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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Moments Ago: Harris Arrives In Chicago For Convention; New Polls: Harris Holds Narrow National Lead For First Time; Trump Plans Week Of Convention Counter-Programming. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 18, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(MUSIC)
[21:00:42]
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Good evening. I'm Kaitlan Collins.
And tonight, THE SOURCE is coming to you live from Chicago hours before the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention. Right now, I'm on the floor at the United Center, home of the Bulls and the Blackhawks usually, but for the next four days, home to a reinvigorated political party.
Right here, tomorrow night, we'll see President Biden take that stage over my left shoulder addressing what is expected to be a roaring crowd as he passes the proverbial torch to Vice President Harris a bittersweet moment at what, just a month ago was going to be his convention.
The vice president has just landed here in Chicago. We saw her descending the steps of Air Force Two moments ago. She will attend the president's speech in person here tomorrow night before she briefly returns to the campaign trail.
It's an all-star lineup throughout the week featuring some of the biggest names in Democratic politics, including Secretary Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Harris's running mate, Governor Tim Walz. And then, of course, the nominee herself closing it out on Thursday.
On the eve of the convention, Harris is entering with the wind at her back based on the numbers as they stand tonight. Two new major polls out today show Harris with a narrow lead over Donald Trump for the first time nationally outside the margin of error. One among registered voters has Harris at 49 percent, Trump at 45. Another among likely national voters puts Harris at 51 percent and Trump at 48, as you can see here.
Our data guru Harry Enten is going to join us shortly with some new insights on those numbers.
For his part though, Donald Trump is not lying low as we were initially told he was going to be doing this week. Instead, he and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, will attempt to counter program in the battleground states, including stops in Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, and Arizona.
But before he gets to one of those swing states, Pennsylvania, the vice president was there and left a message about him for voters to think about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Frankly, over the last several years, there's been this kind of perversion that has taken place, which is to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down, when what we know is the real and true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up. Anybody was about beating down other people in a coward. This is what strength looks like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: She didn't say his name, but she didn't really have to.
My lead source tonight was a vice presidential finalist and is the Democratic governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear.
It's great to have you here in person, Governor.
You heard Vice President Harris there. She's just made it here to Chicago. How is this convention going to look different than the one that we saw from Republicans just a few weeks ago?
GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D), KENTUCKY: Well, you are going to see excitement and you are going to see joy. I just got here today, but I'm already fired up and ready to go. You see this backdrop behind us, which is incredible. We're going to fill up an arena that normally watches the Bulls, but you're seeing these crowds all over America turning out for the vice president and for Tim Walz.
They are a team of hope. They're team of optimism there about turning the page and moving us forward, and never, ever going back.
COLLINS: Well, in the sense of moving forward and that spirit that the Harris has been trying to capture on the campaign trail, you know, tomorrow tonight on that stage at this time, President Biden is going to be speaking in a very different speech than we thought it would be a month ago when he was supposed to speak on Thursday, obviously, at his convention -- how does your party balance honoring him, talking about what he's done, but also not looking too far back to her voters clearly were unhappy with?
BESHEAR: Well, President Biden is a great president and a great American, and he was really good to me in the commonwealth of Kentucky. You look at the Brent Spence Companion Bridge, one of the largest infrastructure grants in U.S. history, came to Kentucky and Ohio, even though those states didn't vote for him.
He's been out there being a president for everyone showing up after natural disasters and Kentucky go, into my dad's hometown after 70 percent of every structure was wiped out in an EF-4 tornado.
COLLINS: Yeah.
BESHEAR: He deserves this first night. He deserves to talk about his legacy.
[21:05:03]
I mean, I've never in my lifetime had a president that decided not to run for a second term. And so, this is an amazing act of patriotism. I think he looked at the numbers and he put his country in front of himself.
But I think he's going to do it instead of anyone else having to. I think you're going to hear him talk about the great work that he and his team have done. But I think you're going to hear him talk about how his vice president is ready, about how her policies can build on top of his, and about how she's its going to lead us forward to a better place where we're not always clashing, where it's not always red or blue Democrat or Republican, where we can get back to being Americans first, and everything else second or third.
COLLINS: It's got to be bittersweet for him I imagine.
BESHEAR: Well, probably. But you know what? He's got to be president of the United States, which many people -- not many people in history have. And when you look back on his legacy, this decision is going to secure it. It's going to be about the work he did while he was in office.
And you look at the two biggest battery plants on Planet Earth that we're building in Kentucky, that wouldn't happen without his policies in place.
COLLINS: And you're already (ph) yourself. You're a Democratic governor in a very red state that has --
BESHEAR: I am.
