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Now: Democrats Choose Between Clinton, Sanders; Sanders Slams Clinton's Record on Welfare; Trump, Rubio Exchange Fiery Insults; What Politicians Can Learn from S.C.; Students Talk Support for Trump; Academy Awards Nominees for Best Picture; Clinton Looks for Big Win in S.C. Primary. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired February 27, 2016 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:22] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. Five p.m. Eastern. So glad you're with us. I'm Poppy Harlow.
Coming to you live this evening from the beautiful campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, we have special coverage all day of the democratic presidential primary here in South Carolina, and time is running out for voters in their states, cast their ballots, just two hours before the polls close. Will it be a decisive victory for Hillary Clinton? Or won't it. We'll see, the polls have her ahead but anything could happen. And while Clinton will be in South Carolina tonight to watch the returns come in, Sanders is skipping the state all together today. He was here last night but now he's on to Texas and Minnesota. Why? Because those are two states that vote on Super Tuesday and those are votes the T1.
We have the best political team in television covering all of it. CNN Senior Political Correspondent Brianna Keilar here in South Carolina, CNN Senior Washington Correspondent Joe Johns at a polling location, CNN contributors Bakari Sellers and The New Yorker Ryan Lizza, also Hogan Gidley, former senior communications adviser to Mike Huckabee.
And Bri, let me begin with you. Both Clinton and Sanders not exactly pointing fingers at one another today. They are targeting the Republicans today.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They are targeting the Republicans today. I think Hillary Clinton certainly making a point that she is electable and that she wants to pivot to the general election and she's trying to show herself as someone who can be the candidate to take on whoever the Republican front-runner is. And in this case she has a really choice words for Donald Trump. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, when you run for president, it's not just Americans who pay attention. And when you are president the entire world listens to every word you say. But that person becomes in many ways the leader of free people and free markets and opportunity around the world. So you do have to be careful about what you say and how you say it. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will defeat Trump
because the American people do not want a president who insults Mexicans, Muslims, who insults women and African-Americans and veterans. And basically anybody who is not like Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So both candidates, Poppy, positioning themselves a bit there as the anti-Trump. But Hillary Clinton when she did take aim at Bernie Sanders and she was in Alabama earlier at a historically black college, clearly looking toward Super Tuesday, Alabama will go to the polls then, she hit Bernie Sanders by using Donald Trump and this is something that she's tried to set herself apart from Sanders, specifically here in South Carolina and beyond in the southern states. She talking about his ideas for free public college. She said I don't want to give free college to Donald Trump's kids. And she also touted her fund for historically black colleges and universities. You know, a number of them are not public so they don't fall under Bernie Sanders' plan.
HARLOW: Right.
KEILAR: She is been trying to draw that distinction here and in the South.
HARLOW: And Brie, I just wonder, I mean, you know this campaign inside and out. How big of a win do they see it if they do sort of sweep South Carolina tonight, going into Super Tuesday, just because it is so expected that she will take a lot of the state.
KEILAR: Yes. And that's really the question. The question is not if she's going to win it's by how much.
HARLOW: Right.
KEILAR: And what they want is this really decisive victory, how much is that going to be they are not going to say it publicly. Because they want certainly to manage expectations. But you know, some polls have her as much as 20 or more points ahead. So certainly they would like to see that. I think they are kind of managing expectations in case it is below that. But that certainly is what they are aiming for is above that.
HARLOW: Yes. All right. Brianna, thank you so much. Joe Johns, to you at one of these polling sites. I mean, when you talk about managing expectations and you talk about the margins of the outcome tonight, sort of a surprise to the downside today in terms of the turnout it looks like. Right?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Turnout is not strong. I mean I can tell you that from talking to the South Carolina Election Commission. They tell us turnout is low to light, pretty much across the state. Steady in some other areas. One election official also described it as moderate in a few specific areas around South Carolina. So, not a lot of people turning out. We're at an elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina. We've seen a few hundred people walk through here during this day. We're told that early this morning before we got to this location there was a long line. So, there's that.
