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Trump Speech on Gangs, Immigration in Long Island; McCain Joins Collins, Murkowski & Democrats to Defeat Obamacare Repeal; Scaramucci Hits Priebus, Bannon with Vulgar Attacks. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 28, 2017 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You better believe it. Give me the names of the few problems. We'll take care of it. I'm telling you. It's unbelievable.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: One of the old people -- one of the people that represented the other administration, I said, why didn't you use that, the power of economics. Sir, we think one thing has nothing to do with another. I said, oh really? So we'll have big deficits and they won't take back these criminals that came from there and should be back there? Believe me, to me, everything matters. But they're all taking them back.

ICE offices recently conducted the largest crackdown on criminal gangs in the history of our country. In just six weeks, ICE and our law enforcement partners arrested nearly 1,400 suspects and seized more than 200 illegal firearms and some beauties and nearly 600 pounds of narcotics. The men and women of ICE are turning the tide in the battle against MS-13. But we need more resources from Congress, and we're getting them. Congress is actually opening up and really doing a job.

They should have approved health care last night, but you can't have everything. Boy, oh boy. They've been working on that one for seven years. Can you believe that? The swamp. But we'll get it done. We're going to get it done. You know, I said from the beginning, let Obamacare implode, and then do it. I turned out to be right. Let Obamacare implode.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Right now, we have less than 6,000 enforcement and removal Officers in ICE This is not enough to protect a nation of more than 320 million people. It's essential that Congress fund another 10,000 ICE officers, and we're asking for that, so that we can eliminate MS- 13 and root out the criminal cartels from our country. Now, we're getting them out anyway, but we'd like to get them out a lot faster. And when you see these towns and when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough, I said, please don't be too nice. Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you're protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over. Like, don't hit their head and they've just killed somebody. Don't hit their head. I said, you can take the hand away, OK?

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: It's essential that Congress fund hundreds more federal immigration judges and prosecutors, and we need them quickly, quickly. If we're going to dismantle these deadly networks. And I have to tell you, you know, the laws are so horrendously stacked against us, because for years and years, they've been made to protect the criminal. Totally made to protect the criminal, not the officers. You do something wrong, you're in more jeopardy than they are. These laws are stacked against you. We're changing those laws. But in the meantime, we need judges for the simplest thing, things that you should be able to do without a judge, but we have to have those judges quickly. In the meantime, we're trying to change the laws.

We're also working with Chairman Bob Goodlatt on a series of enforcement measures -- and he's a terrific guy -- to keep our country safe from crime and terrorism. And in particular, radical Islamic terrorism.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: A term never uttered by past administrations. Never uttered. Did anybody ever hear that term? I don't think so. But you heard it from me.

That includes cracking down on sanctuary cities that defy federal law, shield visa overstays, and that release dangerous criminals back into the United States communities. It's what's happening. They're releasing them. So many deaths where they released somebody back into the community. And they know it's going to end that way. That's the sad -- they know it's going to end that way. We're ending those procedures. We have to secure ---

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

[14:34:55] TRUMP: I spoke to parents, incredible parents. I got to know so many parents of children that were so horribly killed, burned to death, beaten to death, just the worst kind of death you can ever -- stuffed in barrels. And the person that did it was released. And you'd look at the file, and there was letter after letter after letter of people begging not to let this animal back into society, that this would happen. It would happen quickly. It wasn't even like it would happen over a long period of time. They were saying it would happen quickly. It's total violence. He's a totally violent person. You cannot let this person out. They let the person out. And sometimes it would happen like on the first day. And then you have to talk to the parents and hold the parents and hug them and they're crying -- I mean, crying, their lives are destroyed. And nobody thinks about those people. They don't think about those people. They're devastated. But we're ending so much of that. We're ending, hopefully, all of that. The laws are tough. The laws are stacked against us. But we're ending it.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: So we're going to secure our border against illegal entry, and we will build the wall. That I can tell you.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: In fact, last night -- you don't read about this too much -- but it was approved, $1.6 billion for the phase one of the wall which is not only designed but the start of construction over a period of about two years, but the start of construction for a great border wall. And we're going to build it. The wall is vital, and vital as a tool for ending the humanitarian disaster brought, and really brought on by drug smugglers, and new words that we haven't heard too much of, human traffickers. This is a term that's been going on from the beginning of time, and they say it's worse now than it ever was. You go back 1,000 years where you think of trafficking, go back 500 years, 200 years, human trafficking, they say, think of it, what they do, human trafficking is worse now, maybe it's ever been in the history of this world. We need a wall. We also need it, though, for the drugs because the drugs aren't going through walls very easily, especially the walls that I build. I'm a very good builder. You people know that better than most because you live in the area.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: That's why I'm here. We'll build a good wall.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: We're going to build a real wall. We're going to build a wall that works. And it's going to have a huge impact on the inflow of drugs coming across. The wall is almost -- that could be one of the main reasons you have to have it. It's an additional tool to stop the inflow of drugs into our country.

