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Overview of Last Night's Presidential Debate. Aired 10:30-11a ET.

Aired September 27, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN HOST: First of all, what was it like inside? Because the audience wasn't supposed to react but it did every so often.

JENNIFER GRANHOLM, SENIOR ADVISER, CORRECT THE RECORD: Yes, the audience reacted, but to be candid, I actually didn't go inside - I was invited inside the debate hall but I wanted to Tweet, to live Tweet it, so I gave my ticket up.

JOHN PHILLIPS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: She scalped the tickets out.

GRANHOLM: I didn't scalp, but I wanted to Tweet, so I was Tweeting prolifically during so I could be helpful on the outside.

COSTELLO: I can't believe you weren't inside.

GRANHOLM: I know, I know.

COSTELLO: That hurts me. I wanted to ask you about it.

GRANHOLM: I was so torn, but I wanted to be helpful.

COSTELLO: OK. So let's talk about the undecided voters now. You saw Pamela Brown. I mean, it's a very unscientific survey, right? But do you think many people were swayed one way or the other, John?

PHILLIPS: Oh, I don't know. That video reminds of the episode of I Love Lucy where they're all at the restaurant and everyone orders and Lucy changes her mind every time somebody different orders. And I just look at these people and I want to let out my inner Ricky Ricardo and start haranguing them in Spanish.

GRANHOLM: I mean why aren't they decided? I mean, really, what is it going to take? It's so funny. If you watched the debate last night, I would think you would be decided. And it looked like there were a few of them that were swayed, but maybe they have to gather all three debates of information before (--)

COSTELLO: Well the spinning has started, especially with the Donald Trump camp. We really haven't heard from the Hillary Clinton camp yet. Paul Ryan the house speaker just weighed in on the debate this morning. He was having that press gaggle they have, you know, every week. So let's listen to what Paul Ryan had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL RYAN, HOUSE SPEAKER: Here's what I saw last night. I saw Hillary Clinton give a polished, well-rehearsed defense of the status quo, which seven out of ten Americans don't like. I saw Donald Trump give a spirited voice to those of us who don't like the status quo and I see emerging in front of us the potential for what a unified republican government can get you, which can be a solution to our country's big pressing problems. I'm not going to get into the who said what this morning on some talk show, because I didn't see it, but what I saw was a defensive of the status quo, which Americans do not want and I see an opportunity to get us on a better path.

UNKNOWN MALE: He's showing the right temperament?

RYAN: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, Jennifer, is that what we saw?

GRANHOLM: No, you saw a candidate in complete meltdown. I mean, from the first exchange where Hillary Clinton pointed out that he got a $2 million loan from his father he started to dissemble and it just steamrolled from there. I think the theme of change versus the same is a very real theme. There is no doubt about that. They will continue to address that, but for her to be able to say "I'm going to build on the success of the Obama administration to take us to the next level. We've started, we're going to keep going to continue to create jobs." I think that's really important. And those undecided voters, I'm curious to know whether they're holding out because they really haven't heard a huge amount of plans for the country. I'm not sure we even got much of that last night, but the next two debates maybe will be an opportunity.

PHILLIPS: You know, Carol, a lot of my democratic friends snickered when he talked about his temperament, but you have to look at the different products that they're selling. She's selling herself as the steady hand of government, as the person whose been there, as the person who can get along with world leaders. He's selling himself as the business man whose going in there with the temperament of not dealing with the status quo, going in to shake things up. So I think anything that reinforces his identity as a businessman and an outsider helps him.

COSTELLO: So here's the thing though. He did step in it at least once, at least when it comes to women voters, and he did it with Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe. Hillary Clinton brought that up during the debate. This is Miss Universe and you know Trump ran the Miss Universe contest and Alicia Machado, after she won the crown, she gained some weight. So I'm just going to play you that moment in the debate when Hillary Clinton brought it up and then how Mr. Trump responded to that this morning. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them. And he called this woman Miss Piggy, then he called her Miss Housekeeping because she was Latina. Donald, she has a name.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Where did you find this? Where did you find this?

CLINTON: Her name is Alicia Machado and she has become a U.S. citizen.

TRUMP: Where did you find this? Oh really?

CLINTON: And you can bet she's going to vote this November.

TRUMP: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP (voice over): She was the worst we ever had. The worst, the absolute worst. She was impossible and she was a Miss Universe contestant and ultimately a winner, who they had a tremendously difficult time with as Miss Universe. You know, she gained a massive amount of weight and it was a real problem. We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude and we had a real problem with her.

