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Trump: Race Riots Happen on Monthly Basis; The Civil Rights History of Farmville, Virginia. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired October 04, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: -- number of cities where protests have erupted in response to fatal police shootings of African-Americans.

I want to start there with my panel. Here with me, Symone Sanders, CNN political commentator and former press secretary for Bernie Sanders. She now supports Hillary Clinton. Also with us, Andre Bauer, CNN political commentator and former South Carolina lieutenant governor, who supports Donald Trump. And Mark Preston, CNN politics executive editor.

Great to have you with me.

I begin, Symone, with you on the "race riots monthly" statement that Trump made last night. Fair assessment?

SYMONE SANDERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I think it's a gross and overreaching generalization.

BALDWIN: Why?

SANDERS: It just goes to show Donald Trump is out of touch. These aren't race riots that are happening. In the places that Donald Trump mentioned, these are unarmed black men who have been essentially gunned down, executed, modern-day lynching some people would say, by police officers in these communities. We have to have real conversations about the state of race relations here in America, the disproportionally that exists in our criminal justice system. And Donald Trump's comments night goes to show he doesn't get it and doesn't understand. That's inflammatory language. It's dog-whistle politics.

BALDWIN: Would you say, Andre, as a Trump supporter, he's overstating? We saw the pictures in Charlotte and what happened in Tulsa and beyond but is that overstating?

ANDRE BAUER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't believe so. We have a real problem in this country, there's no question. Would I frame the conversation differently? Yeah, but I'm not where he is. There are some --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: But he's running for president. BAUER: I'm glad he's engaging in the conversation because, quite

frankly, nobody's talked about Chicago for the last four, eight years. And we keep seeing it happen and nobody has done nothing to address fixing it. So you can call him a race baiter or anything else if you want to but, by god, when is somebody going to engage in that conversation? Are we going to continue to lose hundreds of lives each year there and not have an intellectual discussion on how we fix it? I think we do.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Let me say this. When you're talking about race relations, you're talking about Caucasian on black. That's what would conjure up race riots. So the fact that he would use that language is wrong, if not inflammatory.

But the real problem is right now we're seeing an income inequality that we're seeing in the urban inner cities that has been going on for generations. What Donald Trump is doing is not necessarily -- well, Andre is right, he's talking about it but I don't think he's doing in a productive way in order to fix the problem. And that's the big issue and why we're seeing blowback from the African-American community on Donald Trump.

BALDWIN: Let me move off that because I want to get to -- we've talked so much about down-ballot in this country and how Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on the tip of the ticket makes a difference. So Kelly Ayotte, who was -- is in a race to save her Senatorial life, wants to hold on to her Senate seat, takes part in this debate last night and is asked about Trump being a role model. She has not endorsed him but said she'll vote for him. Listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED DEBATE MODERATOR: Would you tell them to be like Donald Trump? Would you point to him as a role model?

SEN. KELLY AYOTTE, (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: I think that certainly there are many role models that we have and I believe he can serve as president and so, absolutely, I would do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Then she had to release a statement -- quoting Senator Ayotte -- "I misspoke tonight. While I hope our children aspire to be president, neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton have set a good example and I wouldn't hold either of them as role models for my kids."

Mark Preston, my question is, all of these down-ballot folks, are being asked this question and they have to deal with the ramifications politically.

PRESTON: This is the tightrope we're seeing from Republicans that are having to walk -- having to support their nominee or at least seem as if they're supporting their nominee because they don't want to alienate the far end of the Republican base to support them. At the same time they can't get p. For her to say I'm voting for him but can't endorse him, I mean. Even more so, I was talking to a Republican strategist on Friday and said, what are you telling your candidates right now when Donald Trump is going out and saying crass things, and he said, we're telling our candidates to shelter in place. Run your own campaign. If Donald Trump does well, you'll do well, otherwise, try to dissociate yourself.

BALDWIN: Andre, do you fault her for saying that?

BAUER: No, number one -- I have two points here. One, both of these candidates, as much as I am not a Hillary Clinton fan, both of them have attributes. Both of them I would hope that if I had children would aspire to do some of the things both of them have done. One is an astute businessman. The other one has achieved levels for a woman that nobody ever has. So they both have good qualities.

I'll tell you another thing. You notice on this panel from time to time, I'll call my party out. I'll call my candidate out. Democrats are easier -- are easier on their candidates to say, I'm with you all the way. And Republicans, like Kelly, know they have to be more cautious because Republicans you have to cater to more. They're harder to keep happy than the Democratic base, I believe. I may be wrong. It would be an interesting panel discussion.

BALDWIN: And we appreciate you calling out.

(LAUGHTER)

That's why we love having you on, Andre Bauer, because you're fair.

Final thought from you.

