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New Day

Donald Trump Criticizes Media Coverage of His Veteran's Fundraising Effort; Cincinnati Zoo Kills Gorilla to Save Child; What's At Stake for Democrats in California?. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired June 01, 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] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Clinton also scored a big endorsement ahead of next week's California primary. So let's talk about it all. We have the 2016 election coverage the way only CNN can starting with Jason Carroll live from Trump Tower in Manhattan. Good morning, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you. We have heard Donald Trump go after the press many times before, especially at his rallies. He's called us losers. He says we're the worst people he's ever met. His supporters really love it. They eat it up. Trump knows that, and yesterday he was at it again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the political press is among the most dishonest people that I've ever met.

CARROLL: Donald Trump going off the rails on the media again.

TRUMP: What I don't want I when I raise millions of dollars, have people say, like this sleazy guy right over here from ABC -- he's a sleaze in my book. You're a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well.

Excuse me, I've watched you on television. You're a real beauty. Find out how much Clinton has given to the veterans. Nothing.

CARROLL: The rant during Trump's press conference announced he raised $5.6 million at a January event and distributed it to more than 40 veterans' charity.

TRUMP: I wasn't too involved in picking the organizations other than I gave $1 million to the marines, the law enforcement marines.

CARROLL: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump's likely opponent in the general election, responding to Trump's public media scolding.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's bragged for months about raising $6 million for veterans and donating $1 million himself, but it took a reporter to shame him into actually making his contribution and getting the money to veterans.

CARROLL: Her campaign pouncing, trying to draw a contrast on veteran issues. CLINTON: Much of the work that I have done has meant tens of millions

of dollars in increased benefits to veterans and their families as well as a personal commitment.

CARROLL: This as the public gets a glimpse into Trump's business tactics outlined in the now defunct Trump University so-called playbook -- 400 pages of training material released as part of a class-action lawsuit reveals how team members were instructed to identify students with the most money and urged to, quote, "close the deal on the most expensive package, the gold elite, costing nearly $35,000."

The lawsuit alleges students paid their money and never learned a thing. The newly-released documents cast light on how the university was marketed, but what they don't show is what happened in classes after the sale was made.

TRUMP: I have a judge who is very, very unfair. He knows he's unfair. And I'll win the Trump University case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: In a new Quinnipiac poll released just this morning, Chris, shows it could be a really tight race between Clinton and Trump. If the election were held today Clinton would stand at 45 percent versus Trump at 41 percent. Again, it's early, Chris, and you know the polls can change, but for now, looks like it could be a real nail-biter. Chris?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Jason, thank you very much.

Let's get perspective from team Trump. Joining us, the national spokesperson for the Trump campaign, Katrina Pierson. Always good to see you. How are you, my friend?

KATRINA PIERSON, NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Good morning, Chris. Great to be here.

CUOMO: So here's the concern about Trump's temperament. Forget what he says about the media. That's low-hanging fruit, Katrina. If you can't go after the media, who can you go after? But how do we know that when dealing with the French president, if that man says or woman says something that Trump doesn't like, he won't call them a loser. Where is the confidence that his temperament would change as president?

PIERSON: Well, I think that the American public are less concerned with the names that Mr. Trump would call someone and more concerned with the outcome. Mr. Trump is committed to putting Americans and their families first. And people understand, foreign leaders are not going to like that.

Mr. Trump has listed a number of reasons why the -- why our economy is doing poorly but yet we are continuously helping other countries, and that's going to change. Now, this is an example of not being in the media. The president of a

foreign country is not a reporter. As Mr. Trump mentioned yesterday at the press conference, many of the reporters know the facts but choose to write horrible stories about him or portray him in a negative light. And that is not going to happen when Mr. Trump is president because we will have the available resources to put out to the American public where the policies of the past have failed and what we want to do. So it's not going to get to the point of a temperament question because the people are going to be behind Mr. Trump.

CUOMO: So you're saying he says what he says because he doesn't have the resources to fight on the facts, is that what you're saying? $

PIERSON: No. What I'm saying is we have the resources -- for example, I've been watching this morning on CNN talking about how Mr. Trump could have had a good press conference yesterday when many of the people in this country thought it was a fantastic press conference yesterday because he was defending himself and fighting against the media. When he becomes president of the United States --

CUOMO: What was he fighting back against, Katrina? How was he fighting back? Who was fighting against him?

