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Erin Burnett Outfront

Iowa Democratic Party Releases More Results, Then Issues Corrections; Gov. Gina Raimondo (D-RI) is Interviewed About Her Support of the Bloomberg Candidacy; Joe Biden About to Answer Questions at CNN Town Hall. Aired on 7-8p ET

Aired February 05, 2020 - 19:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Perhaps President Putin is thinking to himself, mission accomplished. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, Senator Mitt Romney taking a courageous stand voting to convict President Trump and the President has just responded.

Plus, the Iowa Democratic Party just forced to make a correction after releasing new caucus results. Yes. What's going on?

And Michael Bloomberg gets a huge endorsement. Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good afternoon. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, Romney's courageous stand making American history.

As Trump got his expected acquittal vote in the Senate impeachment trial, there was a big surprise. A Republican dissent. For the first time, a senator voting to remove a president of his own party. There was a bipartisan vote on Trump's impeachment today but it was bipartisan in the way the President expected. Every democrat plus a Republican, Mitt Romney, voting to convict President Donald Trump on the first article of impeachment abuse of power.

It was a moment in history and a monumental decision for Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the President, the leader of my own party would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong.

The President asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The president withheld vital military funds from that government to press them to do so. The President delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The President's purpose was personal and political.

Accordingly, the President is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And Romney is not afraid of what will come, Trump's inevitable ire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, HOST, FOX NEWS: You talk about the consequences. You realize this is war. Donald Trump will never forgive you for this.

ROMNEY: There's a hymn that is sung in my church. There's an old Protestant hymn which is do what is right, let the consequence follow. I know in my heart that I'm doing what's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Romney saying what Trump did was wrong and he is proving that he is willing to pay any political price for standing up for what he believes is right. It is a different message than other Republicans, some of whom criticize Trump for his actions, but ultimately did not join Romney in that defining moment.

One way that they justified their votes to acquit despite saying that what Trump did was wrong was this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you confident that the President is not going to simply ask another foreign power to investigate a political rival again?

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): Yes. I think there are lessons that everybody can learn from it.

SEN. ROBERT PORTMAN (R-OH): I think the message has been delivered.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I believe that the President has learned from this case.

NORAH O'DONNELL, ANCHOR, CBS EVENING NEWS: What do you believe the President has learned?

COLLINS: The President has been impeached. That's a pretty big lesson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So has Trump learned? Well, according to The Washington Post, he was asked specifically about Senator Collins comments that you heard there. He was asked by reporters behind closed doors and President Trump's response reportedly 'it was a perfect call'.

Something he has said two cameras 20 times since he was impeached by the House, 20 times. If Trump learned a pretty big lesson, it's that almost all Republican senators will back him no matter what, except for one.

Kaitlan Collins is OUTFRONT at the White House tonight. And Kaitlan, the President is now already making it known how he feels about Mitt Romney.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He hasn't said anything publicly but he is tweeting tonight, Erin. Tweeting a video out just a few moments ago where a voice says that Mitt Romney is someone who's been posing as a Republican which is pretty striking given that Mitt Romney was once the Republican nominee for president.

[19:05:04]

And it also claims that he tried to infiltrate the President's administration likely a reference to, remember that interview that Donald Trump with Mitt Romney for the Secretary of State job? Of course, a job that Mitt Romney did not end up getting. But at the time, the President said he was ready to put the beef that they had between them behind them.

Of course, now there's a whole new tension between the two of them after he did vote to convict on that first article of impeachment today, which is not how the White House wanted that outcome to be, because they've been confident it was going to be an acquittal vote, but they wanted to be able to say that it was bipartisan. And they had been pretty confident throughout the week in the last several days that one of those red state Democrats was going to cross the line and vote with them, vote to acquit the President.

Though, of course, none of them did today and Mitt Romney did end up voting yes on that first article of impeachment. So the question now going forward is what are the repercussions going to be, how is the President going to respond, because several people we've spoken with tonight say they do not think just this tweet that the President sent out a few minutes ago is going to be the last of it.

And, of course, this also puts Ronna Romney McDaniel who is the Chair of the Republican National Committee in an awkward position, given that she is Mitt Romney's niece but is also close to the President. And today said she stands with the President along with the rest of the Republican Party.