[17:05:09] This is a very different situation from the Republican primary last week when they had record turnout. But what is interesting is that there are some kind of comparable numbers if you will on the number of absentee ballots that have been returned to the State Election Commission. So far we're told about 53,747 people had returned absentee ballots. And you compare that to what the Republicans got, about 60,000, you see there's not that big a split. But in terms of actual people turning out to vote, it's a much narrower number here compared with the Republicans. The other thing we're told, no glitches in the election this time around.
That's different from last weekend with the Republicans, they did have a few glitches at the polls. And the officials here attribute that to the fact that now they have done it twice and they are unlikely to make the same mistake on two consecutive Saturdays. So, we are moving toward the end of this day in South Carolina. And I can tell you that in the past it has been thought that higher turnout in some of these primaries went to the advantage of Bernie Sanders, because he turned out so many extra voters.
HARLOW: Right.
JOHNS: This is a situation where we have fewer voters -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Joe Johns live for us tonight as the hours tick away. Two more hours to go for people to cast their votes. Thank you so much. So, let's break it all down with our political panel. Ryan Lizza, Hogan Gidley, Bakari Sellers.
Bakari, I want you to first react as a Hillary Clinton supporter that you are, I want you to react to something that was said in the panel that I did with African-American voters earlier here a little bit earlier this morning. We talked about criminal justice reform and one of the panelists, Representative Justin Bamberg who did support Clinton and switched to Sanders, what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JUSTIN BAMBERG, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: Bernie Sanders is the best candidate for criminal justice reform, it's because of who he is, OK. And he is not afraid to stand up to big money, he's not afraid to stand up to anybody. Not worried about him and special interest groups getting in his ear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And my apologies that was not Representative Bamberg, that was Hamilton, one of the other young voices that we spoke with today. So, Bakari, what do you think of his argument that special interests won't get in Sanders' way?
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, that actually was Representative Bamberg. I know him very well. When I ran for lieutenant governor, Representative Bamberg is the person who succeeded me in the state house. So, I have a great deal -- I have a great deal of respect for him. And I would say that those talking points just did not carry the day in South Carolina.
In South Carolina what people saw was a fighter in South Carolina, what people saw was Hillary Clinton who worked with the Children Legal Defense Fund, who helped get children out of adult prisons. What they saw was the person who carried the chips program on their back, on her back, which is how many South Carolinians, young South Carolinians get their insurance. But even more importantly, what we're seeing today is this race was about who was the best person to protect and build on the legacy of Barack Obama. And it was hands down no choice, that was Hillary Clinton.
HARLOW: To you, Ryan Lizza, I mean, "The New York Times" editorial board came out this week and they have just for context, they have backed Hillary Clinton.
RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.
HARLOW: And they came out this week and they said that she owes it to the people to release the transcripts from the speeches that she's given, the paid speeches especially to the big Wall Street banks. Do voters want that? How much is it going to matter? How consequential is it to her campaign in a primary?
LIZZA: Well look, if I can tell you right now, if Bernie Sanders doesn't press her on this issue and the general election, whoever the Republican nominee is, is going to press her on this issue. I think as you go forward, Sanders has a strategic decision to make in this campaign. Does he start getting a little bit more aggressive on some of the things that are out there that are frankly not in his wheel house, they're not policy issues, he promised to make this much more of a policy-based campaign frankly to his credit but he hasn't hit her hard on the e-mails, right? He hasn't hit her on these transcripts. Now, some people in his campaign say well, our people don't like that stuff. Other people in his campaign are saying, are advising the candidate to go a little bit harder. So, his campaign is actually split on this right now. I think going forward, if he wants to make more of a race of this, watch for him to go at her on some of those issues.
HARLOW: Hogan Gidley, to you. I want you and all of the viewers to listen to some sound. I want you to listen to really two very different views of the Republican Party from within the Republican Party, from Senator Lindsey Graham this week and also from Chris Christie who has just come out and endorsed Donald Trump. Let's play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Most dishonest person in America is a woman. Who is about to be president.
