CNN.com - Transcripts (2024)

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: The second night of the Republican National Convention is underway in Milwaukee. The primetime program I designed to be a showcase of party unity behind the new Trump-Vance ticket.

[19:00:06]

And we are standing by to hear from tonight's top speakers, and to hear whether they stay on the Trump message.

CNN's convention coverage continues now with this special edition of OUTFRONT.

Welcome to all. I'm Erin Burnett, along with Wolf Blitzer.

And, Wolf, what are you watching for tonight?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Erin, we've been told to expect that Donald Trump will return very soon to this arena tonight. It's already very, very lively, and about to get even more exciting. And the former president, he'll be in the hall for at least two of the most anticipated speakers tonight, his former Republican primary opponents, the former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who was the last bit drop out after a very bitter race, and the Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Also coming up this hour, Republicans will focus on their fight to retake the U.S. Senate, featuring candidates from key valid drug states that will decide the presidential election, including among others, Kari Lake in Arizona, and Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, whose remarks are straight ahead -- Erin.

And those, of course, are going to be crucial. We see what they will say, if McCormick running in Pennsylvania was, of course, at that Trump rally on Saturday evening.

Lets go to Boris Sanchez now.

Boris, you've got a prime spot for tonight's major speeches. You are I understand right near the stage.

So tell us more about the lineup tonight.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erin, it is a lineup full of Republican lawmakers as well as everyday Americans that Republicans are hoping to drive the message home to voters that they are trying to send. Right now, we are watching the crowd moving to the sounds of the cover band. But soon enough, a slate of Republican lawmakers will take to the stage hitting over an hour of speakers aiming to take Senate seats. We have lawmakers from Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, including the former gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, the former TV anchor. She's actually set to speak here in just moments.

These are candidates that in their particular states were actually running behind where Donald Trump is in poll right now. He's actually leading them these battleground states. Nevertheless, we will hear from them. They're going to make the case for Trump and the case for themselves.

As you noted, we're going to hear from David McCormick, who was at that rally on Saturday. It'll be interesting to hear what he says about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, especially in light of these bipartisan calls for unity and a tone down the rhetoric. Aside from that later in the evening, were going to hear from everyday Americans, these are folks who are Republicans have put forward everyday citizens.

Tonight, the theme is make America safe again, they're going to go heavy on a message about but immigration and public safety, and will hear directly from those cities.

BURNETT: Boris, thank you very much. I'm sorry to interrupt, but we do want to take Kari Lake, who is on stage right now. Lead us listen to the -- obviously, she's running for Senate now, to Kari Lake, a staunch Trump supporter, of Trump's false election claims in Arizona as well.

Let's listen.

KARI LAKE (R), ARIZONA SENATE CANDIDATE: Wow. Hello. I love you. I love you. I love you, Arizona.

You guys are amazing. Wow, this is -- this is MAGA energy tonight, guys. Love it.

Oh, wow. This room, America, I wish you were in this room with us. This is electric.

Hello, America. Welcome, everybody, who's watching at home and welcome everybody in this great arena tonight. We love you all.

Actually, actually. Wait a minute, I don't mean that. I don't welcome everybody in this, meaning you in this room. The guys up in the fake news, frankly -- all right. Frankly, you guys up there in the fake news have worn out your welcome, right? You've worn it out, guys.

You have spent the last eight years lying about President Donald Trump and his -- and his amazing patriotic supporters. Actually guys, they lie about everything. They've lied about. Joe Biden's health, the economy, the laptop, the border, I could go on and on and on.

But the really good news is that every day, more and more people are turning off the fake news. And there --

(CHEERS)

LAKE: That's right.

[19:05:03]

And Americans are waking up to the truth about the disastrous Democrat policies pushed by Joe Biden and his favorite congressman, my opponent, Ruben Gallego. These guys -- they are full -- they're full of bad ideas.

Just last week, Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.

(BOOS)

LAKE: Gallego, and the Democrats have handed over control of my state, Arizona's border, to the drug cartels, and because of them, criminals and deadly drugs are pouring in and our children are dying. Our children are getting their hands on these drugs and dying.

I'll tell you the hardest thing I've had -- I've had to do on the campaign trail is talk to moms and dads who come up to me and tell me that their 19-year-old son has died because of fentanyl poisoning, or the 22-year-old daughter took a half a pill and she's gone.

We are losing a generation of young people to this fentanyl crisis and has got to stop the grand canyon state has become the fentanyl state, and it's not okay with this mom. I'm not okay with that.

I don't think it's okay with that mom. I don't think its okay with that mom.It doesn't have to be this way. The problems we face are huge, the problems caused by the Democrat Party.

