Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Steve Forbes Interview; 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Opens Nationwide Friday. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 14, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Who does he think is best (INAUDIBLE) the White House? We'll ask Steve Forbes ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: There you go. That's the quietest you'll see that stage again because 13 Republican candidates preparing for the debate here on CNN tomorrow night.

Our next guest has been in their position. He has run for president, and he has some suggestions for them. Steve Forbes is the author of "Reviving America." He's the chairman and editor in chief of Forbes Media. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000.

Mr. Forbes, great to have you here.

STEVE FORBES, AUTHOR, "REVIVING AMERICA": Good to be here. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So you've been talking to many of these Republican candidates. Who have you been given advice to?

FORBES: Several of them. One encouraging thing in this book that you mentioned is that I want reform of the Federal Reserve. And the one that's most advanced on that, surprisingly, is Senator Cruz.

CAMEROTA: And why do you say surprisingly?

FORBES: Because he's seen as appealing to evangelicals, to social conservatives, but he's also very good at reforming the Fed, getting a new gold standard and the like. He's got a flat tax proposal out there that is almost what I have, almost there, so I'm pushing him on that. So I'm glad to see that somebody who has that kind of substance rising up.

[08:35:07] CAMEROTA: Are you supporting Ted Cruz?

FORBES: No. What I'm encouraged, though, is that he's got a flat tax proposal out there. A couple of other candidates do. In terms of Obamacare, I want to go beyond just repeal and get more specifics on what are you going to replace this thing with? And the key thing is getting patient control again. Just one small example, why shouldn't Medicare have hospitals and clinics? (INAUDIBLE) have them post prices of all treatments and services so you can see in advance if you're going in for a treatment, especially now that deductibles are going up, co-pays are going up. We need consumerism, transparency.

CAMEROTA: That is a good idea. But, you know, millions of people already have Obamacare. What happens if you repeal it?

FORBES: What you do is, you make sure that, like we have with food, if you have problems getting food, you have the food stamps, you have food banks and the like. We need effective safety nets instead of the hodgepodge system we have today. One of the good ideas would be high- risk pools. If you have a chronic condition or for whatever reason you can't get catastrophic insurance, you'll get a subsidized pool for it. But, otherwise, let free markets operate, get more entrepreneurship. Another thing we should be doing is having nationwide shopping for health insurance instead of all these state-wide cartels. So you have hundreds of companies competing for your business. So more transparency, more consumerism, more effective safety nets. We do it in food and the government's involved in food, but government doesn't run food. So why can't we do the same thing in health care.

CAMEROTA: Sounds like you kind of miss running for president?

FORBES: I don't. I get my exercise on treadmills now rather than the running around Iowa and New Hampshire.

CAMEROTA: Well, which candidate do you -

FORBES: I'm an agitator.

CAMEROTA: Which candidate do you think you're leaning towards supporting?

FORBES: Don't know. I want to see this debate. I'm impressed with what Cruz has done. I think Rubio's been very good on foreign policy. What's encouraging is even that some of the candidates have advocated a flat tax. All of them are putting tax simplification proposals on the table. And so what I think we're going to get, after this campaign, is a mandate to radically reform our tax code. The problem, if they have more than one rate, you know, Ronald Reagan got it down to two rates in the mid 1980s. if you have more than two tax rates together, it's like putting two rabbits together. They breed. They multiply. So we've got to go to a single rate system. That's what I hope to push him on.

CAMEROTA: I don't know if you've been following this latest squabble between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Sort of debating who's the bigger maniac. What do you think - I mean these guys, it seems they've taken the gloves off in the past 48 hours or so.

FORBES: Well, that's the attribute of the rise of Ted Cruz. And what's amazing, as you pointed out, is it isn't that Donald Trump Collapsed. He's up a little bit in these new polls. It's that Ted Cruz has surged, taking a lot of support from Dr. Carson, a lot of the undecideds are breaking his way. And I think in the debate tomorrow night, as some of you have pointed out, the key thing is, especially for Ted Cruz, is not to get in a shouting match or a name calling match, but to show he has substance. One of the things that's going to happen tomorrow night is, people are going to look, especially given the events that have happened, people are going to look at each of these candidates. Who do I see as a real commander in chief? And that's going to be critical.

CAMEROTA: I'm sure you've been around Donald Trump, obviously, in the circles in which you've traveled. Do you think that he has the skills to be president?

