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Don Lemon Tonight

First Day of the General Election; Clinton Blasts Donald Trump; Sanders to Sit Down with Obama at White House Tomorrow Morning; Paul Ryan Calling for Republicans to Unite Behind Trump; Math to the White House. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired June 08, 2016 - 22:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:00:00] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: That does it for us. Thanks for watching. CNN TONIGHT with Don Lemon starts now.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Candidates, start your engines. It's the first day of the general and if you think this campaign has been wild, you haven't seen nothing yet.

This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.

Thanks for joining us. Presumptive democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton talking to our very own Anderson Cooper blasting Donald Trump while sending a message to Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really believe a lot of Senator Sanders supporters will join us in making sure Donald Trump doesn't get anywhere near the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Donald Trump, of course, giving as good as he gets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am going to give a major speech on probably Monday of next week and we're going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders sitting down with President Barack Obama behind closed doors at the White House tomorrow morning. That should be interesting and the campaigner in chief telling NBC's Jimmy Fallon this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My hope is that over the next couple of weeks we're able to pull things together and what happens during the primary is you get a little ouchie. Everyody does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A little ouchie. Who better to talk about getting a little ouchie and other thing than CNN's Mark Preston and Dana Bash. Good evening to both of you. We miss you here in Washington, D.C., Mark Preston, but I'm going to start with you since you're the odd man out. You're not in the studio with Dana and me here.

So, let's talk about Hillary Clinton and her historic night. We know she has called Bernie Sanders. She called last night. What's her next step?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, a couple of things. One, I do think Hillary Clinton and her campaign has really definitely handled the Bernie Sanders situation very well over the last 48 hours. She was very gracious in her speech last night. She did reach out to his supporters.

I think right now what's best for them is to step back, allow Bernie Sanders to get out of the race on his own doing. He is very committed to trying to allow the District of Columbia, which votes next week, that is actually the final contest, have its say.

There are a lot of supporters in the District of Columbia that supported Bernie Sanders not only by volunteering but with also their checkbooks. So, I think that important.

I also think that Bernie Sanders is going to be looking, Don, for some influence over the platform. The platform committee for the Democratic National Committee met for the first time today. I think that if Bernie Sanders is able to have some influence over that as well as having a significant speaking role at the convention, I think these are things that are all doable right now for Hillary Clinton.

LEMON: All right. President Barack Obama weighed in on this race tonight with Jimmy Fallon. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, THE TONIGHT SHOW HOST: Is Bernie going to endorse Hillary?

OBAMA: Well, I'm sure they are going to have a conversation.

FALLON: Is he ever going to drop out? Or he's going to stay in?

OBAMA: I'm going to be talking to him tomorrow. He's going to be coming to the White House. And the main role I'm going to be playing in this process is to remind the American people that this is a serious job. You know, this is not reality TV.

FALLON: Do you think the republicans are happy with their choice?

OBAMA: We are. But I don't know how they feel? I don't know how they feel. (APPLAUSE)

So -- actually, you know what, that was too easy. But the truth is, actually, I am worried about the Republican Party and I know that sounds, you know -- you know what it sounds like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He really held his tongue there. But he stopped short of endorsing, Mark, Hillary Clinton. But you can tell that he's ready to get out on the campaign trail, right?

PRESTON: Yes. There's no doubt he's itching to go out. You know, interestingly we could go all the way back to Iowa where he virtually endorsed Hillary Clinton in an interview with Politico at that time.

I think President Barack Obama had some very, very strong things to say about Hillary Clinton and how he was close to her. He hasn't officially come out and said it but you're absolutely right.

You know what's interesting right there too, is that he definitely dodged it when asked that question. He said he's going to focus on how -- talking about how important the job is. Clearly a jab at Donald Trump who, of course, was a reality television star for many years.

LEMON: So, Dana, let's talk about this meeting, shall we? I want to talk about -- he's smiling, whatever, there. Is he going to have a come to Jesus with Bernie Sanders?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, probably some version of one, yes. And, look, that's why Bernie Sanders -- Bernie Sanders knows what's coming. Not just in the meeting he's going to have with the president tomorrow but maybe, more importantly, or as importantly in the meeting that he will have with the Senate democratic leader Harry Reid, whom he has worked with for decades now and knows very well.

[22:05:08] Maybe that could be a more candid conversation. But at the end of the day, to Mark's point, it's the question of what do you need? What can we do? How can we help you so that you get behind Hillary Clinton and, more importantly, much more importantly, get your supporters actively, vocally say to your supporters, get behind her in a way that he seems pretty reluctant to do last night, even and especially after Hillary Clinton clearly got not just the super delegates but the pledged delegates.

LEMON: Do you think he stands a chance to become her running mate at all? Just quickly because I want to get to the sound bite...

BASH: I would say, look, he's 74 years old. They have had a tough time and at the end of the day, I think it's highly unlikely.

LEMON: All right. Here is Hillary Clinton speaking to Anderson Cooper about a potential running mate. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CLINTON: I'm looking at the most qualified people and that includes

women, of course, because I want to be sure that whoever I pick could be president immediately if something were to happen. That's the most important qualification.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, running, if you have as high and unfavorability number as both of our presumptive nominees here, the second person on the ticket, the V.P, is a very important choice, correct?

