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Comparing Clinton & Trump Economic Plan; How is the 2016 Race Impacting the Trump Brand? Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 27, 2016 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:03] ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: The World Series returns to Wrigley Field for the first time in 71 years tomorrow night.

All right. Halloween right around the corner and Seahawks' Richard Sherman at his son's request dressed up as Harry Potter for his press conference yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SEAHAWKS, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Quidditch, the beaters, the chasers, trying to find the golden snitch, things like that, that's tough. Five quarters of football, though, in the elements, I'd say that takes the cake. When you're a wizard, like we are out here, sometimes you have to show it to the Muggles out in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: There you go. Richard Sherman Harry Potter. Guys, you have plans for Halloween? Are you dressing up, Alisyn?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Andy, I -- this is a real sore subject, because I'm totally Halloween impaired. I'm not creative enough so I go as a flapper every year.

SCHOLES: Oh, yeah.

CAMEROTA: That's it.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: What is that?

CAMEROTA: You know from the Charleston, from the '20s. I go with the flapper. I have the costume ready. I'll send pictures to you, Andy.

SCHOLES: Can't wait.

CAMEROTA: I like the -- you don't like it.

CUOMO: First of all, flapper is such an arcane term now that I think you have to shift in old lady voice every time you say, I like to go as a flapper. It makes me remember the day --

CAMEROTA: Headbands, feather. No.

CUOMO: I think you have to change it up. Spice it up.

CAMEROTA: Oh, what are you going to be, Mr. Halloween?

CUOMO: I'm going as the big blue guy from "Monsters, Inc." The whole family is going as "Monsters, Inc." characters, except my wife because she's smart. And I'm the big blue monster.

CAMEROTA: Appropriate.

Let us know on Twitter what you're going as. What Chris should be going as.

On November 8th, many voters will, of course, be voting with their wallet. They'll pick the candidate they believe is best with the economy and to create jobs. So, what are both candidates' plans for that?

We take a look at that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:09] CUOMO: All right. So, 58 percent of likely voters in our latest CNN poll say the economy is the most important issue to their vote. Not unusual. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump say they have the best plan to create jobs. Also not unusual.

But what are those plans? That's where this conversation usually ends.

Let's start with Trump who thinks the nation's unemployment rate is a lie even though it's calculated independently by the non-partisan Bureau of Labor Statistics.

CAMEROTA: He thinks it's much higher.

CUOMO: Yes. He thinks it's the wrong measure, but he also thinks it's part of the rigged thing. Let's put that to the side.

How does he say that he'll bring jobs back?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My plan for the economy can be summed up in three very beautiful words: Jobs, jobs, jobs. At the center of my job's plan will be fixing our terrible trade deals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: All right. So, let's dive in more specifically to see how Trump says he will do that. He claims that he can create 25 million new jobs. Part of that, he predicts, will come from his tax cuts. He says tax cuts will spur GDP growth to more than 4 percent. That would be higher than it has been for nearly 20 years. Trump also plans to invest in infrastructure.

He says he will spend twice as much as Clinton. It's unclear how he plans to fund those projects.

CUOMO: The plan includes energy infrastructure like the Keystone Pipeline, right? That's going to make it controversial. He considers that a job creator. The lifting of restrictions on shale, natural gas, oil production. He says that will put miners back to work -- that also will be controversial.

CAMEROTA: So, here's a big deal that a lot of Republicans like. Trump will focus on regulations, which he says makes it harder for companies in the U.S. to compete. He is a proposing a moratorium on new federal regulations that are not compelled by Congress or the public safety. So, that's a little complicated.

CUOMO: Because it takes out like, you know, that's probably 85 to 90 percent of them.

CAMEROTA: Right. But he says he'll ask agencies and departments to identify, quote, "job killing regulations and remove them." And that would include a recent revision to the Clean Water Act and Trump cutting the power of regulatory agencies.

CUOMO: All right. So, trade has been a big deal in this election. Trump says he opposes many of the deals, including the TPP and NAFTA. He wants to renegotiate the deal to favor American workers or withdraw from the deals entirely.

