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The Situation Room
CNN Democratic National Convention; America's Choice 2024. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired August 22, 2024 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:38]
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The final countdown is on. We are now just a few hours from what is the most anticipated event of the Democratic National Convention. Vice President Kamala Harris not only delivering what is, arguably, the biggest speech of her life. But she will also make history when she becomes the first black and first Asian American woman to accept a major party's nomination for president of the United States.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. This is a special edition of the "Situation Room." We're live here in Chicago. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Erin Burnett. And, Wolf, we are learning some new details about Harris' crucial speech tonight. A source telling us it is done, although she is still perfecting her delivery, and that her main goal tonight is to, they say, let the American people know she will fight for them every day. That's what they want people to take away from this.
And they say there will be three major themes in the speech tonight. She's going to tell her personal story, Wolf, of being raised by a single middle class mother. Also plans to contrast her optimistic vision for America with Donald Trump. And then third, she wants to reclaim the banner of patriotism for the Democratic ticket, which is an interesting one, that they want to include that and make that stretch.
It's a high stakes and high profile speech for her to American voters. Wolf?
BLITZER: And we're all looking forward to hearing it. And it comes just 75 days, yes, only 75 days before Election Day in November. We have a team of our reporters standing by to cover all of this for us. Jeff Zeleny and Kaitlan Collins are with us in Chicago. They're watching all of this unfold.
Let me start with you, Jeff. I know you have some new details about what we can anticipate hearing from Vice President Kamala Harris on her big night. What are you hearing?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there is no question, this is the biggest moment of Kamala Harris's life as the vice president tries to make her argument to Americans why she should be elected president, as you said, in just 75 days, an extraordinarily short period of time for this new candidate.
But I am told by her advisers that she's been thinking about this speech tonight since the moment she became the presidential candidate. That's been about a month or so. And of course, President Joe Biden stepped aside and she immediately vaulted to the top of the ticket.
She's been working on this speech in her hotel here in Chicago, working with advisors. But she is going to make the case for who she is. I'm told this is going to be a personal speech, talking about her history as a prosecutor. And you'll remember four years ago when she sought the Democratic presidential nomination, that was a different time, that was controversial. In the party now, she believes that is one of her strong suits, one of her selling points, if you will.
So she'll be talking a lot about her time as district attorney of California, as attorney general of California, but also talking in personal connections about her middle class upbringing. We've heard this in speeches that she's been giving, which have been drawing huge crowds across the country about her middle class upbringing, how she remembers when her mom was able to buy her first house. She's going to talk about policies to an extent, but not much at all. And then I'm told she will draw a contrast with former president Donald Trump, and really raise the stakes for the importance of this election.
So all week long, this has been her convention. We've heard her biography, really, in every speech along the way here. That is by design. But tonight is an opportunity for her to put a finishing touch on that. And freedom, of course, is her central theme.
Wolf, one question, though, hanging over this convention, there's been speculation about that freedom message. Beyonce, of course, is the -- her song, "Freedom," has been the anthem of the Harris candidacy. Will she be in this hall or not? Convention officials are being tight lipped about that. She may not be, but there is anticipation for another special guest here tonight.
There's no doubt, this is the vice president's night here. She'll be giving the biggest speech of her life, and then it's off to the races.
BLITZER: Certainly, Jeff Zeleny. Thank you very much for that update. And one of the very high profile speakers tonight is the Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey. He's joining us right now.
Senator, thank you so much for joining us. You know the vice president well. What do you think her main message will be about her personal history and what she envisages for the country?
[17:05:00]
SEN. BOB CASEY (D-PA): Well, Wolf, this is a great American story, when you consider her family's background and what she has achieved as a public official, as district attorney, attorney general, United States senator and vice president. So it's a very strong American story. But I think the most important thing tonight, in addition to her journey, will be what she's saying directly to families across the country, especially on big issues like the cost, the cost of living, whether it's the cost of groceries, the cost of childcare, housing, and all those costs that families struggle with.
And she's spoken to that directly early in this campaign. I know she has in Pennsylvania, both in her visit to Philadelphia, as well as in Beaver County just a couple days ago.
BLITZER: I know you're -- during your speech, you've been suggesting lately that you want to speak about what you call greedflation.
CASEY: Right.
BLITZER: Greedflation, what do you mean by that?
CASEY: Basically, when big corporations, especially during an emergency like the pandemic, jack up their prices, jack up the cost of food, jack up the price of not just groceries but household items. And I think we have to, number one, expose it, as I have, but also take action against it.
