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GOP Candidates Face-Off on CNN Tonight; Assad Accuses U.S. & Europe of Arming ISIS. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired September 16, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Debate day is here.

[05:58:40] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been doing this for 30 years. I feel really good about the debate.

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If my strategy is going to change at all, it's going to be to tell the truth.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really don't worry much about what Donald Trump says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will make sure that everybody in this country knows that he's a fake conservative.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If somebody comes at me, bam, I'll come back at them.

TRUMP: I am fighting some very nice people. They're never going to be able to do it.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the end, this is not a game show. It is, in fact, deciding the most important political office in the world.

JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This will pass. The Trump and that stuff you are hearing on the other team, we always, always, always, always, always overcome it.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is a pivotal moment in a race that is getting more tense by the second.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, September 16, 6 a.m. in the east. Alisyn and I are coming to you live from the place to be, the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Mick, as you see, is holding down the fort in New York.

Good to see you, Mick. Now, to be clear, in 12 hours the GOP race will change. After

the two CNN debates tonight, fates will change. This is the reality.

However, it is not phasing the frontrunner, Donald Trump. He says he's not doing much to prepare for tonight's debate. Instead, he delivered what he said would be a national security speech, laying out his plans. But he wound up not saying much about how he would make us more secure, choosing, instead, to play to the anger over illegal immigrants.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And Trump is in the crosshairs of his GOP rivals, some of them promising to start a rumble. Also Vice President Joe Biden taking aim at Trump for his rhetoric about Latinos.

Let's begin our coverage with Athena Jones. She is live inside the debate hall.

Athena, it's getting exciting in there.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. Good morning, Alisyn.

Take a look. This is where it's all going to go down in a few hours. This is a huge opportunity for these candidates to make an impression. And as you've mentioned Donald Trump has really torn up the rule book, not just when it just comes to campaigning but also when it comes to preparing for a big night like this. In a few hours we'll have a chance to see if his unconventional approach works well for him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (voice-over): Debate day is here. In just hours, GOP presidential hopefuls will be facing off inside the Reagan Presidential Library.

TRUMP: I don't know how you can prepare for something. I hear everybody's coming after me.

JONES: While some lower tier candidates are gearing up...

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to mix it up, because I like to rumble.

FIORINA: I read up on current issues.

JONES: The frontrunner was busy soaking up the spotlight. Donald Trump, as always, doing things his own way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Donald J. Trump!

JONES: He was on the campaign trail on the eve of the debate, making an appeal to veterans aboard the USS Iowa. a historic World War II battleship.

TRUMP: I am with the veterans 100 percent. We have illegal immigrants that are treated better, by far, than our veterans.

JONES: Tuesday Vice President Biden taking his gloves off, sharply denouncing Trump's rhetoric towards Latinos on illegal immigration.

BIDEN: There's one guy absolutely denigrating an entire group of people, appealing to the baser side of human nature, working on this notion of xenophobia in a way that hasn't occurred in a long time.

TRUMP: There's tremendous crime. There's tremendous drugs pouring across the border.

JONES: Trump's remarks igniting a firestorm from hundreds of anti-Trump protestors outside.

In typical Trump fashion, his 15-minute speech was short on policy details. Instead, he bashed his rivals.

TRUMP: I'm fighting some very nice people, but they're never going to do anything with these countries. They're never going to be able to do it. It's an instinct; it's something that's special. They don't have it.

JONES: As the candidates get ready for round two tonight, the Donald seemed unfazed by those taking aim at him, both on and off the stage.

TRUMP: I feel really good about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any special preparation?

TRUMP: I've been doing this for 30 years, a lot of preparation. But I feel really good about the debate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: So there you heard from Trump. He said his whole life has been preparation for a debate.

He's also said he's a strong counterpuncher when he's attacked. And so one of the big questions for tonight is will any of the other candidates manage to land a punch on him? And what will he say to hit them back -- Alisyn, Chris.

CUOMO: Good questions. Let's get some answers. Let's bring in CNN national political reporter Maeve Reston; "L.A. Times" assistant managing editor for politics, Christina Bellantoni; CNN senior political analyst and editorial director for "The National Journal," Ron Brownstein.

