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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump Unleashes On Harris As Biden Prepares To Address Nation; Soon: Biden Delivers Historic Address On Leaving 2024 Race. Aired 7- 7:50p ET
Aired July 24, 2024 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:33]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, President Biden about to address the nation for the first time since dropping out of the race. We are just getting some excerpts of what he is going to say in this crucial speech in moment in his career. This as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ramp up attacks its against each other wasting no time.
Plus, a path to victory that the Harris campaign sees, signaling that they are stronger than Biden and several key states. It's a different map. What is their road to 270?
Potential VP pick Pete Buttigieg weighs in OUTFRONT.
And Kamala Harris's modern family. After relentless personal attacks from the right, the surprising voice coming to Kamala Harris's defense.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news: I'm not going to be nice. Those are the exact words, a quote from the former President Trump unleashing attack after attack on Vice President Kamala Harris. He is campaigning in what could be the battleground state of North Carolina. This is his first rally since President Biden withdrew from the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Lyin' Kamala Harris has been the ultraliberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe. She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Meanwhile, all eyes tonight on the White House where in moments, President Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office. It's a crucial night for him to delivering his first speech, first remarks since ending his reelection campaign three days ago. And we are getting our first excerpts from what President Biden will be saying.
Among the lines: I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That is the best way to unite our nation. And today, Kamala Harris back on the campaign trail in front of a large crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joe Biden is a leader with bold vision. He cares about the future. He thinks about the future. He has extraordinary determination and profound compassion for the people of our country. I believe we face a choice between two different visions for our nation, one focused on the future, the other focused on the past.
You may have seen their agenda. Part of it is called Project 2025, a plan to return America to a dark past.
Let's be clear: this represents an outright attack on our children, our families, and our future. These extremists want to take us back, but we are not going back. We are not going back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And while Harris only mentioned Trump by name once in her speech today, it was clear that she is making this election a referendum on him.
And a new CNN poll shows Harris improving on Biden's performance against Trump, her campaign unlike any in history thus far, vote.org said, which is the largest non-partisan voter registration organization, announced a record nearly 700 percent increase in new voter registrations in the 48 hours after Biden dropped out of the race? That's eight times.
A lot to get to tonight. I want to start with Kayla Tausche, though, OUTFRONT outside the White House.
And, Kayla, we just shared one excerpt there from what we anticipate President Biden will be saying in moments when he addresses the country from the Oval Office, what more are you learning about what he'll say?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Erin, the, president and his team have been working on this speech throughout the day, practicing the delivery of the speech. We know that he and his aides began drafting this speech. One of the most consequential of his decades-long political career, shortly after disclosing to the public that he would be withdrawing from the race.
But I'm just learned from someone involved in this process, a senior adviser to the president, that the reason why -- one of the reasons why he didn't deliver this speech sooner in the week of course, he arrived back at the White House yesterday afternoon was because they wanted to give his voice more time to recover and to strengthen before he delivered this primetime address to the American people. He called into his former campaign headquarters now rebranded for Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday. And in that call, his voice was shaking slightly and there were a couple of coughs, and so, that's one of the reasons since why he's delivering this address tonight, Wednesday evening.
You mentioned one of the experts -- excerpts before.
[19:05:02]
But I want to highlight this one because one of the main things were expecting the president to do in this speech is to talk about what remains from his to-do list, and the platform that he ran on nearly four years ago.
He's going to say: Over the next six months, I'll be focused on doing my job as president. That means I will continue to lower costs for hardworking families and grow our economy. I'll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights from the right to vote, to the right to choose.
That's sort of a preview of sorts of what we could expect from the president and something that we expect him to talk quite a bit about.
And then, finally, Erin, I just want to point to the path behind me. And just before we came on the air, there were hundreds of employees streaming through the front door of the White House for a watch party that's expected to draw nearly all 500 employees from this complex, beer, wine, pizza in the White House residence. There's a marching band playing outside as they try to make this a more celebratory mood after weeks of uncertainty.
BURNETT: All right. Kayla, thank you very much.
