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President Donald Trump Congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu; NBA Star Dwayne Wade Is Retiring. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 10, 2019 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] DANIEL LIPPMAN, CO-WROTE POLITICO'S TRUMP'S BIZARRE VISIT TO MT. VERNON: Trump's did which is not a shocker but he is after all the French president. So you would think, well, that could kind of be little odd.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Daniel Lippman, with all the details of this VIP tour with Macron and our own President.

Daniel, thank you for sharing that, those anecdotes.

LIPPMAN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, President Trump congratulating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his narrow election win, but some of Trump's actions may have helped tip the scales. We will discuss that with my next guest who also has a piece out that says the President is trashing the rule of law to stay in power. We will have him explain how coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:12] BALDWIN: President Trump today congratulating Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on what looks to be a tight election win and a historic fifth term. Netanyahu's rival conceded the race just a short time ago and this is what President Trump said about it this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would like to congratulate Bibi Netanyahu. It looks like that race has been won by him. And I think we will see some pretty good action in terms of peace.

Look, everyone said, and I never made it a promise, but everybody said you can't have peace in the Middle East with Israel and Palestinians. I think we have a chance. And I think we have now a better chance with Bibi having won.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Just two weeks ago President Trump gave Netanyahu a gift when he decided the U.S. would recognize Israeli's sovereignty in Golan Heights, an area long considered occupied territory. So with me Max Boot, senior fellow, council on foreign relations and

CNN global affairs analyst.

And you know, we reportedly saw at least one Trump flag at the Netanyahu HQ last night for the election party. How much do you think Trump helped tip the scales for him?

MAX BOOT, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: There is no question Trump put a thumb on the scales and definitely helped Bibi not just with the Golan Heights annexation but also moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. And just the couple of days ago designating the Iranian IRGC as a terrorist organization. And a lot of Netanyahu's appeal to his voters was I have a great relationship of Trump. He is doing great things for Israel. Keep me in office to maintain that relationship.

I mean, the question now is Trump going to attempt to cash the chips to take advantage of the credit that he has earned with Netanyahu to try to make a serious push for a peace process and now Trump is claiming, oh, peace will be easier now with Netanyahu in office.

I'm kind of skeptical of that, Brooke, but because Netanyahu is going to come in with a very right-wing pro-settler coalition. So it is hard to see them making any real concessions.

BALDWIN: So we will look for what happens and if there is peace or not.

BOOT: I would not -- in the Middle East, pretty good idea to bet against peace unfortunately.

BALDWIN: Just to hear him say that, you know, is sort of stunning.

BOOT: Right.

BALDWIN: On the President, you wrote this column in the "Post" about how Trump is trashing the rule of law to stay in power. And you lay out all these examples. Tell the good folks at home what you are talking about.

BOOT: Well, there is a palpable desperation from Trump. And his pattern is when he feels embattled and he feels that there is political existence is at stake, he lashes out. He doesn't care about good taste, morality decor um and doesn't really even care about the law itself.

Now he is feeling very, very pressured, Ana, on immigration because this is always been a signature issue for him. And he has claimed that he would stop illegal immigration. And yet in March there were 92,000 apprehensions at the southwest border and the highest level in 12 years. So Trump is basically freaking out. He is worried he is not going to win reelection if this trend continues. And so he is purging the department of homeland security, but he is also urging people at DHS to do things that illegal.

And part of the reason he soured on Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was, although she was willing to do things that I think were unconscionable like separating parents and children --.

BALDWIN: She wasn't willing to go far enough.

BOOT: She wasn't willing to go far enough. She wasn't actually going to break the law, for example, denying these poor Central Americans and opportunity to seek asylum which is their legal right and Trump clearly wants them to do that. Our own Jake Tapper quoted him meeting with border agents in southern California telling them ignore what judges say, if people show up asking for asylum tell them we are full. That is a violation of the law. And apparently the supervisors had to tell agents, don't listen to the commander-in-chief --

BALDWIN: Once the President left the room, and they are looking around the room --

That is striking. I mean, I don't think we made a big enough deal of that. But that is a big deal. If that is accurate, if the President is actually telling federal agents to violate the law and their supervisor is saying don't do it, that ought to be a huge scandal. But you know, with Trump we roll our eyes and move on and I think it deserves more attention than it is getting.

BALDWIN: So what is the -- put the President aside if we can for a second and when we are in a post-Trump White House era, how much damage will he have done to the rule of law and to these institutions?

