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State of the Union
Clinton Landslide?; Interview With Hillary Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook' Interview With Donald Trump Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway; "SNL" Mocks Final Presidential Debate; Trump Vows to Sue Sexual Assault Accusers; WikiLeaks Revealed Hillary Clinton's Campaign Tactics. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired October 23, 2016 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:22]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Homestretch. Clinton and Trump barnstorm the nation with just two weeks to go.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want to think back, if only I did one more rally.
TAPPER: But are there any other curve balls coming in the final days of this crazy campaign?
Plus, Trump doubles down on his debate shocker.
TRUMP: I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win.
TAPPER: Is he serious?
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is threatening our democracy.
TAPPER: Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway will be here in minutes.
And going blue? As Hillary Clinton expands into reliably red Arizona and even Utah, can she really upend the electoral map? The very latest on state of play with her top strategist. Plus, the political minds will be here with insights from the campaign trail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: Hello. I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, where the state of our union is down the wire.
With just over two weeks until Election Day, both candidates are crisscrossing the country to make their pitches. Hillary Clinton signaled her confidence in Pennsylvania, where she spent nearly as much time talking about the Senate campaign there as her own race against Donald Trump. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I debated him for four-and-a-half-hours. I don't even think about responding to him anymore.
I'm going to let the American people decide between what he offers and what we offer. So, he can say whatever he wants to. He can run his campaign however he wants to.
As we're traveling in these last 17 days, we are going to be emphasizing the importance of electing Democrats down the ballot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Here with me this morning is Clinton's campaign manager, Robby Mook.
Robby, thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
ROBBY MOOK, HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Thank you.
TAPPER: So, with two weeks, two days to go until election, you and your allies are putting a lot of effort into red states right now, Arizona, Utah, Georgia, Missouri.
You're doing this even though it's still neck and neck in a lot of the traditional battleground states, Ohio and Iowa, Florida. I hear African-American turnout in North Carolina is lower than it's been in the past. Are you guys getting overconfident?
MOOK: Well, I'm glad you asked this question, because you're exactly right. These battleground states are called that for a reason. They are all going to be incredibly close.
We're -- we don't want to get ahead of skis here, so we're just as focused on Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, other states as we have ever been. There's a special opportunity that popped up late in Arizona, where Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric about Latinos, his shameful remark about Senator John McCain and POWs has put that state into play.
It's possible to win it, but it's going to be razor-thin there. It's going to be tough. It's an uphill climbing. And we have got to stay focused on these other states. We have a very clear message to our supporters. Let's double down, nose to the grindstone, and keep working.
TAPPER: But what about turnout among, for instance, African-Americans in North Carolina? In early voting, I have heard that it's lower than where it was for Obama in 2012.
MOOK: Well, first of all, we're seeing high turnout generally across the country. The voter rolls have reached a high watermark
Over 200 million people for the first time in our history are on the voter rolls. We expect more voters than ever in our history to turn out and participate in this election. North Carolina has only been voting for a few days, so I think we still need to let the data come in.
But, look, we should all assume that there's a mountain of work left to be done there. There is, so we got to stay focused. And what's important to us is, we don't want anybody to wake up after Election Day, this historic event has happened, and they didn't have a chance to participate. So, we want everyone to make a plan to go vote.
TAPPER: Donald Trump says that your campaign or the Democratic National Committee are behind the accusations against him of sexual misconduct.
I know Secretary Clinton yesterday said the charge is inaccurate. But let me put it more narrowly. Have any of these women have any -- had any contact with your campaign or the DNC?
MOOK: These accusations are not coming from our campaign.
TAPPER: But have they had any contact? Have they had any contact?
MOOK: It's not -- not that I'm aware of. I do know about any contact.
But, Jake, I think what's important to look at here is, Donald Trump claimed yesterday he was going to go out and roll out his final plan for the first -- for the campaign, his final message, his plan for the first 100 days.
He spent time attacking his accusers. That's what this campaign is about. His top priority right now is to attack these people who are coming, who are bringing up concerns. We're seeing it across the board. He should just apologize and move on.
But I think this is telling about what kind of president Donald Trump would be, that he's more concerned about himself, that he attacks people who raise legitimate concerns about his behavior. He's not talking about jobs. He's not talking about how he is going to help people afford health care or college. And so this should be an alarm bell to voters.
[09:05:02]
TAPPER: In an e-mail that was hacked by WikiLeaks -- and I know that the talking point from the Clinton campaign is, this is the Russians trying to infiltrate.
But, beyond that, there is the substance of this e-mail. We learned that the king of Morocco wanted to contribute $12 million to the Clinton Foundation last year, but he only wanted to do it if he could get a face-to-face with Hillary Clinton. Clinton adviser Huma Abedin wrote that the contribution was a nonstarter if the king did not get a meeting with Hillary Clinton.
