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Erin Burnett Outfront
"We're Gonna Win": Harris Tells Reporters As She Leaves Chicago; Trump Ally After DNC: "Wake The F**k Up... We Are Losing"; RFK Jr. Joins Trump On Stage At Arizona Rally. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired August 23, 2024 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:43]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
We will win: those are the exact words from a confident Kamala Harris today. That's her quote, as Trump allies begin to panic publicly say: Wake the F up, we are losing.
Plus, more breaking news. RFK Jr. about to appear with Trump for the first time since Kennedy dropped out of the race, throwing his support behind Trump. His cousin, Stephen Kennedy Smith, who is backing Harris, is my guest tonight.
And then this picture worth 1,000 words or more. I mean, that's really what stood out how to me when I saw it overnight. Her great niece, Harris's great niece in the front row at the DNC, watching history unfold.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight: We're going to win. That is the exact quote from Vice President Kamala Harris tonight, speaking for the first time since historic convention speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: What's next?
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to walk up those stairs!
REPORTER: No, after that?
HARRIS: Win.
DOUG EMHOFF, SECOND GENTLEMAN: We are going to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It is clear that Harris is entering what is now the final stage. I mean, right? The convention is done. Now it is the runway to election day and she has incredible burst of momentum as she enters the stage.
Democrats saying that they've raised $7.2 million just during her acceptance speech alone. It's a little over half an hour, $7.2 million. And then over the past week that the entire span of the convention, more than $100 million.
These are unprecedented numbers. That's the reality of it, and could explain some of the panic talk that we are hearing from the Trump side of things tonight.
Listen to Trump ally and conservative TV host Eric Bolling. He posted this video with the caption: Wake the F up. We are losing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC BOLLING, TV HOST: We're losing. We're losing the race. We're losing the presidency and the enthusiasm level on the left right now is overwhelming.
They're trying to say that the Democrats are the patriots. They're wearing camo hats with Kamala Harris' name on it. Camouflage? That's ours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: You know what? I've known Eric Bolling for a long time, back -- back in the day. And you know what? He's obviously -- believes what he's saying there.
That Harris-Walz camo way that Eric mentions, by the way, sold out until October -- I mean, you think in this day and age, you could get one of those things. Just order a whole another batch and they come in a couple of days. So this just gives you a sense of the reality out there.
As for the former president, Trump is about to hold a rally any moment now, in Arizona. RFK Jr. is going to be with him, so they're appearing for the first time.
Today, RFK Jr. suspended his campaign, endorsing Trump. Kennedy telling reporters the Trump asked him to, quote, enlist him in his administration.
Now, the latest swing polls show Kennedy with 5 or 6 percent of the vote. And so when you think about it overall, you may say, well that's not a big deal. Actually, if that is the case in swing states, it is huge, it is everything. It is more than the margin between Harris and Trump in some of those same states.
Kristen Holmes is at the Trump event in Glendale, Arizona.
And, Kristen, you broke this news and RFK Jr. is going to be with Trump on stage tonight where you are. What more are you learning?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's not surprising, Erin, because, obviously, we saw RFK endorsing Donald Trump after he suspended his campaign earlier today.
This is seemed like it was a long time coming, and I want to go through exactly how we got here or and what it will mean for the general election race going into November.
Right before the RNC, we know that these discussions started happening between Donald Trump's team, as well as RFK's orbit, specifically on Donald Trump's side, it was Don Jr., Tucker Carlson, and a man named Omeed Malik. Omeed Malik, who is a donor for both RFK Jr. and Donald Trump.
They continue to broker these talks. In particular, this became an almost emergency situation, when Kamala Harris was moved to the top of the ticket because there was a belief among Trump's orbit that any votes that RFK was going to take from either candidate, were likely to come from Donald Trump more so than Kamala Harris, something you heard RFK saying today that it became apparent to him that in these battleground states, he was actually taking more votes from Donald Trump.
Well, this amplified those kinds of conversations, and that's how we ended up here today, particularly after it became clear that there was really no path to the White House for RFK Jr.
Now, I've heard a lot of Democrats play this down today, saying that it's not that important.
[19:05:04]
He has had a very controversial campaign. And, obviously, Erin, we know that is true. This is a man who sat down for Vanity Fair article and brushed off questions of allegations of sexual assault with a nanny. He's also a man who admitted to leaving a bear cub carcass in Central Park, and that is just some of what we heard during his short- lived campaign. But this could have an impact on the election, as you said particularly in those margins. Just remember, this is going to be an election on both sides will say this, that is going to be determined by razor thin margins and any kind of movement of that needle will help.
