'This Week' Transcript 8-18-24: Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson

A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, August 18, 2024 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC "THIS WEEK" CO-ANCHOR: Good morning from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago where Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party's nomination amid stunning new poll numbers, capping an unprecedented whirlwind month in American politics. A special edition of THIS WEEK starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RADDATZ: Her moment.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now is the time to chart a new way forward.

RADDATZ: Vice President Kamala Harris descends on the windy city with our poll results showing astounding gains.

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: When we fight, we win.

RADDATZ: As she begins rolling out her vision for the next four years –

HARRIS: We will build what I call an opportunity economy.

RADDATZ: While Donald Trump fumes over her campaign momentum.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I'm entitled to personal attacks. I don't have a lot of respect for her.

RADDATZ: This morning, we're on the road speaking with voters about the transformed race.

And we travel through three critical battleground states where Kamala Harris has made significant gains.

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson join us. Matt Gutman reports on convention security. Rick Klein breaks down our brand-new poll. Plus political analyst from former party chairs Donna Brazile and Reince Priebus. And Chris Christie, Jonathan Karl, and Rachel Scott join our powerhouse roundtable. It's “Your Voice, Your Vote.”

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, it’s THIS WEEK live from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Here now, Martha Raddatz.

RADDATZ: Good morning, and welcome to THIS WEEK.

We are live from the United Center in Chicago where in just a few days Vice President Kamala Harris will stand on the stage behind me as the Democratic nominee for president. It is a far different convention than the one planned just one month ago when President Joe Biden was still on the ticket and many Democrats were concerned about a potential Donald Trump landslide in November.

But what a difference a candidate makes. Our new poll with "The Washington Post" and Ipsos out this morning shows some dramatic shifts in the race for the White House in the four weeks since President Biden stepped aside, with Harris now opening up a five-point lead nationally over Trump among all adults. Compare that to early July when Trump led Biden by a point.

A spike in voter enthusiasm is helping to drive Harris' momentum, but Trump does lead on several major issues, like the economy and immigration. Our political director and Washington bureau chief, Rick Klein, is here with the breakdown of what this race looks like on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

Good to see you this morning, Rick. What a change.

RICK KLEIN, ABC NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Martha, as you mentioned, that lead that Donald Trump had has been entirely erased and even turned around in Kamala Harris' direction in just the last couple of weeks. Harris now leading Trump by five points among all adults in our polling and four points among registered voters. Of course, it’s – that's still a close race, particularly when you think about the battleground states where this race remains in that kind of range of the – of the mid-single digits.

But when you dive into the voting groups that are driving this election, you see an even more dramatic change of what’s happened over the last month or so. Joe Biden was leading younger adults by two points. It's now Harris plus 20. Among black voters, Biden was leading by a healthy 60. Well, Harris is up 72 among black voters. An eight-point jump among Hispanic voters. And this is a big one, independent voters, it was Trump leading by four in our last poll. Now it is Harris up 11. That is a major, major turnaround from just a couple of weeks ago.

RADDATZ: A major turnaround indeed. And we know voters' concerns about Biden were driven by his age and his ability to perform the job, as well as those most pressing issues. How's that changed?

KLEIN: Yes, this was a big drag on the Democratic ticket. Everyone knew it. And everyone who is going to be in this arena the rest of the week was worried about that dynamic. Well, Donald Trump is now the oldest presidential nominee ever, and it shows in the polling. Voters are picking up on that. They saw – they saw Donald Trump as in better physical health than Joe Biden by a 31-point edge. Now it's Harris plus 30. Totally reverse. A hundred percent in the opposite direction. They saw Trump as having better mental sharpness by 30 points. Now it's Harris, 9 points advantage in that area. And they're about the same when it comes to the trust on – on honesty and trustworthy. Harris and Biden about where they were.

And, Martha, all of this has translated into voter enthusiasm. The number of Harris voters who say they are enthusiastic about her candidacy, 60 percent. That's the same as Donald Trump. Contrast that to the numbers back in July, where Trump had an enormous advantage when it comes to voter enthusiasm.

Now, the issues set, this is one area where Harris may have some – some bigger problems to overcome. And this week may be critical for all of that. You see on areas like health care and abortion, you have an edge for Kamala Harris in terms of the trust to handle those issues. But for Donald Trump, he's got an edge in the areas that tend to matter even more to voters, up nine on trust in handling the economy, three on crime and safety, and then ten points on immigration and handling the southern border. That's a lot of the reason why you hear Trump allies say focus on the issues. And it's one reason we're going to hear a lot from Harris and her allies this week. It's time to look forward. They don't want to own everything that Biden is associated with. They want to do their own thing and be associated with things on issues that voters are in a better comfort zone on.

RADDATZ: Still a lot of challenges there for the Democrats, Rick.

And as you know, these new poll results reflect not just numbers, but people. We saw that firsthand visiting three critical battleground states this week, driving more than 1,000 miles across Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin to hear directly from voters. Their voices very much backing up what the pollsters heard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RADDATZ (voice over): From the moment our trip began, we could see the change. The flip from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris energized and enthused the party.

PAM, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Is the fact that it's a younger person, the fact that it's a woman. I mean, I love that. I feel safe now. That's how I feel.

