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Trump Visits Mexico; Inside a Hollywood Cult. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 01, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:52] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The eyes of the world watching Donald Trump's every move, from his trip that was hastily planned to meet Mexico's president yesterday, to the details of his immigration plan. So how are world leaders seeing Trump's diplomacy at work?

Joining us now is the host of CNN's "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS," Fareed Zakaria.

Good morning, Fareed.

FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, CNN'S "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": A pleasure.

CAMEROTA: I know you're tapped into lots of sort of international news sources. What was the reaction to Trump's Mexico visit?

ZAKARIA: Well, first of all, it was headlines everywhere. And (INAUDIBLE) - fascinating thing about Donald Trump is, whatever you may say, he dominates the news. He dominates the news not just in the United States but around the world. So for all those who say we pay too much attention, well, so does the BBC, so does Australian News, so does - even in India, which is (INAUDIBLE) fairly parochial in its news.

In general, this particular move, it was more fascination. The really interesting reaction was in Mexico, where the Mexicans, by and large, were very critical of the Mexican president for having invited Trump. Now, it should be said, Pena Nieto has very low approval ratings anyway right now. But I think a lot of people in Mexico wondered why the Mexican president would give Trump this platform, this photo op. You know, when you have a situation where you have a man like Donald Trump who has insulted the country, insulted the people, and very specifically charged the Mexican government with intentionally sending across rapists and murders, this is something Trump said, you know, after that famous speech at Trump Tower, he was asked to clarify, and he said, I mean that the Mexican government is intentionally doing this.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: So, why do you think he did it? There is some speculation and reporting here from CNN that it was to shore up foreign investment, to let people know that by extending this invitation to he and Hillary Clinton, that Mexico can work with whoever it is. Don't pull out your money. We'll be OK.

ZAKARIA: You know, I - my tendency with politicians is to accept that often incompetence is the better answer than some kind of grand - clever conspiracy. I think it was a mistake. I think maybe he thought that this was a way of showing that he was statesmanlike, that he could work with whomever he need to. You know, Mexican foreign investors aren't, I think, stupid enough to base it on the - you know, base investment decisions on a photo op.

[08:35:11] I think that it was a miscalculation because, you know, Trump has basically used Mexico as a pinata doll, to bash it when he wanted. Now he's using it as a photo op to try to shore up his, you know, his poll numbers, particularly with soccer moms and kind of moderate white voters. So why Pena Nieto would do this and provide him with this platform is a mystery. It strikes me as a miscalculation. It has, if anything, further weakened his own poll numbers in Mexico. Remember, Bibi Netanyahu refused to meet with Trump. When Trump wanted to go to Israel and create a kind of photo op out of it, Netanyahu recognized that Trump was so radioactive that it was probably not a good idea to get in the middle of it. Mexico, as far as I know, is the only country that invited - that has invited Donald Trump to do this. And to give him the two podiums and that feeling of presidential -

CAMEROTA: And do - and that. Those optics. Do you agree with many of our pundits today, that was a win for Trump? Trump looked diplomatic. He looked - he was bigger, you know, optically than President Pena, and he looked measured and presidential.

ZAKARIA: Absolutely. There's no question this was a - this was a win for Trump. Look, in these kind of visits, if you remember when Mitt Romney went abroad, you can screw it up by saying something stupid, as - as Romney did when he went to the Olympics and sort of implied that they were the - they didn't have their act together. But mostly it's just the visuals that matter. You are, after all, not the president. You are not a statesman. And when you go abroad, if you are given the optic of treatment of a statesman, you have the podium next to the president, you have those handshakes, you have, you know, those come - that coming out of the limo, that's all that matters. Nothing else matters. That the - the - what we say, the background has no impact. It's just the photo op. It was very powerful.

CUOMO: Immigration, let's focus on that, because, obviously, that was what won the day in terms of what was driving the campaign yesterday. From a global perspective, who's on the right side of this issue, Trump or Clinton? Trump being, listen, if they're here illegally, you've got to get them out, they're a threat, and Clinton, who seems to represent the, let's embrace whoever is there, assimilate them into the society, whether you want to call it amnesty or anything else, let's not be an us-and-them nation. Who's on the right side?

ZAKARIA: It's a - it's a great question. From - in most countries, the energy right now is with the anti-immigrant forces. You can see that in Europe. You can see that even in places like Australia, where suddenly there is a new anti-immigrant movement which had sort of died out for the last two decades.

But the whole world has always regarded America as different, you know, because America is a country of immigrants. America is a place where, you know, 100 years ago, Mr. Trump's ancestors and, you know, yours, and nobody had any papers. I mean whoever could get here on their own and managed to make a life here was - was allowed - was allowed to fully participate in America. So there's always been a sense that America handles immigration differently.

