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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump Willing to Keep Parts of ObamaCare; Anti-Trump Protests Growing Across The Country; Clinton Campaign Points Fingers After Election Loss; Trump: Securing Border a Top Priority In First Weeks. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired November 11, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:20] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, breaking news. Donald Trump speaking out tonight saying he may keep parts of the ObamaCare after vowing repeatedly to repeal it. Is he walking back his campaign promise?
Plus, anti-Trump protesters taking to the streets at this hour. Donald Trump praising them just hours after slamming them and Trump promising a wall on the U.S./Mexico border. So, will he build it and what would this wall actually look like? A special report from on the ground. Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. The breaking news. Trump walks it back. President-Elect Donald Trump telling the Wall Street Journal he's considering leaving in place part of President Obama's signature healthcare law. He's now saying ObamaCare could be, quote, "amended." This comes after President Obama asked Trump to reconsider repealing the law during their hour and a half meeting at the White House yesterday. It's a stunning turnaround for a man who of course campaigned on repealing ObamaCare and in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Trump further explained his changing position on ObamaCare. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LESLEY STAHL, CBS ANCHOR: Let me ask you about ObamaCare, which you say you are going to repeal and replace. When you replace it, are you going to make sure that people with pre-conditions are still covered?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: Yes. Because it happens to be one of the strongest assets.
STAHL: You are going to keep that.
TRUMP: Also with the children living with their parents for an extended periods.
STAHL: You're going to keep that.
TRUMP: We're going to very much try and keep that. Adds cost but it is very much something we're going to try and keep.
STAHL: And there is going to be a period if you repeal it and before you replace it when millions of people are -- TRUMP: We're going to do it simultaneously. It will be just fine.
It's what I do. I do good job. You know, I mean, I know how to do this stuff. We're going to repeal it and replace it. And we're not going to have like a two day period and we're not going to have a two year period where there is nothing. It will be repealed and replaced and we'll know. And it will be great healthcare for much less money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: In that same interview, Trump talked for the first time about the calls, the phone calls that he got on election night from Hillary and Bill Clinton. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAHL: Hillary called you. Tell us about that phone call.
TRUMP: So Hillary called, and it was a lovely call. And it was a tough call for her. I mean, I can imagine. Tougher for her than it would have been for me. And if for me it would have been very difficult. She couldn't have been nicer. She just said congratulations Donald. Well done. And I said I want to thank you very much. You were a great competitor. She's very strong and very smart.
STAHL: What about Bill Clinton? Did you talk to him?
TRUMP: He called the next day.
STAHL: Really? What did he say?
TRUMP: He actually called last night.
STAHL: What did he say?
TRUMP: And he -- he couldn't have been more gracious. He said it was an amazing run. One of the most amazing he's ever seen.
STAHL: He said that.
TRUMP: He was very, very -- really very nice.
STAHL: You know, you said that you might call President Obama for advice. Would you think of calling President Clinton for advice?
TRUMP: Well he's a very talented guy. Both of them. I mean, this is a very talented family. Certainly, I would certainly think about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: A lot to talk about here and a lot of news tonight including a major shakeup on transition team.
We begin with Sara Murray in Washington on that. And Sara, you have been covering Trump from the beginning of his campaign and let's start with what he first -- now the Wall Street Journal is reporting and you saw him say there to Lesley Stahl, a shocking change on ObamaCare.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, repeal and replace for ObamaCare has really been on a rallying cry for Donald Trump on the campaign trail. But at times he did give signals that he would be willing to keep certain provisions of that healthcare law. The difference obviously now his words take on a lot more weight now that he's the President-Elect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MURRAY (voice-over): After his full-throated campaign calls to repeal President Obama's signature healthcare law.
TRUMP: Real change begins with immediately repealing and replacing ObamaCare
MURRAY: Now it appears Donald Trump maybe willing to strike a deal. Trump telling the Wall Street Journal that after meeting with the President on Thursday --
TRUMP: Well, thank you very much President Obama.
MURRAY: He's open to preserving portions of ObamaCare. Like a provision that prevent insurers from denying coverage because of pre- existing conditions. And the provisions that allows children to remain under-parent health insurance policies until they're 26.
Now, the President-Elect tells the Wall Street Journal, he wants to move quickly on health care once he takes office. And either ObamaCare will be amended or repealed and replaced. The latest look at Trump's priorities comes as he turns to his V.P. Mike Pence to take the lead on transition planning, a role previously held by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. As Trump hunkered down in New York to map out a Trump White House palace intrigue in Washington was running wild.
[19:05:30] TRUMP: I'll tell you, Reince is really a star. And he is the hardest working guy --
MURRAY: Among the leading candidates for chief of staff, Reince Priebus. The Republican National Committee chairman who was Trump tied to Capitol Hill. And buoyed Trump's successful presidential bid with the GOP's data and ground operation.
REINCE PRIEBUS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, the next President of the United States, Donald Trump.
