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At This Hour

Final Day of Campaigning Kicks Off; Battle for the Battleground States; Trump Speaks Live in Florida. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired November 07, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:11] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Berman.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. It is go time, people. Not days, but hours away now, 32 hours to be exact, until the first polls close but then again, who is counting? We all are. That means hours until the country elects the next president of the United States and we won't play out any additional scenarios right here, right now. Until then it is all hands on deck. Leave it all on the field to quote the iconic film "Space Balls," it's ludicrous speed to the finish line. So let's get started.

BERMAN: Moments from now Donald Trump kicks off his final full day of campaigning in Sarasota, Florida, his first of five stops in five states today, including North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan.

Live pictures or there were live pictures right there at that event in Sarasota.

Hillary Clinton, she is flying to Pittsburgh right now, then she's off to Michigan, and back to Pennsylvania, where she will appear in Philadelphia with Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, the president of the United States, that is, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. Now is not the time to argue whether he is overrated. Then Secretary Clinton, she will close the day with a late-night rally in North Carolina. She spoke to reporters just before she left for this odyssey moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I have some work to do to bring the country together. As I have been saying in these speeches in the last few days, I really do want to be the president for everybody, people who vote for me, people who vote against me, because I think that these splits, these divides that have been not only exposed but exacerbated by the campaign on the other side are ones that we really do have to bring the country together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: A lot going on today. We are all over the place covering it. Miguel Marquez is in Pittsburgh. Jessica Schneider in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We're going to start with Jason Carroll, who is in Sarasota, Florida, where Donald Trump about to kick off in that state that brings a whopping 29 electoral votes -- Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a must-win state. Can you believe we are finally, finally in the final stretch here. When Donald Trump takes the stage just a few moments from now, he's expected to tell the audience here to get out and vote. By a show of hands, a lot of people in this room say they have already voted. What the Trump campaign wants these people to do now is to get a friend to get out to join them to vote tomorrow.

This is a must-win state for Donald Trump going forward. The Democrats are encouraged by early voting among Latinos here in the state that they say is going to favor them but the Trump campaign encouraged by crowds like this one that they say it's going to translate into votes for them come Election Day.

Going forward, as you guys both know, their goal going forward, they've got to flip a blue state. Maybe in the upper Midwest, maybe a place like Michigan, maybe in the Rockies, maybe a place like Colorado,. They've got some heavy lifting to do. They say they've got a path to get to 270 but regardless, in that path, must flip a blue state going forward -- Kate, John.

BOLDUAN: Jason Carroll, great to see you. Thank you so much.

So from there to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a battleground state, with 20 electoral votes. A battleground that's gone for the Democratic candidate in the last six elections. Hillary Clinton about to kick off her day there.

Miguel Marquez is there -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is a huge state for the Clinton campaign. They want to build a firewall around it so that it closes off options for Donald Trump. She will be at University of Pittsburgh here today looking for millennial votes. She'll be in Philadelphia later today trying to get people in the city there, mostly African-American votes, out to vote.

Donald Trump doing very well in the rural areas of the states, that those rustbelt voters essentially white working class males, both here and in Ohio and -- and in Michigan and Wisconsin, hoping he can put together some sort of a coalition to push him over that 270 mark, trying very, very hard here. But Democrats, it's an uphill battle for Donald Trump. They have more than a million Democrats here.

They have bested Republicans with about 100,000 more Democrats registering this time around and Hillary Clinton was here on Friday. She's here today, she's back -- she was in Philly last night, she's back in Philly tonight. All hands on Pennsylvania. They hope for a win. Back to you.

BERMAN: And when you bring in Jon Bon Jovi that says something. Miguel Marquez, in Pennsylvania, thanks so much.

Now if there's one state that's a surprise candidate magnet today, it is Michigan. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump going there today, not to mention Chelsea Clinton and President Obama set to speak shortly in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Go, blue. Jessica Schneider is there -- Jessica.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go blue.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, John and Kate, you can hear the roar of the crowd here. That millennial vote. President Obama soon to touch down here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he'll rally this crowd of millennials.

[11:05:02] It's all about galvanizing that enthusiasm and actually getting out the vote. As we have seen in the last few days, the race here has tightened considerably. Hillary Clinton now up four points in the latest poll. That's a drop from 11 points a month ago. So Hillary Clinton is counting on the numbers. That's why we have seen this frenzy of activity out here in Michigan. President Obama will be here in just about an hour. He will be introduced by Chelsea Clinton.

