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Donald Trump Caps GOP Convention Week; Clinton Expected to Reveal VP Pick Today. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired July 22, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:54] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello live in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Republican National Convention has just wrapped up. Thanks so much for joining me.

Donald Trump says times are scary but he is the man to fix it. That was the message last night from Trump as he capped off a wild convention week and accepted the Republican nomination.

Trump not ready to say good-bye to Cleveland just yet, though. You're now looking, well, you're going to be looking at live pictures any minute now. Trump is expected to meet with volunteers at the Westin Hotel before he heads out of town.

Let's get right to CNN's national correspondent Jason Carroll, he's at that hotel right now.

Good morning, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Carol. You know, Donald Trump is saying he is the one and he is the one alone who can fix the problems with the country. He gave a speech last night that was one of the longest speeches that we've seen from a GOP nominee in some 40 years. His supporters say he hit all the right marks, Carol. He said what he needed to do. His critics say he painted somewhat of a bleak picture of the country saying that the country is in a moment of crisis, that the cities are plagued with crime and violence.

Placing the blame squarely at the feet of the president and Hillary Clinton, he said he going to be the law and order candidate, saying that he is going to restore law and order the day he takes office.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

Americans watching this address tonight have seen the recent images of violence in our streets and the chaos in our communities. Many have witnessed this violence personally. Some have even been its victims.

I have a message for all of you. The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon, and I mean very soon, come to an end. America is far less safe and the world is far less stable than when Obama made the decision to put Hillary Clinton in charge of America's foreign policy.

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: Let's defeat her in November, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So, again, Carol, Trump supporters say -- Trump said exactly what they wanted to hear. His critics say once again that his speech was somewhat dark. And specially when it came to the issue of illegal immigration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Our convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation. The attacks on our police and the terrorism of our cities threaten our very way of life. Any politician who does not grasp this danger is not fit to lead our country.

ISIS has spread across the region and the entire world. This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton, death, destruction, terrorism and weakness.

Nobody knows the system better than me --

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: Which is why I alone can fix it. We are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration. We must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism. Until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place, we don't want them in our country.

[10:05:09] The most important difference between our plan and that of our opponent is that our plan will put America first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Carol, I spoke to one Latino donor who put it to me this way. They felt as though Trump missed the mark in terms of talking about the issue of illegal immigration and here's the reason why. She felt as though what he was trying to do was constantly making this link between illegal immigration and crime, rather than pointing out examples of immigrants who come to this country who contributes to society, who are successful. She felt as though that would have been far more effective.

Trump on his part did make attempts to reach out to the LGBT community. As you know, Peter Thiel was a speaker last night as well. He's the billionaire, co-founder of PayPal. He received a standing ovation. But on the flipside of that, you've got critics who say if you look at the GOP platform which does not support gay marriage, supports conversion therapy, they say it's not about what you say, it's about what you do -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jason Carroll reporting live for us. And we'll get right back to you as Mr. Trump starts to thank volunteers at the Westin Hotel here in Cleveland before he takes off for home.

You know, it was also a big night for Ivanka Trump. While making her case for her father on the final night of the convention, she tried to brand the billionaire as a people's champion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: My father values talent. He recognizes real knowledge and skill when he finds it. He is color blind and gender neutral. He hire also the best person for the job, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ivanka also talked about what it was like to grow up with Donald Trump as a dad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I. TRUMP: If it's possible to be famous and yet not really well known, that describes the father who raised me. 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 importance of positive values and a strong ethical compass. He showed us how to be resilient, how to deal with challenges and how to strive for excellence in all that we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Many say Ivanka and her siblings were the stars of this convention, helping to sell their father as a blue-collar billionaire.

Before we get into this, I want to show you a picture of Mr. Trump's new campaign plane. There it is. OK. This is a separate plane that -- Mr. Trump will be using a different plane but this is for Mike Pence and his family. It will be flying into Indiana a little later today. But we just thought we'd show you that new Trump campaign plane because now his campaign is officially under way for him to become president of the United States.

OK, so let's talk about last night and Donald Trump's big speech. I want to bring in our panel, CNN political commentator and Donald Trump supporter Andre Bauer, the executive director of the Independent Women's Forum Sabrina Schaeffer, and "New York times" columnist, Ross Douthat. He's also a CNN analyst.

Welcome to all of you. So, Andre, I know you were listening to Donald Trump's big speech last night. As you were listening what went through your mind?