(LAUGHTER)
How could that be? My party is gone bad crazy.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I can guarantee you that the one person that Hillary and Bill Clinton do not want to see on that stage come next September is Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[17:10:22] HARLOW: Who has it right? This is your party, this is your senior communications adviser for Huckabee's campaign. Who has got it right? Lindsey Graham, saying they're crazy? Or Chris Christie saying this is a man to lead us to the White House?
HOGAN GIDLEY, SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER, HUCKABEE FOR PRESIDENT: I don't know that you can say either one of them is all the way right. But I do want to point out one thing about the Senate. You know, as Republicans, we fought, we scratched, we clawed to get the Senate in Republican hands. And for all of the bluster and all of the bravado of the senators in this race, both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, we still have ObamaCare, we still fund Planned Parenthood, we still have Syrian refugee relocation program, we still have the Iran deal which they actually made the path way easier for Obama to negotiate.
So they are at fault here. What Chris Christie is saying is, we need someone outside to do the bidding of the American people to get something changed. That's why Donald Trump's taken off in this thing because he is representing the true outside. The Cruzes of the world say they are but they are still funded by Wall Street millionaires and billionaires, and something that Bernie is tapping into the same thing Trump is tapping into and that is, these kids out here I talk to, legislators I talk to, all of these folks say kind of the same thing. It's an undervalued trait. And they are not taking outside money. And that matters to people and this information age when you can find out where the money comes from and you can follow that money, if you see a candidate's not taking outside money, you realize they are not beholding to those dollars.
HARLOW: The difference is, not everyone is a billionaire and can fund their campaign.
GIDLEY: Absolutely.
HARLOW: Bakari Sellers, to you, right? I don't know if you are a billionaire but, you know, most folks aren't. Look, Bakari, Bernie Sanders took this swipe at Hillary Clinton this week, they really stood out to me referring to, you know, welfare reform, the bill signed in 1996 that was not backed by Sanders. And obviously it was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: The end result of that legislation was that extreme poverty, I'm talking about the poorest of the poor, I'm talking about children who are hungry, extreme poverty in this country, the rates doubled. Because of that legislation. I vigorously opposed that legislation, Secretary Clinton supported that legislation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Bakari, do you think it is important for Hillary Clinton who you are big supporter of, to separate herself even more from some of the policies of her husband's administration?
SELLERS: I mean, I don't think it's about separating herself as much as it is about building a plan for the future. I mean, the fact of the matter is I'm not a billionaire, and in fact, I hesitate sometimes when CNN calls me because I don't know if it's CNN or Sallie Mae calling me for student loan payments. So, I mean, there are a lot of people who are encumbered by this debt. There are a lot of people who do everything they can, possible to live the American dream. But simply can't. They don't have the opportunity too. And so, I want someone who is talking about investing in these communities especially these communities of color where we have back breaking generational poverty.
And I think the one thing that Bernie Sanders has done is he has pushed Hillary Clinton to become more succinct. He has pushed Hillary Clinton to become more detailed. And talking how we lift people out of poverty. That's why I'm glad this is the discussion that we're having on the democratic side of the ballot. How to lift people out of poverty and we're not having this circus show that my good friend Hogan and the rest of his colleagues on the Republican side are having.
All right. I got to get Ryan Lizza in here and Hogan yes, you want to quickly respond to that?
GIDLEY: No, I just want to say, look, this to me is the year of the Republican. If we can't beat somebody who may or may not be indicted about it in the year, and a man that wants to take 90 cents out of every dollar and give it to somebody else, then we got a whole lot of problems going on the GOP.
HARLOW: All right. Ryan Lizza, to you. I just want you to weigh in on this question that I asked Bakari. And that is, does Hillary Clinton need to garner the votes, you need to separate herself more from some of the policies of her husband. Here's why I asked, because when you look at the 94 crime bill, right? She was a supporter of it, she lobbied members of Congress to support it. That poured about $10 billion into the federal prison system, you had a 60 percent increase in the number of prisoners from 92 to 2000. You know, her husband's term. And now one of her big, big platforms is criminal justice reform and mass incarceration.
LIZZA: Absolutely.
HARLOW: Does she need to draw the line more?