Maeve, you are closest to me, so I begin with you. He had a pocket of dissenters against him last night when he was giving his speech. Tonight he has to feel as though he's more on defense than offense. What do you think the dynamic is? How does it set up?

MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and he's been trying to sort of set up that dynamic that everyone is going to come after him.

CUOMO: You think?

RESTON: He's the victim. Right? That always works.

But we are expecting to see he said he's going to be nicer to the other candidates. But certainly, he has been aggressive out on the trail. And it will be really interesting to see how someone like Ben Carson kind of comes back at him and tries to differentiate himself, especially after that little thing that we saw last week, where Ben Carson initially went after Trump on faith and then kind of backed off. So it will be really interesting to watch the dynamics tonight.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: There's an interesting tight rope. Because on the one hand, clearly, you've got to take some of the shine off Donald Trump sooner or later if you're the other candidates.

On the other hand, probably his biggest vulnerability in the polls is that even a substantial portion of Republicans, especially those with college degrees, doubt that he has the temperament and personality to...

CUOMO: Well, he's got less than the party -- he's got less than half the party on his side.

BROWNSTEIN: To succeed as president. So while you want to go after him, appearing presidential and not kind of descending into the same kind of ad hominem personal attack level is also important, because in the end, their Trump card against Trump may be, in fact, this concern about his personal qualities, whether they -- it's great to hear it now, but whether you think it applies to the Oval Office. Even all the Republicans have that question.

[06:05:10] CAMEROTA: Very interesting.

RESTON: At the same time, you're hearing people say they're really tired of political correctness. I mean, people showed up at his rally on the battleship yesterday, saying this is why we're here. We're sick of hearing from politicians who want to just toe the line and say nice things.

Instead, we want to hear somebody who's going to challenge, you know, all of our enemies. And so that message, if you can goad him into going on the attack and maybe not seeming presidential, that might help in the long run, but for the voters that are paying attention to him for the first time...

CUOMO: Alisyn says this all the time, you know, that the mistakes people make when they criticize Trump, is that you're forgetting that people like how he is.

CAMEROTA: He's inspiring. He's not just angry. He's also inspiring. To go after that is a problem.

BROWNSTEIN: No, that's right. But ultimately, there is a limit. I think people kind of recognize what a president needs to do to succeed. And I think the other campaigns believe that in the end -- look, as I say, there's not one thing. He's strong enough, there's not one thing that will take him down at this point.

But certainly, if you look at the polling, questions about his temperament, not only with it but in the broader electorate, only a third of Americans say he has the temperament to succeed as president. That, I think, is a significant lane that someone has to find a way to exploit.

CAMEROTA: You know, the format of tonight's debate is different, and it's interesting. Because Jake will encourage them to speak to each other.

CHRISTINA BELLANTONI, MANAGING EDITOR FOR POLITICS, "L.A. TIMES": Mix it up.

CAMEROTA: There's more of the debate. You've been talking, I know, for the past week to some debate prep strategists.

RESTON: Yes.

CAMEROTA: What are they saying?

RESTON: They're saying basically that all of the old rules don't apply any more. Throw out the rule book if you are dealing with Donald Trump. It used to be that you get up there and, you know, certainly try to be as statesman-like as possible.

But in this situation, I mean, in the first debate, it seemed as though all of them looked scared to go after Donald Trump. and that's not a good position for them to be in either. But certainly, you have to look for opportunity. That's always the gift behind all of these zingers. To seize the moment and go after your opponents and just you're waiting for that one comment to come up, as we've seen in the past, and then avoid the fatal mistake, the factual error.

That's going to be the biggest risk for Trump, I think, is how it gets framed after the debate. Whether or not he really knew his stuff. He talks about how he doesn't want to do prep. He's been prepping for this for 30 years, so we'll see how that goes.

CUOMO: You know, Maeve makes a lot of good points. One of them is when she says opponents, plural. This is a survival battle. You don't expect to come out tonight having beaten Trump and taken his place. It's not going to happen. But you have the Perry effect, who's next? Who won't be able to raise the money? Who's seen as irrelevant? You have, what, seven people who could fall into that category.

