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The Situation Room

Soon: Trump, Harris Meet For First Time At Presidential Debate; Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, (D-NY), Is Interviewed About Harris And Trump Debate, Harris Spoke With Clinton About Trump Showdown Over Weekend; Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), Is Interviewed About Christie's Advise To Harris That Her Goal Tonight Can't Be To Out-Insult Trump; New Details On Harris, Trump Preparations Hours Before Debate; Harris, Trump To Target Voters Still Undecided 56 Days To Election. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 10, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: To keep in mind, knowing, of course, that this could easily go off track. So again, the debate prep so far has gone well, the Vice President feeling good about it, but of course, we'll all see what happens tonight in their first face to face encounter, Jake.

[17:00:18]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much. I will be back here at 7:00 p.m. eastern for our special debate coverage. The National Constitution Center is right over there. Independence Hall's right over there. I'm going to go get a cheese steak at Reading Terminal Market, which is that way. In the meantime, I'm going to turn you over into the trusted hands of one, Mr. Wolf Blitzer, who's in the "Situation Room," which is actually in Philadelphia today. Wolf.

[17:00:56]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: It is debate night in America, and we are now just a few hours away from what will be an historic presidential debate and the first face to face meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Good evening to all. I'm Erin Burnett.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And I'm Wolf Blitzer in Philadelphia. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. This is a special edition of the Situation Room.

Erin, the unprecedented showdown tonight will be taking place right here in Philadelphia. These are brand new pictures we're getting right now at the debate stage. Former President Trump now making his way to the City of Brotherly Love. CNN is learning he will be joined by two family members, Eric Trump and his wife, Lara Trump.

BURNETT: And Wolf, the stakes obviously couldn't be higher. This is a razor tight race from every single poll. Early voting is about to start 56 days until actual election day, and both candidates are trying to use this moment to, frankly, try to get under the other's skin, to unsettle them. We've seen what can happen in a one hour debate. Harris bringing with her two of Trump's former aides in attendance, and her campaign also just releasing an ad featuring former President Obama, mocking Trump's obsession with crowd sizes.

Meanwhile, Wolf, Trump's campaign is telling reporters the bar is, quote, "very high" for Harris. They released a list of 47 former prosecutors who are now backing the former president instead of Harris, who, of course, Wolf is a former prosecutor.

BLITZER: And Erin, we certainly have a lot to cover over the next several hours. Jeff Zeleny and Kristen Holmes are both here in Philadelphia reporting on what's going on. Let me start with Jeff, who joins me live from the debate site in Philadelphia.

Jeff, what is the latest you're hearing about what we can expect from the two candidates tonight?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, one of former President Donald Trump's overarching goals is to slow the summertime rise of Vice President Kamala Harris. Think about this, it has been 51 days since she has risen to the top of this Democratic ticket. Of course, she has raised $651 million since then last month, tripling -- nearly tripling, Donald Trump's fundraising alone. This is an entirely different race for the next 56 days. But tonight, I am told advisers to the former president say a chief objective is to try and paint her as a San Francisco liberal, as we've seen them try to do in television ads, and also tie her to the Biden administration on inflation, on immigration, on the economy, on crime and other matters.

The Harris campaign has been intensely preparing for this moment. The Vice President, I'm told, has been watching all of those hours of old debate tapes. No one has debated more than Donald Trump in a general election setting. Tonight will be his seventh. She's been watching all of those, talking with Hillary Clinton talking with Joe Biden. She is intending to present herself as a candidate of change, someone to move beyond this Trump era.

So, Wolf, for all of the sort of back and forth between these candidates in the last six weeks, this is a new moment, a new evening. This is not going to be a repeat of the 2016 debates with Hillary Clinton. The Vice President has no interest, I'm told, in going after the former president for misogynistic comments and racist comments. We've seen her say it's time to move on. That old playbook simply won't work.

But it's those personal attacks obviously can be so unscripted. So this will be the biggest unscripted moment so far of the Vice President's rise here as a presidential candidate. But Wolf, playing out against the backdrop in Pennsylvania, the most important swing state on the map. Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, lots of tension and excitement here in Philadelphia. Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much.