But the solutions, guys, they're really simple. First of all, stopped the Biden invasion and build the wall. Easy.

(CHANTING)

And while we're building the wall, let's kick Bidenomics to the curb and bring back the MAGAnomics. Is that okay?

I missed the strong Trump economy and because I'm a mama bear, I want to replace this indoctrination, this psychological abuse they're inflicting on our children with a real, solid, quality education. It's all common sense.

The great news is that we can solve these problems. And to be honest, we must solve these problems for the sake of our children because that's really what this is all about, right? The next generation, the future of our country.

I learned something watching the Nature Channel, that the most dangerous place on planet Earth is between a mama bear and her baby cubs, right?

And that's exactly where the radical left have found themselves, and it's not going to go well for them. Because guess what? They have awoken a sleeping giant. Tens of millions of moms and dads from sea to shining sea, they're going to show up on November 5th, and they're going to be hearing from us on November 5th. That's right.

Actually, I think -- I can think of one thing more dangerous and a grizzly bear and its a middle age fed-up mother in Washington, D.C. And I haven't even started my hot flashes yet, guys, just wait, just wait.

But seriously, I want every mother and father to know this that we, the Republican Party, will fight. I will fight, not just for my kids and my daughters over here. Are you over there? Ruby, wave to me, wave to mom. My daughters over there.

I want to fight -- selfishly, I want to fight for my kids, but I want to fight for your kids as well. They deserve a better future. They deserve a better future.

But the really good news here and the fake news want -- the fake news wants us to believe we're 50/50, at each other's throat, they're creating division and anger, Americans are actually much more united than people believe, right? You see it, we see it.

We want to make life better and we want to create an incredible future for this generation, and the next generation. And together when we joined together, we will make America safe again. And we will make America great again.

God bless all of you here tonight. God bless you, America, and God bless President Donald J. Trump. I love you, guys. Thank you. Thank you.

[19:10:01]

BURNETT: Kari Lake, former television anchor, of course, for a couple of decades, slamming the news media.

Let's go to Daniel Dale, our fact checker, of course, here.

Daniel, what did you just hear in that brief address from Kari Lake?

DANIEL DALE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: A lot of subjective claims, a lot of opinion, but also one significant false claim. She claimed that her opponent in this Senate race, Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, voted to allow undocumented immigrants to vote in this upcoming election. That did not happen. There was no such vote.

Undocumented immigrants, like all immigrants who do not have U.S. citizenship are not permitted to vote in federal elections already. What happened recently, this month is that the Republican controlled House, how to vote to add proof of citizenship for voter registration. Now that passed along party lines. Democrats said it's not necessary because the -- all the data shows

there is a tiny smattering of instances in which an undocumented people and other non-citizens vote. It is already punishable by prison time, by fines, by deportation, severe penalties. So it essentially does not happen on any significant scale, and they said this legislation was redundant and unnecessary, certainly did not allow anyone who has come over the border during the Biden administration to go vote in 2024.

BURNETT: All right. Daniel Dale, thank you very much.

All right. Maggie, interesting, 20 years as a news anchor. She presents, she knows how to do that and slamming the fake news as she called it, just interesting in light of her resume, but that was a red meat MAGA speech.

MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah. And it's important to bear in mind that what we have not seen play out so far in this convention. There's not a ton of cohesion and the speech was from last night, right? You had Amber Rose speaking and then you had Sean O'Brien, the head of the Teamsters speaking and he was delivering a message that whatever people heard through their television sets, the delegates in the hallway heard him denouncing corporate America, which is I think they were pretty surprised by this reaction.

(CROSSTALK)

I mean, that said, it was smart politics for Trump in terms of he will say, I had this head of labor here and that's the top line he's looking for, but that was the reality of the speech.

This is much more, I think what people were expecting, they would see out of this convention. Prior to the attempt on Donald Trump's life on Saturday, they expected there to be lots of fake news and sort of slashed and burned, and I don't know what this means in terms of what we will hear from some other speakers.

But this is authentic to who she is. This is the way she's running. This is the red meat that she has been running on. This is also why, according to some Republicans, who would like to see the Senate become that seat, become a Republican seat in Arizona she is struggling in that race because this turns off a lot of moderates.

BURNETT: She is struggling.

JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: She is struggling. I was just looking at the Real Clear Politics average, and she's right now about three points down. And the last YouGov poll had her seven points down. So she has been trending down.

But I will tell you there are Democrats in Arizona who I've talked to about this, right? They're worried about the top of the ticket. They are worried that of Joe Biden actually is not competitive with Donald Trump, and he begins to slide in Arizona too far low that it might be too much of a weight for Ruben Gallego to make up in the end.

