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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Protests From Coast to Coast Over Election; Trump Set to Meet with Obaam Today; Putin Congratulates Trump on Win. Aired 3-3:30a ET
Aired November 10, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The breaking news overnight. Protest from coast to coast over the result of the 2016 election.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Transfer of power. President-elect Trump set to meet with President Obama and then House Speaker Paul Ryan in a matter of hours.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Nice to see you. It is Thursday, November 10th, 3 a.m. in the east. We do want to welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world.
The breaking news, protests in cities across the country, including some still happening right now. These are protests against the result of the election, against the man that American voters picked to be the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump.
In dozens of cities from Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Oregon, demonstrators chanted "Not my president." "Not today."
In just the last couple of hours, protesters in Los Angeles brought traffic to a standstill on a major freeway, that's the 101. Earlier, they set fire to a giant Trump pinata.
In New York, police say as many as 5,000 people demonstrated in front of Trump Tower in midtown. Some expressed fear for the fate of women and minorities under a Trump presidency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump will reenact harsher stop and frisk laws that wind up putting so many people back into prison. And also deep fear at the sexism that will be bubbling up in the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a woman, and as a Latina, I feel very upset and oppressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Thousands also gathered in front of Chicago's Trump Tower blocking traffic and marched in Lake Shore Drive there. And there were demonstrations also in front of the White House. You can see this, this is a candle of vigil -- candle light vigil overnight. People chanted, they sang songs. Thousands of people also watched this on Facebook live.
ROMANS: All right. We'll continue to monitor those situations overnight. Meanwhile, a seismic shift is underway in Washington, a transfer of power to the Trump administration. There are just about 72 days, about 10 weeks until President-elect Trump is inaugurated.
In that time, he has to make more than 4,000 executive branch appointments, 4,000. More than 1100 of them requiring Senate confirmation.
A key first step comes this morning. President Obama meets with President-elect Trump in the Oval Office. For the very latest on this transition we want to bring in CNN's Sunlen Serfaty in Washington for us this morning. Good morning, Sunlen.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, too, Christine. And this is the first real meeting that President Obama and now President- elect Donald Trump will have ever had. We all know of course there is sordid relationship from Donald Trump's role in the 'birther' movement to President Obama's fiery rhetoric on the campaign trail.
And White House officials openly admit that they say this is not an easy meeting for President Obama to have today. That said, the White House also says President Obama is very committed here to making sure that there is a smooth transition of power. And this is something that we heard President Obama speak about yesterday in the Rose Garden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: And I'm looking forward to doing everything I can to make sure that the next president is successful in that.
I've said before I think of this job as being a relay runner. You take the baton. You run your best race. And hopefully by the time you hand it off you are a little further ahead. You've made a little progress. And I can say that we've done that and I want to make sure that hand off is well executed because ultimately, we are all on the same team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: And Melania Trump will be also be meeting privately with First Lady Michelle Obama in the White House residence. A lot of meetings here today in D.C. for Mike Pence and Donald Trump. Mike Pence will meet with Vice President Biden privately, and Trump and Pence later this afternoon will sit down with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
A lot on the agenda today, guys, and certainly so many meetings so symbolically important to them. The transition starts fresh today.
ROMANS: Starts today with lots and lots of work to do and a lot of appointments to make. All right, Sunlen, thank you for that this morning. BERMAN: So, as far as filling those key jobs in the Trump
administration, campaign sources tell CNN they likely go to loyal Trump supporters who, quote, "took a lot of crap" for backing him.
Some of the names mentioned include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich possibly as chief of state. For Secretary of State, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani maybe his chief of staff, attorney general secretary of state or maybe homeland security or CIA director.
The transition chairman himself, that is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is said to be under consideration for chief of staff or attorney general.
We should say, you know, what happens, first of all, what happens is there are moments of chaos here. They have a lot of planning to do a lot of jobs to fill.
ROMANS: Yes.
BERMAN: But a lot of times names are floated as rewards in and of themselves to these people and their loyalty. You know, so all of these people that are out there in TV talking nonstop. You want to say, hey, thank you, we're going to pull your name as this or that just a second.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Here is one question, though, is the bench is deep for these appointments as in private. You know, because there were republicans who did not back Donald Trump.
[03:05:03] BERMAN: That's right. I mean, it just depends on how much Trump wants to expand the field of play here. If he wants to keep or just keep a work for his candidacy it's a narrower group in the republican establishment. Because you know, they weren't all there necessarily.
