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Donald Trump's rallies attacked by Bernie sanders supporters; Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will be face- to-face with Ohio voters; 3-4p ET

Aired March 13, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: D.C. GOP primary just Saturday marking its third now contest win in this presidential race. Ted Cruz won nine Wyoming delegates on Saturday and it is still clinching the runner-up spot while Donald Trump remains the Republican front-runner.

And in the battle for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders with more than the double the number of delegates. You see the numbers right there. She has just over 51 percent of the delegates.

So let's talk some more about the Democratic race and what we can expect at tonight's town hall with CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns and CNN senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar. Good to see both of you.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: OK. It seems like the stakes are very high. Even though the numbers are disproportionate, Hillary Clinton is way out in front, more than 51 percent of the delegate count to Bernie Sanders. Yet, it seems like she's running as an underdog. Is this kind of fueling Bernie Sanders, Joe? You have been following his campaign quite extensively.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, he said On the Record that he thinks Hillary Clinton is worried. And I think that you don't know what's in her mind, but you do know that his campaign is running like a front-runner campaign even though they are not ahead in delegates. And it's so much because of Michigan and how well his campaign did their surpassing all expectations. He was down in the polls but somehow came out on top. And that, of course, is in large part because it's an industrial state and he hammered again and again and again on the issue of trade, which seems to have worked for him to the extent that --

WHITFIELD: And he had speak to people here.

JOHNS: Yes. And he has been arguing that case here in Ohio. He has been arguing that case in North Carolina, which was hit so hard in the textile and apparel industries over the years. And he thinks that is a winning issue. It has been tried before by many candidates, but it's about the way you say it. And they think they have a message that's connecting with the voters. WHITFIELD: And North Carolina, one of the primary states, on Tuesday.

So Hillary Clinton, what does she find, particularly important right now to appeal to Ohio voters but, at the same time, you know, try to clinch other states where she has felt more comfortable?

KEILAR: I think she feels very comfortable in North Carolina. She has shown tremendous strength in the south. I think her campaign is pretty comfortable with Florida. They think that they are going to do very well there. But when it comes to Ohio and it comes to Missouri, and Illinois which - that's her home state, you know. She grew up there. They are certainly worried about it and they are setting up that expectation. I think so that if what we see is something like Michigan, it's not going to come as much of a surprise.

One of the issues for her has been this argument about the auto bailout, saying that Bernie Sanders did not support it. And when she first made this argument, she bungled it a little bit because he did actually vote for a standalone bill. But when it came down to that bill having failing, and the only way to get those auto bailout funds through Congress, it was part of this $350 billion second part of the Wall Street package rescue. He wasn't going to go for that. He didn't go for that. So ultimately, the funds that did go to the bailout, he didn't vote for. She tried to explain that a little better at the Univision debate this last week. And I think we are going to see her doing that a little more. But Bernie Sanders talking about she supported this trade agreement, she supported - we talked about TPP. I think a lot Americans go what is that? The Transpacific partnership, the people in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, they know it.

WHITFIELD: They know.

KEILAR: It's like a dirty there. So that really resonates with them.

WHITFIELD: So there are three things that both camps, you know, are concentrating or looking toward for Bernie Sanders. What would they be?

JOHNS: I think trade, as we've already talked about. I think the second thing is the age factor. He has been pushing very hard on getting younger voters out to the polls.

WHITFIELD: And will succeed in Ohio, 17-year-olds who will be 18 by general election will be able to vote on Tuesday.

JOHNS: Yes. Big win for him even though he filed the case in federal court technically and he won in County court here in Franklyn, Ohio, which happens to be the Franklyn County court which happens to be the capital of Ohio. And the secretary of state who was opposed to this idea of 17-year-olds voting pretty much folded and said, OK, I'm going to go ahead and let this apply all over the state because I don't want counties doing different things depending on what kind of court ruling.

So we won on that and that's important for him. Nonetheless, there's still this issue of will they show up and in what kind of numbers here in the state of Ohio because he has depended so much on college campus crowds and Ohio state, the largest university.

WHITFIELD: Huge. This is a city.

JOHNS: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: I mean, it really is.

JOHNS: You're right. So that's potentially a problem, unless the ones from Ohio vote back in the primary or whatever. It's a potential problem of getting out his younger voters.

[15:05:06] WHITFIELD: And for Hillary Clinton?

KEILAR: They are looking to I think crystallize that auto bailout argument. And then we are also going to see her trying to defend her trade record, trying to convince voters, I'm against this TPP trade pact. I really am. Even though I supported it as secretary of state. Now, I know what is in it, I'm against it.

