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Romney Bombshell; CNN Money Now; Fighting Bipolar Stigma; Texas Voters Weigh in on Republican Candidates. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired February 25, 2016 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:33:36] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We're laughing here because we're talking about naughty things. Now, politics is at play. Mitt Romney throwing a curve ball ahead of tonight's Republican debate. It's the only thing to call it. He is bringing up Donald Trump's taxes, saying they could contain a bombshell. Guess what Trump said? A lot. Here it is. The tweet from this morning. "Mitt Romney, whose was one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics, is now pushing me on tax returns? Dope."
Now, we love to read these tweets because they are words we're otherwise never allowed to say on television. So, is this wisdom worthy of the White House? Is this situation relevant to the race? Let's discuss.
CNN political commentator Ana Navarro. She supported Jeb Bush's presidential campaign, now a free agent if anyone is interested. CNN political commentator and former White House political director for Ronald Reagan, Jeffrey Lord. He is a Donald Trump supporters.
Ann, any chance that you're jumping on boat with The Donald before he gets to 1,237 delegates and you're the last person in?
ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No. I'm really - there's more of a chance that I stay on the Titanic than - than I go on, you know, on a Donald Trump boat. I - look, I, you know, I find Donald Trump completely un-presidential, unacceptable. I don't like his methods. I don't think he's got any policies. You know, I think his attitude, his behavior is just unacceptable for somebody that's going to be in the Oval Office.
[08:35:00] CUOMO: And yet, right now he has a commanding lead and here comes Mitt Romney, who, as we will recall in his race for president, Harry Reid got up on the Senate floor and said, we have reason to believe that Mitt Romney hasn't played a cent of taxes in ten years. He made some outlandish statement. He didn't really have the proof of it, but it wound up being a real political problem because Mitt Romney, like many big investors, paid money for taxes on the investment side, not the income side, so he was paying at a lower rate than a lot of people. So he hated that tactic.
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right.
CUOMO: Now here he comes up against Trump. Why would he do this? And what could be the bombshell, Jeffrey Lord.
LORD: He would do this, Chris, because this is the kind of thing he can do to Donald Trump, but it's the kind of thing he never had the chops to do with Barack Obama and it's why he's not in the White House.
CUOMO: What would be the analog for Barack Obama? What -
LORD: The analog would have been going after him on Benghazi and doing all these things during the debates. This is the problem with Republican moderates, you know, they're tougher on their conservative compadres than they are on the Democrats.
CUOMO: All right.
LORD: That's why they don't win.
CUOMO: But what about his tactics? What should -
NAVARRO: Careful with the compadre thing. We're very - we are - we are in Houston and I'm not sure there's too much compadre (INAUDIBLE) between Romney and Trump right now. Look, it's a completely different set of circumstances. First of all, Donald Trump, unlikely Mitt Romney, is not awkward about his money. He has absolutely no qualms about saying, I'm rich.
LORD: Right.
NAVARRO: I'm very, very rich. In fact, he might even say it in Spanish today. (SPEAKING IN SPANISH). You know, so, Mitt Romney, you know, for him it was a little bit more difficult to deal with his health. You know, Trump embraces it full bear hug. In fact, if anything might be in there in those tax returns that might bother him is that he's not as filthy rich as he thinks he is or he says he is.
The other thing is, you know, ostensibly, he's not going to - Trump, if he were the nominee, would not be running against a community organizer, against Barack Obama, who was raised poor and who lived poor for a lot of his life. He's going to be running against a woman who is very awkward about her wealth, her newfound wealth now that -
LORD: That's right.
NAVARRO: You know, the Clintons are very, very wealthy now as well. So it's a completely different set of circumstances.
LORD: But they -
CUOMO: Why didn't Trump put out the returns, though, for one simple reason? Yes, maybe they'll show he's not worth what he's worth. I've been investigating that for over a decade. I think it's likely that that would come out -
NAVARRO: It's continued (ph) that long? I mean that's a slow moving investigation. CUOMO: It's hard to do. It's all private. We were doing it at ABC News. It's all private. So it's really it's word about what he's worth.
