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Isa Soares Tonight
Prime Minister Netanyahu to Address Congress; President Biden Arrives at Joint Base Andrews; VP Kamala Harris Holds Rally in Wisconsin. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 23, 2024 - 14:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
PAULA NEWTON, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Paula Newton in for Isa Soares. Tonight, we're
watching two major stories as they unfold. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hits the presidential campaign trail, she'll speak in the next few
minutes, and she's just been endorsed by two of the most powerful people in the Democratic Party.
Also happening this hour, President Joe Biden returning to the White House after his COVID isolation. Tomorrow, he says he'll deliver a speech about
his decision to drop out of the race. All of this coming this hour. And again, we are following a number of major developments in the United
States.
In minutes, we are expected to hear from Vice President Harris, who will kick off her presidential bid with an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You
are looking at live video there as those supporters await her speech. Meantime, Democrats have been lining up at breakneck speed behind Kamala
Harris, the party's new presumptive presidential nominee.
A short time ago, Harris received the endorsement of the top two Democrats on Capitol Hill, House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority
leader Chuck Schumer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): President Biden's selfless decision has given the Democratic Party the opportunity to unite behind a new nominee, and
boy, oh boy, are we enthusiastic.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Kamala Harris and her candidacy has excited and energized the House Democratic Caucus, the Democratic Party, and the
nation. Vice President Harris has earned the nomination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, those endorsements coming just in the last hour, and there you see the President, he is expected to make his return to the White House
after recovering from COVID. Joe Biden says he'll address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday detailing his historic decision to drop out of
the race.
CNN senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche joins us. And now, and we await the President there where you are at the White House. What did he
say as he was getting set for his return to working in-person and not isolating?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, he told reporters that were there with him on the tarmac that he's feeling well.
This of course, after his doctor says that he tested negative for COVID after isolating in his beach house in Delaware just a few hours away.
But it comes of course, after that historic decision by President Biden to withdraw from the race and endorsed his Vice President, who in a matter of
just two days has really racked up the trifecta from endorsements within the party to really incredible fundraising numbers, especially at the
grassroots level to the delegates for the Democratic Party lining up behind her.
She's effectively secured the support of enough delegates to clinch the nomination, even though that process will officially go forward in the days
to come, culminating with a selection of her by August 7, according to the Democratic National Committee.
Now, this all comes as we await word from President Biden on what exactly he says led him to step down after three weeks of a crisis of confidence
within the Democratic Party, and his own confidence that he could stay in the race, and he could defeat former President Donald Trump.
For months, he had said that he was the only Democrat who could beat Donald Trump. But of course, that mindset began to shift in the wake of the CNN
debate last month. And the calls from party leaders and critical backers of the party for the President to step aside in favor of a new generation.
Now, Harris has very quickly taken up the mantle of the candidacy. She has essentially rebranded the Wilmington headquarters for what was the Biden-
Harris campaign, and now is the Harris for President campaign before she names a running mate, which itself will be a truncated and fast-track
process, given how little time there is before the convention in just a few weeks.
But as for President Biden, he now begins a six-month stretch of his presidency where he is trying to button up his remaining to-do list and try
to shape a legacy of more than five decades in public service. That's what I expect to hear from the President tomorrow night, and that's what I
expect his aides will be discussing in the months to come, Paula.
NEWTON: Kayla, it will be important in fact, for the President to show that he is a robust campaigner for Kamala Harris, and that indeed he can
carry on with his presidency over the next six months.
[14:05:00]
Kayla Tausche for us at the White House, appreciate it. And I want to welcome in our national politics correspondent Eva McKend, who is following
the presumptive Democratic nominee in now that battleground state of Wisconsin. She is in fact, Eva McKend for us at that rally, we will get to
her shortly.
But right now, I want to bring in Democratic campaign consultant Tim Hogan -- oh, pardon me, we do have -- hello McKend, hello, apologies, you are
there at that rally, what's it looking like? I mean, obviously, you're going to tell me it's pretty enthusiastic, but this is a battleground
state, so more than the base, who will she reach out to?
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks -- hi, and the Vice President is expected to speak to that. She is also expected to
really lean into her former career as a prosecutor to outline her case against former President Donald Trump.
She'll talk about how he is a threat to democracy. She'll talk about how under his administration, he didn't do enough for working families. She'll
talk about how he's attacked reproductive rights. What I can tell you is that this feels like a much different campaign than just a few weeks ago.
