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Donald Trump's Campaign Examined; Upcoming GOP Presidential Debate Discussed. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired September 16, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: This is about survival for many of the people who will be on the stage. How do they break out of single digits? Many are indicating they'll do it by taking on Donald Trump. Easy to say, tough to do?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Of course Trump's opponents are not just in his own party, Vice President Joe Biden taking aim at Trump for Trump's rhetoric about Latinos. Ten hours until the debates begin, so let's begin our coverage right now with Athena Jones inside the debate hall. What are we expecting Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. This is where all the action is going to go down in a few hours. You can see the podiums behind me. They're just waiting for their candidates. And this, as you said, is a huge opportunity for some of these candidates who are polling the single digits to make a strong impression. We've been talking about how Donald Trump has really thrown out the usual playbook when it comes to campaign and also when it comes to preparing for a big night like tonight. A few hours from now we'll have a chance to see if his unusual approach pays off for him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Debate day is here. In just hours GOP presidential hopefuls will be facing off inside the Reagan Presidential Library.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know how you can prepare for something. I hear everybody is coming after me.

JONES: While some lower tier candidates are gearing up.

RAND PAUL, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to mix it up because I like to rumble.

CARLY FIORINA, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I read up on current issues.

JONES: The frontrunner was busy soaking up the spotlight. Donald Trump, as always, doing things his own way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Donald J. Trump.

(APPLAUSE)

JONES: He was on the campaign trail on the eve of the debate making an appeal to veterans aboard the USS Iowa, a historic World War II battleship.

TRUMP: I am with the veterans 100 percent.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: We have illegal immigrants that are treated better by far than our veterans.

JONES: Tuesday, Vice President Biden taking his gloves off, sharply denouncing Trump's rhetoric towards Latinos on illegal immigration.

JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENT: There's one guy absolutely denigrating an entire group of people, appealing to the baser side of human nature, working on this notion of xenophobia in a way that hasn't occurred in a long time.

TRUMP: There's tremendous crime, there's tremendous drugs pouring across the border.

JONES: Trumps remarks ignited a firestorm from hundreds of anti-Trump protesters outside.

CROWD: Racists go home! Racists go home!

JONES: In typical Trump fashion, his 15 minute speech was short on policy details. Instead he bashed his rivals.

TRUMP: I'm fighting some very nice people. But they're never going to do anything with these countries. They're never going to be able to do it. It's an instinct. It's something that's special. They don't have it.

JONES: As the candidates get ready for round two tonight, the Donald seemed unfazed by those taking aim at him both on and off the stage.

TRUMP: I feel good about it. I feel really good about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any special preparation?

TRUMP: I've been doing this for 30 years. A lot of preparation, but I feel really good about the debate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Perhaps not surprisingly you just heard Trump say he feels really good about the debate. He's also said that his whole life has been preparation for a debate and that he is a strong counterpuncher when he's under attack. So one of the big questions tonight is going to be whether any of the candidates can really land any punches on Trump and what he'll say to hit them back. Chris, Alisyn?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Athena, I'll tell you, you couldn't have more horse power than what you have surrounding Alisyn and I right now. CNN national political reporter Maeve Reston, CNN political commentator, Republican strategist Kevin, can't be better looking than me, Madden.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: CNN political commentator and Reagan White House political director Jeffrey Lord. It is very good to have you all here. Let me get this side of the table unsettled quickly Maeve, but I'll ask you the question, but watch their reactions. Could it be that we saw the best strategy to dealing with Trump in the debate tonight come not from one of his opponents on stage but from the vice president, Joe Biden, in terms of how he tried to spin what matters about immigration and who we really are?

MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Aren't we all dying to see that Biden-Trump matchup? I mean, that would just be amazing, right?

I think it was so interesting what Joe Biden did last night because he really talked about Trump in a very serious way, taking almost kind like a little bit of a sad tone about the way that he thinks Trump's rhetoric is hurting the party. And he said not all Americans are behind this. Stand by.