These are contacts. So, if you withdraw, sometimes if you did, you would blow alliances. That's the controversy. He plans to get trade negotiators to identity foreign countries who are violating trade agreements, the people in power right now will tell you, that's not an unknown.

CAMEROTA: He also, as you probably heard, wants to be more aggressive towards China and manipulator.

So, now, let's talk about Hillary Clinton, OK, because she has spelled out a lot of things on her website, as well in her speeches. She disagrees with Trump. No surprise. She says the Obama administration has done a lot to bring the U.S. out of recession.

Here's how she said she would build on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to make the biggest investment in good, new jobs since World War II. Jobs in infrastructure, manufacturing, technology, small business and clean energy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK.

CUOMO: And now, what does she have backing her up right now? Fifty- four percent of you said you think the country is going well right now. You know, taking the country as a composite concern. That is going to boost the idea that, oh, maybe we are getting some things right in this government right now.

She has a 100-day jobs plan. And during that time, there's going to be a big infrastructure thing that she likes the key to clean energy. She says that will create good jobs as she defines them, that repair American roads and update power grids. She's going to pay for that with taxes on the wealthy.

CAMEROTA: She also wants to encourage businesses to provide worker trainer and apprenticeship.

[06:40:02] She wants to increase the federal minimum wage, this is a big deal, as we know from Bernie Sanders, he helps spur this, she wants to improve it to $12, make it easier for small businesses to get access to capital, expand tax breaks for those employers.

CUOMO: And that's a big difference between the two. Trump does not believe in raising the minimum wage and Clinton does. Clinton also wants to cut red tape blocking people from starting businesses. That goes into your regulations part that you heard from Trump. She specifically mentioned streamlining and standardizing licensing programs.

Part of Clinton's economic plan also involves trade, just like Trump. She says she'll oppose the TPP, though she called it the gold standard while it was the negotiated, Trump has whacked her over the head with that very effectively.

She also wants to make companies that move overseas pay an exit tax.

CAMEROTA: She wants companies getting tax breaks and outsourcing worker is to pay back those tax breaks.

So, of course, both candidates say their tax plan will contribute to a better economy. We'll discuss those tax plans in depth tomorrow.

CUOMO: Just like that, we've made more points about their plans than either of the candidates has in the last month.

CAMEROTA: In a more succinct fashion.

CUOMO: Isn't that weird?

All right. What's your take on who's better for the economy? Tweet us @NewDay or post your comment on Facebook.com/NewDay.

CAMEROTA: All right. One controversy after another it seems for Donald Trump. The issue plaguing his campaign, of course, accusations of unwanted advances on women. So, what is the negative publicity? What has it done to the Trump brand? We dig deeper on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:48] CAMEROTA: -- forces are currently battling ISIS in Mosul. And during a NATO meeting, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters that positioning forces near Raqqa could happen within a few weeks. CUOMO: Two powerful earthquakes rattling central Italy. They hit

just 50 miles north of earthquake that nearly killed 300 people in August. There are no reports of injuries yet, but there is heavy damage, mudslides now a big concern.

CAMEROTA: The D.A. seeking the death penalty for a 26-year-old charged with killing two police officers in Palm Springs, California. Police say John Hernandez Felix ambushed the officers with a high- powered rifle earlier this month.

CUOMO: The Orlando Magic paying tribute to the Pulse nightclub shooting during the season opener. The team unveiled a flag displaying the number 49 along with the words "Orlando United. Each victim's name is printed on the back.

For ore on the five things to know, go to NewDayCNN.com for the latest.

CAMEROTA: So, Donald Trump stepped off the campaign trail yesterday to open his new Washington, D.C. hotel. So, how will the Trump brand fair after the 2016 race? We take a look at that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:33] CUOMO: Donald Trump's tough talk on the stump and controversies rocking his campaign may be costing the billionaire big time when it comes to his most valuable asset, his brand.

