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Now: Netanyahu Meets With Trump At Mar-A-Lago; Arson, "Sabotage" Hit French Train Lines As Olympics Begin; Source: AZ Sen. Kelly, NC Gov. Cooper On VP Short List. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired July 26, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:53]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. We begin this hour with breaking news as Kamala Harris is racking up more endorsements.

Former President Donald Trump is meeting behind closed doors with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. It's the first time the two have met since Trump left the White House more than three years ago.

And a major issue looming over their meeting is Israel's war in Gaza. Trump is also wavering in the meantime and whether he will square off in a debate with the vice president as she is rising in the polls. Lots to get to at this hour. CNN's Kristen Holmes is in West Palm Beach for us. Kristen, first, if you can tell us a little bit more about this meeting between the former president and Prime Minister Netanyahu, what can you tell us?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, so any moment now, we're expecting the Prime Minister to arrive at Mar-a-Lago. They're going to have this sit down meeting. We expect to get photos out of it and a readout.

And just to be clear, when it comes to what they can and cannot talk about, or at least what they're going to share, Trump is still technically a civilian. He is not a world leader. So he can't do any sort of negotiating with Netanyahu because of the Logan Act. That is still illegal. But we do expect to see some kind of conversation come out of this. I will remind you about their relationship because it's been somewhat fraught in recent years. The two were incredibly close when Donald Trump was in the White House. They worked together.

Then Trump really turned on Netanyahu, particularly after Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on winning the election, something that Donald Trump viewed as disloyal. And I will tell you, Jim, I was here in Palm Beach when Donald Trump was giving a speech just after the October 7th terrorist attack, and he laid into Netanyahu, essentially blamed him for the terror attack, saying that it was his fault, that it was an intelligence failure.

And a lot of his supporters, particularly his Jewish supporters, pushed back on him for saying that. Now apparently the ice is softened. They're going to sit down together. Clearly, this is a step forward in that way, particularly if Donald Trump is to be reelected to the White House. His team says he is looking forward to working with Netanyahu if he is in fact reelected. But obviously that is still down the road. Right now, they are just sitting down for a meeting.

ACOSTA: Yes. Kristen, President Biden, Vice President Harris met separately with Netanyahu yesterday. Harris took the lead in addressing what they discussed, saying she, quote, will not be silent about the humanitarian crisis and the suffering in Gaza. I mean, it was definitely a different tone from the Vice President versus what were hearing from President Biden. How might this compare with what we could hear from Donald Trump? I mean, Trump has in the last couple of days also indicated he would like to see Netanyahu wrap up the war in Gaza and so on.

HOLMES: Yes, I do want to be clear, though, when he says he would like to see Netanyahu wrap up the war in Gaza, it's not because he's saying it's a humanitarian crisis. He's saying it's bad public relations for Netanyahu, that they're losing the PR battle. So just to be clear, there are some differences there. I would not expect him to come out and blame Netanyahu in any way publicly.

Remember, Donald Trump has said over and over again that he is the staunchest supporter of Israel. He has a lot of Jewish supporters, Republicans like Miriam Adelson, who he has always tried to please and walk that line with. So I would not see him coming out and saying anything other than he completely stands with Israel.

ACOSTA: All right, good point. Kristen Holmes, thank you very much.

Let's discuss with CNN political commentator, Maria Cardona, and former Trump administration official, Matt Mowers. Maria, let me start with you first, because one of the things that we've heard just over the last day or so is as Kamala Harris is racking up these endorsements, she's rising in the polls, she's sucking up a lot of oxygen on -- on -- in earned media, as folks in your business call it. Donald Trump has been indicating, his campaign has been indicating in the last 24 hours or so that maybe these debates may not happen or it's just -- it's gotten a little squishy.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, that doesn't surprise me, Jim, because one of the things that we've all been talking about ever since President Biden stepped aside and Kamala Harris is now the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party is just how discombobulated this is going to make Trump and his team, because they don't know how to run against her. They don't know what to do with her.

[11:05:14]

She is, in my view, a combination of all of the qualifications that make up a poisonous cauldron of political kryptonite for Donald Trump. She is a woman, a woman of color, African American and Jamaican descent, daughter of immigrants. That to him, I think it explodes his mind. Put on top of that, incredibly competent, really accomplished. And so I think that him now waffling and his team waffling on the debates doesn't surprise me one iota. And so I would look forward to a debate. I think they're going to have to at some point.

