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Trump Expresses 'Regret' for Past Comments; Reuters: U.S. Swimmers Paying $11,000 to Settle Dispute. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 19, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

TRUMP: -- issues, you don't choose the right words or you say the wrong thing. I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it.

[07:00:12] HOWELL: A complete 180 from the unapologetic tone his supporters have come to expect.

TRUMP: And I do regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain. Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues. But one thing, I can promise you this: I will always tell you the truth.

HOWELL: Trump delivering prepared remarks, speaking for the first time since his campaign reboot and veering away from the brash persona that could doom him in the general election.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I think we're going to sharpen the message, and we're going to make sure Donald Trump is comfortable about being in his own skin, that he doesn't lose that authenticity that you simply can't buy and a pollster can't give you.

HOWELL: The Republican nominee not saying exactly what he regrets, but his remarks come after a firestorm of criticism for attacking the family of a slain Muslim-American soldier.

TRUMP: I don't regret anything. I said nice things about the son.

HOWELL: And he has yet to apologize for attacking Republican Senator John McCain, who spent five years as a POW in Vietnam.

TRUMP: He's not a war hero.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a war hero.

TRUMP: He's a war hero -- he's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: There's a body of American heroes that I'd like to see him retract that statement.

HOWELL: Trump did express mild regret after retweeting an unflattering photo of Ted Cruz's wife Heidi next to his wife, Melania, later telling "The New York Times," quote, "It was a mistake."

Trump also using the opportunity to show support for flood victims in Louisiana. TRUMP: When one state hurts, we all hurt. And we must all work

together to lift each other up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: So was it an apology? No. Was it regret? Yes. About what, still unclear. But Trump taking some ownership and accountability. Donald Trump and Pence, Mike Pence, will travel to Baton Rouge later today to tour the flood-damaged area there.

The trip comes on the heels of "The Baton Rouge Advocate" calling on President Obama to cut his vacation short, telling him, quote, "a hurting Louisiana needs you now" -- Poppy, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All right, George, thanks so much for all that background. Let's discuss it with CNN host and political commentator Michael Smerconish.

Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST/POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: What do you hear in Donald Trump's different tone or approach last night, particularly the one where he said, yes, he actually does have regret for the hurtful comments, some of them, that he's said on the campaign trail?

SMERCONISH: Well, I think it's long overdue. I think it's a step in the right direction. Maybe it would have been more effective if he would have singled out the Khan family and said, "For example, here's something that I said in the past for which I'm regretful."

I think the biggest surprise, Alisyn, that I have today is that yesterday came all the analysis that said that Donald Trump was tripling down now on the authentic Donald Trump. He was engaging the head of Breitbart News, who is known for his incendiary style, and that this represented Donald Trump wanting to stand his ground and run as the same candidate who was successful in primary and caucus season.

And within 24 hours, look where we are. We're now having a debate as to whether we've just seen the pivot toward the general election. So I guess the lingering question is, how long does it last?

HARLOW: I think that struck me, as well. We were speaking earlier about it. That did not sound like a Steve Bannon speech. Right? Especially that moment. That was the Kellyanne Conway effect.

But, you know, Kellyanne said in her fascinating interview with Alisyn the week before, the day before, you've got to let Trump be Trump but also do what's necessary politically, sort of toe the line. Did Donald Trump show his ability to do that last night?

SMERCONISH: Well, I think that he did in large measure, but here's something, Poppy, that I noted. The crowd reaction. You played that sound, and I don't know, did I hear some audible groans in the audience?

His problem is that he feeds off the intensity of those enormous crowds. And I think that's when he deviates from the script and starts to give them more of the red meat that they yearn to hear. So that's the challenge for them. He's got to stay focused on the script while he's in front of a live crowd and not pivot from the message.

CAMEROTA: Michael, also that he's trained the crowd to expect that to be a setup for a punchline. What I heard was that they were waiting. They were sort of laughing, waiting for the punchline. He was going to say, "No, just kidding." But he didn't do that. And so it sort of surprised them. And they...

HARLOW: Those were groans.

CAMEROTA: They were groans, and they were sort of groans of confusion.

HARLOW: Or disappointment.

CAMEROTA: Maybe disappointment. But so Michael, is this now worrisome for Democrats, if Trump can rein it in and seem more reasonable, and sort of the Kellyanne Conway effect, of being more -- I don't know -- presidential, then is he more of a contender?

SMERCONISH: Can we revisit this on Monday? Can we see if he can get through the weekend and if he can stick to this Donald Trump, the contrite Donald Trump who sticks to message?

[07:05:18] Because the question I have is for how long this can last. You know that expression you've got to dance with the one who brung you? Those folks in the crowd are the ones who got him this far. He's ever mindful of that, and he doesn't want to let them down.

