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CNN Live Event/Special
Iowa Voters Weigh In on Tonight's Democratic Debate; Democratic Candidates Pressed for Specifics on Proposals; Interview With Sen. Elizabeth Warren; Interview With Julian Castro. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired June 27, 2019 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIAN CASTRO, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That are coming are not seeking asylum. A lot of them are undocumented immigrants, right? And you said recently, that the reason you didn't want to repeal Section 1325 was because you were concerned about human trafficking and drug trafficking.
But let me tell you what. Section 18 - Title 18 of the U.S. code, Title 21 and Title 22 already cover human trafficking.
(CROSSTALK)
CASTRO: I think that you should do your homework on this issue. If you did your homework on this issue, then you know that we should repeal this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: And joining me now, former Obama Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, who made headlines for that confrontation with Beto O'Rourke. Thank you so much for being with us. Van Jones, I think, referred to that as a Texas - a Texas takedown, and that you clocked Beto O'Rourke. I'm wondering how you think tonight went.
CASTRO: I think it went great. You know, a lot of people who maybe hadn't been paying attention to my campaign saw a strong performance. My folks just told me that we had the highest jump in mentions out there. So people took notice, and I think what they saw tonight was that I'm a strong candidate. I have a great vision for the future of the country.
I can handle myself, as you saw in that exchange, and that I can beat Donald Trump. I can go and get the 80,000 votes that we lost by in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. And I'm the party's best hope to take the 29 electoral votes of this state that I'm in right now, Florida, the 11 electoral votes of Arizona and the 13 electoral votes of my home state of Texas.
So yes, it went great, and we're seeing a lot of good feedback from people.
COOPER: Yes, I mean your Google searches, just looking, have gone up 2,400 percent, which is certainly a lot over the course of a two-hour debate. It was interesting that what Beto O'Rourke said to you was not true, as you - as you pointed out. I mean he was saying that you're just focusing on a small piece of this, whether or not people are charged criminally or civilly for crossing over into the United States. That's a major issue.
That's not a tiny little section.
CASTRO: It absolutely is. And you know, I was glad to support Congressman O'Rourke last year when he ran against Senator Ted Cruz. I respect him. At the same time, what's clear is that he hasn't done his homework on this issue. And as Congressman Ryan agreed with me, we already have laws that address human trafficking and drug trafficking. That has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.
My plan would eliminate Section 1325, which has been the whole reason that this Trump administration is able to separate little children from their parents. I want to end family separation. My immigration plan does that, and Congressman O'Rourke's plan does not. And so, he has failed. And I hope that he and everybody else who hasn't agreed with me will change their position because it's so important that we end this policy.
It doesn't reflect who we ought to be as a country.
COOPER: You also spoke with in almost emotional terms about the photograph that we've all seen and the story of the father and his little girl who drowned, trying to cross the Rio Grande. Yes, I just want to play for our viewers what you said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASTRO: Watching that image of Oscar and his daughter, Valeria, is heartbreaking. It should also piss us all off. If I were president today -
(APPLAUSE)
And it should spur us to action. If I were president today, I would sign an executive order that would get rid of Trump's zero tolerance policy, the remain in Mexico policy and the metering policy. This metering policy is basically what prompted Oscar and Valeria to make that risky swim across the river. They have been playing games with people who are coming and trying to seek asylum at our points of entry.
Oscar and Valeria went to a point of entry, and then they were denied the ability to make an asylum claims. So they got frustrated, and they tried to cross the river, and they died because of that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On day one? Sorry, I'm just asking -
CASTRO: On day one, I would do that executive order that would address metering. And then I would follow that up in my first 100 days with immigration reform that would honor asylum claims, that would put undocumented immigrants as long as they haven't committed a serious crime on a pathway to citizenship, and then would go through the root cause of the issue, which is we need a martial plan for Honduras and Guatemala and El Salvador -
(APPLAUSE)
-- so that people can find safety and opportunity at home instead of coming to the United States to seek it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Would having a pathway for citizenship for all undocumented immigrants in this country currently, would that - you know, you know that the counter argument to that among - that certainly many Republicans will link to (ph) is that it's going to encourage even more people to come.
CASTRO: That's absolutely not true. In fact, look at just what happened in the last year. A year ago, the Trump administration told us that if we would just be cruel enough to separate little children from their mothers that that would deter more Central American families from coming to this country.
[00:05:00]
And instead, last month 144,000 people came to our southern border. So I've had enough of trying their failure and their cruelty. I believe that we can maintain a secure border, but that we should choose common sense and compassion, and that we can be smarter, more effective and more humane by investing in insuring that people can find safety and opportunity in Honduras and El Salvador and Guatemala, so that all these people don't have to come and try and find it in the United States.
