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Democrats Coalescing Around Harris; Medial Issue Not Factor in Biden's Decision; Harris' Support Growing; Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) is Interviewed about Harris. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 22, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, but the other states normally follow.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I got to ask very quickly here. One of the groups that President Biden had trouble with were younger Democratic voters.

AXELROD: Yes. Yes.

BERMAN: Is that different now?

AXELROD: Oh, I think so.

BERMAN: Do you see Harris being able to energize that group?

AXELROD: Yes, well, I've just heard from a lot of young people in last, you know, 12 hours, and there is a level of excitement. The grassroots fundraising reflects some of the excitement, as you mentioned. But there is a sense among younger people that, here's something I can get into. She's more contemporary. She's - she sort of understands contemporary culture. And she looks more like tomorrow than yesterday.

So, I think you're going to see a more activated youth vote, a more activated vote in - in the black community. Perhaps in the Hispanic community. I think she's going to have to work at that.

I do think that, as Harry said, whereas there was very little chance for Democrats 24 hours ago, there is a real sense of possibility now.

BERMAN: David Axelrod, great to see you.

AXELROD: Always good to see you, John.

BERMAN: I know this has been quite a ride for you -

AXELROD: Always good to stand around with you.

BERMAN: You know it's important to stretch those legs. Thanks very much.

AXELROD: Yes.

BERMAN: So, a new hour with new happenings of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Kamala Harris is about to make her very first public appearance since Biden dropped out and she jumped into the presidential race. What will her message be? And the new reporting on the hours that she spent on the phone, working the phones, already trying to shore up support among fellow Democrats.

And then there's Joe Manchin, the independent senator from West Virginia, saying that he was pursuing the process and looking at a possible presidential bid. And just as quickly says that he is not. What this means for Democrats as they wade into - further into unchartered presidential waters.

And in the hotseat, the director of the Secret Service is about to come face to face with Congress, testifying on Capitol Hill for the first time since the attempted assassination on Donald Trump.

I'm Kate Bolduan, with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

All right, there's been a whole lot of developments and a whole lot of breaking news this morning. Here's the latest.

Two key members of Democratic leadership are now throwing their support behind Kamala Harris. House Democratic whip Catherine Clark, and the chair of the House Democratic caucus, Pete Aguilar.

Also this morning, Kentucky's governor is throwing his support behind Kamala Harris. And that's not just any governor. Andy Beshear has been really seen as one of the break glass in case of emergency candidates if Biden had dropped out. Now he's standing with Harris and is seen as a contender to possibly be her vice presidential pick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIE GEIST, MSNBC: So, are you at least open to the possibility of being a running mate to Vice President Harris?

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): Well, I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is - is at least listen. And I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like, because let me just tell you that JD Vance ain't from here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This flood of support is also showing up in the fundraising numbers too. Harris raised more than 49 million in grassroots donations since the Biden announcement. And we could be hearing, as I mentioned, could be hearing from her for the very first time this morning.

That's where our Eva McKend comes in, outside the Naval Observatory for us again this morning. Eva, what are we expecting to happen today?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, later this morning she will give remarks honoring NCAA championship teams. We don't know as yet if she will address this shake-up in the Democratic ticket or if she will want President Biden to have that first opportunity.

What we do know, Kate, is that she has been working the phones, speaking to President Obama, speaking to the Clintons, speaking to governors, members of Congress, faith leaders. She prayed with her - her pastor yesterday to really strengthen her in the weeks ahead.

I spoke to the head of the Congressional Black Caucus and he told me that she's under no illusion that she will just be able to waltz into this. She knows that she is going to have to work for this nomination despite the fact that she got President Biden's endorsement.

Now, something that she has on her side is the support of key Democratic coalitions, groups like Higher Heights, Black Voters Matter, for instance. Thousands of black women on an hours-long call yesterday strategizing about the best way to support her in the weeks ahead.

Also of consequences though is who is she going to tap for her running mate? That is the big question right now. Governor Andy Bashear, Kentucky's governor, is one of the names on that list.

Take a listen to what he had to say about her earlier this morning.

[09:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): As a - as a prosecutor, as an attorney general, like I used to be, she prosecuted rapist, domestic abusers, stood for victims and put away those - those abusers. Now, now look at the other side where JD Vance calls pregnancy arising from rape inconvenient. No, it's just plain wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: You know, one thing is for sure, Kate, her allies are really eager for this matchup between her and Trump to come into focus. They believe that she has a strong case to make and that she can be a compelling candidate as a former prosecutor going up against a convicted felon.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: It's great to see you, Eva. Thank you so much.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning we're learning part of Biden's decision to drop out came down to a conversation with two of his closest advisors who told him that a path to victory was basically non-existent.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Arlette, what is next? What happens next for this administration? He is staying in office, to be clear.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, White House officials have stressed that President Biden does intend to remain in office. And at this time, right now, he is currently still here in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, at his home where he's been recovering since Covid - after his Covid diagnosis last week.

