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Trump Brushes Off Video As "Locker Room Talk"; Trump & Clinton Clash In Ugliest Debate Yet; Trump Attacks Republicans Fleeing His Campaign; Trump Threatens To "Jail" Clinton If He's Elected; Trump Acknowledges Not Paying Federal Taxes For Years. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired October 10, 2016 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:32:30] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump attempted to move past the controversy surrounding that 2005 tape in which he boasted about making unwanted sexual advances on women. Here's how Donald Trump explained those comments last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This was locker room talk. I'm not proud of it. I apologized to my family, I apologized to the American people. Certainly, I'm not proud of it but this is locker room talk. Yes, I'm very embarrassed it. I hate it, but it's locker room talk and it's one of those things. I will knock the hell out of ISIS. That was locker room talk. I'm not proud of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Let's discuss this with Brunell Donald-Kyei. She the vice chair of diversity outreach for Trump's National Diversity Coalition. Brunell, thanks so much for being here this morning.

BRUNELL DONALD-KYEI, VICE CHAIR, NATIONAL DIVERSITY COALITION FOR TRUMP: God bless you, Miss Alisyn, and God bless America. Thank you for having me.

CAMEROTA: So, what did you think about Donald Trump saying it was just locker room talk when, in fact -- I mean, on the bus in that leaked audio from 2005 "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD", what we heard him say was that he did these things. He said he couldn't control himself. When he saw a beautiful woman he just started kissing her. He likes to grab women's genitals because he could because he's a celebrity. That's more than locker room talk, people say.

DONALD-KYEI: Well, you know what? When I heard it myself, you know, I was disappointed. I'm a woman. I have a daughter that just turned one year's old yesterday. And so, when I heard the recording I was -- I was upset. I was hurt. And then, Donald Trump did something that people said that he would never do and that he would -- that he apologized. And I think that was just so critical and so important to those of us who are supporting him. That apology spoke mountains.

The interesting thing, though, was this. You have people -- you have a candidate in Hillary Clinton who has Benghazi issues, she's got email problems. She's got the issue with Haiti, the way she treated those people. She's got our $6 billion that she mishandled. She's got this WikiLeaks thing that she sat on a board, Lafarge, where -- who funds ISIS.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean --

DONALD-KYEI: So when I started thinking about those things, I started -- you know, I let the emotions go.

CAMEROTA: So when you first heard it you were disgusted, as you say. Do you --

DONALD-KYEI: I'm a woman, of course.

CAMEROTA: Sure, sure. But do you think that it was locker room talk? Do you now excuse it as locker room talk?

[07:35:00] DONALD-KYEI: I do because I heard him say yesterday that he didn't act on those things and soI have to understand and every American has to understand these candidates are not perfect. They didn't live perfect lives. But what I will say to you is that Donald Trump is the candidate that's saying America first. He's saying look, America, I'm not going to allow 550 percent of Syrians that haven't been vetted and we don't know where they are in the country.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DONALD-KYEI: He's saying look, America, generations to come, I'm going to build a wall that's going to protect Americans. And so, that's --

CAMEROTA: And, Brunell, if --

DONALD-KYEI: -- important.

CAMEROTA: Well, if -- I guess -- here's my question. If you found out that he did act on those things would that change your opinion?

DONALD-KYEI: I would say that -- I don't -- I can't -- I don't really -- I would -- it would still be very difficult, honestly. I mean, if you really think about it, I saw Juanita Broaddrick and Kathy Willey (sic) on television yesterday.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DONALD-KYEI: Women who have said that Bill Clinton raped them -- raped them, OK? And that Hillary came behind and threatened them.

CAMEROTA: Yes. One of the women --

DONALD-KYEI: And so, you know, you have to think about it -- it's something.

CAMEROTA: I mean, let's be clear about the facts. Juanita Broaddrick has made -- has made those allegations against -- DONALD KYEI: Yes.

CAMEROTA: -- Bill Clinton. What she says the threat from Hillary Clinton was that Hillary Clinton shook her hand and made eye contact with her for too long. But there are also women who say that Donald Trump raped them. There are also allegations against Donald Trump. Are you comfortable with that?

DONALD-KYEI: What -- I mean -- let me tell you something. I don't any woman that's comfortable with any issue, whether it be with Hillary or with Mr. Trump. But what I will tell you is that I am concerned on the issues. And last night at the debate, Donald Trump drove it home for all Americans across this nation that we matter.

We want a president in office that has not corrupted our -- you know, our Department of Justice. That has not corrupted our FBI. That is not above the law. We want a candidate in there that's subject to all the laws that every American is subject to.

