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Donald Trump and Ted Cruz Campaign in New York; Interview with Ted Cruz Campaign Spokesperson; Sanders & Clinton Step Up 'Qualifications' Fight; War of Words Intensifies Ahead of NY Primary. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired April 08, 2016 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The American people might wonder about your qualifications.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's kind of a silly thing to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Democrats around the country, by the way, are pretty clear. We'll unify one way or another.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've got this guy talking about New York values with scorn in his face.
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everyone in New York and outside of New York knows exactly what I meant by that.
GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you're asking me am I tough enough? Yes, I'm tough enough.
TRUMP: I told him, the leftovers.
CRUZ: This isn't a game. This isn't a smoke-filled room.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Catching us in the midst of preparation and Michaela just being beautiful.
All right, good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Must be Friday.
CUOMO: It is Friday, April 8th. Compliment day here on the set of NEW DAY. Not so much on the Democratic side of the presidential race, though, ripping a page from the GOP race maybe? Why? Well, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton doing a lot of "your worse than I even am." There's sparring going on about who's qualified to even be the president. What's going on with this negative tone? And is it about to get worse?
CAMEROTA: As for the Republicans, Donald Trump now focusing on his delegate strategy while Ted Cruz stands by his disparaging "New York values" comments. With the New York primary just days away, where will the race go from here? Let's begin our coverage on the race for the White House with CNN's Phil Mattingly who joins us. Hi, Phil.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alisyn. Apparently it will go to any stereotypical New York thing you can come up with, whether it's a subway stop, whether it's an Italian deli, whether it's a matzo bakery, candidates are there from both sides of the aisle. But the underlying tension in both of these races still very much in existence. Questions about qualifications, questions about New York values, questions about Donald Trump's campaign team all coming to a head here in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: The 2016 presidential hopefuls hitting the streets of the big apple, courting voters ahead of New York's primary. Ted Cruz in Brooklyn making matzo.
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Firm.
(APPLAUSE)
MATTINGLY: Secretary Clinton attempting to drum up support among subway riders.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How are you?
MATTINGLY: And fending off Senator Bernie Sanders attacks.
BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you qualified to be president of the United States when you're raising millions of dollars from Wall Street, an entity whose greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior have helped destroy our economy?
MATTINGLY: Sanders refusing to back down Thursday.
SANDERS: I'm going to get beaten up. I'm not going to get lied about. We will fight back.
MATTINGLY: Clinton trying to take the high road, a stop in front of Yankee stadium.
CLINTON: I don't know why he's saying that, but I will take Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump or Ted Cruz anytime.
MATTINGLY: Tensions in both races ratcheting up with Ted Cruz continuing to defend his New York values comments, slamming New York's politicians, and Donald Trump.
CRUZ: Our friends in the media tell us that Donald Trump is unstoppable in New York state. And they really want to see a general election between two New York liberals who agree on Washington being the center of the universe.
(BOOS) MATTINGLY: John Kasich looking to capitalize on the backlash, touring a deli in the Bronx.
GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How about a little cheese on the top of this? Mama mia.
MATTINGLY: Both his campaign and super PAC launching full-scale attack ads aimed at Cruz.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ted Cruz sneered at our New York values.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New Yorkers aren't stupid, Ted.
MATTINGLY: Donald Trump seizing on his home court advantage.
TRUMP: This is home. It's great to be home.
(APPLAUSE)
MATTINGLY: Backing out of schedule stops in California and Colorado to take closed door meetings with his staff.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: Some traditional campaign moves from Donald Trump in a very untraditional campaign. One of the most interesting elements of those moves, though, Paul Manafort, now the convention manage, an expansion of Donald Trump's very right inner circle. But more importantly you now have the person who is responsible for all of the delegate operation inside Donald Trump's team.
And Chris, you want to know how interested people are in that hire, just since your interview with him last hour I've already gotten 15, 20 e-mails from GOP operatives not just trying to figure out what Paul Manafort is actually doing for Donald Trump but trying to figure out how Donald Trump's campaign may shift in the months forward, Chris.
CUOMO: Very interesting instant response there from Phil Mattingly. Thank you very much, my friend.