COLLINS: -- no risk of turning blue in the presidential election. I think Donald Trump won in 2020 there by about half a million votes.
But when you hear speakers on that stage this week, obviously, they'll be talking to everyone who's in this -- in the United Center. But how do you want them to appeal to moderate suburban voters, people who are your constituents?
BESHEAR: I want them to talk about what people worry about at the beginning of every day, because when folks wake up, they're not thinking about the presidential election or the latest poll. They're thinking about their job and whether they make enough to support their family. They're thinking about their next doctors' appointment for themselves, their parents or their kids. They're thinking about the roads and bridges they're going to drive that day and what traffic is going to be like, go into work. They are thinking about the school they drop their kids off at and
they're thinking about public safety in their community. Yes, there are other critical issues and causes we need to talk about. But living and governing where people are every day, lifts everyone up.
And people are so hungry for somebody who's not just for their people or bent on revenge or wanted to continue this us versus them. They're hungry for a better world and a better country.
COLLINS: Yeah, we've been looking at the numbers and on a lot of the issues that are the most important to voters the economy, inflation, Harris is trailing Trump based on where the numbers stand right now.
I mean, if you look at what is coming out from people today, you see that on the economy, he's got 46 percent. She's at 37. Inflation, 45 to 36. Does she need to start putting daylight between herself and President Biden on those issues to make up ground with voters?
BESHEAR: Well, I believe that her economic policy see that came out today is a great complement to President Biden's. President Biden's economic policy was about building a sustainable future economy. It was about reshoring our supply chain and investing in areas like chips and EV batteries, which are really industries of the future.
Her policies are about right now, helping Americans have that bridge to that future economy. So think about homeownership, about increasing the supply and building think more affordable housing and helping to make sure it's more affordable, more tax credits for the middle-class, and those raising children. And, of course, making sure that companies aren't taking advantage of us and that real supply and demand is going on as well as capping prescription drug costs -- something that we all worry about.
So when you look at her policy, I don't think it's necessary necessarily daylight. It's having this great future forward plan that President Biden put out and then having to what we need right now, which Vice President Harris has put out.
COLLINS: Well, and part of her economic plans, she also wanted to have a federal ban on price gouging. Do you support that?
BESHEAR: Well, I do because we've got those in our states. As attorney general, I brought those. We made a big recovery when our people were gouged in terms of gasoline. You look at her being a previous A.G. and this isn't rocket science. It's not any type of price fixing, it's about making sure that capitalism works by having guardrails.
Teddy Roosevelt showed us how important that is when he broke up some of the earliest monopolies and you still got to go to court, you still got to prove it. So this is just taking something the states, including Texas, have done and moving it to the federal level, too.
COLLINS: If it's already illegal, price fixing is already illegal in most states including in Kentucky.
BESHEAR: Yes. But you've got to be able to bring the action. It takes time and having a separate federal action that could cover all 50 states can be an important tool in the toolbox of making sure we're looking out for our citizens.
COLLINS: But is price gouging happening right now for a major grocery stores? I mean, Kroger obviously is some reign supreme in Kentucky. Do you think that they're engaging in price gouging?
BESHEAR: And Kroger has been a great partner of ours. I don't see that. But when those things occur, I've certainly seen gouging after natural disasters in another instances, having a 50-state option can be really important.
[21:10:05]
It can also give a president and vice president leveraged that they need at critical times to make sure the American people are treated right. That's all this is about, making sure we're treated right.
COLLINS: I'm glad you brought this up though, because this has been one of the biggest issues that Republicans have hit Vice President Harris. We heard from Senator J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's running mate on this today in an interview on Fox News earlier, this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Giving Kamala Harris control over inflation policy, Shannon, it's like getting Jeffrey Epstein control over human trafficking policy. The American people are much smarter than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BESHEAR: For this guy to mention Jeffrey Epstein when he has encouraged women to stay in relationships with domestic violence, and when he called someone getting impregnated through rape as inconvenient is really something.
COLLINS: I mean, but do you think that was just trying to be sensational to make a point about inflation or what --
BESHEAR: Oh, I think he tries to be sensational a lot. But listen, the attorney general of Texas has brought price gouging lawsuits.
So, again, this isn't anything new, its something that's been practiced in the states. And yes, the president is going to have at least some control out there. She should be our next president.
We've seen what Donald Trump's trade policies have done. They resulted in a huge tariff on bourbon, in my state, which severely impacted a number of companies, could have impacted employment, but thankfully, Gina Raimondo, when she became the commerce secretary, was able to undo those harmful tariffs.
