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Michelle Obama Brings the House Down; Sanders Delivers Endorsement for Clinton; Convention to Nominate Hillary Clinton. Aired 6-6:30a ET.

Aired July 26, 2016 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching NEW DAY. Chris and I are live in Philadelphia at the Democratic National Convention.

And this maybe Hillary Clinton's nomination party but opening night, at least, belongs to Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama. The first lady delivering a stirring speech that's getting a lot of attention this morning. She praised Hillary Clinton and she criticized Donald Trump without ever actually mentioning his name.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: So, you could say 24 hours made a big difference. Remember we were talking about yesterday, seemed like holy cow, WikiLeaks is exactly what the Democrats don't need to be a turmoil outside and inside the convention hall. So, what about now?

We've got all the angles covered for you. Let's begin with Manu Raju inside the convention hall. Manu, what do you got?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Chris. Now -- yesterday afternoon, the Clinton-Sanders campaign was very worried that some of their supporters would actually disrupt the proceedings here in the conventional debate reached out to the Clinton campaign and tried to figure out a unified strategy to prevent those protests from going really viral here on the convention floor. They discussed tactics and strategy to combat those protests. It didn't really work, we saw speaker after speaker booed, shouted down, chants but it all temporary stopped when Michelle Obama took the stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great.

RAJU: Michelle Obama bringing down the house on night one of the Democratic convention.

OBAMA: This, right now, is the greatest country on earth.

RAJU: The first lady leading a powerful list of headliners, including Hillary's Democratic rival, Senator Bernie Sanders.

BERNIE SANDERS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.

RAJU: After a hard-fought primary, Sanders welcomed to the stage amid deafening cheers and a three-minute standing ovation, before delivering a full-throated endorsement of his former rival and the most important political moment of the night.

SANDERS: Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her tonight.

RAJU: Sanders emphasizing the stakes of this election.

SANDERS: If you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate.

RAJU: While comforting disappointed supporters, many getting emotional during his remarks.

SANDERS: We have begun a political revolution to transform America and that revolution -- our revolution, continues.

RAJU: The speeches aimed at uniting a party still simmering over the primary fight. The division on display throughout the day both inside and outside the convention hall, as Sanders' delegates shouted in favor of their nominee, and interrupted speeches with loud anti- Clinton boos, despite efforts by Clinton and Sanders' officials to quiet the outbursts.

This protest drawing an unscripted rebuke from Sanders' supporter and comedian, Sarah Silverman.

SARAH SILVERMAN, COMEDIAN: To the Bernie-or-bust people, you're being ridiculous.

RAJU: But the discord quieting as Michelle Obama took the stage.

OBAMA: In this election, I'm with her.

RAJU: The first lady casting the presidential race as the decision about who'd create the best future for America's children, while delivering resounding praise for her husband's former rival.

OBAMA: In this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility. Only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be President of the United States and that is our friend, Hillary Clinton.

RAJU: Mrs. Obama choking up while touching on the historical significance of Clinton's nomination.

OBAMA: Because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.

RAJU: In highlighting the challenges overcome throughout history that brought her to the stage.

OBAMA: Generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done, so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.

RAJU: The first lady making an unusual foray into partisan politics, to knock Donald Trump without mentioning him by name.

OBAMA: The issues a president faces are not black and white. It cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. When you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can't make snap decisions. You can't have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out.

[06:05:10] RAJU: Candidly talking about the lessons, she has tried to instill in her daughters.

OBAMA: We urge them to ignore those who question their father's citizenship or faith.

RAJU: And criticizing Trump's rhetoric.

OBAMA: We insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on T.V. does not represent the true spirit of this country. Our motto is, "When they go low, we go high."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now later this afternoon, this convention will actually nominate Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic candidate for president this fall. They'll actually give the Sanders supporters an opportunity -- another opportunity to try to disrupt these proceedings if they want to. The Clinton and Sanders campaign are working in tandem to prevent that.

Now, afterwards, the convention program is going to focus a lot on Hillary Clinton's life story in an effort, Chris and Alisyn, to make

Hillary Clinton a little bit more likable.

