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Cuomo Prime Time
Hours Away From High-Stakes New Hampshire Primary; Yang Warns Of Trouble For Campaign In Fundraising Pitch; Warren Looks To New Hampshire After Finishing Third In Iowa. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired February 10, 2020 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
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KATHLEEN SOLDATI, NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: Just don't try to, you know, take him off his path. So, I'm on my path. He's on his. We're holding hands.
LINCOLN SOLDATI, NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: Yes.
K. SOLDATI: But we're on our own paths.
L. SOLDATI: Right.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: On the same path, holding hands.
The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, CUOMO PRIME TIME: I know a lot of wives and husbands who may explain their relationship be that way, but "Let Lincoln be Lincoln," that is a really nice way of putting it.
Anderson, thank you very much, great piece.
COOPER: Thanks.
CUOMO: I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME.
The first in the nation primary is New Hampshire. And the voting begins at midnight tonight in the East.
We have two key players on this show. Both need remarkable results in this state, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang. Warren needs to justify considered in the top tier. Yang needs to justify staying in the race.
We also have the Governor of the Granite State, Chris Sununu. He is the President's top voice there. He is here to make the case and to be tested.
So, what do you say? Let's get after it.
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CUOMO: All right, the good news is, we have no app failures to worry about. This is a direct primary. But Andrew Yang says Iowa and its problems was such a big setback, he may be just hours from knowing the fate of his campaign.
He warned supporters in an email, in part read "The confusion and failure to see results for days has hurt our narrative and our fundraising. If we miss this fundraising goal in New Hampshire, I don't believe we can continue contending at the same level."
Now, Yang, as you may recall, made it back onto the debate stage Friday night, made his points, got some good responses from it, at least among the pundits. Now, he joins us here, from New Hampshire. Welcome back to PRIME TIME.
ANDREW YANG (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's great to be here, Chris. Thanks for having me.
CUOMO: So, first question, you pulling a Booker? Is this a really dire situation we're talking about or is this a way to make a nice appeal to get some money in the last minute?
YANG: Well you can see the energy here in New Hampshire is rising. The crowds are bigger and more enthusiastic than ever. We think we're positioned to have a great night, tomorrow night, right here in New Hampshire.
CUOMO: I like that you have learned how to duck questions in your young political career. Are you really in dire straits with fundraising? Could tomorrow really be the end for you?
YANG: Well we need to have a great result tomorrow night. But I think we're in position to do just that. New Hampshire has always been the most natural home for my campaign.
The voters here are very independent-minded. They'll make up their own determination as to who they want to push forward. And we think that we're going to have a great night tomorrow night.
CUOMO: I have found you to be a great source as kind of an equal tell on our political process.
What do you think your problem has been up to this point in not getting more traction? What have you learned about this process that you didn't know and disappoints you?
YANG: Well certainly with a crystal ball we might not have invested as much energy in Iowa because I think that that lack of - lack of clarity afterwards hurt every candidate, and we put a lot of energy there.
But we're excited about being here in New Hampshire thinking, in my case, there are many, many voters who have told us that they're excited about a number of candidates.
We just have to make the case that I'm the candidate with the clearest vision for the future, and I'm the best position to beat Donald Trump in the fall.
CUOMO: A couple of points of understanding, you said in the debate, last Friday, that Elizabeth Warren was talking about laws that would make a difference in terms of social justice, and you said something that's gotten a good amount of traction.
You said, "You know, we're not a few laws away from fixing social justice in this country." What did you mean?
YANG: Well if you look at the socio-economic inequities between communities of color and other Americans, right now, Black Americans have only 10 percent of the household net worth of White Americans. And it's very hard to pass a few laws that are going to somehow balance that out and try and eliminate discrimination in various structures.
The most straightforward way we can even things out is by putting money into the hands of every American family, which would have a greater impact on people that need it more, and have less access to capital resources and opportunity right now, which unfortunately is many communities of color right now in this country.
CUOMO: So, your point wasn't "Laws don't work." It was "You need more than laws." Understood!
Let me ask you something about Bloomberg. Do you believe that there is a lesson in what we're seeing with Bloomberg's move up through the polls that redounds to your own benefit?
YANG: Well the lesson is if you spend several hundred million dollars on TV ads in places you're unopposed, you might see some poll numbers rise. I don't think that's new to anyone.
The question really is what are the limits to what money can do in this race? I think that there's a certain point when advertising becomes more irritating than informative. And eventually, he'll find that spending money is like pushing on a string.
[21:05:00]
We haven't hit that point yet, but I think that point is right around the corner.
CUOMO: Steyer is spending a lot of money. He's not getting the movement that Bloomberg is. Their spending is, you know, pretty close. Do you think it's unfair to call Bloomberg just a checkbook? YANG: Well, Mike certainly has a really good story. He was a very strong Mayor of New York City for a long time. And so, he has a different story than Tom does. I'm friendly with both of them.
