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Trump Meets with VP Contenders; Clinton Slams Trump; Cameron Sterling's Speech. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 13, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00] REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D), LOUISIANA: They go through as well. And we have to be serious about this.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, congressman, we've got to wrap it up. We're out of time, unfortunately, but we'll continue these conversations.

Congressman Cedric Richmond of Louisiana.

That's it for me. The news continues next right here on CNN.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Berman, in for Brooke Baldwin.

If you were going to Indiana today, you could be the next vice president of the United States. Donald Trump engaging in a virtually unprecedented public vetting process to pick his running mate and doing it right now.

Jeff Sessions, Alabama senator, on his way to Indiana. Newt Gingrich, he was already there. He had lunch with Trump and family. Breakfast was a surprise sit-down with Indiana Governor Mike Pence at his place. And the presumptive Republican nominee brought the kids. Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka, her husband, Jared Kushner. A Trump advisor says the younger Trumps are pushing Mike Pence, but we are told Trump's own instincts are telling him to go for another governor, New Jersey's Chris Christie, the one guy on earth not in Indiana today. But I suppose there in spirit, at least. And he did meet with some of the Trump family yesterday.

So what is going on? CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash in Indianapolis right now.

Dana, tell us everything.

DANA BASH, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK, well, first and foremost, Donald Trump is still here in Indianapolis. Remember, he was supposed to leave yesterday, but ended up staying to have dinner with Mike Pence. He had breakfast, as we were report real time on location with Mike Pence and his wife, and the adult Trump children this morning.

Then he came back here and had a meeting with Newt Gingrich. That has wrapped up. We saw Newt Gingrich leave, along with Trump's family and his - the person who's running his campaign right now, Paul Manafort. They have all left. But again, Newt - excuse me, Donald Trump is still here.

Why is he still here? Well, Jeff Sessions, who is somebody who had been talked about for a potential running mate a while ago but has been more of an advisor type, he is coming to meet with Donald Trump. He actually flew on a plane with our own Sunlen Serfaty. We haven't seen him come in the building yet, but that is what is going on right now.

So, those are kind of the palace intrigue nuts and bolts that have been going on, again, real time, all morning, as we have - as we have watched. And, John, you mentioned in your intro that this is almost unprecedented. And it's true. This is - we've kind of been having internal e-mail exchanges about what reality TV show this is most like, whether it's the "Apprentice" or "The Bachelor," who's going to get the rose. But most of this, I'm sure in your history and your experience covering presidential politics and this very intense VP vetting process and finalization, is done a lot more cloak and dagger, behind the scenes, quietly.

This is not being done that way. It's certainly the decision making and the discussions are all in private. But the fact that we know a lot about the meetings is kind of unusual.

BERMAN: I'm going with "The Voice." I want to know which candidate's going to get four chairs.

And, Dana, along those lines, you know, talk to me about Chris Christie because he's the one guy not in Indiana today. But he did get some sit-downs with the family, which seems to be key here.

BASH: Exactly. The thing to remember about Chris Christie is that he is a unique figure in this list of finalists because he is genuinely very close with Donald Trump. They've known each other for almost 15 years. And, more importantly, he has kind of become his political north star since Chris Christie endorsed Donald Trump before the primary season was over. So they have conversations a lot. In fact, Christie, as we speak, is in Washington, D.C., working on transition issues because his formal role now in the Trump campaign is to lead up and head up a potential transition to a Trump administration. So keep that in mind.

Having said that, he is very much on the list, I am told. He is very much still in the running to be Donald Trump's running mate. The two of them talked this morning. My understanding is that they did talk about the VP process. But, again, it - I should underscore, we shouldn't read too much into that because the two of them do speak a lot.

But, more importantly, as you mentioned earlier, I was told that Chris Christie went to Trump Tower yesterday, while Donald Trump was here in Indiana having an event, went to Trump Tower and met with Ivanka Trump, with Jared Kushner, Ivanka's husband, and also with Donald Trump Jr., and had a meeting about the VP process. So that kind of gives you a sense of how much he is still in the running.

