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Trump, Clinton Win Big on Super Tuesday. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 02, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to make America great again.

[07:00:24] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America never stopped being great.

TRUMP: We're going to start winning a lot, folks. Get used to it.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The path to beat him is for us to unify.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not a general election. It's not winner-take-all.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party.

CLINTON: The stakes in this election have never been higher.

Rhetoric we're hearing on the other side has never been lower.

RUBIO: He was supposed to have that southern firewall, and it didn't happen.

TRUMP: I deal with Rubio. I deal with Cruz. These guys don't know anything. They have no clue what's going on.

CRUZ: It is time for adult leadership. We need to step up and say, "Enough is enough."

TRUMP: Our country is so unbelievably divided. We're going to bring our country together, folks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our special post-Super- Tuesday edition of NEW DAY, and we do begin with breaking news. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both dominating their fields in last night's contests. Trump sweeping seven states, though rival Ted Cruz victorious in three states and Marco Rubio capturing his first win.

CUOMO: All right. Looking at the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton wins seven states, growing her delegate lead. But she did not shut the door on Sanders. Bernie Sanders with four wins.

So now you have Trump and Clinton appearing to accelerate toward their party's nominations. But last night showed there is work yet to be done on both sides.

We have this race covered the way only CNN can. Let's begin our coverage with John Berman, here to break down who won where and what that means for delegates -- J.B.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Chris, you know, this morning Donald Trump is the clear front-runner on the Republican side with some big wins last night in seven states. Take a look: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. Notice the geographic difference here: Alabama, Massachusetts, Georgia, Vermont. A broad range right there.

But Trump not the only guy to win last night. Ted Cruz picked up three states, as well: his home state, Texas; Oklahoma; and in the wee hours of the morning, we called Alaska for Ted Cruz. So three pick- ups for Cruz there. Not insignificant.

As for Marco Rubio, he got his first win in this entire race. He did win the Minnesota caucuses, so now he's not just claiming victory for second- and third-place finishes.

Let's look at the delegate count right now. Donald Trump out in front with 315, Ted Cruz at 205, Marco Rubio pretty far back at 106; 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination.

Let's talk now about the Democrats. Hillary Clinton, like Donald Trump, picking up seven states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. A lot of southern states there, though, but Massachusetts closely contested by both campaigns. A big win for Hillary Clinton.

Bernie Sanders, he picked up four states. These were targeted by the Sanders campaign. These are states they went right after: Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and his home state of Vermont.

What does that mean for delegates? The Democrats, all proportional right now. Hillary Clinton at 1,055, Bernie Sanders at 418. Yes, Hillary Clinton's numbers do include super delegates, but they count here, and they count at the convention. You can see Hillary Clinton just a little bit under halfway to the total of 2,383needed to clinch the nomination -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right, J.B., appreciate it. Makes it clearer for us.

Now, if we take a look at Republican front-runner Donald Trump, he was dominating his rivals as you look across. He won states last night that no other person has ever won on the Republican side. And all those who have come close have all been the nominee. So where does it go from here?

CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is live in Palm Beach with more. Florida looming even larger now as a winner-take-all. JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right,

Chris. Donald Trump wants Florida. He is hands down the clear winner from Super Tuesday. He is firmly in control of the GOP battle for the White House, but he did not drive his rivals out of the race. There are some men left standing, mostly notably Ted Cruz, who has emerged once again as the man who could potentially stop Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: We have expanded the Republican Party.

ACOSTA (voice-over): It was a big night for Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner now well on his way to clinching the Republican nomination.

TRUMP: The Republicans have tremendous energy. The Democrats don't. They don't have any energy. Their numbers are down. Our numbers are through the roof.

ACOSTA: The billionaire businessman racked up seven state wins, including delegate-rich Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee.

[07:05:05] TRUMP: I think we're going to be more inclusive. I think we're going to be more unified, and I think we're going to win in November.

ACOSTA: After days of controversy over support from white supremacists, Trump tried to strike a more diplomatic tone, claiming he can unify the country.

TRUMP: I'm a unifier. I know people are going to find that a little bit hard to believe, but believe me, I am a unifier.

CRUZ: The path to beating him is for us to unify.

ACOSTA: Ted Cruz also called for unity, asking the other three non- Trump candidates to drop out, after he won his home state of Texas, neighboring Oklahoma, and Alaska.

