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Senate Majority Leader Toasts President Trump; Trump Addresses Congressional Luncheon, Trumps Preparing to Leave Capitol For Parade; Aired 3:00-3:30P ET

Aired January 20, 2017 - 15:00   ET

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


SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Our president has surmounted formidable challenges getting to this moment. He's been under estimated often, but he never let it stop him from succeeding. We're wishing him similar success as he turns to the charge of governing. We face many challenges, but we've been challenged before and emerge stronger. We live in changing times, yes, but some things endure. And we celebrate one of them today. This inauguration is a reminder of our common story as Americans.

And on this most uniquely American of occasions, I ask you to stand and join me in raising a glass. Mr. President, may you find every success in the years ahead, may you unite our country behind a common vision and renew the promise that makes our country so great. Here, here. Mr. President.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much, Mitch and Paul, and our great vice president. I don't think anybody wants to hear me speak anymore today, right? So we'll cut it short. But we have so many of our cabinet members here, I see my generals as generals are going to keep us so safe. They're going to have a lot of problems, the other side. They're going to look -- they're going to look at a couple of them. This is central casting, if I was doing a movie I pick you general.

General Mattis who's doing really well Even Chuck likes General Mattis and General Kelly. So -- and we had a very interesting talk. Kiddingly he thinks we're doing great at the cabinet level but we're going to do just fine. We're going to do just fine. You know, I'll tell you, there is something that I wanted to say because I was very honored, very, very honored when I heard that former President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton was coming today and I think that's appropriate to say and I'd like you to stand up. I'd like you to stand up.

And honestly there's nothing more I can say because I have a lot of respect for those two people, so thank you all for being here and we're going to have four great years hopefully of peace and prosperity, I will be working very, very hard, our cabinet is lined up and ready. I know eventually Chuck is eventually going to approve them. I'm sure. I really believe that.

And we're all dealing together, we all want the same thing, we're all good people. And whether you're a republican or democrat, it doesn't make any difference we're going to get along. Again, thank you very much, it's an honor. And Roy, you have done a spectacular job, you and Tom Barrett and I want to thank you and your wife. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Two quick final things. Two quick final things. You can remain standing if you want to. So quickly two things we need to do as we leave, one just to mention the gifts the mementos of this event. There are some note cards and a really great box put together by the government print -- printing office but the note cards representing all three branches of government and identified with this event this day, we're done by a St. Louis Artist, a friend of mine, Ed Fisher, and there's a pin and a letter opened in there, a little business in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Jon and Debbie Ortmann and Ortmann Woodcraft did that.

Mostly made out of fallen trees and then there's a piece of any glass that would be again, dedicated to this event and appropriate to put anywhere in your desk or in your house you want to put it. And to close the event today, Father Conroy the Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives.

PATRICK J. CONROY, CHAPLAIN OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Let us pray. As we leave this place we give you thanks, oh lord, for the meal we have shared and those who have worked hard to prepare and deliver it to us, may we always be grateful for the kindnesses we receive. We thank you as well for the celebration of this day when our nation once again models for the world, the greatness of peaceful transition of power.

We ask blessing special blessing upon our new president, Donald Trump, give him an understanding heart to discern between good and evil, may he be strengthen in his work and grow in understanding as he proves ever attentive to the American people. We pray that he might become his best self. Bless as well all those who are in place to exercise power in our nation, save them from seeking those things as chewed by Solomon.

Long life, riches for self and the lives of enemies and impel them to seek the gift of discernment so as to understand justice. Lord, may the people of this nation stand with our president and all our leaders to face any challenge endure any difficulty without fear. Learn how to accept every success and every failure with grace and support our president and leaders with encouragement and prayer. Now, as we move forward this day and through all days, may all that is done be for your greater honor and glory, amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please remain at your seats as the Presidents --

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We're hearing the benediction from Father Conroy, some interesting concepts, he said a prayer for the peaceful transfer of power to ask that our President Donald trump can be his best self and help those who become opponents to take failure with grace. A very different Donald Trump even from the inaugural address here at this lunch. Let's bring in bring in David Gregory. We had remark that during the inaugural address, no mention of his opponent Hillary Clinton. Very unusual. Yet here, an unusual gesture as well.

