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Josh Earnest is Interviewed about Obama Speaking at the DNC; Carlos Eduardo Espina is Interviewed about the DNC; Trump Posts Fake AI Images. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired August 20, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: More men go for Donald Trump by -- by a pretty large margin. So, what does Tim Walz's role do to try and bridge that gap?

STEVE BULLOCK (D), FORMER MONTANA GOVERNOR: Yes, and, like, first of all, when a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions are on the line, we should actually be talking to the women, to the Latinos, the blacks.

SIDNER: Yes.

BULLOCK: But I think what Tim Walz actually does is -- and it's not anything he does other than who he is. Like, he's a guy that wears blaze orange, not orange jumpsuits when he's about to go to jail, you know? He's one of -- he's somebody you can connect with.

SIDNER: You went there. OK.

BULLOCK: It's -- in so many different ways. So --

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: What do you think he will say and do tomorrow night on the convention floor since we're talking about Governor Walz?

BULLOCK: So, I think he'll -- and I haven't talked to him about what that speech might be, but I think what he will do is make that connection that, I don't care if you live in Manhattan, New York, Manhattan or Montana, which is about a population, I don't, 1,700. He will talk to people where they are. He will talk to them about issues that matter in their lives. Same thing that that op-ed was saying, that that's where we need to be.

And he'll also bring the same joy and happiness that he does. Like, this is -- every time I ran for office, I said, this is the most important election of our lifetime. And I believed it. This is the most important election in our lifetimes. But you don't have to say existential crisis. What you have to say is, look, we can do a lot better than what Trump and Vance would do.

SIDNER: It's the looking forward of it. You think that really needs to happen, that we can stop talking about the past as far as the Democrats go, and that they need to start really ramping up about the future. BULLOCK: I think we do. We have to be looking forward in a positive way. Like, that's not to dismiss --

SIDNER: Right, what happened.

BULLOCK: This -- or not to dismiss that Project 2025, people say, oh, you're just thrown out the bogeyman. No, the guy who actually wrote that was the Republican Party's platform director too.

SIDNER: Right.

BULLOCK: So, you have to say, this is real. This is a crisis. But let's talk about what we can do going forward together.

SIDNER: Former Montana Governor Steve Bullock, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate you getting up early for us. I know it's going to be a late night. I'll be there with you.

BULLOCK: Thanks, Sara. Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Great to see you, Governor. We appreciate it.

So, want to see something that's fake, phony and all made up?

SIDNER: No.

BERMAN: Donald Trump kind of touching the third rail.

SIDNER: I don't.

BERMAN: I'm not sure he wants to go down this road. Donald Trump suggesting that he had an endorsement from Taylor Swift. He doesn't. So, what's that going to do now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:37:20]

BERMAN: So, the headliner tonight at the Democratic National Convention right behind us will be someone familiar to like everyone on earth, former President Barack Obama, native of Chicago. Now, he is reportedly set to deliver what we're being told is a, quote, "forceful affirmation" supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.

With us now is someone who knows the former president, former White House press secretary under President Obama, Josh Earnest, who's now the executive vice president of communications and advertising at United Airlines here in Chicago.

Great to see you.

JOSH EARNEST, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's good to see you, John.

Nice to see you, Sara.

SIDNER: Nice to see you.

BERMAN: So, you know, President Obama's used to big speeches. He's given a few of them.

EARNEST: Yes.

BERMAN: Given some really big ones at conventions dating all the way back to 2004 in Boston.

EARNEST: Yes.

BERMAN: What is it you think that he wants/needs to do here tonight for Harris?

EARNEST: Look, the speech that everybody remembers at -- when it comes to Obama convention speeches is 2004, the very first one. And I think a lot of the themes that he delivered in that speech in 2004 are the same kinds of themes that you're going to hear tonight.

One -- themes that are around hope and optimism, about the idea that in this big, diverse country, there's actually a whole lot more that we have in common than divides us. The -- you know, that was 20 years ago now, which is kind of crazy to think. But even 20 years later, those themes are resonant. I think they are animating, particular to the people in this room tonight. And I think they're really important for the country. So, I don't think it's going to be the same speech, but I think you're going to hear the same kinds of themes.

