Transcript:
The Inside Story: USA Votes 2024
Episode 151 – July 4, 2024
Show Open:
This week, on The Inside Story:
In just over four months, voters in the United States will decide the future of the country, sending either Biden or Trump to the White House for another four years.
From foreign policy to reproductive rights, energy, and even social media, see the issues driving this year’s presidential election
Now… on The Inside Story… USA Votes 2024
The Inside Story:
JESSICA JERREAT, VOA Press Freedom editor:
Welcome to the Inside Story I’m VOA Press Freedom editor Jessica Jerreat.
Our focus today: the 2024 US Presidential elections: where the candidates stand on core issues and what a second term by either could mean.
We start with details on the first presidential debate between former president Donald Trump and incumbent Joe Biden.
CALLA YU, VOA Correspondent:
Joe Biden and Donald Trump each made their case to voters for why they should be the next president.
On the campaign trail, Trump says the U.S. economy is in ruins.
At the Atlanta debate hosted by CNN, Trump said America is, quote, “a seriously failing nation.”
((TRUMP QUOTE GRAPHIC))
Trump: “[Biden] has done a poor job. Inflation is killing our country. It is absolutely killing us.”
CALLA YU:
He said Biden “has done a poor job. Inflation is killing our country. It is absolutely killing us.”
On the campaign trail, Biden says he has turned around the poor economy he inherited from Trump.
At the Atlanta debate, Biden said there is more to do on the economy.
((BIDEN QUOTE GRAPH))
Biden: “We’re working to bring down the price around the kitchen table, and that’s what we’re going to get done.”
CALLA YU:
Biden said his administration is “working to bring down the price around the kitchen table, and that’s what we’re going to get done.”
Public opinion polling shows this is a close race, with the economy and immigration top issues for voters.
At the debate, Trump says Biden has failed to protect Americans from illegal immigrants “who are taking jobs.”
((TRUMP QUOTE GRAPHIC))
Trump: “We have a border that’s the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, considered the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, and he opened it up, and these killers are coming into our country, and they are raping and killing women.”
CALLA YU:
Trump said the United States has “a border that’s the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, considered the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, and he opened it up, and these killers are coming into our country, and they are raping and killing women.”
At the debate, Biden reminded voters about the Trump administration’s family separation policy for immigrants.
((BIDEN QUOTE GRAPH))
Biden: “When he was president, he was separating babies from their mothers, put them in cages, making sure their families were separated.”
CALLA YU:
Biden said when Trump was president, “he was separating babies from their mothers, put them in cages, making sure their families were separated.”
On the war in Ukraine, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he had been president.
((TRUMP QUOTE GRAPHIC))
Trump: “I will have that war settled between Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy as president-elect. Before I take office on January 20, I’ll have that war settled.”
CALLA YU:
Trump said he “will have that war settled between Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy as president-elect. Before I take office on January 20, I’ll have that war settled.”
Biden said Trump’s lack of support for U.S. allies emboldens Russia and threatens a wider war in Europe.
((BIDEN QUOTE GRAPH))
Biden: “[Putin] wants all of Ukraine. That’s what he wants. And then you think he’ll stop there? Do you think he’ll stop when the, if he takes Ukraine? What do you think happens to Poland, Belarus?”
CALLA YU:
Biden said Putin “wants all of Ukraine. That’s what he wants. And then you think he’ll stop there? Do you think he’ll stop when the, if he takes Ukraine? What do you think happens to Poland, Belarus?”
This was the earliest presidential debate in U.S. history, with neither Trump nor Biden officially nominated as his party’s candidate. They have 75 days to convince voters to choose them before their next debate in September.
Calla Yu, VOA News, Atlanta.
On January sixth, 2021, a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol unhappy with his loss in the 2020 election … And seeking to subvert American democracy by overturning the results. Now, more than three years on, candidate-Trump and President Joe Biden are both campaigning on the lessons of that day’s violence. Dora Mekouar reports.
