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New Day
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Speak at Al Smith Dinner; Interview with Former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu; Interview with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired October 21, 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] CARL BERNSTEIN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: He has a real movement. This is -- this is -- this is not just 20 percent, 30 percent of the people in the country that are going along with this stuff.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now it's 42 percent.
WILLIAM KRISTOL, EDITOR, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": It's 42, the majority are just Republicans who will be happy he'll go. I'm hopeful it will be a smaller movement. He'll do what he does. But I'm hopeful it will be a smaller movement on November 9th.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: On that optimistic note, Bill, Carl, thank you very much for the great conversation.
BERMAN: We are following a lot of news this morning, so let's get right to it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will totally accept the results if I win.
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That is dangerous. That undermines our democracy.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's amazing I'm up here after Donald. I didn't think he'd be OK with a peaceful transition of power.
TRUMP: We want fairness in the election.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is threatening the very idea of America itself.
TRUMP: This is the first time ever that Hillary is speaking to major corporate leaders and not getting paid for it.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: Donald, after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it.
(LAUGHTER) (END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. Chris is off this morning and John Berman joins me. Great to have you here.
BERMAN: Good to be here.
CAMEROTA: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton trading jabs at charity dinner last night. It was supposed to be funny and the rivals did get some big laughs. But Trump also got booed repeatedly for ignoring the dinner's tradition of light-hearted.
BERMAN: Al Smith V has been to a lot of these dinners before just told us he had never been to a dinner quite like that one. Of course it comes on the heels of Donald Trump continuing to say that he will honor the results of the election. Now he says he will do it if he wins.
It's 18 days to go right now. Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Brianna Keilar. Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, this was definitely a much more pro-Hillary Clinton group for sure, and she was more self- deprecating in her jokes. But both candidates jettisoned that normal decorum of levity in what has been a very hard-fought and often nasty campaign battle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate commission.
KEILAR: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were supposed to play nice.
CLINTON: It's amazing I'm up here after Donald. I didn't think he'd be OK with a peaceful transition of power.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Casting aside the night's traditional good humor joking, both candidates delivering brutal takedowns of each other.
TRUMP: This is the first time ever that Hillary is sitting down and speaking to major corporate leaders and not getting paid for it.
People look at the statue of liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history. Donald looks at the statue of liberty and sees a four, maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Trump starting his speech strong. TRUMP: The media is even more biased this year than ever before,
ever. Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it. It's fantastic. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech and people get on her case.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
KEILAR: But losing the room after changing his tone.
TRUMP: Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, pardon me. And I very politely replied, let me talk to you about that after get into office.
KEILAR: Trump even booed at times for crossing the line.
TRUMP: Hillary believes that it's vital to deceive the people by having one public policy and a totally different policy in private.
(BOOS)
TRUMP: That's OK. I don't know who they're angry at, Hillary, you or I. Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.
(BOOS)
KEILAR: Clinton landing her own sharp barbs right back at Trump.
CLINTON: Donald, after listening to your speech, I will also enjoy listening to Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: Donald really is as healthy as a horse, you know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.
KEILAR: And poking fun at herself.
CLINTON: This is such a special event that I took a break from my rigorous nap schedule to be here.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And after a debate that was noticeably devoid of a handshake between the candidates, everyone was watching to see if Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would shake on it at this dinner. They did. At the end, they were separated through the whole thing by Cardinal Dolan, but they did have a handshake.
[08:05:08] It is interesting to note, though, guys, there was a photo line at the beginning they were both a part of, and they did not shake hands. There is real animosity. They don't like each other.
BERMAN: At 1.7 seconds where their hands were grasping, and it changed the tone of this campaign.
CAMEROTA: Lightning almost struck.
BERMAN: Donald Trump is now telling his supporters that he will accept the election results if he wins. He later sort of clarified that saying he reserves the right to legally challenge any election result. CNN's Chris Frates is live in Washington with more. Chris?
CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Donald Trump continues to refuse to say whether he supports what's a bedrock of American democracy, the peaceful transfer of power. And that's drawn criticism from all corners, including from GOP leaders and Republicans who are in pretty tough races.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRATES: Donald Trump is defiant, mocking critics who rebuked him for refusing to say whether he will concede if he loses in November.
TRUMP: I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win.
(APPLAUSE)
FRATES: The Republican nominee is doubling down on his unsubstantiated claims that the election is rigged against him and leaving the door open to contest the vote.
TRUMP: I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.
FRATES: Trump's unprecedented remarks are drawing backlash from both sides and rattling an already fractured Republican party. Senator John McCain, who lost the presidential race back in 2008, saying a concession is, quote, "an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader's first responsibility."
