Return to Transcripts main page
Erin Burnett Outfront
Dow Hits 21,000 Milestone After Trump Speech; Trump Meets With GOP Leaders After Touting "New Chapter"; GOP Senators Not Ready To Embrace House Obamacare Plan; WH Official: Trump Was "Main Architect" Of Address; Reality Check; Vetting Trump's First Address To Congress; Trump Speech: Was It A Pivot Or Performance?; Interview with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Trump Approval for U.S. Raids Under Discussion; Trump Inaugural Pastor Sets Up "Safe Havens" for Immigrants. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired March 01, 2017 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Erin Burnett OutFront starts right now.
ERIN BURNETT, OUTFRONT HOST: OutFront next, breaking news, stocks soar in the glow of Trump's big speech. The Presidents spells out a bold agenda, but can he deliver? Plus Trump's presidential tone gets high marks. Did we see a new President Trump or was it just a primetime performance? And the Hispanic pastor, the one who led a prayer in Trump's inauguration, now offering shelter to terrified undocumented immigrants. Has he lost faith in Trump? Let's go out front.
Good evening I'm Erin Burnett. OutFront tonight, we begin with breaking news, Trump's speech surge, the Dow soars, up more than 300 points that is a surge to an all-time record, fuelled by glowing reviews of President Trump's congressional address. Now, Trump kept a low profile today tweeting only in all caps, "THANK YOU". No bragging, no Twitter battles, or rants, just two words from his personal account. 47 million people tuned in to watch the President's address and he put a lot of acts on the table, healthcare to taxes, to infrastructure, to immigration, the list goes on and on and on, and today the rubber meet the road. The President meeting with republican leadership to talk about how to turn all of those words and promises into actual action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're just here to start the process. It begins as of now and we think we're going to have tremendous success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Republican Senator David Perdue was in that meeting and he's OutFront tonight. I'm going to speak with him in just a couple of moments. I want to begin though first with Jim Acosta. He is at the White House tonight and Jim, an uncharacteristically to say the least, a quiet day for President Trump.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right Erin, but White House officials from the President on down are still celebrating after last night's speech. President Trump, I'm told was meeting with the CEO of Newsmax earlier today and told Chris Ruddy that people are telling him it's the best speech he's ever given. So he's feeling good about last night. But the President did get down to business as you mentioned meeting with republican congressional leaders here at the White House.
We're hearing from sources that the meeting was largely about efforts to repel and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The plan at this point is to have a bill go into the committee process as early as next week. One thing we also are told Erin is that immigration did not come up during this meeting despite that big float from the White House yesterday that the President is open to a compromise bill on the issue.
Meanwhile, the White House is still not forecasting when the President will sign the replacement for the executive order that ban travel from seven majority Muslim countries. That was delayed today to make sure last night's speech was not overshadowed by this controversial issue of the travel ban. But we are hearing the new executive order being drafted will not include Iraq among the nations impacted by a travel ban. And of course, we did get the numbers, the viewership numbers as to how many people watched the President's speech last night. It was a hefty sum but not as much as President Obama had back in 2009, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Jim Acosta. And also breaking tonight, a meeting about the house republican house leadership had to gut and replace Obamacare, it just wrapped up moments ago. Some Republican senators still unwilling to embrace this plan. Obviously, this is going to be crucial it is what the President says is his top number one priority to get to congress. Manu Raju is OutFront. And Manu, obviously this is a big meeting, what are you hearing happened?
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, we're hearing here are a lot of questions from republican senators to some of the key house republican chairman about exactly what is in that plan. There were discussions about a central issue in that plan including tax credits to allow people to purchase health insurance, but we know now is that there is not still consensus behind one single plan not just on healthcare but on a range of issues on Donald Trump's agenda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
President Donald Trump told reporters yesterday, he'd be open to a dramatic shift legalizing some undocumented immigrants as part of a broad compromised bill. But during his speech to congress last night, Trump was vague on the details, instead emphasizing tougher enforcement and building a wall on the border with Mexico.
TRUMP: I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible.
RAJU: The mixed messages spun confusion on Capitol Hill and left many deeply skeptical that any immigration measure could pass congress this year. We said we're going deliver on, secure the border and we haven't
delivered on it.
RAJU: He said that he suggested that it could be open to legal status for undocumented immigrants. He told that to reporters yesterday. Do you -- would you be open to that legal status?
Before you even deal with that question, you've got to -- you've got to take care of these other things. That's the most important thing you've got to build confidence for.
Conservatives are dubious that Trump may back off his hard-line stance on illegal immigration.