And let me just say, Anderson, that I know that Republicans are always going to accuse Democrats of being for open borders. Nobody has said anything about open borders. That's a right-wing talking point. We have 654 miles of fencing. We house thousands of personnel at the border.
We have planes. We have helicopters. We have boats. We have guns. We have security cameras. We're going to maintain a secure border, but we're not going to engage in the kind of cruelty that we've seen on display with this Trump administration.
COOPER: And just final, I just want to mention, as I mentioned, you spiked 2,400 percent in the Google searches on the Democratic debate. How do you take this forward? I mean if you feel you have momentum tonight, how do you move this forward?
CASTRO: Well, first of all, I hope that folks would go to juliancastro.com and help me move it forward by contributing $5, $10 to the campaign. I had to sneak that in, Anderson. COOPER: I knew you would -
CASTRO: But also, look, I think it's true that a lot of people may not have been paying attention to my campaign before tonight. But they are now. And I want to you know that I have the right experience, strong executive experience, to be president. I have a strong vision to create the smartest, the healthiest, the fairest and the most prosperous nation. And I can beat Donald Trump, not only in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but also here in Florida, in Arizona and in my home state of Texas. And I will work hard everyday to make sure that you and your family have good healthcare when you need it, that your child can get a good education, and that everybody can have good job opportunities whenever you live.
COOPER: Secretary Castro, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much.
CASTRO: Great to see you.
COOPER: Right now, our political team.
JESS MCINTOSH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the thing that surprised me the most about Castro tonight was his, like, AP-level feminism. Like, he came out for the ERA, which would have laughable in any candidate just 10 years ago, and now, I think we understand it to be more of a necessity. He talked about reproductive justice.
He used the phrase "reproductive justice," which is one of those phrases that signals to people who do work in this space that you actually get the issue holistically. You get the intersectionality of how it affects black and brown women. He brought up trans women when talking about abortion. This was - I mean this was sort of an exceptional appearance by a male candidate who I had no idea who was so versed in these issues.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: What struck me was the way he attacked Beto O'Rourke. I mean we know that they're not buddies, and we know that in order for him to succeed, Beto O'Rourke has to go down. I understand all of that, but a lot of times in a debate, when you do that, you're the one on the attack.
Sometimes, you get hurt by it, the person you attack may get hurt, and the frontrunner may benefit. We saw that happen with Chris Christie, Marco Rubio and - he attacked Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump benefitted. In this case - in this case, actually, he was so deft at it that he really benefitted from this attack, and O'Rourke did not.
COOPER: Well, it also - I mean it also is pretty devastating when you see Julian Castro confronting Beto O'Rourke with actual sort of subsections of a law.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN HOST AND FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRES. OBAMA: Let me just say this, and you're a practitioner, you can appreciate this. That was - I mean he came with a plan.
(CROSSTALK) He came with a plan, and the plan was not just the initial hit, but what the response was likely to be and what his response to the response was likely to be -
BORGER: And he's still doing it (inaudible).
AXELROD: - it was very - I mean it was very well-done. And I mean these debates are about moments. Can you create the moment? Every candidate wants to create a moment, but it's actually pretty hard to do. He did it.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: And this - I mean the repeated phrase that you didn't do your homework, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's brutal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the debate stage -
HENDERSON: On the debate stage -
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has been -
HENDERSON: -- because that's always been the wrap on Beto O'Rourke, that he just wasn't ready for prime time, even on an issue of immigration. And in some ways, he centered his candidacy on immigration, on being from El Paso, obviously, speaks Spanish, a representative of a border county. So I think it was devastating for Beto O'Rourke. I think the question is does Beto O'Rourke move on this issue, in terms of where Julian Castro is?
UNIDENTFIED MALE: I don't think that's the biggest problem he's got.
HENDERSON: Yes, but he's probably done. I don't know how he comes back.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't - I don't - I don't - I think - unfortunately, I think that that may have been Beto's last hoorah. I -
COOPER: You think he's done?
JONES: I think he's done. I think he's done because there was such hope and expectation about him, and tonight was really the night to remind people why he was this incredible rising star. And on the issue he should've been at least fluent on, he got his butt kicked.
[00:10:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His entire political identity -
HENDERSON: Is about immigration. That's right.
JONES: And there's some justice in it, in that there was a sense that he was trying fail up, that - you know, that he somehow, even though he lost Texas, he (inaudible). I also want to underscore this feminism that Castro showed. He wasn't showy about it. I didn't seem inauthentic. It didn't seem like he was pandering.