ROMANS: Right.
BERMAN: But you know, he may decide to go deeper. People who haven't been involved in government.
ROMANS: Right. Two of Donald Trump's most outspoken critics are offering up an olive branch of sorts, democratic Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton and they battered Trump throughout the campaign.
In a letter to The Boston Globe, Senator Warren writes, "President- elect Trump promise to rebuild our economy for working people. And I offer to put aside our differences and work with him on that task. When he takes the oath of office as the leader of our democracy and the leader of all Americans it is my sincere hope that he will fulfill that role with respect and concern for every single person in the country no matter who they are, where they come from, what they believe or whom they love." Here's Bernie Sanders statement, quote, "To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I, and other progressives are prepared to work with him. To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policy, we will vigorously oppose him."
BERMAN: On issues on trade and other things, you know, Donald Trump could get as much...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: There's over left.
BERMAN: ... or more democratic support...
ROMANS: That's right.
BERMAN: ... for his policies if he decides to push them than republicans for...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Not on climate.
BERMAN: Not on climate change, that's for sure.
All right. Vice President Joe Biden he made his first public comments following the Trump victory. he was trying to assure -- reassure Jewish leaders about the U.S. commitment to Israel in a Trump administration. Biden spoke to the World Jewish Congress and vowed that American support will not waiver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I stand here to tell you that I have no doubt, none whatsoever, that in the Trump administration there will be no diminution of support as a consequence of this transition. In this new administration we're inclined to induce the commitment in which it is not Congress would never let it happen. The American people would never let it happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: That's Joe Biden there, you know.
BERMAN: The vice president there -- absolutely. Look, what's going through Joe Biden's head right now? A lot of people saying maybe he regrets not running himself. Biden said last night that he was responding to concerns for some Jewish friends who are anxious about the change of power following this campaign.
ROMANS: All right. Donald Trump's coattails were not long enough to include Kelly Ayotte. The New Hampshire senator conceded Wednesday night to her democratic challenger, Governor Maggie Hassan. It gives democrats a second Senate seat that is formerly held by republicans.
The GOP easily kept the majorities in both the House and the Senate. It is interesting to note that three of the most high-profile republicans who have lost. Ayotte, Senator Mark Kirk in Illinois, Joe Heck who also lost a Senate in Nevada. They all actually split from Trump. So, they didn't really ride his coattails on purpose.
BERMAN: No, no. I mean, In fact, look, I think Trump supporters will look at that and say there was a cost, there was a cost...
ROMANS: Yes.
BERMAN: ... from splitting from Donald Trump right there.
ROMANS: Kellyanne Conway for a long time had said, you know, some of these people who are running these races trying to distance -- republican races trying to themselves from Donald Trump are making a mistake.
BERMAN: Politically speaking it seems as if they did. They lost by hundreds of votes. It turns out Hillary Clinton right now is leading. Actually I think we declared New Hampshire for Hillary Clinton last night.
ROMANS: Interesting.
BERMAN: Hillary Clinton won by a bigger margin to Maggie Hassan did, but it is interesting, Nevada another example clearly (AUDIO GAP) candidate to split from Donald Trump.
ROMANS: While North Carolina (AUDIO GAP) has declared victory in the race for governors. State election officials are saying not so fast. Officially that race remains too close to call. Cooper is some 5,000 votes ahead of incumbent republican Pat McCrory.
With 100 percent of the precincts reporting the race could now hinge on tens of thousands of outstanding absentee, military and provisional ballots.
CNN has not made a projection. We are not making a projection in the North Carolina gubernatorial race yet.
BERMAN: No counting in some places.
ROMANS: No counting.
BERMAN: All right. Talk about a transition. The campaign plane used by Hillary Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine, you can see it right here being stripped down. Workers as they peeled off the Clinton/Kaine lettering off the side of the aircraft. This happened in an airport in Richmond.
You know, we're told that the Secret Service detail drove Tim Kaine and his family home and then left.
ROMANS: There is nothing like the morning after. BERMAN: Have you seen there is Mitt Romney documentary that was on
Netflix, and that was one of the most poignant moments where Romney after the election was dropped off at his home. Now Secret Service gave a hug and bye at least this is what happens after an election.
ROMANS: And then you're left after all of that frenetic activity you're left alone with your thoughts basically.