MURRAY: But filling the role is already sparking friction among Trump's team. Priebus is the favorite option among some in Trump's inner circle. But his Washington insider status is being weighed against a more unorthodox option. Steve Bannon. He served as the Trump campaign CEO briefly pulling back from his role as the head of right wing website Breitbart. But his tenure at Breitbart would surely make him a contentious pick and provide fodder for liberals already decrying a Trump presidency.
Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid declared the election of Donald Trump has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry in America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MURRAY: Now, one of the other interesting things that came out of the Wall Street Journal interview was a question about sort of how divided we are right now. And whether Donald Trump thinks maybe he may have gone too far at any of his campaign rhetoric. And he told the Wall Street Journal, no, I won -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Sara Murray, thank you very much.
And let's go straight to Manu Raju right now OUTFRONT from Washington. Manu, he's going to have the House. He's going to have the Senate. This is a shocking shift from Trump on ObamaCare. I mean, this you have seen congressmen and senators dedicate their lives recently over the last couple years to getting rid of ObamaCare. What is the reaction when he says there are parts of it that he wants to keep? There are parts that are working. He wants to amend.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we haven't heard a lot yet, Erin. Because of the fact that Republicans are not in Washington. They are actually on a recess and a lot of members have not yet seen what Donald Trump has said. But it is bound to have set many of his more conservative members who have said repeatedly they want to repeal the law root and branch. And this could renew field that Trump is just not true conservatives. Yet, those two provisions that he talked about keeping (INAUDIBLE) people but pre-existing conditions are not denied coverage and keeping children on their parent's plan until the age of 26.
Those are still popular with both parties but at the same time his comments seem to indicate there are limits as to what Donald Trump can do as president. While he can repeal major parts of ObamaCare, that affect the budget on a party line vote in the Senate, he cannot repeal all of it unless he has Democratic support and we know that is not going to happen. So the question tonight Erin is how will Donald Trump support react when they find out he's willing to compromise on one of the central campaign promises and getting the replacement bill enacted, Erin, even harder because he'll need 60 votes in the Senate.
BURNETT: Yes.
RAJU: I mean, eight democratic senators not an easy task.
BURNETT: All right. Manu, thank you very much.
OUTFRONT now, New York Times political correspondent, political analyst Patrick Healy, Washington Post political reporter Philip Bump. Kayleigh McEnany who supported Donald Trump and Basil Smikle, New York State Democratic Party executive director who supporter Hillary Clinton. Also with us tonight, Salena Zito, a political reporter who writes for the Washington Examiner now a CNN political contributor.
Patrick, let me start with you. This was not a fly by night proposal from Donald Trump, you know, where he just kind of briefly jumped on the bandwagon about ObamaCare. Just in case anybody didn't see some of his rallies. Let me just explain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: ObamaCare is a disaster. You know it. We all know it. ObamaCare is going to be repealed and replaced. ObamaCare is a disaster. It is over for ObamaCare. ObamaCare is just blowing up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So now he's saying he wants to keep parts of it. He's completely changed. That was just campaign talk. This is the real Trump.
PATRICK HEALY, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: This is the most vivid example of the difference between campaigning and governing. You go talk to President Obama then you go to the hill. You're talking to Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell about how many votes you have from what you have -- Mike Pence knows what it's like to try to get legislation through and what you can do. And rhetoric falls away. You know, the rallying cries of campaigning repeal and replace come down to negotiating and compromise. And one thing that President-Elect Trump has sold himself as and I think you'll hear this, this is a really good negotiator.
BURNETT: Right.
HEALY: And he will get you a much better program that will keep the most popular parts. The thing that he has to reckon with are the very expensive parts.
BURNETT: Right. There's a reason and the cost for surging it paying for the things that are popular that he says he's going to keep.
[19:10:04] All right. Salena, you know, when you look at Trump supporters though, 83 percent of them in exit polls said they thought ObamaCare went too far. Look, they care deeply about this issue. And you famously and so eloquently said the press takes Trump literally but not seriously. His supporters take him seriously but not literally. But on ObamaCare, didn't they take him literally?
SALENA ZITO, STAFF REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Yes, they did take him literally but I think that people underestimate or I think maybe the press underestimates the voters' understanding of how the process works. You know, people understand that this takes time. And I want to not that when I interviewed Trump earlier in the spring he had also said the same things about keeping those portions of ObamaCare in there and they remain not only popular with people but they also remain popular with part of the Congressional delegation. They think those are important components to keep in there. So, I don't think people had a general understanding. They were trying to switch off, everything was going to be gone and then you start all over again.
BURNETT: Kayleigh, is there a concern though because if you are going to keep the things that are popular but you are mad about the cost. Right. Those two things go together. KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST, ABOVE THE LAW: I don't
think there is a concern. Look, as Salena mentioned, he's mentioned keeping these provisions going back to march. So, that is number one. But number two it will be up to Donald Trump to come up with a new plan. I would encourage him to look at Paul Ryan's plan. I think it's a very good plan and what it does is it opens up state lines, Donald Trump has referred to this before. Allowing insurance companies to compete. Bringing down the costs of care and addressing the root problem which will bring down costs and make it affordable for every American.
