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CNN Live Event/Special
Third Day Of Republican National Convention Kicks Off As Republicans Make Their Case For A Second Trump Turn; CNN's Coverage Of The Republican National Convention; Vice President Mike Pence On Speech Saying We Will Have Law And Order On The Streets Of America; Pence Claims You Won't Be Safe In Biden's America; Pence Talks About Coronavirus In Front Of Crowd Not Wearing Masks. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired August 26, 2020 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we're not going to defund the police, not now, not ever.
[23:00:05]
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
PENCE: My fellow Americans, we're passing through a time of testing, but, soon, we will come to a time for choosing.
Joe Biden has referred to himself as a transition candidate. And many were asking, transition to what? But, last week, Democrats didn't talk very much about their agenda. And if I were them, I wouldn't either.
(LAUGHTER)
PENCE: I mean, Bernie Sanders did tell his followers that Joe Biden would be the most liberal president in modern times. In fact, he said -- and I quote -- that many of the ideas he fought for that just a few years ago were considered radical are now mainstream in the Democratic Party.
At the root of their agenda is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration, that millions of Americans harbor ill will toward our neighbors, instead of loving our neighbors as ourselves.
The radical left believes that the federal government must be involved in every aspect of our lives to correct those American wrongs. They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children, and, in the process, deprive our people of freedom, prosperity and security.
Their agenda is based on government control. Our agenda is based on freedom.
(APPLAUSE)
PENCE: Where President Trump cut taxes, Joe Biden wants to raise taxes by nearly $4 trillion.
Where this president achieved energy independence for the United States, Joe Biden would abolish fossil fuels, end fracking, and impose a regime of climate change regulations that would drastically increase the cost of living for working families.
Where we fought for free and fair trade, and this president stood up to China and ended the era of economic surrender, Joe Biden has been a cheerleader for communist China. He wants to repeal all the tariffs that are leveling the playing field for American workers.
And he actually criticized President Trump for suspending all travel to China at the outset of this pandemic.
Joe Biden is for open borders, sanctuary cities, free lawyers and health care for illegal immigrants. And President Trump, he secured our border and built nearly 300 miles of that border wall.
(APPLAUSE)
PENCE: Joe Biden wants to end school choice. And President Trump believes that every parent should have the right to choose where their children go to school, regardless of their income or area code.
(APPLAUSE)
PENCE: President Trump -- President Trump has stood without apology for the sanctity of human life every day of this administration.
Joe Biden, he supports taxpayer funding of abortion, right up to the moment of birth.
When you consider their agenda, it's clear. Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left. The choice in this election has never been clearer, and the stakes have never been higher.
Last week, Joe Biden said, democracy is on the ballot. And the truth is, our economic recovery is on the ballot. Law and order are on the ballot. But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country.
In this election, it's not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat.
The choice in this election is whether America remains America. It's whether we will leave to our children and our grandchildren a country grounded in our highest ideals of freedom, free markets, and the unalienable right to life and liberty, or whether we will leave them a country that is fundamentally transformed into something else.
[23:05:08]
We stand at a crossroads now. President Trump has set our nation on a path of freedom and opportunity. Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline. But we're not going to let it happen.
(APPLAUSE) President Donald Trump believes in America and in the goodness of the American people, the boundless potential of every American to live out their dreams in freedom. And every day President Trump has been fighting to protect the promise of America. Every day our president has been fighting to expand the reach of the American dream. Every day President Donald Trump has been fighting for you. And now it's our turn to fight for him.
(APPLAUSE)
On this night in the company of heroes, I'm deeply grateful. Deeply grateful for the privilege of serving as vice president of this great nation and to have the opportunity to serve again. I pray to be worthy of it. And I will give that duty all that's in me.
In the year 2020, the American people have had more than our share of challenges. But, thankfully, we have a president with the toughness, energy, and resolve to see us through. Now, those traits actually run in our national character. As the invading force learned on approach to this fort, in September of 1814, against fierce and sustained bombardment, our young country was defended by heroes, not so different from those who are with us tonight.
The enemy was counting on them to quit, but they never did. Fort McHenry held. And when morning came, our flag was still here.
(APPLAUSE)
My fellow Americans, we're going through a time of testing. But if you look through the fog of these challenging times, you will see our flag is still there today.
(APPLAUSE)
That star-spangled banner still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave.
(APPLAUSE)
From these hallowed grounds, American patriots in generations gone by did their part to defend freedom. Now it's our turn. So let's run the race marked out for us. Let's fix our eyes on old glory and all she represents. Let's fix our eyes on this land of heroes and let their courage inspire. And let's fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and our freedom. And never forget that where the spirit of the lord is, there's freedom. That means freedom always wins.