And then also, I think that she is ready and we are going to see this certainly in the town hall tonight if she is asked about this. Bernie Sanders has been calling on her to release those transcripts of speeches that she gave that were paid for by Wall Street firms. And that's her saying she's not going to do it. Her answer has been -- it's not been great. It's been a tricky situation for her. So we're going to see how she continues to do with this.

WHITFIELD: And so, they are going to keep making these points ahead of Tuesday's primaries in five states. And we are talking about today. Bernie Sanders in St. Louis before he makes his way here to Columbus, Ohio. Hillary Clinton already in the vicinity. They are not going to just be at the town hall tonight, but they are also making appearances and they also have a dinner with the Democratic Party here. It's an extra extraordinary, you know, pacing that they are all enduring.

JOHNS: And it is difficult for them because they are making their case to a bunch of different states even though they are right here in Ohio. So they are speaking to Illinois. They are speaking to North Carolina. Speaking to Florida.

WHITFIELD: Right.

JOHNS: At the same time, talking to CNN right here on the campus of the Ohio State University.

WHITFIELD: The big O.

KEILAR: Keeping in mind, so your two big states on Tuesday night are Ohio and Florida. If you look at where Hillary Clinton is spending a lot of her time, it's Ohio. What does that mean? She's worried.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, we are going to talk more about this.

Thanks so much, Brianna. Joe, good to see you. All right. We'll have much more straight ahead.

And of course, if you want to join us tonight for the CNN/TV one Democratic presidential town hall. Less than 48 hours until Tuesday. It is critical primaries. Ohio voters will be putting questions to both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton tonight at the town hall. That's at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

All right. On the Republican side, the candidates are making a last- minute push in Tuesday's all-important primary states. Remember, five states primary contest. Donald Trump has had an especially controversial week with several violent incidents at his rallies.

Last night, protesters in Kansas City were pepper sprayed. Two people were arrested. And earlier in Ohio, a protester rushed the stage and secreted service surrounded Trump. That was earlier yesterday. But Trump has not slowed down. He has three campaign stops today.

Let's bring in CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta. He is inside a rally there in Westchester, Ohio, waiting for Trump to arrive.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And CNN's Phil Mattingly is outside with the overflow crowd there.

So Jim, you first. Set the scene for us. What's happening?

ACOSTA: Fredricka, it's getting very loud here. This is getting started just now. Donald Trump is about to come out. Let me just lay out how this event is a little bit different than what we have seen in the last couple of days. He is going to be doing almost a town hall- style event here. They have a circular stage.

In the middle of this big crowd, just to talk about the security posture here, you have secret service agents basically dotting the interior of that ring, sort of a theater in the round or Trump in the round type of atmosphere as they out there. There's the GOP front- runner making his way out here right now. He is here in Ohio at a critical time.

Some of the latest polls, Fredricka, show Donald Trump starting to trail the Ohio governor John Kasich. That means that Donald Trump has some work to do if he wants the clean sweep that he's looking for on this Tuesday.

As you mentioned, there have been some violent incidents in the last 48 hours starting in Chicago. I can tell you, this crowd here looks very different from what we saw in Chicago. No big groups of protesters wearing the t-shirts with the signs out looking like they are going to disrupt the event.

What we saw in Kansas City was a little bit, Fredricka. Those protesters were much more stealth. They have their banners and their signs, tucked in their shirts and their jackets. Then they pull them out at the right time when they want to disrupt Donald Trump's rally last night. So this one is a little different in that we don't see any of those elements at play right now. But of course, these events have been so unpredictable, Fredricka. We don't know what we're going to have until this actually gets going (INAUDIBLE). Donald Trump taking the stage as --.

WHITFIELD: OK. And it appears that might be the appeal as to why many people do turn out. Anything can happen.

All right. Right now, let's listen in to Donald Trump who is addressing his supporters right there in Westchester, Ohio.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, outside. We love you outside. Oh, boy, that's a lot of people. I couldn't believe it but we have that all over. We get these crowds that are incredible and this tremendous love and it is tremendous everything going on. It's incredible because we are going to take our country back. We are going to make our country great again. That's what we're going to do. That's what we're going to do. And it's been amazing what is going on.

So we have a big, big election. So Tuesday, you have to get to the polls. You have to vote. It's so important. You know, they are talking -- thank you. And I will vote for you. Someday I will vote for you. But we have do it. Otherwise, we are just wasting a lot of time. Honestly, we just waste time.

