Return to Transcripts main page

Inside Politics

Poll: 50% Support Impeaching & Removing Trump From Office; Klobuchar Races To Turn Debate Moment Into Campaign Momentum; NYT: Clinton, Bloomberg Have Been Encouraged To Enter 2020 Race. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired October 22, 2019 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00] JOHN KING, CNN HOST: -- but is this president talks about it, he sees a political opportunity for himself and his party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Everybody tells me it's going to be great for us as a Republican Party if they actually impeach me because the 40 seats, and there are many more than the 32, it's 40, 45 seats, where I won or did really well or very close that those people are going to get hammered, meaning running in Congress.

So I don't know if that's true or not. I do say this. And I can see it, because I've been -- I mean, look at our fundraising. The money has never come in like this. Look at -- my poll numbers have been like the highest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: His poll numbers have not been like the highest. Not at all. Again, it's way early, but since he brings it up, Democrats beat him consistently. If you look at battleground state polls or head-to-head polls, they don't mean anything this far of from the election. But since the president says they're great, no, they're not.

But does he believe that? Does he believe that that this could be great for Republicans, or is that just an optimistic talking point to keep his party in line?

JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, CONGRESSIONAL EDITOR, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I think he actually does. I mean, I think he has viewed some of this through the prism of the Brett Kavanaugh fight which he thought -- you know, they thought initially was going to be a really bad thing for them, and then the president and the people around him believed and came to feel like this came true that it actually backfired very badly on Democrats. And I think when he talks about those Democrats in the districts that he won, they are among the most worried about the potential sort of political spillover effects.

But, I think what he isn't reckoning with and I think people around him both on Capitol Hill and in the White House are sort of lamenting this privately is that, you know, this is really bad for him in a lot of ways. Even if it might ultimately be decent politically for some Republicans, it's his presidency on the line here. He's going to have to answer for all of these things. And this is a process that he does not control, and I think that's what has him so angry and frustrated recently. And that's what we're seeing from here (ph).

KING: And we don't have a clue what this is going to look like a month from now, let alone a year from now when people are getting ready to vote. So anyone who says this is good or bad, is just winging it at this point. I just want to show the trend line. Now, the trend line is not good for the president. Look at, should the president be impeached and removed from office?

Back in March, 68 percent of Democrats say that only 4 percent of Republicans. Now look at today, it's up to 87 percent of Democrats, only 6 percent of Republicans. That stayed pretty constant. But look at that independent number, 33 percent in March to 50 percent now. If you're -- again, if you're a Republican House member, you know, whoop- de-do, right, you probably feel safe in your district. If you're a senator who has to run statewide in a reasonably competitive state, you're watching that independent number most of all and then the Republican number which -- if the Republican number gives you some solace, but that independent number can get troubling.

CATHERINE LUCEY, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Yes, that's really the line to watch. I mean, if you really believe, and as we all do, talking to people in the states that so many people are politically entrenched. Trump supporters are not moving away from him. People who haven't liked him all along see this as yet another reason to get rid of him.

So it's this sliver of people in the middle. And if that number starts ticking above 50 percent, that could be an issue if those folks are motivated and those move the needle.

OLIVIER KNOX, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, SIRIUSXM: This comment reflects some Democrats' concerns that they'll be seen as being obsessed with impeachment and not working on bread-and-butter issues. So I think it's plausible that he believes it that the trend line is really important. The independents are really important, and the fact that this process isn't over. We don't know what's coming out of the testimony today. We don't know what's coming out of the testimony next week. We don't know what these open hearings are going to do to public opinion. You know, it's hard to -- I don't -- I can't guess what the impact of the, you know, 98 Republicans doing impeachment, Democrats rigging (ph) to disaster. They take the White House under unusual circumstances, but they take the White House in 2000.

KING: Right.

