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New Day

Trump and Clinton Make Gains in New Polls; Trump Leads Clinton by Two Points in Florida; Trump Vows to Put Millions More Into His Campaign; Clinton Blasts Trump for Leaving Trail to Open His Hostel; Hacked Memo Reveals Bill Clinton's Lucrative Speeches; House GOP Preparing for Years of Clinton Investigations

Aired October 27, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

CAMEROTA: There you go. We're following a lot of news. Let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I believe we're winning.

CLINTON: Change is coming. The choice is yours.

TRUMP: The people going to vote, those are not her voters. Her voters have no enthusiasm.

CLINTON: Donald Trump is taking time off the campaign trail.

TRUMP: We didn't have one illegal immigrant on the job. Believe me, we could have hired plenty.

CLINTON: Donald Trump is the poster boy for everything wrong with our economy.

TRUMP: Honestly, she has less energy than Jeb Bush.

CLINTON: When he goes low, we go high. Boy, has he gone low, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): This is "New Day" with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your "New Day." Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump making gains in a flurry of new polls. But Trump's path to 270 still remains incredibly difficult.

Take a look for yourself, CNN updating its electoral map, moving Florida and Nevada from leaning democratic back to being toss-ups.

CAMEROTA: Despite that, Trump predicts a tremendous victory on election day, this as new revelations from those hacked e-mails about Bill Clinton's lucrative speeches and concerns within the family about the family foundation. There's so much at stake here, just 12 days until the election.

We have it all covered for you. So let's begin with CNN's Chris Frates. He's live in Springfield, Ohio.

Good morning, Chris.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Alisyn. Well, Donald Trump returns to battleground Ohio where the last couple of polls have showed him tied with Hillary Clinton.

And he starts his day here in Springfield, Ohio, between Dayton and Columbus. It's a town that's been hard hit over the last 15 years.

Its median household income has dropped by more than 25 percent. It's the biggest drop in the nation and only 15 percent of all adults here are college-educated.

This should be Trump country. And he hopes his message resonates with voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

With only 12 days until the election, a new national poll shows the race tightening.

And now, more battleground states are up for grabs. Hillary Clinton in a dead heat with Donald Trump in Nevada as Trump now edges out Clinton in the must-win state of Florida.

TRUMP: I really think that we're going to have a tremendous victory. I believe we're winning. I actually think we're winning.

FRATES: Trump says he will invest millions more into his campaign. The billionaire so far has spent $56 million of his own money.

TRUMP: Let me just tell you that we have -- I'll have over a hundred million dollars in the campaign.

FRATES: A source telling CNN that earlier this month, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus asked Trump to put more money into his campaign to help compete with Clinton's advertising blitz. The source says Trump did not listen.

CLINTON: Donald Trump is taking time off the campaign trail to officially open the hotel.

FRATES: Meanwhile, Clinton is blasting Trump for stepping off the campaign trail to advance his business empire.

CLINTON: Donald Trump is the poster boy for everything wrong with our economy. The facts show he has stiffed American workers, he has stiffed American businesses.

(APPLAUSE)

FRATES: After opening a new hotel just blocks from the White House, the billionaire got back to campaigning with two rallies in North Carolina, Trump hitting back at Clinton, attacking her stamina.

TRUMP: This woman, she makes a speech for 15 minutes. She goes home, goes to bed.

(LAUGHTER)

She has less energy than Jeb Bush.

FRATES: And getting upset when CNN's Dana Bash asked him about the hotel stop.

TRUMP: For you to ask me that question is actually very insulting because Hillary Clinton does one stop and then she goes home and sleeps. And yet, you will ask me that question.

I think it's a very rude question, to be honest with you.

FRATES: And doubling down in an interview with ABC, bringing up Clinton's attending an Adele concert in Miami.

TRUMP: Well, Hillary Clinton goes to see an Adele concert last night. And everybody says, oh, wasn't that nice? Isn't that wonderful.

I have stopped -- I did eight stops yesterday, three major rallies.

FRATES: Adele wasn't the only star to help Clinton ring in her 69th birthday.

WONDER: Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday.

FRATES: Stevie Wonder serenaded Clinton on a radio show.

