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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump: With Clinton, "You'll End Up In World War III"; Trump, Clinton Campaign in Key State of Florida; Trump: "ObamaCare is Just Blowing Up"; Trump Launches Live Nightly Broadcast; Chelsea Clinton, Ivanka Trump Ramp Up Attacks on Trail. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired October 25, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:06] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, the breaking news. Donald Trump with his darkest words yet tonight saying Hillary Clinton as president would cause World War III.
Plus, live from New York, it is Trump TV. Trump turning his hatred of the media into a campaign strategy launching a nightly talk show through Election Day.
And billionaire Richard Branson speaking out on his very strange meeting with Donald Trump. Let's go OUTFRONT.
Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight the breaking news, World War III, that is the stark warning from Donald Trump today. Trump saying that if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, we are headed to war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She has no plan for Syria. And, look, with her you will end up in World War III. She doesn't know what she's doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now Trump continued attacking Clinton and some of his most dire terms yet at a Florida rally today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Tell you what, you vote for her, you are crazy, OK? I'll tell you. She is the worst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: This is a new CNN poll shows nearly seven in 10 voters nationwide, Democrat and Republican here combined believe Hillary Clinton will win the election. But 61 percent say that Trump will not concede. And just moments ago, Trump's campaign manager right here on CNN refusing to say that Trump would accept the results of the election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: He has said it depends on what the results are. He cannot make that judgment now any more than Hillary --
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: But if there's no recount, no challenges, no significant discrepancies, he will concede.
CONWAY: It depends. It depends on --
BLITZER: It depends on what?
CONWAY: Well, he said if there is no significant discrepancies. Is there evidence of widespread voter fraud somewhere or?
BLITZER: But I just said if there isn't widespread voter fraud.
CONWAY: That is a very tough hypothetical for me to answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Sara Murray begins our coverage OUTFRONT tonight. She is traveling with the Trump campaign in Tallahassee, Florida.
And Sara, you know, we hear Trump going after Hillary Clinton threatening a World War III, also now going after his own party and campaign.
SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, I think what we saw from Donald Trump today was him give a really revealing answer in an interview about why it is so hard to keep him hemmed in and why he hits back not only on the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct but his political rivals even though in his own party. Take a listen to what he said to Rush Limbaugh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I would rather, Rush, fight it even though most people say you shouldn't do that. But if you are fighting at least you are telling the truth. At least the word is out that, you know, you are innocent of these charges or stating you're innocent. But other people say stay on jobs, stay on ObamaCare and repealing and replacing it, et cetera. So, I guess it's two theories. I would rather fight it. But everyone says, you shouldn't do that. Just go along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Now, Erin, what you are seeing is Donald Trump fighting with his advisors advice versus his gut instincts and we're seeing that happening right here at this event. He talked about ObamaCare at the beginning but he also just took some swipes at Vice President Joe Biden. That's after Joe Biden said he wished at some point that the two of them were both in high school and he could take Donald Trump behind the gym. Tonight Donald Trump referenced and said that Vice President Biden is only tough when he's holding a microphone. Back to you. BURNETT: All right. Sara Murray, thank you very much. And more
breaking news, Republicans are panicking tonight. We can tell you they're now pouring $25 million into seven Senate races. It's a last ditch attempt to save the party from Donald Trump and try to save the Senate.
Manu Raju is OUTFRONT from Washington. And Manu, you know, you're breaking this news. What are you hearing about this from Senate Republicans? Are they panicked here?
MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes they are. Frankly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Super PAC. The Senate leadership fund announcing this $25 million ad buy in six states that includes two states of Republican seats that have been battlegrounds since the beginning of the election cycle, that is in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. And there are three red states have become gone on the map as of late. That is North Carolina, Missouri and Indiana. And one Democratic seat. That is a seat being vacant by the retiring Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid in Nevada.
Remember, Democrats only need to pick up four seats to take back the Senate Majority if Hillary Clinton wins and they have -- Democrats have plenty of opportunities. This comes at a key point Erin where both sides are said making key spending decisions that could make all the difference on the Democratic side, there is a furious debate right now about whether or not to spend money to take out Marco Rubio in Florida.
Harry Reid himself making that case to New York Democrat, the incoming leader Chuck Schumer who's resisting calls to spend money in Florida because they believe that race could be unwinnable and very expensive. So, a lot of debate happening on both sides that could make all the difference for a new president and whether they have a Democratic Senate or a Republican Senate.
[19:05:02] BURNETT: Of course all the difference for everyone in this country. Mandate or not.
Manu, thank you. Trump and Clinton both campaigning in Florida today. That state, very much in play. Crucial for both of them.
David Chalian is OUTFRONT in Washington. And David, this is the bottom-line, right? It could all come down to Florida.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: This is the mother of all battlegrounds. Twenty nine electoral votes. So, look at the state of play in Florida right now. Hillary Clinton with the four point edge in the most recent Quinnipiac poll. Forty eight percent to 44 percent other polls in that ballpark.
