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Trump's Controversial Use of "Silent Majority"; CNN Hero Kim Carter; Parents of Gun Violence Victims Speak Out. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 28, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] PAX HART, TRUMP SUPPORTER, IT SPECIALIST AT JPMORGAN CHASE: Thousands of third world immigrants dumped onto American communities. The American people have no say over that. You know, the politicians are not listening to the American people. We don't particularly want to bring the third world to America and all of the problems that come with that.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And you don't see that as racist?

HART: Absolutely not.

CAMEROTA: You see that as speaking for all Americans who just feel this has been forced (ph) on them.

HART: Exactly.

CAMEROTA: Well, Americans of all color and (INAUDIBLE)?

HART: Yes. Exactly.

CAMEROTA: OK, Mindy, how do you hear it?

MINDY FINN, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Yes, I mean, I wouldn't stereotype Trump's support or read too much into it as well. But, you know, I think what we've seen with Trump is he likes to run at controversy. And this is another example of creating a controversy. Here we are talking about it this morning. But I definitely wouldn't read too much into it or certainly stereotype trump support. It is a diverse group of supporters. You know, this is a different time. And, you know, the discontent is real. The peace that he speaks about that, you know, many voters in this country, many Americans, feel that Washington isn't listening to them is quite real and something that we need to pay attention to.

CAMEROTA: Now, Mindy, you're a Republican. Is Donald Trump your guy?

FINN: I'm not - I don't support Donald Trump. I understand the excitement. I think he's quite exciting and so - I'm not too surprised that he's drawing a lot of support and he's getting a look from voters who are - who, you know, aren't as (INAUDIBLE) the other candidates.

CAMEROTA: But - but what don't you - what don't you like about him? I mean why isn't he your candidate?

FINN: I - I mean, I've said this before, I actually think that he's quite dangerous and the effect around him that voters are drawn to is quite dangerous. They're excited about him, which is understandable, and we've seen that happen in the past, but that's not the main criteria to support someone for president. You might -

CAMEROTA: But what part is dangerous?

FINN: What part - what part of his - is dangerous is that he - you know, if think about the type of America that you want to live in and we think about our future. When we choose a president, we're really deciding our future. And is it one where we want someone who throws insults at everybody right and left, who's very polarizing? In the latest poll, yes, he draws the most support, but he also draws the number - most support - most people saying that they would never vote for him. If you look at the head to head matchup against Hillary Clinton, he does worst among the top contenders in the field. So we don't need a candidate that's polarizing.

CAMEROTA: I have another poll - I have another poll to show you right now. It's the latest Quinnipiac poll. This is interesting, Pax, as a Donald Trump supporter yourself. This shows his favorables and unfavorables among some groups who may not always feel included. This is whites, blacks and Hispanics. His unfavorables with blacks, 79 percent. His unfavorable with Hispanics, 63 percent. What do you think?

HART: Well, I mean, I've seen other poll - Univision put out a poll, I believe, on August 4th that Donald Trump, among Hispanic Republicans, is leading. He's at 34 percent. So, I mean, you know, we had a lot of polls right now. It's - we're still, what, 18 months away. You know, there's a lot of churn rate. Polls are changing constantly. But I think the trend that you're seeing, as far as Donald Trump, at least among the Republican voters, is he continues to rise. And I think he's staying on message. The longer - the more he just pounds and pounds away at some - at a few core issues that he's - that's he's, you know, that he's riding on, the more he stays focused on those issues, his numbers continue to rise. Now, we went to the last debate watch. We had a debate watch for the Fox News debate last month.

CAMEROTA: Yes, like a debate party (INAUDIBLE).

HART: It - yes, yes, at the - at the beginning - you know, it was probably about 140 people. At the beginning, you know, we did a show of hands, you know, who supports this candidate, that candidate, this candidate. A smattering of people for each candidate. Twenty-five percent of the room, and this is in Manhattan, 25 percent of the room raced their hands, Donald Trump. After the debate ended, a third of the room raced their hand, Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: So you thought that Donald Trump won that debate. What was it? What was the moment that you thought that was so great that tipped the balance towards him?

