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Donald Trump Says Hillary Clinton is Playing The Woman Card; Carly Fiorina Will Be Ted Cruz's Vice President. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired April 27, 2016 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:32] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just past bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
During Donald Trump's Super Tuesday victory speech, he claimed the only reason Hillary Clinton is the Democratic front-runner is because she is quote "playing the woman card." That didn't go over so well with a number of women online nor the former secretary of state herself.
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HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If for women's health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Nevertheless, Trump reiterated the comments this morning on "NEW DAY."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She is a woman. She's playing the woman card left and right. She did play it last time with Obama. But she is playing it much harder this time. And she will be called on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come ahead of the general election.
Let me bring in two lovely ladies, Scottie Nell Hughes, she is a Trump surrogate. And also with me, CNN political commentator Angela Rye.
Ladies, welcome.
Scottie, you're up first. What was the woman card exactly that he was referring to?
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, DONALD TRUMP SURROGATE: Well, it's the card that Hillary Clinton has been playing since she started running for president probably almost a decade ago it seems. It is the same card that she played against Bernie Sanders back in October 2015 saying to try to paint him as being sexist because he talked about her speaking up. And it is the same card that she is going to continue to try to play all the way until November making sure that anybody that pushes up against her says anything negative about her is just because they are sexist. And I don't think it's going to work with Mr. Trump as he has shown that he will play the woman card, the man card. He will tell you whatever card it is as long as it means the truth. He is an equal opportunity truth-teller. And I'm sorry if that offends the woman, sorry, known as Hillary Clinton.
BALDWIN: Angela, do you think she's playing the woman card?
ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What does that even mean, Brooke? I think that the mere fact she's acknowledging the fact that she is a woman and she is different in this cycle, not only because she is running for president, because of course there was one running on the GOP side, but we don't really need to mention because I'm sure you'll get into that as now she's Cruz's running mate.
But the fact of the matter is she is a front-runner. She has collected almost nine million votes this particular primary season. I think that it is crazy that Donald Trump would not only say that she's playing the woman card. And if she weren't playing the woman card, that she wouldn't even get five percent of the vote. Her record, her accomplishment, her qualifications by far exceed everyone in this race, whether you are a Democrat or a Republican period.
So it's absolutely crazy. I think what makes it worse, Brooke, is the fact that he went on this morning to say that he didn't get enough rest or something to that effect because she was up yelling.
[15:35:19] BALDWIN: Yes, shouting. He doubled down on "New Day."
But let me actually jump in because let me channel my colleague Nia- Malika Henderson who made an excellent point last hour when we were talking about this. And Scottie, you mentioned a second ago that Trump is playing any card. He is playing the man card and he is. You know, Nia-Malika Henderson's point was, you know, this is a man who is saying, here I am. I'm a man. I'm talking about my hand size on the debate stage, my hot wife versus Heidi Cruz, you know, and getting into the spat with my rival Ted Cruz, what about that? That he is playing the man card if he is accusing Hillary Clinton of playing the woman card.
HUGHES: Well, he is playing the man card. And I think what the best part is this is a preemptive strike.
BALDWIN: So, how is that fair?
HUGHES: Well, it is not. Life is not fair is the way I kind of look at it to be honest with you. But you know, the key is he can sit there and play the gender card. He will point out how pretty his daughter or how pretty his wife is.
BALDWIN: Wait. So the man card is OK but the women card is not. HUGHES: I don't think it's not -- well, there's a difference, is he
playing the man card to pander and get votes and to keep others from attacking him? No. He is playing the man card to show who he really is. When Hillary uses it, she is using it to sit there and say you can't attack me, you can't ask me about my record, you can't ask me about things like my emails or Benghazi because I'm a woman. And if you do that. But that's why she plays it. That's why she played it against Bernie Sanders.
RYE: That's crazy. That's legitimately nuts. She's never said that.
HUGHES: That's what she does.
BALDWIN: One voice, ladies, one voice. Angela, last word.
RYE: Yes, I just -- that's absolutely crazy. She has never said don't ask me about my emails or transcripts. Don't ask me about this because I'm a woman. What she said is, in short, these things are fair and I think whether it's a man or woman in the race, you have to insure there's parody across the board.
HUGHES: It's just about distracting.
BALDWIN: On both sides for both of these two candidates, perhaps the nominees.
Angela and Scottie, thank you so much.
And Angela eluded to this a second ago. I'll say it. Carly Fiorina, that is exactly who we are hearing from our sources who Ted Cruz is about to announce will be his running mate. Folks are getting set up for that announcement there in Indianapolis coming up at the top of the hour. We'll discuss the strategy behind quite an unprecedented and early move. Stay here.
