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New Day

Trump Says There Will be a Riot if He's Not the Nominee; Contentious Battle Over Supreme Court Nominee. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 17, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

WARD: -- between super powers that is going on, and as long as these talks don't have, as a key demand, that President Bashar al-Assad must step down, they have very little faith that they will lead to any long-lasting peace in Syria.

[07:00:11] PEREIRA: They are caught in the middle. Clarissa, this has been terrific.Amazing reporting.

You can get more on Clarissa's journey inside Syria by going to CNN.com/Syria.

Following a lot of news this morning, including fallout from Donald Trump's latest controversial comments. Let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via phone): I think you would have problems like you've never seen before.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that would be an absolute disasters.

TRUMP: We're way ahead of everybody.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There would be a tremendous disturbance.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That doesn't make him strong; it makes him wrong.

TRUMP: I think you'd have riots. I'm representing a tremendous -- many, many millions of people.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I don't think it's unreasonable to ask our colleagues to put this off.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today I am nominating Merrick Brian Garland to join the Supreme Court.

JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I am grateful beyond words for the honor you have bestowed upon me.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (R), NEW YORK: We hope the saner heads in the Republican Party do their job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY.

Up first, new developments on the comments Donald Trump made right here on NEW DAY. The front-runner warned of riots if there is a contested convention and he is not the GOP nominee.

CUOMO: After a successful Super Tuesday, Trump is wasting no time turning his attention to Hillary Clinton. He just released a new video questioning her toughness and showing Clinton barking like a dog.

Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Phil Mattingly, live in Philadelphia with more. Good morning, Phil.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

There are three candidates left in this Republican race but only one clear front-runner. Donald Trump using that poll position to scuttle debates but also issue a stark brush back to Republican leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP (via phone): I think you would have problems like you've never seen before.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Donald Trump warning his supporters could riot if he's denied the Republican nomination, in a live interview on NEW DAY Wednesday.

TRUMP: We're way ahead of everybody. I don't think you can say that we don't get it automatically. I think it would be -- I think you'd have riots.

MATTINGLY: The GOP facing the very real possibility of a contested convention if no candidate meets the delegate threshold for the nomination.

CRUZ: That would be an absolute disaster. I think the people would quite rightly revolt.

MATTINGLY: Former presidential candidate Ben Carson, who's endorsed Trump, reiterating that sentiment.

CARSON: There's no question that there would be a lot of turmoil if the establishment tries to thwart the will of the people.

MATTINGLY: But party leaders are downplaying that possibility.

REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: All of these stories are going to continue, and everyone's going to have opinions, and they're going to get people stirred up, but those delegates will vote on the first ballot as they are bound to vote under the law. MATTINGLY: And dismissing Trump's warning if his supporters are

ignored.

SEAN SPICER, RNC CHIEF STRATEGIST & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I assume he's speaking figuratively. I think, if we go into a convention, whoever gets 1,237 delegates becomes the nominee. It's plain and simple.

MATTINGLY: With the Republican field winnowing, Trump now attempting to look more like a general election candidate, dropping his first attack ad aimed at the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, painting her as too weak to go up against opponents of the U.S.

Trump foreshadowing his plans to go after Secretary Clinton earlier this month during FOX's last GOP debate.

TRUMP: I have not started on Hillary yet. Believe me, I will start soon.

MATTINGLY: This week, he's pledging to skip their next debate, forcing FOX to pull the plug.

TRUMP (via phone): How many times can the same people ask you the same question? I won't be there, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Now Michaela, top Republican officials are really trying to downplay what Donald Trump said about possible riots, but you have to look at it through the spectrum of what we've seen over the last couple of weeks, the rising tensions, the problems in Chicago, the violence at Donald Trump's rallies. If you talk to Republican officials behind the scenes, there's a lot of concern. There has been leading up to this point, these comments really only adding fuel to that fire, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Everybody needs to take a big deep, cleansing breath, Phil. All right. Thanks very much.

An intense showdown underway, meanwhile, on Capitol Hill as leaders on both sides of the aisle sound off on the president's pick for the Supreme Court. Republicans vowing to block Merrick Garland's nomination as he gears up for meetings today with Democratic lawmakers.

Senior political reporter Manu Raju is live in Washington with the very latest.

