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Harris, Trump Attend Events, Deliver Remarks To Honor Oct 7 Victims; Harris Launches Media Blitz With Election 29 Days Away; LeBron, Bronny James Become First Father/Son Duo To Play On NBA Team. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired October 07, 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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[13:34:11]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Just a short time ago, at the White House, President Biden and first lady, Jill Biden, commemorated the victims of October 7th, exactly one year since Hamas launched the attack in southern Israel.
The Bidens lighting a candle, holding a moment of silence as they remembered 1,200 people killed that day in Israel and the more than 250 others who we're taken hostage.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Both presidential candidates are also honoring the victims of the Hamas massacre.
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to participate in a memorial ceremony next hour.
And in the next few hours, Vice President Kamala Harris and the second gentleman will plant a memorial tree on the grounds of the vice president's home and deliver remarks.
We're joined now by CNN's Kristen Holmes, who's live for us in Miami.
Kristen, on top of this memorial in New York, Trump plans to deliver remarks tonight at a remembrance event at his Doral Golf Club. What can you tell us?
[13:35:06]
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is before the Jewish community leaders. He is going to speak for some time. And we are told that these remarks are likely to echo what we've heard from him before there.
Just keep in mind, one of the things we hear from Donald Trump, time and time again, he's actually made it part of his campaign speech, is saying, without evidence, that October 7th would have never happened if he was in office instead of President Joe Biden.
He has touted his relationship with Netanyahu. He has worked to try and court Jewish voters. Particularly at this point, his team, and he believe that there's an opening among Jewish voters, generally a Democratic voting bloc, particularly given the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
But as he has tried to court these voters, he is often faced with outrage and controversy over some of his remarks, including, at one point, essentially saying that Jews would be to blame if he didn't win the election on November 5th.
Now, he also spoke about this today in an interview saying that Jewish people should be voting for him. He talked about the fact that he moved the embassy in Israel.
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): Nobody has done more for the Jewish people than I have. Nobody's done more for Israel as a president, maybe beyond being a president, if you want to know the truth.
Golan Heights, I moved the capital and did the Iran nuclear deal. I should get 100 percent of the Jewish vote and I don't, it's amazing.
October 7th never would have happened if I was there.
(END AUDIO FEED)
HOLMES: So he continued this kind of rhetoric that is very insulting to a lot of Jewish-Americans as he is trying to court these Jewish- American voters.
Again, any vote at this point helps with this election. Both sides believe that this election is going to be determined in the margins. So that's why you're seeing him make such an effort on Jewish-American voters.
But again, a lot of the time he seems to go off script and be rather offensive to these voters that he is trying to court. We'll obviously have our ear listening today as he takes the stage here at Doral.
KEILAR: All right, Kristen Holmes, live for us in Miami, thank you for the report.
And minutes from now, we're expecting an update from the National Hurricane Center as Milton has strengthened into a category five. This is a monster.
Major cities along Florida's west coast are in the storm's path. So stay with CNN for the latest.
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[13:41:50]
SANCHEZ: How does a presidential candidate wind up on a podcast known for its raunchiness, for conversations about sex and relationships. Welcome to 2024.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Vice President Kamala Harris' interviewed on "Call Her Daddy," may be the most surprising move of her campaign. But it's also being described as one of the smartest as Harris then has the chance to talk directly to millions of potential female voters.
KEILAR: Her media blitz also includes some more traditional appearance, shows like "60 Minutes" and "The View." But her "Call Her Daddy" appearance made headlines. "Call Me Daddy" or "Call Her Daddy?" "Call Her Daddy."
Someone just put a typo in there.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: I'm going to pay them back for it.
Anyways --
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: So this appearance made headlines as she spoke with host, Alex Cooper, about everything from abortion rights to one Republican's idea that she doesn't have anything to keep her humble because she doesn't have biological children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are my children. And I love those kids to death. And family comes in many forms.
