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Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) Discusses Harris Campaign Believing Trump Will Declare Victory Early, Trump Comments on "War Hawk" Liz Cheney; Harris Speaks To Reporters Ahead Of Campaign Stop In Wisconsin; NYT Poll: Climate Change Top Issue For Few Voters. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired November 01, 2024 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:34:12]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: At this point, it's difficult to say if CNN will be able to call a winner in the presidential race on Tuesday. But the Harris campaign believes that, regardless of the vote count, former President Trump could declare victory whether or not he has actually won.

Let's discuss the latest in the presidential race with Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis from New York.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

Trump did declare victory prematurely in 2020, and he was wrong. Do you think he might try that again?

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): Well, look, I think that everyone would be wise to wait a little longer considering what happened, where the votes changed and people woke up in the morning and it was different than what they anticipated.

I think, at the end of the day, this will be a close election and people do need to come out and vote. And we have to make sure that every single vote is counted.

[14:35:03]

I do believe that President Trump has a little bit of an advantage here, being that he has stuck to the issues that people truly care about, including securing the border, the economy, making America more affordable and prosperous again.

Showing people that he brought down unemployment to record lows for Hispanics, for women, for African-Americans.

And he created millions of jobs through his Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which provided an across-the-board cut, not just for job creators, but for the middle and working class. And he doubles the tax credit for families, something else that people care about. So as long as he sticks to the issues and continues to talk about,

he's the one who's going to bring security back to this country, support our law enforcement in Americas cities, like mine, NYPD, and talk about the economy, I think that he will have an advantage going into Tuesday.

SANCHEZ: As you know, Congresswoman, the former president has a tendency to weave, as he describes it, at times. Yesterday, he weaved when talking about Liz Cheney, calling her a war hawk, openly wondering what it would be like if she were in conflict and had a rifle and was surrounded by nine rifles, I believe, he said.

Do you think that that is appropriate? It doesn't sound like you think that sort of talk is helpful for a campaign.

MALLIOTAKIS: Look, I would stay away from any talk about shooting or violence.

But what I will say is that he was trying to make very clear that -- that there are politicians too often in Washington who vote to send young men and women from this country to war and yet they would not fight themselves.

And I think that that is what he was clearly trying to say, and that, you know, it's a little bit of an exaggeration or a twisting of his words, I believe, in the media.

But he was trying to just make the case that we should be protecting our young Americans and not send them off to conflicts unnecessarily. And I think it's just as clear -- it's very clear.

SANCHEZ: Do you think he should avoid talking about Cheney overall? It seemed to bolster the perception that he's sort of obsessed with revenge to -- to persecute his rivals and that sort of thing.

Do you wish he would just, as you said, sort of focus on the issues and not talk about his personal vendettas?

MALLIOTAKIS: Look, I wouldn't be focusing on Liz Cheney at all. If you look at what Liz Cheney said about Kamala Harris four years ago, I mean, she -- she clearly said that she was a candidate to the left, that she was a Socialist, that she would be destroying this country, that she would be supporting the open borders.

She said terrible things about Kamala Harris. And now she just flipped to support her this year. So I would say people should go back and look at what she's originally said about Kamala Harris before taking her endorsement of her very seriously.

Yes, I think President Trump is a winner when it comes to policy.

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman, I'm sorry to interrupt.

But let's go to Madison, Wisconsin, where Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking right now. Let's listen. KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You've heard me

say many times, my pledge to the American people is to pursue common- sense solutions, to listen to those, even those who disagree with me, to listen to experts and to be a president for all Americans.

Donald Trump's closing argument is very different. He pits Americans against one another. He spends full time having Americans point their fingers at one another. And he spends a considerable amount of time plotting his revenge on his political opponents.

As of last night, just to add more, he has indicated that the person who would be in charge of health care for the American people is someone who has routinely promoted junk science and crazy conspiracy theories, who once expressed support for a national abortion ban.

And who is the exact last person in America who should be setting health care policy for America's families and children.

And then, even worse, he has increased his violent rhetoric, Donald Trump has. about political opponents. And in great detail, in great detail, suggested rifles should be trained on former Representative Liz Cheney.

This must be disqualifying. Anyone who wants to be president of the United States, who uses that kind of violent rhetoric, is clearly disqualified and unqualified to be president.

Representative Cheney is a true patriot, who has shown extraordinary courage in putting country above party. Trump is increasingly, however, someone who considers his political opponents the enemy, is permanently out for revenge, and is increasingly unstable and unhinged.

