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Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson Is The Leading Candidate Right Now For Secretary Of State; Two Large Explosions Near The Center Of Istanbul; Exclusive Interview With The Ceos Of Starbucks; Elliot County, Kentucky Set A National Record By Voting Democrat For 144 Straight Years And Then Came Donald Trump; Aired 7:00-8:00p ET
Aired December 10, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:12] POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Top of the hour. 7:00 p.m. eastern. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.
Tonight, new details on president-elect Donald Trump's leading candidate for secretary of state. Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, the two men met today and sources tell our John King, the oil company executive told Trump he would be honored to be the nation's stop diplomat.
Also, the resource is telling John King that Tillerson left the meeting today believing that he will be offer the job. We are told no official announcement on who Trump has chosen. Will happen until the middle of next week. But the president-elect praised Tillerson during this new interview with FOX News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you about Rex Tillerson, OK. Head of Exxon Mobile, why would a business executive make sense as the chief diplomat?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, in this case he is much more than a business executive. I mean, he is a world class player. He is in charge of, I guess, the largest company in the world. He is in-charge of an oil company that is pretty much double the side of his next nearest competitor. It had been a company that's been unbelievably managed. And to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players. And he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive gas for the company and (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: This, as at least, one prominent Republican senator is worried about Tillerson's relationship with Russia and Russia's president Vladimir Putin.
Ryan Nobles has more for us tonight - Ryan.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, some of those key characteristics about Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson that Donald Trump views at positives are things that have leading Republican John McCain concerned. I caught up in McCain as he was heading into today's army/navy game. And he said that he wants answers about Tillerson's connection to the Russian government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I have obviously concerns of reports of his relationship with Vladimir Putin, who is a thug and a murder. But that's the -- we will have hearings on that issue and other issues concerning him will be examined. And then it's the time to make up your mind as to whether to vote yes or no.
NOBLES: So what kind of questions would you ask Rex Tillerson that would make you feel comfortable about a role like that.
MCCAIN: His view of Vladimir Putin and his role in the world. And for example, the fact that (INAUDIBLE), as the leader of the opposition was murdered on the orders, I believe, if Vladimir Putin, in the shadow of the Kremlin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBLES: And Tillerson's ties to the Russian government are well- known. He is close friends with Russian president Vladimir Putin. And he helped to negotiate a deal with Exxon Mobil and a largest company in Russia, a company in which the Russian government is its largest investor.
And while Republicans do control the United States Senate, their margin is only four votes. If there are other moderate Republicans lead John McCain who have concerned about Tillerson's appointment, it could make for a rocky confirmation -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Ryan, we will be watching. We will see in the news when secretary of state comes. Thank you very much for that tonight.
All of this is happening as Trump's transitions team slammed the CIA over reports that that agency believes Russian hackers meddled in the election specifically to try to help Donald Trump win. To be clear, intelligence officials are now saying there is any evidence that Russia dis help Trump win but rather evidence they actively try to do that. Trump's transition team released a statement last night that reads in full.
These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It is now time to move on and to make America great again.
The CIA, for its part, not commenting. The Kremlin is though.
CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is in Moscow and joins me now live.
Matthew, how are the Kremlin, the Russian people, the Russian media all responding to this? MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean,
this is not necessarily a new attention. But remember, Poppy from the Russian point of view. I mean, for months now, this allegations has been circulating that the Russians have been actively intervening in the U.S. presidential election race on behalf one candidate, Donald Trump, and against the other candidate, Hillary Clinton.
And so, when they are confronted with these new reports, these apparently CIA apparently revelations as well. And they just come out with the same old denial, saying that look. We did no hacking. This is just basically slander aimed in discrediting the Russian state. And so, it has been categorical denial on the part of the Kremlin when it comes to - these allegations and the early delegations as when it comes to these and the earlier allegations as well.
HARLOW: And Matthew, when you look at Rex Tillerson, we have seen the photo by now of the two of them together. We know that Rex Tillerson, obviously, is a big deal for Exxon Mobil with Russia back in 2011. He received an award from Russia just a few years ago. I mean, what more can you tell us about the relationship between these two men?