There's also no doubting the president -- the former president's commitment to Kamala Harris and his enthusiasm for her campaign.

SIDNER: I'm curious what -- just to bring things down, sorry, what the relationship --

EARNEST: Wa, wa, wa.

SIDNER: Wa, wa, wa. Is with Joe Biden now, and what it was. Can you give us some sense of what it was and what -- how things may have changed just because with all the reporting that has been done --

EARNEST: Yes.

SIDNER: That he has been hurt, if not angry, but at least hurt by what happened and how he was sort of pushed aside and then made the decision.

EARNEST: Yes.

Well, look, full disclosure, I haven't talked to either of these gentlemen in the last six weeks. But what I will say is --

SIDNER: But you know people who know people.

EARNEST: Yes, that's true. For better or worse. They're family. And I -- and that was something that became really clear, particularly in the last few years when they were in the White House together. And I think like any family, there are going to be some disagreements. There are going to be times when there's more tension. But there's nothing that is ever going to undermine the core of their relationship, what they accomplish together professionally, but also the kinds of things that they persevered through together personally. And I just -- I don't think that there's anything that is going to disrupt that.

[09:40:00]

What I think is also true is, you have to give enormous credit for the selflessness and statesmanship of President Biden. The truth is, and I think this is true of politicians in both parties, there's a small percentage of sitting politicians in both parties that would have done what he did, which is to completely sacrifice his lifelong ambition to serve another four years in the White House because -- for one reason, because it was in the best interests of the United States of America. That's why he made that decision. And not many politicians would do that. And he deserves all the credit that he's getting. He got -- he deserves all the credit he got last night. And he's going to deserve all the credit he's going to get in the months ahead.

BERMAN: I mean one of the reasons they get to where they get to is they're not the type of person who would do that, to be blunt.

EARNEST: Well, yes, that's true, right?

SIDNER: They have to have an ego. You have to have -- you have to have an ego to do this job.

EARNEST: No doubt. But the ability to balance those two things --

SIDNER: Yes.

EARNEST: And not lose -- in the face of that ego, to not lose sight of why you're actually in it is, I think, one of -- is going to go down as one of the hallmarks of Joe Biden's character.

BERMAN: Hey, so who does President Obama speak to now in 2024? The country's different.

EARNEST: Yes.

BERMAN: I mean it's different than it certainly was in '04, '08, you know, '12, the last time he ran.

EARNEST: Right. Right.

BERMAN: So -- so who's the gettable audience for him that may not now be a Harris voter?

EARNEST: Yes. Well, I think it clearly is young people. Those are the people that Democrats have to find the way to engage and motivate. The vast majority of those voters, if we can engage them and motivate them to show up at the polls, they're going to pull the lever for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. There's no doubt about that.

So, I don't think that while Barack Obama is now 20 years older than he was when he spoke at the first convention, he still has an appeal among younger voters. And his ability to motivate them, to inspire them, I mean, nobody is better at giving these big speeches and really summoning a big, emotional moment than Barack Obama. And that will be the task that he has tonight.

But -- and to do that in a way that is not about him, but about Kamala Harris and about the country, I think will be the challenge. And I think he's up for it.

SIDNER: I'm assuming if you were communications director right now, and you looked across what the Democrats are doing, are there mistakes being made or -- I mean they brought in bloggers. They've -- I mean, there is a lot of different folks here, and influencers who are very young. What have you seen sort of online that gives you some hope that they are reaching those young voters?

EARNEST: Yes. Well, look, I do know some of the people who are running the convention, and I think they have done a tremendous job of really trying to pull together some of the classic elements that you see at a regular convention. You know, we were talking about the landline telephones and the delegations in the hall.

BERMAN: Yes. What is it with all the (INAUDIBLE) they have phones and their landlines.

EARNEST: It's -- it's funny (ph). Right. So, there's -- there's the nod to the tradition.

SIDNER: Yes.

EARNEST: But, you know, they've got the creators podium out there.

SIDNER: Right.

EARNEST: Where they're really encouraging -- providing a literal platform for TikTokers and other people with a large, online presence to talk about what they're doing at the convention.

