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Awaiting Harris Campaign Rally In Key Battleground Of Pennsylvania; Pope To Voters, Choose The Lesser Of Two Evils In Trump- Harris Race; Harris Rallying Voters In Key Battleground Of Pennsylvania; Trump Tries To Distance Himself From Far-Right Agitator Laura Loomer In New York Post After Defending Her Earlier; Apalachee High School Shooting 911 Calls Released. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 13, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

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[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, we're standing by to hear directly from Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Pennsylvania, and Democratic Senator Cory Booker will join us live with his take on whether Kamala Harris could prevail in a must-win battleground state like Pennsylvania.

Also, this hour, Pope Francis delves into U.S. politics, urging Americans to choose between, and I'm quoting now, the lesser of two evils in the Trump-Harris race. Why his message may not have given Catholic voters any clarity.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

Vice President Kamala Harris is doubling down on her battle to win Pennsylvania as she's about to make her second stop of the day in that crucial swing state. We'll go to the rally live once it begins this hour.

But let's go first to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez. She's at the scene of the Harris rally in Wilkes-Barre. Priscilla, what are we about to hear from Harris in Pennsylvania?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a campaign advisor tells me that she's going to be focused on job opportunities, and that is part of her argument to try to appeal to those voters who may be leaning toward former President Donald Trump. And that has been the strategy in coming to these two counties today, two counties, by the way, that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020 by double digits.

But the idea here from the campaign is to try to peel off those voters, cut down his margins, to try to have a play in this part of the state, a crucial state, one that the Vice President spent the last seven of eight days visiting.

So, clearly, the campaign sees it as a pivotal state, and one that she told reporters she's feeling pretty good about. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I am feeling very good about Pennsylvania because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who deserve to be seen and heard. That's why I'm here in Johnstown. And I will be continuing to travel around the state to make sure that I'm listening as much as we are talking.

And, ultimately, I feel very strongly that you've got to earn every vote. And that means spending time with folks in the communities where they live. And so that's why I'm here. We're going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: So, you heard it there from the vice president. She's going to be spending more time in this state, of course, as the campaign tries to convert voters heading into November.

The vice president also going to be introduced here by a local Republican. That has been part of the narrative from this campaign that she can appeal to Republicans, independents and Democrats. So, no coincidence that they'll be taking that approach before she hits the stage behind me this evening.

BLITZER: And, Priscilla, Oprah is set to lend some more support to Kamala Harris in the coming days. What can you tell us about that?

ALVAREZ: Well, next week, the vice president is slated to participate in a live stream with Oprah Winfrey, who was at the Democratic National Convention and gave a rallying speech during that time, backing the vice president.

And it is these types of events that the campaign wants to do more outside of traditional media and big remarks and policy rollouts. They're also looking for these opportunities to continue to keep the energy and momentum.

Another possibility that they hope for, and this one with Taylor Swift, of course, she endorse the vice president shortly after the debate. And I asked a senior spokesperson in those moments whether she had been invited to be on the campaign trail. They said that if she was willing, they'd love to have her.

So, that is a question that remains to be seen, but certainly she continues to bring in this star power to try to keep the momentum in this campaign in the coming weeks. Wolf?

BLITZER: As we can see, a big crowd behind you getting ready for this event. Thanks very much, Priscilla Alvarez.

We're joined now for more on all of this, our political experts are with us, and Jasmine Wright, let me start with you. We heard Kamala Harris say, she's feeling very good about Pennsylvania, this critical battleground state. But CNN has learned her top campaign officials recently warned her that she, quote, may not have anyone -- she may not have any one sure path to the 270 electoral votes she needs, adding Pennsylvania looks rough, though very possible by their internal numbers before the debate.

As pumped as Harris aides are about her debate performance earlier this week, they don't think it changed any of that. How much does this explain why Kamala Harris will be spending so much time over these past few days and the coming days in Pennsylvania? JASMINE WRIGHT, REPORTER, NOTUS: Yes, Wolf. I think it explains it

all. I was actually talking to one source close to the vice president who said for the Harris campaign, all eyes will be on Pennsylvania for the next two weeks.