FORBES: He's got the skills to be president. I disagree with him on some of his policy. His tax policy is pretty good. Some of the other things I do disagree with him with. But he's got to demonstrate too that he's mastered some of these other issues, that he's got some detail to put on the table the way Ronald Reagan did in 1980. So both of them tomorrow night, people are expecting a mudslinging, you know, wrestling match, throw the chairs at each other kind of debate. But what both of them have to do is win that commander in chief. Even if you don't win support tomorrow right, over the holidays people have to say, yes, that person can occupy the Oval Office.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk more about your book, "Reviving America." You talk about killing Obamacare, as we've discussed, implementing a flat tax, which we've discussed a little bit. Also kicking the Federal Reserve out of monetary policy. I don't hear you talking about national security, which is on so many people's minds. I mean is that - are those (INAUDIBLE)?

FORBES: Well, in the book we mention that the key to national security is having a strong U.S. economy. In the 1930s, we had a weak one. We saw the disastrous results of that. The 1970s, the same thing. So Reagan demonstrated, you have to have a strong, domestic economy if you want a viable and credible foreign policy.

CAMEROTA: But does ISIS care about our domestic economy?

FORBES: If we have a strong economy, one, it takes away the - the idea that America's a declining power. Now, you do have to have a vigorous - more vigorous foreign policy, which happened in the last 15 years. We've gone from a very activist foreign policy to a non-activist foreign policy. I think the American people want something in between. But to have credibility when you make a statement, and what gave Reagan credibility in the 1980s, was that he had a vigorous American economy behind him, this whole idea of malaise in the 1970s went out the window. And so you have to have that strong economy. You also have - that gives credibility to a stronger foreign policy. Even if it takes time to rebuild our military, the Chinese know that our Navy is going to be getting bigger, they're going to be less likely to play games in the South China Seas, Putin's less likely to play games if he thinks that there's a strong president, strong reviving America as his economy continues to implode because of the collapse of oil prices. Those things make a difference. And we saw in the '80s, when the Soviet Union's economy collapsed, America was strong, where that led too. So it all ties together. They're not compartmentalized.

[08:40:32] CAMEROTA: The book again is "Reviving America." Steve Forbes, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY. FORBES: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Nice to see you.

Let's get over to Michaela.

PEREIRA: Well, Alisyn, the long wait is almost over for you of the force. It awakens this weekend. Will the new "Star Wars" flick break records? We'll take a look at that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right, here we go with the five things to know for your NEW DAY. At number one, a shift in the polls ahead of tomorrow's CNN GOP debate. Ted Cruz now leading in Iowa, narrowing the gap with Donald Trump nationally. National security is expected to dominate the debate discussion.

[08:45:02] President Obama will huddle the national security advisers of the Pentagon today to review the U.S. strategy against ISIS. The White House is cautioning that meeting would produce no major policy shifts.

The search of a lake in San Bernardino has turned up no evidence linked to the recent terror attack there. "The New York Times" reports Tashfeen Malik cleared several background checks despite social media activity openly supporting violent jihad.

A milestone in Saudi Arabia. At least 17 women coming out on top in local elections. It was the first time women could run for office or vote.

And a world's first this morning. Look at this. The pope. Pope Francis sending out his very first selfie. This joyful shot on the Vatican's Instagram feed. It was posted there about 3 hours ago and has already gotten some 6,000 likes.

For more on the five things to know, be sure visit newdayCNN.com.

Well it's a huge week for your money. Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is in the Money Now Center. Christine, it's crunch time for the Federal Reserve, huh?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's show time for the Federal Reserve. An interest rate hike expected when the Fed meets this week. It would be the first interest rate hike in nearly a decade. It'll be a small increase. Rates will likely go up gradually after that, but nearly everyone will feel it. Mortgage rates, car loans rates, Credit cards, all more expensive.

"The Girl on Fire" still lighting up the box office. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II" topped the box office for the fourth weekend in a row. It has brought in more than $244 million so far. But soon, there's this other little film. I haven't heard much about this. This new film called "The Force Awakens" premieres Friday.

Michaela.

PEREIRA: Yeah, I've heard a little bit about that, Christine. Thank you so much. In fact, in anticipation of that little known "Star Wars" movie, it is reaching fever pitch. How big will the opening be? What does it mean for the franchise? We'll discuss all of that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(CLIP FROM "STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS")

[08:51:15] PEREIRA: Fans of the Force, you have been waiting for this week for so long. It has arrived. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens nationwide Friday. Die-hard fans already lining up outside theaters. And with great anticipation comes great expectations. Will the film shatter box office records?

Joining us from viva Las Vegas, our CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter and Entertainment Tonight host and CNN contributor, Nischelle Turner.