So we're essentially waiting to see what else the President is going to say about this. He is going to make a public statement tomorrow here at the White House around lunch. Of course, the question is going to be whether or not he tries to strike a tone about moving forward or if he's going to continue to focus on Mitt Romney.

And Erin, just a hint of just how surprised the White House was by that vote today, we saw senator or we saw the Vice President Mike Pence say he believed this is going to be a bipartisan vote. That was after Romney had already announced he was going to vote to convict the President at least on one article of impeachment. They were surprised that three of those red state Democrats ended up voting to convict the President on those articles of impeachment.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan. And before Romney publicly announced his decision, he spoke with his hometown newspaper, the Deseret News, saying, "I have never experienced as much sleeplessness, as much angst, and recognize the consequence for the country in a way that I have during this process."

OUTFRONT now someone who spoke directly with Romney about his decision, Deseret News Editor, Boyd Matheson. And I appreciate your time, Boyd.

So, when you have this conversation with Senator Romney and we just heard how emotional he was. I don't think there's anybody who can't admit that this was deep and personal and genuine. What else did he tell you about how he made the decision and how hard it was?

BOYD MATHESON, DESERET NEWS, SPOKE WITH ROMNEY ABOUT IMPEACHMENT VOTE DECISION: Well, it clearly was one where he felt like his oath to God as you played in the video clip there, that that caused him to put everything else aside. Any other consideration had to be laid aside, so he had an open mind going in there. That was definitely part of it.

I think the other part for him was really this idea that we have to get to the truth and do it in a way that is honorable to the American people. In other words, about 72 percent of the American people believe the biggest problem in Washington is that our politicians are too worried about their reelection their party and maintaining power than they are doing what's right for the people.

And so I think it was this idea that you do have to show courage. You have to be willing to show character. And to be honest, Erin, it doesn't require any courage at all to stand up to your enemies or your political opponents. It requires courage to stand up to your friends, your supporters and your political party.

And so I think he was able to do that, so while I think he still thinks it's a very solemn moment, a very tender moment for him, I think it was very important. But I think one other lesson, I think, for all Americans is that we can get to a decision on things that is different. Oneness is not sameness in this country and that's OK.

You've never heard Senator Romney. You never heard his counterpart Senator Lee from Utah ever question their opponents that they disagreed with, never questioned their character, never weaponized their words, never questioned their patriotism or their commitment to the Constitution.

BURNETT: No. Yes.

MATHESON: And that's an important lesson for us in America that we can have disagreements, we can hear the same evidence and get to different conclusions. But it's when we weaponize that, it's when we have - I don't think we have the polarization problem in our politics. We have a contempt problem where we believe it's okay to really say you have no value because you disagree with me. And so I think there's a good lesson there for everybody. BURNETT: So Trump has already now come out and put out a video. This

is just a beginning of how it's going to go. Romney has been there before. This is going to be as nasty as it gets. He's ready for it. But what will Utah voters think?

Obviously, Romney is willing to lose his seat over this. That's clear. He did what he thought was right. What will the voter reaction be in the state though?

MATHESON: I think it'll be a mixed bag as most things are. President Trump has an interesting dynamic here in the State of Utah. He has some very animated supporters here in the state and he has a lot of detractors and a lot of people in the middle, who just aren't quite certain.

[19:10:00]

They've been pleased with his work on religious liberty, on taxes, on the economy and jobs, but have questioned some of the things. So part of that with Senator Romney is no one should be surprised. This is exactly what he said he was going to do before he was elected and that's what he's doing now.

He agrees with the President in about 80 percent of the time on policy.

BURNETT: As he pointed out, yes.

MATHESON: And has chosen to disagree with him on some of the others, yes.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your time, Boyd. Thank you very much.

MATHESON: Thanks, Erin.

BURNETT: And I want to go OUTFRONT now to someone who was in the room there with Senator Romney. That's Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Judiciary Committee.

