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GOP Candidates Vie for Reagan Mantle; Ben Carson Surging in Polls; Latinos Protest at Trump Rally. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 15, 2015 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:30:00] CHARMAINE YOEST, PRESIDENT, AMERICANS UNITED FOR LIFE & FORMER REAGAN ADVISOR: The American people really do want that positive optimistic vision that tells them where we're going, not the negativity. So what I would be saying to these politicians as they get ready for this debate, were in this position going into and getting ready.

If this it turns into a mud fight, that's a loss, because you can't interpret Trump in that way, because what people are excited about, what they are responding to is his aggression and his staking out this winning. The mud fight element is going to catch up to anybody who really gets down into that. They have been establishing herself by responding to the Trump attacks with humor. That's very Reagan-esque. He could be funny and tough at the same time. Think back to where he talked into the microphone and said, we begin bombing in 30 seconds, talking about Russia. It was a slightly aggressive thing, but it was tinged in humor, and that was the way that he managed to really still be strong and forceful and project leadership but doing it in a way that was approachable and accessible to people.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: You know better than most what it's like to be on the inside. You were a senior adviser to Mike Huckabee in the '08 campaign. We are almost 24 hours away. What would you be doing this close to the debate with your candidate?

YOEST: One thing I would be emphasizing is the same time we're looking at Trump and Carson who are being considered the front runners together they are only polling at 50 percent. You have this other area of candidates who still have huge upside. It's more about the trajectory at this point than the discrete place that they're at right now. And so this --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: So what's the number one piece of advice you would give someone knowing that?

YOEST: They have to stick to their own game. Know what it is that is making their candidacy important. And they have to communicate that. They have to find a way not to be distracted by Trump and Carson and whoever else is next to them on stage. They have to be clear about what their message is and articulate that. That's what Reagan was all about.

BALDWIN: Charmaine Yoest, thank you so much. YOEST: Thank you, Brooke. Great to be with you.

BALDWIN: Great to have you on.

Next here on CNN, most of the candidates off the grid today prepping for the big debate here behind closed doors, except for this man. Hear what he's up to this evening and who he'll be visiting tonight.

Also ahead, the woman who introduced Donald Trump at last night's massive rally in Dallas joins me live, along with a conservative who calls Trump, in a word, "an idiot."

You're watching CNN's live coverage, live, from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:37:17] BALDWIN: We are just a little more than 24 hours away here from the big event, from the Super Bowl of politics in the campaign season. The big Republican presidential debate here at the gorgeous place. Here's a sneak peek of the big stage that has built by CNN in the last couple weeks and all those podiums just about a foot and a half away from each other. Think about these arrivals being that close. As we mentioned, a day until we see who will take on the front runner, Donald Trump. Will it be the mild-mannered man standing just one podium to the left? Because right now Ben Carson is surging. The latest national poll out today, while Trump holds the lead, take a look at the neurosurgeon in second place. He's jumped 12 points -- forgive me -- 17 points.

Joining me now is Scottie Hughes, news director at the Tea Party News Network; and conservative commentator, Kurt Schlichter.

Wonderful to have both of you back on. This should be fun once again.

Scottie, you were there in Dallas. You were introducing the man of the hour, Donald Trump, that big arena packing thousands and thousands of Trump fans. But first, you actually rode with Trump from New York to Dallas on the Trump plane. Give me the juice. What was that like?

SCOTTIE HUGHES, NEWS DIRECTOR, TEA PARTY NEWS NETWORK: I will be honest, I felt like the conservative Cinderella. I woke up in the morning and I have been with campaigns traveling with them for the past couple months. We have done the buss and mini vans. I have never gotten on a plane. This was amazing to walk on there.

But here was the surprising element. Maybe this is the juicy gossip people want to hear. It was a very classy, not a party atmosphere. Mr. Trump, I have been with candidates who will close the door and not around. He was with us the entire time. Not hovering, but just sitting there and studying notes, handwritten notes he had taken on all sorts of points and philosophies. Flipping through the news channels and, yes, he turned on CNN, watching the commentators, listening and studying what people said and would practice his reply back. All this talk about not debate prep, no, the key is he's debate prepping how he should, with real people, real commentators, real questions, and going, this is how I would say it. It was really an amazing experience. It really showed me that he's a lot more -- the reason why people like him is he's a lot like us and how we handle life every day.

BALDWIN: He's a lot like us, Kurt. Would you like to react to that?

(LAUGHTER)

What do you make of this debate prep?