RAJU: What about just the idea of giving a legal status on undocumented immigrants, are you open to the idea?
My view is we need to secure the border. I don't support amnesty.
At the White House today, Trump and top republicans began to layout their plans for their first big legislative push to repel and replace Obamacare. Was the President planning a more aggressive effort to sell the plan to his party? But they're already running into conservative resistance on Capitol Hill over a central element of their plan to provide tax credits allowing individuals to purchase health insurance.
JAMES LANKFORD, UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE FOR OKLAHOMA: It comes across as a new entitlement we're trying to figure out the mechanics of how it work, so whatever we do in that area we can't make the same mistakes in the structure of how it's done.
The cost of all of Trump's plans are adding up including $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending and billions for the border wall, defense programs, and new family leave initiatives.
ROB PORTMAN, JUNIOR UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM OHIO: We do have to focus more in my view on the fiscal problems. By the way, I don't think the economy is going to really grow until do you that either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Now, the first big push, of course, is going to be on Obamacare. Expect those to begin as early as next week in the committees and the house, but the question is how quickly can they move it through the house and the senate if there is opposition within the ranks in the republican side, which is why the White House needs to play a critical role according to some top republicans in order to soar up support particularly in the right flank of their party, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Manu. And OutFront tonight let's get to the heart of that issue. The republican senator David Perdue sits on the Armed Services and Budget Committees. Good to have you with me senator. I appreciate your time. Obviously so much to talk about, I know you had both of these meetings today. Let's start with the one with the President. You were with him, what did he say? DAVID PERDUE, UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM GEORGIA: Well, first of all I was very encouraged with his speech last night, Erin, where this president laid out his vision for America. And today at lunch he got right down to it. He said, look, we've laid the vision out, now it's time to go to work and execute. So it was very much a business-like meeting, moving at a business pace with the right players in the room to actually get this done.
BURNETT: So I want to talk about that one thing first, though, and that is the point I made at the top of our show. I don't know if you heard it, but we didn't hear from him much today, right? He didn't -- he didn't go out on twitter, he didn't put the executive order out like he was planning to do. All he did was publicly tweet this, "THANK YOU", in all caps, exclamation point. That's it. I mean, that is uncharacteristic for the man, we all know this. When he was with you, did he express pride in his performance? Did he talk about the fact that he prepared for it? Any kind of victory lap?
PERDUE: Well, let me just tell you my take on this Erin. I was there last night and I have to say, what I saw last night is more like what I see in private with this man. He is a strong leader. He has a heart for America, that's why he's done this. What we saw last night, though, is a man who's really concerned about the future of our country and he laid out a great vision for that. What we talked about at lunch today was more about specifics about executing against this healthcare plan and how we pull ourselves together to make this work in a timely manner. And I'm very encouraged after that. Listen, this was a business meeting, this President laid out his vision, the results he expected, the actions that have to happen, and he looked at the advisors around the room and decided that this can get done.
BURNETT: Okay. So this can get done. So let me make sure I understand what you're saying on this because last night the President seemed to endorse speaker Ryan's healthcare plan. Is that what he said to you today that is the plan he's on board with it that is what he's going to sell to the American people and to people in congress like you?
PERDUE: Well, I'll tell you what's happening right now. The HHS secretary Tom Price, the administration, the senate and the house, staff and members, have been working on this for weeks and we're moving toward a bill that will pass the house and that the President will sign. That's what we're working for. The senate is having input right now and we're moving toward the final phases of that and getting it done.
BURNETT: So, look, the plan that Paul Ryan had, the things like tax credits in, a tax credit in it. You were in the meeting with senate republicans that ended just moments ago. And look, we all know there's a split within the GOP. I've talked to members of congress who don't support Ryan's plan, some of your fellow senators, Ted Cruz, might be among them, don't support Paul Ryan's plan. Are you on board with it? Are you taking tax credits out? I mean, It sounds to me like what you're saying is, there's going to be yet another plan that's going to come out of all of this talking? PERDUE: Well, there is no final plan right now. They're in the final
movements of putting the final touches on this right now. And so they're seeking input and that's what we're giving. That's what these meetings are about. The meeting at the White House, the President listened, he took input and that's what the meeting this afternoon was about. So I think you're going to see a united front here very shortly with an exciting direction for our country. Let me mention this, Erin. This is not about, you know, talking about two plans where one's work and one's better than the other one. We're talking about replacing a plan that's actually if we don't do anything will collapse under its own weight. In my home state, 96 counties only have one carrier and it's very fragile. If we lose that one carrier, what do we do?
