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Trump Immigration Comments Examined; Discussion of Election Campaign; Turkey Bombing Aftermath; Weekend Interview with Mike Pence. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 22, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:01] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: -- whether or not to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. It seems to be a change in his stance, of course, on the immigration issue.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, is this deliberate? Is it a flip-flop? Is it an abandonment of his core campaign issue? We have this story covered from every angle this morning starting with CNN Sunlen Serfaty in Washington, Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you John. Well, this would potentially be a big reversal for Donald Trump. His hard-line stance on immigration, it is one of the core defining issues of his campaign. Trump is now preparing to make a major policy address this week on immigration. And there are some indications his positions could be changing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Donald Trump's campaign signaling a possible softening of his controversial position on the force deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They will go out. They will come back. Some will come back, the best, through a presence. They have to come back legally.

SERFATY: Trump's hard-line stance a signature issue of his campaign since the beginning. Now, his new campaign manager indicating that policy is not set in stone.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Let me play something from what Mr. Trump has said previously. Listen to what he said back in November.

TRUMP: We're going to have a deportation force, and you're going to do it humanely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where they're going to ripped out of their homes, how?

TRUMP: Can I take -- They're going back where they came. If they came from a certain country, they're going to be brought back to that country. That's the way it's supposed to be.

BASH: Will that plan include a deportation force, the kind that he just -- you just heard him on that sound bite and that he talked about during the Republican primaries.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER: To be determined.

SERFATY: Key Trump surrogates, Senator Jeff Sessions, confirming that Trump is wrestling with the issue after a meeting with Hispanic advisers on Saturday. Ahead of a big policy speech later this week.

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS, (R) ALABAMA: And he listened to a lot of people. I don't think he made any commitments. He's thinking that through. I think that's the right thing.

SERFATY: This potential shift coming as Trump attempts to broaden his appeal among African-American voters.

TRUMP: I've asked the African-American community to honor me with their vote.

You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?

SERFATY: Polls show his campaign way behind with this key voting bloc. Following a string of controversial comments about minorities.

TRUMP: They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists.

Look at my African-American over here.

This judge is of Mexican heritage. I'm building a wall, OK? I'm building a wall.

SERFATY: Trump's now more muted, scripted style reserved for policy, not for his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

TRUMP: She will never be able to fix the ISIS problem that her policies created. For one thing, she doesn't have the strength or the stamina.

SERFATY: All this as Trump and his surrogates continue to raise unsubstantiated questions about Hillary Clinton's health.

RUDY GIULIANI, AMERICAN LAWYER: Go online and put down Hillary Clinton illness, take a look at the videos for yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And again, those claims about Clinton's health are unsubstantiated. Meantime, sources tell CNN that a top strategist from the RNC, Sean Spicer, will be doing some work each week out of the Trump campaign headquarters.

This is an important move, especially coming off the broader campaign shake-up that we, of course, saw last week, Alisyn. A new attempt to try to coordinate activity between the party and the nominee. CAMEROTA: OK. Sunlen, you've given us a lot to talk about. Thank you very much. Here to discuss, CNN Political Commentator and Vice Chair for the New York State Democratic Party, Christine Quinn, and Former Trump Campaign Chair -- Campaign Manager, Corey Lewandowski, who is still receiving severance from the Trump campaign, he is a CNN Political Commentator as well. Great to see both of you.

CHRSTINE QUINN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.

COREY LEWANDOWSKI, FMR. DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Corey, how can Donald Trump be changing the main pillar of his campaign which, he said he was going to deport every single undocumented immigrant?

LEWANDOWSKI: Well, if you listen to what Kellyanne Conway said, and this comes at the heels of a meeting that Donald Trump had in Trump Tower on Saturday with a number of Hispanic leaders from around the country, he said we need to be fair and humane and what we're going to do is we're going to uphold the constitution. That's what he said.

And so, that hasn't changed his position at all. What he said was we're going to look at this and we're going to be fair and humane, but we're going to, first and foremost, uphold the constitution and put Americans first.

CAMEROTA: Corey, that has changed what he said originally. Let me play for you the mash-up of all the things he said where basically he said every single one has got to go. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're rounding them up in a very humane way and a very nice way, and they're going to be happy because they want to be legalized. And, by the way, I know it doesn't sound nice, but not everything is nice.

They're going back where they came. If they came from a certain country, they're going to be brought back to that country. That's the way it's supposed to be. Now, they can come back, but they have to come back legally.

