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Republican National Convention; Sources: Trump To Appear With Vance Tonight At RNC; Sources: Private Efforts To Nudge Biden To Step Aside Continue. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired July 15, 2024 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Along with these high profile speakers, Senator Tim Scott, Governor Glenn Youngkin and Governor Kristi Noem. Night one of the Republican National Convention begins on CNN right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: And we're live in Milwaukee, in the battleground of Wisconsin where we expect to see former President Donald Trump in person at this convention this evening, as Republicans are celebrating their now official 2024 presidential ticket, Trump's new running mate. Senator JD Vance of Ohio made a surprise appearance earlier capping his formal nomination for vice president. We have an extraordinary view of it all high above the arena for our special coverage of this history making convention.

I'm Jake Tapper along with Anderson Cooper. And, Anderson, we are standing by to see Donald Trump at some point this evening.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Yes. We're told the former president is eager to attend the convention to meet with his supporters and allies after the attempt on his life. Tonight, the GOP is putting forward some of his most powerful and polarizing figures spread Trump's MAGA message, along with a slew of everyday Americans tempt to speak to bread and butter issues.

Jake, we're standing by to hear from the top speakers of the night and carry their remarks live, of course.

TAPPER: Anderson, we're going to be listening very closely to what those speakers say, and the tone they set at this singular moment in American politics. And in this tumultuous presidential election, our political team is in position to follow it all.

Boris Sanchez is right there near the podium where the big speeches are being given, and Phil Mattingly and Kaitlan Collins are roaming throughout the convention floor talking to delegates. And right now we're listening to Congressman Wesley Hunt, is that who this is? Yes, Wesley Hunt, a congressman from Texas' 38th congressional district, let's listen in.

REP. WESLEY HUNT (R-TX): I'm the son of a retired lieutenant colonel. I'm a product of West Point along with my other two siblings. And I risked my life in combat to preserve our nation. Now, there is another man who was putting it all on the line to save our nation. His name is President Donald Trump. And with your help in November, and with his unbending resolve, together we will make America great again. God bless you, Milwaukee. May God continue to bless this United States of America, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please welcome US Army veteran Representative John James from Michigan's 10th congressional district

REP. JOHN JAMES (R-MI): Good evening Wisconsin. Warmest regards from Detroit, home of the AFC North champion, Detroit Lions.

Oh, in seriousness, Dean West (ph) to do a great job. Where are my West Point classmates, class of 2004? And there's another Midwestern boy did a great job, our vice presidential nominee JD Vance, another Midwestern boy.

You know, he's going to need some help. When he comes up to Michigan, I'll do everything I can, but he might be the first Buckeye to win a Michigan since last time Trump was in office. But those are two great American dream stories from the Hunt family and from the Vance family, but I have another American Dream story to tell you about.

It's about a little boy from Starkville, Mississippi who lived directly across the street from Mississippi State University, but he couldn't go there because he was black. Despite growing up in the Jim Crow South, he refused to let vulnerability become victimhood. He paid his way through college, served honorably in Vietnam and started a trucking company with one truck, one trailer, and no excuses hauling beer back and forth between Detroit and Milwaukee.

I grew up in all of that story because it's my dad's story. It's part of my story. He and my mother raised me never telling me that this is a racist country. Never, never.

[20:05:09]

Even though we have market blemishes in our past, even though we have much farther to go, even though they endured racism, it did not define the nation they love. They taught me I could do anything I set my mind to. They taught me to put the Lord first always. They taught me to use my blessings to be a blessing to others. And that's what we're doing here today.

That's why I went to West Point. I became a ranger qualified, a passion pilot, and flew 750 hours operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom. You know, that's something else me and President Trump have in common.

The bad guy shattered his boat with a mist (ph). And we'll keep on fighting for America until the good Lord takes us home. By the grace of God, I was able to come home after my deployment, and helped run the company business.

Now, I have the honor of representing Michigan's 10th congressional district, the number one manufacturing district in the best state in the entire unit. My family's story is the American dream story, but my biggest concern right now, my biggest fear is will children today be able to look back and share that same story.

Look, I firmly believe Americans have not given up on the American dream. Joe Biden and the Democrats have given up on the American dream. Joe Biden and the Democrats think they know how to spend your money better than you do. They want to take your dollars, they want to take your voice, they want to take your control, and give it back to DC bureaucrats to execute their walk and green New Deal agenda.