BASH: I think it is in that you don't want to pick somebody who is, you know, incredibly unpopular. I mean, that's kind of a no-brainer. The last time historically it has mattered who a nominee put on the ticket was LBJ.

That was a long time ago. So, you know, I think it's certainly, it's do no harm and, as Hillary Clinton said, which we cannot lose sight of, can this person step into the presidency.

LEMON: But Biden did help President Obama. The Vice President did in his choice.

BASH: Yes. You want, look, it help the...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Because the people of the same criticism -- similar criticism of Donald Trump, that, you know...

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: You want to compliment.

LEMON: OK.

BASH: You want somebody who is going to complement the nominee. I mean, look at what happened back in 1992. Everybody sort of took a step back when Bill Clinton picked Al Gore because it was like too peas in the same pod.

LEMON: I remember that. Everyone in the newsroom was calling it the cute ticket.

BASH: Right.

LEMON: Everyone -- right. Because they were so young.

BASH: Right. Because they were so young. But at the end of the day, it was a, you know, a good moment and something that provided a real contrast with George H.W. Bush because it was a youth ticket.

LEMON: Yes.

BASH: So, certainly you want somebody who can complement but I do think -- one thing I will say is what she could do, if she really sees that she's in trouble with getting the Bernie Sanders supporters behind her, is pick somebody who is very clearly appealing to them because of their issues.

LEMON: Maybe like a Joe Biden, who knows?

So, Mark, Donald Trump stuck to a script last night. He was more toned down. Now he is promising an anti-Clinton speech next week. Does he getting the hint that he needs to stay on message here?

PRESTON: Don, if I answered this question definitively, I would be lying to you and to everyone who's watching tonight. We don't know. We don't know, we've seen this play before.

Here's the deal with Donald Trump. And to go back to what Barack Obama said when he was asked about having to face him in the general election. Barack Obama said we're happy we're facing him. That's actually not true.

If you talked to the democrats who are involved in the process, they would have prefer to run against someone like Ted Cruz because they knew the book. They don't have a playbook to run against Donald Trump right now.

And Donald Trump is a very formidable general election candidate if he's able to stay to script. Now, earlier this evening, Erin Burnett interviewed Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority leader.

He said over and over again that Donald Trump would be better off if he stayed to the script and did not go off and say things that are controversial and, quite frankly, you know, anger people, you know, because they are so out of the mainstream. So, we'll see what happens.

LEMON: Yes. Speaking of that, I mean, even members of his own party, they don't have a playbook for him as well. They are chastising him, they want him to stick to the script.

Here's our republican Senator Jeff Flake what he told our -- my colleague Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: I can tell you, we won't have or any republican in the White House that takes these kinds of positions and makes these kinds of statements.

To make the statement that he made about the judge, to espouse a Muslim ban, to espouse the conspiracy theories that he espoused, I just can't see that person winning the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, we heard that from him. Senator Kirk of Illinois retracted his endorsement yesterday.

BASH: Right.

LEMON: Do they really have any leverage when it comes to Donald Trump?

BASH: Sure. They have some leverage in that they -- he, Donald Trump, showed in his speech last night that he gets that he's got to be in some way, shape or form a different kind of candidate. And he does care what the leadership and what elected officials in Congress believe about him as that person.

[22:10:08] LEMON: Do they believe that, though, from one speech when you look at those?

BASH: No, no, absolutely not. Absolutely not.

LEMON: OK.

BASH: I mean, from the perspective of Donald Trump.

LEMON: Yes.

BASH: So, yes. I mean, I think that they have a bit more leverage than they did during the primaries.

LEMON: OK.

BASH: But not much. I just want to say one thing, let our viewers in on a little secret, you asked the right person to get in to Donald Trump's head because you know who played Donald Trump during our debate process.

LEMON: I was there.

BASH: Mark Preston.

LEMON: Mark Preston. I sat in on some of those debate practices and it was Mark Preston.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Why he did a great job.

LEMON: He did a great job. Thanks to both of you. I appreciate it. Mark, see you in person soon. Thank you, buddy.

PRESTON: See you.

LEMON: When we come right back, a new more presidential Donald Trump we've been talking about here but is that what his voters want? And can he keep it up?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling on his republican colleagues to come together and unite behind Donald Trump.

Let's discuss now. Matt Lewis is here. Matt is a CNN political commentator and a senior contributor to the Daily Caller. Senior, that's a big deal. Matt Schlapp who was a political director for President George W. Bush, a big deal as well.

So, last night we saw a more subdued Donald Trump. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[22:15:03] TRUMP: I understand the responsibility of carrying the mantel and I will never, ever let you down. Too much work, too many people, blood, sweat and tears.

(APPLAUSE)

Never going to let you down. I will make you proud of your party and our movement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, I would venture a guess, Matt, that this is the Donald Trump that people in Washington wanted to see, right?

MATT SCHLAPP, GEORGE W. BUSH POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, absolutely.

LEMON: The big move. They want -- is that enough to quail the criticism?

SCHLAPP: No. Look, we're at a -- I think it's a critical moment of the campaign for Donald Trump. I think he had a bad week, a terrible week. And I think the party and the party leaders want to see him back on message, focused on why he's running for president, what his message is and take on Hillary Clinton and remind people.

