Trump spreads false claims on federal hurricane responseby Kristen Welker
Meet The Press NOW | NBC News NOW
Oct 4, 2024
Former President Donald Trump joins Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) at a briefing on the response to Hurricane Helene in Georgia Friday afternoon, following false claims he made that the federal government is not helping affected areas and that FEMA had used funds designated for disaster relief for other purposes.
Transcript[KRISTEN WELKER] > WELCOME TO "MEET THE PRESS NOW", WITH JUST 32 DAYS UNTIL THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS IN BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA NOW AS THE STATE AND REGION RECOVERS FROM THE DEVASTATION OF HURRICANE HELENE. AND MOMENTS AGO, HE ATTENDED A BRIEFING IN COLUMBIA COUNTY WITH GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP. MR. TRUMP JUST DELIVERED REMARKS IN EVANS, GEORGIA, ATTACKING THE WHITE HOUSE RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS, AS
OFFICIALS ARE NOW PUSHING BACK AGAINST A SERIES OF INCENDIARY AND BASELESS CLAIMS BY THE FORMER PRESIDENT ABOUT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S HANDLING OF THE RECOVERY. HERE IS WHAT HE SAID AT A MICHIGAN RALLY YESTERDAY.[DONALD TRUMP] PEOPLE ARE DYING IN NORTH CAROLINA. THEY ARE DYING ALL OVER, FIVE OR SIX STATES, AND THEY'RE GETTING NO HELP FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO MONEY, BECAUSE THEIR MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT ON PEOPLE THAT SHOULD NOT BE IN THE COUNTRY. THEY STOLE THE FEMA MONEY. JUST LIKE THEY STOLE IT FROM A BANK SO THEY COULD GIVE IT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAT THEY WANT TO HAVE VOTE FOR THEM.
[KRISTEN WELKER] >> NOW, ACCORDING TO A WEBSITE FEMA SET UP TO COUNTER RUMORS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WITH NO MONEY BEING DIVERTED FOR DISASTER RESPONSE AND WITHOUT NAMING THE FORMER PRESIDENT, THE FEMA ADMINISTRATOR PUSHING BACK HARD FROM THE GROUND IN NORTH CAROLINA.
[DEANNA CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR]>> THERE'S A LOT OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY BECAUSE IT'S BEING REDIRECTED ELSEWHERE. THAT'S PLAIN FALSE.
THE SECOND PART I WANT TO SAY IS WE HAVE RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS. WE WANT THEM TO APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE. THIS LEVEL OF MISINFORMATION CREATES A SCENARIO WHERE THEY WON'T EVEN COME TO US. THEY WON'T EVEN REGISTER. AND WE NEED PEOPLE TO REGISTER SO THEY CAN GET WHAT THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS.
[KRISTEN WELKER]>> AND THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S CLAIMS HAVE ALSO BEEN REFUTED BY LOCAL OFFICIALS. HERE'S WHAT THE MAYORS OF TWO OF THE AREAS HARDEST HIT, ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, AND GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, TOLD ME YESTERDAY RIGHT HERE, ON THIS PROGRAM.
[MAYOR KNOX WHITE, GREENVILLE, SC] >> WELL, FEMA HAS BEEN HERE RIGHT ON THE SPOT, AS YOU WOULD HOPE. VERY GRANULAR, THAT'S THE WAY THEY WORK. AND THAT'S ENCOURAGING THE CITY. AND A LOT OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE, COMBINED WITH LOCAL, IN TERMS OF FEEDING PROGRAMS AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IN TERMS OF BOTTLED WATER, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
[MAYOR ESTHER MANHEIMER] >> WE ARE NOW SEEING AN INCREDIBLE UP-TIK OF ACTIVITY HERE IN ASHVILLE AND COUNTY, AND IN THE REGION, WITH ALL SORTS OF RESOURCES COMING INTO THE AREA. I WAS JUST MEETING WITH PART OF OUR FEMA TEAM THAT IS HERE.