Just want to say one quick thing and then I'm going to let you go. I know I'm not taking up your time, but here in Arizona, for example, the most recent polling shows RFK Jr. had 6 percent, Donald Trump, 42 percent, Harris, 45 percent. That 6 percent, even if you've got some of that, would certainly move the needle moving forward. This is a critical battleground state.
BURNETT: Yeah, when you lay out those numbers, that is important.
All right. Kristen, there at that rally where they're about to take the stage together. We're going to see when they do and what RFK says. So you can hear it, obviously that is an important moment as we get into this final days of this election.
All right. Everyone's here with me. Philip Bump, so, you know, let's just go through what Kristen just laid out, okay? So, Arizona, RFK was pulling 6 percent this is in the new world of a Harris Trump rivalry, 42 percent Trump, 45 percent Harris.
So, 6 percent, if that goes to Trump would obviously win it for him.
Now, maybe all six won't go. Maybe the people who already like Harris already left that RFK group. It's unclear, but it shows how much it could matter.
PHILIP BUMP, NATIONAL COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yeah, exactly. Right. I mean, I think the broader question here is lots of things can matter, right? And this could be one of those things.
I think there are three things I would keep in mind. The first is that when were talking about a third party candidate, a lot of those people are loosely attached to partisan candidates in the first place. And I'm probably a lot of them are likely to just stay home. Right. So that's 6 percent, I don't think that that's 6 percent, for instance, Trump.
There's two other things here. The first is, are there Trump supporters were sort of iffy on Trump, mostly supporting because they don't like Harris who see RFK potentially join the administration are like, oh, no, I'm not -- I can't support that.
RFK is a very controversial person. It is possible that he pull some Trump -- support from Trump.
BURNETT: Yeah.
BUMP: And, then, of course, there's basically someone handed Donald Trump an unpinned hand grenade. No one knows what Robert Kennedy is going to do. No one knows what else is going to come out about him. I think it's likely something else will, and then, all of a sudden, Trump is accountable for him.
Until this point, Trump could say he's not my guy. I have nothing do with him. Now, he's on his team.
BURNETT: Yeah.
Okay. So here's the thing on this in 5 to 6 percent in the swing states. So, Dave Wasserman from the Cook Political Report, senior editor there, he was talking to "The New York Post" and he told them this was interesting when I said, made point that these polls are all post-Harris being in the race, right? He said most of Kennedys left- leaning support had already dispersed to Harris so this could represent a meaningful benefit to Trump. He's talking about the RFK endorsement.
So, what do you think about that? I mean, you know, he's saying in these five weeks, these RFK numbers are the people who just won't go for Harris, that that's possible. AISHA MILLS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: So, here's my thought about it and not to trivialize it because you're right, 5 and 6 percent is meaningful and it's meaningful if these are high propensity voters, which I don't think there's any evidence that they are.
The people that are supporting RFK -- I mean, let's be clear, now, there are the three of them, right, Trump, Vance and RFK, they are a tawdry trifecta. They are weirdoes, right? They are crazy and extreme.
And the folks who buy into that, right, RFK's crew are the anti- vaxxers, right? They are the extreme of the extreme. And those folks tend to be anti-establishment, anti-government and low propensity voters, right?
So it is unlikely that they're all going to show up and animated, right? So I'm not concerned at all yet. I think that the three of them can go and hang out, do whatever they're going to do. But unless they find some kind of spark, which I don't think they can. They're not going to be able to overcome what Harris has created in terms of enthusiasm.
BURNETT: Marc Lotter, what do you think about that point?
MARC LOTTER, FORMER TRUMP 2020 DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: Well, look, if this election came down to 43,000 votes in three states, so any movement of the needle, 1 percent here, a few thousand votes there changes the outcome. And look, I think Kamala Harris had already siphoned off most of the left-leaning voters for RFK Jr. when she got into the race, which means the majority of the remaining are either truly independent or likely to be leaning Trump.
And the Trump campaign thinks and their internal polling shows 55, 60 percent of those remaining 5, 6 percent are Trump supporters. That's a huge deal in states that were decided by 10,000, 11000 votes.
BURNETT: Absolutely. Now, when you talk about some of those people might be leaning Trump, Lulu, then you have to get at does it matter what they -- Kennedy and Trump actually seem to think about each other before this detente, where they're going to appear together, they actually had spoken about each other.
[19:10:01]
Here's what Kennedy has said about Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. (I), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's many things that President Trump has done that are appalling.
President Trump presided over the greatest restriction on individual liberties this country has ever known.
Him overthrowing, trying to overthrow the election clearly is threat to democracy.
He ran up an $8 trillion, more than all of the presidents -- from Washington to Bush combined.
I'm not a fan of President Trump -- I'm running against him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I mean, Lulu, you know, a couple of those things were an interview I did with him. And he believes those things.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBTOR: So, first of all, let me say that RFK Sr. is turning over in his grave. I just want to note that for the record because you know, RFK Jr. has capitalized on that name and push forward his campaign.