We also saw Donald Trump here in the state last night. He'll be back here for a late-night rally at 11:00 p.m. Donald Trump thinks he can get some of those Reagan Democrats, those working white class -- white working class voters, hoping to get the numbers out there because as we have seen, Michigan has suddenly come into play -- John and Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Jessica Schneider, thank you.

Let's just reinforce the point. Go, blue.

BERMAN: Go, blue.

BOLDUAN: OK. So after all that, the candidates scramble that is this final frantic full court press today, what does the map look like?

BERMAN: Want to talk about this now with the master of demographics, CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein.

Ron, I want to start with the point that both candidates are going to both Pennsylvania and Michigan today.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Right.

BERMAN: From a mathematical perspective, it's easy to see why Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are focused on the states. Why? Because if you flip them, if you make these blue states red and then Donald Trump picks up Florida and another swing state like North Carolina, it's over. Right?

BROWNSTEIN: Sure.

BERMAN: If he gets those, some of the battlegrounds, it's over. But when we are talking about the rust belt, there's something else going on there.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. Big story here. I mean, you know, you look back at kind of the modern era of presidential politics since 1992, we have really had two big buckets of swing states. One is the rust belt. Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa and Pennsylvania. States with a lot of blue collar white voters but Democrats have been able to do better in the rust belt among those voters than they have really anywhere else in the country. Now as a result, over these last six elections, those five rust belt swing states, they have won 27 out of 30 times.

This year, though, Donald Trump with his just enormous connection with blue collar white voters, in fact, in the ABC-"Washington Post" and the NBC-"Wall Street Journal" polls this week he is equaling Ronald Reagan's margin against Walter Mondale in 1984, among non-college whites. That is allowing him to really batter at the door of that kind of rust belt fortress. Ohio and Iowa, most at risk, Michigan is where they are, you know, pushing today, still an uphill climb there, and Pennsylvania, but he is in the game.

BOLDUAN: Pay no attention to the count right now.

BERMAN: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Something wonky is going on right now. Let's go back to reset where we are.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: OK. So we were talking about the rust belt. Right?

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

BOLDUAN: We'll talk about the sun belt. Now if I get to my favorite thing, which is -- we're looking at Florida, we're looking at North Carolina.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

BOLDUAN: We're looking at Nevada.

BROWNSTEIN: Colorado.

BOLDUAN: We're looking at Colorado.

BROWNSTEIN: And Virginia.

BOLDUAN: We're looking at Virginia.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

BOLDUAN: Why is -- what's going on here?

BROWNSTEIN: This is the reverse. Right? I mean, like, this election could fast forward changes that we expected to happen over a decade or more. Again, over those last six elections, in these five states, Democrats have only won them 13 out of 30 times. The average Democratic share of the votes since 1992 in these five states is lower than it is in any of the rust belt states. But today Hillary Clinton may be depending more on these than on some of the rust belt states because these are states defined by diversity and more white collar whites, where Donald Trump is struggling.

So Colorado and Virginia, a strong advantage. Nevada with that early vote among Latinos may be in her corner. Florida, they are very confident. North Carolina remains an absolute tipping point. But in addition to these five, you now have -- what, you have Arizona and you have Georgia that are, you know, potentially one step behind becoming more competitive. So this historic reversal of advantage where Democrats have been dominant in the rust belt and Republicans have had the upper hand in the sun belt, we may begin to see that move as the geography follows the demography.

BERMAN: And just to give you a sense, the long term implications, right?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BERMAN: Again, this is where we stand right now. CNN thinks we're here right now. If you can make Florida a blue state.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. Blue state, right.

BERMAN: Going forward.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BERMAN: As in like as blue as, say, Virginia is or Colorado, which is like a light blue but a blue state.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. Right.

BERMAN: That is an enormous electoral vote advantage.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. And not only that, the sun belt states, you know, these five sunbelt states plus Arizona and Georgia which, again, may be very competitive this year even if they don't tip, they are adding electoral college votes every 10 years when we reapportion in the census. The rust belt states are losing them.

You know, and -- look, it has been an act of political levitation for the Democrats to run better among working class whites in the rust belt than they have pretty much anywhere else in the country. Donald Trump is really challenging that. But if the cost of that is losing ground among white collar whites and especially Latinos, who are so prevalent in the sun belt, the question is that not only a zero sum game, it could be a negative sum game for Republicans.

I think Texas is somewhere out there, too, not quite the same -- you know, not at the same speed but eventually these same demographic forces will bring that more into play as well.