[KRISTEN WELKER]>> NOW,
THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S LATEST BASELESS CLAIMS ON DISASTER AID COME AFTER EARLIER THIS WEEK HE CLAIMED, WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE, THAT AID WAS BEING DENIED TO AREAS THAT VOTED FOR HIM IN NORTH CAROLINA. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THAT CLAIM.Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Sep 30, 3024 11:42 AM
We are now heading to Valdosta, Georgia, in order to pay my respects and bring lots of relief material, including fuel, equipment, water, and other things, to the State. Many politicians and Law Enforcement will be there. We'll be saying hello to Franklin Graham, Burt Jones, Tyler Harper, Mike Collins, Austin Scott, Russ Goodman, Sam Watson, and the Mayor of Valdosta Scott James. They are working very hard. I was also going to stop into North Carolina, which has really been hit hard. I have a lot of supplies ready for them, but access and communication is now restricted, and we want to make sure that Local Emergency Management is able to focus on helping the people most affected, and not being concerned with me. I'll be there shortly, but don't like the reports that I'm getting about the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas. MAGA!
HERE IS THE RNC COCHAIR LARA TRUMP ON THE SHOW.
HE SAID, INDIVIDUALS WILL BE DENIED AID IN NORTH CAROLINA BECAUSE THEY VOTED FOR HIM. MY COLLEAGUE THERE PRESSED HIM, AND ASKED HIM WHERE HE WAS GETTING THAT INFORMATION FROM YESTERDAY. HE DID NOT ANSWER.
DO YOU HAVE EVIDENCE? DO YOU KNOW WHERE THOSE CLAIMS ARE COMING FROM?
[LARA TRUMP]>> I ACTUALLY DO NOT. THIS IS A VITAL SITUATION AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SEEN A LOT MORE DEATH, I THINK, THAN PREDICTED. SO I'M NOT SURE ABOUT ANY OF THOSE STATISTICS.
NBC NEWS Trump falsely says Georgia's governor was unable to talk to Biden about storm damage by Matt Dixon, Adam Edelman & Megan Lebowitz Monday
[KRISTEN WELKER]>>
THE FORMER PRESIDENT, EARLIER THIS WEEK, ALSO FALSELY CLAIMING THAT GEORGIA GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP WAS UNABLE TO REACH PRESIDENT BIDEN, EVEN THOUGH KEMP TOLD REPORTERS HE DID SPEAK TO THE PRESIDENT, AND TOLD HIM, 'WE GOT WHAT WE NEED.' MR. TRUMP'S BASELESS CLAIMS ABOUT POLITICIZING FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF COME AS
POLITICO'S EVENING NEWS REPORTS THAT PRESIDENT MR. TRUMP INITIALLY REFUSED TO APPROVE DISASTER AID FOR THE DEADLY 2018 CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES. SPECIFICALLY, BECAUSE OF THAT STATE'S DEMOCRATIC LEANINGS. A FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TOLD THEM HE CHANGED HIS MIND AFTER BEING SHOWED VOTING RESULTS IN TRUMP-ALIGNED AREAS IN THE REGION.LET'S BRING IN NOW OUR NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT SHAQUILLE BREWSTER, WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING DONALD TRUMP AND BRIAN KEMP IN GEORGIA. MARISSA PARRA IS IN EASTERN TENNESSEE, ABOUT 60 MILES NORTH OF ASHVILLE. DASHA BURNS IS IN BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, AHEAD OF TRUMP'S RALLY THERE TOMORROW. AND GARRETT HAAKE, NORMALLY ON THE TRUMP BEAT, IS ALSO IN FLINT, MICHIGAN, AHEAD OF KAMALA HARRIS' RALLY LATER TODAY.
