Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Donald Trump Becomes Republican Presidential Nominee; Ivanka Trump Makes the Case for Her Father. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 22, 2016 - 09:00   ET

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


[09:00:03] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, and thank you so much for joining me. I am live in Cleveland, where the Republican National Convention just wrapped up.

Hello, everyone, I'm Carol Costello.

Donald Trump says times are scary, but he is the man to fix it. The billionaire, capping a wild convention week, accepting the Republican nomination. In his 75-minute speech, Trump painting the nation in a state of crisis, and told voters, he should be their choice. He is the country's law and order candidate.

Next hour, Trump is said to meet with volunteers before saying goodbye to Cleveland.

CNN's Phil Mattingly has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the biggest speech of his life, Donald Trump declaring America is in crisis.

TRUMP: Not only have our citizens endured domestic disaster, but they've lived through one international humiliation after another.

MATTINGLY: At times, painting an exceedingly dark picture of the state of the country.

TRUMP: The attacks on our police and the terrorism of our cities threaten our very way of life.

MATTINGLY: The Republican nominee speaking ominously about the dangers of illegal immigration.

TRUMP: Where was the sanctuary for all of the other Americans who have been so brutally murdered and who have suffered so, so horribly?

MATTINGLY: And portraying America as a broken nation that he is uniquely qualified to bring together.

TRUMP: Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it. MATTINGLY: Trump's message for the public, "I'm with you."

TRUMP: People who work hard but no longer have a voice, I am your voice.

MATTINGLY: Rejecting globalism, Trump insisting America first.

TRUMP: USA. USA.

MATTINGLY: His key theme, restoring law and order, to a country he says has been overwhelmed with crime and violence.

TRUMP: The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon, and I mean very soon, come to an end.

MATTINGLY: Trump, blaming America's ills on his rivals Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration.

TRUMP: This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton -- death, destruction, terrorism, and weakness.

MATTINGLY: Casting Clinton as a politician, controlled by donors.

TRUMP: She is their puppet. And they pull the strings.

MATTINGLY: And the Republicans as the party of truth.

TRUMP: If you want to hear the corporate spin, the carefully crafted lies, and the media myths, the Democrats are holding their convention next week, go there.

MATTINGLY: His attacks revving up the Cleveland crowd, but the nominee showed signs of restraint, quieting calls to send Clinton to jail. Instead focusing on the fight ahead.

TRUMP: Let's defeat her in November.

MATTINGLY: And avoiding using his popular moniker, "Crooked Hillary," a stark difference from his boisterous rallies.

In the longest acceptance speech in 40 years, Trump reinforced the key promises of his campaign.

TRUMP: We are going to build a great border wall.

MATTINGLY: While dialing back on others, like his proposed ban on all Muslims entering the U.S.

TRUMP: We must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism.

Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

MATTINGLY: The Republican nominee challenging conservative orthodoxy by sharply criticizing America's trade deals and denouncing foreign policy of both Democratic and Republican administrations.

TRUMP: After 15 years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before.

MATTINGLY: Trump making history as the first Republican nominee to embrace the LGBTQ community at a convention.

TRUMP: I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and depression of the hateful foreign ideology.

MATTINGLY: The New York billionaire completing his improbable takeover of the Republican Party, though it hasn't been smooth sailing this week, with Ted Cruz's endorsement snub and the plagiarism controversies involving his wife.

[09:05:11] Trump and his running mate, tying to project a united front and hoping Cleveland gives them a boost heading into November.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And, Carol, it's worth noting Donald Trump's advisers have made very clear, it's no secret, this is a deliberate effort on their part. They are seeking to reach out to a certain segment of society, those who have felt disenfranchise, those who have felt behind by the economic recovery. The big question going forward, in the weeks and months ahead, as Donald Trump very clearly is going to stick to this theme, is that a broad enough swath of the general electorate to actually win in November. No one really has the answer now.

But Donald Trump and his advisers making clear again last night, they're not shifting off that message any time soon -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Phil Mattingly, reporting for us this morning. Thanks so much.

Donald Trump is officially the head of the Republican Party. And last night, convention goers were ready to follow him to the White House. I was there on the convention floor last night. The excitement was palpable.