So this is -- some of the pressures on the White House to show that they can actually be competitive in some of these battleground .

BURNETT: It is a bit whiplash, Jonah, okay, because last night, we had Marjorie Taylor Greene ensuring -- telling the world that there's two genders, right? And then you've got Kari Lake, right? You've got the MAGA MAGA.

But then tonight, you're going to have Marco Rubio and Nikki Haley. We're going to be doing something very different. It is at least -- we believe that they will certainly from what they stand for and foreign policy and others, they will, it is whiplash. It is two very different messages.

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah. No, it's at least two. I think it's a potpourri. It's a smorgasbord of messages.

And I think some of that is intentional. I think -- I don't think there are. I haven't looked at the ratings. I don't know, but my hunch is that a lot of people aren't watching this thing glued to their TVs for tuning in and out all that. But what these speeches do sort of getting to Maggie's point is they provide ammo to cut up into direct -- to marketing materials. We will see little clips of the Teamsters guy that only saying stuff that's good for Trump.

BURNETT: Micro, micro targeting.

GOLDBERG: Micro-targeting or on TikTok or whatever to try to do with her viral way. And this is just basically the raw footage for what are going to be a whole bunch of diced up things.

On Nikki and Marco and all that, I should point out that my wife used to work for Nikki, I'm telling you in the last hour, I'm very concerned about this. I think that some of the signals that came out last night spell the end of Reaganite foreign policy and a really dangerous turn in American foreign policy.

And if Marco Rubio and Nikki Haley, who both believe basically in an assertive, strong national defense and maintaining our allies, with -- and NATO, if they're allowed to say that, that means that people oh, who were against it, including David -- including J.D. Vance, that that is the actual official voice of the Republican Party now.

[19:15:03]

BURNETT: Right.

GOLDBERG: And I just -- that's what I'm tuning in.

BURNETT: I mean, build a wall has become not just a literal thing. It has become the figurative reality of the party, at least for what Trump stands for in terms of America's role in the world. That is the opposite of what Nikki Haley or Marco Rubio believe, they're speaking shortly.

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, the other thing that I think she talked about that is related to things like build the wall was the issue of fentanyl. So while there were a lot of different topics you touched on briefly, fentanyl is one that I don't think actually gets a ton of coverage outside of the conservative media ecosystem. But it draws together threads of crime and lawlessness, a feeling that the border is not secure, China, the opioid crisis, it pulls a lot of different threads altogether that are very powerful for Republicans, but also where they think they have the ability to talk to voters in the middle who are not being spoken to by the media.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And to that point, there is 1.5 million new independent voters in Arizona as of July of last year. President Biden won the state by 10,457 votes, that's a very, very slim margin.

So this idea -- so this idea of immigration, is not only an important issue nationally, but its an important issue in a state such as Arizona, or there was one famous Democratic who once said immigration is not a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution for anyone to come into this country whenever they I so choose. That was Barbara Jordan, a Democrat out of Texas, who chaired the immigration committee.

So I think her point on immigration was proper. You just have to figure out a way, just tone it down a bit for those independents.

BURNETT: All right. All stay with us, as our rolling coverage continues. So much more ahead tonight, including that must-see moment when Donald Trump's bitter rival turned supporter, Nikki Haley, will address that crowd and the foreign president will be in the room.

Our special coverage continues after this brief break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:20:47]

BLITZER: Welcome back.

We're back with our very special coverage of the Republican National Convention here in Milwaukee. Night two is clearly underway. It's a huge moment for the party as Donald Trump's onetime rival for the GOP nomination rally behind him. We're standing by to hear more for speeches from various individuals including Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and perhaps his fiercest critic of all during the campaign for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley.

Kaitlan Collins is on the floor for us getting new information.

What are you learning, Kaitlan?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Wolf, I'm standing outside of the Illinois delegation now as were listening to each of these speakers take the stage, obviously, everyone will be in their seats when the primetime speakers come on, including Ambassador Nikki Haley.

And, Wolf, just to give you some insight into how unusual it is that Haley was actually invited to deliver this primetime address and how closely everyone else will be watching her and what is considered to be a coveted speaking slot at the convention.

I am told that Nikki Haley and Donald Trump have not spoken. It was the Trump campaign that reached out to Nikki Haley's team and extended that invitation on Saturday for her, but Trump himself and Nikki Haley have not spoken. So it'd be fascinating to watch her speak, and also his reaction, Wolf.

BLITZER: Looking forward to it myself.

All right. Kaitlan, thank you very much.

As we hear from various GOP Senate candidates, right now in the key battleground, let's take a closer look at the fight for the U.S. Senate and how potentially it could figure into the 2024 map. John King is still with us. He's over at the magic wall.

