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Battleground Blitz: Campaigns Blanket Swing States; Clinton, Trump Trade Insults at Charity Dinner; Trump Walks Out On Ohio Reporter. Aired 9-9:30 ET

Aired October 21, 2016 - 09:00   ET

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


[09:00:00] CAROL COSTELL, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning from my home state battleground Ohio. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Carol Costello.

Eighteen days and counting, and 18 electoral votes at stake right here in the Buckeye State. I'm coming to you from the bull's eye and the capital of the state of Ohio, Columbus. The latest Ohio polls showing Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump tied.

A history lesson for you. No candidate has won the White House without Ohio since JFK. That's why Donald Trump was here yesterday. Hillary Clinton will be in the state today. She'll be in the Cleveland area.

And it's not just Ohio. Both campaigns going full throttle in other battleground states, capping off another brutal week in the race for the White House. And if you were expecting a reprieve at last night's traditionally lighthearted Al Smith charity dinner, I don't think you got it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The outcome will be historic. We'll either have the first female president or the first president who started a Twitter war with Cher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, we're covering all angles with our team of political reporters, but let's begin with CNN Senior Political Correspondent Brianna Keilar on last night's dinner which was a fund raising event for Catholic charities to help needy children in New York City.

Brianna, that dinner was supposed to be lighthearted and fun.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What it was supposed to be all about. It's normally a moment of levity and sort of a needed one in the middle of a hard-fought campaign, but this cycle has just been so nasty, it came through at this charity event.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate Commission.

KEILAR (voice-over): Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were supposed to play nice.

CLINTON: It's amazing I'm up here after Donald. I didn't think he'd be OK with a peaceful transition of power.

KEILAR (voice-over): Casting aside the night's traditional good humor joking, both candidates delivering brutal takedowns of each other.

TRUMP: This is the first time ever that Hillary is sitting down and speaking to major corporate leaders and not getting paid for it.

CLINTON: People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history. Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four, maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.

KEILAR (voice-over): Trump starting his speech strong.

TRUMP: The media is even more biased this year than ever before ever. Michelle Obama gives a speech, and everyone loves it. It's fantastic. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech and people get on her case.

KEILAR (voice-over): But losing the room after changing his tone.

TRUMP: Hillary accidentally bumped into me, and she very civilly said, pardon me. And I very politely replied, let me talk to you about that after I get into office.

KEILAR (voice-over): Trump even booed at times for crossing the line.

TRUMP: Hillary believes that it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private. That's OK. I don't know who they're angry at, Hillary. You're right. Here she is tonight in public pretending not to hate Catholics.

KEILAR (voice-over): Clinton landing her own sharp barbs right back at Trump.

CLINTON: Donald, after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it. Donald really is as healthy as a horse. You know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.

KEILAR (voice-over): And poking fun at herself.

CLINTON: This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KEILAR: There was a big question about whether Hillary Clinton and

Donald Trump would shake hands at this event because they did not the night before at the debate. They ultimately did at the end, even though there was a photo line they both participated in before the event where they seemed to avoid each other.

But Cardinal Dolan who sat between them throughout this entire dinner had something very interesting to say about words he overheard in their conversation. Here's what he said this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: Mr. Trump turned to Secretary Clinton and said, you know, you are one tough and talented woman. And he said this has been a great -- a good experience in this whole campaign, as tough as it's been. And she said to him, and Donald, whatever happens, we need to work together afterwards. Now, I thought, this is the evening at its best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:05:11] KEILAR: Of course, Carol, as you know, the question is, what does Donald Trump have to say to that because he's the one who has really raised the question of whether he will concede the election if it's determined that he loses. So you might have wanted to hear the answer to that one.

COSTELLO: I know. Oh, this is a strange election. Brianna Keilar, thanks so much. Well, as I said, Trump does return to the trail today, and he's facing a barrage of criticism though for those claims of a rigged election. Among the loudest voices, the President and the Vice President and the First Lady.

