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Former President Trump Speaks At CPAC; CDC Recommends Johnson & Johnson One-Shot Vaccine; Another Former Aide Accuses Governor Cuomo Of Sexual Harassment; Anemic Job Growth In January; Golfers Honor Tiger Woods. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired February 28, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Donald Trump breaking five weeks of relative silence since self-exile, taking the CPAC stage as a returning rock star. At least that's how his fans at CPAC are reacting.

Trump's appearance and speech this afternoon in Orlando marking his post presidency return to the spotlight at this annual gathering of conservatives. This in the wake of the Republicans losing the White House, losing both houses of Congress and seeing their president impeached an unprecedented second time.

Despite those setbacks and fractures, Trump is insisting this afternoon that his party is unified. We have a team of reporters covering Trump's return to the political arena. Let's begin with CNN's domestic correspondent Jim Acosta. Jim, you've got some news about what the president will say.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Right, and Ana, its news he finally took the stage. He was running about an hour late, but he finally took the stage just a few moments ago. And we'll play a little sound here.

He begins the speech by describing the journey that he's been on as successful, saying there's never been a journey as successful as the one we've been on he says in this speech even though he just lost re- election and lost the Senate, the Republicans just lost the Senate in the last election. But here is some of what Donald Trump just had to say a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I stand before you today to declare that the incredible journey we've begun together, we went through a journey like nobody else. There's never been a journey like it. There's never been a journey so successful. We began it together four years ago, and it is far from being over.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: So there you have it. The former president is back on the political stage after being essentially in hiding for the last several weeks since leaving office. One thing we should note, Ana, in just the first few minutes of his speech he did made some news in saying that he is not going to be starting a new political party.

There were some reporting on that. We reported that he had been discussing that with some of his aides. Much of that was because of the sore loserism that he was engaging in after losing the election to Joe Biden.

The other thing we should point out here as he's closing out the CPAC conference that's been going on over the last several days here in Orlando, he was chosen by the attendees here at CPAC as their choice to be the Republican nominee in 2024. We can show this on screen. He won the CPAC straw poll as it's called.

We should note to our viewers this is not the most scientific poll in the entire world. Far from it. But he did come out in front according to the attendees at this conference. And the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis behind him in this poll. One thing we should note and people are saying, well, 55 percent, that's not a whole lot of people out there. It's not like it's 95 percent or 97 percent of all of the attendees at this conference.

But Ana, I will remind you, I covered many Republican primaries back in 2016. I remember Donald Trump winning these primaries handily because he was so far ahead of a large field of candidates who essentially split up the anti-Trump vote and that appears what he did at this conference here in Orlando, Ana.

CABRRERA: So Jim, after what you're hearing there this this weekend, is Trump the future of the Republican Party, or is it too early to tell?

ACOSTA: I mean, I think at this point there is no other future for the Republican Party besides Donald Trump as it stands right now. We saw Jim Jordan, the Republican congressman making this case earlier today. And even if you talk to Trump critics, you know, people like Mitch McConnell, he was on Fox just the other day saying that he would essentially support Donald Trump as the Republican nominee if the party makes him the nominee.

That's despite the fact that after the impeachment trial, Mitch McConnell was railing against the former president essentially saying he was responsible for the insurrection at the capitol on January 6th. One other thing we should note as we're watching the speech unfold here this afternoon, Donald Trump is going to go after these Republicans who voted to impeach him a few weeks ago.

I talked to a source familiar with this speech who said yes, Republicans who have been critical of the former president, who voted to impeach him, they are not going to like this speech and we're going to see this play out over the next hour or so, Ana.

CABRRERA: Jim, standby. I want to bring in Donie O'Sullivan who is also live there at CPAC. And I know you've been talking to Trump supporters all afternoon, Donie. What is the atmosphere like and what are you hearing from them?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONENT: Hey, Ana. Yes, hundreds of very excited Trump supporters, many of whom outside of CPAC here are hoping to get a glimpse of the former president. They are hoping that perhaps he'll drive by after his speech, but we spoke to some of them today. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN: Why are you here today?

