Return to Transcripts main page

NEW DAY

Fiorina Secures Spot on Main Debate Stage; Clinton Plunging in the Polls; Biden: 'I'd Be Lying if I Said I Knew I Was There'; Clinton Tries New Dance Moves on 'Ellen' Show; U.S. to Accept at Least 10,000 Syrian Refugees; Deadly Flooding Devastates Eastern Japan; Flight 93 Memorial Open in Shanksville; NYPD Commissioner Apologizes to Blake. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired September 11, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The CNN Republican presidential candidate debate stages have been set.

[05:58:21] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea of Donald Trump is great. The reality is awful.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Governor Jindal is correct, that he's not a serious candidate.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really don't want to get into the mud pit.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How do you bring people together to get something done?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Could you really see yourself being president of the United States?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Increasingly, yes.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, CBS'S "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Emotionally prepared to run for president?

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Devastating flooding in eastern Japan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just sweeping away anything in its path.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tremendously powerful floods that lifted up cars and tossed them here.

BERMAN: The nation will pause this morning to remember the attacks on this day 14 years ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Alisyn. Welcome to your NEW DAY. But it is a day that is anything but new for Americans. It is Friday, September 11. The day of terror that changed America, changed families and changed the way we see the world 14 years ago.

Commemorations are planned this morning. This is what Ground Zero looks like now. It's been described as eerie. And that's what it should be. It is strange. It is frightening, and it's what makes us remember to never forget. There will be commemorations there; at Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and also at the Pentagon. And again, as always, we ask you to remember what happened that day and remember all those who were lost.

So the war is at the top of the agenda. We have all the big news about the debate. We now know who's on the stage on Wednesday. There's going to be two different tiers. And get this: Carly Fiorina is making the jump to the big debate stage. And you know who that means she gets to look right in the face and ask about what he said about her.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And today, other Republicans are coming to Fiorina's defense after Trump went after her for her looks. There's also a new poll that's due out in about an hour from now. And it will give us a fresh idea of where all the candidates stand.

So let's get right to CNN's coverage of the 2016 race. And it begins with Athena Jones. She is live in Washington.

Good morning, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

The stage is now set for CNN's Republican debate on Wednesday. Take a look at the top-tier candidates who will be on the primetime debate stage and where they will be standing, based on their poll standings.

You have, in order, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich and Chris Christie out there on the other edge. You can see Trump will be getting center stage, because he's the front-runner.

And Fiorina, of course, is the new addition here. She surged in the polls after her impressive performance in that first second-tier debate on FOX last month.

And as for CNN's second tier, the so-called happy hour debate, that will be George Pataki, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal and Lindsey Graham, Rick Perry holding down center stage there.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is keeping the insults flowing as we approach the big night. For weeks, he's been training his fire on Jeb Bush. Now he's spreading that fire around, even seeming to insult Fiorina's looks. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via phone): But Carly -- the statement on Carly, I'm talking about her persona. Her persona is not going to be -- she is not going to be president.

CUOMO: But I don't know about that.

TRUMP: She's a terrible, terrible, failed time.

I don't know Ben Carson. He was a doctor. Perhaps an OK doctor, by the way. You can check that out, too. We're not talking a great -- he was an OK doctor.

I probably could think of nobody I would rather debate. She was the worst secretary of state in the history of this country. I think beating her in a debate would be one of the easy challenges of my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So there you have Trump insulting Fiorina, Ben Carson and Hillary Clinton.

Now, Jeb Bush told CNN he doesn't think Trump can insult his way to the nomination or to the White House. But so far, the polls seem to say differently, so we'll see if more insults are in store in the debate itself -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: That's a distinct possibility. Athena, thanks so much for that.

We also now know who has made the cut for the debate. So mark your calendars. Make sure to watch the CNN Republican debate this coming Wednesday, September 16. The first happy hour round, as it's called, is at 6 p.m. Eastern. You'll see who will be on the stage there. And then the main event is when the 11 candidates take their podiums, and that is at 8 p.m. Eastern. And there are the newly- minted faces.

PEREIRA: I wasn't told there would be a happy hour. That changes a whole proposition.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton plunging in the latest CNN poll. Her lead over Bernie Sanders shrinking to 10 points. Her advantage over top Republicans seemingly gone.

