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Who's Who Inside the Trump Campaign?; Can Democratic Party Unite Around Eventual Nominee? Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired April 15, 2016 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:44] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: We have breaking news: a miracle in the rubble left behind by a massive earthquake in southern Japan. Reuters is reporting that an 8-month-old baby girl survived inside a collapsed home. It took rescue crews six hours to free her from beneath a pillar. We're told at least nine killed, 800 injured in that magnitude 6.2 quake.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Oh my gosh. Look at that little girl.

Well, Belgium's transport minister reportedly stepping down over airport security lapses after the Brussels terror attacks. A report by the European Union exposed issues with security measures and safety checks. The report is from last year. It was leaked this week by two Belgian opposition parties. Thirty-two people were killed in last month's terror attack.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: A big development, a major win this morning for families of the Sandy Hook victims. A lawsuit holding gun makers and sellers responsible for the shooting rampage will not be dismissed. A Connecticut superior court judge ruled that the court will hear the claim despite federal laws that protect gun companies from some liability. Six teachers and 20 students were killed in the shooting of December 2012.

PEREIRA: Back to politics. Donald Trump adding new two members to his team who are Trump's closest advisers now. How influential are they to his unconventional campaign? That's ahead.

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[06:38:06] CUOMO: Donald Trump likes talk, but there' something he's not talking about that matters a lot, changes to his campaign team. He's added two political strategists just hired to help prepare for the likelihood of a contested Republican convention in July.

So, let's take a look who has been added and what's going on on the inside of team Trump.

Here to discuss, a man who knows, Gabriel Sherman, author of "The Loudest Voice in the Room." He's a national affairs editor at "New York Magazine" and spent a great deal of time with the Trump campaign for a recent profile.

Gabe, it's good to have you back.

GABE SHERMAN, AUTHOR, "THE LOUDEST VOICE IN THE ROOM": Good to be here.

CUOMO: So, first question, the man we have at the top of the food chain here, the flow chart, is Corey Lewandowski. Does he still believe there?

SHERMAN: That's an interesting question. I think Paul Manafort might disagree with that.

CUOMO: All right. So, there's --

SHERMAN: I did not vote him off the island.

CUOMO: Please welcome to the show, my brother. This is how we work the screens.

So, previously, national director, voter registration for Americans for Prosperity. Met Trump in April 2014. Joined the campaign half a year before the announcement.

He's been his guy. He got wrapped up in controversy recently. No prosecution with Michelle Fields, the reporter.

But what is his status? What is his importance?

SHERMAN: The campaign has shifted to this new phase. It's now a delegate fight. It's really down in the weeds of how Republican politics works. That's not Corey Lewandowski's strong suit. He makes the trains run on time. He's the advanced guy. He travels with the candidates. That's why the power shifted to this man, Paul Manafort.

CUOMO: Paul Manafort, let's see if we can make him appear, we're going to take him and throw him. There he is going to will wind up.

All right. Paul Manafort, a lot of controversy surrounding this. The headline is, oh, he was in the last contested convention in 1976, so he knows how to do it. But there is a lot more to Manafort than just 1976.

SHERMAN: Well, he is a man who has been a fixer in Washington.

[06:40:01] He's been a hired gun for foreign governments, business interests, working behind the scenes.

You know, when I was doing my profile of the Trump campaign at the magazine, we had a very difficult time finding a current photo of Paul Manafort because he has been working so in the shadows for political clients not mainstream Republican politics. He is really a creature of power and influence in Washington but not someone you see on the front page.

CUOMO: So, how does this play in terms of consistency with what Trump says, which is that inside game is dirty. I'm going to break it up. I know what it's like because I helped fund it. Not me. I'm going to play a different game. And then hires this guy.

SHERMAN: Well, what's interesting is, in this -- in a certain way, Manafort is an outsider. He takes on a lot of clients that a lot of mainstream lobbyists in Washington just won't take on, as we were just talking about in the Ukraine. You know, he will go into places that big lawyers and lobbyists in Washington say, well, I don't want to get into bed with these guys. But Manafort will do it.

So, in that sense he is an outsider the way Trump is.

CUOMO: An outsider in terms of maybe playing to advantage the kinds of things that Trump says are disgusting.

SHERMAN: Well, I think Trump is saying, I'll make a deal. You know, Trump is saying, you know, I'd like to get into a room with Putin. S

I don't think Manafort really, you know, looks at things in terms of black and whites. It's shades of gray.

CUOMO: That's exactly what he says. All right. So, Rick Wiley, he was with Governor Scott Walker out of Wisconsin. And now, he's with Trump. Come on, get over -- there you go. Now, he's there.

What does he mean?

