Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Unprecedented Campaign of Donald Trump; Hillary Clinton Speaks in Colorado; Did White House Pay $400 Million in Ransom to Iran?; Wisconsin Paper Calls for Paul Ryan to Disavow Trump. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired August 03, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:04] JIM GERAGHTY, "THE NATIONAL REVIEW": They're not even saying, all right, what happened to House and senator or governor's race right now. You have to be sweating bullets.

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right.

GERAGHTY: You have to be nervous about this because if you're losing the Meg Whitman's of the world, who are, you know, even if they're never Trump, they're nominal Republicans, the fact that they're not even saying all right, when I'm alone in the ballot box I'm going to vote Hillary, I'm not going to tell anybody.

They're not coming down and saying it to the world.

(CROSSTALK)

BORIS EPSHTEYN, TRUMP SURROGATE: (Inaudible) that sort of press for it, that's for them but that part of the solution didn't make it.

GERAGHTY: Yeah, yeah. The ...

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let me thank you for now. We're waiting to hear from Donald Trump in Daytona Beach, Florida. Jim, Boris, Angela, thank you so much.

Hang tight. Coming up next, could it be a sign of things to come here at this pro-Trump congressional candidate shocks everyone by defeating the Republican incumbent in Kansas. Dr. Roger Marshall joins me live next to share why he thinks voters in his state turned out for him. And why he wants Donald Trump in the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:21] BALDWIN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. There's all kinds of different, you know, political pundits observing, and analyzing and making predictions about this unprecedented campaign of Donald Trump. The term anti-establishment keeps resurfacing and many, like Trump, himself, are calling it a movement. And it seems its effects are already trickling down ballot.

My next guest just pulled off a major political upset in the Kansas congressional, primary beating out the three-term Republican incumbent in his district, the winner here, Dr. Roger Marshall joins me now from Great Bend, Kansas. Dr. Marshall congratulations and welcome.

DR. ROGER MARSHALL, (R), DEFEATED INCUMBENT IN KANSAS HOUSE PRIMARY: Thanks, Brooke. Thanks for having us on.

BALDWIN: You know as far as your special sauce in winning, do you think that they publicly supporting Donald Trump helped you win?

MARSHALL: That's really not come up, Brooke. I think this race was all about agriculture to Kansas. We not had a voice on the House Ag Committee for three years. And we really -- we think agriculture is what pushed us through to victory here.

BALDWIN: In a race, though, and in many races, and really in this movement, whether it's been Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump though, a lot of Americans have latched on to this anti-establishment sort of candidates. And I know you've publicly supported him. Do you think that played any role whatsoever?

MARSHALL: I really think it would be way down the list. I think 70 percent of our economy is agriculture. We have more cattle than people in this state and in this race still comes down to agriculture's team.

BALDWIN: You created a website that Called "Lying Tim." You know, we think back to the days of "Lying Ted," which was what Mr. Trump, you know, referred to Senator Ted Cruz as, Tim Huelskamp, your opponent, did you borrow that strategy from Trump?

MARSHALL: Certainly it was something that crossed our mind. When people speaks such ill truths of the person when they're attacking on something that's so near and dear to my heart like Pro-Life and Pro- 2nd Amendment, to me those are kind of yes and no answers. No one's worked harder for Pro-Life than I have in my personal practice. So we want that Kansans to know the truth that we certainly work Pro-life, we are Pro-Life, we're Pro-2nd amendment.

BALDWIN: You know, I was reading the Kansas paper this morning trying to get a local sense of how this race went down and there was a quote from Patrick Miller, a poli-sci professor at the University of Kansas, and he said this about your opponent, quote, "I think his personality is the underlying issue. He is a combative, often controversial, sometimes divisive approach to politics. That doesn't sit well with some Republicans." Yeah, I know you mentioned agriculture in your down play and the public support of Donald Trump, but what about personality here?

MARSHALL: Certainly we're two different persons the opponent and myself. I'm a leader. I'm an effective conservative that brings people together. And my opponent seems to be a person that your gasoline on this fire who have left versus right.

BALDWIN: Final question. You're in favor of repeal and replace Obamacare. As a doctor, what would you replace it with?

MARSHALL: Brooke, I said there was a matter of position leaders in Congress and we have very much an incremental approach, very simple steps. We would want to let health insurance be bid across state lines. We want to expand health care savings accounts. We need tort reform. I want t to get rid of the Federal mandate that you have to purchase health insurance.