ACOSTA: Yes, I can't imagine Trump getting out of doing a debate altogether. But, Matt, what do you think? I mean, Trump himself has said he'd be willing to face Harris multiple times. He said it in the past week. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Kamala Harris does end up being the Democrats' nominee, will you commit to debating her at least one time?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Oh, yes, absolutely. I would be willing to do more than one debate, actually. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden. But I want to debate her and she'll be no different because they have the same policies. And I think if you're the Democrat nominee or the Republican nominee, you really have an obligation to debate. I would like to debate her. I like -- I like to debate, but I like to debate for the country, not for myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, Matt. And now the Trump campaign is saying, well, if she's not officially the nominee yet, we don't want to commit to this yet. We don't know who we're going to face. What's going on here? I mean, does Donald Trump really have a choice here? He has to debate Kamala Harris, right?

MATT MOWERS, FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes, I think he's going to debate Kamala Harris. And, Jim, you know, Donald Trump well, he has no doubt about his own abilities to go into a debate stage against anyone. So I imagine we'll get there. Yes, this is going to be a series of new negotiations. And a debate about debates is nothing new in presidential politics, of course.

And look, I -- I want to give Maria credit for -- for doing her best to, you know, shine everything over there, but I -- I wonder if whatever Snoop Dogg was carrying is being passed around Democratic circles these days. Because, look, Donald Trump knows exactly how to run a race against Kamala Harris. And all he has to do is focus on her voting record when she's a U.S. senator.

Focus on the far left thing she said when she was running for president, or focus on the record that the voters of America have shown they disapprove of since she's been vice president alongside Joe Biden. And, you know, we've seen recently, you know, now people say keep the receipts. In this case, we're saying keep the real. You have Kamala Harris saying she wants to take away good quality health insurance from middle class families by abolishing private insurance. That despite the fact that illegal immigration is one of the number one issues to voters right now, she says being in the country is not illegal. And not only that, she wants to use taxpayer dollars, U.S. tax funds to give free healthcare to illegal immigrants. The list goes on and on. And as soon as those clips are replayed for swing voters in all these key states, what you're seeing right now is really, it's going to be a close race. Both sides are energized, both sides are enthused. But at the end of the day, the voters in the middle are not going to vote for someone who's more representative of San Francisco, California, than they are of their everyday concerns.

CARDONA: Matt, you are so cute thinking that Donald Trump is going to stick to just policies and that he's going to be able to be disciplined in saying what you are saying he should say. He should focus on all of that. But, you know, he can't help himself. He's going to go for the racism, he's going to go for the sexism, he's going to go for the misogyny. He's already gone there. And so I wish, I hope it's all about policies, because frankly, Kamala Harris's policies beside Joe Biden, what they have done in the last three and a half years are incredibly popular.

So, yes, let's do policies. She will wipe the floor with Donald Trump on policies, but, you know, he can't help himself. So, let's do it.

MOWERS: We got average approval rating of, what, like 30s of the Biden-Harris administration. I'm not sure overwhelmingly --

CARDONA: The policies, the policies are incredibly popular. Look at the numbers.

ACOSTA: Yes, Matt, I mean, let me ask you this. What do you make of the way the energy has really shifted on the Democratic side? Are they concerned about that in -- in Trump world? I mean, it -- it seems as though that is the case if they're hedging on debates and -- and so on.

MOWERS: No, I don't think so. It's to be expected. You've had a collective sigh of relief from Democratic operatives and strategists and elected leaders because for a month, they -- they basically had an option they knew was going to lose. Now they have an option that they think maybe, just maybe, has a chance to win. And let's be -- be clear about what this is really about. The reason Nancy Pelosi and so many others were so desperate to have Joe Biden step aside was, yes, sure, they would love to win the White House. But really, this had much more to do with the impact down ballot it was going to have in U.S. Senate and congressional races across the country.

[11:10:13]

I'd seen polling, some of which our firm and conducted, that showed that even in blue states like New Jersey, you were going to have down ballot disaster, essentially, because of where Joe Biden's enthusiasm numbers are. I do think Kamala Harris resets some of the enthusiasm with the Democratic Party. She resets the base. She'll probably do slightly better with younger voters than Joe Biden was going to do. Polling confirms that, although she is giving up some ground with older voters as a result of that.