I want to pass a price gouging bill so we can hold them accountable. And we, obviously, I think should roll back their big corporate tax breaks, because when they're jacking up those prices, I don't think they need those big corporate tax breaks.
BLITZER: It's interesting because we did some checking, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found that corporate price gouging was not necessarily a primary catalyst for the inflation surge of 2021 and 2022.
CASEY: Well, Wolf, the Kansas City Federal Reserve told us that from July of '20 to July of '22 corporate profits went up 75 percent five times the rate of inflation. And they concluded that over that two- year period, the corporate profits caused 41 percent of the inflation.
So I think there's an obvious connection to corporate price gouging and corporate profits driving inflation, not the only cause. But if these big companies are not involved in price gouging, they got nothing to worry about with an investigation. But I think we should have investigations when they when they gouge people.
BLITZER: I know that, you know, Pennsylvania is a key battleground state, and everybody's wondering how Pennsylvania is going to wind up in this upcoming election. Do you have any doubt?
CASEY: I think Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to carry the state. I think I'm going to win but they're going to win but they're going to be very close races.
BLITZER: Why are you so confident?
CASEY: Because I have a sense of the state and where we are, and I've run a lot of general elections. Nobody is running more than I have. And we plan to win.
BLITZER: Because the energy that we're seeing here at this convention is very impressive. But will it translate to the voters at large? CASEY: I think it will, because we've got momentum. I would call it a good start and nothing more. But what we're seeing, the manifestation of that, isn't just the big fundraising numbers. That's nice. Volunteers, Wolf, the people that are making phone calls, the people knocking on doors, the people writing postcards, texting their friends, engaging with voters. We have thousands more, if not tens of thousands. By some estimates, there's an increase of tens of thousands just in our state.
BLITZER: We got to run but one quick question. Trump last night called your governor, Governor Josh Shapiro, and I'm quoting Trump now, "a highly overrated Jewish governor who has done nothing for Israel." What Is Trump trying to do with a smear like that?
CASEY: Well, it's the usual -- what you usually hear from him and his party, fear, smear, demonize and divide. That's all they do. But you know what, Josh Shapiro is one of the best governors we've ever had. He's a strong leader and a future leader of the Democratic Party, and no one should use someone's identity against them.
I hope that Republicans, including my opponent, David McCormick, will condemn what Donald Trump did. I wish they'd chose some guts and condemn them, but they all seem to be afraid of them.
BLITZER: Senator Casey, thanks very much for coming in.
CASEY: Thanks, Wolf. Good to be with you.
BLITZER: Appreciate it.
CASEY: Thank you.
BLITZER: Good to have you here with us. Erin, over to you.
BURNETT: All right, Wolf. And we are here, of course, in that sky box, watching you and Senator Casey, and everyone here with me.
So, Bakari, as we look around, you know, looking down on Wolf and Senator Casey, you can see all the people starting to arrive here. And the sea of white, women wearing white.
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it's a beautiful sight. You know, you just have the suffragettes, you just have this movement. And this is a culmination. Tonight is a culmination of -- and whether or not you are man, woman, Democrat, Republican, I think that you have to take some stock in how far this country has come.
We're in the greatest country in the world, and we've made a great deal of progress. The difference between me and others, me and many others, is that I don't put a period at the end of that sentence. I say we've made a great deal of progress, but we still have yet a ways to go. But tonight is indicative of the progress we made, and I hope that people absorb it --
BURNETT: Yes. Hearkening back to suffrage and when women and black people couldn't vote, right? SELLERS: I mean, but --
BURNETT: And that's what is what --
SELLERS: But I mean, this is 60 years since Fannie Lou Hamer and since Freedom Summer. And you got Shirley Chisholm, right? You got -- you have you have Hillary Clinton, you have so many women who've come before that let's just take a moment and a breath and say there's some good stuff this country has been doing.
[17:10:08]
BURNETT: And Kamala Harris is representative of that. You don't have to vote for her, per se, to acknowledge the fact that the progress we've made is indicative on that stage. And, you know, David, how do you feel about that? You're not going to vote for her, right? But how does it feel --
SELLERS: He agreeing with me in two straight hours. I don't know what's going on.
DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, it's a great country. We got a great country. The system is great. This is the great part about America. We get a chance -- if the rest of the world were like us, we'd be great. We get to sit here and debate, and have civil debate about tough issues, right?
