Return to Transcripts main page

Inside Politics

Trump Holds Rally in Nevada Ahead of Tomorrow's Dem Caucuses; Trump Rips "Best Picture" Choice, Longs for "Gone with the Wind"; WaPo: Mulvaney Tells Group U.S. "Desperate" for More Legal Immigrants; Cash Crunch for 2020 Candidates; Warren Pushed on Super Pac Now Supporting Her; Bloomberg's Ad Blitz, Other Dems Make Strategic TV Buys. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired February 21, 2020 - 12:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:31:15]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: President Trump is staging a campaign rally in Nevada today, even though the state Republican Party is not holding caucuses this year. The Las Vegas rally, part of the president's effort to shadow the Democratic race. His western swing this week also is aimed at helping vulnerable Republican senators.

Colorado was last night's stop, and the president offered some not so nice reviews of the 2020 Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mini Mike didn't do well last time. How about Klobuchar, did you see her? She jumped. She jumped.

Buttigieg, little Buttigieg.

Washington Democrats have never been more extreme, taking cues from crazy Bernie Sanders. Joe. What the hell is wrong with you, Joe? Sleepy Joe. He's sleepy Joe!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins us live from Las Vegas. So Jeff, you can peek at the president there from last night. He clearly enjoys, I guess, being the shadow candidate.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John, there's no question, the shadow candidate trying to overshadow this race. Donald Trump and the campaign has long signaled that they were going to play an active role in the Democratic primary. It's become more active than even some of his aides expected. He likes being in the same location, in the same city as these Democratic candidates. He's really become one of the most of loyal viewers of these Democratic debates.

He recorded the debate the other night here in Las Vegas. He watched it after his rally. He, you know, gives a running commentary as he watches this, but he's trying to get, of course, get in the head space of these Democrats, also trying to sort out, you know, who is best to run against. And when you talk to Trump campaign advisers, they're actually not sure. They do still believe that Bernie Sanders could be one of the strongest opponents largely because they believe he could expand his universe of supporters.

They don't talk nearly as much about Joe Biden as they once did, but we still know the president does believe Joe Biden would also be a tough competitor. So, all that is to say, he's trying to play a role in the Democratic primary, but he's certainly cannot influence its outcome.

One thing is clear, John, the Trump campaign and the RNC raised $16 million in the month of January, 14 million more this week alone in California. So that is going to be the challenge here for whichever Democratic candidate wins the primary, and how long that goes to compete, you know, against this machine that the Trump campaign is building. And they do have their eye on Nevada for the general election.

It's not going to be one of the top targets, but he did lose Nevada only by two percentage points to Hillary Clinton. So they do say that they can try and expand the map. We'll see if that works. But, John, we do know the president is going to keep on this Democratic primary schedule. Next Friday, on the eve of the South Carolina primary, he'll have rally in Charleston.

John?

KING: Jeff Zeleny, live in Vegas. Cannot say it enough the advantage an incumbent Republican president, incumbent president has when they don't have serious primary opposition while the other party is in this battle.

One of the interesting things is the president sometimes doesn't like being the leader of the Republican Party. He likes to be the leader of the Trump party. He doesn't like sometimes being the leader of Republican but at the top of the show, we talked about how he viewed Joe Maguire, was the acting director of national intelligence as disloyal, therefore, you're gone. On this road show, two Republican senators who stood with him during impeachment, get the president's praise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You're going to help us get Cory Gardner across that line because he's been with us a hundred percent. There was no wavering. He's got my complete and total support and endorsement.

She helped us so much during the impeachment hoax. She did wobble one bit, Martha McSally. But that's why Martha has my complete and total support and endorsement.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: It's interesting. Number one, loyalty is a binary thing for this president. You just -- it's -- there's a -- you're with me or against me. That's how he views it.

[12:35:02]

But number two, it's risky for McSally and Gardner but they have made the choice. Essentially, if you don't have the Trump base, you're done. Therefore, take the risk.

JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: No question. I mean, they are -- they clearly have calculated as have most of the Republicans who are facing tough races this year with the possible exception of Susan Collins, that they need to really consolidate their support among the Republican base. And the way to do that is to hug Trump as tightly as possible. And you certainly want him on your good side rather than your bad side when you're facing race like Martha McSally or Cory Gardner are facing. So I think that's really the calculation here.

Now, it's February, they're not up for their -- the general election until November. We'll see if they want him in their states that close to Election Day based on what the polls are showing about whether they can, you know, win if he comes in and gears up a lot of support and enthusiasm among Democrats against the Republican.

KING: It's a great point. As to what will the Trump map be in the end? We know Arizona, he went last time. We expect he's going to try it again. We'll see how that one plays out.

But as you mentioned this earlier, listen here, we don't know who the Democratic nominee is going to be. Nevada is the third chapter. Yes, Bernie Sanders has a little bit of early momentum. We don't know yet.

But, if you're the Republicans, you see whether the president or those senators, you see an opportunity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: While the socialist Democrats are trying to destroy American healthcare and trying to destroy your social security, that won't happen with me.

