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Biden Oval Office Address Set For 8pm ET Tomorrow; Today: Harris In Milwaukee For First Presidential Campaign Rally; Schumer, Jeffries Expected To Endorse Harris This Afternoon; GOP Rep. Burchett Calls VP Harris "A DEI Hire"; Trump: Biden Administration "Did Not Properly Protect Me"; Secret Service Chief Quits After Bipartisan Calls For Her To Resign. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired July 23, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

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DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Welcome to Inside Politics. I'm Dana Bash. And we are following a lot of breaking news today, including the Secret Service director resigning over security failures that led to a sniper's bullet nearly killing Donald Trump. We're going to bring you those developments later in the hour.

But first, President Biden has just announced that he will address the nation tomorrow night at 8:00 pm eastern from the Oval Office. CNN's Kayla Tausche joins me now live from the White House. Kayla, what do we know?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dana. The president is going to be delivering this primetime address to the nation that he said earlier in the week that he would deliver to provide some detailed behind his decision to withdraw from the 2024 campaign.

In that official letter that he posted to his Twitter and Instagram accounts on Sunday announcing his withdrawal. He pledged to tell the American people more about what went into this decision. And that's what we expect to hear from the president tomorrow night as he continues to recover from Covid.

Yesterday, his doctors said that his symptoms had resolved almost completely, and that he had received a 10th and standard final dose of Paxlovid. Shortly after that disclosure, Biden called into what had formerly been his campaign headquarters that had just been assumed by his Vice President Kamala Harris, to pledge his support to her and to assure his campaign staff that he will continue to be on the trail fighting for her -- fighting for their ticket in the months to come.

Now, this of course, Dana, as the Democratic Party has supported her at a breakneck speed, she's now locked in enough support from delegates to secure the nomination. Just a really stunning pace for a candidate that just a few days ago was still the number two. Dana?

BASH: Yeah, absolutely. Kayla, thank you so much for that reporting. And I'm now joined here by some terrific reporters to get into all of this. CNN's Jeff Zeleny, the Boston Globes' Jackie Kucinich, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Carl Hulse of the New York Times. Hello everybody.

I want to get to Kamala Harris in a minute. But let's start with President Biden and this announcement that he is going to give that -- what will very soon be an icon -- another iconic and unusual address from the Oval Office. What are you hearing from your sources about the kinds of themes that we expect him to hit on?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, history has already two Joe Biden presidential campaign exit speeches in the worst, but this will be one like any other. I mean, in 88 obviously he left the race, in 08 he left the race, but he's already in the Oval Office. So, this is an emotional time for him.

I'm told, but some aides we were talking to pointed to his remarks yesterday when he called into the Harris campaign headquarters. And he sounded a quite upbeat, but this is going to be a couple things. One, finishing the job in the Oval Office, focusing directly on his foreign affairs agenda, which of course is very important this week, that critical meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. But also, he clearly will give a nod to what comes next.

By doing it in the Oval Office that was a choice, not doing it in the Rose Garden. So, he could have the vice president standing with him. This is about President Biden.

BASH: Yeah.

ZELENY: This is about him. Presumably he will be in there alone. We've never seen an Oval Office address with more than one person. So, this is to focus on him. There was a little bit of angst by some longtime Biden allies and admirers, that there wasn't more talk about him on Sunday.

But look, I mean, that is a very natural. He had made the announcement and then very quickly moved to endorse his vice visit for a reason. But tomorrow night he's supposed to be, I'm told more about him.

BASH: Yeah.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES & CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: You saw the White House kind of make up for that on Sunday -- I mean yesterday. I mean the vice president kind of before even going to campaign headquarters, made sure to pay tribute to President Biden. But also, like list through sort of the legislative accomplishments that they've had.

And I think you're going to see that too when describing his legacy here. You're going to not just see him sort of honor Vice President Harris going forward, but also pay tribute to their past accomplishment.

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BASH: While I have you here, you were with the president in Las Vegas for that trip when he abruptly left because he has COVID. And we were talking in the green room about that moment. And you -- I also will say that you reminded me that you were the last person to ask Joe Biden a question when he was still a candidate for president for reelection. Once he got on that plane and we haven't seen him in person since. Things changed a few days later.

I want to read -- I want you to sort of talk about that. But I also want to read part of President Biden's letter on Sunday, where -- when he announced that he was not going to run for reelection. He said, it has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my attention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.

