Return to Transcripts main page
New Day
Anthony Scaramucci Discusses The President's Attacks On Sen. John McCain; President Trump Again Attacks War Hero Sen. John McCain; President Trump Claims ISIS Will Be "Gone By Tonight" In Syria; YouTube Mom Accused Of Beating And Starving Adopted Kids; Potential "First Gentleman" Waiting In The Wings. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired March 21, 2019 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00] ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, AUTHOR, "TRUMP, THE BLUE-COLLAR PRESIDENT", FOUNDER AND CO- MANAGING PARTNER, SKYBRIDGE CAPITAL: -- economy, peace and prosperity, and security.
Why take the millstone of all this negative nonsense and put it on your neck and create a seven to eight percent headwind in your face?
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Isn't that also the president, though? I mean, at this point, don't we have to accept that that's the president?
SCARAMUCCI: Well look, I mean, he would probably say there's aspects of that combativeness that got him to the presidency. I recognize that.
Well, you're the president. You've now got yourself to the presidency. You're an adaptive entrepreneur.
Let's switch up the game here a little bit so that you don't -- you don't -- you don't have to make unforced errors at this point when you're doing so --
BERMAN: Yes.
SCARAMUCCI: -- well on so many different fronts.
BERMAN: If he doesn't give it up, and I'm not sure he will --
SCARAMUCCI: Yes.
BERMAN: -- do you want to see him reelected?
SCARAMUCCI: Well, I do. I want to see him reelected because --
BERMAN: Even if he continues attacks like the ones on John McCain?
SCARAMUCCI: Well, this is the -- this is the struggle that people are going to have. They're going to close the curtain.
They're going to say OK, he's phenomenal on policy but he's a little cuckoo with this nonsense. And they're going to be like weighing that. And so I would say why don't we stop being -- let's be a little less cuckoo, OK, so that we can focus on all the great things that are going on in the society.
But yes, I'm a supporter of the president. I'm loyal to him. You know, I mean, John, come on, you know I'm loyal to the guy.
I got fired. I got -- I got ejected from the White House like an Austin Powers villain and thrown into the fire, but I'm still loyal to the guy.
BERMAN: Yes.
SCARAMUCCI: But that doesn't mean I want to apologize, OK. I'm going to tell you what I -- what I honestly --
BERMAN: Yes.
SCARAMUCCI: -- think because I think it's in his best interest to hear the truth rather than nonsense and sycophants.
BERMAN: Anthony Scaramucci, always a pleasure.
SCARAMUCCI: A pleasure to be here. Thanks, John.
BERMAN: Appreciate it. Erica --
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: What would John McCain think of President Trump's attacks against him? Ana Navarro joins us to tell us why she thinks the fallen senator may actually find all of this amusing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:35:35] HILL: President Trump was supposed to be talking about jobs, talking about the military at an Ohio plant he helped to keep open. But instead, the president spent several minutes repeatedly attacking war hero, the late Sen. John McCain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I endorsed him at his request and I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted which, as president, I had to approve. I don't care about this. I didn't get a thank you, that's OK. We sent him on the way.
But I wasn't a fan of John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Joining us now, CNN political commentator Ana Navarro, who served on the Hispanic Advisory Council for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
As John Berman wisely pointed out earlier, this was not a campaign rally, just to remind people. I mean, this was a trip -- this was a White House trip. There was, apparently, a teleprompter there which was used at some point. We don't believe those words were on the teleprompter.
It's remarkable that unprompted, the president is continuing to go down this road. Although I guess, at the same time, Ana, maybe it's not so remarkable.
ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, SERVED ON HISPANIC ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR JOHN MCCAIN'S 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: It's not remarkable. I mean, it's -- we are now on day five of the President of the United States -- the leader of the free world picking a fight with a dead war hero. That is insane.
For all those people who say unless you have a medical degree, you shouldn't be weighing in on his mental state, no. We can say it is insane. It is lacking sanity. But more than that, it is lacking humanity.
To be picking a fight with a person who is not here to fight back, whose family and friends and loved ones are here. And, you know, it's just so -- it's so unseemly. It's so infantile.