BURNETT: So, in terms of Trump's cabinet coming together and his administration. Right? We've got this chief of staff situation whether it's going to be Reince Priebus or Steve Bannon. As CNN reporting, it is leaning towards Reince Priebus. Right? I guess you could always have some kind of a night march in there. But now we're hearing Chris Christie who was in charge of the transition is now not only not in-charge Mike Pence says but may not even have the job in the administration. And they are telling us it had to do with Bridgegate and his loyalty.
PHILIP BUMP, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Right.
BURNETT: First with the Trump -- that they didn't feel he was loyal enough after that distancing himself -- here is the thing. Chris Christie was the first guy out to get behind Donald Trump and he defended him again and again and again. If Trump is questioning Christie's loyalty --
BUMP: Right.
BURNETT: What does that mean for how many people there are to put in these jobs?
BUMP: Well, I think it means that the people who step into those jobs need to be prepared to have their heads cutoff if they do the wrong thing. Right? I mean, this is something we've seen from Donald Trump in the past. Paul Manafort was his campaign manager, or campaign -- over the term was. Until he became a political liability with this stuff with the Ukraine and with Russia. At which point he was cut loose. Look, this is the old lawyer Roy Cohn, this is someone who he had been very close to up until a certain point and Donald Trump dump him.
Donald Trump is a person who thrives on loyalty but he's also not someone who takes risks with people who he feels are not performing in a way that he needs them to. Chris Christie is a huge political liability. Right? I mean, he is a huge political liability. Very unpopular in his own state. Bridgegate is still out there and, you know, frankly it's not a big surprise.
HEALY: To Philip's point, during the summer when they were doing the V.P. search, I remember talking to Trump advisors about, you know, Mike Pence and Christie to a person, they said, why are you guys talking about Chris Christie? You know, Mr. Trump knew how much baggage Christie would bring. That he was, that Donald Trump is more popular in New Jersey than Chris Christie was. So --
BURNETT: What does this loyalty statement make to you though? I mean --
BASIL SMIKLE, SUPPORTED HILLARY CLINTON: It is incredible because Mike Pence has actually had some very harsh words for Donald Trump on some of the recording of the course of the campaign.
BURNETT: Right. And even before, right?
SMIKLE: So I do wonder what this loyalty issue is. But I think you're absolutely right. You know, Chris Christie is not one of those sorts of Rockefeller Republicans. But he is the last -- one of the last northeastern more moderate Republicans. I don't think it serves him well in an administration where Republicans across the country are going to be calling him more to the right. And in addition to that, two of his colleagues, his lieutenants were convicted very recently. So that, I mean, that actually has to be weighing on --
HEALY: It's only a handful of jobs that you don't need a confirmation for or security plans for. I mean, that's an obstacle.
BURNETT: All right. All staying with me. Next, more of our breaking news. Anti-Trump protesters right now on the streets of Miami and Atlanta as you can there gathering already. We're going to go there live.
Plus, Hillary Clinton making her first appearance tonight. She's going to be at an event. Her campaign officials talking about who is to blame for the defeat. Wait until you see her there pointing the finger out specifically.
And then Trump's promise to build a wall. What would the wall actually look like?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A massive concrete structure extending along the entire border, as I say a price of between $12 billion and $24 billion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Time to get specific and we're live in Mexico tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:17:52] BURNETT: Breaking news, rallies and protests against Trump across the country. This is the third night of that in a row. Right now on your screen you see Atlanta and Miami, people gathering in those cities. Marchers expected tonight also in Dallas and San Diego. And we already saw protesters earlier today in Orlando, Boston, Nashville and other cities.
Miguel Marquez is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protests --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All protesters, you are under arrest.
MARQUEZ: Turning to rage and riot in Portland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what happens when you elect a fascist racist bigot.
MARQUEZ: Tonight from Boston to Honolulu, protests, rallies, demonstrations of solidarity, all in oppositions with President-Elect Donald Trump.
With protests ramping up over several days the President-Elect in a classic Trump move taunted protesters with this tweet. Just had a very open and successful presidential election now professional protesters incited by the media are protesting. Very unfair. Nine hours later, taking a more presidential tone he tweeted, "Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud." None of this is a surprise or comfort to those angry over his election.
SHOSNI REBIN REBINOWITZ, ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTER: With this President- Elect, I -- words can't describe how disgusted I am about that he was elected over Hillary.
MARQUEZ: 2016 saw the lowest voter turnout in 20 years but Democrats sat on their hands in bigger numbers. This year six million fewer Democrats voted for Hillary Clinton then came out for Barack Obama in 2012. So, what exactly are protesters protesting? What do they want?
NICK TRUESDALE, ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTER: I think he needs to really address all of the divisive, hateful things he's said in the past and recant them, denounce them.