I just saw my friend Harold Ford Jr. in the hallway, another guy. We don't necessarily --
BURNETT: And it didn't come to blows.
URBAN: We weren't fighting, Bakari, and I disagree about a ton of things, and I don't get -- we don't get along on things, doesn't matter. We still love our country. We still want to see the best things for it. We just don't agree about how we're going to get there, but we want the best things for people.
BURNETT: Well, it's nice to have a moment like that. Ana, you've been in the middle of this as we're ready for this last night. You're seeing people come in. We saw the sound check, Pink going to be one of the big performers tonight, maybe a surprise in addition. But you've been through, as we're getting ready for Harris's speech, giving a speech here. You say it was one of the, well, how shall we say it?
ANA NAVARRO, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it 's --
BURNETT: -- highest hurdles of your career?
NAVARRO: It was --
BURNETT: (Inaudible) I put it positively.
NAVARRO: It's difficult because, you know, there's so many logistics to deal with. There's the time constraints, there's the vetting, there's the wanting to say what you want, but maybe it's not the right message. But can I tell you, I don't think anybody tells Bill Clinton what to say, I don't think anybody tells Oprah what to say, and I don't think anybody's telling Kamala Harris what to say or how long she has to say. So I think she's going through a very different process.
I do want to tell you regarding what Bakari was just telling, talking about in the historical moment. Last night, don't ask me how, I wound up sitting behind Chelsea and Hillary Clinton as they were listening to Bill Clinton give his speech. And after that, I was talking to Hillary Clinton, and I talked to her about how in 2016 we let the historical moment slip through our fingers like sand.
And she told me the story of how many people came up to her in 2016 after the election and said to her, I'm so sorry I didn't go and vote because I thought you had this one. I took it for granted. I thought you had it in the bag. I'm so sorry, and lived with remorse for four years. I think Democrats have learned their lesson and are not going to take anything for granted and not make that second -- that mistake again.
BURNETT: And, David, having been in the room every day here, how does it feel tonight? This is the final night, right? This is the big event. This is her, you know, coming out to the country as the nominee. And there is an enthusiasm and a fullness in this room even before it begins.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Oh, without a doubt. But of course, her mission goes far beyond this room, and that's what the speech needs to be focused on about how she's making the case to everyone in their living rooms. Not just in this room, who are going to participate in this election. And so, she has a lot of different notes there.
But on the on the history piece of this, on what you're describing here, I do think this is one of the most fascinating things about her short candidacy so far. I mean, I can't believe we're not five weeks into this candidacy yet. And yet, here we are, on this night. She is not leaning in and daily as part of her speech, doing identity politics. She's not pointing to the history every single speech that she's out there.
She doesn't have to. She's the physical embodiment of it. And I think it's actually -- it's going to be an advantage for her in some ways, in this race, because of the issue of future versus past. Joe Biden as the candidate, Erin, could never -- he would never be able to successfully message the message that you heard all week long here about turning the page, turning the page and moving forward, just because of who he is as an 81-year-old man.
She, just by being the first woman, the first woman of color, to do this tonight, that is, in itself, already a message about turning a page.
BURNETT: Right. And it's not even necessarily about age, right? I mean, she's 60 years old. She's young relative to 81 but it's not about age, right? It's about the vibe, right? SELLERS: I'm going to tell the vice president that. But she's --
BURNETT: I'm just saying it's not about age, young or old.
SELLERS: Correct. You're right. But tonight, she's going to do something else. I mean, she has a portion in which she pays a huge tribute to Donald Trump -- excuse me, to Joe Biden -- to Joe Biden. But also, one of the things that everyone will tell you, who's around her, who knows her thought process about this speech, is that tonight is about one word and that strength, and she wants to come out and exude strength.
We've done the joyful. We've done the happy part, now is the time for the warrior part. And you're going to see that. It's going to still have the same have the same vibe and tenor, but tonight's speech is about --
NAVARRO: Before we go, can I say something? I was just -- before coming here. I was at a brunch with Gwen Walz, the wife of Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee. And you could see the emotion she has of the attacks that are going on against her teen son, who's got special needs. There are many Republicans, many Trump Republicans out on social media taking horrible attacks on a kid who had a beautiful moment of authentic pride and love for his father yesterday and got emotional.