Now, ultimately, Hillary Clinton did not make the trip to Morocco, because the campaign had already started. But this does raise the kind of concerns that there's a pay to play. He wanted to meet with Hillary Clinton, $12 million for the foundation. Doesn't this feed into one of the concerns that voters have about Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation?
MOOK: Well, I'm glad you asked the question, for that reason.
It was known for a long time that the Clinton Foundation's conference was held in Morocco. It has been known for a very long time that Secretary Clinton chose not to attend that conference. So, there isn't anything new here.
TAPPER: But Bill and Chelsea did.
MOOK: They did. But Secretary Clinton chose not to.
And, as you pointed out, this was an illegally stolen e-mail put out there by the Russians because they want the campaign to be about this. They want these sort of questions to be raised, rather than talking about the real issues in this race.
TAPPER: Well, this is a real issue. Pay to play, if -- people don't like idea of money going the Clinton Foundation in exchange for access to the then former secretary of state. I mean, you can understand why that would trouble people.
MOOK: Absolutely. And it's not true.
Again, I'm glad you raised the question, because people should understand that never took place. Secretary Clinton always met the highest ethical standards when she was secretary of state, when she was United States senator.
There were systems put in place to prevent exactly what you're talking about. And, again, the Russians illegally stole these e-mails. They're selectively dumping them out. I can't even verify whether the actual content in them is real. But this is the conversation they want to us have, vs. how Hillary is going to create jobs, how Hillary is going to...
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: OK.
Well, when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state -- and this is not from WikiLeaks -- this is from a Freedom of Information Act request -- when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state and the Haiti relief program was going on and the State Department and the Clinton Foundation were working on that, e-mails were sent to the State Department in which people were -- who were -- quote, unquote -- "friends of bill," FOB, were highlighted.
Why would they be highlighted if it wasn't because cronies of the Clintons would be given access and contracts to help rebuild Haiti?
MOOK: I can't comment on what might have happened at the State Department and what would have been highlighted or not. But, again, the State Department has been clear repeatedly. There was
never any special favors. Nobody has put up any evidence that any of this actually happened. And the Obama White House and the Department of State put in the highest possible ethical standards, and there's never been any evidence of any pay to play at all.
TAPPER: Two -- we talked about this before the last debate, but two Democratic operatives, Robert Creamer and Scott Foval, were caught on tape talking about instigating violence at a Trump rally in Foval's case.
The last time we spoke, you said any violence is unacceptable. Have you looked into whether or not Democratic operatives paid by the Democratic National Committee were actually instigating these horrific actions, these violent actions we saw at Trump rallies? That's -- I'm sure you would agree, if that's true, that's really offensive.
MOOK: Well, violence is unacceptable. These individuals no longer have a relationship with the DNC. They have never had a relationship with the Clinton campaign.
And my understanding is that the events that are referenced happened, I think, in February of last year. They didn't have a contract with the DNC until June.
But, putting that all aside, this was, again, a video that was leaked out for the purpose of damaging the campaign. It's edited, so we don't know what the full context is. And there is -- there's no evidence whatsoever that we have been able to find that anyone ever did anything like this when they were working for the DNC.
TAPPER: But, certainly, even if they weren't working for the DNC, if they were Democrats and they were instigating violence, this is horrific.
MOOK: It's unacceptable for anyone from either party to do that.
But, again, no one who was working for the DNC or the Clinton campaign was doing that. This is again an attempt by Donald Trump to distract from the real issues of this campaign. He's spiraling after his last debate, and he doesn't want to talk about substance.
Secretary Clinton is out there talking about real plans that she has. She has made clear she wants to bring Democrats, Republicans, independents together. She is going to work for all voters in this election, whether they supported her or not. She's going to work for everybody in the White House.
TAPPER: Let me ask you. The Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party has said that they want to block anyone who worked in Wall Street from working in the Clinton administration.
If Secretary Clinton is elected, what do you think of that? Will the Sanders-Warren wing succeed in keeping anybody who worked on Wall Street from working in the administration?
MOOK: Well, you just hit the nail on the head, if she wins. The election is not over. So, I don't want to get presumptuous.
Let me tell you what I do know. I do know that Secretary Clinton and Bernie Sanders worked very closely together to craft this platform that came out. Their delegates collaborated on that project. They are looking forward to getting that platform enacted.
[09:10:00]
They in particular worked together on a plan to help working and low- income families go to college tuition-free. They are looking forward to getting that enacted. Our party wrote the most progressive platform in our history. We are unified, and we want to get that work done in office.
