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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Clinton, Trump Make Final Pitch in Battleground States; Final Polling Shows Clinton Lead; Clinton, Make Final Pitch In Battleground States; Obamas Join Clinton For Philadelphia Rally. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired November 07, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:12] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And good evening. Thanks for joining us.
Tonight, two hours of last-minute jockeying after nearly a year and a half of just about everything imaginable and unimaginable as well. Yes, the most unusual, most unprecedented, unlikeliest, unruliest presidential campaign ever is almost history.
At the moment, though, it's still going on and it will be well into the 11th hour tonight and probably beyond. Bon Jovi's playing now at the Clinton/Obama Bruce Springsteen rally site outside Philadelphia's Independence Hall.
Hillary Clinton arrived just a few moments ago. She and the Obamas due at the event very shortly. We'll bring you that.
Both candidates holding late events during our program and two more right around midnight or even later. We'll listen to both.
And all day, the candidates and surrogates and supporters have been hitting the battlegrounds, nearly two dozen rallies. Mike pence, Ivanka Trump, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, President Obama and more.
On top of that, new early voting numbers are in, and some are simply huge. Most people have now voted early in Florida than voted there total back in 2000. More people there. Some of the last national polls are coming in as well. Our newest CNN poll of polls now showing Hillary Clinton with a four-point lead. There's that. There's the last-minute maneuvering.
President Obama's final campaign, possibly the first woman president, possibly in Donald Trump, the most unconventional.
Any one of those story lines would be enough on any other election eve. Tonight, we've got all of the above and more.
Let's start with the state by state road to the White House. CNN "INSIDE POLITICS" anchor John King.
Both on the hunt for 270, including a heavy emphasis on Pennsylvania. Can Trump make a comeback? Can he reach the presidency without it?
JOHN KING, CNN "INSIDE POLITICS" ANCHOR: Anderson, just think about it, this time tomorrow, we'll be filling in the map, the red and the blue, we'll be counting the votes. Can Donald Trump win without Pennsylvania? Yes. Is it conceivable, though? Not really. Which is why Pennsylvania is getting so much attention.
And as we show the state, let's go back in time to 2012, 52-47. This is a state Republicans in every presidential election think we're going to get and they fall short. Donald Trump thinks he can make the difference if one of the reasons, he's campaigning in Scranton today, Lackawanna County.
Look at this, President Obama won it in 2012 with 63 percent of the vote. This is a key test tomorrow r night. Watch this county. Is Hillary Clinton getting around 60 percent? If so, she's probably on her way to a Pennsylvania victory. If not, Donald Trump is making those inroads we've been talking about with white working class voters. It's a key test.
Hillary Clinton, you mentioned, in the state, she's in Philadelphia right now, but she started the day out here, Allegheny County. Why? Again, 10 percent of the state out here, it is surrounded by red. Donald Trump will run it up in all these red areas especially the "T" in the center of the state as they call it.
Hillary Clinton needs to pad the vote in Allegheny County, and where she is tonight is absolutely critical in Center City Philadelphia, in the suburbs around it, 20 electoral votes in Pennsylvania for the Democrats to get them, they need a huge turnout in Philadelphia, they need to win the suburbs.
Anderson, the Rust Belt is key to Donald Trump's strategy. That's why the last night tug of war tonight.
COOPER: And Michigan is also obviously getting a lot of attention in the final day. Where does it factor in?
KING: Michigan has become a late target for Donald Trump. Early in the campaign, they said they would get it and then ignored it for a while. But they're back to Michigan again.
This is the 2012 map. And again, it's a state President Obama won quite comfortably by nine points. So, can Donald Trump turn it? Hasn't voted Republican for president 1988.
Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton focusing on Grand Rapids. Donald Trump will be there later tonight. About 6 percent of the population, out in the western Republican part of the state.
So, why is Hillary Clinton out that way? To keep the margins like this. If you can keep the margins close in the suburbs out here, you have a chance. You run it up in Detroit, but you got to keep the margins close here.
Michigan, 16 electoral votes, Donald Trump, you know, one of the reasons, Anderson, they're pushing so hard toward at the end, they're a little nervous, they might not get North Carolina. So, it's an even trade, essentially. Sixteen in Michigan, 15 in North Carolina.
COOPER: So, as final day or the full day comes to an end, let's look at the electoral map, what do we know?
KING: Let's go. And there's two very competing theories about this as we do this. Let's bring up the electoral map. This is where we have it on the final night. Hillary Clinton at 268. Donald Trump at 204.