(APPLAUSE)
My fellow Americans, thank you for the honor of addressing you tonight, and the opportunity to run and serve again as your vice president. I leave here today inspired. And I leave here today more convinced than ever that we will do in our time as Americans have done throughout our long and storied past, we will defend our freedom and our way of life.
We will re-elect our president and principled Republican leaders across the land.
[22:10:03]
And with President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, and with God's help, we will make America great again, again.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Mike Pence accepting his Party's re-nomination for vice president of the United States. He's standing at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, a site honored in the national anthem. And we hear hail to the chief playing right now. And we see President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump making what is, for people in the audience there at Fort McHenry, a surprise visit.
Let's listen in and watch as they come to join the supporters of the Trump/Pence ticket. In the audience, you will see several wounded warriors, several veterans who have been brought there with the group Soldier Strong, it's a nonprofit organization that helps veterans with disabilities from combat. There's the president greeting his loyal vice president.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD CHANTING FOUR MORE YEARS)
TAPPER: Chants of four more years. There are about 130 people in the audience. And there is the second lady, Karen Pence, and the first lady, Melania Trump. Let's listen -- let's listen.
(UNITED STATES NATIONAL ANTHEM)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: The national anthem at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The president and the first lady, the vice president and the second lady. The vice president clearly delivering a very hard- hitting attack against Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee. At one point saying, and I'm quoting the vice president right now, the hard truth is, you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America.
He said, Joe Biden has been a cheerleader for communist China. He says Joe Biden is for open borders, sanctuary cities and free lawyers and health care for illegal immigrants. Jake, a very, very strong attack by the vice president against the former Vice President Joe Biden. The Democratic presidential nominee.
TAPPER: That's right. It was polished and it was done as Vice President Pence does it, where he attacks his opponents more in sorrow than in anger.
[23:15:07]
Generally speaking, most of his criticisms of Joe Biden were within the basic realm of political discourse in this country. Although, obviously he took a lot of liberties that I'm sure our fact checkers will get to. A few things stand out to me. One of them is, again, we had Vice President Pence expressing sympathy for people in the way of hurricane Laura in the gulf.
And we had him expressing sympathy for those who have lost life or suffered in other ways in this coronavirus pandemic. What we do expect traditionally from our leaders but do not necessarily hear quite a bit that much from President Trump. And have not heard much during this Republican convention, despite the fact that we are in the middle of this horrific pandemic with almost 180,000 Americans dead now just since the beginning of the year.
And there was some whitewashing of that, I have to say. In terms of the vice president's discussion of it. And he talked about 80,000 tests are being done -- 800,000 tests are being done a day, where the truth is health experts said that by now we should be doing 5 million tests a day, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and just on that note, look at what we're seeing right now. We're seeing the president, the first lady, the vice president, the second lady talking to a lot of people. Yes, they are outside, but nobody is wearing masks. They're somewhat socially distanced from the crowd, but the crowd is not socially distant from one another. I mean, they are jammed in there just like it is any other time.
And the fact that we're seeing that just moments after the head of the coronavirus task force talked about -- he spoke more compassionately than we've heard from many others, except maybe the first lady last night. But after he acknowledged the reality in front of us, even as briefly as he did, we are seeing what we're seeing.
I guess we shouldn't be surprised, but, you know, there's so -- the president himself and the vice president have been so kind of herky- jerky in how they have messaged this. Wear masks. It's patriotic. But then come to my Republican convention and we're not going to require you to wear masks. You know, yes, that is in keeping with the message of freedom and individual liberty and so on and so forth, but, Abby, it is such a stark contrast to what we saw last week from the Democrats.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely. And in everything that I think we've seen so far this week, probably the best kind of example of how it is viewed, the coronavirus is viewed, is in the White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow speaking about it in the past tense. I think effectively the image that this administration wants to present to the world is that the virus is behind us, that President Trump acted and it is solved or resolved.
Yes, there was sympathy expressed, but if you look at the crowd here today, there's no message being sent about what the best practices are for these kinds of gatherings. And also, you heard in the message a real contrast in what they think is the most important thing to Americans right now.
It is not this virus that has killed almost 180,000 people. It is the threat of the violence in American cities, according to them. They -- Vice President Pence talked significantly about this issue, painting a picture of lawlessness across the country, and it's one that -- that is the through-line in all of these days, Jake, of speeches from various Trump surrogates over the last couple of days.
TAPPER: And on that note, speaking of whitewashing, as I believe the vice president did to a large degree about their record when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, again, the U.S. with less than 5 percent of the world's population has more than 20 percent of the world's deaths, according to official numbers.