All right, so you have the polls showing Ted Cruz running dead last in New York, right? Third our three, right? So somehow what would be winning for him here? What can he accomplish in New York and then going forward? That's the test. Let's discuss the Cruz strategy in New York with national spokesperson for the Cruz campaign, Mr. Ron Nehring. Ron, good to have you on the show, as always.
RON NEHRING, TED CRUZ CAMPAIGN NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: Good morning. Good morning.
CUOMO: So let's -- we have contrasting versions of the truth this morning. Paul Manafort said we will reach with Donald Trump, one, two, three, seven, before the convention.
[08:05:03] And I said, wow. You've got to win a lot of delegates by percentage, then. The man who needs to win even more is Ted Cruz, but listen to what Ted Cruz just said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRUZ: We have a clear path forward to get to 1,237 delegates. It's difficult. We've got to win and we've got to win definitely. But I'll point out in the last three weeks we've won in four states in a row. We won a landslide in Utah, nearly 70 percent of the vote. We got all of the delegates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: The only thing harder than winning 59 percent of the remaining delegates, which is what Trump has to do, would be winning 88 percent of the remaining delegates, which is what you guys have to do. What is the point behind making this statement, that, yes, we're going to win it before the convention?
NEHRING: Well, I think actually the one thing that's even more difficult is what John Kasich would have to do, which would be to win about 120 percent --
CUOMO: And 125 percent Kasich would. Why I didn't note him, Ron. This is really about who's going to get --
NEHRING: I'm talking about what's possible.
CUOMO: -- there before the convention, why put that suggestion out there? Are you setting yourselves up for failure?
NEHRING: No, because it's -- it's an acknowledgement of the fact there are enough delegates in the remaining states up for grabs that Donald Trump or Ted Cruz could win the nomination prior to the convention.
What's equally possible, however, is no one gets 1,237 delegates when we get to the convention, and ultimately it will be those delegates who are gathered there in Cleveland who will make that decision. But let's be clear that the focus of the messages of what we do with the country going forward, how we apply conservative principles in order to solve the country's problems. The folks who are in the states that have not yet voted yet. People like in my own state of California, they deserve a full debate and discussion on the issues and qualifications of the candidates going forward. And I know that, you know, all the delegate discussion is really, really interesting for insiders, but there are serious issues concerning the country going forward and the voters in the remaining states deserve to have that serious debate on those issues, focus on those issues.
CUOMO: We have time to talk about the delegates if they become relevant which obviously we here believe is more likely than you guys and Trump right now, because you're both talking about getting to the path regardless of the convention.
So let's talk about what's happening on the ground. I would submit that Senator Cruz saying, New York values means these lefties, like Andrew Cuomo and Weiner and all of these other Democrats they have coming at us, what I meant. Not the New York people. I would submit, that's the right way to argue for Ted Cruz, but are people accepting that on the ground here? Or are they still believing what Trump is suggesting which is, no, he was talking about all of us. He was saying that New Yorkers represent something bad.
NEHRING: Well, you know, obviously Donald Trump is going to continue to do and say increasingly desperate things, which is exactly what he does every time he loses. You know, in Wisconsin, Donald Trump had predicted 24 hours beforehand that he was going to win in Wisconsin and so on, and he got blown out in Wisconsin. So whenever he loses something, you know, he turns to increasingly desperate tactics and we've seen him deliberately mischaracterize things. And that's OK. It's not his job to be accurate. It's our job --
CUOMO: I know, but this is what your guys said, this is what the senator said on the stage. He said New York values, and he didn't distinguish them being about politicians. He only did that after Trump slapped him down about it.
NEHRING: Yes, well, look, I'm born and raised in New York. When I was going to school at Stony Brook University on Long Island your father was governor. All of us on Long Island are pretty clear what, quote, "New York Values" is referring to, and that's this liberal politics, this ultraliberal politics that governs primarily New York City where you have a near socialist type of government in New York City, and liberal policies in the state that have driven taxes sky high, that have killed jobs in the state, that have driven the middle class largely out of New York and forced many middle class folks into other states is the reason why everyone in New York goes to retire in Florida in order to escape the sky-high income taxes on their pensions. That's the type of situation that's been created in New York by liberal politicians, with all due respect to everyone, over the course of the years, and of course that's what was being referred to.