You know, Ohio has plenty of problems, believe me. Believe me. Your real estate taxes are through the roof. And you know what they did is they tried not to raise taxes but they raised everybody's real estate taxes so the tax increase is absolutely a disaster. And your governor, as you know, voted when he was a congressman, voted for NAFTA which is absolutely -- Ohio has never, ever come back from that. And yesterday I was in Cleveland and you had Ford left. And you had (INAUDIBLE) left on the other side - yes, just sit down, everybody. Just sit down. Sit down. We could be here for a long time. I love it, man. We'll be here for a while.

I think I have to come back because, in fact, what we're doing -- we have to take care of some of those people. I feel badly. When we have that many people being turned away, that's -- well, in one way, it's good. Right? Because it means they love you. In another way, it's a little bad.

Now, the other candidates do not have this problem. They have empty seats all over the place, OK. They don't have this problem.

So Kasich voted, as you know, for NAFTA and now he wants to vote for transpacific, which is TPP, which is going to be worse than NAFTA, where all of the things that I've been talking about for years, monitor and manipulation. It's what they do with the devaluation -

[15:12:13] WHITFIELD: All right, Donald Trump there addressing his supporters in Westchester, Ohio. Our Jim Acosta is inside. And then outside, there is an overflow areas, space and that's where we find our Phil Mattingly. So Phil, how are people outside able to get the message from Donald

Trump there? Is there a big speaker or big, you know, Megatron? What is going on?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're overflow, Fredricka, you're out of luck for the most part unless you're watching CNN on your mobile phone.

One of the interesting things is as you go to Trump rallies is trying to see how the protesters and how the Trump supporters end up interacting together. Now, the protesters who were here who are large group about an hour ago have largely gone home. It's raining, it is pouring. Trump was a little bit late. So they had left.

But what they did beforehand I think has made a difference here, a different dynamic here than what we had before. And that was, they arranged with the police a specific cordoned off area away from the event. The police were around them the entire time standing in between the protesters and the Trump supporters. Sure, there were plenty of verbal jabs going back and forth. But based on some of the intensity we have seen in other rallies, it didn't really reach that point, at least not yet, Fredricka. It will be interesting to see what goes on inside over the next couple of hours.

But for the most part, peaceful around here. Trump supporters are very excitable as always when Trump rolled in. They all sprinted it over to watch this convoy come in. But again, if you're out here and you're a Trump supporter, you're out of luck. Smaller venue behind us. It had initially been planned for downtown Cincinnati. Because of security concerns, they had to move it up to Westchester, about 20 minutes away. The venue in there only holds about 1200, couple of thousand people, Fredricka. Definitely missing out today because of that smaller venue.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. Well, they are missing out but seemingly very enthusiastic behind you there just outside of Cincinnati in Westchester, Ohio. Thanks so much, Phil Mattingly. And then inside, our Jim Acosta. We'll check back with you.

All right. There are several live events scheduled to take place at this hour. Senator Marco Rubio is set to address supporters in the villages, Florida. That's just outside of Orlando.

And Governor John Kasich is set to speak at any moment in Strongsville, Ohio. We'll take you there, to those places as soon as the candidates emerge. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:50] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to Columbus, Ohio. And we are in Ohio State University. And we are in the student center, just a couple blocks away from where the CNN Democratic town hall will be taking place.

So in this very important state, Governor John Kasich faces a major test in his presidential bid as a Republican with a must-win in Tuesday's primary. He says he will drop out if he loses in his home state. And the biggest obstacle before him is the (INAUDIBLE) unpredictable campaign being waged by Donald Trump.

Here is what Kasich told CNN's Jake Tapper today on "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, there's no question that Donald Trump has created a toxic atmosphere, pitting one group against another and name-calling and all of those kinds of things. I think there are people that would go to a rally who would look to disrupt. But look. The environment is there and he needs to back off of this and start being more aspirational, telling people we can get it together.

You know, at my events, any of my town halls, rallies or whatever, I tell people that, you know, we can solve these problems. And I have got a record that shows that whether it was in Washington creating jobs, you know, creating an environment for job creation in Ohio, well, we are up over 400,000 jobs.

Jake, you can go into a room and get people depressed and down and angry or you can walk into that room with the same people and you can lift them and give them hope. And I think we need to be hopeful in America, not depressed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So John Kasich hoping to win big in his win or take all state in Ohio, 66 delegates at stake for Republican state lawmaker Christina Hagan represents Ohio's 50th district. She is with me now here.