They will go out. They will come back, some will come back, the best, through a process. They have to come back legally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:05:05] CAMEROTA: Corey, we're rounding them up, they will go out, they're going back where they came from. That is what he said, and it has changed.

LEWANDOWSKI: Well, what he said was fair and humane and uphold the constitution.

CAMEROTA: But he was going to get rid of every single one of ... LEWANDOWSKI: Well, I think first and foremost, what you're going to do and what he's planned was not that he's deviated from this at all. If you're a convicted felon and you're in this country illegally, you're gone.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LEWANDOWSKI: Right off the bat.

CAMEROTA: Sure. There was more than that. He says every single one of them. We're rounding them up, every single one of the 11 million. That's changed.

LEWANDOWSKI: I think what he -- you know, what he's hearing from the Hispanic community, which he met with a number of those leader says, how do we do it. And if you look at the way the federal government is currently structured, there is no position, no place right now, but they actually have the ability to do that. So, you have to actually put a system in place to, first and foremost, identify who those 11 plus million people are.

CAMEROTA: So he's become more practical about it.

LEWANDOWSKI: I think he's looking at it from the totality of it. The federal government is so fundamentally broken. INS is so fundamentally broken. Before you could even get to the step, you have to first be able to identify who those people are.

CAMEROTA: Christine?

QUINN: This is another example of a campaign, the Trump campaign and that is in poll free fall. The numbers have gone down and down and down. And the campaign is -- and Donald Trump really willing to do anything, to rework anything, to throw anything out, to wordsmith and manipulate things in any way to try to get the numbers back up.

I've always found his immigration plan reprehensible. And you can say something is humane that doesn't make it humane.

And I know there's a discussion of a meeting that happened over the weekend with Latino and Hispanic leaders.

CAMEROTA: Yeah.

QUINN: But let's be clear, from the moment he started talking about building a wall, from the moment, he called immigrants rapists and criminals, from when he attacked the Mexican-American judge, the Latino community and people of good faith have been speaking out over and over about what a bad plan this is. So let's not pretend Saturday was a boiling point and the first time Donald Trump heard that members of the Hispanic and Latino community and others thought this was reprehensible.

He listened-- He may have listened on Saturday. We don't know because Kellyanne wasn't clear, may have listened, because he is losing and will do anything to win. CAMEROTA: Let's talk about how he's trying to win over African American voters, because he tried on Friday night to make an appeal to them. So let me play some of that language for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What do you have to loss? Look, what do you have to loss? You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So Corey, on social media at least, the whole bunch of professional and middle class left felt that was an outdated message. What do you think about that language that he used?

LEWANDOWSKI: I think what the language is, is the Democratic Party has taken the African-American community for granted for the last 30 years. And what Donald Trump is saying is, look, if you're happy as a community and you're happy with the way the direction is going, homeownership is down 5 percent since 2009 in the African-American community, if you're happy with that, then you should vote for the third term of Barack Obama's administration which is the status quo.

If you want a change, if you want an opportunity which hasn't been presented and will not be taken advantage of, I'm your change candidate. I will change the status quo for you.

CAMEROTA: Christine, we heard this a lot from conservatives who say that Democratic policies have not helped the inner cities. That schools, there are crumbling and are failing. And so, why should they put their trust in another Democratic candidate?

QUINN: Well, first I want to say the number we just heard Donald Trump say about 58 percent is completely inaccurate. That's if you take all high school African-American ...

CAMEROTA: Who are not looking for a job? And we don't want them to be.

QUINN: The real number is 14.5 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

CAMEROTA: So that's an enormously -- that's just a lie.

QUINN: It's just a total lie and misrepresentative -- misrepresentation of the facts to scare people. But I really find what Donald Trump is saying offensive. Because it's offensive, as you heard, from middle class African-Americans, but I work every day with homeless women, many of them were African-American. You know what? Donald Trump judging them, saying because they don't have a home, because they don't have a lot of money, both of which they want to have ...

CAMEROTA: But he's not judging them. He's saying that what have the Democrats done for them. QUINN: Saying they have nothing to loss, negates who they are. It negates all they have to loss, their pride, their work ethic, their children, their dreams, their focus on the future. It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of who America is.

And look at the specifics you heard from Mike Pence earlier today on this show. It's been terrible for African-Americans. Look at Obamacare. Obamacare has helped countless African-Americans and their children get the medical care they need. We heard just earlier in the show today, a very significant job growth over the fed's expectation.

