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Donald Trump To Hold First Campaign Rally After Assassination Attempt. Trump Campaign Rally In Michigan To Feature Republican Vice Presidential Running Mate J.D. Vance; Israeli Military Claims It Struck Several Houthi Military Targets Inside Yemen; Airline Travelers Across Globe Still Being Affected By Computer Shutdown; Law Enforcement Authorities Believe Thomas Matthew Crooks Used Drone To Survey Area Of Pennsylvania Rally Before Assassination Attempt On Donald Trump; Donald Trump Says He Had Very Good Phone Call With Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Secretary General Of Estonian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Jonatan Vseviov Interviewed On Ongoing War Between Russia And Ukraine; Breakdancing To Debut As New Olympic Sport In Paris Summer Games. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired July 20, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:01]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hello, and thanks for joining me. I'm Alex Marquardt.

The 2024 presidential race is about to enter a critical new phase for both of the leading candidates. In the next few hours, former President Donald Trump is returning to the campaign trail after the Republican National Convention. This comes exactly one week after surviving that attempted assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania last weekend. He and his newly minted running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, will be holding their first joint campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

And it comes as President Biden continues to recover from COVID at his Delaware beach more as he plots a path forward with a planned return to the campaign trail next week despite those growing calls for him to end his reelection bid.

So far, at least 35 Democratic lawmakers are now publicly urging him outspokenly to step aside, with the latest announcement coming in just the last few hours. But the president is insisting that he's staying in the race, and a source says that he's seething at former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi since some of her closest allies are joining the calls for him to drop out.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is covering that Trump rally in Michigan. But let's start with CNN White House correspondent Priscilla Alvarez, who is with the president in Delaware. So Priscilla, I understand that the president's doctor has just given an update on his COVID recovery. What did that doctor say?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER: That's exactly right. Moments ago, we received that doctor's note at firm Kevin O'Connor that says that the president is still testing positive for COVID, but that his symptoms are improving, and he continues to take Paxlovid.

Now, of course, the president, we learned, had COVID on Tuesday. He has been self-isolating here at his residence in Delaware. And even as he self-isolates, he has been deliberating along with his inner circle as they continue to receive multiple letters and messages from Democratic lawmakers who remain concerned about the president's viability as the Democratic candidate.

And so the campaign for their part, publicly, and on the airwaves yesterday, said the president is staying in the race while acknowledging that it has been a difficult few weeks for them. The campaign also saying that the president is going to hit the trail again this week, that is the expectation as he recovers from COVID.

But certainly, this was a moment, a pivotal week for the president to be out front to shore up support among black and Latino voters, and to make the case to some of his allies that he is up to the task to take on former President Donald Trump. Instead, however, he was sidelined with that positive diagnosis. And what we have seen over the course of the week is that ongoing pressure from Democratic lawmakers, including today in the last couple of hours, and yesterday and the days prior, who say that he needs to step aside, looking instead to who might replace him.

Now, the name that has been floated quite a bit is Vice President Kamala Harris, but aides tell me that the two remain in close touch. There is no daylight between them, and the vice president has stood behind the president, including in a call with donors yesterday. Now, the vice president, too, will be at a fundraiser today in Massachusetts as she continues her time on the trail as well. But again, the campaign is saying today that the president remains in the race as the president is trying to recover from COVID here in Delaware, where he is a self-isolating. Alex?

MARQUARDT: And he is supposed to be meeting with the Israeli prime minister at the White House on Monday as well. Priscilla Alvarez in Rehoboth Beach, thank you very much.

Let's get to CNN's Kristen Holmes at that Trump rally in the battleground state of Michigan, a very important state for both sides. Kristen, what are we expecting to hear from this new Trump-Vance ticket tonight?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And this this is a state that Donald Trump won in 2016, then went on to lose in 2020, and is critical for his pathway to the White House. Truly it's critical for either one of them to get back to the White House.

Now, one of the things that they have said about vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, they believe he could potentially help with areas of Michigan, areas of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, because of his working- class background.

But what we're really watching for is what an actual campaign with Trump and J.D. Vance looks like. We have not seen these two together. Remember Alex, he announced this on Monday afternoon. We have never really seen them campaigning. We've gotten snippets from the Republican convention of them having interactions, of them standing on a stage together, but never actually talking in a campaign sense, giving their message together. This will be the first time they make that debut.

