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Donald Trump Increases Delegate Lead in Republican Presidential Race; Bernie Sanders Wins Michigan Primary; Donald Trump Discusses State of Republican Presidential Race Going Forward; Interview with Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired March 09, 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] STEVE FORBES, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They haven't done it yet.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, they'll have an opportunity tonight and tomorrow night at the debates coming up to see if they do want to talk more about substance and policy. Steve Forbes, thanks so much for the perspective. Great to have you on.

FORBES: Great to be with you. Thank you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Much more super Tuesday coverage ahead. So let's get straight to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every time you think it can't get any uglier, they find a way.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Marco is very, very nasty, and I guess he made a mistake.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not a reality TV show.

BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Talk about hypocrisy.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The frontrunner in this race doesn't even know what the nuclear triad is. He thinks it's a rock band.

GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It will be a whole new ballgame.

TRUMP: I know politicians better than anybody. They're liars.

CLINTON: As the rhetoric keeps sinking lower the stakes in this election keep rising.

CRUZ: We're seeing the voters recognize this guy isn't what I thought.

SANDERS: The political revolution is strong. TRUMP: I am a uniter, but I have to finish off the project.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY, and what a day it is. Wednesday March 9, 8:00 in the east. Michaela is in New York. Alisyn and I are coming to you live from the U of Miami.

CAMEROTA: You really are going to do that every time, aren't you?

CUOMO: You've got to. You've got to represent when you're on the campus.

Hillary Clinton's march to the Democratic nomination hitting a bump the size of my head. Bernie Sanders shocking Clinton and the political world with a win he was not supposed to get in Michigan. The big question now is, will the Sanders' victory give his campaign a boost in the contests ahead next week?

CAMEROTA: OK, so on the Republican side, Donald Trump with three big wins. You will hear from Donald Trump later this hour. And Ted Cruz emerging with one win out west. Marco Rubio's campaign, though, is in critical condition because he got no delegates whatsoever last night. And with Florida's make or break primary approaching. So we have this race covered the way only CNN can. CNN anchor John Berman has who won and where and all the latest delegate counts. Tell us it all broke down, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Alisyn, we've been talking about it all morning, but this is still surprising to see. Look what happened in Michigan, the Democratic primary there. The big surprise, Bernie Sanders inching out Hillary Clinton. That's a big upset. But Hillary Clinton did have a big win of her own. It happened in Mississippi. Look at the numbers here, the staggering difference, 82 percent of the vote. What did that mean? It meant that even with the upset in Michigan, even with the loss there, Hillary Clinton won more delegates last night.

This is the overall delegate count. She has over 1,200. Bernie Sanders a little bit less than 600. That's with super delegates. Even without super delegates she has a 200 delegate lead or so. And again, won more last night.

Let's look at the Republican race right now in the state of Mississippi. Here it is, Donald Trump out front there, Ted Cruz in second place. The same story in Michigan. A little bit of surprise there that Ted Cruz inched out John Kasich. Kasich badly wanted a second place finish there or better. And Ted Cruz actually won in Idaho. You can see this right here. The big news here Marco Rubio underneath the 20 percent threshold, no delegates in Idaho. The last race we called was in Hawaii in the wee hours of the morning. Donald Trump won the Republican caucuses there. So he did win won the most delegates last night. He expanded his delegate lead in the Republican race. He now has 461. Ted Cruz 100 behind him. Marco Rubio as of now gained no delegates yesterday.

Now, this is one week in advance of the big contest next Tuesday, the winner-take-all contest for the Republicans in Florida, Marco Rubio's home state, in Ohio, John Kasich's home state. And on the Democratic side, proportional delegates there, but still, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, huge states for the Democrats next week, too. Chris?

CUOMO: Very big. Of course a key difference is that for the Republicans we see winner take all coming up, Democrats staying proportional in these big states. So that race has a different dynamic as well. So what happened here in Michigan? Let's take a look at it. CNN's senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny live in Cleveland with more. Good morning.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. There are four words right now on the Facebook page of Bernie Sanders, "Do not underestimate us." That is the message this morning. I can tell you the Clinton campaign is no longer underestimating Bernie Sanders, at least his message and how it appeals to some white working class voters that are key here as this race moves along to Ohio and other states.

