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Macron, Le Pen Advance To Runoff In French Election; Trump Voters On His First 100 Days In Office; Grading The President; Trump Voters On His Accomplishments & Failures. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired April 24, 2017 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:31:04] CHRIS COUMO, CNN ANCHOR: Political shakeup rocking France. Two outsider presidential candidates, Macron and Marine Le Pen finished at the top of the most consequential election in recent history. That means, you're going to have a runoff and just hours after the election, Le pen has launched the first campaign attack before the actual election.
CNN's Hala Gorani live in Paris. Certainly going to be blood sport over there. A lot of intensity on the table. How do you see it?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are two diametrically opposed candidates ideologically on either and of the spectrum, Marine Le Pen, anti-immigration closed the borders, fight radical Islamism against Emmanuel Macron, proudly delivering a victory speech with an E.U. flag behind him. Marine Le Pen is a Eurosceptic, she's sceptical as well as NATO against any kind of intervention in the Middle East.
Emmanuel Macron on all those fronts, the exact opposite. So, this is an ideological battle but the results as you mentioned, very, very significant, Chris. Why? Because Marine Le Pen came in second in the first round. They will both face-off in the runoff but the far right national front was not the first party of France yesterday in the vote on Sunday. And it's Emmanuel Macron, an unknown centrist. A man who a year ago was largely essentially not known to even the French public.
He's come from nowhere. He is a 39-year-old. His supporters say he reminds us of Barack Obama. In fact, some of the same campaigning techniques were used in the campaign in France for Emmanuel Macron. So, this is decisive not just for the country, it's decisive for Europe and the world because if Emmanuel Macron wins in the second round and he's widely expected to do so, this means that the E.U. stays intact after Brexit that the Franco-Germans sort of European engine will remain and that Europe is not necessarily trend at this stage. In fact, markets in this part of the world have rallied today. Chris.
CUOMO: All right, Hala. And how deep is the skepticism of those precepts that, ah, you know - you know, we've seen a little bit of a quieting of this wave of nationalism of extreme populism. But you never what's going to happen. I was saying the same stuff before Brexit. Where do the French people feel in terms of where they are in the wave of change?
GORANI: That's an excellent point. And that's of course, something that many observers have brought up. You know, don't assume that the centrist politician is going to win. Why? Because Marine Le Pen got 21, 22 percent of the vote. But then there is a left wing populism in this country in the person of - a name named (INAUDIBLE) not a household name, granted outside of this country. Also a Eurosceptic together, 45 percent of the vote. There is a lot of anti- establishment fever in this country as well even if the centrist came in first. Back to you.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Hala, thank you very much for all of that. I'll just speak for you.
CUOMO: I swear, I sounded so good there for a second.
CAMEROTA: President Trump is just days away from the 100-day mark. So, I sat down with some diehard Trump voters. Are they happy today?
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CAMEROTA: A new ABC news, Washington Post poll shows 96 percent of republicans would vote for President Trump all over again today. Only two percent regret their vote. We sat down with a spirited group of Trump voters. They came from South Carolina, upstate New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, here to New York to tell us how they are feeling as we approach 100 days. What do they love? What do they hate? Here is part one of our panel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: So, show hands. Who here is very, very happy as we approach 100 days? Three people very, very happy with how President Trump is doing. Who here now has maybe some reservation? Who here regrets their vote for President Trump? Ileen, you did not raise your hand for anything.
ILEEN WOOD, VOTED FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't raise my hand because I didn't think any of those answers reflected how I feel.
CAMEROTA: How are you feeling?
WOOD: I feel that I'm basically happy and I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude because it is only 100 days.
CAMEROTA: OK. So, Scott, you regret your vote. What did you regret?
SCOTT MCCOMMONS, VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP: I'm disappointed. I don't know how else to put it. You know, he's got enough time to get on Twitter and rant and rave and then on top of that, lie on Twitter. I voted for the man to make America great again. I'm willing to give him a chance but it's just not -- he is not doing what I thought that he make promises on these rallies that I went to, I just think he --
CAMEROTA: Such as? I mean, what do you feel is a broken promise?
MCCOMMONS: Healthcare.
CAMEROTA: What did you expect with health care?
MCCOMMONS: I expected him to work a little harder. Little more reasonable. Instead of threatening people, congress people, I -- that's unpresidential. I voted to send him to Washington strictly because I thought he would make change. Nobody would push him around. You know, he's used his power against people. I think that's wrong. It's been a disaster I think in the first 100 days. If I would vote again tomorrow, I would not vote for him.
CAMEROTA: Kraig, how do you feel?
KRAIG MOSS, VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP: Well, what's got my attention is on January 15th in Urbandale, Iowa, it came that Donald Trump promised me that he was going to make more available detox centers and rehabilitation programs for heroin-addicted people..