His enemies list has grown longer. His rhetoric has grown more extreme. And he is even less focused than before on the needs and the concerns and the challenges facing the American people.

[14:40:04]

I have also thought a lot about what this means in terms of our standing in the world. As vice president, I have represented the United States of America around the world.

And what I know is that when we walk in those rooms, representing the United States of America, we have the earned and self-appointed authority to then talk about the importance of democracy, the importance of rule of law.

And as a result, people around the world, who are fighting for freedom and opportunity, hold us as a model. America deserves better than what Donald Trump is offering. America deserves a president who understands our role and responsibility to our people and to the rest of the world to be a model.

So I'll end with this. Voters are making their decisions. Many have voted, but there are still those who are making a decision about who they will vote for.

And what I offer is, I ask folks to, among the many issues before you, just consider who's going to be sitting in the Oval Office on January 20th.

Either you're going to have Donald Trump there, who will be stewing over his enemies list, or I will be there, working hard on your behalf, on my to-do list.

That is the choice among many that is at stake in this election. And I would be proud to earn the vote of the American people. And I do intend to win.

With that, I'll take any questions.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) Have you had a chance to talk to Liz Cheney? And then, secondly, are you concerned about her general security? And considering the situation and how tense things are, do you think that the government or the administration in some form should provide her with security in this situation?

HARRIS: So I have not talked to her since this comment was made. But I will tell you, I know Liz Cheney well enough to know that she is tough. She is incredibly courageous. And has shown herself to be a true patriot at a very difficult time in our country.

We're -- to your point, we see this kind of rhetoric that is violent in nature, where we see this kind of spirit coming from Donald Trump that is so laden with the desire for revenge and retribution.

And Liz Cheney is a tough person. She is an incredible American. And I have an incredible amount of respect for her.

I think that Liz Cheney is courageous and that we will always make sure that we are all fighting against and speaking out against any form of political violence.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You spoke about voting. What is your assessment on the data that you are seeing across the battlegrounds?

HARRIS: I'm seeing the folks who are showing up at the various places where we are inviting people to come and talk with us.

And where we are talking about the issues at stake, and I'm seeing an incredible amount of enthusiasm, from people of every walk of life, every generation, from our first time voters to -- to folks who are seniors and have a lot at stake on issues like Social Security and Medicare.

And what I am enjoying about this moment most is that in spite of how my opponent spends full time trying to divide the American people, what I am seeing is people coming together under one roof who seemingly have nothing in common and know they have everything in common.

And I think that is in the best interest of the strength of our nation.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) a lot more women showing up in Pennsylvania, a lot of Democratic women, first time voters?

HARRIS: Women, men, folks of every background are showing up.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Madam Vice President, you have had quite a lot of interruptions during your speeches recently, a lot of pro-Gaza protesters. And you know, you certainly have spoken about democracy in responding to them.

But do you think that you need to say a little bit more about the Mideast conflict or about what you would do to try to satisfy them? And are you concerned at all about how you'll do in college towns and in Michigan, in particular, with them?

President Trump today is going to Dearborn, is going to a Palestinian restaurant. He really is -- the second kind of Arab-American restaurant he's gone to.

He seems to be really trying to make a play for a group that was traditionally be pretty Democratic. Do you think you've done enough to reach these voters?

HARRIS: Well, I'm very proud to have a significant amount of support from the Arab-American community, both because of my position about what we need to do in Gaza and in the region to end the war and bring the hostages home and my commitment to a two-state solution.

[14:45:06]

But also because, within that community, there are many issues that challenge folks and that they want to hear about, including what we're going to do to make housing affordable, what we're going to do to bring down the cost of groceries, what we're going to do to invest in small businesses.

I have a plan for all of those things. And that is something that resonates within that community and with all Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They're going to protest that they want to show the administration that what they did that the policy and the support for Israel is wrong and are going to make a statement and that they don't care if it makes Trump the president. What would you tell them?

HARRIS: So there's a real contrast in this race when you look at who stands for democracy and democratic principles and who does not. Donald Trump is talking about an enemies list. He is talking about using the American military to turn on American citizens.

He talks in a way that suggests that there should be retribution and severe consequences just because people disagree with him.

My point is very clear. I believe in our democracy. Democracies are complicated in a wonderful way because we like debate, we accept and receive differences of opinion, and we work them out. One of the reasons I am going to have a Republican in my cabinet is

because I want different views. I -- I enjoy and benefit from diverse views from different perspectives that allow me then to make the best decisions I can make.