COLLINS: But what about when we hear from Jason Furman, obviously, who worked in the Obama administration and top economist, and he said he actually thinks that a policy like that would do more harm than good.
BESHEAR: Well, that sounds like an economist. Here in the real world, I've seen what price gouging is, what it does, and how are people can be harmed? And again, this isn't supply and demand. That will happen.
And sometimes it will happen even when it's tough on the American people. But you and I both know there are times where companies say we're going to bleed every nickel out of this situation. And in those instances, we need these types of laws to step in.
COLLINS: Yeah, of course, a lot of people pushed back on that plan and said its just simply supply and demand and the supply chain and what that looks like. Overall though --
BESHEAR: But that works itself out in court. You actually have to go to court and prove that it's more than supply and demand and I've done that and others.
COLLINS: Yeah, it took you 12 years for one of your biggest ones, I know. You remember that very well.
BESHEAR: I remember exactly how long it took.
COLLINS: But when it comes to this convention overall, and as people are watching this -- I mean, this is something that has been a moment as we talked about that was unexpected a month ago, Harris is trying to introduce herself to people. She's not as well-known as to politicos and to people who watch her very closely.
What is the most important thing that you think she needs to do when she speaks on Thursday night?
BESHEAR: Well, I think she needs to be herself, not who she's been made out to be. You know, she is smart and strong, which will make her a good president. But she also is kind and has empathy which will make her a great president and makes her the diametric opposite of Donald Trump.
You have one person that's running because they believe in American, they care about people and, that's Kamala Harris. And you have another that's bent on revenge. I mean, this is like you're angry uncle who gets up during Thanksgiving dinner and goes on a tirade and we all politely ignore it, except now he's running for president.
I mean, we must make sure that we have leaders that have empathy that lead with kindness. And I think you're just going to see something very different in her speech.
COLLINS: What do you make of him calling her comrade Kamala, which is his latest nickname for her?
BESHEAR: I think he's a bully that tries to come up with names to call people and that's pretty sad from a former president who wants to be president again.
COLLINS: Governor Andy Beshear, thank you for being here on THE SOURCE.
BESHEAR: Thanks for having me.
COLLINS: Nice to have you here in person.
BESHEAR: Yes.
COLLINS: And ahead, we have much more from the convention floor. Donald Trump has been going after Harris's legitimacy as the Democratic nominee. Now, he's asking quote, why are we having an election?
The last time also that Chicago hosted the Democratic Convention, delegates dancing the margarita for Bill Clinton. Will we see a similar her moment for Harris?
Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:18:54]
COLLINS: We are back live from the floor of the Democratic National Convention where tomorrow, you will see there before that stage, tens of thousands of Democrats gathering to watch as President Biden passes the torch to Vice President Harris when he takes the stage. It was four weeks ago today, hard to believe given everything that has happened in that time period.
But four weeks ago today that President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. And now he's preparing to deliver a very different prime time speech where he's expected to make the case for Harris while emphasizing his argument that Donald Trump was threat to democracy.
Biden told reporters this earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: How are you feeling about your speech tomorrow?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good, real good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Two powerhouse political sources join me tonight. Former Obama administration official, Van Jones, and David Polyansky, who served in capacity to five Republican presidential campaigns, including Senator Ted Cruz.
It's great to have you both here.
It is going to be a very different speech for President Biden tomorrow night. What do you think that's -- you and I were together when he dropped out of the race.
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah. COLLINS: What do you think that's going to look like?
[21:20:00]
JONES: Look, I mean, first of all, he loves his party. He loves his country, and he has come to respect and appreciate Kamala Harris. He knows his job tomorrow is to praise her, is to say, if you liked me, if you if you -- you trusted me, this is the person that I trust and he's got to make the case for her. He's started the party off, but I think the big story is going to be the reaction of the crowd.
Joe Biden has been with us for 40, 50 years. He's one of the most beloved Democrats and he is doing something incredibly courageous by falling on his sword to let the next-generation go forward. And I think the reaction from the crowd when he walks out is going to be something to remember.
COLLINS: Yeah. I mean, it's expected to be incredibly loud and just to see that moment, it's actually the only night he is going to be here. He's not returning for the other nights of the convention.
And obviously Republicans, David, have been trying to tie Harris so closely to Biden, to his policies, given she's his vice president. You know, one thing that I've heard from a lot of Republicans, I was talking to even just this weekend is they're just amazed by how this last month has gone in terms of the momentum that she's been able to hang on to something that this week is only expected to continue at least for another few days.