Speaking of whitewashing, they talked about the violence in the streets, including in Kenosha, Vice President Pence did. There was no specific mention of the fact that the 17-year-old who has been accused of murdering two -- we believe they were protestors. Is according to his social media accounts a Trump supporter.
Now, again, that does not mean that President Trump is responsible at all for that violence, but the way that the vice president portrayed it, the violence was out of control liberals, leftists, progressives, and Vice President Biden, Joe Biden, isn't going to do anything about it. He said that Biden didn't say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across the country.
[23:20:18]
Although, he added last week because earlier today Joe Biden did condemn the violence. But no mention at all about the apparently far- right individual in Kenosha who murdered two people. And on that -- on that note, I should also add that the Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service Officer David Patrick Underwood who was killed and his widow was in the audience.
That Vice President Pence referred to him as having been killed during the riots in Oakland. No mention of the fact that the person that killed that officer so tragically, an air force staff sergeant, is a member of this loosely affiliated far-right groups, Dana, called the Boogaloo Boys, not a leftist, not a liberal, not a member of Black Lives Matter and you would think, oh here's the widow of somebody, a police officer that was killed by a liberal, by Black Lives Matter activist. No, not at all. Probably a far-right activist.
BASH: Yes, I mean, this is very unwelcome news for a party and a campaign that has spent now the last three nights and likely we're going to hear tomorrow with a very clear law and order message, meaning it is the Republicans who are going to keep you safe, and it is the Democrats who are not.
Obviously, as you mentioned, that was a really important point that Mike Pence was trying to make tonight. And it is undermined by the reality of what we allegedly appeared to have seen last night in Kenosha, where it is isn't necessarily the left. And one other things that I thought was interesting, Abby, was they continued to paint Joe Biden in a very clear way, very direct way as a tool of the left.
In fact, the vice president said Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left, where the Biden campaign spent last week talking about Joe Biden as a moderate, somebody who brings in Republicans.
PHILLIP: The Trojan horse language is, you know, we have to kind of highlight what that really means, which is that it seems that they don't think that Joe Biden can be credibly accused of having these beliefs. So they are saying that he's being filled with them.
BASH: Exactly.
PHILLIP: He's an empty vessel being filled with them by the far-left. That's very telling about where this party thinks they are and what they think they can convince voters of. You know, I do think, though, that in this message of -- as Vice President Mike Pence said, you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America. A couple of lines earlier, he was talking about how reportedly, according to him, unsafe America's cities are in Donald Trump's America.
TAPPER: Right.
PHILLIP: This is Donald Trump's America. That people are living in. And it's hard to see how Americans are supposed to -- what they're supposed to take away from that. They either believe that America is unsafe and on the path to destruction under Trump or they don't. If they don't believe that, you know, then -- then that might actually bolster their argument that President Trump has this all under control. It's very confusing for people, and I think it's really hard to square, Wolf.
BLITZER: You know, it's -- I want to bring in Kaitlan Collins into this conversation. Kaitlan, you're there at Fort McHenry. It's so sad and potentially so dangerous to see a few hundred people there who have gathered supporters of the president. They're very close together. They're not wearing masks, as Dana pointed out in the midst of this very deadly coronavirus pandemic.
And by all accounts, it's -- I'm told, but maybe you have more information, that most of these people were not tested for coronavirus before they were allowed to come into this setting. And we know there's going to be a much bigger crowd tomorrow on the south lawn of the White House where the president makes his presentation.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We're expecting it to actually be 10 times the size tomorrow night. Tonight, we've seen about 135 chairs before, and that's something that we counted were here. They seemed to all be filled. And what's notable is that the attendees are sitting pretty close to one another. They're not wearing masks. And we spoke to at least four of them who had not been tested for coronavirus before coming to this event, Wolf, and it's unclear if some of them potentially were.
We saw that was the case last night which kind of caused some confusion, because the people who are seated around the president in the Rose Garden last night had been tested, according to the first lady's office, but several of the rows back, most of the attendees there last night had not been tested.
So it's not clear if that's the case is here. But what you just saw after the vice president ended his speech, which I'm not sure if you saw, but what we were watching was the president and the first lady were down walking face-to-face, interacting with several of the audience members, many of whom are not wearing masks tonight, Wolf.
[23:25:15]
It was kind of striking to see just how closely they were interacting, given we're not convinced that every single person in the audience tonight has been tested. We were tested before we came in. Our photographers, our producers were tested. But it is not clear that audience members were. And we spoke to at least four of them who had not been.
