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CNN TONIGHT

Big Night on the Campaign Trail; Dueling Events in Battle for California; Donald Trump Talking about the Media, Pivoting from Hillary Clinton; Protesters Gather Outside Event Where Donald Trump Gave Speech. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired June 2, 2016 - 22:00   ET

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


[22:00:00] DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Breaking news indeed. A big night on the campaign trail. Dueling events in the battle for California.

You're looking live at Donald Trump's event that's in San Jose. Bernie Sanders in Chico and Bill Clinton in Reading set to speak soon. We're keeping an eye on all of them for you.

This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.

Let's listen now to Donald Trump, this is just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I watched Hillary today, it was pathetic.

(CROWD BOOING)

It was pathetic. It was so sad to watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, that comes after this scathing blast from Hillary Clinton in her major foreign policy speech today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump's ideas aren't just different, they are dangerously incoherent. They're not even really ideas, just a series of bizarre rants. Personal feuds and outright lies.

(APPLAUSE)

He is not just unprepared, he is temperamentally unfit to hold an office that requires knowledge, stability, and immense responsibility.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, that said, I want to begin with more from Hillary Clinton's fiery speech in San Diego today. We'll get to that in a moment, but let's get to Donald Trump live now.

TRUMP: We have a great country, we're going to make it a lot greater, by the way, but we have a great -- we love our country. Look, we love our country. And I don't believe our country can let her get away with this crime. I don't believe it. So we'll see.

And you know what? If they do let her get away with it, it will be a big topic of conversation on the campaign trail, I can tell you that, folks.

(APPLAUSE)

And then if I win...

(APPLAUSE)

It's called a five year statute of limitations if I win. Now, everything is going to be fair but I'm sure the attorney general will take a very good look at it from a fair standpoint, OK?

(APPLAUSE)

I'm sure. I think it's disgraceful. So, we have a very important race. We're doing amazingly well. Some of the pundits are saying the most phenomenal thing they've ever seen in government.

Newt Gingrich said the other night, there's never been anything like this, and he's a historian, a great historian. There's never been anything like this in the history of our country. We go like this crowd. We have great crowds, right. We always have great crowds. I mean, look at this place!

(APPLAUSE)

Amazing. This is amazing. Hey, cameras, why don't you take a look at this, please, if you would?

(APPLAUSE)

They don't turn. They don't turn. The other night, crazy Bernie -- he's a crazy guy but he's doing OK. He is nuts. He is a total nut job but you know what? He's doing OK.

And, by the way, he does get the second-biggest audiences. Nothing like us. Not even close. And everybody knows it. But here's the difference. So the other night they said, ladies and gentlemen, Donald Trump, here's Donald Trump -- I had like a tremendous, I don't know, it's close to 20,000 people and this happens all the time.

Ladies and gentlemen, Donald Trump is speaking now and he is just finishing up and bah, bah, bah. Then when (AUDIO GAP) they are standing then a place (AUDIO GAP) is like a garbage dump and they'll say Donald Trump just spoke and bah, bah, bah, and then let's all fall asleep.

LEMON: Donald Trump in true fashion going after the media as he often does. But also after going after Hillary Clinton, especially after her scathing speech on foreign policy today really calling him out.

CNN's Jim Acosta is with the Trump campaign in San Jose this evening. Never a dull moment when it comes to Donald Trump. He is going after the media and he's not happy about that speech today.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, he's not and he opened up a couple new lines of attack on Hillary Clinton, Don, saying that back in 2008, Hillary Clinton used to hate Barack Obama, that was how Donald Trump described it a few moments ago, but Trump said, now Hillary says, yes, sir, to President Obama.

So, making the case that she's going to be continuation four more years of President Obama and his administration. Now, we should point out, Don, there was an interesting developments with respect to covering Donald Trump today, apparently the presumptive GOP nominee gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal.

[22:05:04] During that interview he once again went after the judge handle the case against Trump University down in Southern California, Judge Gonzalo Curiel. At one point during this interview, and we know, Don, a few days ago, Donald Trump said that the judge by the way, has Mexican heritage.

I asked him at the press conference on Tuesday earlier this week, why does he keep bringing up his heritage and Donald Trump really didn't answer that question. Well, he did answer that question today to the Wall Street Journal and we'll put this quote up on screen. He says "I am building a wall, it's an inherent conflict of interest" Donald Trump says, "about Judge Curiel's Mexican heritage.

He says in the article that it is an absolute conflict when it comes to Gonzalo Curiel's Mexican heritage. Now we should point out, Judge Curiel, Don, is of Mexican descent but he was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants.

And as of right now, the judge is not commenting on Donald Trump's comments. His office won't comment because, you know, the duty of the judge not to get involve in political activities.