But last night, that win in Michigan, it was by propelled by independent voters. Nearly a quarter of the vote was independent voters and they went overwhelmingly for Bernie Sanders. That is a concern for the Clinton campaign. But last night when Secretary Clinton was here in Cleveland, she did not have much to say about her Michigan or Mississippi win. She was still talking about the longer race ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:05:07] HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm proud of the campaign that Senator Sanders and I are running. We have our differences, which you can see when we debate. But I'll tell you what, those differences pale in comparison to what's happening on the Republican side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: But now there are some Democrats wondering if Hillary Clinton has been spending too much time looking ahead, focusing on the Republicans here as opposed to Bernie Sanders, the matter at hand.

Now, for his part Bernie Sanders was not expecting a win in Michigan at all. He was in Miami last night. He gave a speech early and then went to his hotel room to retire and watch the results come in. He had to come back out and make a statement. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: The political revolution that we are talking about is strong in every part of the country. And, frankly, we believe that our strongest areas are yet to happen. We're going to do very, very well in the west coast and other parts of this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: Now, no doubt this was a huge shot in the arm for the Sanders campaign. Mathematically speaking, though, Hillary Clinton still holds a commanding lead in delegates, and this next period here as they debate tonight in Miami and then go through into the next set of contests, Ohio now becomes the central battle ground. If he's able to repeat his performance in Ohio, that is a key moment here. But she still holds so many advantages in the long game. And that is what this Democratic race is, Alisyn, a very, very long game.

CAMEROTA: Jeff, that is such a funny image of Bernie Sanders turning in for the night and then being surprised by his own win and having to come back out. Thanks so much for all of that background.

Now, as for the Republicans, Donald Trump with three wins last night. Cruz got one, and Rubio is looking for oxygen this morning after picking up zero delegates. CNN's senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta joins us now with more. Tell us what happened on that side, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn, the glass of Trump water is half full, not half empty this morning. Donald Trump answered his critics, rolling up big wins in Hawaii, Michigan, and Mississippi. At his victory party last night the GOP frontrunner actually thanked the anti-Trump super PACs for bombarding his campaign with negative ads, even showed off his much maligned line of products from Trump steaks to Trump wine and water. Trump attacked his top rivals, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, for failing to slow his momentum. Cruz won the state of Idaho and edged out John Kasich in Michigan for second place. It was Rubio, though, who struggled the most last night. But he is vowing to fight on. Here is what he had to say last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe with all my heart that the winner of the Florida primary next Tuesday will be the nominee of the Republican Party. We can win this election and we will. I need your help next Tuesday because we're not just going to Florida primary. We are going to win Florida in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now despite what happened last night a Rubio aide tells me this morning they will soldier on, insisting the Florida senator remains focused on winning his home state. That's been the strategy all along, they say, since the beginning of this month. Kasich, though, he is predicting a victory in his home state of Ohio. That's potentially a better possibility at this point if you look at the latest CNN-ORC polling. Those two state, Florida and Ohio, plus North Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, are all up for grabs next Tuesday, which may as well be do or die for the entire Trump movement. If they can't do it in Ohio and Florida, it may be over. Chris?

CUOMO: Boy, it really makes you wonder what about the Rubio team knows about the numbers in Florida, Jim, the way they're talking. As Jim Acosta well knows and you're going to learn soon at home, this is a very interesting state. It breaks down into three very different races here. So a little bit of a mystery still.

Now, here is now what's known. NEW DAY was first to speak with Donald Trump following his big wins last night, and he had surprising things to say -- unity, reaching out to Paul Ryan, and a prediction about Hillary Clinton. Here is a taste.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well I would say at that point it's pretty tough for anybody to do anything. And I know we have a big lead in Florida. And I hear we have a pretty good lead also in polls in Ohio. And, you know, again, I'm going Ohio, I'm going to Florida. I'm in Florida right now actually. I'm going to North Carolina today. I'm going to be all over the place over the next week. So hopefully it will all work out. I would love to see the party come together and unify.