CAMEROTA: And Manu, thank you for all of that. So here to discuss what many are calling Michelle Obama's show-stopping speech. We want to bring in our panel, CNN Political Analyst and Host to the David Gregory show podcast, David Gregory, CNN Politics Editor, Juana Summers and CNN Political Commentator and Senior Contributor for the Daily Caller, Matt Lewis.

Gregory, let me start with you. Michelle Obama did last night -- I mean, she played what I think Donald Trump would call the woman card. Last night when she said it will change all of our daughters and son's, Hillary Clinton's campaign, the fact that a woman could be in the White House is historic and it does break the glass ceiling. I mean, she used all of that sort of imagery that Hillary Clinton has sort of shied away from in part not to play the woman card but Michelle Obama went there.

DAVID GREGORY, HOST, THE DAVID GREGORY SHOW PODCAST: Yeah, it was slightly different view. I mean, I think, if somebody like a Donald Trump were to level that criticism, I think that would be too harsh. Most ...

CAMEROTA: He has level that criticism...

GREGORY: Well, about Hillary Clinton he has. In this case, I'm not sure that that would really be fair. I think -- look, most first ladies are transcendent figures. Hillary Clinton was not necessarily but I think that Michelle Obama was and I thought her speech was a huge home run last night.

I think the way she framed the kind of testimony for Hillary Clinton was very effective but the framing as a very dignified and classy first lady and a parent who has had to deal with the public scrutiny and the public lair and talking about this choice in terms of a parent, in terms of our sons and daughters is very powerful. And yes, introducing the idea of the first woman president and how it's possible with Hillary Clinton, a kind of historical note from an African-American woman to be part of this first duo. And African- American president and first lady in the White House, again, very, very effective. And I thought transcended some of the all of the noise and the disunity in the party for last night.

CUOMO: Let's bounce to the out party though, Matt, you know, is it a fair criticism that, oh, look at Michelle Obama saying that America is the greatest country in the world. Didn't she say she wasn't proud of this country until, you know, that was popped out on the internet? How powerful do you think that is a contrast? Do you think it goes in the line of hypocrisy?

MATT LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, in 2008 she said, when her husband is nominated or elected president, for the first time in my adult life, I'm really proud of this country. And now she says -- that she's lecturing us about the Make America Great Again slogan.

And so, I think that was a little bit rich for her to kind of lecture us about that. Having said that, most people probably aren't reading my tweets aren't on Twitter. And I think it was a great speech and I think that I actually agree with her. I just -- Make America Great is enough. We don't have to say again.

CAMEROTA: What do you think, Juana, about her evolution as a first lady, as a sort of leader in the Democratic Party? What did you hear last night?

JUANA SUMMERS, CNN POLITICS EDITOR: Sure -- I mean, as a first lady, Michelle Obama has been someone who is fiercely protective of her husband's legacy, who has stepped out and been a champion for working women, for children and talking about them a lot and her role as first lady.

So I think the speech kind of really played into that really well and she said a lot of really great things. And she linked her husband's legacy and the legacy as the first African-American family to occupy the White House.

She -- with Hillary Clinton's legacy and her hope that Hillary Clinton will be the country's next president. I think that speaks really powerfully, especially to corners of the electorate. There's been a lot of scrutiny among the Clinton campaign -- about the Clinton campaign rather from African Americans and -- that we've seen throughout this campaign from the black lives matter movement in particular.

And I think she also spoke directly to them. That line where she says, you know, living in a house that was built by slaves, and the values she talked about to instill in her two young black daughters were all Americans have watched to grow up in that house and then the public eye. I think was a really powerful message to the people in the room but also to some black Americans who may not feel like the Hillary Clinton campaign speaks to them and represents them.

GREGORY: Can I just say too -- I mean, look, there's political maturation. There's also maturation on the public stage that we see from Michelle Obama.

[06:10:03] She had some discordant notes in 2008 when she was a political neophyte. But let's also remember the racism and sexism that was inherent in casting her as an angry black woman with that New Yorker cover with the, you know, black power sign that just because she was strong and saying certain things that, therefore, she was all of these things.