And even most Republicans out in Nevada will tell you, they think because of early voting, that one's going do go blue. So, at this point, if you look at map, Hillary Clinton already across the finish line at 274. There are some Democrats, including sitting at the table with you tonight who think this could play out like this.
Donald Trump gets Arizona, but some Democrats think Hillary Clinton could actually run the board here in the east, small and large. Win Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire. And end up in the ballpark of 322.
Now, this map does not include the congressional district in Nebraska and one in Maine. They count them by congressional, electoral vote. We haven't located those. But a lot of Democrats think Hillary Clinton could run the board and get into the 230s.
But here's Donald Trump's best-case scenario. Maybe she does win Nevada but he takes Arizona, he wants to take Florida, he wants to take North Carolina. If he does that, then any one of these blues, either Pennsylvania or Michigan, will get him over the top.
Here's the fallback scenario. This is why we're talking about these states today. Let's say Clinton gets North Carolina, for Donald Trump to win, he needs Pennsylvania, he needs Michigan.
[20:05:01] Now, Democrats tell you that's unlikely. They say look at the history. They say look at the organization. Donald Trump's message all day long, Anderson, has been Brexit plus-plus. That's what he's counting on.
COOPER: All right, John, come back.
I want to go to the rest of the panel. Proud Pennsylvanian Michael Smerconish joins us, anchor of CNN's "SMERCONISH". CNN senior political commentator, "Axe Files" podcaster and former Obama senior adviser, David Axelrod. Chief political analyst Gloria Borger.
Also on the left and right at your screen, Trump supporters Kayleigh McEnany and Jeffrey Lord. Jeffrey has made his name electing a political nobody named Ronald Reagan.
In the middle, Clinton supporters Paul Begala and Van Jones, we like to call them fired up and ready to go. Paul's with a pro-Clinton super PAC and Van's a former Obama senior adviser.
Let's take a look at Philadelphia right now. This is the scene there. Before we get to the panel, a massive crowd out at this Clinton event. Bruce Springsteen is going to be playing, Bon Jovi has already played.
We're going to be hearing from Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, we're told. President Obama, Michelle Obama and also Hillary Clinton. They are trying as much as possible to get out as many people as possible, in the state of Pennsylvania, in that Philadelphia area which is so critical to Democrats and to turnout.
We're going to be bringing you as much from this event and also from any Donald Trump events over the course of the next two hours and beyond tonight. Events going even past midnight tonight. CNN's going to be continuing to cover all of that.
And as we continue to look out at that scene, Gloria Borger, I mean, there is -- there is so much to talk about. I'm not even sure where to begin tonight.
Pennsylvania is obviously critical. I mean, this is why -- it's not a coincidence they picked Philadelphia.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: No, and don't forget, Pennsylvania hasn't had early voting. This is about getting out the vote. This is about getting your voters enthusiastic and getting them to get their friends out to vote and they're certainly getting the band back together among Democrats tonight.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Literally, Bon Jovi.
BORGER: Literally. Literally. I've never seen an incumbent president campaign the way that Barack Obama has campaigned for Hillary Clinton. These are two people who, you know, ran against each other in a very hard-fought race in 2008, were not always friends, their staff was not always friends.
And you look at the way Obama has campaigned for her, it's extraordinary. Not only because his legacy is on the line, but he also believes in what she can do for the country.
COOPER: Let's check in can Michelle Kosinski who's there in Philadelphia. Michelle, explain what we are looking at. It's really a massive crowd. How long have they been there? When did this begin?
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, for all of these events, and this one is no different, people start lining up several hours ahead of time. We were at an event the other day. People were waiting in line from before dawn for nine hours to see President Obama.
So he has that enthusiasm. That is clear.
Here, it was a little bit less of a wait time. It's about five hours. We just heard Jon Bon Jovi play. So, it's a festive scene even though it's cold out here tonight.
People are excited to see everyone. Of course, tonight is not just President Obama, and that's the mood, that they want to hear President Obama say good-bye essentially and pass that baton and hear from Hillary Clinton. The excitement level --
(CROSSTALK) COOPER: What is the order of events?
KOSINSKI: -- what President Obama has been trying to generate.
First, we're going to hear from Bill Clinton. We're going to hear from the president and lastly, Hillary Clinton. Michelle Obama also tonight. They're just going to try to give that final push.
You know, from President Obama, we've seen him in 16 prior campaign events. He's tried to change it up each time. He's tried to add something a little bit different.