So, it was really striking not only to be here at this outdoor venue tonight, we should note, where you are seeing probably a bigger crowd than what many Americans have seen over the last several months, but also for the president and the first lady to come down from the stage and to be interacting with those other audience members not wearing masks tonight, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, I say again, it looked very dangerous, very risky to me. Anderson, there were plenty of older people there. I'm sure a lot of the people had underlying health issues that they need to worry about, but they were there and they weren't wearing masks.
ANDERSON COOPER, BREAKING NEWS SHOW HOST: That is right. And as you said, a larger crowd expected tomorrow night at the White House for the president. Gloria, I mean, it is, you know, the point that Abby made I think is a really important one. The vice president saying, and, quote, we will have law and order on the streets of America. Future tense. We will have it.
But this is the Trump's America. I mean, he has been now in power -- it is as if the Vice President and the President are talking as if they are just observers to what is going on, as if they are the -- they are running to unseat the sitting president and vice president. They are the president -- this is the administration. This is their vision for America. And we're living in it. And they're saying we don't have law and order now. They say you won't be save in Biden's America. But clearly the portrait they are painting America right now is that you aren't safe in the suburbs, you aren't safe right now.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, they would, of course, make the point that you're not safe because it's Democratic Governors and Democratic mayors, but they're also making the point that COVID is over throughout this -- throughout this entire convention. And I think, Anderson, you know, to take a step back from Pence's speech, to go back hours ago to when this evening started.
This has been a complete extreme makeover of Donald Trump that we saw tonight. And it was kind of stunning to me because it -- they're sort of saying to us, no matter what you may have thought about Donald Trump before tonight, forget it. Because he is really a caring man. Which we heard from Kellyanne Conway, from Kayleigh Mcenany. He is somebody who cares about women. He is somebody who promotes women. He is somebody who cares about all Americans. Who cares about diversity? He is somebody who sped up the COVID response, of course.
They say time and time again. He is somebody who supports both law enforcement and black communities. And if you let Joe Biden get elected, I mean, this was mine -- the line from Pence that stuck out to me which is, the choice in this election is whether America remains America.
COOPER: Yes.
BORGER: And that means that Biden would destroy America. And change it in a way that would be unrecognizable to you suburban voters. That we are trying to attract. To you women that we are trying to attract.
COOPER: Yes.
BORGER: So that's what tonight was.
COOPER: David, from Lou Holtz, you know, who says that the president is a truth-teller and, you know, when a leader tells you something, you have to be able to trust it. I mean, I -- there's -- I mean, I don't know -- that's a very arguable point, obviously, with this president.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.
COOPER: And also, by the way, Lou Holtz saying of the people who are protesting in the streets, quote, they don't have pride in themselves. An interesting view of a man who says love is one of his guiding principles.
AXELROD: Yes. Well, look, this -- this whole exercise is the reality show convention. They are trying to create an alternative reality. The very little mention of the virus that has gripped this country. Very little mention -- I mean, you listen to the discussion of the economy, and you wouldn't know that we have 10.2 percent unemployment right now.
And, you know, this is Donald Trump. His belief is that if you -- you can sell anything if you have -- if you do it right. And this is his production. But the question is -- I mean, and by the way, on the issue of race, no acknowledgement by Mike Pence or anyone about the issue that has actually galvanized millions of Americans of all races.
[23:30:00]
AXELROD: And that is if you're Black in America, you're three times more likely to be shot by a police than if you're white. That is what people are outraged about.
But this is -- let's think back to the midterm elections of 2018. You remember the caravans. The caravans are coming. They're threatening our way of life --
COOPER: Yeah, but that was years ago. That's no longer worthwhile as --
(LAUGHTER)
AXELROD: Yeah, I understand, but tactics -- But Anderson -- but Anderson, the tactic is still good. Scare the hell out of people.
COOPER: Yeah.
BORGER: Right.
AXELROD: And this is -- this is the tactic that Trump is employing here. So, I -- I appreciate they made an effort to try and remake him tonight. I think that's to try to make Republicans who are uncomfortable with him feel more comfortable with him.
BORGER: Sure.
AXELROD: But the most -- the true line of this convention has been this law and order message and that he's the president that you have to vote for or else you're going to submit yourself to chaos.
I think it's the point that you guys made earlier, that Abby made, is the one that they're going to have to deal with, which is that he is the president. In many ways, he's seen as contributing to the chaos and the antagonism. That is something he'll have to overcome if he's going to get to where he wants to go.
COOPER: Nia, two nights ago, I guess it was, we had the McCloskeys on who have been charged with a felony, but who were there being, you know, clearly because they are -- the president believes they are perfect for this message. That was two nights ago.