CNN's Chris Frates has more on that. He's live in Washington. Good morning.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. Well, Donald Trump's continued refusal to say whether he supports what is essentially a bedrock of American democracy, the idea of a peaceful transfer of power, is drawing criticism from all corners, that includes leaders in his own party and Republicans who are in real tough re-election races.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRATES (voice-over): Donald Trump is defiant, mocking critics who rebuked him for refusing to say whether he will concede if he loses in November.

TRUMP: I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election if I win.

FRATES (voice-over): The Republican nominee is doubling down on his unsubstantiated claims that the election is rigged against him and leaving the door open to contest the vote.

TRUMP: I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.

FRATES (voice-over): Trump's unprecedented remarks are drawing backlash from both sides and rattling an already fractured Republican Party. Senator John McCain, who lost the presidential race back in 2008, saying a concession is, quote, an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility.

Hillary Clinton's trifecta of surrogates is nailing Trump on the trail, starting with Vice President Joe Biden in New Hampshire.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's questioning not the legitimacy of our election, but the legitimacy of our democracy.

FRATES (voice-over): First Lady Michelle Obama tearing into Trump in Arizona.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: He is threatening the very idea of America itself, and we cannot stand for that. You do not keep American democracy in suspense.

FRATES (voice-over): And in Florida, President Obama condemning Trump's dangerous talk as no joking matter.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy. Then you're doing the work of our adversaries for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRATES: Now, it's important to point out here, Trump has provided no evidence to support this charge that somehow the election is rigged. And the facts don't bear that out, either.

In fact, taking a look at a 2012 investigative report, it looked at a decade of data, and they found just 10, 10 cases of voter impersonation at the polls on Election Day. Ten cases over 10 years. And the report does point out that, you know, fraud does occur from time to time, Carol, but the number of cases are exceedingly small, certainly not enough to swing an election. Carol.

COSTELLO: Chris, you cannot say that enough. Thank you for saying it again. Chris Frates reporting live from Washington.

I want to mention a little bit more about where I am. I am in Columbus, Ohio, the capital of the state of Ohio in Franklin County. I'm in a place called German Village. It's a neighborhood that's bustling.

I'm in Pistacia Vera and as you can see, it's a bustling place. German Village is full of small business owners, you know, just like this place. This is the kind of voters that both candidates covet. And believe me, the people that I've talked to in German Village, they are motivated to vote. So let's talk about the voter and who they may vote for and why.

Joining me to talk about that and more is CNN's Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash. Paul Singer is a Washington correspondent for "USA Today" and Tamara Keith is a White House correspondent for NPR. Welcome to all of you.

All right. So let's talk about the American voter. Because Republicans are very concerned, Dana, about those down ballot candidates especially in states like Ohio and especially in New Hampshire. And there's an interesting ad released by Republicans in New Hampshire that seemed to point to a Clinton victory.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, yes. So this is something that we first reported on CNN last night, and it is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is a core kind of maybe -- I think the best way to say that, has been a cornerstone of the Republican Party for a very long time and politically, really tries to focus on preserving the U.S. Senate. That has been the focus over the past several election cycles.

[09:10:13] And they, starting today, have a brand-new ad out in New Hampshire, not explicitly saying that they believe Hillary Clinton is going to win and it's time to save the Senate, but that is clearly the impression that they are trying to leave with voters.

Let's just look at the beginning of the ad and we'll talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America's future is far from certain, but no matter who the next President is, New Hampshire needs a strong voice in the U.S. Senate. That senator, Kelly Ayotte, she works --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So, Carol, what I am told is that, the hope is that this is a signal to Republican candidates, to Republican groups other than the Chamber of Commerce, that it's time. That it's time to recognize that Donald Trump is really unlikely to win the White House, and the most important thing, at this point, is to save the majority in the U.S. Senate. And that is what this is about.

In New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte is, in a new public poll, down eight points. Donald Trump is down 15 points in the state of New Hampshire where he's visited a lot. It is a battleground on a presidential level, on the senate level, so the question is whether other group, other candidates, are going to take this signal and say, you know what? It is time. We've got to just fend for ourselves and make clear to the voters we need to be a check and balance in the Senate and even in the House.