Meanwhile, her potential Democratic rival, Vice President Biden, opens up even more about his readiness to run. Let's get all the latest from CNN senior White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

Happy Friday.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Happy Friday. Good morning, Michaela.

Our new Democratic poll shows even more challenges for Hillary Clinton. Her standing, as you said, has fallen by ten points in the last month.

Let's take a look at the numbers. Thirty-seven percent of Democrats say she's their choice for president. That is down from 47 percent in August.

Now, Bernie Sanders is ten points behind, at 27 percent. Basically unchanged in this national poll. Of course, we know he's doing better in some of those early voting states.

But support for Joe Biden has climbed to 20 percent. But look at these enthusiasm numbers. This is very striking here: 43 percent of Democratic voters are enthusiastic about her candidacy. It sounds good, but it's down from 60 percent when she jumped in in April.

Biden is right behind with 37 percent right now who are excited about his candidacy, and 31 percent are excited about Sanders candidacy.

Now while all these numbers are hardly what Clinton expected heading into the fall here, here's a bit of a reality check. A wide majority of Democrats still believe she will win the nomination, like it or not. Sixty-five percent say they do. That is down from 78 percent in July.

But she's still head and shoulders above Biden or Sanders when Democrats think ahead to who they believe will win. Guys, we also got another window into Vice President Biden's thinking last night, as he appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." He expressed doubt about his emotional ability to run as he and his family still grieve the loss of his son, Beau, who died of cancer three months ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Look, I don't think any man or woman should run for president unless, No. 1, they know exactly why they would want to be president; and two, they can look at the folks out there and, "I promise you, you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy and my passion to do this."

[06:05:08] And -- and I'd be lying if I said that I knew I was there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: And Biden supporters know that the clock is ticking here. His advisers are still putting together a plan, I'm told, in case he decides to run. But when you hear words like that, directly from his mouth, it's difficult to imagine if he will decide to jump in. But I'm told we still expect a decision in early, early October -- Alisyn and Chris.

CUOMO: Jeff, do me a favor. Take off the reporter hat; put on the analyst hat and stick with us, because we want to figure out what the state of play is here. And let's get some help. The New York Times presidential campaign correspondent and CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman; and CNN political commentator and political anchor at New York One, Errol Lewis.

Let's play a little bit more sound with that. Because I think now we're getting a window into where the vice president's head is, his heart is and where his expectations are.

So here is something that really all of us figure must be going on with the vice president most often, which is not figuring out what to do with the race but figuring out what to do with his life after what happened with his son. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I went to Denver, and I landed at a military base. And I met a whole group of military families. All of us -- And it was going great. And guy in the back yells, "Major Beau Biden, Bronze Star, sir, served with him in Iraq." And all of a sudden, I lost it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: You know, look, Maggie, of course he does. And this is a man we're talking about who knows loss, who's dealt with loss in a way better than most. But for all the enthusiasm around them, are the Democrats who want him to run being fair to him?

MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think that it's a really good question. Because there are a lot of people who are interested in seeing him run, not necessarily for him, but for a lot of people who are interested in seeing him run, not necessarily for him. I think there are a lot of people who are interested in seeing him run for themselves to try to stop Hillary Clinton, because they're concerned; either don't like her or are concerned about how she's doing in the first place right now in terms of her polling.

I do think that there are people who know him very well who think that he has long considered running for president to be sort of the pinnacle of his life. It is what he has worked for, for a very long time. Becoming vice president was going to be the logical next step. It has not quite worked out that way for a variety of reasons.

He's clearly going through something that most of us could never imagine and most of us will never have to. He has seen more grief in his life than anyone is entitled to.

But I do think he's genuinely struggling, actually, with what to do about the race. I think he is looking at it in a real way, because he is holding these political meetings. He is meeting with donors at his residence. He is feeling people out. He met with Senator Elizabeth Warren.

And so it is sort of this strange, two-track process. But it's -- all I can think is that he's not quite in his right state of mind and understandably so.

CAMEROTA: It's also strange to track outcome. Because either you run for president, the most intense experience in American cab (ph), or you check out. And what else is there for Joe Biden? ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That's exactly right.

That's exactly right. Because you could -- you could take that same emotional energy and that same logic of tragedy and loss and grief and redemption, and they can lead you right to the campaign trail.