SEAN DEBUCK, ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTER: I am in support of people getting out there and saying that this is what they believe in and this is something that we cannot let become the new standard and new norm within our country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now, this is absolutely extraordinary. This is Fifth Avenue. This is Friday night. This should be jammed with traffic. NYPD has shut it down. There is a small amount of protesters on the south side that marched up to this area and then another knot of protesters came in from the north side. They started moving them off. Making a couple of arrests there. It is absolute chaos to booths, they have just found a suspicious package down there so they moved all of the press out of the -- all over here. Absolute chaos. It is going to be a huge adjustment for New York and clearly a giant adjustment for the country -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Miguel, thank you. And I'm back with my panel. Phillip you have been out with the protesters here in New York City.
Obviously Trump with two very different tweets but at first saying what another Trump supporter said on this show last night, which is a professional protesters, that's what this is about. What did you see?
BUMP: I saw a lot of young people. I saw a lot of particularly young women. I saw a lot of people of color. You know, I mean, you think about New York City is a city of eight million people. We've figured, you know, two to one margin they supported Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. It is easy to get 7,000 people who are mad about the results of this election on the streets. You know, obviously what's happening here is Donald Trump wants to undermine the valid complaints that a lot of these people have about the rhetoric that he used during the campaign. And by calling them paid professional protesters which is something he said over the course of the campaign, that is what he's hoping to do.
BURNETT: Kayleigh?
MCENANY: Look, Donald Trump praised the passion of these protesters this morning --
BURNETT: He reversed course --
MCENANY: Her deserves credit for that. I understand his frustration absolutely because there had been paid protesters. (INAUDIBLE) are someone who does pay for protesters to go to certain places. So, I understand the frustration. And also with the caricature that was made about him during this election, that probably is motivating a lot of these protesters. But as Philip mentioned, they are young and I think there is a malaise in my generation of young people who don't have jobs who haven't student loan debt and they don't trust government. I think they will be surprised of the good that comes from Donald Trump.
SMIKLE: But it wasn't really a caricature. Right? He said these things. He didn't run a -- he wasn't a person known for nuance and he didn't run a metaphorical campaign. He made some very, very tough comments about women, about the disabled, about African-Americans. So I think what we're seeing in the protests is the concern that a lot of that rhetoric then becomes normalized and institutionalized because of his victory.
And that I think is something that I would hope that a lot of young people, and all the folks that are out there professional or not, would actually take the time to protest against. It is about keeping him accountable for what he said and making sure that he doesn't institutionalize that kind of rhetoric.
[19:22:36] BURNETT: Has he learned, I mean, Kayleigh, in 2012 when Mitt Romney, looked like he would win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote, OK? Which is obviously -- Trump is the (INAUDIBLE). OK. Now you have a different split but obviously winning, one losing the other. Trump tweeted we can't let this happen. We should march on Washington and stop this travesty. Our nation is totally divided calling for, when it didn't go this way other way he wanted it to go. Is he now being hypocritical or is he simply learn, I mean, what --
MCENANY: No, I think that he praised the protesters so in the same right, you know, he did praise them. And he suggests -- I think those two are compatible statements. I do think he's frustrated though, Basil. I understand you are saying that he's made all of these divisive statements. Most of them were over simplified. Nuances taken out. And they've made a caricature of Donald Trump. I saw several Hillary Clinton commercials that did this. He's President- Elect of the United States and --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
BUMP: There are young people out there, young Hispanic people wearing Mexican flags around them who are worried about having to leave this country. It's not because -- Donald Trump said, we're going to send you out of the country. Right?
HEALY: Right.
BUMP: There are things like that for a lot of different constituencies, a lot of different minority groups and the people who are out there just no evidence that anyone was being paid do this. And there is no evidence that Donald Trump was more sincere in his tweet this morning than in his cranky whiney tweet last night either. And I think it's important to remember that this was the first test of Donald Trump reacting to something that happened to him. And the tweet he had last night --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
HEALY: But I think a lot of people in the media and a lot of Democrats thought that Donald Trump was going to have to own his words and his actions during the election and be held accountable for that. And a lot of people now feel that didn't happen. But now he is president elect of the United States. And I think that first tweet, which was very much old Trump.
BURNETT: Right.
HEALY: I mean, that sort of like taking a shot, trying to undermine it. You know, it was divided. It was not united. And then he comes out and I think what's interesting right now is if we start sort of stepping back. And I'm not -- I don't want to give him too much credit yet. But if you start stepping back. You look at the tweet. You look at how he's talked about Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton.
BURNETT: He's trying to correct.
HEALY: I think -- just. President Obama. ObamaCare. I mean he could be leading with one thing. And there is going a different direction. He always said in the interviews that I did with him. He always said, what people keep saying I need to be presidential or I can't be presidential. He said, I'm making a choice here. I could do that. But this is what's going to get me elected. This sort of directing the vote -- and now I think you are seeing presidential. BURNETT: All right. All staying with me. We're going to keep
talking about this, next inside Hillary Clinton's stunning loss. Her campaign out now saying, who is to blame. Wait until you actually see what they are saying.