Tom's a great man and a patriot. Mike's a real authentic leader. I do think that Mike's story translates better to many voters though because it feels much more political and something that they're familiar with.
CUOMO: Well because he's held Office and Steyer hasn't. You know, it's interesting.
And the reason I bring it up is not to have you talk about somebody else the night before, you know, that the primary starts. But couldn't you make the same argument to voters that Bloomberg's making?
Yes, you don't have as much money, but you've been successful in business. You understand dynamics that are outside government and how to get things done, and that you don't really care to repeat the culture of leadership that they're used to.
YANG: Yes. I think we need to focus on solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected in the first place. And Democrats are making a mistake by acting like Trump caused all of these problems. He's the symptom of a disease that has been building up in our communities for years.
And my plans are the best approach to actually start curing the diseases that's been ravaging our communities, this disease of rampant inequality, this extreme winner-take-all economy that's becoming more extreme all the time, because technology is going to get more powerful and more capable in ways that most Americans do not realize. And we have to get ahead of the curve rather than continue to fall further behind.
CUOMO: Biggest fear?
YANG: Sorry, what was that, Chris?
CUOMO: Biggest fear for you for the American people?
YANG: Well my biggest fear is that we continue to play "I lose, you lose, I lose, you lose," with our politics.
Meanwhile, the people lose, our communities lose, our families lose. There are many people here in New Hampshire who do not feel like their family is being included in the 21st Century economy. And we cannot allow that to continue.
That's my greatest fear is that we don't start actually including people in the unprecedented innovation and progress that we're making in some parts of the economy.
CUOMO: Biggest impact you think you've had on the race to this point?
YANG: Well I'm happy to say that now, many, many Americans, a majority of young voters, a majority of people in Iowa, actually support Universal Basic Income, my idea of a Freedom Dividend for all Americans.
Five Democratic candidates came out and support - said they would support it, are open to exploring it. So, this idea is not going anywhere.
I believe this campaign has helped accelerate the end of poverty in our country by years, maybe even generations. And that's something that's going to stand the test of time.
CUOMO: Well, listen, we wish all candidates good luck, as long as they're acting in good faith.
I add an extra layer of hope for you because you are talking about things in ways that we are not used to hearing in our politics, Democratic or Republican. And I think it's good for the debate.
I think you're good for the debate and it's been a pleasure getting to know you. You're the only guy in the race I've never heard anyone trash, and that is a rare - that is a rare credential these days, Mr. Yang.
YANG: Wow! Well thank you so much, Chris. The Yang Gang here in New Hampshire is really excited. We're going to have a great night tomorrow night.
(YANG GANG CROWD CHEERS)
CUOMO: Oh, look at this, look at it, with those edgy uppercuts. All right, thank you very much.
YANG: Thank you, Chris. I'll see you--
(YANG GANG CROWD CHEERS)
CUOMO: All right, Andrew Yang, the Yang Gang behind him. I'll tell you what. You got to give him points for crowd control also.
I thought he was in like a different room because they were so quiet. They were just being respectful. That is a depth of devotion that they have to Andrew Yang. We'll see how it serves him in this all-important first primary.
So, if Yang's goal is to survive, Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to thrive. She wants to prove that she should be the queen over all the "Bs", the Bernie, the Biden, the Buttigieg, the Bloomberg.
But first, a reason that New Hampshire matters to Democrats that I don't think you've heard enough about it, The Wizard of Odds is going to take us inside a very, very important reality, next.
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CUOMO: All right, this show is packed with people who matter tonight.
We just had Andrew Yang. He has to do well in New Hampshire or he thinks his campaign may not survive.
Senator Elizabeth Warren is getting seated right now. She's been at the top tier of the ticket. This state is a big deal for her for a lot of reasons. But one of them, I'm about to tell you right now, and that you should give this some consideration, and a lot of people aren't talking about it.
Did you know that no candidate has ever won their Party nomination without placing first or second in either New Hampshire or at the Iowa caucuses? So, what does that mean in New Hampshire and based on which candidate? Let's discuss with The Wiz.
Did I get the first part right?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER & ANALYST: Which - yes. You got - you got basically--
CUOMO: All right, good, good.
ENTEN: --everything in there correctly.
And you can see it right here, Christopher. Take a look at this. So, this is the nominees standing in the New Hampshire primary, among Democrats, no incumbent running, makes the list a little bit shorter.
Here, look at all this, look at all the Democrat nominees since '72 and where they finished in New Hampshire primary, a lot of firsts and a lot of seconds on here. The fact is, at least going through history, unless you finish first or second in New Hampshire primary, your bid goes "Adios amigos! Goodbye! See you later!"
CUOMO: And you will not say this is an aberration because there're more candidates this year?