And so that's really what this was about. You know, look, the Democratic Party's going to do their best to try to circle the wagons and push some enthusiasm there. She's clearly raising some money, but she can't run away from, you know, just the stuff she said that's so out of touch with most voters' opinions.

ACOSTA: Well, we got about 100 days to go or so to sort through all that. Matt and Mariah, guys, thanks very much. We appreciate it.

CARDONA: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, good to talk to both of you.

MOWERS: Thanks so much.

ACOSTA: In the meantime, we're following breaking news out of France and the attacks on the country's rail system just hours before the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics. It snarled rail traffic across France and some athletes were caught up in the delays. So far, no suspects have been named and no one has taken credit for the attacks. CNN senior international correspondent Melissa Bell is in Paris for us. Melissa, bring us up to speed on the investigation. This is obviously something that the French want to get to the bottom of it quickly.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Not least because there are so many ordinary French people just trying to get out across the country on the start of their summer holidays, Jim. Then, of course, there's the impact on the summer Games. We know that there were four trains carrying athletes that were meant to get to Paris today in time for the opening ceremony. Only two of them made it.

And when you look at a map of the country and where those coordinated sabotage attacks happened, some cases cables were cut and other arson was used. But they are very strategic, and this was clearly done by someone who had good knowledge of France's railway network. Very carefully prepared, very carefully planned and timed, of course, to cause maximum disruption, even as Paris was preparing to celebrate what is likely to be the most spectacular opening ceremony we've ever seen since it's happening not in a stadium, but on the River Seine, clearly huge security across the French capital has been put in place, Jim.

But this was an attack that would have been very difficult for French authorities to foresee. Lots of speculation about who might be responsible. Remember that this is a period of particular political turmoil here in France. We know that the far left are extremely disgruntled about not having been able to name a prime minister as part of the winning coalition on the left that soar off the far right of the last parliamentary elections.

Lots of speculation about whether these are the tactics of the far left. We were speaking to a security source who says that is what it looks like, although there's nothing to pin the far left for these attacks so far. Many questions about who might have been responsible. Very few questions, though, about the timing. This was clearly aimed at causing maximum disruption ahead of the summer games when all eyes are very much on Paris, Jim.

ACOSTA: And Melissa, I mean, is there any chance that the opening ceremony will get delayed? What do you think?

BELL: At this stage, French authorities are saying that everything's going to happen as normal, even if some of the athletes who are due to be there might not make it. The only question at this stage whether the weather holds out. It's been raining pretty solidly this morning here in Paris, and that will have an effect on the opening ceremony.

What you're going to see are not just the athletes being brought down the river, Jim. There are a number of artists, of course, involved. There are dancers planned to be dancing on the rooftops of Paris. Clearly, if the rain continues, that will prevent it. It won't be quite the ceremony we'd imagined. But for now, in terms of security, Paris says, Paris authorities say the show will go on as planned. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right, Melissa Bell live in Paris for us, thank you very much. Keep us posted. We appreciate it.

[11:13:57]

Still ahead this hour, could be the most important decision of her campaign and time is running short. We'll take an in depth look at some of the top contenders to be Kamala Harris's running mate. That's coming up. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

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ACOSTA: Vetting is underway and the buzz is building around Kamala Harris's potential running mates. Last hour we focused on Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Two other names from key swing states also making waves, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

Joining me now to discuss Ronald Hansen of the Arizona Republic and Danielle Battaglia of the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News and Observer. And before I ask any question, I want to make sure I didn't say this to the earlier print reporters that we had on. God bless you. Thank you for the work that you do. Thank you to your newspapers in these extremely important markets. I'm not just saying that to psych. I'm saying that because I honestly do mean it. Ronald, let me start with you first. Senator Kelly holds John McCain's old Senate seat I believe, most importantly, has a front row seat to the border issue. A lot of the strategizing that you hear going on behind the scenes in the Democratic Party is that perhaps Mark Kelly helps Vice President Harris on the border issue. What do you think?

RONALD HANSEN, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC: Yes, I don't think he hurts for the Democrats. He has been a critic of the Biden administration. He has called the border situation a crisis during the Biden era. So it's something that he may be seen as a way to rhetorically reset on the issue. This is something that was an issue in his own reelection campaign in 2022. So he has sort of been vetted by Arizona voters on that, and he has used tough rhetoric. He also was someone who was saying not to end Title 42 a year ago.

