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Sanders Looks to Pull Out Big Upset In Ohio; Trump Wins Northern Mariana Islands Caucuses; Rubio Facing Must-Win In Florida Primary; Rubio's Sister On The GOP Race In Florida; Trump: My Campaign Rallies are "Love Fests", Did Trump Encourage Fans. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 15, 2016 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:00]

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When people come out to vote in large numbers to reclaim their democracy, we win. When voter turnout is low, we lose. Let's make sure that tomorrow we have a huge voter turnout.

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ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That's Bernie Sanders rallying voters in Ohio to show up for him at the polls on this Super Tuesday. Polls now open in most of Florida, along with Missouri, Illinois, North Carolina, and Ohio. So, can Bernie Sanders pull off a surprise victory as he did in Michigan?

Joining us now is Ben Jealous. He's a Sanders supporter and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a former president and CEO of the NAACP. Hi, Ben.

BEN JEALOUS, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Hey, good morning.

CAMEROTA: Good morning. Six-hundred and ninety-one delegates up for grabs on the Democratic side today.

JEALOUS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Where will Bernie Sanders be strongest?

JEALOUS: Look, we are strong in the midwest. Three states up here and we're doing great. Last night, he went from there to Chicago, where I am now. He had 4,000 people in seats, 5,000 turned away at the door -- 10:30 at night in Chicago. People are fired up, and if turnout goes up we will win.

CAMEROTA: Sanders supporters are calling Ohio "Michigan on steroids." How so? What does that mean?

[07:35:00] JEALOUS: Well, look, about three weeks ago we were 30 points down. Now we're in the single -- now it's like 6-7 points, and the trend line is heading straight up for us. It's the same thing, quite frankly, throughout this region. And the up-south in North Carolina we're seeing the same thing, so it really depends on turnout.

CAMEROTA: OK, the latest polls that we have show something different than what you're saying. It's more than a 6-point spread. Let me just show you. This is from Monmouth University.

JEALOUS: Sure.

CAMEROTA: The latest in Ohio shows Clinton at 54 percent there, Sanders at 40 percent. Look, obviously, we know polls can get it wrong as they so strikingly did in Michigan, but that's the snapshot of today.

JEALOUS: Well, that's the snapshot from that poll. And what we've seen -- and, quite frankly -- is the polls have been all over the place as we surge in each of these states. For instance, last week I think the average was 23 points. Some showed us at nine, some showed us at 30. But, when you get right down it what's clear is that Clinton had hit her high water mark a long time ago. We've been surging up and it's going to depend on turnout.

CAMEROTA: Hillary beat Barack Obama in Ohio in 2008.

JEALOUS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Part of the criticism against Bernie Sanders is that he has not invested much time in Ohio. He's recently shown up there. He's recently had rallies. He invested more of his time in New Hampshire. Has he spent enough time in the state?

JEALOUS: Yes. What's real is that when you're competing against the biggest dynasty in our country's politics, a family that has run four presidential races, you've got to camp out in the first two states and then you've got to rush to every state after that. And we will find out when the polls close whether or not we spent enough time.

What we know is if we had more time we would win, virtually, all of these states because the trend line has been headed straight up for us. And, again, if you're starting to see turnout going up throughout the day relative to past years, then you should put your seatbelts on that we will be winning that state. And, again, it's not just Ohio. It's the rest of the midwest. It's the up-south, again, where we have seen things surge.

CAMEROTA: One more minute, Ben, on Ohio, because there's an interesting wrinkle in that state that could affect Bernie Sanders. He's been doing well with young voters, as you well know. Well, this week is spring break across the country and certainly in Ohio, and Ohio State University is out, as are other colleges in Ohio. And there are estimates that 167,000 students will be out of town. Does that concern the campaign?

JEALOUS: Yes, look. We also have lots of young people, unfortunately, in this country who cannot even afford to go to college and Bernie Sanders is clearly for young people who are concerned about college affordability, not just in college. But, again, who wish they could afford the college -- the best candidate. So we'll see what happens. If turnout goes up, we will win.

CAMEROTA: One area of concern for Bernie Sanders and a weakness for Bernie Sanders, according to analysts, has been the African-American vote. Hillary Clinton was thought to have had that locked up. What do you think we'll see today with that?

JEALOUS: You know, look, what we've seen -- and obviously the black votes something I know a whole lot about. What we've seen is that the black vote has continued to move up for Sanders. We went from very low numbers in the Deep South to about a third of the black vote in Detroit. In Kansas, just before Michigan last week, in the so-called blackest senate districts -- in the senate districts that were more than 60 percent black -- 10 of them in that state -- we won eight or nine out of 10 with 60 percent or more of the vote in each district.

And so, what we've seen is that black voters', as they've gotten to know Sanders, support has surged. And, quite frankly, many folks -- and one of the reasons it keeps surging is it's sort of a head-heart thing. We've talked to a lot of folks who are well, my heart's with him but my head doesn't know if he can win. And the key is continue to win.

And, quite frankly, as they do their own investigation -- as voters do their own investigation they look and they realize today is just half- time. We are just getting to the halfway point in the chase for earned delegates. Well, that back half looks very good for us. It is western states, it is northern states where we perform very well and we're seeing that we get more and more of the black vote in those states.

