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CNN Speakers To Voters In Battleground Georgia Ahead Of Debate; Stage Set For Tonight's High-Stakes Debate Between Biden & Trump; Source: Biden Expected To Go On The Offensive On Immigration Tonight. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired June 27, 2024 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:31:54]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: One of the most fascinating aspects to tonight's debate is that it's happening in a key battleground state, Georgia.
The Peach State turn blue in 2020 for the first time in nearly three decades. And in a special election just months later, the state helped elect Democrats and retake the Senate.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: But recent polls signal a possible shift back to red this November, which is very important to note.
We have CNN chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, standing by on this.
Jeff, you've been talking to voters here in Georgia. What are they saying?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna and Boris, Georgia was the closest of any battleground state in 2020. Fewer than 12,000 votes separated Joe Biden from Donald Trump. As you said, the first Democratic victory here in a presidential race in nearly three decades.
Now, voters are paying very close attention to this race and, indeed, tonight's debates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY (voice-over): Mariama Davis is busy in her Atlanta boutique, hopeful for the summer ahead.
MARIAMA DAVIS, GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC VOTER: Hey, there. Welcome to The Beehive.
ZELENY: When you ask her that age-old question in politics --
(on camera): Are things better for you than they we're four years ago?
(voice-over): -- her deliberate answer is telling. DAVIS: I mean, with the loan forgiveness and that definitely better. But things aren't, you know, might be just a little slight increase, but they feel pretty much the same.
ZELENY (on camera): It's not worse?
DAVIS: It's not worse. It's not worse.
ZELENY (voice-over): While it's hardly the slogan President Biden is running on, it taps into a sentiment often expressed by supporters like Davis.
She manages The Beehive, a small business, like so many, on an economic roller coaster.
DAVIS: If people have a choice to buy eggs or food and gifts, we still expect them to buy food for their families. But like I said, our doors are still open. So we're grateful for that.
ZELENY: She's also grateful the president is seeking a second term, and as high hopes for his chances in Georgia where Biden defeated Donald Trump by 11,779 votes out of five million cast, the closest margin of any battleground.
KELVIN KING, GEORGIA REPUBLICAN VOTER: A good candidate on either side may be able to sway voters in Georgia.
ZELENY: Kelvin King, a conservative Republican leader, backed Trump in 2016 and 2020.
KING: Thank you for fighting for all Americans.
ZELENY: While he believes Biden is vulnerable on inflation, immigration and more, he said a Trump victory here is hardly guaranteed.
KING: We have new Republicans who are excited about President Trump. We have some Republicans that are not.
ZELENY: It's one of the biggest questions of the race: Can Trump capitalize on Biden's challenges?
The former president's campaign has started opening offices across the state, like this one in Marietta.
But Trump has yet to bury the hatchet with the popular Republican Governor Brian Kemp --
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me tell you, this guy's a disaster.
ZELENY: -- who refused to give in to Trump's demands to overturn the election, which made Georgia an early epicenter of criminal charges against him.
KING: Re-litigating is not going to drive people to the polls, at least not the folks in the middle, the folks that we need. But focusing on today and tomorrow is really where we need to be.
[13:34:57]
ZELENY: Georgia is among the battlegrounds Trump is trying to win back, along with Arizona, while also picking up Nevada, which he lost twice.
Biden could lose all three and still win reelection if he holds the blue wall of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and a single electoral vote in Nebraska.
To keep all pathways open, Democrats are making big investments in Georgia, with a dozen offices.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will gather, we will organize, we will build community, we will build coalitions.
ZELENY: That frame coalition is a pressing challenge facing the Biden campaign.
When we met Kerry Singleton last year, he was disappointed Biden hadn't achieved all of his promises.
KERRY SINGLETON, GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC VOTER: Just as we hold Trump accountable, you know, we have to hold Biden accountable.
ZELENY: After hearing the president deliver a commencement address at Morehouse College last month and focusing on his November choice, he sees it differently.
