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Huge Wins for Clinton, Trump in New York. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired April 20, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This campaign has come a very, very long way.

[07:00:04] GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Trump organization is complaining, because they know they're not going to get enough votes.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're leading by a lot, and we can't be caught.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE; The race is in the home stretch, and victory is in sight.

B. SANDERS: Don't tell anybody this, but Secretary Clinton is getting a little bit nervous.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not only do we say, yes, we can. We pledge, yes, we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Who's luckier than I am? Nobody. Good morning, welcome back to your NEW DAY. Alisyn is off. Brooke Baldwin with the Mick and me.

We begin with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in a New York state of mind. The two front-runners moving closer to clinching their parties' nomination after huge, big-picture superlative victories in New York. Both candidates declaring their races all but over. The New York primary meaningful for the first time in decades.

BALDWIN: And now we turn our attention to next super Tuesday. Five primaries in the northeast up for grabs. Six days away. Could it be the end of the road for Bernie Sanders or Ted Cruz or John Kasich, or might they continue on and fight on?

We have the race covered today for you, the only way CNN can. Let's begin with John Berman here to break down the numbers and the delegates score card.

John Berman, good morning. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Brooke Baldwin, big blowouts in the Big

Apple. Look at the Republican race. Donald Trump hit 60 percent. His high-water mark of the campaign so far. John Kasich in second at 25 percent. Ted Cruz way behind in third at 14 percent. In t Democratic race, Hillary Clinton, ending the Bernie Sanders winning streak. She got nearly 58 percent. Bernie Sanders down to 42 percent. A bigger margin than either campaign thought she would achieve in this race. That means Hillary Clinton will walk away with 139 delegates. Bernie Sanders gets 108. She increases her delegate margin decisively here.

For the Republican side, a way, way bigger margin. Donald Trump, at least 89 delegates. John Kasich, right now at least 3. Ted Cruz with a grand total of zero. Zero in a state he did campaign in.

That leaves Donald Trump in a much stronger position to get to the magic number of 1,237 delegates. He still needs to run a disciplined campaign to get there, or maybe close, maybe good enough. I'm sure you'll talking about that coming up, I'm sure.

As for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton about 500 delegates away from her magic number, but holds a lead in both the pledged delegates and the super delegates.

And overnight, the Sanders campaign, some of their senior strategists suggested that Bernie Sanders needs to really start flipping super delegates over the next couple of months if he has any chance of winning the nomination -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, John. Thanks for that breakdown.

Well, Clinton is celebrating her big win, shifting her focus to the general election now. Sanders is hoping to re-ignite his winning streak in next week's northeast primaries.

Our senior political correspondent, Brianna Keilar, is here with us in the studio with more on all of this.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This was such a big night for Hillary Clinton. The margin obviously very healthy, and that certainly matters.

She's trying yet again to pivot to the general election. Victory is in sight. That is the word from Hillary Clinton and a number of her top aides. But not if Bernie Sanders has anything to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLINTON: In this campaign we've won in every region of the country. But this one's personal.

KEILAR (voice-over): Hillary Clinton with a big win in her adopted home state, addressing Senator Bernie Sanders supporters, with her sights set on the White House.

CLINTON: It's humbling that you'd trust me with the awesome responsibilities that await our next president. And to all the people who supported Senator Sanders, I believe there is much more that unites us than divides us.

KEILAR: Clinton ending Sanders' winning streak, where he took eight of the last nine contests.

B. SANDERS: Today we took Secretary Clinton on in her own state of New York, and we lost. I congratulate Secretary Clinton on her victory. There are five primaries next week. We think we're going to do well.

KEILAR: In New York, three million independents across the state did not vote in the state's closed primary. Sanders also railing against voter irregularities at the polls, with some 100,000 Democrats unable to vote because they were purged from voter registration lists in Brooklyn.

B. SANDERS: I am very concerned about the conduct of the voting process in New York state, and I hope that that process will change in the future.