And, David Axelrod, you know, that's interesting what Kayla just reported there, trying to make this more of a celebratory event. I mean, in a certain level, it is sort of like a wake. I mean, it's for a campaign, for a career, this isn't where he wanted to be. It isn't where he thinks he should be, but it's where he ultimately decided to be.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I imagine there's a mixture of sadness and a sense of liberation tonight for the president, because he gets to talk about the things he cares about, the things he's done and the things that he wants to do in the remaining months without the burden of trying to sell himself to the American people. And I expect that he'll get a better hearing because of it.
It's always been my belief that if he's stepped away, that people would be as accomplishments more clearly than if he was trying to sell them and the idea that he should serve another four years because that was so associated with age. So, you know, I can see him having a very mixed feeling tonight and I think its great that they're celebrating him.
BURNETT: David Frum, you know, you are speechwriter, of course, for President George W. Bush. And this is as big of a moment as there -- as there will likely be for President Biden.
So, what do you think has gone into this address?
DAVID FRUM, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Well, they're not -- I know they're not going to follow my advice, but I'm going to give him the advice because its good advice and their present plan is not as wrong.
Biden should boast, boast, boast about the economic record of the past three years. One of the real deficiencies of this administration has been its fear of taken credit for the three years of extraordinary economic growth and Americans enjoyed since 2021, since the end of the pandemic.
I know why they're afraid because of aggressive groups will say no one is happy until everybody is happy, and if there are any sad people in America left and there are always sad people, if there's one person has got some rare disease out there, you cannot take credit.
But I pointed out to them that Democrats who get second terms and they're asking for a second term, take credit for the first term. In 1996, when Bill Clinton was running for reelection, he gave us State of the Union in January, and the economy in 1996 was still pretty shaky. We didn't know that the boom was coming in 1997, '98, '99.
BURNETT: Yeah.
FRUM: Bill Clinton started talking about the economy for the 60th second of the State of the Union.
In 2024, Biden waited 15 minutes to talk about good economic news. So my advice is talk about the good economic news. You're on your way out. You're 81, if they say you're out of touch, you're out of touch.
But if you don't take credit, no one's going to give him credit.
BURNETT: I guess then you also get a free campaign speech for Kamala Harris in that sense, Kendra. But, I mean, what do you think having worked with the vice -- then vice president of his now President Biden for so long, what is this moment for him?
KENDRA BARKOFF, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY FOR VP BIDEN: Look, it's a big moment for him as this everybody is talking about with a celebration, but he has been in public service for more than 50 years, as everybody knows. And so, I do think that while it is going to be a big speech, it's another one of his big speeches that he is given his entire career.
And I think that they are going to treat it. They're going to elevate the points that they have made and put out, but I think it is an important speech for him no doubt.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, I think that this is a moment for Joe Biden to remind everyone of who he actually is. I mean, one of the things about politics is that your character and your personality and your career gets kind of smashed down into this 2D form that gets basically beat up by everyone around and he's been really beat up, especially in these his last three weeks or so.
But Joe Biden, I just taking a step back from this political moment. He has really extraordinary career and this is his opportunity to take some of that narrative back. I mean, it is about passing the torch, I think based on the excerpts, we know that he's going to talk about that, but it's also about reclaiming his entire legacy, which is Kendra just said, is 50 years long.
[19:10:03]
And it's -- it's beyond this moment and it would be smart for him to take the country out of this sort of hot political cycle that they are in right now. And look at the big picture because I think that's also what he's always said animates him, and, you know, he can also reclaim his legacy in a way by trying to do that.
BURNETT: Astead, though, it's interesting in the context of everything we're talking about, he also still believes and you heard from the press secretary today that he could serve four more years after he finishes. He deeply and fulsomely believes that.
So, even with that belief, he has to give this speech of passing it on. That's a really hard thing to do.
ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think it's hard, but I think it actually speaks to some of the goodwill that will be here for President Biden. It was clear that it was -- that he thought he could serve another four years to those close around him thought he could serve another four years, but no one else did. And I think that this is finally a recognition of that fact from the electorate. And I think it allows Joe Biden to talk about trust in government, to talk about selflessness, to talk about themes of unity that he has been wanting to do for a long time.
But there was this elephant in the room where they were completely out of touch with the majority of opinion and people around his biggest liability. Now that that at circle has been square, I think he has a better chance to be able to --
AXELROD: What he is doing tonight, Erin, just to your point, what he's doing tonight is a completely unnatural act in our politics. He's at the pinnacle of power and he's walking away from it. And I think he's going to use it to set up a contrast with Donald Trump. The whole pass the torch to a new generation.
