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Keith Ellison Supports Sanders; Ivanka Trump Talks. Aired 8:30- 9a ET

Aired October 15, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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


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[08:30:28] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just as a result of last night's debate, I am told that we have raised two million dollars.

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CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Bernie Sanders, at an event last night in California touting the success of the debate performance by the donations that keep on rolling in. Sanders now has another milestone to celebrate, his second congressional endorsement. This one from Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, joining us now.

Congressman, good to have you on NEW DAY.

REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: Good morning.

CUOMO: So, obviously, Bernie's talking about money not because he's fixated on money but he sees it as a function of relevance. Nobody pillories (ph) money in politics more than Senator Sanders.

ELLISON: True.

CUOMO: Let me ask you about your endorsement here. Do it by justifying defense of the obstacles. The big one with Senator Bernie Sanders is how he identifies himself, Democratic socialist. Socialism is seen as the enemy of capitalism, that which motivates America's greatness. How do you defend that?

ELLISON: Well, first of all, I think that Americans are looking into the substance, what is he for? He and I have co-authored bills on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He and I have co-authored bills on making sure that imprisonment of Americans remains a public function with justice as the only criteria, not profitability, not money (ph). He also - he and I have also come together to strip subsidies from the big oil companies. They're highly profitable and we shouldn't be subsidizing them particularly when we've got climate change on our back.

So we - we come together around core values issues. But there's other important thing, Chris, and that is the way he is campaigning. He is energizing the base. He is making people excited about democracy and participation. He has massive crowds at his rallies and from his fundraising the dollar figure is important, but what about the actual number of donations? I mean he's upwards of 600,000 people donating to him.

CUOMO: Yes.

ELLISON: This is a - this is starting a real energizing thing.

CUOMO: There's no question that he has energized the base, slash, left side base of your party. Critics within your party of you will say, well, but he can't win. And if he can't win and you're not backing Hillary Clinton, who you Democrats believe can win, you are hurting your own party. Your response?

ELLISON: My response is that I don't know that he can't win. I think competition's a good thing. I do believe that, you know, Secretary Clinton had made greet points in the debate and yet our candidates, the Democratic candidates, even O'Malley and all the rest of them, are competing on how they're going to help the American people, how they're going to help people make the bread and butter decisions that they have faced every single day. Compare and contrast that with the other side which is talking about, do you like Muslims, can a Muslim be president, can a Mexican, you know, be a part of our society, are we going to shut down the whole country based on Planned Parenthood? I mean that's what they want to talk about. I think our side is on the right track. And no matter whether you like Bernie or another candidate, they're all basically heading in the right direction in my opinion.

CUOMO: For those who do not know, you are a practicing Muslim yourself.

ELLISON: Yes.

CUOMO: What do you say to Americans who are hearing Dr. Ben Carson say what he has said about Muslims? And that they are responding by supporting him. His numbers are rising since he said that. What do you say to those Americans?

ELLISON: Well, what I say is that, you know, Mr. Carson - Dr. Carson may be smart about separating conjoined twins, but it pretty much ends right there. And, you know, people want to come together. They don't want to be divided. Americans, in general, they like their neighbors. And they don't really care what color or religion they are. And, you know, we went through that all - long, ugly history of segregation. Americans know that we are well rid of that kind of thinking. And, you know, that's all I can say about that - that situation.

CUOMO: What do you think when Senator Bernie Sanders took what is the big elephant in the room in terms of negatives on Hillary Clinton and said, enough with your damn e-mails? What did you think when he said that?

ELLISON: That's what - I said, that's Bernie. That's the Bernie I know. Bernie is a class guy. Values trump political expediency. He didn't really care if it was going to help him or hurt him, he just thought it was right. And that's why I think the guy's awesome. And so I think that Hillary Clinton appreciated it too. And I think that it just goes to show that, you know, the person - and doing what's right is more important than scoring a petty point in a debate for him. So good on Bernie. That's Bernie being Bernie.

[08:35:12] CUOMO: Final point. Do you think others are to follow your lead? And Raul's also in terms of backing Sanders. Do you think there are more to come?

ELLISON: Yes, Raul - Raul and I are supporting Bernie Sanders at this point. We think others may follow. But I can't speak for them. All I can say is that, look, this is a fine American tradition. We get to decide who's going to be our president. Everybody gets to decide who their first choice is going to be. Of course, we all may end up supporting the nominee anyway. I know I will be. But, for now, you know, I think that it's perfectly fine for me to support the guy who I think best represents what needs to be said in this moment of time in this country, which is the American middle class and working class are not getting their fair share of the American dream and we have to fight for it and make a big case for it. And if he can end up being president to execute that policy, so much the better in my mind.

CUOMO: Congressman, thank you for being on NEW DAY.

ELLISON: You bet.

CUOMO: Mick.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Chris, we know him as the brash billionaire that currently is leading the Republican candidates. She knows him as dad. An exclusive CNN interview with Ivanka Trump ahead.

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[08:40:04] PEREIRA: All right, here is your five things to know for your Thursday.

