Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Trump Rallies in Colorado After Playing Up Aurora Gang Fears; Next Week: Harris Visits Detroit for Event Targeting Black Male Voters; Obama Seeks to Shore Up Support for Harris Among Black Men; Active Search & Rescues Underway; Death Toll Now 16; SBA Chief Warns Congress it Will Run Out of Disaster Funds Soon. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 11, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:52]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Former President Donald Trump going all-in on the key issue of immigration. Trump holding a rally in Aurora, Colorado after weeks of spreading misinformation about violent migrant gangs taking over that city.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And search and rescue operations are underway in Hillsborough County, Florida. First responders rescuing nearly 1,000 people across the state after Hurricane Milton hit. We're going to take you inside a flooded home where water levels are still rising.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: Any moment, former President Donald Trump will speak at a rally in Aurora, Colorado. He's there after targeting that city for weeks, claiming that Venezuelan gangs have taken over and are causing widespread violence and chaos.

KEILAR: U.S. congressman, Jason Crow, a Democrat who represents Aurora, spoke to us last hour about Trump's claims. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): There has been no takeover by transnational or foreign gangs, period. No apartment complexes, no blocks, no parts of the city that has been resoundingly repudiated by federal law enforcement, by local law enforcement, by local city leaders. It has been made up by Donald Trump and his acolytes. It is simply not true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Kristen Holmes is in Aurora and is with us now.

Kristen, what do we know about the Trump campaign strategy to go to Aurora instead of going to a swing state so close to Election Day?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So there are a couple of different strategies going on here, Boris and Brianna. One is the fact that, yes, he's going to these blue states like Colorado. Tomorrow, he's in California. Next week, he's in Illinois. That being because his campaign has said that they don't believe that everything is stuck in the same media landscape that it was in 2020 or 2016. The clips from these rallies that get a lot of attention, particularly because he is in a blue state, could get just as much attention or more than a rally in a swing state and could reach more voters if it is clipped and put on the Internet, on social media.

But the reason he's in Aurora, Colorado, is separate from just that. It's the fact that this has been the epicenter of really his disinformation campaign when it comes to migrants, to what he calls migrant crime and immigration. He has been claiming that the city of Aurora was overrun by Venezuelan gangs, something the governor of Colorado says isn't true. The mayor of the town of Aurora says is not true. But this clearly is going to be what his messaging is today.

I don't know how much you can see behind me, but they have posters up that have pictures of mugshots that they say are migrant gang members that were apprehended in the United States. They also had a slide that came up of a hooded figure that looked like an A.I. picture. And it said your apartment complexes if Kamala Harris is in office. I want to note that these hooded figures in this slide had guns slung across them, clearly playing into this fear-based narrative. And that's exactly what we expect to hear from him today.

And even with this pushback of these local officials, you have to note one thing, Donald Trump and his team believe that this narrative, whether it be fear-based around immigration or the economy, is working. And if you see the most recent polling in The Wall Street Journal, it shows that this race is neck and neck. And so that gives you an indication of the fact that Donald Trump is probably not only going to draw a double down on this rhetoric, but he's not going to side away from it in any way, because they believe this is working.

Particularly when it comes to immigration, Donald Trump believes this is an issue that helped propel him to the White House in 2016 and they believe it's an issue that's going to help propel him to the White House again in November.

KEILAR: All right. Kristen Holmes, live for us in Aurora, Colorado. Thank you so much.

Next week, Vice President Harris will be traveling to the critical battleground state of Michigan.

[15:05:00]

Fears reportedly growing in Democratic circles about her standing in that state, as well as her support broadly with black men.

SANCHEZ: She's set to visit Detroit on Tuesday to take part in a radio town hall with syndicated radio host Charlamagne tha God. Let's get the latest on the Harris campaign with CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.

Priscilla, what more can you tell us about this growing outreach to black voters, specifically men?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it's happening publicly and privately. Privately, campaign operatives and allies are trying to find these intimate settings to relay their message, to try to shore up that waning enthusiasm among black voters. Publicly, it looks a lot like what you saw from former President Barack Obama yesterday, where he appealed to voters, where he, at a campaign stop, suggested that what is contributing to that waning enthusiasm among black men is sexism.

