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Republican Party in Turmoil to Stop Trump; Obama Aims to Stop Trump, Protect Legacy; Trump Campaign Responds to Anti-Trump Movement; Obama Lashes Out at Senate GOP Over Nominee Fight. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 18, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: Merrick Garland is a fine man.

[07:00:04] REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: What we're seeing is a disrespect for the Constitution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's just simply too much at stake.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They didn't say we're going to decide that you're in charge for three years and then, in the last year, you all take a break.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

The Republican Party in turmoil. Conservative leaders calling for a unity ticket to stop Donald Trump. The "never Trump" effort is making for some very strange bedfellows. Meanwhile, Trump not backing down from his warning, right here on NEW DAY, that denying him the nomination could cause, quote, "riots."

CUOMO: And to Alisyn's point about bedfellows, the proof of the GOP anxiety is seen in the partnerships. Senator Lindsey Graham, who once compared backing Trump or Ted Cruz to being shot or poisoned, well, guess what? He's chosen the hemlock, endorsing Senator Ted Cruz. President Obama now going on the offensive, using Trump as an example of everything America does not need.

We've got the race covered the way only CNN can. Let's begin with CNN's Phil Mattingly. Good morning, Phil.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

Donald Trump wasn't even out on the campaign trail yesterday. But as usual, he was just about the only person anybody in the party was talking about. Across the GOP in public and in private, top officials huddling, trying to answer that one question that has befuddled them for months. How on earth do you stop Donald Trump's roll to the nomination?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP (voice-over): 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 upping the pressure on Donald Trump two days after the front-runner's interview on CNN's NEW DAY, where he warned that riots could erupt if he is denied the Republican nomination after securing the most delegates.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Nobody should say such things in my opinion, because to even address or -- or hint to violence is unacceptable.

MATTINGLY: Top conservatives meeting privately in Washington on Thursday, plotting any way to block Trump's path to the nomination, raising the possibility of a third-party option.

RYAN: It's not going to be me. It should be somebody running for president.

MATTINGLY: House Speaker Paul Ryan again rejecting talk that he could become the Republican nominee through a contested convention.

Trump hitting back at his opponents in his own way, taking to his free-attack-ad platforms of choice, social media, with a series of posts aimed at Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton.

And Trump's fiercest one-time rival, Marco Rubio...

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hopefully, there's time to still, you know, prevent a Trump nomination.

MATTINGLY: ... speaking out for the first time after his bruising loss in Florida...

RUBIO: I'm not going to be anybody's vice president. I'm not -- I'm just not going to -- I'm just not interested in being vice president.

MATTINGLY: ... saying he's done with politics.

RUBIO: I'm going to finish out my term in the Senate, and then I'll be a private citizen in January.

MATTINGLY: And a surprise endorsement for Ted Cruz from South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham after months of colorful digs.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you're Republican and your choice is Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in a general election, it's the difference between poisoned or shot. You're still dead.

MATTINGLY: Now telling CNN's Dana Bash he's raising money for the Cruz campaign.

GRAHAM: I think the best alternative to Donald Trump to stop him from getting 1,237 is Ted Cruz. And I'm going to help Ted in every way I can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Now, anybody who has paid any attention or been in the middle of the Lindsey Graham versus Ted Cruz battles over the last few years can tell you those are about the last words you ever thought you'd hear out of Senator Graham's mouth. But on some level, guys, it really underscores the desperation the party leaders are feeling right now. The kind of desperation that can lead to some odd bedfellows.

The question remains, though: to what effect? Republican operatives involved in these efforts really across the campaign spectrum have one question: Is it too late?

PEREIRA: Big question to investigate. Well, thanks, Phil.

Even President Obama is pouncing on the GOP front-runner. He's planning to hit the campaign trail in an effort to try and stop Trump and protect his legacy.

Athena Jones is live at the White House with this.

Hi, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela.

