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Hillary Clinton Diagnosed with Pneumonia; Donald Trump Criticizes Hillary Clinton's Comments on Some of His Supporters; Interview with Lieutenant General Michael Flynn; Clinton Denounces North Korea's Nuclear Test; Is Clinton Campaign Being Transparent About Her Health?; Trump Slams Clinton's "Basket Of Deplorables" Comment. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired September 12, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL, (R) TEXAS: Again, he's not our friend, he has not been our friend in the past, and you look at what they're doing in the cyber-security world, as well, in addition to what they're looking at doing with our election.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Congressman Mike McCaul, thanks so much for being here in studio.

MIKE MCCAUL: Alisyn, thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: Great to see you.

All right, we're following a lot of news. Let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton's pneumonia diagnosis raises a big question in this race.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope she gets well and gets back on the trail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a serious diagnosis. It's clear she tried to hide this and this is going to hurt her.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You could put half of Trump supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables.

TRUMP: It was said with such anger. I think this is the biggest mistake of the political season.

CLINTON: We will not allow North Korea to have a nuclear weapon.

TRUMP: North Korea, like so many other things, is one more Hillary Clinton failure.

CLINTON: The current leader is unpredictable for both the Chinese and the rest of us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A number of NFL players staged protests during the national anthem to highlight the problems of racial injustice. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I support our players speaking out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There can be change. And we can make this country better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.

CAMEROTA: And we will be talking more about those protests that we saw yesterday later in the show. But good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY.

Up first, Hillary Clinton has a pneumonia diagnosis and it is rocking the presidential race. The Democratic nominee facing growing questions about her health after this video showing her stumbling getting in her van as she left a 9/11 memorial service early. Clinton's campaign now canceling a two-day trip to California so she can recover.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump responding this morning by vowing to release results of a medical exam that he said he had just this week. Now, we caught up with the former secretary of state Hillary Clinton before the "deplorables" comment that we'll discuss and before this revelation about her pneumonia. We're going to show you clips of that interview in just a moment.

The timing could not be more urgent. It's 57 days to the election. Only 11 days until early voting begins in some states. So you have very high stakes. And that brings us to the major moment of this race, the two candidates facing off in their first debate two weeks from tonight. We have all the angles covered, lots of new reporting. Let's begin with senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny. He's there at Clinton's home in Chappaqua, New York. Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. Well one of the things Hillary Clinton is going to be doing as she's resting at home, I'm told, is preparing for that debate. She's off the campaign trail for days. She canceled her San Francisco and Las Vegas fundraisers. She'll be calling in to one of them, I'm told. But she's finally following doctor's orders after being diagnosed with pneumonia and dehydration.

But it has turd all of these conspiracy theories about her health suddenly now into a front and center campaign issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: Hillary Clinton off the campaign trail this morning as she recovers from pneumonia, canceling a two-day trip to California. Her health thrust into the spotlight, after aides said she became overheated and dehydrated while attending the 9/11 ceremony at ground zero. This video shows Clinton leaving early, and as she tries stepping into her van, she wobbles and slumps. Secret Service agents and aides quickly grab her and hold her up. Two law enforcement sources telling CNN she appeared to faint. Clinton then taken to her daughter Chelsea's apartment three miles away. More than an hour later, Clinton emerged, smiling.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a beautiful day.

ZELENY: Even taking a picture with a young girl before climbing into her motorcade and heading home. Her campaign says she was even playing with her two grandkids inside. Yet more than five hours later her doctor revealing the 68-year-old was diagnosed with pneumonia two days earlier.

CLINTON: Can I get some water?

ZELENY: After an evaluation for her prolonged cough.

CLINTON: Every time I think about Trump I get allergic.

ZELENY: Despite the diagnosis on Friday she continued a grueling schedule, holding two fund-raisers in New York City, a large national security briefing, and press conference, along with an interview with our own Chris Cuomo and other media outlets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her health incident this morning?

ZELENY: Donald Trump, just feet away from his rival at ground zero, unusually quiet over her diagnosis after speculating about her health for months.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think she doesn't have the stamina. Hillary Clinton does not have the stamina.

I watched Hillary, who doesn't have the strength or the stamina.

ZELENY: Trump addressing Clinton's health this morning, and toeing a respectful line.

TRUMP: Something's going on. But I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail. And we'll -- we'll be seeing her at the debate.

ZELENY: Telling reporters that he is planning to release records about his own health soon.