So I think some of that illusion to contrast is laced with all of that and just kind of the maturation of being in the role.

CAMEROTA: Let's look back at that. At 2008, just -- at the convention, just what she talked about then and whether or not, you know, that message have evolved. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I come here as a mom, as a mom whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world. They're the first things I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to bed at night. Their future and all our children's future is my stake in this election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Matt, she's been talking about those themes for a long time. She said when she went to bed (ph) how to choose going to be -- I think the mom-in-chief is what she called herself.

LEWIS: Well, I think it's -- I mean, I thinks it's very -- I'm a dad. I mean, even as a dad I can identify with that. It crosses partisan, you know, bounds, boundaries. And I also think it's -- it also is very consistent with the messaging that pro-Hillary Clinton outside groups are running. There's a lot of ads that you're seeing on T.V. with Donald Trump saying horrible things and even children, you know ...

(CROSSTALK)

GREGORY: And that's tested really well, right?

CUOMO: Yeah. GREGORY: I also -- by the way, the Trump people apparently thought so much of Michelle Obama back in 2008 that they didn't mind the maturation because they liked that speech in 2008 pretty well (inaudible).

CUOMO: Very good. You know, I lost our bet, by the way. I thought that Michelle Obama might give a subtle nod to the -- I feel like I've already spoken at the convention this year or something like that, but there was nothing.

CAMEROTA: Oh thank goodness. I'm glad somebody is keeping track of the bets that we wager.

(OFF-MIC)

CAMEROTA: Yeah.

CUOMO: But I actually pay up.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: No, she's not good to that part of it. She likes to make the wager, the paying off not so much. You know, but here's one thing though, it ain't about Michelle Obama.

GREGORY: Yeah, I agree.

CUOMO: You know, she had a good night. She gave a good speech. She is a political pro. Maybe she runs maybe she doesn't. Who knows?

GREGORY: Yeah.

CUOMO: But it has to be about, how do you get your message together to combat the other side? And here's the problem, you can come across tone deaf when you go positive because there are problems, they're real, they're rich and they're deep and then multivariate and people know it.

So, when you say, hey, we're already great. I think that's objectively true but it risks sounding tone deaf. So, how do you balance it?

GREGORY: Well -- I mean, you balance it in lots of different ways. There's lots of people who think there's lots of problems in America but don't like the kind of nostalgic -- the idea of make America great again like make America wide again, make America more old fashion again in way that would help certain groups ...

CUOMO: That's why Matt doesn't like the again because the again seems like a return to times that we weren't as evolved as we were ...

LEWIS: Right exactly. (Inaudible) right now and I think we are -- I mean ...

GREGORY: Right. And I think that -- well, can I just say -- I mean, look, more (ph) to the point, Hillary Clinton is going to become more likable to the general electorate. That's really important. I thought Michelle Obama was helpful. She could speak directly to the American people that's why, I think, she could be helpful.

CUOMO: I don't know that likable is going to get it done. I think that the note they have to bang this week for Clinton is you have to be able to do this job. You have to be able to do this job. They're not going to be if they for people ...

LEWIS: Both parties are -- you know, the Republicans were really anti-Hillary. The democrats are really anti-Trump. The difference is that Democrats are pro-Hillary and the Republicans really weren't pro- Trump.

GREGORY: They weren't hardly ever mention Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Juana.

SUMMERS: I think Chris is right though. The problem -- the fact the matter is most Americans know Hillary. She's a known commodity. She and her family have been in the public eye for ages. So I think the -- forcing the likeability argument, I think they're going to come up short. You have to go back then to capability. Can you trust her? Can she do the job? Is he is the person you want in the White House if we have tragic things happen in this country?

GREGORY: Yup.

SUMMERS: So I think it's about capability. Likeability, I think, I think we're lost on that point.

GREGORY: Well, yeah, I'm not so sure but I think the combat -- in 1980 George Will points out in his column in "Today" in 1980 that they did all these ads for Ronald Reagan, just showing that he could be plain and be competent. And I think there's no question that she still has to, you know, to fight that.

