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Erin Burnett Outfront
New Poll: Trump Has a Three Point Lead Over Clinton; Trump Meets With GOP Foreign Policy Veteran Kissinger; War Within Democratic Party Intensifies; Inside Donald Trump's Finances; One of 200+ Schoolgirls Kidnapped Found, First in 2 Years; Top U.S. Commander Worried Iraq Could Scale Down in ISIS Fight. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired May 18, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:12] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, a new national poll shows Donald Trump taking the lead over Hillary Clinton. This as the presumptive GOP nominee announces his Supreme Court picks and meets with Henry Kissinger. Is he starting to look presidential or not?
Plus, civil war breaking out in a Democratic Party. Joe Biden jumping into the fray late today. Is the party beyond repair?
And kidnapped with hundreds of others, the first girl to escape her terrorist captors, how did she do it? Let's go OUTFRONT.
Good evening, I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, a stunning new poll showing Donald Trump leading Hillary Clinton in a general election match-up. Trump's three-point lead is within the poll's margin of error. It is stunning though because it was a sharp reversal from just last month when Clinton led Trump by seven points. This comes as Trump in a highly unusual move today unveiled his list of potential Supreme Court nominees. There are three women on the list. All of them possibly to replace the late Antonin Scalia. Trump also meeting today with the former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
And both of these moves obviously meant to reassure skeptics and show Donald Trump is in lockstep with the traditional Republican Party. But this comes on the heels of Trump's surprising announcement, is one way of putting it. But he would have, quote, "no problem with meeting with North Korea's belligerent leader Kim Jong-un.
Dana Bash is OUTFRONT tonight beginning our coverage. And Dana, this new poll showing Trump leading Clinton comes at the same time that he is working really hard to win over the establishment.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We know the establishment, but also shore up conservatives in his own party, and he did it in a way that from my memory, no other nominee in either party has ever done.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): A list of 11 potential Supreme Court justices, an unprecedented move that speaks volumes about how much Donald Trump knows he still needs to convince some GOP skeptics he's one of them. DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of people are very
worried that if I got in, that if I got in, I would put in the wrong judge. And I'm going to put in the right judges, OK? I'm going to put in great conservative judges.
BASH: CNN was told that during Trump's private meeting with House Republican leaders, Speaker Paul Ryan pressed him on the importance of naming a true conservative to replace the late Antonin Scalia. And Trump responded with a promise to release a list soon. Even inviting House Republicans to submit suggestions. The immediate reaction from GOP activists to the 11 names Trump released today was positive. Chief Counsel for the conservative judicial crisis network, saying, this list ought to be encouraging to anyone who prioritizes the rule of law, and I congratulate Mr. Trump on making a very significant policy statement about his desire to prioritize the future of the Supreme Court. Suring up his own base is only one of many missions for the presumptive GOP nominee. Damage control with female voters is another.
IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP: He was promoting women in development and construction.
BASH: In normal times, the candidate's daughter going on TV to say this would only be responding to a five-alarm political fire.
IVANKA TRUMP: I'm not in every interaction my father has, but he's not a groper. It's not who he is. And I've known my father, obviously, my whole life and he has total respect for women.
BASH: Donald Trump did overcome attacks during the GOP primaries, using his past statements about women. But the general election is different, and team Trump isn't taking anything for granted. Especially with Clinton forces already running this ad.
TRUMP: You like girls, 5'1" they come up to you know where.
BASH: But perhaps the biggest piece of evidence of transformation into a more traditional candidate is his move to join forces with the Republican Party and pledge to help raise money. It's something every presidential nominee does. But Trump appealed to primary voters by being different, not beholden to donors.
TRUMP: I don't want their money. I don't need their money. They have no control.
(END VIDEOTAE)
BASH: But Trump did say today that he would not raise any money to pay back the $50 million or so that he loaned his own campaign during the primaries, Erin. But still, the fact that he is going to be out raising money, asking big donors to help the Republican Party, including him in his candidacy is quite different from the primaries and just someone who went to lots of Trump rallies during the primaries, talked to voters, that was one of the top reasons why they love Donald Trump. Because he is not beholden to big donors. BURNETT: All right. We're going to be talking to one of those
donors, one of those fundraisers later on in our show tonight. Donald Trump's meeting though with the former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, comes after Trump's stunning statement that he would be willing to speak to North Korea's Kim Jong-un, who, of course, regularly puts out videos showing nuclear attacks on American cities.
Our senior political reporter Manu Raju is OUTFRONT live on Capitol Hill. Trump's statement shocking many, Manu. What are you hearing?
[19:05:14] MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes. That's right, Erin. Actually, a lot of surprise among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Remember in 2008, Republicans were criticizing Barack Obama relentlessly for suggesting that he would be open to negotiating without preconditions with Iran and other regimes that got a lot of criticism from Republicans, and when I got a chance to ask Republicans about it today, they were taken aback. Including Marco Rubio, the Florida senator, of course Trump's rival in the presidential race saying that's a bad idea.