Hillary Clinton has been involved in a series of scandals and she's being investigated by the FBI as we speak. That is the Donald Trump that republicans want to see.

LEMON: So, it is -- I mean, they may be reassured by last night but his supporters, I don't think his supporters really liked it. I don't think he really liked it. Maybe you do. I liked him to when you see kids, right, having a tantrum in public and their legs fall up and they were like.

SCHLAPP: Have you seen my children?

LEMON: I don't want to use the teleprompter, right? I mean, but how many times have we seen him in crowds like mocking the president and mocking Hillary Clinton. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: We don't want teleprompters, right? No teleprompters. We ought to have a law that if you're running for president, you're not allowed to use teleprompters. It's too easy.

Look what we got the last time. We got a teleprompter guy. We don't need that. See, I don't do the teleprompter thing which would be so easy. It

wouldn't be that easy. I have two teleprompters. I watched Hillary the other day. She has the biggest teleprompter I have ever seen.

In fact, if you're sitting on that side of the room or that side of the room, you can't even see her because when they are outside, they are painted black. So, you can't even see her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, I mean, teleprompters to Trump now, right and he's using them. Here's what he told Time magazine, though, because he had a lot of detail in the speech. But if he keeps this up, do you think he's going to lose his appeal, the thing that makes him authentic?

MATT LEWIS, "TOO DUMB TO FAIL" AUTHOR: Yes. See that's -- that's where he's in a real bind right now because it's a catch 22. So he can either be authentic and stay stupid, controversial things or he can be scripted and sound robotic and not be authentic.

And so, what does he do? And I think just clearly what he did last night did not work. It seemed awkward. Maybe he could get used to reading a teleprompter but it's a different skill set and he's not used to it.

LEMON: Who are you telling? To make it seem like you are not reading Matt Schlapp, we know Trump age to expand this basically, the question is...

SCHLAPP: Come on.

LEMON: ... are people going to buy this new Donald Trump this new more?

SCHLAPP: Come on, there's nobody who has run for president who has been more off the cuff and more unscripted than Donald Trump. For these critical moments for him to actually go through a well thought out speech is a smart thing for him to do and he ought to keep doing it.

And I think you know what his supporters love, and I am supporting him, what his love is the fact that he was back on message. He wasn't talking about this judge and the case and all these other things, that are strenuous to the presidential campaign. He was talking about his message. And if he stays on this message, he's got a chance.

(CROSSTALK)

LEWIS: No. If he does that, if he repeats that performance he had last night for a week or two, then it's really over for him.

SCHLAPP: Hey, Matt, no offense, when have you been right on Donald Trump?

LEWIS: I wrote a book called "Too Dumb to Fail," that's basically the definition of his campaign. SCHLAPP: Was that about Donald Trump? Or was it about the party?

LEWIS: You should read the book.

SCHLAPP: In fact, I have read it. And so is my wife.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: He does a good point.

SCHLAPP: But the point is this which is, Donald Trump matches the times for our party in many ways and I know people continue to be critical about how he goes about doing it. If he stays on message like he was throughout the primaries, he is going to be formidable for Hillary Clinton.

LEMON: You mentioned the judge and you mentioned on staying on point and all of that and keeping the message. But Trump says that his republican colleagues need to, quote, "get over it when it comes to his comments about Judge Curiel." Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There's a lot of -- there's a lot of anxiety there. There's a lot of, you know, there's a lot of anger, I guess, anger. They just can't come back. They can't get over it.

So, they have to get it over ideally. As to whether or not they endorse me, it's OK if they don't. But they have to get over it. They shouldn't be angry for so long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Do they have to get over it, I mean, how long will he be able to continue to ignore it? Do they have to get over it?

LEWIS: I think the problem is that Donald Trump keeps doing this. This isn't -- we've had a year of him basically picking fights with different types of people. And so, I don't think this is an anomaly. I think this is, what's going to be next? What's the next shoe to drop?

SCHLAPP: I think what I like Donald Trump and his campaign to understand is that voters move closer to you and they move further away from you, according to what you say and what you do.

[22:20:09] And there are all kinds of never Trump people in the Republican Party who don't want to support him. But as they watch this campaign go forward, they could get closer to him. As a matter of fact, they could even, as we get closer to election day, they might pull that leverage if they realize how about a president Hillary Clinton will be. But they can also move away from you.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But to my question...

SCHLAPP: It's all about courting them.

LEMON: To my question is, do they have to get it over it?

SCHLAPP: No. Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, people ought to follow their conscience. And they will do it. I think it's right. And if republicans think the right thing to do is not support him, we ought to respect that and we ought to try to court them and what the campaign needs to do is court them.

Because for republicans, there is something very clear. They've seen President Clinton and they didn't like it, Don. And they don't like the idea of Hillary Clinton being president and they have this contradiction inside their own brain where they might not like Donald Trump but they hate the idea of Hillary Clinton being president. You can see it happening inside them.

At the end of the day...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Well, that's what basically what they're saying. They're saying his comment was racist, I don't appreciate it or whatever.

LEWIS: Right.

LEMON: But he's better than Hillary Clinton. I don't know how much sense that makes because to think...

SCHLAPP: It makes a lot of sense.

LEWIS: Well, it doesn't make sense when you're the Speaker of the House and you can say he said something racist and I'm still...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: He said something awful.

