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Isa Soares Tonight
Kamala Harris Officially Accepts Democratic Presidential Nomination; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Expected to Address His Supporters About His Political Future; U.S. Diplomats Resume Talks in the Middle East to Try to Secure a Ceasefire and Hostage Deal Amid Israel-Hamas War; Court Filing: RFK Jr. To Endorse Trump For President; Style VS Substance: Takeaways From The DNC; Kennedy Addresses Supporters Amid Questions About Campaign's Future. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 23, 2024 - 14:00 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: And a very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Paula Newton in New York for Isa Soares. Tonight,
history in America. Kamala Harris officially accepts the Democratic presidential nomination with just 74 days to go until election day.
Happening at any moment now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expected to address his supporters about the path forward for his long-shot campaign, how it might
shake up the race for the White House. Also ahead, senior U.S. diplomats are in the Middle East trying to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal as
talks do resume. We are live in Tel Aviv for the latest details.
And the news investors have been hoping to hear from the Fed, America's top central bankers signaled that lower interest rates are now coming. And we
do begin with a new chapter in the race for the White House. The balloons, they've been popped, the confetti swept away, and now in focus, the sprint
to the finish in the matchup between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
Harris close out the Democratic National Convention by formally accepting her party's nomination with the biggest speech on the biggest night of her
political career.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I promise to be a president for all Americans.
(CHEERS)
HARRIS: You can always trust me to put country above party and self. To hold sacred America's fundamental principles from the rule of law to free
and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: The Vice President's address included a plea for unity. She says the time is now to put an end to the divisiveness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Our nation with this election has a precious fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past. A
chance to chart a new way forward.
Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, Harris also tried to drive home her argument that another Trump administration represents a threat to democracy itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake. The freedom to live safe from gun violence in our schools, communities, and
places of worship. The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride.
(CHEERS)
HARRIS: The freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.
(CHEERS)
HARRIS: And the freedom that unlocks all the others, the freedom to vote.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, with the DNC wrapped up, Harris and running mate Tim Walz move forward in what promises to be a very tight race, very tight against
the Trump-Vance ticket. Donald Trump had a lot to say, as you can imagine, as Harris made her pitch to American voters.
"Fox News" asked the former President about polls showing Harris building momentum with some voters. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, she's not having success. I'm having success. I'm doing great with the Hispanic
voters. I'm doing great with black men. I'm doing great with women because women want safety.
They want safety, and they don't have safety when they have somebody allowing 20 million people into our country, many of them very dangerous
people. No, it's only in your eyes that they have that, Martha. We're doing very well in the polls.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
NEWTON: Time to bring in our panel. Democratic strategist Michael Hardaway is a former aide to President Barack Obama.
[14:05:00]
He also served as community -- communications director for House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and former U.S. House Republican Charlie Dent; the
Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program. And a warm welcome to both of you as we pass that one key evening, but also four days
of the DNC.
Michael, first to you, OK, we all know about the vibe, right? We were in on it all week. But how do the Democrats move that vibe? How do they move it
from the convention floor to the ballot box?
MICHAEL HARDAWAY, U.S. DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: So, here's the interesting thing. I was on the floor last night for the speech. It was incredibly
compelling. I was actually even more impressed later that evening when I read the text of the speech, because the Vice President surgically
dismantled Donald Trump in a number of ways, and clearly took where he was weakest in polls and hit him on all of those issues.
And particular, her line about I will always put country above party and above myself is one of the main things he's weakest in. In polling is one
of the biggest concerns that voters have about him. And so, as we move forward, what she has to do now is really drill down on this populist
agenda of driving down costs, of helping people buy homes, of helping people afford their day-to-day lives.
And so, that is her path to victory, and really drilling down on the idea that everything costs too much, we're going to fix that.
NEWTON: And I will get back to you, Michael, as I'm not sure you actually answered the question. So, we're going to go to Charlie now because I'm
sure you would agree that the Trump campaign is likely relieved that this convention is over. Now, what do you decide? What would you advise them to
do, given -- we just heard from the President, right? You know, saying one thing when the polls are actually showing another is not really a good
strategy.
CHARLIE DENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASPEN INSTITUTE CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM: No, it seems to me the Trump campaign is flailing a bit right now. They're
not sure how to handle Harris, and frankly, I thought Kamala Harris had a rather easy job to do last night. She simply had to prosecute the case
against Donald Trump. She didn't have to take a whole lot of hard positions on policy issues.
She's simply talking about why Trump is unacceptable and talking about why she is. You know, and I thought she was effective in that regard, that
whole production was well managed. And so, I think she's in decent shape and she's going to have a nice bump coming out of this.
But if you're Donald Trump right now, he just is incapable of focusing on the policy issues that might actually play to his advantage, whether it be
on inflation or the border or crime, he can't do it because of all his petty grievances with the Governor of Georgia, you know, questioning
Harris' race, is she Indian or is she black?