And I asked, aren't you concerned that your presumptive nominee is espousing these views. And this is what he had to say. He said that Trump is not a professional political guy, you know my differences with him. This is not an issue he's dealt with for a long time. So I imagine he's kind of working his way through all of this. And he said hopefully he'll have people around him the whole time that will shed a little bit more light over all of this. Now, our colleague, Ted Barrett, caught up with John McCain, who ran against Barack Obama and McCain said, I disagree with that.
And I got a chance to talk to a senator who is up for re-election. This cycle, who is also on the Foreign Relations Committee. Ron Johnson, who said that this is not the way to go about it. Actually, the best way to do it is to pressure China, to go about pressuring North Korea, not to negotiate with Kim Jong-un. And really just shows, Erin, the challenges of running with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.
BURNETT: Yes.
RAJU: And things that he could say that could put you in a top position.
BURNETT: All right. Manu, and fascinating to get that news from Marco Rubio of what he's saying, being critical but tempered in that criticism. That in and of itself perhaps significant.
OUTFRONT now, Mark Preston, our political executive editor. Bakari Sellers, a Hillary Clinton supporter. Jason Osborne, a Donald Trump supporter. Susan Del Percio, a former senior advisor for the Rudy Giuliani administration. Jeffrey Tobin, our senior legal analyst. And John Avlon, editor-in-chief of "The Daily Beast."
So, Mark Preston, let me start with you. This new poll, we started to see this sneaking up in various places that Trump is doing better and better and better nationally. Obviously, comes down to swing states. But in one month, Clinton was ahead seven points last month in one month. Now Trump is ahead to three. How does that happen?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Right. Well, certainly polls and national polls are snapshots in the moment and time that we're living in right now.
BURNETT: Yes.
PRESTON: So, it is just good news for Donald Trump? It absolutely is at a time when he's trying to consolidate to Republican Party together. That he's trying to reach out, that he's trying to bring together the district parts, certainly conservatives who have concerns about him. How is he making ground on Hillary Clinton? The fact is that we're no longer seeing Donald Trump clot in this primary battle where he has Ted Cruz and John Kasich, you know, and even go back a little bit. Marco Rubio constantly attacking him. On the Democratic side, we are seeing that right now. We are seeing Hillary Clinton.
BURNETT: Right.
PRESTON: That has risen to the forefront where Bernie Sanders and the Hillary Clinton primary is being fought out in the press.
BURNETT: And this has got to be frustrating Bakari for Hillary Clinton. But when you look within a poll like this one, it shows her dishonesty numbers and this poll now at a record 66 percent. Look, Donald Trump doesn't do well on that. Everybody thinks they're both liars, OK? He does at 57 percent. But still, record 66 percent. That's not good.
BAKARI SELLERS, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, I think one of the things that you see that's indicative of this poll is that Hillary Clinton is fighting this battle on two fronts right now. She had a primary battle with Bernie Sanders and she's also, as you saw Priorities USA coming out and realizing they just can't sit on their hands any longer. You have to come and take the fight to Donald Trump so you see them going up with ads now. Both of them have high numbers when it comes to honesty. I mean, high unfavorable numbers when it comes to honesty. What this poll doesn't tell you and what doesn't bode well for Donald Trump going into November is that Donald Trump still doesn't do well with core groups that he has to deal well with. Those are --
BURNETT: Women, I mean, women, African-Americans --
SELLERS: Women, African-Americans and Hispanics.
BURNETT: Right.
SELLERS: You cannot win in November when you do not do well with women, after Americans and Hispanics.
BURNETT: So Jason, look, I understand this is a good poll for Donald Trump.
JASON OSBORNE, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Right.
BURNETT: He likes polls, he's going to love this one.
OSBORNE: He only likes polls that are good for him.
BURNETT: Right. He likes polls that are good for him. So he's going to be very happy about this poll.
OSBORNE: Right. Well, there's been a lot of them.
BURNETT: John Podesta just came out though of course in the Clinton campaign and says this. In this week alone, Donald Trump has jeopardize relations with the close ally before setting foot overseas. Talked about building a relationship with a reckless dictator, called two diverse American cities more dangerous than war zones like Iraq and released a list of suggested Supreme Court nominees that includes no people of color. He continues, he finishes with, it is only Wednesday.
OSBORNE: Well, you know, Podesta is certainly entitled to his opinion and the rest of the year we'll going to hear about how great Hillary Clinton is. But, you know, what I find interesting is that, you know, to your point about Priorities USA attacking Trump.
BURNETT: Clinton Super PAC.
