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CNN Live Event/Special

Soon: Harris Makes Concession Speech; Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) Discusses About Trump's Victory. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired November 06, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST, "OUTFRONT": This is CNN special coverage of Election Day in America continued.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And let's begin this hour in Washington, D.C., CNN's Jeff Zeleny is right now on the campus of Howard University in Washington where Vice President Kamala Harris is due to deliver her concession speech. Jeff, based on everything you're hearing, what should we expect?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORREPONDENT: Wolf, the supporters are gathering here in the yard of Howard University, of course the alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris. I can say it is a much smaller crowd as of now. People are still coming in and certainly a more subdued crowd than yesterday when thousands gathered here in jubilation and they arrived in really defeat.

But it wasn't until overnight when it was declared that Donald Trump, of course, was the president-elect that this truly set in. But we do know that Vice President Harris has spoken to Donald Trump. They had a brief conversation. I'm told it was a cordial conversation. He thanked her for calling to concede. President Biden and former President Trump also have called.

So Wolf, all the formalities are now out of the way. We are anticipating the speech from Vice President Harris here. I am told that she is going to thank her supporters. She is going to urge her supporters across the country to accept the results of this election and find common ground even as they hold on to their own ideals.

One of her closing messages in the final days of the campaign was seeking to find common ground. I'm told that will be one of her messages, but also it will be one to stand their ground on certain issues. So Wolf, this is not how any of her supporters certainly had realized this, but when you step back, we're just 108 days since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket here. So this was something that she had never anticipated. And now, of course, she just has a short time, a matter of weeks in the office of the vice president. But for now, at least, supporters eager to hear her.

Wolf, I'm interested in seeing how much she leans into history. During this campaign, she rarely talked about how she could be a barrier- breaking candidate. Of course, unlike Hillary Clinton eight years ago, talked about that considerably. But now we know that history will not be made in this selection. That certainly is front and center on many people's minds today, Wolf. BLITZER: And looking at the crowd over there where you are, Jeff, at Howard University, it's a HBCU, a historically black college and university, and she had gone to school there. It's her alma mater. Is the crowd that has gathered there mostly students or folks from D.C., and Virginia and Maryland? Have they just all come in to watch this important speech?

ZELENY: Wolf, it is absolutely a mix. Yes, there are many students here. In fact, there are not classes at Howard because of this. But it is also many supporters from Washington, from the area, and others who have come to Washington in anticipation of what they thought could be a victory last evening. So last night, certainly a broad tapestry of supporters. We saw mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. So certainly, you know, a smaller crowd.

But when you talk to people, Wolf, it is a - you know, there certainly is disappointment. But there also is pride in Vice President Harris' own candidacy. Of course, she, you know, used to walk the grounds here. She wrote in her memoir how important this very place was to her rise. So I expect that she will talk about that homecoming here and she will push to the future. Of course, that future will not include her, at least for now, as the president. Wolf?

BLITZER: We also just heard that President Biden actually spoke with President Trump as well. What do we know about that conversation?

ZELENY: Wolf, we know that President Biden invited former President Donald Trump to the White House at some point during this time of transition. We know that President Biden will be addressing the nation tomorrow. Of course, President Biden is at the center of all of this. It was his decision in July to not seek a second term well after this campaign was underway that is going to hang over this entire election as a central part of his legacy.

So many questions, what if he had decided earlier to not seek a second term? What if there had been a Democratic primary? Would Vice President Harris have emerged stronger? Would she have emerged at all? But for now, at least, President Biden is front and center in this. I'm told that he has also talked to his vice president.

Wolf, if there's no doubt, there's some healing to do inside the Democratic Party, indeed inside the White House as well. There were many hard feelings that have not yet healed over how he was removed from the ticket. Of course, it was his decision on July 21st, but one he did very reluctantly. So Wolf, this period of history this summer during this, you know, historic campaign of 2024 will be inspected for many years to come.

But for now, at least, this is Vice President Harris' final moment on stage before she recedes back to Joe Biden's running mate, Wolf?

[15:05:00]

BLITZER: Interesting. All right. Jeff Zeleny over at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Jeff, thank you very, very much.

Erin, let me go back to you.

