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U.K. Votes to Leave European Union and PM David Cameron Steps Down; Trump Hails Vote for Brexit as Vindication of His Politics; U.S. Markets in the Red; Two Officers Caught in Gunman's Crossfire. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 24, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:33:43] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And we are seeing Brexit affecting the stock market. The Dow down 580 points, as you see right there. We're waiting to see if it does go down to 600. Expectations are that this will fall even more; we'll be keeping an eye on that ahead of the closing bell.

Well this Brexit bombshell landed in perfect time for Donald Trump. Just a day ago the Republican presidential nominee was criticized for going way off the campaign trail to promote his new golf course in Scotland. But in doing so, Trump has given himself a prime backdrop to explain why Brexit bodes well for him.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I really do see a parallel between what's happening in the United States and what's happening here. The people want to take their country back. They want to have independence, in a sense; and you see it with Europe, all over Europe. You're going to have more than just -- in my opinion, more than just what happened last night. You're going to have, I think, many other cases where they're going to take their borders back. So I think you're going to have this happen more and more; I really believe that.

I think it's happening in the United States. It's happening by the fact that I've done so well in the polls.

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KEILAR: Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is in Scotland; he's traveling with Donald Trump there. Jim, Donald Trump, perhaps not surprisingly, put some of this blame for Brexit on President Obama.

[14:35:02] JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: That's right, Brianna. Donald Trump sounded like he hit a hole-in-one today, here in Scotland, at his golf course here in Turnberry. He hailed this vote for Brexit, here in Great Britain, as a vindication really of his brand of politics: against illegal immigration, against the flow of Syrian refugees across the world. He also took a jab at President Obama blaming the president for wading into British politics, saying that was a bad idea. Here's more of what Trump had to say.

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TRUMP: I was actually very surprised that President Obama would have come over here and he would have been so bold as to tell the people over here what to do. I think that a lot of people don't like him. I think if he had - if he had not said it, I think your result might have been different but when he said it, people were not happy about it; and I thought it was totally inappropriate.

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ACOSTA: Now before Donald Trump took these questions today, Brianna, he talked at length about his golf course. It almost felt like he was having us all out here today to do a commercial for us golf properties, but he also talked about what he believes is a sort of business acumen that he can bring to the White House. He feels like his skills are what America needs right now and I asked him at one point during this press conference, well, how is running the country like running a golf course? Here's what he had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: No, it's not; but you'd be amazed how similar it is. It's called, it's a place that has to be fixed, and there's nobody that knows how to fix things like me, and there's nobody that knows how to build like me.

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ACOSTA: As you said, Brianna, at the top of this, it was unusual to see Donald Trump, who's running for president, over here basically on a business trip when so many republicans back in Washington wish he were at home, attending to his campaign back there. But, this ended up being almost impeccable timing for the presumptive GOP nominee and even though politics, back in the old days, used to stop at the water's edge, Donald Trump noted today that President Obama has attacked him while he's been overseas. He didn't mind going after President Obama here at this golf course.

Brianna, I thought it was sort of stunning in the way that he went after David Cameron, the British Prime Minister who announced earlier today that he's stepping down later on this year, after this Brexit vote. At one point, just before the end of this press conference, Donald Trump, when he was pressed on this, asked where is David Cameron? Just another example of how unconventional Donald Trump is. He doesn't really care about the rules of diplomatic relations overseas, and he demonstrated that again today; but he also felt as if he was vindicated, big-time, when it comes to his band of politics. Brianna?

KEILAR: Jim Acosta traveling with Donald Trump in Scotland; thank you, Jim. And we did just hear from Donald Trump. Earlier this hour, President Obama weighed in. What will the political impact be here in the United States? We will be discussing that next. We're back after a quick break. You are watching CNN's special live coverage.

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[14:42:19] KEILAR: Just moments ago, President Obama weighed in on the U.K.'s historic vote to leave the European Union.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A few hours ago I spoke with Prime Minister David Cameron. David has been an outstanding friend and partner on the global stage, and based on our conversation, I'm confident that the U.K. is committed to an orderly transition out of the E.U.

I do think that yesterday's vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges that are raised by globalization. But while the U.K.'s relationship with the E.U. will change, one thing that will not change is the special relationship that exists between our two nations; that will endure.