SEN. CORY GARDNER(R-CO): We are going to win because we will fight against the socialist tides across this country. The most dangerous thing was the normalization of socialism by Bernie Sanders.

SEN. MARTHA MCSALLY (R-AZ): They don't want socialism. They love our freedoms. And he is -- Mark Kelly is flying on Bernie Sanders' wing, and I'm flying on your wing, President Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: So, they're going to tag whoever is the Democratic nominee as a socialist. That's going to happen and same down the line. It becomes more effective if there is an actual Democratic socialist as the top of the ticket.

And that is the question. And it's not just me saying that, I think if you talk to a lot of perhaps there mainstream Democrats, that is a concern.

KING: It's going to be interesting to watch. I'm on your wing, Mr. President, from Martha McSally there. Does that show up in an ad against her?

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I would --

JOSH DAWSEY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: You have to believe that it will show up at an ad against her. But at the same time, the president has such support among Republican Party voters in Colorado and other states where, what choice does she have other than to (INAUDIBLE) herself to him. If she votes against him, if she doesn't have a support, he can totally, you know, ruin her shot at winning an election in Arizona and Colorado and one of these other states. So it's maybe the best bet you have.

I mean, you can't do the thing where President Trump pointing in the 2020 where you're just lukewarm, where you don't appeal with him, he say maybe I support part of his policies, maybe I don't. Well, that kind of works out for the people who have tried. I mean, my colleague cite this quote the other day in the Post, if you're in the middle of road, you're roadkill. And there's no way, you're either on this side or that side.

KUCINICH: Well, and McSally if I remember correctly, didn't hug the president as tight the last time she lost a race --

DAWSEY: And she lost.

KUCINICH: -- which was in 2018 so she was appointed. This is her second election and she's clearly taking a different path.

KING: That's an old quote from the great Jim Hightower that will never die. The only thing you find on the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos.

Up next for us, the president misses the movie era of Scarlett O'Hara.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:42:43]

KING: Topping our political radar today, some international news. We're now just hours away from a critical test of whether peace is possible with the Taliban. This, after more than 18 years of fighting.

The week long reduction in violence agreement announced last week is set to begin at midnight, Local Time. If the truce holds, the United States and the Taliban are expected to sign a formal peace agreement a week from Saturday.

Getting far away from the White House seems to bring out the candor of the Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. The Washington Post says he just told a group in England that the United States is, quote, desperate for more legal immigrants to help grow the economy. A position, of course, diametrically oppose to that of Stephen Miller, the president's immigration point man and the president himself. Mulvaney also calling out Republicans saying they only care about deficits when Democrats were in power.

President Trump, not a fan of the Motion Picture Academy's choice for best picture at this year's OSCARS. You'll recall, the Oscar went to "Parasite", a subtitled South Korean film that made history as the first non-English movie to capture the honor. The president doesn't get it. Apparently longs for the day when Ms. Scarlett and Rhett Butler were the toast of Hollywood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And the winner is a movie from South Korea. What the hell was that all about? We got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of it, they give them best movie of the year? Was it good? I don't know.

And I'm looking for like where it went, let's get "Gone with the Wind". Can we get like "Gone with the Wind" back, please? "Sunset Boulevard".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: "Gone with the Wind", racist. "Sunset Boulevard", about a --

DAVIS: Celebrity --

KING: -- celebrity who loses touch with reality?

DAVIS: Right. Yes.

KING: Yes.

DAVIS: Exactly.

KING: OK.

DAVIS: And "Gone with the Wind" was 1939 actually so it was a while ago, right? I mean, you know, it's -- this was clearly in keeping with the way that he likes to message to his supporters.

KUCINICH: Right.

DAVIS: You heard the response there. Everyone cheered or booed. But, you know, it's just another way of kind of reminding people of these sort of cultural themes that he really likes to talk about. And like this is not the country that it should be, this is not the country that we want it to be, and he brings up, you know whatever cultural reference--

DAWSEY: We're not use to be great.

DAVIS: -- whole from -- right. Make America great again. He uses it to sort of keep that, reinvigorate that spirit among his supporters.

KING: I want to come back to the Mick Mulvaney thing. What is it about traveling away from the White House that makes him suddenly, you know -- he was a deficit hawk by the way. He doesn't have to wait for Republicans just to have a democratic power, he could actually try to do something now, but.

[12:45:09]

DAWSEY: He was inarguably (INAUDIBLE). I mean, in a speech as you said, he spoke for about an hour to these students in Oxford, and he said, oh, it's my party that actually has been playing for deficits. They don't care either what Obama signed in power. He says we know climate change exists but our party doesn't really want to make people do anything drastically to change our lives about it.

He talked about how the deep states was well, he extensively went on and on and on about the agencies who are trying to sabotage the president, and how beurocrat should get on the (INAUDIBLE) ballot, were his words directly. He talked about how they want more immigrants striking the totally different (INAUDIBLE) quite from Stephen Miller.

I mean, it was a pretty remarkably candid speech from the chief of staff. And these students pressed him repeatedly. I mean, one of the deficit questions came when one of the students said to him in the room, your party is supposed to care about deficits and the president has a record deficit. And he goes, well, my party doesn't really care about that.

