Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Moments Away, First Night of Historic DNC; Biden Allies Say, He's Come a Long Way Since Dropping Out of Race; Tonight, President Biden, Hillary Clinton Speak at DNC; Democratic National Convention. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 19, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In deep blue Illinois, a re-energized Democratic Party is coming together to celebrate a historic presidential ticket and seal an unprecedented passing of the torch that's transformed the race for the White House.

CROWD: Kamala! Kamala!

Tonight in Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz put forward their vision for America, one of the most consequential and tradition-shattering presidential contests ever, entering an urgent new phase with these high profile speakers in the spotlight, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden, and the main event, remarks by President Joe Biden.

Night one of the Democratic National Convention begins on CNN right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We are live here in Chicago, where Democrats are about to kick off a convention that's far different than they imagined just one month ago. Event organizers scrambling to adopt to the whirlwind changes in the party's presidential ticket that flipped the script.

Inside the arena, delegates are anticipating a very dramatic opening night. Kamala Harris expected to make her first convention appearance as the man she replaced as the Democratic nominee, President Joe Biden, takes the stage.

Welcome to this special edition of The Situation Room. I'm Wolf Blitzer and our location right inside the convention hall. We're on the convention floor right now, and with us in the CNN skybox, above high above this hall, my colleague and friend, Erin Burnett. Erin?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Wolf. And, you know, this evening, you know, from where our perch is, we are going to witness a symbolic and, we believe, an emotionally charged handoff, because it's going to be the handoff from President Biden to his vice president, Kamala Harris. You know, we're told vice president will appear with the president after he delivers his marquee speech tonight. So, just that emotion one can only imagine.

And it is the highest profile opportunity yet for President Biden to address his party and the entire nation, as his long political career begins to wind. Down and Biden aides have told us, Wolf, that the president will use this speech to try to lay out his argument for why he supports Kamala Harris. He'll talk about the record that they've achieved and emphasize that it was done together. He'll stress the need to defeat Donald Trump. And then the spotlight will shift to Vice President Harris as she appears with the president on stage and that show of party unity for her historic presidential bid. You know, Wolf, it, no question, will be an emotionally charged moment.

BLITZER: Very emotional and very historic, indeed, Erin. Our political team is covering every moment of this. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is just off stage. Jeff -- and CNN's John Berman and Kaitlan Collins are following the action on the floor as this convention is about to get underway.

And let's go to Kaitlan Collins first, though. Kaitlan set the scene for us. You're there. You're inside. You're on the floor. This is a pivotal moment for both Vice President Harris and President Biden.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And for the Democratic Party, Wolf, I mean, we are watching the delegates now make their way into the United Center. It is getting crowded in here. The doors have opened. And we've just been talking to a lot of these delegates about how different this convention looks than it was just a month ago when the Democratic Party was finding itself in this existential crisis of what to do before Biden dropped out of this race.

But now with his exit, it has totally changed everything that you are going to see at this convention, especially when it comes to the speakers. I mean, Vice President Harris will be entering this arena tonight in a very different capacity than she ever imagined over a month ago when Biden was still in the race. Now, she'll be in the audience watching as President Biden delivers his speech, passing the torch to her tonight, something that he told us earlier as he was doing his run through on stage that he is indeed ready to do. He said he expects this to be a memorable night. When he was asked if he's viewing it in a bittersweet lens, he said, no. He believes it's going to be memorable.

And that is a speech, Wolf, that I am told by his closest advisers and allies that he has been working on, fine-tuning and crafting and obviously changing. Because now instead of making the case for his re- election, he'll be making the case for Vice President Harris' election to not just the delegates here, but everyone who is watching at home.

And, Wolf, just in a sign of how they are treating this as a moment with a respectful nod to President Biden, I'm standing here in the Delaware delegation section. We are standing right here. Pennsylvania is right to my right, and that is a nod to President Biden. Typically, this would be where the nominee and their delegation would be. California is right over here to my right.

Wolf, I will say, President Biden is a delegate for his home state, so he does have a seat designated for him, though we don't expect to see him given, of course. He has quite a large security contingent with him, with the Secret Service on stage.