As we've laid out here, the White House expected a bipartisan vote to acquit. They expected a couple of senators from your side to come over, not only did they not get that but the bipartisan vote was on the other side. They did not know Romney was going to do this till he announced it. Were you surprised by Senator Romney's decision?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I was surprised when I watched his speech on the floor, a profoundly moving moment. And as a cynical and distrustful as many Americans are about their political leaders, understandably, there really is some reason for hope in this profile in courage and other heroes and patriots who came forward.

Those diplomats and public servants, Taylor, Vindman, Yovanovitch who risked everything, had nothing to gain everything to lose as well as the House members in difficult districts who voted for impeachment. And so I think that there is a lesson here in Senator Romney's stepping forward for conviction and conscience and I was both surprised and immensely impressed. And I hope that it gives us some hope and faith in the resilience of our democracy.

BURNETT: As you point out, it was a moment, I don't tire of watching it, he was emotional and I want to just play again a brief part of it. And this is perhaps at the core, let me just play this one part of it for you, Senator Blumenthal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: What were you thinking in that moment, Senator, as he was unable to speak because he was moved by such emotion?

BLUMENTHAL: Well, I will tell you, Erin, there were tears in my eyes and there are again as I hear him say those words. But what I thought is I really would like my four children to be like that and I don't think there's any greater tribute to anyone and I will tell you also that as I heard others of my colleagues, Senators Sinema, Manchin and Jones also vote in the right way. I was deeply impressed by them.

And as I stood and said the word guilty, I've been a prosecutor, I've asked juries to convict and say those words about a defendant that I was prosecuting. I've never said that word about anyone, let alone the President of the United States, not to mention on the floor of the Senate. It was a time, a moment when the full weight of my decision, conscience and conviction hit me as well.

So when I watched Senator Romney say those words, I felt sincerity from him that I have rarely seen, unfortunately, on the floor of the Senate or in many other places from people in public life.

BURNETT: Right. Well, it was certainly a day for history and I appreciate your taking the time to be with me tonight. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell repeatedly refuses to answer whether President Trump acted inappropriately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I think that's what we've just dealt with for three weeks. It's time to move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Plus, new results from the Iowa caucuses, but then a correction too, the Bernie Sanders campaign responds OUTFRONT.

And Joe Biden goes on the attack after his disappointing Iowa results. We're less than an hour away from his town hall in New Hampshire right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:05]

BURNETT: Breaking news, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell repeatedly dodging questions about whether President Trump's conduct with Ukraine was appropriate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Why is it OK for the President to ask another foreign country to investigate a political rival?

MCCONNELL: Now, Manu, I've been responding to you for years and you know that what I'm here to talk about today is the political impact of this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it acceptable for President Trump to ask the leader of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens and the substantively hold that military aid?

MCCONNELL: I'm sure you were paying close attention, but that's exactly what we've been talking about for the last three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's perfectly reasonable question to ask whether or not the President's actions were appropriate.

MCCONNELL: Yes. I think that's what we've just dealt with for three weeks. It's time to move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: In other words, he's not going to answer the question.

OUTFRONT now, CNN Senior Political Analyst John Avlon and David Axelrod who was a Senior Advisor to President Obama.

John, I mean, it's pretty amazing, the trials over. And by the way, you have Mitt Romney, OK, but then other than Mitt Romney, you have a lot of people, Republicans who are saying, well, what he did was wrong, but - and they have their but, but Mitch McConnell won't even answer the question of whether what he did was inappropriate.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. And that's because, look, Mitch has given away the game. It's not about right or wrong, it's about right versus left. It's about winning politically. Because he doesn't necessarily believe the President did what was right and I think Mitch knows that if a Democratic president did that, he'd be calling for his impeachment on day one and the entire Republican conference would be behind it.

So that's the reason you've had these contorted explanations from these senators. They know what the President has done is wrong. They are being motivated by fear and greed and the desire to win, not by what's right. BURNETT: So I mean, David, it is pretty incredible. Senator McConnell

also said he was surprised and disappointed about Romney. Romney's decision to vote to remove President Trump from office for abuse of power.

[19:20:00]

It also caught the White House off guard. Should they have seen this coming? I mean, everybody knew Mitt Romney took this deeply seriously. Everybody knows he is a person of integrity and conviction and yet this seems to be a surprise to all of them.