[19:05:20] CHANCE: Well, I mean, I'm not sure about the closeness of that personal friendship, but obviously, their relationship goes back I think to at least 1999 when Putin emerged here in Russia on the political stage. Of course, Rex Tillerson has been around for the past decade of Exxon Mobil, and he has done some astonishingly large deals with the Russian state. I mean, that the deal that he did in 2011 to explore oil reserved in the artic is estimated to be worth half of a trillion dollars or $500 million.
And so, you know, these are enormously large deals. A reflection of that that was Putin in 2012 awarded him the order of friendship, which is one of Russia's highest civilian honors. It is a medal. And it shows that, you know, they are very close indeed. Tillerson has also spoken out crucially against sanctions in Russia and that may be, you know, essential in understanding his tenure of secretary of state if he gets that position.
HARLOW: That's a really good point, commenting not that long ago. Really, just back in 2014.
Matthew Chance live for us in Moscow. I appreciate the reporting tonight. Thank you so much.
Let's go now to Buck Sexton. Buck is a former CIA counter terrorism analyst. He is also conservative and he host the "Buck Sexton radio show" on the Blaze. Thank you for being with me.
BUCK SEXTON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thanks, Poppy.
HARLOW: I mean, let's dive into this. This is exactly in your lane regarding the CIA. As someone who formally worked with the agency, you know it well. You know the mission is intelligence. The mission is not a political mission. Does Trump's attack on the voracity of the intelligence finding bother you even as someone who is a conservative who voted for him? SEXTON: No, I think it shows that he is irritated with what are
clearly leaks. They haven't actually come out and said. The agency has no official comment on this whatsoever.
HARLOW: And he didn't say that. In the statement he actually went against - He attacked them on their biggest, you know, intelligence failure with WMD.
SEXTON: I understand that. I'm saying he is reacting irritation to what are clearly leaks from one of the agency meant to undermine and before he even takes office. So I don't think it is fair for him to impugn the entire agency, but I also think that it is not right for people who are coming out and speaking with reporters and saying that, by the way, this is not a universal assessment. People had this understanding, which is wrong often times, who haven't work in the agency, that there will be one point of view that's held by the entirety -- that's not true at all. There are a lot of people that have different points of views (INAUDIBLE). And that is often reflected in the analytic product that goes all the way up to the White House, the oval office.
And so for a few people to speak to reporters and say, well, we are pretty sure that Russian intervene on behalf of Trump and they are not named. And the CIA is not commenting, it is irritating to the Trump -- that soon-to-be Trump administration. I can understand that. I wish he wouldn't react in a way that he did but he is Donald Trump.
HARLOW: Yes. They say if you read the fold, which you did "the Washington Post," they say a little bit more than we think. They said the evidence we have selected shows --.
SEXTON: But who is we?
HARLOW: Who are the sources? Right. Exactly, they are unnamed sources.
SEXTON: Right. Because that is the problem.
HARLOW: Come one. I mean, we all do our jobs in journalism. We don't use fake sources.
SEXTON: No. But the people that they are speaking to inside of the intelligence community may not be representative of the entirety of what the information --.
HARLOW: And they know that in the report. But I want to get --.
SEXTON: They do know that in the report. And that is why, it is, again, annoying to the Trump people and to the Trump campaign or rather the Trump transition, I should say, in getting in to these things.
HARLOW: So add someone that was in the agency then, and you're hearing this from your soon to be bosses, you know, boss' boss, how do you react? SEXTON: I mean, I think it's not great for morale. I'm sure there
are some people who are going to see this and think, well, that is not the purpose. Well, there are a lot of people who will see that Trump tweeting this and realized that within a week, I mean, he won't even remember that he did this. This is just a part of what we are getting with the new president of the United States.
HARLOW: Does it bother you?
SEXTON: He says things. I think it's not the way I would do things, but he also just won an election against incredible odds and a woman who had twice as much money raised and the entirety of the media with a few acceptance behind her. So I do think that he should be given some deference before he is actually taken day one in office. And it is not -- I do not think it is professional for someone in the Intel community to be speaking to reporters. Specifically, it undemands the president-elect of the United States on this issue. His response to it is much less annoying to me than that leak in the first place.