PIERSON: The misrepresentation of this, an example is the veterans' charities. Mr. Trump in a 24-hours notice decided to host a fundraiser where he received pledged donations up to $6 million. The CNN headline not too long ago was "Trump campaign admits they didn't raise $6 million." But guess what? It was $5.6 million. Shouldn't the headline have been, look at all this money that Mr. Trump raised for veterans, skipping a FOX News debate and helping people out that he claims to support? That was actually the media play here. But no, there were media headlines were saying Mr. Trump was pocketing the money for crying out loud. So of course he was upset about that.

CUOMO: Katrina, he created the media play. He brought the vetting to him. He asked me to follow-up on it. I talked to you about it. I talked to Corey about it, Corey Lewandowski. It was never done in the negative. Nobody's reported on the veterans' charities and the need for follow-up more than CNN, more than this show. We got Drew Griffin to help us out with the investigative reporting. You see malice in that?

PIERSON: Look, Mr. Trump also said it was not 100 percent of the media that was doing this, but I think it fair to say that some in the crowd yesterday that were asking questions were in fact reporting this in a negative light.

And it's absolutely fine and fair play to ask the questions and to get the responses that you're looking for. But at the same time, if you know the fact, as Mr. Trump pointed out yesterday, and you know what was going on, because I've been on the show talking about it taking six weeks to six months to vet some of these charities, but yet three months into it they are saying, well, none of the charities received money when in fact they did, 22 organizations were released months ago. CUOMO: Right, but that's because you're assuming what you said was

accurate. And in truth, if you want to find out if a group has 501-C3 status, it's a phone call. It's not a months' long process.

But that's not really the point. Katrina, when you don't like what I say, do you call me an idiot? No. Why not? Why is it OK for Mr. Trump to do it but not OK for you to do it with me? This is your chance. You don't like my reporter, you don't like how I put the questions, you're not going to call me something like that, right? Why is it OK for him to do it?

PIERSON: It depends. If you're attacking me personally, I might call you an idiot. But you don't do that. And we are talking about the issues, and Mr. Trump is being attacked personally.

CUOMO: How? Has anybody ever said, Mr. Trump, you're an idiot, aren't you? Nobody asked him a question like that to invite this kind of invective --

PIERSON: Actually, no. Chris, there was a debate where he was actually asked if this campaign was a clown, if it was an act? Of course he's been attacked personally by the media. And you see it in social media as well by reporters specifically. And look, it's not just Mr. Trump that doesn't trust the media and believes that they are dishonest. Gallop tracking shows --

CUOMO: That is absolutely true. That's absolutely true. I would argue that's why he does it. I would argue that's why he does it, because Donald Trump loves the media more than you ever have on your best day. He loves the media. He works the media. He uses it. He appreciates its value. And it has served him well, those tactics and those skills in this election.

I'm asking of it as a projected temperament. That's the only concern. I don't care how he treats the media. That will wind up coming home to roost for him or not if he wins this election. But when he deals with other people, we keep hearing from you and others, he's not like this in private. He'll be different when dealing with other world leaders. Where does the confidence come when we have never seen him treat anyone any differently than he treats opposition right now?

PIERSON: Well, I think that goes to say with your peer group. It's quite obviously when Mr. Trump is in a boardroom with peers and colleagues he's not talking to them the way he's talking to the media. And why? Because they are not talking to him and treating him the way the media is doing to him today.

So it's all about give and take. Mr. Trump is a counterpuncher. This is nothing new. If there is a foreign leader to sit down with Mr. Trump to have a discussion, chances are they are not going to be saying the same things in public they are saying in private either. The people are less concerned about what Mr. Trump is saying as far as criticizing his critics and more concerned about what he wants to do f| the people of this country. And time and time again, what we have seen over the months is that people are getting to know Mr. Trump's policies better, getting to know him better and wanting to prefer an American agenda first.