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KEILAR: Let me turn now to Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny, as well as Phil Mattingly. Phil, you listened to the President's statement on Brexit. What jumped out to you about it?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, it was really one of those lines you just heard. It seemed almost like a throw-away line, as he was talking about the way forward both for the U.K. and with the E.U., and that was when he said "the vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges raised by globalization." That's exactly right; that's at the core of everything that occurred, not just in the U.K., but that we've seen kind of across Europe and even in the United States.

Now the President himself has delved into this occasionally in interviews in the past but there's a lot here to dig into. A lot of people that are disappointed with the current state of their economy, disappointed and

disillusioned with their political leaders, with their business leaders, this is the direction things have headed. I think the President,

along with a lot of top political leaders, right now, are trying to figure out how to engage with that and perhaps how to figure out a way to solve the problems that that may lead to, Brianna.

KEILAR: Jeff, there's no way around it: this has been a pretty tough 24 hours for President Obama. First, you had the rebuke of one of his key executive actions on immigration reform yesterday, with the Supreme Court splitting, and now this. He did not want Brexit, and here it is.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: He didn't indeed. In fact, he did a pretty rare step; he actually went to Great Britain and said, you know, while I don't have a vote in this, he certainly urged a stay vote. So the reality here is it has been a tough couple of days. What's so interesting, as Phil just saying, on an interconnected through global thought, I mean, the President hits this challenge right on the head there when he said this is the growing pains, if you will, of globalization.

But for the president, there wasn't much they could do to control this outcome, obviously. I mean, he can do very little to influence elections here in the U.S., as we've seen, with midterm races in 2010 and 2014. He certainly can't influence referendums and elections other places here but there's no doubt he will deal with this.

It's more important, I think, for the next president, whoever he or she may [14:45:01] be, that they will be dealing with this new challenges in the global economy as it just stretches and constricts here. The ongoing story here is of course the relationship with the U.S. and the U.K. will continue but it's, more importantly, how Europe reacts to all of this, and that's a huge challenge for the next president.

KEILAR: Phil, Donald Trump seemed to say that what happened today is a good sign for him, that this is an indication of how his campaign will turn out. Is he right in that regard?

MATTINGLY: I think it's always a little bit dangerous to think that everything that happens in the world is directly analogous to a U.S. campaign, as much as we try and make it that way; but there's no question, there are fundamental elements of what occurred in the U.K., what's occurring across the E.U., to some of what we've seen here.

If you look at polling, if you talk to -- as Jeff and I have both done, if you go to Trump rallies, talk to the voters there, the frustrations, the concerns, the fears, whether it's economy, whether it's about immigration, a lot of the top line points that we saw in the U.K. Brexit vote, that we saw in the debate over there, are very similar top line elements to what we've seen in the U.S. Again, I don't think it's necessarily directly the same, and I think a lot of people in both campaigns have cautioned reading too much into what happened over there but there's no question there are similar elements. Brianna?

KEILAR: There is much dissatisfaction and folks are signaling it loud and clear. Phil Mattingly, Jeff Zeleny, thank you guys so much.

Coming up, we have reporters all around the globe. They are covering the global reaction to this story, including from Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he understands why this happened; next.

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[14:44:15] KEILAR: We are only just starting to feel the impact of Britain's unprecedented vote. The departure of the U.K. from the European Union, surely, will have long-term political and economic consequences across the globe. CNN has reaction from around the world on this.

I want to start with CNN's Erin McLaughlin. She is in Brussels; Erin?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: Brianna, E.U. leaders spent the day trying to reassure people. We've heard messages of unity, sorrow, regret, respect for the democratic process, but also messages of resilience. E.U. Council President Donald Tusk saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

There's also deep and growing concern here in Brussels about the rise of [14:50:01] Euro-skepticism. We've already heard calls for referendums in countries such as France and the Netherlands. That's very concerning to E.U. leaders, and that will most likely impact any sort of exit negotiations that commence with the U.K. I spoke to one senior diplomat who told me that there will be no niceties in all of this. He also said that no E.U. leader wants a British referendum to be an attractive option to other E.U. member states. Brianna?