I think it's a really smart way to engage people that otherwise may never see content from this room. So, I think they've done a tremendous job of trying to like nod to that tradition, but really acknowledged that we've got to reach people in a different way than we have before.

BERMAN: Josh Earnest, it's great to see you. Thanks so much for coming.

EARNEST: Awesome to be here. Thanks for having me.

BERMAN: I guess it is the United Airlines arena.

SIDNER: I was going to say.

EARNEST: You know.

BERMAN: So, you probably have an office here for all I know. It is -- thank you so much for coming in.

EARNEST: Thank you, John.

SIDNER: Next time I'm going to talk to you about my flight, but I'll leave that.

EARNEST: All right, we'll work on it.

SIDNER: All right, unprecedented action -- access to the action at the Democratic National Convention for who? You just heard it right here. You just spoke about it. Influencers. We speak with one TikToker looking to sway young voters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:48:17]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, in the audience and on the stage at the Democratic Convention is not just delegates and big name politicians. Also taking center stage now are social media influencers. The Harris campaign making room for hundreds of content creators and influencers in an effort to connect with younger voters. The DNC is giving credentials to creators for the first time. One of those influencers is the man you're seeing on some of his content right there, Carlos Eduardo Espina. An immigrant rights activists with more than 10 million TikTok followers. He's set to speak on the conventions stage tomorrow night. And Carlos joins us now.

Carlos, thank you so much. We were talking in the break, but I really do appreciate your time this morning, especially after a late night.

"The New York Times" calls you -- says that you have become something of a, quote/unquote, one man Telemundo for millions of Latinos in the United States. And you're speaking on the stage tomorrow night. What's going to be your message?

CARLOS EDUARDO ESPINA, CONTENT CREATOR SPEAKING AT DNC: Well, yes, tomorrow I'm going to be speaking specifically on the issue of immigration and pushing back on this narrative, right, that to be pro- America you have to be anti-immigrant. My message is the exact opposite, to be pro-immigrant is to be pro-America. The history of the United States has always embodied immigration. and not just as a Democrat value but as a Republican value as well. I mean, look at Ronald Reagan's last speech as president. He talked about the importance of immigration.

And that's really the message I've sent on social media for the past four years that I think has resonated with so many Latinos, so many immigrants here in the United States. And I'm just really excited to be here and be able to share some of that same message with an audience who perhaps doesn't know who I am or doesn't think the same way.

BOLDUAN: You have more than, as I mentioned, you have more than 10 million followers on TikTok.

ESPINA: Yes.

BOLDUAN: You understand the power of the platform, for better and, well, you know, as some things on TikTok, for worse but that's where -- for -- some would say.

[09:50:03]

ESPINA: Yes. Exactly. No, you're right. You're right.

BOLDUAN: What role do you think social media overall will play in this election?

ESPINA: Well, I think it will play a huge role, specifically with the convention today. I don't have the numbers, but I would assume a vast majority of people, what they consume from the convention won't actually be from television, it will be from clips. And not just from content creators like myself, but also, you know, CNN is on social media. A lot of traditional news networks are on social media. And I think everyone understands that nowadays it's just a little bit more convenient, easier access. So, not just for the convention, but thinking ahead of the election, there's many people who get almost 100 percent of their information from social media.

As you mentioned, that's not necessarily always a good thing, but it's a reality, and we have to deal with it. So, I think it's really important, you know, to focus on content creators and those who are on social media, because we're really going to be some of the key players in this election, to make sure people turn out to vote, the way they vote, that kind of thing. So, yes, I think it's going to be huge.

BOLDUAN: Donald Trump has made big gains with Latino voters over the years. We were looking back at the numbers again this morning. From 2016, he got 28 percent of the Latino vote. 2020, he got 32 percent. In the latest "New York Times"/Sienna College poll, Trump has 38 percent support versus Harris' 57 percent support among Latino voters.

ESPINA: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Clearly, she has more support. But you see the gains that Donald Trump is making. Why is he making gains from your perspective?

ESPINA: Well, from my perspective, I think it's a couple of things. The main reason being economic issues and then some social issues as well that maybe Latinos feel like the Democrats haven't addressed properly. And I think that the Democrats have kind of picked up on that. If you see the economic plan that Kamala Harris announced earlier this week, a lot of it does address these issues, these unconformities. I think for too long there's been a misconception that Latinos, you know, are going to vote Democrat regardless, or they're only one issue voters on immigration. But I think we started to realize that they care about a lot of those things.