[14:40:08] KURT SCHLICHTER, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Well, if I was traveling with Trump, I would be in the Trump trunk because I don't think he's a big fan of me and the many conservatives who have big questions about him. He's going about debate prep exactly right. Donald Trump is a unique force and he needs to keep doing the things that make him unique. He can't become an insider when he's an outsider.

I shouldn't be telling my opponent how to win, but I don't think he needs to hear it from me. This guy is an instinctive politician. He's very good at it. He's not a foolish man. He knows exactly what he's doing. I kind of wish he was doing traditional prep because I think he would do worse at the debate.

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: Real quick, you said the opponent -- that was the other thing yesterday, people would come up who traditionally have questioned Donald Trump and come on the screen and he was never rude. It wasn't just because I was there. He was never like, I hate that guy. It was the exact opposite. That guy really made good points. I don't know why he doesn't like me now.

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: He's almost taking it personal. He really likes these people.

BALDWIN: I don't know if, on those cards, as he was doing the prep you saw anything on national security or foreign policy, but that's where people have criticized him.

I'm wondering, Kurt, if you think that tomorrow night, really, is his opportunity to show his -- maybe some substance and strength in that regard or expose his weaknesses, lack of experience.

SCHLICHTER: I think we're going to see that because you have folks like Jake Tapper and Hugh Hewitt, a national security conservatives are going to be asking questions.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: And Dana Bash, a pretty tough cookie as well.

SCHLICHTER: Look, this is personal to me. Is he worthy of being a commander-in-chief, having the lives of the men and women I worked with, that I was honored to lead, in his hands? That's the most important question for any president. I hope he gets asked tomorrow night.

HUGHES: I have the answer for you.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: He's talking tonight to veterans on a battleship. Commander-in-chief, how will he do?

HUGHES: Answer to Kurt's question, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, that's the answer, that's the one answer. That's the Marine that everybody else on that stage forgot. No, he didn't. Donald Trump didn't do it for publicity. He's went down and helped fund him getting him out and getting on his feet. He will not leave a man behind on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, Kirk, we don't live in a day when we see presidents with military experience. We're probably not going to see that future. It's unfortunate.

But we want to see a man with a track record of supporting the troops. He's done more for troops than the majority of the ones on the stage. Encouraging troop support and veteran support. He's the only one that's challenged the revenue to be donated to veterans. None of the other guys care about that.

BALDWIN: Kurt, you want to respond?

SCHLICHTER: Well, Scottie -- Scottie, it's hugely important that he supports veterans. That's good. But is this a guy we trust with the lives of our soldiers in his hands with his finger hovering over the button? I'm not sure. I'm not sure he has the emotional readiness to do it. He seems to react with anger rather than thought, malice rather than cunning. That worries me because the lives of American men and women in uniform are the most important thing, as I know you agree.

HUGHES: I do, but who else has that?

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: Who has that? Rick Perry was the only one with military experience.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Kurt Schlichter, Scottie Hughes, we'll leave it.

Thank you both so much.

SCHLICHTER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And remember, please join us here live on CNN, all the action tomorrow night. The main event starts at 8:00 eastern here on CNN. Coming up next, while Donald Trump was holding his rally in Dallas,

hundreds of Latino activists were marching in protest. The theme of that one, "Dump the Trump." One of the rally's leaders will join live me, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:48:39] BALDWIN: Hundreds of people, mostly Latino activists, marched in protest of Donald Trump's Dallas rally last evening. They called on voters to, quote, "Dump the Trump."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(CHANTING)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That looked to me like a Donald Trump pinata. You have protesters accusing Donald Trump of turning Americans against one another with hateful rhetoric. Organizers say thousands of demonstrators showed up.

Joining me from Dallas, the co-leader of this Dump the Trump rally, civil rights attorney, Domingo Garcia.

Domingo, thank you so much for being with me today.

DOMINGO GARCIA, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY & CO-LEADER, DUMP THE TRUMP & CHAPTER PRESIDENT, LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN-AMERICAN CITIZENS: Thanks for having me, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You're the chapter president of the League of United Latin- American Citizens. You tweeted you wanted to show Trump that, quote, "Hate and intolerance can be pushed back." I know that you all marched past that massive Mavericks arena packing 20,000 Trump supporters. Do you feel like your message was heard?