SINGLETON: My disagreements previously do not matter as much as the two people that we have as choices here. And to me, President -- former President Donald Trump just isn't an option whatsoever.
ZELENY: Back at The Beehive, Davis is optimistic for the fall and, for her, status quo sounds just fine.
DAVIS: You know what you're getting with Joe Biden. He doesn't pull any punches. He's a straight shooter. And I'm happy to see more of the same.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY: So these conversations with Georgia voters certainly shine a light on the challenges for President Biden for rebuilding some of that coalition of younger voters, voters of color, suburban voters as well.
But also for former President Donald Trump. The voters we talked to said they want to hear him talk about his plans for the future, not about re-litigating the past.
Of course, all of that will be in center stage, literally, tonight at the debate. So both campaigns on both sides are planning big watch parties all over Georgia. So yes, it's a global event, a natural event, but it's an event right
here at home that Georgia voters are watching very, very closely Boris -- and Brianna?
KEILAR: Sure is.
Great report. Thanks for that, Jeff.
These candidates can prep the talking points but is it how they deliver them or respond to them that will really win over voters? We're going to talk to debate experts.
And as we head to break here, these are some live pictures coming to us of Marine One landing at Joint Base Andrews. President Biden heading to Georgia for tonight's debate.
Stay with CNN.
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[13:41:54]
SANCHEZ: These images are from moments ago at Joint Base Andrews near the nation's capital where President Biden is deplaning? I don't want to say deplaning when it's a helicopter. But he's getting off Marine One and he's headed to Atlanta.
And tonight isn't just about what the candidates are going to say. It's also about what they don't say. Their body language could be just as powerful as their words.
For more on this, let's turn to some experts.
KEILAR: Yes, experts who both played the role of Trump during debate prep for several presidential candidates.
We have veteran GOP debate coach, Peter Flaherty. He has worked with Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and Jeb Bush. And Phillippe Reines is with us. He helped prep Hillary Clinton for the 2016 debate.
All right, Phillippe, let's start with you.
Because a feature of this debate is that microphones are actually going to be automatically muted once it's the other candidates turn to speak.
It's actually something that happened in the second debate in the last cycle between these two. Maybe helped Trump actually or seemed to be a better debate -- debate for him.
How do you think each candidate may use that?
PHILLIPPE REINES, FORMER ADVISER TO HILLARY CLINTON: Well, I mean, Trump lost in 2020. So if that's how he thinks it helps, great.
I -- first of all, you're not supposed to interrupt whether there's a mute or not. So this is just a safety mechanism to enforce some self- control.
Donald Trump, in the other 45 minutes, will show what we all know him to be, which is erratic and loud.
I think it redounds to the presidents favor because President Biden will be able to articulate what he is thinking, looking straight into the camera, telling the 75-plus million people who are watching what he has done for America, what he wants to do for America.
It's hard to do that when someone is barking at you from, you know, 10 feet away. So this is only helpful to him.
In terms of the president, I mean, the only thing that would help former President Trump is if you we're muted for the whole 90 minutes. We're still going to get a healthy dose of him and a reminder of him that I think people seem to be forgetting what the true Donald Trump is.
And the more Trump tries to get under Biden's skin, the more he tries to focus to force a moment, the worst he might be doing for himself and the more he might be helping Joe Biden achieve Joe Biden's strategy, which is to remind everyone that he is a loudmouth, who really doesn't have anything to offer.
SANCHEZ: Peter, what are your views of how this muted mic dynamic might benefit either candidate?
PETER FLAHERTY, VETERAN GOP DEBATE COACH: I think it actually goes to the benefit of President Trump.
Because I think, if -- if we've heard any of this analysis over the last days on your -- on your network, is that, if Donald Trump needs to do anything -- and even his campaign has talked about this -- is to make sure that he stays in control and that he stays disciplined.
