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Trumps Latest Comments; Using Nuclear Weapons. Aired 2-2:30p ET
Aired March 31, 2016 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, the news continues next right here on CNN.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Great to have you along with us on this Thursday. I'm Pamela Brown, in today for Brooke Baldwin.
Republicans hoping to stop Donald Trump from becoming their party's nominee are facing a new sense of urgency after the frontrunner's stunning assertion about abortion. But now one of his GOP rivals says that's far from the only reason Donald Trump is unfit to be president. John Kasich just laid out his own top five. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We know about his comments on abortion, which have put women in a very difficult position. And we know that he has since moved to correct those, in one way or another.
He actually talked about the use of nuclear weapons, both in the Middle East and in Europe. You wonder about his hand or his thumb getting any close to the critical button that presidents are in charge of.
Number three, he says that we should basically abolish the Geneva Convention, which was created to make sure that we had fair treatment for anybody who could be captured in war and that somehow we ought to abolish the Geneva Convention and engage in, I guess, more torture, which doesn't set well with any of the people who have served our country so honorably.
He's called on NATO basically to be abolished, although I can't figure out what his position is today. I happen to believe that NATO needs to be strengthened.
And then one of the most curious and - I don't even know how he went there, is that in picking a Supreme Court justice, that Donald Trump suggested that we have to - that any Supreme Court justice must make a commitment to review and investigate Hillary's e-mails. That - I don't even know how you do that. That's something I can't even figure out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So any moment from now, Donald Trump will meet with the RNC at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., right here. And Trump, as you know, ignited a new firestorm that had people on both sides of the abortion debate coming to a very rare agreement, that he went too far when he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC: Do you believe in -
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, but - but you're - you're -
MATTHEWS: Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no, as a principle?
TRUMP: The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment.
MATTHEWS: For the woman?
TRUMP: Yes. There has to be some form. Let - let me just tell you -
MATTHEWS: Ten cents, ten years, what?
TRUMP: I don't know. That I don't know. That I don't know.
MATTHEWS: Well, why not?
TRUMP: I don't know because I don't want to -
MATTHEWS: You take positions on everything else.
TRUMP: I - frankly, I do take positions on everything else. It's a very complicated position. And - and it hasn't been determined.
MATTHEWS: What about the guy that gets her pregnant? Is he responsible under the law for these abortions?
TRUMP: Ah -
MATTHEWS: Or is he not responsible for an abortion (INAUDIBLE)?
TRUMP: Well, it hasn't - it hasn't - different feelings, different people.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
TRUMP: I would say no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And now let's listen to Hillary Clinton, who's speaking live.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Partisan political assaults. That is why I will defend marriage equality and work to end discrimination against the LGBT community. That is why I will defend voting rights, which is under assault. That is why I will defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican plans to privatize them. That is why I will defend the rights of immigrants and work for comprehensive immigration reform. And it is why I will continue to fight the gun lobby -
BROWN: There we see Hillary Clinton speaking in Purchase, New York. She also addressed the comments that Donald Trump recently made about abortion.
And to talk about that, I want to bring in CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash, Pastor Mark Burns of the Harvest Praise and Worship center in South Carolina, and he's also a Trump supporter, and we also have Jennifer Rubin with "The Washington Post" Right Term blog joining us.
A lot to talk about today, to say the least. And, Dana, I want to start with you. Just to put the last 24 hours in perspective, as we heard John Kasich there really unleashing on Donald Trump and holding a news conference to take advantage of this.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It is very smart politics for him to do that. You know, he said to Anderson Cooper in CNN's town hall on Tuesday that people are just starting to pay attention to him and it's because when there were so many candidates in the race, he didn't go negative, that he didn't have, you know, bombast in his speech and in his tone. Well, you know, that might be true, but he also is now one of three, and trying to get out there and be a part of the news cycle, and he has done that successfully by not just talking about Donald Trump's comments on abortion, but wrapping it all up. Abortion, what he said on some national security issues and so forth. And so, you know, he's trying to stay in the game and be a player as an alternative to Donald Trump.
[14:05:07] BROWN: And really hitting on some of these controversial comments Donald Trump has made -
BASH: Exactly.
BROWN: Just in the last couple of days, if not the last 24 hours.
And, Pastor Burns, one of those comments that's getting so much attention is about what he initially said about abortion and then, as we know, he changed his position three times in three hours. How do you defend that?
PASTOR MARK BURNS, HARVEST PRAISE AND WORSHIP CENTER: Well, you know, again, I think, first of all, Chris did a wonderful job in throwing out a trick question. It was a trap question. It was designed to, you're kind of damned if you do, you're damned if you don't kind of a question. You know, he's a seasoned reporter -
BROWN: But shouldn't he already have his answer prepared ten months into the race? I mean at least ten months in, shouldn't he already have a prepared answer for such a hot topic, especially in a Republican primary?