SHAQUILLE, LET'S START WITH YOU. AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, DONALD TRUMP IS SPENDING THE AFTERNOON IN GEORGIA -- NOT TECHNICALLY A CAMPAIGN EVENT -- AND HE IS THERE WITH BRIAN KEMP. WHAT WERE YOUR KEY TAKEAWAYS? OBVIOUSLY, BRIAN KEMP DID NOT INITIALLY ENDORSE DONALD TRUMP. NOW HE HAS. WHAT WERE YOUR TAKEAWAYS?
[SHAQUILLE BREWSTER, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT]>> YEAH, I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN SOME EVIDENCE OF THAT TRUCE BETWEEN THESE TWO LEADERS. YOU KNOW, WE JUST HEARD BRIAN KEMP AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP HERE BEHIND ME, AND YOU HEARD FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP PRAISE THE GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA SAYING THAT HE IS DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, and EARLIER IN THE DAY SAYING HE IS SOMEONE WHO WHO IS WORKING NIGHT AND DAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF GEORGIA. DURING THIS TRIP, WE SAW THE FORMER PRESIDENT MEET GO AND MEET WITH VOLUNTEERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS. HE GOT BRIEFED BY SOME COUNTY OFFICIALS ON THE EXACT DAMAGE IN THIS AREA.
I'LL TELL YOU THAT COMING IN THIS MORNING, YOU SAW THAT WHILE THE RECOVERY IS WELL UNDERWAY -- THE ROADS ARE CLEAR -- YOU STILL SEE THE IMPACT OF THIS HURRICANE: BIG TREES FALLEN OVER; SOME ELECTRICITY AND POWER ISSUES STILL ONGOING IN THIS AREA. BUT YOU CONTINUE TO HEAR THE FORMER PRESIDENT REPEAT THOSE CLAIMS THAT ARE BASELESS, THAT THE FEMA DIRECTOR HAS PUSHED BACK AGAINST, BUT SAYING THAT ESSENTIALLY MONEY HAS BEEN REDIRECTED TO MIGRANTS. LISTEN TO A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT WE HEARD. AGAIN, THAT FALSE CLAIM.
[DONALD TRUMP] >> A TERRIBLE RESPONSE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. THEY ARE MISSING $1 BILLION THAT WAS USED FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE AND NOBODY HAS SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT. NO, FROM THAT STANDPOINT, IT HAS BEEN TERRIBLE.
[SHAQUILLE BREWSTER, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT] ONCE AGAIN YOU HAVE THE FEMA DIRECTOR SAYING THAT IS NOT THE CASE, THAT IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL FOR FEMA TO USE DISASTER RESPONSE MONEY FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES. AND THAT WHAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT COULD BE TALKING ABOUT IS ESSENTIALLY A CONGRESSIONALLY-MANDATED PROGRAM THAT FEMA ADMINISTERS, BUT DID NOT COME FROM ANY DISASTER RELIEF MONEY. BUT WE DID HEAR AGAIN,
THE GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA, HE WAS UP HERE. HE SAID THAT FIRST RESPONDERS ARE WORKING HARD. THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK THAT IS LEFT TO BE DONE. AND AGAIN, NOT BACKING UP THOSE CLAIMS FROM THE FORMER PRESIDENT.[KRISTEN WELKER]>> YOU KNOW, SHAQ, IT IS REALLY FASCINATING TO SEE TRUMP AND KEMP STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER AFTER THEIR FROSTY RELATIONSHIP, AFTER 2020. WAS THERE ANY INDICATION OF THAT ON DISPLAY?