Kristen Holmes is also joining us right now. Kristen, what is the Trump campaign strategy going into tonight? KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in addition to what we have reported before that, Donald. Trump has held these policy sessions to try and focus on immigration, on the economy, on crime, and also pivoting away from specific issues like abortion. To talk about those three issues, I outlined the issues his campaign believes are core to his success in November and his success tonight. In addition to that, one of the things that we are told that the campaign has focused on is the optics of this debate. They are trying to mimic the results of what we saw when it was Donald Trump up against President Joe Biden down to the optics.

[17:05:29]

That means the podium is in the exact same location. That means that Donald Trump will be on the same side of the stage. It means that they've had a team here in place for over a week who have been looking for every single detail to brief the former president on before he arrives. Obviously, the President himself is known for his fixation on optics, and that has gone down to his entire team, who even spent the day to day measuring the podiums themselves, the distance between podiums, the angles, noticing where every single camera was going to be. Again, these are things they think that will help him in this debate, and something that they believe helped him in the last debate, focusing on those facial expressions.

Now, one of the things I was told when it comes to facial expressions is they have been prepping Donald Trump on not reacting or at least not verbally reacting to any kind of goading from Kamala Harris. They believe that there's going to be an attempt by the Vice President to get on under Donald Trump's skin. He obviously is notoriously reactive. In fact, allies have told me that they would rather him respond. They told him this as well with facial expressions, rather than any verbal attacks, any kind of personal insults. And that is something we have heard from Republicans across the board, they believe Donald Trump can do a good job tonight if he stays focused and just talks about the issues. But Wolf, as we have seen time and time again, it is unclear, even with any amount of preparation, which Donald Trump is going to show up on that stage tonight. There is only one person who can say who is going to be there, and is Donald Trump himself, and we'll see for ourselves later tonight.

BLITZER: Yes, certainly will. Kristen Holmes reporting for us. Kristen, thank you very much.

Erin, back to you.

BURNETT: All right, Wolf, and everyone's here with me now.

You know Kristen, listening to Kristen Holmes talking about what's at stake here and how what Trump they what Trump's team wants him to do. On the Harris side, you say that she actually needs to focus on Trump voters and a very, very specific small segment of Trump voters. If she were to target who she needs to win over, who are they?

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST & POLLSTER: That's right. So when you look at Donald Trump's voters, most of them, almost all of them, like Donald Trump. And if you're somebody out there who likes Donald Trump, you're voting for him, period. But there is about 7 percent of Donald Trump's vote that says I don't like the guy. I don't feel favorably toward him, but they like his policies.

And so for them, Kamala Harris needs to come out tonight and give them an excuse to say, you know what, maybe I don't have to vote for the guy I don't like. But in order to do that, she has to make a very strong and persuasive case, not just that she is more moderate than 2019 Kamala Harris on a bunch of policy issues, but also that she is not just going to carry on the Biden agenda that these voters also don't necessarily like.

BURNETT: All right. So Bakari, it's unclear whether she'll do that, but if she tries to kind of walk that line and nod towards moderation on some issues, whether it be immigration or fracking, right? I mean, obviously that's going to come up tonight. The question is, how she does it. Here is how she has handled questions before when given that opportunity.

Here's just a couple examples.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed. You mentioned the Green New Deal, I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time we did that with the Inflation Reduction Act. We have set goals for the United States of America, and by extension, the globe around when we should meet certain standards for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. As an example, that value has not changed. My value around what we need to do to secure our border, that value has not changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Is that enough to sort of nod to something, but then say my value has not changed. You expect that tonight?

BAKARI SELLERS, (D) FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: No, I thought that was a good answer. But also, I expect her tonight to be able to simply look in the camera and say, I've grown as a leader. Since 2019 I've grown as a leader. I mean, I think the best example you can give is on immigration. You have the immigration bill that she says that she will sign when she's president of the United States.

It was put forth by the most conservative United States senator in the chamber, Senator Lankford from Oklahoma? And -- I had to make sure I got that right. And so -- but it was like conjunction junction, how a bill becomes a law. The United States Congress came together, the House and Senate, they put -- they had a compromise. It came out.

[17:10:00]

That's the way government is supposed to work, and that's where the American people are. She's going to govern where the American people are. I don't think that's difficult. And I'm going to make the Harris campaign mad right now, because I'm going to throw out all the talking points, like, I'm not going to lower the bar for Kamala Harris right now. I'm not going to level set and have these expectations.

I expect her to come out and dominate this debate tonight. I think that a lot of Americans have been waiting for a long period of time for her to get on stage with Donald Trump. She's going to prove him to be a 78-year-old diminished man. Make him look small, and she's going to look presidential. I don't want to do the whole we're going to shrink the expectation game.