SHERMAN: He -- you know, this is a classic case of Trump trying to professionalize his campaign. You know, Wiley is a creature of Republican politics. He worked for Scott Walker. He's worked at the Republican National Committee. He used to work for Mercury, which is a very respectable Washington, D.C. firm.

What's interesting is that now the campaign is shifting into the way the conventions are going to run. He has deep connections in the Republican Party. Just today, there is a report that there's going to be a vote on how the rules of the convention will be written. It is important that Trump has a guy like that who knows the Republican Party.

CUOMO: So, what does it mean for a Lewandowski if you have Manafort and a Wiley, both known as top dogs in your midst? What do you think it means?

SHERMAN: Well, I think it's clear that your power has been diminished. It would be curious to see what he says on your show, because he was the guy at Trump's side day in and day out.

CUOMO: He was the guy, period. There was nobody else.

SHERMAN: These guys are all professionals.

CUOMO: So, Sam Clovis is another one. He's got a long-time history in organizing. He had his own radio show for a while.

SHERMAN: It is important to point out -- Clovis has been there from the beginning. So he knows how to work with Lewandowski. And I think going here now -- CUOMO: Now, this has been a point of controversy. Hope Hicks is a

new name. She has been here for a long time. She is young. She is aggressive. She's been very good in how she was positioning Trump, making him available or not available.

But now, this area of working the press secretary is under some review within the campaign. What do you know?

SHERMAN: So, they're bringing -- they brought in a former member of the Huckabee campaign team. They're expanding the operation. I mean, really, it's remarkable that her and Donald Trump were fielding every media request.

You just can't run a campaign that way. You need to have talking points for surrogate. You need to be planning strategically far out. You need to sort of -- the fact that Donald Trump did the Chris Matthews interview that created all the controversy about abortion, a lot of people in the Trump orbit said, well, why was he even doing that interview? You know, Chris Matthews is a hostile interviewer. So --

CUOMO: Right.

In fairness to Hope Hicks, though, one -- she came into this, have never worked the campaign before, and she is working for a guy who doesn't take a lot of advice from people.

SHERMAN: As he told me, he is the strategist. He is running the campaign.

CUOMO: So, these changes, they're big. Do you think we're going to see more?

SHERMAN: Of course. As it gets closer to the general election as he tries to shore up this nomination, he has to professionalize his campaign. This is the first step.

CUOMO: Dave Sherman, thank you so much for taking us inside Trump world.

Coming up, we have one of the main players. Is he the main player? Corey Lewandowski, campaign manager for the Trump campaign is coming up in just minutes.

Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both claim they will be the Democratic nominee. Can Sanders catch up in the delegate race? What both candidates need to do. We look at the map next.

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[04:47:48] PEREIRA: All right. Let's talk a little sports.

Apparently, NFL fans can plan your season league announcing the 2016 schedule. Andy Scholes, I can say good-bye to Sunday brunches with my boo, huh?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Michaela. It's always a great day. Fans start mapping out which games they want to go to and try to predict how their teams are going to fare in the upcoming season.

Now, we will get a Super Bowl rematch in the opening game of the season on the first Thursday. Denver Broncos will host the Carolina Panthers. The first Sunday of the season will fall in the 15-year anniversary of 9/11. Now, Christmas falls on a Sunday. Most teams will play on Saturday that week, Christmas Eve.

The NFL will have a doubleheader. Ravens/Steelers is and Broncos and Chiefs will square off. The NFL season wraps up on New Year's Day this year. Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have a big season. They're the only team that's going to play Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

All right. The NBA playoffs tip this weekend and fresh off the heels of making regular season history, Warriors, they will host the Rockets on Saturday. That's just one of four games tipping off tomorrow. Games get going 12:30 Eastern. They go all day.

And after the greatest season in NBA history, the Warriors are the current favorites in Las Vegas to win the NBA championship -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Andy, thanks so much for that.

Well, the gloves are off on both sides of the presidential race. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders duking it out in Brooklyn, with Ted Cruz launching a new attack on New York values. We'll play you that and see who benefits the most.

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[06:53:37] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am very proud of the campaign we are running. It is a campaign that will not only on capture the Democratic nomination but a campaign that will defeat whoever.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we're going to win this, to tell you the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Well, there you have it. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders declaring they will be the Democratic Party nominee during last night's Brooklyn brawl.

So, let's talk about which one of them is right.

Joining us now is CNN politics executive editor Mark Preston and CNN political director David Chalian.

Great to have both of you guys. I know you're burning the midnight oil. Great to have you here with us this morning.

OK. Is this just magical math that Bernie Sanders is doing I his own head when he says that he is going to be the nominee even though she has so many more delegates right now, David?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, the people that are going to come on the debate stage and say, I don't think I'm going to be the nominee. There wouldn't be a reason for him to show up on the debate stage.