Now, the last 48 hours have really been a trying one for President Biden as he reached that difficult decision to bow out of this 2024 campaign and throw his full support behind his vice president, Kamala Harris.

For the president's part, in announcing his decision not to seek re- election, he said that he does plan to address the nation at some point about this. We're still learning - trying to learn when exactly President Biden will return to the White House. Much of the president's schedule right now is contingent on him clearing Covid and actually returning to the White House.

We've also learned that his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely would occur mid to late in the week. They're still working to try to firm up that timing due to his Covid diagnosis.

Biden had also been scheduled to travel out west for campaign fundraising. He was going to have at least one fundraiser in California on Friday. It's unclear whether that will proceed.

But President Biden really has thrown his full support between - behind Vice President Kamala Harris. You have also seen the Biden- Harris campaign really transition their apparatus to supporting Harris' campaign now. They have changed social media sites from Biden HQ to Kamala HQ. They've changed logos. They also have been really pushing their fundraising machine to try to turn out and get more support for - financial support for Harris' candidacy.

As you noted earlier, the campaign brought in 49.6 million in the last days since Biden endorsed Harris to become the Democratic nominee. Donors have told CNN that they are feeling re-energize about giving to the Harris campaign in the wake of this decision from President Biden yesterday. But still, as Eva noted, there is still a long road ahead for Vice President Kamala Harris as she is trying to secure this Democratic nomination, saying yesterday that she plans to earn and win that heading into the August convention.

SIDNER: And there are certainly signs this morning. Lots of Democratic leadership coming forward one by one to support her.

Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for that.

John. BERMAN: All right, with me now, CNN political commentator Bakari

Sellers and Democratic strategist Joe Trippi.

Gentlemen, let me just review what's happened over the last few minutes. Joe Manchin sort of dipped his toe in, saying he was pursuing the process, then yanked it out, or maybe cut the toe off. He's out. He says he's not running.

Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, fully endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

And the number two and three Democrats in the House just endorsed Kamala Harris as well, Pete Aguilar and Catherine Clark.

So, that's all just happened. That's where things are headed.

Bakari, I just want to start with you. You've got your - you know your ear to the ground here. Grassroots people. You're in touch with everyone. What are you hearing this morning?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Nothing but excitement if we want to be a hundred percent honest. I mean I don't think we had this level of excitement before. I just did the Rickey Smiley morning show, big urban, I think that's what they call it colloquially, but I call it black radio show, that is transmitted throughout the country. People are excited about Kamala Harris.

And one of the things that's unique about this campaign is that Kamala Harris, you can see the history she represents, but the campaign also realizes that they have to go into rural Pennsylvania, that they have to go into Grand Rapids, that they have to go outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and bring in some of those other voters that Joe Biden did extremely well with. I'm talking about farmers. I'm talking about white, rural voters. Suburban white women.

So, this campaign is unique and you have this level of excitement where people are like, OK, now we have a punchers chance.

And the last thing that I'll say is that this race is clearly a contrast. I mean it's a present versus past.

[09:10:01]

It's something we couldn't do just 24 hours ago. And I think people, and Joe can probably talk about this as a strategist who's been around politics since before I was born, you know, can talk about what those type of contrast actually mean and what that looks like.

BERMAN: Joe Trippi, Bakari Sellers just called you old. Do you care to respond to that?

SELLERS: I called him - I called him seasoned. I called him seasoned. He is seasoned, not old.

BERMAN: All right, so let me ask you a different question then, Joe, if I can here. As a - as a - JOE TRIPPI, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I'm definitely seasoned. I don't know if (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: As a seasoned political operative, if you were running the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris right now, what do you do? What is that campaign going forward?

TRIPPI: Look, I think the most significant thing that Joe Biden did was he kept his promise to be a bridge to the future. And he didn't just pass the torch to Kamala Harris, he's passed the torch to a whole new generation of new leaders in the Democratic Party that we're all talking about now, Bashear, Shapiro and Whitmer, and others, that - that, you know, are going to be - whether they compete for the nomination or for vice - to be her vice president, I think it's going to change the entire frame of this race to be about the future. I mean really about the future. About her ideas and her campaign, combined with all these new leaders in the party that I think will be out there.