DAVID POLYANSKY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: That's right. Well, look, it's been an unprecedented month. I mean, I don't think we've seen anything like this in American history, nevertheless presidential politics. And so, I think right now for Republicans, they want to do two things this week. Number one tried to paint a contrast here.
And tomorrow night, our hope is that President Biden stands on that stage and talks about the Biden-Harris agenda a little bit and juices are our opportunity to go in the seven really battleground states and talk about this, and talk about what's happened over the last four years as compared to the Trump administration. That's number one.
Really number two is practiced strategic patience. Look, this is going to be a big week for Democrats here. They get the stage, mostly to themselves. Our job isn't to worry about the next week. Our job is to worry about the week after and beyond.
And at this point, there's 29 days until people start to vote in Pennsylvania, we've got to be focused on that and not worried about the short term, focused on our messaging going forward. I think given where the race is at, it's -- it's dead even right now. And that's a pretty darn good place for Republicans to be.
COLLINS: Yeah, I think it speaks to also that Trump's on the campaign trail this week when he initially was not going to be. But at other speaker will -- it's all of political powerhouses coming out speaking of what that stage is going to look like. I was thinking, the Republican Convention, there was no Vice President Pence there, there was no Dick Cheney, there wasn't George W. Bush. It was remarkable that the past Republican presidents and vice presidents and candidates who were not there.
We'll see Hillary Clinton on that stage this week.
JONES: Yeah.
COLLINS: Our reporting is that she's going to talk about how many cracks have been put in the proverbial glass ceiling.
JONES: I love that, I love that.
I mean, that was -- that was her big line at the end when she -- when she stepped back to let Obama step forward, she finally said, look, you know, we've gone as far as we can, but she says there's glass ceiling is still there, but we put 18 million cracks in it.
And now here we are just a few years later, and that ceiling is now been broken by Kamala Harris. It is remarkable. We're going to have Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Joe Biden.
Donald Trump had Hulk Hogan. I mean, the contrast in terms of having the full party behind Kamala Harris. All of our luminaries, all of our powerhouses saying this is a person we believe in. And you literally just had, you know, I think Kid Rock or something vouching for Donald Trump and his vice president not only did he not come, he'd been afraid to come, he might have been injured.
That's the difference between these two parties.
COLLINS: Yeah. David, what does that contrast say? It is pretty interesting to look at that to see who was there for that one and who will be here for this.
POLYANSKY: I mean, presidential politics is about going forward. What is your vision for the future?
And I think for the bar party, it really is a much different party than the last time we held the White House. It is a Donald Trump party today, and he wanted the convention to convey that to voters again, not just across the country, but in battleground states.
And you know what? If I was trying today to persuade independent or undecided voter in Pennsylvania or Michigan, probably want Kid Rock on that stage and Hulk Hogan rather than politicians from the past. And so I think that's just where the party's at. And frankly, I think that's where a lot of undecided electorates at today. So, I don't -- I don't call ones' week good or bad, I just call them different.
COLLINS: And Donald Trump has been out on the campaign trail talking about Harris. Obviously, he has continued to question her legitimacy as the nominee of the party, but also, he was talking about going into this convention. Listen to what you said in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why did she go to the convention? Because it's a rigged convention. Obviously, she got no votes.
Joe Biden hates it. This was an overthrow of a president. This was an overthrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He's saying this was an overthrow of a president.
[21:25:01]
He's also questioning why there is an election being held at all.
JONES: Look, I mean, what do you say about the guy? I mean, this is not the first time a sitting president passed the torch over to a vice president. It happened in 1968, the year I was born when Johnson did that for his vice president.
This is a part of our process. We don't have a cult. We have a political party, and we have a political party principles and ideals and values matter.
And if you got somebody, their arm is tired. They can't finish pushing out the game, you put in another picture. That's what a political party can do. When you have a cult, you can't replace the leader because you have the dear leader in place and that's what Donald Trump is to his party --
POLYANSKY: I just want to say I'm just glad to learn that live on air that you're older than me, okay?
(LAUGHTER)
COLLINS: OK. But in all seriousness, I mean, the imagery that Trump is posting, that the A.I. image behind Harris would the hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag, I mean, obviously, that is an A.I. generated fake image. But that's what he's trying to argue. This convention is going to look like.
Does that hit with voters still in the same way?
POLYANSKY: It does. Look, in this environment over the last 28 days --
COLLINS: How he does it?
POLYANSKY: In the last 28 days, Donald Trump has held a hard time getting any attention. You've never seen that in his -- since 2015. We've never seen a for a four-week stretch where he struggled to get himself into info flow stage.