OSBORNE: Clinton Super PAC. When you have candidate that is at a high unfavorability rating, why aren't they out there touting why she's good. I don't hear anything about what Hillary Clinton is going to do for this country, what she's going to change in terms of Barack Obama's policies. What I hear is attacks on Donald Trump and what he's saying is no different than what we heard with Barack Obama when he said he was going to meet with the Iranians. We hear, yes, I have no problem meeting with the North Korean dictator, why is that a problem when we say that we want to change this world?
[19:10:08] BURNETT: So, let me ask a question on that front, John Avlon.
(LAUGHTER)
And OK, I know you can -- OK, everybody seems to think this is a problem. But let me just play for you what Barack Obama said in July 2007 in a CNN debate when he was running for president. About Kim Jong-un.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration is ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So why is that any different? Right? He was willing to talk to Iran, for example.
JOHN AVLON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE DAILY BEAST": Willing to talk to Iran and went out on that limb, certainly. Barack Obama has not spoken to Kim Jong-un or any of the North Korean dictators. No American president has.
BURNETT: Right. No, he has not.
AVLON: The larger pattern that I think is really concerting, is right now our allies in the region, Tokyo, Seoul, are looking at this statement, saying, whoa, whoa, whoa, I thought we were going to work together to contain North Korea. And this is on top of comments about NATO that have our historic allies in Europe? Saying, what's going on? Can we depend on the United States? Is this a stable form of governance? And the people who get the most comfort always seem to be dictators like North Korea, Putin and China. So, you know, if your candidate is giving comfort to those folks and unnerving allies, that's a fundamental problem for America.
OSBORNE: He said he was going to meet with them. He didn't say that he was going to sit down and talk and negotiate.
AVLON: Sit down and talk are the same thing.
SUSAN DEL PERCIO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Let's not kid ourselves. This is Donald Trump we're talking about, he is going to change his statement on this 100 percent. He'll say something like, well, I didn't mean I was just going to sit down with him. I'll sit down with him on preconditions or these things have to happen. He will change this and manipulate it a little bit more to make it more acceptable somehow.
BURNETT: He might perhaps. But also let's just -- this is something he's consistently said and it's something that perhaps he might be listening to someone else, who actually has met with Kim Jong-un. Here is that person. And Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: He wants Obama to do one thing. Call him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wants a call from President Obama?
RODMAN: That's right.
TRUMP: He's smart in many ways. And he's very street-wise. And, you know, that little statement about all I want to do is to have Obama call me. I mean, maybe that is not the worst thing, folks. Instead of going through this whole charade that we do every year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: He's been consistent.
AVLON: You and Dennis Rodman may be reason enough to vote for Donald Trump for some folks. I'm just saying, I'm just throwing it out there. PRESTON: I tell my 10-year-old son, if you ever want to be a good
basketball player, be like Dennis Rodman, he knows how to get a rebound.
SELLERS: That's really different than being someone's chief adviser when it comes to foreign policy. There are a lot of people who think that Donald Trump draws his foreign policy with crayon. And the simple fact that he is going here -- I was listening to Rep Adam Kissinger earlier from Illinois who came on and said, one thing you do not do with -- who, by the way is an up and coming Republican, who is going to be a superstar in this country one day. He said, but you do not embolden a dictator by sitting down and talking to them. So the instability that Donald Trump is willing to cause. He already said that he wanted to have a nuclear -- South Korea nuclear Japan. I mean, we don't know where Donald Trump is going.
BURNETT: Although, I will say just to many Americans as I will did what we just do that with Iran?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I don't really see what the big deal is. Why is it so terrible to talk to the head of North Korea?
BURNETT: Right.
TOOBIN: I mean, yes, our allies will -- our allies are always worried about us. But in the context of all of the things Donald Trump has said in foreign policy, this seems like among the least controversial.
BURNETT: Listen to Jeff -- the voice of calm here. But I also want to ask you. Because today he came out obviously with his list of Supreme Court nominees. Three women, you heard John Podesta angry there are no people of color. Podesta is trying to say, this is obviously a bad list. The Obama administration came out and said, it's a bad list which was probably a wonderful thing for Donald Trump. Is it really a conservative who's who going to win over establishment?
TOOBIN: This is a dream team of social conservatives. These judges are all very serious people, very accomplished.
BURNETT: Uh-hm.
TOOBIN: And experienced judges. If you want a Supreme Court that will overrule Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion. If you want a Supreme Court that will not recognize rights for gays and for transgenders, these are the people you want on the Supreme Court. And that's what Ted Cruz justices would want. This list would be a perfectly appropriate list for a President Ted Cruz.
BURNETT: Which is pretty incredible. Takes away his fighting words on this.
All right, all staying with me. Next, breaking news, Joe Biden, weighing in on the civil war in the Democratic Party. What he says Bernie Sanders should do now.
Plus, it's Donald Trump's calling card.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't need anybody's money. It's nice. I'm really rich.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Just how rich is he? Well, we have a special report tonight, getting into the bottom of Trump's finances.