I think she's going to dominate. How the media covers it said something else. She's going to be good tonight.

BURNETT: Do you think she can dominate? I mean, so far, this situation that Trump has been in over these past couple months has been the first time that people have really seen him on his back feet at times on his heels.

BRAD TODD, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think she's a good start, but faking it is hard to do, and she's trying to fake a centrism that she doesn't believe. She told us what she believed when she ran in 2020, her campaign was very intentional. She took every liberal position possible, from decriminalizing border crossings to getting rid of gasoline cars and trucks, going to say. So I think she'll start out strong on her prepared talking points. But if she can get thrown off her game, that's where we'll see the real Kamala Harris.

BURNETT: So Karen the Harris campaign is just released a an ad today, hours before the debate, going after what they are trying to -- the contrast they're trying to set up, which is old versus new. Here, there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here's a 78-year- old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Oh, she had a big crowd. Oh, the crowd.

OBAMA: This weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes on and on and on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN FINNEY, FMR. COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DNC: Since this is a PG show, I'll let the former --

BURNETT: It's only 5:00 p.m. East Coast.

FINNEY: Look, I think, the point is it is not hard to get under Donald Trump's skin, right? And I think this whole conversation is back and forth around the microphones was impart meant to do that, right?

BURNETT: Yes.

FINNEY: He's the one -- he was fine to have it, but his team decided that that would be dangerous, because we don't know what he might say. But the thing I would remind us is that in life, when you're a leader, there's no mute button. So if you can't be there for 90 minutes, answer questions, put forward a thoughtful, rational agenda, which so far we've not seen Donald Trump be able to do. I mean, even that event they did in front of Bedminster with the groceries behind him, the props were right there, and he couldn't stay on message. And so I think the challenge tonight for Donald Trump will be to not talk about crowd size, but actually, to see if he can try to stay on point.

BURNETT: At what minute mark or do you start to get really stressed every time he opens his mouth?

BRYAN LANZA, FMR. DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: I mean, I get stressed when I wake up every morning to see if a tweet came out. It has nothing to do with what he's saying. I get stressed before I come on television to see, you know, is the tweet coming. But I would say this, you know, I think the challenge, you know, for President Trump is a lot less than it is for Harris. I mean, he is -- this is his seventh debate. People know him.

People have sort of already, you know, decided, you know whether he's offensive or whether it matters. Like you said, it's only seven percent of the voters who liked his Trump's policies but are offended by his behavior.

I think this debate is primarily about Kamala Harris, and if Trump can successfully finish the picture, you know, this is a San Francisco liberal. You see that in the "New York Times" poll, you see that in the CNN poll, and the San Francisco's liberals are values outside of the mainstream of America, and they are. And the more and more you go into those details, the more and more it showed, especially in Pennsylvania, she wants to do a mandatory gun buyback program. Pennsylvania is not -- is a proud Second Amendment state. You know, they have some pockets where, obviously they're not that, but that is outside the mainstream, that San Francisco value is outside the mainstream of Pennsylvania.

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, it's astonishing to listen to this, because what you're hearing is that Kamala Harris has this huge bar to rise to. She's like the Ginger Rogers of candidates. She has to do it backwards and in heels, while you're just saying Donald Trump has to basically show up and appear normal. And so, you know, already there is these two different expectations that I think, you know, we don't really discuss in the way that we should.

Kamala Harris has a lot to prove. Of course, this has been a short runway for her, but she has been vice president for three and a half years. Donald Trump is constantly saying that she's stupid, that she's, you know, all these different types.

BURNETT: Literally, he said that.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Literally he's -- and apparently, worse in private, "The New York Times" has reported. And so what I think needs to happen here is that, you know, this is not just a testament of policies, this is also a testament of who has the character. And I think that's what she has to run on, because poll after poll shows that if that is the playing field, she wins. If you play on his playing field, it's going to be a lot harder.

BURNETT: So, then there's the optics, right? When you talk about dominating, right, you're talking about intellectually and in the substance. But then there's also the optics here, which is that he's six foot three ish, he said six foot three. But -- OK. So which -- OK --

[17:15:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A foot taller.

BURNETT: That's a foot taller.

SELLERS: Taller than me. I will tell you that taller than.