Plus, what Muslim-Americans are saying about Donald Trump's victory?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is inexcusable the things that he said. It was very shocking to hear. It was very scary as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And we're continuing to watch several anti-Trump protests right now growing across the country on this Friday evening. 7:25 Eastern. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:29:33] BURNETT: Breaking news. Several anti-Trump protests growing across the country tonight. What now you see on your screen is Atlanta and Miami. Actually at this moment, Miami. Gary Tuchman is with me now. And Gary, what are you seeing?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erin, here in the city of Atlanta, there are hundreds of people in the streets. And very angry people. People angry about a lot of things. They're angry that Donald Trump won the election.
[19:30:00] They're angry a lot of the people with the Democratic establishment, a lot of these people are not any friends with Hillary Clinton.
And also angry specifically about the tweet that they saw from Donald Trump last night that disparaged them, that said they professional protesters and said that it wasn't very fair. And they feel that Donald Trump saying that is ridiculous. That's what most people here say.
This guy right here.
How come you're here today protesting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just walked outside my door and saw everybody protesting and decided to join.
TUCHMAN: Did you vote for Hillary Clinton for president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did actually.
TUCHMAN: You did?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did.
TUCHMAN: And your friend over here, did you vote also? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I did.
TUCHMAN: A lot of people I talked to before did not vote. There are some Bernie Sanders supporters who said once he was out, they decided not to participate the election and others people saying they were not going to vote in anybody. They don't believe in what this government stands for.
But what these people have in common is they very much dislike Donald Trump. Right now, we're on Freedom Park. That's the name of the street here, ironically name, and this rally is expected to last for a couple hours longer. Hundreds of people in line very angry, but the most important thing right now, Erin, very peaceful.
Back to you.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Gary. Thank you very much.
Very peaceful, but as you heard Gary say, a lot of them didn't vote. Sanders got out. They didn't vote. Turnout was low. It was in a two-decade low and that is part of the problem for Hillary Clinton.
And also breaking tonight, Hillary Clinton is about to appear at the campaign staff party. Also tonight, she's going to actually hold her first post-election day call with supporters to explain what she thinks went wrong. Already her campaign is pointing fingers -- excuse me. Because it's hard to think about this. Blaming Director Comey and blaming the media, they say, for hostile coverage.
Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT in Washington.
Jeff, what are you hearing?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, in a call with donors earlier today, I'm told that John Podesta, the chairman of the campaign, he did blame this on the hostile media, he said, and he also that the FBI's director's decision at the 11th hour of the campaign helped contributed to her defeat her.
I really pressed her advisors to say, why is that? And they said the college-educated voters who are in the center were not sold on her necessarily. But that Comey decision set them off against her entirely. So, they blame his decision.
But, Erin, we have to remember, it was her decision to set up that private e-mail server back in 2009, that created this whole situation.
BURNETT: And a lot of people also looking at, Jeff, in particular, there are a lot of places they are looking at, counties and demographics. But in particular at Wisconsin, as a test case of the heart of the matter, the core of really went wrong?
ZELENY: No question. In the ten electoral votes in Wisconsin, a state that's voted Democratic in presidential races since 1984, one number that really sticks out to me are millennials, 18 to 29 year olds. She won that group by three percentage points. Barack Obama won it by 23 percentage points. And she did not visit Madison, Wisconsin, where the universities are, or any place in Wisconsin in the general election here.
So, there is some second guessing and head-scratching going on about the state of Wisconsin, and the fact that she simply didn't fight for it -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. We're going to talk more about that as we said, the breaking news as she's getting ready to appear at a party for her campaign and also the first call with supporters tonight, which is going to be crucial to hear what she has to say.
As we await that, my panel is back with me.
Salena, let me start with you. You spent a lot of time talking to voters around this country and you asked them some of these questions. And in particular, we hear the campaign now blaming the media and blaming the FBI Director Jim Comey. You asked voters about Jim Comey. Did that have an impact on them?
SALENA ZITO, STAFF REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: No, it was anecdotal when I asked them, you know, what is driving your vote? But also, does that have an impact on you? And they said, no. That was sort of baked -- their vote was already baked in before that came out. They already knew where they were going whether it was for her or whether it was not for her.
That was sort of part of their opinion of her. And that was reinforced, if you look at exit polls. I believe that 72 percent of the people had already made up their mind before that even happened. And you saw that when you talk to people.
BURNETT: And, Basil, you know, you just heard Salena, Comey didn't seem to have an impact with voters she was speaking to in Wisconsin. You heard Jeff said, voters under 30 by three points. President Obama won them by 23 points. And the campaign is saying this is Director Comey's fault and the media's fault.
I mean, is this just their fault?
BASIL SMIKLE, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, it may not have impacted the people that actually came out to vote but the Comey decision may not have impacted turnout. We're talking 55 percent of voters turned out. I mean, that's particularly low.