DAVID AXELROD, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes. Well, I think he probably was - I mean, under quite a bit of pressure from them to fall in line as all the other senators did and I think they assumed that he would do when Collins, and Alexander and Murkowski did what they did that he would follow suit and perhaps they should have known.

But the truth is that the momentum there was very much in the direction of everyone falling in line, which is what made Romney's decision all of the more impressive and put all of them in a much more difficult position because he was very blunt about what they were thinking in the bubble boxes above their heads. And he made those who stood up and said, well, he's learned his lesson, in which he clearly is not. You made that clear at the top of your program here.

He made them all look like what they are, which is politicians scrambling for cover here because of all of the reasons that John just said.

BURNETT: I mean, John, so Democratic Senator of Ohio Sherrod Brown tonight just wrote up an op-ed, it just came out in The New York Times. The headline, in private, Republicans admit they acquitted Trump out of fear.

He writes, "In private, many of my colleagues agree that the President is reckless and unfit. They admit his lies. And they acknowledge what he did was wrong. Unfortunately, in this Senate, fear has had its way. In November, the American people will have theirs."

Now, he's made this point in frustration on the show before saying the private conversations are very different.

AVLON: Yes. Yes. But, I mean, what do you make of this, he admit reckless, unfit, lies, what he did was wrong, but they were afraid, of what?

AVLON: Anyone who's covered this administration or Congress during administration knows this to be true. They are afraid of being called up by the President on Twitter, being yelled at. They're afraid of their base.

This is all the problem of polarization. It's taken our politics so off center, that the base is deeply devoted to President Trump and they can be deployed. And they can be deployed in ways that will create political pain and financial pain for these senators.

But here's the point, if you're a U.S. Senator and you've lost your ability to have moral courage on the big issues of the day, you should get another job. The reason this stood out was because it was a classic profile in courage speech. But why is that so rare? Why is it so rare right now to hear politicians actually say out loud what they know to be true in their heart?

BURNETT: Yes.

AVLON: That's the sign of a decaying society and that's worth rebelling against.

BURNETT: You know, David - yes, go ahead.

AXELROD: Well, let me just take a small exception to what John said in that. Profiles in Courage was a book that John F. Kennedy wrote about legislators who showed courage. I've always said it's not a coincidence that it was a slim volume. That kind of courage has been rare in the past.

The degree of partisanship and this reign of terror has taken it to another level. So political courage is hard to show because it generally means you put yourself at risk. Right now to John's point about what can happen, recall Romney is trending on social media and you saw the President's son call for his expulsion from the Republican Party.

He knew all of those things were going to happen. He was willing to take it on the others who were not.

AVLON: But this is what you do, you punish the heretic. You say dissent is disloyalty and that's how you reinforce groupthink in these kinds of unhealthy environments. You have the chairman of the RNC go after her uncle to disavow him.

That is not a healthy environment for humans in a democracy. That is a sign of something deeply sick. And the reason we look back on the profile in courage well is because they stand the test of time. When Margaret Chase Smith gives a declaration of conscience against Joe McCarthy, it took enormous courage.

BURNETT: Yes.

AVLON: But we honor her half century later and more because of that. Why are not more politicians having the courage of their convictions and doing what they know is right. Why is that?

BURNETT: David, can I raise one quick question, David, before we go?

AXELROD: Yes.

BURNETT: Part of the answer is Mitt Romney has dedicated a lot of his life to public service. There's no question he comes from tradition.

AXELROD: Yes. BURNETT: But Mitt Romney also has the financial ability to walk away.

AXELROD: Yes.

BURNETT: And a lot of these guys don't.

AXELROD: No, but most of them do, actually. I think there's a lot of wealth in the Senate.

BURNETT: There's wealth, yes.

AXELROD: It's the power that they want. It's the power they want. They want to do the right thing, but if it's a choice between doing the right thing and staying there for 30 years, they'll take the 30 years and that's common. And by the way, you see it on both sides of the aisle, but right now there's a reign of terror that is like McCarthyism on the Republican side where if you step out of line, you will be roasted by the President of the United States on Twitter and in his comments and that is something they are afraid to take on.