CAMEROTA: Yup.

QUINN: And let's not forget, the Republicans have controlled Congress for quite some time and what have they done for any communities of color or low-income people.

[07:10:07] CAMEROTA: Corey, what's your response?

LEWANDOWSKI: Leadership starts at the top of the administration, so you can't pass the buck on congress. In this case [phonetic], it's not fair, EDAD or Congress is responsible for all the good things that happens to us. So you can't have it that way.

1.3 million more African-Americans here are living in poverty than they did in 2009 under this administration. That's a fact. Bureau of Labor Statistics also clearly states African-American unemployment is three times higher than the national average. When you look at the numbers ...

CAMEROTA: Hold on.

LEWANDOWSKI: ... directly, three times are the -- the unemployment rate in this country right now is about 4.7 percent according to Bureau of Labor and Statistics. And the African-American community, over 14 percent.

QUINN: And you know what?

CAMEROTA: Very quickly, Christine.

QUINN: You can't say, good job, Republican congress, when they worked with President Obama. But when they stood in the way of initiatives that would be helpful to low-income and African-Americans, that's a problem and they should be held accountable.

CAMEROTA: I got it.

QUINN: So Corey just said the Republicans in Congress don't matter. That's not true.

CAMEROTA: I want to get to Hillary Clinton's e-mails because more continues to bubble up about this. She had said -- OK, when it was leaked, the notes from the FBI, when we got some of those leaks, one of the things that she said in the interview with the FBI was that she was gone at a dinner party at Madeleine Albright's house and Madeleine Albright went around to the guess and said what advice do you have for the incoming Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. And that Colin Powell had said, use private e-mail.

Colin Powell says he has no recollection of that. He's speaking to People Magazine and he says, "Her people have been trying to pin this on me. The truth is, she was using the private e-mail server for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did."

Christine, this is a problem. Colin Powell doesn't want to be part of this, and he's saying that she's misrepresenting his advice.

QUINN: I mean, she said in those comments and she'd never believed those comments was part of interviews like that or that put out to the public. But again, she would like all of the notes put out and all of the records put out.

CAMEROTA: But Colin Powell didn't say that or doesn't remember saying that at dinner ...

QUINN: Well, Colin, he said he doesn't remember. She does remember. But the real issue here is that this issue of the e-mails, I think, has officially been put to bed and put aside as it relates to the campaign.

When the FBI director, a man, who is above reproach, said that there would be no further action. Nothing would move forward. It has been put to bed. But yet we still see right-wing groups that have been trying to take down Hillary Clinton for decades ...

CAMEROTA: Yeah.

QUINN: ... continuing to push this issue, and now we see leaks from the Republican congress put out in bits and pieces.

CAMEROTA: Hold on, but Colin Powell is not a right-wing group and ...

QUINN: No, no, no, no.

CAMEROTA: ... he wants the records that straight. Corey, has this issue been put to bed?

LEWANDOWSKI: It hasn't been put to bed. And the fact that you brought someone in whose reputation can be unimpugnable, Colin Powell, who has served his country with distinction and every single thing that he has done is now being brought into a controversy which is clearly said he doesn't want to be a part of. He wanted [phonetic] to have his life and do what he wants to do.

And the Secretary of State is now blaming Colin Powell for a memorandum that she sent a year after she'd already been using her private e-mail. And what he said was, for expediency sake, I use my private e-mail, not for classified information for personal information. And he had a classified desk top e-mail system that he used in the office. She did not have that ...

(CROSSTALK) QUINN: She is absolutely not blaming him. And she's saying that's her recollection by -- of the dinner party when she probably regrets having done. So, she is not blaming him. And no one would call -- not the secretary or anyone -- look at me, call in all of Colin Powell's actions that she just referenced. He's a man who deserves great respect. But I think when the FBI director said we're done, we were done, except for Republican efforts to keep this going.

CAMEROTA: Corey, Christine.

LEWANDOWSKI: This is not a Republican effort. Colin Powell has nothing to do with this. Hillary Clinton blaming somebody for her own fault.

CAMEROTA: I'm giving you the last word.

QUINN: No.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

QUINN: Leaked by Republicans, not Colin Powell.

CAMEROTA: Corey, Christine, thank you.