Hey, Manu.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Michaela.

The Supreme Court fight indeed begins in earnest today as the president's nominee meets with senators Harry Reid of Nevada and Patrick Leahy of Vermont. And the battle has huge implications for control of the United States Senate, where Republicans are fighting to hang onto their thin majority. But right now Republicans are betting their base will reward them for standing firm against the president's nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: Give the people a voice in filling this vacancy.

RAJU (voice-over): Senate Republicans declaring President Obama's choice for Supreme Court dead on arrival.

[07:05:02] OBAMA: Widely recognized not only as one of America's sharpest legal minds, but someone who brings to his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, evenhandedness and excellence.

RAJU: The president touting 63-year-old Merrick Garland as a consensus nominee, with more federal judicial experience than any other nominee in history, who worked on high-profile cases like the Oklahoma City bombing and the Unabomber as a longtime Justice Department lawyer and federal prosecutor.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Put this off until after the next president is elected.

RAJU: But Republicans argue it's about principle, saying American voters should first elect a new president before confirming a nominee.

HATCH: It seems clear that President Obama made this nomination not -- not with the intent of seeing the nominee confirmed but in order to politicize it for purposes of the election.

RAJU: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell even calling Garland to say that he will not meet with him or get a confirmation hearing.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: That principle has no history, no precedent, and is virtually impossible to defend.

RAJU: Senate Democrats urging their counterparts to do their job, warning more obstructionism could flip control of the GOP-led chamber in November.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: Give President Obama's nominee a meeting, a hearing and a vote.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: We hope the saner heads in the Republican Party will prevail.

RAJU: But several in tough re-election races standing firm with the Republican leadership.

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R), OHIO: If I do meet with him, it may not be a good use of his time, because I'm not going to change my position.

RAJU: For his part, Garland got emotional at yesterday's announcement, having been passed over twice for a seat on the high court. JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: This is the greatest honor of my life, other than Lynn agreeing to marry me 28 years ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: Now only two Senate Republicans have broken ranks with leadership's opposition to confirmation hearings, and that's Maine's moderate Susan Collins and Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, who has perhaps the toughest reelection bid in the country. Democrats believe their best chance at getting Garland confirmed is to force more vulnerable Senate Republicans to defect. But they privately acknowledge their pressure campaign needs to show results by July, when both sides head into their party conventions, and it will get even harder to see action on Capitol Hill -- Chris.

CUOMO: That is going to be a tough deadline to meet. Manu, thank you very much.

Let's discuss this with the White House chief of staff, Denis McDonough.

A hearty Erin go bragh to you, Mr. Chief of Staff.

DENIS MCDONOUGH, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Right back at you. Happy St. Patrick's Day, Chris.

CUOMO: To you, as well. So let's look at things that are being politicized. This nomination of someone to fill the vacancy of Antonin Scalia. Judge Garland is well-respected. He sits atop what they call the second highest court in the land, the D.C. Circuit. He was approved 76-23. You're hearing from your GOP brothers and sisters, "It's not about Garland. Don't waste the pick. It's too close to the next presidential election. Let the people decide." What's your rebuttal?

MCDONOUGH: Well, the people have decided. Obviously, the president was elected to serve four years. Senators are elected to serve six, so we should get this -- get this done. The president submitted a nominee with unquestioned qualifications, experience and excellence. He's done his job pursuant to the responsibilities under the Constitution. Now the Senate should do its job.

CUOMO: Then-Senator Barack Obama in 2006 argued against election-year appointments, against then-Judge Samuel Alito when he was being nominated. Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, many Democrats have argued from the same perspective that we're hearing the Republicans do now. Are you trying to have it both ways?

MCDONOUGH: No, I think we're trying to do what the Constitution requires the president to do in this instance, which is to submit a nominee when there's a vacancy and requires a Senate to do, which is to do its job, give him a hearing, give him a vote, and get him onto the court.

Now, I don't remember the president arguing against -- making the argument you just suggested, Chris. Instead, what I remember what happened with Justice Alito and Justice Roberts is that they had meetings. They had hearings. They had votes, and then they were confirmed to the Supreme Court.

