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Trump Talks Of Blowing Iran To Smithereens During Event In North Carolina; Harris Makes Economic Pitch In Pennsylvania, Takes New Spites At Trump; Israel Says, IDF Preparing For Possible Ground Incursion In Lebanon; Biden Says He's "At Peace" With Decision To Exit Presidential Race; Senate Report Slams "Preventable" Secret Service Failures. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 25, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump talks of blowing Iran to smithereens after a briefing on threats to assassinate him, while Kamala Harris drives home the differences between her economic vision and Trump's on the stump and in a brand new interview. We're breaking down their dueling messages in key battleground states.

Also tonight, breaking news, Hurricane Helene is now forecast to be a monster category four storm before it makes a direct hit on Florida's Gulf Coast tomorrow. CNN is on the scene as officials are warning residents to get out now.

Plus, Israel strikes more Hezbollah targets from the air after intercepting a missile aimed at Tel Aviv. Now, the IDF says preparation for a possible ground incursion into Lebanon are underway, and President Biden says all-out war in the region is possible.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

Our top story tonight, the battleground state showdown between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the vice president trying to close the gap with Trump on the economy in all important Pennsylvania, this as the former president used a campaign event in North Carolina to rail against Iran.

CNN's Alayna Treene standing by in Charlotte. First, let's go to CNN's Eva McKend in Pittsburgh. Eva, what was Kamala Harris message to Pennsylvania voters?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, she called for greater investments in manufacturing for new technologies that would impact communities, like the ones right here in Pittsburgh. She also called for more investments for aerospace and artificial intelligence that would have an impact on the state's factory towns. But, ultimately, she was trying to make a cultural argument here, Wolf, that when it comes to the struggles of everyday Americans, that the former president just doesn't get it, it yielded the loudest applause here among invited guests at Carnegie Mellon University. Let's listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You see, for Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers, not those who actually build them, not those who wire them, not those who mop the floors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And, Wolf, it didn't end there. She said that the former president, that when it comes to him, he's among the biggest losers on manufacturing. She also said that unlike him, she would not sell out America to our competitors or our adversaries.

Now, the billionaire businessman, Mark Cuban, he was in the crowd and he spoke to reporters after the event and he was asked why the vice president continues to trail the president when voters are asked about this issue of the economy, why is there still this ten-point gap? And he simply stated that she essentially needs more time, that she's still a relatively new candidate for president and that her message is still getting out there. But he's confident that once Americans hear about her economic vision, that they will support her. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Eva, I want you to stand by as we bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. She's covering Donald Trump's pitch to North Carolina voters. Alayna, Trump also delivered an economic policy speech, but he had very strong words about several other topics.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: And that's exactly right. Donald Trump, this speech today in North Carolina was billed as an economic speech, which he did talk about the economy at length, but it was very clear during his remarks that he also had an eye on the foreign leaders who are currently in the United States for the U.N. General Assembly, and at one point he was discussing the two assassination attempts on his life, and then he started to sharply criticize Iran. And at one point, he even claimed that if he were president and if any foreign country, whether it be Iran or another country, tried to threaten a leading U.S. candidate running for a presidential election that he would blow that country to smithereens.

[18:05:08]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If I were the president, I would inform the threatening country, in this case Iran, that if you do anything to harm this person, we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Wolf, this comes just a day after Donald Trump says that he was briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Iran's potential plot to try and assassinate him. It also comes as we heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier today saying that the Biden administration is intensely tracking any type of threat from Iran on former and current U.S. officials.

But, look, Iran and Iranian leaders were not the only topic, or foreign leaders, I should say, that Donald Trump brought up here in North Carolina. He also started to sharply criticize President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine during his speech today as well. And, really, it was some of the most public criticisms we have heard from Donald Trump of Zelenskyy thus far. And also his comments really indicated that he would significantly pare back support to Ukraine and funding for the war between Ukraine and Russia if he were elected in November. He said at one point that those cities are gone, speaking about Ukraine, they're gone. And we continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refused to make a deal, Zelenskyy. So, some very harsh words there as well from the foreign president about Ukraine. Wolf?

BLITZER: Very interesting. All right, Alayna Treene and Eva McKend, to both of you, thank you very much.