LORD: Right.
CUOMO: And I think that's probably a side issue, because he's going to be worth a lot of money no matter how you look at it. But, from a disclosure perspective, Donald Trump is all over Hillary Clinton about not putting out the e-mails and what she did put out.
LORD: Yes. Yes. Yes.
CUOMO: Not putting out the speeches. Now it's his turn to show, I'll disclose. And his people are making the same arguments hers do for why he isn't. We don't want people to go on a hunting expedition.
LORD: Chris, I don't think it - I don't think it matters. And I'll tell you why.
CUOMO: Then put them out.
LORD: I don't think it - it matters one way or another and, you know, I don't know what he's going to do, whether he'll do it or not. But the point is, he - he - is for decades been a cultural figure in this country. People think they know him. They don't care. I think this is truly irrelevant. Unlikely most politicians who are politicians first and then maybe, like Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, they become culturally figures. His opponents here are all a bunch of pols and for them their people want to know, well, who are you and what have you got? In Donald's case, I don't think they care.
CUOMO: Quick take on the debate tonight. Who do you think comes after him? Who do you think he goes after? Is there any point of emphasize?
LORD: Oh, he'll probably go after Ted Cruz and Ted Cruz will probably go after him. And, again, I think we've had so many of these debates. At this point, if they couldn't sink him, I mean they've thrown everything, including the kitchen sink, I don't think it's going to - it's going to matter (ph).
NAVARRO: I hope - I hope Marco Rubio -
CUOMO: Do they have to go after him, Ana, as opposed to going for yourself? I know that sounds, you know, you know, too -
LORD: Goo goo.
CUOMO: Too goo goo, right, but isn't the only way to beat him is to offer something better?
NAVARRO: I think you've got to do both things. I think there's a lot of people who don't like Donald Trump and there's still a significant mass of us who want a candidate that's got the ability and the backbone to take him on. I think it's important that Marco does that tonight. We've seen Ted Cruz do it in recent weeks. We've seen Marco Rubio take
a low profile. I think this tax issue is actually a good issue for Marco to take on. Not Mitt Romney, but, yes, Marco Rubio, who has, you know, been raised paycheck to paycheck all of his life. And, you know, I think that for a lot of the donors, for a lot of the supporters, for people like Jeb Bush and others who have cropped out, it's a litmus test. Do you have the ability, the will and the backbone to take on Donald Trump, because we're now getting to the point where there's so few of them -
LORD: Or do you want to be vice president?
NAVARRO: Or - or nominee in 2020. You know, if - and if that's the case, then get off the stage.
CUOMO: Well there you have it.
LORD: Yes. Yes. We'll tell them. Get the word out. Marco.
CUOMO: Jeffrey, Ana, thank you very much. As always, appreciate it. It's going to be a big night, boy, and there's no question Trump's got the momentum. He's been winning the race. The polls all show it and he's been proving it every time people vote. But tonight is another big opportunity.
So, what can be done for Donald and against him? We have a panel of Republican voters saying what they want to see, next.
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[08:43:45] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEW DAY.
It is time for "CNN Money Now." Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is in our Money Center.
A lot of Apple news today, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, Alisyn, you're right, top story today. Apple's CEO Tim Cook says unlocking the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists is the, quote, "software equivalent of cancer." Speaking out on TV for the first time since the company was ordered to help the FBI investigate, Cook tells ABC that creating a backdoor operating system would be very dangerous and trample civil liberties.
Apple's privacy fight with the government is not helping its stock price, by the way. Investors were ditching shares even before its legal battle with the FBI. Apple is down 10 percent this year. A stunning 30 percent down from its high last April. Why? IPhone sales are also slowing and may even decline this quarter. Alisyn, Apple is one of those stocks that's in a lot - is probably in your portfolio. It's in pretty much all of those 401(k)s out there. A widely held stock.
CAMEROTA: I thought it was indestructible, frankly.
ROMANS: It used to be and now it's just been going down.
CAMEROTA: OK, good to know.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
CAMEROTA: Thanks so much, Christine.
