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Trump and Ryan Meeting; Quayle on Trump. Aired 9:30-10:00a ET

Aired May 12, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] JEFF WEAVER, CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR BERNIE SANDERS: -- about his divisive language, his put downs of women and minorities. It looks like the party is now going to rally around him. And I think this is a very dangerous time for the country to have, you know, a person like Donald Trump with the support of the full Republican Party and all that money and all that organization behind him.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It seem likes they're headed that way, though, right?

WEAVER: Oh, it certainly does. I mean, I'm sure you've seen all the clips of all the of his past opponents who had, you know, called him a pathological liar, called him this and called him that, but they all seem to be rallying around the flag. And I think it's going to be - I - the thing is, I think he's going to be a formidable candidate in the fall.

COSTELLO: OK, so having said all of that, there are some Democrats who say, look, the Republican Party is working on uniting, but the Democratic Party is not. And some of those Democrats might site this fundraising e-mail that is making the rounds this morning. It talks about pushing toward a contested convention, where team Sanders says, quote, "the Democratic Party must decide if they want the candidate with the momentum who is best positioned to beat Trump or if they are willing to roll the dice and court disaster simply to protect the status quo." And your name is at the bottom of that, so you wrote that. So what do you mean by disaster?

WEAVER: Well, look, electing Trump to the presidency of the United States would be an unmitigated disaster. Having the Republicans continue to control both houses of Congress would be a disaster. Having Republicans make gains in governor seats would be a disaster. If you've seen recent polling, and I know CNN reported them yesterday, battleground state polls show consistently now, both nationally and in battleground states, that Bernie Sanders is a much stranger candidate against Donald Trump than is Secretary Clinton. In fact, those polls show that Secretary Clinton is -

COSTELLO: So you're saying - you're saying, Jeff, if Hillary Clinton were to become the nominee, it would be a disaster for the Democratic Party and the nation?

WEAVER: No, I said - it says "courting disaster." If - the disaster would be the election of Donald Trump. I think Democrats need to nominate the strongest candidate against Donald Trump. And all the polling demonstrates consistently now that Bernie Sanders is a much stronger candidate. And not only that but - but he brings out a large numbers of people that might not otherwise participate, a lot of young people, he's very strong with independents, so that he can create the kind of momentum that will not only elect a president, but also elect Democrats up and down the ballot. That's what we need.

COSTELLO: But that mean - but even Senator Sanders admits he has a very narrow path to victory. It would be a miracle. He would need to win 102 percent of the remaining delegates. That said, many Democrats are also asking why Sanders continues to - why the Sanders camp continues to use words like "disaster" to describe anything about Hillary Clinton.

WEAVER: Well, the disaster is the election of Donald Trump. That's what the disaster is. So we don't want to see that disaster happen. And that's why Bernie Sanders is going to fight all the way to the convention. He's going to fight to make sure the Democratic Party stands by principles that protect working families and middle income families. And that's why we need to nominate the strongest candidate who can beat Donald Trump in the fall. The disaster is not Hillary Clinton. The disaster is the election of Donald Trump.

COSTELLO: OK, so I got that straight. But, still, Bernie Sanders has a very, very narrow path to victory. In fact, many people say it would be impossible. Donald Trump is already using Bernie Sanders' words against Hillary Clinton. Some accuse Sanders of becoming sort of ghostwriter for Donald Trump. Is that fair?

WEAVER: No. No, it's not fair. Look, as long as there's a contested Democratic primary going on, you're going to hear discussions about issues like raising the minimum wage, about how we create access to college education so people don't have tons of debt, how we create more jobs, how we deal with a rigged economy. Believe me, as soon as this nominating process is over, regardless of who is the nominee, I can tell you, I can guarantee you, the media coverage is all going to be just about name-calling and finger pointing and we're not going to have any more discussion of the issues. As long as there's a Democratic nominating process going on, issues of importance to Democrats are being discussed.

