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Remembering 9/11; Harris-Trump Faceoff, Trump Claims He Won; Trump Falsely Claims Haitian Migrants Are Eating Pets; Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris; Fifty-Five Days until U.S. Presidential Election. Aired 10- 11a ET
Aired September 11, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): And my grandfather Richard J. O'Connor, we will always love and miss you.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Timothy Paul Gilbert, Paul Stuart Gilbey (ph), Paul John Gill (ph), Mark White Gillis (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Evan Hunter Gillette (ph), Ronald Lawrence Gilligan (ph), Rodney --
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're listening there to family members, of course, reading the names of those
who were lost on September 11th.
As we just marked the fourth moment of silence this morning, the moment at 9:59 am when the South Tower fell less than one hour after it was struck by
Flight 175.
Joining me now, CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer. He's also a historian and professor at Princeton University.
Julian, it's good to see you this morning. There is, I think an effort every year to talk about where 9/11 now stands for this nation, for both
the people who were here when it happened and whose lives feel like a before and an after of that moment.
Much like as my father would say to me he felt after Kennedy was shot. And then there is a new generation as well. And there is an effort to continue
to put this in context as we move forward now, 23 years on.
You've written about this, you've written about American politics in the aftermath.
Where do you think things do stand today, 23 years later?
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think it's extremely important to continue educating and speaking with new generations of a
tragedy of this magnitude that shook the nation, that took many lives, that exposed vulnerabilities that we had as a society.
Because we are in a fast-moving culture and there's generational change, there's the fact we move from one issue to another. And I think we're still
trying, many people are still trying to continue to teach what happened, why it happened and what are some of the lessons to take from what
happened.
Both the things we did well in terms of counterterrorism, in terms of trying to capitalize on unity and sympathy around the world and the things
we did wrong, military operations that ultimately became controversial.
I think having that conversation, having those debates, we don't all agree, is incredibly important to prepare us also in terms of avoiding anything
like that happening again.
HILL: As we're watching there, we can see,, of course, in the split screen the names, as I noted before, being read. Just before we came to you,
Julian, we marked a fourth moment of silence and we're preparing.
Just about 30 seconds from now, there is another moment of silence coming, the 23rd anniversary of when Flight 93, of course, the third of these
hijacked planes, crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
So much of that moment and so much of what could have happened, had passengers not reacted, has been discussed over the years. This now a
moment to think about what did happen in those moments, the lives forever changed, the people who are lost. Let's listen in now for the next moment
of silence from Shanksville.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: William Joseph Cashman (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My sister, Georgine Rose Corrigan (ph) (INAUDIBLE).
Patricia Cushing (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wonderful son, brother, father, my cousin, Captain Jason M. Dahl (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joseph DeLuca (ph).
[10:05:00]
HILL: You're, watching, of course, live pictures and listening into the ceremony honoring the passengers and crew on board Flight 93 when it
crashed into that field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Julian, the story of those on board this flight has served for so many, certainly in the wake of 9/11 but in the years that followed, as a source
of inspiration in many ways and such heroic efforts. That has been such an important part of this national story moving forward for 9/11.
ZELIZER: And it's an important one.
Look, there is so much tragedy with 9/11, from the actual terror that was inflicted on us to the mistakes that we made leading up to this, that
could've prevented it.
But then there's the story of heroes and not high-level heroes, politicians or other forms of leaders but people who, in that flight, decided to do
something, decided to risk themselves for the greater good.
And obviously all the Ground Zero first responders did the same. And there's countless accounts of people, who were not passive and decided not
just to allow tragedy to happen but to do something.
And those are the stories I think that remain so inspiring and so perpetually important through other crises that we have faced that it's
important to have these commemorations, to hear their stories and to hear what being a true hero actually means through a lived life.
HILL: Absolutely.
Julian Zelizer, always appreciate your insight. Thank you.
ZELIZER: Thank you.
HILL: Still to come here.
Much more to come on, CONNECT THE WORLD. We will continue of course, to follow the ceremonies happening here in commemoration of September 11th. We
are also taking a look and listening to the reaction out of last night's presidential debate.
