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Erin Burnett Outfront
CNN: White House Expects To See Mueller Findings Before Congress; Attorneys Want Opportunity To Claim Executive Privilege On Info; Rep. Mike Quigley (D) Illinois Is Interviewed About The White House Want To Review Mueller's Findings; White House Expects To See Mueller Findings Before Going To Congress; CNN: White House Lawyers Expect To See Mueller Finding Before They Go To Congress; Kellyanne Conway Forced To Say Trump Is Mentally Fit As Her Husband Tweets Definition Of "Narcissistic Personality Disorder"; Trump Urges Fox News To "Bring Back" Jeanine Pirro; Source: She Was Suspended For Islamophobic Remarks. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired March 18, 2019 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: ... to the State, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, CNN: Frederik Pleitgen in Moscow for us. Thanks very much. Erin Burnett OutFront starts right now.
ERIN BURNETT, ANCHOR, CNN: OutFront next breaking news, the White House bracing for the Mueller Russia findings, preparing to claim executive privilege. New details ahead. Plus, Kellyanne Conway forced to contradict her husband to say the President of the United States is mentally fit and the President attacked him directly and personally in a Twitter tirade. The President of a local auto worker union responds. Let's go OutFront.
Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OutFront tonight, we begin with breaking news. CNN is learning tonight that White House lawyers expect to see Mueller's Russia findings before lawmakers and before the public. Sources say the administration wants to make sure they have the ability, the opportunity to claim executive privilege. Translation, to ensure you don't ever see the things they don't want you to.
The administration sources saying they specifically want to prevent certain information, some documents, specific interviews with White House officials from being released. There is as this happens a sense of anxiety within the walls of the White House according to sources as the investigation could concluded any day now. Pamela Brown is OutFront live in Washington. And Pamela, your breaking of this development about executive privilege, what else are you learning?
PAMELA BROWN, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Erin multiple sources telling us that White House lawyers expect to have an opportunity to review whatever version of Robert Mueller's report, Attorney General Bill Barr submits to Congress before it reaches lawmakers and before it goes public and this could set up a potential political battle over this hotly contested or hotly anticipated document I should say. So the attorneys, Erin, want the White House have an opportunity to
claim executive privilege over information drawn from documents and interviews with White House officials over the last couple of years. Now, the White House's review of executive privilege claims are within its legal purview, but this could set up a political battle with this perception that President Trump is trying to shield certain information from the public about an investigation of this world around him, his administration since the first day of his presidency.
Now, Justice Department lawyers could advise him against it if they don't feel it's legal defensible, but if Trump does assert it, the decision could be litigated in court if it's challenged and Democrats have been quick to say they could. Democrats would almost certainly do that.
I spoke to one source, Erin, who said, "Put it this way." They said, "Look, there's always tension between what looks best politically and represents the interests of the institution, the office of the presidency, but preserving executive privilege, Trump's political optics." That's what this source said. That's how the source framed it. But it is likely to be a fight that's going to happen, Erin, as the White House and the country awaits the findings from Robert Mueller's investigation. As we've reported, it could happen any day now, his report being turned over to the Attorney General, Erin.
BURNETT: All right, Pamela, thank you very much. OK. So Pamela breaking this at this hour. Let's go now to the Democratic Congressman from Illinois Mike Quigley who sits on the House Intelligence Committee. Obviously, you all been investigating this on your own. So what's your reaction, White House lawyers they want to review Mueller's findings and they want to do so before you see them or we see them, so they can claim executive privilege on anything they think they should do that on.
MIKE QUIGLEY, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Shocking gambling at Rick's. I can't believe it. For those who didn't think that we are at a constitutional crisis point, we're there now. The way this is supposed to work is the report is supposed to go to the Justice Department and then to Congress. The House last week voted unanimously to have that report be available in its entirety.
The danger here is the Justice Department also has a policy that a seated President cannot be indicted. So if the report reveals crimes and misdemeanors, the only body that will have recourse to react to that is the Congress. And if the President of the United States can mute that, can eliminate key information, he is officially above the law and we have a challenge to the rule of law and that constitutional crisis.
BURNETT: So that's how you see this, so when they say they want its documents, its interviews with White House officials, I can see people trying to say, "Oh, it's innocuous. We're just trying to protect someone's name if they're not going to be indicted." What do you say to that?
QUIGLEY: Yes. They haven't shown to be trusted in this investigation. I believe they have obstructed this investigation. They've shown absolutely no good faith toward that end. So I get that there may be - if there was classified information in this, then Congress can handle that.
