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Erin Burnett Outfront
Donald Trump Holding Rally in Pennsylvania; Trump Accuses Clinton of "Pay for Play" After Email Hack; New Early Voting Results Promising For Clinton; Trump Supporter Warns of "Civil War" If Trump Loses; Clinton Turns to Michelle Obama to Help Flip Arizona. Aired 7- 8p ET
Aired October 21, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:10] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, the breaking news. Donald Trump about to take the stage in Pennsylvania as his party shows signs of giving up on him, Joe Biden says he wishes he could fight him and he means it literally.
And civil war, blood in the streets what some Trump supporters predict would happen if Hillary is elected. Plus millions of Americans have already voted. So, who is ahead right now?
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening, I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. Donald Trump just taking the stage with 18 days to go. The Republican nominee on a jam-packed schedule. Rally after rally. Tonight is his third of the day. He's not missing a second to try to make a difference. You are looking at live pictures right now of that rally in Newtown, Pennsylvania. You see Donald Trump on the stage. He came out swinging today promising a big victory repeating his claims of a rigged election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We are in a rigged system and a big part of the rigging are these dishonest people in the media. Big part. Big part of it.
Is it amazing, how, you know, they don't even want to look at you folks. I think they consider you like Hillary, they consider you deplorable and irredeemable also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, Trump words coming as a stunning new Republican ad is raising the possibility of a Trump loss. Here is a quick clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America's future is far from certain but no matter who the next president is, New Hampshire needs a strong voice in the U.S. Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: Hillary Clinton is keeping up the pressure on Trump today saying her opponent is, quote, "threatening our democracy." And also on the trail today, Joe Biden with a stunning comment suggesting that he wants to fight Trump, literally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICE PRES. JOE BIDEN (D), UNITED STATES: The press always asks me, don't I wish I were debating him? No I wish we were in high school, I could take him behind the gym. That is what I wish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Jason Carroll is OUTFRONT at that Trump rally in Pennsylvania where Trump is speaking live at this moment. And Jason, what do you expect from Trump tonight? What are we going to her? Obviously he's been doing rally after rally. Jam-packed schedule.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of thing. Expecting to keep saying that those polls that are trailing behind Hillary Clinton are wrong. Telling his supporters to ignore the poles and if you are Donald Trump, continue pushing this unfounded claim that the system is rigged.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: We are in a rigged system. And a big part of the rigging are these dishonest people in the media. Big part.
CARROLL (voice-over): Donald Trump continuing to defy his critics and his unfounded claims the election is rigged.
TRUMP: Wall Street, the career politicians, the system is rigged. And I've been saying it for a long time. And believe me, I'm right. But with your help we are going to beat the system and we're going to unrig the system.
CARROLL: At an earlier rally at North Carolina today, the GOP nominee pledging to sprint to the finish line in the face of polls showing him trailing Hillary Clinton nationally and in key battleground states.
TRUMP: Win, lose or draw and I'm almost sure if the people come out we're going to win. But I will be -- I will be happy with myself. Because I always say, I don't want to think back if only I did one more rally I would have won North Carolina.
CARROLL: And Trump ratcheting up his attacks on Clinton.
TRUMP: Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt politician ever to seek the office of the presidency.
CARROLL: The tension between Trump and his Democratic rival on full display last night as the two shared a stage at the annual Al Smith dinner in New York, a Catholic charity event. A traditional good- spirited roast providing some laughs. TRUMP: Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it. It is
fantastic. They think she's absolutely great. My wife Melania gives the exact same speech --
(LAUGHTER)
-- and people get on her case.
CARROLL: But the GOP nominee also drawing boos for some especially sharp jabs.
TRUMP: Remember, here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.
CARROLL: Despite the public animosity between the two, Cardinal Timothy Dolan saying, the two shared a cordial private momentum.
CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: Mr. Trump turned to Secretary Clinton said, you know, you are one tough and talented woman. And he said, this is been a good experience and this whole campaign as tough as it's been. And she said to him, and Donald whatever happens we need to work together afterwards.
[19:05:16] CARROLL: And Erin, just within the past few moments, Trump telling the crowd here that he will win the state of Pennsylvania, despite polls showing him trailing behind Hillary Clinton here. The issue is that Trump always points to the large crowds that he draws at rallies like this one. But there is a great deal of concern Erin that he keeps drawing the same type of voter if you will, at many of these rallies. And while Trump has said that he would be happy with himself win, lose or draw. It should also be pointed out Erin that he's said multiple times that if he goes through this entire effort and does not win in the end, he says it would have been a big waste of time and money -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Jason.
And Jeff Zeleny is covering the Clinton campaign today in Washington. And Jeff, you know, Donald Trump has been hammering Clinton on another WikiLeaks controversy. And this one really very dicey. Hacked e-mail from top Clinton aide Huma Abedin to the campaign chairman John Podesta. And in this e-mail, Trump says it shows pay for play. And it does seem to do so. When you look at it, what do you see?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Erin, this e- mail certainly jumped out. It was from 2015 about a meeting in Morocco. It was about an exchange whether Secretary Clinton would attend a Clinton Global Initiative Summit in Morocco but a month after announcing her presidential bid. Some of her advisors thought this was a terrible idea. But these e-mails suggested her appearance was connected to a $12 million pledge contribution to the Clinton Foundation from the king of Morocco.