CRUZ: Listen, if we remain divided, then in all likelihood, Donald Trump becomes the nominee. That -- that result was made clear tonight. But I think Donald has a hard ceiling of 35 to 40 percent.

ACOSTA: Cruz is making the case that he's the GOP's only hope to win the White House.

CRUZ: For those who have supported other candidates, we welcome you on our team, standing united as one.

ACOSTA: But Trump said GOP leaders should get behind him or else.

TRUMP: I'm going to get along great with Congress. OK?

Paul Ryan, I don't know him well, but I'm sure I'm going to get along great with him. And if I don't, he's going to have to pay a big price, OK? ACOSTA: And even on a night of victories, Trump continued the war of

insults with Marco Rubio.

TRUMP: I know it was a very tough night for Marco Rubio. He had a tough night, but he worked hard. He spent a lot of money. He is a lightweight.

ACOSTA: But Rubio did pull off his first win in Minnesota and vowed to fight on.

RUBIO: There will never come a time in this race where our supporters are asking us to get out and rally around Donald Trump, where people are saying, "Fight as hard as you can to save the party of Lincoln and Reagan from a con artist who refuses to criticize the KKK."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: But the stop-Trump movement is picking up steam in the GOP. A Republican anti-Trump super PAC announced last night it is hiring more staff, pouring more resources into defeating the front-runner before the next critical contests, which are coming up quickly on Saturday and spread out over the next two weeks.

For those who want to stop Trump inside the GOP, time is simply running out, Alisyn. Ted Cruz can say he won Texas. Now all the pressure is on Marco Rubio to win Florida.

CAMEROTA: Sure is. OK, Jim, thanks so much for that.

Well, Hillary Clinton on the other side, making a clear pivot to the general election and an increasingly likely match-up with Trump. Still, Bernie Sanders fights on.

CNN senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, is live in Miami with the Clinton campaign.

Hi, Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Alisyn. Hillary Clinton rolled through a swath of southern states, racking up big wins from Virginia to Arkansas. Even beyond that. I mean, some of these wins were more than 2-1 margins, winning 60 to 70 percent of the vote.

Now Bernie Sanders, he also won Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado and his home state of Vermont. That gives him the credibility to fight on here, as this becomes a delegate fight.

But it was clear at the respective victory parties last night that they had one person on their mind. His name was Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: That work is not to make America great again. America never stopped being great. SANDERS: When we bring out people together and when we have the

courage to stand up to the billionaire class and tell them they can't have it all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So you may be wondering why Democrats are talking so much about Donald Trump. One thing is, that's the best way they can fire up their base. One thing we've seen throughout all of these primaries, starting with Iowa, and continuing through Super Tuesday, the voter turnout for Democrats is not hitting record levels at all. It is on the Republican side. There is some worry here about the excitement factor. So when Democratsbring up Donald Trump, they believe that he is their rallying cry here.

But the next week of this Democratic contest so important. The Michigan primary in a week, March 8, next Tuesday, could be a critical moment here. Between now and when they have two debates, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, on Sunday and again on Wednesday.

So a key week here going ahead. But Hillary Clinton is the front- runner. And, mathematically, at least, it's almost impossible -- it's getting impossible for her to lose that lead -- Chris.

CUOMO: Well, especially when you look at the super delegates. And there's no question that turnout is going to reverberate on many levels. Certainly, in the primary, it means something about Sanders and his revolution or movement. It could mean something very different in the general.

So let's take a look at the exit polls and what they show us. Christine Romans here to take us through some of those deciding factors.

If symbolism means anything, Christine, Donald Trump looked like a president giving a press conference last night, to flags behind him. Christie poised over his shoulder. The message clear.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And his supporters are mad as hell. And that's why they are supporting him, clearly. Across Super Tuesday, anger was good for Donald Trump.

Let's look at Georgia. Almost half there said they are angry with the federal government. Trump won very big with that group.

Moving to Arkansas, we asked the same question. Almost half of GOP voters there said they're angry. Their candidate is, again, Donald Trump.

In Tennessee, where again, almost half of the voters are angry, Trump overwhelmingly won those voters in Tennessee.

[07:12:08] Now, the anger at the federal government pervasive in these Southern states. But also in more moderate states.

Let's look at Massachusetts. Three quarters of voters there say they want an outsider, someone not from the political establishment, as their candidate. Trump won with that demographic.

