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Bill Clinton Accuses Sanders of 'Sexist' Attacks; Rubio Comes Back Swinging After Tough Debate. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired February 08, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[07:00:02] SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to keep saying it over and over again: Barack Obama is trying to change America.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I envy the people that have, you know, message discipline to say the same thing over and over again.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can't trust Senator Rubio to be the nominee of this party.

BUSH: American heroes, calling them losers? Donald Trump, you're the loser.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I've done my job. OK? I've given them the product. The product is me.

If I came in second, I wouldn't be happy. OK. I'd much rather win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

CAMEROTA: Beautiful shot of the sunrise over New Hampshire there. Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to your NEW DAY. Michaela is in New York this morning. Chris and I are here in Manchester, New Hampshire, at the Waterworks Cafe. And it is heating up in the critical hours before the primary here, despite the threat of a snowstorm, which begins at midnight tonight.

Bill Clinton now bashing his wife's rival, calling Bernie Sanders everything from, quote, "hypocritical and sexist" to "hermetically sealed." Clinton is now within 14 points of Sanders in our latest poll of polls. That's an averageof all of them. So what will this new live attack do for her campaign?

CUOMO: Now, of course, this is New Hampshire, and if they get three to six inches as they're saying, these people dust that off their shoulders. It means nothing. So they're not expecting it to affect turnout. Let's see what happens. The weather can always be a factor.

Now, on the GOP side, you've got Trump. He's the man. And he is maintaining his commanding lead. That's not what the story of the race is. The story of the race is right now who's going to come in second?

Marco Rubio coming in out of Iowa had all the momentum. But then we had this debate Saturday night, and elections are about moments. So what did that mean?

Now, we've got so many players on the show this morning. You're going to hear from Donald Trump. And we have the two governors who are making the most headlines on this show live this morning: Jeb Bush and John Kasich. So we're going to have all of this for you.

Let's begin our special coverage with senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny, live in Manchester -- Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Chris.

Well, it's been 24 years since Bill Clinton was the Comeback Kid. But boy, he sure sounded different yesterday when he was out defending his wife, Hillary Clinton. But it's a sign of his tone and his attack against Bernie Sanders. The Sanders campaign has been much more of a threat than he ever imagined.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

B. CLINTON: When you're making a revolution, you can't be too careful about the facts. You're just for me or against me.

ZELENY (voice-over): Former president Bill Clinton unleashing a blistering, no-holds-barred attack on his wife's rival, Bernie Sanders, going after Sanders' healthcare plan.

B. CLINTON: Is it good for America? I don't think so. Is it good for New Hampshire? I don't think so.

ZELENY: Labeling Sanders as dishonest and hypocritical in his criticism of the financial sector he so often rails against.

B. CLINTON: Anybody who takes money from Goldman Sachs couldn't possibly be president. He may have to tweak that answer a little bit. Either that or we're going to have to get us a write-in candidate.

ZELENY: The former president's words were stinging, blasting the Vermont senator and his supporters for what he called inaccurate and sexist attacks, including "Bernie bros," the mobs of Sanders supporters who use crude language to attack Hillary Clinton backers online.

B. CLINTON: People who have gone online to defend Hillary and explain, just explain why they supported her have been subject to attacks that are literally too profane often, not to mention sexist, to repeat.

ZELENY: Sanders disavowing such tactics. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That

anybody who was supporting me is doing sexist things, is we don't want them. I don't want them. That is not what this campaign is about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: And another top surrogate for the Clinton campaign over the weekend also made somewhat of an eye-raising comment. This is from former secretary of state Madeleine Albright. She was campaigning with Hillary Clinton, and she said any young woman who is supporting Bernie Sanders deserves a special place in Hell.

Now, this is a sign that this campaign is getting very heated. I talked to a senior advisor to the Sanders campaign a few moments ago. He said they are disappointed in these attacks, and the Sanders campaign is going to stay on the issues.

But to be fair here, there are plenty of attacks going from side to side here. It's a sign that this Democratic race, Chris, is going to go on for a long time to come, well beyond New Hampshire -- Chris.

CUOMO: Absolutely. In some circles, the criticism is a sign of respect. Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much.

And no question, all hands on deck on the GOP side, as well. Just hours left before the stumping ends and the voting begins here in New Hampshire, the first primary in the season.

Donald Trump posting impressive numbers in the latest CNN poll of polls. That is what it sounds like. We average them to give you the widest, broadest pictures, not lean too much on any single calculation.