You know, Donald Trump is now the oldest candidate to run for president. I just have to say one other thing. I have a world of respect for David Frum, who I think is so talented and so insightful, but he kind of skipped over the 2012 race. I lived through a period where a president was running for reelection in the economy was doing better, but people didn't feel it.
It's not a good strategy actually. You can acknowledge all the progress as long as the end of that acknowledgement is, but people experience the economy through the prices they're paying. That has been punishing. I'm going to work on that more. That's where our attention has to be.
So it can't just be open-ended bragging about stuff when people, 65 percent of the people, not just a few people, who are gripers, it's like 65 percent of the public has a negative view of the economy.
BURNETT: David Frum?
FRUMP: The best speech given in 2012 was the speech given not by Barack Obama at his renomination, but by Bill Clinton renominating him. And Bill Clinton in 2012, did tell that story of economic progress.
But there's a real danger tonight that Biden will give a me-me-me speech. He's been giving a lot of me-me speeches over the past two weeks. He needs to give a you-you-you speech where he's been failing to do since that debate that this is not about his 50-year career. He wants to give that speech, give it in January of 2025.
This is the first speech of the Kamala Harris campaign. And if the incumbents don't have a good record, why return them? If you want to make the case the incumbent should be returned, tell them they have a good record, and this soft selling, what would Donald Trump say if he had the Biden economy? He would say it was the greatest economy since the pyramids and if you're not prepared to say that, no one's going to say it for you.
PHILLIP: I have a slightly different view somewhere between a David -- the two Davids here.
BURNETT: Yeah.
PHILLIP: I don't think Joe Biden, frankly, is very good at talking about this economy. That's been one of the big issues, is that when he does, it sounds like a recitation, like a list of facts --
BURNETT: Right.
PHILLIP: -- the people are being forced to take in. He is at his best when he talks about the broad themes of democracy, of morality, of purpose, and if -- you know, we don't know what exactly how this is going to -- the contours of this speech. But he is just from an observers perspective, he is better when he takes himself out of the nitty-gritty of these sort of numbers and the details.
When you look back at that debate, he faulted, heard so much anytime he tried to recite. The unemployment rate is this number. All of these figures and facts that he had in his head, its also not compelling to the American people.
He has -- this moment puts him with a bunch of American greats, this sort of George Washingtons of the world. He's stepping away from power if he stays in that lane, I think that will be so much more powerful and impactful.
(CROSSTALK) BARKOFF: I'm going to say, it is not very often that you see a politician put their country in front of everything else. And I think that is what he is doing. It was bold.
BURNETT: Even though he feels he was ganged up on by donors -- donors came as were not going to donate to you, Senator, Congressperson if you don't turn against him. I mean, he felt completely ganged up on unfairly.
BARKOFF: He -- as somebody who lived through the 2015 decision, whether or not to run for president after his son, Beau, had passed away, it took him a very long time to decide whether or not he was going to run.
[19:15:06]
And I was there working for him in the White House at the time. And he is a methodical thinker. It takes them a while to come to it. I think personally, I have no knowledge of this, but I think he made the decision sooner than over the weekend. I think he started thinking about it sooner and over the weekend, I think is when it really crystallized.
But I tend to think he is a methodical thinker and it took longer than it just --
BURNETT: Do you think he -- that you buy into the whole he decided before the convention and let them have a whole convention slamming Biden and planned it? Is it --
HERNDON: And I don't know if I buy that. And I frankly feel as if some of the -- some of the -- kind of some of the ways people are characterizing this decision is a little off to me. I mean, the White House over the last year-and-a-half as ignored evidence about people's care about this. Like that's the first thing I would say.
But I don't think that now that he has come to this decision, there's a lot of people willing to hear him out for doing this. I also think it underscores the stakes of democracy so much more, the pitch he was making the democracy is on the line, that Donald Trump is an existential threat, that this was the most important election ever was harder to hear when he was ignoring the elephant in the room of his own age and people's concerns about that.
I think if he brings that message back now, if he underscores that, it will be received --
AXELROD: You remind --
HERNDON: I think that that's what people are been waiting for.
AXELROD: You remind me, Erin, there was a Republican convention last week, and I remember it. So it's been a long time, but I remember Trump talking about unity and wanted to represent the whole country and man, how things have changed in just a few days.
