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Rudy Giuliani On His Fiery Convention Speech; Trump's Children Get Personal About Their Dad; Trump Officially Becomes Republican Nominee; Did GOP Make Case On The Economy At Convention?; U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Endorses Hillary Clinton. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired July 20, 2016 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:31:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, really fired up the crowd in singular fashion during his memorable speech on the first night of the convention. He was really visceral that night. He sounded off on Hillary Clinton on terror, on the divided climate of America. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: What happened to there's no black America, there's no white America, there is just America? What happened to it? Where did it go? How was it flown away?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: As a longtime student of the mayor, it seemed like he wasn't making a case as much as he was expressing personal feelings about the situation. I caught up to him on the floor last night, asked him, and he said, you're right. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GIULIANI: It came from my heart. It came from what I saw happening to the police officers in Baton Rouge. It came from what I saw happen to the people in Nice, France, and the people in Orlando. It came from watching an administration that has caved into Islamic terrorism and is almost at the point where we have anarchy in America, where police officers are being called out on false missions to protect African-Americans and then they get slaughtered the way the Black Panthers used to do.
We need an American president who's going to be a leader, a man of strength. A man who can stand up and say no more. A man who can negotiate. Hillary Clinton gave away the nuclear defense of Poland and the Czech Republic to Putin and she got, in the words of defense secretary Gates, nothing in return. That's not negotiating, that's caving in.
Putin looked at her and said, I can push her and Obama around the world, and he has. And the Ayatollah has pushed us around the world, and the Islamic State is pushing us around the world. And now, these people who want to kill police officers are making them targets. It has to stop. We need somebody from out of Washington who can change it, and Donald Trump can change it.
CUOMO: Why do you believe that Trump is the solution? For example, coming out of Baton Rouge he did not give the kind of conciliatory words you did about wanting it to stop and remembering it's one America. He said it's angry, it's worse than ever, it's going to get worse, and we're the most divided ever. Is that the kind of leadership you think that he'll bring that will make a positive change?
GIULIANI: I believe that Donald Trump understands because we've talked about this. He understands the injustices in America. He understands the injustices for the African-American community and he wants to cure them, but he wants to cure them in a different way.
We want better education for African-Americans, for minorities, for poor people through choice, through vouchers, through charter schools, which the Democratic Party, because it's owned by the teachers union, is afraid to do. We want to bring more jobs to people who are poor by bringing jobs back to America by negotiating better agreements. He understands that, he believes that. He will express that and he will do it.
And I think his choice of Mike Pence indicates he will bring around him very talented people. Mike Pence is a very talented man whether you agree with his politics or not. He's a great governor, congressman, a businessman. This is the kind of people who bring around him, so I have great confidence that he can change America. And I know that Hillary Clinton will cave in, and I believe she'll go --
CUOMO: How do you know that?
GIULIANI: Because she has already. She caved into Putin, she advised on overthrowing Gaddafi, and look what happened in Libya. And she is going further and further to the left. If she gets elected the first thing she's going to do is go further to the left because she's going to worry about a leftwing candidate taking her out in the primary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Really interesting interview there. Is it fair to say that his passion comes from anti-Hillary more than pro- Trump?
CUOMO: Absolutely. He is pro-Trump, they're personal friends.
CAMEROTA: Yes, I get it.
CUOMO: But he is -- Errol Louis was using the word metaphor. He's a metaphor. He is so personally offended by things that have happened that it transcends anything that he is for right now.
CAMEROTA: Yes, and it goes back a long way -- CUOMO: He is driven by what he's against.
CAMEROTA: -- as you point out -- Poland, Putin.
CUOMO: Absolutely, absolutely. One other observation, did you see that head that was popping up over his shoulder? That's Andrew Giuliani.
CAMEROTA: Oh, is that right?
CUOMO: That's his son. He's grown --
CAMEROTA: All grown up, right.
CUOMO: A beautiful guy, doing well.
CAMEROTA: I remember him as being a child. All right, we'll talk more about this. Donald Trump, Jr. firing up the crowd at the Republican Convention last night. His testimonial about his father drew good reviews and this morning has many people wondering if we're looking at a future politician there. Our panel weighs in next.
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[05:40:45] CUOMO: The lovely Alisyn Camerota and I are in Cleveland, as you know, which is home to many different ethnic enclaves, one being Hungarian. This is some pastry from Sweet Success that was brought --
CAMEROTA: I am so excited about this.
CUOMO: Gratis for the RNC brought it to us.
CAMEROTA: What will you be eating?
CUOMO: I will be eating them all. This is my plate, you have none. Donald Trump's children taking center stage last night. Tiffany and Donald, Jr. painting personal portraits of their father, helping to humanize. How important was this?
Joining us now, Margaret Hoover, a CNN political commentator and Republican consultant, and CNN political analyst and editor-in-chief of "The Daily Beast", John Avlon.
JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE DAILY BEAST": Good morning.
CUOMO: It is good -- a man, a woman's legacy is their children.
AVLON: Yes.
CUOMO: They have them there. These kids seem to be doing great. How much does it help?
AVLON: Enormously. Look, I mean, Donald Trump's best advertisement for himself, for his character, which is often obscured by all the bravado and bluster, is his children. And last night two of his kids spoke and they spoke very well. I think Donald Trump, Jr. actually brought down the house. It was a professional speech, it was effectively delivered, not without problems and ironies, but it was very well received by the crowd.
And I think Tiffany proved herself to be warm, and there is that issue of children from different from mothers. That's unusual for the Republican Party.
CAMEROTA: Let's talk about that. I mean, not only the Republican Party, presidential candidates.
AVLON: Yes.
CAMEROTA: He has a non-traditional family. That there's this blended family, Margaret, from three different marriages and three different wives, but is this the new face of -- I mean, is he sort of advancing the idea that family comes in a lot of different packages?
MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Well, it would have been nice if he'd put that in the Republican Party platform, for example. Same-sex couples would be palatable for raising children. A decent model of family -- modern families. It would be nice if it extends beyond his own personal example.
Look, I think we're harping too much on the kids. Certainly, they are lovely people -- they seem to be. They are capable of delivering good speeches, that's fantastic. They should not be the character references for the person who is going to be the leader of the free world. There should be multiple people who have been elected from across the country who want to be part of this movement and this campaign that are --
CUOMO: Kids always count. You're bitter -- have a pastry. Sweeten up the disposition.
HOOVER: Former -- people who are trying to be senators and members of -- leaders of the Republican Party. The only respectable Republican, in my feeling, has actually really lowered his stature by being part of this, is Paul Ryan. He's the only one who is wearing the Republican mantle who is part of this effort here.
I mean, this -- let us not harp too much on how wonderful the children are at stringing together sentences because they are very articulate. This is a circus. I have never seen a Republican Convention, or a Republican nominee, or somebody who is striving to be the leader of the United States of America, in this sort of convention. And I did --
AVLON: And, she's the Republican.
CUOMO: This is your party.
CAMEROTA: I know. What's most -- what's gotten under your skin the most? HOOVER: The Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, the party of Ronald Reagan has nominated Donald J. Trump to be its nominee -- to lead their party.
CAMEROTA: I know that part. But, I mean, of the convention, what part of you thought was craziest.
HOOVER: You know what, Alisyn, I haven't seen a serious person make a serious policy argument in contrast to who Hillary Clinton -- what Hillary Clinton will stand for and what she portends to lead the country. How she wants to lead the country. And this is supposed to be a bad idea.
CUOMO: Margaret, you sound like you support Hillary Clinton right now. I want you to know that --
HOOVER: You know what, I certainly appreciate that.
CUOMO: -- as your friend --
HOOVER: There are a lot of Republicans like me.
CUOMO: -- that's what I hear.
HOOVER: Fifty-two percent of Republicans who are dissatisfied with the nominee and also have spent most of our political lives pretty uncomfortable with Hillary Clinton, and so we're in a really difficult position now because we don't know who we're going to vote for.
AVLON: Well, look, I think -- I feel Margaret's pain, to quote Bill Clinton here. I mean, you know, for a lot of Independent voters this seems like a series of bad choices we are confronted with, right, which is one reason why Gary Johnson and Libertarians are doing better in a lot of polling than they typically would.
But I think it is important just to not only be in the moment but to see it with a sense of perspective. And a lot of this is just not normal, folks. Like, it is, you know -- there are countries in the world where we call for political opposition to be jailed and that's a big rally cry inside the arena. It generally hasn't been America.
[05:45:00] And, you know, I do think his children are effective advocates for him. I think it's fascinating to see the Republican Party of family's values nominate the first thrice-married nominee. I don't think that's disqualifying in any way. And I think Margaret speaks really passionately about well, then, maybe be a little more inclusive on the actual policy.
But step back for a second and realize that what this party has historically stood for and what has been the mainstream of America political debate that we are beyond that right now, for better or for worse. For actually -- no, for worse.
CAMEROTA: OK, on that note, John, Margaret, always great to talk to you guys.
AVLON: Good morning, have a pastry. Perhaps you'd like a pastry, Chris.
CUOMO: Did I just sweeten up the disposition? Margaret Hoover wasn't having it. Wasn't even the sweetest pastry in Cleveland.
AVLON: Couldn't sweeten her dis`position.
CUOMO: No, no, no, you have a right to feel what you feel. All right, so "Make America Work Again" was supposed to be the theme last night. Fair criticism is that it didn't get a lot of attention. There wasn't a lot of discussion about the economy, certainly not an expose of what is going to be done if a Republican is in the White House. So, we're going to ask the head of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce what was in there for him, next.