COSTELLO: Well, that very much is happening here in Ohio, too, with Senator Rob Portman who's running for re-election. He has also disavowed Mr. Trump. He's running on his own.

Paul, just tell us how historic this kind of thing is. I mean, I've not heard that kind of thing in recent American history.

PAUL SINGER, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, USA TODAY: Well, it's really uncommon. And the fact of the matter is, is that about three or four weeks ago at "USA Today," we were working on a story saying that the Republicans appeared to be pretty safe in their preservation of the U.S. Senate. And in the past three or four weeks, that has changed, partly because of the debates, partly because of Mr. Trump's video tape coming out talking about grabbing women.

All of a sudden, Republican candidates across the country have to answer for Donald Trump's attacks on women, the things he said about women, now what he said about the election. And suddenly, the Democrats have a real chance to get their majority in the Senate, and it's partly because of Donald Trump.

And so all of these Senate candidates are running against the top of the ticket. They're running against or disavowing Mr. Trump or just trying to stay away from him, which is totally unheard of in this campaign.

COSTELLO: Tamara, even in North Carolina, I just want to read you something that the head of the state GO Party said. He's pushing back hard on Trump's claims of a rigged election. He told CNN, quote, we at the North Carolina Republican Party are not aware of election results being optional.

Very close in North Carolina, right? Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are still neck and neck, Tamara. So why do you think the North Carolina GOP is saying this? Is it because they suspect that Donald Trump will contest the election in North Carolina if it's close?

TAMARA KEITH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NPR: You know, also the Secretary of State in Ohio has come out and said that the election isn't going to be rigged, hasn't been rigged. So I think that there are election officials in states all over the country, many of them Republican election officials, who do not want the credibility of the election thrown into doubt.

The idea of conceding when election results are clear, the idea of an election system that is functioning and not rigged, is fundamental to our democracy. And so many Republican leaders, Democratic leaders obviously also, are weighing in on this because this is a foundational issue.

COSTELLO: So, Dana, at what point would it be safe to say that Donald Trump is running for President of the United States all on his own?

BASH: Not yet for a lot of reasons, but one core reason, Carol, and that is, he is still in locked arms and working through an actual agreement with the Republican National Committee.

And we've said this many times but it certainly bears repeating, they are taking a much more active role in trying to get the presidential candidate elected than we have seen in modern times, primarily because Donald Trump didn't have a traditional campaign in the primaries and doesn't have one now, so he's relying heavily on the Party. And they have a joint fund raising agreement. When Donald Trump

raises money, he does so for the entire Party, which means from him on down on the ticket in all of these battleground states.

[09:15:08] So, currently, there are people walking around with mailers --

So, currently, there are people walking with mailers in battleground states like Ohio, and like North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and so forth. Done by the party that says Donald Trump, Kelly Ayotte and down the line, vote for them.

So he is still sort of, you know, hand and glove with the party, and there is no sign that the party is going to change that in the next 19 days. There was a chance that that could have happened after that tape came out. But Reince Priebus, the RNC chair made clear to his committee men in a conference call private conference called after the second debate that that is not likely to happen.

COSTELLO: All right. I have to end it there. Dana Bash, Paul Singer, Tamara Keith, thanks to all of you.

Still to come, she asked and he did not want to answer. Donald Trump walks out of an interview. I'll talk to the Ohio anchor and reporter who asked those tough questions. We're live this morning from Columbus, Ohio.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:29] COSTELLO: And welcome back to Columbus, Ohio. I'm Carol Costello.

Donald Trump needs a warm reception from Ohio voters. But when it came to one reporter's tough questions about his rhetoric this election, he gave her the cold shoulder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CILP)

COLLEEN MARSHALL, WCMH ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: You've been labeled a racist, you've been called a sexist --

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

MARSHALL: How do you respond to that?

TRUMP: I am the least racist person you've ever met.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Whoo.

I'm joined now by the anchor and correspondent you just saw Colleen Marshall of NBC 4 here in Columbus and thanks for coming early because I know you have a long night ahead of you.