ENTEN: No. I - no. I do not say it at all.
There have been plenty of years in which a lot of candidates have run. In '76, Carter, there were a ton of candidates that year, my goodness gracious, and he finished first in that primary, not on that strong a percentage, but he finished first in that primary. The fact is, historically speaking, you got to finish either first or second in New Hampshire, and that's why tomorrow's stakes are so important.
CUOMO: All right, give me more.
ENTEN: So, I'll give you more here. But let me give you a reason to take back just what I said, and give you a reason why maybe this year will be a little different. Take a look at the Democrats--
CUOMO: I said it might be reason you, you know, you went all bad on me.
ENTEN: Well the fact--
CUOMO: Now - now you admit the same point?
ENTEN: I have to disagree with you. We have--
CUOMO: All right, go ahead.
ENTEN: --we have to have a little contention here. Let's go.
CUOMO: Go ahead, go ahead.
[21:15:00]
ENTEN: All right, look, here's New Hampshire's demographics, White, African-American, and Hispanic, and compare that nationally with Democrats.
CUOMO: Right. Not representative?
ENTEN: Not representative at all. Nationally, White's just make up 57 percent of potential Democratic primaries nationwide. African- Americans make up 20 percent, just 1 percent New Hampshire.
And what have we seen so far this year? Big divides in the Democratic Party, by race, with African-Americans overwhelmingly supporting Joe Biden versus White voters have been much more mellow on him.
So, for me, New Hampshire is important. But if there's one year that's going to break the mold, perhaps it's this year.
CUOMO: All right, tell me more.
ENTEN: I'll tell you more. So, here's another thing.
Let's take a look at the trend line going on in New Hampshire right now. I think this is rather important. So, this is Harry's average from a week ago, Friday, and now. I think there are a few key things here. Number one, look how steady Bernie Sanders is at the top.
Hey?
CUOMO: I mean, who are you? ENTEN: Who am I?
CUOMO: Just give me--
ENTEN: I'm good enough to be on your program.
CUOMO: --just give me the numbers.
ENTEN: Here we go, 26, 26, 27, for Bernie Sanders. Here's another interesting trend line. Look at Joe Biden. A week ago, before Iowa, he was at 19 percent. But look at now, 13 and 13.
Here's who got into that base. Look at Pete Buttigieg, who is at just 12 percent before Iowa, then shot out to 22. But look how he sort of leveled off here in the last--
CUOMO: And let's be fair to Bernie and Buttigieg. Who knows how their numbers would have done if they had gotten the full benefit of the returns spot-on and one of them was declared the winner? You know, obviously, look Bernie is just strong. He's at the top of the ticket.
ENTEN: Sure, yes.
CUOMO: He's almost getting ignored because he's been so consistently strong.
ENTEN: Yes.
CUOMO: That's not fair. But who knows what Pete would have done if he had been the clear winner in Iowa, you know, that night?
ENTEN: He could have - he could have even gone higher than that.
CUOMO: Right. So, we'll never know. We'll never know.
ENTEN: Well we will never know. The fact is, tomorrow's a primary at least.
CUOMO: All right.
ENTEN: So, we don't have to worry about the votes being counted in a good way.
CUOMO: I feel bad. I'm taking this back. But it's not like you're like Sony or Nike or Zenith, you know, or something like that.
ENTEN: Or Chris Cuomo?
CUOMO: Zenith! Boy, is that dating--
ENTEN: Yes, right, that is the one shade (ph).
CUOMO: Harry Enten, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
ENTEN: Shalom. Be well.
CUOMO: Zenith!
All right, we talked about Warren all right? Now, we want to get to talk to the Senator. That's the key on this show. Why should she be the first choice and why is she the best choice for her Party tonight in New Hampshire and overall? Next.
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CUOMO: All right, first fact, candidates from Massachusetts, which is obviously where Senator Elizabeth Warren is from, they've done very well in New Hampshire when running for President.
However, there's a little bit of an asterisk this year. Why? Because there's another Senator from a neighboring state of Vermont, who won there in 2016, and is ahead in the polls tonight.
But Elizabeth Warren is still swinging for the fences, and just landed some shot on Team Trump. A voter asked her what she tells her Golden Retriever about a possible running mate. Listen to the answer.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you whisper into Bailey's ear, "Who is going to be my Mike Pence?"
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who - who is going to look at me with adoring eyes every time I stand up?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or are you--
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I already have a dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, right.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP) CUOMO: All right, let's bring the Senator in.
Welcome to your first appearance on PRIME TIME. That was some shot to the snot-locker you just gave Mike Pence there. Was that something that you had thought might come your way? Or what were you delivering to the crowd?
WARREN: No. I had not expected the question. But it seemed like the right answer at the time. Adoring eyes, that's why I have a dog. That's not what a Vice President should be all about.