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLTICAL ANALYST: Yes. Perhaps there was some discussion of it after the remarks although that you surely could have planned for that to have included in the inauguration. I was struck that he didn't mention her after such as hard-fought campaign during his address. Here he talked about how honored he was, that both former President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton, Former Secretary Clinton would be at this lunch and then he said after clapping enthusiastically that he has as a lot of respect for her.

So, no doubt a -- kind of a respectful tone from our new president as he was wished well by -- oftentimes opponents of his on the other side of the aisle and congress as well as his congressional supporters, republicans as well as he ends that piece of the inauguration and prepares for this festive part of this parade.

ALISYN CAMEROTA: One of Hillary Clinton's defining characteristic I think is being stoic and today has really required some of that but she has put on positive and brave face and she has gone out in public and particularly here, I mean, she -- I don't think she was expecting to be announced and be asked to stand and she did it and everyone applauded -- stood up and applauded her.

GREGORY: The definition of a brave face. And can you imagine how difficult that must have been for her to appear in this ceremony where she's gone before of course in support of her husband and successive presidents knowing that she was so close to being president herself, to being the first female president in the country. And it was a rebuttal to even members of her own party, those members of the house, democrats who decided to boycott the inauguration. She was doing something really hard.

She's the one who lost, she's the one who had to get through this sir ceremony and did it out of respect for the presidency for a transfer power and for a constitutional democracy, that speaks volume. She take the --

CUOMO: She tweeted as well.

GREGORY: Right. And she's going to get into the fight, no doubt. But others who decided to stay away I think she offered a rebuttal to that.

COUMO: Interesting of those boycotting because they say it was illegitimate. The victim of that in quotes, right? She showed up. I think that was interesting in Trump's own way, he took a little shot at Chuck about -- Chuck Schumer saying I think chuck is going to confirm my guys, I hope he does, Senator Schumer told us on New Day this morning, Mattis, Secretary of Defense, yes, he will get a vote. Kelly, he believes General Kelly, he believes for Homelands Security he'll get a vote. He said Mike Pompeo, will get a vote, maybe not today.

CAMEROTA: And we're going to go to Manu Raju right now because he's in the Capitol Rotunda as Hillary Clinton and bill Clinton enter. Manu. MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Oh, hey, how are you doing guys? I was watching the Clintons walking right by us right now here leaving this lunch. Looks like -- looks like they may actually be talking to some folks over their off-camera. Of course we tried to get them to stop and answer a question but they would not do that. But interestingly at this lunch they just left, they were sitting with some members of the Trump family, they're sitting Donald Trump's daughter, one of his daughters Tiffany Trump as well as Donald Trump's sister Marianne Trump Barry as well as Donald Trump's cabinet nominee to be Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, along with his wife, along with senate majority with the republican senator from Texas John Cornyn and sitting next to Hillary Clinton was Nancy Pelosi, the house democratic leader.

Now, there was a brief interaction we are told that between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton saying hello, but they didn't really just talk much more than that from what we understand. Now at this lunch also Chuck Schumer and Donald Trump were engaged in pretty intensive discussions through the course of the lunch and then afterwards when we heard Donald Trump mention that there was some discussion about the nominees, clearly there was discussion about whether or not to confirm some of Donald Trump's cabinet because as you know guys, this is a big sticking point here on the senate, something that I should have to deal with in just a couple of hours. But we are expecting Donald Trump to walk by here soon as he head down to the parade and over to the Oval Office. Guys?

CUOMO: All right, Manu. Thank you very much. Let the deal-making begin. Chuck Schumer and our president, Donald Trump negotiating even at the inaugural lunch. Now come the big moments that history demands. We're going to have the first family and the second family, they're going to review the military units. This will be his first major act as Commander-in-Chief, President Trump.