HARLOW: Levels of annoying.
SEXTON: Levels of annoying.
HARLOW: Alright, before I let you go, at the end of the statement, the Trump team says it's now time to move on. Is it time to move on or is it time to dig in as the next president and figure out who in Russia is doing what and to what effect?
SEXTON: Well, certainly, the idea -- the reality of Russia interfering in our election is something that should be a bipartisan point. And I think that it is. But there is a difference between this is something that Russia should not be doing, and there should be some sort of a diplomatic approach to them on this --.
HARLOW: He doesn't say that in a statement.
SEXTON: I know. I can't speak for Donald Trump. But I'm just saying this is what I think should happen now in response to what Russia did. But there is also this entire narrative that something happened in this election that all these different things came together whether it was the FBI director or fake news or Russian interference. And that's why Hillary Clinton lost.
And people need to move beyond that. It is getting to the point now we are childish. Should Russia be allowed to hack it? No. But also, what are we do doing to do? We are going to sanction Russian because there are few people on Russian soil who hacked us and say that they - and Russian government has no idea? It's very complicated.
[19:10:28] HARLOW: You're saying the Kremlin has no idea about the hacking going on?
SEXTON: I don't know what the Kremlin knows about the hacking.
HARLOW: OK. I don't know. It is time for more on this. SEXTON: I mean, who? Does it Putin? Does somebody who is a few
levels below Putin? And also, by the way, how much are we willing to do in response to all of this.
HARLOW: So that is exactly what we need to find out, right? And so --.
SEXTON: That is a legitimate discussion. But this turned the election or let's pretend the turn of the election I think is much more problematic.
HARLOW: I have to leave it there. Buck, thank you.
SEXTON: Thank you, Poppy.
HARLOW: Nice to have you on.
Coming up, Donald Trump is not in the White House yet, but as we just debated, he is locking horns with the CIA. What lies ahead for the president-elect's relationship within the agency? We are going to keep diving in on that straight ahead.
You are live here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:14:14] HARLOW: President-elect Donald Trump going after U.S. intelligence agencies after the CIA concluded that Russia did try to interfere in the U.S. election specifically with the mission of trying to help Donald Trump win. I want to be clear, those intelligence agencies are not saying any Russian efforts actually swayed the outcome of the election.
Joining me now to debate, Ben Ferguson, host of the "Ben Ferguson radio show" on the right. On the left, Marc Lamont Hill, professor at Morehouse College.
Guys, thank you for being here. Nice to see you, both.
And Ben, let me begin with you. And let's start with Donald Trump and the RNC both casting doubt on this intelligence, on Russian hacking. By doing so, they are either questioning the voracity of U.S. intelligence officials or the motives of those U.S. intelligence officials. Does that concern you?
[19:15:03] BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that there is obviously some people that are in the intelligence community that are not thrilled about Donald Trump winning because you don't have all Republicans in the CIA. You don't have all Democrats in the CIA. And there are people to have opinions. And obviously --.
HARLOW: But that's not what I asked you. I asked you, does it concern you that the president-elect is questioning either the voracity of the intelligence itself or the intent of those delivering it. FERGUSON: It doesn't concern me because here is why. I think Donald
Trump is a really smart guy that understands that, yes, Russia and other countries are going to try to meddle in a lot of different things in this country. But let's not overplay this. Let's not overplay the influence of this. And more importantly than that, it is bad - it is just bad decorum for someone to go out there, and to throw this information out there to somehow either, a, try to undermine the legitimacy of an election that was overwhelming victory for Donald Trump and try to act as if somehow maybe he was elected because Russia wanted him to be.
The second thing is this. That Russia is having influence or trying to influence things in this country. They have been doing that since long before the cold war. This is not new. But to try to tie it directly to Donald Trump, I think is a little ridiculous. Out of line by those CIA that are doing this. And Donald Trump is right when he and the campaign says let's move on. I won this election. And I'm tired of dealing with this.