CUOMO: What would you want in a running mate?
WARREN: I want a partner in the fight. You know, we got a lot that we need to do in this country.
We've got a government that's been working great for giant corporations, for billionaires, for lobbyists. We got to turn that around. And that means we've got a lot of problems that we've got to fix.
Those, at the top, need to pay a little more in taxes. That's why I've been pushing a two-cent wealth tax. And it means that we can do things like provide universal child care and cancel student loan debts for 43 million Americans. We can expand Social Security payments by $200 a month, just by asking the top 2 percent to pay a little more.
There's a lot of work to be done. We've got work on climate. We've got work on gun safety. I want a partner in the fight. That's what I'm looking for in a Vice President.
CUOMO: What's the counter-narrative from those, let's say, they're open minded, Independent, could go Left or Right, and they say, "Boy, these Democrats, boy, they just can't take my money fast enough. Tax and spend. Tax and spent. This President cut taxes." What's the counter?
WARREN: Oh, come on! Look at what's going on right now. Amazon, Eli Lilly, Halliburton, they all declared billions of dollars in profits last year. You know how much they paid in taxes? Zero.
Now, somebody's got to pay to keep this country going. And you know who it is? It's hardworking families. It's America's middle-class, America's working class, America's working poor are paying the actual taxes to get this going.
Look, I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I have three older brothers. They're all still back in Oklahoma. One's a Democrat, two are Republicans.
And when they hear about what Amazon and Halliburton, Eli Lilly, all these other giant corporations have been up to, they get it. They're getting the short end of the stick, and they don't like it. So, I say it's time to make those guys pay something to keep this country going.
[21:25:00] And it's also time to ask the wealthiest, richest families in America, the top one-tenth of 1 percent, pitch in two cents, so that we can provide for the next generation of kids, so they don't all have to get crushed by student loan debt to be able to go to school, so that when - when a baby comes, a momma can still finish her education or a momma and a daddy can both go to work if they want to.
These are investments that we should be making in the next generation. And here's the deal. Even if you don't have kids, even if you don't like kids, they're the right investments--
CUOMO: Right.
WARREN: --to make to build our economy. Not trickle down from rich people, we've had 40 years of that, and it has nearly destroyed America's middle-class, working class families.
CUOMO: I get the argument.
WARREN: We need to build this economy from the grassroots up.
CUOMO: I get the argument. Now, Bernie Sanders and--
WARREN: Good.
CUOMO: --you have been dealing with being in somewhat of the same lane. New Hampshire is a unique lens on this. Yes, he won the last time. Yes, he's also a Senator from a neighboring state.
But when you look at the numbers in New Hampshire, what mattered in the last race with Hillary Clinton, trust was a big issue.
What do you say to the voters of New Hampshire that, forget about gender, "I'm not Hillary Clinton. I can be trusted to the extent that she wasn't in that state," and it comes up in the metric.
What do you say to the voters there about why you can be trusted to deliver as well or better than Bernie Sanders?
WARREN: Look, I've been fighting for working families all my life. I grew up on the ragged edge of the middle-class. My daddy ended up as a janitor. My mom worked a minimum-wage job at Sears.
I wanted to be a public schoolteacher, and that was out of reach for us, because there was no way to pay for college. Ultimately, I got my big break in life because of a commuter college that cost $50 a semester.
I believe, and working hard, and I believe in a government that helps expand opportunities for our kids, and that opportunity is just not out there for our kids today.
So, I spent most of my life as a teacher, first as a special education teacher, and then as a teacher in law school. I didn't start dreaming about being a politician. That wasn't - that wasn't in my plan. But, at the end of the day, back after the financial crash, the fight came to my door. And instead of backing off, I stepped up. I fought for a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that has now returned more than $12 billion directly to families that banks cheated. I've stood up to the big banks.
CUOMO: Right.
WARREN: The - got the CEO of Wells Fargo. I lit him up bad enough that the guy got fired. I got in a Senate race against an incumbent Republican who was just going down to Washington and voting against the interests of hardworking people.
CUOMO: I'm not laughing at your answer, by the way.
WARREN: I started out 19 points down in that race.
CUOMO: Senator, just so you know.
WARREN: I know you're not.
CUOMO: It was just interesting - it was just interesting to hear you say that you lit somebody up. I actually met you and learned about your work during the financial crisis when I was at ABC News.
WARREN: Yes.
CUOMO: I reached out to you for perspective on what was going on with the government program. All right, so now there's a voter--
WARREN: Yes.
CUOMO: --in New Hampshire, and they said, "Boy, you know what? I like this Warren. She's smart. She's got a plan for everything."
WARREN: Good.
CUOMO: "And but I got to decide between her and Sanders. Sanders has never changed. That man is authentic as he is anything else.
