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Protesters at Trump Speech; Indiana Governor Backs Cruz; Protests Gather ahead of Trump Speech; Russian Jet Barrel-Rolls U.S. Plane; Clinton Pivots to Trump. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired April 29, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:22] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. We are live today in Washington, but we're watching two big stories out of two states that are key in the race for president.

First up here, Ted Cruz. He has just gotten what could turn out to be a campaign-saving endorsement just four days before the critical Indiana primary. That state's governor says he is backing the senator from Texas.

Meantime, all eyes this afternoon on California, because minutes from now Donald Trump is set to address a crowd that could truly hold the keys to his White House aspirations. Mr. Trump will be speaking at the California Republican Convention, packed, packed with party faithful there, the reddest of the red. This is the kind of audience that may well give the frontrunner, though, a chilly reception. But these are also the very people Trump will need in June when California's pivotal primary offers perhaps his best shot at cracking the 1,237 delegates he needs to clinch the nomination.

Let me show you, as we're talking about where Mr. Trump will be speaking in just about an hour's time, already folks beginning to gather. This is outside of this state convention area. This is Burlingame, California, roughly the Bay area. Listen, you saw what happened last night outside of the Trump rally in Costa Mesa, California. A massive protests, punches thrown, bloody protesters, windows shattered. Let's hope we don't see scenes like that today.

But we have, of course, eyes from the skies and on the ground as we have crews both inside this event and there outside. So let's begin with this. Let me begin with my colleague, CNN's Jason Carroll. He is inside the California Republican Party's convention hall.

We know, you know, Mr. Trump will be the first to speak at lunchtime your time and then the rest of the candidates, including even Carly Fiorina, all speaking through the weekend. Talk to me about this Trump lunch.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, already there's been a great deal of interest of this, not only inside but outside. Outside, Brooke, a number of protesters have already started to gather. One protester actually got inside the event here at the Hyatt with a megaphone started shouting "stop Trump, stop hate."

Trump saying yesterday at his event in Costa Mesa that his rallies are some of the safest places to be in the world. Having said that, outside the rally, 17 people arrested outside there in Costa Mesa, outside the fairgrounds, as some of those protesters clashed with Trump supporters. Trump began saying, look, these are detractors. These are not the real people coming out to see him. He talked about that yesterday.

He also took a very strong stance on illegal immigration. As you know, a very divisive issue here in the state of California. He also stepped up his criticism of Ted Cruz for taking on a running mate at this point in the - at this point in the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In all fairness to Carly, she left at zero. OK, she had zero. She had like one or zero. She had nothing going. And he put her. And he will get an award because, honestly, I love to break records. For the first time in the history of American politics, a man who is totally mathematically dead, he cannot win, has appointed a vice president. So, first time in history. Lyin' Ted, he's the only one. No, he's the only one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So, Brooke, a number of protesters outside there in Costa Mesa. A number of protesters here as well. What Trump is going to have to do in part is prove that he can unite, not just his party, but the country as well. And, again, he's going to have to try to win over some of those people here at the state convention. Some of these people probably are GOP insiders, people that he has harshly criticized so many times in the past.

And I spoke to the chairman of the state Republican committee here, asked him, what does Trump need to do to reach those people, to reach those people he's criticized so harshly in the past? And he says, Trump has to come here, show up, state his case. That's exactly what he's going to do. But I would expect him to take a - a far more measured tone.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: That's a great question. We'll be talking to the vice chairwoman of the state Republican Party there in just a second.

Jason Carroll, thank you. We'll be in close contact with you watching what's happening outside and, of course, inside the hall where Mr. Trump will be speaking within the hour.

Now to the other big headline today, Ted Cruz's endorsement from the governor of Indiana, Mike Pence. Pence didn't just support Cruz today. The governor also praised Cruz's rivals when making the announcement on the local radio station WIBC.

[14:05:09] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: I have met with all three of the candidates as of about Tuesday of this week and - and I want to say clearly, I like and respect all three of the Republican candidates in the field. I particularly want to commend Donald Trump, who I think has - has given voice to the frustration of millions of working Americans with a lack of progress in Washington, D.C.

I'm not against anybody, but I will be voting for Ted Cruz in the upcoming Republican primary. I see Ted Cruz as a principled conservative who's dedicated his career to advocating the Reagan agenda and I'm pleased to support him.

Greg, you know, from my career, I know a little bit about taking on the big spenders in Washington, D.C. I was doing that more than a decade ago when we saw runaway federal spending of both parties. And I really admire the way Ted Cruz has been willing to stand up for taxpayers in opposing runaway spending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's talk about that big announcement and also what we're anticipating in California. I have with me now Ed O'Keefe, political reporter for "The Washington Post," CNN politics reporter MJ Lee, and from the California GOP convention, Harmeet Dhillon, the vice chairwoman of the state Republican Party.