Give us a sense, John.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Worth remembering, Wolf, let's go back to where we stand right now. Democrats have very narrow control of the senate, in part, because the four independents, declared independents in the Senate caucus with Democrats. But as you see, it's Mike Rogers of Michigan behind you now, a few minutes ago, it was Bernie Moreno of Ohio.

Republicans believe this is a great map for them, anyway. They believed this for months and they think with Trumps strength in the election right now, the Senate map is improving for them even more. So, 51-49 for the Democrats.

Now come forward to this map here. You see Manchin state, West Virginia. We've already turned it red. He's not running for reelection. That's a big state for Donald Trump. That seat is almost guaranteed to go Republican and to go red.

So then you see why are Ohio and Montana, why are they yellow? Well, these are big Trump states. Ohio, Sherrod Brown, Democratic incumbent, great personal brand back home. But Donald Trumps going to win that state or at least he has in the past by six or eight points.

He just picked Republican Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate. So Democrats think they're in more trouble. You see Sherrod Brown raising money all the time.

So what if that happened? What if this went over to red? We'll try to click it over, there you go. That would give right there.

Jon Tester, again, a Democrat with a great personal brand back home, Donald Trump won by 16 points last time in Montana. If Joe Biden's numbers are down even more, can Jon Tester hang on?

So this is what Democrats have been thinking about for months, that these would be the two surfaces. But as you see, these speakers come to the stage tonight, here's what they're worried about now. Let's just come back and make those toss-ups.

They're also worried about Pennsylvania. They're worried about Michigan. They're worried about here in Wisconsin.

You just heard Kari Lake. She's losing in the polls right now, but they're worried about Arizona. They all worried about Nevada as well.

You can make a scenario here, a reasonable scenario, the Republicans not only get 50 in a majority, but they get 51, 52, 53.

Now, Democrats watching are saying, you know, you're being overly pessimistic. Most of the Democratic candidates, I want to make this clear, most of the Democratic candidates right now are leading in these races, narrowly in most of them, but they're leading in these races. The Democratic Senate candidates are outperforming Joe Biden in these states.

But ticket-splitting in presidential elections, one party for president, the other party for Senate has become almost non-existent, used to be very common in American politics, Wolf, it has become almost non-existent.

This is Manu's day job, David runs these numbers all the time. You don't -- if you talk to Republicans now, compared to six months ago, fair, right? They are even more optimistic. They're not only going to get a majority, but more.

BLITZER: All right, John, hold on because I want to listen to it.

Another one of the Republican Senate candidate, Dave McCormick from Pennsylvania. He was in the front row Saturday at that assassination attempt where the former president was hit with that bullet in his ear. I spoke with him Saturday night, but let's listen to hear what he has to say.

DAVID MCCORMICK, GOP SENATE NOMINEE: -- forty-seventh president?

[19:25:04]

Are you ready for that? And who's ready to make J.D. Vance our new vice president?

And who's ready to send Chuck Schumer packing? I'm ready. I'm ready.

My name is Dave McCormick and I'm running to be the Pennsylvania's next United States senator, the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

And I want to first acknowledge what transpired just a few days ago in my home state where I witnessed firsthand from a front row seat in Butler President Trump's remarkable strength and resolve in a terrifying, terrifying, and unpredictable moment. The president rose brilliantly to the challenge, but what a sad, sad, and frightening day for the families of those who were injured or lost and for our great country and we all thank God, that President Trump is okay.

I'm a seventh generation Pennsylvanian from the great Keystone State, born and raised, a West Point graduate, a former Army wrestler. I'm a combat veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, all right, 82nd.

And I'm a business leader who helped create hundreds of jobs in western Pennsylvania.

But most important, I'm a dad to six daughters and I'm a husband to the love of my life, Dina, wherever she is.

Now, my opponent's name is Bob Casey. But you probably don't know him because he does nothing.

For 18 years, Bob Casey has been warming a chair and drawing a paycheck, he is a do-nothing, out of touch liberal career politician and when he votes, he votes for Joe Biden's tired old ideas.

Casey has been around so long, so long that the number one song when he was first elected was the Macarena, right? Remember that Macarena?

But sadly, this is no joke because politics is about choices and the policies of Biden and Bob Casey are dangerous for Pennsylvania and America. They won't keep us safe.

Drugs have poured across the Biden-Harris-Casey wide open borders, killing 100,000 Americans, including 4,000 Pennsylvanians last year alone. Illegal immigrants have victimized innocent young women who could easily be your daughter or mine. And time and again, Casey has voted for pro-criminal judges who have made our streets across Pennsylvania more dangerous.