SARA SABILLON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I am here to support President Trump. Hopefully, he is going to announce that he's going to be running for 2024.

[17:05:02]

Also, I was, you know, I hope that I would see him be more vulnerable so that people can, you know, see who he really is, maybe tell people how he feels about the election, not too much to focus on that it was stolen, but that it was sad that some of the things that happened and that we need to move forward as a country.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you think it will be helpful if he stays focusing on, you know, these false claims that the election was stolen?

SABILLON: Well, they're not false claims, but unfortunately, we have not proven them on in the court. So I don't want him to focus on that because people will tune him out. I want him to focus on the future.

GAIL SEDGWICK, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We're here because I love President Trump. 80 million Americans supported President Trump in this election. We feel like the election was stolen from us.

SULLIVAN: Do you think it's important for Trump today to come out and condemn the January 6th insurrection?

UNKNOWN: He has condemned anything --

SEDGWICK: I'm not convinced that that was started by -- you see how peaceful we are. I'm not convinced yet because there's been no actual investigation done yet. It just was assumed that it was us.

UNKNOWN: And the fact have come out.

SULLIVAN: But all the Trump supporters that have been arrested by the FBI, indicted --

UNKNOWN: How about BLM --

SEDGWICK: The FBI is a little iffy right now. Do you not agree the FBI had their problems?

UNKNOWN: -- out of our country. SULLIVAN: Is there any -- but like, is there any -- you don't trust

the election officials.

SEDGWICK: No.

UNKNOWN: No.

SULLIVAN: You don't trust the FBI.

SEDGWICK: No.

UNKNOWN: No.

SULLIVAN: You don't trust the courts.

SEDGEWICK: Nope.

SULLIVAN: Who do you trust?

SEDGWICK: Trump and his supporters and anybody that hasn't -- that when I listen to them talk, they don't turn my stomach with the disingenuousness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SULLIVAN: So, Ana, as you can hear, there's all shades of Trump supporters here. There are people who are deeply -- have deep beliefs in QAnon, who also believe conspiracy theories about January 6th. We've seen members of the Proud Boys, the leader of the Proud Boys outside of here today.

But we've also seen people who want nothing to do with QAnon. But pretty much everybody we speak to, Ana, still believes that core conspiracy theory that the former president is continuing to perpetuate, that the election was in some way stolen.

CABRRERA: OK, Donie O'Sullivan and Jim Acosta, my thanks to both of you. With us now to discuss is two former GOP lawmakers, former U.S. Senator of Pennsylvania and CNN senior political commentator Rick Santorum and former congresswoman from Utah and CNN political commentator Mia Love. Congresswoman, let me start with you. I want to play something that we just heard from Trump about your party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're not starting new parties. You know, they kept saying he's going to start a brand new party. We have the Republican Party. It's going to unite and be stronger than ever before. I am not starting a new party. Wouldn't that be brilliant? Let's start a new party and let's divide our vote so that you can never win. No, we're not interested in that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRRERA: Congresswoman, what's your reaction? MIA LOVE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I'm actually glad that he

said that he is not starting a new party. We are the Republican Party, and I'd like to remind him, also, that I've been a Republican longer than he has. And we're not necessarily buying all of the rhetoric that is being put out there by this former president.

I thought it was really interesting as he began his speech. I was pleased to hear that he was talking a little bit more about policy, but then he went back to the old type of divisive rhetoric, talking about the border wall, talking about -- in a way that -- there are ways to discuss it, but in a way that was a little bit more divisive.

And then he went on to talk about, that he may run again. Well, there are a lot of people that are there that I think would give him a run for his money. So I think that he needs to be careful what he talks about, and he has to watch his back because there are some people that are there that are praising him now, but when it comes to running for president, will probably throw their hat in the ring.