Everyone in New York understands that, except, of course, for people you know, like Donald Trump who want to mischaracterize that, which is fine. This is politics. This ain't bean bag. This is hard. Politics is hard, but that doesn't mean that Senator Cruz isn't going to work hard in the state of New York, work hard in order to maximize the number of voters who he's able to communicate with and convey his message and vision for the future of the country. That's what he was doing. That's why he was in New York. That's why he will be in New York many times before the primary. We're going to continue to focus on that.
CUOMO: One more other take on this. The senator is out there saying, you know, the media, they, they want this. They don't want us. They -- and again, it fuels this suspicion that, what is he talking about? Who is "they"? Because when he first made this representation, and again, I'm the guy's brother. I'm the guy's son, and I'm telling you I understand you going after them. I would, too, if I you were, and it may actually help you within the state.
[08:10:08] But when he says "they," those moneyed interests, that media, it smacked of something to people on the ground here that seemed much more pernicious than politics alone. Do you think the senator's done enough to correct that?
NEHRING: Well, the way that -- look, what we found in the state of Wisconsin or any other state where we've engaged is that the more people have the opportunity to interact with Senator Cruz one on one in these events or through the media, et cetera, the more they like him, the more they say who the man really is, and not the man as he's defined by his opponents. One of the challenges in any political campaign is to make you're defining yourself and not allowing yourself to be defined by your opponents. And the way we do that is by directly being in New York state, which is, again, why Senator Cruz was there yesterday and for the last two days, as a matter of fact.
And you know, I thought his event up in upstate New York was terrific, a terrific amount of energy in the room. He went back down to New York City, had a great experience there. So we're not going to allow ourselves to be defined by anyone else like Donald Trump and his continued mischaracterizations, but it is going to be Senator Cruz interacting with the people of the United States including people in New York.
CUOMO: Ron Nehring, as always, I appreciate you coming on NEW DAY to make the case. Good luck to you here and going forward.
NEHRING: Thank you.
CUOMO: All right, Michaela?
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, to our breaking news out of the Vatican. Pope Francis issuing an historic document laying out the Catholic Church's views on marriage, love and the modern family. The 260-page Papal document calling for greater acceptance of gays but rejects same-sex marriage. It also reinforces the Catholic Church's stance against the use of contraception and the practice of abortion.
CAMEROTA: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro making a rare public appearance at a school in Havana. This is his first time he's seen in public in nine months. This comes just days after blasting President Obama's visit to the island nation, the thawing of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. The reclusive 89-year-old handed over power to his brother Raul after a serious illness.
CUOMO: The price of a postage stamp drops two cents this weekend. Yes, the post office got a temporary rate increase in 2014 to offset the lingering effects of the recession. That increase expires Sunday and the cost of a stamp drops from 49 cents to 47 cents. International stamps will also fall by five cents. Postcards are going to a penny cheaper.
PEREIRA: I was a sucker that brought a bunch of those forever stamps.
CUOMO: Scared money never wins. Scared money never wins.
CAMEROTA: How often does anything dough gown in price?
PEREIRA: I know. Do we need a laugh? We need a laugh. "Late Night" with Seth Meyers feeling the Bern. The Democratic hopeful stopped by the late night show, went after the one percent and big banks in a special edition of a segment called "Ya Burnt."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SETH MEYERS, HOST, "LATE NIGHT": Bernie what do you think about the one percent?
SANDERS: The one percent, hey, one percent, what do you need all that money for? If I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to compensate for something. How is it possible that some of you are paying a lower tax rate than your secretaries? That makes less sense than the plot of "Batman versus Superman." One percent, you're burnt!
(APPLAUSE)
MEYERS: How do you feel about the big banks? Do you have any opinion on them?
SANDERS: The big banks, you're not too big to fail. You failed. My advice to you is the same advice I give to a couple contemplating an open relationship. It's time to break up. Big banks, you're burnt!
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: What I also love, the reasons were on the list.
CAMEROTA: I don't know.
CUOMO: What are they when you burn them?
CAMEROTA: Crazens.
CUOMO: Strong. I thought unanswerable question.
(LAUGHTER)
PEREIRA: I thought it was, too. Apparently not for Camerota.
CUOMO: I was burnt.
PEREIRA: You're burnt.