In Alabama, 6 in 10 voters said they wanted an outsider to be president. Of those, Donald Trump is their man. Again, that huge dissatisfaction and anger, anger with the establishment really driving Donald Trump supporters, guys.

CAMEROTA: OK, Christine. Thanks so much for all of that.

So we want to bring in now the first member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump last week, Republican Congressman of New York, Chris Collins. Good morning, Congressman.

REP. CHRIS COLLINS (R), NEW YORK: Good morning, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about last night's results. Were you surprised? You support Donald Trump. Many thought that he might sweep and win everything. Marco Rubio won Minnesota. Ted Cruz won Texas, which many predicted. But also Oklahoma and even Alaska, obviously, Sara Palin's state. She had come out for Trump. Did those things surprise you?

COLLIN: No, Alisyn. It was a big night for Donald Trump. I mean, he's right where he needs to be as we head into Florida and Ohio, winner-take-all states. I do think we all knew that Ted Cruz was going to win Texas, but Donald Trump had a fabulous night.

And with one third of the states now having spoken, there's no question the Republican Party, those in the Republican Party want Donald Trump as our next president. As I heard others say, the outsider. We've been seven and a half years without a leader. Their frustration with ISIS, with Russia, what's gone on with our jobs disappearing to China and Mexico. Our borders, which are not secure.

America wants a leader who will secure the borders, who will stand up to Vladimir Putin. If he goes to visit Raul Castro, he'll come back with a Hellfire missile, not a box of cigars.

CAMEROTA: Congressman, I just want to stop you for a second. You say there's no question that the party supports Donald Trump or that Republicans are supporting Donald Trump. There is still a question. I mean, we've heard from all sorts of party leaders who say that Donald Trump is -- would basically be the death of their party. I mean, in basically terms like that.

For instance, let's talk about what Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell said just yesterday. They were responding to the fact that Donald Trump seemed reluctant to condemn the KKK and David Duke. And they spoke in very strong terms. So let me play your colleagues for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-MN), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party, there can be no evasion and no games. They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: Let me make it perfectly clear. Senate Republicans condemn David Duke, the KKK and his racism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So Congressman, all sorts of establishment Republicans are not embracing Donald Trump.

COLLINS: But he has condemned David Duke. He's absolutely disavowed anything to do with the KKK. Those who keep bringing that up, that's desperation politics. It's what desperation politics is all about. It is clear that Donald Trump is not a racist. He has disavowed David Duke. He's disavowed the KKK. To think that people are still bringing that up means they have got nothing else to go to.

CAMEROTA: But the larger -- to the larger point is that you're saying that it looks like Republicans are embracing Donald Trump. But it doesn't. I mean, just as recently as yesterday, these party leaders were saying that he would be bad for the party.

COLLINS: Well, no. The public is speaking. When I say the Republican Party, the tent of the Republican Party, Donald Trump has gone from New Hampshire to South Carolina. He hit Mississippi. He's -- he's doing well. He's going to win Florida. He's going to win Ohio. Donald Trump is winning all over the nation with the people that matter: the voters. The Republican voters. Those are the people that come to Washington to represent. We represent the people of the United States.

The fact that you've got some people, many of them career politicians, that are condemning Donald Trump, is going to de -- even energize the base more.

CAMEROTA: I mean, of course, if he were to become president, he would have to work with those Republicans, as well as Democrats in Congress. Here's what Donald Trump said last night in response to Paul Ryan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Look, I don't want to waste a lot of time. I disavowed -- OK, I'm going to get along great with Congress. OK? Paul Ryan, I don't know him well, but I'm sure I'm going to get along great with him. And if I don't, he's going to have to pay a big price. OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. "He's going to have to pay a big price." That's not conciliatory talk.

COLLINS: Donald Trump is a chief executive. Donald Trump's got 40- year career in the private sector dealing with, you know, everyone from his vendors, his customers, his employees. That's what private- sector people do. We learn how to get along to make sure that we have bridges to everyone. That's the difference between private-sector individuals and those die-hards in the political world.

I am confident that Paul Ryanand Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell will get along very well, because we all care about one thing: getting America great again. We care about securing our borders, national defense, and getting our jobs done. That we will coalesce around, and you're going to see, once Donald Trump is President Trump, you'll see us all working very well together.