So the balancing act is he's got to -- he's got to keep the base where it is and energized but grow the tent. And that's been the deficiency so far. Zero growth strategy.

HARLOW: I want to get your take on another big story this morning. "The New York Times" reporting that, included in those FBI notes from the 3 1/2-hour interview that Clinton did with the FBI about her e- mail server is the revelation that she told the feds that it was former secretary of state, a Republican, Colin Powell, who suggested she use private e-mail. Not a private e-mail server but private e- mail.

I want to put this in the context of that was a long time ago for Powell. He didn't send many e-mails. But I guess it was advice that he gave her, use your private e-mail. Does that matter in this debate?

SMERCONISH: No, I don't think it'll move the needle. I think that supporters of Secretary Clinton will say, "See, even Colin Powell told her to do this." And critics will say, "Come on. That was the era where we all had dial-up modems, and really, nobody was using e-mail, and it doesn't matter." Here's what matters. What matters is if, come October, there's a

Russian leak from her private e-mail server of an e-mail that was in the public domain but that she deleted.

Now, there are a lot of "ifs" there. And I don't want to spread conspiracy theories, but given the nature of those hacks and the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, I think it's within the realm of possibility that there's more to come. If that shoe should drop, then that will be a game changer.

CAMEROTA: Michael, how about the announcement from the Clinton Foundation that, if Secretary -- if Hillary Clinton were to become president, they would cease taking foreign donations, corporate donations, and that Bill Clinton has announced he will no longer do paid speeches. What do you think that says?

SMERCONISH: I don't know, Alisyn. It kind of makes me listen to it and say, "Well, geez, why didn't the same standard apply when she became secretary of state?" That's not exactly chump change. That's a pretty big job.

HARLOW: So also interesting, we've been talking a lot about this, this morning. Senator Jeff Sessions, the first senator ever, you know, to come out and endorse Donald Trump months and months ago, he comes out and he tries to make the point on a radio program that Donald Trump has always been a law and order guy. He talked about the Central Park Five case. But let's read this for you.

He said, "Trump has always been this way. People say he wasn't a conservative, but he bought an ad 20 years ago in the 'New York Times' calling for the death penalty. How many people in New York, that liberal bastion, were willing to do something like that?"

All right. Here's a -- here's a copy of the ad. We might have it, as well. But it says, "Bring back the death penalty. Bring back our police."

The issue here is, all right, I get the point that he's making. The Central Park Five were exonerated. New York City paid a $41 million fine two years ago, because they got it wrong.

SMERCONISH: You know, it's funny, Poppy. I remember that ad. I certainly remember the incident. I have seen the recent documentary that talks about the exoneration of these individuals. I don't know that this issue -- because Donald Trump would seemingly be on the wrong side of the ultimate fate of those individuals, and so for some, it's going to be a black eye for him.

There's also a mindset among many -- you know this -- that they were in that park and up to no good, whether they raped that woman or not. So again, it's a Rorschach test.

CAMEROTA: But I guess -- I guess the point that Senator Sessions was trying to make is that Donald Trump is no Johnny come lately to law and order. As far back as 1989, he was calling for more law and order. He was even calling for the death penalty. Again, these guys were exonerated, so I'm not sure this is the best

illustration, but he's trying to show that Donald Trump is not a flip- flopper on this. What do you think of that message?

SMERCONISH: In this realm, I think that he's probably correct. I'm not aware of any consistency on the part of Donald Trump relative to law enforcement issues. Now, we can talk about the abortion issue, and we can talk about Iraq and listen to differing things that he said over time, but in this one specific subject area, to answer your question, I'm only aware of a record of consistency.

HARLOW: So Michael, as Donald Trump and Mike Pence, very quickly, head down to Louisiana today, what do they have to do to make it not just look like a photo op?

SMERCONISH: Write a check.

HARLOW: There you go. I would say how big, but I have no time. We'll get to that after the break.

CAMEROTA: We have a lot to get back to you on, on Monday. We'll keep that date, Michael Smerconish, that you promised us.

SMERCONISH: Cool, all right. You got it.

HARLOW: Thank you very much. Turning to very serious and sad breaking news. Take a look at this. You're looking at live aerial images of a horrific crash this morning involving two New Jersey Transit buses. This happened just a short while ago in Newark, New Jersey. We know that at least one person has died. Nine others, at least, are injured. We're seeing some of the victims carried out on stretchers. It happened just around 6 a.m. at the beginning of rush hour. Ambulances, dozens of emergency workers on scene there.

Of course, we'll continue to monitor this and bring you more information as soon as we have it.

CAMEROTA: That looks terrible.

We have more breaking news, though, to tell you about, because these two team USA swimmers, they, they are back on American soil now. Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz arrived at Miami's airport in the past 30 minutes. Reuters is reporting another U.S. swimmer, Jimmy Feigen, will pay $11,000 to a Brazilian charity. This payment is, of course, connected to their story of a gunpoint robbery.