BERMAN: All right. Ron Brownstein, you circled Florida, why, because I think Donald Trump is speaking there right now in Sarasota.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BERMAN: Let's listen in for a second. DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we win the corrupt

politicians and their donors lose. If they win, the American people lose big league.

[11:10:01] This is it, folks. We will never have another opportunity. Not in four years, not in eight years. It will be over. With Supreme Court justices, with people pouring into our country. This is it. This is it. Good luck. Get out there. I did my thing. I mean, I worked. Yesterday.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Yesterday they said I set a record. I had crowds like -- massive crowds. Thank you. Thank you. But yesterday, we set a record. We went to seven different states. You had to see these crowds. In Michigan, which I think we're going to win Michigan, by the way.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I tell you, we're going to win Michigan. You know what we're going to win? We're going to win Minnesota. We're going to win Minnesota. We're leading big in Ohio. We're leading in Iowa. We're leading in New Hampshire where I'm going in a little while. We're leading in North Carolina. We're doing very, very well in Pennsylvania. Very well. The miners are going to come out. The workers are going to come. The steel workers who lost their jobs are coming out.

By the way, lots of people surrounding Philadelphia are going to come out and they're voting because they want to vote. And you know who's going to come out? The women are going to come out. You watch. The women. The women are going to come out big.

It's all a phony deal. They are telling you a lot of phony stuff. They are so worried. You ought to see them on television this morning. Oh, you know they get a note handed over that we're leading in, let's say, New Hampshire, which we are, they get a note, very happy and now everything's going, oh, oh, oh, Mr. Trump is leading in New Hampshire. You can see they're thrilled. They're totally thrilled. They are thrilled.

By the way, I just want to introduce, I'm a big fan of Billy Graham. We all are. Who isn't, right? Who isn't? Who isn't? I'm also a big fan that he's been so incredible to me, of Franklin Graham. He's a great guy. He's keeping it going. And Billy Graham's granddaughter was here and spoke incredibly, I hear. I hear. But Sissy Graham Lynch is here some place. Where's Sissy? Where is she? You were so great. Everybody is saying if you can do as well as Sissy you've done a good job. So thank you. That is an amazing -- I will tell you, my father used to take me, they called it the crusades. And that was the crusades. It was a beautiful thing.

But Billy Graham was amazing. I think, is he 98 today? 98 years old, Billy Graham. Wow. Thank you, Sissy. Really great. Say hello to your family. Billy Graham is 98 years old. This is an amazing, truly one of the great, great men.

Our failed political establishment has delivered nothing but poverty at home and disaster overseas. They get rich making America poor. It's time to reject a media and political elite that's bled our country dry. It's finally time for us to fight for America. Going to fight for America.

(CROWD CHANTING "USA")

TRUMP: I'm not a politician. My only special interest is you. You know --

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I built a great company. One of the great companies. One of the great real estate companies. Some of the most incredible assets in the world, including Doral right down the road and lots of other things. Buildings on the beach with the Desser family and with related. We've had a tremendous career. But -- and I was on the other side. You know, my whole life I was always watching, watching. I was on the other side.

It's very nice and very comfortable to be on the other side but I love this country. And this country was going bad. It was going bad. So I went like from sort of an ultimate insider, I mean, people that absolutely senators that called, Don, how are you?

[11:15:07] You know, they'd come over every year, I would give them a check for some crazy thing they're doing, and they'd say Donald, how are you? How are you? The day I announced it was like, Donald who? We don't know -- we don't know Donald Trump. You have to see these guys. Oh, I know them better than anybody.

It was time. It was time. I had to join the other side which is you. We are going to do things so special. Our country was in trouble. Our country was in trouble. $20 trillion in debt. Making deals like the deal with Iran where we give them $150 billion. Where we give them $1.7 billion in cash. You know what that is? That would fill up this side of the arena. Nobody ever even heard of things like this.

When you look at our military is allowed to deplete. Our military is very depleted. We can't do that. This is among the times where we most need a tremendous and powerful and smart military. We need smart people.

And Obamacare is a disaster. Everything's wrong. Our country doesn't win anymore. We're going to start winning again. OK? Real change begins with immediately repealing and placing Obamacare. It's just been announced that the residents of Florida, sorry to tell you this, folks, I don't want to -- I don't want to make you depressed. Half of you are going to walk out of the room but don't do that. Are going to experience massive double-digit premium hikes. OK?