CAMEROTA: Because you lost a son?
MOSS: I lost a son three years ago. He died January 6, 2014. His name is Rob Jay-R Moss.
CAMEROTA: Of a heroin overdose?
MOSS: Of a heroin overdose.
CAMEROTA: And the president, then-Candidate Trump promised you personally that he was going to do something?
MOSS: He sure did. He -- it was a question and answer period in one of his rallies because I asked him if he becomes president what he'll do to combat the ongoing heroin epidemic we have in this country.
CAMEROTA: What did he say he would do?
MOSS: Well, he said he was going to help get the kids off. He said it's a strong and he said, it's hard to get off and he's going to create or make detox centers and rehabilitation programs more available, more accessible to these kids and young adults to help them get off this drug.
CAMEROTA: Did you think that was all going to happen in the first 100 days?
MOSS: Well, I didn't know when it was going to happen. But the fact of the matter is, he tried to push through a healthcare plan that did absolutely opposite of what he campaigned on. He campaigned, he told us that he was going to create a healthcare plan that was going to be lower deductible, lower overall cost and increase coverages. The fact of the matter is it was going to cut services and going to eliminate Medicaid. It was going to eliminate $5 billion for the eservices to opioid substance-abuse people. The hardest thing for me to take was that you said, OK, we're going on to tax reform, we're going to put healthcare off to the side and we're going to go ahead and wait until Obamacare explodes and then we'll see how they like this bill. And that to me did not sound like the words of the man that had the best interests of the American people at hand.
CAMEROTA: So, Susan, a diehard supporter of President Trump. I mean, you're quite happy with what he has done so far. So, what do you think when you hear, you know, your fellow republicans who have, you know, some regret?
SUSAN DELEMUS, (R) FORMER NEW HAMPSHIER STATE REPRESENTATIVE: I think he tried. It's a - it's a very ugly thing seeing the sausage made when you're - when you're dealing with legislation. It's -- it really is horrendous. And I don't think he had probably as much of an idea as we hoped.
CAMEROTA: I mean, he did campaign as a dealmaker. I mean, he did campaigned -
SUSAN: This is true.
CAMEROTA: -- as the ultimate dealmaker. And Paula, he did say that he was going to be able to bring warring factions together. So how do you explain what happened with the healthcare bill?
PAULA JOHNSON, (R) FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: I blame a lot on Paul Ryan. I call him Rino Ryan. And I - so I think they pulled the wool over President Trump's eyes. He is not a politician and I'm - I can reiterate what Susan is saying where I was in the house and I sat at local levels. Although you want everything to come out just exactly perfect the way you wanted. You sometimes have to compromise to get it done.
CAMEROTA: The senate is currently republican majority. And the house is republican majority. So if you can't get a bill passed -- why are you nodding, Scott?
MCCOMMONS: Because it's just - the reason I'm nodding is because he's not willing to sit down at the table and negotiate. It's his way or the highway.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: I disagree with that. I will tell you why.
MCCOMMONS: Then why did he get pulled off the table?
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: OK. Hold on. Go ahead. Let her talk.
JOHNSON: He walked into the lion's den. This is what you call the swamp. When you are dealing with the house and senate, they are their own live clique, their own little fraction, and now you've got an outsider coming in who's not one of the swampy people and he's coming in a fresh person. And, you know what, it's an unfortunate thing that we've allowed congress to get this far to the swampy level that we cannot get up and make them represent us. I see you shaking your head. Tell me the last time congress represented you and done something that was right for you. They would never have given you Obamacare if they represented you properly.
CAMEROTA: Right. Scott.
MCCOMMMONS: You know, it is not true. It's not true. The bottom line is, you know, as she said, he has both houses. He gets on twitter. He rants and raves and he says constantly, get on board or lose your seat. Plain and simple. He threatens people. It is wrong.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: People did lose their seats.
MCCOMMONS: You're wrong. I'm telling you're wrong.
CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Alex.
ALEX CHALGREN, VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP: I'm not going to put the blame on Speaker Ryan or on Trump. I think it's because of the lack of bipartisan work. And I think there is gridlock within congress.
CAMEROTA: Yes. But I mean, on the larger issue, did you expect President Trump, the ultimate dealmaker as he builds himself to be able to make more headway with these things?
CHALGREN: Not necessarily within the first 100 days. I did not. So, yes, I expected him working with the executive branch to get things done as he has been doing with these executive orders and things like that which are wonderful.
MOSS: He grilled down the healthcare bill and tried to sell it to the American people. Well, known it didn't represent what he campaigned on.
MCCOMMONS: That's correct.
