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Presidential Candidates Campaign on an Election Day; Donald Trump's Presidential Run Examined; Packed Commuter Train Derails & Plunges into Creek; Super Tuesday II. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired March 08, 2016 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: -- ahead for Donald Trump, in all caps, big if, the GOP field win knows to two candidates. Tell them about it my friend.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: On the other side the Democrats competing in two states today, Delegate-rich Michigan and Mississippi. Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders in both states in the polls and trying to turn her attention to the general election fight. So we have today's contests covered from every angle as only CNN can. Let's begin with CNN's Phil Mattingly live in Detroit. What is the latest there, Phil?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. Four contests and really four candidates trying to seize some momentum heading into a pair of huge winner-take-all primaries next Tuesday. How it works here in Michigan and across the board right now might determine the future of the race.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: NASCAR endorsed Trump. Can you believe that?
(APPLAUSE)
MATTINGLY: Donald Trump running strong as voters head to the polls today for what's being dubbed Super Tuesday two.
TRUMP: I've been to Michigan a lot. And I think we're going to do well there.
MATTINGLY: With 150 crucial delegates at stake, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz hustle to take votes away from Trump. The frontrunner sparring with protesters during his swing through in North Carolina.
TRUMP: Oh we have a protester. Out, out. Bye. Go home to mommy. Go home to mommy. Tell her to tuck you in bed. Bye-bye.
MATTINGLY: Cruz making quick and previously unannounced stops in Mississippi.
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're seeing folks who had been supporting Donald Trump who are realizing he isn't who they thought he was. MATTINGLY: And grappling with flight delays to arrive late in another
state voting today, Michigan.
CRUZ: This is effectively a rally in the middle of the night. How is that?
(APPLAUSE)
MATTINGLY: Florida Senator Marco Rubio shifting his focus to his home state.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It always comes down to Florida.
MATTINGLY: A new poll showing Rubio down by eight points in the sunshine state as he continues making the case that he's the best Trump alternative.
RUBIO: I'm the only one that has any chance of beating Donald Trump in Florida. So if you don't want Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee you have to vote for Marco Rubio.
MATTINGLY: And Ohio Governor John Kasich also finishing a push through Michigan before ramping up his own efforts in his own must win home state contest next week.
GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to get some momentum out of Michigan. We're going to win Ohio. There is going to be campaigning all across the country. It is going to be exciting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: Michaela, all eyes really on Donald Trump tonight, and that is not necessarily a new thing, but the reason might be different. Trying to figure out if there are some cracks in his campaign. Certainly Republicans are laying the groundwork to try and capitalize on any type of Trump weakness down in Florida where Marco Rubio has to win. 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney calling in support of a Rubio candidacy. This isn't an endorsement, Michaela, of Marco Rubio, instead an endorsement of anybody willing to beat Donald Trump. A Romney spokesman saying he'd be more than willing to do the same for Ted Cruz or John Kasich in Ohio, Michaela.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: An anti-endorsement, sort of an anybody but him kind of thing. All right, Phil, thanks so much for that.
Turning now to the Democrats, a pivotal battle now underway in two states, delegate rich Michigan and Mississippi. Hillary Clinton hoping to pull away in the delegate race after losing three or four weekend contests to her rival Bernie Sanders. Our senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar is live with more for us now from Miami. Hi, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys. Going into this key primary day both candidates confronting some vulnerabilities. Bernie Sanders explaining something that he said during the CNN debate when asked about racial blind spots, and he said white people don't know what it's like to live in ghettos, to be poor, to be hassled while they're walking down the streets. Hillary Clinton campaign folks and backers attacked Bernie Sanders over that, saying he was implying only black people live in ghettos. Here's how he explained himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In African-American communities you have people who are living in desperation, often being abused by white police officers. That is a bad thing. And that has got to change, and that's why I'm fighting to reform a broken criminal justice system. But I know about white poverty. It exists in my state. It exists all over this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: But Hillary Clinton dogged again by her e-mail controversy. She has had over 2,000 of her e-mails classified since leaving the State Department on an email system that was done, her personal server, a personal e-mail address. More than 20 of those e-mails classified as top secret. She blamed in part over-classification.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Others might say, you know, that wasn't at the time but now with circumstances we don't want to release it, so therefore we have to classify it. I've asked, and I echo Colin Powell on this, release it, and once the American people see it they will know how absurd this is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And even before polls close in Michigan and Mississippi you will see these candidates pivoting to the next big series of contests including here in Florida. Bernie Sanders will be here this afternoon for an event. Hillary Clinton here tomorrow ahead of a Univision debate that will be simulcast on CNN, guys.
