Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Trump Promises "Terrific" Trade Deals; Western Countries Call for Ceasefire in Aleppo; Remembering the Pearl Harbor Attack; Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired December 07, 2016 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:30:15] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow in for Carol Costello. So glad you're with us.
President-elect Donald Trump not backing down after picking a fight with Boeing over the cost of building the next Air Force One. In an interview this morning he said the plane is simply, quote, "too expensive," but insisted that Boeing would benefit from his policies in the long run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT: My trade policies are going to be terrific and by the way, we're lowering taxes in this country. We're getting rid of 90 percent, maybe 85 percent of the regulations which are stifling business. Boeing is going to be a tremendous beneficiary of that and maybe even mostly regulations, I mean, people are more happy about the regulations even though we're massively cutting taxes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Still riding high off that deal with Carrier, Trump is now claiming credit for a $50 billion U.S. investment by a Japanese tech giant named SoftBank tweeting, "Masa, Softbank of Japan has agreed to invest $50 billion in the United States towards business and 50,000 new jobs," saying that they would never have done it had we, Trump, not won the election.
For more, Cristina Alesci from CNN Money is with me and election law expert and former associate general counsel of the Federal Election Commission, Kenneth Gross.
Thank you, guys, for being here.
Cristina, let me begin with you. Is this a completely new way of doing business or is this just being very vocal about the way you do business as commander-in-chief?
CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: It is part of a pattern that we've seen with Trump before. Right? You talked about SoftBbank money, that's not a new deal. That is money that SoftBank in partnership with, by the way, Saudi Arabia, agreed to invest here partially maybe elsewhere around the world, $100 billion in startup.
HARLOW: Right. ALESCI: But Trump is taking credit. This is a pattern. We've seen
him do this before. He goes out, he identifies either praise or he targets a company. Once he targets a company he delivers a very simple message on fair trade, government waste. The company responds. Gives him a win, right, some feather in his cap, and he takes credit for it and inflates part of the story.
This is part of a pattern of his fuzziness with the facts and he did it again this morning on the "Today" show when he talked about selling his stock holdings.
HARLOW: His stocks.
ALESCI: Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I felt that I was very much going to be winning and I think I would have a tremendous, a really conflict of interest owning all of these different --
MATT LAUER, HOST, "TODAY" SHOW: So why not announce it back in June when you were under fire for a lack of financial transparency?
TRUMP: I let everybody know. I let everybody know. And I'm not -- I was never a big stockholder but I bought a lot of different stocks and I had a lot of stocks before then, too. And what I did is I sold them. I just don't -- I don't think it's appropriate for me to be owning stocks when I'm making deals for this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALESCI: So now he's making it sound like this is all about conflicts of interest when he talked about the fact that the stock market, you know, was approaching high prices potentially a bubble, and you know, to the point that was made on that clip, why didn't he announce this sooner, right? He says he did but he actually didn't.
HARLOW: Yes. He didn't. And by the way, the market's gone up 5.5 percent since he sold the stocks back in June.
Kenneth, to you. I read an interesting quote in "The Washington Post" this morning from the former director of the National Economic Council under George W. Bush, and he said when a politician rewards his business friends and punishes his business enemies it's called crony capitalism."
Whatever side you're on in your politics, but for you as the attorney legally speaking, even though he has sold these stocks, as Cristina just reported, is there any muddy water here still when it comes to these conflicts of interest? Making deals, using sort of public shaming to convince companies to keep jobs here, to lower the price of an airplane, who knows what's next?
KENNETH GROSS, ELECTION LAW EXPERT: That in and of itself, I don't think is an ethics issue. You know, the American people can judge whether they like that type of politics or not. But to me, that's purely political. It becomes an issue if he has stock or holdings in a company that's affected by these deals and it's interesting that he took the position that the reason he sold the stock in June was for conflicts of interest. You know, that's very telling because we haven't sort of heard that before from him.
I think he's right. I think the right thing to do with those stocks is to invest them into money markets or he might have actually put some of that money into the campaign. I haven't matched up the FEC reports but he was funding his own campaign. He might have needed some of that money to invest.
HARLOW: That's interesting. We don't know yet.
Cristina, the CEO of Caterpillar, Doug Oberhelman, obviously, you know, a company that -- big U.S. manufacturing company that has a lot of competition in China, right?
[10:35:06] He said yesterday American leaders are encouraged by President-elect Trump's pledge to boost economic growth and worried about some of the rhetoric but at the end it's all about American job creation.
Do you think every chief executive in this country right now is sitting in their office realizing that any conversation they have with Donald Trump will be on the public record very soon?
ALESCI: I think CEOs already know this. And I know that because I talk to them about it. But here's the thing. What will be said on Twitter, what Donald Trump will tweet, will only be what one side of the deal is. That side of the deal that makes him look great. At least that's what we have seen so far. He doesn't include what the concessions are. And we've seen this with Carrier. Right? Carrier got some tax breaks in Indiana. Trump did not tweet about those.