CAMEROTA: All right. So the 45th President Donald Trump will be making his way along this parade route. Momentarily the parade is about to begin. Chris and I of course will continue coverage. We have lots of past parade history and trivia for you. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back for continued coverage of the inauguration of Donald Trump. And there you see the parade route. Thousands -- tens of thousands of people lined up along the roughly mile and a half distance of the route waiting to see Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States and his wife Melania, the first lady as well as the Vice President Mike Pence and his wife. This is obviously a tradition which started with George Washington, he started the inaugural parade tradition, government officials, members of congress, on the units, prominent citizens escorting him to the swearing ceremony and then there were fireworks, we have military personnel.

This parade is going to be shorter than we have seen in past year. This is about an hour and a half. They're starting about 50 minutes or so, a little bit late but expect the parade to get going. We have seen some small demonstrations. There were a number of arrests earlier today, we saw some of that about we went to the lunch. But that it seems to at least for now be under control and pretty isolated as you can see, it is calm all along the parade route.

There's a lot of folks who have come all around the country to witness this day. I'm here with our panel. David Gergen, it's fascinating to see you have the very public Donald Trump making his inaugural address and blistering attack on Washington, D.C. And then to see him at this lunch in a much more sort of deal-making mode, he had been signing documents, you know, kind of schmoozing with Chuck Schumer, joking with him. You sort of see in the public and also a private Donald Trump.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: People who know him well tell me that in private he see -- he does listen, he's much more reasoned but when he gets on public stage he turns into this entertainer and lets it go and he, you know, he goes -- he goes where the audience goes. And, you know, so there are two sides of Donald Trump and I think people will be much more reassured by seeing that more private side of Donald Trump.

COOPER: Though the people who voted for him to drain the swamp, that inaugural address was exactly what the people wanted to hear.

GERGEN: I think that inaugural address really gave heart to a lot -- millions of people who voted for him because what they saw was he's going to be the same man in the White House as he was on the campaign trail and that's exactly what discouraged and distressed millions of other Americans, that he is not -- he is going to be the same man in the White House. They had hope there's change but that address I think is going to go down in history as one of the angriest and most -- biggest policy-changing addresses we've had. I mean, to have -- to be sitting there with three former presidents, actually four former presidents behind him and to denounce the elites who've run in country which (INAUDIBLE)

ANDERSON: Surrounded by

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Right. And David Chalian, did it -- did it surprise you the tone of it as compared to other inaugural addresses?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, as compared to other inaugural addresses, but not as compared to his convention speech. Remember how dark that was as well and so I think he painted a very dark picture of the world he sees as he's inheriting it. It doesn't assure the matchup with reality of what we see in polls or what we know that many Americans are experiencing but to your point, it does reflect what his voters felt much throughout this campaign.

I do think that talking about the deal-making. One thing I noticed in that luncheon Anderson was, you know, Paul Ryan got up there and toasted Mike Pence, somebody he served with in the house, knows so well is part of this establishment in this Washington world. There was such admiration for him. When Mitch McConnell got up to toast President Trump it was as if he was toasting a stranger in some ways. Donald Trump has so many relationships to form here. We know he's a dealmaker, the people with whom he's going to be deal-making, he doesn't really know yet and that we -- I think we're seeing the beginnings of that happening today.