You know, hearing Donald Trump during his appearances today say things like the system is rigged, saying that over and over again, saying that America doesn't win anymore -- these are things that legitimately irritate President Obama. I mean, you hear the annoyance in his voice when he talks about how not only Donald Trump but other Republicans say these things.
And that's contributed to his energy as he's been out on the campaign stage. Today, though, what we're hearing from the White House is he's going to make it a little bit more emotional. It's going to be a little bit different. They're talking about this being an emotional pitch to the people he's met along the way.
We know that he's already gone through several drafts of his speech tonight. And when you think back to the speech he made at the Democratic National Convention in July, how that was a little bit reminiscent, more emotional. I think that's what we're going to hear tonight, Anderson.
COOPER: Michelle Kosinski, we'll continue to check in with you. We want to bring as much as this event to you as we can tonight.
We're going to be hearing from Bruce Springsteen, obviously, Michelle was just talking about President Obama, Michelle Obama, who's been a huge boost to the Hillary Clinton campaign over the last several weeks, particularly after -- it seems like she really sort of got involved after, David Axelrod, after the "Access Hollywood" tape came out.
[20:10:09] That seemed to sort of spur Michelle Obama on in a way to come forward and get out on the campaign trail in a way we hadn't previously seen.
AXELROD: There's no doubt that was one impetus. I think she was committed before that. We saw her at the convention and she made a very compelling speech at the convention.
And the one thing about Michelle Obama is she doesn't go out there unless she wants to. I mean, she doesn't go out there without conviction and she believes in this and she believes in it not just because of her husband's legacy, but she believes that there's a choice here that is and for the country and she's -- she has been probably the most effective surrogate that Hillary Clinton has had in this campaign. COOPER: Trump rally to begin shortly. As you're seeing on the right-
hand side of your screen, shortly in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Michael Smerconish, you know Pennsylvania well. What are you looking at in the state, what are you going to be looking at particularly tomorrow?
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, knowing that I would be here with you tonight on business, I voted a week ago, but the point is well taken that --
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: How many times?
SMERCONISH: Only once. Only once. Just to offset you. But -- just kidding.
But unless you have a showing for cause, you can't vote early. We have a very anachronistic system. So, part of the reason all of this attention is being focused in Pennsylvania tonight is because no one has yet been able to exercise the franchise.
The observation I would make is we just televised this large rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, for Donald Trump. Now, you're looking at another crowd in Philadelphia. It's what lies behind these crowds I think is significant.
It's a very organic effort on the part of the Trump campaign. They're counting on folks who have not been politically involved to get out there on their own initiative and cast ballots. Behind that crowd, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, why the metrics of the Clinton campaign, very sophisticated, bringing folks out to vote and very orchestrated ward apparatus, street money, organized efforts to go knock on doors and bring folks out. So, therein lie the differences between what will happen tomorrow in Pennsylvania.
COOPER: John, how important is tonight these kind of events tonight in some of these states?
KING: Well, because there is no early voting, the events you're seeing today in Michigan, events in New Hampshire, these eves in Philadelphia, again, Clinton was in both Pittsburgh, now in Philadelphia. Donald Trump dropped into Scranton. Little hello to Vice President Biden, that's his hometown.
I want to read you some numbers. In the end, there's a lot of talk about tonight. No matter who wins tomorrows, what has happened, what have we done in this election?
We changed debates about trade. We changed debates about the corrupt system, about campaign finance. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in agreement on a lot of these things. So, there's a lot that's going to change no matter who wins.
But let's focus, since we don't know who's going to win yet, we've got 27, 30 hours before we know that. Look at this crowd tonight, I want to read you some numbers. Michael knows this as well as me. This is Philadelphia four years ago. Barack Obama, 557,024 votes.
Mitt Romney, 91,840. That's what the Democrats have to do tomorrow in Philadelphia, because if you look at the center part of that state, and I was showing on the map, all that red, Donald Trump is going to run it up. And he's probably going to run up even more than Mitt Romney because if Michael's right and Jeffrey are right about this organic groundswell of whether they're Tea Party voters, whether they're blue collar voters, running it up for Donald Trump, the Democrats are going to have to prove they can turn that city out tomorrow, and to a lesser degree in Allegheny County.
But look at that, 557,000 to 91,000. That's what they need just in the city of Philadelphia tomorrow.
COOPER: It's interesting, though, I mean, what -- seems like the Democrats are trying to do here tonight is sort of recreate the Democratic convention a little bit. I mean, sort of try to bring the band back together, get Michelle Obama, get some of the -- you know, Bruce Springsteen, get some of that energy that they had.
