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CNN Live Event/Special
RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump Previews J.D. Vance's Speech; RNC Video Showcases Gold Star Families; Tonight: J.D. Vance Headlines Third Night Of RNC. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired July 17, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, FORMER PROSECUTOR, DONALD TRUMP JR.'S FIANCEE: He will make America feared by our adversaries, and respected by our friends.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: And most importantly, he will always put America first.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: After four years of Joe Biden's disastrous America Last agenda, our country is more dangerous, vulnerable, and impoverished, than anyone had thought possible.
President Trump handed Biden a booming economy and a strong nation. All Joe had to do was leave it alone and take a nap.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: But Joe just couldn't help himself.
Joe Biden cannot lead America. He cannot even lead himself off a stage.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: Now Americans are drowning in inflation. Insanity spreads like a cancer in our schools. We are closer to World War III than any time in my life. And we are facing an unprecedented invasion of millions of illegal aliens across our southern border. Rioters and looters go free. While Biden and the Democrats persecute American heroes like Donald Trump.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: Tens of millions of Americans are made to feel like enemies, in our own country, an enemy for wanting to defend our border, for not wanting our children indoctrinated in school, for not wanting to erase our history, for praying to our God, saying what we think, and fighting for what we believe.
It is no wonder that the heroes, who stormed the beaches of Normandy, and faced down communism sadly say they don't recognize our country anymore.
This is not an accident. The powerful elites, in the swamp, will say anything to crush and destroy the America First movement. But we will never give up. And neither will Donald J. Trump.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: I know I speak for patriots everywhere, when I say we are fed up. We are outraged about sex trafficking, and drug trafficking, across our southern border. We are fed up with the forever wars. We are done being told by the radical left to sit down, shut up and obey.
The Democrat vision for America is governed by fear, hatred and political oppression.
Our vision is defined by our love of our country, love for our fellow citizens, and our love of freedom.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: In our vision, we will secure the southern border and deport the violent criminal aliens once and for all.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: In our vision, America will combat foreign aggressors and ensure our servicemembers are protected, not abandoned, as they carry out their dangerous missions abroad. Because we know we can only have peace through strength.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: We will restore an era of national pride, where freedom of speech is respected, and cancel culture is ended.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: Where high school girls only compete with other girls, not biological men.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: Where struggling cities never put criminal illegal aliens above our heroic veterans and brave law enforcement.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
[21:05:00]
GUILFOYLE: Where our streets are not ruled by gangs and rioters, but governed by law and order, where students are freed from failings schools, and corrupt teachers' unions, through Universal School Choice.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: Where our most sacred institutions are not weaponized against political opponents, but are fair, equal and just.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: And where we teach our children to love our country, learn our history, and respect our American flag.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: I believe in America. I believe in our freedom and liberty. And I believe in Donald John Trump.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: And I want Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and all of the radical Democrats, to know this. We will not be bullied into obedience. We will not cower in silence. We will fight for America because we love America.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "USA")
GUILFOYLE: I stand before you, as a working mother, a former prosecutor, a Catholic and a proud Latina.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: I know personally what every American has now seen with their own eyes. I know the measure of the man that stands before us. Donald Trump will never stop fighting for you.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: So, join me in voting for Donald J. Trump for president again.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: Victory is in our sights. America's future is in our hands. America's destiny is in our control. And America's prosperity is in our hearts and souls.
America, this is your moment. Will you stand up for President Trump?
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
GUILFOYLE: Rise up. Rise up.
Ladies and gentlemen, lovers of liberty and freedom and the American Dream, this is our last chance to make America great again. God bless you. God bless President Trump. And may God bless America.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right, Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., giving one of her characteristically boisterous speeches.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please welcome Congressman Michael Waltz of Florida.
(APPLAUSE)
TAPPER: We will hear from her fiance, later in the evening. Donald Trump Jr. will speak.
Here's Congressman Michael Waltz speaking.
Kaitlan Collins.
Kaitlan Collins, you are on the floor with--
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Yes.
TAPPER: --another member of the Trump family.
COLLINS: Yes, Jake. I am standing here with Lara Trump. She is a member of the Trump family, but also the co-chair of the RNC, who closed out last night of the convention.