TRUMP: Just last week I took a physical, and I'll be releasing when the numbers come in, hopefully they're going to be good. I think they're going to be good. I feel great. But, when the numbers come in, I'll be releasing very, very specific numbers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:05:09] ZELENY: Well, very, very specific numbers, but that is just coming less than two months before the general election. And it is a reminder, Chris and Alisyn, that American voters know less about Donald Trump, aged 70, and Hillary Clinton, aged 68, than they have most recent presidential nominees here. So there's little doubt that most Democrats I'm talking to this morning believe the Clinton campaign will have to follow suit and release some more full records of her past health history as well here.

But it certainly has shined a new spotlight on this two weeks after that first debate which is two weeks from tonight here in New York.

CAMEROTA: OK, Jeff, thank you very much for all of that reporting. Donald Trump pouncing on Clinton's other stumble this weekend. Trump's campaign releasing a new attack ad hitting her on her "basket of deplorables" comment. CNN's Jason Carroll joins us now with more. Tell us.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. He's talking about it this morning. In an interview this morning Donald Trump saying Hillary Clinton's comment was the biggest political mistake of the campaign. He also said Clinton made her comments out of what he called anger, and that as president you have to represent all of the people.

The Trump campaign also has a brand new attack ad out this morning and running in battleground states such as Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. It highlights the moment Clinton made her deplorable basket comment, which she made Friday night at a fundraiser in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Speaking to wealthy donors, Hillary Clinton called tens of millions of Americans deplorable.

CLINTON: You could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People like you, you and you, deplorable. You know what's deplorable? Hillary Clinton viciously demonizing hardworking people like you.

TRUMP: I'm Donald Trump, and I approve this message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Clinton also said there should be empathy for a number of Trump supporters who feel let-down by the government and the economy. She said the "basket of deplorables" were Trump supporters who have what she called racist and xenophobic leanings. Clinton also mentioned racist websites which she says have expanded during Trump's candidacy.

Clinton released a statement clarifying her remarks, saying "Last night I was grossly generalistic and that's never a good idea. I regret saying "half," that was wrong. But let's be clear, what's really deplorable is what Donald Trump -- is that Donald Trump hired a major advocate from the so-called alt-right movement to run his campaign, and that David Duke and other white supremacists see him as a champion of their values."

It should be noted, though, that Donald Trump also has said he regrets some of the comments that he has made on the campaign though wasn't specific about which ones, though last month he did admit during a speech that sometimes he says you say what he called the wrong thing. Chris?

CAMEROTA: I'll take it here. Thank you very much, Jason.

So we are now joined by retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. General Flynn is a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. General, thanks so much for being here.

LT. GEN. MICHAEL FLYNN (RET), FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Hi, Alisyn, how are you doing?

CAMEROTA: I'm doing well. Are you worried about Secretary Clinton's health?

FLYNN: I hope that she's OK. I mean, I really do. I just hope that -- you never want to, you know, think of anything different than that. So I mean, I have four sisters. My mother just recently passed away. So I just hope she's OK.

CAMEROTA: Do you accept she has pneumonia and she was weak from pneumonia?

FLYNN: Whatever they put out. I mean, I just, you know, I just think that -- I mean it's -- you know, it is what it is. I just hope that she's OK.

CAMEROTA: Is it time for both candidates to release more thorough comprehensive medical records?

FLYNN: Sure. I mean I think that -- you know, any ways that people that are running for president can be more transparent with the American public so the American public can make a more informed decision, that's just smart. That's a smart thing to do.

CAMEROTA: What do you want to see from Donald Trump? Because all he has released is a letter that was somewhat laughable from his doctor saying that he's in basically astonishingly good health.

FLYNN: Yes, I've been around Donald Trump quite a bit, actually, especially over the last month or so. And I mean, you know, I've -- I've always felt like I've stayed, you know, in good shape myself. This is a guy that has enormous stamina. I watch him move from city to city, you know, event to event, engage robustly with a lot of people, and -- and he's a pretty amazing guy.

CAMEROTA: Look. I'm astonished by both their stamina. And 24/7, the punishing campaign trail, I don't know how you do it at any age, must less 68 and 70 years old.

FLYNN: I don't know why you'd want to do it.

CAMEROTA: I don't know either. I think that they are astonishing. However are you calling for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to release more medical records? [08:10:00] FLYNN: I think what we need is we need to make sure that

whatever ways that we can become more transparent with everything that we're doing, I mean, everything --

CAMEROTA: How about this taxes?

