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Inside Politics

Tonight: Harris Campaigns In Georgia With Obama, Springsteen; Harris Will Campaign Tomorrow With Beyonce In Houston; Harris At CNN Town Hall: "Yes, I Do" Think Trump Is A Fascist; Harris Campaign Airs Searing New Ad Attacking Trump On Abortion; Tucker Carlson Likens Trump To Angry Father: "Dad Is Pissed"; Georgia Crowd Chanted "Daddy's Home" When Trump Took Stage; Pastor At Trump Rally Calls Himself A "Christian Nationalist." Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired October 24, 2024 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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DANA BASH, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: Today on Inside Politics, closing arguments with just 12 days left. Kamala Harris is focusing on the threats to democracy and abortion rights issues. Two, she hopes will be at the forefront of voters' minds. And she'll get an assist on the trail tomorrow from the queen bee herself.

Plus, daddy's home. That is actually what the crowd chanted as Donald Trump took the stage in Georgia last night after a very weird moment, when Tucker Carlson likened the former president to an angry father and talked about, quote, bad girls getting a spanking.

And Mitch McConnell is offering a new blistering assessment of the party he still leads in the Senate, saying the MAGA movement is completely wrong, and Ronald Reagan wouldn't recognize the GOP today.

I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines at Inside Politics.

We start with the crowded campaign trail. Kamala Harris is heading to Georgia today for her first joint event with Barack Obama. Of course, he brings the political star power. But look who else is joining the vice president, Bruce Springsteen, Tyler Perry, Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson, while Harris looks to energize her voters in the peach state. Her running mate is making three stops in North Carolina, a state Democrats haven't won since 2008.

Donald Trump is also in the crucial Sun Belt today with events tonight in Arizona and Nevada, while J. D. Vance campaigns in Michigan.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Clarkston, Georgia, where the vice president will be later today. Priscilla, I know you have some new information about the way that the campaign is trying to seize on the news that we got from the New York Times and The Atlantic this week about John Kelly's criticisms of his former boss.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Dana. That's exactly right. I've obtained a digital ad that the campaign is going to be running in the battleground states. As part of a $370 million ad buy that essentially uses what John Kelly said about former President Donald Trump from his remarks to the New York Times and The Atlantic.

And he uses the vice president's response at the town hall, condemning that and criticizing the former president. So that gives us, again, a window into this closing argument by the Harris campaign as they come to these final days of the election.

Now I will also note, however, to your point earlier that a star power is coming out in force over these last several days, that includes with Beyonce. Beyonce going to join the vice president tomorrow in Houston, where they plan to amplify their message on reproductive freedom. Of course, this has been an issue that the vice president has spoken to often, and it is one that she is using to close out these final days of the campaign.

Now, Texas may be an unusual place to do that. It's not a battleground, but it is what sources say is the epicenter of the -- what they call the Trump abortion ban. So, they hope to amplify that alongside Beyonce, before then going to Michigan to be joined with Michelle Obama.

But coming down to today, the vice president will be joined for the first time with former President Barack Obama. It is their first time on the campaign trail together as they try to get out the vote. Of course, here in Georgia, early voting has already begun. This is what the campaign wants to capitalize on.

So, as they turn to this phase of the campaign where they're trying to turn out those votes. This is going to be a rally set to do that, of course, headlined by Bruce Springsteen, which who often makes an appearance in the waning days of an election for Democratic candidates. So certainly, a big event here in Georgia as they try to turn out the vote over the next several days, Dana.

BASH: Thank you so much for that reporting. Priscilla, appreciate it. And there has been a lot of new battleground state polling that came out in the last 24 hours or so. And just look at this, the conclusion is inescapable. This race is a coin toss. New CNN polling averages the six -- six of the seven swing states, and it shows no clear leader in any of them. Now, Trump has a very small advantage in the Sun Belt states. Harris has a equally small advantage in the Rust Belt.

[12:05:00]

I want to bring in my exceptional reporters here with me, CNN's Jeff Zeleny, CNN's Gloria Borger, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, and Leigh Ann Caldwell of The Washington Post.

It's just remarkable to see those numbers. I mean, have you ever seen anything like this? And I just want to say, I'm sure you guys are all hearing this from your sources as well. I mean, that's sort of the public polling. They are seeing the same thing in their private polling and in their data analytics, which takes into account a whole lot more than polling. GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah. I mean, it's so tight and you know, the estimates are, some people in the Harris campaign say 4 percent undecided voters, and we saw some of them last night, you know, in the town hall. But that's a small number, and a lot of those people may stay home and decide that they don't want to vote.

So how many people are these candidates trying to persuade right now? It's as if they have to pick single people out of the crowd and say, please vote for me. Please vote for me. That will make the difference.

