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Clinton To Reporters On Plane: Talk To You Later; Trump Talks To Reporters On Plane; NYT: Young, Black Voters Not Excited About Clinton; Obama Defends NFL QB's Right To Protest Anthem; Giuliani: Trump No Longer Wants Mass Deportations; Clinton On Defense Over FBI's Email Revelations. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired September 05, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:07] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. The news continues right here on CNN.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you so much. Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Happy Labor Day. You may have not have heard the starting gun, but the final sprint is now on for the race for the White House.

The general election folks is in nine weeks, nine. Early voting begins this month in several states, take a look at the full day of events here. Right now all eyes are on the battleground state of Ohio. Check this photo out.

This is from our (inaudible), he caught the tail of Hillary Clinton's plane and then in the distance you have Trump's plane there, the dueling of the two campaign planes. Now Hillary Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, took notice as he arrived in the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR TIM KAINE (D-VA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, it's kind of interesting to have all the planes here on the same tarmac. It shows you how important Ohio is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: By the way, any moment we should see Tim Kaine and Hillary Clinton join a labor fest in Cleveland. We'll take that live. Meantime, Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick, Mike Pence, attended a round table there in Cleveland with union members.

Later on Trump is expected to go to the county fair near Youngstown in an area known for its many converts Democrats who are backing Trump.

So let's go to the ground, Joe Johns is there for us in Cleveland waiting for that Clinton/Kaine event to begin. Joe Johns, happy Labor Day to you my friend. Now, you know, Clinton's new campaign plane where she talked about talking to reporters later today. What's the word?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, first of all, the reason why that's so important, of course, is because it's been something like 275 days since she did a news conference, a formal news conference with reporters so she's gotten a lot of heat about that as you know, Brooke, and on the plane she did say very briefly that the she would talk to reporters later.

We take that to mean that there might be some type of gaggle on the plane with people who are traveling with her, something that Hillary Clinton, and many other politicians, have done before.

It doesn't sound like a formal news conference. So let's just listen now to some of what she had to say to the journalists on the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hi, guys, welcome to our big plane. It's so exciting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think?

CLINTON: I think it's pretty cool, don't you? You're supposed to say yes. I am so happy to have all of you with me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you missed us?

CLINTON: I've been waiting for this moment. And I'm -- no, really, I'll come back and talk to you more formally, but I wanted to welcome you on to the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How was your Labor Day weekend?

CLINTON: It was good. It was really good. We had a good time. The last moment of -- hello, Mark. I recognize your hat! How are you? I'm glad you're here. Last moments before the mad dash, the next two months. So I hope you guys are ready and --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you ready?

CLINTON: I'm ready. I'm more than ready. Are you ready? Has he been taking good care of you? It's really been -- how long have you been working for me now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two and a half years.

CLINTON: Two and a half years. He started right out of -- you were still in college, right? I know, we're so happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible)?

CLINTON: What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Labor Day.

CLINTON: Happy Labor Day. I know that's exactly right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have a Labor Day message?

CLINTON: Oh, I do, you'll hear it. I definitely do if you want more happy labor days you know who to vote for. Thanks, I'll come back later, bye-bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: And Labor Day really is the whole theme for this campaign event we've just seen a little while ago. Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, many others, and congressional district of Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, a lot of African-Americans, sort of Hillary Clinton's sweet spot as she campaigns and enters what we could call the homestretch of this presidential campaign. Brooke, back to you.

BALDWIN: We are keeping a close eye on your event in Cleveland. Joe Johns, thank you. Hillary Clinton is adding reporters to her plane.

Donald Trump allowed reporters on board his today. Yes, he has done it before. Today he says he was not aware that Clinton was now traveling with press on her plane. He also talked about the presidential debates, which are three weeks away. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know it's logistically challenging at times, but the past nominees have done that.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's different on a plane because of the way it's set up. It's not set up with seats, it's set up with -- it's a little bit different.

[14:05:08]Kellyanne, I have no problem with that, with letting some of the folks travel. Are you OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking about on a regular basis, right?

TRUMP: I don't have a problem. I don't have a problem with it. She might have. It never would have bothered me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even if it was on a daily basis?