BURNETT: Right. Look, everyone knows there are problems with Obamacare. President Obama was on that list, right? He said, "Give me something to fix it and I'll support it." Tax credits--
PERDUE: Well, we're going to give him something to fix it after eight years.
BURNETT: Tax credits though are crucial to Paul Ryan's plan. You have spoken negatively about that concept sort of as an entitlement before. Do you support tax credits? Is that something you would support in a final plan?
PERDUE: Listen, I'm going to support a plan that the President will sign, that's the bottom line. Look, anything is going to be better than what we've got right now and I'm encouraged after the conversation today that we're tightening down the options here to a plan that will actually make people better served in their healthcare needs and make America -- get this economy going again at the same time.
BURNETT: All right. So you're open-minded on it. You know, you talk about healthcare, though, and I know that was the lion share of what you talked about today, senator. But last night the President talked about a whole lot more of that. In fact, it was one of the most ambitious spending agendas that we have ever heard. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I will be asking congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure of the United States, financed through public and private capital. Our military will be given the resources its brave warriors so richly deserve. My administration wants work with members of both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents that they have paid family leave. We will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth and we will expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: More resources, expanding, a trillion dollars, paid family leave. Those are not things someone like you I would think would always ordinarily support. It's a lot of spending. Are you behind it all?
PERDUE: Erin, you know what my heart is? My heart is to get after this debt crisis and the President talked about that last night. One of the steps in doing that is growing the economy. That's job one. And one of the ways you do that is we got to rebuild our infrastructure, but he also talked about public private partnerships. We've got a great example of that right now we used USAID money, US did in Africa with public money and created the Africa power plan that used private public partnership. We use $8 billion and attracted $45 billion. The President has a vision for that same sort of structure, and as a business guy, I fully support that. I think we can do that right here at home but we also got to get after the other parts that will absolutely solve this debt crisis over time like saving social security and Medicare. But that has to be - that has to come after we have healthcare reform, regulatory reform and tax reform this year.
BURNETT: Well, we have a lot to talk about because this is a lot of spending and over time I wonder where you will stand on some of these things. Thank you so much, senator. I appreciate your time tonight.
PERDUE: Thanks Erin.
BURNETT: And please don't miss senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham together on a stage, one stage for a special Town Hall tonight with Dana Bash, our excellent moderator, that is at 9:00 right here on CNN. OutFront next, Donald Trump taking credit for tens of thousands of jobs. Do the numbers add up? Plus Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused of not applauding the widow of the navy seal killed in Yemen. The congresswoman is OutFront tonight to respond. And while everyone was talking about Trump's new look, commerce secretary Wilbur Ross slips into the house wearing these. By the way, they cost $500. Wait till you hear what the logo is. Jenny has the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: New details tonight and who was behind President Trump's address to congress? We are learning that Trump was the main architect behind the speech, which included of course immigration and crime, but obviously we are also hearing that his daughter and his press assistant, Hope Hicks, also had very significant roles. Do the numbers add up in the speech? Tom Foreman is out front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FOREMAN: The President's speech was filled with numbers but did they add up to truth? Take joblessness.
TRUMP: We must honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited. 94 million Americans are out of the labor force.
FOREMAN: The figure is right but the vast majority of those people don't want work, according to government data. 44 million are retired, 15 million disabled, nearly 13 million taking care of a family member, and almost 16 million are in college or job training. Maybe because they couldn't find work, but all those adjustments bring that big number way down. How about crime? TRUMP: The murder rate in 2015 experienced its largest single-year
increase in nearly half a century.
FOREMAN: That's only because the murder rate the year before was really low. The overall rate is still way down compared to past decades. Immigration?
TRUMP: According to National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs American taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
FOREMAN: Yes, that report says integrating first generation immigrants is costly but their kids contribute so much to the economy, the long-term impact is likely positive for taxpayers. And what about all those companies pouring money into the economy now that he is in office.
TRUMP: They will invest billions and billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.
FOREMAN: Mr. Trump has encouraged some big companies with their new investments, but many he cites already had those plans underway before he was elected. Still, President Trump isn't the first to push aside an inconvenient truth. George W. Bush ignored significant job losses when he told congress in 2004.
BUSH: This economy is strong and growing stronger and jobs are on the rise.
FOREMAN: And Barack Obama bragged just last year about creating.
OBAMA: 14 million new jobs.