LEWIS: ... and I'm still supporting him.

LEMON: He said something awful. But, you know, it doesn't mean that if you don't support him that you necessarily support Hillary Clinton, I guess.

SCHLAPP: Yes, it does.

LEWIS: No.

SCHLAPP: In America, let's face it, we elect either democrats or republicans in America and for all of these people who have the fantasies of idea there will a third party person and Gary Johnson is going to be president, get over it. It's so logical. It's either going to be Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, the republican nominee or the democratic nominee will become the next president.

(CROSSTALK) LEMON: But, Matt, who knows what's going to happen at the convention.

It could be Mitt Romney. Who knows? It could be somebody else that they -- that they -- because...

(CROSSTALK)

SCHLAPP: Mitt Romney, you know what? I wish Mitt Romney would just run because this pseudo running in the background is really wearing this all out.

LEMON: Hey, this is what the New York Times is reporting that "Donald Trump aides are discussing ways to keep him focus and quote, "more presidential" on the campaign trail over the next few weeks."

And so, one option they said, is to have his children and his son-in- law with him. More on the campaign trail, someone with him at all times.

(CROSSTALK)

LEWIS: I think he needs...

LEMON: He needs a sitter. He needs supervision. Is that going to work?

LEWIS: I would say Ivanka, Ivanka, Ivanka. She needs to be everywhere. In fact, maybe we could find a way to make her run for president.

LEMON: Do we have a -- I don't know if we have a video of Ivanka behind him last night as he was giving speech?

LEWIS: And Melania, right? They basically...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But they looked like they were saying, please, just don't go off script, don't go off script, don't go off script. As you look at them, Ivanka is like, "dad, don't do it."

LEWIS: I think, you know, at some point your kids do start -- you know, the roles reverse, right?

LEMON: Yes.

LEWIS: And I mean, I'm looking forward to the days when my kids can be my designated driver and take me to baseball games and I can behave like Donald Trump.

SCHLAPP: I think it's great. I think his kids are his biggest asset. I think he ought to be out there with his family. I don't think it's because he needs supervision. I think they bring out the best in him and I think that's a great thing. And if you have a wonderful family like that, you ought to showcase it.

LEMON: You ought to showcase it. But also listen to because he says all of them -- all of them tell him to be more presidential, but they say, all of them say he doesn't listen to them when he tells him -- when they tell him that.

SCHLAPP: But that's the candor that people love.

LEMON: Oh, boy.

LEWIS: He listened for 24 hours and it's like that, it's that...

(CROSSTALK)

SCHLAPP: Matt, you just don't like the guy, do you?

LEMON: No.

LEWIS: I don't like him, but it's like the construction site with the sign x number of days since the last major accident.

LEMON: Yes.

LEWIS: And how long can he stay on it.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: He's like -- he's like Snapchat, it's like it goes away in 24 hours.

SCHLAPP: I thought you're talking about Hillary Clinton scandal.

LEMON: Stay with me, both of you. Up next, Hillary Clinton weighs -- and speaking of Hillary Clinton, wasting no time slamming Trump but will it work?

[22:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Because a primary election season is over and now the countdown to the republican and democratic convention is on next month, is on where the parties will officially nominate their candidates.

Back with me, Matt and Matt, Matt squared, Lewis and Schlapp. That's a good show right there, right.

SCHLAPP: I like it.

LEMON: So, the presumptive nominee of course, is Hillary Clinton wasting no time turning her attention right to Donald Trump. She sat down with our Anderson Cooper or she did an interview with our Anderson Coper today. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: And contrast that with Donald Trump who set up a fake university, Trump University that committed fraud on people, who doesn't want to raise the minimum wage, who wants to go backwards when it comes to universal health care, who has proposed a tax plan that would just be great for billionaires and terrible for everybody else.

So, as we reach out and we talk about what's at stake in this election, I really believe a lot of Senator Sanders' supporters will join us in making sure Donald Trump doesn't get anywhere near the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, it looks like she's finding her footing when it comes to attacking Trump, Matt Lewis.

LEWIS: Yes.

LEMON: But do you think she's going to be successful where others have not been? Because no one has been able to penetrate that Trump on...

(CROSSTALK)

LEWIS: Well, two things are different. Number one, the general electorate is dramatically different than the republican primary electorate. And number two, I think the media shifted. I mean, I really do. I mean, it's hard to prove because, you know, it's sort of like the definition of pornography, you know it when you see it. And there is no doubt that...

(CROSSTALK)

SCHLAPP: Stop right there.

LEMON: Yes. I was like where you're going with that?

LEWIS: There's no doubt that you've got fine incidents of those of us in the media who being hard on Trump all along. But it does feel like in the past week something has changed and the scrutiny and the attention paid to Donald Trump has changed.

LEMON: Do you think that's in general or do you think it's because of his comments or what do you think?

LEWIS: Well, I think there are, you know, look, there are a lot of conservatives who would say this is a conspiratorial, that the media's liberal and that they sort of helped prop up Donald Trump this, you know, sort of flaws nominee.

SCHLAPP: Just to bring him down?

LEWIS: Once he gets the nomination is the...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: That is the biggest conspiracy theory.

LEWIS: Yes. I don't buy that. I think that it's more organic. I think that this is more a case of, you know, there were 17 candidates at one point. Trump now being essentially the nominee, it makes sense to focus on it.