BASH: Yeah. Beyonce? This is your reporting, Jeff, about bringing Beyonce out, particularly in her home state of Texas, which is obviously not a swing state, but it is a place that Harris is going for other reasons.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's finally happening for all the rumors that we all remember at the Democratic convention, is she coming into the room? No, she didn't, obviously, and that would have overshadowed the vice president's acceptance speech. But I'm told she is going to be appearing with the vice president tomorrow in Houston, as is Willie Nelson.

And the point of the vice president making a detour, I guess, to Houston and Texas, is a couple things. One, to really shine a light on abortion rights. It's one of the central arguments of our candidacy. She's doing that through a new ad. But also, you know, for a bit of fun. So, it's -- I think, probably a good example of this.

You know, the closing campaign, the closing arguments. It's not one thing. It is a sharpening of a critique against the former president. It is talking about issues that she represents, abortion rights, and it's also trying to show a little optimism and hope and joy. And I think Beyonce is one way to good and she's no stranger to politics.

Obviously, the minute that Vice President Harris became the top of the ticket, she authorized the use of freedom. So, it's been the anthem at every Harris rally. I'm thinking back to 2016 though, when Jay-Z and Beyonce did a concert for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland --

BASH: But Hillary Clinton, I think we can show that. I was thinking of that.

ZELENY: And it was a moment. It certainly was the -- and we can see it right there. And that was the time when Ohio was still a swing state, and of course, Secretary Clinton lost that race.

BASH: Yeah.

ZELENY: So, there is a limit to celebrities. I remember being in the crowd for that, and it was just on the cusp of the election. And no one was really sure what was happening underneath. There was a lot of confidence there. This time is all different. But 2016 hangs over this race in every way. Democrats are still haunted by that. That is what's sort of fueling all of the new ground game strategies, et cetera. BASH: OK. So, let's talk about the two big buckets of the closing message that you just discussed. One of them, as you mentioned, and I was just -- it was just reinforced with me in a conversation with the Harris. A, just a short while ago is Donald Trump is unfit to be president, and everything that goes along with it. The other is reproductive rights, women's healthcare. Let's -- we're going to talk about that in a second.

But let's start with the whole question of Donald Trump. And listen to what Kamala Harris said in the town hall last night, specifically trying to pull John Kelly, the president -- former president's chief of staff, and what he said, into the equation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why would someone who served with him, who is not political, a four- star marine general? Why is he telling the American people now? And frankly, I think of it as he's just putting out a 911 call to the American people. Understand what could happen if Donald Trump were back in the White House.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?

HARRIS: Yes, I do. Yes, I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now the Harris campaign insists that this is not just Joe Biden's old message. You know, don't worry about democracy. This is a much finer point on it, and it is very the word she uses. The ad, I'm sure that we're going to see that Priscilla got, it is all data driven based on what they believe will persuade the most voters, one at a time, like you were talking about, Gloria.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES & CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: There is a bit of a difference here, right? I mean, for one, I think it is interesting that when President Biden was still at the top of the ticket. You heard him give speeches about Trump, representing sort of a broad threat to democracy. And then when Harris came to the top of ticket, you actually saw an emphasis on lowering costs, some of those kind of kitchen table issues.

Now what's changed is, you know, you have also more former Trump administration officials, including someone in John Kelly, who spent some of the most time with him in the Oval Office versus DHS Secretary, than his chief of staff. That are so concerned about his comments, about how he would use the military, how he would potentially use the military within the United States as well, that they are now coming out and saying that in the case of John Kelly, he fits the definition of fascism.

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You have also comments from Mark Milley, talking about the former president's disparaging comments against veterans and the threat he posed. One of the big differences here is, you have the former president's own allies, sort of adding fuel now to the vice president's comments, the receipts, in a way.

And yes, you can also -- that amounts to being more specific. It's no longer just giving a speech about, you know, this former president represents a broad threat to democracy. You're actually seeing her be sort of, you know, laser focused on these comments. And first it was agreeing in an interview with Charlamagne tha God that, yes, it's fair to say fascism. Yesterday was an escalation. You're now seeing her say, very much so. Yes, he does fit this definition.

LEIGH ANN CALDWELL, CO-AUTHOR, THE WASHINGTON POST "EARLY-BRIEF": And that is part of the big reason why next week she is going to give a speech on the National Mall at the ellipsis. That is what the site where Donald Trump gave a speech on January 6, before the mob went to the Capitol and attacked to the Capitol.

They think that it is a very clear contrast and very important to remind, as you said, the voters that they think are most persuadable right now, those independent, maybe center right voters who are uncomfortable with voting for Donald Trump, that these are the ones that they have to reach in the final days.