Some polls showing Governor Kasich with an edge over Trump. You're here with your 3-month-old daughter, Josephine. And you're taking the whole working mother to a whole another level because you have not missed any votes, even in lieu of the birth of your child.

CHRISTINA HAGAN (R), OHIO STATE HOUSE: With the exception of the day and the day before delivery because of the inducement process.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, that's forgiven. So talk to me about your dedication to this presidential race. John Kasich wants to feel fairly confident in the state of Ohio. You like him because he is, you know, the home favorite but, at the same time, you say your values really mirror that of Ted Cruz. So what are you telling your constituents about who you lean toward and why?

[15:20:19] HAGAN: Sure. When I talked to my constituents, we talk about the things that have happened in our home district. So obviously, most Ohioans are very satisfied with the work that we have done in the last five years in Ohio. And no doubt that was under the leadership of John Kasich so he is, in my mind, a no nonsense type of governor. I do have to say that I identify with Ted Cruz in the sense of his

conservatives values, his commitment to the constitution, his desire to get rid of agencies and reduce our debt as a nation. We're looking at $69 trillion in debt, $19 trillion of national debt and then $50 trillion of services such as Social Security and other programs.

I have to think about my daughter and our future and long term how we can be in the short term the Democrats in the general election. But most importantly, long term, how we can change the debt spiral to be in our favor and working for our next generation.

WHITFIELD: And the long-term goals are very important. You just heard from John Kasich there who was talking about short term right now as it pertains to the culture of the presidential race. In miss words, he just said that he thought Donald Trump, who was the front- runner, is creating d stirring up a toxic atmosphere.

HAGAN: I think that's absolutely correct. But what I will say, this is the realization that we're coming to after many cycles of presidential races where the establishment, if you will, has applied a lot of pressure on the electorate to support who they might not generally support. And so, what we have seen now is a dual loss. We have seen a Mitt Romney loss. We have seen a McCain loss. And this is a result of that.

And so, I think that it's positive that we're having these conversations brought to the forefront. I don't agree with the nature in which Trump approaches the American people, but I do respect that he has brought some of the tough issues into the debate. And I think it gives an opportunity for people like Kasich and Cruz to show their strengths where they may not have had the opportunity before.

WHITFIELD: Who will get your vote on Tuesday? Are you willing to share?

HAGAN: I don't think it's necessary for me to state who has my vote. I think that every American, every Ohioan should do what is best for them. And I know who I feel will defend our nation and bring us out of debt and do it promptly.

WHITFIELD: You're Republican but much has been said about the idea that 17-year-old who is will be 18 in the general election, 17-year- olds can vote in this primary and that would, in large someone like a Bernie Sanders on the democratic side. When it comes to the Republicans, is there a way to discern younger Republicans leaning towards?

HAGAN: I think the people that I've seen and talked to, younger Republicans would typically identify with a Kasich or Rubio naturally. From the work that I've done in the legislature and the things that I've seen as far as services and efficiencies needing to be created, I lean towards a Kasich or a Cruz in that sense because I'm in the inside. Think that this generation is leading towards a Rubio or Kasich, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: OK. Representative Christina Hagan, thanks so much. And thanks to your 3-month-old, Josephine. She's hanging in there like a real trooper.

HAGAN: She is on it.

WHITFIELD: She is indeed. All right, thanks so much. Good to see you.

HAGAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Donald Trump blaming Bernie Sanders supporters for the violence that you have seen at some of the rallies. We will hear what Senator Sanders has to say about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:21] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Columbus, Ohio. We are on the Ohio state university campus. There will be the CNN TV1 Democratic town hall this evening.

Well, ahead of that, all of these candidates are crisscrossing the state. Bernie Sanders wrapping it up there in St. Louis Missouri before he makes his way here to Ohio. He is putting up a fierce fight for five critical states that are all up for grabs on Tuesday. And just last hour, Sanders was speaking to his supporters in St. Louis, Missouri. And in just a little over two hours now, he will take to the stage make his case right here in Columbus, Ohio. Tonight, he faces voters in Ohio in the Democratic town hall. So Donald Trump is blaming Sanders supporters for causing the violence at Trump rallies. This morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," Sanders fired back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We should take Mr. Trump's words with a grain of salt. Because I think it is almost everybody knows this man cannot stop lying about anything. To call me a communist is a lie. To talk about our organization or our campaign disrupting his meeting is a lie.