[17:15:12]
That cannot be the Republican Party, and the Republican Party cannot call itself the party of family values and the party of Christian values if they think it's OK to such viciously attack a 17-year-old kid with special needs. That is cruel, it is inhumane, it is disgusting, it is un-American, and it is unacceptable. And that is what this is about today, the contrast between hope and joy, and empathy, and compassion, and that level of cruelty going on on that side.
BURNETT: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
SELLERS: He should go out to something.
URBAN: (Inaudible) quickly. Listen, I -- and correctly, it's despicable. The kid is obviously was a highlight of the moment last night. Bakari is talking about it's very important to look from a political perspective. Polling in the pass rates Biden versus Trump. Trump very strong, Biden very weak. The polling Trump, Trump strong, strong, strong. So it's very important for Kamala Harris to come out of here with the perception of being strong.
BURNETT: Yes.
SELLERS: Right.
URBAN: If she could stick that landing right, she's going to go pretty far.
BURNETT: So word tough used again and again, by Senator Warren, by Governor Walz, every one of them calling her tough important, all right. Thanks so much to all of you.
And we'll be together throughout the evening. Coming up, we're going to talk to a close advisor to Vice President Harris, who has been speaking to her regularly, and knows how she's feeling in these final hours before her speech tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:20:36]
BLITZER: Special coverage of the final night of the Democratic National Convention. All eyes will certainly be on Vice President Kamala Harris as she gives the biggest speech of her life tonight. CNN anchors Kasie Hunt and Chris Wallace are here with me right now. What do you be looking for from Kamala Harris tonight, Kasie?
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, this is obviously the biggest stage she's ever stood on in her political career, and the convention has set her up very well, and now all she has to do is step onto the stage to try and meet this moment. I think there's certainly a lot of speculation in the hall about what may be coming becoming before Kamala Harris were to take the stage. But if she can continue to perform the way we have seen her perform in the weeks since she has become the Democratic nominee, I think this is something that's going to continue.
Whether it's Republicans want to be a sugar high, the honeymoon period for Democrats is likely to keep on moving.
CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: You know, in politics there's something called the open window theory, which is that for all of the coverage that we do, that there are only a few times in a campaign when people really open their windows and pay attention to what the candidates are saying. One of those times is tonight, when the candidate makes their acceptance speech, and looking at the ratings, more than 20 million people will be watching and listening tonight.
You cannot overstate how important this moment is for Kamala Harris. She's really an unknown quantity, even despite the three nights of this convention to a lot of people who weren't really thinking about her in this context until a month ago. She's got to energize and reassure Democrats that they can win with her, and she has got to appeal to some of those swing voters. The argument that's going to be made is she is an out of touch San Francisco liberal who's hiding a lot of the things she campaigned on in 2019.
She has to persuade those all important independent and swing voters know she isn't, that she has changed, and that she's more moderate. And again, it's the open window theory. People are listening, and really you got this, you got the first debate on September 10th. She may not have many more opportunities like this to really persuade people. BLITZER: Because if it's a close election and it certainly, almost certainly will be, those swing voters, those independent voters, will be really, really decisive.
HUNT: Yes. It's going to be a handful of thousands of voters in a handful of critical swing states. And I think she's got to hope that they are giving her a chance and a look tonight, because clearly we've seen -- I mean, this has been an unprecedented modern election, Wolf. I mean -- and maybe it can be easy to lose sight of it when we cover it, kind of in this day to day, minute to minute way.
But this has all been upended in a way that has given her this incredible, unique opportunity to introduce herself to the American people in an incredibly compressed window of time, one that likely works enormously to her advantage. And if she can use it to talk to people in those moderate, swing voters in the Philadelphia suburbs, right, in Pennsylvania, the Phoenix suburbs in Arizona, that's really what's going to make a difference.
WALLACE: You know, it's interesting because there have been a number of previews of what she's going to do tonight. And remarkably, it sounds like everybody's been talking to the same briefer. We're told that the speech is going to have three parts. First, her story, she's got to introduce herself to a lot of people, and particularly make the point that she's not somebody of privilege, that she grew up in very middle class circumstances, worked at McDonald's, had a single mother who brought her up.
Then, there's going to be the contrast section where she talks about how she differs from Donald Trump. We'll hear a lot about Project 2025, and how she thinks that she can take the country forward, not turn it back. And then finally, we're told that there's going to be a lot of talk about patriotism. And I think this gets to the point about reaching out to the independents and the swing voters, to talk about love of country, to say -- there's a time when Republicans kind of own the flag in American politics. And you saw with Bill Clinton, and you saw with Barack Obama, where Democrats were able to take the flag back and say, we're just as patriotic, and we love this country just as much as you.
