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Interview with Tim Kaine Interview. Aired 8:30-9 a ET

Aired July 29, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:06] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Tonight, we've reached a milestone in our nation's march toward a more perfect union. The first time that a major party has nominated a woman for president. After all, when there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit.

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ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That was Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton making history, becoming the first woman to win a major party's nomination. The person sharing the stage with Clinton last night was the Democratic vice presidential nominee. And Virginia Senator Tim KAINE joins us now.

Good morning, senator.

SEN. TIM KAINE (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Hey, Alisyn, how you doing?

CAMEROTA: Doing well. How are you feeling this morning?

KAINE: A little bit tired, but very excited about the next 101 days. It's a - it is a real honor to be asked by Hillary Clinton to be her running mate and we've got a lot of work do.

CAMEROTA: I want to play that moment where you came out and took center stage with her. It was historic, regardless of who you support. When she became the first female nominee of a major party, and you hug her here. What was that moment like?

KAINE: It was so emotional. You know, I just - it just made me think about all the strong women who have supported me in my life, from my mom, to my wife, who's a great public servant, to everybody who's helped me in all of my campaigns. And to see her take this nomination and to know we're going to be battling together to win, sure. But then, more importantly, we're going to be battling together to build a better economy and strengthen our alliances and especially to build that beloved community of respect, rather than a divisive community. It was a very, very emotional moment. And then when my wife, Ann, and the rest of my family came on stage too, that made it even better.

CAMEROTA: I was trying to read your lips. What did you say to Secretary Clinton when you first came out and greeted her?

KAINE: You know what, what I said to her as I walked out and when we, you know, first clashed hands in front is, I said, it is a great country and you just made it a lot greater. That was - those were the words that I said to her.

CAMEROTA: Secretary Clinton had to follow some impressive speakers and speeches. Obviously President Obama spoke, Vice President Biden, Michelle Obama. How do you think her speech compared?

KAINE: You know, I thought the speech was really great because not only did she have to follow a lot of tough speeches, but the thing that I thought was great is it set such a contrast with what we saw in Cleveland last week. It - the Cleveland convention was dark and depressing, and she said it was kind of midnight in America.

And her speech was morning in America. It was about the everyday struggles that people have, but the fact that we don't have a single issue in this country that our people can't tackle because we have the greatest pool of just human resources, human capital, human talent that any nation has ever had. And so I felt like it was fundamentally very upbeat, but not upbeat in generalities. I mean she's got, you know, a set of very concrete plans around things like, you know, career and technical training and debt free college, job investment, protecting and expanding health care. And she went into those in detail. And you know what she said. Some people say I'm too focused on details, but if it's about your kid, it's not a detail, I t's a big deal. And that was one of the biggest applause lines of the night and that was very true to her.

CAMEROTA: Senator, how about that Muslim dad of the fallen soldier who talked about his son and had the Constitution in his pocket. Are - do you plan to use that dad on the campaign trail?

KAINE: Alisyn, you know what, as you asked me that question, I'm getting goose bumps on my arm. That was probably one of the most moving events of the entire four days, when he talked about his son. I got a - I got a boy in the Marines, and so I hear somebody who sacrificed a child in military service and it really grabs you. But he said two things. He looked in the camera and basically addressed Donald Trump directly and said you have sacrificed nothing.

Remember, Donald Trump is a guy who calls the American military a disaster, and even makes fun of POWs like John McCain. But when he pulled out that Constitution and held it out and said, Donald Trump, I don't think you've read the American Constitution, and if you want, I'll lend you my copy, that was just an absolutely electric moment in the building, and I suspect that it was electric for everybody watching it on television.

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump, in his acceptance speech at the RNC, painted what some have described as sort of a dark view of America. But he is not alone. A lot of American's feel anxious, and they do see the situation as dire, particularly when it comes to terror attacks. How do you see the state of America? KAINE: You know, I am - I am optimistic about it too. I'm a senator,

and then former governor and mayor in Virginia. And I've seen the anxieties. Look, I was governor when we went into the recession. The biggest collapse since the 1930s. And a lot of people have gotten hurt and they haven't climbed back out yet. Wages stalled. People lost values of their homes. Their credit ratings got impaired. And so, economically, we've had to climb.

[08:35:09] Now, thank goodness under President Obama, we've dramatically reduced the unemployment rate. Fifteen million private sector jobs. So we're climbing out of it. But there's still an awful lot of repair work to be done.