There is so much energy and enthusiasm here on the ground, especially from the young people that you speak with here in Wisconsin. And I can also tell
you that nearly every major Democratic elected leader in this state has endorsed Harris. And that is going to be so pivotal because she will really
have to rely on the infrastructure that is already in place in this state and the other battleground states in order to be successful come the Fall.
Still, it will be a difficult few weeks ahead as former President Donald Trump really sharpens his attacks against her.
NEWTON: Yes, it is a good reminder that the unity of the Democratic Party before this happened was not a sure thing. So, just shoring up her own
party is already significant. Eva, though, I have to ask you, given what she's already endured from the Trump campaign in such a short span of time,
how does she expect to kind of steel herself?
Because again, she likely does not want to look too bridle. She will be expecting these kinds of criticisms and really, despite strong speeches,
will have to show people in that crucial middle that she has enough going forward in order to actually get something done on, not just the economy,
but also those border issues.
MCKEND: Well, the benefits she has is that a lot of these attacks that the Trump campaign are making against her, they've made for a really long time.
So, she's heard them all before. She's had a preparation in terms of how to best respond to them and combat them. We have elected officials coming in
and the crowd cheering one-by-one as they pass by.
But also, her supporters tell me that she doesn't need to respond to them. That she can really lean on the strength of her election arguments alone.
She has become such a crucial ambassador, talking about these issues of reproductive rights and preserving them. And I suspect that, that is going
to be so central to her election argument.
NEWTON: You have a great job, hearing you above that crowd, it is tough position we're going to get used to seeing you in as we continue to follow
this new campaign for president. Eva McKend for us at the rally, and we will bring you the Vice President's remarks live when we get them, she's
expected to enter the hall soon.
For now though, I want to bring in Democratic campaign consultant, Tim Hogan and former Republican congressman for Illinois, Joe Walsh. Thank you
to you both. Tim, first to you. Look, it's obvious, right? The Dems are basking in this re-energized campaign. But I have to ask you what now, how
to face the challenges in battleground states like Wisconsin?
TIM HOGAN, U.S. DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT: Yes, you're starting to see the campaign mobilized. You saw the Vice President go speak at the
campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware yesterday. I think previewing a message of what this campaign is going to look like. It's a prosecutor
versus a felon, it's someone who defends reproductive rights versus someone who cheers that he was able to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Someone who cares about the middle-class versus someone who only cares about himself and his billionaire donors. And this is a key moment for the
campaign because like you noted, Republicans are going to throw the kitchen sink at the Vice President. But as of right now, I don't think they know
what is going to stick.
And based on the momentum that we have, $100 million raised, 1.1 million donors, 62 percent of those donors are new donors. There's a ton of
momentum that's about taking advantage of that moment.
NEWTON: Yes, I have to say, it was the new donors that really made an impression on me when you were looking at some of the stats. So, Joe, if
you're the GOP right now, what's most daunting about facing Kamala Harris?
[14:10:00]
JOE WALSH, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: That she's not Joe Biden. I mean, plain and simple, that she's not 81 years old, and I say that with all the
respect in the world for Joe Biden. Look, what was truly year ago and what was true two months ago, and what is true now remains true. If this
election is about Donald Trump and the threat he is, Trump will lose.
And it's up to Kamala Harris now to make that case, Joe Biden wasn't able to make that case. Kamala Harris will be able to, and make the case that
he's a threat to our democracy and explain to voters what that means. I think that's what's generating such possibility and enthusiasm here.
NEWTON: And yet, it will take more than enthusiasm, already you can kind of see the Trump campaign and the GOP tripping up on what should be easy
here. You know, Representative Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee told CNN that Harris is quote -- his words, "a D-E-I vice president",
meaning diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Republican Speaker no less walked that back pretty quickly. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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. This is about who can deliver for the American people
and get us out of the mess that we're in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: OK, so he gets marks for walking that back pretty quickly, but Tim, doesn't this kind of talk really just embolden the Harris campaign?
HOGAN: Yes, I mean, look, that is a dog-whistle turned into a fog horn, and Speaker Johnson knows that, and that's why he tried to walk it back.
Again, I don't know what the Trump campaign is going to throw at the Vice President, to your point, they have tested some attacks already.
You heard Jason Miller, our campaign strategists the other day saying Kamala Harris is going to ban plastic straws, literally grasping at straws
for their messaging strategy, though, they need to get their act together, and the DEI hire language, I mean, that is -- that is so polarizing, I
cannot imagine if they would go down that route and sanction that as some official campaign message.
NEWTON: And Joe, to Tim's point that is polarizing, you know, polls recently have shown that the Trump campaign has actually made impressive
in-roads with minority voters. Can they really afford this kind of rhetoric against Kamala Harris, a historic candidate by any measure?