And that is also why she has been leaning into this message, having appearances with Liz Cheney and other Republicans at many of her campaign stops. There's a theme that they think is working.

BASH: And then, just to give the through line between that point and what I want to play is, I still am struck by Liz Cheney, who is self- described, prolife, very conservative socially and in other ways. Saying that she is concerned that now that Roe is no longer that it is the healthcare of women that is problematic. For her to say that is really remarkable. And that leads to this ad. It's a long ad. We're just going to play part of it, but it is one of the most powerful ads that I've seen. Watch?

(PLAYING VIDEO)

BASH: A couple, trying to expand a family who may not be able to -- because they couldn't get healthcare that they needed.

BORGER: It's just a heartbreaking ad. And I agree with you. I've never seen an ad like this. The picture of her in the bathroom, standing before the mirror is, it's hard, it's very hard. And that is what Liz Cheney was talking about. That is what Kamala Harris is going to talk about. And it's her key issue. It's her most important issue.

I think the question is whether that will be enough, whether voters will meld the character question with the question of freedom on protective, you know, abortion. And I don't know the answer to that, because character is a very hard thing for voters to vote on when they're worried about grocery prices. I mean, we saw that in John King's focus group last night. And I don't know how voters are going to react. BASH: Yeah. And that is something I'm told that they are considering in the Harris campaign, and it is almost a choice that a lot of voters are going to have to make. Do I -- my more concerned about -- the real concern of my eggs being more expensive, or is it about something bigger? And is this country just headed in the wrong way? It's really fascinating.

BORGER: It's especially hard when 60 -- more than 60 percent of the country thinks you're on the wrong track.

BASH: Yeah, exactly. All right. Everybody standby, because coming up the battle for the bro vote. It involves Tailgate, TikTok, even Tinder. We're going to get the DL from college campuses as team Harris tries to break into Trump's overwhelming lead with Gen Z men. And next. Why are Trump supporters referring to the former president as daddy? You can judge. We'll show you next.

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BASH: While vice president Harris was answering questions from undecided voters in Pennsylvania last night. Donald Trump was in Georgia. He had spoken to a group of MAGA faithful. And one of his warm-up acts was Tucker Carlson. Now showing Tucker Carlson and a lengthy bite from him, is not usually something we do here, but you have to hear this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FAR-RIGHT MEDIA PERSONALITY: There has to be a point at which dad comes home. Yeah, that's right, dad comes home. And he's pissed. He's very disappointed in their behavior, and he's going to have to let them know. He's going to have to get to your room right now and think about what you did.

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And when dad gets home, you know what he says. You've been a bad girl. You've been a bad little girl, and you're getting a vigorous spanking right now. When they tell you they have won, no. You can look them straight in the face and say, I'm sorry, dad's home and he's pissed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The crowd ate it up, and when Trump came on stage a little later, there were chants of daddy's home. CNN's Alayna Treene was there. Alayna, you have been to a lot of rallies inside Trump world. What was it like?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, I will say, I was bit caught off guard by these comments from Tucker Carlson. It's definitely not something I've heard yet at any of these rallies thus far. And also, just to give you some context of what he was saying there about the quote, vigorous spanking.

He was referring to doling out punishments for Democrats and what he called, you know, the mainstream media, for media that he argued was not being fair to Donald Trump. And he referenced all of that. He kind of put them into a box and said that is the machine. So that's what he was talking about here.

And really, I think it underscores Donald Trump's themes of retribution. And honestly, the crowd was eating it up. They were relishing this. But again, I think putting this in the context of what we're hearing right now, when Donald Trump is talking about the enemy from within, about wanting to seek retribution against political opponents.

And of course, as your panel was just discussing earlier, you know, those comments from John Kelly and him calling Donald Trump or saying he meets the definition of a fascist. And then you have, you know, Tucker Carlson and the crowd here, or the crowd there last night in Duluth, really, you know, cheering on this idea that Donald Trump.

If he comes into office, if he's reelected, he is going to take care of what Carlson was referring to as the problem children. And they were chanting, daddy's home, daddy dawn, when Donald Trump was on stage.

Now, first of all, I don't know if we're going to hear this again. I mean, we -- I do know that this was Carlson saying this. We have not heard Donald Trump meet that rhetoric or share that rhetoric as well. So, it's unclear if we're going to keep hearing, you know, daddy's home chants from the MAGA crowd.

But one thing to watch, Dana, he is going to be the former president, appearing with Tucker Carlson just a couple days before the election on Halloween, actually. So, you know, I'd keep an eye out for that to see if we hear any more of this.