LIZZA: Well, she has drawn on a few issues. Right?
HARLOW: But on this.
LIZZA: On the welfare bill?
HARLOW: The welfare and the crime bill.
LIZZA: I don't think, on the welfare bill, there's as much outrage in the democratic base. It's held up better than some of the other centrist policies of the Clinton era. Well, they really frankly has. The Democratic Party changed. The Democratic Party has moved to the left. Look, the crime bill does not look good in hindsight. Bill Clinton himself has now essentially disavowed it.
HARLOW: Right.
LIZZA: For years, it was one of the top accomplishments if you went to the Clinton Foundation website or looked at any of the Clinton Library exhibits. On trade, what another big issue, I don't think there is any turning back. Hillary Clinton has opposed the main free trade initiative of the Obama administration, has broken within the Clinton legacy on free trade. How does she go back on that as president? I don't think she can. So, very interesting to see if on the welfare issue if Bernie Sanders continues to press that and she backs and take as step back. What you're seeing is that Sanders, who is always on the far left flinch of the Democratic Party is much more in the main stream of the Democratic Party because the party has moved left.
[17:15:41] HARLOW: Thank you very much. Ryan Lizza, stay with me. Hogan Gidley, thank you as well. Bakari Sellers, thank you. Everyone, stay with me. Coming up next, a lot ahead this hour, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio in the middle of a brawl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He bankrupted a casino, how do you bankrupt a casino?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This lightweight Rubio, total lightweight. And little mouth on him. Bing, bing, bing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: We'll have live reports on the mudslinging, also Senator Ted Cruz later focused on Texas right now. The crown jewel of Super Tuesday. Could his home state be a great win for him or end his shot at being president. A hundred fifty five critical delegates for him there. And also of course we're staying on top of the Democratic primary race, right here in South Carolina. Fifty three delegates up for grabs for the Democrats, more live coverage, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:19:48] HARLOW: Welcome back. I'm Poppy Harlow in Columbia, South Carolina. We are focusing on both the Democratic primary here and what is happening in the Republican race. Marco Rubio and Donald Trump are in a brawl for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: The party of Lincoln and Reagan is on the verge of being taken over by a con artist. Named Donald Trump.
TRUMP: Lightweight Rubio. Total lightweight. And little mouth on him. Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Trump and Rubio in a fierce tug of war with the all-important Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses now just three days away.
Joining me, CNN politics reporter MJ Lee tracking the Trump camp in Millington, Tennessee. CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll tracking the Rubio campaign in Huntsville, Alabama. And MJ, let me begin with you if you can even hear me. Because it is so loud there. An hour and a half before Trump's plain is even supposed to land.
MJ LEE, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, Poppy, we are expecting Trump to get here, we're at a local airport in Millington, Tennessee. You're right, the tensions between Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have really escalated and we saw this happen really ever since our last CNN debate in Houston this week. Marco Rubio and Trump really went after each other on the debate stage and Trump who we know to be an excellent attack dog, going after Rubio on issues like how much makeup he saw him wearing at the debate. Calling him a lightweight, earlier today in Arkansas, Trump said that Rubio stole from the Republican Party, listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Rubio stole from the Republican Party. But you know what happened, they said you stole from the party, he says no, yes you did, you had a driveway bill. No, I didn't. Yes you did. Oh, OK. Well, ah, he reimbursed them. OK. And for some reason he didn't get indicted. Why doesn't he get indict? I guarantee you one thing. Chris Christie would have indicted him so fast. But why doesn't somebody look into his House deal? Why, how can he make that kind of a profit on a House to a lobbyist?
LEE: Now Rubio of course is not just taking this quietly either. He really has been going on the offensive as well going after Trump in speeches, on social media. So this is a feud that we're likely to see continue to escalate especially as you look ahead to March 15th when the GOP primary will take place in the State of Florida. A state that Rubio badly wants to win because it is his home turf -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Absolutely, MJ Lee. Thank you so much too. Let us know when Trump's plane touches down. I know that rally just a short time from now. Thank you.