CNN's Brian Todd digs deeper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A high-end ribbon cutting at Donald Trump's newest hotel in Washington.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We turned to property that had been neglected for decades and which was losing huge sums of money for the federal government into a major revenue producer and job creator. This is what I want to do for our country.

TODD: But outside, a different take. Protesters call for a boycott. The hotel has had a bumpy start. Two star chefs quit over Trump's controversial immigration statements and a vandal spray-painted Black Lives Matter at an entrance.

Now, after 16 months of campaigning, new signs that Trump's brand is taking a significant hit.

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, AUTHOR, "THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUMP": Bookings are off. At some of his properties, he's lowering rates because they're just not getting the traffic they should get.

TODD: CNN found that a stay at Trump's new hotel in Washington costs up to $200 less than comparable luxury hotels in D.C. Some of his closest rivals were booked out, while Trump's was not. And bookings by millennials at Trump's hotels has decreased nearly 60 percent since 2015, according to the travel site, HitMonk.

In August, foot traffic was down 16 percent from last year at Trump's hotels, casinos and golf courses, according to Foursquare, a location intelligence firm. Trump Hotels does not occupancy information, but it's not just hotels.

Some residents at Trump Place Apartments in Manhattan have started a petition to change the name.

BRIAN DUMONT, TRUMP PLACE RESIDENT: We're uncomfortable with it, because it really doesn't represent who we are at that point. That man, we have found, does not represent our values.

TODD: Analysts say Trump's businesses were slowly declining through much of the campaign and then came the crisis that would threaten any brand.

TRUMP: Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.

TODD (on camera): Was that a game changer for the brand?

DAN MCGINN, BRANDING CONSULTANT: There's no question "Access Hollywood" changed the campaign and changed the brand.

For women, you know, for a large percentage of people. I'm not comfortable being associated there. I don't want to spend my money there. I don't want to look like I'm endorsing that behavior.

TODD: There's also a campaign to boycott Ivanka Trump's clothing and accessory lines, but so far, analysts say Donald Trump's controversies haven't hurt Ivanka's business and she may counted on to resurrect her father's brand.

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: My brand that was launched far before the presidential cycle commenced and will continue long afterwards.

TODD: Responding to the reporting on the lowering of rates and booking problems at Trump's new hotel in Washington, a Trump Hotel spokesperson says that hotel has been their most successful in terms of opening bookings and event marketing. The spokesperson also said the reports on sites on like Hitmonk and Foursquare on declining traffic and bookings at Trump Hotels are manipulated to appear meaningful and don't accurately reflect their performance.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: All right. Let's discuss all of this with our branding and marketing consultant Laura Ries and CNN global economic analyst and assistant managing editor for "TIME", Rana Foroohar.

So, Rana, what do you think? I mean, beyond -- we just heard what Brian Todd said there about the hotel reservations, maybe being down. Do you think his brand has been hurt by this race? RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: I do. You know, I've

seen some market surveys one Brand Keys (ph), a research firm, saying that after Trump decided to run for presidency, his brand value actually increased. It was already higher than average. You know, if he slaps his name on a property, that gets him a bit of boost and it went up after election, and what did it with the Billy Bush tapes. That started to bring the value down and surveys of people in terms of what their perceptions have been.

I think there's also an interesting sort of point to be made in the luxury market which is where he likes to situate himself. Luxury -- the trends in luxury actually go towards more subtle luxury, quite luxury. That is not what Donald Trump does. So, I think that in some ways, a vector that was moving away from him given some of the tawdriness that's now associated with the comments that he's made, I think that's probably going to continue.

CUOMO: He has always been about loud and proud. All he has to do is walk around Manhattan to know that.

And that's my question to you, Laura, is this just anecdotal or do you believe there is any meat on t bones of the idea that Trump's name being on a condo building, an apartment building doesn't mean in any way that he owns it and that's almost never the case?

[06:55:02] But we have heard about boards wanting together to take his name off of them because of the events of the election. Do you buy that?

LAURA RIES, BRANDING & MARKETING CONSULTANT: Absolutely. His brand is severely tarnished.

