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Hillary Clinton Night at Democratic National Convention; Chelsea Clinton to Introduce Her Mother. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 28, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:02]

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: He said, unless you want to be lied to, unless you want to be belittled, don't tune in for Hillary Clinton's speech at the DNC. Instead, donate money to my campaign.

So, that was his campaign e-mail. And a lot of people interpreted that to mean he's a little bit anxious about these ratings.

We know he's been a ratings magnet.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: He's a ratings guy. Reads them all.

STELTER: Ever since "The Apprentice," he studies these numbers like nobody else.

And yet the Democrats are beating the Republicans by a few million viewers a night, which is significant, 10 percent, 15 percent, I think partly because there's been so much star power on stage, partly because it is better to go second than to go first.

They're getting to do the rebuttal. And because they're going a little bit longer at night, which actually counterintuitively is helping them. They're going until 11:30, 11:45. So, people are staying with this program in this case President Obama last night until 11:45, when Clinton came out on stage with him.

Lot of reasons why. But it is interesting to see the ratings race. And it's going to be interesting to keep in mind, does it mean it affects November? We have seen in the past, Democratic Conventions rate higher, and then Republicans win, and vice versa.

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: Even though it is interesting Trump isn't doing quite as well as the Democrats, might not mean much in a few months.

BALDWIN: No one knows how the story will end.

Brian Stelter, thank you very much.

STELTER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And let's continue on. All right, top of the hour here. I'm Brooke Baldwin live in the city

of -- we will call it the city of firsts right now, city of Philadelphia. Our nation's first capital will live up to its legacy tonight, as the first woman nominated for president by a major political party will deliver her acceptance speech.

This is the finale of the Democratic National Convention. Even for Hillary Clinton, who has spoken on the Senate floor and at the United Nations, the pressure could not be more intense. Sure, she will feel, I'm sure, much love inside of the convention.

You should just hear the roars for these different people on stage. But the question is, will she actually change the hearts who are not in the room, who are outside, to the millions of people watching on TV or online? Many here say her party could not have given her a better setup, especially after the leader of the free world truly embraced her.

I'm not only talking about President Obama's speech last evening. I'm also referring to the hug, the embrace that sealed the deal as he passed the proverbial baton on to the woman who clearly, he hopes, will be his successor.

And just keep in mind, as we saw this time last week, it was Ivanka Trump who did an amazing job introducing her own father. We will be hearing from Chelsea Clinton, who will be introducing her mother to millions. And the campaign says Hillary Clinton will then speak of her experiences, her motivations. She will also refer to her book, the famous line that so many people have referenced this week, it takes a village, and bring in her slogan, stronger together.

When President Obama did, though, pass that proverbial baton onto Hillary Clinton last night, the nation's 44th commander in chief did so with a 44-minute serenade. He celebrated her skills. He celebrated her experience and he slammed her rival, Donald Trump, hard.

Also, the president explained why he cherishes the nation he was honored to lead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can say with confidence, there has never been a man or a woman, not me, not Bill, nobody, more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And then there's Donald Trump.

(BOOING)

OBAMA: Don't boo. Vote.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) OBAMA: Yes, the Donald is not really a plans guy. He's not really a facts guy either.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: He calls himself a business guy, which is true. But I have to say, I know plenty of business men and women who have achieved remarkable success without leaving a trail of lawsuits and unpaid workers and people feeling like they got cheated.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And now I'm ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen.

So, this year, in this election, I'm asking you to join me, to reject cynicism and reject fear, and to summon what is best in us to elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:11]

BALDWIN: All right, with me now, CNN political commentator and Trump supporter Kayleigh McEnany, talk show host and former Mayor of Cincinnati Jerry Springer, CNN senior political analyst David Gergen, a professor of public service and co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and senior political correspondent for MTV News Ana Marie Cox.

Happy fourth day of the DNC, everyone.

Can we just begin with that moment last night? I don't know how many of you were on the floor and just sort of hearing it and feeling the president speaking, and then suddenly I heard this like cacophonous cry and it was Hillary Clinton walking out and that embrace and the hands.

(CROSSTALK)

ANA MARIE COX, MTV NEWS: I actually couldn't make it on the floor. It was packed.

BALDWIN: Yes, it was. I snuck in just in time.

(CROSSTALK)

COX: I would have been grateful, because I heard you could barely hear her Obama, the roars of crowd were so loud.

But I want to say about that embrace, you know what? Everyone can probably remember, if you're a political junkie, their first embrace in 2008. BALDWIN: Not so warm and fuzzy.

COX: It was a little awkward. There was always a little awkwardness there.

