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CNN NEWSROOM

Anti-Establishment's Trump Wins Big in New Hampshire; GOP Establishment Scrambling After New Hampshire; Overwhelming New Hampshire Win for Bernie Sanders; Sanders Pushing for Support of Black Voters. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired February 10, 2016 - 09:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[09:00:06] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, Trump on top in New Hampshire.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are going to make America great again.

COSTELLO: A strong second for Kasich. And a jumble for third.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It looks like you all have reset the race and for that I am really grateful.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our disappointment tonight is not on you. It's on me.

COSTELLO: Now it's on to South Carolina.

Plus Sanders storms to a first place finish for the Democrats leading Clinton by 20 points.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California.

COSTELLO: Can Clinton turn the page and capitalize in the south and west?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've learned it's not whether you get knocked down, what matters it's whether you get back up.

COSTELLO: Let's talk, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Anger wins in New Hampshire. Who would have thought a billionaire businessman and a Democratic socialist would win, and win big?

Yes. Donald Trump celebrating victory to the tune of the Beatles' "Revolution." Look at last night's result, the voters are clearly embracing the outsider. Trump scores his first political win and crushes his closes challenger by more than 2-1, that would Ohio Governor John Kasich. A establishment candidate just now getting on the radar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We are going to start winning again. And we are going to win so much you are going to be so happy. We are going to make America so great again. Maybe greater than ever before.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tonight we head to South Carolina and we will move through South Carolina all across this country. And we'll end up in the Midwest. And you just wait. Let me tell you, there is so much going to happen. If you don't have a seat belt, go get one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And buckle up if you are Democrat. Bernie Sanders riding a surge of fed-up voters and cruising to a win over Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: It is just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics, and establishment economics. The people want real change.

CLINTON: And here is what we're going to do. Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Sara Murray is covering the Republican race. Jeff Zeleny the Democrats, and talk show host Hugh Hewitt looks at the message now rippling through the mainstream. Let's begin, though, in South Carolina.

Good morning, Sara.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. There were some people who believe that Donald Trump would not win a single state. But once again Trump shattered expectations, not only winning New Hampshire but winning decisively.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: New Hampshire, I want to thank you. We love you. We're going to be back a lot. We're not going to forget you. You started it.

MURRAY (voice-over): Donald Trump exhilarated after crushing his GOP rivals by more than 50,000 votes.

TRUMP: We are going to make America so great again, maybe greater than ever before.

MURRAY: Boasting amid record Republican turnout about how he pulled off his big win after a disappointing loss in Iowa.

TRUMP: I think the ground game was very strong. And I'll tell you we really focused on it after Iowa. You know, the ground game was not something I was extremely familiar with but I learn quickly.

MURRAY: The other big winner? Second place finisher, Ohio governor, John Kasich.

KASICH: If you don't have a seatbelt go get one.

MURRAY: Kasich taking pride in running a positive campaign in a field of sharp elbows.

KASICH: Tonight the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning.

MURRAY: Meanwhile the winner of the Iowa caucuses Ted Cruz in a dead heat for third with Jeb Bush.

BUSH: This campaign is not dead. We're going on to South Carolina.

MURRAY: As Marco Rubio suffered a bruising fifth place finish.

RUBIO: I know many people disappointed. I'm disappointed with tonight.

MURRAY: Even admitting his rocky debate performance was likely to blame.

RUBIO: Our disappoint tonight is not on you. It's on me. It's on me. I did not -- I did not do well on Saturday night so listen to this. That will never happen again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now John Kasich really pinned his hopes on New Hampshire. He held 106 town halls there. He spent 62 days in the state and it ended up paying off for him. He told me, when we're on his plane here to South Carolina, he was not surprised by that strong finish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[09:05:06] MURRAY: What was going through your head when you got this second place victory tonight? Were you expecting it? Did it come as a surprise?