TRUMP: Well, it doesn't have to be all the time. We certainly do it plenty. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did your immigration speech get misinterpreted?

TRUMP: You know, it's very interesting, some people totally loved it, you know that, thought it was the best. Other people thought it was tough, but actually to a certain extent it was the enthusiasm of the crowd.

You know, 15,000 people in the room, we had 8,000 people outside of the room trying to get in that was a big crowd. Were you there? Were you at the speech?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I was watching on TV.

TRUMP: I think to a large extent it was the crowd that was so enthusiastic. But you know, it got very good reviews.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you saying the crowd influenced the tone?

TRUMP: I think both.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you preparing?

TRUMP: I think I'm preparing somewhat like I prepared for the other debates. I think I'm preparing -- you know, I enjoyed the debating process. Obviously I did well in the debates according to the polls, the online polls that they did right after the debates and I think I'm doing the same thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you doing a lot of prep work?

TRUMP: I'm doing some. I've seen some people do so much prep work that when they get out there, they can't speak. I've seen that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what kind of prep work? Do you mind pulling back the curtain a little bit?

TRUMP: Well, it's really basically called a lot of things right shouldn't go into Iraq, shouldn't get out of Iraq the way they got out of Iraq, so many different things we've been talking about. Take the oil, I'm saying take the oil for years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is someone playing Hillary?

TRUMP: No, no, I haven't done that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you plan to have -- sorry, do you plan to have mock sessions where someone does?

TRUMP: I hadn't planned on it. I never did it before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you're definitely going to see of these debates?

TRUMP: Well, as of this moment, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no --

TRUMP: As of this moment, sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What could cause you to change your mind? You say as of this moment. What could cause you to change your mind?

TRUMP: Hurricanes, natural disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only an act of God?

TRUMP: I look forward to the debates. I think it's an important element of what we're doing. I think we have an obligation to do the debates. I did them with the other cases. We had -- I guess 11 debates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They came without the moderators last week, do you like them?

TRUMP: I like them. I respect the moderators. I do respect them. It's interesting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Again, he talks debates, let me remind you, three weeks until the debate at Hofstra here in New York, two months until Election Day. A real dilemma for some young black voters. They distrust Hillary Clinton. They aren't fans of Donald Trump, either.

According to this new piece in the "New York Times" today, a lot of Democrats are alarmed at black millennials' lack of enthusiasm and in some cases outright resistance to the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

This is all coming to light after progressive organizations convened four focus groups last month. If Dems hoped to pull the numbers as they did with President Obama, this new report presents them with a challenge.

Let me bring in CNN political commentator, Van Jones. Van is also a special advisor to President Obama, and Symone Sanders is with us today as well, Democratic strategist and former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders. Hi, you two, welcome.

Hi. Let me first get to this "Times" piece. So this two young women, both in Ohio, one is quoted as saying "what I am supposed to I do if I don't like him and I don't trust her? Choose between being stabbed and being shot.

She says no way. She also points out Hillary Clinton part of the whole problem, I'm quoting her, that started sending blacks to jail. Van Jones, this is a big problem for Democrats if these young black voters do not turn out to support her.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It could be. But for context Hillary Clinton is getting 91, 92, and sometimes 97 percent of the black vote in polls.

[14:10:04]She's outpolling Obama in 2008 or 2012 with black folks so I don't think Hillary Clinton is in a major problem with African- Americans, but you do have this younger group and they are impatient and rightfully so.

For eight years they've had a black president, their conditions haven't improved as much as they would have wanted and they want real change and so also for them authenticity is such an important thing.

Keep it real. Sometimes Hillary Clinton can struggles with that. But want to point out is that nothing that Donald Trump is done, gives them a reason to think that he's an alternative and so we may have a high percentage slightly less turnout, but I don't think Hillary Clinton is in grave danger right now.

BALDWIN: I hear you, but it is interesting. Simone, you're quoted in the piece as saying "Yes, well, I guess it's important to go to black churches and HBCUs. Tell me about some of your work on the ground in several of these states with these young activist. How do you get them to be enthusiastic about supporting Hillary Clinton?