[17:25:03]
And that third part to make the point that she is -- she understands Middle America. She under -- it's not just a coastal candidate of the east coast and the west coast, enormously important for her.
BLITZER: All right. Guys, don't go too far away we have a lot more to discuss, and we will --
HUNT: Thank you.
BLITZER: -- that's all coming up. Up next, we're watching what's going on here at this convention, and we're going to take you back to the convention floor. Our own Kaitlan Collins is standing by with actress and co-founder of Voto Latino, Rosario Dawson, is standing by. Plus Kamala Harris' close friend, Democratic Senator Laphonza Butler joins us with new insight on what the vice president's message will be tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:30:06]
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN Special Coverage of the Democratic National Convention live here in Chicago. Vice President Kamala Harris is making final preparations right now for her historic night. I want to go to CNN's Kaitlan Collins. She's standing by with a special guest, the actress Rosario Dawson, the co-founder of Voto Latino. Kaitlan?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Wolf, I am here with Ms. Dawson. It is great to have her here on the convention floor. As Wolf mentioned, you are the co-founder of Voto Latino, I want to talk about that in a moment. But first, just on what we're going to see on that stage tonight. Vice President Harris, her turn to make the argument for herself. What do you want to hear from her?
ROSARIO DAWSON, CO-FOUNDER, VOTO LATINO: You know, I think we had a standing ovation for Joe Biden that lasted four minutes, and appreciation for him stepping down from the ticket, and for things like the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Act that is going to be massively beneficial, especially around the environment, for communities across this country. And now we get with, you know, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz presidency, the opportunity, especially with Voto Latino, the communities that we reach out to, an immigrant story, a working class story, you know, people who really, truly believe on the issues around affordable housing, LGBTQIA issues, woman's right to choose, like someone who fortifies in this space whenever you look across her track record, as well as his, policy that can actually be put in even with a slim majority.
I think people are very, very excited about the possibilities of what we could be voting for versus what we are voting against in this particular election. And, you know, I call this the, you know, unbridled joy-vention (ph), in stark contrast to the Republican con- vention (ph). And so, I think you know, this enthusiasm needs to be capitalized on at the polls, and we're going to hear a very strong message that I think is going to galvanize people to do exactly that.
COLLINS: And of course, we heard from your co-founder on stage, the group, 20 years it's been since you founded it, which is pretty remarkable.
DAWSON: Yes.
COLLINS: Donald Trump has been making a lot of inroads with Hispanic voters since -- not just his last election but since 2016 certainly. What does your party -- what do Democrats need to do to counter that, to bring those voters back in before November? Because there's obviously, as you know, not a lot of time.
DAWSON: No, not at all. Honestly, you know, when I started Voto Latino, you know, one of the big things that was trying to get people to speak to Latinos in English, and not just on Spanish radio and Spanish television if you're really serious about getting their vote. As of 2010 they are the second largest demographic of Americans in this country. They have an unprecedented voting power that is unparalleled. And, you know, in previous years, it's only been growing.
And we've been seeing the numbers coming in when the Republican Party is saying they're going to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they're going to do mass deportations, they're going to, you know, we send Social Security. They understand how devastating that could be for their communities. And so we're seeing, you know, as Maria Teresa (ph) said yesterday, which had me in tears, the other myth that we're pushing back against is that it's not the Democratic Party that Latinos are voting for, as a matter of fact, that she had everyone chanting yesterday, when Latinos vote Democrats win.
COLLINS: Rosario Dawson, great to have you. Thank you for being here.
DAWSON: Absolutely, thank you,
COLLINS: Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: All right. Kaitlan, thanks very much. Very interesting interview. Erin, over to you.
BURNETT: All right, Wolf. And the Democratic Senator Laphonza Butler of California joins us now, Wolf. She was appointed to her seat last year to replace the late Senator Dianne Feinstein and his close friends with Kamala Harris. And Senator Butler, in fact, you look at this from a different perspective than almost anyone, which is this is a friend of yours for 15 years.
So this is actually a person that you know in a very deep and personal way, that you now see in this kind of a setting. Can I just ask what that feels like it's your friend?
