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GOP Rivals Denounce Trump's Muslim Travel Ban; FBI: Killers Were Radicalized for 'Quite Some Time'; No Criminal Charges Against Chicago Officer; Trump Defends Call for Muslim Travel Ban. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired December 08, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: Total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

[07:00:06] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a very prudent idea.

NIHAD AWAD, CAIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: It is reckless and simply un- American.

GEOFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We are at war with radical Islam.

CAMEROTA: Right. So why ban all Muslims from entering the U.S.?

LORD: All right. All right. So we're at war.

TRUMP: A total and complete shutdown.

CUOMO: Donald Trump joins us live.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A bigger plot to kill may have been in the works.

DAVID BOWDICH, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE: Both subjects were radicalized and have been for quite some time.

PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: I think the right question is did you see behavior that suggested that their lives were changing?

DOROTHY HOLMES, MOTHER OF RONALD JOHNSON: It's been over a year now that my son been murdered.

ANITA ALVAREZ, CHICAGO PROSECUTOR: I'm not covering anything up.

HOLMES: I want the case re-opened.

MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL, CHICAGO: The Department of Justice is coming in. We welcome it, accept it and need it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

CAMEROTA: Welcome back to your NEW DAY, everyone. There is fierce bipartisan backlash this morning to Donald Trump's latest anti-Muslim rhetoric. It was a call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States in the wake of the San Bernardino terror attack. Controversy, of course, is nothing new for Donald Trump, but all indications are that this is a level that we have not seen yet in this wild campaign.

CUOMO: Now, Trump's defense of the plan in part is that it would only be temporary until leaders figure out what the hell is going on. That doesn't really help legal experts, who say it violates treaties and international law and, therefore, would never fly.

But that's the practicality. It's become a bigger issue. It's about what is America about. And it is galvanizing his base but also galvanizing resistance. What will this mean in the early states? We're going to speak live with Donald Trump. He wants to make the case to you for why this is the right idea.

But let's begin with CNN political reporter Sara Murray in Washington -- Sara.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. Donald Trump is facing a wave of criticism in light of his latest proposal and. And in a rare move, the Republican Party leaders in the first three early voting states -- Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina -- are all condemning this plan. It gives you a hint of just how much damage party leaders worry Donald Trump is doing to the Republican Party's brand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: We're out of control. We have no idea who's coming into our country.

MURRAY (voice-over): It may be his most controversial proposal yet, Donald Trump calling for the U.S. to block all Muslims from entering the United States.

TRUMP: We have no idea if they love us, or if they hate us. We have no idea if they want to bomb us.

MURRAY: As his GOP rivals slam the plan as outrageous, divisive and offensive, Trump touted it to a cheering crowd last night.

TRUMP: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.

MURRAY: Trump warning without such measures, which even include blocking tourists, more terror attacks would occur.

TRUMP: We can't live like this. It's going to get worse and worse. You're going to have more World Trade Centers.

MURRAY: Trump's proposal panned by nearly everyone in the GOP field: Senator Lindsey Graham calling it downright dangerous; Jeb Bush tweeting, "Donald Trump is unhinged"; Carly Fiorina deeming it an overreaction to the tragic attack in California.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump always plays on everyone's worst instincts and fears; and saying we're not going to let a single Muslim into this country is a dangerous overreaction.

MURRAY: And New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dismissing the idea as naive.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via phone): This is the kind of thing that people say when they have no experience and don't know what they're talking about.

MURRAY: Joining the chorus of condemnation: the Council on American- Islamic Relations.

AWAD: It is reckless and simply un-American. Donald Trump sounds more like a leader of a lynch mob than a great nation like ours.

MURRAY: But offering a more muted reaction: Texas Senator Ted Cruz, as he battles Trump for conservative voters in Iowa.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, that is not my policy. We need a commander in chief who is focused on keeping this nation safe. And the way to do so is focusing, in particular, on radical Islamic terrorism, which is exactly what I intend to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now, Donald Trump knows exactly what he's doing with these proposals. It plays into the fear, the mistrust and even the hatred that some of his supporters have toward Muslims. It's the kind of thing that could boost his poll numbers higher among core conservatives in places like Iowa.