CAMEROTA: Panel, thank you. Stick around, we have much more to talk about. Up next, we'll break down Bernie Sanders' big endorsement or was it of Hillary Clinton.

CUOMO: You want to bet on whether or not it was?

CAMEROTA: Here we go. Will his supporters follow? We'll also compare the Sanders speech to the one Ted Cruz gave at the Republican convention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Did you miss the convention last night doing other things like Camerota where all these ...

CAMEROTA: Sleeping

CUOMO: ... naked Bernie Sanders paperwork. Were still got in the bottom where she was at ...

CAMEROTA: Half dressed. Not naked, half dressed.

CUOMO: Here is the moment of the night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: We need leadership which brings our people together and makes us stronger. Not leadership which insults Latinos and Mexicans, insults Muslims and women, African Americans and veterans and seeks to divide us up.

By these measures any objective observer will conclude that based on her ideas and her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Of the night for Bernie Sanders that come up and endorse Hillary Clinton. Now the question becomes, was it enough? You know, did it get it done? Are they unified now? Now, let's discuss.

We have CNN Political Analyst and Host of the David Gregory podcast, David Gregory. CNN Politics Editor Juana Summers and CNN Political Commentator and Senior Political Contributor for the Daily Caller Matt Lewis. Matt Lewis, are you shaking in your breaches this morning because of what happened last night? Is the party united and against you?

[06:20:02] LEWIS: We have two dysfunctional families in America today in the Republicans and the Democrats. Both are in danger of going through a divorce. I think the difference is that the Republicans aired their dirty laundry in primetime. The Democrats, the parents, went out in public in primetime and put on the best face and acted as if everything is OK.

So I think Bernie Sanders did everything he needed to do last night. I think he was as much of a full-throated endorsement as he could get away with. He had to set this up and lay the ground work to coming around to support.

I think if he'd started off the first thing and endorsed Hillary right away, that would have been a mistake. I think he did everything you could expect him to do.

CAMEROTA: Juana, did you think there still too much ambivalence heard in his speech or did it go far enough to win over the people in the convention hall who were crying about Bernie Sanders officially sort of exiting stage left? There were people who were chanting. I mean, there was a lot of discord in that convention hall last night.

SUMMERS: There was, and that was the environment that Bernie Sanders walked into to begin his speech. I think what was really interesting is that you heard him not talking about going out and voting for Hillary Clinton in November. The speech to me, I think that as Matt noted, he did go pretty far and further than we've heard him before in terms of supporting Hillary Clinton. But we didn't say he did -- get your family go out entire (ph) of the campaign for her in November. We didn't hear him say repeatedly, you need to go out and vote for her and down-ballot Democrat. He didn't hammer that home over and over again.

He didn't even really speak to in a big way quelling the forces and his supporters on the floor who still may try to push this issue at the roll call vote later today. So, by those rights, I think he could have actually gone far whether or not that would have seemed authentic to his supporters after the rhetoric videos used on the campaign, well (ph) that's far and that remains to be seen.

CUOMO: How big a deal is it? You know, you see polls that say 90 percent of, you know, die hard Berners are going to go for Clinton?

GREGORY: Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. I think that's really a good day for me when I'm like minded with Gregory.

CUOMO: But I was ...

CAMEROTA: OK.

GREGORY: Because I do think that there's -- I do think there's things to worry about in the Clinton camp that they're going to, you know, take for granted this unity and take for granted all the turnout and the key groups, you know, then the Obama coalition from 2012. I don't think they can take that for granted.

But look, in the convention hall, I was seeing how noisy it was, how discordant it was. These are delegates who are, for Bernie Sanders, who were die hard, who were showing up in 100 degree heat to come to the convention in Philly. But if they get to 90 percent of Sanders supporters, you're fine.

And, you know, let's remember that, you know, the Clintons and the Obama, you know, factions didn't come together until later. I think Bernie Sanders in primetime speaking to a national audience saying Trump is unacceptable. Let's remember how important the Democratic Senate is. And she can do a job. We've got to elect her. I think that's important.