Well, nearly 6 million Americans suffer from bipolar disorder. Among them, an actress using comedy to help remove the stigma. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has this week's "Turning Points."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTORIA MAXWELL, COMEDIAN: Coo coo, gonzolo (ph), (INAUDIBLE), kitzo (ph), schizo, wacko, weirdo.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Victoria Maxwell knows what it's like to be called names. Because of that, this actress, who once worked with David Duchovny in "The X Files," was in denial for five years.
[08:45:12] MAXWELL: I was hearing things, seeing things, believing things that weren't there.
GUPTA: Victoria has bipolar disorder, which can cause severe episodes of mania, depression, even hallucinations.
MAXWELL: I ran down the street naked looking for God in a psychosis and even that didn't wake me up.
GUPTA: A nurse convinced her to seek therapy. It took two and a half years to find the right medication.
MAXWELL: There is a big stigma about being on psychiatric drugs that somehow it's like because I can't cope, I'm on medication. And no, it is because I have a certain kind of system and in order to function really well I need medicine.
GUPTA: In 2001 she saw a flyer for a disability festival and entered.
MAXWELL: "Schizophrenic man attacks police." I mean, they never splash the headline "diabetic man attacks police."
GUPTA: For the past fifteen years, Victoria has performed her critically acclaimed shows to help remove the stigma of mental illness. An illness she knows all too well.
MAXWELL: To me it's about rediscovering joy in your life and a lot of people don't ever find that chance, even if they don't have a mental illness.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:50:26] CUOMO: What do the voters think, especially in this key Super Tuesday state? What do they want to hear tonight? What do they not want to hear? Let's ask them.
Randy Powell, Donald Trump supporter; Kelly Horsely -- great name being down here in Houston, Texas -- Ted Cruz supporter; Roseanne Rodriguez, Marco Rubio supporter. It's great to have you all here. You all excited for tonight?
RANDY POWELL, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Absolutely.
CUOMO: All right. So let's start with some of the obvious points. You were with Trump, period, amen. 75 percent plus of his supporters say they wouldn't go for anybody else. They are a hundred percent revolved. Are you in that camp?
POWELL: Absolutely.
CUOMO: All right. Now, different with the other candidates. Are you 100 percent committed?
ROSEANNE RODRIGUEZ, MARCO RUBIO SUPPORTER: 100 percent.
CUOMO: Not looking at anybody else. Won't look at anybody else.
RODRIGUEZ: (Inaudible).
CUOMO: Same for you?
KELLY HORSELY, TED CRUZ SUPPORTER: 100 percent.
CUOMO: So what happens if it's not your guy? Would you then support the nominee anyway? Would you move to somebody else?
HORSELY: I would support the nominee, yeah.
CUOMO: You support the nominee. You support the nominee?
RODRIGUEZ: It depend on who the nominee is.
CUOMO: What if it's his man, Donald Trump?
RODRIGUEZ: I would have to take a look and see. I wouldn't say I would fully support the nominee if it's Donald Trump.
CUOMO: All right. And let's talk about where we are at this stage and what's driving your support. Give me one or two reasons. Why Donald Trump?
POWELL: He's a businessman. He's not a politician. Politicians have gotten us where we are. We need someone who knows how to run a business successfully, worldwide economy. I think he can bring that over to the American presidency and do a wonderful job.
CUOMO: All right. Cruz. HORSELY: I think that Ted Cruz is a principled grassroots conservative, someone who has defended the Constitution and religious liberties over and over again and I think he's proven himself as the leader that we need at this time.
CUOMO: Rubio.
RODRIGUEZ: He has a very positive story. His story is very similar to my story. He resonates, his message resonates with millions of Americans across this country. The fact that he wants to strengthen the military is very important. We need to be leaders in the world again and that is why I'm supporting him.
CUOMO: Now, concern swinging back the other way. Yes, he has the immigrant story that makes America so unique on so many different levels, but he is not on the position that Latinos and the Hispanic community cares about the most which is immigration, path to citizenship. He is not where a lot of Latinos want him to be. His numbers with Latinos are about 50/50 in terms of favorability. What does that mean?
