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Hillary Clinton Makes History as Democratic Nominee; Father of Muslim American War Hero Blasts Trump. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired July 29, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(AUDIENCE CHANTING)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I accept your nomination for president of the United States.
CHELSEA CLINTON, DAUGHTER OF HILLARY CLINTON: My mother will make us proud as our next president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the moment!
HILLARY CLINTON: A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.
KHIZR KHAN, FATHER OF DECEASED MUSLIM U.S. SOLDIER: Donald Trump, have you even read the United States Constitution?
HILLARY CLINTON: Americans don't say "I alone can fix it". We say we'll fix it together.
(AUDIENCE CHANTING)
HILLARY CLINTON: When there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit.
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[05:00:03] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome viewers in the U.S. and around the world. It is Friday, July 29th. And this is NEW DAY.
Hillary Clinton made history, the first woman to accept the major party's nomination and arguably the most important speech of her life. Big question now is whether she made a difference in a tight election.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Clinton took aim at Donald Trump during her nearly hour-long speech, criticizing him for saying he alone can fix the country's issues. Her message was we are stronger.
So, we have it all covered for you. Let's start with Joe Johns live inside the convention hall in Philadelphia.
Give us the highlights, John. JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.
They are cleaning up in Philadelphia as I speak.
Look, Hillary Clinton's speech last night was a lot of things, but I don't think you can call it soaring rhetoric. You can say it was a retelling of her life story, a reintroduction of a woman who has been in the public eye for decades. And, of course, she laid out a sharp contrast between herself and Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON: It is with humility, determination and boundless confidence in America's promise that I accept your nomination for president of the United States.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
JOHNS (voice-over): Hillary Clinton drawing a sharp contrast with Donald Trump's vision for America.
HILLARY CLINTON: Don't believe anyone who says I alone can fix it. Those were actually Donald Trump's words in Cleveland. And they should set off alarm bells for all of us. Really? I alone can fix it.
He's forgetting every last one of us. Americans don't say "I alone can fix it". We say, we'll fix it together.
JOHNS: Repeatedly slamming Donald Trump.
HILLARY CLINTON: We heard Donald Trump's answer last week at his convention. He wants to divide us from the rest of the world and from each other. He's betting that the perils of today's world will blind us to its unlimited promise. He's taken the Republican Party a long way from morning in America to midnight in America.
JOHNS: Questioning his judgment.
HILLARY CLINTON: Imagine, if you dare, imagine, imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.
JOHNS: Knocking Trump's understanding of the issues.
HILLARY CLINTON: Now Donald Trump, Donald Trump says and this is a quote, "I know more about ISIS than the generals do." No, Donald, you don't.
You didn't hear any of this, did from Donald Trump at his convention. He spoke for 70-odd minutes and I do mean odd.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And he offered zero solutions. But we already know he doesn't believe these things. No wonder he doesn't like talking about his plans. You might have noticed I love talking about mine. JOHNS: Clinton using her speech to praise Bernie Sanders and reach
out to his supporters.
HILLARY CLINTON: I want you to know I heard you. Your cause is our cause.
JOHNS: Hoping to broaden her base with all voters.
HILLARY CLINTON: I will be a president for Democrats, Republicans, independents, for the struggling, the striving, the successful, for all those who vote for me and for those who don't, for all Americans together.
JOHNS: Clinton's daughter Chelsea introducing her mother.
CHELSEA CLINTON: People ask me all the time, how does she do it? How does she keep going amid the sound and the fury of politics? Here's how: it's because she never ever forgets who she's fighting for.
JOHNS: The nominee herself acknowledging the history of the moment.
HILLARY CLINTON: Standing here as my mother's daughter and my daughter's mother, I'm so happy this day has come. I'm happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between. I'm happy for boys and men because when any barrier falls in America, it clears the way for everyone.
[05:05:11] After all, when there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: One thing Hillary Clinton did not address head on is the issue of trustworthiness which dogged her through the primaries. What she did seem to be making the case for is that when you are electing a president, what's more important is readiness for the job and competence.
Alisyn, Chris, back to you.
CAMEROTA: Joe, thanks so much for breaking it all down for us.
Let's discuss it now with our panel. We have CNN politics editor Juana Summers, CNN political analyst and editor in chief of "The Daily Beast," John Avlon, and CNN political analyst and host of "The David Gregory Show" podcast, David Gregory.
Great to have all of you.
JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
CAMEROTA: David, your impressions?
DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I thought it was a strong speech for Hillary Clinton. You know, she is not known as a soaring orator. I think that was true last night. But this hit a lot of notes that she wanted to hit. You know, we have
been talking about leaning into the trust deficit she has. I think there is no question she was trying to say to a huge audience last night is, you may not love me, you may not totally trust me, but I can do the job, you know? I'm going to be tough. I'm going to fight.
And I think there is a hope that wins the day because the other piece of that was the contrast. Contrast that was very cutting. She had some tough lines against Donald Trump. And she went to something else.
A frame for the night that was so powerful. It was the stronger together idea. It was great love of country. Highly patriotic, faith notes, heavy on appreciation of the military. But really hitting Trump on this idea that he can do it alone. He can solve problems alone.
CUOMO: He was big on the surrendering the me to the we.
GREGORY: Yes.
CUOMO: She's definitely tough, but though is not going to be enough because he is. That's his one note. He's always tough.
GREGORY: Right, but being tough enough, right? And she is --
CUOMO: Tough enough to do the job.
GREGORY: Right. This is the type of close the curtain in the booth moment of like, hmm, can I see this person in the Oval Office?
CUOMO: So, she had to grab something that would be tough, but also would ring as true for people. Did she find that?
AVLON: Sure. I think that balance is key. She largely achieved it.
Look, it was a strong speech. It was not a great speech. There were no soaring rhetoric tying it all together. But that is not necessarily what she needed to do.
And you're hearing, it's damning by faint praise across the board in the commentary tonight, but the individual pieces were strong. I thought the overriding message actually last night was the commander in chief test. That seemed very clear. There was a strong emphasis on military, on toughness, even on law and order.
And I think you see some of that campaign polling flowing through the decisions.
But going after Trump was effective. I thought she did it with a sense of humor, a hint of the happy warrior which was effective. And some truly heartfelt moments that I think put her career in a sense of context. But I think the major message is to get out and can she pass the commander in chief test? And I do think she did.
CAMEROTA: Juana, let's dive into some of the specifics. Let's show the passage where she talked about Donald Trump's previous controversial comments and at some point he is going to change. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON: For the past year, many people made the mistake of laughing off Donald Trump's comments, excusing him as an entertainer just putting on a show. They thought he couldn't possibly mean all the horrible things he says. Like when he called women pigs or said that an American judge could not be fair because of his Mexican heritage, or when he mocks and mimics a reporter with a disability or insults prisoners of war like John McCain, a hero and patriot who deserves our respect.
But here's the sad truth: there is no other Donald Trump. This is it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: What did you think?
JUANA SUMMERS, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: So, Hillary Clinton is one of these unique public figures. She had the long arc. We have seen her in the public eye for more than two decades. We know where she stands. She is incredibly scripted and meticulous when we see her in public.
Donald Trump could not be more different than that. So, I think that in many ways that actually helps Hillary Clinton with the trust deficit that David mentioned. She is predictable. She is calm. She is ready.
Whereas, there is this person in Donald Trump that noted another point in the speech who can be triggered and move to action and furor just by a tweet. So, I think she is trying to tell people and message people through that passage saying, as David said, you may not like me, you may not love me, but I am a steady hand who can handle the nation's most significant problems.
CUOMO: Let's play it. Let's play where she was making that commander in chief contrast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON: You really think Donald Trump has the temperament to be commander in chief? Imagine if you dare, imagine, imagine him in the oval office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: David?
GREGORY: Yes, look, I think the contrast was strong. I have a slightly different view. I don't think the commander if chief test was actually most important for her. I think she's actually passed that's in many ways. I think she faces other difficulties, being viewed as politically expedient for one thing.
But this temperament is so important. I mean, you well know that this is not about a laundry list of issues. Where is he on trade? Where is she on trade? That is a weak point for her, because he looks politically expedient on the TPP.
But the idea that personal characteristics. Can you trust him? Can he handle the job? Is he suited to do the job? They will run on that for the next few months.
AVLON: No question. The question is, do you make the positive arguments as well as a negative? Because she benefits by comparison through reasons that I think had been discussed.
She did something else last night that is important, because we're living in the time of populist furor in our politics during an economic recovery. Those two things shouldn't together, but they are.
She had one line in the speech that she billed out dramatically, which is if our economy is not working the way it should, is because the democracy is not working the way it should. Translating the fears and frustrations with Washington, particularly with the recalcitrant Republicans in the House. That is a really important argument because the first time you can say she can solve some of the problems.