But the way you do that is by hiring a - by electing a "you're hired" president in Hillary Clinton, rather than a "you're fired" president in Donald Trump. Similarly, you said people are concerned about terrorism and they are. Look, the challenges of terrorism today is that we're beating ISIL on the battlefield with the right military plan, but then what they're doing is deciding to try to inspire acts of violence all over the place.

How do you stop those, Alisyn? You stop them by strong alliances in intelligence sharing. Hillary Clinton was the nation's chief diplomat and an armed services member. She knows how to build alliance alliances. Donald Trump is going around and talking about which alliance he wants to throw overboard and end. You cannot stop the terrorism of the 21st century if you kind of build a mote and a wall, turn inward and don't share intelligence and build strong bridges.

CAMEROTA: But, senator, haven't we had strong alliances? Haven't we been doing intelligence sharing? And we have seen these ISIS-inspired attacks in Europe and at home.

KAINE: Yes, it is true. And we're - and, look, but we're not going to stop them by not sharing intelligence. And, you know, look at Europe as an example. Some of these major attacks there. Hundreds of thousands of Americans live in Europe and tens of thousands of American troops are there. The notion that Donald Trump has that what we want to do is just scrap NATO, leave the eastern NATO countries to the mercies of a, you know, Vladimir Putin in Russia, it's just the wrong direction for us to go. We can't wave a magic wand and make the world safe, especially other countries. We can't arrange their internal situations for them, but we can better protect Americans if we understand that alliance and intelligence sharing is the way to do it.

CAMEROTA: Now that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are officially the nominees, they are set to begin getting the intelligence sharing that comes from all of our intelligence officials here in the country. Harry Reid - Senator Harry Reid said that he doesn't believe Donald Trump should be privy to those. What do you think?

KAINE: Well, look, Donald Trump did something that was just completely, you know, completely out of any historical precedent this week when he basically asked Russia, hey, put your thumb on the scale of an American election. You know, when he said Russia should help me try to figure out if I can get an edge or a drop on Hillary Clinton, it really was outrageous.

I serve on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee, and let me tell you something, Alisyn, you know this, we have a dead, solid cold that Russia does get in engaged in trying to influence elections in other countries, whether it's supporting parties that are pro- Russia and to their liking in other nations, or even using cyber attacks to create chaos on election day in nations in eastern Europe. They've done that.

And so when we know that they've done it, and when Donald Trump is basically trying to encourage them to do it with respect to U.S. election -

CAMEROTA: Well -

KAINE: I think an awful lot of people will see that and say that is temperamentally disqualification for the office.

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump says he was being sarcastic about that.

KAINE: You know what, I don't have a sense of humor about cyber terrorism and I don't have a sense of humor about what Russia's up to. So he can say he's being sarcastic now. I think he was just not being sarcastic. He was being ignorant.

CAMEROTA: Do you think that that's your role as VP? Will you be the attack dog of this partnership?

KAINE: I'm going to be Tim Kaine is what I'm going to do. I don't think Hillary Clinton picked me to be x, y or z. She picked me because of what I've been doing in my whole life as a missionary, as a civil rights lawyer and an elected official. I am fundamentally an upbeat and optimistic person. If you wanted to pick the, you know, angriest name caller, you'd pick somebody else.

But I never have hesitated, beginning in my civil rights career, to call out bad behavior, and to call out outrageous behavior when I see it. And with respect to Donald Trump and the things that he's proposing, and the way he treats others, and the vision he has for this country, it will - it's going to be very easy for me to point that out, consistent with them laying out why we're so different, and why a Clinton administration is going to be one that's focusing on positive results for people.

CAMEROTA: Well, let's talk about that. Let's talk about the challenges of optimism, because two-thirds of the country -

KAINE: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Say that they believe the country is going in the wrong direction. So how do you make the case, now is the time to be optimistic when people don't feel that way, and now is the time to continue the momentum of the Obama administration that some people don't feel?

KAINE: Alisyn, you put it right, the challenges of optimism. A lot of people have the anxiety, as we discussed earlier. We're doing a bus tour today focusing upon Pennsylvania and Ohio and we're going to be in some communities that have faced some real challenges. There are communities in Virginia like that.