And look, they are fighting for it, Erin. Visits since the convention. Hillary Clinton has been to the state six times. Donald Trump is on his ninth visit to the state since the convention. And they are not done yet. But as you said, what does this mean for their path to 270? Look at Donald Trump's path. OK? Remember, we have four remaining toss up states. If I give them all, Utah, Arizona, North Carolina and Ohio all to Donald Trump, he is still very shy of 270 electoral votes. That is why he needs a Florida to even get in the hunt. It still doesn't put him there. He still has to go to Pennsylvania or New Hampshire or Nevada. But without those 29 votes, it becomes almost impossible for him.
BURNETT: OK. So Florida, must win for Donald Trump. And now I'm going to ask you about a state that I can't believe the name of which is going to cross my lips. But Utah. Hasn't gone Democratic since 1964 yet Donald Trump is fighting for it. Mike Pence actually going to the state tomorrow. Is it possible Utah could go Democrat?
CHALIAN: Well, I don't know that it's possible that it can do Democrat. But look at the recent state of play, we have two polls out of Utah recently. Twenty six percent to 26 percent. Dead heat. It is all because of the third party candidate. Evan McMullin, another poll here showed Donald Trump 34 percent, Hillary Clinton 28 percent. Evan McMullin, 20. Here's the thing, Erin. These polls are from two weeks ago. This third party candidate in private polling has been surging. So, it's not that Hillary Clinton might be able to win Utah but Donald Trump may lose it. And those six electoral votes, he cannot spare as you saw. So he really needs to keep Utah red.
BURNETT: I mean, pretty incredible in how much Evan McMullin, maybe the center piece in many ways of this race. Thank you David Chalian.
CHALIAN: Sure thing.
BURNETT: All right. Now, OUTFRONT now, Clinton supporter Keith Boykin, an aide in the Clinton White House. Trump supporter Jeffrey Lord who of course is political director of the Reagan White House. Maggie Haberman, presidential campaign correspondent for The New York Times and Mark Preston, our executive political editor.
Maggie, you know, to get to 270 as David is laying out, some political endorsements would help. Trump tries to say he doesn't care about the establishment. It would help at least with momentum. Tonight, Colin Powell endorsing Clinton. This is after a hacked e-mails. He criticized her for being greedy, having an unbridled ambition and having no transformational. He doesn't like her. He said he didn't want to vote her for. But he had said now, she's still better than Donald Trump.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: Right. I mean, that comes down to the argument that you're hearing from a lot of people that are supporting Hillary Clinton. Particularly Republicans who are supporting Hillary Clinton. I disagree with her on X, Y and Z but I think Donald Trump is worse. I would make the point that Colin Powell, A, as you said, did this after those e-mails emerged. And they were pretty damning. He said harsh things about Trump but very harsh things about her.
BURNETT: Yes.
HABERMAN: He has been pretty clear, he was frustrated that she was sort of foisting the blame for her e-mail controversy and her private email server used to him. He's been candid about that. As well as in those private e-mails. I don't know how much it matters now. He's sort of at the back of the train. It is not really like he was at the front of the train. And he has a colleague of mine reminded me as a habit of doing this pretty late in the game. He did the last two election cycles to. But it is yet another drip drip from the foreign policy establishment on the Republican side in favor of Clinton.
BURNETT: As you've mentioned, foreign policy. As if multiple stories out tonight, OK? About how bad it is between Trump and the GOP. And you heard Manu talking about saying, the word panic is appropriate. Washington Post as Trump has done fund racing. That's it. He is not going to fundraise anymore for the party. He's done his last fundraiser so they can go take a hike. Trump doesn't seem to be worried about Republicans losing Congress. Doesn't think that is his problem. He is actually making this much more personal. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They signed these really, really powerfully pledges. If you read them. You would say, wow, that was a good lawyer that drew that up. And they didn't -- they didn't back. I don't know how they live themselves with one way. Because they have to live with themselves and also when they have to run sometime in the future, I would think it would be very difficult for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Is the party in meltdown here?
JEFFREY LORD, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: No, I wouldn't say it's a meltdown. But look, this is -- this problem long pre-dates Donald Trump. Donald Trump is here. He is taking advantage of it if you will. He's become the face of it. But this rebellion has been going on for a long time. And with the exception of a few exceptions of these other candidates, Senator Cruz finally came around. But this is going hurt them. Back in 1964 when there were Republican who did pulled the same stunt with Barry Goldwater like Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney who were supposed have to these promising careers, they never got nominated for president ever. Richard Nixon, who went out there and supporter Barry Goldwater to -- degree when he himself party could be the nominee four years later was the nominee and then president.
[19:10:16] BURNETT: Mark?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, couple of things. One, I spoke to a source close to the campaign and they said listen, much like Hillary Clinton, you know, Donald Trump isn't going to be out there doing fundraising, Erin, doing this big fundraisings anymore. They're still be doing fundraisers, the campaign will big and small fundraisers.
BURNETT: Yes.