I got to talk to some of the delegates right after Trump left the stage. Listen to what they told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch this guy from the beginning, and I said that will -- that man will be president some day. I think he is going to bring America back. He is going to get them excited again. He is going to bring business back. He's going to create jobs. He is going to -- he's going to make it exciting. People will understand what we saw 20 years ago, 30 years ago. We haven't seen that. We're going down. We need to go up.

MARILYN, RHODE ISLAND DELEGATE: I look forward to Donald Trump as president. I think he really is the answer right now. And this is just over-the-top excitement.

COSTELLO: What in his speech especially resonated with you?

MARILYN: Well, I think everything about law and order. I think a country with no borders is not a country, and the fact that he is there for the American people. He is there for the military, which is critical. And I think he is such a winner in everything he does. That's what America needs because America has always been a winner. We need to go back to that.

LARRY, RHODE ISLAND DELEGATE: I was very encouraged by what Mr. Trump said. I thought he was delightful, he was charming. His family is charming. And I think with him as president, you not only get him, he get the minds of his sons and daughters, who I thought knocked it out of the park this week. Hopefully we'll have a change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, so let's talk about all of this. I'm joined by the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, Larry Sabato, and Republican strategist and Donald Trump campaign surrogate, Boris Epshteyn.

Welcome to both of you.

Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. So, Larry, Donald Trump had to hit it out of the park after a rather chaotic week. Did he?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: No, the speech was too long. It was too angry. It spoke to his base, but it didn't broaden his coalition. And that's what he needs. Now I'll have to say this. His speech was better than most of the rest of the convention. This was not a particularly successful convention, and I've attended them all in both parties since and including 1976. I would put this down in the group of divided conventions, where clearly even in the convention hall there were lots of people who didn't like what was going on.

COSTELLO: I can see Boris shaking his head.

Boris, you didn't think it was a dark speech? You thought it was uplifting?

BORIS EPSHTEYN, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN SURROGATE: Well, it was obvious that Larry and I were in different halls. I was in the hall as well. First of all the party is absolutely not divided. Go into the convention, 82 percent of Republicans are already behind Donald Trump and I will predict the number will go up substantially by the time the elections come, and just coming out of the convention.

The convention was an absolutely success. The whole family spoke beautifully. You have this media narrative about Melania's speech. Mrs. Trump gave a wonderful speech. And the speeches by Don Jr., Tiffany, Eric, and of course by Ivanka yesterday showed the family side of Donald Trump, the side of a man who is a leader but as someone who's also nurtured. It was so important.

And as far as Donald Trump's speech, over 70 percent of people in this country think we're going in the wrong direction. So he spoke to those people. He is speaking to the people who don't feel safe. We see the attacks happening not just all over the word now, in Nice, in Paris, in Brussels, we're seeing it happening here, in Orlando, in San Bernardino. They want to feel safe, want a leader who will not just make us safe --

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about --

EPSHTEYN: -- but also improve the economy.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about that theme of law and order because, Larry, in his speech, Trump cited a lot of crime statistics, including homicides ticking up in some cities which is true, but that's after a general pattern of decades of decline for violent crimes. And another example of that, for example, he didn't pick out the cities where the homicide rates have actually dropped. He only cited the cities where the homicide rates rose. Why cherry-pick that kind of information?

SABATO: Well, because he is a partisan selling his own candidacy and Hillary Clinton will do the same thing in hers.

[09:10:05] That's where parties tend to be similar. But the fact checkers, the fact checkers today, Carol, are going bonkers because there is so much to fact check and they're finding things that aren't quite right.

Look, if people want to understand what Donald Trump is doing, go back to --

(CROSSTALK)

EPSHTEYN: That was a generic comment. Can you give specifics?

SABATO: Look at the Richard Nixon campaign from 1968, it was the law and order campaign. Look at his TV ads, he talked about restoring law and order in America. He talked about a year later the silent majority. It's the same kind of campaign.

COSTELLO: So let's talk about that phrase, law and order, because one person who really embraced that message, Boris, unfortunately, was the former clan leader, David Duke. He seems to be Donald Trump's nemesis, right? David Duke quoted, "Great Trump speech, America first, stop wars, defeat the corrupt elite, protect our border, fair trade. Couldn't have said it better."

So, you know, there is still that thing out there, Boris. Why do you think that is?