Did she just turn black? I mean, all this nonsense. And I think that has been his biggest problem, his lack of discipline, and you know, Harris has
a bump coming out of this and we'll see if he can focus. Count me as skeptical, but he is actually blowing this race right now. I said some time
ago that whichever candidate -- whichever party replaced their candidate, is most likely to win this election. And I'd say that's probably still the
case --
NEWTON: Yes --
DENT: Democrats replaced their candidate with somebody younger and more dynamic.
NEWTON: Yes, and Nikki Haley certainly agreed, and her words, your words now prophetic. I mean, Michael, I want to get back to the task at hand
here, right? Because we're going to give you all the kudos -- I've heard so many Republicans this week saying that, look, that was a masterful
convention right down to the roll call.
But again, Harris herself admits, look, we are the underdogs here. So, if you are that team, remembering she's not sat down for an interview. She's
not done a press conference. She's not really leaned into the policy. So, put yourself in the chair that you were in with Barack Obama. What do you
tell her right now? What do you tell her team?
HARDAWAY: Live in the battleground states. She needs --
NEWTON: Yes --
HARDAWAY: To spend as many days as possible in Michigan and Pennsylvania and Arizona and Wisconsin, and states like that on the ground and sell her
populist agenda. I think the sort of media engagement, that's a separate conversation from the way that I see the way that she wins this.
I think she actually wins this by retail politics and telling people face- to-face, this is how I'm going to improve your life. And I think this populist economic agenda is her way to do that.
NEWTON: Yes, living in the battleground states, I would go with Pennsylvania with 19 electoral votes, Charlie. You are the man from
Pennsylvania. In terms of the groups that you see, and I'm going to talk about specifically, let's say, men in Pennsylvania who might have voted
Democratic, but are now clearly in Trump's lane.
What can she do? What can Harris do to move that or conversely, what can Trump do to keep them with him?
DENT: Well, Pennsylvania is do or die for Kamala Harris. She must win Pennsylvania in order to win the election. And she has a little bit of
damage control to do that. I frankly thought she stumbled a bit on her economic message when she was talking about price gouging, really sounded
like price controls, and of course, those are disastrous wages, shortages and hoarding, and so, it's a bad idea.
[14:10:00]
And so, I think she stumbled there, but on the issue of like fracking, Pennsylvania is the second largest gas-producing state in the United States
after Texas. And she had opposed or she had supported a fracking ban. Now, she has since reversed herself, but she'll need to do some damage control
on that issue, particularly with white working class voters in western Pennsylvania -- not just white working class, but all working class voters.
That's a very big industry, so she'll have to do some damage control there. They'll need to deploy Josh Shapiro wherever they can because he might be
able to on the margins, help her with some of the support that he enjoys, particularly in the Philadelphia region and other swing areas of the state.
So, if I were Kamala Harris, I'd be camped out in Pennsylvania, particularly the collar counties of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley,
suburban Pittsburgh as well as the capital region. That's where she needs to focus, and she needs to run up the numbers in those communities in order
to defeat Donald Trump who will -- who will do well in the rural areas.
NEWTON: So, I'm not sure how the campaign feels about Philly steak. I will go on the record, saying I know it's a cliche, but I love it. Charlie,
Michael, please stand by for us as we continue to wait for RFK Jr. and see if he does make an announcement in the coming minutes, we will bring that
to you live, we'll do a debrief afterwards.
Gentlemen, thanks so much and stand by. Now, when we went to her speech yesterday evening, there was obviously the controversial centerpiece of the
issue of the war between Israel and Hamas. Now, in her most comprehensive remarks to date on the war in Gaza, Kamala Harris reiterated her support
for Israel and for the Palestinian people. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: President Biden and I are working to end this war, such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends,
and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self determination!
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: The White House in fact says that the latest Gaza ceasefire talks are quote, "constructive and moving forward", CIA Director Bill Burns is
now in Cairo to join other senior negotiators from Egypt, Israel and Qatar. The success of these talks could hinge on Israel's effort to keep troops
stationed along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Sources say Israel has now submitted a revised proposal that reduces troop levels in the Philadelphi Corridor. Egypt reportedly rejected an earlier
version as a non-starter, declining even to pass it onto Hamas. Now, a statement today by the World Health Organization meantime underscores the
urgent humanitarian need for a ceasefire.
It detected the highly infectious polio virus in sewage in Gaza last month, and now says a ten-month-old baby who contracted polio is now paralyzed.
U.N says it's ready to begin vaccinating Gaza's children this month, but says it would be extremely difficult to do it, quote, "under a sky full of
airstrikes."
