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Senator Kamala Harris Holds Rally in Oakland, California, to Launch Presidential Run; Former Starbuck CEO Howard Schultz Announces President Run as Independent. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired January 28, 2019 - 8:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: -- January 28th, 8:00 in the east. The 2020 race is heating up. Election Day is only 645 days away. Senator Kamala Harris officially joins a growing list of Democrats who plan to challenge President Trump. Harris formally kicking off her campaign in California and taking aim at President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, (D) CALIFORNIA: Who are we as Americans? So let's answer that question to the world and each other right here and right now. America, we are better than this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So that was one announcement in front of thousands of people. There was a different announcement in front of one person during a "60 Minutes" interview. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that he is preparing to make a run but as an independent. That news is raising some anxiety among Democrats who fear that this independent bid could split the anti-Trump vote.

There is also Hillary Clinton news. Our Jeff Zeleny reports she is not closing the door to a 2020 run. So instead of talking about Jeff Zeleny behind his back, we're going to bring him into this discussion. He is in Des Moines, Iowa, the site of the CNN town hall with Senator Kamala Harris tonight. And Jeff, I know you have the Hillary Clinton reporting, but I want to start with the big announcement yesterday, and it was big and it was visual, and a lot of Democrats looked at that and said it was impressive. Kamala Harris now an official candidate, and tonight she does that CNN town hall.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Alisyn. You're right. Let's talk about the candidates who are in the race. And one of the candidates who definitely is in is Kamala Harris. We saw her yesterday in her hometown of Oakland, California, giving a speech, really the largest announcement speech yet that we've seen in these very early stages of the 2020 campaign. She said that the U.S. is at an inflection point, and she was asking the question there, as you heard, who are we as Americans?

She'll be taking a whole different kind of questions here tonight on the stage on the campus of Drake University when she's participating in the first CNN town hall of this cycle. Now, she is part of the biggest and most diverse field in Democratic history, in recent memory at least, and she certainly is coming on strong. But she's not alone. By the end of this week, other senators could be in the race as well. She's already joined by a few of her fellow senators, other governors also getting in. But it is news that's causing some Democrats heartburn this morning from the former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, saying he in fact is also going to explore a run. Several Democrats, both in his home state of Washington and across the country are worrying he could be a spoiler in the race, ultimately in the general election. Of course, very hard to get on the ballot as an independent.

And then of course some buzz over the weekend as well. We learned on Friday after that Roger Stone indictment, Hillary Clinton telling associates and friends that she is not closing the door to a potential run in 2020. We should be clear, she's not planning on anything at this point. There's not a campaign plan in waiting. But even by saying she's leaving the door open, after reporting that on Sunday, we heard from a lot of Democrats, some friends and old allies of hers, saying, please, we hope she does not do this.

So John and Alisyn, that is where we are as we start in what really is the beginning of a very frenetic campaign, a year-long campaign here in Iowa and elsewhere for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

CAMEROTA: We're off to the races. Jeff, thank you very much. Stick around if you would for the conversation.

We also want to bring in Mark McKinnon, he's a former senior adviser to the George W. Bush and John McCain campaigns. He's also the creator, executive producer, and co-host of "The Circus" which premiered its fourth season on Showtime last night, and Nia-Malika Henderson, a CNN senior political reporter.

Nia-Malika, let me just pull up the current status of the Democratic field as we know it right now just so everybody is one the same page. So Senator Kamala Harris just announced, also former HUD Secretary Julian Castro is in the race, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. We have former Congressman John Delaney, businessman Andrew Yang. Then people who have announced exploratory committees but everybody thinks as though they're running is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and the South Bend mayor, Pete Buttigieg.

So Nia-Malika, is the feeling, the sense that Kamala Harris has the most energy right now of all those candidates, or is that just because she had such a big crowd in Oakland this weekend.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: She's certainly had a big crowd. She's probably had the best roll out so far. She had a slow rollout with her book, and then finally that big announcement, 20,000 people or so at least, according to her aides, showed up in the crowd size. When you look at those photos it certainly looks pretty massive out there.