TAPPER: All right, Robby Mook, thank you so much for taking the questions. I appreciate it.
MOOK: Thanks.
TAPPER: Of the people, by the people, for the people to make America great again, Donald Trump making his own Gettysburg address. What did he have to say?
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I'm Jake Tapper.
Donald Trump's campaign billed as a landmark speech, Trump taking the stage in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, invoking Lincoln's motto of government for the people, for the people and by people.
But, before he could get to that, he had some scores to settle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign. Total fabrication.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
[09:15:02]
TRUMP: The events never happened, never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Joining me now is Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's campaign manager.
Kellyanne, good morning. Thanks for joining us.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Hi, Jake.
TAPPER: So, with a couple of exceptions, Mr. Trump right now is trailing in all the battleground states. He's plummeted with white college-educated voters, which is an important group for Republicans to win, especially with women white college-educated voters.
He was supposed to give a big speech on Saturday at Gettysburg talking about his first 100 days as president, but his message was lost to some because he started with this 15-minute rant against the media and his accusers, saying that they are liars, he's going to sue them all.
Did you know that that beginning part against the media and his accusers was going to be the start of the speech?
CONWAY: I was there at the speech yesterday in Gettysburg, Jake.
And I think the most important part of the speech is what you said, which is the nine-point plan, his promise to the American voters. I worked on the original Contract With America with Newt Gingrich. And I'll tell you, it's very similar in this regard. It's specific, it's solution-centric, and it is new.
And what would be new, if people covered it fairly, it's right in there how he's going create 25 million jobs. The elder care and child care tax credits that benefits all Americans that is in there, that should be of great interest to those white college-educated women that you were talking about and, frankly, to all Americans.
He also talked about educational opportunities, expanding vocational and technical educational opportunities. Not all of us go to two- and four-year colleges, but we should have those opportunities to support ourselves by burnishing skill sets when we're in high school or trade school.
TAPPER: But...
CONWAY: And it went on and on to talk about securing the border, some of his signature issues.
But what was also new yesterday, Jake, in his Gettysburg speech is really taking the case to his new tagline draining the swamp in Washington, how, this lifetime ban on lobbying. If you have worked in this White House, you can't lobby for foreign nations. That's sort of the big ethical shower we're all going to need to take post-Hillary Clinton State Department.
TAPPER: So, I want to talk about draining the swamp in a second, but just to underline the point, the difference between the Contract for America that you worked on and Mr. Trump's speech yesterday is that Speaker Gingrich wouldn't come out and spend 15 minutes railing against people accusing him of misdeeds, railing against the media. He would just go in and start talking about the issues that mattered to the American people.
So, I just wonder, did you know he was going start with this list of grievances that might undercut the message? CONWAY: Well, he delivers his own speeches. This is his candidacy.
He's the guy who is running for the White House. And he has the privilege to say what he wants.
At the same time, I will tell you, having worked on the messaging in and around the actual Contract With America 20-some years ago, Jake, there was plenty of talk then how we as Republicans couldn't get a fair shake from the media.
And I think, look, I agree with you. I saw you quoted somewhere as saying it was -- quote -- "horrifying" that someone at CNN had shared a question with Hillary Clinton in a competitive town hall against Bernie Sanders.
I agree with you, Jake Tapper. It is horrifying. Also horrifying is having a print reporter telling John Podesta, I'm -- quote -- "a hack now." So, here, have the privilege of editorial latitude on what I'm about to publish. Is there anything here that bothers you?
This is not journalism. This is, at its best, cozy relationship, collaboration, all the way to collusion. So, we feel very frustrated. It's not all members of the media. It's not even most members of the media.
But look at the stories that are being written now: The path to 270 is narrow. The path to 270 is over.
That's so unfair to the voters who are yet to go to the ballot box and exercise their constitutional right to tell us who should be president of the United States and commander in chief.
Let's let the voters tell us who they want to be president, and not have all these people who don't share their economic woes, who don't share their lack of health insurance, who don't share their lack of failing schools, who don't share their white-knuckled decisions at the end of each month whether to afford the rent or maybe a nice birthday party for a 6-year-old kid.
I mean, let's give the voters their chance to express their will and not tell them now the race is over.
TAPPER: I'm not saying the race is over.
But just -- and just to underline one point, nobody at CNN shared questions with the Clinton campaign. It's a separate issue. But I don't want to talk about that right now.
Let's talk about Mr. Trump's call to drain the swamp. One of the things that he wants to do is to amend the Constitution, so that one can only serve six years in the House, six years in the Senate.
Now, Donald Trump's running mate, current governor, former member of the House, Mike Pence, he served 12 years in the House when Mike Pence was leading the fight against the Wall Street bailout in his eighth year. Was he part of the swamp?