That's a big difference between me and Donald Trump. And that's the big difference between someone who truly is a leader and someone who is in it for themselves and wants unchecked power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: Thank you all.

SANCHEZ: We've been listening -- we've been listening to Vice President Kamala Harris, live, speaking to the press and answering questions in Madison, Wisconsin, on the tarmac there shortly after landing before heading to a couple of events she has there today.

Quickly, I just want to say thank you to New York Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, who we had to cut off to go to the vice president.

There, Harris attacking Donald Trump on his rhetoric, describing it as disqualifying, saying that the former president is increasingly unstable and unhinged.

She defended Liz Cheney, saying that she is a true patriot. But there the vice president didn't directly address the substance of what Trump and his team are claiming that he was trying to say, that Cheney is a warmonger, in their words, who sent Americans into danger without having the experience of serving herself.

KEILAR: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Which we should note, Donald Trump didn't do.

KEILAR: No. He had five draft deferments, including one questionable one medically for bone spurs, alleged bone spurs.

And she was asked there also about the Arab-American vote, people who are concerned certainly in the key state of Michigan about the war and the U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza that they will consider staying home.

She really didn't touch it at all. She pivoted very much to this message of democracy and the democratic principles in America are at risk in this election.

I want to bring in Kristin Davison back, as well as Chuck Rocha to talk about this.

First, to the Liz Cheney comment, and that's a big headline, where she's saying that it's disqualifying. I think in any other election, it would be a bigger headline.

But she is saying, Kristin, that it's disqualifying for a presidential candidate to use that rhetoric.

KRISTIN DAVISON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It's a -- that's not the first time she said that. That's a continuation of her case that -- that Donald Trump has an enemies list and she is a to-do list.

I think she probably should have said we have a to-do list, that I have a to-do list. I would probably hit her for saying what's on your to-do list. Probably too political. But that's not a new argument for her.

I do think she was smart to stay high level and not get too down in the weeds with the comment. Keep it focused on a similar message that we saw when she gave her speech at the Ellipse earlier this week.

That's -- that's a unifying message for an undecided voter or maybe a relapsed Republican who's a little hesitant about crossing over. She's reaching out to them there. I do think that was effective.

She needs to be done now. Now move on, go back to your message, go back to Wisconsin. Don't spend all day today talking about Liz Cheney. She did say Liz Cheney's name one too many times in those remarks, I think. Address it and move on.

You have four days. If you were talking about Liz Cheney for four days, you were losing.

SANCHEZ: Chuck, do you agree?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes. No, I don't agree. I think that what she was doing is she can see the data that I can see every single day, and the reason for the small, little bit of undecideds that may still be there.

And every focus group that I do in a battleground state, it's about this presidential, and looking presidential. There's a lot of folks looking for a reason to vote for.

[14:49:59]

She's only been in this race for 100 days. Donald Trump's been running for like eight, 10 years. They know everything they need to know.

We talked about it being baked in. In focus groups, folks are looking for an adult in the room. She's trying to stand in front of that plane and be presidential, is what she's trying to do.

DAVISON: I think that works, except everyone knows who Donald Trump is. He's been in public life for decades. If you don't like Donald Trump and you think some of his comments are disqualifying, you are either not voting for him or the economy is so bad and the country is so unsafe that you don't care.

And so I don't think it's convincing anyone, because if that worked on you, you we're already in the Harris campaign.

ROCHA: Take Wisconsin. There's 47,000 people in Wisconsin that voted for Nikki Haley in the primary. They're looking for this and it's a less-than-10,000 votes difference.

SANCHEZ: Kristin, I want to ask you about Nikki Haley. Because the reporting is that she's given the campaign her number. She's been waiting for a call. They've not called. Should they? It's probably too late.

DAVISON: Yes. You know, at this -- at this stage of the game, nothing -- it doesn't matter who's campaigning with you. No offense to people who are doing it. It's great. It creates momentum. It's fun.

I think, you know, Jay, last night was fun, but I don't think she was, you know, convincing anyone to vote for Harris. And so I don't -- I don't think it necessarily matters.

I know, you know, Haley was in the state in Pennsylvania. I mean, I think it has the -- out of all the Haley voters in of the swings, 150,000.

And so it was effective for her to be there for the down-ballot candidates. It helps them get a crowd, helps them get momentum.

But I don't think it necessarily -- she's already endorsed him and so, if you're a Haley voter and you needed that permission slip to go and vote for Donald Trump, she's already given it to you. So you don't have to actually have her there in person.

