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AT THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA

Last Night's Losing Candidates Say Not So Fast; Cruz Teases Major Announcement at 4 P.M. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 27, 2016 - 11:30   ET

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


[11:30:00] VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Now as you come near the end, it does not look like it's possible for him to move forward. She's got to make sure -- and I thought she did a good job last night -- she's got to not just to reach out but more than reach out to make it very, very clear that there's respect for what he achieved and respect for the way that even though she won the delegates, he won the debate. She sounded more like Bernie Sanders last night than a general election candidate you would expect from a Clinton. That respect has to be shown to let his supporters feel good about what they achieved.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And then the issue of what respect he should show.

Christine, there's a paper statement that the Sanders put out under Bernie Sanders' name. Let me read you some, because the language is interesting. It says, "I congratulate Clinton on her victories tonight and I look forward to issues-oriented campaigns in the 14 contests to come... That's why we're in this campaign. It's going to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia with as many delegates as possible to fight for a progressive party platform."

What you did not see there in that statement from Bernie Sanders last night is, "We're going to win, or we have a path to victory or this is still our campaign." Is this issues-oriented campaign about the platform? Is this music to your ears?

CHRISTINE QUINN, FORMER NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER & HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: I think Senator Sanders deserves a lot of credit for everything he's done in this race. He has really amplified issues that needed amplification and I think that is a good thing. I think now what we're seeing, appropriately so, is Senator Sanders and his supporters transitioning out of their campaign for president and continuing their campaign to make this country one that is really a country for everyone, inclusive, and place where everyone can have their piece of the American dream. I think that's what this general election is going to be about. That's what Secretary Clinton's fight is about.

And I think the transition we're seeing is incredibly critical, particularly when you see who the Republicans are, and when you see Donald Trump saying things like Hillary Clinton is playing the women's card. I would love Donald Trump to wake up and have a woman's card in his pocket and see what it's like to make less money on the dollar, to more likely be the victim of intimate partner violence and more likely to end up in a homeless shelter, leading a single-headed family. He has no idea what it's like in America to play the women's card and has no vision at all to help all of those women across this country who are struggling in poverty.

What Senator Sanders' life has been about is that kind of work. And what we'll see his voice be about, until November and beyond when he's back in Senate, moving America, moving President Clinton and moving the country to a place where all Americans and, in this case, I speak of low-income women, being part of the American dream.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: You see a definite shift in this statement.

Let's talk about the potential shift we could see today from Donald Trump, not on the women card issue, though, Mary Katherine, this foreign policy speech he's going to be giving very shortly. It's being billed as a very big speech, a lot of fan fare around it and it was moved to Mayflower Hotel because it will have an even bigger audience. Who do you think the audience is?

MARY KATHERINE HAMM, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's parts of this possibly now defunct Manafort campaign to make him more presidential. That lasted about three days and then he said, well, I'm not interested in being presidential. I will be generous and say he might be presidential in tone for three-fourths of the speech. It is important for him to put forth what his beliefs are. He's saying it's not a Trump doctrine.

Earlier this morning, he said on CNN that he would put troops into Syria quietly. That, to me, is not a great sign that if this is the subject he's been studying up on and that's the result, that this is going to make a huge difference. But he's trying to make the argument, or his campaign apparatus, that he plausibly understands these issues. I think it's likely that he backtracks on several things in the speech right after he gives it because that's frequently what happens in the Trump campaign.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMM: So I'm not sure how much it means.

BERMAN: Van, what do you make of the non-policy Trump, the Trump we heard last night, taking on Hillary Clinton, or I guess in a broader perspective, what do make of the back and forth between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on the issue of the women's card and what not?

JONES: There are two titans beginning to circle each other. He doesn't know what to do about it. In some ways, he wants to will it away. I'm not going to let you play the gender card because you're not really a worthy person. Well, hold on a second, you're making the gender issue worse and on bad terms for yourself.

Part of what you have I think is resentment on the part of a chunk of the American voting population about being forced to be civil to people they don't want to be civil to. They call it P.C. We call it being civil. It's the key to civilization. I can't say everything I want to say. Donald Trump thinks his anger is his authenticity. You have 50 million Latinos and we're supposed to have a country where everybody vents their anger. You can't do that. It's called being civil. Everyone has limits on what you can say and do, and that's how we have a society. You have a certain section of people that are resentful that they have to play by the rules that everyone else had to play by, and he taps into that. Where he's going to make his mistakes is a misunderstanding his frustration or frustration of the whole country. Once we get out of this Republican cul-de-sac, you'll start seeing voters punish him for the mistakes like last night.

[11:35:59] BERMAN: Van Jones, Mary Katherine, Christine, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: What does Team Sanders make of the most recent developments in the race? We'll find out when we speak to his campaign manager, ahead.