CONWAY: Well, he was definitely living in the swamp.
But in the case of Mike Pence, who has been a friend and a client for many years, I can tell you, those were dark days for him because he was up against a Republican president, also voting against No Child Left Behind, voting against TARP, voting against the Medicare Part D. Very difficult to do that against a member of your own party when he's president.
[09:20:06]
But Mike Pence and people like him gave that principled commitment to the people of Indiana's 6th Congressional District at the time and he, in, fact held his promises. We don't see that from everyone.
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: What I'm saying is, but your -- but the proposal would bar somebody like Mike Pence from serving more than six years. And it sounds like you think that is exactly the kind of person who should be in Congress.
CONWAY: And Mike Pence would agree with Donald Trump on that, that when you're there for too long, you need that fresh blood and new perspective.
I wish there were more members like Mike Pence. If there were, we wouldn't need -- maybe wouldn't need to have the conversation. And you see what he's done in the state of Indiana as well.
TAPPER: Let's talk about this idea that everything is rigged. Yesterday, Mr. Trump once again arguing that the election will be rigged. It's a charge that he makes, with no real evidence to suggest it, that many Republican secretaries of state and others are very upset that he's making.
Now, back in April, when you were working against Donald Trump, when you were supporting Ted Cruz and advising his super PAC, you had some tough words for Mr. Trump when he was lashing out -- lashing out at the time against the system being rigged.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, APRIL 2016)
CONWAY: We hear from the Trump campaign rules -- that rules change, it's not fair, the system is rigged, the system is corrupt. You can whine and campaign all you want that you didn't know the rules.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Is this a pattern with Mr. Trump? If he starts losing, he starts lashing out and calling the system corrupt and calling it rigged?
CONWAY: We love watching that clip together. But that was actually about what was happening on the weekends, where
Donald Trump would win the vote, he would win all the -- basically all the electoral votes in a state, and then, on the weekends, the Cruz campaign would go back and follow the rules and get back some of those delegates.
So, no, it's not a pattern for him. I think, if you had Hillary Clinton in this chair and you asked her every hypothetical situation possible, would she -- would she respect results of the election, what if, just hypothetically speaking, since it happened in 2000, out of six million votes cast in Florida, there was a difference of 530 or so? Would -- would Hillary Clinton accept the election result? Would Donald Trump be forced to?
Or would they do what Al Gore did, which is concede the election to George W. Bush, call back, and retract the concession, and then throw it in to an unprecedented five or six weeks, Jake, until the United States Supreme Court decided who the victor was in Florida and in...
TAPPER: But, Kellyanne, that's not -- it's not the same thing. It's not the same thing.
CONWAY: It is.
TAPPER: No, because there was a state-mandated because the margin of error was so small.
Donald Trump is out there saying that, if he loses Pennsylvania, for example, a state that has not gone Democratic for a president since 1988, he is saying the only way he is going to lose Pennsylvania is if it's stolen. I mean, he is right now telling people that, if he loses, it's because there will be corruption.
And there's no evidence of it. You can't compare that to a state- mandated recount. There's always state-mandated recounts. There is going to be one, at least -- at least one, on November 8, after November 8, because some elections come in close.
He's saying the entire system is rigged. And that's not the same thing.
CONWAY: The system is rigged, and especially against the little guy. There's no question about that.
TAPPER: He's talking about the election system, the election system.
CONWAY: You have got to take all of his comments together.
TAPPER: The election system.
CONWAY: Well, I would note that...
TAPPER: He's talking about the integrity of American democracy.
CONWAY: Right. Well, if we were so worried and so high-minded about the integrity of
American democracy, then somebody would really get their hair on fire, Jake, about the fact that Hillary Clinton's foundation took millions of dollars from countries that disrespect women this advocate for women.
I mean, let's not get so high-minded and sanctimonious about American democratic principles, when we won't just -- we won't even take her to account. We spent 23 minutes on the three major networks talking about these accusers to Donald Trump, and 57 seconds talking about the newly revealed information we have about what Hillary Clinton and her senior staff think about people.
TAPPER: Kellyanne, you know how we -- do you know how we know -- do you know how we know that they took money from countries from Saudi Arabia and others, is because the Clinton Foundation discloses that information, unlike Mr. Trump, who is the first major presidential candidate since 1976 to not release his tax returns.
So, this is the reason why a lot of politicians don't like to release returns, because then people like you will attack Hillary Clinton for taking that money, or people like me will ask her about the hypocrisy of taking money from a country that oppresses women and oppresses gays.
I agree that's a legitimate charge. But the point is, she releases, she discloses that information. Mr. Trump does not.