SYMONE D. SANDERS, CLINTON SUPPORTER AND FORMER SANDERS PRESS SECRETARY: I think it's less about just the secretary and more about the issues and how Secretary Clinton can carry the water on these issues for our communities.

And I don't think it's that young people are impatient to push back on what Van said. I think it's that we want something to vote for and not just something to vote against.

And so what I think you saw what was reflected in the "New York Times" piece from these focus groups was that young people, they want to know why should I come out to the polls and vote?

I believe the stakes are entirely too high and this election for us to stay home, Donald Trump is not going to carry the water on our issues, but we can't just sit back and think that young people, particularly young African-Americans, are just going to go to the polls in droves.

Yes, they might at polls they might say they would vote for her but in this day and age -- and I think Bernie Sanders is a testament to this -- there is a difference between outreach and people that are coming out to a rally, people in have come to your events and then folks going to the polls and voter mobilization.

So I think it's a focus on voter mobilization here for African- American millennials. I know the Clinton campaign has a millennial outreach team that's joined some of this work, but we need compounded efforts.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about the president because there was an interesting interview over the weekend with Sean P. Diddy Combs, this is what he said specifically about President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN COMBS, RAPPER/MUSIC MOGUL: My number one thing, though, and to be honest, is black people. I feel like we put President Obama in the White House and when I look back I just -- I just wanted more done for my people because that's the name of the game, this is politics.

If you put somebody in office you get in return the things you care about for your communities. We got a little shortchanged. That's not knocking the president.

There's a lot going on, a lot of balls in the -- he's done an excellent job, you know, but I think it's time to turn up the heat because the black vote is going to decide who is the next president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Van, did I hear correctly? Did you just get off the phone with Diddy?

JONES: Yes, I did. He is somebody who is a complete icon in the black community and he's not just an icon for music. Don't forget, this is the man who coined the phrase "vote or die." So this is someone who has been not just a cultural leader, but a political leader for a whole generation.

So when someone like him steps forward and says he is dissatisfied. When someone like him steps forward and says we didn't get as much as we deserved and we want to get more going forward.

And he also says maybe we should even threaten to withhold our vote. That should send a signal to Democrats not to get complacent that Donald Trump is so unacceptable that the African-American community will just fall in line.

I think you're seeing some real bellwethers here that there's some real dissatisfaction and I think that the African-American community being the cornerstone of the Obama coalition.

But feeling at the end of the day bittersweet about the outcomes should be a very big signal not just to Hillary Clinton but to the entire Democratic Party.

BALDWIN: I want to play some sound for from the president now, Simone. This is President Obama. He was asked about 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, right. So we know that he had initially not stood and then in the most recent game he was kneeling during the national anthem. Here is the president weighing in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: My understanding at least is that he's exercising his constitutional right to make a statement. I think there's a long history of sports figures doing so.

I don't doubt his sincerity based on what I've heard. I think he cares about some real legitimate issues that have to be talked about. And if nothing else what he's done is he's generated more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:15:04]BALDWIN: Simone, part of the conversation among us editorially and among folks we've talked to reading an editorial by Michael Eric Dyson, for example, you know, pointing out -- criticizing the president for missed opportunities and I'm wondering hearing the president weigh in on this, I know he's a busy man, but is this something he should have waded into a tad sooner?

SANDERS: Well, I think it speaks volumes that President Obama said what he said this morning. You have a black president yet again standing up there and giving legitimacy to issues that black people in America experience every single day. You have your black president standing up there and saying that what Colin Kaepernick is protesting for, these are legitimate and real issues, these things are happening.

When you have folks out there that are questioning whether -- what Colin Kaepernick is protesting for is even a real thing. So I think today was not a missed opportunity for President Obama.

I think he hit the nail on the head. He has a great legacy that he has -- that he is still writing that he will leave for the next president of the United States.

I think yes there are some -- clearly there's some things that we wish we would have gotten done under President Obama but make no mistake, the way that the Justice Department had came in, into Baltimore, into Ferguson, into countless other place departments across the country.

And basically shook those police departments open, open the cage and pulled back the veil of what was really happening, things black people again in this country have said have been happening for years, that was the Obama administration and we need to remember that.