Now, obviously, we're looking to see what their chemistry is like. What is this going to look like moving forward? How do they speak together?

Now, obviously, the other part of this is we're looking at the security. This is just one week and the first rally after that assassination attempt on Donald Trump. And I know we've been talking all afternoon about the increased security level, but every single time we speak in between, I am learning more security precautions they are taking, as one of them being that there are top U.S. Secret Service agents who are not on this detail, who are not generally part of his detail, are traveling with him, making his security preparations.

[14:05:08]

They are here on the ground right now because they believed it was important. We know that they have upped the number of agents. We also know that the Secret Service asked for 50 to 60 more local law enforcement to be on the ground. We have seen them securing the perimeter, which, by the way, several of the roads around this venue, which is not common, are now blocked off completely. And we are seeing them really streamline the way guests are coming into and supporters are coming into this venue. So, obviously, they are taking this very seriously. We have seen them on all levels of this arena. But again, this is coming one week after that assassination attempts. So we would hope that this would be an increased security level.

MARQUARDT: Yes, understandable. And it comes as the Secret Service generally is coming under much more scrutiny because of what happened last weekend. Kristen Holmes in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and our thanks for Priscilla Alvarez as well.

We are following breaking news out of Yemen this hour. Israel is saying that it has struck several Houthi military targets inside Yemen. The Houthis are saying that the Israeli strike hit oil storage and a power station in the port city of Hudaydah. This comes just two days after the Houthis claimed a drone attack on this Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

That's where we find our CNN's Jeremy Diamond with the latest. So Jeremy, the IDF coming out and saying that they were behind these airstrikes.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Alex. And this is the first time that Israel has carried out strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen according to the Israeli military. They say that that's because yesterday when Houthi rebels carried out this drone strike on central Tel Aviv resulting in one person being killed, several others being injured, that effectively cross a red line, prompting this Israeli response, the first of its kind, and quite a brazen one at that.

Israeli jets taking off and hitting these targets in broad daylight. The Israeli military coming out and actually confirming them, which they don't always do when they carry out strikes on foreign soil. In this case, the Israeli military says that it struck several dual use infrastructure targets, including energy infrastructure targets. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, just gave a briefing where he said that Iran is behind the Houthi rebels in terms the funding, in terms of directing their actions. And he also said that this area was struck because Al-Hudaydah, the port, is also used to bring in weapons from Iran, including what they allege was a Samad- 3 Iranian-made drone that struck Tel Aviv yesterday.

The Israeli military carrying out these strikes and also warning that more strikes could come should Houthi actions continue as the Israeli military spokesman said that these actions by the Houthis are against international law and in this case, obviously, resulted in the death of one Israeli citizen. Alex?

MARQUARDT: Yes these strikes following American and British strikes inside Yemen for what the Houthis are doing in the Red Sea. But these, as you note, Jeremy, the first Israeli strikes in Yemen, extremely notable. And it does really highlight the fact that Israel is not just fighting in Gaza, that they are fighting on multiple fronts. And notably the northern part of the country on the border with Lebanon, with Hezbollah, that has become a very hot area. What are the concerns now? Where do they stand about an expansion of the conflict in a significant way with Hezbollah to the north?

DIAMOND: Well, in many ways, Alex, Israel has now opened a new front today by carrying out these strikes on Yemen for the first time. Houthi rebels, of course, have previously attacked Israel. The Israeli military says about 200 times they have targeted Israeli targets, including, we know that there have been some successful drone strikes by the Houthis in Eilat. But because this was the first time that it actually resulted in casualties, the Israeli military choosing to respond.

The Israeli prime minister, the defense minister, were all in the situation room today. We heard from the Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier today, who also said that the fire that is currently the burning in Yemen is being seen across the Middle East, making clear that this was also about sending a broader message, including clearly a message to Iran.

But as you note, now, the Israeli military has carried out strikes and is in a multi-front conflict, not only in Gaza, but in Lebanon with Hezbollah, in Syria they have carried out several strikes, and now, of course, these strikes in Yemen.