I think that that embrace is actually obviously symbolic. Their policies have become closer together. And I think as a family -- like the two families have actually also become closer. I think we are looking at genuine respect and friendship right now.

BALDWIN: David Gergen, it's the first -- just to note history there, the first African-American president and the first potentially female.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.

And history sort of joining forces there last night. One had a sense that that hasn't -- I don't think she's fully taken it in yet -- Jerry Springer and I were talking about this earlier -- the magnitude of what she's doing.

But I want to come back to the importance of what -- my intuition is what you saw with Hillary last night was a woman who is unusually grateful to this man who had been her rival. And there was like an adoring look about it. And I would argue that in the last few days, she's found two men, in Barack Obama and in Tim Kaine, who for the first time she has male partners and she is really affectionate towards both.

Tonight, we may not -- she may try to change the hearts of Americans, but I think we may see a softening of her heart, which would make a major difference in her as a candidate and frankly as a president. But there's something about this. She's always been number two. And all the men who have been in her life, except for her husband, have been like staff or something like that.

She has some friends. But this is the first time she has two really important partners to go through. I think it's given her an inner sense of relief or just joy. There was something about that moment last night that you could see it.

BALDWIN: Jerry Springer, jump in. And also pivoting off of that, what do you want to hear tonight? What do you think she will say?

JERRY SPRINGER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I don't think the words are going to be that important, frankly. I think it is the moment.

BALDWIN: The feeling.

SPRINGER: Thirty years from now, it's the optics that people are going to remember. And I think the life that she has lived, in fighting for women's causes, and what she really believes in, all of a sudden, now, a woman is going to be -- could be president of the United States.

And I think watching her, suddenly it's there, and what she's accomplished, I almost don't want to mess politics with this moment. If you have a daughter, if you're a young woman, this is magical, as it was in '08 with Barack Obama.

Put the politics aside just for a second, and this is a wonderful moment for America. And I'm going to enjoy the night. And then afterwards we can debate what the issues are, because I don't think this election is going to be about issues. I think this election is a referendum on Donald Trump.

(CROSSTALK)

COX: Well, it would be about issues if Donald Trump had any policies to talk about, but he's made it about a personality. He's made it about him. I just think the optics of this, we can talk about it more, but...

BALDWIN: Let me -- to be fair, I want to hear from you before in just a second. Let me just add another voice. This is Harry Reid. He made news, saying this today to our Capitol Hill correspondent, Manu Raju.

And then you're talking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: It's obvious that he doesn't know what he's talking about. It's obvious he can't control his mind or his tongue. And what I suggested, if now, because he's the nominee for the party, he gets -- he is entitled to briefings from the CIA, for example.

I said publicly, give him fake briefings. Pretend you're briefing him. Don't tell him anything that you don't want to get out. That's how I feel about it. I think that the man is a loose cannon. I think he's done so much to hurt our country with our in our international relations already.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: But, as the Republican nominee, isn't he entitled to get those briefings?

REID: Give him fake briefings.

RAJU: What does that even mean?

REID: It means, they will tell him stuff. He won't know the difference.

RAJU: You're basically telling the intelligence community to lie to him.

REID: No. I'm not going to lie to you. I just won't tell you everything.

He's being Donald. Donald Trump can't control his mouth. Can't control his brain. He's proven that time after time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:10:11]

BALDWIN: So, Mayor Bloomberg last night questioned his sanity. He saying, he's dumb.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, there's been a staunch effort at this convention to tear down Donald Trump, more so than we even saw on the part of Hillary Clinton.

And the number of the times the names were mentioned bears that out. There's also been an effort to lift up Hillary Clinton and to talk about history. And she deserves credit for the history she's made. But something that's been neglected, I think to their peril, is the reality of the American citizen, this isn't politics.

The reality of the American citizen sitting at home, 73 percent of people think we are in the wrong direction. They look around and when the president tells there is no violence and chaos, which is what he said Friday, there see violence and chaos.

(CROSSTALK)

MCENANY: Let me finish, because I let you finish. When he says the economic reality is good, people don't see that when premiums are their top financial concern, when 6.4 million more Americans are on poverty, 11 million more are on food stamps.

I can go into real unemployment. I can name for you every metric. American people are hurting. The numbers bear that out and to not recognize it I think is a big fault.

COX: The numbers on crime especially have been greatly -- they haven't been exaggerated by the Republicans, because they don't talk about the numbers, because the numbers would not agree with them.

Twice as many Americans, unfortunately, die from suicide than murder. There is a problem in this country with violence. There is a problem in this country with gun violence specifically. But it is not people shooting each other.

GERGEN: Can we go back to what's at hand here and the Harry Reid comment?