GREGORY: Can I say what else is important? She didn't overpromise about changing American politics. It is the implicit argument with Obama that he was going to ride the donkey into Jerusalem and be the kind of messianic figure in American politics. I don't think she positioned herself as someone who will bring the deliverance.
CUOMO: Could she? I mean --
GREGORY: No, I don't think she could.
CUOMO: The knock is that if you are upset about the status quo, she checks every box.
GREGORY: Absolutely.
CUOMO: How does she balance that? We know we want it to be different. She is part of the culture of what is or how does she bridge that?
SUMMERS: She is, and I think that's why it is interesting to see if she can get those supporters who followed Bernie Sanders campaign. You heard her at the beginning speech. They do see her as the creature Washington politics. They have a point. She has been steeped in Washington politics for decades. She has to work hard to prove that she is willing to bring change with the progressive ideals that were talked about. That core of the party is interested in seeing how to better the campaign.
One thing that is important is she is running on the Obama economic record. The first couple of months of his presidency, 10 percent unemployment. Now, we're looking at 4.9. Things are getting better for a lot of people in America, but there is still so much deep-seeded resentment and fear and anxiety. She figured out how to thread those together, to talk about the successes, but also to speak to Americans who feel like they're being left behind in those moments.
CAMEROTA: David, any places she missed the mark? Any sour notes that she should said something different?
GREGORY: Well, I think we talked about it. I think, you know, I thought it was striking inference of the difficult marriage with Bill Clinton when she introduced him. I think finding the words to say to people, look, I know you don't always trust me. Maybe I'll work to build that trust, to earn that trust.
CAMEROTA: Did she talk about trust?
GREGORY: No, she really didn't. I'm not sure exactly how she could have done it. I think she is making a different argument.
And it's an important test. We know back in 1992, people did not necessarily trust Bill Clinton, but they thought he could do the job. She is making a similar bet here. That was a missed opportunity although I would also add, I'm not exactly sure how to hit that note. I think it is a problem.
CUOMO: Joe Biden has a great line. He said don't compare me to the Almighty. Compare to the alternative.
And Trump gave her another gift last night. He was giving a speech. He said people talking about me, I would like to hit them. That is what she wants to expose about this guy. Somebody says something about you, you don't like it and you tell a crowd at a podium you want to hit them?
AVLON: It's presidential.
(LAUGHTER)
CAMEROTA: Panel, stick around. We have more questions for your.
Coming up in our 8:00 hour, I will speak with Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine. We have a lot of questions for him as well. How does he think last night went? I guess I could guess.
CUOMO: That is big to see him so soon after the nomination. Answering for what his running mate does. It's going to be a good interview to have.
So did you watch? If you didn't watch last night, you have to see what we have coming up.
[05:15:03] A father who lost his son in Iraq. This man is a Muslim- American. And he has a message for Trump that could be the defining moment of the Democratic Convention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CUOMO: This was powerful no matter what your politics. Father of a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq serving the country delivering a repudiation of Donald Trump. Take a listen for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHIZR KHAN, FATHER OF DECEASED MUSLIM U.S. SOLDIER: Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words -- look for the words "liberty" and "protection of law".
[05:02:03] Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America, you will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: All right. Let's bring back the panel. Juana Summers, John Avlon and David Gregory.
This was one of those dynamite combinations in politics. This is the real pain of parents who have lost somebody with this layer over it with this contempt for their sacrifice. The father spoke directly to the audience in a way that we haven't seen much of the convention. But very powerfully, what do you think it means?
GREGORY: Well, I think that America is and the greatness of America. And part of the framing of this convention was about was love of country, was celebrating the diversity of the country and honoring the sacrifice of the military veterans. A lot of notes you would see with Republican conventions past.
And I think it speaks to the fact that we have many millions of Muslim-Americans who are assimilated, who are part of the American fabric who sacrificed and who give and bleed and died for this country.
And that line -- what, Donald Trump, have you sacrificed? We as Muslim-Americans have sacrificed. We sacrificed our son.
It's incredibly powerful. And, by the way, that can be true about Muslims in America and Islam the world over can also have to reckon with the extremism in its midst. Both things can be true.
CAMEROTA: Go ahead, John.
