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CNN NEWSROOM

President Obama Meets With Canadian, Mexican Leaders. Aired 3- 3:30p ET

Aired June 29, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:03]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me right now, chief political correspondent Dana Bash, senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson, and senior correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

Dana, let me start with you.

The last time President Obama was at an international summit -- I think it was the last time -- he came out and he tried to tell the American people that the world leaders were really rattled by Donald Trump. Donald Trump took that and he wore it as a badge of honor. Good, they should shall be rattled. I'm pro-America and they need to be concerned about me, because I'm going to stand up.

Do you think President Obama has learned the lesson of that attempted attack that in many ways Donald Trump effectively jujitsued him on?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We will see in this press conference. It's hard to imagine him not being asked Donald Trump.

But I would guess the answer is no, because the perspective of the Obama administration, and same with Hillary Clinton, is that they have such different views on how the world should be approached, and their supporters have such different views, presumably, that they're just going to keep on keeping on.

For example, Hillary Clinton hasn't actually spoken on camera about what happened in Turkey, but she did release a written statement that was all about staying engaged in the world, being still in communication with allies, which is obviously the opposite of what we heard from Donald Trump.

So I think the answer is, no, that he still believes what he believes with being and that they're banking on the fact that people are going to support him and now support Hillary Clinton also want to stay engaged.

TAPPER: Nia-Malika, obviously, trade is a major issue in this campaign season. I can't think of the last time that happened, that people were actually debating trade. But whether it is Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party or Donald Trump and the Republican Party, there is a real animosity towards trade deals and a real suspicion among the American people that world leaders have been negotiating these deals that might help corporate America, but hurt their publics, especially in places like Akron, Ohio.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

And the irony here or the reversal here is you have Bernie Sanders, who is a Democratic socialist, and Donald Trump, who is the Republican nominee, both on the same side in terms of trade agreements, both bashing NAFTA, both bashing the TPP, both being skeptical of what is essentially Hillary Clinton's conversion on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

And Bernie Sanders essentially saying to the Democrats, listen, don't let this thing pass even if it is in lame duck. Really come out against this and let this be part of the Democratic Party that they are against the TPP.

And, typically, you do see Democrats being far less on board with these free trade agreements. The surprise here is that Donald Trump, who I understand is going to give another speech in New Hampshire about trade, the irony here is that they're all on the same side and really tapping into this anger in people's lives, this idea of all these people, especially in the Rust Belt, have seen manufacturing jobs really diminish over these last 20, 30 years.

TAPPER: And, Jeff, Hillary Clinton, trying to get ahead of the issue, announced that she opposed the Pacific trade deal that in fact she helped shepherd into existence.

One of the guests that I had on the show "THE LEAD" to discuss the Brexit vote said that the reason that that vote won in the U.K. is because it's like you took all the opponents to all of these issues that would support Donald Trump and then added the Bernie Sanders supporters and there you have a victory.

Donald Trump definitely trying to go after Bernie Sanders supporters when it comes to trade. Can Hillary successfully defeat him when it comes to those supporters on this issue of trade?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: We will find out and we will watch her rhetoric. But it is the reason she's been in Ohio campaigning three times in a two-week span.

And they absolutely are worried about the volatility of this issue in working-class Ohio, in Michigan, in Pennsylvania. But there are limits to that. Bernie Sanders supporters, for all of the dozens and dozens and dozens of rallies I covered and voters I interviewed, they were not single-issue trade voters.

In fact, many of them were young voters who liked other things. So I think that Donald Trump, hoping that he can get Bernie Sanders voters en masse is wrong. But I think that he can get people who don't trust Hillary Clinton on this. There are some Democratic voters out there who frankly think NAFTA has been terrible for them.

The challenge here for Donald Trump, though, is, what next? The people of Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, where he was yesterday, know all too well why those steel jobs aren't there anymore. It is sort of like having someone come in from out of town and read them a history lesson. They know that. The steel jobs were leaving long before NAFTA.