At number one, President Obama is set to announce U.S. forces in Afghanistan will remain at their current levels for most of 2016. This is yet another delay in the president's plan to complete the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Another Republican congressman with a candid revelation about the Benghazi committee. Congressman Richard Hanna claims the panel was designed to target Clinton.

Israeli police now encouraging civilians to carry guns amid a rash of random stabbings attacks in Jerusalem's old city. Israeli officials have also increased security in that area.

Donald Trump dominating in two key states in the latest CNN/ORC poll, opening a 16 point lead over Ben Carson in Nevada, an 18 points lead in South Carolina.

Major airports are getting back to normal following a big computer glitch. The system allowing airports to match travelers names to the TSA terror watch list. Yes, that was down for about 90 minutes last night. Very concerning.

For more on the five things to know, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Michaela.

Donald Trump, the family man. A candid look from his daughter Ivanka in a CNN exclusive interview. That's next.

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PEREIRA: For the first time, Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka opening up about her father's presidential campaign, addressing some of The Donald's controversial remarks. She spoke exclusively to our Poppy Harlow. Poppy joins us now.

Great get.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a fascinating conversation. The first time we've heard from her since June when she announced her - her father's candidacy at that podium. We sat down at the Fortune Most Powerful Women. We talked about her business and we also talked about her father's run. She said it is her father who set her moral compass.

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HARLOW: Let's begin with this. We are at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. And Michael Cohen from the Trump Organization said that the company employs 57 percent men and 43 percent women, but there are more female executives than male within the Trump Organization. How can we see that translate across corporate America so that more women are at the upper echelons?

[08:45:01] IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: Well, I think it's incredibly important and I think companies who aren't prioritizing, ensuring that women are at all levels within the organization, and that this disproportion of men versus women and gender inequality, you know, anyone who is thinking in those terms and who's not being very proactive to ensure that their company is being thoughtful about the gender mix is simply going to fall behind.

So I think it will be a self-selecting things. I think in ten years from now the companies who haven't evolved will not be the companies that they are today. And you know, I think my father recognized this a long time ago. I wouldn't be the person I am today. I wouldn't have the ambition, the drive, the passion, the commitment to what it is that I'm doing both for the Trump Organization and for my own brand if he hadn't encouraged me, emboldened me, given me the confidence that I could do whatever it is that I set my mind to accomplish if I had the vision, the energy, the passion and work ethic to match.

So I think really, it's -- leadership is about action. Leadership is about setting an example. And he's very much done that within the context of the Trump Organization. And it's why, you know, my brothers and I are equally at the same level at the highest ranks within the context of that company.

HARLOW: You started Women Who Work. It's an initiative you pushed to empower women at all levels to work and to follow their dreams. But Pew found that an increasing amount of American women are staying home. From 23 percent in 1999 to 29 percent in 2000 and some of that is in part due to rising child care costs. What is your message in this campaign to those women?

TRUMP: Well so my campaign is about the fact that women are working at all aspects of their life and I think there is this tendency to talk about the working women. There is this caricature of what that looks like. We represent 50 percent of the population. We are all working at different things. We all have different priorities and the priorities change through the course of their lives. My priorities today as a mother of two with one on the way are different from what they were 10 years ago and likely will be different in ten years from now.

So I really wanted to create a brand that was celebrating the fact that women are multidimensional, that we're all working really hard at architecting the lives that we want to live and lives that are consistent with our personal priorities. And I do think there's this unfortunate and prevailing depiction of the working woman as, you know, wearing a black pantsuit and being solely focused on her professional role. And that is just not true. And hopefully I can be a small part of changing the narrative around what it looks like to be a woman who works today.

And that is the purpose of the campaign. It is not to tell people they should work or they shouldn't work. It is not to push people in a certain direction. It is to celebrate the fact that we're all figuring it out. We're all working very, very hard. I know, for example, I'm more exhausted on a Monday morning after a weekend home with the kids than I am on a Friday afternoon. And I work really hard during the week. So it is really about just enabling and supporting women in architecting this ideal life for themselves.

HARLOW: Your father points to you telling him that he has been on the campaign trail, quote, "really misunderstood" on his views about women. He has said some things about women that have shocked many people. About Carly Fiorina, he said, "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?" About Megyn Kelly's questioning him in the first Fox debate he said, "There was blood coming out of her wherever." Ivanka, what was your reaction to that?

TRUMP: Well, I think a lot of the sensationalism around this was orchestrated largely by the media. My father is very blunt. He is very direct. He's not gender specific in his criticism of people and people that he doesn't particularly like or people that he does like but thinks they are wrong on a particular issue.

So, you know, I don't think that he's gender-targeted at all. Like I said, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I wouldn't be a high-level executive within his organization if he felt that way. So he's always supported and encouraged women. And truthfully, he's proven that over decades through his employment practices, through his hiring practices.

HARLOW: What would a President Trump do for women in this country?

TRUMP: He'd be amazing for women in this country. He would be incredible for women in this country. And he's starting to articulate his positions. It is not my place to articulate those for him. I'm not part of the campaign. I'm very busy and he's kept me very busy working alongside my brothers and running the organization now that he's taking this step in terms of his efforts to try and make this country great again, as he says.