FOREMAN: Also overlooking job losses under his watch which diminished those gains.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: However, saying all presidents do it, does not mean that their ways of twisting around the truth are all equal and many fact checkers have said, the Trump administration really takes it much further than a lot of people who came before him. It's undeniable, they say, which of course the team Trump denies, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Tom Foreman. OutFront now, our senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson, senior political analyst Mark Preston and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, John Avlon. Okay, thanks to all. Mark, did the president take too many liberties with the numbers or did he simply choose the information that works best for his message which after all is what these things are all about?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: More so the latter. He certainly used numbers that he thought could bolster his case. The problem is that he didn't go into very specific detail or even a little bit of detail that would explain how he would have, for instance, an infrastructure bill get passed through congress, how it would actually be paid for, what programs he would cut on the domestic side in order to fund the military. So he did try to use the numbers to sell a grand vision for his plan, but we don't know how he's going to get there if he were to.
BURNETT: Right. And of course that's the big question. But John, when you look at this, when Tom fact-checked just the claims he fact- checked, there was truth in all of them, and some of them are very significant degree of truth, but we just picked a few out of very many things that he said.
JOHN AVLON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE DAILY BEAST: Right. But I mean, the 93 million number -- let's take that for a second. Going with that would imply that more than a third of the nation is unemployed or out of the labor workforce. I mean, that's -- that's not even an unforced error, that's just ridiculous. And so there's a difference about selective choosing of statistics to prove your point, to make your point. Fair to say, all presidents do that.
But when you all of a sudden go for gross exaggeration, it's because you're actually building an argument on sand and we can't just grade him on a curve like this. I mean, let's not play a game of limbo and lower the bar to such a ridiculous amount. It was his best speech by far as President, but let's have the reality check about what it means in the greater context.
BURNETT: Okay. In a sense of this it seemed this is much more normal, this is what presidents do, because you just heard Tom report, right? President Obama claims he made on the job situation, he claimed that he created twice as many jobs as he actually did. There was truth in that number though as well. But this is what presidents do, they cite something, there's a truth, and then there's a complete spin.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: I think that's right. And I think the problem I think a lot of people particularly democrats and progressives have with the way Donald Trump spins the truth is that he tends to malign certain groups when he's spinning these numbers, particularly around crime and illegal immigrants. And we've seen him do that. Talk about undocumented immigrants, particularly Mexicans.
Really, this is a constant theme all throughout his presidency and he talk about throughout his presidency and candidacy are talking about undocumented immigrants and relating them to crime. And most studies show that undocumented immigrants aren't any more likely to commit crimes. In fact they're less likely to do that. So he uses this argument to then argue that there needs to be a wall to keep out immigrants from pouring into the country and committing crimes. So I think a lot of folks have a problem with that because he's (otherizing) entire segment of people with no data to back it up.
BURNETT: Mark, he's doing that, but when you look at what Tom is saying here on that claim, right? That he said current immigration system costs America's taxpayers many billions of dollars, that report does say integrating first generation immigrants is costly. It does say that, but it then says, their kids contribute so much to the economy. The long-term benefit is likely positive. When you look back thought at other presidents, would they have done the same thing?
I mean, after all the basic fact of what he said, there was a truth in it, and then he didn't take it all the way to the conclusion to Nia's point. Would other presidents have done the same?
PRESTON: Surely, not to the degree that we've seen Donald Trump doing it. As John said, if he has--
BURNETT: Right. No, no, I understand that in the past. I'm talking about last night.
PRESTON: Right. Oh, I mean, what have they done -- what Donald Trump did specifically to make his point? I don't think so. But I don't think we've seen anyone like Donald Trump necessarily. Not even necessarily, we haven't seen anyone like Donald Trump ever. A seed to the office that he is currently in right now, he does use facts and we saw this last night, we certainly saw it during the campaign. They're not necessarily facts. He uses statistics to bolster his own argument. He doesn't care if they're necessarily true or not but he uses it. And quite frankly, half the country right now believes him, so for him it's a win.
AVLON: But look, as once said, "Let's not be led by fear into an age of unreason." There are statistical spin but there is also such a thing as objective reality and if you want to judge Donald Trump speech last night against previous presidents, most presidents have made the argument that America's nation of immigrants, and that's an important part of our vitality. It's the negative image of that that, that Donald Trump is fixated on, so he ignores all positive statistics that bolster that.
BURNETT: Right, right.
AVLON: And again, we need to be able to agree on what is a fact? We need to have a fact-based debate in this country, and if it's being distorted by the president, that's a real problem.