ANDRE BAUER, FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Well, number one, Lee Atwater and creating a bigger tent. This was a message that didn't just play to the base, this played to folks that could be moderate Democrats, independents and it played to those folks that really don't know where their party is.

The guy that gave me a ride over this morning, I asked him what he thought. He said I've never been a Trump fan but I though he really reached out and crossed some lines that I wanted to see him say, and he thought it was the best speech he'd ever heard. I thought he did -- as far as from Donald Trump, I thought he did a great job, and it was quite refreshing to say the least.

COSTELLO: And Sabrina, I think that Ivanka Trump started her speech by saying, I'm not a Democrat or Republican, I'm from the millennial generation, so I'm sort of an independent. I talked to delegates about that and that resonated, at least with the women I spoke to from Rhode Island.

SABRINA SCHAEFFER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INDEPENDENT WOMEN'S FORUM: Sure, I mean I certainly think that she was appealing and attractive and she touched on some important issues. Presumably it would have been nice to have been hearing about some of the issues that she touched upon, the suite of workplace policies that she referenced, the challenges that working mothers face, much earlier in the campaign.

I know obviously the Independent Women's Forum works tirelessly on these issues and we work with a lot of partners in Congress who are eager to sort of do something constructive on these issues. But that being said, I think it was a step in the right direction for the campaign.

COSTELLO: And, Ross, do you agree? Because Mr. Trump did mention the gay community and it got a big positive result from the crowd. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: As your president, I will do everything in my power to our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and depression of a hateful foreign ideology, believe me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:10:21] COSTELLO: So, Ross, what do you suppose that means? Because the Republican platform does not support same-sex marriage.

ROSS DOUTHAT, COLUMNIST, NEW YORK TIMES: Well, I mean, Trump is clearly trying to make a play for essentially gay votes in the aftermath of the nightclub shooting in Florida. That's sort of the short version. The longer version is that Trump doesn't care about the platform. Trump is not a religious or social conservative. Trump made a very passing reference, sort of thanks to evangelicals for supporting him, even though he probably didn't deserve their support, and then promised sort of these liberties.

But his speech didn't mention abortion. There was no traditionally Republican narrative of family, faith, community and so on. Trump is trying to forge a very different party. And he's forging it through a kind of critique of the bipartisan consensus. That's what the speech was really about. On trade, on foreign policy, on immigration. He was attacking both Democrats and Republicans. George W. Bush implicitly as much as Hillary Clinton. And that's what he's trying -- that's basically what he's trying to do. He's trying to take the Republican Party in the direction it hasn't gone before.

COSTELLO: And, you know, when he talked about trade, though, Andre, you know, and renegotiating trade deals like NAFTA, that didn't get a big reaction from the crowd. What do you make of that?

BAUER: Well, number one, he's not worrying about the crowd. He didn't get elected a lot by that crowd. This is a different Republican Party. He had -- 16 worthy opponents, no chance of winning a year ago, and he won, and he won resoundingly because the people out in the streets are fed up with the status quo. They're fed up with both parties, not just the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, they want difference. And he is actually he's got -- I think he has his finger on the pulse of the heartbeat of America more than any other politician in current times.

COSTELLO: Sabrina, I was on the floor of the convention while Trump spoke and he did get a massive reaction from the crowd. The people I talked with loved him. But the challenge for him of course is to be more inclusive when it comes to different types of voters. Did he accomplish that last night?

SCHAEFFER: I certainly did not feel that way. I mean, look, I am all for the modernization of the Republican Party. I think that we absolutely need to grow the conservative movement to include women and younger voters and voters of color and voters of all ages. But what I heard last night was there was no hope, there was no optimism, there was no confidence in the American people.

This was about instilling fear and sort of anger. And not incompetence in government or existing institutions but in this one man. And that's what made my stomach turn. I want to have confidence that our government will take a step back, allow the American people to flourish, allow them to have the freedom for -- to have economic opportunity and job creation, and to carve out lives that work for them. I did not take that message away from last night.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Donald Trump said --

DOUTHAT: Absolutely not.

COSTELLO: Go ahead, Ross.

DOUTHAT: I was just going to say that's --

COSTELLO: Hard for me to hear but go ahead.