And Lara, great to have you here.
I know that RNC has been working really closely with everyone on their speeches. What should we be expecting to hear from the vice president -- presidential candidate that Donald Trump has selected tonight?
LARA TRUMP, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR: Well, I think this is an opportunity, for America, really need to get to know Senator J.D. Vance. He's obviously a young senator. He's a young man. He's 39- years-old. And I think this is his opportunity, to introduce himself, to the American people.
I'm sure you'll hear part of his life story. Some people may have read his book, Hillbilly Elegy, and know that he really is the American Dream. He started out from very humble beginnings. He has dealt with a lot of issues that Americans have, substance abuse in his family, poverty in his family. And he is now a United States Senator. So, I think he's probably going to talk a lot about his story, and it'll be an introduction for America to him.
[21:10:00]
COLLINS: I wonder given you have to also think about down-ballot races. Obviously, the RNC works for the top of the ticket. But for other Republican races, does it concern you? Is it going to make your job harder, given he has passed support for a national abortion ban, given how animating that issue has been for so many voters?
TRUMP: Well, I think Donald Trump's been very clear on his stance on that. And obviously, he is the one running for president. He has said he will not pass a national abortion ban, or will not sign one into law. And I think the most appropriate thing, as Donald Trump himself has said, has happened. It's gone back to the states to decide. And obviously, it's an issue that a lot of people care about. But as far as Donald Trump is concerned, it has been settled by the Supreme Court, to go back to the states, and it's up to each state to decide.
COLLINS: Donald Trump Jr. is your brother-in-law. He did an interview with Axios, yesterday, where he said he believed the only way that former President Donald Trump could lose this election is if there is cheating.
Do you agree with that?
TRUMP: As far as you can feel in this room right now, it certainly feels that way. And I can tell you that we're doing everything in our power, from the RNC, to ensure indeed a free, fair and transparent election.
Look, you can't have half of the electorate feeling like their vote doesn't count and their vote doesn't matter. And unfortunately, and coming out of 2020, there are millions of people who feel that way.
And our job at the RNC is that we want you, no matter if you're voting Republican, Democrat or third-party candidate, to feel confident in your vote, when you cast a ballot, this, obviously this election season, but all the way up to November 5th. And so, that's what we're really -- working really hard to do.
COLLINS: Do you expect mail-in voting to be a big part of your push, given its history that some Republicans say they wish Donald Trump would be more supportive of?
TRUMP: He's actually come out, and he's put on Truth Social that anyway, whether it's voting on Election Day, early voting, or mailing in your vote, is a great way to vote in this election. So, he actually has changed his stance on that.
And I think we did learn some lessons from 2020. And one of them is that we, as a party, should be embracing things like mail-in voting and early voting. If everyone waits, to go vote on Election Day, look, life happens, right? I have kids. They get sick. You have a job. There's bad weather. Things happen in life.
So, our message from the Republican Party is, we want you to go vote. We want you to go vote early. And then, we want you to take people to go vote. Everybody you know, encourage them to get out, and vote, and be part of the process.
COLLINS: Lara Trump, thank you for your time tonight.
TRUMP: Thank you so much.
COLLINS: Jake, back to you.
TAPPER: Thank you, Kaitlan. And we are expecting a video about the Gold Star Families, who lost their loved ones during the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, in August 2021. There are both policy and political reasons, to bring up this. Obviously, the policy reasons are -- have to do with America's role in the world. And this evening is dedicated to make America strong again.
But in terms of the politics of it all. Joe Biden, President Biden began the month of August 2021, with a 49 percent approval rating, according to Gallup.
By the end of August, after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which went very, very poorly, obviously, 13 servicemembers killed in that attack at Abbey Gate, at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, at the end of August, his approval rating was 43 percent.
That was a significant slide in just one month. And a lot of people, Dana, think that that was the beginning of the end, when it came to Joe Biden's ability to be reelected. I mean, that's just a theory. It's not proven fact. But that was a bad month for him, politically, and a bad month for the United States, and particularly for those 13 families.