It's not just about the White House and Trump. It's also about retaking the Senate, making progress in the House. These are the goals the president has laid out for himself and his party. And we've already seen him talking about the stakes in this election and talking about the tone of the race so far, especially on the Republican side. Take a listen to what he had to say on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The longer that we allow the political rhetoric of late to continue and the longer that we tacitly accept it, we create a permission structure that allows the animosity in one corner of our politics to infect our broader society. And animosity breeds animosity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So the president is not going to be quiet about what he's seeing on the campaign trail. And this is about protecting and advancing his legacy: keeping the White House, taking back the Senate, protecting accomplishments like the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans oppose. The nuclear deal with Iran. The opening to Cuba, which he's going to go this weekend to Cuba. Things like environmental regulations and financial regulations. These are all things the president is hoping to protect.

[07:05:07] And the White House and the Democratic National Committee feel that he is the best spokesman for protecting his legacy.

He's also, they hope, someone who's going to drive voters to the polls. Democrats to the polls, Democrats to the polls. We've seen data in the states that already voted showing that the enthusiasm seems to be on the Republican side. Their -- the turnout on the Democratic side has dropped, in some states by large margins. And so the hope is having President Obama out there revving up the Democratic base will help ensure a Democratic victory come November -- Michaela.

CAMEROTA: I'll take it, Athena. Thanks so much. No problem. Appreciate that.

So what does Donald Trump think of the movement to stop him? Let's bring in Trump's national campaign co-chair and policy advisor, Sam Clovis.

Good morning, Sam.

SAM CLOVIS, TRUMP NATIONAL CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR: Good morning. How are you?

CAMEROTA: I'm doing well. So what do you and Mr. Trump know about this meeting of high-profile conservatives in D.C. yesterday, including radio talk show host Erick Erickson, in which they are determined to stop Donald Trump?

CLOVIS: I don't know anything about the meeting. I'm in D.C. right now myself, and I'm talking to you from the CNN studios here in town.

I think one of the things that's fascinating to me is the whole notion that we have Republicans and conservatives who have been so outraged at the Supreme Court and other -- and the Congress not going to the will of the people. The people are voting. The people will vote. We have a path. We have a process. We have procedures.

And if these people were so concerned about what was going on, why don't they find a better candidate to run against Mr. Trump? Why don't they find more votes out there? We have polled over 2 million votes above Ted Cruz. In fact, if you start to take a look at the cumulative vote, we're inching up to that 50 percent level. And we're going to be there. And we're going to get to 1,237. And these guys are going to be sitting there stewing on the floor of the convention in Cleveland and will have to figure out whether they want to get on the train or they're going to end up under the train. It's up to them.

CAMEROTA: Well, they think that you won't get to 1,237, and they think that the answer for them is a unity ticket. Maybe it is Ted Cruz and John Kasich. At one point, there was a suggestion of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

But let me read for you what Erick Erickson said in his statement about this: "If that unity ticket is unable to get 1,237 delegates prior to the convention, we recognize that it took Abraham Lincoln three ballots at the Republican convention in 1860 to become the party's nominee. And if it is good enough for Lincoln, that process should be good enough for all the candidates without the threat of riots."

Your response?

CLOVIS: Well, I'm not exactly sure what the response ought to be. I mean, there is a process in place. There are rules. If the Republican National Committee, which will meet again in April, if they don't mess with the rules when there is a process, we ought to go through that process.

I don't think their candidate is going to get to 1,237, because he's going to have to win 86 percent of the delegates that are left. We have a much clearer path to that, and I think we have a reasonable expectation that, if we get to 1,237, then everybody needs to calm down, come to Cleveland, get behind the candidate, and let's go out and defeat the Democrats in November.

I just -- to me, it's -- if it was not so ridiculous, it would be laughable what's going on inside the -- I would consider this. We have people who are elitists, who are part of the ruling class of this country or pretenders to that throne who think they're part of the ruling class who are openly and willingly going out here and telling the American people who have voted for Donald Trump that they're stupid and that they don't know any better. I want to tell you, if that's the path they want to go down, there will be consequences for that kind of thing.

CAMEROTA: And what does that mean? What kind of consequences?