DOUTHAT: Did not in any way a sort of Reaganite conservative speech. This was a -- it had no ideological vision of smaller government. It was a strong man speech. You know, where Trump basically said, I alone can solve all these problems. You know, come under my wing and I will protect you. And there's a sort of rhetorical effectiveness than that. I think the speech actually read better on the page than it played. I think Trump ended up sounding too much like a strong man, sort of always, you know, always taking one tone and shouting his way through it.

But that's where we are. It's not there's -- you know, there's an ideology here but it's a nationalist ideology and Trump is its father figure basically and that's the campaign he's trying to run.

COSTELLO: And Andre, I will say, because Donald Trump said many times, you know, I'm going to fix this problem right now, but he didn't say how, and he's talking about big complicated problems. Is that really possible?

BAUER: Well, the contrast here is eight years ago we had a great orator who promised hope and change. And it didn't move in that direction. Anybody can paint you a great picture, he said, look, we have real problems in this country. I'm a CEO. I've done it starting with the Commodore Hotel when I was a young man. I've taken it with an ice skating rink, I've changed the New York Skyline, and I did it by surrounding myself with competent people and listening to others.

And he's demonstrated it through his whole life. It's not just, I'm talking about this great thing. He's changed so many things that he put his finger on. And he's saying, hey, I want to do that for the American public.

[10:15:02] We're not where we want to be. We're not the great country we were after World War II. And I want to take us back to that greatness.

COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Andre Bauer, Sabrina Schaeffer, Ross Douthat, thanks to all of you.

And once again, we are waiting for Donald Trump to address volunteers in Cleveland at the Westin Hotel. When he begins speaking -- you see the podium set up there and people are waiting for him to speak. When he starts speaking, of course, we'll bring that to you live. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: After a long, long night last night, Donald Trump expected to speak at any moment now at the Westin Hotel here in Cleveland. All those people gathered are volunteers. Donald Trump just wants to thank them for what they did for him during the convention in Cleveland, Ohio. In fact, last night, there were many thanks given from the stage to the people of Cleveland for their friendliness and for how well-run this convention really has been.

Donald Trump expected to speak again at any moment. When he does of course we'll bring it back to the Westin Hotel.

All right, decision made. Sources telling CNN that Hillary Clinton has made her VP pick.

[10:20:03] But she's playing it very close to the vest for a little bit longer at least. People close to the search say she's poised to give us a name sometime today as she tours Florida. And tomorrow the new duo will reportedly appear together in Miami. CNN's Joe Johns live in Orlando with more. Hi, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. We got a look this morning at the podium for the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia for the first time. The question this morning is, who will stand at that podium with Hillary Rodham Clinton as her running mate next week. It's been a methodical process for her. Interviewing a number of individuals. Sources close to the process tell me it's certainly been about demographics, it's about what certain individuals might bring to the table.

And it's also about fit, how these candidates would fit together as they move through the campaign, through November and beyond, if they were to win. At the top of the list we're told is Tim Kaine, the senator from Virginia, also former a governor of that state, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. So a lot of people like him and think he's going to be it.

Other names that have been mentioned, Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture secretary, the former governor of Iowa, a person who could bring in, they hope, voters from rural areas and small towns.

Another name that's been mentioned more frequently of course, that is the name of Senator Cory Booker. He comes from the state of New Jersey. We were staked out outside his place earlier this morning. He's a name that has been talked about much more recently, people like him because of his eloquence and his ability to address many of the underlying Democratic issues that they've been pushing for so long.

Now another name I think that a lot of people have not talked about as much but very important to say, he's high on the list, that is Tom Perez. He happens to be also in the cabinet of President Obama. He would be the first Hispanic nominee for vice president of the United States.

Many other names on the list. The question is, what is Hillary Clinton going to do? We do know she'll arrive here early afternoon in Orlando. On a solemn note, she'll be sitting down with the mayor and others of Orlando to talk about that mass shooting that occurred so recently in this area.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: All right, Joe Johns, reporting live from Orlando this morning.

So let's talk about this. With me now is Chris Kofinis, a Democratic strategist and former communications director for John Edwards. And Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of Crate Inc.

Welcome to both of you. So, Chris, why make the announcement today?

CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I mean, strategically, you want to kind of step a little bit on, you know, the Republicans coming out of their convention. It's kind of a -- you know, it's the right moment. Kind of gives you some time to build some tension going into the weekend. And then you basically are set for a strong convention. So it's going to happen today. And the question is, you know, who and, you know, I think it's maybe becoming the worst-kept secret in politics. I think it's going to be Tim Kaine. At this point, if it's not Senator Kaine, I'll be surprised.