And the fact of the matter is, is that he's a political opportunist and that is very it clear by the fact that he was also in talks with Kamala Harris's campaign to see what kind of position he could get there. They weren't playing ball. And so, he went to Trump. And the record is very clear in what statements he's made.
The fact is though, that they do have a lot in common. There is a very deep strain of conspiracy see theories that run through there. A lot of RFK, Jr. supporters are sort of Trump curious. I'm not convinced though that this is going to be that meaningful. I do think that these are low propensity voters.
I think when you're talking about 55 percent to 45 percent, where they break either way, nobody knows -- this isn't a group that has been polled very closely. It isn't a group that has been followed very closely. And so I'm not convinced that this is going to be determinative.
BURNETT: So, Phil, this brings me to the point that, that we were playing Eric Bolling, if you know, you can talk about a percent here and there and like it all matters. But then there's the big picture of maybe it doesn't because this is the situation that this whole thing appears to be in. Let me just play Eric Bolling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLLING: We're losing. We're losing the race. We're losing the presidency. And the enthusiasm level on the left, right now, is overwhelming.
They're trying to say that the Democrats are the patriots. They're wearing camo hats with Kamala Harris's name on it. Camouflage? That's ours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I mean, you know, it is sort of the image and a statement though that does say a lot, right? That, that, that is what this whole taking patriotism back for the Democrat. He is honing in on something significant.
BUMP: Yeah, and it's something of the Democratic convention went out of its way to highlight, right? I mean, you've had all those USA signs. If you think about what signs you saw the most is this once said U.S.
And it is attempt not necessarily to reclaim patriotism for the Democrats, but instead to neutralize it and to do what as Adam Kinzinger said in his speech yesterday, Democrats are patriots, too. Let's set that off the table, and then let's also think about what Donald Trump did after 2020 through the lens of patriotism.
I do think it's worth noting to Bolling's point, like we also have polling that excludes Kennedy from the picture, right? We have head- to-head polling on Harris and Trump, and that polling still shows Harris leading even after Kennedys out of the picture. You know, it's -- the question I think we get to what that is, is this a moment where we've reached where the campaign is going to be, or is this momentum that is its going to propel Harris to have a larger lead over the next few days? If that's the case, then this can anything really doesn't know.
BURNETT: What do you think, Marc, about the camo hats and the point that Eric Bolling is making?
LOTTER: Well, and I've known Eric a long time. I consider him a friend, but I've been doing this for 20 years and I think he's wrong. Actually, when you look at the polling, you look at the polling averages right now, Kamala Harris is trailing where Joe Biden was by 5, 6, 7 points, both nationally and in the battleground states. And that's a real problem for Kamala Harris.
BURNETT: In what way? Wait, in what polls though? Not the overall polls. Just to give you a chance, just --
LOTTER: Well, the Real Clear Politics, when you look at the Real Clear -- when you look at the Real Clear Politics average, which averages out obviously, a lot of the polls, she's trailing where Joe Biden was at this point in 2020 by 5, 6, 7 points, both nationally and in the key battleground states.
And again, in a race that came down to 43,000 votes. You can't have a 5, 6, 7-point shift. And to the camo hats, I mean, good try. They flooded the arena with flags and USA, they were burning USA flags outside of their convention and none of them were wearing MAGA hats.
BURNETT: Lulu, let me ask you about the point that Marc made and thank you, Marc, for explain that because he's obviously not talking about where Biden was prior to Harris getting in the race, but to where -- at 2020 at this point. Is that a reason as Marc lays it out for concern?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean, it's a reason for concern, of course, but I don't think that this is the 2020 race. I think were in a very different race, and I think that Kamala Harris is a very different candidate. We are in a moment and you saw that during the Democratic convention, where people are elated, they are impassioned. In 2020, that was not the case. It was very much like, let's beat Trump.
The message from the Democratic convention that I found so interesting, they did not at any point say we want -- you know, we exclude anyone.
[19:15:08]
We demonize Republicans. We don't want them. We think that they're extremists.
They were using very inclusive language and really pinpointing Trump as the problem, not people in his party, not people who might follow him.
That is a really clear distinction to what the Republican Party did during their convention and generally, and Donald Trump himself, who really tries to paint the opposition in the way that you've heard him talk. I hate them. They're bad people. We don't want them.
BURNETT: I heard, Aisha, obviously, I'm sure you agree with Lulu in the sense that you don't think it's not the same race as 2020 but what about the point that Marc points out? I mean, it is interesting if you compare the polling to say that she is because it doesn't from the world that were in, doesn't feel that way. Its really doesn't feel this way on a Friday after that convention, but it is interesting and well see what those numbers show in the next few days.
