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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Donald Trump to Land in Mexico City for Visit With Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto; Hillary Clinton Delivers Remarks. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired August 31, 2016 - 12:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:31:58] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: So we expect Donald Trump to land in Mexico City this afternoon for a visit with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The Mexican president invited both candidates to come down south of the border and have a little hi, how are you. And Donald Trump was the first one to take him up on that offer. What's going to happen? Is this going to be a good thing or a bad thing, kind of a black and white question. But my panel is good with that.

First to John Vause in Mexico who is standing by for the arrival, you know, I'm going to do all of the introductions in a minute. But I got to start with you because I'm waiting for the arrival and I'm so curious about it. They have not had kind words, the two of them. How -- what is happening right now in Mexico with regards the Mexican president? What kind of rhetoric is he using in the overture of asking Donald Trump to come down there?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's a chance to sit down, to see eye to eye, to try and work out some of the issues that, you know, obviously have arisen over the last 12 months or so with Donald Trump. And, you know, there has been, you know, a lot of angry rhetoric between the two. It's been a volatile relationship to say the least not just between the current presidents of Mexico but past president of Mexico.

Other Mexican leaders as well in the lead up to this, you know, really lawmakers here were saying that he's not welcome that he, you know, he should stay away, that essentially it's seen by the tone of the comments coming up in people here, that this is a relationship between Mexico and Donald Trump which should be beyond repair.

But, you know, Pena Nieto, there is still a chance that Donald Trump could president. So one of the theories being put forward here is that he needs to have that relationship, you know, in good terms.

BANFIELD: So, Miguel Tinker Salas, you're joining us.

Now, a professor of Latin-American studies at Pomona College in California. You have said that this is a lose-lose. And there's been a lot of research saying that this economically would catastrophic if there were issues between this two countries. Is your assessment of what's happened over night in the last 12 hours, this decision to have a meeting between these two leaders, a decision on Donald Trump's part to say, you know, after all of this rhetoric, ultimately if I become president, you can't lose Mexico. You still got to have Mexico. It's one of the top three trading partners of this country or is this in your estimation just politics?

MIGUEL TINKER SALAS, LATIN ARMERICAN STUDIES PROFESSOR, POMONA COLLEGE: I think this is essentially politics. I think this is essentially two politicians who are seeing their numbers drop in the polls. The equivalent of two people on a boat that's sinking and they're fighting over who is going to get the life vest but the life vest is full of holes so that essentially they're trying to rescue their positions, their campaigns.

In the case of Pena Nieto with numbers dropping in the polls precipitously below 20, 22 percent, in the case of Donald Trump, the same thing, a losing proposition as a campaign for president. They want to come out of this looking tough. They want to come out of this looking as if they stood up to each other. Pena Nieto wants to see as if he defended Mexico. Whereas Trump wants to show that he is willing to go in the lion's den and confront the issue of immigration head on. So I think that's what they're trying to do. It's highly political. It's highly charged. And it's highly volatile.

[12:35:04] BANFIELD: Josh Rogin is also joining us. He's a CNN Political Analyst and a writing -- a writer at The Washington Post.

Josh, your paper actually did some reporting recently that said that illegal crossings along the Mexican border with the United States were at their lowest level in two decades. So those would be the facts but the rhetoric sure does not reflect that. Does it matter? Does it matter if the facts actually don't backup the rhetoric? The rhetoric is what everybody is hearing. And this could be a really good thing for Donald Trump to show he's in command of all of it.

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, I think the facts should matter here because when you look at Donald Trump's actual plan for forcing Mexico to pay for the wall, which again The Washington Post published in April. It doesn't really make any sense on its face. If he wants to use the Patriot Act to stop remittances from Mexican- Americans back to their families, he wants to increase visa restriction. He wants to increase trade tariffs which can cause a trade war with Mexico, right?

You know, these trips by candidates abroad to meet with allies are supposed to be, you know, handshake, happy, good diplomacy trips. And this is going to be the opposite of that. This is going to be two trains headed toward each other with nobody willing to put their hand on the brakes. It's actually an example of terrible diplomacy. But in that way it's a window into what Donald Trump would be like if he was president. It's just not a very pretty picture.

