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Democrats Look to Regroup; Melania Trump Makes History; Sanders has a Warning for Trump. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired November 11, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:31:25] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. And thank you so much for joining me. We're overlooking the White House in Washington, D.C., this morning. That's a gorgeous sight, isn't it? Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Carol Costello.

The Democrats reeling after an election shocker that placed the White House and Congress firmly in the hands of the Republicans. For his part, Bernie Sanders says Donald Trump tapped into the mood of many Americans. A mood Sanders says Democrats must now address.

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: People are angry. They have a right to be angry. But we have got to channel that anger against the people who caused the decline of the middle class and so many people living in poverty. Let's deal with the real issues, that the rich are getting richer, that we are moving toward an oligarch form of society where a handful of billionaires control the economy, as a result of Citizens United control to a significant degree our political system, and may I say control our media. So there's a lot of work to be done.

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COSTELLO: But Sanders also had a warning for Donald Trump, don't blame minorities for society's ills. His fellow progressive, Elizabeth Warren, the senator, agrees.

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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We will fight back against attacks on Latinos, on African-Americans, on womens, on Muslims, on immigrants, on disabled Americans, on everyone. Whether Donald Trump sits in a glass tower or sits in the White House, we will not give an inch on this. Not now. Not ever.

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COSTELLO: All right, let's talk about this. Adam Green is a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Matt Bennett is the co-founder of Third Way, a centrist think tank. He also served as a deputy assistant to President Bill Clinton. Welcome to both of you.

ADAM GREEN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thanks.

MATT BENNETT, SENIOR VP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, THIRD WAY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So, Adam, I'll start with you, because what I heard sounds like it's going to be an all-out war and that's - some people might say that's going to rile up these protesters across the country even more, and do we really want to go there, yet?

GREEN: I think we - the Democratic Party needs to diagnose what just happened. And, you know, different people will react to it differently. But there are a lot of people out there who are really hurting and they're seeing jobs go away. They have maxed out credit cards. They see college tuition that's unaffordable. And Donald Trump, unfortunately, really plays that anger and channeled it in a really unproductive direction. You know, he - his message was about the corporate political - the corporate establishment, the political establishment, but, unfortunately, he also scapegoated a lot of people, blaming them for this economic anxiety.

And Hillary Clinton actually had many good positions. She didn't offer as much of a systemic critique of this - these are the - the systemic issues that are, you know, combing to work against you. And, unfortunately, Donald Trump did. So we need - we need to -

COSTELLO: So, so -

GREEN: To understand what motivated them and be able to rechannel that anger in the future towards the Democratic Party.

COSTELLO: OK. So, obviously, Hillary Clinton lost the election, right? Some people said this is the end of the Clinton machine and it's time to turn the corner to something new. The Democratic Party has to stand for something new. What is that?

BENNETT: Well, I agree with Adam that we've got to do some soul searching. This is the worst shape that our party's been in since reconstruction in the 1920s, or before, in the 1870s. We lost across the board. We lost very progressive people. We lost moderates. We lost everybody.

We've got to figure out what the problem is and we think part of the problem is, we're not talking about the things that are most urgently important for the people that voted for Trump, and that is, jobs for themselves, jobs for their kids. They need to feel the dignity of work and the - and to be relieved of the economic anxiety that they're feeling about technology and globalization taking away their opportunity to live the American dream.

[09:35:08] COSTELLO: Well, here's what I hear when I go home, because I come from the part of Ohio that voted strongly for Donald Trump, working-class Americans. What they hear when they listen to Democratic candidates is, you know what, they're going to help every minority group that's out there, but they don't really care about me. In fact, they see me as a problem. They see me as a racist. Why would I vote for them.

GREEN: Well, that's what I'm saying. I mean people are hurting, right? People need jobs. People want their own families to -

COSTELLO: But as far as the Democratic messaging, how do you change it to convince those working class Americans that that's not true of the Democratic Party?

GREEN: That - that is the question of the day. That is the question that, you know, whatever wing of the Democratic Party you're from, we are all going to be jointly exploring that. But where it will land is some version of a systemic critique. Talking about these large forces that are, unfortunately, hurting a lot of people. The more we can kind of have a rising tide lift many boats, and the less anxiety there is, the more of a propensity there will be to find scapegoats.

COSTELLO: But isn't this the problem with the Democratic Party because you can't really alienate your base, right, because minority voters are largely Democratic. So, how do you walk the line?