CABRRERA: We'll circle back to that in just a moment. But first, Senator, we heard from, you know, those supporters at CPAC in that piece from Donie O'Sullivan and what we can take away from all of that is there at CPAC, you hear the speakers continuing to reinforce the big lie from the election that prompted the deadly attack at the capitol and they are listening. If conspiracy theories continue to drive the GOP, where does that take your party?

RICK SANTORUM, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTETOR: Yes, I don't think the conspiracy theories are driving it. I mean, sure, you have a base of Trump supporters who are unfortunately, you know, listening to the falsehoods that were spread by the president before. He hasn't said much recently, so far at least in the speech that I've been listening to. He hasn't said anything about it. Today he's been so far focusing almost all on immigration which I think is interesting.

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CABRRERA: But let me just hold on for a second because a lot of, you know, Republican leaders still are continuing to double, triple down on this idea that the election wasn't legitimate in some way.

SANTORUM: I think Republicans are concerned and they're going to be focused on making sure that future elections are held in a way that, you know, votes that are legitimately cast are counted, and those that aren't are not counted.

And I think that's a legitimate thing to do. It is something Republicans have been talking about for a long, long time. Voter integrity is a very important thing, as well as, you know, voter access. We need to do both. We no to make voting easier, but we also have to make sure that it's secure and that it's valid.

So, that is a sticking point, but you know, I go back and, you know, Donald Trump said, you know, as you highlighted at the beginning of the show that, you know, he was successful. Well, except for electing Donald Trump, the Republicans actually were very successful in the 2020 election.

We won every state, contested statehouse, you know, majority. We, you know, we picked up seats in the Congress. We should have held on to the Senate, and if it wasn't for President Trump and the way he acted after the election, we probably would have won the Georgia, at least one of the Georgia seats.

So, you know, in the end, I think what the president is talking about is right, that the Republican message actually counter and that's what he's doing effectively I think the speech so far, counter Joe Biden's extreme positions on so many policies. It's going to be a real opportunity for us in 2022.

And I'm encouraged to hear the president says, you know, I'm not going to start a new party, we're going to unite this party and we're go after, you know, who the real problem is, and that's the socialists in the Democratic party.

CABRRERA: It's funny that you should suggest that Joe Biden's policies are extreme positions when the majority of Americans agree with a lot of the policies that he's presented so far including the COVID relief, the $15 minimum wage idea, for example.

They don't agree with a lot of the policy. I disagree with (inaudible) they do with a lot of the policy.

CABRRERA: I do want to get back to Congresswoman Love here because last hour I spoke to GOP congressman, Adam Kinzinger. We discussed Senator Josh Hawley who seem to brag about sowing doubt about the election results and I asked Kinzinger if he had spoken with Senator Hawley since the insurrection. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): No, and honestly, I mean, if he called, I'm not sure I'd even take the call. You know, I just think given the damage to the capitol, you know, given the fact that now people try to obscure that as saying it was somehow Antifa or BLM, but yet then they go out and say I saw this rap song that was posted where they are talking about patriots knocking on the capitol, it's not something to celebrate. You see the lives lost, the destruction of families and these people that spread lies and peddle in fear and, quite honestly, to me, I really want nothing to do with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRRERA: Congresswoman, this is your party.

LOVE: Yes. You know, Adam is right. And I think what is really -- what is more devastating, it's not what happened during the insurrection. It's what happened after. The president, regardless of party, has the means and the responsibility to stop what was happening.

There was an attack on a branch of government -- I don't want to say third branch of government, sorry, because they're equal, but on a branch of government. And he had the responsibility to stop it. So whether he thought he led it, whether he thought he caused it or not, he didn't stop it.

And I think that that's why there's such a frustration with Representative Kinzinger because he was in the room. The vice president was in that room and the president did nothing to stop it. And I find it very difficult to lead a party when you're willing to throw your own party and the American people, even the other party, in harm's way and put them in danger.