BURNETT: It is incredible. And then before that and assassination attempt, a few days ago, but I mean, you know, wow.
AXELROD: Yeah.
BURNETT: All right. Next, the Harris campaign feeling very bullish about several states that the Biden campaign had basically written off. It's a different map for her and we're going to take you the magic wall to show you one possible path to 270 for Harris.
Plus, CNN learning Harris is now less than two weeks away from announcing her running mate. Pete Buttigieg, who is said to be on that list potential choices, is next.
And the ex-wife of Kamala Harris's husband tonight speaking to CNN and defending the attacks against Harris and her family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:21:32]
BURNETT: Breaking news, Kamala Harris seeing an opening, her campaign says that North Carolina is back in play for Democrats after the Biden campaign essentially written it off. It was not a battleground state essentially to them when Biden was at the top of the ticket. But now Harris is they see it differently.
Trump now on defense. He's actually in North Carolina right now. That's where he chose to have his first rally since Biden dropped out of the race.
Harry Enten is here with me at the magic wall to go beyond the numbers.
So, Harry, look the Biden campaign, they knew they had a narrow path, but that path went right through the Midwest, right that was it, the blue wall. That was all we were talking about. But this is now possibly a different map.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: It's potentially a different math. So, you know, let's just talk about that narrow path, right? You were talking about the Midwest states. There were basically talking right in this region, right?
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin get you to exactly 270 electoral votes. That is a very, very thin map. And so the Harris campaign wants to expand upon that, right? They want to expand on that.
Why do they want to expand on it? Because if lets just say one of these states in the Great Lake battleground states went to Trump like Pennsylvania, all of a sudden, Trump wins.
So let's just talk about the potential pathways that Harris campaign wants to potentially get to. So I'm going to turn all of these states, those key Great Lake battleground states red. And then were going to go across the southern part into the Sun Belt, right?
That's where the Harris camp probably wants to play. So we'll go to Nevada, will turn that blue, will go to Arizona, will turn that blue. We'll go to Georgia and we'll turn that blue.
Now that only gets you to 259 electoral votes. But here's the thing. Let's go up to North Carolina and lets turn that blue, and now you get to 275 electoral votes. And that's why the Harris campaign wants to play there.
BURNETT: Now, anybody looking at that when you were doing all your little touching switching might have noticed that some of those states were sort of they weren't read, they weren't blue. So she just had to move them a little bit.
ENTEN: Yeah.
BURNETT: North Carolina was red.
ENTEN: Correct.
BURNETT: OK. So that's a big move to give her that one.
ENTEN: That's -- that's a very big move.
BURNETT: Where does the confidence come from?
ENTEN: Where does that confidence come from? Well, the confidence I think comes from this, I want to take the look at our recent -- the CNN poll that came out earlier today. All right?
So this will give you an idea. This is a national poll.
BURNETT: Uh-huh.
ENTEN: Why? Take a look the choice for president, look at Harris now, compare that to Biden in April and June.
Look among Black voters in particular, look at this, look at this improvement that you see for Kamala Harris here, compare fair to Joe Biden, 78 percent back in July, in July for Kamala Harris, 70 percent for Biden, April and June. So that's an eight-point movement.
I'm also going to point out Hispanic voters here as well. You see the similar movement right from 41 percent to 47 percent. Why is that so important?
Well, you know what North Carolina has a lot of. It has a lot of Black voters in it, right? So this is registered voters who are Black. Look at this, 21 percent, compare that to the nation as a whole, 12 percent. Look at Georgia as well, look at that, 34 percent of voters in Georgia are Black according to recent polling.
So they think that North Carolina, because of the movement among Black voters nationally, could in fact check put North Carolina in play. I also mentioned Hispanic voters, and why is that important? Well, they don't necessarily play a big role in North Carolina, but how about those other Sun Belt battleground states, right?
Arizona and Nevada, look here, look into large percentage that Hispanics.
BURNETT: Double the national population.
ENTEN: Double the national average.
So this is why they think they can play in the Sun Belt because he's doing better with Black voters and Hispanic voters. Of course, in North Carolina, it's Black voters, but in Arizona, in Nevada, it's Hispanic vote.
BURNETT: And interesting, you saw that move right off the bat with both Black voters and Hispanic voters.