But look, The Washington Post has about 20 supporters that covering him. There's going to be a lot of stuff that's going to come up.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But it's also too, there's also something shiny, right. There is something shiny like, what does this guy have to say? My gosh. Not much more. And then after a while you're like, he is serious, he is the presumptive nominee, now. Now he must be vetted like every other candidate.

(CROSSTALK)

[22:30:01] LEWIS: But it would be awesome if they did this back in January.

LEMON: Yes.

LEWIS: Let me just that I would love it if he had gotten this...

SCHLAPP: I'm not one that blames the press and bashes the press for their treatment of Donald Trump.

The bottom line is I think the more scrutiny and the more time these candidates have on shows like this is something like it's a positive thing.

And I think the American people are smart and they gave Donald Trump the most votes of any republican whose ever run in the primary.

And for Hillary Clinton in the interview she's had today to say she's going to run an issue-based campaign, and the next thing out of her mouth is that he is fundamentally unfit to be president of the United States, he perpetrated a fraud with Trump University.

I mean, she is on message. It's about issues and those issues are all about attacks on Donald Trump.

LEMON: Yes. Oh, my gosh.

SCHLAPP: So, this is going to be one humdinger of a campaign where they both go after each other.

LEMON: And it's just the beginning because...

(CROSSTALK)

SCHLAPP: And I give the -- I give the edge to Trump in that kind of a fight. He's good at this. She's not.

LEMON: Yes. Well, we have a new to talk about because he's saying, do you remember last night in his speech, I'm going to give a speech on Hillary Clinton to tell all about, you know, her and her husband and their dealings and what have you. So, we have to get to that. But let's talk about. This is Tom Friedman, because this was scathing,

right? Calling out a number of republicans who have been sending by Trump in the New York Times.

Here's what he said. He said, "Et tu, John McCain. You didn't break under torture from the North Vietnamese but your hunger for re- election is so great that you don't raise your voice against Trump? I hope you lose. You deserve to Marco -- you deserve to Marco Rubio. You call Trump a con man. He insults your very being and you still endorse him. Good riddance. Chris Christie, have you not an ounce of self- respect? You're serving as a valet to a man who claimed falsely that on 9/11 in Jersey City home to many Arab-Americans thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Christie is backing a man who made up a bold-face lie about residents of his own state so that maybe he can be his vice presidential -- vice president. Contemptible."

What do you guys think of this example?

LEWIS: Well, I think going after John McCain was a pretty scummy thing to do. But look, otherwise, I think there are some valid...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: He did but Donald Trump did say some pretty nasty things about John McCain, especially at the beginning of his campaign.

LEWIS: Yes. I don't know but I would have edited that out if I were ready, but I don't -- I'm full of surprise. So, you know, obviously he does something.

SCHLAPP: Yes.

LEWIS: But, look, but I think the larger point though, that he makes is valid. I mean, republicans right now are having to choose between -- you know, Donald Trump puts them in a bind.

I mean, on one hand, you could certainly make the argument that Hillary Clinton is going to appoint three lifetime Supreme Court justices who are going to radically change, you know, for a generation America, and so, you have to be a good partisan soldier and just sort of go with the nominee.

You know, the public has spoken the bastards. You know, let's go with the republican nominee. But the other side is principle and character. And the Donald Trump has said things that I think ought to be disqualified.

SCHLAPP: This is -- this is really not all that complicated. First of all, for Thomas Friedman to write about giving the advice to Republican Party and to the conservative movement on what they should or should not do with Donald Trump I think is pretty much absurd.

LEMON: Basically, he's saying that the Republican Party should start over. He said the grand new party needs a brand new party.

LEWIS: What he would like to have happened is for Donald Trump to lose and for Hillary Clinton to win.

SCHLAPP: Yes.

LEWIS: When he's trying to exploit the situation to his own benefit. By the way, Don, while they are still in the midst of a complete civil war and that's where poll after poll shows that up to 30 percent of Bernie Sanders don't ask supporters of Hillary Clinton.

LEMON: The New York Daily News prepared this front page and I'm holding up now. And it says to Paul Ryan, "Shameful Ryan for standing by his opponent."

Well, we continue to see Trump supporters do you think sticking by him when you see stuff like this?

LEWIS: Yes. I don't think this influence with that all.

LEMON: I'm with racist.

LEWIS: I don't think this -- but, look, I do think that, you know, here's the problem. So, conservatives for my whole lifetime and longer than that have had this problem where they have been attacked for being racist. And I think most of those attacks have been unfair and we have seen many, many examples where people then...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But this time?

LEWIS: This time there's some validity to it. So, the problem is, do you have this sort of, this muscle memory reflex that says this is what the left calls real mainstream conservatives. We must defend our guy. Or do you actually say, you know, some of the stuff is at the very minimum race...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes. OK. I have to run but how do you defend that?

SCHLAPP: How do I defend what?

LEMON: How do you defend the comment about the judge?

SCHLAPP: I don't defend the comment about the judge.

LEMON: You think it's a racist comment?

SCHLAPP: I think it was incredibly disparaging. I think it was stupid comment.

LEMON: You think it was a racist comment?

SCHLAPP: I think he minted against the judge. I don't think he meant it against all Mexican.