And so they are fine tuning their messaging and trying to reach these specific voters, including in that radio town hall, which, by the way, millions of listeners and most of them - more than half of them actually are black. So clearly they are trying to fan out across the country with the Vice President and surrogates to try to get this message across, because this has been a weak spot in the Harris campaign. But even before the Harris campaign, when it was the Biden campaign, this had been a focus of the Vice President as well.

So this has been an ongoing effort. There are polls that show she has an advantage with black voters, but it doesn't look the same as what it did in 2020. And that is the ground that they are trying to make up, especially in places like Pennsylvania, where they know that they need those black voters, especially in a state where polling is so tight.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And it's significant, the gender gap in that demographic, especially compared to others. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.

Let's discuss now with our panel: Former Republican congressman, Scott Taylor, of Virginia joins us alongside CNN Political Commentator and senior advisor to the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign, Karen Finney.

Karen, I want to start with you.

In the last hour, we spoke with Larry Sabato of UVA, the center for politics there. He said that Democrats get scared often over everything ...

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Nuh-uh.

SANCHEZ: ... over everything - over everything, as he put it.

FINNEY: Yes.

SANCHEZ: But he said that this is something legitimate. And I wonder what you're hearing about these concerns and whether the approach from former President Obama, essentially saying that this vision of Donald Trump as strong as being a strong man ...

FINNEY: Yes.

SANCHEZ: ... is actually resonating with some black voters.

FINNEY: So I think it's a couple of things. Number one, we all have PTSD from 2016, so - and especially with the polls so tight like this. Secondly, look, I think just speaking frankly, I don't think the campaign has done enough to speak directly to black and Latino men, nor do I think future forward some of the outside groups. There are a lot of great efforts, but I think - which should have happened earlier.

And because part of what's happening is, you know, in this country in the last couple of years, the conversation about men in general, I think men are feeling squeezed in general and feeling like, well, I don't see myself in. I hear you talking about your sister, I hear you talking about your mother, but where am I.

And so I think her going to have this town hall with Charlamagne is brilliant because she needs to do more to just have the conversation and say, I'm here, I see you, my policies like starting a small business or buying a house or lowering your taxes, you are included in my vision of this country. I think that's really important.

KEILAR: Scott, what did you think about President Obama's message?

SCOTT TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (R-VA): Well, it's nice to see the former President Barack Obama leave his multimillion dollar mansion on Martha's Vineyard where there's less than 2 percent of black residents to talk down to black men and to try to shame them and make guilt trip them into blindly supporting Kamala Harris. Black men are no different than white men or brown men. We all have our issues. We all have our concerns about the economy and being able to afford a family, being able to afford a mortgage.

So I just - I find it really - I mean, the irony is pretty crazy, in my opinion, but I don't think it's going to work. I don't think that it's a good strategy for the president to try to shame and guilt trip men as a man speaking. I think it will have the opposite effect.

SANCHEZ: I read skepticism (INAUDIBLE) ...

FINNEY: Yes. I'm going to just say thanks, Scott. I'm going to not go to you for advice with black men or Latino men. I'm going to go to black men and Latino men and have that conversation because there is a family conversation happening in the black community about this. And there is a real age gap, quite frankly.

TAYLOR: (INAUDIBLE) ...

FINNEY: And I think, look, I don't love all of the way President Obama said it, but I think it's important to be having this conversation. I really do.

SANCHEZ: Scott, you were saying something.

TAYLOR: Sorry?

SANCHEZ: You were just saying something, but there was like you guys were talking over each other so I just want to hear what you said.

TAYLOR: Yes, I mean, let's - sure, of course. I mean, as she said, I'm not going to go to you for advice for black men. Well, of course, we're not going to go to you for advice for men in general, right? I think the fact that black men and white men and brown men, which plays out in the data, Democrats agree with me, they see the data, there's a big problem for the VP here for sure.

