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Trump Looking to Fill Cabinet Positions; Fourth Day of Protests Against Trump Election. Is Trump Softening on Obamacare; Warren Buffett Reacts to Trump Win, Economy; L.A. Mayor Talks Protests. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 12, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:01] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour, 3:00 p.m. here in New York. Noon on the west coast. I'm Poppy Harlow. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin with this, happening now. Cities across the United States bracing for possibly a night of protests. Already out on a number of major U.S. cities today. Portland police have called some of the protests "riots." One person was injured in Portland last night after gunfire broke out after an officer used flash bang.

President-elect Trump has twice addressed them on Twitter. Once calling them unfair, and then later, saying he loved the passion. Today, he is calling for unity. Quote, "This will prove to be a great time on the lives of all Americans, and we will unite and we will win, win, win." That coming four hours ago. That union not being seen across American cities today.

Our reporters on the ground, alongside demonstrators. CNN's Brynn Gingras is in New York. And Kyung Lah is in Los Angeles.

And let me begin with you, Brynn.

It looks like we don't have them. We will a get to them in just a moment.

Again, protests in New York, in Los Angeles. Today, peaceful for the most part. Protests last night in Portland and a number of major U.S. cities.

We'll get to the reporters in just a moment.

Let's get to this first. 69 days until Donald Trump calls the Oval Office home. Not only is this historic, given he is the first person ever to become president of the United States without ever serving in elected office or in the military or as a diplomat. There are also a lot of unknowns about who he will surround himself with. His refrain, "drain the swamp," perhaps an indication he won't surround himself with Washington insiders, or will he? And who will get the critical role of chief of staff.

Our Sunlen Serfaty joins me know for more.

Sunlen, let's begin with that. Because who he picks as his right-hand man or woman says a lot about how this presidency will be run, right? How he'll govern. Right now, it is looking like either potentially Steve Bannon or Reince Priebus. Those two men could not be more different.

What do you know about who it might be, and what it will tell us?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Poppy. These are two completely different men and approach things in a different way. As you noted, each of the pick would set a completely different tone f| the Trump administration. So certainly, an important option, important pick for Trump at this moment.

According to sources, it does seem like Donald Trump at this moment is tempted by the idea of picking Steve Bannon, not only because he has been loyal, but again, according to sources, because he absolutely likes the idea that Steve Bannon represents winning and success, two important things to Donald Trump. You have Trump's family, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, each pushing for RNC Reince Priebus. Why? Because he is more of a known commodity. He has long- time relationships in Washington. And that is something that they think would serve a Trump administration well, being able to really bridge that divide between the White House and Capitol Hill.

But I have to point out, typically, these choices are already made. Typically, the chief of staff is made almost immediately, so there is some expectation that we'll get that pick, Poppy, as early as Monday.

HARLOW: That's what we're hearing, possibly Monday. I keep thinking about Kellyanne Conway. Here is the woman who, Sunlen, turned around the train on Trump's campaign in the final months. She deserves a lot of credit for helping him to get where he is now. Does she expect to have a role?

SERFATY: Well, it is really unclear at this moment. But she certainly does deserve a lot of credit and we've seen her get a lot of credit since Trump's victory. You know, of course, she received a lot of praise for being the first woman campaign manager, and really, was credited with turning around his campaign at a time where Trump needed it the most. We saw Trump give her that big praise and shout-out the night of his victory rally. He went over and I think he pointed to her like look what she did. So, that spoke volumes. If she does go on to become a member of the Trump administration, widely see that she would have some senior White House official job, advisor job, at this point we still don't know.

HARLOW: I think she has been up for like 24 hours, days on end. I'm constantly seeing her. I hope if she gets the role, she gets along beforehand.

Sunlen, let me ask you this. Chris Christie, here is the first competitor of Trump in the primary to come and back him. And he put a lot on the line when a lot of people weren't standing behind Trump. He was heading the transition team. Now Mike Pence is doing that. Given the Bridgegate scandal surrounding Christy and his very frosty relationship with Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, he is going to have a role, do you think in the administration? [15:05:10] SERFATY: This is probably one of the biggest question

marks. I do think it is fair to say that Chris Christie's stock has fallen significantly in the last few weeks, not only, as you pointed out, the Bridgegate, but there was a sense that Chris Christie took a step back and maybe wasn't as loyal as other supporters when Trump was going through the hard time with the "Access Hollywood" tape and that doesn't wear well with Donald Trump and members of his campaign. Of course, we know his name has been bandied about for potential attorney general. It doesn't seem like that for Chris Christie may be an option any more. Certainly, the news that Mike Pence is taking over the transition, when Chris Christie had been doing it for months, also seen as another shot to him. So, this will be one of the most interesting things to watch - Poppy?