And so, he's doing everything he can not just to get himself back into the mix and have us off about it, but more importantly, do it in a way that puts her on defense about issues like price controls and otherwise, which are actually good policy differences for him to make. So it's Donald Trump being Donald Trump and you're going to go I expect more that come and --
JONES: Donald Trump -- desperate, petty, small, silly, you know, it's ridiculous.
Now, we've got to run our numbers up this week. The reality is she's had an extraordinary 28-day --
POLYANSKY: Historic.
JONES: Historic, unprecedented. And yet we're still tied.
And so we've got to run the score up this week. It will be the last shot we have pretty much uncontested to make sure people know what her agenda is and what she's about to do it, guilt any unfinished business inside of our party with any folks who are not happy. And then from there, we go into real combat after -- after Labor Day.
COLLINS: Van Jones, David Polyansky, they've got to go warm up with a band actually at a practice, coming up. You could you heard in the background.
POLYANSKY: I'm ready.
COLLINS: Meanwhile, outside the DNC, protests have already begun. Chicago has been bracing for demonstrations. As Governor Pritzker said they've been preparing for over a year for what this week could look like, the tens of thousands of protesters expected 250 National Guard members at the ready.
We're going to speak with Pramila Jayapal, the congresswoman, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:32:23]
COLLINS: Welcome back. We are live in Chicago tonight.
And when the Democratic convention kicks off in just a few hours, around 200 members of the states National Guard would be on standby. That's because for weeks now, officials have been preparing for really a year for large protests to happen tonight. You can see crowds of pro-Palestinian activists marching and chanting "40,000 people dead". That is the reported death toll in Gaza according to the health ministry, there which is run by Hamas, these protests that's very expected to grow into the tens of thousands tomorrow.
But Democratic officials and the governor of Illinois say that they are prepared for this to have peaceful protests the perimeter has heavily guarded, fences are up, streets have been shut down.
But the dissent won't only be heard outside of the United Center. Uncommitted delegates who cast protests votes against President Biden over the war in Gaza has also vowed to make their voices heard.
Joining me now to discuss is the Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who's also the progressive caucus chair, and it's great to have you.
We are already seeing obviously the protest outside. We know tomorrow is expected to be one of the biggest. There are six major planned protests tomorrow.
Do you think we're also going to see protests inside the convention center?
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): You know, I'm not sure. I think, obviously, this is a serious issue for a lot of people. I do think the majority of people understand that there is a big difference between Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and Donald Trump. And they are here because they were for uncommitted voters or there were Biden supporters.
And so I think the important thing is that the Harris-Walz campaign has already been reaching out to Muslim-American, Arab Americans, uncommitted voters across the country and I think that conversation is going to have to continue. Obviously, because people do want some assurance that this killing in Gaza is going to stop, that there's going to be a peace that respects both Israeli and Palestinians.
COLLINS: And if there are those protests inside, do you have any concerns at that show division within your party to people who are at home, watches independent voters, you know, people who aren't sure who they're voting for yet come November?
JAYAPAL: I mean, I think the Democratic Party is a big tent. We've always known that. And I think we believe in peaceful protests I think we'll manage it. I know that the Harris-Walz campaign, the DNC is looking at how to manage that inside as well.
And so I have the confidence that the overall show will be one of unity. But, obviously, we need to make sure all voices are heard and we need those folks to be ready to feel like they can come out and vote in November because many give them are in critical states.
[21:35:05]
And we do need their votes and they need to feel like we need their votes. They need to feel heard. And I think I hope that's going to happen.
COLLINS: Well, and in some of those key states, we've already seen pro-Palestinian activists interrupting Harris. We often saw this with President Biden when he was out speaking in Michigan.
She's had two moments where she's been giving speeches and this has happened. And I just want everyone to look at how she's handled those two moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I'm here because we believe in democracy. Everyone's voice matters, but I am speaking now.
You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking.
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: And let me just say this on topic of what I think I'm hearing over there. Let me just speak to that for a moment, I have been clear -- now is the time to get a ceasefire deal and get the hostage deal done.
Which way do you want her to respond to protest if they happen here on Thursday night? I mean, look, she is she is speaking to the anguish that Palestinians are feeling. So talking about a ceasefire deal, talking about peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is really important because that is ultimately what we want to happen. And I think that's a really important piece.
But I also think is ongoing conversations right? And at the end of the day, she is talking about an economic agenda that is going to lift up working people everywhere. And she is somebody the under whom we can also organize on the things that we don't necessarily agree 100 percent on.
I always say perfection is not on the ballot, but real progress is. And I think that's what we will get is real progress that lifts up people across the country and fights for opportunity and freedom for everyone. That is totally different from what Donald Trump is fighting for.