We should be afforded Judge Garland, a person of unquestioned excellence, remarkable experience, including leading the federal effort against looking into the Oklahoma City bombings. He should be afforded that same constitutional set of responsibilities. So we look forward to the Senate doing just that.

CUOMO: I'm referring to when then-Senator Obama in 2006 was trying to filibuster the Senate confirmation vote on the nomination of Samuel Alito. You remember that process. I understand what you're saying about still having meetings, though.

MCDONOUGH: I do -- no, no, Let's be clear exactly what happened at the time. There was meetings. There were hearings.

CUOMO: Right.

MCDONOUGH: There were votes. And there were then several votes on the Senate floor, including that vote to end debate and then a vote to make sure that he got onto the Supreme Court.

[07:10:08] So we would like to see the exact same process. It's not just that we would like to see it. This is what the Constitution requires. And senators should work the full six years of their time in office.

The average Supreme Court nomination, Chris, is completed in 67 days from announcement to confirmation, and that's exactly what -- you know, they have plenty of time to do that in this instance, as well.

CUOMO: Do you think you'll get it done?

MCDONOUGH: I do. I think that it's the right thing for the country. I think that, as I've said to you just this morning, throughout the papers this morning, you can't find a bad word about Judge Garland. That's because he's a person of remarkable experience, a person of remarkable decency, and he's a judge who is uniformly, among Republicans and Democrats, seen as somebody with the kind of temperament and the kind of excellence that should be, you know, represented on the Supreme Court.

Given that set of facts, my guess is that the politics of this wash away and we end up filling that vacancy, as we've done now in this country for years.

CUOMO: It's hard to dispute what you're saying about Judge Garland. He did get passed once already, 76-23. But...

MCDONOUGH: He's a remarkable -- he's a remarkable jurist, I have to say. And he led this effort in Oklahoma City.

CUOMO: Right.

MCDONOUGH: He led the effort in the Unabomber, and uniformly, over the last seven years, Republicans and Democrats have said to President Obama, "This is the kind of person we want to have on the Supreme Court." Well, they have that opportunity now.

CUOMO: Given that, Denis, what gives you the confidence that you're going to get Senator McConnell to move? He's saying no.

MCDONOUGH: What gives me the confidence is Judge Garland's remarkable qualifications. And what also gives me the confidence is I have great faith in the Constitution. It served us well now over the course of more than two centuries in this country. We ought not throw that out now.

If we were to take the position that the majority leader is suggesting is their position now, it's completely, utterly and totally unprecedented in the history of the United States Senate. I think that's a mistake. The president suggested yesterday that would wind up politicizing the Supreme Court.

I think that is just too high a price to pay for some kind of political outcome out there -- up there on Capitol Hill. My sense is that they'll come around to this. We'll have a hearing. We'll have a vote, and that vacancy will be filled.

CUOMO: While I have you, let me employ your unique gift for strategy at a job that you would never want, would be my suspicion.

If you were working on the GOP side right now, Donald Trump coming in strong. Let's say he does have 1,100, 1,150 delegates as he gets to the convention. He suggested here on NEW DAY yesterday, "Hey, if they don't give it to me when I have that many delegates, there could be riots." My time -- my sense at the time was that he was being hyperbolic, not that he was threatening riots. And he certainly said, "I'm not going to lead any riots," but could happen.

If you were on their side of the ball, and the comes in with that many delegates and that much momentum, how do you deny him the nomination? What's your strategy sense tell you?

MCDONOUGH: I don't -- I don't know if this is good for Mr. Trump or good for the Republican Party, but I have a hard enough time figuring out politics on my side of the ball.

CUOMO: Oh, don't punt, Denis. It's St. Patrick's Day. Chase the snakes away.

MCDONOUGH: Listen, man, I have enough -- I have enough snakes to chase away as it is, and I'll rely on the power of St. Patrick to do all that. Bit I'll leave that up to the Republicans to figure out, Chris.

CUOMO: Are you surprised at how much of a weapon people are using President Obama as on the GOP side? It is a relentlessly negative campaign, true. But they are using him as a symbol of everything that's wrong with the country. Are you surprised by their disposition? MCDONOUGH: You know, one thing I'm super proud of is that, if you

look at the course of the last ten years of this country, I think all of the ideas, frankly, that are driving political thought and debates in Washington are Democratic ideas. We're the ideas party now.