HARLOW: Yeah, and then Rudy Giuliani right up there as well. What position could -- he is the most likely A.G. pick at this point?

SERFATY: At this point, it seems that, although he has been pretty vocal saying no, I don't want it, whether that's part of this game that people play or not, but he has been very visible by Donald Trump's side for many months, one of the most outspoken members of Donald Trump's campaign and a key surrogate. You see him going in and out of Trump Tower. He is having a key role in the transition right now. We'll see if attorney general is next for him.

HARLOW: We'll see.

Sunlen, thank you very much, reporting from Washington.

We've got a lot ahead this hour. Let's get to it. Is Donald Trump softening on some of his campaign policies? Perhaps a compromise on Obamacare. Obamacare, something he called a disaster throughout the campaign. His very first interview since he became president-elect on "60 Minutes." You'll hear what he said.

Also in a CNN exclusive, an interview with Warren Buffett. His first since the election and his first in months, about what he thinks of a Donald Trump presidency.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:10:24] HARLOW: Happening right now, cities across America bracing for potentially another night of protests over Donald Trump's election.

We are with our reporters on the ground across the country.

Let's begin with Brynn Gingras in New York.

Brynn, this was a planned march. What are the protesters calling for specifically? What do they want to see happen?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, there really isn't a specific thing that they're calling for, Poppy. Of messages, all wrapped into one. Aiming at the president-elect, Donald Trump. Messages about stopping the hate. Messages about supporting gays. About women. About climate change, about paying taxes. There are just a number of messages being spread here. This group, I can tell you, collectively, what everyone has been agreeing on, how big a protest it is. Let's get a bigger view of how many people are here. We are just a block away from Trump Tower. This is where the group wanted to end up with their protest. They marched for about two taking about an hour to do that. And it is just enormous.

I have been texting with the person, a 20-year-old college student her, in New York City, who organized this protest. I've been texting with him and I said are you impress with the size. He said it is amazing what the voices can spread in this protest. That's really what it is about, being heard. That's what they want. So, if there is a message, it is that.

Now, having said that, I will say Poppy that about 10 minutes ago, we did see just one person walk up to this crowd. He had a Trump/Pence sign and there was a little discourse in the street but NYPD officials quickly floored toward. I'm told by a friend who was filming that discourse that the Trump supporter was led safely away from this crowd. But it has been peaceful. We checked in with NYPD, and no arrests as of yet. But an incredible turnout for this messaged.

HARLOW: It is a cold day here in New York. They've been out there for hours.

Brynn, thank you very much.

All right, let's talk about Obamacare. "Obamacare is a disaster, Look at that mess. If we don't repeal and replace Obamacare, we will destroy American health care forever" -- those are not my words. Those are things Donald Trump said during the campaign. But here's what he just told "60 Minutes" in a new interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESLEY STAHL, CO-HOST, 60 MINUTES: Obamacare. Let me ask you about Obamacare, which you say you're going to repeal and replace. When you replace it, are you going to make sure that people with preconditions are still covered?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, because it happens to be one of the strongest assets.

LESLEY: You're going to keep it?

TRUMP: Also with the children living with their parents for an extended period, we're going to --

STAHL: You're going to keep that?

TRUMP: -- very much going to try to keep it in. Adds cost but it's very much something we're going to try to keep.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARLOW: Let's bring in Lanhee Chen, a current CNN political commentator and a former public policy director for Mitt Romney.

And you worked on policy. You worked on shaping messages about things like health care when you were working for Mitt Romney during his run. Now Donald Trump seems to be really changing his position, softening on this. There is a difference between campaigning and governing, but this was a key platform he ran on. What's your take?

LANHEE CHEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It is a key issue, Poppy. I think the question will be exactly how he intends to go about repealing the law and replacing it. That's some of the work that needs to be done now in the transition, because during the campaign as you may recall, there wasn't a lot of specificity of how that will happen. I will say that he could repeal the law and replace it with a set of policies that does include coverage for preexisting conditions that does include coverage for those who with their parents. Could have a replacement package that includes those things. We'll have to see how the transition sorts it out.