Virtually all of the polls have me doing better against Trump than Hillary Clinton. I think a lot of those super delegates were today pledged to Hillary Clinton may say what is most important is defeating Trump or the Republican nominee, Bernie Sanders is the candidate to do that. We're going to swing over to Bernie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about this. Sounding a little sleep-deprived, you can hear it in his voice. But look at his schedule, this guy has stamina. Your talk more about that Nina Turner, she is a former Ohio state senator and a friend of the Clinton family and used to be a Clinton backer but is now putting her support behind Bernie Sanders.

And I talk about Bernie Sanders, how the stamina, really all of the candidates have to when you look at their schedule of campaigning, crisscrossing the state. Bernie Sanders is in Missouri now. He will make his way to Columbus and he will be in at the arena at (INAUDIBLE) center for huge rally there. And then at Ohio Democratic Party dinner and that's all before the CNN Democratic town hall.

NINA TURNER, FORMER CLINTON SUPPORTER NOW SANDERS SUPPORTER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. So what is the secret behind his stamina? Is this momentum after Michigan or is this his, you know, latest, greatest, you know, stab for support the best he can?

TURNER: Well, he's had it from the beginning. So if you think from the moment he announced that he was running for president, he knew what it was going to take and that is this whole notion of that political revolution that he is fighting for.

WHITFIELD: But Hillary Clinton has 51 percent of the delegate count so far. So while he is the underdog, when you look at him and look at his schedule, he is running like he's leading the states.

[15:30:07] TURNER: Well, he has to keep running. We still have more states to go, more folks to vote. We have not been to the west coast yet. We are starting in the Midwest and these states are going to really come through for senator Sanders. So he is running hard. He is not taking any vote or any state for granted. And I think that's what the people want to see, a candidate that will not take their vote for granted.

WHITFIELD: We're talking to a lot of people here who represent the states in various districts and they say one of the reasons why Bernie Sanders seems to resonate is because he is talking to, you know, working class people here. He is talking to communities directly appealing to people who have seen their factories, big industries dry up and what he says resonates with them. Has he made a concerted effort about targeting these communities and populist knowing that those are the vulnerabilities of the state?

TURNER: Well, this is what he has been all along, Fredricka. If any voter will looks up his record, they will see that he has led the charge against disastrous trade deals, TPP, KAFTA, against the TPP NAFTA and he's done that his entire career in the Congress, stand enough and just saying that free trade that hinges upon that hinders working class and middle class from having good strong paying jobs is not a good trade deal. And so, this is not new for him. This is really who he is. And he is speaking the language of the people who have suffered, both in Michigan as we saw that upset and then also here in Ohio as well.

WHITFIELD: We heard Bernie Sanders this morning with Jake Tapper, you know, defending the notion that he would not have encouraged his supporters to go to Donald Trump rallies. Does Bernie Sanders feel a real obligation to, you know, better explain the dynamic there or, you know, separate himself from the responsibility of his supporters yet at the same time, you know, not turn off the supporters who are willing to, you know, stand up for him?

TURNER: Well, I think Mr. Trump is wrong when he blames that on senator Sanders. The campaign has not sent anybody to any of Mr. Trump's rallies. What we saw happen in Chicago is protests that have been going on all along in that city against Mayor Rahm Emanuel for the Laquan, you know, shooting. They have showed up countless times. And so, they have decided and are some of those folks supportive of senators Sanders? Absolutely. Did the campaign send them, want them to go there, absolutely not.

But the blame were squarely with Mr. Trump, it is the (INAUDIBLE) of emotion that he is lifting up among his supporters. When you have people -- African-American young man who was hit in the face by older in that form as he was being escorted out by the police and nothing happens to him, and then this same person says we should have killed him, OK, Mr. Trump has an obligation to tell some of his supporters -

WHITFIELD: At the same time, is there a concern or maybe even a thought that Bernie Sanders would want to discourage his supporters from showing up?

TURNER: He said all along - first, he doesn't know that they are going but he has said that he does not encourage any of that kind of activity. When we're at his rallies, those things don't happen because he talks about what the challenges are but he also talks about hope and determination and that we can make it together.

But this is not just about Mr. Trump, Fredricka. This is really about the latent racism that instill in this country. And I'm not saying that he is racist. I'm not saying that all of his supporters are but all of this (INAUDIBLE) that is bubbling to the top, we have to deal with that collectively as a nation. It started with President Obama. So none of us should act brand new. We should be act surprised. We shouldn't be surprised that the chickens are coming home to roost. And when Mr. Trump was talking about the barkers, I didn't see half of these Republicans calling him out for that, but now that the chicken has come home to roost, they have some concern. And the only Republican that has been the most mature of them all has been my governor, Governor John Kasich of Ohio, who has tried to keep his campaign above the fray.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nina Turner, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

TURNER: Thank you. You, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. In just a few minutes, we will be talk to a surrogate of Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders taking to the stage for CNN's Ohio Democratic presidential town hall. That's 8:00 tonight right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:13] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Columbus, Ohio on the campus of Ohio state university where tonight CNN will be hosting the Democratic town hall.