But the real question is, do you want to win Iowa or do you want to win the presidency? And it's really tough, Chris, to see how he could carry proposals like this to a broader electorate and to a general election and be successful with it.

CUOMO: Strong point. Certainly making the case for himself, and he'll make it here on the show.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Sara, thanks so much.

[07:05:04] Let's discuss all of this with Michael Smerconish. He's our CNN political commentator and host of CNN's "SMERCONISH." And John King, CNN chief national correspondent and host of "INSIDE POLITICS." Gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us.

Michael, I'll start with you. As Sara points out, every other time Donald Trump has most controversial, provocative comments about immigrants, about women, about Mexicans, his poll numbers have gone up. What happens today? MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think this is closer

to the racial laws imposed by the Nazis than the garden variety demagoguery that we've seen in this country, epitomized by Huey Long or George Wallace or McCarthy. I think this transcends everything that has happened up until now.

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part. I find his statements to be racist and ridiculous. And there is only one response appropriate, and that's for somebody to say to him, "Have you no decency, sir?"

CAMEROTA: You just said it. So that is going to be the case against. The case for, John King, is the fear of terrorism and the idea that just one, it only takes one to get through, and then you're at risk.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is the argument, Chris. And look, let's be clear. We've been covering Donald Trump phenomena for some time. He knows what he's doing here.

In a crowded Republican race in our recent polling, there are 43 percent of Republicans who think the president of the United States is a Muslim. Forty-three percent of Americans think the president of the United States is a Muslim.

When you can unite Bernie Sanders and Dick Cheney, both of whom condemn Donald Trump last night, when you can unite people from the far left to the far right, saying what you're saying is un-American, what you're saying is unconstitutional, what you're saying is reckless, to Michael's point, what you're saying is probably racist, that's a pretty remarkable achievement when Bernie Sanders and Dick Cheney agree in today's politics.

But Mr. Trump knows what he's doing. In a crowded Republican race, he is playing -- you're right, he's playing to that fear, which is across America right now. But he's particularly playing to a piece of the Republican Party that he knows well.

Remember, he was once the cheerleader for the birther movement. He -- it's cynical, but there are some conservatives out there who think, as cynical as it is and as reckless as it might be, that it might be smart politically.

CAMEROTA: Michael, isn't it interesting to see who has come out to condemn what he said? As John said, Dick Cheney says that is un- American. We don't have a religion test in this country to get in. Marco Rubio on the campaign trail has been very strong about it. It even seems as though -- Chris Christie, some of his Republican rivals who had had a hands-off approach to Donald Trump...

CUOMO: Cruz said it's not his policy.

CAMEROTA: Cruz said it's not his policy, but he was more meek, I would say, in terms of condemning it than, certainly, Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio or Chris Christie. But do you -- this seems to be beyond the pale for even his Republican rivals.

SMERCONISH: Well, I'm glad that they said what they said in the last 24 hours. But frankly, what took them so long? Because the handwriting has been on the wall about this guy for months. And they were all very slow to get on their feet.

And I'm sure that the reason that they're motivated today, to Sara's point, is that the GOP brand is being crushed by this guy. I'm sure that independents and undecideds look at this and say, "Wait a minute. He's now drawing a third of the Republican vote? What kind of a party has that become?"

And I think to John's point about this playing in a very small room, it's emblematic of what the GOP has become. Because there's been such an exodus of independent thinkers from the party, and this is what's left of the core. So finally, it may be the wakeup call that the GOP needs.

CUOMO: Well, that's the answer to your question, is the reason they haven't come after him more aggressive, vociferously, is, one, he beats their butt when it gets into a verbal jousting. And two, they want his base. And they don't want him to alienate the base from them.

But this does take us to the current proposition. John King, Donald Trump said, "I'm not going to do a third-party deal here unless the GOP is not fair to me."

Do you think he can make the claim that the GOP is not fair to him in the wake of comments like this? Or is he laying the case for his own dismissal from the party?

KING: Well, you're going to get a chance to ask him in just a few minutes. But if you can stand up in America and say, "I want to ban all Muslims from entering the United States," if you can say that, you're part of a democracy, right?