CUOMO: One thing that certainly did is distract him from Trump University, "university" in quotes because obviously years ago the organization was told they couldn't call itself an institution of higher learning anymore. But what do you say in defense to what came out yesterday, which in part had former employees, numerous ones, saying that Trump university wasn't accredited, didn't provide a legitimate real estate education, it was selling false hope. I recall that some consumers showed up who were homeless or they maxed out their credit cards, that this was about driving revenue, not about adding to people's fortunes?

PIERSON: Well, I think you can also go out there and find individuals that actually were successful after attending the seminar classes. No, this was not an accredited field. This was a voluntary seminar program to learn some things about real estate. And that is what this is about. But at the end of the day, most Americans are less concerned about what people chose to do and how much money they spent on it than they are about what is really happening in the country with regards to education.

CUOMO: You don't think they care if this was fraud? You don't think they care if this was found by the counts to be a fraud?

PIERSON: Well, I don't think it's going to be found by the court to be a fraud. I think that most people when they see an opportunity to sue a billionaire, they try to sue a billionaire. And that is what is happening here.

CUOMO: Katrina Pierson, appreciate you being in NEW DAY as always. Thanks for not calling me any names.

PIERSON: Great to be here. Thanks, Chris.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: Ana.

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Turning to the Democrats now, neither candidate is giving any ground. Bernie Sanders continues to say he will fight all the way to the convention even if he loses to Hillary Clinton next week in both New Jersey and California. Meantime Clinton just got a big endorsement. CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns has the latest on the dance. Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Ana. That line of Bernie Sanders continuing to make the case on the campaign trail that the Democratic nominating process will not end when the primaries are over, that plays very well to his supporters but it gives heartburn to the party establishment.

So Governor Jerry Brown giving a big endorsement to Sanders' opponent, Hillary Clinton, citing the mathematically she's so close to sewing up the delegates needed to get the Democratic nomination. Brown also citing his concern that the stakes could not be higher, that this is no time for Democrats to keep fighting each other, and citing her experience in government as well as the fact that Donald Trump is the Republican standard bearer now.

Sanders responded by suggesting Brown is one of the establishment Democrats he's been fighting against. He said after the primaries are over it is going to be up to Clinton to reach out to his supporters. She says she's already doing that. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I will certainly do everything I can to unify the Democratic Party. Our campaigns have been reaching out to one another. We will continue to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: The Democratic frontrunner headed to the west coast tomorrow. She is expected to give a foreign policy address, continuing with her theme asserting Trump is not ready for the Oval Office. She's on the east coast right now raising money in New Jersey where her campaign thinks they have a good chance to win the primary. She's also doing a fundraiser this evening in Boston with music legend Jon Bon Jovi. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK, there you go. Joe, thank you very much for that.

Well, anger is boiling over the shooting death of Harambe, that's the gorilla of course at the Cincinnati Zoo. Police are now investigating the family of the little boy who somehow fell into the animal's habitat, and that family is now speaking out. CNN's Jessica Schneider is live in Cincinnati with more. What are they saying, Jessica?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, first off, the Cincinnati police launching that investigation. The prosecutor also not ruling out criminal charges. The investigation will be focused on those minutes leading up to when that three-year-old boy dropped into the gorilla enclosure and was violently yanked and tossed about by that gorilla Harambe.

But as you said, in just the past few minutes, the family has issued a statement. In it they're saying that their child was just checked out by the doctor recently. He is still doing OK. Remember, he was released from the hospital Saturday night. But the family also saying this, "We are also very appreciative for the expressions of concern and support that have been sent to us. Some have offered money to the family, which we do not want and will not accept. If anyone wishes to make a gift, we recommend a donation to the Cincinnati Zoo in Harambe's name."

The family is still not speaking out or talking about the fact that they are being investigated by police. They are only speaking out about the welfare of their son, the fact that he is doing OK.

Now in other news overnight, world renowned primate expert Jane Goodall released an e-mail on her website. It's an email she sent to the Cincinnati Zoo director on Sunday. She said that she expressed sorrow and that she was sorry for what happened to Harambe. She also acknowledged that she didn't know exactly what happened. She only saw what she could see on the video. But she did say this, her statement saying that it looked as though the gorilla was putting an arm around the child like the female who rescued the child from the Chicago exhibit.