LUCEY: He is -- so he is also still writing a relatively good economy, which is another thing you can't really discount here, which is not talked about a lot, I think a lot of Republicans would like to talk about it more, but that is still an underlying thing when you talk to voters. They say, well, I don't like this, or I don't like the tweets, I'm not sure. But, you know, there are jobs, there's lots of employment, there's lot of economic opportunity right now. And that's another factor if that starts to slide. KING: It is the one -- it's the one thing in the polling that holds

him up.

LUCEY: Yes.

KING: It's the one thing, so you have to keep an eye on the economy as well, but Republicans would prefer to talk more about that and say not --

LUCEY: Absolutely.

KING: -- lynchings. I just want to look at some historical numbers here. Some of these go back to an actual impeachment of Bill Clinton. But remember, some Democrats talked about impeaching George W. Bush after the Iraq War. Some Republicans talked about impeaching Barack Obama for his executive actions or some about Benghazi. If you look at the numbers there, 50 percent say this president, President Trump, should be removed. Never got higher than 33 percent in the Obama years, never got higher than 30 percent in the George W. Bush years, never got higher than 29 percent in the Bill Clinton years and he was actually impeached.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes, 50 percent is a high number for any president to have not only many Americans say that the person should be impeached and investigated, but also removed from office. You're going to have an impeachment process that goes through the House, and if it's passed by the House, it'll go through-- to the Senate. And there are a number of Senate Republicans that are in vulnerable races that are going to have to make a decision as to whether or not they side with the popular opinion in their states, that in -- a growing number of states, a majority of citizens in those states support impeachment and removal, and they're going to have tough votes.

So, right now, the president may see this as a positive thing for some Republicans maybe in the House, but for a lot of Senate Republicans that are facing tough races in 2020, they're going to have tough votes coming up if this impeachment process moves over to the Senate.

[12:35:10] KING: And he's the president, has been able to keep the Republican number very low so far. We'll see if that continues as he goes forward.

A quick update for us as we go to break, now, on the former President Jimmy Carter. He's reported to be in good spirits today as he recovers from another fall. The 95-year-old president had a minor pelvic fracture after falling at his home in Plains, Georgia yesterday. He had another fall earlier this month and needed 14 stitches near his eye. But, he was back to building habitat for humanity homes just a few days later.

We wish him another speedy recovery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:40:37] KING: Topping our political radar today, Justin Trudeau winning a second term as Canada's prime minister, but his liberal party now claiming the most seats in the national election. But the liberals fell short of an overall majority and will need help from opposing parties to pass legislation. Even so, Trudeau says he's returning to Ottawa with a clear mandate to carry out his progressive agenda.

In Israel, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing he will not be able to form a coalition government before this week's deadline. That's likely to pave the way for his rival, Blue and White Party Leader Benny Gantz, to try. Gantz would have four weeks to secure the backing of a majority in the Israeli parliament. If he fails and no other coalition steps up, Israel could find itself headed for its third election within a year.

And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today unveiling a resolution to address the current situation in Syria. You might remember just days ago on the Senate floor, Republican McConnell called for a strong aversion of the House resolution, passed largely by Democrats condemning the president's action in Syria. One key part of the Senate five-page resolution, a session requiring the president to certify the terror groups have been defeated before he can significantly withdraw any more troops from the region.

McConnell, though, also cautioning Congress against acting too quickly to punish Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Sanctions may play an important role in this process and I'm open to the Senate considering them. But we need to think extremely carefully before we employ the same tools against a Democratic NATO ally that we would against the war's rogue states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Up next, does the democratic presidential field big enough and strong enough or does it need a late entry from a, say, Hillary Clinton, or Michael Bloomberg?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:47:00] KING: Iowa votes in 104 days and there are still 19 Democratic candidates in the race. Not enough, though, it seems, for some.

Hillary Clinton raising eyebrows of late. And allies of Michael Bloomberg say he could possibly make a late entry. Now, those conversations happen mostly in New York, mind you, in the context of a Joe Biden collapse which, of course, is a big hypothetical. They also happen, as candidates actually in the race and doing the work, try to make the case they are gaining steam. Amy Klobuchar, for example, has raised more than $2 million since last week's CNN debate, resources she hopes help her become this campaign's Iowa surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we're going to win, we have to win what I call the blue wall states. We're going to build a blue wall around them and we're going to make Donald Trump pay for it. And, you need a candidate that can win those states. And I'm the only one with a track record that was on that stage of actually winning the red congressional districts.