And they're far greater than what you've been told. You've been told numbers because they didn't want to do it before the election. I worked very hard to force those numbers out. Going to have a great impact on -- you know, my poll numbers are going through the roof. You know why? I really believe a big part of it is Obamacare. Because we're going to repeal and replace it.

In the great state of Arizona, premiums are going up more than 116 percent. Over 90 percent of the counties in Florida are losing Obamacare and they are losing the insurers that put Obamacare there, but you know what? We're going to make it 100 percent of the counties because we're going to terminate Obamacare and it's not going to make a difference.

We will be terminating Obamacare and we will be replacing it with so many different options that you'll have great health care at a fraction, a fraction of the cost and it will be great.

With Obamacare, premiums are surging, companies are leaving, insurers are fleeing, doctors are quitting and deductibles are going through the roof. Yet crooked Hillary Clinton wants to double down on Obamacare, make it an even more expensive. It's going to go way up, it's going to go way up. Obamacare is going much higher.

(CROWD CHANTING "LOCK HER UP")

TRUMP: Nobody in this room can believe what's going on in Washington. Nobody in this room can believe what's going on with the FBI.

BOLDUAN: All right. Looking right there, you've been listening to Donald Trump kick off his last final day of campaigning in Sarasota, Florida, speaking of crowd there, talking about repealing Obamacare, making some good predictions for his side saying he thinks they will win Michigan and they will win Minnesota, even.

BERMAN: Well, he was citing some polls showing him winning that don't exist as far as I know in any states that he is traveling to or traveled to over the last several days. Still, nevertheless, Trump making that final push. And he does feel good about some of these states and is going to Michigan later today.

BOLDUAN: We're going to see a whole lot of the candidates today and their surrogates all on the trail. And we're going to be following those as these events pop up live.

This is also ahead for us. One group of voters that may be having a history-making election. Latino voters turning out in record numbers. Who deserves the credit, though, for mobilizing them? Clinton or Trump?

BERMAN: We are also waiting on President Obama, Chelsea Clinton to speak a little bit as you are listening to Donald Trump moments ago. We are learning more about what Donald Trump is doing in these final days and not doing. He's not really on the Twitter much anymore. Did his campaign staff really take it away from him?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:23:53] BOLDUAN: That was Donald Trump. No, he has not gone invisible but he has just walked away from the lectern. Donald Trump was on the stage in battleground Florida where the race can't get any tighter because they're tied right now. Florida is expected -- there he is.

BERMAN: He's back.

BOLDUAN: Wait. With a Donald Trump mask.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: He doesn't actually have to wear that, though.

BOLDUAN: He's puts it on, though.

BERMAN: It's redundant when Donald Trump puts in on.

TRUMP: Nice set of hair.

BOLDUAN: Superfluous? All right. There we go. Tossing things from the stage. Hello, 2016.

BERMAN: So he is --

BOLDUAN: John Berman?

BERMAN: He is in Florida, he goes to a bunch of other states today including Michigan which we will discuss in just a moment.

Joining us now to discuss, CNN political commentator and Donald Trump supporter Andre Bauer, CNN political commentator, Hillary Clinton supporter, Hilary Rosen, who's an adviser to the DNC, CNN political commentator and Hillary Clinton supporter, the former mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, and Steve Cortes, Trump's campaign surrogate, a member of Trump's Hispanic Advisory Council. Also with us, former "Apprentice" contestant, and market research expert, Elizabeth Jarosz.

Hilary Rosen, I want to start with you. Because we can't help but notice that President Obama due to speak in Ann Arbor, Michigan, moments from now. That Hillary Clinton going to Michigan in a little bit. Donald Trump as well. Let's stick to the Democrats.

[11:25:02] I do not think that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would both be on their way to Michigan lest they thought there was a reason to be there, as in it's close.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, two things. First of all, Michigan is a game day state. There is absentee ballot voting but most of the voting will take place tomorrow, whereas in Nevada, you know, they banked three quarters of their vote. In Florida they banked, you know, 40 percent of their vote. So you go and spend time where you have the most potential for impact on Election Day.

BERMAN: Obama won by nine.

ROSEN: So, you know, but second thing is, Michigan is going to be close. Hillary's going to win it but it is going to be close. There are a lot of reasons to be there and there are a lot of good populations to energize. So it's a good use of their time, I think.

BOLDUAN: Hilary mentioned Nevada. I mean, you've seen a big spike in the Latino vote in early voting in Nevada, you've seen a big spike in early voting amongst Latinos in Florida, Steve. I mean, how concerning is that to Donald Trump to you right now?

STEVE CORTES, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Right.