AXELROD: And just to point out, this is a very efficient market because it's not just the city of Philadelphia that's going to be central to the outcome, but the suburbs of Philadelphia.
BORGER: Right.
AXELROD: And so, they're going to be speaking not just to voters in Philadelphia but also swing voters in the suburbs with who have been more than usual trending toward Hillary Clinton and particularly women which is I think -- I think why Michelle Obama's role here is very important.
BORGER: And this is going to be covered on local television, I would presume, right, right?
SMERCONISH: Oh, my God. It's being live streamed right now.
BORGER: It will be wall to wall. That's what they need.
SMERCONISH: Anderson, can I make an observation? I don't think Bruce Springsteen is just another celebrity tonight. You look at the lyrics, you look at the crowd that he reaches. Donald Trump has cut into that Springsteen constituency.
And although I know he's supportive of Democratic candidates generally, I think it was a very deliberate play. Poor Bon Jovi, he has to be the warm-up act for the Boss tonight. But that Springsteen constituency is very much in play in PA.
BORGER: But if he offers, you take it, right?
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Jeffrey?
LORD: The difference between the crowd you're seeing there in Philadelphia, and the Trump crowds is the Trump crowds come to see Trump, and they come there by the tens of thousands. These people are coming to see the Boss and whatever political entertainment. But they're not necessarily all voters here. They're coming for some musical entertainment.
COOPER: You don't believe the people in this crowd are going to be out voting tomorrow?
[20:15:03] LORD: Some of them, a lot of them, sure. But I'm not sure all of them are.
I mean, let be candid. I'm a fan of the Boss. If I were living there, I'd go. And I wouldn't be voting for Hillary Clinton.
One of the problems here -- I mean, I think all year, what we've been seeing is an American-style revolution, if you will, peaceful but people out in the countryside, van's going, giving me the sign here, people out in the countryside have had enough for a whole variety of things.
You mentioned Michelle Obama. Let me bring this up. I happen to like Michelle Obama. There it goes, my credibility.
AXELROD: I assume it's a prelude to something else.
LORD: Well, it is. It is. It is. And that is that one of the things that got her interested in this all of a sudden was that "Access Hollywood" tape.
BORGER: Yes.
LORD: In which the "p" word was mentioned.
And yet there is Hillary Clinton with Jay-z who has a song, specifically titled with the "P" word, filled with all sorts of epitaphs.
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: Wait, wait, wait -- which goes to the double standard and hypocrisy here, in other words, if they hear something in a private conversation that happens to be taped by a Republican, this is awful yet and they'll stand up there with hip hop star --
COOPER: I guess the question is, does somebody want Jay-Z to be president of the United States as opposed to Donald Trump who would be --
LORD: No, it goes -- no, I would disagree. The larger question is, look, hypocrisy. One rule for elites and one rule for regular folks.
COOPER: All right.
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Johnny Cash sang a song, said, I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. It doesn't mean you campaign with a murderer. There's a big
difference. In his art -- by the way, I couldn't name a Jay-Z song if you gave me 100 bucks. It's not my kind of music. I'm a Johnny Cash guy.
But artists need to push the envelope and create characters and they do things like that --
LORD: What do you do to American culture when you do that?
BEGALA: But what does Johnny Cash do who I believe?
COOPER: By the way, I believe Jay-Z is greatly relieved that you're not --
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: If you're his in his demo all of a sudden --
(CROSSTALK)
AXELROD: Ted Nugent was performing for Trump. What does he --
LORD: Right. And why did that make news?
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The difference is for Jay-Z to shout these -- to shout these expletives on a stage at a political rally while the Democrats are trying to stand on a moral high ground saying we're better than that and Hillary Clinton is putting out commercials with little girls looking in the mirror --
COOPER: Ted Nugent grabbed his package at his concert, didn't he? Said I got your blue states right here?
MCENANY: But my point is, if Democrats want to put out commercials of little girls looking in the mirror, making themselves as the moral paragon of virtue, you cannot have Jay-Z on a stage shouting expletives --
AXELROD: Kayleigh, I agree with you, when Jay-Z run for president, he's going to have to answer for that. He's not the candidate for president.
MCENANY: Hillary is.
AXELROD: That's the problem.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: One thing that's interesting --
COOPER: There's Bruce Springsteen on the stage. But --
BEGALA: Who will not grab anybody's genitals.
JONES: I hope not. His or anybody else's. Part of what they're trying to do is -- you want me to take it?