EPSHTEYN: Because the media is driving it. We're not talking about the reaction of the speech --

COSTELLO: I didn't put the words into David Duke.

(CROSSTALK)

EPSHTEYN: David Duke, as a citizen, he can say whatever he wants. Well, you can talk about the reaction by Hailey Barber, by Orrin Hatch, by the -- you know, the GOP folks who were in the hall last night, by the folks who spoke and all the positive reaction to the speech. Instead, you're picking out one person who is -- you know, is not representative of the Republican Party or of the movement that's behind Donald Trump. And that's what we're talking about.

What we need to be talking about is this is an individual in Donald Trump who is uniting not just the Republican Party, which is absolutely happening and happened, but is uniting America and a movement of making America great again and make America first.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about unifying. Right?

EPSHTEYN: Sure.

COSTELLO: Because one demographic is unifying is blue-collar Americans. That term blue-collar billionaire came up again, Larry. In fact, when Donald Trump was talking about his father, Fred, he talked about how his father would mingle with the people who worked with him. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He was a guy most comfortable in the company of brick layers and carpenters and electricians. And I have a lot of that in me also. I love those people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You know, he went on to say, Larry, that that group of people have been the forgotten people in America. And I think that does really resonate with that particular demographic.

SABATO: Sure, his base is non-college, blue-collar, and that's why if he breaks through anywhere with Republicans, it will be in the rust belt states. So I think that's absolutely true. That's where he draws this support. Where he loses support, of course, as your analyst, Ron Brownstein has documented beautifully, is among the college educated. He is drawing a lower percentage among college educated Americans than any modern Republicans.

And by the way, with so much unity, where was former president George H.W. Bush? Where was former President George W. Bush? Where was Mitt Romney, the last nominee? Where was John McCain, the Republican --

(CROSSTALK)

EPSHTEYN: Liberal narrative, Larry. Thank you very much for that. That's a liberal narrative and you're talking about specific individuals. First of all, as far as George H.W. Bush goes, immense respect for George H.W. Bush, but I'm not sure his health would allow for him to be at the convention.

SABATO: Hold on. Let me --

COSTELLO: No, he said he would not go.

EPSHTEYN: As far as George W. Bush foes and Jeb Bush goes, again, these are men who made a choice, made a decision. But we worry about the 14 million Americans who came out and voted for Donald Trump, voted for him in the primaries, more than for any Republican, more important than any candidate in the GOP primary, more important than for Reagan, more than for Eisenhower, and you're talking about specific individuals.

Why aren't we talking about the GOP luminaries who were there? Again, people like Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, most of the House, most of the Senate. You're just picking at specific individuals who chose not to attend. Well, you know what, that happens. But we as a party are concentrating -- are unifying America. Not dividing and using the basic examples of people who didn't come or saying, quote-unquote, fact checkers saying certain things aren't true but not coming up with any examples, Larry.

COSTELLO: I gave you an example, Boris. I did give you an example. And we did -- we did fact check. And you know, I just like to put things into perspective.

EPSHTEYN: As far as specific parts of the cities?

COSTELLO: As far as the cities.

EPSHTEYN: Can I answer that as well?

COSTELLO: The homicide rate is going down in cities like Boston, in Detroit, New York City, this year alone, the homicide rate, the crime rate has dropped 25 percent. That wasn't mentioned in Donald Trump's speech last night.

EPSHTEYN: But does that mean some people --

COSTELLO: Those are from the FBI. Right?

EPSHTEYN: And that's true.

COSTELLO: Unless you don't believe the FBI.

EPSHTEYN: And that's great for those cities, but does that mean people living in Chicago, living in Detroit feel any safer? It does not. Chicago is a city that is absolutely decimated now. It needs to be fixed. It needs to be fixed via law and order. It needs to be fixed by fixing the economy.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: There is no doubt about that. I'm not arguing that. I am just saying --

EPSHTEYN: But what's wrong -- isn't it great for Republican candidates to talk about the inner cities? COSTELLO: It is great. And I hope that he'll lay out specifics as

how Donald Trump plans to fight crime in those cities and stop it right now. And maybe he'll do that, you know, as the convention wraps up. I have to leave it there, though.

[09:15:11] Boris Epshteyn, Larry Sabato, thanks to both of you.