Now this is what her top aide Huma Abedin said in the e-mail. Let's take a look at this. It says, "The condition upon which the Moroccans agreed to host the meeting was her participation. If HRC was not part of it, meeting was a non-starter. It will break a lot of China now to back out now. She created this mess and she knows it."
So, Erin, in the end, Clinton did not go to that meeting in Morocco. She was no longer secretary of state and aides said, there was no pay for play. And there was also no contribution. But this and other e- mails continued to raise questions and provide new fodder for Donald Trump and all of her critics out there who still wonder about the foundation. So, we don't have the full context of this necessarily because these e-mails are being released bit by bit here. But certainly eyebrow raising for this $12 million Moroccan deal.
BURNETT: Certainly eyebrow raising as you said. She did not go but Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton did attend that event in Morocco.
OUTFRONT now, Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. And Kellyanne, thanks very much for being with us tonight. I wanted to start by asking you about that Republican interest group ad. I don't know how early you were plugged in if you heard us play but it called on New Hampshire voters to reelect their GOP senator as a check and balance for the White House. And sort of the clear implication was that the White House could go to Hillary Clinton. So what, just to keep the Senate GOP. What is your response to that coming from your own party?
KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It is a little disappointing. And we feel like running on a ticket with Senator Ayotte is a strongest possible way of accomplishing what many voters want, which is taking the country in a new and different direction. And how different would that be? We already have divided government and look what's happening Erin, people are not satisfied with that. I think that has really propelled the Donald Trump candidacy from the beginning. A true outsider who says, I can credibly and legitimately come inside and change things but he needs a Republican House and Senate to make that happen.
I would also note that in states like Indiana, Missouri, I mean, the Trump/Pence ticket is running ahead of the down ballot candidate for Senate and governor. And so, you know, in New Hampshire, some new polling that we just show today shows Kelly Ayotte up a few and Donald Trump down a few. But the fact is that Governor Pence is in New Hampshire all today campaigning on behalf of the ticket.
And I know he's been in touch as Senator Ayotte as well. So, I get why some interest groups want do this but from our perspective in the Trump campaign, we want a Republican House and Republican Senate so that we don't have the kind of divided government that you see that gets absolutely nothing done.
BURNETT: So, Kellyanne, you are a very experience -- you just referenced, you know, the polls of the states. You know, your Twitter handle was Kellyanne polls. This is what you do. This week we got several polls. And this is a national level I'm referring to right now. Seven points for Clinton ahead for Quinnipiac. Nine from Bloomberg. Six from FOX News. Nine from CBS. Do your internal polls suggest that all of these polls are wrong?
CONWAY: Well if you are talking about national polls there were also three polls released in the last day or so, national polls that Rasmussen, the L.A. Times poll and of course the investor's business daily poll which shows very accurate in past elections and they show Donald Trump ahead by a point or so.
[19:10:10] BURNETT: And I'm just -- I am only interrupting for a quick second just to say, we don't use those polls because of the methodology. But I understand you're saying you're out there, I am just noting for the viewer. Go ahead. Sorry.
CONWAY: Sure. But in any event when you look at some of the state- based polls it is very clear that Hillary Clinton can't get above 50 percent. Why is that relevant? And why are people tweeting as I speak with your candidates even further down. Look at the point I'm making. Hillary Clinton's spent $66 million in advertising just since September. Since August 1st, her surrogates which includes none other than people far more popular than she is. Barack Obama, Michelle Obama. Bill Clinton, Joe Biden. They have given over 100 appearances on her behalf just since August 1st so with her top surrogates.
And yet she still can't put away Donald Trump. So we feel that when voters see this is a competitive race, that we still have a path to 270 through several different ways, several different angles, then they see Donald Trump out there. He's promised Erin to have a very punishing schedule these last 18 days. We just went over the schedule today. I can tell you it is going to be punishing.
BURNETT: Right.
CONWAY: He wants to leave it all on the field and give it his best shot and I think it is worth a couple of extra points here and there among people who have decided I don't want to go for Hillary Clinton. I do know her well. I know she's the one who's got all the ads up. She has all the surrogates. She's the one who represents X, Y and Z. There is something holding them back and we need to reach out and grab those voters and give them the reason to vote for Donald Trump. I think he's best when he talks about trade, and immigration and jobs.
BURNETT: Yes.
CONWAY: And ObamaCare tomorrow. And Gettysburg tomorrow he'll be delivering his contract with America. We're very excited about that.
