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Sources: Trump To Announce VP Pick In The Next Few Hours; Secret Service "Confident" In The Security Plan For RNC; FBI Believes Shooter Acted Alone, Still Investigating Motive. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 15, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR & SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And you have to imagine that this --

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's going to be for different reasons.

PHILLIP: You have to imagine that this point that the Trump campaign after the debate, after the events of this past weekend, they're probably feeling they don't really need the VP to do anything in particular right now.

KUCINICH: Exactly.

DAVID POLYANSKY, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, SENATOR TED CRUZ: I -- look. I think Donald Trump gets to pick the nominee or the vice-presidential nominee who he wants, not that he needs, to your point. There's nobody electorally at this point that's going to make a difference. He came into the debate leading, he left the debate leading, and he heads into this convention and have a really strong place. So, he gets to make a choice today on who he wants to serve with, which is not unprecedented, but it's a pretty relaxing place for him.

Now, I do think the events of 18 days ago on the debate stage with all the criticisms that the president faced about his fitness for office and certainly the tragic events of Saturday, I think it put in light though, the need to pick somebody that everybody feels comfortable with as a number two. Somebody that could step in, in a tragic circumstance or in the case, as we're seeing with the president today, somebody that might step in as both of these men are a little bit older. And so, I think the three folks we're talking about tonight are relatively young, relatively vibrant.

PHILLIP: Yes.

POLYANSKY: And I think can all fit that role for him.

PHILLIP: You know, we were talking to Tim Alberta, who just spent about six months basically embedded in the Trump campaign. And he said that in the Trump campaign, they're thinking about this kind of in two lanes. You've got the sort of lining up the next generation, and then you have a sort of more establishment pick that would have been designed to kind of calm the waters. So, if that is in fact, the thinking, there has been this kind of public and I'm sure private, back and forth about where does each of these men fit into that paradigm.

I think for perhaps J.D. Vance. That's the clearest lane that he fits in maybe the next generation. But what do you think about Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum, and how they fit into that paradigm?

KUCINICH: You know, Marco Rubio would obviously be a historic pick. Someone of Hispanic descent. He would -- I think he'd be the first -- I'd have -- I'd have to check. But -- and he also is the next generation. He occupies that as well.

Burgum. I mean, he has been very steadfast with Trump ever since he dropped out of the race. He's someone who Trump respects because of his business acumen. And he has been an executive of a state, so -- and a popular one at that.

So, they all do have different assets that you could see playing into Trump. But you also have to say all of these men have been very loyal to Trump, which is also a very important asset for this campaign.

PHILLIP: Yes. And just to reiterate for any folks joining us right now, we've learned according to several sources that Donald Trump is expected to announce his vice-presidential pick in the next few hours. We are on day one of the Republican National Convention here in Milwaukee.

And in just a few hours, we're going to see the kickoff of the formal programming. This is going to be the roll call part of the -- of the program. So, it does make sense in a way for this announcement if it's going to happen today for it to happen sometime in that timeframe as the official kind of ceremonial part of this convention kicks off.

POLYANSKY: Well, look. I've been to a lot of conventions. We both have. I don't know that I've ever seen a level of enthusiasm and anticipation. Not because there haven't been exciting picks in the past or exciting you know, nominees, but just the circumstances of this past weekend.

This arena is ready to explode in enthusiasm when they see Donald Trump and when they hear his pick. And so, just even going back to the point of maybe there were you know, folks -- you know, wanting Nikki Haley, for instance, to be on the ticket or others in the donor class, I think all that's been erased over the last few days, especially. He's going to come in here tonight and announce somebody. And they are both going to be embraced by this arena with a level of enthusiasm that we probably haven't seen in our party in quite some time. And so, it's a unified party --

KUCINICH: Yes.

POLYANSKY: From donors to activists to the primary base as well. And tonight, and over the course of the next few days, I think they get a chance to not only introduce this new pick but introduce their message in a very positive visionary way. And if they do that, I don't think the Democrats will have a chance to catch up. KUCINICH: Unity. You said unified. I mean, that's what I've heard over and over again, talking to delegates here.

POLYANSKY: Right.

KUCINICH: Just the level of unity here even before Saturday. But certainly, since Saturday, it just really galvanized and you know, really lit a fire under his supporters. So, I think that we'll see a lot of that.

I mean, Nikki Haley was invited. She was not initially, reportedly.

PHILLIP: Yes.

KUCINICH: And so, even that bringing someone in who he didn't have a good relationship with until you know, very recently, that is also a signal that they really want to bring everybody in and go forward and you know, try to win this now.

POLYANSKY: I mean, think about it. You have Ron DeSantis. Nikki Haley speaking. You have Ted Cruz speaking who ran against them last time. Marco Rubio is on the short list --

KUCINICH: Is in consideration. Yes.