[14:35:12] SANDERS: I think this is why debates are important. It was a lose-lose question for the Senator to answer that. I think -- she kind of put the nail in the coffin for her in New Hampshire. The blowback that has happened from the Senate is crazy. So I don't know how she actually recovers from this. It goes to show we're in an election where can't even like hug your candidate at the top of your ticket. And this has real down-ballot implications. And I don't think it's just this November. We're coming up on midterm elections, as soon as this November election is over, and these are things we'll continue to talk about.

PRESTON: Brooke, you know what's worth saying about Andre? When he was lieutenant governor of South Carolina, he did work with Democrats. And it's difficult sitting on this panel having to defend Donald Trump all the time.

So the fact that you will call him out is admirable. You're standing by him. But when you were in office, you did work with them.

BALDWIN: Andre Bauer, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

BAUER: Thank you.

Symone Sanders, thank you as well. Mark Preston, you're all right. You are right.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Coming up, my next guest says you can learn a lot by watching a political debate with the volume off, reading candidate body language. Does that apply tonight? We'll discuss that, and what these men need to do to help the top of their tickets.

You're watching CNN's special live coverage. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:58] BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We're live from Farmville, Virginia, the campus of Longwood University, where tonight Mike Pence and Tim Kaine will face off in their first and only vice presidential debate.

Joining me to discuss the stakes and what is to watch for here, James Fallows. He is the national correspondent for "The Atlantic" and has written a number of articles about the presidential debate this election cycle.

James Fallows, we're thrilled to have you back on the show and I think a piece of --

JAMES FALLOWS, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE ATLANTIC: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I love talking to you. You were fascinating last time I had you on. And you said, Brooke, I watched the debates with the sound on to listen to their points and then with the sound off to watch. Does that same rule apply tonight, Jim Fallows?

FALLOW: I think it's probably less the case for a vice presidential debate. One is, historically, they're not so much the clash of dominant personalities as the presidential ones are. There's only two I can think of where you had that personality conflict. One would be Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quail in 1988, and the other would be Joe Biden and Sarah Palin eight years ago. But usually, there's a lower tone to these vice presidential debates. They are two relatively nice guys doing it, so their main drama this time will be the way each of them tries to position the other by connecting him to their respective running mates.

BALDWIN: How do they do that? To quote you and others we've had on set, these are two really nice guys, not the same controversial figures, not perhaps the same show we saw at Hofstra. How do they thread the needle and get forth the policies they need to and not say something wrong?

FALLOWS: So I think for Pence, he has a little bit harder task. We'll start with him. His job will be to connect Tim Kaine not so much with the ethical issues the Republicans are raising about Hillary Clinton but rather policy failures. He'll be saying, Obamacare -- even Bill Clinton is saying it didn't work. The mess in Syria, look at Hillary Clinton and her failed foreign policy. It will be a policy- type approach to make Tim Kaine defend her. And I think that will be easy for Kaine because there's not that much difference between Kaine's policy views and Hillary Clinton's.

On the other hand, Tim Kaine will then ask Mike Pence to defend the latest 500 points on what Donald Trump has said, whether it's policies where he disagrees with Mike Pence on gun control or abortion or whatever he said about women or about -- you name it. So I think the main drama I'll be looking for is the way Kaine is trying to make Mike Pence, time and again and again, say your running mate, the man you're supporting for president, says X, do you agree with that? Do you agree on Mexican judges? Do you agree on building a wall? Do you agree on X, Y and Z? That will be the drama.

BALDWIN: Also in reading ahead and about these two vice presidential candidate, faith plays a huge role in both of their lives. It's Mike Pence who calls himself a conservative Christian and a Republican, in that order. Then we hear Tim Kaine talking about his time in Honduras in the Jesuit missionary, that, the journey he went on and how they shaped how him culturally. How much do you think about that will we hear?

FALLOWS: Yes, I think that's an important point that each will use to his respective advantage. When Mike Pence was selected, part of the analysis was that Donald Trump doesn't have a long history of connection to the evangelical movement. So Mike Pence was a sign of his credibility or bona fides with those people. With Tim Kaine, he can use this to -- I bet -- I'll make you a bet he gives at least one or two lines in Spanish because that's how he learned Spanish as one of his Jesuit missions to Central America. And from the Democratic point of view, there's the understated point that he has a different abortion policy or outlook from Hillary Clinton -- not on the legal consequences but how he approaches it philosophically. But there's -- I think he'll say, my faith is part of what you can -- it's why I was in Central America, why I believe we are a diverse people. So, yes, I agree. Faith will be something I think each of them will speak about in a positive way.

[14:45:] BALDWIN: James Fallows, thank you, see you next time. Appreciate it.

FALLOWS: My pleasure, thanks.

BALDWIN: You got it.

We're in Farmville, Virginia, the setting for tonight's debate. It's a town with story, a unique history, and a connection to the modern civil rights movement. Did you know in 1951 a passionate group of students took their fight against racial segregation all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court? A student who led that historic effort will join me live, next.