HART: I - I don't think it was a particular moment. I think it was - I think it was primarily his engagement with the, you know, with Megyn Kelly and Brad (ph) and I think that interaction -

CAMEROTA: You like that he fought back against Fox?

HART: Absolutely. Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: Huh.

HART: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Because, you know, I mean obviously many Republicans feel that Fox speaks for - in their same language.

HART: I think a lot of Republicans feel that Fox is, you know, is - is one station that allows conservative message to get through. I don't think every - I don't think every Republican says, oh, Fox News is our channel and we agree with everything on Fox News. It's, you know, it's - it's very - you know, particularly, you know, as a conservative American, it's hard to get - you know, it's hard to get a different opinion.

CAMEROTA: Sure.

Pax Hart, Mindy Finn, thanks so much for the differing views on Donald Trump. Always great to talk to you guys.

HART: Thank you. It's great to be here.

FINN: Happy to be here.

CAMEROTA: All right, speaking of debates, be sure to tune in to the next Republican debate right here on CNN. That is September 16th. Pax, get another party going of 140 people. You'll love it.

Let's get over to Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: The same as the number of characters in Twitter. Coincidence? I don't think so.

[08:35:02] The father of the young journalist killed on live TV, Alison Parker, is now a self-described gun control activist. He says he'll become the John Walsh of gun control. What will it take to make a change and what should that change be, if any? We're going to talk to some parents who also lost children to gun violence and hear what they want.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Time now for what you see on your screen, the five things to know for your NEW DAY.

Number one, evidence from the car of the mad man who shot and killed two journalists in Virginia suggests he was ready to attempt more killing and a getaway before he fortunately killed himself. The funeral for cameraman Adam Ward now set for Tuesday.

Donald Trump bringing back the phrase "silent majority." But who does he mean? That started stirring controversy on the campaign trail in South Carolina Thursday. What do you think? Tweet Alisyn. A conservative group telling CNN Hillary Clinton had e-mails on her private server that show she mixed State Department business with Clinton Foundation business. The Clinton campaign denying the allegations.

Police say the number arrested in the death of 71 migrants found in an abandoned truck on an Austrian highway is now up to four. The arrests were made in Hungry, where the truck began its journey.

[08:40:13] Tropical Storm Erika bearing down on Puerto Rico after pummeling the Caribbean causing four deaths. This storm, with its high winds, expected to reach Florida on Sunday.

Want more on the five things to know? Go to newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Well, the fastest growing demographic of prison inmates, believe it or not, in the United States is women. And once they're released to the streets, many struggle, of course, to start over with nothing. This week's CNN Hero is working to end that cycle of incarceration. Let's meet Kim Carter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIM CARTER: When I was 17 years old, I had my first hit of crack cocaine. I didn't know then that I was going to lose the next 12 years of my life. I was recycled in and out of the system. I stayed out on the streets. I wanted to change. What I needed was a place to change at.

You just got out of jail?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Had no shoes. No food. No nothing. Nowhere to go.

CARTER: You're strong and you're ready and you're willing because you wouldn't have came here if you wasn't.

We help homeless women and children to reclaim their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been homeless by almost six months.

CARTER: We meet women where they are. We'll pick them up and put them into an environment where they can heal. When a woman transfers from my shelter program into our permanent supportive housing, they stay connected with us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks beautiful.

CARTER: A lot of women come in very traumatized. We have licensed counselors that work with women on some of those deep issues. Any mother that comes to us who doesn't have her children, we help get her children back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Bubba.

Thank you, Miss Carter. Thank you.

CARTER: Homeless women, children. I call them invisible people because we pretend that we don't see them. But I see them and I know there's something that we can do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: It's just great to see the impact that she's having.