POLYANSKY: I mean, this is as a unified party as you could -- you could ask for heading into an important convention like this.

[11:35:00]

PHILLIP: Yes. Look, the convention is supposed to be the high watermark for the political parties in terms of their energy, their enthusiasm, the positive message that they're putting out to the rest of the country. And so, it's not surprising what you're seeing here that people are going to be really excited when Donald Trump comes into this room. You're hearing the music behind me.

We are in the hall at the Republican National Convention. We'll be right back with much more on our breaking news. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:02]

PHILLIP: And welcome back. We are back in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Saturday's assassination attempt on Donald Trump has intensified the scrutiny of the security measures right here at the RNC. CNN's Ryan Young is joining us. Ryan, can you tell us what you're seeing out there?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Abby. Right now, we're at one of the protest zones here in Milwaukee. This is something that obviously police are watching.

Throughout the city, there's two protests -- First Amendment zones here. Right now, we have some counter-protesters who have shown up to yell at the protests that is planned here in the next half hour or so.

But I'll walk you back this way, Abby, so you can understand this. You can see the people who've shown up. A lot of them support the Free Palestine movement. They want to have their voices heard here. They've been making remarks about Donald Trump.

You've had other protesters show up in support of the president. And as you turn the corner here, you can see the amount of protesters who plan to march just the next hour or so. This is outside the hard zone. So, none of these protesters can make it into that fortified area.

And, of course, we talked to the mayor today who believes that the 18- month plan that was put together with the Secret Service is going to work. But let's make clear here, there was controversy. The RNC did not feel like the zone was extended far enough at one point, and they even asked for the Secret Service to double up security.

But this is what everyone came to the agreement on. Having these zones of First Amendment speech, these folks have put in that request for that march around noon. And of course, there'll be marching down the street opposite those hard areas that you had to cross through to get to the location you are.

Just to show you something. That bridge over there, you can't really make it out. But that area over there, that's where the hard zone starts. And so, they've been able to keep these protesters from being in that location.

50,000 people are expected to come here to the RNC. Keeping them safe is a part of the conversation. Not having protesters standing outside of hotels and yelling at people who support the president or the former president.

So, as you walk down this direction, you can see the amount of security that is around this area is a sight to see. They have cops on every block around here. They're not interacting with the protesters because they want to give them a free space to move around over the next few hours.

They do have officers who come in and have a conversation with them about where they go next. But this is just the beginning because they do expect more protesters to come this direction to the city over the next few days. But you can see the wide variety of people who descended on this area.

The whole idea is to keep it peaceful, to keep certain groups separate from each other so you don't have any clashes, and so far, that is happening. But of course, this is the first day that a lot of people in the city are starting to see those hard zones put in place. Trying to get around the city at this point, especially in the urban core has been a mess.

Now, we have to speak about that secret service plan that's been 18 months in the works. And everyone right now believes in terms of from a security standpoint, that that will be sufficient enough to keep any trouble away. But after the last few days, you just sort of never know, Abby.

PHILLIP: Yes. And that's exactly I think what is hanging over all of this. I wonder, as you're walking around there talking to people, do you hear a sense of apprehension or concern about their own safety?

I mean, look, the Secret Service is here to protect obviously, their protectees but really everybody who is involved in this convention. The press, bystanders, attendees, all of them?

YOUNG: Yes, that is a great question. And one of the -- one of the things that we've noticed so far is sometimes you'll bring children to protests. I've talked to one parent who actually had a empty stroller and they said that they didn't feel comfortable bringing their child down here. I understand why they didn't want to do that.

But it -- so far, there have not been any issues in terms of even the counter-protesters getting physical in terms of breaking that zone. Now, they haven't gone face to face. People are yelling at each other.

But if you look back in this direction, there are police officers almost on every corner going around us, but not in the zone right here. They allow the people to sort of mingle with themselves. We're an hour away from when this mark is supposed to start.

And what we have noticed in terms of the coordination and the level of terms of power that the Secret Service and other agencies from around the country have, you can't get near one of those hard sites without the proper badge. I mean, we've seen people who work around these areas having trouble to even get into their jobs at this point. We knew today was going to be difficult because today was the first day that we saw that hard perimeter setup. We'll see how this goes especially with this protest and as more press -- protesters flow in. Abby?

PHILLIP: All right. Ryan Young, thank you very much. And we'll be right back with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:49:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, officials are investigating the motive into the assassination attempt against Donald Trump as questions remain about the gunman identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. For more on this, Washington Post Reporter Emily Davies joins me now. She's been on the ground in the shooter's hometown of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

Emily, this is a real mystery because typically by now in a -- in a mass shooting or an event like this, we know a whole lot more about the shooter's motive. But we just -- that seems to be kind of a mystery at this point. What have you been able to learn?