But, Wolf, I will say, you know, something that we've noticed and reporters certainly at the White House President Biden, since he announced his exit from this race, is kind of his mentality is how he's talking to reporters in a very loose and sometimes carefree kind of manner. Earlier when he was on stage and he was telling us the America will have to stay tuned for his speech, we asked him about, you know, former President Trump's insistence that is amounts to a coup, the fact that he is no longer the top of his ticket. He kind of just laughed and shook his hand and said that Donald Trump's stability is in question. We'll see what he says as he's making the case though in a vision for Vice President Harris in just a few hours, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Kaitlan, stand by. We're going to be getting back to you throughout the night, obviously, Kaitlan Collins reporting.

I want to go to John Berman right now. John, what's happening where you are right now on the convention floor?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I'm in the New York delegation just past it. I wanted to give you a sense of what it feels like to be on the floor. It's pretty crowded and they've just started to let the delegates in, so it's going to get even more crowded than this. I'm going to try to give you kind of the Goodfellas walk up to the front if I can. As I approach, actually, one thing I want to point out right here. Those two T.V. screens you see right up there, those are actually part of the teleprompter operation here. So, if you're on stage, there will be letters. The speakers can all see that. They'll have their speeches there in addition to the glass teleprompters you normally see.

We'll keep working our way up to the front here. Everyone you see in these yellow jackets, they're part of the volunteers. They're here working the floor right now. I just had one of these fine volunteers. I had a sign. They're giving away signs to all the delegates to hold up at different times. I had one, but I had it taken away because you're not allowed to show them on the floor just yet, and all these volunteers making sure that everything goes well.

I'm going to work my way around some of the delegates here, again, very, very tight. You can now see, I'm so sorry, I'm in the California delegation. Are you enjoying yourself?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I am having the time of my life.

BERMAN: Thank you very much. Nice to talk to you, sorry to bump into you. But you can see how hard it is to move here at the convention. Now we're all the way up in the front. There is the podium. You can see the glass teleprompters right there. The speakers will all be approaching that microphone not too long from now. Wolf? BLITZER: All right. John, excellent work, thank you very, very much I want to bring in our panel to assess what's going on. And, Kasie Hunt and Chris Wallace, you're both with me, but, Kasie, let's start with you. A month ago there was supposed to be a very different kind of convention, President Biden accepting the nomination, delivering his remarks, but now he's going to be speaking tonight, and he's going to be throwing his support, obviously, for the vice president.

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Well, I think it was James Carville who said that had Biden remained at the top of the ticket, it would be something like sitting Shiva, which, of course, is a morning ritual, which is something I can't quite get out of my head having heard it once.

But I will say the Biden team is being very careful to publicly project unity to embrace kind of the celebratory atmosphere of this convention. But behind the scenes, it's clear that those hard feelings really do persist. And that's why I think all of the dynamics that we see play out on this stage are going to be very closely scrutinized and watched, because the reality is, compared to a Shiva, I mean, this is a straight up celebration. And that has to be a little tough if you're Joe Biden to realize they want to celebrate her and they weren't ready to do it for her.

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: You know, it's interesting when we were in Milwaukee for the Republican convention, where there was tremendous enthusiasm for, and I think a feeling at that point, in an immediate aftermath of the debate on CNN, that they were on the path to victory and, you know, that they loved their nominee and they loved where he was going to take them back to the White House.

And at the time I thought to myself, because there was already this push to defenestrate, if you will Joe Biden, what's this convention going to be like? And I think it would have been a very difficult convention to hold with Joe Biden as the nominee. Now, it's a celebration. I mean, they've got a new candidate. I think there's a feeling that to have switched to the younger candidate, the 59-year- old, while the Republicans are stuck with the 78 year old, is it very much plays to their advantage. And I think that there's a real chance that they think that they could win this election, which I don't think they were thinking 29 days ago.

[18:10:04]

HUNT: And I think there's been a lot of pent up energy that has been very depressed by the Trump era after what happened in 2016. I mean, that's the other thing I keep kind of flashing back to with Hillary Clinton on the stage tonight, how they thought that they were going to -- everybody that you talked to on election night was going to end. The sense of disappointment was crushing, followed by four years of Donald Trump, the pandemic and all of it. It's kind of all coming out here at one time.

To Kamala Harris' benefit, now she has yet to make any sort of major mistake that might tamp it down. She does have the debate coming up as well. So, that may or may not hold. BLITZER: It's going to be a very lively tonight, very lively session. There's no doubt about that.