DORA MEKOUAR, VOA Correspondent:
The violence of January 6, 2021, is so central to Donald Trump’s reelection efforts that he opened a campaign rally with a song from men convicted of attacking the Capitol that day.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate:
You heard the hostages singing. That was hostages. They’re the J-6 hostages I call them.
DORA MEKOUAR:
Crowds cheer when Trump refers to the insurrectionists as patriots and hostages, rather than as convicted criminals.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate:
Under Joe Biden, American patriots are being arrested and held in captivity like animals.
DORA MEKOUAR:
In the song Trump recorded with the “J6 Prison Choir,” he recites the Pledge of Allegiance.
Jennifer Mercieca, Texas A&M University:
It is incongruous to use the Pledge of Allegiance to support defendants of violent insurrection against the Capitol. So, I think the critics are right in that regard. Of course, Donald Trump’s excuse, or his explanation, would be that, in fact, these are real patriots.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate:
We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons.
DORA MEKOUAR:
The Biden campaign is also talking about the January 6 violence, not as patriotism, but as threatening democracy.
President Joe Biden:
They were insurrectionists, not patriots. They weren’t there to uphold the Constitution; they were there to destroy the Constitution.
If reelected, he wants to pardon, quote, every one of them.
Trump’s assault on democracy isn’t just part of his past. It’s what he’s promising for the future.
DORA MEKOUAR:
How that 2021 violence impacts voting in 2024 depends on who you are, says political scientist Chris Edelson from American University.
Chris Edelson, American University:
Some people will be galvanized by January 6. Some people are horrified.
DORA MEKOUAR:
Biden and Trump are both using January 6th as a warning for what might happen if the wrong person is elected president.
Dora Mekouar, VOA News Washington.
JESSICA JERREAT:
The leading presidential candidates could hardly be more different in policy or substance. But when it comes to a ban of the Beijing-based social network TikTok, they are mostly on the same page.
But, with the presidency on the line, both candidates have joined the platform they previously tried to take down. Tina Trinh reports on what difference, if any, this will make on Election Day.
TikTok Video:
The president is now on TikTok.
It’s my honor.
TINA TRINH, VOA Correspondent:
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump joined TikTok this month.
TikTok Video:
Chiefs or Niners?
Two great quarterbacks, hard to decide.
TINA TRINH:
President Joe Biden did the same in February.
It seems the often-maligned social network is no longer a problem when there’s a presidential election on the line.
Teddy Goff, Precision Strategies:
The entire social media world has changed in the four years between the last presidential election and this one. This is the first one in which TikTok is the dominant force that it is now.
TINA TRINH:
Both Biden and Trump were in favor of banning TikTok in the U.S., citing security concerns over its parent company’s ties to the Chinese government.
But with 170 million users in the U.S., 44 percent of them aged 18 to 29, TikTok represents a critical opportunity to win over young voters.
Still, even as more Americans get their news on social media, a recent study finds it’s not why they’re there.
Elisa Shearer, Pew Research Center:
When we asked about what reason you turn to these sites, I think entertainment was the top reason for every single one of them, and especially for TikTok, entertainment was a huge reason and news was not a major reason that people were turning to the sites.
TINA TRINH:
TikTok users come across news indirectly, through opinion or humor-based posts referencing current events, and unlike Facebook or Instagram, they’re not posts by friends or family.
Elisa Shearer, Pew Research Center:
On TikTok, the most common source of news is actually other people they don’t know personally.
The algorithm is feeding people things more so than they’re following someone specifically.
Teddy Goff, Precision Strategies:
It’s very, very difficult for any single social media account, even if it is the account of the president or the former president to get all that much attention in the extremely crowded and chaotic landscape of social media presence.
TINA TRINH:
Marketing experts say building on the reach and reputation of online influencers is key.
Teddy Goff, Precision Strategies:
You need to have multiple voices putting out that message. Influencers obviously also have relationships with their followings. They’re more trusted than perhaps a politician may be. You’ve got to figure out a way to convey your message and you know, explain why you’d be a better president, in a way that’s going to make sense and not turn people off on this platform that they’ve come to for fun. They haven’t come to hear your political ad.