He seemed like he actually has learned about what's happening in this country and what's needed. And I think when you combine those two things, you know, obviously, Castro is passionate about the immigration issue, but he seemed passionate other issues as well, and just as well versed. I think he just did something extraordinary tonight. I really do -
TERRY MCAULIFFE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: One of the toughest things for Beto tonight was - what's every Democrat looking for? Someone who can beat Donald Trump. And Castro went at him, sliced and diced him up, and people are thinking to themselves, "Think of Donald Trump on this debate stage."
They want someone who's going to be able to stand up and be tough and take it right back. And that was, I think, a really devastating thing tonight for Beto, because he looked like he was not back on his heels (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he wasn't ready.
AXELROD: You know, I've been reluctant to - I've been reluctant to - even though he's had these stumbles, I've been reluctant to write him off because there is a humanity to the guy, and you can see it.
(CROSSTALK)
And he - and on the campaign trail, as he proved in Texas, he does connect with people.
COOPER: Yes.
AXELROD: But there are a lot of elements to this running for president thing, and one of them is handling moments like that. And more than anything, he needed to have a great night tonight to jumpstart. It would've (ph) been a campaign that had stumbled. And instead, he had a setback. And so, that's very, very tough.
COOPER: We're going to take a break. A lot more to cover, ahead. Shortly, joining us, Senator Elizabeth Warren. We'll be right back.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight one of debate one of Campaign 2020 is now in the books. Night two is later today at least here on the East Coast where it's already tomorrow, if that makes any sense. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden will be the top liners. Tonight it was Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. She joins us now. Senator Warren thanks so much for being with. You arguably had the most buzz going into tonight. Are you happy, satisfied with how things went?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, (D-MA), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, look. It was wonderful to have a chance to be out there and talk about how it is that we can actually make this country work, come 2020. You know, I loved it. This has been my life's work, to talk about what's happening to working families, how it is that America now works for a thinner and thinner slice at the top and how we turn that around, so I loved it.
COOPER: You are obviously very strong on policy specifics. At some point one needs to draw contrast with ones opponents. Did you feel you had those moments tonight? Was that something you wanted to do tonight or did you just want to speak about yourself and your policies?
WARREN: Look, I want a chance to tell people why I'm in this fight and that means tell them a little bit about who I am and a little bit about what it is that I'm fighting for. This is why I got into the presidential race and I hope other democrats will get out there and make their affirmative case. I think as democrats, that's exactly what we need to do. This is not about making it Trump, Trump, Trump all the time. You know, that's kind of an old show. I think that this is the moment that democrats can say, here is our vision for the America that we can build, and for me that means an America of opportunity and America if our best values.
COOPER: It's interesting because we put together a montage of the candidates on the stage talking about Trump. You were not in that, I'm not sure if we just didn't have time or we weren't able to find you talking about him or if we just didn't actually mention his name.
WARREN: No, I don't think I mentioned his name. You know, what I wanted to talk about is a lot bigger than Trump. I started out talking about corruption. You know, when you've got a government that works great for people with money, works great for giant drug companies but not for people trying to get a prescription filled, works great for giant oil companies that want to drill everywhere but not for people who think climate change is bearing down upon us, that is corruption, pure and simple. And every decision that gets made in Washington is touched by money, touched by that corruption. So for me, this is about fighting back. It's about taking that corruption head on and it's about making our democracy work, making our economy work, making our country work. We can do that but it's going to take all of us.
COOPER: Did you want to, this is a process question, but would you have preferred to be on the stage with Senator Bernie Sanders? Because obviously both of you have -- are similar in terms of progressive policies.
WARREN: Bernie and I have been friends forever and long before I ever got involved in politics I went up to Vermont and did town halls with Bernie. I've given Bernie much of my work around when the housing crash was coming and so I'm always glad to be anywhere with Bernie and to have a chance to carry on a conversation with him.
But that's not how the draw worked and so tonight it was a chance to talk where there are a lot of other democrats up there and I have to say this. Everybody who was up there -- any one of them would make a better president than Donald Trump. Democrats were out there making the fight for what they want to do and I'm glad to see that, I think that's strong. I think that's how we build a democracy.
COOPER: At one point you were asked how you would feel if you were elected president with Senator Mitch McConnell, there seem to be a lot of questions about Mitch McConnell. He retains a majority in the Senate.
WARREN: Sure.
COOPER: Yes, I know, sort of I'm still scratching my head about the particular focus on Mitch McConnell, but I do want to play what you had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a plan to deal with Mitch McConnell?