BURNETT: I'm just saying it's a foot taller than she is. The podiums are closed. There is a height difference. You know, when you layer that on top of all these other issues, does that matter?

SELLERS: It does matter. And one of the things that I've said, and this may be very superficial, but people pay attention to it when you're talking about things like strength, is, you know, be sure that you don't shake hands. Like, I don't want her that close to the president of the United States, because, although she -- her presence is huge, she's just not tall in stat.

BURNETT: Oh, you think that that image doesn't look that? She looks small.

SELLERS: Yes, of course. I mean, people pay attention to that. His facial expressions, right? You know, he's going to be bent out of shape when she actually hits him with the jab or says something that's meanable -- that's meaningful.

And also the mics are huge. You said it. I mean, the mics are huge because he's going to mumble all types of -- and you were right as well, all types of obscenities about her, calling her all types of names under his breath, whether or not it's audible or not, is going to be there. So those things matter. But at the end of the day, she's going to come out and exude that strength, and she's going to look stunning and new, and he's going to look 78 years old, and Donald Trump.

FINNEY: That's actually -- the other dynamic that Trump has to be wary of is to not repeat what he did at NABJ when Linsey Davis is asking him fair but tough questions, because, as we saw, he lost it and was very mean to -- I thought he was mean, he thought she was mean in the response to Rachel Scott's questioning. And so, that's the other thing.

I will be looking to see is how -- because I completely agree, this is about character. This is about temperament and character. Kamala Harris's job is get out there and put forward at your vision, your plan. How do you build on the last four years? His job, frankly, is to just try to not have an explosion.

Because even if he goes out and does what he did at the last debate, he's going to seem like an old man with old ideas.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Because he's going to be triggered by a lot of things.

FINNEY: Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: The ABC moderators, it's Kamala Harris, who's a woman. I mean, there's a lot of triggers for him.

BURNETT: All right. Well, we're all here for it. And you can watch the ABC News presidential debate simulcast right here on CNN at 9:00. But don't go anywhere, because Wolf and I will be back in just a moment with our special coverage.

Next, new details on something that Trump and Harris campaigns actually agree on tonight. Plus, this is how J.D. Vance is spinning Dick Cheney's endorsement of Kamala Harris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH): One way thing about it is that we traded Dick Cheney for Bobby Kennedy, and that's an upgrade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:21:40]

BLITZER: Welcome back to our special coverage. We're learning more right now about the strategy on both sides heading into the debate tonight. CNN learning that Kamala Harris has sought advice from Hillary Clinton who sparred in a debate with Trump back in 2016. And sources familiar with Hillary Clinton's thinking say she believes Kamala Harris should let Trump's reactive nature speak for itself.

Joining us now the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries.

Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us. As you know better than I do, this is clearly a critical debate tonight here in Philadelphia, a critical debate for Kamala Harris. It's her first time on the presidential debate stage in a general election. What does this successful night look like for her?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: Well, this is a big night for the campaign. It's a big night for our democracy and a big night for America. Kamala Harris, of course, is ready, willing and able to do the job and to make sure that she articulates a clear vision for how to bring the country together, how to make sure that everyone has access to the great American dream, how we lower costs, how we grow the middle class, and of course, defending our democracy and fighting for our freedoms, particularly a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions. So I think tonight, she'll have the opportunity before 10s of millions of our fellow citizens, to lay out a clear contrast between her vision for America, which is inclusive, which is forward looking, which will create an opportunity economy, and Donald Trump's vision for America, which is to jam Project 2025 down the throats of the American people so that extreme MAGA Republicans can exercise total control over every day Americans and hurt working families in the middle class.

BLITZER: The Trump campaign, Leader Jeffries, has signaled the former president tonight will highlight how Kamala Harris has changed positions on several key issues. How should Kamala Harris answer the charge that she has been flip flopping on some of her long held positions?

JEFFRIES: Well, I think it's important to put a spotlight on the positions that Kamala Harris has held and the accomplishments that have been part of the Biden-Harris administration. And so, I think when it comes to the infrastructure investment and jobs act, creating millions of good paying jobs, that's a Kamala Harris position. The American rescue plan, making sure that we put shots in arms, money in pockets, and kids back in school, rescued the economy from a once in a century pandemic, that's a Kamala Harris position.