If you know someone else deserving, you can go to cnnheroes.com right now, tell us about that.

CUOMO: So, we're hearing a familiar demand coming out of these murders of the journalists in Virginia. We have to do better when it comes to who gets weapon. But we heard it after Newtown. We heard it after Aurora, the movie theater shooting there. Virginia Tech, remember that? Coming up, we have the parents of victims from those tragedies talking about why their efforts to change things have led to very little.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:46:47] CAMEROTA: The father of Alison Parker, the journalist murdered on live television, says he will begin a crusade for more gun control. Listen to what he told Chris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY PARKER, FATHER OF SLAIN REPORTER ALISON PARKER: It's senseless that her life and Adam's life were taken by a crazy person with a gun. If I have to be the John Walsh of gun control -- Look, I'm for the Second Amendment, but there has to be a way to force politicians that are cowards and in the pockets of the NRA to come to grips and have sensible laws so that crazy people can't get guns. It can't be that hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Well, he wants to put a purpose to his pain and he is not the first. We've had this conversation time and again on this show and as a nation. But what will it take to do better? Everyone seems to agree that we can do better.

Let's join other people who have made it part of their lives after their loss to make a difference here. Sandy Phillips, her daughter Jessica killed in the Aurora Movie Theatre massacre. Nicole Hockley, her son Dylan killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings and she is now the managing director of Sandy Hook Promise. And Joe Samaha, the father of Reema Samaha, who was killed in the Virginia Tech tragedy and the president of VTV Family Outreach Foundation.

And if I have not met you, I have certainly been at every one of the situations that took your loved ones. I know even at this stage for all of you, this is not easy. You do it because you believe you have to.

Let's start with you, Sandy. Tell me not just your motivation, because we know what that was, but what you wanted to get done and what became your reality when you tried.

SANDY PHILLIPS, DAUGHTER JESSICA GHAWI KILLED IN AURORA MOVIE THEATRE MASSACRE: Well, I think for all of us the lowest hanging fruit is the universal background checks and after Aurora wasn't even spoken about, we couldn't even get the presidential candidates to debate the issue.

And then Sandy Hook happened. And we all thought Sandy Hook was the one that would do it. And I know Nicole and myself were both there in the gallery in April when that vote came down. And we were all stunned that our national leadership would not get on board and do the right thing for America. We were shocked.

CUOMO: Well, Nicole, when Sandy says "it," that they wouldn't do "it," 'it' becomes the problem. You know, we just had on two people who are on opposites sides of this issue and they weren't uncommon. They both said we can do better. How you do better becomes an issue. Universal background checks, very popular with people who want more gun control. The other side says how would it have helped in Virginia? How would it have made a difference? What law would have stopped that? What's your answer?

NICOLE HOCKLEY, SON DYLAN KILLED IN SANDY HOOK MASSACRE: My answer would be then tell us what laws will help stop these shootings. It's not just about the mass shootings. It's about the everyday shootings that take adults and children everywhere.

[08:49:54] I want to hear politicians talking more about what are the laws that they believe need to be more strictly enforced, what are they specifically going to do to close the loopholes in those existing laws and what new laws are they going to propose to close the gaps?

And at the end of the day it's not just about firearms and weapons. It's also about mental health and wellness. That's a harder topic to handle in some respects. But our leaders should be able to deal with those questions.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Joe, there were so many moments that galvanized this country, or seemed to galvanize. The Virginia Tech case, where the one - which you lost your daughter -- obviously, Newtown and Sandy Hook. I mean, there are so many moments where everybody in the country says something has to be done and a majority of people say that there can be more stringent gun control laws, and yet there's obstacle after obstacle. What's been your experience with trying to change things?