[19:25:08]

BURNETT: All right. Thank you both so very much.

So next, Iowa issuing a correction, so they released a new round of results and then they had a correction which was mini but actually meant a total change on who is on top on the popular vote and hear the reaction directly from the candidates.

In less than an hour, CNN's presidential town halls begin in New Hampshire. And Michael Bloomberg rolling out new endorsements today, including a key governor who just recently called his campaign a long shot. Not so long anymore says she, what changed?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:29:30]

BURNETT: Breaking news, the Iowa Democratic Party releasing some more results from the caucuses. Pete Buttigieg maintaining his lead over Bernie Sanders. So now we're up to 86 percent of precincts' reporting. Buttigieg remains in first place on state delegates and then you've got Sanders, Warren and then Biden.

But as the party struggles to explain this two-day delay, they are admitting what they call a 'minor error', which at one point mistakenly put Buttigieg ahead of Sanders in the popular vote. But then that wasn't true.

Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT from Des Moines, Iowa.

[19:30:01]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OK, Jeff, it's unbelievable. This is unbelievable. And it is causing a lot of tension within the Democratic Party. JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Erin, there's no question now, there's some finger pointing going on on both sides between the Democratic National Committee and the Iowa Democratic Party. In the words of one person here, the DNC is running the show.

So, they've sent advisers here and also working back in Washington to, you know, essentially try to get to 100 percent of the precincts reporting here.

But a lot of this will be discussed in weeks to come. The autopsy of what happened here. Who decided to use that app that was such a disaster on caucus night? The DNC is distancing itself from that. Some in Iowa are saying, no, no, they recommended that. So, we'll have to get to the bottom of that in the days to come.

But the reality here is this. If Pete Buttigieg, who still is now leading the way, if this would have been a result in real time on election night, what a story that would have been, you know, toppling Bernie Sanders. People thought that Pete Buttigieg was leveling out in the days before the Iowa caucuses. Bernie Sanders was talking about this huge surge of supporters coming. That didn't happen.

So, Erin, one of the biggest takeaways here from the caucuses, the reality is that Democratic voters weren't that excited. It was the level of participation, closer to 2016, with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, not a lot of new caucus caucusgoers coming in, not a lot of new people coming in to essentially find someone to vote against the president. So, that is one of the questions.

But as this still gets sorted out here, there's no question that Pete Buttigieg is still leading the way. Unknown if we'll find the actual full results tonight or tomorrow, but I'm told it will be in the coming days -- Erin.

(LAUGHTER)

BURNETT: In the coming days.

OK. Thank you very much, Jeff Zeleny. I know you didn't say it to be funny.

ZELENY: Sure.

BURNETT: But I'm saying it, I think, speaking for people saying goodness, here we are.

OK. Nina Turner joins me now. She is the co-chair of Bernie Sanders campaign.

And I appreciate your time, Nina.

So, let me get straight to this one thing that happened that Jeff was just talking about. So, the Iowa Democratic Party, they come out with updates. They have an update on results. It shows Buttigieg, who is winning on the delegate count, but lagging Sanders in the popular vote, right? They show Buttigieg overtaking Sanders in the popular count. That's a big deal, right, you would think.

But then, Nina -- no, no, then they say there's a, quote, minor correction and Sanders is still in the lead in the popular vote. Minor correction? Do you agree with that?

NINA TURNER, NATIONAL CO-CHAIR, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN: I don't, Erin. And the Iowa Democratic Party, this is insanity. I really feel sad, you know, for the voters of Iowa, who certainly, Erin, as you know, pride themselves in this caucus. They didn't deserve this.

This is like switching new plays for the Super Bowl. There's no way they should have been using a new app for the 2020 presidential election. They should have tested that out in elections prior to the presidential election. Thank God we had a paper trail and that was something that Senator Sanders and on the Unity Commission, of which I was one of those members appointed by him, were able to negotiate a paper trail, because if we didn't have that, God only knows what they would be saying.

Now, in terms of the popular vote, Erin -- and I remember so many people in 2016 and even Mr. Buttigieg said the same thing, the person who wins the popular vote wins. But my how things changed in 2020.