CONWAY: So, it's OK that she takes that money?
TAPPER: No. I'm just saying that...
CONWAY: She who is fighting for women and children?
TAPPER: I'm not saying it's OK. No, I just said it wasn't. I just said it was hypocritical.
CONWAY: I promise miss that Mr. Trump's taxes do not say that he takes millions and millions of dollars. And I promise you it doesn't say that his spouse gave a 90-minute speech in Russia, pocketed a half-a-million dollars for that speech, and then turned around and helped a friend, a cohort, get -- get uranium rights.
TAPPER: We don't know. We don't know. We have no idea what ties...
CONWAY: I promise you Melania -- Melania Trump did not give a speech for that.
TAPPER: OK, fine.
But we have no idea what his ties are and where there might be moneyed interests and conflicts of interest, because he won't disclose his tax returns.
CONWAY: So, here's what we do know.
[09:25:03]
We know that, as he said yesterday in Gettysburg, Jake, that he used to be an insider. He's somebody who breathed rarefied air right up there with the Clintons and others, given his position, his power, and his wealth, and his great success as a businessman.
And yet that gives him the credibility and the legitimacy to go and fight the system from the outside in. He knows how corrosive and corrupt it is. We're learning now it's a whole axis, A-X-I-S, between some of the media, between the Clintons, between their senior advisers, between the system.
And, listen, this is all about -- his entire campaign is built about the little guy being the victim, the forgotten man, forgotten woman being the victim of the rigged, corrupt system. And let's keep the focus there. That's who he is fighting for.
I know so many in the media like to just dismiss the crowd sizes. Let me tell you something. You go out on the road with Donald Trump, this election doesn't feel over.
TAPPER: Kellyanne Conway, that's all the time we have. Thank you so much for joining us.
CONWAY: Thank you.
TAPPER: Coming up: a Republican senator openly conceding now that Donald Trump could lose and trying to save her own skin. Could cutting bait from Trump work?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:34]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HANKS AS CHRIS WALLACE: Donald, listen. I'm trying to help you, buddy so repeat after me.
I, Donald Trump.
ALEC BALDWIN AS DONALD TRUMP: I, the best ever Donald Trump.
HANKS: Promise to accept...
BALDWIN: Promise to accept...
HANKS: ... the results of this election.
BALDWIN: ... results of this election if I win. Got you, loser. Trademark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: That was "Saturday Night Live" last night their take on final presidential debate. Oh, debate cold opens. We miss you already. Here with me this panel -- this morning is our panel. Former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, former Republican Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona, Radio America and the Blaze host Dana Loesch, and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers.
Let's start with this whole thing about accepting the results and whether or not the election was rigged. Was that a missed opportunity for Mr. Trump, do you think?
DANA LOESCH, HOST, THE BLAZE'S DANA: Discussing whether or not the election was rigged?
TAPPER: Yes, at the actual debate not the "Saturday Night Live" one.
LOESCH: I think that it was in a way a missed opportunity because, you know, in certain cases you have to acknowledge that voter fraud exists.
TAPPER: Sure.
LOESCH: We all know that voter fraud is real.
Is the entire system itself rigged to the point where it could swing an entire presidential election? I don't believe that. I personally don't believe it. I mean, if we have races where they are incredibly close and you're talking about the difference between a couple of hundred votes then maybe I could see the argument for that. But I think that he should have used this as an opportunity to say no matter what happens you need to get out and you need to vote. You need to get out. Make your voice heard. Cast your vote.
TAPPER: He had to have known this question was coming. Why not have a better answer for it? I mean, you heard Mike Pence, Kellyanne Conway, Ivanka Trump answered the question the correct way we'll accept the results. We hope to win. Why not just say that?
JAN BREWER (R), FORMER ARIZONA GOVERNOR: I think that Donald really believes that there is some hanky-panky going on.
I've been a former election director, the chief director in Arizona of elections and I believe that our -- (INAUDIBLE) in Arizona there could be a possibility of something having a hiccup. Bottom line is it's usually is not very dramatic. But everybody that the law provides for any candidate anywhere in the United States to challenge an election. And if you feel that something is wrong then he should take that opportunity to challenge it. But there will be a peaceful transfer of power, obviously, when it is certified and verified.
TAPPER: We have two former Democratic elected officials from red states at the table. Senator Kerrey when you ran for re-election in Nebraska, I mean, was this ever something you worried about, election rigging except from the other side of the aisle?
BOB KERREY (D), FORMER NEBRASKA SENATOR: No. Never did.
I mean, the big thing you always worry about whether people will register and get out to vote. No, never worried about rigging of any election I've ever been a part of.
TAPPER: What about you, Bakari?