WONDER: Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRATES: Now, to give you a sense of just how important Ohio is to the Trump campaign, take a look how often he's been here more than any other states since the convention -- 12 visits, 21 events. And that continues here today, starts here in Springfield, Ohio, goes on to Toledo and then onto Geneva.

But he's not the only politician campaigning in the buckeye state today. Tim Kaine is also here, while his running mate, Hillary Clinton, is in another battleground, North Carolina, with Michelle Obama, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, it's going to be an interesting day on the trail, Chris. Thanks so much for that. Despite distress and the divisiveness of this election, a majority of Americans say that things are going well in the country.

This is according to a new CNN ORC (ph) poll. The president's approval ratings are at the highest level since the start of his second term. Here to help us explain this, CNN's Michelle Kosinski. She is live from the White House with more.

How do we explain it, Michelle?

KOSINSKI: Yes, that's right (ph). Well, yes, the headline here is 54 percent of Americans now think things are going well in this country.

And you know the White House loves to try to counter what they term Donald Trump's dark view of how he portrays America. But if just over a half doesn't exactly make you want to jump up and down and write (ph) home about it, consider that that is -- that the highest that that number has been in President Obama's entire time in office.

And just in January of this year, that number was at 42 percent, nor (ph) things get interesting is when you look at polls that ask, "Do you think America is heading in the right direction," that's where two-thirds of Americans, at least, tend to say no. So, most Americans think things are going well right now.

They don't necessarily think things will continue to go well. And there's plenty that could go into that, including inaction in Congress and the upcoming election.

But President Obama's approval rating now -- 55 percent. That is reaching Bill Clintonesque levels. He had 57 percent in his last month in office.

Reagan had 51, George W. Bush, 27 percent. Speaking of which, Hillary Clinton's favorability number lately hasn't exactly been enjoying good news.

It's been hitting new lows. So you can see why her campaign loves to try to benefit from the popularity of the president and the exceeding popularity of the first lady. That's why they -- Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama -- are appearing together in North Carolina today, Chris.

CUOMO: Trying to pull a Bush from 1988, Michelle Kosinski, thank you very much. Let's bring in Republican Congressman Chris Collins of New York.

He was the first member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump.

Congressman, always good to see you. The Trump campaign...

REP. CHRIS COLLINS (R), NEW YORK: Good morning.

CUOMO: ...has been focused on what he says is realistic pessimism about what's going on in the country right now. How do you square that with this number of over 50 percent of the country saying things are going well right now?

COLLINS: Well, it is just barely over 50 percent. I think it's safe to say, you know, it's about the same, 50/50.

You know, polls go up and down day-to-day. I don't know that I fully understand that either, how it can say one thing one day and another thing another.

Polling is not an exact science. But it tells you half the country thinks we're not doing well. Half the country thinks we are doing well. I think when you look at the polling today between Clinton and Trump,

it reflects that. But if you think the country is doing great and you want basically a third term of Barack Obama, you vote for Hillary Clinton.

If you don't think the country is doing great, you want change, you vote for Donald Trump. This is a status quo versus change election.

I think it's about a toss-up. And I think we're seeing that in the polls as things have tightened the last few days. And we're down to the six or so battleground states that (ph) are going decide this election November 8th and...

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Does your analysis...

COLLINS: ...for (ph) the candidates are hanging out.

CUOMO: ...Congressman, does your analysis change at all when you add in the fact that Obama -- President Obama has the highest numbers of his term right now? Do you think that speaks to something about the strength of the country?

Or do you think it's just by comparison, he benefits, you know, looking at Trump and Clinton and how negative everybody is on them? Do you think he's just benefiting from comparison?

COLLINS: Well, you know, I do think there's a -- a little bit of that dead cat balance (ph) in -- in people saying, oh, my god, you know, Donald and -- and Hillary are probably two of the least-liked presidential candidates. And I suppose in comparison, you've made a point.

But even with that said, half the country, you know, doesn't think the country is going in the right direction or think he's doing a good job. So, the country is split.

We have a divided country, much of it because of Barack Obama who never brought us together and was always a divide-and-conquer type of president -- divide the nation and let's see what we can pick off. But it's going to be a tight election in the six battleground states. That's where the candidates are.

We've seen the -- the race tighten the last couple of days. And that's interesting, since the Clinton campaign and some of the liberal media effectively called the race over just two or three days ago.