AVLON: Absolutely both things can be true. It is about offering a counter-narrative, because so much of Donald Trump's appeal has been Muslim ban which, of course, castigates an entire religion and an immigrant class as being suspect in terms of their patriotism or loyalty, the actual risk of terrorist violence.
And here you have a family, a father who sacrificed his son, a Muslim soldier, lecturing Trump about sacrifice, about understanding of the Constitution, about commitment to the Constitution. That's an incredibly powerful message.
You know, there was a GOP operative named John Weaver who ran John Kasich's campaign. He had a tweet last night that I thought was powerful. He said, "I would rather live in his America's than Donald Trump's." The dad's America than Donald Trump's.
I think it is about a vision of unity and diversity that stands in sharp contrast to some caricatures of our country in groups.
CUOMO: What did it mean to you, Juana, when he said have you ever read the Constitution and he pulls out his own copy? It was a raw and real man. He wasn't a polished up person who said somebody in my family history was a Muslim. This guy has an accent. He is an a new American.
What did that mean, that image?
SUMMERS: It was striking to me. You are seeing the man who's still grieving the loss of his son. He served this country. He is taking out the documents that Americans hold dear, that are the pillars of this country that he is holding close to his chest and asking this man who wants to be leader of the world. Have you seen this? Do you hold these values that are dear to my heart? To your heart as I do? I thought that was really powerful.
I think this may have been the most forceful anti-Trump argument I have heard from any of the speeches in Philadelphia, because at one point, he says, you know, if it was up to you, my son would not have even been in this country. His son has got out and sacrificed.
I think it's a very effective counter to some of the proposals of the Muslim ban and building the wall that have really spoken to the immigrant communities in the country which offered so much to the richness of America. It is effective and very visceral and emotional. It is not just Democrats and independents. I had a number of Republican friends who said that was the big moment out of these two weeks that they're coming away from.
CAMEROTA: David, to the point of the Democrats co-opting some of the typically Republican themes. There was another moment and that was when General John Allen, former commander in Afghanistan, got up and spoke about the commander in chief test and why Hillary Clinton would be better than Donald Trump. Listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOHN ALLEN (RET.), FORMER COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN: But I also know that with her as our commander in chief, our international relations will not be reduced to a business transaction. Our armed forces will not become an instrument of torture. They will not be engaged in murder or carry out other illegal activities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: What did you think? GREGORY: I thought a couple of things. First of all, if a woman
general had been shouting like that, she would be described as shrill, where he just looks like he wants to tear your head off, and everybody is good with that.
I thought he was very effective. Look, this was an endorsement for Hillary Clinton, this was the vouching by the military for her judgment, for the commander in chief aspect of it.
[05:25:05] I think very important. And it says something that I think actually is truer than not in Hillary Clinton's, certainly in her recent experience. That is she is forged very good relationships with the military. She worked closely with the military.
I don't know that that is as well-appreciated as it might be, but whether Petraeus, whether it's Allen and there's others with whom she's worked closely and well.
CUOMO: Now, here is the criticism, that the people who support Trump or the GOP movement or the move to change the system. What they want is not a general to get up and start yelling about how we're not going to hurt them too badly and we will be decent when we fight -- they want tough to the exponential power of 1,000. They want somebody to say we will kill these guys in a way we have never killed them before and we're going to get rid of them because we are America and we are strong.
That wasn't the message last night, even though he was surrounded by 37 vets --
AVLON: For those folks, there's Donald Trump and I think, you know, 24 caricatures of how you confront terrorism. And then there are people who do it for a living. And the argument against running on pro-war crimes platform as Donald Trump has done, is that you actually end up exacerbating the problem.
When America loses its moral authority, when we stop being great because we're good, when we start torturing, that actually incubates further radicals as opposed to --
CUOMO: But torture is just a piece of, John. What I'm saying is I wonder if --
AVLON: It's pretty significant though.
CUOMO: It is and it isn't. If you're talking about war, war is hell. And if you're talking to people worried about ISIS, they are not worried how we do it. They want it done and they believe we've been soft. So, that's the counterbalance.
AVLON: I'm not sure Hillary Clinton's problem is she is perceived as being soft. From the armed services committee to I think the intentional framing last night, she seems quite tough and hawkish when it comes to foreign affairs.
CAMEROTA: Juana, we owe you a response and we will get to that. Thank you very much, panel.
Donald Trump says he alone can fix the nation's problems. Hillary Clinton says it takes a village. So, there are two candidates with two very different visions. Which one will resonate most in November? We explore that.
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