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No. I think the most amazing thing and Donald Trump has said a lot of rhetoric which I view to be very dangerous but this is the most dangerous rhetoric that he has because it undercuts the very fundamentals and very foundation of our democracy in this country, going to the vote progress.
I mean, to the governor's point, I'm glad that she stated it. Donald Trump has never stated that there will be peaceful transfer of power. He has never gone that far.
That was never a concern of mine this whole thing that it was rigged. My largest concern was voter suppression with what we see in North Carolina right now with Governor McCrory. The fact that they're cutting down the number of early voting sites. So a voter I.D. I mean, the long list of voter suppression tactics was a much larger concern than somehow some rigging of the system.
I should have claimed rigging. I might be lieutenant governor now.
(LAUGHTER)
LOESCH: Well, and to ask as well if you need people to turn out and vote for you, you don't want them to feel dispirited. You don't want people to feel as though their vote doesn't matter. And I think that that gets into a little bit of a dangerous territory and maybe just making people feel that their doesn't count and that's not the case.
KERREY: There's also sort of a tendency of older people, and I can speak on behalf of older people in this town. You can't, governor.
BREWER: I can too (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
KERREY: There's a tendency as you go through life to become bitter. The one thing I don't like is when you listen to old people telling young people, don't get involved. Don't participate. The whole system is rigged.
It isn't rigged. It's terrific to get involved. There's great opportunity to be involved. Both Republican and Democrat. I've rarely talked to anybody that got involved in politics who said it was (INAUDIBLE). So the central message he's putting out there is sort of the geezer cynic don't get involved because the whole thing does work. It does work.
TAPPER: So, Mr. Trump went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to give this big speech and he started the speech by railing against his accusers and railing against the media. Take a listen.
[09:35:02]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: Every woman who lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign. Total fabrication. The events never happened. Never.
All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Not normally when one thinks of -- when one thinks of a Gettysburg address. But I just have to wonder. I mean, this was an opportunity for him to like make a pitch to voters about things that matter to them, and he started with the 15 minute rant about grievances that a self-described billionaire has. I'm sorry people don't feel bad for him.
BREWER: Well, it has really been -- you know, he has been water boarded by these issues. It seems like it's really been kind of somewhat of a put up oppression of Donald Trump from all of these people lining up. It's just unbelievable.
And anybody that has been under those kinds of assaults I think want to defend themselves. But he did a great job --
(CROSSTALK)
BREWER: But he did a great job -- wait a minute. I have the floor. He did a great job explaining to the American people.
Donald Trump is authentic and he tells it like it is and he went out and he told the public exactly what he's going to deliver when he becomes president of the United States.
KERREY: No. He tells it like it is in his head. It doesn't necessarily mean what's in his head --
(CROSSTALK)
BREWER: No.
KERREY: Now I got the floor.
(LAUGHTER)
KERREY: It's not just -- he just tells it like it is up in his head and that's the problem. You'll never know what's up in his head. Up in his head he should have said, I'm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Now is not the time to talk about 10 women who brought a charge against me.
TAPPER: Eleven --
(CROSSTALK)
KERREY: Eleven whatever --
(CROSSTALK) BREWER: He talked about the jobs, the economy, the draining of the swamp. He was talking about important things, Bakari. That the people are interested in.
TAPPER: Governor, you are but he started off not talking about that.
SELLERS: This water boarding that the governor is talking about, I mean, Donald Trump actually literally said these things on a tape with Billy Bush and now they're coming back and people are saying that he actually committed those acts. That's first. But I don't remember when Abraham Lincoln started his speech out just lambasting the women who were accusing him of sexual assault.
(CROSSTALK)
BREWER: He said it and he apologized, Bakari. There's no --
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: Let's get Dana in.
(CROSSTALK)
LOESCH: He can say what he wants to, how he wants to, any time that he wants to except when you're doing a speech at Gettysburg. Because it was a good speech and that's what kills my soul. It was a good speech. I feel like Cuba Gooding Jr. and I'm talking to Tom Cruise right now on Jerry Maguire, I'm like, help me help you. Stops this. Just stay away from that and give a great speech.
TAPPER: His reformed proposals were perfectly...
LOESCH: (INAUDIBLE) talking.
TAPPER: ... were perfectly great. I agree. I bet that --
(CROSSTALK)
BREWER: We all agree. Terrific speech in Gettysburg. Terrific speech.
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: Except for the first 15 minutes.
LOESCH: Why did he pepper it with that? And then -- because now we're talking about it.
TAPPER: Let's take a quick break. Oprah is weighing in on the election and what she has to say you might surprise you. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:42:10]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OPRAH WINFREY, T.V. HOST: There's not a person in this room who hasn't been in the same conversation -- where people say, I just don't know if I like her.