HARLOW: Marc, the statement that Ben just brings up, at the end of the Trump's statement, he says, you know, it's time to move on. Regardless of your political persuasion in all of this, is it time to move on or it is time to double down. For the next president so say it is unacceptable for a foreign act or an aggressive foreign act to try to tip the skills at all in any U.S. election and impact out democracy.
MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: If we are saying that Russian influence has shaped the American electoral outcome based on espionage, based on hacking, based on other acts of impropriety, that is something that we can't move on from. That is something that we need to investigation, not in a partisan fashion. Both chambers of Congress need to act on this. Both parties in Congress need to act on this.
Everyone involved needs to think about what it means for outside actors to inform our election. That's just the fact. That doesn't mean, however, that we can't also at the same time acknowledge Donald Trump is president and deal with the fall out of Donald Trump being president. It is a reality that he is president. We need to rest with that. But I think Donald Trump is out of line to suggest somehow that the CIA is - has some political statement. It is not to say that people don't have political opinions in the CIA, but there is no reason to believe that these reports are untrue. There is no reason to deny the intelligence.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: Ben, does this make - Ben, let me get your take on this because I wonder, does this make incoming CIA Mike Pompeo's job a whole lot harder? Because he will be representing the people that work for him within the CIA who Donald Trump is just criticizing. At the same time, you know, he will be, you know, if all goes the way Trump wants it to, you know, the one appointed by Donald Trump. Will he speak more from what Donald Trump wants to here or from what the intelligence shows. FERGUSON: No. I thinks what he is going to do is he is going to make
sure that Donald Trump is informed on what the intelligence shows on the array of issues. But he is also going to set the (INAUDIBLE) to make it very clear that we are going to tolerate political leaks like this where people out there trying to score some sort of political points or undertones instead of doing their actual job which is dealing with intelligence.
If there is intelligence, and this what Marc and I completely agree, it shows that Russia is trying to meddle or influence our election, that is a nonpartisan issue that we should stand for and stop at any way we can. But it should not be put out there by people that trying to score political points and undermine the president. And leaks do not have a place in the intelligence community. I think Marc can agree with me. Buck Sexton said the same thing earlier.
HILL: They don't have a place because that's what happens. And we have to wrestle this. We can't assume that it's a political issue here. Russians influencing this election --
FERGUSON: What good does it do to have this come out now while Donald Trump hasn't been sworn yet? But to undermine him as the incoming president of the United States of America. It is not going to change policy. They should be talking about this in the White House on the day he comes back into office.
HARLOW: I have got to get a break in. You are both back with me. Hold your thought. Think about it. Formulate your next thought. You are back in just a moment. Thank you both.
Up next, live in the CNN NEWSROOM, twin explosions rocking Turkey's largest city. Fifteen people killed. Nearly 70 wounded. We head live to Istanbul, next.
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[19:23:10] HARLOW: Breaking news overseas on this Saturday night. At least two explosions detonating in central Istanbul resulting in heavy casualties.
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HARLOW: This is one of the busiest parts of downtown, Istanbul. One large explosion followed by a smaller one less than a mile away. Turkish officials confirming moments ago that 15 people are dead, many others injured. They believe it was a suicide car bomb attack.
Let's go live to Istanbul tonight. Our correspondent there is Muhammad Lila.
Muhammad, Istanbul, as you well know, been a terrorist target before especially this year. Increasingly so, the airport attack in June, 45 people killed, now this. Tell us more tell us more about these casualty figure. And also if anyone has claimed responsibility.
MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, Poppy, the latest casualty figure as you mentioned, 15 people killed, 69 wounded. Now, we are expecting that casualty toll to go up. We understand that a number of victims were rushed to nearby hospital in critical condition. Several family members have now rushed to the hospitals as well. So no one will be surprised if those casualty numbers go up.
One of the reasons they are so high is because this car bomb, of the two explosions one was a car bomb. And it was positioned just outside a soccer stadium as the game had just finished. So it was very busy. A lot of people, a lot of riot police were on hand, which is not unusual after a soccer game. And the interior of ministry says that the police were the target. So it was a very busy area. And don't be surprise if more of those people who are injured will wind up dying.
HARLOW: And so, no one claiming responsibility yet. To that point, though, because we are hearing that police officers were the target of these explosions. Why are officials working on that theory right now?