PRESTON: It's just won't be him. However, you know, look, there is no love lost between the Republican establishment and Donald Trump. And the fact that Reince Priebus has been able to walk this very tight, tight rope between the both. In some ways is admirable. Some people are upset about him. But the bottom-line is, when you have the likes of John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, you know, not going to the Republican convention, that hurts.
When you have Jeb Bush say, listen, I'm not going to be with him. That hurts. And Marco Rubio, you know, just a few weeks ago, was asked whether he was going to continue to endorse Donald Trump. And he said look, I will. Because I have more opposition with Hillary Clinton than I do Donald Trump. Not necessarily ringing endorsements.
BURNETT: Keith, you know, the poll that we were just showing. Most Democrats and Republicans when you look at the plurality now here, you are looking at the vast majority. They think Hillary Clinton will win but they also don't think that Donald Trump will concede. You just heard his campaign manager, you know, repeated pressing from Wolf, refuse to say that he would concede. How significant is this?
KEITH BOYKIN, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: It is very significant. But I cannot imagine if the Republican Party establishment would allow Donald Trump not to concede if there is a clear understanding there is loss for him on November 8th. And right now I think the real danger for the Democratic Party is that we who are Democrats may become a bit complacent about the results because Hillary Clinton is so far ahead.
BURNETT: Turnout.
BOYKIN: Exactly. So, I think what this is actually doing is motivating both sites in some ways in more so the Democrats because the Democrats I think wants to make a definitive statement that there will be no doubt that Hillary Clinton will be the victor on November 8.
BURNETT: But Jeffrey, here you hear it, you know, Donald Trump today talking about Hillary Clinton causing World War III. And that is affecting his supporters, right? Here is what some of them have told us about this issue of conceding. Here they are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE WHIPPEN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: This is revolutionary time in this country. We can do this to the ballot box this time. Or trust me, it may get to be the bullet box the next time.
DAN BOWMAN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I feel like Hillary needs to be taken out. If she gets into government, I'll do everything in my power to take her out of power.
DEBBIE HOYT, TRUMP SUPPORTER: There will be a civil war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: This is scary stuff but is it consistent with a guy who says you are crazy to vote for her. She's the worst. She's in power. It's World War III.
LORD: No. Always going to have a few people out there, all the way around on all sides were going to say some crazy things. Nobody is going to be out there form any violence, you know, approved by Donald Trump or the Trump campaign. Where this could go if we are seeing the situation where votes are cast and they wind up being, you know, counting for somebody else, sure they could be a challenge. But are we going to see violence? No. I don't think so.
BURNETT: Maggie, quickly, you think this is not in any way cemented by the Trump campaign --
HABERMAN: I don't know what to expect. I know traditionally speaking, we have had nominees on both parties who have urged their supporters to stay calm and obey what takes place. Trump has typically not done that. I don't want to predict what he might do on election night. I do think that if Trump does lose which polls indicate at the moment is likely otherwise I do suspect they -- as we get towards Election Day, I'm not -- Trump has never faced an electoral loss before. It is different than anything else that you will experience and he's experiencing it on the biggest stage of all and I don't quite know how he'll react.
BURNETT: All right. All of you staying with me. Because next, Hillary Clinton with a pretty difficult struggle, OK? Defending ObamaCare. Not just about that the premiums are surging through the roof and that is horrible. But Bill Clinton is calling the craziest thing in the world.
Plus, Donald Trump's campaign launching a nightly talk show. And a newly revealed Trump tape. The Republican nominee opens up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I love to fight. I always loved to fight.
D'ANTONIO: Physical fights?
TRUMP: Yes, all kinds of fights, physical --
D'ANTONIO: Arguments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:17:40] BURNETT: Breaking news. Donald Trump tonight railing against President Obama's signature issue, his legacy and hoping Hillary Clinton will caught in the cross-fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: ObamaCare is just blowing up. And even the White House, our president announced 25 or 26 percent. That number is so wrong. That is such a phony number. You are talking about 60, 70, 80 percent in increases.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: ObamaCare Premiums are surging and Trump's attacks are forcing Clinton to walk a very fine line today.
Brianna Keilar is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There are just 14 days, two weeks from today.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hillary Clinton eyeing the sunshine state in its 29 electoral votes today.
CLINTON: So, please join me. This is bigger than me. It's bigger than any of us. It's even bigger than Donald Trump if you can believe it.
KEILAR: Expectations for Clinton are high. A new CNN ORC poll shows nearly seven in 10 voters believe she will win the election. And her campaign is spending their last two weeks racing through battleground states trying to convince voters not to become complacent.
CLINTON: I feel good but boy, I am not taking anything for granted. I am going to work as hard as I can between now and the close of the election.
KEILAR: And former President Bill Clinton kicking off a bus tour in North Carolina as he defends ObamaCare.
BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hillary says, fix the problem, don't repeal the solution. That is a terrible idea. More than 20 million people would lose their health insurance.
KEILAR: His plea coming as the government says, premiums for those purchasing insurance on state exchanges will increase an average of 22 percent next year. Now, Clinton's comments earlier this month seem prophetic.