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[15:40:22] BALDWIN: We are minutes away, checking my clock here, minutes away from a major announcement. This is how the Ted Cruz camp is billing this in Indianapolis as he is about to make this announcement there. We have gotten wind of what is. According to sources telling CNN that Senator Cruz has chosen his formal republican rival Carly Fiorina to be his running mate.
So let's begin there with CNN political commentator Carl Bernstein.
Carl Bernstein, why do you think he is doing this now?
CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Because he's desperate.
BALDWIN: Desperate.
BERNSTEIN: Truly desperate.
BALDWIN: Why is he desperate? BERNSTEIN: He got thrashed last night. I talked to one of the stop
Trump movement leaders today who said, look, we got about a two percent chance maybe of going into a brokered convention at this point. It might be less than that. The movement is with Trump. He also is a much stronger nominee against Hillary Clinton.
BALDWIN: Donald Trump is.
BERNSTEIN: Absolutely. Cruz is the candidate that the Clintons would love to run against. Not Donald Trump.
BALDWIN: So you think this is less about Carly Fiorina and more about, you know, Ted Cruz being back in the media bloodstream.
BERNSTEIN: I think media is the key word here. Look, Donald Trump has mastered the cable news cycle unlike anyone in our history. And the cable news cycle is driving this election to a certain extent. And he remains on top of it. Cruz hasn't gotten near it. And today Cruz is trying to insert himself in that equation. He succeed a little bit. He is going to get a lot of attention this afternoon. And then everybody is going to play back Carly Fiorina saying how awful Ted Cruz is.
Ted Cruz is despised by so much of the -- he's a cult figure almost in his party. Trump is a real movement. In his speech today, it's not for nothing that he used that praise "America First," an old fascist, neo-fascist slogan and movement. And yet he has moved on to where he's tapped into the dissatisfaction in this country deeply, and he is really got a chance here to do something.
BALDWIN: In terms of this move, which is sort of unprecedented, the move being Ted Cruz selecting, you know, a running mate given the fact that the only way he can win the presidency is assuming this thing goes to a contested convention in July. It's still April. My favorite political wonky nerd colleague John Berman was in my office earlier today and he said now Ronald Reagan did this in 1976. But it was different then because he had more support of the party, correct?
BERNSTEIN: Ronald Reagan had a very popular governor in his party in California. He is a life in front of the country, in front of the cameras, you're talking day and night. Cruz from the beginning like other Republican candidate who is have tried to glam onto the Reagan label with almost no success -- look, we are about to enter, it looks like, the ugliest campaign we have ever seen if it is going to be Trump and Hillary.
BALDWIN: About to enter?
BERNSTEIN: About to enter. Well, if it is going to be Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, huge negative 60 percent in one case, 50- something for Sanders and the other. You got to think that Trump's got a ten-point disadvantage going into this. It will be very hard to erase. You got things like the woman question that he raised to his detriment, I would say. But every time we say it, he's done something to his detriment, it proves that again he is mastered this cable news cycle and that very little sticks to him, except the overall impression. And he has said, look, the country is in trouble. The institutions of the country are failing. And that message has a certain reverberation that has been working.
BALDWIN: Carl, we will talk later about Trump and foreign policy. I have one of America's favorite Hoosiers standing by. I need to talk to him before my time is up.
BERNSTEIN: Is he going to dunk it?
BALDWIN: He has dunked it, actually. Wait for this.
BERNSTEIN: I know that. And not a donut.
BALDWIN: That's right. You do your homework. There we go, Carl Bernstein, of course, who knows exactly what I'm talking about. Thank you very much.
So what we are eluding to, one of America's favorite movies, the '80s basketball flick "Hoosiers," right? So you saw Ted Cruz. He is at this Indiana rally, picked a perfect place to do it, but he flubs a line "basketball ring," say what? We are going to talk to someone who inspired this film with the buzzer-beater shot coming up next.
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[15:48:35] BALDWIN: It was a political moment that made the Ted Cruz campaign grimace just a tad. The Texas senator tried to reference the great movie "Hoosiers" as the crucial Indiana primary approaches next Tuesday. Instead, Senator Cruz flubbed his line. But first, a clip from the movie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put all on your shoulders. Measure this from the rim. Buddy. How far?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten feet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten feet. I think you are fine as exact same measurements as our gym back in Hickory.
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BALDWIN: The line, measure this from the rim. Here is Ted Cruz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The question is can the state of Indiana stop the media's chosen Republican candidates? Well, as you all know, we are here on the Hickory basketball court.
And Bruce who travels with me. Bruce, I want to ask you something. Do you have a tape measure with you? Tell me something. How tall is that basketball rim?
