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Republican National Convention; Sen. Marco Rubio And Doug Burgum Told He Is Not Donald Trump's V.P. Pick. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 15, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:06]

MICHAEL WHATLEY, RNC CHAIRMAN: Delegates and alternate delegates, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Before we begin the official business of this convention, let us please take a moment of silence to reflect on the terrible events that took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, and to pray for the victims and their families.

Thank you.

Offering today's invocation, please welcome from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros.

ARCHBISHOP ELPIDOPHOROS GREEK ORTHODOX PRIMATE OF AMERICA: Let us pray to the Lord of all, almighty and eternal God, in peace we come before you and implore your infinite goodness, look upon this gathering of our nation's political leaders and grant them illuminant hearts and minds to serve their fellow citizens through this Republican National Convention.

Grant and to the nominee, President Donald J. Trump, and his advisors and counselors, wisdom, grace, and the spirit of duty that they may embrace all Americans' needs, shining the light on good governance upon the venerable institutions of the world's best hope for everyone's life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

Grant unto the delegates a powerful recognition of purpose to bear witness to divine providence, which has shielded this great land through the centuries, and drives us to a more perfect union with one another, ever building on the labors of those pioneers of patriotism, who went before us.

Preserve, protect and defend the servicemen and women who daily safeguard our freedoms, so that in prosperity and tranquility, we can worship you the creator, redeemer in sanctifier of the universe, and be the blessed people whose God is the Lord. Amen.

WHATLEY: Would everyone please rise for the presentation of colors?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: We have some new reporting from Kristen Holmes. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee has apparently made his decision about who his running mate will be, Kristen. KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. So, we have -- Mark Preston has heard from a single source that Donald Trump has made his decision. And that seems to be clear, because we are also told by two sources familiar that Marco Rubio, the senator from Florida has been informed that he is not the choice for vice president.

Now, just to go over what Katelyn had said just moments ago. There are three people that we know have been at the top of the list for consideration. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who has now been told he is not the choice, Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota, and J. D. Vance of Ohio. We did see Vance leaving his home earlier today. He was in what looks to be a motorcade. We have obviously been reading all of the tea leaves around that.

But we were told that we shouldn't speculate that all of these three top contenders have been given extra security after the shooting on Saturday.

But of course, we are still now looking at a list of three that has been narrowed down to likely two people.

TARLOV: All right, thank you, Kristen.

Right now, the colors are being presented by the Ozaukee County Sheriff honor guard and we're going to listen to the Pledge of Allegiance. Let's listen in.

WHATLEY: Debbie Kraulidis to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

DEBBIE KRAULIDIS, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Thank you so much. What an honor. This is for all of us. Please join me.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[14:05:06]

WHATLEY: And now, to perform the National Anthem please welcome John Stanford.

JOHN STANFORD: Oh say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight. O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

TAPPER: Chris Wallace it seems as though it is between J. D. Vance and Doug Burgum, the vice presidential pick. What more can you tell us?

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN HOST: Well, one, the vice presidential pick has been reported is in, it appears it's down to two. We're told that right after the president goes over the top when Florida picks him and he is the officially the nominee of the party, that he is expected to come here to the hall to announce his vice presidential pick. And we're being told that it's going to be 4:37 Eastern Time. 3:37 Central Time.

So, you know, you can't imagine a more dramatic moment. Donald Trump his first time in public since the assassination attempt coming here. I don't know if he still has the bandage on his right ear he had a couple of days ago but also coming bringing with him his running by for the Republican nomination for president -- vice president.

TAPPER: And Dana Bash, if the reporting is accurate, and it is between these two individuals, J. D. Vance and Doug Burgum. Those are two pretty different choices.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Very different choices. And listen, all of our reporting suggests that in the last week, and certainly several days, that those are the two that we believe were left.

But we also know that Donald Trump likes to surprise people. So, who knows if there's somebody -- some dark horse that we don't know about. Very, very different Doug Burgum sitting governor of North Dakota, somebody who is a businessman, one of the main reasons why Donald Trump likes him is because he is a self-made man.