BURNETT: Comey drove a 20-year low in turnout, I mean, it seems a little bit --
SMIKLE: No, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. But what I would say is that I think the e-mails went into a narrative that already existed about her. I do think this was baked in. But I do think there were issues that would address some of the economic concerns that voters had that just didn't get enough light, because we talk about e-mails on her side and then Donald Trump's, you know, faux pas on his side and language on his side. [19:35:10] PATRICK HEALY, THE NEW YORK TIMES: But what Trump advisors
-- excuse me, what Clinton advisors were also saying to me today is that they had seen trend lines change after Comey and that while things had stabilized after a few days, that they were worried that the sort of enthusiasm and the energy level was low. I remember covering Clinton/Sanders all through the winter and writing stories about the obvious kind of enthusiasm and energy of Bernie Sanders supporters and the Clinton campaign insisting that there was the same kind of energy if not greater enthusiasm there.
There may have been among hard core Clinton supporters, but there were a whole lot of people who may be normally might vote Democrat or be open to a Democratic nominee who were not open to her. They just weren't there.
PHILIP BUMP, THE WASHINGTON POST: I was in Scranton over the weekend, looking -- trying to see what the actually turnout looked like. And I went to Hillary Clinton's headquarters in downtown Scranton and it was empty, two people there. I went to Trump's, a little bit outside of town, and it was packed with people there.
That was, you know, again, anecdotal evidence, right.
BURNETT: That things could go very different.
BUMP: Right. But I also think that what two are saying is the same thing to some extent. Yes, it was damped down. Committee may have played a role in that, but I think it was a preexisting problem back to the primaries and before that I think Comey and the media don't --
BURNETT: Now, Kayleigh, I will say had Donald Trump lost, he would be blaming Director Comey and the media.
BUMP: Oh, yes.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And that's proves to me that Comey did his job.
(CROSSTALK)
MCENANY: Comey did his job. They proved that. People have been way too hard on him for what happened. I want to say that about Comey for a while. He updated his congressional testimony. He did what he did.
If Hillary Clinton wants to blame anyone, its the first decision she made to start the private server. And I think just quickly to point out those numbers were striking the millennial numbers, with three percent, versus the 23 percent gap with Obama and Trump. And what that signals to me is there were a whole lot of Bernie Sanders supporters among millennials and when they saw the DNC e-mails come out right before the DNC that showed the DNC was in the tank for Bernie Sanders --
(CROSSTALK)
BURENTT: What Gary Tuchman just reported thought was not that specifically as a motive, but it was, when Bernie Sanders got out, they were out. And it happened early on.
HEALEY: You could have that great GOTV operation but you simply --
BURNETT: Well, it does come down to your candidate and can you motivate and inspire?
HEALEY: Right, I notice it might sound a little defensive, but the idea that the news media went easy on Donald Trump and hard on Hillary Clinton, I know she's not totally asserting that. But there were weeks on ends where the "New York Times" had very tough stories about Donald Trump, maybe. I mean, "The Washington Post" did fantastic work as well on Donald Trump.
And, you know, Clinton got tough coverage and scrutiny as well. But, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: You had woman after woman for a while. I mean, there's no question.
HEALEY: In October
BURNETT: Yes, right --
HEALEY: Right before the election.
BURNETT: Weeks before.
I want to play again Donald Trump talking for the first time about that call with Hillary Clinton when they first spoke after this happened, when of course he was shocked and euphoric and she was obviously heartbroken. Here is what he said to Leslie Stahl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: Hillary called you. Tell us about that phone call.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: So, Hillary called and it was a lovely call. It was a tough call for her. I mean, I can imagine. Tougher for her than it would have been for me and it would have been for me, it would have been very difficult.
She couldn't have been nicer. She just said, "Congratulations, Donald, well done." And I said, "I want to thank you very much, you were a great competitor." She's very strong and very smart.
INTERVIEWER: What about Bill Clinton? Did you talk to him?
TRUMP: He did. He called the next day.
INTERVIEWER: Really? What did he say?
TRUMP: He actually called last night.
INTERVIEWER: What did he say? TRUMP: He couldn't have been more gracious. He said it was an
amazing run. One of the most amazing he's ever seen.
INTERVIEWER: He said that.
TRUMP: He was very, very -- really very nice.
INTERVIEWER: You know, you said that you might call President Obama for advice. Would you think of calling President Clinton for advice?
TRUMP: Well, he's a very talented guy. Both of them. I mean, this is a very talented family. Certainly, I would certainly think about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: This shows the world by the way the strangeness of America, because in most countries, you have an election like this, and then you go purge the court system or you have a coup and all of a sudden, you fire half the news media. Here, you have the nastiest election in the world has ever seen out of this country, and yet now, people can talk so positively about each other and shake hands and move on.
BUMP: Well, yes, I mean, I think there is a difference between the Clinton shaking hands with the Trumps and America shaking hands with Trump, right? I mean, Hillary Clinton is not very popular. Donald Trump is not very popular. Getting Hillary Clinton on board is not going to do everything he needs to do get to get this country united around his presidency.
SMIKLE: And we've been talking about protests and I think one of the things Donald Trump needs do is not just talk about the protesters he's seeing out there now but also look in his backyard.