HENDERSON: Yes.

ZELENY: The solutions and the proposals for what is coming next I think is going to be where this shifts. I think voters are very smart on this.

[15:05:00]

For anyone who cares about trade, they're looking for solutions. But they also want someone to validate their anger. And right now Donald Trump is doing that. And Hillary Clinton in Ohio this week, she would have more prosecution in trade authorities and it was very, very Hillary Clinton sort of bureaucratic and probably a smarter policy.

But Donald Trump's getting that anger there. But to your question of the Sanders voters, I think there is a limit there. There is a ceiling there in the number of Sanders voters he can get.

BASH: But he could be successful with Republican voters or voters who might not -- might have just been so disgusted with the process that they haven't gone out because I think in our lifetime certainly, maybe even before, the Republican nominee has been very much pro-free trade.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Free trade, yes.

BASH: So they haven't had a place to go if they were looking to vote for a Republican or if there are other issues that these voters are like-minded with Republicans on.

Donald Trump is the most populist Republican presumptive nominee in modern times.

ZELENY: But the question is too populist.

Obviously, the Chamber of Commerce is not dictating a lot of views out there, but you need the country club and the Republican establishment to win as well. That's what I was most struck by yesterday.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Nia-Malika, let me ask you a question.

Do you think Hillary Clinton actually in her heart opposes the Pacific trade deal?

HENDERSON: I wish I could look into Hillary Clinton's heart. I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Are you skeptical of her opposition?

HENDERSON: I think it was certainly a convenient political move to box out Bernie Sanders and in some ways maybe even if Joe Biden had gotten into this race, she would be boxing him out as well on the TPP.

So, yes, she is at a place -- you know, the whole idea of flip- flopping, it sort of may not hurt as much if you sort of flip-flop to the right side. And that's certainly what I think a lot of people think she is doing not only in her own party, but also to box out the Sanders and Trump folks.

I think they are smart to be going to different regions of the country. Hillary was in Colorado on Tuesday. She's going to go to North Carolina with President Obama. It's the Sunbelt sort of vs. the Rust Belt that she's not able to do this week that Obama was able to do in 2012.

She's got that Rust -- the Sunbelt as well, North Carolina, Colorado, Florida.

BASH: Jeff, you can speak to this better than I, but to answer your question, you talk to Hillary Clinton people and they argue that when she is acting as her own person, meaning not the president's secretary of state or not the president's wife, which she was during NAFTA back in the Clinton administration, she is much more I wouldn't say protectionist, but much more weary of free trade in her personal views.

ZELENY: I think that's probably true.

But the challenge is, she has to own all of those positions.

HENDERSON: Yes.

ZELENY: So, it is her conundrum running for president at this particular point, because she can't just pick and choose chapters here.

But I do think it is slightly maybe not quite fair to tie NAFTA around her neck, because she was the first lady.

BASH: Right.

HENDERSON: Yes.

ZELENY: Yes, she supported it. The question is, when Bill Clinton goes to campaign in Ohio, are they going to send him to Ohio? Is he sort of persona non grata in that respect? This is a major issue in this campaign.

We don't know if it will stay until November, but I suspect it will. HENDERSON: Yes.

TAPPER: The Pacific trade deal is one that I think is most interesting because she did help draft it, without question.

(CROSSTALK)

HENDERSON: She called it the gold standard.

TAPPER: Yes.

HENDERSON: She complimented it. She talked about it glowingly many, many times.

TAPPER: Journalists have submitted Freedom of Information Act requests for her correspondence about the Pacific trade deal. Have been told recently from the State Department absolutely we will get those to you after the election. That's true.

It's taken something like 600 days or something, 500 days to meet that Freedom of Information Act request, which has still not been met. And I don't know that she even got the benefit of being opposed to it, because people who are wary of free trade went to Bernie Sanders and/or with Donald Trump, Jeff.

Like, did she ever get the points among opponents of the Pacific trade deal for...