BOLDUAN: And we're just moments away, keeping an eye on Donald Trump's big foreign policy speech. What will he say? We'll soon find out. We will bring it to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:41] BERMAN: The breaking news, Ted Cruz says he's making a major announcement at 4:00 p.m. about something, but what? We don't know. We do know where though, Indiana.

BOLDUAN: Let's go there. Let's bring in Pete Seat, the former communications director for the Indiana Republican party. And he also worked as a consultant to the John Kasich campaign there.

Pete, great to see you once again.

So, you have your ear to the ground. What do you think this announcement is coming from Ted Cruz? A running mate or an endorsement from Governor Pence? What are you hearing?

PETE SEAT, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, INDIANA REPUBLICAN PARTY: Well, I can tell you it won't be an endorsement from Governor Pence. I have that on good authority. And it won't be an announcement that I'm the V.P. I can put those rumors to bed here on CNN

BOLDUAN: We were rooting for you.

(LAUGHTER)

SEAT: I knew you would. I just saw right before we went live that a BBC reporter happened to be on a flight to Indianapolis and Carly Fiorina is on that plane. It seems a little like political malpractice to put it in the open like that. It could be some slight of hand perhaps, but that's where the smart money is right now is that he's going to be announcing his V.P. tonight.

BERMAN: If you wonder if the V.P. pick would be flying in commercial moments before the announcement is made. I wonder how true that is. I guess a bigger question about Ted Cruz, and you have your ear to the ground in that state, V.P. pick aside, can he pull this thing off? After what happened yesterday in the mid-Atlantic primaries, where is this race headed in your state?

SEAT: The difficulty for Ted Cruz is the donut counties around Marion counties, and if you take out Marion, it looks like a donut. Places like Johnson County, Hendricks county, Hamilton, they are Republicans who are more fiscal conservatives than social conservatives, more in the mold of Mitch Daniels, and those are folks that Ted Cruz is going to have to earn their support and get them on his side of this by Tuesday if he's got a shot at winning the state. Any Republican statewide election in the primary is won or lost in the donuts, and this race will not be different.

BOLDUAN: What about your man, John Kasich? Are you still voting for him? What do you make of this alliance that Kasich was going to move out of Indiana?

SEAT: We heard two sides. Folks who are saying, I love John Kasich, that's who I want, I'm going to still vote for him. And folks who say, I think voting for Ted Cruz is the best way to stop Donald Trump in the state of Indiana. Everyone expressed disappointment. They were looking forward to governor Kasich coming here. But you're seeing Donald Trump -- this deal, if you want to call it that, is bothering Donald Trump, that he's starting to put so much money into the state of Indiana, that he's bringing field staff into the state of Indiana. He's taking this state more seriously than he has any other state on the map up to this point.

BERMAN: Pete, yes or no, are you going to vote for John Kasich or Ted Cruz?

SEAT: I'm voting for John Kasich.

BERMAN: We can't find a John Kasich supporter who says he's going to vote for Ted Cruz.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: The alliance is broken. The alliance ain't working on Hoosiers.

SEAT: Look, no one ever told anyone who to vote for.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: That is true --

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: But then I don't understand it.

(LAUGHTER)

I don't understand it. Pete, it's great to see you. Thank you.

SEAT: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: So after last night, going one for five, what is the view from the Bernie Sanders campaign this morning? We'll ask his campaign manager, next.

BERMAN: Plus, any moment now, Donald Trump, he's giving a big speech on foreign policy. Will he comment on the big Ted Cruz announcement coming up later today? And that could happen also. We'll bring it to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:48:28] BOLDUAN: After last night, going one for five in the primaries, what's the state of play today for the Bernie Sanders campaign.

Let's find out. Let's bring in Jeff Weaver right now, Bernie Sander's campaign manager.

Jeff, it is great to see you.

JEFF WEAVER, BERNIE SANDERS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Good to see you.

BOLDUAN: So Tad Devine said that if last night didn't go your way, you guys would reassess. Those were his words. You guys reassessed after the New York primary. What are you reassessing today?

WEAVER: Well, what we are assessing is how to maximize our delegates between now and the end of the process here. This is a nominating process, the contest for delegates and votes. And the Senator is committed to getting every vote, every delegate that he can, and so we're always looking at how we can maximize that result.

BERMAN: Maximize your delegates and maximizing your votes for what though, Jeff? The statement that Senator Sanders talked about an issues-oriented campaign and fight over the platform at the convention, didn't talk about winning anymore.

WEAVER: Well, this is a campaign for winning, and if you watch his speeches today in Indiana, they are going to look like his speeches from Monday. There's not really any change in the campaign. It's going forward. It has a plan. This is very much like after March 15th when you are writing obituaries and went on to win all eight of nine contests. We are in a similar position today. We have a number of contests coming up where he's going to do well, especially in California, which we anticipate winning. So this is a campaign for the nomination, for victory, and to transform, as Bernie says, the country and the party.

BOLDUAN: But what -- but nowhere in the statement did it say about the path to victory, only an issues-oriented campaign and talking the platform, the Democratic platform at the convention. Do you still see a path to victory?

