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No Medical Report On Trump's Injuries Shared With Public; Biden Under New Pressure From Top Dems To Exit Race; Tonight: Trump Finally Accepts GOP Nomination. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 18, 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]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Five days -- five days after a gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump, there's still no official update on his injuries. Our next guest says that is bizarre. CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner joins me now.

Dr. Reiner, I know you're the longtime cardiologist to the former vice president, Dick Cheney. But you posted this today. It's bizarre that no report has been issued by the campaign to describe his evaluation, the extent of his injury.

What do you make of all this? I mean, we've seen the bandage on his ear all week -- we've seen the bandage on his ear all week, and we -- you know, lots of people have been emulating that in the crowd at the RNC. But we don't know anything about how his ears doing, what's going on. What do you think?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, I mean, I think it's -- it is completely bizarre that the former president and current candidate for president was you know, apparently injured by a bullet on Saturday night, and there's been no official report of his evaluation. We don't know, you know, what the extent of his injury is. We don't know what kind of evaluation he had.

We don't know if he had imaging, and if -- like a CT scan. And if he had imaging you know, what did it show? We don't know if his wound needed any kind of surgical or minor surgical repair.

We don't know if it needs any follow-up, if he's going to need, you know, plastic surgery or revision of it. And I would say that this is all unprecedented. But it's par for the course you know, for Donald Trump.

We learned almost nothing about his health prior to the -- his election in 2016. In November 2019, he was taken emergently on a Saturday afternoon to Walter Reed, and the White House just refused to disclose why. And now, that the president is essentially shot or nicked, you know, by a bullet. And again, they declined to tell the public the extent of his injury.

I think that this is relevant information. And I think this kind of new normal, and just not disclosing the health of a president or presidential candidate is really not acceptable for the public. Particularly, for a candidate you know, running for president.

ACOSTA: Yes. And the only information we've gathered about Trump's injuries has come from family and friends sharing what they've seen or what the former president has told folks. The other question I have is that large bandage on his ear, is that typically the size of a -- of a bandage you would put on somebody's ear when they've had an injury like that? I mean, it's pretty big.

REINER: If -- well, it depends on the injury.

ACOSTA: Yes.

REINER: So, if he's had a large piece of his ear injured or perforated or pierced, and actually, to use the president's words from a social media post this weekend, he said he felt the bullet ripping through his ear. So, if there's a large wound, yes, you might need a large band-aid -- a large bandage. Although that's kind of a weird application of it.

And if it was just nicked, then perhaps that's too large. But again, more data would help us understand how severely injured the president was -- the former president was, and what his follow-up should be expected, and how quickly he should fully recover.

ACOSTA: And let's take a listen to Republican Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas, who served as Trump's White House doctor and ended up becoming a very MAGA member of Congress. And he traveled to be with him after the shooting. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RONNY JACKSON (R-TX): He realizes that if he hadn't started making that movement where he turned his head, pulled back a little bit, and looked up, if he hadn't done that at the exact millisecond that he started, that bullet would have entered his head, right? And it would have hit him here, it would have hit him here, it would -- you know, the -- I mean, either way, he would have been dead because with high caliber weapon.

He was lucky. I mean, you know, it was far enough away from his head that it -- there was no concussive effect from the bullet. And it just took the top of his ear off -- a little bit of the top of his ear off as it passed through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:35:20]

ACOSTA: What do you glean from that?

REINER: Well, I mean, obviously the bullet appeared to -- I mean there was blood on the -- on the president's head.

ACOSTA: Yes.

REINER: So, the bullet was as close as it could be. So, you know, no doubt that's true. But I always take what Congressman Jackson says with a grain of salt.

He was the president's physician, and -- when -- in I believe, it was 2018 he told the public that if he -- the president a little bit better, he could live to be 200 because he had fabulous genes. So, I always look at his comments with a great deal of skepticism. No doubt only the president was extraordinarily lucky.

But I think now it's time to just release a statement about the extent of his injuries, what his valuation was, and what the follow-up should be expected to be. If he had a substantial injury, then perhaps he needs to take some time off to recover. Looking at him in the -- in his box at the RNC, he looks pretty tired. And if it was you know, just a scratch, then he's amazingly lucky, but the public should really know.

ACOSTA: Right. And just -- as you were saying earlier, just as we saw during the Trump administration, they're not very forthcoming when it comes to medical information about Donald Trump. And that hasn't changed much.