[19:05:00]
But they let the person and the entity challenge, sort out what they want revealed, given their track record right now makes absolutely no sense. It is the fox guarding the hen house.
BURNETT: All right, so let me ask you about this vote that you mentioned, because when it comes to the Mueller report and obviously we're talk about the findings tonight as distinction between the two. I just want to be clear. We're reporting they want executive privilege on whatever findings there are before you get them.
The House voted 422 to zero to release the report. And look, here's the thing about that, the quote from the President who tweeted about that vote today was, "On the recent non-binding vote in Congress about releasing the Mueller Report, I told leadership to let all Republicans vote for transparency. Makes us all look good and doesn't matter. Play along with the game."
OK. Is that what your Republican colleagues did? Do you think, I mean, they're all just lying and did it for optics like he is saying they did, but they actually support him on this or is he wrong?
QUIGLEY: Well, sure, it's a great question. I can't imagine that the Republicans would admit that they said I'm going to take an official vote in the House of Congress just to play along, not because it's the right thing to do but just to play along and again protect the President of the United States.
I think it's important to remember now that there is absolutely no way our founding fathers envisioned that. There's no way our founding fathers envisioned the notion of privilege would be to allow the chief executive to protect themselves from an investigation. They had just thrown off the yolks of a king, an oppressive King. It's hard to imagine that they would want to give the President of the United States powers above the law.
BURNETT: So do you think some of them will be willing to take him on, on this or will they cave?
QUIGLEY: I certainly hope so, they've been disappointing almost to a person so far. The very few exceptions that have stood up the President of the United States, many of them have already left. Senator McCain has passed away. It's time for profiles and courage on a bipartisan basis.
BURNETT: So let me just make sure I understand, is there anything that you would think that the President should have executive privilege on in this report? Separate from classified redaction which is something you're acknowledging that should be able to happen, but you think Congress should be involved. Do you think that he should be able to claim executive privilege on anything? QUIGLEY: I don't think the President of the United States who's the
subject of the investigation should be able to decide what Congress gets. I think there ought to be an understanding between the Congress and the President of the United States that classified information should not be revealed. But the President doesn't get that opportunity. The privilege is a much more narrow one than the President is envisioning right now.
BURNETT: When do you think that this is going to be ready? Obviously, there have been reports that we could be getting it any day, any week, this has been happening for weeks. Do you think that this really is imminent and do you expect, Congressman, given your own investigation into this in House Intelligence? Do you expect further indictments from Bob Mueller?
QUIGLEY: Mr. Mueller has been extraordinary in keeping what he's got in mind to himself. I expect it will be released fairly soon. I do think the American public needs to be aware of the fact that there are a number, using the Special Counsel's term of criminal investigations that are ongoing. In addition, the House has only resumed an investigation that was halted by our Republican colleagues some time ago.
The fact is those investigations had very different purposes. The Special Counsel's investigation was solely to determine who to bring to justice. That doesn't mean that a lot of wrongdoing won't be called upon in his report. He's deciding who to indict. There's a lot of information out there that we will be uncovering that details collusion efforts by the White House which the Special Counsel may have decided didn't meet the burden beyond a reasonable doubt. All information the American public deserves to know.
BURNETT: Right. And, of course, conspiracy, he would look for collusion obviously. The lesser word, but one which you and the American public would have to decide where the bar is on that. Thank you very much. I appreciate it, Congressman.
QUIGLEY: Any time, thank you.
BURNETT: And next the president's longtime adviser, Kellyanne Conway, we all know her. Well now she has to defend the mental state of the President of the United States. Wait until you hear that next. Plus, the President's Chief of Staff forced to declare this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I don't think anybody could say that the President is anti-Muslim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OK. Well, then why is President Trump still backing Judge Jeanine Pirro after what she had to say, hijab is how she said it.
[19:10:01] And the union leader who found himself on the receiving end of an
attack by the President is my guest. His response to the President for blaming him personally for General Motors' troubles.
Fifty tweets and retweets over the weekend, slamming a dead Senator, slamming a local union leader, slamming Bob Mueller, slamming Saturday Night Live, praising himself. A barrage of tweets forcing the President's longtime adviser Kellyanne Conway to dismiss a claim that President Trump's mental health is deteriorating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, I don't share those concerns and I was getting - I have four kids and I was getting down to the house this morning before I got here and talked to the President about substance, so I may not be up to speed on all of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All of them, meaning the tweets from her husband. She's weighing in because the person who is making the latest claim about the President's health is her husband, George Conway. He's a respected Conservative attorney. He has spoken out against Trump numerous times on things like judicial appointments, but his claims today were different. They were very personal, including images from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
And this warning, "His condition is getting worse." "All Americans should be thinking seriously now about Trump's mental condition and psychological state, including and especially the media, Congress and the Vice President and Cabinet." All right, now, it's just pretty stunning to think about this that George Conway, husband to the Chief Counselor to President.