So why can't the other guys say, "I disagree with you?" I don't know why that's unfair. He's on the ballot in these states. The voters will decide whether they want Donald Trump or not. Iowa's, you know, 50-something days away. New Hampshire is 60-something days away. He's competitive. In our poll he's leading in both of those states, I believe, in our polling and in other polling right now. And at least very close in Iowa.

So define fairness. He's going to be on a debate stage in about, what, ten days. I look forward to Wolf Blitzer handling everybody, trying to go after Mr. Trump on this question. It's going to be fascinating to see this fleshed out.

But we talked about this a little bit the other day, too. Listen, he knows what he's doing. He knows what he's doing. And right now you have a crowded Republican field. they all say, "I'll lower your taxes." They all say, "President Obama is not good enough." They all say, "Hillary Clinton would be a failed Obama third term."

[7:10:01] But Donald Trump is unique among them. He is 1 among 14. Because he sets himself aside and sets this stark contrast. And he's in a public debate with the president of the United States, and with Hillary Clinton, and now with the Republican establishment.

And to a slice of the Republican Party -- you don't need 50 percent. When there are so many candidates, you need 25; you need 28. Thirty will win you a state without a doubt.

Right now Donald Trump is in a debate with the people the Republican base, the angry conservative base dislikes the most: the president of the United States, Hillary Clinton and the very Republican establishment.

CAMEROTA: Michael, yesterday we had Rand Paul on, one of his rivals who said something similar. But it was just different enough that it didn't get this sort of attention. He said that he suggests a moratorium on any people coming in from the Middle East, any new immigration, he said from the whole Middle East. OK? So he was painting with a wildly broad brush there. But he didn't limit it to Muslims. Just anyone from the Middle East.

So that's also sort of an, you know, unprecedented suggestion. But somehow Donald Trump spins it in a way that is even more provocative.

CUOMO: He's also the poll leader, and Rand Paul's a hashmark. You know?

SMERCONISH: Well, and I also think it's that, Chris, but it's also the fact that Trump has said other things like we should kill the family members of ISIS. We should keep a database and so forth. So it's in keeping with his character.

The other point that I think needs to be made when you talk about those type of statements, who's ecstatic today? ISIS, right? Because ISIS casts this as a religious war. And so when Obama comes out with "We're not fighting Muslims..."

CUOMO: A lot of people in this country are happy, too. We're seeing the reaction. I think that, you know, last night when this came out, ordinarily, I have a tendency to directly challenge what Donald Trump does. And I've learned that that brings out his supporters.

Last night I said, "Well, you know, maybe it offends sensibilities, but this is where a lot of people are. They're afraid." And there was a huge wave of rejection to it, and only now we're starting to see people say, "I am afraid. I don't want the Muslims here."

So I think that he's going to have his base respond in his favor. The question is, is it enough for him?

CAMEROTA: Right.

SMERCONISH: Well, wait a minute, Chris. He's fomented that fear. I mean, it's because of statements like guys such as Trump or, frankly, the leadership of the GOP. And I'm talking about talk radio heads and cable television personalities, because that's where they get their direction. That's where they get their guidance and advice. They've created an environment where people are comfortable expressing these kind of sentiments. CAMEROTA: Michael, John, thank you for all of your analysis. I know

you'll be sticking around and watching Chris's interview momentarily, guys. Thanks so much.

CUOMO: Donald Trump wants to make the case to you as to why this is the right way to go for America right now. He's going to make the case here on NEW DAY. Stay with us for that -- Mick.

PEREIRA: All right. Some other news to get to here. The FBI says the couple that carried out the San Bernardino massacre were both radicalized for quite some time. Just how that happened is what investigators want and need to know. There's also evidence that the plan was -- or the attack, rather, was well-planned and even perhaps rehearsed.

Dan Simon is live in San Bernardino with the latest for us -- Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Michaela.

Investigators say no question, both of these shooters were radicalized. In the days before the shooting they went to a target range, ostensibly to practice their aim.

