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Inside Politics

Harris: "When We Fight, We Win!"; Harris Barnstorms Battlegrounds As She Looks To Keep Momentum; New National Poll: Democratic Enthusiasm Bump Closes Gap With GOP; Harris To Gaza Hecklers: "If You Want Donald Trump To Win, Say That"; Vance Accuses Walz Of Lying About His Military Record; Trump Praised Walz's Handling Of George Floyd Protests In 2020. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired August 08, 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: Today on Inside Politics. Kamala Harris is battleground blitz. She's heading to Arizona a day after holding rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan in front of two of the biggest crowds Democrats have seen in years. The Democratic energy is on her side. What about critical swing voters in these must win states?

Plus, challenging his record. Republicans accused Tim Walz of lying about his military service, but we will bring you the facts on that. And look more broadly at how the Trump campaign is shifting its strategy to fight the new Democratic ticket. And Joe Biden says, he's worried about a peaceful transition of power if Trump loses. I'll ask Maryland Senate candidate and never Trump Republican, Larry Hogan, whether he shares that concern.

I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines at Inside Politics.

In politics, momentum is everything. And right now, it seems to be on the Democratic side. Take a look at this brand-new poll. Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by six points when you include third party candidates, and that is outside the margin of error. When you add that to other recent polls, the race is now tied according to a CNN average. Just a month ago, Trump led Joe Biden by five points.

Now polls, of course, are just a snapshot in time. And Harris will need more than a tie to win 270 electoral votes. But Democrats say they are feeling an energy they haven't experienced since 2016 or even 2008.

Here is Harris and her new running mate, Tim Walz, arriving in Detroit last night. At their second big battle ground state rally of the day, the crowds at both were enormous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Michigan, I ask you, are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight, we win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I want to bring in a group of very talented reporters, Tia Mitchell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CNN's Kayla Tausche, and CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who is just off the plane coming back from Michigan. Tell us about what it was like there, and particularly, in context of what you have seen so far in this campaign?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Look, this Democratic campaign is closer to the end than the beginning, but boy, it sure feels like an entirely different moment. It really has for the last two weeks, but I was struck by first in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

But last night in Detroit, in a central battleground, when the vice president came up, using the trappings of office quite literally, Air Force Two. They had this event at an airport hangar. There were -- the campaign said, 15,000. I'm often skeptical of campaign numbers. Actually, some local officials out there were perhaps more than that.

The crowd was inside the hangar. It spilled outside. They had risers outside. It was all for the picture. All for just show that there is momentum, and it feels different. There is no doubt. When you talk to voters, they are optimistic. So, using this the power of images, I think this is something that the campaign has seized upon.

Greg Hill is an advanced man, who is well known in the business back to the Clinton years. He was working for President Biden. Now he is working for Vice President Harris. And all of this that you see, from the Beyonce music to the plane coming in, it's all part to make it look like she is ready for the job.

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And I was talking to one voter who said, it felt so much different than Hillary Clinton in 2016 because she truly is arriving on Air Force Two. She looks the part. Not that Secretary Clinton didn't necessarily, but she was out of office then when she was running. Barack Obama, of course, was just a senator. John McCain was the senator.

We've not seen anything like this in a very long time, in a quarter century, actually. So, it was just had a different feel to it. However, enthusiasm and energy does not win elections, but you can't win them without them.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting to see the vice president use some of the trappings of her official office as well, and you've seen President Biden out of the public eye for the last couple of weeks. And I was struck just a couple weeks ago, early on in her candidacy, when she met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she was flanked by the American flag. She delivered public remarks after that meeting in a more fulsome way than President Biden even had. So, it's clear that on both the official side and the campaign side, they are having her look the part, to show the American people that not only can she do this job, but in essence that she's already doing it. It's interesting. You mentioned the enthusiasm harkening back to the Hillary days.

I was texting with a Democratic operative who was at one of the launch rallies in Milwaukee early on, and they said at the time, this feels Hillary-esque or Obama-esque, and the enthusiasm has only ballooned since then. Some of the polling data now shows her closing that gap, but it is clear that she is not completely overtaking the oxygen and --

BASH: Thank you for setting that up for me. I actually -- you have a lot of conversations that we want to show our viewers that you had with voters on the road. But let's talk about that polling first. Marquette Law School, this poll that we were talking about just her favorability, which matters. In May, 35 percent, now 47 percent. So, that's a pretty big jump. Unfavorable has gone down.