[18:05:02]

And I think you're going to see that both today and next week and the week after, because they know it is a pivotal state.

I was actually in North Carolina with the vice president, another pivotal state where, just like Pennsylvania, they're hoping that they can win North Carolina. Of course, a Democrat hasn't won since 2008. But I talked to a Harris state there and they said the best path for us still is that blue wall, plus Omaha. That's the surest route. But, of course, North Carolina could go in there. Georgia could go in there. Arizona could go in there, as, of course, we know that the campaign feels that with the vice president at the top of the ticket, it's expanded some of that map that wasn't available when President Biden was leaving the ticket.

But, of course, those states are pivotal for Harris. And so we're going to see her. Governor Walz, obviously, they're launching a tour there in the next week or so, doing more media appearances. He's really trying to get the state of Pennsylvania, the state of North Carolina to know her because they recognize that that is what the order is, that too many Pennsylvanians or too many Americans across the country, as we've seen through public polls, don't exactly know what she would do via -- or as president. And so they're trying to combat that. And that's why we're going to see in Pennsylvania.

BLITZER: It's very intense right now, critical moment.

Scott Jennings, multiple Harris campaign aides told CNN they think Trump would be in a good position to win if the election were held this Tuesday instead of in November. Is that the sense you're hearing from Republicans as well?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITCAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, Republicans still feel like that. If it's a tied race nationally, which basically it is, maybe she's up a point or two, that Donald Trump stands a very good chance of winning the Electoral College. Specifically on Pennsylvania, Republicans feel great about it. They think that she doesn't have the same kind of personal connections to Pennsylvania that Joe Biden did, so swapping her in actually may have disadvantaged the party in Pennsylvania in some ways because Biden had a personal connection there. He was Scranton Joe. Now, I will say this, North Carolina, I do hear a lot of concern about North Carolina. I know the Harris campaign feels good about that. So, there may be some jostling going on in the Sun Belt. But of that blue wall, Wolf, I think Pennsylvania right now looks the best for Donald Trump and I think you'd hear most Republicans dealing with the state agree with that.

BLITZER: Yes, Pennsylvania could be critical to both of these candidates in winning those 270 Electoral College votes they need.

Ameshia Cross is with us as well. Ameshia, as you know, the Harris campaign wants to go to some red counties as well, not just the heavily Democratic populated cities in Pennsylvania or Georgia or elsewhere for that matter. How does she make inroads there though?

AMESHIA CROSS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think that it's talking to working class voters. She's making sure that you're also reaching out to suburban women. She has a campaign that has not only expanded the map, but one that is also recognizing that this is going to be a race that's won within the margins.

So, if she's able to pick up even a slither of votes from some of those red counties, it's going to make a real difference. That does mean that her messaging is quite different there than it's going to be in some of your bigger urban areas because the population, quite frankly, is different. So, she's leaning in on an economic message. She's leaning in on the values that matter to them. She's making sure that she is speaking to them and I think also utilizing Governor Walz a lot in addition to some of her surrogates.

BLITZER: He could be a big helper, indeed. You know, Jasmine, we're expecting to hear from Kamala Harris in the next few minutes. What do you expect her message will be?

WRIGHT: Well, I think Priscilla was totally right. We're going to hear her talk about jobs, the economy, because those are the things that the campaign recognizes that people in Pennsylvania are really concerned about.

And I think of one of the few criticisms that came out of the debate for Harris is that she didn't do well or as well in the economy as she did on issues, like abortion or potentially foreign policy. So, they want to hear more about that. They want to hear more about how she's going to bring jobs to that state.

And I think largely, though, Wolf, they are trying to position the vice president as a change candidate, somebody that can change what's happened, not just the last four years, but the last ten years. And so the vice president is going to speak to that, particularly when it comes to economic policies, trying to show folks in Pennsylvania that she can bring a new day in a way that the former president can't.