RADDATZ: You feel strongly that she'll probably win?

PAM: I do. I really do.

RADDATZ (voice over): Winning Pennsylvania is critical for a Harris victory. In 2020, Biden won the keystone state by just over 81,000 votes. And while the big cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia lean Democratic, the rest of the state has large swaths of red, like Westmoreland County, where Kirk Scalzott lives.

KIRK SCALZOTT, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I am going to go with Trump.

RADDATZ (voice over): Scalzott is like the majority of those in our poll who trust Donald Trump more than Harris to handle key issues, like immigration and the economy.

SCALZOTT: I don't think he's a nice person, but I think when he ran the country before, he did great job. Backed the military. Backed the police. Was hard on immigration. The economy was good.

RADDATZ (voice over): Rolling into battleground Michigan, a state Biden flipped by 150,000 votes, one of Harris' biggest vulnerabilities has been on full display. The Biden administration's handling of the Israel/Hamas War. More than 101,000 Michigan residents voted uncommitted in the state's primary.

Rima Mohammad is one of two uncommitted delegates headed to the convention this week.

RIMA MOHAMMAD, MICHIGAN UNCOMMITTED DELEGATE: As uncommitted voters, we want the situation in Gaza to stop. We want a bilateral ceasefire. You know, we want peace on both sides, but we also want to stop the funding of bombs for Israel.

RADDATZ: Has anything changed since Biden stepped aside?

MOHAMMAD: I do appreciate that Vice President Harris is listening to us. It is still not what we need, especially – we don't want to just hear words, we want to see action. We want to see policy.

RADDATZ (voice over): Down the road, on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus, students echoed those concerns about Gaza.

SONDUS, MICHIGAN VOTER: As a Palestinian, she's not doing much for my country and America is aiding these, like, military weapons towards, like, Israel. And I've lost, like – I've known people that lost family members and it's just – it’s devastating.

RADDATZ (voice over): But despite the challenges, the overall enthusiasm for Harris is skyrocketing, especially with young voters, where she now has a 20-point lead over Donald Trump and is up 18 points from where Joe Biden was.

CERISE CARRINGTON, MICHIGAN VOTER: I was one of those people who kind of felt like we didn't really have a chance if he were to drop out because I wasn't entirely sure that the Democratic Party would get behind Kamala.

RADDATZ: And –

CARRINGTON: But the fact that they did, that's – that’s even more of a bonus.

RADDATZ (voice over): Key to any victory is winning over independents and those Republicans not happy with Donald Trump. Take Kalamazoo County, where Nikki Haley won 36 percent of the Republican primary vote. Liz Donohoe initially backed Haley, but instantly got on the Harris bandwagon.

LIZ DONOHOE, MICHIGAN VOTER: I'm an independent moderate and I try to pick the best candidate.

RADDATZ: What do you like about Harris?

DONOHOE: I like her charisma. I like her messaging. I think she's smart. I think she can deal with world leaders.

RADDATZ (voice over): Berrien County, nestled on the coast of Lake Michigan, has voted Republican in every election since 2008. On a cloudy day on Waco Beach, we met the McNay family, which has somehow managed to bridge their vast political differences. Joy is Trump all the way.

JOY MCNAY, MICHIGAN VOTER: He's going to make America great again.

RADDATZ: And what does that mean?

MCNAY: That means safety. It means financial security. It means a strong economy, and safety.

RADDATZ: But her husband, Steve, believes pretty much the opposite.

MCNAY: I’ll vote for the Democratic Party. Whether it's -- if it's Harris on the ticket, I’ll vote for her just because she's probably going to be the Democratic nomination, but if there were another person in lieu of her, I would vote for that person.

RADDATZ: Boy, you must have interesting conversations.

(LAUGHTER)

MCNAY: Not really.

RADDATZ: Do you fight about it? Do you talk about it? Do you put it aside?

MCNAY: No, after the 2020 election, we pretty much stopped talking about it.

RADDATZ: Across Lake Michigan, we traveled to southeastern Wisconsin. As we drove through the sea of green farmland, the divide between urban and rural and Harris versus Trump couldn't have been clearer, like here at Crane Grain Farms in Kenosha County. Owner Michael Daniels says he'll vote solely on the economy.

MICHAEL DANIELS, WISCONSIN VOTER: Our expenses, the inflation, it's hard to stay in front of it. Now with the collapsing ag world, the poor trade deficit, we need to balance this stuff. We have to get back to where we were.

RADDATZ: You supported Trump in 2016, in 2020. You would do it again?

DANIELS: Without a doubt. I -- I say I’m fiscally conservative, but I tend to be a little liberal when it comes to humans, but it goes back to, we can't help everyone if we don't have a strong economy.

RADDATZ: Like Pennsylvania and Michigan, Wisconsin is critical for Harris. Four years ago, Biden carried Wisconsin by just under 21,000 votes, the closest margin of victory of the election. While our polls show support from Black voters has swung 12 points in Harris' favor --

TIFFANY SMALL, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I’m leaning more towards Kamala.

RADDATZ: -- Melody Davy has not bought in. Trump's run has clearly had an effect on her in an astonishing way.

Have you decided who you want to vote for?

MELODY DAVY, WISCONSIN VOTER: Honestly no. I’m leaning towards Trump.