You know, Chris, we've done something that's never been done. The biggest story of all is the kind of massive turnout the Republican Party is getting. And we're taking from the Democrats. We're taking from independents. And you are reporting on it really well. But I think the Democrats are down 35 percent. There is no enthusiasm for Hillary. How can you have enthusiasm for Hillary? There is none. And then you hear her speak --

[08:10:00] CUOMO: Do you think that last night means -- do you think last night means more about her campaign than even it does about yours? Do you think she's in real trouble, and why?

TRUMP: No, I think she'll get the nomination, assuming she is allowed to run, which she probably will be because the Democrats will make sure nothing happens to her. Assuming she's allowed to run legally, I think that, yes, she'll definitely get the nomination. This was just a bump.

But losing Michigan is more than a bump in the general because it says the people don't want her. She's not going to bring back trade. Michigan has been devastated by bad trade deals, and she's in favor of trade deals. She's not going to bring back trade. She's not going to bring back businesses. She's not going to bring back all of the employment that's gone, all the factories that are closed. I've seen those factories, and let me tell you, it's disgusting to look.

CUOMO: You have been saying more lately you can be more presidential. I can be more presidential than anybody. And then last night you said I really hope we can bring this party together. You have not been perceived as a uniter. Is this part of this metamorphosis of you that you suggested in the past that you can change, you can say different things? Are you going to try to shift strategy now from being more of a hammer to more of someone who wants to unite? Are you going to change message?

TRUMP: Well I am a uniter, Chris. You know me. You know me well and your family knows me well. I am a uniter. But I have to finish off the project. You know, I can't all of a sudden stand there and let people -- you know, Marco was very, very nasty to me. I have to tell you, he was very, very nasty to me. And I guess he made a mistake because I was more nasty to him. You have to finish off what you have to finish off. I can't say all of a sudden, you know, let them make statements.

I do think this. I think the debate tomorrow night will be a softer debate. I really do. I believe it's going to be a softer debate. I hope it is going to be a softer debate. I can tell you that I go in much more as a uniter. I think the wins last night were very, very big wins and very decisive wins.

CUOMO: Many people look at you as the person who set the tone as the negativity in this race. Is it time for you to say, you know what, enough with the negative. Stop attacking me. I'm not going to attack you. We need to unite. We need to be something better?

TRUMP: Chris, I didn't set the tone of negativity. What I did was I fought back. I mean, they attacked me viciously, and I fought back. And don't forget, we started with 17 people. So, you know, I've been doing this now for a while. And the nice part is everybody that's attacked me so far has gone down. Wouldn't that be nice for our country because we don't win anymore as a country? So wouldn't that be nice to have somebody that can do that.

We're getting millions and millions of people that have never voted before, millions of people from the Democrats, millions of people from the independents. And honestly I had such a great talk with Paul Ryan. He called the other day. He was so great.

CUOMO: Give me a taste. Why was it a good conversation with Paul Ryan?

TRUMP: It was just very conciliatory. We get along well. I like him a lot. I respect him a lot. I think he respects me. I think he really does respect what I've done. I mean, he said it. He said it's amazing.

They are talking about it all over the world, Chris. We're bringing in 65 percent more people than four years ago. People are coming in. Do you know how many people told me, Mr. Trump, I've never voted before, and they're like 50 year old people and 60 year old people. They said I've never voted before and I'm voting for you. And they have Trump shirts and Trump hats, and these are people that were never proud enough or never -- they said I've never had a candidate that I've wanted to vote for, Mr. Trump. And they are great Americans and they have never voted because they never had anybody they want. We have something that's going on that's absolutely unique, special. We have millions and millions of people like this. We have massive numbers, Chris.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CUOMO: If that's true, that last statement, it could make Donald

Trump very tough to beat, not just in the primary but in a general. Let's get perspective this morning from Ohio, Senator Rob Portman. He's endorsed his home state governor of John Kasich. Senator, thank you for joining us this morning. So does what Donald Trump said to us this morning on NEW DAY pass the smell test? Do you believe that Paul Ryan and he had a conversation that was conciliatory and about mutually respect, and that Donald Trump is going to be a unifier for your party?