I mean, when you saw him on Labor Day, you know, kind of running vigorous, you know, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, the detail sort of jogging alongside of him, he looked sort of reborn in a way. And I could -- you could easily see that being how he honors his son.

CUOMO: Nothing could matter as much...

CAMEROTA: I agree.

CUOMO: ... as the race for these men and woman who do this. I know they always talk about their families, and they always talk -- the race is everything. It is every calorie of every day of every moment. As he said himself, it will be too hard to commit that when he's dealing with something so personal.

CAMEROTA: Right. At the moment. I mean, he's waiting to change. OK, so that was his appearance on national television, this sort of window to the soul.

Let's look at a different appearance, and that was Hillary Clinton on "Ellen" yesterday. And Maggie, she has rolled out this new plan to be more spontaneous and fun. And "Ellen" is the perfect forum for that. So let's watch a moment where she talked about her granddaughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": What would you like to be called?.

CLINTON: Well, you know, I'm fine with Grandma. I'm fine with Madam President. I mean, whatever...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So that was a good line, "I'm fine with Grandma. I'm fine with Madam President." But you have reporting on just how focus- grouped they are making her new spontaneity.

CUOMO: There's no better kind of spontaneity than that which has been vetted.

CAMEROTA: And planned.

HABERMAN: To be fair, they had long talked about a plan for this fall to try to do more interviews.

Look, I think the bottom line of what you're seeing here is you're dealing with a candidate who there are few people who any of us sitting here, I think, have covered, candidates we have covered who have such a distrust of the press. Hillary Clinton has never changed from this. This has been the case for almost as long as she has been in public life, going back to her days in Arkansas as the first lady there. It has never changed. And she has resisted it.

[06:10:02] What has been strange about this campaign is that there was a whole sort of, at the outset, this is going to be different. She's going to be much more accessible. And that just has not happened. She has done a lot of media availabilities this summer, and that is very true. But in terms of national interviews, she's inching her way very, very slowly.

And because of this e-mail issue, and because she didn't do these national interviews earlier, she's now sort of getting practice and getting reacclimated in the middle of a not great moment.

She's not terrible in national interviews, actually, and she gets better with time. But she always needs a very long runway, and she hasn't given herself that long a runway.

CAMEROTA: Her campaign says that she is more successful to voters. She's having one-on-ones with voters. So -- so media, who cares? She's having a real, actual tete-a-tete with the people.

LOUIS: Of course, the problem is a numbers game, right? How many ten-person meetings can you have? And it's a shame in a way, because when she was Senator Clinton and we, in the local press, had you know, sort of access to her, she's actually very good.

There are some people who are better in very big groups. President Obama comes to mind. Ronald Reagan comes to mind. And then there are some people who are really, really good in small groups. Hillary Clinton happens to be that kind of politician. And that included the press. And, really, the fact that there's the huge bubble. And they've got the rope lines and they're sort of corralling people. The campaign and the candidate in some ways are being over- managed. If they can figure out how to get out of that, she'll be doing a lot better real soon.

CUOMO: And yet, she decided to do something that few do, and those who do it do it at great peril. She's taking on Trump. So that's very interesting. She called him out for the stuff about Fiorina, which would be obvious and warranted.

But then she said, "I'd love to debate him about that." You don't hear a lot of people say that about Donald Trump. So maybe she's trying to come out a little bit, be a little bit more bold.

HABERMAN: Yes, I think son.

CAMEROTA: Maggie, Errol, thank you. Great to talk to you guys. We will talk more politics ahead. Breaking down that new CNN/ORC poll about the Democrats.

And of course, make sure to watch the CNN Republican debate. It's this Wednesday, September 16, in case I haven't mentioned that before. Let me tell you that this is the first happy hour round will be at 6 p.m. Eastern. And at 8 p.m., the main event, when all of those 11 candidates will take the stage.

CUOMO: Fiorina and Trump, Mick, on the same stage.

PEREIRA: It's going to be something to watch. We'll be there. Looking forward to it.

Some other news for you. The U.S. dramatically increasing the number of Syrian refugees the nation will take in the next year. But critics say this new, more robust response isn't going to even put a dent in the humanitarian crisis.

CNN's senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, joins us live from the White House with all the latest for us.

Good morning to you, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Michaela.