MILLS: Honestly, I feel like that's apples to oranges, right? Like this is not the same race. This is many years later the campaign strategy is completely different than the candidate is completely different.
And I think that if you really look at what happened at the convention, this was an opportunity to marginalize Donald Trump and the five people that he hangs out with, right? Not to say everybody's awful, but to say those folks are weird, they're not like us and us are Americans, we are patriots. And this is a big tent, right?
Those folks are kind of a sideshow and that's very different than the conversation that was happening in 2020, which was they are bad for democracy and he's actually a huge problem. Now, we're saying there actually a very small faction of society. Lets kind of ignore them, marginalize them, push them aside, and lets all come to the other is married and messaging.
BURNETT: All right. All, thank you very much.
LOTTER: Again, Erin --
BURNETT: Yeah. Go ahead, Marc.
LOTTER: I just say the one thing we did not hear at the convention was dealing with people's high prices of gas, groceries, and securing the border. And so, no matter good vibes, is going to lower people's bills, and that's really what this campaign is going to come down to.
BURNETT: Well, we'll see if it is. Right now, it isn't. We'll see if that changes.
All right, thanks so much to all of you. I appreciate it. And next, live pictures of Trump's rally in Arizona where RFK Jr.
plans to join the former president after suspending his campaign. Kennedy's cousin will respond OUTFRONT after this.
And one of the most powerful images from the Democratic convention, Vice President Kamala Harris's great niece watching her from the front row. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is OUTFRONT next on this historic moment.
And new reporting tonight from inside the Trump campaign about the former president and his plans for next month's debate, that he plans to go really personal despite warnings from those close to him to not do that. Is it a mistake?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:22:04]
BURNETT: Breaking news, Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign now, just responding to RFK Jr., saying this as he dropped out of the race endorsing Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNEDY: Following my first discussion with President Trump, I tried unsuccessfully to open similar discussions with Vice President Harris. Vice President Harris declined to meet or even to speak with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I want to go straight to Priscilla Alvarez, who has been speaking with a Harris campaign.
So, Priscilla, you know, we just heard what RFK Jr. said and now, you've talked to the Harris campaign. They're responding. What are they telling you?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, their focus is on the voters. They see an opportunity here to try to appeal to some of those voters who may have gravitated to RFK Jr. because they were disillusioned by Trump, and then candidate President Joe Biden.
So, now, they're putting out Kamala Harris as an option, saying this in a statement, this is from the campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon, quote, for any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you.
This is echoing the message that the vice president gave yesterday during that speech at the Democratic national convention. And something we can anticipate in the weeks to come because of course its going to be a close race and to get to these voters are going to have to spend money.
Now, we know the campaign has already put aside millions of dollars in digital and TV ads. But I'm also told that Harris advisers are having conversations about a keep the momentum going on fundraising, especially the grassroots donations. Those are harder to predict so they have to capitalize on moments or create moments to inspire those donations. I'm also told they're talking about fundraising events, including potentially splashy wants to keep that up.
Now, of course, the vice president is clear-eyed on what comes next, and I'm also told that the debate that's September presidential debate is another event that she is focused keenly on in the weeks to come -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Priscilla, thank you very much for that new reporting from the Harris campaign.
OUTFRONT now, Stephen Kennedy Smith. He's Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s first cousin.
So the way it goes is this: Steven is the son of Jean Kennedy Smith, who is John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy's sister.
So his father, Stephen Smith, a key political adviser to JFK.
Stephen endorsed President Biden's reelection. He now supports Kamala Harris.
So just to, Stephen, everyone understands where you're coming from here. Today, your cousin suspended his campaign, throws his support behind Trump for, you this -- I mean, obviously deeply personal. This is your first cousin. You have known each other since you were very young boys, just to show pictures of you as you were growing up, teens, a lot of your life. This is your first cousin.
What do you -- what do you think about this endorsement tonight?
STEPHEN KENNEDY SMITH, RFK JR.'S COUSIN: Well, look, I agree with what one of your guests said earlier, which is that Robert F. Kennedy, Sr. would be rolling over in his grave.
[19:25:03]
You know, his most famous speech was after Martin Luther King was killed and he said what we need in this country is not division, is not hatred, is not violence and lawlessness, and that's exactly what Donald Trump has promulgated by promoting the attack on the Capitol that killed so many people.
So for Bobby to endorse Donald Trump is an explicit betrayal of his father's stated values. That's as clearly as I can say it.
The other thing I would say is that he was judged by a court New York to have filed a false ballot application in New York. So he was going to be removed from the ballot in New York, as well as 18 other states. Similarly, in Arizona, he couldn't account for his signatures. He was going to be off the ballot in Arizona.