So welcome to all of you on this Friday afternoon.

And, Harmeet, I want to talk to you, obviously, about what's happening there in just a second.

But first, Ed and MJ, to you. I mean we you heard the sound bite from Governor Pence, you know, the initial praise for Donald Trump, and as we would say in journalism, Ed, do you think he buried the lead?

ED O'KEEFE, POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": He buried it about as deep as he could, Brooke. This was the definition of lukewarm. You know, I think Pence, like so many other Republicans across the country, faces the real challenge of figuring out which of the moving targets is the one to stand with and ultimately he chose Cruz. He could have picked Kasich. There are a lot of Kasich supporters in that state. He's a fellow governor. As he said, he was a member of the House back in the day. He would have served with Kasich, I believe. So he's got ties to both of those guys.

But then you saw him there go out of his way to praise Donald Trump despite not supporting him. We've seen this again all week. There have been other lawmakers who have said, I voted for him, but I won't officially endorsement him, or, I endorse him and -

BALDWIN: Right.

O'KEEFE: You know, it's just - it just - it just continues to show the perplexing nature of this race for so many Republicans who don't quite know what to do. BALDWIN: MJ, how much, you know, Indiana's next Tuesday. It's a big

date that a lot of these camps have had circled on their calendars. How much will this endorsement really matter, do you think, for Hoosiers who will be voting?

MJ LEE, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well, look, I don't think it's an overstatement to call Indiana a break or make state for Ted Cruz. And he - he and his campaign have made that very clear, as well. I think the Pence endorsement is probably one of the biggest endorsements that Cruz has gotten since Jeb Bush endorsed him.

Look, he may be a controversial figure in the state, but he is a big figure in this state. He's popular amongst social conservatives. And I think someone like Pence coming out to endorse Cruz really sends the message at this point in the race, look, this is a - this is a person that the party can get behind, that the Republican Party can really throws its force behind, as opposed to Donald Trump.

Of course, we're watching what happens on Tuesday very carefully because if Cruz and Kasich are able to sort of peel away those delegates from Donald Trump, it could really come down to California. And I think at this point in the race, every delegate matters so, so much.

BALDWIN: Thank you for the segue. To California we go. The great state of California and to Harmeet. And, Harmeet, I understand, you came straight to this camera from a VIP reception with Donald Trump. So, just quickly, did you get a chance to talk to him?

HARMEET DHILLON, VICE CHAIRWOMAN, CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY: He's actually not here yet. The protesters outside are delaying things a little bit. So we were waiting for him in the VIP reception.

BALDWIN: Ah, I see. I see.

DHILLON: Yes.

BALDWIN: So - so - all right, so as far as - and that's good for us to know because this - this is - this could all adjust. As far as California goes, you know, we never thought Indiana could be make or break as MJ just pointed out, you know, in terms of how much California has mattered for the Republican Party in a primary. It's been decades and decades. I'm curious what you're hoping to hear from Donald Trump when he speaks in about an hour.

DHILLON: We're hoping to hear from all three of these candidates, how they're going to beat Hillary Clinton. That's really the main focus of all of our Republican delegates here, which are the main audience for this event tonight. Here in California, you know, we have been losing, as Republicans, for some time and so we are really ready to see one of us in the White House. And so I think a lot of people here are open to persuasion.

BALDWIN: You know, I - on the note of persuasion, Harmeet, let me stay with you. As I mentioned, this is sort of the reddest of the red, the most ideologically conservative of the group in California. And we know Donald Trump has not always been a Republican. We know Donald Trump has been critical of the Bush administration, has had favorable words for, say, Planned Parenthood, which may not fall well with this crowd in that room. What does he need to say to sway these folks?

[14:10:03] DHILLON: Well, you raise good points. I think the main knock on Donald Trump has been that he's not a true conservative. As you mentioned, he has had some positions that are out of step with the delegates here at this party and our national party convention. But that said, Ronald Reagan was also not always a Republican. He was also a member of a union. And one of the things that's really propelled Donald Trump to the top of the heap in many states has been the fact that he's been able to draw these turn - crossover voters from - declined (ph) to stay independent, as well as Democrats.

What we're looking for here, again, is reassurance that, number one, he's conservative enough for people here in the state to support him, who are rank and file party members. And, number two, can he beat Hillary Clinton. That's really the million dollar question here.