Bowing to global pressure to do more in the Syrian refugee crisis, the White House is signaling a big surge of newcomers from the war-torn country will be allowed into the U.S.

The Obama administration now says the country will accept at least 10,000 additional Syrian refugees over the next fiscal year. And sources tell CNN the administration is looking at boosting the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. from around the world to 100,000 over the coming years. That potentially could mean even more Syrians.

And that is a significant increase over the number of Syrian refugees so far into this country. Less than 2,000.

Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Congressman Peter King, argue this influx of Syrians poses a security threat to the U.S., but the White House disagrees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Refugees go through the most robust security process of anybody who's contemplating travel to the United States. Refugees have to be screened by the National Counterterrorism Center, by the FBI Terrorist Screening Center. They go through databases that are maintained by DHS, the Department of Defense, and the intelligence community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: As for the other foreign policy flashpoint for this administration, the Iran nuclear deal, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican effort to halt the nuclear deal. GOP leaders are vowing to keep trying, but they are running out of time. If the deal is not rejected by next Thursday, it goes into full effect.

Alisyn, the president called this a victory for diplomacy. We'll have to see if that's how it pans out exactly over the coming years -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Jim. Thanks so much for that.

Meanwhile, overseas, desperate rescues underway amid devastating flooding in Japan. We know of at least three deaths. Many more are missing after hundreds of thousands of people had to run for safer ground.

Let's get right to CNN's Will Ripley. He is live in Japan for us. What's the situation, Will?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fear is mounting here for the 22 people, at least, who are still missing as a result of the floods which tore through this area yesterday.

I'm standing in a spot that was underwater. And if you see the damage behind me, then you can just imagine what was going on under the surface when those floods were racing through this area yesterday. People were climbing up onto their rooftops. They were standing on their balconies. They were grabbing onto anything they could to just try to stay safe until rescue helicopters could arrive.

And we saw those rescue helicopters that were out yesterday, out in force once again today, rescuing people off of a supermarket where they had to spend the night. A shopping center was their only option to stay safe and dry during the floods.

[06:14:59] And in another city in eastern Japan, the city of Osaki, there were more floods today. A levee broke. Another river over -- ran over its banks. That's because the water in the ground here is drenched. And any little rain can potentially trigger more flooding, which potentially means more scenes like this and more people, at least three confirmed dead, 22 missing, Chris. And a lot of uncertainty for people who worry about rain in the forecast.

CUOMO: Well, thank you very much. Please keep us updated on the need and how the situation progresses. Thanks for the reporting. Appreciate it.

So news for you out of Baltimore. A judge says the police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray will be tried in the city, denying their request to move the trial. Now the officers saying it would be impossible to get a fair trial there.

This ruling comes just after the announcement of a $6.4 million settlement in the death of the 25-year-old Gray.

PEREIRA: This morning, as we mark 14 years since the 9/11 terror attacks, a $26 million memorial honoring the victims of Flight 93 is open to the public in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It features a black granite walkway symbolizing the plane's flight path, along with a plaza offering visitors a view of the crash site.

The somber day will also be commemorated by the reading of the victims' names at the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. We're showing you a live look right now at 1 World Trade Center. President Obama will mark a moment of silence at the white House

at 8:46 Eastern when that first tower was struck.

CAMEROTA: Well, he wanted an apology, and now he has two. Former tennis pro James Blake getting a swift response from New York City's top cop and its mayors after he was roughed up by an officer who mistook him for a suspect in an identity theft case.

CNN's Boris Sanchez is following this story. He joins us now. Boris, a lot happened yesterday in this case.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite a bit. After several failed attempts, they finally reached James Blake. The NYPD's top cop, as you said, Will Bratton, and NYPD's -- New York's mayor, I should say, both of them reaching out, essentially to apologize and to say this simply should not have happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would you like to hear from them?

JAMES BLAKE, FORMER TENNIS PRO: An apology.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): The NYPD commissioner apologizing to former pro tennis star James Blake in a phone call after officers mistakenly tackled and handcuffed him in a sting operation gone awry on Wednesday.

WILLIAM BRATTON, NYPD COMMISSIONER: Mr. Blake was inappropriately arrested and detained. Should not have happened.

SANCHEZ: Bill Bratton initially taking a hard line on NEW DAY Thursday morning, justifying the actions of the officers who say Blake fit the description of their suspect.