And I think it's been really interesting that he's one of the few people who has really been able to directly take on Trump. Certainly the most interesting dynamic tonight is going to be whether or not these candidates feel a little more free to go after Trump, because in the first debate they kind of looked like fraidy cats a little bit.

CUOMO: It's about how you do it. That why I'm setting up Biden that way, obviously, not relevant tonight, but in terms of his methodology, to do it that way as opposed to saying, no, you're the loser. What do you think, Jeffrey?

[08:05:06] JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think, I mean, while I disagree with the substance of what Biden said, I think his approach, I mean, maybe they should put a podium on the stage for him tonight to teach the others a little bit about how to do this is they want to criticize him.

It is a huge mistake to whack Donald Trump over the head here because his supporters are watching. And this has rapidly become outsiders against the politicians.

CAMEROTA: And, you know, tonight's going to be different in a bunch of ways. The format is different. The candidates are allowed to go after each other more or debate, truly debate each other more. The moderators are going to encourage that. And the venue is different this time than the last time around.

I just went inside and it is really an intimate setting. It's only 500 seats, Kevin, as opposed to 5,000. And some people have said that may not work as well for Donald Trump. He likes a raucous crowd. He likes to play to the bleachers. And the people in the front row are sitting as close as you and I are from the candidate to the audience. KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right, but what you have to

remember about Donald Trump is he's unafraid to engage with his opponents, whereas so many of the other campaigns, they've only been jabbing. Donald Trump has been throwing stem-winders at everybody. So I think don't think that -- I think that that setting in there actually works to his advantage because so many of these campaigns have been very tentative and Donald Trump has been very aggressive. It could work. I think it is going to be harder for a lot of guys to get into these one-on-ones with him in a way that's effective.

CUOMO: And I'll tell you what, CNN may be doing him a favor because of what Jeffrey Lord is saying. We have seen no one succeed by going at Donald Trump and playing his game. But one of the mods tonight will be Jay pairing people up, Jake Tapper, obviously, the debate moderator captain tonight. And in doing that, couldn't that be the best opportunity made, because can't you make the case that if I want to survive in the race tonight, I need someone to die out of the race? And especially in the single digit categories, are my chances better against you than it is, as another opponent, than it is against Trump, isn't it?

RESTON: Right. You know, the group dynamics for this are so difficult for all of them because they only really have a few minutes. And so that kind of pairing will be really interesting to watch. And you talk to strategists at each of these campaigns and they have been kind of practicing for those moment, exactly the light touch, how they take on Trump, how they get their talking points across in a way that really connects with this very intimate audience.

And there is a big opportunity there, too. You remember that Bill Clinton moment in the famous debate where he walked towards someone in the audience. There is a lot of opportunity for a personal connection with the voters in these debates.

LORD: And remember this is the host of "The Apprentice." Right? In other words --

CAMEROTA: And what does that mean?

CUOMO: He's talking about Schwarzenegger.

(LAUGHTER)

LORD: What that means is he's got a lot of experience, a lot of television experience with, if you will, an intimate audience. There is a little bigger than "Apprentice" audience, but still he's got that intimacy. He knows instinctively at this point --

MADDEN: He's been used to celebrity now for probably the better part of 35 years, right. And many of these candidates are up there for maybe their first or second presidential debate. They are trying to master the policy details. At the same time now they have to worry about the optics and the theater of the presidential campaign stage? It is very difficult.

CUOMO: And they don't fight the way they usually do. Trump fights the way like we do when cameras are not on. Politicians are used to being like, well, excuse me, Madam, but I must say that that's not the way your record looked. He's like your face bothers me. It's unsettling.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: Exactly. Kevin, who is most afraid of Trump tonight?

MADDEN: I don't know about afraid. I think the campaign that has to be worried the most about going after him right has to be Carly Fiorina. They have had a little bit of a back and forth in the last few days. But Carly Fiorina, this is her first chance to really introduce herself to the voters.