Meantime, so many candidates, Republicans, Democrats crisscrossing the state of Ohio right now. We have been watching Donald Trump who has been speaking in Westchester, which is outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. And what's different this go-around is unlike his previous rallies involving supporters, now he is surrounded by secret service in an unprecedented level for his campaign and our Jim Acosta is there inside Westchester, Ohio as Donald Trump is speaking.

So Jim, talk to us about what we're seeing, what appears to be making even seven secret service people who have surrounded Donald Trump who was a bit elevated there with hundreds if not thousands of supporters. Explain the dynamic there.

ACOSTA: Yes, Fredricka, let me give you the lay of the land. We will zooming here and show you we are talking about. He is doing a town hall-like event right now. He is taking questions from people in the audience. And you can see in this circular staging area that he is in the middle of, there's a good eight or nine different secret service agents all around him and then other law enforcement officials going all the way to the door where he would exit presumably at the end of this rally.

And so, yes, I mean, this is we don't have official confirmation of this from the secret service but you can use your own eyes and tell that the security is much tighter for Donald Trump today given the events of what happened yesterday where a man tried to rush the stage, jumped the barricade and had to be tackled by secret service agent. And of course, what happened in Chicago on Friday night were chaos just sort of erupted when that Donald Trump rally was canceled.

But I can tell you, you know, Donald Trump is interested in a different kind of security today. He is worried about securing his position in the state of Ohio. In the last several minutes, he is really been going after Ohio governor John Kasich who is obviously his main rival here. Latest polls are showing, Fredricka, that Donald Trump is trailing John Kasich in the state. And just a few moments ago, he was going after Kasich, basically describing him as an absentee governor and then also talking about his trade positions saying he supported NAFTA in the past. So Donald Trump really going after John Kasich here.

But no question about it. We have only see a couple of protesters so far that have been removed. So this is not like what we saw last night in Kansas City. Certainly not what we saw in Chicago on Friday night. But we haven't seen any of that so far. But there is a very different level of protection, a different layer of protection around Donald Trump right now. And you can just use your own eyes, Fredricka, this is a result of what happened outside of Dayton yesterday. He has very tight security all around him now. And I suspect this will be basically standard operating procedure for the secret service and the security here on forward because of what we've been seeing over the last couple of days. It is just that intense at almost all of his rallies right now, Fredricka.

[15:40:10] WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, you say this is a result, a direct result from what we saw yesterday with one of the folks in the audience rushing toward him. You covered, if not just Trump but you covered a number of candidates on the presidential trail. How does this equate with what you have seen in terms of the level of security put in place for a candidate who is trying to be one with the people, talk to them directly, be in their company but now you've got this barrier like this? How unusual is this for you? ACOSTA: You know, this is a pretty unprecedented level of protection

surrounding Donald Trump right now. A lot of candidates do town hall events. John Kasich is sort of a master at doing a town hall event in Ohio. The other candidates just don't have that kind of layer of protection. He is almost insulated by a good dozen secret service agents right now.

I will tell you last night in Kansas City, something that did not happen, which typically happen, Donald Trump usually works the rope line after an event. He will go down with the crowd. Work that rope line. There will be secret service agents protecting him as he does that. Last night in Kansas City, the secret service basically escorted him. Donald Trump off the stage and said, that's it, you know, Mr. Trump, that's it for this evening's festivities, you're not going to be able to do the rope line.

And so, it's having a slight impact I think on his campaign at this point. But we should caution, you know, that really we have not seen anything unfold that is anything close to what we saw in Dayton yesterday or Kansas City last night or even Chicago on Friday night.

So far, they are certainly keeping the peace here. And, you know, some of that might have to do with the location. We are a good half an hour north of Cincinnati. It's a different dynamic here and we have not seen the number of protesters that you saw in Kansas City or in Chicago where people have the signs and the t-shirt and so forth. It's just a different audience here for Donald Trump today - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Acosta, thank you so much in Westchester, outside of Cincinnati.

When we come right back, we are going to talk about the dynamic of this kind of level of security, how it might impact the Donald Trump campaign when we come right back from Columbus, Ohio.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:55] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to Columbus, Ohio here on the campus of Ohio state university. CNN hosting the Democratic town hall this evening just about a block or so away from the location where we are right now in the student center.