COOPER: It was interesting to hear him call out in particular former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton to stand asking them to stand up. No mention of them in the actual inaugural address.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: No. And it was a really nice moment, and in very many ways really unexpected and something we thought we would see in the inaugural his address. They didn't seem to make much contact there but to have that -- I think was a special moment and such a hard moment for her, right? You can't imagine the pain in sort of the feeling in the pit of her stomach throughout this whole day and sort of the bravery to actually come here. I mean, I think most people would have to -- have been sedated to make it through today, but -- so I think it was a special moment for her.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CONSERVATIVE CONTRIBUTOR, THE HILL: And apparently when Donald Trump shook Hillary's hand he said thank you for being here, he acknowledged the sacrifice she made that this was a difficult moment and then not only, I didn't see his speech as angry or dark at all, I saw a fourth of it as being unifying when he said that we all bleed red. You know, patriotism is the remedy for prejudice. We saw the beautiful words of unity and then saw the manifestation of that when he gave Hillary that moment and allowed her to stand and had the room clapped for her, this was a very important moment not only because of that but also because he stood in Washington and he's announced the elite that the rickety back roads of America have felt very betrayed by. That was very important, it wasn't dark, it wasn't angry, it was real and we have an agent of change coming to Washington.

MARK PRESTON, CNN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Yes. Well. You know, I mean, for me, I start as a collision and nationalism and populism that kind of collided, you know, on the west front of the capital there. You know, many ways it was anti-establishment, it was just as much directed as republicans as it was democrats. It was anti-Washington and quite frankly, it was a warning to our allies and our enemies. If you go into what he talked about foreign policy about how we're not going to interject our values on others, that we have spent too much time helping foreign businesses and foreign armies and foreign borders and it's time for us to come back in it and do that on our own. If you are a leader of another country, if you are one of our allies, you're looking at that and wondering what does it mean for us?

COOPER: Hard.

BAKARI SELLERS (D), FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: I thought it was a campaign speech that was enveloped in the pageantry. I mean, at one point when he talked about immigration, he said, we said we must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries and, you know, when you think about that and you think about the language in which he used, I mean, yes, I do -- I do think it harkened back to his convention speech I do think that was dark and I do think that sometimes his rhetoric doesn't match up the reality.

I mean, we do know that wages are going up, we do know that crime is decreasing. So for, that was -- that was an interesting just to position. I do want to give him credit for one thing that think though that I mentioned earlier, I think that Donald Trump actually went out of his way in his speech not to mention Hillary Clinton for a good reason not a bad reason. I think that sometimes in your -- in your inauguration speeches you mention your opponents to give them some grace to give them a round of applause, but I think that if he would have mentioned Hillary Clinton's name during that speech then the crowds would have cascaded boos, chants and I think he just wanted to simply stay away from that. I thought Hillary was very graceful today and I'm going hope -- remind people that she exhibited the strength that today's about.

COOPER: We're going to take a short break, the parade begins when we return. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: All right. The 58th inauguration, the big moment. The inaugural parade is going to start with the new, first and second families reviewing the military units. You're seeing there Paul Ryan and --

CAMEROTA: Kevin McCarthy.

CUOMO: -- House Majority Leader McCarthy there talking after the luncheon where president Trump was gracious to left and right gracious to his former opponent, Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The next big moment will be the reviewing of the military troops. Just think, Donald Trump is about to follow in the footsteps of George Washington who did the first inaugural parade obviously. And first here in D.C. James Madison and now Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: Oh, you want to go trivia, is that what you want to do? I have --

CUOMO: That was stuff I know, Camerota.

CAMEROTA: I have some trivia for you. What was the first televised inauguration? Anyone?

COUMO: I know.

CAMEROTA: Go ahead.

GREGORY: Truman.

CAMEROTA: Harry Truman, 1949. First one in color, televising color.

GREGORY: Kennedy.

COUMO: John F. Kennedy, 1961.

CAMEROTA: First time women participated? Go ahead guys.

GREGORY: 1917.

COUMO: 1917.

CAMEROTA: Wow.

GREGORY: You know, what's interesting is I love -- I do love the history of this that with Washington that as he made his way from Mount Vernon back to New York, the continental army, other malicious, they wanted to escort him. And that was really the beginning of heavy military participation, all the branches represented here today and law enforcement and later on you've got floats that come on and marching bands and members of the public but the idea that the president should be escorted to the White House.

CUOMO: All right. Here they come. The Commander-in-Chief reviewing the military units for the first time.

END