It's so -- it's so ridiculous and so un-American -- you know, it's undignified. It cheapens the power of the presidency.
Surely there's other things he should be doing with his presidential time. If not, why don't you do us all a favor? Pick up golf clubs and go do some more golfing. Maybe take some more selfies with spa operators in Florida and leave national heroes the hell alone.
BERMAN: There are those who say, Ana, that what he wants -- the president wants here is to get this kind of attention. He knows it will upset people if he does this and he's just -- he's just, you know, stirring the bear, as it were.
Does that mean we shouldn't remark? We shouldn't take note of the fact that he's going after John McCain?
NAVARRO: No. We -- look, we need to continue remarking on Donald Trump when he lies, when he offends, when he divides, when he sows national discord, when he attacks a war hero because this cannot become the new normal in America. That, to me, is one of my greatest concerns that we all end up shrugging our shoulders and saying this is just Trump being Trump.
But the problem is Trump is not a -- you know, at this point, he's not a host of "THE APPRENTICE." He's not a braggadocios New York real estate developer. He is President of the United States and whether I like it or not, that means he represents me, he represents you, he represents you.
And this is not behavior that should be acceptable by any adult person, much less an adult person who is leading the United States of America and representing the United States of America. It is just unacceptable.
And that is why people need to speak up time and time and time and time again. We cannot get tired of speaking out against the outrageous things that this man is doing while using the presidency of the United States to bully other Americans, including dead Americans.
HILL: I do want to get your take, too, on what we've heard from Meghan McCain, who has always staunchly defended her father, obviously. I found her take yesterday really interesting on "THE VIEW". I just want to play a portion of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MCCAIN, DAUGHTER OF SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, HOST, ABC "THE VIEW": Do not feel bad for me and my family. We are blessed. We are a family of privilege.
Feel bad for people out there who are being bullied that don't have support. There are kids committing suicide because of cyberbullying online.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MCCAIN: There are people going through rough times. There are veterans who come back -- we have 20 veterans a day committing suicide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MCCAIN: Focus on these issues.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MCCAIN: These are the issues I beg the White House to pay attention to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: You know, there's a two-parter there. There's the yes, there's so much more the president could focus on, which you just discussed with Anthony Scaramucci.
I mean, the 71 percent number on the economy. That's great for him. And yet, he continues to go down that road.
[07:40:00] She continues to take the high road. She's your colleague at "THE VIEW," too. Probably not surprising to you that that's where she's at.
NAVARRO: Look, you know, anybody who's had a father who they love tremendously is defensive of that father. Certainly, I am of mine. You know, I think that anybody who has had a normal, loving, paternal relationship will understand that type of family loyalty. You defend the ones that you love.
It hurts when you hear somebody that you love be attacked but particularly, somebody -- you know, John had a -- you know, had a painful death and it was -- it was -- and we saw the outpouring of the country for John.
One of the things that bothers me most about this we all saw Jack McCain, John's oldest son, in uniform at the funeral.
So, Donald Trump is the commander in chief and he is going after the father of somebody that is, right now, wearing the uniform and risking his life serving this country -- something that neither Donald Trump nor any of his children have been willing to do. The McCain's have been doing for generation after generation after generation.
BERMAN: Ana Navarro, thanks so much for joining us today. We know you are heading over to "THE VIEW" today. Please send our best. We appreciate it.
NAVARRO: Thank you.
BERMAN: All right.
President Trump predicted the collapse of ISIS in Syria by last night. We're going to get a reality check -- a live report from Syria, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:45:17] HILL: Breaking news this morning out of Texas where residents near the site of that massive petrochemical tank fire we've been following for a number of days in the Deer Park area -- now, they're being told to stay indoors. Officials say benzene and what they refer to as other volatile compounds are in the air.
The days' long fire was finally extinguished. There has, though, been at least one small flare-up since we've learned.
Six school districts near the site of the fire canceling classes for today.
BERMAN: President Trump claimed yesterday that all remaining ISIS forces in Syria would be eliminated by last night. He even used maps to make his point. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This was on election night in 2016. Everything red is ISIS. When I took it over it was a mess.