For more on all of this, we go to our Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. I mean, we head into another weekend of negotiations with hope. And I know you have
a lot of detail about what's gone on in the last 48 hours to see if this proposal can be moved forward. What more are you learning?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Yesterday was a critical meeting where the head of the Israeli Intelligence Service, the
Mossad, David Barnea flew to Cairo with a delegation of Israeli officials to submit a new proposal for Israeli troop deployments along that Egypt-
Gaza border, that strategic corridor known as the Philadelphi Corridor.
And this time, he submitted a proposal that has reduced numbers of troops as well as a smaller number of Israeli military positions along that
strategic border area. And that's notable for two key reasons. First of all, it shows that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at
least willing to show some flexibility on the number of troops that are stationed along that corridor.
And secondly, it also shows that earlier in the week, the Egyptians had rejected a previous Israeli proposal, including a map that showed where all
these Israeli troops would be placed. They said at the time that it was a total non-starter that they wouldn't even pass it along to Hamas.
But now, this new proposal with the reduced troop numbers, the reduced numbers of military posts, they are going to pass that along to Hamas. And
that suggests that there is some more seriousness behind this latest proposal. This of course, came after the Israeli Prime Minister spoke on
the phone with President Biden, who urged him to show more flexibility on this key sticking point of the Philadelphi Corridor.
And it also came after he, the Prime Minister engaged for hours with his negotiating team to try and fine-tune this latest proposal. Now, the
question is, will this be enough for Hamas to accept? Will it be enough to get to a deal?
[14:15:00]
But even before we get there, will it be enough for Hamas to agree to engage with negotiators at this next round of talks that's likely going to
happen on Sunday in Cairo, Egypt. If they do agree, that would mean you would see Israeli negotiators in one room, Hamas negotiators in another
room, and the Qatari and Egyptian mediators going between these two rooms, which would be the most substantial form of negotiation that we have seen
between these two groups in weeks, if not months.
But again, this outcome is very uncertain, very uncertain that Hamas will agree to actually attend these talks on Sunday, very uncertain that it will
get them closer to a deal because for now, Hamas' position has been that they want to see things go back. They want to see things go back to this
May proposal which Israel and Hamas agreed to as a framework in early July, and rather than these other demands, such as keeping Israeli troops along
the Philadelphi Corridor, which the Israeli Prime Minister only inserted in the last month-and-a-half or so.
NEWTON: Yes, I know that you will continue to keep track of this throughout the weekend, and we've said it before, given what's going on in
Gaza and with the families of the hostages, the stakes are as high as ever. Jeremy for us, thanks so much, appreciate it.
Now, Palestinian civilians meantime, as we were just indicating, paying the highest price for Israel's war on Hamas. Officials in Gaza say a majority
of the 40,000 people killed so far are women and children. Israel says it takes precautions to avoid those civilian casualties. But tactics it used
in the 2006 war on Hezbollah in Lebanon may suggest otherwise. Ben Wedeman reports now from Beirut.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Gaza today, and this was Beirut's southern suburbs known as Dahiya in 2006
following the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel. And from that ravaging of an entire densely-populated neighborhood where Hezbollah is
based, came Israel's so-called Dahiya doctrine.
A strategy of massive disproportionate use of force including targeting civilian populations and infrastructure. Until now, the conflict between
Hezbollah and Israel has been largely limited to the south. Yet, after the Israeli strike in late July on Beirut that killed a senior Hezbollah
military commander and the groups vowed to retaliate, war threatens to engulf the rest of the country.
(on camera): In the past few weeks, Israeli warplanes have frequently broken the sound barrier in the skies over Beirut. A grim warning to all
Lebanese of what could come.
(voice-over): A warning voiced Wednesday by Israel's Defense Minister. "Our center of gravity", he said, "is gradually shifting from the south to
the north." The Dahiya doctrine for all intents and purposes is being put into practice in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed and much of
the Strip reduced to ruins.
Yet, after almost 11 months of war, Israel has yet to achieve its goal of destroying Hamas. Hezbollah represents a far greater challenge to the
Israeli military than Hamas, says analyst Imad Salamey.
IMAD SALAMEY, LEBANESE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Hezbollah will be commanding a very wide area. Hezbollah is much more equipped, much more capable, much
more experienced than Hamas is.
WEDEMAN: As Lebanon teeters on the edge of a broader war, there's a sense of resignation. "once they finish in Gaza, maybe they'll come here",
Fawad(ph) tells me, adding, "if they can finish in Gaza". Such apathy aside the memory of past wars and the threat of yet another one loom large. Ben
Wedeman, CNN, Beirut".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Still to come for us tonight, the bodies of all victims of the sunken yacht near Sicily have now been recovered. We'll have the latest
from Italy. And India's President Narendra Modi meets with Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Ukrainian forces make a consequential attack on Russia's
military supply chain. Those details also next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
NEWTON: All victims of the sinking of a yacht off the coast of Sicily have now been recovered. Italian search and rescue teams brought to shore the
body of the last person missing in that disaster. The yacht went down on Monday after being hit by a tornado off the coast of Sicily, 22 people were
on board when the storm hit, seven of them died. Here's CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER (on camera): Specialized dive teams have now wrapped up their search and recovery operation five days after a
tornado struck a luxury yacht here off the coast of Sicily, sinking into the bottom of the sea. The first victim that was brought up on Monday after
the incident was that of the onboard chef, the final victim, 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, the daughter of Mike Lynch, whose family owned the yacht.