And we are keeping a close watch on a deadly hurricane slamming Haiti right now and about to hit Cuba. Is the southeastern United States next?

Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:49:53] BALDWIN: We are live in Farmville, Virginia. Thrilled to be here. It's one of those class outdoors sort of days ahead of the vice presidential debate here in Virginia.

Listen, there's no question how critical the issue of race is in this current election. It's been heightened by the nationwide protests against police killings of African-American men. A number of people consider the movement the next iteration of civil rights, which makes tonight's debate location all the more relevant.

Did you know, Farmville, Virginia, is part of the 1954 landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education? The U.S. Supreme Court decision led to the desegregation of American public schools. Those in Farmville know that firsthand. While the ruling was unequivocal, implementing it took years and strength by protesters who would not give up, as these with me now

With me now, is someone who lived through those rough years in Farmville, someone of has benefited from it as well. Megan Clark is the very first African-American and first woman chief prosecutor in Prince Edwards County where Farmville is the county seat. She's also a professor here at Longwood University, the host of tonight's big debate. She's joined by Reverend Jay Samuel Williams Jr. He grew up in a segregated Virginia.

It's such an honor and pleasure to have you both on.

MEGAN CLARK, FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN & FIRST WOMEN PROSECUTOR, PRINCE EDWARDS COUNTY: Thank you.

REV. JAY SAMUEL WILLIAMS JR: Good to be here.

BALDWIN: Let me begin with you, Reverend, on your role. You were class president.

: Senior class president.

BALDWIN: Senior class president at the all black high school when, what happened?

WILLIAMS: We had noticed, students noticed, made comparisons and contrasts with the facilities that we had against the white school a few blocks over. They had a teachers lounge. We didn't have one. They had a cafeteria. We didn't have one. They had state-of-the-art equipment for a library at the time. We had a real small library for more than 400 students.

BALDWIN: Wasn't good enough.

WILLIAMS: Was not good enough, was nowhere near good enough.

BALDWIN: So what did you do about it? WILLIAMS: We met the leader of our movement, called a secret assembly

in the auditorium. We did not know it was going to jump off. There were some people working with her in a small group. She had informed them, five or six people, and they called a strike. And she presented herself, presented why we should strike, why we should stay out of school until we received a new school for which we were starving.

BALDWIN: Which took a number of years, by the way. So blacks in Farmville, there was no school at a point. Brown v. Brown ruled, but blacks -- integration didn't happen for a number of years. And that affected your own mother who, at the time, had to get creative, shall we say, in making sure she got an education.

CLARK: She did. So my parents, both of my starting school when the strike took place when the schools closed so my mother had to go to school one county over into Lunenburg County. The counties surrounding Prince Edward ended up closing off their schools saying, "If you don't live here, you can't go here." And she's always told the story of a pivotal moment when she had to learn how to lie.

BALDWIN: She how to learn how to lie. How?

CLARK: She went to school and the teacher asked for her address and she was very proud, she knew her address and the teacher asked her a couple more times and the teacher said, "Little girl, if that's your address you're not supposed to be here." My mom went home, she talked to her grandmother, Nanny. And my nanny was livid with her. She said you go back to school and say you had your address wrong and give them this other address. My mom said, at that moment, she had to learn how to lie and that's stuck with her all these years.

BALDWIN: Now fast forward to your connection and the fact that you took part.

I understand it was very emotional for you, Reverend, to take part in her swearing in as the first black female in her role in the county seat. What was that like for you?

WILLIAMS: A feeling of elation, very much so. And I was so happy and proud and glad that I had been chosen to give the prayer during that particular service because that is the direct opposite of that which I have seen in the town of Farmville over the years since I've been here. Her coming up. The final thing I said, I caressed her with tears in my eyes, and the final thing I said when we were getting up leaving, "Praise the lord and thank you, Jesus."

CLARK: That's right.

WILLIAMS: Really. It was a high moment in the life of the county and of her life. It shows some progress is being made and has been over the years. I can see growth. Much more needs to be done, however.

Students today need to grasp that same combining courage of vision that Barbara did, that she thought us to do, and that we did to strike as students. See, if you think everything is all right, as I tell students when I lecture at the museum, or here at Longwood, if everything is all right, you can't see things. We're doing this. We were told all of that during when I went to jail along with others, we were told that and other related kind of jargon, but you have to see something and identify it.

[14:55:47] BALDWIN: Which we need to continue to do today in 2016.

Reverend, it's an honor to meet you.

We wanted to step out side this political sphere for a hot second to appreciate the fabric that is Farmville, Virginia.

CLARK: Thank you.

BALDWIN: All the bits of it and all the past.

Thank you so much.

CLARK: Thank you very much.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Coming up next, we are going to talk about this breaking news. We're keeping an eye on the deadly hurricane slamming Haiti. It's heading northward. Is the southeast portion of the U.S. in danger? We'll talk about that coming up.

Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)