Meantime, candidates, Democrats, Republicans, they are crisscrossing the state. Just before the break, we showed you where Donald Trump was. He is just outside of Cincinnati in Westchester and a unique setting there. It's not just Donald Trump in a town hall setting with a number of his supporters but Donald Trump is also surrounded by what appeared to be seven to maybe even nine secret service agents as a result of what happened yesterday when he was just outside of Dayton, Ohio, where someone kind of rushed the stage threatening the space of Donald Trump. Well, today, this is what you're seeing in Westchester, Ohio. Our Jim Acosta there reporting saying this is a direct response to what took place yesterday. \

So with me right now, David Chalian and Bakari Sellers to talk about what we have observed here and how this changes the dynamic for the candidate, Donald Trump, and perhaps even for the others.

We heard from Jim Acosta. He said this seemed fairly precedent setting to see this many security people surrounding a candidate. How does this, David, impact the message of Donald Trump? How does he use it to his favor? Or does it become a real deterrent?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: So usually, candidates don't want anything that in the picture that they are presenting that impedes them from the voters that they are trying to court.

WHITFIELD: Right.

CHALIAN: That's the normal rule of politics. So normally, you would look at that image of all of those people around Donald Trump and you would say, that's not what a candidate wants. They want to be seen with the people.

Now, Donald Trump has had this amazing disconnect biographically with many of his voters, right. Here is this billionaire from New York that is giving voice to people that feel unsure of the establishment. So -- and yet Donald Trump is nothing, as he admits, totally part of the establishment. It was part of donating the politicians, getting his way and yet he's their vehicle in giving them voice. So we have seen this disconnect. Now we are seeing again, this time he is in a town hall, which he doesn't very often like that. I mean, usually he is behind a podium. He is usually giving his speech. You come to a Trump event, you're coming to hear the speech.

WHITFIELD: And that commands a certain kind of authority.

CHALIAN: Totally.

WHITFIELD: But I wonder if because of security they removed the podium and we don't know this, we are just kind of, you know, trying to read whether they removed it because secret service can now access him a little bit better while also having this kind of reinforcement?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, also, one of the things that does for Donald Trump is it gives Donald Trump more authority. It gives Donald Trump this prestige, this symbol, the symbol of strength. Because when you see people walking with secret service, when you see people walking anywhere with that amount of security, you all of a sudden say, that person is very important. And so, it builds into the image of strength that Donald Trump portrays. And pretty I'm sure there are other ways in which secret service can protect Donald Trump, having playing in plain clothes, having people further out in the audience to prevent that.

WHITFIELD: So you think this is intentional. This is a little bit more --.

SELLERS: Well, I think it is a combination of both. I think you have a candidate's personality versus the need of him to be secure. Because no one, absolutely no one condones trying to rush the stage of any candidate and that did happen. So you do have to be aware of that. CHALIAN: We don't know what secret service are occurring today. We

just don't know.

WHITFIELD: Right. Correct.

And we did still see him at the very beginning walking. You know, I always kind of equate it to like a boxing match the way he walks in, it's kind of like rocky and you hear the music, and you are shaking hands, et cetera. We saw a little bit of that before Westchester, Ohio, but what is different is the dynamic of the secret service around him.

SELLERS: Right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, we have other candidates who are crisscrossing various states. Florida also a very important win-or- take-all state for the Republicans. Marco Rubio is at the Villages there in Florida. He wants to think that he has home court advantage, yet it seems that his existence there is a bit tenuous in terms of whether he will be able to win or take all. So there he in the Villages. Let's listen in a little bit about what his message is.

[15:50:00] SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The entire generation of Americans and an impact on the way the 20th century ended. I can say in full confidence that if Ronald Reagan had not won that election, the Soviet Union might still exist and the world would be a different place.

That is the impact of one election in 1980 and what it 1980 and what it had on this country. Well, now we are being asked to choose once again what it means to be a conservative. And I have got to tell you, there are troubling trends.

First of all, there are those who now believe conservatism has nothing do to do with principle, it is with attitude. How angry can you get? How offensive can you be? How loud can you speak?

That is not conservatism. Conservatism is a set of principles that served this nation for two centuries. The principle of limited government that we have a federal government. It is supposed to be small. It is not supposed to be involved in every aspect of our country.

(APPLAUSE)

RUBIO: The principle that we have a constitution that defines the powers of government and limits them. A constitution that guarantees that government exists not to decide our rights but to protect them.