Now, on the bottom, that's the exact same. There is no red. In fact, there's actually a tiny spot which will be gone by tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: "Gone by tonight."
CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is live in Eastern Syria with more -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John -- no, it's not gone by tonight. That was last night and the operation is ongoing. This is, I think, the third or the fourth time that President Trump has rather prematurely declared final victory of the terrorist organization. There are operations ongoing as we speak. There are war planes overhead. And so, it's not over.
We are almost there. They -- the ISIS Jihadis are isolated in a very tiny strip of land along the Euphrates River. They have been pushed back to that, but it's not over.
There are still people coming out. Yesterday, we saw a large group of men, women, and children being checked by U.S. Special Forces who had come out the previous day. We're told that many as 2,000 people arrived at that camp north of here where many of the -- those who have surrendered have arrived and they are apparently in very bad condition.
But certainly, the end is almost upon us. This is my 47th day in Syria to cover the final victory over ISIS. It may be just hours away before an announcement came. But I think the president got it wrong again -- Erica.
HILL: Ben Wedeman from Syria for us. As you're saying, your 47th day reporting there. Ben, thank you.
An Arizona mother is in custody accused of torturing her children while using them for fame and fortune on her YouTube channel. Authorities say she starved, pepper-sprayed, even locked the vulnerable children in closets.
CNN's Stephanie Elam is live in Los Angeles with more this morning. This is just -- you can't wrap your head around it.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's unfathomable, seriously, Erica when you hear what this woman is accused of doing.
Now, she's adopted seven children and this video page, it was well- liked. It was very simple but endearing videos of these children. They had nearly a million people following them; some 240 million page views for their page called "Fantastic Adventures" on YouTube.
But -- Machelle Hobson is her name and this is what she's accused of. You mentioned the pepper-spraying, but pepper-spraying their genitals if they messed up their lines. Locking them in closets.
Some kids say that they went for days without food and were forced to take ice baths. One said that they hadn't been to school in years.
All of this was discovered by police when they did a welfare check on the family. They said -- the police saying that some of the kids were afraid to take food from them. In fact, get this. One of the children was so dehydrated that child drank three bottles of water in just 20 minutes.
Now, besides Hobson, two of her adult sons have also been arrested. They've also appeared in some of the videos and they are charged with failing to report the abuse.
One of the sons, though, did say that he did see injuries. He did talk some. Said that he saw injuries on the children and said that he would sneak them food.
But all of this should let you know, John, as I toss it back to you, that YouTube has taken down their page and they will no longer be able to make money on it now that they're charged with these really awful, awful crimes here.
BERMAN: Hideous -- the allegations here are simply hideous and we're dealing with children.
Stephanie Elam, thank you so much for being with us.
So, depending on how the 2020 election goes, the United States could end up with its first "first gentleman". We'll profile some of the possible contenders, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:54:20] HILL: It's time for "CNN Business Now."
The Federal Reserve is signaling interest rates will remain unchanged amid fears that the U.S. economy is slowing.
Chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins us now with more. The president wanted interest rates --
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Be careful --
HILL: -- right?
ROMANS: Yes, absolutely. Be careful what you wish for because this is what, after all, the president and the markets, frankly, when they were throwing that hissy fit at the end of last year -- this is what they wanted -- a Fed not raising interest rates heading into an election season.
The Fed is keeping interest rates on hold for the rest of the year because of -- well, here's why. Fears about slowing U.S. and global growth.
Fed officials voted to hold interest rates steady and they scrapped plans for two rate hikes later this year.
[07:55:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: The U.S. economy is in a good place and we will continue to use our monetary policy tools to help keep it there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That's key. The U.S. economy is in a good place, it is solid, and the job market is strong. But, Fed officials still downgraded the forecast for economic growth this year to 2.1 percent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) POWELL: Growth is slowing somewhat more than expected. Financial conditions tightened considerably over the fourth quarter. Growth has slowed in some foreign economies, notably in Europe and China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Central bankers previously estimated the U.S. economy would grow 2.3 percent this year. That is below the Trump administration's forecast of three percent. To meet those targets, the White House assumes a big infrastructure plan, making individual tax cuts permanent, and even more deregulation -- John.