Well, that plan doesn't work because hope is not a plan. Black people were sold on hope. Now our streets are rife with crime, our kids can't read and illegals are getting better health from Democrats in four days than we've gotten in 400 years.

Our daughters were sold on hope, and now they're being forced on the playing fields and changing rooms of biological males. America was sold on hope, and now the world is on fire. Our borders are wide open. And Americans are going into debt to pay for their groceries.

But, look -- look -- look, we don't even have to imagine a brighter day, we just have to remember under President Donald J. Trump, we had a secure border. Under President Donald J. Trump, we had peace in Europe. And under President Donald J. Trump, we had an economy so good. We had an economy so good Democrats are trying to give Obama the credit for it.

Look, I heard a little bit early today, if you don't vote Donald Trump you ain't black. See, here's the thing. By the grace of God and the proven leadership of Donald Trump, for every American, regardless of race, color and creed, we can once again have a land where a child's outcome isn't determined by their ZIP code, we can once again have a land where hard work truly does get you ahead. We can once again have a land where you can go from poverty to prosperity in a single generation.

I believe that lead is still America. America is the greatest idea there's ever been. America, I believe deeply in my heart, America is the greatest idea that's ever been. It's worth fighting for, it's worth sacrificing for, and it's worth getting out to vote for. Because I truly believe in the deepest heart of hearts, that with Donald J. Trump back in the White House, the best is yet to come.

God bless you. Thank you. God bless America.

TAPPER: Congressman John James, US congressman from the 10th congressional district of Michigan served eight years in the Army as an Apache helicopter pilot. He spoke after Congressman Wesley Hunt of Texas, also flew Apache helicopters in the military.

And it is not a mistake that in this prime time, a speaking slot. You are seeing a lot of African American Republicans being highlighted to the nation. Before Congressman Hunt and James, we heard from Mark Robinson, who is the lieutenant governor of North Carolina and the gubernatorial nominee in that state.

[20:10:00]

And this comes, Dana Bash, as the Republican Party as Donald Trump is making a big play to chip away at the Democratic Party's historically strong hold on African American voters. And according to polls, he is succeeding particularly with African American men.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I was just going to say that African American men in particular, the fact that, as you said, there were primetime lineup started out with a trio of African American men, two of whom are in the house, one who is running for governor in North Carolina. One of the questions in the past six months or so, maybe four months, was whether or not he wanted to pick an African American to be his running mate.

Tim Scott was certainly in the running.

TAPPER: South Carolina senator.

BASH: South Carolina Senator. He clearly wanted it from the minute he dropped out because he was running as well. He endorsed Donald Trump, and he was very positive, let's say, when he was now talking about Donald Trump, and when he was with him on the stage.

And it was interesting that at the end, when it was down to three, he was no longer on there. And it was three white men.

TAPPER: Yes. Abby Phillip, I know this is a topic that you've addressed on your show, the African American vote, the pursuit of it, and the successes that Republicans have been chipping away. No one thinks that they're going to win the African American vote, but this is a, you know, in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and Michigan, if you peel away 2 percent, 3 percent --

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

TAPPER: -- of the vote, that's that could be enough to win.

PHILLIP: What we're seeing with Trump, mostly Trump and Republicans a little bit less or so, is black working class men, Hispanic working class men are taking a look at Trump and the Republican Party. And some of it is, you know, it's a sort of a vibe that Trump gives off in a way that that appeals to them.

Some of it is the economic policies to a degree that are that are working for them. I think the same kind of working class message that is working with white voters, is giving them some inroads with black voters. But it's a question of degree, and I think we saw this back in 2016 and 2020, there's some peeling off, but the question is how much.

And Trump is making as good a play as any Republicans since you know, what Reagan --

BASH: George W. Bush.

PHILLIP: George W. Bush and even further back, to try to appeal to black voters in an unconventional way, because he's not really changing his message. You know, he's not necessarily saying things differently.

But there is a disenchantment, that's happening. We were talking about this earlier. Sometimes the weakness of your opponent can be your strength. And I think that that is partly what is happening with Trump, is that there is some erosion happening with Biden and with Democrats, that Trump is benefiting from. And that's what we're seeing tonight.

With some of the rising stars I think of black Republicans showing up on the stage.