WALSH: No, not at all. And Tim's right, this will turn off everybody except for people in Trump's base. Look, I come from the right. I used to
engage in some of that. It's all about drumming up support among your base. But when you combine that with the fact that Trump picked J.D. Vance, who
will give zero benefit to people outside of Trump's base, I think Trump doesn't know how to handle Kamala Harris.
His cheerleaders will go after her in ugly personal ways because they can't help themselves. But Trump's not going to know how to deal with her.
NEWTON: The way he's dealing with her now is on Truth Social, I just want to bring some of our viewers through to some of this stuff. I mean, the
language is really notable even for the president. "Does lying Kamala Harris think Joe Biden is fit to run the USA for the next six months? She
must answer that question."
I mean, he is bringing up the issue of whether or not the Vice President was complicit in something there. Joe, to you first, this issue should be
able to be put to rest, perhaps even in the coming hours, right? Joe Biden is going to try and be a very forceful campaigner, not just for his own
presidency, but also for Kamala Harris.
WALSH: Yes, look, I've got -- again because I come from MAGA world, I've got MAGA people who have been messaging me all day wondering if Joe Biden
is still alive. I mean, they're down that rabbit hole. So, this will be put to bed and Joe Biden will be an enthusiastic campaigner for Kamala Harris.
But again, Trump is spending still so much time, even still attacking Joe Biden. I don't think he's pivoted. I don't think he knows how to pivot. I'd
be surprised if he's ever up on a debate stage with her. Trump has a problem, remember, with strong women. This is going to be a real battle for
him.
NEWTON: It will be a battle, but Tim, you know, the reality is, when you look at the Math right now of those polls, Donald Trump continues to make
in-roads and not just with white voters who have been his constituency, but also as I said, along with those minority lines. Will some of this stick? I
mean, Kamala Harris, it has to be said was not the strongest candidate for president before she gave up that run.
HOGAN: Well, we're in a different position now, though, it's not a 2019 --
NEWTON: OK, but just a challenge one now --
HOGAN: Democratic primary where you --
NEWTON: Why are we in a --
HOGAN: Yes --
NEWTON: Different position? Because this is --
HOGAN: Yes --
NEWTON: A host immigration --
HOGAN: Because --
NEWTON: Crisis, right? Not pre.
HOGAN: She is not running against 29 other Democrats in a primary, pushing out paper where you are desperately trying to get MSNBC airtime.
[14:15:00]
I think there is a distinction there. And I will just say that look, the polling has shifted already a little bit. There's a "Reuters" poll from
this morning that puts Harris up 44-42 over Trump, there's some civics analytics polls that have come out over the past few days. They started
polling even before the announcement that she's improving by about 8 percentage points with black voters, 7 percentage points with Hispanic
voters, 12 points with young voters.
So, to Joe's point, there's a reset here, and things are changing and Donald Trump is stuck. He is looking backwards. Voters do not care about
looking backwards, they care about their food here.
NEWTON: Do want a little bit of realism here though. Look, when we talk about states, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania must win, but then there
are the states like Georgia, Arizona and New Mexico as well. Biden won in 2020, but I want you to listen now to Senator Heinrich from New Mexico here
on CNN talking about Kamala Harris' chances here. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARTIN HEINRICH (D-NM): She will carry New Mexico.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You think so.
HEINRICH: I feel very good about that, people came together around her incredibly quickly. You know, the vibe I got at home just two days ago was,
it was unanimous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: So, Joe, though, put yourself in the war room right now for the Trump campaign, and believe me, they are very effective when they get on
this. If they are looking, that they were in striking distance in New Mexico statistically, when Biden had carried that state by 10 points, how
much stock do you put in the senator's comments there?
WALSH: Look, if -- look, let's be real, and I don't want Donald Trump anywhere near the White House again. If the election were held tomorrow,
Trump would win by a pretty decent amount. But here's the thing. I think -- and I said this a couple of weeks ago. We've all underestimated this whole
issue of enthusiasm.
There are more people in this country who oppose Trump than support them. They just needed something to get excited about. Man-oh-man-oh-man, the
polls really can't measure excitement and enthusiasm yet. Look for polls a few weeks down the road. But I think you're going to see young people who
didn't want to vote.
People of color who didn't want to come out and vote, who now are going to be running to the polls to match the enthusiasm of the Trump supporters. I
think it's going to be pretty profound.
NEWTON: Tim, when we talk about that, what does she have to do though? Because again, whether you're talking about the Democratic base, or those
that are newly engaged, it's not about them, right? It is about those swing voters in swing states.