[15:10:06]

And I don't think bringing out into Gov. Walz has helped out. I don't think that bringing out President Obama to try to shame black men in this (INAUDIBLE) I just think it's a it's a losing strategy and will have the opposite effect and I'm speaking as a man.

KEILAR: I want to talk a little bit about what President or former President Trump said in Detroit about Detroit, because the Harris campaign already has an ad out today highlighting the comments. And here's what Tim Walz told supporters during a rally in Michigan today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But if the guy would have ever spent any time in the Midwest, like all of us know, we'd know Detroit's experience in American comeback and Renaissance. Look, I'm a Twins fan and you whipped our ass. We know where this is. Detroit's there, so we know.

Cities growing, crimes down, factories are opening up. But those guys, all they know about manufacturing is manufacturing bull (expletive) every time they show up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, Scott, I'm curious what you think, because we did speak on the program to Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Democratic stalwart, and she did indicate that what Trump said about Detroit in Detroit that might actually sit fine with some people there, not all of them. But I do wonder what you think, because we see a little cleanup on the part of the Trump campaign. Can he afford to have comments like that?

TAYLOR: Well, listen, I know Congresswoman Dingell, we serve together in Congress and she usually says it like it is off her mind. She doesn't sugarcoat it. So I kind of agree with her. I mean, listen, this is a city - yes, there have been strides there. And for manufacturing, quite frankly, some of the president's policies when we came in with tax reform, as well as when he came in and every single major piece of legislation since then has had incentives to bring back American jobs and capital and stuff like that. The Democrats have, of course, done the same, basically, but it was Trump who was the catalyst that made that happen.

So - but Detroit itself has been under Democratic control for 60 years plus, right? So I think Congresswoman Dingell is correct. I mean, there are - while they're making strides in some areas, there's still a lot of room to grow. And I think that his rhetoric about cities in general, not just Detroit, but other cities that are Democrat-led, that could use some help. I agree with Congressman Dingell. I think it's actually going to help him. SANCHEZ: Karen ...

KEILAR: I just want to be clear ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KEILAR: ... that's not exactly what she said, but I just - I don't want to misrepresent what she was saying, but she didn't think that it would be a total loss for him to say something like that.

SANCHEZ: Precisely, her ...

TAYLOR: (INAUDIBLE) exactly what she said.

SANCHEZ: Well, effectively, what she said was that for some folks of an older generation, that message might resonate because they have a different vision of what Detroit should be. And it actually came to mind, Karen, when you were talking about an age gap ...

FINNEY: Yes.

SANCHEZ: ... previously, specifically among black voters. But more broadly, what do you think of that competing vision and how Trump's message, even though some might see it as offensive ...

FINNEY: Yes.

SANCHEZ: ... saying that, you know, Detroit is in shambles and you don't want the country to look like that. To some voters, it clearly resonates.

FINNEY: You know what? I think this is a moment we have to go back to what Michelle Obama said, which is like don't lose the plot. This is about Donald Trump lying about Detroit and denigrating Detroit for a talking point, just as he's about to do in Aurora, Colorado, just as he's done about Springfield, where he's now put children's lives in danger. You have police cars actually outside of the schools there to protect from bomb threats, just as he endangered people who are impacted by these storms with his lies and false rhetoric. That's the kind of leader he is.

And I think what's important to call out - look, I think for Debbie Dingell, absolutely. She's got to talk about Michigan. She's got to talk about Detroit. But I think in the bigger picture of the campaign, it's important to call the lies out as the desperation from Donald Trump. This is the kind of leader he is and that's the choice we have to make, that we have a leader who is actually talking - doesn't say climate change is a hoax, says it's real and we got to deal with it. Isn't denigrating and race-baiting when it comes to black children and Latino men in Aurora, Colorado, and isn't going around trashing cities. I mean, it had echoes of shithole countries, excuse my language, when he said that.

KEILAR: There was a little bleep-worthiness in this segment, I will admit.

TAYLOR: (INAUDIBLE) what he said about Haiti, but how did that turn out?

KEILAR: I'm sorry, Scott, we ...