Brazilian police now say that was a lie, and it was made up by Ryan Lochte and the three other swimmers.

CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is live in Rio with the latest. Explain all the twists and turns and how we got here, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in short, at the moment, we have three of the four swimmers back in the U.S., and it seems this $11,000 payment to charity will secure the release from authorities of the passport of Jimmy Feigen and then presumably he'll be allowed to leave too.

The U.S. Olympic Committee trying to draw a line under this last night by apologizing, but really, what a messy few days, for the Olympic team and also, sadly, for the idea of street crime in this, the host city of the Olympics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): This morning, swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger arriving back in the U.S. after Brazilian police claim they admitted Ryan Lochte's story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio was not true.

The U.S. Olympic Committee apologizing for the actions of four team USA swimmers, saying in a statement, "The behavior of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of team USA. We apologize to our hosts in Rio and the people of Brazil for this distracting ordeal."

Brazilian police say the athletes were not robbed, and that they're not victims. Police say they were held by security at this gas station after urinating in the back alley and vandalizing a bathroom.

FERNANDO VELOSO, CHIEF OF POLICE (through translator): The athlete was really disturbed somehow. He was actually very kind of angry. So there is the use of a weapon to control probably one of them. The answer, yes.

WALSH: The surveillance video shows one of the athletes bending over, seeming to pull up his pants before an attendant appears. They then leave the alley, attempt to get into a taxi, but it's not theirs.

Once in the correct car, an armed security guard approaches, demanding that they stay until police arrive. They're later seen sitting on the curb, hands in the air, with Lochte standing and appearing to take something out of his pocket. The athletes were told they had to pay for the damage they'd caused.

VELOSO (through translator): So they left their money just to almost, like, to pay for the damage that they caused, and leave the place before the police could arrive.

WALSH: Ryan Lochte is back in the U.S., remaining silent after Brazilian officials say his account on Sunday was fabricated.

RYAN LOCHTE, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: We got pulled over in our taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge. They pulled us over. They pulled out their guns.

WALSH: But Lochte's attorney is backing up his client's claim, saying "A gun was pointed at the swimmers, and they were forced to get out of the cab and give up their money. No matter what are country you are in, that is robbery. And robbery is a serious crime."

(END VIDEOTAPE) WALSH: So what do we know? Well, we know that everyone accepts there

was vandalism most likely and definitely urinating behind the building at that gas station. In their versions of their stories, the swimmers still saying armed robbery was an issue. Police saying that's not the case.

The U.S. Olympic committee trying to draw a line under this, apologizing and saying, "Well, this payment or compensation to calm everything down was negotiated with, quote, 'the security guards, firearms on display'."

I think now, Jimmy Feigen may well be on his way home in the hours ahead and everyone trying to forget this very embarrassing few days.

HARLOW: Absolutely. Nick Paton Walsh live for us in Rio this morning. Nick, thank you very much.

Up next, from Olympic glory to their careers in jeopardy, did those four American swimmers just kiss their careers good-bye? We'll discuss the latest on this Olympic scandal next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: All right. We are staying on top of the breaking news this morning. Two U.S. swimmers arriving in the United States moments ago after their Olympic scandal in Rio. You're seeing them coming off the plane there. This is in Miami. They are two of the four swimmers who had said they were robbed at gunpoint.

Brazilian authorities disputed that claim, saying that they are not victims, but instead vandals. The U.S. Olympic Committee now apologizing -- apologizing -- to Brazil for this incident. That's significant.

Joining us now to talk about all of it, CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan and retired FBI special agent Bobby Chacon, who did previously serve in a security position for prior Olympics.

So let's talk about all of this. Christine, we just saw the images. So now you've got three of the four swimmers back in the United States. You've still got one in Rio paying this big fine. And not only has this cast a sour note over a lot of the Olympics, but I think the question becomes what do these swimmers have to do to make it right?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: I'm not sure if they ever completely make it right in the sense that their names now will be forever linked to this. Any time anyone Googles them, any time anyone talks about Rio -- "Remember the incident back in 2016?"

And that's unfortunate, but it's also -- when you're an Olympian, whatever little hijinx you might do on a college campus, it's magnified times a thousand at the Olympic Games.

And so what -- you asked a good question. Apologies. And Ryan Lochte, the silence is deafening. We are talking five days now from the time that we first heard about this. Five days. He's been on Twitter talking about his hair color, putting silly pictures of himself on Twitter. Ryan Lochte, it is just extraordinary to me that his advisers have not gotten him to apologize, at least so far.

CAMEROTA: Christine, to your point, there are two covers of two American papers, "The New York Post" and "The Daily News," which talk about Ryan Lochte. This one says "The Ugly American." "Liar, Liar Speedo on Fire." Amusing. And this one says "The Lochte-ness Monster." And so in the United States, this is playing as that he was the bad actor here and the ring leader of this. And in fact, Christine, that does raise a question.