LILA: Well, simply because the police officers were out in full force because there was a soccer game. They were out. They actually had several buses in the neighborhood. And there were police officers stationed on the street, maybe 10 or 15 feet apart from each other standing very close together. So they would have made a very easy target for anybody who wanted to pull off such a large scale like this.
[19:25:17] HARLOW: Muhammad Lila, we appreciate the reporting tonight where this just past 3:00 in the morning. So bring us more as you get it.
Again, the headline there, more than a dozen people dead, 70 wounded. Thank you so much.
We are going to take a quick break, but back to politics. After that, the face of big oil in America could become the face of American diplomacy. Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson is said to have told Donald Trump today that he would be quote "honored" to be the next secretary of state if he is chosen. Details next.
You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[19:28:56] HARLOW: The face of big oil in America could become the face of American diplomacy. New details tonight about president-elect Donald Trump's possible pick for secretary of state. CNN learned that Exxon Mobil Rex Tillerson tops Trump's list for the all-important cabinet post. Sources telling our John King that Tillerson told Trump at a meeting today he would be honored to become the nation's top diplomat. And left that meeting thinking that he will indeed be chosen. Trump's team not confirming that saying any announcement of secretary of state won't come before the middle of next week.
But Trump have praised Tillerson in an interview with FOX News' Chris Wallace that airs tomorrow. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Let me tell ask you about Rex Tillerson. OK. Head of Exxon Mobil. Why does a business executive make sense as the chief diplomat?
TRUMP: Well, in his case, he is much more than a business executive. I mean, he is a world class player. He is in-charge of I guess the largest company in the world. He is in-charge of an oil company that is pretty much double the size of this next years' competitors. It has been a company that has been unbelievably managed. And to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players. And he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company, not for himself, for the company.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:30:16] HARLOW: Back with me to discuss, CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson and Marc Lamont Hill.
So Marc - OK, Marc, you are shaking your head. Why are you shaking your head?
HILL: Well, first, he said he is much more than a businessman. And then he lays out all the things that makes him extraordinary businessman. This is the job for diplomat. It is a job for statesman. This is the job for someone with a sophisticated understanding of international affairs. We don't even know his opinion on these matters.
Yes, he has significant stake in the global marketplace. He absolutely has relationships with Russia, surprise, surprise. He was very close to Putin. He was very close on the (INAUDIBLE) administration. He got the Russian order printed. He is down with Russia. But when it comes to the global landscape, and some of the serious issue we have to think about around Crimea, around Syria, around Israel, Palestine, around rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq. These are questions for a person with sophisticated global understanding. And he doesn't seem to have that.
Again, there are many cabinet jobs that he would fit for him, but this one seems like an odd choice, not to mention the fact that he barely believes in science when we look at some of the things about climate changers. (INAUDIBLE). But he is right and mixed it. He is a dangerous and to me holy unqualified choice.
HARLOW: He actually take, and Marc, you bring out climate change is important. He takes a very different view of climate change than his predecessors (INAUDIBLE). He did come out. HE accepted, you know, and said our stance is that it is, you know, manmade. He supports a carbon tax and he support the Paris agreement, which interestingly and he is a big proponent of free trade. So Ben, how does he - how do the two men, if he is the pick, how do they square all of those I think significant differences?
FERGUSON: Well, first off, Marc is completely wrong on his stance on global warming. This is the guy that is going to take a lot of heat from many conservatives for his stance on global warming and one where he also talked about on Exxon. They need to be in favor of doing things in a passive way in the issue of global warming. So I think he is going lead there. And I think he has been completely different than what Marc try to characterize him as.
More importantly than that, I think one of the main reasons why Donald Trump is looking at him is seriously is the fact that one, he is not a politician. We have had a lot of politicians be in this role and some of them have not been very successful. I think he understands diplomacy because he has had to work with people that you probably wouldn't be very friendly with on behalf of Exxon. One example of that is Russia.
Now, I will say this. John McCain's statement that he made earlier today saying we are definitely going to ask him to look at this during confirmation hearings before I or anybody else vote about his relationship Russia. I think that is a very, very fair question that John McCain brought up. But ultimately, this is someone that knows how to work with foreign leaders. And I think we can all, at least from what I have seen from Donald Trump, Donald Trump wants people around him to go out and do what Donald Trump wants them to do.