COSTELLO: OK, so just to clarify, so Alicia Machado went from 118 pounds to 160 pounds. The average American woman weighs 166.2 pounds. That's according to the CDC. So why not just let that go, John? Because that's going to live. Hillary Clinton's camp's already made a campaign ad? [10:34:55]

PHILLIPS: Yes, if I were to type a memo after last night it would be titled, "Resisting Impulses." But I don't think it hurts him, because if you look at the population of women that he needs to get, that he needs to go out and vote for him, it's republican women, who are college educated, who voted for Mitt Romney last time around. Those are the women that could theoretically push him over the top if you believe those Washington Post numbers where he's down by two. And I don't think they care about this. I think all of the women who are going to be offended about this are women who weren't going to vote for him in the first place but had enough ammunition. They didn't like him calling Rosie O'Donnell a fat pig, but republican women who voted for Romney, I don't think this influences them one way or another.

COSTELLO: OK. So before you answer, Jennifer, I just want to point out this is Hillary Clinton. She's just about to board her campaign plane, and I think she's off to, what? North Carolina? North Carolina? Raleigh? Yes, she's off there. So we'll just watch her board the plane. So Jennifer, do you think his comments (--)

GRANHOLM: First of all, yes, I do think of course they resonate. Every woman hears that. Woman - and most of us our sensitive about our weight and the notion that we can't be a ten - we can't be a ten unless we are busty, because he said flat-chested women cannot be a ten. The fact that he is so obsessed with looks is very offensive. And I encourage people to go the website, HillaryClinton.com and watch that ad. It is an incredible interview with Alicia Machado.

COSTELLO: Don't we have that ad? I think we have that ad.

GRANHOLM: It's very powerful. In her own words how hurt she was that he called her Miss Housekeeping. I mean, how utterly offensive can he be on so many fronts? So, yes, I do think women care about this and it will have an impact.

COSTELLO: Jennifer, I just want to show our viewers the ad, so people can understand what Jennifer's talking about.

PHILLIPS: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA MARCHADO, FORMER MISS UNIVERSE (subtitled): He was overwhelming. I was very scared of him. He'd yell at me all the time. He'd tell me "You look ugly," or "You look fat." Sometimes he'd "play" with me and say, "Hello, Miss Piggy," "Hello, Miss Housekeeping."

TRUMP: She weighed 118 pounds or 117 pounds and she went up to 160 or 70, so this is somebody that likes to eat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So you get the gist her, John. And I think that what Hillary Clinton needs is she needs to make her voters enthusiastically go to the polls and this may be a method that might, you know, inflame their passions enough to make them go to the polls and vote for Hillary Clinton.

PHILLIPS: Right, well back when that pageant was going on, he was an entertainer. He was the guy who was putting on a show, he was trying to draw ratings.

COSTELLO: But he reinforced it (INAUDIBLE).

PHILLIPS: Well, look. What was it that Ed Rendell said, the former chair of the DNC and Hillary supporter?

COSTELLO: That was wrong too.

PHILLIPS: That ugly women are the secret weapon for Hillary?

COSTELLO: That was wrong too, I'll grant you that, but that doesn't excuse what Donald Trump said on "Fox and Friends" this morning, does it?

PHILLIPS: Well, I mean, maybe she's trying to play to the Ed Rendell vote.

GRANHOLM: Well, Ed Rendell is not running for president. He is, and he has said so many things that are offensive, that will continue to be raised. He lives - whether he said it in the '70s or whether he said it this morning, it lives on. And believe me we will be reminding people of that.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Granholm, John Phillips, thanks to you both. All right, coming up in THE NEWSROOM: Clinton and Trump spar and the world watches from nukes to NATO to Russian cyber attacks; who showed off their foreign policy chops best?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (10:40:00]

COSTELLO: Well today we've seen not only in the United States but around the world both Clinton and Trump sparring over the threat of ISIS, support for the Iraq war, NATO, and nuclear weapons. Trump criticizing the nuclear deal with Iran, while Clinton defended it. Clinton then questioned Trump's temperament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: The other day, I saw Donald saying that there were some Iranian sailors on a ship in the waters off of Iran and they were taunting American sailors who were on a nearby ship. He said, "You know, if they taunted our sailors, I'd blow them out of the water and start another war."

TRUMP: That wouldn't start a war.

