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CNN Live Event/Special
Michelle Obama Makes Powerful Case for Hillary Clinton; Elizabeth Warren Targets Trump; Bernie Sanders Takes the Stage at Democratic Convention. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired July 25, 2016 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00] CHERYL LANKFORD, SAN ANTONIO RESIDENT: I was furious. Frightened. And the truth is, I was embarrassed. The worst part is that I wasn't the only victim of Donald Trump's greed, far from it.
He preyed on vulnerable people like military widows and the elderly. He made millions of dollars off of people like me. Millions. He cheated more than 5,000 students. Hardworking middle class folks. Teachers. Police officers. Even veterans.
These are folks just like me who didn't have a lot but who were told that if they paid for Donald Trump's program, they might be able to make a better living.
Here's a guy who was born rich and who has all the money in the world and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I signed up for Trump University because I thought I could learn something from him.
But then he decided to make himself even richer. By cheating working people who had nothing to spare. What kind of man does that? It's not easy for me to get up here and tell my story.
For a long time, I didn't tell anybody. Not even my family or my friends. But I'm here because America deserves to know the truth.
(APPLAUSE)
This election isn't about democrat versus republican. It's about right versus wrong. It's about someone who helps ordinary people no matter what it takes versus someone who helps himself no matter who it hurts.
Donald Trump made big promises about Trump University, and I was fooled into believing him. Now, he's making big promises about America. Please, don't make that same mistake.
(APPLAUSE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Now we're going to hear from the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama; right after this video produced by J.J. Abrams.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michelle Obama is probably very busy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You guys ready to get to work?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First lady really inspires me because she's done so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's funny. She likes kids, and I'm a kid.
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: I obviously have to thank my wife, Michelle Obama, who's spent much of her life focused on service.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michelle Obama wants kids to have their health instead of sitting there on the couch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's definitely one of my favorite first ladies. Probably first or second out of three.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: We know that our journey is far from finished. It starts with each of us taking responsibility for ourselves and our families.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kind of grew up without a mom. Just her being the first lady it was really important. She's someone that we can look up to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First lady inspired me to become a stronger, more happy, independent young female.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Young people are our future, and she gives us hope and she gives me hope, personally.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She should be proud of how she treats the country's kids as her own.
M. OBAMA: Days like this make me think of my own daughters, so forgive me if I get a little teary.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to publicly thank the first lady for being an inspiration to communities here in the United States and around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's not just a woman standing next to a man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's making her own place in history.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If she was here right now, I would probably, like, freak out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would tell her, you did great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would tell her, thank you for looking out for me. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for making this country a better
place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome First Lady, Michelle Obama.
(APPLAUSE)
[22:05:00] (MUSIC PLAYING)
M. OBAMA: Oh. Thank you, all. Thank you so much. You know, it's hard to believe that it has been eight years since I first came to this convention to talk with you about why I thought my husband should be president.
(APPLAUSE)
Remember how I told you about his character and conviction, his decency and his grace. The traits that we've seen every day that he's served our country in the White House.
(APPLAUSE)
I also told you about our daughters, how they are the heart of our hearts, the center of our world, and during our time in the White House, we've had the joy of watching them grow from bubbly little girls into poised young women.
A journey that started soon after we arrived in Washington. When they set off for their first day at their new school. I will never forget that winter morning as I watched our girls, just 7 and 10 years old, pile into those black SUVs with all those big men with guns.
And I saw their little faces pressed up against the window, and the only thing I could think was, what have we done? See, because at that moment, I realized that our time in the White House would form the foundation for who they would become and how well we managed this experience could truly make or break them.
That is what Barack and I think about every day as we try to guide and protect our girls through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight. How we urge them to ignore those who question their father's citizenship or faith.
(APPLAUSE)
How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country.
(APPLAUSE)
How we explain that one someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level. No, our motto is, "When they go low, we go high." (APPLAUSE)
With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us. We, as parents are their most important role models, and let me tell you, Barack and I take that same approach to our jobs as President and First Lady because we know that our words and actions matter. Not just to our girls, but the children across this country.
(APPLAUSE)
Kids who tell us, I saw you on TV, I wrote a report on you for school. Kids like the little black boy who looked up at my husband, his eyes wide with hope, and he wondered, is my hair like yours?