KEILAR: Time running out for Sanders to catch up to Clinton's delegate lead.

CLINTON: The race for the Democratic nomination is in the home stretch, and victory is in sight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:05:03] KEILAR: So there was a bit of an olive branch there from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders supporters. But there were also some sharp words that we heard after her speech from her communications director, who said that some of the rhetoric that Bernie Sanders and his campaign have been putting out there is destructive. That it's not productive to the party or to the country.

And it's pretty interesting, because you have a lot of Democrats, including some who back Hillary Clinton, who are saying, you know, it's time to dial down the rhetoric. We're still seeing a very testy Democratic primary.

BALDWIN: Thank you, Brianna.

For the Republicans here, Donald Trump taking his campaign to Indiana and Maryland today. Fresh off his huge win in New York. Trump appearing less combative, more presidential last night. The race now shifting to five, call them, Trump-friendly primaries in the northeast next week, where the front-runner says he will be uncatchable.

Jason Carroll on the Trump beat for us again this morning. Jason, good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donald Trump took to the podium as Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" played. His tone much different than we've seen in the past: no name-calling. But he did calls out the GOP establishment, warning them not to try to stop the will of the people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: We can't be caught. It's impossible to catch us.

CARROLL (voice-over): Donald Trump giving a rousing victory speech, befitting his New York blow-out win, and signaling a new phase in his campaign.

TRUMP: We don't have much of a race anymore. Senator Cruz is just about mathematically eliminated.

CARROLL: The billionaire front-runner dropping most of the insults and sounding more presidential.

TRUMP: Nobody should be given delegates, which is a ticket to victory.

CARROLL: Trump sharpening his focus on Ted Cruz, continuing to criticize his courting of delegates and the possibility of a contested convention.

TRUMP: It's a system that's rigged, and we're going to go back to the old way. It's called, you vote and you win.

CARROLL: With a shutout in New York, Cruz defending his delegate strategy.

CRUZ (via phone): I cannot help that the Donald Trump campaign does not seem capable of running a lemonade stand. If you lose, don't cry about it. Go back and learn how to win an election.

CARROLL: Cruz trying to look past his big defeat, debuting a new stump speech in Philadelphia.

CRUZ (on camera): This is the year of the outsider.

CARROLL: The self-proclaimed outsider calling for unity within the Republican Party.

CRUZ: We must unite the Republican Party, because doing so is the first step towards uniting all Americans.

CARROLL: Runner-up John Kasich ready for a fight in Maryland, continuing to argue he's the strongest candidate to take on Hillary Clinton in November.

KASICH: When you have these sky-high negatives, nobody's voting for you. The delegates will look at that, and you know, I think they're going to make a pick my way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And Cruz really taking a thrashing last night. Yesterday I was out on Long -- on Staten Island, speaking to a number of voters out there, some of whom were on the fence between Cruz and Trump. All of them basically telling me those comments that he made questioning New York values in the end really ended up hurting him -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right. Now he's looking at a goose egg at the last tabulation, Jason, so it certainly didn't help.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both scoring big, big in some key voter demographics. Let's bring in CNN's Christine Romans. She knows the numbers. What did we see in what these front-runners did last night, my friend?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Chris, we saw the front- runners building on demographics where they have done well and making new in-roads. Let's start with Donald Trump.

Forty-four percent of Republican voters in New York are women. Donald Trump took 57 percent of that group. That's a solid showing compared with some of the other states.

Trump usually polls well with working-class voters, those voters without a college degree. But in New York, he won the college graduates, too. Fifty-four percent of voters with a degree breaking for Trump.

His appeal crossed age lines. He's had mixed results in other primaries with younger voters but did better here in New York, about a quarter of the primary voters in New York aged 18 to 44.

Hillary Clinton scoring very well with women, 63 percent. They make up about 60 percent of the primary voters in New York. She took that group here in New York state.