VOICE OF DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: And it's how people inside the Biden campaign see it politically, that it was that moment, that horrible, horrible, chaotic withdrawal. That was the point of no return, politically, for Joe Biden, until this point. Maybe he can return. But that was -- he never came back from that politically.
But also, just in terms of the policy, which Jake, you've reported so much on, it is going to be interesting to hear the way that they talk about the withdrawal. I mean, that was on Joe Biden's watch. But the recipe and the deal that led to the withdrawal was done by Donald Trump. He wanted to get out of Afghanistan.
BASH: I mean, he argues that he wanted to get out. He wouldn't have allowed the withdrawal to be as chaotic, and deadly, as it was.
TAPPER: When we -- when we talked to Nikki Haley, about this, during the town hall, Chris, about the withdrawal, because she'd been obviously very critical of President Biden's withdrawal.
She said that one of the reasons why Donald Trump never actually did the withdrawal, even though, as you know, his administration negotiated the exit with the Taliban, is because it would have required, in order to withdraw American troops, the correct way, it would have required a surge of more troops into Afghanistan before the withdrawal.
And that was her answer, as to why she thought while that -- obviously, she faulted Trump to a degree as well. But while ultimately it was Biden's -- Biden's wrongdoing, and poorly-executed withdrawal.
[21:15:00]
CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: It also struck, when we look back three years, it struck at the heart of Biden's selling point to the American people, which was the idea he was competent, he had long experience, particularly in foreign policy. He'd been a vice president. He'd been the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
And then, to see this hash that was made of it, and the image of the big transport plane with the Americans -- with the Afghans trying, desperately, to get out, and some of them are hanging on to the plane, one of them or two of them, that ended up in the wheel well, and falling to their depth, thousands of feet. And then, of course, the tragic suicide bombing that killed 13 American soldiers.
I quite agree with you. It was -- it was a -- certainly, a point right then, where Biden had been quite popular. It seemed like we were getting out from under COVID. Of course, there was a resurgence of that. But it was -- it was a point at which people began to have serious doubts, about Biden's competence, and whether or not he had -- had lived up to the selling points that he had made to the American people, about his foreign policy expertise.
TAPPER: And believe it or not, the debate, Dana, the debate was only three weeks ago tomorrow. At that debate, President Biden has said, inaccurately, that no American servicemembers had died under his watch.
BASH: Right.
TAPPER: Here's the video about the Gold Star Families. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HERMAN LOPEZ, MARINE CORPS CPL. HUNTER LOPEZ'S FATHER: August 26, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
ABBY (ph) SANCHEZ, CORPORAL HUMBERTO SANCHEZ'S SISTER: My name is Abby (ph) Sanchez. And I am the voice for my brother, Corporal Humberto Sanchez.
CORAL BRISENO, CORPORAL HUMBERTO SANCHEZ'S MOTHER: My name is Coral Briseno. And I am Corporal Humberto Sanchez's mother.
STEVEN NIKOUI, KAREEM NIKOUI'S FATHER: My name is Steven Nikoui. I'm here for my son, Kareem Nikoui. I'm here today to give my son a voice.
CHERYL JUELS, MARINE CORPS SGT. NICOLE GEE'S AUNT: My name is Cheryl Juels. I am Sergeant Nicole Gee's aunt. She was a U.S. Marine that was killed in the Kabul, Afghanistan withdrawal.
CHRISTY SHAMBLIN, MARINE CORPS SGT. NICOLE GEE'S MOTHER-IN-LAW: My name is Christy Shamblin. And I'm here for Sergeant Nicole Gee, United States Marine, who was killed in the Afghanistan exit.
KELLY BARNETT, STAFF SERGEANT TAYLOR HOOVER'S MOTHER: My name is Kelly Barnett. I'm here to give a voice to my son, my -- my best friend, Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover. DARIN HOOVER, STAFF SERGEANT TAYLOR HOOVER'S FATHER: And my name is Darin Hoover. And I'm here to give voice as well, for our son, Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover.
JUELS: When we started hearing that the Taliban was moving in, that there wasn't more military being deployed, and that they had decided that the Taliban was our security. That was when I became terrified. They were just kind of left there, hung out to dry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From Afghanistan, where there are significant casualties, including some Americans from a suicide attack.