So he really had no choice but to drop out of the race and in the weeks up until today, he tried to negotiate a deal with both different campaigns. So if I were an RFK voter, I would be wondering about following the example and the recommendation of someone who is trying to make a deal for himself with both campaigns that that seems self- serving, an opportunistic.
BURNETT: So I know obviously you see this as a point of, you know, political opportunism, expediency, perhaps there are other words that you would use that they capture your feelings better. But your cousin has said that the problem here is that the Democratic Party left him and that the Democratic Party has shifted. And he talked a little bit about that.
I wanted to give you a chance to hear what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNEDY: It'd become the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big ag, and big money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And we often references to this point about his father rolling over in his grave. He references his father. He references your uncle. He references them.
And he says the opposite. He says they would not recognize today's Democratic Party and that he is staying true to the principles as he sees of his -- his father and his uncle.
Do you think its possible that he does truly believe that?
SMITH: I mean, I don't know what Bobby believes because he's been a Democrat and he's been an independent. Now, apparently, he's a Republican. He's negotiated for a job with both parties at the same time. He's made a lot of inconsistent and bizarre statements.
So I really can't say what Bobby believes. As far as what the Democratic Party stands for you know, the Democratic Party under JFK, RFK and EMK stood for universal health care. It stands for protection of the environment. It stands for help for tax cuts for the middle class. It stands for human rights and civil rights.
Those are all the things that Kamala Harris spoke about last night. So the Democratic Party is still stands for the same thing. The only problem Bobby doesn't understand, it's not about him. It's about the country.
And so, the fact that he's disappointed in the Democratic Party says more about him than it does about the Democratic Party.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Stephen, I appreciate your taking the time. And as I said, I know -- I know it's difficult time when someone you've known your whole life, a part of your family.
So thank you very much for coming out and sharing your thoughts.
SMITH: Absolutely. And you know, I just want to say that I grew up and you may relate to this, Erin, in a Catholic school, in a Catholic school. I was taught, you can dislike someone's behavior, but you always treat them courteously.
And so that's the way we handle things in our family, but I felt an obligation to speak out on this.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Stephen, thank you very much for doing that. I appreciate that, doing it here.
SMITH: Sure. Absolutely my pleasure.
BURNETT: Well, next, Vice President Kamala Harris's rise to the top of the Democratic ticket is a significant moment for many, including young women, like a great niece, watching Harris make history.
Mayor Eric Adams is OUTFRONT next to talk about what clearly will be an iconic photo no matter how this goes.
Plus, breaking news as we wait for Trump to take the stage with RFK Jr. We're now learning that more than 100 people there have had to be treated by medics? We're going to take you there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:33:52]
BURNETT: Breaking news, you're looking at live pictures. This is Glendale, Arizona. Donald Trump just taking the stage at a rally. He's going to be joined by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., their first time together, this endorsement tonight.
And now, we have just learned, I mentioned this, I don't know if you heard me in the -- before the commercial break, 100 people at this rally have reportedly been treated now by medics. The reason is the heat.
The current temperature right now in Glendale is 106 degrees. Just some perspective there, hundred people in that rally treated for heat heat-related issues this event coming just hours after Kamala Harris is historic address of the DNC in Chicago.
And one member of the vice president's family is going viral after that speech. Everything about this picture is all about the perspective that it's really about the child, not Harris, there's something magnificent about that.
"The New York Times" photographer Todd Heisler captured this moment. The little girl there is Harris's eight-year-old great niece, Amara, watching as her great aunt became the first black and Asian American woman to lead a major party's presidential ticket. That moment just captured there.
OUTFRONT now is the Democratic mayor of New York, Eric Adams.
And, Mayor Adams, a lot to ask you about. But first you know that picture, it really capped captured everything.
[19:35:00] And as I said, what I loved about it was that it was about the little girl, right, that she was the center of it and looking up, what did you think when you saw that image?
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY: Well, you know, great photographers have -- they have the ability to capture moments in a real way because sometimes we are looking at this grand event that's taking place on the stage of our political history. But in reality, there's a lot of sub-stories and subtext.
Imagine what any immigrant is feeling right now for the possibilities have been in the greatest country on the globe, and this little girl and little girls across America who are seeing the possibilities. And it's a wonderful moment I think for all of us. And I hope is not lost on us, how great this is for our American story.
This is the greatest country on the globe, nowhere is dream attached to his name. But the American dream.
BURNETT: So there's obviously what you're talking about is an enthusiasm that is felt by -- by the Harris campaign and certainly was felt in that convention center, and by Democrats across the country. Many Democrats though, are warning that the honeymoon won't last.
Elissa Slotkin, the congresswoman, she spoke yesterday, and, you know, you and I were both there. We heard her. She's had a tough Senate race and her message was, and I quote her, don't get high on your own supply and think everyone is as energetic as you are.