TAPPER: Let's listen in. This is Sarah Workman, a single mother struggling in the current economy

SARAH WORKMAN, SINGLE MOTHER WORKING SECOND JOB: I'm Sarah Workman from the great state of Arizona. I'm honored to be here tonight on behalf of everyday Americans. I'm a single mother who works two jobs to support my family. I know Americans can relate when I say that every time I fill up my gas tank, go to the grocery store and try to pay the bills, I think who doesn't miss the Trump days?

But it's not just the economic pain we're all feeling under Joe Biden. It's how they're destroying the American spirit. Everywhere we look, there's pain, chaos and crisis, inflation, open borders, woke indoctrination in our schools, violence in our cities, and unjust rulings in our courts. All of it is eroding one of America's greatest strengths, our optimism.

While the left is trying to divide us with identity politics, we are here tonight because we believe that America is always and should be one nation under God. In addition to the economic pain, the Democrats' open border policies have shattered my family.

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With drugs so readily available, my husband fell victim to the drug epidemic. It tore our family apart. And now I raise my son alone. But I know there is hope. That is what this election represents for all of us who have been forgotten over the last four years, hope. We need God in our hearts, and Donald Trump back in the White House.

If you're watching tonight and you hear your own story in mine, Donald Trump put me on this stage to show that he hears us, he sees us and we are forgotten no more. I find peace in God's promise that says, if my people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray, I will heal your nation. Amen.

With faith, hope and love in my heart, I know we will make America great again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please welcome United States Senator Katie Britt of Alabama.

SEN. KATIE BRITT (R-AL): Good evening, Milwaukee. I'm Katie Britt. We are all here tonight for one reason, we need to change the direction of our nation and Donald Trump is the change we need. To my fellow moms and dads across America, I think we all know that raising a family is hard. Add in smart phones and social media, and we already had plenty to worry about. But then Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came around, now our lives are that much more difficult and way more expensive.

Under Biden-Harris, prices are high and expectations, well, they're low. Grocery prices are up more than 21 percent, electricity is up 31 percent, gas is up 48 percent, mortgage rates have more than doubled, and rent is skyrocketing. To me, these aren't just numbers. This is pain for millions of Americans. It means that so many American families have to live with so much less.

This is too high a price to pay for an administration that has brought us to such lows. The American people won't have the wool pulled over our eyes. We see how Biden and Harris keep making things worse, and we know the current president is not capable of turning things around. His weakness is costing us our opportunity, our prosperity, our security, our safety. Each diminished, all in decline, just like the man in the Oval Office. And it doesn't have to be this way on.

[20:20:00]

Under President Trump, we had the strongest economy in history. That's right. You didn't need to go into debt just to make ends meet. Energy dominant, stable prices, secure borders, safe streets, strong families and communities, that's what Donald Trump will deliver.

With President Trump, the tough choice was which job offer to accept. Now, it's which second job to take just to pay the bills. Your family can't afford this costly and dangerous decline for four more years. Four more years of Biden-Harris will impose a lifetime of financial damage on our children and our nation. It is time to return President Trump to the White House, yes.

Republicans will put parents, families and hard working Americans first. With President Trump back in the White House, we will re awakened the exceptionalism of the greatest nation ever known. We will defeat decline, dust off our dreams and forge our future, because families across our nation deserve better. Once again, America will be the land of limitless opportunity for all and paving that path starts today.

So let's roll up our sleeves, send President Trump back to the White House and get America back on track. God bless.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome United States Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Wow, wow, wow. Wow, thank you so much. Thank you.

Hello, Milwaukee. Are you ready for four more years of Donald Trump? Me too.

Listen, if you didn't believe in miracles before Saturday, you better be believing right now. Thank God Almighty that we live in a country that still believes in the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega. And our God -- our God still saves, he still delivers and he still sets free. Because on Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, but an American lion got back up on his feet and he roared. Oh yes, He roared.

Yes. Yes, he did. You see, America, this is a difficult time for our nation. Inflation is crushing families. Illegal Immigration is crushing American workers, failing schools and victimhood culture are crushing our poorest kids. And the weakness of the commander in chief has invited world wars all around our world. Joe Biden is asleep at the wheel and we're heading over a cliff.

[20:25:02]

We hear the spare in the voices of a millennial couple raising two kids in a one bedroom apartment because they can't afford a house. We see pain on the faces of Gold Star parents, because their commander in chief, Joe Biden, literally forgets their son died in uniform on his watch. America, we deserve better. We deserve so much better.