Tonight, we have a 17-year-old American who is now in custody, went out apparently -- details aren't yet fully known on this. But there was certainly a number of citizens who went out, encouraged each other to come out armed in order to protect property. And what we know is that a 17-year-old is in custody for shooting two other people who seemed to have been protesters.
I mean, it is, you know, it's -- I don't know if you can draw a true line between those nights, but it's certainly something that this administration has not at least even recognizing tonight.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yeah, I think you can draw a true line. Think about what that couple did. They drew guns on people who were outside their home on a sidewalk because they were Black. I mean, that's exactly what happened in that instance.
And that is the message, I think, that Donald Trump wants to deliver to particularly White people, that he is the one standing between the lawlessness of Black and Brown people, and he is the one that can essentially help White Americans maintain their status.
He gets Black people to sort of vouch for him and say that he's not a racist. In fact, say that America is not even really a racist country.
So, listen, this could very well work because I think, you know, there is some anxiety among White Americans about the changing demographics of this country. There is some anxiety about sharing power with different groups in this country. And you have Donald Trump saying that to white America. You won't have to share that power in his America.
So I think, listen, he has been able to reinvent himself to White audiences throughout his career, particularly White evangelicals, who see him in some ways as a messianic kind of figure.
So I think there are White Americans who very much want to believe in Donald Trump, so they could very well believe in this version of Donald Trump that was presented here that is patently false and patently at odds --
COOPER: Nia --
HENDERSON: -- with the Donald Trump we know and have seen over these last many years.
COOPER: And Nia, it doesn't even seem like it's really -- yes, they would like to obviously get as many Black voters as possible, but it seems really a lot of the speakers tonight and throughout what we've seen, is to give permission to more moderate White voters who might be willing to vote for Donald Trump, but, you know, unsure and uncomfortable.
HENDERSON: I think --
COOPER: It gives them permission.
HENDERSON: Yeah. No, I actually think it's both. It is particularly Black men. You saw all those Black men that are featured. There are no women, black women, right? We talk about him going after women. He's really just going after White women.
I don't think a single Black woman has stood live in the podium area at all. Maybe that will happen at some other point. But they are very, very consistently and strategically going after Black men and talking about some of the things that Joe Biden has said and done because there is a history of Black men voting for Donald Trump, 13 percent did so in 2016.
So it is that and it is also this sort of indirect appeal to White moderates, as well, who want to feel comfortable --
COOPER: Yeah.
HENDERSON: -- voting for a man who is someone who is a racial flame thrower and likes to race bait.
COOPER: We're going to come back to this conversation. I want to go to Daniel Dale, who has been fact-checking parts of the convention tonight. Daniel, what do you have? DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: Anderson, there is just so much dishonesty and inaccuracy at this convention. It's hard for me to know where to start. It's not just big things like this broad revisionism on the response to the pandemic.
[23:35:03]
DALE: It's little inaccuracy, carelessness. We had someone -- Lara Trump -- cite a fake Abraham Lincoln quote tonight.
A number of tonight's false claims came from the vice president, Mike Pence. He repeated one of Trump's own favorite lies. He said that because of them, we now have Veterans Choice. As I've said over and over, Obama signed that choice law in 2014. Trump signed a 2018 law that modified and expanded the choice program but did not create it.
Pence boasted twice that Trump had -- quote -- suspended all travel from China. He didn't. He imposed a partial travel restriction that contained multiple exemptions. Tens of thousands of people, Anderson, kept coming over after that.
Pence said again that Biden wants -- quote -- "open borders." I know this is common conservative rhetoric, but it's just wrong. Biden does not support completely unrestricted migration.
Now, Pence and others describe Trump's coronavirus response as a smashing success. Most experts we know say that is not at all true.
But I think it's also notable how speakers like Lara Trump pretend that the pandemic did not happen at all. She said that 4.3 million new jobs have been created for women. Well, it was a gain of about four million since January 2017 as of March. But then we had a crash. As of July, women have lost a net over three million jobs during Trump's presidency.
We also heard more wildly inaccurate attempts to smear Democrats as extremists. We have Burgess Owens, Utah congressional candidate, said that popular members of Congress promote the same socialism my father fought against in World War II.
The U.S. wasn't fighting any actual socialists in World War II. The Nazis called themselves national socialists. They weren't anything like Bernie Sanders, who, by the way, had family members killed in the holocaust. They were all to right (ph) genocidal, totalitarian.
We had Congresswoman Elise Stefanik call Trump's impeachment illegal. Come on, it's legal. Impeachment is in the Constitution.
And like Trump himself, we had Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany claiming that Trump stands by Americans with pre-existing conditions. Look, Trump has repeatedly tried to get bills passed to weaken Obamacare's protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and he's currently in court fighting to get the entirety of Obamacare overturned.