RADDATZ: And why is that?

DAVY: A lot of the stuff Kamala says is kind of, like, what Trump has said, like, no taxes on tips. It was something that was kind of reiterated by Trump beforehand. She's just kind of been caught up in a lot of lies.

RADDATZ: Like what?

DAVY: I think lying about her heritage was one of them.

RADDATZ: You think she lied about her heritage?

DAVY: Yeah. I believe she's just Indian. I don't think she's Black.

RADDATZ: She's -- she has always identified as Black. She is half Indian.

DAVY: Well, I think that's something we can definitely agree to disagree on.

RADDATZ: And there was no convincing her otherwise.

Here in Racine County, just south of Milwaukee, Democratic Party Chairwoman Kelly Gallagher is looking to flip the county blue and thinks that Harris can do the trick.

What have you seen since Kamala Harris entered the race?

KELLY GALLAGHER, RACINE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR: It has been like someone opened all the windows and doors and let all the fresh air in. It really within 24 hours, it just changed everything. All of a sudden, people were, like, running in our doors to talk about it, to find out how they could help, to see what was going on.

It was remarkable. It was definitely -- definitely more younger people, but also a stampede of women, which was, I think, the most noticeable. Women of all different ages, all coming in and being just so excited, that it was just a sea change for us.

RADDATZ: But Gallaher will keep working hard. She is not content with those polls and that swell of enthusiasm. She said she saw the same kind of support for Hillary Clinton and knows that in this tumultuous election season, things could very well change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RADDATZ (on camera): And I’m joined now by Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.

Great to see you. Great always to see you, Senator.

You know, you have these very positive numbers for Vice President Harris going into these -- into this convention. The national polls showing she is ahead.

What do you think she needs to accomplish here at the convention to keep that momentum going?

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH, (D) ILLINOIS & (D) FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, I think the momentum is continuing to build. So I don't think we've reached even the top of where the momentum is going, and then we just need to roll on through to November. I think continuing to be consistent with her messaging will be a big part of it, but this is really going to be that big push for the next 80-plus days.

RADDATZ: Well, let's talk about that messaging because the poll also showed that the economy is the single most important issue for Americans and people trust Donald Trump more than Kamala Harris on the economy, and inflation by a really substantial number, nine points.

The vice president did message that on Friday and laid out her plan for the economy, butthis is what “The Washington Post” editorial board said. “Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech Friday was an opportunity to get specific with voters about how a Harris presidency would manage an economy that many feel is not working well for them. Unfortunately, instead of delivering a substantial plan, she squandered the moment on populist gimmicks.” And they asked this question, “Price gouging is not causing inflation, so why is the vice president promising to stamp it out?”

What is your reaction, and how would you answer that?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I think most people, if you talk to working families, price gouging is an issue, but I think to talk about the overall economic message. That's why being in Chicago is so important because here in Chicago we've turned things around. We’ve had nine credit upgrades here. We’ve had balanced budgets for the last four years. And this is really the message that we're sending, when Democrats are in charge, we're going to put the economy back on track. We’re going to continue the momentum that we started. Inflation is coming down. And I think that is what Kamala is going to be talking about when she's going to be talking to those working families, those middle income families, saying we’re – you're our priority.

RADDATZ: But people don't really see that, you know, the people I talk to. It's the grocery prices. Donald Trump, as we said, is ahead in the polls on the economy, inflation.

DUCKWORTH: Yes.

RADDATZ: So, can you really turn that around before November?

DUCKWORTH: I think we can. Absolutely. And this is part of that messaging that – that she started with her economic speech. I think she’s going to get into more details here, and then we’re going to carry that message on forward in terms of, inflation is coming down, mortgage rates are coming down. All of that – all of that is trending in the right direction.

But again, the key is to talk about, we are going to put working families front and center in our economic plan.

RADDATZ: She also laid out new economic proposals, $25,000 to support first-time home buyers, canceling medical debt, extending the child tax credit plus other tax cuts, including not taxing service workers tips.

The non-partisan committee for a responsible federal budget estimated that plan would add $1.7 trillion to the federal deficit. Are you comfortable with that?

DUCKWORTH: I am comfortable with that because what we need to do is get rid of the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy. He added over a trillion dollars to the federal deficit because of those tax cuts that he put into place when he was in office, and we need to reverse that. We need to go ahead and bring down the cost of taxes on middle income families.

And again, you know, one of the frustrations that I'm hearing –

RADDATZ: But you’re comfortable with that debt, $1.7 trillion?

DUCKWORTH: I'm – I'm – well, no, we need to – we need to go ahead – you know, this is all about balancing things out and the priority is going to be on making homes more affordable to working Americans. This is going to be on the people who are counting on those tips to help them pay their grocery bills, put gas in their gas tanks. And then we need to go after the wealthiest Americans who don’t pay their fair share. And, frankly, Donald Trump is on their side. He's on the side of corporations. He’s on the sides of people who make over $1 million. Democrats are on the side of working families, and we’re going to put them front and center.

RADDATZ: There’s also concern about where the Biden administration stands on the war in Gaza. You’re expecting thousands, tens of thousands of protesters here. How does Kamala Harris differentiate herself from Joe Biden or will she differentiate herself from Joe Biden?