HOGAN: Yes, I mean, it's a little bit about both, right? We saw that a lot of Democratic voters after the debate that there was some erosion of base
support for Biden, they probably would still show up for him, but that's a question of enthusiasm and sometimes it is a question of whether or not
they actually turn out.
And that's totally turned on its head with some early polling that we've seen with Vice President Harris. But the point is -- to Joe's point, now in
a 15-week election, right? We have -- we have a new ticket, 15 weeks out. It's almost more like a European-style election in the sense that we have
to move quickly.
But what she's doing today is why as you get out to the battleground states, you don't just do one rally, you do two rallies, and off the
record, you go to a local business. You sit down and do big TV interviews. It's time for her to re-introduce herself to the American people, and
critically, I think seems to do that before the Trump campaign is allowed to define, which they appear to be struggling.
NEWTON: Yes, you make the point that this campaign won't be longer than many major democracies, but still not that long. Having said that, early
voting begins in a matter of weeks. I do want to talk about the money that she's raised, the new volunteers, these are impressive statistics,
especially when you consider, again, the new money that she is bringing in from first-time donors.
You see right there, more than $100 million in campaign donations, that's just as of yesterday evening. And then, we have to talk about all those
volunteers that have also signed up. I do want to bring up though another stat here, Joe, and that's the fact that her approval rating, well, not as
low as the President's, is still in the high 30s. How does she overcome that?
WALSH: Look, to Tim's point, this is an opportunity for her. I'm not a Democrat. Kamala Harris wasn't the strongest candidate back in 2019, but
she has an opportunity now, and it's hers. And she has an opportunity to prove it. Again, I think there's so much goodwill out there from so many
people who are scared to death of another Trump presidency.
From progressives to Never-Trumpers like me, she has the opportunity to make her case. And as Tim said, she's got to do that before Trump tries to
paint her as something else.
NEWTON: Interesting, and again, unfortunately, we won't have any data on this, that's reliable at least for a couple of weeks.
[14:20:00]
I've got to go, but to both of you right now, VP pick, you only get one pick. Tim, you first.
HOGAN: I'm going to go with the dark horse here and say, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota.
NEWTON: Got you. That is -- I mean, he's been mentioned, but not up there. Go ahead, Joe, what do you think?
WALSH: Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Go!
NEWTON: Got you. OK.
WALSH: Thanks.
NEWTON: Thank you. For both of you, we will see what those predictions turn out to be. Thanks so much, appreciate it. Now, we -- as we said, are
following developments in the wake of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump one day after contentious testimony before U.S. lawmakers.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and that was just hours ago, and an acting director has now been appointed. Now, the bipartisan
pressure for her to step down comes as a number of investigations are already underway. Here's what House Speaker Mike Johnson said just a short
while ago. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNSON: Our reaction, the immediate reaction to her resignation is that it is overdue. She should have done this at least a week ago. I'm happy to
see that. I'm happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: National security reporter Zachary Cohen joins us now from Washington. A lot of breaking news on this just in the last few hours. I
mean, look, everybody said it was an abysmal appearance at the committee yesterday, but more importantly, it highlighted for those members and to
the world the security failures of the Secret Service on that day. I mean, why did she resign now and not earlier?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Paula, Director Cheatle or former Director Cheatle had received a subpoena to appear before
the House Oversight committee, so it made it unlikely that she was going to step down before she had to make that trip up to Capitol Hill.
And even her responses during the hearing yesterday, where she said that she still believed that she was the best person for the job, indicated that
she had maybe hoped to stay on a little bit longer, but her performance during the hearing yesterday and her frustration that we saw from Democrats
and Republicans in response to her lack of answers or the lack of detail she was able to provide really did seem to tip the scale here.
And Cheatle acknowledges that in the letter that she sent to Secret Service staff today, announcing her resignation, she said that she didn't want
calls for her resignation to be a distraction from the great work the service was doing on a day-to-day basis.
And look, it's clear that her -- the calls for her resignation had become a distraction, but mostly because we now have bipartisan consensus from House
lawmakers after the hearing yesterday that she needed to step down. Now, she's going to be replaced on an acting basis by a career official who will
take over the reins, and there's going to be no shortage of scrutiny going forward.
Like you said, there are still so many unanswered questions and so many issues as to why these security failures happened, how the shooter was able
to get on that roof with a clear line of sight at former President Donald Trump while he was speaking at the rally.
So, another person going to have to step into that role on acting basis and answer a lot of really tough questions in the weeks ahead.