And a CNN worldwide exclusive. The new commander of U.S. Central Command on the threat of ISIS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:18:13] BURNETT: And breaking news tonight. The Democrats in an all-out war. Frustration boiling over. Top officials pushing Sanders to reign in unruly supporters. The Sanders campaign lashing out at leaders of the party. Meanwhile, the campaign is looking into in their words whether to ask for a recount in Kentucky. They lost by less than 2,000 votes last night. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley got more votes than that so you can see why you might want a recount.
Vice President Joe Biden jumping into the fray today and defended Bernie Sanders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Let Bernie run race. I mean, there's nothing wrong. There's no fundamental split or anything in the Democratic Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: No fundamental split. Is he right about that? Suzanne Malveaux is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We won Oregon last night and I have a strong feeling that with your support, we're going to take the entire West Coast.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, fresh off another win in the West. Bernie Sanders is digging in his heels.
SANDERS: In every state that we have run in, we have had to take on literally almost the entire Democratic establishment, and in state after state, the people have stood up and helped defeat the establishment.
MALVEAUX: He even with his victory in Oregon in another near win in Kentucky. Sanders still faces a tough road ahead. As Hillary Clinton is on the edge of clinching the nomination. Tension now boiling over within the Democratic Party, as Sanders supporters lash out in frustration, over a system they view as rigged.
SANDERS: So, I say to the leadership of the Democratic Party, open the doors, let the people in!
MALVEAUX: The Nevada Democratic convention turned ugly Saturday after the party announced last-minute rule changes, which would award more delegates to frontrunner Hillary Clinton. The state chair received a stream of death threats after Sanders supporters posted her address and phone number on social media. And California Senator Barbara Boxer said she feared for her safety.
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: I was on the stage, and people were six feet away from me. And if I didn't have a lot of security, I don't know what would have happened.
MALVEAUX: Boxer, who is a Clinton supporter, and DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz called for Sanders to personally condemn the violence.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, CHAIRWOMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: This is unacceptable behavior and the Sanders campaign and Senator Sanders himself should not only outright condemn that specific conduct but they also need to take steps to prevent it.
MALVEAUX: California Senator and another Clinton supporter Dianne Feinstein warns the party upheaval could lead to the riots Democrats saw at their national convention in Chicago.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: I don't want to go back to the '68 convention, because I worry about what it does to the electorate as a whole. And he should too.
MALVEAUX: The Sanders campaign is now crying foul.
JEFF WEAVER, SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: He categorically condemns any kind of threats that went on, absolutely unacceptable. You know, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, we could have a long conversation just about Debbie Wasserman Schultz and she is been throwing shade on the Sanders campaign since the very beginning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Tonight, the White House is downplaying concerns about potential violence at the Democratic convention. Press Secretary Josh Earnest saying, yes, there will be a need for Democrats to come together in the general election and that the President will be making that case -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Suzanne, thank you very much.
My panel back with me now along with Jonathan Tasini, a Bernie Sanders supporter who ran against Clinton in her 2006 Senate primary campaign. And our chief political correspondent Dana Bash.
Jonathan, let me start with you. You just heard Sanders campaign manager talk about Debbie Wasserman Schultz, leader in the Democratic Party throwing shades since the beginning. He says, on the Sanders campaign. How? How has the Democratic leadership been rigged or stacked against Bernie Sanders?
JONATHAN TASINI, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: Well, I want to specifically focus on Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who I think has lost credibility and I don't think she should resign. I don't think she is a creditable person to chair the committee. If what we need is a chair of the party who can bring people together particularly at the convention and run the convention in an even-handed way. And I think that goes back. There is a sense of mistrust with Debbie Wasserman Schultz. It goes back to -- way back to the debates. The question about, how many debates would be, we would have, what time it will be show, and our sense that basically she wanted to as much as possible make those debates, not watchable for most people. And as a way of protecting Hillary Clinton.
BURNETT: You're talking about putting them on the weekends. Specifically. Which was the original.
TASINI: I think there was some high-watched sports event, whether it was the Super Bowl -- was it the all-star game or something?
BURNETT: Right.
TASINI: We were joking --
BURNETT: I remember. But we were here doing the post-debate.
TASINI: The only reason she couldn't find -- there was another time which is the home shopping channel maybe at 3:00 a.m., that would have been the only other option for her.
OSBORNE: You know what I find interesting in all this, going back to her condemning the Sanders and for them not coming out, is that these are the same people that applauded the protesters against Donald Trump. If the protesters are outside, protesting the guy they don't like, that's OK. But when you come inside the House and you protest against a Bernie Sanders, instead of Debbie Wasserman Schultz saying that Sanders should come out and condemn this, why isn't she speaking to the protesters and understanding why it is that they're protesting?