[14:05:10] But my understanding is that, you know, there are very different kinds of approaches that these finalists are taking. Newt Gingrich, I am told by a source, asked to come here. He flew to Indianapolis in order to have a meeting with Donald Trump because Trump is actually going to the West Coast from here. He's going to - for fundraisers in California. So he is being a lot more aggressive in that. And Chris Christie is being more - less obvious about it, but just being what he has been for some time, which is a trusted advisor.

So for somebody who goes with his gut, like Donald Trump, that might play into it. But then, of course, we can't forget Mike Pence, who had several meetings now over the past 24 to 48 hours with Donald Trump and their families.

BERMAN: All right, stand by, Dana. I want to bring in CNN political commentator Amanda Carpenter, who used to be communications director for Senator Ted Cruz, who is not, we believe, in Indiana today, and Andrew Weinstein, a former spokesperson for Newt Gingrich.

Amanda, who is it? Who's it going to be? I mean, seriously, everyone - today, everyone's guessing. No one knows for sure.

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right.

BERMAN: Maybe even Donald Trump doesn't know for sure. But, you know, Mike Pence leads the meal count right now. He's had two meals with Donald Trump over the last 48 hours.

CARPENTER: Yes.

BERMAN: So that, plus what you're hearing from officials inside and outside the campaign, if you had to bet, it seems to be people are saying probably Mike Pence.

CARPENTER: Yes, but I would say my money is still on Newt Gingrich. I feel like Trump is putting us through a dog and pony show of sorts. He's sort of parading Mike Pence around saying, look at me meet with him. Will this make it better for me among Republicans and conservatives?

I think Donald Trump wants to see who gets a pop. Who's going to help him bring unity at the convention. He's not getting that with Mike Pence. I understand that a lot of Trump insiders think Pence is the guy, but people who are in the never Trump camp want to see Trump put someone around him who has the guts to stand up to him every once in a while. Someone who can say, listen, Trump, that's not constitutional, you can't do it that way, here's an alternative.

Mike Pence doesn't fit that bill for me. Neither does Chris Christie. And although I think people have a lot of decent reservations about Gingrich, they know they would bring - he would bring him that advice.

BERMAN: So, Andrew, you used to work for Newt Gingrich and you've suggested that he should turn the job down if he gets offered the job. However, let me tell you, asking to fly to Indiana so you can meet with Donald Trump when he's meeting with other people, it doesn't have the look of a guy who wants to turn it down. It looks like just the opposite. ANDREW WEINSTEIN, FORMER SPOKESMAN FOR NEWT GINGRICH: No, I have no illusion that Newt read my op-ed and then suddenly decided that he was going to pull himself out of contention. But I do think that Donald Trump is a walking repudiation of everything that Newt represented in terms of conservative principles and policy issues. Newt worked for the first balanced budget in a generation and Trump's plan would add $10 trillion to the deficit. Newt was a free trade advocate who helped get NAFTA through and Trump needs no explanation when it comes to his threats to start trade wars around the world. Immigration. Newt was looking for some rational reform and voted for it when he was in Congress.

You go down the list and there are very few issues where the two of them actually seem to agree on the policy. And Newt, for a generation of young conservative activists, was a person who led the party out of the wilderness, led it back to taking over the House for the first time in 40 years, served as an inspiration on policy matters, and I hope, and I - I actually have written that I would urge him to serve as an inspiration in just troubled periods likely to follow this election and help rebuild the Republican Party, rather than joining the Trump ticket.

BERMAN: Now, Amanda, what do you make of the public process here? Everyone's joking. We've all made jokes. Everyone here in the last ten minutes about this being like a reality show. But what's wrong with doing this out in the public and trying to generate excitement? You're trying to win a campaign here and build excitement leading up to your convention and it appears to be working.