Let's get some more on the presidential race. Our political experts are with us. And, Jasmine Wright, I'll start with you. The vice president, Kamala Harris, just sat down for her first national one-on- one interview as the Democratic nominee. Here's a clip from that. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE RUHLE, MSNBC HOST: Tariffs aren't unique to President Trump. President Biden has tariffs in place. He's actually looking to potentially implement more. Where do you come out on? Is there a good tariff, a bad tariff?

HARRIS: Well, part of it is you don't just throw around the idea of just tariffs across the board, and that's part of the problem with Donald Trump. Frankly, and I say this in all sincerity, he's just not very serious about how he thinks about some of these issues. And one must be serious and have a plan, and a real plan that's not just about some talking point ending in an exclamation at a political rally but actually putting the thought into what will be the return on the investment and what will be the economic impact on everyday people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Jasmine, what stood out to you from that answer?

JASMINE WRIGHT, REPORTER, NOTUS: Well, I think it's really interesting, Wolf, because reporters were hoping to hear more from the vice president on tariffs. It was something that was previewed that she would talk about, and she didn't actually really get to it in her speech in Pennsylvania. But I think here, we have a wholesale answer from her really trying to narrow in on the contrast between the former president and herself, trying to cast him as somebody serious on a litany of issues.

But, of course, right now we're talking about tariffs. The vice president has cast Trump's ideas of tariffs basically pulling in all of these other people who say that they wouldn't work, passing it as unserious, basically saying it's a tax on Americans. And so she's been pretty public about her views on Trump's ideas of tariffs.

I think one thing we should not is that she didn't actually answer what would be a good tariff and what would be a bad tariff, kind of getting back to that idea, Wolf, that Americans aren't necessarily hearing the type of specificity from her that they would want to. Of course, I know people have said that it's a double standard because you're not exactly hearing any type of specificity from the former president.

But I think that that's one thing that people will ask her time and time again is what is a good tariff, what is a bad tariff. But, wholesale, what we heard from the vice president today was her really leaning in on this more middle of the road moderation when it comes to the economy. She said she was a pragmatist. She said she wouldn't be moved by ideology when it comes to the economy. And I think that that answer feeds back into that, trying to show that she is going to be more middle of the road on the economy, but also casting Trump as an unserious person.

BLITZER: Bryan Lanza is with us as well, Bryan Lanza, senior adviser to the Trump campaign. Bryan, Trump, as we all know, is a big fan of tariffs. He claims they can pay for tax breaks, lower prices, and even help the cost of child care. So, how do you respond to Kamala Harris' claim that Trump isn't being serious with these proposals?

BRYAN LANZA, SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP 2024 CAMPAIGN: You know, first of all, Wolf, thank you for having me. You know, how I respond to Kamala Harris and that's how we respond to the American people. Look at President Trump's economic records when he was president. It's pretty clear that tariffs worked with some respect as he targeted China and brought them to the negotiating table. But if you look at the everyday pocketbook of Americans during the Trump term, they experienced tremendous amount of wage growth. They didn't have the inflation that's wiping out their savings. They're not having to cash in their retirement to make ends meet.

[18:10:00]

And so what people heard from, you know, Stephanie Ruhle's interview and from people heard earlier today or from the economic speech is very -- it's a lack of specifics because she can't get to the details that offer a real plan forward because she has to acknowledge the failures of the last four years. And those failures lie squarely on Harris-Biden. They're the ones who wiped out the American middle class with high tariffs. Kamala Harris is the one who's talking about, you know, price controls for housing or for food and stuff like that. Price controls fails. And the best place we know price controls fails is in New York City and in San Francisco, liberal San Francisco, with price controls.

BLITZER: But, Bryan, even some of Trump's Republican supporters, big shots, are panning his tariff proposals. Listen and watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Yes, I'm not a fan of tariffs. They raise the prices for American consumers. I'm more of a free trade kind of Republican that remembers how many jobs are created by the exports that we engage in. So, I'm not a tariff fan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, is Mitch McConnell wrong? What do you think?

LANZA: Well, yes. I mean, look at the record. Look at President Trump's record when he was president, his economic record. Tariffs worked when he was looking to achieve his policy goals. People had more money in their pockets. So, yes, there's an old establishment that sort of wants this fair trade that benefits the few, but the reality is tariffs have benefited the vast majority of Americans during Trump's presidential term, and at least President Trump knows what a tariff is and will provide an answer, which you won't get from Kamala Harris.