CAMEROTA: Congressman, I want to ask you, back to that news conference last night, it looked presidential. He was standing in front of all these reporters. It was draped with all sorts of flags. And then there, standing right behind him, was Chris Christie, in many say which was the traditional vice-presidential position. Do you think that Chris Christie would be his vice-presidential pick?

COLLINS: Well, I don't even want to travel down that road. That would be up to Mr. Trump to see where he goes. But Mr. Trump is our presumptive nominee. Certainly he's got some more work to do. And I think Ohio and Florida will be very big states for him.

At some point, you know, he's going to -- you're going to see him pivot to a general election, like you're seeing Hillary Clinton. You can't be the president without being the nominee. You can't be the nominee without winning the primary.

What Donald Trump has accomplished in this primary is unprecedented. He has spent very little money. He has rounded up the delegates that no one thought any of the original 17 would have by this point.

Donald Trump is absolutely brilliant, and what he's done from a strategy standpoint tells you why America needs Donald Trump. His strategy, his focus and the way he wins is shaking the very foundations of the political world. That's exactly why the American public are going to follow him. And you're going to see working-class Democrats, the trades.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

COLLINS: Certainly, those in my district in western New York. They're going to be crossing over with energy to support Donald Trump, who's going to bring the jobs back to America.

CAMEROTA: Congress, there's something else new this morning that I wanted to bounce off you. Six New Jersey newspapers, all Gannett- owned, have called upon Chris Christie, the governor, to resign. Is it dangerous for you and people like Chris Christie to support Donald Trump? What kind of pushback are you getting in the halls of Congress there?

COLLINS: I'm not getting any pushback. My fellow members realize Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee. For various reasons, in their own districts, they can't endorse him. I'm getting absolutely no pushback here in Washington.

But let me tell you, in Western New York, the energy is beyond anything you could comprehend. We have the New York State Republican convention coming to Buffalo on Friday. I'll be one of the keynote speakers at that. And they've asked me to open the convention, because they want to hear about Donald Trump. So the energy in New York, the energy in Western New York is beyond

anything you could imagine. And so within my district, the 27th District of New York, it's very good politics for me.

CAMEROTA: All right. Congressman Chris Collins, thanks so much for taking the time...

COLLINS: Thanks, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: ... to be on NEW DAY. We appreciate it.

COLLINS: OK. OK.

CAMEROTA: Chris.

CUOMO: All right. So on the other side, we have Hillary Clinton winning big wherever minorities were driving the vote. But there is concern in that success. Turnout. We're going to discuss what last night means about the race ahead with no less than Madeline Albright. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:38] CUOMO: Hillary Clinton pulling out some big wins on Super Tuesday, taking seven states, capturing a minority vote in the South to be sure. She's now nearly halfway to the delegate count needed to clinch the nomination. The results a reminder of how much is at stake with what's going on in the world today.

Here to discuss, former secretary of state and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Madeline Albright, endorsing Hillary Clinton.

Madame Secretary, always a pleasure to have you with us.

MADELINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Good to sit down with you guys.

CUOMO: Thanks for being here. You just came from a trip abroad. And you say it gave you fresh perspective on how people see what's going on in this race. Tell us.

ALBRIGHT: Well, what happened, I was in the Middle East. I was in Tunisia and Egypt and Jordan and Saudi Arabia; and people really ask, what is going on? How can we be having a discussion in which foreign policy kind of is not at the center of things?

But whenever anything is said, it is -- by Donald Trump, it is scary, I think in terms of what he thinks he's going to do or a lack of understanding. And we have an opportunity as never before, is to have somebody who's really ready to be commander in chief and president because of her experience.

CAMEROTA: And when the people of Tunisia and Egypt said to you, "What's going on in America? How could this be happening?" What was your response? ALBRIGHT: Well, I tried to be diplomatic. One of the things, when

you travel abroad, you don't try to criticize your country when you're abroad.

CAMEROTA: Sure.

ALBRIGHT: But I said that there really are a lot of discussions going on in terms of what our role in the world is. And they are very afraid that we are not interested in the world anymore. That the discussion has been about walls and keeping people out and not about what makes America great, but what we can't undo, what is the greatness of America, which has been our involvement, our interest, our desire to have partners and allies abroad. And they're worried. They are definitely worried.

CUOMO: The Democrats will say, "Ooh, that's scary."

The Republican coalition building around Donald Trump will say something different. They'll say, "Good, they should be scared. America is tough and strong. We've been too soft on them for too long." Do you think that that might resonate in a way to increase America's leverage?

