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Trump Changes Tone from Mexico to Phoenix; Trump Promises Wall, Deportation Program; Hispanic Trump Supporters Reconsider Support; Mexicans Slam Their President Over Trump Visit; Trump Speaks At American Legion Convention. Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired September 01, 2016 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Have a great day. Thanks so much. NEWSROOM starts now.
Happening now in the "Newsroom," Donald Trump lays out his immigration plan to make America great again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Zero tolerance for criminal aliens. Zero. Zero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And also to make Mexico great again also? But the big question this morning, who exactly will pay for that wall?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And Mexico will pay for the wall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enrique Pena Nieto, the President of Mexico, on his official Twitter handle tweeted, "At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, Hillary Clinton's pouncing on what she calls a foreign policy failure. Let's talk live in the CNN Newsroom.
And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Donald Trump talking to military veterans in the battleground State of Ohio, his speech which will happen at any moment. On the heels of that fiery address on immigration last night, a combative Trump crushing any thought that he was softening on his signature threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: On day one, we will begin working on an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful southern border wall, and Mexico will pay for the wall. They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for the wall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: His harsh rhetoric in Arizona, a jarring change from his softer tone with Mexico's president just hours earlier. And that reversal may come at a cost. Some Hispanic surrogates now saying, after hearing Trump's speech last night, they are now reconsidering their support for him.
We're covering all the angles of this story from Mexico City to this hour's speech in Ohio. Let's begin with CNN's Jeff Zeleny. He's live in Cincinnati. Hi, Jeff.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. Donald Trump is going to address the American Legion Conference here, the same room, the same place here in Cincinnati, Ohio where Hillary Clinton addressed yesterday.
Now, we saw Donald Trump yesterday being diplomatic in Mexico and then last night in Arizona giving that fiery speech on immigration, sounding much like he had in the primary season.
Well, today offers an opportunity for him to show how he would be as Commander-in-Chief. We often forget with all the rhetoric in these campaigns that this is what the job is about as well, perhaps, first and foremost here.
I can tell you, Carol, that's what the military veterans here, gathered from across the country, are wanting to hear, about what each of these leaders would do as Commander-in-Chief.
Now, Donald Trump, as he's appeared to military groups across the country, has received a lot of support. He has a lot of backing from military families. But the voters I talked to here, the veterans I talked to here yesterday, many of them said they're frankly not happy with either choice, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. So he has a challenge here in showing that he is ready to be Commander-in-Chief.
Now, we do not know, his advisers have not said, if he will talk about his trip to Mexico or offer any more clarity over who will pay for that wall.
But, Carol, in Ohio here, one of the biggest swing states in all of the country, he has some ground to make up. Hillary Clinton has been leading him in the polls. It's why he is coming here and also holding a rally after his speech here in Cincinnati, where he will, of course, be again confronted with those two sides yesterday, the diplomatic side of Donald Trump as well as the fiery immigration side of Donald Trump. He'll be campaigning all day here today. Carol?
COSTELLO: All right, Jeff Zeleny reporting live from Cincinnati. We'll get back to you when Mr. Trump begins speaking, but now we want to take a closer look at Trump's immigration speech from last night. Sunlen Serfaty is following that for us. Good morning.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. We really did see Donald Trump return to that tough talk that he brought during the primary campaign. He declared no amnesty. He called for the wall, saying Mexico will pay for that wall. But notably, Donald Trump still did not give a definitive answer about what he would do with the undocumented people living here in the U.S. who are not criminals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: There will be no amnesty.
SERFATY: Donald Trump recommitting to a fired-up, no-mercy stance on illegal immigration.
TRUMP: For those here illegally today who are seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only, to return home and apply for re-entry like everybody else under the rules of the new, legal immigration system.
SERFATY: The billionaire vowing to swiftly expel millions who have overstayed their visas and undocumented criminals.
TRUMP: I am going to create a new special deportation task force focused on identifying and quickly removing the most dangerous criminal illegal immigrants in America who have evaded justice, just like Hillary Clinton has evaded justice, okay? Maybe they'll be able to deport her.
SERFATY: Insisting he will detain and remove anyone caught crossing the border.
TRUMP: We are going to end catch and release.
SERFATY: And force other countries to take back their citizens who have been ordered to leave the U.S.
TRUMP: There are at least 23 countries that refuse to take their people back after they've been ordered to leave the United States. Not going to happen with me, folks, not going to happen with me.
SERFATY: And declaring he will block funding from the 300-plus so- called sanctuary cities across the country.
TRUMP: Cities that refuse to cooperate with Federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars.