Hillary Clinton's trifecta of surrogates is nailing Trump on the trail, starting with Vice President Joe Biden in New Hampshire.
JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENT: He's questioning not the legitimacy of our election, but the legitimacy of our democracy.
FRATES: First lady Michelle Obama tearing into Trump in Arizona.
MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: He is threatening the idea of America itself and we cannot stand for that. You do not keep American democracy in suspense.
(APPLAUSE)
FRATES: And in Florida, President Obama condemning Trump's dangerous talk as no joking matter.
OBAMA: When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy. Then you're doing the work of our adversaries for them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRATES: Now, Trump has provided no evidence to support this charge that somehow the election is rigged. And the facts don't bear that out either. A 2012 investigative reporting project looked at over a decade of data and found just 10 cases, 10 cases of voter impersonation at the polls on Election Day, so 10 cases over ten years. Not a lot of evidence there. But the report does say fraud occurs from time to time. But the number of cases that have it are exceedingly small, too small to swing an election. Alisyn?
CAMEROTA: That is a very important point, Chris, and I'm glad that you continue to make it for our viewers. Thank you very much.
So let's bring in now former Republican governor of New Hampshire John Sununu. He has endorsed Donald Trump for president. Good morning, governor.
JOHN SUNUNU, FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR: Good morning, Alisyn. How are you?
CAMEROTA: I'm well. Given everything that Donald Trump has said over these past weeks about the possibility of a rigged election, are you confident that he will accept the outcome on November 8th?
SUNUNU: I am, absolutely.
CAMEROTA: Because may I remind you that during the debate he said that he didn't want to commit to accepting the election results.
SUNUNU: Look, Alisyn, you know the kind of rhetoric Donald Trump enjoys using, and that's the kind of candidate he is. But the point is that this election is about changing policy. And obviously I would prefer to hear him talk about those changes. I'd prefer him to compare himself to Hillary as a continuation of the Obama policy. That's where I'd like to see this campaign go. Unfortunately, every time he makes a rhetorical gaffe you guys love jumping on it, and that's all t news that you get, especially with social media coming out of the Hillary campaign adding fuel to it. Let's get to the fact that this is an election about policy. And I hope Donald Trump continues to put some emphasis on that. And I'd like to hear Hillary talk a little bit about some of her policies.
CAMEROTA: But governor, how is what he said at the debate a gaffe?
SUNUNU: Because the question comes up, and you don't know what goes through his mind.
[08:10:01] I'm sure it flashed through his mind that -- that Gore challenged what happened in Florida. Those are legitimate challenges to votes. And so he wanted to retain the legitimate challenge possibility. But he used the wrong language. And I think he -- I think the last piece of clip that you put on where he's talking about using legally appropriate and acceptable challenges to contested votes is what he's really talking about. I think it was a rhetorical gaffe that didn't put the onus on what he really meant to say.
Now let's go on and talk about policies. We've got to make changes. We have to make changes at the federal level and at the state level. And I hope Republicans understand that even if they don't like Trump they come out ballots like Senate and governors and state legislators.
CAMEROTA: Let's talk about that. What do you think the Trump effect will be on the down ballot Republicans?
SUNUNU: It will be positive and it will be negative. And the question is, will it be more positive than it is negative? I have a son running for governor in New Hampshire. We need change in New Hampshire. We've had too many Democratic governors over the last 20 years. Folks acknowledge they want to have change. If you talk to Republicans and independents, they are leaning to have change. What you've got to have is the Trump -- you've got to find out whether the Trump effect is going to get those people out or going to force them to stay home. And I have to admit, Alisyn, I have not been able to analyze even after the fact what the Trump effect has been in the primary process that we've seen.
CAMEROTA: Governor, what do you think the future is for Speaker Paul Ryan? There's talk that because he has not embraced and has now distanced himself from Donald Trump in an effort, I think he believes, to save some of these down ballot Republicans a say if you don't support Donald Trump you are free to break with him, do you think he will continue to be speaker after the 9th?
SUNUNU: Oh, I think Paul will be speaker after the 9th. Look, the important thing for Republicans is to realize that policy change comes from all the offices. You don't just get it with a president. You get it with a House that's led by a Republican. You get it with a Senate that's led by a Republican, and a predominance of Republicans in state houses and in legislative bodies across the country. That's how you put pressure on for policy change.
So they've got to come out -- Republicans and conservative independents and smart Democrats have to come out and vote for the down ballots as well as the presidential choice. If they can't pull the trigger for Trump they ought to hold their nose and move down the ballot and vote for Republicans. But if people want policy change they've got to be there in November.