It's going to be a long night next, you know, a week from Tuesday. And I do still think the undercover voters, much like Brexit, are going to turn this election in Donald Trump's way.

But it's -- it's going to be close.

CUOMO: Let's take a look at the battleground map and seeing how you're talking about it, Congressman. CNN just flipped Nevada and Florida from leaning democratic back to being battlegrounds.

What people will say is -- I don't know if you could see -- we have 272, 179 based on these calculations. When you play with the map, it is hard to see how Trump gets to 270, even if both of those states go his way, with Ohio.

Why do you have the confidence that he gets to 270? What do you see happening that we do not at this stage?

COLLINS: My confidence is he gets to 269 and this race gets tossed into the House of Representatives where he does win. It comes down to Ohio, North Carolina, Florida are a must.

They take him to 253. If you look at the Romney states and -- and add back the two that Romney lost in Ohio and Florida, then he needs 16.

Nevada, Iowa, New Hampshire are 16 electoral college. It takes him to 269. He's tied in Nevada, winning in Iowa.

And he's down three or four in New Hampshire so...

CUOMO: I haven't even -- I haven't heard that yet.

COLLINS: ...and that's leaving...

CUOMO: I haven't heard that theory yet -- the 269 goes to the House, the House is GOP, assuming that you hold on to your seats, hold on to your majority and -- which most $ people think you will -- and then that would do it. What would that do to the country in that scenario?

COLLINS: That's correct.

CUOMO: What do you think happens if that's how it goes?

COLLINS: Well, a whether -- whether it was 271 to 268, or whether it's 269 to 269 and the House -- by the way, it's one vote per state. So it's 50 votes...

CUOMO: Right.

COLLINS: ...and that's the way that's divided up. I think Trump would win 30-20 or 32-28, something along those lines. The country is going to be divided at the end of this election regardless.

It's going to be that close. And that's going to be up to the next president to actually, you know, unite the country again. Donald Trump talks in a language that will unite the country.

You know, Hillary's going to continue in the -- the Barack Obama tone. You know, if you're successful and make money, you're evil. We're going to take your money away.

You don't deserve it, big governments so unfortunately, Chris, I think we're going to be -- we're going to have a period of being divided. The next president is going to have to heal this nation.

That's not going to be an easy job.

CUOMO: Well, it's not going to be an easy job if that next president is Hillary Clinton, because by all indications, you guys are going to sink your teeth into her again with a bunch of hearings that could go on for weeks and months, if not longer. That's what Jason Chaffetz is suggesting.

Are you down with that plan? Do you want to put the country through another revisionist history session on the Clinton Foundation or on whatever you guys decide to pick up on?

COLLINS: Well, it's the job of Congress to hold oversight on the administration. If Hillary Clinton's president, the public does deserve to know the truth.

There's no two ways about that. I don't know anything about the -- the hearings Jason's talking about doing. I think the country already knows the truth, that Hillary cannot be trusted.

She is a liar. I'm not sure if they would bring anything new out, although, you know, everyday, we pick up the paper. We read about, you know, donations going to the executive director of the FBI or the number two, his wife's campaign, you know, the (ph) -- the country's...

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: But I'm just saying, give me a quick answer on this as we end this segment of -- do you think that would be good for the country if Hillary Clinton does win and who knows what happens until November 8, of course, but if she wins, do you think it would help the country if there is an immediate series of hearings going in to the same things that we've just debated in the election?

COLLINS: No, I don't think it would help the country. I think what we'd -- we'd be better off doing is debating the policies, whether it's her continuation of Obamacare or some of her tax policies. I think many of us want to move on to a policy debate, a policy discussion.

And it'll be up to us in -- if she was elected, to make sure America knows we do have a better way. And that better way is not increasing taxes. It's not government takeover with a single payer health care system and so forth.

CUOMO: All right.

COLLINS: So I think I agree. Let's debate the issues.

CUOMO: Well, good. I look forward to revisiting this issue with you after the election, if that's the way it turns out.

COLLINS: Very good, Chris.

CUOMO: Congressman Collins, always a pleasure. Good to have you.

Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris, a new batch of hacked e-mails reveal concern for and about the Clintons. What do these e-mails mean for the final days of the campaign?