The way he looked at you, after you asked that question -- MARSHALL: Well, I think part of the was I didn't get to ask the

question. I got to ask half of a question, because what I started to say to him was 19 days out from the election you've been label, these things, a racist and a sexist, how are you going to cut through that and reach Ohio voters because this is such a key state for him?

But as soon as I pointed out -- and this was at the end of a four- minute interview, and as soon as I pointed out how he had been labeled and the messaging that Ohio voters are getting all day every day, well you saw it, he walked away. He didn't want to talk about that. And I thought it was an opportunity for him to say to Ohio voters, how he would respond to those accusations. Because we we're hearing it all day.

COSTELLO: And there is a gentle split in the state of Ohio.

MARSHALL: There is. There definitely is just like there is in the rest of the country. He's not doing as well with women here as he is not doing as well with women around the country. And you know, like I said, this -- this was a question that I think was an opportunity for him. Because he really had the opportunity to say, you know, to answer his critics, I guess you could say.

COSTELLO: You covered presidential races for years and years.

MARSHALL: Many, many years.

COSTELLO: Many candidates for president. Has this ever happened before?

MARSHALL: Not to me, no. Actually he did walk out on a WBNS reporter in an interview right after mine. So I don't think this is an unusual thing for him.

COSTELLO: But wait a minute. The reason the presidential candidates do interviews with local reporters is to get the message out locally, to people in Columbus and the surrounding areas. They don't normally walk out of interviews.

MARSHALL: Well, and to his credit, he did answer some other questions. I mean, I talked to him about the fact that he lost Rob Portman's endorsement. Senator Portman's endorsement. And I asked him about, you know, criticisms of his financial plans. And I asked him about his accusations that the elections are rigged and he answered all of those questions. He did answer them.

I just think that there were some topics that he doesn't want to talk about. And his answer to that is to just walk out.

COSTELLO: So, when he walks out on a question that pertains specifically to women voters, what kind of message might that send to women?

MARSHALL: I think that's something he should answer to. You know, I can't speak for Donald Trump. I know how women that I've -- some women were upset that I started to ask him the question. Some have told me that you know, you should have chased him down even farther. I mean, there's no happy middle ground here.

I think the message was that there are topics that are off limits to Donald Trump, and, and, you know, my job is to ask the questions, his job is to decide how he wants to answer them.

Although I didn't get the question out, but --

COSTELLO: I think you were pretty clear in what you were asking him.

On a subject of a rigged election, the Ohio secretary of state, the man who is in charge of elections here in the state of Ohio, John Husted, has been very vocal in saying you know what, there's no voter fraud. There are safeguards put into place. The elections are going to be fair.

Like, how does Donald Trump marry his allegations of a rigged election with what Ohio's secretary of state is saying?

MARSHALL: And to his credit, John Husted has said that they you know that the election system here is virtually impossible to fraud. You can't rig an election in the state of Ohio. And 33 of the 50 state attorneys general are Republicans, and they are all saying the same thing and I'm sure they're Democratic counterparts are saying the same thing.

I asked him about that. Is this a dangerous message that you are sending to people that the voting system isn't sacrosanct, that there's questions about the integrity?

[09:25:06] Are there questions about the integrity? I ask for evidence of that, he told me he would talk about it in his speech which he did. He said there are a lot of dead people who are still on the voter rolls. That's his evidence that those names haven't been purged.

Maybe he sincerely believes this but the people who are in charge of the elections are taking it very personally. And saying you know, you can't rig the elections in the United States of America.

COSTELLO: Care to guess which way Ohio is going?

MARSHALL: You know, it's been a fascinating year. And they really are in a dead heat here. And there has never been a Republican make it to the White House without taking Ohio. he's campaigning very hard here.

She at one point, it looked as if she was ready to concede Ohio. They were pulling their ads out. She was concentrating in other parts.

I will say that this will probably be the toughest, tightest, if not the tightest, one of the tightest in the nation. So I'll leave it up to the voters.

COSTELLO: Good answer, Colleen Marshall. And thanks so much for coming in early for me.

MARSHALL: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Nice to see you again. Old friends.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: a political gold mine for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, undecided voters. I talked to two undecided voters here in Ohio. And yes, they're still undecided.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)