FLYNN: All this stuff. You know, it will all eventually come out to the point where people can make a judgment.

CAMEROTA: Will it?

FLYNN: Honestly, Alisyn, I really think that the bigger issues that are in play for the American public in many of these engagements that I've been a part of, those are lesser issues than -- than the poor economic conditions that we face, the military readiness that we face. I mean, so there's so many other big issues. I mean, you guys have been talking all morning about ISIS and what's going on. I mean, the American -- the U.S. government just cut a deal with Russia, and here we've been talking about you know, everybody's been beating up Trump for dealing with Russia and here we are, our government is got a deal going with Russia to do something about this rise of the radical Islamism.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean look it's about being an educated consumer of your candidate.

FLYNN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: So you're saying that you do believe that more about his taxes will come out? He will release more of his taxes?

FLYNN: Eventually they will. That's something that they're, I know they're dealing with that. It's under audit and all that. I mean, that's an issue that frankly, I don't think 90 percent of the people that are actually paying attention to what's going on care about.

CAMEROTA: Shouldn't they? Shouldn't they care if their candidate didn't pay taxes?

FLYNN: I'm not going to argue with you about the tax issue. To me we have such a poor -- our economy right now is so poor. It is operating at about maybe one percent or two percent growth. That's terrible. Our military readiness, modernization, training, is -- is actually at a place now where all of our -- or for the most part, many of our chiefs of our services have said we're not ready. We are not ready. Our military is not ready. Yet look at the threats that we face around the world. I mean, everything. We just saw North Korea test potentially another nuclear weapon. We've got China acting like they own the South China Sea. We've got Russia in east Europe. I mean, all these different things that are going on.

And we also look right here in the homeland, and look at the threats that we face here in the homeland. And the economic threat is still, if you were to ask me what's the greatest threat to our country? It's the economic threats. The threat is to our economy. CAMEROTA: Chris Cuomo sat down with Hillary Clinton exclusively. He

talked about North Korea with her after North Korea fired, carried out its fifth nuclear test, setting off of course alarm bells around the world. Let's listen to where Secretary Clinton stands on the threat posed by Kim Jong-un's regime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: North Korea.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.

CUOMO: There is now word that not only was this a test, but it could be a sign that they could have a warhead, a small one, in a shorter time frame than had been recently expected. We remember with Syria the line in the sand that the president drew. When you look at North Korea, if you were president of the United States, what would be your line in the sand that if this supposed mad man in North Korea gets a weapon, that if he crosses this line, it's no longer just about sanctions?

CLINTON: Oh, I absolutely believe that it has to be made very clear, we will not allow North Korea to have a deliverable nuclear weapon. And we will approach this from a number of perspectives. First, we will protect our allies by giving them the most sophisticated missile defense protection that we can.

We will make it clear to China, which is not enthusiastic about that, or Russia, which also borders North Korea, that we have no choice. We are not about to sit and watch this develop. And the way that they could help us is by exerting pressure with us that would adjust the regime's ambitions.

And it has to be part of a very tough, comprehensive negotiation. I've had conversations in the past with the Chinese about North Korea. Up until relatively recently, I think they were under the impression that they could control their neighbor, and they didn't want to crack down because they saw it as a useful card to play. It gets a little crazy, maybe the South Koreans will, you know, move toward them a little bit, it gets a little crazier, maybe they can make some deals with the Japanese about some things they want. It was a strategic calculation.

It's not that way anymore. The current leader is unpredictable for both the Chinese and the rest of us. The current leader is clearly intent upon ignoring pressure, advice of any sort coming from anywhere else.

And so we've got to make it clear, missile defense is going in as quickly and broadly as possible. Our message to North Koreans and everyone else listening, they will not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon that has a deliverable capacity on a ballistic missile.

And we've got to start intensifying our discussions with the Chinese because they can't possibly want this big problem on their doorstep.

CUOMO: When they say to you what does that mean they won't be allowed to have one?

CLINTON: Well, we're not going to go in to all the details. I mean, obviously that's not something that I have the right to do or the responsibility at this moment to do. But that will be the policy my administration.

Because I don't think we're going to make progress -- adding additional sanctions, and doing it the way that we did that I led with Iran did have a big impact because they worked.

The Chinese have been awfully leaky, you know, the regime lives off of luxury goods, and the kind of benefits that they then can use to, you know, reward their loyal followers.