SERFATY: But Trump is not saying how he would deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
TRUMP: Only the out-of-touch media elites think the biggest problem facing American society -- and you know this -- is that there are 11 million illegal immigrants who don't have legal status.
SERFATY: As for anyone who wants to live and work here --
TRUMP: To choose immigrants based on merit -- merit, skill, and proficiency. SERFATY: Trump says they will be up against extreme vetting.
TRUMP: We are going to suspend the issuance of visas to any place where adequate screening cannot occur. Another reform involves new screening tests for all applicants that include an ideological certification to make sure that those we are admitting to our country share our values and love our people.
SERFATY: Trump also renewing his commitment to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
TRUMP: And Mexico will pay for the wall, believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
100 percent. They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for the wall.
SERFATY: Hours earlier, a more measured and softer tone on display as Trump met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
TRUMP: We did discuss the wall. We didn't discuss payment of the wall.
SERFATY: But after Trump left the country, President Pena Nieto disputes that, tweeting, "From the start of the conversation, I made it clear, Mexico will not pay for that wall."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And the Mexican president is attempting even more cleanup from those conflicting narratives coming out of that meeting, if they did or did not discuss who would pay for the wall. Here's what he said in an interview late Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ENRIQUE PENA NIETO, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: I was very clear. It didn't happen because, well, the presser was kind of disorganized in the end. But I was very clear, and it is clearly registered that I was emphatic with him in the private meeting and the topics that I pointed out in my message.
I can say with all clarity and in public and the candidate Trump knows that I was emphatic to affirm that Mexico wouldn't pay, by any means, for the wall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: That, of course, is quite different from what Donald Trump is saying, but the Trump campaign is trying to clean up those mixed messages a bit too.
As you know, Trump's adviser is saying that they're meeting was not a negotiation and saying that treating it such would be inappropriate. Carol? COSTELLO: All right. Sunlen Serfaty reporting live from Washington, thank you so much.
Donald Trump insists he loves the Mexican people and hard-working immigrants living in the United States, but some of Trump's own supporters aren't buying that this morning. They're now reconsidering their support, Alfonso Aguilar tweeting he felt misled and disappointed by Mr. Trump's speech.
Alfonso Aguilar is with me this morning. He is the president of Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles. Also with me, Trump supporter and CNN political commentator, Andre Bauer. Welcome to both of you.
ANDRE BAUER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.
ALFONSO AGUILAR, PRESIDENT, LATINO PARTNERSHIP FOR CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES: Thank you. Good morning.
COSTELLO: So, Alfonso, you're reconsidering your support for Mr. Trump. What disappointed you about his speech?
AGUILAR: Well, look, from the very beginning of Mr. Trump's candidacy, I had criticized his tone and some of his proposals on immigration.
But when he became the nominee, I thought it was important to give him a second chance because of who the alternative is, Hillary Clinton, and I'm really concerned about her dangerous policies and what her presidency would mean to the nation. I'm terrified about Hillary Clinton.
And so I decided to support him and I thought that we could work with him and the campaign to move him to the center on immigration. And the initial response was very good. For the last two months, he said he was not going to deport people without criminal records. He actually said that he was going to treat undocumented immigrants without criminal record in a humane and compassionate way. He said he was going to soften his position.
And then we heard yesterday, and I was totally disappointed, not surprised but disappointed, and slightly misled because he gave the impression and the campaign gave the impression until yesterday morning that he was going to deal with the undocumented in a compassionate way. And in that speech, he's basically saying, we deport you or we self-deport you. It's even worse than what he initially proposed.
So today I'm saying, not only am I not -- I'm considering withdrawing my support, I'm telling you today I'm withdrawing my support from Donald Trump. And it's not only me. Many like me think the same way.
COSTELLO: So, again, you are withdrawing your support from Mr. Trump, you've made up your mind?
AGUILAR: Yes, I have. COSTELLO: Are you throwing your support behind Hillary Clinton?
AGUILAR: Never. Hillary Clinton will be terrible for this country. I think her policies in terms of judicial appointments would be terrible. I'm really concerned about the future of the Supreme Court, and even on immigration. I mean, people who think that she's committed to immigration reform, she's misleading them just like Donald Trump misled us.
So, look, I don't think we have a good choice right now. I think we have to -- I have to talk to my -- our coalition of leaders and figure out, you know, what our next step is, but certainly, it's not going to be support Trump nor Hillary Clinton.