I see the Speaker Ryan doing a lot of work. He wants to turn the Republicans from a party of opposition into a party of proposition. It's quite clear to me they have a lot of work to do on that. It's not good for us when all of the ideas are coming from one party. It's not good for the country when all the ideas are coming from one party.

I am hopeful that their campaign will turn into a discussion of some idea, hopefully sometime soon. Regrettably, that hasn't happened yet. Regrettably, we don't see that from the Congress. But look, we're going to keep doing our job, and I hope they come along.

CUOMO: Denis McDonough, thank you very much. Let's see if you can get these hearings done. Again, happy St. Patrick's Day to you.

MCDONOUGH: right back at you, Chris. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

CUOMO: Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Now to an interesting development in the Clinton e-mail saga. New documents show Hillary Clinton made multiple requests for a secure government smartphone in 2009, but those requests were rejected by the NSA. Officials say the rejection was because of, quote, "security vulnerabilities."

This information coming to light in e-mails obtained by Judicial Watch. Clinton, of course, ended up with a private e-mail server, a move that she has since said was a mistake.

PEREIRA: Five North Carolina deputies are facing discipline following their actions at a Donald Trump rally. The video shows a Trump supporter sucker-punching a protestor being escorted out. The deputies, though, can be seen looking at the floor at the time of the encounter, rather than their surroundings. All five of those deputies have been suspended without pay. Two of them were demoted.

CUOMO: The suspect in last month's deadly Kalamazoo shooting spree is suing his former employer, Uber, for $10 million. Jason Dalton claims driving for the company called him -- caused him psychological damage. In a hand-written court complaint, he even claims the company is responsible for his marital problems. Dalton is charged with killing six people, injuring two others over a five-hour shooting spree.

CAMEROTA: Fans of first lady Michelle Obama hoping for a possible run for the White House will have to look elsewhere. Listen to what Mrs. Obama told the crowd at the South West South West Festival in Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: I will not run for president. No, no, not going to do it. Hey, and here's one of the reasons why, because I've got these two young people at home, and being the kids -- the daughters of a president, just think about it. Come on, young people, not so easy. They've handled it with grace and with poise, but enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: She went on to say that she wants to, quote, "impact as many people as possible in an unbiased way" after she leaves the White House for good in January.

PEREIRA: Yes, there's other ways to serve, right?

CAMEROTA: Yes, right, but didn't she always say -- I remember at the beginning she was going to be the mom in chief or something like that.

PEREIRA: She has been. She stuck by her word on that.

CUOMO: She clearly does not love the game. You know, it wears on her, and understandably...

PEREIRA: Can't imagine why.

CUOMO: Understandably so. Understandably so.

PEREIRA: All right. Donald Trump warning of riots if he isn't the GOP nominee this summer. Could there really be violent backlash if he's denied the nomination? We're going to speak with a lawmaker who supports Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:22] CAMEROTA: What happens if Donald Trump does not hit the magic 1,237 number of delegates to secure the nomination? On this show yesterday Trump warned of riots if he is not the GOP nominee at a contested convention.

Joining us now, Congressman Chris Collins. He's the first congressman to support Donald Trump.

Good morning, Congressman.

REP. CHRIS COLLINS (R), NEW YORK: Good morning, Alisyn, and happy St. Patty's Day to you.

CAMEROTA: You, too. I see your very handsome tie that you are sporting in celebration.

COLLINS: My ancestors came from County Cork. Here I am.

CAMEROTA: There you go.

All right, so let me play for you what Donald Trump told Chris on our show yesterday about what he predicts if he doesn't get to that 1,237 number.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP (via phone): I think you'd have riots. I think you'd have riots. You know, we have -- I'm representing a tremendous -- many, many millions of people. In many cases, first-time voters. These are people that haven't voted, because they never believed in the system. They didn't like candidates, et cetera, et cetera. If you disenfranchise those people and YOU say, "Well, I'm sorry, but you're 100 votes short," even though the next one is 500 votes short, I think you would have problems like you've never have seen before. I think it would -- I think bad things would happen. I really do. I believe that. I wouldn't lead it, but I think bad things would happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Congressman, some people interpreted that as a threat. Was it?

