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Democratic Convention Makes Reclaiming Patriotism Key Theme; Trump Struggles To Counter Harris Campaign Energy, Momentum; GOP Veteran Lawmakers Criticize Gov. Walz's Military Record; Gabby Giffords Takes The Stage At DNC. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired August 23, 2024 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:31:10]
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: This week was full of scenes that have traditionally been a hallmark of Republican conventions. From the sea of waving American flags, to deafening chants of USA, USA, to honor elected officials who served in the military. It was all part of a concerted effort by Democrats to try to reclaim the mantle of patriotism from Donald Trump's Republican Party.
Joining me now is Florida Republican Congressman and Trump supporter, Mike Waltz. Thank you so much for being here. Your fellow House member and veteran, Elissa Slotkin, told Democrats here, don't give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag, but spit in the face of freedoms.
And that did sum up what they were trying to do last night, which is make the point that Democrats, they believe, should hold the flag and say that we are patriots and make a contrast between Republicans, some of whom who do things and support policies that they don't believe should be cast as patriotic. What's your response?
REP. MIKE WALTZ (R), FLORIDA: Well, you know, Dana, that's unfortunate. I know many of those veterans that were on stage and serve with them. And what I found most unfortunate was not a single one of them said the word Afghanistan, said the names of the 13 gold star families when this week and this coming Monday is the three-year anniversary of the Abbey gate bombing.
And I think the foreign policy debacle that was the original sin of seeing chaos around the world. In fact, Kamala Harris looked at you dead in the eye and said she was proud of the decision. She puffed up her chest and said she was comfortable with it as the last person in the room. And we saw over 800 Americans left behind, 150,000 of our allies that stood and fought with us and Putin and Xi and the Ayatollahs, all got the message that we'll abandon our allies from of that.
This week, three years ago, not a single mention yet they're going to mention, you know, Trump and cheerlead and wave their flags. So, let's talk about actual action versus rhetoric. And I'll push back --
BASH: Yes.
WALTZ: -- on that all day long.
BASH: Yes, that was a very powerful moment at the Republican convention when you had those gold star families. I just want to say that as you well know, the Trump administration negotiated the withdrawal agreement from Afghanistan --
WALTZ: A conditional agreement, Dana.
BASH: -- with the Taliban and the state --
WALTZ: A conditional agreement and he left Bagram air base. He left 2,500 troops. His advisers came to him and said, the Taliban haven't lived up to it. And he said, fine, deals off. So how is it that the Democrats can back away from the Iran deal, from the border, from Keystone XL, can turn the page on literally dozens of Trump policies? But yet they're going to convince us that they were somehow handcuffed --
BASH: Yes.
WALTZ: -- with a Doha agreement that Trump himself said the Taliban didn't live up to. It's a bunch of BS, and they know it and did not acknowledge that, is a slap in the face to the veterans and the gold star families.
BASH: Congressman, the argument that you are making now, is that one that you wish that your candidate Donald Trump would make more aggressively? Because what we saw last night and frankly, what we've seen largely for the last four weeks or so since Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, is looks like some trouble and a lot of focus on her personally and on other issues that are not perhaps the policy issue that you just said that I'm sure you --
WALTZ: Yes.
BASH: -- and other Republicans believe are the more powerful arguments against Kamala Harris and Democrats.
[12:35:15]
WALTZ: Well, Dana, look, President Trump, when he feels hit, he's going to hit back. I mean, that's just him. But what else has he talked about? He's talked about releasing American cleaner, American energy and oil and gas, which would not only solve our domestic economic issues, it would dry up Iran's bank account and Russia's as well, if we want to talk about both foreign policy and domestic policy actual solutions.
Our energy policy and Kamala's obsession with the Green New Deal has put us both in this economic and foreign policy buying. She said last night that he wants to cozy up to dictators. Well, you know what? Ask Soleimani how he feels about that. Ask Baghdadi how he feels about that. They're both dead because President Trump took decisive action and restored deterrence and restored peace.
And just final thing, because it was such a misleading statement on her part that she traveled to Europe to warn Zelenskyy. No, I'm looking at actual CNN site. She traveled to Europe to send a clear message to Russia to don't take action or you would face crippling economic sanctions.