BRATTON: If you look at the photograph of the suspect, it looks like the twin brother of Mr. Blake.

SANCHEZ: But just four hours later, Bratton issuing a mea culpa.

BRATTON: I would be very interested, as well as the mayor, to talk with him to extend my apologies for the incident.

SANCHEZ: Mayor Bill De Blasio also reaching out to Blake over the phone, telling New York One, quote, "I want to apologize to him on behalf of the city of New York. He should not have been treated that way."

One officer has been placed on desk duty after review of surveillance video not yet released by police.

BLAKE: They picked me up and body-slammed me and put me on the ground, and told me to turn over, and shut my mouth and put the cuffs on me.

BRATTON: The concerns we have was the force used appropriate, and the initial review, we believe that it may not have been.

SANCHEZ: The former Olympian telling ABC News he was shocked when five plainclothes officers charged at him outside his Manhattan hotel.

BLAKE: I admitted, I said, "Look, officer, I'm scared. So if I say something wrong, I'm sorry. But I want to know what's going on. I think you have the wrong person."

SANCHEZ: Blake is biracial, causing some to question whether police would have used such force had Blake been white?

BRATTON: This rush to put a race tag on, I'm sorry, that's not involved in this incident at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Now you heard Bratton mention in that interview with you that photograph of a suspect that they had. Apparently, that suspect wasn't involved in the investigation at all. So they were going off a photo of someone who wasn't even involved in the investigation.

We put in a request to see that photograph to try and compare it to James Blake. The NYPD has said it's inappropriate to release it because the person in the picture had nothing to do with the identity theft ring.

CAMEROTA: Interesting. And we'll be interested if they release the surveillance, as well. Boris, thanks so much.

James Blake, we should let you know, will be on "AC 360" tonight at 8 p.m. That is only on CNN. Make sure you tune in for that -- Chris.

CUOMO: Hillary Clinton had a huge lead. Not so much anymore. According to a new CNN poll, her lead over Sanders is slipping away, and she's now losing to one of her GOP rivals. Why is this happening? What does it mean? Answers ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:43] CAMEROTA: Brand-new poll numbers overnight that spell some trouble for Hillary Clinton. The CNN/ORC poll shows support for her dropping both in the primary and against potential Republican opponents. Clinton's lead is now just 10 points over Bernie Sanders nationwide. Last month, Clinton was up 18 points. In June, her lead was 43 points.

Joining us this morning to talk all about this is CNN political analyst and editor in chief of "The Daily Beast," John Avlon; and CNN political commentator and Republican consultant, Margaret Hoover. Great to see you guys.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Morning.

CAMEROTA: OK. Let's talk about these polls, hot off the presses. Let's look at Hillary Clinton versus Bernie Sanders.

She is at 37 percent now; he is at 27 percent. Joe Biden, who of course, has not announced, still deciding, is at 20 percent. What's interesting is that she, from August, as you can see the change here, she's down ten points. Bernie Sanders, also suffering a little bit there. But Biden is up. John, what do you see?

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I mean, one of the things you see is the possibility of a Biden candidacy really takes a lot out of her hide. Somewhat out of Bernie, but she's suffering in part because of that.

Also, the Democratic Party is becoming more ideologically divided. Her support is very strong among centrists, not so much among liberals.

But you know, the prospect of a Biden candidacy still in a traveling (ph) place. I think we saw last night on "Colbert" one of the reasons it has captured a lot of imagination. He is definitively authentic at a time when she is considered less than so. You know, planned spontaneity.

[06:25:06] And let's not forget it's 9/11, and for someone who has suffered so publicly and shown grace under pressure, that is inspiring in a way that you cannot poll test and color by numbers.

CUOMO: And even though it's not by design, he is an antidote to Trump in a very real well -- way. You have two authentic people, one of them who is harsh strength; one of them who is sweet strength. And so there's going to be opposite appeals to them within their own parties.

And yet, both of you know this very well, so forgive me, but polls are really just a snapshot of a moment in time. That's what you use them for. So Margaret, what is going on in this moment in time that is bad for Hillary?