Donald Trump is about himself. He is not about making sure that we're lifting people up and you can see it in his rambling incoherent speeches. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to bring us together. It doesn't mean 100 percent all the time, but I think what you will see is tremendous enthusiasm and momentum for this campaign which we're seeing.
I've been in Georgia. I've been in Mich -- I just came from Michigan. I'm going to Wisconsin.
COLLNS: What did you know from voters there on this issue and how they feel about where she stands on this because she doesn't differ from President Biden very much, if at all?
JAYAPAL: Well, she can't differ -- she's his vice president. She can't completely separate himself from -- separate herself from his policy. But certainly she is tremendously empathetic and I do feel like people are recognizing that, but there needs to be a little bit more.
And so that Congress stations can continue. What I heard from people in Michigan. And then when I was in Georgia is people are incredibly excited for this campaign for the way in which they feel like they're being seen and heard and represented.
COLLINS: It doesn't mean 100 percent all the time. But I do think people are excited about the economic agenda. I think they're excited about the diversity of two middle-class kids, you know, getting to be the nominees for the Democratic Party.
They liked the way she's feisty and she's taking on big corporations and she's -- she's ready to push back on Donald Trump and all the ridiculousness that he's putting out there.
JAYAPAL: I think he said about her this weekend caught my ear. I just want everyone to listen to him in his own words on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Kamala has one big advantage. She's a very beautiful woman.
(BOOING)
TRUMP: She's a beautiful woman.
But I say that I am much better looking than her. I think I'm much better looking, much better.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: I'm a better looking person than Kamala.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He was saying, if I remember correctly at the beginning that he believes that people say that about her being a beautiful women -- woman. But what -- what's your response to that?
JAYAPAL: Listen, if he wants to run on being better looking than Kamala, have at it, we will win on that count.
But more importantly, we're going to win for them American people on her policies, on her qualifications, on her ability to pull this country together.
But let them ramble on about whatever incoherent thing he wants to ramble on again. We're out there mobilizing people, getting voters out, turning people out. We're going to win in November with Harris and Walz.
It's going be close. It's going to be closed. We're going to have to do the work, but I feel incredibly energized and enthusiastic about the -- about the future.
COLLINS: Congresswoman, thank you for your time. Sorry about the noise. I know we're on air during band practice, but thank you for sticking with us.
JAYAPAL: Great, I get to hear the live music.
COLLINS: I know. It's basically a free concert.
This is a reshaped race as she was just noting, and it has also dramatically altered the path to victory. This is really interesting on that "Road to 270", not just for Vice President Harris, but also former President Donald Trump.
[21:40:06]
Our in-house number cruncher, Harry Enten is here and he has the very latest breakdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: With just 79 days left on the "Road to 270" for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, 270 electoral votes, that is.
CNN's new interactive map shows multiple pathways to victory for both candidates, which is a shift from just a few weeks ago and we saw, as we looked at the numbers, Trump had a clear advantage in this race.
[21:45:04]
So with a reshaped election, race, coming our way, which path is the most likely by November?
CNN's favorite data guru Harry Enten is here with me.
Harry, I should note, Jason is always just on stage behind us. You have -- you have a tough act to follow.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I know. Let's see if I'm able to.
COLLINS: OK, but you -- actually, these numbers -- a lot of people were sending them to me over the last 24 hours, walking it Sun Belt, looking at these states of what these different paths to victory could be.
ENTEN: Yeah, I mean, look those "New York Times"/Siena College poll that came out yesterday, I feel like I have deja vu all over again to, quote, Yogi Berra, right? They pulled in the Sunbelt, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, and you compare the results. Now on the act good to where they were four years ago, and we see it very similar picture, tide in both of those cases.
But what a change from where we were just in May when Joe Biden, of course, was the very likely Democratic nominee, Donald Trump, led in the aggregate of those states by nine points. So, Kamala Harris has truly closed the gap and she's closer to a tie which looks very similar to where we were four years ago in the final results.
COLLINS: So when you're looking at these pathways, so, and this "New York Times" polling and what we've seen, the changes since May, I mean, what are the different paths that people should be watching on election night that maybe weren't they were -- not what they were going to be looking at even a month ago.
ENTEN: Yeah. I mean, if you look at those "New York Times" polls, it's just such a change, right? You go back can you essentially look at if the map looked exactly like "The New York Times" polls said they look, Donald Trump just had a massive advantage. He basically led an all the battleground states. There was just one lone exception up in Michigan where of course, Joe Biden was up by a single point.