JIM MCCOLLUM, LANCE CPL. RYLEE MCCOLLUM'S FATHER: I was at work, and heard about it. Instantly, had that just chill go through me, and I started sending messages.
BARNETT: I'm talking to people. I'm calling his girlfriend. I'm saying well, have you heard from him? Calling the sisters. Have you heard from him? You know, we're texting, where we're saying please, just send us a text, just whatever. Just let us know that you're OK.
JUELS: When all the explosions went off. I had messaged her, and I said, hey, you know, I know you can't say anything but you know, just an emoji. Just a bubble.
MCCOLLUM: And then 3:30 in the morning, that night, I got the knock on the door. You know there's no other reason two Marines are standing on your door.
BRISENO: Right away, they told me, we have news about your son, and he just passed away. I just started screaming, I throw myself on the floor.
ALICIA LOPEZ, MARINE CORPS CPL. HUNTER LOPEZ'S MOTHER: I pull up the street, and I see a white van. And once I saw them, I knew.
[21:20:00]
It's surreal, seeing all those flag-draped coffins, in the back of a C-17 is something you'll never forget. And it really drives home that you know these young men and women gave the ultimate sacrifice.
They had all the families within this large room. The President showed up. And -- and that was -- it wasn't what I was expecting.
NIKOUI: You know, this guy is sitting across from me, on that tarmac, and he keeps looking at his watch.
BARNETT: Biden did not want to be there. I don't know what he wanted to do. But he did not want to be there. He looked at his watch multiple times. I saw it three times.
MCCOLLUM: He didn't say anything about Rylee. And to this day, he has yet to say those 13 kids' names.
BRISENO: And that makes me so upset, because those kids were serving their country. Those kids, they were giving their life for this country. And I always said, they were thinking that their Commander- in-Chief was going to have their back, because they were fighting for this country. And that didn't happen.
SHAMBLIN: The Administration, the White House--
JUELS: Never once.
SHAMBLIN: --our President, has never once mentioned their names, not one of them.
HOOVER: Honestly, I -- I don't feel like Joe Biden cared.
NIKOUI: He just had no empathy for us at all.
MCCOLLUM: I do think incompetence, played a huge factor in what happened. Bad decision, bad leadership. And it all starts at the top,
BRISENO: Joe Biden should not be leading this country.
JUELS: There was no point in making that hard deadline, August 31st. It was 100 percent a political stunt.
BARNETT: He let my son down. He let the 13 down. He let the 45 wounded down. He let those 174 civilians down. He let our country down.
BRISENO: And then what it hurts the most is that they could be here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We fully understand we can't bring back our kids. But there are thousands and thousands more out there that are going to come home the same way, if something doesn't change.
We, the United States of America, we can do better by our men and women that are risking their lives for this country. We can do better for them than that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To this day, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had never mentioned these fallen soldiers' names.
President Trump will never forget them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage the Gold Star Families of our fallen heroes.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "USA")
SHAMBLIN: Hello, America. I'm Christy Shamblin. My daughter-in-law, Sergeant Nicole Leanne (ph) Gee.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE) SHAMBLIN: Was the United States Marine, and she was killed at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan, alongside 12 of her brothers and sister in arms.
While Joe Biden has refused to recognize their sacrifice, Donald Trump spent six hours in Bedminster with us.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
[21:25:00]
SHAMBLIN: He allowed us to grieve. He allowed us to remember our heroes. Donald Trump knew all of our children's names. He knew their stories. And he spoke to us in a way that made us feel understood, like he knew our kids.
He carried, Donald Trump carried, the weight for a few hours with me.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
SHAMBLIN: Yes.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
SHAMBLIN: And for the first time, since Nicole's death, I felt I wasn't alone in my grief.
(CHEERS)
SHAMBLIN: Thank you.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
SHAMBLIN: I had expected to meet an arrogant politician. Instead, I met a man, who had empathy for us. He was compassionate. And he spent time with us, because he knew it would make us feel better.
Thank you, President Trump.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
JUELS: I'm Cheryl Juels, Nicole's aunt.
Joe Biden said the withdrawal from Afghanistan was an extraordinary success.
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
JUELS: An extraordinary success.