COLLINS: No, I think what you heard was more of a rhetorical statement, and I think he's just speaking very honestly.

And first of all, he's going to be our nominee. And I would agree: If he shows up with 1,100 delegates, and the next person is 500 or 600 behind him, there's no question he's going to have this on the first vote. There's not even going to be a contested situation with a second, third and fourth vote.

And I think what you're already seeing is, certainly on the House floor yesterday, most members were coming up to me, knowing I was the first member to endorse Donald Trump, saying, "Let's just move on. Let's take the fight to Hillary Clinton. Let's unite behind our nominee, which is Donald Trump, and let's just move forward."

And I think you're already seeing this. I thought it was a very good move for Mr. Trump to decide he's done with the debates. Let's stop the infighting. It's time to coalesce behind Trump. Let's take it to the Democrats, which we know we're going to beat Hillary.

So I think it was a very good day yesterday, as I think the shift in our conference on the House floor and also the shift in the Republican Party is recognizing, Donald Trump is going to be the nominee.

CAMEROTA: That's not what Ted Cruz and John Kasich are recognizing. And what if -- what if he doesn't get to 1,100? What if Ted Cruz and John Kasich are within striking distance and there is a contested convention? Then do you predict that there would be riots?

COLLINS: Well, Alisyn, no one would want to see riots, and certainly, you can't predict. What I will say is that the Donald Trump base would be extraordinarily upset. And the thought that the, quote, "power brokers" or others would try to snatch this nomination away from Donald Trump that's won in the North, the East, the South and the West, with racking up numbers that we just saw this past Tuesday night, No. 1, I don't think he's going to be stopped short of 1,237. If he is, then he's going to have anywhere from 1,050 to 1,150. I believe on that first ballot, you're going to see the delegates understanding the rationale behind... CAMEROTA: Sure, Congressman. But I'm not talking about the snatching

-- I'm not talking about some establishment figure like Paul Ryan, who has said he doesn't want it, parachuting in. I'm saying what if fair and square, what if fair and square Ted Cruz and John Kasich make it closer to that number, and nobody makes 1,237 and nobody hits the 1,100?

I mean, in other words, it sounds like Donald Trump is sending a signal to his supporters that they should do something if he's denied the nomination.

[07:25:18] COLLINS: No, I don't think that's the case at all. I think the message really is let's move on. He is going to be our nominee. When you look at the rules of the convention, as they're currently written, and who even is on the ballot for the first round, someone has to win a majority of delegates in eight states.

And that's certainly not going to put some of these folks like Governor Kasich even on the ballot for the first round.

So I'll come back to I'm confident Donald Trump is going to be our nominee, and I think, again, you're seeing the shift already with people saying enough of the infighting. It's time to understand we have to defeat Hillary Clinton, whether it's the future of the Supreme Court, the future of this country, we need a leader who's going to stand up to Vladimir Putin and the ayatollah. Donald Trump is that leader, and I'm confident he will be our nominee. And all the comments you heard yesterday were more rhetorical in nature, because Donald Trump has really North, East, South and West. His support is energized, and it's real.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Congressman, this is where it gets challenging. It's sometimes hard to know when Donald Trump is using a rhetorical flourish or joking or being serious. It's hard to know.

So when he says I am -- I mean, he says it as plainly as he possibly can: "I believe it, this is what would happen. You have to take this very seriously. There would be rioting." That sounds like he's serious.

COLLINS: Well, again, at the end he said, "And I would certainly never call for anyone to riot." And you've got to understand, that's what he's saying.

I think, again, rhetorically, he's saying, and he's right, his supporters, which are, you know, both Democrats and Republicans, with energy, the kind of energy we're seeing in this cycle that we have never seen before compared to the Democrats, they would be extraordinarily upset. And, you know, we'd have to see that play out.

But the best thing is let's get Donald Trump to 1,237, and it becomes a moot point. And I believe he'll be there. And I also believe and you're hearing other establishment folks say, if he's 100 short, he's going to get it on the first ballot.

CAMEROTA: All right. Congressman Chris Collins, thank you so much for joining us on NEW DAY.

COLLINS: OK, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. D.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Merrick Garland has been named as Obama's pick to the Supreme Court. Up next here on NEW DAY, we're going to learn more about who he is from two people who know Garland well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)