DUCKWORTH: I think we need to work hard on getting the ceasefire agreement. And I think what she can push for is to talk about making sure that we get the humanitarian aid into Gaza. And I think she will lean more heavily towards the humanitarian side of things.

And, in fact, you know, we have issues right now where at different times, different sides have opposed the deal. We’re very close to getting a ceasefire agreement on both sides. But I think you’re going to see Kamala talking more about getting humanitarian aid into Gaza.

RADDATZ: I also want to ask you about what former President Trump said Thursday at an event. He was talking about awarding Miriam Adelson, a major donor of his, the Presidential Medal of Freedom while he was in office. Let’s listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but civilian version. It’s actually much better because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, that’s soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead. She gets it and she’s a healthy, beautiful woman. So – but they’re rated equal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RADDATZ: They’re rated equal.

As an Iraq War veteran, badly wounded there, recipient of a Purple Heart, what’s your reaction to those words?

DUCKWORTH: Well, American voters have a chance to choose. Do they want a five-time draft dodger who denigrates military men and women and our veterans and calls us suckers and losers, who doesn’t want to have his picture taken with amputee veterans of various conflicts to be the next commander in chief or are you going to have Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who care deeply about veterans. Tim Walz has been out there leading on so many issues for veterans, especially burn pits.

Donald Trump is despicable. He doesn’t deserve to be commander in chief. And certainly those remarks are consistent with where he’s always been. He thinks that we’re suckers and losers and, frankly, he's – he's not fit to be commander in chief.

RADDATZ: You – you talk about Tim Walz, but there has been controversy about his – his military service as well, saying once that he carried weapons in war, which he did not. And he said he misspoke. But an ABC News -- ABC News found at least one occasion where he didn’t correct an interviewer who said that Walz had turned -- had served in Afghanistan.

Do you have any problems with that? Should he have corrected him?

DUCKWORTH: Well, you know, we say -- we -- when you speak, oftentimes, you say things. But remember, this man served 24 years in uniform. He was a -- he's a retired command sergeant major. I'm excited to have a retired command sergeant major in the vice president's office, in the Situation Room, when we look at issues of conflicts around the world. It’s going to be great to have that experience.

And, frankly, it’s despicable what Republicans are doing, the same party that thinks that Donald Trump, who dodged a draft five times, who thinks veterans are suckers and losers, that's who they think is better than someone who served 24 years in uniform, protecting and defending us every single day.

And, frankly, I don’t have a single problem with Tim Walz. I think he's, in fact, somebody that I think will be very good for America to have in the Situation Room, with his vast military experience.

RADDATZ: OK, thanks so much, Senator. It's great to see you, as always.

DUCKWORTH: My pleasure.

RADDATZ: Up next, I'll speak with two people who know a lot about putting on a political convention. Former party chairs Donna Brazile and Reince Priebus break down the latest in the 2024 race, when we come back, from Chicago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is my eternal and great, great, great honor, I have to tell you, to serve with this most extraordinary human being and American and leader...

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: ... our president, Joe Biden.

(APPLAUSE)

JOSEPH BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.: Folks, I have an incredible partner, in the progress we've made, and she's going to make one hell of a president.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RADDATZ: Welcome back from Chicago. That was President Biden and Vice President Harris on Thursday at their first joint event since he left the 2024 race.

So let's bring in former DNC chair Donna Brazile and former RNC chair Reince Priebus, with me here in Chicago.

Welcome to you both.

You've got a big week ahead for you, Donna.

(LAUGHTER)

RADDATZ: So let's -- let's start. These conventions are huge events. A lot of planning went into the convention, and then suddenly a different nominee. And what this will be is basically Joe Biden passing the baton to Kamala Harris.

DONNA BRAZILE, FORMER DNC CHAIR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Look, first of all, this was a -- a small but significant transition. We still have Biden signs. We have a Jill sign, "Go,Jill.”

But this is a moment for the American people to see the Democratic Party. Yes, the torch has been passed. The past -- it's been passed because the Democratic Party's focused on the future.

We're not focused on the past. We're focused on saving the middle class. We're focused on lowering the cost of prescription medication.

So what you're going to see this week is we're going to start with the current president, Joe Biden, a lot of euphoria. I mean, look at Delaware. Delaware's right here because Joe Biden has helped lead this party, lead this country. We're going to celebrate his amazing leadership, and then we're going to get to work.

RADDATZ: And, Reince, for you, it's kind of hard to believe that just one month ago at the -- at the RNC, it seemed like everything was going Donald Trump's way. He had survived that assassination attempt with the fist in the air, and then we saw Joe Biden get COVID and return to Delaware. Now everything's changed, including the polls.

When you look at those polls and Kamala Harris making really quite a surge, what do you do about it?

REINCE PRIEBUS, FORMER RNC CHAIR & FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF & ABC NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: I -- look, I think this went right back to the polls where they were before the debate, and it's true. I mean, she's had -- she's had quite a ride and she's been given, you know, this ride through Disney World basically as a candidate that's been untouched, not dug into by the media, and she’s had -- she's had a free ride.

So, yeah. The polls have tightened, but she's not Joe Biden. I mean, we've talked about this for a long time. I mean, she is not someone who 75 percent of the public thinks, you know, is not competent.