CHALGREN: But that's because he was expected --
MOSS: It doesn't matter if he - if he - if it was given to him and he - and so (INAUDIBLE) it doesn't matter if it was made by Ryan. I guess Ryan put the thing together. He should have known what was in it. Take the time and know what it is you're trying to give the American people rather than just take it and say, OK, we're going to just -- regardless of whether he knew or didn't know. Shame on him.
CHALGREN: I agree. I agree. But remember, he is a man. He's a human being. He makes mistakes.
MOSS: And he represents the people of the United States.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Hold on. Go ahead, Scott.
MCCOMMONS: As soon as he had the microphone or when he campaigned, the first thing he said was, I'm going to repeal and replace Obamacare. But that don't include the first week it gets lifted off the table. You get on the plane and go down to Florida and play golf at Mar-a-Lago. You go back to the table. You work on it. You don't play golf. You work for the American people. It's ridiculous.
CAMEROTA: -- OK. Are you - OK. That was just a little taste of how they feel. How are they feeling about the president's accomplishments thus far? Part two of our voter panel is next.
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CAMEROTA: We have more now with our Trump voters panel, ahead of the 100-day mark. Is the president living up to his campaign promises? Here's how they feel today. Let's look at objectively what he has accomplished thus far and some things that he has not yet. So these are some of the campaign promises and you can see them up here on your screen. He said that he would nominate a conservative judge to the Supreme Court. Success.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: And you're all happy with that?
CHALGREN: Yes.
CAMEROTA: OK. He said he'd withdraw from the trade agreement, transpacific partnership that we see, success.
CHALGREN: Bernie loved that, actually.
CAMEROTA: OK. He has tried twice at a travel ban.
(CROSSTALK)
WOOD: I don't think it's a ban.
CHALGREN: It's not.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: It's a travel ban, that's a very --
CHALGREN: That's what its labeled, and that's what he called it.
WOOD: But I don't think that's truly what the intentions are.
CAMEROTA: But either way it has failed --
MOSS: Right.
CAMEROTA: -- or is incomplete. He said we would build the wall with Mexico that has --
CHALGREN: Well, we already have contracts.
(CROSSTALK)
CHALGREN: I don't think it's absurd. I think the wall will be built. He's already getting contractors and things like that.
CAMEROTA: But Ileen, you thought when he promised it, when he promised it on the campaign trail --
WOOD: Which, to build the wall?
CAMEROTA: Yes.
WOOD: I thought that was absurd. I didn't think he'd do it.
CAMEROTA: You didn't take it as a serious promise.
WOOD: I didn't take it as a serious promise. I thought he was saying this euphemistically to say build a wall keeping people down but not a physical wall like --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Metaphorically what did you think, Susan?
DELEMUS: I thought he definitely meant a physical wall. I think that there are plenty of people who would take mortar and bricks and help build that wall.
CAMEROTA: And do you think it's still going to happen --
DELEUS: I think that that's probably in the works. I think he's probably still looking at his promises and he's probably got a whole list of those things. He's a - he's a doer, so I believe that he will do it, he will pull it off, he will build an actual physical wall against Mexico. I think he will.
CHALGREN: Yes.
JOHNSON: You know, I see all the stuff that you put up here in his first 100 days. First 100 days, he is working down the list of what he has to accomplish. He is accomplishing things, and some things aren't going to be the first 100 days but you know what? And a lot of people out there who have never been in politics who have never been elected don't get it. They think that oh, 100 days, I'm going to have everything, checklist, checklist, everything is going to be done but it doesn't get done in 100 days.
CAMEROTA: There's a learning curve. Let me ask those of you who still are quite happy with what you're seeing with President Trump. Paula, what have you liked best?
JOHNSON: I like the fact he does talk to the people. I don't care about this being on Twitter. I don't read Twitter anyway. I like the fact that he's communicating with us. I like the fact --
CAMEROTA: Communicating with you through Twitter.
JOHNSON: I don't -- no, when I watch T.V. Or when I see him on T.V.
MCCOMMONS: He lies on Twitter.
CAMEROTA: And what has he lied about?
MCCOMMONS: Everything. I can give two examples.
(CROSSTALK)
MCCOMMONS: He said they wiretapped his building in New York City. Who on this panel, who on this panel actually believes that the government went into Trump Tower and wiretapped his building?
CAMEROTA: Go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Susan, I want - I want to hear that. So, Susan, you believe him?
DELEMUS: I do.
CAMEROTA: What's your evidence?
DELEMUS: And I have no evidence, but I know what they're doing, I know what's happening on the federal level and I know that it's possible. And I know -
CAMEROTA: And when you say that -
DELEMUS: I know that there may never be evidence.