It's often been a situation which people have told me that we wish our - you know, these are foreigners - we wish our country could do something like that, but we can't. So, America is very distressingly on - in Trump's vision of America, to my mind, it's becoming just like the rest of the world. So, yes, there are a lot of anti-immigrant, right-wing forces around the world that celebrate Trump, but they're celebrating Trump because what he is advocating is a kind of European attitude towards immigration, which is, we are a country founded on blood and soil and, you know, anyone who doesn't look or feel or sound like us is suspicious and unwelcome. That's never been the American way. The American way has always been, we - you know, we try to encourage everybody to come. And, of course, there are rules, and, of course, people should abide by them, but we have generally had that larger generosity of spirit about it. And so I think the world, most of the world, looks at that and says, hey, is America changing? Is it becoming just like every other country in the world?

CAMEROTA: Fareed Zakaria, always great to talk to you. Thank you so much for being here.

We want to let you know that you can watch Fareed's interview with President Obama. That will be -

ZAKARIA: (INAUDIBLE) him?

CAMEROTA: Yes, we haven't spoken about him today, but you did and you sat down with him and we can all see it Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN. Look forward to that.

CUOMO: We're also following weather for you. Tropical Storm Hermine is gathering hurricane strength. It's causing flooding. It's barreling toward the coast. Who's going to get hit and when, next.

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[08:43:42] CUOMO: Time now for the five things to know for your new day.

One, Donald Trump laying out his latest immigration plan in a fiery speech, vowing there will be no amnesty, no path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. The 2016 race appears to be tightening. Hillary Clinton holds a slight lead over Donald Trump, just two percentage points in a new national poll. Other national polls out this week show Clinton ahead by as many as seven points.

Tropical Storm Hermine expected to gain strength and set to make landfall as a category one hurricane overnight. The storm packing winds, torrential rains and threats of tornadoes.

A former Atlanta police officer indicted for murder. James Burns fired into the passenger's side of a car, killing an unarmed black man in June. He was fired shortly after. Good results from a trial of an experimental Alzheimer drug. It clears

some of the toxic plaque that is believed to trigger the onset of the disease. Larger studies now pending.

For more on the five things to know for your new day, go to newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All right, also, Monday night, starting at 8:00 Eastern, a CNN special report will take an in-depth look at Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. This is a closer look at the candidates from the people who know them best. Here's a little preview.

[08:45:10] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I accept your nomination!

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: For the presidency of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): "The Essential Hillary Clinton."

H. CLINTON: We are stronger together in charting a course toward the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Essential Donald Trump."

DONALD TRUMP: I love you! And we will make America great again!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All on one blockbuster night.

Clinton has been called the most famous person no one knows.

CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: I never understand that. It's so clear to me who my mother is. She never forgets who she's fighting for and she's fighting first and foremost for children and for families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump has a passion for business and the spotlight.

DONALD TRUMP JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: No one's going to outwork him. No one's got more energy than him.

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: He always said to us, find what it is that you're passionate about and pursue it with your full heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their stories from the people who know them best. CNN's special report, Hillary Clinton at 8:00, Donald Trump at 10:00, CNN, Labor Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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CUOMO: Will Allen gave up his life and family to join the Buddha Field. Now some former members call it a cult, still active today in Hawaii. We have a preview of the CNN film "Holy Hell," about the group. Here it is.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was contemporary. He wasn't some little old man with a gray beard sitting in a dodie (ph). He was wearing speedos and Ray-Bans, you know, and he was dancing and he was doing, you know, contemporary music.

[08:50:10] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He poke four or five languages. He was amazingly humorous, witty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very playful, like a child. He could do something, like, oh, my God, I can't believe you just did that! He could dance. He was artistic. He was all those things we all wanted to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was unlike anyone I'd ever met before. He encouraged me to drop all my ideas of what I thought I was supposed to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I finally felt like I was on the right path. I attended every meeting, every group outing we would take, and even went to Michelle's weekly individual hypnotherapy sessions called cleansings. I really felt like something important was happening in my life.

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CUOMO: The film's director is named Will Allen, and he spent 22 years of his life following the Buddha Fields guru from California to Austin and then finally to Hawaii. He joins us now.

It is good to see you here and well.

WILL ALLEN, "HOLY HELL" FILMMAKER: Thank you.

CUOMO: This is your film. This is your experience. Not easy for you to watch even the clip. Why?

ALLEN: It's OK to watch the clip. You know, it's a long story. It's a 20-year story. So I break it down into five-year spots. And so it gets harder and harder as the time goes by, and that was a happy period. So -

CUOMO: Why did you make this film?

