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Donald Trump and Marco Rubio Trade Insults; Interview Exchange Regarding Donald Trump and David Duke Raises Controversy; Video of American Student Held in North Korea Released; Should Democrats Be Worried About Turnout In November?; Donald Trump Versus Hillary Clinton In November? Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired February 29, 2016 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: I'm here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the white people's choice awards.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 88th Academy Awards did not shy away from the diversity controversy.
ROCK: I want the black actors to get the same opportunities. That's it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Monday, February 29, 8:00 in the east. Chris is off. Michaela is in Beverly Hills covering the Academy Awards. John Berman is here.
We begin with breaking news for you, because Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton running away with their respective races in a new national CNN poll. Trump and Clinton now widely expected to become their party's nominees. Take a look. Trump has the support of 49 percent of Republican voters. Marco Rubio is second, 33 points behind, challenging the idea that anyone else can consolidate support and challenge Trump. In fact, Trump has opened such a commanding lead he's beating all four of his rivals combined.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So much of the idea of a ceiling. Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side has opened a wider 17 point lead over Bernie Sanders on Democratic voters. Both frontrunners, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, with momentum now as they head into super Tuesday with so many delegates at stake toward.
Let's begin our coverage with Chris Frates in Alabama where Trump picked up a key endorsement from a big senator down there, Chris.
CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. So the GOP presidential campaign looking more like a middle school spat than a race for the highest office in the land with Marco Rubio and Donald Trump trading personal insults over their looks. And with just hours to go until voting starts on Super Tuesday, Marco Rubio saying Donald Trump is a conman. Donald Trump saying Marco Rubio is a choker. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He doesn't sweat because his pores are clogged from the spray tan that he uses.
(LAUGHTER)
FRATES: Marco Rubio unleashing an onslaught of insults and putdowns Sunday night in his latest string of personal attacks on Donald Trump.
RUBIO: Donald is not going to make America great. He's going to make America orange.
(LAUGHTER)
FRATES: Only hours after Trump took jabs at the freshman senator at a rally in Alabama.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Little Marco Rubio, a total, total featherweight.
RUBIO: He's always calling me "little Marco." And I'll admit, he's taller than me. He's like 6'2", which is why I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who is a 5'2". Have you seen his hands? They're like this. And you know what they say about men with small hands. You can't trust them.
FRATES: This as Trump stirs up controversy for what he didn't say.
RUBIO: Donald Trump refused, refused to criticize the Ku Klux Klan.
FRATES: The billionaire refusing to disavow support from former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke.
TRUMP: I don't know anything about David Duke, OK.
FRATES: Trump deflecting questions by CNN's Jake Tapper.
TRUMP: I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So I don't know. Did he endorse me, or what is going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke.
FRATES: But on Friday --
TRUMP: Did David Duke endorse me? OK. All right, I disavow, OK?
FRATES: And Trump does know of the Klansman. Back in 2000, the billionaire ended his brief flirtation with a presidential bid with the Reform Party who had ties to the former KKK leader, saying in a statement reported by the "New York Times" "This is not company I wish to keep." And Trump took to Twitter Sunday to once again disavow Duke's support, but only after he was attacked by some rivals.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FRATES: Now, Donald Trump got another boost from the establishment yesterday when Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions endorsed him at a big rally in the state here. The immigration hardliner the first sitting senator to endorse Donald Trump as the billionaire continues to coalesce establishment support around his run. John?
BERMAN: All right, Chris Frates in Alabama, thank you so much, Chris. Here to discuss with us further, senior adviser to the Donald Trump campaign Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sarah, of course, a Republican strategist who worked on her father's campaign Mike Huckabee who ran for president twice. Sarah, thanks so much for being with us. I really appreciate it.
