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Is South Carolina the End of the Road for Jeb Bush; Trump vs. Pope Francis; Virgin Galactic's New Spaceship. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 19, 2016 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: One of the advisors joins us next.

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[07:33:52]

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: The stakes in South Carolina on the GOP side of this race for president are huge at the top in terms of who wins, but just as big for those who don't come in in a position strong enough to maintain their candidacy. One names pops up in this point of analysis and that is Jeb Bush. Let's bring in Michael Steel. He's a Jeb Bush advisor for policy and communications. He joins us now. Michael, thank you for joining us. The question is an obvious one.

MICHAEL STEEL, JEB BUSH ADVISOR FOR POLICY AND COMMUNICATIONS: Good to be with you.

CUOMO: The answer is complex. I'm sure you're going to make it that way, anyway. If Jeb does not finish second or third, is he done?

STEEL: Look, we're excited about South Carolina. We think we've done a great job here making the case that Jeb Bush is the best candidate to be the next commander in chief of the United States. He's supported by 12 Medal of Honor recipients, over 40 former generals and admirals who know -- Lindsey Graham, who is an expert in national security issues -- who know that he is the steady hand we need to be the next commander in chief.

CUOMO: Right, but friends only get you so far. Even family can get only get you so far. As much as it's won praise in the media we're not seeing the difference in the polls. New numbers out have Bush looking like he's going to be in fourth place in South Carolina. At some point you've got to pack it up in this business. What is your thinking about when that point would be?

[07:35:16]

STEEL: Look, we're looking forward to a great result here in South Carolina. We've got a large team on the ground in Nevada. The governor spent a lot of time in the fall working in the SEC primary states. We've got a team and the resources that are built for the long haul. Right now we're focused on a good result here in South Carolina and showing people that Gov. Bush has the heart and the spine to be the next president of the United States.

CUOMO: Understood what the standard is, so let's flip the question. No matter what happens in South Carolina is Jeb Bush going to move on?

STEEL: Well, we're looking forward to a great result here in South Carolina. We've got people on the ground in the next couple of states and right now he's focused on showing the people of South Carolina that he's ready on day one to be a great commander in chief with a record of accomplishment and detailed plans for the future.

CUOMO: You have to be more like Jeb Bush. When he was asked this morning, hey, would you ever lie to the American people as president? He said no. So when I ask you is he going to move on no matter what, can you just say yes or is it more complicated?

STEEL: I can say that we're looking forward to a good result here in South Carolina and we'll move on from there.

CUOMO: All right. Enough on that. In terms of him finding his right space in this campaign, there's been criticism that he seems to swing back and forth. Is he the aggressive take on Trump guy or is he kind of middling and trying to figure out a moderate space?

So, we have the gun ad which seems very aggressive, right? He shows a picture of the gun and he says America. But then on the other side, he comes forward. He says I don't really want to get involved with the Pope and Trump. I don't want to get involved with questioning a man's faith, which is not what the Pope was doing. Which Bush is the right Bush?

STEEL: Well, I think you've seen from Gov. Bush a very consistent tone. He supports the second amendment and an A+ rating from the NRA as governor and has probably the best pro-gun record in the race. He also believes that a man's faith is between he and God and that he doesn't question Mr. Trump's Christianity.

What he does question is his conservatism. Donald Trump is not a conservative and we don't think that you can beat Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders unless the Republican Party nominates a conservative with a record of achievement. Right now we've got people who are not a conservative, and we've got people who don't have much of a record of achievement. Gov. Bush offers a record of conservative leadership, the most transformational Republican governor of the 21st century.

CUOMO: Why isn't he at the top of the standings if the analysis is the way you break it down? What do you think is holding him back?

STEEL: Well, there's no question that no one saw the Trump phenomenon coming, but we think in the end the Republican Party -- the conservative party -- is going to nominate a conservative, and a conservative with the best record of achievement.

CUOMO: Cruz and Rubio have consistently been ahead of the governor in standings, and it looks like that way again in South Carolina unless something happens, which you're defining as a good outcome. Why?

STEEL: You know, I think they're both very appealing. Tremendous orders, tremendous political talents, but they're both -- have completed less than one term in the United States Senate. Neither has a real record of achievement. In fact, they've both had a lot of trouble coming up with an answer to the question, what have you done for the American people? What have you done for your constituents in the United States Senate?