BENNETT: It's really hard. I mean the problem in part is the Democratic Party is united. Adam and I certainly agree that the pace of social change has been great. We've been making enormous progress, and that is a great thing. But it has made people - it has put them off balance in parts of the country where they're just not prepared to move quite as quickly as we are in the cities. And when you combine that with deep economic anxiety, that makes people retract. And if - if you suggest to them that we think you're a racist or a bad person because some of Donald Trump's supporters are. I mean we saw it in the previous segments. But most of them are not. We have to communicate that we respect who they are, and that we need to reach out and help them too.

COSTELLO: OK, so let's talk about the -

GREEN: (INAUDIBLE) some of them voted for Obama and for Trump, right? So need - they have economic anxiety (INAUDIBLE).

COSTELLO: Uh-huh. So let's talk about the Democratic bench. Like, who's on the bench that could, you know, jump in to that - that face of leadership in the Democratic Party?

GREEN: Did somebody say Elizabeth Warren? What was that angel that just came down? You know, there also is an amazing bench that was just elected this cycle. There are some amazing rock stars. I encourage everybody to keep their eyes on Pramila Jayapal, an amazing leader who just got elected to a seat in Washington state. Jamie Raskin, who won a seat in Maryland, who is the majority whip of the senate there. Annette Baragin (ph) in California. These are some of the rising stars of the future. Ten years from now, they will end - be in key leadership positions. But they will be called game changers. Not just Democratic votes, but people who will be an impetus for change and really change the trajectory of the party (INAUDIBLE).

COSTELLO: OK. So going forward, you know, just in the moment. You have heard what Senator Warren said. You heard what Senator Sanders said. BENNETT: Yes. Yes.

COSTELLO: So it sounds to me like there's just going to be a war between the parties. And it's going to be the extreme left and the extreme right and they're going to be fighting and that's what we're going to endure for the next four years.

BENNETT: That is possible. I think what we don't know is what a President Trump is going to be like. Donald Trump can change positions in the course of the same sentence. So we have no idea if he is going to do the things that he campaigned on. And if he does, there' going to be a war. If he treats people the way he treated them, then Senator Warren is right, we're going to have to fight him in every - at every turn. If he shifts positions and he's bigger than that, and he grows into the job, there may be things we can work with him on, we just have no idea yet.

COSTELLO: OK. I'm going to have to leave it there, but it's a really great conversation. Thanks to you both, Adam Green and Matt Bennett. Thank you so much.

BENNETT: Thank you.

GREEN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Melania Trump steps into the spotlight as the future first lady. How the former model is already making history.

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[09:42:58] COSTELLO: Melania Trump also making history. The 46-year- old former model will become the second foreign-born first lady, and the first in modern times. On Thursday, Michelle Obama sipped tea with Mrs. Trump and welcomed her to the White House. And while they might have - while they might not have much in common, a spokeswoman said the two moms talked about raising children inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So what kind of first lady will Melania Trump be?

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MELANIA TRUMP, WIFE OF PRESIDENT-ELECT: They compare me to Jackie Kennedy. It's an honor. But, of course, we in 21st century and I will be different. And she had the great style and she did a lot of good stuff. But this is different time now.

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COSTELLO: In many ways, being first lady is like becoming part of a sorority and walking into a new world of tradition.

With me now is Carl Sferrazza Anthony. He's the author and historian of the National First Lady's Library.

Welcome.

CARL SFERRAZZA ANTHONY, AUTHOR & HISTORIAN, NATIONAL FIRST LADY'S LIBRARY: Morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So - so is Melania Trump like Jackie Kennedy?

ANTHONY: No. I mean they're all different. I mean everybody's always striving, I suppose, because they're unknown quantities when they first come in, for some sense of direction. But, really, they're all highly individual with their own interests. And, you know, one comparison, I think, that actually is interesting is the fact that Mrs. Trump, like Mrs. Kennedy, speaks multiple languages. And, you know, I think that says something about a certain kind of intelligence, that ability to be a bit facile with language. I think that's something certainly that's always helpful when it comes to dealing with diplomats and foreign heads of state.

COSTELLO: Uh-huh.

ANTHONY: But really I think it's going to have to be something that unfolds. You know, she's been a fashion model, you know, and everybody's seen the pictures, and, you know, it's - it's a - it's great radical departure. But so was Hillary, who was a working attorney, you know.

[09:45:08] COSTELLO: But, and she's - she's also - she's also someone who really doesn't enjoy the limelight much. She seems to be shy to me. And I think you're right, you sort of grow into the role, because it took Michelle Obama a minute to - to - to figure out what she would be about as first lady.

ANTHONY: Yes, I think - and I think what you say is very true. There - you can't help but detect her shyness. Even when she smiles, you can see that she's tentative. And that might just be in front of the camera. The - the other thing is that - the most important thing is really is the role of a first lady and they're - they play many different roles. The role of being an adviser, and having sort of emotional foundation for your spouse ultimately is the most important role.