And what the Democratic Party has done is prop up Hillary Clinton with all these issues going on. Benghazi, the Haitian people, these emails, and all these other issues that are going on. And we have a person -- they're not trying to tell her to step down. They're not trying to tell her to step aside.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DONALD-KYEI: And so, what I think the Republican Party needs to learn from the Democratic Party is this is war.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DONALD-KYEI: In war times things are going to come up. You've just got to keep moving behind your candidate -- the candidate that's saying America first. He's talking about Americans first. He doesn't want open borders. Most Americans don't want open borders and open trade. We don't Syrian refugees, woman haters, in our country, 550 percent. We've got to protect our daughters. We need to build that wall for generations to be protected.

CAMEROTA: OK.

DONALD-KYEI: We need our $113 billion that's been given to --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DONALD-KYEI: That are being given to illegal aliens. That's important to this country. We need it.

CAMEROTA: Brunell, we hear your passion.

DONALD-KYEI: We need it.

CAMEROTA: We hear your passion. Thank you for sharing it on NEW DAY. Nice to talk to you.

DONALD-KYEI: Thank you, and God bless you and God bless America.

CAMEROTA: Coming up in our next hour we are going to have Donald Trump's running mate, Governor Mike Pence. He's going to join us live to talk about last night's debate and whether he and Donald Trump are on the same page on some of those issues you've just heard outlined -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so it was an interesting situation last night. You had the question of will Clinton close the door on Trump's campaign? She decided to do what she called going high. Did that work for her? The experts break it down, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:15] CUOMO: More than two dozen high profile Republicans withdrawing their support of Donald Trump after video surfaced of his vulgar language about women, describing things that he would like to do to them. Did Trump stop the bleeding last night?

Let's discuss. Nick Kristof, columnist, "New York Times", David Gregory, CNN political analyst, and Mary Katharine Ham, CNN political commentator and senior writer for "The Federalist".

Women first. M.K., do you think he stopped the bleeding and, if so, what was your bar for that?

MARY KATHARINE HAM, SENIOR WRITER, "THE FEDERALIST: Yes, let me set a baseline, and I do mean base. He is so bad that he's not beating her handily, and she is so bad that she's not beating him handily.

So look, was he slightly better than this baseline from the last debate? Yes, I think so. He also had this giant elephant in the room to deal with, as did she since he had brought up all of Bill Clinton's behavior as well. And I think did he maybe sort of stabilize -- like put a defibrillator to his candidacy for the moment? Yes, perhaps enough for the remaining Republicans to stick around long enough for the next three drops of (INAUDIBLE) to happen.

CAMEROTA: Nick, he said last night that what we heard on that leaked tape from "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" that it -- that was just locker room talk, those aren't actions. But, of course, you have done a story about his actions in terms of sexual impropriety and a woman who says -- who has accused him of attempted rape.

NICHOLAS KRISTOF, COLUMNIST, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Yes. I mean, he says it's just words. In fact, it -- the story that I wrote shows exactly how he put his words into actions. It describes a couple from Florida who wanted to do business with Trump. And long story short, they found the guy cheated in business and that in the course of trying to negotiate this business deal Trump, she says, groped her regularly. And on a tour of --

HAM: The audio is leaking out the back like a --

KRISTOF: -- on one tour of Mar-a-Lago she -- Trump pulled her into Ivanka's bedroom and tried to force himself on her. And she says this, you know, went on time and again and amounted to attempted rape.

CUOMO: Did she ever say anything?

KRISTOF: She filed a lawsuit in 1997 --

CUOMO: Went to police.

KRISTOF: No, she did not go to the police. She says that here she's trying to do business with this guy and she doesn't to antagonize him. You know, it's a little -- it strikes me as a little bit comparable to some of the women at "FOX NEWS" trying to deal with Roger Ailes. Trying to manage this impossible situation where they don't want to sabotage their own futures and, yet, don't want to be groped.

[07:45:00] And she did not go to the police. She tried to continue to be nice to Trump. But she recounts, at one point, as a defense mechanism she threw up she was so upset. And this is backed up by her 1997 suit by a deposition in 1996 by her business partner.

CAMEROTA: She told her partner at the time. He knew what was happening at the time. But, David, I mean, doesn't this complicate -- this all so tawdry and sordid. Does it complicate the fact that Donald Trump continues to bring out the Bill Clinton accusers when he, himself, has a past like this.

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think Americans have made a judgment about Bill Clinton. About the Clintons, generally, with regard to their marriage and his infidelity and his behavior in the White House leading to him being impeached. And I think those people who have such a horribly negative view of the Clintons, they know where they are and they're probably for Donald Trump or maybe they're not for him completely, but they're certainly against them.

But I think what Donald Trump has to deal with is this broader context, which is his campaign was slipping before this. He had a horrible week in reaction to the first debate, which he lost, compounded now by this tape which has otherwise reluctantly supportive Republicans now heading for the hills. And I think we're going to find out today and tomorrow whether there's a further unraveling of that.