[SHAQUILLE BREWSTER, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT]>> I THINK WE HAVE SOME OF THE VIDEO FROM SOME OF THE BRIEFINGS, AND SOME OF THE INTERACTIONS. I WILL LET THE BODY LANGUAGE EXPERTS TAKE THAT, AND SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO READ INTO IT. BUT AT LEAST, BASED ON THE TONE, YOU HAD THE FORMER PRESIDENT PRAISING BRIAN KEMP REPEATEDLY IN THAT EXCHANGE WHERE YOU SAW THEM SITTING NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER. HE WOULD GO OVER AND SHAKE HIS HAND, AND SAID REPEATEDLY, 'OH, YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB'. HERE, AS WE HEARD THE TWO OF THEM SPEAKING, WE HEARD BRIAN KEMP PRAISE THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND THANK HIM FOR COMING BACK TO GEORGIA FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS WEEK, FOR KEEPING NATIONAL ATTENTION ON THE RECOVERY HERE. SO IT SEEMS THAT THE TRUCE IS HOLDING UP. IT WAS JUST BACK IN AUGUST WHEN WE HEARD THE FORMER PRESIDENT GOING AFTER BRIAN KEMP. CALLING HIM, 'AN AVERAGE GOVERNOR,' SAYING HE WAS A DISLOYAL GUY, GOING AFTER HIS WIFE IN PRETTY PERSONAL TERMS AT A RALLY. THINGS HAVE DEFINITELY CHANGED, AND WE SEE THEM TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT FOUR YEARS, WHEN AGAIN BRIAN KEMP DIDN'T BACK UP THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S ATTEMPTS TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION RESULTS HERE IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA.
[KRISTEN WELKER]>> THAT'S RIGHT, BUT NOW THEY ARE SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER, WITH JUST 32 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE ELECTION. SHAQ, THANKS SO MUCH.
MARISSA, LET ME TURN TO YOU. YOU ARE ON THE GROUND IN HARD-HIT EASTERN TENNESSEE. WHAT ARE THE RESIDENTS TELLING YOU? ARE THEY GETTING WHAT THEY NEED FROM THE FEDERAL RESPONSE?
[MARISSA PARRA] >> WELL, I CAN TELL YOU
ON THE GROUND, I'M NOT SEEING OR HEARING THAT MUCH ABOUT MISINFORMATION, AT LEAST ON THE GROUND. BUT WHAT I HAVE SEEN ONLINE IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY, OF COURSE. EVEN IN THE LOCAL FACEBOOK GROUPS I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF COMMENTS THAT ARE CASTING SKEPTICISM ON FEDERAL RESPONSE AND FEDERAL AID. BUT I CAN TELL YOU, I HAVE SEEN TEMA, WHICH IS THE TENNESSEE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AND I AM SEEING FEMA IN DIFFERENT CAPACITIES, RIGHT? BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE DONE ON THE GROUND. AND THAT'S JUST WHERE WE ARE, IN ERWIN, TENNESSEE. THAT'S NOT TO MENTION ALL THE OTHER STATES. THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND HERE DOING BUILDING ASSESSMENTS TO EVEN SEE IF IT IS SAFE FOR SEARCH & RESCUE TO GO INSIDE. WE KNOW THERE IS SEARCH AND RESCUE JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM WHERE WE ARE. THEY HAVE CADAVER DOGS LOOKING THROUGH DEBRIS. THIS IS ONE WEEK AFTER HELENE. NOT TO MENTION ALL OF THE RECOVERY AND REBUILDING THAT HAS TO BE DONE, ASIDE FROM ALSO FINDING ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL MISSING. YOU HAVE PEOPLE, INCLUDING PEOPLE I JUST TALKED TO YESTERDAY, A WOMAN WHO LOST HER HOME; SHE LOST HER HUSBAND; SHE LOST HER DOG. SHE DOES NOT HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE. VERY FEW PEOPLE DID. THEY DIDN'T EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN. SO THERE IS THE QUESTION OF REBUILDING; THE IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE; ON THE ECONOMY; THE LOCAL ECONOMY HERE. AGRICULTURE IS A BIG ONE. THERE ARE FARMING FIELDS; THERE ARE STRAWBERRY FIELDS; THERE'S TOMATO FIELDS WHICH HAVE BEEN DECIMATED. SO THERE ARE, OF COURSE, THE SHORT-TERM IMPACTS, THE DEVASTATION, THE GRIEF, AND ALL THE QUESTIONS ON WHAT HAPPENS NEXT; WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, BECAUSE FOR SOME OF THESE HARD-HIT AREAS, THEIR EPICENTERS HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT. PARTICULARLY, OF COURSE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ASHEVILLE. THE DEVASTATION IS SO WIDESPREAD THAT IT'S REALLY, AT THIS MOMENT, STILL HARD TO GRASP WHAT THE FINANCIAL COST IS GOING TO BE HERE. BUT IN TERMS OF RESPONSE AND RELIEF, WE HAVE HAD HELICOPTERS FLYING OVERHEAD, EVEN IN THIS SHORT TIME THAT WE HAVE BEEN HERE, WHETHER IT'S PRIVATE HELICOPTERS, OR AIRPLANES, AND OF COURSE FEDERAL ONES AS WELL, DELIVERING AID WHEN ANYONE CAN SEE IT. SO IT IS A COMBINATION OF ALL OF IT. AGAIN, ON THE GROUND, IN TERMS OF PEOPLE, I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE TURNING AWAY DONATIONS. I HAVEN'T SEEN DONATIONS BEING TURNED AWAY. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYONE TURNING AWAY HELP FROM ANYWHERE IT'S COMING, KRISTEN.[KRISTEN WELKER]>> GREAT REPORTING, MARISSA. AND WE CAN SEE THE DEVASTATION, THE WORK, THE REBUILDING THAT REMAINS IN THAT LIVE SHOT BEHIND US. THANK YOU, MARISSA, SO MUCH. REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
NOW, DASHA, LET ME TURN TO YOU AS WE TALK ABOUT SOME OF THESE BASELESS CLAIMS THAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS MADE AS IT RELATES TO THE HURRICANE RESPONSE. I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO REPUBLICAN ALLIES, AND THEY SAY THE KEY TO FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WINNING IS FOR HIM TO STICK TO THE ISSUES WHERE HE IS STRONGEST. I AM TALKING ABOUT THE ECONOMY AND IMMIGRATION. POLLS SHOW HE'S GOT A LEAD ON THESE ISSUES, ALTHOUGH THAT LEAD IS NARROWING. WHAT ARE TRUMP ALLIES TELLING YOU ABOUT THIS LATEST RHETORIC THAT WE ARE HEARING FROM THE PRESIDENT?
[DASHA BURNS, NBC CORRESPONDENT]>> WELL, LOOK KRISTEN, I THINK YOU HIT ON THE CENTRAL FRUSTRATION THAT YOU HEAR FROM REPUBLICAN OPERATIVES AND ALLIES OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT. THEY FEEL, YES, HE IS STRONG ON IMMIGRATION. HE HAS REASON TO CRITICIZE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO THINGS LIKE THIS HURRICANE. THEY FEEL THERE ARE LEGITIMATE CRITICISMS TO BE LEVIED WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THIS WHITE HOUSE HAS HANDLED THINGS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER. AND EVEN FEMA. WE'VE REPORTED AT TIMES BEFORE, ON THE CHALLENGES THAT FEMA FACES. THEY OFTEN DON'T OFTEN HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES AND ENOUGH FUNDING TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. THERE HAS BEEN FRUSTRATION IN SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES. THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN LOOK AT, AND SAY 'HEY, HOW IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HANDLING THIS MASSIVE CHALLENGE?' BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS DOING.