TAYLOR: The country itself.

KEILAR: I'm sorry, Scott, we did not hear the entirety of your comment.

TAYLOR: Sure. I mean, look, I understand that, you know, sometimes he says things with a lot of emphasis and maybe not my choice of words. But (INAUDIBLE) when he was mentioning about Haiti and clearly that country has a major problem and we're dealing with that to the tune of billions and billions of dollars in our country.

So like, you know, listen, I think that politicians are going to speak to their voters. It's why you have Barack Obama coming out of Martha's Vineyard speaking to black voters right now.

[15:15:05]

It's the same type of thing. I mean, you - we're in a sprint right now for the election and that's what politicians do. They speak to the people that they think that are going to vote for them.

FINNEY: Yes, I think you can do it without lying and race-baiting, that's all I'm saying.

TAYLOR: Barack Obama is race-baiting right now. What are you talking about? Why did they bring him out? He's only speaking to black voters. What is that? It's the same thing.

FINNEY: He's a former president and he just did a big rally in Pittsburgh. I don't think they were checking the race at the door, actually.

TAYLOR: (INAUDIBLE) black men to vote blindly for Kamala Harris. If that's not race-baiting, I don't know what is.

FINNEY: Oh, okay.

KEILAR: Scott, Karen, thank you so much for the conversation. We appreciate it.

Still to come, some more rescue operations in Florida after Hurricane Milton as the Small Business Administration says it will run out of funding for storm victims within days. The head of that agency will join us to explain what that could mean.

SANCHEZ: Plus, the deadliest Israeli attack on Central Beirut in years. At least 22 people killed in strikes on a residential building where a senior Hezbollah leader was thought to be hiding. Turns out he survived this attack.

And later, Elon Musk unveiling Tesla's new driverless taxis. He predicts the company will be taken to new heights, but Wall Street not as excited about this idea, let's say. All that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:50]

KEILAR: Some Florida communities are still bracing for rising waters in Milton's wake. They're still going up ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KEILAR: ... in some places waiting for flooded rivers to crest.

Right now, search and rescue efforts underway in the Tampa Bay area and the death toll has risen to 16 across the state. Storm surge and swollen rivers now have first responders scrambling to locate people who are trapped in homes and buildings.

SANCHEZ: The Hillsborough County Sheriff is warning residents living near the Alafia River to get out now because water levels are expected to keep rising. CNN's Isabel Rosales has been on the front lines of rescue efforts.

Isabel, you were on a vessel earlier today that was trying to get folks in and out of their homes. What's the situation now?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. It's entirely visceral to see this community, and sure, by Valrico area, Lithia area here in Hillsborough County, by the Alafia River, they're used to flooding, right, from a heavy, heavy storm, hurricanes and all of that. This far away, a mile away from the Alafia River, they have not seen anything like this. I mean, look at this. This is a gas station that has taken water. So many cars that have been flooded. We've seen mailboxes all the way to the very top covered in water. Even a Bayfront Health bus has taken on so much water, it's incredible.

And, of course, so many people that have taken on damage, they've lost their homes. And we followed along with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office as they help people get back into their house or take them out of there in the first place, but also get back in there. And we saw a couple that were filling up trash bags with their belongings. They don't know when they'll be able to come back, watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH GENITO, VALRICO RESIDENT, HOME DAMAGED BY MILTON: Right now, I'm okay. Surely, probably not. But we have our health and my family, so I feel for everybody that's been through the same thing. I really do. I do. I never expected it to happen to me. Nobody expects it to happen to them. So you just get through it. You get through it, you know? It's like everybody says, it's material things, okay? It is. It still doesn't make it any better. It doesn't make it any better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And you mentioned Sheriff Chad Chronister telling people that live around the river to get out, because it's expected to crest tonight at midnight at 25 and a half feet. And I want to get this real quick, an update from the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue about that assisted living facility, some of those people have moved back with their family members, but now they are working with the state to find them a more permanent shelter that can fulfill their medical needs as well. So plenty of people still without a home, guys.

KEILAR: All right. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much for that report in Hillsborough County, Florida.