[19:25:01]
And we'll see what happens to that. I mean, I was at the Hispanic voters. You don't know? I mean, she was in charge of the border. It's a tortured issue for many.
ENTEN: It's a very tortured issue.
BURNETT: And it'll be interesting to see if that holds.
ENTEN: That's exactly, what be interesting to see that holds. And of course, the other thing about Hispanic voters is that they're diverse, right? They can have different feelings depending on where they are in the country.
One little last thing I want to just point out, Erin for you on this map. You talk about North Carolina being blue, right? This also just support is the possibility.
Let's say if you lose in Georgia, right? Let's say you lose in Georgia if you're Kamala Harris, but you've turned North Carolina blue and you've turned Arizona blue and you've turned Nevada blue, well, then you could just add, let's say, you add, Pennsylvania and that gets you.
BURNETT: Right.
ENTEN: It basically it expands the map out whereby by doing well among Black and Hispanic voters, if you do well in North Carolina, you provide yourself with a lot more electoral paths.
BURNETT: And I know you want to pick a VP that you just want to pick. But obviously what you're pointing out here does highlight the how important a state like Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina can be, all of those states. Of course, there are governors or senator in the case of Arizona, on a possible list.
ENTEN: Exactly, Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, two governors and Arizona Mark Kelly.
Those are the important states perhaps to pick a VP.
BURNETT: All right. So she could pick for that reason, she could pick she likes him. She could also choose pick someone that she likes and trusts and believes will get her over the top. And one of those people could be Pete Buttigieg, who is here.
And I will note he is here in his personal capacity as a member of the Democratic Party, not as the secretary of transportation, obviously, for the purposes of this conversation.
So the Harris campaign came out with a very optimistic memo this morning, including North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, right? As Harris was just laying out all as potential paths that they see the 270, different than the Biden map and I just want to point out 2008, the only time since 1980 that North Carolina went blue, that's why we had it read on our maps.
So do you truly believe that it's in play this year now?
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do. I was there not long ago. There is terrific energy there. I think it's telling that Donald Trump feels the need to defend North Carolina right now and it's part of expanding that map, you know, in addition to competing in places like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, there is huge opportunity in places like North Carolina.
You look at the changes, of course, as we went through the last election in places like Georgia, we are back in a conversation about an expanding map for Democrats and certainly for the Harris campaign. And it makes it one more reason why this is just a very exciting moment for this campaign for our party and really for the country because I think it opens up new possibilities in terms of a forward- looking politics as well.
BURNETT: So, Donald Trump, just a few moments ago, we had that rally. He's in North Carolina as I pointed out, but he suggested that Democrats could actually did cherish as their 2024 nominee, which may sound crazy given the excitement around her so far. But here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If we start beating her in the polls by 10 or 15 points, are they going to bring in a third candidate? It's like, you know, Trump is killing this guy. Like, out, lets bring in a new one. Out, out, and then maybe at some point they get one right when will that stop?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, look, poll of polls that we have now, and it's early, but it shows Harris running neck and neck with Trump still within the margin of error, like pushing for you though, actually, I guess is a little bit more existential the way that this all went down, your party was denied a primary process in which a lot of you could have run and a lot of people what have wanted, people like you and others to run in addition to the vice president.
Is there a part of me that has a disappointment that you are denied that opportunity? BUTTIGIEG: No, I'm excited about where we are and I think part of what we've seen in the last few days that was extraordinary is how quickly Kamala Harris supported are consolidated the support from around the party, a lot of different voices.
And remember, the Democratic Party is not exactly known for falling in line. We are known for being a big tent, fractious, lot of different voices. And yet here in this moment, everyone has come together and I think that reflects not just our determination to make sure that we don't get thrown back to the chaos of the Trump era. But also a level of admiration and respect and excitement around what Vice President Harris is going to bring to the ticket and what kind of president she is going to make.
So, look, were in a moment, obviously an extraordinary moment on precedent in my lifetime. But that's part of why it's so remarkable that the party has coalesced with unprecedented speed around this leader, this future and this Harris presidency ahead.
BURNETT: Well, there are many, you know, ten weeks, ten days or two weeks ago who very much wanted others to be considered other than the vice president. And obviously the party is completely in line and unify behind her now, and she's now considering her running mate.