And then there's also another really interesting number here. If you look at the enthusiasm across the board among Democrats, independents and Republicans to vote. Everybody has gone up, but the independents, in particular, who were men before are less men now. And that's an official political term.

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION: Yeah. I mean, I think it harkens back to Obama, even more so than Hillary. If you remember, with Hillary, there was, quite frankly, some of the same concerns that we heard about Biden. Of course, Biden being an incumbent.

But there was this heir apparent that voters weren't necessarily enthusiastic, but just felt like it was this person's turn, or this is just how things were supposed to go, same as Biden, you know, naturally running for a second term, but not necessarily having the enthusiasm of a lot of rank-and-file voters. And that's why, quite frankly, there was some talk about drafting Biden back in 2016, even though that didn't go anywhere.

But I do think now when you -- when you see the crowds, and you see how people are talking, not just about Kamala Harris, not just about Governor Walz, but those who are very enthusiastic about making sure Donald Trump has not returned to the White House. And that's something that I think -- it's both. And the energy and the emotion around -- in opposition to Trump is just as palpable as the energy and enthusiasm for Harris and Walz.

BASH: I want to play for our viewers some of the conversations you had with voters in Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARNEICE HOWARD, MICHIGAN VOTER: I think it's awesome. I am so enthusiastic and so excited about what's to come. It's a stark contrast from what we have been seeing on the other side. SHARON SHARPE, MICHIGAN VOTER: I was very excited. Ready for change. Time for Change.

LOUISE WELTER, MICHIGAN VOTER: I think that we have the right people to win this election.

SHEILA SIGRO, MICHIGAN VOTER: I'm very excited for it. I thought she made an excellent choice.

DANIELLE TUCKER, MICHIGAN VOTER: It's comforting like we have a ticket now that brings us joy as he said. Before it was just -- it was a lot of darkness going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: And in some of those conversations there, there obviously are politically active. When you stand for hours to go to a rally, you're into this, but talk to them about the differences between 2016. Tia to your point, they said, now we have the muscle memory of knowing what Trump did in office. In 2016, it was just sort of a thought.

No one necessarily knew that he would win. The Clinton campaign certainly didn't. So that is what is different. And she said it feels different this time, maybe because we are more aware of the opposition. So that I think there is this support, no doubt, enthusiasm for Vice President Harris, but it's also in the idea of trying to block the former president. But Michigan is also filled with many Republicans.

And I checked in with a few of them there as well, and they are certainly watching this with a bit of alarm, because they thought they were off to the races here with a pretty easy fall out of him. They know it's not, but they believe the more -- some voters see Vice President Harris, that will also fire up some Republicans in Michigan and certainly beyond as well.

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TAUSCHE: I think there's one stat in that market poll, in particular that exemplifies this, which is that 87 percent of the Democrats polled were excited about her candidacy. They were happy that she had ascended to the top of the ticket, but 58 percent still believed Trump would win.

BASH: No. That's interesting. I want to sort of spotlight a moment that happened last night in Detroit, and it is when there were protesters who were interrupting. These are pro-Gaza protesters interrupting her speech. And I want our viewers to look at the way she handled it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: He intends to surrender our fight against the climate crisis, and he intends to end the Affordable Care Act. You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that, otherwise I'm speaking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I want to talk about the substance of what was going on there in one second. But just in terms of the performance there and what she was trying to do as a candidate, as a female candidate, the way that she handled that moment. What does that tell you?

MITCHELL: So, number one, it tells us that she was prepared for it. You know, I think that she had that line waiting --

BASH: Yep. And when she was in Michigan, she knew what --

MITCHELL: Absolutely. And, you know, we heard the crowd roar, so in real time, it seemed to go over really well. But I also think it shows that she's able to -- I think, as a woman and a woman of color, and these protests, of course, are pro-Palestinian protesters led by people of color.

I think she's able to speak to it in a way that wouldn't have gone over as well, if Joe Biden had, you know, tried to silence protesters saying, you know, hey, I'm speaking. I think she's able to do that that her -- that Joe Biden and probably even Tim Walz might not be able to do.

BASH: And so, when it comes to the substance of it, our colleague Arlette Saenz spoke with Assad Turfe, who is a Wayne County deputy executive. He is one of the leaders in the so-called uncommitted movement. They worked hard to get votes against Joe Biden in the Democratic primary in Michigan, where there is a very big Arab American community.