BURNS: Well, I think one of the things that has made Donald Trump so special, and again the reason why even now millions of supporters are still voting and supporting Donald Trump, it's because he speaks really from his heart. He's not scripted. He doesn't have a laid out political -- he's not a political, you know, pundit that has a script laid out like most politics do, which is why millions of Americans really don't trust politicians. I think Donald Trump did a wonderful job in issuing out a statement by stating very clearly that women should not be punished for - that they also are a victim of this - of an abortion. But he also has a strong stance in why abortion should be illegal. And it should be left up to the states to do that.
BROWN: So if he speaks from the heart, though, as you point out, pastor, then what is his real position? I mean it - clearly it changed three times in three hours.
BURNS: Again, I think it was real important - again, the focus on the fact that Chris, again, he's a seasoned reporter, very skilled at what he do, and he put Donald Trump in the position to whether, again, you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. If it is illegal - the question was, if the states had made abortion illegal, then would you consider it a punishment for women who were involved? And so then he pointed out again that if it was illegal. So if Donald Trump again was put in the position, a quagmire position, again, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Again, quickly, he issued out a statement. I'm just like Ronald Reagan. I'm pro-life. Donald Trump is pro-babies, he's pro-children, and he wants to make sure that the unspoken voices are spoken for, which is, again, why he's standing strong by Corey Lewandowski, he's standing strong by his principles. Millions of Americans are supporting him, rallying behind that. He's not your smooth talking political pundit who knows exactly what to say at the right time. But, again, he has a - he's (INAUDIBLE) surrounding him -
BROWN: OK.
JENNIFER RUBIN, RIGHT TURN BLOG, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, you know, he's also pro-ignorance. Come on, he is not running for high school president. He's running for president of the United States. And we shouldn't have a grade on the curve standard for him, whereas tribute (ph) - a trick question on something as basic as, do you want to punish women? What has been going on, what Dana has noted, what John Kasich noted, was really rampant ignorance on just about every major topic. And John Kasich did a very good job. But, you know, there're more than that. He wants to let Japan and South Korea get the bomb. He wants to charge Mexico for the - the wall. It goes on and on. And he's - the pastor's also right that he speaks from the -
BURNS: Well, listen -
RUBIN: Excuse me, pastor -
BURNS: Go -
RUBIN: You spoke for a very long time, now it's my turn.
He also, you know, it is true that he is unscripted and that's the problem. You get the unfiltered Donald Trump, who doesn't know foreign policy, who hasn't made up his mind or bothered to look at what he should or what he does believe upon an abortion. Can you imagine this in a general election campaign? Hillary Clinton is already going to town on him. And, you know, if you want to get real, take a look at some of these poll numbers. He's already losing overwhelmingly the woman vote.
BROWN: So - so -
RUBIN: He's also losing the educated vote. He's losing the white male vote. He's losing the over 50,000 vote. Who's going to vote for this guy?
BROWN: So, Pastor Burns, and, Dana, I'm going to get to you in just a second, but, Pastor Burns, what do you have to say to Jennifer basically saying, yes, he speaks from the heart but he also isn't thinking through some key policy stuff that you should know by now?
BURNS: Well, again, I think it's important why, again, millions of Americans are still voting for Donald Trump. Again, God bless John Kasich. God bless him. I think the only time that he really gets any kind of news cycle is when he's talking about Donald Trump. And so, of course, obviously, he's going to chime in so that he can get some TV time. So, God bless him. You know, he's played the nice guy and, you know, and God bless him for that.
But the fact of the matter is, millions of Americans are tired of the politicians who - who just talk policy, policy, policy and millions of Americans -
RUBIN: But that shouldn't justify it, pastor.
BURNS: You've got to understand, Donald Trump - you've got to understand -
RUBIN: That shouldn't justify it. He is --
BURNS: Well, let me finish, let me finish, let me finish, because you spoke and now it's my turn to speak.
RUBIN: Well, you've spoken a lot.
BURNS: The fact of the matter is, millions of Americans are really tired of the standard quo political jargon that most people don't even really understand. This is why millions of new Republicans are signing up and voting in the Republican Party.
[14:10:10] BROWN: OK. And, Jennifer, I'm going to get to you.
BURNS: And millions of new voters who are not normally part of the political process and they are voting and they're standing up for Donald Trump.
BROWN: I'm going to get to you in just a second, but I've got to - OK, pastor, we hear you.
Dana, I'm going to go to you and then back to Jennifer because -
BASH: I'll be - I'll be - I'll be your circuit breaker happily, Pam. BROWN: Yes, thank you very much, my savior here, because I also just want to look at the way this has all been handled because as we've seen through the course of this primary, Donald Trump usually doubles down on these controversial comments.