But, of course, right now, we know in polling that the former president still polls higher than her when people talk about the economy or who has, who they have more trust in when it comes to the economy. BLITZER: Economy, such a critically important issue, as we all know.

Scott, the Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro won his race in Pennsylvania by nearly 15 points. So, why is it so different for Kamala Harris right now?

JENNINGS: Well, number one, governor's races are a little different than presidential races. And, you know, he's talented. Look, this is why I thought she should have picked him for vice president. I mean, this guy obviously knows how to campaign in Pennsylvania and she's got to win the state and she decided to do something else. So, I still think that was a mistake.

Plus, you know, he was running against a guy who just wasn't all that great, to be honest, and Donald Trump's, you know, in a lot better shape in Pennsylvania.

So, look there's a lot of reasons why local races are different than national. But I agree with what was just said, pretty much it's the economy. And if you're talking about being the change candidate, you know, last ten years Democrats have been in charge six of the last ten years.

[18:10:01]

She's been in charge for the last four years. It's hard to make an argument that you represent change when keeping you in office would be keeping the same people in charge. And she didn't do well on the economy. I agree on the debate the other night.

So, focusing on that is good. But until you find a way to separate yourself from Joe Biden, who people are kind of mad at over the economy, I don't know where you're going to go with it.

BLITZER: Ameshia, do you think those pundits who suggest that the Pennsylvania is rough for Kamala Harris?

CROSS: Well, I think that's absolutely true. And the campaign recognizes it. Pennsylvania is a different ball game. And in a truncated campaign, there has to be a lot more time spent in Pennsylvania. It's helpful that she's been able to fundraise the amounts that she has, because that means expansion of offices. That means more boots on the ground. It's also helpful that she's been able to recruit so many Republicans to actually support the campaign, including people who have been parts of Trump's administration, because I think that when it comes to getting into some of those red counties, she's going to need those voices as well.

Pennsylvania, make no mistake, is a make-or-break. If you don't win Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris is done. So, I think that at this point it is -- we're going to funnel a lot into ads. That means digital ads. That means being on the ground floor. That means reaching out to churches and various different community groups. There is a lot of coalition building that has to happen in Pennsylvania and it has to happen fast. BLITZER: All right. Everybody stand by as we await Vice President Kamala Harris' remarks in Pennsylvania. We'll have some live coverage. Stay right here.

And up next, a high-profile Democrat, Senator Cory Booker, joins us in The Situation Room to break down his party's chances of holding onto the White House.

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BLITZER: We're getting closer and closer to the start of the Harris campaign rally in Pennsylvania. We're going to go there, live, in a few minutes once the vice president starts speaking. Stand by for that.

Right now, we're joined here in The Situation Room by a prominent Democrat, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. Senator, thanks very much for coming in.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): It's always a pleasure to be here.

BLITZER: New Jersey is not very far away from Pennsylvania.

BOOKER: No.

BLITZER: As we all know. What does she need to do to win that critically important Electoral College battleground state?

BOOKER: Wolf, I think there are really two things. Ones, is run a really good operation by getting out the vote, continuing this explosion of enthusiasm you're seeing. I was at the Congressional Black Caucus Pennsylvania Party last night, and what a difference a couple of months makes. People were really excited and that's got to continue to grow.

And then the second thing that she's still, you know, only been in this for a little over a month and is introducing herself as a person that's known her for years, knows not just her policies and her plans, but her heart, spirit and character.

I'm just excited as more and more people get to know her, and I think that that's going to draw them to her, especially at this point, where we have such a contrast with what Donald Trump seems to be saying these days, which seems to get more and more radical and nativist and just plain crazy.

BLITZER: You know, we're told that the Harris campaign believes Trump would win the election if it were held today. Do you agree with that?