ALLEN: I made this film because I wanted to tell something that was a true experience that I lived, you know? You have to speak what you know. And this is something I lived through. And I wanted to hide it. And there was a lot of shame around it. It's not easy to talk about things that go bad in your life. And I did it for my - for my friends and my family of people who went through this, who suffered a lot. And it's a healing process.

CUOMO: And the - how do you deal with the basic proposition of - from the uninitiated, which is, I would never do something like that?

ALLEN: Right, well -

CUOMO: What kind of people join something like this?

ALLEN: Right. Right. Well, we weren't wearing prairie dresses. We weren't chasing UFOs. You know, we weren't wearing heavy guns. And so a lot of cults that were - you have to get out from underneath that word because it's more of a group think. It's more of a human condition where you all buy into the same belief system. And it's a religion, in a way. It's the beginning of a religion.

I wanted to explore how religions start, you know, how people give power away. And it was interesting to me to figure out, how do we stay? Because when I'd meet new people and new friends, we'd be like, wow, the 22-year thing was the hardest thing to get - to understand. And that was the thing that's most interesting to me is how we stayed, why.

CUOMO: And what do you come up with?

ALLEN: Well, I made this film, I think, to best express that. You know, it's a - it's a difficult answer and I wanted people to go on that journey with us, even if they wouldn't have done it in real life, to try to see the human part of it and how it applies to them in parts of their life.

CUOMO: And you described it as saying, you know, when something goes bad in your life.

ALLEN: Yes.

CUOMO: Why did this go bad in your life?

ALLEN: This went bad because we were following one man. He was guiding us. He was our therapist, our hypnotherapist, our pastor or religious counselor, and our guru, so to speak. We used those words. And we gave all our power away. When you give your power away to anyone - I mean hopefully you give it away to your spouse or you, you know, you share power with your - people in your life. But when you give it away to somebody who really doesn't have your best interests in mind - it took us a long time to understand that. It took us a long time to see him, his narcissistic tendencies, and to separate that from his spiritual privileges that we gave him carte blanche with us.

CUOMO: And how did it manifest in day-to-day life? Like, you know, how did life work in the - in group?

ALLEN: Well, that was the beautiful part is, despite the - the teacher, who was a bit of an oppressor and suppressor in our lives, he also created a really great environment for all of us to get very close with each other, learn about each other, be real and raw and work through our problems and live joyfully with each other. So we had a microcosm of the outside world but without the outside world. And that was really refreshing and -

CUOMO: How did you eat and live?

ALLEN: Well, I lived with him for 18 years. So my food was cooked and given to me. But everybody else cook - worked and ate really well. We were encouraged to be healthy and work out all the time and eat organic food. We were doing gluten-free and sugar-free back in the '80s and the '90s, you know, when it wasn't quite, you know, there wasn't a Whole Food Store.

CUOMO: Right, it wasn't - it wasn't like it is now. So, if part of this audience are people who are thinking about joining a group like that or are part of Buddha Field right now -

ALLEN: Right now?

CUOMO: What do you want to say to them?

ALLEN: Well, there's not much you can say to anyone who's with him now. They are like we were back then, completely defending him, believing everything he says, not acknowledging - see, the thing is, with people who are around him now, there's very few people who have been around him the extent that I have. And it's like a periphery. It's like, people on the outside don't know really what's going on at the top and in the middle. So they just believe everything he says. So don't really - I'm not concerning myself with what they think or how they feel because they're under the impression of him. It's like a, you know, I don't want to call him names, but he's been diagnosed as a narcissistic sociopath. We used to diagnose him as an enlightened being. Like, he's enlightened and that's what he - that's what he self-proclaims.

[08:55:26] CUOMO: Will Allen, a very intriguing topic.

ALLEN: Yes.

CUOMO: People always have questions about it.

ALLEN: Yes.

CUOMO: There's a mystery to it. Hopefully you've opened some eyes.

ALLEN: Thank you very much.

CUOMO: Thank you for being with us.

ALLEN: Thanks, Chris.

CUOMO: All right, the show, "Holy Hell," 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

How about we end up with some "Good Stuff," next.

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CUOMO: Time for "The Good Stuff." Nineteen-year-old Tanner Romerane (ph) turned his part-time job into full time when his mom got sick and his sister got pregnant. So to support all three of them, listen to what Tanner did. He would walk three hours to work every day. That is until Sergeant Swenson stopped him. The police officer saw Tanner walking. And when he asked where he was going, the officer realized it was still miles away. Swenson wanted to help, so he teamed up with a local store, and guess what they did?

CAMEROTA: What?

CUOMO: They surprised Tanner with a bike.

[09:00:04] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TANNER ROMERANE: I growing up had he, if you see a cop, try to overt your eyes and walk away pretty much.