HARLOW: Look. We got - I got one minute left and I want to get Marc back in here.
Ben makes that point, the counter point to that would be is negotiating half a trillion dollar oil deal with Russia, the same thing as negotiating with, you know, Russia's you know, with Lavrov in Russia about a ceasefire in Aleppo.
HILL: Look. Let me take five of those seconds to clarify my point. And again, I said he is not as bad on climate change as some of the others. By my point is this. He said - let me have my time. He said, he specifically said what good it is to save the planet if you harm humanity. He was making a very particular argument about thing even to the extent that I believe in this. I'm still not willing to make the changes that climate change activists are trying to make. So again, he is the not the right guy.
But to Poppy's other point here, yes. There is a huge difference negotiating a deal with somebody who is going to make billions of dollars with such as Russia where he is up oil literally than trying to manage peace or try to negotiate a ceasefire, or trying to draw down troops or trying to strengthen the Iraqi army or trying to negotiate a post-Aslwo (ph) agreement in Palestine or trying to reverse the (INAUDIBLE) of Crimea.
FERGUSON: Only a politician can do that job.
HARLOW: I got to leave it there.
HILL: Los of people can do the job.
FERGUSON: OK. So give this guy a chance.
HILL: But by your logic, Ben, by that logic, anybody can do the job. I'm not saying --
FERGUSON: No. That is not true. When he has been around the word, he has been dealing with things in the Middle East. He has been with things with Africa.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: I have to wrap it up, guys. Guys, thank you both very much. I suppose we should give the Trump team a chance to make their pick. This has not been the pick yet. We hear he is at the top of the list. We will keep watching for that news.
Thank you very much to you both. Have a good weekend.
Coming up next, switching gear. Starbucks visionary CEO is stepping down. Why? Could a run for the White House be in his future? I sat down with Howard Schultz and the man who will fill his shoes, Kevin Johnson next.
You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:38:37] HARLOW: He is one of the most outspoken CEOs in the world. Vocal on controversial issues like guns, the gay marriage to race. But pretty soon Starbucks visionary leader Howard Schultz will hand over the reign of the $85 billion company. Why and who will fill his shoes? I sat down with Schultz and incoming CEO Kevin Johnson this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Howard, you have said that you love this company as much as your family. So how did you come to the decision? When did you come to the decision that now is the right time to hand it over and to hand it to Kevin?
HOWARD SCHULTZ, CEO, STARBUCKS: Well Kevin and I have worked together both on the board and then the last two years as he has been in the company as president for almost ten years now. And in that period, we basically have co-authored the long-term strategy of the company. I also think with great humility that Kevin's skill base and experience is better suited to run Starbucks on a going forward basis than myself.
HARLOW: He is better than you, right, on how to run this company?
SCHULTZ: Yes.
HARLOW: Why?
SCHULTZ: His skills based on experience especially with regard to a global enterprise, how customer facing technology is going plays a huge role in our future. And also I'm not leaving. I'm around to help, and support, and coach, whatever I can --
HARLOW: But you're not going to hover? You said you are not going to hover.
SCHULTZ: No, I made some mistakes many years ago at a different time in my life. I wasn't as emotionally prepared as I am now. But I'm ready, more than ready, to hand over the reins.
[19:40:08] HARLOW: So my colleague Paul LaMonica (ph) I think pretty best when he said you have some venti sized shoes to fill. That's what he said.
How are you going to lead Starbuck, Kevin? I mean, how much will you lead it like Howard has? How much will be this your own footprint? You got ton of experience especially when it comes to the tech side of the business - Microsoft, Junnifer (ph) network. How do you make this your own while also building on what Howard built?
KEVIN JOHNSON, CEO, STARBUCKS: We co-authored the strategy. So the strategy that we put together that we share today, you know, my fingerprints are all over that long with Howard's and along with the rest of our leadership team.