WARREN: I do.
(Applause)
We are a democracy and the way a democracy is supposed to work is the will of the people matters. Sure, I want to see us get a democratic majority in the Senate but short of a democratic majority in the Senate you'd better understand, the fight still goes on. It starts in the White House and it means that everybody we energize in 2020 stays on the front lines come January 2021. We have to push from the outside, have leadership from the inside,...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
WARREN: ...and make this Congress reflect the will of the people.
(END VIDEO)
COOPER: If, I mean essentially you are saying there needs to be all the people who come out for a 2020 election, that needs to be sustained, that is not something we have seen happen in recent history, certainly. Is that realistic?
WARREN: You know, Anderson, that I'm running a campaign that's different from most of the democrats in this primary. I have done more than 100 town halls. I have taken more than 2,000 questions. I have been to 21 states and Puerto Rico and the reason I have done that is because I believe that's how we build a grassroots movement and the way I've had the time to do that is I haven't been doing fund-raisers with millionaires. I haven't been going behind closed doors and saying, who knows what to people with money and power already.
I have been investing in building a grassroots movement, and asking people to pitch in five bucks, to volunteer an hour, to go to ElizabethWarren.com and just sign up, get on the email list, because we have this chance as democrats right now, this year, to build the kind of strong grassroots movement that is going to serve us come November 2020, help us win not just the White House but help us win up and down the ticket, but more importantly it's going to be building the momentum for real change come January 2021. Look, I'm not running for president so that I can talk about change come 2021, I'm running for president because I want us to make real change and I'm laying the foundation for that right now.
COOPER: Senator Warren, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
WARREN: You bet.
COOPER: Iowa voters weigh in on what they saw tonight, next.
[00:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A lot of eyes on the debate stage in Miami tonight, including in Iowa, perhaps you have heard, that Gary Tuchman is there in Iowa City with a group of democrats to see what they thought about what they saw and heard from the ten candidates tonight. Gary?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, precisely 222 days from today, the Iowa Caucus takes place so we thought it would be very interesting to talk to loyal democrats in Iowa and watch the debate with tem and very specifically come to Johnson County, Iowa, because this is the blue county of the 99 counties in the State of Iowa, watch it with people, their vote matter because if you don't do well in Jackson County on Iowa Caucus day, you're not going to win Iowa.
So here we have 12 very loyal democrats and what I must stress is that they are all uncommitted, no one has decided who they're going to vote for yet and that's an important point we want to bring out. I want to ask you when you watch this, and we're at the University of Iowa by the way in Iowa City here in Jackson County. First of all, do you - a very quick question to all of you first. Who were you most impressed during this debate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I'm still undecided and don't know enough about real issues yet.
TUCHMAN: Who were you most impressed with?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Warren and Booker.
TUCHMAN: Warren and Booker?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Warren and Castro.
TUCHMAN: Warren and Castro.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Castro and Warren.
TUCHMAN: Castro and Warren.
[00:25:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Warren and Klobuchar
TUCHMAN: Warren and Klobuchar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Castro and Inslee
TUCHMAN: Inslee, OK. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Warren and Booker.
TUCHMAN: Warren and Booker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Warren, Booker, Klobuchar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Warren.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Warren and Castro.
TUCHMAN: Warren and Castro.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll have to say Warren and Booker.
TUCHMAN: Warren and Booker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Warren and Booker.
TUCHMAN: Warren and Booker. Now what I'm hearing from most of you is Elizabeth Warren. Tell me why you're so impressed with Warren.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She really stated how strong she is. She has a great background and she really, not only the fight for the 2020 but beyond.
TUCHMAN: Who picked to Booker? Who liked Booker here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had Booker.
TUCHMAN: Why did you like Booker?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had Booker as one of my choices because I think he could rally voters. I think he could really motivate voters to be excited about the election and get to the polls in November, 2020.
TUCHMAN: Now you said Inslee. Tell me why you liked Inslee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean all those misstepped once on abortion rights and women's rights, he raised his profile for me. I have been following Warren, Booker and de Blasio because they have been front and center nationally and so I haven't really paid much attention to him but listening to him talk about climate change in his policy on tackling insurance really hit home for me.
TUCHMAN: Was there anything that surprised anybody? Were you surprised by anything?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was surprised by the strength of de Blasio. And - and...
TUCHMAN: I mean he interrupted a lot. Did you like that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like the interruption, but he had a different approach than most of the others. He talked about what the Democratic Party needs to be. He really came out much more strongly than I basically expected him to.