BURNETT: Yeah. Overall, how would you grade him on his use of facts last night because I think what stood out to everyone watching was that it was markedly different from the way he throws around statistics or numbers that are not -- that are not true in other rallies or events?
HENDERSON: I think that's right. I mean, this is a president and a candidate who's known to sort of traffic in conspiracy theories, one of which was about 3 to 5 million people voting illegally. And so he has done that. And I think in that setting, it sobered him up, right, with their -- you see the Supreme Court Justice, you see the Joint Chiefs Of Staff out there, you see all your cabinet officials. And so I think in that way he understood that bringing the kind of folk tales and conspiracy theories that he usually traffics in wouldn't work in that audience.
Who's to say, you know, when he gets on twitter again or he's, you know, giving an interview or a rally you imagine that he might revert to form because that is the way he's known to communicate.
BURNETT: That's where he's most comfortable. All right. Thank you all. And next, the most powerful moment of the night. The standing ovation for the widow of the Navy SEAL killed during the Yemen raid. Tonight, new details on what US Intelligence actually learned from that raid. And Trump's new presidential tone, was it a pivot at long last or just a performance?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Tonight, presidential. The headlines about Trump's speech ranged from just that. Presidential Trump right here on CNN and the Presidential Trump emerges for a night on The Christian Science Monitor to Trump pivot pleases GOP but will it last from the AP? And that that's the big question was Trump's address to congress a pivot or just a one-night performance. Jim Acosta is out front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're just here to start the process.
ACOSTA: After delivering a speech that cheered his party and calmed at least some of his critics, President Trump plotted strategy with republican leaders at the White House, where top officials are sensing some momentum.
What the American people saw is the president I serve with every day, broad shoulders, a big heart and he laid out a specific agenda which is the agenda that he run on when he was elected in November.
ACOSTA: But following mostly positive reviews for the speech, reality is setting in that Democrats and even some Republicans are hardly rallying around the president's agenda. While the president talked about keeping parts of Obamacare --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We should ensure that Americans with preexisting conditions have access to coverage.
ACOSTA: -- Democrats complained repealing the health care law will devastate families.
TOM PEREZ, DNC CHAIRMAN: They're all about repeal, you know, that's what they want to do. They don't want -- there's no replacement plan. The emperor has no clothes.
ACOSTA: As for the president's pitch for a compromised immigration bill first uttered behind closed doors with journalists, Democrats say they prefer a more public peace offering. REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), RANKING MEMBER, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I'm
willing to say publicly, no, I don't believe it and frankly a lot of what he does say publicly is very hard to believe. Look, we all want to read into the tea leaves of things he says not for attribution off the record as holding out some promise that maybe he'll be a different kind of a president.
ACOSTA: Writing the speech was a Trump team effort, including the president, vice president as well as top White House aides, not to mention Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner. Aides are pushing back on the notion that the speech was some sort of rhetorical reset after the president's darker inaugural address. Yet, the shift was palpable.
TRUMP: The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us.
ACOSTA: Even if Democrats are suspicious that the turn from the trivial will last.
SEN. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: It only matters if he just stops tweeting today. If he stops insulting people that he is going to be watching on television today who might disagree with him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And speaking of pivots, the White House is not offering any new insights as to when the president will pivot to a replacement for the executive order that banned travel from seven majority Muslim countries, but sources tell CNN the Trump administration is discussing whether to remove Iraq from the list of countries affected by that travel ban, something we know that the Iraqi prime minister, for example, Erin, was talking to the president about a month ago.
And so, it is something that is seriously under consideration at this point. At this point, though, no firm timetable as to when we'll see that replacement with that travel ban.
BURNETT: All right, Jim. Thank you.
And OUTFRONT now, the Democratic congresswoman from Florida, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, also the former chairwoman of the DNC.
And great to have you with me tonight.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D), FLORIDA: Good to be with you.
BURNETT: Let me start with you with this, Congresswoman. Our headline here at CNN was "Presidential Trump". Do you agree?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, I don't agree because I thought much of his speech was completely incongruous with the policies that he's been pushing for the first 40 days of his administration and, quite frankly, he contradicted himself during the speech. I mean, when he talks about Obamacare collapsing in the face of 20 million people who have it and the folks in the marketplace is being in a situation where they actually have the lowest rate of increases in healthcare premiums in 50 years. And most of those folks in those market places --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Many people are saying their rates double.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Erin, actually, most people in the marketplaces are able to get a policy for a monthly premium of less than $100 with the subsidies. But the Republicans are planning to repeal those subsidies when they repeal Obamacare. So, they are the ones whose policies are going to cost healthcare costs to sky rocket and access the care to be extremely limit and pared back.