With Gov. Bush, if you look at his record in Florida he cut taxes every single year. A total of $19 billion. The economy boomed, leading the nation in job creation seven out of the eight years he was governor, 1.3 million new jobs, tort reform, education reform. Taking on the powerful special interests to get things done, and that's what he'll do in Washington. Taking on a broken system to fix our tax code, get our economy moving again, and create 19 million new jobs rising middle-class income, rebuild our military, and confront and defeat ISIS.

CUOMO: Michael Steel, thank you very much for making the case this morning. Appreciate it. Good luck to you.

STEEL: Good to be with you.

CUOMO: Mic?

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: All right. Donald Trump easing his war of words with Pope Francis at CNN's Republican town hall held last night. Could his feud with the Pontiff help or hurt him with conservative voters? Three pastors from South Carolina weigh in when NEW DAY returns.

[07:39:47]

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[07:43:54]

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I'm a very good Christian because the Pope said something to the effect that maybe Donald Trump isn't Christian, OK, and he's questioning my faith. I was very surprised to see it, but I am a Christian and am proud of it. OK, for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful.

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CUOMO: Donald Trump at odds with the Pope. He's getting a lot of attention, but what does it mean and why? Joining us now, three pastors from South Carolina. Pastor Mark Burns, he's a Trump supporter. Pastor Mike Gonzales, an evangelical chairman for Ted Cruz. And Pastor Al Phillips. He supports Marco Rubio. Gentlemen, thank you for joining us this morning. I appreciate it. Let's put up what the Pope said just so we can all be clear about what this is. We know how things tend to get spun and taken out of context.

"A person who thinks only about building walls -- wherever they may be located -- and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel." Pastor Burns, do you believe that this is an attack on a man's faith or this is a continuation of a theme Pope Francis talks about all the time, which is your faith is what you do and this is about doing the right thing as opposed to denigrating somebody's relationship with God.

MARK BURNS, PASTOR, HARVEST PRAISE AND WORSHIP CENTER: Well, first, you know, obviously we want to -- I think it's confusing, as I said yesterday. I'm a little perplexed to why the Pope would make such claims as building walls is in any way associated with not being Christian. When in reality throughout the scriptures you find different aspects of walls being built to protect the children of Israel. A wall is not designed to isolate an individual, but it's desired for protection.

[07:45:48]

And so, you know, I think, again, as I said yesterday, it's very sad how the Mexican government has used the Pope as a pawn of really being one-sided in information when he gave -- when the Mexican government is giving information to the Pope about Mr. Trump and his desire to build a wall separating Mexico and the United States of the government to help eliminate illegal immigration and to help really protect the borders of the United States of America. So, I was a little perplexed. Even the Vatican, itself, is surrounded around a 40-foot wall, and so I'm confused to why, you know, he would even utilize the wall with not being a Christian. I'm sorry, go ahead.

CUOMO: All right. The Vatican is not surrounded by a 40-foot wall. There are portions of a wall there. It is not designed the way that you're suggesting. You can walk right in. It is not an apt analogy in this situation. Why the Pope is saying what he's saying, whether he's a pawn or not, that's for politicians to decide.

But in terms of this being a point of faith, let me move on to you, Pastor Gonzales. Ted Cruz, when asked about this, seemed to want to stay out of it. Do we have the sound of him at the town hall talking about it? No? All right. He didn't seem to want to take a position on this. Why do you think that is?

MIKE GONZALES, EVANGELICAL CHAIRMAN FOR TED CRUZ IN S.C.: Well, you know, look, securing our borders and protecting Americans by building a wall is not the criteria for how one determines who's a Christian, so if there is an issue between the Pope and Donald Trump, that's something that they have to work out. But, the last time I checked that's not the criteria for being a Christian.

CUOMO: Do you really believe that's what the Pope was saying, is that if you build a wall you're not a Christian? Or, are you ignoring the part of it where he says you need to build bridges. Isn't this a metaphor? Isn't this the Pope saying that you've got to reach out people, not just divide people and separate people? Do you not think that was his point?