So, yes if you look at this field, we don't know how big it's going to be, maybe 20 or so folks. But there's certainly a top tier. People like Kamala Harris, people like Elizabeth Warren and people who haven't gotten in who might get in like Joe Biden, like Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders will likely get into this race as well. We don't know. It's still early. You have got people who think this big field is a good thing because it energizes all sectors of the very diverse Democratic base. But Kamala Harris certainly making a lot of noise early on.

[08:05:05] I thought her speech, probably the best speech she's given of her career. She's not known for her soaring oratory, but I thought she weaved in her background as A.G. and a prosecutor in California and made a case for why she'd be a good president, this idea of representing the people and being a fighter.

BERMAN: And contrasts. She drew contrasts. There are the explicit contrasts that she draws just by walking on that stage, and then there's by the choice of words she used. I want to play a little more of what she said. And listen to how many times she says "we."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, (D) CALIFORNIA: We all stand together.

It's about we, the people.

We rise together or we fall together as one nation indivisible.

I'll fight for an America where we keep our word and where we honor our promises, because that's our America. And that's the America I believe in. That's the America I know we believe in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And she really hit that "we" right there also. Mark McKinnon, you're a veteran of some pretty big presidential rollouts yourself there. How would you assess how she did, and what do you think she did exactly yesterday?

MARK MCKINNON, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, GEORGE W. BUSH AND MCCAIN CAMPAIGNS: A-plus. There's three times during a presidential candidacy where you have an opportunity to really focus public attention on your candidacy. One is your announcement, two is the nomination at the convention, three is during the debates. So you want to maximize that opportunity. And for those of us watching these kinds of things, there's lots of things that can go wrong in a presidential announcement. Nothing really went wrong. Focused message. Turned out a big, big crowd, which is not easy to do. And a clear and compelling story, a backstory, a narrative arc to her story. So I think it was a really well executed announcement.

CAMEROTA: So as someone who has run successful Republican campaigns, who in that field that we showed would scare you the most?

MCKINNON: Well, Kamala Harris for one. I think that she has got the ability to unite the party. She checks like nine out of 10 boxes you want to check not only in the primary but as a general election candidate. She's got a good general election message, too. I love the notion as a candidate for a Democrat to be a former prosecutor. That brings a law and order edge for a general election. It just strikes me as so unhelpful to the Democratic primary that she's getting heat from Democratic primary voters that she's a prosecutor, that that's somehow a negative. I think it's a huge positive in a general election.

BERMAN: Jeff Zeleny, I will note that when you step into the state of Iowa, you somehow get a new glow about you, and you turn into a completely different person. You are out there covering Kamala Harris. You've done so much great reporting there and everywhere in the country. But what are you picking up from the other Democratic campaigns? How did they view this moment yesterday? And what might it mean for some of the others who aren't in yet? The killer B's, I think it was Mark who said it earlier, think of the killer B's when you have Beto O'Rourke, Joe Biden, Cory Booker, some of the others.

ZELENY: Well, John, there's no question that all of the potential candidates who have not yet gotten in were watching that announcement very closely yesterday. And there are still several senators sitting on the edge of the bench, if you will, about to get in. The list includes Bernie Sanders, it includes Sherrod Brown of Ohio. It includes Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. And the reality here is by watching an announcement like that, by watching a big rollout like that, it certainly, if you aren't quite sure about if you're getting in, it raises the question of, can I do that? Can I have a big roll- out like that?

You don't need a massive rally or crowd like that, but it certainly helps to get things going here. But there's no question by the end of the first quarter of this year, which is the end of March there is likely to be at least twice as many more Democrats in this field. Some of those senators I mentioned, some governors as well. The question is, who among them will be able to stand out, raise the money, get the attention?

So by the end of this year, it is going to be a much smaller field. But for a while it is a wide open season. And there's a sense of, why not me? If others are getting in, why not me?