We understand you guys were sent there to stock the buffet for Chris Cuomo's imminent arrival.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I'm scoping it for him, yeah.

PEREIRA: Scope it out. Eat now because there won't be anything left. All right. So Nischelle, you have recently been in Los Angeles, obviously getting to Vegas for the debates, et. cetera. I want you to describe the anticipation, especially there in L.A., I know people are lining up outside the very theater that the original "Star Wars" debuted at in 1977. Talk about the buzz and the electricity.

TURNER: It's huge. We're talking about it right now. That's one of the things we've been talking about for months. Listen, our esteemed executive producer, Javi Morgado, just told me that he bought his ticket a month ago and he's a grown, sane man.

PEREIRA: Nerd alert.

TURNER: So if that tells you anything. You know, but the big premiere is in Los Angeles tonight, Michaela, and people have been lined up even for the premiere for the days. You know, no one has seen this film. Usually when a film comes out, especially of this magnitude, the media gets to screen it, we get to see it and see what we think. No screenings for the media. No one gets to see it. Tonight, people will finally get to see this movie. It's tracking right now for opening weekend at $210 million. That's up from about a week ago, which it was about $185 million it was tracking.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That would be a record for any movie in history. The biggest opening weekend ever for any movie was "Jurassic World" six months ago. That was $208 million. So that's the bar that Disney wants to beat this weekend.

(CROSSTALK) PEREIRA: Here's the thing, Disney was kind of panned for buying the franchise. They've made a gamble. We also know they are all in. They have four "Star Wars" films coming out in the next four years. This is a big deal. A lot rides on this premiere being a blockbuster.

STELTER: Yeah. This was a $4 billion acquisition. Steven Spielberg said it really well on "60 Minutes" last night. He said that J.J. Abrams, the director, is under a lot of pressure because this is the moment Disney starts to make its money back. You know, this is the very moment that Disney starts to recoup its investment. So if it makes $200 million, $200 million plus this weekend, some investors on Wall Street they can make $2 billion worldwide over the weeks and months to come. Because remember, some of us can't get tickets for opening night. It's been sold out for a long time. So if people are seeing it over Christmas or the New Years weekend, it'll still be making money for Disney and it will get over that billion dollar, maybe $2 billion market eventually, especially in other countries.

PEREIRA: Nischelle, I know the timing of this is pretty extraordinary, too, when you think about it because they don't really face stiff competition from big blockbustery (ph) franchise-type films until February and March when some of the Marvel movies come out, "Batman Versus Superman" and "Deadpool." I mean this gives them a long time to sort of reign the box office, essentially.

TURNER: Oh, yeah, and it will reign the box office. No doubt about it. It definitely will. It comes out this Friday. You know there are some movies that open on Christmas Day that will be good movies. "The Hateful Eight" opens on Christmas Day, "Joy" with Jennifer Lawrence. There are - they're relatively smaller movies, so they won't touch "Star Wars," I don't think, in terms of box office. So this will reign the box office and it could set another record for how long it's No. 1 at the box office, Michaela. It definitely could.

PEREIRA: And Brian, you know, I got to tell you --

STELTER: Both are showing how to create new franchises, right? It's reinvigorating the franchise. New fans will come in for the first time. And we've seen all the merchandise, also. Disney really knows how to synergize this and make it into an event everyone is talking about.

[08:55:06] PEREIRA: That's what I was going to say, Brian, because we're the old heads in terms of "Star Wars." We're really loving the idea that we're going to see some of our favorites.

TURNER: Hey, hey, who are you calling old head?

PEREIRA: Look, I'm just saying. But Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford being back in the film, although we don't know in what capacity, that is so exciting for us that remember the original. But there's new faces for the new people that are coming to "Star Wars" for the first time.

STELTER: And thus even more reason to go see it, right? TURNER: Well we do know a couple things. Carrie Fisher, we know she has gotten a promotion. We don't know where Mark Hamill is. We want to know where Mark Hamill is. But I'll tell you what, too, Michaela. It is a good point. I was at Comic Con with Mark Hamill maybe three years ago and I tell you, he could not move two inches without being mobbed. I mean people have been anticipating their return for so long. So I -- Listen, listen, my big thing, what I want to know and what I need to know, where the heck is Luke Skywalker? Has he gone over to the dark side? I need to know this.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: You'll get answers.

TURNER: I need to know!

PEREIRA: Listen, you two get ready for Vegas. We'll be watching you and we're very excited to see how - Right, you'll be spending a lot of quality time together.

All right. Thanks so much, Nischelle and Brian. We appreciate it.

That's it for us here on NEW DAY. Time for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)