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This Week: Treasury Secy Yellen Visits China; Haley: China "Preparing For War" With U. S.; GOP Candidates Waffle On Federal Abortion Ban; GOP Field Sees Most Diverse Field Ever As Issues Of Race Move To Forefront. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 03, 2023 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:30:00]

JANET YELLEN, TREASURY SECRETARY: De-risk, yes. Decouple, absolutely not.

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DANA BASH, CNN HOST: So this is obviously a big, big policy issue, maybe among the biggest that she and the Biden administration is dealing with, but it's also an issue on the campaign trail.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely is. But for all the anti-China rhetoric out there, I thought the four words there derisk, yes, not decouple. And the fact of the matter is, she'll also be having conversations with American companies that do business in China. It's an integral part of the economy.

I was thinking back. It's surprising that it's her first trip, a treasury secretary first trip to China. But of course --

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: -- the pandemic was still in place when she came into office. So that's one of the reasons she's going, really, to try and stabilize this economic relationship between these two economic powerhouses here. But -- so some tough medicine on human rights, other things, but really making the pretty non-political point there, that China is essential to our economy as well. Never mind all the anti-China sort of rhetoric that comes out on the campaign trail.

BASH: Well, on the campaign trail and as you come in, Eva, let's hear from Nikki Haley. She has maybe because she's the -- maybe not because, but she is the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under Donald Trump. She has made China a very big part of her campaign. She gave a big speech, and this is what she said yesterday.

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NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: China has been preparing for war with us for decades, and the way we have to deal with China is not look at it tomorrow, because if we keep waiting to deal with them tomorrow, they will deal with us today.

We have to deal with them diplomatically. We have to deal with them economically. We have to deal with them militarily.

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EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Yes. So this is a consistent argument not only from Ambassador Haley, but some of the other candidates. I think what the administration has the opportunity to do now is if they do a strong job, it allows President Biden to sort of show a contrast here.

This is an issue in the election, but it is not the issue that Republicans are centering the most. And so, if they are able to maneuver this well, it sort of shows, well, listen, we're going to have the Republicans fight all these cultural battles, but we're really principally concerned about American strength on the world stage.

TAMARA KEITH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NPR: You know, Former President Trump in 2016 made China a very big issue. And his -- the way he talked about China was sort of as a proxy for, I'm going to care about you. I'm going to care about American workers. It was another way of signaling that he cared about the working class in America.

President Biden has made a big push to show that he cares about the working class in America and cares about union workers and wants to create jobs in America, jobs that otherwise potentially would have been in China. One other interesting thing as relates to that is that former President Trump put into place a bunch of tariffs on trade with China, and President Biden has not taken those tariffs away.

BASH: That's a really good point. And Donald -- excuse me -- Joe Biden made a big push to confront China to deal with the competitiveness issue with China in the 2020 election.

ZELENY: He did. And he constantly says that he has the longest relationship with Xi Jinping of anyone who spent more hours and more miles on the airline. But the reality is the relationship between the two countries is very fraught. But the campaign rhetoric of confronting them diplomatically, economically, and militarily really is lacking specifics.

So what the Treasury Secretary is going over to try, you know, and really try and stabilize this relationship, but not helped by the fact that the President, in an offhand comment at a fundraiser, calls him a dictator. So it is fraught without question. It needs some stabilizing.

BASH: Yes, no question. All right, everybody, stand by.

The federal ban -- a federal ban, I should say, on abortion is now becoming a litmus test for GOP candidates if they don't want active opposition from a major antiabortion political group. The president of that organization is here with me next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:38:40]

BASH: One issue Republican presidential candidates are contending with for the first time in nearly 50 years is abortion in a post-Roe world. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade last summer, Democrats used the issue to animate their base ahead of the midterm elections. An open question is how the issue is going to play on the 2024 campaign trail.

The president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Marjorie Dann Felzer -- I got it right before, sorry about that -- joins me now. Thanks so much for coming in.

MARJORIE DANNENFELSER, PRESIDENT OF SUSAN B. ANTHONY PRO-LIFE AMERICA: Thank you.

BASH: So your organization is a very influential one when it comes to the conservative circles and the primary system. Will you require a Republican presidential candidate to commit to what you support, which is some people call it a federal abortion ban. I know you call it limits no abortion after 15 weeks.

DANNENFELSER: Yes, we have already drawn that bright line in the sand. We think that after 50 years of working to get this issue out of the hands of judges and into the hands of people, this grassroots up movement would be certainly happy. It's not as far as, of course, many prolife people would like to go, but 15 weeks is a wildly popular 70- 10 issue. It's an issue that gives Democrats a lot of trouble when -- on the debate stage, for sure.