So sources tell our Jeff Zeleny that she is less than two weeks away from making that package and that means a very, you know, an unprecedentedly fast vetting process, polling process underway.
[19:30:07]
Jeff Zeleny is also reporting that you are one of a handful of names that she's currently considering an earlier today, the Democratic congressman Pat Ryan, said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAT RYAN (D-NY): I am and for -- have forever been a Pete Buttigieg fan. He's just shown an ability to actually unify the country when that is just what people are desperately looking for. So I'd love -- I'd love to see him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Says he would love to see you. Would you like to see yourself on that ticket if that is her choice?
BUTTIGIEG: Well, I think anybody would be flattered to be mentioned in that context, and I really appreciate the congressman's comments as well.
Obviously, she is going to run a process that is based on what's best for her and she's going to make a decision that's the right decision for her, for the party, and for the country. And no matter what, I'm going to be doing everything in my power to make sure that she's our next president.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Pete Buttigieg, I appreciate your time and thank you.
BUTTIGIEG: Thank you.
BURNETT: All right. Good to see you.
And we also have some more breaking news right now on Doug Emhoff's ex-wife. Okay. Now, why do I mention her? Because she is coming to Kamala Harris's defense.
In an extraordinary statement to CNN, Kerstin Emhoff, who is the mother of Harris's two stepchildren, responded to attacks like this one against Harris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Kirsten Emhoff telling our Sunlen Serfaty, and I quote her, these are baseless attacks. For over ten years since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and I'm grateful to have her in it.
And Sunlen Serfaty is OUTFRONT with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: I've had a lot of titles over my career and certainly vice president will be great but Momala will always be the one that means the most.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a title Vice President Kamala Harris is proud of.
HARRIS: Family is our beautiful children Cole and Ella, who called me Momala.
SERFATY: But now that she has been elevated to the top of the ticket, that title step stepmother is again in spotlight.
HARRIS: My family means everything to me.
SERFATY: With some conservatives suggesting she should not be president because she does not have biological children.
Really simple, underdiscussed reason why Kamala Harris shouldn't be president? No children, a conservative lawyer who worked on Ron DeSantis's campaign wrote this week on social media, adding and no, becoming a step parent to older teenagers doesn't count.
That echoes similar comments made by now Republican vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance in 2021.
VANCE: We're effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made.
SERFATY: Which are being resurfaced a new as he and his running mate Donald Trumps seek to define Harris for voters.
VANCE: It's just a basic fact. You look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC, the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. And how does it make any sense that we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?
SERFATY: Harris does have children two adults stepchildren, Cole and Ella, who were 19 and 15 when she married Doug Emhoff in 2014.
HARRIS: We have a very modern family.
SERFATY: They are blended family. She has joked, is almost a little too functional, which she credits to the close friendship she has with Emhoff's first wife, whom she calls an incredible mother.
HARRIS: One of the keys to my relationship with Cole and Ella is their mom.
SERFATY: Ella Emhoff says their family dynamics work. They are really a unit like a three-person parenting squad. It's really cool, creating a modern political family.
HARRIS: The thing about blended families, if everyone approaches it in the way that there's plenty of love to share, then it works.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY (on camera): And Kirsten Emhoff has been a defender of Harris in the past with numerous posts on social media about her campaign. But this statement today, it certainly seems and feels significant that she is -- she is the one being put forward by the campaigns to defend their blended family, as she faces questions over her motherhood -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Sunlen, thank you very much.
And you know, this comes as Harris spoke today to 6,000 members of one of the country's largest Black sororities Zeta Phi Beta, telling them to head to the polls and make history.
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HARRIS: And we know when we organize mountains move. When we mobilize, nations change. And when we vote, we make history.
[19:35:05]
So let us continue to fight with optimism, with faith and with hope because when we fight, we win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, Stacie NC Grant, the international president and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta sorority, and you will show her right now as you can see her, she's on stage with Kamala Harris today.
And, Stacie, I appreciate your time. So you were there and onstage with her. What was it like in that room as she spoke today?
Erin, it was absolutely magical.
STACIE NC GRANT, CEO OF ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY: The energy in the room was electrifying and we were able to say that we are the road to this history-making opportunity that she stopped in Indianapolis, Indiana, to visit the grand boule of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated.