LEMON: But answer my question directly. Do you think it was racist? SCHLAPP: No. Because I don't -- because I don't think -- I don't

think it was an attack on Mexicans. I think he was incredibly inartful. I think he used terrible terminology. I think it was a damaging statement.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHLAPP: Because I don't -- I think injecting race, which I think Donald Trump does too much, cavalierly into politics is a disaster for this country. I think we should...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But why doesn't he say that it was an inartful and I...

SCHLAPP: I'm a -- I don't have to own everything he says, Don. I'm going to vote for him.

LEMON: No, no. I'm asking you, why doesn't he say that. Why doesn't he say, he won't apologize, he won't address it. All he would have to do for many people say, listen, I misspoke, it was inartful.

(CROSSTALK)

[22:35:00] SCHLAPP: My advice -- my advice to him would be to use words like that, but I think what he's saying is all I meant is I think this judge is a bad judge, and I think the judge is giving me a bad deal.

LEMON: Yes.

SCHLAPP: And that's what my comments and if that's what his comments were aimed at, he's got a right to make those comments.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

LEWIS: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you.

Coming up, Hillary Clinton made history last night. So, why is Bernie Sanders insisting he'll stay in the race?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The struggle continues. That's what Bernie Sanders told his cheering supporters last night, late last night really in the speech that was definitely not a concession to presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton.

Joining me now Kayleigh McEnany, CNN political commentator and a Trump supporter, Bob Cusack, editor-in-chief of The Hill, Maria Cardona, democratic strategist and a Hillary Clinton supporter, and CNN political commentator, Bob Beckel. Hi, Bob. How are you?

BOB BECKEL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hello. LEMON: Is everyone doing OK. Hello to everyone. Oh, my gosh. And then

we have Kayleigh in another location. There's really going to be conspiracy theories all over social media right now.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No conspiracy here.

LEMON: Kayleigh, no conspiracy. You just happen to be in New York for election coverage.

So, Maria, despite a disappointing evening last night, Bernie Sanders vowed to continue campaigning through the convention. Is getting out the right thing for him to do at this point, do you think?

[22:40:07] MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think that day will come. It's not going to be tonight, it's not going to be tomorrow, probably not going to be the day after tomorrow.

LEMON: But should he get out now do you think, or should he have concede it last night?

CARDONA: I think he needs to do this in a way that will bring his supporters along and, you know, a lot of people do believe that he should get out. I mean, it wasn't close. Right? She won by quite a large margin in terms of states, delegates and raw vote.

But let's be real -- and I can say this from personal experience because I was one of those supporters of Hillary Clinton the last time around.

LEMON: She got out.

CARDONA: It is hard. Yes. But not immediately. It was tough.

LEMON: Yes.

CARDONA: It was really hard. It's hard wrenching. You have to go through a period of mourning. I think he deserves this time. His supporters deserve this time. We need to come out of this united.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: So, he's got to go through the stages. I forgot how many of it that whatever stages of mourning.

CARDONA: Yes, absolutely.

LEMON: Bob Cusack, is he coming off, though, as an angry guy who, you know, lost the primary and...

BOB CUSACK, THE HILL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Well, it is a tough loss, no doubt about it. But, you know, on Saturday he said there's going to be a contested convention and now -- then he talked to President Obama.

CARDONA: Yes, he's the moderator.

CUSACK: I think Obama has handled this very well. He's really dialed it back and I think D.C. is going to vote next Tuesday, and then right after that he's going to get out.

LEMON: Bernie Sanders is what 74 years. He's been in politics for a long time.

CARDONA: Quite a long time.

LEMON: He's a big boy.

CUSACK: Yes.

LEMON: Come on. I mean, this is a...

CUSACK: He also wants to get a concession.

BOB BECKEL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, this gets a couple of things in mind. It is tough to lose and when Hillary Clinton concede, let's remember that most of her base support was democrat.

In his case, it's democrats and independents. And to bring down along for Hillary Clinton, the democrats will fall in line.

CARDONA: Yes.

BECKEL: I mean, I don't know of a contested race where you ask the supporters of the loser, are you going to be for the first woman as they say, no, I'm not going to do. They come around.

In Bernie's case, he's got lot of young, independent voters, young independent voters. And that's going to take a little time. I think, look, it's worth a week or two or three weeks...

CARDONA: Yes.

BECKEL: ... to build it up right, and plus the fact that Obama is going to say to him on Thursday, look, Bernie, let's try figure this out.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Don't read ahead in the textbook, Bob. He's going to say. I mean, they're going to -- I asked early if they are going to -- Dana bash, if they are going to have to come to Jesus and I think most people probably think that you're right, Bob, that they will.

Kayleigh, you know, Clinton congratulated Sanders on an extraordinary campaign. Would you have liked to have seen Bernie Sanders acknowledge Clinton's historic victory last night as well?

MCENANY: I think he did shortly into the speech. You know, he doesn't want to concede that there's a victory because he still thinks he's in this. And I actually do think he's in this maybe not in terms of getting pledge delegates but there is still a theoretical chance he could be the nominee, all be it a very small one.

I though he handled it well. I think he created a movement. He's very passionate about that movement. He's very authentic when it comes to supporting that movement. So he did just what he should.