CARPENTER: Yes, I think this is a fine thing to do because Trump does need some buy-in from Republicans who don't trust him. So this is a fine way to go about it. I just, you know, for all this hype about Mike Pence, I have such a hard time seeing how there's any chemistry on these dates. I mean these are two guys that operate in different planes of existence. Donald Trump is a bull in a china shop, a trash talker. Mike Pence is genteel, kind, considerate, conservative, Christian. I don't even know what language they talk to each other in. And so I think this is a big head fake, but there's a lot of people, you know, Trump supporters who want to see him pick Mike Pence because they think it's going to win people that supported Cruz over. I'm not sure it will provide that to them, but that's what they're thinking.

[14:10:01] BERMAN: That language might - it might just be politics. All right, Dana Bash, Andrew Weinstein, Amanda Carpenter.

Dana, if anyone else shows up in Indianapolis, call us. We'll take the call right now to find out if anyone else is being vetted.

Thanks so much, guys.

Moments ago, Hillary Clinton just unleashed on Donald Trump over race relations, his comments about the Constitution and more.

Plus, an emotional plea from the young son of the man killed by police in Baton Rouge. What he is now asking Americans to do. And a live look now at the White House where President Obama,

preparing to meet with law enforcement. Hear what he is doing today and tomorrow night to discuss race in America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: President Obama, moments from now, will meet with leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement and law enforcement. He's going to bring several mayors into the conversation as well about how to keep the protests peaceful and bring about better relations between police and minority communities.

This as Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, gives her own message of healing and unity, but not all healing and unity because she slammed Donald Trump hard at a campaign event in Springfield, Illinois.

[14:15:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And in times like these, we need a president who can help pull us together, not split us apart.

And that is why I believe Donald Trump is so dangerous. His campaign is as divisive as any we have seen in our lifetimes. It is built on stoking mistrust and pitting American against American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Divisive and dangerous at a time, she says, when the country needs unity. That is her clear message. Brianna Keilar, CNN's senior political correspondent joins us right now.

And, Brianna, it wasn't just that message. She went after him on everything, including his constitutional prowess.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. She did. She went after Donald Trump, calling him a divider. She described him as dangerous. Something that we' heard her say a lot, John.

But she also went after him questioning just how much substance there is to what he said in the wake of a report coming from House Republicans who met with Donald Trump last week where someone asked him in that meeting, would he defend Article One of the Constitution, and he said he would defend Article One. He would defend Article Two. And he would defend Article 12 even. Of course, there are not 12 articles. There are seven articles in the Constitution. Obviously, some sort of confusion on his part. And Hillary Clinton took aim here in Springfield, Illinois, today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Given what we have seen and heard, do any of us think he'd be restrained? And he has shown contempt for and ignorance of our Constitution. Last week he met with House Republicans in Washington to try to assuage their serious concerns about him. One member asked whether he'd protect Article One, which defines the separation of powers between Congress and the executive branch. Here's the answer he reportedly gave. "I want to protect Article One, Article Two, Article 12." Well, here's the thing, there is no Article 12. Not even close.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: But, largely, Hillary Clinton's comments here today, John, were based around the recent violence that we have seen. The police- involved shootings of black men in Minnesota, in Louisiana, and then the killing of white police officers by a black gunman in Dallas. That was really what she based her comments on around today.

And, remember, Hillary Clinton has some vulnerabilities herself. Even as she calls for criminal justice reform, because of her support in the 1990s for anti-crime legislation that ultimately helped contribute to this era of mass incarceration that she now speaks out against.

BERMAN: We just lost - we just lost Brianna Keilar, who was in Springfield, Illinois, where Hillary Clinton just spoke. You heard Hillary Clinton was talking about race relations. Also talking about Donald Trump. Two things she will continue to talk about, I think, for the remainder of this election, just as he talks about her for the remainder of this election. We'll get back to that in just a moment.