BOOKER: I don't necessarily agree with that. I think it speaks to a really important point. I hope all Americans, no matter what your political party is, is that this is going to be a close election decided by a few thousand votes in about four or five states. And that means if you're in one of those swing states, you have a lot of power. And I really think that the most common way people give up their power is not realizing they have it. They need to get out there. And I'm really frustrated with folks in this election that don't understand what's at stake and the urgency and the role that they have to play. I always say the opposite of love isn't hate. It is actually indifference, just not caring enough to do what is the most basic of our patriotic duties, which is to get out and vote.

BLITZER: Who do you think would win the election if it were held today?

BOOKER: I have no idea. I don't know who's going to win the election on Election Day. And that's why I'm working so hard. I'm one of many of us who's going to be crisscrossing this country, doing everything we can to energize voters.

BLITZER: You know, it was interesting earlier today when reporters were shouting questions to Trump, he said the word, maybe, when it comes to whether or not he'll change his mind and have another debate with Kamala Harris. What do you think?

BOOKER: I think that it was a disastrous debate for him. You saw the results. Even this network showed how much people who were not sure who they're going to vote for swung towards Kamala's way, the vice president's way.

And so, I hope that he does another debate. Because if anything that debate did is it not only showed her presidential prowess to lead this nation, but it gave a further reminder of the chaos, the condemnation, the demeaning, the degrading, the just off-base lying that he does on a regular basis. The more America sees of that, the more confident I am that Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States.

BLITZER: I was pretty surprised today, when I heard Pope Francis of the Vatican declare that the choice Americans face in this election are a choice of the lesser of two evils, lesser of two evils in this race here in the United States. Were you surprised by that?

BOOKER: This is the first I'm hearing of it. And I've learned as I've grown up in this nation and in politics that when we create this binary good versus evil existentialness, it really drives our American democracy off the rails. The 70-plus million people that voted for Donald Trump aren't my enemy. They're not evil. They're fellow Americans, and we're all trying to make for a better country. We've got to stop in our country characterizing people who vote different than us in those good versus evil.

I've mistakenly used those terms in the past. To me, it's unacceptable and creates what I think is an environment in which we will see more extremism, where people are refusing to accept election results or the kind of things that, frankly, Donald Trump is trying to whip us up to, which are very anti-democratic, not accepting results, not accepting the rule of law, wanting to undermine our democratic traditions.

The basis of our democracy, first and foremost, is recognizing mutual dignity, and that we belong to each other and need each other to create a more perfect society (ph).

[18:20:03]

BLITZER: So important, especially given the volatility of what's going on in this country right now.

Donald Trump's reference recently to so-called black jobs was widely condemned, as you all know. I want to play something that President Biden said earlier today. Listen to this.

BOOKER: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: In just three and a half years, we created over 2 million new black jobs for black Americans and black -- by the way, the next black job to be filled is as president of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What do you make of that?

BOOKER: I've known the president for a long time. We all know this. Sometimes he stumbles over his words. He caught himself right away in what he was saying and made a joke out of it. But the challenge with being in public life, and I think this is why we should offer grace to senators on both sides of the aisle, congresspeople and people running for president is you don't always -- it doesn't always come out right and I think he cleaned it up there well. And of all people right now that deserve Americans' grace, it's the president of the United States who made a courageous decision for patriotism and not for himself.

BLITZER: Yes, it was a courageous decision. Springfield, Ohio, as you probably know, is facing bomb threats right now in schools in the wake of Trump promoting this conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants who live there right now are eating dogs, cats, and other pets. He repeated that once again yesterday. What's your reaction to that?

BOOKER: I feel for the people of that community who've had their town turned into such a focus for hate and these kind of despicable comments for someone running for the highest office in this land and to sort of trade in those very racist kind of dehumanizing, degrading remarks.

When you dehumanize something, please know that this is something that people use to make someone else do inhumane things to them. It's just so wrong and vile.

BLITZER: Senator, I want you to stick around. The vice president is speaking now at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I want to listen in.

HARRIS: Hi, everyone.

Okay. Okay. We got some business to handle. Okay.

So, let me start by saying to everyone here, thank you for all you are doing and for taking the time to be here this evening.