Jason, you're with the Rubio camp, you've been with them all week traveling all around there. Definitely doing a sweep of the south.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, doing a sweep of the South, and trying to sweep up Donald Trump in the process. He's been keeping up and stepping up those attacks on Trump. We heard it yesterday, attacking him not just personally but professionally as well, Poppy. Keeping up those allegations that he defrauded students at Trump University and an allegation that Trump denies. You heard him there calling Trump a con man saying that he's not just a con man when it comes to business but he is also a con man when it comes to being a true conservative. So we expect to hear more of those attacks here in Huntsville, Alabama when this rally gets under way. Certainly heard it yesterday in Dallas, heard it a little earlier in Georgia, where Rubio seemed to actually Poppy be -- seemed to be having fun poking, even more fun at Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: Just flying around on hair force one and tweeting, so here's the one tweet he put out. He put out a picture of me having makeup put on me at the debate. Which is amazing to me, that a guy with the worst spray tan in America is attacking me for putting on makeup.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Donald Trump likes to sue people, he should sue whoever did that to his face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[17:24:20] CARROLL: And certainly you can see there he is not letting up on Donald Trump. And Poppy, we were speaking to some of his supporters, they really seem to love it. They love this new version of Rubio. Some of them telling me, where was this Marco Rubio a few weeks ago? One of the other things they want to see from Marco Rubio is, they want to start seeing him winning, winning races not just coming in second and third. That's what some of those supporters are telling us.
And they hope that is going to be happening on Super Tuesday when Rubio was pushed on that saying, how do you think you're going to do on Super Tuesday. He wouldn't specifically name states that he would win, he did say that he would most definitely be picking up new delegates. One of the other things he said is that he said he would do everything in his power to make sure Trump was not the nominee, even if it meant driving around in a pickup truck to make sure it did not happen -- Poppy.
HARLOW: And Jason, I just wonder, are the supporters of Rubio there telling you that they like this new Rubio that they haven't seen before, because it's the only way that he can potentially beat Donald Trump?
CARROLL: Yes.
HARLOW: Or they like to see this in general in politics, this kind of fighting. Because a Rubio supporter told me last hour, look, this doesn't -- isn't good for the American people but it's the only way I think Rubio can win.
CARROLL: At this stage in the game, you are absolutely right. Would they like to hear the discussion be more about policy, of course? But at this point with Marco Rubio not winning a single state so far, basically many of his supporters are saying, look, the only way that he has a chance, any way that he has a shot, is to take more shots at Donald Trump.
HARLOW: All right. Jason Carroll live there for us in Huntsville, Alabama with the Rubio camp. Thank you so much.
Quick break, we're live with much more coverage here from Columbia, South Carolina on voting day here in the Democratic primary. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:30:16] HARLOW: The race for the White House has been downright nasty at times, but does that anger reflect America right now? In the wake of the Emanuel AME Church shooting last June in Charleston, citizens here rallied together -- black, white, Republican, Democrat -- showing a unity that many would say had largely been missing in parts of this campaign. Yet it's also a state with a reputation, frankly, for pretty brutal, often downright dirty presidential campaign politics.
Let's talk about it all with Doug Brannon. He joins me. He's a Republican representative in the South Carolina legislature. Sponsored a bill to remove the Confederate flag from the capitol grounds here in Columbia.
Thank you for being with me.
STATE REP. NORMAN D. "DOUG" BRANNON, (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: My pleasure. Thank you, Poppy.
HARLOW: I remember vividly being on the phone with you on my show in June, it was the debate over the flag. You said to me, I apologize to the people, I should have five years ago sponsored a bill to take it down. This state came together. Despite politics being divisive, it has come together. What do you make of the state of the race right now for president?
BRANNON: Well, I don't think you can compare the state of the race for president to South Carolina over the past year. But you know, Poppy, I'm a proud Republican. And what I know is we don't want to hand this to the Democrats, and likely Hillary, we've got to get behind one candidate. That candidate's got to quit acting like a third-grader and better identify the issues and be specific with this plan --
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: Can you name the candidate?
BRANNON: I can't. I'm truly an undecided voter today.