[19:15:06]
While George Conway did not specifically mention the 25th Amendment by name which is what allows Cabinet Members to remove a President, it was certainly implied by his use of the word Cabinet. A claim echoing what an unnamed senior Trump administration official wrote in that scathing op-ed in the New York Times last fall. Remember this quote? "There were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment which would start a complex process for removing the President."
And when it comes to the President's erratic and obsessive tweeting, which is what prompted George Conway's deadly serious claim, today the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made light of the President's tweets even as he was making a serious point too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's it like to work as the Secretary of State and just how do you feel about being in that role and how long do you plan to be there? MIKE POMPEO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: So I'm going to be
there until he tweets me out of office, which I'm not counting on at least today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right, Abby is OutFront outside the White House. And Abby, look, a tweet storm from this President far from unusual but this weekend was different. It was again, and again and again. It was a barrage. It was personal. It was slamming person after person. Are we hearing anything else from the White House to explain why this happen and to address the concern?
ABBY PHILLIP, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Erin, as you know, often these tweets come as a surprise even to White House aides. They don't know when or what the President is going to be tweeting before he tweets it. But so far the White House hasn't responded to some of the concerns being raised by people like George Conway about what these tweets mean and what they show about the President's mental state and psychological state.
Those were the words of George Conway used in his tweet. One of the things that we've seen here in this White House is that they have actually been holding back and responding to Conway who has been a harsh critic of the President on social media out of respect for Kellyanne Conway, but at the same time they say that this - what you're seeing from the President over the weekend is about two things, it's about transparency.
He's telling the world what's on his mind, but they also say that it demonstrates the range of issues that he is fixated on. He's thinking about a General Motors. He's thinking about the Mueller probe. He's thinking about a number of different things and he's tweeting about it at the same time.
But Erin, it's clear that the White House and the President understand that there are some concerns out there about what is going on with him. When he took his physical exam, he took actually a cognitive exam voluntarily the White House said and the doctor at the time said that he passed with flying colors. But it underscored how there is an awareness from the President and also from people in the White House that people have questions about his mental state. They've been trying to tamp those down.
President Trump even famously called himself a very staple genius, but obviously these tweets over the weekend erratic in nature really are raising more questions about what exactly he is so concerned about and why he apparently doesn't seem to have other things to occupy his time other than tweeting on a busy weekend in March, Erin.
BURNETT: All right, thank you very much, Abby. I appreciate it. So let's go now to Bill Kristol Director of Defending Democracy Together, and former Chief of Staff to the Vice President Dan Quayle and former Senior Economic Advisor to the Trump campaign; Stephen Moore who's now an Informal White House Adviser. So Bill, George Conway gets right to it, "To Republicans who've been
inclined to acquiesce in a Trump re-nomination in 2020: Read his tweets this morning. Think seriously about his mental condition and psychological state. Then tell me you're fine with him as President of the United States for an additional four years." What is different now that you think this should be a breaking point for Republicans?
BILL KRISTOL, DIRECTOR, DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER: Well, Republicans have a chance to change horses or captains in 2020. They have an obligation to make a choice and so many of them were sort of acquiescing in something they should know much better about which is whatever they met, maybe they voted for Trump in 2016, maybe they like the tax bill, the judicial appointments. Those are all done. They need to really go read those tweets and retweets, including retweets of nutty conspiracy theorists this weekend and this is still with two months left of - well, a year and a half left of the election, a year left till the nominating process and tell themselves, "We can't do better."
That's what you're saying if you say we have to acquiesce in Trump in 2020. There's no governor, no senator, no congressman, no one else including people who might have voted for Trump or even work for Trump who would be a better President for the next four years than Donald Trump in carrying forth Conservative policies, Republican policies. I think that's a ridiculous position honestly. Trump is benefiting hugely from a sense of acquiescence and fatalism almost, but I figure I can play my little part on Twitter by trying to break that fatalism and I'm glad George Conway used my tweet as an occasion for his tweet, which got a lot of attention which it deserves.