HARLOW: Let's talk about what we're looking at right now. These are the protests on the streets of America.

This, I believe, live pictures, right, guys, out of Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles.

So, you know, within hours, Donald Trump tweeted two different things. On Thursday night, he tweeted basically that the media is sort of inciting these professional protesters, and then the next morning, perhaps someone got to him but he came out and said fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We'll all come together and be proud. Thoughts?

[15:14:57] CHEN: Well, obviously, you know, the tone of the morning tweet is preferable from the one the evening before.

I think part of the issue here, Poppy, is we have to figure out are these protesters, are they -- is it an issue that they're really passionate about. Is it Electoral College reform? It seems to me more that people are upset about the election. While of course, people should be able to present their point of view, it seems to me the best way to address this would have been at the ballot box.

So now that the election is done, I do think it is important both for the protesters and the president-elect to realize that the tone has to be one of reconciliation and one of healing and hopefully we can get to it.

HARLOW: Donald Trump is indicating, Lanhee, that he is open to sort of shifting positions a little from what he said, case in point, Obamacare. Perhaps they can influence him on policy before things are set in stone.

Lanhee, thank you very much. That's all we have time for. We'll have you back later, as we continue to watch these protests -

CHEN: Thank you.

HARLOW: -- across several U.S. cities this afternoon.

Much more ahead. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: And now, a CNN exclusive. Billionaire investor, Warren Buffett, came out strong for Hillary Clinton, donating his time and fundraising a lot for her. So, what is his take on Donald Trump's stunning victory and the post-election surge on Wall Street? I went to Omaha this week to sit down with him. You see our full interview over the next three hours on this show.

Up first, our conversation, of course, about the election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[15:20:05] HARLOW: Warren, thank you so much for doing this.

WARREN BUFFETT, INVESTER, BERKSHIRE-HATHAWAY: Well, thanks for inviting me.

HARLOW: We have a lot to cover. Let's start with the election.

A hard-fought election on both sides, no question. What do you think this election had done to America?

BUFFETT: Well, we'll find out the answer to that. It clearly was an election like none I've ever seen. I voted in my first election in 1952. Dwight Eisenhower, Adlai Stevenson. No one went in a voted for Dwight Eisenhower because they didn't like Stevenson. No one went in and voted for Stevenson because they hated Eisenhower. I mean, every vote almost was an affirmative vote. And I'm sure we set a record for what you might call negative votes this time. People went in and voted against the other person. And that is a huge - that has real repercussions. And the trend has been in that direction over the years, but we are having -- and this was culmination -- but we were having elections more and more, partly because what money can do with negative ads and all that sort of thing. I don't remember negative ads in 1952.

HARLOW: They both ran a lot.

BUFFETT: Oh, sure. And the reason they run them is it's been proven they work. Money is way more of a factor, obviously, in politics now.

But it is different when 130 million people go to the polls with many of them voting for Trump because they didn't like Hillary and many voting for Hillary because they didn't like Trump.

HARLOW: You're huge supporter for Hillary Clinton.

BUFFETT: True.

HARLOW: You were one of the big names to support her. Do you support Donald Trump as the next president?

BUFFETT: Oh, sure, I support any president of the United States. It is very important that the American people coalesce behind the president. That doesn't mean they can't criticize or disagree with what he is doing, maybe, but we need a country unified by a president, legitimacy of the president, and everybody's respect. And it is really -- we proved with Bush v. Gore, the whole country went back to work. The Supreme Court decided.

I think there were unusual strains within the population in this, because there was so much negative campaigning. And the candidates sunk to a lower level in terms of the debates and all of that than we would have had 40 years ago, when the famous Kennedy/Nixon debate that started things off. It wasn't intensely personal, you know, hearing the kind of things we heard this time. But you've got to be behind the president.

HARLOW: As a huge supporter of Hillary Clinton, what was your hope that she could do for this country?

BUFFETT: Well --

HARLOW: What did you want to see her as the 45th president so much?

BUFFETT: The two most important things in my mind, by far, the most important thing is what person is likely as president to minimize the chances of weapons of mass destruction being used. I mean, that's the -- America has a wonderful future. The world has a wonderful future. We do have weaponry out there that nobody could have dreamt of 80 years ago. The world changed in 1945. So, individuals, groups, even rogue nations are going to be with us forever, who would like to kill millions of Americans. You can't stop the random acts.

