WEBVTT - Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson Talks RNC, Biden

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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<v Speaker 2>Mayor of Milwaukee, Cavalier Johnson, mister Mayor, it's great to

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<v Speaker 2>have you here at the table with us. Thank you

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<v Speaker 2>for coming over.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>I know you have a couple of things going on today.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been talking to Republicans Kaylee two here on set

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<v Speaker 2>and outside, walking around the streets and at the convention hall.

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<v Speaker 2>Everyone seems to be a pretty big fan of Milwaukee.

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<v Speaker 2>So if we put this behind us.

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<v Speaker 1>Look when I first heard that, that was news to

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<v Speaker 1>me too, because yeah, okay, I remember going to Washington

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<v Speaker 1>to do the final pitch to the Republican National Committee's headquarters,

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<v Speaker 1>and nowhere around we were any former presidents. It was

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<v Speaker 1>just me and the county executive. Okay, our team here.

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<v Speaker 1>But he didn't pick Milwauk. No, no, you didn't. It

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<v Speaker 1>was hard work by our visitors and tourism Bureau US

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<v Speaker 1>selling Milwaukee, and ultimately that's what transpired to get us

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<v Speaker 1>to where we are today. But I, like you, have

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<v Speaker 1>been talking to a lot of Republicans who are here

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<v Speaker 1>from across the country and even you know form press

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<v Speaker 1>as well. Everybody's just blown away by the city. First

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<v Speaker 1>time here, their first impression of Wisconsin is this, and they.

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<v Speaker 3>Love it well. It takes a lot to put on

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<v Speaker 3>a convention like this, especially in the aftermath of an

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<v Speaker 3>assassination attempt. We have all borne witnessed to the incredible

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<v Speaker 3>amounts of security, the barriers that have been acted, police

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<v Speaker 3>who have come in from out of state. What kind

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<v Speaker 3>of resources go into hosting this And like net net is,

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<v Speaker 3>does it cost the city more or gain the city

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<v Speaker 3>more in terms of economic impact? Sure?

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<v Speaker 1>So in terms of the security apparatus, which is the

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<v Speaker 1>largest expenditure we have here. Cities who host these sort

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<v Speaker 1>of events get a grant from the federal government. So

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<v Speaker 1>typically those grants have been stuck at fifty million dollars

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<v Speaker 1>going back to two thousand and four. That was the

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<v Speaker 1>first year that these conventions, both the Republican and Democratic

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<v Speaker 1>national conventions, we're getting funding for them in the wake

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<v Speaker 1>of nine to eleven. Then as you look to today,

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<v Speaker 1>twenty years later, things are a little more expensive. So

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<v Speaker 1>myself county executive partners on the ground here in this community,

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<v Speaker 1>we worked in a bipartisan manner. We went to Washington, DC.

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<v Speaker 1>We lobbied members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats and ask

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<v Speaker 1>for a twenty five million dollar increase to support this convention.

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<v Speaker 1>Our lobbying was successful, and so there's seventy five million

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<v Speaker 1>dollars going to support the security efforts around the convention.

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<v Speaker 2>So this is massive. You've got to be involved on

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of layers that people don't tend to think about.

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<v Speaker 2>But what does a Democrat do when Republicans come to

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<v Speaker 2>his city? In your case, are you in the hall

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<v Speaker 2>over there?

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<v Speaker 1>Are you?

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<v Speaker 2>Are you going to the breakfasts and the forums with

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<v Speaker 2>the RNC?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean this is a national and a global

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<v Speaker 1>event that's taking place in my city and an opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>to elevate Milwaukee too. So yes, I do go and

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<v Speaker 1>I go check it out. Now, certainly I am a Democrat,

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<v Speaker 1>as you mentioned, I'm going to the DNC as a

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<v Speaker 1>delegate next month, probably to vote for President Joe Biden

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<v Speaker 1>to continue on in his job here, and I think

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<v Speaker 1>he'll win reelection. However, the same time, there's the political end,

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<v Speaker 1>and then there's the business end. The business for me

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<v Speaker 1>is making sure that we promote Milwaukee across the world.

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<v Speaker 1>That's what I want to do.

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<v Speaker 3>Just because you brought us here, Mayor and Joe Biden.

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<v Speaker 3>You say you're planning to go to Chicago and cast

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<v Speaker 3>your vote as a delegate for Joe Biden. Yet another

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<v Speaker 3>Democrat today, in a high profile one at that Congressman

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<v Speaker 3>Adam Schiff of California, has now joined a growing list

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<v Speaker 3>of members of your party who say they do not

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<v Speaker 3>believe that Biden can beat Donald Trump and should drop

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<v Speaker 3>out as a result. What do you think about that.