COSTELLO: And, Andre, I think that this is what Alfonso is concerned about. You know, we rarely put a face on the people that we're talking about when we say undocumented immigrants. Many of them are afraid to go on camera, but I managed to convince one family. The father is undocumented. His children were born in the United States. He works at odd jobs. He makes whatever money he can. He says he pays taxes. Of course, undocumented immigrants don't qualify for welfare or for health care despite what Mr. Trump says.
So I interviewed this family. I can't tell you where they live or their names because the father lives in fear of being deported, but this is what they had to say to me last September. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once I told Mario, if some day they deport me, I will never -- wherever I go in Mexico, I will never say the Americans are bad because no, I had opportunity to meet a real, real good people. You know, it was no color.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad, he -- he's the one that sustains us. He works for us so we can get money and food. And if he gets deported, I don't know, I'll be really sad because when he was in jail, I was only a little girl. It really hurt me. He wasn't there for me. They took him away from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Andre, her dad was in jail, actually, for an expired Green Card, but now he remains in this country, and he's trying to keep his family here. And I think that these are the people that Alfonso thinks ought to be treated humanely. Your thoughts?
BAUER: I do, too. I come from the State of South Carolina where we have a huge tourism base and a huge agricultural base, so, you know, I'm familiar with these folks. I understand how hard they work and the American dream that they want, and so it is a difficult situation on how you deal with.
And I'm glad that Donald Trump has gone over to Mexico, has shown what I think is his leadership skills as a CEO would do. And he's trying to find common ground. Look... COSTELLO: So how is he treating that family humanely?
BAUER: You know, again, first and foremost, we have to look out for the interest of the United States. A wall needs to be built. There has to be some type of program where you -- where people know where their borders are.
Humanely, I don't know what the exact answer is, but to try to find a way where that individual can come back, still be a citizen here or go through a channel that will make him or her a citizen --
COSTELLO: But you understand, if that man has to leave the country, apply for citizenship and wait in line to come back, he's not ever coming back to the United States.
BAUER: Well, hopefully, he will come back, but hopefully, we'll do something, no matter what, to make it easier for people that want to go through the legal channels to become a citizen. It's far too difficult. We've made it far too easy for folks to do it the illegal way, but we've made it far too difficult for people trying to do it the right way. I'm sorry, Alfonso.
AGUILAR: But let me step in here because, you know, Donald Trump from the very beginning had even said that people will leave the country, and then the good people, presumably those without criminal record, would be able to come back quickly. He said it here on CNN. And he said it several times.
[09:15:01] But in his speech yesterday, he's not even saying that. They're going to leave the country, self-deport or be removed, and there's no guarantee that they will return.
So, Andre, I feel what you're saying, but that's very different from what Mr. Trump was saying last night! I mean, that speech was a restrictionist speech. And I just think he's embraced Jeff Sessions and people like Ann Coulter and forgotten about building a coalition to win this election.
I'm so sorry, but I just can't be part of that.
BAUER: Well, and I understand your concerns. I hope that he'll find a way to bring you back into the fold, Alfonso, because he needs your help. And clearly, we want to send a message that we appreciate hard- working people that want to come to this country.
Look, people that are willing to give themselves and be a part of the society, I'm all for all those people coming here. It's the ones that don't want to assimilate, that don't want to follow the law, that don't want to pay taxes that want to be a drain and not an asset to our communities, we want those type of people, so I hope that Donald Trump and you will be able to find common ground to move this country forward.
COSTELLO: And I have to leave it there, Alfonso Aguilar.
AGUILAR: Thank you. COSTELLO: Andre Bauer, thanks to both of you.
BAUER: Thank you.
COSTELLO: You're welcome.
Still to come, Donald Trump set to speak any minute to veterans in Ohio, but right now the buzz is all about his surprise trip to Mexico. So, what do Mexicans think about Donald Trump's promise to build a wall and enforce a deportation program?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:30] COSTELLO: All right. We want to check in, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Donald Trump is expected to speak at any moment in front of the American Legion convention. This is where Hillary Clinton spoke just yesterday.
They might be introducing Mr. Trump. We're going to keep an eye on this and come back to it when Mr. Trump begins speaking.
But let's talk about Mexico for right now. Mexicans still fuming at their president over Donald Trump's visit, the visit that came after the billionaire's long string of insults. During the visit, President Enrique Pena Nieto says he made clear, Mexico will not be paying for Trump's wall.
On NEW DAY this morning, the former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, slammed Trump's visit, calling him nothing more than a liar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICENTE FOX, FORMER PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: For Trump, he's just showing himself as he is, a liar. He is a liar. He is lying to U.S. supporters, to U.S. followers, and he came to Mexico to lie to Mexican people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: John Vause is in Mexico City with more on this.