Russia and Putin clearly didn't take her seriously. They did invade and they're selling more oil and gas on the global market now through China and India than they ever did. That's fueling their war machine.
BASH: Yes.
WALTZ: So, this was a lot of smoke and mirrors, but you're right. We'll keep presenting the facts.
BASH: I did not do the reporting on that, but I -- my understanding and my memory is that both things are true. She did warn Zelenskyy and she did try to stop Russia.
Let me just ask you before I let you go about this letter that you and 49 other Republican members of Congress who served in the military --
WALTZ: Sure.
BASH: -- released this past week criticizing Governor Walz and the things that you believe that he misled on about his service. Among the people who signed that letter, Congressman Ronny Jackson. He listed his rank as retired Navy Rear Admiral, even though he was demoted to captain two years ago after a scathing watchdog report.
Congressman Troy Nehls, who until recently wore a combat infantryman badge that the Army said he was not eligible for. Do you see hypocrisy there?
WALTZ: Well, my understanding, Dana, is that Troy Nehls is no longer wearing that badge and it was post-facto with Ronny Jackson. But compare that to how Walz was introduced just a few nights ago. He was still introduced as a retired command sergeant major, a rank he did not do everything that was required of him to hold and to keep.
And my question is, why doesn't he sit down with you and explain that. And explain why for 20 years, he has introduced himself in a way that he didn't learn --
BASH: Yes, well they --
WALTZ: -- and that a lot of enlisted veterans take huge issue with. Why won't he answer that question? Why are you asking me --
BASH: Yes.
WALTZ: -- and Vance and everyone else?
BASH: Well, I would love to sit down with him. I'm not going to argue with you on that. WALTZ: Me too. Me too.
BASH: And I'm asking you because you all wrote the letter and he -- they corrected his rank just as the people on your letter --
WALTZ: And because I'll sit down with you and take an interview.
BASH: -- it sounds like corrected there. I -- and I appreciate it. It's always good to see you, Congressman. Thank you so much. I hope to see you soon.
WALTZ: All right. Thank you.
BASH: And up next, with less than 11 weeks until voters head to the polls, Democrats are hoping the enthusiasm we saw last night wasn't just a sugar high. David Axelrod is here to talk about all of these next.
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[12:43:34]
BASH: Vice President Kamala Harris is coming off a month long enthusiasm high, but November is still a long way off. I want to talk about what comes next with CNN Senior Political Analyst and former Senior Adviser to President Obama, David Axelrod. Thanks for being here.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you.
BASH: I want to kind of look at the big picture with you and something I've been thinking about, which is that politics is so much a game of luck. It's obviously a game of skill, but it's also a game of luck. And by that, I mean, when you run and what is happening in the world and where the moment is --
AXELROD: Sure.
BASH: -- particularly within your party will determine whether or not you are going to be successful. And what a difference the themes from last night here that Kamala Harris campaign, that the Democrats were pushing with the flags and the waving and the patriotism, having a sheriff on stage talking about veterans. Those are not so much on the veterans' part, but on the sort of law and order part, those are themes that I can't even imagine hearing about in the robust way we did here in 2020 and then that was a cycle when she first ran.
BASH: Yes. Well, it may have been a mistake for her because in 2020 and she wasn't successful in 2020 and I don't think she was a very good candidate in 2020. She didn't make it to 2020 actually.
BASH: Yes.
[12:45:04]
AXELROD: Because this is who she is. I think the way she's running now, I mean, she spent her career as a prosecutor, as an attorney general. I think she's a center left Democrat. I think she is a, you know, she has obviously a lot of experience on the issue of crime. And, you know, in many ways, the themes that you hear here reflect who she is.
And I don't think she ran on, you know, she basically shoved a bunch of her life or her advisers did away four years ago. And one thing about presidential politics, Dana, is authenticity is the coin of the realm. If you're not organic with the words you're speaking, if you're not really invested in the words you're speaking, they don't reflect who you really are, people ultimately find out.
BASH: Absolutely.