KANNO-YOUNGS: I mean, it's -- it really was a remarkable week and it's going to be looked back on. And when -- you know, in the history books. Make no mistake. At the beginning of that trip in Las Vegas, President Biden was still intent on staying in this race. His aides were bullish as well. They were dismissing criticism from Democrats. He went into that NAACP conference speech on Tuesday.

And I -- you know, I thought it was actually one of the more enthusiastic, energetic speeches he had made since the debate. But the bar was low at that point and there were still some gaps. And the next day, you did see a noticeable difference, both in his appearance and his energy and --

BASH: Because he had COVID.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Because he had COVID. But we didn't know about that at first, but we were wondering. We were asking questions. Was it just that he had put all of his energy into that speech the previous day in front of that crowd of thousands, or was there something else?

And then you're in the motorcade, you know, when the temperature is going to 110 degrees in Las Vegas, and now there's an hour delay before his next speech. And reporters are wondering at this point. What is going on? Knocking on the windows of staff members to try and get some clarity.

BASH: Is that right?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yeah. Where the president was. I mean, yeah, I was walking, pacing the motorcade, basically trying to find out a status update on the president. And then that's when we really found out when colleagues at the Unidos conference where he was supposed to speak next, sent text messages saying, that his speech had been canceled.

Suddenly we are on Air Force One zooming at that point to Delaware. And then he walks downstairs -- down the steps of Air Force One. And you saw him pause a couple times to get his energy. And then the last questions we asked him was how he felt about Democrats calling for him to step down. And his last comment was, I'm doing well at that point.

So just to see how much things have changed since -- (CROSSTALK)

KANNO-YOUNGS: Right, right.

BASH: Right, right. Yeah. But his inside voice was saying something totally different. Everybody, standby by for one second because I do want to get to Milwaukee where Kamala Harris is about to arrive for her first campaign event as the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee. CNN's Eva McKend is on the ground already waiting for her. Eva, what are you hearing there?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Dana, the former prosecutor is eager to make her case to really draw that contrast between her and former President Donald Trump. In their disparate visions of America, she's expected to focus on how he has attacked reproductive rights. She's expected to talk about how he's undermined democracy and also, you know, has been a threat to working families.

I can tell you from being on the campaign trail with her the last several weeks, that there's just a different energy in this crowd. As you speak to people here, they are very excited about this shakeup. I've asked him, do you think that it came too late? Is there enough time? And they said, yes. She is prepared.

I spoke to a woman, who works in corrections, who likes her background in law enforcement. And felt as though that she has s struck the right balance between accountability and justice and compassion. And so, what you're seeing on the ground here, Dana, is a Democratic campaign with some new life, new energy, and perhaps a new message. We'll see when Harris takes the stage in just a little bit.

BASH: OK. Thank you so much for that. And because why not? We have even more breaking news on the campaign. Right now, we are hearing that the top two Democrats in Congress, in the Senate Chuck Schumer, in the House Hakeem Jeffries will officially endorse the vice president at a joint news conference at 1:00 pm.

My panel is back. Wow. How lucky are we. We have -- you here, the hundred first Senator Carl Hulse to talk about it.

CARL HULSE, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: You know, I think they wanted to hold off. They've been very careful throughout this entire process, obviously. I think they wanted to hold off, so it didn't look too much like they were putting their thumb on the scale. They want to be able to say, there wasn't actual process and -- but, you know, it's over, right? She -- this has just been a juggernaut and they're like some of the last two people. And I think, you know, they just decided it's time to do it.

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BASH: Yeah, intentionally. So, you were going to say something --

HULSE: The other thing I was going to say about the remarks by the president. I think he also needs and wants to establish that he's in charge still, right?

BASH: Right.

HULSE: You know, you have the Republicans on the Hill really agitating that he can't serve out the rest of the term. I think they need something to help put that to rest. And maybe this is an opportunity for that to have one.

JACKIE KUCINICH, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE BOSTON GLOBE: I think this is the speech that I mean, he didn't -- he didn't want to give but that he -- that he wanted to give in this moment, right. I don't think any of us thought that this was -- we were going to find out about this in a tweet in a letter, right?

Because that's not how Joe Biden is. He does these grand, using the office as a way to -- you know, express himself. So, this is -- this feels more right, I think for the end of -- you know, at the beginning of the end of Joe Biden's presidency.