T.D. JAKES, T.V. HOST: No (ph).
WINFREY: She's not coming over your house.
(LAUGHTER)
WINFREY: You don't have to like her. You don't have to like her. Do you like democracy or do you want a demagogue?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: That was Oprah Winfrey this week making a slightly less compelling case for Hillary Clinton than she did for Barack Obama back in 2007.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 2007)
WINFREY: I'm here to tell you, Iowa, he is the one. He is the one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So, Bakari, from, "He is the one," which is something like out of the "Matrix" or something.
SELLERS: Yes, he is the one.
TAPPER: To you don't have to like her, she's not coming over to your house. I mean, is this a --
SELLERS: I think that Oprah gave a very practical analysis of the way that many people feel.
The fact is Hillary Clinton when she campaigned she's not Barack Obama, she's not Bill Clinton, she will tell you this herself. But we also know that she is the best candidate in this race to be president of the United States.
And Oprah -- I don't know if people realize this but in the African- American community there were a lot of people who weren't going to miss that boat when Barack Obama was running for president. I mean, there is a difference between the two of them. I don't know if you know but Hillary Clinton is white.
And so when you think about these things...
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: ... mentioned that.
SELLERS: ... there was a lot of history that was involved in that race. So, yes, he was the one. But that doesn't mean that people aren't excited. I think this whole narrative about lack of enthusiasm is kind of made (ph) by the rigged media.
TAPPER: Senator, I mean, just the -- the rigged media. The senator -- I mean, there is a historic part of Hillary Clinton's candidacy too and it's really quite striking the enthusiasm of Ms. Winfrey for one and not the other.
KERREY: Yes, it's striking. Yes.
By the way, I think if Hillary came over you would actually like her. But that's not likely to happen. I mean, I do -- the question is now getting down to, how is she going to govern? Is she going to be able to work with whether it's a Democratic Senate or a Republican Senate? I mean, trying to get the economy to grow faster, trying to get immigration reform, trying to make some changes in Obamacare, these are difficult things to do. And honestly whether she comes over to your house or not she has got the passion to get those things done.
BREWER: She isn't -- Hillary Clinton has not connected with the American people. People do not like her and that shows in all the polls.
She is very cold. She is very scripted. She's very manipulative. She doesn't -- she doesn't connect --
(CROSSTALK)
BREWER: It's the best the Democrats can put up. Hillary --
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: Let's talk -- (INAUDIBLE). Let's talk about polls because there's a brand new poll out this morning from "ABC News." It's a tracking poll and it shows Hillary Clinton with 50 percent of likely voters nationally, Donald Trump 38 percent, Gary Johnson five, Jill Stein two.
And, Dana, what I hear from a lot of Republicans is, boy, we nominated the only Republican in the world that Hillary Clinton can beat.
[09:45:00]
LOESCH: Yes, there's a huge enthusiasm problem I think with both sides. I think both sides on November 9th, I think, we can all come together, we can all go seek group therapy. I think that's what we're going to have to do.
But to go from -- to get back to that sound bite Oprah saying he's the one to or you don't have to invite her to your house, this actually is going -- could create a problem for Hillary Clinton should she win the election and get in the White House because she's going to be relying on this base that Oprah is speaking to, these progressives to help get her policies out there. Sell the American public on her policies. And so far that wasn't these Podesta emails and everything else -- one of the things that we're seeing is that's going to be a difficulty for her. TAPPER: Let me ask you, Senator Kerrey, these WikiLeaks that have been coming out that revealed a lot of thing not great about Hillary Clinton and nothing that I think necessarily will defeat her...
KERREY: Yes.
TAPPER: ... but they're not necessarily flattering. Do you think if they came out during the primaries they might have actually helped Bernie Sanders win?
KERREY: Maybe. All I know is I'm using Snapchat now.
(LAUGHTER)
God help me if I get hacked. No, it's a problem. You don't like to have to be dealing with these sorts of things after your email gets hacked.
But o get back to it, I do think -- look, I think, when -- after this election is over one of the things American people is going to see is she's going to put together a first rate national security team. We have got a fight going on in Mosul. They're going to go after Raqqa. We've got a serious struggle with ISIS and she has got the capability of management --
(CROSSTALK)
KERREY: No, no. Wait a minute.
BREWER: We don't know what she's going to do.
(CROSSTALK)
KERREY: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Governor, you did it before. You did it before. Let me just finish and then you can do your thing. Look --
BREWER: You're getting me excited.
KERREY: That is a scary prospect.
(LAUGHTER)
You were (INAUDIBLE).
(LAUGHTER)
BREWER: I wasn't assaulted (ph).