KASICH: You know, I was very calm about it. I sort of felt we were going to be in second place. I heard earlier that, you know -- that, you know, there was some word that we were going to be there. And then, you know, when I traveled around to the polling places it was pretty clear. You know, I was running into everybody and they were like yes, we really like you and all that stuff. So, you know, I'm gratified by it for sure. I think it's fantastic. But I wouldn't say I was shocked by it.

MURRAY: Now the Bush campaign is already previewing the attacks they're going to use against you in South Carolina, saying that you're going to weaken the military.

KASICH: I'm going to weaken the military?

MURRAY: Are you prepared for the incoming fire that is going to come your way now that you have landed a second place finish?

KASICH: Well, I think they've spent about $120 million so far. And I don't know. Somebody said as much as $50 million in New Hampshire. I mean they ought to get this thing figured out at some point. I mean, they're spending so much money. I don't know who's advising them. But I mean, I think that's kind of silly. I'm weakening the -- I don't even understand what you're talking about.

What do we think the Bush campaign spent against me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $7 million, $8 million?

KASICH: OK. They spent $7 million or $8 million, there was $4 million spent by another super PAC. That was $12 million. Rubio spent money against me. Another $1.5 million. That's like -- that is like $15 million of direct hits and that doesn't even count the mail pieces. And we beat everybody, except Trump, who never attacked me. So I know we can't just go through this, you know, like falling off a turnip truck and saying that everything's just going to be positive. Because I'm going to have to respond to some of this stuff. But I'm starting to really think we're on to something. I'm starting to really think that the positive nature of a campaign can be very effective. I'm starting to think it could be true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: Now Kasich says he still wants to run this sunny and optimistic campaign. But he and his advisers know that politics can get a little more rough and tumble down here in South Carolina and they say they are prepared to push back against any attacks that come their way -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. We'll see. Sara Murray, reporting live from South Carolina this morning.

For mainstream Republicans, though, despite Kasich's second place finish, the race for the White House is still as muddled as ever with no real momentum and no real alternative to Donald Trump. That leaves establishment Republicans fighting amongst themselves to the tune of millions of dollars in attack ads and campaign spending. And with three weeks to go until Super Tuesday the one thing you can count on is that the race will get even nastier among establishment Republicans.

So let's talk about it more, I want to bring in conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt.

Welcome, Hugh.

HUG HEWITT, HOST, "THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW": Hi, Carol. Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. So you heard Kasich on board that plane. He is rearing to go. Should he feel that optimistic?

HEWITT: Yes. The happy warrior. He's my governor. My hometown is Warren, Ohio. I've known John Kasich a long time. He's won 14 or 15 elections. He's only lost one before. He know his game. John Weaver is a very competent adviser. And he essentially gets to buy all the way to Michigan on March 8th and Ohio on March 15th. He's going to be this open convention. He's going to be the nominee, I think.

Donald Trump won big last night. He's not going anywhere. Ted Cruz won big last night and they are going to fight a knife fight. It was described by Politico's Alex Isenstadt on my radio show last night as a knife fight in a phone booth because you've got Donald Trump versus Ted Cruz and you've got Jeb Bush versus Marco Rubio. And John Kasich is standing over here, the happy warrior, not having to get down into the mud here.

COSTELLO: I don't know.

HEWITT: And so I think an open convention in Cleveland -- he's not going to do it, John -- the governor. I've known him a long time. He will not do that. He won't go.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm talking about Jeb Bush because Jeb Bush was on "NEW DAY" this morning and guess who he talked about. That would be John Kasich. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I commend him for his election. He worked hard in New Hampshire and came second. But he has nothing going on down here. He has no tangible support. We've been building an organization here. He's a -- he's been a capable governor for sure. I'm the most conservative, capable governor in the field. And here in South Carolina they generally support the most conservative candidate that can win. And I think that's me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. So here is the thing, Hugh. John Kasich, he doesn't have the money, does he? He's out of money, right? Jeb Bush still has lots and lots of money.

HEWITT: No, he's not.