ROSALES: Thank you, guys.

KEILAR: These back to back catastrophes, Milton and Helene, they're putting a financial strain on FEMA and also the Small Business Administration, which provides low interest loans to disaster survivors, not just small businesses. The situation is so dire that the SBA could soon run out of money for hurricane victims. We're joined now by Isabel Casillas Guzman. She is the administrator for the Small Business Administration.

Thank you so much, Administrator.

Your letter to Congress obtained by The Washington Post says SBA funding is going to run out next week. Can you put an exact date on that for us?

ISABEL CASILLAS GUZMAN, ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: Well, yes, and that's right. And as you said, SBA steps in to help support communities so that they can rebuild, so that their - we can sustain local economies. And as we've advised Congress, we are running out of funds. It's a matter of days that we will be depleted of resources to be able to fund folks to get back into their homes as quickly as possible.

And of course, right now, as we saw from the stories, these are lifesaving measures that are being taken right now. This is still response. But as we move to recover quickly and rebuild communities, SBA is vital that we get on the ground quickly.

KEILAR: And as of now, Congress is not set to come back until after the election, which let's just be clear, you will run out of money long before then, right?

[15:25:00]

GUZMAN: Yes, we will run out of money in days. As President Biden has said, we are on the edge of running out of money. This is a situation that we need to have Congress act immediately to be able to replenish these dollars that we can get checks to folks who are in need.

KEILAR: Do you have an exact date? Can you give us an idea?

GUZMAN: It's a matter of days at this point. We are supporting 36 disasters across the country, of course, the most intense under Helene. And specifically, of course, as this disaster is just wrapped up - ramped up over the last couple of weeks. But clearly, we are putting out millions, receiving tens of thousands of applications on Helene alone and need to be able to support these folks who have been impacted. And as you've heard, people who have never witnessed anything like this.

And we come in to fill gaps in insurance and get people money not only for their homes, but renters as well, personal belongings to get people situated as quickly as possible.

KEILAR: Yes, nonprofits as well as small businesses. And Congress, to be clear, went on recess with - during hurricane season without giving SBA more funds. Did SBA ask Congress to give it more funds before it went on recess?

GUZMAN: Yes, and we have been advising for months that SBA needed to replenish its disaster program at the SBA so that we could continue to carry through hurricane season. And, of course, with the devastation of Helene across those six states and now Milton, SBA's resources are going to be tapped to be able to help these communities rebuild.

KEILAR: Okay. So you have a matter of days here, as we mentioned, all of the things that SBA provides, these low interest loans to homeowners, renters, small business owners, nonprofits. What happens if SBA does run out? If there is this gap, if you can process new applications, but you can't write checks, if there ends up being a backlog of applications, what are then going to be the effects felt on the ground of people who really need these loans?

GUZMAN: When, as I said, we're about economic stabilization at the SBA, these funds are critical to help not only businesses, but as you said, we want their employees, their customers to stabilize again so that communities can build back, so that they can come back after these disasters. And clearly, these funds are vital. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the SBA's early relief in communities helps prevent economic challenges into the future from bankruptcies, business closures, et cetera.

And so what will happen if we run out of dollars is that SBA will, of course, continue to be on the ground. We have centers across the nation helping disaster survivors process their loans as well as get through that initial underwriting process. But we will have to hold. We will not be able to create offers and write checks for anybody new in the system. And with 10s of thousands of applications already in processing right now, clearly, we're not going to be able to fund the people who have applied or those who will apply.

But I will encourage everybody to continue to apply so that you're ready to go. We will be able to turn it back on and come to Sba.gov or give us a call and make sure that you can connect to these resources quickly.

KEILAR: Yes. You will be processing the applications, just not making offers and writing those checks, as you say, and that's very important that people know that.

Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, thank you so much for your time, as clearly you were sounding the alarm here. We appreciate it.

GUZMAN: Thank you so much.

KEILAR: Coming up, condemnation growing after Israel acknowledges striking a U.N. peacekeeping base in Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers. That is a second hit to the base in two days. We'll have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)