We talk to a Clinton supporter, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Wikileaks releasing its latest batch of hacked e-mails, which included detailed memo from a Clinton confidante who works for the family's foundation. And he's discussing how he lined up consulting contracts and high-paying speeches for former President Bill Clinton after he left the White House.

Joining us now to discuss all of this and more is Democratic Congressman and Clinton surrogate, Joe Crowley.

Congressman, thanks so much for being here.

REP. JOSEPH CROWLEY (D), NEW YORK: Thank you, Alisyn. Great to be with you.

CAMEROTA: So these new e-mails that have been released, of course, they were stolen from John Podesta's e-mail account. But basically, what they show is that Doug Band is tasked with two different things.

One is sort of amassing wealth for Bill Clinton, which is totally legit through paid speeches and fund-raising for the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative. And some people feel that the fact that he's doing both and going to some of the same donors for both things is unseemly.

What's your take on that?

CROWLEY: Well, I think there's really nothing new here, though. And I think that people understand that these e-mails, as you said before, were stolen by the Russians, being used to manipulate our system -- our political system, our democracy and Americans (ph).

There's (ph) really nothing new here being found in terms of maybe the machinations behind the scenes of how this all gets put together.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CROWLEY: But people know that the Clintons have been engaged in speeches in the past and have been involved, as well, in their foundation. There's nothing new.

CAMEROTA: But the fact that these things were tangled together through Doug Band, is that unseemly?

CROWLEY: Well, look, I think what we do know is that the Clintons have -- have led this foundation for many years, have brought a lot of good around the world. And -- and behind the scenes, I think it's just more -- more gobbly (ph) for people to do just -- it really doesn't really change anything at this point.

CAMEROTA: But I meant (ph), one is a tax exempt charity and one is amassing personal wealth. Is it OK for those things to be combined?

CROWLEY: I think there's no news here. I think the fact the president of the United States -- former president of the United States made speeches, continues to make speeches, it's not like it's shocking that a former president has become wealthy after their presidency ends. So there's -- outside of Ulysses S. Grant, who at the end, wrote a memoir to want to pay his family, pay back bills, it's really nothing new here at all.

CAMEROTA: But beyond it being new, you're OK with that? You're comfortable with that?

CROWLEY: I'm comfortable knowing that Hillary Clinton will be the next president of the United States. That's what I'm comfortable about (ph).

The -- the fear that I have is that Donald Trump might be elected in some way. As a kid from Queens, that -- that scares me like -- like nothing else.

CAMEROTA: One of the people who thought that there was something murky going on with Chelsea Clinton, and she wrote in this e-mail that has been released, "My father was told today of explicit examples at CGI, Clinton Global Initiative, of Doug Band" -- that, of course, is the head of them, who we're talking about, Teneo, his company, "pushing for and receiving free memberships and have multiple examples of Teneo hustling business at Clinton Global Initiative and people now having quit at CGI," presumably because of it. "Ilya believes Hannah and Justin have taken significant sums of money from my parents personally, some in expenses -- cars, et cetera, and others directly."

So if there's nothing new or if there's nothing wrong, why is Chelsea Clinton concerned?

CROWLEY: Well, look, again, as you started out this conversation -- stolen e-mails -- these are stolen inner thoughts of people, maybe suggestions or thoughts or ideas, and (ph) observations they are making that people do. And -- and I think, you know, in many respects, it really doesn't, again, shed any new light on the fact -- the American voters are sick and tired of 60 months of talking about e-mails.

What they want to talk about is the policy and how we're going to improve this country, not further investigations. They want to move forward and -- and really improve the standing of America.

And that's what the American voter is looking at.

CAMEROTA: Well, agreed. But they also are concerned about a rigged system. They are concerned about the rich getting richer through special deals.

I mean, this is sort of the thing that has -- that drove people to Bernie Sanders and possibly to Donald Trump, and the fact that there -- maybe there are special favors happening with the Clintons. They get things that regular people don't get.

Does that worry you?

CROWLEY: If people worried about rich getting richer, like Donald Trump -- Donald Trump has been about making rich people like himself even richer at the expense of working men and women -- not paying people, his contractors -- paying the pennies on the dollar. When -- when 3,000 people lose their jobs in a casino, he walks away.

He doesn't care about their lives or their families' lives. He walks away and then he takes a loss.