TINA TRINH:
In what is shaping up to be a close race, TikTok influencers might be this election season’s digital campaign managers.
Tina Trinh, VOA News, New York.
JESSICA JERREAT:
The war in Ukraine is now in its third year after Russian forces invaded in February of 2022. The conflict is a major policy difference. Biden has pledged unwavering U.S. support for Kyiv, while Trump has said he would let Russia “do whatever the hell they want.” Tatiana Vorozhko has this story.
TATIANA VOROZHKO, VOA Correspondent:
Joe Biden and Donald Trump both agree on the need to end the war in Ukraine, though foreign policy experts say Trump has been less specific about how to make that happen between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sergiy Kudelia, Baylor University:
He advocated only for the need to start some types of talks and negotiations, and he said that he could be willing to engage in these negotiations between Putin and Zelenskyy, but he never specified the design of the future outline of this peace agreement.
TATIANA VOROZHKO:
In this year’s congressional fight to pass Ukraine aid, Trump said that assistance should be loans and not grants.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate:
We’re thinking about making it in the form of a loan instead of just a gift. We keep handing out gifts of billions and billions of dollars.
TATIANA VOROZHKO:
Trump says Europe should pay a greater share of helping Ukraine. But if reelected, Trump will not want to be seen as having lost that war, says former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst.
John Herbst, Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center:
We do know that Trump perceives himself as a strong man and does not want to be associated with foreign policy failure. And a Russian victory in Ukraine, if Trump is president, would look very much like a foreign policy failure.
TATIANA VOROZHKO:
Trump’s Republican Party is split over Ukraine, with some leaders viewing the war as a major U.S. security threat, and others saying it is a costly distraction.
Sergiy Kudelia, Baylor University:
Russia, for many members of the Republican foreign policy establishment, is viewed as a declining power, and hence, the Russian-Ukrainian war, from their standpoint, is a conflict that needs to be settled as quickly as possible so that it does not drain the security resources of the United States.
TATIANA VOROZHKO:
As president, Biden leads the international coalition coordinating military assistance to Ukraine with more than $175 billion in U.S. aid. He says America will stand against unjust and unprovoked aggression for as long as it takes.
President Joe Biden:
If the United States walks away, it will put Ukraine at risk. Europe is at risk. The free world will be at risk, emboldening others to do what they wish to do us harm.
TATIANA VOROZHKO:
Biden has partially removed restrictions on Ukraine using U.S. weapons against military targets in Russia. That commitment means the policy of a second Biden term would likely mirror the first, with greater latitude for increasing economic pressure on Russia, says Catholic University of America professor Michael Kimmage.
Michael Kimmage, The Catholic University of America:
It’s not as if they’re determining their foreign policy on the basis of the election in some crude fashion, but there are limits and constraints, and those would be very different in a second term where Biden can no longer run for reelection in 2028. So, he would be quite a bit freer.
TATIANA VOROZHKO:
The candidates’ differences over Ukraine reflect their differing approaches to Russia, with Trump looking to improve ties with Moscow ((end courtesy)) and Biden continuing to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Tatiana Vorozhko, VOA News, Washington.
JESSICA JERREAT:
In a first for the country’s history, former- President Trump faces the prospect of prison time after a New York jury convicted him of 34 felony charges. As Tina Trinh reports from New York, the legal process casts uncertainty on his campaign and election chances.
TINA TRINH:
Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records as part of a conspiracy to suppress damaging information ahead of his 2016 election.
Convicted during this presidential campaign, the ruling raises questions as to how Trump will continue that campaign if he’s sent to prison. Former federal prosecutor Steven Cohen does not expect Trump will be incarcerated soon.
Steven M. Cohen, New York Law School Professor:
There will be intense post-trial motions and then there will be an appeal and that appeal will take months, if not more than a year. So, I think much of this will feed the political drama more than it will feed the story, at least initially, of Donald Trump’s fate as a consequence of this conviction.