COSTELLO: Have you heard -- you heard Jeb Bush said about, you know, he's the most conservative candidate and the rub on John Kasich is Democrats and liberals like him. He could be the Jon Huntsman of this campaign.

[09:10:03] HEWITT: He's not Jon Huntsman. Look, the idea that John Kasich is a moderate is just laughable. He was a budget hawk who killed the B-1. Jeb Bush is going after him on the military side and being a budget hawk and the guy's been out passing the constitutional amendment on the balanced budget.

I'm neutral in this. I'm a Switzerland person. But Jeb Bush is going fight very hard. Each of the previous Bush candidacies had a moment of crisis where Atwater first advised 41 and then Grove advised 43 on how to turn the table and flip it all around. So Jeb Bush is going to fight very hard. Marco Rubio is going fight very hard. Donald Trump is a brawler and having fun and is full of joy. And Ted Cruz has as good an organization as anyone in the race.

But John Kasich is a conservative that is not going to be painted as a -- I've heard of respondents. So the five tickets out make for a wonderful exploratory committee into where the Republican Party want to go because they can win the White House, Carol. The bottom line I took away from last night is the Democrats are trapped between an unwinnable but likable Bernie Sanders and an unlikable and unwinnable Hillary Clinton.

I mean, the honesty factor was so high in the exits last night. So I think it's the Republicans to lose the White House and that this process is going to be very useful in finding the person who's going to win that White House and not lose that race.

COSTELLO: All right, Hugh Hewitt, thanks for your analysis. Always insightful. Thank you.

No signs of a coin toss here. Bernie Sanders, the decided victor in the New Hampshire primary beating Hillary Clinton when it came to younger voters, female voters. First-time voters in every shade of Democratic ideology. And this morning Sanders is courting the vote he may be falling short on, that would be African-Americans. Meeting with the Reverend Al Sharpton in just a few minutes at a Harlem, New York, landmark Sylvia Soul Food. More on that breakfast in just a minute but first let's get the latest from Jeff Zeleny, he's is in New Hampshire.

Good morning, Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. I mean, as the snow falls here in New Hampshire a new bit of perspective on this Democratic race. It is a new day for Bernie Sanders in this campaign. He has raised $2.6 million last night in four hours alone after the polls closed here. That worries the Clinton campaign the most. They know this race is now on and it is going to be a long one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (voice-over): A victory lap for Bernie Sanders.

SANDERS: The people of New Hampshire have sent a profound message to the political establishment. To the economic establishment. And by the way, to the media establishment.

ZELENY: In a profound message to Hillary Clinton who's no longer the undisputed Democratic frontrunner. A commanding across-the-board win for Sanders among women, young voters and independents. Riding a wave of discontent at politics as usual.

SANDERS: The people want real change. ZELENY: The Clinton campaign had predicted a loss in New Hampshire

and they got one. Even bigger than they feared. Supporters masked their frustration with cheers.

CLINTON: My goodness. I -- I don't know what we'd have done tonight if we'd actually won.

ZELENY: It's a new day in the Democratic primary fight. Sanders will suddenly draw more scrutiny as the battle with Clinton intensifies.

SANDERS: They are throwing everything at me except the kitchen sink, and I have the feeling that kitchen sink is coming pretty soon.

ZELENY: As the race moves to Nevada and South Carolina, Sanders vowed to build on his growing movement but it's open question whether he can find the same appeal in a diverse electorate of black and Hispanic voters.

SANDERS: What began last week in Iowa, what voters here in New Hampshire confirmed tonight is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution.

ZELENY: A humbling and frustrating moment for Clinton. But she made clear she's been down that road before.

CLINTON: I know I've had a blessed life. But I also know what it is like to stumble and fall. And we've learned it's not whether you get knocked down that matters. It's whether you get back up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: And Carol, for Secretary Clinton. It must seem like Groundhog's Day. She's going to have to go through this again to see if she can build back up. One thing against her here is that she's lost a lot of the core base of the Democratic Party. She will have to build that back. But the complex -- the complexion of this Democratic primary is about to change considerably as we go on to Nevada and South Carolina and in March. So many contests here so it's not the end of the road. It's simply a bump in the road for Hillary Clinton -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Jeff Zeleny, reporting live from New Hampshire this morning. Thank you.