Trump tweeted about the fact that he saved 1100 jobs when in fact that number was 800. Did Carrier correct that fact?
HARLOW: No.
ALESCI: No. It did not. So the -- this is a game that Donald Trump is playing and it looks like the CEOs are playing along with that right now.
HARLOW: Do you think they'll continue to?
ALESCI: I think we are approaching an administration where one-off deals can happen and the American public will not know what happens on the other side of that deal. So the question for the American public is, do we want to cure these very big questions about unfair trade on a one-off basis in backroom deals or do we want to address this disease itself or the problem itself --
HARLOW: Right, with comprehensive tax reform, with a lot of other -- a lot of things addressing these issues, et cetera. You know, Cristina makes a good point, Kenneth. Mike Pence said in an
interview this weekend on ABC, you know, we're going to look at this on a day-to-day basis. That's just not realistic when you're governing and running the country.
But let's take a listen to what Trump said this morning that stood out to me in that interview on NBC about this whole debate over free trade. Here's how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have tremendous room, tremendous margin in our country but we have to do things right. And I believe in free trade. But I don't believe in stupid trade and stupid trade is when our companies all move out of our country, fire their workers, and then come back in, Matt, and sell their product back in with no retribution.
I'm just saying very simply if they want to fire their workers, move to Mexico or some other country and sell their product into our country they're going to be paying a tax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: The thing is, when you come down to legally how he can do that, it's difficult. He can do it sort of his own volition for a short period of time, but then he has to prove a number of things to actually make it legal to slap these tariffs on, especially if he's going to be selective in the companies he's doing it with.
GROSS: Yes. Absolutely. I mean, you're going to -- I mean, you can't do these on a case by case basis. There's a couple of headline deals that capture the -- you know, the thought to the people wow, you know, we just saved 800 jobs but as president, this is going to have to get baked into legislation. You know, it's going to have to be carefully tailored, what are we going to do with tariffs, how are we going to do it. And that is something Congress has to do. He can urge Congress to do it but ultimately this is going to be a legislative act.
HARLOW: Guys, thank you very much. Kenneth, Cristina, w appreciate it. A lot more on that if you are a wonk like me and worried about it. Just go to CNNmoney.com. Cristina and the team have great reporting there.
Also this. Voting is under way for the 2016 CNN Hero of the Year, the all-star tribute airs this weekend. Be sure to vote. Look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are the kind and the caring. They are the strong and the brave. They are the ones who see a need, fill a void, make a difference.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trying to give them all the opportunities that they deserve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has become my life. I don't ever want to do anything else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't do it for themselves. They do it for all the rest of us. They are a reminder of what's good in this world. And what it truly means to be a hero.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We give them the foundation from which they can thrive. The feeling of family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have transformed the lives of thousands of children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This Sunday night, CNN presents a very special live event. The "10TH ANNUAL CNN HEROES, ALL-STAR TRIBUTE."
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Tonight we're gathered to celebrate the extraordinary men and women who highlight the best of what humanity has to offer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join host Anderson Cooper and special co-host Kelly Ripa as we honor 10 extraordinary people. The "10TH ANNUAL CNN HEROES, ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" live Sunday night at 8:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:44:01] HARLOW: This just in to us at CNN. A jury has been seated in the trial of the suspect in the Charleston church massacre, Dylann Roof. Opening arguments are expected to begin shortly. Roof is accused of killing nine people inside the Emanuel AME Church last summer. And if convicted he could face the death penalty.
Meantime, in Syria, the U.S. and Western allies have a message for the Assad regime and for Russia. Stop the air strikes, the bombing and shelling in the besieged city of Aleppo. United States, France, Canada, Britain, Germany and Italy all calling for an immediate cease- fire. In recent days Syrian government forces have made their biggest push yet into eastern Aleppo, grabbing control of areas that had been held by rebel fighters for the past four years.
Our Fred Pleitgen is live for us in Aleppo, Syria. And Fred, you were just inside of the old city which has seen the fiercest fighting. What's the situation on the ground there as these families try to escape literally with just the clothes on their backs and their children in their arms?
[10:45:04] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Yes. Also, it's a situation where the Syrian government forces, Poppy, have been making a lot of gains, especially in the past 24 hours, and that old town, they managed to take most of that area now overnight. And there are a lot of civilians trying to get out at this point in time. We saw people who just were in a really, really sad state trying to escape, many of them malnourished, many of them clinging to maybe one plastic bag of things that they were able to grab as they fled that area. And you know, the worst thing to see there, Poppy, was really how many
children and babies were among those who were fleeing. The youngest that I personally saw was an infant who was seven days old, who had been born during the worst of the fighting. And of course, the mother said look, we didn't have any food, we didn't have any medicine for the child and we had these air strikes going on so we tried to get out but it was very, very dangerous. Of course, many of these people traumatized as well as they try to get to safety -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Fred Pleitgen live for us in Syria, thank you so much. Fred, to you and your entire team, for your reporting there. Much more from Fred ahead.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:25] HARLOW: Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and more than 100 survivors are expected to attend a special ceremony later today in Honolulu. One of those survivors is returning to the site for the very first time since the attack. It is an incredible story.