CAMEROTA: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton slinging the mud at each other this week. Are things about to get uglier as the race goes on? We're going to speak to a Sanders campaign manager next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLIE ROSE, CO-HOST, CBS THIS MORNING: (Inaudible) believe Secretary Clinton is unqualified to be president?
BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, does Secretary Clinton believe that I am unqualified to be president?
ROSE: But why can't you simply say yes?
SANDERS: She has years experience. She is extremely intelligent.
ROSE: So why can't you say?
SANDERS: Because she is -- you know, I have some experience, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, HOST, NEW DAY: That was Bernie Sanders pressed over his recent claim that Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be president. Did this put the dispute to rest?
Joining us, Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver. Hey, Jeff.
JEFF WEAVER, BERNIE SANDERS' CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Hey, how's it going?
CAMEROTA: Going well. Great to have you in-studio.
Why can't Senator Sanders say, yes, she was the former secretary of State, she's qualified to be president?
WEAVER: Well, the he has made is that on a number of issues over the time, her judgment has been severely compromised, on the war on Iraq, her willingness to take big money from big banks and other special interests, you know, her support for things like the welfare reform.
On and on and on again, we have these issue positions she has taken that I think the point was really that it sort of disqualified her from being president.
CAMEROTA: Yes, they have points of contrast, certainly.
WEAVER: Absolutely.
CAMEROTA: But is Hillary Clinton qualified to be president?
WEAVER: She certainly has the resume to be president, absolutely.
CAMEROTA: So why is Senator Sanders engaging in this sort of playground politics of tit for tat?
WEAVER: Well, I wouldn't say it's playground politics. Look, Senator Sanders has run an issues oriented campaign from the beginning of this week.
CAMEROTA: Yes, just this week seems different. It had been issues oriented on both sides -- for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and this week something changed.
WEAVER: Yes, something did change. We came into New York, and the Clinton campaign decided that they were going to play rough and tumble politics in New York City and that Bernie Sanders, you know, who's lived in a small state recently, wasn't up to playing that kind of rough and tumble game.
CAMEROTA: Such as? I mean, what was rough and tumble on their side?
WEAVER: Well, he's not qualified as Hillary Clinton. That was asked four or five times in different things. Is he qualified? Well, I'm going to let the voters decide.
The "Washington Post" -- look I went to law school just like the Secretary did. I know how to say things without saying them. The "Washington Post" characterized it as her questioning his qualifications.
Jeff Zeleny on election night from Wisconsin reported that he had talked to the Clinton campaign people, and they said they had a new strategy, which was to disqualify him, defeat him and reunite the party later.
CAMEROTA: Because fact checkers fact checkers gave it three Pinocchios that she ever said he was disqualified or not qualified, that that was not something that she had actually said.
WEAVER: Well, I'll leave it to -- I believe Jeff Zeleny over the fact checkers at the Pinocchio land.
CAMEROTA: So you felt that it was important to engage in a tit for tat because of that?
WEAVER: No, I think what was important to do is to demonstrate that Bernie Sanders is not going to be a punching bag for the Clinton campaign. We're not going to roll into New York and have them, you know, unleash negative attacks, distortions and frankly, in some cases, lies and not respond.
CAMEROTA: So is this a new tone? Will we see something different next week? ]
WEAVER: Well, you know, as I said -- actually earlier in this campaign we were having a big debate about who was a progressive. Remember this whole debate much earlier on?
Bernie Sanders has really set the message in the race. I mean, he has dominated the issue terrain in this race. But the Clinton campaign really has controlled the tone, so they set the tone.
If they want a harsh tone, if they want sharp elbows in New York, we're happy to participate on that level. They want to have a reasoned discussion of the issues and the contrasts between the candidates, we're happy to do that, too.
CAMEROTA: But why don't you just decide you're going to take the high ground? Why must you return in kind fire?
WEAVER: Well, because that's the world we live in. If you -- if you allow yourself to be a punching bag for two weeks here in New York and don't respond, you know, it's going to hurt you, really. CAMEROTA: I want to ask you something about something you said on our
air about Hillary Clinton yesterday. You said that you felt that she was responsible for the situation in the Middle East. Let me just remind you of your words. You said, "She supported the war in Iraq."
WEAVER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: "SHE continues to have a very hawkish foreign policy, which has led to the rise and expansion of ISIS in the Middle East."