BALDWIN: Van, just finally to you, as I'm talking to you I'm also remembering watching you on television in the wake of what happened, the atrocities in Charleston, South Carolina, you were sitting outside of that church the day that the president sang "Amazing Grace."

And I'll never forget your enthusiasm as you were saying "here he is." And in the wake of Diddy's comments and what we're hearing the president now today. What do you think?

JONES: Well, first of all I thought it was really important for the president to stand up for the rights of people to express themselves. In the same year that Muhammad Ali dies and everybody says "what a hero, what an icon, he stood up for what he believes in."

Now you have a young man doing the same thing and he's a villain and we hate him. I'm like didn't we just do this with Muhammad Ali when he was a young guy?

BALDWIN: Ali was a champion and he's not quite the same ballpark. Go ahead.

JONES: But to be clear Muhammad Ali had a mouth on him before he became the champion. My only point is just that I think we criticize young people and celebrities for not being involved, not being engaged, being apathetic, being the selfie generation and when they speak out we want to smash on them.

I thought it was important for the president to not just validate the issue but to validate the idea that we want young people to be involved and it can get messy and that's all right.

BALDWIN: Van Jones, Simone Sanders, thanks, appreciate it. Go enjoy the rest of your holiday. I appreciate it. Coming up, new confusion after former Mayor Rudy Giuliani says no, no, Trump's now against mass deportations. What's going on here? We'll discuss that.

Also ahead, breaking news. After a 90-minute sit down with President Obama, Vladimir Putin says Russia and the U.S. are close to a deal over Syria.

And for 27 years two parents have wondered what happened to their missing son. Now they know, the big break that led to Jacob Wetterling.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:22:40]

BALDWIN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Happy Labor Day. One of Donald Trump's top supporters, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, says when it comes to mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in this country, Trump is having a change of heart. Here he was with CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Donald Trump as he expressed in one of his interviews recently would find it very, very difficult to throw out a family that's been here for 15 years and they have three children, two of whom are citizens. That's not the kind of America he wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's start there. I have Gloria Borger with me, CNN's chief political analyst. I have New York City councilman and Trump supporter, Joe Borelli, and Democratic strategist, Adam Green. He is also co-founder of the Progressive Change Committee. So welcome to all of you.

Joe, let me ask you. You can understand why people are looking at that interview with Giuliani and thinking whoa, whoa, whoa, what?

JOSEPH BORELLI, TRUMP SUPPORTER: He was talking clearly about Donald Trump's feelings, as far as policies he's been clear on it and he went as far as giving a full ten-point plan specifically detailing what he wants to do in immigration. The three main points have never changed, building a wall, securing the border, no amnesty and no citizenship.

BALDWIN: The mass deportation thing? That was the headline.

BORELLI: He's always been consistent.

BALDWIN: We would that he would not do it.

BORELLI: We want to deport people who are criminals here first. After that happens, after the boarder is secure, after we set up systems like e-verify, things like that, then we have to deal with the people who are here illegally.

BALDWIN: So we don't have an answer on that?

BORELLI: I think you do have it. I just gave you an answer.

WHITFIELD: No, I understand the steps, which is precisely what he outlined in the interview with Tapper. I'm saying beyond that, down the road we don't have a plan.

BORELLI: What Giuliani said was that Donald Trump has a hard time. No one takes pleasure in this type of stuff, disrupting families. That's what he's talking about. Not being inconsistent.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: But that's not what we heard during the primaries. If I were Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio or any of the other candidates he was accusing of wanting amnesty, I would say wait a minute, we believe in prosecuting criminals here, we believe in getting them out of the country, by the way, that's what President Obama is doing. He's deported 2.7 million. But if I were an opponent of Donald Trump who had been arguing with him over this issue, I'd be a little confuse by that.

BORELLI: But they were talking pathway to citizenship which Donald Trump has been explicitly clear.

[14:25:06]BORGER: Not all of them were.

BORELLI: I mean, the gang of eight position.

BALDWIN: Speaking of gang of eight, thank you for the transition. So you have Jeff Flake in Arizona who Donald Trump has chosen to pick this fight with. He is someone who is not endorsing, saying he won't vote for Donald Trump, says he's very against any sort of -- any of Trump's immigration rhetoric. What does Trump have to gain with picking a fight with someone like that?