[08:05:07] CUOMO: Brianna Keilar, wipe that smile off your face. You know you have no business being in Florida. I don't know how you swung this, but we're coming down to investigate.
(LAUGHTER)
CUOMO: All right, so polls are now open in Mississippi, and Ted Cruz is hoping for a big boost now that he has the governor's endorsement. Can he capitalize? By the way, that governor's endorsement thing has proved to be a jinx in many cases in this election. But is he going to be the best challenge for Trump? Will Hillary Clinton fend off Bernie Sanders? To cover all this we're on it the only way CNN can be. We've got Polo Sandoval live in Jackson, Mississippi with more. Polo, what do you see there?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Chris, good morning. Absolutely, the spotlight is on Michigan but the stakes also extremely high in Mississippi. Polls have been open already for only a couple of minutes and already those early birds starting to show up. As we mentioned those takes are high. A total of 81 delegates up for grabs today, 40 on the Republican side, and 41 on the Democratic side.
Back to this polling location in Jackson, Mississippi. Some folks are already coming in, some folks that I had the chance to speak to, Chris, telling us that they are basically stopping by to cast their ballot.
The way it works here, as soon as you walk into this polling location, if you are Republican you stand in this line. If you are Democrat you stand on the other line. You register and get your ballot. You then fill it out. Then you walk it over to what is a scanning machine that is here on the premises, and then of course that ballot is cast.
We did see yesterday, as you mentioned, Governor Phil Bryant endorsing Ted Cruz. But as we witnessed this past Saturday a governor's endorsement is important, but does it guarantee you a win? Not necessarily. Back to you.
CAMEROTA: OK, thanks so much. Great to see you.
Let's go this morning to a new ABC-"Washington Post" poll to show you, because it shows Trump in the lead national at 34 percent. But that lead is narrowing somewhat with Ted Cruz closing in at 25 percent. But the poll also shows something else interesting. If the race comes down to two candidates, Trump loses to both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Let's talk about it and bring in our CNN political commentator and former president George W. Bush staffer Margaret Hoover and CNN political commentator and former Reagan White House political director Jeffrey Lord. Jeffrey is a Donald Trump supporter. Great to have you both here today.
JEFFREY LORD, FORMER REAGAN WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Alisyn.
MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.
CAMEROTA: Margaret, explain this new poll. Explain how Trump wins in most every poll, he wins when it is a crowded field. But when it is a two-man race he loses to both Rubio and cruise.
HOOVER: I mean, this is the disadvantage of having 17 people run for president. We always say we like the competition on the Republican side. Let the best rise to the top. We want a competition of ideas, except that this hasn't been a competition of ideas, and having such a crowded field means there is no consolidation. The reason Trump wins when there are four people in the field is because all of the other votes are spread out between Kasich and Rubio and Cruz.
CAMEROTA: Meaning he has a ceiling, meaning he has a real ceiling of somewhere in the 30s or 40s, and when it comes to a two-man other people don't have that ceiling.
HOOVER: They all consolidate around the alternative. Remember, Donald Trump has the higher negatives of anybody in the Republican field, frankly of both fields. High numbers all say they would never vote for Trump, far higher than Cruz, Rubio, Kasich.
CAMEROTA: Jeffrey, is that how you see the math?
LORD: Well, no. First of all, I'm a little skeptical. This is the "Washington Post," and the Washington Post has gone out of its way, I think they are now on their fifth editorial just absolutely assailing Donald Trump. So call me a little skeptical here.
But at the end of the day it is not polls, it is votes that matter. And we could say, well, somebody should be in. Somebody should be out. The fact of the matter is the field is what the field is. Donald Trump has two contests today, two big contests in Mississippi. There are four elections today. But the Michigan one is obviously something we're going to be watching and Mississippi as well.
CAMEROTA: Doesn't Jeffrey have a point, Margaret? Polls-shmolls. He keeps winning.
HOOVER: Donald Trump has been running on the polls. He always says the polls win. If you look at the polls I'm winning everywhere.
CAMEROTA: Now that we're really getting into delegate counts --
HOOVER: So the polls are out the window?
CAMEROTA: Sure, but the polls really don't matter ultimately. It is the delegate count. And if he keeps winning then it doesn't matter that they would win in a head to head match up.