The morning after, what are both candidates saying?
How are they reacting to their debates?
And most importantly, what about the voters, the CNN viewers?
Becky Anderson is back with that after the break.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Welcome back.
Now to the unprecedented U.S. presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
An event that was hard to envision just a few months ago before Trump's debate with Joe Biden that led to the president dropping his bid for
reelection.
Today, Trump is making the baseless claim that the debate was rigged and that the Harris was fed questions in advance. He also says he won the
debate, an opinion not shared by a majority of viewers questioned in the post-debate CNN poll.
[10:10:00]
First, CNN's Jeff Zeleny on the key moments of what was a very heated faceoff between the two presidential nominees.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're not running against Joe Biden. You're
running against me.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vice President Kamala Harris made that point again and again Tuesday night, as
she met former President Donald Trump for the first time.
HARRIS: Kamala Harris, let's have a good debate.
TRUMP: Nice to see you.
ZELENY (voice-over): In a red-hot Philadelphia debate, with the dueling rivals trying to break the deadlock in the final two months of the race for
the White House.
TRUMP: She is Biden, the worst inflation we've ever had, a horrible economy because inflation has made it so bad and she can't get away with
that. HARRIS: Clearly, I'm not Joe Biden and I'm certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our
country.
ZELENY (voice-over): Harris baiting Trump on the size of his rallies.
HARRIS: People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.
ZELENY (voice-over): His criminal cases.
HARRIS: I think this is so rich coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election
interference, has been found liable for sexual assault --
ZELENY (voice-over): -- and relationships with foreign allies.
HARRIS: World leaders are laughing at Donald Trump.
ZELENY (voice-over): Trump took that bait, rattled by Harris as he made one unproven claim after another.
TRUMP: People don't go to her rallies; there is no reason to go. And the people that do go, she's busing them in and paying them to be there. In
Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats, they're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people
that live there.
ZELENY (voice-over): The former president criticizing Harris' attempts to run as a change agent, while being part of President Biden's
Administration, especially on the economy.
TRUMP: She is going to do all these wonderful things, why hasn't she done it? I've never seen a worst period of time. People can't go out and buy
cereal or bacon or eggs, or anything else.
HARRIS: What we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess.
ZELENY (voice-over): And the border.
TRUMP: I ask, what about all the people that are pouring into our country and killing people, that she allowed to pour in? She was the border czar,
remember that.
ZELENY (voice-over): Harris hitting her stride on her signature issue, reproductive rights.
HARRIS: The government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.
TRUMP: They have abortion in the ninth month.
HARRIS: That is not happening. It's insulting to the women of America.
ZELENY (voice-over): Harris also addressing the war in Gaza, walking a thin line of support for allies and trying not to fracture a fragile
Democratic coalition.
HARRIS: Israel has a right to defend itself, we would and how it does so matters because it is also true far too many innocent Palestinians have
been killed, children, mothers. What we know is that this war must end.
ZELENY (voice-over): And then there was the war over rhetoric.
TRUMP: Whatever she wants to be is OK with me.
HARRIS: I think this is a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president, who has consistently, over the course of his career, attempted
to use race to divide the American people. I think the American people want better than that, want better than this.
ZELENY (voice-over): Trump still falsely claiming he won the 2020 election.
TRUMP: There's so much proof. All you have to do is look at it.
ZELENY (voice-over): And refusing to answer this about January 6th.
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS ANCHOR, PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE MODERATOR: Is there anything you regret about what you did on that day? Yes, sir.
TRUMP: I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.
ZELENY (voice-over): Harris made a direct appeal to Republicans or independents who believe Trump has gone too far.
HARRIS: We are not going back. It is time to turn the page and if that was a bridge too far for you, well, there is a place in our campaign for you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right.
Let's bring back our political analyst, Julian Zelizer, good friend of this show, a historian and professor at Princeton University.
I'm delighted to have you this past two hours, Julian. You and I talked about the optics of these debates on this show yesterday ahead of the
debate. A snap poll tells us that voters think that Harris won.
Firstly, do you agree?