Fifteen people survived the accident including a 1-year-old baby girl whose mother held her above the waves while they tried to reach a lifeboat. Also
surviving, the captain of the ship, who has been the focus of an investigation. As we know right now, they have opened up a criminal
investigation into the events surrounding the disaster to try to determine if there was criminal negligence that led to the death of these seven
people.
The focus has largely been on what the captain and the crew did before the disaster. There were other yachts nearby when the storm struck those which
did not sink. We've also heard from the ship maker who said his yacht was unsinkable, and alleged that in fact, it only sunk because of human error.
We'll understand over the weekend exactly where the criminal investigation is going, and if the captain will hold any responsibility. Barbie Latza
Nadeau, CNN, Porticello, Sicily.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, one theory is that the yacht that sank off Sicily was possibly hit by a waterspout. Well, take a look at this video out of
Florida where two waterspouts were seen swirling off the coast Thursday. Now, waterspouts are exactly what they look like, right, tornadoes over
water. Of course, they're very dangerous to boats in the area, and especially if they come ashore.
In addition to these twin funnels, a smaller third funnel, I'm sure you can see it there, it's forming there on the right. Now, the Palm Beach Police
Department posted this video saying, of course, it's fortunate they were seeing from a distance. Certainly, ominous-looking there.
Now, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Ukraine for meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It comes just weeks after Mr. Modi met
with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a move that was heavily criticized by the Ukrainian President. India has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and
peace, but has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The visit comes as Ukraine prepares to celebrate its Independence Day Saturday. Meanwhile, violence between Ukraine and Russia is intensifying in
both countries, evacuations speeding up in Ukraine's Pokrovsk front as Russia presses to take that town.
Meantime, Ukraine has confirmed it was responsible for an attack on a Russian fairy which sank in the Kerch Strait. Smoke from the ferry could be
seen from miles, the ship was actually transporting 30 tanks of fuel when it sank.
[14:25:00]
The attack bringing operations at the cap(ph) -- Kursk post, major logistical hub and one of the largest passenger ports in Russia. It brought
all of that activity to a standstill. Russia has increasingly been using boats to transport equipment to its troops in annexed Crimea as the bridges
which connect it to the mainland cannot cope with the load of heavy military equipment.
OK, still to come for us tonight, more from a historic night at the Democratic National Convention. Why Kamala Harris says the stakes are so
high for this Fall's U.S. presidential election. After a week of being out of the spotlight, Donald Trump could soon get a high profile endorsement.
We are expecting RFK Jr. to speak soon, and we will bring you that live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Seventy four days, yes, that's it. That's all the time the Harris and Trump campaigns have left to capture the support of American voters.
The U.S. Vice President is now her party's official nominee after closing out the Democratic National Convention with her acceptance speech in
Chicago on Thursday.
Harris pledged a new way forward, warning of what she says are the dangers of another Trump presidency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man --
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: But the consequences -- but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. Just imagine Donald
Trump with no guard rails.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And some breaking news into CNN, Donald Trump is getting a significant endorsement this hour from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At any moment
now, we expect that that Independent Presidential Candidate will speak and formally suspend his presidential bid. But remember, it's more than that.
He will now be endorsing Donald Trump for President. We as you can see there keeping a close eye on Phoenix, Arizona for that announcement.
In the next hour as well, Trump is expected to speak now at a different Battleground State, Nevada. He will then travel to Arizona tonight for a
separate rally. Trump's Campaign says the former U.S. President will be joined by a "special guest there" which many expect will actually be RFK
Jr.
Alayna Treene is standing by for us in Las Vegas with more on this breaking news. What more are you learning? I mean, it was highly anticipated and
expected but now, apparently, it's confirmed RFK Jr. in the Trump Camp.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's exactly right. And part of that is actually we just saw a recent Pennsylvania Court filing -- so this was a
challenge that RFK Jr's team had issued to Pennsylvania's Court in order to get ballot access in the state, but he withdrew that today. His campaign
saying it was in light of withdrawing that challenge, in light of his endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
And as you mentioned, Paula, we had expected this. We had known that when RFK Jr. takes that stage momentarily in Phoenix, he is going to announce
that he is suspending campaign. Many people I've talked to in Donald Trump's orbit believe that he would offer his endorsement. But they said it
was fluid. They wanted to make sure of the timing. So, we're going to see that endorsement at some point today.