Now, he has promised some sort of executive order protecting people, but it hasn't come yet, and, Anderson, that certainly doesn't change his history on the subject.
COOPER: Yeah. I mean, he actually has no health plan that he has talked about publicly --
DALE: He doesn't --
COOPER: -- or announced.
DALE: -- create wonderful health care.
COOPER: Yeah. There have been a lot of promises and there's been, you know, movement by people in Congress and Republicans working on it behind the scenes, but we have yet to see anything from this president. And, again, he's almost done with his first term.
Let's bring in our other group of analysts and commentators. Senator Santorum, what did you make of what we heard from Vice President Pence?
RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I thought it was a very strong speech on Mike's part. I mean, I think he hit all the right themes. I thought he delivered it well.
Look, I thought it was actually a fairly -- it wasn't as I think someone earlier described. It wasn't mean. It wasn't nasty. I mean, he just delivered, I think, a very statesmanlike, you know, a surgical strike on Joe Biden in a lot of places that I think are going to resonate with the American public.
So, I think that was obviously, you know, the vice president's speech is the highlight, but I think there are a lot of, you know, really strong -- again, the focus on women, the focus on African Americans, particularly African American males, I mean, I thought the speech by, you know, by Mr. Henderson was very, very powerful.
And, you know, sort of reciting, you know, that, you know, that Republicans have been for, you know, the leading party, you know, supporting -- defending black rights for, you know, well, since 1860.
So, I think it was a very good night for the president to appeal to groups he needed to appeal to and to get them to come back home. Obviously, there was Pence's speech, a lot of great base material.
And I'll tell you what. I've never seen a republican convention where there was more of an effort to reach out to the African American community than I've seen at this convention. And I think that's a -- that's a telling thing about Trump that counters everything that people say about him.
COOPER: Governor Granholm, you know, people can see tonight violence in the streets in -- or at least last night. We don't know what will exactly happen tonight, but have seen for the last two days violence in the streets in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and hear the message that this administration is the law and order administration, that it won't be safe under a Biden administration.
SANTORUM: Martin, when did they lose me?
COOPER: And isn't that -- should that be worrying to the Biden people? I mean, that is kind of message that resonates, does it not?
JENNIFER GRANHOLM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, I think it does resonate with some people, and I think Joe Biden was clear today in coming out and saying that obviously we should not be condoning violence.
[23:39:59]
GRANHOLM: But you know what, Anderson? I think one of my favorite people on this whole evening is Daniel Dale because he comes out boom with all of these factual inaccuracies.
I just want to highlight one of them that I think is really important to focus on, which is the fact that almost -- a lot of the speakers, I don't know how many, but almost all of the big speakers, certainly, are talking about -- poor Rick has lost his thing -- are talking about this is the best economy, you know, he's -- Donald Trump has said it 360 times.
What Daniel pointed out and what all of these speakers seem to forget is that they think that it stopped at the beginning of the coronavirus. But even if you take it before the coronavirus, Donald Trump's record in job growth was 3.1 percent. That is the lowest of the 12 prior presidents. He created fewer jobs in his first three years than Barack Obama did by far, 1.5 million fewer than Barack Obama did.
He's lost 23 million jobs since the start of the coronavirus. He's in the hole -- in fact, we were in this huge recovery for a long period of time, a decade, and in his -- this year, we lost every bit of those jobs. We are in the hole, the fact that 1,000, 1,000 businesses are gone for good. I mean, there's stat after stat to show that this -- he was not the great job provider.
Lara Trump tonight says 40 percent -- says there's been this big lift out of poverty. Forty percent of the low wage jobs were lost. So the bottom line is --
COOPER: Yeah.
GRANHOLM: -- they continue to brag, brag on the economy. It is a loser for them and people see it.
COOPER: David Urban, Abby Phillip raised the point of, you know, the vice president saying you will have law and order on the -- we will have law and order in the streets of America. Isn't it a little hard to make that argument for this administration, given that they have overseen the last three and a half years, and apparently their opinion, we're not seeing law and order on the streets of America?
DAVID URBAN, MEMBER, TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT 2020 ADVISORY BOARD: Listen, I think you make a distinction in terms of, you know, aspirational -- if it were up to the president, there would not be things that are taking place in Portland, Seattle, Chicago, on and on and on. Those are obviously -- as this administration likes to point out --
COOPER: Right.
URBAN: -- cities run by Democrats.