And secondly, if you agree, why is that?
Was it optics or is it substance?
ZELIZER: I do agree.
I think rarely are debates decisive. But this one, like the last one, was. And I think she achieved all of her goals, from looking presidential to
responding to every charge and piece of disinformation that he made. And the former president did the opposite.
[10:15:00]
He almost unleashed the worst parts of himself, which he wanted to contain -- or his campaign did. The optics were very important. I think part of
what went wrong for him was the optics of him getting angry, almost screaming into the microphone; visibly upset.
And she was very effective at using the split screen. A lot of what happened wasn't what she said. It was the way she looked at him. The looks
said everything about what she thought of his statements and also helped guide a lot of voters, who are watching in terms of what they should be
thinking as well.
And she didn't say a thing during those moments but her eyes said it all.
ANDERSON: Well, Harris won the debate then, certainly in your eyes and the eyes of 63 percent of those polled directly after this debate by CNN.
But can she win the election?
How does this translate?
I want you to answer that before I bring in our reporters, Julian.
ZELIZER: Well, it's a piece of a campaign. It's not the whole of the campaign, unlike the last debate. So right now, he's neck and neck, if not
a little ahead in swing states nationally. It's about tied; he might be ahead. So this is competitive.
I think in terms of the message, from the convention to the debate, she's achieved what the Democrats hoped. She's looked, again, presidential,
formidable, shows she can take him on or take on any adversary, which is part of what this is about.
And given people a little bit of flavor of who she is as a leader, her demeanor. But now it turns to old-fashioned ground game politics and then
communications from advertising, to what the spin rooms and she does in front of reporters. And that's where this goes.
Can she win?
Yes.
Will she win?
It is uncertain because it is a very close election in a very polarized (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: Stand by, sir. Let me bring in our reporters at this stage.
MJ Lee, following the Harris campaign, and Kristen Holmes, who's following Trump.
We have actually seen both of these characters today at the 9/11 commemorations, of course, in New York. But I know that both of you have
been keenly aware that America and the rest of the world really wants to get some sort of reaction today from both campaigns.
To you, MJ, first, what's been the Harris campaign reaction today to her performance?
And it's warm, I guess (ph).
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And no question that the Harris campaign was and is feeling good about this debate performance
that we saw from the vice president last night.
I will say, though, I don't think we're at the point where they're willing to say this was somehow a game-changing, race-changing event. I think we
will continue to hear the language from this campaign that they still see her as the underdog, that they very much believe that the November election
is going to be close.
What I do think they're going to do is try to maximize what they feel like is the momentum that they could potentially get from last night.
You know, they felt like going into last night, this was going to be her first time facing off against Donald Trump, that this was going to be a
huge audience for her to try to make a really important, perhaps first impression or second or third impression to a lot of voters, who might just
be starting to tune into this new election.
Who may be certainly undecided on who they actually want to vote for. And they felt like she landed her message on important issues, like the
economy, foreign policy and reproductive rights.
And then I think, just as importantly, they were very pleased, according to the advisers I was in touch with all last night throughout the debate, with
how much they felt like Donald Trump actually took the vice president's bait on everything, from his crowd sizes to comments made by his former
officials.
So all of that I think is going to be what the campaign will try to capitalize on in the coming days. But remember, this is an extraordinary
election, happening in a really condensed timeline. They don't have many days left.
So every day that they are not on the road campaigning, getting her out there, is a day lost. So given that we have now spent a couple of days with
her practicing for this debate, expect that she is going to be getting back out on the campaign trail and campaigning as quickly as possible.
ANDERSON: Sure.
Donald Trump calling this debate rigged. That's how he described it on his social channel.
Kristen, what's the Trump's team reaction to what happened last night?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, it really depends on who you're talking to and if they're talking publicly on the record or on
background.
[10:20:00]
And they don't want to be named publicly. You're hearing the campaign say that he won the debate; that, of course, it was wonderful; that his
performance was, quote-unquote, "masterful." That's what we saw in a memo last night.