Now, I do just want to walk you through why it's so important. So, RFK Jr. you know has long been a concern for both Donald Trump's campaign but also
the campaign of Joe Biden and now of course Kamala Harris because he is still polling pretty well in many Battleground States. Certainly not as
high as the two leading candidates for the Democratic nomination and the Republican nomination but enough to make a difference.
And now, with him about to endorse Donald Trump, Trump's team is really hoping that they can siphon away a lot of that support, at least enough of
that support to make a difference in some of these key Battleground States.
I'm going to talk to you about Arizona for a moment where the speech is going to be because I think it's a great example. Currently, RFK Jr. is
polling around six percent. Kamala Harris and president -- former President Donald Trump are very close in the mid the low to mid 40 percent of
polling. So, clearly a big difference. But six percent, if Donald Trump can take some of that -- I can tell you that his advisers do not believe that
he will take all of that support, but if they can take a good amount of that support in what they expect will be a very, very tight election it
could help put Donald Trump over the edge. So, that's a big part of why they're hoping for this. And also, just for how we got here.
I've been talking a lot with Donald Trump's team and actually the conversations around Trump's campaign and the camp of RFK Jr started really
to ramp up in earnest in the weeks leading up to the Republican National Convention in July I'm told. There were a lot of questions over whether an
endorsement would actually benefit the former president, but those close to Donald Trump began to believe that it would only be an asset after it
became clear that Harris was going to succeed Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Now, the key people really pushing for that in Trump's world was Donald Trump Jr., his eldest son, but also Tucker Carlson, someone who has a close
relationship with RFK Jr., and then this man named Omeed Malik. He was a former donor to RFK Jr., now a donor for Donald Trump's campaign. I'm told
that the three of them were crucial in some of these backchanneling talks about securing that endorsement, so a really big day for Donald Trump.
And also a an important endorsement at the end of a week that has really been all about Kamala Harris and the Democrats. It's very clear that Donald
Trump has been watching all of those high-profile speakers at the convention this week, particularly Harris's speech last night. He was
responding to that in real time on True Social. He did some media interviews about it criticizing her. And so, this is a chance for him to
really reclaim some of the limelight after so much attention had been on his opponent. Paula?
NEWTON: Alayna, Alayna, I know we have to let you go, but is there any indication that RFK Jr. got anything in return for this including a cabinet
position that was promised?
TREENE: So, as of now, when I've talked to Donald Trump's team, they said they have not had discussions about a potential cabinet position, but we
know that it's kind of been out there in the ether. Donald Trump himself told our own Kristen Holmes earlier in the week that he would consider RFK
Jr. for a potential cabinet position. But I've been told that there have been no serious conversation about that.
And we've also heard Trump's running mate J.D. Vance say he strongly does not believe in having some sort of favors or any a cabinet position be
offered officially because they believe that that kind of doesn't really look well. So, as of now I don't believe that's on the table but I'm sure
that conversation is on the horizon.
[14:35:28]
NEWTON: Alayna Treene, thanks for bringing us that breaking news as we can continue to await the speech there from RFK Jr. in Arizona. Alayna, we'll
come back to you if we can depending on what the schedule is for his announcement. I appreciate it.
We do want to go back now to our panel, Charlie Dent and Michael Hardaway. OK, we've got some breaking news here, folks. Charlie I'm going to go first
to you. RFK Jr. as a candidate, you know, this is -- he has not been easy to shorthand. I'll speak for myself but I think many people agree. And now
that he's out of the race, as we just heard Alayna explained, this is very difficult to parse where his votes may go.
So, let's just concentrate on the Battleground States. Charlie, I'll give you -- again, you take Pennsylvania. Do you think he can make a difference
if his votes -- his voters, will they go to Donald Trump just because he endorses Donald Trump?
DENT: Well, not necessarily. Look, RFK's -- RFK Jr's campaign pretty much imploded after Biden was replaced by Harris. He just kind of went in the
tank. And you know, there's an -- there's an eccentricity about RFK Jr. I mean, a lot of people are just remember him now for the brain worm and for
the dead bear cub that he dropped off in Central Park. So, there's a weirdness about him.
But I would tell you, I think that if you're a pro-choice voter -- I was receiving mail regularly -- as a Republican receiving mail regularly
telling me how pro-choice on abortion that RFK Jr. is. Obviously, trying to tell people if you're pro-choice, don't vote for Kamala Harris vote for RFK
Jr. That's what they were doing. So, some Democrats who are supporting RFK Jr. may go back to Harris now for abortion or just other reasons.
You know, if you're an antivaxxer, conspiracy-oriented Kennedy supporter, you might be a Donald Trump supporter. But on the margins, I suspect Trump
might get a slight benefit, but I don't think it's a very big one.