Clinton's experience an advantage in the state where she served as a senator eight years. One-third of voters say experience is the top quality they want. Look at that. Nearly every one of those voters siding with Hillary Clinton on the experience issue.

She also wins the state across all the income brackets, taking 58 percent of the voters who make less than 50 grand a year and taking 57 percent of voters who make more than 50 grand a year.

College-educated younger millennials, they're still overwhelmingly feeling the Bern. But Clinton made in-roads in another younger demographic. Those are 30 to 39-year-olds. That's about 20 percent of Democratic voters in New York. Look at that: 52 percent of them breaking for Clinton, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right. Christine Romans, thank you so much.

Of course, we're talking this morning about what this means for the Republicans, and what this means for the Dems. And let's hear now from team Clinton. I have Clinton campaign press secretary Bryan Fallon with us on the set here at NEW DAY.

Bryan Fallon, nice to see you. Congratulations. Good morning.

BRYAN FALLON, PRESS SECRETARY, CLINTON CAMPAIGN: Thank you. [07:10:11] BALDWIN: You know, Hillary Clinton in her victory speech

last night saying you all have won in different parts of the country. This was personal. What do you think, especially, she did quite well when you look at the exit polls, especially when it comes to women. What was in the Clinton special sauce here in New York?

FALLON: Well, I think that the core argument we've been making in this primary all along really resounded here in New York. You know, you saw in those dueling "Daily News" editorial board interviews that both candidates gave that Senator Sanders was not able to answer some of the core questions about his own signature policies.

And I think that highlighted a problem that Hillary Clinton has pointed out with his approach, which is it's one thing to diagnose the problem. It's another thing to offer concrete solutions that show that you can get the job done. I think that that message resounded here in New York.

And I also another factor was that Senator Sanders really sharpened his attacks and backfired in a state like New York that knows Hillary Clinton well.

And so looking forward, I think we know who the Democratic nominee is going to be now. It's going to be Hillary Clinton. The primary obviously is not over. There will be contests still to play out. Senator Sanders may even win some states, but even if he won every state that was left by 15 points, he still wouldn't catch Hillary Clinton in the popular vote or the pledged delegate total.

BALDWIN: Before we look ahead, for folks who maybe not -- don't know at home, when you lose, whether you're Hillary Clinton or you're Bernie Sanders, you call up the winner and you say congratulations. And I understand the latest we have from Jen Palmieri, comms (ph) director, is that Senator Sanders has yet to make that congratulatory phone call. Is that still the case?

FALLON: Well, you know, you played a clip earlier that showed that he was extending his congratulations to Secretary Clinton last night. So we appreciate that. Look, I think that we're entering a phase now...

BALDWIN: No phone call?

FALLON: Well, there's been some phone calls off and on during the course of this primary campaign. They haven't always connected.

I think that Senator Sanders extended his warm wishes last night in the comments that he made to the media.

Looking forward in the eight weeks that remain between now and the end of the primary voting in June, I think that the question for the Sanders' campaign is the not, is he going to exit the race? He has every right to continue in this to the finish. No one is calling for him to step down or exit the race.

I do think that the question is, can we conduct the remaining part of the primary campaign with a civil tone, with an issues focus so that we're not doing anything that would jeopardize our ability to unite the party at the end of this process? You saw Hillary Clinton in her comments last night really reach out an open hand to Sanders supporters.

BALDWIN: I wanted to get to that. I think that was a really significant moment when she did reach out and specifically talked to his supporters who I imagine you all would like to have, especially come November. This was that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: And to all the people who supported Senator Sanders, I believe there is much more that United States us than divides us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So message of unity, speaking specifically to those who "feel the Bern." There is real fear, though, that those who truly support Sanders, if he does not get the nomination, they may not vote, particularly young people, which, you know, looking at the exit polls, you've got like 80-plus percent between 18 and 24, how will she specifically address that?