You know, I realized, I'm not Howard. I'm Kevin. So I'm going to lead in an authentic way. And you know, I think I had the opportunity to get to know the management team over the last two years. I have to travel the world and worked in every part of this company. I believe in the strategy in what we are doing. But I also know that I have to be authentic in my leadership.
HARLOW: So one of the things that Howard has done that has set this company apart from so many others and set him apart as an executive from so many others is that he has not been afraid to use his voice in this platform to speak out about social issues, controversial issues, from guns, to gay rights, to politics, you name it, to the election. Will you do the same?
JOHNSON: Well, first of all, I think the mission of the country to inspire and nurture the human spirit, that is an authentic mission. And part of what we do is leverage our scale for good. Meaning, if we see something that we think we can help make positive social impact on, we are not afraid to take a stand and to have a voice in doing it in a constructive and respectful way. That is part of the fabric of the company and I don't see that changing.
HARLOW: You said recently, Howard, I wanted to build a company my father never got to work for. Did you achieve that?
SCHULTZ: I think I have achieved that. I just wished my father would have been alive to see it. My dad was a blue collar, uneducated army vet and had a series of very bad jobs. And I think over his life became very bitter and angry that he was not respected in the workforce. And in many ways that was a time in America where blue collar workers didn't get the kind of insurance and compensation that perhaps they deserved.
HARLOW: He lost his health care.
SCHULTZ: He lost healthcare. And so, I think my whole life has been dedicated to try and build the kind of company that would respect and dignify everyone regardless of their station in life. So the short answer is yes, I think I have that but there is more work to do.
HARLOW: So Howard brings up blue collar workers. As the new CEO, so what do you say to those workers, Kevin, who are - they are looking down the road and they have young kids at home and they are thinking, wow, my livelihood is being replaced slowly by machines and robots? What is the future for them in America's workforce?
JOHNSON: Well, I think if you look at the over 300,000 partners that probably wear the Starbucks green apron, you know, we are demonstrating that we can create jobs and opportunities for people that come contribute and at the same time will fund and pay for their college education. You know, we think that the world is always changing. And the world will always be changing.
And so, finding ways so show the empathy and the respect and help people deal with that chance, I think is in many ways what Starbucks is about.
HARLOW: Howard, you said part of why I am leaving is to focus on social impact. And you said tome given the state of things in this country there is a need to help those left behind. What are going to do? Because you have done a lot of social impact from the CEO seat.
SCHULTZ: We clearly view the fact that we have stores in almost every community in America and have an understanding of what is happening in cities across the country. So I will give you two examples.
We have a significant homeless problem both in Seattle and around the country. Just this past week, we announced that we are going to make a significant both contribution in terms of money and resources to try and create housing for who are homeless in Seattle. That's a national crisis.
In addition to that, one out of six people in America are hungry every single night without food. These are areas where I think - it is a natural place for us to play. It is not a political cause. It is a cause for humanity. And I think we are going to continue to look for ways to leverage our scale for good. And I think not do anything that would be disrespectful to the president-elect, and not do anything that would in any way derail the support and confidence from one group or another based on the fact that we want to help those who are in need and we think there is an opportunity and responsibility we have for our people and the communities we serve.
[19:45:02] HARLOW: In our interview in September, you endorsed Hillary Clinton. And after the election, you wrote a letter to all of Starbucks employees and partners and said you were shocked by the outcome of the election.
Right before the election, you said that Donald Trump campaign was a vitriolic display of bigotry, and hate, and I divisiveness knowing that is not the future leadership of this country. Since then you said it is our responsibility to give him an opportunity to govern and to come together. Have you seen encouraging signs from the president- elect and his team?
SCHULTZ: Well, I think it is too early to make that conclusion. I think what I said and I want to be very clear is that I think as Americans, whether we voted for Donald Trump or not, he is going to be the president of the United States. And I think we have a moral obligation to do everything we can to ensure the fact that he and his team are successful. America needs a successful president so does the world.
HARLOW: If he calls on you to advise him, we have seen people from both parties there, would you do that? And what would your advice be?
SCHULTZ: My advice would be that I think the country really needs servant leadership. And I think the country needs unity. And I think more than anything else, the country needs to come together. That would be my advice.