And can I say, Erin, thank you for all that you do to bring us real news authentic truth that we can digest and make decisions about how our country moves forward.
BURNETT: We appreciate that.
So, you know, we know that President Biden and this has been one of the real weaknesses in his campaign. He had been losing some Black voter support to Trump in recent months. We saw it in poll after poll. Harris again and again though, has been very clear that she is going to tie herself to Biden. They are a unit even ever since he dropped out. Here she is.
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HARRIS: I love Joe Biden.
Our incredible President Joe Biden.
President Joe Biden fights for the American people.
Joe Biden is a leader with bold vision.
We have so many darn good reasons for loving Joe Biden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Do you have any concern that the weakness at the polls had shown for Biden could also affect her or do you think that just won't happen?
GRANT: Erin, what I say about the polls, I don't know who they're polling because sometimes the information seems a little skewed. What we have as a country, as an opportunity to educate the electorate on the truth.
What it is that they wanted decide, decide to do as they go to the polls, as members of Zeta Phi Beta and the entire D9, we are united to mobilize and educate our community on the decisions at hand, how to protect our democracy, how to focus on the truth and the facts of how this country can continue to grow and expand and create equity and access for everyone.
BURNETT: So, Stacie, "The Washington Post" today spoke to some of the women who were in that room where you are today, many of them said they were excited. Some also said they were nervous though, about Harris's chances of winning.
One woman said, and I just want to quote what she said to them. If you had your eyes closed and you could just go based on her qualifications versus Trumps qualifications, yes, she'd definitely win. But they're not going to do that, she said.
Biden, the white guy, would have had a better shot. That was the quote.
And, you know, here at CNN, you know, we've also spoken to a number of voters in swing states and they have shared some of their concerns about what they perceive as Harris's ability to win. Here they are.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a whole bunch of folks in the middle and I don't believe that they're going to vote for her. Even if you go back to Hillary Clinton as a nominee, right? To me, America has shown us but it is not ready for a female leader.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Are you hearing the same doubts?
GRANT: So, Erin, one of the things that I do is be intentional about what I focus on because what you focus on expands, I'd rather focus on the opportunity that we have as a country to entertain history once again. I'd rather focus on the facts of what the Biden administration has done and let my members, who not everyone is believing of the same persuasion of where our country is going. And that's fine because we're nonpartisan.
We don't tell our members how to vote. We just give them information and I want to focus on how we give the right information, the accurate information, and the opportunity to create history with someone who's overqualified and someone who is dedicated to this country, and someone who many people don't know her heart and her capacity to lead from a place of a grounded faith and the excitement of what's new and possible for the United States of America.
BURNETT: So when you spoke to her today, what did she say to you? Did you did you get any kind of a window into just her mindset? I mean, its been an absolutely stunning few days and even if Biden had gotten off the ticket, this may not have at all, and the way she anticipated it would play out, most people didn't, right, and then here we are. I mean, what is her sort of her emotional state as you could tell?
GRANT: Well, I tell you we had no idea that she would be the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee when this was organized and confirm for her to be with Zeta Phi Beta.
[19:40:00]
What she said to me the energy in here is electrifying. It is amazing, like we really thought that we were suspended in air because history happened today, right here in Indianapolis, Indiana.
We were able to hear from the sitting vice president of the United States, which is historic first for our organization, now turn presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. It was a history-making moment. It was an opportunity for our members to hear more about her record and her proud opportunities to have served with President Biden.
She's not going to stop talking about it. They have done a great job leading this country and she wanted to share that and our members have an opportunity to listen, to make their decisions when they go to the poll.
But what is absolute? We are getting out the vote because all of us understand the importance of this moment. And as a member of the D9, and we are all working together because were stronger together. And the Black vote and our vote will influence this election.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Stacie, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
And next, we are awaiting the breaking news of President Biden about to address the nation. This will be his first address since dropping out of the race. And we've got some new reporting on what we expect to here in these final moments here as he is rehearsing and making any final changes.
Plus, new pictures of hundreds of Biden staffers heading to a Biden watch party at the White House tonight.
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[19:45:36]
BURNETT: Breaking news, we're just getting in new video from the White House. Hundreds of staffers heading to a watch party for President Biden's historic Oval Office address, which begins in just a few moments. As you can see them all parading in there, our team there says the White House is trying to make this more celebratory event for Biden needs. So, obviously, it's been a horrific few weeks for them.