[19:20:00]
BURNETT: It sure did. I mean because look, Steve here's the reality, Trump tweets and he tweets often in a way that people around him are embarrassed about or ashamed of and maybe don't always want to admit it, OK, but we all know that's the case. This weekend though, 50 tweets and re-tweets, 50, I mean - and none of them were about New Zealand or anything like that. But I mean a lot of them are more personal invectives against them John McCain who is dead, a local union leader in Lordstown, Ohio, Bob Mueller, Saturday Night Live, does any of it ever bother you Steve?
STEPHEN MOORE, INFORMAL WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Well, let me just address the issue that Bill Kristol just raised about whether the party can do better than Donald Trump. Bill, I'm not so sure we could have a presidential candidate that would deliver these kinds of results with this phenomenal economy. I learned from CNN today, Erin, the 71 percent of Americans think the economy and the country are going in the right track.
BURNETT: That's right.
MOORE: I mean, those are really good number.
BURNETT: That's the highest since February 2001. MOORE: So my point is, look, in terms of job performance, people are
really pleased with what Trump is doing. Now, you asked me about the tweets, sometimes I roll my eyes when I see some of these tweets. I wish he would tweet less, I agree with Bill Kristol. I wish sometimes he would be more presidential.
Some of the tweets, by the way, I mean - I know Donald Trump, I spent a lot of time with this during the campaign. I think he's just tweaking you guys. He's kind of poking fun at you and you always fall for the bait. I mean, I thought the one on Saturday Night Live was hilarious, actually. I thought it was funny. I thought that the tweet that he did on Joe Biden because he stumbled, he's a low IQ, he's just kind of having fun with you and you all take it so super serious.
KRISTOL: Some of us think --
MOORE: But I like his results. I don't always like his behavior and if I were his Chief of Staff, I'd try to get him to stop tweeting so much.
KRISTOL: The results are due to normal Republican policies, a tax bill crafted by Congress, judges from a list of the Federalist Society. There are no distinctive Trump results that are positive and a lot that are negative. And if you think it's funny to insult Joe Biden's IQ, Steve, I know you better than that. I don't think you think it's funny to insult Senator McCain, to re-tweet conspiracy theorists, not to address seriously the fact that the New Zealand shooter mentions Trump and maybe he should go out of his way therefore to explain how horrible what happened was and how it is not consistent with American principles and American policies.
And as the President of the United States he could do something to contribute to the national and international discourse. I think all of that is very achievable with a different Republican President.
MOORE: Well, you got a President right now who has, again, according to that poll that was just released from the CNN, I don't remember the exact numbers, but only 8 percent of Republicans don't approve of the job that Donald Trump is doing. That puts, Bill, you as a Conservative and very much a minority.
KRISTOL: What about half of them? I agree with that.
MOORE: But look here's the other point I wanted to make.
KRISTOL: I agree with that. I agree with that but about half of them would like to have a choice in 2020. You can say a lot of the policies are good.
MOORE: Yes, OK. Well, that's fine. I don't have a problem with the choice. But Bill, here's the point, I mean listen to what the Democrats are saying. You've got Democrats, major Democratic presidential candidates who want to shut down 75% of our energy policy, who want to get rid of the Border Patrol, who want the government take over the healthcare system, who want reparations choices of that.
BURNETT: So Steve --
KRISTOL: That's why I want ...
MOORE: I mean, those are deranged policies, not what Trump is doing. Those are deranged policies.
BURNETT: Steve is there anything that he could tweet and say that would make you --
KRISTOL: .That's why I want another Republican, Steve.
MOORE: Yes.
KRISTOL: That's why I want another Republican who incidentally would be a better bet to defeat those Democrats ...
MOORE: No. But I'm not just addressing this to you, Bill.
KRISTOL: ... because what is in this wonderful poll that Steve is highlighting, what is Donald Trump's approval rating?
MOORE: It's 42 percent.
KRISTOL: Forty-two percent.
BURNETT: Forty-two percent. So let me just put it up here so everyone can see it.
MOORE: But, Erin, he won the presidency with a 38 percent approval rating, so that's a good number.
BURNETT: So let me just put the numbers up, 71 percent so the nation's economy is in good shape. As I've said that's the best since February 2001. That's very good thing for the President. His current approval rating has moved up to 42, OK?
MOORE: That's good for him.
BURNETT: Which is by the way above Ronald Reagan at the same point in his first term.
MOORE: Right.
BURNETT: So, Bill, do you view that as a guy who can't be defeated?
KRISTOL: Well, we're coming out of a terrible recession.
MOORE: Yes.
KRISTOL: Yes. I think Trump is an underdog now, because look what happened in 2018, the economy was strong. Majority of Americans are not comfortable with Trump as President, correctly judging that he lacks the character and judgment to be President. They're happy about some of the policies and guess what, you could have the best of both worlds with Republican policies and not Donald Trump as President.