We've never been able to fully cut that off. And so we will do more on sanctions because that's part of an overall strategy, but that's not enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: General, what do you think of her prescription against North Korea?

LT. GENERAL MICHAEL FLYNN (RETIRED), FORMER DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: I mean, first of all, she was the secretary of state for four years and when we started up this pivot to the Pacific strategy that we have, which nobody even talks about anymore because it's a complete failure.

I mean, you've got to -- I mean, you know, there's a lot of talk about North Korea and what's happening out there in the region. We always say China has to do more. I agree. China has to do more.

We facing a set of threats around the world, and the lack of respect by many around the world, for us to tell North Korea don't do this, and then they do it.

So the lack of respect around the world by many, by many of these rogue regimes, and frankly by some of our allies and friends around the world, is just -- it's stunning.

It's to the point where, you know, like I've said before, we've become the worst friends in the world. Best enemies, because we constantly talk about what we're going to do and we don't respect the friends and allies that we have that are trying to achieve some of the goals that they have.

So I mean, this -- this is a big issue. The whole issue with red lines, don't -- a red line is like saying I'm going to send 500 more guys to Iraq. Don't state a red line. Don't -- don't be predictable.

And I think what we, you know, with in the case of North Korea, I mean how many times do we have to keep talking to them and talking to them and telling the Chinese to do something about it, and they just keep -- they just keep following through with these tests that they are doing. CAMEROTA: Let me ask you about that --

FLYNN: It's very dangerous. A very dangerous country absolutely.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Donald Trump has said basically that North Korea is China's problem.

FLYNN: It is China -- China has the biggest influence over North Korea --

CAMEROTA: So can we leave it to China to deal with North Korea?

FLYNN: I think we have to deal with China through strength. We have to deal with China through strength.

CAMEROTA: What does that look like?

FLYNN: That means a more ready military, a stronger economy, and the kinds of things that we're talking about where we have to stop having China do everything for our country economically. I mean that's a big deal.

This whole, you know, Transpacific Trade Agreement with China. I mean, I just think that there's so many -- there's so many things that we are involved in today that have just been utter failures over frankly the last couple of decades.

CAMEROTA: You're comfortable letting North Korea be in China's --

FLYNN: The issue of North Korea and the potential for North Korea to have nuclear weapons you go back and you look at when Bill Clinton was the president and all these negotiations were had just like what we're doing with Iran right now.

So this administration cut a deal with Iran to put them on a pathway to a nuclear weapon. In the Bill Clinton administration they cut a deal with North Korea essentially and it has led to now this problem, you know, 20 years, 25 years later.

So I mean, we've got to stop talking in the way that we talk because it's political talk. And we have to be very practical and we have to be very blunt in some of the conversations that we are having.

This diplomatic speak that she's talking about, it actually hasn't worked in decades. We have to become did the world has completely changed, Ali. The threats that we face have changed. Our economic conditions have changed quite a bit.

We have to relook at ourselves in this country and decide what it is that we want to be. Not what we were, but what we want to be in the next four years, 40 years or 400 years.

CAMEROTA: General Michael Flynn, thanks for having the conversation here with us. Let's get over to Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Alisyn, transparency is in the news this morning because of what we just saw with Hillary Clinton as she got helped into this van. Medical history of these two candidates. Tax returns of these histories. Do you know what you're getting as a voter? We're going to talk to one of Clinton supporters, Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra. We'll see what he has to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:23:33]

CUOMO: All right. So let's take the opportunity that's given to us in this election. Hopefully, Hillary Clinton is going to be OK. But this video of her being carried into a van, the revelation that she's being treated for pneumonia, makes transparency an issue that we should discuss.

For both of these candidates, they're two of the oldest to ever want to be the leaders of the free world. Let's discuss with Clinton supporter, Democratic congressman from California, Congressman Xavier Becerra is with us right now.

Congressman, thank you for being with us. There are two propositions to forward on this. One I think you're going to agree with. One I think you're not.

Let's go with the one that you'll agree with first, which is isn't it now time to say, that as part of this process, people who want to be the leader of the free world should let us know about their health, not on their terms, but according to an independent review of their actual medical records? Don't voters deserve to know what they're getting?

REP. XAVIER BECERRA (D-CA): Chris, well, first, thanks for having me. Certainly I think voters deserve to know that the person that will become the next president is going to be a healthy president.

And that's why I think it was transparent of Secretary Clinton and her campaign to have a release of the information from her doctors saying that she was right now recovering nicely from pneumonia.