But I hear on the ground here in Iowa talking to voters here in this state, they really do not know most of these candidates. So they are looking at them with a fresh set of eyes, if you will. And one thing I was struck by yesterday, John, she did not mention Donald Trump, President Trump's name one time. And that is something that all Democrats are going to thread that needle here. How much are they talking about President Trump? How much are they talking about themselves? She's deciding to go the route of presenting herself on her terms, her biography. Of course, that will come when she'll challenge the president. It was right under the surface, but interestingly she did not mention his name directly once.

CAMEROTA: But she did put in stark relief what she wanted to focus on, Nia. So here's a moment where she talked about the themes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, (D) CALIFORNIA: And as we embark on this campaign, I will tell you this -- I am not perfect. Lord knows, I am not perfect. But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:10:11] CAMEROTA: So she doesn't have to mention President Trump's names if those are the things that she's going to hammer home.

HENDERSON: I think that's right. There's that implicit comparison with Donald Trump. And her life story, right, is also an inclusive comparison with who Donald Trump is. She's the daughter of immigrants. Her family was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. She went to Howard. So there's an implicit comparison. She's an African-American woman. So those are the things that she doesn't really have to say that she communicates to the voter, particularly Democratic voters just automatically without having to hammer Donald Trump so explicitly.

BERMAN: So Mark McKinnon, there was another sort of entry into the race yesterday, Howard Schultz, the CEO from Starbucks, former CEO of Starbucks, went on "60 Minutes" and said he is going to get in the race maybe as an independent, spend a lot of his money. In full disclosure, I came in today highly skeptical of this. I didn't see people lining up at Howard Schultz's door begging him to get in the race and run an independent campaign. And you calmed me down a little because your suggestion is you think there is room in this country and a need for something different than the two traditional parties.

MCKINNON: I just say, why limit the menu? Let's have a broad discussion. Let's have a broad debate. If he can bring a different voice, different ideas. And there is a big -- particularly if you think about if Donald Trump, let just say Bernie Sanders wins the nomination, that leaves a huge ideological hole you can drive a pretty big truck through. I don't know if Howard Schultz is the guy to do it or not, but I just welcome more people into the arena.

CAMEROTA: We hear that all the time from voters, that they don't like this binary choice, that they self-identify as an independent more and more, that they aren't saying they're Democrat or Republican. So somebody has to break the mold at some point.

MCKINNON: I like John Avlon's description of what that is. It represents individual liberty and generational responsibility. That is a pretty good definition for what somebody could grasp and cloak themselves in and then drive up the middle.

BERMAN: Yes, although I don't see people out there carrying pitchforks calling for those things right now en masse.

MCKINNON: Hear this? That's the clamor. That's the clamor.

BERMAN: Don't get me started on that. That's free coffee which is -- and a million times cheaper than the coffee that Howard Schultz normally sells. All right, thank you very much.

And be sure to watch our live CNN town hall with Senator Kamala Harris tonight hosted by Jake Tapper at 10:00 p.m. eastern live from Iowa.

CAMEROTA: President Trump says he could use emergency powers to build his border wall. Would conservatives support that move? We ask a leading conservative, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, ANCHOR, CNN: All right, it's the first Monday back to work for Federal employees after President Trump agreed to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

In a new interview with "The Wall Street Journal," the President says another shutdown is, quote, "certainly an option." Joining us now is Matt Schlapp. He is the Chairman of the American Conservative Union, and a former White House political director under President George W. Bush. Good morning, Matt.

MATT SCHLAPP, CHAIRMAN, AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION: Great to be with you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you. Long time no see.

SCHLAPP: Yes, long time.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you. Okay, so are you - as a supporter of the President, are you happy or disappointed that he reopened the government without any money for his border wall?

SCHLAPP: Well, there's $211 million in the CR for barriers, which is $1.3 billion annualized. As you know, we have over 600 miles of barriers on the southern border that Democrats voted for and paid for.

So there's a lot of semantics and spin in all of this. But at the end of the day, I'd like to think both parties can get to a place where we all agree, we ought to secure our southern border, and I think a lot of Democrats realize looking like they are against border security is bad politics.

CAMEROTA: But are you trying to say this was a win for the President somehow?