I was raised by a single mom in poverty. We had plastic spoons, not silver spoons, but she taught me to work hard to take responsibility and reject victimhood. Thank God for my wonderful mama.

I know this is going to offend the liberal elites, every time I say it offends them. But let me say it one more time, America is not a racist country. No, we're not. But if you are looking for racism today, you'd find it in cities run by Democrats.

Look on the south look on the south side of Chicago, poor black kids trapped in failing schools, thousands shot every single year, including one of my former interns DaQuawn. But there's good news, it's conservative values that restores hope. It's Republican policies that lifts people up.

I partnered with the greatest president of my generation, President Donald J. Trump, on the biggest tax cuts ever for working people and single moms, and opportunity zones for neighborhoods that need the most. But Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, they give illegal immigrants free hotel rooms while our veterans -- while our veterans sleep on the streets. Disgusting, disgusting. Trump secured our border once and Donald Trump will secure it again.

This November, we are not deciding simply the fate for the next four years. We're setting a course for the next 40 years. I see our heartland filled with huge American factories powered by abundant American energy, building what American deeds creating generational wealth for blue collar workers.

You see, we are the Republican Party of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, but we -- four more years, I love it. Awesome.

We are not simply the party of our leaders. We are also a party of a young woman in Wisconsin taking over her family farm and Hispanic father working 16 hour days in Nevada, and a black teenager in Philly starving for opportunity. We're not just the Grand Old Party of the past, we are the great opportunity party of America's future.

[20:30:16]

(APPLAUSE)

And there's only -- hear me clearly, and there's only one person who can make that vision a reality, Donald J. Trump.

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God bless America.

(APPLAUSE)

COOPER: You have Tim Scott, the U.S. Senator from South Carolina, who's been in the Senate since 2013. Right before that, we heard from Katie Britt, a U.S. Senator from from Alabama, coming up, Glenn Youngkin. What do you think of Tim Scott? Obviously, he was in the running to be vice president.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, he's one of the early contenders for the VP stakes. Look, Republicans have a clear message here. The country's in decline under Joe Biden. We have an economic agenda that's going to make you richer, wealthier, more prosperous. People are on message.

Here's my problem with tonight's programming. In prime time, someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a spouse just ridiculous conspiracy theories. Somebody who should not be elevated in this kind of platform. Mark Robinson, who's running in North Carolina for governor, who's shared vile anti-Semitic tropes left and right.

What happens is you elevate some rising stars in the party, like a John James and a Wesley Hunt. But then put them aside, these very figures who should be fringe figures, and giving them equal billing. I think it's a mistake. I think it was a choice, but overall the message is there.

And this is what the Biden camp has struggled with, is you can't really say what the core message is. You can walk away from tonight whether you agree with it or not, and you know what the core message is.

COOPER: Van?

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, it's -- that was kind of cringy to me. You got -- we got half an hour into -- it's 8:00. We had four African-American men. There's clearly an agenda here, and let me just say I'm glad that the Republicans are trying to get black men.

I think both parties should compete vigorously. There's an opening to get black men. Because of the double whammy with black men feeling the economic pain seriously, and also feeling some social dislocation or when it comes to gender and feminism and what's going on. There's an opening there, but this is not it.

I'm going to tell you right now, they, all four of them sounded like black people who talk about black people, but don't talk to black people. That's how they sounded. I've got -- my phone's blowing up because it felt so off in terms of the tone.

And the thing that they -- I just want to say, and the things that they said you don't say that you have thousands of black children dying in Chicago with glee, the way Tim Scott did. You don't say that black children can't read the way that James did. And there's a time we can go back with zip codes didn't matter. We've never had that time in America. Those guys sound like people who talk about black people, not to black people.

COOPER: Scott?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm -- just as a tactical matter tonight. You think about what Trump is doing eating into the traditional democratic seed corn. African-American men, all the polling is very stable. Trump's currently scoring in the 20s. They're featured tonight, whether you like them or not.

These are messengers who are willing to go on a stage on national television and say, the Republican nominee is our guy. That's number one. You've got people like that. You've also got Sean O'Brien, the president of the Teamsters, coming out tonight. A union leader. Somebody who's going to be speaking to the working class.