Good morning.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol.
You know, many Mexicans here will say that Donald Trump's speech last night, the hard-line speech on immigration which he delivered in Phoenix, Arizona, simply confirms what they believed all along, that his diplomatic outreach here to the president of Mexico is nothing more than a PR stunt. They say it was all intended for Donald Trump to polish his image, to make him look like a statesman.
And people here are very angry not only that their president allowed it to happen but, in fact, Enrique Pena Nieto invited Donald Trump here in the first place. For his part, President Pena Nieto, he has actually gone on late-night television here and he did say that many of Trump's policies are a threat to Mexico's future, but he did modify that by saying, at least by sitting down and meeting with Donald Trump one on one, he's managed to get Donald Trump to change his position, at least a little.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT ENRIQUE PENA NIETO, MEXICO (through translator): Some of the positions, yes, represent a threat to Mexico's future, and I would like to note in a very timely manner that there was a change in his tone regarding the vision he had over several topics. He had talked about canceling the free trade agreement. Now, he talks about improving, updating the free trade agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And so, Carol, here we are now with the morning newspapers, despite what the president was saying. This is one paper that says "I'll build the wall, says Trump," "He's a threat, says Pena." Forgive my terrible Spanish. Pena tells Trump "We deserve respect" and the big one here "Mexicans are aggrieved."
It wasn't 24 hours ago the two leaders standing at the podiums at the presidential palace. They're talking about friendship, they're talking about respect for one another, and now, we're back to he's a threat, I'm going to build a wall -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. John Vause from Mexico City.
I want to take you back to Cincinnati because Donald Trump is now talking about veterans. Let's listen.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: -- many shared goals, but I want to begin by discussing one goal that I know is so important to you, promoting American pride and patriotism in America's schools.
In a Trump administration, I plan to work directly with the American Legion to uphold our common values and to help ensure they are ought to America's children.
We want our kids to learn the incredible achievement of America's history, its institutions and its heroes, many of whom are with us today, I can tell you, including, by the way, two special people, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Senator Jeff Sessions. They're right here.
(APPLAUSE)
We will stop apologizing for America and we will start celebrating America. We will be united by our common culture, values and principles, becoming one American nation, one country under one Constitution saluting one American flag, and always saluting it.
(APPLAUSE)
The flag all of you helped to protect and preserve, that flag deserves respect, and I will work with the American Legion to help to strengthen respect for our flag. You see what's happening. It's very, very sad.
(APPLAUSE)
And, by the way, we want young Americans to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
(APPLAUSE)
In addition to teaching respect for the flag, we also have to make sure we give our military the tools they need to defend that flag and to deter violence and aggression from our foreign adversaries, of which there are many. Rebuild our depleted military and pursue a state-of-the-art missile defense.
We will do it based on those three very famous words -- peace through strength.
(APPLAUSE)
We will make sure our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have the best equipment, training, tools. Anywhere in the world, nobody will b, able to compete with us. And we will ensure that they have the best medical care in the world, both in service and when they return home as civilians.
(APPLAUSE)
That will require a total reform of the veterans administration. It's in very sad shape. I deal with veterans all the time. We have tremendous veteran support. And the stories I hear are so sad. We're not going to have that anymore.
(APPLAUSE)
I've laid out a ten-step V.A. reform plan that you can review on my website. Here are the basics. I will appoint a secretary of Veterans Affairs whose personal mission will be to clean up the V.A. The secretary's sole mandate will be to serve our veterans, not bureaucrats, not politician politicians, but our great veterans.
(APPLAUSE)
I'm going to use every lawful authority to remove and discipline anyone who fails our veterans or breaches the public trust, which is what it is. It's a public trust.
I will appoint a commission to investigate all the wrongdoing at the V.A., and there is plenty, and then present those findings to Congress as the basis for reforming the entire system. We're going to get you fantastic service. It's going to happen. Believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
We'll ensure every veteran in America gets timely access to top- quality care, including the best care in the world for our female veterans.
(APPLAUSE)
The veterans health system will remain a public system, because it is, after all, a public trust. But never again will we allow any veteran to suffer or die waiting for care. That means veterans will have the right to go to a V.A. facility or the right to see a private doctor or clinic of their choice, whatever is the fastest and best for veterans.
People are not going to die waiting on line to see a doctor. It's not going to happen.
(APPLAUSE)
The veterans will be in total control.
Should I have the honor of serving as president, we're also going to start facing the world with confidence again.