BERMAN: Yes, Tim Kaine, it is interesting, he's the one person here involved in all of this. He's got a day job. I mean, he is U.S. Senator from Virginia and he's got to decide exactly what role he want to take in the Senate, whether he wants to choose to be a national leader for the Democratic Party within the Senate right now.
ROMANS: All right. Let's talk about Wall Street for a minute. An emphatic welcome to President-elect Donald Trump after all of that freak out in the global markets right after the election.
[03:10:06] The Dow jumping 256 points, it's about 1.4 percent. Really flirting with record highs all session. It is now just 46 points away from hitting an all-time high. One not even meaningful rally and you've got record highs for the Dow.
NASDAQ and the S&P 500 climbing more than 1 percent each on Wednesday. So, why the stark turnaround from that nearly 900-point drop in futures as Trump was winning the race? The upbeat mood is due in part to Trump's victory speech and Clinton's concession speech.
Trump raising hopes that he will help the economy and scrap some of the more extreme campaign positions, plus the GOP retained control of Congress which will help to get things done. It is assumed like maybe tax reform and infrastructure.
You know, the buying actually accelerated after Clinton's graceful concession and her emphasis on unity. You know, more gains are possible. Today, Dow Futures are higher. Stock markets in Europe just opened a few minutes ago. Solid gains there, and then in Asia with those huge losses overnight they turned around and had some recovery here.
So, I mean, I think I can with great certainty predict uncertainty for them next week. But at least that shows you markets are not as freaked out by the chance of...
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: Me, too. That's really, I actually saw some certainty. You know, what America does well is peaceful transition of power.
ROMANS: Absolutely.
BERMAN: It's really one of our strong points.
ROMANS: Absolutely.
BERMAN: And I think also investors woke up and saw what you have here is a full republican sweep here, as you think that some investors like which is tax cuts, infrastructure, deregulation.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Deregulation, infrastructures, spending tax cuts, those are the three things that the markets at least think would be good for...
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: And they don't actually care as much about deficits as some people do. So, the...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Not in near term.
BERMAN: The idea...
ROMANS: Not in near term.
BERMAN: The idea that you know, that maybe spending and tax cuts at the same time that muddled (Ph) so much.
All right. Now that the election is over, we are in the middle of this transition of power. This is one of the most fascinating periods every four years. There's so much work to do. So, how does Donald Trump do this? Who does he give jobs to? How does he heal this country?
This is we saw people out there dems they are going to speak overnight.
[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right. You're looking live pictures right now. This is the remnants of the protest and the demonstration that have going on in cities really from coast to coast overnight. People upset about the results of this election. We saw people chanting in some cities.
Again these protests happened from Boston to Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, some people chanting, "not my president. Not today." And this is from Los Angeles where they blocked the briefly the 101.
Traffic was brought to a standstill a little while ago. I'm having a hard time making out exactly what's happening, but this clearly some kind of police activity or maybe a sit in on the streets right there.
ROMANS: At one point in Portland you had -- you had cars that were stopped and people who are like half watching and then other people who are stopping their cars and actually protesting, you know, and trying to stop on traffic.
Earlier in the day, you had some schools in Des Moines, Iowa, you had a high school where kids were just distraught, sobbing, leaving their classrooms, all joining outside, joining in hands outside.
So this is something that continued in to the night as you can see in some of these big cities, but also what's happening in other locations throughout the day.
You know, just hours after a nationwide protests against Donald Trump, the President-elect will arrive at the White House this morning. He will meet with President Obama. They will begin this transition of power and the process of trying to unify a divided country.
Let's talk about this and get the road ahead. Ellis Henican, political analyst and bestselling author, Eugene Scott is with us, CNN politics reporter, and CNN political commentator, Symone Sanders, former press secretary for Bernie Sanders campaign.
Eugene, let's start with you first on this protest I guess since this is the most sort of the freshest angle of what is happening here. I was sort of arguing with some people about this yesterday when before these overnight pictures, and we're talking about some of the schools where kids were leaving school.
And I was wondering would there have been protests no matter who was the president? I mean, this is such a divided country right now.
ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL ANALYST: I certainly think so. And I mean, if we remember just last week we were promised some type of reaction from Trump supporters who would have been dissatisfied with the results if he did not win.
I was talking to voters in Arizona, younger millennial voters who this may have been like their first election who are very emotional and very hurt...
ROMANS: Right.
HENICAN: ... and taken aback by this change. And they are responding very much the same way as you explained in Iowa. But I also spoke with some black Americans who are baby boomers who know what it's like to be under leadership that they don't feel is supportive of their issues. And they were encouraging, and inspirational and hopeful.