I think this calls for a time where we build trust with people. Not by promising them everything for free, and I know that's appealing. I would love to have everything for free, you'd love to have everything for free. But I think people know that's not going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins the conversation. He spent the weekend in Iowa with the candidate. Let's start with the candidates actually in the race, then we'll get to these other conversations about the candidates looking from afar.

She did have a strong debate. She is raising some money. She is not yet qualified for the next debate. I believe even if Sanders, Warren, and Biden stay where they are, we will get at least one out of Iowa. She thinks -- does really she think it can be her?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: She hopes it's the proximity that helps. She calls herself the senator from next door, in fact, that's the title of her book. She is just, you know, from a -- of a state just above Iowa. Look, she's been campaigning for a long time since February there, but this weekend, she actually had big audiences, big crowds. There's no question her message is resonating. It's a similar message to Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden somewhat that, look, do Democrats really want to nominate someone who's so far to the left?

So I was struck by how many people were saying, we can't afford all this free stuff. That has kind of become a thing. And a voter in Davenport, you know, was very -- so happy to see Senator Klobuchar's performance, showing me that this is what she's been waiting for. So, we'll have to see. There's no question the message resonates. But it's a general election message more than a primary --

KING: Right.

ZELENY: -- election message, so that is the challenge. But none of this would be happening if Joe Biden was a muscular robust strong candidate. Everyone is looking to be the alternative. And by that happening, the race is still remaining the same. The field is as big as it is so it's preventing that from happening. So -- but she's getting a luck and I think rightly so because her messages we've seen, she's more confident than she was a few months ago.

KING: Right. And so the point about the, you know, there are all these people who say, you know, will Biden hold up, what happens if a former vice president, you know, the gravitas of that, the stature of that, loses in Iowa, does the steam come out because he can't win in an early state? And so you have these conversations. They're pulled together very nicely today in the "New York Times" that have been going on for a little bit.

[12:50:05] But they pulled it through Jonathan Martin, part of the reporting political (ph), "Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Bloomberg have both told people privately in recent weeks that if they thought they could win, they would consider entering the primary but that they were skeptical there would be an opening, according to Democrats who have spoken with them. The chances that another major candidate decides to run are remote. While Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Bloomberg have both been encouraged to enter the race, Democrats close to them believe the only scenario under which they'd consider running is if Mr. Biden drops out or is badly weakened."

I like to make the analogy that if there is a big crash like, say, in a NASCAR race, like a Biden collapsing, it's a car on the track that normally takes advantage of that and surprises. Can somebody outside the race get in late? Is the party really clamoring for Hillary Clinton, or Michael Bloomberg, or Sherrod Brown, or Michelle Obama at this moment?

HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: I mean, it's hard to imagine that that could happen, but I think in the era of President Trump and Donald Trump being the president and having been counted out in his primary by so many people, there is legitimate conversation about, well, anything could happen --

KING: But you made the point -- we made the point before we came on the air, he actually ran.

HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: It's true. He was running and he was actually winning early states. So that is a big distinction. But I think what Jeff said is true. One of the reason -- this is a conversation, let's be honest, that happens every four years to some degree that there comes a point in the primary process where the party says, oh my gosh, do we need to call in some reinforcements, do we need something totally different?

But I do think that the fact that this is happening now and to the degree that my colleagues are reporting that it has to do with the fact that Biden has not really broken out and sort of taken control of this race as early as some people, I think, thought he might or hoped he might. And so there is a sense of, well, what will we do for a plan B?

ZELENY: And Democrats do this all the time. It happens most every four years, but Jonathan and I were talking about the late great Robin Toner from the "New York Times" who wrote this lead during the Clinton campaign. These are jittery days for Democrats as they monitor the vital signs of Governor Bill Clinton's campaign and watch the horizon for signs of a new candidate. He ended up being elected president. You remember that?