COSTELLO: And it's important to talk about issues, but will Senator Sanders go on launching attack ads against Hillary Clinton or using words to attack Hillary Clinton that Donald Trump could use in the future?

WEAVER: Well, he's never - Bernie Sanders doesn't run attack ads, and I think it is fair for him on the campaign trail to be laying out the contrasts on substance between himself and Secretary Clinton. They have different views on how much you should raise minimum wage. He's for a $15 minimum wage. The secretary is not. He's for free tuition at public colleges and universities. The secretary is not. He is a - she has much more hawkish foreign policy than he does. These are important questions for Democrats.

I know the media wants to call the process over, but there are a number of states left to vote, including the largest state in the country. And every voter should be able to register their choice for who they want to be the nominee of the Democratic Party.

[09:35:00] COSTELLO: All right, Jeff weaver, thank you so much.

And, of course, we're keeping an eye on this meeting that you're looking at on screen. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right, welcome back. I'm Carol Costello.

You're looking at a live picture of Washington, D.C. The RNC headquarters, where Donald Trump is now huddling with Speaker Ryan and the RNC chairman, Reince Priebus. We - well, we're guessing that that meeting's just about over. It was supposed to last just a half hour. And then Donald Trump will go next door to the RNC headquarters, to the Capitol Hill Club, where he will meet with those House leaders. That meeting may have already started. We expect Mr. Trump to be inside that - you know, they're all connected, so he's not going to come outside, but we expect that meeting, those two meetings in total, to last about an hour.

With me now is Donald Trump's senior advisor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Hi, Sarah.

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, SENIOR ADVISOR FOR DONALD J. TRUMP: Good morning, Carol. Thanks for having me on.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here.

So did Mr. Trump prepare for this meeting? And if he did, how?

[09:40:03] SANDERS: You know, I think he's been preparing his whole life to run for president by being a businessman, by being an executive. And he's been meeting with voters all over the country, all across the country. And leadership, I don't think he's going to change his message or make it any different. So I think he's absolutely again been preparing for this over the last years as he's campaigned everywhere. This is going to be, I think, a very positive meeting. A time for them to open up the line of communication, develop a deeper relationship and really build on that relationship from today.

COSTELLO: Is Mr. Trump willing to compromise with the House speaker and the Republican leadership in the House?

SANDERS: You know, I think there are a lot of things that they already agree on and I think that's where the focus will start. They're certainly committed to defeats ISIS, balancing the budget, cutting taxes for all Americans. And so I think that that is the starting place is to focus on the things that they already agree on, which are vast and some of the biggest issues facing our country today. They're on the same page. And so I think that's where they start and kind of build and work from there.

COSTELLO: There is a bit of controversy swirling around Mr. Trump and it has to do with his taxes and whether he'll release them. He says he will after an audit. But history proves Mr. Trump may not. Last week Trump suggested to Wolf Blitzer the IRS could be out to get him. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I say to friends of mine, how often are you audited? Very wealthy people.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: So you think this is political? That they're aiming at you? They're going -

TRUMP: I would say yes. I mean, I would say, yes.

BLITZER: The IRS is doing this?

TRUMP: Ii am - I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Mr. Trump has actually deflected the issue for years. You can consider how he answered the question in 2011 when he was considering a White House run then. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We'll look at that. Maybe I'm going to do the tax returns when Obama does his birth certificate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, President Obama did release his birth certificate, so maybe Mr. Trump should pony up now, Sarah?

SANDERS: Look, he's committed to releasing his tax returns as soon as a routine audit is complete. I don't think that there's any question the IRS doesn't exactly have the best track record when dealing with conservatives and conservative organizations. So I think he is following the advice of his accountants and those that know his situation best. And as soon as that routine audit is complete, he's committed to releasing his tax returns.

COSTELLO: So what does he - what does he - what does he think the IRS is doing to his tax returns? Like what's the suspicion here?