Donald Trump himself continues to say that he did a great job. Here's what he said after the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, CNN HOST: Kamala Harris pitched --
QUESTION: Mr. President, some of your advisors are worried that -- excuse me -- that you took the bait from Kamala Harris tonight.
What would you say?
TRUMP: Great debate tonight. This was my best debate. We had a 92 percent rating in one poll. We had an 86 percent rating in another, we had 77
percent in another. We had, we won every one of the polls that came out tonight. There were quite a few of them.
QUESTION: Asked if you want some detail on national abortion ban and you did not say yes or no.
What is your answer to that?
TRUMP: So all you have do to check it. It was a perfect answer on abortion. And I've done a great job in that and I brought our country
together. Thank you.
QUESTION: Yes or no?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, Becky, if you're curious what those numbers are, he's talking about straw polls that were conducted, largely by conservative outlets.
So no surprise that they would think that he won the debate. And we know that a lot of people going into last night on both sides were set on who
they were going to be voting for in November.
So looking at conservative straw polls, it's not that surprising that those people would say they were still voting for Donald Trump and that he won
the debate.
But when you talk to a lot of Republicans on background, those who don't want to be named but people who are still aligned with Donald Trump, allies
of the former president, they are very skeptical about how he did last night.
And many of them are disappointed. They thought that he did take the bait from Kamala Harris. They -- it was something that they had prepped him on.
Allies were calling him up until the debate, telling him that they would -- thought Kamala Harris was going to try to goad him into personal attacks.
And she did just that. They were trying to get him to remain stoic, to not respond, to just stick to the issues. And we obviously saw that not only
did he not do that but he also got increasingly angry.
So when I talked to one advisor, this is how they put it.
"His worst behavior was on display last night."
Does that mean that they thought he full-out lost the debate?
No, they actually thought it was worse that he behaved like that because that overshadowed some of her answers that they thought were weaker.
But at the end of the day, whether or not this moves the needle, we're going to be continuing to watch that polling. Donald Trump's team believes
that they can get this back. There's still two months to go and that he obviously has a solid base that's going to show up for him in November, no
matter what.
ANDERSON: Julian, let me bring you back in.
Thank you, Kristen.
For a final thought here, both candidates seeking to make their case, of course, to voters with less than two months until Election Day. We've been
discussing just how much impact a debate might have. We've suggested this might have more, given it's an extraordinary sort of campaign period.
To your mind, what happens next?
What do these two candidates do next?
ZELIZER: Well, with the former president -- and I often say this -- expect the same.
He doesn't change. And the only surprise is that people think he might change. So I expect that what we saw last night will be continuing. And
we'll hear more of it from the conspiracy theories to the very fierce attacks on her and trying to paint her as a far-left socialist/Communist.
And that will be the message going into the final days and they will try to mobilize voters. I think her campaign trajectory is a little more
complicated. She also will continue with the kind of dual approach of reminding voters of who he is and what a second term would be, while also
offering a path forward.
Offering a candidacy that centers on the possibility of change in American policy and politics. What she needs to fill in, I think, is less who she
is. But specifically a few issues where she will differ from the president, Biden, in terms of how she will address the economic concerns of the
nation.
And she talked a little bit about housing. She has to continue to bring back some of those concrete issues that the (INAUDIBLE) care about and
that's her path forward, combined again with canvassing, registering and making sure that people vote. That's what we're going to see in the coming
months.
ANDERSON: It is terrific to have you, sir. Thank you very much, indeed.
And we folks will be back after this short break. My colleague, Erica Hill, in New York, with more on today's 9/11 observances in New York, Washington
and in Pennsylvania.
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HILL: New York City marking the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks.
A day, of course, that changed life here in the United States and, frankly, around the world; in so many ways, forever. Here's the scene a little bit
earlier this morning. You see the former president and the vice president there shaking hands at the memorial.
Former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg standing in between the former president, the president and the vice president. You see both the senators
from New York as well as senator JD Vance there in this moment.
As the politics are put aside and people coming together for this moment to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost in those terror attacks. This was just
before the ceremony began, just about two hours ago this morning.