I do want to quickly point out the real irony here that when Donald Trump it appeared he was going to be short of the 1237 delegates, however, he would win the popular vote, everyone was saying these were the rules, the rules are such that, it doesn't happen until the convention, until enough delegates get on your side.

Bernie Sanders technically is in the exact same situation. Look, he's lost the popular vote but technically it does not end until people vote on the day of the convention but we're not having the same discussion.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Well, it's different. I think it's different in that we were saying 1,237 when Donald Trump got to the 1237...

CARDONA: It was done.

LEMON: ... we said presumptive nominee. No one said he's not the presumptive nominee. It's going to go all the way to the convention. He said that's what everyone is saying and all of his other opponents said bye-bye, go and have it.

Bernie Sanders is not saying that. And as a matter of fact, I want to play something from, this is Jeffrey Toobin earlier today regarding Bernie Sanders

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: She won. I mean, all of this talk about Bernie Sanders and you know how nice you have to be. You know, there's a word for what happened to Bernie Sanders. He lost.

You know, and the idea that she has to spend the next several week, you know, coddling him and being nice to him, you know, if somehow is going to say to him maybe the president of the United States on Thursday, maybe Harry Reid when he sees him, cut the you know what.

You want Donald Trump to be president? Then fine. Go, be off in a petulant net. But I don't think Bernie Sanders wants Donald Trump to be president. And I think this incredible sort of coddling and worrying about Bernie Sanders is just outrageous and he ought to just get in line and just like Hillary Clinton did eight years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Maria, I was getting dressed to come in here and I watched that and I said, go, Jeffrey Toobin, not because of the affinity for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, but that's because how we operate in the real world.

When I go in to my boss' office he says, stop it.

CARDONA: Right. LEMON: This is what's happening. If you don't like it you know what you can do. That's how it works in the real world. Correct? Am I wrong?

CARDONA: Right. No. Absolutely. I would love to be a fly in the wall in the meeting tomorrow with President Obama...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But is he right?

[22:44:59] CARDONA: Well, he's right in the context that he did lose. But where I think we have to sort of broaden out the context, is that the coddling is not of Bernie Sanders, right? Hillary Clinton and the democrats are not doing this for Bernie Sanders.

LEMON: For the voters.

CARDONA: They are doing this for his supporters.

LEMON: Yes.

CARDONA: Acknowledging that his supporters are important. They are an important part of the Obama coalition. So, we want to do this in a manner where they feel like Hillary Clinton is also going to be fighting for them. We can't disparage that. I don't think that would be good for the party. At the end of the day, we have to be strong to focus on defeating Donald Trump.

LEMON: I have -- I've got to come back for both of you a question and I'm going to let you -- I'm going to let you answer this question on the other side of the break as it relates to this. All right. So, stand by for that. We'll be right back. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. We're going to talk about the electoral map. Because it takes 270 electoral votes to make it to the White House. OK. There you go, 270 electoral votes to make it to the White House. So, what does that path look like for Donald Trump?

Back with now, Kayleigh McEnany, Bob Cusack, Maria Cardona, and Bob Beckel.

OK. So, before we talk about that, here is my question.

CUSACK: OK.

LEMON: And Kayleigh, you remember when we all had this big panels and we were talking about the Sanders people and whether Bernie Sanders was setting his people up with false expectations.

[22:50:05] Because months ago, people were saying that it was virtually impossible. The math just wasn't there. Bernie Sanders just kept going on and on and on and saying we're going to do, we're going to do, we're going to do it, and now look what happened. So, what happened last night, whose fault is it? Is it Bernie Sanders

fault for setting up false expectations? First, Maria.

CARDONA: I think they are certainly part of that. And I've talked about this before...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: But people don't want to hear it. They were saying, you guys are in the media are just again...

CARDONA: Right. Absolutely.

LEMON: But you are reading the math that you read every election cycle.

CARDONA: And as a Clinton supporter, I was attacked, right, by all of these Bernie supporters because they were that, you know, the system is rigged. And that's another thing that I think is not -- is not healthy for the process.

You know, when Bernie Sanders talks about a rigged system, he is talking about -- he is talking down the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party infrastructure. He hasn't talked about that as much lately, which I think is great.

But I think when he does finally come out and say, look, people, we have to figure out how we come together because the last thing we want to do is give an opportunity for Donald Trump to step foot in the White House, he's going to have to talk about how Hillary Clinton won this fair and square.

LEMON: OK. All right. But, Kayleigh, what was different about it when it came to Donald Trump saying, you know, we can make it even though everyone is saying it's going to be a contested convention. Is that at that point, Donald Trump was the front-runner. Bernie Sanders was not the front-runner when he was giving people these expectations.

MCENANY: But here's the thing, Hillary Clinton does not have 2,383 delegates until the convention. The pledged delegates do not get her over the line. Theoretically, is she's let's say indicted tomorrow, it's not going to happen. Let's say it happens tomorrow. There's a theoretical chance that Bernie Sanders could be the nominee. And when all of the people were...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: OK. Stop right there. Stop right there. There's a very easy solution for that. If Bernie Sanders said -- and this is what I thought was going to happen last night and most people thought was going to happen last night, we have fought a great fight.