Biden and Casey's failed policies have crushed working families with sky-high prices for gas and groceries and rent and regulations to kill Pennsylvania natural gas.

Under President Trump, America was -- future was strong and prosperous, and our adversaries feared stepping out of line. My friends, the choice this November is clear, it's a choice between strength and weakness. A choice between America's greatness or its sad disgraceful decline.

This is my friends, the most important election of our lifetimes and we deserve a president and a Senate that will go to the mat to fight for America, a president and a Senate that will unite America and in Pennsylvania, that means voting for Trump and McCormick in November.

Thank you all for leading the charge. God bless our United States of America.

BURNETT: All right, and you saw Dave McCormick, their Senate candidate for Pennsylvania. There's cutting away there to his wife, Dina Powell, who had served, of course, in the Trump administration for a period of time.

And now, as we take a brief break here, the top House leaders will be on stage soon. We are also standing by to hear from Donald Trump's one onetime bitter rival, Nikki Haley, along with Marco Rubio, Vivek Ramaswamy and others.

Governor Ron DeSantis, also speaking tonight.

And Nikki Haley specifically, can she make the case to her voters who are still skeptical of Trump?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:33:52]

BURNETT: The West Virginia governor and Senate candidate Jim Justice speaking now with his popular dog. Let's listen in.

GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R-WV): Now, as the world watches, you didn't really expect that, did you?

But with that being said, let me just say just this, she makes a smile and she loves everybody, and how could a message possibly be anymore simpler than just that.

Now, I got to tell you just this, the foundation of my life is the truth. I've got to tell you just see us and tell you this right now, I challenge the media all the time, to find something that knowingly I've told them it's not to truth and they cant do it because I'm not going to do that.

Now I want you to listen to this and pay really close attention. The bottom line to why we're here, the bottom line to every single thing that's going on in this great country today is one thing, we become totally unhinged if Donald Trump is not elected in November.

[19:35:09]

I want to talk to you tonight about my relationship with President Trump. I want to talk to you about an incredible man. I want to tell you the truth about him and his family.

He's tough. He's super smart. He's a business guy. But maybe they're something that you've missed. And that is he genuinely cares.

He cares about all of us, every last one of us that he loves this nation beyond good sense. He has amazing kids, have hunted and fished with Don Jr. He's an incredible outdoorsman and are really treasured friend.

Now imagine this, Eric and I have been so far back in the woods on top of a mountain and I blew the tire out on the back of my four by four. And who was under the vehicle right then? Eric Trump. Eric Trump changed the tire.

Donald Trump has taught his kids the very best. He's talked them absolutely to respect the military. He's -- he's taught them to respect our first responders. He's taught him absolutely to treat our working men and women with love and respect all across this land.

And let me tell you just this, I was in the green room with President Trump and there was a MAGA hat laying there affected up. We've just had our first grand baby, a boy named JC (ph). JC absolutely was just -- just not -- not old at all, and all of a sudden, I asked President Trump if he would sign that hat for our grandbaby JC.

He took it. You know what? He wrote on it. He wrote JC, always work hard.

Now, let's review. Donald J. Trump, my friend, my close friend, he's tough. He's super smart. He's a business guy. He loves America.

He taught his kids, the right values and he's a hard worker. Sure sounds like a leader to me.

(APPLAUSE)

JUSTICE: Sure sounds like a president to me.

Then ask yourself why does Donald Trump fight every day for us and continue to take this senseless persecution? Why? And I know the answer, because we're worth it.

Now, Babydog's got a prediction for everybody here. And here's the prediction, Babydog says we'll retain the House, the majority in the House.

(APPLAUSE)

JUSTICE: We're going to flip the United States Senate.

(APPLAUSE)

JUSTICE: And, overwhelmingly, we're going to elect Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance in November.

(APPLAUSE)

JUSTICE: And baby says -- Babydog says what is the reason that she knows while we're going to win and the answer is one thing, because we're worth it.

God bless you. God bless this great country. And God bless Donald J. Trump.

BURNETT: All right. That's the governor of West Virginia running for that Senate seat that Joe Manchin is vacating.

Okay. Obviously, political theater there and who doesn't like the dog?

ANDERSON: How can you not love that? Look, if you're going to talk to a chair next to you far better for it to have a cute dog in it than for it to be empty, with all due respect to Clint Eastwood, that was -- that was adorable. I'm sorry.

It makes people happy. It makes people feel uplifted. And the good news for Republicans is that even though that was a delightful little speech, West Virginia is actually in pretty safe hands for the party, too. He did not need to bring out the dog as a great wringer to help him.