And then for years on end, he doesn't pay any taxes. Those are the kind of shenanigans. That's the kind of machinations behind the scenes the American people are sick and tired of.

And they want to see a new direction. Hillary Clinton is that new direction.

CAMEROTA: Are you worried that the connection between the Clinton Foundation and Bill Clinton's wealth and the State Department, where Hillary Clinton was there, is enough that it will give the Republicans ammunition? For instance, for the investigations that you're talking about, further commissions, further probes.

Here is what Jason Chaffetz has said about all of this if Hillary Clinton were to be elected. He says in the statement -- this was out yesterday, "Even before we get to day one, we've got two years' worth of material already lined up.

She has four years of history at the State Department. And it ain't good."

CROWLEY: They're salivating (ph). They -- they can't wait. I mean, look, as I said before, nothing new here, more information to delve into and look at.

But I -- I -- I think what we -- the American people want us to do is move on. They want us to move forward and talk about the policy.

I do Chris -- agree with Chris Collins who just said, he would prefer that we talk about policies and not this continuation of a witch-hunt. You know, when Nancy Pelosi took control of the House of Representatives as speaker, she was called upon to investigate then President Bush and Vice President Cheney, leading us into an illegal war, lying to American Congress.

And she felt it was important that we move forward and not put the American people through that. Unfortunately, our Republican colleagues have -- have taken a different and exact opposite approach.

And it has really has hurt our country. And it's hurt our standing in the world. That needs to end.

CAMEROTA: Congressman Joe Crowley, thanks so much for being here on "New Day."

CROWLEY: Thank you now (ph).

CAMEROTA: Great to see you. Let's get over to Chris.

CUOMO: All right, so for all the talk about policy, most votes come down to the personal. And in politics, that's called character.

So who wins the character contest? Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: T minus 12 until we have a new president-elect. Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump -- both say the other one sucks, basically.

Really, when it comes to character, they both say they're the worst people in the world about -- when they're talking about their opposition. So character is going to matter.

In fact, it probably matters as much as anything when voters actually pull that curtain back and do what they're going to do. Let's bring in national spokesperson from moveon.org and Hillary Clinton supporter, Karine Jean-Pierre and CNN Political Commentator and former Donald Trump campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski.

This has been the battleground since jump on this with Donald Trump -- his Billy Bush tape, his allegations from these women coming forward, have kind of put a hit on his character appraisal. He just spoke about it moments ago.

Let's play his sound now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): And "People" magazine story, they brought forward six...

TRUMP: Why didn't she write the story 12 years ago?

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): She says she was afraid.

TRUMP: Oh, she was afraid. Give me a break. If she was afraid to write it, she would have gotten the Pulitzer Prize. Give me a break.

So all these women, everyone they (ph)...

(CROSSTALK)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Why didn't you (inaudible)...

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: They made up stories. You know why? Fame or they wanted to help Clinton or something. They made up...

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): They came out after you denied the... TRUMP: George, George, George, let's not waste any more time. These stories were fabricated. They're total lies.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): So you're going to go through with the lawsuit?

TRUMP: We'll find out. Let's see what happens with the election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: OK, first, this issue, why do you think this matters so much and means that Hillary Clinton should win the character contest?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, MOVEON.ORG: Well, look, I -- I want to go back to, just for a second, about the e-mails, right? There were the -- the e-mails.

The thing that Hillary Clinton was able to do was she apologized for the e-mails. She said she made a mistake. And she -- she moved on.

And it's come up a couple of times and the drip, drip, drip certainly has hurt her. But on the other end, speak (ph) -- to your question, Donald Trump refuses to apologize, right?

He bragged -- he bragged...

CUOMO: Yes, but wait (ph), if you apologize about the e-mails, you are revealing or exposing yourself, making yourself vulnerable to impropriety, not illegality and sexual assault. That's a much bigger give (ph).

JEAN-PIERRE: Well -- well, here's the thing -- the thing about it is he bragged about not apologizing, even to his wife on the debate stage.

CUOMO: Because he says it's not true.

JEAN-PIERRE: But still, it's what -- what it did, right? What -- it had to embarrass her to some degree for it to be out there, right?

And not only that, he talked about changing the liable laws, right, so that he can sue journalists for writing bad stories about him, which, by the way, isn't...