You look at those exact maps now and you flip it. You basically see the inverse, right? And you see that now what's Kamala Harris who, if "The New York Times" polls were exactly right, has the clear a pathway to 270 electoral votes leading in every single state outside of Nevada and Georgia. So where we were now compare to where we were back in May, it's just so drastically different say.
Honestly, it's kind of shocking to say.
COLLINS: Why is it so shocking to you?
ENTEN: Why is it so shocking to me because we had just a static election? We just had a static election where Donald Trump was consistently ahead --
COLLINS: And nothing changed anything.
ENTEN: Nothing ever changed. And more than that, the idea that Joe Biden was going to drop out of the race and then Kamala Harris was going to come on, pick up all this big momentum. I honestly I'm not sure that Aaron Sorkin could have written such a screenplay.
COLLINS: Well, as we're looking at this and now it is Harris at the top of the ticket. If you're her strategist and her data guru, what's her most likely path to 270?
ENTEN: Yeah, I know we were talking about the Sunbelt earlier, but look, its the Great Lakes battleground path. All right? You know, there's a reason why were in Illinois right now. There was a reason why we were in with Johnson last month.
Look, she just needs to carry Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, if she's able to do that along with Nebraska's second congressional district, she'll get to exactly 270 electoral votes. So it's Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in my mind.
COLLINS: And for Donald Trump, it's also Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania?
ENTEN: Exactly right. That's exactly right. So Donald Trump is most likely if he was going to win would carry those Sunbelt battleground states and then what he needs to do as he has this deal one of those Great Lake battleground states from Kamala Harris if you look at the polls, you speak with most people on the ground, they would argue that Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.
So the bottom line is Jake Tapper, I think can be very proud of his home state at this particular point because I think it probably comes down to the Keystone State.
COLLINS: As he always is, but if he was sitting right here, he'd say commonwealth.
ENTEN: The commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
COLLINS: So we're listening to the can everyone warming up, who are you most excited to see this week here on the convention?
ENTEN: I heard that Katy Perry may be making an appearance. So maybe if we could get Katy Perry --
COLLINS: From your sources or?
ENTEN: From my sources, from my sources, I'm not going to reveal who they are. Maybe if we could combine her with Beyonce, I think that'd be pretty cool.
But at the end of the day, if my uncle, Neil Sedaka, is not making appearance, I'm kind of lukewarm on them whole thing.
COLLINS: Harry Enten, as always, thank you.
ENTEN: Thank you.
COLLINS: When they go low, we go high. It was iconic moment from DNC's in the past, we have predictions on what so we expect for this convention. There are always moments that are memorable. Which ones are going to stick out from this one? Right after a quick break.
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[21:53:58]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: When someone is cruel, or acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level. No, our motto is: when they go low, we go high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: One of the most memorable lines from first lady Michelle Obama at the 2016 Democratic convention. And iconic moment like that could define this years Democratic convention.
My political panel is back here with me inside the United Center where it will all get kicked off in just a matter of hours.
I mean, Van, that was a moment that, you know, as soon as it happened, I think everyone kind of realized it was not only a defining moment of that convention, but out of all of the conventions, the Democratic conventions, when you look at them.
JONES: Yeah, I mean, Michelle Obama is one of the best communicators in the English language, and she makes it look so easy. It's not easy to be a conversation. She is, but when she hits a moment it resonated, and it resonated globally.
And a lot of people have since it we shouldn't have said that when they go low, we should go lower, blah, blah, blah -- no, no we call them deplorables and it didn't work out well for us.
[21:55:02] But when we have a high tone, like you hear from Kamala Harris, she's not going into the gutter and Trump -- whenever Trump tries to pull her in the gutter talks about, look, she just stays above it. And that's where all the energy is coming from.
So not only was she right in terms of hitting the right tone, it's actually politically right. And that's what you expect from Michelle Obama. And she might do it again. She might do it again. She will be here this week.
COLLINS: She'll be speaking on Tuesday, obviously, it's going to be a closely watched speech.
When you're -- when you're looking at this and there are those moments that you don't always know that they're going to happen, but it happens at every convention where there's something that kind of sticks out and really does sum up the entire political moment that we're living in.
POLYANSKY: That moment, too, but I think its a good reminder for all of us that these are shows, their conventions, but not really everybody that matters is watching them. And so that was a great moment in history and political history in particular. But the end of the day, the results spoke for themselves that year.
And so, I think we just got to remember as we go through this week, as we went through the RNC, they're great shows. They're great spectacles, but what's going to matter the most is what happens next week. And the week after that when these candidates are on the debate stage and going into these cities and across these battleground states, that's when it's going to batter.