Closest to him, Marco Rubio, 15 percent. But boy, the landscape has been shifting, especially as Rubio has gone on the defensive now. All the GOP rivals coming after him after this lackluster debate performance Saturday night. CNN's Sara Murray live in Manchester with the latest -- Sara.

[07:05:12] SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Chris. Marco Rubio may be in second right now, but his rivals are hot on his heels now. If you thought he would all of a sudden shake up that stump speech after his rocky debate performance, you better think again, though. He is doubling down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUBIO: It's funny. The -- I don't know. People think it's a bad thing. I'm going to keep saying it over and over again. Barack Obama is trying to change America.

MURRAY (voice-over): One day until the New Hampshire primary, Marco Rubio is doubling down on his rhetoric after Saturday's shaky debate performance.

RUBIO: If you want to be like another country, why don't you move to another country?

MURRAY: Under fire from Chris Christie...

CHRISTIE: You have not been involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held accountable. You just simply haven't.

MURRAY: ... the freshman senator repeated the same line four times Saturday.

RUBIO: And let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing.

Let's dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he's doing.

This notion that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing is just not...

CHRISTIE: There it is. There it is.

RUBIO: He knows exactly what he's doing.

CHRISTIE: The memorized 25-second speech. There it is, everybody.

MURRAY: Back on the campaign trail, his GOP rivals are exploiting his slip-up.

TRUMP: Did Marco do well last night in the debate?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!

BUSH: You cannot script being commander in chief.

CHRISTIE: We need someone who's been tested and ready to go against Hillary Clinton. Senator Rubio proved last night he can't do that.

MURRAY: This as polls continue to show Trump way on top in New Hampshire, much to the dismay of the establishment candidates.

BUSH: Donald Trump, you're the loser.

MURRAY: The billionaire garnering more than twice the support of his nearest competitor.

Meanwhile, Rubio is already looking past the primary.

RUBIO: I'm coming back in August and September, because we're going to win New Hampshire in the general election.

MURRAY: As the frontrunner, after his second-place finish in Iowa, tries to manage expectations. TRUMP (via phone): I think I'm going to do very well in New

Hampshire. But no, I don't -- I don't think -- I want to win New Hampshire, but I don't think I have to win it, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now, there were plenty of candidates on that debate stage who were happy to see Marco Rubio take one on the jaw. But it was Chris Christie who did the dirty work for the rest of the field. So the question going forward in New Hampshire Is: does this bring down Marco's numbers at all? And does it help Chris Christie? Will his numbers move at all between now and tomorrow night's primary?

Alisyn, back to you.

CAMEROTA: OK, Sara, thanks so much for all that background.

Joining us now is Sam Clovis. He's the Trump campaign co-chairman and policy adviser.

Sam, great to have you here.

SAM CLOVIS, TRUMP CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRMAN/POLICY ADVISOR: Great to be here, finally, to meet you in person.

CAMEROTA: You, as well. Great to have you in from the cold...

CLOVIS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: ... into the warm Waterworks Cafe.

CLOVIS: Actually, I'm from Iowa, so this is balmy.

CAMEROTA: That's true.

CLOVIS: This is shirt-sleeve weather for us.

CAMEROTA: It comes in handy during the primaries. So as we've been talking all morning, your guy, Donald Trump, has a ton of support in the latest polls.

CLOVIS: Right.

CAMEROTA: How confident are you that you can translate that into a solid ground game and see those numbers at the polls?

CLOVIS: Well, I think, you know, the ground game is we're the -- you know, in the final strokes of that. Because I think what we're really seeing is making those contacts with voters, have the opportunity to make the calls. We're still door knocking. We have a massive turnout effort. Because we think the better the voter turnout, the better off we are.

As you saw in Iowa, we claimed over 40,000 votes in Iowa which is huge. That was the second highest number ever in a caucus. And so I think our efforts -- a lot of times people look at the ground game. And they don't see it, because we don't -- we're not a conventional campaign. And we still do the same things at the end that everybody else does.

CAMEROTA: You're still knocking on doors?

CLOVIS: Absolutely. Yes.

CAMEROTA: You know, it's interesting. Dana Bash had an interview with Mr. Trump in which he basically said that he thinks the product is more important than the tactics. And by the product, he means himself. And he said that he thinks he has a great product, and he -- he doesn't put much stock in door knocking.