EMILY DAVIES, REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: Yes, that's right. People here are really shocked. It's a small community. A lot of people have heard of him. But people who went to school with him describing as quiet. And everyone is sort of glued to these TV screens all over town trying to figure out how this person existed so close by without any real obvious sign of trouble.

ACOSTA: And how was the community responding? I mean, obviously, they -- everybody must still be in shock.

[11:50:04]

DAVIES: Yes. Everyone is really in shock. It's that line that you know, you never think this is going to happen in your town. And then you wake up in the morning and you see Bethel Park on the TV screen at your favorite diner, and you're stunned.

I mean, that's what I've been hearing from people. People here say Bethel Park is a family place. It's easy to raise kids here. People talk about a sort of civility and neighborly spirit. And so having this sort of attention on their community for an incident this violent is really surprising to people.

ACOSTA: And what else can you tell us about how the shooter was seen in this community? I mean, it sounds as though people did not see this coming.

DAVIES: No. Bethel Park High School has about 400 people per grade. And so, the students who I talked to who were in his graduating class had spent time around him. He was in homeroom with one girl who like to spent some good time with.

And she described him as a quiet kid. But he was nice to the people who he interacted with. And there was really nothing at school that she said stood out to her as surprising. And she spent at least 20 minutes with him every morning for four years.

ACOSTA: Wow.

DAVIES: So yes, people are really surprised. And I think that speaks to some of the mystery of this whole thing.

ACOSTA: Yes. Investigators still trying to get to a motive in all of this. Emily Davies with the Washington Post, thank you very much. Appreciate those insights.

And what had been a fairly static election campaign up until a few weeks ago, obviously has now been forever altered once again. Michael Gold is a political correspondent for The New York Times. He's in Milwaukee covering the Republican National Convention.

Michael, I mean, obviously, there have been calls for unity and civility in the wake of this assassination attempt on the former president. But what can you tell us about what you're picking up on? One of the things that we've seen in just the last several hours is that the former president is now back on Truth Social, and he's accusing the Biden administration of weaponizing the Justice Department and so on. So, for all of these calls of civility, his tone is a bit -- about where it was prior to what took place on Saturday.

MICHAEL GOLD, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: I think there was always a question about how long calls for unity might last and how long it would be before he returned to the campaign attacks that have defined the race this year. And I would note also, to be fair, President Trump has been calling for unity at his rallies, but he's been delivering that call to a pretty limited audience. It's mostly people who already follow him.

I think something that's very clear, if you look at the program for the Convention which remains the program that it always is, most of the knights have themes that are announced. Those themes are largely attacking President Biden. My colleague, Michael Bender, and I reported that there was an effort to review some of the speeches in the wake of what happened on Saturday. and few of the speeches that had been submitted needed to change.

So, I think there is an idea of unity here. But it's going to be very interesting to see how that unity emerges with the need to set the tone for the rest of the race. And that tone is going to be a pretty negative one for Democrats.

ACOSTA: And how are the folks there in Milwaukee -- Republican operatives, activists, and so on, how are they viewing Donald Trump now after what took place on Saturday? I mean, a lot of what you're seeing on social media, a lot of what some of the former president's allies are saying is that they're seeing the fact that he was able to survive this assassination attempt as almost, like, a religious event that he was saved by God. I wonder if you picking up on some of those -- I guess some of those angles out there in Milwaukee.

GOLD: I think that definitely is the tone for a lot of people here. You know, there's some campaign volunteers I've seen, there's some delegates I've spoken to who feel like Trump was saved by what happened. He was very lucky.

I think you heard Trump say that in the interviews with the Washington Examiner and the New York Post. He seems very aware of how close he came to having something more serious happen. And for a lot of people here, they've seen Trump as kind of the savior of the country already anyway.

And the fact that something like this happened sort of adds to the political martyrdom that he and his team have been feeling for the last year if not longer, especially with the criminal cases against him. So, I think this only serves to emphasize a narrative that was already in place.

ACOSTA: And just a quick reaction. Are you getting reaction from folks to the other breaking news we've been following in the last couple of hours? Judge Aileen Cannon down in Florida dismissing that classified documents case.

GOLF: I think it's fair to say that people here are thrilled. They're really happy to see it. A lot of people here thought that all the criminal cases that have been brought against President Trump were wrong in the first place. And so, for a lot of them, they feel like this is justice.

You know, I spoke to one Republican operative, who basically told me that they feel like Trump has just been almost lucky in a way that every break that's happened to him in the last year in criminal cases has been this lucky break.

ACOSTA: Yes.

GOLD: And we started with this kind of unprecedented thing.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. All right, Michael Gold with the New York Times, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

I want to go to Laura Coates. Laura, I understand you have the former president's attorney with you there in Milwaukee. Take it away.