And all of this, Alex, is coming ahead of a very consequential week as those detailed negotiations to try and reach a ceasefire in Gaza enter their third week, but also as the Israeli prime minister is expected to take off tomorrow for Washington for a meeting with President Biden, but also so to deliver remarks before a joint meeting of Congress later this week, a week during which he will no doubt come under additional pressure as he already is here in Israel from the families of hostages and the Israeli public that is in the streets as we speak right now, demanding a deal.

[14:10:12]

But now he will also face added pressure from top U.S. officials, including, I expect, directly from the president of the United States himself. Alex?

MARQUARDT: And many of those U.S. officials believe that if the war in Gaza were to wind down, that these other fronts would also calm down as well. Jeremy Diamond with the news from Tel Aviv, thank you very much.

Still ahead, major impacts still being felt across the world after that massive, massive global tech outage. Nearly 2,000 flights have been canceled today as the recovery does continue into a second day. We're following the very latest when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:25]

MARQUARDT: New today, customers in Texas are getting the lights back on nearly two weeks after hurricane Beryl knocked out of -- knocked power out to tens of thousands of people. CenterPoint Energy says that they have restored first electricity to those who are able to receive power. It says the remaining 2,100 customers without power have damaged homes or equipment issues.

Now, hurricane Beryl slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast and the Houston area as a category one storm. It killed at least ten people. CenterPoint energy says that they will continue to work until the power for every impacted customer is fully restored.

And then there's more trouble again for air travelers today after a technical outage continues to wreak havoc all around the world. Right now, more than 2000 flights have been killed canceled and over 25,000 have been delayed as systems tried to recover from Fridays major tech issue. A bug inside a software update that was initiated by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike grounded countless business, government agencies, and schools that ground to a halt. A fix is in place, but it could take weeks to fully recover.

And that's leaving many air travelers all across this country in limbo. CNN's Jason Carroll has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the blue screen that had customers from critical industries worldwide seeing red.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so upset right now. There are eight people in my party, eight people, $456 a ticket, and they're giving me $100 back. That is it. And we're screwed. This man is getting married. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anxiety. When I walked in, I got straight anxiety with all these people, because I was on online. I couldn't find my flight. And I was like, did I do something wrong?

CARROLL: Anger at airports in the U.S., Canada, Asia, and Europe as major carriers struggled to deal with the fallout of what had happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been really wild. It's crazy. It's crowded. People cursing, yelling.

CARROLL (voice-over): The chaos went far beyond air travel -- 911 services taking a hit in jurisdictions across the country, impacting Arizona and Alaska, the outage having a sweeping impact throughout the day. UPS and Federal Express warning of delays. The Social Security Administration closed some of its offices, while motor vehicle departments in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee had service interruptions.

Even the Department of Justice was impacted, and President Biden was briefed on the unfolding situation. Around the world, confusion at international banks as some financial systems were impacted. Disruptions at United Kingdom's National Health System, as well as broadcast networks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And a major global IT outage is impacting many of the world's largest companies, including us here at Sky News.

CARROLL (voice-over): All due to that massive global technical outage linked to CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity provider. The company's CEO apologized for the incident, saying it was not a cyberattack but a defect in a software update CrowdStrike was doing that crashed Microsoft Windows, causing the outage. He also says a fix has been deployed.

GEORGE KURTZ, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CROWDSTRIKE: We've been on, you know, with our customers all night and working with them. Many of the customers are rebooting the system and it's coming up, and it'll be operational because of, you know, we fixed it on our end.

CARROLL (voice-over): It's still not over. The Department of Homeland Security is working with CrowdStrike and Microsoft to fully assess and address system outages.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Jason Carroll for that report.

Still ahead. Former President Trump will be in swing state Michigan today, holding his first rally since the assassination attempt, and his first joint campaign event with his new running mate, J.D. Vance. Can they keep the momentum going after the RNC? More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:23:49]

MARQUARDT: Happening now, we are getting a look at the increased security measures around Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate there in Palm Beach. The town is warning of road closures in the area until the election. And buses are parked outside of Palm Beach International Airport where Trump's plane is typically parked.

Last week's attempted assassination of the former president prompted this heightened response. Sources close to the investigation believe that Thomas Matthew Crooks may have deployed a drone over the venue on the day of Trump's Pennsylvania rally. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, doing reporting there on the ground. Gloria, walk us through where the investigation stands right now.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alex, this most recent detail about the drone that was found in Thomas Matthew Crooks's car is very relevant, because it gives you a little more of a clue just about how much planning and preparation he was able to do before the shooting.