CLOVIS: I think the consequences are going to be that what they think the Republican Party is, is not going to be what the Republican Party is after the convention if they decide to go after it and take away the nomination from a person who has clearly won it fair and square and aboveboard and gone out here and done the things that are necessary in this process. We wouldn't have this process, Alisyn, if it wasn't the process that the Republican Party had adopted. And now they want to change the rules as we go forward. Go figure.

CAMEROTA: Because you know, Donald Trump talked about what he thought the consequences might be here on NEW DAY this week when he said that he could imagine that there would be rioting in the streets and big problems if he were denied, somehow, the nomination. Does he stand by those remarks? Does he want to clarify those remarks?

CLOVIS: Mr. Trump speaks for Mr. Trump.

CAMEROTA: Paul Ryan took issue with those comments, as did Erick Erickson, and you saw in the statement that I just read. Speaker Ryan said this about them. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[07:10:07] RYAN: Nobody should say such things, in my opinion, because to even address or hint to violence is unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: What do you think about the idea that he was suggesting that there would be violence, threatening that there would be violence.

CLOVIS: I don't think he said "violence." He said "riots." And...

CAMEROTA: Riots are violence, by definition.

CLOVIS: Well, I don't accept that. I think that -- I will tell you this. I'm probably going to be selected as a delegate for the state of Iowa to go to the floor of the Republican convention. I'm honored to be a delegate from the state of Iowa. I haven't been elected yet, but if it goes well and I end up being a delegate, I'll be honored to go and represent the state of Iowa, and I'll be honored on the first ballot to cast my vote for Donald J. Trump.

And I will tell you this: if the Republican Party comes into that convention and jimmies with the rules and takes away the will of the people, the will of the Republicans and the Democrats and the independents who have voted for Mr. Trump, I will take off my credentials, I will leave the floor of that convention, and I will leave the Republican Party forever.

CAMEROTA: But it's not jimmying with the rules if he doesn't make it to 1,237. If he doesn't make it to 1,237, then it's -- you still do vote on it at the convention. It is called an open convention...

CLOVIS: I don't think anybody's -- I don't think anybody said any different. We haven't said any different. Nobody said any different than that.

CAMEROTA: Well, he did.

CLOVIS: There's no gift -- no.

CAMEROTA: Hold on a second. Mr. Trump said, "If I get close, if I get -- let's say I get 1,100 and somebody else is 100 points back or 500 points back, then I think that you would see very bad things and there could be rioting if I'm denied it." So that is actually jimmying with the rules.

CLOVIS: Well, I don't think that's, you know -- I don't think that's jimmying with the rules. The rules are the rules. And if we get close, the tradition of the Republican Party has been that the person who has come the closest to that is normally -- the graciousness and the unity of the party is important. If a person doesn't get to the 1,237 threshold, there are rules, and the rules ought to be followed. I don't think anybody is saying any different.

And but the issue is that people with clear conscience and good conscience ought to know that the will of the people ought to be followed. And if the will of the people to that point -- you have to remember, we had 17 people in this game. We still have -- we still have three. I mean, we've gone through all of these primaries. And now here we are. We still have three people in the race. And so we have all these delegates outstanding out there. We have a lot of great states coming up for -- for us, and I don't think this is going to be an issue. And I wonder where Erick Erickson and the rest of them are going to be when we cross that 1,237 threshold. I wonder what their rhetoric will be then.

CAMEROTA: We shall see. Sam Clovis, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY.

CLOVIS: Always a pleasure to get up early for you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Thank you, Sam. We appreciate it.

Let's get over to Chris.

CUOMO: All right. So in no small irony, the GOP going against polls saying Trump should be its nominee. Also ignoring polls saying they should hold hearings on the president's nominee to replace Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court.

The president now telling NPR the GOP's vow not to consider Judge Merrick Garland further erodes Americans' already shaky faith in government.

CNN senior political reporter Manu Raju live in Washington with the latest. The president said, Manu, animosity breeds animosity.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. In that interview, Chris, President Obama also shed some new light on his thinking about why he chose Judge Garland. He defended his decision not to make a diversity pick, saying he's appointed two women to the Supreme Court, including a Latina, and has reshaped the lower courts with minority judges. He simply said that Judge Garland is the best person for the job.