BLITZER: All right. Ashley, let me get your thoughts. Is Harris doing enough to paint the picture for Americans that tariffs will actually raise the cost of goods that are imported into the United States?

ASHLEY ETIENNE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: I mean, what I love about Bryan is, like, Trump is always right, everybody else is wrong. I mean, it's this convenient amnesia that Republicans have. You know, Donald Trump oversaw the worst economy in modern history. 2 million women dropped out of the workforce under in his watch. You know, the failure on COVID is what triggered the spike in inflation. He added $8 trillion to the deficit. So, this convenient amnesia around the economy is really deceptive to the American people.

And, you know, I think we need to infuse some truth here and some facts here, and I think that's what the vice president really needs to lean into. She needs to also remind people that your life was not better under Donald Trump. He might talk about the first three years, but let's talk about the last year, which was an explosion of his complete and total failure.

And when we talk about tariffs, Mitch McConnell's absolutely right, it cost him billions of dollars to the average American. In fact, it triggered these tariff wars where, you know, other companies were charging us more for goods. I mean, it was completely irresponsible and hit the pocketbooks of the American people.

But I will say one thing, if you don't mind, Wolf, a little critical of the vice president. I felt like there was absolutely nothing novel about what happened today. I mean, to give an economic speech at an economic club in Pittsburgh, I mean, there's nothing about that that feels fresh, new. It's not even consistent with what I even know about her. I worked for her as her communications director.

So, my point is to her and her team, you've got 40 days. The only way you can beat Donald Trump is you've got to take greater risk. That message that happened today at 3:00 in the middle of day, I'm not sure that that's going to move any of the constituents that she needs to target right now, Latino and black men, for example, I'm not sure they heard themselves in that speech. And what I know about the vice president, she actually sees people and they need to put that on display. But this was not -- to me, was not a great --

BLITZER: Let me let Jasmine weigh in on that. Do you think Kamala Harris, Jasmine, should take greater risks on these sensitive issues?

WRIGHT: Well, I always think that the vice president should take greater risk. I think that's something that really bogged her down the first two years and potentially the third year of her vice presidency is that she was a bit too cautious, too unable or unwilling to be kind of freewheeling and deal with all of the things that this White House had to deal with while the last four years, particularly when it came to things like her role in immigration. We saw her kind of get out of that cautious mold when it came to abortion after Roe v. Wade was struck down, but that really happened kind of in the third year.

I think that one thing that Ashley said to that point is that you actually did hear the vice president try to sound more personable in her speech. You really heard her try to moderate her tone, try to insert some jokes in between these policy ideas, trying to show that she's really comfortable in giving these economic speeches just because they recognize, one, that American voters don't necessarily know what she would do as president, but also that they see her closing this gap in between herself and the former president as when asked -- when voters are asked who they trust more on the economy.

And so I think that was the motivation for this speech when it was really unclear whether or not they would come out with another policy rollout.

BLITZER: And in the speech, she cited a lot of her personal history, which was, I think, important as well.

All right, guys, thank you very, very much.

[18:15:00]

Just ahead, I'll speak with a top Harris supporter, the Illinois governor, J.B. Pritzker.

And President Biden offers campaign advice to Vice President Harris live on daytime T.V.

Plus, we're tracking Hurricane Helene on a collision course with Florida's Gulf Coast. Stand by for an update just in on when and exactly where it will end.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We have another clip from the first Kamala Harris interview since she became the Democratic presidential nominee. Listen to what she's saying about how she would pay for some of her economic proposals. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We're going to have to raise corporate taxes and we're going to have to raise -- we're going to have to make sure that the biggest corporations and billionaires pay their fair share. That's just it. It's about paying their fair share.

[18:20:00]

I am not mad at anyone for achieving success, but everyone should pay their fair share. And it is not right that the teachers and the firefighters that I meet every day across our country are paying a higher tax than the richest people in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's discuss with a high-profile Kamala Harris supporter, the Democratic governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker. Governor, thanks so much for joining us. The economy, as you know, is showing signs of moving in a positive direction. So, why is now the right time to raise corporate taxes?

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Well, it's important to recognize the difference between these two plans, right, that Kamala Harris wants to put $6,000 in the hands of young families so they can raise their children. She wants to make sure that there's $25,000 available for people put a down payment on a new home, $50,000 for people who want to start a new business. These are all great things for American families. Donald Trump wants tariffs on people. And I want to remind you that it was tariffs that drove our economy back in the 1930s into the Great Depression.