And make no mistake about it, this November when we go to the polls that is what we're deciding. Not democrat or republican. Not left or right. No, in this election and every election is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives.
(APPLAUSE)
And I am here tonight because in this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility. Only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States, and that is our friend, Hillary Clinton.
[22:10:00] (APPLAUSE)
That's right. See, I trust -- I trust Hillary to lead this country because I've seen her lifelong devotion to our nation's children. Not just her own daughter who she has raised to perfection, but every child who needs a champion.
Kids who take the long way to school to avoid the gangs. Kids who wonder how they'll ever afford college. Kids whose parents don't speak a word of English but dream of a better life. Kids who look to us to determine who and what they can be.
You see, Hillary has spent decades doing the relentless, thankless work to actually make a difference in their lives.
(APPLAUSE)
Advocating for kids with disabilities as a young lawyer. Fighting for children's health care as first lady and for quality childcare in the Senate. And when she didn't win the nomination eight years ago, she didn't get angry or disillusioned.
(APPLAUSE)
She -- Hillary did not -- Hillary did not pack up and go home because as a true public servant, Hillary knows that this is so much bigger than her own desires and disappointments.
(APPLAUSE) So, she proudly stepped up to serve our country once again as Secretary of State, traveling the globe to keep our kids safe. And look, there were plenty of moments when Hillary could have decided that this work was too hard, that the price of public service was too high, that she was tired of being picked apart for how she looks or how she talks or even how she laughs.
But here's the thing, what I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure.
(APPLAUSE)
She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.
(APPLAUSE)
And when I think about the kind of president that I want for my girls and all our children, that's what I want. I want someone with the proven strength to persevere. Someone who knows this job and takes it seriously. Someone who understands that the issues a president faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters.
(APPLAUSE)
Look, because -- because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can't make snap decisions. You can't have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.
(APPLAUSE)
I want a president with a record of public service. Someone whose life work shows our children that we don't chase fame and fortune for ourselves. We fight to give everyone a chance to succeed.
(APPLAUSE)
And we give back even when we're struggling, ourselves, because we know that there is always someone more soft, and there, but for the grace of God, go I.
(APPLAUSE)
I want a president who will teach our children that everyone in this country matters. A president who truly believes in the vision that our founders put forth all those years ago, that we are all created equal. Each a beloved part of the great American story.
(APPLAUSE)
And when crisis hits, we don't turn against each other. No, we listen to each other. We lean on each other because we are always stronger together.
(APPLAUSE) And I am here tonight because I know that that that is the kind of president that Hillary Clinton will be, and that's why in this election I'm with her.
[22:15:05] (APPLAUSE)
(CROWD CHANTING)
You see, Hillary understands that the president is about one thing and one thing only. It's about leaving something better for our kids. That's how we've always moved this country forward, by all of us coming together on behalf of our children.
Folks who volunteer to coach that team, to teach that Sunday school class because they know it takes a village.
(APPLAUSE)
Heroes of every color and creed who wear the uniform and risk their lives to keep passing down those blasting of liberty. Police officers and the protesters in Dallas who all desperately want to keep our children safe.
(APPLAUSE)
People who lined up in Orlando to donate blood because it could have been their son, their daughter, in that club.
(APPLAUSE)
Leaders like Tim Kaine.
(APPLAUSE)
Who show -- who show our kids what decency and devotion look like. Leaders like Hillary Clinton who has the guts and the grace to keep coming back and putting those cracks in that highest and hardest glass ceiling and so she finally breaks through, lifting all of us along with her.
(APPLAUSE)
That is the story of this country. The story that has brought me to this stage tonight. The story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.
(APPLAUSE)
And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.
(APPLAUSE) And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
So, look. So, don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great, that somehow we need to make it great again, because this right now is the greatest country on earth.
(APPLAUSE)
And as my daughters prepare to set out into the world, I want a leader who is worthy of that truth. A leader who is worthy of my girls' promise and all our kids' promise. A leader who will be guided every day by the love and hope and impossibly big dreams that we all have for our children.