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: I don't think directly, necessarily.

But, Nia, you said something very important. I think she was preparing for that for Joe Biden, too.

TAPPER: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: In that period of time, they were worried. And, boy, she was looking for any way to differentiate herself from this administration.

And that was going to be one of the key ones. Look, I think this is one of the challenges for her, but that is why she says -- I was struck again in Ohio this week -- she's called out every piece of product that Donald Trump has ever made, and now she's putting a specific name on it.

He didn't make the ties in here in Cincinnati. He made them in Singapore, or whatever. Now she's tying Ohio names to them. So, I think her best hope politically is to discredit his argument, as opposed to trying to get people to sort of believe hers.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: It's just neutralize...

(CROSSTALK)

HENDERSON: Yes. And I think it's actually effective.

They sent the tweet out with a picture of his shirt showing that it was made in Bangladesh. This idea that he wants to put America first as president, didn't do it as a businessman, when he presumably had ample opportunity to do that.

BASH: Right. They're trying to call him a hypocrite.

HENDERSON: Yes. Yes.

BASH: That what he says is now actually how he...

HENDERSON: Has conducted himself.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: And his argument, just to play devil's advocate, his argument is, these are the rules.

[15:10:02]

BASH: Exactly.

TAPPER: I am abiding by the rules.

BASH: That's right.

TAPPER: We need to change the rules to bring these jobs back to the United States.

ZELENY: Right.

BASH: That is true, there is no question. But -- and he has a point. But there are plenty of businesses in this country who do business and make their products in this country.

TAPPER: Sure. Not plenty, but a lot.

BASH: There are.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: And there is a way to do it.

BASH: You can do it.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: It can be done, absolutely.

BASH: It's doable, if you want to make a point. TAPPER: But I'm just saying, like, if you go to a department

store, most of the products there are going to be manufactured in Mexico, China, Singapore.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: But if he feels that strongly about outsourcing as a businessman, there is a way to do it. It is not cheap.

TAPPER: Sure.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: He's tapping into this anger and nostalgia, those two things. And I think that that is very powerful.

The question is, is there a lid to that or is there a ceiling to that? I think there is, but this is a very different election year and the electorate is still very raw, so we don't know.

It's what worries the Clinton campaign in focus groups and other things more than anything else.

BASH: No question.

TAPPER: Is what?

ZELENY: Is this trade issue, is this populist sentiment.

And I think also is this going to impact the vice presidential selection?

TAPPER: That's interesting.

ZELENY: I don't know the answer, but you could see Hillary Clinton's face watching Elizabeth Warren. You wonder if this will change her calculation. I'm not saying it will. We don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Or Sherrod Brown, theoretically, I guess, the senator from Ohio.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: And the next election isn't until 2018. In Massachusetts, there would be a special election called right after.

TAPPER: Right.

HENDERSON: And I think Elizabeth Warren, she taps into that nostalgia, she taps into that sort of sense of aspiration and populism.

She talks about her mother who was -- worked at Sears and her dad, who was a janitor. I think in some ways she's a better sort of spokeswoman for that than Bernie Sanders. And you saw that up there on Monday, and in some ways it was like, well, who needs Bernie Sanders when you have Elizabeth Warren?

BASH: But you guys talked about nostalgia and that's part of it. But the driving issue that is so hard for Democrats and for Hillary Clinton to wrap their minds around is fear.

Fear is the most powerful issue going on here and the most powerful emotion, I think, driving these voters in the states that they are most worried about, like Ohio. And I have heard the same thing there. Ohio is the state that they are most worried about and Pennsylvania, losing Pennsylvania.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Fear of what?

BASH: Fear -- voters' fear the fact that they don't have jobs now. Or if they have jobs, they're not well paying jobs. Basic, basic fundamental fears that they can't find the American dream, that they can't send their kids to college, that their kids are 20- something and 30-something and still living in the basement because they can't find a good-paying job.