BOOT: Well that is a great question, Brooke, hard to answer. I think part of it will depend on how much longer is he going to be in office? Is it going to be two years or six years? So I think the amount of damage he does varies greatly. But I'm worried about what I'm seeing. And you are seeing now that he is managing to put people in place in the federal government who have, you know, his contemptuous rule of law. And I would include in the sadly attorney general Bill Barr who seems to be is catering much more to Trump and saying that he is going to redact the Mueller report. And today the attorney general was right, was feeding these crazy Trump conspiracy theories about spying.

Now Bill Barr does not go as far as Trump. He doesn't say that FBI agents are dirty or that they are guilty of treason or anything like that but he is feeding the flames here and this is really undermining confidence in the federal government and law enforcement and the judiciary and the rule of law. That is a very corrosive thing to do. And Donald Trump has the support of 40 percent of the country. And those people believe what he tells them. And what he is telling them I think is very dangerous for the long-term future of our democracy.

[15:40:33] BALDWIN: Max Boot, thank you for your column. And thank you for your opinions.

BOOT: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Nice to see you.

And coming up next, NBA star Dwayne Wade honored with an emotional tribute for his work off the court. And among those saying thanks, the family of Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver. His parents will join to me life to talk about why Wade meant so much to them and their son?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:20] BALDWIN: Too often in the news, we too often talk about anger and partisanship, name-calling and hate. But I want to show you something that should remind you of all of the good still around us, the decency.

NBA star Dwayne Wade, he is retiring after tonight's game ending a remarkable career both on and off the court. And all year as a gesture of respect he has been swapping jerseys with other NBA stars after every game. But one company wanted to surprise him with some other keepsakes.

Budweiser released an ad putting a spotlight on Wade's charitable work and highlights five people each touched in unique ways by Wade's generosity and each of them brought something for him. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DWAYNE WADE, NBA PLAYER: I have no idea it was coming like literally no idea.

Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Dwayne.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

WADE: Hello. How are you doing, Will?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty good. How about yourself? It has been about 12 years since I last see you. I come from area where (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was my dream that I get the chance to go to college but we just didn't have the money.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You mean so much to us and my brother Joaquin loved you from the beginning. He passed away in Parkland on February 14th. He was one of the 17 victims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ten days before Christmas our house burned down and we lost everything. It was one of the lowest points of my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Dwayne.

WADE: How are you doing, Myles?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were the joy of my life. But I was dropping the ball. That day that I just couldn't do it no more was the day that I was going to have to turn myself in. And I seen the tears just fall from your eyes. Your mama went down a road, Dwayne, that I didn't ever think I could come back from. But on that road I notice you kept showing up. And you come and see about me. And Dwayne, because you believed in me, when I got out of prison I was a different woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are not Dwayne Wade the basketball player, the legend, you are the human being that took the time and on his own wrote my brother's name on his shoe and you cared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you bought your mama that church, you don't even understand the lives that you changed. So I don't have a jersey but I brought you this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have a jersey to trade with you but I definitely have this. The blazer that I wore to my first --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My cap and gown from graduation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is important because Joaquin wore this in his last championship. My family wanted you to have it.

WADE: These came from my brother Joaquin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) was a role model, has made all of the difference.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the special robes that you gave me, purple symbolized royalty and you are royal and in everybody's life that you touched.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You completely changed the course of my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know my brother is with you always.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Oh, the last voice belongs to Andrea Oliver, the sister of Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver who was just 17 when he was killed and his patients.

Joaquin's parents, Manuel and Patricia Oliver are with me now.

And thank you so much for being with me. And I see, you know, even in your eyes, it is like I have seen that several times now today and it is just - it is so beautiful. And I what to ask you about it but can we start with Joaquin. Because I sat today for about half an hour just pouring over his Instagram page and saw you call him his rock. And I saw his love for Venezuela and for soccer and obviously, Dwayne Wade was his idol. So just tell me more about him.

PATRICIA OLIVER, MOTHER OF PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM, JOAQUIN "GUAC" OLIVER: Joaquin is Joaquin. Joaquin is a beautiful spirit, human being. And you can see reflects on what he posted or what he did in his life. He keeps doing that through many other kids, through the things that he had been done. And we enjoy the fact that he has so much love for so many people they don't even know about him and he showed us that -- solidarity and human part of the person that anybody can have like Joaquin and Dwayne.

[15:50:08] BALDWIN: Do you want to jump in on that? MANUEL OLIVER, FATHER OF PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM, JOAQUIN "GUAC"

OLIVER: Sure. I can just give you one line that I will never forget from Joaquin, when he said, I play basketball because of Wade. I was coaching his team on the last season and I don't know much about basketball, but I was honored to coach the team. And Joaquin will always choose jersey number three because of Wade. So it meant so much when he started supporting what we were doing after we lost Joaquin.