Mr. Sanders won the popular vote in the first round. He also won in the realignment as well. And not only that, Erin, in terms of the constituencies that we really are going to need to win, we being Democrats, people of color, Senator Sanders outperform with black and brown communities, and even the Muslim community for one example, he won 99 percent the vote in that particular caucus meeting.

So, we are building the strongest constituency that is going to be needed to defeat Mr. Trump.

BURNETT: So, Nina, I want to ask you -- obviously, you're pointing out my goal is not to have people not have confidence in results, but we do want to understand that the results are legitimate, right? And so, when you have two days of delays, and we're still not done, and they say in the coming days. Then they put something out and then correct and it and say, sorry, do you trust the results at this point?

TURNER: I mean, we do want to make sure that results are right. So, we're keeping an open mind about this because of the paper trail. People handling the paper trail in terms of the Iowa Democratic Party, that's something we have to deal with, transparency. Something like this should have never, ever happened. Then we have to make sure that something like this never happens again.

I'm really glad that the Nevada Democratic --

BURNETT: Are you -- just to make sure I understand, are you thinking it's incompetence or are you implying something else when you're talking about the people counting?

TURNER: Well, it's obvious that something is going on, Erin. I don't want to insult -- you know, there are a lot of volunteers. And the senator laid it out. There are a lot of volunteers there in Iowa who volunteer their time to be part of this, as they do year after year after year.

[19:35:01]

But there is certainly something that is going on. And whether or not people were trained properly or what, I don't know exactly what it is. But this is really at the feet of the Iowa Democratic Party.

I don't want to hear them blaming for the people who come to help those caucuses. This is at their feet. Again they should not have used an app that was not tested in prior elections. You don't do that when you're when you're in a 2020 presidential election.

BURNETT: No, you wouldn't think you do. Of course, they did, which is so shocking.

TURNER: They did, Erin.

BURNETT: Let me ask you where we are here, Nina. Pete Buttigieg's campaign says they had their single best hour of fund-raising last night since when they launched, when, of course, you know, enough -- the precincts started to report and it was clear he was the winner on the delegates.

This is money he's going to have in New Hampshire. He's going to have it beyond. He's got this victory right now, and obviously, we're still waiting for results but that's where it stands right now.

Are you concerned this bounce might help him big time?

TURNER: No, I'm not, Erin. He does -- we won, Senator Sanders -- and I know the media is spinning it this way. Senator Sanders won the popular vote not once, but twice. So, let's be clear about that.

(CROSSTALK)

BURNETT: Yes, I will just take issue with spinning. It is when you count who gets the delegates and who gets them when it comes to the convention --

(CROSSTALK)

TURNER: Erin, we're not done.

BURNETT: That's not spin. That's the rules.

TURNER: What I'm saying is that over emphasis on that instead of emphasizing the fact that Senator Sanders won both the first vote and the realignment, that's important. And not only that, Erin, what's even more important is the type of diversity that the senator garnered.

BURNETT: Yes.

TURNER: You know, people of color, black people, brown people, constituencies in the Muslim community, even there was a satellite office that was union driven and he won that, too. That is the coalition.

Mr. Buttigieg barely has any black people. He polls at zero in some instances and maybe one or two percent. How are we going to win without having a large coalition of people from all walks of life?

That is what it's going to take to defeat President Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders certainly has that constituency behind him.

And then the youth vote, 17 to 29, he increased the share. It's not true that the share of the voters in that primary or in that caucus was not increased. We did increase it. He increased it over 2018 and also 2016 and 2012.

BURNETT: All right.

TURNER: The youth vote, 17 to 29. They came out in force for Senator Bernie Sanders.

BURNETT: All right. I appreciate your time, Nina. Thank you very much for being with us, as we await more results from Iowa.

TURNER: Thanks, Erin.

BURNETT: And next, we are less than 30 minutes to CNN's crucial town hall. They're kicking off with Joe Biden in New Hampshire. Can Biden regain momentum after Iowa?