BALDWIN: Final question, and, Ed, let me - let me toss it to you, just in terms of California. I mean Trump may be doing really well in some of these polls, but this is all - like winner take all based upon the congressional districts. So each time you have a Kasich or a Cruz winning a district, that's three, correct me, that's three fewer delegates for Trump's haul.

O'KEEFE: That's right. And it's a - it's an element of the California race that we really should keep an eye on and remind viewers that, you know, June 7th, into the early morning hours of June 8th, are going to probably be the most critical hours of this race because we'll know at that point whether Trump hit the magic 1,237. At this point he basically needs to get through to California to hit that mark.

I would ask Harmeet, you know, to what extent the state is prepared for that sort of geographic and ideological divide that will happen across such a big state and - and is that still an accurate description of what was expected to happen because you'll see Cruz, Kasich, Trump go to different areas of the state, appeal to different kinds of Republicans and - and divvy up a big number of delegate that may or may not put Trump over the top that night.

BALDWIN: California, that's what we're watching for. Donald Trump speaking in about an hour. We'll take it live. Harmeet, and Ed and MJ, thank you so much.

As we stay on this picture, though, in Burlingame, California, you can see these crowds. They are definitely gathering outside this event. A couple hundred protesters there already en masse. Let's go to Jeremy Diamond, who is outside.

Jeremy, who are these folks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, well, right now what we had was about, you know, as many as a couple hundred protesters were amassed right here outside of the hotel where Donald Trump is set to address the California state GOP convention. And we've seen a couple scenes already. We saw a Trump supporter coming through here. He tried to get through and, you know, he was - he was verbally assaulted (INAUDIBLE) protesters. There were some scuffles that broke out. Police helped him get over the fence and into the - into the hotel area.

But what you have is mostly peaceful protesters here. A lot of the people here are trying to block the road essentially, trying to keep Donald Trump from coming in here. You have protesters lined up on the ground here on both sides. This side right here, where we're standing, and on the other side essentially of this area where police have blocked off the road. So unclear exactly where Donald Trump is going to be coming in from, but certainly these protesters trying to make their voices heard, speaking out against what they view as Donald Trump's hateful rhetoric. Some of them speaking out against his policies on immigration. You have other people with kind of broader messages about income inequality and Wall Street, as well.

So interesting here. Certainly very fluid. We're still waiting to see what happened. Police, though, are certainly ready. There are some police officers here in riot gear standing outside of the hotel waiting essentially to see what happens.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Protests and politics certainly nothing new, but this picture, you know, and especially those picture that you snapped last night in Costa Mesa, Jeremy Diamond, of the - the bloodied faces among the different - both supporters and those who are vehemently opposed to Donald Trump out in full force. We're going to keep a close eye on this.

As you heard, you were just talking to the vice chairman of the state Republican Party there in California saying this picture, this is what was keeping from Donald Trump thus far. He was supposed to be at a reception already inside and he is not there yet. That could change sort of the tick tock of the day. We'll keep a close eye on that for you in California.

Meantime, CNN goes one on one with Hillary Clinton today. What the Republican primary is teaching her about how to deal with an unconventional candidate like Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, remember, I - I had a lot of experience dealing with men who sometimes get off the reservation in the way they behave and how they speak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We will have that for you.

Also ahead, we are getting word a Russian jet has flown very closely to another U.S. Air Force plane. This coming in. We will take you live to the Pentagon for what's going on.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

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[14:18:54] BALDWIN: All right, we've got some breaking news for you. This Russian SU-27 jet did a barrel roll over a U.S. Air Force plane. This is the second time a maneuver like this has happened with the Russians with regard to the United States just this past month.

Let's get straight to the Pentagon, to our correspondent there, Barbara Starr.

So what exactly happened here?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It was earlier today, Brooke, we now know, according to two U.S. defense officials, in the Baltic Sea. An Air Force reconnaissance plane was flying in international air space, according to these officials, when an SU - a Russia SU-27 came up alongside and did this barrel roll maneuver. And, of course, what that means is the plane came up alongside the American plane, inverted at high speed, and flew around and came back to the other side. This is a very high speed, very dangerous maneuver and it's estimated the Russians came within 100 feet of the U.S. aircraft. The U.S. is very opposed to these kinds of maneuvers. They are very dangerous, the U.S. says, and they can lead to absolute disaster in the skies.

[14:20:02] The question now, it's the second barrel roll this month, also a U.S. Navy warship closely intercepted by Russian aircraft who flew with just in a few feet of the Navy deck. What is Moscow up to. And U.S. officials tell me they are still uncertain whether these dangerous maneuvers are being ordered at the highest levels in Moscow, or whether these are Russian pilots out there hot dogging, taking tremendous risk.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: So there's that. Then we also have the news you're following involving a U.S. aircraft carrier trying to, you know, reach port in Hong Kong, denied. Why?