These ground rules actually give him the guardrails that will actually help him stay controlled and stay disciplined.
One of the things that is going to be a challenge for President Biden is to stay alert, to stay engaged, and to stay awake.
Not just for 90 minutes, but to be able to prove to the American voter and, quite frankly, the Democratic party that he is going to be up to the task of actually campaigning -- what he didn't have to do in 2020 because of Covid.
[13:45:08]
And actually be able to be up to the task of being president for the next four years. You know, I would rather be in the position of having to tame a tiger than raise the dead.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
Phillippee, I'm curious to get your perspective on these moments that aren't necessarily talking points, they're not really something that a candidate can plan for, but it's more of a natural reaction to someone attacking them or going after them.
We heard from a Trump ally in recent days that they believe that the moment that the 2020 election was lost was during the first debate when Joe Biden, in response to Donald Trump, said something to the effect of, oh, come on, cut it out, man.
How does one practice for those moments in a debate? Is that something you can practice for?
REINES: Yes. I mean, it's easy to think that this is an "SNL" skit. It's not. There's no utility -- I think it was you have Alec Baldwin or any number of comedians who can do a better impersonation.
There's no utility also in being the worst Donald Trump and yelling at the candidate all the time, because that's not accurate either. There will be windows where he has different -- he has different pitches that he'll show.
So ideally, what you want is to help the candidate envision lots and lots of different scenarios. Not so they can memorize something, not so they can practice a moment. But that they, in their head, think about.
It's not even necessary that the most important prep work is done in the room. It might be while they're running or while they're showering or dreaming or driving around. Because they start to think that way.
The infamous Lloyd Bentsen-Dan Quayle moment was something that wasn't practiced per say. But Bentsen knew that he did it occasionally. And obviously, he thought about it. And when he had the moment, he took it.
I think what's funny -- you know, listen to Peter, this has been obviously the Republican talking point that President Biden can't stand up straight. I don't know why they keep saying that because, obviously, it's a silly expectation to set.
But as someone who played Trump and barked at Hillary Clinton, it would be remarkable to think that someone on stage with a human smelling salt is going to have some kind of moment, whether you want to call it spacey or senile, whatever it is like.
That's the least likely time that Joe Biden is going to have some moment that supports this constant refrain of he doesn't know where he is, doesn't know what he's doing.
And it's funny because it comes from Donald Trump. But I just don't think that that's -- I don't think it's going to happen. And I don't think it's smart. But I'm not in charge or what they do or don't say.
KEILAR: Peter, what do you say to that?
FLAHERTY: Well, let's be clear. I mean, Joe Biden has been debating for over half a century. He's been debating since 1972. He's aided as a United States Senator, as he was Senator. He's been debating in the Senate candidates and Senate candidate forums. He's been debating as a vice-presidential candidate. He has been
debating as a presidential candidate. He's got over a half a century of debate experience under his belt.
But what happened when Donald Trump went down the escalator in 2015 was he just -- he changed politics. Whether people like it or not, he changed politics forever.
He also changed presidential debates forever. Presidential debates, as much as -- and this is the first time we will have a in-studio, with no live audience, televised debate since the very first televised debate in 1960 between Kennedy and Nixon.
And no matter how hard Jake Tapper and Dana Bash try, they will not replicate the Nixon-Kennedy debate because this is a TV show and Donald Trump is a TV star. This is where he thrives. Donald Trump is the consummate entertainer,
Donald -- Donald Trump is a combination of Caitlin Clark and the Savannah Bananas. And there is no way that the -- Joe Biden, who'd started debating in 1972, is going to be able to handle someone like Donald Trump.
As Phillipe said, he played Donald Trump. I played Donald Trump in mock debates as well. I probably didn't do as good a job as Philippe did because we really had no idea what to expect to debate with Donald Trump.
It's like asking a Scout team quarterback to play Tom Brady. Tom Brady can go in and read a defense. Donald Trump can go into a television show and read the room and know how -- to how to handle it.