HOOVER: What it does suggest is that the tone and the momentum is shifting in this race. And we saw this in Louisiana over the weekend. In Louisiana Donald Trump had won the majority of the early votes. This is the underbelly of early voting. On election day Ted Cruz trounced Donald Trump in the electorate. Late deciders, this is the negative attacks on Donald Trump are actually working because late deciders are breaking even more stalwartly against Donald Trump now.
CAMEROTA: Jeffrey, I know that you're a Trump supporter, but can you just put on your consulting strategy hat for Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz? Don't these polls suggest that neither one of them should get out?
LORD: Yes, if you are one of them. And, frankly, I think this decision is going to be made for Marco Rubio come next Tuesday with Florida. He's behind in the polls in his own state.
[08:10:00] When you have got to fight like a dog to carry your own state, that should tell you something right there. So I have a feeling that, you know, things are not looking well for him.
CAMEROTA: Donald Trump has begun doing something, Margaret, at his rallies that is making some people excited and others quite uncomfortable. He has begun asking you will of his legion of supporters to raise their right hand and sort of pledge loyalty to him. Let me play for you what he recently did at this rally in Orlando, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Raise your right hand. I do solemnly swear -- that I, no matter how I feel, no matter what the conditions, if there is hurricanes or whatever,
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: That's good enough, will vote, will vote on or before, the 12th, for Donald J. Trump for president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: OK, so Margaret, you see the crowd likes that. And he says he's having fun with it. A still photo of that photo with people with their right arms raised in the air has gone viral and it has made some Jewish leaders uncomfortable. What do you think of these moments?
HOOVER: I think Donald Trump generally has demonstrated not just lack of awareness in foreign relations and public policy but also American history and global history. So I think he probably doesn't mean anything by it, to his credit.
Of course, you know, look, this is an orthodox campaign. Everything about it has been unorthodox. Nobody should just jump on the Hitler band wagon. I think that's also imprudent and it doesn't help anybody but Donald Trump, probably. Look the real question is all of those people are going to vote for him anyway, right? Those people there at the polls, those are the people who are in his camp. He's not winning over anybody new by having people swear allegiance to him.
And there's this thing -- he may mix up the political map. He may win white voters all over the country in states that haven't been competitive before, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. We've seen his real prowess with white voters.
But even if you win 65 percent of white voters, Mitt Romney won 59 percent, you still need 20 percent of non-white voters others. And that's the question. Can Donald Trump have an appeal to a general electorate? And most of the Republicans running in the blue states are terrified because him at the top of the ticket would keep women and minorities home from voting for them.
CAMEROTA: What do you think of that logic, Jeffrey?
LORD: Well, I think that we have been down the road that Margaret is suggesting before. What she's suggesting is the approach that Mitt Romney took and John McCain took and establishment Republicans take, and they keep losing. So, you know, and frankly I'm not comfortable with this dividing people by race business. White voters, black voters, how about American voters?
CAMEROTA: Sure, I understand, and you have made this point before, and it is a good point. We're all American voters. Do you think that Donald Trump can get enough American voters from all walks of life to win in a general election?
LORD: Yes. I'll tell you why, precisely because establishment Republicans keep doing this the wrong way. I said the other day, and I was trying to be -- I was perhaps not so gentle, but I will repeat it again. Some of these Republicans, and these are the kind of folks that used to drive Jack Kemp crazy, their idea of civil rights is tipping the black waiter at the country club an extra five bucks. We need a candidate who is going to go into the communities around the country and treat them as Americans and approach them.
The African-American community, if you want to use that phrase, is having a very difficult time with unemployment. And this is the Obama administration. Well, why is it? It is because of the policies. So Donald Trump --
CAMEROTA: You're the person bringing up the Democrats. So you think that African-American voters and Hispanic voters will vote for Trump?
LORD: Sure, because if you appeal to them based on economics as opposed to race, you are in a better position. And it is better for the country. It is healthier.
HOOVER: Jeffrey, I would like to see that, because you are right. I agree with you. You have to go talk to people. You have to bring your message to new communities. So you and I are agreeing on tactics. It is hard to see how Donald Trump works his way back from some of the incredibly divisive language he has laid down in the campaign. But I would love to see him go into African-American communities, churches all around the country and win a lot of these votes. Mitt Romney won zero percent of the African-American vote. There is a lot of room for improvement. I'd love to see Donald Trump try to win it.
CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Jeffrey, do you think he'll reach that kind of outreach?
LORD: Yes, I do. He's already been meeting with black pastors who have come out and said more or less what I'm saying right now. I can't remember his name, but I remember one pastor stepping to the microphone and saying look in my community we have problems with jobs. Who better to create jobs than Donald Trump, and that is why I'm for him.