BELLANTONI: And there are days left until the next fund-raising deadline. And so some of the candidates, if they don't get enough air time, if they don't have a breakout moment, this could be the end for them. You know, you've seen people really lose...

CUOMO: Who's on the bubble? BELLANTONI: I mean, I think I'm really curious what's going on

with Scott Walker. He canceled his appearance at the California Republican convention following the debate.

BROWNSTEIN: Bobby Jindal.

BELLANTONI: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: There are a number of candidates. Lindsey Graham is really kind of -- after making an initial splash, has faded. A number of candidates here in the second tier.

But you're thinking about the top-tier candidates, right? You really have two races, I think, going on. You have -- you have Trump, Cruz, Walker, maybe Huckabee, you know, in that battle for conservatives focused on Iowa.

But then you really have -- you have Bush, Kasich, probably Rubio, maybe Chris Christie still hanging on in that battle for the voters who are already showing the most resistance to Trump, the more affluent, white-collar Republicans. And that's a focus on New Hampshire.

You still -- there's still the possibility, the likelihood, I think, that this race becomes two brackets: one that emerges from Iowa, leaning right; one center right that emerges from New Hampshire, and those really are different races.

CAMEROTA: Of course, a lot of people are watching Carly Fiorina.

RESTON: And Ben Carson.

BROWNSTEIN: In that conservative lane.

CAMEROTA: They have engaged somewhat with Donald Trump, each to a different effect.

RESTON: Right.

CAMEROTA: So do we have any sense of what her plan is?

RESTON: I mean, I'm so excited to see Carly, what Carly is going to bring tonight. She obviously ran here in California in 2010. She's an incredibly disciplined candidate. A lot of people see her as very substantive. She has such an art of the zinger, the kind of soft way of delivering it. You've seen the why that she's gone after Trump, which has really been more effective than a lot of the other candidates so far.

BROWNSTEIN: More (UNINTELLIGIBLE) than...

RESTON: Yes, kind of the light touch, humor, she does that really well.

BROWNSTEIN: Class versus crass.

RESTON: Yes, yes. We'll expect to see that tonight.

BELLANTONI: The dynamic of having a woman on stage does change things. It changes the way the candidates speak to one another. They're going to be so close to each other. I mean, it does put a different focus on it.

And think about so many people watched the debate over the summer. This is now post-Labor Day. People are tuning in, and they're completely engaged in this race. And I'm going to wait to see what people are going to say about her Hewlett-Packard record, right, especially here in California.

RESTON: We've seen that movie before here in California, and it's a nasty, nasty upward battle that's coming if she continues to rise, you know, in the polls.

CUOMO: Well, is that because it's just nasty or because it's true?

RESTON: Well, I mean, the voters will have to decide that going forward, but what we saw in the race between Fiorina and Boxer here in California, it was just day after day of, you know, Hewlett-Packard workers coming out from everywhere. And the Democrats have all of that oppo waiting, and they're looking to see how she's going to do. And we'll see how that begins to unfold.

[06:10:17] We have -- we have a news bulletin about Hewlett- Packard again cutting jobs today. So that's probably not a good -- good thing for her to deal with today.

CUOMO: Business people say it's not a mixed picture.

BROWNSTEIN: No.

CUOMO: That she ran Hewlett-Packard, it went this way. (MAKES A DOWNWARD GESTURE)

BROWNSTEIN: It went that way, absolutely.

CUOMO: Sometimes that's just the truth.

BROWNSTEIN: And so, you know, you get more visibility, there's more -- there's more vulnerability. But in that sense, in that sense, we're talking about Donald Trump.

But I wonder if Ben Carson might have the most at stake in this debate. Because he has ascended almost as high as Donald Trump in national polling. And I would say voters probably know even less about him, other than his, you know, inspiring personal life story.

And whether he can -- you know, in the spotlight for a policy conversation, can he sustain the support that he's, you know, generated so far? I think he is someone also with a great deal at stake. Not only in this debate but in the ones to follow.

RESTON: And has positioned himself as the -- as the anti-Trump. A lot of the people at his rallies will tell you, "I was interested in Trump; I'm done with Trump. I'm looking at Carson. I want someone who I trust."

CAMEROTA: Trump defectors.

RESTON: Yes.