CLOVIS: Well, I think, you know, that's -- frankly, he's a candidate. And he has to concentrate on what the candidate does. Again, this is not a compensational campaign. We've been saying that since day one.

I remember the very first interview I did on your network with one of your anchors. I told him, I said, "This is not your dad's campaign." I mean -- and I happened to be standing in an arena that had 20,000 seats. And we had 20,000 people in it.

So this is the way we've gone about our business. And -- and he'll leave the tactics to us, and we're working that fine.

CAMEROTA: OK, so even though the "Wall Street Journal" has headlines like this one -- let me read it -- "Trump Again Relies on Star Power Rather Than a Good Ground Game..."

CLOVIS: Oh, that's fine. That's a great headline, and we love it. Because, you know, the other part of it is, is a lot of times I think people grossly underestimate what's behind this campaign. The product is great. And we have a great product, the best product in the market. And -- and we're still pushing it out there.

CAMEROTA: During the debate, Donald Trump and Jeb Bush sparred over the issue of eminent domain.

CLOVIS: Yes.

[07:10:04] CAMEROTA: And Donald Trump talked about how he basically believes in the use of eminent domain.

CLOVIS: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: In fact, he's used it himself. How do you think that that will play here in the "Live Free or Die" state, where in the latest polls, 70 percent of Iowa Republican -- sorry, New Hampshire Republicans have said that they actually don't like the concept of eminent domain?

CLOVIS: Well, eminent domain is in the Constitution. It's written into the Constitution. And eminent domain is the authority given to government to go out and procure a property to -- for the public good.

And the thing that's missed in all of this, no developer anywhere in America has ever used eminent domain. Eminent domain is an instrument of government. Governments decide on eminent domain. Governments exercise it.

CAMEROTA: Yes, but wasn't it Donald Trump attempting to use it back in 1995?

CLOVIS: You ask yourself -- if you go to a small town in Iowa -- let's go to the city of Oskaloosa, Iowa, and they have Wal-Mart approach them. Wal-Mart comes in and says, "We want that piece of property by that interchange on that road." So the city of Oskaloosa and the county of Mahaska have to use eminent domain to acquire that property in order to turn it over to Wal-Mart. That's the way this process works.

CAMEROTA: Sure. But however the process works, voters -- Republican voters don't like it.

CLOVIS: You know what? If you don't like what your city council does or you don't like what your state legislature does, vote them the hell out of office. That's the reason that we get into this.

These -- one of the biggest problems we have right now in this country is at the state and local level is the squeeze that's coming from the mandates from the federal government. That's why they're constantly looking for revenue streams. That's why we see these creative actions on the part of governments who are here (ph) to acquire property...

CAMEROTA: Understood, but are you saying that you think that Donald Trump is on the right side of this, and that...

CLOVIS: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: ... voters will think he's on the right side of eminent domain?

CLOVIS: I studied the Constitution. I carry the Constitution in my pocket. And eminent domain is part of the Constitution. And eminent domain is an instrument of government to acquire property for the public good. And that's what this is about.

CAMEROTA: After Iowa...

CLOVIS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: ... it looked as though Marco Rubio was going to be Donald Trump's sort of strongest competitor. How do you rate that status today?

CLOVIS: I think after Saturday night, that's in question. I think that the debate was good for us. I thought the governors had good nights on the stage. And I thought the people that suffered the most body blows were Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

CAMEROTA: The governors did have good nights, I mean, by all...

CLOVIS: They did. CAMEROTA: ... by all accounts. So who do you now consider the biggest competitors?

CLOVIS: Well, I think a lot of it's going to be depend on what happens on Tuesday here, tomorrow. I think if you -- what I see is a clumping or a layer of candidates who will come in in a second-place position. I think we're going to win. And we'll see how the spread is. And we'll see who emerges from that -- that second pack to see.

Because South Carolina is quite different. You know, we have candidates that might do well here in New Hampshire that don't have any traction at all in South Carolina. And the only consistent performer across the board is Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: Where are you spending the next 24 hours?

CLOVIS: Well, I've got a bunch of things to do. I told you off camera the -- I've got a lot of policy things I'm pushing out to get ready for South Carolina already. Got a lot of...

CAMEROTA: Do you want to push anything out right now?

CLOVIS: No. No, we have a schedule. And as you know...

CAMEROTA: Not giving us the scoop?

CLOVIS: You know better than to ask that. You know better than to ask that.

You know, so we -- we'll push some things out as we get closer to South Carolina. And we've got another debate this weekend. So we're getting ready for that.