SEN. ROB PORTMAN, (R) OHIO: Look, I'm sure he did have that conversation with Paul Ryan or he wouldn't have said it. I think one point that he makes that is true Chris is there is a lot more enthusiasm on the Republican side. If you look at the vote last night in Michigan, for instance, there were a lot more Republicans who showed up. Some were independents as Donald Trump just said. But the fact is there is more enthusiasm on our side. And this is happening not just in Michigan but in all the states.

John Kasich, who is the guy I am strongly supporting, had a little surge last night. You probably saw he was fourth in the polls two weeks ago, single digits. Last night a virtual second place. He got 17 delegates to Donald Trump's 25, and I think in position to really win Ohio. I'll be in Ohio with John this weekend. And we've got 66 delegates there. It is a big state. It's a winner take all. So I'm excited about what's going to happen in Ohio because I think it will start to build the Kasich momentum. And I think John is the right guy to lead the country.

[08:15:03] CUOMO: Well, let's talk about why, and let's do it in the context of showing the state of the race in Ohio. The governor has been putting his eggs in that basket, but you are right. He has seen a pop in the polls recently. Some say he's taking from Rubio. Some say he's getting his own traction.

Why do you believe Kasich is the right man for the country better than Donald Trump despite the polls?

PORTMAN: Well, look, it's very simple. He's got an incredible record of accomplishment. And it is not just here in Washington where he ambulanced the budget.

In Ohio, he inherited a mess. We were 48 in the country in job creation, now, we're top 10 and rising. Our employment was above the national average. Now below. He's added 400,000 jobs.

I mean, this is a guy that took an $8 billion deficit, unprecedented in Ohio, and turned it around to the point, now, we have $2 billion surplus. So, it's exactly the sort of stuff that has to happen in Washington and he did it by bringing people together. So, I think that is what voters are looking for is not just a good speech but what have you done? And Kasich has got an incredible record.

CUOMO: As Donald Trump likes to say, yes, but they struck oil in Ohio and that's really what's fueled it.

But let's put the --

(CROSTALK)

PORTMAN: That was a small part of it. And certainly a small part now with the price of oil and natural gas.

CUOMO: Well, that is truth. Things have changed since the original boon in Ohio.

Now, when you look at why Donald Trump is doing well what that means for Governor Kasich, people seem to be missing what the mood is in this country, and not just the anger and disaffection, and frankly, that's really dismissing what it's really about.

Wages aren't going up. People don't see the chances for opportunity. They don't see the reason for optimism abroad when they look at the war on terror. Do you think governor Kasich can avoid being swept up in those problems?

PORTMAN: Yes, absolutely. I mean, this is a guy who's actually addressed these problems. And I totally agree I think there is a lot of anxiety and anger out there and it's understandable, the wages are flat, even declining on average, expenses are up, the middle class squeeze is very real, that's why Bernie Sanders is catching on. But the question is what do you do about it?

And Kasich is talk about the first hundred days the kind of tax reform and regulatory relief and getting the country back on track in terms of worker retraining skills. These are the things people know works in place likes Ohio and that is how we've made progress in Ohio. I think we need politicians willing to talk about the issues and the specifics.

And also people that understand how to get things done. One of the things that I think is driving this for Donald Trump is he's a guy they think can get things done. And I think their frustration with the gridlock in D.C. is part of this.

CUOMO: Part of it is also dealing with the tone. One of the criticisms of Governor Kasich is, yes, he stayed above the fray, maybe too much. Maybe he needs to address the tone and say why it's wrong and make it part of his message to people. What's your thought?