So, this is the difference between the two of these candidates. Kamala Harris is just saying that, you know, if you're going to put programs forward, you got to make sure to pay for it. And the people who can most afford to pay for it are the wealthiest people in the country and the wealthiest corporations.

BLITZER: So, you support raising corporate taxes?

PRITZKER: Well, I think it's the right thing to do when you need to pay the bills that you don't want to put the burden on average American families, working class people, the working families of America already overly burdened, and she's trying to lower the cost for them, put some money in their pockets and make sure that the people who can most afford it are paying for it.

BLITZER: In our CNN poll, Governor, 50 percent of voters say Trump would do a better job managing the economy compared to just 39 percent for Kamala Harris. So, why aren't voters buying Kamala Harris' economic message, at least not so far?

PRITZKER: Look, she only became a candidate back, what, about eight weeks, ten weeks ago. So, it's been, you know, a slow, steady manner of progress for her over the last ten weeks to get that message out and make sure that people know that she's fighting for families that are struggling sometimes, right? Inflation has been hard on people. And she's the one who's trying to lower costs and put money in people's pockets.

BLITZER: But she's been, what, vice president for almost four years, right?

PRITZKER: Yes. But remember vice presidents work, serve at the pleasure of the president. She's been, you know, absolutely behind President Biden's plan, but she also is somebody who has her own ideas and she's putting those forward so that people know she's a candidate all on her own who brings strength and ideas and a strong economy is something that she believes in.

But remember that it's taken a lot to get the economy out of the challenges that were brought on by COVID. And remember that when Donald Trump left his post in 2020, right, he had left us with a couple of million fewer jobs than when he came into office. And it's been the Biden-Harris administration that brought back 16 million jobs.

And now Kamala Harris is putting forward her plan for how to grow the economy, put people to work. I really think she's got the better idea and she's not babbling things about tariffs that, frankly, are going to take $4,000 out of every American's pockets and something that people can't afford, they've been fighting against for some time now. And now Donald Trump, whose economists are now saying that his plan would drive us further in debt, and make sure that we've got inflation that people just can't afford anymore. So, we finally got it tamed. Donald Trump wants to bring inflation back.

BLITZER: It's interesting, Governor, that in our new CNN poll of younger voters, Kamala Harris leads Trump 52 percent to 40 percent among likely voters younger than 35, but falls short of Biden's 2020 margin. Why aren't younger voters responding to her the same way they did in 2020?

PRITZKER: Well, again, you know, she's been on the campaign trail now as a candidate on her own for, what, ten weeks. So, I think it's been important for her to get the message out. But you've seen those numbers steadily rising and she's doing very well in the national polls as well as in the battleground states.

So, I feel pretty good about where she stands and I think she's going to do even better among younger voters as they start to recognize that she's the one standing up for their freedom, for their futures, right, for the opportunity for them to get a job, to buy a house, to have a family. She's the one putting together a program that will help them. And Donald Trump has nothing to offer except taking away women's right to choose and shutting down people's individual freedoms.

BLITZER: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, thanks as usual for joining us.

[18:25:01]

PRITZKER: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, Israel is now warning its forces may launch a ground invasion of Southern Lebanon. CNN journalists are on the ground inside both countries. Stand by, we'll have live reports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: All right. Right now, let's get to the latest developments in the Middle East, Israel warning of a potential ground incursion into Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah attempts an unprecedented missile attack against Tel Aviv.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is standing by live in the Lebanese capital of Beirut for us. But first, let's go to CNN's Nic Robertson.

[18:30:00]

He has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Close to a million people woken by the sound of Hezbollah's escalation. Its first ballistic missile capable of carrying hundreds of pounds of explosives intercepted just north of Tel Aviv. Hezbollah said it was targeting Mossad, Israel's intelligence headquarters, its deepest strike into Israel yet.

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: One of the key areas that we've been trying to prevent escalation is between Israel and Hezbollah up along that border with Lebanon. So, obviously, we woke up this morning to these reports deeply concerning.

ROBERTSON: The IDF quickly destroying the Hezbollah launcher, the missile itself, which caused no casualties taken out by Israel's fast high altitude David's Sling interceptor.