NEWTON: Michael, I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this. I mean, how much sleep do you think the Democrats are losing over this? You know, and I
do wonder, even if RFK Jr. were offering an endorsement of Kamala Harris, would they want it. But I am again going back to those Battleground States,
right? Think about North Carolina, places like Michigan where RFK Jr. was getting some traction.
HARDAWAY: Yes, I agree with Charlie in that way in terms of what this roughly five to six perc support group for Kennedy and how that shakes out
for Harris and Trump. I think Trump probably has a slight majority, but this isn't a situation where, you know, in this very tight race most or all
of the RFK voters go to Trump. I don't think that happens.
I do think that again as she has these conversations for instance in Pennsylvania to RFK voters and others, she really should drill down on what
this administration has done for Pennsylvania, to working-class Americans. And I think that gets her that specific constituency.
For instance, I think the tariffs on steel are something they don't talk about enough and should heavily talk about in a place like Pennsylvania.
And so as we look at this RFK decision, the strategy for the Harris Campaign has to be really drilling down for that group on why freedom such
as a woman's right to choose matters, why in terms of helping working-class voters like many of them, this administration has done that but they have
to tell that story. I think not enough people know that because they've not told the story.
NEWTON: Interesting. You know, in terms of your opinion, they still have a lot of work to do. Listen, she certainly, V.P. Harris, struck the right
tone in her speech yesterday. But CNN did in fact speak to voters in Pennsylvania after she gave her speech. I want you to listen to some of
their opinions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I thought she looked very confident. I liked how she spoke from her heart. I liked her message of unity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She hit all the points that I wanted to know about. I wanted to know more about her, her economic policies. She sounded
presidential and I think she's going to be a unifier.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wasn't clear enough on the -- on the policies. She did speak a lot of her personal history on her personal history which was
great but I still don't feel like she's ready. It was just not moving for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: I don't feel like she's ready. Charlie, again, going back to those important Battleground States, you know, if you are the Trump Campaign, do
you take a lot of confidence in that right now? She perhaps has not moved the needle where it counts.
[14:40:08]
DENT: Well, if I'm the Trump Campaign, I would be concerned about just the contrast in their demeanors. Kamala Harris, you know, whatever you know,
shortcoming she presented or didn't present yesterday on policy, I think she made up for in the dignified presence that she presented to the
American people. She sounded thoughtful and reasonable, you know, here's who I am, I'm prosecuting the case against Donald Trump. That was her
message and I think she came across very well.
But I think in these swing states, again, Harris is going to have to explain herself on economic policy better than she has so far. She's going
to have to explain, you know, why she reversed herself on fracking. You know, a lot of people are going to be a bit skeptical about her on that
issue.
So, I think she's got some work to do. Like I said, she comes out with a lot of momentum. You know, she presents well. She's thoughtful. She's
gracious. She's very different than Trump, you know, who's so volatile and makes so many erratic statements. So, that contrast was good. But a lot of
these swing voters in these states are focused on pocketbook issues and I think so far, she has not really moved the needle on that question.
NEWTON: You know, I will say that Donald Trump changed his whole position on his V.P. pick, so I think -- I think she'll -- she could explain the
fracking -- the fracking issue. But Michael, look, she's not explaining. Do you need to spell it out for this campaign? There has been no press
conference, no sit-down interview, no date. She promised at the end of the month. Well, we've got another week left. You know, do you believe they are
really going to lean into that strategy now or do you believe they're just going to continue to play it safe and not face the music on any of those
hard questions?
HARDAWAY: They don't need to do a sit-down interview. If I'm running her campaign --
NEWTON: I totally disagree with you. I got to put my marker down as someone in the media, but continue, Michael. I'm sorry.
HARDAWAY: I know. I get it. I get it. Here's the thing. You're right. She does need to -- and Charlie mentioned this earlier as well, she does need
to really extrapolate her policy positions, and that's what the next two and a half months is for. Last night's speech wasn't supposed to be a
policy dissertation, it was an introduction in terms of this is who I am, this is why I'm here, this is how I want to help you. Now, she needs to
pivot and go on the ground in all of those Battleground States and explain to people what she wants to do that will help their everyday lives.
I think in terms of her media engagement, she does need to have something better than she has in place now. I think sort of the idea that the one-on-
one interview as the main avenue of communicating your policy, I don't think that's necessary but she does have to have a better relationship with
the press so that she can help educate their readers and their viewers.
NEWTON: OK, but --
HARDAWAY: I do agree with that. But I think being on the ground is far more important.
NEWTON: OK, Michael, and I'm not -- I am not advising the Harris Campaign here, but I'll take get to both of you. Michael, why not a town hall in
Pennsylvania? Unfiltered questions to a certain extent, why not?