BURNETT: All right. Wolf, so can we - so when you think about Hillary Clinton, she gave that speech. She was really, you know, just emotionally didn't - wasn't ready to do it the night that that happened. She did the next morning. Kamala Harris is waiting till the afternoon. She's going to - she's going to have a massive crowd.

But, you know, you know her, you know those around her, what's going onto this moment for her? And what is she prepared for to walk out on that stage? I mean, that's going to be emotional. It's going to be a big crowd.

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

BURNETT: And she's going to have to say something that nobody really can imagine how hard it is to say.

ALLISON: Yes. One of the things that I know about her, because she said it to me before, is that she always thinks that every moment you have to talk to people, it should be a teachable moment and that you should use it to share a lesson. So I suspect she will talk about the lessons that she has learned in this moment. And then she will be speaking at her alma mater.

She said the first time she ran for office was when she was running for freshman rep at Howard. And she's going to be speaking to students. And she always talks about how much she loves Gen Zers. And she's going to be talking about not giving up, not - because you didn't win. It's not time to just throw in the towel.

And I think it's really important for those students to hear that because - I remember my first election was 2000 hanging chads (ph) and it didn't go the way I wanted it to. But you know what that made me do? Get into politics, get into journalism, get into that.

And so moments like this can really inspire a generation to be the leaders of the future. And I think she will take that time to talk to the folks that are present in the room and then talk to the country and try and bring us together.

BURNETT: Yes. So this was a close race. Well, it was projected to be a close race.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: ALLISON: Yes.

BURNETT: I mean, I'm just going to, you know, whatever. I think the polls in America should just - I don't want to overuse a word that's been used a lot in the past week, but okay. But the reality of it is, is that she she's - she's going out. She didn't expect to be giving this speech, right?

BEDINGFIELD: Right.

BURNETT: This is not what she expected to be giving.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes. BURNETT: So how does she handle that?

BEDINGFIELD: Yes, I mean, look, I think we could all imagine what the emotional whiplash of this moment feels like when she and her campaign felt, based on the data that they had, that they were absolutely had a chance to win this election and frankly, I think, thought they were going to the night before. I said, he's - can you win all seven?

BURNETT: Seven out of seven.

ALLISON: And he said yes.

BEDINGFIELD: They said yes.

BURNETT: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: And they believed that. And so I think the - I think there's the - all of the substantive pieces that Ashley's talking about are so important. And I think manage - but having to manage your own disappointment and kind of emotional drop off in this moment, incredibly hard and incredibly hard from a public speaking perspective, right? I mean, she's ...

BURNETT: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: ... so she's, you know, dealing with all of the emotions of having come up short and what that means, while also having to go through what do I want this speech to say is, you know, she's presumably sitting there with her speechwriters going through, you know?

BURNETT: Right.

BEDINGFIELD: So I think it requires a sense of focus and discipline and emotional management that would be very hard for most people.

ALLISON: Right.

BURNETT: Go ahead.

BRAD TODD, GOP MEDIA CONSULTANT & STRATEGIST: I've written a lot of concession speeches, two more than I wish I had, frankly. And I have to tell you, they can be some of the best moments of a politician's career. They're emotionally spent. The race is over. They've given everything they can. And so there's no more tension. You're not nervous about anything.

And so you get - in a lot of - every - most people who run for office do so out of a commitment to do public service. It's a sacrifice for most of them. And that comes through in a lot of concession speeches. And their real desire to lead people comes through in a natural way that maybe it doesn't in the heat of the battle. So I might look forward to one of our better speeches of the year.

BURNETT: Which is, yes, and I guess that's the one where some people say, well, gosh, if you talked like that, maybe things would have gone differently. I'm not saying - yes.

BEDINGFIELD: And this is the point you get. No, no, no. But this is a point you've made generally about the campaigns not having enough humility. In concession speeches people's humility comes through.

ALLISON: Humility, yes.

BEDINGFIELD: And that's part of what people - that's why they feel human.

ALLISON: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: And that's why people connect to them, because a humility comes through in a way that it often doesn't during the campaign.

BURNETT: So now Biden and Trump have this conversation. Okay, I've been with Biden a few times in the past year and you don't need to have been with Biden to have heard this. He - and I don't want to use nasty words. He really dislikes Donald Trump, okay? It's personal. It's deep. The feeling is mutual. And yet they picked up the phone and they have this phone call. Biden invites him to the White House. Come and visit, showing basically this is how you should behave.