SABATO: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM: Donald Trump's kids make a passionate case for their father. Did they deliver the message other speakers could not?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The final night of the Republican National Convention culminated in the most critical speech of Donald Trump's life. But before Trump hit the stage, his daughter, Ivanka, commanded the spotlight, painting him as a champion for women, while fellow billionaire made history.

CNN's Jason Carroll has more for you on that.

Hi, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, Carol. You know, you talk to Trump supporters and they say without a doubt that Ivanka trump delivered the speech of her life last night. They feel as though she delivered on all fronts.

[09:20:02] She basically talked about what it was like growing up with her father, portrayed a softer side of her father, all while laying the foundation of why her father is the best candidate for women and communities of color.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: Like many of my fellow millennials, I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat. More than party affiliation, I vote based on what I believe is right for my family and for my country.

CARROLL (voice-over): Donald Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka trying to broaden her father's appeal, branding him the people's nominee.

IVANKA TRUMP: My father values talents. He recognizes real knowledge and skill when he finds it. He is color blind and gender neutral. He hires the best person for the job, period.

CARROLL: Ivanka Trump making the case to female voters.

IVANKA TRUMP: At my father's company, there are more female than male executives. Women are paid equally for the work that we do and when a woman becomes a mother, she is supported, not shut out. He will fight for equal pay for equal work. I will fight for this, too, right alongside with him. CARROLL: Her speech caps four days of personal testimonies from

Trump's children and his wife Melania.

IVANKA TRUMP: In the same office in Trump Tower where we now work together, I remember playing on the floor by my father's desk, constructing miniature buildings with LEGOs and erector sets, while he did the same with concrete, steel and glass.

My father taught my siblings and me the important of positive values and a strong ethical compass.

CARROLL: It wasn't just a family affair. Trump's business partner and personal friend of 40 years, Tom Barrack, touting a side of Trump many may not know.

TOM BARRACK, REAL ESTATE INVESTOR: He has the beautiful habits. He shows up on time. He believes that punctuality is the courtesy of kings. He doesn't confuse efforts with results. He befriends the bewildered.

CARROLL: And in an historic moment, openly gay tech billionaire Peter Thiel receiving a rousing response after making this statement.

PETER THIEL, INVESTOR AND INTEPRENEUER: Every American has unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all, I am proud to be an American.

CARROLL: Thiel insisting conservatives are focused on the wrong social issues.

THIEL: Now we are toll that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?

CARROLL: His comments come as the Republican Party is facing criticism for passing an anti-LGBT platform which stands in sharp contrast to Trump's view on gays.

DONALD TRUMP: I will do everything within my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology. Believe me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And, Carol, one delegate from Ohio, who was actually a Kasich supporter , telling me very, very late last night that he felt as though Donald Trump stayed on message, in terms of Ivanka Trump, he told me she felt as though she hit the mark as well.

The campaign waiting to see what sort of bump now they get after this convention, waiting to see if they're able to bring more people under the tent, if you will, after those speeches last night -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I also talked to a Kasich supporter right after Mr. Trump's speech last night. He said you know, I have mixed feelings, because I feel such an affinity for John Kasich, but his mind seemed to be open. Is that what you found?

CARROLL: Yes, I mean, at least with this delegate that I spoke to, I mean, he clearly had some questions about how effective Ivanka Trump or the other Trump children could be out on the campaign going forward as surrogates. But in terms of the performances last night, he felt as though Donald Trump did what he needed to do. He felt as though Ivanka Trump did what she need today do as well, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Jason Carroll, reporting live for us. Thanks so much.

Just how pivotal were the children during the twists and turns. I'm joined by CNN political analyst and editor in chief of "The Daily Beast", John Avlon and Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton.

Welcome to you both.

So, Ivanka Trump, she electrified the crowd. She was poised. She spoke very well. Some people said she kind of talked like a Democratic, because she talked about equal pay and affordable child care. But that was music to the ears to the working women who were in the audience last night.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure, I mean, look, first all, she came out as an independent, a position for millennials.

[09:25:00] And she did get a lot of applause for policies that are not traditionally backed by the Republican Party, expanding parental leave, support for married mothers. It is great to hear that.

But again, it's about the gap between the rhetoric and policy reality, and something that needs to be bridged. If Donald Trump wants to adopt that policy, then he's got to be sure that Republicans back it as well.