So he's got these difficulties at time when he's hemorrhaging support among key constituencies that he would need if he's going to make a real run at Hillary Clinton here in this final month. He is adopting a strategy of now savaging her, bringing everything he's got against the Clintons, which I think helps him to shore up his core supporters. But I don't think that was ever the issue.

The question for the past how many months now -- six months -- is where does he add to what he's got? How does he deal with the fact that people don't think he has the temperament or qualification to be president? Making this an attempt to kind of tear her down, I don't think, is going to be enough.

CUOMO: M.K., what was your take on Clinton not going after him more about his lack of character? HAM: I was a little surprised -- look, and I think a lot of Democrats probably were, too. This is the moment to sweep the leg or at least try for her, and he's coming in weakened and she wasn'table to put him away. And that will mean that he's a little bit stronger than he would have been for the next several weeks.

So I'm not sure where we end up here. I think David's right that in reaching Independents and college-educate women -- going after Clinton, although there's a part of my right-leaning soul that says look, Democrats haven't paid enough price for waitress sandwiches -- Sen. Kennedy and such -- over the years and this is sort of a righteous attack in a little bit of a way.

It works with the base, it doesn't actually bring in those new people because they have made this determination about Bill Clinton who they still like and who, by the way, is not on the ticket, so you have to make a transfer to Hillary Clinton. And there are some valid points to be made but I just don't think that on that debate stage it's working to reach the people who need to reach.

CAMEROTA: Nick, people --

GREGORY: I also don't --

CAMEROTA: Go ahead, David.

GREGORY: I don't know what sweeping the leg would have looked like. I mean, I think that she knows that if -- she got the response from him whether she tried to do it or not. He went after Bill Clinton. He had those women in the room. He did everything that could remind people of the sordid past of the Clintons and a kind of righteousness, as you say, that even the media has about Donald Trump's behavior. I think her strategy's been working very well. Let him talk.

CAMEROTA: Nick, did he stem --

GREGORY: That's all you got to do.

CAMEROTA: Did he stem the hemorrhaging last night?

KRISTOF: Well, I mean, he slightly changed the subject from one that was extremely unhelpful to him and so in that sense maybe it helped just a little bit. But at the end of the day it does strike me as somewhat implausible to have an ethereal adulterer -- somebody who boasts about sexual assaults -- needling a woman for having been cheated on. And I guess question how much -- how effective that's going to be in the long run. And I -- plus, I think we all think there are going to be more of these accounts coming forward.

CAMEROTA: Panel, thank you very much. Even before the debate, Donald Trump (audio gap) Bill Clinton's accusers, as we've been saying that (audio gap). Does it prove Trump is the master of media manipulation? We talk to three men who have written books on Trump, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:53:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: That was locker room talk. I'm not proud of it. I am a person who has great respect for people, for my family, for the people of this country, and certainly I'm not proud of it. But that was something that happened. If you look at Bill Clinton, far worse. Mine are words and his was action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: All right, that was Donald Trump repeatedly excusing his vulgar comments about women as locker room talk while trying to pivot the conversation to Bill Clinton's infidelity and allegations against him. So what is behind Trump's reluctance to apologize?

Joining us now, three men who have written extensively about Donald Trump. We have the co-author of "The Art of the Deal", Tony Schwartz. Author of "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success", Michael D'Antonio. And the executive editor of "Bloomberg View" and author of "Trump Nation, The Art of Being The Donald", Timothy O'Brien. Gentlemen, great to have you here.

Tony, what did you think of his performance last night? We can just start with that sound bite that we heard of how he excused that leaked audio tape from "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" as locker room talk.

TONY SCHWARTZ, CO-AUTHOR, "THE ART OF THE DEAL": Well, you know, Donald Trump didn't rise to the level of human to me last night, as is fairly -- it's the typical way that he is, meaning there are three things that I've been saying since July about Donald Trump.

Number one, he's incredibly thin-skinned and he was a cornered rat in this circumstances and he attacked because that's what happens when you feel cornered. And the problem is that he reacts impulsively, he reacts automatically and reflectively. And it's terrifying, as it has been for me all along, to imagine him with the nuclear codes doing that. So I'm thinking about him as --

CAMEROTA: So you saw that last night?

SCHWARTZ: I saw him attack, attack, attack. The second thing is that he has an incredibly short attention span. You saw him wandering physically on the stage, wandering mentally each time he was under pressure. He loses his capacity to stay (coughs) -- to stay focused.

[07:55:05] CAMEROTA: Yes.

SCHWARTZ: Yes, that's a cold. And then, the third -- the third piece of it is that when he's under pressure he lies even more reflectively than ordinarily he does. So the number of things he said last night that weren't true probably exceeds, in any given half hour, the number he's said before. This is, to me, the man -- not what he says but who he is, that he's -- that's so frightening about him.

