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Obama's Former Chief of Staff Meets with Trump; Trump Picks Iowa Governor as Ambassador to China; Trump Takes Obama's Recommendations Seriously; Trump Moving on From Bitter History with Romney; Trump Quiets Boos Against Media; Repealing Obamacare; Trump Taps John Kelly as Homeland Security Chief; Roof Death Penalty Trial Underway. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 07, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:07] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello on this Wednesday. I'm Ana Cabrera, in for Brooke Baldwin. Thanks so much for joining me.

Now, on the day Donald Trump is labeled president of the divided states of America as "Time's" person of the year, the president-elect is also reaching across party lines. He met today with Chicago's Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who, remember, was also President Obama's first chief of staff and a major player in crafting Obamacare. Today, Emanuel hand-delivered a letter to Mr. Trump signed by himself and 17 other big city mayors and they urged Trump to continue DACA, the dreamers program that helps undocumented immigrants brought here to the U.S. as children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL (D), CHICAGO: Those are students, those are also people that want to join the armed forces. They gave their name, their address, their phone number, where they are. They're trying to achieve the American dream. No fault of their own, their parents came here. They are something we should hold up and embrace. And I presented him with a letter signed by all 14 mayors from across the country, different cities from all parts of the country, and that we are clear as mayors that these are dreamers who are seeking the American dream and we should embrace them rather than do a bait-and-switch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Jason Carroll is outside Trump Tower now.

Jason, what more can you tell us about this meeting today between these two men?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, this is a meeting that was clearly very important to the mayor of Chicago, and not just the mayor of Chicago, but the other mayors who signed on to this as well. We're talking the mayors of places like Seattle, cities like Seattle and Los Angeles, Nashville, Denver. You know, this is something that could affect thousands upon thousands of children living here in the United States. DACA, which is an acronym for the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals. Basically what they're trying to do, Ana, is they're trying to protect so many of these children who are living here illegally, hoping that Donald Trump will in some way listen to their appeal and in some way defer, if you will, action on this until at least the Congress can get to some form of immigration talk at some point next year.

So this is why this meeting was held today. Donald Trump has made it very clear that he is willing to meet with people across the aisle. Not clear where he stands particularly on this issue. But there is another issue, Ana, as you know, where he has been very clear, and that's who he's going to choose as his ambassador - U.S. ambassador to China. That decision has been made. It's Iowa's governor Terry Branstad.

And a lot of folks might be wondering why a governor from Iowa, especially one of Iowa's long-standing governors. Well, this is also a man, Ana, who has long-term relationships - long-term relations with the president of China, has known the man for decades, since 1985. And the hope there is that perhaps he can somehow smooth over relations with China, especially after that - the fallout from that controversial call with the leader of Taiwan. So some movement there in terms of someone else now named to the Trump team.

Ana.

CABRERA: All right, Jason Carroll, thanks for staying on top of it for us outside Trump Tower.

Now, President-elect Trump also gave an interview today after he became the 2016 "Time" person of the year. He revealed just how much he values the opinion of the current president, saying he had never met President Obama before this transition and now he's finding out he kind of likes the guy. Trump also disclosed at least one of his administration picked so far has gotten President Obama's thumbs up. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I have asked him what he would think of this one and that one. I've asked him what he thinks are the biggest problems of the country, what are some of the greatest assets going forward. And we have a very good dialogue. I take his recommendations very seriously. And there are some people that I will be appointing and in one case have appointed where he thought very highly of that person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: He wouldn't reveal who that person was, but, still, lots to discuss. Here with me now, CNN political analyst Abby Phillip, a reporter for "The Washington Post," CNN Politics executive editor Mark Preston, and Ryan Williams, a former spokesman for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Mark, I want to start with you. Let's remind everybody that Trump really was the guy who started this whole birther conspiracy theory, saying President Obama wasn't born in the United States.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Right.

CABRERA: What do you make of his now praise for the guy?

PRESTON: Listen, he's been very unpredictable throughout his whole career, certainly during the time of the presidential campaign. You know, when they met right after the election, that was the first time they actually had ever met in person. They'd been in the same room, of course. They had been at a correspondent's dinner but they'd never actually met.

I think it does say a lot about Donald Trump, his willingness to put things aside. And, quite frankly, I think it is - it's a testament to Barack Obama as well not to hold grudges against him and really try to keep the continuity of government moving forward.