In just a moment, my one-on-one interview with Trump's running mate, Governor Pence, you'll hear what he says about some of the differences he has with Donald Trump. Let's get over to John.

BERMAN: All right, thanks Alisyn. 13 minutes after the hour. The death toll in that suicide bombing of a wedding party in Turkey is now up to at least 53. The country's President tells reporters he believes ISIS is to blame for this attack, and the attacker only 12 to 14 years old. CNN Senior International Correspondent, Ben Wedeman, live in Gaziantep, Turkey, for us this morning with the latest. Ben, what do you learn?

BEN WEDEMEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For the latest there, John, that we know is that the death toll has risen to 54. Three people injured yesterday -- rather Saturday night have died in a hospital. Now, we did hear from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President that he believes that the bomber -- he doesn't specify girl or boy but was between the ages of 12 and 14.

Turkish investigators have found pieces of the vest. Beyond that, they don't seem to be have much information. What is clear is this was the worst attack by ISIS in Turkey so far this year.

Of course, you'll remember on the 28th of June, there was that multiple attacks on the Istanbul International Airport, which left 44 dead.

[07:15:05] Now, among those who were killed, there were 22 children, rather, 22 children under the age of 14, which has really left this left this city of Gaziantep in shock. Now, it's known that there are ISIS cells in this city. The Turkish police have cracked down on some of them. It's clearly would appear that some of them are still working, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh, what a story, Ben. Thank you for the update from Turkey.

Well, a grim warning about the Zika virus from the Director of the National Institutes of Health. He says that he would not be surprised if the virus spreads to other gulf coast states since it already is moving rapidly across Miami-Dade County. And with the deadly flooding in Louisiana of this week, the chances of the virus showing up in that state have gone up dramatically because of all of the standing water there.

BERMAN: All right, new details in the death of Prince, The Minneapolis Star Tribune cites a source close to the investigation saying, pills taken from Prince's Paisley Park estate that were labeled hydrocodone actually contain the powerful

pain killer, fentanyl. Up top, the results attributed the musical legends death in April to an accidental fentanyl overdose.

CAMEROTA: That is quite an update. Well, on a lighter note, Bei Bei, the National zoo's giant panda cub just turned one, but true to form, he snoozed through his own birthday bash. You may remember Bei Bei slept through his media debut in December and his public debut in January.

BERMAN: What's he hiding? How many days has it been since Bei Bei's last media appearance?

CAMEROTA: Maybe he's just tired, John. His mom took advantage and devoured Bei Bei's cake, made out of flavored ice, apples, and sweet potatoes. I've been known to do that at my own children's birthday party.

BERMAN: That's an impressive gig. I wonder how long it could Bei Bei's mom to make that. A long time.

CAMEROTA: Sure.

BERMAN: A long time.

Up next, more of Alisyn's interview with Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence, where he get his take on Bei Bei and why Bei Bei is avoiding meeting the press. Also, Mike Pence and what's going on the presidential campaign. Donald Trump, where they disagree on some issues and where they are in total agreement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:14]

CAMEROTA: OK. I can cross this off my bucket list. Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, says going to the Iowa State Fair was also on his bucket list, and that's where I caught up with him over the weekend. Between shaking hands and eating some pork chops on a stick and dining on this delicacy that they have called a hot beef sundae, he did address some key campaign issues, including the new leadership team for team Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Governor, I know you don't have much time, so I'll try to make it rapid fire.

MIKE PENCE, INDIANA GOVERNOR: Oh you're great.

CAMEROTA: OK. Back to the campaign changes for one second, Steve Bannon, now at the top of your campaign. He's known as a street fighter. He's known as a flame-thrower. He was the head of the far- right website Breitbart. Are you comfortable with his messaging?

PENCE: I'm comfortable with the team Donald Trump is building around him. Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, who's making history, by the way, as first woman in the history of the Republican Party to lead a major national campaign and someone who I've known for years. I think you know, the key to Donald Trump's success in business, I think is also going to continue to be a key for his extraordinary success in this campaign. And that is bringing the right men and women around him, putting the right combination together. That's exactly what a great CEO does. And that's what Donald Trump is doing in his campaign.

CAMEROTA: In terms of Steve Bannon -- I mean, he is controversial. Let me just read to you some of the headlines in Breitbart lately. Big trans hate machine targets Curt Schilling, that is in reference to the transgender community. There's no hiring bias against women in technology, they just suck at interviews. Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy. You get the picture. Are you comfort with that kind of flame-throwing or in (inaudible) messaging?