BASH: Yes, exactly.
BROWN: But this time seemed different. He quickly sent out those statements. He's been pretty quiet today. What do you make of all of that?
BASH: Completely different. Look, this is - I'm not going to get into sort of the back and forth about - about, you know, the politics of it right now. But I think, again, putting politics aside, on the policy of this, he got, because of the backlash, immediate backlash from not just anti-abortion groups but abortion rights groups, which is almost impossible to unite on anything, coming together and saying whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, that is not a policy anybody agrees with, no matter where you stand on the - on sort of the abortion spectrum. So that's why he didn't have a choice.
It is very uncharacteristic, extremely so, whether it has been some of the other issues that John Kasich mentioned today, whether it's NATO, or whether it is not letting - temporarily letting Muslims into this country. He has doubled down. He has tripled down. That has been his M.O. and it has worked for him in the Republican electorate with these primaries. But this is just something that they knew clearly right away they had to change. It took them a couple of times to get it right, so to speak, to have the right language as an anti-abortion activist would, you know, kind of the language of the March For Life and those groups. That's why he did it.
BROWN: So, Jennifer, does he need new advisers?
BURNS: Well, he -
BROWN: I mean what - what's your -
RUBIN: I think the advisors need a new candidate. Listen, it doesn't justify abject ignorance that people have voted for him. it doesn't justify voting for him because people are mad at other people. There are other candidates in the race. Vote for one of them.
You know, we've gotten so accustomed, I think, to dummying down the questions to him, the dialogue, that we no longer expect anything better. It's not going to wash I think from here on out. You already see his poll numbers sinking in Wisconsin. He's going to have some states that are not as friendly territory that are so-called closed primaries in which he does much poorer. And you now have really a chorus of criticism every time he does one of these things, not only from the other candidates, but from super PACs, from people who agree with him and people who don't agree with him. He is a great uniter, but he's uniting people in their opposition to him.
BROWN: So on that note, Hillary Clinton spoke about this last night, not just hitting Trump over that abortion issue, but also telling CNN's Anderson Cooper that Republicans are all in this together. Let's take a listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They all want to dictate a woman's reproductive health care decision. So, you know, the choice is really clear. The Republicans all line up together. Now, maybe they aren't quite as open about it, as Donald Trump was earlier today, but they all have the same position. And if you make abortion a crime, you make it illegal, then you make women and doctors criminals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The other two candidates, as you pointed out, came out condemning those remarks initially by Donald Trump. But, Pastor Burns, is that fair? Will the GOP suffer for Trump's remarks? Are you concerned about that?
BURNS: Well, no, not at all. Again, the - it's sad really that we are so focused on, you know, as many distracting points about certain things that Donald Trump might - you might consider wrong. But the thing is, Donald Trump is the epitome of political incorrectness, which is why, again, you go back to the strength of - the strength of the border. Donald Trump is focusing on strengthening the borders of the United States of America, bringing jobs back to the United States of America, and focusing first on the American people, which is why, again, millions of people are voting for Donald Trump.
I think if we focus on that and focus on why people are rallying behind Donald Trump, this has not stopped the support for Donald Trump at all. All this has done is continuously focusing the focal point of people are tired of political correctness. They really want real results from somebody who is not controlled by big PACs, super PACs, excuse me, super PACs, big businesses. They want somebody who can get into the White House and make some real changes, radical changes, that are not focused on the political correctness of our society, but really make some real practical changes that make life better for all Americans, black Americans, white Americans, Hispanics and all.
[14:15:05] BROWN: OK. So, Dana - all right, Dana, I want to go to you because we're all curious what's happening right now at the RNC headquarters. Take us behind the scenes. We know Donald Trump is meeting with the RNC and this comes just, what, 48 hours after he backed away from that pledge?
BASH: It's going to be very interesting to see what this is all about. We're just getting information as we're seeing the picture. Clearly, it appears that he's going there. Hard to imagine he's not going to meet with the Republican chair, Reince Priebus. The two of them talked, just like Reince Priebus has told me and others, he talks to - he talked to the many candidates, now the three candidates, as frequently as he can.
But you're exactly right, that the timing is quite interesting given the fact that the last time there was a high-profile meeting with Reince Priebus and Donald Trump it was way back in September when Reince went up to New York - BROWN: Yes.
BASH: To specifically sit with Donald Trump and ask him personally to sign the pledge that he would back the Republican nominee. And at that time it was, of course, because everybody thought potentially that he would be the one to bolt the Republican party and he told Anderson, as you were mentioning, that he doesn't think that the Republican Party is treating him fairly.