West Virginia is likely to be a GOP seat. There are a lot of states like that. States that are going to vote for Donald Trump or Republicans believe they're going to unseat Democrats that are holding the seat right now and build their majority.

[19:40:08]

BURNETT: Right. That's what he was talking to. And then, of course, but to be clear, that wasn't at one point, Democratic seat Joe Manchin.

All right. Delegates eagerly awaiting Donald Trump's return to the convention hall and what his face will look like as he watches Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis's former rivals speak. Much more ahead on night two of the Republican National Convention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: And we are back with our live coverage of the Republican National Convention on a night devoted to GOP unity. The hot button issues of crime and immigration speech just by the top Republicans in Congress are straight ahead.

A night of unity, but you will hear very different messages this evening, and let's get to Kaitlan Collins on the floor -- Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Hi, Erin.

Yes, we are standing here with Dave McCormick who is a Senate candidate for Pennsylvania. He is not ready to talk to us yet, but we are here right by the Pennsylvania delegation. He just spoke on stage a few moments ago.

And, of course, he was at that rally on Saturday night in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is why we are going to speak to him because he was there.

[19:45:04]

He was slated to go on stage and it just speaks to the moment of what we all saw on our coverage, but also what we saw during that -- during that rally.

Mr. McCormick, can I grab you for a few seconds? We're live on CNN right now. We're live on CNN right now.

This is, of course, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick who's at that rally with Donald Trump.

And I just wonder, you just spoke on stage a few moments ago. How did that experience and seeing that attempted assassination of the former president change your speech that you just gave?

MCCORMICK: Well, I didn't change it much. But the experience I think changed my view a bit of how important it is that we ratchet back the rhetoric. And I want to make clear, we have huge differences in ideas.

And so, we have to have conflict, a lot of conflict about the direction of the country. I'm running because I think the country is going in a bad direction. But we need to resolve that conflict at the ballot box. We need to resolve it with civic discourse. We need to resolve it with policy, and we need to make sure that we're not talking in ways that dehumanizes people and ultimately contributes to an environment where violence going to happen across the board.

COLLINS: Well, and we've heard that that people want to take down the rhetoric here, the temperature on stage, still be able to criticize your political opponents, but take down the temperature. You're running to be in the Senate.

What did you make of Kari Lake, who is also running to be in the Senate who was kind of castigating the media and getting everyone to kind of boo them in a telling that was different?

MCCORMICK: You know, I'm going to give you an honest answer, which is I was only worried about myself. I wasn't watching, so I can't even comment on her remarks.

But as a general rule, I think we got a really focus on contrast. We got big differences and there is conflict. But we need to resolve the debate around ideas with elections, and that's what I'm trying to do in Pennsylvania.

COLLINS: A lot of questions have been raised about the security at that event. Obviously, the Secret Service is facing major questions.

CNN's John Miller is reporting that that gunman enter the security perimeter and then left and then came back, obviously, when he carried out that shooting. What questions as someone who was there, do you have for the director of the Secret Service and others?

MCCORMICK: I don't know anything other than being someone there. But when I went through the security and when I saw just as a participant, it seemed tight to me. And when the Secret Service responded to the shot, I mean, they were on the president almost immediately.

But the idea that a shooter could be within 130 yards of the president, it seems inconceivable. It's such a failure beyond imagination that, you know, we've got to get to the root cause of it. It seems unthinkable to me, honestly.

I used -- I worked for President Bush. I've been around, you know, this business for a while. I've seen security. Inconceivable that that could have happened and so, I'm horribly disappointed by it and we got to get to the bottom of it.

COLLINS: Dave McCormick, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us.

Erin, back to you.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan.

And, you know, talking to Dave McCormick as Kaitlan just was, the Senate is crucial here. And this is what I know as you talk as a Democrat a concern about what happens all the way down ticket that this could be right now, I know a lot of Democrats are very worried that it's a full sweep of both houses of Congress as well as the White House.

SIMMONS: People are worried about it. There are some tough Senate races out there in Montana as why don't we just heard from Jim Justice in West Virginia. We're going to lose that one probably, maybe not, but probably. But there are some ones that are more on the bubble, Pennsylvania, Montana, those mothers.

Listen, I think as long as the Democrats are able to keep competitive, we ought to be able to hold on to the Senate at least a 50/50 Senate. But if you don't win the White House, a 50/50 Senate gets you a minority. And that is the challenge about why President Biden and Kamala Harris have to win?

GOLDBERG: Yeah, I trust like if the Republicans are held to a majority of two or three, this probably room for some of the -- he won't be there anymore, but like the Mitt Romney caucus, you know, the people who are not going to go along with the craziest of appointments for Trump's cabinet and that kind of thing. But if they get to 56 or 55, you know, if they even by the second year of a Trump presidency, Trump can run away with a lot of stuff.