I mean, you should not hold the president responsible for whether some lone wolf goes out and kills 50 people. It is terrible, but he can't do anything about that. It does make a difference in terms of whether -when you bet a Cuban Missile Crisis or something like that.

HARLOW: So it's temperament?

BUFFETT: Temperament and judgment, yeah, temperament and judgment. That's the most important job in my mind that the president of the United States has. Other things will fall into place -

HARLOW: Sure.

BUFFETT: -- but one mistake there.

HARLOW: So, is the president-elect.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: You have questions, it sounds like about his temperament.

BUFFETT: You have to choose between two people and I chose Hillary on that. And but, that was the number one in my mind. The second thing in my mind is that we've got unbelievably prosperous

country and loads of people are not participating in that, who are perfectly decent citizens, who should. We will have an ever more prosperous country. I would hope that in 10 and 20 years, 30 years from now, much higher percentage who are willing to work, can find a 40 hour a week - sufficient they don't have say second job. We can afford that. And in that respect, I respect agree with her. I agree with Bernie Sanders on that.

HARLOW: To the temperament issue, and you bring up nuclear weapons, do you now trust that Donald Trump has the temperament needed as the leader of the free world to be the one who has those codes?

[15:25:07] BUFFETT: It is important that he does. And nobody knows for sure what does happen if he gets a call in the middle of the night.

HARLOW: You're hopeful?

BUFFETT: I'm always hopeful. But there will -- you know, North Korea is still there. There are rogue organizations that in terms of cyber, nuclear, chemical, biological, they would use those weapons on a huge scale if they could get materials deliverability and all of that, and you need a president who feels that is his number-one job.

HARLOW: You've called this election one of the greatest protest votes of all time. Donald Trump tweeted, after he won, "The forgotten man and woman will never be forgotten again." He had a message and a movement, a wave that resonated with much of this country, much of -- we're sitting in Nebraska. And I wonder why you think he was able to speak so effectively to men and women who feel left behind by this economy, that the growth isn't as inclusive enough for them, and what America can learn from it.

BUFFETT: They had a choice of two candidates, and I think it is indicated that the voting that much of the American public didn't like either candidate very well. And I mean they could easily feel that they have seen Hillary for a long time, and it's very hard to change your mind or get new hop about somebody that you've perhaps formed a negative opinion on. And, but in the end, who knows why. We're going do a lot of studies. We don't know the answer.

HARLOW: When you look at the exit polling and take it for what it is worth, because the polling models on the front end were off, but Hillary Clinton won lower-income Americans, 50,000 and below, and Donald Trump won wealthier Americans. What is the Trump movement, then? If it is not necessarily about income inequality, what is it?

BUFFETT: Trump won the 50,000 under -- white male vote big time. So, that 50,000 under has a disproportionate number of minorities that went for Hillary. So, you have to segment that further -- but people felt -- well, I'll give you a figure. Forbes 400 had $93 billion in 1982, and they got $2.4 trillion now. It is 25 times as much. You know, if you've been working 40 hours a week, maybe holding a second job, and you know, you work with the Little League and been a good parent, you really are struggling, what's wrong with this picture. And you want to change the picture and, apparently, more went in to the voting booth than -- and decided that Trump was the answer.

But it is interesting. You mention the exit polls. I had exit polls, one of the best news organizations around, at 7:00 p.m. eastern, on election night, state by state, and they were off by six or seven points.

HARLOW: I heard traveling across this country, not much, but I did hear from some that they didn't believe that America was ready to elect a woman. Do you believe that Hillary Clinton lost, in part, because she is a woman?

BUFFETT: Sure, she lost votes because of that. She probably got some votes because of that. I don't know the balance of the two. No question that there would be a lot of votes against her, because she was a woman. Not like it would have been 30 or 40 years ago, but there would still be a lot of votes, there votes because she was a woman, and how the balance came out, I don't know. People wouldn't necessarily give you an honest answer on that if you were polling them.

HARLOW: You are the eternal optimist. You're the one who wrote the opinion piece in the middle of the Great Recession saying bet on America.

BUFFETT: Absolutely.

HARLOW: Do you feel optimistic about America right now?

BUFFETT: 100 percent.

HARLOW: A divided America?

BUFFETT: 100 percent.

HARLOW: Why?