COOPER: If it was up to me, I'd have brown hair, but I mean, that's not -- what you want --
URBAN: Well, Anderson, we have a federal republic, as you know, so these things aren't run -- the president doesn't have the sole authority to --
COOPER: Right. So why are they promising law and order if they don't have the power to do it?
URBAN: Because they -- it is aspirational, once again. Listen, I think what's important to point out, Anderson, is what was touched on by Lou Holtz and by the vice president at the end there. I think you're going to hear this throughout the campaign.
You know, Lou Holtz talked about how JFK's vision, you know, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country, has been turned on its head by the current Democratic Party, which is, you know, what does my country owe me? And what can I get, right? I mean, that's the -- that's the transitional notion that you hear about.
COOPER: Yeah.
URBAN: And I think that, you know, this -- in the future, you're going to hear -- Americans want to hear more gratitude and less grievance.
COOPER: Right.
URBAN: I mean, that's what this campaign is about. One side is about grievance. One side is about gratitude.
COOPER: You know, maybe it's because I'm not a sports guy, Van, and I don't really know Lou Holtz's history and I'm sure he's very respected in his chosen field, but he said that the people who are protesting don't have pride in themselves.
I just find it amazing. You have hundreds of thousands, if not -- I don't know how many people protesting peacefully, I'm not talking about people who looted, I'm not talking about people who rioted, people who protested peacefully, white and black, all over this country, to say that they don't have pride in themselves, it just seems like -- I know he's at a certain age and maybe out of touch, but it just seems incredibly tone deaf.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, and I think --
URBAN: He's younger than the vice president.
COOPER: Well, OK. JONES: I don't know. I think that, for me, talking about sports people, the sports people I'm impressed with tonight, the NBA stars, you know, Doc Rivers showed more leadership this week than Mike Pence has on bringing us together on the question of race.
LeBron James, all these NBA stars who are -- who are showing a great deal of pride, I don't think they lack pride when they say, actually, my values and my concern for the country is more important than money, more important than an NBA championship, I want to make sure that I'm using my platform well. That shows a lot of pride.
And also, I don't think -- it's not about grievance and that kind of stuff. I think what people want is just fair shot.
[23:44:59]
JONES: I get a chance to talk to lots of people on both sides of the aisle. I don't see a lot of people saying they just want free stuff. I see what people saying is that they want an actual fair shot and more --
URBAN: Van, that's a -- Van, the leader of the black lives protest in Chicago said it's OK to loot. It's free stuff. People have insurance.
JONES: Maybe you're going to vote for that person. I don't know who that person is. I'm telling you the vast majority of people -- and also Black and White, as Anderson just said -- hundreds of thousands of people, possibly the biggest protest movement in human history, people were out there hand-in-hand, saying, we believe that African Americans are not getting a fair shot, we want better. That's beautiful.
And to turn that into a grievance thing or to only look at the worst of it, i think, is a disservice to your part of the country.
COOPER: I got to say, if you go back and you look during the civil rights movement, what the folks and leaders in the south were saying and people yelling at little children going to school, they were saying the exact same thing, these people just wanting to take and take and take, they all have these grievances.
URBAN: Anderson --
COOPER: It was crap back then and it seems like crap now.
URBAN: Hold on, Anderson.
COOPER: You're painting with an incredibly broad brush hundreds of thousands of people who are protesting.
URBAN: No, I'm not.
COOPER: And you're saying they are just like want to take?
URBAN: No, I'm not, Anderson. Wrong.
COOPER: OK. Then correct me.
URBAN: Wrong. I'm saying the theme of this campaign moving forward, you're going to see a lot more of, you know, a dichotomy of gratitude for the country we live in, the opportunities you get versus grievances, which are never met. That's what I'm saying.
JONES: Can is say something?
URBAN: That's the dichotomy moving forward. I'm not painting anybody with a broad brush. I'm saying those are going to be the themes.
JONES: Let me get clinical here for one second, though. It seems to me that you like our values an awful lot, the Republicans do, because what I saw was a party that is pro-criminal justice, pro-immigration, pro-woman, loves Dr. King.
If you're at home and looking for a party to vote with the belief in that stuff, that party is called the Democratic Party. What you saw tonight was the Republican Party pretending that they're us. And I think the most bizarre part of it is the best part of their convention was they're pretending that they're us.
(CROSSTALK)
SANTORUM: -- you paid attention to. Well, OK. All I can say is --
COOPER: Go ahead.
SANTORUM: I have to make one quote. Yeah, one comment, and that is that what the Republicans focused on a lot, and you guys have criticized them, is, you know, on the strength of Donald Trump and the economy. Why? It is because we're in an economic difficulty right now. We're in an economic difficulty not because of Donald Trump. Let's be honest about it. We were hit with the coronavirus and everybody wanted --
JONES: And how he handled.