KEILAR: Erin, thank you. I want to go now to Senior International Correspondent, Matthew Chance; he's in Moscow. Vladimir Putin weighing in on this, Matthew?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: Yes; Putin is being cast, Brianna, as perhaps the only world leader who benefits from this Brexit vote, this decision by Britain to leave the European Union. Michael McFaul, who is the former ambassador to Russia saying that Putin wants a weak Europe. The U.K. vote weakens Europe, therefore Putin wins. So, you know, this is the thing behind it.

He's under sanctions from the European Union. He's got a policy of trying to undermine Western institutions, like the European Union. So he's being said to be very much sort of the winner out of this Brexit vote.

That's something Putin categorically denies, saying he's got no direct interest at all in the outcome of this vote, the fact that they voted for Brexit, saying it's simply a matter between Britain and the European Union. He's blamed other things though. He says it's about the weak financial situation in Europe; stronger countries, like Britain, having to support weaker ones; also about the way the refugee crisis in Europe has been handled. These are the reasons, he says, that Britain voted out of the European Union and nothing to do Russia's interests.

KEILAR: All right, Matthew Chance; thank you. CNN International Correspondent Will Ripley is in Paris for us. And some there, Will, -- this is what all eyes are on, because some there are calling for France to follow suit.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brianna, because public opinion polls show that here in France, especially in the rural areas outside of Paris, the European Union is even more unpopular than it is in Britain and if a referendum were held here there could very likely be a similar result. It's part of the reason why there's really a sense of urgency from the French Government late today, saying they want to move forward very quickly with this divorce and also saying, really, that the European Union needs to be fixed. It's almost as if leaders across Europe, France, Italy, Spain,

Germany, all today, coming out with statements that they understand people are frustrated with the inefficiency, all of the regulation and a lack of trickle down benefit. People feel like social laws are being imposed on them. They're unhappy about how the E.U. has handled the migrant crisis. They are afraid of the threat of terrorists and not convinced that the E.U. is doing everything they need to be protected.

Of course, the big fear among European leaders, if populist parties start to rise, and France's populist party continues to gain power here, that there could be more countries demanding referendums; Europe could break apart. The French president saying what took decades to build could take a very short time to destroy, making Europe, and the West at large, much weaker in the face of threats from Russia and an increasingly assertive China. Brianna?

KEILAR: Will there be a domino effect, that's the big question. Will Ripley, thank you so much.

Coming up, in the wake of the U.K. vote to exit the E.U., U.S. markets in the red, considerably, as we head into the last hour of trading. We are live at the New York Stock Exchange next. Plus, President Obama weighing in on this historic vote. What will be the fallout of the so-called Brexit here at home? We're back after a quick break.

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[14:58:03] KEILAR: Two officers caught in the crossfire as a gunman goes on a shooting rampage in Santa Monica, terrifying a college campus and leaving carnage across the city. Now, those officers speaking out in this week's "Beyond The Call Of Duty."

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KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officers rushed toward reports of gunfire. It's June 7th, 2013, Santa Monica, California Police are in the middle of a citywide rampage. First, a house on fire, two people dead inside. Then, random gunfire, a man with an ar-15 style rifle shoots a woman in this car. He's on the move, spraying bullets into a city bus, injuring passengers.

The library at Santa Monica college, two people shot in their SUV in a campus parking lot, another gunned down as the gunman walks into the building.

ROBERT SPARKS, POLICE OFFICER, SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: I ran towards the library.

LAH: Santa Monica Police Officer Robert Sparks was just eight blocks away. At noon, students and staff packed the library. You can see them scrambling. the gunman slowly pacing. He's killed five people across the city already; his rifle visible, as he methodically moves room to room.

SPARKS: I heard shots that sounded like a rifle. LAH: As Officer Sparks runs to the front of the library, another Santa Monica cop arrives with Santa Monica College Police Captain Ray Bottenfield. Bottenfield, off-duty and in regular clothes, only has a small handgun.

RAY BOTTENFIELD, CAPTAIN, SANTA MONICA POLICE CAPTAIN: We knew what we had to do.

SPARKS: I just said let's go. All right, we're going to form up and we're going to go find this guy. And there standing, with his back to us, was the suspect. He turns and points his rifle at us. you see that he's wielding that gun one handed, shooting at us while getting shot at, and getting hit.

LAH: In your mind, are you thinking this guy is shooting at me?

BOTTENFIELD: It's something that I wouldn't wish any officer to have to go through.

LAH: After you fire your weapon, what is that like, as an officer?