So that is the biggest, I think, flaw and the biggest crime for me, is the fact that he didn't seen stop it when he knew that -- even after the phone call with McCarthy. And that's the biggest problem that I have. And I think that that's why Adam Kinzinger, Representative Kinzinger said I don't want to have anything to do with him.

CABRRERA: Mia Love, Rick Santorum, I really appreciate both of you. Thank you for being with us.

We have breaking news this afternoon. The CDC director just moments ago signing off on the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine. And my next guest was part of the J&J vaccine trial. Everything you need to know about this shot, how soon you could get it, next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

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CABRRERA: Breaking news into CNN, CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky just signed off on the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. So this means it is now authorized to be distributed and administered in the U.S.

In a statement Dr. Walensky said in part, "This official CDC recommendation which follows Saturday's FDA decision to authorize emergency use of the vaccine is another milestone toward an end to the pandemic."

And joining us now, emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen. She is also the former Baltimore health commissioner and a CNN medical analyst. Dr. Wen, you were a participant in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial. I understand you can find out as early as this coming week if you received the vaccine or the placebo. How significant is this now that America has three suits of armor for protecting against this virus?

LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, that's exactly it, Ana. If you had told us not even a year ago, but six months ago, four months ago, that by now we would have three safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19, I think all of us would have said, wow, that's really incredible. And actually that is exactly what's happened now.

It's incredible that we have a third vaccine which is so important because supply is the limiting factor right now. So having another vaccine, especially one that's single dose makes a big difference.

[17:19:56] This week we should be able to see what is supposed to be 4 million vaccines that are distributed for Johnson & Johnson across the country which could directly translate to 4 million people being fully vaccinated this week with Johnson & Johnson. And so this one additional vaccine, especially one that could be stored at refrigerated temperatures for months at a time is a real game-changer.

CABRERA: There are small differences between the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines when you look at the efficacy numbers, both around 95 percent. But there is more of a difference between those and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was 66 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe disease in its global trial, 72 percent effective in the U.S. Can you explain why comparisons between these vaccines may not tell the full story?

WEN: Yes, there are three reasons. One is that the trials were done at different time points. So the time that Moderna and Pfizer were doing their trials was earlier before we had so many of these other variants and before we had such substantial surges as what's happening when the Johnson & Johnson trial was done.

The second is the Johnson & Johnson trial was done in a number of different countries, including in South Africa where the prevailing variant was the B1351 variant, the one that we are particularly concerned that potentially some vaccines may be less effective against.

And I think the third point that's really important is that all of these vaccines, including Johnson & Johnson are essentially 100 percent protective at preventing such severe disease that results in hospitalizations or deaths.

No one in the Johnson & Johnson study that received the vaccine was hospitalized or died, including the individuals who were in South Africa with this prevailing B1351 variant. And so I think that's the end point that we should really be talking about and why, again, it's such fantastic news that we now have three vaccines that people can be taking.

CABRERA: Any info on side effects to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?

WEN: The same types of side effects as in the two general types. One is soreness, redness at the site of the injection, and the other is overall not feeling so good. So, feeling fever, fatigue, body aches, et cetera. It does seem like there are maybe less of these side effects with Johnson & Johnson than with Pfizer and Moderna. Also, this is a one dose and so if you have the side effects, it's one time.

Although I should also mention that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is being studied as a two-dose vaccine, too. So that now what's approved, what's authorized is this one-dose, but in the future, it may be that a second dose gives you even better protection or even longer lasting protection. That part is still being studied.

CABRERA: Not specific to any one vaccine here, but I've been seeing a lot of questions wondering how long the immune response lasts after a vaccination. What do we know?

WEN: Well, the answer is we don't fully know. We know that you get at least the immune response, a robust immune response for three months after vaccination or after getting the infection. Probably it lasts for quite a bit longer, but we don't know exactly how long that is, and that's why these continuing studies are important.

And I think we should also keep in mind that there may be booster shots that we receive. That's okay. And in fact, that, again, is another reason why people should take whatever vaccine they have access to right now. If you have access to Johnson & Johnson, take that.