NEWTON: You know, tough questions for the former director, but as well, shouldn't there be tough questions for the Biden administration? They
didn't ask her as far as we can see, to resign immediately. And this is as new information continues to evolve about this event and how poorly it was
handled.
COHEN: Also Donald Trump, obviously, who is running for President against Joe Biden is blaming the Biden administration in response to Cheatle's
resignation, saying that the Biden administration bears responsibility for failing to protect him. He calls himself -- he says in a Truth Social post
today that he had to take a bullet for democracy because of the Biden administration's failures.
But, look, at the end of the day, there's going to be political messaging around this, but there's also bipartisan consensus that there's real
security failures that -- and the responsibility for those rests solely at the feet of the U.S. Secret Service. We're learning in a hearing today,
even for the House Homeland Security Committee, that local police departments -- are that the local police partners who were working with the
Secret Service to secure that rally site really were notifying the Secret Service at every turn about the suspicious activity from the then shooter.
They notified the Secret Service when they saw the shooter on the roof, and it was a matter of minutes not seconds between the officer hoisting himself
up on the roof to confront the shooter, and ultimately, when those shots rang out. So, again, a lot of questions, but those questions will be
continued to point in the direction of the U.S. Secret Service.
NEWTON: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the details that are emerging are absolutely chilling for the President and also for those who attended the
rally that day. Zachary, thanks so much, appreciate it. Still to come for us tonight, a new twist in the Israeli Prime Minister's high-stakes visit
to the U.S. We'll tell you about a meeting that was just announced.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
NEWTON: And we are watching events in Wisconsin, that's a live picture there, where we expect that in minutes, Vice President Harris will kick off
officially, you know, her presidential bid with an event there in Milwaukee. A reminder that Wisconsin is a crucial battleground state, and
that is a good reason to have that in Milwaukee right now.
Again, a reminder, it was just the other week that the RNC had their convention in Milwaukee. We will see some -- see and hear from the Vice
President within moments. But in the meantime, we tell you that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is on a long-awaited visit to
Washington, but the timing less than ideal.
His trip as we've been speaking here, likely overshadowed by the massive upheaval in U.S. politics after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024
race. Mr. Netanyahu will address both Houses of Congress on Wednesday, the same day Mr. Biden speaks to the nation about the decision to pass the
torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.
But Mr. Netanyahu and President Biden are now scheduled to meet on Thursday. Donald Trump may be trying to upstage that visit. He just
announced on social media that he will meet with Mr. Netanyahu on Friday at Mar-a-Lago. We want to bring in our Kylie Atwood live at the State
Department.
A lot of moving parts here to be clear. And one thing is that President Biden, if he's able to get this ceasefire deal done in the coming weeks,
that would be one of the big boost, right? For the Kamala Harris campaign already. What are you hearing from the Biden administration as we get
closer to this visit?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, the Biden administration, U.S. officials have repeatedly said in recent days that
they're feeling somewhat optimistic here. There are still a lot of work underway, talks to continue on this effort later this week.
But while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is here in Washington, the reality is that even though there's some optimism in the air, there's still
no deal in hand, and there are many family members of Israelis and Americans who are still held hostage by Hamas, who have come to Washington
this week to make their voices heard, to make sure that they are clearly stating to members of Congress who are going to be seeing Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.
To members of President Biden's cabinet, who are also going to be in those meetings, that they believe that Netanyahu needs to strike a deal now. They
believe there is a deal to be had, and they really want them to move as swiftly as they can to make sure their loved ones come home. Now, we're
watching --
NEWTON: Kylie, stand by for us for a moment as we look at live pictures now of the President arriving at Joint Base Andrews. Let's listen in, he
was just speaking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's going to talk a little bit more about --
[14:30:00]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Not sure if we have the audio here. Unfortunately, he was speaking. He had said before he took this trip.
Someone asked him how he was feeling. He said he was feeling fine. You see him there on his way back to the White House to begin a pivotal week, of
course.
Kylie, I don't know if you're still there as we look at this. As I was saying this is important for Joe Biden to show that he has strength and to
show that he is still consequential, especially when it comes to the Middle East negotiations. You were saying, in fact, that the Biden administration
is cautious but also hopeful.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. And, you know, it's a really unique moment here in Washington this week because we
have been focused for weeks now on the fact that the Israeli prime minister was coming here. He was planning and still will deliver that address
tomorrow to a joint meeting of Congress. We'll have to watch and see if there are any members of Congress who don't show up to it and protest the
fact that he is coming here and hasn't actually achieved a deal yet or protesting the Biden administration's policy towards Israel.