So, I think that's part of the frame, because I think the future is not something that Trump, JD Vance, MAGA and Project '25 are - are - they're not going to win that fight, I don't believe. She'll - she - she will.

On the other hand, the other thing though is lean into the prosecution - being the prosecutor. I mean she stood in court face down and convicted rapist, felons, fraud. She's not going to back down now. Not - not when democracy is at stake. I would prosecute the case against Trump, prosecute the case for working people, prosecute the case for democracy and our future and it's - and she's that aggressive. I don't think the Trump people have a clue what - what's coming for them right now.

BERMAN: Bakari, if I go back to something you said before. You said you were just doing a chat with what you call urban radio or that black radio, as you said. That's a group - African American voters are a group where Joe Biden had been underperforming. So, based on what you heard this morning on that radio show, based on what you think the possibilities might be going forward and, if I'm not mistaken, you were an early supporter of Vice President - Kamala Harris then, then Senator Harris when she was running for president in 2020. Do you think - how much do you think she can or will galvanize the African American vote?

SELLERS: That's a good, good point. I want to first just kind of posture the question because what we saw with Joe Biden was, he wasn't - Donald Trump, in no point in time, was going to get 20 percent of the African American vote. If you believe that, I'll just go ahead and sell you the bridge in Brooklyn. But what the question was, was, was he going to be able to raise turn out to levels in which would sustain him and be able to carry him through some of the doldrums and kind of ruts that he found himself in?

Kamala Harris is going to have to do something a little similar because Kamala Harris, if she's able to hit 40 percent of the white vote, then she'll be president of the United States. And if she's not able to hit 40 percent, if she's around 38, 39 percent, then she's going to need the African-American community, young voters and Hispanic voters to come out in insanely high numbers.

That energy is real though. And she's on a path to do that. You had 44,000 black woman on a call last night. You have black men on a call tonight. You had Gary Chambers and Michael Blake and Roland Martin all situating that. You have the Divine Nine, which are the nine fraternities and sororities. You have the AME Church. You have all of these organizations who are now energized in this battle for democracy. And it's just - and this is something that wasn't there yesterday.

I had people calling me saying, I just gave $25. Now, how do I get tickets to Chicago? I mean, this is a newfound type of excitement that they have, or we have in the party. And - and, look, you know, again, black voters, particularly black women, are going to be the energy. We just have to pile more people into this boat or - as we build it.

BERMAN: So, Joe, you said the campaign needs to be about the future. What do you do with President Biden if you are the Harris campaign going forward? How much do you want him on the trail? Do you want him speaking live at the Democratic Convention.

TRIPPI: Oh, look, I think at the convention it's going to - I mean, it will be a roaring room when he walks in, not just because he stopped Donald Trump in 2020 and the job he's done as president for the last three-and-a-half years, but this selfless act, to put his - to put the party and the country ahead of clearly what he wanted to keep - continue to do. So, I don't think that's going to be an issue at all.

[09:15:02]

I do think she needs to make this her campaign and about her ideas and to - and to have -- enjoy the freedom of now speaking where she has made - had differences or may have a different approach on immigration or some of these other issues. So, I think she's also prepared in a better way because of being a prosecutor to take on crime and some of the other things that Trump was going to throw at Biden.

So, I don't think it's an issue about anything - I think - I expect the president to do exactly what he said, concentrate on things like a ceasefire in Gaza, continuing to build the alliance against Putin and defend Ukraine, I mean, and do the work - continue the work of service for these last months he'll be in office and turn the campaign trail to the nominee, the person that will be out there.

And there will be, I think Bakari's right, you know, as she picks a vice presidential candidate, there will be some excitement in that process and who that might be. I think it's the attention - the attention politically is obviously going to move to that new ticket.

BERMAN: Joe Trippi, Bakari Sellers, great to see both of you. Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

Sara.

SELLERS: Thank you.

SIDNER: All right, it was just a matter of hours before the Trump team dropped their new attack ad against Kamala Harris.

Plus, we'll speak with a senator who's up for re-election and who happens to know the inner workings of a presidential campaign. Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine joins us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:21:15]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't wait to see the debates. I think she's great. She's going to nail it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she has the experience, the knowledge. It will be great to see a female and a black woman as president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm just scared. I mean, same as when Hillary ran. Like, what, we're going to see all that misogyny again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think anything should be given to Vice President Harris. I mean, I think the DNC needs to look hard at all possible options.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That is what we're hearing from some voters this morning.