HARLOW: In September, when I asked you if you would ever consider run for president, you told me I'm still a young man. I would never say never, but this is not the right time. You were supporting Hillary Clinton at the time which most of America thought she was going to win. Are you considering at all throwing your hat in the ring for 20?
SCHULTZ: You know, I don't know how many times you asked me this question. And each time I have a pretty consistent answer. And certainly I'm deeply committed to all things Starbucks at this time.
HARLOW: But that's not a never?
SCHULTZ: I'm deeply committed to Starbucks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: We will watch.
Coming up, Elliot County, Kentucky set a national record by voting Democrat for 144 straight years and then came Donald Trump. Up next, how the president-elect managed to turn the county red.
You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[19:50:49] HARLOW: Unprecedented is a word often associated with this election. And perhaps nowhere is it more appropriate than when it's used to describe Donald Trump ending Democrat's 144-year winning streak in one Kentucky's county.
CNN's Jeff Simon has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Elliott County is hard scramble county, primarily hills and a few flat spots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just feels like home. It just feels like no matter where I go, you always want to go back home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It always went Democratic until this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad was a Democrat. My grandfather was a Democrat. Probably my great grandfather, I'm not for sure, but the whole county is Democrat. Very, very few registered Republicans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I voted for Obama twice. I guess, I voted for Carter. I voted for all of the Democrats that run, I voted for them. Except for this election.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This election in 2016 was a huge shift in our politics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I voted for Bill Clinton twice and Obama twice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this year you voted --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Clinton. He was a pretty good president but I don't think his wife was going to amount to nothing so I didn't vote for her.
GENE JOHNSON, LIFELONG DEMOCRAT & TRUMP VOTER: Trump was a businessman. I thought maybe it was time to maybe get a politician up in Washington. Maybe put a businessman in. And give the man a try. Give him a chance. See what he can do. He might fool us all.
MARVIN ADKINS, LIFELONG DEMOCRAT & TRUMP VOTER: The reason I voted for Trump is because Hillary was for killing babies. She was for men marrying men, women marrying women. (INAUDIBLE). This county, a lot of people work in the coal field and Hillary wasn't for coal.
JUDY PENNINGTON, LIFELONG DEMOCRAT & TRUMP VOTER: I'm a disabled 71 years old and the government has mostly forgot about people like us, the veterans, the hard-working people. And when Donald Trump said he was for the little people, I thought he was talking to me. So that's when he got my vote, right there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[19:57:41] HARLOW: Tonight in our America, in these days of division, it's easy to overlook all of the good things that are being done to help our fellow Americans. So we think it's important to highlight those acts of kindness, such as this one that took place at a Walmart in Pennsylvania.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Walmart says on Thursday, a woman walked into a store with a check. She made a delivery for a man who decided he was going to give $46,000, paying off layaways for 194 people. The store says they spent the afternoon calling customers to tell them the news. What was going through your head when you got the phone call?
CHRISTINA MORTON, SHOPPER: Well, I got home from work today and my daughter played the messages before I got there and she said, mom, I said, did anybody call? She said, yes. Am I going to be upset or mad? And she was like, well, it's going to make you cry. So I walked upstairs and played the messages and it was Walmart saying that our Christmas layaway can be picked up, and it was completely paid for.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And shoppers are pouring in with words of thanks.
PAMELA FOOR, SHOPPER: I'm just grateful and thankful that they can do that in their heart they want to do that. You know, because some people can take that money and just spend it on themselves but they gave it to a small community.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
BRITTNEY WEAVER, ASSISTANT MANAGER: And they have cried. They have thanked us. They have thanked this mysterious person. They have tried to figure out who it is just so they can thank him personally and for it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many want to know who he is but the secret Santa isn't saying a word.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Love that. Amy Lewis reporting for our affiliate, WJAC. Thank you, Amy.
Tweet those moments of kindness you see to me @PoppyHarlowCNN. We will bring them to you on the show.
Coming up next for us on CNN, get ready to binge on behalf of the (INAUDIBLE) and head back to the future. A full marathon of CNN's original series, "The Eighties" is next.
I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Thanks for joining me. I will see you back tomorrow night.
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