CAMEROTA: But isn't she excited about that engagement with Donald Trump? Isn't that an opportunity?

MADDEN: So many voters don't really know her yet. Do you really want your first introduction to people being via a fight with Donald Trump, or do you want it to be about your platform, your ideas, your vision for the country? If I had to choose between those two, I would take the latter.

RESTON: Yes, but, I mean, she more than any of those other candidates up there is so practiced in like the art of those kind of moments. She's very good at knowing exactly how to create a TV moment. She is a very disciplined candidate, as we saw here in California in 2010. And I think she will once against surprise tonight.

CUOMO: But who else does he owe anything to other than Carly Fiorina? I guess you could argue Ben Carson because he doesn't want to alienate who likes Carson, but he did the wrong thing by Fiorina in the eyes of many.

CAMEROTA: My question was more who has the most to lose? And I thought you were going say Jeb in terms of tonight.

LORD: I mean, frankly this is becoming to look like an episode of "Survivor." These people are up there on that stage with him, a lot of them are not going to make it. All but one isn't going to make it.

CUOMO: And you have got that Cruz-Trump alliance that usually sneaks its way into the show.

LORD: And that cut is starting tonight again, you know. And so they're up there just trying to basically get through the evening here without messing up.

CAMEROTA: I guess part of the reason I say Jeb is because he has already telegraphed to the voters this is going to be different. I'm prepping differently. I'm going to go after Donald Trump. He's setting the bar.

LORD: Which says this is about Trump prep as opposed to debate prep.

RESTON: Right, right.

MADDEN: And that's where your point earlier how to stage works to somebody's favor. It is one thing to attack Donald Trump when he's not around. Are you willing to do it when he is 10 feet from you? And if Jeb Bush doesn't do that it could look very awkward for a lot of --

CUOMO: I just don't get what you get other than attention and sometime in the media cycle, which we will definitely give whoever has the best shots on Donald Trump. That is just the reality. But what do you get? You're not going to get his people by going after him. They love him.

LORD: Chris, the most important thing here is when you look back at the history of the presidential debates, immediately afterwards there are people like us sitting there talking about it. But what really happens is a day or two later you find out what the television viewers out there were really watching. And reaction in Carter-Reagan was different. They thought Reagan won. The media gave it by a hair to Carter. The media thought Nixon did so well.

RESTON: But even that Ford moment.

LORD: Right. Correct.

RESTON: There was actually a scientific experiment at the time where the voters watching didn't notice Ford's gaffe at the time, but he was finished after that. The narrative gets framed two or three days after the debate.

LORD: That's right.

CAMEROTA: That's interesting, ehen the dust sets.

LORD: When the dust settles, that is correct. And we're there to talk about this. But at home it's, well, Midred, what do you think here? That is a whole different ball of wax.

MADDEN: And the folks that are going to be 500 media tonight covering this, I even say they go beyond two or three days. They do it in two or three hours on social media while the debate is going on.

RESTON: Right, right.

MADDEN: But social media has atomized --

CUOMO: I know, I'm with you with the immediacy. But I still hold out -- maybe I'm being romantic about it. But, one, social media is a just nasty, toxic place. It is. It's the currency online. We live it, but that is just the truth. I don't care whether social media mavens like it or not.

However, I still believe that Joe Biden was tapping into the something that many Republicans can as well -- sweet strength. If you do have a fair line criticism of Donald Trump right now it is that he's playing to a harshness, a coarseness, that is resonating because people are angry. But I think if someone on the stage tonight could say, look, I get why you're angry, but we are not an angry people. We are strong, sweet people. We make the world better. We don't make it worse. I think there is space for that that regular people want to hear.

RESTON: And don't you think that's part of the Carson's rise for sure is that quieter way of talking about anger.