CAMEROTA: Matt, there were some who worried that Bernie Sanders was going to pull a Ted Cruz, and at the last minute go rogue, not endorsed and say something. So just to remind people of what happened with Ted Cruz, let's play a moment from last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) TEXAS: Stand and speak and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: He could have said vote your conscience last night but I guess the Hillary campaign varied that a little bit ...

LEWIS: Yeah

CAMEROTA:... closely than the Trump campaign did.

LEWIS: Absolutely. And I think that's one of the tale of the two parties right now. With two -- two of these families were having problems, but the adults in the Democratic Party suck it up. They go out there and they get behind Hillary Clinton.

CUOMO: Wait, hold on a second. Hold on a second. This is a stark contrast between what we're dealing with last week. Ted Cruz in quotes hates Donald Trump, OK.

LEWIS: For personal thing.

CUOMO: You talked about my wife. You talked about my father. He doesn't believe he is a conservative. He thinks that he's completely disingenuous with everything that he said.

LEWIS: Yeah.

CUOMO: Bernie Sanders, Juana, has fundamental problems policy wise with Hillary Clinton, and he didn't like the fact that for all his time in politics she was being given the advantage of pedigree. But putting that aside, do you think there's any comparison for how Bernie feels about Hillary versus how Ted Cruz feels about Donald Trump?

SUMMERS: I don't actually because I don't think from what we've heard from Ted Cruz especially by delegation breakfast afterwards where he talked about, you know, these insulting comments. I don't think Ted Cruz even came at that's from a baseline of just respecting Donald Trump. I think that he loathes the guy. And I don't think that's what you see on the Democratic side of the aisle for all the major policy divisions and they are expansive between a Hillary Clinton and a Bernie Sanders. I just -- I think it's apples and oranges.

GREGORY: What I think is ironic, Matt, is that, you know, Democrats today are acting a lot more like Republicans normally act.

LEWIS: Yeah.

GREFORY: There are much more locks up, there much more, you know, hierarchal. Yeah, they are still, you know, discordant notes but I think that's really the difference that you're seeing.

[06:25:02] And look, the Clintons -- there's much more succession. The Clintons have a lot of control in the party, now joining forces to ...

LEWIS: And they have the White House, they've got the ...

GREGORY: Yeah

LEWIS: They've got the power of the bully pulpit.

GREGORY: That's right. LEWIS: But I think ultimately you're right. The problem -- the fundamental problem the Republicans have s that Donald Trump is such a uniquely bad representative of conservatism of Republicans. And the things that he said are so unacceptable to so many of us.

Hillary Clinton like her, don't like her, yeah, it's not really the optic comparison.

CAMEROTA: The New York Times described what was going on the floor and what happened in the streets yesterday with the Berners. They feel the Berners as bedlam.

And Sarah ...

(OFF-MIC)

CAMEROTA: ... Sarah Silverman -- I mean, maybe, but when Sarah Silverman took to the podium, she was trying to speak and they were raucous and she -- who is herself, a Bernie supporter, had to shut them down. So watch this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SILVERMAN: Can I just say to the Bernie-or-bust people, you're being ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: What do you think, Juana?

SUMMERS: That seemed like a misstep to me. You've gotten this to a point where there's not these uprising. We have some powerful speeches on the floor. They're kind of -- the Bernie supporters on the floor kind of falling in line, and I feel like Sarah Silverman actually kind of agitated them. They're kind of doing the good behavior in the party you watch (ph) in the video and she is getting that up again. I'm not sure if that was exactly what the DNC wanted from her.

CUOMO: Yeah, this was...

GREGORY: That was a tough moment. She is lucky she got away with it, honestly.

CUOMO: But they're trying to make it a choice with Trump. This is not like any other years. This is a stark contrast.

CAMEROTA: Phil (ph), thank you. Good to have you.

CUOMO: Another big name last night who was supposed to rally the troops, get people on the same page, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. He's going to join us live to make a case to you for why the Democratic Party is your choice in this election.

CAMEROTA: Well, Donald Trump, of course, was the main target during the first night of the Democratic convention. So, the Republican nominee responding to the attacks online as he hits the campaign trail with his running mate. We'll tell you what he said and his new nickname for Hillary Clinton, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)