But then, the other parts of his visit here have really just come together in the last 24 hours or so, as recently as that Former President Trump, who
is the Republican nominee for president, is going to be meeting with Netanyahu on Friday. We found out finally that President Biden will meet
with Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday. That meeting was a little bit up in the air because President Biden was returning here to Washington
after having COVID, after, of course, making that major announcement that he is no longer going to be the Democratic nominee for president. That
appears to be in the hands of Vice President Kamala Harris at this point.
So, there's a lot of moving parts that have been injected into the conversation here in Washington this week. And even though, of course, the
visit of the prime minister is one of the focal points, it is not the only focal point here in Washington. We'll have to watch and see what he chooses
to focus in on during his address to Congress tomorrow. And of course, if there are any accomplishments, any developments in terms of these ongoing
efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas that Netanyahu and President Biden are able to announce after their meeting on Thursday.
NEWTON: You know, Kamala Harris clearly made the calculation that she was going to stick with her previous engagement, which means she will not be
there as Netanyahu speaks. We don't know. Apparently, they say she will meet with him, but nothing -- you correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think
there's anything scheduled yet.
How do you think that will play out? I mean, is the Biden administration content that, look, they're going to continue on this road with Netanyahu
and Kamala Harris will go about campaigning and hopefully, the Biden administration will get the resolution that she needs for her campaign as
well.
ATWOOD: Well, listen, I think we have to watch and see how that all plays out. Because the fact that Kamala Harris, the vice president, will not be
presiding over that address that the prime minister is giving tomorrow to Congress is noteworthy.
Now, of course, as you said her office is saying this is because of a previous engagement that she had planned. But, of course, the prime
minister's address has been on the books for a while now, too. So, it's very safe to assume that that previous engagement was planned, knowing that
Netanyahu was going to be in town. And we'll watch and see how that dynamic plays out between Vice President Harris and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
As you said, there is an expectation that they're going to have their own meeting this week. That's still not on the calendar yet. But what we really
don't know is what the dynamic between those two leaders will look like. And that is a huge question mark. It's a pivotal question.
NEWTON: OK. Kylie, I'm going to interrupt for a second time. We appreciate your patience as you walked us through all those events with Prime Minister
Netanyahu. We now take you live to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as they are about to introduce the vice president as she kicks off her campaign. Let's listen
in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kamala Harris.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
[14:35:00]
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, thank you.
Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Good afternoon, Wisconsin. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you. It is good to be back.
Thank you all very much.
Can we please hear it for Leah (ph) and her extraordinary story and leadership?
And I do believe our teachers do God's work. They teach other people's children and God knows we don't pay them enough. Let's thank him.
And it is so good to be here and be back with so many extraordinary leaders. Including my friend, the great governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers.
He's here somewhere. My dear friend, Senator Tammy Baldwin. And you know, I had the privilege of serving with Tammy when I was in the United States
Senate. And she is always fighting for the people of this state. And I know that the folks that are here are going to make sure you return her to
Washington, D.C. in November. Yes, we are going to elect her back to Washington, D.C.
It is so good to be here. Also with Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, Attorney General Josh Cole, Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski,
county executive David Crowley, Mayor Cavalier Johnson, the great state party chair, Ben Wikler, who I have worked with.
Ben, you and I have been working together for years, and I can attest he knows how to build the infrastructure that delivers wins up and down the
ballot. Thank you, Ben.
So, it is good to be back in Wisconsin, and it is great to be in Milwaukee.
As many of you know, our state campaign headquarters are in this city, yes, and there is a reason for that. The path to the White House goes through
Wisconsin. Yes, it does. And to win in Wisconsin, we are counting on you right here in Milwaukee. And you all helped us win in 2020. And in 2024, we
will win again. Yes, we will.
So, Milwaukee, I want to start by saying a few words, and I could really speak at length, but a few words about our incredible President Joe Biden.
It has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as Vice President to our President Joe Biden. Joe's legacy of accomplishment over
his entire career and over the past three and a half years is unmatched in modern history. In one term, think about it, in one term as president he
has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office.
And I know we are all deeply, deeply grateful for his continuing service to our nation. And it is my great honor to have Joe Biden's endorsement in
this race.
So, Wisconsin, I am told as of this morning that we have earned the support of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination.
[14:40:00]
And I am so very honored, and I pledge to you, I will spend the coming weeks continuing to unite our party so that we are ready to win in
November.
So, friends, we have 105 days until election day, and in that time, we've got some work to do. But we're not afraid of hard work. We like hard work,
don't we? And we will win this election. Yes, we will.