BURNETT: OK. So, you say you have several ways to 270 but all of those ways Kellyanne involve changing where Trump is standing among women, right? This is just a reality. In the Bloomberg poll this week, I mentioned the national but when you broke it down by women, Trump is behind Clinton by 17 points. Obviously, women are more than half the population in the country. You know, today he talked about this and he talked specifically about this issue of poll showing him lagging among women at a rally and he say, he doesn't believe him. Here is what he said earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't think that they are telling the truth because when I look at all the women in our rallies, I think we're going to do very well with women for Trump. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Do you believe all of the polls on women are grossly wrong? Does he speak for the campaign when he says that? I don't think they are telling the truth on those polls?
CONWAY: Well, he's the candidate. But I will tell you that the polls are all over the place. And you do see that Hillary Clinton has a terrible gender gap with men. It has just been chronic and persistent since she announced and that is important because we have two genders in the country and she does a terrible job. She's got this gender gap with men. They distrust her, they dislike her, they don't necessarily wanted her to be president of the United States --
BURNETT: Right. But the gap among women as you know is much more significant.
CONWAY: Yes. And of course we even have a past -- recent past Republican presidential candidates, Erin. Mitt Romney lost by 11 points. And John McCain and Sarah Palin ticket lost to women by 13 points.
BURNETT: Right.
CONWAY: So the gender gap among women and Republican candidates is not new. And I would point out of course that Mitt Romney lost women by 11 points and he had everybody in the Republican Party supporting him, including someone like me even though we don't have support from them and a lot of other folks.
BURNETT: Well, as you point out it is not new but none of them won the White House.
CONWAY: That's right. But we need, well George W. Bush lost women twice too and still won the White House. He lost them by 11 points in 2000 and by three points in 2004 and he won the White House. We have work to do. And I'm always the first to admit it. We have work to do. We're the underdogs. But I know America loves a good underdog story, a comeback story and, you know, I will just say, Donald Trump has been counted out innumerable times by everyone. And I just think these last couple of weeks he wants to reach out.
He's going to be talk about, what to do about the disasters that have befallen many Americans with respect to ObamaCare. You see all these major insurers pulling out of the state exchanges. You see that in some state, Erin that you have got maybe one or two providers left in some areas and some states. We're going to talk about Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump's ideas about child care and elder care that would benefit all Americans. And next week, and next week in North Carolina we have a really nice surprise for women in America. And I would -- I would encourage them and I'm sure CNN will tune in as well.
BURNETT: We absolutely will. And I want to ask you something though when Trump has these opportunities to speak to the American people. I know he is doing a lot of rallies. But last night he had an opportunity as you know, and it was watched by millions of people. Very very highly rated. His speech at the Catholic Charity Dinner. According to tradition, of course Kellyanne as you know, the candidate speeches are the self-deprecating. Few good natured shots at each other. Last night though, Trump had a couple of good moments. The joke about Melania that we just played got a big laugh but then it turned south. The host said he thought Trump crossed the line. Let me just play exactly what I am talking about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Hillary is so corrupt, she got kicked off the Watergate commission. Hillary believes that it is vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private. That's okay. I don't know who they are angry at Hillary, you or I.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:15:35] BURNETT: And then of course they were chanting, they were angry at him. I mean, Kellyanne do you wish he'd struck a different tone?
CONWAY: What I love about last night Erin is what Cardinal Dolan, whom I admire tremendously said today. Which is that Donald Trump started what ended up being an exchange of pleasantries with Hillary Clinton last night, complimenting her as a tough and talented woman in what's been a grueling campaign and then she replied, yes, you know, whatever happens Donald I hope that we'll work together and I'm sure they will, under his presidency. But the other thing, you know, Donald Trump is speaking to Catholics more broadly.
And I think the night before this speech was really one of the best moments that he was talking to people of faith. He very clearly said in the debate Erin that he would protect religious liberty. Certainly appoint Supreme Court justices who believe in that and also he gave what I believed to be one of the most impassioned unapologetic, unequivocal defenses of life that I've ever seen from a Republican presidential candidate. Mike Pence is the same thing. It is important in this way.
It is one of those areas where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could not be more different. And for him to say that he is prolife, a position he's not always held and that he is prolife. And that she of course is very extreme on that issue. Which she is late term abortion, sex selective abortion, tax payer funded abortion. I've really thought it was such a high point. And in that way he's communicating not just to a room of people in New York but he is communicating to people of faith including Catholics and evangelical Christians nationwide.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Kellyanne. I appreciate your time tonight.
CONWAY: Thanks, Erin.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, 18 days left. Millions have already voted so who is ahead? Plus, could this nasty race end in violence?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there will be blood in the streets. I really do think that is going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And the year that late night comedy picked a side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
She's running against the lying racist buffoon who doubles as Billy Bush's wing man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:56] BURNETT: Breaking news. Donald Trump speaking right now, he is speaking in Pennsylvania. Battleground state. Live pictures of the rally. He is there on the podium as you can see. Trump and Clinton are crisscrossing the country desperately trying to make their case. There are only 18 days left. But here is something that is amazing. Did you know that more than 3.3 million Americans have already voted? Yes. They've already voted. Take a look at this. These are long lines of people. This is in North Carolina. Early voting started in that state yesterday.