CAMEROTA: OK, Ben Jealous, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY. Let's get over to Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Alisyn. The race for Florida is now a must-win and a family affair for Marco Rubio. Can he beat the odds and secure a victory in his home state? Marco Rubio's sister joins us next. Good morning.

[07:39:00]

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[07:43:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we have some breaking news just into CNN about the election. Donald Trump picking up nine delegates after winning the Republican caucuses in the Northern Mariana Islands. If you look on your map you'll see them just to the east of the Philippines. Trump now has 471 delegates, with 358 delegates up for grabs tonight.

Two of the big states, Florida and Ohio, are winner-take-all. Senator Marco Rubio -- home state of Florida. His need to win there cannot be exaggerated. How is it going? What does it mean if he doesn't win? Joining us now is Marco Rubio's sister, Veronica Boulos. Nice to have

you with us this morning. I've been in Florida for the past week. I was there this weekend. I know the family and the friends are working South Florida like nobody's business. How do you think it's looking?

VERONICA BOULOS, SEN. MARCO RUBIO'S SISTER: Gauging by what we see we have so much support, especially down here in South Florida. We've been working the phone banks and going door-to-door, and every time we go somewhere people say -- or when we call, they say I'm voting for Marco, my husband's voting for Marco, my kids are voting for Marco, you've got our support. That's been the majority of what we've been seeing here locally.

CUOMO: How is the family --

BOULOS: Even door-to-door we get a lot of that.

CUOMO: How is the family managing expectations? It's hard for Marco. It's even harder for his family and friends to watch him running a race when you're worried about what's going to happen. How are you managing expectations?

BOULOS: I don't think we really look at that. We just look at where we are in the moment and how far we've come. Growing up with him and you know him all your life, you just see what's happening and it's so incredible. And we're just so proud and just so excited to be a part of it and proud of him for getting to where he is and seeing the support he has.

The people in this community have watched him grow up, literally, before their eyes -- in the public eye and serving the community. And just seeing him get to this point it's so amazing. Somebody told me the other day, can you imagine your brother is running for president and I said, I can.I always thought he would be doing this so it's just exciting to actually see it finally happening.

[07:45:00]

CUOMO: And you tell people it's not because you always wanted him to be president or he talked about it a lot. You just always saw him as someone who had a unique effect on people. Tell me about that.

BOULOS: Oh, yes, absolutely. Well, as a child -- I always say that I remember growing up. We would have all the kids -- we'd be talking about what was going on with us, but he was always having conversations with the adults about politics and government, and that was kind of different. But then, as he became -- actually, he got into public office.

I would just see the way people reacted to him every time he gave a speech or he just would meet people, they would always come up to us -- to my parents, to us -- and say he's going to go far. He's got something. There's something about him that just connects to people and reaches people, and we knew it, but seeing others respond to it is really, really special.

CUOMO: Was he the protective brother for you growing up or was he a constant pain for you?

BOULOS: A little of both.

CUOMO: Uh, oh. Don't be too honest. It's television.

BOULOS: He was -- oh, OK, sorry. No, he was, you know, a typical brother relationship, no different than most people. He was really protective behind the scenes. He did a lot of things without me knowing he was doing them to protect me. And then when we were kids, obviously, you have the typical -- you know, we're only a year apart, so you have the typical childhood.

But for the most part, my mom and my sister always say that we grew up like twins because we were so close in age and we did everything together. We weren't twins but we were just very close and we did everything together, even through our teenage years.

CUOMO: What will your --

BOULOS: Same friends, same everything.

CUOMO: What will your advice be to your brother if Florida does not go his way? He's going to be looking for people to give him direction. He'll have to know his own head and heart, obviously, but what will you tell your brother?

BOULOS: You know, I would just tell him to go with his heart, to really pray about it and see what God has for him because I think that we're at a point in this election that it's not just what we want for ourselves, but it's what does God want for us. And for us, we're Christian and we rely a lot on our faith to guide us.

I would just tell him to continue to do what he's been doing, which is praying about it and, obviously, speaking to his family about it and his staff, and seeing where they advise him. But as a sister, I would just tell him pray about it and just really listen to whatever God wants for you.

CUOMO: We know it's not just about the candidate. The whole family feels what's going on. In the Rubio's case, you're all working very hard, as well. Good luck to you and the best to the family.

BOULOS: Yes, thank you.

CUOMO: All right -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris. So what's behind the protests at Trump's rallies? Is it freedom of speech or just disruption? Donald Trump says he takes no responsibility for the violence at his rallies, though he uses violent rhetoric to egg them on. Next, we get historical perspective on all of this.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No violence. You know how many people have been hurt at our rallies? I think like, basically, none, other than, I guess, maybe somebody got hit once. People say well, is there violence? There is no violence. There's love fests. These are love fests.

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PEREIRA: He calls them love fests, but Donald Trump's coming under criticism for violence breaking out at his rallies. So, what is the place for protests in politics? How does what we're seeing right now compare to past periods of political unrest? We turn to ask these to questions to long-time social and political activist, Tom Hayden.