So in this election, we cannot sit back and hope that everything works out for the best. We cannot afford to be tired or frustrated or cynical. No, hear me. Between now and November, we need to do what we did eight years ago and four years ago.
(APPLAUSE)
We need to knock on every door. We need to get out every vote. We need to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton as president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
So, let's get to work. Thank you, all. And God bless.
(APPLAUSE)
[22:20:01] ANDERSON COOPER, AC360 SHOW HOST: The response in this convention says it all. There is not a person moving. Everybody is standing on their feet. Michelle Obama making the case for Hillary Clinton in a way that nobody has before.
Saying, who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives? Says, eight years ago, talking about Hillary Clinton, she didn't get angry or disillusioned. So much bigger than her own desires or disappointments.
Van Jones, I got to call you out. I saw you crying during this.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, first of all, if you don't -- if you weren't moved by that, go see the doctor. I mean, every American has to appreciate what it means for a woman like her to have thrown up in Chicago, dark skinned, not particular -- you know, not the classically, you know, beautiful woman according to the theme of that time.
To be able to come out here, she gave a clinic on how to connect to the American people, how to talk. There are politicians, professional politicians who came up here tonight who did not connect with the crowd, and the very first time that Hillary Clinton's name was mentioned, were not one boo.
The very first time Tim Kaine's name was mentioned, would not one boo. It was not professional politicians. It was her speaking as a mother.
COOPER: David Axelrod, I'm saying don't let anyone tell you America isn't great, this right now is the greatest country on earth.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. And I think she stood there as the personification of that, when she talked about living in a house that slaves had built. It was really, really moving.
For me, personally, having known them for as long as I have, and to understand the journey she's taken as a reluctant conscript on the public scene, to come here and command that stage the way she did tonight was extraordinary, and I think did for Hillary Clinton what no one else has done to this point. I think this was a big moment for her.
COOPER: Nia?
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: And I think the Clinton campaign smartly knew that this was going to be the headline of the night. They knew that most Americans weren't tuning in for Bernie Sanders, no offense to Bernie Sanders, but they were tuning in for Michelle Obama.
And this is the first time that Mrs. Obama has talked at length about Hillary Clinton. During the campaign in 2008, she was known as the closer because she was so good at changing the minds of undecided voters and having them back her husband. I think tonight, she proved why she got that nickname.
AXELROD: Can I just make one other point? One of the things that people say, whether they like Barack Obama or not, whether they like Michelle Obama or not, is that they're good role models.
COOPER: Yes.
AXELROD: They're good parents. And this whole speech was built around the obligation that we have as parents and that the president of the United States has, and the first lady, to be good role models, and that was a very sharp, implicit attack on Donald Trump.
And the Clinton campaign's running ads right now showing some of Trump's quotes with children watching the TV. And it's the same sort of message.
COOPER: Also personalized in a way that I got to say we did not really hear during the republican convention.
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, THE SMERCONISH SHOW HOST: Well, I particularly liked the fact that at the end of the speech, she brought the house down with the line that you referenced, where she said, this is the greatest country on earth.
Because what immediately triggered in my mind, was something she said awkwardly eight years ago, which was to the effect of for the first time in my life, I'm proud of the country. When I think she meant to say, I've never been more proud of my country.
But of course, on the far right, she was held accountable for that and people wanted to read into it the fact that she didn't love her country. Anybody who watched tonight knows exactly where she stands.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: On so many levels, this was a takedown of Donald Trump in a nuanced way. You know, as a parent, saying we have to be a role model to our children, as a leader, she said you need to be steady and measured and well-informed.
And also as a black woman. Living in that White House, saying how dare you say we're a country of losers? Because I'm the first lady of the United States and I'm watching my children play on that lawn in a house that was built by slaves.
JONES: A deep kind of patriotism and the thing is, when they go low, we go high. That's the Obama.
AXELROD: Yes.
COOPER: By the way, Senator Elizabeth Warren is about to come out. In fact, here she is being introduced. Let's listen.
(APPLAUSE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ELIZABETH WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR: Thank you. Thank you. Oh, I love that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Joe, and thank you, Massachusetts, for the great honor of serving as your senator. Thank you, guys.