And Warren has changed a little bit. The Medicare Plan changed, the timing, the mechanism, how to play for it. Bernie's more consistent. I got to go for Bernie." How do you convince him?
WARREN: Look, look, all I can say, I'm not going to criticize anybody else, but all I can say is I'm going to deliver results. I got a Consumer Bureau passed into law at a time when everybody said it just can't be done, but I got it done.
I've gotten about a dozen bills passed since Donald Trump has been elected, including one that's going to help the 40 million people, across this country who have hearing loss, but can't afford to get hearing aids.
So, I've got - I had a plan for an over-the-counter bill, got it all the way through. And next year, people are going to be able to buy hearing aids across the - the country. On healthcare--
CUOMO: And somewhere Senator Sanders is yelling at you--
WARREN: --you know how I see this?
CUOMO: --Senator, he's yelling, "I wrote the damn bill. I can get the results too." What's the difference?
WARREN: So, I've done it. I've actually done it with an agency. I've done it with bills in Congress. And look, my view on this is we got to do on healthcare the most help for the most people as quickly as possible.
Last year, 36 million Americans couldn't afford to get a prescription filled. Do you know what that means?
They were scared enough or sick enough to go to the doctor. The doctor looked at it, said this is serious enough to write a prescription. They walked out with that prescription, and they said, "It's either that or groceries."
CUOMO: Right.
WARREN: That will pay the rent on time, and they threw the prescription away.
[21:30:00]
So, here's how I see this. I'm going to start by protecting the Affordable Care Act on first day from the sabotage of the Trump Administration. But you know what else I'm going to do?
I'm going to use the power that a President has all by herself, and I'm going to lower the cost of insulin, of EpiPens, of HIV/AIDS drugs, commonly used prescription drugs. President has the power to do that.
CUOMO: You don't think Bernie can do the same thing on Day One?
WARREN: I'm going to use - look, I'm going to use all the tools. I have worked in an Administration. I spent a year setting up an agency. I'm going to use the tools of our agencies.
I'm going to use the tool that a President has by herself. And I'm going to take the fight straight to Congress. We've got to attack the influence of money, the corruption that goes on every day.
CUOMO: Why you and not Senator Sanders or Buttigieg?
WARREN: I'm going to fight that fight. And I'll tell you something--
CUOMO: Why - why you and not them?
WARREN: So, look--
CUOMO: I know you don't want - I don't know - I know you don't want to trash anybody. WARREN: Because--
CUOMO: It's very admirable, except Mike Pence. But the idea is it's either you - they're going into the voting booth. They're going to put for you or they're going to put for Sanders.
WARREN: Look--
CUOMO: Why you and not Sanders?
WARREN: I've got - I've got the best chance to beat Donald Trump. And I've got the best chance to beat Donald Trump because I can bring our Party together.
I've got the best chance to beat Donald Trump because I run on core Democratic ideas and values that every Democrat can get behind, everyone in our Party can and should get behind, and that also pull in Republicans and Independents.
That is how I'm going to beat Donald Trump, and that should be our number-one job, come November.
CUOMO: If it's not you, how concerned are you that the Party does not entirely get behind who the nominee is?
WARREN: Look, we cannot have a repeat of 2016. We just can't do that, going into this election. We can't have Democrats firing at Democrats and Democrats mad at other Democrats.
We have got to pull together as a Party because we've got to beat Donald Trump and we got to pull together as a Party because, understand, a country that elects a man like Donald Trump is a country that has serious problems, and we've got to address those problems.
We can't just nibble around the edges of them. We got to take them head-on. And the only way we're going to do that is to have a President who understands what those problems are, has laid out plans to get it done, and then is willing to get out there and fight for it. That's what I do.
CUOMO: Senator Warren, I wish you good luck, as we do all candidates who act in good faith. Good luck going forward.
WARREN: Thank you.
CUOMO: All right, so you heard from Yang. He's desperate to stay in the race. You heard from Warren. She needs to be seen as the top tier after New Hampshire.
So now, we have the Governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu. I have to tell you, I've been around him, watched him work for his state, does not act the way we see Donald Trump act on a regular basis.
But he is here to argue why the President should win his state in the general election. I argue, not an easy case to make. So, let's see how he does it. Let's get after it right after this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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CUOMO: President Trump on the campaign trail, making the case now to New Hampshire voters on why they should keep him in the White House. You'll remember, he was bested by Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire in 2016.
The Governor of the Granite State predicts Trump will win this time in November. That is Governor Chris Sununu.
Guv, good to have you. I want the audience to know if they didn't see the documentary--
GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): Thank you.
CUOMO: --I know the Governor. I watched him work. I advocated for the work he was doing to help with the opioid crisis, which is horrible in New Hampshire--
SUNUNU: Thank you.
CUOMO: --for a whole host of reasons that have nothing to do with the Governor necessarily. But we know each other. We worked on that.