SEN. LAPHONZA BUTLER (D-CA): Yes. It's an incredible moment of pride, like I've just all, I've always believed in her leadership, but most importantly, I've always believed in her heart and who she is, and who she consistently shows up to be somebody who's caring and thoughtful. And I'm just so proud of her, because she's always known that she had something to offer to the country by way of public service, and she gets to do that on the biggest stage tonight.
BURNETT: All right. So then, just be direct about the past few years, right? She was not portrayed the way that we're seeing her now, all right? Not at all. And she wasn't seen that way. And in fact, you know, Anita Dunn had talked about that and said that they didn't serve her well in the beginning.
BUTLER: That's honest, I appreciate it.
BURNETT: It was honest. It was honest. But how did you see all that as it was happening, right, that a narrative took place around her, which is completely counter to what we are seeing right now.
BUTLER: Yes. BURNETT: And you, from your perspective as a friend, knew it to be a narrative.
BUTLER: Yes. You know, it was hard. It was hard to actually watch and watch happen, and not be able to do a whole lot about it. I was glad I was at Emily's list because I actually could do some work to lean in and help to try to tell a different story.
BURNETT: Yes.
BUTLER: But it was definitely hard to see. It was the mis- and disinformation, the character that people wanted to portray of Kamala Harris, is actually -- it's absolutely not who she is. This is not a new person that you're going to see on the stage, or who we've been seeing for the last four weeks. This is exactly who California knows her to be.
[17:35:08]
And so, it's a very proud moment, but those were hard times and I'm excited that she now gets to write her own story.
BURNETT: So the Washington Post today, their headline was, the reinvention of Kamala Harris. Harris' energized rallies, mark a sharp contrast from her often stumbling appearances of four years ago. That's not an accident.
Now, I don't know what that really turns -- what do you make of a headline like that? Is it --
BUTLER: Look, I make of a headline of somebody who's actually trying to get clicks.
BURNETT: Yes.
BUTLER: If you were standing in Oakland when she launched her campaign, you know that this is not an accurate portrayal of the ways in which Kamala Harris has campaigned. If you were in Iowa with her in 2019, you know this is not an accurate portrayal of how she campaigned. So they have their own story to tell and their own clicks to chase.
BURNETT: So, what -- have you had a chance to speak with her as she prepares for this moment? With all the decisions she has to make about a speech that is for this room, right, but also for way beyond this room,
BUTLER: I have not, and I hope not a lot of people have. In this moment, this has got to be a speech that comes from her, that comes from her heart. It's not about anybody else's opinion. It's got to be about how does she want the American people to get to know her, to articulate her vision and to offer some vulnerability so that they can truly see the Kamala Harris that I've known for 15 years.
BURNETT: You know, it was going through with the -- I didn't get to play it to my panel but I will later. We had gone through and -- from her husband, Doug Emhoff. You know, everyone was using the word tough, Senator Warren, they were all using it. And I'm sure they were using it, you know, in a concerted fashion.
But also, I wanted to ask you, you know, what are the words you would use to describe her?
BUTLER: Focused, determined, thoughtful, loving, compassionate, prepared --
BURNETT: Which is a great list of attributes to have for someone. You know, the other context here in these next hours is just what this room is going to be. And I know, you know, you and I both heard Pink prepare, do her sound check. There are going to be other performances tonight. And you've got this sea of a lot of people wearing white in honor of suffrage. What does it mean to you to be in this room?
You've been here all week, but this night will be a little bit different.
BUTLER: Yes.
BURNETT: It will be different.
BUTLER: Yes.
BURNETT: What does it feel like to you?
BUTLER: It feels like -- I grew up in Mississippi. I went to a historically black college. On my campus was the Fannie Lou Hamer pre- law society. I have thought about very much the story of Shirley Chisholm in this moment. And I think tonight, we're going to get to witness and experience the full ambitions and dreams of those women. But most importantly, the aspirations of America's daughters to be able to imagine, truly see what is possible for their own future.
So it's going to be a magical night, and I'm incredibly excited about it.
BURNETT: All right. Well, you'll be here for it. And, Senator Butler, thank you so much. It's good to see you and in person.
BUTLER: Thank you.
BURNETT: All right. And just ahead, we're going to speak to a close advisor to Kamala Harris, who has been with the vice president and has new details about her thinking and preparations for tonight.
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[17:42:24]
BLITZER: Welcome back to our special coverage of the Democratic National Convention, where in just a few hours Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination. It's truly a very historic moment. Joining us now is Ian Sams, Spokesman for the Harris presidential campaign. Ian, thanks very much for joining us. Have you got a chance to speak with Kamala Harris about how she's preparing tonight and what she's preparing to say, especially about her personal experience?