[00:30:00]
TUCHMAN: OK. Now, one of the things we talked about during the break between the end of the debate and now was the lack of discussion of agriculture and farming. Kate (ph) you're a farmer, that bothered you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it did. I think if we don't focus on real issues, we won't get the real vote. And there's a lot of people that voted for Obama than Trump, and we need to figure out why, and help figure out how we can get them back. And I think that's because we could focus on real issues to get those folks back.
TUCHMAN: Now, I did say that you were all uncommitted. No one has made a decision of who they're going to vote for in the Iowa caucuses. I know you're all proud to be Iowans and part of this process where you're the first to vote in this country. Have anyone after watching this debate now feel like I know who I'm going to vote for even though tomorrow's debate hasn't happened yet?
CROWD: No.
TUCHMAN: No. Let's say there wasn't a debate tomorrow, these were the only five candidates. Would any of you be ready to pick somebody?
CROWD: No.
TUCHMAN: And the final question I have for you, after watching this debate, and I need to ask this question because you never know, do any of you after watching these candidates and being somewhat disappointed in some of the responses like you Kate, are any of you more sensitive to Donald Trump and think maybe he's a better president than you thought before?
CROWD: No.
TUCHMAN: Not at all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never.
TUCHMAN: You're all sticking with the Democrats?
CROWD: No.
TUCHMAN: OK. Well, thank you all for watching the debate with us. It was a pleasure. And we provided pizza for everybody. I need to let everyone know that we don't let anybody starve and we this kind of shoots.
So whether opinions changed tomorrow, stay tuned when we have part two, the next five candidates, the same 12 people in the same chairs with different clothes will be with us.
Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: And hopefully something else other than pizza maybe because two nights in a row. You can only do so much.
Gary, thanks.
Now our own focus group, the one right here with me weighs in on what they gleaned from Gary's panel.
Anything stands out to you?
VAN JONES, CNN COMMENTATOR: You know, listen, we were kind of a little bit weak on Booker, they said Booker a lot. I thought that was interesting.
AXELROD: Not sure we were weak up on Booker.
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: But listen, I think Elizabeth Warren first of all, when she was talking and when she came out and they interviewed her, I thought like maybe help is on the way and that's something I haven't felt for a long time. And I think that she's -- I think that she's doing something that's working. And I do think that she talks better than all the other Democrats because I think she listens better than all the other Democrats.
I do think it makes a difference for her being in those living rooms and talking to those people and not always having to figure out what the donors are going to say. I do think that can't get in the candidates' said than always. So I think Elizabeth Warren as you saw with those voters, she is getting through. She is cutting through.
MCINTOSH: I think the most exciting thing about her candidacy for me is that she really articulates a post-Trump progressive America and it is -- it's just such a relief to imagine a post-Trump America. And with the -- with some of the other candidates, I hear bits and pieces of policy that I really like. I have things that I'm excited about. I have backgrounds and bios that I'm excited about.
She really comes in and says this is where I want to go as a country and I get the sense that she has a plan to get us there.
AXELROD: I want to hear from McAuliffe because we have heard, you know, over the months that Elizabeth Warren is frightening to the center -- centrist Democrats, to the business-oriented Democrats and so on. Do you think that she is -- did she soften that resistance tonight, is she? I know Bernie Sanders is attacking her now as a corporate Democrat so that must make you happy.
MCAULIFFE: Exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Third way.
MCAULIFFE: Listen, pro-jobs Democrats is what I call them. But listen, I think Elizabeth Warren has gone up in a lot of people's eyes in the last couple of months. I'm very impressed with a lot of her policy positions. She's -- people want answers to these questions. She's laying things out every single day.
People believe that, you know, there ought to be a corporate minimum tax. Why is Amazon, these companies not paying any tax at all? It's just unfair. So I think she's hitting a great nerve with a lot of folks and things the inequities in the system. And so I think a lot of people actually warmed up to her, David.
AXELROD: That's interesting.
BORGER: You know, what's interesting --
MCAULIFFE: You know, just a fact, it helped her a lot tonight. You know, this is all being picked out of my hat. I mean, she got in the start --
BORGER: Right exactly. That is the point.
MCAULIFFE: -- that is what is so weird.
(CROSSTALK)
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: (INAUDIBLE) to have -- it just shows what a benefit it was for Elizabeth Warren tonight because of tomorrow night when we're here discussing it --
BORGER: Right.
CHALIAN: -- the other four of the top five will debate. And so when I'm listening to those Iowa voters and they're all citing Warren, to me it just reinforces -- yes, it was a draw. I get that it was totally random but she scored the best from that podium.
