Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Election Officials Ramping Up Security; Rudy Giuliani in Federal Court; Interview With Fmr. Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI); Kamala Harris Speaks Out on Trump's Madison Square Garden Rally. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 28, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:32:09]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: I want to go live right now to Vice President Harris. She is speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews about the Trump rally last night in New York. Let's listen in.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think, last night, Donald Trump's event in Madison Square Garden really highlighted a point that I have been making throughout this campaign.

He is focused and actually fixated on his grievances, on himself, and on dividing our country. And it is not in any way something that will strengthen the American family, the American worker. It is nothing about what he is saying that is actually going to support the aspirations and the dreams and the ambitions of the American people.

It is absolutely something that is intended to and is fanning the fuel of trying to divide our country. And, as I have said many times, I will stay tomorrow night in my speech, there's a big difference between he and I.

If you were elected, on day one, he's going to be sitting in the Oval Office working on his enemies list. On day one, if I am elected president of the United States, which I fully intend to be, I will be working on behalf of the American people on my to-do list.

I will take any questions, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Madam Vice President, Michelle Obama said recently that you have faced a double standard in this campaign. Do you feel like you have had to clear a higher bar every day than Donald Trump?

HARRIS: My role and responsibility running for president of the United States is to make my case to the American people and to earn their support.

And that is why I'm spending time traveling the country to listen to folks and to talk with them about my plans, my plans for strengthening our small businesses, my plans for helping people with homeownership, my plans to help young families with children.

And that's the work that I'm going to continue to do, not taking anyone for granted, but knowing that I have to earn their support. And my plans and policies, including economists who have reviewed them, point to one fact, which is that my approach will strengthen America in many ways, including our economy, Donald Trump will weaken America and our economy.

QUESTION: You're making several stops in Michigan today. Can you talk about your final pitch to Michigan voters today?

HARRIS: So, I will be -- I'm heading back to Michigan to talk with working people, with families, with young people about the issues that they care most about.

They want to make sure that we're going to lower prices. They know that the price of groceries, for example, is too high. I know it too. So I have a plan to deal with that in terms of a number of things, including dealing with price gouging. They want to know that they have an opportunity to lift the American dream around homeownership.

That's why my plan about giving people a $25,000 down payment assistance if they're a first-time homebuyer matters to the people of Michigan. They care about American manufacturing. I'm going to be talking about that again.

[11:35:04]

My plan includes what we will do to continue to invest in American- based industries, American manufacturing and American workers. That is how we are going to remain strong and globally competitive and win the competition for the 21st century with China and anybody else.

QUESTION: One follow-up to your remarks about President Trump's rally last night.

Some people who watched that made comparisons between a rally that happened at Madison Square Garden in 1939 with neo-Nazis or Nazis back then. Do you see those comparisons? And can you also expand on what he said and what you said yesterday about Puerto Rico?

HARRIS: Donald Trump has -- this is not new about him, by the way. What he did last night is not a discovery. It is just more of the same, and maybe more vivid than usual.

Donald Trump spends full time trying to have Americans point their finger at each other, fans the fuel of hate and division. And that's why people are exhausted with him. That's why people who formerly have supported Donald Trump, have voted for him are supporting me, voting for me.

People are literally ready to turn the page. They're tired of it.

In terms of Puerto Rico, I -- even when I was in the United States Senate, I -- knowing that Puerto Rico does not have a United States senator, I was intentional about doing what I could as a United States senator to make sure that, among my priorities, it included paying attention to the needs of the people on that island, including the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

I have announced also my plan that is about my opportunity economy writ large, but a specific target that will include a task force focused on the needs of Puerto Rico, understanding that it has very specific needs in terms of upgrading and repairing its electrical grid, what it needs in terms of investment that will be public-private partnerships.

And I'm going to continue to do it. I'm very proud to have the support of folks like Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez and others who were supporting me before that nonsense last night at Madison Square Garden and are supporting me because they understand that they want a president of the United States who's about uplifting the people, and not berating, not calling America a garbage can, which is what Donald Trump -- those are the words he has used.