[22:25:00] What a night. Wow. Michelle Obama, Cory Booker. And we still have Bernie coming up.
(APPLAUSE)
Bernie reminds us what democrats fight for every day. Thank you, Bernie. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, we are here tonight because America faces a choice. The choice of a new president. On one side is a man who inherited a fortune from his father and kept it going by cheating people, by skipping out on debts. A man who has never sacrificed anything for anyone. A man who cares only for himself. Every minute of every day.
On the other side is one of the smartest, toughest, most tenacious people on this planet. A woman who fights for children, for women, for health care, for human rights. A woman who fights for all of us and who is strong enough to win those fights.
(APPLAUSE)
We're here today because our choice is Hillary Clinton. I'm with Hillary. I'm with Hillary.
(APPLAUSE)
I'm with Hillary. You know, for me, this choice is personal. It's about who we are as a people. It's about what kind of a country we want to be. I grew up in Oklahoma.
(APPLAUSE)
My daddy ended up as a maintenance man and my mom worked a minimum wage job at Sears. My three brothers served in the military. The oldest was career, 288th combat missions in Vietnam. The second worked construction. And the third started his own small business.
Me? I got married at 19, graduated from a commuter college in Texas that cost $50 a semester.
(APPLAUSE)
The way I see it, I'm a janitor's daughter who became a public schoolteacher, a professor, and a United States Senator. America is truly a country of opportunity.
(APPLAUSE)
Truly. I am deeply grateful to that America. I believe in that America, but I'm worried. I'm worried that my story is locked in the past. Worried that opportunity is slipping away for people who work hard and play by the rules.
I mean, look around. Americans bust their tails, some working two or three jobs, but wages stay flat. Meanwhile, the basic costs of making it from month to month keep going up.
Housing, health care, childcare. The costs are out of sight. Young people are getting crushed by student loans. Working people are in debt. Seniors can't stretch a social security check to cover the basics. And even families who are OK today worry it could all fall apart tomorrow. This is not right.
(APPLAUSE)
It is not. And here's the thing. America isn't going broke. The stock market is breaking records. Corporate profits are at all-time highs. CEOs make tens of millions of dollars. There's lots of wealth in America, but it isn't trickling down the hardworking families like yours.
(APPLAUSE)
Does anyone here have a problem with that? Yes, well, I do, too. People get it. The system is rigged. You know -- it's true.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, so-called experts claim America's in trouble because both political parties in Washington refused to compromise. Gridlock. That is just flat wrong. Washington works great for those at the top.
When giant companies wanted more tax loopholes, Washington got it done. When huge energy companies wanted to tear up our environment, Washington got it done. When enormous Wall Street banks wanted new regulatory loopholes, Washington got it done. No gridlock there.
[22:30:02] But try to do something, anything, for working people, and you'll have a fight on your hands. As democrats have taken on those fights, that's what we do.
(APPLAUSE)
Democrats fought to get health insurance for more Americans. Democrats fought for a strong consumer agency so big banks can't cheat people. We fought, we won, and we improved the lives of millions of people.
Thank you, Barack Obama.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, we won, but republicans and lobbyists battled us every step of the way. Five years later, that consumer agency has returned $11 billion to families who were cheated.
(APPLAUSE)
And republicans, republicans, they're still trying to kill it. Now, look, I'm not someone who thinks that republicans are always wrong and democrats are always right. There's enough blame to go around. But there is a huge difference between people fighting for a level playing field and the people fighting to keep the system rigged.
(APPLAUSE)
Look at Congress since the republicans took over. Democrat proposed refinancing student loans, and republicans? They said no. Democrats proposed ending tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas. And republicans? They said no.
Democrats proposed raising the minimum wage and republicans? They said no. So, to every republican in Congress who said no, this November, the American people are coming for you.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes. That's right. And where was Donald Trump? In all of these fights, not once did he lift a finger to help working people. And why would he? His whole life has been about taking advantage of that rigged system. Time after time, he preyed on working people. People in debt. People who had fallen on hard times. He's conned them. He's defrauded them. And he's ripped them off.
Look at his history. Donald Trump said he was excited for the 2008 housing crash that devastated millions of American families because he thought it would help him scoop up more real estate on the cheap.