MADDEN: It's two things. First of all is optimism. At the heart of what Biden was saying is we should be optimistic nation when we look at the immigration. The second part of it is character. He showed a lot of character in that stood up to somebody he thinks is wrong and said so. And I think those two things, those two attributes, I think, voters really do respond to.

And I think right now they are putting a premium on who is it that comes out as the most confrontational. Who is that is the biggest fighter or the boldest or the brashest. But I think a lot of these other campaigns, what they are looking for is this electorate to swing at some point as we get closer to voting in places like Iowa and New Hampshire to putting an emphasis on character and vision.

CAMEROTA: Kevin, Jeffrey, Maeve, thanks so much. Great to talk to you. Obviously it's going to be very exciting tonight.

CUOMO: One of the biggest shows of the strength is often restraint. Strengths-restraint. I'll explain it in the break.

Be sure to tune in tonight for the first of two debates beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern. The main event, 11 candidates, starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern.

CAMEROTA: And tomorrow morning we will have debate analysis and candidate interviews in a special early edition of NEW DAY live from the Reagan Presidential Library. That begins at 5:30 a.m. eastern. Set your alarm clock for that.

CUOMO: At 4:30 a.m., though, begins the caffeine IV.

CAMEROTA: Yes, we will have you hooked up to that. Meanwhile let's get back to Michaela in New York for other news.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: No restraint needed for the caffeine IV though, right? That's just open it up and let it go.

CAMEROTA: None.

PEREIRA: All right, thanks guys.

Here are some headlines that we're looking 14 minutes past the hour. There are shocking claims from Syrian president Bashar al-Assad this morning. He's pointing the finger at the U.S., Europe, and Turkey for arming ISIS, supporting terrorism in his country, and fuelling the current refugee crisis. CNN's Becky Anderson is live in Abu Dhabi with the very latest. It's interesting because so many have criticized him for allowing the place to devolve. [08:14:53] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This was a

very wide-ranging interview conducted in Damascus, in Syria with a number of Russian media outlets and for the first time President Bashar al-Assad addressed the refugee crisis facing Europe. He insists the issue is less about Europe's response and more about the reasons why hundreds of thousands of people are leaving their homes in places like Syria and Iraq and heading to Europe.

Now, nobody is going to disagree with him that the focus should be on the root cause of this human catastrophe. But in Assad's world view, the prime cause is European and Western support for what he terms, as you rightly point out, terrorists, and not saying his government's ongoing barrel bombing of civilian areas.

And Assad clearly wanted to project an air of confidence. He positioned himself as the only viable option on the ground that can defeat groups like ISIS, suggesting that he's willing to work with the likes of Saudi Arabia in a global coalition against terrorism.

And when the discussion turned to his future, Michaela, he was very clear. He says only the Syrian people can decide whether or not he should be their president. And that pretty much pours cold water on anybody's thoughts that he might step aside any time soon.

Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. He's saying it's up to the people to vote on that. All right. Becky, thank you so much for that.

Meanwhile we are following some breaking news for you out of Phoenix. Overnight an officer there shot several times during a traffic stop. We're told that he's said to be in serious condition but is expected to live. Meanwhile, police tracked down the suspect's vehicle but the shooter or shooters are on the loose. Police don't believe that it is related to the recent shootings on Interstate 10 but they stay it is too early to tell.

The man accused of killing University of Virginia student, Hannah Graham, is now charged with killing a second student, Virginia Tech student, Morgan Harrington. A grand jury indicting Jesse Matthew on first-degree murder and abduction with intent to defile. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Harrington was last seen alive outside a concert back in 2009. Her remains were found three months later.

A bit of a mystery here. Did Russian President Vladimir Putin call Elton John to discuss gay rights in Russia? Well, it depends on who you ask. In an Instagram post, the pop star thanked Putin for reaching out. But a Kremlin spokesman says no such conversation took place, even hinted that the call could have been a hoax. Russia, of course, has faced criticism for its antigay laws, including one prosecuting people for informing people under 18 about homosexuality. So the mystery continues.