Other shorter range Hezbollah missiles falling closer to the Lebanese border. Two men injured in this house, one seriously.

Across the border in Lebanon, Israel continuing its pressure on Hezbollah, overnight airstrikes hitting a suspected Hezbollah ammo dump, bombing continuing Wednesday. Dozens of people killed, among them civilians, hundreds dead already this week. Tens of thousands of Lebanese on the move, trying to get out of harm's way. Israel warning them to stay away from their homes, until it gives them the all clear.

This as Israeli commanders consider their coming moves at the northern border, the strongest signal yet, Israel readying to deploy troops into Lebanon.

MAJ. GEN. ORI GORDIN, IDF COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE NORTHERN COMMAND: We need to change the security situation and we must be fully prepared for maneuvers and action.

ROBERTSON: Their ability for action enhanced late Wednesday, the IDF calling up two reserve brigades, a few thousand additional troops.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ROBERTSON (on camera): And news just coming in from the IDF troops up along the border there spotted something suspicious on their side of the border and have engaged fired shots at these suspicious activities. It's not quite clear from the IDF yet what the troops have seen, but an indication that things are very tense along the border there, Wolf, and it wouldn't be the first time that Hezbollah has sent a couple of fighters across the border.

BLITZER: Yes, let's watch it closely. Nic Robertson, stay with us. We got some questions for you. But I also want to bring in CNN's Jomana Karadsheh right now. She's joining us live from Beirut. Jomana, how great is the fear across Lebanon right now of a potential Israeli ground invasion and of Israel repeating the tactics we've seen in Gaza?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Wolf, that fear is palpable here. Since October the 8th, when Hezbollah began attacking Israel, and what they said was in support of the people of Gaza, what you've had was this mid level intensity conflict that was very much, for the most part, confined to the border region.

But things have dramatically changed and escalated in just the past week or so. You had the pager and walkie-talkie attacks, the strikes in Beirut and then this intense bombardment, these airstrikes by the Israelis that we have seen in recent days that have killed and injured hundreds of people who have been killed. Monday was the deadliest day in Lebanon in decades, with more than 500 people killed. You've got these airstrikes that are continuing.

And, look, Wolf, we don't know how many of those who have been killed are civilians, how many of them are Hezbollah fighters. But according to the Lebanese government, many of those casualties are civilians, women and children. And, you know, there is no question here that Hezbollah has faced blow after blow, as we've seen over the past week.

But this has also been devastating for the people of Lebanon and for this country that has gone through so much. You know, we've got hospitals here that are struggling to deal with thousands of people. You have a country now dealing, according to the foreign minister, with the number of displaced people that is approaching 500,000. That's nearly 10 percent of Lebanon's population.

You know, we met a young man today who arrived from the south.

[18:35:03]

He was pretty shaken by the intense bombardment this morning. He says him and his family have nothing to do with Hezbollah. And he says what we've seen happening in Gaza, he says we are now watching this happen here. There's this real fear that you hear from people what's being described as the Gazafication of Lebanon.

BLITZER: Nic, is Israel prepared militarily, what are you hearing, for a potential ground invasion into Lebanon to go after Hezbollah and potentially this full out war with Hezbollah after nearly a year of fighting going on in Gaza? ROBERTSON: Yes, Wolf. I was meeting with some senior IDF officials today asking exactly that question. Look, they won't say if troops are going to go across the border, but what they are saying is, if that's necessary for us to secure the border and push Hezbollah away from the border, then that's what we're going to do. The moment they're doing it by airstrikes, they're trying to degrade Hezbollah's ability to see what's coming, to be able to structure big attacks today. They went after 70 different intelligence centers. That's how the idea of describe them.

But absolutely, you know, the signaling from on the ground there, you had the defense minister the day before yesterday. You had the army chief of staff today. You had the northern commander today. And they're all signaling, you know, troops and training along the border. The number of troops is being increased. They're bringing in another two reserve brigades. That's a couple of thousand troops additional are being brought back, brought into the fighting force now.

So, the force is going to be ready. They've got their best fighting troops, the 98th Parachute Division along the border, the best trained, the best battle hardened. This is what their commanders tell them. And the message is, you're going to be going on maneuvers. These aircraft flying over your heads are supporting you.