And then there's also the role of, you know, campaign strategies, maybe Latinos haven't been targeted as they should. Like I said, I've also gotten in the sense that they've started to pick up on that. And then just the reality is that there is a large section of the

Latino community who is conservative in many aspects. I mean if all Latinos were liberal progressive, you wouldn't have conservative presidents in Latin America.

So, the reality is, we are in a monolith. There are a lot of different ways of thinking within the Latino community. And I think those gains have been real. But I also think that Democrats have finally figured out a better strategy to counteract them and hopefully make some gains as well.

BOLDUAN: Real quick, Carlos. Kamala Harris was tasked by Biden to tackle the root causes of migration in Central America.

ESPINA: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Her leadership role, though, is something that Republicans have really jumped on, calling her the Biden borders czar, blaming her for the problems at the southern border. Even if the moniker or misplaced, how big of a problem is that perception, do you think, for Harris?

ESPINA: I think it's a very unfair perspective, but I think, like you said, it's real. People genuinely believe that. But if you look into it, she was never the border czar, or whatever the title was given. She was given, like you said, the role to address root causes of migration, which, by the way, I think she did a relatively good job if you look at the record and how things have happened because nowadays she was tasked with the northern triangle, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, counties which, if you look right now, aren't really the main drivers of immigration. It's mostly Venezuela, Colombia, other countries.

Now, the issue on the boarder, I think, for a long time, Democrats made the mistake of kind of ignoring it, or not focusing on it fully, kind of thinking it would solve itself. I think now there has been a shift in the narrative.

BOLDUAN: For sure.

ESPINA: And like I said, I think it's been a learning period where Democrats have started to know -- tackle head on a lot of these issues that people were worried about. And I think they're -- they're on a better path now for sure.

BOLDUAN: And a lot of it in the very issues that you're talking about all the time on your accounts.

ESPINA: Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's great to meet you, Carlos. Thanks so much. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say on the stage tomorrow night. Thank you.

ESPINA: No, thank you. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Have a good one.

So, it is the strangest of fact checks, but we live in the realm of strange these days, so here we go. Donald Trump touting what would be a seriously big endorsement, posting on social media, I accept, alongside images of Taylor Swift as Uncle Sam. And this, Taylor Swift wants you to vote for Donald Trump. No, Taylor Swift has not endorsed Donald Trump. Yes, those images are AI manipulated.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister joins us now with more on this.

So maybe Donald Trump was attempting -- it was his attempt at satire. Maybe not. But it's still -- what is going on here.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The fact of the matter is, you're absolutely right, Kate, Taylor Swift has not endorsed Trump. She has not endorsed anyone this presidential cycle.

Now, most of the photos that Trump reposted our AI. So, if you look at those photos, you see what appears to be fans. And they're wearing shirts that say "Swifties for Trump." Most of those are AI generated.

[09:55:02]

They're fake. They're not real.

Now, there is one photo of a fan, a young woman, who's wearing a shirt that says "Swifties for Trump." She is real.

Now, that young woman has actually spoken out and she says the media is missing the point here. By focusing so much on these AI images, you're missing out on the fact that there are millions of Trump supporters who are also Taylor Swift fans. There's many Swifties who do have conservative values.

Now, I have to tell you that Trump, aside from that post, his campaign is really leaning into this and appears to be capitalizing, or trying to capitalize off of this Swiftie fandom because his spokesperson has told us that the Swifties for Trump movement is massive and it grows every single day.

So, it remains to be seen whether or not Taylor will make an endorsement, if at all.

BOLDUAN: Or if Taylor Swift has anything to say, even about what we're talking about right here on this -- and we'll see.

WAGMEISTER: And I should point out quickly that she has not said kind things about Trump in the past. She's made it very clear what her views on him are.

BOLDUAN: Right. And in 2020 she endorsed Joe Biden very clearly on social media.

WAGMEISTER: Yes. Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's great to see you. Thank you so much. And thank you all so much for joining us. "CNN NEWSROOM" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)