FALLON: Well, first of all, I think it's important to appreciate the breadth of the coalition we have built over the course of this primary campaign. You saw it in the exit polls out of New York last night. Women voters, African-American voters, Latino voters, working-class voters. So we think we have the makings of a winning coalition as it is.

That said, we still have room to grow. We acknowledge that. Young people in particular is a voting group that we want to reach out to even more. We want to talk about proposals that we have on college affordability and other issues, including how to get wages for those entering the workforce coming out of college. I think we have the ability to make those in-roads over time.

I think that Senator Sanders, at the end of this process, we would expect him to conduct himself in the same way that Hillary Clinton did in 2008, which is to not just endorse the nominee but also go out and campaign on that nominee's behalf and urge your supporters to unite around the Democratic Party's nominee. I think that that's what he'll do when the time comes. Obviously, we're still in the middle of this primary process.

BALDWIN: Right.

FALLON: But we do think when the time comes, that is what will happen.

BALDWIN: There are still a lot of dates on the calendar. To your point, looking ahead, what is -- and we have some dates to show you what's on the docket ahead in the different primaries. What is the biggest date you all are sort of circling on the calendar for camp Clinton? FALLON: Well, look, I think that last night was a huge milestone. I

think at this point, the delegate lead that Hillary Clinton enjoys, not to mention the popular vote lead, is essentially insurmountable for Senator Sanders. There will be five states voting next week.

BALDWIN: Three hundred eight-four delegates up for grabs next week.

FALLON: That's right. And so we're campaigning in Pennsylvania today. And we're going to be competing all across the states that are still left to vote in this primary, even though I think, as it stands today, based on the decisive outcome last night, that we know who the nominee is. We know that we're going to run through the tape all the way through June, contest all of these states starting with the five states that are voting on the 26th.

I think we're going to have a good showing, increase our delegate lead in those five states. The reality, though, is again, Senator Sanders may well win one or two of those states. He may win some states in May. He could win every single state that's left by 15 points and still not catch Hillary Clinton. That shows the scale of the lead that she enjoys right now.

BALDWIN: Final question on -- on the transcripts. Joel Benenson was sitting in the studio last Friday, and he was talking to Alisyn Camerota and, you know, essentially saying, if Bernie Sanders releases his, you know, taxes which he has now, at least the 2014 tax returns, we will release her transcripts of her past speeches. Will you?

FALLON: So Senator Sanders has released one year of tax returns.

BALDWIN: So will you do one speech?

FALLON: Hillary Clinton will do -- has already done eight years of tax returns. We just completed the returns for 2015. We'll be releasing those in due time, as well. Senator Sanders has a ways to go to meet the standard that already exists simply for tax returns. And if we're going to now make it a standard to also release transcripts for speeches...

BALDWIN: Why not for critics? I know you're sick of the questions. We're sick of asking.

FALLON: Well, look, I think you've seen in the course of this New York primary campaign that these suggestions and insinuations that she is somehow beholden to the financial industry just didn't sit well with these voters. I think they rejected those attacks and those insinuations last night.

And I think that, in a general election, if Donald Trump is going to be the nominee of the Republican Party, he has given paid speeches, commanding speaking fees in excess of $400,000. If this is the new normal, for candidates on both sides of the aisle asked to release transcripts and everyone participates in it, Hillary Clinton will be happy to join in on that.

BALDWIN: Bryan Fallon, congratulations again. FALLON: Thanks.

BALDWIN: We'll talk soon, I am sure.

Michaela, to you.

PEREIRA: All right, Brooke. The Republican front-runner getting a boost after his big win last night in New York. Can Trump reach the magic delegate number before the convention? We'll speak with one of his advisors, live, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[07:20:46] TRUMP: As you know, we have won millions of more votes than Senator Cruz. Millions and millions of more votes than Governor Kasich. We've won, and now especially after tonight, close to 300 delegates more than Senator Cruz. We're really, really rocking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Donald Trump, calm and in control after a landslide win in New York. Sixty-plus percent of the vote in the primary, winning practically all of the state's 95 delegates. Huge win, moving him closer to the GOP nomination, of course, but how does it change the state of play in his campaign and in the others?