BILL CLINTON: So, you've got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million more people have healthcare and then the people that are out there busting it sometimes 60 hours a week wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half. It's the craziest thing in the world.
KEILAR: That statement put him in the dog house with Democrats and put his wife on defense with Donald Trump.
CLINTON: So, if he repeals it, our Medicare problem gets worse, what we need to go is go ask her, the long-term healthcare drivers. We've got to get cost down. Increase value, emphasize wellness. I have a plan for doing that.
KEILAR: A point Clinton echoed today in a radio interview. The costs have gone up too much. So, we're going to really tackle that. We're going to get co-pays and premiums and deductibles down. We're going to tackle prescription drug costs and we can do that without ripping away the insurance that people now have. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Clinton is in the middle of a two day swing through Florida. Today she had a big emphasis on Patrick Murphy. The Democrat who is challenging Republican incumbent Senator Marco Rubio. Polls show Erin, that she is up in Florida. And by the Clinton campaign math, if she beats Donald Trump there, she's likely shut him out of the entire election. That is part of the reason for the emphasis.
BURNETT: All right. Brianna, thank you.
And my panel is back with me. Maggie, you know, you hear Bill Clinton calling it the craziest thing in the world. Look, the stakes are high for Hillary Clinton on this. She doesn't want to be too close to ObamaCare. And yet, she has to embrace it and she must embrace it if she's going to say she is the person to carry on the President's legacy.
HABERMAN: Right. She has to embrace him. And so, rejecting on any level his signature a piece of legislation during his tenure as president is very difficult. And I think that what you saw Bill Clinton say, you know, weeks back was obviously a little bit of an out there statement that suspect her campaign did not love. But that is basically where she has to sort of creep toward and what you saw him say earlier about, you know, you don't take away the whole thing, I think is where you're going to see this going specially in the final days.
Trump is overstating as I understand it the degree which the premiums are going up but they are certainly going up and there is a sticker shock issue. But I don't know at this point because of the noise from the WikiLeaks disclosures, because of the noise from Trump's own inability to stop talking about people who have accused him of sexual assault although I think he was more disciplined about it today but he has kept reviving it as an issue. I don't know that this is breaking through as much as it would otherwise and it is definitely a legitimate voter issue.
BURNETT: And it is. Look, it is an issue that affects many more Americans and the 20 million Americans who got healthcare. It affects a lot of working Americans who have seen their premiums go up in order to subsidize this. And the problem for her is that she cannot distance herself from it. She cannot to do so would be a lie. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:22:04] CLINTON: I'm a staunch supporter of President Obama's principle accomplishment. Namely the Affordable Care Act. It is one of the great accomplishments not only of this president but of the Democratic Party going back to Harry Truman.
You know, before there was what's called ObamaCare, there was what was called Hillary care.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: I mean, how can she play this, Keith? I mean, because premiums as Maggie points out, it is mid-twenties on average but there are some states where they are more than doubling.
BOYKIN: I think Maggie is right though, one important issue. As a political point of view, this issue is dead. I mean, it's been litigated and re-litigated. We've had three elections since the Affordable Care Act was passed. At this point, two weeks before the election, it will have virtually no impacts on the outcome. Because anybody who hates ObamaCare was never going to vote for Hillary Clinton in the first place. The people who actually like ObamaCare or want something more of ObamaCare will expect Hillary Clinton to fix it.
And the issue with ObamaCare quite frankly is that it gets attacked from both the left and the right. The people in the right thinks it socialize -- and the people in the left thinks it's not socialize medicine. So it is never going appeal to everybody and Hillary Clinton has got to come into office. She is going to offer a fix to make it better.
BURNETT: Is that a campaign issue?
LORD: No. Absolutely not. On the front page of the Harrisburg Patriot News, the other day where I live in the capital city --
BURNETT: Pennsylvania.
LORD: In Pennsylvania, they made the point here that the insurance rate were going to go up by 33 percent. And they went through -- now this is a paper mind you that endorsed Hillary Clinton. And they went through this chapter and verse. I'll just give you one sample. A 21 year old non-smoker who was paying $193 a month in 2016 is now going to pay $345. I mean, this -- and then it gets worse as of course as you go up the scale. This is going to be a big issue in states like Pennsylvania, Florida.
BURNETT: Swing states --
LORD: Swing state, absolutely.
HABERMAN: The question is whether trump can drive it and how late it is. And Trump -- if this has happened months ago.
(CROSSTALK)
Right. And had been a very surgical message tied, not just -- ObamaCare but to the economy in general and about a broader message of change of course and it might have had some -- I just don't know how much --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Mark, you know, he tried. He talked about it last night. He talked about it today and yet, this should be a lay-up issue for him. Right? Premiums are surging and that's bad. I mean, nobody is happy about that except maybe some insurance companies. He weighs about it today, he says his -- in Miami and he's talking about the issue and then he got seemed to be confused. He said his own employees are on ObamaCare which of course would be a violation of the law. Let me just play for you what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. Trump, do you provide health insurance plans to all these employees?