BERMAN: All right, Christine Romans. Thank you very much, Romans.
So, the United States could make history in 2020 if it elects its first woman or first gay president. Now, if that happens, their spouse would become the nation's first "first gentleman".
CNN's Kate Bennett explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, CO-AUTHOR, CNN POLITICS "COVER/LINE" (voice-over): A new crop of diverse, different Democratic presidential candidates, but six of them have one thing in common -- should they win, their husbands would become the very first "first spouse".
Hillary Clinton had to once consider what former President Bill Clinton could be called.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bill has said that some of his friends from Scotland suggested "First Laddie".
BENNETT: This time around, even more options for a man to make history in the East Wing.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So these are my guys.
BENNETT: Elizabeth Warren, perhaps unsurprisingly, didn't follow the traditional norms when she decided Bruce Mann, a professor of law at Harvard, was the one. She asked him to marry her.
BRUCE MANN, HUSBAND OF SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN: We've been married a long time and it's always been an adventure. So, this is just another one.
BENNETT: Pete Buttegieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana --
PETE BUTTEGIEG (D), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, MAYOR, SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: You know Chasten?
BENNETT: -- is not only the first openly gay presidential candidate he's also a newlywed, marrying husband Chasten Buttegieg just last year. BUTTEGIEG: I married a teacher, so I married up.
You know, that intimate thing in our lives exists by the grace of a single vote on the U.S. Supreme Court.
BENNETT: Chasten, who at 29 is the youngest of the potential first spouses, is a constant and vocal supporter of his husband's candidacy.
CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG, HUSBAND OF PETE BUTTIGIEG: I'm really excited for the country to get to know him on a much larger scale.
BENNETT: Also in the honeymoon phase, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who married husband Abraham Williams in 2015.
ABRAHAM WILLIAMS, HUSBAND OF REP. TULSI GABBARD (D-HI): And, action.
BENNETT: Abraham is a cinematographer. The two met when he volunteered to shot Gabbard's political ads. He proposed while they were riding the waves, surfing in Hawaii.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar's husband, John Bessler, already has experience as a political spouse.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And he said well, the Senate spouses are having a baby shower for Jim Webb's wife and I'm going. The world has changed.
BENNETT: Klobuchar married John, a lawyer and law professor, in 1993. The two have a grown daughter named Abigail.
Some, like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's husband, Jonathan, are more behind the scenes. Gillibrand met her British-born financier husband on a blind date in New York City. The two eventually moving Upstate to raise their two young sons and so he could accommodate her political ambitions.
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's not a lot of venture capital in Upstate New York. And so when he said yes, it was just a very huge opportunity for me as a person to start our family there.
BENNETT: When California Sen. Kamala Harris married lawyer Douglas Emhoff in 2014, she took on a new role -- stepmother to his two grown children.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They call me "Momala."
BENNETT: Harris credits Doug with being her support system in the political whirlwind.
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": I don't know if we're ready for a first lady named Doug. I don't know.
HARRIS: He's very much enjoying being the spouse of --
KIMMEL: Oh, he is? He's having fun with it.
HARRIS: He's very -- he's very secure.
BENNETT: Kate Bennett, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: It would be interesting, right?
BERMAN: Yes. Look, I mean, this is something we dealt with in 2016.
HILL: Yes.
BERMAN: Of course, it was a little different when the perspective first "first gentleman" was a former president. But yes, I mean, it's America.
HILL: It is, and it's fascinating to see. It was a great piece. Thank you, Kate.
Lawmakers in New Zealand just did something U.S. lawmakers have not been able to. NEW DAY continues right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACINDA ARDERN, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand will ban all military-style semiautomatic weapons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to ensure people bring their firearms to surrender them to us.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The prime minister said there will be changes. She's putting her money where her mouth is.
TRUMP: I gave him the kind of funeral he wanted. I didn't get a thank you.
It's disgusting behavior. He is intimidated by people whose stature he can never achieve.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I think the president's comments hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain. I'll continue to help the president.
HILL: The Justice Department issuing subpoenas as part of a criminal probe into Boeing's 737.
END