The CHIPS and Science Act, where we've brought domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the United States of America, that's a Kamala Harris position. And of course, the Inflation Reduction Act, where we struck a dramatic blow against the climate crisis with standing up a clean energy economy and lowering the high price of life saving prescription drugs, including taking the price of insulin to $35 per month for millions of Americans, that's a Kamala Harris position. We know that Donald Trump is going to distort because he lies for a living. But the good news is that on that stage, Kamala Harris will have every opportunity to present the true facts about her views and how to move the country forward.

[17:25:00]

BLITZER: We'll see if she fact checks Trump in the course of this debate tonight.

Leader Jeffries, the Trump team has released a new video about Kamala Harris's current role vice president. Let me play this little clip. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What would you do in day one?

HARRIS: There are a number of things on day one.

On day one --

Day one, priority.

Ready on day one.

VANCE: Kamala, day one was January of 2021.

TRUMP: Day one Kamala was three and a half years ago. Why hasn't she done it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crime rates have skyrocketed over the past four years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This just in inflation is headed in the wrong direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So she's in office now. As you know, she's the Vice President of United States. Why isn't the Biden-Harris administration taking these steps today?

JEFFRIES: Well, what's interesting about that particular commercial, which, of course, is filled with distortions. Let's just take two that commercial says that violent crime is skyrocketing. No, actually, violent crime is down. It's not up. It was up under the Trump administration. It is down right now under the Biden Harris administration.

I think the other claim is that inflation is up. No inflation is actually coming down. We still have to work toward bringing it down further, and Vice President Harris has articulated a great plan to do that, to lower costs for everyday Americans, to make sure that we are increasing the supply of affordable housing so we can bring down housing costs and addressing the other cost of living challenges for those Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck. She has a plan to address those concerns. Donald Trump simply is consumed with lying to the American people, and that ad is Exhibit A.

BLITZER: Leader Jeffries, I quickly want to turn to another really important issue that's developing right now, the House GOP funding plan. Donald Trump said today that Republicans should vote against the bill unless it includes a controversial GOP led proposal requiring proof of citizenship to vote. You've called this plan, in your words, a nonstarter for Democrats. Does this mean we are headed towards some sort of government shutdown right now?

JEFFRIES: First of all, it's important to make clear that the Constitution already requires citizenship in order to be able to participate in our elections. That's federal law. What is taking place right now is that the extreme MAGA Republicans are trying to jam extreme right wing cuts down the throats of the American people. And the bill that will be before the House of Representatives tomorrow hurts our military readiness, it hurts our veterans, it hurts the Social Security Administration, it will hurt seniors, and of course, it's going to hurt disaster relief efforts by short changing them as well. We're going to vote no against it.

BLITZER: All right, the House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thanks very much for joining us. JEFFRIES: Thank you.

BLITZER: And our special debate night in America continues. In just a moment, former President Trump making his way to Philadelphia right now, as his running mate admits his tweet about Haitian migrants eating cats may actually not be true. Plus, there's more breaking news we're following. Kamala Harris's running mate, Tim Walz, rallying a key group of voters tonight who could make all the difference. We're back at the magic wall with an explanation. All that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:32:58]

BURNETT: And welcome back to this special edition of The Situation Room. The former New Jersey governor and presidential candidate, Chris Christie, has just written an op-ed in "The New York Times," and he has given some advice for Kamala Harris. Christie writes, I've debated Mr. Trump six times and I'd wager I've participated in at least 30 debate prep sessions with him since 2016. No one has more experience in the arena listening to his attacks and debunking them than I have. That's how I know that Ms. Harris's goal during the debate cannot be merely besting Mr. Trump or out-insulting him. If she spends most of her time tussling with him, she will end up, like so many who have come before, stuck in the mud against the best political insulter in my lifetime.

Joining me now, Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. And Governor Sununu, of course, you know Governor Christie well. He knows Trump as a debater better than almost anyone. So he comes out with his advice. I mean, do you think Harris will have taken this advice and that it will work? I mean, do you think, as Bakari Sellers said a few moments ago, it's possible that she dominates Trump tonight?

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): No, no, I -- I don't. I mean, and -- and if the advice is, don't try personal attacks on Trump, I'd be shocked if she was even thinking about that in the first place. That would be a terrible idea. So let's just get the obvious out of the way. What she needs to do is show folks that she can answer questions. Because she's never done that, right? She's never sat down, really. I mean, a couple of -- other than a couple of interviews, taking questions on the fly show her confidence on her feet, or grasp of issues and why she is somehow the agent of change for her own administration that's currently in place. That's what she has to focus on.