People are already in line waiting to vote. To a lot of people this is pretty stunning. You think you are waiting for Election Day. That is not the case.
David Chalian is OUTFRONT in Washington tonight. And David, I mean, when you look at those lines that brings us home that we are already very much in the process here of the actual voting and I know that we have a partnership with a data company called catalyst to get the detailed early vote return information. So, what does it tell you? What do we know?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: That is right, Erin. And it's important to remember what we're looking at here is a ballots return as a part of the early vote. But not the actual vote count. That we won't know until Election Day of course. But we do know in some states whether Democrats are returning ballots or Republicans are returning ballots. You just mentioned North Carolina. Take a look here. This is what we have. Seventeen thousand five hundred and forty three Democrats have returned ballots already compared to 19,533 Republicans.
You would think OK, that's pretty good news for Donald Trump. But compare that to four years ago in 2012, Democrats are staying on PAR. Seventeen thousand or so returned at this point about 21 days before the election. This day is a couple of days old. Compared to 34,103 Republican ballots at this point four years ago. That is a big warning sign for the Trump campaign that their ground game in North Carolina may not be performing where Romney's did four years ago.
Let's look at Florida. A similar story here. More people -- so we see how our votes totals. Three hundred and five thousand seven hundred Democratic ballots returned. Three hundred and fourteen thousand Republican ballots returned. Compared to 2008, they didn't have 2012 data. So, going back eight years ago here in Florida. Take a look at this. This was about a nine percentage point lead for the Republicans in 2008 in early vote at this point.
That is down to only a one percentage point lead for Republicans and remember Barack Obama won Florida in 2008. In Iowa, another state where we have some another information coming in. This is probably the best news that the Trump campaign has. Even though Democrats are returning more ballots than are Republicans, it didn't -- it hasn't really dropped tremendously. This is pretty consistent from where we were four years ago. Overall it is lower on both sides. But this is about even. So unlike North Carolina and Florida where you have seen the Trump campaign underperform what Romney did at this point four years ago. They are keeping even here in Iowa.
BURNETT: It's pretty stunning when you look at those numbers. And Ohio there, I want to ask you about Ohio. Because obviously we have a new poll showing Trump and Clinton tied there. Some polls show him slightly ahead. I mean, this is a crucial state. He has to win Ohio. But early voting has plunged. And why is that?
CHALIAN: Right. So, here are the numbers in Ohio. Sixty eight thousand five hundred and fifty one Democratic ballots, 55,000 Republican ballots. Look at how much lower those numbers are than they were at this point four years ago. The reason why? Because Ohio has narrowed how many early voting days exist. So they have had seven fewer early voting days. It started later. And so that being the case, even though we are at the same point, measuring the same point, many more people had the opportunity of the early vote, starting earlier in the process four years ago. There is a lot of ground to make up here if people want to cast their ballot early, they're going to have to start getting there fast.
BURNETT: All right. And David Chalian, please stay with me. I want to bring in now the national political correspondent for the "New York Times" Jonathan Martin and the Washington Post political reporter Philip Bump.
OK. Welcome to both of you. Philip, let me start with you. When you look at the numbers, when you look at those graphs that David Chalian is sharing that obviously doesn't look very good for Donald Trump right now in those individual states. Is this a real indicator of whose going to win?
PHILIP BUMP, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: It is hard to say. I mean, your gut says, if more Democrats are turning out, it's turning in their ballots are going to early votes in four years ago --
(CROSSTALK)
[19:25:08] BUMP: Exactly. Your gut says, that is suggestive of something, North Carolina in particular, right? North Carolina is a state that Obama won 2008. Romney won 2012. It is a state where Hillary Clinton leads right now. Arizona, we didn't see the Arizona numbers. Arizona has seen a similarly big shift towards the Democrats in early vote numbers as well. Arizona State now that is now in play, now it has been red for quite some time. I think that this is the sort of thing you would expect to see if the race was going very much for Hillary Clinton's direction.
That is the way that the race is going. Right? And I think it is also important to note that this early voting period is overlapping with a time Hillary Clinton is up big. And that is a big problem for Trump because even if he closes the gap in the next couple of weeks, these people have already voted.
BURNETT: So Jonathan, what is your take on this and whether Trump can do something to turn it around in these states. I mean, obviously early voting, it is not like it ends. Right? It continues. So, yes.
JONATHAN MARTIN, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: It is an indication to me Erin of the fact that Hillary Clinton has created a modern, you know, 2016 era presidential campaign and Donald Trump has not. Donald Trump has basically relied upon what he did during the course of the primary, which is free media attention. Lots of rallies. Tweets. And, you know, interviews. Although there are fewer of those now. To basically to a sort of wholesale campaign. He does not have much of an infrastructure to do the kind of early vote effort that is required.
This is a labor intensive element of politics. You have to know exactly what your universe of voters is, drive them out to vote early. Who's going and follow up with those who haven't early voted to prod them to early vote. It is precisely the kind of thing Hillary's campaign is better suited for then Trump sort of wholesale campaign.