SCHLAPP: No. No, I don't think it was a win at all. I think the fact - look, Trump's brand - number brand is that he fights. For Conservatives and Republicans and Trump supporters, which are distinct categories, they like it when he fights, and he's fighting to get the southern border secured.

And I think it's an important message and argument we need to have in Congress and in the country. And I think he walks out of this shutdown showing that he's willing to go very far to get this done.

CAMEROTA: I mean, his brand is also deal making and that didn't go so well over these 35 days. SCHLAPP: I agree. They did not sign a deal. We're going to see what

happens in the next three weeks. He did move significantly for Nancy Pelosi. She said she wants to stop calling it a wall. So he said, okay, I'll call it a barrier. She didn't want cement. So he said, okay, let's do the steel slats, which is what the border control actually wants.

So he's trying to get there. He's even - look, Alisyn, he has even talked about finding a solution to things like the people who are here in DACA, et cetera. So he is trying to put things on the table. And I think it would be good for the country if we actually could get a deal that secures our border.

CAMEROTA: Well, look, because - I mean, to your point, he has been a moving target on so many of these things. You're right. He did change his position on how long the wall should be, what the wall should be made of, how high it should be. What it should look like.

And, so, what was the point of the shutdown? Why couldn't that have happened 35 days ago?

SCHLAPP: Well, because this is what Congress has to do, right? Congress has to fund it or at least they should fund it. Now he has emergency powers which he can use, but what he's trying to do is exhaust every conceivable legislative remedy. Let's do this the right way. Let's change law. Let's have Congress appropriate the money.

Once again, Alisyn, I think it's important for everyone to know, we have over 600 miles of barrier on our southern border that a lot of Democrats paid for and Democrats in Congress had to support and wanted to support. He's asking for 200 miles more. It's actually a pretty modest proposal.

You can say that's going --

CAMEROTA: Now he is - I mean, now he is. As you know, he started at 1,000 miles or more, then it was 800, then it was 500. He's worked his way around to this. But it does seem like he was dug in, in a way that didn't have to happen for those 800,000 people to make this fuss - you know --

SCHLAPP: It does. It does. All of these - Alisyn, I would disagree. All these senators like my friend, Rob Portman and others, Lamar Alexander who are trying to say there could never be a government shutdown.

Look, Congress has a job to do and they have to figure out how to fund the priorities put forth by the American people after elections.

CAMEROTA: Of course, that's called negotiating. But the President was dug in. He was insisting on his wall.

[08:20:07]

SCHLAPP: Actually, what you just said is that he has moved from saying - because I have been in meetings where I've watched him get briefed, he has listened to the Border Patrol, he has listened to the people at the border even the Mayor of Tijuana who he's developed a relationship with.

And he said, "Look, the most critical thing is to let the Border Security determine where the barriers go. And it's just 200 additional miles on the over 600 miles we have.

CAMEROTA: Yes, over the course of 35 days, he did change.

SCHLAPP: Walls actually work, they don't need to be everywhere. They don't need to - there's terrain that doesn't need a wall.

CAMEROTA: Yes, understood. This is what Democrats were saying. I mean, this is what Democrats were saying and the President was pretty dug in on his cement wall and over the course of these 35 days ...

SCHLAPP: It's not true.

CAMEROTA: ... he has moved, and I guess that the point is, was the idea was that now he says there's a 50% chance that there might be another government shutdown or he might use emergency declaration to do this. How is this negotiating?

SCHLAPP: Well, it's what you do when you're trying to get to a deal. He's trying to say to Nancy Pelosi who is the most hostile to the idea of securing the border and has called walls immoral et cetera, what he is saying to her is like, "Look, I understand the American people sent more Democrats to the House and now there's a big Democratic majority in the House, we've got to figure out a way to work together on this."

And if we can't, it just means the crisis at the southern border continues.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean --

SCHLAPP: And I actually think, look, Alysin, I think there's a lot of Democrats, I'm sure you'll have some on your show, especially new House members that won in Trump districts, that are worried their party seems too hostile to the idea of stopping illegal crossings at the southern border. That's terrible politics.

CAMEROTA: Listen, you say that they're hostile, but they - as you just pointed out, they've given millions of dollars ...