WHEN IT COMES TO IMMIGRATION, [TRUMP] MAKING FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT FEMA, MAKING FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT PEOPLE EATING CATS AND DOGS, DISTRACTING FROM THE REAL SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES. AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO THIS HURRICANE, HE IS TAKING ISSUE WITH SOMETHING THAT'S NOT REAL. THAT HAS BEEN FACT-CHECKED AND DEBUNKED. THEY FEEL IF HE COULD JUST STICK TO THE FACTS, THAT THERE IS A LANE FOR HIM TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON THESE ISSUES. THAT'S SIMPLY NOT HAPPENING. AND WHEN YOU SEE HIM IN GEORGIA WITH GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP, I MEAN, IT IS A STRIKING IMAGE BECAUSE JUST MONTHS AGO I WAS AT A RALLY OF HIS IN ATLANTA, AND HE WAS OPENLY, IN KENT'S STATE CRITICIZING HIM. NOW THE TABLES HAVE TOTALLY TURNED. THE TONE HAS TOTALLY CHANGED. AND YOU LOOK AT WHAT ELSE HAS CHANGED? WELL, WHEN IT WAS BIDEN AT THE TOP OF THE TICKET, THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN FELT THEY HAD GEORGIA IN THE BAG; THEY FELT THEY HAD NORTH CAROLINA IN THE BAG. SO I THINK ALSO SOME OF THESE CLAIMS THAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS MAKING, TRYING TO ESCALATE CHALLENGES IN GEORGIA AND IN PLACES LIKE NORTH CAROLINA, ALSO COME FROM A PLACE WHERE IT'S NOT SO SECURE ANYMORE THAT HE IS GOING TO WIN THOSE STATES. AND THE POLLS DO HAVE HIM AND HARRIS NECK AND NECK, KRISTEN.
[KRISTEN WELKER]>> YES, IT IS STRIKING TO SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE POLLING. DASHA, YOU ARE THERE IN BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, THE SITE OF THE FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. I'M SURE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF EMOTIONS FOR EVERYONE WHO IS THERE ANTICIPATING THIS VISIT. WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING FROM THAT EVENT TOMORROW?
[DASHA BURNS, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT] >> LOOK, THIS IS NOT INSIGNIFICANT FOR THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN. IT'S NOT INSIGNIFICANT FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE ON JULY 13. I WAS THERE. I SPENT TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO WITNESSED HORRIFIC, TRAGIC, FATAL INCIDENTS, AND I WENT BACK AND TALKED TO SOME OF THOSE FOLKS. AND I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, KRISTEN, IT IS A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE TO WHAT I HAD, WHICH IS, IT HAS A SERIOUS IMPACT. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GOING TO TRAUMA THERAPY; PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SCARED BY LOUD NOISES. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL WITNESSED ON TELEVISION, SOME PEOPLE WITNESSED IN PERSON, AND SOMEONE LOST THEIR LIFE; DAUGHTERS LOST A FATHER; A WIFE LOST A HUSBAND, AND WE KNOW THAT TOMORROW THE FAMILY OF [INAUDIBLE] WILL BE FEATURED AS SPEAKERS. THERE WILL BE FOLKS WHO WERE AT THAT RALLY THAT WILL BE FEATURED AS SPEAKERS; LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FIRST RESPONDERS WILL BE THERE. YOU'VE GOT BIG NAMES LIKE ELON MUSK COMING; AS WELL, OF COURSE, RUNNING MATE JD VANCE. BUT FOR THIS COMMUNITY, AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AT LARGE, PEOPLE CAME FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE, EVEN PARTS OF OHIO FOR THIS RALLY. IT REALLY IS AN IMPORTANT MOMENT TO GO BACK. THERE IS SOME DISCOMFORT WITH THAT, AND SOME CONCERN WITH THAT, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING TO FEEL THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO FINISH WHAT HAD STARTED. I MEAN, THE FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ONLY A FEW MINUTES INTO THAT SPEECH WHEN THOSE SHOTS RANG OUT, AND HE SAYS HE WANTS TO FINISH IT; HE WANTS TO COME BACK AND FULFILL THE PROMISE. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND HERE REALLY FEEL THAT THEY NEED THAT FOR THEIR OWN HEALING. AND OF COURSE, SO IMPORTANT TO THOSE WHO LOST A LOVED ONE THAT DAY, KRISTEN.