For some reason, pharmacy costs are going up exponentially and we need to figure out why that's happening as well. So those are a few of the steps I think we can start working on.

BALDWIN: OK, Dr. Roger Marshall, congratulations again. We'll be watching you in Kansas. Than you so much. And that from Kansas to Colorado, let's go. Hillary Clinton touring a plant there that employs refugees, she's talking Colorado and she's talking Donald Trump. Let's listen.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: As I was walking through, of course, I was thinking to myself, I wish Donald Trump could meet all of you and see what you are making here, and hear the stories of people who have come together to produce products and create more opportunity for more people.

I would really like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties. This is one of them. It's got his name on it of course. And instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado with a company like Knotty.

[15:40:03] But it's not just his ties. Donald Trump makes his suits in Mexico. Not Ohio where he could. His furniture in Turkey not Pennsylvania, where he could, his picture frames in India, not Wisconsin, where he could.

As I've said over this past week, in many different settings and factories across Pennsylvania and Ohio, and I've mean this, because if he wants to make America great again, he should start by making things in America. And there's a lot he could learn by coming here.

Unfortunately, when asked about this, he basically has said and this is a quote, "They don't make this stuff here," meaning they don't make ties or suits or furniture or barware here in America. Well, you know, that's just not true. And I want him, and I want more Americans to know, it's not true.

We have done a quick survey across America. And you can go to our website and you can see across our country places where everything Donald Trump makes in China, Mexico, Turkey, Slovenia, and elsewhere in the world, Bangladesh, could be made right here in America. You can see that for yourself at hillaryclinton.com/makeithere.

And so I'm thrilled to be visiting this facility. I am very proud of what Jeremy and Mark have built here, what the designers and employees are doing here. The outreach to refugees and what that means to so many people's lives, and I don't know how you can talk down American ...

BALDWIN: That was Hillary Clinton moments ago speaking there at a factory in Colorado. Meantime, we are waiting to hear from Donald Trump speaking at a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida. We'll take it live momentarily quick break. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:39] BALDWIN: We just heard from Hillary Clinton moments ago on a trail in Colorado. We are still waiting to hear from Donald Trump speaking in Florida. But we are getting word on something that he is apparently going to go big on today.

The headline that the United States sent an unmarked cargo plane filled with $400 million in cash, different currencies all to Iran, on the very same day that Iran released those four American hostages.

We know that President Obama approved the deal on the hostages included "Washington Post" Reporter Jason Rezaian who were set free in January.

The White House is absolutely insisting before $100 million in cash was not ransom money but we have heard from Republicans including Senator John McCain today, a former prisoner of war slamming this covert delivery. He said, "It is clear that this payment was a ransom for Americans held hostage in Iran."

Our White House Correspondent Michelle Kosinski grilled the White House Press Secretary precisely on it for more details today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's been called a ransom payment by Iran. That's not exactly surprising. But would those prisoners have been released had this payment not been made at the time that it would?

So, isn't it essentially a ransom payment then even if the U.S. does not view it that way?

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No, it is not a ransom payment. United States does not view it that way and it's not accurate to describe it that way because this $400 million is actually money that the Iranians had paid into a U.S. account in 1979 as part of a transaction to procure military equipment.

That military equipment as it relates to this $400 million was not provided to the Iranians in 1979 because the Shah of Iran was overthrown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let me bring in Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny. And Jeff Zeleny, let me just read this line from Carol Lee that broke the story with the "Wall Street Journal" that details Wooden Pallet stacked of euros, Swiss Francs, other currencies flown into Iran in an unmarked cargo plane.

When you look at the optics of this, as you're hearing from critics, it's, you know, they are saying it's questionable. JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: No doubt about it in that story in the "Wall Street Journal" has so much intrigue in it in terms of the types of cash that were sent and the timing of all of this.

So, I'm not sure that Josh Earnest there at the White House answered all of the questions about this, because Michelle Kosinski went on to ask if the money had not been paid, would the hostages have been released? And that is something that we still don't have a clear answer for.

But look, it is at the very least, opened to the entire Iran debate up again in a new political contest. Donald Trump has been hammering this for weeks and for months about the administration. He said they got a bad deal on this. So we do expect him to talk about it today when he's campaigning there in Florida.

We'll see if he can stick on that subject or not. Many Republicans would like him to drive a message and stay on this. He's had somewhat of a challenge doing that in recent weeks.