[11:20:23] ACOSTA: And, Danielle, what about Governor Cooper in North Carolina? I mean, there is some talk in the Democratic Party, obviously, that they -- they would love to get North Carolina. It hasn't been something the Democrats been able to win since Barack Obama back in 2008, but it's -- it's on their map now. Could Cooper get Harris over the edge in that state? I know I'm asking you something to predict, but what -- what's the sense there where you are?

DANIELLE BATTAGLIA, CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: That is a question everyone's asking right now. When President Biden lost North Carolina in 2020 to President Donald Trump, it was with a 1.3 percent margin. That is a very slim margin. It was the smallest margin of any other state. And so we've seen a massive push from Democrats trying to win back North Carolina for Democrats.

We've seen the Biden campaign have many surrogates here, and we expect to see that again with Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign. And there's been talk that with Governor Roy Cooper entering that ticket with her, that can only energize the Democrats on the ticket.

ACOSTA: Yes, I mean, and Ronald, I mean, the -- the -- for all the talk of the blue wall, I mean, that was really kind of more of a Joe Biden conversation than maybe it is a Kamala Harris conversation. Because I -- I suppose there's some sense that maybe places like North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, maybe get back on the map a little bit more for Democrats with Harris at the top of the ticket. And here's Kelly yesterday going after J.D. Vance. I mean, they're all kind of auditioning in their own way, aren't they, for this V.P. spot. Let's take a listen to it, and talk about the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): What I really worry about is what he would do being one heartbeat away from the presidency. I have two daughters and a granddaughter. I really worry about their rights, if Donald Trump is elected again and J.D. Vance is the vice president, I mean, that really concerns me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes. Ronald, how would Mark Kelly go as a -- as one of those vice presidential attack dogs? I mean, that is kind of the role of the running mate in these contests.

HANSEN: Yes. And actually, it's a good soundbite you just showed because it's, in some ways, it's classic Mark Kelly. He's not someone who's going to shout and bang his fist on the table to declare what an outrage anything is. He's kind of low key in his demeanor, but his words actually carry some sting if you're the target of it. This is some of the same kinds of attack lines that he used against another Peter Thiel endorsed candidate here in Arizona, Blake Masters, in 2022. You have in J.D. Vance someone who is seen in Mark Kelly's estimation, as out of step with the American public. And Kelly seems to be able to work his way back to the sort of important points Democrats are really seizing on. In this case, it was abortion rights and -- and just women's rights more broadly. ACOSTA: And Danielle, Governor Cooper managed to expand healthcare in North Carolina despite a Republican supermajority in the state legislature, which obviously is -- is no fun for him being the governor. Do you think his record could help translate to some kind of bipartisan appeal at the national level? I mean, one of the things you hear from Democrats is that, yes, Roy Cooper, he kind of looks like a vice president. He could be vice president.

BATTAGLIA: Governor Cooper has had to work across the aisle throughout his career. And he does have a Republican supermajority in his state. And so it's been very important for him to be able to have those relationships with Republicans, to be able to get things done in North Carolina. And I think that will continue on if he's vice president and help. He's been sort of a moderate within the Democratic Party. And so he can have those conversations and reach across the aisle, and he's got relationships with other people on the national level. And so I think, yes, it can translate into his work on the national level.

ACOSTA: All right, interesting stuff. Ronald Hansen and Danielle Battaglia, thanks to both of you very much. And -- and our hats off to your newspapers. They're terrific publications. Really appreciate the time. Thanks so much.

[11:24:32]

Still ahead this hour, the FBI wants to interview Donald Trump about the attempt on his life. We've got new reporting after the break.

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ACOSTA: New this morning, the FBI is seeking to interview former President Donald Trump as part of the assassination attempt investigation. The agency says it's still examining bullet fragments from the attack. FBI Director Christopher Wray stoked some backlash this week when he questioned what hit Trump's ear that day. A bullet or perhaps something else? Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: I think with respect to former President Trump, there's some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, that hit his ear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:29:52]

ACOSTA: Joining us now are CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez and CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller. Evan, I mean, one of the things about all of this, I mean, this is getting into kind of the nitty-gritty of what the FBI does.