The first moment of silence was to mark when the very first flight hit the North Tower at 8:46 am. Just moments from now, we are set to observe
another moment of silence. And that is the moment that the North Tower fell. Let's listen in.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I see Boy Scouts, Marines, police officers or firefighters, my thoughts go to you and your life of service.
When I see acts of kindness, determination and above all loyalty, I think of you and everything my father and aunts have told me about your
dedication to our family. I have grown in the light of your memory and it has made me a better person.
I hold these thoughts close today and I say a prayer for you as well as the other victims and their families. May you and every victim of this tragic
day always be honored and remembered.
(APPLAUSE)
HILL: This is, of course, the reading of the names, which has been going on for just shy of two hours now and will continue until all of the nearly
3,000 names of those who were lost on September 11th.
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And also in the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center are read aloud. And many times what we have seen as this continues over the last 23 years, the
younger people reading some of those names, talking about the grandparents that they never knew.
We've also heard, of course, children mention the parents that they never knew who were killed on that day. As I just noted, we were just marking
that sixth moment of silence here. That is the moment that the North Tower fell.
You also saw on your screen on the right side a short time ago, you saw members of the FDNY in their dress uniforms. I can tell you that, here in
New York City on this day, it is remarkable.
You will still see on the subway, on the streets, on all the commuter trains, you will see so many members of the FDNY in their dress uniforms on
their way to different memorials. They have different spots where they often congregate, including in Northern Manhattan on the Upper West Side
and Riverside Park.
The FDNY, of course, who lost more than 300 members on that day, so many rushing in to help after the planes had hit, doing everything they could.
Joining me now, CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand, who is at the Pentagon.
Natasha, of course, a short time ago, just a little over an hour ago, we -- or just about an hour ago, a moment of silence was held at 9:37 am, when
Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. Memorial services happening there as well today.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erica, I mean, this is obviously something they do every year at the
Pentagon Memorial, commemorating the events of 9/11 here.
A deeply personal day for many here at the Pentagon, who were actually there at the time on 9/11 at roughly 9:37 am as you said, when American
Airlines Flight 77 at hit the E ring of the Pentagon, which is that outermost ring of the building there.
And it killed 125 people inside the Pentagon in addition to the 59 passengers on board that flight, the youngest of whom was only 3 years old.
And we did hear remarks from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, C.Q. Brown, as well as Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin.
And Austin actually made some very significant comments about just how much the force has changed over the last two-plus decades, roughly. Of all the
people serving now in the military, only about 6 percent of those currently in uniform were in uniform at the time of 9/11.
And roughly 21 percent of those serving now weren't even born at the time that 9/11 happened. So that just gives you a real sense of how much the
military has changed over the last two-plus decades.
Of course fighting the war on terror following that terror attack, many people who enlisted did just after that terror attack occurred. Hundreds of
thousands of people joined the military following those events.
And so this was really a day for the chairman and the secretary to honor the families of those who died here at the Pentagon, as well as those who
were on that flight. And also just, you know, think about how it's -- so much has changed over the last two-plus decades here in this building as
well as within the military writ large -- Erica.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. And as the -- as the commemoration, as the ceremonies continue throughout the day, I believe President Biden is set to
take part in a wreath laying ceremony later as well, correct?
BERTRAND: Yes, that's right. We do expect to see President Biden as well, who is expected to be there commemorating the events in New York. Now, of
course, we -- this is -- this is something that he does every year. He said a few years ago that he had been looking forward to commemorating the
events of 9/11 here.
And so this is obviously something that not only the president is going to be participating in but we also saw the vice president, Kamala Harris, as
well as the candidate, Donald Trump, who -- Republican candidate, who has been commemorating 9/11 here on this 23rd anniversary.
HILL: Absolutely. Natasha, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
And stay with us, CONNECT THE WORLD continues after this quick break.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A lot of towns don't want to talk about it because they are so embarrassed by it. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that
came in, they're eating the cats, they're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there.
And this is what's happening in our country. And it's a shame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It's Kamala Harris' response which is just so telling. That's Donald Trump making a false claim during Tuesday's presidential debate,
that migrants in one Ohio town were killing pets and eating them.
