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New Day

Big Turnout in Some Polling Locations; Clinton, Trump Wind Up Campaigns; Interview with Sen. Tim Kaine; Trump & Clinton Battle for Florida. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 08, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Phil, what's the latest?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

[07:00:04] Obviously a crucial swing state here, a state that both campaigns say really is still a toss-up, a state that Hillary Clinton could effectively close the door on Donald Trump's campaign if she wins. That is exactly why even into this morning at 1 a.m., she was still talking to supporters, trying to close that deal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Hillary Clinton back home in New York after crisscrossing the country on her final day of campaigning, hoping to make history tonight.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Our core values are being tested in this election, but my faith in our future has never been stronger.

MATTINGLY: Appealing to voters at a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, flanked by Jon Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga.

CLINTON: There is no reason, my friends, why America's best days are not ahead of us.

MATTINGLY: Tens of thousands gathered outside Philadelphia's Independence Hall for her largest rally of the campaign. President Obama and the first lady rallying voters for Clinton.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Are you fired up? Are you ready to go?

MATTINGLY: And pleading with them to protect their legacy.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm also emotional because, in many ways, speaking here tonight is perhaps the last and most important thing that I can do for my country as first lady.

B. OBAMA: I am betting that tomorrow you will reject fear, and you'll choose hope.

MATTINGLY: Obama symbolically passing the torch, pulling out Clinton's step stool for her to speak. B. OBAMA: It's going to be permanently there for you.

MATTINGLY: Clinton zeroing in on her closing argument.

CLINTON: Every issue you care about is on that ballot.

MATTINGLY: Trying to move past this divisive campaign.

CLINTON: We have to bridge the divides in our country.

I regret deeply how angry the tone of the campaign became.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not your fault.

MATTINGLY: A deliberate move, aides tell CNN, to prepare for what happens next, should she win tonight. Governing.

CLINTON: Tomorrow night this election will end, but I want you to understand, our work together will be just beginning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And guys, while the field teams are hard at work, definitely busting it at the very end here today, the candidates really only have one thing to do, and that's vote. Something Tim Kaine has already done. And I know you guys are talking to him in a couple minutes. And you have to ask him about this. Our embed with Tim Kaine, Betsy Cline pointing out that Tim Kaine was second in line today to vote. Who was in front of him? Ninety-nine-year-old Minerva Turpin (ph). Guys, election day is very, very cool.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it is. I think we can all agree on that. And we will ask him, Phil. Thanks so much for that tip.

Donald Trump using one last campaign swing to hit many of the same notes used throughout his unconventional run. He's slamming Clinton, the Washington establishment, and of course, the media. Trump says he expects the working class to help him win the presidency.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty live at Trump Tower in New York with more -- Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Alisyn.

Well, we certainly saw vintage Donald Trump out on his last and final day of the campaign trail. Trump arriving back here into New York just a few hours ago, after making that aggressive final push in Michigan, campaigning until past 1 a.m. this morning.

Trump says that this has certainly been a long journey for him. And now, 511 days after that journey first started here at Trump Tower, it comes down to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's now officially Tuesday, November 8.

SERFATY (voice-over): Donald Trump pulling off one final campaign frenzy.

TRUMP: Today is our independence day. Today the American working class is going to strike back.

SERFATY: Sprinting to the finish with a rousing midnight speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, blitzing through five states in the final 24 hours.

TRUMP: I thought New Hampshire was going to be my last speech, and I heard that Crooked Hillary Clinton was coming to Michigan. I said, let's follow it up.

SERFATY: Trump knocking Clinton's celebrity supporters.

TRUMP: We don't need Jay-Z or Beyonce. We don't need Jon Bon Jovi. We don't need Lady Gaga.

SERFATY: And trying to project confidence.

TRUMP: Today we're going to win the great state of Michigan, and we are going to win back the White House.

SERFATY: The Republican candidate even reflective in his final campaign rally.

TRUMP: It's almost hard to believe. We started a year and a half ago. We started with 17 very talented people. Now we have one flawed candidate left to beat.

SERFATY: Earlier, Trump talking up a celebrity friend of his own, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

TRUMP: He called today, and he said, "Donald, I support you. You're my friend, and I voted for you."

SERFATY: But Brady hasn't publicly endorsed Trump, and yesterday he denied having cast his ballot on a Boston radio show.