[KRISTEN WELKER] >> ABSOLUTELY, DASHA, AND YOU SHOWED GREAT BRAVERY IN YOUR REPORTING THAT DASHA. AND NOW AGAIN GOING BACK TO TELL US ABOUT THIS EVENT THAT YOU WILL BE THERE FOR TOMORROW. DASHA BURNS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
GARRETT, LET ME TURN TO YOU. YOU ARE, OF COURSE, NORMALLY OUR TRUMP REPORTER, BUT TODAY YOU ARE ON THE HARRIS BEAT. YOU ARE IN MICHIGAN. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE STRATEGY THAT WE ARE SEEING FROM THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN. SHE WAS OUT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN LIZ CHENEY YESTERDAY. DO YOU THINK, DOES THE CAMPAIGN FEEL CONFIDENT, THAT THAT COULD HELP WIN OVER SOME OF THOSE UNDECIDEDS AND THOSE MODERATE VOTERS?
[GARRETT HAAKE] >> YES, I'M TAKING A BIT OF A FIELD TRIP TODAY TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT IT'S LIKE ON THE TRAIL WITH THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN, WHAT THE CROWDS ARE LIKE, AND WHAT THE REACTION'S LIKE TO HER. AND ON THE ISSUE OF REACHING SOME OF THOSE REPUBLICANS. I THINK IT'S NOTABLE BECAUSE THE CAMPAIGN IS THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN IS FRANKLY THE ONLY CAMPAIGN TRYING TO REACH SOME OF THOSE NIKKI HALEY REPUBLICANS; FOLKS WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN TRADITIONAL SUBURBAN REPUBLICANS WHO DON'T SEE THEMSELVES IN DONALD TRUMP'S PARTY. THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAS VIRTUALLY LEFT THOSE PEOPLE BEHIND. THEY ARE MOSTLY FOCUSED ON TARGETING LOW INFORMATION VOTERS; PARTICULARLY YOUNG MEN WHO MAY NOT HAVE EVEN VOTED IN THE PAST BUT WHO THEY THINK MIGHT HAVE AFFINITY FOR DONALD TRUMP IF THEY VOTE AT ALL. AND THEY HAVE NOT DONE A BROAD SPECTRUM OUTREACH TO TRADITIONAL CONSERVATIVES WHO ARE NOT ON THE TRUMP TRAIN. AND THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN, I THINK, RIGHTLY SEES AN OPENING THERE TO TRY AND INVITE SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE IN. AND THEY SEE LIZ CHENEY AS A POTENTIAL VALIDATOR. NOW CHENEY OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT HAVE A HUGE CONSTITUENCY LEFT IN THIS MODERN REPUBLICAN PARTY, BUT WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT HUGE MARGINS, CERTAINLY NOT IN A STATE LIKE WISCONSIN WHERE I APPEARED YESTERDAY. JOE BIDEN WON BY, I THINK, SOMETHING LIKE 20,000 VOTES FOUR YEARS AGO. HERE IN MICHIGAN, EVERY VOTE COULD MATTER. AND THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN HAS KIND OF A HOST OF CHALLENGES OR OPPORTUNITIES. THEY'VE GOT TO SHORE UP SUPPORT WITH LABOR; THEY'VE GOT TO SHORE UP SUPPORT AMID A SIZABLE ARAB COMMUNITY HERE. THEY'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T LOSE YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN WHO HAVE BEEN A TARGET OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN FOR A YEAR AND A HALF NOW. THEY'RE NOT GONNA SOLVE ALL THOSE PROBLEMS TODAY, BUT HARRIS HAS ALREADY BEEN PRETTY AGGRESSIVE IN THE DETROIT AREA TODAY ON THE ISSUE OF LABOR. AND I SUSPECT WE'LL HEAR HER TOUCH ON ALL THREE OF THOSE CONSTITUENCIES HERE IN CLINTON TONIGHT.
[KRISTEN WELKER]>> I THINK THAT IS A SAFE BET FOR SURE, GARRETT. AND WE KNOW THAT NEXT WEEK FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL BE OUT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN BATTLEGROUND PENNSYLVANIA, ANOTHER BIG BATTLEGROUND STATE. GARRETT, THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT REPORTING AS ALWAYS.