[19:40:08] A lot of the folks that were at his own rallies, a lot of the people that we're seeing, you know, a certain type of graffiti and messages being put out there that are anti-Semitic and so on. He no was a role in tamping that down. I think he --
HEALEY: To that end, a president can either unite a country after an election, or they can try to claim a mandate and I'm going to do it sort of my way. And at least right now, you are hearing more unity.
BURNETT: Unity path for Trump.
All right. Well, we're going talk about some of the issues and promises he made that propelled his campaign, some of which were perceived as very divisive. The promise of wall. Will it actually happen? We have a special report on exactly how, when, where, how would it work live from Mexico OUTFRONT tonight.
Plus, Trump rallying his supporters with tough talk on Muslims. Tonight, Muslim-Americans respond.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BURNETT: Tonight, video going viral of middle school students in Michigan chanting "build the wall" after President-elect Donald Trump's victory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STUDENTS: Build the wall!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:45:04] BURNETT: Now, Trump didn't mention the wall in his victory speech but, of course, as an issue he repeatedly touted on the campaign trail. What would the wall look like?
Ed Lavandera has tonight's big number.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: We're going to build the great wall.
The wall just got ten feet higher.
Maybe someday, they're going to call it the Trump wall.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The border between United States and Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles, nearly 700 miles of it is already covered with some form of border wall or steel fencing, but Donald Trump wants more.
TRUMP: On day one, we will begin working on am impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful southern border wall.
MICHAEL DEAR, AUTHOR, "WHY WALLS DON'T WORK": Well, of course, it can be done.
LAVANDERA: Professor Michael Dear is an expert in city and regional planning and the author of "Why Walls Don't Work."
DEAR: A large structure which might be 25 feet high, which would be very intensive in terms of resources and money.
LAVANDERA: In fact, CNN has surveyed a number of engineers, architects and academics about what would be most feasible. The wall would most likely need to be made of precast cement wall panels, 25 feet tall, 10 feet wide, eight inches thick, requiring, 339 million cubic feet of concrete. The panels will be held together by 5 billion pounds of reinforced steel with an estimated cost of at least $10.5 billion and possibly much more.
Trump supporters say they can't wait to see the beginning of the border wall construction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wall will get built and Mexico is going to pay for that wall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he'll try to build a wall and I think he'll try to secure our borders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If people want to come into the country, they should do it legally.
LAVANDERA: But in Mexico, the idea of a wall is often shrugged off as a bump in the road north.
Jose Torres Fernandez says he's illegal crossed into the U.S. many times to find work picking fruits and vegetables. He says a wall might make crossing over a little harder but immigrants like him would always find a way to find work to feed their families.
And Armando Flores Gutierrez says he's crossed the border 25 times when he was just 16 to start to work farm fields all over the U.S. He says keeping people like him out of the country would only hurt the U.S.
He says if you try to remove all of the Mexicans from the United States, Donald Trump will realize what a huge mistake that and is how much the U.S. economy depends on Mexican immigrants.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: And, Erin, this week, Mexican, top government officials here in Mexico have reiterated once again that they would refuse to pay for that wall and any attempts by the United States to force them to pay the wall in any kind of way would be met with a great deal of resistance.
So, that is something that will continue to play out here in the months ahead as the Mexican government tries to figure how exactly all of this is going to play out. But here on this Friday night, all of these deep issues far off the minds of many people in Mexico City, as the Mexican national soccer team and U.S. national soccer team set to kick you have later tonight in Columbus, Ohio.
When you talk to people on the streets here tonight, Erin, that's what they're thinking about.
BURNETT: All right. Ed, thank you very much. Pretty stunning statistics though, and, you know, moment many of you probably never saw coming, that we're actually talking about 339 million cubic feet of steel for that wall.
OUTFRONT now, former CIA director under President Bill Clinton and advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, Ambassador James Woolsey.
Ambassador Woolsey, I just want to ask you, clearly people supported Donald Trump expect the wall, right? It was a core part of every single speech and rally at one point when he was frustrated something he said that wall just got even higher.
He didn't mention it though during his victory speech early Wednesday morning. Is the wall do you think still going to happen?
JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR, ADVISER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: I imagine some kind of new but, you know, there are very secure constructions that are -- a bit of wall and a lot more fence that if done right, those can be very effective, protected, effectively protected, it's combination of people and electronic sensors and so forth.
But I think they should do what makes sense economically and in terms of making protection work, and probably have a bit of wall, maybe more than a bit. And just proceed with it to get it done.
BURNETT: And, Ambassador Woolsey, we know Trump insisted Mexico is going to pay for the wall. The former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, though, who obviously supported Trump reportedly said on a conference call, let me quote what he said to you, Ambassador. He will spend a lot of time controlling the border. He may not spend much time getting Mexico to pay for it but it was a great campaign device.
And what I'm curious about is, you know, now, we hear Trump making promises to repeal Obamacare and now, he is saying parts he likes, extreme vetting for people coming to the United States from terror sites, bringing back waterboarding.
[19:50:02] Do you think all those things are real and going to happen, or do you think they were campaign devices and not things that a President Trump will push through?