BORGER: Right. And, you know, this was a debate for Democratic primary voters and she was front and center and she remains front and center because she does represent the base of the party in many ways right now. The debate tomorrow night is going to be more general election oriented, I would argue, a lot more Trump.
[00:35:02] And when you look at her relationship with Joe Biden which is not good, it'll be interesting to see whether he talks about those policies at all or other people raise it. He gets questions about it and says, well, what about Medicare for All. How do you feel about that?
COOPER: I want to get another break-in.
And coming up next, more on the subject, more with the group heard in the conversation we just had with Senator Warren.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Picking up our conversation, Elizabeth Warren, her performance tonight and what she had to say after the debate. I asked her if she'd have preferred to have been debating Bernie Sanders tonight. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No. Bernie and I have been friends forever. And long before I ever got involved in politics, I went up to Vermont and did town halls with Bernie. I've given Bernie much of my work around when the housing crash was coming. And so, I'm always glad to be anywhere with Bernie and to have a chance to carry on a conversation with him.
But that's not how the draw worked. And so tonight, it was a chance to talk where there were a lot of other Democrats up there. And I have to say this. Everybody who was up there, any one of them would make a better president than Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AXELROD: OK, the BS just (INAUDIBLE).
The fact of the matter is that there was real friction between them because he thought she should have endorsed him back in the race in 2016.
[00:40:07] They're clearly rivals in this race. There is resentment that he is stealing her thunder and --
CHALIAN: And you remember they met before. Like the very beginning of this race, you remember, there was a Sanders-Warren meeting where they were trying to figure out if there was a way that both of them wouldn't end up in the race.
AXELROD: Yes. Each had an idea of who the other -- who that person (INAUDIBLE).
CHALIAN: Exactly.
HENDERSON: And in 2016, it really was Warren who was the person that a lot of the progressive groups really wanted to see in that race. Bill Clinton was very nervous about the prospect of Elizabeth Warren getting into that race because of her appeal --
COOPER: Well, you're seeing right now.
HENDERSON: -- because of the way she talks and her debating skills, the way she connects with voters.
AXELROD: But she is -- with all of this policy, she has taken some of the sentiments that surround Sanders and that she's turned it into something else. And I actually do think that he serves her purposes in this race because she's clearly a candidate of the left, but he is trying to run to the left of her. And by doing that, he is making her a little more acceptable to the people who are more center-left.
MCINTOSH: I think the fact that he has to follow her tomorrow is really not good for him because she just articulated basically his platform only with more meat on the bones. And now he has to go. BORGER: He says it so differently.
MCINTOSH: He has to go. He does say it very differently. He's a little more strident than she is in his delivery.
JONES: Let me just say one thing. Bernie Sanders has re-imagined and re-invented the Democratic Party without ever joining it. I mean, it was a year ago today or I guess a year ago yesterday that AOC won --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
JONES: -- knocked off Joe Crowley, and people said who is this young woman and what -- she is now, you know, one of the most famous people in American politics. And that -- and she's a Bernie Sanders' Democrat.
So really part of the things that's tough for Bernie is that he's authored an era that he may not be able to own and that the entire party has moved in his direction. And so tomorrow, you're going to see somebody who really -- tonight -- we were arguing tonight, we saw them arguing tonight saying the public option is not good enough which we were fighting for under Obama because now it's all about Medicaid. That's -- it's all Bernie Sanders.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Tomorrow night, does Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, do they --
JONES: It's going to be a war.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: It's going to be a war to settle the score. Tomorrow night, it will be a war to settle the score between the moderates and the progressives in this party. It will be the brawl that ends it all. It's going to be a --
BORGER: A brawl to end it all?
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: Trust me.
AXELROD: Van's been listening to his Muhammad Ali --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. I mean --
BORGER: One more thing about Warren --
COOPER: The "Thrilla in Manila".
HENDERSON: She got Van.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is. AXELROD: No. But I said -- I'm sorry. I said it earlier that I think that in order to kind of re-ignite his creed that he is going to try to use Joe Biden as a foil--
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure.
AXELROD: -- turn Biden into a representative of kind of the establishment Democrat and posit himself as a guy who's been on the right side of all the fights, that Biden was on the wrong side as far as the left is concerned. I would be really shocked if that didn't happen.
BORGER: Yes. But Warren --
MCAULIFFE: That could work to Biden's benefit too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
MCAULIFFE: And how he handles it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MCAULIFFE: This could be an opportunity for him to stand up.
BORGER: Biden likes Bernie more than he likes Elizabeth Warren.
COOPER: We got to get another quick break in.