BORGER: I really don't see what he has to gain. Jeff Flake is clearly not a fan, we know that, but he hasn't lost an election in the state of Arizona. This is a state that Donald Trump should win and he's now ahead I think by a couple points so it's really close. So I don't see what good it does for you to pick a fight with somebody who has a proven electoral record in a state you need.

BALDWIN: What about the issue -- let me pivot to Hillary Clinton and I'll bring you in the conversation, Adam. Three weeks until the big debate at Hofstra University and the FBI's email revelations, right? We talked about it Friday and notes revealed.

You know, Donald Trump will try to take her to task on that as we've had their surrogates do pretty successfully recently. How will she defend that on that stage?

ADAM GREEN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good question. Let's be honest. What will likely happen is that she'll be asked some version of the same questions she's been asked for a year. She'll some version of the same answers she's given for a year and the chips will fall where they may.

In my mind, the true variable, the things that will have political impact is whether she spends her entire 60 seconds or 90 seconds in the weeds talking about e-mails or whether she pivots to issues that remind voters why they trust her and Democrats on other issues like debt-free college, expanding Social Security --

BALDWIN: Is that what you're saying she should do in the remaining time, pivot and show that people can trust her because that's a huge issue obviously with Hillary Clinton?

GREEN: Answer quickly and then pivot to big bold progressive ideas that are popular with voters and that voters trust Democrats on.

BALDWIN: OK, Joe, how will Trump handle that?

BORELLI: Look, I mean, and that's the fundamental problem. These notes from the FBI are really damming to her, not just because they paint her as like some two bit mobster not remembering things in FBI interview.

But really because they make her confront a choice. She either has to come out and say she lied the American public, the FBI and Congress or double down on what she said to the FBI, which paints her as one of the most incompetent people to ever hold the post of a secretary of state. It's a tough choice to have. I'm sure she will pivot. I don't know what else she could do.

BALDWIN: It's a trustworthy issue?

BORGER: Well, look, it's an issue that's dogging her. I must say, it doesn't matter to Democrats, people who like Hillary Clinton --

BALDWIN: They've decided.

BORGER: The e-mail issue is not an issue. The problem is with those undecided voters and Donald Trump has a problem on that trust issue as well with these undecided voters. And so if I were Trump I would keep talking about the e-mails also, of course, but if I were Hillary Clinton I would keep talking about Donald Trump as a risky candidate who doesn't have the temperament to be president.

BALDWIN: What about tax returns? I'm not saying debate. I'm looking at you seeing that Mike Pence says he will release this week. How does Donald Trump handle his running mate doing that and him not?

BORELLI: I mean, I'm sure they thought about that coming up and Trump said he'll release them when the audit is done. But that has been discussed ad nauseam by the American public for the last six months --

BALDWIN: Pence is bringing it up.

BORELLI: This e-mail stuff this week is what's the new issue and it keeps reiterating the fact that she lied --

BALDWIN: You're not answering the question on the -- BORELLI: He did.

BALDWIN: Go ahead, Adam.

GREEN: The e-mails are not a new issue. If you say one thing is ad nauseam you have to grant the other thing is ad nauseam. Pence called out Trump this week and forced his hand a little bit.

But again this is all about agenda setting and what issue do voters wake up on Election Day thinking about. And again, if the entire debate or most of debate is dwelling in the weeds about e-mails and frankly even tax returns that is what leads to a low turnout election.

If she can rise above it and pivot not just for tactical reasons but voter mobilization reasons to big bold progressive ideas debt-free college, expanding Social Security, Wall Street reform, campaign finance reform, things that impact people's lives that's how she gets above it all and focuses attention in a positive way for Democrats.

BALDWIN: All right, Adam and Joe and Gloria. Gloria, we'll see you back here to talk about the big documentary coming up on Donald Trump and another one on Hillary Clinton. Stay tuned for that.

Meantime, stunning new CNN reporting that ISIS planned for the terror attacks in Paris to be even worse and plotted additional attacks across Europe. We have those new details coming out.

Also ahead, breaking news, as President Obama warns Vladimir Putin over tampering with the election, Putin the U.S. may be close to a deal on Syria. We'll be right back.

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