Former President Trump, on the other hand, has to -- has to not just talk about the borders a disaster and the economy is a disaster. He's got to get to specifics. He always has a hard time doing that. If you talk about the economy, talk about credit card bills, talk about not just the word inflation, but the cost of living, the cost of putting food on the -- on the table, you know, what rent cost. If you talk about the border, talk about public safety, talk about the Fentanyl crisis. Those are the things that we as Americans see in our community. If he can make that real connection with the voter, he'll have an opportunity. But she's just got to show that she can stand on her -- on her feet, and answer questions. [17:35:06]

BURNETT: All right. Well, you know, just a moment ago, when Kristen Soltis Anderson was going through some of the polling, she was identifying that there were about 7 percent of Trump voters who were open, who don't like Trump, maybe, like some of his policies, don't like Trump, but they are open to her tonight and that she needs to speak to them.

Obviously, moving any small number of those individuals could transform this whole race, right? Just to state the obvious, it's so close. So you know, Christie says for Republicans and independents who do not support Mr. Trump, this is how she earns their vote. They want to be for something, not just against someone. Now, do you agree with that? And do you think, I guess governor, do you think that Trump is capable, for 90 minutes, of being for something, as opposed to just against her and turning this into the mud?

SUNUNU: Yes. No, it's -- it's a really, really good point. She does have to be for something, and she -- and she has an opportunity to do that, whether it's on the international stuff. She's got up there, as we all know, she's got to explain why it's kind of from Afghanistan to Ukraine to Israel, why all this crazy turmoil has happened under her -- her administration and Biden's administration. And -- and, you know, how far is she going to throw President Biden under the bus to show that, you know, she didn't agree with any of that, and under her, it would be very, very different.

To your point, Trump has a lot of trouble staying on, you know, being forced something and just getting into specifics and giving the answers which are right there. They're spoon fed to him. But sometimes he does get in his own way. He gets blustery, whether -- whether it's with personal attacks to the candidate, personal attacks to the moderators, personal attacks to the media, whatever it is, he's obviously going to show part of that fire. That's his brand, for better or for worse, as we all know.

But it's how much can he, you know, stay disciplined. If it's similar to the first debate, he'll be OK. I don't think it's going to be a knockout win for either of them. I think it's a very, very important debate. I think it really introduces, I mean, it's the first time the two are meeting, for goodness sakes. So really introduces what this campaign is going to be about. But at the end of the day, there's going to be still 45 more days where a lot can happen.

BURNETT: It is incredible, though, when you think about it. I mean, you know, ultimately, it's two human beings that walk out there, and the fact that they have never been in -- in -- in the same room at each other is -- is just a I don't know, I think about that for a second. It is, does give you pause. So Harris has gotten the backing of some former Trump administration officials. We know that two of them are going to be there tonight.

She also just got a major endorsement, though, from the former Vice President Dick Cheney. Obviously, former Congresswoman Cheney had already endorsed, but Dick Cheney endorsed. And here's how J.D. Vance responded to that today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: One way to think about it is that we traded Dick Cheney for Bobby Kennedy, and that's an upgrade I'll take every single day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So Governor, would you call Bobby Kennedy an upgrade over Dick Cheney every single day? Do you agree with Senator Vance there?

SUNUNU: No. Look, I -- I think, look, everyone knows Liz and Dick Cheney are -- are very anti-Trump. That's not shocking anybody, I don't think. You know, Robert F. Kennedy is his own guy, Tulsi Gabbard, even Alan Dershowitz has now left the Democrat Party. So you have these high profile people that are kind of jumping all over the place.

At the end of the day when it comes to the swing voter, I mean, it might get the bases riled up. Those swing voters don't care. They really don't. Those swing voters just want to know who's going to bring a change to their lives, and -- and whether it's Dick Cheney moving from this candidate to that candidate, or Tulsi Gabbard, it doesn't matter.

I mean, it's interesting, but it really doesn't matter that 8 to 10 percent of the swing voters just want to know, one, they want to feel a connection, right, of who's the change agent to help their families. And I always say this, voters in America should be selfish. You should vote exactly what is in your family or your business interests. And if everyone does that, we get the best results. So whoever can connect with that is going to be successful.

BURNETT: Well, it's sort of funny that also when you think about you got a person who's already been president for -- for four years and a person who's been vice president for almost four years fighting over the change agent. But that's irony.