Well, his running mate, JD Vance, amplified that narrative in a September 9th post on X. However, the city manager from Springfield, Ohio, told ABC
News that there were no credible reports of family pets being harmed by migrants.
Well, the unsubstantiated claims appear to have begun as a rumor in a local Facebook group and then were embraced and promoted by conservative media.
Let's get you to CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter.
I have to start by saying welcome back. It feels as if you never left. I know you've been out for a couple of years, been listening to your podcast,
which is terrific, which I believe you'll still -- you'll still be doing for a bit.
But welcome back at CNN. We missed you. Team Trump --
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Great to be here.
ANDERSON: -- spreading false claims that migrants in Ohio -- thank you -- are killing pets and eating them. And he very specifically said, when he
was called out on this by Kamala Harris last night, that he -- "I heard it on television." Didn't say which shows, of course.
What's the Trump team trying to achieve here?
What are your sources telling you?
STELTER: Yes, some things never change but the stories do get more strange.
And this is one of those examples. It's such an odd story. But you can understand the political appeal for Team Trump. It is tapping into concern
about migrants, concern about immigrants moving into towns and changing the character of communities.
In Springfield, Ohio, according to real reporting from the local newspaper, there have been strains in the community due to the influx of Haitian
immigrants in recent years. For example, there's more traffic. You know, there's, there's, there's an influx of students at school.
So there are real challenges when you have a wave of immigrants arriving. But what's not happening is this idea that pets are being stolen and eaten
and treated as food. This is coming from the fever swamps of the internet, from far-right-wing social media commenters.
And then it's bubbled up in recent days, both to JD Vance and now all the way to Donald Trump. This show is kind of the worst ways that our
information ecosystem is polluted, where an idea can take root as a meme on the internet.
And by the way, it might have been a meme that wasn't even intended to be true. It might have been a joke to begin with. But now, of course, it was
taken seriously by Trump and it became a conversation at the debate.
ANDERSON: What was meant to be true some weeks ago was a deep fake that suggested that Taylor Swift has endorsed Donald Trump.
Well, last night, he, quote, "lost that major endorsement" as Taylor Swift came out and said that she is backing Kamala Harris. And she said that in a
very eloquent and well-written, very well-written post to social post the debate.
[10:40:09]
She had listened and she suggests that others should really do their deep dive and find out who these candidates are and make their decisions.
How big an impact do you think this endorsement will have, Brian?
STELTER: Well, in an election where literally every vote counts in a number of swing states, Taylor Swift does matter. Yes, this is an election
where celebrity endorsements do matter because the margins are so tight in some of these states.
And because she is the biggest celebrity in the world, not only is she the biggest celebrity in the world but she has a fan base that is young; in
some cases, these fans have never voted before. And so they're going to be moved because of her.
But let's back up. I don't think anyone's surprised she's endorsing Harris over Trump. It's a little bit surprising about her timing. And I think she
was very savvy in the way that she did it.
She basically said to her fans, I usually would keep my vote private but because there's all this nonsense out there, because there's these AI
generated lies out there, because Trump has made me part of the story, I'm going to be transparent with you and tell you I'm voting for Harris.
I thought it was a very savvy, structured way to explain why she was announcing this. Because what she was saying was, I don't want to be
dragged into this. I'm not trying to pressure you to vote. But I'm going to tell you what I'm doing because everyone is wondering.
So a very smart move by Taylor Swift to handle the way she's handled it. And because these races are going to be so close in swing states, it is
possible that this will matter. But it's also very hard to measure how many fans are going to vote because of Taylor. We will probably never know for
sure.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. And good to have you. Thank you, sir.
This new information in to CNN on a story that we've been following here on CONNECT THE WORLD. U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the killing of an
American activist by the Israeli military in the West Bank, saying, it is, quote, "totally unacceptable."
Aysenur Eygi was killed, of course, at a protest last week.
In a statement, President Biden went on to, quote, say, quote, "I am outraged and deeply saddened by the death of Aysenur Eygi," and he called
for full accountability. The Israeli military says she was hit indirectly and unintentionally.
Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
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HARRIS: I think that we think today was a good day and it kind of was.
It but we have 56 days to go. And, guys, we're still the underdogs in this race. It's tight.
So let's get on here for these next 56 days. Hard work is good work. And we will win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, speaking to supporters after Tuesday night's debate against former
president Donald Trump. Her campaign clearly feeling confident, perhaps somewhat relieved about her performance.
That was Tuesday night so now we are down to 55 days until this election.
[10:45:03]
Of course, a lot can happen in that time. Well, I have a stellar panel to discuss what might happen next -- Julian Zelizer, David Sanger with me,
along with CNN Politics senior reporter, Stephen Collinson.
Welcome, all of you. Just talk about this embarrassment of riches while I've got you guys lined up on my show. Thank you very much indeed for
joining us.
David, let me start with you.
What do each of these campaigns need to focus on next in the 50 days or 55 days between now and the election to come out on top?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Really, really great question because I think what you got a picture of yesterday in the
debate was (INAUDIBLE) on Harris' strategy, which was basically to get under Trump's skin and make him sound angry, backward looking, defensive.
He took the bait at every single step. You didn't hear a new policy pronouncement, a new what he can do better than he did in the first term.
On the other hand, she was pretty evasive about specific policy ideas. She generally endorsed President Biden's approach on Ukraine and certainly on
the Middle East, without delving into what she might do differently.
She did the -- she played up the differences between herself and Trump on abortion issues, which play well for her, and other reproductive rights
issues. And he tried with only moderate success, I thought, on the economic issues.
He did a -- she did a very good job with casting him as more the incumbent than president Biden being the incumbent.
I think what's really fascinating for the next 1.5 months would be if we heard from either of these candidates about their view of America in the
world. And for President Biden, for president -- former president Trump, what you basically heard was Viktor Orban endorses me. So he's basically
got the endorsement of an authoritarian.
We didn't hear very much new from Kamala Harris, particularly on the main challenger to the United States, China.
ANDERSON: Julian, what we did hear from Kamala Harris was her putting some distance between herself and Joe Biden. Look, we know that this was sort of
a thread the needle situation, put some distance between her and him without sounding disrespectful to the president.
How did he -- how do you think she did there?
Because it was important, wasn't it, that she laid her stake in the ground for voters who believe that she brought no change, just a continuation of
what is this Biden administration?
ZELIZER: It's a start. It's not the culmination of the effort, so she can't stop at this. I think in two areas you saw this.
One, she continues to do what she did at the convention, speaking about the Middle East, trying to find more of a balance rhetorically between support
for Israel but also understanding the immense cost this war has had on Palestinians.
And that's not a specific set of policies but we don't usually get those in campaigns.
I do think it's a way to distinguish that she will be more forthright or more aggressive, she wants to argue, in bringing this to an end. And then
on the economy, she tried to talk about certain structural opportunity barriers that middle class families face -- housing, for example -- that
she wants to address.
And that's a subtle way to say she's not dismissing Biden's efforts on the economy but simultaneously understands there's a lot of work to be done.
Again, it's a start; the concerns are very real in the polls.
And I think in the next 56 days, that's one of the top issues she will have to tackle.
ANDERSON: It was -- I thought it was a telling point when she said that the response to Donald Trump, accusing her of being Joe Biden, she said
that she wasn't Joe Biden.
She went on to say that she was also not Donald Trump. What she said is she was a new generation with new ideas, again, putting some distance between
her and the U.S. President but in a way which was respectfully done, I guess you could describe it.
Stephen, in your analysis after the debate, you write, and I quote here.
[10:50:00]
"Even if he loses ground after the debate, Trump has long had the advantage of the top two issues in the election -- the economy and immigration."
How does the Harris campaign change voters' minds on what are, let's remind ourselves, key issues 55 days out?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Ever since the vice president jumped into this race, she's been trying to show more empathy
with voters on the shock they get when they go to the supermarket and see their grocery bills, on their difficulty getting into the housing market.
But the problem is she's not been particularly specific on these issues, as David said. And if these issues are indeed so deeply felt by many voters,
it may take more than a good showing in a debate and a few policy speeches to, you know, compensate for that.