BASH: Can't wait to see that costume. Thank you so much, Alayna. Appreciate that reporting. Leigh Ann, yeah, I mean, it was Tucker Carlson, but the crowd was eating it up as she was reporting.

And we saw he's now part of Trump's squad, along with other people who are -- who are like minded. And it's a very clear -- well, actually, it's not a very clear message. It's not a very -- it's a very weird message. But one of the things he's trying to get at is the through line inside the closing message of Donald Trump is only weak men support Kamala Harris.

CALDWELL: Yeah. I was afraid you were going to come to me first. So, thanks, Dana.

BASH: Talk about that.

CALDWELL: But, yes, absolutely. So, men -- masculinity has been something that Donald Trump has been leaning into for months. This is not something new. There has been a gender divide with Donald Trump -- among Donald Trump supporters, since before this election. But he is really trying to expand that divide between men and women.

For months, he has been appearing on podcasts that that have a specific audience geared toward white men. He's going to be on Joe Rogan show. I think it's tomorrow as well. So, he's continuing this theme. But I think that Alayna was absolutely right that even though Tucker Carlson said it in this very odd and creepy, but a creepy paternalistic way, right? The issues are the same.

The fact that Donald Trump, throughout his candidacy, is trying to seek revenge against people who have done him wrong. I was talking to a Republican close to Donald Trump yesterday who said, on background, look, Trump knows, and people know that this is -- election is very serious for him. He has to win, or he goes to jail.

BORGER: Remember, Donald Trump came out and said, I am your protector. And I couldn't help but think about that. When Tucker was going daddy's home, because daddy is supposed to be the one that protects the family. I mean, misogyny aside, it's kind of more of this, I alone can fix it. I'm your protector. He said that about women ironically. And so, it's just part of this artifice about strength and about, you know, the Democrats being weak.

[12:25:00]

BASH: And it's all -- and it's something else. It's -- they see the gender gap, which I'm going to show in one second. They understand that women are like gone, not large, not entirely, not in entirety, but there's a huge gulf. And they're trying to get as many men to get out and vote for them as possible, including and especially men who may have never voted before.

OK, now look at the gender gap that we have here. This is from the Quinnipiac University Poll that came out yesterday. I mean, just look at those numbers in Georgia, in Michigan, in North Carolina, in Wisconsin. I mean, these are huge, huge gaps between the two of them, men versus women.

KANNO-YOUNGS: No, absolutely. And you know, as we've been discussing this, this sort of language of framing yourself as sort of a paternalistic, sort of protector of the country, right? That's tapping into trying to galvanize as many men as you can because of other issues that we've been discussing, because of how prominent reproductive rights is in this election, because of Donald Trump's previous statements, I mean, disparaging times women as well.

He's going to try and get as many men as he can to the polls. That carries over also directly into this interview that he's going to give to Joe Rogan as well. You can see a through line there, but it is worth just saying again.

I mean, a top ally -- yeah, I understand, it wasn't the former president saying this, but a top ally and Tucker Carlson, who is, you know, basically stumping for the former president, saying something like this about a political opponent, just not normal.

BASH: I don't want to lose sight of something else that happened at this event. And this is about Christian nationalism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's very destructive to Christianity and very destructive to evangelicals and to the Catholic Church. When you believe in God, it's a big advantage over people that don't have that.

PASTOR JENTEZEN FRANKLIN, FREE CHAPEL: Let's invite God's presence into America and into Georgia and into this election. You can call me a Christian nationalist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The beginning was Donald Trump talking about faith. Fine. Kamala Harris said it last night. But having a pastor who comes to pastor Franklin from the Free Chapel in Georgia. Come to this event as he has in the past, the turning point events. And just be very open about, not just faith, but Christian nationalism, is a huge undercurrent in this campaign.

ZELENY: Without question, and it tells you all you need to know. I mean, from -- you mentioned earlier that the Harris campaign is going for one vote at a time, the Trump campaign is as well. Was just a very obviously different slice of people, but trying to drive the men up even higher, and really not dog whistles. I mean, it's just like being said out loud.

But I was struck this week by how many events that Donald Trump has had to Christian organizations, to Latino organizations, other things, she is not campaigning in a broad sense. I mean, he's obviously had tons and tons of big rallies, but this is all sort of just specific groups, and he's doing that next week as well, really trying to drive the turnout of every specific organization.

But I'm not sure the background of that pastor who said that. I don't know if he's been at other Trump rallies before, but that was certainly one of the many eye-popping things of the evening, but I think Tucker Carlson probably --

BASH: Yeah. He stole the show -- so to speak. All right. Everybody, coming up in his own words. Mitch McConnell is having a scathing assessment of the Republican Party as it is right now.

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