BUFFETT: It's the great -- this is a fantastic country. In my lifetime -- I was born in 1930 -- the real GDP per person has gone up six-for-one. We were the most advanced country in the world when I was born, and one person's lifetime, six-for-one. I've never seen anything like it. We have $57,000 of GDP per capita. Family of four, $228,000. They don't get it. But this system will produce more and more stuff and better and better stuff and services.

HARLOW: The system works regardless of who the president is?

BUFFETT: The market system works.

(CROSSTALK)

[15:30:00] BUFFETT: But it doesn't work for everybody.

HARLOW: It doesn't?

BUFFETT: It works in aggregate. HARLOW: Let's talk about the markets. Long-term, the market reaction

to all of this, to President-elect Trump, what do you expect it to be long-term, given the policy proposals he's laid out, if he carries through with them?

BUFFETT: Are you talking about the stock market?

HARLOW: I'm talking about the stock market.

BUFFETT: The stock market will be higher 10, 20, 30 in years from now than it would have been with Hillary and will be with Trump.

HARLOW: So these predictions that the market was going to tank under president Trump?

BUFFETT: They're silly.

HARLOW: Silly?

BUFFETT: They're silly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Up next, more of the interview with Warren Buffett on the 2016 election and if he thinks Donald Trump is a good businessman. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Welcome back. Now, more of our interview with Warren Buffett on the 2016 presidential race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Let's dig into some of the proposals that Donald Trump has put out there, economic proposals, and your take on them. He has suggested and proposed instituting a 35 percent tariff on goods imported into this country. A lot of business leaders say that would cause a trade war, that would cause a recession. What do you say?

BUFFETT: Well, I think it's a bad idea, a very bad idea. But I'm not going to say it will cause a recession. Any time you start playing around with retaliatory type trade things it's very likely the other side is going to play, too. That's been the history.

The problem for trade -- and this is why you need what I would call an instructor in chief as president, because you cannot blame anybody that lost their job because industry -- their industry moved abroad because there was a comparative advantage for some other country, you can't expect any of them to say, ah, I'm for free trade because it helps the society as a whole. It does help society as a whole, but the benefits are very diffuse. I may the socks I have, the underwear I have a few cents cheaper because of the comparative advantage of some other country in producing it. But I don't get down every time I go to Walmart and buy them, I don't say, "Thank God for free trade."

[15:35:29] HARLOW: Does it worry you then to hear Donald Trump say he will scrap NAFTA, which he will have the power to do as president?

BUFFETT: We'll see what happens. It is true there will be -- with the Republicans in control of the Senate and the House --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: You don't think he'll do it?

BUFFETT: Well, he has to get the House and Senate. He has to get support on it. There will be a lot of -- this is not exclusive to Donald Trump. There are a lot of things said in campaigns that don't happen after the election.

HARLOW: Donald Trump ran on the platform of being a billionaire businessman, arguing that gives him the unique ability to help all of the Americans, millions of people who are struggling, who cannot get by on one job, who cannot support their family, and they believe he is their answer. Do you think that Donald Trump is a good businessman? Because you certainly went after him on his business record during the campaign?

BUFFETT: Major failures. And he was very good at licensing and very good at things that involve promotion of his name. Actual operation of the businesses in the 1980s and 1990s, it left him essentially bankrupt in multiple companies. But he -- I would say this, he understands business but his record has been better at licensing and --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Than operations.

BUFFETT: -- than putting out his own capital, yes.

HARLOW: His publicly traded Trump casino empire. No major U.S. casino filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy more. Are you concerned about his ability to operate big businesses?

BUFFETT: He's not going to be operating businesses. I don't have to worry about him running a business at all. He's the one that -- you know that doesn't really, in my judgment, determine whether somebody makes a great president. Harry Truman went broke in a haberdashery store in Kansas City. He wasn't much a businessman. He turned out to be a terrific president.

HARLOW: Looking at some of the proposals that Donald Trump has put out there, because you have said earlier, you said that this country will be fine, even if we elect, quote, "the wrong president." This was months ago. So, he says, cut taxes for the wealthy, scrap trade deals like NAFTA, deport millions of immigrants, build a wall between the United States and Mexico. And in doing so, he believes that he can deliver 4 percent growth a year, at least, and create 25 million jobs over 10 years.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: No business like no other. Are those things possible with these proposals?