Listen, initially it seemed like he was Teflon Don, right, everything rolled off of him. Literally as he went up in the polls, but his brand is seriously hurt and you can see that by him finally putting a second name on something.

Trump was a blinged out, he's a blinged out billionaire, right? Big teeth, big gold. Everyone liked it in some way because it stood for luxury and there's not many real estate brand names.

But today, you're right. He doesn't own a lot of that stuff, but he got money from putting his name on stuff and now people don't want that name on stuff because that name suddenly represents something far different and far darker and far nastier than just being an obnoxious billionaire and that's a real problem.

CAMEROTA: You know who's very interesting is that Don Jr., his son, talked about this. There were these audiotapes released by biographer Michael D'Antonio, we had him on yesterday and he interviewed the family and this was something that Donald Jr. was worried about back in 2014, about if his father were to get into the race, the effect that it would have on the brand.

So, listen to this moment from Don, Jr.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: What's wrong with questioning something these days? And, you know, you see it, whether it be political spectrum or across a racial divide, whether it be -- it's being increasingly difficult for -- and, again, this is coming from, I'm the white privileged son of a rich guy, right? There is a point where I'm not even allowed to have this conversation in America today.

There could be, you know, potentially, you know, ramifications to his business for taking these stances. Again, he's got the conviction to say, that's fine, I don't care. This is what I believe in, and, to me, as an American, thing, and that's a very -- it's a very admirable quality.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, I believe he was referring to the birther stuff before Donald Trump got into the race. But you hear even he wonders, Rana, whether or not the business would be affected.

FOROOHAR: Yes, absolutely. I think there's no doubt it has. Look, I know of people who will not stay in Trump properties. I think one thing that is interesting, too, a lot of times when people have their business tarnished in the U.S., they'll go abroad. You become big in Japan, so to speak.

That's really not a possibility, I don't think, for Donald Trump because so many of the people he has been insulting, you know, are overseas. Different groups of people that are actually important in the real estate market, for example, Gulf money, Chinese money. I think it's going to be very difficult to do an international brand extension at this point.

CUOMO: Also, what we see playing out, I think, Laura, that's why I want your take on it, is what you need most with the brand is intentionality, right? Full disclosure, my brother-in-law is Kenneth Cole. He's a branding genius.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: He loves him. We tease him about him in the family. But that's beside the point.

Intentionality, what has Trump shown in this election? A lack of consistent intentionality, even his son, again, I don't like to draw the kids into this, even though they're adults. But you see, even in a way he was spinning D'Antonio, because that's what this interview was, it wasn't candid conversation, it was for a biography about his dad, it was that halting thought process. I don't know, I don't know. I don't know.

And isn't that what they're suffering from right now, that they didn't think through what this would mean for the brand?

RIES: Well, they certainly didn't because he was at his height of popularity in 2015 when he ran. Successful "Apprentice." I mean, listen, he had gone through a lot of stuff, bankruptcies,

divorces and yet rose to this enormous celebrity that people laughed at and enjoyed having his name and NASCAR having events at the golf properties and having PGA events at his golf properties and hotels and buildings loved his name.

Internationally, he was huge. In the Arab market, in Dubai, they loved the glorious billionaire American Trump.

But that brand has been severely tarnished and I think it's really down to authenticity. Brands clearly have to have pure and understandable authenticity. He has shown what his real authenticity is. What underneath that varnish of gold, a lot of people don't like.

We found out and, also, it's the sustained attacks. You know, celebrities get in trouble and celebrities, Mel Gibson has said strange things, bad things, right? But it's 15 months of every day, every day we're talking about and every day, there's more, every day, it's worse, and it gets bad and bad and that sustained day after day that has been killing the brand.

He could have got away if he had not won the primary. I think with perhaps resurrecting and now it's really, really bad.

CAMEROTA: And, yet, as Rana has pointed out, Martha Stewart's brand went up after her stint in jail. So, let's all remember that. Ladies, thank you very much.

CUOMO: Gave her street credit.

CAMEROTA: There you go.

We're following a lot of news, let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: I believe we're winning.

CLINTON: Change is coming.