's a lot that a lot of people are missing about Florida. This is not the same election that it was in 2020 or 2016. And we are seeing larger numbers of turnout.

I'm going to be visiting students all over Florida, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando, and a lot of young voters, first-time voters are coming out. So, I'm - I'm optimistic about this race.

HUNT: All right, fair enough, and I do take - I take your point on the polling.

I can I ask you, though, about Kamala Harri's pitch in the final weeks here because she really has shifted and is making, you know, advert appeals to moderate Republicans, to independents and campaigning with Liz Cheney. She's calling Donald Trump a fascist. Is that the kind of messaging that you feel like is helping you when in the final days, or is your message a little bit different than that?

MUCARSEL-POWELL: Well, our message here in Florida is about Florida, and about lifting up every single family that has been struggling under extreme policies that started under Rick Scott. We have a property insurance crisis. We know that we're paying four times the national average. We just were devastated by two different hurricanes, Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene. People are left with absolutely nothing.

Rick Scott voted against funding FEMA. And a lot of families here have been struggling for too long. Our teachers are the lowest paid teachers when you look at the national average for the rest of the country. We have students that have been attacked because of who they love and who they are. And now, of course, we are living under one of the most extreme bans on abortion. A six week ban that Rick Scott supports.

And let me just say this, Kasie, he wants to go back to the Senate, become Senate majority leader. And I want everyone to just think of a world where you miss Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader. He would be catastrophic, not only for Florida, but for America. He wants to eliminate Medicare and Social Security and raise taxes on families.

So, we just can't allow that to happen.

HUNT: Congresswoman, of course, one of the other things in Florida is the ballot measure that would protect abortion rights. I want to play a little bit of an ad that's airing around that initiative, and then we'll talk about it on the other side.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember the doctor handing me a baby boy that was blue, and I just held him because he was so cold.

Due to the abortion ban, I was being forced to carry the baby from 23 weeks all the way to 37 weeks and knowing that my son was going to die. This ban is torture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: This ban is torture, she said. It's really difficult to watch.

Where do you think Florida voters are right now on this?

[06:55:04] We have seen voters across the rest of the country often when they're given this choice about whether to enshrine or enshrine abortion protections, or at least prevent restrictions. They've said that they want to protect abortion rights. I'm curious where you think people are in Florida. And if you think people who are going to vote for that are also going to vote for Democratic candidates because that may not always be the case.

MUCARSEL-POWELL: So, yes, that's a very emotional ad. And, Kasie, I just heard a similar story yesterday. A woman who was carrying her pregnancy, she already had a six-year-old daughter. She was seven months pregnant, and the doctors told her the - the baby wasn't living anymore inside her - her - her body. And they wouldn't terminate her pregnancy. And so she was forced to travel, leave her six-year-old daughter here in Florida and had to go to New York to get that critical health care. It's really devastating.

I'm a mom. I have two daughters. I'm the youngest of four sisters. This is such a central issue for us for health care, for safety, for our livelihood. And most of the people that I talked to, whether Republicans, Democrats, or independents, really regardless of political affiliation, they are supporting Amendment Four. They are protecting a woman's right to choose. It will pass. It will cross the 60 percent threshold.

And just last week, I was at an event where three different women came on up to me. They were Republicans. One of them said, I'm very conservative. I've never voted for a Democrat. I'm voting for you. And I asked her, you know, what was her reason to do that. And she said it was abortion. They've crossed the line.

Florida, we're not extreme like that. We've just been hijacked by the former president coming here in 2018 and then this governor, who has just crossed the line in every single policy. We are not extremists. Floridians understand that we - we don't like government telling us what to do. This is government interference.

And we will pass Amendment Four. And I can tell you, they need 60 percent. I need 50 plus one. I need people with me. We can win this race. You want the Senate majority. I will deliver that Senate majority. And that's exactly what we're going to do in about 11 days.

HUNT: All right, Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, of course, running against Rick Scott in Florida.

Thank you so much for being with us. I really appreciate it.

MUCARSEL-POWELL: Thank you. Kasie.

HUNT: All right, the Harris and Trump campaigns looking ahead to their closing messages. The last chance, of course, to win over undecided voters. And, of course, no detail is left to chance. It's not what they say, it's where they say it.

The vice president is going to speak Tuesday at The Ellipse. It's the exact site where Trump told his supporters to fight just ahead of the January 6th riot. And Trump will realize a longtime dream this weekend when he headlines a rally at Madison Square Garden, New York, not considered to be in play for the former president for obvious reasons. It is, of course, his hometown. There are a couple of House races nearby that might be relevant.

But, Mark Preston, symbolism abounds here in the final two weeks. I normally would say, why is he not in a battleground state. But also, our politics is so national now.

PRESTON: Absolutely. Look, a campaign is about moments. It's about good moments. It's about bad moments. And certainly this campaign, I think we can all agree, is probably going to be decided on a good moment or a bad moment by one of the candidates. How do you make those moments? You try to hold these big speeches. You try to do them at places that are symbolic. We're seeing Donald Trump do it in New York. We're seeing the vice president doing it here on The Ellipse. It's all about moments.

BEDINGFIELD: I - I actually -

HUNT: Brad -- or, sorry, Kate, yes, go ahead.

BEDINGFIELD: No, no, I just - I think the -

TODD: Go ahead.

BEDINGFIELD: The contrast here actually could not be more perfect because Madison Square Garden is in so many ways about Trump's ego. And he - we've - we've heard reporting on this. We can see, you know, grew up in New York, wants to fill The Garden. This is like all about his ego and showing that he can - that he can fill that arena.

And then you've got Kamala Harris delivering, you know, on the - on The Ellipse, talk - presumably talking about, of course, you know, Donald Trump and - and what he did on January 6th, I imagine. But also presumably, you know, talking about her vision for the country and explaining to voters that she views public office as about serving them. So, in some ways, I think the Trump campaign has kind of done the Harris campaign a favor here by doing their kind of final big set piece in a place that really just underscores how much this entire campaign is about Donald Trump for Donald Trump.

TODD: Take the New York -

LINSKEY: Well, (INAUDIBLE) for both of them - oh, go ahead.

TODD: Go ahead.

LINSKEY: I was going to say, a really - I mean you're going to have Donald Trump, as Kate mentioned, talking about Donald Trump, but also Kamala Harris, Vice President Harris will clearly be talking about Donald Trump as well in her closing message.

And, you know, I - in talking to the Harris campaign about this, why democracy at the very end, with why is this a good closing issue for. I mean what they are saying is that it is the top motivating issue for, you know, their persuadable voters and for undecided voters. And this is such a small sliver.

HUNT: Yes.

[07:00:03]

LINSKEY: So, you know, their feet (ph) on the biggest stage, but talking to the smallest number of people.

HUNT: Brad, you got ten seconds.

TODD: Well, if Donald Trump can cut his margin of defeat in some of those New York House seats by three or four points, it might mean Republicans control Congress.

HUNT: Well, all right, fair enough.

Guys, thanks very much for joining us on this Friday. Thanks to all of you for joining us as well. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.