MOORE: You know, Bill, when I was driving over here today my cab driver I just stated - I said, "What do you think about Donald Trump?" And he said, "I don't really like Donald Trump very much, but I sure like the way the country is going and I like the job situation." I mean people are pleased with the direction of the country and you know this Bill, you've been in politics even longer than I have.
If people feel the direction of the country is going the right way, they will forgive Trump for some of his bad behavior. I mean I like the guy a lot, I don't like his behavior sometime and I think that's where most Republicans are.
BURNETT: All right, we'll leave it there. Thank you both very much.
MOORE: Thank you.
BURNETT: And OutFront next, talking to President's Chief of Staff say Trump is not anti-Muslim when Trump is still defending this ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANINE PIRRO, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS: Omar wears a hijab, is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:25:07]
BURNETT: Plus, the man President Trump personally blamed for General Motors cutting jobs is my guest. He'll respond to President Trump.
Trump's Chief of Staff forced to say the words, "the President is not a white supremacist." And specifically that Trump is not an anti- white - not a white supremacist after he failed to call white nationalism a growing threat despite the deadly attacks in New Zealand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: The President is not a white supremacist. I'm not sure how many times we have to say that.
Look at what we've done while we've been here. I don't think anybody could say that the President is anti-Muslim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OK. The President is also under fire for calling on Fox News to bring back anchor Jeanine Pirro who a source says was suspended over the weekend for these anti-Islamic comments about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PIRRO: Think about it, Omar where's the hijab, is her adherence to
this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:30:07]
BURNETT: OK. OUTFRONT now, Abdul El-Sayed, former Michigan from governor, and he would have been the nation's first Muslim governor, and Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary for the Trump campaign.
Good to have you back, Kayleigh.
So, Abdul, let me start with you. The president's chief of staff, you just heard, Mick Mulvaney, saying, I don't think anybody can say the president is anti-Muslim. Your reaction?
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), FORMER CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN: Well, look, I mean, Trump gets enough air time as it is. The question right now is whether or not we have more or less love in our society. And the facts on his candidacy and eventual tenure in office, they tell the story. The man ran on a Muslim ban and then after that, he -- first 100 days trying to enact it. And then you have all the times he's called certain countries and places words that aren't worth repeating. The fact he's systematically targeted.
And then, lastly, just this weekend after 51 lives were lost in a mosque because of how they prayed, he wants to go on and defend somebody who is equating wearing a hijab to being antithetical to this country. I mean, it speaks for itself.
The question right now, though, is whether or not we're willing to invest in an America that are not tearing people apart. We're not talking about us versus them. We're coming around an ideal of an America, rather than us versus them. All of us versus hate.
BURNETT: Kayleigh, what do you say? Why would the president defend Jeanine Pirro this weekend?
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Well, first, I would say, his family defended her because they have known her for decades and knows that one comment isn't emblematic of she is as a person.
That being said, I just want to address what about Abdul said. He talked about this travel ban which by the way was upheld by the Supreme Court, which targeted more than just Muslim countries --
BURNETT: Once he changed it to include Venezuela and non-Muslim countries.
MCENANY: And he actually issued an executive order taking three Muslim majority countries off it when they got the proper security mechanisms. And that was Sudan and Chad and Iraq. So, this was a narrowly tailored ban upheld by the Supreme Court. This president is not anti-Muslim. It's an absolutely ridiculous assertion.
If we want to talk about religious bigotry in this country, we've got to talk about the Democratic Party and the repeated anti-Semitic remarks and the failure to condemn that in a resolution with forcefulness that it deserves.
BURNETT: OK. Now, look, in terms of that resolution and how it got watered down, you have a point. But the Muslim issue is a very serious point. When you have 51 people killed, Kayleigh, it is a serious conversation as to why the president did not speak out forcefully about it.
I just want the play some of the past comments he's made so that anyone who is not aware is aware about why there is such a Muslim question when it comes to this president. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you have people coming out of mosques with hatred and with death in their eyes and on their minds, we're going to have to do something.
I think Islam hates us. There's something -- there's something there -- there is a tremendous hatred there.
It's radical Islamic terrorism, OK? There's a lot of hatred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, I think Islam hates us, Kayleigh. You have people coming out mosques with hatred and death in their eyes. This is a person who comes off as anti-Muslim. There's no other way to describe those comments.
MCENANY: Look, at the same time he said those comments, he talked about how he had many Muslim friends. They are great men and women. He also made those comments that we could have played.