BANFIELD: Scottie Nell Hughes, you're a Trump supporter and our audience couldn't see your big smile and almost your giggle at what Josh was just reported. You feel completely different about this. SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, I love watching over my fellow liberal pundits and journalist that are going to complete meltdown mode because somebody is actually doing something different and actually going on the ground, seeing that we have a problem going to talk to the folks on how they can solve that problem while the reverse his opponent is up in upstate New Hampshire doing fund-raising, she's in Cincinnati right now. But she all she's been doing is talking to fund raisers all weekend and been out of the public eye without a press conference in 270 days.

This is driving them absolutely crazy that they -- that once again Mr. Trump is showing leadership and going on the ground, presenting solutions, talking to the people instead of like the typical Washington D.C. politician and stay up within their little office and just sit there and take phone calls and listen to e-mails about what their policy should be. This is how leadership is.

BANFIELD: Well, to be fair, you might see it as a meltdown. But many of us who watch the process, see this is extraordinary. I mean it's jaw when, you know, dropping then at 10:45 last night some of us are learning that the man who said murderers and rapists, and I'm going to build a wall, and I'm going to get rid off everybody from Mexico, decided to go have a visit with the Mexican president. I think it's fair to say that's extraordinary. I don't think that's a meltdown to be surprise by it. I think it's extraordinary. Go ahead.

HUGHES: But don't you give him credit for actually saying, "You know what, he's obviously insulted me personally."

BANFIELD: But not for me to give him credit. I think both of -- both to your sides have a point to make without a question. I think you have a point to make. And you know who else has a point to make about it is Mike Pence because he was asked about it as well.

In fact, you know what, Scottie, give me a second. I have this moment that I could find about the immigration speech that's coming up tonight that Donald Trump is about to give. And Mike Pence was asked about it while he was out on the stump.

Have a look, what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I think tonight's speech will be a very, very important if not historic speech about an issue that Donald Trump almost singularly put at the center of the national debate.

Look, the contrast between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on the subject of illegal immigration couldn't be more clear. And Donald Trump is committed to securing our borders, building a wall, enforcing the laws of this country, upholding the constitution of United States and Hillary Clinton is essentially for amnesty, for open borders, for re-implementing more executive amnesty.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BANFIELD: Marina Cardona, Scottie Nell Hughes makes a really good point. There are two ways to look at the decision that was made by Donald Trump and you could argue that president of Mexico as well to make this astonishing visit.

Why is it unfair to assume, as Mike Pence puts it, that this is the beginning of a negotiation and that's what you've got to do if you're going to be president?

Oh, you know, hold on a second Maria, sorry. Hillary Clinton is taking the live mike. I want to tune in to that for a moment. And I'm going to get your thoughts in a moment.

[12:39:22] HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENT CANDIDATE: Adviser to me, someone whom I am very grateful to, and that is your national treasurer, George Buskirk.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Good afternoon.

I am delighted to have this great honor of being here and having this opportunity to address you. I want to thank the national commander -- thank you, Commander Barnett.

I want to thank Verna Jones, your executive director, and Dewey Mothe (ph), (inaudible) commander. And I want to thank a long-time friend and adviser to me, someone whom I am very grateful to, and that is your national treasurer George Buskirk.

Most of all, thanks to you, all the legionnaires here and across America. Thanks for your service in our armed forces. You wore the uniform. You took an oath. You put your life on the line to protect the greatest country on Earth.

(APPLAUSE)

[12:40:00] There are some who may argue with that, but not around me.

When you came home, you joined the American Legion and by doing so, you kept serving. Just look at what the Legion does. You care for wounded warriors. You help raise the next generation of American patriots. I want to give a special shout out to Boys Nation, which meant so much to my husband when he was growing up.

And when I told him I was coming here today, he said you've got to mention Boys Nation. I told him I would, but I also have to mention Girls Nation too.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank your auxiliary, the world's largest women's patriotic service organization.

(APPLAUSE)

I was honored to receive the auxiliary's public spirit award in 1997. And I have great admiration for the work you do. As a daughter of a veteran, as a proud American, I am grateful to you all. Now I'm not going to talk a lot about politics today, but I do want to say this. Whoever America elects this fall, won't just be our next president, that person will be our next commander in chief. And every person in this room understands how great a responsibility that is.