[19:23:27] TASINI: Erin, I wanted to make a positive one. Which is I don't think we should characterize the whole Democratic Party establishment. Because you heard Vice President Biden said that Bernie Sanders should run. It's a good thing for the party. And, in fact, Barack Obama, I think --
BURNETT: Well, there's many that would say that's a sign of complete disarray at this point in the process.
TASINI: No, Barack Obama actually said, look, this is similar to what happened in 2008. We had a very, very contentious primary in 2008, ultimately people came together.
BURNETT: You didn't see that kind of thing.
TASINI: Yes, we did.
(CROSSTALK)
SELLERS: This is -- and I -- I really hate sometimes agreeing with Jonathan. But the fact of the matter is that this is more like 2008 than 1968. 1968, the backdrop was the assassination of Martin Luther King, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy --
BURNETT: Right.
SELLERS: -- and the massacre in South Carolina. That was the backdrop of the convention. So, you don't have those things now. And it's not that. But 2008, you have party unity, my ass. The Pumas. And that was their job. That's what they went around doing, they went around, they tried to delegitimize the President of the United States.
BURNETT: And they all got on board.
SELLERS: Even at one point, when Hillary Clinton brought them -- Hillary Clinton said, do not show up in Denver, they even turned on her and said she was a traitor. So we have seen this before.
BASH: You're right. Because I remember talking to some of the Pumas on the floor of the convention in 2008 and there were a lot of Hillary Clinton supporters who never got on board. But my point is, is that first of all, I don't disagree with you about the analogy to 1968. But the point is, in the context of 2016, looking at both parties, it makes it harder for Democrats to look at what happened in the Republican primaries, and, you know, all of the kind of -- how combustible it was and say, ha-ha-ha, look at that. At least we're having a debate about the issues. When this is happening right now.
BURNETT: And now we argue about who is fighting. Exactly.
TASINI: But we're having a debate about the issues, I do want to add that I do think there is a fundamental difference.
BURNETT: Yes. But people -- will say, why is Bernie Sanders so angry? What is happening? The conversation has shifted. Among the public. It is not about issues. It is about --
AVLON: Hallmark of Bernie's campaign has been civility. Whether you agree or disagree. The point on policy, he has been relentlessly civil.
(CROSSTALK)
Maybe. But when things get out of control in the conference like Nevada and it gets to the level of threats, that moral authority is lost and it does create the impression that when, you know, the candidate who calls for a populist revolution, that revolution starts to take on a life of its own and the moral difference between some of the -- you know, the brutality --
BURNETT: So, let me ask you this because in the context of this poll that just came out tonight, Mark, where you have Hillary Clinton dropping, she was ahead seven points last month in this FOX News poll, you now have Donald Trump ahead by three. You have the former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, senior Clinton surrogate, okay? Let me quote this. Because you must not paraphrase something like this. Talking about Trump's problems with women voters today. And here' what he said in the "Washington Post." Trump's comments will come back to haunt him. There are probably more ugly women in America than attractive women. People take that stuff personally. What's he trying to say? How is this going to help? I mean, this is when you're dealing with two deeply unpopular candidates.
BASH: Mark is like what? I'm sorry --
(LAUGHTER)
BURNETT: Mark, why is she not --
PRESTON: Where do I go with that one? Listen, I mean --
BURNETT: Go ahead, Mark.
PRESTON: God forbid that they go on Twitter and say that I'm giving Ed Rendell a pass, right? Absolutely outrageous. I can't believe he made those comments. Certainly comes from a different era of politics. I mean, that's Ed Rendell, we know that. He's going to be forced to apologize for it. And quite frankly, it is just another example of political rhetoric that has really gone off the rails and certainly in this election.
BURNETT: And showing sexism, Dana, is alive and well on both sides of the aisle. I think that's a powerful point here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No doubt.
BURNETT: Besides, its not Hillary Clinton saying it. But it's a powerful surrogate.
BASH: Yes. It is a powerful surrogate. And somebody who has been, you know, promoting women, and is promoting a woman to be in the Oval Office. But you're absolutely right. It's that people -- I think, look, again, like you, I'm definitely not giving him a pass. But there are generational issues here. Where men sometimes say things that they don't realize that are coming out in a certain way.
OSBORNE: Now people are going to say, you know, Trump is attacking women.
BURNETT: OK, but --
BURNETT: Donald Trump said that -- if Donald Trump said that, the world would be in complete disarray.
SELLERS: Let's actually be very clear about this. I think what Governor Rendell said was asinine, you know, and ignorant. I've already said all of those things multiple times today. This is one statement Donald Trump has made multiple statements. But there is a larger problem here. This is a symptom of a larger illness that we're having with the political rancor and discussion in this country. In that Donald Trump being the key player in this discussion.
BURNETT: Yes.