Donald Trump set up a fake university to make money by cheating people and taking their life savings. Donald Trump goes on and on and on about being a successful businessman, but he filed business bankruptcy six times. Always to protect his own money and stick the investors and contractors with the bill.
(CROWD BOOING)
Donald Trump hired plumbers and painters and construction workers to do hard labor for his businesses then he told them to take only a fraction of what he owed or fight his lawyers in court for years.
(CROWD BOOING)
So, what kind of a man acts like this? What kind of a man roots for an economic crash that cost millions of people their jobs, their homes, their life savings? What kind of a man cheats students, cheats investors, cheats workers?
Well, I'll tell you what kind of a man. A man who must never be president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
Never. And we've -- and we've got the leaders to make it happen. Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. They're going to make it happen.
(APPLAUSE)
[22:34:59] Look. Donald Trump knows that the American people are angry. A fact so obvious he can see it from the top of the Trump Tower. So now he's insisting that he, and he alone, can fix the rigged system.
Last week, Donald Trump spoke for more than an hour on the biggest stage he's ever had, but other than talking about building a stupid wall, which will never get built.
(APPLAUSE)
Other than that wall, did you hear any actual ideas? Did you hear even one solid proposal from Trump for increasing incomes or improving your kids' education? Or creating even one single good-paying job?
Look, let's face it, Donald Trump has no real plans for jobs or for college kids or for seniors. No plans to make anything great for anyone except rich guys like Donald Trump.
Just look at his ideas. Donald Trump wants to get rid of the federal minimum wage. Donald Trump wants to roll back financial regulations and turn Wall Street loose to wreck our economy again. (CROWD BOOING)
And Donald Trump has a tax plan to give multimillionaires and billionaires like himself an average tax cut of $1.3 million a year.
(CROWD BOOING)
You know, you're struggling to put your kids through college and Donald Trump thinks he needs a $1 million tax break? Trump's entire campaign is just one more late night Trump infomercial.
Hand over your money, your jobs, your children's future, and the great Trump hot air machine will reveal all the answers.
(APPLAUSE)
And for one low, low price, he'll even throw in a goofy hat.
(APPLAUSE)
And here's the really ugly underside to his pitch. Trump thinks he can win votes by fanning the flames of fear and hatred. By turning neighbor against neighbor. By persuading you that the real problem in America is your fellow Americans.
People who don't look like you or don't talk like you or don't worship like you. He even picked a vice president famous for trying to make it legal to openly discriminate against gays and lesbians.
(CROWD BOOING)
That's Donald Trump's America. An America of fear and hate. An America where we all break apart. Whites against blacks and Latinos. Christians against Muslims and Jews. Straight against gay. Everyone against immigrants. Race, religion, heritage, gender.
The more factions, the better. But ask yourself this. When white workers in Ohio are pitted against black workers in North Carolina, or Latino workers in Florida, who really benefits?
Divide and conquer is an old story in America. Dr. Martin Luther King knew it. After his march from Selma to Montgomery, he spoke of how segregation was created to keep people divided.
Instead of higher wages for workers, Dr. King described how poor whites in the south were fed Jim Crow which told a poor white worker that, quote, "No matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man better than the black man."
Racial hatred was part of keeping the powerful on top.
(APPLAUSE)
When we turn on each other, bankers can run our economy for Wall Street, oil companies can fight off clean energy, and giant corporations can ship the last good jobs overseas. When we turn on each other, rich guys like Trump can push through more tax breaks for themselves and then we'll never have enough money to support our schools or rebuild our highways or invest in our kids' future.
When we turn on each other, we can't unite to fight back against a rigged system.
(APPLAUSE)
[22:40:05] Well, I got news for Donald Trump. The American people are not falling for it.
(APPLAUSE)
We've seen this ugliness before, and we are not going to be Donald Trump's hate-filled America. Not now. Not ever.
(APPLAUSE)
This is about our values, about our shared values with our candidates, Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.
(APPLAUSE)
Let's talk about those values. We believe that no matter who you are, no matter where you're from, no matter who you love, equal means equal. Hillary will fight to make sure discrimination has no place in America and we're with her.