Our law enforcement sources tell us that they believe he deployed the drone on Saturday morning. And that's key because a drone would have given Crooks a bird's eye view over the field where this Trump rally was held, potentially helping him to decide where to position himself.

[14:25:10]

Now, we don't know why this was not something that law enforcement in the area was potentially canvassing for or why they didn't know that he had had so much access in preparation ahead of the rally. We should make it clear that the details are still emerging very slowly, and that investigators have yet to point out the motive behind this attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

What we do know is that Thomas Matthew Crooks carried out several Internet searches in the lead up to Saturday. We know that he researched both Trump and President Joe Biden. He researched the DNC. He researched details about Saturday's rally. And he researched other prominent political figures, including Congressman Hakeem Jefferies, Rudy Giuliani, even Fani Willis, the prosecutor in Georgia.

Now, we also know that the day before the shooting on Friday, he went to a local shooting range to practice. The next morning he drove to a local Home Depot, purchased a ladder and ammunition before returning right here, the family home, which is directly behind me, where he grabbed the gun and drove about an hour north of here where that rally was taking place on Saturday.

The picture is slowly coming together, but that question of the motive remains elusive still. We cannot -- investigators still cannot find the answer to that.

One last thing that we have learned in terms of the searches, Alex, and I think this is very interesting, is that we know that Crooks did some research about Ethan Crumbley and his parents in the days before Saturday, before the rally. And that's interesting because Ethan Crumbley and his parents were recently prosecuted and convicted in the mass shooting at a high school in Michigan. In fact, his parents were the first ones to beat convicted related to a mass shooting like we've had so many, unfortunately, here in our country in recent years.

We don't know why he was doing that research, but we do know that the gun he used in the attack belonged to his father along with a several other weapons that were recovered here at the family home. So that question of motive remains elusive, and really whether or not this was politically motivated or if it's really more of a crime of opportunity and proximity for Crooks. Alex?

MARQUARDT: A lot of important new details there, Gloria. The man who died at the rally last weekend, Corey Comperatore. He was a firefighter, of course, a father. He was remembered at the RNC, but he was also remembered on Friday at his funeral. What happened there?

PAZMINO: Yes, this community came out in large numbers to honor him, to remember him. He was laid to rest yesterday. His funeral took place yesterday. There was a procession here in town with several fire vehicles, emergency vehicles, all trailing the casket of Corey Comperatore, which was put on top of a fire engine as they made their way around the town. People took to the streets, lining them just to pay their respects. A man who was remembered as a hero even before the way that he died tragically protecting his family and trying to do something that all Americans should be able to do freely and safely in this country, which is to partake in the political process. So remembered as a family man, a man who was devoted to his job and his committee. Alex?

MARQUARDT: Our thoughts, of course, are with his family and friends. Gloria Pazmino, thank you very much for that reporting.

Battleground, Michigan, is at the heart of the 2024 fight for the White House and at the center of Trump world today as the former president and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, they're going to be taking the stage soon at a rally in Grand Rapids. The event follows a triumphant convention in Milwaukee for Trump, where his influence and really his hold on the Republican Party were on full display.

Joining me now are Jason Osborne, a former senior adviser to the Trump 2016 campaign, and Joe Walsh, former Republican congressman from Illinois. Gentlemen, thank you both for being with me.

Jason, I want to start with you. Looking forward to this Trump rally later today, it's the first time that Vance is going to be joining him on stage for the joint rally for that ticket. Is this about party unity when it comes to the message they're trying to put forward today, or do you think it will be defiance when it comes to their critics? What are you expecting to hear?

[14:30:05]

JASON OSBORNE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: I think you're going to see a combination of both, right? I mean, typically right after the convention, you have the running mates get out into the field and start showing what the vision is for their presidency and vice presidency moving forward. And so, and Michigan, obviously, is a very key state for Republicans to win this year, as are Ohio and Virginia. I believe that J.D. Vance is going to be in Charlotte, or Trump in North Carolina next week. So I think you're going to see a combination of policy talking and also kind of revisiting some of the things that have happened in the past and what can be done about it in the future.