Look at our faces. Look at our pain, and our heartbreak, and look at our rage. That was not an extraordinary success. The humiliation of our nation was not an extraordinary success.
(APPLAUSE)
JUELS: Joe Biden may have forgotten that our children died. But we have not forgotten. Donald Trump has not forgotten.
(APPLAUSE)
JUELS: Joe Biden owes the men and women that served in Afghanistan a debt of gratitude and an apology.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
JUELS: Yes.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
JUELS: Donald Trump loves this country, and will never forget the sacrifice and bravery of our servicemembers. Join us in putting him back in the White House.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
A. LOPEZ: I'm Alicia Lopez. And this is my husband, Herman.
Our son, Corporal Hunter Lopez, who's name Joe Biden has refused to say out loud, was killed on August 26th, 2021. He died during Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Hunter was 22-years-old, and planned to come home to California after his tour, to follow in our footsteps.
Herman and I work for the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
A. LOPEZ: And our family has a tradition of service in law enforcement.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
A. LOPEZ: Hunter was excited to carry it on.
Instead, in the nearly three years since Hunter has been gone, there has been silence. Silence from that empty space at the dinner table, where Hunter would have joined his brothers, and sister, and us, for family gatherings. And there has been a deafening silence, from the Biden and Harris administration.
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
[21:30:00]
A. LOPEZ: Despite our pleas for answers and accountability, they have pushed us away, and tried to silence us.
The Biden administration has not owned up to the bad decisions. They have not been transparent about their failures. And their so-called leaders work to protect themselves, rather than our sons and daughters who took the oath to defend our country.
(APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Thank you.
When Hunter and the other servicemembers' bodies were returned to the U.S., in Dover, Delaware, Joe Biden met the plane. But he made the occasion more about his son, lost to cancer than our sons and daughters lost on his watch. Worse than that, he has never said their names out loud.
And during -- and during last month's debate, he claimed no servicemembers have died during his administration.
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
H. LOPEZ: None.
That hurt us all deeply.
So, Alicia and I are here to say the names of all 13 servicemembers, who lost their lives.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: All 13 servicemembers that lost their lives at Abbey Gate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Semper Fi.
H. LOPEZ: David Espinosa.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Nicole Gee.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Taylor Hoover.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Ryan C. Knauss.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Rylee McCollum.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Dylan Merola.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Kareem Nikoui.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Daegan Page. (CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Johanny Pichardo.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Humberto Sanchez.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Jared Schmitz.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Maxton Soviak.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: And my son, Hunter Lopez.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: Thank you.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "JOE MUST GO")
H. LOPEZ: Joe Biden has to go.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
H. LOPEZ: He failed the American people. He failed the Afghan people, and our military servicemembers. He failed our family. And he failed Hunter.
Donald Trump has a proven record of keeping the peace, and honoring those in uniform.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "JOE MUST GO")
[21:35:00]
H. LOPEZ: All of us, on this stage, recognize the efforts of Mr. Trump. We know this firsthand. We've experienced it. Whenever we've met with him, he has demonstrated compassion. He has joined us on our mission for answers. And he has given hope for extended Gold Star Family.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
A. LOPEZ: Now, we have another son, serving in the army.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE) A. LOPEZ: And we do not trust Joe Biden with his life.
We have faith that Donald Trump, to lead our military. Please join us in supporting Donald Trump for President and Commander-in-Chief.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "USA")
TAPPER: A very powerful and politically devastating tribute to fallen loved ones, and endorsement of Donald Trump from those Gold Star Families.
We heard from the mother-in-law and the aunt of Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee. And we heard from the parents of Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez. Two of those American servicemembers killed in August 2021, during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Our coverage will continue from Milwaukee, as we wait tonight's headliner, from the man who might be the next Vice President of the United States. Ohio Republican senator, J.D. Vance. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:41:27]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: And we are back live in Milwaukee. Donald Trump, in the Republican Convention arena, for a third straight night, getting ready for the first high-stakes speech, by his new running mate, Senator J.D. Vance.
Here with the panel.
David Axelrod. What we just saw previous to this was the Gold Star families, 13 Americans killed in Afghanistan, incredibly moving.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It was.
COOPER: Incredibly powerful testimony.