HARLOW: You're saying -- you're saying a number of them are acting like third-graders.
BRANNON: Well, I watched the debate the other night. I can't say Dr. Carson and Governor Kasich were involved in it but the other three looked like third-graders on the playground. HARLOW: Is there a candidate you believe would be best for your
party? I mean, do you want your party to rally around one candidate right now?
BRANNON: I want -- I want our party to rally around one candidate, but I know who picks the best candidate, and that's the voters. So I'm going to stay with the voters of America, specifically with South Carolina.
HARLOW: So Donald Trump took South Carolina by a wide margin. You getting behind him?
BRANNON: If he's the nominee, I'll vote for him. But I want us to focus on one candidate because that's the only way that we're going to regain the White House in 2016.
HARLOW: What do you make of Governor Chris Christie coming out -- I think surprising everybody. This news didn't leak which, is rare, backing Trump, despite the two throwing criticism at one another in the past. Do you believe it gives him more credibility, pull some of the establishment over to him? What does it do?
BRANNON: I think it certainly gives his campaign more credibility. I don't know individually if it gives him more credibility. But I'm hopeful that that is a step in the direction that I've just suggested that we get behind a single candidate. That's my hope.
HARLOW: Final word from you on this election as a whole, and on how your state is doing after what has been a very difficult year following the shooting.
BRANNON: It has been a very difficult year. It wasn't only the Emanuel 9 or the Emanuel 12, but you know, we had a devastating shooting earlier, an unarmed African-American man by a police officer, who has now been charged with a crime. Then we had unprecedented flooding in the fall, late fall. But we rebounded each time. Our church community has jumped up and taken care of the flood victims. And just Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a farm aid bill to help the farmers who were devastated. So I'm proud to be a Republican, I'm proud to be a South Carolinian, and I hope again that our party will get behind one candidate and we can recapture the White House in 2016.
HARLOW: We'll be watching.
Thank you for having us in your glorious state today.
(CROSSTALK)
Thank you so much, Representative.
BRANNON: Thank you.
HARLOW: We appreciate it.
Coming up next, we are in South Carolina, because this is a huge day in the Democratic race as voters head to the polls, they have about an hour and a half left. And. well, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:37:57] HARLOW: Welcome back. I'm Poppy Harlow, live in Columbia, South Carolina, where we are just over an hour from the polls closing here in the Democratic primary. Voters right now making their pick for their favorite for the Democratic nomination for president. A lot more on that in a moment.
We also do want to address the Republican side though and the face-off we've seen in the last 48 hours between Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. Also Chris Christie's big endorsement of Donald Trump. Trump's new round of insults aimed at Senator Marco Rubio, or as Trump calls him -- well, called him names today at his rally.
Joining me now, students from where I'm live from the University of South Carolina, Anna Chapman, Brett Harris, Grant NeSmith, all Donald Trump supporters.
Thank you all for being with me.
Let's me begin with this. Anna, you are a big Trump supporter, though you did not think he did well in the last debate.
ANNA CHAPMAN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA STUDENT: Yeah. I thought he looked a little bit weak and I think he should have addressed Marco Rubio's questions better than he did.
HARLOW: What do you make of all of this, Brett, so far? Because you were supporting Rand Paul before.
BRETT HARRIS, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA STUDENT: Yes. And after Rand dropped out of the race, I decided to support Donald Trump. Honestly, because he is a true outsider I think America needs.
HARLOW: The outsider.
What do you think, Grant, when you look at the attack, the back and forth between Rubio and Trump in the last 48 hours, talking about makeup, about their wardrobe, calling each other names. You are the youngest of the voters. What do you think?
GRANT NESMITH, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA STUDENT: I mean, you know, a lot of people are complaining that he is mud slinging, it's not what the culturally acceptable, you know, process, political process is, we're all used to. But what he is, you know, he is a trail blazer, doing something we've never seen in this country before. I think that is spectacular and great for the Millennials, and great for the older voters, and it's something we all need to see happen in this country, a big revolution.
HARLOW: Anna, as a young voter, what is issue number-one for you that you think Donald Trump can achieve over any one else?