You obviously know that over the last 24 hours so much of the discussion in this campaign has been an interview that Donald Trump did right here on CNN with Jake Tapper where he was asked about the fact that David Duke endorsed him. He was asked whether or not he would repudiate that endorsement and the endorsement of white supremacist groups. Just moments ago Donald Trump had a news explanation for he did not take the opportunity for such a disavowal in the CNN international. Let's listen to what Donald Trump just said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: First of all, he talked about David Duke and other groups. He talked about other groups.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you said three times I don't know who David Duke is.
TRUMP: Excuse. No, no. Well, I know who he is, but I never met David Duke. So when you talk about it, I never met David Duke.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But in 2000 you refused to run on the Reform Party platform because David Duke was a member of it.
[08:05:00] TRUMP: -- a day before at a major press conference, and I'm saying how many times do I have to continue to disavow people? And the question was asked about David Duke and various groups. And I don't know who the groups are. I said, would you do me a favor and tell me the groups? He was unable to tell me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He says "I'm just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here." And you said "Honestly, I don't know David Duke."
TRUMP: OK, so, let me tell you, I'm sitting in a house in Florida with a very bad hair piece that they gave me. And you can hardly hear what he was saying. But what I heard was various groups. And I don't mind disavowing anybody, and I disavowed David Duke, and I disavowed him the day before at a major news conference, which is surprising because he was at the major news conference, CNN was at the major news conference and they heard me very easily disavow Duke.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: So Sarah, Donald Trump says he had a bad earpiece during that interview. He didn't have any problems hearing any of the other questions.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: I think the point here is he disavowed him in 2000, as you said. He did it Friday. He did it again today. Frankly, I don't understand why we're still talking about it. He's repeatedly disavowed David Duke, and I think it's just another desperate attempt of his rivals trying to come after him and create a controversy with something that I don't think is really one. And I think it's time that we move on and focus on the issues that Americans really care about. And what they want to hear is who is going to bring them up instead of tear each other down, and I think that's where we need to move to at this point.
BERMAN: I've heard your father campaigning before talking about growing up in the segregated south and how important it is to take a firm stand to these things. Yes, Donald Trump did disavow David Duke on Friday. Yes, Donald Trump did disavow him in 2000. But there is no limit here, Sarah. And he clearly did not disavow him given the opportunity in that interview with Jake. It was just confusing I think to a lot of people because it sends a strange message to voters.
SANDERS: I guess I'm not following the strange message that it's sending, because every time he is directly asked about David Duke specifically he's disavowed him. And I think again, I think it's time. He's answered that question. There's really not another way to answer it, and I think we need to move on and focus on the issues that Americans are looking to hear leadership on. And I think we need to do just that, move on to other topics. And again, I think it's just another desperate attack from his rivals, who the closest one at this point from your own poll has him down 33 points.
BERMAN: The new CNN/ORC polls out this morning has Donald Trump at 49 percent support, Marco Rubio at 16 percent, Ted Cruz at 15 percent. You do clearly sense a feeling of panic, outright panic, in some circles in the Republican establishment.
Republican Senator Ben Sasse from Nebraska who is something of a darling right now among many movement conservatives, he flat out says that he will not vote for Donald Trump if he's president. He says "I'm as frustrated and saddened as you are about what's happening to the country, but I cannot support Donald Trump. I sincerely hope we select one of the other GOP candidates. But if Donald Trump ends up as the GOP nominee, conservatives will need to find a third option." Are you concerned right now that there are members within the Republican party who they will simply not vote for Donald Trump in November if he's the nominee?
SANDERS: I think it's a huge mistake. And I think that it's exactly why Americans are supporting Donald Trump. They're so sick and tired of this establishment trying to control every bit of the process. And the minute they lose some of that control, you see some of these nasty, negative attacks that they have been unleashing over the last 72 hours. And I think that's exactly why Donald Trump is resonating with the American people, because he is going in and shake up Washington in a way that they've never seen and in a way that we desperately need right now.
BERMAN: What if you lose more senators? What if you have more Republican leaders -- Erick Erickson who is a conservative talk radio host, says he won't vote for Donald Trump in November. What if more and more people join this chorus?