CAMEROTA: Governor did you get a chance to watch any of the Al Smith dinner last night?
SUNUNU: No, but I saw some of the clips. I have to tell you, the Al Smith speaker in 1991 was much better than either of those two folks.
CAMEROTA: Really? And who might that have been?
SUNUNU: That was me.
CAMEROTA: I figured that.
(LAUGHTER) CAMEROTA: I'm sure you brought down the house. With that -- I mean, you know what they say about last night was it obviously, as you well know from your experience, that this is a self-deprecating, funny event and you actually do show a little bit of deference or at least respect for your opponent, and that is a long-standing time honored tradition. But last night seemed to break with it, and some of the crowd even booed because they thought that it was too barbed. What does this say about where we are?
SUNUNU: Yes, I think it is representative of the kind of campaign that we had. You know the real news that came out yesterday, though, wasn't the failure of the two candidates to do the Al Smith speeches right. It was Cardinal Dolan criticizing Mrs. Clinton and her campaign for their negative attitude towards Catholics and Christians. And that, to me, was extremely significant.
CAMEROTA: And was it appropriate?
SUNUNU: I think it was absolutely appropriate. I think for too long political correctness has allowed folks to feel that they can make fun of Catholics and Christians and then not be criticized because it might impose on them. This has been going on for a long time. I'm proud of the cardinal, and I'm -- as a Catholic I am thrilled that he finally -- the Catholic bishops and the cardinals are beginning to understand that they have a role in criticizing the criticism of the church and the denigrating of the church that's been taking place over a long --
CAMEROTA: But to be clear, governor, Hillary Clinton didn't denigrate the church. This was a private-mail exchange that you're referring to.
SUNUNU: It was a private e-mail exchange. But it was pretty clear that it was reflecting an attitude that goes across that campaign. If that, if she felt not that way, you would not have that kind of interchange among staff members. And that has been going on for all too long in this country.
[08:15:02] CAMEROTA: Well just to be clear. It was five years ago, she wasn't yet running. It wasn't her campaign, and it was a private e-mail exchange between two Catholics who say that they -- what they were actually doing was, you know, criticizing sort of media moguls who claim to be Catholic. But in any event, I hear your thoughts.
SUNUNU: Alisyn, but she hasn't come out, she hasn't come o and said otherwise.
CAMEROTA: OK, Governor John Sununu, thank you. Always great to get your perspective on all of this.
SUNUNU: Thanks, Alisyn. Bye-bye.
CAMEROTA: Let's get to John.
BERMAN: And he did bring the house down back in 1991. A powerful 6.2 earthquake rattling western Japan overnight. The quake
centers in the district of Tottori, more than 400 miles from Tokyo. No reports of major damage so far and no tsunami warning has been issued. Officials say the quake temporarily knocked out power to about 30,000 customers.
CAMEROTA: An unidentified sweet smell causing a scare on a Spirit Airlines flight at Los Angeles International Airport. LAX police say one person fell ill after passengers reported the odor in the coach cabin. Police say about 20 people reported feeling sick. CDC officials were seen boarding the plane from the tarmac. LAX officials are investigating.
BERMAN: Hmm.
CAMEROTA: What could that be?
BERMAN: All right. Bao Bao, the giant panda, will soon be saying bye-bye.
CAMEROTA: Oh, well-played.
BERMAN: The 3-year-old will be leaving the facility in national zoo heading to China this winter. This is part of an agreement with China's wildlife conservation to send all cubs to China before their fourth birthday. There will be a huge send-off for Bao Bao before she leaves the United States. You can see how excited she is to go back, right?
(LAUGHTER)
CAMEROTA: I like seeing the panda posing as a panda rug there.
BERMAN: Some people think pandas are cute. Let's just say that. Some people. Somebody. I'm told.
CAMEROTA: Are you hating on the pandas?
BERMAN: Just saying.
All right. Donald Trump continues to say the system is rigged. So what do people who have been in charge of running fair elections think about that?
We are joined by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar to discuss the current state of the race for the Senate.
CAMEROTA: And pandas.
BERMAN: And pandas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:20:40] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary is so corrupt she got kicked off the Watergate Commission.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But Donald really is as healthy as a horse. You know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: There was some laughter and some boos last night during both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's speeches at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner. A dinner usually a lightheaded affair where the candidates make lighthearted jokes about themselves.
But last night was less self-deprecating and more just deprecating.
Joining us now is Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. She has endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Senator, I guess I'm not going to ask you to be a humor critic right now. But let me ask you about another part of the evening which is after it was all over, they finally shook hands. The candidates managed to, you know, gather up the courage to have their hands touch for about 1.7 seconds. Something that they couldn't do, neither of them could manage to do at the debate the night before.