Guys, stand by, much more coming up. The Democratic National Convention officially begins just moments from now. Stay right here to see Vice President Harris, President Biden, and the big speeches, and guess what, celebrity appearances as well.

First, a quick break. This is the DNC on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BURNETT: And we are back live at Chicago for the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention, standing by for the official call to order, which will launch formally this four day showcase of the Harris-Walz ticket and the historic handoff from President Biden to Vice President Harris.

And it is a glorious day here in Chicago. As you can see, sparkling out there on the water, the weather is absolutely perfect and they have their convention here. They're going to be gaveling in just a few moments. So, we're going to take that, Jamie, when it begins.

But, you know, we just were talking so much about President Biden, this moment for him, Hillary Clinton tonight, but you also have some reporting on something else that we are going to be seeing showcased just tonight in these hours.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: So, over the next week, we're going to see some of this but tonight we're certainly going to see the next generation. A big part of this week's message is turning the page. And you're going to see younger politicians profiled. Some of these people were up for VP. Some of them, if Biden had not run, would probably have been there. And here is the list.

So, obviously, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, we're going to hear from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, she's speaking tonight, and then two new ones that have not been announced, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, both from battleground states, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who we all got to know through the veep stakes, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, obviously we're in his home state.

But there's going to be a real emphasis on, we've got a deep bench, this is the future.

BURNETT: And that's what they want everyone to see, obviously.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're going to see the elder statesmen of the party. They're going to see Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, the last two nominees, 2016 and 2020. One won and one lost. Both won the popular vote. Both won the popular vote. One won, one lost. And then I also think it's fascinating, and it's not an accident, you're going to see a lot of African-American women here. From Maxine Waters, again, part of the older generation. Congressman Lauren Underwood is here. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is here. The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, is here.

One of the reasons Kamala Harris has made this race competitive like that is the energy among African-Americans, especially among African- American women. And then you also see pieces of organized labor here. This is about organizing. This is about registering and turning out people. The pieces of the Democratic family that are most important to pick up the phone, text people, knock on the door, they do it. I'm old school. I used to knock on doors back when I started. A lot of it now it's done with technology, but they're still knocking on doors to you when you find people who are a little reluctant, you go see him face to face. A lot of pieces of that in the program tonight, you can tell, getting right off the bat. We have a lot of work to do.

BURNETT: So, Ashley, you know, but it's interesting that Joe Biden, you know, we were talking a few moments ago, about Joe Biden's walkthrough and what was the look on his face. You know, Jamie was describing it as steely, you know, I felt that it was -- yes, I guess that's, you know, kind of resolute but yet there was a melancholy there, I guess, for lack of a better word.

And it's interesting that Anita Dunn, right, who is obviously right hand and central to the debate prep and everything, and is now leaving, going to the Kamala Harris PAC, told Dana Bash something really interesting about what he should say tonight. It wasn't really what some people might expect. Let me just play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITA DUNN, SENIOR ADVISER, FUTURE FORWARD SUPER PAC: You know, this is not a time for legacy. This is a time for arguing why Kamala Harris is the best candidate, and also for his making a strong case for why the choice that voters made in 2020 was the right choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: I mean, that's got to be -- I mean, this is hard enough for him. But this isn't even a time for legacy?

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, Joe Biden will still be the president for several months, right? And I'm sure he will have a farewell tour once Kamala Harris or Donald Trump wins the election in November. But that requires -- what Anita Dunn just said, that requires such great self-awareness and selflessness on a moment where this what it's going to be his convention, and it's not, and so he realizes the moment.

And in a country right now where, to John's point, you have black women that are like rallying behind for an elder statesman and elder white man to stand up on the podium and say, I support this black woman, that takes courage that takes leadership. It's not about him actually in this convention and he knows that.

And I know people probably want him to make it about legacy, but the way you build legacy is how you actually treat other people. It's not about how you treat yourself.

[18:20:00]

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The political trick this week, I think, for this, for the Democrats is Joe Biden, I heard him say he's going to, you know, he's going to talk about the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, what they've accomplished together, right? And a lot of people didn't like what they've accomplished together. That's why he's not here. That's why he's not here on Thursday night.