So it could be something that she ultimately, if she loses the election, was unable to do. And it may have been an impossible task.
But I think what I've been looking for over the next few weeks is two things.
One, whether Trump's campaign, his conservative media friends will be able to actually fog the reality of what happened last night, to perhaps lessen
the impact of this debate, get back to those issues on the economy and immigration, which the former president has struggled to effectively
address, actually.
The second thing is, if she gets a polling bounce, it could be significant because some of these early voting states, North Carolina and Wisconsin,
they're beginning to vote in early voting and mail-in voting in the coming weeks.
So the fact that this is only eight weeks, the election, it doesn't mean there's eight weeks to the election date. Some people are going to vote
before that. So a bounce of even a few points, which could be very significant in the race, could actually be more significant than this after
this debate, than it has been, perhaps, in decades past.
ANDERSON: Now you make a really, really good point there.
Very briefly -- and I'll start with you, Stephen -- and I'll ask you all, yes, no question.
Do you expect to see these two face off again before the election, possibly twice?
Stephen.
COLLINSON: I'm not really sure what's in it for Trump, because he's perceived to have lost. But who knows. This campaign has been completely
unpredictable. So anything can happen.
ANDERSON: David.
SANGER: I don't think you'll see another. My guess is that -- well, you heard president Trump make the case that he won.
That has been sort of the pre-package ways, I think, as he hears even what his own advocates had to say. He'll realize that he's not gaining the one
thing he needed, which is more votes with moderates and so forth. I doubt he'll come back for a second round.
ANDERSON: Julian.
ZELIZER: I think I'm there, too. My sense is, whatever he says, Trump is shaken and he has been shaken now for a while and he is not confident how
he will do in another contest.
So because of that, I think the odds are low that he will try this again. And Harris is doing well where she is now. So she would rather in many ways
continue to focus on the campaign trail and other media efforts.
ANDERSON: We've been discussing both the impact of Taylor Swift and Elon Musk through these past couple of hours on the show, both of whom, of
course, have considerable influence with, I want to say, fairly disparate groups.
But certainly between the two of them, they have some influence on a significant number of people, let me put it that way, in America.
I want to play a little bit of what our colleague, CNN's Abby Phillips (sic), had to say on the impact of Taylor Swift's endorsement, have a
listen.
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ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is always significant to have the most powerful force in pop culture on your side. The one
contrarian view, I will say, is that, in this moment, the thing that Harris campaign needs perhaps the most is to figure out how to reach men.
They've got to figure it out here in Pennsylvania. They've got to figure out how to reach Black men. And I'm not sure Taylor Swift helps them with
that. It's a totally different ballgame that Taylor Swift is in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, this was a really important point that Abby was making.
Let me start with you, Julian.
How does the campaign make up ground with men?
ZELIZER: Well, I think Governor Walz is very helpful. And then talk about issues that matter to men. I think there were policy issues which mattered
to both genders. Everyone cares about getting a house, everyone cares about student loans, everyone cares about their groceries.
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And if you deal with those effectively and simultaneously, make the warning that she will try to make and made last night, that the other person is a
danger to the stability of government, those appeal to men as much as women. And then she obviously doesn't want to discount a very powerful
female vote.
And that's where Taylor Swift, for younger women, could actually be a kind of celebrity endorsement that counteracts some of those other two issues
Steve was talking about, inflation and immigration, focusing on issues like reproductive rights, where she is doing quite well compared to the former
president.
ANDERSON: I set up this panel by saying I had a stellar group. You are, thank you. It's been an absolute pleasure. We'll have you back.
We are 55 days out, gentlemen. There is a lot to get through between now and the Election Day. Of course, as Stephen rightly points out, there are a
lot of postal votes going in before that. So all good stuff. Thank you very much, indeed, for joining us.
What a day. The post debate analysis and, of course, we've been reporting on the 23rd anniversary of the September the 11th in New York. We've been
covering the commemorations there at Ground Zero there in Washington and, of course, in Pennsylvania.
That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.
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