BELLANTONI: I talked to some New Hampshire voters this weekend who were really high on Carson. They said that they sat down with him in their living room. He listened to them. They weren't expecting much, and he completely blew them away. And they've been telling all their friends. And people are really taking a serious look at him. I mean, he's gaining in all these different polls.

But I don't know that he needs to -- the debate is fine for him, but that retail politics thing that Trump has a harder time doing, because the cameras follow him everywhere. That's going to really matter to these voters.

CUOMO: Dr. Carson falls into that category, as a politician, of what he is, not how he is. Which is a nice thing to have as long as you have a big enough constituency to support what your core values are.

You know, is he going to wow you with performance? I haven't seen it yet. We've interviewed him a number of times. I haven't seen him have that other gear. Maybe he'll develop one. People who want him, they like what he's about.

RESTON: He does hold this crowd kind of spellbound. It's interesting with just that kind of quiet touch, and they're waiting for his lines. It's really interesting.

BROWNSTEIN: He's said a lot of things -- he's said a lot of things that, when you put them in 42-point type, are going to raise a lot of questions.

RESTON: Right.

BROWNSTEIN: Again, when he is more visible does he become more vulnerable?

RESTON: Right.

CUOMO: That's a great point. We started off the testing with Dr. Carson when he said that gay was a choice. That was something he had to deal with. He found a way forward.

RESTON: With the fetal research.

CUOMO: Now he's in second place.

CAMEROTA: It should be very interesting tonight, guys. Thanks so much for previewing it with us. We'll see you, of course, throughout the day.

BROWNSTEIN: Alisyn, three "L.A. Times" alum. Big Southern California presence on the -- on the podium.

CAMEROTA: You guys are representing.

BROWNSTEIN: We are here.

CUOMO: You should have moved your neck a little bit when you did that, though, Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: I don't do that.

CUOMO: To be sure, these two debates tonight will change the race. The first one begins at 6 p.m. Eastern, not western. That's why it's so damn dark out here. And then the big shot is at 11 p.m. [SIC] Eastern. Please tune in, because it will make a difference.

CAMEROTA: And also tomorrow morning, we will have debate analysis and candidate interviews in a special early edition of NEW DAY, live from the Reagan Presidential Library. That will begin at 5:30 a.m. Eastern. So...

PEREIRA: Have you done the math on what 5:30 Eastern is on West Coast time? Have you done that yet?

CAMEROTA: You know what? I'm trying not to think about it, in fact.

PEREIRA: They do have Red Bull in California.

CAMEROTA: We're pulling an all-nighter tonight.

PEREIRA: Yes, I think you will.

CAMEROTA: Good to know.

CUOMO: I have been asleep the entire time that we've been traveling. Alisyn has been waking me up constantly.

PEREIRA: All right. Well, why don't you take a power nap while I check some headlines for you right now? Six-thirteen in the east.

Explosive claims from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this morning. He is blasting the U.S., Europe and Turkey, claiming they are arming ISIS, supporting terrorism in his country, and fueling the current refugee crisis.

CNN's Becky Anderson live in Abu Dhabi with the latest on Assad's comments -- Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Michaela. There are a couple of interesting points about what was a wide-ranging interview with a number of Russian media outlets.

For the first time, Assad addressed the refugee crisis facing Europe. And as you might expect, he says the issue is less about Europe's response and more about the reasons why thousands of people are leaving their homes in places like Syria and Iraq and heading to Europe.

Now, a lot of people would agree with him on that. Yes, you need to focus on the root causes. And we have been saying that. But in Assad's world view, the prime cause is European and western support for what he terms terrorists, to not say his government's ongoing barrel-bombing of civilian areas.

Secondly, Assad wanted to project an air of confidence, Michaela. He positioned himself as the only viable option on the ground that can defeat groups like ISIS, suggesting that he's willing to work with the likes of Saudi Arabia in a global coalition against terrorism.

[06:15:11] And when the discussion turned to his future, he was very clear. He says only the Syrian people can decide whether or not he can be their president, pouring cold water on any thought that he might step aside -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Interesting to hear his comments, given the bulk of those refugees are coming from his nation. Becky, thank you for that look for us today.