And then, of course, J. D. Vance, who has effectively become even though he didn't start out life this way, just the opposite, a disciple of the former president and is definitely somebody who his sons, particularly Donald Trump Jr. is very publicly in favor of.

TAPPER: Yes, very interesting. And then during this musical interlude, we're going to talk a little bit more about this. Abby Phillip, your thoughts on the moment?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, Jake, I think this is really a unique moment for Donald Trump in particular, he's run for president now three times. But this is really the first time that he is making a vice presidential decision that is all his own where he really doesn't need -- when I talk to Republicans, they don't think he needs anything from a vice presidential pick at this moment, except for the one thing that he requires of everybody around him, which is loyalty.

And loyalty is also extended even beyond just the relationship between him and that person. There is a thinking that this is also about what comes next for the Republican -- the Republican Party.

I mean, Donald Trump is 78 years old. I mean, he served I have a near death experience this weekend but he is aware that the MAGA movement has to live on beyond him and I think he takes great pride in the way that he has shaped this Republican Party.

[14:10:10]

And Mike Pence in a way was a pick for that moment but was not the person who would carry on the MAGA flag and I think that's going to be one of the key things is how satisfied is he, either of these men can do that for him?

TAPPER: David Urban your thoughts on the choice we're about to --

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, listen, I agree with everything that's been said, right? Two different -- completely different courses, right? J. D. Vance is kind of the future of MAGA and Doug Burgum is a steady safe pick. Calm down people in the suburbs. Montgomery County, right, Delaware County voters. They come a little more comfortable with the -- with the Trump ticket, I think.

Interestingly, both John and Dana pointed out. We were here at '16. Last time we had a convention it was 2016. It was a different vibe in the building in 2016 than it is today.

Ted Cruz is going to make a run. Ken Cuccinelli went to the floor and challenge -- to challenge it. So, it was a completely different feeling. I was on the floor today, completely different feeling amongst the delegates.

Today, I mean, these are Donald Trump's delegates, they are here for him. He's going to come out on stage, triumphant, victorious. It is a big moment for the Republican Party today this afternoon, and moving forward. Completely unlike anything we've seen, since -- I mean, perhaps, I don't know when the party has been this unified. It will be at 4:00 or 3:37 Eastern this afternoon.

TAPPER: I don't think that there is any one person in the Republican Party who symbolizes more the degree to which Donald Trump has made this party his own than Senator Mike Lee who was on the floor with Ken Cuccinelli leading the floor revolt to try to make Ted Cruz the nominee, and now is just a -- to put it nicely, on board.

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, there's no doubt this is Donald Trump's party. You know, what strikes me this whole discussion about the photo -- the iconic photo the other day, the stage crafting of this vice presidential choice.

Donald Trump is a showman and a marketer. And he has guided this whole process, I was told that his staff wanted to announce this V.P. pick earlier, and he said, no, I want to do it on the stage on Monday.

And so, this was a reflection of Trump, the marketer.

TAPPER: Kasie?

KASIE HUNT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: This is if this had played out under different circumstances, if that horrible event in Pennsylvania hadn't happened, and they were planning this. I mean, we knew that they were discussing doing it this way, all the way along.

I mean, the buildup here, sort of "The Apprentice" style suspense would -- we would have been engaged in it for probably at least 24 hours, if not more.

I mean, normally, when we are covering the, "veepstakes," I'll be honest, it's my least favorite story in the presidential campaign cycle.

WALLACE: Really?

HUNT: I really don't like it very much.

WALLACE: John, how many -- how many have you broke down? Which veepstakes did you break, John?

HUNT: There you go, maybe someday.

JOHN KING, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lloyd Benson and Al Gore.

WALLACE: Lloyd Benson and Al Gore.

HUNT: He was the legendary Associated Press reporter. Of course he did.

TAPPER: What? You broke -- you broke George Bush in 1980?

WALLACE: I beat Lesley Stahl by 44 seconds.

TAPPER: But who's counting? But who is counting? Who is counting?

WALLACE: Well, I was counting.