KERREY: She's got demonstrated capacity. She is going to win.
The problem is immediately after she wins we got to continue the national security effort against ISIS. We have got to figure out lots of major national security challenges. The Russians just sent a fleet to the English Channel to bomb Aleppo.
LOESCH: (INAUDIBLE) work, I guess.
KERREY: Well, no. This campaign is going to be over in a hurry. And when it's over we got to get back to governing --
SELLERS: I just want to get back to this point that the governor attempted to make earlier about this -- in this lack of enthusiasm and this false narrative because Hispanic voters are excited. African- American voters are excited.
And Hillary Clinton has done something amazing and maybe it has a lot to do with Donald Trump as well but she has actually brought people together even moderate Republicans because you went do you know list of things, attributes that Hillary is not inspiring and this and that and she has alienated the American public. But Donald Trump -- I can go down the list. He has alienated Muslims-Americans, Hispanic- Americans, African-Americans, handicapped Americans, the POWs. I mean, the list goes on and on and on. And so, I mean, Hillary is actually bringing people together and that's going to be amazing --
(CROSSTALK)
BREWER: Donald Trump has brought all kinds of new people into the party and to the process. People that I've spoken to they've never ever voted --
(CROSSTALK)
SELLERS: ... just excited about that.
(LAUGHTER)
BREWER: They want something different. Oh, come on. You know, that's a low blow (INAUDIBLE).
TAPPER: I just want to play this one. This is -- Vice President Biden had something to say about Donald Trump and I want to play the sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The press always asks me don't I wish I were debating him. No, I wish we're in high school. I could take him behind the gym. That's what I wish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: That would be -- that would be --
LOESCH: Nothing better than an old man fight, Jake.
(LAUGHTER)
TAPPER: Two 70-year-old men just flapping their arms.
SELLERS: That was -- that is the traditional media because that's taken out of context because he was talking about sexual assault and he was talking about Donald Trump's comments and how most men feel about the fact that Donald Trump wants to go out there and grab women by their private parts.
And so when you talk about that, yes. Even I get emotional thinking about it or walking through a teenage beauty pageant locker room. And I have an 11-year-old girl. Because if Donald Trump was doing that to somebody I love then yes, me and Donald Trump are going behind the gym.
TAPPER: Dana, I want to give you the last word on Mr. Biden. It's just a little Christmas gift though early --
LOESCH: Oh, man where do I start.
SELLERS: You got to --
(CROSSTALK)
LOESCH: I know. I just hope they both stretch before going behind the gym and I hope that he doesn't give any more advice about taking your shotgun in your balcony and doing that. Because it's not legal in some areas because of restrictions.
(LAUGHTER)
TAPPER: All right Great panel. Thank you one and all. Appreciate it. Have a little gun reference in there. After the break Donald Trump is getting ready for his big move to Pennsylvania Avenue. No matter the election's outcome, how will Trump take over D.C.'s most famous street? It's all the subject of this week's "State of the Cartoonion." That's next. Thanks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:53:44]
TAPPER: Welcome back.
Donald Trump raising more concerns yesterday without evidence about voter fraud ahead the election calling the system rigged and broken. It's not rigged or broken but Trump has already made clear that no matter the results on Election Day, he is still coming to Washington D.C. and that is the subject of this week's "State of the Cartoonion."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER (voice-over): It's hard to believe but in just two weeks and two days we'll know who is moving into the White House next January.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Michelle and I only get an eight-year lease on the White House. We rent, we don't own.
TAPPER: We're told the actual move only takes about five hours. Although President Obama joked this week that preparations are already underway. OBAMA: Right now we're making sure we haven't broken anything, that Bo and Sunny haven't ruined carpets. We had been marking off how tall Malia and Sasha were getting on the wall, but now we got to erase it because we want our security deposit back.
TAPPER: Everyone is hoping that the transition goes well.
George H.W. Bush left behind a very gracious note for Bill Clinton after a hard fought race that read in part, your success is now our country's success and I am rooting hard for you.
Some Clinton White House staffers were less charitable when George H.W.'s son George W. Bush moved in stealing the Ws off his keyboards.
[09:55:03]
Of course even if Trump loses, no matter how he handles it...
TRUMP: It's rigged like you've never seen before.
TAPPER: ... he said he still might spend time in his new Trump hotel just a few blocks away from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.
TRUMP: So if I don't get there one way, I'm going to get to Pennsylvania Avenue another.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: Thanks for spending your Sunday morning with us. You can catch me here every Sunday and on weekdays on "THE LEAD" at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. You can go to CNN.com/SOTU, STATE OF THE UNION, for extras from the show.
I'm Jake Tapper in Washington.
"FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" is next.