MARQUARDT: Joe, obviously we saw the two men at the RNC. What are you going to be looking for today?

JOE WALSH, DIRECTOR, THE SOCIAL CONTRACT: Look, Alex, I think its so important to say two things at the start. Three-and-a-half years ago, Donald Trump tried to overthrow an American election, and here he is three-and-a-half years later. And look, I acknowledge this as a former Republican -- it's his party. The Republican Party is his party. I think that's a bad thing for America, but to what Jason said, the Republican Party is united right now. And they're going to take that united message out and campaign every single day.

And it's the Democratic Party and Joe Biden that are divided. And if they can't get their act together, Alex, this may not be a super close election.

MARQUARDT: I did speak earlier today with former Republican congressman Fred Upton. As you both know, he was one of 10 Republicans to impeach Trump over those attacks on January 6th. I want to play for you a little bit of what he said about Trump's appearance at the RNC in Milwaukee and later today in Michigan. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED UPTON, (R) FORMER MICHIGAN CONGRESSMAN WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT TRUMP: Trump's speech at the beginning was very conciliatory, his speech, Milwaukee. It changed at the end. So which Trump and which administration will it be? Michigan is one of those purple states. He's going to have to reach out to the moderate if he intends to win here. But it's also clear signal to Biden, they better get their act together one way or another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Jason, you touched on this just a moment ago. You have Trump and Vance there in Michigan today, a critically important state for both sides, truly purple. Do you think that Trump will be essentially hitting the greatest hits, as we've heard in the past? Do you expect some kind of message from both these men to try to reach out to perhaps more independent voters?

OSBORNE: Well, I find it interesting on some of these, the recaps from the convention on the last night. Now granted, Trump did speak for a really long time, there's no question. And yes, in the beginning, it was kind of revisiting what happened to him this last weekend.

In the middle, it went to -- it veered a little bit towards some the rally speaking that he had been doing for the last couple of years. But at the end, he really kind of focused on uniting and talking about the fact that, at the end of the day, we're going to have to get together and put together a united vision, both sides of the aisle, and come up with some pretty tough decisions. And we're not going to like some things, the other side is not going to like some things. But he did talk about unity throughout the last 10 minutes of the speech. So I think you're going to see that moving forward.

MARQUARDT: Joe, I see you shaking your head.

WALSH: Look, there's been no more divisive figure in America, none, Alex, the past eight or nine years than Donald Trump. His entire fuel is dividing people. That's why he's done so well. That's why he is the leader of the Republican Party. I love my former colleague Fred Upton from Michigan, but there are no to Donald Trumps. There's only one Donald Trump, the Donald Trump who spreads hate and division. And that's the only message out there that's going to come from the Republicans, Alex. We need the Democrats to get out there with a unified -- with a unifying message.

MARQUARDT: And Jason, to your point, I think during that speech in Milwaukee, people could pretty well tell when Trump was on prompter during the unifying parts, and when he was off during the punchier parts, if you will.

But Jason, I really want to ask you what Vance now brings to the ticket. He is very much in line with Trump when it comes to policies and personality. Now at least, perhaps not the old J.D. Vance, but certainly this J.D. Vance. So how does he help Trump expand the map beyond the base?

OSBORNE: Well, I think the story, the life story of J.D. Vance is incredibly impressive, right? I mean, my daughter last night actually messaged my wife and I on our way back from Milwaukee and said that she had just watched "Hillbilly Elegy". And I think you're seeing that people are really kind of reading into J.D. Vance and his life story growing up in the environment that he did and pulling himself up by the bootstraps.

[14:35:09]

And I think what he brings is a youth at a great contrast to Donald Trump and Joe Biden if he remains on the ticket. And also he's able to speak to on the tech side, which is obviously an incredibly important part of America right now is the advancements of technology. And he understands that world. And I think he will, moving forward, what Donald Trump has said by picking J.D. Vance is this is the face of the new Republican Party moving forward after Donald Trump has done with his presidency.

MARQUARDT: Joe, what do you think Vance brings to the ticket?