You know, one of the things that I love about everyone who is here and what we are doing, you know, in the midst of this moment where there are people trying to divide us as a nation, trying to make people feel small and feel alone, these are moments that remind all of us that we are all in this together as one loving family.

So, thank you all for the time you've taken to be here this evening.

I want to thank also all the incredible leaders, including Governor Shapiro, who you heard from earlier. Senator Bob Casey, who we will re-elect to the United States Senate, and Mayor Brown, and thank you, Mayor, for the warm welcome.

All right, so, Pennsylvania, three days ago, Donald Trump and I had our debate.

You watched it, so, yes. So, here's the thing. So I take it. Many people here watched it.

So, you'll remember that night I talked about issues that matter to families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America's small businesses. Protecting reproductive freedom, and keeping our nation safe and secure.

But that is not what we heard from Donald Trump. Instead, it was the same old show. The same tired playbook we've heard for years, with no plan, no plan, on how he would address the needs of the American people. Well, folks, it's time to turn the page. Turn the page.

We're not going back.

[18:25:00]

We're not going back.

And we're going back, because America is ready for a new way forward.

We are ready for a new generation of leadership that is optimistic about what we can do together, which is why, and Mary Grace, thank you and which is why, Democrats, Republicans and Independents are supporting our campaign.

We need a president of the United States who works for all the American people.

And that just stops with all the trying to divide us. Like, people are exhausted with that stuff. Exhausted.

And you know, my entire career, I have fought for the people. As a young courtroom prosecutor in Oakland, I stood up for women and children against predators who abuse them. As Attorney General of California, I took on the big banks and delivered 20 billion from middle class families who faced foreclosure.

I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big for profit colleges.

For workers, who are being cheated out of the wages they were due. For seniors, facing elder abused.

And as Attorney General of a border state, I took on transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel that traffic-in drugs and threaten the safety of our communities. I know these cartels firsthand and as President I will make sure, we prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law for pushing poison like fentanyl on our children.

And as president, I will fight on behalf of all communities and all Americans. And together, we will build a brighter future for our nation together, together.

And that future we build will include what I call an opportunity economy. So that, every American has an opportunity to own a home, to build wealth, and to start a business. You know, I love our small businesses. So growing up, I really -- do we have small business leaders here? Raise your hand.

Yes, right?

So, growing up, my sister and my mother -- my sister and me had a mother, have a mother, had a mother, excuse me, she passed, but our mother worked long hours. She worked hard, she worked long hours. And my sister Maya and I would go over to Ms. Shelton's house. Ms. Shelton lived a couple of doors down, and she helped my mother take care of us, and we in fact used to call her our second mother.

Well, Ms. Shelton was a small business owner. And I will tell you, since I was a child, I know the character and the person who is a small business owner. You're not only business leaders, you're civic leaders. You hold the community together. You're part of the fabric of the community and small business owners are the backbone of America's economy, the backbone of America's economy.

Which is why, part of my plan that you heard about the other night, we'll give a $50,000 tax deduction, to start up small businesses, knowing that not everybody, like my opponent, got handed $40 million on a silver tray and then filed for bankruptcy six times.

And people sometimes just need the opportunity, because we as Americans do not lack for ambition, for aspiration, for dreams, for the preparedness to do hard work.

[18:30:08]

But not everyone has the opportunity because not everyone has the access. When I talk about building an opportunity economy, it is grounded in that foundational belief, that when given an opportunity, people excel every day.

Part of my focus is, on the fact that we need to build more housing in America. And so, we are going to cut red tape and work with the private sector to build 3 million new homes by the end of my first term.

And, I have a plan to help lower the cost of living, for America's families on everything from health care to groceries, including, I will take on corporate price gouging, which, as we know, is about those few bad guys taking advantage of desperate people and there needs to be a consequence.

Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a tax cut, including expanding the child tax credit to $6,000 during the first year of a child's life, understanding that new parents need support in that most critical phase of their child's development to help them buy a car seat, a crib, baby clothes.