So, yes. It has tightened, but I think that in the end, this race is going to come down to two political parties and what their infrastructure looks like, what does their ground game look like, because this, again, will come back to 40,000 votes in about four states. So we have -- we have gone now pre-debate and that's where we are.

RADDATZ: She's even opened up the Sun Belt in "The New York Times" poll.

PRIEBUS: Well, she’s opened the Sun -- in that poll and in some other polls, she hasn't.

The point is it will be close everywhere. It'll be close in North Carolina. It'll be close all through the Rust Belt, Sun Belt, Southern Belt, you name it. It’s going to be close and this will be decided within a field goal one way or the other.

RADDATZ: And, Donna, lot of voters I talked to did say they want to hear more about her. We heard the economic plan that had a lot of criticism. You saw that "Washington Post" editorial.

So, what does she have to accomplish here?

BRAZILE: First of all, she has to do three things very -- and they’re very important things.

One, she has to define herself and not a lot of the people who are negative about the United States, who are preaching doom and gloom, she cannot allow them to define her.

Secondly, she also has to tell the American people where she’s take ‘em. That’s about vision. I want to take you where.

She's going to describe what a 21st century America looks like. Yes, it's stronger. It's more resilient. We've come out of COVID. She's going to talk about how we continue to build the middle class and provide for the safety of the American people.

And lastly, yes, she has a new running mate. His name is Tim Walz. He's a great guy. He's an American hero. He's a teacher, a coach.

So this conversation that we're going to have with the American people is not the doom and gloom because we're not prisoners of the past. It's about hope, the future, and where we're taking this country.

RADDATZ: And, Reince, last night, again, we heard former President Trump, like, personal attacks against Kamala Harris. She's a communist, all sorts of things, and clearly an A.I.-generated picture of her talking to a crowd with what looked like a communist crowd.

You heard this week, a lot of people like Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy saying they wanted Trump to refocus on his strengths, and yet, he's now hired Corey Lewandowski, his campaign manager from 2016. His book was called, and his philosophy is "Let Trump Be Trump".

What does that say to you?

PRIEBUS: Well, look, I don't disagree with some of those folks in that number one, if this election comes down to the economy and the border, Trump wins. Right now, Kamala Harris is trying to reinvent herself into something she's not.

RADDATZ: Let's stick with Trump.

PRIEBUS: She's trying to divorce herself from the Biden administration.

BRAZILE: Well, 16 million jobs --

(CROSSTALK)

PRIEBUS: But I will get to Trump. I will get to Trump.

(CROSSTALK)

PRIEBUS: The thing is with Trump is that you can't also, to win this election, you can't divorce yourself of who Donald Trump is and his personality.

Like I’ve said before, there's a part of Donald Trump that brings a large part of this country together. He represents a huge middle finger to a lot of people. People are upset about what the economy is.

Inflation is out of control. Price setting doesn't work. And giving people $25,000 --

RADDATZ: But he's not sticking to those messages.

PRIEBUS: -- to buy a house isn't going to do anything for the economy.

BRAZILE: So Donald Trump -- we know Donald Trump. We know that every time he opens his mouth, there's nothing but lies, insults, and vulgarity, and people are tired of it. The American people don't want this anymore. They don't want a president who basically divides us. They don't want a president who calls us names, who cannot even pronounce the name of the vice president of the United States. It's Kamala Harris -- Kamala Harris.

PRIEBUS: OK. What they don't want is out-of-control inflation, a (inaudible) that's completely out of world, a world that's falling apart, and Kamala who's lying to the American people about whose fault it is. I mean, does she bear no fault for where we are in this economy? She has nothing to do with this? She has nothing to do with the withdrawal of Afghanistan? She has nothing to do with --

(CROSSTALK)

RADDATZ: I want to ask you guys about the debate coming up on September 10th.

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: You want the defeatist attitude that Donald Trump has, somebody who criticized the military?

PRIEBUS: The devastation -- look at the -- and what happened in Afghanistan?

(CROSSTALK)

RADDATZ: OK. I feel like a moderator here of a debate and I'm going to cut that off. We'll probably see some of (inaudible).

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: I'm glad you can pronounce her name.

PRIEBUS: She needs to bear responsibility for the job she did.

BRAZILE: It's Vice President Kamala Harris.

RADDATZ: We got it. OK.

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: We're proud of the job of the Biden-Harris Administration.

PRIEBUS: OK.

RADDATZ: All right. You guys are on fire this morning. Thank you very much.

PRIEBUS: Let's go.

RADDATZ: there you go. Tens of thousands of protesters are expected here in the coming days. I'll ask Chicago's mayor about the preparations underway when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RADDATZ: We're back in Chicago where thousands of Democratic faithful will celebrate Vice President Harris' historic nomination for the White House, but there will also be thousands of protesters in the streets. We'll take a look at the security preps on the ground with ABC's Matt Gutman and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD (August 1968): Hell no, we won’t go.

HUBERT HUMPHREY (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT (August 1968): I know that every delegate to this convention shares tonight my sorrow and my distress over these incidents.