COOPER: Keep going. Take it.
JONES: Part of what they're trying to do, the reason that Jay-Z is even being talked about is because they're trying to drive up that millennial participation.
COOPER: Let's listen in.
(BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SINGING)
[20:23:19] COOPER: It's Bruce Springsteen singing his classic "Thunder Road" off the album "Born to Run."
Plenty more to talk about, plenty more to see as we bring you live events from both candidates. Secretary Clinton there in Philly. As you can see in the lower right, Trump expected in Manchester, New Hampshire, tonight on 360.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:28:15] COOPER: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump both expected to speak shortly. Hillary Clinton going from Philadelphia to Raleigh, North Carolina. Bruce Springsteen performing right now.
Donald Trump speaking shortly at this event in Manchester, New Hampshire, where running mate, Mike Pence, is talking right now. Let's listen to him.
GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: New Hampshire, one day from now, you must do your part to ensure that the next president to make appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States is President Donald Trump.
So, as I wrap up and I'm going to slide off the stage and the next time you see me, you'll see him. I want to leave you with a challenge. I want to leave you with a challenge. I've got a couple of things for you to do because this isn't about rallies, right?
This is about -- this is about making a difference. I mean, this is no ordinary time in the life of our nation. I'll never forget the night, it seems like just yesterday, Karen and I, we had been told the call was coming.
We prayed through it. We talked through it as a family. We knew what our answer would be.
And the phone rang, I picked up the phone, I heard that very familiar voice on the end of the line. He said, "Mike, it's going to be great."
And it has been. And it will be when we make Donald Trump the president of the United States of America.
COOPER: Mike Pence in New Hampshire.
Now, CNN's Brianna Keilar has just gotten off the Clinton plane.
Brianna, what have you been hearing about tonight, about what to expect?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the rally of all rallies when it comes to Hillary Clinton.
[20:30:04]I mean, you can see behind me just all of these people, tens of thousands of people here in front of Independence Hall and around it. You know, Hillary Clinton, if I can show this to you, Hillary Clinton often gets knocked for not having the attendance at her rallies. She doesn't have the mega-rallies normally that Donald Trump does. And as you can see here, she certainly does tonight.
And part of that is because she's getting a little help from her friends. President Obama here, First Lady Michelle Obama here, as well as her husband, Bill Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, as well as some star power here. Bruce Springsteen playing to the crowd here, getting them ready for sort of the main part of the evening. And we also understand that Jon Bon Jovi is here. Not going to perform he's going to fly with Hillary Clinton on her plane to Raleigh, North Carolina, and he's going to be performing there.
So, Anderson, you know, she's -- it's not just her. She is drawing a large crowd with all of these people who are here to support her.
COOPER: I think, actually, Bon Jovi actually already played there tonight Brianna, before you got there. So I know you just got off the plane. How confident is the Clinton campaign heading into ...
KEILAR: Right.
COOPER: ... these final hours, Brianna?
KEILAR: They are cautiously optimistic. I will tell you that, they feel pretty good. And part of that is because they have more pathways to 270 electoral votes than Donald Trump does. Now, you looked at the polls here in the final days and they've tightened. So that's something that has certainly a number of Democrats and Democratic supporters of Hillary Clinton's biting their nails and worried about what is going to happen tomorrow.
But when you talk to Clinton aides and they're looking at their internal poling and they're looking at early voting, where they have seen an uptick in Latino voters coming out which they think is going to play to their advantage in a major way, they're feeling pretty good about it. Of course, we're going to have to wait until tomorrow and see if they're correct.
COOPER: In terms of closing argument, what's the message the campaign is trying to get across?
KEILAR: It's two pronged in a way. Now, initially Hillary Clinton had wanted to end her campaign on a high note, because this has been such a, at times, nasty campaign that we have seen, just a brutal fight between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In the end, because of the polls tightening, she wasn't able to do that as much as they had initially planned. We heard some positive notes today. She's out with positive ads over the weekend, another one out today, and she certainly was talking about this message of inclusivity and also how she wants to bring people together but at the same time, Anderson, she's making this argument against Donald Trump. She just said repeatedly, this is the third of four stops, she has said repeatedly today, Donald Trump is experientially and temperamentally unfit to be president.
So that is really -- that is really the, I guess, the umbrella over her argument against Donald Trump which is a key part of her closing argument here.
COOPER: All right. Brianna Keilar, thanks very much.