The previous administration enacted an open-door policy to illegal immigrants from Central America. Welcome in. Come in, please. Please. As a result, MS-13 surged into the country and scoured and just absolutely destroyed so much in front of it. New arrivals came in, and they were all made recruits of each other. And they fought with each other. And then they fought outside of each other, and it got worse and worse. And we've turned that back.

In the three years before I took office, more than 150,000 unaccompanied alien minors arrived at the border and were released all throughout our country into United States communities. At a tremendous monetary cost to local taxpayers and also a great cost to life and safety. Nearly 4,000 from this wave were released into Suffolk County. Congratulations. Including seven who are now indicted for murder. You know about that.

In Washington, D.C., region, at least 42 alien minors from the border surge have been recently implicated in MS-13-related violence, including 19 charged in killings or attempted killings.

You say, what happened to the old days where people came into this country, they worked and they worked and they worked, and they had families and they paid taxes and they did all sorts of things, and their families got stronger and they were closely knit. We don't see that. Failure to enforce our immigration laws had predictable results: drugs, gangs, and violence. But that's all changing now. Under the Trump administration, America's once more a nation of laws and once again a nation that stands up for our law enforcement officers.

(APPLAUSE)

[14:40:44] TRUMP: We will defend our country, protect our communities, and put the safety of the American people first. And I'm doing that with law enforcement, and we're doing that with trade, and we're doing that with so much else. It's called America First. It's called an expression I'm sure you've never heard of: "Make America great again." Has anybody heard that expression?

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: That is my promise to each of you. That is the oath I took as president. And that is my sacred pledge to the American people.

Thank you, everyone here today. You are really special, special Americans.

And thank you, in particular, to the great police, sheriffs, and ICE Officers. You do a spectacular job. The country loves you. The country respects you. You don't hear it, but believe me, they respect you as much as they respect anything there is to respect about our country. You are spectacular people.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHANTING)

TRUMP: Because of the danger of your job, which people also understand fully, I leave you with the following. Thank you, and may God bless you. May God bless the United States of America.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

(MUSIC)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: "We are going to destroy MS-13," the words from the president of the United States. They are speaking on Long Island, a place where according to FBI, 20 people have been killed by this violent gang just in the last two years.

Dan Lieberman, our CNN digital correspondent, has been speaking to some of these MS-13 gang members, has been in Long Island, and he's with me here now.

As we're watching, you know, the president say good-bye to the crowd on Long Island, you've talked to them, and you know, you have the president's, you know, words, but then the gang, as a result, feels emboldened.

DAN LIEBERMAN, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Yes. For the last couple months, we were speaking with gang members from MS-13, and victims of the gang, and immigrants on Long Island, and they say that Trump policies and rhetoric are actually helping the gang, emboldening the gang. Here actually we have a clip of part of the story, two gang members spoke to us. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because what Trump is saying that older Hispanics are bad and everything, so, like, whatever happens to them, they're going to stay quiet and let it happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This gives them the opportunity to tell immigrants, what are you going to do? Are you going to report us? Look, they're deporting other innocent people. They're going to accuse you. They're going to associate you with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMAN: And police, you know, immigrants are saying that they don't want to go to the police, that they're too afraid of deportation, they're afraid of talking.

BALDWIN: Even though police are saying to them, we'll give you a free pass, even if you're undocumented if you're giving us a tip about MS- 13.

(CROSSTALK)

LIEBERMAN: Exactly. We spoke with one mother of an MS-13 victim, and she's afraid, she says, that, you know, they're looking at all their children as potential gang members. And if they're arrested on suspicion of being a gang member, they could be deported. So, they say the people that we spoke to say this is actually gaining strength for the gang. They're recruiting more members, and it's getting worse.

BALDWIN: Dan has this entire piece on CNN.com right know on the main page. Go check it out where you really get in depth with a lot of these people on Long Island.

Thank you so much for swinging by.

LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Brooke. Thank you. [14:44:49] BALDWIN: Also developing right now, on that very trip to Long Island, you have two of the president's top aides who are feuding in a fight that is getting nastier and nastier. We'll talk with someone who has covered the White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, for years and can talk all about, well, how he talks and how driven he is, and what he thinks of this relationship with Reince Priebus.

Also, we'll take a look at the dramatic moments, frame by frame analysis, of Senator John McCain's vote that ultimately sunk Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare. See the reactions from Democrats and Republicans in the Senate chamber.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:49:54] BALDWIN: New fallout today after Senator John McCain helped bring his party's health care bill down in the U.S. Senate. After debating into the early hours of the morning, Senator McCain shocked his Republican colleagues by casting a third "no" vote that decided the outcome. You had Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski who also voted "no" in a huge setback for the party's seven- year promise to the American people to repeal Obamacare.

But let's take a closer look at McCain's moment specifically, the Arizona Senator and veteran and POW, not present on the floor when his name was called. CNN would later learn he stepped out of the chamber to take a phone call from President Trump. And because votes are cast alphabetically, Senator McCain returned to the chamber as the clerk had reached Senator Gary Peters. And what happens in the next few seconds made history. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (voice-over): 1:29 a.m., Senator McCain reenters the chamber. Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell stands at the front of the room like he had most of the night. The grin on his face, though, quickly disappears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Peters.

SEN. GARY PETERS, (D), MICHIGAN: No.

BALDWIN: Senator Bernie Sanders appears to nudge Senator Jeanne Shaheen as if to say, watch this.

McCain waves his hand to get the attention of the Senate clerk, pauses for just a moment, and gives a dramatic thumbs down.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Audible gasp on the Senate floor and then commotion.

(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: Some Democrats can't contain their excitement. Senator Elizabeth Warren leans in to get a better look and breaks into applause. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a single assertive clap. Senator Sherrod Brown slams his hand on the desk in affirmation. While some Republicans, like Senator Marco Rubio, stare in disbelief. Senator Bill Cassidy drops his head. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer turns and waves his arms, apparently, trying to quiet them. Senator John McCain turns around and walks back to his chamber desk all alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Reed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: CNN political commentator, Ana Navarro is with me, a dear friend and former colleague of Senator McCain.

So, Ana Navarro, I know you've been in touch with him. Tell me, has he shared anything with you about the big thumbs down moment?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I haven't spoken to him since then, but you know, anybody who knows John McCain well would not be terribly surprised by this. The guy has been signaling this all along. Brooke, he has been so mad about the process surrounding this health care bill for months, and he's been vocal about it. It's not like he's been saying it under bated breath and he's been saying it in closed rooms. He's been saying it in public. I think that speech he gave earlier in the week signaled it.

BALDWIN: Scolding his own party.

NAVARRO: Saying we need to go back to regular order. We need to have hearings. We need to allow amendments. I am a no vote in this shell of a bill. Well, none of the things that he laid out were done. In fact, this thing was rammed through, which is precisely what he said he would not vote for. He said he would listen to the governor of his state who was not supportive of this bill. And so nothing, nothing that he laid out in that speech earlier in the week happened. And I don't know, what did Republicans think, that this guy had delayed his treatment by a week, flown to Washington against doctor's orders, to be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell? That's not who John McCain is. And I also think he understood the significance of his one vote.

BALDWIN: You know, he provided the drama and as, you know, well deserved of the spotlight on him.

Let's, please, also point out the two other women here. You had Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. They had already made up their minds. They were clear from the get-go during the different iterations of the potential votes before. In fact, we actually have a photo. Could we pop the photo up, guys, from Senator Collins as she was going to Maine where she was greeted in the airport. Look at this. People on their feet, you know, standing ovation there in Maine on her "no" vote.

Do you feel, I mean, these women also deserve their due in terms of depending on how you see this, you know, their credit for standing up against what the president wanted.

NAVARRO: Look, I think all three deserve a lot of credit for doing what we should hope every elected official does, which is stand up for their constituents' rights, for their constituents' interests, stand up on principle and conviction, not political factors, not political pressure, and stand up against the bullying.

I love this Lisa Murkowski story. I mean, do you understand that the president of the United States got his secretary of the interior to call her on the phone and try to put pressure on her and bully her. And she responded to him, sweetheart, let me remind you, I fund your department, and you're not bullying me.