And to hear, and to be in this hall, I don't know if it came through on the television, but to be in this hall, and to have them saying the names of each of the 13, and those names, reverberating in this hall, from the lips of everybody in this room, is extraordinary.
AXELROD: Yes, there's no doubt about it. And look, it underscores what was a real line of demarcation, I think, in the year -- the Biden years.
I think the way the manner in which not the fact of the withdrawal, which I actually think was fairly popular, but the manner in which the U.S. withdrew, and the loss of those 13 was something that showed up immediately, in his public support, and he's never really bounced back from that.
So, this was an opportunity to--
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: Can I--
DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's just -- it's just unforgivable, OK?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.
URBAN: Hunter -- I mean, Hunter Lopez's father, when -- Anderson, I got choked up. His father's reading those names. Somebody who's went to West Point, served in the military, been deployed overseas, fought in the war. The fact that Joe Biden never met with those families, the fact that Joe Biden forgot, forgot that those kids died? It's just unforgivable. The fact that the White House has never bothered to clean up, or say we're sorry, it's just unforgivable. It's unforgivable.
JENNINGS: David.
PHILLIP: And you know, David.
JENNINGS: David, the -- I've been to a lot of conventions. I've never seen anything, this politically devastating done at a convention. I mean, they have proven to the American people that the Commander-in- Chief failed these families. If I were Joe Biden, and I saw that tonight, I would resign my office, go outside, dig a hole, get in it, and not come out for a while.
PHILLIP: You know, in fact the big--
JENNINGS: This is--
URBAN: Just apologize to the families. Just apologize.
PHILLIP: The biggest issue--
COOPER: Abby.
PHILLIP: --for Joe Biden, tonight is going to be that foreign policy is front and center. And this actually, I think, is a broad weakness for him, not just among Republicans, but also even among some Democrats, who are not happy, not just with how he's handled the Gaza- Israel conflict, but also just the idea that the United States is engaged in these kinds of conflicts. And so, this is a weak point for the -- for the President. And Republicans are doing a--
COOPER: And we're about to hear from--
PHILLIP: --a fair enough job.
COOPER: --Shabbos Kestenbaum, a Jewish student. Let's listen.
SHABBOS KESTENBAUM, HARVARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE, ANTISEMITISM ACTIVIST: My name is Shabbos Kestenbaum. I am a proud first generation American. I am a proud Orthodox Jew.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: And as of five months ago, I am the proud plaintiff, suing Harvard University, for its failure to combat antisemitism.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: I came to Harvard to study religion, the foundation of Western civilization. What I found was not theology, but a contempt for it.
[21:45:00]
My problem with Harvard is not its liberalism, but it's illiberalism. Too often students at Harvard are taught not how to think, but what to think. I found myself immersed in a culture that is anti-Western, that is anti-American, and that is antisemitic.
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
KESTENBAUM: After October 7th, the world finally saw what I and so many Jewish students, across this country experienced, almost every day.
When I planted 1,200 Israeli and American flags on campus, they were all vandalized within 24 hours.
I was harassed by my peers merely for being a Jew, and have received countless death threats online.
Students and professors have openly called for new Hamas-style attacks against the United States.
And perhaps most damning, when Hamas terrorists butchered 45 American citizens, on October 7th, when they took 12 Americans hostage, Harvard refused to immediately and unequivocally condemn this atrocity.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: My fellow Americans, the antisemitic bigotry, unfortunately, extends far beyond the universities.
Although I once voted for Bernie Sanders, I now recognize that the far-left has not only abandoned the Jewish people, but the American people.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: The Democratic Party, the party I registered to vote for, the day I turned 18, has become ideologically poisoned. And it is this poison, it is this corruption that is infecting far too many young American students.
Let's be clear. The far-left's antisemitic extremism has no virtue, and the radicalism on our campuses and on our streets has no moral legitimacy.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: Sadly, sadly, the far-left-wing tide of antisemitism is rising. But tonight, tonight, we fight back.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: I am proud. I am proud to support President Trump's policies, to expel foreign students, who violate our laws, harass our Jewish classmates and desecrate our freedoms.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: Let's elect a president, who will instill patriotism in our school, once again.