REINES: You're saying two different things. Joe Biden can't stand up straight, but he is a world-class debater that might work for Donald Trump tonight.
The second thing that I don't understand is this -- the idea that Donald Trump is a showman who succeeds on TV.
He -- let's not forget, there have been five general election debates, three against Hillary Clinton in 2016, two against Joe Biden in 2020. It would be hard, with a straight face -- and I'm sure Peter will doubt to try it -- to say that Donald Trump won any of those.
[13:50:03]
So I don't -- obviously, they're hedging against any outcome. If Joe Biden does great, he's on Adderall. If he does terribly, he's too old for this.
If Donald Trump does great, then he's been studying, but he wouldn't admit it last week. If Donald Trump does terribly, it's because he doesn't need to be a traditional politician. He just shows up and mouths off.
This is where the problem is tomorrow for all of us, is to sort of break down that not even double standard, that quadruple, quintuple standard of what Donald Trump will pull tonight.
I mean, think about it. Technically, he has to be muted because he interrupts and somehow the conversation is, is that to his favor?
And I just -- shifting a little bit. I would say on muting, the two people that really it might be down to their favor are Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
Because they will have a good 90 seconds to absorb what was just said to them for the sake of a little processing of factual truthfulness and deciding on follow-up. And that is not something that Chris Wallace had in 2020.
SANCHEZ: Phillippe, Peter, we have to leave the conversation there. Very much appreciate it.
There was a lot on that bingo card: Adderall, Savannah Bananas, Tom Brady, Caitlin Clark. Whoever's out there winning, congrats.
Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.
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[13:55:47]
SANCHEZ: According to a source speaking to CNN, President Biden is going to go after Donald Trump on an issue that pulls consistently show Trump has the edge, immigration. Trump has made it a cornerstone of his campaign.
KEILAR: But a recent large drop in border encounters, a very big one, 40 percent, has buoyed the president's hopes that he can gain the upper hand.
So let's bring in CNN's Priscilla Alvarez for more on this.
Priscilla, break this down for us how the two candidates stand on immigration.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, the arguments we're going to hear from the two candidates tonight.
They boil down to two things. Former President Donald Trump saying that immigration and the border are out of control. And President Biden saying that Trump's policies, if he were to take a second term, they're too extreme.
Now, this is important because of what you just mentioned, the polling shows that this is now a top the issue on the minds of American voters.
And what is unique this time around is that President Biden has his own immigration record. Over the last three years, we have seen an administration that has grappled with record migration across the western hemisphere that has landed at the U.S. southern border. And that has led to images of border crisis after border crisis. And that is something that President Biden has been slammed by former President Donald Trump and Republicans time and again.
And not only is it something that we have seen play out on the border, but also in cities across the country, which explains why so many voters are thinking about this in ways that maybe they weren't a few years ago.
Now President Biden has released several executive actions over the last few weeks, no coincidence, that include -- included, for example, restricting asylum access at the border, and expediting the path to citizenship for some undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens.
And former President Donald Trump has also said what he wants to do, mass deportation and supporting green cards for foreigners who graduate U.S. colleges.
But ultimately, what we saw over the last few days is the Biden administration taking a victory lap and feeling as though -- President Biden can go on the offensive this time and say that he has an agenda that is working, given, for example, that 40 percent drop in border crossings.
But the other thing that Biden campaign officials tell me is that the family separation policy under former President Donald Trump still resonates with voters.
So this is an opportunity for President Biden not only to point to what he has done an office, but to remind voters of the stark contrast between the two.
And remember that family separation policy really Biden people when it happened and that's something that we may hear from the president again tonight.
KEILAR: Yes, it would be strange to not hear about that tonight.
Priscilla Alvarez, thank you for that report.
President Biden is now on his way to Georgia ahead of tonight's presidential debate. We're going to have the latest on any last-minute preps from both camps when CNN's special coverage continues.
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