BERMAN: Symone, it's really interesting, you can say 2016 is the year of the unheard. In some ways these protests that we saw overnight who people feel like their wants and needs are not being heard.
The result of this entire election, you could argue, were, you know, a lot of white, you know, non-college-educated voters in certain states saying, look, you haven't been listening to us for a long, long time. So you have unheard people on the streets tonight reacting to the decision that people who felt they were unheard, the decision they made yesterday.
SYMONE SANDERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. And the people on the streets actually are reacting to the fact that folks that voted for Donald Trump, they voted for a shakeup, they voted for change. Not just by any means necessary but anybody necessary.
You know, to transform Malcolm X's quote, and that's what this what without any regard for what that vote meant for people that looked like me, that are Muslim, that are Latinos, that are Asian-Americans, Native Americans.
And we have to reckon with that. So, for all of this talk and conversation about we have to come together, we need heal, first we need to pull the knife out.
And these young protesters out on the streets right now they are making statements. And next we need to strategize. But that statement should not be overlooked.
Donald Trump ran a mountain in his campaign on divisive rhetoric, on racism, on bigotry. And millions of Americans may not feel like they voted for racism and bigotry but that is what jab -- that's all the rhetoric we have from Donald Trump. So these people on the street is unrest state is really focused wrestling with...
(CROSSTALK)
[03:19:59] BERMAN: Can I say, Symone?
SANDERS: ... what he went.
BERMAN: You made this case, Bernie Sanders made this case, Hillary Clinton made this case, President Obama made this case, Michelle Obama made this case. What you just said is about Donald Trump is what people have been saying out loud and often for months. And voters in this country decided that that was not the most important thing...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: It's so interesting, she maybe...
SANDERS: They said, again, they shook up. They said they voted for a shake-up. They voted for change by any means and anyone necessary and we cannot forget that. People who went in and voted for Donald Trump they definitely voted for racism, misogyny and xenophobia. They had no regard for what -- for what the Muslims, Latinos for the fear that they live in this country right now.
We have to talk about that and we can heal later. We are going to have to heal later. We are going to have people like me are going to have to hold -- I'm not supporting Donald Trump but I'm going to hold him accountable.
But we have to understand that those folks that voted for Donald Trump they had a total disregard for what that vote meant for the real minority in this country. And they voted for their own interest and vote for anybody else.
ROMANS: But then I read this, Ellis Henican, that was so interesting yesterday. I think it in the Atlantic. The press and people who did not like Donald Trump they took Trump literally but not seriously. His supporters took him seriously, but not literally.
They don't think they voted for a racist, they don't think they voted for a misogynist. They don't. And that's the two different world views and sort of how the press and how we all missed it, too. HENICAN: Yes, that's inside for phrase here. I think it's exactly
right, where will it play out though, what really matters in the end probably aren't those hurt feelings but let's talk about the policies.
I mean, what does it's going to mean? What is he really going to do on day one? Are we going to lock her up, are we going to suspend the Iran deal? Are we going to change the tax system? Which of those things actually become the policies of the Trump administration? Judge people by what they do not by what they say in the end.
BERMAN: No. And look, we are in the midst of the transition right now. Let's talk about the transition. First of all, we'll actually we had this meeting at the Oval Office. Let's not look beyond that today.
HENICAN: Yes.
BERMAN: Because this is a moment, right? I mean, what an unbelievable moment this is. You know, Trump isn't defeated. Obama isn't at the polls on Tuesday. Maybe not forever but at least for now.
HENICAN: For now.
BERMAN: I mean, Donald Trump rose to power by saying that Barack Obama wasn't not just a good president but not even an American.
HENICAN: Sure.
BERMAN: And now the two will meet in the Oval Office, Eugene.
EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, I mean, it's quite onerous. The first black president whose citizenship was questioned will transition to the president who was endorsed by the KKK newspaper.
I think that speaks significantly to where so many different Americans are right now. Where we will go moving forward remains to be seen. I think a really important point that you mentioned that we have to reinforce is that Senator McConnell said they have power for now. This is not permanent.
And so the question becomes what will they do with this moment in time?
ROMANS: What about the healing, Symone? I just -- I'm just so -- I got to tell you the grief, quite frankly, on so many of the Clinton supporters is still palpable this morning. What's it going to take to heal from Donald Trump?