[14:05:06] CABRERA: Abby, what's your reaction to what we just heard from President-elect Donald Trump?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, as Mark said, I mean, Trump is in a sort of small cabal of people who can ever say that they are or will be president of the United States. So there's a different comradery that two people can have when they both have reached that level. And I think that Trump is responding to something that Obama made very clear that he would do from the very beginning, he's going to treat this as a transition, he's going to - he instructed his staff to treat the transition with Trump the way that George W. Bush treated his transition in 2008 and 2009. It's very important that they have a real relationship and that the acrimony of the campaign is over.

Now, to some extent, you know, Trump is sort of treating the president - the post-campaign era as completely divorced from the campaign and I think that is a little bit of a mistake because some of that acrimony is going to come over. But he also is trying to turn over a new leaf. Where the American public and Democrats will allow him to do that is a different story.

CABRERA: In one word, should this be reassuring to Democrats?

PHILLIP: To some extent I think it should be. I mean I think Democrats have to take a cue from their party leader, which is the president of the United States, who is saying, we have to make sure that he has the best chance to succeed. Hillary Clinton said the same thing. I think Democrats are holding their fire, to some extent, right now. Things are going to be a little bit different when we get into the confirmation hearings in January and you're dealing with individual candidates. I think we'll see much more fireworks at that point.

CABRERA: And we still don't know who's going to be secretary of state. Donald Trump commenting on his decision-making process as well. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT LAUER, "TODAY" (voice-over): Let me go back to Mitt Romney. Is he still under consideration?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT (voice-over): Yes, he is.

LAUER: Does he have a chance to become secretary of state?

TRUMP: Yes, he does. I mean I've spoken to him a lot. We've come a long way together. We had some tremendous difficulty together and now I think we've come a long way. But the answer is, yes, he does.

LAUER: So this isn't about some case of stringing him along as a - as revenge being a dish best served cold for the comment he made during the campaign?

TRUMP: No, it's not about revenge. It's about what's good for the country. And I'm able to put this stuff behind us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So, Ryan, you know Mitt Romney well. Trump has said its going to still be another week before any decision is announced. Knowing that and what we just heard him say, if you were Mitt Romney right now, what are you thinking?

RYAN WILLIAMS, FORMER DEPUTY NATIONAL PRESS SECY., ROMNEY 2012: Well, I don't think the governor's thinking too much of the public speculation. The governor is someone who values public service, who I think would be interested in having a discussion with the president- elect if asked to serve. And, if not, I think that's OK, too. It's good to see that they've patched up their relationship. That both men can put their differences behind them to move the country forward and have a discussion about governing. And I think it shows that Trump is a bigger man than many critics gave him credit for during the campaign, to reach out to someone like Governor Romney, to bring him in and seriously consider him for this important position. And I think it shows that both men are interested in seeing this administration and this country succeed.

CABRERA: Mark, do you think there's no revenge?

PRESTON: You know, I don't think we can outright rule it out, you know, given the - again, the unpredictability of Donald Trump. But he has brought in a lot of people who had been critical of him. We've seen Robert Gates, who's the former defense secretary, former CIA director, whose name has also come in as possible secretary of state. Robert Gates said some very tough things about him as well.

But I do think that Donald Trump realizes really what's on the line here. This is arguably his most important pick right now. And the person he puts in there that's going to carry forward his foreign policy, and quite frankly rein him in as well. So, look, I think Mitt Romney is still out there, but it is interesting that he hasn't been able to settle on anyone yet.

CABRERA: And Donald Trump's approval rating is going up as we speak, too.

PRESTON: Right.

CABRERA: When we talk about some of the evolution that we're seeing in this man, it's up to 50 percent from 33 percent. This is according to a Bloomberg poll. Last night we also saw Donald Trump come out and - at his rally strike a little bit of a different tone. Take a look at this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: This has been a great, great movement, the likes of which they've never seen before. The likes of which those folks back there that write the stories - no, no, no. I'll tell you - and they're saying it. They've never seen anything like this before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So, Abby, is this a more inclusive message? I mean now he's telling people don't boo the media after he has been attacking the media all along up and to this point.

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, that was a remarkable moment. I was at that rally in Fayetteville. And I think throughout the entire thing, he had a different tone. He came in there. He read largely from the teleprompter. The crowd was largely subdued. There were no jabs at Hillary Clinton. There were no real attacks on his opponents.

[14:10:07] He did take a minute to kind of gloat about his electoral victory, but it was a slightly different Trump than we'd seen on the campaign trail and certainly that we had even seen between last week and this week when last week he spent much of his rally basically doing a victory lap.

So there's some moderation happening toward the end of that speak. He started talking a lot more about this project of bringing the country together again, asking people to believe in America, believe in themselves, believe in each other. It was a very different message and a deliberate one. It was one that he and his aides clearly set out to put out there, marking perhaps a movement toward governance and away from this mentality of campaigning.