But look, the optics of this certainly aren't good because of the timing of this. We yet don't know all of the details in terms of would the hostages have been released if this money had not been flown over there put them in the quite at night.

BALDWIN: Jeff Zeleny, thank you.

[15:50:01] Coming up next, you mentioned Donald Trump, will he take this on as he speak two days on a beach, Florida.

Coming up, in a last 24 hours, you know, refuses to endures the top Republican in congress Paul Ryan on his race back on when that Wisconsin. Now, Wisconsin's leading newspaper will join the call to have the house speaker disavow Donald Trump. We'll talk live to the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel opinion page.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, we are all standing by and waiting for Donald Trump to speak there at a big rally in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Meantime, the headline over the course for the last 24 hours in this interview with the Washington Post, he refused to endorse the top Republican congressman, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. And In fact, today, Wisconsin hometown paper is calling him out.

David Haines is with me, editorial page editor with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Nice to have sir, welcome.

DAVID HAINES, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: Thank you. Good to be with you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, you just published a piece calling on Paul Ryan to disavow Trump once and for all writing, "Ryan still believes he can have it both ways with Trump that he support Trump and still manage the billionaire's frequent eruptions of ignorance. He cannot." What exactly are you asking for Paul Ryan to do?

[15:55:21] HAINES: Well, we have a tremendous amount of respect for Paul Ryan. We've disagreed with him on issues from time to time, but it's always been an issue based disagreement. We have a lot of affection for Paul Ryan. But we think that he needs to stand on principles and not party in this case.

It's really time for him to say I was wrong and to take back that endorsement. We think Trump has crossed many lines, but this final line was his essential denigration of the goal (ph) (inaudible) family become family.

BALDWIN: The saying I was wrong or even President Obama from the East Room yesterday saying to leaders like Paul Ryan, you know, you need to say enough, wouldn't that make him look weak?

HAINES: I think actually it makes him look strong. Paul Ryan has a great deal of respect within the conservative movement and his own party. Polling in Wisconsin and nationwide shows that he's still very popular. It certainly isn't going to hurt him in his election in the primary. He has a primary challenge this year. But all polling we've seen shows he is doing quite well.

And what it says is that he is standing up for his own conservative principles, but beyond that, for the idea that there is a certain baseline that a person has to meet in order to be qualified for the nation's highest office.

BALDWIN: And let me -- it is fascinating, also talking you to you there in Wisconsin, because of Reince Priebus, right? So he's ...

HAINES: Right.

BALDWIN: He's, you know, in a curious place, the chair of the RNC, but, you know, good, good buddies with Paul Ryan. They go back to he chaired his first congressional race and you know, we know he's been on the phone back and forth with Donald Trump in the last couple of days. What do you think Reince Priebus is thinking right now?

HAINES: We have heard that Reince Priebus for a number of weeks has been tearing his hair out, because there is very little he can do. I understand Reince Priebus continues to support the candidate. I think he has to. But we think Paul Ryan is in very different position. It's a very odd election I understand that, and this would be an unusual mood for a house speaker to essentially disavow the candidate from his own party, but maybe it's time for that unusual move. At least that's our opinion.

BALDWIN: David Haynes, editorial page editor with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. David, thank you so much. And speaking of Trump, I think he's out. He's talking. Daytona Beach, Florida. Let's go live.

Donald TRUMP, (R), REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: What a crowd. What a crowd. Florida, we love Florida. And we love Nascar, right? We love Nascar. What a great crowd. So you have 3,000 people that are coming in as we speak. This place is packed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

So I just want to tell you the campaign is doing really well. It's never been so well united. We started on June 16th. I would say right now it's the best in terms of being united that it has been since we began. We're doing incredibly well. We're leading in the state of Florida. Yes, you saw the polls. We're leading in Ohio. We're about tied in Pennsylvania, but I think we're going to be leading the next time.

So I think we've never been this united. And I just want to thank everybody for being here. This is incredible. This is incredible.

So remember this and it's really pretty incredible. I got up this morning and I picked up the papers, and then I turn on the news. And I see $400 million being shipped in cash and they didn't want dollars. It is being shipped in different currencies and it is being shipped overnight to Iran. $400 million.

You know, we have a president who frankly is incompetent, OK. Incompetent. We've been humiliated by President Obama, and his policies. We've been humiliated by the Iran deal to start off with, where they get back $150 billion. We've been humiliated as a country ...