KING: That's probably the only -- but does it matter this time? That's the only thing. Usually, this is a big drama. Everyone chases the story. Yes, I broke two of them. They were great for my career. 10 minutes later, who cares? Right?

Because the vice president doesn't matter, people vote for president.

However, if Biden stays on the ticket, the Trump campaign is going to say a vote for Biden is a vote for Harris. So, then, does his pick matter more because of that? Right? Does that matter more?

J. D. Vance is a threat, 37 years old. He's been -- he's been in the Senate for 17 months. When Barack Obama ran for president, the same Republican Party that would say J. D. Vance is awesome said doesn't have the experience to be president. When Kamala Harris was picked as Biden's vice president, she had way more experienced than J. D. Vance elected politics, including California as a prosecutor in the United States Senate. And this Republican Party said she's not qualified. This Republican Party if it's J. D. Vance at 4:37 p.m. today, we'll say awesome.

AXELROD: If there -- you know, I think I'm the only one on this. I didn't break any of those stories on that. I was involved in choosing one.

HUNT: Yes, you picked one.

TAPPER: You picked Biden.

AXELROD: I will tell you that one of the questions that you ask yourself is not just certainly those kinds of questions. What kind of message does it send? But also how will they hold up? How will they hold up?

I remember when John McCain picked Sarah Palin and Barack Obama's initial reaction was, well, I get woman, independent out of -- but he said, you know, this run for national office thing is tough. He said it took me a long time to figure it out.

Now, maybe she's a great talent and can jump into this maelstrom and thrive and prosper. He said, but I give it a month and a month from that day she did the Katie Couric interview and that was the end.

One of the questions I'm sure he's been -- he should be asking is how many is people going to hold up in this?

HUNT: Well, and one --

TAPPER: So, I'm sorry. I need to go to Kaitlan Collins right now. But right now just onstage we're hearing from Vicki Drummond, who is the Secretary of the convention.

Kaitlan Collins on the floor. Over to you.

[14:15:01]

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Jake. Obviously, we're just getting underway with all of the beginnings of the convention. Pledge of Allegiance, the song and everything.

I'm right here outside the Florida delegation. Obviously, that is key because it is going to be what puts Donald Trump over the top to officially get the nomination.

Also, the they're getting the news that Senator Marco Rubio himself has been informed he will not be Donald Trump's vice presidential pick, obviously that would have created a bit of a complication given Rubio is a resident of Florida and there were questions of whether or not he'd have to move and whatnot.

I do have a member of the Florida delegation here with me who is going to be a delegate, Darlene Cerezo Swaffar. It's great to have you.

First, before we get into your state, it's going to be the one that put Donald Trump over the top. What's your reaction to the news that Senator Marco Rubio will not be Donald Trump's running mate on the ticket?

DARLENE CEREZO SWAFFAR (R), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE OF FLORIDA: Well, that was my question, if he is a Florida resident, unless one of them moves, wouldn't have been possible. But my pick from the beginning was always Elise Stefanik, I love her. She's a very powerful conservative that we have in the house. I love her platform. She's very well respected. She's has an excellent voting record along, you know, party lines. And I think that she could bring in the woman vote. I think that would have been a better choice for V.P. But that's my -- you know, my estimation.

COLLINS: What do you make of the other options? It's North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, either of those. Would you like to see them?

CEREZO SWAFFAR: I like J. D. Vance. I think he's been very loyal to Trump. And I think he'd be, you know, a great conservative and, you know, it's a -- it's a personality concern, right?

So, Trump is very powerful in his own right, I think it has to be somebody that could allow Trump to be Trump and the V.P. to be V.P. and then also be strong enough to be ready to step in, in case, you know if that ever happens, to step in and be president.

So, it has to be somebody worthy and capable of doing that.

COLLINS: Darlene Cerezo Swaffar, great to have you. Thank you.

This is of course, the Florida delegation, Jake. It will be incredibly, incredibly celebratory here in a few moments.

And I should note, there's a row about five or six chairs at the front that are reserved for Donald Trump's immediate family members. So, we will see Donald Trump Jr., Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump, we saw those names at the front.