And so he's going to give that talk tonight, and we're going to hear all about that tonight. And then on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, we're going to forget Joe Biden never existed, because that's what Kamala Harris has to do to be successful. She has to separate herself from the failed policies on the border, Israel, immigration, the economy, inflation. She's got to be a completely different person and a different candidate than the current vice president because people incur, including the current president -- the former president say her day one was three and a half years ago.

BURNETT: All right, we'll all stay here because we're waiting again for it to be formally gaveled in and to begin, as the delegates have been gathering. And we're going to hear the national anthem in a few moments. And can I just tell you we heard about rehearsal. It's going to be wow, as well as an expected appearance by the vice president, Kamala Harris, also expected to be in the room with Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden tonight.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: Welcome back. You're watching CNN's special live coverage of the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. We're standing by for the convention to officially gavel in.

Let's go back to CNN's Kaitlan Collins. She's got a special guest on the convention floor. Kaitlan, go ahead.

COLLINS: Yes, Wolf, I'm standing here on the convention floor. The Tennessee delegation is right to my left. And here to my right I find Justin Jones of the Tennessee Three. Of course, this is actually your first Democratic Convention. You're speaking on Thursday night in a slot not long before Vice President Harris will speak. What do you plan to say on stage?

STATE REP. JUSTIN JONES (D-TN): I mean, I think we're lifting up a very critical issue that is very connected to my generation, the issue of gun violence. You know, last year we were expelled for fighting for common sense gun laws. And the next day, Vice President Kamala Harris came to Tennessee, said in solidarity with us, calling for our fight for democracy, fight for common sense gun laws that protect kids, not guns. That's why I'm here. I'm the youngest, you know, black representative in my state, my first convention, really excited to see so many young people here particularly young people from the south, because we know the south is an important front line for democracy.

COLLINS: And what does it mean for you, given that relationship with Vice President Harris? And I remember that day when she came to visit you. What does it mean to have her at the top of the ticket? What do you want to see be different about the Democratic platform with maybe a younger voice given, of course, what you've been pushing for?

JONES: I mean, I think what is so powerful that we have a vice president who has committed to uplifting young people. I went with her on her college tour to South Carolina, where we talked to a college campus. And so this is a vice president who has stood in solidarity with young people, amplified the issues that matter to us, gun violence, environmental justice, fighting for LGBTQ rights, fighting against book bans for our democracy, and she stood with us.

And so I think, you know, that's why you see a lot of young people here, people who have decided last minute, like myself, to come here to, to witness history, and not just history, but forward movement in our history to make, you know, America a multiracial democracy that lifts human rights and human dignity.

COLLINS: Yes. You decided last week to come here, right?

JONES: I decided last week. And so it's been, it's definitely been a whirlwind, but I'm really excited. It's my first convention ever. And just to see the energy here, we had some events last night and to see this multi-generational movement that's really happening, and to see people who are excited, who have joy, who are saying that we can fight for a future that it moves us forward and not just talking about what happened in the past and leading into this history, that's is a myth, like the other side of the aisle. But like looking at what can we be as a better America, to make America what it ought to be, that's what we're talking about.

COLLINS: Justin Jones, thank you for that. Wolf, obviously a notable moment, and he will be speaking on Thursday night just ahead, along with the rest of the Tennessee Three before Vice President Harris takes the stage.

BLITZER: And we'll be watching for sure. Kaitlan, thank you very much.

I want to go to CNN Senior White House Correspondent M.J. Lee right now. M.J., I understand you're learning a bit more about the speech President Biden is set to deliver tonight.

M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Wolf, you know, it's been exactly four weeks and one day since President Biden announced his decision to end his 2024 campaign, and the people close to him do not deny that this has been a challenging and painful moment for the president. But I'm also told that those four weeks have already helped in the healing process. I'm told by a person close to the president about the past few weeks that even though they were very difficult, he has come a long way. Multiple sources have told CNN Wolf that the president has made very clear since he made that decision public that while this was certainly not the path that he sought out for himself, he very much fully intended, of course, to seek a second term and win in November. He is now very determined and very clear about the fact that he ultimately made the right choice. He has been very eager and happy to see the enthusiasm that we've seen around Vice President Kamala Harris and her candidacy.