WALSH: He brings nothing to the ticket. Look, it's a pick, Alex, because Donald Trump thinks he has this thing wrapped up. It's an arrogant pick. If Trump had picked Rubio or Glenn Youngkin or Nikki Haley, as someone who doesn't want Trump reelected, I'd be really deflated right now. But J.D Vance is Donald Trump. He has the same MAGA philosophy, build a wall around America, keep everyone out, and white middle-class America is just a bunch of victims. He preaches victimhood just like Trump does. So he doesn't add anything to this ticket.

MARQUARDT: All right, Jason Osborne, Joe Walsh, thank you both for joining me. I know we'll all be watching very closely later. Take care.

The U.S. has a long and bloody history when it comes to political violence. It has its roots in the American Revolution through the Civil War, the upheaval of the 60s, and the politically polarized atmosphere we see today. Former President Donald Trump is just the latest victim of an attack. Four U.S. presidents have been killed while in office, and countless others have fallen victim to either targeted attacks or mass shootings for political reasons.

This week on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper", CNN's Sara Sidner examines the history of these attacks and the motivations behind them. She spoke with people whose families have been torn apart by this violence, including Patrick Kennedy and Martin Luther King III. Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Kennedy was involved in a shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last report, was hit twice in the head, once in the hip.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Losing King and Robert Kennedy in the same season was bad enough. But it reminded Americans of JFK's assassination less than five years ago.

PATRICK J. KENNEDY, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I was just a baby when my uncle Bobby was killed, but I just know what a loss it was not only for their children, my cousins, but a loss for everybody that knew them and knew how much they wanted to change the world. They had so much promise and so much inspiration and hope as part of their whole message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Be sure to tune in to an all-new episode of "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper", one whole hour, one whole topic, airing tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. eastern and pacific only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:57]

MARQUARDT: Former President Donald Trump says he had a very good phone call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That call taking place on Friday. Trump said he was grateful for Zelenskyy reaching out, and that he would bring peace to the world and end the war in Ukraine. According to Zelenskyy's press secretary, Trump also assured the Ukrainian to not believe the claims that a second Trump presidency would be beneficial to Russia. The phone call between the two leaders was the first since Trump left the White House and came a day after Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination for president.

With just months until the U.S. election, one of the biggest questions if Trump wins again is what his policy towards Ukraine would be. Allies and adversaries alike are paying close attention to what's happening here in the U.S. and asking how that could affect the war in Ukraine and the handling of Russia. Estonia is perched right on the border with Russia. These questions weigh heavily on them, and this week on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum, I sat down with the secretary general of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARQUARDT: Thanks so much for sitting down with us. You have described the situation in Europe because of the war in Ukraine as the house being on fire, as an existential crisis. How would you characterize the efforts towards putting out that fire?

AMBASSADOR JONATAN VSEVIOV, SECRETARY GENERAL, ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Well, eventually it's the result that matters. And for as long as the war is continuing, we haven't been as successful as we need to be. But looking back, what Europe was able to do three, four years ago, and comparing this to what we're doing right now, I think not many would have assumed that we'd be able to do what we're doing today.

The United States assistance is obviously of huge importance. We're providing military assistance to Ukraine at levels which many predicted would be on unfeasible. It's been a gradual process. And it wouldn't be as frustrating if it weren't for the fact that during war time is not just measured by minutes and hours. It's measured in lives. So half, full, half empty, but eventually it's the outcome that matters.

[14:45:03]

And as long as we haven't been able to push Russia to change course and pull itself back into Russia, we can't really be congratulating ourselves.

MARQUARDT: Theres obviously been a fierce debate here in the United States about support for Ukraine, $60 billion more dollars was just approved. What more do you think the U.S. and European countries need to do in terms of those aid levels to turn the tide?

VSEVIOV: I think the main thing is to understand that while we're hurting, and obviously the Ukrainians are hurting, the Russians are hurting too. The only thing that he has gone going for him right now, the argument upon which his theory of victory currently stands, is this notion that somehow time is on his side. So what we need to do is convince him and those who keep him in his policies around in Moscow, that that's not the case, that we have staying power. And that's, I think, the challenge for the months to come.

MARQUARDT: Showing Putin that time is not on his side is one of the most stated goals by officials from NATO countries. Have you seen any change in the way that Putin is waging his war?