[17:39:57] CHAPMAN: I really, really like the fact that he's self funded. I think that, you know, he speaks for himself and not donors. And I think, you know, that he's going to do what he thinks is best for America, not what his donors want. That's --
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: Quickly, issue number-one, issue number-one?
HARRIS: For me, like the biggest issue Donald Trump is trying to tackle is immigration. Obviously, I -- you know, immigration is a huge problem in this country. And I feel like nobody's going to be able to tackle it as effectively.
HARLOW: And final word to you, Grant.
NESMITH: I think the biggest issue Donald Trump is going to address in this country is the political correctness that is sweeping not only culturally but for coming from the U.S. government. Because here in the University of South Carolina, we have -- there is a student who is a friend of mine who is in the process of suing the president and the university for them impeding on their First Amendment rights to table right out there in front of the student union.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: We have the issues. Thank you so much. Wish I could have you on longer. But, hey, we have a huge Democratic race to talk about --
NESMITH: That's true.
HARLOW: -- here in your state.
Thank you all for being here. Good luck with everything --
NESMITH: Yes, ma'am. Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: -- you hope to accomplish.
Of course.
Coming up, two candidates, one huge prize. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders would love to win this state, South Carolina. Tonight, CNN all over the Democratic primary all night. I'm live in Columbia, and our coverage from Washington is just moments away. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:44:55] HARLOW: Well, tonight is huge for the Democratic presidential candidates. Obviously, the voters going to the polls here in South Carolina. But tomorrow night, it is all about Hollywood and 88th Annual Academy Awards. Here's a look at the nominees for best picture.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC) UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You know why? I'm pissed off.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: American people.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We're getting screwed by the big banks.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The Constitution. That's what makes us Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Shouldn't we show our enemy who we are?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I must seem very backward, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I have a life halfway across the sea.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Has the world fell?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Each of us in your own way was broken.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: So I got to make water and grow food on a planet where nothing grows.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I'm not afraid of dying or have I done it already.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: For five years, you made life in that small room, that prison as nurturing as normal as you could.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We've got two stories. A story about degenerate clergy and a story about a bunch of lawyers turning child abuse into a cottage industry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Join Michaela Pereira and Don Lemon for complete coverage from Hollywood's biggest night. That is tomorrow night beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern here on CNN.
Coming up next, more live from Columbia, South Carolina, as the final votes are being cast in the Democratic primary here in Columbia, South Carolina. Beautiful night here for you. We'll get the take of our political experts on what matters most in the outcome of tonight, not just the winner, but the margin of the win, next.
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[17:50:30] HARLOW: Welcome back. I'm live in Columbia, South Carolina, where the focus is solely on the polls tonight. Democrats going to the polls, casting their votes after Donald Trump took the state for the Republicans. It's Bernie Sanders versus Hillary Clinton.
"The New Yorker's" Ryan Lizza is with me to break it all down. CNN's Brianna Keilar is also with us at a Hillary Clinton headquarters here in the state.
And, Bri, tonight, it's not really about just the win at all. It's the margin of the victory as we head into Super Tuesday.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Poppy. Because certainly you saw there is a huge win for Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. Hillary Clinton would like a decisive win. And even more than, returning that favor, if you will. What she wants to do is show that she has a big enough margin in South Carolina, that when you look to the southern contest we're going to on Tuesday, Super Tuesday, when 11 states' voters go to cast their ballots, a number of them southern states, they're going to be able to say, look, we are doing so well with African-American voters and this is an indication that, come Super Tuesday, we're going to continue to do well. And what they want is this indicator that they're about to really have a lot of open road between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. They don't necessarily think they're going to knock him out of the race. He does have money to continue. He certainly has a lot of support and enthusiasm, but they want to signal that there really is very little way for him to find a pathway to the nomination. And a lot of that they think hangs on tonight here in South Carolina. Our latest poll has the spread between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at 18 points, so you can see really what he's contending with. Hillary Clinton would be very happy if she could best that number -- Poppy?
HARLOW: Absolutely.