TRUMP: ObamaCare id a disaster. It's got to be repealed and replaced.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you provide health insurance to all these employees?
TRUMP: I do.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So none of them are on ObamaCare?
TRUMP: Some of them, but most of them, no.
ObamaCare is just blowing up. And even the White House, our president announced 25 or 26 percent. That number is so wrong. That is such a phony number. You are talking about 60, 70, 80 percent in increases.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So Mark, what this is going to say is the first thing he said is, I can say all of my employees are having a tremendous problem with ObamaCare. That is what he said. And then the reporter asks him, so do you provide health insurance or not? And then he said, well, yes, so he says his employees are having a tough time with ObamaCare and then he comes out and says, well, actually they are not all on ObamaCare. So, confusing the message. Does this help him when he is trying to drive this home as a point to get undecided voters?
PRESTON: Well, the lack of understanding of the issue and the lack of understanding on what his own company is offering certainly doesn't help his message. In fact, just in the last half hour or so at the rally, he is in Tallahassee, he said that several of his employees from Durrell came up and said, can you please take me off ObamaCare to which then Trump said to the crowd, should I do it or shouldn't I do it which is, how he tries to excite the crowd in these types of situations. And then he goes on to say, oh, it is only a small group of people.
Look, this is a very potent issue in any other election year right now. But as Maggie said, he's clouded it. He is created an incredible amount of white noise around himself. We only have to go back this week in Gettysburg where he laid out his vision, like his closing arguments for how he would govern and he pre-ambled that by talking about the sexual harassment allegations that have been made against him. We are talking about a very short runway right now going into the election and I don't think that this can be an issue in the campaign. BURNETT: Right. Where he promised to say that he would sue every one
of his accusers after the election.
PRESTON: Right.
BURNETT: Which will not happen. All right. Thanks to all of you.
And next, Joe Biden talking about physically fighting Donald Trump. And you know what, it was wrong. But tonight Trump is responding. And Trump in a just-released interview like you have never heard him a before. Frankly, it's almost a little introspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I was a very rebellious kind of person. I don't like to talk about it actually. But I was a very rebellious person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:31:06] BURNETT: New tonight, Donald Trump launching his own half hour broadcast on Facebook. This is the program live right now actually, straight from Trump Tower, thousands of viewers. It is a bold move, one that is allowing the Republican nominee to take his message straight to supporters.
Brian Stelter is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome in to Trump Tower live --
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And welcome, maybe to Trump TV, promoting live campaign coverage every night until the election, at 6:30 p.m. sharp. That's the same time as the network's nightly news.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These thieves and crooks, the media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exciting to be bypassing the left-wing media which screws everything.
STELTER: Boris Einstein, you've seen him here on CNN, is an investment banker turned Trump adviser and co-host. Along with fellow adviser Cliff Sims, a conservative media constant.
So, it's a campaign ad disguised as the newscast, keeping Trump supporters' hopes up through election.
But is it also a preview of Trump TV?
ALEC BALDWIN AS DONALD TRUMP: Make sure to check out Trump TV, you're going to hate it.
STELTER: He has a theoretical postelection Donald Trump television network, as media insiders buzzing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This definitely looks like a prototype. It looks like a news network.
STELTER: But Trump himself says no way.
TRUMP: No, I have no interest in Trump TV.
STELTER: However, some of his aides are interested. Last week when CNN asked about the rumors, Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon sly comments that Trump is an entrepreneur.
Even if Trump does not want to host a show again, pro-Trump media like Bannon's old site Breitbart News could try to launch a network or streaming service to keep Trump's fans energized.
Trump has millions of the followers on social media. But so far, the Facebook streams are reaching a small loyal crowd. About 50,000 people live-streamed it on night one.
CLIFF SIMS, SENIOR ADVISER, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: You got Donald Trump with an enormous Twitter following, a massive Facebook following.
STELTER: Starting a cable network would start cost hundreds of millions but the Netflix model could work.
JENNIFER SABA, COLUMNIST, REUTERS BREAKINGNEWS: For Trump to break even with an internet direct to consumer network, he would need about 500,000 subscribers paying $9.99 per month.
STELTER: The business challenge would be keeping cost low and passions high.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tune in. Keep it right here. Enjoy. Thank you for watching.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, Brian Stelter, along with Angela Rye, Hillary Clinton supporter, and Scottie Nell Hughes, Donald Trump supporter.
And, Brian, you know, when you get in the final weeks of the campaign here we just hear him so constantly. We're all thieves and we're corrupt and we're disgusting and I can't even think of all the adjectives, right? But that is people like me and you sitting in these seats.
So, he has to throw the playbook and do his own direct to the voter.
STELTER: Yes, for what it's worth I don't think you are disgusting. I think most journalists are trying their best to cover a wild and crazy campaign.
BURNETT: Yes. STELTER: But, yes, he is innovating, for better or worse, trying new ways to go around the media. Campaigns done some of this. They have a podcast where they interview some members. But this is a whole new level, live-streaming every night, reaching, tens of thousands, not a huge audience, but reaching his most loyal fans.