Now I know some of you are Democrats and some of you are Republicans and some of you are Independents. I suppose there are some of you who've never voted for a Democrat before. I get that. My dad was a rock red Republican, but I learned at our dinner table that we can disagree without being disagreeable.

(APPLAUSE)

I want you to know, if I am fortunate enough to win this election. I will be a president for Democrats, Republicans, independents, for people who vote for me, for people who don't, for all Americans. That is what I think we need. We need to unify our country and go forward into the future with confidence and optimism.

(APPLAUSE)

Today I want you to know a little bit about where I stand and how I see the world and America's place in it. I spent four years as your Secretary of State, eight years before that as Senator from the great state of New York, six years on the Senate Armed Services Committee. If there's one core belief that has guided and inspired me every step of the way, it is this. The United States is an exceptional nation. I believe we are still Lincoln's last, best hope of Earth. We're still Reagan's shining city on a hill. We're still Robert Kennedy's great, unselfish, compassionate country.

And it's not just that we have the greatest military or that our economy is larger than any on Earth. It's also the strength of our values, the strength of the American people. Everyone who works harder, dreams bigger and never, ever stops trying to make our country and the world a better place. And part of what makes America an exceptional nation, is that we are also an indispensable nation.

In fact, we are the indispensable nation. People all over the world look to us and follow our lead. My friends, we are so lucky to be Americans. It is an extraordinary blessing. It's why so many people, from so many places, want to be Americans too. But it's also a serious responsibility.

[12:45:00] The decisions we make and the actions we take, even the actions we don't take, affect millions even billions of lives.

You know that; you've seen it.

Now all of this may seem evident, especially to men and women who have worn the uniform. You may wonder how anyone could disagree.

But, in fact, my opponent in this race has said very clearly that he thinks American exceptionalism is insulting to the rest of the world. In fact, when Vladimir Putin, of all people, criticized American exceptionalism, my opponent agreed with him, saying, and I quote, "if you're in Russia, you don't want to hear that America is exceptional." Well maybe you don't want to hear it, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

My opponent misses something important. When we say America is exceptional, it doesn't mean that people from other places don't feel deep national pride, just like we do. It means that we recognize America's unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity. Our power comes with a responsibility to lead, humbly, thoughtfully, and with a fierce commitment to our values.

Because, when America fails to lead, we leave a vacuum that either causes chaos or other countries or networks rush in to fill the void. So no matter how hard it gets, no matter how great the challenge, America must lead. The question is how we lead. What kind of ideas, strategies, and tactics we bring to our leadership. American leadership means standing with our allies because our network of allies is part of what makes us exceptional.

No other country in the world has alliances like ours. Russia and China have nothing close. We stand with our allies because generations of American troops fought and died to secure those bonds, and because they deliver for us every day. Our allies share intelligence on terrorists. They provide staging areas for our military so we can respond quickly to events on the other side of the world. Other nations' soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines often fight side by side with ours.

Some of you may have served and fought alongside men and women from other countries. You say them in action. You know how important these bonds are to our security. Threatening to walk away from our alliances, ignoring the importance that they still are to us, is not only wrong, it's dangerous. If I'm -- if I'm your President, our friends will always know America will have your backs, and we expect you to have ours.

American leadership means bringing the world together to solve global problems, as only we can. The United States built the international coalition against ISIS. Now we're working with partners to take back territory and defeat them without getting drawn in to a ground war. We brought the world together to impose sanctions on Iran and secure a deal that puts a lid on Iran's nuclear program, without firing a single shot.

You don't build a coalition by insulting our friends or acting like a loose cannon. You do it by putting in the slow, hard work of building relationships. Getting countries working together was my job every day as your secretary of state. It's more than a photo op. It takes consistency and reliability.

[12:50:03] Actually, it's just like building personal relationships. People have to get to know that they can count on you; that you won't say one thing one day and something totally different the next.

And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again. That is not how it works.

American leadership means leading with our values in pursuance of our interests, in protection of our security. At our best the United States is the global force for freedom, justice and human dignity. We celebrate our diversity.