Do you share that concern or do you think she just saying that because you just -- you can't get too greedy and to sure too early?
ADAMS: No, I believe she's 100 percent got it correct. Look where we were a month or so ago and look at where we are now. Anyone that understand politics, 70-something days is a long time.
And I say it over and over again, you have to stay focus and not be distracted and you have to grind. We have to work for this and places like New York City, we need to use our time to go to those swing states and not just sit here in New York and be filled on how well we're doing here and all the smiles that come with it.
This is going to be a job that you have to complete and get over the finish line.
BURNETT: All right. Here's the thing: you are on the front lines of one of the substantive issues that is not getting enough conversation in this campaign as of yet. And maybe it won't, but I'm talking about the border. It does matter. And you are at the center of it.
So the beginning of your term, Mayor, you supported President Biden very loudly and clearly. So let me just let everyone hear in your own words how you felt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAMS: I'm the Biden of Brooklyn. I'm sure if you were to ask him, what is his favorite mayor? He'll clearly tell you is Eric.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right, that was you then. You supported his reelection bid.
All right. You did, but you also spoke out against him and his administration, and you did it loudly and clearly because of the unprecedented migrant crisis that you have faced in New York, all right? Here are just a few of the things, Mayor, that you have said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAMS: We're not getting the support that we deserve here in New York City.
The president and the White House has failed New York City on this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. So you call it like you saw it, like your city was experiencing it. I should note, you did not have a speaking slot this week at the DNC.
Do you think you fell out of favor with the White House and that's why you didn't get a speaking slot?
ADAMS: Well, first, I want to go back. Not only did I call myself the Biden of Brooklyn, I was strongly in favor in 2020 of the Harris run. I just feel there's a strong alignment and something that Democratic Party has missed for a long time.
We need to stop apologizing for the fact that we believe that public safety and reform can go together. We have done a great job in doing that, and many Democrats from New York did not speak.
You look at Letitia James has really been a real important leader around this issue. She wasn't on that stage. This is not the time for us to sit on the bench and said, coach, put in the game, put in the game. No, what's the blueprint?
And that is what is going to take -- what do we need to do to win? The campaign put together to speak is that they want. I'm fully in compliance with that, and I want to know how do we win, not how do I get on the stage?
This is not about Eric.
BURNETT: I understand that you're being gracious about it, but yet you are facing and your big Democratic city is facing a migrant crisis. And there's no way around it and people who live in the city and are American citizens have faced cuts because of the migrant crisis. And you have been on the frontlines of that.
Hank Sheinkopf is a political consultant for Bill Clinton. He told "The New York Post" about your speaking slot. This is punishment for Adams' criticizing the administration on the migrant crisis. It's not just bad for him. It's bad planning by the party.
So, that's the question, Mayor, put aside that you're going to be personally gracious about it. Is it bad planning by the party did not take on this issue and address it directly?
ADAMS: Well, first of all, I'm not being gracious. I'm being factual. I want to win.
And I know how to win because I wanted just about every race I've been in. And I know when you run these races, everyone wants to tell you how to run them instead of allowing the team to do so.
[19:40:09]
The migrant crisis is real, and I'll put out a call to get executive orders so we can do things at the border. And remember, the Biden- Harris team put in place a bipartisan piece of legislation that the Republican Party decided not to move on. And we must address the issue. But I also know as I moved through the streets, affordability, housing and having opportunities for the future is on the front minds of many, not only New Yorkers, but Americans.
BURNETT: You are also facing a reelection campaign next year, next year yourself, you and other of your aides have been subpoenaed. This is part of a federal probe into alleged corruption and illegal campaign donations.
Now, I know you have repeatedly vowed to cooperate fully. You've said you've done nothing wrong. But will you still seek reelection if the investigation finds otherwise?
ADAMS: Listen, I'm not going to be hypothetical. I got two missions right now. One to see how VP become the president, the second is to navigate this city out of the various issues that we're facing. And we've been so successful in doing it, recovering our economy, recovers in jobs, decreasing crime in the city. Our subway system is back, tourism is back.
I need to stay focused. Remember what I said? Stay focused, no distractions, and grind. That is what I'm going to continue to do. That's how I got here. And that is how I'm going to stay here.
BURNETT: All right. Mayor Adams, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much on this Friday night.
ADAMS: Thank you. Take care.
BURNETT: All right. And we've got new reporting on Harris's ground games. We talk about these swing states and why -- this is interesting -- we've just learned she's scaling back on some campaign events for now. Why and what?
Plus, a comedian who's made a name for herself by impersonating Harris now, living her best life at the DNC. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm Kamala Nkay Harris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:46:09]
BURNETT: All right. Trump is speaking in Glendale, Arizona, RFK Jr.'s about to go on stage with him. You see him standing next to him.