I will also make sure good paying jobs are available to all Americans, not just those with college degrees. For far too long, our nation has encouraged only one path to success, a four year college degree. Our nation needs to recognize the value of other paths, additional paths, such as apprenticeships and technical programs.

So as president, I will get rid of the unnecessary degree requirements for federal jobs, to increase jobs for folks without a four year degree, understanding that requiring a certain degree does not necessarily talk about one's skills. And I will challenge the private sector to do the same.

All of this to say, look, I come from the middle class. I understand where I come from, and I'm never going to forget that. And I will always put middle class working people first. It will always be my priority, always be my priority. I know where I come from. I know where I come from.

But now, Donald Trump has a different plan. Just Google -- just look up the Google, just Google Project 2025. It is a detailed, dangerous blueprint for what he will do if he were elected president again. Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts, like he did before. He intends to cut Social Security and Medicare, and he wants to impose what I call the Trump Sales Tax on everyday basic necessities, which, as economists have reviewed, would cost the average family nearly $4,000 more a year.

In fact, independent economists like Goldman Sachs, have said, my plan would grow our economy, and his plan would shrink the economy, reignite inflation, and send us into a recession by the middle of next year.

On top of all of this, Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act. And let's remember, like, we're not here with Trump amnesia, we remember when he was president, he tried 60 times to end the Affordable Care Act.

[18:35:10] And as he said in the debate just this week, he has no plan to replace it. Right, right, you said it. He said, he has, quote, concepts of a plan. Concepts of a plan, no actual plan.

So, let's just think about this for a moment. He's going to threaten health insurance for the 45 million people who rely on it, based on a concept, and take us back when insurance companies have -- but, because we remember where that was. We remember what that was, when insurance companies had the power to deny people with pre existing conditions. Remember what that was like? Remember? Well, we are not going back. We are not going back. No. We are not going back.

Because, ours is a fight for the future, and ours is a fight for freedom.

Like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body, and not have her government telling her what to do.

And we remember how we got here. Donald Trump, hand-picked three members of the United States Supreme Court, with the intent that they would overturn Roe v. Wade, and they did exactly as he intended.

And we understand where we are. We understand where we are. Hey, listen. Listen. Now, is the time to get a hostage deal and cease fire. I -- we have been working around the clock to get that done.

And I respect your voice, but right now I am speaking.

So on the issue of fundamental rights and freedoms, we remember how he selected those members of the Supreme Court to undo Roe v. Wade. They did just as he intended. And what we have seen is in state after state, they passed laws to criminalize health care providers, to punish women. Now more than 20 states have a Trump abortion ban, many, with no exceptions for rape and incest, which is immoral. To tell a survivor of a violation to their body that they don't have a right to make a decision about what happens to their body next? That's immoral. And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith, or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do.

Not the government.

And I will tell you, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. Proudly.

And I'm traveling in our country, and I'll tell you, across our nation, we are witnessing a full on assault on other hard fought, hard won, fundamental freedoms and rights. Like the freedom to vote.

[18:40:00]

The freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to join a union, and the freedom to love who you loved openly and with pride. And generations, let's remember who we are as Americans. Generations before us led the fight for freedom. And to the friends here I say. The baton is now in our hands.

And so much is on the line in this election. We all know and remember, this is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher than they were then. Because two months ago, the United States Supreme Court Essentially told the former president that he will effectively be immune no matter what he does if he gets back into the White House.

Just imagine, Donald Trump with no guardrails. Imagine what that might mean, right?

He, who has vowed if re-elected he would be a dictator on day one. He, who called for the, quote, termination of the Constitution of the United States. And let us be clear, someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States of America should never again stand behind the CEO of the President of the United States. Never again.

So, Pennsylvania, it all comes down to this. We are here together, because we love our country. We love our country. And we who are here understand the awesome responsibility, the awesome responsibility, that comes with the greatest privilege on earth, the privilege and pride of being an American.