AXELROD: And so, right now she seems like a candidate who's in sync with her message. And her message, by the way, is not -- you know in 2008 when Barack Obama ran, there were a lot of the same themes here. You know, that we had a lot of flags, and we wrapped ourselves in them because he saw himself as part of the American story, American values.
You heard a lot of that here, and I'm going to hijack your thing for a second here.
BASH: Yes.
AXELROD: And tell you, say something that I said last night, but I can't say it enough. I was so moved by by Gus Walz, and his exhibition of love for his father, and I was so repulsed by the reaction to it on the right. Last night, I saw him sitting there with his dad as all these flags were waving, and it struck me that this convention was very much about a big, inclusive America, where everyone has a place, whether you have, you know, some --
BASH: Yes.
AXELROD: -- developmental issues or whatever. And so, I think that this was a genuine, authentic -- this wasn't an act, this was a genuine celebration of America, the way Democrats see America, and the way I think most Americans see America.
BASH: OK. So pretend that it is way back in 2008, not the time, but your position.
AXELROD: Yes.
BASH: And you are in charge of taking the Harris campaign --
AXELROD: Yes.
BASH: -- and pushing it forward to November. What's the most important thing to do? Because there is a very long runway --
AXELROD: Yes.
BASH: -- between now and the election. AXELROD: I think she laid down some really important themes last night. Middle class economics is very, very important. You have to keep at that. Reassert -- asserting again and again your commitment to a strong defense, your commitment to dealing with the border issue in a robust way --
BASH: And what about dealing with Trump?
AXELROD: Well, the big question is on September 10th. First of all, she's driving Donald Trump nuts right now because he judges the whole world as a casting director. And what he saw last night was someone who looks strong and looked like a president and it scares him. And he's kind of freaking out and he's acting out as a result of it, which makes the situation worse.
BASH: OK, what's the danger? People think, oh, well, you know, he's acting out and that's bad for him. But what's the danger for Democrats?
AXELROD: Well, on a stage with her, look, he's acted out before and he's done well with it.
BASH: Right.
AXELROD: On a stage with her though, if she is serene on that stage and unbothered by his antics and uses humor to dust him off and says to the country, we can turn the page on this. This is not going to get us to where we need to go. That would be a really winning formula and we'll see if she can do it.
It's hard because, you know, he's a big distraction. But she's also pretty tough minded and she's a person who spent her life in a courtroom. She's used to dealing with things that pop up unexpectedly.
BASH: Yes. Yes, no question. David, so good to see you.
AXELROD: Good to see you as well.
BASH: It's great to be here in your hometown.
AXELROD: Yes, my hometown. I'm so proud of it. I think it showed up very well.
BASH: Very well. I agree. Thanks.
And up next, a lesson in never giving up. Former congresswoman, wife of senator and astronaut and shooting survivor Gabby Giffords inspires the DNC crowd yet again.
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[12:53:37]
BASH: There is resilience and perseverance, and then there is Gabby Giffords. The former Arizona Congresswoman took the stage at the Democratic Convention for the fourth time since a would-be assassin shot her in the head 13 years ago.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I --
GABBY GIFFORDS (D), FORMER ARIZONA CONGRESSWOMAN: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
In Congress, I learned a powerful lesson -- strong women get things done.
Confronted by paralysis and aphasia, I responded with grit and determination. I put one foot in front of the other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: And last night, next to her husband, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, she found the words one by one, again.
GIFFORDS: I was born in the great state of Arizona.
(CHEERING)
GIFFORDS: I was born with grit. I grew up racing motorcycles, mucking stalls, and exploring the beautiful desert. I fell for an astronaut.
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[12:55:01]
GIFFORDS: For five years, I served in Congress from a swing district. Everybody called me a rising star. Then on January 8th, 2011, a man tried to assassinate me. He shot 19 people. He killed six. Terrible, terrible day. I almost died, but I fought for my life, and I survived.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
GIFFORDS: I learn to walk again one step at a time. I learned to talk again one word at a time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Thank you so much, Gabby.
And thank you for watching. Be sure to tune in this weekend for State of the Union. Jake's guest will be Democratic Senator Cory Booker and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. That is at -- on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
Thanks again for watching all week here from Chicago, which has been a tremendous host to us. CNN News Central starts after the break.
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