CAMEROTA: But can he get there?

CHALIAN: It is obviously a tough time. The math is in her favor, and he has a really tough path ahead of him. But he's not at the place where he will concede the election to her.

He still is fighting him. He still has a ton of money in the bank. And he's coming off these wins that have given him momentum. So, he has a rationale, but he knows the math is getting harder.

You just would not expect him to sort of concede an inch last night, and he didn't.

CAMEROTA: Not only that. The polls have shifted. Let me up for you the latest national polls, because they have turned in his favor.

[06:55:03] So, this is the NBC -- no, sorry. This is the national FOX poll. This shows that compared to March, Clinton is now 48 percent, Sanders is 46 percent. And she back then had 55 percent. He had 42.

Things are working in his favor, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: They are. But, you know, for someone who's not very good at math, David is absolutely right. We're at the point in the contest where you have to win states decisively right now. And the way things have played out so far, there's no way that is going to happen.

CAMEROTA: But he says the math is changing for him. The South, she did better, and they're heading to North, where he will --

PRESTON: What he's hoping for, ironically, he is hoping to have momentum. He's hoping to show what we saw a couple nights ago here in New York where 27,000 people come out and rally. We heard supporters in the audience.

What he's hoping to gain the momentum, go into Philadelphia, show momentum at that point and get the superdelegates to come to his side to get him over the finish line.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, is that scenario possible? And is a contested convention on the Democratic side, we talk a lot about the GOP side. Is that not only possible but may be a scenario that's becoming more likely?

CHALIAN: I don't think so and here's why. First of all, in the history, since 1984 when the superdelegates were put into place, they never upended the will of the pledged delegates. So, if Bernie Sanders is not able to overtake Hillary Clinton in the pledged delegate battle, he loses his best argument to the superdelegates as to why they should come his way.

So, right now she's got 200-plus, 220, something like that, pledge delegate gap. That's pretty significant when you break up these delegates proportionally in these states and with her headed into pretty strong territory for her. So, unless he can somehow truly change the way this race has been going, he can't just -- here's the thing: Bernie Sanders has had a good campaign here. He really has.

He can't keep doing just what he's doing and get to the finish line. He actually needs a change in the dynamic. We haven't seen that yet.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Well, look, he had a surprise in Michigan. Is it possible Tuesday in New York that the momentum and the 27,000 people, crowd, does shift for him and he denies her the opportunity to pick up all the delegates?

PRESTON: Well, listen, nothing is ever impossible in politics, but it's not probable. It is not a probable scenario. You know, we talk about Bernie Sanders leaving and going to the Vatican 24 hours to talk about income inequality and how bad capitalism is, well, Hillary Clinton is leaving too. She's going out to California to raise money.

If she was really that concerned, she wouldn't be going out to California to raise money. But listen, worst-case scenario for Bernie Sanders is that he doesn't win the nomination, OK? Worst case scenario.

However, he can use that to his advantage to be a player in the United States Senate. He can go back and he could be the voice for progressives and for liberals. So, like at the end of the day, if he doesn't win the nomination, Bernie Sanders can still be a player in American politics.

CAMEROTA: Very quickly, let's talk about what's happening on the other side of the aisle. This morning, "The New York Post", the tabloid here, one of them here in New York is publishing their endorsement of Donald Trump.

I want to read to you a portion of it. They say, "Should he win the nomination, we expect Trump to pivot not just on the issues but in his manner. The post-pivot Trump needs to be more presidential, better informed on policy, more disciplined, and less thin skinned."

Is that Trump's plan and is that even possible for Donald Trump?

CHALIAN: I think it's entirely possible and where's why -- Donald Trump has proven to be the master marketer in American politics this cycle, right? He can brand like nobody else. He has shown an ability to move when he has to move.

Do you remember in the 2012 election, Romney's aid said, this is the etch-a-sketch moment when you can wipe away the primaries, and that was a big controversy -- Donald Trump is the very essence of etch a sketch candidate and he doesn't care. He is going to be able shade some of the controversial positions he's taken in this primary season. I think pretty easy to pivot to the general if he's the nominee.

CAMEROTA: David, Mark, thank you. Great to get your insight. Thanks so much for being here. We have much more of the CNN Democratic debate ahead. So, let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLINTON: You need to have the judgment on day.

SANDERS: I do question her judgment which voted for the war in Iraq.

CLINTON: Don't just say we're upset about this. That's not enough.

SANDERS: We should be thinking big, not small.

CLINTON: I spoke out against Wall Street.

SANDERS: And was that before or after you received huge sums of money?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Lyin' Ted Cruz, he's I guess number three in the polls. And nobody even knows who number two is.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The public works on a politician, they figure that politician is lying.