So, now let me test you on something else. So, the President said something tonight that I believe you would never say. Let me play it for the audience.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Remember last time? We won the primary tremendously. We should've won the election but they had buses being shipped up from Massachusetts, hundreds and hundreds of buses.
(AUDIENCE BOOS)
TRUMP: And it was very, very close, even though they did. But this year, you know, we have a great Governor, Governor Sununu, Great Governor, Chris.
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CUOMO: All right, Guv, I know you're not going to disagree with the last part because he's saying you're a great Governor.
But the - you've talked a little bit about this, but not like the President. The Boston Globe, Politico, this has been debunked. It's put under the same category of the 2 million people who he says voted illegally in California.
Are you worried about staking your reputation on a President that does not tell the truth like we just saw?
SUNUNU: No, no, look, at the end of the day, what you're seeing here in New Hampshire is a lot of economic prosperity, which he deserves a lot of credit for, a lot of economic freedom, a lot of individual liberty.
A lot of his successes are translating to a lot of success for our citizens, at a very localized level, not because of "Big government, we're going to solve all your problems, and tax you, and ask you for more money, don't worry, we'll take care of it."
It's a very different mentality. And that Live Free or Die spirit really translates well with a candidate and a President like Donald Trump that has brought a lot of success here.
And, at the end of the day, people are going to vote in the interests of themselves and their - their neighbors and their community, and that's economic prosperity. It makes a better quality of life, better individual living.
It's why we have some of the - we have the lowest poverty rate in the country, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, some of the highest wages, these are things that really drive people when they go to cast that ballot.
CUOMO: No question, people vote on their wallet, and they should.
SUNUNU: Yes.
CUOMO: They got to take care of their households, and that's a specific concern--
SUNUNU: Yes.
CUOMO: --especially with what you're dealing with in the state, can't argue against that. But, as we both know, what's going on in the economy has been going on for a long time. This is a decade-plus expansion. My argument is this.
You could get a tax cut and you could get regulatory changes from any Republican. It would be anathema for them not to do it actually.
[21:40:00] But when it comes to what else you get with this President, that is not Chris Sununu, in fact, No Sununu, that I've ever met, saying that he's going to put people in cages because he likes the message of harshness, going after trade imbalances by putting tariffs on that you know hurt consumers here.
These are not conservative values. He does not talk to people, or about people, in a way that you ever have in your campaign. You're endorsing the way he speaks, not just the policies. Are you OK with that?
SUNUNU: Well, look, we have very different styles. I don't think anybody has the same style as the President.
CUOMO: It's not a style, Governor.
SUNUNU: And he - he talks with a certain language--
CUOMO: It's not a style. It's not a style.
SUNUNU: Yes!
CUOMO: When you put kids in cages, it's not a style. When you endorse the policy because you like the harshness--
SUNUNU: In terms of how he talks, look, he talk - he - yes. Look, he talks in a lot of hyperbole.
CUOMO: I mean he says things that you would never say, Guv.
SUNUNU: He talks there saying he got--
CUOMO: You'd never say because you'd never be able to--
SUNUNU: No, they aren't. And - and--
CUOMO: --walk back in your own parents' house.
SUNUNU: --of course--
CUOMO: But he says it.
SUNUNU: Look--
CUOMO: And you're owning it by endorsing him. That's my - my argument.
SUNUNU: No. That's - no, that's absolutely not true.
Donald Trump does not define Chris Sununu. He doesn't even define the Republican Party, right? One person, one point in time, one event, does not define the Party and where we need to go as a country.
This - this election, and what you're looking at Republicans and Democrats were - whatever candidates you want to put up there, the President against whatever candidate, are you going to believe in it - that it's a big government, big system, that is going to solve all your problems?
Government is not here to solve your problems. And that is why Donald Trump connects with folks.
Government is here to create doors of opportunity and you - for your kids and your business, you're - as individuals, whatever it might be. And then, it's up to you to walk through that door.
That's the opportunity government has to create prosperity and - and chances, whether it's mental health, opioids, whatever it might be. It's not a one-size-fits-all government system. And, at the end of the day, it's about results.
Do I like the way the President talks all the time? Absolutely not. I don't like how he says certain things. I don't like the hyperbole and some of the vulgar language he uses, of course not.
But this is really fundamentally about where we're going to go. Are we going to back a socialist or we're going to back the American democracy, and people having their own say, and having the chance to guide their own path forward?
CUOMO: I get the--
SUNUNU: And that's what we're here for.
CUOMO: I get the fear.
SUNUNU: Those doors of opportunity.
CUOMO: I get the fear of socialism. I get why that's working. I get that that's going to be battle (ph) definitions.
But I have to argue to you Governor that it's deeper than you're suggesting right now. When he called New Hampshire a drug-infested den, look, you've got a big problem with opioids--
SUNUNU: Terrible!