PORTMAN: We'll I've been with him at town hall meetings. Talk about what's wrong. He's not hesitant to talk about that. But what he does say is we've got to work together. And he's shown, through his experience in Ohio and even here in D.C., that he can bring people together to solve these problems.

So, he's always been a reformer and has a reformer's heart and that's what people are looking for. I think he'll win Ohio and I think the momentum builds from there.

CUOMO: One quick mention of an issue that matters. It was brought up in New Hampshire. It is going to come up in a different way in Ohio. This country is dealing with the problem of drugs in a way that very few understand. You do. What do you want people to know?

PORTMAN: Well, listen, it's an issue addressed at every one of the town hall meetings because people ask questions about it. I had a meeting and asked how many have been effected by the heroin and precipitation drug abuse and addiction, half the hands go up. I mean, everybody has been affected by it, families torn, families broken part.

So, we've got legislation on the floor of the Senate right now. It's bipartisan. It's called the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, and it makes the federal government a better partner with state and local government, and the nonprofits out there doing the hard work, to begin to reverse the tide of this addiction.

Heroin has now, unfortunately, crept into all of our communities and this is an opportunity to turn that around and begin to get people's lives back together.

CUOMO: A righteous cause to be sure. Senator Portman, as you know fighting addiction say the medicine cabinet is the new drug dealer for people. Thank you for being on NEW DAY.

(CROSSTALK)

PORTMAN: Thanks, pal. Take care.

CUOMO: Appreciate it, Senator. Thank you.

So, tomorrow night we'll see the GOP rivals face-off right here, before Florida. That is where we are.

You then have this state and Ohio next week, winner-take-all on the GOP side. Jake Tapper is going to moderate the CNN Republican debate tomorrow night 8:30 Eastern, only on CNN.

CAMEROTA: OK. Meanwhile Bernie Sanders basking in the glow of his big victory in Michigan last night but he still. of course, has a long road ahead to catch Hillary Clinton.

[08:20:02] So, we will speak with his campaign manager about their next plan. That's coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:23:44] SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Michigan, who kind of repudiated the polls that had us 20, 25 points down a few days ago, who repudiated the pundits who said that Bernie Sanders was not going anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Bernie Sanders beating Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary. The results surprising essentially everyone. What the Sanders camp next move?

Joining us now is Bernie Sanders campaign manager, Jeff Weaver.

Jeff, great to have you here.

JEFF WEAVER, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Great to be here.

CAMEROTA: Congratulations on last night.

WEAVER: Thank you very much. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, the polls and the pundits got it wrong but obviously you have internal polling you don't share with the public. Were you surprised by what happened?

WEAVER: Well, I made a private prediction to some reporters, including some of your reporters yesterday, that it was going to be in the negative 7 to plus 2 range. So I'm feeling pretty good today actually.

CAMEROTA: But you are the only person who had that kind of polling. Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was going to run away with it.

WEAVER: Well, I'm not sure that that's true. I think the Clinton campaign at the time was saying it was tighter than the public polls were showing, and the fact that the secretary spent so much time in Michigan I think demonstrated the fact they thought this was closing.

CAMEROTA: OK, let's talk how Bernie Sanders did it. What did he do so winningly in Michigan?

WEAVER: Well, I think he -- to him, winning Michigan was his clear message on the trade policies, right?

[08:25:00] Michigan is a state that's been devastated by bad trade deals. He's opposed every one and Secretary Clinton has supported almost every one. So, you know, people in Michigan know what the real impact of that this.

CAMEROTA: In fact, we have some exit polls that suggest just that. I can maybe pull them up. The question was, trade with other countries takes away U.S. jobs. The people who believe that, 58 percent of them voted for Bernie Sanders, 41 for Clinton.

So, is that really it? I mean, is this coming down to -- this election because there is something similar and I know you will bristle at this --

WEAVER: I will, I can tell.

CAMEROTA: -- between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in their message, they are seizing on something. And there are capturing some feeling of the electorate and the country. What do you think the similarity is?