WEAVER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Is that a bridge too far?
WEAVER: No, I don't think so. I think a number of experts have pointed out that the vacuum that was created in Iraq after the Iraq war with the deposing of Saddam Hussein and then deposing of Khadafy in Libya, you know, allowed ISIS to rise in Iraq and Syria and then allowed for its expansion into Libya.
So no, I don't think that's the case. That's not just my opinion. That's an opinion of many people who have studied this issue.
CAMEROTA: But Hillary Clinton is responsible for the vacuum that arose?
WEAVER: What Hillary Clinton -- look, Hillary Clinton supported the war in Iraq. There's no doubt about that. And it's clear from all -- a lot of reporting that she was a key voice of the administration pushing for the war in Libya.
I think that at one point, there was talking about being a 50/50 split almost in the administration and her sort of tipping it over. So, yes. I do think you have to bear responsibility for things like that.
CAMEROTA: But you don't think that it's simplifying it a bit too much to say that the very complicated set of circumstances that led to the rise of ISIS can really fall at the footsteps of Hillary Clinton?
WEAVER: Well, she's not solely responsible. She's not the only person or force responsible, but she certainly bears some responsibility.
Look, Bernie Sanders was on the floor of the Congress talking about exactly what happened. I mean, that's the kind of judgment you want in a president. You want somebody who can look forward, who understands what the dangers are of engaging in these kind of foreign adventurisms.
And Bernie Sanders was saying it at the time. He's not just saying it now. This was something he said back then.
CAMEROTA: I mean, just very quickly, Jeff.
WEAVER: Sure. CAMEROTA: Part of the -- what complicates this is that it says that
if basically the U.S.'s hawkish foreign policy, which has led to the rise and expansion of ISIS. I mean, that's what ISIS thinks, that it's because something the U.S. did.
WEAVER: No, no, no, no, that's not. No. ISIS is not a creation of the U.S. But a vacuum was created in which that sort of cancerous organization could grow. And that was a result of the Iraq war in part and as a result of the Libyan war, which allowed for the expansion into Libya.
CAMEROTA: Very quickly, we --
WEAVER: Sure.
CAMEROTA: -- heard the announcement that Senator Sanders is going to the Vatican next week. What's that about?
WEAVER: Well, the Vatican has invited the Senator to come and speak about this issue of a moral economy and how to create a moral economy in the world. So he's very pleased with that. You know, he has a great respect for the Pope, and I think it's going to be a really great trip.
CAMEROTA: OK, fantastic. Well, we'll be watching.
WEAVER: All right.
CAMEROTA: Jeff, thanks so much for coming on.
WEAVER: Take care.
CAMEROTA: Next Thursday night, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, before he goes to the Vatican, will face off in a CNN Democratic debate. That's in Brooklyn. It's April 14th at 9:00 Eastern, five days before the all-important New York primary. Chris?
CHRIS CUOMO, CO-HOST, NEW DAY: Bernie Sanders, working Il Papa (ph). Strong move.
Coming up, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz getting in a New York state of mind. The Republican rivals quite different in their approach to this crucial contest. We talk strategy with both campaigns, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CO-HOST, NEW DAY: And here we go with the Friday edition of the five things to know for your "New Day." Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders fighting over who's qualified to be president. While Bill Clinton on the stump for his wife clashing with black lives matter protestors.
Meanwhile, GOP front-runner Donald Trump facing his delegate dilemma by expanding his team, hiring a new convention manager. Ted Cruz meanwhile standing by his controversial New York values remark saying, people know what he means. A landmark papal document laying out the Catholic Church's views of
love, marriage and the modern family. It clarifies when divorced Catholics should be able to receive communion and upholds the church's definition of marriage as only between a man and woman.
Secretary of State John Kerry now in Iraq holding key meetings on fighting ISIS. So far during his Mideast tour, Kerry has been reassuring Arab states over the nuclear deal with Iran.
And "American Idol" ending its 15-year run with a final winner and major surprises. Original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson reunited. As for who won? Trent Harmon beat La Porsha Renae to be the final idol. Congratulations.
For more on the five things to know, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com. Chris.
CUOMO: All right, Mich.
Donald Trump and Ted Cruz both desperate to win the upcoming New York primary, but they're going about it very differently. How? Answer ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