May we just quietly and silently, each in our own way, pray for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RADDATZ: That was the scene in 1968 as police cracked down violently on Vietnam War protesters outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as Vice President Hubert Humphrey accepted his party's presidential nomination. The Democratic Convention is now back in Chicago this week, and there will once again be protests, this time over the war in Gaza.

ABC's chief national correspondent Matt Gutman is just outside the United Center covering those planned protests and the security preparations underway.

Good morning to you, Matt.

MATT GUTMAN, ABC NEWS CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Martha.

Fifty thousand convention-goers and tens of thousands of protesters. And the area of that convention, which you see right behind me, is hermetically secured at this point to the extent that mailboxes around here have even been sealed to prevent explosive devices from being put inside. And with a sitting president, vice president, nearly the entire cabinet, and former presidents here, officials tell me that this event has the highest threat profile of any event in the city of Chicago in over a decade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUTMAN (voice over): As the nation's top Democrats descend on Chicago, law enforcement and city officials are prepping not just for a massive influx of visitors, but for a sea of protesters. While the candidate at the top of the ticket has changed, the Biden administration's continued supply of weapons for Israel's military operations remains a political flashpoint.

After nearly a year of protests across the country, tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to march through the windy city.

HATEM ABUDAYYEH, COALITION TO MARCH ON THE DNC SPOKESPERSON: We could be out in the streets cheering loudly and protesting loudly and calling for a free Palestine loudly while Kamala Harris is giving her acceptance speech.

GUTMAN (voice over): Thousands of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials have spent months preparing, hoping to avoid a repeat of the 1968 convention in Chicago when anti-Vietnam War protests turned violence.

LARRY SNELLING, Chicago POLICE DEPARTMENT SUPERINTENDENT: We're expecting First Amendment activity, but we're also preparing for the possibility of vandalism, criminal activity, or civil unrest.

GUTMAN (voice over): And we watched that scene play out in Washington in July, when protests over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress boiled over.

GUTMAN: The flag there on the ground was on the flagpole here at Union Station a few moments ago, but protesters here lit it on fire, as well as that effigy of Benjamin Netanyahu.

GUTMAN (voice-over): In Chicago, gatherings will be contained to certain areas outside the secure perimeter that surrounds the United Center, and marches will be limited to a pre-determined route.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUTMAN (on camera): Martha, officials tell me there's no specific, credible threat to this event, and the marches begin tonight, followed by the major marches and protests tomorrow and Thursday, timed to coincide with the primary events of the convention.

But one thing that protest organizers have told me, that their routes are through narrow streets. They're concerned that that might increase the risk of unrest and chaos. Police say they are aware of that and are prepared. Martha?

RADDATZ: Our thanks to you, Matt.

I'm joined now by the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson.

Good morning to you, Mr. Mayor.

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON (D), CHICAGO: Good morning.

RADDATZ: I know you want to show off your city as you welcome this massive influx of visitors. But there are these planned protests.

Are you confident Chicago is ready for this and there will not be chaos?

JOHNSON: We are ready for this convention. In fact, the city of Chicago, as you know, has hosted the most conventions in our country’s history, because it turns out we're actually really good at this.

You know, the part that’s actually most exciting, though, in this moment is that this is a party that can handle protests and protecting the First Amendment right, which is fundamental to our democracy, while also strengthening our democracy and speaking to the future of our country, unlike the Republican Party, which is very painful to watch right now. I don’t know what’s worse, watching the Republican Party or breakdancing at the Olympics.

RADDATZ: Let’s stick to security here first, for a moment. Do you have any concerns?

JOHNSON: We’re ready for this convention. Look, our local police department has worked with the Secret Service, as well as other local agencies, to ensure a safe, peaceful, yet vibrant, exciting convention.

The city of Chicago has been rated number one as it relates to convention centers and how we make sure that we protect people, while also providing an opportunity to see the beauty and the soul of who we are.

RADDATZ: You backed the candidacy of Kamala Harris, within hours of Joe Biden dropping out. I think you were one of the first people...

JOHNSON: One hour and 13 minutes.

RADDATZ: ... to do so -- one hour and 13 minutes, OK. But have you seen any evidence there will be fewer protesters, given that Joe Biden is no longer the nominee?

JOHNSON: Well, you certainly know that there’s tremendous excitement. Look, Vice President Kamala Harris and her work to ensure that working people in this country are prioritized, she selected an amazing human being, Governor Walz, a former social studies teacher like myself. So, just a shout-out to all of our public school teachers around America.

So, absolutely there's a great deal of excitement. Now, as far as, you know, who will provide some dissent, to ensure that the voices of individuals who want the government to be better -- look, that's going to happen. And, in fact, you know, we support the first amendment. And we have to make sure that we protect the rights of individuals to be able to bring their grievances to this -- to the leadership, and for our party to respond.

And we've done that. When it comes to economic development, much like what we're doing in Chicago, $20 billion of new economic development, particularly for affordable housing.

This is also what Vice President Kamala Harris has pushed forth, a $300 billion infusion into our public education system, $100 billion infusion to make sure that people can find pathways to home ownership. That’s who we are as a party and that's why there's so much excitement around Vice President Kamala Harris.

RADDATZ: You -- you talk about Chicago and that you're ready for this. You have 1,700 fewer police officers because of attrition, because of retirement. How did you make up for that?