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: No, I haven't voted yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERFATY: And Donald Trump will be going to vote here in New York City later this morning. He'll spend some part of the day here at Trump Tower. And at some point, he will move over to his watch party that's taking place a short distance away at a midtown Manhattan hotel. And interestingly, Chris, that is only 1.5 miles away from where Hillary Clinton is hosting her own watch party. So fascinating that these candidates will be so close as the results come back.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All these jokers online talking about how it could turn into a brawl like one of those things in "Anchorman." But hopefully everybody votes, everybody votes their conscience, and tonight you have a winner and a loser and both start to move together. Sunlen, thank you very much.

Polls just opened in Florida, arguably one of the most coveted prizes among the battleground states.

We have CNN's Boris Sanchez live in Hialeah, a strong Cuban-American community north of Miami. Boris, you've been reporting excellently about how you are seeing a great increase in the Hispanic and Latino vote, but the Cuban vote is something unique unto itself.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is, Chris. And it's something that Donald Trump is really banking on to try to help him close the gap that there is between Republicans and Democrats in early voting right now.

Traditionally GOP-leaning Cuban community here in Miami-Dade is something that has swayed elections before. This time, though, it might be different. We've seen this community become more progressive over time. The question, obviously, now is which direction will they turn.

Here in Hialeah, we've seen a steadily line of about two dozen, almost three dozen people now starting to get into the polls. Overall in the state of Florida, we've seen tremendous turnout: 6.5 million Floridians have already cast their ballots. That's more people than voted in the 2000 election altogether. We're expecting tremendous turnout today and in the coming hours.

Again, that 89 percent jump in the Latino vote is something to watch for. Not just here in Miami but also in Orlando and all across the I- 4 corridor, Chris.

CAMEROTA: I'll take it, Boris. Thanks so much for that.

So both campaigns are hitting the campaign trail in Michigan on the campaign's final day. Donald Trump hoping to crack Hillary Clinton's blue wall.

CNN's Jessica Schneider is live in Warren, Michigan. Polls have just opened moments ago. What are you seeing there, Jessica?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, no shortage of enthusiastic voters out here. That's right. The polls opened at 7 a.m. And I actually talked to the first woman who was in line. She got here at 5:45, an hour and 15 minutes before these polls even open. So you can see the long lines forming out here.

Now Michigan has become a focal point in just the past week or so. The candidates and their surrogates making a beeline out here to try to capture the 16 electoral votes that are at stake. In fact, Donald Trump held his final rally in Michigan in the western part of the state last night. He was right here in Macomb County. Hillary Clinton also making a stop in this s$$* yesterday.

Now, this state, though, hasn't gone for a Republican nominee since 1988. So what's different this year? Well, this county, in fact, might be different. We're in Macomb County. These are the blue- collar suburbs of Detroit. And this is the home of the Reagan Democrat.

So Donald Trump is counting on this county to potentially flip. It voted for President Obama in '08 and 2012. Wondering, though, if this year could be different. No early voting, though, so today is the only day that really counts -- Alisyn and Chris.

CUOMO: Big day in the alleged blue wall vote there in Michigan. We'll be all over it. Jessica, thank you very much.

Let's discuss what's happening and the implications with our panel. CNN political commentator, senior writer for "The Federalist," Mary Katharine Ham; "Washington Post" reporter, Abby Phillip; CNN senior political analyst and senior editor for "The Atlantic," Ron Brownstein; and CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for "The Daily Beast," Jackie Kucinich.

So you've been burying me in the numbers all morning. So I'm going to come at you with a theoretical. Does this proposition come down to this? Which one of these candidates gets rejected less by the group they are trying to court. To whit, Donald Trump trying to avoid this blue-collar coalition looking at him and saying, "You ain't us." And the Obama coalition of emerging Latinos and Hispanics and African- Americans looking at Hillary Clinton and saying, "You ain't us."

BROWNSTEIN: They both need to maximize -- look, the divergence in the preferences are so great that they both need to max out turnout from their side. And I think you have an election that is fast forwarding changes that we have been seeing over the last 20 years but really accelerating.

[07:10:04] A Republican coalition that is becoming more dependent on blue-collar, working-class white America and thus, over time, will focus more on those Rust Belt states like Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, where they're more most prevalent.

A Democratic coalition, Hillary Clinton has really tried to embrace, but as you point out, have had problems kind of getting the embrace returned that is increasingly white-collar whites and minority America. And that is tilting them more toward the Sun Belt.

CAMEROTA: Panel, stick around.

We are joined right now -- we want to go right now to the Democratic vice-presidential nominee and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Good morning, Senator.

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Hey, guys. Great to be with you. Thanks.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you here. How are you feeling?