BASH: Let's look ahead to or maybe look to now to Kamala Harris. And just a couple of numbers that we want to show our viewers. This is from the Harris campaign. 30,000 new volunteers have signed up, they say. $100 million raised since Sunday. That's a lot, particularly when you look at the money. And just, Jeff, I want you to kind of comment on this.

Looking back to all those years ago -- two days ago, Sunday, where the map was with Joe Biden on the ticket. If you look at the road to 270. By our map, Joe Biden was kind of locked it -- apparently locked at 225 and Donald Trump at 272. So, this is where the map was sort of frozen with Joe Biden on the ticket. And we don't obviously have one with Kamala Harris on there.

ZELENY: It's time to do this map in either dry erase boarder with pencil, because the reality is we don't know. Yeah. It is going to change. The only polling we have to look at was very theoretical. But even in that, Vice President Harris was performing stronger than President Biden in a head-to-head with Donald Trump.

But I think a couple things we can read into from that. In the suburbs and among voters of color, she was performing stronger. So that is a key part of, let's call it the Harris coalition now. We have talked a lot about the Biden coalition that has done. This is the Harris coalition.

So, by going to Milwaukee, they're doing a couple of things. A, talking about abortion rights, but also Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. The way you win Wisconsin is by driving turnout up among African American voters in the city and getting some suburban voters in those counties. But this map could be entirely different once we have a fresh set of polling and once the campaigns do.

So, what we do know is this. There's a race to define Vice President Kamala Harris. We think we know a lot about her. But she's never been in this context before. So, all of her old speeches, all of her old record, and it cuts a little bit differently than it did four years ago. And she ran for president, which was -- it started off as a very high-flying campaign. And then it changed throughout that year.

So, she'll be viewed in a new context, without question. But that $100 million, you mentioned, that is more important than everything they're going to need it to defend against attacks coming from the Trump.

BASH: And to -- and to be proactive in defining who she is. And you -- I could not agree with you more, that this is a small window. Nevermind, between now and election day, but like right now to really define who she is. Republicans are very much at it. And one of the things that we have heard is she's a DEI candidate.

Now, we heard that specifically from Tim Burchett the Congressman, in a conversation with Manu Raju. We've heard similar from others. And we thought it was very interesting that the Republican House speaker tried to sidestep that, is probably the best way to explain it.

Let's listen to first what Congressman Burchett said to Manu. And then the way the speaker tried to massage you at this morning.

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REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): When you go down that route, you take mediocrity, and that's what they have right now as a vice president.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you suggesting she was a DEI hire?

BURCHETT: 100 percent she was a DEI hire.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Listen, this election, as I noted at the outset, is going to be about policies, not personalities. This is not personal with regard to Kamala Harris, and her ethnicity or her gender has nothing to do with this whatsoever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Is that a message to his own caucus or conference in this case?

KANNO-YOUNGS: I mean, it seems like. Right, I mean, you have one answer where you have somebody that's leaning into, I mean, talking about or -- that's nothing new for a timber ship (Ph), by the way. He said that, you know, a couple of times now. And then the next answer you have the House speaker saying this is matter of policy. That first answer did not line up with an argument that is a matter of policy.

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Look, talking to the Vice President Harris's aides, they often say that she has faced attacks like this throughout her career, often what they bring up is that sort of part of being a first -- you know, first woman of color to be vice president, first black woman, first woman of Indian descent.

Also, you know, there's -- when you are a person of color, and you are constantly facing questions about whether you're in your place based off merit or based off some other excuse. That's part of living in this country.

So, you know, not surprised by that. But I don't think that will benefit Republicans, those kinds of attacks, particularly when you're trying to make inroads with black men, which Trump has done so far.

HULSE: Yeah. I think a lot of these comments that Republicans have gotten used to making are going to land a lot differently now in this presidential general election. That comment by J. D. Vance in 2021, I think it was -- has been resurfaced, where he talks about Vice President Harris, says this, miserable cat woman without kids. And you have to have children to have investment in the future of the U.S.

I mean, that's really good for Tucker Carlson show, but --

BASH: Not for the people --

HULSE: General election. And that whether you're trying to win over in this are going to look at that, you know, what is that about.

BASH: And as we go to break, not for nothing. Kamala Harris was elected to her positions, particularly in California, which add up to a lot more experienced than J. D. Vance has in elected office.