Maybe you can get a booster shot of Johnson & Johnson in months to come, or even of another vaccine in months to come, but get whatever you can now to get some immunity, some protection for you and for people around you.

CABRERA: How nervous or excited are you to find out if you got the placebo or the vaccine itself?

WEN: You know, I'm told that at some point this week hopefully I'm going to get a call telling me what I got and because I'm of the two dose trial, I got either two doses of the placebo or two doses of the vaccine. And so I'm excited to find out and if I got the placebo, I'll be very happy to finally get the vaccine.

CABRERA: Well, we're excited to find out your results as well. Thank you as well for being with us. You always have wonderful information to help us through the pandemic. Thank you.

Coming up, a second former aide has come forward accusing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. We have the latest on the new accusations and the investigation.

Plus, alarming new details about the crash that killed NBA superstar Kobe Bryant. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

CABRERA: "The New York Times" reports that now a second former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment. CNN's Brynn Gingras is following this for us. And Brynn, what more do we know about these allegations and how is Governor Cuomo responding?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, the former aide's name is Charlotte Bennett. She's 25 years-old and she spoke as you said, to "The New York Times." And she said she had a number of interactions with Governor Cuomo during her time in the administration, feeling like he was a mentor initially, but that changed.

And she particularly recalled one incident from last June telling "The Times" she was alone with Cuomo in his office and he asked her a number of personal questions, like if she had ever been with an older man. And she said that he said he was open to relationships with women in their 20s.

And she interpreted these questions as clear overtures to a sexual relationship according to this report. She also said she was discomforted by conversations the two had about her own past experience with sexual assault.

And "The Times" said it's also has text messages that she provided to support these claims. Now, Cuomo released a statement and I'm going to read it to you in full.

It says, "Ms. Bennett was a hardworking and valued member of our team during COVID. She has every right to speak out. When she came to me and opened up about being a sexual assault survivor and how it shaped her and her ongoing efforts to create an organization that empowered her voice to help other survivors, I tried to be supportive and helpful.

[17:30:04]

Ms. Bennett's initial impression was right. I was trying to be a mentor to her. I never made advances towards Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate. The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported.

This situation cannot and should not be resolved in the press. I believe the best way to get to the truth is through a full and thorough outside review, and I am directing all state employees to comply with that effort. I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgments. I'll have no further comment until the review has concluded."

Now, we reached out to Bennett for further comment on her allegations, but she didn't respond. But she's the second person in the past week to accuse the governor of inappropriate behavior. Former aid Lindsey Boylan, if you remember on Wednesday, said in media (ph) post, Cuomo gave her an unwanted kiss on her lips when she worked with him in 2018.

And the governor recently denied those allegations as well and he also did it months ago when Boylan actually first came out.

Boylan also didn't comment further to CNN. It's important to note that. Now, all of this as you can imagine, Ana, more bad headlines for the governor and his administration who had soaring popularity during the pandemic, of course, but has really taken a lot of criticism recently for his handling of nursing home death data during the pandemic.

So now, it's looking like Cuomo will be facing two different investigations, one for the harassment allegations and one that's in the early stages by the DOJ and FBI in regards to that nursing home data, although we're not quite sure what the probe is exactly focusing on. CABRERA: And so tell us, how do you anticipate or what do we know

about what's going to happen when it comes to this investigation into the harassment allegations?

GINGRAS: Yes. Well, so the governor's office has said that it wants the attorney general and the chief judge in the state's highest court to pick an independent private lawyer to conduct the probe to "avoid even the perception of a lack of independence or inference of politics," but listen, we're already hearing from sources and lawmakers that that's really not enough.

And here's the issue of what they're telling us, is what the governor's office is proposing doesn't allow subpoena power for the investigation, meaning, they wouldn't be able to compel witnesses, they may not get their hands on certain documents.