SELLERS: And Ed Rendell following Donald Trump's lead today has lowered the level of discourse where sexism, racism, bigotry and xenophobia, all of a sudden are mainstream talking points. Today, I got called a Negro monkey on Twitter by one of the people out on social media because they felt like that was okay to say to someone. This wasn't okay to say to anyone. What Donald Trump says, nine times out of ten about women is not Ed Rendell falls in that same category and we should be ashamed.
[19:28:43] BURNETT: OK. All right. Next, if there is one thing Donald Trump knows, it is entertainment. He has some details to put serious showbiz into the GOP convention, and we for the first time know what some of them are. That report coming up.
And in case you do not know, Donald Trump is really rich.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I started off with a million-dollar loan. I built a net worth of over $10 billion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Our special report, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:33:09] BURNETT: Tonight, Donald Trump says he earned nearly $600 million last year. But you'll have to trust him on that. The likely GOP nominee is not releasing his tax returns until his audits are complete. But what he did do today was file a detailed financial disclosure form.
So, just how much is Trump worth?
Sunlen Serfaty is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm really rich.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bashful he is not.
TRUMP: I've made billions and billions of dollars dealing with people all over the world.
SERFATY: Ever flashy.
TRUMP: Now, here's the good news: I'm very rich.
SERFATY: Donald Trump likes to flaunt his fortune.
TRUMP: I built a net worth of over $10 billion. SERFATY: But that number, $10 billion, has never been fully
substantiated. It's under contention how much Trump is really worth. "Fortune" estimates his network $3.72 billion. "Forbes", with their own analysis, concludes $4.5 billion. Trump has even sued over an author's claim he is worth less than advertised.
Asked how he calculates his net worth in a deposition in 2007, Trump gave a murky answer, saying it "goes up and down with markets and with attitudes and with feelings. Even, my own feelings."
The hard numbers have been impossible to pin down. And Trump has refused to release his tax returns, which would give more clues like Trump's effective tax rate in charitable donations.
TRUMP: They're meaningless, OK? It doesn't matter. Because they're so far back. But at the right time, I'll release them. I hope to release them, I'd like to release them. But when I'm under order, I can't do that.
SERFATY: But there are some hints about the range of his wealth. According to Trump's updated financial disclosure forms filed this week with the Federal Election Commission, Trump listed his income at $557 million in 2015. His listed income for 2014, slightly lower at $362 million. But some numbers are ranges, because financial disclosures don't require exact dollar figures.
[19:35:06] TRUMP: I'm not saying that in a braggadocios manner.
SERFATY: On the campaign trail, Trump likes to tout that he's a self- made man.
TRUMP: It has not been easy for me. You know, I started off in Brooklyn, my father gave me a small loan of $1 million. I came into Manhattan, and I had to pay him back and I had to pay him back with interest.
SERFATY: Who was able to turn that loan from his father into the empire he has today, pulling in money from a variety of projects, from hotels, high-rise buildings, casinos, golf resorts, earning $132 million from just one resort in Florida, an ice rink in Central Park with a payday of $12.9 million, and yes, even the park's carrousel, pulling in $700,000.
ANNOUNCER: Miss Universe 2016 --
SERFATY: A whopping $49.3 million from selling the Miss Universe pageant last year and his book deals, drawing in $1 million and $5 million for his new book, "Crippled America" alone, in addition to royalties he's still cashing in on from his previous books.
TRUMP: I wrote "The Art of the Deal". I wrote many best sellers.
SERFATY: Trump doesn't hide his penchant for luxury, with a series of properties, a three-story penthouse in Trump Tower, his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and a state in Virginia and mansion in the Caribbean. Add to that, a yacht, and his private jet -- a fixture on the campaign trail that Trump doesn't shy away from showcasing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And Donald Trump has said he spent between $40 million and $45 million of his own money to self-fund his primary campaign. But Trump and the RNC, they have this week struck up a final agreement, opening him up to fund raise for the general election and the primary.
And that brings up the possibility that Trump could pay himself all that money back. But in a statement today, Trump shot down that idea, Erin. He said he has absolutely no intention of doing that.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Sunlen.
And OUTFRONT now, the finance chair of the Republican Governors Association, Fred Malek. He's also a top Republican fund-raiser, the finance chair for John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008, and the former campaign manager for H.W. Bush's '92 presidential campaign.
You know what you're talking about, Fred. So, when you saw this reporting on Donald Trump's financial disclosure form, he is saying nearly $600 million, did you learn anything?
FRED MALEK, FINANCE CHAIR, REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION: Erin, I thought there was very little to learn from that report. It's just too sketchy to draw any conclusions. I don't think it matters that much.
Look, what we do know is he's a wealthy guy, created a very, very vibrant business empire and I think we ought to credit him with that. On the other hand, if you really want to know what's behind it all and what it amounts to, you would have to have disclosure of the tax returns.