WOOLSEY: Well, probably several of them, and the wall may be a good example, are advocacy of a general direction. If you get down to the details of who pays for it, you may end up not being able to get it all paid for by someone else and need to compromise. You may need to compromise on the number of those things, but that's the way governments are and that's the way they are with their neighbors.
So, I don't think we ought to fall on our swords about the difference between a wall and a fence. Maybe this will be cheaper because it's mainly fence, but it is a good fence. I wouldn't have any problem with that myself, frankly.
BURNETT: So Donald Trump obviously among other things that he said he was going to redo was the nuclear deal with Iran, right? He repeatedly said he thinks it is horrible, but he said he wouldn't necessarily rip it up on day one, he would renegotiate. Here are some of the things he said about the Iran deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's very tough to do when you say rip up a deal. I would police that contract so tough that they don't have a chance, as bad as the contract is, I will be so tough on that contract.
We have a horrible contract but we do have a contract.
My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: That's something, ambassador, he seems to much mean, his number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal as he sees it. The Iranian president this week said no country can change the terms of the deal. What is Donald Trump going to do?
WOOLSEY: I think this is one where I'm completely on President-elect Trump's side. This is, I think, the worst international agreement the United States has ever signed. It's not ever really been concluded because there are parts of it that the Iranians will not share with anybody else, and it does not start to take effect under its own terms, the terms of the statute that got it started a year and a half ago, until all aspects are disseminated. And it is hideously inadequate as far as verification goes.
Erin, if you and I were U.N. inspectors and we decided we wanted to go 100 miles north from our camp in order to look at a facility in Iran because we thought there might be something radioactive in the soil there from a test or something, all of the Iranians need to do is say as we take our first step across the border, oh, actually we've decided to designate this as a military facility so you can't go there anymore.
BURNETT: Right.
WOOLSEY: It is full of stuff like that. It is a ridiculous, ridiculous agreement.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Ambassador, thank you very much. I appreciate your time tonight.
And OUTFRONT next, breaking news, live pictures of the anti-Trump protest growing at this hour on a Friday evening, that's Miami that you are looking at on your screen right now. Plus, the many American Muslims who say that Trump fuels racism, but amid potential Muslim ban, many still giving him a chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't stand against him, you know? We have to support him and wish for the best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:56:38] BURNETT: Breaking news, live pictures on your screen, Miami anti-Trump protests growing in several cities across the country. This is the third night.
Meanwhile, Trump's statement calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States is back on his website after briefly disappearing. This after the RNC chairman Reince Priebus told me the questions from media about it are stirring the pot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: Listen, Erin, he said repeatedly that there's no religion -- religious test. And for you all to be coming back and relitigating something that was -- that's five months old is what the problem is in our country. If the media is so interested in America coming together, then they ought to do their job and quit stirring the pot where it shouldn't belong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, are Muslims in this country afraid of a President Trump?
Jessica Schneider is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Hamtramck, Michigan, where Muslims make up a large portion of the population -- there is widespread uncertainty about a Trump presidency.
(on camera): Are you angry at the things he said throughout this election?
HASAN ALTAII, MICHIGAN VOTER: Definitely. I mean, you got to be kind to people.
TRUMP: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Trump made that promise last December, but dialed it back by the time his party's convention convened in Cleveland.
TRUMP: We must immediately suspend immigration fro any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place.
The Muslim ban is something that in some form has morphed into an extreme vetting.
SCHNEIDER: But tonight, his statement calling for a total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States is still on his official website. For some Muslims and many others, the rhetoric crossing the line.
FAYROUZ SAAD, MICHIGAN VOTER: I don't know how he got elected, I'll be honest.
SCHNEIDER: Fayrouz Saad's parents immigrated to Dearborn, Michigan, from Lebanon. She works on immigration issues at Detroit's mayor's office and says Trump's divisive rhetoric has made Muslim lives more difficult.
SAAD: I'm definitely angry. I don't want to say I'm fearful because I still have faith in the democratic process.
TANIA SHATILA, MICHIGAN VOTER: It is inexcusable the things that he said. It was shocking to hear, it is very scary as well.
SCHNEIDER: Tania Shatila runs this Middle Eastern bakery. She is still hopeful.
SHATILA: We can't stand against him, you know? We have to support him and wish for the best. So, hopefully, he will instill that unity that he's been saying in his speeches ever since he won.
SCHNEIDER: Nedal Tamir has a much different view.
NEDAL TAMER, MICHIGAN VOTER: And Mr. Trump should be held as an image of the American dream.
SCHNEIDER: Tamer voted for Trump and convinced his family to vote for him, too. As a small business owner, he sees Trump as a role model and believes he speaks from strength. He wants his fellow Muslims to see it the same way.
(on camera): What do you say when they have shock or anger?
TAMER: I say to them the country is going to be great.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: So many emotions out here, but one man who is leaving Friday prayers told me that his imam expressed faith in a higher power, and many of the people out here, Erin, that I spoke with expressed faith in the good people of this country -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you so much. It's excellent insight.
And thank you all so much for joining us.
Anderson is next.