We have a movement. It's a revolution. We still have a very strong voice. We're going to have a voice at the convention. We have set up a platform for the Democratic Party but I need you to get behind me because we don't want Donald Trump in the White House. So, or I'm going to suspend my campaign and we need to get behind Hillary Clinton who won fair and square. So, I thought that's what was...

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: I think he'll do that next week when it's done, when the voting is done.

LEMON: OK. Yes.

BECKEL: One thing...

LEMON: So, hang on, Bob. So, Kayleigh, I'm going to let you finish your point. There was this -- there was this solution for that. All he has to do is say I'm suspending my campaign. If she gets indicted, he goes, here I am, I'm your knight in shining armor, I'm back. Go ahead.

MCENANY: No. But here's the thing. This is much bigger than all of that for Bernie Sanders because he's felt slighted from the very beginning in this process. When this process began, Hillary Clinton had 495 delegates behind her before a single person voted. It was 495 to zero.

Moreover, you look at the DNC debate schedule they had six debates in contrast to eight years ago when they had 28 debates. They felt slighted from the beginning.

And when Van Jones points out, you know, this is a process that needs to be addressed in addition to policies. I think that's as much of the slight that Bernie Sanders feels.

LEMON: OK.

MCENANY: He feels like it hasn't been fair and might have been different had the process been set up in a way that was fair from the very beginning.

LEMON: Bob Beckel?

BECKEL: Yes, can I have a point that Bernie Sanders is not been a democrat. It's only been in the last year. He does have the...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: He has no loyalty to the Democratic Party.

BECKEL: Whether the Democratic Party, his fundraising comes from people with small donations. He has no nationwide fundraising base. Here's a guy from a little state in Vermont who everybody laughed at when he started, sort of like Donald Trump, and all of a sudden the guys out there getting these huge numbers.

It is very difficult when you're in a presidential race, believe me it's difficult, to get a candidate to finally concede that it's over.

LEMON: Then who is it who said did he just hand the race over to Donald Trump? Who said that?

CUSACK: The chair.

LEMON: OK. The head of the DNC.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Howard Dean.

LEMON: Howard Dean. It's Howard Dean who said did he asked that question if he just handed it over.

CUSACK: Well, listen, I think Bernie Sanders has to get some policy stuff. He has said that he needs to get policy on fracking, on minimum wage or the supporters, he's not going to be able to snap his fingers and his supporters are going to back Hillary Clinton.

I think this is a process. I think they will get there or at the same time there has to be these discussions. There has to be a deal between Hillary and Bernie.

LEMON: OK. We started this by saying 270, you know, electoral votes. That's what you need to get to the White House. It's not -- it's not going to be as easy for Donald Trump as they might think it is, right? Especially when it comes to the demographics. Are you concerned about that, Kayleigh McEnany?

MCENANY: I'm not concerned because unlike the 16 candidates who stood alongside him on the stage, Donald Trump is someone who appeals to some of these rust belt states, some of these places where manufacturing jobs have been obliterated.

He puts in place states like Pennsylvania, he listed the 15 states he thinks he can -- he thinks he can turn. I think that that's bared out by polling. The Quinnipiac poll which showed him winning in Ohio. Just yesterday, the Florida polls show him up by one. That polling by the way was done in the midst of all of this judge controversy.

[22:55:01] LEMON: How many of these red states, blue states do you think he can turn red?

MCENANY: I think he can turn five or six red which it's through the right states that could be enough to win. I mean, I think he's a very strong candidate. But that's going to mean, Don, turning to the issues and really painting a policy contrast.

Here's where Hillary Clinton and I differ on jobs and foreign policy. So, I think he does needs to move in that direction and I think we'll start to see that.

LEMON: Do you think it's realistic that he can turn five or six states? Any of you?

CARDONA: No, absolutely.

LEMON: From blue to red?

CARDONA: From California to New York, if he thinks he can turn those states red, I think he's drinking too much wine.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Well, the general is about -- before we go on, the general is about addition and people in his own party are saying, so far, except for the speech last night, this is not about addition, this is about subtraction.

CARDONA: That's right.

LEMON: Because he's not speaking to it...

(CROSSTALK)

BECKEL: Yes. Listen, let's cut through this stuff about blue collar workers in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

CARDONA: Thank you.

BECKEL: They have been discounted a long time ago. They have been with the Republican Party and there are not enough of them. Right now, I've got Donald Trump a little over 100 electoral votes and he'll be lucky, he'll be lucky to hold on even the base.

CARDONA: Yes.

BECKEL: My only fear right now is somehow to figure out a way to get rid of Trump before the convention. That's my fear.

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: And this white collar...

BECKEL: Because he's going to lose -- he's going to lose republican states.

LEMON: Yes.

BECKEL: He is going to lose republican states.

LEMON: Bob Cusack, you got to jump in here. These were these guys but...

CUSACK: I think anti-trade message he's got a shot to win some of these states but there's one poll in Utah, he's up by three.

LEMON: OK.

CARDONA: And in these rustbelt states right now, these polls, she is actually ahead. She is ahead.

LEMON: All right.

CARDONA: With that argument doesn't hold any water.

LEMON: Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Kayleigh, in New York. See you soon in person.

MCENANY: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: I appreciate you joining us.

When we come right back, is Donald Trump playing the race card and is everyone a little bit racist? The truth may not be as black and white as you think.

[23:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)