Coming up next, what outrage the Latino community looked like on stage tonight and sounded like as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:47:46] COOPER: Immigration and the border crisis certainly took center stage tonight, providing several candidates with set-piece opportunities to make headlines. It also provided several candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to speak Spanish. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And back now with the group. And we --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did they say?
COOPER: I don't know.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't understand anything they said.
MCINTOSH: No, I understood everything that they both said. I -- HENDERSON: Who's best in speaking Spanish?
MCINTOSH: I mean, I think that probably Cory has got a better sense of the language. I mean, Castro obviously got the best accent out of all of them. I think when non-Spanish candidates, you -- when non- Hispanic candidates use the language, you always risk going into parity and pandering. And since it was on Telemundo I think they get a pass, like they were actually talking to a larger audience.
(CROSSTALK)
MCINTOSH: It's not, you know, -- you're not standing on a stage where you --
BORGER: But don't do that with Donald Trump --
MCINTOSH: But don't do that with Donald Trump.
BORGER: -- if you're on the stage with him.
MCINTOSH: Absolutely. No, I mean, I'm glad that they gave it a shot. We should be -- you know, we should be poking fun at the candidates that can only speak one language.
JONES: I mean, look at that incredible diversity that we had up there. I mean it's unbelievable. And you just look at those, you know, 10 people running for office, you know, they had three women or women of color, another woman of color, you know, for tomorrow. I mean, I'm proud of this party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
JONES: And in the face of Donald Trump, doing all the stuff that Donald Trump does to make it seems like, hey, if you're not this type of person you're not a true American. This Democratic Party is not afraid to say, listen, everybody here -- and the people, who were not represented in terms of LGBTQ, were talked about as if they were, that's a good thing.
COOPER: Do you start to see candidates emerging on a stage like this who you could see going toe-to-toe with a candidate Donald Trump?
[00:50:07] JONES: Listen, I don't know anybody who can tell you how to get on stage with Donald Trump and fight him and win. But I saw stuff tonight that I was very encouraged by. Obviously, everybody keeps talking about Elizabeth Warren, I thought she did a really good job.
But frankly, if you look at the way -- he did not do -- he didn't get the buzz that he got. But there was the strength that even to Inslee. Inslee looked like he was ready to tackle Donald Trump and physically probably could do it. I mean, he was -- I mean, you had people on the stage that had substance, that had passion, that were ready to. So I'm not as afraid of Donald Trump as I used to be. I think this party might be getting its act together. BORGER: But this is not Donald Trump's first election, and so everybody saw what they saw. Last time, they saw the name-calling during the primary debates, you obviously didn't see any of that. Tonight, if you look back to those primary debates, Donald Trump called people names right to their face.
And so I think people have seen it and in a way, they may be exhausted by it. So you may need --
AXELROD: Yes, I think that's a big point.
BORGER: So you may need something else this time to take on Donald Trump. You can't fight the last war against him. So what will it mean?
AXELROD: Well --
BORGER: Will it be somebody who's cool --
AXELROD: Yes.
BORGER: -- and measured and not willing to go there and we just don't know yet.
AXELROD: I mean, I really think this is a central question which is how do you deal with Donald Trump and will you have more trouble with a candidate who seems unbothered by --
BORGER: Exactly.
AXELROD: -- him and speaks beyond him and doesn't seem goaded by him? I think there's a real possibility. I really do believe there is a sense of exhaustion in the country --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HENDERSON: Yes.
AXELROD: -- and someone who represents a kind of stability and maybe a more decorum decency and so on. On that stage with him would be very frustrating.
(CROSSTALK)
HENDERSON: That is his whole thing, but he is going toe-to-toe with Donald Trump in a way that I think some others aren't. And you heard Elizabeth Warren talk about that tonight, right? She said, you know, it's an old, show, Trump is an old show, don't make it all about Trump.
So it is interesting like what does she do with Donald Trump? Does she sort of just not deal with them? Or does she feel like she has to go toe-to-toe with him in the way that Biden does?
COOPER: Well, if he's on a stage and he's calling her Pocahontas --
HENDERSON: What do you do?
COOPER: -- what does she do?
AXELROD: Yes.
COOPER: I don't know the answer to that.
MCINTOSH: I mean, I think being unbothered is probably the way to go with it. Biden was in 2016 saying that he wanted to take Trump behind the bleachers. Like I don't think --
COOPER: And then Biden apologized for that like several days later.
MCINTOSH: I don't think that Biden is the cool, calm match for Trump's, you know --
BORGER: We don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- aggression, we just don't know yet. But I saw a lot of people onstage who I think would be just fine.