(APPLAUSE)

As a source of national strength, just look at our armed forces which represents all races, religions, ethnicities and yes, immigrants from other countries all fighting for the red, white and blue. We stand up to regimes that abuse human rights. We stand up for religious and ethnic minorities, for women, for people with disabilities and we comport ourselves with honor. There's no better proof of that than what our Navy SEALs did during the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

(APPLAUSE)

I was deeply honored to be part of that small group advising the president. I brought to those discussions my experience as a senator from New York on 9/11. And my commitment to do whatever I could in whatever role I had to bring bin Laden to justice.

You've all seen the picture of us crowded into the smaller situation room watching the video screen, every second counted. One of the copters misgauged how high the wall was around the courtyard, clipped the tail, getting disabled. It didn't stop the SEALs from rushing out, getting into the compound, returning fire against bin Laden's body guards, taking on his adult son and finally bin Laden himself.

But the SEALs knew that they had to destroy the helicopter before they left. I was holding my breath through the entire operation because at anytime Pakistani soldiers could have arrived. This compound was in a military garrisoned city, actually the home of their military academy. So yes, every second counted, but still our SEALs took the time to move the women and children, bin Laden's family members, to safety before destroying the helicopter. That is what honor looks like, that is America at our best.

(APPLAUSE)

Maybe the soldiers of other nations wouldn't have bothered, or maybe they'd have taken revenge on those family members of terrorists, but that is not who we are. And anyone who doesn't understand that doesn't understand what makes our nation great.

And let me say something else about American greatness, there's no question we face real threats and real enemies that we need to confront and defeat. But my opponent is wrong when he says America is no longer great. Consider the record of the past either years.

In 2009 our global economy was collapsing, Osama bin Laden was plotting, we had more than 180,000 troops fighting two wars,

[12:55:00] Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon, many of our allies were less supportive of American leadership than they had been in decades.

Look where we are now. We have pulled the global economy out of free-fall thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the American people. We have redeployed well over 100,000 troops from Iraq and Afghanistan so they can go home, rest, and train for future contingencies.

We cut off Iran's path to a nuclear weapon. We convinced Russia to reduce their nuclear weapons arsenal. We protected our ally Israel, and we brought Osama bin Laden to justice. We did that. We Americans did all of that, working together across party lines.

And there is no question, we have more work to do, but let's be clear -- we are stronger together. And it will be my goal if I am fortunate enough to be your president, to bring people back together again, to set our goals and move forward to achieve them.

(APPLAUSE)

I know that we can't cozy up to dictators. We have to stand up to them. We can't contain ISIS, we must defeat them, and we will. We will do whatever is necessary for as long as it takes to bring them to justice, and end their reign of terror once and for all.

This election is about how to make things better. Now make no mistake, I believe we do have better days ahead. But things could also get worse: If more countries get nuclear weapons, if we abandon our allies, if our Commander-in-Chief orders our military to break the laws and commit torture or murder terrorists' family members. That is why it is so critical we get this right.

And let me underscore what I have said throughout this campaign, we must only send our troops into harm's way as a last resort, not a first choice. That must be our bedrock principle.

(APPLAUSE)

But we must be able to act decisively on our own when we need to. I completely reject anyone, including my opponent, who calls the American military, and I quote, "a disaster." That is an insult to the men and women serving today and all who have served before who put their lives on the line. It's just not true. We do have more work to do to continue to have the strongest, most effective military in the world. I know this is something that matters a great deal to everyone in this room.

And here is what we have to do. We cannot lose our military edge, and that means giving the Pentagon the stable, predictable funding it needs to make smart investments.

(APPLAUSE)

You've heard of a sequester, the arbitrary caps that Congress has imposed on our entire government for the past several years.

Look, I am all for cutting the fat out of the budget and making sure we stretch our dollars. I am proud of the fact that when my husband left office, we had a balanced budget and a surplus. And I hope that someday we can get back to doing that.

But we cannot impose arbitrary limits on something as important as our military. That makes no sense at all. The sequester makes our country less secure. Let's end it and get a budget deal that supports America's military, our families, and our country.

And let's make reform a priority so that the Defense Department spends its budget on the right things. And by the way, the last thing we need is a president who brings more name-calling and temper tantrums to Washington. We've got to get people listening to each other again, getting both parties actually to work together.

Let's modernize our Army, and Marines, our Navy, and Air Force, our Coast Guard. We need to respond to evolving threats from states like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea from networks, criminal and terrorist networks like ISIS.