[11:55:06]

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. I do have Alina Habba with me here. And, Alina, you and I were just speaking. First of all, you came in with the president of the United States -- former president of the United States just last night to Milwaukee. What is it been like for him knowing that he was so close to being gravely injured on Saturday?

ALINA HABBA, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: I mean, clearly, they -- if they could have they -- this shooter wanted to kill him and assassinate a former president and the candidate for the Republican Party. For me, I can tell you that it was emotional. It was -- I was nervous to see him.

I kept thinking I didn't know what to say. There are no words. He is a friend of mine.

And at the end of the day, when you see someone almost get killed, but you know them -- I mean, this is a very strange place in the world to be right now. I think for all sides of politics, we don't want that for anybody. That's just against the grain. So, it was emotional.

COATES: Has he expressed to you how he's feeling? I mean, there must be such a feeling of one mortality --

HABBA: Yes.

COATES: But also, the political climate we're in.

HABBA: Yes. I think that he -- you know, he had a speech ready. And that speech maybe would have been quintessential President Trump speech addressing the nation about issues and disagreements that he has. I'm not saying that that probably won't be there to some extent, but I think anybody who almost gets killed has a different perspective on life.

And I know for the team, we all feel emotional. And we're really behind Melania's sentiments, which are to unite this country despite political differences. We need to unite this country because there is no place for what happened.

And I think we all saw that. And the plane right here was different than most. It was --

COATES: How so?

HABBA: You know, when I saw the team and these are my friends that I've worked with for years now, I became emotional. I am a very sensitive person. I don't usually show that side, obviously.

I'm outside the courtroom screaming. But when you almost lose a friend -- a former president, but a friend to me, it's a -- it's emotional.

COATES: You know, there has been a time -- there's been so many things happening in the last several hours, including a decision that you and I --

HABBA: Yes.

COATES: As lawyers know that it's very important in cases to have a judge dismiss the case. It's something that does not happen every day.

HABBA: No.

COATES: To dismiss it on the appointments clause grounds, to talk about the idea of the appointment of Jack Smith. This is stunning for a lot of people that indeed happened, even though it was requested. What's your reaction to the decision by Judge Aileen Cannon in that sense?

HABBA: Well, I think Judge Cannon -- as you said, it is a big decision. The Appointments clause is critical. I think that the Constitution, and all of that needs to really be seriously considered.

These cases, I do believe were brought for the wrong reasons. They were politically charged. I think Jack Smith, in particular, made tremendous amount of mistakes the way he handled evidence.

But even going back to the appointments clause. The fact that he was there, he was not voted in, he was not confirmed, it's just not the way we're supposed to operate as Americans. And I say that both for if I was on the other side and I was bringing a case against President Biden. You just -- we have to follow the rules --

COATES: But I went --

HABBA: And the Constitution.

COATES: Sorry to cut you off.

HABBA: No, it's OK.

COATES: I do wonder, though, because the alternative, many people are hearing and there are many laymen out there who become armchair lawyers because of necessity --

HABBA: Right.

COATES: In the world we're in.

HABBA: Right.

COATES: But one of the core principles people talk about is the idea of the accusations that have been a politicized system up to date. The idea that it wouldn't be somebody who had an independent authority but likely somebody under the purview of an attorney general, a political appointee himself, isn't there a really big risk of people leveling the same accusations but now tenfold if you do not have an independent body who had that role?

HABBA: Yes, I hear what you're saying. Because look at the end of the day, if we go back and when we go back to Washington, I don't want that criticism for their team, right? So, here's what I say, though.

I think you have to look at the facts of these cases, specifically. When we bring in D.A.s and we bring in people from the DOJ on to D.A.s, for instance, like the hush money case, and you put them into New York, and you have them sit from the DOJ on the prosecution case in New York State, That's a problem for American.

COATES: Well, when you say have them sit, I want to be clear there is an accusation that that happened. But the idea of what they have come back if it did not happen is what they think is the reality. Focusing on Florida though, the idea that there is no longer a case there and there is the idea of not as Special Counsel, does that concern you that there won't be that independent body if the alternative were to have somebody from the DOJ under the purview of Merrick Garland?

HABBA: Has to be independent. You have to follow the appointments clause. They have to be selected.

And on the hush money thing, Michael Colangelo, that's not -- that's not an accusation. It's a fact. I was in court.

He was sitting there. And he was on the DOJ. And he had no business sitting in state court with President Trump. He was put in there to make sure that case went as planned under Merrick Garland.

The truth is, if and when we win, we are going to have to be transparent with America. We are going to have to make sure that people are appointed special counsel the correct way. And that we do so with the American people. I agree with you. The American --