IAN SAMS, SENIOR ADVISER, HARRIS CAMPAIGN: Spokesman for the Harris presidential campaign Well, I've been here talking to folks like you in the arena all day, Wolf, but she's been at her hotel working on her speech, editing it by hand. This is very personal to her. You ask about her personal story, you're going to hear a lot about that tonight.
The country is going to get to hear who she is and the values that that instilled in her, being raised by a working mom, coming from a middle class family in a middle class neighborhood, and the pride that she had and hard work in the people around her. And what motivated -- what that motivated her to do? It motivated her to go into public service as a prosecutor, and how she fought to protect people the most vulnerable among us from predators and violence, and murderers, and rapists, and that she took them on on behalf of those people who were vulnerable and got justice for them.
And now that links to her running for president, how she wants to protect our country in this real moment of peril that we have with President Trump and the Republican Party pushing this dangerous Project 2025. She's going to talk about the two visions that exist for America and how they're rooted in her values and her upbringing.
BLITZER: You think she's also going to talk about her opponent, Donald Trump?
SAMS: Absolutely. I mean, she's going to talk about the dangers that are posed by the Project 2025 agenda, the threats you heard Governor Walz talk about last night as well, to our freedoms, the freedom to have economic opportunity, the freedom to make your own healthcare decisions, including women's reproductive freedom. These are really important issues that she's going to be talking about, the differences in the choice in this election, and she's going to talk to the country tonight about what's at stake in the election.
BLITZER: So this is obviously a well thought out speech that she's going to deliver, very carefully crafted, obviously written. She's going to be reading it from a teleprompter, not adlibbing it.
SAMS: Well, we'll see what happens in the room. You know, she's been working personally on this speech herself, making notes and edits by hand. You know, this is something that's really, really personal to her. You know, a lot of people -- she's been the vice president for three and a half years, but a lot of people still don't know her. This is her opportunity to introduce herself to the country, to tell the American people who she is instead of letting other people tell them who she is, and to help people understand what she's fighting for.
And that they're motivated from these values of fairness and decency, and opportunity, and to be optimistic about what our future can be if we just move past the chaos division of Donald Trump. [17:45:02]
BLITZER: I want to play for you, this has become a sensitive issue at this at this convention, as you know, what a leader of the so-called Uncommitted Movement said to today after they were denied a speaking slot for a Palestinian American. Watch this, and then we'll discuss.
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LAYLA ELABED, CO-CHAIR, UNCOMMITTED MOVEMENT: My guest talking to the Democratic Party provided me and my community a voice at the table, and what has happened here at the Democratic National Convention undid all of that. I was just told that I don't have a voice here in this party.
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BLITZER: You heard what you said. Is this going to potentially hurt Kamala Harris in the state like Michigan, which has a significant Arab American, Muslim American population?
SAMS: Look, the Vice President's proud to have engaged with the leadership of this movement, including in Michigan just a little while ago when she was visiting a battleground state there. You know, they have a right to have their voice heard, and we've been proud in this convention to engage them through dedicated conversations and meetings, and everything. I think the really important thing to think about, too is what is the Vice President doing about it?
She's working with President Biden, even in the middle of the political fanfare of a convention, to try to get to a deal, to try to end the war, to try to get to a permanent ceasefire, to try to protect the people who are suffering and who need humanitarian assistance. And to, of course, make sure Israel has a right to defend themselves. You know, that is what she's focused on.
And that is so different from what they what we could see from President Trump, who when he was in the White House, all he did was foster chaos and division around the world. You know, kiss up to dictators, abandon our allies. You know, these are things that we can't afford to go back to.
And so when it comes to tonight, when, when she'll speak to the country, she'll talk about the kind of global leadership that she would bring to the White House, including on the war in the Middle East.
BLITZER: So why was -- why would -- why was a Palestinian American denied a speaking slot tonight?
SAMS: Well, I think that we've given them a lot of opportunities to engage in this process at the convention. People have had dedicated panels, for example, during the daytime programming here at the convention to talk about these issues. We are, of course, continuing to engage with the group and make sure that you know that the vice president's position on this issue is heard, and that their voices are heard and reflected in our convention.
BLITZER: Ian Sams, thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate it very much.
SAMS: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Coming up, we'll talk to one of the biggest political TikTok influencers out there. His videos are getting millions of views. Our young people Harris' secret weapons stand by.