[11:50:24] WEAVER: Absolutely. Certainly, it is an uphill fight but it has been since we started this campaign. The fight was never harder than when Bernie Sanders announced, at 3 percent in the polls with no money, no stats, no nothing. He has way over 1200 delegates. We're pushing forward. There's a tremendous amount of support for the Senator. Millions of people have come out. He's energized young people. He's brought Independents into the Democratic process. And he is on a path for victory. As we get through the next number of states -- again, he won eight of nine after March 15th -- he's going to come into the convention with a tremendous amount of momentum. And when he talks about running an issue-oriented campaign, that's what he's been doing. That's what is campaign is about. That's why he's getting the support he's getting because he's talking about universal health care and a $15 minimum wage and tuition-free public colleges and universities. That's why he's winning, and doing well in states across this country because he is talking about issues and has been, and will continue to.

BERMAN: He's not winning now, per se, but I appreciate what he's doing as well, and he has been.

Jeff, I know you don't take a lot of advice from Donald Trump when it comes to campaigns, but he suggested that Bernie Sanders --

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: But he suggested last night that Bernie Sanders --

(CROSSTALK)

WEAVER: I take no advice.

BERMAN: And he said Bernie Sanders should run as an Independent. What do you make of that?

WEAVER: Bernie Sanders said from the beginning of this race, he's running as a Democrat and he is going to support the Democratic nominee. Mr. Trump has said a lot of nice things in the last 48 hours but, believe me, Bernie Sanders is committed to making sure Donald Trump does not get into the White House. What is important to note is Bernie Sanders is a candidate who does energize the voters and can take them from Trump. I think we saw that yesterday. One contest where you had Independents participating in the process, which made it more representative of the general election contest, it was Rhode Island, where the Senator won by double digits. The other processes -- or the states were close to the primaries. And we've seen this throughout the campaign. Wherever you have a broader range of people participating in the process, he does better.

BERMAN: Jeff Weaver, thank you so much for coming on. Really appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Jeff.

WEAVER: Happy to be here. Thanks. BERMAN: Any minute now, Donald Trump, who is giving advice apparently

not being listened to by the Bernie Sanders campaign, will deliver what's supposed to be a big foreign policy speech. What will he discuss? Will he discuss what's supposed to be a major announcement coming out of Ted Cruz later today? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:57:02] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR; All five contests, Donald Trump wins, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: We have millions more votes than Governor Kasich and Senator Cruz. And they have zero path to victory.

BLITZER: Hillary Clinton is the winner of the Connecticut Democratic presidential primary.

(CHANTING)

(LAUGHTER)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: What a great night.

We will prevail against candidates on the other side.

TRUMP: Hillary, I call her crooked Hillary. She'll be a horrible president.

CLINTON: Keep imagining a tomorrow where, instead of building walls, we're breaking down barriers.

TRUMP: The only thing she's got going is the woman card, and the beautiful thing is women don't like her.

CLINTON: If fighting for women's health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in!

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: We're gong to have our country back. We're going to make America great again.

CLINTON: Let's go forward. Let's win the nomination. And in July, let's return with the party.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Hello. I'm, Wolf Blitzer, in Washington. I'm in for Ashleigh Banfield. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. We're about to see a live scripted, very formal foreign policy address

by the man who now says he's the presumptive Republican nominee for president of the United States. Donald Trump is coming off the free- wheeling off the cuff rallies after sweeping five northeastern mid- Atlantic primaries by margins by margins ranging from 29 points in Connecticut to 40 points in Delaware. We're going to bring you his speech in its entirety from the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. It's scheduled to begin only moments from now.

I'm joined for this special hour of coverage by our Jim Acosta. He's over at the Mayflower Hotel. Also joining us, Dana Bash, Gloria Border, Nia-Malika Henderson, our national security commentator, the former U.S. congressman, Mike Rogers. Fareed Zakaria is in New York. Nic Robertson is weighing in from London.

Let's start with the mayflower hotel. That's where it's scheduled to begin. Our senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, is there.

This is highly unusual for Donald Trump. Normally, he just speaks off the cuff. But this time, only the second time since he became a presidential candidate, we expect him to read his speech from a teleprompter.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. This will be a scripted speech and the Teleprompters are up right now and in the room behind me. Of course, Donald Trump, as you may expect, may vary from that scripted speech from time to time. But, Wolf, I think what we're going to hear here in a few moments is the beginning stages, the beginning of the Trump doctrine. And I talked to a Trump foreign policy team member just a few moments ago who said that Donald Trump will be laying out what he scribed as a departure not only from the Obama doctrine but from the Bush doctrine. All you have to do is take a look at a couple of things Donald Trump has said on the campaign trail about being against the Iraq war in 2003 and being against the Iran nuclear deal as evidence of that. Now, obviously, Donald Trump has talked about a lot of different things on the campaign trail which has raised eyebrows.