RODRIGUEZ: Well I think with immigration, within the Hispanic community, that is not the No. 1 issue. The economy and education when you talk to Hispanics, that is what they are concerned about. They are concerned about the security. They want border security. They want this country to be secure. They want immigration to be fixed. It is just the rhetoric that is causing problems, not so much the issues.
CUOMO: Both with Rubio and Cruz, there is a new poll out this morning about -- I know you can look at it in "The Washington Post" if you want -- about the Latinos and the Hispanic community. They identify where these gentleman are in immigration as why they don't support them as much as they could. Cruz, for instance, has a higher negative than positive. Does that bother you?
HORSELY: Yeah. Any time your candidate that you support has a negative, that bothers you. But like I said, he's principled, he stands for family values, pro-second amendment, pro-life, pro-family. All of the things that I think are important to me and definitely could resonate with others as well.
CUOMO: Mitt Romney questions Donald Trump's taxes. He calls him a dope. A guy protests at one of his events, he says he wants to punch him in the face. Do these things trouble you coming from a potential president?
POWELL: Well seeing how Romney's taxes is what got him in trouble when he ran for president, it's a little hypocrisy there.
CUOMO: Absolutely --
POWELL: I think he's a mouthpiece for the GOP.
CUOMO: You could make that --
POWELL: And I think Trump's taxes will stand for themselves.
CUOMO: You could make that --
POWELL: I don't think his economic standings with his taxes have anything to do with his qualifications to be a president.
CUOMO: When he -- Is it a qualification to be president that when someone disagrees with you, you call them a dope and say that you want to punch them in the face?
POWELL: His lack of PC correctness doesn't bother me one bit.
CUOMO: That's PC correctness?
POWELL: To me it is.
CUOMO: So if someone said that to you about somebody --
POWELL: I generalized a lot of things together when I said PC correctness.
CUOMO: Yes.
POWELL: It doesn't bother me in the least.
CUOMO: And that -- Why is that, though? Because you would care if he were your friend, if he were your uncle, if he were your business associate.
POWELL: I think the amount of good and the strengths that he brings to the table as a president candidacy overweigh those few things that we all wish were a little bit different.
CUOMO: That is what it is.
POWELL: That is what it is.
CUOMO: It matters more than that. It's not that that doesn't --
POWELL: The good that he's going to do is going to overcome those few things that we all don't like.
CUOMO: Tonight, Rubio and Cruz. Do you want to see Rubio go at Donald Trump? Do you need to see that to feel that you have the confidence in your man that the senator can do the job?
RODRIGUEZ: No, I think that he just needs to stay on the message, talk about the American people and what he's going to bring as president. He's not running against Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. He's running to be president of the United States.
[08:55:00] CUOMO: Do you feel the same way or do you think that to take Trump out, you have to go at him?
HORSELY: I do agree with that. I think that he needs to stay on message. Focus on issues. I think that Trump will take care of himself.
CUOMO: It is not surprising to me that women do not immediately see the need for two men to fight in order to prove which one is better. It is a little bit of a uniquely male dynamic, but it is at play on that stage tonight. So we'll see how it goes. Good luck to each of your candidates. Appreciate you being here.
POWELL: Thank you.
CUOMO: All right. So we're talking about the politics. Always nice to have an antidote. So we have "The Good Stuff" coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: Let's close out the show this morning with some "Good Stuff." Here is a great story. Larry Sloan and his wife bought a theater space in Iowa. And during renovations, they stumbled across a wallet under a floorboard. They had a look at the ID and then they tracked down the owner who had misplaced it more than 71 years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY SLOAN, THE TALENT FACTORY OWNER: I said I think we found your wallet. He said well I haven't lost my wallet.
CLARE MCINTOSH, LOST WALLET 71 YEARS AGO: I thought at first it must be some sort of a joke and I thought, well, it couldn't be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to do with these things now?
MCINTOSH: Well I'm going to just kind of cherish them, I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Cherish them, I think. That's the lesson. Other items in the wallet, a family photos, a pocket calendar for 1944 and ration stamps from the war.