No mystery here, though, it is debate day. We head back out to Simi Valley to Chris and Alisyn. CUOMO: It is debate day. Did you know that?

CAMEROTA: I had heard that, yes.

CUOMO: We are at the very early starting of it now with this nice fountain behind us here at the Reagan Memorial Library. So this is a big deal tonight. The GOP race will change as a result. There are all of these people in single digits. They have to fight their way out.

We're going to talk with two White House insiders when we return live from the Presidential Library here in California about what you do when you are in a situation like tonight. Make or break, people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:22:32] CAMEROTA: So tonight is the high stakes CNN Republican debate. What will all the candidates do to win the spotlight?

Here with this us this morning, two men who know well how to prep candidates for debate. It is Scott McClellan, former White House press secretary to George W. Bush and Dan Pfeiffer, CNN political commentator and former White House communications director for President Obama. Great to have both of you with us this morning out here. Great to see you.

So let's talk about what the candidates will do today. Today, Dan, are they cramming for the exam? Or is it too late and they are just relaxing this morning?

DAN PFEIFFER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: A good campaign has done all the prep work for the candidate. When you get to the last day it is not about will they get every answer right, it is about helping get the candidate in a good head space. With President Obama, it would -- do a little prep, but mainly just try to keep him loose, make sure he's aware of the larger strategic goals and sort of manage the personality and the psychology going into the debate as opposed to the answers.

CAMEROTA: Oh, that can't be easy. I mean, what does that look like? What does that mean?

PFEIFFER: I think -- It's keep it loose. Like the last --

CUOMO: What was loose for the president? What would he do? Play ball?

PFEIFFER: Sometimes play ball. Work out. But right before the debate we put people like former press secretary Robert Gibbs and Reggie Love, who was his body guy, in the room with him who keep him loose and joke around with him and just - you know, not let -- when you sit in that trailer in your hold room, the walls close in on you beforehand. So just, just keep them loose.

CAMEROTA: Yeah, what about for President George W. Bush? SCOTT MCCLELLAN, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY., GEORGE W. BUSH: Absolutely. I agree with Dan. You want to keep the candidate or the president relaxed and rested. So on the day of the debate it is not a time to cram. It is a time to have some time to yourself if you want it. You want to relax. You want to have time to work out maybe. That was something President Bush liked to do, get a good workout in. Maybe get a nap in because it is a long day. It is going to be a long evening. And you just want their head in a very good space. So you might go back over a few things like strategy, what is the simplified strategy you are trying to approach this debate with --

CUOMO: How do you balance --

MCCLELLAN: -- and then what's your persona, what's your demeanor --

CUOMO: That's it. You just answered my question. So let's give it some context. Your persona, your demeanor. You are in an unusual space tonight. There are a lot of people on the bubble. They are going to be fighting for dollars, for relevance. And there will be someone there who's a very attractive target that makes you think you can get more of what you need by going after him. Do you believe that? Do you believe that the path to doing better to surviving goes through Trump tonight?

MCCLELLAN: No, I don't. I do think you cannot let his attacks go unanswered.

[08:25:01] CUOMO: If they're you.

MCCLELLAN: And if I'm Jeb Bush, for instance. Let's take Jeb Bush, OK -- Three words for Jeb Bush in terms of his demeanor: passion and lean forward. You know, last debate he kept leaning back. You need to lean forward and show that you are going to be a strong leader and he wasn't showing that in his body language.

The other aspect of this is strategy. So make it something bigger than Trump. Make it about the heart and soul of the GOP. What is the future of the GOP? You can't govern if you can't win. You can't win if you turned your back on a whole segment of people and alienate that whole segment of people and this election is about Hillary Clinton, ultimately, and the differences and the way we would contrast ourselves with the Hillary Clinton and our governing philosophy for that. Donald Trump, he's a guy that may lead us out of the desert but right off the cliff. George Bush - Jeb Bush, he could go back and say, I'm going to lead us out of the desert and into the shining city on the hill.