[08:40:08] But let me tell you something, just go back to FDR, one of our great presidents. He was really kind of the soul of the Democratic Party. He came in at a very, very tough time and he said, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Even in a time of challenge, and even in a time when people have anxiety, I don't think want they want is leaders who stoke the pessimism, who stoke the anger, who stoke the - let - who can we blame for this. You've got to have leader who can be practical and acknowledge that there are problems, but who will remind us of the greatness of our country.

You know, go to a naturalization service and see people who are deciding to become United States citizens and hear them describe why. Go to a graduation of officer candidates school down in Quantico in Virginia, see people who are volunteering at a time of war to be Marine officers and you're going to see that there's a lot of people in this country who are optimistic and are doing things that are really, really exciting. And what we need is leaders who won't sugar coat the situation, but who will point the way to a better day because there are better days ahead and I feel that very, very, very solidly. We've got to have leaders who speak to that.

CAMEROTA: Senator, I want to ask you about a couple of issues on which you seem to have shifted positions. For instance, Trans-Pacific Partnership, TPP. Are you for it or against it?

KAINE: You know, Alisyn, I really haven't shifted my position on that. I did vote a year ago for the - what's called the fast track, Trade Promotion Authority, to give the president the power to negotiate the best trade deal he could. But when I voted for it at the time I said two things. One, I'm not declaring where I am on the TPP until it's done. Remember, when we voted a year ago, the negotiation wasn't done. And, secondly, I said, there is one issue connected with the TPP that I'm very worried about, which is the right of corporations to challenge unfair trade practices in private courts without giving labor unions and environmental groups and others the same right. I put that on the table a year ago and I said, as you're working this deal out, you've got to answer my concern. And it's been a year and nobody has given me any reason why we should embrace a trade deal that allows companies special rights in secret courts that aren't given to labor unions and environmental groups.

So once the deal was done, I've been meeting with folks and expressing that concern. Nobody's answered my question. The deal's going to come up for a vote and I can't vote for it with these secret courts that are open to companies only.

CAMEROTA: But, senator, correct me if I'm wrong. Just last week you said about it, quote, "I see much in it to like," and you called it an "upgrade of environmental and labor standards." So has something changed from last week?

KAINE: Alisyn, the - no, those - those words were accurate. But to the reporter, I said it, I then went on to say, but I also see a real fundamental problem with it because if you upgrade labor and environmental standards in a treaty, but then you don't let labor groups and environmental groups enforce it, the standards aren't worth the paper that they're written on. So when I spoke to the reporter that week, I did point out that in the negotiation there were some things that I thought the team did pretty well. But at the end of the day, a treaty is supposed to be a promise that can be enforced. And if you don't allow the things that I really like to be enforced, then, hey, sorry, you know, we just can't do it.

CAMEROTA: One more issue, senator, the Hyde Amendment that bans taxpayer funding for abortion. For or against it?

KAINE: I have been for the Hyde Amendment and I haven't changed my position on that.

CAMEROTA: You're still for it? You're still for the banning -

KAINE: I have not changed my position.

CAMEROTA: Senator -

KAINE: I have not changed my position on that.

CAMEROTA: Thank you for that clarity.

If Secretary Clinton is elected, what will be hers and your first priority on day one?

KAINE: First priority is going to be a significant investment to grow jobs in this country. I thought Hillary did a great job last night of just laying it out that in the first 100 days we've got to go heavily after a major job investment. You know, I was a mayor and governor, did a lot of economic development deals. And if you want to do job investments, do it when interest rates are low. So, for example, we can build roads, airports, bridges, ports. I think a lot of people in the country understand that we need to upgrade our infrastructure. When interest rates are low, it's easier to do it. It puts people to work.

And what I've always said about this is, you know, it's a double win. You put people to work right now, but then you raise your platform for economic success in the long-term. That will not be the only piece to this 100 day job push. Secretary Clinton talked about last night other components, you know, things like raising wages through an increase in the minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, investments in the skills. Not just college. Not just debt free college, but also pathways to apprenticeships and trades. We're visiting some great manufacturing companies in Pennsylvania and Ohio today and tomorrow. But the first 100 days are going to be about jobs and about an economy that works not just for a few but for everybody.