Now a lot of people have been asking why would anyone want this nomination, knowing that he will be attacked and have little chance of getting confirmed this election year. But President Obama said Judge Garland most certainly is ready for it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For those of us who are more often in the scrum of politics, we're -- we call folks like Judge Garland civilians. And so suddenly being placed in a war zone like this is something that you want to make sure they're -- they're mindful of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Indeed, conservatives in outside groups are already attacking Garland as out of the mainstream. The conservative group Judicial Crisis Network plans a $2 million ad blitz over the nomination. And on the left, expect liberal activists to be in the home states of GOP senators up for reelection for opposing taking up this nominee. But this is a fight that is only just beginning, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Absolutely. Thank you. All right, Manu, thanks so much. North Korea launching a pair of ballistic missiles and ignoring U.N.

resolutions. Their second launch in a week. The Pentagon confirming today's round was off the eastern Korean Peninsula. One of those missiles flew about 500 miles into the sea. It all comes as the U.S. and South Korea continue one of their largest joint military exercises.

CAMEROTA: Leaders from the European Union presenting a new plan today to deal with the migrant crisis. The plan would send back tens of thousands of migrants to Turkey. In exchange, the E.U. would offer Turkey financial and political concessions, including fast-tracking its application to join the E.U. More than one million migrants have entered Europe since the start of 2015.

CUOMO: A California student who went on a stabbing rampage on his college campus was inspired by ISIS. The FBI says Faisal Mohammad appeared to be self-radicalized, motivated from terrorist propaganda that he found -- where else? -- online. They say he acted alone when he stabbed four people during the November attack. Mohammad was killed by the campus police after the rampage.

PEREIRA: President Obama hitting the road to warn of the effects of a Trump presidency. Smart? Or is it going to rile up the Trump movement?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:07] CUOMO: The president is getting out on the campaign trail in an effort to stop Donald Trump. Really? Or is he going there to do -- exploit Donald Trump? Let's discuss. CNN political commentator and host of CNN's "SMERCONISH," Michael Smerconish.

There's no question, Michael, that the headlines are pointing toward, "Oh, President Obama seems to be worried about Donald Trump." I question the premise, but that doesn't matter. What do you see?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I see a president who's mindful of the fact that, when his name has been at the top of the ballot, '08 and 2012, his party has been very successful. Of course, in that off-year election in 2010, they didn't do so well.

President Obama probably knows this cycle is largely going to be a referendum on his tenure. So why not have at it? Go out and defend your record and try and draw that core constituency, which is comprised of women, the young, and people of color. Because he knows, unless they rally that base, the Republicans, even with Trump, can win.

CAMEROTA: But Michael, is it unusual for the president to hit the campaign trail before the primaries are wrapped up?

SMERCONISH: I think this entire cycle is unusual. And yes, I mean, presidents always want to protect their legacy, those who are leaving office, right? But in this particular case, the fact that it's now where we are in mid-March, mid- to late March and the president is already signaling his interest in getting involved, I think that is unusual, sure.

CUOMO: Well, but also, you have to remember the dynamic here. The Democrats, just judging by history and political cycles, they're supposed to lose here, right? And if you are running in party to who the president is, you're supposed to be running away from the president. I mean, aren't those usually the rules? And why aren't they holding right now?

SMERCONISH: Well, I guess you mean insofar as they just had two terms.

CUOMO: That's right.

SMERCONISH: And that pendulum usually swings. But Chris, don't overlook -- don't overlook the big blue wall, right? In the last six cycles, the Democrats have been able to win 18 states and the District of Columbia, giving them this base of 242 electoral votes with the 270 that are necessary, going back to the constituency that I reference, which is women, the young and people of color.

So this is all about keeping that core engaged. Because as the two of you well know, turnout thus far has been to the benefit of the Republicans and Trump, in particular. And despite all those crowds coming out for Bernie Sanders, there's a huge enthusiasm gap thus far.

CAMEROTA: Right. So let's talk about what the president will -- may be even able to accomplish in terms of, you know, exciting the base.