CUOMO: Oh.

CAMEROTA: Dan, I mean, if you had had to have prepped candidate Barack Obama against Donald Trump, what would you have recommended?

PFEIFFER: I would say don't try to out-trump Trump. You have to be yourself, be authentic to who you are. Some candidates like Scott Walker may get pushed out of the debate tonight, but others like Jeb Bush are not -- they will be around for a little longer and I think that you have to be authentic to yourself and who you are and everyone is not as good at being Donald Trump as Donald Trump is. So if he attacks, do what Scott said, respond, but don't try to be as bombastic, as aggressive, as offensive as he sometimes is.

CUOMO: Especially, you know, what Scott's reference was to, the shining city on a hill, especially in whose house you're in now. This is the memorial library for Ronald Reagan. He was not a divider. And as we were saying, you can argue policy implications all you want. He was positive, he was optimism, he was sweet strength, he was America's great and I'll tell you a thousand reasons why. Who do you think can bring that to bear tonight on the stage?

MCCLELLAN: The people - It can be the party of Lincoln, the party of Reagan, the party of inclusion and addition. That is what Reagan was all about. I think you look at Jeb Bush, you look at John Kasich. John Kasich did a good job in that first debate. A very likable person who is very conservative but also understands the importance of reaching out to the other side and to get things done, you have to do that. Jeb Bush -

CUOMO: Why not Carson?

MCCLELLAN: I mean, two of the most successful governors in this race are Jeb Bush --

CUOMO: Walker.

MCCLELLAN: -- and John Kasich. Yeah, no -

CUOMO: What about Walker?

MCCLELLAN: No one knows anything about the race. Walker, too.

PFEIFFER: I think Walker's history has been division. I think Rubio is someone who has -- has become the closest to having an optimistic forward-looking message. Everything else from the Republican Party in this campaign - in part because Donald Trump has set the terms -- has been about pessimism, division and looking backwards. And it's been a retro campaign. It needs to be futuristic, future-oriented and optimistic like Ronald Reagan was.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Dan, you were suggesting that they be themselves. They have to be their authentic selves. But can being Ben Carson really work in this setting, where you have to distinguish yourself, you have to stand out, you have to get some of the spotlight. He's very low-key.

PFEIFFER: He is -- He makes Jeb Bush look high energy. But whatever Ben Carson's been doing -- and nothing that would be in any standard playbook, is what's he's been doing -- has been working. He's gained a tremendous amount since the last debate. No one said Ben Carson was the winner of the last debate, yet somehow he has doubled, in some cases tripled his support. So he just has to be the best Ben Carson he can be and I would not mess with that. And if you are in second place without having done very much, stick with that playbook.

CAMEROTA: There you go.

CUOMO: So interesting, you got Trump and Carson. Trump is there because of how he's been, not necessarily what the principles are behind it. And then you have Carson, who is all about the principles behind it and not how he's been and yet there they are, one and two as outsiders.

CAMEROTA: Right. Dan, Scott, thank you. Great to have you with us.

PFEIFFER: Thanks, you guys.

CAMEROTA: We'll see you during the next 24 hours. Should be interesting. What's your take on everything we've just talked about? Tweet us using #CNNdebate. That's it. #CNNdebate.

CUOMO: Yes. That's what it said on the prompter.

CAMEROTA: Please do that. Also, please be sure to tune in tonight for the first of two debates. It begins at 6:00 p.m. Eastern and then the main debate with all of these candidates on the stage starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. We will be here.

If there's one thing for sure, high expectations for Carly Fiorina tonight, as we've been discussing. So she'll be duking it out on the main stage. How is she preparing? We get an inside look when we come right back. We are live from the Reagan Presidential Library in California.

CUOMO: What do you think? A little speed (INAUDIBLE)?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)