KAINE: I feel good. I voted, got to my polling place about quarter until 6. We open polls at 6 a.m. in Virginia. And there was already a line. And by the time I had voted a few minutes after 6, the line was very long. Combined with what we've seen in early vote and absentee voting, we think that there's going to be a huge turnout. And that is good news for democracy when people participate.

CAMEROTA: We actually watched you vote. Here you are. There were a lot of questions about who the lovely lady next to you was as you walked in. and we found out that, that is 99-year-old Minerva Turpin. I don't know if you chatted her up on your way in.

KAINE: I did.

CAMEROTA: Who's she voting for?

KAINE: Well, Ms. Turpin gave me reason to believe that I might win her vote. She is the -- I voted at a senior center, the Hermitage Methodist Retirement Home. It's two blocks from my House. And she is the president of the residents' association. And so she welcomed me. She was the first voter. I was the second voter. She pinned my "you voted" sticker on after I completed my ballot.

CAMEROTA: That is very sweet. So senator, let's talk about the message of unity that Hillary Clinton is now hitting and what's going to happen maybe tomorrow. I want to play for you -- I know you were there, but what Hillary Clinton said last night in terms of she wants to be president for the whole country. So watch this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I also want you to know I will be a president for all Americans. Democrats, Republicans, independents, not just the people who support me in this election, everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So senator, that's a lovely message. Why hasn't Hillary Clinton been hitting that message harder for more weeks and months?

KAINE: Well, I will say this, Alisyn. You know, the stronger together message is what she chose a year or so ago. And that really is what we've been trying to convey, that we are a nation that's stronger together. That's the e pluribus unum. We have john warner, our long-time senator, who's a Republican supporting a Democratic nominee for the first time in his life.

So this -- you do have to draw contrasts. And it's important to do that. But the burden will be on our shoulders, if we're fortunate enough to win, to put together a team and promote policies and speak in a way that shows that we want to be an administration for everybody.

CAMEROTA: But Senator, I mean, yes, you say she had the slogan "stronger together" for more than a year now.

But it was also during one of the debates where she named Republicans as her greatest enemy. She also more recently called half of Donald Trump's supporters deplorables. That's not the message of unity and "I want to be president for everybody."

KAINE: Well, and then she within a day said, "Wow, I shouldn't have $said it that way," taking responsibility and saying -- and I know this from on the campaign trail. We say things that -- because we're given tons of speeches a day and we then say, you know what? I could have said that better. And that's what she does.

But I'll tell you this. I'm in the Senate. Hillary Clinton was in the Senate for eight years. And she's got a lot of colleagues there on the Republican side who tell me Hillary was a great person to work with. She was a great partner. She is going to put those skills to the test. I was a Democratic governor in a Virginia where I had two Republican Houses. I worked well across the aisle in the Senate. The blessing of being able to serve, we've got to show right out of the gate that we want to bring people together. And that's in words. It's in the team we put together.

Also, we have to promote policies that show people even who didn't vote for us that we've been paying attention to concerns that they have, and we're trying to address them in a good-faith way. And we'll be up to the task.

CAMEROTA: I mean, and that is actually what I'm getting at, which is what happens tomorrow? I mean, let's say that you are fortunate enough to win. Then how do you incorporate Donald Trump on to your team or at least all of his passionate supporters?

KAINE: Well, you know, there are going to be some who are not going to just automatically say, "Great, I'm glad Hillary Clinton is president." We're not unrealistic about that.

But a lot of Donald Trump supporters have some of the same concerns that our supporters have. There's economic anxieties. The economy is growing again. The unemployment rate has been cut in half. People are moving upward out of poverty at record rate between 2014 and 2015.

[07:15:14] But there's still an economic anxiety because of the zip code they live in or maybe the industry they trained in. They don't see the path for themselves to be successful. That is the first thing we have to speak to. And if we can work with Congress to speak to that economic anxiety, to do what Hillary has said, put a jobs package on the table that is significant, then even folks who didn't vote for us will say, "Well, they're listening."

And it will be up to us to work and try to make some accomplishments in areas that will show people that we have been paying attention. Hillary is a great listener. We know what the concerns are out there. And again, we don't take anything for granted. We want people to participate. We have to win first. But if we do, then we need to speak to those concerns.

CAMEROTA: Yes. And if you win, and Hillary Clinton win tomorrow, what is Director James Comey's fate?