CUOMO: --that is--
SUNUNU: Yes.
CUOMO: --disproportionate. It's one of the highest in the country, depending on the metric, the highest.
It's not because New Hampshire sucks. It's not because they're bad people there. It's not the way it should be defined. And that's the pass that you're giving him. I know you went after him about that when he said it, Governor. I read it.
SUNUNU: We did, yes.
CUOMO: There's no question. But I'm saying he does that all the time to whomever he opposes. And you say you don't want a socialist, but you're OK with an autocrat
that says "Don't believe the Free Press. The FBI is out to get you. You can't trust any of the institutions of government, unless they agree with me."
These are things you would never say that you would never allow in an opponent--
SUNUNU: No, of course, not.
CUOMO: --and you'd never endorse. And yet, you're endorsing the President. I don't get how you accept that part of it.
SUNUNU: Government has to be about results. It has to have accountability, right?
It's enough the days of we're just going to talk, say this, and say this, but really not do anything, we're going to say we're going to, you know, find regulatory form, but not do it, we have got Presidents that have said they're going to fight for better deals overseas, and never done it.
This President gets results.
CUOMO: He's gotten--
SUNUNU: And, at the end of the day, that's all I care about.
CUOMO: He got the USC - MCA.
SUNUNU: I care about the 603 (ph) and--
CUOMO: He got the USMCA.
SUNUNU: And which is wonderful.
CUOMO: It - look--
SUNUNU: Yes.
CUOMO: --I'm not arguing the policy. That's for politicians to do. He got it done.
SUNUNU: That's a big win.
CUOMO: But what he's been with trade--
SUNUNU: A big win.
CUOMO: --Republicans hate for a reason because of the tariff kickback.
And you can't look at what's happening with the farmers, you can't look at what's happening in your own state, and say, "Oh, we were wrong about tariffs. Turns out it's OK. We're doing all right." You're not doing all right because of that policy.
SUNUNU: As the deals--
CUOMO: But that's just policy.
SUNUNU: But - but you know as well as anybody, as the deals become finalized, the tariffs go down. You use tariffs as the leverage.
I don't like it. The businesses don't like it. But he's using them as leverage to get better deals, whether it's in China, whether it's a new multilateral deal in Europe, what - or Asia, whatever it might be.
And the USMCA is a good example of that. The deal got ratified. The tariffs are moving the way we want them to move. And the trade is happening better now than ever before. Could - Obama could have done it. He chose not to.
CUOMO: That - look, that's - that's fair criticism on policy.
SUNUNU: Obama could have gone overseas. He chose not to.
CUOMO: But I'm just saying--
SUNUNU: Yes.
CUOMO: --a President isn't just their policies.
And if you're going to talk about results, again, look at yourself, Governor. You worked across the aisle to get Granite Hammer done. What's that? Granite Hammer is this huge comprehensive thing--
SUNUNU: Yes.
CUOMO: --they had to figure out in New Hampshire because this drug is killing their communities--
SUNUNU: Toxic. Thank you.
CUOMO: --uniquely so for a whole bunch of reasons. I did a documentary on it. You can go watch.
But you reached across the aisle. You treated your oppositions with decency. You talked about addicts with decency.
You wouldn't call a traumatic brain injury a headache. You wouldn't call addiction a weakness or a character flaw. That's what this President does. It's not just his policies.
And I just think it's an interesting situation to have someone who stakes their political reputation on how they do the job, like you do Governor, and the family you come from, which I respect, because I know what was put into you.
[21:45:00]
This President checks none of the boxes. He could never be a Sununu. How do you endorse how he is, not just what he does?
SUNUNU: No, he - no, he's definitely not a Sununu. Look, it's, again, you've got to call the balls and strikes like you see them.
And - and just to translate a little bit into what we're seeing with the - with the first of the nation, that's why Bernie Sanders, as socialist as he might be, is going to do well in New Hampshire, because what you see is what you get every time, a little bit what you were discussing with Elizabeth Warren earlier.
You know, we might not love the policy. But the - a lot of the Democrats say "He doesn't change. What you see is what you get."
It's why Donald Trump does well here because what you see is what you get. You might not like the way he talks, and how he does it, and some of the - the volatile, you know, that - that vitriol that comes out sometimes. But, at the end of the day, where - we have to all be about results.
And you got to call him on that. When he said "New Hampshire is a drug-infested den," I called him within a half-hour. I said "You can't say that. That's completely inappropriate. And we're going to hit back, and we're going to hit back hard, because we're making huge progress in that area."
He's making investments in mental health, early childhood education and, most importantly, the economy, business. I find it comical when you see these Democrat candidates say that they're going to drive a better economy.
Trump has exceeded all expectations. Obama was very clear. He said "It can't be done. You can't see GDP of 3 and 4 percent." Yet, these Democrats think--
CUOMO: Yes, but he doesn't - he doesn't have GDP of 3 and 4 percent.