SUNUNU: Crazy.

BURNETT: All right. Thanks. Appreciate it, Governor.

And next, Kamala Harris just completing a walk --

SUNUNU: You bet.

[17:39:04]

BURNETT: -- through the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the site of tonight's debate. We are going to show you that, and the whole country will be watching. But truthfully, how many voters are up for grabs? Harry Enten is going to go through the magic wall, break it down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Welcome back to our special coverage. The state -- the stage is now set for this truly historic debate tonight. Kamala Harris doing a walkthrough of the venue just a short time ago, and she was greeted by a crowd of supporters as her motorcade arrived to the venue. Our team is now with us to discuss what's going on. David Chalian, the stakes couldn't be higher for these two candidates tonight. What are you expecting?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: They couldn't. And I would say, you know, they're high for both of them, it's a tied race. But Kamala Harris has more of a spotlight on her tonight. She's 51 days into this as a presidential candidate. She's got 56 days left before we count the votes. That's how compressed her candidacy is. And there -- there's just, you see it in all the survey research, an appetite and a swath of the electorate to learn more about her.

Now, that is a potential upside for Kamala Harris, but there is potential risk in that as well. And so this is, you know, Donald Trump has done this. This will be his seventh time that he's been on this stage, not this particular stage, but it's the general election presidential debate as -- as the nominee of his party. This is the first time for Harris. She's a relatively new candidate. Has not done, obviously, any debates, only one big interview. This is a moment where the spotlight is going to be on her, and there's potential for her, potential growth for her in that moment, no doubt about it, but obviously great risk.

BLITZER: And I know Jamie Gangel, you've been speaking to both campaigns getting their thoughts. Who are they saying is under more pressure tonight?

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly what David Chalian just said, political strategists on both sides say everyone knows who Donald Trump is, whether you like him, whether you don't like him, even undecided. Really have a sense of who he is. So they think the pressure is on Kamala Harris, and they feel, and this is interesting from both Republicans and Democrats, that she has to show that she is a leader tonight. She can't get rattled by Trump.

[17:45:14]

Trump often looks at a debate, maybe at life as performance art, whether it's stalking behind Hillary Clinton or being calmer with -- with President Biden so which one shows up and what -- someone very close to the Harris campaign said to me, if she can show that she knows how to handle him, that she is living rent free in his brain, his head. Then that's a win for her tonight.

BLITZER: That would certainly be a significant if that happens. Kasie Hunt, what does she need to do, you think, in order to prove that she's a leader and capable of being president of the United States, convince -- convincing these undecided voters out there that she is the best candidate?

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Wolf, I think one of the things that we have seen Kamala Harris do as a candidate and as a public figure is really evolve and learn and grow into the various roles that she has had over time, sometimes in public, in ways that have hurt her standing.

I first started covering her when she came from California as a senator, and you could see it in the halls of the Capitol. She initially tried talking to reporters in the hallways. She had some stumbles. She kind of pulled back, became less available, took some time, figured it out, came back out much stronger, having figured out, OK, this is how to handle the situation. And you've seen her do that. I interviewed her in 2018 and she raised questions about whether she wanted to abolish ICE in that interview. They had to clean it up.

It was one of the examples that she's since had of challenges in interview settings. It occurred again when she became vice president, and that's why there were a lot of questions before she took over the top of the ticket about whether or not President Biden himself was asking, saying, I don't think she can win. Then he was asking, can she win? And my big question is, I have seen her, and I think we have all seen her learn and grow into these roles. Has she gotten to the point where she is ready to stand on that stage and command it? And I think that's what the American people are going to be looking for.

BLITZER: What do you think, Michael?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST & POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I agree with everyone who says that the focus is on the vice president tonight. The reason that I believe that is because it's hard for me to envision a scenario where tomorrow morning, we're saying Donald Trump really blew it, because that vote of his is so fixed, right? High floor, low ceiling. He's somewhere in the 40s, and he always will be.

What I'm most looking for tonight is what's the message that she has for my neighbors here in the Philly burbs and in other suburban communities. And the pitch has got to be to people who say, please don't make me vote for him again. Give me some basis. Give me some reason that I'm comfortable with you because they don't like him personally, but they like him economically. What's the message for them?

BLITZER: Can she do that, Laura?