Now back to the Trump/Pence rally in New Hampshire. Let's check in with CNN's Sara Murray who is in Manchester. So this is where Trump got his first primary win. He's close to Clinton there in the polls. What's his final pitch to voters tonight?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, look, as you point out, this is sort of a nostalgic state for him where he got his first win as a presidential candidate and he is going to show up here and sort of continue trying to hammer home the message he's been hitting all day which is the notion he is the change candidate. He's certain to have some cutting attacks against Hillary Clinton. He has not held back on that all day today.
And Anderson, this is really a state where the polls have been all over in the last sort of month or so, but it's a place where they really did see Republicans begin to come home in the wake of Comey's first letter about Hillary Clinton's e-mails and the big question for them now is whether they can get over the top in New Hampshire. This is a state where people predominantly vote on Election Day. I think you're going to see Donald Trump come out and give a very vigorous pitch reminding people to show up for him tomorrow.
COOPER: And Trump's final rally tonight is in Michigan which is obviously a state that haven't voted for a Republican since 1988. Does the campaign feel like they really have a chance of pulling off a win there tomorrow?
MURRAY: They do feel like they have a shot there because they feel like Donald Trump is a different kind of Republican running in Michigan. They feel like he's the kind of Republican who can win over some union Democrats who have gone blue in the past and that could be their path to victory, but Anderson, this is also a necessity, let's be completely honest about that. Donald Trump does not have as many paths to victory as Hillary Clinton does and many, many of those paths hinge on flipping one of these blue states red. And they sort of feel like Michigan is one of their best options at this point.
Now, they have a couple other options. There is one option through New Hampshire that could get them exactly to 270, but they're trying to keep as many paths open as possible at this point. [20:35:04] COOPER: All right, Sara Murray. Sara, thanks very much. We're going to check back in with Sara throughout these two hours as well as Brianna Keilar with the Clinton campaign. We're expecting of course we'll be taking Hillary Clinton, President Obama, Michelle Obama as well. There -- you have Bruce Springsteen there thanking the crowd. Taking in the applause of the crowd.
We're told there's going do be Bill Clinton, his daughter, Chelsea, Michelle Obama, President Obama, Hillary Clinton. A huge crowd there turned out as we wait for that event and also waiting for Donald Trump to show up at his event. We'll bring you his comments as well.
John King, I mean, did seem Donald Trump kind of went off message somewhat today, I mean, on this closing day taking credit one point for release of information about Obamacare premiums which is actually something the government, those numbers get released by the government, is not something Donald Trump actually controls.
At one point he was talking about NFL ratings, I mean -- I was watching. I mean, for a guy who's been pretty much on message, it was interesting today to see it sort of go off a bit.
JOHN KING, CNN INSIDE POLITICS ANCHOR: I say on the last night of the campaign, and I hope we can have bipartisan agreement on this, we should all get these candidates a little bit of grace in the sense that they're doing four, five states a day. They've been at this for months and months and months and months and months, and guess what, when candidates get tired, they say silly things.
Yes, you're right. Donald Trump sometimes takes credit for the sunrise and sometimes takes credit that the apple pie is something we all like to eat. But it's the last day of the campaign. So I don't want to beat up on the guy way too much. But in this -- in fact -- and again, now the Democrats say, you know, this should be a warning to you and Republicans say, no, this is proof Donald Trump has learned the lesson of the campaign. In the last month or so, he has been for the most part, with some glaring exceptions, but for the most part, a traditional Republican candidate reading a speech on teleprompter, in which he talks about repealing Obamacare, cutting taxes, getting rid of regulations. Forgive me, Jeffrey, but you can close your eyes and if you didn't know the voice, it could be Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush giving that speech. And that's been interesting.
COOPER: And here's Chelsea Clinton and Bill Clinton. Let's listen in.
CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: Good evening Philadelphia. It is so exciting to see and hear and feel so much enthusiasm this evening. It has been one of the great honors of my life to travel throughout the country over the last months on behalf of my mother's campaign. To meet the thousands of organizers who were working so hard with probably no sleep. To meet so many of the million volunteers who have been part of this campaign. And to now be here tonight with the tens of thousands of people ...
COOPER: Chelsea Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and, again, we're going to be bringing you Michelle Obama, President Obama, and Hillary Clinton as well as Donald Trump at his event.
In terms of the arguments now that both sides are making, I mean, how do you see the final argument that the Clinton campaign is trying to make?