Coming up tomorrow Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders face off in the PBS "Newshour" Democratic presidential debate on CNN and your local PBS station. That airs Thursday night 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Also still to come in the NEWSROOM, Bernie Sanders might have been nailing shots and a win last night but South Carolina, that could be a completely different game.

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COSTELLO: Coming up tomorrow, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders face off in the PBS NewsHour Democratic presidential debate on CNN and your local PBS station.

[09:15:01] That airs Thursday night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Also still to come, Bernie Sanders might have been nailing shots and a win last night, but South Carolina? That could be a completely different game.

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COSTELLO: Before Bernie Sanders blitzes South Carolina, a pit stop. The Democratic candidate is to meet with the Reverend Al Sharpton for breakfast in Harlem.

And if this all sounds familiar to you, this might be why. It is the very same spot where Sharpton met then-Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Jason Carroll is there this morning with more.

Good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Carol.

That meeting is supposed to get under way about 9:30, we're told. The two men are going to right here at Sylvia's Restaurant, an iconic spot here in Harlem. The meeting is supposed to take place for about 20 or 30 minutes.

You can see a number of people gathered out front right now waiting for Sanders to show up. We're told they're supposed to show up just about any moment from now.

[09:20:01] As you know, Carol, Sanders doing all that he can to try and woo African American and Latino voters. Clinton is out-polling and outpacing him among African-Americans and Latinos heading into the Nevada and South Carolina. And an endorsement from the Reverend Al Sharpton would definitely be a -- would be a huge push for Sanders coming out of that huge win in New Hampshire.

You know, when we were talking to voters out here earlier today, we were hearing from a number of them saying that, you know, this is Clinton County. It may be Harlem but they also call it Clinton County. She has a lot of support here.

But that was among a lot of the older voters I was speaking to. I was speaking to younger vote who are say they would definitely put their support behind Sanders.

So, she may have some sort of a generational divide here in Harlem as well. Again, we're waiting for Sanders to show up. That should be just about any moment from now.

Al Sharpton has made it clear that whether it is Clinton or whether it is Sanders, do not take the African American or Latino vote for granted -- Carol. COSTELLO: Show us how many people are there waiting.

CARROLL: A lot of people, because as you know Sanders is gaining popularity in places like Harlem, especially with younger people. So, not surprising that a number of folks are showing up here at Sylvia's, again, an iconic spot here. It is going to be interesting to see how that meeting goes.

COSTELLO: I was hoping that you would move the camera but maybe you are in a place where you can't do that. Just so we could see the line.

CARROLL: As you can see here Carol -- yes, I mean, what you are looking at really is press. It is not a line of folks out here.

COSTELLO: Ooh.

CARROLL: Yes, this is the press that is coming out here to see Sanders and Clinton.

I know you're waiting for a line, but people have to get to work. But as people come by and stop and see what is going on, you know, they are weighing in -- they're weighing in on what's happening here.

And what I found to be interesting is while Clinton clearly has a lot of support among older African-Americans who are dedicated to her, among younger African-Americans at least here in Harlem, there seems to be some support for Sanders.

COSTELLO: All right. Jason Carol, reporting live from Harlem this morning -- thank you.

Of course, there is a reason Sanders is wasting no time courting black voters. He needs them to win South Carolina, but can he?

New Hampshire voters felt the Bern in part because two-thirds of voters identify as politically liberal and the vast majority of those voters in New Hampshire are white.

With me now, Marc Lamont Hill, CNN political commentator and Morehouse professor, and the political director and anchor for New Hampshire One News, Paul Steinhauser.

Welcome both of you.

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be here.

COSTELLO: Nice to have you both here.