When I think about how Trump is going to win this race, peeling back African-American men, peeling back rank and file union members for my whole career. Democrats have counted on both. Now the Republicans are making a real play and that's why he's leading in all these swing states.

COOPER: Coming up next, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. Also coming up, we expect Donald Trump to show up at the convention. We're awaiting his entrance and crowd reaction. Later remarks by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as our convention coverage continues. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:38:01]

COOPER: You're watching CNN's special coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. We're awaiting an appearance by Donald Trump tonight after he officially secured the nomination. This will be the first time we see the former president at this convention after the assassination attempt.

For now, though, the party is showing off some of its other top officials on the convention stage. Coming up any moment is Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, elected in 2021, the first GOP governor of Virginia since 2014.

Jonah Goldberg, what do you make of the voices we've heard so far? JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think for the most part, it's pretty standard Republican boilerplate, with the exception of Marjorie Taylor Greene, which is, you know, except for that Mrs. Lincoln, how is the theater kind of level exception.

Kristen Soltis Anderson was making the point earlier also that I think when you take the bread and butter culture war issues of the Republican Party and you basically water them down in the platform and say you don't want to talk about them anymore, it explains why some of the transgender stuff comes to the fore.

COOPER: Let's listen to Glenn Youngkin.

ALL: Joe must go.

GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN (R), VIRGINIA: Yes, Joe must go. Good evening. I'm Glenn Youngkin, the governor.

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The governor of the home of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, the great commonwealth of Virginia.

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Tonight, we stop for a moment. We ask for God's grace to be on innocent victims. We ask him to be with their families. We thank him for this moment of unity. And we thank him for protecting our next president, Donald J. Trump.

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[20:40:09]

And tonight, our nation can have the conversation that so many families have at their kitchen tables. Yes, those tough conversations. How do we make it all work? The conversation young families from Midlothian, Virginia, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose dreams of buying a home have been shattered by 7.5 percent mortgage rates.

The veterans from Fredericksburg, Virginia to Phoenix, Arizona, whose raises can't keep up with 30 percent increases in grocery prices and 40 percent increases in gas. The retirees from Roanoke, Virginia, to Reno, Nevada, whose fixed income has been crushed by the silent thief of inflation unleashed by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Tonight, America, the land of opportunity, just doesn't feel like that anymore. But eight years ago, eight years ago, there was an outsider, a businessman, who stepped out of his career to rebuild a great nation with the strongest economy, the mightiest military, energy independence, unlimited opportunity, lifting up every American. That outsider businessman was Donald J. Trump, and he will do it again.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm proud to be a homegrown Virginian. From a family like a lot of families, with ups and downs and highs and lows. My mom was a nurse, and she was my hero. She pulled our family together after my dad lost his job. At 15, washing dishes and flipping eggs, I learned that there is dignity in work.

(APPLAUSE)

At the height of the pandemic four years ago, I asked my amazing wife, Suzanne, to go on a walk with me. I told her I planned to quit my job and run for governor. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and a quivering lip and asked, governor of what?

We prayed together and we asked God for guidance and wisdom. And we said if elected, we would serve. After 12 years of only electing Democrats statewide, in November 2021, Virginians elected a Republican outside businessman as their 74th governor.

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And I believe this year, Virginia will elect another Republican outside businessman as president of the United States.

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President Trump proved that common sense conservative leadership works. It works for America. And we're proving it in Virginia too. $5 billion of tax relief backing the blue.

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Slashing red tape, declaring loudly that yes, parents matter. And creating jobs, lots of jobs. Virginia now has record job growth, and we were just named America's top state for business.

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Friends, could this election be more simple? It's common sense versus chaos. It's strength versus weakness. Friends, it's not just Republicans who see this. It's Republicans, Independents, and lots of Democrats. It's Americans. Under President Trump, America had high growth and low inflation. Under Joe Biden, America has low growth and high inflation.

66 percent of Americans now live paycheck to paycheck. Moms and dads worrying, can they buy new shoes for their kids going back to school? Can they write the tuition check for college? Will they ever be able to retire? Under President Trump, 2.4 million Americans were lifted out of poverty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

(APPLAUSE)

[20:45:11]

YOUNGKIN: Women, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans all saw record low employment. Under Donald J. Trump, we once again will have that rip roaring economy that lifts up all Americans. That is our tomorrow.

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A tomorrow where work is celebrated, where taxes are cut and inflation is slashed. Where we cut red tape, where we unleash American energy dominance. Where businesses proudly say, Made in America.