BEDINGFIELD: The real question - I guess, so let me start with you, Brad, on this - is can Trump reciprocate? Can he rise to that moment and be gracious?

TODD: I think it's a chance for a clean start for Donald Trump. We have had two elections, one which he won in 2016, and Democrats immediately put two hundred thousand people in the streets and acted like his win was illegitimate and due to Russian Facebook ads. And then we had 2020, obviously, we all know how that happened.

[15:10:00]

This is a chance for Donald Trump to do this, to have a different experience this time and I think it's a good chance for Democrats to grant that he won legitimacy and grant ...

BURNETT: Which they have done.

TODD: ... that he is the president of all people.

ALLISON: Yes.

TODD: Well, they need to not come to the streets in January 20th, too. You know, there are already parade permits been taken out. I hope they'll take those off and that we can go back to having inaugurals being a celebration of democracy where everybody grants that it's time to start new.

BURNETT: So what do you think the Biden-Trump meeting is going to be?

BEDINGFIELD: I would love to be a fly on the wall.

BURNETT: Do eye rolls like - no, we were on a wide shot, we couldn't quite see your eye roll, okay.

ALLISON: I think it will - well, I just remember the meeting Kate and I were at the White House in 2016. I was right outside of the Roosevelt Room. The Cleveland Cavaliers were there for their celebration. It was a somber day. Donald Trump was in the Oval Office meeting with Obama. We saw a short pool. It's a discussion. There is no bonding of a friendship. It is an act of leadership and I think they will have a cordial conversation and they will never speak again.

BEDINGFIELD: Yes.

ALLISON: Probably the case.

BEDINGFIELD: I listened to a conversation that Joe Biden and Donald Trump had during the 2020 campaign. And I think it was April of 2020.

BURNETT: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: And it was very, you know, you might expect that there would be fireworks and it was very civil. It was very matter of fact. They kind of exchanged the information they'd intended to exchange. I remember Donald Trump talks a little bit about Boris Johnson because he had just gone into the hospital with COVID and so Donald Trump was sort of talking about his concern for.

It was a very normal discussion. And I would expect that this meeting would be sort of similar.

BURNETT: I mean, (INAUDIBLE) ...

BEDINGFIELD: At least on Biden's - at least from Biden's standpoint.

BURNETT: Right. Now, but does Trump come - okay, I'm just thinking of all the things out here in the pardons and the scenarios where you were thinking, oh, if Harris won, do they pardon Biden or Harris pardon Trump? Does Trump say on the call, hey, I'm going to pardon Hunter Biden? Does he say anything like that?

ALLISON: No.

BEDINGFIELD: I mean, I doubt it - highly doubt it. I don't ...

BURNETT: Does he do it ...

BEDINGFIELD: To me, this is not ...

TODD: I don't know. He likes executive power and the pardon is the ultimate executive power. I mean, it might be heal ...

BURNETT: There's a part of him that would probably love to do that.

TODD: It might be healing for the country if Joe Biden would preemptively pardon him before Jack Smith drops the case. And then Donald Trump can pardon Hunter Biden. The whole country can start over.

BEDINGFIELD: I think it's possible Trump does pardon Hunter Biden.

BURNETT: Yes.

BEDINGFIELD: But I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. I'm not sure that this conversation is where he would (INAUDIBLE) ...

BURNETT: Yes, right, right, right.

BEDINGFIELD: No, he wouldn't say he would want to do it as a - yes.

ALLISON: I don't think so. I think he would time it more strategically, but ...

BEDINGFIELD: Yes.

ALLISON: ... I do. I don't, you know, okay, I'm not sure about the pardons. But I do think to your point about starting over, I - there is an opportunity. I think the start - we've seen Donald Trump and we've seen him in certain circumstances and then we see him like an hour later it would be very different.

And so I think the starting over ...

BURNETT: Yes.

ALLISON: ... there has to be - I believe he will be on this phone call with the president and they will be cordial. But I think that people want to see it consistently and feel like he is leading all of us even though we might not have voted for him.