BLITZER: Very strong, strong speech by the Vice President of the United States, the Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, speaking in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania right now, making most of her strong statements involving abortion rights for women, the U.S. economy, her promise to be a champion of the middle class in Pennsylvania, a state that could make or break her chances against Donald Trump.

Her words were very strong, very powerful address indeed, underscoring why the Republican nominee Donald Trump may be reluctant to go into another debate with her.

She clearly has very, very strong credentials right now, as we just saw.

We'll take a quick break. We'll assess what we just saw. Much more coming up right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:02]

BLITZER: We also have some breaking news coming into THE SITUATION ROOM right now at Donald Trump's campaign.

I want to go to CNN's Alayna Treene. She's in Las Vegas where Trump has an event later tonight.

Alayna, there's a new post from Trump about the far-right conspiracy theory promoter he's been traveling with lately.

Update our viewers. ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right. We did just get

a Truth Social post from him moments ago, trying to distance himself from some of the controversial things that Laura Loomer, as you pointed out, a far-right conspiracy theorist, has been saying, and the reason this has come up at all, Wolf, is because she has been increasingly traveling with Donald Trump, including this week, she went with him to the debate as well as traveled with him to New York. And that travel -- that trip with him came just moments after she had issued a racist post about Kamala Harris.

Now, I want to read for you wealth exactly what Trump posted. He said, quote, Laura Loomer doesn't work for the campaign. She's a private citizen and longtime supporter. I disagree with some of the statements she made, but like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the radical left Marxists and fascists of violently attack and smear me.

So there you have him saying that he does not agree with some of what she had said, but look, this actually comes after our own Kristen Holmes had questioned Donald Trump earlier today in an event in Los Angeles, asking about him traveling with her, and specifically asking for his response on how many Republicans are saying, including telling us that they're concerned about their close relationship.

Take a listen to what Trump said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don't know. Laura is a supporter. I don't know. She is -- she is a strong person. She's got strong opinions and I don't know what she said, but that's not up to me. She is a supporter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Wolf, Loomer has been, as I said, she's a far-right conspiracy theorist. She's posted about 9/11 in the past being an inside job, but she was booted off Twitter for an anti-Muslim post, although Loomer says that she believes that post was not anti-Muslim.

[18:50:08]

And the reason this matters is because a lot of Trump advisers that I speak with, allies of Donald Trump argue that she may actually be behind the reason that Trump is promoting more of these unseemly conspiracy theories about Kamala Harris this late. So there's been some tension behind the scenes within Donald Trump's own camp about their growing relationship -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Alayna Treene in Las Vegas, for us, Alayna, thank you very much.

I want to get back to our political experts who are watching all of this unfold.

Scott Jennings, Donald Trump appears to be doing a bit of cleanup right now after he called Laura Loomer earlier today, a free spirit and a strong person. What's your reaction to his latest comments?

JENNINGS: Yeah, probably smart to put a little distance between him and Loomer. I mean, there's a lot of people in the Republican Party who really, really support Donald Trump, who really want to see Donald Trump win, who are pretty alarmed that she's got such a prominent position with him right now, at least informally, moving around with him. So I think it was probably wise what he did today good, little arms distance there's not a terrible idea.

BLITZER: You know, Ameshia, why is Trump even associated with a well- known bigot like Laura Loomer right now? What else does he need to do?

CROSS: Well, because birds of a feather flock together. I think that for Donald Trump, he does not distance himself because honestly, he believes a lot of what she's saying. There's no reason for him to have gone to a 9/11 remembrance and take somebody who doesn't -- who believes not 9/11 was an inside job or that they were crisis actors involved.

This is a guy who needs to not only disavow this, but in the same way, he doesn't do it when he's standing next to white supremacist and inviting the Mar-a-Lago. He's not going to do it with her either.

BLITZER: You know, Jasmine, what do you think, is this enough what he just posted his latest statement to try to distance himself from Laura Loomer or does he have to do more? For example, say she's not going to be welcome on my plane. I'm not inviting your over to Mar-a-Lago or anything like that?