The other thing I would add is, because his daughter, Ivanka, has played such a large public role, we might see something that is more similar to Eleanor Roosevelt and her daughter Anna Roosevelt, who was a grown adult woman, with her own children, went with her father to the Yalta (ph) Conference, served as hostess at private events. So sometimes this role gets a bit fractured among women in the family.

COSTELLO: The other interesting thing, I think the role of the first lady has morphed over time because women have changed over the years, right?

ANTHONY: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: So Hillary Clinton as first lady was much, much different than previous first ladies. So they kind of walk this - this fine line between being a traditional wife, and - and being the powerful woman so that they can send that strong message to little girls.

ANTHONY: It is - it is a role of - of many faces like a diamond. You know, when Hillary came in, after her, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama. All three of them have had graduate degrees, you know. So you do see certain generational shifts in changes that take place. After Jackie Kennedy you saw all of them went to college. So, you know, there's - there are different things that do define them in terms of the period in which they themselves mature and (ph) came of age.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. Carl Sferrazza Anthony, thank you so much for joining me this morning.

ANTHONY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Harry Reid unleashes on Donald Trump after his win this week. It's the first time we're hearing from the Senate minority leader since the election. We'll talk about that next.

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[09:52:01] COSTELLO: All right, in just about an hour, the president, President Obama, will attend the Veterans Day Memorial event at Arlington National Cemetery. He will then join Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in a wreath laying ceremony. Of course, when that happens, we'll take you back to Arlington National Cemetery.

We're hearing harsh words this morning from Harry Reid. It's the first time the retiring Senate minority leader has spoken up since the election. Our CNN senior political reporter, Manu Raju, joins us live from Washington with that.

Hi, Manu.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Hey, Carol.

We've seen a lot of conciliatory statements from Democratic leaders in the days after Donald Trump's election as the next president of the United States, but not Harry Reid. The Senate Democratic leader, who is retiring at year's end, is not going quietly. He is what a source tells me is appalled by the rush to normalize Donald Trump.

And just issuing this scathing statement about Donald Trump's election, saying this, Carol. "I have personally been on the ballot in Nevada for 26 elections and I have never seen anything like the reaction to the election completed last Tuesday. The election of Donald Trump has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry in America.: So he talks about white nationalists celebrating while innocents American cry tears of fury. He said it does not feel like America.

He also says, Carol, "I have heard more stories in the past 48 hours of Americans living in fear of their own government and their fellow Americans than I can remember in hearing in five decades of politics." He talks about young girls unable to understand a man who brags about sexually assaulting women being elected president of the United States. And he also talks about his large family, saying he's felt their tears, and he said, "I felt their fear."

And he adds, Carol, "we, as a nation, must find a way to move forward without signing on to those who Trump has threatened to send into the shadows." He said, "this is going to be a time of healing. We must first put the responsibility for healing where it belongs, at the feet of Donald Trump, a sexual predator who lost the popular vote and a campaign fueled by bigotry and hate."

So, Carol, very, very strong words from the Senate Democratic leader. Something that we have not seen from other Democrats who have said that we need to figure out a way to move forward. Clearly a sign that he is not going quietly. He said, I am told, he plans to continue to talk about this in the coming days ahead. So it shows how Democrats are still struggling to deal with the election of Donald Trump.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I - you know, the obvious question here is, Donald Trump has, I mean, technically he's not president yet, he's president- elect. We really don't know what he'll look like as president. So why is Harry Reid saying this now when protests are going on across the country, some of them violent?

RAJU: I think he's speaking to those protesters. He probably sides with the fears that a lot of these protesters are voicing right now. And he also, as one of his aides told me, he just does not like the way that everybody, the Democratic Party, is running to get behind Donald Trump or say that, you know we're willing to work with Donald Trump. He does not believe that.

[09:55:10] And, of course, Harry Reid has attacked Donald Trump relentlessly through the course of this campaign season, saying not only that he's unfit to be president, he's a serial liar. He's said very, very harsh things about Donald Trump. And clearly he still feels that way, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Manu Raju reporting live for us this morning, thank you.

In the next hour of NEWSROOM, President Trump's America putting many Muslims and immigrants on edge across the country, but not all. Next hour, I'll talk to a woman who is Muslim. She's an immigrant, and one of those so-called silent supporters of Donald Trump. Why she voted for him and why she says she is not scared of his presidency.

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[10:00:10] COSTELLO: And good morning and thank you so much for joining me. I'm Carol Costello, live in Washington, D.C.