[12:40:05]

So 70-10, the best that the other side can do on that issue because therefore limited, unlimited abortion up until the end is about 10 percent. It doesn't get better than that. And every poll show that. And just the other is that even pro-choice women, independents, all think that there should be a limit at 12 weeks. Two-thirds according to NPR poll shows that.

So what it shows is there's a Democratic consensus forming. That's why the requirement of our GOP primary in it.

BASH: When you say 70-10, are you talking about the notion of having an abortion up until the third trimester?

DANNENFELSER: Yes, up until the end.

BASH: So -- and you know that Democrats like, I don't know, the President of the United States, he insist that that is not his position.

DANNENFELSER: Well --

BASH: That he wants to codify Roe, which is viability, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of what you support.

DANNENFELSER: Well, the actual bill that is a top priority of the Democratic Party says viability, yes. But health is defined in a way that the abortionist himself gets to make that decision along with a woman. And law over the last 50 years, because of the Doe v. Bolton decision has allowed for pretty much any reason.

So viability, of course, is a moving target. That's why the Supreme Court didn't use it, again, in deciding on abortion. It's a moving target. And so it really is. So, if you ask -- and I've seen you do this on air before -- when you ask any of these candidates, any Democratic candidates what -- where they would draw a limit, they will not say because they don't want you to know.

And because the president did that last week, there is a problem there. There is an obvious problem in the party. He named something that other Democrats would not name. He's uncomfortable with it. I think that is something that Democrats now should be taking advantage of.

BASH: Yes. I know -- I guess you've seen my interviews. The last one that I did was with Senator Amy Klobuchar. She said, I support allowing for limitations in the third trimester that don't interfere with the life and health of the mother.

I want to ask you, though, because --

DANNENFELSER: It's all the health definition. I'm just saying --

BASH: Well, but don't you want the -- somebody's doctor to be defining it not government officials?

DANNENFELSER: But health, meaning, a wide range, a big range of definitions of health, like emotional state or any state. This has been the law for the last 50 years. Doe v. Bolton was the one that defined what health meant. That's why in this -- where we are in D.C., you can have abortions up into the end and they happen all the time.

BASH: Let me ask you where we are right now on the political calendar is --

DANNENFELSER: Yes.

BASH: -- Republicans are vying to be the nominee. The front runner, the former president has come out in support of sort of -- well, let me just play what he said and get your response.

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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The greatest progress for pro-life is now being made in the states where everyone wanted to be. That's one of the reasons they wanted Roe v. Wade terminated is to bring it back into the states. However, there, of course, remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life.

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BASH: A vital role for the federal government that is, by far, as far as he has gone when it comes to the federal role in current times. Is that something that is satisfying to you, his position?

DANNENFELSER: Well, I've met with him as I've met with all of the candidates, and I think while they're clearing their throats, there's a lot of throat clearing here, Democrats are gaining the advantage. And as long as our candidates, including the top picks, are not defining themselves, Democrats are defining them.

So the bright line, it remains, it's 15 weeks is the minimum standard, I mean, to do know better.

BASH: So, no, he is not --

DANNENFELSER: Not yet, but he has said what Amy Klobuchar said and the president said that they're uncomfortable with late term. I'm just saying I think the most important takeaway is that after all these years where the people are now speaking, they're speaking in the states, they're speaking through elections and that there is a consensus to be found and it's actually already formed.

And if you're outside the consensus, it will hurt you. Well, let me --

DANNENFELSER: If you're inside it, it's going to help you.

BASH: We have some CNN reporting. Kristen Holmes and others have been told by sources close to the former president that he does not think that coming out for a policy that you are advocating 15 weeks is good for him politically. He's polling consistently in first place. So what do you know that he doesn't?

DANNENFELSER: What I know is that the issue works. And the issue -- any issue that you have, a 70 percent versus a 10 percent margin will always serve you. Substitute any other issue that you can think of.

BASH: It didn't work in 2022.

DANNENFELSER: Well, the reason it didn't work is because the candidates on the Republican side adopted an ostrich strategy. They stuck their heads in the sand hoping the thing would go away. They got labeled, and their candidates got away with saying that they were for a federal ban, which they weren't.

Generally, they were for a 15-week limit, which is wildly popular among all demographics and is certainly more popular than abortion up into the end.