BURNETT: So, I would love to talk more about healthcare, but I want to ask you a little bit more though about the speech, because some of your colleagues, Congresswoman, have been more positive than you are right now. Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp called it a very good speech. Democratic Congressman Steven Lynch said and I'll quote him, "I think his words were a significant shift from his previous, sometimes rhetoric. I thought he was much more conciliatory."
What do you say to them? It sounds like they're trying to find something positive, to reach across the aisle and work with this president.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, I'm certainly willing to work with anyone who is actually going to show me that they are willing to work with us. I'm a "show me" person, not a "tell me" person. A speech is "tell me".
So I can only go on what I have seen in his track record thus far. His track record thus far has changed immigration policy that is now sweeping up people who have done nothing more than exist in this country to take care of themselves. He actually mentions immigration reform last night in the same speech that he brags about how as he was speaking, ICE officials were round -- were actually rounding up undocumented immigrants.
I mean, there is hypocrisy in the speech, and while I certainly am glad that he's mentioning things that we might be able to work with him on --
BURNETT: Yes.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: -- I want to see what that looks like before I give him good marks.
BURNETT: So, let me ask you about that, because he did say some things in his speech that almost everyone could agree with and in fact some of your Democrat colleagues did. They stood and applaud it. Things like this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: As we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation's path towards civil rights and the work that still remains to be done. (APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:35:24] BURNETT: He gets that applause, so people could see some of your Democrat colleagues standing there, "reminded of our nation's path towards with civil rights and the work that remains to be done."
You did not stand. If you can't stand for that, are you saying that you can't work with him on anything?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, Erin, on Monday morning, as I was about to have a previously scheduled press conference to talk about the explosion in anti-Semitic attacks across this country and 100 JCCs, Jewish communities, with people who had their cars scratched with swastikas, another, on my way to that press conference, a JCC in my district where my children went to preschool had a bomb threat levied at it.
And this is a president who since January spent weeks, not days, weeks saying nothing. And so, you know, I'm glad that he spoke out against anti-Semitism and spoke out again --
BURNETT: Which is how he led his speech last night, the very top.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes. And you know what? It's at this point too little too late, and I want to see the actions that he's going to take.
This is someone who during his campaign, Erin, retweeted white supremacists. I mean, this is someone who has fanned the flames and given permission and license for these anti-Semitic attacks and acts to come to the surface, and that's unacceptable. So, he has to do a lot more and go a lot further before I stand and applaud for him saying some things that he should have said long ago.
BURNETT: Too little too late. So let me ask you something else.
Representative Kevin Cramer last night, I don't know if you know, you were white and you were doing so in honor of women's suffrage and to stand up for any policies the Trump administration would do that would hurt women's rights. He, Kevin Cramer, said you all were poorly dressed. He has just come out and said something more and I want to play it for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN CRAMER (R), NORTH DAKOTA: You the point of my statement was these women who put on these white pant suits to celebrate suffrage were really there to be rude to Donald Trump. That was obvious not by their clothes, but in addition to their clothing, their gestures, their hand gestures, their thumbs down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: What do you say to him? WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, I was wearing a pretty fabulous sleeveless
white dress that I have gotten lots of compliments on. So, first and foremost, I say that he doesn't appear to have any taste, but -- particularly in women's clothing.
But more importantly, he obviously misses the point in that it's pretty difficult to think that sending a message to the president when we are sitting right in front of him with a sea of white attire that we are not going to allow him to roll back women's progress in this country is actually patriotic and shows that we care about the issues that are important to women and won't let them roll back our progress.
BURNETT: I mentioned the issue --
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: He doesn't get it.
BURNETT: I mentioned the issue of standing up and I want to ask you this. President Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway retweeted a story today. It claimed that you did not stand up for the standing ovation for the wife of a fallen Navy SEAL. Kellyanne retweeted the claim about you and to that, she added, let me show everyone, "Hope this is not true. It was moment of unity and deserved recognition."
We checked. Look, the video posted on the White House website shows that is not the case. You did stand.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: That's right. Exactly.
BURNETT: Let me show this for everybody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Ryan died as he lived, a warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing our nation.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: We can see you there standing, Congressman.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Right.
BURNETT: So that claim was false. As I said, she retweeted it saying "hope this is not true." You today tweeted the fact check showing that that was, in fact, false.