Plus, Jeanne Moos on the reaction to Nancy Pelosi tearing up -- tearing up, that was somebody else today -- tearing up Trump's State of the Union speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: Trump ended the speech and Nancy Pelosi did this. She ripped him a new one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:41:57]

BURNETT: Tonight, Mike Bloomberg rolling out new endorsements, including Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, who also just wrapped her term as the chief of the Democratic Governors Association. She is the first governor to endorse Bloomberg for president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GINA RAIMONDO (D-RI): He'll take on anybody. He's not afraid of anybody. It was an easy call, because he stands above the other candidates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, Democratic Governor Raimondo, Governor Raimondo of Rhode Island.

And I appreciate your time very much, Governor.

Look, Bloomberg has endorsed you in the past. Joe Biden has also endorsed you in the past, and I know, last year you said that Biden, quote, has good a chance as anyone in 2020.

But now, you've made a choice. You've chosen Bloomberg. Why?

RAIMONDO: Yes. So, as I said today, there are a number of excellent candidates running and I admire all of them for doing it. But I've decided to back Mike because he unquestionably has the best chance of beating President Trump and that's what I'm focused on. And, you know, he's the only one running who has run something. He ran a company. He ran very successfully the biggest, most complicated city in America.

And I know as a governor, as an executive, I want somebody in the White House with the track record of delivering results for people and actually getting things done.

So I think he can beat the president. I know he can beat the president. And that's our primary goal, certainly my primary goal. But I also trust Mike to get things done for America, just like he did in New York.

BURNETT: So, you know, in December, we were looking back at things that you said as you were making this big decision, you spoke with "The Providence Journal" and you were asked about Bloomberg.

And you said this, I quote you, Bloomberg's campaign is a long shot. I think if he were here, he would admit it is a long shot. He got in late, especially being a billionaire, and he is not young. Having said that, the race is in flux. His approach is one we have never seen before.

That's your full quote. And to state the obvious, he's still not young. He's still got in late. He's still a billionaire.

Why don't you think he is a long shot anymore?

RAIMONDO: So, what you just said describes an unconventional candidate running an unconventional campaign. And I think that's exactly what we need to beat President Trump. If we run the same place we've already run, we run the risk of losing.

And Mike is innovative. Yes, it is a tall hill to climb, especially that he got in late. You know, when I've asked him about that, I say to him, Mike, why are you doing it? And he says my country, I'm doing it for my country, I'm doing it for my family.

And that speaks volumes to me. So, he has the stamina, the resources, the ideas, the track record to get this done. And, as I said, I think we need to run an unconventional campaign if we're going to beat the president.

BURNETT: So, another big question about how to beat this president is, of course, how to handle how he treats people, right?

[19:45:02]

And everything has been tried, from ignoring what he says to fighting back, ala Marco Rubio, and nothing has worked, right?

Over the past week, the Bloomberg campaign has traded insults with President Trump. You know, he has made fun of Bloomberg's height. The Bloomberg campaign responded by calling Trump a pathological liar, mentioning had his fake hair, obesity, their word, and quote even his spray-on tan.

Did you talk to Mayor Bloomberg about how he's going to handle the inevitable personal battles that are going to come here? Because they are going to come and Trump personally is not going to shy away from it.

RAIMONDO: Yes. Mike Bloomberg is a fighter. He has never shied away from a fight that he believes in. He has fought and won with the NRA around gun safety, fought and won against fossil fuel companies in the interest of addressing climate change, fought and won against entrenched special interest and the status quo in New York City and delivered, created half a million jobs for the people in New York City while he was the mayor.

So, listen, if we're going to beat the president, Mike Bloomberg is the guy we want in the ring. I also think he's such a contrast to the president. You know, Mike Bloomberg started out like so many people, middle-class family. He worked his tail off. Put himself through college. And then became very successful.

He is a real businessman, a successful businessperson that created 20,000 jobs. President Trump is a fraud. He's not a successful businessperson. And he began with a multimillion dollar loan from his father. So, Mike will take it to him. And, as I said, I like his chances.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your time, Governor Raimondo. Thank you very much.

RAIMONDO: Thank you.

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, Joe Biden about to take questions at CNN's town hall in New Hampshire. What he needs to say.