It's worth mentioning he did condemn what happened in New Zealand immediately. And, likewise, you know, when you play these comments, this was at a time, many of those comments a few days after 14 lives were lost in San Bernardino and someone got in this country on a K-1 visa and conducted those murders. I would venture to say that person does hate us. That person didn't want to --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: He didn't talk a person. He talked about an entire religion. He talked about an entire religion.
MCENANY: It's the radical elements of the Muslim faith that were a problem. And this is what the president was talking about. And this came at a time, I would note, that James Clapper talked about the fact that you had people trying to disguise themselves as innocent refugees, coming into this country, ISIS trying to insert that flow and they were very adept at making fake passports. This was the context in which that discussion was had.
BURNETT: Abdul?
EL-SAYED: If I can jump in -- I mean, talking about hatred in their eyes. There was a man in New Zealand who walked into a mosque with hatred and death in his eyes, took 51 lives and he did this after praising in an 80-page screed Donald J. Trump as somebody who renewed this idea of white identity. I mean, that speaks for itself.
Look, I was raised in a household and my father was an Egyptian immigration, my mom was daughter of the American revolution. I know what can happen when people come together to build something bigger. That's the story of my life.
The question is whether or not we are willing to embrace a future where we come together and do that. And right now, the kind of praise for certain elements in our society, the kind of letting them pass where you say that people who are white nationalist, taking over Charlottesville, Virginia, there's good people on both sides.
[19:35:03] That kind of equivocation speaks to a certain threat.
MCENANY: Abdul --
EL-SAYED: The question about whether or not we're willing to embrace a future where we come together. And right now, let's be honest, Donald Trump is failing on all of his campaign promises. He's failing the people from the Midwest that I spent 18 months talking to, failing their economic reality.
He's starting trade wars and hurting their war, hurting farmers in my state. We've got a responsibility to act on that. That's what I hope he should be focused on.
(CROSSTALK)
EL-SAYED: Or he really well should lose his job.
BURNETT: Abdul, you get the firs word. Kayleigh, get the last word.
MCENANY: You talk about coming together. Look, we agree that awful killer in New Zealand that had hate in his eyes and so did the person perpetrating San Bernardino, in Pulse night club, in Nice, France.
EL-SAYED: Why are we equivocating on this?
(CROSSTALK)
EL-SAYED: Look, I know you're paid to apologize for this man. I get it, but let's be honest about something, let's be honest, this is man who is tearing us apart.
MCENANY: Coming together does not mean blaming the president. EL-SAYED: This is a man who's tearing us part. Us versus them. Us versus them.
MCENANY: You're doing us versus them when you blamed the president. Just like people blamed Chelsea Clinton. That doesn't get us anywhere.
EL-SAYED: No, look, I think we can do better. I mean, look, at the end of the day, the question --
(CROSSTALK)
MCENANY: Sure. We can do better, it starts by not blaming.
EL-SAYED: I know you're paid to apologize for this man but you should really --
MCENANY: No, I'm paid to support someone who is making this country better every day.
BURNETT: All right. I will leave it there. Thank you both very much.
And next, President Trump stepping up his criticism of General Motors, going after specific individual. The man bearing the brunt of Trump's outrage responds next.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The Hispanics that are in the country legally, they love me. They love me. They love me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, is it true? Our surprising new poll tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:40:28] BURNETT: Tonight, the president gets personal, slamming a union leader by name. Since Saturday, President Trump has sent five tweets attacking General Motors for closing its plant in Lordstown, Ohio.
In one of them, he writes, quote: Democrat UAW Local 1112, President David Green ought to get his act together and produce. G.M. let our country down but other much better car companies are coming into the U.S. in droves. I want action in Lordstown fast. Stop complaining and get the job done.
Well, OUTFRONT now is the man he mentioned there, UAW Local 1112 President David Green.
David, OK. So, the president of the United States comes out in a tweet and says you better get your act together and produce. What is your reaction to that?
DAVID GREEN, PRESIDENT, UAW LOCAL 1112: I didn't take that personal, Erin. Obviously, President Trump didn't close our plant here, unallocated. General Motors did.
So, you know, he's put it out there. In fact, his later tweet he talked about bringing that work back from Mexico and China. We couldn't agree more.
BURNETT: So, I understand and that's I guess the irony of this is that you both want the same thing when it comes to the bottom line here. I want to ask you about the timing, though. When he decided to go after you personally, David, you were actually just done an interview on Fox News and you were talking about people losing jobs at the Lordstown plant. You mentioned how there were job losses at Kmart distribution center nearby, at a hospital.