BURNETT: And yet David, the thing is, is that you look at the polls, I was just going through with Kellyanne Conway. And if you are Clinton supporter, you say, okay. She's ahead. I don't have to worry about it. Look, people are voting early. I mean, this just lead to complacency and all of a sudden what Trump says is going to get him over the top, which is turnout comes out in his favor on Election Day itself.
CHALIAN: I mean, that is the big concern on the Democratic side. They don't want any of their supporters, the Clinton campaign doesn't, to think that this is already in the bag and this is over. They are very concern. But as Jonathan was saying, part of that sort of modern campaign warfare machine that they have built is to ensure that that doesn't happen. That they have targeted their voters and that they know how to turn them out.
We should note with these early vote numbers, Democrats in 2012 did better with the early vote than they did with the Election Day vote. That is more a Republican day. So, the Democrats are seeking to bank as much of that vote now when the news environment is so favorable to them. Because on Election Day, they don't anticipate being able to have the same kind of advantage. BURNETT: All right. Everyone stay with me for a moment because I do
just want to talk about -- Donald Trump here is speaking at a rally right now in Newtown, Pennsylvania. It is his third rally of the day. And when we talk about the issue of voting, today we caught up with a few of Trump supporters who are taking their views to the extreme. Let me show you what I'm talking about.
Martin Savidge is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clarence Bartlett is no fan of Democrats.
CLARENCE BARTLETT, DONALD TRUMP'S SUPPORTERS: Blame Democrats and all them ticks is ruined this country. And we're trying to get it back.
SAVIDGE: Outside this Trump rally near Asheville, North Carolina, I asked him, what's going to happen if Trump wins? His answers a shock.
BARTLETT: Oh they will kill him if he gets elected. That is how bad they are. They are the most evilest people I've ever seen. Lie and deny.
SAVIDGE: Who would kill him?
BARTLETT: Well, the Democrats are the ones who is trying to cause riots and everything. It's obvious. It's in the news.
SAVIDGE: Bartlett isn't the only one predicting violence. Janet Stangel thinks this could happen if Trump loses.
JANET STANGEL, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Personally I think it could turn into a civil war because --
SAVIDGE (on camera): You really think that?
STANGEL: Absolutely. First of all, I think they were going to have a terrorist attacks and we have all of these protests and all of that. And so I think people are going to be very upset.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): I found Ann Brooks quietly waiting in line. She's a Clinton supporter and proved Trump backers don't hold the monopoly on ugly talk.
SAVIDGE (on camera): What are you doing here?
ANN BROOKS, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: I think I wanted to experience what it's like to be in a room with a sociopath.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): I asked if she's willing to live with a Trump victory.
BROOKS: I might move to Canada. Truly. I mean truly. Because I think there will be blood in the streets. I really do think that is going to happen. I think it may happen either way. SAVIDGE (on camera): Who would cause that?
BROOK: I think either side could.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): As troubling as this talk is most we speak to say they do not expect violence.
(on camera): When this campaign is over, do you think it is an issue we can come together again.
PAT FIDELIA, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Oh, we have to. This is the greatest country in the world.
SAVIDGE: Do you believe as a nation we could heal, we could get over what has been a very hard-fought campaign.
[19:30:03] BODIE CATLIN, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Boy, I would hope so. I mean, I would hope so. I mean, I'm not a vicious person.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): But it has been a vicious campaign, with some of the strongest, crudest and ugliest language in living political memory. Most recently when Trump interjected in the last debate.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Such nasty woman.
SAVIDGE (on camera): So you think the depiction nasty woman in this case fit?
JEAN BREWER, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: I -- well, I wouldn't come out and say it. But if the shoe fits, wear it.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): One thing is clear: healing won't begin until the election is over. And with more than two weeks to go, there is still plenty of nasty out there.
(on camera): We've been asking people about the tenor of the campaign.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- truth, you guys are the pigs.
CATLIN: Now, wait a minute. That's not nice.
SAVIDGE: So, it's sort of stuff like that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: You know, as you talk to people as to why it is that it seems that this election is so dirty or so mean or so ugly in the way that people speak, and I'm talking on both sides. People will say because there is so much at stake. And so, if you talk to Republicans and Democrats, they may disagree as to who is the right leader. But they will say they can never remember a time when there was a more important election. And that is why the passions are so high and the talk is so low -- Erin. ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you very much, Martin.
OUTFRONT now, Scottie Nell Hughes, a Donald Trump supporter, Van Jones, a Hillary Clinton supporter, Philip Bump and Jonathan Martin are still with me.
And, Scottie, let me just start with you on one of the things we heard in that piece, one of Donald Trump's supporters warning of a civil war if Clinton wins and another one predicting the Democrats will kill Trump if he wins. Does this sort of rhetoric concern you? We're talking about civil war. We're talking blood in the streets. We're talking about killing somebody.
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Absolutely. That piece is very troubling. I'll be honest with you, Erin. And I hated to hear that.