The Trump campaign has -- has their schedule. They have their -- you know, their rally. They run a show. I don't think it necessarily makes or breaks it whether they have Haley there or not.

ROCHA: It's a long wait. And I don't think that call is coming.

KEILAR: Call me. Maybe not.

(LAUGHTER)

ROCHA: There you go. I like it.

SANCHEZ: Kristin, Chuck, appreciate you sticking around, being patient, hanging out with us. Thank you so much.

Still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, if you asked voters what's at stake on Tuesday, how many do you think would answer the climate? It's an issue that everyone talks about, but few apparently base their vote on. We'll discuss in just moments.

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SANCHEZ: t's not really breaking news to say that climate change could be an existential threat to humanity. And every year, we see disasters made worse by the planet becoming warmer.

With Hurricane Helene's massive destruction still fresh on our minds, you might think that climate change would be top of mind for voters.

KEILAR: Well, if so, you would be wrong. In fact, the "New York Times"-Siena College poll finds that climate change is the top issue for just 1 percent of likely voters.

So where are the candidates on this issue?

We have CNN's chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, with us.

And, Bill, you write on CNN.com today that, looking back through time, it's hard to imagine a more severe or consequential gap between candidates on a single issue. Tell us about that.

[14:55:04]

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, think back. I mean, if Lincoln had lost in the 1860s or Reagan or FDR had had ignored their generals about what was happening in Europe, the American experiment might have ended. But most of life on planet earth might not have noticed, right?

But now, we have science everywhere, at every level of American government, around the world, warning us that the health, wealth and happiness of eight billion people, about a million plants and animal species that are on the brink of extinction, depend on a climate imbalance that is careening off course faster than anyone predicted.

On one side of the debate here, on one side of the ballot, you've got a party that wants to do something about that. And the other side, you've got the climate denier-in-chief who spent his first term really ignoring or downplaying the problem.

Here's a little sample.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These people, I don't know if they're for real. But if they're not, they're covered by the words "climate change." If it gets cooler, that's good. If it gets hotter, that's good.

We have countries that have tremendous nuclear power. And when I hear these people talking about global warming, that's the global warming you have to worry about, not that the ocean is going to rise in 400 years an eighth of an inch.

And you'll have more sea-front property, right, if that happens.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I said, is that good or bad? I said, isn't that a good thing?

LNG is being sought after all over Europe and all over the world, and we have more of it than anybody else. And I'm not going to lose that wealth. I'm not going to lose it on -- on dreams -- on windmills.

It'll start getting cooler.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish.

TRUMP: You just watch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish science agreed with you.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: Well, I don't think science knows, actually.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEIR: Now Trump is vowing to undo any sort of climate progress of the last four years. On day one, pull America out of the Paris Climate Accords, pull back the tailpipe emissions, methane standards, all those sorts of things.

So it is -- couldn't be more clear as to which side of the ballot the planet is on here.

SANCHEZ: And, Bill, and one of the things that you mentioned was at stake when it comes to climate change and what it could impact was wealth, the wealth of eight billion people.

Republicans have now, for years, before -- or after arguing that climate change didn't exist, have since argued that too much action on climate will hurt the economy. What is the counterargument?

WEIR: Well, the counterargument is now that the Inflation Reduction passed, there is hundreds of billions of private dollars now pouring into new forms of energy.

Take a look in Minnesota, Sherco, the biggest coal-fired power plant there is slowly being replaced with solar panels due to the Inflation Reduction Act without laying off any of the energy workers there. So the customer base may not even know it.

But it's not just in a blue state like Minnesota. So 75 percent of the Inflation Reduction money is being spent in red states. I think we got some pictures of Austin, Texas, the greenest state, despite their politics and industry, because wind, solar and storage is now so cheap, it makes the most economic sense.

Even oil majors know the transition is inevitable. But it comes down to the speed right now. And Bill Gates told me, if the United States waffles on this, all those hundreds of billions of dollars in clean investment are going elsewhere around the world.

It's a choice not just for wealth, as you say, health and happiness, everything, that pollsters don't really connect the dots on when they call somebody and say, do you put climate at the top of your list?

Voters wrongly assumed it's a menu item. It's the whole restaurant -- Boris, Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes. So interesting.

Did you stand on top of that windmill, Bill?

WEIR: Yes, that's me.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: I'm like getting vertigo watching you in that. I'm like, uh.

WEIR: So fun, so fun.

KEILAR: Always, always amazing. Bill Weir, you're always adventurous. We appreciate the report. Thank you so much.

WEIR: You bet.

KEILAR: And we'll be right back.

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