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I want to say something, there's the main argument that comes from the campaign, and from the candidates and all the big guns, but I've been talking to people at the Grassroots level trying to figure out how to unlock this millennial of color vote we were talking about Jay-Z earlier. I think the problem with Jay-Z wasn't just the language, he was talking about assaulting people, but we can leave that alone.
The reality is that we -- that some arguments are starting to work for some of these young millennials of color. I just want to brag on them. They figured out very quickly that telling young people of color that, you know, somebody died for your right to vote was a big turnoff. That they don't want to hear that. They feel like they're being guilted by their grandparents. That's a big turnoff.
But what does work is when they're telling these young people, not that, you know, somebody died a long time ago, but you might die, that you need to have a local prosecutor that will do a good job. They turned the local races around.
COOPER: Well let's listen in to former President Clinton.
BILL CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S HUSBAND: ... I am so proud of our daughter, I'm grateful for her. I'm grateful for all of you who have worked for her from the beginning to today. I'm grateful to Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. I'm grateful to all of you. But I want you to take just one minute to think of where we are and what it means. This country began here. Right here.
With people who pledged their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor, to form a more perfect ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Union!
B. CLINTON: In other words, we're stronger together. And I have watched in this campaign as our candidate lived a campaign as she has lived her life. Dedicated to making changes for other people.
[20:40:07] Proving in no matter what came all along and no matter what they have or with, no matter what obstacles were in the road, she would keep her eyes on other people. On the futures that our children are, our grandchildren, deserve. On how we could move forward together. And no matter what happens, she said, we're stronger together. That means answers are better than anger. Empowerment is better than resentment. Working together is better than fighting all the time. And it's way better to lift somebody up than put people down, that is the candidate we are for. And tomorrow the American people are going to be given a chance ...
COOPER: We're going to have more of this event. We're going to take a short break. More live coverage of the candidates as they make their final pitches to voters on this election eve. Michelle Obama, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, all ahead. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And Michelle Obama is now speaking in Philadelphia. Let's listen in.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF UNITED STATES: ... our next president. Now how amazing is that?
So I am honored to be here on the stage on the eve of this historic moment. I'm also emotional because in many ways speaking here tonight is, perhaps, the last and most important thing that I can do for my country as first lady. And let me just take a moment to thank you, to thank the people of this country for giving our family the extraordinary honor of serving as your first family.
[20:45:11] Thank you for your love. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for welcoming us into your communities with open arts, for giving us a chance. Whether you agreed with our politics or not.
Every day, you have inspired us with your courage and your decency. And every day, we have tried to make you proud and live up to the standard of citizenship that you set. Because we know that our words and actions are a reflection to the world of who we are as a nation, and more importantly, our actions are a reflection of what behavior we hope our children will emulate. And we believe that our responsibility to you and to this country does not end when we leave the White House. That's why Barack and I have been working so hard in this election because we believe that we have a duty to ensure that this country is handed over to a leader that we all can trust.
A leader who takes this job seriously. Someone who is truly ready to be commander in chief on day one. We -- we deserve a leader who will ensure that our daughters are safe and respected and that our sons understand that truly strong men are compassionate and kind. We deserve a leader who sees the dignity and humanity in all of us and who will encourage us to see the better angels in one another. We deserve a leader who sees our diversity not as a threat, but as a blessing.
A leader who sees us not as rich or poor, but as hardworking folks doing the best we can with what we've got. A leader who sees us not as Democrats and Republicans, but as neighbors and friends who all love this country. Who sees us not just as black or white, immigrant or native born, but as brothers and sisters who are all infinitely worthy. All an important part of this great American story.
And I am here tonight because I believe with ally heart and soul that Hillary Clinton is that leader. And we need to do everything we can to get her elected president of the United States. And here's the beauty of it all. This election is on us. It is in our hands. If we get out and vote tomorrow, Hillary Clinton will win. But if we stay home or we play around with a protest vote, then Hillary's opponent will win, period, end of story. Look, it is important to understand that presidential elections are breathtakingly close. They are decided by just 5, 10, 15 votes for precinct, so by just taking a few minutes out of your day tomorrow to cast your vote and bringing your friends and family with you, each of you has the power to swing an entire precinct for Hillary. And if we swing enough precincts, we will win this state, we will win this election, and we will continue the progress that we have all made together these past eight years. We will do this. That is the power that you have. Tomorrow, with your vote, you can stand up to those who seek to divide us and make us afraid. You can declare with one voice that we are always stronger together. Tomorrow, with your vote, you can say that this country has always been great. That it is the greatest nation on earth. A country there a girl like me from the south side of Chicago whose great-great grandfather was a slave can go to some of the finest universities on earth.