Let's elect a president, who will confront terrorism, and its supporters, once again.
Let's elect a president, who recognizes that although Harvard and the Ivy Leagues have long abandoned the United States of America, the Jewish people never will, because Jewish values are American values, and American values are Jewish values.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
KESTENBAUM: God bless the United States. God bless the land of Israel. God bless protect and return the American hostages in Gaza now.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the parents of an American hostage held in Gaza. Orna and Ronen Neutra.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
ORNA NEUTRA, HAMAS HOSTAGE OMER NEUTRA'S MOTHER: Our son, Omer, is an American citizen. For 285 long days and nights, Hamas terrorists have been holding Omer in prison, in tunnels, underneath Gaza.
[21:50:00]
Omer, which is a biblical name, and means in Hebrew, the first crop, is our firstborn. He was born in New York City, one month after 9/11. Eight months pregnant, I walked across the Queensboro Bridge towards home that day.
And here we are, 23 years later. And he's the victim of another vile terrorist attack.
Let me tell you a little bit about my son. He's a connector. He's an extremely social person. He loves sports. In high school, he was captain of the soccer ball, volleyball and basketball teams. He's a natural leader.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
O. NEUTRA: And he cares deeply about others, and about helping them grow. He turned 22, on October 14th, 2023. And instead of celebrating with us, and with his friends, he spent his birthday as a hostage of Hamas terrorists.
Imagine, over nine months, not knowing whether your son is alive, waking up every morning, praying that he too is still waking up every morning, that he is strong and is surviving.
I recite Psalm 23 in his merit every single day. (FOREIGN LANGUAGE). I walk through the shadow of the -- the valley of the shadow of the death. I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
RONEN NEUTRA, HAMAS HOSTAGE OMER NEUTRA'S FATHER: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home. Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
O. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
O. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: During the brutal October 7 attack on Israel, over 1,200 people were slaughtered. Of them, 45 were American citizens. Where is the outrage?
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
R. NEUTRA: Where is it?
This was not merely an attack on Israel. This was and remains an attack on Americans.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
R. NEUTRA: Omer is one of eight American hostages, and one of 120 hostages still left in Gaza. Citizens of 24 countries, and five different religions, still held by Hamas, denied basic human needs, their lives threatened every day.
President Trump called us, personally, right after the attack, when Omer was taken captive. We know he stands with the American hostages. We need our beautiful son back. And we need your support.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
R. NEUTRA: We need your support, to end this crisis and bring all the hostages back home.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
O. NEUTRA: Omer, we love you. We won't stop fighting for you.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
R. NEUTRA: Say with us. Bring them home.
O. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
O. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home. O. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
O. NEUTRA: Bring them home.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: Thank you, everybody.
(AUDIENCE CHANTS "BRING THEM HOME")
R. NEUTRA: God bless Israel. And God bless America.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
COOPER: Another very emotional moment, here at the convention.
Still ahead. J.D. Vance's wife, Usha, will introduce him. And then, the Senator will accept the Republican vice-presidential nomination, sharing his moving life story, with the nation. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:59:12]
COOPER: And welcome back. You're watching CNN's special live coverage of the Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On this, the third night, the focus is on Donald Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, who will soon introduce himself to the American people.
Excerpts from Senator Vance's speech were just released. Phil Mattingly has some of that. He joins us now.
Phil, what should we expect?
Phil, if you can hear me, what should we expect from--
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Sorry about that. A little out on the floor.
COOPER: --from Senator Vance.
MATTINGLY: We're just getting the first excerpts of J.D. Vance's speech, a very high-stakes moment, a very high-stakes speech.
And it is a speech that as we've been reporting is very heavy, on a biography, a biography many of us know, but certainly will be introduced to the country, tonight, about his upbringing about his time in the Marines. His Law School degree from Yale. His relationship with his wife.
[22:00:00] But I think what's most interesting, at least in the excerpts I've seen so far is how he threads together, some of the connective cultural and historical moments of his life, with where Joe Biden was, the President, during that time.
He was in fourth grade when NAFTA was supported by President Biden. And he was in high school, when PNTR, the China trade agreement was reached, and Biden supported it. He was in college--