(APPLAUSE)

Where entrepreneurs dream and small businesses thrive. Where Americans from any background can pour their God given talents into building their American dream. This is the moment. This is our moment to make America the land of opportunity again.

(APPLAUSE)

A nation, a nation built on a basic truth that we are granted certain unalienable rights, not by a king, but by an almighty creator. And that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

(APPLAUSE)

Our foundational principles are non-negotiable. They are inscribed on our national soul. My fellow Americans, the spirit of hope is spreading. Everyone can feel it, and it will sweep across this nation when we elect Donald J. Trump, the 47th President of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you.

COOPER: Glenn Youngkin, governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Just ahead, more headliners taking the stage, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. And of course, we're standing by for an appearance from the now official Republican nominee, Donald Trump. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:51:24]

TAPPER: And we are back live from Milwaukee. We're getting deeper into the first night of the Republican National Convention with a climactic moment.

Still upcoming, Donald Trump is expected to make his first appearance sometime soon. Right now, we're hearing on the stage from the CEO of Goya Foods. After him comes the governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem.

But we do have some news. The Wall Street Journal has just reported that Elon Musk has said he's committing around $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump Super PAC. Elon Musk, who at one point, said he was not going to endorse, has endorsed Trump, and is now committing I guess that's a roughly $180 million, assuming he goes through with it.

David Urban, you attribute this news --

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

TAPPER: -- and again, this is from the Wall Street Journal to the fact that J.D. Vance, the new running mate for President Trump, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, worked for and is very popular among this conservative Silicon Valley group.

URBAN: Yes, if you look at the article, the journal reports, the Winklevoss twins, David Sacks, the group that was out in California, the kind of, you know -- they are -- they like Trump's economic message. They weren't really -- they weren't sold on the guy in 2016. They've come around lately.

And I think J.D. Vance was a bridge to that group. And now that he's on the team, I think that they're throwing their economic weight and their clout on the internet, right? These folks have, you know, millions -- hundreds of millions of followers and people that will listen to what they're saying. So I think it's very significant. And completely the opposite end of the spectrum of the Hillbilly Elegy folks that he's going to come speak to in Western Pennsylvania.

TAPPER: It is interesting, David Axelrod, because obviously since Elon Musk took over Twitter, now called X, it has certainly taken a different tone in terms of what accounts it propels. And --

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, look, Elon Musk has clearly concluded he wants to be a player in American government and American politics. You know, he wants to be an American oligarch, and he has entree with Donald Trump, and he has with Twitter or X, a tool that he can use, and obviously, $45 million is more than lunch money.

TAPPER: A month.

AXELROD: A month.

TAPPER: $45 million a month.

AXELROD: Yes. So I'm sure that will be -- I don't know that he would not have given that money if it weren't Vance, because he's been working on this project for a long time.

URBAN: But I think it's very significant. I think Vance was help -- I think Vance helped get that across the threshold. Or that Elon was more inclined to give it to a J.D. Vance ticket.

BASH: Well, and he endorsed on his platform, on X, right after the former president was almost assassinated.

AXELROD (?): Yes.

BASH: He sent out that tweet, or whatever you call it now.

TAPPER: OK. Let's go to Kaitlan Collins, who has Senator Katie Britt on the floor of the convention. Kaitlan?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Jake. We just heard from Senator Katie Britt of my home state of Alabama giving her speech here at the Republican Convention on night one.

Senator Britt, thank you for being here. How much did what you said on stage change in light of what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday night?

SEN. KATIE BRITT (R), ALABAMA: Well, look, I think just the atmosphere here, like as we came in, there was a sadness that kind of came across all of America. But I think coming together right now, there's been a hopefulness about what can be done. So, obviously, just working to bring people together. But that's what we consistently do and figure out how to move forward.

COLLINS: And you're a new face in the Republican Party on the national level. Obviously, you're a newer senator. And when it comes to striking the balance of the, you know, talking about your political opponents, criticizing them, debating them, as President Biden said the other night, but not crossing that line of where we've heard the calls to tone down the rhetoric, where is that line for Republicans?

[20:55:12]

BRITT: To be honest, I really wish the media would do a little bit better job of covering when we do work together because there are a number of things where we have pieces of legislation. Like Senator Laphonza Butler and I working on the NIH Improve Act or working on mental health with Amy Klobuchar.