So, I think everything is ready for that moment when probably the politicians will make a call on the troops going across. The caveat in all of this is, do negotiations that de-escalate, that are hugely under way in New York, do they then hold the IDF back from pushing troops across the border? Not clear yet.

BLITZER: We shall see. Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv, Jomana Karadsheh in Beirut, thanks to both of you.

Just ahead, Hurricane Helene intensifying big time tonight as a new forecast now projects it to strengthen into a category four storm. Our live report from the evacuation zone in Florida just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: All right, there's breaking news we're following right now. A just released new forecast from the National Weather Service now projects Hurricane Helene will strengthen into a category 4 storm before slamming into Florida's Gulf Coast tomorrow.

Our Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is on the scene for us. He's along the Gulf Coast in Florida, close to where Helene is expected to make landfall. Derek, what are we in for when this hurricane hits?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Wolf. Well, if this storm surge indicator is any kind of indication of what's to come here in Battery Park in Apalachicola, then we need to be preparing for the worst. This indicates the shading of blue, the potential water levels of a category four landfalling hurricane within this area. The shading of yellow that is a three water inundation. This shading of red, of course, a category 2. And I want to just show you the 10 to 15-foot storm surge we're anticipating with this cat 4 storm coming in, and that is nearly twice as high is where I'm standing now. That will certainly inundate buildings within this area.

This is the storm that people within Apalachicola, Franklin County have feared under a mandatory evacuation within the entirety of this county. And the reason this area is so susceptible to storm surge is because there is such a shallow shelf that extends off almost 50 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico over my right shoulder that you could be about 10 to 20 feet deep and then that shelf drops off dramatically. So, when the storm surge that gets pushed up by a massive storm like this reaches that shelf, it only gets pushed up dramatically into this Apalachicola Bay region.

Now, I want you to see this satellite loop because it is showing signs that it is really starting to strengthen. And we know that because of how defined this center of circulation is. You can see it right on the satellite loop. There's a lot of outflow associated with the system as well. And this storm is just becoming -- it's ballooning in size. That's the best way I can describe it.

Right now, tropical storm winds extend 345 miles from center. By the time this makes landfall, it will be over 400 miles. This could potentially make it one of the largest Gulf of Mexico storms in terms of its wind field in modern era, even eclipsing Hurricane Katrina, and we remember what that storm did as well.

Now, the other threats about this storm is not only the potential of the storm surge and the intense catastrophic winds that we're expecting right along the shoreline, but it's moving at such a clip that by the time it reaches Florida, we'll already be saying goodbye to the system because it's going to move inland that much quicker.

So, it's going to bring the bulk of its hazards along with it. And as a meteorologist, I've never seen this before, the entire state of Georgia, South Carolina, and the vast majority of Florida under some sort of tropical alert, whether that's a tropical storm warning or a hurricane warning. So, winds could reach 60, 65 miles per hour in the Atlanta metro area.

Let's talk about hazards. There are a lot of trees, particularly pine trees from here all the way to Atlanta. So, those are going to certainly fall and then that's going to cause -- and then, of course, we got to talk about the rain, unprecedented amount of rainfall coming, according to the National Weather Service, that will cause flash flooding and swift water rescues certainly. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, stay safe over there, Derek Van Dam, to our photojournalist on the scene as well.

[18:45:02]

Coming up, President Biden answering questions about Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, and his own decision to exit the 2024 race.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Americans got to see a more freewheeling side to President Biden today. Our Brian Todd has more on the first-ever appearance by a sitting president on the daytime talk show, "The View".

Brian, President Biden covered a range of topics.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They covered a lot of ground, Wolf, and the audience cheered repeatedly. The president was asked what he really thought of Nancy Pelosi, and he talked openly about leaving the race and about Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Unburdened and unplugged, President Biden says, he's at peace with his decision to drop out of this year's race. As for what advice he's given Vice President Kamala Harris since then?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Be herself. Look, she is smart as hell, number one.

[18:50:03]

She's tough. She was a first-rate prosecutor. She is United States senator of significant consequence.

And as vice president, there wasn't a single thing that I did that she couldn't do.

TODD: In a rare live TV interview with ABC's "The View", the president seemed to give Harris the most boisterous endorsement he could.

BIDEN: She is bright, she's tough, she's honorable. And the thing I like about her and one thing we share in common is that we are having optimistic view in the future here. I mean, this is -- there's nothing we can't do.