We're also hearing of key endorsements that Kamala Harris has picked up this morning, including one governor seen as a possible VP pick and two members of House Democratic leadership.

With the political world completely shifting overnight, what does this now mean for Democrats' chances at the White House and also Democrats up and down the ticket. If you're following the money, that can tell you something. Nearly $50 million raised for the now Harris campaign, all since Biden's announcement yesterday afternoon.

Joining us right now is Democratic Senator from Virginia, Tim Kaine.

Senator, it's great to see you. You threw your support behind Harris yesterday. Do you think it is clear and evident that she will be the eventual nominee?

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): Kate, I think she will be. But she does have to earn it. And I know she says that's what she's going to do.

Everybody going into that convention in Chicago, they were pledged delegates to Joe Biden. He's not in the race and that means they are free to vote for whoever they want. And so, Kamala needs to make the case to the delegates.

I'm glad to support her. Many others are as well. But those delegates are going to vote with their hearts on that first round. I think Kamala will be the nominee, but she's not taking it for granted. That's for sure (ph).

BOLDUAN: Senator, and I have multiple questions for you on how this has reset the race for you and the Commonwealth, because Virginia's in the spotlight. We've been hearing that. I know you've been - you know that.

Biden beat Trump in Virginia -

KAINE: Yes.

BOLDUAN: -- by 10 points in '20. The Biden Campaign had become increasingly worried that he could lose in the Commonwealth. You're up for re-election this cycle, so you're watching it as close as anybody.

How do you think Kamala Harris - do you think Kamala Harris has reset the race in the Commonwealth? How do you think she has impacted in this announcement and this announcement has impacted your race?

KAINE: Kate, Kamala's reset this race in two ways. She's a prosecutor and she's prosecuted folks who've been convicted of fraud. She's prosecuted people who've been charged with sexual assaults or sexual harassment. And she's going to be standing on the stage with convicted felon, who was also found civilly liable for sexual assault. I like that matchup between the prosecutor and the felon.

But even more important, she's the future. Donald Trump is yesterday's chaos. And why would we go back to it? America broke up with this guy four years ago because of unnecessary pandemic deaths, economic meltdown, a violent attack on the Capitol. Why go back to that past? Let's embrace the future. And in any race, man, I'm going to bet on the future over the past.

BOLDUAN: Do you think that the Commonwealth is better off for Democrats? Do you think you're better off having Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket?

KAINE: Let me just say this. I'm excited about it. People were - you know - people worried after the debate, no ifs, ands or buts. And, you know, I could see, as I've been campaigning around Virginia, I feel good about my own numbers.

But people were worried about the presidential You had folks who felt like they hoped that President Biden would step aside but then you also had people who were hugely loyal to President Biden and they didn't want him pushed aside.

The only result they would accept is one that he came to. And he came to it in an amazing way. He did what George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt did, decided even though I can run again, even though I've been a good president, even though I want to run again, it's the right moment to pass the torch.

[09:25:05] And that's what Democrats are doing. We're passing the torch to the future while the Republicans are going into the cul-de-sac of the past.

BOLDUAN: You were on the ticket with Hillary Clinton in 2016. Can you imagine moving into launch a new campaign 100 days out from the - from the election? What is your - what's your advice now, as she needs to be - she needs to be looking to pick a VP?

KAINE: Well first, there is tremendous excitement around this. I agree with your earlier panelists. It's meetings I was doing yesterday and today, there's a real energy. And we were - we were lacking a little bit of energy. But before the debate, we had unity but not energy. After the debate, we were looking for both.

Now we have energy and unity and we need to make it work.

On the vice president, most important thing is, you know, she's got to find somebody that she feels completely comfortable with because you want that person in the room helping you make the hard decisions.

The good news is, Democrats have a deep bench, some great governors, some great senators, great House members. She's going to have an embarrassment of riches. Usually, it takes about two months to do the VP vetting. She's got to put that in microwave and do it in about two and half minutes.

But the good news is, we got a great talent pool. And I know she's going to find somebody that will generate additional excitement for this future focus ticket.

BOLDUAN: Senator, it's always good to see you. Thank you so much for coming in.

KAINE: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: As you know, Kate, you have to cover it if you put it in the microwave, else it might splatter.

BOLDUAN: I was waiting to see - I was waiting to see what you came up with.

BERMAN: I'm just saying, extend the metaphor.

We are standing by for secret - the Secret Service director to arrive on Capitol Hill - Capitol Hill to explain why he says they failed to protect Donald Trump.

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