(APPLAUSE)
We believe that no one, no one who works full time should live in poverty. Hillary will fight for raising the minimum wage, fair scheduling, paid family and medical leave, and we're with her.
(APPLAUSE)
We believe every kid in America should have a chance for a great education without getting crushed by debt. Hillary will fight for refinancing student loans and debt-free college. We are with her.
(APPLAUSE)
And we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, seniors should be able to retire with dignity. Hillary will fight to expand social security, strengthen Medicare, and protect our retirement accounts, and we're with her. (APPLAUSE)
We believe that oil companies shouldn't call the shots in Washington, that science matters, that climate change is real.
(APPLAUSE)
Hillary will fight to preserve this earth for our children and grandchildren, and we're with her.
(APPLAUSE)
We believe, and I can't believe I have to say this in 2016, in equal pay for equal work and a woman's right to control over her own body.
(APPLAUSE)
Hillary will fight for women and we're with her.
(APPLAUSE)
That's right. We believe we don't need weaker rules on Wall Street. We need stronger rules. And when big banks get too risky, break them up.
Hillary will fight to hold big banks accountable, and we're with her.
(APPLAUSE)
And we believe that the United States should never, never sign trade deals that help giant corporations but leave workers in the dirt. Hillary will fight for American workers, and we're with her.
(APPLAUSE)
(CROWD CHANTING)
OK. And just one more. Just one more. We believe we must get big money out of politics and root out corruption.
(APPLAUSE)
Hillary will fight to overturn citizens united and return this government to the people.
If you believe that America must work for all of us, not just for the rich and powerful, if you believe we must reject the politics of fear and division, if you believe that we are stronger together, then let's work our hearts out to make Hillary Clinton the next president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. Thank you.
BLITZER: Senator Elizabeth Warren going after what she called Donald Trump's hate-filled America. Jake, Bernie Sanders, he's coming up next.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: We just heard a case from former Harvard professor, Elizabeth Warren, an economic populist case about why Donald Trump would be wrong. Why Hillary Clinton would be right.
This is a night where they're trying to win over the progressives. The skeptics in the party. People who have supported Bernie Sanders very, very strongly. There are still a lot of tough feelings about this very divisive race. [22:45:03] And you see and you hear a very strong effort by these
members of the progressive wing. Elizabeth Warren and soon Bernie Sanders, to make the case that these individuals need to get behind Hillary Clinton and not just to get behind her, but to get behind her enthusiastically because that's been one of the issues going on here.
BLITZER: Dana, what's the likely reaction on the floor to Elizabeth Warren's speech, and the upcoming speech by Bernie Sanders?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Elizabeth Warren obviously, as you said gave a very powerful populist message, what you'd expect from her. I actually thought that the crowd would be more on their feet for her than they were.
You know, it's done here, because we watched here so we didn't fair heard a home, but I guess, to be fair, it's hard to follow Michelle Obama, if you're anybody. And Cory Booker earlier gave a very strong speech. But as far as Bernie Sanders goes, he's the speech everybody was waiting for.
BLITZER: And we're going to hear from Bernie Sanders, a robust endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
TAPPER: That's right. But I think one of the things to point out about the fact that in the room, at least, I don't know about your living room at home, but in the room at least the Elizabeth Warren speech didn't generate the kind of enthusiasm.
One of the things that I think is very clear tonight is in this room, the positive, optimistic messages of Michelle Obama and Cory Booker have been much more well-received.
BASH: Absolutely.
TAPPER: And just a quick note on Michelle Obama, she was very not so vaguely referring to Donald Trump.
BLITZER: Never mentioned him by name.
TAPPER: Never by name. But it was very clear that she was talking about him. I don't know with that's ever happened before, a first lady in a convention address going after the opponent of the other party.
BLITZER: As you know, when she says, don't believe people that can speak in 140 characters, we know what she's talking about.
BASH: And the fact she was so focused on the children. Dovetailing with, of course the ad the Hillary Clinton campaign has up right now.
TAPPER: Yes, and the idea of how do you want your children to be in the next four years because presidents are more than just people who put together policy, they also are guides for the next generation.