GONZALES: Well, I'm not sure exactly what he meant by all of that but I could just tell you this, that we need to secure the border and truly uphold the law of our land. I mean, that's important for us to do as Americans. So, really, I don't see the correlation between those two.

CUOMO: Well, I could see how it would be confusing politically to you based on agendas. But gentlemen, I have you here as men of faith, not as political spinmeisters. Al Phillips -- pastor, when we're talking about this idea of what being Christian is, the Pope is not alone, and certainly it is not new to his ministry to suggest you are what you do and that Christians are supposed to be reaching out or trying to help the less fortunate. That is a big message in the gospel. Isn't that what this is about, at least for the Pope, in your estimation?

AL PHILLIPS, DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS, GREENVILLE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION: I think that's true. You know, I'm a Baptist and we Baptists -- we don't even believe all of us are going to heaven. But here's what I do know. I can't say for sure whether or not Donald Trump is a Christian. What I do know is that we're all sinners and that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. And when we repent and commit our lives to Christ in faith, then he gives us eternal life. And that faith -- that salvation -- has implications for every part of our lives. For evangelicals, we don't separate faith from every other part of our lives. Our faith is a part of the very fabric of our being and it affects every part of every decision that we make.

That's why I like Marco Rubio so much, is that his faith is consistent with the way that he lives and leads. He makes his decisions. He cares for his wife and his family. He makes decisions about policy. He's guided by his faith and he makes no apologies for that. And I think that's what the Pope was trying to get at. That you can't say that you're a Christian and then your life doesn't reflect that faith at all. As evangelicals, we believe that faith impacts every fiber of our being.

CUOMO: Well, so I think that everybody would agree, not matter what their faith, that in life you're judged by what you do, not what you say. And, of course, that's always tricky in politics. But, reverends -- reverend, reverend, reverend -- thank you very much for all of you being with us this morning. Appreciate it. Mic?

PEREIRA: All right. After being marred by tragedy, Virgin Galactic's goal to send wealthy tourists into space getting back on track. A first look at the company's newest spaceship, next.

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[07:54:07]

PEREIRA: They suffered quite a devastating setback a few years ago, but the folks at Virgin Galactic are itching to get back up in space. Today, the company unveiling its new commercial spaceship to replace the one that was destroyed in that deadly horrific accident in 2014. Our digital correspondent, Rachel Crane, joins us now with a sneak peek at their big new plans at Virgin Galactic. How cool. They're ready to go again -- or getting ready to go again. RACHEL CRANE, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're getting ready to go. Today marks a critical step for the Virgin Galactic team. This means they've finally finished the construction phase, getting them one step closer to getting regular people like you and me into space.

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DAVID MACKAY, CHIEF PILOT, VIRGIN GALACTIC: This is the vehicle that is going to take many hundreds of regular people into space for the first time.

CRANE: Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic wants to be the world's first commercial spaceline. That is, the first company to take regular people into space on a regular basis, and this is the spaceship they say could do it. SpaceShipTwo, Serial Two was constructed here in the Mojave Desert in this secretive hangar.

MACKAY: We're really looking forward to getting it into the earth where it belongs and then venturing into space. Head back and we're accelerating.

CRANE: Dave Mackay is Virgin Galactic's chief pilot. He's been training inside of a simulator hundreds of times waiting for a real spacecraft to fly again.

MACKAY: After rollout, we expect in the next couple of months to be in flight test. Of course, that's hugely significant.

CRANE: That's because Virgin Galactic has not had a vehicle since a tragic accident in 2014 left its spaceship in pieces and killed one test pilot.

RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN GROUP: We're going to learn from what went wrong.

[07:55:03]

CRANE: The NTSB ruled the cause of the accident to be human error. SpaceShipTwo, Serial Two was already in development at the time of the crash, but not nearly ready to serve as a replacement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we began this journey we knew that it would be hard, and it has been hard. The number one thing is that we're going to test fly this vehicle. We're going to test fly SpaceShipTwo and were going to make sure that we understand what happened.

CRANE: Virgin Galactic has made several updates to its new and improved spacecraft.

MACKAY: The actual accident, itself, was caused by a control being moved when it shouldn't have been done, and we've implemented a new system which prevents that ever happening again.