Did the other three swimmers, do we know, did they lie -- I mean, Ryan Lochte lied publicly, on television. He gave that interview where he said a gun was pointed at his head by these fake security guards that held them -- that pulled over their car. Did the other swimmers also lie, do we know?

BRENNAN: We don't know. But my reporting from Monday when I first got an inkling that there might be another story, and I've been working on it ever since for "USA Today" and, of course, on air with all of you, the sense was that these are young swimmers. They look up to Ryan Lochte. And they may very well -- I'm not sure but I'll throw it out there -- and as a possible and considering the thought as human beings, maybe this happened, that they may have gone along with Ryan Lochte's story.

Keep in mind with Ryan Lochte's mom who first talked about this, that Ryan Lochte was grabbed by NBC and he said it. And it was off and running on a story that now we know is not true. And something so devastating to the image of Brazil and to these Olympic games. Basically taking -- hijacking the last five days of these Olympics.

HARLOW: Right, this should not be what the world or this country at least is talking about.

Bobby Chacon, to you, from a legal standpoint, right, whether or not Ryan Lochte is extradited has to go back to Rio to face any charges, what legal analysts I've heard are saying is it depends on whether he was basically, you know, perjured himself or not.

Whether or not this was just filing a fake police report or whether or not this was a sworn statement to police in which he lied. And under the extradition treaty between the United States and Brazil, if he perjured himself, he could be extradited. What's the over/under on that? You think that happens?

BOBBY CHACON, RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: No, I honestly don't think that happens. I think both sides of this, both governments want this thing to go away as quickly as possible. The Brazilians obviously have an interest in getting on with the games and not having this incident define these games. I think that's very important to them. And it should be important to us. And I think that, from the United States' standpoint, it's an

embarrassing incident. The longer we prolong it with these kinds of legal maneuverings, it just increases the embarrassment on the part of the United States.

CAMEROTA: Mr. Chacon, I know that you provided security for three of the past Olympic games. You were the security detail. So when you saw that these guys went out at night and had been drinking and were out all night without a security detail, I mean, is this why security detail is provided for high-profile athletes? Why were they sort of loose on their own?

CHACON: Well, you know, not only did I provide security for the Olympics, I actually live in Rio de Janeiro. And this is not the reason why security details are provided. Security details are provided for the safety of the athletes from incoming crime.

This is a situation where these guys actually were the people committing the crime and then were trying to get away. And now we're arguing about how they were stopped from getting away from the crimes that they committed.

Security details are not babysitters. These guys apparently needed babysitters.

HARLOW: Christine, look, a lot of the sponsors, some of them are saying, you know, "We're assessing the situation. We'll see if we stick by these guys or not." What does this mean for their careers? What situation have they, by the way, put themselves in? What does that mean for their future career?

BRENNAN: Right, by their behavior, for sure. Well, as far as Ryan Lochte, he has the most sponsors. He's a multimillionaire. And I can't imagine any sponsor wants to stick with him. I don't know. We're all reporting that and trying to work on that story.

But how could you possibly be associated with a man with those newspaper covers, with the way people are reacting around the nation to the embarrassment, at the very least, of what Lochte did?

The other swimmers are younger. And this is going to be fascinating. I do think that USA swimming will ban them all, suspend them for a period of time, maybe Lochte forever. Who knows? A lifetime. But these young men obviously will see if they ever can make a comeback in swimming. And it's a very sad thing.

CAMEROTA: It is sad and unfortunate all around. Christine Brennan, Bobby Chacon, thank you so much for all of the information.

All right. On the flipside, let's talk about what we should be talking about, about the Olympics. And that is, of course, the inspiring stories. Here's the story that is solid gold, four times over. We all watched gymnastics superstar Simone Biles make her Olympic dreams come true. What was it like for her to live it?

[07:25:04] Simone joins us live next on NEW DAY. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA; Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles dominating the Rio Olympics with her dazzling performances. She's won four gold medals and one bronze. Five-time Olympic medalist, Simone Biles, joins us now live from Rio.

Simone, how are you doing today?

SIMON BILES, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: I'm doing good. A little bit tired, but it's OK, because now we don't have to do the gymnastics part.

CAMEROTA: How could you ever be tired? You simply won five medals, four gold, and have become the face of this Rio Olympics. So what does it feel like now, with that in the rearview mirror?

BILES: Well, it feels very accomplishing, and it's very exciting. Now we get time to relax and enjoy Rio.

CAMEROTA: You deserve it, Simone. I was watching. Look, we all watched you with rapt attention. But in particular, your floor routine. There were moments -- maybe we have a montage of some of the moments from your floor routine. You were doing things that defied gravity. There were a few shots where I thought the floor was spring- loaded.