Has Kellyanne apologized to you and does she owe you an apology?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Of course she hasn't apologized because that's their M.O. They generate and perpetuate fake news. They don't tell the truth, they lie, they distort, they intentionally put out false information so that they can try to control the news cycle and get a better --
BURNETT: You think she did that on purpose knowing it was false? WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, when you actually tweet something that's as
highly charged as that accusation was that isn't true, why would you put it out there if you weren't trying to leave the impression with most people that see it that it was true? Maybe she could pick up the phone and call my office, call me and ask me if it was true.
[19:40:03] How about check the whitehouse.gov tape in their own office building to see if it's true? Because that's how it was actually proven false as you just demonstrated on the screen.
But these people are not truthful. That's why I don't trust them. Most of the American people don't trust them, and that's why this president has been so wholly unpopular up to this point.
BURNETT: Would you accept an apology from her if she gave you one, if she called you?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, I don't need an apology, I need them to start telling the truth. I need them to actually back up their words with action and I need to really mean what they say when they say they want to work together in trying to help make sure that we can improve people's quality of life, not do what they are doing, which is rounding up immigrants who are only trying to take care of their families, saying that they're going to take healthcare away from millions of people and essentially spending every single day lying to people's faces and then repeating those lies over and over as they did with this accusation directed at me today.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time, Congresswoman.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thanks so much, Erin.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, the Yemen raid that took the life of the Navy SEAL Ryan Owens. Was that raid a success or a failure in the intelligence that it gathered? We have new breaking information tonight on what they got into that raid.
And he led a prayer of President Trump's inauguration. Now, the Hispanic pastor is offering undocumented immigrants a safe haven in his church. He joins me live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:45:18] BURNETT: Tonight, CNN is learning the Trump administration is talking to the Pentagon about changing how counterterror missions are approved. So, what this could mean is, the Pentagon could sign off on missions directly, rather than the president of the United States. That's a huge move after the president last night said that the raid in Yemen in which a Navy SEAL was killed was highly successful.
Barbara Starr is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TRUMP: I just spoke to our great General Mattis just now who reconfirmed that, and I quote, "Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence."
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A full- throated the defense of the raid in Yemen that led to the death of Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens last month.
U.S. officials tell CNN the intelligence gathered points to additional al Qaeda hideouts that may lead to even more raids.
Documents the SEALs seized detail training, targeting, and explosives manufacturing by a group which has attacked the West, including the 2015 attack on the "Charlie Hebdo" offices in Paris and the attempted 2009 bombing of an aircraft landing in Detroit.
But there are serious questions about how the SEALs ran straight into a fire fight resulting in several civilians also being killed. Several military investigations are under way to determine what really happened.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: One thing I will caution the president do is don't oversell.
STARR: CNN has learned the Pentagon and the White House are discussing changing how some counterterrorism missions are approved and authorized. Under consideration, whether Defense Secretary James Mattis and military commanders should be able to green light some missions.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The problem that you have with that is if something goes terribly wrong, you're going to end up with a lot of political fallout for something that you didn't really approve or understand the minute details of.
STARR: The White House insists President Trump will continue signing off on raids that require his approval.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer saying, "It is a philosophy more than a change in policy. He believes these are the experts in this field."
President Trump already suggesting he wasn't completely involved in the Yemen raid.
TRUMP: This was a mission that was started before I got here, this was something that was -- you know, they wanted to do. They came to see me, they explained what they wanted to do, the generals who were very respected. My generals are the most respected that we've had in many decades, I believe. And they lost Ryan.
LEIGHTON: From a political standpoint, it may be good for somebody who wants to wash their hands of something. But from a military standpoint, it really abrogates the authority that the commander in chief has inherent in his position.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Details of the Yemen mission remain highly classified. So, don't expect to see much more information be made public any time soon, if ever -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Barbara, thank you.
And next our guest, the Hispanic pastor who led a prayer at Trump's inauguration. Tonight offering shelter to undocumented immigrants to avoid the president's immigration laws. He is my guest live.
And were the vice president and Paul Ryan wearing the same suit, shirt, and tie? Jeanne Moos has the Capitol Hill fashion report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:51] BURNETT: New tonight, a Hispanic pastor who led a prayer at President Trump's inauguration now offering a safe haven for undocumented immigrants in the United States. Reverend Samuel Rodriguez's church setting up cots for people who are afraid they maybe targeted by immigration raids.
The reverend is OUTFRONT. He's a pastor at New Season Christian Worship Center in Sacramento and the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership conference, which is the largest Hispanic evangelical organization in the world.
Reverend Rodriguez, thank you for your time tonight.