So in a sense, they're trying to make it a party, beer and wine, pizza, they've got a marching band.
Everyone back with me.
David Axelrod, there's something though about that video you see them all maybe the poignant, it's just poignant that it's their backs.
AXELROD: Yeah. BURNETT: And then, you know, it's -- I don't think anybody can look at that and not, you know?
AXELROD: Look, there's inescapably poignancy about this moment. This man has spent more than half a century serving this country. He's -- he had every intention to serve further. And he had to give that up.
But the flip side of it is he gave it up. And that is something to celebrate. You know, George Washington did the same thing. He left. People wanted him to run, but he knew it was time.
And that's one of the reasons we remember him so fondly.
So, you know, I do think it sets up a contrast with Trump because what he's saying is, you know what? I'm not the only one who can do this. And I never put the country, I never thought I was more important than the country, that is a good message moving forward.
BURNETT: You know, probably a lot of those people. You know, 500 going, and how does it feel to you to look at that moment?
BARKOFF: I think it's bittersweet for them, right? They have spent 3- 1/2 years working on these important initiatives to move our country forward. And, you know, there's six more months where they're going to continue to do that. But I think it's somewhat bittersweet for them because it is somewhat of the symbol of that Kamala is going to take the reins and sort of move things forward. It's got to be a little bit difficult while at the same time knowing they still have a lot of work to do for the country.
PHILLIP: That image is the exact reason why -- one of the main reasons why I think this is so hard for any politician to decide to not run again because you have a whole infrastructure of thousands of people who work for you on the premise that you're going to run again, that you're going to continue to do it, that they're going to continue to have jobs after this is all over.
And so, to say to them I'm taking myself out of it is a hard decision to make, but what's happened to the Democratic Party since then has been, I think beyond what most Democrats that I've talked to you expected. I don't know that anybody really expected the party to feel as energizes it does to feel as excited as it does.
That is very real and in a way, I think that that helps Joe Biden tonight as he gives this address, if he had left this party and a fractured state, which when I talked to people close to him, was a big concern of his, he I think would be coming into the speech in a completely different mood, but that is not where the Democrats are right now.
BURNETT: David Frum?
FRUM: I get all the interior reasons why moment like this, the president to people random I think about themselves and what they lost and what they're giving up. But I -- as I said in the first segment it is not the last speech of
Joe Biden presidency that comes in January 2025. This is the first important endorsement of Vice President Harris for president campaign, and he needs to make it not about himself and how he feels about why the country should give his running mate, his vice president, his administration, a second term.
And if he won't sell that, no one will.
HERNDON: I guess I kind of see it differently. I don't really see this as the beginning of Vice President Harris's campaign. I think that's going to come at the DNC. I imagined Joe Biden will make a more specific pitch for her there.
I think this is the beginning of the end of Joe Biden's term in public life. And he is its going to try to frame his legacy around that. And I think that makes a lot of sense.
I think for Democrats, there was a sense of malaise around this election for the last year and a half under the belief that the country are kind of checked out because of the -- kind of checked out of this election. We are now seeing because of the energy that's been driven over the last four or five days, part of the reason folks we checked out was because of the options that they had.
So I think to Abby's point, the biggest the best gift that Joe Biden has given the staff the campaign is this decision right now. It has breathed new life into the Democratic Party and giving them a new opportunity in November.
[19:50:00]
AXELROD: You know, 1968, Lyndon Johnson couldn't even attend the convention. He was a pariah at his own convention. His vice president was burdened with him sadly, because he had an extraordinary domestic record. But the Vietnam War had so sullied it that he was the object of scorn.
Joe Biden will go to Chicago and he will be celebrated.
HERNDON: Absolutely.
BURNETT: Yeah. Yeah. All right. All, thank you.
Yeah. Go ahead, David. Quickly.
FRUM: At the Republican convention, the past living Republican two- term president wasn't invited. The last -- the last Republican nominee wasn't invited. The speaker of -- the leader of the Republicans in the Senate wasn't invited.
BURNETT: Yeah, and here we are in this, obviously, it will be very different.
Well, as we await President Biden's address to the nation, thanks so much to all of you and to all of you for joining. Our special coverage of President Biden's address to the nation begins now.
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