ZELENY: D.A. and A.G. in California.

BASH: There we go. All right, coming up. We have more breaking news, of course. The director of the Secret Service resigned under bipartisan pressure. We'll give you some incredible details after a short break.

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BASH: And more breaking news. To tell you about this hour, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned 10 days after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. CNN's Evan Perez is here who broke the story. Evan, what else are you learning?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dana, we now hear from the homeland security -- Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that he's naming Ronald Rowe, the current deputy director -- as acting director to take the place of the director who resigned.

But I'll read you just a part of what she said to the men and women of the Secret Service in announcing that she was stepping down. She said, as your director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse and then she goes on. In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.

Now, Kimberly Cheatle, there was very - there was very little, Dana, as you know, that creates any kind of unanimity on Capitol Hill these days. But she managed to do it with that performance yesterday where she struggled to answer questions. There was one point where, you know, she was asked the same questions 16 or 17 times.

And it wasn't until like a few hours in that she managed to finally say a couple of new bits of information about how long it was that they knew someone was suspicious before they realized that this person was a real threat. And the Secret Service snipers took that that man down, the shooter who attempted to kill the former president.

So, in light of that hearing, it was viewed as untenable for how -- for her to stay on much longer, Dana. So now, the Secret Service will be left to try to cooperate with these investigations, to try to get to the bottom of these lapses and fix things before -- obviously, the political season gets underway fully. Dana?

BASH: Evan, thank you so much for that reporting. And just minutes after Cheatle resigned as Secret Service director. Donald Trump posted this on his social media site, quote, the Biden/Harris administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet For Democracy. It was my great honor to do so.

Back here at the table. That sounds like we're going to hear a lot more of that from the former president.

KUCINICH: Certainly, I mean, the -- I mean, the fact that this happened, I don't think it was very surprising that she had to step down. If you watch that hearing yesterday, both sides really -- he's not being able to answer any questions from both sides of the aisle. Evan said this, that you can't -- they don't really unite on anything.

But certainly now, of course, the former president is going to use this to his advantage. We saw a part of this during the convention. It was the first part of that very long speech, the most riveting part was his recollection of this, and what it would mean going forward. So absolutely.

BASH: Yeah. But he did in his convention speech, make a point of thanking Secret Service agents who protect him, who as we all know, protectees become close to the people who are around them, understandably so.

And there's a difference between those who are in the field and protecting and sort of the administration, and one of the many things that have come out since that assassination attempt was that the Secret Service said, no. We're not going to give more protection, even though they were asked to do it.

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I just want to quickly play. Now you have alluded to it, as did Evan. The extraordinary bipartisanship of members of Congress who don't ever agree on anything but did on the failure of the Secret Service.

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REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): You answered more questions with an ABC reporter than you have with members of Congress. REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): The notion of a report coming out in 60 days, when the threat environment is so high in the United States, irrespective of party is not acceptable.

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): You're full of -- today. You're just being completely dishonest.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I just don't think this is partisan.

REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-AZ): You should have come today ready to give us answers. I call upon you to resign today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HULSE: I mean, Secret Service emphasis on the secret. They are used to not saying much. They were very ill prepared for that hearing. People expected some answers. And she delivered nothing. So of course, they ganged up on her. I think the budget of the Secret Service about $3 billion. They got a big increase. I mean, Congress has a real interest in this. I mean, that was really a horrible performance at that hearing. And this was the inevitable outcome.

KANNO-YOUNGS: And it wasn't just sort of the hearing here. It wasn't just her non-answers, but their handling of the fallout of this has had issues really. I mean, we were talking -- and the Secret Service does have a culture of being insured. And usually what you would expect after an incident like this is almost no answer.

But remember, after this attempted assassination, you have the Secret Service coming out and forcefully denying as unequivocally false. The accusations that the Trump detailed or customer resources, that wasn't true.

BASH: It wasn't true. I mean, it's just a series of mistake after mistake. I just want to emphasize. Again, that the agents who protect former President Trump, President Biden, I mean, they do yeoman's work every single day. This is obviously a structural issue that is being dealt with.

Coming up. Biden campaign HQ is transformed into Harris campaign HQ. We're going to get an insider's look at what's changing, what's not and the campaign's national co-chair will be here to talk about it. Mitch Landrieu is coming up.

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