So they're calling for Cuomo to make a referral to the A.G.'s office which would grant those powers and the A.G.'s office is not being shy about -- it's come forward and said we don't accept that proposal that the governor is offering and it's fully capable of handling the investigation and they want the governor to take that next action. So, we'll have to see what happens, Ana.

CABRERA: Brynn Gingras, thank you.

Despite losing the House, the Senate and the White House within four years under Trump, the GOP is fully embracing the former president. Next, why a few lone Republicans are sounding the alarm.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:35:00]

CABRERA: This just in to CNN. Vanessa Bryant, the widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, is asking the court to publish the names of deputies who took pictures of her husband and daughter's crash site, including photos of their remains. Lawyers for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and Los Angeles County argue that releasing the names of deputies would increase the chances of photos could be hacked and in turn release to the public. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were killed along with seven others when their helicopter crashed last January.

Same old line, same old lies. Former President Donald Trump dusting off his greatest hits in his first post presidency appearance at CPAC. He did reveal one piece of news, and that is he won't be starting a third party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're not starting new parties. You know, they kept saying he's going to start a brand new party. We have the Republican Party. It's going to unite and be stronger than ever before. I am not starting a new party. Wouldn't that be Brilliant? Let's start a new party and let's divide our vote so that you can never win. No. We're not interested in that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Here is why he need not start a new party. He has a golden statue of him at CPAC, adoring crowds inside and out, and a presidential straw poll showing he's way ahead of other potential Republican presidential hopefuls.

Margaret Hoover is a CNN political commentator and host of "Firing Line" on PBS, and John Avlon is a CNN senior political analyst. Good to see you guys. Margaret, here's the thing. Trump lost Republicans both houses of congress and the White House. So if he is the future of your party, what does that mean for Republicans?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I don't buy the premise that he's the future of the Republican Party. What I do say and acknowledge is that he owns the base of the party, which by the way, is convening in that Star Wars bar right now down in Florida, listening to the former president speak.

We have always known Republicans for many, many years, decades, have referred to CPAC as the Star Wars bar because -- and it doesn't need to be the tail that wags the dog of the party, right, so to speak. Right. It is an activist group that is part of -- has traditionally been part of the Republican coalition, has traditionally, you know, played from time to time a constructive role in terms of the political and policy debates within the party.

Because the base of the party now represents no principle or set of ideas but for the defense of one person, that's what the base of the party has become. But there's still 25 percent of sane Republicans in the Senate, the House.

There is the Liz Cheneys, the Ben Sasses. Yes, they are being censured by the bases of their party too, but I have refused to believe that because Donald Trump continues on the party six weeks after he's lost the presidency, that that is preordained for the future of this party.

CABRERA: John, what's your reaction to this news that Trump is not going to start a third party?

[17:39:53]

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Disappointment. I mean, really, I mean, I think one way the fever can all break is that, you know, the extreme should have their own ponds to swim in and should stop sort of poisoning the well that the rest of us have to live with in this thing we call self-government because it has become sort of a tragic comic cults of personality.

I mean, they literally -- they have a golden calf, you know, outside the zone here. It is, you know, this kind of a rehashing of all the old themes and listening to a speech, that's an adoring crowd, but it's a total rehash with some dog whistles and some big lie, and a real big policy folks on illegal immigration.

These are not things that -- and Donald Trump, just given his record of lying is not somebody who is going to lead a party or a country in a constructive direction. So, I think it's a lost opportunity in terms of siphoning off the crazy. Well, just, they'll have to model for.

CABRERA: Let's just take a look at the straw poll. Again for a moment because Trump is so far ahead, 55 percent for Donald Trump. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida is next in line at 21 percent followed by, you know, single digits for Kristi Noem, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Tucker Carlson, Josh Hawley. Then you have Mike Pence with 1 percent and the list goes on and on. What's your read on this, Margaret?

HOOVER: Look, Ana, it's a snapshot in time. Donald Trump, of course he still owns the party. He has been the leader of the party for four years. He's captured the base. I mean, the real question is, there are senate races in 2022 in two years that are up. If Donald Trump is going to continue to own the party, what is he going to do to keep it?