And we heard two speeches, certainly soothed global investors but what about this part of American, this 59 million people who voted for Hillary Clinton? What do they need for the healing here?
SANDERS: Well, I'm for a woman, I'd like to hear an apology from Donald Trump or at least an acknowledgment of the others and the isms and the ills that his campaign elevated. And then we need to see a plan of what is -- I agree, what is Donald Trump actually going to do. We've seen reporting that says on the first day, it was first day project that is going to roll back all of these executive orders that President Obama put in place. That's dangerous. You know, where does Planned Parenthood land?
So, I think from Donald Trump to have a healing to even start we have to -- we have to understand what is his plan and what is his policy. That's on the large macro scale.
In terms of like the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party has to really wrestle with where we are, where we thought was OK is not all right. That's not where the base is, that's not where the electorate is.
And so we have to shake things up. I believe we need to elevate millennials and new young voices in the party. Because the Democratic Party cannot win again without millennials. So, they have to be a vital part of the rebuilding process and they have to come to the table from the rooters to the tooters, I like to say as the beginning of the planning not just at the end now that the decisions have been made.
BERMAN: All right. I'm going to analyze that last line for a long, long time to figure out exactly what it means. I think I know. All right, Symone. Ellis and Eugene, stick around. A lot more to discuss.
One of Donald Trump's campaign promises was to defeat ISIS including to bomb the blank out of them. Some in ISIS this morning are actually celebrating Trump's victory. They referred to him as a donkey who will destroy America by himself.
One ISIS sympathizer wrote, "9/11 was the beginning of the renaissance, 11/9 that's Election Day will be the beginning of the fall."
[03:25:00] And Nic -- CNN's Nic Robertson is actually in Iraq right now, in Irbil near Mosul where a battle is going to liberate that city from ISIS. Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Look, what ISIS is trying to do is rally its troops in the face of Donald Trump whose really surprised and in some cases outraged this sort of Muslim part of the world, this region the Middle East about his comments about Muslims, about Muslims coming to the United States, about Syrian refugees and all of these things.
And for ISIS this is an opportunity they think to go to more moderate Muslims and say, hey, we were right all along, come on to our side. Talk about the realities on the ground here, though and bombing the blank out of ISIS. Yes, we've heard from the Iraqi Prime Minister he wants that support to take on terrorism here.
The Kurdish President has said the same thing. It's a complex issue here. That is for sure. But this region wants to see rid of ISIS.
He's also talked about handing over to Russia the control, if you will, of dealing with ISIS inside Syria. Now, this is a region where Donald Trump's presidency will see this region at its most chaotic. No previous president has come in to a time when the region is like this. It is a deck of cards built on sand.
Why do I say that? If you support Russia and Syria to take on ISIS and you implicitly support that ally Iran, your allies. The United States allies, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, for example, Saudi Arabia buys billions of dollars' worth of armaments from the U.S. will be absolutely opposed to that type of move.
It really is a very complex situation and no doubt Donald Trump will learn more about that in all the intelligence briefings that he is going to get.
BERMAN: And Trump, let's say he could come to power while this operation in Mosul is still going on, he could come to power just before an operation in Raqqah begins. Very, very complicated time with a lot of decisions to make. Nic Robertson, thanks so much for being with us.
ROMANS: All right. To the markets now. Wall Street welcoming Trump with a rally in stocks. But big name CEOs are much more cautious. Starbucks CEO sending a letter to employees titled "On ward together." He writes, quote, "As Americans we must honor the democratic process. We have a President-elect in Donald Trump and it is our responsibility, as citizens, to give him the opportunity to govern and bring our country together." End quote.
He of course was a Hillary Clinton supporter. J.P. Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon, quote, "We have heard through democratic processes in both Europe and the United States the frustration so many people have with the lack of economic opportunity and the challenges they face. We need to listen to those voices." End quote.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posting that he watched the election results with his young daughter and it inspired him to work even harder to fix the world problems.
But a rally in stocks which is so interesting and sort of surprising and a lot of people are pinning it to the tone of Donald Trump's, you know, conciliatory tone of his speech and tone of Hillary Clinton's concession speech. At least from these two leaders it feels like it will be a more normal transition process than maybe the election would have suggested.
BERMAN: All signs right now are to a normal transition.
All right. There were protests nevertheless overnight against the election results. These are live pictures still going on in Los Angeles. We will tell you more about what's happening there and all around the country. That's coming up.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