I know this has got to be a big decision for you. It puts you at odds with a man you supported on many issues. You gave a prayer at his inauguration. Many criticized you for doing that. You took a stand, you did that.
Why are you doing this now?
REV. SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ, LED PRAYER AT TRUMP'S INAUGURATION: And I still support him on many issues.
It's a difficult situation and circumstance for our entire community. This is a community full of God-fearing, hardworking individuals. And I applaud and commend President Trump for making a commitment to protect DACA, the DREAMers, of course. I just want him to fulfill his entire promise not to impact or harm those terrific or wonderful God- fearing people.
The deportations that have taken place in the past two weeks unfortunately have impacted -- yes, the majority are individuals involved in nefarious activities. And we want the people that need to be deported as expeditiously as possible.
BURNETT: So you support him on that part of it?
RODRIGUEZ: Indeed. But the problem is what about the 5 percent, 10 percent, 20 percent that were not hardened criminals and these families were separated? This impacts our entire community indeed and as bible-believing Christians, we just can't stand silently by without providing the necessary spiritual and other resources to keep families together.
BURNETT: So, have you called the president about this? Have you reached out to him? I mean, you did a really good turn for him. You were at his inauguration and you gave that prayer and that was important.
Have you tried to call him to tell him what you're feeling?
RODGRIGUEZ: I have great respect for President Trump, and again, if "The New York Times" page one article today stands filled with accuracy as it pertains to prior to the address last night that he made a commitment to providing a comprehensive solution to immigration, then I applaud him for that. I am attempting to contact the president, indeed.
Again, I applaud him and celebrate his commitment to stopping illegal immigration, to making sure we protect our border, but please, don't separate hardworking, God-fearing families. Not even one of them. Do not separate families. That's my clarion call.
BURNETT: And have you called him? Has he called you back? What's the status of that?
It seems to me honestly, Reverend, that he should speak to you and listen to you as someone who has been a supporter and a friend in the Hispanic community, a very vocal and important one.
RODRIGUEZ: And I am reaching out. In full disclosure I am reaching out. I understand he's busy with a number of agenda items likewise.
But this is so critical for the community. As you well know, this evangelical Latino community, 30 percent of Latinos supported President Trump of which 66 percent self-identified as Hispanic evangelicals.
[19:55:06] So, it's a community than really resonates with the president on issues of life, religious liberty, educational equality. So, I really would love to see immigration reform take place this year.
BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you very much, Reverend. I appreciate your time tonight.
RODRIGUEZ: Thank you for having me.
BURNETT: And next, Jeanne Moos on why "GQ" may be President Trump's most valuable adviser.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: A noticeable shift in Trump's style.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's no longer just --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States!
MOOS: -- who's now a fashion plate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's undergone something of a presidential makeover.
MOOS: Sort of like "GQ" had suggested.
ROBERT VERDI, LIFESTYLE EXPERT: The Donald looked like he had a tailored suit on.
MOOS: Sharper shoulders, not so baggy and gaps (ph).
VERDI: He buttoned his jacket which really changes the silhouette.
MOOS: The way too long Scotch tape red tie traded in for navy and white stripes. And since we're fashion policing the speech, what about the twins in back?
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN/TV HOST: Who immediately showed their commitment ton fiscal responsibility by purchasing a buy one get two free suit and tie combo.
MOOS: Nothing cheap about Ivanka's strappy dress or Melania Trump's glittering outfit.
All those sequins had a fan tweeting, "Melania looking like a million bucks." Actually, more like $9,500 on Michael Kors' website.
Melania's predecessor came up, Michelle Obama got (AUDIO DELETED), for exposing her shoulders, but Melania showing approximately 100 yards of cleavage.
But this 8-year-old Alabama girl honored the first lady by replicating her inaugural outfit, for a school project.
The speech attracted Democrats wearing suffragette white while waving their thumbs. And a jovial "Independent Review" reporter calling out.
REPORTER: Bernie, who are you wearing?
Cory Booker, who are you wearing?
Justice Roberts, who are you wearing?
MOOS: Robes.
There was one, I don't know if you could call it a misstep involving shoes.
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross was snapped wearing velvet opera slippers with a Commerce Department insignia on them. Custom made ones like this cost upwards of $500 at Stubs and Wooten, a brand so fashionable that style expert Robert Verdi owns his own and wore his feelings on his feet while watching the speech.
VERDI: This one has a screw, and this one has a U.
MOOS: But at least no one threw shoes at the new presidential clothes horse.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And thanks for joining us.
Anderson's next.