VSEVIOV: Well, I think some of the things that we're seeing prove that he's growing desperate. He's attempting to use the tool of fear to paralyze us, with hybrid attacks against Europe and NATO. This tells us of him really running out of options. He's throwing out, in quotation marks, peace initiatives, which I think is also him about to panic. I think he's being frustrated by the unity that we've been able to demonstrate, and especially by the heroic defense that the Ukrainians have been able to put up. But the coming Autumn and winter months are going to be crucially important.

MARQUARDT: In terms of the resources that Putin still has at his disposal, he obviously has a staggering huge well of potential soldiers he can mobilize from the Russian population. The Russian defense industry has also been quite successful in terms of their production, I'm thinking of artillery shells. So do you not think that he has good reason to think that he can last for quite some time?

VSEVIOV: Russia pales in comparison to us in any metric you use. They are just dwarfed by the size of the combined democratic world. And he's walking on thin ice. In theory, yes, he can mobilize, but he hasn't. He's tried to avoid mobilizing Moscow and St. Petersburg and the other cities because he, too, is afraid to rock the boat too strongly.

Millions of Russians have now left Russia. Fear is back in Russian society. There is no optimism for a better future in the Russian society today. And as Napoleon once said, a leader is dealer in hope. He can't deal hope anymore. It's this war will end not because of developments on the battleground alone. Big wars end when one side or the other reaches a conclusion that the strategy they pursued is no longer achievable.

MARQUARDT: When President Zelenskyy arrived at NATO, he said everybody is watching November, including Vladimir Putin, a reference, of course, to the U.S. elections. How closely are you watching? How closely or other NATO countries watching the U.S. elections?

VSEVIOV: Well, me, personally, I'm a fan of U.S. politics. So I've been watching American elections since I was barely able to understand English. But all joking aside, obviously, everyone is watching American politics. The U.S. is a vital ally, a critical player on the global stage.

MARQUARDT: So how worried are NATO leaders about President Trump coming back in?

VSEVIOV: Yes, I don't think anyone is worried. People have a clear- eyed approach to this. We've seen political cycles in not just the United States, in many allied governments before. I think we'll be able to weather the storm no matter what the outcome of any election is. And then we're going to have to adapt. I think it's safe to assume that we're all better off if we work together to deal with those challenges, and especially better off if we managed to defend the most basic of international rules in our very backyard where they're being challenged by the Russians today, because, remember, it's not just territory that is being fought over. And furthermore, it is not just Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty that is at stake, but the validity of these concepts as such. If we open this pandora's box in Europe, in our own backyard, then we'll face this turbulence of the 21st century from the worst possible position.

MARQUARDT: Thank you very much for sitting down with us. Appreciate it.

VSEVIOV: Thanks for having me.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

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[14:54:25]

MARQUARDT: Breakdancing will be making its debut as a sport in the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. The dance style originated back in the 1970s in New York, and eventually blew up into a worldwide cultural phenomenon. CNN's Melissa Bell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From the sidewalks and subways of the south Bronx to the Paris Olympics, breakdancing is about to take center stage.

MENNO VAN GORP "B-BOY MENNO", DUTCH BREAKDANCER: It's a lot like the Olympics, picked us up from the street and be like, hey, what those guys are doing on the street is nice. Let's grab this. We already really set also our community on a huge platform ourselves.

[14:55:07]

BELL: A huge platform that's already global. From the U.S. to France, Pakistan, India, Libya, and Yemen. And for a dance that is highly competitive, judged along specific criteria.

SOFIANE KINZI "B-BOY SOSO", FRENCH NATIONAL BREAKDANCING TEAM COACH: Originality, execution, musicality, technique, and vocabulary. So you need to be the most complete in your dance, show you mastered all parts from breaking, and to mix and to make the best position in the dance with the music.

BELL: Now, breakdancing is coming to the Place de la Concorde, where battles will be held at the very end of the Paris games. France's team is working on its moves and its confidence.

NOE SOBESKY, "B-BOY NEOSAN", FRENCH BREAKDANCER: You just have to be the most connected to the moment possible. I think that's the key for me during a battle if forget everything, and just face the opponents and be there, hear the music, look at the crowd, look at the judges, and enjoy the moment.

BELL: A far cry from its early beginnings and an opportunity for the world to discover just how far breakdancing has come. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MARQUARDT: And still ahead, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are hitting the campaign trail for the first time since the attempt on Trump's life last weekend. What they have planned in swing state, Michigan, that's next.

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