And so I agree with you that we do need to make sure that the public is informed. It would be nice if Donald Trump gave us even a small bit of information about his medical history.

[08:25:01]We have this crazy letter that a doctor wrote that clearly was not anything that could be portrayed as proof of what his medical condition is. But it would be nice if at least Donald Trump did what secretary Clinton has already done and released a summary of her health.

CUOMO: Two things, first, he says he's going to do it this week. He just took tests. As soon as the numbers come in, he'll put them out. Let's see if he makes good on that.

Second he ain't Hillary Clinton. There's a history here at play in terms of the need for the desire for transparency. You know it well, the audience should also. We look back into 1998 you had DVT, deep vein thrombosis. She had a blood clot.

There was one after it in 2009, then came that concussion and this mystery around what actually happened why she needed double vision glasses for a blood clot?

Why they weren't telling us, and it became about transparency and how the Clinton campaign is able at this point to tell us what they want, when they want, should that be the standard?

BECERRA: Chris, I don't think you've described well what secretary and her campaign have done in trying to provide information. She did provide very early on a summary of her health condition. That was something that was legitimate and we should move forward with that.

She's had this episode with pneumonia. Certainly people would have been left wondering if they didn't know a little bit more, but right away they had her doctor disclose --

CUOMO: It wasn't right away.

BECERRA: -- what the condition was.

CUOMO: It wasn't right away, Congressman, and that's what feeds this impression of how the Clinton organization --

BECERRA: Chris, it barely happened -- this happened 24 hours ago. We already know it was pneumonia --

CUOMO: But how did it come out at first? First it was oh, it was too hot out and then people put the temperatures back at the campaign they said well you know, and then there was this list of other things that she has hyperthyroidism. We were with her Friday, there was no mention of pneumonia --

BECERRA: OK, so let me suggest to you --

CUOMO: That's all I'm saying. I'm not trying to make more of it than it is, but it's about transparency.

BECERRA: That's exactly the point I want to go to. Don't make more of it than what it is and I -- that she didn't disclose it within the first minutes of her having to leave the 9/11 ceremonies, that would be unreasonable.

That she wouldn't disclose her -- at any time that would be unreasonable. But she did disclose within 24 hours that give -- give her and her doctor a chance to make sure that they know what they're doing and saying before they go out there start releasing statements because that is important.

And I think it was crucial, and I -- I thank the secretary and I thank her doctor for willing to disclose that the condition was pneumonia. And so now that doctor has suggested that she rest a bit, and that's what she's doing.

She's modified her schedule to make sure that she's back at it soon, but as the doctor said she's recovering nicely.

CUOMO: The deplorables, is it fair for the Trump campaign to drop the hammer on the Clinton campaign for doing what often the Clintons accuse -- the Clinton campaign accuses Trump of which is overreaching, being hyper-negative about a group of people that don't deserve it?

BECERRA: Here's the deplorable part about what Trump is now going to do with secretary's remarks. They're not going to public the fact that she said she regrets the way she said it and that's the difference. When Hillary Clinton puts up all the deplorable things that Donald Trump has said he's never apologized for any of that --

CUOMO: He has said that I regret some things that I've said. He's been vague about it, but he has said he regrets some things.

BECERRA: Did he regret that he called people like me who are of Mexican heritage, people who are rapists and criminals and can't be U.S. federal court judges. I never heard that. Has he ever said that he doesn't believe that a Muslim can come to this country and be a great American like the Khan family's son who died in uniform for this country? No, he's never said that.

Has he ever apologized to the Khan's themselves directly? No, he's never done that. So there's a big difference between what Donald Trump will do which is to abuse of words and what Secretary Clinton is doing which is just reflecting the words of Donald Trump.

But there's a big difference. If he doesn't want to be associated with all those deplorable people, and there Secretary Clinton was right. There are a whole bunch of folks who are coming out of the woodwork, now into the so-called mainstream who are not at all mainstream, and they're using Donald Trump as their cover to do that.

He's giving them license to come out and be racist, misogynist, to be homophobes and what we have to do is fight against that. I hope that Donald Trump will be honest if he's going to put Hillary Clinton's words up.

CUOMO: Congressman Xavier Becerra, thank you for making the case for the Clinton campaign as always. Appreciate having you on. Be well -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump sounding the alarm among critics calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a strong leader. Is the feeling mutual? We will ask a Russian journalist about Putin's views on Trump, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)