And you said people were, quote, starting to wake up. You know, you were referring to the president. What do you think about the fact he would watch that and get your local union number? That he would take the time to call you out by name so personally and negatively?
GREEN: Well, you know, he's the president of the United States. So, I guess he's kind of been accustomed to send out tweets. I just want to make sure that I don't get on a word war with the president. I don't have anything personally against him.
I may not agree on a lot of the policies, I think we can do a lot more here in the U.S. to help bring manufacturing back into the country. This area has struggled with job loss and the unemployment rate is extremely high.
So, this is kind of unique to maybe other parts of the country. I just want to make sure he recognizes and understands how important this General Motors plant is to the community.
BURNETT: Now, you have written him two letters about the plant. You reached out to him last summer. You reached out to him before the State of the Union. I know he's coming the Ohio this week, David. His rally will be about an hour away from where you're standing tonight.
Has he responded the you in any way?
GREEN: I have not received any kind of response from the letters I have written. I guess I was kind of hoping for that. But, you know, it is what it is.
BURNETT: I mean, look, you're taking the high road. I think a lot of people will applaud you for that.
The plant closed just over two weeks ago, 5,400 people. People you work with losing their jobs. So, what are they doing now? What is happening?
GREEN: Well, General Motors actually unallocated the plant. They're not telling us that it's closed and they're not telling us it's idle. They're saying it's unallocated.
So, it's a very strange place to be for our members. A lot of them are trying to decide whether they should transfer out, move to another part of the country, or if they should try to wait this out and wait for some more future product to be allocated here.
BURNETT: So, the president be holding you personally responsible as he is doing?
GREEN: I don't think he knows me very well. I've been working really hard. I was in plant today working actually in the plant packing up some parts for cars, for -- you know, service parts. I continue to work every day tirelessly to try to get some product here. We've got a Drive It Home Ohio campaign that this whole community has kind of gotten behind, grassroots efforts to, you know, convince General Motors that we're part of their family, we want to remain part of their family and, you know, keep working here for another 53 years.
BURNETT: What does he not understand that he needs to understand?
GREEN: I think just looking at numbers and recognizing that people here in this community are struggling. You know, you can talk about a low unemployment rate but until you come here to the valley and actually see the people. In fact, where that plant's located, 48 percent of the working people and this is from the report about year ago. That 48 percent of the working people are eligible for government assistance.
So, when you got almost half the people that have jobs are eligible for free cheese, it seems like the system is broken.
[19:45:02] BURNETT: And when it comes to the system being broken, a lot of people where you are, of course, David, voted for him, right? I mean, this is -- you lived in a county that voted for the president in 2016. But it's been since, when, the 1970s, every single time your county voted Democratic.
What do you hear now? What do you hear from your union members about their perception, their feelings of the president now and his promises to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.?
GREEN: I think most people here in the valley want to talk about jobs. They want to hear a candidate who comes in and talks about bringing revitalization into areas. And helping business, investing in business, so they'll invest in workers and I just think that we need a candidate that has a plan. Has a 10, 20, 30, 50-year plan, something for our country, something for this community. I think that's extremely important.
BURNETT: All right. Well, David, I really appreciate your time. Thank you very much for talking to us. And I hope a lot of people hear and learn a little bit more about what's happening there. Thank you.
GREEN: Thanks, Erin.
BURNETT: And next, President Trump says Hispanics love him. So, we traveled to the border to find out what they think.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do have a lot of problems with immigration. I do support his stance for the wall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: You're going to see the full story.
Plus, it's said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON AS BETO O'ROURKE: I love the United States and I love running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:22] BURNETT: Tonight, a new CNN poll shows a third of Latino voters approve of how President Trump is doing his job. According to the new CNN poll, the president has a 34 percent approval rating among Latinos. So, who are the Latino voters supporting Trump?
Miguel Marquez is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S./Mexico border in South Texas, dividing countries and Latino voters.
(on camera): You were born and raised in McAllen, Texas, yes?
ROLANDO RODRIGUEZ, LATINOS FOR TRUMP: Uh-huh.
MARQUEZ: And you live a mile from where we're standing, the wall?
RODRIGUEZ: Uh-huh.
MARQUEZ: And you want to see this not only taller, but longer?
RODRIGUEZ: Longer and taller, yes.
MARQUEZ: How much taller?
RODRIGUEZ: Twice. Twice as much, at least.
MARQUEZ: And you want the whole border, 2,600 miles?