MCCOMMONS: And he got on Twitter and he said, they're still wiretapping my building after his own security staff told him in a closed door meeting that it didn't happen and he still the next day got up and wrote on Twitter, they wiretapped my building. It's a bunch --
CAMEROTA: Go ahead.
WOOD: What I believe is happening is they had taps on people that he was communicating with on a daily basis, so he was the collateral damage as it were.
CAMEROTA: Wait a minute. You believe that the federal government was wiretapping president -- Candidate Trump's campaign aides when they were talking to him, not when they were talking to foreign agents?
WOOD: I think they monitored their phone calls.
CAMEROTA: You think they monitored their phone calls, not foreign agents' phone calls and that's how they were caught up in surveillance.
WOOD: I believe -- I believe that it's come out that they were wiretapping people that were speaking to Trump, and therefore he was recorded.
CAMEROTA: Who, which people?
WOOD: I don't clearly remember what I had heard but I did hear through the news media that some of the people he was communicating with --
CAMEROTA: Americans or foreign --
WOOD: Maybe it was foreign, but I do say that he was in conversation with people and while his phones may not actually been tapped.
CHALGREN: Like General Flynn for example, Manafort.
WOOD: There were people that were being tapped and he was the other party on the phone.
CAMEROTA: You believe that his campaign is Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Michael Flynn were themselves being wiretapped by the Obama government, is that what you believe?
WOOD: I believe that. I'm not going to say those particular names, but I am going to say people that were in communication and conversation with him were being wiretapped and therefore his part of the conversation was being recorded and picked up. Yes.
CAMEROTA: And where are you getting your information?
WOOD: From the news media.
CAMEROTA: Because the news media that I know of, CNN, has reported that the federal government does listen in on foreign countries communications such as Russia.
CHALGREN: That's correct.
CAMEROTA: And when they hear an American on those calls, that's called incidental collection.
CAMEROTA: Sometimes Americans are caught up in incidental collection.
WOOD: That's what I'm referencing, yes.
CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Scott.
MCCOMMONS: I'll guarantee you of any panelist sitting here right now, I was a true democrat, blue and blue until I went to one Mr. Trump's rallies, truthfully thought and I heard the word and I --
CAMEROTA: Head a word. What did he say to you that changed you?
MCCOMONS: Everything in general. Healthcare, things where he was going to change, not Washington push him around. I thought he could go to Washington and make changes. I didn't vote for him to go to Washington and threaten judges, threaten people, threaten congress. I didn't vote for that rhetoric. I didn't vote for him to go to Twitter and lie on Twitter. I change my vote.
MOSS: He used Twitter throughout the campaign.
(CROSSTALK)
MCCOMMONS: I didn't get on Twitter and follow Mr. Trump until I actually believed what he was actually saying.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: OK. So a little bit of contest, Scott there, in the red shirt, he was a registered democrat. He was so inspired by Mr. Trump that he went to his rallies, he was excited about Donald Trump as a candidate. So he is the one now who is having voter's remorse.
CUOMO: Right. You know, and again that voter, as a species, is a rare voter. Democrats who went for Trump.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
CUOMO: There are some, but I don't think you can find an analysis that says that's why he won. But, you know, it never ceases to amaze me how -- look and it's not just Trump voters. He is uniquely fortunate that he has the kind of connection with his base at this point that he still has, but when someone believes --
CAMEROTA: Totally.
CUOMO: -- in politics the hardest thing to do with voters, I've seen this for a lifetime, is when I make a decision to vote for you, it's really hard to get somebody to make me say I made a mistake. People like to say.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely, and that's human nature and I think that we see that but they genuinely like what they've seen with the executive actions, everything. Tomorrow we have more for you. We ask them how they feel about Mr. Trump's changing positions on things like Syria or China, or Russia. So you'll hear how they're feeling about all of that.
CUOMO: And remember, for them, Trump is a rejection of the status quo. And to say well, maybe it was wrong, does it mean the status quo is OK? They'll never say that. Good T.V. always. All right. This is a huge week for the president for this country. Let's get after him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Healthcare is coming along well. Government is coming along really well. Lot of good things are happening.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: The democrats do no support the wall. The wall is in my view immoral, expensive, unwise.
JEFF SESSIONS, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to pay for a one way or the other.
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: It's a political stunt and obsession for the president that should not shut down our government.
REINCE PRIEBUS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Healthcare may happen next week. It may not. It's not something that has to happen in order to define our success.
GV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: It's 100 days and he's never held public office. There is a big learning curve.
MICK MULVANEY, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET: We're talking about historic accomplishments by this administration, but all anybody wants to talk about is health care.
SEN. MARC RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: The last thing we can afford is to send a message to the world that the United States government is only partially functioning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
CAMEROTA: Good morning everyone.