CLINTON: That's a judgment. That is not the right temperament to be Commander in Chief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. So let's talk about this. With me now, Clarissa Ward, she's in London, Elise Labott is in D.C., and Mathew Chance is in Moscow. Thanks to you all for joining me this morning. Clarissa, let's start with you and what Hillary Clinton said about Trump saying that he would blow these Iranian ships out of the water because they taunted U.S. sailors or the U.S. Navy. Mr. Trump seemed to intimate that by saying such a thing or by doing such a thing that it would not - it would not necessarily mean war. Is he right?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what was so interesting, Carol, what we heard over and over again with the discussion with regard to foreign policy was Donald Trump really attacking Hillary Clinton about her record while offering very few specifics of what he would actually do and how his foreign policy would look different. So he was very aggressive in terms of lambasting the Iran nuclear deal, calling it one of the worst deals the country has ever made. But he didn't really offer a lot of specifics in terms of how he would change that. He talked about how he would have made some kind of an agreement with North Korea contingent on it. He even mentioned throwing Yemen in there. And of course the big concern for people watching overseas with regard to Donald Trump is the sense that perhaps he is erratic, that perhaps he is impulsive, that perhaps he is, as she indicated, in fact dangerous. But I actually think the most important line of the entire debate with regard to foreign policy came when Donald Trump was talking about his response to NATO and American allies. And he said quite simply, "We cannot be the policemen of the world. We cannot protect countries all over the world." And it is that statement that will have sent shudders down the spine of American allies across the world who are very concerned that if there is a President Donald Trump we could see a much more isolation as foreign policy, Carol. [10:45:06]

COSTELLO: Well, it might make world leaders quake, at least, but to many Americans, that sounds like we really can't be the world's policemen because we can't afford it anymore.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well that's right. I mean, look, Carol, what Donald Trump has been able to tap into in this country is this idea that America needs to look at some of the problems here in this country and stop being the world's policemen, stop paying for everything. But I think what Secretary Clinton tried to do when he talked about that when - and in fact, he doubled down on that pledge to re-look at NATO, to re-look at Asia and countries like Japan and South Korea where the U.S. has troops stationed. Donald Trump has said he would reexamine those alliances and those troop commitments. She said, "Look, NATO has been here for the United States, particularly after 9/11." There's this article 5 pledge what they say is attack on one is attack on all. And so what Secretary Clinton was trying to do is say, yes, it's important to look inward and look at these commitments and everybody does have to pay their fair share, but America needs to be engaged with the world (--)

COSTELLO: Elise, pause right there and maybe you can help me with this. Hillary Clinton on her campaign plan. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I have to say, I was thrilled I had a chance to lay out some of the middle class economic policies and pro-family policies that I've been talking about throughout this campaign to all the viewers who tuned in. I felt so positive about it and, you know, one of the thoughts that popped in my head was, you know, one of my favorite baseball players, Ernie Banks, used to get so excited about going to play that he'd say "Let's play two." So I'm looking forward to the next debate and then the one after that.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Secretary Clinton, what do you think were the most critical moments last night?

CLINTON: I think viewers got a real chance to begin to compare us on policy. You know, policy gets lost a lot of the time in coverage with the back and forth that goes on. And laying out my plan for strong growth and fair growth and dealing with family economic issues like affordable childcare and paid family leave and debt-free college with no real response, no real offer coming from my opponent. The tax plans that we've put forth are so different, and his would explode the deficit and debt and it would be a huge gift to the wealthiest of Americans, including him and his own family. And I think that all began to come into focus for people.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: What about the way he kept interrupting and the way he answered the question about gender? Do you think women would react to that?

CLINTON: Well, I think his - his demeanor, his temperament, his behavior on the stage could be seen by everybody and people can draw their own conclusions. And I thought on several occasions he was making charges and claims that were demonstrably untrue, offering opinions that I think a lot of people would find offensive and off- putting. He can run his campaign and present himself however he chooses, but the real point is about temperament and fitness and qualification to hold the most important, hardest job in the world. And I think people saw last night some very clear differences between us.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Are you concerned that Donald Trump will not show up for the next debate? Are you concerned that he won't show up?

CLINTON: Well I'm going to show up. He gets to decide what he's going to do, but I will be there at Wash U in Saint Louis, and then after that in Las Vegas. If I'm the only person on stage, you know, I'm the only person on stage.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Donald Trump says he actually showed great restraint last night and that he could have gone after you and your husband for personal matters. [10:49:16]

CLINTON: I say he can run his campaign however he chooses. And, you know, I will continue to talk about what I want to do for the American people, lay out specific plans with very clear goals in mind to help us deal with all the challenges we face. I'm excited about where we are in this country. He talks down America every chance he gets. He calls us names. He calls us a third world country. He talks in such dire and dark terms. That's not who America is. You know we are the best problem solvers in the world. Our diversity is a strength. I am excited about helping to pull our country together, to set some big goals on infrastructure and advanced manufacturing and clean energy, to take on climate change, which, by the way, is not a hoax made up by the Chinese, and do everything that I've talked about. And you should know by now when I set my mind on something I keep going. I don't quit, whatever the static, whatever the incoming is, and that's what I'll do for the American people. I am looking forward to it. Thank you.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: What about his stamina? What about his stamina?