[20:50:00] A country where the biracial son of a single mother from Hawaii and the son of a single mother from Hope, Arkansas, can both make it the White House. A country where a passionate, outspoken young woman determined to do all the good she can, can go on to break the highest, hardest glass ceiling and become our president.
That is the power you have and the history you can make tomorrow. But only if we get out and vote for Hillary Clinton. So can we count on you? Can Hillary count on you? We've got to get this done! You've got to get out and vote! We can make this happen!
So I now have the honor of introducing my husband to the stage. It's my chance, perhaps the last chance, I have to introduce him as president of the United States. So, I just want to take a moment to publicly say how proud I am of all that he has done for this country. I am -- I'm proud not just of what he has done, but how he has done it.
Getting the job done in the face of unimaginable challenges, always going high when they go low. Showing us all what's intelligence, dignity, and grace really look like. And never, ever compromising his values or beliefs. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you the love of my life, the president of the United States, Barack Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, Philadelphia! Are you fired up?! Are you ready to go?! Thank you, Michelle Obama, for being my partner, my love, my wack, and an amazing first lady.
Eight years ago, I asked all of you to join me on an unlikely journey. We set out not just to change programs or policies, but to rebuild an economy where everyone had a chance to succeed. To reform Washington, so that your voices would be more powerful than entrenched lobbyists'. We set out to keep America safe and strong, not just with the might of our arms, the extraordinary valor of our troops, but with the power of our ideas. To shape a changing America, so that everybody belongs and everybody has a part, everybody has a responsibility.
And we didn't know when we began that America would fall into the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. But in the face of great challenges, in the face of entrenched interests, in the face of, in some cases, unprecedented obstruction and a cynical Washington, we stayed with it. The American people stayed with it. And because of your resilience, because of your strength, because of your faith, we turned, yes, we can, into, yes, we did.
Look at the road we've traveled. We seen America turn recession into recovery. Our businesses create 15 1/2 million new jobs, putting more people back to work than all the other advanced economies combined.
[20:55:12] A resurgent auto industry has led the fastest manufacturing growth since another Clinton was president. Incomes are rising, poverty is falling, 20 million more Americans have health insurance. We've doubled production of renewable energy to become the world leader in fighting climate change. Marriage equality is finally a reality from coast to coast. We brought home more of our men and women in uniform, took out Osama bin Laden, and almost every country on earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago.
In fact, because Bill Clinton is here, I did some math, a little arithmetic. Under the last two Republican presidents, job growth was basically flat. Deficits went up. Over our two Democratic presidencies, job went up by more than 30 million, deficits went down, millions more Americans gained health insurance, so yes. With Democrats in charge, America is stronger. Those are just the facts.
And with just one more day to go, we now have the chance to elect a 45th president who will build on our progress, who will finish the job. Who already has the respect of leaders around the world and the people they serve. Who is smart and who is steady, and who is tested. Someone who comes to this office as well-prepared as anyone who has ever run. More than me, more than Bill, the next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton!
Now, I know it's been a long campaign. There's been a lot of noise and a lot of distraction. At times, it's felt more like a reality show or even a parody. But tomorrow, tomorrow, Philadelphia, the choice you face when you step into that voting booth could not be clearer and could not be more serious.
On the economy, Donald Trump is uniquely unqualified to be our chief executive. That's why most CEOs and economist don't support him. He would trigger a reckless trade war that cost jobs, strip 20 million Americans of their health insurance. Roll back the new rules designed to check "Wall Street" recklessness and protect consumers and would roll back the regulations we put in place to preserve this planet for our kids.
On foreign policy, Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be commander in chief. Don't take my word for it, listen to the Republicans who have refused to support him. He lacks a basic understanding of the world, justifies torture, suggesting abandoning our allies.
Over the weekend, his campaign took away his Twitter account. Because he's erratic. If his closest advisers don't trust him to tweet, why would any of us trust him with the nuclear codes? More than his policies are his plans, though. Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump has shown utter contempt for the values that make this nation great. Anyone who sees women as objects, minorities and immigrants as inferior, other faiths as presumptively un-American, cannot lead this diverse dynamic big-hearted country that we love.
And so all of this should give you reason enough to vote tomorrow. But you don't just have to vote against someone. You have somebody extraordinary to vote for. Philadelphia, you've got someone outstanding to vote for in Hillary Clinton.
[21:00:07] I'll be honest, I have to bite my tongue after a lot of the nonsense I heard people say about Hillary in this election.