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<v Speaker 1>I think he and other Democrats are wrong. There's only

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<v Speaker 1>one person in the United States who has ever beaten

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump in a political contest, and his name is

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Biden. He has an outstanding record to run on

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<v Speaker 1>over the course of the last three years, and he's

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<v Speaker 1>got tremendous plans for a second term. This also reminds

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<v Speaker 1>me of what happened in twenty twenty during the Democratic primaries. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>we had people on the front end who voted and voted,

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<v Speaker 1>and then we said, hey, why don't we let the

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<v Speaker 1>diversity and the Democratic Party speak? And then South Carolina

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<v Speaker 1>came and Joe Biden had all this support in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Now he's President the United States, So let's allow for

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<v Speaker 1>minorities for African American, particularly African American women to speak

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<v Speaker 1>in this.

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<v Speaker 3>Election, but the data would suggest that more and more

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<v Speaker 3>they are turning away from President Biden. Well you don't

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<v Speaker 3>believe that.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I can tell you this. I go out and

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<v Speaker 1>I speak to my constituents. We were having a conversation

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<v Speaker 1>just about festivals and things like that on the ground

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<v Speaker 1>in this city. I go out to all those festivals

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<v Speaker 1>and I engage with voters, particularly African American voters and

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<v Speaker 1>African American mail voters too. I asked them the question

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<v Speaker 1>about the election coming up, just real talk. Are you voting?

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<v Speaker 1>Are you registered? Some say yes, some say no. Many

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<v Speaker 1>of them have said yes and say, okay, who are

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<v Speaker 1>you voting for? You know, just real talk, just me

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<v Speaker 1>and you, And they say, we're voting for President Joe Biden.

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<v Speaker 1>There is no other person to vote for. And there's

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<v Speaker 1>reasons for that because they know that Joe Biden has

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<v Speaker 1>delivered for black people in this city and in this

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<v Speaker 1>state and across the country. And you know, they know

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<v Speaker 1>what they would get under a second Trump presidency. And

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<v Speaker 1>so my understanding from talking directly with my constituents is

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<v Speaker 1>that they are voting for President Joe.

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<v Speaker 2>Biden, and Wisconsin's going to be awfully important if he's

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<v Speaker 2>going to pull this off. A lot of folks say

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<v Speaker 2>he cannot be the president without Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania. That said,

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<v Speaker 2>you're referring to four years ago here almost that. I

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<v Speaker 2>remember that I talked to Joe Biden in New Hampshire

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<v Speaker 2>and what was supposed to be the eve of his

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<v Speaker 2>campaign ending, and things turned out a lot differently. But

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<v Speaker 2>where's he going to be four years from now is

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<v Speaker 2>what many people are asking the oldest president ever. If

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<v Speaker 2>his mental acuity is not there, he's not physically able

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<v Speaker 2>to do the job. Do you have confidence in Kamala

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<v Speaker 2>Harris or do you entertain the ideas of blowing this

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<v Speaker 2>whole thing open and finding a new ticket.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not interested in nullifying the votes of millions of

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<v Speaker 1>people who voted for Joe Biden as an insult that

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<v Speaker 1>we're talking about people other than Kamala Harris. Yes it is, Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely it is. But the fact of the matter, regardless

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<v Speaker 1>of who we're talking about, Joe Biden is a nominee

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<v Speaker 1>anybody eve, including Democrats who are saying he should drop up.

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<v Speaker 1>They had the opportunity to run against him in the primary.

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<v Speaker 1>They chose not and chose not to do it. President

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<v Speaker 1>Biden got the votes necessary, he's got the delegates necessary.

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<v Speaker 1>He's going to be our nominee. We are going to

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<v Speaker 1>support him, and I believe he's going to win, not

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<v Speaker 1>just but in Wisconsin and win re election to the presidency.

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<v Speaker 3>What does it take to win Wisconsin. What's the winning

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<v Speaker 3>issue in Wisconsin?

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<v Speaker 1>The President has to come, continue to come. He has

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<v Speaker 1>been doing it, and I'm glad that he's been doing

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<v Speaker 1>it because it's important. And that's why his campaign has

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<v Speaker 1>been making early and often investments reaching out to voters

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<v Speaker 1>all across Milwaukee, especially black voters, so let them know

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<v Speaker 1>about the deliverables that his administration has gotten for them

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<v Speaker 1>and people across the state and across this country. But

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<v Speaker 1>they've got to continue to come to tell the story.

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<v Speaker 1>The difference between these two men in this binary choice

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<v Speaker 1>for president is that one is a show horse and

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<v Speaker 1>one is a workhorse. Right, Joe Biden tucks his head down.

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<v Speaker 1>He just gets the job done. He just Joe just goes.

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<v Speaker 1>He just gets a job. She just gets a job done.

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<v Speaker 1>But he's got to also toot his horn and let

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<v Speaker 1>folks know what's going on. He has been doing that.

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<v Speaker 1>Folks have been coming here. I encourage him to continue

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<v Speaker 1>doing that leading up to the election.

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<v Speaker 3>All right, mister Mayor, thank you for joining us, and

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<v Speaker 3>thank you for having us here in Milwaukee. I appreciate

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<v Speaker 3>your time in hospitality. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson here with

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<v Speaker 3>us on Bloomberg