All right. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.

REINER: My pleasure.

ACOSTA: All right, we're going to take a quick break. But first, here's this week's installment of "CHASING LIFE" with Dr Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast.

GUPTA (voiceover): What do some sandwich meats and cheese puffs and some breads have in common? They are all considered ultra-processed foods. They are made up of ingredients derived from fats, sugar, and starches. They may be very tasty, but they're very unhealthy. 71 percent of the food supply in the United States is now ultra- processed.

Research shows two-thirds of the calories children consume in the U.S. and about 60 percent of adult diets come from ultra-processed foods. Now, studies have linked these foods to an increase in obesity, type two diabetes, heart disease, but also anxiety and depression, certain cancers, and overall increased early mortality.

GUPTA: So, here are some ways to reduce your intake.

GUPTA (voiceover): First check that ingredient list. If you can't pronounce the names of foods, that's a red flag. Second, cook with as many fresh ingredients as possible. And when you can, avoid those ready-to-eat or microwavable foods.

And finally, if you eat out, try and eat local. Those restaurants are less likely to have ultra-processed offerings as compared to a fast food chain. GUPTA: And you can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:43:02]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Today, President Biden is under increasing pressure from top Democrats to exit the 2024 race. Sources are telling CNN that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently spoke with President Biden, and she told him that he cannot win. I want to discuss this now with former DNC chair, Howard Dean. He was Vermont's governor for 12 years, and he ran for president in 2004.

Governor Dean, it seems like based on what I'm hearing, based on what our other reporters are hearing, the biggest issue right now is concern that the battleground is widening, that the polls are heading in the wrong direction. And when you have Speaker Pelosi saying this to President Biden behind the scenes, how much pressure do you think is on the president right now to get out of this race, and how long do you think he can withstand it?

HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DNC CHAIRMAN: Well, first of all, we don't know for sure that that conversation did take place. And there's rumors about Schumer having a similar conversation. If those are true, then obviously there's enormous pressure.

I think the determination is going to be, of course, Biden's alone because that's the only legal way that he can be moved out of the race. And it's going to have to be his internal team sitting down with polls and assessing truthfully whether they can win or not. That's the only way that this can be settled.

PHILLIP: These images of President Biden now in isolation with COVID, contrasting with what's happening here, where I am in Milwaukee with the Republicans. That seems to be adding to the anxiety. How do you think that President Biden is being perceived right now to the American public?

DEAN: Well, you know -- I -- you know this is -- first of all, is a long, long way to go. I mean, usually, you don't make the turn until after Labor Day, and that's when the campaign gets serious. Secondly, of course, Trump has staged his convention, so he looks good. And the Democrats will do the same. So, I -- you know, I don't make much of this week.

[11:45:03]

Obviously, the Republicans are going to put their best foot forward. And the Biden -- and especially since the president has COVID, that's not helpful. But the president is going to do fine. In fact, he's not going to probably get nearly as sick as President Trump did when he got COVID and had to be taken to the hospital emergently. So again, we're a very long way from having anything decided. The only thing that's coming up is the deadline for whether the president is going to drop out or not.

PHILLIP: Yes. So, if he is not the nominee, let's say he decides to step aside. What do you think should happen then? Does it have to be the vice president, Kamala Harris or should it be, as some Democrats are pushing an open process going into this convention?

DEAN: Well, look -- you know, the people who are pushing that are mostly inside the beltway types who -- you know, who are pretty nervous about everything, I think. So, here's how I look at it.

Kamala Harris, first of all, is an experienced person who's done a good job for three and a half years. Second of all, she happens to be black. She happens to be a woman.

Who are the two most important groups in the coalition the Democrats need to win? They're women and people of color. Particularly, black people.

So, we're going to kick out a black woman from the -- from the perceived number one slot. She's in the number two slot. I don't think so. That would really roil the party.

So, I see -- if the president decides not to run, I see Kamala Harris and I would hope Roy Cooper, who is the governor -- former governor -- or the governor of North Carolina, who's not running again. I think it'll be actually easier for us to win North Carolina for a variety of reasons partly because they have a crackpot running on the other side, and they have a corrupt legislature, which Cooper has done a great job fending off. And the public knows that. So, I would favor a Harris- Cooper ticket. And I think we would pick up North Carolina as a result.