He is a former California state lawmaker, now the director of The Peace and Justice Resource Center. He's in Los Angeles. He's up very early, but we wanted your mind on this for us. I want to quote some of your own words to you, Tom. You've said that Donald Trump is "deliberately provoking all of this and emulating the same tactics that accompanied the rise of strong men in oppressive countries through our history." That is a strong statement.

TOM HAYDEN, SOCIAL & POLITICAL ACTIVIST & AUTHOR: I don't consider it false, though. I mean, it's what Rachel Maddow has reported very, very well. Senator Rubio has pointed out that there have been no incidents at any of the rallies for any of the candidates, except Mr. Trump.

And it's simply a dynamic that if you insult people, if you say that you want to punch them in the face, if you keep saying get out of here, getout of here, get out of here, if you associate with the Ku Klux Klan or waffle on that issue, if you make fun of television reporters, if you call all Mexican immigrants rapists and murders -- at some point you're stoking a very fierce reaction.

And I'm surprised that it isn't even worse. If this goes on you're going toward the brink of civil breakdown and a police state in the end if something is not done to restore debate and democracy instead of intimidation and thuggery.

PEREIRA: You know, it's interesting. We had an analyst on our air just a short time ago described it in the same way you are. The idea that this is a powder keg. We do know that Donald Trump has managed to tap into something. He's managed to tap into and effectively push the anger button in a sector of the electorate. He doesn't see it is inciting. He is describing it as a love fest. How do you react to that?

[07:55:00] HAYDEN: I know Donald Trump. I think that he's disconnected from reality now. No one in their right mind could call this a love fest. These are like huge authoritarian rallies and displays of intimidation, and he can't possibly mean that. But, he's a P.R. guy and I guess he's just trying to interpret this -- what people see on television -- as a love fest. It makes no sense at all. PEREIRA: Let's look at this from a historical perspective. We know that you have been in the thick of activism and political activism since the civil rights movement in the 60's. Maybe, if you will, comparing contrasts -- what we are seeing now. There are some parallels I suppose, but compared to what you saw and lived through in the 60's.

HAYDEN: Well, one of the biggest parallels is with Kent State where 14 people were shot and wounded, four were killed, and then two more at Jackson State the next couple of weeks. That was the Nixon administration with John Dean being there and Spiro Agnew in the background. They had a close race in a primary in Ohio going on and they wanted Mr. Rhodes to be elected, and they had him out there calling the student protesters at Kent State brown shirts who would have to be eliminated.

And the National Guard got completely panicked, out of control. Nobody knows how the orders were given exactly, but they turned and shot into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators. They were militant. They were angry, of course, but they were shot in the back. They were not walking towards the troops, they were shot in the back. That was the political effect of Kent State that is still with us. Thousands of people visit the campus every year.

And I could give many other comparisons, but it's the coming of the strong man that is happening here, I think. That's the key problem, and I would advise people not to play into Mr. Trump's hands. Not to get into his playbook as if the protesters are suppressing his right to speak or his rallies are nothing but freedom of speech events protected under the first amendment.

It's not true. If you have that many people there who incite -- does anybody remember the phrase you're not allowed to shout fire in a crowded theater?

PEREIRA: Yes, we know that. We know that very well. We remember it. Tom Hayden, this is why we wanted to have you on to get you to give us your perspective. We appreciate it. Hopefully, we'll be able to call on you again to join us. Thanks for joining us on NEW DAY this morning.

HAYDEN: Glad to. Thanks very much.

PEREIRA: Following a lot of news today, including today's critical Super Tuesday contest, so let's get to it.

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SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh look, a Bernie Sanders sign. Don't worry, you're not going to get beat up at my rally.

TRUMP: There's no violence, there's lovefests. These are lovefests.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am so worried about our country and what could happen if we don't band together. SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A vote for John Kasich or a vote for Marco Rubio is a vote that's thrown away.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Don't doubt America. It's coming back.

TRUMP: Kasich cannot make America great again.

SANDERS: We will not accept their bigotry and xenophobia.

RUBIO: But we're going to shock the country.

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ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.

PEREIRA: You ready?

CUOMO: Sure.

PEREIRA: OK.

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your new day. It is Tuesday, March 15th, 8:00 in the east. Today finds the final installment of the Super Tuesday trilogy, but it is also the Ides of March, and two of the GOP candidates are hoping to not play the role of Caesar. Voters in five delegate-rich states are heading to the polls this morning, but really two loom larger than the others.

Florida and Ohio are winner-take-all. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, both facing must-win situations in their home states. Now, Trump just picked up nine more delegates this morning in overseas voting -- the Northern Mariana Islands just east of the Philippines. That leaves 358 Republican delegates up for grabs tonight.

CAMEROTA: So you sort of combined Shakespeare and The Hobbit there with the trilogy reference.

CUOMO: That's how I roll.

CAMEROTA: I know, and I like that interesting literary reference. On the Democratic side, 691 delegates at stake today. Hillary Clinton looking to build on her delegate lead. Bernie Sanders looking to pull off another upset.