SANDERS: I think the more and more of the establishment crowd that you see joining this chorus, the more popular Donald Trump becomes. We've seen time and time again in this cycle that endorsements, particularly endorsements from establishment candidates and establishment elected officials have no bearing on this race. And it's because the establishment is part of the problem. If they want to blame anybody, it's them because the establishment and our elected officials have failed to control this White House and this administration. And the American people are mad and they want somebody to go in and fix it. And Donald Trump is the only person that can come in from the outside and do just that.
BERMAN: One endorsement that Donald Trump does not have at this point is the former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, a man you know well. Just moments ago go, your father, the former governor, refused to endorse Donald Trump again, though he does say supportive things of him whenever he gets the change. Why no endorsement from your father to Donald Trump?
SANDERS: I think that's a question you'll have to ask him on your show. Right now I'm 100 percent behind Mr. Trump since my dad got on the race and will continue working for him. And I'll see if I can help get my dad on here so you can ask him that question.
[08:10:006] BERMAN: Are you trying to convince your father to vote for Donald Trump?
SANDERS: I learned a long time ago that most of the time when I try to convince him of things that's not the best thing. Look, my dad likes Donald Trump a lot, and you haven't heard him say negative things about him. And right now I think he's still just trying to process coming out of his own race and looking to see what is next.
BERMAN: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, thanks so much for being with us. Really appreciate it. Come back.
SANDERS: Absolutely. Thank you.
BERMAN: In our next half hour we are going to speak to Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, the governor of Ohio. We'll get his take on all this news that's coming fast and furious.
And also an interview you really don't want to miss. Melania Trump speaks with Anderson Cooper. What does she think of her husband's unconventional campaign and a lot of the stuff being said about him on the trail? That's Melania Trump "AC360" tonight at 8:00 eastern only here on CNN. Alisyn?
CAMEROTA: OK, John, on the democratic side, Bernie Sanders is vowing to stay in the game and fight for the nomination. This despite CNN's news poll showing Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead nationally and momentum in key Super Tuesday states.
CNN's senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is in Minneapolis where Sanders has a big campaign rally planned today. Joe?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. The Hillary Clinton team trying to manage expectations but also trying to make their candidate look like the eventual nominee. They do not see a way to deliver a knockout punch to Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, but they are trying to build the delegate count for the next 14 days and all the way through the month of March. Hillary Clinton on the trial trying to sound more like a general election candidate, repeated her riff on Republican candidate Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that America is great right now. What we need is to be whole. We need to be whole, where all of us have a place, where everybody feels like we're all in this together. That's what I want to do in this campaign, and it is what I want to do as your president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Bernie Sanders appearing at a rally later today here at the Minneapolis convention center. He goes on to Massachusetts and ends up in Vermont where he will spend Super Tuesday night. Hillary Clinton going today also to Massachusetts and then to Fairfax, Virginia, as well as Norfolk. Back to you.
CAMEROTA: Joe, thanks so much. CNN is your home for the most comprehensive Super Tuesday coverage anywhere. You can join us tomorrow as voters head to the polls and for results late into the night.
BERMAN: This morning CNN has learned that the Army's elite Delta Force unit is preparing to target ISIS leaders in Iraq. Operations to capture and kill top operatives are on the way after several weeks of covert preparations, including setting up safe houses and establishing informant networks. The death toll from the latest ISIS attack is rising. And 66 people were killed, 160 hurt after twin bombings near a busy market in Baghdad.
CAMEROTA: A videotaped confession from an American college student detained in North Korea since early January has come forward. Otto Warmbier is accused of trying to steal a communist political sign from a hotel in Pyongyang. On the tape the 21-year-old sobs as he confesses to the hostile act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please, I've made the worst mistake of my life. But please act to save me. Please, think of my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: The University of Virginia undergrad claims he was manipulated by the U.S. government. It is not known if North Korea coerced Warmbier into this confession.