Do you think that one of them should have been grown up enough to go and shake the other's hand during that debate?
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA: Well, first of all, John, they have shook hands before in their lives. That's for sure. And I think that this isn't just about a hand shake. This election is really about a fair shake for the American people.
And I think one of the most amazing things about the debate, as opposed to the comedy dinner, and by the way I've now spoken at three or four similar comedy dinners like the gridiron and others, and some jokes work well, some jokes bomb, I really don't read as much in to this -- the jokes of last night as others may do.
I think the real issue, when I get to the fair shake, was a difference between the candidates on that amazing debate, over 70 million people watched it, and for the first time, yes, there was the back and forth, but for the first time I think the American people got to get a sense of how each candidate would govern. What was the agenda?
Clear differences on the Supreme Court, immigration reform, Social Security, and I think Hillary came out with very high marks in that debate. And probably as you've all discussed this morning, the most meaningful part was when Donald Trump still would not say that he would abide by the election double downing on it the next day by saying well he'd abide by it if he won.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: But you did bring that up. But he did also expand on that after he made a joke saying he would abide by the results of the election if I win. He did make clear some conditions in which he would accept the election results. Let's listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Now, isn't that actually what all candidates do? If there is a clear election result they accept it, and they concede. But when there's not, you don't. I mean, when there's not, happened in Minnesota in 2008 and Al Franken Senate race with Norm Coleman, you don't accept it if there's a recount. You wait and see what happens.
Donald Trump just saying he's going to do what every candidate does, at least there.
KLOBUCHAR: First of all, at least at that moment he's added that caveat. But let's look at back what he's been saying. He's been really making a call to action to his supporters, when he says things like well I'll respect it if I win. I mean, those were the words -- I've heard those words, he has said that.
BERMAN: But the new definition you're okay with?
(CROSSTAK)
KLOBUCHAR: But it's true when there have been -- pardon?
BERMAN: But his new definition would be okay?
KLOBUCHAR: No, I'm not okay with how he has been talking about this issue and it's very difficult to change at this point. When his own party has had to come out and clarify it. When his own running mate has had to say, well, no, he really means he'll respect the results. And the difference when you look where there were only 312 votes that ultimately separated Al Franken and Norm Coleman.
When Norm Coleman conceded, he was incredibly gracious and he was gracious throughout the whole thing. And that helped our state to get through a hard time. We had to have a recount. Everyone knew that. We had to look at the ballots when it was that close.
But, at one point when he could have kept appealing, Norm Coleman said, respect the results, Al Franken is the next senator, this is a country that is governed by laws. Those are not the words that you hear going into this election from Donald Trump.
[08:25:00] BERMAN: But I think what Donald Trump was saying neither Norm Coleman nor Al Gore did it on Election Day or election night. Ultimately it did very much happen, though, that is clear. You're right about that, Senator.
Can I ask you a hypothetical here? Now, I think you would say right now you believe Hillary Clinton is going to win this election. Yes?
KLOBUCHAR: I think she is doing very well. But you never take anything for granted because we want everyone to go out and vote.
BERMAN: If she does win the election, Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona says he would like to see the Senate take up Merrick Garland, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee and the lame duck. He says, "If Hillary Clinton is president-elect, then we should move forward with the lame duck. That's what I'm encouraging my colleagues to do."
You sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Would you like to see the Senate take up the issue of Merrick Garland in the lame duck session if Hillary Clinton wins?
KLOBUCHAR: Of course I would. We have been pushing for this galls me that more of my colleagues are not saying the kind of thing that Senator Jeff Flake is saying. It is our job, the Constitution said we should advise and consent. This nomination has now been hanging out there longer than any other nomination in recent history without having a hearing.
And we have to do our job, we have to have the hearing. People can vote up or down on this nominee, but you cannot continue to have four poor decisions in the highest court in the land.
BERMAN: I have heard liberals say if that Hillary Clinton wins, they'd rather wait until after January 20th and have her pick someone to fill the vacancy.
KLOBUCHAR: I'm sure there's people that might have said that. But I believe in the end, I can tell you right now, that if Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, or if Mitch McConnell said, you know what, let's go ahead and have hearings, the election is over we don't want this politics seeping in to the Supreme Court as has happened the last six months, we would have hearings, and we would have a vote on that nomination.
BERMAN: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, great to have you with us. Thanks so much, Senator.
KLOBUCHAR: Well, it's good to be on. Thank you.
BERMAN: Alisyn?
CAMEROTA: OK, John, ISIS launching a series of attacks in Kirkuk, Iraq. So we will take you live to the front lines, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