CUOMO: And yet, the expectation was last night that I guess he was going to go on and either, what, collapse or admit that he should leave the race. I mean, the idea that he exceeded expectations -- we see it in the polls, 60 percent. The media was saying it immediately that he stopped the bleeding, he was better, he was better. Does he benefit from this type of expectation that if he's not horrible it's somehow success and he's used it to manipulate media perception?

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, AUTHOR, "NEVER ENOUGH: DONALD TRUMP AND THE PURSUIT OF SUCCESS": Yet, the question becomes how awful is he? So if you have a guy who's just terrible -- and he's the person that you knew in high school and stayed away from because he led the bully band of boys. And his whole thing is about aggression and predation, you know. He's predatory in his business activities, victimizing people left and right. He's predatory in his personal relationships. He's sexually predatory and he's politically predatory.

You saw him stalking the stage. I actually heard this morning, and I agree, that Hillary Clinton probably positioned herself so he could loom over her physically and let him demonstrate this dominance behavior. So, with this --

CUOMO: We should have asked the body language expert about that.

CAMEROTA: That's a good one for the next time.

CUOMO: She did the old Jiu-Jitsu on him.

D'ANTONIO: I'm married to a shrink and she talks about this guy all the time. He's decompensating, you know. Other people compensate for their issues and problems and do well. Donald is in the point of decompensating but it resonates with 30 to 40 percent of the public that has always like him.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

D'ANTONIO: His poll numbers in the 80s were 40 percent and he's going to stay right there.

CAMEROTA: Tim, what moments jumped out at you last night?

TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "BLOOMBERG VIEW", AUTHOR, "TRUMP NATION, THE ART OF BEING THE DONALD": You know, I think when he said he was willing to use the Department of Justice to attack a political opponent, you know. He threated Hillary Clinton with that. He admitted that he used a massive write-off in 1995 so he could not pay taxes which, you know, he's entitled to that legally. But the reality of that write-off is that it's emblematic of what a horrible businessman he was.

He showed his vast ignorance about the Middle East and Syria. He doesn't understand ISIS and Assad and the dynamics there. And I think you saw somebody who is willing to use a civic moment to debase an entire process in order to preserve himself. And I think he probably went in there willing to pull out all the stops because he doesn't care anymore. I think he's -- what's happened so far -- and Kaine, through very tangibly in those states on Friday -- is that he's a sexual predator. And he's always been that way. Anyone who's covered him closely knows that. When he says that Bill Clinton took actions, I've only spoken about it in words and it's locker room talk. I've been in locker rooms. That goes way beyond locker room talk. And during his marriage to Ivanka he was fairly-openly having an affair with Marla Maples. So the idea that he's just --

CAMEROTA: But that doesn't make somebody a predator, that makes somebody a philanderer.

O'BRIEN: That's correct.

CAMEROTA: This is different.

O'BRIEN: Yes, correct.

CAMEROTA: The audio that we heard was different because everybody knows he's a philanderer. That was -- he was proud of it. That was splashed all over the tabloids. But, groping women unwantedly does put it in a different category.

SCHWARTZ: No, no. Donald Trump has always been on the hunt.

CUOMO: He said last night he did not do those things, that is was just talk.

SCHWARTZ: Yes, but --

CAMEROTA: But there are women who say that he did do those things.

SCHWARTZ: As you -- as you've seen published already in a variety of places. On the set of "THE APPRENTICE" we now know that on -- in other circumstances he was in that -- he was doing that. So I think we're going to see even more of it in the days ahead.

CUOMO: But do you think it is meaningful? What we saw from Hillary Clinton last night -- and this is a very savvy politician. This is a very savvy thinker. She left it all alone. In fact, we've even been a little bit unfair this morning in how we're describing it in the writing that they insulted each other. It's not true. She, largely, left him alone last night. And I guess --

O'BRIEN: On the topic or across the board?

CUOMO: Oh, no, no, about this topic.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

CUOMO: And I guess what's the calculation there? I can't win on this and he's going to keep beating me over the head with Bill's --

O'BRIEN: She firmly ahead right now. You know, she's firmly ahead in the electoral college. Donald Trump has a very high wall to surmount here. He's starting to fade in North Carolina and Florida. Certainly, if he loses either of those states he's done. But even if he had both of those states he'd still need to take a big blue state like Pennsylvania or Michigan to win. He's not going to do that. He's fairly toasted at this point in the electoral college.

So the Clinton campaign has everything to gain from keeping her position as a statesman and a public servant, and someone who has good judgment. It's pretty astounding that Trump is on a stage with her and one of his talking points is that he has great judgment.