Is he going to put his money where his mouth is? Is he going to go help maintain and try to get the Republican Senate that he lost back? Is he going to work closely with Rick Scott to help Republican senators get back in office? I mean, is he for real or is he just about himself? And I think, you know, I've got a bet on that.

AVLON: And by the way, if he did, would he help, right? I mean, that's the other thing. Donald Trump is enormously popular with the base. He is deeply unpopular with a broad swath of the American people. I mean, you know, Joe Biden has already got approval ratings that are much higher than Trump ever got, even at the outset of his presidency. So, you know, that's the other factor here. This is the problem with polarization. He's popular with the base, not the American people.

CABRERA: I want to play you what Ronald Reagan said during his address to CPAC. This was in 1981.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This reformation, this renaissance will not be achieved or will it be served by those who engage in political clap trap or false promises. It will not be achieved by those who set people against people, class against class or institution against institution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Margaret, do Republicans today need to be reminded of that message? Do they even care?

HOOVER: Republicans now only care about the -- no, Republicans at CPAC right now only care about the defense of Donald Trump. But, yes, 100 percent we need to be reminded of those words of Ronald Reagan and those principles.

That kind of factionalism, as George Washington called it, the hyper partisanship, as the person on my left, my husband calls it, really, truly is rotting this country and the political fabric of this country. And Reagan knew that. I mean, that's why Reagan was the one classically to say, you know, my

80 percent ally is not my 20 percent enemy, right. If you're going to be a winning party, you have to build winning coalition, not divide us against them. And so that's what the future of the Republican Party, if it's going to be successful, has the re-learn.

AVLON: It's about principles more than personality. And this hunting for heretics that the party has become obsessed of because they're sort of at Donald Trump's beck and call, leading with his loyal vice president to be a 1 percent, that's a sickness not a sign of strength.

CABRERA: John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, good to have you as always. John we'll talk Lincoln coming up after the break. Thank you. Thank you both. Here is Christine Romans now with your "Before the Bell" report.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ana. Democrats are racing to pass President Biden's COVID relief bill. This week, new unemployment numbers could highlight why it's needed. The February jobs report due Friday. Economists expect jobs added 110,000 net new jobs. That's more than in January, but still anemic growth. As Fed Chief Jerome Powell explained last week, the job market is stuck in a deep hole.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROM POWELL, CHAIR, FEDERAL RESERVE: We're still 10 million jobs below the level of payroll jobs before the crisis. There is still a long way to go to full recovery and we intend to keep our policy supportive of that recovery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: A supportive Fed is exactly what investors want, but Powell's message didn't soothe Wall Street for long. Volatility returned. Tech stocks sold off next week as investors grew increasingly concerned about rising bond yields.

Wall Street is worried the Fed may need to raise interest rates sooner than planned if the economy begins to overheats later this year. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

[17:45:00]

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CABRERA: This just in, professional golfers showed they had one man on all their minds today. Tiger Woods who is recovering from a horrific car crash on Tuesday, at the final round of today's tournament, golfers like Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, they all supported Tiger's famous colors, red and black, which he was known to wear, of course, in the final days of tournament throughout his career.

[17:50:03]

Woods has a long road to recovery, but is said to be in good spirits according to a statement on his twitter page after undergoing followup procedures on his injured legs Friday morning.

Abraham Lincoln is often hailed as one of America's greatest presidents who ended slavery and saved the country from collapse. But the truth is more complicated than that. This week's episode of the new CNN Original series, "Lincoln: Divided We Stand" provides a revealing look at Lincoln's election to the presidency and the challenges he faced as he entered the White House. Here's a preview.

(BEGING VIDEOTAPE)

TED WIDMER, AMERICAN HISTORIAN: His election is an earthquake. Even though there were strong signs that Lincoln was going to win, it was still shocking when he did win. In the south, it's a catastrophe.