Let's discuss with Sarah Huckabee Sanders, senior adviser to the Trump campaign, joining us now.

Good to have you on NEW DAY.

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, SENIOR ADVISOR, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Good morning. Great to be on.

CRUZ: So first process question. Did you receive contact from the other campaigns last night, Cruz and Kasich?

HUCKABEE: You know, I was in the room, but it was pretty chaotic and I haven't heard the latest. So I honestly am not sure, but I know that -- I heard a couple of them make some public remarks. And so I think that there were some congratulations passed around, but I don't know if they actually ever connected with Mr. Trump.

CUOMO: You don't need to read the tea leaves to know that usually, when you get whooped like this, you usually reach out and say, got to give the man or the woman their due. You know?

S. SANDERS: I think that's standard practice, and again, I'm not going to say that the didn't do that, because I'm not sure one way or the other if that happened.

CUOMO: Now, this seems to be a statement for the Trump campaign. People expected him to win in New York. I don't think many expected him to do this well. What do you think this means now in an absolute sense going forward?

S. SANDERS: I think this was a huge night. A great shift in momentum as we go into the final days. And I think one of the important things and one of the big takeaways is how well he did across all demographics moving into next week with five big states. And I think he's going to sweep the majority of all of those states, as well, and end April with more delegate -- a bigger delegate lead than he started this month, which is a big deal in this crazy cycle, in this crazy race.

CUOMO: True. Turnout also part of the story. On the Democrat side, pretty much flat, maybe even a little negative. We'll have to wait and see. On the Republican side, up in a big -- up by a third, in New York state.

S. SANDERS: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Not usually a hotbed of Republican activity. You attribute that to Trump, of course. How do you believe it resonates in other races, perhaps in the general?

S. SANDERS: I think it's a huge deal, particularly given that it was the two front-runners' home states. And I think it shows where the enthusiasm is, and that is certainly on the side of Donald Trump and not on the side of Hillary Clinton. And I think in the general election that's going to play out across the country.

CUOMO: And not to over-think it, because the Republican race and the Democratic race in this state, as you now know, apples and oranges. Very different dynamics. But let's put up the numbers of how they both did, how Clinton and Trump did last night in raw vote. And we bring it up, we'll just get a little bit of a picture there.

He wound up doing better than she did. I'm waiting on the number. And they're quiet in the control room. Never a good combination, Sarah. You don't want that.

So something else we saw last night from him that was new was what we didn't hear, what we didn't see. He was tempered in a way that I haven't seen him yet in the race. Intentional? What's the new move? Oh, there it is! See, you didn't think it was coming.

So Clinton gets these 1 million votes. It's like, wow, twice as many as Trump got. But, again, apples and oranges.

I know from your campaign that you guys are looking at this number and saying, "Boy, Oh, boy, he got a lot more votes that they would have thought in New York state." Why when it looks on math like she got twice as many?

S. SANDERS: Well, I think you have to look at the percentages, too. I mean, Donald Trump last night won his home state by a greater percentage and a greater margin than any of the other candidates, even including quite a few that are no longer in the race on both sides in their home states. I think it's a huge, huge win; and I think that's something that we should look at, not just the total number but the percentage of which he won.

CUOMO: That was the word I was hearing last night, as well, from your folks. That, yes, Cruz may get a goose egg, but, you know, Donald Trump had two other people trying to split the pie. New York's a Democratic state. He still got a higher percentage than Clinton. This is going to keep happening.

[07:25:10] So when you look in states ahead, are we going to see a new Donald Trump? The shapeshifting that we have heard rumored? How so?