TAPPER: That the American dream is dead. That's the fear.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Yes. And that is what, in a sentence, in a bumper sticker, Donald Trump has so geniusly done, make America great again.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: No doubt. The question is, though, do they believe he is the one to do that?

BASH: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: And the diversity and the demographics of this country, Democrats have won Pennsylvania for the last six presidential elections.

And the demographics have not improved toward the Donald Trump argument here. She isn't going to win in Western Pennsylvania. But that's not where the biggest electorate or biggest concentration of the electorate is. So...

(CROSSTALK)

HENDERSON: Yes. I think they are going to rely on states like Florida. They are going to rely on the fact that this could be the most diverse electorate we have seen, 69 white voters, 31 percent non- white voters, in 2012, 72 percent white voters. That's what they're betting on, that a lot of African-Americans,

Latinos, Asian-Americans, college-educated women don't necessarily have a sense of nostalgia for the America of the past.

TAPPER: Yes. But here's the choice that a lot of these voters are going to face, right, the ones who are very fundamentally intrigued and impassioned about these jobs.

On one hand, you have Donald Trump saying we're going to bring these jobs back. We're going to make America great again. And on the other hand, you have Hillary Clinton saying, those jobs are not coming back. We need to be realistic and practical about what really is and create the jobs of the future through worker retraining, et cetera.

I don't think there is any question which one is more appealing on a gut level. One is an intellectual argument that is inherently kind of pessimistic in a way, in a sense, that those days are never coming back. And the other one is a gut...

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: I'm sorry?

BASH: But realistic maybe.

TAPPER: Right.

HENDERSON: Yes.

TAPPER: But the other one, is we can do it. We're America.

HENDERSON: We're America.

TAPPER: Yes.

ZELENY: It's chocolate brownie vs. broccoli or something. Yes, the brownie tastes really good. And you may want that.

But I think -- but, again, what I was saying earlier, people know the jobs left. We're two generations of people beyond those steelworking jobs already. We don't talk about -- we didn't hear Donald Trump talk about that Pittsburgh is creating thousands and thousands of health care jobs.

It's a different economy here. But I think the challenge for the Clinton campaign is making that real, because the Trump argument is just so much more -- it taps into the anger and the fear, as you said, Dana. You are absolutely right.

BASH: Right.

TAPPER: But who wins usually between the chocolate brownie and the broccoli? The brownie usually wins. Don't you think? I would argue that Barack Obama in 2012 was doing the brownie, and Mitt Romney was doing the broccoli.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELENY: And it's a change election. Every eight years -- this is certainly a change election.

[15:15:01]

HENDERSON: Yes.

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: But I think, when you look, it is a choice. Voters will have a lot of things to weigh.

But the burden is on the Clinton campaign to make their argument a little bit sexier, I guess, for lack of a better word.

HENDERSON: Yes. I think, for Obama, you are right, he was the brownie, but there was some broccoli sort of embedded in that.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: All right. Now, this metaphor is getting a little bit out of control.

(CROSSTALK)

HENDERSON: He was a pragmatist still, right? But he had the aspirational language and could tap into that, the hope and change stuff, but, yes, I think challenges on both sides.

TAPPER: As we wait for President Obama, and that's what we have been waiting for, let's get to the deadly terrorist attack inside one of the busiest airports in the world.

Three terrorists, of course, detonating suicide bombs at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. A senior Turkish officials says authorities are still working to identify the three terrorists, the three attackers. There is still not yet a claim of responsibility, but the director of the CIA, John Brennan, today said that this has all the hallmarks of an ISIS-style attack.

Here's how one wit described one of the attackers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had a hidden gun over here and he's checking out and he's shooting up two times. And he's beginning to shoot the people like that. Like, he was walking like a prophet, you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Let's bring back our panel for a second.

So, one of the other issues that President Obama, along with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, is discussing today in addition to trade, which we just discussed, is, no doubt, the issue of ISIS and the threat of terrorism, and also the questions of border security for all their countries.