BUFFETT: I don't think anybody can grow our economy in real terms of 4 percent over time. There may be a given time, but is just too extraordinary. If you simply grow the economy 2 percent a year, which we've been doing, you will have $19,000 more of real GDP per capita in one generation. I mean, we are the result of compound interest, not growth. It isn't 4 percent. That 4 percent is not -- they'll be given years like that but not realistic.

HARLOW: Those numbers are not realistic.

BUFFETT: No, but people promise things in campaigns that aren't realistic.

HARLOW: So many people depend on it.

BUFFETT: They have to depend on better distribution of 2 percent growth.

HARLOW: Those are the numbers he is betting on.

BUFFETT: During a campaign, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't -- it was, what, Cuomo said, you campaign in poetry and you're governed in prose.

HARLOW: There is a likelihood Donald Trump will have to deal with a recession on his hands. It has been a long bull market run. The next president will have to deal with a recession of some magnitude. You often picked up the phone when President Obama called you for your advice. If a president Trump calls you to come to the White House and advise him, would you do that?

BUFFETT: I would do that with any president. I've never called a president in my life. I don't initiate them. But if any president asked me for help in any way, I mean, that's part of being a citizen.

HARLOW: Does President Donald Trump and the proposals he has laid out change in any way the way you do business? Or what you invest?

BUFFETT: That's interesting you ask that. We were buying and selling certain stocks a week ago and I though Hillary would be elected. And we're buying and selling the same stocks today and we did it on Wednesday. Yeah, we did on Wednesday, the day after. And yeah, we're buying them in the same quantities, selling them in the same quantities. We haven't changed anything.

HARLOW: You have been paying taxes since you were seven years old?

BUFFETT: No, since I was 13.

(CROSSTALK)

BUFFETT: I was a late starter.

HARLOW: 13.

BUFFETT: I've got every return, too. [15:40:07] HARLOW: Let's talk about Donald Trump's taxes. You

publicly challenged him during the campaign to release his tax returns. You said you would do the same thing and the journalists could ask you questions. I don't know if we'll ever see his returns.

BUFFETT: I don't think we will.

HARLOW: You don't think we will?

BUFFETT: No.

HARLOW: You said we'll learn a whole lot more about Donald Trump if he releases his tax returns. What do you think the American people will learn?

BUFFETT: A lot of details about his income, charities, how much they he took. You learn a lot about that. It wouldn't be that interesting, but you would learn.

HARLOW: What do you make of the fact that he so far refuses to release them?

BUFFETT: He doesn't want to.

HARLOW: Why?

BUFFETT: Because he thought it would hurt him in the election.

HARLOW: Does it bother you?

BUFFETT: It's something, you know, I think they should do just like candidates, but you've got to expect that I mean Hillary didn't want to release the transcripts of the talks --

HARLOW: Should she have the Wall Street speeches?

BUFFETT: Well, obviously -- I didn't run a political campaign. But obviously in the political campaign, you decide what hurts you and what helps you. And believe me, that's the calculation. You know, and you've got to expect candidates to behave in that way. You don't advance to the point where you're running for president of the United States without learning something about political campaign, and having people around you that give you all kinds of advice and that was obviously either their own determinations with both candidates or the urgings of those around them.

HARLOW: Have you spoken with Hillary Clinton since she conceded?

BUFFETT: No, no.

President Obama has 70 days or so left in office. Grade President Obama for us. You know him well. How has he done?

BUFFETT: Oh, I think he's done very well. He came in, you know, in January of 2009, and there were questions, I mean, the stock 2009, economy bottomed in the third quarter, but he inherited a terrible, terrible hand. I mean, close to what Roosevelt inherited. And he had to do things fast, and he had to get a Congress to go along with it, and he had to educate the American people. And people were shell- shocked at that time. So, I think considering the hand he had, considering later, the problems of the divided Congress, I think he has done a terrific job. I've not been disappointed in him at all.

HARLOW: What grade would you give him?

BUFFETT: Very high grade. I am not -- I don't want to try to get into the decimal points, but a high grade.

HARLOW: Before we move on, what do you think his legacy will be? What will be talking about 20 years from now?

BUFFETT: We're going to talk about the fact that he is the first African-American president, that's historic, in itself. But I think we will talk about a president that -- where our economic machine came off the tracks like it had in the 1930s, who put it back on the tracks and got it going very well. And I think that -- that's huge. Now, I think there are other people who deserve a lot of credit in that respect. But he is the leader.

HARLOW: You've lived through a lot. You've seen a lot of elections. This is a divided nation, as we sit here today. Is this a nation that will come together and heal?