KING: Does he not know that we live in the internet age where something you say there can be transmitted here like that? You know, we have to put a message in a bottle or yes, OK. I like to see how the boss -- I'd like to have the boss read that speech and sit there and watch that one play out.

When we come back, a lot of candidates facing a cash crunch since the campaign primary calendar is about to get very, very crowded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:03]

KING: New financial reports from the presidential candidates tell us several are strapped for cash just as the campaign calendar gets more crowded and more expensive. You can see the evidence of this without knowing the numbers just by a look at TV ad spending.

Right now as we speak, Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, is advertising in 28 states. He writes his own checks. His budget apparently unlimited. Twenty-eight states plus Puerto Rico, Mayor Bloomberg is advertising in.

Bernie Sanders can raise money off his internet organization. He's on the air right now in 11 states. So the ones that are coming up immediately, then Super Tuesday states and beyond. This is a bit crowded, but what it tells you as the other candidates, Klobuchar and Steyer on the ads -- on the air in nine states right now, some of the other candidates on the air in just one or two. Difficult because raising money is getting so hard. Money follows momentum. If you're not winning, raising money gets hard.

Mayor Bloomberg because, again, he writes his own checks. Bernie Sanders has 16.8, so $17 million he reported in cash in hand in his brand new report. Compare to last month, that means he's burning through 105 percent. He's spending a little bit more money than he's bringing in month to month.

Joe Biden, spending a 121 percent of what he brought in last month. You're burning more than you're bringing in. That's bad for a campaign.

Pete Buttigieg, more than double. Spending more than twice as much as be brought in last month. Still had that much on hand.

Elizabeth Warren, spending twice as much as she brought in last month. That's a pretty low cash on hand. So much so, as Senator Warren tries to rebound, at the beginning of the campaign, she said, no Democrats running for president should accept help from a super Pac.

There's now a super Pac helping her. She says this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I haven't changed my position. Look, if the other candidates would also -- you know, you're right, let's do the primary from this point forward without super Pacs, I'll lead the charge. This is also about the billionaire in the race or the billionaires in the race. And that is, they have the equivalent of a super Pac. It's known as their sock drawer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That's a change. That's a change. At the beginning, she wanted to be the purist on campaign finance. Now she's saying, I guess I have to take the helm.

KUCINICH: It's all fun and games until you run out of money and you want to keep going. And, you know, I think what we were hearing yesterday was a lot of frustration and consternation for candidates that have already dropped out who submitted themselves to this purity test, who wouldn't take super Pac money and now are finding themselves on the sidelines.

So -- and that's their fault, right? They decided to do that. However, you will see how the voters react to Elizabeth Warren. But this will allow her to go a little bit further.

KING: And it also shows you the impact of Bloomberg on the race. In the sense that if you're a candidate like Buttigieg who won the most delegates in Iowa, came in a close second to Sanders in New Hampshire, normally that candidate gets momentum and you think I can raise a couple of million dollars, pick a state of two, get more momentum. Bloomberg is everywhere, 28 states plus Puerto Rico. How do you counter that?

DAVIS: Right. I mean, you can hear the frustration. I'd say a couple weeks ago, Amy Klobuchar was talking about how, you know, when she goes and prepares for an interview on one of these shows that the amount of time that she gets is totally swamped by the amount of commercial time that Mayor Bloomberg is able to get with his ads. And he has blanket of the airwaves. And so -- I mean, it's a real concern for these contenders and not surprising, perhaps, that Elizabeth Warren would have responded in this way. And I think they're all trying to figure out how to hang on with that kind of wash of money coming from the Bloomberg campaign.

DAWSEY: And on the other side, President Trump has embraced big money fundraising. He does fundraisers where the price of admission is $580,000 so they raised $10,000 -- $10 million in one evening. He has $200 million in the bank and they are (INAUDIBLE) and that they are going to keep doing these big fundraisers. He does tens of million dollars out this week in California.

He's raising all of these money. He's going to do that every week going forward. And the Republican Party is going to have so much money that they're not going to know what to do with even some of it. If they keeps the way it is, I mean, Democrats are going to have to contend with that. That's just part of the game.

The president said he was going to drain the swamp, but he has embraced big money fundraising and that counts for something.

[12:55:01]

Like it or not, Nevada and South Carolina are probably going to force one or two people from the race.

OLORUNNIPA: Yes. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the candidates that end up in third, fourth, fifth, or sixth place decide that they can't go on. In part because Super Tuesday is a very expensive place where you have California and Texas. And if you're not doing well coming out of South Carolina, it wouldn't make sense to try to spend money and (INAUDIBLE) yourself thin when it doesn't look like you have any momentum going into Super Tuesday.

KING: All right, maybe you pick one or two states, try to get a rebound. We'll watch Nevada tomorrow. Come here for the results.

Thanks for joining us on INSIDE POLITICS. Hope to see you back here tomorrow for the Nevada results.

Also, Sunday at 8 a.m. Eastern, get up early. Brianna Keilar starts after a quick break. Enjoy your afternoon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:00]