COSTELLO: Jamal, do you agree? Is it going to be Tim Kaine?

JAMAL SIMMONS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: That's certainly what all the tea leaves seem to be pointing for. And I got to tell you, I think Tim Kaine is probably a good choice for picking a partner in governing the country but I'm not sure he's the best choice in terms of winning the election. You know, right now, if you look at what happened yesterday, Donald Trump is the most -- you know, he's tapping into anger, he's tapping into passion. And Bernie Sanders, he taps into anger, he taps into passion.

This is going to be an election that has a lot to do with passions. And I'm not sure what passions Tim Kaine will ignite among the Democratic constituency that has to turn out to get Hillary Clinton elected.

COSTELLO: Well, when you talk about passion, of course Senator Elizabeth Warren comes to mind, right? So why not --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For sure.

COSTELLO: Why isn't she at the top of the list, Chris?

KOFINIS: Well, you know, it's a good question. And Jamal actually makes I think some really good points. You know, we -- you know, we've been doing a bunch of focus groups around the country over the last year. And it's -- and even the ones the last few weeks. And the reality is that Trump, whether you like him or not, speaks to more to that dissatisfaction and that frustration that so many voters have towards the political system, towards the economic system, towards elites.

And you know, you've got to speak to that. That is a real emotion that voters have. They may not trust where Trump is going to take the country but they do feel that. And you have to kind of balance it out.

I think Tim Kaine is what I would say a safe pick. He's -- you know, I think he's a good man. There's -- you know, I've met him a few times. I think he's a reasonable man. But in terms of, you know, energizing that liberal base, you know, I think -- I'm not sure he's going to do that.

[10:25:06] I'm not sure he's not going to do that. It's going to depend, the reality is, you know, he's a name that not many people know outside of Virginia or outside D.C. politics. So how he's introduced over the next few days if he's the pick is going to be really critical to how people react not just the base but even more importantly amongst those moderates or undecided voters out there that are wondering how they should vote come November.

SIMMONS: I mean, Carol, just think about this for a second.

COSTELLO: And Jamal --

SIMMONS: On one hand, you've got Donald Trump, who's a 70-year-old billionaire reality star. On the other hand, you had Bernie Sanders, who is like a 73-year-old avouch socialist that the Democrats were willing to nominate or wanted to nominate, many of them. The question is, is this a time for safety and moderation and stability or is this a time for Democrats to stand up and fight for something? Are there really any undecided voters left between Trump and Clinton? I don't think so at all.

I think there are undecided voters between, do I vote for the person of my party or do I stay home on Election Day? The Democrat have to get those people who ought to vote for Democrats to show up.

COSTELLO: And Chris, you have to admit that there are few -- there are a few candidates, Democratic candidates, that really inspire excitement in Democratic voters, very few. And Hillary Clinton is not one. So why not pick a candidate that at least inspires passion and excitement?

KOFINIS: You know, it's a really -- I struggle with the answer because I think there is a tendency in politics and Jamal and I are both in there, where in campaigns you kind of -- you know, revert to the safe decision, the risk averse decision. For a lot of necessarily good reasons. I would say in this election being bolder there would have been a value to do that -- doing that. That does not diminish by any means I think who Senator Kaine is. What kind of VP he could be if he's the choice.

But I will tell you just -- again, I can only repeat what I've heard in focus groups that I did in Ohio, you know, voters when I asked them specifically, you know, what if it was Senator Sanders on the ticket, and even people that were leaning Trump moved towards her. That I think is the power of the energy that's out there. You've got to tap it. So if it's a safe choice, the responsibility of the campaign then is to go out there next week and really energize not only the base but make it clear to those voters that are still undecided, I disagree with Jamal out there, there are voters that are undecided, as unbelievable as it may seem, why Hillary Clinton and her VP are the right ones to lead this country for the next four years.

SIMMONS: Well, are those voters considering Donald Trump?

COSTELLO: All right.

SIMMONS: And I'm not sure that's the case. I think those voters are trying to decide do they show up on Election Day or do they vote for a Green Party candidate or some other third choice.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. Chris Kofinis, Jamal Simmons, always a pleasure to have you. Thanks so much.

SIMMONS: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. We're still awaiting for Donald Trump --

KOFINIS: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

We're still waiting for Donald Trump to begin speaking from the Westin Hotel so he can thank the volunteers who helped him so much during his stay here in Cleveland, Ohio.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)