We're also learning that authorities found a whole bunch of pipes inside the home, 19 pipes. You can see a picture of what those looked like. These were used, according to authorities, to make bombs. Originally, they said that there were 12.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BOWDICH, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE: As the investigation has progressed, we have learned and believe that both subjects were radicalized and have been for quite some time. Now, how did that happen? The question we're trying to get at is how did that happen and by whom and where did that happen? And I will tell you right now, we don't know those answers at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: and one key question is whether this couple received any kind of financing. And in a chilling twist, we're learning that county employees received some training in terms of what you would do if a shooter actually entered the building. This took place a year ago. It's not clear if Farook was part of that training -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. Dan Simon, thanks so much for all of that background.

Well, to another story now. No criminal charges against the Chicago police officer who shot and killed Ronald Johnson 14 months ago. The decision made based on dash cam video of the incident released for the first time.

Let's go live to Chicago and bring in CNN's Ryan Young with the very latest. What did they see on that dash cam video, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can see in that Ronald Johnson running away from officers. I can tell you there's a lot of people in this community who are still not sure if that was a gun in his hand as he was running away.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG (voice-over): Marching near the site where Chicago police fatally shot 25-year-old Ronald Johnson in October 2014, protesters called for the Cook County prosecutor to step down.

(CHANTING)

YOUNG: Alvarez sparking outrage after announcing on Monday...

ALVAREZ: I'm not covering anything up.

YOUNG: ... that they will not be charging the officer involved in the shooting.

ALVAREZ: The crime cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

YOUNG: Police say Johnson had a gun, resisted arrest, and took off running.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... got shot twice!

YOUNG: The dash cam footage shows Johnson running from police before being shot by Officer George Hernandez twice in the back.

HOLMES: I'm very upset that she didn't convict this officer of murdering my son. And I'm not going to stop until I get what I want for him, and that's justice.

YOUNG: The night of shooting, 911 dispatch began receiving calls from multiple residents about shots fired and seeing men with guns.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many shots did you hear?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About nine or ten. They're shooting around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of suspicious characters running in my backyard with hoodies on. And it look like they got guns.

YOUNG: The state's attorney arguing that the dash cam footage shows Johnson holding a gun. Johnson's family has repeatedly questioned the officer's claims, demanding the case be re-opened.

MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER, JOHNSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: There is no gun visible in Ronald Johnson's hand, because there was none. He was unarmed.

YOUNG: The city's mayor trying to stay ahead of the controversy as the Justice Department prepares to launch a full investigation into the department's use of force.

EMANUEL: We welcome it, accept it and need it. It's in our self- interest as a city.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG: So we know already there are two videos out there that has the public watching the Chicago Police Department. Now there's a third video. We'll show you this, from December of 2012.

This shows the Chicago Police Department trying to detain a man who was going to be taken to court. There was a struggle. A Taser was used. That man would be taken to the hospital. He would die from a reaction to a drug given to him during his treatment. But now people are pointing back to this as another case where they believe there was an abuse of power. That is also now being looked at as a lot of videos are starting to come to light as there's a document showing what's been going on for months here -- Chris.

CUOMO: Ryan, thank you very much for the reporting. Stay on it, and we'll stay with you.

We're going to take a little quick break. Donald Trump, finally gone too far? He says no. Maybe not far enough. He wants to make the case to you for why all Muslims should be banned from America until we figure out what the hell is going on. Is that good enough? Watch NEW DAY. Decide for yourself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:26] CUOMO: To our viewers in the United States and around the world, you are watching NEW DAY.

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is facing heavy criticism after calling for a, quote, "total and complete ban on Muslims entering the United States." Mr. Trump joins us now on the phone. He wants to make the case.

Mr. Trump, thank you for joining us. Your proposition is plain: ban all Muslims until we can figure out what's going on. People are asking you how you would do that? I say let's put that to the side. It's irrelevant. It's about the concept.

You have leaders from your own party in the key states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. You have galvanized political rivals, all saying this is un-American and extreme and that it makes you a fascist. How do you respond?

TRUMP (via phone): Well, I totally disagree. You take a look -- you take a look, Chris, at what's going on; and it is disgraceful.