So, you know, I actually think that's another thing that could have influenced John McCain. I don't know anybody who was just more old- fashioned chivalrous than John McCain and the idea that this guy tried to do that to Lisa Murkowski has got to have been infuriating, and frankly, it should have been infuriating to any Senator, Republican or Democrat, because as John McCain said earlier in the week, they are a co-equal branch, not subservient to the president. I think Donald Trump overplayed his hand in trying to bully Lisa Murkowski and trying to exert pressure on some of these Senators and he just learned that there are some people, there are some politicians, who have a steel spine and do not cower under pressure.

[14:55:55] BALDWIN: Ana Navarro, thank you so much. We'll see what's up next, how tax reform goes. May be a bit better for the Republicans. We shall see.

Let's move on. The bitter tensions between two of President Trump's top aides getting uglier. Just a short time ago, we know that both the White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, aka the Mooch, and chief of staff, Reince Priebus, were on Air Force One with the president as he traveled to Long Island.

An interesting trip, to say the least, after Scaramucci dropped jaws with his vulgarity-laced interview with the "New Yorker's" Ryan Lizza. In it, Scaramucci called Priebus schizophrenic. And he used, we'll call it NC-17 rated insults, against Steve Bannon.

Let's get more perspective on Scaramucci and Priebus from two people who know them, CNN special correspondent, Jamie Gangel, is with us. And Linette Lopez, senior finance correspondent for Business Insider, who has covered Scaramucci for the last five years.

Nice to have both of you ladies with me.

Linette, if I may, you call him the Mooch straight to his face.

LINETTE LOPEZ, SENIOR FINANCE CORRESPONDENT, BUSINESS INSIDER: Everyone calls him the Mooch straight to his face.

BALDWIN: He loves it.

LOPEZ: Anybody who's ever been in Vegas with him at the SALT conference which has been a fun party in the past, it was a little darker this year because of the uncertainty of Mooch's position and my piece on "business insider" was everyone kept making the same sound. It was constantly nervous laughter every time the Mooch would mention Trump, the bankers and the investors in the room just kind of were like, ha ha, because the market is kind of weird right now. There's total uncertainty about policy. And at that time, there was uncertainty about the part role that Mooch was going to play. He still hasn't sold the firm. He wasn't even supposed to be there.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: So he loves the president. He made that abundantly clear from the podium a week ago today. My question is on language. If I were to use the four-letter words that this man, as the White House chief coms guy used, I don't think I'd be sitting here today, A, and I don't think any of us would.

(CROSSTALK)

LOPEZ: You'd have great ratings for one day and then you'd be gone.

BALDWIN: So my question to you is, is this just how he speaks?

LOPEZ: Yes, this is Mooch. I mean, Mooch is --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I love how you say Mooch.

LOPEZ: This is Anthony. He's colorful. He's loud. He's flamboyant. He can be charming and transactional and effusive. He can be funny and not funny. He can be serious as a heart attack. He can get mad at you.

BALDWIN: But as successful as he is, to me, it's about discipline and knowing that you are speaking on the record, to Ryan Lizza, the "New Yorker" correspondent, there in Washington, to be using this language and speaking like this.

LOPEZ: Does he think the president likes it? I think that's the question.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: What about the country?

LOPEZ: I don't think he cares about the country right now. Well, he cares in his own way. He cares about pleasing his boss, the president. That's how he knows he's going to win this "game of thrones" right now. If you make Donald Trump happy and you show him that you have the sharpest elbows in the room and you can beat out Reince and Steve Bannon or at least quiet all your enemies, that's the kind of drive Donald Trump wants to see and that's what Anthony Scaramucci can bring to this team. He is a no holds barred fighter.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: But it's making every other Republican in town crazy, because what's his title? Communications director. This is not good as far as every Republican I've spoken to says. It makes them very nervous, and someone said to me, sarcastically, oh, we know every rollout is going to be very smooth now. I mean, the party is worried about substance, about getting things done. If this is the package, if this is the way it's going out, this is not a good thing.

BALDWIN: On Reince Priebus, because I -- this is sad that I wake up in the morning and I think, oh, Jamie Gangel's interview with Reince Priebus from last year, it was just that good.

And as we're talking so much about Scaramucci and Reince Priebus, let me just air a little bit of your interview with him. This is before, I think, the president was even nominated. We're taking you back in time and then we'll talk on the other side. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINCE PRIEBUS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: You have to accept the fact that there's a thousand opinions. I mean, I'm so used to it that I don't even care.