So, as Leah (ph) told you, before I was elected vice president, before I was elected United States senator, I was elected attorney general of the
State of California, and I was a courtroom prosecutor before then. And in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused
women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So, hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type.
CROWD: Kamala, Kamala, Kamala.
HARRIS: And in this campaign, I promise you, I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.
As attorney general of California, I took on one of our country's largest for-profit colleges that was scamming students. Donald Trump ran a for
profit college that scammed students. As a prosecutor, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Well, Trump was found liable for committing
sexual abuse. As attorney general of California, I took on the big Wall Street banks and held them accountable for fraud. Donald Trump I was just
found guilty of fraud on 34 counts,
But let's also make no mistake this campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump, this campaign is about who we fight for. This is about who we
fight for. Just look at how we are running our campaigns. So, Donald Trump is relying on support from billionaires and big corporations. And he is
trading access in exchange for campaign contributions.
A couple months ago -- you all saw that, a couple months ago at Mar-a-Lago, he literally promised big oil companies -- big oil lobbyists, he would do
their bidding for $1 billion in campaign donations. On the other hand, we are running a people powered campaign. And we just had some breaking news,
we just had the best 24 hours of grassroots fundraising in presidential campaign history.
And because we are a people powered campaign, that is how you know we will be a people first presidency.
[14:45:00]
And Wisconsin, this campaign is also about two different visions for our nation. One, where we are focused on the future. The other focused on the
past. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. A future where no child has to grow up in
poverty, where every worker has the freedom to join a union, where every person has affordable health care, affordable child care, and paid family
leave. We believe in a future where every senior can retire with dignity.
So, all of this is to say, building up the middle class be a defining goal of my presidency. Because here's the thing, we all here, Wisconsin, know
when our middle class is strong, America is strong.
But Donald Trump wants to take our country backward. He and his extreme Project 2025 agenda will weaken the middle class. Like, we know we got to
take this seriously. Can you believe they put that thing in writing? Read it. It's 900 pages.
But here's the thing. You when you read it, you will see Donald Trump intends to cut Social Security and Medicare. He intends to give tax breaks
to billionaires and big corporations and make working families flip the bill. They intend to end the Affordable Care Act and take us back then to a
time when insurance companies had the power to deny people with preexisting conditions.
Remember what that was like? Children with asthma, women who survived breast cancer, grandparents with diabetes? America has tried these failed
economic policies before, but we are not going back. We are not going back. We're not going back.
CROWD: We're not going back. We are not going back. We're not going back.
HARRIS: And I'll tell you why we're not going back, because ours is a fight for the future. And it is a fight for freedom. Generations of
America's -- generations. And we have to remember this. The shoulders on which we stand, generations of Americans before us led the fight for
freedom. And now, Wisconsin, the baton is in our hands.
We, who believe in the sacred freedom to vote, we'll make sure every American has the ability to cast their ballot and have it counted. We who
believe that every person in our nation who should have the freedom to live safe from the terror of gun violence, we'll finally pass red flag laws,
universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban.
And we who believe in reproductive freedom will stop Donald Trump's extreme abortion bans because we trust women to make decisions about their own body
and not have their government tell them what to do.
[14:50:00]
And when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as president of the United States, I will sign it into law.
So, Wisconsin, ultimately in this election, we each face a question, what kind of country do we want to live in? A country -- and to your point, do
we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?
CROWD: No.
HARRIS: And here's the beauty of this moment. We each have the power to answer that question. The power is with the people. We each have the power
to answer that question. And in the next 105 days, then we have work to do, we have doors to knock on, we have phone calls to make, we have voters to
register, and we have an election to win.
So, Wisconsin, today I ask you, are you ready to get to work?
CROWD: Yes.
HARRIS: Do we believe in freedom?
CROWD: Yes.
HARRIS: Do we believe in opportunity?
CROWD: Yes.
HARRIS: Do we believe in the promise of America?
CROWD: Yes.
HARRIS: And are we ready to fight for it?
CROWD: Yes.
HARRIS: And when we get there, we win.
CROWD: We win.
HARRIS: God bless you. God bless the United States of America.
NEWTON: Listening there to Kamala Harris kicking off officially her campaign for president. She is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Of course,
Wisconsin, a key battleground state. A lot of what we heard was not just taking it to Donald Trump, but also saying that, look, this campaign is
more -- is not just about what they don't want in the United States, but what they have to fight for, and highlighted a lot of the themes that she
had highlighted before.
The fact that they're going to double down on things like gun control, certainly women's reproductive rights, and talking a little bit about the
middle class. And protecting Social Security and Medicare. I want to bring in again, Tim Hogan, Democratic campaign consultant.