Let's get to Michaela. She is out in Hollywood with our big Oscar coverage. I don't know if you've slept yet, Michaela. Tell us about your big night.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: I slept for a moment. There is a few people coming through the lobby behind me here at the Montage Hotel. Last night at the Oscar telecast, Chris Rock did not let Hollywood off the hook. The comedian is lighting up social media, giving the movie industry some tough love, hammering home the lack of diversity in film. His monologue just an opening act to what would be a politically charged night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROCK: Well, I'm here at the Academy Awards. Otherwise known as the white people's choice awards.
PEREIRA: Chris Rock's highly anticipated monologue took the Oscar's white controversy head-on.
ROCK: No black nominees. And people like, Chris, you should boycott. Chris, you should quit. How come it's only unemployed people that tell you to quit something?
(LAUGHTER)
PEREIRA: Rock holding nothing back.
[08:15:00] ROCK: The 88th Academy Awards, which means this whole no black nominee thing has happened at least 71 other times. Black people did not protest. Why? Because we had real things to protest at the time, you know.
(APPLAUSE)
We had other things to protest. We were too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won the best (inaudible).
PEREIRA (voice-over): Dedicating his entire open to this year's lack of diversity, Rock took this moment to put it all into perspective.
ROCK: It's not about what -- it's just we want opportunity. Black actors to get the same opportunities. That's it.
PEREIRA: Vice President Joe Biden was met with a standing ovation for taking a stand against sexual assault.
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Take the pledge, a pledge that says I will intervene in situations when consent has not or cannot be given. Let's change the culture.
PEREIRA: Presenting Lady Gaga's performance of "Till It Happens To You" nominated for best song. Dozens of survivors sharing Gaga on stage for her emotional tribute. And Leonardo Dicaprio winning for his first academy awards for his leading role in "The Revenant" using his acceptance speech to address climate change.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species. Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted. Thank you so very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PEREIRA: It was finally Leo's big night. So in terms of the awards, not a lot of shockers last night. One of the big upsets, though, "Spotlight" taking the top prize, not "The Revenant," which had been highly favored to win best picture.
The film's subject matter brought an impassionate acceptance speech with one of the film's producers urging Pope Francis to protect children and restore faith.
Big night in Hollywood. Big morning here in Hollywood. People are still trickling in. I thought a couple of experts joining me later to talk fashion, some of the other big moments on the show and of course, how Chris Rock handled the whole thing.
CAMEROTA: Fantastic. I have some fashion issues with some things that happened last night. So I look forward to hearing about that.
PEREIRA: Did you not like the deep plunge?
CAMEROTA: It was a little stunning, a little shocking.
BERMAN: Don't look at me, I'm not commenting on the deep plunge. All right. Coming up for us, what is keeping Democratic strategists up at night? Why are they so worried after four contests? Political strategist, David Axelrod shares his take straight ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:21:21]
BERMAN: All right, Donald Trump not just leading the Republican race right now, bringing a lot of new voters to the polls. Democrats not so much. Turnout slipping in all of the early contests including big drops in Nevada, South Carolina as well.
So should Democrats be worried? David Axelrod is a CNN senior political commentator and former Obama senior advisor. David, every single state where they've held contest so far, Republican turnout is way up in some cases. Democratic turnout is way down in some cases.
And in our new poll when we asked about enthusiasm, we asked voters are they more enthusiastic than they were in the last election? Republicans essentially say yes, 58 percent. Democrats 46 percent say yes. How big of a problem is this for the Democrats?
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think it's a concern -- it should be a concern for Democrats. It is not an uncommon problem for a party trying to hold the White House for a third term to run into these enthusiasm issues.
And that's been the case throughout history. That's why the last time some party has done it was 1988. I think this election is a little bit different, though, because it's increasingly apparent that Donald Trump could be the Republican nominee.
And while he creates great enthusiasm among his supporters, I think he also has the potential to create great enthusiasm among Democrats who are eager to stop him from becoming president.