JOHNSON: Well, listen, you actually have fewer police officers all over the country. And so, as individuals wish to find a career, that is a pathway to the middle class. I can tell you this emphatically, our local police department, along with the local police agencies, as well as the Secret Service, we are ready for this convention. And, in fact, even with the convention going on, not one neighborhood in Chicago will go unprotected.

RADDATZ: You, yourself, have a background as an activist, as a protester. You have also made quite clear what side you're on in these protests. You told Mother Jones magazine that you think what the Israelis are doing is genocidal.

How do you balance First Amendment rights with safety? Where's your red line?

JOHNSON: Well, listen, here's what I've also been very clear about -- from the very beginning, October 7th, in very certain terms, we condemned the horrific acts of Hamas. This is a party that can condemn terrorism and call for peace. That's the line. We're really good at this.

You know, this is a city that said, "Keep hope alive," Reverend Jesse Jackson. This is the city that said "Yes, we can," President Barack Obama. This is also the city that's going to launch the first Black woman of Asian descent to the most powerful position in the land, arguably one of the most powerful positions in the world.

And so, our balance is to hear the voices of people. Of course, I've been a part of demonstrations, but so was Fannie Lou Hamer. My people come out of Sallis, Mississippi which is less than an hour away from Montgomery County, Mississippi. And so, the very protest and demonstrations that allowed for Fannie Lou Hamer to have a seat in this convention in 1968, the son of Sallis, Mississippi gets to welcome the Mississippi delegation to Chicago.

RADDATZ: And I know we'll hear a lot of that tomorrow night when you speak on the floor.

JOHNSON: Did I give you a preview of my speech?

RADDATZ: I think you just gave me a preview of your speech. Thanks for joining us this morning, Mr. Mayor.

JOHNSON: Thanks for having me.

RADDATZ: The Powerhouse Roundtable is next, live from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It all started with the debate. I should have been a little bit easier. Somebody said, your debate performance was horrible. I said, why? Because you forced him out of government, but I believe she'll be just as bad. I think she's going to be, in many ways, easier to beat than Joe Biden. What they did to him was disgraceful, by the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RADDATZ: Former President Trump at a press conference on Thursday, still complaining about President Biden no longer being on the ballot. We're back in Chicago with our Powerhouse Roundtable. "This Week" Co-Anchor Jonathan Karl, ABC's Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, and Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, welcome to you all. Especially you here in Chicago --

CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & (R) FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.

RADDATZ: -- kind of out of your element a little bit.

CHRISTIE: Just a bit.

RADDATZ: Chris, Trump's clearly angry about the fact that he's facing Kamala Harris, not Joe Biden, and it's clearly shaping how he's approaching this campaign.

CHRISTIE: Yeah. It's time for anger management classes. It really is. He needs to deal with this because it reminds me of what a political science professor said to me way back in college, Martha. When your adversary is (inaudible) committing suicide, there's no reason to commit murder, the result is the same. And right now, Kamala Harris is doing exactly what she should do.

Donald Trump is imploding and she's standing out of the way, and she should do it even more, quite frankly, than she's even doing it now because if this turns into a race on personality, for the 7 percent to 10 percent of people that they're targeting in six or sevenstates, that's what's going to matter to them a lot more. And if it does, it's going to be a good -- good night for Kamala Harris.

So Trump needs to get himself under control, focus on affordability, focus on the border. And if he does that, he's got a chance to win. If he doesn't, he's going to have a problem.

RADDATZ: And you've been watching him every step of the way, Rachel. You were at that press conference on Thursday.

RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I was.

RADDATZ: It doesn't seem like there's a lot of change, and certainly a far cry from the unity he promised at the RNC.

SCOTT: Yeah, the unity that he promised at the Republican National Convention. I remember him telling you that he was going to rip up his speech. He wanted to focus on being the president for all Americans. That message has really, sort of, gone out the window now here.

And I think one of the most telling things about that press conference, when he was asked directly about these pleas from Republicans like Nikki Haley, who have gone to him, and they're saying...

RADDATZ: Vivek Ramaswamy.

SCOTT: "Do not do it. Do not lean into these personal attacks. This is no way to win. Calling her "not smart" is no way to win in November. And then the former president just said flat-out, "Look, I don't have a lot of respect for her. I'm entitled to these personal attacks." And he made it clear that is not going to change.

RADDATZ: And -- and, Jon, this unease about the polls, which has to be there, no matter what they say, has only made things more difficult in Trump land, which you cover?

JONATHAN KARL, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THIS WEEK CO-ANCHOR: I mean, Trump is always obsessed with polls. That's what he cares about. He -- he sucks them in. And to see losing ground, a race that looked like he was going to walk to victory against Joe Biden. And I think, when he sees our poll, which I'm sure he's already looked through, and he sees that question of who is physically fit to be president, this is something that, you know, he's spent all this time running against Biden as being old and feeble, and a month ago, he had a 30-point advantage on who's physically fit to be president.

Now Kamala Harris has a 30-point advantage, and also a big advantage of being mentally sharp enough to be president. Now Trump is the one who is facing the -- the charge of being old and feeble, not Kamala Harris, obviously.