[15:50:13] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten feet. CRUZ: Ten feet. You know, the amazing thing is that basketball ring
here in Indiana, it is the same heights as it is in New York City and every other place in this country. And there is nothing that Hoosiers cannot do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: He got it right the first time. But then he called it the ring.
Bobby Plump is with me, made that game-winning shot that inspired the entire movie "Hoosiers."
Bobby Plump, I have been looking forward to talking you all day. How are you, sir?
BOBBY PLUMP, MADE WINNING SHOT THAT INSPIRED HOOSIERS MOVIE: I'm doing very well, Brooke. How are you doing today?
BALDWIN: I am excellent. So you are the one.
PLUMP: Yes.
BALDWIN: You hit the buzzer-beater. You all were the smallest high school to win state in 40 years. Huge upset in that very gym. First of all, how special is that rim to you?
PLUMP: Well, I tell you what. I'm afraid if we would have called it a ring, I never would have put it through a ring. This is a championship ring. And the basketball won't go through here. We never -- I never heard anybody call it a ring. But it certainly got a lot of comments in Indiana and maybe it's -- I don't care what you say about me, as long as you talk about me, because it is being talked about here. And whether it has nothing to do whether he is going to be a good president or even if he wins this nomination. But I would think that perhaps his team or advisers might have looked up what we call the goal or hoop or on whatever you want to say, but I've never heard it called a ring.
BALDWIN: Understood it's your wife who broke the news to you about this ring?
PLUMP: Pardon me?
BALDWIN: It was your wife who broke the news to you, right, on the flub?
PLUMP: Yes. Well, yes. I didn't watch it last night. I woke up this morning and she said, did you hear what Senator Cruz called that goal? And I said, no, I didn't. She said he called it a ring. And I got to my office. My daughter handles all of the details in my office and she had, did you hear that Senator Cruz called that a ring? And I said, yes, I did from your mom this morning. And I've heard about it ever since.
BALDWIN: You're right. Shouldn't matter. Doesn't have anything with being the next president of the United States but this is the kind of thing Hoosiers pay attention to.
And Bobby, before I let you go, I have to ask you about Bobby Knight. You know, this is the second winningest basketball coach in NCAA and D-1. This is a guy who is known for tossing chairs. He is polarizing but he is also so totally revered. He is introducing Donald Trump tonight at a rally. What do you make of that?
PLUMP: Well, I think there will be a lot of conversation about that also. You know, both Donald Trump and Bobby Knight, there's no in between with either of them. So they fit each other very well. There will be a lot of people that will be for Donald Trump. There will be a lot of people for Bobby Knight. And there will be some people against Bobby Knight. And not so much maybe about Donald Trump.
But they are two of the same kind of people. They say what they think and let the people decide what that is going to be. Again, there will be a lot of talk about that. Whether it has anything to do, the publicity is going to be great on that. Whether it has anything to do, like I said about Senator Cruz, whether Donald Trump will win the nomination, will he be a good president or not? It is certainly -- in Indiana, when you talk about basketball, you're going to get everybody involved in it, so the publicity is going to be great for them.
BALDWIN: Yes, sir.
PLUMP: I hope don't call it a ring, though.
BALDWIN: I have a feeling Bobby Knight is better.
Bobby Plump, the legendary Bobby Plump, thank you so much. Thank you so much. It has been wonderful talking to you. I appreciate it very much.
And thank you all, of course, being with me today. Keep in mind, any moment now, we are going to see Ted Cruz making the big announcement on choosing Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Stay tuned. We will take it live. Jake Tapper is up next.
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[15:58:31] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to "the LEAD." I'm Jake Tapper.
Any moment now we are expecting Senator Ted Cruz to make what he is billing as a major announcement. We anticipate he will name former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina to be his running mate should he emerge from the convention as the Republican nominee.
Former Republican rival, Fiorina placed seventh in both Iowa and New Hampshire and won one delegate before dropping out of the presidential race in February. Fiorina backed Cruz in March and became a tireless surrogate for him.
With this announcement, Cruz is hoping to jump-start what critic say is his faltering campaign after all the candidates not named Donald Trump on the Republican side. Trump sweep five states last night and gave him a prohibitive lead in the delegate race and a boost in his goal of clinching the nomination before the convention. He now needs less than 50 percent of the remaining Republican delegates to win the nomination. Cruz insists he will stay in the race all the way to the convention.
CNN correspondent Sunlen Serfaty is live for us in Indianapolis where Cruz will step up to the microphone any moment.
Sunlen, set the scene for us.
SUNLEN SERFATY, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, Senator Cruz, as you said, will take the stage within a few minutes. And we are told that he will, himself, introduce Carly Fiorina to really formally presenting him today as his vice presidential choice to this crowd of supporters gathered here. It's very clear that the Cruz campaign is searching for any sort of reset button.