And while this evening is going to feature a lot of tributes to the president, including his family members, introducing him on stage, we do also expect that the president's speech, according to this source, is going to have one very main focus, and that is to convey to everyone in this hall and any American that is watching that Kamala Harris must win the election come November. This person put it this way, his number one objective is going to be sending the message of how important it is to get Harris elected.

Now, we saw the president doing that walkthrough of the stage earlier this evening on a totally different night than the night that he was supposed to speak. It was supposed to be the final night. Now, he is the keynote speaker for the first night.

We do expect that as with any major political speech for the president, he will be putting those final touches until he starts making his way back to the United Center for that key speech.

[18:30:01]

Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. M.J., thank you very much. My panel is still with us and is going to be with us for the next several hours as well.

Let's talk a little bit about Hillary Clinton. She's going to be delivering a major speech tonight. What do you anticipate?

WALLACE: Well, she's obviously going to make the case for Kamala Harris, but I think just her presence here is going to be a statement. And that is that if you don't win, you end up with Donald Trump. She had more popular vote than Donald Trump in 2016, but lost in the electoral vote. We'll hear about the cracks in the glass ceiling, but she didn't break through.

And if you're a Democrat, there are a lot of things you didn't like about what have happened to this nation, both when Trump was president, during those next four years, and what he has done as an ex-president in the last four years. And so I just think the fact of her presence is really important here is going to be, is going to be a powerful statement about the stakes of what's at stake here in terms of if Kamala Harris wins or if she loses.

One other thing, you know, one of the subjects that I know she will talk about is the question of rights and freedom. And one of the strongest selling points that Democrats have is abortion and the overturning of Roe with the Dobbs decision. And we're going to hear tonight also from what I would call some abortion witnesses, people whose lives have been directly impacted by the Dobbs decision and the rights that were taken away, either that they haven't gotten treatment or they've had to go to another state to get treatment.

So, you know, it's not just a matter of politics here, it's a matter of people's real lives.

HUNT: People's lives. Look, to Chris' point, I mean, I think it's very noteworthy that Clinton is here. Hillary Clinton is here. She, of course, was the standard bearer. I also think it's noteworthy that she is on the first night because there is something about Kamala Harris that I think is contributing to the excitement in this room and that is she represents a break from the past and a look to the future that Hillary Clinton didn't represent in 2016.

Hillary Clinton was very much at the establishment. She had, in fact, pushed aside the Joe Biden. She had been seen as, you know, waiting patiently in the wings. This is the first time in decades that the country is going to have an option of a presidential ticket without, you know, a Bush, a Clinton, or an Obama on there somewhere on one of the two major parties.

And I think that's a big part of the energy in this room, because I have to say, I covered Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016 on the plane. And the final days of that campaign, the level of excitement that was visible at events, it came nowhere close to what we have seen, what we saw in Philadelphia when Harris announced her vice president.

WALLACE: You know, it's interesting, having covered more than a few conventions, as you have as well, this is a traditional thing, that the outgoing president speaks usually on the first night, then they get him out of town and they move to who the nominee's going to be. The difference, of course, here is that 29 days ago, Joe Biden thought he was going to be speaking on the last night, not the first night, And he's leaving right after he speaks tonight. And he and Jill are flying out to the West Coast and they're going on vacation for a week because, basically, he's going to be a viewer, like everybody else.

I remember in 1988, Ronald Reagan, after two very successful terms, he spoke, I believe, on the first night and then George H.W. Bush, his vice president, was coming in the old fashioned way, succeeding him, not, in a sense, pushing him out. And they had a turnover the next day at the airbase. Bush told Reagan that he was naming Dan Quayle as his vice president. Reagan was out. Bush was in.

BLITZER: They're about to have the call to order that this convention is about to begin officially. In fact, let's listen in and watch for a few minutes as the Democratic National Convention 2024 begins right now.

ANNOUNCER: Please welcome permanent chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Minyon Moore, and chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jamie Harrison.

MINYON MOORE, CONVENTION CHAIRWOMAN: Hello, everyone. I am Minyon Moore, permanent chair of the Democratic National Committee. It is a pleasure to welcome you all to my hometown, Chicago.

This convention is a celebration of our hard work and accomplishments and of the American spirit that makes this party and our country great. That's the spirit President Biden reignited when he did -- when he told us we were in the battle for the soul of our nation.