RADDATZ: And, Chris, you talk about, you know, you talk about anger management. You talk about all these things. He's brought in, as we talked about with Reince, Corey Lewandowski, "Let Trump be Trump."

What does that tell you whether or not things will change with Donald Trump's approach to this campaign?

CHRISTIE: It will only change if Donald Trump wants it to change. You need to understand, he doesn't listen to anyone for more than a short period of time. You know, I've said this to folks before. When you come into Donald Trump's orbit, you're trading on 100 cents on the dollar, you will trade to zero. It's just about how long it takes.

And so anybody new who comes in will get a lot of attention in the beginning, and then it will -- it will fade down, and especially, as Jon said, if the polls continue not to be favorable to him.

But what he should really be doing, Martha, is saying to himself, "The election's not today. It's mid-August. Take a breath. Let her go through this week, and then focus the campaign on the Biden-Harris record."

If he does that, he's got a chance to win. If he continues to be the guy who's feeling aggrieved, which is the way he feels most comfortable, but he needs to get out of his normal comfort zone of feeling aggrieved and angry. And, look, one way I could say for sure he's going to lose this race, if he's going to continue to say he's the best-looking candidate in the race. That's a problem.

(LAUGHTER)

RADDATZ: And -- and, again, Rachel, he doesn't really want to change. He even said, "I got to do my thing."

So when you look at the Corey Lewandowski, and some other changes. He brought in other people, Linda McMahon. You don't really see things changing?

SCOTT: Donald Trump is the campaign manager. He is the communications director. It is solely on Donald Trump. The staffing changes really don't make much of a difference.

They are trying. His advisers are trying to lead him to really focus on the issues. "You're going to do an event focused on the economy. We're going to put grocery prices behind you. We're going to have charts talking about the cost of the groceries."

The former president then does what he does and he veers off script. But there are bright spots. Even in our poll for the former president, he is still doing extremely well on the economy. He's leading Harris...

RADDATZ: Crime, immigration.

SCOTT: Crime, immigration, and that's why you have Republicans saying, "If you just focus your message on those core issues, you can really, really, really pitch something strong to the American people."

The question is whether or not he does that consistently.

RADDATZ: And, Jon, we heard former President Trump talk about the last debate. This debate, which will be the first debate, which will be here on ABC on September 10th, is a very critical, a very crucial debate. And it will be very, very different for him.

KARL: Absolutely. It kind of makes me think of that last debate in 2016 after the "Access Hollywood" tape where Trump really had his back up against the wall. It looked like his campaign was falling apart.

RADDATZ: I was there. I was the moderator.

(LAUGH)

KARL: Yes. You were right there, and you remember what he did, is he went on the attack, and I expect that he's going to go after Kamala Harris. And the question is, does he just overdo it as he has been? I think in many ways, Kamala Harris has the ability to bring out the worst of Donald Trump. So we'll see what happens in that debate, but, you know, he is going to be completely on the attack from the minute that it starts.

CHRISTIE: If Donald Trump loses this race, he's going to go back to the strategic error they made in agreeing to that June debate. I thought so at the time. It made no sense for Donald Trump, ahead in the race at that point, to debate Joe Biden then. One of two things was going to happen --

RADDATZ: You think that was a mistake?

CHRISTIE: I said it at that time.

(CROSSTALK)

KARL: It was a mistake for Biden too by the way.

RADDATZ: Yes.

CHRISTIE: Yes, but the bottom line --

RADDATZ: explain.

CHRISTIE: What winds up being a bigger mistake for Trump because Trump's winning that race, what can happen? If Biden does really well, then the race changes in Biden's favor. If Biden does what Trump thought he would do, it was exactly what he did, you run the risk of knocking him out of the race. Imagine if the first debate in this race was September 10th and Trump did to Biden what happened in June -- there would be no chance to trade Joe Biden out, and Donald Trump would be breezing to victory.

It's because he can never not rise to the bait. Biden threw the bait out there and he took it. Now, Biden failed too, but this was a strategic error by Trump and his team doing that, and if they lose this race, they're going to look back on that decision.

RADDATZ: And Rachel --

KARL: Well, it's funny he says now that Biden was the one that wanted that early debate, which is not true.

CHRISTIE: Not at all.

KARL: It was Trump.

RADDATZ: Rachel, we have 30 seconds left here.

SCOTT: Yeah.

RADDATZ: I just want your take on this debate and how Kamala Harris should handle this kind of debate. She knows who she's up against.

SCOTT: She knows who she's up against and she has proven that she is a strong debater. You remember her calling out, you know, President Biden back when they were running against each other, back in 2019, she has to toe the line a little bit. She can't necessarily come out of, like, prosecuting the case against Donald Trump on that stage. Her challenge for this convention, Martha, she's going to have to separate herself from Biden, talk about her vision. Champion what they've done in the administration, but also pitch her vision.

CHRISTIE: Charm and disarm. Charm and disarm is what she's got to do.

RADDATZ: OK. Charm and disarm, got it. Got it. There's the advice.

(CROSSTALK)

RADDATZ: Thanks to all of you. We'll be right back from Chicago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RADDATZ: And thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with us. Be sure to tune in all week to ABC and ABC Newslive as I join our Powerhouse Political Team for a full coverage of the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)