COLLINS: But they can also be pretty formative when it comes to the future of the party. I mean, everyone remembers when and Barack Obama came out and gave his speech as --
JONES: 2004.
COLLINS: -- a Illinois state senator, I watched it today on my flight here just to remind myself and it's moments like that where you maybe a little do you understand at the time.
JONES: Oh, no, we knew. We knew.
That the crazy thing about this speech was the day before, he was so unknown that Al Sharpton call him Obama Baraka, like literally got back --
COLLINS: Got his name backward.
JONES: Got his name backwards. It's like he was -- Sharpton was proud of them. We had this new young guy Obama Baraka. Nobody knew who he was.
And 17 minutes later, he walked off that stage. You knew this guy was going to go all the way. COLLINS: Well, it's just interesting -- I mean, you've worked on a lot
of presidential and paint and just you normally a moment where a lot of hopefuls are there. I think if it was President Biden, certainly, there would be a lot of people looking with an eye on 2028, but this does change it now that it is a much younger face on the top of the ticket.
POLYANSKY: Look, this week is about one person and one person only -- no offense to even our Wednesday nights speakers. This is about the vice president and her opportunity, and not just to introduce herself in her own individual brand to the large swath of the country, but frankly, to try to create some separation from the president and the last four years. And I think just in sharpness, we saw at the RNC was you know, there is no heir apparent.
There is. I mean, what's going to happen in our party no matter what happens in November, it's going to be a wide-open field and that's pretty exciting for Republicans, too.
COLLINS: What about the tone of the convention? I mean, I was on the floor of the Republican convention. They felt then like they had the wind at their back and that they were walking into an election that was not -- if they win, it was by how much they would win. I mean, in one month the flip has completely switched and now this is the party with the momentum behind.
JONES: And then a month, we could be saying, remember how happy we were in August.
POLYANSKY: That's right.
JONES: Anything can happen. That's the thing about politics. It's not something you can just predict for. The reality is, at this point, you'd much rather be Kamala Harris right now, than Donald Trump because momentum is behind her, because she's found her groove. She's become a cultural phenomenon.
It's very hard to beat Donald Trump because he's a cultural phenomenon. He's a celebrity. He's a movement leader. He's not just a politician. You got to have something just that magical to go up against him and we have that now.
And yet, she still hasn't had a major interview. She still hadn't had a debate. All of the oppo hasn't been unleashed on Walz or her. So she's still got a long way to go.
So the reason this convention is important, it's going to charge up people want to go out and work hard for her. You can't win this thing in August, you got to win it all the way through November.
COLLINS: Well, we mentioned earlier Trump being out on the campaign trail this week. He -- his advisers were even confused when I was having conversations with them last week about why he wasn't out of the campaign trail more given that momentum, now he will be in battleground states. J.D. Vance has been out there to be clear, but I mean, what does that need to look like for him in another week where they are going, Democrats will dominate the headlines.
POLYANSKY: Well, look, no matter what Republicans do this week, Democrats are going to dominate the headlines. That's just the reality of conventions but again, this election might be decided by 100,000 people, the amount of people that can fill Michigan stadium?
JONES: Yeah.
POLYANSKY: And across seven states. And so he's going out and not speaking to the larger, you know, swath. He's trying to go out and speak to those people in their home communities.
It's a pretty smart play for the next week because, you know, he can speak to them. Rather tried to speak through this. And this is going to be hard to break through this week. I think it's a great strategy and a great approach.
COLLINS: My last really important question is do either of you know how to do the Macarena?
JONES: No.
POLYANSKY: Van was bragging about his ability right downstairs. It's unbelievable. Good, sir.
JONES: I mean, look at that.
COLLINS: I'd like to see the two of you try to that.
JONES: That did not age well and this would not age well.
COLLINS: David?
POLYANSKY: I believe this is a Democratic primary -- convention. So I've got to follow his lead.
COLLINS: I mean, as we've heard from an unnamed potential VP who was here earlier, he said he still glad he didn't do that or he wouldn't have been in the running. That was on tape.
JONES: Exactly, I agree. Wise man, wise man.
COLLINS: What is several don't dance on camera.
JONES: Exactly, exactly. Number one rule, not on this camera for sure.
(LAUGHTER)
POLYANSKY: Absolute.
COLLINS: Van Jones, David Polyansky, great to have you both here, with neither of you did the Macarena requirement for being on this panel.
Thank you so much for all of you at home joining us live from the United Center. CNN's special coverage of this convention will continue. I'll be on the floor all week speaking to all the Democrats and the delegates as they are gathered here.
"NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