Jeff, normally, the conventional wisdom is when there is a terrorist attack, that helps the Republican, because Republicans are perceived as being tougher on national security, and that's kind of superficial judgment that a lot of voters and pundits make. Do you think that plays the same way here?

ZELENY: I don't think it necessarily odes.

The script has been flipped in this entire election and I think this is another example of that. Hillary Clinton has a long record on foreign policy, on defense, other things. Some people in her party believe she is too much of a hawk actually.

I think we are still learning about Donald Trump's vision. But one thing that when he was talking about this last night, as Dana pointed out, he was bringing up water-boarding and other things. I think that we have moved beyond that as a conversation. Certainly, that will be controversial will be in the Republican Party as well.

So I do not think this is a typical -- voters are worried that Democrats will be too liberal on this. Remember after the Iraq War in '02, the '04 election, Democrats were so worried about looking weak. That is not the case here with Hillary Clinton. I think it's smarter rather than stronger.

But, again, she has to sell that argument and we haven't seen her on camera yet after this. It is cautious in some respect, but as you were saying, Dana, it may not be wise.

TAPPER: All right.

And we are seeing right now President Obama and the leaders of Canada and Mexico coming to the podiums right now to speak. Let's listen in.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you for joining us today. President Obama, President Pena Nieto and I have just wrapped up a very productive meeting. The tone of the meeting was friendly, as you might expect among friends, but also a little poignant.

We're obviously thrilled to President Pena Nieto here for his first visit to Canada as president of Mexico. Yet, at the same time, it's a little sad that this will be the last chance for all three of us to get together in this capacity, given President Obama's impending retirement, something...

(LAUGHTER)

TRUDEAU: ... something he pointed out to us more than once, I should add, usually with a little smile. But I do want to once again thank both leaders and their

delegations for coming to Ottawa and for being truly open to the discussions that took place today.

One of the first items we discussed was our common respect for diversity, and our firm support for LGBTQ2 rights, especially in the wake of the shootings earlier this month in Orlando.

(through translator): That tragedy has strengthened our determination to protect the rights of LGBTQ2 people. And we urge all leaders throughout the world to do the same. We also talked about the need to ensure a clean and prosperous future for all of our people and for all people in the world.

(OFF-MIKE) and I are unanimous in our belief that, on this issue, North America can and indeed must lead the way.

[15:20:04]

Today, we resolved -- we turned that resolve into action with the negotiation of an ambitious and enduring North American climate, clean energy, and environment partnership.

This partnership will see our countries stand side by side as we work toward the common goal of a North America that is competitive, that encourages clean growth, and that protects our shared environment now and for generations to come.

It's a partnership that lays out some very clear deliverables and that identifies realistic paths to achieving them.

Together, we will advance clean and secure energy with the goal of 50 percent clean power generation across the continent by 2025. We will drive down short-lived climate pollutants, things like methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons. We will promote clean and efficient transportation, creating clean jobs as we reduce energy consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gasses.

We will work together to protect nature and to advance our scientific understanding of the environmental challenges we share. And, finally, we will respond directly and decisively to the challenge of climate change, working to make our own countries more resilient, as we encourage others to do the same.

This is what can happen when countries come together in pursuit of a common goal, when we have a big idea and the political will to make it happen.

Today's climate agreement stands as proof that cooperation pays off, and that working together always beats going it alone.

There were, of course, other issues on the agenda as well.

(through translator): We also had the opportunity to talk about ways of advancing trade and competitiveness in North America. It's essential to each of our economies, and it is vital for the creation of good jobs for the middle class.

Furthermore, we reasserted our common commitment to human rights, and we discussed the aspect on which we could be better partners to ensure the protection and defense of fundamental rights. We also discussed regional and worldwide issues that are urgent, and we talked about the way we will work together to meet these common challenges.