BURNETT: So, Andrea, Donald Trump talked about this, pushing back in the media, as Brian was just referring to, to Rush Limbaugh, OK? I said there were some more adjectives. Here is what Donald Trump has to say about the media.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRUMP: These are vicious people. These are lying people. And you know, fortunately I can defend myself. I have -- you know, what do people do that can't defend themselves?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: Is it possible to taking his moves to the people in the final days of the campaign could be a genius move, right? He's done it before where he does something nobody expects and he's been proven right.
ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think it is smart for him to go directly to his base. I think that's as far as this election is going to go frankly, directly to his base. Fortunately for the American people there aren't enough in his base for him to win. So, maybe this is a winning strategy. It's not a winning strategy to get him through to Pennsylvania. Maybe it's a winning to get him through to the Trump hotel ribbon cutting tomorrow.
[19:35:03] But it's certainly not going expand the base. You cannot continue to push conspiracy theories and trying to mainstream them, doing things by quoting "National Enquirer" stories on other networks and expect to go very far. Most voters are far smarter.
BURNETT: Scottie?
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Mr. Trump is a problem solver and as we've seen recently in the pushback against the media, a majority of Republicans, a majority of his supporters feel like there is a large bias within the media, whether it exists or not. And so, he's giving a solution for that problem.
And the difference between him and Hillary Clinton is that podcast that she set up was because she was refusing to talk to the press at all. That was kind of her answer, the solution. She wasn't holding press conference at the time for 300 days.
BURNETT: Interesting point.
HUGHES: This is just for him to get his message out and to solve a problem many of his supporters believe there is. This in in addition to everything else he's doing. BURNETT: Many of his supporters believe and his running mate who,
Brian, has been, you know, the clean up guy, the person who's been perceived much more mainstream. Here's Pence today, here's how he put the problem Trump has with the media. I think if anything, even more dramatic than Donald Trump in some says. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Donald Trump has received a majority of the media coverage. But 91 percent of his coverage has been hostile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: That is a new conservative media watchdogs report. And it's true, there's been a lot of aggressive --
BURNETT: Ninety-one percent?
STELTER: I doubt 91 percent would be fair if were to do the same study this conservative group did.
But there is a danger and risk in this kind of bubble that Donald Trump is setting up, whether it's on Facebook or speaking to his crowds at rallies or speaking on FOX News. The echo chamber is getting worse and worse and worse, louder and louder and louder. And all of that is going to change two weeks from now. There is going to have to be a return to reality for everybody who's all caught up in this campaign. That includes Clinton supporters.
Right now, it is Trump supporters who are the most stuck in this filter bubble and that is a problem. And it's a problem beyond election day.
BURNETT: And this comes, Angela, as we're hearing from Donald Trump in a way we've not yet heard from him before. OK. This is an interview with the reporter who is writing a biography Trump. Let me just play a portion here of what Trump had to say in this interview, here he is.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRUMP: I was a very rebellious kind of person. I don't like to talk about it actually. But I was a very rebellious person. And very set in my ways.
MICHAEL D'ANTONIO: In eighth grade?
TRUMP: And I loved to fight. I always loved to fight.
D'ANTONIO: Physical fights?
TRUMP: Yes, all kinds of fights, physical --
D'ANTONIO: Arguments?
TRUMP: All types of fights. Any kind of fight, I loved it, including physical.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: There's an introspective tone. He's doing an interview with the biographer. But even so, you know, we don't really ever hear Donald Trump. It's just the tone of his voice. You know, how significant is that?
RYE: I don't think it's very significant because this isn't surprise me. Donald Trump has always come across to me throughout this campaign as someone who was bullied and felt at some point like he needed to turn a corner and become the bully. There are some folks who experience bullying.
BURNETT: That's what you hear, is it?
RYE: Yes. Someone who's taking the opportunity to get everybody back who ever did him wrong. He treats this election cycle and this season like it's rigged against him if it doesn't go in his fair. This is isn't surprising.
When we get back to this whole media question, right? This is a guy who benefitted from $2.1 billion in earned media coverage. Do you think all the Clinton news coverage was positive? I'm sorry, emails, WikiLeaks, the State Department, Benghazi -- it's not been all roses for Hillary Clinton.
BURNETT: What you hear in this?
HUGHES: But to the point, he is a fighter and he's pretty much -- his base is a -- he's a bully for those who have been bullied. Those who are attending his rallies are those who feel like the Republican Party has ignored for the last four years or even government ignored. So, he is kind of speaking on behalf of all of those that have been run over the past four years with the status quo.
As for the video, don't underestimate the power of social media. We did that with (INAUDIBLE). And let's remember, Rush Limbaugh was basically born because of the Clintons were put into office the first time. That's going to go into success. The reason in 2012 why the House Republicans and the Senate were taken by the Republicans was because of talk radio. That's the new revolution you are seeing with social media. People are going to be looking for an alternative source and I think we're going to have to access. You know, are there -- is there some justification for this feeling that the media has been biased against Donald Trump?