TODD: His speech last night - well, it was very late and I was barely awake. You know, it was a pretty hopeful speech and he shared a lot of credit. He called Chris LaCivita up to the podium and asked him to speak. He called Susie Wiles up to the podium. He started talking about other people who had supported him as - both celebrity endorsers and people just worked on the staff.

(CROSSTALK)

BURNETT: ... fire Chris LaCivita a week before. But I mean, right, but gracious in that moment ...

ALLISON: To Republicans, I guess I'm saying like you're now the president-elect. So I think - and to start anew, you know, Kamala Harris will, I think, talk about this in her concession speech. I think that - and I think there are a lot of Americans that are skeptical. I think we need to hear and see that from Donald Trump as well.

BURNETT: All right.

TODD: I think that's (INAUDIBLE) ...

BURNETT: All right. Pause for here, but thanks to our panel. Stay with us. Our special coverage of Election Day in America. Wolf and I are here. We'll be back after a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:44]

BURNETT: Welcome back to our continuing special coverage. Donald Trump back in power, elected the 47th President of the United States. Vice President Harris formally conceding the election in a phone call with President-elect Trump. And in just a few moments, she will be speaking live. You'll see her the first time she has spoken since the loss.

She will be speaking to the American people. This is the crowd already assembled at where she'll speak, which is her election headquarters at her alma mater, Howard University. A massive crowd there. It will be a difficult moment for them, for her, an emotional moment, but an important one. Joining me now is Republican Congressman Dan Meuser. He won his re-election bid in Pennsylvania's 9th District, also was one of those in charge for leading up the state for Trump's re-election effort.

So let me just ask you, Congressman, does anything - you know, Trump won the state and you worked hard to make that happen. When you look at the details, whether it's the exit polls or anything under the hood, did anything surprise you? Does anything specifically stand out to you?

REP. DAN MEUSER (R-PA): Well, you know, we went at this in a very strategic manner, if you will. You know, campaigns are - tend to be a lot of advertising, a lot of fundraising, a lot of handshaking, certainly grassroots. But we took an approach of embracing the early voting, getting the registration done in a heavy way. I mean, we improved here, Erin, by over 500,000.

I mean, we really built a foundation to win. We made it very, very difficult for anybody to beat us with the type of manpower and contacts and everything else that we engaged in. So no, there really weren't too many surprises. Certainly it met my highest level of expectations, the win, the percentage that Trump had, as well as our other races, David McCormick. We won two House seats. I mean, we really fired on all cylinders and ...

BURNETT: Yes.

MEUSER: ... we seemed to do a lot right and they didn't do much right, frankly.

BURNETT: So two of the three GOP pickups in the House are in your state of Pennsylvania, McCormick winning. That is not something most people had on their bingo card.

[15:20:00]

Maybe you did. But when you talk about firing on all cylinders, can I just ask you, though, so we can understand better, because what we have heard in recent weeks was that maybe you did. But when you talk about firing on all cylinders - can I just ask you, though, so we can understand better, because what we have heard in recent weeks was that Democrats had this massive ground operation. And I understand there were concerns among some about how they were doing in Philadelphia with those doorknocks, but massive volunteer driven on the ground. The bus is ready, everything there. And the GOP was outsourcing a lot of it to super PACs like Elon Musk, who did not have the local knowledge. They were paying people to doorknock as opposed to having passionate supporters do it and that this was seen as a potential weakness.

Now you look at it and it seems like that perspective completely missed the mark. What did people not see?

MEUSER: Well, you know, we're just kind of taking a page out of the out of the Democrats machine playbook, and it's a good one. I mean, doorknocking and meeting with folks and pushing them on sending in a ballot and registering and such, that's all legal. So everything that's legal, we engage in, certainly ballot harvesting, things like that are not legal in Pennsylvania.

But I don't think we're missing anything, it's just that - look, we've been doing this over a year. I mean, we had thousands and thousands of the Trump Force 47 and other groups going out that Scott Presler, maybe you heard of him, I mean, it was really an orchestrated ...

BURNETT: Yes.

MEUSER: ... effort that was endless. We just (INAUDIBLE) ...

BURNETT: Now, can I ask you about him? Can I as you about Scott Presler? Because, you know, we did a report the other day on the Amish (ph) and I'm sorry if I have the number wrong, but 160,000 or 180,000 registered Amish (ph) was seeing he was talking about. And he obviously is sort of a social media cult figure. Did that move the needle? When you look at specific groups, for example, did registering the Amish move the needle?