SANDERS: I don't know what the suspicion is, but I do know that his accountants and those that have counseled him have advised him, while this audit takes place, to wait to release those tax returns until it's completed.

Look, here's the bigger question. At the end of the day, I don't think that any Americans are as concerned about Donald Trump's taxes as they are concerned about their own. And the thing that they want to know is, what is Donald Trump's tax policy, what is Donald Trump's tax plan. And it's been very clear he's the only person in this race that's committed to helping cut taxes for middle class, working Americans. COSTELLO: I think voters are - are very - I think voters are very curious to see what's in Donald Trump's tax returns, as they have been for every single person who's run for president since 1976.

SANDERS: Well, we may just have to agree to disagree on that. Look, they fill out a very in-depth financial disclosure form, which gives you far more information than you'll ever get off of a tax return. And, again, at the end of the day, what keeps me up at night is my own taxes.

COSTELLO: So it - so it would have been OK if Hillary Clinton had not released her tax returns? That would have been fine with Donald Trump?

SANDERS: Well, look, I think Hillary Clinton's got far more bigger things that she's going to have to talk about and release than her tax returns. She's got plenty of scandals that she's going to have to answer for, and I think she needs to be prepared for that. So that's just one thing she can check off of her list of things that she doesn't have to defend and talk about. Again, Donald Trump hasn't said he won't, he's just said he's waiting until this audit is completed and as soon as it is he'll be happy to release those returns.

COSTELLO: Well, but we all know what that may mean. I mean, you know, I'm a cynic, right? You can prolong things as much as you want. You can say, hey, they're auditing me.

SANDERS: You're an (INAUDIBLE), of course.

COSTELLO: I am a cynic, you know. I'm like, really, he could like prolong that audit forever.

SANDERS: I don't think he actually controls the audit. I'm pretty sure that's up to the IRS. So I think their - it's their -

COSTELLO: He controls what information he gives to the IRS for their investigation, in a timely fashion, right?

SANDERS: Well, again, look, I think at the end of the day, again, Donald Trump is committed to releasing those returns the minute that the audit is complete. And I think that he will absolutely follow through on that commitment. And in the meantime, I think Americans are more focused on their own taxes, less on Donald Trump's. They want to know what's coming back in their own pocketbook, not Donald Trump's.

COSTELLO: All right, Sarah Huckabee -

SANDERS: And he's the only one that's going to fight for them and put Americans first.

COSTELLO: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, thanks so much for being with me.

SANDERS: (INAUDIBLE).

[09:44:53] COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, former Vice President Dan Quayle leaving no question about where he stands on Donald Trump. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Dan Quayle says he believes Donald Trump is capable of leading the country and Trump needs to show the American people that he can do it. Bush 41's vice president sounding off on the 2016 presidential race and his party's presumptive nominee. Quayle sat down with CNN's Jamie Gangel. She joins me now to talk about her one-on-one interview.

Welcome.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.

So we have more division in the Republican Party. Dan Quayle is breaking with his former president, Bush 41, Bush 43. He thinks that Trump can win and he also has some advice for him on who he should pick for his vice president. Take a listen.

[09:50:07] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GANGEL: So what do you think about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump?

DAN QUAYLE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: He is the presumptive nominee. The party has to unite around him.

GANGEL: Has to unite around him?

QUAYLE: Has to unite around him. They will. There will be a few holdouts. There are always holdouts. And you all will point out those holdouts. They'll get a lot of airtime on CNN and other networks. But by and large I think the party will rally around him. We would need to step back. I mean a year ago I put myself in this camp, nobody thought that Donald Trump would be the nominee for the Republican Party, or very few people let me say.

GANGEL: What did you think was going to happen?

QUAYLE: In the normal sorting out process, the cream usually goes to the top, right? And I didn't realize that Donald Trump was going to be the cream that got to the top. I totally misjudged his ability to win. But for somebody that has really no experience in politics, to be able to start off and to win with a strong field, and not even go to the convention, that he's the presumptive nominee a month before we have our final primaries, is quite remarkable. It shows that he is a winner. He knows how to win.