[18:35:02]

Throughout his term, he has brought us together and revived our country and our country's soul. And last month --

BLITZER: All right. This convention is now officially underway. We're going to continue to watch it unfold. There's a lot going on tonight, a lot of drama. Let's take a quick break. And we'll continue our special coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Night one of the Democratic National Convention officially underway here in Chicago. In a few moments, we'll have the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem and, of course, those crucial speeches this evening.

John King, as we are now here formally, you can feel the energy in the room. The delegates are here. We're hearing the convocation now. So, when you go through each of the states, what are you focused on now when you look at the fact that this is the third time that the Democrats are going up against the same person, Donald Trump?

[18:40:07]

KING: This is my tenth presidential election. This has never happened, right, in my lifetime and people's long lifetime, third time, same Republican nominee, three elections in a row, three different Democratic candidates in each of those elections.

So, what is this convention about? Protecting the 2020 map. If you just take a look at it, these are the three blue wall states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, Georgia blue, Arizona blue. Why do we focus on those? Because Hillary Clinton, four years before in the first race against Donald Trump, lost all of those.

Now, Arizona and Georgia were viewed as red states then. They were surprises in 2020. But the blue wall states are the backbone of any Democratic path to 270 electoral votes, and she lost them. Why? Why? Well, the third party candidates were one factor, but she also did not perform as well as Joe Biden did in 2020, when you come back to 2020, among white, blue collar workers. Joe Biden performed a little bit better. That was enough to flip those three states, the three blue wall states.

Down in Georgia and Arizona, it's something different. It's the population shifts, it's the changes, it's the fast growing suburbs, it's more diversity, it's higher education. Those states, the Sun Belt states, you could add North Carolina there, it's been frustrating for Democrats. Obama won it with historic African-American turnout back in 2008. That's this one here, but you see, you know, it's been red since, right?

So, the Democrats are looking at a map that demographically, the Sun Belt states are moving in their direction, but the Rust Belt states, the blue wall states, are actually getting older and whiter, which is more of a challenge.

So, can Kamala Harris keep the Joe Biden map, or at least something close to it, or does she go back to the Hillary Clinton map? And one of the interesting things for me is, number one, can she keep senior citizens? That was a Biden question constituency. He performed better than blue collar white voters, right? She's going to perform better than Biden most likely among black women and probably black voters overall. Can she get young voters back the protests outside this arena, one of her problems in this convention.

BURNETT: Pennsylvania.

URBAN: Yes. So, John, I'm just going to say we talked about this a little bit yesterday, but -- so what you just said about white working class voters, she's going to have a tough time, right? So that doesn't bode well for an Erie County, Luzerne, Lackawanna County, where Joe Biden did very well, those are the places where he did better than Hillary Clinton did. And I'd expect Kamala Harris will not do as well as Joe Biden in those counties, maybe in Northampton County. So, that's why I still think that Trump has the advantage in Pennsylvania. It's his to lose.

KING: So, let's just look at Erie County, if you look at it right here, right, this is Pennsylvania 2016. Hillary Clinton just barely loses 49 to 48. You look at Erie County, again, she just barely loses. The third party candidates matter. You fast forward to 2020, Joe Biden wins not by a lot, but, again, the margins. You're going to win a state by 80,000 votes. You win that county by a little bit there. It's a challenge for her.

He thinks she can't do it. I'm not sure we know the answer to that question. One of the reasons you see all those organized labor people on this stage tonight throughout the week is to help her. That's a blue collar union place. She needs their help.

BURNETT: All right. We hit pause here as this program is underway and we're getting ready for these crucial speeches as well as the National Anthem, the presentation of the colors all coming up in our CNN coverage of the Democratic National Convention. We will be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:23]

BLITZER: All right. Pledge of Allegiance underway right now at the Democratic Convention.

(PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE)

ANNOUNCER: Please welcome the Soul Children of Chicago to sing our National Anthem.

(SOUL CHILDREN OF CHICAGO SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM)

BLITZER: Kasie, that was a beautiful, beautiful national anthem.

HUNT: It was great. And oh my gosh, the little boys saying the Pledge of Allegiance was very touching.