Our Kyung Lah reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ask B.C. Wilborn the secret to living to age 95 and good health, he'll say love of a vibrant hobby like horseracing and a lot of experience and surviving.
(On camera): Do you think, I'm a war hero?
B.C. WILBORN, WWII VETERAN: No, no, gosh. You see just the outside. You think what you could have done or didn't do.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor.
LAH (voice-over): Seventy-years ago, Wilborn stood aboard the USS Maryland as the Japanese launched an early morning attack on Pearl Harbor. Wilborn, just a 20-year-old First Class petty officer in the Navy.
(On camera): What did it feel like to be in the middle of that?
WILBORN: I didn`t have no fear because I see everything is happening and they seemed like unreal.
LAH (voice-over): Daughter Edie and her husband Ron.
EDIE STANTON, WILBORN`S DAUGHTER: They pay a big price for us to be free.
LAH (on camera): How old are you here?
WILBORN: I was 24, 25. LAH (voice-over): They had pictures and saw their father's Purple
Heart. But Wilborn never talked about World War II until for reasons no one can explain, a few years ago.
(On camera): Just started talking.
RON STANTON, WILBORN`S SON-IN-LAW: Just started talking. I'm sad to say I didn't have a tape recorder to get it.
LAH (voice-over): And he hasn't stopped talking. Wilborn sharing horrors, the men he couldn't save aboard the capsized USS Oklahoma.
WILBORN: You hear the tapping on the wall and people in there I guess thinking, we're going to get rescued after about two days, maybe in third day, stop. No more.
LAH: More than 400 men died on the Oklahoma.
(On camera): Seventy-five years later, you can still recall that sound?
WILBORN: Oh, gosh, yes. I thought about the saddest thing I saw in the Navy because I don't know, you seemed so helpless.
LAH (voice-over): Unlike many survivors, Wilborn never went back to Pearl Harbor. That's changing this year, 75 years later, he's returning for the first time since that day of infamy.
(On camera): What changed? Why did you start thinking about it?
WILBORN: It's a sad day and -- I don't know, you tried to get it out of your mind and it won't go.
LAH (voice-over): So the survivor faces one last battle, of his own memories.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Collinsville, Illinois.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Kyung Lah, thank you so much for that. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:57:28] HARLOW: A blockbuster trade in Major League Baseball. The most coveted player on baseball trading block heading to Boston.
Coy Wire has more in today's "Bleacher Report." Good morning, Coy.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miss Poppy. From Chicago to Boston, Chris Sale easily the most sought-after pitcher this offseason changing those socks from white to red. Now Chicago is going to get some big-time prospects but Boston but is anyone going to be able to hit the Red Sox starting pitching rotation? They have Rick Porcello, this year's Cy Young winner, David Price, who's a five-time all-star in his own right, and now you Sale? These guys are loaded. And Yankees GM Brian Cashman, he even went so far as to say that they
are now the Golden State Warriors of baseball. Vegas agrees with them, too. They went from 10 to 1 to 5 to 1 favorites to win the World Series after that trade. Look out.
Perhaps the NFL's game of the week tomorrow night. Raiders and Chiefs in Kansas City for a pivotal AFC West matchup. Oakland has been the surprise team of the year at 10-2. They are rolling. But they haven't beat the Chiefs the last four times they have played. The Raiders know that this is a big one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK CARR, RAIDERS QUARTERBACK: Everyone asked, you know, they have beaten you this many times and you know, these things and all that, like when I'm preparing for these guys it never goes through my head.
LATAVIUS MURRAY, RAIDERS RUNG BACK: We know what's at stake for one this season. And again, they just stand in the way of our goal of winning the division. So we need to take care of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Finally, some feel-good for you. Zach Randolph returning to his Grizzlies squad after missing the last seven games due to the death of his mother May on Thanksgiving Day. Home crowd giving him a standing ovation when he came off the bench. And how about this cool moment. Time running down at the end of the game, and Randolph pulls down the rebound that would seal the deal for Memphis. They win and here he is, Randolph, after the game talking about his mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZACH RANDOLPH, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: My mom was all I had, you know, all we had. And this is what I did it for, you know. She was the rock of this family. Yes, she's my number one fan. She watched every game. You know, my phone would be ringing now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Poppy, Randolph said that his mom would call him after every single game. This is his 1,000th game. And he had a double-double, 12 points, 14 rebounds. I think Mama would be proud.
HARLOW: I think she's looking down and very proud. Coy Wire, thank you for that, my friend.
And thank you all for being with me today. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Carol will be back with you tomorrow. "AT THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND BOLDUAN" begins right now.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. John Berman is off today. The president-elect working to keep up the suspense around his most important Cabinet pick, secretary of State.
(END)