[08:45:07] CAMEROTA: And, quickly, senator, how do you convince Bernie Sanders supporter whose did not seem to want to go gently into the good night at the convention that you are progressive enough for them? Because that's their question. KAINE: You know what I said to them the other night, they were - I

talked about Bernie in my speech because we're on the budget committee together and I praised him and they started to chant "Bernie, Bernie, Bernie." And I said, hey, look, we all feel the Bern and none of us want to get burned by Trump. I think that they understand after Hillary's speech last night, the way she laid out what she's going to do on jobs and a whole range of progressive, you know, views from immigration reform, to you can't be a president, a pro-public safety president and be in the pocket of the gun lobby. She laid out a another - a number of areas, climate, the need to tackle climate issues, building on the work that President Obama has done, that are just right in the - right in the core of what progressives believe. What Bernie Sanders supporters believe.

And, look, I was chatting with a lot of Bernie sanders supporters over the last few days.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

KAINE: They had a favorite, but I feel like they're going to unify behind Hillary Clinton and we're going to do all we can together to win in November.

CAMEROTA: Senator, did you see this meme (ph) that popped up on Twitter about how people were depicting you as sort of the kindly dad down the street, and they were sending all of these funny tweets. Let me just read a couple. "Tim Kaine for VP, of course he doesn't mind giving you a ride to the airport on Monday. Don't be silly." And then there was some more. "Tim Kaine wants you to wait an hour after eating before you can go swims." Here's a couple more. "Tim Kaine is your friend's dad who catches you smoking weed at a sleepover and doesn't rat you out but talks to you about brain development." Senator, what did you think when you started seeing yourself being depicted like this?

KAINE: Well, Alisyn, you know, these - this was - there are a lot of surprises this week. When we got back to the hotel, my wife and me, after my speech Wednesday night, and we started - and my - one of my sons sent me these and we started to read. We - we fell asleep at 2:30 in the morning just laughing hysterically. I mean, I guess I got to acknowledge, I do have a slightly goofy quality. Some find it endearing, and some find it annoying. I can't make myself do it or undo it. It's just kind of who I am. But anyway, that others picked up on it and are ribbing me about it a little bit, I don't think that's all bad. And, you know, you'll probably see a lot more of it from here to November 8 and beyond.

CAMEROTA: Senator, did you bring your harmonica with you this morning?

KAINE: I have six harmonicas in my briefcase at all times. I don't have it right here because it's too early for America to be jolted into a state of cognitive dissidence by my harmonica playing. But we're going on a bus tour and I think there's going to be some music and there's going to be long hours where there's entertainment need. So I have a feeling I will be inflicting some harmonica playing on the American public. CAMEROTA: Never too early, senator. We just played some Instagram

video of you, you know, bringing down the house there with your harmonica. So, America, be forewarned, you're hitting the road today with your harmonica.

Senator Tim Kaine, thank you.

KAINE: And, Alisyn, I'll tell you -

CAMEROTA: Yes.

KAINE: Just to tell the American people, if you've never learned to play an instrument, and you want to learn one, the harmonica, it's OK to suck. In fact, that's how you make half the notes.

CAMEROTA: OK, dad. Thanks so much, senator. Great to see you. We really appreciate you being on NEW DAY and look forward to talking to you again.

We'll breakdown the Tim Kaine interview, next.

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[08:52:37] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: So we just had Hillary Clinton's vice presidential partner joining us here on NEW DAY. Alisyn interviewed him. What did we learn about him? What are the open questions going ahead?

Let's talk to David Gregory and Errol Louis about it.

What did you make of it?

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think the thing that comes through more than anything is how, you know, both of these campaigns have a theory about how to restore order in the country and world. And I think the vision of Clinton/Kaine is steady leadership, a steady hand. And this is why I think the pick of Kaine is kind of boring. The goofy quality he talks about re-enforces the steady hand that Hillary Clinton is trying to protect. I think you see that. He's obviously got a lot of appeal. You know, he's a politician. He really worked kind of urban, ex-urban areas. He's got the suburban dad quality. However, our colleague, David Axelrod, who said about both Kaine and Mike Pence, that they're like the neighbor who mows your lawn when you're on vacation without even asking you. So I think they both have that quality.

CAMEROTA: Picks up your paper. So nice.

GREGORY: Yes.

CAMEROTA: What did you learn, Errol, if anything?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I was struck by the fact that he referred to himself as a missionary. You know, I mean, we know this about his background, but for him to put it front and center like that. He also used, you know, something that, you know, if you - if you are familiar with it, is sort of buzz word when he said, a beloved community. It's a religious term. And so I think we're going to hear a lot more of that. I was a little surprised to hear that. It will be interesting to see how he does that. It might, in fact, sort of help the ticket, sort of make some contact with some of the cultural conservatives. You know, and, again, it's sort of coded.