[12:45:08]

BASH: OK. Which, again, I should say that most Democrats would -- if I had a Democrat sitting next to you, they would say most of them would say, we do not support abortion until the end, right.

DANNENFELSER: I've done this, too, though, Dana and I know in the election, election after election. I've been involved in many, many elections. They will not name a limit. And being uncomfortable is not saying, I will sign a bill to stop abortion after the first trimester or even the second.

It's very important to be clear and not just say viability and health, which are very loose terms that have been used for the last 50 years to allow abortion up into the end in many places, in most places in the country.

BASH: OK. We, unfortunately, out of time. I definitely want to continue this conversation. Maybe we'll have somebody come on with you to talk about that, because my sense and my conversations with those politicians is that they leave it open because they want a doctor to decide. But --

DANNENFELSER: The doctor deciding who's the abortionist is the key --

BASH: OK.

DANNENFELSER: -- who doesn't believe that there should be any exceptions?

BASH: We're going to have a lot more of discussion on this as this Republican primary season continues. Thank you for coming in. I appreciate it.

DANNENFELSER: Thank you, Dana.

BASH: And ahead, the Republican presidential field is shaping up to be the most diverse yet. Can the party expand its appeal beyond a predominantly white base? Stay with us.

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[12:51:07]

BASH: Now to new CNN reporting from Eva McKend, it centers on something you see every time you look at this graphic. The Republican presidential field is more diverse than ever. How does that diversity mesh or maybe clash with the GOP primary electorate that is overwhelmingly white?

Let's talk about that. Eva, talk about this reporting because it is true. You see it, but you've done some reporting on perhaps what it could mean.

MCKEND: Right. So Fredricka and I just thought that this field was historic, so it was worth takings beat and asking some folks about this. And while it is historic, it's so striking because even these candidates, they do not like to talk about race in a certain way.

And we know from Pew Research that 79 percent of registered voters who supported Republican candidates in last year's midterms said white people receive little or no benefit from social advantages. So you have a historic number of people of color running in this Republican primary, but a real rejection about talking about systemic racism in a holistic way and endorsing policies that specifically try to address systemic issues.

BASH: I mean, we saw the reaction to the affirmative action Supreme Court decision last week, and that really was an example, an illustration of what you just talked about. It was a very divided response, Democrat and Republican no matter what ethnic or what race, the Republican candidate was.

KEITH: Right. It was an overwhelming response from Republicans that affirmative action was no longer needed because America is in a different place, that it's a colorblind society. And in fact, many of these candidates on the Republican side, part of their pitch to Republican voters is, look at me, I am proof that there is no such thing as systemic racism.

ZELENY: It's the exact pitch that Tim Scott is making.

KEITH: Yes.

ZELENY: And, you know, Eva, you've been covering him and we've been watching him on The View and other things. I mean, this is a -- and when you talk to voters, you know, there is very much obviously the Republican primary electorate is much more aligned in the Clarence Thomas school of things.

But just leaving that aside for a second, just looking at the fact that many candidates, there always was an Alan Keyes running or someone. So it's not been, you know, without diversity, but this is an entirely different thing because you have a mayor, a governor, a former U.N. ambassador, a senator.

So it really is striking compared to this is my 7th presidential campaign. I hate to date myself. It's remarkably striking on the Republican side just how the field looks different.

MCKEND: And what you're hearing from activists, conservative activists of color is they're really -- they like this. They feel as though that this is promising for the party. And while Democrats say, listen, they should not be getting so much credit for diversifying the field, that if you speak to voters of color, they, by and large, still support Democrats. And the policies that Democrats will argue that the policies that they champion ultimately do not benefit minorities.

BASH: So one -- this is from your story. Camilla Moore, Georgia black Republican Council chair, said, "The message that our candidates are sending to the rest of America is we are you". I want to read something that Will Hurd. He's the newest Republican candidate, and he said, "What I've learned about black and brown communities in my time in elected office is they care about putting food on the table, a roof over their head, and taking care of the people they love. They care about making sure their kids have a good education. And it's a message that would resonate".

KEITH: Absolutely. And that is the argument that we've been hearing from Republicans for years, maybe we should say decades, that they believe that their policies generally align, particularly with Latino voters, and yet they have not been able to show that in the numbers in Congress or in actual election results.

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BASH: Thanks for great discussions. We have more ahead right after a quick break.

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BASH: CNN's July 4th special returns with an all-star lineup celebrate with spectacular fireworks and the biggest musical performances around. I'm going to be there. Watch CNN's Fourth in America live July 4, that's tomorrow, 07:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts right now.