KING: I had a few phone calls with Albany, a guy who worked in Albany, the late great Mario Cuomo in those days. Phone conversations because the Democrats --

ZELENY: Sure. KING: -- were saying, please, please, please. That, you're right,

that we do go through this sometimes. But to your point about Biden making the case, Buttigieg making the case, Klobuchar making the case, there are some voters you talked to in Iowa, it does seem, with some, to sink in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: What do you think will happen if one of the more progressive candidates like Warren or Sanders wins the nomination?

BOB MEYERS, VOTER: Well, I'm very afraid that they'll lose and we'll have four more years of Trump, which I hope doesn't happen.

ZELENY: And elaborate who you're talking about when you say free stuff.

SUSAN STRODTBECK, VOTER: I'm talking about Bernie, I'm talking about Elizabeth Warren, and how college is going to be free, how health care is going to be free. I'm sorry. We can't do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It is a reminder that the Democratic Party is larger than -- no offense to the Twitter Democratic Party, which is more vocal and more aggressive and good for them, that's how they make their case, but we don't know the answer to this question yet.

LUCEY: No, and I've heard, as Jeff has, from a lot of voters in Iowa, in Michigan and Pennsylvania, all saying that they want a democratic moderate option. They don't like the idea of socialized medicine, they're concerned about open borders. And so I think a lot of what we're seeing with Klobuchar is this real hunger for someone they think can go the distance.

ZELENY: When it comes time to pick a president in the fall, it's often not the person who's leading the polls now. We'll see if that changes this year. We don't know that past is prologue.

KING: Right. You brought Robin Toner into the program, that makes it a good day. Makes it a good day. She was a great one.

Before we go to break, Mayor Buttigieg gives his critique of that SNL impression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to Harvard but they don't teach you where to put your arms.

JIMMY FALLON, "THE TONIGHT SHOW" HOST: Do you like it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not bad.

FALLON: It's OK. Is that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as I'm very comfortable with my own body, I know exactly what to do with my arms. I don't know --

FALLON: But now you're overthinking what to do with your arms now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, now I'm wondering, are they (INAUDIBLE), are they too far out?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:58:35] KING: All right, a little lightning round to get a couple of other quick political stories in.

Mike Pompeo, kind of busy right now, but there are all these rumors he may go home to Kansas and run for Senate. He's going back to Kansas on Thursday this week, came up in D.C. this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand that you get to go home to Kansas for the first time in how many weeks?

MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: It's been too long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too long.

POMPEO: Yes, it's been too long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: He says too long. It's been six weeks. Hello.

KNOX: You know, East Coast reporters get dinged for treating Kansas and actually big parts of the heartland of the country as a foreign country.

KING: I love Kansas.

KNOX: But if we're going to be -- if we're going to keep sending the secretary of state there.

KING: OK. Another one, Hillary Clinton raised a lot of eyebrows this week suggesting that a democratic candidate in the race, she meant Tulsi Gabbard, is somehow a foreign asset, a Russian asset in the race so she's being groomed to be a Russian asset. Bernie Sanders weighing in yesterday saying on Twitter, "Tulsi Gabbard has put her life on the line to defend this country. People can disagree on issues, but it is outrageous for anyone to suggest that Tulsi is a foreign asset." Number one, coming to the defense of a rival. Number two, he waited a few days. What's that about?

HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: Well, I mean, I think there -- obviously, she's not beloved within this field, but he did feel the need, I think, to come to -- it sort of cost him nothing. She's not exactly challenging him for his voters to sort of come to her defense. And I think that the fact that, you know, this claim was brought up against her by Hillary Clinton has gotten a lot more attention on Hillary Clinton, frankly, than it has on Tulsi Gabbard.

KING: You think the Clinton thing might have something to do with Bernie a little 2016 there. I don't know. That would be --

HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: Possibly.

KING: That would be idle speculation. Thanks for joining us today on INSIDE POLITICS.

[13:00:00]