If I were in his shoes, I don't think I would release them either, because you put a forensic team of accountants on that, boxes and boxes of documents, they're going to find stuff you can criticize and look at no matter how pristine it's prepared. They can be on that for two weeks. I understand why they didn't want to do it.
BURNETT: All right. So, you understand why he didn't want to do it, but you don't think we're going to get the answers until he does. But, look, you are defending him. And I know, Fred, you've said Trump was not your first choice, perhaps not even your second or third.
But you are backing him. Why?
MALEK: Well, he's not my first, second or third choice. He's the Republican nominee and I'm going to back the Republican nominee. I'm going to vote for the Republican nominee.
I'm not working for the Republican nominee. I'm working for the Republican Governors Association, and America Action Network. That's where my loyalties lie, mainly. But I am going to vote for Donald Trump. BURNETT: All right. So, you're going to vote for him. But in terms
of raising money, this is what's crucial. You just heard Sunlen reporting. You spent what, $45 million in the primary, self-funding was a big part of his sell.
The general costs to billions, he's not going to be paying for that himself. He's now raising money. But he's late to it. Sheldon Adelson, top donor in 2012, he's got behind Donald Trump, reportedly going to donate $100 million. But that's a drop in the bucket, right, because you need billions.
Have you seen any signs that donors are going to get on board, the big donors that must back Trump in order for him to win?
MALEK: Erin, let me start with one thing. No matter what he does, no matter how many donors come on board, he's going to be at a serious disadvantage with Hillary Clinton if he's had decades to build a network and at least two years to build a campaign apparatus to raise money for this campaign.
Every presidential nominee in recent history has spent two years building an organization, raising money through the primaries and through the general. So, I think it's a good idea that he is now forming his joint committee. He's got good people like Anthony Scaramucci and Lew Eisenberg working with him.
But I think he's got a tough road ahead to do everything he's got to do in the months leading up to the election. Even at that, he will not be competitive unless he's prepared to write a check of half a billion dollars to himself. I don't think he's going to do it.
BURNETT: So, you think he has to write a personal check of $500 million for these people to be serious, because they're going to say, you're so rich --
MALEK: To be competitive.
BURNETT: Well, he's got to be competitive. But doesn't it impact donors? I mean, they've got to say if you've got money and you're not putting it where your mouth is, why would I?
[19:40:03] MALEK: Well, I think they would like to see skin in the game, sure. But I think by the same token, people are coming around. I think they're encouraged by a show of unity. I think they're encouraged by things like he's meeting with Henry Kissinger, by his releasing the names of the Supreme Court nominees he would pick.
These are steps in the right direction. He is showing I think a milder side, a more presidential side. And I think that's going to help him. And it's going to help unify the party.
BURNETT: All right. Fred, thank you very much.
MALEK: You're welcome.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next -- Donald Trump promising to put party in the Grand Old Party's convention. The inside scoop, some new details on what he plans for a gold-plated event.
And breaking news, kidnapped along with hundreds of others, the first girl to escape her brutal captors from Boko Haram to ISIS-linked group after two years is free tonight. More on the ground, how did she escape?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: The Donald Trump campaign tonight plotting out the convention. As the presumptive nominee, Trump has a lot of say in how that convention is going to go.
[19:45:00] We know that Donald Trump cares deeply about this. He's talked about it. He loves glitz and glamour. He knows how to create drama.
Sara Murray is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump's penchant for glitz and glamour has some Republicans hoping he can pull off a showbiz touch at July's Cleveland Convention that goes more smoothly than a GOP's brush with Hollywood in 2012.
CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR: What do you mean shut up?
MURRAY: Will Donald Trump deliver an in-your-face smack-down of Hillary Clinton reminiscent of the billionaire's brawl in the WWE?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God!
MURRAY: Or more subtle flair like the Miss Universe pageant.
From his (INAUDIBLE) an arrival, to his ability to rally a crowd.
TRUMP: Who is going to pay for the wall?
CROWD: Mexico!
MURRAY: The unpredictable nature of Trump has organizers in Cleveland ready for just about anything.
ROB FROST, CUYAHOGA COUNTY REPUBLICAN CHAIR: I think that the American viewership that's going to be watching this convention will be more interested in this than "American Idol."
MURRAY: But some traditional GOP donors wary of the brash billionaire's divisive rhetoric --
TRUMP: They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists.
MURRAY: -- are waiting to open their wallets. The host committee is still $7 million to $8 million short of its fundraising goal. DAVID GILBERT, PRESIDENT & CEO OF CLEVELAND RNC HOST COMMITTEE: There
has been a small number of funders who have traditionally funded host committees for conventions that have said they were going to hold off.
MURRAY: Four of the last five GOP nominees are holding off as well, and skipping the convention all together. A move that's not sitting well with some in Cleveland.