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Well, this is the trial of her lifetime. If the DNC speech was her opening statement, every single response will be an exhibit, and trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she is the candidate that they should choose and Donald Trump is guilty of his own demise, that's going to be her real challenge here.

And of course, most people think about prosecutors as being good at asking questions. She'll have to be able to read a room without a jury in the actual room, exploit different weaknesses, bury different leads and set traps that he can fall right into, all to demonstrate what she can do skillfully, she'll have a challenge as a woman of color, a challenge as somebody who will believe that every question is antagonistic and very little to do with not just the substantive, but she'll be judged in superficiality. But as a prosecutor, she's got to be strong, psychologically, substantively and politically.

BLITZER: All right. Everybody stand by. You're not going anywhere. We have a lot more to assess over the next couple hours.

Up next, Governor Tim Walz is slamming J.D. Vance. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:48:55]

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: My pro tip to him was, shut the hell up about talking about women. They don't need your help. They don't need your help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Welcome back to our special coverage of Debate Night in America. And the breaking news, J.D. Vance, you see that plane there just landing in Philadelphia. These are live pictures from the airport. He will be attending the debate. Meantime, the vice presidential candidate for Harris, Tim Walz, is in Arizona making a campaign stop there just a few moments ago, slamming both Vance and Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALZ: Donald Trump says it often, he wants to be in charge. He wants to make the decisions. You do not J.D. -- J.D. Vance, talking to you about your family. If you're a woman in here, my pro tip to him was, shut the hell up about talking about women. They don't need your help. They don't need your help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And Harry Enten, numbers master extraordinaire, is here with me. OK, so Harry, when you look at tonight --

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes.

BURNETT: -- obviously a lot on the line, but you got to go in with a plan if you're going to do well, of who you're going to focus on, they got to focus on specific groups from your analysis. What are those groups?

ENTEN: Yes, you want to go to the center of the electorate, all right. It's not the left, it's not the right, it's the center. Percentage of undecideds who are Independents. Look at this pure Independents, 54 percent. They make up only about 10 percent of the overall electorate. So very much overemphasized in this group. How about Moderates, 60 percent of moderates are, excuse me, 60 percent of undecideds are moderates.

Now, what do these undecideds actually want to hear about? Who do they want to hear from? Well, who do they want to learn more about? Look, just 18 percent want to hear about Donald Trump. Look, the bottom line is, unde -- undecideds have made up their mind about Donald Trump. They don't like him. Who they're interested in hearing from is Kamala Harris. Can she, in fact, seal the deal tonight? Because nearly a majority of them, 48 percent of undecideds, say they need to learn more about Kamala Harris.

Now, what do they want to hear about? Well, what are their top issues? Well, the economy, inflation, is number one at 30 percent but in fact, 28 percent right nearby have no top issue whatsoever. So this isn't necessarily just about issues, it's about personalities of the candidates as well. So I wouldn't be trying to get in the minutiae of policy details. You want to just show that you're a strong leader, that you can, in fact, lead this country into the future.

BURNETT: Which is fascinating. And also they know there may some be surprised to say are Moderates undecided, and that may make a bigger statement. But when you look at the past 270, where are these voters watching?

[17:55:01]

ENTEN: Yes, where are these voters? Look, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. Why? Look, if we give Wisconsin to Kamala Harris, we give Michigan to Kamala Harris, Pennsylvania gets you just over the top. Now, if you take Pennsylvania away and you, in fact, give it to Donald Trump, in fact, what Kamala Harris would need to do is win two additional states. So even if we give her, let's say the state of Georgia. The bottom line is she would need to win at least one other state going on here, so we could give her Nevada as well. That would get her there.

But Pennsylvania is this one state, this one magical state where, if you turn it blue, a lot of good things can happen. Because let's just say we give Michigan over to Trump and Wisconsin over to Trump. Look, now all of a sudden, if you give Pennsylvania over here and you give Nev -- let's say North Carolina as well, and we'll put this back in the red com, again, these three key battleground states --

BURNETT: Wow.

ENTEN: -- Pennsylvania is the only way in which you can win three of the key battleground states if you're Kamala Harris and -- and in the White House.

BURNETT: And gives her so many paths.

ENTEN: Exactly.

BURNETT: And obviously Trump is not currently winning those other two on the polling. All right, Harry, thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BURNETT: And our special coverage of Debate Night in America continues in just a moment. Wolf and I will be back. We have some new reporting in from both the Harris and Trump campaigns. That's after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)