GARCIA: We did. We had several thousand people who marched on a Monday afternoon to tell Donald Trump that his lies, his misinformation about Latina and immigrants have no place in a presidential campaign. I expect to hear about Wallace and Stalin when he did the Berlin Wall. But to build a wall between neighbors like Mexico and the U.S., we should be building bridges. We should be talking about what the Statute of Liberty is. And his message is so hateful that it had to have a response.

[14:50:23] BALDWIN: He mentioned the wall, about birthright citizenship. Here he was last night in Dallas. This was part of what he talked about with regard to U.S. immigration policy. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I don't mean to be disrespectful, but when a man has a problem and he's got his wife or his girlfriend and they move over to the border for one day, has the baby on the other side of the border, our side, now that baby is a citizen of our country for however long the baby lives. Hopefully, a long --

(BOOING)

TRUMP: It's wrong. It's wrong. By the way, by the way, the law doesn't call that. That's not what the law says. People are finding out now that I'm right. We didn't say that somebody could be pregnant for nine months, come across the border, have a baby, and now it's ours and we have to take care of the baby forever. It doesn't say that. It does not say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Domingo, that's part of the Donald Trump that the public is used to, cameras rolling inside a packed area. But recently, CNN talked to the CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who told us behind closed doors that Donald Trump is a very different man. Do you think it could be possible that perhaps Donald Trump could be more sympathetic that he appears publicly?

GARCIA: I don't think so. Donald Trump is the ultimate hypocrite. His father came from Germany, changed his German name to Trump. His mother was -- came illegally to the United States from Scotland. If he enacted the repeal of the 14th Amendment when she was here illegally when Donald Trump was born, he could not run for president. He has two wives that were from Eastern Europe. He's an anchor husband that women use to get their citizenship here. It's total hypocrisy that he's using it to get votes from the right wing of the Republican Party. If you don't get 40 percent of the vote, you can't be elected president. George W. Bush did it. Obama did it. Trump will never be able to do that.

BALDWIN: This is the land of second chances. Anything he could say, Domingo, tomorrow night to change your mind?

GARCIA: Well, if he starts apologizing. He was disrespectful. He needs to say, we need to bring people together, we need to find a way to solve our immigration problem that involves a pathway to citizenship for those 12 million immigrants who are picking our crops, cleaning the toilets in the hotels you stay at, at Trump Plaza, who are building with our hands and constructing America. Give them an opportunity for the American dream just like Donald Trump's father and mother did.

BALDWIN: Domingo Garcia, thank you, sir, so much. We'll be watching the big debate. 11 people on that stage tomorrow night. Thank you for your time. I really appreciate it.

GARCIA: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Next, into CNN brand new information regarding Jeb Bush's strategy against Donald Trump tomorrow night. Will he be on the offensive? Hear what sources are telling our own Gloria Borger.

Stay with me. We're live in California at the Reagan Presidential Library, and you're watching CNN's special live coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:53:11] BALDWIN: Trains, planes and automobiles. Imagine barreling 700 miles an hour through an aboveground tube to get to your destination. This is the Hyperloop. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA & SPACEX: There's a special case of cities that have a lot of travel between them below about 500 miles of distance where the Hyperloop would be useful.

It is a special case solution because once the distances get long, then the amount of time that an aircraft takes to ascend and land, which is most of what it does in a trip, that percentage declines, and it's better to use aircraft.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We dream about moving comfortably from place to place in a blink of an eye. That's essentially the dream of the Hyperloop.

(on camera): What is the Hyperloop?

DIRK AHLBORN, CEO, HYPERLOOP TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES: It's very similar to an airplane on high altitudes. You have a low pressure environment inside a tube, a capsule that doesn't touch anywhere, it hovers, and because the low pressure, doesn't encounter a lot of resistance.

CRANE (voice-over): This concept of traveling around in tubes has been around for more than a century. Then in 2013, Elon Musk drafted up actual blueprints and put the challenge of building it to the engineering community. Enter UCLA.

CRAIG HODGETTS, PROFESSOR, UCLA: It's an unconventional system. So you sort of have to invent everything from the ground up.

CRANE (on camera): Do we know what it's going to feel like traveling that fast?

HODGETTS: You'll accelerate, you'll feel almost no sense of motion.

CRANE: Do you feel like you're working on a project that's really going to change the future?

HODGETTS: Oh, absolutely. If I have a date and I want to see the opera in San Francisco, I can literally do that and be back in time to go to sleep in my own house. That's the nature of the kinds of disruptive change that this can bring. And to be able to be a part of this effort is a dream come true.

(END VIDEOTAPE)