BURNETT: All right. Hold on for one second. I just want to jump in here because Phil Mattingly is with the West Virginia -- West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, who, of course, is running for that seat.

Go ahead, Phil.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erin, look, I'm going to be honest, the governor's well-received speech. There's no question about that, but right here, I think you probably have the number one star of the convention up to this point. Maybe it's not looking at camera right now, but we'll try and get him over there.

Governor, just wanted to ask how critical is this dog to your political success at this point?

JUSTICE: Well, I don't know. To tell you the honest truth, it wasn't meant to be really and truly. You know, on Christmas eve four years ago, our son and daughter just handed his ten-week old bulldog puppy to us and I thought, oh, my gosh. She's going to grow 60 pounds brown watermelon to tell you the truth. And she did and everything.

But with all that being said, that she started to go with me, COVID, lots and lots of sadness.

[19:50:04]

Lots of folks dying and everything, and I noticed so many times, she made people smile, and she made absolute people laugh. And more than anything, and a bulldog and I supposed to do this, but she loves everybody. And so I said, that's it.

How could the message be any better? And so, so she's really good. She's really good. She just loved everybody.

MATTINGLY: And asking those of us that cover politics have so stated you with Babydog for a while now, since the COVID years. What do people who maybe don't recognize a politician with a really nice dog, think when they first met you?

JUSTICE: Well, to be perfectly honest, we've done unbelievable things in the state of West Virginia. When I took over, it was really tough. We bankrupt beyond belief. And we're really going right now.

And there are so many accomplishments and everything, but I really, really -- I'm the guy that wants to say, all of us pulled the rope together, the legislature, all the people of West Virginia, you know, I'm the guy that would say, let's be professional about what we do in life and be respectful to one another and move the ball forward. And we really have.

MATTINGLY: That's an important message, particularly these days. I appreciate your time. I appreciate Babydog's time.

Erin, back to you.

BURNETT: All right. Phil, thank you very much.

All right. So when you look at the West Virginia governor and we talk about that seat, right. And that seat, Joe Manchin, who had had was originally Democrat, right? And that it is now you feel a safe Republican seat for Governor Justice.

But when we talk about this and Jamal is talking about the fear on the Democratic side, about how important the top of the ticket is down- ballot. Why is this such a year that is so Republican-friendly? The folks that are up for election this year in the Senate are the folks that won six years ago, in the 2018 election, it was very favorable to Democrats. You had Democrats over-performing in some states that are red states or at least red states these days, places like Ohio, places like Montana.

And so, you have Democrats holding these Senate seats, but these are states that are likely to break for Donald Trump at the presidential level, possibly by double digits. So if you are Senator Sherrod Brown, if you are Senator Jon Tester, you are looking at this year and you're thinking, I have to appeal to a lot of people who are going to check a box for Donald Trump. But I need them to check a box for me further down their ballot.

And that puts them in a really tough --

SINGLETON: It definitely does. I mean, I'm looking at Pennsylvania. I'm looking at Michigan in particular. We have two great candidates, Dave McCormick, Mike Rogers, and I think Democrats have a real problem in both of those states.

You look at Michigan, for example, I believe in 2020, President Biden received around 60 percent of the Muslim population vote there. His approval is now, or in the teens, that's a problem. His approval a young Black voters, that's a problem. Again, shifting back to Pennsylvania, that's now a competitive state.

So I think Republicans could potentially, Erin, get to at least 51, 52 seats.

BURNETT: All right. Okay, all staying with us.

Let's go now to Jake Tapper with some breaking developments -- Jake.

All right. Sorry, we obviously having some audio difficulties with Jake's mike. So when we get that back up, we'll go to Jake in just a moment.

Maggie, let me just ask you when we talk about this issue of the Senate, that's what we're seeing tonight because you're going to see a lot of senators, people up for election. And in the ones we've heard so far, whether it's Kari Lake or Jim Justice or Dave McCormick, you're hearing about their races.

HABERMAN: You are. You're hearing about their races differently though, right? I mean, it was very struck by how different those speeches were. I mean, Kari lake was largely red meat, fake news, and so forth.

Jim Justice was really a Donald Trumps speech. I mean, it was -- it was almost entirely, I love him. He's wonderful and I'm running for Senate.

And Dave McCormick, who is running in a swing state, is speaking a true swing state, a battleground, is speaking a little differently. But it all does speak to the fact that this is a good map in Republicans' minds for them, for the Senate, going into November, Democrats already had challenges. This is part of why there is such anxiety among Democrats about President Biden remaining at the top of the ticket. It is how it impacts all of these down-ballot races. Really, the House is now seen as the main frontier by a lot of Democrats. The Senate is seen as a very, very difficult terrain.