So you say that he does hold sway with African-Americans, with Hispanics, maybe with the younger vote. What about independents? I mean, independents seem to be heading towards Donald Trump. Do independents like President Obama and then, by default, Hillary Clinton?

SMERCONISH: Well, that's "X," the unknown. Right? Because 42 percent of the nation, 42 percent according to Gallup in January, are "I's." They're not "R's," and they're not "D's." But it's a very divergent group.

And you're right: many independents have shown support for Donald Trump. Many independents have shown support for Bernie Sanders. So which way they go is going to determine the outcome of the race.

Look at the internals, and you will see that President Obama has the support of -- I think the number is 87 percent of Democrats. He's probably loathed by a similar percentage of Republicans. So, you know, the Republicans are probably gleeful to hear the message that President Obama wants to get back out on the stump. Because whether he's out there or not, they wish to make this an election about him.

So let's talk about turnout one step deeper. Yes, you're right that the Democrats, at least 5 out of 10 of them, plus in Ohio, six out of 10 in the other states on Super Tuesday, said Obama's policy should be continued. That's good for them.

Turnout overall, a lot of red arrows, but Ron Brownstein said something that is true and incisive earlier in the show. This is looking at a baseline of 2008. That was the highest ever since the primary system was put in for the Democrats. Maybe that's not the best level of analysis for comparison.

So the question becomes, do you think Trump just boosts his own turnout numbers or will he also boost Democrat base turnout numbers if he's the nominee?

SMERCONISH: I think -- Ron is a smart guy, as we all know. I think by the time that November rolls around, if Donald Trump is the nominee, I think you will see unprecedented levels of engagement and turnout on all sides of the aisle.

Anecdotally, can I just tell you that, as you know, I host a radio program on a day-to-day basis. I have never sensed the enthusiasm for and against Donald Trump of people who cannot wait to come out and exercise the franchise. It's unparalleled, that everywhere I go -- and I'm sure that in your lives, it's the same way -- people want to engage about this campaign. And everybody has an opinion. I'm sure they're coming out to vote.

[07:25:08] CAMEROTA: Mike, what about on the other side of the ticket, in terms of the conservative -- the group of conservatives who met in this closed-door meeting? Erick Erickson was there. He put out a statement, and he talked about how the strategy now is to come up with a unity ticket to defeat Donald Trump. Maybe that unity ticket is Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Maybe it's something else. They were unclear.

SMERCONISH: You know, I listened to your interview with Sam Clovis a moment ago. Every time that CNN talks about a closed-door meeting, I think the Trump campaign must be ecstatic. Because that gives them such fodder to play to their base to say, "Look what they're trying to do outside of camera view. They're trying to steal it from Donald Trump, despite the fact that he has the highest number of delegate votes, regardless of whether he gets to 1,237.

So the efforts thus far -- and there have been so many of them just in the last couple of days -- I think are intended to disengage Donald Trump, frankly play to his benefit.

CUOMO: Well, we're going to see what happens soon enough. But you know, in fairness, we are only halfway there on the GOP side. And Trump does have to really hump it. I mean, he's got to get over 50 percent of the remaining delegates. That has not been what he's done so far. So, you know, we'll see. Maybe this is much ado about nothing.

CAMEROTA: No, I think that's a good reminder. I mean, it is only halfway there. And you know, sometimes we act as though it's all wrapped up, but this election cycle has been nothing if not surprising.

Michael, thank you very much. Great to have you on.

SMERCONISH: See you, guys! CAMEROTA: See you.

CUOMO: "SMERCONISH," Saturdays at 9 a.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

PEREIRA: I love the way he just made these -- like fantastic.

CUOMO: His name is like an emotion.

PEREIRA: No, it is, it really is. I feel a little bit of a Smerconish.

CUOMO: I've got a little Smerconish coming on.

PEREIRA: All right. Ahead, we're going to talk more about those conservatives doing all they can to stop Donald Trump from clinching the nomination. We're going to ask a Trump supporter and a detractor if a third party's ticket could stand in Trump's way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)