Tim, obviously a spirited speech. I mean, the split screen between her and president Biden could not be more stark. I'm wondering though, what you
think of the messages is very close to what she said certainly in Delaware on Sunday, but again, what are we thinking when we hear those words from
her and the kind of campaign, the character of the campaign that she's now trying to get underway?
TIM HOGAN, U.S. DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT AND FORMER SPOKESPERSON, HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: A stunningly good speech.
And I think what you heard in that room, that's going to be the reaction to the Harris candidacy hopefully for the next 15 weeks. There is an energy
that she brought to that messaging, that speech that I think Democrats have been hungry for for a very, very long time, and you're almost hearing a
pent up release of happiness from Democrats and from that crowd.
And she hit all of the notes. She talked about her personal biography, how this campaign is about a prosecutor versus a felon, how there is a
democratic agenda that is popular, that we know polls extremely well, whether it's child care, health care, paid family leave, reducing gun
violence, all of that made that into the speech. I think she did it extremely well.
NEWTON: You know, you're sitting in a kitchen right now. I wonder how much is in that speech for what we'd call the kitchen table issues. I mean,
again, overwhelmingly, Americans still say that the economy is very much on their mind and inflation. And then, we also heard from her certainly by
trying to, she's saying, bolster those social campaigns that the Biden administration certainly has made a priority in their administration. But
again, how to address those issues, those kitchen table issues that so many voters still say concern them?
HOGAN: Yes. And I think what's important in this speech too, is she had a forward-looking message, in particular on the economy. And that's the
contrast that she is going to have to draw with Donald Trump and J. D. Vance.
[14:55:00]
Look, their big economic signature achievement in his past presidency was a tax cut were 83 percent of the benefits of a $2 trillion tax cut went to
the top 1 percent. And you heard her talk about that, how he is someone who's going to prioritize billionaire access and allow them to pass right-
wing policies that help the wealthy and well connected.
NEWTON: And --
HOGAN: There is obviously a question that the campaign will have to talk about in terms of the economy going forward for them for a positive vision,
but I think you heard a little bit of that today, too.
NEWTON: And we want to go to our colleague now, Joe Walsh. He was also listening in to this speech. I mean, what do you think is going on in the
Trump war room right now, when we listen to what was essentially a repeat of the speech she gave the other day?
FMR. REP. JOE WALSH (R-IL): Again, I think they're scared to death. I don't think they know what to make of it. I think they're confused. I think
they're throwing out every campaign playbook they had.
Look, I know we talk about polls and numbers, but doggone it, this is a 105-day brand-new campaign and you can't measure enthusiasm. There's been
so much. And I say this not as an -- I'm not a Democrat, there's been so much pent-up Democratic excitement and enthusiasm waiting to come out. And
you saw that today. I think this is only going to grow. And if I were Team Trump, I'd be worried.
NEWTON: When you say you'd be worried, though, what do you do about it? I mean, certainly the former president has been on Truth Social and making
his views of Kamala Harris plain, but it isn't strategic in any way, shape, or form. How do you take this on?
WALSH: Well, Trump's not strategic. He's an idiot. Trump will do what he shouldn't do. He will, along with his cheerleaders, they'll go after her
personally. They'll go after her in ugly ways. But if I'm Kamala today, again, what did I see today for 20 minutes just there? I saw a happy
warrior talking about the future of America. She went after Trump and she called him out for what he is, but she presented a happy vision of what
America can be. You know, Trump's vision is dark. And again, I think they're really going to struggle with how to deal with her.
NEWTON: Tim, I don't have a lot of time left, but quickly to you here, where do they go from here? Do you believe this is basically a run at these
battleground states, take on each and every one of them very, very quickly, as I said, in a matter of weeks, early voting begins?
HOGAN: Yes, it's Vice President Harris, I think, hitting those blue wall states, hitting those sunbelt states that are battlegrounds, remobilizing
the surrogates that we have, the deep bench of Democrats, getting them deployed as well. And then look, she's going to pick a vice president,
that's going to be a big moment, and then you have another person to join you on the trail in those critical geographies.
NEWTON: OK, Tim Hogan, Joe Walsh, could not have done this without you as we have -- as they say, colloquially, game On. It is a campaign, which we
will follow every second and minute of the day here at CNN. Thank you to you both.
WALSH: Thank you.
NEWTON: Again, Kamala Harris there at that event making -- staking her claim to the presidency. I want to thank you for watching. Please stay with
CNN. "Newsroom with Jim Sciutto" is up next.
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