GREGORY: Right.

LOUIS: A lot of it will go past a lot of other people.

GREGORY: And, you know, the message too to Catholics who have been calling upon him to actually defend the Hyde Amendment, remember, the Democratic platform is opposed to it, and there are catholic organizations and like "America Magazine" calling on him to more aggressively defend it. He did say that he hasn't changed his view.

CAMEROTA: HE supports it.

GREGORY: He's still for it but he's not going to go out on a limb for it.

CUOMO: That's coded also, right?

GREGORY: Yes.

CUOMO: This is a problem for them. They're going to have to figure out how to negotiate it. The good fortune is, they're running against a ticket that is way, way further down the road when it comes to this culture war than Tim Kaine is.

GREGORY: Yes.

CAMEROTA: On abortion you mean? (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: Well, (INAUDIBLE) - you know, whether it's abortion or other issues that trigger religious sympathies, you know, positively or negatively, whether it's the advance of gay rights, I mean there's a lot going on there that Tim Kaine's going to have to speak to. But when you asked him about the Hyde Amendment, he said, I haven't changed my position. I haven't changed my position. He did not say, I am in favor of the Hyde Amendment because I do not believe government money should go to fund abortions -

[08:55:01] GREGORY: Right.

CUOMO: Because that would put him in big conflict with his party. How big a deal is it?

LOUIS: Well, I don't know if it's a big deal unless people want to make it a big deal. But what we're seeing here is the - a liberal catholic tradition that has sort of all but vanished, you know? I mean he's sort of like a JFK catholic, right, where he's serious about these issues, his faith means something to him. It doesn't take him into the places that we normally see faith-based politics take people. So, on some cultural issues, like the Hyde Amendment, he's going to be - CUOMO: Because he supports Roe v. Wade, he says.

GREGORY: Right.

LOUIS: Well, that's right.

CUOMO: As the law of the land.

GREGORY: You know, he has a prayer breakfast that he does on the Hill every week and that other people go to, other senators, that he says is very meaningful to him and really a great exchange. It will be interesting to see how he talks about that publically going forward.

CUOMO: And Catholics count. They've picked -

GREGORY: Yes.

CUOMO: The president in every election, except for Eisenhower, in modern history. So -

CAMEROTA: If you guys were asleep last night, you missed the moment that proves that Don Lemon is having more fun than we are at any time of the day because this is was Don Lemon's show.

CUOMO: He looks different.

CAMEROTA: Well, that is Wolf Blitzer right there, but this was during "CNN Tonight," and a party broke out during the show.

GREGORY: Yes.

CAMEROTA: This was at the end of the convention, obviously. And Wolf Blitzer there seems to be enjoying -

CUOMO: He's got a little head bob going. New rolls (ph) the captain.

CAMEROTA: Oh, he gets the full arm na-na (ph) going at some point.

GREGORY: Yes. I know. Yes. Well, I -

CAMEROTA: This is at 1:00 in the morning. This is what Don Lemon's set looks like at 1:00 in the morning.

GREGORY: And look at what - you know, I believe in a -

CUOMO: Is that Brianna Keilar?

GREGORY: Yes.

CUOMO: Look at Kevin Madden. He doesn't know what to make of this situation.

GREGORY: Let me just say that I believe in a place called the CNN Grill, and I'll always be thinking about it. Plus, a great team in our primetime team doing great work. They deserve to blow off some steam.

LOUIS: Good food, too.

GREGORY: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Why don't we have a party at the end of every NEW DAY, Chris?

CUOMO: Because it's 100 o'clock in the morning (INAUDIBLE). That's why. And all people want to do is sleep. That's why. That's why.

GREGORY: This right now, this moment -

CAMEROTA: This is a party.

GREGORY: This is our party.

CUOMO: This is it?

CAMEROTA: OK.

CUOMO: Come on, let's go. A lot of news. Got to get to it.

CAMEROTA: On that note, gentlemen, thank you. Great to be with you this morning, and all of you. Have a great week.

"NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello picks up after this very short break.

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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

In Philadelphia, the Democratic National Convention wraps up and balloons rain down.

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[09:00:02] COSTELLO: Hillary Clinton basking in the moment and celebrating a milestone. She becomes her party's standard bearer. And, for the first time, a woman is the Democratic nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)