And unfortunately I believe if you went to Hillary Clinton rally you would hear the same thing. It's existing on both sides as both groups I think are very frustrated with the path America is on right now and they're very passionate about it. And as we get closer, we're 18 days away, you are seeing the passion turn to anger and in some cases like what we're hearing, turn to hatred.
But it's not just on the Trump side. It's also on both sides of the campaigns right now. I think you have to look at where is the source of it. Where this might be coming as a grassroots from the people themselves, we've seen thanks to WikiLeaks and thanks to the Project Veritas videos, that that this is something that the Democrats have been planning all along. This is a part of it to show, to encourage violence or to talk about violence as Trump supporters are demonizing that way.
That came from WikiLeaks and one of the power play slides, that they said that they needed to talk about insulting violent folks, and now, we have the videos where they actually encouraged and trained people to go into Trump rallies to encourage violence. So, we need to take a step back and try to figure out how we're going to start trying to mend this country together and that needs to start happening sooner than election day and not necessarily the day after.
BURNETT: Van, I want your response. I want to clarify for anyone not familiar with the video you are referring to, Scottie. This is a video put out by a man who has sort of done this thing before, these videos. It was edited video. He's a convicted criminal. I'm just saying this, just so people understand the facts and the people who are responsible in the video have both been removed from their jobs. They did not directly work for the Clinton campaign. OK.
HUGHES: But they're high ranking Democrats.
BURNETT: They did. Just making sure everyone understands the context.
Van, can you respond though to what Scottie had to say? VAN JONES, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, first of all, you know,
it is not even stevens. You have seen a lot more violent rhetoric and a lot more violence coming from the Trump side. That is just obvious.
I can't -- the Hillary Clinton rallies are so boring that people, you know, don't even go to them. So, I think your whole point is that nobody goes. So you cannot pretend it is even stevens.
I also want to say, you said a high-ranking Democrat was involved. In fact, the high-ranking said even in these doctored up trumped out videos that the Trump Foundation paid for and the gave it to someone who's name should be Pinocchio, because he put out so many false videos, even in the trumped out video, Creamer is saying he would not touch this horrible scheme with a 10 foot poll.
I want to point out we shouldn't relying on someone who again and again false videos. That said, I am very concerned about the direction things are going. Trump I think has an opportunity to clarify to people that he believes in America and he believes in our system, and that when he is out there and he's saying that everything is rigged, he wasn't saying that when he was up in the polls. He's only saying it now. I think it's very reckless what he's been doing.
BURNETT: All right. So, today at a rally, Vice President Joe Biden was there, OK? He was slamming Trump for the comments he made to Billy Bush in the "Access Hollywood" tape. And he made a remark that I think was pretty clear. Anyone who listened to it is going to realize he was talk about physical violence. Let me just play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The press always ask me, don't I wish I were debating him?
[19:35:04] No, I wish we were in high school I could take him behind the gym. That's what I wish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, is that something Joe Biden should apologize for? I mean, is this the sort of thing where if Donald Trump said it, everybody would be in up in arms. He's implying that there should be physical violence. I mean, that is what we're hearing from Joe Biden.
PHILIP BUMP, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes. I mean, I think that Joe Biden is Joe Biden. I think the Democrats have given up on trying to get Joe Biden to apologize for things he says, you know?
But I think it's also important that if Donald Trump said that, it comes within the context of Donald Trump running for a campaign on a year and a half basically run on a campaign of fear. And I think it's disingenuous to frame it any other way. You know, I think part of what you heard there -- the gentlemen who came to the reporter and insulted the reporter as he was conducting the interview. That comes directly from the candidate himself. So, yes, I think what Joe Biden said is stupid. I don't think Joe
Biden is going to apologize. I think most Democrats are going to go along with it. I don't think it helps the discourse at all. But I don't think it's comparable to Donald Trump saying the same thing given how Donald Trump is acting.
BURNETT: Right. Scottie, what do you say to the point that Philip raises about, you know, that man who came to our reporter Martin Savidge and just said pigs. That does come from Donald Trump. It is a big part of his rallies every time, chanting CNN sucks, yelling out that the media are horrible and disgusting people.
HUGHES: Well, of course, I don't like it, as a member of the CNN family and I experienced it this week on both sides from both the Hillary camp and Trump camp while we were in Vegas. But there was the latest Quinnipiac poll. For the 55 percent of all Americans and 9 out of 10 Republicans believe that Donald Trump has been treated unfairly by the media. So, there is a lot of frustrations and that is something we're going to have to talk about.
But just one quick point, let me point out -- talking about violence, the majority of violence has happened to Trump supporters in the GOP this election season.
JONES: That's not true.
HUGHES: We were fire bombed. Our headquarters were fire bombed last Saturday. The night before at a Trump --
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: Black people have been beaten at your rallies.
HUGHES: Why have they been. Have they been trained to go in there? No, there's a lot more, no --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Scottie, are you really saying that the black people in the rallies who were beaten up were put in there by Democratic operatives were put in there on purpose.