PENCE: Donald Trump is bringing around him a team of people and Steve and Kellyanne and all those that have been a part of this team for a long period of time that I think is delivering a message that is resonating with millions of Americans.

CAMEROTA: Even if it's incendiary?

PENCE: As I travel -- well look, Donald Trump is the name on the ticket. I'm honored to be on the ticket with him.

CAMEROTA: OK, issues. You have supported free trade, your entire professional and public life. You have said trade--- free trade means jobs.

PENCE: OK.

CAMEROTA: Trade means security, you supported TPP for NAFTA. Donald Trump has said about those things that the U.S. is being taken to the cleaners by these trade deals. Which one of you is right?

PENCE: Well, Donald Trump is right. I -- and Donald Trump and I both support free trade. But the time has come, whether it'd be with NAFTA or all of these multinational agreements like the TPP, that America take a step back and ask whether or not these trade deals are working for the American workers.

CAMEROTA: But you supported these deals. You supported every single free trade deal in 12 years that you were in Congress. Were you wrong during that time?

PENCE: No. When NAFTA was signed by President Bill Clinton, there was a provision in that legislation that it was to be reviewed on a regular basis to make sure that it was working for the American worker. We've actually had never done that.

CAMEROTA: Do you think it's not working?

PENCE: All -- well, I think we need to ask that question. I think the time has come for us to reopen NAFTA, and re-negotiate it with a president who's proven himself to be one of the most skilled business leaders and negotiators in the world.

CAMEROTA: So you regret some of your support for some of the free trade agreements that you were part of?

PENCE: No, Alisyn. Honestly, you can be for free trade and also be for the American worker, for American jobs and that's Donald Trump's position and that's my position. We understand the trade means jobs. That exports support jobs here in Iowa, in Indiana and all across this country.

And also, our imports result in low-cost goods for the people of this country, which also supports our economy. But we got to have new leadership in Washington that it'll take a fresh look at these trade deals, a fresh look at the way China has been, you know, manipulating their currency, of violating trade.

[07:25:17]

CAMEROTA: Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump has been complimentary of Vladimir Putin, said he's a strong leader, stronger than our U.S. leaders, how do you feel about Vladimir Putin?

PENCE: I -- Donald Trump is going to provide the kind of leadership at the national level that people like Vladimir Putin are going to respect.

CAMEROTA: But what do you think of Vladimir Putin?

PENCE: Look, Vladimir Putin has a history in the KGB. He has a strong authoritarian tendency to him in Russia and I think he's someone that needs to be watched. But the truth of the matter is what we've seen over the last 7.5 years is an administration that has so little respect by the world community including by Russia. That Russia and other countries in the wider air (ph) world of -- the borders have been disintegrating and we've seen aggressive action not only by Russia but by China and the South China Sea. I think the American people know that the broad-shouldered leadership that Donald Trump will bring to the White House will immediately command the respect of the world.

CAMEROTA: On a much lighter note, Governor, your opponent Tim Kaine, we know that he plays the harmonica for entertainment. Do you have any hidden entertainment skill up your sleeve?

PENCE: I play a little bit of guitar.

CAMEROTA: Nice.

PENCE: Yeah, I used that to impress my wife when we were dating.

CAMEROTA: It is impressive.

PENCE: And -- but, you know, the -- you know -- you know, the time that we spent with free time is whatever time our kids have. We're, you know, it's one of the things that Donald Trump and I really have in common is, you know, we're all about family. And even before he would pick up the phone and invite me to join this ticket. He insisted that I meet his family and that he know my family.

CAMEROTA: And in fact, we've heard that his kids were big cheerleaders of yours and champions of yours, impressed for you to be on the ticket.

PENCE: Well, Karen and I very humbled by that. He's got an extraordinary family. He's a good, good father. He's dedicated to Melania and I just -- I honestly believe that all of those qualities are going to make this good man a great president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: He didn't want to talk about the guitar at all. You really had him on the guitar thing. He got tongue tied.

CAMEROTA: Mike Pence, rock and roller.

BERMAN: Wow.

CAMEROTA: Who knew? So, yeah -- I mean, I think that you got a real glimpse at Mike Pence and he's dedication to Donald Trump. So, we will be talking more about that, what role will he play as the election approaches? We're going to break it all down with Michael Smerconish next. Oh, look at me. I'm [inaudible].

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)