SUNUNU: --with social progressive ideas, they're going to drive a better - better opportunity.
CUOMO: He had it for a couple of quarters. His average is almost identical to what the last three years of Obama's was. But that was - that's a conversation for the end of the day.
Governor, I just wanted to get you on record about with the big primary in your state where you want it to be.
SUNUNU: Sure.
CUOMO: You know you're welcome back here to argue the case for this President on the economy or anything else, whenever you want. I wish you well.
SUNUNU: Thank you, Sir. Thank you, guys.
CUOMO: All right, Governor Chris Sununu, thank you.
All right, no matter who wins on the Democratic side in New Hampshire, we're going to learn something after this primary that I argue to you matters as much as whatever the standings are. This is what you should be watching, more than anything else. I'll tell you next.
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CUOMO: It's looking good for Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. This is almost all good news.
Why almost? You put in a W up, gets the media talking, shows his solid place at the top of the pack, for now at least, keeps the donors coming, so why almost? What's that, some media hedge? No, it isn't, and here's why.
Sanders is expected to win. But the expectation is that it will be with a relatively low percentage of the vote.
What does low mean? Under 30 percent. Why does that matter? Only one Democrat in recent history has won New Hampshire with that small a number. You have to go all the way back to Jimmy Carter.
And there's actually a second almost here. As with Iowa, the bet on Bernie is that he can bring in a lot of first-time voters, voters who sat out the last time and, of course, a lot of young voters.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So our job together is to create the highest turnout in the history of the Iowa Caucus.
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CUOMO: Look, he says it all the time. And I see online, Bernie supporters. I just didn't see you in line in Iowa. Young voters didn't come out in big numbers there, and it does not look, according to projections, that it's going to happen in New Hampshire.
And why does this matter? Look, Democrats, the general theory is that "Look at 2018, look at the midterms, look at the turnout. They're coming this time. More people are coming out," that's what the Democrats are saying. The Iowa numbers were about where they were in 2016, and nowhere near where they were in 2008, obviously when Obama was making his push.
So, the pushback argument here is what? "It's such a big field. You know, is this fair? Is this apples-to-apples when you have all these Democrats this time, not just Bernie, and Hillary."
Well Republicans had a huge field in 2016. Trump broke 30 percent anyway. How? By engaging a specific group of fiercely loyal supporters, and playing to division and anger.
Now, can Sanders match that? Well he's not an anger guy. He's not a demagogue. But he does have an intense base. The people who voted for him in Iowa are mostly the same person - people who backed him before, speaks a lot to loyalty, and enthusiasm, and being inspired.
But he only won 7 percent of voters in Iowa. Now, why is this 7 percent? This 7 percent, if you picked Hillary, the last time, only 7 percent of those voters picked Bernie Sanders this time.
So, what does that mean? That means there's a question about whether or not Bernie Sanders can expand his base.
By the way, it's the same problem for the President that you can only get so many people in the tent by pushing division, and saying that you're against what they're against.
So, here's the question for Democrats now. In a year when the overriding number-one objective of the Democrats is to get rid of the President, right, is the answer a battle of base versus base, or is it a different calculus?
Should they be looking for a candidate who can make a case across some of the lines? That's the question. It still takes you to electability. That's what every Democrat is trying to sell you on.
Now, let's take a look in the next segment, I got a BOLO for you. Be On the Look-Out for something about electability that way - we may be about to learn.
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CUOMO: All right, here's the BOLO. Be On the Look-Out.
Bloomberg may not just be all about the money. Why? Latest poll, he's in third place at 15 percent, right behind Biden and Sanders. That's from the Quinnipiac poll.
Biden, for his part, insists the concept - this contest is going to shift, and it's going to shift in his favor when he gets the more demographically diverse states, Nevada, South Carolina, those are the next two up.
That said look at Bloomberg's support among Black voters. It jumped from 8 percent last month to 22 percent this month. Biden's support dropped by nearly half.
This poll has a new take on electability as well. That used to be Biden's main stay. In this one poll, Bloomberg and Sanders have just as good a chance, or better, as Biden. Keep watching the numbers. This party is undecided.
CNN TONIGHT with D. Lemon is coming up from New Hampshire right now. Don couldn't get enough of the weather up there, I assume, or did something else take you to New Hampshire?
DON LEMON, CNN HOST, CNN TONIGHT WITH DON LEMON: Well, what you were just talking about. We're going to talk to Joe Biden.
CUOMO: Yes.
LEMON: I have an interview with him and talk about that whole electability thing, right?
That was - that was his thing among his supporters and among the Democratic Party. He is the one that is - has the most electability. Well there's a new poll out and we'll see if that still holds. Plus, we're getting down to the wire.