SCHLAPP: They have.

CAMEROTA: ... for border security.

SCHLAPP: For over 600 miles of wall, they have already voted for it.

CAMEROTA: Billions.

SCHLAPP: That's right. I agree with you.

CAMEROTA: So are they hostile to securing the border or are they giving billions of dollars to it? SCHLAPP: I think, you know, like I think John Avlon did a good job

with his overview. I think there's a lot of politics and posturing and spin and what we have to do is cut through the you know what and get to solving the problem.

That's really what America wants. They want to solve the problem. It's why Donald Trump became the President is because they thought he was an outsider who could break the logjam.

He has talked about Howard Schultz earlier in the show. It's very appealing to Americans the idea that someone, a third - kind of a third option in all of this besides the two parties which can't seem to solve problems.

You know, the Congressional approval ratings are terrible. Nancy Pelosi's ratings are like the worst national politician. Her brand of politics works in big cities, but she herself needs to understand that if the Democrats want to have a nationwide majority, you have to figure out a way to solve problems and that's what they should do at the southern border.

CAMEROTA: When you saw Senator Kamala Harris' announcement this weekend and the big crowd size and the enthusiasm, should that cause some concern for President Trump?

SCHLAPP: Yes, absolutely. I think she's a very impressive spokesperson for her cause. I don't think we should be confident or cocky about the 2020 election. I think the nation has remained divided as it was since really starting in 2006.

I think, you know, we ought to take these Democrats incredibly seriously. They have a lot of energy on their side. The one takeaway from 2018 for me, Alisyn is that I feel very - I feel very good about Republicans in complicated states in statewide contests and that's why we actually picked up two Senate seats, won governors races in complicated states like Ohio and Florida.

But the House, there is no question. They have picked up a lot of seats, mostly in urban areas, because their base is very, very excited. They are very enthused, and I think we have to watch that.

CAMEROTA: Tomorrow, another White House insider's book, tell-all, comes out, Cliff Sims is talking and it sounds like he has a bit of a beef with the Communications Office in the White House. Do you think that there are going to be some Schlapp secrets spilled in this book?

SCHLAPP: Who is the author?

CAMEROTA: Cliff Sims. You know who he is.

SCHLAPP: It does not ring a bell.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh. So you are just going to disavow any knowledge of him?

SCHLAPP: Let me just say this. I do know who Cliff Sims is. I think he received something, I read about, a million dollar advance to do a tell-all book. That kind of tells me all I need to know. He has a First Amendment right to publish all the secrets that he learned in meetings and that's the American way.

I will say as far as any implication on the White House Communications Team or on my wife specifically, I remain incredibly proud of her. I'm her biggest fan. I think she's done a lot of good in helping the President and his agenda and you will not be surprised to know that I am all for her in all this.

CAMEROTA: That's a good position to take Matt Schlapp. All right, thank you very much for explaining how you as a Conservative are feeling today. Thanks so much, Matt.

SCHLAPP: Thanks for having me on.

CAMEROTA: Sure -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, ANCHOR, CNN: I thought he was going to stick to that, "I don't know Cliff Sims." Like who is this guy?

[08:25:09]

BERMAN: That was an interesting take right there. All right, now that the government is reopened, is there any chance Democrats will budge on funding President Trump's border wall? A key member of Congress joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: President Trump is signaling he is not confident that lawmakers will reach a new deal on border security. In this new interview he gave with "The Wall Street Journal," the President said chances are less than 50/50 of it happening, adding he doubts he will accept anything less than $5.7 billion that he demanded for his border wall.

Joining us now is Democrat Congressman, Dan Kildee. He is the Chief Deputy Whip in the House Democratic caucus. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

DAN KILDEE, CHIEF DEPUTY WHIP, HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: I listened to an interview that you gave on Friday with my friends, Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto before the shutdown was over, before this deal was reached.

But in that conversation, you quite clearly said that you were very comfortable with the idea of saying to the President, "Not a dollar for the border wall ever." So is that your position right now as these 17 bipartisan members of both chambers get together and try ...

[08:30:10]