[08:50:08] So, you know, I'll leave policy to him. But I can speak from my vantage point as a child and also from my vantage point as a colleague and somebody who works for him. He's been an amazing parent. He's given me every opportunity to succeed. He's been loving and supportive. He's pushed me. He's corrected me. He's disciplined me. And I think as a parent now myself, I appreciate how hard that is more than ever before.

When I was 15 or 16 I was a little less impressed by how tough he was and how strict he was with us as children. As a parent now, I see just how hard it is to raise children with drive and with passion and with energy who have a well-set moral compass. And he very much did that for me in his role as a father. And then as an executive, I've seen what an unbelievable leader he is. He's the most formidable negotiator I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of great negotiators. He is also somebody who really encourages people to achieve at their highest level. He sets very high goals for everyone who works for him and who works with him. But really he helps them raise the bar for themselves in terms of what they want to accomplish.

HARLOW: What are your business goals for Ivanka Trump as a brand, as the business?

TRUMP: Ooh, I have far-reaching goals. I think my goals are less specific and more general now. I want to continue to grow the Trump Organization footprint throughout the world. We have a hotel company, the Trump Hotel Collection, which I'm incredibly proud of, which is now the fastest growing luxury hotel brand. We have many very, very exciting property openings in the year to come, here in Washington, D.C. with the old post office building, an iconic building right on Pennsylvania Avenue. In Rio de Janeiro, in Vancouver and many, many others in the pipeline for the years to come.

So I think the opportunity on the hotel side and on the real estate side is huge. And I almost don't want to limit myself by giving a specific goal. But the growth potential there is enormous.

In terms of my own business, I really feel like it is in its infancy and I'm just getting started. I'm creating product in many categories that has been very well-received that I'm deeply proud of. And I'm looking forward to other opportunities and in other categories and in international markets to grow that brand. Of course, my most important priority, my family, is growing and hopefully will continue to grow.

HARLOW: Congratulations. You are five months pregnant.

TRUMP: I'm five months pregnant.

HARLOW: With your third.

TRUMP: With my third.

HARLOW: Congratulations.

TRUMP: So it is an amazing time. And it is an exciting time for me in my personal life as well. So I feel incredibly blessed and incredibly fortunate that I'm so happy personally and professionally. And I hope that always continues.

HARLOW: You are very good friends with Chelsea Clinton. And she gave a recent interview and she said, quote, "I love Ivanka." And she said that both of your parents running potentially against each other in a general election has not affected your friendship. How do you guys navigate that? Do you not talk politics? Do you talk kids?

TRUMP: We - It has not been an issue for us. I have great respect for her. She's been a great friend to me. I've been a great friend to her. So the politics of our parents is not relevant to our friendship.

HARLOW: I asked a lot of the women here at the Fortune Most Powerful Women's Summit and I sat down with a group of them after the Democratic debate last night. I know you watched. What did you make of the debate? And who do you think would be most formidable candidate against your father, who is leading, still, in all of the Republican polls?

TRUMP: Well I thought the debate was excellent. I thought the debate was interesting to watch. So I enjoyed watching. Like I said, I'm a business person, not a politician. So I'll leave politics to other members of the family and the many, many people who are involved in the race on both sides. We'll see who emerges.

HARLOW: Ivanka Trump, thank you very much.

TRUMP: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Very interesting to hear from her. You know, a lot of political pundits, Michaela, say that she could be a big asset for her father on the campaign trail. Will we see that? I don't know. She certainly didn't give us any insight into that in that interview. She said I'm very busy with my business. Third child on the way. I'll leave the politics to other members of my family. We'll all be watching.

PEREIRA: Yeah. It should be interesting. We got 100 days or so to go. We'll see if she does makes an appearance or two. Poppy, thanks so much for that.

[08:54:56] All right. Your "Good Stuff" is coming next. Stay tuned. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: "Good Stuff." We love it. Elon University cafeteria worker Kathryn Thompson has always wanted to take her family and her autistic grandson to Disney World. But like a lot of people, she just didn't have that 6,000 bucks to get it done.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When she said it is my dream, I thought, well, there's 6,000 people there with at least a dollar. So we could probably make this.

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CUOMO: Students. That is what they heard and they love her. And that is what they did. The Elon students got together, they raised the money. A GoFundMe employee heard about it. Donated his $1,000 employee of the month bonus as well.

PEREIRA: What?

CUOMO: Yes. Listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of the Elon community came together and we just wanted to thank you for all that you do.

STUDENTS: Surprise!

KATHRYN THOMPSON, ELON UNIVERSITY CAFETERIA WORKER: Just thank you. And I love y'all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Love is what makes the world go round.

CAMEROTA: That is so wonderful.

PEREIRA: I love that.

CAMEROTA: And for students - I mean, this is a great lesson outside of the classroom --

PEREIRA: Little bit can make a big difference.

CAMEROTA: -- of what to do. Yes.

CUOMO: See. So remember this before you condemn the whole next generation, as is often done. Very nice. Thank you young people for being "The Good Stuff."

CAMEROTA: Time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.