HARDAWAY: OK. So, I'm not against the townhall, but the reason my thought for the interview question would be is that I think, you know, these often
sort of drill down into Donald Trump said this, what's your response to this, versus what's your policy position on this thing. And I think if she
had a real conversation maybe with someone like you or someone else, he would -- she should do that.
But I think what she often finds herself in in gaggles around the White House is the back-and-forth Donald Trump said this, what's your response. I
don't really think that helps viewers or voters understand what policy positions are. A town hall does make sense to your point.
NEWTON: Understood, Michael. And I just want to underscore the fact that you just recommended me for a sit-down interview with V.P. Harris. Thank
you very much.
Charlie, getting back -- I'm going to give the last word to you, Charlie. Getting back to those Battleground States again, if you are -- and I take
Michael's point. Both candidates I think should be living in these states right now. I mean, do you think the grass -- and I know you are a vet of
these campaigns in Pennsylvania in fact. How much do you think the Democratic machine now moves in here and really gets to the grassroots on
the get out the vote campaigns?
DENT: Well, based on my experience and what I've been witnessing so far, it seems the Democrats have a stronger field presence than do the Republicans.
They have a very robust number of offices established throughout the state far more than the Republicans.
But to the point that was just made by Michael, look, I think Harris is going to have to come out and do some more unscripted events. Like,
everything has been very scripted and choreographed so far. I don't know how much longer she can do that. I think people are going to expect to see
her --
NEWTON: Charlie, I'm going to -- Charlie, I'm going to interrupt you for a second. We are -- RFK Jr. now is speaking.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I pledge my my own allegiance to -- long before I was old enough to vote. I attended my first
Democratic convention at the age of 6 in 1960. And back then, the Democrats were the champions of the Constitution, of Civil Rights. The Democrats
stood against authoritarianism, against censorship, against colonialism, imperialism, and unjust wars.
[14:45:28]
We were the party of labor, of the working class. The Democrats were the party of government transparency and the champion of the environment. Our
party was the bulwark against big money interests and corporate power. True to its name, it was the party of democracy.
As you know, I left that party in October because it had departed so dramatically from the core values that I grew up with. It had become the
party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big ag, and big money. When it abandoned democracy by canceling the primary to conceal the
cognitive decline of the sitting president, I left the party to run as an Independent.
The mainstream of American politics and journalism derided my decision. Conventional wisdom said that it would be impossible even to get on the
ballot as an Independent because each state poses an insurmountable tangle of arbitrary rules for collecting signatures. I would need over a million
signatures, something no presidential candidate in history had ever achieved. And then I'd need a team of attorneys and millions of dollars to
handle all the legal challenges from the DNC.
The nater (ph) -- the naysayers told us that we were climbing a glass version of Mount Impossible. So, the first thing I want to tell you is that
we proved them wrong. We did it because beneath the radar of mainstream medal organs, we inspired a massive independent political movement. More
than a 100,000 volunteers sprang into action hopeful that they could reverse our nation's decline.
Many work 10-hour days, sometimes in blizzards and blazing heat. They sacrifice family time, personal commitments, and sleep month after month
energized by a shared vision of a nation healed of its divisions. They set up tables at churches and farmers markets. They canvas door to door. In
Utah and in New Hampshire, volunteers collected signatures in snowstorms convincing each supporter to stop in the frigid cold to take off their
gloves and to sign legibly. During a heat wave in Nevada, I met a tall athletic volunteer who cheerfully told me that he had lost 25 pounds
collecting signatures in 117 degree heat.
To finance this effort, young Americans donated their lunch money, and senior citizens gave up their part of their Social Security checks. Our 50-
state organization collected those millions of signatures and more that no presidential campaign in his -- political -- American political history has
ever done that. And so, I want to thank all of those dedicated volunteers and congratulate the campaign staff who coordinated this enormous
logistical feat.
Your accomplishments were regarded as impossible. You carried me up that Glass Mountain. You pulled off a miracle. You achieve what all the pundit
said could never be done. You have my deepest gratitude and I'm never going to forget that not just for what you did for my campaign but for the
sacrifices you made because you love our country. You show to everyone that democracy is still possible here. It continues to survive in the breath and
in the idealistic human energies that still thrive beneath a canvas of neglect and of official and institutional corruption.
Today, I'm here to tell you that I will not all let -- allow your efforts to go to waste. I'm here to tell you that I will leverage your tremendous
accomplishments to serve the ideals that we share the ideals of peace, of prosperity, of freedom, of health, all the ideals that motivated my
campaign. I here today to describe the path forward that you have opened with your commitment and with your hard labors.