So, Paul, Sanders asked for donations in his acceptance speech. And the website that handles those donations struggled to keep up. Many supporters voicing their complaints on Twitter. How widespread do you think Sanders support is?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, NEW HAMPSHIRE 1 NEWS: It is pretty widespread, Carol. You look at the results here in New Hampshire. He won -- look at the exit polls. He won every demographic.

The only one Hillary Clinton won were voters over 65. This was not just a victory for Bernie Sanders and New Hampshire. It was a trouncing overwhelming victory.

It points to a lot of problems for Hillary Clinton and it points to Sanders appeal and not just because the state is white. It's because he's on -- he's winning the issues that are important to Democratic primary voters: income inequality, civil rights, you name it. You name the issue. Bernie Sanders is winning that issue right now, Carol.

COSTELLO: But clearly, Bernie Sanders needs African American support to win South Carolina. He wouldn't be meeting with Al Sharpton this morning if he didn't, Marc. Is that an important endorsement for him to have, Al Sharpton?

HILL: Well, I think any endorsement is important. But we have to remember black voters do not follow one particular person. Al Sharpton, as much as I like Al Sharpton, is not the president of black people.

So, what you want is Al Sharpton to have a strong presence, you want al Sharpton to not be pushing back against you on the race issue. But ultimately, Bernie Sanders is going to have to meet with more than Al Sharpton. He's also going to have to talk to black voters. He's also have to speak to black issues and not just talk about an economic plan but also a vision to combat white supremacy.

If he can do both of those things, he's on to something here.

I think that South Carolina is an important test for him, even if he doesn't win, does he get completely trounced? If he does as he did in Iowa when he almost won -- if he does, then he's going to have a significant challenge moving forward to Tuesday.

COSTELLO: And it was interesting to listen to his acceptance speech last night because he talked about the incarceration rates of blacks and Hispanics, right? And he's sort of intimating that about the 1994 crime bill that President Clinton pushed through, that Hillary Clinton supported and by the way nobody really realizes that Bernie Sanders also voted for, but that Bill is responsible, that law is responsible for putting more minorities behind bars.

[09:25:02] So, how do you -- how do you wiggle your way around that, Paul?

STEINHAUSER: It is going to be an issue, just like some of his votes on -- with the gun lobby have been an issue on the campaign. You have seen Hillary Clinton bring those up, trying to paint Bernie Sanders as pro-NRA. So, yes, he's going to have to explain those votes as we move on.

But, Carol, let's be honest. He tied, basically tied Hillary Clinton in Iowa. He won big here. He's got a lot of momentum now. This fight is going to go on for some time. It is a dynamic where

Bernie Sanders is raising a lot of money and he's got some friendly -- get through Nevada, get through South Carolina, he's got states on Super Tuesday he can do very well on caucus states as well, Carol.

HILL: No, that's absolutely true. But I mean, again, he did well in Iowa and he wins New Hampshire. Those are two of the whitest places in America.

At some point, you've got to go someplace where black people know you and recognize you. What helps is that he did win Iowa and New Hampshire.

Remember, Obama was polling fairly even with Hillary Clinton until he won Iowa. Once black voters saw that, hey, he could win this thing, now we can vote our conscience.

The thing is, Bernie Sanders hasn't put himself in a position where black voters see him as the conscience choice, see him as the one that reflects their sensibilities. He has not done that purely by talking economics. He has to also talk to our racial pain, our racial realities, because if he tries to run a race neutral campaign or, just, you know, carefully brought things out strategically, we're not going to buy it.

And it's not because -- it's not because Hillary Clinton has been good to black people. The Clintons have been terrible to black people when it comes to crime reform, welfare reform, three strikes, prison litigation reform. We can go down the list.

But they know the Clintons, they don't know Bernie, and that is going to be a challenge for him.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens.

Marc Lamont Hill, Paul Steinhauser, thanks to both of you.

Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: we know who came out on top at the polls last night, but what could be even more telling is why people voted for a particular candidate. Break down the numbers, next.

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