BALDWIN: Yes.

GERGEN: I don't bear, as you well know, a great love for Donald Trump, but I do think he is entitled to these hearings. I think it's important for the country. He may become president one day.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: The notion of receiving fake briefings.

GERGEN: I think sometimes he's been reckless.

Yes, he can't -- the idea of having fake briefings is ridiculous on its face, because he has said things I consider reckless, but I am not aware of anything -- any national security secrets that he's spilled. There is no reason to believe that he's going to do that. And very importantly, if he's going to be president -- we all know this is going to be a close race.

So if that's the case, we need a president who comes in informed.

BALDWIN: It's interesting.

SPRINGER: Well, I think there is a middle ground. Well, I agree with you.

BALDWIN: Yes.

SPRINGER: Giving fake briefings, that's childish. That's absurd. I rely don't agree.

BALDWIN: But what about that picture of America?

SPRINGER: Well, I don't think they ought to be giving -- in this election, I think the briefings ought to come the day after the election. You still have until January 20.

So, because right now, I think it is a fair question to say, particularly when you saw this week, Russia, go ahead, hack our system.

BALDWIN: Which he said he was being sarcastic. He did. He said he was kidding.

SPRINGER: I think he's been a little bit irresponsible. And we can't risk it. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right. Let's not start giving him national secrets, nuclear codes, stuff like that, before we know he's actually the president. That's scary.

GERGEN: With all due respect, in 1960, John Kennedy got national security briefings and he learned in the security briefings things that he was saying on the trail were not true, that we were in some sort of big nuclear disadvantage. But we went ahead with the briefings. That was the right thing to do, even though what the people were telling him in private that was really going on.

And I imagine that may be true with Trump, that there will be things he will just -- he will keep going down the same road he's going to down. Maybe he will moderate or not. But this is a tradition and I think to break that tradition and to start making choices about...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You can't make that exception.

(CROSSTALK)

COX: I'm actually for giving him these briefings because I don't think he understands the job of the president at all.

So to the extent that someone could educate him that, for instance, we have a president, and not a king, that he can't just build a wall and make Mexico pay for it, I think that some remedial instruction on basic governance, how a bill becomes a law, for instance, might be proper.

BALDWIN: That's being a little pejorative.

MCENANY: It is being a little pejorative.

And there's a lot of things. We talk a lot about Hillary's qualifications and people try to make Donald Trump out to be a caricature, a buffoon, whatever the liberals try to make him out to be.

But Hillary Clinton, there are real questions about the successes she's had in government, or the lack thereof. She has job titles, there's no doubt about that. But when you look across the Middle East and you see Libya, and you see ISIS has taking over Libya, Syria, Egypt is in chaos, some would say, internally, at least, there is a lot to be said about her record.

I think the Democrats need to point out successes. I heard very few. I heard about a cease-fire, but that's about it.

BALDWIN: OK.

Kayleigh and Jerry and David and Ana Marie, thank you all, the full spectrum represented here. Want to hear all the voices.

Coming up here, she grew up in the political spotlight. But tonight Chelsea Clinton introduces her mother as the presidential nominee. How is she preparing for the biggest speech of her life, and do the performances by Trump's children, the speeches, the moments at the Republican Convention add to some of the pressure here in Philadelphia?

Also ahead, we have these fascinating nuggets on how exactly President Obama's speech came together, including a practice run in the Map Room at the White House and apparently staying up to the wee hours after his wife gave that speech Monday night. We have all of that for you from two people who know the president well.

[15:15:00]

You're watching CNN's special live coverage. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, we're back live here in a rainy Philadelphia on this Thursday afternoon. We're inside the CNN Grill.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me.

Let's begin with the president, President Barack Obama giving one of the most just sort of rousing speeches of his eight years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: Yes, we can, not yes, she can, not yes, I can. Yes, we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And then, as he finished and was waving to the crowd, surprise, Hillary Clinton joined him. And it was this moment, the embrace. This picture has been trending all over social media.

These two were not exactly the best of friends when they faced off in the primaries eight years ago. But, my goodness, what a difference eight years have made.

Joining me now, I have CNN political director David Chalian and CNN commentator and former special adviser to President Obama Van Jones is with me.

So, good to see both of you.

[15:20:01]

First, just, I mean, the president speaking. The crowd, the roars were so loud. And then they got louder once you once you see this person walking out in blue to be Hillary Clinton.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We like to think that we're this advanced civilization with technology. But there is a tribal aspect to politics, you know? And that embrace, that he physically brought himself back, the hero returns, you remember him, that skinny kid, 12 years ago, he comes back, he's a man.