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[17:51:38]
BURNETT: And welcome back to our special coverage at the Democratic National Convention. My next guest is 21 years old. He is one of the most followed and most prolific content creators for the Democratic Party. He is known for videos like this.
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HARRY SISSON, DEMOCRATIC INFLUENCER: Keep seeing Republicans attack Vice President Kamala Harris like this, I'm sure you have too, where they say something like this is who you guys want for president, and they include a video of her looking really cool. Like just look at this video.
So to answer your question, yes. Yes, that's who I want to be president of the United States.
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BURNETT: And Harry Sisson is with me out front now, Tiktok star. And, I mean, some of those videos that you were doing are getting 15 million views. So you've been here all week. I know it's been an exhausting week. You've been making a lot of videos. Who are -- when you're out there, you know, talking creating these videos, who have you been talking to this week?
SISSON: Yes, a couple people, couple congress people. But I think my favorite interview thus far has been Governor Andy Beshear. We managed to sit down for five or so minutes, got some questions in there. And he's just so smart, along with all these other people at the convention, all these surrogates are just really great at what they do, and they're really strong representatives for who they represent.
BURNETT: Right. So when you and I first met, you were a staunch defender of President Biden, and you were doing it alone in a sense. I mean, you were a believer. I'm not -- you were a believer. But, you know, you didn't have the enthusiasm and excitement of your peers. I know that that has completely changed, and now we're a few weeks, five weeks, to say into this campaign, what is the reception right now?
SISSON: I got to be honest, like it's just entirely flipped. Like when President Biden was the nominee, as you mentioned, I supported him, but my peers, young people specifically, were not feeling the same. They were not excited. They didn't really care about the election. They were just like, oh, it's two old white guys, doesn't really matter.
Now, look, you know, my comments, I look at my messages, I just talk to people my day to day life. They are so excited and wanting to be involved. I think I spoke to you about this last time where I have people in my private life reaching out, asking how they can get involved in the campaign. And that's only increased as time has gone on.
BURNETT: All right. So I want to ask you about a couple of viral moments that have really you have pointed out that really have stood out to young people that you're speaking to. One of them was what happened last night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his son. His 17- year-old son was crying after his father gave him a shout out.
It was an emotional modem moment. His father was on the podium, gives a shout out, and this is what happened.
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BURNETT: Now, this woman is getting a lot of traction, and there have been some, you know, who have been making horrible, horrible comments and criticisms. But from the group that you've been talking to, young people, it's been very different. What have people been saying?
SISSON: Yes. Look, I mean, first and foremost, in the Republicans who are insulting it, I think they're jealous, and that kind of ties into why young people are excited about it. People crave the authenticity that Governor Tim Walz and his family is bringing to the ticket. And when they were talking about that, when someone is emotional, he's talking about fertility care, something that millions of Americans use to have families. And it's just weird to me that Republicans are attacking it.
But once again, it's backfiring because they're just so out of touch. Young people see that moment, they're like, I can get behind that. That's somebody that resonates with me.
BURNETT: So when you look at the sort of moments and videos that are resonating right now, what stands out to you?
[17:55:05]
SISSON: I think, honestly, it's a lot of the videos that talk about the issues. When someone is outlining like where VP Harris stands or Governor Tim Walz stands.
BURNETT: So policy?
SISSON: Policy. People are excited about policy when -- especially reproductive rights, that one really resonates. Like young people really care about that climate change as well, also health care people really, not just like reproductive rights, but like, are you going to lower the cost of my insulin? Are you going to make sure my life saving drugs are cheaper? Yes.
BURNETT: So what would you say to Kamala Harris' team about what she needs to do on social media? I mean, are they going to have a Twitch channel, they're doing -- but what are the platforms? What are the things they need to know?
SISSON: Look, I think the Kamala Harris digital team, the social media team, has done a great job. And I think my only advice to them right now is foot on the gas. We have like 75-ish days until the election, do not let up, because the social media narrative can switch like that. So foot on the gas will speed ahead for the rest of the time.
BURNETT: Right. Talk about herds --
SISSON: Yes.
BURNETT: -- how fast they can move like birds in the sky, all right. Harry, thanks so much. Always good to see you.
SISSON: Thank you, likewise.
BURNETT: All right, Harry Sisson. And stay with us, Wolf and I are back with a special edition of the "Situation Room" as our coverage of the final night of the DNC continues after this.