WRIGHT: Yeah. Wolf, I think he's going to have to do more, I think that reporters are going to continue to ask him about their relationship in nature of the relationship what advice he is -- what advice she has given to the former president and how would show up. And I also think that the vice president's campaign is going to really latch on this, tried to pull them together as close as they can, try to show him again as being a chaos agent that the vice president wants to turn the page from it.

So I think that he's going to have to address this time and time again as we get closer to November.

BLITZER: Scott, what kind of electoral impact, if any, do you think Trump associated with someone like Laura Loomer has?

JENNINGS: I mean, its hard to assess that because she's not really a household name. I don't think a lot of voters in Pennsylvania or anywhere else are going to the poll saying, well, I was going to vote for Trump, but then this person that I've never heard of popped out. So, I think -- I think it's minimal, but I think it just it takes away from your day-to-day message, right?

If you're Donald Trump, what do you want to do every day? Talk about inflation, talk about immigration, talk about the issues that work for you. You don't want to be answering continuous questions about some crank and conspiracy theorists that is getting you off of your -- off of your beat every day. And so that's why I think distancing here is good because you want to talk about the things that help you, not the things that gets you off your game.

BLITZER: We'll see if he does some more of that. All right, guys. Thanks very, very much.

Coming up, there's more breaking news. What were learning from newly released 911 calls from that deadly shooting last week at a high school in Georgia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:34]

BLITZER: We're back with breaking news.

Just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM right now, emergency services officials in Georgia have just released 911 calls and police dispatcher records from last week's deadly mass shooting at the Apalachee High School that left two students and two teachers dead.

CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young is joining us live from Atlanta right now. He's got details.

What are we learning, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Wolf, we've listened to some of these 911 calls and you can tell just how powerful they are in terms of the calls to 911, people calling for help, also talking about family members who are trapped inside the school.

Something that we should remind our viewers. This was a 14-year-old who shot up the school road, the school bus concealed a weapon under his arm and in his backpack went to the office and instead of going to the office, came back with a gun and started opening fire, but the breaking part about this is now for the first time, we can hear these 911 calls. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

AUTHORITIES: There's a shooter.

DISPATCH: Active shooter.

AUTHORITIES: We have an active shooter at Apalachee High School.

DISPATCH: What's the status of the shooter?

AUTHORITIES: In custody and uninjured.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

YOUNG: Wolf, something the sheriff confirmed to us at the time in the hallway two deputies responded to it within a minute of the shooting. They were able to subdue that shooter. He gave up as soon as deputies arrived to that scene.

Let's not forget, four people lost their lives, two teachers and two students. So you can understand the pain in this community.

We also confirmed today that the accused shooter had a knife on him as well, but of course, police are still going through this investigation at this point today. Those new coming out.

BLITZER: Brian, how is the community doing at this point?

YOUNG: A great question, Wolf, it's been a lot of pain in this community. One of the things they've talked about as when would school opened up again, the principal and the superintendent released this statement online, just within the last few hours, take a listen to their statement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA REHBERG, PRINCIPAL, APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL: We are working to make sure we have the right systems and resources in place. We also want to ensure that we have the right mental health support on our campus spaces for relocated classes. And have thought through every detail of your return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yeah, this will be tough, Wolf. September 23 is the date everyone's circle for the kids to go back to school. We've learned that football has been canceled once again because we know one of the football coaches was killed in this incident. So that football game has been canceled, but community members are asking to see exactly what's going to happen next.

The sheriff today has been talking about parts of this destination. Of course, talk revealing that that student wrote that school bus still so many questions about the early warning signs. We know he missed nine days of school before the shooting happened, but still so many questions left unanswered, but we have to figure out in the next few days -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Ryan Young reporting, thanks for that update. Appreciate it very much.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. I'll see you Monday morning in the "CNN NEWSROOM". That's 11:00 a.m. Eastern. You can always follow me on X, formerly known as Twitter. You can Instagram me at Wolf Blitzer.

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