CABRERA: Ryan, let me ask you about another speech that was happening at the same time Donald Trump was giving this rally. There was a keynote speak by his vice president-elect, Pence, and he said at this speech in front of the Heritage Foundation, which is a conservative think tank, he said repealing Obamacare is priority number one in the new administration, and yet we're hearing that a wing of the Republican Party is really resisting to some of the options that are being laid out to replace Obamacare and the timeline. A conflict seems to be brewing. How does the party handle this?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think Republicans are united in their desire to repeal Obamacare and replace it with something better. What that something is going to be remains to be seen. But I think there's going to be a robust discussion about this. The president-elect has already come out and said he wants to preserve some of the elements after meeting with President Obama with regards to pre-existing conditions.

I think there's going to be a discussion and a debate, which should happen. It shouldn't just be, you know, one idea that carries the day. I think there will be a robust debate amongst Republicans in the House and the Senate on what it is that will replace Obamacare to provide better care to people in this country and it was one of President- elect Trump's signature campaign promises. And I fully expect that he'll deliver on a repeal and replacement with a better system.

CABRERA: All right, Ryan Williams, Mark Preston, Abby Phillip, our thanks to all of you.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

PHILLIP: Thank you.

CABRERA: Still ahead, the jury is set, and opening statements are now underway in the Dylann Roof death penalty trial. The South Carolina man charged in the death of nine people in a Charleston church. Why this trial could set a precedent for federal hate crime charges. We'll have a live report next.

Also just in, was there Russian interference in the election? A leading Republican senator telling CNN he is ready to launch a formal congressional inquiry and suggests Vladimir Putin should be slapped with sanctions. Manu Raju with the late reporting coming to us.

And former House Speaker John Boehner speaking out saying, quote, "thank God I'm not in the middle of this." His candid reaction to the 2016 election coming up.

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[14:16:51] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CABRERA: Our breaking news right now. President-elect Donald Trump has made another choice, this time for homeland security secretary. Trump tapping retired four-star Marine General John Kelly for the job. Kelly knows the personal cost of war. His own son Michael was killed in combat after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan in 2010.

Let's talk it over with CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, former Army commanding general Europe and Seventh Army.

General Hertling, thanks for being with us.

When you hear the name General John Kelly, what goes through your mind?

GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, first of all, Ana, I'd say he was my battle buddy in Iraq for over a year. He commanded in the western provinces while I had the northern provinces in 2007 and 2008. We coordinated quite a bit with each other and collaborated operations. We shared battle space. I know the man as a Marine, as a soldier. He's a heck of a combat fighter. He's calm, collected, very much of an intellectual, smart guy and a great guy to sit around and have a beer with. I also attended his son's funeral at Arlington and I know what pain that put him through after serving over four decades in the Marine Corps to see his - his young son killed in action in Afghanistan.

John Kelly is a very good human being, a heck of a Marine, but a very thoughtful, intellectual and analytical soldier as well. So he is going to bring, I think, some - some very good qualities to the Trump administration and homeland security.

CABRERA: It sounds like you like this pick. Are there any cons that you see?

HERTLING: Well, yes. Some of the cons I see is - is this is another military guy. That's concerning to me a little bit. We still haven't seen the secretary of state and who that pick is going to be, although there are several military officers in that ramp-up, too. So when you have too many folks in - too many military people in the room, some might say, holy smokes, this is looking a little bit like a coup d'etat. But I - but I also believe that Mr. Trump is trying to manage the dichotomy between his understanding of international affairs and foreign relationships and military operations, some things that he doesn't know much about, with some smart people in the room.

And, again, all of these individuals have taken their uniform off. They are now civilians. So they are all patriots and willing to contribute to the government. I give them credit for that. These are smart guys and they know how to take action. So other than the fact that they all spent a lifetime in the military, no, none of that concerns me at all. They're going to be good public servants and provide a counterbalance to some of the extreme views of Mr. Trump and others that are around.

CABRERA: Well, I have to wonder because, like you said, there are a bunch of generals who he has picked. Trump apparently really likes these generals. I mean it's John Kelly, we've got General Michael Flynn, who's the national security advisor. He just named General James Mattis as his pick for the Department of Defense. And now, again, this most recent announcement. Do you see any concerns that there could be a clash among men who all have an authoritarian presence and know what it's like to be the leader?

[14:20:02] HERTLING: Yes, these guys have all been commanders, to be sure, and they've all played the alpha role in different organizations. They are very action-oriented. It's a little ironic to me that Mr. Trump is the one that said that he was smarter than all the generals and yet he's picking all the generals to be members of his coterie.