BUFFETT: Absolutely. absolutely. I grew up in a household, when I was eight or nine years old, my sisters and I did not get dessert until we said something bad about Roosevelt. I heard my dad or his friends say, you know, there would never be an election after the third term. The system is falling apart. Throughout my life, the people who come up on the short end of an election say it is the end of the world, you know, all of that. America -- America is stronger than that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Message of a strong America from Warren Buffett.

Next hour, you'll hear his thoughts on how the U.S. economy is doing right now and why he says it is softer than people think it is, but he is still optimistic. That's 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

Next for us on NEWSROOM, the mayor of Los Angeles joins me, responding to the protests in his city that resulted in 150 arrests last night alone.

Stay with us.

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[15:48:18] HARLOW: The election of Donald Trump has ignited protests in states across America, including California, where we saw protesters even calling for secession from the United States. That's not going to happen, but it's their chance. Los Angeles has been an epicenter of the protests. L.A.'s Mayor Eric Garcetti joins me on the phone.

Mayor, thank you for being here.

We saw 3,000 people gathered protesting last night in Los Angeles, 150 arrests. How would you describe the protests today?

GARCETTI, (D), LOS ANGELES MAYOR (VO): They've been great, Poppy. I've been proud of my city, proud of students out there, proud of people who are patriotic right, it's their responsibility to be out there, expressing our opinions and speaking out for the values we embody here, the American values in Los Angeles of tolerance and pluralism and activism. I know the headlines are always the few people who jump onto a freeway or two or three people who spray paint something. We'll always deal with lawless behavior.

Really, the main story is that Americans, not just in my city but around the country are saying we are a country where we want to continue to embrace people regardless of how they worship god, who they love, where they live, or even immigration status. L.A. will continue to take the lead in the coming weeks, months, and years, investing in infrastructure, embracing immigrants, doing things that this country has always been about.

HARLOW: You're a Democrat. Obviously, the election didn't go your way, but Donald Trump will be the president of all Americans. My question to you is, as a Democrat, how do Democrats and protesters use this emotion to effect change?

GARCETTI: Well, you know, I wake, first and foremost, as an American and as a mayor. And, you know, Los Angeles is important for the entire country. I think about sitting down with President Trump just as I've done with Republicans and Democrats in the White House and on the Hill for years to talk about the port of Los Angeles, where 43 percent of America's goods comes into the country, talking about the infrastructure bond we just passed, $120 million bond to cut traffic in our city, the aerospace industry, military veterans. Those are common threads for all of us. We'll stand up against any hatred, division, things that single out people because of the language their parents spoke or where they come from or what their religion is. I look forward to finding common ground. I will cooperate with folks across the political spectrum, as I do in my city.

[15:50:48] HARLOW: Do you believe --

GARCETTI: I'm a proud Democrat but it's important for us to remember we're Americans first.

HARLOW: Mayor, do you believe there are professional protesters, as some have alleged, and that frankly Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday night that they're professional protesters? Do you buy that?

GARCETTI: No. The overwhelming majority of folks I think have never even gone out and protested at all. These are students for the first time, high school students, college students. Sure, there are some people who protest often. We note them and see them quite often. But this is the voice of a new generation of Americans saying we want to do things on climate change, we want to unite this country, and that we stand for love, not division. I think that's a great thing to see. Our officers have done a marvelous job of protecting those rights.

HARLOW: Mayor Eric Garcetti, I wish we had more time. Thank you so much.

GARCETTI: Thanks, Poppy. Appreciate it.

HARLOW: We'll get a quick break in. Much more live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

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[15:55:21] HARLOW: Voting is under way for the "CNN Hero" of the year. Here is one of this year's top-10 heroes. Meet Georgey Smith (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGEY (ph) SMITH, CNN HERO: My name is Georgey Smith (ph). I started an organization in Los Angeles called a Sense of Home. And we create homes for foster kids as they age out of the system. So, the kids that never got adopted, haven't got any family to help them with their first-ever permanent living space. We come in with donated items and with volunteers who completely furnish their home as a family for any youth first setting up their home.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. I saw the village not doing what they should be doing for these children. I needed to do something.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: This is crazy.

Oh, my goodness. It's so pretty.

SMITH: Everyone needs home. The ache for home lives inside all of us. By coming to create someone else's home, it's fulfilling a

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks everyone. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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