COSTELLO: Ken, I was curious, why didn't Donald Trump talk about child care and his plans to make it more affordable for women. Why did he leave that to Ivanka?

KEN PAXTON, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: He only had his period of time. He had a lot of issues that he wanted to get in there.

COSTELLO: He took a long time, Ken.

PAXTON: He took a long time, but maybe that was the kids cover issues he didn't have time to cover.

COSTELLO: But shouldn't heave, like, well, he did mention some things about women. What she said was particularly strong.

PAXTON: Yes, I do think he wanted her covering those issues. He was focused on the economy, on jobs, on protecting the nation, and also, Supreme Court justices.

COSTELLO: So when you take a look at the big picture, John, like how much -- I mean, how much do the Trump children help their father?

AVLON: I think they were enormously effective surrogates. Donald Trump presented a vision last night of midnight in America. It was dark. A lot of things to be afraid that go bump in the night.

His children gave the character reference that you need to see about him as a human being. His business partner I thought was also enormously effective. Notably, none of them went negative on Hillary Clinton. Instead, they talked about the father behind the scenes, the small acts of kindness.

That's essential. That's not the Donald Trump we've seen on the campaign trail. That's essential if anyone is going to trust them in the Oval Office.

COSTELLO: That was interesting. Ivanka did not mention Hillary Clinton.

I just want to play for our viewers some of the things the other Trump kids said in days previous to this to give them a sense of how much help they really did give their father. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

TIFFANY TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: My dad is a natural born encourager, the last person who will ever tell you to lower your sights or give up your dream.

DONALD TRUMP, JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: For my father, impossible is just the starting point. That's how he approaches business projects. That's how he approaches life.

IVANKA TRUMP: My father is a fighter. When the primaries got tough, and they were tough, h, did what any great leader does, he dug deeper, worked harder, got better, and became stronger.

ERIC TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S SON: Dad, you have once again taught us by example. You are my hero. You are my best friend. You are the next president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: So positive, they're enthusiastic, well spoken, right. So how much more will we see them on the campaign trail?

PAXTON: I think a lot because they're able to say things about their father that he can't even say about himself and for somebody like me who didn't know Donald Trump, to hear his kids talk about him the way they did, it is really encouraging both as parent and somebody that can lead our nation.

COSTELLO: There's a mixed bag, though, because I was talking to Republicans, just like around the convention site, right? One woman told me, you know what, I enjoy hearing Trump's kids, but what will they say bad about their father?

AVLON: That's probably a fair point. You're not going to throw your dad under the bus.

You know, look, I think by putting an emphasis on him being a good father, he deflects also implicitly from the fact that he hasn't been a particularly great husband historically. This is very unusual. I think it's good for America. He has been married three times.

The only or divorced one time president we ever had is Ronald Reagan. So, this is something new. It does reflect what a lot of modern families look like. That has not been traditionally embraced by the Republican party of the rubric of family values.

But there's no question he's been an effective father and his kids have grown into accomplished individuals in their own right. So that's a good character reference in its own right.

COSTELLO: The other interesting thing, Ivanka in her speech had specifics about how, you know, we might pay for child care. There are very few specifics in her father's speech. Why?

PAXTON: Again, time. I mean, he could have focused on --

COSTELLO: He had an hour and 15 minutes.

AVLON: It was longer than Obama and Romney put together, so you can't do time.

COSTELLO: At one point I was standing there and I thought he started the speech over. It was a long speech.

AVLON: There are so many topics. In reality, he covered a lot of different areas. The areas that I was interested in hearing about that I hadn't heard about. So, I actually thought it was a great speech. I think the delegates did too.

COSTELLO: They certainly did. They were chanting in all the right places, and for the most part, they behaved.

AVLON: Yes. You know, it was -- but it was a very dark speech focused on crime waves. I've been struck to see the specifics, the facts don't really matter. It's the impressionistic argument that we should be terribly afraid. That itself is sort of disturbing.

And look, it is a big bet on something negative, by trying to present yourself as the reincarnation of Richard Nixon and say that you're going to be the law and order candidate. Traditionally candidates have won when they have presented an optimistic vision for the nation and build broader coalitions. This does not seem the overall strategy of this campaign or this candidate.

COSTELLO: I have to leave it there. Ken Paxton, John Avlon, thanks so much.