KAINE: You know, that's something that we haven't even spent time thinking about. We've been so focused on this issue of winning. We are at least happy that, after the letter came out two Fridays ago and we said, "Look, if you're going to raise a question, please answer it. Give the public all the information they need." We were very happy when Sunday he clarified, "OK, we've looked at these e-mails. They don't change the conclusion. No reasonable prosecutor would move forward on this case."

He had testified to Congress that wasn't even a close call. And we're very glad that he clarified that once again on Sunday.

CAMEROTA: Back to all of Donald Trump's supporters for a moment. You know, the Democratic Party has long been the party of the working guy. But this year something different is happening. It's possible that Donald Trump will win those folks by a margin of two to one over you both. So where do you think the disconnect is?

KAINE: Well, look, you know, we're a closely divided nation. So we feel really good about the Hillary coalition, the coalition of voters of all income levels, of all races around this country that are turning out in early vote in ways that make us feel good about the likely outcome.

But, you know, I would say that an issue that we do have to grapple with is the one that I talked about early, which is economic anxieties. And - and President Obama came in with the economy in a free fall. We've added 15.5 million new jobs, unemployment rate cut in half. 401(k) policies are worth something again. But just because the economy is doing better on average doesn't mean that everybody is doing better.

And that means this notion of an economy that works for everybody, not just those at the top, which is the first of the three pillars of Hillary's campaign. That's something that we've got to focus on.

CAMEROTA: If there's anybody out there watching right now who is still undecided, Senator, what's your final pitch to them?

KAINE: I would say Hillary's got a lifelong passion to empower families and kids. She's got the experience and the judgment to build that economy that works for everybody and to keep us safe in a challenging world.

And finally, Hillary and I believe in a community of respect and togetherness, not a community of insults and division. And I think that notion of we're all in this together is something that's deeply held by the American public. And I think that's the kind of president that Hillary will be. And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that the administration succeeds in that.

CAMEROTA: Would -- would Hillary Clinton put a Republican in the cabinet?

KAINE: You know, we haven't talked about it, but look, I think you're going to see a cabinet -- this is my prediction. I think you're going to see a cabinet that really represents who America is in a most trend-setting and path-breaking way. And that's regional. That's demographic. But it's also different points of view. So that's for her to decide. We've talked about it, but I think you're going to see a cabinet that looks like America. CAMEROTA: Very quickly, on the lighter note, I wanted to read a

headline that CBS news had, which was, "Clinton Has a Universe of Star Surrogates and Also Tim Kaine." Ouch, No. 1.

KAINE: That just has the ring -- that just has the ring of truth to it.

CAMEROTA: But you know what? They're selling you short. Because you were playing harmonica with Bon Jovi last night. I believe we have some B-roll. Come on. Tell me there isn't some star power on that stage. What was it like to be next to my Jersey boy?

KAINE: Well, we had a great time playing "You Give Love a Bad Name." And I played a lot of harmonica on the trail. I would say that and being able to speak Spanish are the two fun things I've been able to do during my 105-day adventure.

But being with Jon Bon Jovi on stage, it's hard to top that.

CAMEROTA: "You Give Love a Bad Name." Great shout out there. Senator Tim Kaine, thanks so much for taking time to be on NEW DAY. We will speak to you again.

KAINE: All right. Thanks so much.

CAMEROTA: Coming up on NEW DAY, we'll hear from the other side when Donald Trump Jr. will join us live in our next hour -- Chris.

[07:20:05] CUOMO: Well, he's got the enthusiasm going. That's what you need. The candidates making their final pitches to voters who may still be making up their minds. How successful were the closing arguments? What are the main questions for the voters as they enter that all-important booth today? Reaction next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: We just heard from Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine about what's at stake today, why he believes his ticket is the right one for America. So what is this final proposition that the voters are going to carry into the booth this morning? Let's discuss.

We have Mary Katharine Ham, Ron Brownstein, Jackie Kucinich, Abby Phillip.

This interesting proposition that Alisyn was putting to Tim Kaine.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

CUOMO: You say that you're going to be good for all of America and you have this unique Hillary coalition. The question is, does that coalition think that Kaine and Clinton are for them?

[07:25:08] BROWNSTEIN: Yes, well, I think that coalition does, but the other coalition is really in a different place.

You know, go back to the '90s. A lot of people who voted for Bill Clinton respected George H.W. Bush or Bob Dole. In 2000 it was kind of a commonplace that many people, "All right, I'll take Gore. Or I could take Bush." Even, I think, an Obama/McCain in 2008. There were a lot of people who respected the other candidate.