In the meantime, the White House is growing increasingly concerned about Russia's military buildup in Syria. The Pentagon believes Moscow is trying to set up a military operations base there. Secretary of State John Kerry calling his Russian counterpart three times in the last ten days, warning him the troop buildup could intensify Syria's ongoing civil war. The Russians claim they're just trying to help the Assad regime in its battle with ISIS.

For the second time in less than a week, Senate Democrats block a move by Republicans to derail -- to derail the Iran nuclear deal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, though, is vowing to try yet again. He's forcing a vote as early as tomorrow on an amendment that would keep President Obama from lifting economic sanctions against Iran unless Tehran releases American prisoners and recognizes Israel as a state.

The death toll now reaching 16 in the dangerous flash flooding in Utah. We understand four people are still missing. On Monday, a wall of water swept away two cars in the small town of Hildale, killing 12 women and children. Four hikers were also killed in a canyon in nearby Zion National Park.

That's a look at your headlines. Let's return to beautiful Simi Valley. It's the middle of the night there, but you guys are wide awake, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: We sure are. And we're counting down to the tonight's big Republican debate right here, of course, on CNN. Will Donald Trump finally provide specifics about immigration or any other policy plans? And how will his rivals respond to him? We're debating all of that, next. We are live from the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:21:41] CAMEROTA: Your long wait is over. It is debate day.

So will Donald Trump offer any more specifics tonight on his view of immigration? Is he prepping some actual specifics?

Let's bring in former political director for George W. Bush and chairman of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schlapp; and former spokesperson for the Spanish-language media under President George W. Bush and co-founder of Cove Strategies, Mercedes Viana. Great to have both of you with us this morning.

Let's talk -- Mercedes, I'll start with you. Are we expecting any specifics tonight from Donald Trump on anything -- immigration, foreign policy, taxes -- or is tonight not the time that he'll roll that out?

MERCEDES VIANA SCHLAPP, FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR SPANISH-LANGUAGE MEDIA, GEORGE W. BUSH: I don't think you're going to see much substance coming out or policy specifics coming out from Donald Trump. I think where he has been effective is basically on his style. He's going to stick what we've been seeing all these past last weeks, which have been very much on sort of his stump speech, regarding about making America great again. Using all these great, amazing words that he does.

I think for him, it's something that has been working for him. Why would he have to change his style or his script for this debate? It will be interesting to see how the moderators will be pushing him in the direction of providing specifics. But I think it will be -- I don't think we're going to be seeing too much change in what he's saying.

CUOMO: Matt, we're hearing from campaigns something different in terms of what the media is putting out. The media is putting out that Trump is going to have a bullseye on his back that's as big as his lead. He's going to be in the crosshairs all night.

But for these other candidates, especially the second tier right now in the race, this is about survival for them, Matt.

MATT SCHLAPP, FORMER POLITICAL DIRECTOR, GEORGE W. BUSH: Right.

CUOMO: Don't they have to worry more about making themselves appealing and less about going after the leader?

SCHLAPP: Yes, well, you have the two dynamics. You have the previous debate, where it's going to be harder and harder for those candidates to get the attention they need to kind of break through.

And on that main stage, in prime time, you're exactly right. I think what you'll see is those candidates who have a couple of percentage points in polls and are barely on the bubble and barely on the stage, they've got to do something to break out.

I think the other candidates, the top four or five, I don't think they're going to take the bait and try to just attack the frontrunner. I think they know that that probably is a mistake. But look, a lot of this is going to be on CNN's shoulders and the

moderators. Are they going to allow these folks to give and take? Everything I read says that's exactly what CNN is going to do. And I think that will be great, because I think, actually, in the give and take, I don't want them to attack each other or be too brutal, but in the give and take, we sure learn a lot. That's how we're going to get deeper, knowing all -- that's how we're going to get to some specifics, because they're going to get pushed.

CAMEROTA: Yes, look, Donald Trump has proved that he is not afraid to go after his opponents. He calls them by name. He talks about their shortcomings quite easily.