STARR: On the other side of the world, another bit of unpleasantness, not to put a light face on it, for the U.S. Navy. The aircraft carrier Stennis is supposed to be making a port call in Hong Kong next week. Well, today, it's been revealed that the Chinese, out of Beijing, have denied the U.S. Navy ship port call in Hong Kong.

Now, the assumption is this is because of the rise in military tensions with China over China's operations in the South China Sea that the U.S. objects to. They are building islands out there in disputed waters. Secretary Carter, just on the Stennis out there a few days back.

But, look, this has big implications for U.S. military families. When a carrier or any Navy ship makes port call overseas, you find that military families spend a lot of time and money getting airline tickets, making reservations, flying out to these ports to try and meet up with their loved ones. So there's a lot of concern right now that some military families are going to be stuck. If the Stennis can't make port call, those families may not be able to see their loved ones. The Stennis will have to decide, the Navy will have to decide, does the Stennis sail on or is it - does it try and reach another port out in Asia?

Brooke.

BALDWIN: That is infuriating for those families, I know.

Barbara Starr, thank you very much.

STARR: Sure.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, CNN sits down with Hillary Clinton today. Jake Tapper here. What she says the Republican primary is teaching her about what it might be like to take on Donald Trump.

Also big news today out of Indiana. The governor there, Mike Pence, pledging his support to Texas Senator Ted Cruz today, but wasn't exactly a wholehearted endorsement. We have more than that. You're watching CNN.

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[14:26:50] BALDWIN: All right, back with our breaking news. I want to show you two different pictures here thanks to our San Francisco affiliate. Right-hand side, wow, you can now see sort of the distance around - today's day one of the California Republican Convention. We know that Donald Trump, he is the first up to speak. All three of them will be speaking actually, in addition to Carly Fiorina, through the weekend. But it's the tale of two different stories here. Obviously folks inside, these are the - the Republicans from the state of California and we'll dip into that when Mr. Trump begins to speak.

But on the outside here, as far as the eye can see up this street outside of this center, you can see these protesters. All kinds of different people. And I can't tell you definitively who they all are, why they're all there. We do have crews on the ground, but they do not like Donald Trump, at least some of those who our reporter Jeremy diamond was speaking about a moment ago.

So we're keeping our eyes both on the story outside and, of course, the political story inside. Again, Donald Trump supposed to speak to a crowd of California Republicans in just about half an hour. We'll take it live.

Meantime, on the Democratic side, for - fresh off her latest super Tuesday wins in almost an insurmountable delegate lead here, Hillary Clinton now taking direct aim at Donald Trump as she is truly pivoting toward the general election. She is sharpening her criticism of the Republican frontrunner and the former secretary of state sat down with my colleague Jake Tapper just a little while ago. She talked general election strategy and what she refers to as Donald Trump's temper tantrums.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE LEAD": He has lately taken to calling you, I believe, "corrupt Hillary," and he's had some rather personal and pointed tweets. Have you learned anything from watching the way that Republicans dealt with him in the primaries that will inform how you will deal with such an unconventional candidate?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, you know, remember, I - I have a lot of experience dealing with men who sometimes get off the reservation in the way they behave and how they speak. I'm not going to deal with their temper tantrums or they're bullying or their efforts to try to provoke me. He can say whatever he wants to say about me. I could really care less.

I'm going to stand up for what I think the American people need and want in the next president. That's why I've laid out very specific plans. There's nothing secret about what I want to do with the economy, with education, with health care, with foreign policy. I've laid it all out there, and he can't or he won't. I can't tell which. So we're going to talk about what we want to do for the country, and he can continue on his insult-fest, but that's the choice he's making.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Hmm, can't wait to see the rest of this interview. Obviously you're going to watch Jake Tapper on "The Lead," 4:00 Eastern, for the whole thing. Let me bring in, CNN political analyst and Democratic strategist Miss Donna Brazile.

Nice to see you.

Let's just - I just want to -

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Welcome to Washington, D.C.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much.

BRAZILE: This beautiful weather is all about you. This conversion of energy.

BALDWIN: You mean the rain and the cold?

BRAZILE: Yes.

BALDWIN: OK, on Hillary Clinton, and, you know, she references the temper tantrums and who knows if Donald Trump counter punches back after he hears Jake's interview with the former secretary of state, but how does the Clinton camp - clearly she's pivoting to November. How does the Clinton camp prepare for a candidate much of the political world has never seen?

[14:30:14]