GANGEL: You will support him, you will vote for him, no reservations?

QUAYLE: Well, as of now, unless something happens that I - I don't know. But, no, he's the nominee of the party, and the party needs to unite around him. And I think that they will. He's going to be having a meeting with Paul Ryan and I think that meeting will go reasonably well. And I think that -

GANGEL: Do you know something? QUAYLE: No. I will say this. Paul Ryan, in my view, will end up - will

support our nominee. There's very little doubt in my mind for a couple reasons. One, you know, he's a team player. He's got a big team in the House of Representatives. Second reason is, is that most of his caucus, I'd say probably 85, 90 percent of his caucus is going to support Donald Trump.

GANGEL: President Bush 41, President Bush 43 have declined to support Trump. Mitt Romney called him a phony and a fraud. Ted Cruz called him a pathological liar. Should all of these people come around?

QUAYLE: I'm sure that there will be some that will sit it out, maybe some that might even vote for Hillary Clinton, and I hope those that have said they won't support him now would reconsider and before they cast their vote on Election Day in November would end up voting for him. If not, don't show up.

GANGEL: You think Donald Trump can win?

QUAYLE: I do think he can win. I think he can win because this is clearly the year of the anti-establishment, if you will. So if you want more of the same, Republicans or Democrats, more of the political mess in Washington, I mean, you've got the quintessential establishment candidate in Hillary Clinton.

GANGEL: One of the big concerns about Donald Trump is that he does not have the temperament, the character to be president. Lindsey Graham said he wouldn't trust him with nuclear weapons. Do you have any of those concerns?

QUAYLE: Donald Trump has just won the Republican nomination, at least he's the presumptive nominee, and he won in a very competitive race. He's a winner. He knows how to win. Now he's got to run a general election. And he, I'm sure, is going to, as he said, I'm going to change my demeanor, I'm going to change my strategy, I'm going to change my approach. So people will start to look at him differently. And they'll be making the judgment whether he has the temperament, whether he has the gravitas, whether he has the ability to be in the Oval Office and make those decisions because I'm sure that he knows this, winning the nomination is one thing, winning the general election is another thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GANGEL: So it's really interesting. By the way, he has not spoken to Trump. He has not met with him. This is he on his own thinks this. You know, we're waiting to see about this meeting with Paul Ryan and Trump. He is convinced, he wouldn't tell me how he knew, but he believes that Paul Ryan is going to come around. And on vice president, he thinks Marco Rubio's an interesting name. He does not care that they say they don't want it. Kasich -

COSTELLO: I was just going to say, I don't know if that's going to happen.

GANGEL: Even though they say (INAUDIBLE), when you get the call, you say yes. But his number one pick is Ohio Senator Rob Portman.

COSTELLO: He's already - he's said no too.

GANGEL: He said no too. He said if Trump calls, you know, if - if you're the nominee and you call, people change. So he thinks that Portman would be the perfect partner, he said.

[09:55:09] COSTELLO: And if Paul Ryan like coalesces around, you know, and the Republican establishment coalesces around Donald Trump, those people might change their mind too, right?

GANGEL: Exactly. Exactly.

COSTELLO: This is fascinating.

GANGEL: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Jamie, thank you.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

A high stakes meeting in the Capitol. We expect that Donald Trump has already wrapped up his meeting with the House speaker, Paul Ryan, and that the two men have transitioned to a larger meeting with House leaders. They're huddling behind closed doors in Washington right now. That's Mr. Trump arriving earlier this morning. The goal here, to put an end to the Republican in-fighting and unite around a Trump candidacy.

[10:00:04] Trump's pow wow with Ryan kicked off a busy day. After Trump wraps up with the GOP leaders in the House, he'll meet with the party's Senate leaders. The big question, as I said, when Trump leaves Washington today, will the party be --