And I think that, increasingly, you know, all of us understand that this is not the 1950s anymore. Families come in all kinds of shapes and forms. And their family, nonetheless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Joining us now to discuss, we have CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter. And we're also joined by Deja Foxx. She's a content creator and a digital strategist. She was also a surrogate strategist for the Harris 2020 campaign, and she spoke at this year's DNC.
Deja, how important did you think it was for Harris to utilize nontraditional media like going on "Call Her Daddy" in order to reach young people, and specifically young women here?
DEJA FOXX, CONTENT CREATOR & DIGITAL STRATEGIST: Yes, I mean, as someone who got their start as an organizer, I know the importance of meeting people where they're at. It's a lesson that I've carried with me as a digital strategist on Kamala Harris'2020 run, as a content creator now.
And I think this is a really smart move, especially ahead of these voter registration deadlines that are rolling in quickly, to meet beat people who may otherwise not have been talking about politics, right, these young women in swing states, like Arizona.
And the truth of the matter is that one in three women in this country live under abortion bans. And so we can't have conversations about dating and sex and future building and career without talking politics.
So I'm excited to see her in these new spaces in front of these new voters.
SANCHEZ: Brian, Harris has been criticized for not giving enough interviews. Do you think this new media blitz satisfies some of that criticism?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, she's on "60 Minutes" tonight. That's the most-watched news magazine in the United States. Donald Trump initially agreed to be on "60 Minutes," then he backed out.
I feel like he's getting off pretty easy. Imagine if Harris had agreed to be on "60 Minutes" and then backed out. I think she would have been vigorously criticized.
So Trump choosing not to do "60 Minutes." Harris is on there. That will certainly be an example of tough questioning of the vice president.
[13:45:00]
She's also on "The View" tomorrow. It was going to producers of "The View" last night. They had some sharp questions for her as well. And let's remember, sometimes it's these nontraditional formats that actually reveal a lot about candidates.
Remember when Kamala Harris was sitting down with Oprah Winfrey a couple of weeks ago? And that's when Harris said, if somebody breaks into my house, they are getting shot." That was a very revealing sound byte, even though it was a friendly interview for Harris.
And that's my thought. "Call Her Daddy" was really interesting as well. The interview actually revealed a lot about the candidate and, ultimately, that's what the Harris campaign is trying to do.
In the same way that the Trump campaign is going on influencer podcasts, really trying to appeal to young men, doing YouTube shows and things like that.
Harris is trying to do these nontraditional formats, like Stephen Colbert tomorrow night or Howard Stern tomorrow afternoon. But I just I think it's notable that sometimes we hear a lot and there's actually a lot of newsworthy comments in these interviews.
KEILAR: Deja, I wonder how important you think online content creators are to this election, including taking these snippets that we see of these appearances, making something of them, repackaging them to your own audience.
How integral do you think this is? Is it just something that's kind of nice and kind of fun or do you think it actually makes a big difference?
FOXX: Let's be clear, young people, especially young folks in swing states like my home state of Arizona, have the opportunity to decide this election.
But we are not getting our news behind paywalls or even through cable, right? A lot of us don't have access to that. But instead, are building political opinions that will inform our decision at the ballot box.
And I mean, for the rest of our lives, on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where our news is being created by trusted messengers, content creators, influencers, right, so served to us through stories reshared by article breakdowns and even by interviews.
Like when I was lucky to do with the vice president when she visited Tucson, Arizona, my hometown. And I was able to talk to her about abortion bans here and the effects of them on the ground.
And so when I think about the role of content creators in this election, it is not only about bridging the gap between traditional media and young people.
But also about creating new pieces of media that are first-person, that are personal-experience forward, and that really connect with the communities that they've curated over time, right?
Those followers that they've built a relationship with and share values with. And it allows a candidate to really dig into those specifics of that community.
And I think we saw that on "Call Her Daddy" with a real focus on women's rights, women's futures, bodily autonomy and abortion.
SANCHEZ: Brian, it seems like both campaigns are aware of this, right? Like with Harris on "Call Her Daddy." A few weeks ago, Trump did "Theo Vonn," the comedian's podcast.
What does it tell you more broadly about sort of the content-creator driven stuff that's published about politics and more broadly about, I guess, the memeification, if you will, of the discourse?