Look at the polling now. Ninety percent of Clinton voters say they have a deeply unfavorable view of Trump. Ninety percent of Trump voters say they have a deeply unfavorable view of Clinton. Whoever wins will come in with 45 percent of the country really, really unhappy that they are president and probably a divided government, as well. Certainly, if Clinton wins.

So there is a lot of work to do to find any kind of reasonable coalition that can move forward on the big challenges facing the country. And I think the resistance to the winner -- we've been kind of heading in this direction -- but the resistance to the winner is going to be greater than we've seen even in the last 25 years.

CAMEROTA: I mean, I brought up the basket of deplorables comment with Tim Kaine. And he said, "Well, look, she apologized afterwards for that." But she apologized for saying half, not for saying that they are deplorable. I mean, what would make Donald Trump supporters think that Hillary Clinton is now going to embrace them?

PHILLIP: In the last couple of weeks, we've watched Hillary Clinton really come to terms with this reality that, if she's elected, she's going to have to be the one to -- to really do that task, bringing the country together. She said in a recent interview, maybe this is just what I have to do. Maybe this is sort of fate.

And I think the irony of it is not lost on her. She is a really divisive person in American politics. She's -- she recognizes that. And I think that the basket of deplorables didn't help her, but that's in some ways kind of the least of her worries. I mean, we're going into a situation where Republicans have basically said, "Hey, if she's elected, we are just going to investigate her from now until kingdom come." And that's -- that's, for a lot of Americans, something that makes them -- makes their stomachs turn. It makes them want this to not be the reality that they're facing.

CUOMO: I mean, look, M.K., you're a great illustration of this struggle within the ideological base of the Republican Party to deal with Donald Trump. So in psychology, they have reaction formation. I'm calling this rejection formation, which is where you've got blue- collar workers, struggling middle-class families, and your traditional GOP base, many whom look at Trump and say, "You ain't us."

And whoever gets that answer at the best caliber, Clinton or Trump, that reaction of negativity of this rejection, will probably win this race.

MARY KATHARINE HAM, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right. Well, one idea after the election, if indeed Clinton won, is that -- actually, either way. If Tim Kaine could talk us to in his dad voice for a couple of days and let everybody chill out a little bit, he might be the better messenger for that. But look, this whole race has been a race to the bottom of the barrel.

Not just rhetoric, not just TV ads, that kind of thing that we usually complain about. But the fact that these two candidates are deeply untrusted and disliked. And so it is a battle about who rejects them more.

And I think what you are seeing in the Clinton side, though, I think is you're seeing some of these college-educated and suburban voters that a Romney would have gotten come over to her side. So maybe there is a little bit more crossover in this polarized nation for her than there was in the past.

But on the Trump side, you see that drop off in white blue-collar voters that comes to his side. So we're seeing this odd mixing but a polarization at the same time.

CAMEROTA: Jackie, what are you looking at on this last day?

KUCINICH: I mean, just to jump off what Mary Katharine said there, I mean, some of the Republicans that are voting for her don't like her. They're not thrilled by her. They're probably voting cross ballot. They're voting -- I've got friends in Florida who are voting for Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio. That is going to be -- those cross- ballot votes on -- to the extent that they are both sides -- I feel like it's more on the Democratic -- Republican side for Hillary Clinton and the Republican, that's going to be really interesting to see at the end of the night, how much that actually played in. Because there were moments where Hillary Clinton was targeting those -- the Republican voter who just wasn't sure about Donald Trump.

BROWNSTEIN: You know, it's almost certain that in the exit polls tonight a majority of the voters will say they don't trust Hillary Clinton. That doesn't mean she can't win. A majority of the voters said they didn't trust Bill Clinton in 1996 in the exit poll, and he won by eight points. Twenty percent of the people who said that they didn't trust him voted for him, because there are other things they cared about. They cared about "feel like them" and so forth.

But the fact is, she's going to -- if she wins, and I think for Donald Trump it will probably be the majority that say they don't trust him. Whoever wins is going to come in with this big headwind. You know, and we have -- further, like talk about separate nations. Almost all the Republicans who win are going to come from places that voted against Clinton. And almost all the Democrats who win are going to come from places that voted against Trump. So there's going to be this sense of two Americas after this election, and the hard part is it's going to not be easy for any president to kind of pull it back together.

CUOMO: Especially when Abby, so much of the dialogue has been division. You know, and I know the Clinton campaign will say, no, our hand was forced by everything that he says. Whatever. You make choices in elections.

But his message has been clear. Everything stinks. America's never been in worse shape. And I can fix it. And hers has been, you know, largely look at this guy. He can't be president. So how do you expect people to be anywhere but like this?