STELTER: Sure. But if all you're reading on Facebook is that the polls are skewed and the polls are misleading and the polls are wrong, and you are going to be in for a rude awakening on Election Day. And that's going to be a problem because people are going to come away trusting the media even less, if all they believe are skewed, biased sources.
RYE: Last to your point, you also have an issue where you're bullying someone. Someone is at the receiving end of that. There had been Mexicans, there had been black people. There had been other people of color.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: That's my point and we'll leave it there.
And next, Chelsea Clinton campaigning for her mother day. Has her relationship with Ivanka Trump, they're both now on the trail non- stop, is it now dueling daughters?
And billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson speaking out about the Donald Trump he knows OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:40:03] SIR RICHARD BRANSON, BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN: I thought I would speak out and let people, you know, who believe that Trump is wonderful know that there is a side to Trump that, you know, is dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Tonight, Chelsea Clinton coming out in full force for her mother, headlining three events today ion the in Wisconsin today. The rally in Madison, and you see her there ending just moments ago.
Hillary Clinton -- sorry, Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump at one point were playing nice in the race for the White House but tonight it is personal. Sunlen Serfaty is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESOPNDENT (voice-over): From cautious campaigners --
IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP: I know this man will make America great again.
SERFATY: -- to outspoken surrogates.
CHELSEA CLINTON, DAUGHTER OF HILLARY CLINTON: We have to ensure that love Trumps hates isn't just a slogan.
SERFATY: Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton have gotten very personal in their attacks.
IVANKA TRUMP: Respectfully, Hillary Clinton as been around for decades and there's no policy benefiting either mothers or fathers in terms of paid leave.
CHELSEA CLINTON: I think that it's been clear now from many months who Donald Trump is.
[19:45:01] SERFATY: As the campaign has turned more contentious -- DONALD TRUMP: Such a nasty woman.
SERFATY: -- both daughters also escalating their tone.
IVANKA TRUMP: I think that the bias is very, very real.
SERFATY: Calling out their parent's opponent by name.
CHELSEA CLINTON: I never thought I would see in my lifetime almost daily diet of hate speech coming out of Donald Trump.
SERFATY: Stepping into to help blunt campaign controversy.
IVANKA TRUMP: He recognizes it was crude language. He was embarrassed that he had said those things and he apologized.
SERFATY: That role in rhetoric is a far cry from the way the two started the campaign.
CHELSEA CLINTON: I couldn't imagine a better president for any of our children or grandchildren than my mom.
SERFATY: Early on, they were more restrained, serving mainly as character witnesses for their parents.
IVANKA TRUMP: There's no better person than my father to have on your corner when you're facing tough opponents.
SERFATY: The two had a private friendship for some time, forged through their husbands and their similarities, both new moms in their 30s living in Manhattan.
IVANKA TRUMP: She's been a great friend to me. I've been a great friend to her. So, you know, the politics of our parents is not relevant to our friendship.
SERFATY: But with each serving as the rock of their family, they have had to tread lightly in this campaign.
DONALD TRUMP: My daughter likes Chelsea and Chelsea likes my daughter. I wish she didn't. It would be a lot easier.
SERFATY: And with the rough and tumble of the campaign trail, they publicly had to back off their friendship. Chelsea at one point even publicly challenging Ivanka to defend her father's position.
IVANKA TRUMP: He will fight for equal pay for equal work.
CHELSEA CLINTON: How would your father do that?
SERFATY: Their falling out even parodied on "Saturday Night Live".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And you can bet in this final stretch, both Ivanka and Chelsea will be hitting the campaign trail hard and Chelsea Clinton recently references this dynamic between the two of them, saying just that her and Ivanka have very different views for what the right answer is for the country and perhaps with a little bit of her finish line in her mind, Erin. Chelsea added that she hopes their friendship which, of course, started before the election will last after the election as well.
BURNETT: All right. Sunlen, thank you very much. Certainly sounds like she's counting on being the victor.
OUTFRONT next, Jeanne Moos on how Hillary Clinton has driven pantsuits sales through the roof. Yes people. You heard me correctly.
And then, Sir Richard Branson OUTFRONT on fellow billionaire Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANSON: I think, you know, one day it will be wonderful to have an entrepreneur running the White House, but not this entrepreneur.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Tonight, one of the richest people in the world terrified of the thought of Donald Trump becoming president of the United States. The billionaire founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, breaking silence, telling me about his meeting with Trump.
And I started by asking why he believes the Republican nominee would be a disaster in his words for president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRANSON: I think for many reasons. One day, it will be wonderful to have an entrepreneur running the White House, but not this entrepreneur. I mean, I first got to know him many years ago when he invited me to lunch. And it was just the two of us.
We -- we, I was expecting an interesting lunch talking about various things in the world.
[19:50:00] And instead I got a lunch where all he talked about was his bankrupt companies and how he'd run five people to get help and financial help when he'd gone bankrupt and that those five people had said on that occasion they weren't willing to help him. And then he spent the rest of his lunch telling me how he was going to spend the rest of his life destroying those five people.