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[05:50:25] CAMEROTA: The theme of last night's events was supposed to "Make America Work Again" but the economy barely came up. So here to discuss this and much more, Javier Palomarez. He is the CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and he is here this morning on NEW DAY to make a big announcement about the groups' endorsement for president. Nice to see you.
JAVIER PALOMAREZ, CEO, U.S. HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Morning, how are you both?
CAMEROTA: We're doing well. So, tell us who you plan to endorse.
PALOMAREZ: The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and our 4.1 million Hispanic-owned business owners are here to proudly endorse Hillary Clinton for the presidency of the United States.
CAMEROTA: No surprise, but how did you come to that decision?
PALOMAREZ: You know, Hillary Clinton will be America's first American small business president. She grew up in a small business. She understands the challenges of small business. And throughout her campaign she has engaged our organization and our business owners all over the country.
She has illustrated that she understands what we need to do to continue to drive the American economy, and she understands the vital nature and the importance of American small businesses where two- thirds of jobs in this country are being created.
CUOMO: Javier, let's test the case. What has Hillary Clinton done that proves what you're saying right now? To this point in her professional career, what has she ever done that was good for small businesses?
PALOMAREZ: You know, Hillary sat with our constituency and said to us, unprompted, that she wanted to be America's first small business president. She illustrated to us throughout the campaign that she is willing to listen. She is willing to engage American small business at every turn, whether in Nevada, whether in Florida, whether in Texas. She reached out and said every time I'm in the market I want to
understand from your business owners what are the challenges. How do I engage with them? She has gone out of her way to engage our small business community -- American small business.
CAMEROTA: Donald Trump is a proven successful business owner. Why not him?
PALOMAREZ: You know, Donald Trump has filed for bankruptcy four times in his life. As president of the United States, he can't file for bankruptcy. As president of the United States, he can't hide his finances. He will have to do a lot better in terms of reaching out not only to the Hispanic business community but to the Muslim community, to women, to American POW's. To a broad swath of Americans that have been left out of his campaign by design.
In sharp contrast, Hillary Clinton has run a campaign of inclusiveness and togetherness, and that's what we need in this country. We need stability, we need people collaborating to move the economy forward.
CUOMO: So, how much of your decision was business and how much of it was politics? Not just the pragmatism of politics,but the identity politics. That you don't like what Donald Trump has said about the Hispanic community, the Latino community, and he's done with you. It doesn't matter that he's the businessman. It doesn't matter that Clinton is not known for being great for business as senator or in her other roles.
PALOMAREZ: To be clear, Hillary Clinton grew up in a small business. Her father was a manufacturer of window coverings and shades. She understands the challenges of American small business. She grew up in a small business.
And to be clear, this is -- this is not a personal issue. This is not about being Hispanic. Our association represents 4.1 million Hispanic-owned firms that create over $661 billion of contribution to the American economy. And we are, first and foremost, American businesses, so every tax bill we pay, every job we create, every product we manufacture goes to benefit the American economy. We are Americans and it is appropriate that we have an opinion.
This a campaign. Donald Trump has run a campaign of divisiveness, a hate-filled rhetoric that has torn people apart -- has torn this nation apart. We need stability. We need a clear-minded, calm, level-headed leader for the greatest nation in the world. He has proven himself to be unworthy and unfit for the highest office of this land.
CAMEROTA: Last night's theme, very quickly, was "Make America Work Again". Did you hear any of the speakers talk about the plan for what Donald Trump has?
PALOMAREZ: Not once, and that continues to be the case. I had a wonderful opportunity to meet with my good friend, John Kasich. We sat down for about an hour's worth of conversation. In John Kasich, we saw someone who understood the challenges. In Donald Trump, we hear somebody who has nothing but rhetoric, but not a real track record.
CAMEROTA: Javier Palomarez, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY --
PALOMAREZ: Thank you both.
CAMEROTA: -- with your announcement. Great to talk to you.
PALOMAREZ: God bless, thank you very much.
CAMEROTA: All right, Donald Trump's children were in the spotlight at the Republican National Convention last night, as we've been talking about. Trump's former campaign manager is going to join us live to talk about everything that has happened yesterday and will happen today.
[05:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[05:59:15] GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Four years of Hillary Clinton will bring all the failures of the Obama years with less charm and more lies.
LESLIE RUTLEDGE, ARKANSAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: Deception and dishonesty are all second nature to Hillary.
RNC CROWD: Lock her up, lock her up.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: Hillary Clinton will say anything, do anything, and be anything to get elected president.
TIFFANY TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP: Donald Trump has never done anything halfway.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: We are going to make America great again.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), HOUSE SPEAKER: The Clinton years are way over. Two thousand sixteen is the year America moves on.
DONALD TRUMP, JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: A president will unleash the greatness in our nation. That president can only be my father, Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
CAMEROTA: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY that you're watching and Chris and I are live here in Cleveland at the Republican National Convention.