BLITZER: And a lot of people now have been waiting for this speech, the Bernie Sanders speech. They want to see how far he goes. They know he'll attack Donald Trump. They want to see how far he goes in supporting Hillary Clinton. There's going to be a video first introducing Bernie Sanders. We'll watch that as well.
TAPPER: It's a very important speech because if Bernie Sanders supporters don't vote for Hillary Clinton, she could very well lose the election. She needs them to come on board and he needs to convince them.
BLITZER: And he's going to try tonight to go forward on that front. We're anxious, Dana, to get the reaction of the crowd when he utter those words, in favor of Hillary Clinton, because we know what happened this morning.
BASH: Exactly, and I tlak to so many Bernie Sanders supporters and delegates out there throughout the evening saying that they want to hear explicitly why they should support Hillary Clinton, not just vote against Donald Trump.
BLITZER: Some of the important words from Bernie Sanders. He's been, I guess preparing all day, maybe a lot longer for this speech tonight.
Probably if he's going to get his supporters on board, you're absolutely right, he needs that base. He got 13 million votes in these primaries. She's going to need that support so she can beat Donald Trump.
TAPPER: And Bernie Sanders, we should point out, that there have been smatterings of Bernie Sanders supporters protesting here. Not big enough groups to really make it so you at home would be able to hear, but there was one group saying, we trusted you, when Elizabeth Warren was standing up and endorsing Hillary Clinton, "we trusted you, we trusted you."
And towards the end of her address, there was a group chanting, "Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs," the name of the New York investment bank that Hillary Clinton took so much money, hundreds of thousands of dollars, for speaking to.
BLITZER: It's going to be an important speech by Bernie Sanders because Hillary Clinton she's got to not only get those Bernie Sanders supporters on board, she's got to recreate that Barack Obama coalition and there's no doubt that the first lady tonight helped her big-time in that way.
BASH: Absolutely, and the message that Michelle Obama that took Bernie Sanders supporters -- here we go.
BLITZER: Here's the video introducing Bernie Sanders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:50:06] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please welcome Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, all, very much.
(CROWD CHEERING)
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. It is -- it is -- it is an honor. Thank you. Thank you very much.
It is -- it is an honor to be here tonight. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. It is an honor to be here tonight and to be following in the footsteps of my good friend, Elizabeth Warren.
(APPLAUSE)
And to be here tonight, to thank Michelle Obama for her incredible service to our country.
(APPLAUSE)
She has made all of us proud. Let me begin by thanking the hundreds of thousands of Americans who actively participated in our campaign as volunteers. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Let me thank the 2.5 million Americans who helped fund our campaign with an unprecedented eight million individual campaign contributions.
(APPLAUSE)
Anyone know what that average contribution was? Right, $27. And let me thank the 13 million Americans who voted for the political revolution.
(APPLAUSE)
Giving us the 1,846 pledged delegates here tonight.
[22:55:01] (APPLAUSE)
And delegates, thank you for being here and thank you for all the work you have done. I look forward -- I look forward to your votes during the roll call tomorrow night.
(APPLAUSE)
And -- and let me offer a special thanks to the people of my State of Vermont. Who have sustained me and supported me as a Mayor, Congressman, Senator, and presidential candidate.
(APPLAUSE)
And to my family, my wife, Jane, our four kids and seven grandchildren, thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE) I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it's fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am.
But to all of our supporters here and around the country, I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we have achieved.
(APPLAUSE)
Together, together, my friends, we have begun a political revolution to transform America and that revolution, our revolution, continues.
(APPLAUSE)
Election days -- election days come and go, but the struggle of the people to create a government which represents all of us and not the 1 percent.
(APPLAUSE)
A government based on the principles of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice. That struggle continues.
(APPLAUSE)
And I look forward to being part of that struggle with you.
(APPLAUSE)
Let me be as clear as I can be. This election is not about and has never been about Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders or any of the other candidates who sought the presidency.
This election is not about political gossip. It's not about polls. It's not about campaign strategy. It's not about fund-raising. It is not about all the things that the media spend so much time discussing.
(APPLAUSE)
This election is about and must be about the needs of the American people and the kind of future we create for our children and our grandchildren.
(APPLAUSE)
[23:00:07] This election is about ending the 40-year decline of our middle class.
(APPLAUSE)