AXELROD: Isn't that one of the reasons Pete Buttigieg has gotten some notice is because he is so different in terms of temperament and demeanor and how he answers questions. And I think that's a reaction to Donald Trump.
COOPER: Yes. Let's talk more about what tomorrow may bring.
We're going to take a quick break. Look ahead to tomorrow night's candidates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:56:32] COOPER: Well, night one of the first Democratic debate is in the books. Night two about 20 hours away. Ten more candidates will debate, we recommend you, you know, get some rest in between at some point but not in the next couple of hours because Chris is about to come on.
But, that includes four of the top five polling candidates in the race. There's Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senators Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and of course Joe Biden. Back with me for the last time, tonight's group of all-stars.
What do you all expecting tomorrow?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More fireworks.
BORGER: Fireworks. Yes. I think Biden is going to be front and center.
COOPER: It's not too early for fireworks?
HENDERSON: Not if you're Bernie Sanders.
BORGER: None of you will know. MCINTOSH: Have you seen the e-mails that Bernie Sanders has been putting out? I mean, Bernie Sanders is running against the Democratic establishment.
BORGER: Yes.
MCINTOSH: Bernie Sanders is not running against Donald Trump right now. And he seems to be positioning Joe Biden as the Democratic establishment. So it would be (INAUDIBLE) but it will be really out of character for the kind of campaign he's running to not --
BORGER: Right.
MCINTOSH: -- go with that.
HENDERSON: And it's a rerun of what the race he ran in 2016, right? I mean, the goal is essentially to make Biden-Hillary Clinton. It worked to a certain extent. We'll see if it works for him this time around.
AXELROD: I think it'll be a good drinking game to see how many times Joe Biden mentions Donald Trump.
BORGER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
AXELROD: That's really central to his whole thesis.
COOPER: Do you think he will stick with that?
AXELROD: Completely. And I think that's his rebuff to Bernie, he may have some specific rebuttals but I think his thing is going to be hey, man, this is bigger. OK. This is an existential threat to our country, Donald Trump.
And, you know, this is not what this is about. We all generally agree on where we need to go but the main thing is we have to beat him and I'm not here tonight to play bumper cars with you guys.
JONES: I'm going to tell you that I think Yang is going to have a moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sure.
JONES: Just because this guy is unbelievable. He's the only guy who's out there talking about the threat of like artificial intelligence and robots and technology and we are going to lose our jobs. And it's a real thing and if you talk to economists, they say it's a real thing.
He's talking about it, he makes it very interesting. I also -- I like Marianne Williamson. I know, I know, but she's talking about the spiritual crisis in the country.
So you've got Jay Inslee talking about the ecological climate crisis. I think that's good. You've got Yang talking about the technology. You've got Marianne Williamson talking about the spiritual crisis. You've got people out there talking about stuff.
COOPER: Are you seeing her as a VP (INAUDIBLE)?
JONES: Hey, listen. Listen, she could go all the way. She could go all the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't --
BORGER: Can I -- because they are not talking about Barack Obama. That was interesting to me and maybe, maybe Biden --
AXELROD: I think you'll hear that more often sure.
BORGER: Well, that what's I was going to say, tomorrow night, Joe Biden --
COOPER: He will wear the -- he'll wear the friendship bracelet.
BORGER: He will hear the little bracelet.
CHALIAN: I don't think though Joe Biden tomorrow, in addition to answering the Sanders issue of him coming, there is this question that hangs over the Biden candidacy, right? Does he get it? Is a man of this moment for this party in this time?
AXELROD: Yes
CHALIAN: And I think he has to go some distance --
AXELROD: Well --
CHALIAN: -- to assuage that concern from that (INAUDIBLE).
AXELROD: There is also just the physical message that he sends with how he presents himself. There are questions --
HENDERSON: Yes, about this.
AXELROD: -- as to whether he is up to this. You know, 76-years-old, he'll be 78 if he gets elected when he takes office. He's been rather sheltered by his campaign and the question is, can he stand there for two hours --
COOPER: And take it.
AXELROD: -- and take it and look vigorous and energetic and a guy who's ready to lead. I think that as important with anything he said.
COOPER: Especially taking from a young whippersnapper like Bernie Sanders.
AXELROD: Yes. Exactly. You know, the other person who is -- it's an important night for Kamala Harris, I think.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh for sure.
AXELROD: Because she has a lot of promise as a candidate but it isn't yet clear what her message is. And I think she has to come and explain that tomorrow night.
COOPER: All right. Our live debate coverage continues with the special edition of CUOMO PRIME TIME right now. Chris?
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you very much, Anderson. I appreciate it.
[01:00:00]