Brianna, thank you so much, there at one of the Hillary's campaign headquarters here in Columbia, South Carolina.
We have a big, big show ahead for you tonight as the results start to roll in.
Brianna, thank you.
Ryan Lizza with me now.
Just to talk about some of the issues. Look, this is a state that has largely backed Hillary Clinton. She's done extraordinarily well, 65 percent to 28 percent of the African-American vote according to the latest CNN polling from just a few weeks ago. One issue where she still struggles with Sanders is honest and trustworthy. Let's pull up the numbers, show them to our viewers. There is a wide divide with so many more people believing nationally that Sanders, 87 percent, they believe he's honest and trustworthy, only 65 percent for Clinton. This is among registered Democrats. What does that mean going into Super Tuesday?
RYAN LIZZA, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORKER: Well, it means, strategically, what does Sanders do with that? Any glance at a poll makes it clear that's Hillary Clinton's greatest vulnerability. We've had other candidates in the general election with very bad negatives on trust and character, including Bill Clinton, who still managed to win a general election. So it's not that those numbers are deadly for Clinton. She can overcome it. But if you're opposing her in a primary and you're Bernie Sanders, what do you do with that? That's obviously her greatest vulnerability. Up to now, I think Sanders has danced around that issue. If he wants to take the fight to her, does he go at her on these character issues, on trust?
HARLOW: Well, he's gone after her increasingly in recent days on pushing her to release the transcripts from the paid speeches she did to Wall Street banks. That goes toward the transparency. What we know when we look at the numbers is that Hillary Clinton has gotten personally $1.8 million for at least eight speeches to the big banks from the time after her husband left office to the time until she announced her presidency, obviously, not while she was secretary of state. To the American people, do they want to know what she said in those speeches? Should she release the transcripts?
LIZZA: I mean, anyone who's running for president, if they're going before an interest group and saying something that factors into what they believe about an important constituency, or an important group that influences American policy, yeah, we should know what she said, right? And if Bernie Sanders doesn't get the answer to what she said behind closed doors, I'll tell you right now Donald Trump or Marco Rubio or whoever wins the Republican nomination, surely will push this issue.
(CROSSTALK)
LIZZA: It won't go away.
HARLOW: -- Trump on his taxes.
LIZZA: That's right.
HARLOW: Let me ask you about this. Our Joe Johns at a polling location here. This is anecdotal. We don't have the numbers in turnout. But he says it looks like low turnout. That's what he seeing and what's being reported across the state.
LIZZA: Yes.
HARLOW: What does that mean for the Sanders and his, quote, unquote, "revolution"?
LIZZA: It mean that's the revolution group did not take root in South Carolina, right? He's not getting the turnout number Barack Obama got in 2008. If you're comparing the revolutions, the Sanders revolution is not the Obama revolution.
[17:55:16] HARLOW: But maybe that revolution is in Minnesota today, for example. Is that --
(CROSSTALK)
LIZZA: He gave up on the state.
HARLOW: revolution elsewhere?
LIZZA: Look, he gave up on the state clearly. He has a demographic wall that he hasn't been able to break through yet. He does very well in states that are overwhelmingly white. He does better in northeastern states and upper Midwestern states. I think the evidence is he's going to continue to do well, but she won't be able to knock him out here in South Carolina, even if she has I big 20-point victory the way he had a 22.4-point victory in New Hampshire. And that's the number, I think. I think that's for bragging rights, which she wants. She wants to exceed his numbers in New Hampshire.
HARLOW: Sure.
LIZZA: 22.4.
HARLOW: All about the numbers.
Ryan Lizza, so nice to have you. Thank you so much.
Next here on CNN, Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper and our Dana Bash pick up our live coverage of this Democratic primary today here in South Carolina. The polls set to close just an hour from now, the results will roll in. They will carry you through the evening as the numbers come in live.
So glad you're with us. I'm Poppy Harlow, today, live in beautiful Columbia, South Carolina. Thank you for joining us. Have a great evening.
Washington picks it up from here.
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[18:00:07] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: This time, it's the Democrats' turn to choose in South Carolina.