(OFF-MIKE) about how to better cooperate on defense. But it also meant forging a closer working relationship when it comes to providing development and humanitarian assistance, as well as finding ways to more effectively combat public health challenges, the illicit flow of funds and drugs, and human trafficking.

As I said, the conversations were friendly, but also frank. And I'm reassured and encouraged by the progress we were able to make today.

Relationships between the citizens of our three nations have always been strong, even in the past, when our governments haven't always seen eye to eye. It's gratifying that once again we are able to come together as leaders of three truly great nations to honor that enduring friendship and to once again deliver real results for the people of Canada, Mexico, the United States and indeed the entire global community.

Thank you, Barack, Enrique, for all your hard work today and every day.

I would now like to introduce the president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto.

ENRIQUE PENA NIETO, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Thank you very much, Prime Minister of Canada, Honorable Barack Obama.

With this press conference, we come to an end of the stay in Canada, two days of state visit, and today at the North American leaders summit.

Prime Minister Trudeau, allow me to say once again how grateful I am for your hospitality, for the warmth with which we were received, myself and my delegation. We were warmly welcomed in this country.

We're going back to Mexico with memories of the warm welcome that the Canadian people showed in Quebec, in Toronto and Ottawa. We're going back to Mexico fully convinced that we have renewed our bilateral relationship with Canada.

Canada, in yourself, Canada has a leader that is going back to universal values that make Canada stand out in the world.

[15:25:08]

President Barack Obama, I would like to say that we acknowledge your determination to have a more united, integrated and competitive North America, a more prosperous and inclusive North America. I would like to highlight -- specifically, being the last North

American leaders summit that you will attend to as a president of the United States, I would like to acknowledge that Mexico recognizes the fact that you have promoted along Mexico a strategic partnership, and you have always been prone and willing to work towards a bilateral agenda that covers different fronts, beyond security.

In the process of generating clean energy, you have favored those efforts. You have always favored a more expedited trade, a safer border, more competitiveness in our trade. You have always been in favor of having cooperation in education and cultural matters, have always been willing to push technology and science forward.

But there is no doubt that your legacy also covers other regions of Latin America. You have reestablished a relationship with Cuba. You have supported the development of Central America. And in the Summit of the Americas, as well, you have contributed to its advancement.

I would like to acknowledge as well your tireless efforts made towards the advancement of the environment and of addressing the challenges of global warming. There is no doubt that your presidency has helped to build and reaffirm the candid relationship that the United States and Mexico have.

During this trilateral summit, the governments of Canada, the United States and Mexico, we have reaffirmed our decision to work together with a vision, with resolve to advance economic integration in North America.

In order to fulfill this goal, Mexico values that in the Trans- Pacific Partnership, there is a great opportunity to reaffirm this level of integration between the three countries that are part of NAFTA. But, besides that, we are taking this opportunity to other regions of the world, specifically towards Asia.

I believe that the advantages, the benefits, and the beauties that this integration will carry and has carried along for the benefit of our societies can be extended when the Trans-Pacific Partnership is approved. Mexico supports this effort with enthusiasm.

This partnership, this agreement is at the Senate in the process of being approved. We are fully convinced that, by working together and by taking stock of our complementarity, we can be the most competitive region in the world.

As Prime Minister Trudeau has said during this summit, we have worked on addressing four priorities, climate change, clean energies and environment, competitiveness at the borders, and trade security and events and regional and global issues.

Specifically, Mexico addressed the area of competitiveness in trade and at our borders. I would like to highlight some of the most important agreements. We are going to create single trade windows to enable our border exchanges. Our goal is to have one foreign trade single window for North

America. Secondly, we're going to map North American clusters. This will be a vital tool for decision-making, and to bolster economic trade in the region.

We have agreed to have a trilateral cluster map as soon as possible. And, thirdly, I should mention that trilateral program for trusted travelers, Mexico has proposed that this program uses global entry platform that Canada and the United States already have.

And this year, we will implement the electronic kiosks platform that is already present in different airports in the United States and Canada.