So, expect to see them at the front when their father does meet that line and that threshold to cross over into enough delegates to officially become the Republican nominee, Jake.

TAPPER: Let's hop over from the Florida delegation to the Ohio delegation, because Phil Mattingly is with the governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, Phil.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Jake. I am here with Governor Mike DeWine.

And Governor, I think the question on everybody's mind right now inside this arena is there's somebody from your delegation who may become the next vice president of the United States, or at least be nominated to be so. Have you heard anything at this point?

GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): Well, we've heard a lot, but I'm not sure we know what's going to happen yet.

Certainly, there's a lot of talk on the floor about J. D. Vance. And that would be a great thing for Ohio. But we're waiting to hear from the president.

MATTINGLY: Can I ask you, you hosted the 2016 -- Ohio hosted the 2016 convention, this is a very different moment than it was in 2016 in terms of unity behind the former president. Do you -- do you sense that here as well?

DEWINE: Well, it certainly as we were at that convention, and certainly it's different, because it's certainly a unified party behind President Trump. There's no doubt about that.

MATTINGLY: What do you think in the wake of the assassination attempt, the party, the president's -- former president's message should be going forward in this general election?

DEWINE: Well, I think what President Trump -- former President Trump has said so far has been very good.

First of all, we're -- you know, we're so grateful that he was not killed. And I think that what he has said, basically that's, tone this down some, it's been very consistent. The two -- the two presidents, President Biden and former President Trump are really saying the same thing. I think that would be a great thing for this country.

Look, we know what our differences are between the parties. We know there's even differences within each party. And these two things can be debated and should be, as we've always done throughout our history.

But we need to tone this down. I think the people of this country want us to do that. They want us to have a good -- a good debate, a tough, hard debate, but to do it in a way that's respectful.

And I think what we've -- what President Trump has been saying the last few days, I think, is spot on. And I think it's a good thing.

MATTINGLY: Do you think it can last?

DEWINE: We can only hope. We can only hope. You know, we -- both parties have a responsibility to try to do this. We all know the differences. We know that what the issues are in the campaign, but there's a way of doing it. And I think what this reminded us this almost horrible tragedy is that we are one country and we should be celebrating what brings us together.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it's certainly the message that Trump campaign has been trying to push for Governor Mike DeWine, we appreciate it. Thank you so much. Back to you, Jake.

TAPPER: Thanks so much, Phil. At any moment we could learn the identity of Donald Trump's vice presidential pick. We are standing by for that as well as for former President Trump's official nomination, there's much more ahead on CNN special coverage of the Republican National Convention. We're going to squeeze in a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:24:38]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: It is day one of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, we're going to go straight to CNN's Kaitlan Collins on the floor of the convention with some news about the vice presidential pick. Kaitlan, what have you learned?

COLLINS: Yes, Anderson, I'm standing over here in the North Dakota delegation, which unfortunately is not going to have a candidate on the ticket this year because we have been informed that Governor Doug Burgum has been told he is not going to be Donald Trump's vice presidential pick to be on the ticket with him.

[14:25:04]

Now, over to my right is the Ohio delegation. Obviously we have been talking all morning that the last three names that we have been hearing were Florida Senator Marco Rubio, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Ohio Senator J. D. Vance.

So far, J. D. Vance we have not heard from his team. We were obviously asking them, but they were trying to leave an element of surprise to this announcement.

But we have been told Doug Burgum is not expected to be the pick. Now, that's notable because Donald Trump that we've been -- as we were reporting had been really waffling on his choice, going back and forth hearing from a lot of donors, powerful donors and powerful figures. People like Rupert Murdoch, who wanted to see him pick Doug Burgum as his vice presidential running mate, saying, that he would be a good selection for him.

And Trump's phone I can tell you from what I've heard has been a stream of phone calls from allies of Doug Burgum of J. D. Vance's of Marco Rubio's in recent days, but we are now learning that Doug Burgum is not expected to be on the ticket with Donald Trump, Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Kaitlan, we'll come back to you shortly. I'm going to check with Jeff Zeleny. Jeff, what are you hearing?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anderson, we are hearing that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, he has just really been steps away from this convention hall. For the last day or so, waiting on pins and needles for that phone call from former President Donald Trump as Kaitlan was just saying there.