Here's what he said. I wholeheartedly endorse Kamala Harris as she represents the true spirit of our nation and the values we hold dear. As someone who has been closely monitoring the war in Gaza, I firmly believe we need a permanent ceasefire now. When making decisions, I rely on the information available, and right now, Vice President Harris gives us the best chance of achieving peace in that region moving forward.

Significant, because if they are not going to withhold their support for her, not stay home, stay on the couch and maybe listen to the message she had is, OK, you're mad at me. What about the other guy that matters in a state like Michigan?

ZELENY: It's significant. There's no doubt about it. I was in Dearborn just last week, talking to the mayor. And he said, you know, we are certainly open. The door has cracked wide open to people being available. It's not a monolith. There is no doubt. But the endorsement there with our let's report, and that is absolutely significant, because once the election gets -- you know, we're 89 days now. I mean, this is a choice. So, voters have to decide to not vote, and that is a huge choice and a risky one.

BASH: OK, Kayla, you have some new reporting which we're going to hold on, and we're going to tease that for our audience. And we're going to talk about that in a little while. But coming up as Kamala Harris and her new running mate, barnstorm swing states a Donald Trump. Where is he? He is mostly absent this week from the campaign trail, but he is going to try to reclaim the spotlight this afternoon. That's the answer to where he is. He says, he is going to hold a news conference at Mar-a-Lago soon. Stay with us.

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BASH: Welcome back. While Kamala Harris is on a multi-state battleground swing. In just a few hours, Donald Trump says, he will be holding a press conference in Mar-a-Lago. And we haven't seen much of the former president this week and he has one rally on his schedule, that is tomorrow in Montana.

But his running mate has been out and about, and he's sharpening attacks on Vice President Harris and her new running mate, Tim Walz, especially over his 24-year career in the Army National Guard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J. D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the army and allowed his unit to go without him. He said, we shouldn't allow weapons that I used in war to be on America's streets. Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? When was this? What was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandon your unit right before they went to Iraq, and he has not spent a day in a combat zone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Vance is a Marine veteran, who served as a combat correspondent in Iraq. His accusation that Walz is not telling the truth is based in part on this clip posted by the Harris campaign of Walz's advocating for gun control.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can make sure we don't have reciprocal carry among states, and we can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So, weapons of war that I carried in war. How close was he to war? A National Guard spokesman says, Walz deployed to Italy in 2003 where he was part of a security mission in support of the Afghanistan war, but he never served in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the campaign said, quote, in his 24 years of service, the governor carried fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any Americans service to this country. In fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It's the American way.

Now we also heard Vance accuse Walz of ducking service to Iraq when he left the National Guard in 2005 to run for Congress. Here's what we know about that. Now, Walz was already running for Congress when his unit received notice, they could deploy to Iraq within two years. He actually retired two months before his unit received official alert orders for deployment.

However, it is not clear when Walz actually filed his retirement paperwork, which often happens months ahead of the actual date. He said in 2009, he left the guard to focus on his run for Congress. And so far, no answer from the campaign on that particular issue.

CNN's Brianna Keilar is now with us at the table. Bri, you have some new reporting about this.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEWS CENTRAL ANCHOR: Yeah. I spoke with Joe Eustice, who served for over 10 years with Governor Walz in the Minnesota Army National Guard. And he's a really interesting person to talk to about this, because he does not see eye to eye with Walz on politics at all.

In fact, I want to read something from him. He said, from what I know of the situation, they're lying. He says, speaking of those who have come out against Walz from their former battalion, he says, he, Walz was a good soldier, as good of a soldier as you'll find. I'm not trying to defend him. I hope people don't think that. What I'm trying to do is defend someone who served his country. I'm not voting for him. I'll campaign against him. But I don't think it's fair to characterize his service the way they have.

Specifically, it's that point that is being made or he says they say that he retired, so he didn't have to go to Iraq. And he says that they are lying about that. That is Joe Eustice's words there. He says, in fact, that Walz was thinking about retiring long before that, because he was thinking about running for office. And he says that in a conversation, Joe used to says, he pointed out to Walz well.

Other people have been in Congress or been in office and they've been in the National Guard. But he said that Walz said something to the effect of, yeah, but they get let out of, you know, deployments or assignments, and that looks bad. And Walz didn't want to have that appearance. It's really interesting. He also does the -- on that issue, the weapons of war comment. Eustice says, you know, Walz should answer for that. He should give an explanation as to why he said that.

BASH: Because he wasn't in an actual combat zone.