So there you go. I will see you later. OK.

QUESTION: What about tariffs and chips?

ACOSTA: All right, that was Vice President Harris at Joint Base Andrews addressing Donald Trump's hate-filled rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City last night.

Joining me now for more on this is Wisconsin's former Republican governor Scott Walker.

Governor Walker, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

What is your response to what Vice President Harris said just a few moments ago, that this is why people are exhausted with Donald Trump?

FMR. GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R-WI): Well, yesterday, I think most people here in Wisconsin watched the Packers game. And during that game, I think I saw about nine or 10 Harris ads versus maybe one or two Trump ads.

And those Harris ads, they were all attack ads against Donald Trump. In comparison, the one ad or two ads that I saw for the Trump campaign were about reminding people that life was better back when he was president. The prices were lower, the border was more secure, so they weren't worrying about fentanyl and other overdose deaths here. The public safety was a better issue.

And I think, in the end, that's really what this boils down to and why you see it being such a tight race here in Wisconsin battleground states, even though Vice President Harris' campaign clearly has a financial advantage.

I also think it's interesting. We keep hearing the vice president talking about all these horrible things Donald Trump's going to do for the next four years that he didn't do during his first term, like making promises about a to-do list of wonderful things she will do in the next four years if given a chance that she and Joe Biden didn't do.

They didn't do the to-do list. And that's why this is such a tight election.

ACOSTA: And, Governor Walker, Donald Trump has not condemned what was said at that rally last night when he had a so-called comedian describe Puerto Rico as garbage.

He himself has described America as garbage in recent days. Do you condemn those kinds of comments yourself?

WALKER: Well, absolutely.

I think it's dumb to have any sort of so-called comedian. And I don't think voters align what he said with that mistaken person said any more than Eminem campaigning in Michigan with Vice President Harris, do people think that his lyrics about choking women are things that the Harris campaign supports? They don't, obviously.

So I think the voters can see through that. I just think it was a dumb move. The talent of a campaign, I would put former President Trump and Senator Vance out on the campaign trail, make the contrast I just talked about between life being better when Donald Trump was president before, things not working now.

I mean, I go to the grocery store, people are complaining about how much more it costs. I go to fill up my car just down the way here in Delafield with QuikTrip, it cost me about a buck and a quarter more.

[11:40:08]

My kids just bought a home. And they're paying almost $1,000 a month more than they were when Donald Trump was president. And so those are real things that voters can relate to. They don't want to talk about these other things. They want to talk about things that matter in their life.

ACOSTA: Yes.

WALKER: And, again, that's why I think it's such a competitive race, despite the financial advantage.

ACOSTA: But, Governor Walker, I remember, when you ran for president, you had a hopeful message. You weren't saying things like the enemy from within.

When Donald Trump uses rhetoric like that, describing people from his opposition as the enemy from within, does that give you any pause? Does it make you worry about how he might conduct himself as president?

WALKER: Well, again, he was talking about that before. And I look at his track record, again, where life was better.

I think his target more than anything is on the bureaucracy, the deep state, on the swamp, as many people call it. I think there's a lot of Americans, not just Republicans or conservatives, but independents and even some Democrats like Robert F. Kennedy and others, who feel like they have been ignored by the politicians in Washington by both political parties.

I think that's part of the appeal of Donald Trump, even though I think it's important for the media in particular to realize that not everyone who supports Donald Trump for president thinks or talks exactly the same way he does.

They're just trying to hire someone to go into Washington and shake things up and put attention back on the issues that they believe are important. And they don't feel they have that from the people in Washington today.

ACOSTA: All right, former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:58]

ACOSTA: Next hour in New York, Rudy Giuliani will be in federal court for a debt hearing. This all ties back to the lawsuit that found the former New York mayor liable for defaming these two Georgia election workers following the 2020 election.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins me now from outside the federal courthouse in New York.

Katelyn, more legal troubles for Rudy Giuliani? What can you tell us?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, today, at this hearing, this is Rudy Giuliani fighting to hold on to some of his most valuable property, specifically four World Series rings he has from when the Yankees won the World Series in the '90s and 2000.