[08:15:03] So, absolutely. I mean, I think it's time to just get rid of these stereotypes and - you know, and get in there and talk to people about basic economics and help.
CAMEROTA: All right, on that note, Jeffrey Lord, Margaret Hoover, it will be very fascinating to see what happens today. Thanks so much, guys. Stay with CNN for the most comprehensive political coverage. We'll have results from today's Super Tuesday Two contests starting at 7:00 p.m. Then we have back-to-back debates for you right here an CNN tomorrow night. CNN will simulcast the Univision Democratic debate in Miami. And then on Thursday night, we'll have the last Republican debate before the big primaries in Florida and Ohio. NEW DAY will be live from Florida tomorrow and the rest of the week. Michaela?
PEREIRA: All right, we head west for breaking news out of northern California. A crowded commuter train jumping the tracks, plunging into a creek about 45 miles outside of San Francisco. That train was traveling from San Jose to Stockton last night when it hit a tree that had fallen on the tracks.
Dan Simon is live in San Francisco with all the breaking details on how folks are recovering.
Dan?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Michaela. This was a very scary situation. You had some heavy weather move into the Bay Area and that's what caused this tree to fall down. It fell on the tracks and that's what led to this derailment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON (voice-over): Breaking overnight, a harrowing scene of panic and chaos. A packed commuter train derailing 45 miles east of San Francisco after hitting a downed tree on the tracks, sending a train car full of passengers plunging into a swollen creek.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I realized something was wrong so I - I held onto the rails and right then the train flipped over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was thrown out of my seat.
SIMON: All 214 aboard miraculously managing to make it off the train alive. Officials saying nine injured, four critically, but not life- threatening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never seen anything like this. It was absolutely chaotic, absolutely chaotic. You can only imagine the terror and the angst that went through their mind when that was going on. Very fortunately nobody was killed in this incident.
SIMON: Rescue crews fighting the creek's fast-moving currents throughout the night to pull riders to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; It's scary. It's still scary. But, you know, somebody was watching over us tonight. Everybody got out and everybody is going to hopefully be okay.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON (on camera): Amazing, no life-threatening injuries, Chris. The NTSB is on its way to investigate that scene. As you can imagine, today there will be no service along that route.
Back to you.
CUOMO: All right, Dan. Appreciate it.
The massive U.S. airstrike over the weekend in Somalia could be one of the deadliest attacks against terrorists yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO (voice-over): The Pentagon says 150 al Shabaab fighters were killed at a training camp where they were planning a large scale attack on U.S. troops. Al Shabaab says the U.S. is exaggerating the number of casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: A somber anniversary in Malaysia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA (voice-over): It's been two years since flight MH-370 disappeared off radar, vanishing without a trace. Malaysia's prime minister offering a message of hope to the victims' grieving loved ones. He says the search will go on with his country, hopeful that MH-370 will be found before this end of the year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: We talk to Richard Quest about that coming up on NEW DAY.
Well, time is running out for candidates chasing front runners. If Hillary Clinton sweeps Mississippi and Michigan today, will Bernie Sanders drop out?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:22:13] CUOMO (on camera): It is Super Tuesday II. Voters in Michigan and Mississippi casting their votes in the Democratic race, four states in play for the Republicans. Pressure mounting on Marco Rubio to make a move or pull out. Florida all important on several levels.
Let's discuss the big inflection points with former executive editor of "The Miami Herald" and dean of the college of communication at Boston University, Mr. Thomas Fiedler.
Tom, it's good to have you with us.
THOMAS FIEDLER, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE MIAMI HERALD: Why thank you, good to be here.
CUOMO: All right, so the first big one, the "Sun Sentinel." Yes, the other two big papers down there have gone for Rubio. The "Sun Sentinel" says we can't endorse any of them and they give reasons why, throw up the statement really fast for people to look. "The kind of person who should be running in the race is not. We cannot," next one, "endorse Trump, hometown Senator Rubio or Cruz."
Said good things about Jeb Bush, said good things about Kasich. What's the impact and how unusual is this?
FIEDLER: Well, the impact of newspaper editorials, I think, is diminished greatly. And the "Sun Sentinel," I don't mean to disparage at all, but the "Sun Sentinel" is -- really is located in the heart of what would be the strongest Democratic vote. So what it has to say on the Republican side, I think, would be somewhat minimal. But it -- I think it does reflect the feelings of a great many people there that's kind of a pox on all of their houses now. A little bit of, I think, lingering sentiment that Jeb Bush didn't make it that far.