S. SANDERS: I think that, as he becomes the presumptive nominee at this point and is clearly the front-runner, I think you're seeing a transition, not necessarily within the campaign, but within the race itself. As we begin to focus on a general election, and he sets his sights on Hillary, I think you'll see that transition happen.

CUOMO: A hundred and seventy-two delegates, I believe, up for tally next Tuesday. What do you see as victory in terms of how many of those you think you could get?

S. SANDERS: You know, again, I think last night was a huge, huge win, taking almost all 95 delegates, I think. By the time it's all said and done he'll clear at least 90 delegates. I think moving into next week, again hitting, certainly, double digits, but I think well into the triple digits next week will be a big win. And I think he has the potential to win all five states next week.

CUOMO: So are you getting a different response from Donald Trump when you say, as is rumored from my sources -- please correct me if they're wrong -- that when Sarah Huckabee Sanders says to Donald Trump, "I think that there's another way to say what you want to say, that may not be as divisive, may get us more where we want to be." Are you starting to get different reactions from him to those suggestions?

S. SANDERS: You know, I think Donald Trump has always been his own man and will continue to be so. And I think he certainly listens to everybody and everybody within his circle and his team.

At the end of the day he's the one that makes the ultimate decision, and so far the decisions he's made have worked for him. And I don't think he's going to veer too far off of that. I think what we're seeing is him become a general election candidate, and setting his sights on Hillary and certainly making that his new focus.

CUOMO: You think we've heard the last of "Lying' Ted"?

S. SANDERS: I wouldn't be too sure to erase that.

CUOMO: Called him "Senator Cruz" last night.

S. SANDERS: Yes, but my guess is it will still pop up from time to time. And I think a lot of that will depend on how Ted Cruz reacts over the next few days and what his campaign does over the next few days and in the next couple of contests. How you may see Donald Trump react to that.

CUOMO: Any efforts to reach out, at least to the Kasich campaign, and see if there's a way to consolidate?

S. SANDERS: You know, I don't know that that's in the works right away, and I -- and frankly, I don't think it's needed. I think Donald Trump's going to be able to get where he needs to be on his own.

CUOMO: One-two-three-seven?

S. SANDERS: Yes, sir.

CUOMO: Pre-convention?

S. SANDERS: I think -- well, if not pre-convention, certainly first ballot. I don't think there will be a second ballot at this convention.

CUOMO: Whatever the calculus changes, right? I mean, that's why Kasich's staying in, many believe, at this point.

S. SANDERS: Yes, and I think one of the big questions for -- certainly for the Cruz campaign is after next week I think it will certainly become mathematically impossible for him to clinch the nomination.

And he's been calling on John Kasich to get out of the race, because that's the position Kasich has been in. I hope that Ted Cruz will follow his own advice and, once it becomes mathematically impossible, get out of the way so we can all focus on Hillary Clinton and be sure to beat her in November.

CUOMO: You know, I had a little bit of an echo effect last night listening to Donald Trump. I heard some words of Newt Gingrich. It even smacked of your father a little bit in terms of harsh strength often wins in a primary, but sweet strength wins in a general. It will be interesting to see if that is the evolution in Donald Trump.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, congratulations on last night. Thank you for being on NEW DAY.

S. SANDERS: Thank you so much.

CUOMO: All right. Mick.

PEREIRA: Dare I ask what kind of strength you possess? I shouldn't even do this. Why am I doing this? Go ahead, Chris. Go ahead. What kind of...

CUOMO: My strength?

PEREIRA: Yes.

CUOMO: Complete.

PEREIRA: OK.

CUOMO: Total. Sweet and sour. Like General Tso's chicken.

PEREIRA: I had to. You know, America, I had to ask that.

CUOMO: How does that have anything to do with anything?

PEREIRA: I know. All right. Carrying on here on NEW DAY, we'll take a look at the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton adding to her commanding delegate lead, but Bernie Sanders's campaign maintains they can still break through. So is he helping or hurting Clinton by staying in the race?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)