First, I want to show you a powerful moment from Alton Sterling's teenaged son today. We first saw Cameron Sterling last week when he broke down in tears hours after his father was shot and killed by police outside a Baton Rouge convenience store. But this morning, standing near the very spot where his father died, the 15-year-old offered this message to protesters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON STERLING, ALTON STERLING'S SON: I feel that people in general, no matter what the race is, should come together as one united family. There should be no more arguments, disagreements, violence, harms. Everyone should come together as one united family.

My father was a good man. That was a sacrifice to show everyone what has been going on in life. And it should give everyone a push that everyone should be together, not against each other.

Everyone needs to be in - on one accord. Not a different note. Everyone needs to be together. Not apart. And I truly feel that my father was a good man and he will always be a good man. But at the same time, he has a lot of loved ones out here that are really here to support me, my mother, the rest of my brothers and sisters, and my father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:20:02] BERMAN: Everyone needs to come together, not apart. A message from a 15-year-old.

Joining me now, CNN's Don Lemon and Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson. He is also the author of "Under Our Skin: Getting Real about Race, Getting Free From The Fears of Frustrations That Divide Us."

Along those lines, you just heard that 15-year-old young man talking about being united. You heard President Obama yesterday said that the nation is not as divided as everyone has been suggesting. Is he right, though, Ben? I mean I've been listening to people the last week. There are a lot of times this doesn't seem like a united nation.

BENJAMIN WATSON, BALTIMORE RAVENS TIGHT END: It doesn't at all. It doesn't at all. And that statement actually reminds me of the young man whose mother was murdered in Charleston, when he came forth and he talked about forgiveness. And I was just amazed at his character. And that - that speaks volumes for him to be able to say that.

But, you know, unity is something that we are grasping at I think right now. And when you look at social media, you look at things that are happening on TV, you see everyone's response to all these things that are happening, you realize that there is a lot of disunity in this country. There has been for a very long time. We are in a much better place than we were, but, obviously, we still have a long way to go.

BERMAN: Right, because President Obama's speech yesterday, Don, looks like a Rorschach test, right?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

BERMAN: I mean there were people saying it was just right. There were people saying that he should only be talking about the police. There were people who were saying, why wasn't he in Baton Rouge or St. Paul? You had three different responses to the same speech.

LEMON: Yes, depending on which side you're on pretty much. And for the people who just want, as Cameron Sterling says, peace, I think the president hit it just right. I think that the president, if he didn't talk about one he was going to get criticized. If he did talk - he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

So I think he did what was right. He honored the people who had died. He honored their service, their family members, the police department, and he talk about the issue that we have when it comes to different members of the community and policing. So I think it's sort of your reaction to it is where you are on the political spectrum. If you don't like President Obama, then you didn't like the speech.

BERMAN: Ben, President Obama's meeting at the White House today. He's talking. You know, Don Lemon, you're hosting a town meeting tonight where there will be a lot of talking. President Obama's going to another town meeting televised tomorrow night where there will be a lot of talking. How much can the talking do?

WATSON: They're doing a lot of talking is what you're about to say. We're doing a lot of talking and that's very important, but the talking has to be - has to be entered with humility. There has to be honesty. We have to be able to honestly say how we feel about these situations as a white man, as a black man. How do we look at the same situation and have totally different perspectives of what happened? What are our biases and our prejudices and our racism that we need to confront and repent from and forgive?

It's not good enough just to talk about it. There needs to be action. And that - and that young man pointed to unity. And unity comes by seeing people the way God sees them. It comes from seeing people with inherent value. That life has value from the womb to the tomb. Life has value and how we treat people is a direct reflection about how our Heavenly Father treats us.

BERMAN: But, Don, people are going to -

LEMON: (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: I bet you people yell and get angry on your show tonight.

LEMON: And we want them to.

BERMAN: Of course.

LEMON: But then we - but we - you said unity. That is a big part.

WATSON: Yes.

LEMON: But for me the biggest part is empathy. So as I was listening to the president yesterday, I wasn't listening to him as, you know, someone who is a Republican or a Democrat or what have you. I was listening to him as an American who has empathy for police officers, who has empathy for people who are out in the community who feel and who are being victimized by certain members of the police department.