FROST: Mitt Romney, he lost last time. We have been working to learn from that loss. He apparently has it. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. He is speaking out in a way that's just not helpful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: Now, Sara, Donald Trump has a lot of friends in Hollywood. And I know you've been looking into that part of this. Are some of them going to be playing a big role in this convention?
MURRAY: That's right, Erin. He has more celebrity friends than your traditional Republican nominee. And there were some rumors flying about whether his "Apprentice" producer might come in and help out with the convention. A convention source tells us that's not the case yet right now. There is a former NBC producer who is there that someone who has done the Olympics, who is used to sort of glitz and glamour.
But I think the other thing we're seeing is look, RNC officials not butting heads when it comes to this issue. In fact, they're already compiling a list of celebrities who have endorsed Donald Trump in the past and hopes maybe those folks will want to get involved in Cleveland come July.
BURNETT: All right. Sara, thank you very much. This is just going to be something I think they're right when they said more people want to watch that than "American Idol".
OUTFRONT next, a top American general tells CNN why he's worried that ISIS is changing its strategy. This exclusive is next.
And breaking news. One -- one of the 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists is free tonight. How did she escape after more than two years in captivity? We have a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:36] BURNETT: Breaking news on a story we've been following. One of the missing Nigerian girls found tonight, two years after Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 school girls -- one of them now free.
Nigeria's military says the army carried out a rescue operation for her, but another witness says the girl simply wandered out of a forest with a man and a baby.
CNN international correspondent David McKenzie is OUTFRONT.
And, David, obviously conflicting reports. What do you know?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we know, the latest is from the Nigerian military, they were in a joint operation, according to them, with a vigilante group which patrols the borders of the Sambisa forest there. And that's an area where ISIS affiliated Boko Haram is strengthening their stronghold.
But what they do know is that this girl was wandering on those outskirts with a four-month old baby, nursing that baby with what the military calls her, quote, "husband" who they say was a terrorist from Boko Haram.
Now, she's one of the Chibok girls that were taken from the high school more than two years ago, more than 200 of them, and through all that time, the mothers, the sisters and brothers have all been want to go know where the girls are and this is the first person, the first of that group that appears to have escaped -- Erin.
BURNETT: And, David, I know we have a picture of this young woman with her baby taken today, the look on her face certainly not happy, perhaps blank might be the right word to describe it, then a picture of the man found with her. This is the man they think could be a member of Boko Haram.
When you say, quote/unquote, "husband", this could be someone who had raped her, this could be a forced, quote/unquote, "marriage situation". We just don't know.
MCKENZIE: We don't know at this point. What witnesses say and community members say this man might have also been abducted by Boko Haram but then joined their fighting force. We don't know whether it was through force or voluntarily, but the kidnapped girls that I interviewed, those were weren't from Chibok that managed to escape, they routinely say that they are married off to these men, raped as you say, and that the existence in that Sambisa Forest is horrific.
You look at the picture and you see what she was gone through. And witnesses say she was tired, bedraggled, you know, completely gone through a terrible ordeal, and so many more of those girls, both from Chibok and elsewhere that have been kidnapped are still held by Boko Haram tonight.
BURNETT: Thank you very much, David McKenzie.
Unbelievable. Only one of the 200 now found.
Now to a television exclusive, the top American commander in the Middle East with a troubling warning about the fight against ISIS. He says Iraq government could scale back its efforts, stop fighting the terror group.
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: CNN is the only television crew on board this flight to the Middle East with General Joseph Votel, the head of Central Command. General Votel now oversees all U.S. military operations in the Middle East and war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
Votel is interesting in his military background, a long time special operations soldier himself. So, when he goes to the Middle East, he will be meeting with troops and his commanders to see how that war and some of the special operations activities are going.
[19:55:11] Right now, some of the top priorities dealing with getting Iraqi troops ready for Mosul, Syria, moderate rebels are ready to retake Raqqah, and the security situation in Baghdad.
During a refueling stop a short time ago, General Votel talked about his concerns about what is happening in Baghdad and how the Iraqi government, a partner for the U.S., may have to respond.
GEN. JOSEPH VOTEL, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I think there is a little concern that, you know, if this is not addressed quickly, it could cause them to have to take action, divert forces and divert their political focus on that as opposed to things like Mosul or finishing up their activities in Anbar. So, I think there's a little concern about that.
STARR: The security situation in Iraq and Syria remains one of Votel's top priorities. We will be talking to him over the next several days as we move around the region and we will be bringing everyone at CNN those reports -- Erin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: All right. Barbara Starr, thank you very much.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Thank you so much for joining us, as always. Tomorrow on OUTFRONT, we are going to talk to "Shark Tank" star Barbara Corcoran about Donald Trump. She'll be my special guest.
We'll see you back same time, same place tomorrow.
"AC360" with Anderson Cooper begins right now.