Governor Burgum has been a loyal soldier and a surrogate for Donald Trump. You'll remember he actually ran for president on his own. It was one year ago here in Milwaukee. He was on the debate stage, of course that fizzled out after the early votes.

But I am told by a Republican close to the governor that he says Governor Burgum supports President Trump and whoever he decides to choose.

So, that is the question here now, on the floor. I'm standing on the podium where the official business will begin including that nomination for the vice president. That's extraordinary. No one knows who that will be.

Of course, the process of elimination is playing out just like Donald Trump would like it. Again, it's a game of elimination, but for now, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, we know is also off the list, Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thanks.

Back to the team here. Jonah Goldberg, Kate Bedingfield, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Van Jones, Scott Jennings. Scott, I mean, J. D. Vance is the only name last -- left on the list

of three that a lot of people have been talking about. It's possible there could be somebody else out there, a surprise.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, that's been alluded to today. But -- and there are other names floating around. But obviously, the focus is on Vance right now and has some ties to Kentucky. Like me, he's a senator from Ohio. He's had an interesting journey, you know, started out kind of as a -- as a never Trumper, I think he even voted for Evan McMullin for President in 2016.

But his sense said, I was wrong about Donald Trump. Now, his journey is not that much different than a lot of other Republicans who didn't support Donald Trump in 2016, who have now mostly come around to supporting him. And he has become one of the high priests of Trumpism and of MAGA, inside the Republican Party and in American politics, he's very young.

And so, choosing someone like this for vice president is a clear signal of a passing of the torch when Donald Trump finally exits the stage. Whenever that happens to be, obviously Vance would be in a position to carry it forward.

COOPER: He's also got support of Donald Trump's son Don Jr.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Who's been a very, very vocal supporter of his. The thing with Vance is this. Yes, he has kind of taken up the Trumpist mantle of populism, a very different direction that the Republican Party is going.

But having worked for Vice President Pence and seeing how they interacted in the White House, that what Trump wants in a vice president is not someone who's going to outshine him, not someone who's going to drive more headlines than him, who's going to get more attention when he travels on the world stage.

I've always been skeptical of this pick for that reason. We also know that loyalty is a big factor. And I think it's hard to be truly convinced that somebody who called him America's Hitler as recently as 2016, a moral disaster and reprehensible is truly a convert to Trumpism.

Now, I would not rule out a wild card here, but there is -- I also think he's a bit of a risky pick. I think that he's extremely polarizing. He doesn't add anything Trump himself doesn't have. But he does have the family support and that's big.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And if you think about what Donald Trump has to do here, I mean, he has -- he needs to win support with suburban women, he needs to -- that's one of the pieces of the coalition that he's weakest with. I'm not sure that J. D. Vance is somebody who gets you there as you're thinking about what a vice presidential nominee can add to your ticket.

I think, you know, as Alyssa was saying, I mean, he really doubled down on some of the most alienating things about MAGAism for that universe of people.

So, I think, you know, it is -- it is an interesting choice. He's certainly somebody who, you know, has a big megaphone and can go out there and carry the -- carry the flame, carry the banner for Donald Trump. I'm not sure that he actually does the persuasive work that I think ultimately is where the selection is going to be decided.

I absolutely agree that I think there's still a dark horse candidate out there. I still think, you know, I'm sure I'll be -- I'll be shouted down later. But I still think Nikki Haley is a possibility here.

You had Donald Trump, you know, come out of the events this weekend, say he wants to put forward a unifying message. He said, he's alluded to the fact that his choice is going to be a surprise. If you want to -- if you want to send a message that you're about unifying --

COOPER: Youngkin is the name.

BEDINGFIELD: And another possibility, I would argue that Haley carries a little bit more of the -- you know, she sends a more unifying signal in this moment, but you know, we'll see. We'll see.