There are a lot of important things coming up that are a little bit in the weeds, but all of us are going to be talking about. Just like people know sports stats, they're going to know these, like the rules that are going to govern the convention coming up. The rules are going to be decided a week before the convention in July. Reince Priebus has already signaled that maybe the rules from last time around, from 2012, could be changed, because that's what happens every four years. But good luck telling that to, you know, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz -
BROWN: Right.
BASH: Who benefit right now from last time around's rules.
BROWN: Wouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall in that meeting.
BASH: Oh, yes.
BROWN: All right, panel, thank you very much for that spirited discussion. Appreciate it.
And just ahead, as Donald Trump refuses to rule out using nukes in Europe, President Obama hosting a nuclear summit right here in the United States. Hear the reaction.
Plus, a major development involving the Paris terror suspect who's been captured. Hear who he's about to see.
And a scandal erupts involving the governor of Alabama. At the center of it, a female adviser, a secret tape and sexually charged conversations. Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:21:24] BROWN: Well, President Obama is meeting with more than 50 leaders from around the world, hosting his last nuclear security summit in Washington. The president launched the first summit six years ago to pursue a world without nuclear weapons. Listen to what the president had to say back then compared with what the GOP presidential frontrunner is saying now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, today, I state clearly and with conviction, America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC: Can you tell the Middle East we're not using the nuclear weapons on anybody?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would never say that. I would never take any of my cards off the table.
MATTHEWS: How about Europe? We won't use it in Europe?
TRUMP: I'm - I'm not going to take it off the table for anything.
MATTHEWS: You might use it in Europe?
TRUMP: No, I don't think so, but I'm not taking -
MATTHEWS: Well, just say it, I'll never use a nuclear weapon in Europe.
TRUMP: Look, I am not - I am not taking cards off the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: CNN's White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski is following this story for us.
And, Michelle, you just heard from the White House on what they're doing to keep nuclear material out of the hands of ISIS. What do they say?
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and also, when you look at what happened in Belgium with these - these allegations now that some of the suspects in the past may have been involved in a plot against nuclear facilities, may have been surveilling a top nuclear scientist in Belgium, may have been looking closely at facilities, I mean the White House has to consider that a big concern. But what they just said somewhat downplays the threat. First of all they said, it does back up their knowledge that they've already had that ISIS wants to gets its hands on nuclear material, similar to al Qaeda's goals along the same lines. But they also said, look at Belgium, it has extremely tight nuclear security. They don't consider what those brothers may have been doing a significant threat.
That said, though, nuclear security and trying to get that material out of the hands of ISIS is a big focus of this summit, kind of an unexpected one. I mean this happens every two years. It's been going on for four year - for - since 2008 was the first one I think. But ISIS has really changed the urgency level. When you hear the White House talk about what needs to be done in terms of nuclear security around the world, trying to make sure everybody has the top security at nuclear facilities, trying to enhance security at ports of entry so that nuclear material can't be smuggled into countries. And there are other concerns too about the civilian use. Not of - not of weapons grade nuclear fissile material, as it's called, but radiological material that's used all the time in industry, in the medical field. You know, that's used in places for cancer treatment, the developing countries that don't have tight security. And when you talk to experts at this summit now, that's one of their big concerns, how do you make sure security is tight, even in civilian uses, even at hospitals and countries that don't have great security? So that's going to continue to be a real focus here, as well as trying to come up with practical, real ways to keep North Korea from advancing its nuclear program, Pam.
BROWN: All this going on without Russia at the table.
Michelle Kosinski, thank you very much for that.
Coming up on this Thursday, he was the most wanted man in Europe. New developments today involving captured Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam and what authorities plan to do with him next.
Also happening right now, Donald Trump is meeting behind closed doors with the RNC. We are waiting to see if he addresses the media on the way out. Of course, we will bring that to you live.
[14:24:50] And also, prepare for a trip back in time. It's the premiere of the CNN original series "The Eighties." Up next, we'll take you live inside TV's most famous watering hole. Bet you can guess what that is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Well, CNN is ready to take you back in time with the premiere of the original series, "The Eighties." Tonight's episode premiers at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and pays homage to classic '80s TV shows. And to kick it off, we're taking you to a place where everybody knows your name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Making your way in the world today takes everything you got. Taking the break -
TED DANSON, ACTOR, "CHEERS": A new tavern opened at 112 1/2 Beacon Street.
JOHN RATZENBERGER, ACTOR, "CHEERS": Oh, wait, wait, a mailman never forgets an address now. (INAUDIBLE) message to my brain?
[14:30:06] RHEA PERLMAN, ACTRESS, "CHEERS": Probably because you're sitting on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Well, cheers to that. CNN "New Day's" Michaela Pereira is in --