Last night, he was giving what was billed as a foreign policy speech. But it quickly sort of morphed into yet another kind of stump speech of his. And once again, he talked about Ben Carson and why Ben Carson was not up to the job. So listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I like Ben Carson. But he's not a dealmaker. And we need somebody in this country that's going to get rid of the 19 trillion in debt, that's going to bring back our jobs, that's going to bring back our manufacturing.

BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: But he'll -- he says he's going to do that.

[06:25:04] TRUMP: Well, he's not going to do that. You have to have that; and you know, like, it's one of those things. He won't have that ability in my opinion.

O'REILLY: All right.

TRUMP: We need somebody...

O'REILLY: But you're not going to call him a pinhead or anything like that?

TRUMP: ... with great ability for doing that.

O'REILLY: You're not going to question his faith? You're not going to do any of that?

TRUMP: No, I wouldn't do that at all. Now, it depends on what he does with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. So Mercedes, if he, as usual, goes after, names one of his opponents, then will they fire back at him? Or do they ignore him and talk about their own record? What's the strategy?

VIANA SCHLAPP: I'm hoping that they have their legal pad with, like, point No. 10, "If Donald Trump attacks, this is my one-liner." Because this is the only way that some of these candidates are going to be able to break through and really become part of the 24-hour news cycle. You need those one-liners.

I mean, it is -- it is critical to be able to stand out in a debate when you're talking that there's 12 people on stage. You really need to pop.

And I believe that one of those opportunities would be, if a Donald Trump were to go after you, call you, you know, low-energy or insult your face or whatever, that you're able to go back with a good solid line. Because that's what's going to catch on.

And I think that's what also the viewers are looking for. They want to see that exchange between Trump and some of these other candidates.

CUOMO: Matt, how many candidates do you think tonight really have to come out of this differently than they go in, in order to be alive in the race five months from now?

SCHLAPP: Chris, I think it's a bigger number than...

CUOMO: Well, not even five months from now. Wait, when's February? The next fund-raising. Next fund...

CAMEROTA: That's in February.

CUOMO: February, right. So we're just about -- November, December, January, February, like four months or so. When that next fundraising deadline comes up.

Tonight is a big night for that deadline, because they all leave here and what do they do? They start asking for money based on this performance. So how many do you think are on the bubble?

SCHLAPP: I think it's a bigger number than in past cycles because, as you brought up money, there is this new technique which is the super PAC, which is having a big impact on these races, where you don't have to get a large number of donors. You just have to get a couple that will write large checks.

So Chris, I think actually, this race is pretty wide open, and more than just a couple people have a chance.

But tonight, I think Ben Carson has a lot to gain from tonight. He has had the biggest spike in the polls, a huge spike in the polls. But these people don't really know him. They're going to get a chance to really get to learn more about him. And he might be able to cement their support or, if he does a bad job, actually, they might move on to another candidate.

I think for Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, they've got to show some energy. They've got to show some feistiness. They've got to show they have what it takes to really take on the challenges to get this nomination. So it's going to be a fascinating debate.

VIANA SCHLAPP: And to Matt's point, really...

CAMEROTA: It sure is. And that -- go ahead.

VIANA SCHLAPP: To Matt's point, no one really has cemented. I mean, we're in the dating process still. No one has decided, OK, we're going to get engaged to this one candidate. I mean, I shouldn't say -- there are still that large percentage of Republican voters who are shopping for their candidate. And that's why this debate is so important.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. I think it was 36 percent that we saw in the latest poll that are still looking around. Obviously, it's a year apart. I mean, a year out. They should still be.

But Matt and Mercedes, thanks so much. We know you will be watching with your notepads tonight. And we'll look forward to talking to you again.

What do you think out there we will see from Trump tonight? You can tweet us using the hashtag #CNNdebate.

Also be sure to tune in tonight for the first of these two debates. It begins, the first one, at 6 p.m. Eastern; and then the main event, with 11 candidates onstage, starts at 8 p.m. Eastern.

CUOMO: Less than 12 hours to go. We'll have a handy clock up on the screen for you. Let you know when the debates go.

Carly Fiorina, we didn't mention her too much in this segment. But we'll be talking about her a lot this morning. She has made it to the big stage. You've got her. You've got Trump. You've got Carson. They are the outsiders garnering so much attention. Who will look best tonight? When NEW DAY continues, live from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, we give you more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)