CLINTON: Anybody who complains about the microphone is not having a good night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, my goodness, a little zinger there at the end, right? Hillary Clinton talking about anybody who had microphone problems is having a real problem. As you know, earlier this morning Donald Trump was complaining about microphone problems at that debate. With me now is Brian Stelter. And Brianna Keilar on board that plane. We'll get to her in just a second, but wow.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: She is feeling very, very confident this morning. Donald Trump called into "Fox and Friends" on Fox News this morning. That was his version of a victory lap. But Clinton going out in front of a variety of reporters, taking questions just now, and clearly she believes she was the winner last night at that debate. She even took a question about whether or not Donald Trump will show up to the next debate, and she threw the ball right back in his court by saying, "Hey, I'll be there, and if I'm the only one on stage, so be it."

COSTELLO: So, let's go back to that, like, Mr. Trump appeared on "Fox and Friends," right? And I listened to their questions and they were not difficult questions that were lobbed and Mr. Trump this morning. Hillary Clinton is on her campaign plane, you know, reporters from all over the country are on board that plane asking her any kind of questions they want. So why do you suppose she's doing that now and Mr. Trump is not?

STELTER: She is certainly seeking to both be more accessible and also appear to be more accessible. Donald Trump has mostly sheltered himself within conservative media, of friendly outlets, not just Fox News but specifically friendly interviewers on Fox News. That was a winning strategy for him many months ago. I have doubts about whether it's a winning strategy for him now. I think it makes a lot of sense for Clinton to be out in front of the cameras today reiterating her main messages from last night.

COSTELLO: So, like, the tables are turned, right?

STELTER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Because Hillary Clinton went radio silent for a long time with the press and now she's talking to them all the time.

STELTER: And now Donald Trump is the candidate who has not held a press conference or had a full-fledged press conference in about two months. And he actually doesn't come on his plane and talk to reporters, because they actually have to ride on a different plane. So clearly she's trying to take the momentum she has from last night at Hofstra and get back on the campaign trail today. We see her in very good spirits here, also, I think, happy to take the question about Donald Trump interrupting her. And Donald Trump did her interrupt her a lot more than she interrupted Trump. I think she's happy to have women in particular notice that contrast.

COSTELLO: All right, Brianna Keilar is now available. She's gets the back of the plane. Brianna, what do you make of this?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (on telephone): Just so you know, Carol, we're actually on the move here in my plane, so if you lose me that is why. But Hillary Clinton just came back to speak to reporters and she was very happy about her performance last night, as is everyone on her campaign. And she says that she's looking forward to the next debate and the one after that.

When asked about what she thought the most critical moments were, she actually felt that it was the policy, that it gave people a chance, she said, to draw a contrast between her and Donald Trump. And she focused on the tax plan that Donald Trump has and that she has. But she was also asked about his temperament because he did interrupt her so many times. And she said, "You know, his demeanor, his behavior on the stage, that's something that people can draw their own conclusions about." But she also said that people saw that they're different, she thought. She's sort of letting that speak for itself. She was asked about Donald Trump's complaints about a microphone problems. That would be the last thing that she was asked as she walked to the front of the plane, Carol. And she said, "Anyone who complains about the microphone is not having a good night."

COSTELLO: All right. Are you taking off there, Brianna, or can I ask you one more question?

KEILAR: Yes, go ahead. We're about to take off, but we definitely have a little more time.

COSTELLO: I don't want to get you in trouble with, you know, the airport people or the plane people there. So, is it surprising to you that Mrs. Clinton decided to make an appearance this morning and answer questions?

KEILAR: I don't think so necessarily because I think it was a victory lap, in a way. So, you know, in terms of - I think she just kind of wanted to state what a lot of the people on her campaign have been stating, which is that they feel that they did a good job last night and that she was successful in the debate. So she was asked about what she would have done differently, that's not something that she addressed. So this is clearly her trying to take that victory lap.

COSTELLO: All right, Brianna Keilar, we'll let you get back to it. And we'll check back with you when you get to North Carolina. Let's head out to Joe Johns. He's at Hofstra. You heard Hillary Clinton mention that microphone problem that Donald Trump brought up. Was there a microphone problem in the hall that you know of? [10:55:08]

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not clear. What was clear was there was some talk about it by Donald Trump included(ph). Not clear the extent to which there was a microphone problem. I think the really interesting thing about Hillary Clinton coming out today, and I agree with Brianna that that was sort of a victory lap. Also interesting that she pointed up once again the issue of Donald Trump's demeanor, as well as the notion of his relationship with women voters, the sense among some on the Hillary Clinton side that he really talks down to women. That really appeared at the very end of the debate last night. And she got in what I would call a planned zinger there that involved, as you know Carol, the Miss Universe from the 1990s who was from Venezuela, as something that I think this campaign saw has been so effective that they immediately put out a web video. So we look to see Hillary Clinton in North Carolina just this afternoon. Back to you.

COSTELLO: All right there, John, thanks so much. And thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)