JOE SAMAHA, DAUGHTER REEMA SAMAHA DIED IN VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE: Well, my experience came early on after the Virginia Tech tragedy. I spent two years in Richmond working on this issue. What I found myself to be was on a treadmill for two years. And the families of the victims and survivors decided to move forward to create solution- based interventions in our society, in our schools. There are solutions. Each side builds up a wall. We have to find a way around those walls. CAMEROTA: But meaning, Joe - I just want to stop you for a moment

because you mean you basically did away with attempting gun control. You came up with campus-based solutions to try to make students safer. That was what you thought was easier to tackle.

SAMAHA: Correct. Well, actually school K-12 and campus-based solutions. That's correct, Alisyn.

CUOMO: When you look at why this happens, yes, in these mass shootings -- you made an interesting point, Nicole, that it's not just about the mass shootings - statically, they're a very small percentage -- but there's a lot of gun violence in this country. You could argue more than any other country.

But why does it happen? Yes, it's the gun, but people can use a lot of things to hurt other people. Yes, we have people who are mentally ill or unstable or undiagnosed, but they're a relatively small percentage and as a population they're less likely to be violent. The main cause seems to be, Sandy, how we treat each other. What can we do about that?

PHILLIPS: I'm not sure what we can do about that except teach our children from an early age to be respectful of one another and our differences. But I do know that the major problem that we have in the United States is the ease of being able to get your hands on a gun. And that's where we can make the biggest difference in the shortest amount of time.

So we need to be able to look at how easy it is for these people. It seems like we've got it backwards in the United States. We've made it almost impossible for those with mental illness to get the help they need. And yet we've made it very, very easy for these same people to be able to go out and get a gun and murder.

CAMEROTA: Nicole, I know that this week has been searingly painful for you. Not only did you watch the tragedy of what happened in Virginia, and of course that stirs everything up and makes you relive it, but school has just started in Connecticut on Thursday and your son Dylan would have been going, I believe, into fourth grade.

HOCKLEY: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And what do you want to say to this dad who lost his daughter Alison and who says I'm going to use this moment to change something?

HOCKLEY: I would say to this dad and all of the families, use your moment. Use your voice. But also to all the other families out there, don't wait until it happens to you. As a culture we wait until gun violence personally affects us before we stand up and do something. By then it's too late.

And just to build on what Sandy said, there are a lot of things that can be done in terms of early training and intervention on how to recognize the signs of people who need help and get them that help they need. That's something that we can do right now in our own communities.

CUOMO: Joe, because of what began your motivation in this and all of you and so many parents like you, how do you reconcile not getting the change you want with the feeling of whether or not people care about what happened to you?

SAMAHA: Well, we are making progress in those areas of school intervention and campus safety. And I think we can reconcile, you know, those positive initiatives and successes that people are recognizing that there has to be a multidisciplinary and holistic approach to the question and to the person.

Wellness is a big issue. There are institutions out there that are creating wellness programs within their school systems that are very, very important to create this prosocial behavior. Not to deflect, but I think that is very, very key. We need to create the safety nets.

[08:54:58] At a very young age, my understanding that Mr. Flanagan appeared on somebody's radar screen, what I read today on CNN was in first grade. So yes, these perpetrators are known to their community. They're known to their families. So at what point are we going to step in to take action to help them?

CAMEROTA: Joe, Nicole, Sandy, we know that you all have organizations you're connecting to, you have websites. I will tweet those out for people who want to learn more. We applaud you all for even -- despite your pain - coming forward to try to help over families. Thanks so much for being on NEW DAY.

CUOMO: It's not always just about the law, it's also about how we live and how we decide to love. And that's obviously strong motivation for these people and many others.

We're going to go from what happens that is the worst in life to what happens that is the best. "The Good Stuff" coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: "The Good Stuff" starts off with some of the bad stuff. Sergeant Michael Schumacher was in eight grade on 9/11 and he was motivated to sign up for the army and he did that as soon as he was old enough. An accident in Afghanistan nearly cost him his life. But the community found out and stepped up. Not some big company, the people he knew and loved most. He and his four kids now have a brand new house to come home to. His church and neighbors came together to build it.