MEUSER: Well, you know, they - his - he and his team have the eye of the tiger and they work real hard when they get going. And yes, I mean, our focus was certainly on the Amish throughout Pennsylvania. Latino Americans, I think you know, I mean, President Trump, they came over to us by 20-, 25 percent better than Joe Biden had. The Jewish Americans, for various reasons, the youth ...

BURNETT: Yes.

MEUSER: ... you know, these things were very targeted. It was very strategic and I'm not giving away any secrets here because ...

BURNETT: No.

MEUSER: ... these are things that Democrats have done. But we've done it. We did it very effectively. And I will say it between the RNC and the PAGOP, you know, working together in the manner. And we had people that were responsive. You know, I've been in some presidential campaigns and certainly other statewide campaigns. This one was very responsive, when there was a problem, people were jumping. You know, we had a very, very diverse group. You know, we had our Latinos for Trump groups. We had our African-Americans for Trump groups. So it was (INAUDIBLE) ...

BURNETT: So when you talk about responsive, is that a direct, you know, just a commentary - I'm just try to understand this, because I think everyone wants to understand what happened, was that Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and their team, their ability to run an effective campaign that you had somebody you could call who could actually give you what you needed when you needed it or was it names that we may not even know?

MEUSER: No, it was certainly them, but as well - and their teams in the field ...

BURNETT: Yes.

MEUSER: ... particularly throughout, you know, Pennsylvania, but also Michael Watley and Lara Trump, I mean, they were great. I mean, I've never seen anything - people - heads of the RNC working with our state GOP in that manner before. So it - it just really all came together. Everybody embraced it. Everybody knew what the goals were ...

BURNETT: Before - yes.

MEUSER: ... and what our tactics were.

BURNETT: Before we go I want to ask you (INAUDIBLE) ...

MEUSER: (INAUDIBLE) ...

BURNETT: Yes. Sorry, you mentioned Latinos.

MEUSER: Well, the message was simple.

BURNETT: Well, I just - let me just ask you about that, because that's an area that ...

MEUSER: Sure.

BURNETT: ... it appears, at least from talking to the Trump campaign leading in, that they didn't anticipate, perhaps, the dramatic swing that they had specifically among Latino men. You're saying that you had targeted that. Were you surprised by the magnitude that you saw among Latinos?

MEUSER: Yes, yes, because it was profound. I mean, it was - I mean, nearly a hundred thousand registered Latino Americans, right, in Pennsylvania alone that we think we picked up that were all - that were eligible voters. I mean, that in itself could have turned the election. And that's why, you know, President Trump was smart. I mean, he was in Reading, a big Latino area, Allentown a couple of times, a high percentage of Latino Americans.

And, you know, so many of them are small business owners that just work - you know, workers, of course, many of them from manufacturing, you name it. And look, they want they want low taxes. They like their message. They like low taxes. They want us to go after inflation. They don't like, you know, the open borders. So certainly the policy debate ...

BURNETT: Yes.

MEUSER: ... was certainly important here. You know, it's sort of common sense approach.

BURNETT: Certainly more so than what we saw from a comedian at Madison Square Garden. All right. Well, I really appreciate your time and thank you very much.

[15:25:02]

MEUSER: Well, I agree with you there, but that was one comedian that none of us knew what was happening there. We did our best to overcome it and we denounced it.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your time. And thank you, sir. And please stay with us, because you are watching special coverage of Election Day in America continued and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:29:16]

BLITZER: In just a few minutes, the Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver her concession speech to the nation. She has already spoken to Trump and officially conceded. President Biden has also spoken to Trump, and he also invited Trump to the White House.

Joining us now is Frank Luntz, the pollster and political communication strategist. Frank, thanks very much for joining us.

When you've seen the exit - I know you've taken a very close look at all the exit polling. What are your top takeaways right now?

FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIST: Most important is the Latino, the Hispanic vote. I was shocked to find out that Trump actually won a majority of male Latinos. There is a huge gender gap as there is in every single break, but Trump is able to win a majority.

[15:30:02]

That's the first time that I know of that a Republican has been able to do something like that in more than 30 years, so that was number one.