AVLON: Even though he is not a hard core abolitionist, the mere fact of Lincoln's election, the threat of this new party united in the opposition to the expansion of slavery is threatening enough that it spurred secession.

ALLEN GUELZO, AUTHOR, ABRAHAM LINCOLN AS A MAN OF IDEAS: Seven southern states secede from the union before Lincoln is inaugurated. South Carolina.

UNKNOWN: Mississippi.

UNKNOWN: Florida.

UNKNOWN: Alabama.

UNKNOWN: Georgia.

UNKNOWN: Louisiana.

HAROLD HOZER, LINCOLN HISTORIAN: Texas. They all secede from the union and a parallel government is forming in what is now called the Confederate States of America.

GUELZO: And the real question is going to be, are his words and his policies going to drive other states into the breakaway confederacy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: John Avlon is back with us and he's the author of the upcoming book "Lincoln and the Fight for Peace." John, in Lincoln's inauguration speech, he tried to encourage the south to come back to the union. What was his message and why didn't it work?

AVLON: Well, remember, I mean, the mere fact of Lincoln's election, this, you know, new president from a new party is enough to spur seven states in the south to secede. They refuse to accept him as a legitimate president.

The threats of insurrection and assassination at his inauguration. Jefferson Davis has already been inaugurated president of The Confederate States of America down in Alabama. And Lincoln gets up, this untested president, never having held an elected office before, a one-term congressman from a new party, and proceeds to present kind of the poetry of democracy, making the case that, you know, we are not enemies.

We are friends. We must be friends. Though passion may have strained it, it must not break the bonds of affection that unite us. And he proceeds to make a case for why secession shouldn't occur, why civil war wasn't inevitable. It didn't succeed because the logic of polarization was already accelerating because (ph) it plays that violence was inevitable and indeed working.

CABRERA: We look at Lincoln now and, you know, his greatness is a given. But as he was trying to hold the country together, Lincoln was criticized not just by the south but some Republicans in the north as well. Why was Lincoln personally so unpopular among some of his fellow Republicans?

AVLON: There was vicious criticism. You know, the famous term that Doris Kearns Goodwin coined, team of rivals applies, he had enough self-confidence to have a cabinet full of people who saw themselves of at least as equals, if not his superiors.

But Lincoln had a deep self-confidence and he knew that he could harness people for their strengths, that everyone was a mix of good and bad. But he was called everything from weak to a tyrant. It's hard to be both. But that was the volume of attacks and criticism. He was so often dismissed and disrespected and it's because he was this new president from a new party out from the western state of Illinois.

He was seen as joking all the time. As a roob, people didn't take him seriously. And also importantly, he had the capacity to grow in office. And that's an important thing. By the end of his first term, he's being compared to Washington even as the civil war rages. But you're right, the criticism was vicious, even from his own party.

CABRERA: Any lessons for where we are today?

AVLON: A lot. There are so many lessons because here Lincoln, you know, sometimes people say, we're more divided than any time since the civil war. That's an exaggeration. One of the things that Lincoln provides us though is an example for how our country has been through worse times before, how we can learn the lessons of Lincoln's leadership, which is focus on reconciliation and reunification.

The importance of presidential leadership, the importance of rising above our divides and still being willing to win. You know, he had to win the war, but then he knew he had to win the piece after the fact. And Lincoln's poetry, his grace, his compassion, his empathy, his honesty, his humor, all helped to do that.

CABRERA: When is your book coming out?

AVLON: It will be later this year, perhaps early next, but we've got to manuscript in the other room if you want to see it.

CABRERA: Can't wait. Can't wait. It sounds fascinating. John Avlon, thank you. [17:54:56]

Be sure to tune in tonight, the CNN Original Series "Lincoln: Divided We Stand" airs at 10:00 right here on CNN.

And that's going to do it for me this weekend. I'm Ana Cabrera. Thank you so much for joining us today. The news continues in just a moment with Pamela Brown. Have a great night.

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