[14:50:06]
Now, in an honest system, I believe that I would have won the election. In a system that kind -- that my father and my uncles thrived in, a system
with open debates, with fair primaries, with regularly scheduled debates with fair primaries and with a truly independent media untainted by
government propaganda and censorship, in a system of nonpartisan courts and election boards, everything would be different after all the polls
consistently showed me beating each of the other candidates both in favorability and also in head-to-head matchups.
But I'm sorry to say that while democracy may still be alive at the grassroots, it has become little more than a slogan for our political
institutions, for our media, and for our government, and most sadly at all for me, the Democratic Party. In the name of saving democracy, the
Democratic Party set itself to dismantling it.
Lacking confidence in its candidate that its candidate could win in a fair election at the voting booth, the DNC wage continual legal warfare against
both President Trump and myself. Each time that our volunteers turned in those towering boxes of signatures needed to get on the ballot, the DNC
dragged us into court state after state attempting to erase their work and to subvert the will of the voters who had signed those petitions.
It deployed DNC-aligned judges to throw me and other candidates off the ballot and to throw President Trump in jail. It ran a sham primary that was
rigged to prevent any serious challenge to President Biden. Then when a predictably bungled debate performance precipitated the palace coup against
President Biden, the same shadowy DNC operatives appointed his successor, also without an election, they installed a candidate who was so unpopular
with voters that she dropped out in 2020 without winning a single delegate.
My uncle and my father both relish debate. They prided themselves on their capacity to go toe-to-toe with any opponent in the battle over ideas. They
would be astonished to learn of a Democratic Party Presidential Nominee who like Vice President Harris has not appeared in a single interview or an
unscripted encounter with voters for 35 days. This is profoundly undemocratic. How are people to choose when they don't know whom they are
choosing? And how can this look to the rest of the world?
My father and my uncle were always conscious of America's image abroad because of our nation's role as the template for democracy, the role model
for democratic processes, and the leader of the Free World. Instead of showing us her sub and character, the DNC and its media organs engineered a
surge of popularity for Vice President Harris based upon nothing. No policies, no interviews, no debates, only smoke and mirrors and balloons in
highly produced Chicago circus.
There in Chicago, a string of Democratic speakers mentioned Donald Trump 147 times just on the first day. Who needs a policy when you have Trump to
hate? In contrast, at the RNC Convention, President Biden was mentioned only twice in four days. I do interviews every day. Many of you have
interviewed me. Anybody who asks gets to interview me. Some days I do as many as 10. President Trump who actually was nominated and won an election
also does interviews daily. How did the Democratic party choose a candidate that has never done an interview or debate during the entire election
cycle?
We know the answers. They did it by weaponizing the government agencies. They did it by abandoning democracy. They did it by suing the opposition
and by disenfranchising American voters. What most alarms me isn't how the Democratic Party conducts its internal affairs or runs its candidates. What
alarms me is the resort to censorship and media control and the weaponization of the federal agencies.
[14:55:13]
When a U.S. president colludes with or outright coheres media companies to censor political speech, it's an attack on our most sacred right a free
expression, and that's the very right upon which all of our other constitutional rights rest. President Biden mocked Vladimir Putin's 88
percent landslide in the Russian elections, observing that Putin and his party controlled the Russian press, and that Putin prevented serious
opponents from appearing on the ballot. But here in America the DNC also prevented opponents from appearing on the ballot. And our television
networks expose themselves as Democratic Party organs.
Over the course of more than a year in a campaign where my poll numberers reached at times in the high 20's, the DNC-aligned mainstream media
networks maintain a near-perfect embargo on interviews with me. During his 10-month presidential campaign in 1992, Ross Perot gave 34 interviews on
mainstream networks. In contrast, during the 16 months since I declared, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN combined gave only two live interviews from
me.
Those networks instead ran a continuous deluge of hit pieces with inaccurate, often vile pejoratives and defamatory smears. Some of those
same networks colluded with the DNC to keep me off the debate stage. Representatives of those networks are in this room right now and I'll just
take a moment to ask you to consider the many ways that your institutions have abdicated this really sacred responsibility the duty of a free press
to safeguard democracy and to challenge always the party in power.
Instead of maintaining that posture of fear skepticism toward authority, your institutions have made your -- made themselves government mouthpieces
and stenographers for the organs of power.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: OK, you have been listening to Robert F Kennedy Jr. there. To be clear we still haven't gotten any news from him. He has certainly put a lot
of criticism there to the Democratic Party and has talked about and thanked a lot of people that have worked for him. I do want to clarify that we have
a statement from the Kennedy Campaign spokesperson saying that Mr. Kennedy has not endorsed President Trump, that the filing and the filing they're
talking about is where he filed in Pennsylvania saying that he no longer wanted to be on the ballot. The filing was made by an attorney and not
reviewed by the campaign.
Now, listen, we will continue to listen in on this press conference and bring you any news that breaks from it. In the meantime, stay with CNN.
We'll be right back in a moment.
END