So, there are things that we do together that really do bring unity, but typically speaking, the only things that get covered are more kind of sort of hot button (ph) issues or soundbites or divisive rhetoric. So, I think unity is out there. I also think where we share a common goal, despite who we are, we have a duty to the people we serve to get in a room and try to figure out a path forward.

So I think we'll continue to fight for our values and fight for our people, but try to do it in a way where we lend people to realize that you don't have to agree with someone to show them respect. And treating our colleagues with dignity and respect should be absolutely what we do each and every day.

COLLINS: And is that a message that looks different, though, now, in terms of what you say about Democrats or President Biden, if you are criticizing them? Are you thinking about what that rhetoric overall sounds like to Americans generally?

BRITT: Yes, I do. I mean, we -- it's something that I consistently think about. Like, if you kind of sort of go back and look at what we say and what we do and how we're working, and I think we'll be consistently be intentional about that moving forward. And I hope America can obviously know what we stand for.

I am really excited about getting back the majority and being able to actually do good things for people. But at the same time, you know, making sure that we find ways to work with people who we may not agree with, on issues that we do agree with, and move them forward.

COLLINS: Yes. I know you've worked with Senator John Fetterman as well.

BRITT: Yes.

COLLINS: Senator Britt, thank you for joining us.

Jake, back to you.

TAPPER: Thanks so much, Kaitlan.

And John, I hate to interrupt your favorite band, The Brown Derbies playing, but I understand you have some new news on President Biden.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is an excellent cover band, by the way. All day long, they've been out there for a long time. They deserve some credit.

TAPPER: But you did request the Brown Derbies. Everybody's working for (INAUDIBLE).

KING: Of course I did. Of course I did. The reporting I have is that privately the efforts to nudge President Biden to step aside and get out of the race are continuing quite aggressively. Even though the public calls have quiet it -- quite significantly. The public calls have quiet, a, because of the tragedy of Saturday, the attempted assassination.

Also, Democrats believe they need to have a unified message while the Republicans are having their convention. And the president again today in the Lester Holt interview said he's not getting out of the race. So Democrats believe it's counterproductive to be in a public argument --

TAPPER: He said something like, unless a train hits him.

KING: -- with the leader of the party. But I'm told that Democratic members of Congress continue to lobby the White House, the President's inner circle, and someone else who is lobbying them now is the veteran Democratic pollster, Stanley Greenberg, who's been at this for decades, one of the most respected voices in the Democratic Party who's worked on both of Bill Clinton's winning presidential campaigns.

And I'm told he has been sending virtually daily memos to the President's inner circle, analyzing the polling data, and making the case that we are past the point of no return. And that President Biden is not only going to lose, but that Stan has been making the case. He's going to lose in a way that wipes out the party.

That they will lose the House. They won't lose any chance of taking back the House and the Senate. Just very quickly, lose everything was one description of a Democrat who's seen these memos. Devastating was the description of another, again, making the case privately. And some of these Democrats I've talked to, the sources say that the effort will continue privately at least until this is done. And if the numbers keep going the way they're going, which they argue is this way --

TAPPER: Yes.

KING: -- then it'll get public again.

TAPPER: Chris?

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN HOST: And Jake, to pick up on that, you were just reporting about this huge influx of money coming from Elon Musk at a time when contributions from big donors to Joe Biden are drying up. I mean, one of the big stories in recent days has been the Hollywood backlash that came after George Clooney's famous op ed in the Times.

And a lot of anger at Jeffrey Katzenberg, the great movie director who is a co-chairman of the Biden campaign, and has gotten a lot of money, a lot of big contributions from a lot of rich people in Hollywood, and they -- a lot of them went to that event, where the fundraiser where Biden spoke, were not impressed about it, and are now saying, what'd you get us into here?

TAPPER: And David Axelrod --

AXELROD: Yes.

TAPPER: -- I mean, this is an effort that has proceeded behind closed doors, as John was talking about. We know that Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, met with him. We know Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, people are trying to be very blunt and honest with President Biden. But from whatever, everything I hear, he's still fairly, you know, in a cocoon of top advisers and family who just don't want to hear it.

AXELROD: Yes, I think that's kind of the issue here. I mean, there's no dearth of information and no dearth of people who are delivering the same message. And of course, the leaders are very concerned about what the implications are for their members in the fall.