He wants to keep those. And the argument is that he gave them to his son as a gift. He's also trying to hold on to a condo in Palm Beach that's worth about $3.5 million that he says is his primary residence, even if he spent very little time there over the summer. He was in New Hampshire. He was in New York.

And we also at this hearing are very likely to hear from the judge and also from the lawyers about how Giuliani is working on getting Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss all of the things the court has already said he has to turn over to them, a $6.5 million penthouse apartment here in this city on the Upper East Side, a number of other valuables that he has, luxury watches, gifts from after 9/11 from when he was the mayor in this city.

All of that will be discussed at this hearing, but this hearing, Jim, really is about the consequence of intimidating, defaming these two women, the realization that he must pay them what he can of that $150 million debt he owes. This hearing is not expected to be long. Rudy Giuliani is in the Big

Apple. He was speaking yesterday at that Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, but unclear if he would actually come into court for this. But I will say, Jim, I was just in there a few minutes ago, and there is a photo of Rudy Giuliani in the ground floor lobby of this courthouse at its dedication, so quite a stark situation here for the former mayor of New York and the former U.S. attorney presiding over this particular federal court in Manhattan -- Jim.

Yes, that's going to be tough medicine if he has to cough up those World Series rings while the Yankees are in the World Series.

Katelyn Polantz, thank you very much.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:39]

ACOSTA: With Election Day now just one week from tomorrow, communities across the country have ramped up security to guard against political violence.

Our next guest has faced multiple personal threats, and her county has been the target of accusations and conspiracy theories.

Romilda Crocamo is the county manager for Luzerne County in the all- important swing state of Pennsylvania.

I guess, first of all, I'm very sorry that you have gone through this. How are you preparing for Election Day?

ROMILDA CROCAMO, LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, MANAGER: Well, we always do certain preparations for weather interruptions.

But, this year, we have really ramped up the security issues that we're facing in this election.

ACOSTA: And your county has even put up barriers around the building housing your elections office. Can you talk about that?

CROCAMO: Correct. We're in a building that's on pillars, and so we put boulders around the perimeter. We're putting in ballistic windows, coverings on our first floor lobby because it was glass. People will not be able to see in.

We can see out, and I put a bulletproof wall in our election bureau.

ACOSTA: And, Romilda, I mean, it's astonishing to hear you talk about this in the matter-of-fact manner that you are. Kudos to you.

Can you tell us a little bit about the threats that you have dealt with, that your staffers have dealt with, and how all of this has affected you?

CROCAMO: Well, I have to give kudos to our election director, Emily Cook. She's faced threats not only this year, but in 2022.

It -- we have to do our job. And we come in. We know people are out there. They want us to fail. And the hate and the vitriol is just so prevalent, but we have a job to do, and we're going to do it. And that means we're going to be here all night election night until all the returns are in.

That means we're getting the machines out on time. That means we're getting our judges bag ready on time. We have a job to do, and we're going to do it.

ACOSTA: And it's a reminder you are our fellow Americans doing this, doing this in very important duty.

CROCAMO: Correct. Correct.

[11:55:01]

ACOSTA: Do you think people realize that? Do they...

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Yes, go ahead.

CROCAMO: I like to remind people that the election workers, our poll workers, the people who work in our bureau and in our county, are the people that you go to little league games with. They're the people that you go to church with. They're the people that you see at the grocery store. They're your neighbors.

They are doing yeoman's work. And it's very disheartening the way some people are treating and, for purposes of this election, even the threats that are being raised.

ACOSTA: Yes. In this high-pressure environment, a little kindness goes a long way. We should get that message out there.

If you're going to vote this week on Election Day, show some kindness to the people at those election areas where you're going to go vote. They really do need it.

Romilda Crocamo, thank you so much.

CROCAMO: Thank you.

ACOSTA: And I'm so sorry for what you had to endure, but thank you very much for your service to this country. We appreciate it.

And thank you for joining me. I'm Jim Acosta.

Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts after a short break.

Be kind, everybody. Have a good day.