CRANE: But building a spaceship and adding those new features has taken time. SpaceShipTwo, Serial Two has been under construction for more than three years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that the future of this vehicle will be powerful to the future of humanity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one, release, release, release.

CRANE: This is how it works. The mothership, WhiteKnightTwo, carries the spaceship 50,000 feet into the air. Then it separates and blasts off at more than three times the speed of sound, reaching between 50 and 62 miles above earth. The six passengers on board will experience about six minutes of weightlessness.

MACKAY: And at this point, or every shortly, we're going to allow the customers to unstrap and they can float around.

CRANE: More than 700 customers have already paid $250,000 for a seat when Virgin Galactic eventually starts commercial operation.

MACKAY: It's a sensational experience, of course, but it's more important than that. It's a first step in opening up space to the wider population of the world.

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PEREIRA: Rachel says that if she had the funds she'd go.

CRANE: I would go immediately. How about you guys?

BERMAN: I've got a lot of movies. I can watch a lot of movies for that kind of money.

CUOMO: I was going to say, I had the pleasure of being on the aptly- named Vomit Comet -- that plane they send up and it gives you the weightlessness.

PEREIRA: Oh, that was enough for you? That's enough.

CRANE: That's a comet.

CUOMO: I'll put it into the kid's college fund.

BERMAN: I like the Acela. The Acela which goes from New York to D.C.

CRANE: All right. Yes.

BERMAN: It's very fast.

CUOMO: And it sounds fast.

BERMAN: It's very fast.

PEREIRA: So, he's saying next year-ish?

CRANE: Well, so, this is a critical milestone, yes. But it doesn't mean that they're about to take the skies immediately. First, they're going to start ground tests and then they're going to start their test flights again, and they say that's going to happen in the next couple of months. So, you know, then hopefully, once they've perfected the system, they'll be flying.

CUOMO: Well, you want to perfect it, but before you get in there.

CRANE: Certainly, and they are very much committed to making us as safe as possible.

PEREIRA: Repetition, repetition, right?

CRANE: Exactly. That's what they're doing.

PEREIRA: Thanks for bringing this to us. It's very cool on this Friday.

CRANE: Thank you for having me, Mic.

PEREIRA: All right. Well, we're following a whole lot of news so let's get to it.

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TRUMP: The Iraqis did not knock down -- it was not Saddam Hussein that knocked down the World Trade Center.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would be ready to serve on day one as commander in chief and leader of the free world.

JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm pro-Pope, OK? Put me down in the pro-Pope column.

TRUMP: He also talked about having a wall is not Christian, and he's got an awfully big wall at the Vatican.

BUSH: I just don't think it's appropriate to question Donald Trump's faith.

KASICH: We all need to slow down a little bit.

BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will not allow the Trumps and others of this world to divide us up.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am going to fight for you.

SANDERS: I do not represent the billionaire class.

CLINTON: I know what I'm against.

SANDERS: I do not represent Wall Street or corporate America.

(END VIDEO PLAY)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira. CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your new day. It is Friday, everybody, February 19th, 8:00 in the east. Alisyn is off, J.B. is here with me and Mic, and we have a lot of news for you this morning. We're just hours away from the next two contests in the 2016 presidential race. The six Republicans are making a final push in South Carolina. That primary is just tomorrow. So, you got a last good look at Trump, Bush, and Kasich delivering closing arguments at CNN's town hall last night, but not before Trump got into a tense exchange, in the media at least, with Pope Francis, who suggested that just building walls and not bridges is not the Christian thing to do.

PEREIRA: Meanwhile, a tight race for the Democrats in Nevada with the caucuses a day away. Hillary Clinton seeing a sizeable lead over Bernie Sanders, down to a virtual tie. How is the 2016 race going to look once the weekend is over? We begin our coverage with CNN's Athena Jones in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Athena?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela. You're right, last night it did give voters all over the country a chance to have an extended look at the candidates. We saw a Donald Trump who was a bit more toned down, at least when it comes to that dust-up with the Pope. And while we witnessed some heated rhetoric these last several day as the candidates battle it out in South Carolina, last night was less about direct attacks on each other and more about each them trying to make the case for why they would make the best nominee.

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JONES: On night two of CNN's GOP town hall, Donald Trump toning --

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