But, this is why.

BURNETT: And can I just say in that speech from Governor Justice, what stood out to us all as we were sitting here other than Babydog, but this got lost and under Babydog's voluminous self, sitting in the chair, was that Governor Justice said, vote for Trump because I went hunting with his son Eric, and he changed a tire.

GOLDBERG: Yeah. I mean, I think it's --

BURNETT: Trying to humanize him.

GOLDBERG: Yeah. It was silly fan service trying to make it sound like there's a closer connection between Donald Trump, the man and actual rural voters and Donald Trump.

[19:55:07]

But I am very confident he never changed a tire and did not teach his sons that.

BURNETT: That was the implication, yeah. All right.

SIMMONS: He said it.

BURNETT: All right. All, thank you.

Let's hand it over now to Jake Tapper.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Thank you so much, Erin Burnett, and we do have some breaking news right now.

There is an op-ed that has been published in "The New York Times" from former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie, who is -- has been quite critical of Donald Trump. In fact, one of the only people to run against Donald Trump for president in this last election cycle, and not turn around and endorse Donald Trump in that he criticizes the harsh rhetoric that is out there in the debate in America today.

He says, Mr. Trump has the opportunity -- opportunity to rein in some of the worst rhetorical impulses of the Republican Party. At its convention this week, he can point to the party and its leadership in a new direction in the wake of an assassination attempt against him.

But Mr. Christie writes, early indications are less than promising.

Chris Christie goes on to say that the selection of Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio as Mr. Trumps running mate, quote, doubles down on the portion of the party already completely devoted to him rather than reaches out to the broader party and beyond. Mr. Vance's first reaction to the assassination attempt against Mr. Trump was to turn directly to the current flawed playbook, demonize the other side and lay the blame at the feet of the Democrats as if they had pulled the trigger themselves.

Clearly, this is not a message of unity in the face of what could have been a national tragedy. But Mr. Christie goes on. Mr. Trump, President Trump can demonstrate the will to change, not just how we speak to one another, but also how we act.

And it goes on from there.

Dana Bash quite something for Chris Christie on the second night of the convention to publish an op-ed criticizing the selection of the running mate for Donald Trump.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It sure is. As you mentioned, unlike Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis, who are going to be speaking tonight and some of Donald Trump's 2016 rival, who will also be speaking tonight, Chris Christie, who was the first to endorse -- first former rival to endorse Donald Trump in 2016 is not only not here, he is not on board at all.

And the fact that he wrote this not only about J.D. Vance and criticizing J.D. Vance as the pick as a decidedly from his perspective, uninspired choice because it doesn't expand the base and it doesn't expand the party. But on the notion of violence we have heard so many Republicans go after Democrats for their criticism of Republicans using language that perhaps now that some Democrats regret using, but what he's saying in here is, come on, everybody he didn't write this, but I'm trying to speak Chris Christie, stop clutching your pearls, everybody does it.

Republicans do it. Democrats do it. Republicans, perhaps even more. He pointed specifically to January 6, made a connection between January 6 and the violence they are and the assassination attempt on the former president. And he is trying to get this perspective which has not been heard at all or voiced at all. Not only here in the hallway, but in the discussions and the echo chambers in and around conservative media.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: For so many republic look ends right now, which are, there are many who are wondering if they should reconsider, perhaps not supporting Donald Trump. There are many Republicans -- never, never Trump Republicans, former Chris Christie voters, former Nikki Haley voters who are wondering what to do and they're seeing Nikki Haley and they're seeing Ron DeSantis tonight come on this stage and endorsed Donald Trump.

Chris Christie is saying, what happened this weekend doesn't erase Trump's role in the political climate, the language that he uses against his political opponents which is over the top to say the least, but in some cases, points directly to violence, and in one case actually led directly to violence.

So, he -- Christie seems to be very aware that this is a critical moment for all of those people, maybe it's some 25, 30 percent of the Republican Party. They're not thrilled with Donald Trump. He's sending a message to those people tonight that there is still an option to not back Trump even in this moment.

TAPPER: Well, he's certainly sending the message that there's an option for Donald Trump to rise to this moment.

PHILLIP: Yeah.

TAPPER: I mean, I think that's one of the things that I'm taking away from this the Donald Trump can rise to this moment based on what I know Governor Christie thinks about Donald Trump. I don't sense that there's a lot of optimism about it.

PHILLIP: Right.

TAPPER: But he does seem to do it.

But as Dana points out, Christie not only --