First of all, you know, people quickly forget World Trade Center One, World Trade Center No. 2. And you take a look at all of the things that are happening, having to do with the problems.

Now you have the problem in California where and, miraculously $28,000 just found in this guy's -- just put into this guy's account, this horrible, you know, person, this killer, this maniac into his account.

I have no doubt that we have no choice but to do exactly what I said until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. Because we have a problem in this country.

You look at Paris. You look at the carnage that took place in Paris.

CUOMO: Right.

TRUMP: But look at Paris beyond that. Paris is no longer the beautiful, gorgeous city with all -- Paris has a tremendous amount of problems. And they have areas in Paris that have been radicalized where the police refuse to go in and look at it.

CUOMO: We are -- we are well aware.

TRUMP: They refuse to take part in it. You look at London; you look at other places.

CUOMO: We are well aware. We are well aware. But Mr. Trump, here's the point.

TRUMP: Wait a minute, Chris. You're well aware. You say that so routinely. You're well aware.

CUOMO: Well, because I've been on the ground. I've been in those communities.

TRUMP: You look at parts of Paris. Nobody's going to go there, including the police.

CUOMO: I've talked to the French authorities.

TRUMP: Totally out of control. It's so dangerous.

CUOMO: That's what you say. The police are all over that country right now, and they're doing a lot of policing.

But more importantly, to your point, I would say it is the opposite reality. You see the French being more embracing of people around them. You see them living their lives. You see them refusing to accept fear as a basis for behavior.

Whereas here, what you're doing in the country that is known as a symbol of freedom is saying, "We're too afraid to be inclusive. We're going to reject the promise of America and ban an entire religion," even though we need to do things on a case-by-case basis.

And it seems as though you're acting out of fear, not making us look strong, and rejecting what America is all about. U.K. is not doing this. France isn't doing this.

TRUMP: No. I'm making us look strong. And don't tell me about Paris. Paris is under tremendous siege. They are absolutely in fear in Paris. Don't tell me Paris is not.

CUOMO: They have heightened awareness. They do not have fear, and they're not acting out of it. That's why they're letting refugees...

TRUMP: Come on. They don't have fear? Of course they have fear. Of course they have fear.

CUOMO: It's how you behave in that environment.

TRUMP: I have friends living in Paris. They want to leave; they're petrified.

CUOMO: But what are they doing? Are they banning all Muslims?

TRUMP: Well, let's see. Maybe they're going to have to. Maybe they're going to have to do something.

CUOMO: That's not even on the table.

TRUMP: I'm talking about a temporary situation until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on, Chris. We have to figure it out.

CUOMO: The timing is irrelevant.

TRUMP: Listen, we had the World Trade Center No. 1. We had World Trade Center No. 2. We had many other things happen.

[07:25:03] Then the other day we had the California attack, where these two animals -- they're total animals -- they became radicalized, and they wanted to do far more damage than that.

What's even more disturbing, if you in terms of looking at the future, is other people knew what they were doing. There were bombs, there were pipe bombs laying all over the floor. They had other people who knew what was going on, Chris, and nobody reported it. They used the excuse they didn't want to be racial profilers. They wanted to be politically correct.

By the way, the people that said that, I think in their own way, they're guilty. The mother knew; the parents knew. Everybody knew. Now even his father is under watch. They just found out.

CUOMO: But you use -- you use politically correct. This isn't being about being politically correct.

TRUMP: Chris, we can be politically correct...

CUOMO: This isn't about being politically correct.

TRUMP: ... but we have a problem in this country, and we should solve it. Because you could have many more World Trade Centers if you don't solve it, many, many more and probably beyond the World Trade Center.

CUOMO: I don't see the point of scaring people with the possible when the reality is we haven't had another World Trade Center. You and I both lived through it. We both lost people there. We know what the real deal is. We know who celebrated and we didn't. We know what's scaring people and what the reality is. We haven't had those kinds of attacks.

The security network has held up. And one of the reasons is our unity as a people. And I don't understand how you can see banning an entire religion as a way of saying anything other than we are what ISIS says we are. We want a war against Islam. That's who America is. And as you know, or you should know, that is not who America is, Mr. Trump.