TINA TRINH:
Trump’s sentencing is set for July 11th. Legal experts say the length of any prison term would likely be far less than the charges’ 20-year maximum.
Joseph Tully, Criminal Defense Attorney:
Given his age, given his lack of criminal history and given that the result here really speaks for itself that he’s actually not looking at a lot of punishment, very significant punishment.
TINA TRINH:
Others point to the prison time already served by Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, as precedent for Trump’s sentencing.
Abbe Smith, Defense Attorney and Georgetown Law Professor:
It’s very rare for an underling in a conspiracy to get jail time, and the kingpin not. Donald Trump was at the top of this criminal conspiracy. And Michael Cohen did some serious jail time. He spent months. So, there is some precedent for a judge sentencing Mr. Trump to jail.
TINA TRINH:
Alternatives to prison include probation, house arrest and fines. But it’s most likely that any sentence won’t be carried out until after the appeals process, which is liable to go past Election Day in November.
Whatever sentence materializes next month, it will inform sentencing for the three criminal cases that are still pending against Trump.
Preet Bharara, Former U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York:
The fact of this conviction here, if it’s still on the books, would result in a potential higher prison sentence in those future cases. So it does have a consequence because he will now, unlike a week ago, have a criminal record. And criminal records are taken into account in meting out punishment.
TINA TRINH:
Of the other federal and state charges Trump is facing, the Florida trial for those involving mishandling of classified documents is further delayed.
Tina Trinh, VOA News, New York.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Here in the U.S., voters have options on how they cast their votes, including by mail. Democrats have long embraced mail-in voting, and now Republican party leaders from Trump down are urging their party to use all voting options in the upcoming election. Veronica Balderas Iglesias has more.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS, VOA Correspondent:
Enthusiasm about the November general election in the United States is “average” among voters, according to a recent Gallup poll. But it’s a right that some people told VOA Spanish should not be taken for granted.
Pilar Kelly, US Voter:
Voting is kind of the most fundamental way of making your voice heard.
Jenny Wilson, Republican Voter:
We must vote for the things we know will help our country.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Americans can vote in person on Election Day or early at special polling locations.
They can also send their ballots via the U.S. Postal Service.
Will Adler, Bipartisan Policy Center:
Every state in the country allows some form of mail-in voting. The way that they differ is in how much they require an excuse, such as the voter being away from their home or their polling place on Election Day.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Where states offer vote-by-mail programs instead of absentee ones,
registered voters receive their ballots automatically before Election Day.
Social distancing measures at the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic boosted mail-in voting.
More Democrats than Republicans embraced it during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles according to Pew Research surveys.
The messaging by President Joe Biden on the matter has been consistent throughout the years.
President Joe Biden:
Voting by mail is a safe and convenient way to get more people to vote.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, who is again running for president, has repeatedly expressed concern that voting by mail could lead to fraud.
Donald Trump, Presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee:
Absentee is good. Mail-in universal is very, very bad. There’s no way they’re going to get it accurately.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Since 2023 however, several Republican politicians have stressed the need for their electorate to use all forms of voting.
Trump has also shown an openness to it.
On May 9th, he stressed on his Truth Social platform that quote “Absentee voting, early voting and election day voting are all good options.”
Groups trying to mobilize Republican voters say they want to chip away at the voting by mail advantage Democrats have established.
Max Docksey, Republican State Leadership Committee:
The more voters that we can bring to the table in early voting and absentee, vote-by-mail, through our efforts, the better position we’ll be going into Election Night.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee told VOA in a statement it doubts Republican voters will be persuaded to shift their views. The committee also warned about legislation being considered by state Republicans to block mail-in ballots with minor errors and ban ballot drop boxes.
Experts say it isn’t easy to predict how voting by mail could impact this year’s election result.
Michael McDonald, University of Florida Professor:
If you make mail balloting easier, then you do see higher turnout. It’s not clear if there’s a strong effect on the partisan outcomes, because, again, even Republicans will want to vote and they’ll find ways of voting.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
McDonald expressed confidence that the safeguards that election officials have in place will reduce the already historically small chances of fraudulent votes being cast in a presidential election.
Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News, Washington.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Women voters in the U.S. are more than half of the total electorate. Issues like abortion access, contraception, and family planning are very much on the ballot after the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned established law and ruled that the constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion. Let’s see how that may influence voters this Fall.
KATHERINE GYPSON, VOA Correspondent:
Voters concerned about abortion rights played a major role in delivering wins to Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections…
Now — two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion — Democrats argue reproductive rights are at stake in the 2024 election.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader:
We must confront the ugly truth that women, sadly, have fewer freedoms than they did just a few years ago.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Democrats brought The Right to Contraception Act up for a vote last week in the U.S. Senate, arguing that nationwide access to birth control is threatened by Republicans.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Democrat:
Many Republicans will say we’re being overzealous and that there’s no real threat to birth control. Well, they also said we were overreacting when we said Republicans were coming for Roe [v Wade]. They said we were overreacting when we said IVF and the right to build our families on our own terms [were threatened].
KATHERINE GYPSON:
The act failed to win the 60 votes needed to advance. Republicans argued those protections could force some Americans to violate their belief that some forms of birth control are the same as abortion.
Sen. John Thune, Republican:
Apparently, Americans are free to live out their deeply held moral and religious beliefs when they don’t conflict with Democrats’ policy positions.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced publicly last month that he would not support a ban on birth control – after his earlier comments seemed to suggest otherwise. Republican senators have put forward their own bill to expand birth control access, arguing Democrats are playing politics in an election year.
Sen. Joni Ernst, Republican:
From the Senate to the White House, Democrats do not have anything to run on. No agenda that resonates with the American people. So instead, they are fear mongering in the name of politics.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Voters who say they would only choose a candidate for major office who shares their views on abortion reached a record high – 32% in a Gallup poll released this week. State-level efforts to protect abortion, contraception and in-vitro fertilization could play a major role in driving Democratic voter turnout.
Katherine Gypson, VOA News.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Another place where President Biden and candidate Trump differ is fossil fuels and the transition to clean energy in an attempt to stifle climate change. Veronica Balderas Iglesias examines where each candidate stands and the agendas they say they’ll champion with a return to the White House.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
During his time in office, President Joe Biden has made his views on climate change clear.
President Joe Biden:
My administration, the United States has treated this crisis as an existential threat from the moment we took office, not only for us, but for all humanity”
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Biden has expanded energy options including solar and wind power. He has also put limits on oil and gas development on federal lands.
Environmental advocates want more.
Collin Rees, Oil Change US:
It’s critical that he take action to show that he’s actually willing to confront fossil fuels because that is what will actually incite environmentalists. That is what will actually get them from perhaps reluctantly voting for him in November to actively recruiting their friends turning out, knocking on doors.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Former President Donald Trump has a radically different agenda for his possible return to the White House.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate:
We’re going to drill, baby, drill right away. Drill, baby, drill.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
The U.S. Senate finance and budget committees are investigating an offer that Trump reportedly made to oil companies saying that if he receives 1 billion dollars in campaign donations, he will roll back climate change regulations if he is elected U.S. president.
What is certain is that the oil and gas industry thrived under the Trump administration,
says Kathleen Sgamma, president of the nonprofit Western Energy Alliance.
Kathleen Sgamma, Western Energy Alliance:
President Trump championed domestic oil and natural gas and tried to make the United States an energy superpower. And we have achieved that status.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Analysts expect the election results to have a domestic and global impact, as it could affect the U.S. role as a climate leader.
Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News, Washington.
JESSICA JERREAT:
That’s all for this week. Thank you for joining us on another episode of The Inside Story. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at VOA News. And you can follow me on X formerly Twitter at @jessicajerreat. Catch up on past episodes at our free streaming service, VOA Plus.
I’m Jessica Jerreat. We will see you next week, for The Inside Story.
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