And Jeanne moos on the back and forth of Nancy Pelosi is tearing up Trump's State of the Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it was a new low.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shredder wasn't available and so she did what she needed to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:15]

BURNETT: Tonight, Joe Biden admits he's disappointed in his Iowa caucus results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to sugar coat it. We took a gut punch in Iowa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: It's likely something he'll be asked about when he answers questions at the CNN presidential town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire, which begins in a few moments.

There tonight, CNN political analyst, Mark Preston.

And, Mark, look, you know, Biden in that honest way he has doesn't mince words, he's always direct. He says Iowa is a gut punch.

How important is New Hampshire tonight to Biden?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's certainly critical that he does enough to try to turn the narrator around. On my way over here to come on TV with you, Erin, I ran into top supporters in New Hampshire, State Senator D'Alessandro (ph).

This is a gentleman who's been a fixture in New Hampshire politics for decades. He was outside with a bunch of firefighters welcoming Joe Biden as he was coming here. Just talking to him, you can tell that there's a sense that Joe Biden has to perform well, but they feel good about where they're at, because they see somebody that Joe Biden's bona fide s could perhaps connect with this working class, blue collar New Hampshire electorate that we see here, Erin

BURNETT: And Biden's been focusing his campaign on Trump, right, positioning himself as the nominee, and this is a general election matchup. But in the past couple of days since Iowa, Biden has started taking on his Democratic rivals as he needs to do. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Every Democrat will have to carry the label Senator Sanders has chose for himself.

But I do believe it's a risk, to be just straight up with you, for this party to nominate someone who's never held an office higher than mayor of a town of 100,000 people in Indiana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Do you expect more talk like that tonight, Mark? PRESTON: Yes, certainly. I mean, look, going into Iowa, the whole

narrative, Iowa nice, the voters are nice. People go out there and sell their plans. You come out east, now you have to leave everything on the floor.

If you want to win, you're going to have to go out and criticize and attack your own Democrats. Because you have to show not only to the Democratic base that you can take them on, but by doing that, you can show that you can take on Donald Trump. And I think you're going to see it not only from Joe Biden, but we're starting to see it from others, as well.

This Democratic primary is going to get a lot uglier, Erin.

BURNETT: All right. It sure is. Thank you very much, Mark Preston.

And that town hall, as I said, beginning in just a few moments.

Meantime, next, Jeanne on the reaction to this moment at Trump's State of the Union.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:42]

BURNETT: Nancy Pelosi tearing it up. Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite all the flattery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable. Amazing job, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brilliant, Mr. President.

MOOS: It was President Trump's nemesis who will be remembered for ripping up his speech. The state of their union is ice cold.

COLBERT: She ripped him a new one.

PENCE: I think it was a new low.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shredder wasn't available, so she did what she needed to do.

PENCE: I wasn't sure if she was ripping up the speech, or ripping up the Constitution.

MOOS: Mike Pompeo tweeted Lisa Simpson ripping up her civics essay, then he got ripped by a former "Simpsons" producer, saying, Mr. Secretary of State, please do not ever, ever, ever use Simpson's material.

Both fans and critics dubbed Pelosi Nancy the ripper, unlike their previous run-ins when she famously pointed a finger at him and clapped back at the president.

This time, he didn't see it coming.

Of course, when Nancy Pelosi went on a tear, others couldn't resist following suit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very clear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm moving on from this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wraps up the show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got radio talk show host.

MOOS: Speaker Pelosi told House Democrats he shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative.

MOOS: The shredding, even eclipsed the snubbing, if that's what it was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looked like he blew her off with the handshake. Some people say, no, no, she just didn't see it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, he saw it.

MOOS: And then there was all of that head-shaking.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I keep my promises. We did our job.

MOOS: By Nancy.

TRUMP: The big pharmaceutical companies, we have approved a record number of --

MOOS: And other Democrats, along with mouthing things like "not true".

TRUMP: Illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidize.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is wrong with her? She looked like she was reading the cheesecake factory menu.

MOOS: The guy who avoided Pelosi by hanging a towel over his TV missed the big moment, but team Trump turned it into what Mitch McConnell thinks of the articles of impeachment.

Does that count as a rip-off?

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: And thanks for joining us.

CNN's Democratic presidential town hall with Joe Biden live from New Hampshire begins right now.