He's been able to accomplish his great deeds, and now he's literally physically passing all that love and admiration to another leader. And it was visceral. There were goose bumps. There were tears. And that could have happened 10,000 years ago, that ceremonial ritual of power and pageantry. You got to be here. You got to watch that stuff, those big nights. I appreciate it.

BALDWIN: You felt it. But also not to rain on the goose bumps, I am wondering, looking at you, if this whole embracing, the proverbial passing of the baton, third term, how risky is it for her?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, listen, it is an uphill climb to go to the country and ask for a third term.

Clinton campaign would say, we're not asking for a third term. We're asking for her first term.

BALDWIN: Sure.

CHALIAN: But to do three terms in a row of the same party, obviously, somebody that was in his Cabinet, that's a big ask of the country. And there's no doubt that they know that.

I will tell you, looking at that image, though, Brooke, last night, the thing that was so striking to me, I don't think I have ever seen Hillary Clinton express appreciation the way -- not that she's an ungrateful person.

BALDWIN: Humility is a word I heard mentioned before.

CHALIAN: She looked so appreciative of Barack Obama, because this is somebody who has spent the last quarter-century taking the slings and arrows of being in public life all the time.

And she genuinely looked like, wow, you had my back, like someone actually stood up and really defended me in this very big way. You just saw that in a way that I had just never seen on her before.

JONES: And that kind of just being seen, I think she's somebody who is seen, but doesn't feel seen. And I think she felt seen last night.

BALDWIN: Six drafts. This is what we have on the president's speech. Six drafts. Apparently, Monday night, when his wife dominated that arena, he stayed up until like 3:30 in the morning I guess really working on his.

And he practiced it once in the Map Room of the White House. You know the man. Are you surprised by all of that?

JONES: You know, the rehearsal -- at this point, he doesn't need a lot of rehearsal. But I'll tell you what. He is so competitive in the best possible way.

BALDWIN: Was he watching his wife and he was like, all right, Michelle?

JONES: I haven't talked to him. I don't know. I'm not claiming that.

I'm just saying, you know how competitive he is. You know how he loves those big moments. And then all of a sudden before he gets his hands on the ball, she does a 360 slam dunk, and then does a dab and walks off?

BALDWIN: Alley-oop, yes, yes.

JONES: You know he's got to raise his game.

BALDWIN: The president, let's not not talk about him.

Just even hearing -- watching him walk out, seeing what looked to me tears in his eyes when he started talking about eight years ago it was his son Beau who had put his name into nomination, what about his speech struck you?

CHALIAN: Well, one, a really storied, long and emotional career throughout all of his time in Washington coming to a close.

And so there was a valedictory quality to what he did. But, two, from a political point here, he -- remember, the event with Hillary Clinton when he was supposed to go out and endorse her, that got canceled due to terrible news. I think it was Dallas that caused it to be cancel. So we haven't seen him do his validation of Hillary Clinton yet. So

that was the first time we actually saw that. And he took that right to the working-class economic lunch pail voter out there. That is Joe Biden's strength. And he just -- I feel like he was injecting strength into the room as best he could for the fall campaign ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: OK.

How does she do tonight? It is her night, Hillary Clinton. We will watch for her and her daughter introducing her.

Van and David, thank you so much.

CHALIAN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up here from Philadelphia, she was just 12 years of age when she introduced -- she was introduced on the national stage. Now Chelsea Clinton is poised to take on a new role in American politics. Tonight, as I mentioned, she will introduce her mother as the Democratic nominee for president. How will that go? And what could her role be in the White House in her mom is elected? We will discuss next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:29:18]

BALDWIN: Bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for hanging with me on this Thursday here in Philadelphia.

We have heard from celebrities, we have heard from musicians, elected leaders, all throwing their support behind the woman of the week here in Philadelphia, Hillary Clinton.

But tonight we will hear from someone who just simply knows her as mom, Chelsea Clinton taking center stage here at the DNC to introduce her mother.

And joining me now, CNN's Sunlen Serfaty, who's been going through all kinds of archival video and thinking back to years past.

What did you learn about Chelsea?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really interesting, because you see this woman who's grown up, of course...

BALDWIN: In front of our own eyes.

(CROSSTALK)

SERFATY: ... eyes.

BALDWIN: Yes. SERFATY: And I think, for tonight's speech, inevitably, there will be

a comparison made between Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump, given that they're both serving the same role, giving the introduction to their parents tonight.

But the Clinton campaign, they have been very clear that tonight's address by Chelsea Clinton will not be policy-focused. They say she's going to be -- talk about being raised under the spotlight and the values that her mom gave --