And I just found it very bizarre. And, you know, when I saw he was running for president, I just thought how dangerous to have somebody someone so vindictive in the White House, so eaten up with themselves, that for the first time in my life I thought I would speak out and let people who believe that Trump is wonderful know that there is a side to Trump that is dangerous and rather unpleasant. And it's certainly unforgiving. BURNETT: Now, Sir Richard, I recently spoke with fellow billionaire
Mark Cuban, and like yourself, he's anti-Trump. He's a Hillary Clinton supporter now. But at the beginning, he wasn't. And I had some conversations with him at the time. He actually had a conversation with Donald Trump. He considered supporting him. For him it was what he saw was Donald Trump's incuriosity was the biggest barrier to supporting him.
But he also has a lot of concern with Trump as a businessman, which as you know goes to the heart of why a lot of his supporters believe that he would be a good president. Here is what some of what Mark Cuban told me the other day about Donald Trump as a businessman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CUBAN, NBA OWNER AND BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR: Trump games, Trump cards, Trump steaks, Trump clothes, Trump -- you know when somebody has to give their name and sell their name that often, that tells me they are desperate. He's not had a long track record in business. I give him credit, he's done okay in real estate, but everything else, he's been a major failure at. And now, he's crushing his brand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, a couple of questions for that for you, Sir Richard, obviously, you know, you tried a lot of things. Some of them have failed. You've talked a lot about this Virgin cola, Virgin brides among them, and you recently wrote about that. You said, "Making mistakes and setbacks is part of the DNA of any successful entrepreneur and I am no exception."
What do you think of Donald Trump? Is he is a successful entrepreneur, successful businessman?
BRANSON: Well, I think Trump didn't start out as an entrepreneur. He started out with, you know, a lot of money given to him by his father.
BURNETT: Yes.
BRANSON: And he went ahead and lost it on a number of occasions. I mean, you know, his top companies, you know, not -- you know, one or two new ventures that he was setting up. And I don't think he's a great businessman.
He's definitely managed to build a strong brand with Trump which I suspect has been pretty damaged actually over the last few months. And he's done some very questionable things in business. And I think, you know, Trump University it just sounds ghastly, what they were doing. And there are quite a lot of examples in his business deals, you know, that I would -- you know, I wouldn't be proud of -- you know, I wouldn't be proud of.
BURNETT: If he does win, Sir Richard, or if he doesn't win, either way, what happens to his businesses? Do you think that the damage if there is any will be long-term to his businesses because of his run for the White House? BRANSON: Yes. I mean, look, the kinds of people who would like to
rent his flats or buy his flats are not sort of xenophobic individuals. They are not racist individuals and he's appealing to, you know, he's appealing to, you know, the worst fears in people. And I would say his brand has been very badly damaged. I'm sure he's not going go hungry.
But I would say that in his run for the White House, because of many things he said, you know, his brand is very, very different today than it was six months ago.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Sir Richard Branson, thank you so much. Pleasure to talk to you and thanks for your time.
BRANSON: Thank you. Pleasure. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama both causing favorite fashion trends. Jeanne Moos on the Clinton pantsuit surge.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:53] BURNETT: Hillary Clinton's pantsuit, how iconic. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This maybe how Hillary Clinton is seen by Rudy Giuliani.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NYC MAYOR: When I see her, I see her in an orange jumpsuit. I'm sorry.
MOOS: Sorry, Rudy, but most see her in pantsuits. So many pantsuits over the years. So many pantsuit jokes.
HILLARY CLINTON: You can tell it's summer. Today, Hillary Clinton hit the beach in a one-piece pantsuit.
MOOS: But these days, Hillary Clinton is hitting her stride with her pantsuits. She wore custom Ralph Lauren at the Democratic convention. And Ralph Lauren for the third debate.
White was a winner. Hillary Clinton coming into the room like a unicorn.
Actually, it was a reference to the white worn by suffragettes seeking the vote.
Over three debates, Hillary wore red, white and blue, one tweet compared her outfits to those worn by rappers for Death Row Records but Hillary exemplifies a trend.
DANA ASHER LEVINE, EXECUTIVE STYLIST: Sexy pantsuit is in just not the old lady suits.
MOOS: No Gucci sexy pantsuit. Hillary's used to be considered uncool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you girls want to really knock the boys out, you should project boldness with a power pantsuit combo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to look like Hillary Clinton, ma.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know, right?
MOOS: But Hillary has kicked her pantsuits up notch after hiring an aide to Michelle Obama. She may not be a style icon yet, but some are speculating about the Hillary Clinton effect, choreographed pantsuit power flash mobs of supporters have been organized.
On Hillary's website, they even sell a novelty pantsuit without the pants. The $30 pantsuit tee is so popular it sold out.
Hillary still makes pantsuit jokes.
HILLARY CLINTON: You look so good in your tuxes. Or as I refer to them, formal pantsuits.
MOOS: Hillary has upped her pantsuits style, just as she may be about to truly wear the pants.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And thanks so much for joining us.
"AC360" starts now.