TODD: Despite what many polls indicated at the time of his withdrawal from the race, Biden said this about his chances if he'd stayed in.

BIDEN: I was confident I would be Trump. He's going to lose.

TODD: The interviewers pressed Biden on whether he felt he was forced to withdraw, and on the subject of Nancy Pelosi, who was widely believed to have been a driving force behind the scenes of Biden's departure from the race, and who said several weeks after the president stepped aside, that she's still hadn't spoken to him, Biden said this about his current relationship with the former House speaker.

BIDEN: Our relationship is fine. Look, I -- I never fully believed the assertions that somehow there was this overwhelming reluctance of my running again. I didn't sense that.

TODD: Political observers skeptical of that claim, given reports that Biden did resent Pelosi. WRIGHT: We know just how important her back-channeling was, with Democratic Party was, in getting him to step beside, back-channeling with his own office. And I think that the reports that he was really upset by it are really attached by people that he thought were his friends, at least political allies is true.

TODD: Pelosi has refused to say whether she directly told Biden that he needed to step aside.

Near the end of the interview, the president was asked how he wanted to be remembered.

BIDEN: When I want to remember for as being honest in what I've done, straight up in building relationships. It matters to build trust. It matters, it matters, it matters.

TODD: One observer says, despite the enthusiasm and warmth he has been received with recently, much of this has to be tough for Joe Biden.

WRIGHT: But I'm sure that there are some real sadness in his mind because he says things like, I still think that I could've won against former President Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): That interview could help Joe Biden cement part of his legacy. Analyst Jasmine Wright says the president likely hopes that at least part of that legacy will be that at the toughest moment of his political career, when so many were pushing for him to drop out of the race, he put the country in his party above himself -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Interesting. Brian Todd, thanks very much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:07]

BLITZER: A scathing congressional review of the U.S. Secret Service is highlighting a series of major missteps leading up to the first attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

CNN's Paula Reid has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Take a look at what happened --

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stunning Secret Service failures around the first Trump assassination attempt detailed in a newly released bipartisan Senate report, citing interviews with top Secret Service officials and local law enforcement who provided security at the July rally. The report concludes failures were foreseeable and preventable and found that many of the problems identified remain unaddressed by the Secret Service.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): There was nobody in charge on the ground in Pennsylvania.

REID: Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal heads a committee that worked on the report. He says change needs to come from the top.

BLUMENTHAL: The buck definitely stops with the head of the agency, the department of homeless its security, Alexander Mayorkas has to take charge, clean house, replace this leadership and provide full disclosure.

Among the failures highlighted in the report, failure to set a visual barriers, lack of a plan for how to secure the building where the shooter took aim, and general chaos of communications around the shooter's movements.

The United States Secret Service lead advanced planning agents could not answer questions about who specifically was responsible for determining the perimeter and who approved the designation of the perimeter, and at least two documents the Secret Service created detailing security for the event contained errors regarding the positions the local counter snipers at the event, multiple officials, including acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe, have acknowledged the issues that day.

RONALD ROWE, ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: It's important that we hold ourselves accountable for the failures of July 13th and then we'll use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another failure like this again.

REID: As criticism of the response that day has been a rare area of bipartisan consensus.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): There were multiple failures of the Secret Service and things have to be better. You know, we were -- the ink was not even dry on the report until there was a second assassination attempt.

REID: Even as former President Trump continues to praised those responsible for his security.

TRUMP: I give Secret Service a hell of a lot of credit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on camera): CNN has learned that several high ranking Secret Service officials plan to step down in the coming weeks. Sources tell us the retirements were planned before the July assassination attempt, but these departures leave a gap and the experience leadership of this service's top ranks at a critical time, Wolf.

BLITZER: We're also learning Paula, I take it about a new allegation against an agent involved in security for Vice President Harris?

REID: That's right. CNN has confirmed a Secret Service agent is on administrative leave over alleged sexual misconduct against a staffer for Vice President Harris.

Now the incident allegedly occurred during the advanced security planning a trip for a visit to Wisconsin. CNN is working to confirm additional details about exactly what happened. The office of the vice president said they have a zero tolerance policy for sexual misconduct, but will not be releasing any further information and a Secret Service spokesman said in a statement that their office of professional responsibility is investigating -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Paula Reid reporting for us -- Paula, thanks very much.

And to our viewers, thanks for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.