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, 2,600 miles, yes, sir.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): President Trump, for years --
TRUMP: By the way, the Hispanics that are in the country legally, they love me. They love me. They love me.
MARQUEZ: -- has touted how much Latinos love him.
Rolando Rodriguez is one of those who appreciates the president's business acumen, religious alignment and border politics, particularly the wall.
RODRIGUEZ: I don't think the wall is going to be a barrier really for the good people. It will be a barrier for the bad people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are mounting an investigation.
MARQUEZ: While a majority of Latinos disapprove of the president's job performance, many angered by the family separation policy focused on the wall and rhetoric about immigrants. The president still has some Latino support, about a third, which is on par with other past Republican presidents.
(on camera): You're working on your citizenship.
MAYRA GUTIERREZ, LATINOS FOR TRUMP: I am working on my citizenship. I am a legal --
MARQUEZ: So you can't vote for Trump?
GUTIERREZ: Not yet.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Mayra Gutierrez came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 3. She is working toward getting her citizenship and hopes to vote for the president come 2020. Her top three issues: abortion, the economy, and immigration.
GUTIERREZ: We do have a lot of problems here with immigration, and I do support his stance for the wall.
MARQUEZ: Trump-supporting Latinos here say the president has more support than many are willing to admit. Joacim Hernandez is president to the Hidalgo County Young Republicans and he says membership has more doubled in the last year.
(on camera): How difficult a sell is it to young Republicans, to young people, to Latinos in this area to support the Republican Party and the president?
JOACIM HERNANDEZ, PRESIDENT, HIDALGO COUNTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS: I'm actually quite shocked, because the last time the president visited or the last time he came to the valley, you know, there was a lot of people that were out there supporting him.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Hernandez and other Latinos we spoke to had little doubt that with their help, Trump will win a second term in office and make good on his promise to fix an immigration system they view as broken.
(END VIDEOAPE) MARQUEZ: So here in this area of South Texas, this is a lot of what the barrier looks like between the U.S. and Mexico, only about five feet high, made of metal. But to be fair, it's about a 20-foot drop on the other side that you can't see.
Now, most Latinos do not like the president's policies on the wall or on immigration, but those that we spoke to here that support him say there is a national emergency and they would like to see the size of this thing doubled or tripled -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Miguel, thank you very much.
And coming up tonight on CNN, a live presidential town hall with Democratic candidate, Elizabeth Warren. You can see that at 9:00 Eastern.
And next, Jeanne on Beto O'Rourke getting the late-night treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIMMEL: You can trust me, there's not a dishonest bone in my body. Actually, there aren't any bones in my body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Tonight, Beto O'Rourke proving he's leaving an impression, at least for the late nights.
Here's Jeanne.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're squealing for Beto, who doesn't quite sound like your run-of-the-mill presidential candidate.
BETO O'ROURKE (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In our future, we will be more screwed --
MOOS: For Beto or for worse, he seems to be making an impression. And one way we know that is he's already become an impression.
KIMMEL: I love the United States and I love running.
MOOS: Jimmy Fallon couldn't keep his hands off those ever-moving arms.
O'ROURKE: However great or however small --
MOOS: Though Jimmy's version of Beto had him donating blood --
KIMMEL: Gah!
MOOS: -- while announcing his run for the presidency. KIMMEL: I was born to do this. I'm like if your friend's hot dad had
the energy of a golden retriever.
MOOS: Remember how quick Fallon was to imitate Donald Trump, the candidate.
KIMMEL AS DONALD TRUMP: Wow, like fantastic.
MOOS: Even with the real Trump as a mirror image.
KIMMEL: I'm like a Greek god that just took a bath in a pumpkin spice latte.
MOOS: Kate McKinnon has spiced up her Elizabeth Warren impression on "SNL".
KATE MCKINNON AS SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN: Beto O'Rourke, there's a reason he's got a nice face and good skin. He ain't done anything. Baby don't know.
MOOS: With Beto bouncing into the race, even reporters can't resist channeling him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beto O'Rourke conducts an orchestra with his hands while he speaks.
MOOS: But so far, Beto has rolled up his sleeves and continued to come out swinging.
O'ROURKE: I would argue and I know that this is contentious among some, not everyone will agree.
MOOS: An impersonator and others with a bone to pick about his gesticulating haven't yet forced him to adopt a policy of arms control.
KIMMEL: You can trust me. There's not a dishonest bone in my body. Actually, there aren't any bones in my body.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS: And thanks for joining us. Don't forget, you can watch OUTFRONT anytime. Just go to CNN Go.
Anderson starts now.