SANTORUM: -- the country to shut down. What Trump has --
GRANHOLM: Yeah, but he botched it.
SANTORUM: -- what Trump. No, he didn't botch it. What's been botched is the reopening of the country where Democrats have continued to shut --
JONES: No.
SANTORUM: If you look where the highest unemployment is --
GRANHOLM: Wrong.
SANTORUM: -- it's in every democratic state.
GRANHOLM: Wrong.
SANTORUM: No, that is not wrong. It is not wrong.
JONES: Every other country --
SANTORUM: By the way, if we talk about the deaths, most of the deaths are in New York and in New Jersey.
JONES: Senator --
SANTORUM: They're not across the country. Death rates in all these other states are very low.
JONES: Senator, every other country in the world that's wealthy and western has done tremendously better than us because they focused early on. They were consistent. They didn't have a president who is all over the place about masks and miracles.
SANTORUM: If you look at where the deaths occurred, they occurred in New York City.
JONES: In the United States --
SANTORUM: They occurred in New York because of Governor Cuomo's decision. Let's just get real with this.
(LAUGHTER)
SANTORUM: I mean you guys keep blaming Trump. This is local decision.
(CROSSTALK)
SANTORUM: We didn't have this problem in most states in the country. They had it in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and other areas --
(CROSSTALK)
SANTORUM: You love to blame Donald Trump. He can't control those things.
COOPER: We got to take a break. But if it had been up to the president, though, we would have more deaths by experimenting on people with bleach. So, you know, I'm not sure --
URBAN: No, come on.
COOPER: Clearly followed -- he did.
URBAN: Boo. Come on, Anderson. You know better. Boo.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: He didn't want to inject bleach into people in medical experiments?
URBAN: Boo, come on.
COOPER: He didn't, David? Am I wrong?
URBAN: No, he didn't want to inject bleach into people.
COOPER: Yes, he did. He said we should experiment on people with bleach, with disinfectants inside their bodies, no? Am I the only one who heard that? Really? OK.
GRANHOLM: We did (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: All right. Up next, we have new reporting on President Trump's speech tomorrow. We'll see if he talks about disinfectant. The crowd he will address and whether Hurricane Laura could change his plans.
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[23:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go to Jim Acosta. He is on the north lawn of the White House. Jim, tomorrow night, the president is going to be delivering a big speech on the south lawn of the White House. There is going to be a huge crowd there, right?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. The White House and Trump campaign appear to be taking some big health risks and they're planning for Trump's speech on the south lawn of the White House tomorrow night.
A Trump campaign official just told me that tomorrow night speech could draw well over 1,500 people, 1,500 people, which sound like a rally at the White House. That would rank as one of Trump's biggest events since its ill-fated rally in Tulsa back in June.
Asked about precautions for the event, a White House official said anyone in proximity of the president will be tested, but when asked about everybody else, which could be well over 1,500 people, the official said that's a good question for the campaign. Campaign officials haven't responded to our request for comment on that.
But the White House, as you know, has taken a cavalier attitude towards the virus at times during this convention. There weren't many masks being worn at the vice president's speech in Baltimore. Same is seen for the first lady's speech in the Rose Garden last night. As task force source recently told me, Trump still doesn't get it when it comes to this virus.
Now, as for the president's speech tomorrow night, campaign officials are insisting to us at this hour that this speech will not be rescheduled. That is despite the likelihood that Hurricane Laura is going to be leaving just tremendous devastation in its way. But right now, at this hour, Wolf, they are saying the speech will not be rescheduled.
BLITZER: We will see what happens. Jake, what do you think the president needs to do tomorrow night?
[23:55:00]
TAPPER: Well, I think he needs to stay on script. I mean, I think the Republican National Convention has been -- I think you have to say, for what they're trying to do and conventions are always full of propaganda, this one perhaps more so than most, they have had a well- produced event.
And one of the things that has been key is President Trump has been a presence, but he has never been speaking extemporaneously, adlibbing (ph) during prime time.
He has been featured in taped vignettes or been featured with first lady Melania Trump or Vice President Pence this evening, present, smiling, happy, but he has not been speaking off the cuff. I imagine that will continue.
This is how, by the way, White House aides would like to control him, free of his ad lib remarks and free of his tweets. And I think for that reason, Wolf, he is going to stay on message. And then, of course, comes the weekend and it all goes back to square one again. So, we'll see what happens not just tomorrow but after that.
BLITZER: Yeah. We definitely will. We'll be back tomorrow night, of course, for the final day, day four. Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, they are standing by to pick up our special coverage right after a quick break.
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