STELTER: Yes. Harris said it best in that podcast yesterday. She said, "It's not the 1950s anymore." And what we see these campaigns doing is reacting to that.
In some ways, this is the podcast election. And the great thing about podcasts is these -- these candidates can talk at more length. They can go into more depth.
Here's what I think is really striking. Some of these nontraditional interviewers feel a lot of pressure. You know, Alex Cooper acknowledged that in her interview -- in her in her introduction yesterday saying, I didn't know if I should do this interview. I hesitated. But I think it's important.
So even though these are not necessarily journalistic interviews all the time, they are still being taken very seriously by the interviewers. And I think that's something to note, whether it's "Call Her Daddy," "Call Me Daddy," Brianna, you can call us whatever you want.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: I thought maybe -- I did. I followed the whole back-and-forth over. It's now one host. I thought, did they change the name? I thought it was "Call Her Daddy," but that was actually just a typo. Although if she does want to change the name, since it's just one person now, "Call Me Daddy" would work.
SANCHEZ: Makessense.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Yes, makes sense.
Brian Stelter, Deja Foxx, appreciate you both. Thanks for joining us.
FOXX: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
STELTER: Thanks.
[13:49:12]
SANCHEZ: Still ahead, Bronny James making NBA history even before he gets his hands on a basketball. Him and his dad, LeBron, cutting up on an NBA court. Details next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
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KEILAR: LeBron James and his son, Bronny, making history during an L.A. Lakers preseason game.
SANCHEZ: CNN anchor, Don Riddell, is here to discuss.
Don, Bronny played four minutes with his dad, LeBron James, did. LeBron James. It's a preseason game. Did Bronny do well alongside his dad?
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. Yes, he did OK. But of course, it's going to be very, very difficult to compare to his dad given what LeBron has achieved.
And I was enjoying your previous segment, "Call Her Daddy", "Call Me Daddy." LeBron has made it very clear --
(LAUGHTER)
RIDDELL: -- don't call me daddy, don't call me dad. One thing that Bronny has been told loud and clear.
Look, Bronny did OK. Remember, he's a rookie. This is only his second game in the preseason, so it's very early days. He played for 30 minutes. He didn't score any points. He did grab two rebounds.
But think about what a momentous occasion this was. Obviously historic. The first time a father and son had played for an NBA team together. It just so happens to be Bronny's 20th birthday on Sunday. How cool is that? What a way to celebrate.
And when you think about what this means to LeBron. Remember, this is a guy who didn't grow up with a father in his life. And now to be at this stage experiencing this with his child is just incredible.
[13:55:04]
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, L.A. LAKERS PLAYER: For a father, I mean, it means everything for someone who didn't have that, you know, growing up to be able to -- be able to have that influence on your kid, have that that influence on your son, to be able to have moments with your son.
And it -- ultimately, to be able to work with your son. I think that's one of the greatest things that a father to ever hold for, wish for.
BRONNY JAMES, L.A. LAKERS PLAYER & SON OF LEBRON JAMES: I'm always thinking about, you know, that's my dad, because it's literally my dad.
(LAUGHTER)
B. JAMES: So I go out there and I use -- when I'm playing, he's just my teammate. That's all I'm thinking, that point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: It is going to be so fun following this story with the father and son, and the Lakers.
Guys, the regular season starts in a few games time, October 22nd. Let's see if they can make history again.
KEILAR: Because that's literally my dad.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: I love how he said that.
SANCHEZ: No pressure on Bronny. But LeBron's first game, when he was actually a few years younger than Bronny, 25.6 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. KEILAR: Wow.
SANCHEZ: That's why they call him the GOAT.
KEILAR: That's some pressure from dad.
Don, thank you so much for the report. We do appreciate it.
Any minute now, we're expecting an update on Hurricane Milton. It is a cat five now. And it keeps strengthening at a rapid pace. Winds are now at 175 miles per hour.
There are concerns growing about storm surge. These powerful winds that we talked about, also flooding along the west coast of Florida. So we'll have a live update for you ahead.
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