PHILLIP: Pick up North Carolina. So, Harris and Cooper, you think the Democrats have a chance to pick up North Carolina. But what else happens on the battleground? The Biden campaign right now, they believe that the battleground goes through the -- you know, the Rust Belt, the blue -- the blue wall. Do you think that changes if Vice President Harris is at the top of the ticket?

DEAN: I don't because the numbers I've seen actually still Biden in pretty good shape in the blue wall in many of the states. If not all, many of the states.

PHILLIP: I'm talking about if Vice President Harris is the -- ends up being the nominee, can she still win a Pennsylvania?

DEAN: Yes, look --

PHILLIP: Can she still compete in you know, Wisconsin, where I am right now?

DEAN: The numbers that I see say absolutely yes. She's within a point one way or the other. In some cases, running ahead of the president in some of the battleground states. Pennsylvania is a tough state for her, but the rest of them are pretty good. And I -- actually, the other thing that I think people are underestimating is the role of abortion. You've got two virulently anti-abortion, anti-women candidates on the Republican side who don't -- who believe basically in a national ban. And that is going to really play a huge role.

I think having a woman at the top of our ticket would be helpful. But again, this is all hypothetical stuff. The president is the nominee as of right now, and he has to make a decision about whether that's going to continue or not.

PHILLIP: It's all hypothetical. And then, until suddenly it is not. Howard Dean, you know that very well, as a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, I can't imagine that you ever --

DEAN: I know even worse. A former presidential candidate.

PHILLIP: Yes, that's right -- that's right. Howard Dean, thank you very much. And we'll be right back with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:50]

PHILLIP: Just days after surviving an assassination attempt, Donald Trump is now set to take the stage here at the RNC tonight. He'll formally become the Republican presidential nominee for the third straight time. Let's discuss this now with pollster and communication strategist Frank Luntz.

Frank, it's been a couple of days after this really horrific event for not just Donald Trump, but the country. Are you seeing an impact of the assassination attempt and also now three going on four straight days of a convention in which Republicans are really, really unified?

FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER & COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST: I've never seen a convention like this. I've never seen African Americans, working women, union members. There are people on stage that I'm not used -- I've been coming to conventions since 1988. I've never seen this before. Republicans literally dancing.

And the one thing I have to advise people is Republicans should not dance. It is what it is. But right now, I'm also looking at the challenges on the Democratic side.

PHILLIP: Yes.

LINTZ: Does Biden run or not? Is the vice president ready to step up? And I'm still concerned about the health and safety of our democracy. About whether or not it's safe and secure. About whether people believe the votes will be counted. Whether they believe that their voice is being heard.

And I'm hoping that tonight's speech is one that Trump has communicated unity, coming together, working together. If we get that kind of speech, this will have been a very successful convention. PHILLIP: Yes.

LUNTZ: And then it will be up to the Democrats to follow suit.

PHILLIP: You saw J.D. Vance talking about his upbringing, blue-collar America, all of that. The idea here is that he's going to be the sort of emissary to the suburban parts of those states, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, and other parts of the country to convert people who are skeptical about Trump. Do you see a path there based on your polling and your focus groups and all of that?

LUNTZ: I -- not only do I see a path, but they're looking for a two- party system again. It's not just Republican or Democrat. For these people, they feel ignored, they feel forgotten, and some of them even feel betrayed.

[11:55:09]

I want to bring them back into this great experiment that we call America. I want them to feel like they have a role to play and that their voice is heard. J.D. Vance's speech is something that we've never heard at a Republican Convention. Corporate America has got to be afraid. Democrats are opposed to them because of their -- how they treat the working class.

PHILLIP: I mean, his speech might as well have been delivered at a Democratic Convention on some of these economic issues that have been a part of the party's platform for years.

LUNTZ: And that's why I'm fascinated to see whether this holds because this is a message that none of these people have ever heard before. And they were paying very close attention to the fact that he wasn't angry.

PHILLIP: Yes.

LUNTZ: He was delivering a message of hope to that segment of the population.

PHILLIP: We would be remiss to not note that in 2016, Donald Trump ran on populism. But he got governed as a regular conservative, you know, in terms of the economic policies in a lot of ways. So, we'll see, as you said, if all of that sticks.

Frank Luntz, thank you very much for that. Jim, back to you in Washington.

ACOSTA: All right. Abby, thanks very much. And thank you for joining me here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta.

Stay with CNN. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash starts after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)