BOLDUAN: In those key states?

CORTES: You know, I'm not concerned. Your own network's polling, CNN polling in Nevada shows us at 35 percent among Hispanics. That is a full 10 points better than Mitt Romney did. And that despite the fact that the mainstream media I believe has been on a consistent campaign calling our candidate a racist, almost always unchallenged, practically every single day of this campaign. Despite that, we are outperforming significantly in Nevada where Mitt Romney did with Hispanics.

And I think it's because we Hispanics, what we care most about when it comes to politics is economic growth. And we simply do not have enough of it in this country. This has been a fabulous economy for people who have already made it. If you are an owner of assets, real estate, stocks. If you are a striver, a wage earner and almost all people of color fall into that category, this has been a miserable, tough economy.

BOLDUAN: What do you say -- what do you say to Lindsey Graham, though, then who was asked kind of about this and he says that, you know, Donald Trump, he deserves the award for Hispanic turnout. He did more to get them out than any Democrats has ever done.

CORTES: Well, we're going to find out on Election Day. I think we're going to outperform expectations among Hispanics for the reasons I just mentioned. And Lindsey Graham and I believe his, what one delegate at the Republican National Convention don't carry a lot of weight with me in terms of this process. No, honestly.

BOLDUAN: Ouchie.

CORTES: And Donald Trump has been very intentional about reaching out to voters of color this entire campaign.

BOLDUAN: Really?

CORTES: That's one of the reasons I have been so energized by him and by his candidacy, and it's a movement. It's not a candidacy. It's transformational.

BERMAN: Hispanics are turning out. They are certainly turning out in record numbers in Florida and Nevada, other places. We will see.

CORTES: We'll find out.

BERMAN: Whether they are turning out for or against Donald Trump. There are a lot of Democrats right now who think that he is actually turned them out for Democrats.

Let me tell you just one update on business news. The stock market is up more than 300 points right now. The Dow is up more than 300 points after a bunch of days of losses.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: Now, Christine Romans, our chief business correspondent, and others will tell you this is because investors liked the fact that James Comey cleared Hillary Clinton for a second time. And investors feel more comfortable, many do, with a Hillary Clinton lead in the polls that doesn't feel threatened. That could be driving the market a little bit right now. So up 300. The market's speaking a little bit right there.

Back to pure politics. Mayor Michael Nutter, of the great city of Philadelphia, Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen --

BOLDUAN: We're not going there right now.

BERMAN: I'm not going to talk about whether Bruce Springsteen is overrated.

BOLDUAN: OK.

BERMAN: We'll leave that aside.

BOLDUAN: Just making sure.

BERMAN: I'm accepting that Bruce Springsteen is popular among many people. What's the message in Philadelphia tonight? When you have the president of the United States on the stage with the person he wants to be the president, I mean, that's such a big deal when they are both together like that.

MICHAEL NUTTER, FORMER PHILADELPHIA MAYOR: Well, tons of fire power in Philadelphia and for a lot of reasons. Birthplace of freedom, liberty and democracy. It's bringing all of these folks together. They have not all been together on one stage at the same time, I think any time. The president, the first lady, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and --

BERMAN: And Jon Bon Jovi.

NUTTER: Bon Jon Jovi. OK.

BERMAN: Because they've done it before but without Bon Jon Jovi. Yes, go ahead.

NUTTER: Right. So -- but it's an indication that at the end of the day everyone knows that the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is through Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is huge in this race and we are going to have tremendous turnout tomorrow in Philly, in the suburbs, other parts of Pennsylvania. Hillary takes Pennsylvania easily.

BOLDUAN: Easily? NUTTER: Easily in this election. And I'm just proud that they are in

my hometown.

ROSEN: At the end of this campaign, you are going to have to look at Barack and Michelle Obama as being kind of the super heroes of this race in a way. This is an unprecedented effort from a sitting president and his spouse to be involved in the campaign.

BOLDUAN: He's almost become her running mate, I mean, no offense to Tim Kaine. But honestly.

BERMAN: Or she's become their running mate.

BOLDUAN: They're running mate.

BERMAN: Depending on which way you look at it.

NUTTER: I would point, it's just also an indication of how strong the support is for Hillary Clinton to become president of the United States of America. I mean, we can run through a laundry list of great folks who are out there and when we see the other candidate, himself and certainly respectfully, his family. That's pretty much it.

[11:30:04] BOLDUAN: Let's get a couple of other things. And Andre, they're all running around like crazy today. I mean, they're in every state.