WEAVER: Well, I don't think there is that much similarity. Do think there is a lot of disgust with establishment politics and establishment economics. So many people are hurting and working full time, living in poverty. Others working full time and just can't get by.

You know, high cost of college, people can't afford their co- pays and deductibles on their health insurance. So there is really a lot of anger out there.

So, these trade deals, for instance, in states that were industrial states devastated. I think you'll also see in the polling that we did much better in the African American community than we've done elsewhere. That's because Michigan used to have a thriving black middle class which was tied to the industrial base in Michigan that's been destroyed.

You know, these Detroit schools are falling apart because class and schools are falling apart because the tax base is all gone. Flint, Michigan, which we all know about, eleven factories have left Flint, Michigan, because of the trade deals. So, you know, I think this is a lot of pain out there and people want change.

CAMEROTA: So, the fact that unemployment is down and gas prices are down and stock market is up, you are basically saying and Bernie Sanders is banking on that doesn't translate to a large swath of the country?

WEAVER: Because most people aren't benefiting from that. So, wages are down. Stagnant. Almost all new wealth and income goes to the top 1 percent.

And Wall Street is up but Wall Street is all wealthy people. So they look at how great things are, but let me look at their own personal life and can't send kids to college and my co-pays are up -- so, people don't feel it in the real lives.

CAMEROTA: We hear from our analysts this morning that there are two ways to see what happens in Michigan and there's two ways to look at everything that happens with Bernie Sanders. There's momentum and there is math.

And Bernie Sanders clearly has the momentum. There is excitement around the campaign and we see him winning in places unexpected but then there's the math. That was not a winner-take-all state, Michigan.

WEAVER: No, it's not.

CAMEROTA: So, they almost basically has divided up the delegates. And Hillary Clinton is still something like 200 delegates ahead.

WEAVER: Right, right.

CAMEROTA: So, the math, while the momentum may work for your side, the math doesn't.

WEAVER: Well, there is another M, which is the map. And the way the map was set up this year, there are a lot of states on the front end of the map that benefit Hillary Clinton. So, she was first lady in Arkansas for over a decade, she has a lot of strong relationships with people all throughout the south. She's done very, very well in the South.

Once you get outside the South, you know, her wins, Iowa by a fraction. Massachusetts by a fraction. She loses Michigan. She's having a difficult time competing outside the South and there are almost no more southern states so the second half is much more favorable for Bernie Sanders. Winning by double digits all over the country in some states by 30 points like Kansas and Maine, and in the back half of the calendar, that's going to allow us to catch up and overtake her.

CAMEROTA: So, since you have the magical map that you're privy, too, that the rest of us aren't -- what do you think is going to happen in Ohio?

WEAVER: Well, you will see. Seven days is a long time but many of the issues that resonated in Michigan with Democrats there are going to resonate in Ohio. The auto industry was also severely damaged, a lot of people in Ohio. Same in Illinois. Same in Missouri, frankly.

And people forget about North Carolina. North Carolina has once had a thriving furniture industry and textile industry, that's all gone overseas, right? So, that trade message is going to resonate there as well.

CAMEROTA: You're going to hear him talk about tonight, what's his message tonight at the debate?

WEAVER: Bernie Sanders is pretty consistent in his messaging and I think you are going hear him emphasize some of the difference that he's been pointing out between himself and the secretary, and I think he's going to talk about his agenda. You know, the more people see him and hear him, we saw that in Michigan, right? Twenty points down, then he wins, because he spends in the state, meets people.

You know, the more time he spends with people, the more people hear about him, the more they want to support him.

CAMEROTA: Jeff Weaver, thanks.

WEAVER: Thanks so much.

CAMEROTA: Good to talk to you on NEW DAY. Thanks for being here.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders do face off tonight in their next debate. It is here in Miami. CNN will simulcast. It's the Univision Democratic presidential debate. It's 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Tune in for that.

CUOMO: Could not be timed any better than that.

Donald Trump keeps on rolling, the north, the south, all of these different demographics. So what did it mean with the economy this time around. We have more on that, and a reaction to our Trump interview, next.

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