But we'll do a lot of media today. And we're scattered all over the state. I mean, we brought in all hands on deck. And everybody is scattered all over the state doing their part.

CAMEROTA: All right. Sam Clovis, great to have you here on NEW DAY.

CLOVIS: It's great to be here finally to meet you in person.

CAMEROTA: You, as well.

CLOVIS: And it's great to be with you guys. It really is.

CAMEROTA: Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up on NEW DAY, we have a new interview with Donald Trump. We have two, also, of the governors we've just spoken about who are on the rise in the GOP race. That's Jeb Bush and John Kasich. They're going to join us live in our next hour, so stick around for that.

In the meantime, let's get back to New York and Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. We'll give you a look at other headlines and get back to you in a moment, Alisyn.

The South Korea navy firing warning shots this morning at a North Korean patrol boat. This action comes a day after Pyongyang launched a rocket into space. The country says it's for scientific purposes. Critics, though, say it is a front to test ballistic missiles. The U.N. now mulling whether to hit North Korea with tighter sanctions.

Back here at home, a mile-high celebration in Denver after the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. The defense ruled, smothering Cam Newton and the Panthers in the 24-10 victory. Broncos linebacker Von Miller, your game's MVP.

In the meantime, Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars were on their game during that star-studded half-time show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC: MARK RONSON FEAT. BRUNO MARS, "UPTOWN FUNK")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: So I think I've decided, and I think America agrees with me, Beyonce won the half-time show. That was just fantastic. And we probably all were singing along there.

And you're still dancing. I love it, Chris.

CAMEROTA: Yes. He is. He knows those moves.

Beyonce was so good she might win the New Hampshire primary.

PEREIRA: She may. With those moves.

CAMEROTA: Yes. It was great stuff.

All right, Michaela. Thanks so much. We'll be back with you shortly.

Bill Clinton unleashing a string of attacks on Bernie Sanders ahead of the New Hampshire primary. What does Sanders' camp have to say about that? Team Bernie joins us when NEW DAY returns live from Manchester.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[07:20:50] B. CLINTON: When you're making a revolution you can't be too careful about the facts. You're just for me or against me. I want you to laugh. Because when you're mad, you can't think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Bill Clinton on the hustings, dropping the hammer against Bernie Sanders and his supporters for what he calls their sexist attacks on his wife. The former president claiming that Sanders hasn't been careful with the facts either.

The Sanders campaign this morning says it is disappointed with President Clinton.

Joining us now is the campaign. We have the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders campaign, Symone Sanders.

Good to have you on the show.

SYMONE SANDERS, NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN: Nice to be here.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you, Symone. You, too. I'll reach over.

CUOMO: So what do you make of this criticism of your campaign that you're supposed to be keeping it clean and you are not, says former president Bill Clinton? Fair criticism?

S. SANDERS: Well, no. So we just -- as you noted, we think that's unfortunate. And it's unfortunate that President Clinton has decided to engage in these negative attacks of their own on the eve of the New Hampshire primary.

Look, Senator Sanders has been very clear. He's not running a negative campaign. He's never run a negative campaign in his life, and he wasn't going to start with his run for president.

We have tried to keep this campaign talking about the issues that are most important to the American people: climate change, arresting economic inequality, criminal justice reform. The things that people want to talk about. You know, health care, universal health care, universal education. So those are the issues that Senator Sanders is talking about. And he would love to keep this on the issues.

CAMEROTA: So when the Clinton campaign says "sexist," you don't know what they're referring to?

S. SANDERS: You know what? I'm -- look, Senator Sanders -- Senator Sanders is not sexist. He's -- he -- we, again, are talking about the issues. I think these negative attacks, these you know, things that the Clinton campaign is throwing out there, are attempts to distract folks from the real conversation.

And the real conversation is about health care as a right, education as a right. You know, that's what New Hampshire voters want to hear. That's what voters across the country want to talk about. As people decide to make their decisions right here in New Hampshire before they go to the polls tomorrow, they want to talk about the issues that are going to be deciding this election.

Who is the next president of the -- because I think a Democrat is going to be the next president of the United States. And so they want to talk about those issues. They don't want to talk about, you know, all these other things that have nothing to do with their daily lives.

CUOMO: What do you think of this criticism that Senator Sanders is framing his campaign in a way that, unless you are for the most extreme ideological positions that may solve many of the issues that face this society, you're a sellout. You're a mainstream insider. You don't really want to get done. Is that a fair notion of how you can arrive at change, especially from someone who's been in the game as long as Senator Sanders?