TRUMP: Chris, we are at war with radical Islamic terrorism.

CUOMO: Right, not all Islam.

TRUMP: We are at war, whether you like it or not.

CUOMO: Not all Islam.

TRUMP: We have a president that made a fool out of himself the other night. He doesn't even mention the term. He refuses to use the term. Nobody understands why.

Hillary Clinton, because she's afraid of the president, because of her e-mail scandal, Hillary Clinton refuses to use the term. If you're not going to even use the term, you're never going to solve the problem.

CUOMO: But I don't get how you connect these dots. Because of the -- because of the e-mail scandal?

TRUMP: We are at war with radical Islam. We are at war with them, Chris. Put it through your head.

CUOMO: Look, everybody knows who we're at war with.

TRUMP: They are looking to take over. They are looking to do great damage. You look at what's going on in the Middle East. They are chopping off heads. They are looking to come over to other places, too. And they want the jihad. It's very simple. They want the jihad.

CUOMO: But you're saying -- what does that mean, they want the jihad? Well, you can't just throw out notions without any kind of checking of them. You know, this is what got you wound up on "The Philadelphia Inquirer" [SIC] front page like Hitler. They've got you in a personage of Hitler right now, a characterization of that.

TRUMP: OK. "The Philadelphia Inquirer." Another newspaper going out of business. Listen...

CUOMO: Well, I know. You're going to disparage whoever criticizes you. And I'm waiting for that, as well. But here's the point...

TRUMP: The poll from the Center for Security Policy released data showing 25 percent of those polls agree. Now these are Muslims living in the United States.

CUOMO: Yes.

TRUMP: Twenty-five percent of the Muslims living in the United States agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as part of the global jihad. CUOMO: Donald, we wouldn't even put that poll on the air.

TRUMP: And -- wait a minute. Let me finish.

CUOMO: It's a hack organization...

TRUMP: Let me finish.

CUOMO: ... with a guy who was dismissed from the conservative circles for conspiracy theories. You know that.

TRUMP: No, it's not. And you know what?

CUOMO: It's as bad as the cop stats you put out there.

TRUMP: Take a look at the Pew poll. Take a look at the Pew poll. The Pew poll was the same thing. Highly respected. And the Pew poll had terrible numbers, too.

But listen to this. Go a step further.

CUOMO: Please.

TRUMP: Fifty-one percent of those polled agreed that Muslims in America should have a choice of being governed under the sharia. Now, if you're talking about horrible stuff here, Chris, now we can -- we can close the eyes; we can put the blinders on. But I don't choose to do that.

Now, is it temporary? Yes. It's until the country's representatives can figure out what is going on. Our country's representatives cannot figure it out.

Now, the problem I have with that is, they couldn't even build a website for Obamacare after spending $5 billion. So how do they figure anything out? They can't figure anything out.

CUOMO: That's not fair. That's not fair.

TRUMP: Well, it's true.

CUOMO: Our security network is the best in the world. If you ask people who are in the business of keeping us safe, they say the idea of banning Muslims does nothing to help and everything to hurt. They're the experts. That's what they say. They think this idea is stupid.

TRUMP: Until -- well, when they say that. So I spoke before an audience last night of -- a massive audience last night.

CUOMO: Right.

TRUMP: Your people were there. Thousands of people inside, thousands of people outside. They couldn't even get in. And got standing ovations as soon as this was mentioned. Standing ovations. Now...

CUOMO: Of course you did, Mr. Trump. These are your people.

TRUMP: Well, I mean, I have standing ovations from very smart people. These are intelligent people; these are great citizens. These are people that are concerned about our country. Until our country's representatives can figure it out. Now...

CUOMO: Chris Christie. Jeb Bush.

TRUMP: ... we've got to figure it out.

CUOMO: The heads of party in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, they all say this is wrong.

TRUMP: You ask any white guy (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You guys have a tendency to call these guys -- they're not masterminds; they're not even smart people.

CUOMO: I didn't call them masterminds by the way.

TRUMP: You're building them up, and then you wonder why kids want to go into ISIS.