Let's just listen in here for a moment. Trump speaking and RFK Jr. will speak in a moment.
TRUMP: That upon my election, I will establish a new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts --
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: -- and they will be tasked with releasing all of the remaining documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: They will also conduct a rigorous review of the attack last month.
But I tell you, I have never had more. People asked me, please, sir, release the documents when they Kennedy assassination and we're going to do that.
And I also want to salute Bobby's decades of work as an advocate for the health of our families and our children, nobody's done more. Millions and millions of Americans who want clean air, clean water, and a healthy nation have concerns about toxins in our environment and pesticides in our food.
That's why today, I'm repeating my pledge to establish a panel of top experts working with Bobby to investigate what is causing the decades- long increasing chronic health problems in childhood diseases, including autoimmune disorders, autism, obesity, infertility, and many more.
We want every child in America to grow up and to live a long and healthy life. So I just want to as Bobby speak for a little while, I'll stand aside. I'm going to stand aside.
But I can only tell you I've known him a long time. We've been a little bit on the opposite side of the equation, but I will say this, he is a brilliant -- I still think of them as young. He's not that young. I always call him young, but he's not that young.
But he is a phenomenal person, a phenomenal man who loves the people of this country as much as anybody can love the people of this country.
So, Bobby, please say a few words. Thank you very much.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: Thank you. Thank you, President Trump
(CHANTING)
KENNEDY: Thank you.
A few hours after the assassination attempt at Butler, I got a call from safe food advocate named Kelly Mayes, who's been fighting for many years to try to end the corruption at CDC and FDA and USDA.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: And these institutions -- these regulatory agencies are actually run by the big food processing companies, the big ag, and the chemical companies that they're supposed to regulate.
And he said to me -- he'd been advising me for many years and on my campaign -- and he told me that night that he was also advising President Trump.
[19:50:12]
And he asked if I would talk to President Trump and I said, of course, and about a few minutes later, I got a call from the president and we talked, we had a very good talk and he invited me to come see him the next day and I went to Minneapolis and so on. Met again a couple of weeks later in Florida and we talked about not about the things that separate us because we don't agree on everything but on the values and issues that bind us together.
And one of the issues that he talked about was having safe food and ending the chronic disease epidemic.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: Our children are now the unhealthiest, sickest children in the world. Don't you want healthy children?
CROWD: Yes!
KENNEDY: And don't you want the chemicals out of our food?
CROWD: Yes!
KENNEDY: And don't you want the regulatory agencies to be free from corporate corruption?
CROWD: Yes.
KENNEDY: And that's what President Trump told me that he wanted. He also told me that he wanted to end the grip of the neo-cons on U.S. foreign policy.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: He said he didn't want any more $200 trillion -- $200 billion wars in Ukraine that we could use that money back here in the United States.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: And a safest -- the best way to build a safe America is to rebuild our industrial base and rebuilt the middle class in this country.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: And don't you want a president who's going to get us out of wars and who's going to rebuild the middle class in this country.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: He told me that he wanted to end the censorship because all basis of American democracy is the free flow of information.
And we know a government that can silence its opponent has license for any kind of atrocity, and can you think of any time you can look back in history and say that the people who were censoring were the good guys. They're always the bad guys because its always the first step down that slippery slope to totalitarianism.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: And don't you want a president who's going to protect America's freedoms?
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: And who -- he is going to protect us against totalitarianism.
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: And I want to ask you again, don't you want a safe environment for your children?
CROWD: Yes!
KENNEDY: Don't you want to -- don't you want to know that the food that you're feeding them is not filled with chemicals that are going to give them cancer and chronic disease?
(CHEERING)
KENNEDY: And don't you want a president that's going to make America healthy again?
(CHEERING) KENNEDY: Thank you all very, very much. And God bless you, and God bless America.
(CHEERING)
BURNETT: All right. So you just heard RFK Jr., those were very brief remarks that anticipate actually I felt but it could've gone longer than that, but first appearance together, endorsement -- obviously hitting on his key issues chronic disease, which was the one that fell on the most fertile ears with a lot of people, right? Auto immune diseases and infertility and obesity, big food, all of that, foreign policy, neo cons, make them are help make America healthy again, the line.
All right. But as you say, those aren't specifically chronic disease, anything you've ever heard Trump say before.
[19:55:07]
BUMP: You know, I actually looked earlier. I look, too, because what he just said there, what RFK said is what he said when he dropped out earlier today. I look to see if Donald Trump could ever mentioned chronic disease, particularly this context, and he had not.
I mean, he just he did this. I mean, look, it's Donald Trump, there's pictures of the guy eating McDonald's on his plane, like this is not a guy who's deeply dedicated to healthy eating, right?