APPLAUSE)

RUBIO: The principles of a free economy and free enterprise. The idea that our economy works best when individuals have the economic freedom to go out and put their dreams into action. And the principles of a strong national defense, not because we want war but because we don't. Because history has taught us a painful lesson time and again. That weakness is an enemy of peace and strength is an ally peace.

These principles backed up by real and serious ideas. That is what conservatism means. And when our nation has been in trouble for over two centuries, it has largely been when it has abandoned those principles as it has done over the last several years under the current president.

And so at a time when a lot of Americans are hurting, I understand. You know why I understand Americans are frustrated and hurting? Because these are members are my family. These are people who I know. Not just things I read about in a book or things I read about in a magazine article. I know I have people in my family who are firefighters and teachers and nurses and they live pay check to paycheck. They live paycheck to paycheck. If their car breaks down next week and it's not under warrant warranty --

WHITFIELD: All right, Marco Rubio there in the Villages, Florida trying to appeal to people on a very personal note. Talking about family connections to voters there. And also if you even take note of the fact that he was talking about what defines real conservatives. And he says, you know, it is not the loud voices. It's not how loud you can speak. Perhaps even, you know, direct connection to Donald Trump where earlier he said, he helped created toxic environment.

Well, at this rally, at the Villages there, you are seeing how just moments ago there was someone who was removed there. Marco Rubio telling our Jake Tapper earlier today that he was concerned that you might see this kind of unrest at other campaigns throughout this race.

Our Jason Carroll is there at the Villages in Florida. Perhaps you can explain to us, Jake, if you're with us now, exactly what was this person up to? What was he saying? Why was he removed?

All right. We're still working on trying to get Jason there. But you can see that one person being removed there from that support rally taking place at the Villages in Florida. But as far as we know, Marco Rubio moved on without missing a beat.

So back with me now, David Chalian, Bakari Sellers.

So, interesting dynamic here because I feel like you're seeing a few different faces of Marco Rubio.

SELLERS: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: You are seeing the Marco Rubio who now is trying to placate, even you know, calm the nerves of voters. A little less of you want to vote for me. It's almost as though he is trying to paint a picture of what the landscape is right now. Trying to bring some civility even to the race for the White House. What's happening here?

SELLERS: Well, I think you're seeing a more reflective Marco Rubio. But what you're seeing if you are just stepping back and looking at it purely politically, is you see a candidate without a strategy. Marco Rubio came into this race as a superstar who as a Democrat, I can tell you, most Democrats fear of running against. That dissipated after his 3, 2, 1 strategy just fell flat.

And then he became this candidate that wanted to wallow in the mud with Donald Trump. And he lost that battle. And now I think that he understands, his family understands, that's not who he is. And so, you see a candidate now who is giving a speech about conservatism, who uses that cadence, that voice that is Marco Rubio. They catapults him into being a superstar. But it doesn't match the electorate. The electorate is angry and Marco Rubio doesn't do angry well.

[15:55:00] WHITFIELD: And it is 99 delegates. Winner take all for Republicans in Florida. It seems as though he had a lot of confidence about clenching Florida. I don't know if we are seeing a confident Marco Rubio right now.

CHALIAN: I mean, he still makes the case as he did today, the best way to stop Donald Trump here in Florida is to vote for me. And that is an argument that he is making. But obviously, his campaign is saying, hey, in Ohio vote for John Kasich and let's do what we can to stop Donald Trump. And there are some in his orbit who think that even if he were to not -- I don't think this is the majority, but even if you were not performed well on Tuesday and Florida, that there is an argument if you want to buy in to the full stop Trump movement, to keep going and keep all these guys in the race as the best way to prevent Donald Trump from getting 1,237 delegates.

WHITFIELD: And it's unusual too, isn't it? To hear a guy say, OK, if it's not me you like, well, maybe, this other one, just to stop the other guy.

SELLERS: That different.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We are seeing a lot of different, aren't we, in this race to the White House.

All right, David Chalian, Bakari Sellers, good to see both of you. Appreciate it.

And we will have much more straight ahead from Columbus, Ohio.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:59:56] WHITFIELD: Happening now in THE newsroom.

TAPPER: Do you ever consider whether you should be trying to lower the temperature when the protests erupt?

TRUMP: I think in many cases, I do lower the temperature. I tell the police, please take it easy when people are punching the police and trying to hurt people.

RUBIO: This is not just a protesters in Chicago. This is now multiple rallies where people are assaulted and beat up --.

(END VIDEO CLIP)