[08:15:01] Jane Goodall referring to a 1996 incident at the Chicago Zoo where a 3-year-old at that point also fell into the gorilla enclosure, a female gorilla went up to him, scooped him up and then guarded him from other gorillas until the zookeepers rescued the 3- year-old. A much similar situation with a much different ending -- Chris.

CUOMO: Right. But it still puts you in the same dilemma, doesn't it? There's a 3-year-old kid in the hands of a 400-pound gorilla and you don't know what is going to happen.

Jessica, thank you very much.

There's some also breaking news for you in the search for EgyptAir Flight 804. Investigators detect a signal in the Mediterranean Sea that they assume to be one of the plane's black box recorders. It was picked up overnight by a French navy boat searching in the crash zone. EgyptAir 804 you remember dropped off the radar flying from Paris to Cairo last month. Sixty-six people on board.

CABRERA: The death toll from flooding in Texas has climbed to seven and most of the devastation is just outside Houston. The city, listen to this, got ten inches more rain than normal for the month of May.

And this video really tells the story. Take a look at this. About a dozen horses having to take refuge from the floodwaters, this is just 30 miles outside the city on a porch. More rain is in the forecast today and more flooding potential later this week.

CAMEROTA: All right. Ana, speaking of videos, you've got to see this incredible video.

It's going viral. This is a monster gator.

CUOMO: Read my lips, alligator.

CAMEROTA: Exactly.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: It's about 15 feet long and is just taking a stroll through a golf course near Sarasota, Florida. It is so big that some bystanders thought it looked two guys in an alligator suit. Then you see legs sprout out from it and they ran with sneakers on.

CUOMO: Here's a guy desperate to be a statistic. Let's see how close I can get to this 700-pound man-eater.

CAMEROTA: Come on! Some of the YouTube commenters question whether this video is real. However, a clerk at the pro shop says, yes, this gator is real and he's a regular attraction. He's a mascot for their course. CABRERA: You look at it, I think he likes like a dinosaur.

CAMEROTA: That is a dinosaur roaming the earth. I agree with you.

CUOMO: Their lineage does extend back.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: Why do you go close to the thing that can eat you like a tostada?

CAMEROTA: As it is strolling, it looks calm and then you forget it can swallow your whole head.

CUOMO: What do you do, Ana Cabrera, if you are being chased by a massive alligator?

CABRERA: Call Crocodile Dundee.

CUOMO: No, serpentine. They run in a straight line. They don't corner well.

CAMEROTA: Is that true?

CUOMO: Serpentine, serpentine. I learned that at the in-laws.

CAMEROTA: That's going to come in handy.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: You never know in this job. You never know.

Hillary Clinton has all but lined up the Democratic nomination, she says. So, why is making such a big late push to win California? Is she concerned her perception may become a reality? That the party may not be there if she doesn't have a strong finish? Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:21:55] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): Our campaigns have been reaching out to one another. We will continue to do that. Once our campaigns are over next Tuesday, we'll begin talking in more detail about what we can do to unify the party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders entering the final phase of the Democratic primaries. Amid calls for party unity, what will happen with Clinton and Sanders after Tuesday? Could they form a partnership?

Let's discuss this with CNN political contributor Hilary Rosen, a Clinton supporter, and former Ohio Senator Nina Turner. She's a surrogate for the Sanders campaign.

Ladies, great to have you both here.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Hey there.

NINA TURNER, FORMER OHIO STATE SENATOR: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Hilary, let me start with you. When she said the campaigns have been reaching out to each other, what is the post-primary Bernie/Hillary plan?

ROSEN: Well, I don't think we can propose the plan but I do think that Secretary Clinton is sincere and really wanting Bernie Sanders' support and the support of his million primary voters. He's energized a lot of people and she has consistently said those ideas and people are critical for success in the fall.

CAMEROTA: Nina, all the political numbers crunchers say that Hillary Clinton will have a nomination locked up mathematically speaking by this coming Tuesday and early in the night Tuesday, by the way, before even the polls close in California. So, then what is Bernie Sanders' plan for the following day?

TURNER: Well, it's what he's been saying from the beginning, newsflash, he's in this through the convention. And you know he's been saying this from the beginning when he started this race, he's only 3 percent in the polls and look at him now. He's won about 46 percent of the pledged delegates in this country, 21 contests.