WATSON: Yes.

LEMON: Not all members. And we keep saying that, not all members. We know that, not all members of the police department. Most members are good. Not all members are - do bad things. We should not have to couch that. We know that policemen are good on the whole.

But there are some who do some very bad things. There are some who carry badges and they carry weapons and they do shoot people and they do overuse their authority. So I think what we - what we're going to do is hash is out. What we're going to do tonight, John, is get to the conversation, right, because when you say "town hall," it's about the town. When you talk about the victims, yes, honor them, but we're going to also listen to people in the audience, hear from police officers, hear from certain members of the community and we will hash it out tonight and you're going to be involved.

WATSON: Yes, there's not a lot of listening that's going on.

LEMON: There's not a lot of listening.

BERMAN: Certainly not.

WATSON: There's not a lot of listening. As you mentioned, things being politicized and no matter where you fall in the spectrum, that's what you thought about the president's speech. There's not a lot of listening because we all have our guards up. And immediately when someone says black lives matter or all lives matter in response, we get defensive. And it has to come to a point where you say, you know what, I may not agree with you right now, but I'm going to give you the chance to explain yourself and just maybe let me put myself in your shoes for a minute. I might not agree with you -

LEMON: Yes.

WATSON: But let me experience what you're experiencing and it might be valid.

LEMON: Stop judging and listen. Listen.

BERMAN: Just one practical question. But you have five children?

WATSON: Five children, ages seven to 10 months.

BERMAN: Congratulations.

LEMON: Good Lord. (INAUDIBLE).

WATSON: My wife is - is awesome. She's unbelievable. I'm get - I got -

LEMON: Are you awake right now?

WATSON: No, I'm on auto pilot.

BERMAN: If your children were a little bit older right now -

WATSON: Yes.

BERMAN: Because they're not quite of age for that yet, but would you want them going to some of these protests around the country right now? And how would you tell them, what should they be saying and doing?

WATSON: My children are plenty old enough to see what happened. I remember when the Eric Gardner situation happened in New York. My daughter, who's seven now, she saw it happen and she said, daddy, what are they doing to that man? And it was a time for me, as well as my white counterparts, to explain to her what happened and the implications of it all.

[14:25:09] I would not want her to be out on the street doing protesting, though, because things happen. It's dangerous. But with my kids, race is something that is very important for us all to talk about in our homes. The living room, the dining room is where change is made. The bedroom, where we play with our kids before we go to sleep, or we tell them that, you know, you're no better than anyone else simply because of the color of your skin, because of your economic status, because of your talents. You're not better than anybody. That is where as fathers, as mothers, we teach our children. We don't - we don't shelter them from the reality of the world. We tell them. But it's our job to filter that information through and give it to them in a way that they can positively affect the world when they get to that age.

LEMON: Just quick, John, just quick. When black parents have to have the talk with their kids, right?

BERMAN: Sure.

LEMON: I think white parents should have the talk with their kids.

WATSON: Yes.

LEMON: And the talk with their kids for white parents should be about racism and about bias. Maybe you don't have to have the talk with your child about how to handle yourself around police officers, but maybe the talk that we should start establishing in white homes is about how certain people in society are treated.

BERMAN: A good place to start reading, Benjamin Watson's book, "Under Our Skin." It's a good place to start watching, Don Lemon, your special tonight here on CNN at 10:00. It's called - what is it called, "Black, White and Blue in America," live tonight, 10:00 Eastern, don't miss it.

Benjamin Watson, Don Lemon, thanks a lot.

LEMON: Thank you, John.

WATSON: Thank you.

BERMAN: Next, the war of words between Donald Trump and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Did she go too far by jumping into the political arena and slamming the presumptive Republican nominee? Is Trump going too far by saying her mind is shot?

And moments ago we just got a response. Maybe a non-response from the White House.

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