KEILAR: Exactly, right.

BASH: Yeah. That's really interesting. Now, Jeff Zeleny, we have seen the military record of a candidate be used and be used successfully. Obviously, we're thinking about 2004 John Kerry, who was in Vietnam. And he served his country in Vietnam, and he was famously or infamously swift boated.

ZELENY: Swift boated, yes, it became a verb, because his military service was essentially used against him by Chris LaCivita was the head of the Swift Boat Veterans for a truth at the time, and now he, of course, is running the Trump campaign.

So, look, there are some parallels to this, but I think some of the differences are and I was talking to a top Republican this morning who is in no way supportive of the Harris campaign. They're wondering why so much attention on Tim Walz right now, perhaps is just the first week. But the John Kerry thing, the Swift Boat thing, as it happened, it caught Democrats off guard. There's no doubt about it. And it became a weeks' long campaign.

If this becomes a weeks' long campaign, many Republicans think that should be against Vice President Harris on things like immigration and inflation. So, is this kind of a deflection? So, we will see, but this is not one issue.

Even though Senator Vance injected this into the bloodstream in one press conference in Michigan, as Brianna pointed out. These are two very different things about when he decided to retire and if he used weapons of war. So, we will see if they respond to that, and if he answers questions about that, if he ever takes questions.

BASH: And I want to move on more broadly to their other sort of attacks on this new ticket. But Bri, because we have the benefit of having you here. What else should we be thinking about with regard to this story?

KEILAR: You know, one of the things I think is, at what point did military service become a liability? You know, that's one of the things that's sort of on my mind as I look at this. I also think that J. D. Vance as a messenger on this, may be an imperfect messenger. Because we have -- as you introduced him as a combat correspondent, which was what his title was.

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But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist, someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title combat correspondent kind of gives you a different impression. So, he may be the imperfect messenger on that. But at the same time, then you have this argument going on, where it seems to be, did you really serve your country, unless you were shot at a lot?

And I just think that's a very kind of gross place to be because there is so much service and sacrifice that goes on in the military. Anyone in the military, or who values the military will tell you that there's a lot more to it, just being in danger. And here you have them bickering over something which should be assets that they're both bringing to their candidates.

BASH: J. D. Vance served America in the United States military. Tim Walz served America in the United States military, and that is more than a lot of Americans can say. And I think that's a really important point.

Let's move on to talk more broadly about some of the other issues that the Trump campaign that they're using. One of the big ones is Governor Walz, who is the governor of Minnesota. How he handled the riots after George Floyd in Minneapolis, attacking him for letting it get out of hand and not really reining it in for several days.

So, now we have a phone call that Donald Trump made with -- he was part of with Governor Walz. It was in 2020 -- it was on June 1, 2020, after most of the riots had happened. Listen to what the then president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voiceover): I know Governor Walz is on the phone, and we spoke, and I fully agree with the way he handled it the last couple of days. You dominated. You took the worst place, and you made it, they didn't even cover it last night because there was so little action. Because you dominated but I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim, you called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast. It was like bowling pins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: What do you think, Kayla?

TAUSCHE: well, I think that obviously they're going to have to answer to this, and having the audio, having the receipts, makes it much more challenging for them to implement or utilize the argument that they've been using up until this point. But in addition to challenging the handling of Governor Walz of those protests.

They've also been focusing on some comments that his wife Gwen Walz made around that time. In an interview where she said that she left the windows open at that time because she wanted to smell the tires burning. She felt like that was a touchstone of American history.

And they've seized on those comments too to say, you sat in your house and you're, you know, in your place of safety, in your ivory tower, and just smelled what was going on, on the streets instead of actually getting involved. So, it seems that they're employing a few different arguments here to see which will stick. And I think that's the strategy on this end, a handful of other issues, including the one that you would --

BASH: We're out of time, but final word quickly.

MITCHELL: Well, I think every time you bring up the summer of 2020, it just naturally starts to pivot the conversations to what happened in January 2021. And I think that's the risk when Republicans try to make issue about of the summer of 2020, particularly in the scope of how Trump responded to the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6. BASH: OK. Everybody, thank you so much. Don't go anywhere. Thank you for your awesome reporting as always. Up next some more new reporting. Union leaders are closing ranks behind the Harris-Walz's ticket. What about the rank and file? Though, we've got something new from her notebook. Kayla Tausche is here, and she'll give it to you and to us and after a quick break.

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