S. SANDERS: There's nothing extreme about what Senator Sanders is talking about. You know, not too long ago, a little longer than I've been alive but not too long ago, you know, education in this country was affordable. It was free in a lot of places. And now college costs upwards of $100,000, $200,000, depending on where you go.

CUOMO: But you know that his college program and the way it's free and the way it gets paid for, his healthcare proposal for single- parent, how he arrives at it...

S. SANDERS: The way we pay for college is...

CUOMO: ... these are very extreme ideas in terms of the practicalities of Washington.

S. SANDERS: Not at all. No. We pay for Bernie's -- Bernie's college affordability plan with a tax on Wall Street speculation. Not what we're not out there explaining every time we say it is that's a 0.002 percent tax on it.

I mean, but he is -- it's practical. There's nothing far outreaching about what Senator Sanders is talking about. And I think it's a disservice to the American people to tell them they can't ask for real change.

Incremental change is not what poor people in America want. You know, what folks are saying right now, the Clinton campaign is saying, "We're going to go from, 'Yes, we can' to 'No, we can't'." And that's not right.

So what Senator Sanders is talking about, this -- it's not far- reaching. Now, some -- some of these are lofty goals. But we have to think big. Senator Sanders, when we goes to these rallies and we're at these town halls, he's encouraging the American people to think big. Don't think small. Thinking big is how we get change in this country. Thinking big is how we got the Affordable Health Care Act. And thinking big is how we're going to build on that with a Medicare- for-all single-payer system.

[07:25:00] CAMEROTA: Bernie Sanders is resonating with young women. This white-haired 74-year-old senator from Vermont is resonating with young women. What do you think the issue is that's ignited that?

S. SANDERS: I think the issue is young women like myself. You know, I'm 26 years old. And I was drawn to Senator Sanders because he was speaking about the things that, frankly, I was talking about with my friends. So when we talk about addressing economic inequality, student loans. You know, I'm a young person that has student loans. I'm a young person that, you know, working multiple jobs, you know, to pay rent and things like that.

So he's really speaking about the real issues that are confronting everyday American people. And I think in this election, specifically young people, they want to vote on the issues. You know, people like to say young people are the popcorn microwave generation. But we're actually in this for the long game. That's why we want to join the political revolution. That's why we care about movement, because we want to see this change last.

CUOMO: You know, the idea of sexism being used in the campaign, what did you make of Gloria Steinem coming out and saying, "Well, those young women, you know why they're for Bernie Sanders, because that's where the boys are"? I mean, I guess Gloria Steinem can say whatever she wants on this issue because of her bona fides...

CAMEROTA: I guess so.

CUOMO: ... but what did you make of that?

CAMEROTA: But what did you think of that message?

S. SANDERS: I thought that was unfortunate. I'm here with Senator Sanders, like so many other young women across the country, because again, I believe in what he's talking about. And I support him. And I support our New Hampshire state director, Julia Barnes, who has led an amazing team.

Right here in New Hampshire, just yesterday we had 1,200 people out in Portsmouth. We've got about four or five events today where the senator is hitting Derry, Manchester.

CUOMO: Coming off "Saturday Night Live."

S. SANDERS: Coming off "Saturday Night Live."

CUOMO: Was that your idea?

S. SANDERS: Well, you know...

CUOMO: Was Sanders went -- your idea or your idea?

S. SANDERS: I think that we have to give credit to the folks at "Saturday Night Live."

But you know what? I'm happy that we're having a robust conversation about young people, young women getting engaged in the political process. Our campaign is very excited that our campaign are bringing those young people back into the party. You know, in 2014, young people stayed home, and they didn't vote. That's how the Republicans won.

And so a Democrat is not going to win the White House, we are not going to win in this election up and down the ticket if we don't engage new people in the political process, if young people don't come back in. And Senator Sanders' candidacy is speaking to those young people. We're engaged. We're involved. We're fired up. And we're ready to join the political revolution.

CAMEROTA: Symone Sanders, great to have you here. Does he make everybody on his staff use the last name Sanders? S. SANDERS: Yes. It's mandatory.

CAMEROTA: Great. Let's get back to New York and Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, you guys. Thanks so much.

This was quite a shocking sight in the heart of London. A red double decker bus blown to bits. Why the shocking scene caused all sorts of panic on the streets of London. It all worked out just fine. Don't worry.

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