HOOVER: What's going on in this moment in time is that, what we know, who follow this all the time, is that she's actually a way more attractive candidate when she's not running than when she actually gets in. She has real vulnerabilities, that she stumbles. That she doesn't come off as all the things that the American electorate in this snapshot moment want: authenticity, somebody who represents the guy who's getting crushed in the middle, somebody who can be a fresh face in Washington to shake it up.

Bernie Sanders is all those things. Joe Biden certainly isn't, but he's got the authenticity, and he represents, you know, the blue- collar guy from Scranton that's the guy in the middle that's getting crunched.

Every time I talk to Democrats, though, they still say, even begrudgingly, no ideological difference separates Hillary Clinton from the other candidates so much that they can't fall in line behind her.

In 2008 it was different because there was Iraq. Barack Obama had not voted for Iraq, and Bernie Sanders -- rather, Hillary Clinton wouldn't apologize for it. There's nothing like that that divides it that starkly this time.

CAMEROTA: And let's look at that -- a moment of Joe Biden. Because this is a raw and authentic moment. I mean, unfortunately, it's a painful moment. In the way that Trump is so authentic because he seems unfiltered, Joe Biden also seems unfiltered, but we're watching him process, you know, his grief. So let's watch this moment from last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: A couple of months before he died, I was at his house. And he said, "Dad, sit down. I want to talk to you." His wife, an incredible kid. And he said, "Dad, I know how much you love me. So you've got to promise me something. Promise me you're going to be all right. Because no matter what happens, Dad, I'm going to be all right. Promise me."

This is a kid who -- I don't know what it was about him. He had this enormous sense of empathy, and I'm not making this up. I know I maybe sound like a father. But I hope I -- anyway, but it's real.

COLBERT: It sounds like you loved him, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I mean, I'm welling up. It's hard. It's hard. Everybody can relate to that moment.

AVLON: That's right. And I think it's that matter of suffering profoundly in public and keeping your chin up that is such a -- it is a transcendent moment in a business that doesn't offer a lot of transcendence. And that is powerful and that is emotional, particularly on 9/11.

And, you know, if you look at the dynamics right now where people question, fairly or unfairly, the authenticity, the sincerity, the heartfeltness, deeper sense of purpose of the Hillary Clinton campaign. And then over here, you've got Donald Trump, who speaks brashly and arrogantly but authentically, Biden ends up being perfectly in the middle of that spectrum in a way that gives people hope and comfort from a place they've come to expect the opposite.

CAMEROTA: Very well said, John.

HOOVER: Let's -- very well said. Let's do sort of -- as a dose of reality here, remember, though, that Biden's high-water mark very well may be now, when he's not in the race, as Hillary's high-water mark was also when she was secretary of state. She had 68 percent approval.

CUOMO: Everybody's high-water mark...

HOOVER: Before they're actually a candidate.

CUOMO: Because usually, people get assessed a certain way that Trump is not.

HOOVER: There are different rules that apply to him.

CUOMO: And that's a point of fascination for those things.

But let's end on this. Because this is so heavy with the vice president. In truth, we have to balance giving him his privacy when he's in such a public thing, but he's going to have to figure it out.

Hillary Clinton is also trying to appeal to people in a new way that gives you a little bit of the viscera going when you feel her. Do we have the video of her on "Ellen" doing a little dance?

CAMEROTA: I'll recreate it.

CUOMO: No, no. Now, that's good.

CAMEROTA: She's doing the Nae Nae.

AVLON: Yes. Needs a little work on the Nae Nae.

CAMEROTA: So I mean, but John, she needs a little work on the Nae Nae. Does this...

AVLON: Even Bill Clinton tweeted she had to work on the Nae Nae. I think that happened.

CAMEROTA: OK. Wait a minute. But does -- is this a real moment? Are we watching a real moment?

AVLON: As opposed to what?

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Is it not Hillary?

AVLON: You know, Hillary Clinton is a real person. And that was definitely an attempt at dancing on a show that's supposed to be fun and spontaneous.

CAMEROTA: But does it help, I guess, is what I'm asking.

AVLON: I frankly think it's -- her authentic self comes out in talking about standing up to Putin or dealing with ISIS or Iran. She's a secretary of state, and when she tries to be a fun grandma, it does come off a little saccharine (ph). But that's a part of her personality. Sure.

CAMEROTA: Margaret, John.

HOOVER: I think there's a reason she's been protective of her privacy and her dancing.