Title: CNN News Central - se cupp vpx YT Channel: 1 - CNN
Recorded On: 8/16/2023 11:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 8/16/2023
Transcript Generated by SnapStream ==================================
>>> Any time over the next nine days Donald Trump could arrive at this jail with this
granulated video, but this is the entrance to the jail in Georgia to surrender.
Trump has not indicated when he will show up.
The 18 other people facing indictments alongside him in the state's 2020 election probe face
this very same question.
Rudy Giuliani, for his part says he will turn himself in next week.
Trump's former chief of staff mark meadows isn't talking about turning himself in.
What he's focused on is trying to get his case moved out of Georgia and into federal
court.
Either way, it seems clear a lot could happen between now and August 25th which is the deadline
to surrender for all of them.
CNN's Nick Valencia is live outside in the courthouse in Atlanta with much more.
Nick, what is expected to happen when they do surrender?
>> According to the Fulton
[11:18:28 AM]
>> According to the Fulton county sheriff, he is not going to treat the former president
or his 18 co-defendants or anyone else different in Fulton county.
Fulton Fulton county jail is infamous.
None of the defendants have turned themselves in.
They put out a statement saying the jail is open 24/7 so anyone can turn themselves if
any time.
We are getting a taste of the potential strategy, mark meadows has filed a former petition with
his attorneys arguing that he should get his case removed from state court and into federal
court instead and those attorneys arguing that they were charged with actions and they
should have criminal proceedings heard before a federal court and here's what they are saying
in part of this filing.
Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged to have done is criminal, per se.
Contacting state officials on the president's behalf.
Setting up a phone call for the
[11:19:29 AM]
Setting up a phone call for the president.
One would exclusive the chief of staff of the president of the United States to do these
sorteds of things.
Meadows will file a formal, longer complaint and meanwhile, this matter is in the hands
of a district judge in Georgia.
Kate?
>> Thank you for being there.
>> Senior political commentator S.E.
Cupp and John Avalon, friend, there is a Republican presidential debate scheduled one week from
today, if I'm not mistaken.
I'd like to talk about this with you, John, here and S.E.
Over here.
S.E.
Cupp over there, and I want to role play.
I'm going to play the role conventional wisdom.
John, I would like you to play John Avalon and S.E., I would like you to play S.E.
Cupp.
>> Duly noted.
Me, Donald Trump should not go to this first debate one week from today.
He is the front-runner in his campaign.
He has nothing to gain by showing up.
John Avalon?
>> Oh, conventional wisdom.
[11:20:30 AM]
>> Oh, conventional wisdom.
When won't you be wrong?
That's exactly what political consultants would say.
Don't debate.
It can only bring you down.
I would argue that these times are not normal and Donald Trump should go and be the leader
of his party, right?
He's going to go down to Georgia.
He will dominate the cycle and go there and answer your critics in person.
Don't let them punch up on a disembodied Donald Trump.
This is an argument Matt Lewis said persuasively and particularly political consultants and
it is incumbent to have a clear contrast and take a stand and dancing around Donald Trump
if your name is not Chris Christie, it's dumbing down the country.
>> S.E., first on the question when conventional wisdom says he shouldn't go.
S.E.
Cupp says?
>> Listen, John Avalon has great advice, but we should -- we
[11:21:31 AM]
advice, but we should -- we should say at the outset, this is so unprecedented.
The idea that we have a former president of the United States who is facing four indictments,
90+ charges, 712 years in prison while he's running for president, that's one.
And two, and is facing off against opponents who refuse to make this a thing?
Conventional wisdom, John Berman, you're out the window, S.E.
Cupp and anyone we want, we don't know what is going to happen here or how this should
go because nothing makes sense and no one is acting normally.
I would point out, you are literally in the window for us.
[ Laughter ] I'm trying here, but no, no one can offer ill advice because none of these
people are taking good advice.
The people running against Donald Trump don't act like they
[11:22:33 AM]
Donald Trump don't act like they want to run for president and Donald Trump doesn't take
good advice as we obviously have seen.
He can show up and as John says look like a leader and be the tough guy that he is.
He can stay home and not risk any bad moments or disadvantages.
It's really up to the other opponents.
The other would-be candidates to decide what they want to make of this debate.
>> All right.
Let me play conventional wisdom.
Please, don't criticize me.
I'm playing a role here, S.E.
Don't drag me down.
>> And if you are a nominee, part of it now is that youio can't upset the trump wing and
you can't mention the fact that he's been indicted four times.
What do you say to conventional wisdom, S.E.?
>> I mean, it is so ridiculous!
The only way to win and become president is to beat the
[11:23:35 AM]
president is to beat the front-runner and won't go after the elephant in the room, for
the most part.
It's absurd.
For people like Ron desantais, this is his last chance to turn his campaign around.
For other people like Tim Scott and Nikki Haley, this might be the first time most Americans
have seen him debate, so it is an important opportunity for them, too.
Chris Christie who has been swinging at Donald Trump over course of this campaign has an
opportunity to knock him down a few pegs, but if all the candidates refuse to say to
their audience, look, you like Donald Trump.
I like Donald Trump, he's fine, but he's probably going to be in prison within the next year
or two.
Let's elect someone else.
If not, then we'll say that this is a complete fraud of an election and all of these candidate
are running vanity projects.
>> What do you say to conventional wisdom and S.E.
Cupp?
>> I agree with S.E.
There's this cowardly denialism
[11:24:36 AM]
There's this cowardly denialism that is seeping into the Republican party with a few honorable
exceptions.
Campaigns are about contrasts.
They're about showing the confidence to actually lead and that means confronting reality and
making a reality-based argument for why he is a wounded elephant front-runner which he
is.
91 counts and that's the more he was tiptoeing around and accepting his version of fall reality,
an auction auction being it's not hard Andy to take that and that is a first-class ticket
to oblivion.
>> If Donald Trump wins Iowa, the conventional wisdom is over.
>> What happens if the first couple of state, Iowa, new Hampshire where Chris Christie has
a base of support, south
[11:25:36 AM]
has a base of support, south Carolina.
If Donald Trump shows vulnerability that could itself be a game changer.
>> Conventional wisdom, S.E.
Cupp.
People don't need two dictionaries in this day and age and over your left shoulder we
see two dictionaries.
>> But they do need two bill hodges portraits.
[ Laughter ] >> I'm a writer, John Berman!
>> Okay.
Okay.
>> Why are you picking on me?
>> S.E.
Cupp, thank you very