I mean, the other things he said, the thing about censorship is just total nonsense, right? He's referring to this Twitter files stuff which has been debunked 1,000 times over.
He said down from is going protect us from totalitarianism because of the censorship thing, like all of these things that he's saying --
BURNETT: Right.
BUMP: -- again, you know, to go back to the point that he also tried to get Kamala Harris to like give him a deal as well. So I mean, its just it's also just like starkly insincere in a way that I think is pretty remarkable.
BURNETT: And yet, I mean, obviously you hear that's a rally. So you're going to have the response you have, Aisha, but is it possible that this does fall on some fertile ears? Particularly because he's leading with the issue that did that many people found compelling, right?
The issue of chronic disease is an issue that Americans do face.
MILLS: But even the communication of it just felt a little bit incoherent to me and that's the thing that struck me because it actually did feel rather Trump-lite, and that he repeated the same three lines twice, once at the beginning then coming back to it, don't you want it to be safe for your kids and get rid of chemicals on food, right? So getting it did it was formulaic. It felt like a whole lot of ramble
in the middle. They felt contradictory as well because he went into this thing about totalitarianism. And do you want somebody who's going to weaponize the government against you, when in fact, that's exactly what Donald Trump has threatened to do time and time again, is weaponized its the government against his enemies, essentially.
So it all felt like really aligned with his rally because it's just as rambling and incoherent as most of what Trump has to say.
BURNETT: Marc and Lulu, I want to get you in here. Tom Foreman is here now though, because its Philip was talking about this issue of chronic disease. How does it actually fit? What is Trump said?
Tom Foreman, what have you found just looking over the facts here?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erin, the facts here: in 2020, the World Health Organization looked at 180 countries around the world, RFK Jr. just said that our children are now the unhealthiest, sickest children in the world. The World Health Organization said, yes, we ranked 39th in the world out of 180 countries.
So, not as good as it could be, but nowhere near the worst. And when he kept saying don't you want a safe environment for your children, don't you want to save environment for your children? It's important to remember, Trump as president rolled back dozens of measures out there to make clean water, clean air, the very things that create a clean environment for our children.
BURNETT: Uh-huh, right. And, of course, you're talking about foods, when you talk about safe environment, I mean, obviously gun violence being the top issue and they're talking about food.
Lulu, does this resonate, though, with those core voters that we were talking about when you're talking 5 or 6 percent was RFK's pulling in a state like Arizona, which is large larger than the current margin polling between Harris and Trump?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: It was kind of gibberish and there were a lot of coded language there for people who follow RFK. So if you are a believer in some of the conspiracy theories about our food sources and autism and vaccines, then you are going to be primed to accept what he just said.
But for the vast majority of people, what he said is kind of not true, first of all. And secondly, it doesn't really resonate in that way because yes, of course, we all want healthy food for our kids, and yes, of course, we all want, you know, a safe environment. But Donald Trump is not synonymous with those causes and it just seems like this is the largest stage RFK Jr. has ever had, I mean, a Trump rally.
You know, he was not someone who was pulling in the huge crowds before, even though he was polling well at a certain point. And again, it just smacks of political opportunism for a lot of people who are watching this. BURNETT: At one point, and actually for a long point, up to six months, pulling close to 20 percent. But, you know, post-Biden dropping out, but had dropped to about 5 percent.
Marc, do you think that this does anything? Do you think were going to see them again or was this sort of -- you know, I don't know, the one time sort of awkward wonder?
LOTTER: Well, it's not so much. I don't -- and I don't know if well see them together again or not. I think the key is what happens with the data.
Obviously, right now, you are now going to move into a get out the vote mode, make sure they're registered, makes sure as we were talking earlier, if they are low propensity voters, make sure they are getting think to the polls.
So if the Trump campaign can then work with the Kennedy campaign in the battleground, states, use the data they already have on their supporters to try to mobilize them, then that's very powerful because Trump's team is outstanding at using digital to connect with people and get them to the polls.
BURNETT: Phil, that will give you a point on that. I understand there's questions about the signatures in the state -- you know, but putting that aside, there were sizable number of people who were supportive of this, right? And they extensively because of by virtue of getting signatures, do have a lot of data.
BUMP: Well, yeah. I mean, but there's a difference between having dad and they're having politically useful data.
BURNETT: Yeah.
BUMP: I'm extremely skeptical the campaign had stuff that they're going to -- you know, the big voter database that they're calling in order to flip --
BURNETT: Anything other than a name?
BUMP: Exactly. There may be an email address which isn't not useful, but it ain't -- it ain't much.
BURNETT: It isn't all the data you need.
All right. Well, all, thank you very much. Appreciate it on this Friday night following the Democratic National Convention.
Thanks so much to all of you for being with us. Have a wonderful weekend. It's time now for Anderson and "AC360".