ALBRIGHT: No. I don't think so. I think that what they want is the goodness of American involvement with other countries and not kind of threats about bullying and bombing and building walls and scaring people. The world has existed as it has in a positive way because of America's role.

[07:25:09] Now obviously, I'm going to say that, as somebody who has practiced diplomacy. But you cannot exist in this world alone. And you cannot exist by using all kinds of language that doesn't make any sense when you're in diplomatic negotiations.

CAMEROTA: You are a supporter of Hillary Clinton, as we know. She won seven states last night. Bernie Sanders won Oklahoma, Vermont, his home state, Colorado, and Minnesota. Does that suggest more support for him than previously thought? Or what do you think the path is forward?

ALBRIGHT: I think that he's obviously -- he says he's going to go forward. And I think that, I know that Hillary is prepared to argue her points to make clear what her policies are. That she wants to bring down barriers and she wants to really explain what needs to happen and not kind of say, "Well, we can have slogans and this is the way that things -- what we can solve by just having slogans."

And so I do think he'll go forward. I do think that the Democratic Party will be unified and that it will be a very good campaign.

CUOMO: You've got three components: turnout, momentum, leading to consensus. That's what you want in the flow of a candidacy.

If we look at the numbers from last night, there's a very clear message of what's going on here. The Republicans are turning out in bigger numbers. The Democrats are turning out in smaller numbers. Now the reason this matters, not just now, because it matters more for Bernie Sanders in terms of getting a lot of support out of Democrats early on, but in a general election, are you concerned that it is Donald Trump who is awakening those who may not ordinarily be voting in this general election if he gets there, not Hillary Clinton?

ALBRIGHT: I think that Hillary will have the turnout when she's the nominee. The Democrats will be energized in order to make sure that we have, as commander in chief and president, somebody who actually knows what she is doing, who is ready on day one.

And believe me, the international situation is going to get even more complicated; and it will be clearer that we need Hillary Clinton, who knows how to make this happen, and not -- frankly, I am -- as I listen to Donald Trump, I mean, he may know how to build buildings and walls, but he knows -- does not know how to deal with the international situation. There has been nothing that he has said that has shown that he is ready to be commander in chief.

CAMEROTA: You've been a vocal supporter for Hillary Clinton. Were you surprised by the blowback that you got and the Clinton campaign got when you were trying to make the point that women should support women?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I always do think that women should support women, but I don't think I should have said it in a voting context.

I do think that it's very important for all of us to understand what Hillary's record is in terms of being very forward-leaning on women's issues. And even though some of the women may not be supporting her now, she will always support them.

CUOMO: But also, there's a sense, that's an indication of how polarizing this electorate is right now. People are jumping on everything as a reason to stoke anger.

And again, somewhat of a similar point to the one I just asked you about, but that is the dynamic that's going to be in this race, no matter who the nominees are. How does that play to the advantage of the Democrats, coming off eight years of incumbency, when people are now calling for something different?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that there will be, obviously, things that are different. And I think that those have to be stated; and the campaign will make that clear.

I think what's been very interesting is, as the Democratic debate has gone on, they are actually talking about issues. And there are differences between Hillary and Bernie. There's no question. But it is a really sparking interesting debate.

Whereas what's happening on the Republican side are insults -- I mean, I have to tell you, I am a mother, now a grandmother. It all sounds kind of like children in a schoolyard calling each other names. That's the part when I go abroad -- I'm chairman of something called The National Democratic Institute. We talk about how democracy works abroad, and then we have examples of the kind of discussion that is in the gutter and is really embarrassing.

I'm embarrassed by the things that are being said, because it does not speak well for our country, that in fact, is one that wants to be a leader and has been exceptional in our leadership abroad.

CAMEROTA: Secretary Albright, great to have you here on NEW DAY as always. Thanks for coming in.

ALBRIGHT: Very nice to be with you. Thanks so much, guys.

CUOMO: Always a pleasure.

So we're going to see the next wave of conflict and contrast between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the next Democratic debate. That will be Sunday. Anderson Cooper will moderate live from a very important place: Flint, Michigan. Sunday night, 8 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

CAMEROTA: Marco Rubio pulling out his first win on Super Tuesday. Is it a sign of resurgence, or is it too late for him? We'll ask a Republican congressman who supports Rubio what he thinks about the path forward.

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