WALLACE: Yeah, Jaime Harrison, the DNC chairman one of those little boys, didn't put his hand up to his heart, daddy made him put his up to his heart.

BLITZER: He did.

HUNT: Yeah.

BLITZER: It was also moving.

[18:50:01]

A great way to start this Democratic National Convention here in Chicago, the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem. Now, we'll be hearing some more speakers coming up as well, including Hillary Clinton.

HUNT: Including Hillary Clinton.

And again, I think the thing that, you know, struck me and that, you know, I'm curious how it kind of carries through tonight when we are hearing from Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, is the level of excitement, Chris. I mean, I -- when I was covering the VP announcement, I -- when Tim Walz was announced, the last time I had been at a Democratic event with that much enthusiasm was an Obama event in 2012 and this its just a much different level. I'm curious to see how it sustains as they say goodbye to President Biden.

WALLACE: Yeah, it's going to be an -- it's going to be an interesting night. And I think everybody -- not to be unfair to Joe Biden -- but everybody is going to breathe a little easier when the evening is over. He's -- he's got an important case to make. He's got to make a case about what this -- the Biden/Harris administration has accomplished over these last four years. He's got to make a case about Kamala Harris as a governing party and are these last four years.

BLITZER: The mayor of Chicago is speaking right now. I want to quickly listed in.

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON (D), CHICAGO: It's where Democrats will celebrate President Joe Biden and nominate Kamala Harris for president of the United States of America.

As the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris, the daughter of a mom who worked hard every single day, she is going to look out for the interests of everyday people. I know that as a fellow former social studies teacher, that Governor Tim Walz will never shriek from standing up for our democracy and for those most in need.

And as a Black man raising a little Black girl on the West Side of Chicago, I know that my daughter, Braedyn, will see not only a reflection of ourselves in the White House, but she will experience the deepest part of American values.

Think about it, what will it take to build the middle class and make it easier for families not only to get by, but to get ahead? It will take someone with toughness to stand up for us and let me tell you, America, Kamala's got it. What will it take to defend our fundamental rights and our freedoms?

It will take someone with leadership who would fight for us and let me tell you, America, leadership, Kamala, she's got it.

And what will it take to defeat MAGA Republicans and move our country forward and not backwards? It will take everyone, and let me tell you all, Kamala, she's got us.

From Mississippi so Pennsylvania to Delaware, Kamala Harris, she's got us.

From Michigan to Wisconsin so Nevada to California, and right here in Illinois, Kamala Harris, she's got us. To the child care workers, to the tipped workers, Kamala Harris, she's got us.

And to make sure that this country ensures that families will have access to real affordable housing, to create a pathway to the American Dream, Kamala Harris, she's got us. Together, we can build up better, brighter future. And there's no better place to start that, then right here is the greatest fricking city in the world, the city of Chicago.

God bless you all. Thank you.

BLITZER: The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, opening up this convention, very exciting. These folks are getting very, very excited right now.

Just ahead, we're going to bring you all the big moments from the convention floor. You're watching the opening night of the DNC in Chicago, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:15]

BURNETT: And we are live in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention underway, as you can hear behind me at the United Center, one of the largest arenas in the nation. Democratic Party taking advantage of its biggest stage, yet to show Vice President Kamala Harris to the nation, introducing her to voters in her new role at the top of the presidential ticket for the Democratic Party.

And we are coming to you from inside the convention hall for this special edition of OUTFRONT and a warm welcome to all of you joining us tonight. I'm Erin Burnett, along with my friend Wolf Blitzer. And, Wolf, tonight represents -- you know, it's a crucial night and it's a turning point for Democrats, a radically reshaped campaign in just the past 30 days. And, of course, their number one goal now still to defeat Donald Trump and hold on to the White House.

BLITZER: And get Kamala Harris elected president of the United States.

Erin, expect this evening to be capped by a very emotionally charged passing of the torch moments sources are telling us that Vice President Harris is set to make her first appearance at this convention and joined President Joe Biden after he delivers his big primetime speech.

Democrats celebrating Harris as their new standard-bearer and saluting President Biden's decades of service to our country in his game- changing decision to step aside.

Also giving high profile speeches tonight, First Lady Jill Biden, and former secretary of state, former First Lady Hillary Clinton will be speaking as well.

Erin?

BURNETT: All right.