CABRERA: Right.

HERTLING: Maybe he was just talking about me when he said that. But, you know, it's interesting that he's going to get that balanced approach now and maybe get some insights on how national security affairs are conducted that will counter his business acumen and perhaps give him a different view of the world. Hopefully some of these guys will help him to stop tweeting as well and conducting foreign affairs via 140 characters, which is not a good idea.

CABRERA: Do you think this removes David Petraeus at all from the likelihood of becoming secretary of state?

HERTLING: Well, I mean, there are two military individuals on the list that many people are speculating about. Not only General Petraeus, but also Admiral Stravides (ph), who is my boss in UCOM (ph). I also worked for general - in fact, both General Kelly and I worked for General Petraeus when he was commander in Iraq. We were there, all three of us, at the same time.

I think actually knowing the personalities of the individual, that they will provide a little bit of a counterweight, not only to Mr. Trump, but also to retired Lieutenant General Flynn, who seems to have some very extreme views, and putting the number of people in the room talking about security issues with the vast experience that folks like Mattis and Kelly and perhaps either Petraeus or Stravides has will certainly provide some very good insight in terms of conducting national affairs. But I do know this is going to be concerning to some that see a lot of retired generals around the new president-elect.

CABRERA: Well, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. General Mark Hertling, thanks again for being here and weighing in and providing some great insight and color surrounding this new pick that we're learning again. The breaking news at this hour, President-elect Donald Trump choosing retired Marine General John Kelly now as his pick for the Department of Homeland Security.

Back in a moment.

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[14:26:39] CABRERA: Welcome back.

Less than 48 hours after Charleston, South Carolina, saw the end of one racially charged murder trial, another one has just begun. The federal death penalty trial of Dylann Roof is now underway. Of course, Roof, the 22-year-old white supremacist prosecutors say coldly and intentionally massacred nine parishioners last year inside the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church. They were holding Bible study at the time. Roof had been sitting with them in prayer. Now the church's long time pastor, State Senator Clementa Pinckney, was one of the victims.

Roof faces 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the exercise of religion. Prosecutors say he spoke of starting a race war. The jury includes nine whites and three African-Americans. Ten jurors are woman.

Let's bring in Nick Valencia, who was in the courtroom for the opening statements and the very first witness testimony.

Nick, day one, already getting intense. Describe for us what happened.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was quite intense, Ana. The day started with 67 prospective jurors entering the courtroom. They were whittled down relatively quickly to 12 jurors and six alternates, most of them white, most of them women. And then it was on to the opening statements. By 11:00 a.m., the chief prosecutor in this case laying out the reasons why he believes Dylann Roof should be found guilty of the death penalty in this federal case. He painted Roof as a cold blooded, calculated killer who had meticulously planned this. Roof has pled not guilty.

But the horror of what happened last June on a Wednesday here in Charleston is simply in the facts. Roof is alleged to have walked into that Bible study, prayed with those parishioners, before taking out a .45-caliber handgun and killing nine people.

Earlier, we spoke to State Senator Marion Kimpson, who was a close friend of Clementa Pinckney, and asked him to react to how Dylann Roof was acting today in the courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARION KIMPSON (D), SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE: It's sad. What we have to do is not just cry about it, we've got to do something about it. He's a ninth grade dropout. Very little hope. Bases his whole life existence on racism. Now as odd as that may seem to you and I, there are people in this country who are Dylann Roofs. There are more Dylann Roofs out there. What we have to do as a nation is recognize the next one early on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Opening statements for the feds have ended. Dylann Roof, for the most part, sat there expressionless, emotionless. His eyes trained down. His hands clasped in his lap. It was just a short time ago that the prosecution brought forward their first witness, a survivor of that massacre. And it was just a short time ago, Ana, that she had to take a break, her testimony, some of the most gut-wrenching testimony we've ever heard.

Ana.

CABRERA: Well, thank you for bringing that to us. Nick Valencia, a lot of eyes watching this because it does have bigger implications, too, when you look at this being a federal trial and when it comes to hate crimes, a lot of people wondering where is this going to go. We appreciate your report.

Up next, news just into CNN, Senator Lindsey Graham telling CNN he plans to lead an investigation into possible Russian hacks during the election. What he just told our Manu Raju.

[14:29:48] Plus, "thank God I'm not in the middle of this." Those words reaction from John Boehner on what he calls a downright bizarre political year. What else the former House speaker said in this post- election interview. So stay with us.

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