BALDWIN: I want to ask you about that. But I think just to back up, just to explain to everyone watching. So you all left Venezuela, it was 2003, right?

M. OLIVER: Yes.

BALDWIN: And you pick of all places, you think, perfectly safe Parkland, Florida.

M. OLIVER: Correct.

P. OLIVER: Exactly.

BALDWIN: And the tragedy occurs on Valentine's Day of 2018 and your world falls apart. You know your son's love for Dwayne Wade. And you decide to bury him in Dwayne Wade's jersey. And obviously, he hears about that. And can you just tell me about when you first met Dwayne Wade? And what that meant for him and for you to see him dedicate the rest of the basketball season to your son.

M. OLIVER: Well, I remember that moment, we were together in a party. Like, spending some time with friends.

P. OLIVER: We were having dinner.

M. OLIVER: Yes, we were having dinner. And then we came out of that place and I saw a tweet that showed wade's shoes with Joaquin's name on it. That's how I knew that wade was really supporting us all the way.

BALDWIN: What did you think?

M. OLIVER: Well, we didn't believe it.

P. OLIVER: Yes.

M. OLIVER: What? What is this?

P. OLIVER: And at the same time, I got a post, a text from a friend of ours, Joaquin's dad's friend that he was looking for our contact number, because Dwayne's mom wanted to get in touch with me. So I share his phone number with me and says, of course. And she just texts me the day after early in the morning, I should say. (INAUDIBLE) is her name and she said, I want to get a one-to-one, mom- to-mom conversation.

BALDWIN: And what was she like? What was Dwayne Wade's mom like? P. OLIVER: They are the most beautiful family that I ever, you know,

that you can ever imagine being in this network, that you maybe have an image that is someone that's not like that, not even that. She was very simple, a mom.

M. OLIVER: Kind.

P. OLIVER: Kind, yes. Very, very lovely person. Besides that, she's a pastor, so she has this connection with the spirituality that brought me peace in that moment, because that was very recent when that happened.

BALDWIN: Yes.

P. OLIVER: And we got that connection. And since then we have been in touch.

BALDWIN: You started the organization "Change the Ref." You have marched with students, you have put out all of these big art installations, but I want to get you guys talking about this one-man show, Guac. That was his nickname.

M. OLIVER: Sure. Yes.

BALDWIN: Those who knew him dearly and loved him. My son, my hero, (INAUDIBLE). Can you tell me about that?

M. OLIVER: Absolutely. We have been trying to do things that are not common things to do. We try to bring our activism into an unusual way. We believe that some usual ways haven't been working so well. So we decided to, you know what, what is it that we do? We love art, we do art. Let's do something that is related to what we like -- what Joaquin will like. So we met with a couple of friends that are related to theater and we thought about, why don't we make a stand up, an activism stand-up, not a comedy one?

BALDWIN: An activism stand-up one-man show.

M. OLIVER: Correct. A place where people will come and feel -- it's like a roller coaster of emotions. All the rehearsals that we have done, and that's the reason why we are in New York.

BALDWIN: Lucky me.

M. OLIVER: That have been -- you can see people crying, dancing, smiling, remembering Joaquin. We have a great team of professionals in here. And I think now we have reached that level of the project that is almost ready to launch and that's the plan.

BALDWIN: OK.

M. OLIVER: We are going to be on tour. We are going to bring all of these amazing moments of Joaquin's life. And of course, we are going to show the tragedy behind what happened.

Listen, we do things in a different way. We have a gun violence program here. I'm not a politician. I am not a lawyer. I am an artist. So I'll just do my best with what I know instead of pretending to be something that I'm not.

[15:55:02] BALDWIN: I appreciate you sharing the space with me and talking about your son. And again for anyone who wants to know about this play, walk my son, my hero, a pleasure. Thank you so much.

M. OLIVER: Thank you very much for having us here today.

BALDWIN: Quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:59:40] BALDWIN: Just a quick programming note for you. CNN is hosting a presidential town hall with 2020 candidate Washington governor, Jay Inslee. Wolf Blitzer will be hosting. That is live from Washington tonight at 10:00 eastern right here on CNN.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. Let's go to Washington.

"THE LEAD with Jake Tapper" starts right now.

[16:00:04] JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Evidence- free accusations that the Trump campaign was improperly spied upon. And they are not coming from President Trump.