So he could end up being a gift, though, I think one that Democrats will eye warily because he's defied all expectations so far.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely. So let's look at another one of these polls because for people who support Donald Trump, 78 percent say they are more enthusiastic than they have been in any previous elections.
So what do you think in -- what does this tell Hillary Clinton, how concerned should she be for all the enthusiasm for Donald Tump and it is unclear whether that will be a motivating factor for her fans.
AXELROD: Well, Alisyn, I think one thing is very clear, many people including myself expected Donald Trump to be gone by winter and he may well be the nominee. He's not a side show. He's not as Governor O'Malley said merely a carnival barker.
He could be the Republican nominee for president. He does stir great enthusiasm among his base and his base includes a lot of people who haven't been engaged before. So that is concerning.
On the other hand, he has walled himself off from Hispanic voters. He has antagonized many within the electorate and especially within the emerging electorate of minorities and young people.
So I think that he has his work cut out for him, as well and he may be what Hillary Clinton needs to do what she hasn't been able do, which is stir great enthusiasm among the Democratic base.
BERMAN: David, I want you to weigh in on the controversy over this weekend. Donald Trump and David Duke and the KKK. Jake Tapper asked him several times in an interview on "STATE OF THE UNION" whether or not he wanted to denounce David Duke, denounce the support from white supremacist groups.
In the interview yesterday, Donald Trump didn't do it. Before and after, yes, but yesterday given the opportunity he did not. What kind of an impact can take have in the Republican race going forward?
People say this could be a Todd Akin moment. You remember back in 2012, Todd Akin running for Senate in Missouri used the legitimate rape comment. Is this something that sticks with Trump like an anchor?
AXELROD: Well, you know, Todd Akin was not Donald Trump. Todd Akin didn't have -- hasn't built up the kind of momentum, didn't have the name recognition or persona of Donald Trump. He has survived everything else.
[08:25:03]He's made a number of things that pundits and elites said were gaffes and has survived them smartly throughout this campaign. I'm not willing to say at this point that this one is disqualifying for the nomination.
I do think these things linger and they aggregate and they are going to be problematical for him if he becomes the Republican nominee. But I think he's going to have a good day tomorrow.
Certainly the CNN poll, you know, with all this talk of water battles and sweat and pant sweating, you'd say this was a fluid race. But you look at the CNN poll and you'd have to say it's over.
Now, this is one poll. It may be an outlier. But he's in a very good position to win this nomination. Let me say one more thing, though. These presidential races are a series of tests.
Because you're auditioning for the toughest job on the planet whether everything you say can send armies marching and markets tumbling.
So how you deal with these kinds of questions under pressure is part of the test. Yesterday, he failed that test. We'll see how he does moving along.
CAMEROTA: David, you set us up perfectly for the Marco Rubio montage we've prepared because they seemed to have veered into a different tact, the standup comedy tact. So listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He doesn't sweat because his pores are clogged from the spray tan that he is using. Donald is not going to make America great, he's going to make America orange.
He's always calling me little Marco and I'll admit, he's taller, he's like 6'2", which is why I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5'2" Have you seen his hands? They're like this and you know what they say about men with small hands. You can't trust them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: David, what do you think of this new line of attack?
AXELROD: I'd say to Senator Rubio keep your day job because I'm not sure you're going to make it in standup. Look, I think he's decided that the way you get on television, the way you make yourself the alternative to Trump is to try and emulate him, but I don't know that you can knock off Donald Trump by trying to be a knockoff of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is a unique figure and I think Marco Rubio has diminished himself by going after him in the way that he has gone after him. He may feel like this is his last desperate attempt to tackle the guy before he reaches the end zone, but we'll seal tomorrow whether it has a positive effect.
He's going after upscale highly educated Republicans. I don't know how impressed they're going to be by this performance.
BERMAN: David Axelrod, thank you so much for being with us.
CAMEROTA: Donald Trump is leading in the new CNN poll ahead of Super Tuesday. But Ohio Governor John Kasich says he has a plan to turn things around to get the nomination. We'll sit down with him next on NEW DAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