CUOMO: Okay, so Fiedler says all but forget it. Next big point, the polls that just came out, ABC, "Washington Post." They show that Trump overall has a lead certainly Cruz and Rubio cutting into it. Kasich also at 13 percent, obviously four slices out of the pie makes for bigger slices. But look at the head to head match ups with Cruz and Rubio, a very different feel now. What do you make of these?
FIEDLER: Well, you know, I do think - I think the larger picture really is to keep in mind is this race is narrowing very quickly and by next Tuesday I do believe it's going to be essentially all over. It will be a two person race.
This next Tuesday is going to be all or nothing for Marco Rubio. What is happening in Florida over these last several days, what will happen in the next few days will determine that. But Florida is -- you know, it's the Powerball so far of these primaries. I think 10 percent roughly of all the delegates are going to come out of Florida...
CUOMO: The Monmouth poll that just came out...
FIELDER: ... next Tuesday if Marco Rubio doesn't win.
CUOMO: The Monmouth poll that just came out...
FIEDLER: Right, eight points.
CUOMO: ... has him the closest since with a healthy margin of error, right, 4.5 percent margin of error. What does that mean?
FIEDLER: Yes. Well, I think what you have to watch is that right now almost a million votes have already been cast in Florida. So, those - those are kind of outside. What you have now, the two million that are going to be determined there, I - I really do think this is going to end up being a lot closer.
[08:25:04] As negative ads start to hit Trump, I think the Trump University things are going start to hurt. But at the same time, Donald Trump is putting a lot of money into Florida to go after Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz is going to go after Marco Rubio. So, I think the idea really is, again, it just emphasizes that Florida is all - it's everything for Marco Rubio. He doesn't make it, he doesn't win there, he really is done. And that's, of course, what Ted Cruz is hoping will happen.
CUOMO: On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sit down at a Fox town hall. You would have thought this was the chance for Fox to unload on Hillary Clinton, and it looked like they barely laid a glove on her with any of their hot topics. The e-mail, Benghazi. What did you make of the non event? Was it an olive branch or was it just a reflection of the reality?
FIEDLER: I think maybe a little bit of both. I wonder if also that Sanders wasn't beginning to feel that he had gone a little bit too far and may have pulled back. But yes, this was one of those we call a kiss your sister debate where neither side got very excited about what was going on. You know, pretty friendly.
CUOMO: Yes, that's good image you put there for us, Tom. Now, on the Sanders...
FIEDLER: Well, I don't know if it's good or not.
CUOMO: No, it's not good any way you look at it.
FIEDLER: Yes.
CUOMO: But the idea of his ghetto comment resonating and meaning something, revealing something, is that overblown?
FIEDLER: Right, well, I don't know if it's overblown. I do -- I think what he was trying to say, give him a little bit of credit, I think what he was trying to say is that there is a white privilege that exists. But it certainly is - you know, PolitiFact quickly came out and showed that that is far from the fact that in fact there are more white people in poverty than there are African Americans...
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: But don't you think Bernie Sanders knows that...
FIEDLER: He does.
CUOMO: ... and it was more how he said something versus what he meant to say.
FIEDLER: It was how he said it, yes. I think so. He's - you know, he can tend to be a little bit tone deaf. He comes across that way. But again, I do think what he was trying to say, and that's what I think you're suggesting, is that - that for many white people, they don't appreciate that there is a white privilege that they benefit from. He just didn't articulate that very well. Maybe I'm not articulating it very well either.
CUOMO: No, it's coming across. We're getting your point, Tom.
Last quick take, do you think there's any chance that Marco Rubio gets out before Florida to preserve himself for the party? Is there any plus or minus on that for him?
FIEDLER: You know, I think the odds at this point are going to be that no, he won't get out. But I fully expect that what Jamie Gangel reported on has validity to it because I think there are a lot of people who are wondering, what is Marco Rubio's future if he gets knocked out of this race right now? Can he come back? He's out of the U.S. Senate, what would be the future step? And I think there were people who were trying to protect him from, you know, a knockout, which would hurt him very badly going forward.
CUOMO: He's a young man and he's certainly had a lot of star dust at him -- on him when this process began. Tom Fiedler, thank you very much for your take.
FIEDLER: That's right.
CUOMO: Appreciate it.
Alisyn?
FIEDLER: Thank you, Chris.
CAMEROTA: Well, the jury awarding Erin Andrews $55 million over that secretly reported nude video. What message are they sending and to whom? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