HUGHES: If you look at Chicago rallies and the violence at Chicago rallies and now you have this group. And yes, Bob Creamer is married to a congresswoman. As Van Jones told me last week, every Democrat probably knows who he is there in Washington, D.C., because he had said so involved with him. So --
JONES: I certainly do and I'm proud to know Bob Creamer --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Jump in here Jonathan.
JONATHAN MARTIN, NEW YORK TIMES: Three fast points. First of all, Joe Biden is not helping the Democratic cause to stay on the high ground when he makes those kind of comments.
Second of all, to what Scottie is saying, there is not remote lay comparison in terms of the two candidates' rhetoric. Donald Trump offers the kind of inflammatory comments that we have not seen in modern American history. Hillary Clinton does not say those kinds of things.
And then lastly in terms of what that report showed in North Carolina, I think it is important to point out that a Donald Trump rally consists of a self selected audience. The people who are showing up for that event feel very strongly about politics. So, it might not be the best sample of American electorate writ large because those folks are passionate enough to show up at that campaign rally in the middle of a weekday.
BURNETT: So, Donald Trump today has come out. And as you all know whether the election is rigged whether he's going to accept the result is a crucial part of the conversation. Today, back again, firmly saying the election is rigged. Let me play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Remember folks, it's a rigged system. Just remember, it's a rigged system. It's a rigged system. Don't ever forget it. That is what you got to get out and vote. You got to watch because this system is totally rigged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Is that helpful, Van? When he says you have to watch and say people go to the precincts to watch other people?
JONES: Well, first, I do think it is important what was said before that it's a minority of a minority of minority of people even at the rallies who are doing these kind of things. I think that's important to say.
But at the same time, I don't think it's helpful. When he implied, and there's been a persistent pattern now of implying that inner cities, in the others, in words, in this world, where black people live, that is where this is going to be some horrible thing going on and you've got to watch or whatever.
I think that is horribly unfair. It plays along with a particular set of Republican ideas that, you know, black people are criminals, black people are the pawns of Democrats, you know, who are the puppet masters having -- you know, all that sort of stuff and it is very, very disrespectful and unfair. It does not help the Republican Party to have their standard bearer furthering these stereotypes about black people stealing elections.
BURNETT: All right. Scottie, you begun it. So, Van will end it. Thanks very much to all of you.
And next, Michelle Obama making a play for Arizona. The state has gone blue only one time in 64 years. [19:40:01] Could it be about to happen again?
And late night comedians throwing punch lines at one candidate and leaving no doubt this election of who will get their votes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Tonight, Democrats are making an aggressive push for a state that's only gone their way once in 64 years. The latest poll shows Hillary Clinton beating Trump by five points in what is a reliably Republican state, Arizona. The Clinton campaign now is going all in. They're actually now using their secret weapon. She's actually not so secret, but she is their ultimate weapon, First Lady Michelle Obama.
Kyung Lah has tonight's "Big Number".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: When they go low --
AUDIENCE: We go high!
OBAMA: There you go.
KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A battle cry from the Democrats from one of its most potent leaders, the first lady calling out Donald Trump's projection of election results.
OBAMA: And we cannot stand for that. You do not keep American democracy in suspense because, look, too many people have marched and protested and fought and died for this democracy.
[19:45:09] LAH: The first lady completes a trifecta of Clinton surrogates hitting the now battleground state of Arizona, Bernie Sanders, Chelsea Clinton, just this week. The Clinton campaign pledging to spend 2 million in Arizona on ad buys and direct mail, as the new poll shows Hillary Clinton up five points over Trump, astonishing to lifelong Democrat Harriet Freedman.
HARRIET FREEDMAN, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: I've been volunteering for a long time and this is the first time that I really feel that people are taking us seriously and that we really have a chance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're calling today in support of Hillary Clinton.
LAH: Arizona Democrats say national money and organizers are moving in, beefing up their 161 paid staffers in 32 offices, more than the party has ever had in the state.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all with her.
LAH: Arizona is changing, with more young Latino voters like Laura Rojas (ph) and growing disdain for Trump's campaign. The first lady pointing out Trump's words about women.
OBAMA: He demeans and humiliates women as if we're objects meant solely for pleasure and entertainment rather than human beings, worthy of love and respect.
LAH: Arizona has voted for a Democratic president only once in 64 years, reliably Republican. But this year Democrats are edging Republicans in voter registration in the last eight weeks, by about 5,000 voters.
Arizona's GOP dismisses the recent surge. It has 161,000 more registered Republican voters.
ROBERT GRAHAM, ARIZONA GOP STATE CHAIR: I don't know what people's definition of blue is but that to me is bright red.
LAH: Republican state chair Robert Graham says his party historically carries a strong ground game, 21 field offices with sixty paid staffers. Given that, he's not worried about the first lady's visit.
GRAHAM: She's going to draw people out. It doesn't necessarily translate to votes.
LAH: Arizona's GOP faithful watching the debate also eyeing the Democratic roll out this week, believe, it's not enough to move Arizona blue.