So, Senator Sanders is going all the way to the convention. So, nothing has changed. I want you guys to roll this tape next Tuesday when you have me on, because I'm going to say the same thing. Senator Sanders is going to continue in this race because he has millions of folks who already voted for him, and we still have millions of folks in this country yet to vote.

And it's not over on Tuesday. Contrary to what the media wants to say.

CAMEROTA: Well --

TURNER: It's far from over.

CAMEROTA: Look, here's why we say it is over on Tuesday, it's the math, OK? So, he needs -- Clinton needs right now 9 percent left of the remaining delegates. He needs 107 percent of the remaining delegates.

There's not a poll in the world that shows Bernie Sanders getting 107 percent of the remaining delegates, Nina. And so --

TURNER: Are you counting the superdelegates?

CAMEROTA: We are counting the superdelegates because that's the system he agreed to. The superdelegates are counted. TURNER: Well, they are not counted, though, until they vote during

the convention. So let's be clear. He's less than 300 pledged delegates from the secretary right now. Neither the secretary nor Senator Sanders will have the requisite number of pledged delegates before the convention.

It will take the superdelegates to push either one of them over the top. So, Senator Sanders is going to continue to push through.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: OK.

[08:25:00] Hilary, hold on. When you hear Bernie supporters say that, does that comfort you for party unity as of next week?

ROSEN: You know, look, I'm going to keep the faith here and the last primary is June 14th, not June 7th. And those of us who live in the District of Columbia still, I guess, want to see our vote counted, too.

But I do think that Bernie Sanders supporters have a choice to make on June 15th. And that is going to be between promoting a -- you know, essentially a divisive convention and helping Donald Trump get more of a strangle-hold and consolidating support, or consolidating behind progressive values that Hillary Clinton has articulated to date and will promise to articulate going forward.

I do think that consistently these candidates have more in common than they do differences. And what is most important is making sure that our values get or are successful in the fall.

I know Nina and I will be talking on June 15th about how we can help our colleagues make the peace.

CAMEROTA: OK, here's one suggestion, that some people have thrown this out there and that is a combined ticket, a Clinton/Sanders ticket. And, you know, Jane Sanders, Bernie's wife, was on Wolf Blitzer's show yesterday and Wolf Blitzer asked her specifically if Bernie Sanders would be interest in the vice presidential slot. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: How would you feel about your husband being the vice presidential nominee?

JANE SANDERS, BERNIE SANDERS' WIFE: I think what we are focused on right now, honestly, we are not thinking about it, is we are looking at the presidency. And until we know otherwise, that's our focus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Not a no as we say in the media. Not a no, Nina.

So, should Hillary Clinton pick Bernie Sanders as her vice president? TURNER: Well, Alisyn, look, I'm not into forced marriages. And we

want to talk about the system -- well, it is whoever is the nominee has the opportunity to pick their running mate.

But I want to go back to something that Hilary said. I mean, Senator Bernie Sanders supporters want to see Senator Bernie Sanders be the nominee. And this is not about solely about party unity. It's not solely about defeating Mr. Trump.

See, that in lies the problem because the more Democrats that talk about only defeating Mr. Trump instead of talking about what Democrats stand for and what we're fighting for in terms of why folks should be motivated to come out to vote for us, whether it's the $15 an hour increase in that minimum wage, universal health care, expanding and protecting Social Security, making sure that our children have a future that's not saddled with debt as they walk across college stages, those are the kinds of ideas and principles that Democrats should be talking about.

If the narrative is only about defeating Mr. Trump, then we're in for a rude awakening. And, oh, by the way, the candidate that polls the best in terms of defeating Donald Trump is Senator Bernie Sanders.

CAMEROTA: All right. Ladies, we have to leave it there.

Nina, you always help remind us how the Bernie Sanders' supporters are feeling. Such an important perspective.

Hilary Rosen, thank you very much. We will be talking to you ladies a week from now. Thank you for being here.

TURNER: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: All right. Well, the justification for shooting an endangered gorilla was a concern, of course, for the safety of the little boy. How big of a threat was Harambe? We will ask the zookeeper who can help decode this very animal's behavior. We're going to talk to the man who named Harambe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)