(on camera): You have lived here since 1977. You feel you know the state.
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: Oh very well, yeah.
LAH: And how will the state vote?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will vote definitely Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: Since March, Donald Trump has been to the state of Arizona four times. And that same time period, Clinton has been here just one, as she hasn't headlined any major fundraisers here in the state. A sign say Republicans that this state will still be a stretch for Democrats, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Kyung, thank you very much.
And David Chalian is back with me.
David, let me just start with, you know, you saw Bernie Sanders. You see Chelsea Clinton. You see Michelle Obama all on the ground. Is it truly the number one campaigner for Hillary Clinton now Michelle Obama, even -- over her husband, over any of these other people?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: There is no doubt that the Clinton campaign has been most thrilled Michelle Obama has emerged as sort of the star of this election season. She delivered at the convention in Philadelphia for Hillary Clinton in a big way, and then gave that very, very big speech up in New Hampshire after the "Access Hollywood" tape and some of the allegations against Trump had emerged. So, she really took to the front lines of some of core arguments and they think she is not only making the argument amazingly well for them, but because she's Michelle Obama, she's energizing exactly the kind of members they need to energize, the members of the Obama coalition.
BURNETT: Are they really going turn state likes that. Texas, a recent poll showed within a couple of points. Trump still on top, but within a couple of points. I mean, can they turn any of these?
CHALIAN: I don't think we're going to see Texas in Hillary Clinton's column on election night. But clearly, because of the unique nature of the campaign with Donald Trump, there are opportunities presenting themselves. In addition to Arizona, just keep watching Georgia on election night. There is a new poll out this morning, had a two point lead for 44 percent to 42 percent for Trump. That's much closer than Georgia normally is. So we'll see what happens there on November 8th.
BURNETT: Thank you.
CHALIAN: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, late night comics throwing caution to the wind and objectivity to the wind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that's what Donald Trump's advisors meant when that I told him to reach out to women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:52:54] BURNETT: The election year that late night comedy picked a side, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Samantha Bee. They are all piling on Donald Trump and making no apologies for it.
Brian Stelter is OUTFRONT, and I will warn you that his report contains graphic language.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: The fate of the American experiment rests in Donald Trump's tiny, whining loser hands.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the year late night picked a side.
SETH MEYERS, COMEDIAN: She's running against a lying racist buffoon who doubles as Billy Bush's wing man.
STELTER: Jay Leno and David Letterman used to be relatively equal opportunity offenders. But Donald Trump is leading a new crop of hosts to abandon any hint of objectivity.
JOHN OLIVER, COMEDIAN: Trump hasn't said one crazy thing. He's said thousands of crazy things. STELTER: Comedians like Seth Meyers, Samantha Bee, and Stephen
Colbert, have repeatedly skewered the GOP nominee.
Colbert hitting Trump hard for his jaw-dropping refusal to say whether he's accept the results.
COLBERT: I guess we're all going to have to wait until November 9th to find out if we still have a country. If Donald Trump is in the mood for a peaceful transfer of power, or if he's just going to wipe his fat ass with the Constitution.
STELTER: They had a field day with the "Access Hollywood" tape.
SAMANTHA BEE, COMEDIAN: Trump was literally explaining a time-tested strategy for sexual assault. In fact, take a Tic Tack and grab them by the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is the closest thing to a plan Donald Trump has described this entire election.
COLBERT: I don't think what is that they meant when they told him to reach out to women.
STELTER: Trump's about face on birtherism was another flash point.
TRUMP: President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period.
MEYERS: Obama was born in the United States, period. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you, exclamation point.
COLBERT: Here is the deal you don't get to float this issue for years and then act like you are correcting everybody else.
STELTER: It's a sharp contrast with Jimmy Fallon's more lighthearted tone on the "Tonight Show" like this moment last month.
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: Can I mess your hair?
STELTER: Fallon was widely criticized for not asking tougher questions.
[19:55:00] And Sam Bee ripped NBC for booking Trump at all.
BEE: Ah, Trump can be a total sweetheart with someone who has no reason to be terrified of him. I noticed there were no cut away shots to the roots. I wonder why.
STELTER: Pointed comedy can turn off some viewers.
MEYERS: I'm aware that probably happens, but at the same time, we try very hard when we call him a racist or a liar to back it up with examples of him being a racist and a liar.
STELTER: Taking a stand. That is what most of late night is doing this year.
COLBERT: You cannot turn on the TV without seeing Trump. He's like the Geico Gecko but more cartoonish. (END VIDEOTAPE)
STELTER: Now, you might just say this is liberal Hollywood being liberal Hollywood again. But this year, something different is going on. These comedians are using the language of comedy to talk very seriously about the dangers of a Trump presidency. They believe Trump is no laughing matter. So, they are choosing a side -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right, Brian. Thank you very much.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Thank you so much for joining us. You can watch OUTFRONT any time anywhere on CNN Go. Have a wonderful weekend. See you back here Monday.
"AC360" begins right now.