Donald Trump did not address this controversy in his comments by Judge Curiel here at this event here, but as he walked out on stage, Don, the very first thing that came out of Donald Trump's mouth was "we love the Hispanics. We love the Hispanics."

And so, Donald Trump trying to make a comment here about his relationship with Latino community but not really talking about the judge again but he did say -- he did say said quite a bit to the Wall Street Journal earlier today, Don.

LEMON: Of course he did. So, let's talk about the Clinton speech now. Trump took a beating today on his foreign policy and temperament. What's his response been?

ACOSTA: That's right, and Donald Trump, shortly after making those comments about Hispanics he went right after Hillary Clinton's foreign policy speech calling it pathetic, saying it was a political speech. Here's a bit of what Donald Trump said just a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I watched Hillary today, it was pathetic. It was pathetic.

(CROWD BOOING)

It was so sad to watch. And you know she's up there, supposed to be a foreign policy speech, it was a political speech, had nothing to do with foreign policy. She made a political speech tonight, folks, it was a pretty pathetic deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, Don, we should point out another thing that Donald Trump has said throughout this day, he tweeted about it earlier today was that "Hillary Clinton used teleprompters to deliver her foreign policy speech"

But we should remind our viewers I was at Donald Trump's foreign policy speech, remember these policy speeches that Donald Trump is supposed to be relying out was the very first one on foreign policy earlier this year, Donald Trump used teleprompters. So, he hits Hillary Clinton for using teleprompters but he also uses teleprompters himself when he gets a very important foreign policy speech, Don.

LEMON: All right. Jim, I want you to stand by. I'm going to bring in now Mark Preston. Mark is the executive editor of CNN politics. Mark, weigh in on this judge for Trump University. It's just -- it's hard not to think he's not reacting to deflect from Hillary Clinton's speech today, which by many accounts was a pretty good speech.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Right. And here's the thing, I don't understand what Donald Trump is doing. There's been a lot in the last 48 hours I don't understand what Donald Trump has been doing. Specifically, why does he continue to attack this judge?

Now I understand that it plays well with the base with many of the voters who helped him win the republican presidential nomination, but what is not going to help him with is with independent voters. It's not going to help him with those folks in the middle who want another alternative to Hillary Clinton perhaps, but they look at Donald Trump with these really tough accusations and really smears in many ways that really have not, you know, much to do about nothing.

LEMON: All right. And if you're just tuning in we're watching Donald Trump. He is speaking in San Jose, California, giving a fiery speech today, some of it in reference to Hillary Clinton's speech about his foreign policy chops or lack thereof, of foreign policy chops at Donald Trump.

And also waiting to see if he speaks about this judge which he spoke with the Wall Street Journal about. But my question to you, Mark Preston is the judge has been on this case since 2014, isn't it strange to bring up this conflict of interest now? PRESTON: Yes. And everything that we've seen from Donald Trump in

this campaign has been strange. It is not from the textbook of how you run a campaign let alone a national presidential campaign.

But again, as you and I have talked over the past couple nights, Don, what has gotten Donald Trump to this point in the campaign is where it ends so to speak. In order for him to win in November he needs to grow his support. He needs to reach out to those voters who are independents or in the middle who, again, are looking for another alternative. And when you have this kind of language it's very likely going to turn off many of those voters.

[22:09:56] I think it's dangerous for Donald Trump to continue the personal attacks against people. We saw that happened just a couple of days ago with the media. I thought it was ill advised. I think, you know, a lot of people out there will say that it was smart for him to do so. I thought that it was ill advised that he did it. So, it's not a really good long-term strategy.

LEMON: Do you -- and you said, I don't know what he's doing or why he's doing it. Do you think he knows?

PRESTON: You know, I think a lot of this, Don, is happening. It's like he's making the decisions as, you know, each one comes up on...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: On a fly.

PRESTON: Yes, on the fly. And in fact, if you look at the interviews that he's done he will make comments and then, you know, within a day or so he'll retract it or within a couple of months he'll say I never said that anyway, because he realizes that it wasn't the smartest thing to do or to say.

But, yes, I do think Donald Trump certainly doesn't march to the beat of his own drummer. It's like the beat of his own marching band is what he marches to.

LEMON: We played a little bit of the Clinton speech. Let's play more and then we'll discuss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Now imagine Donald Trump sitting in the situation room making life or death decisions on behalf of the United States.

(CROWD BOOING)

Imagine him deciding whether to send your spouses or children into battle. Imagine if he had not just his Twitter account at his disposal when he's angry but America's entire arsenal. Making Donald Trump our commander-in-chief would be a historic mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: So, there have been so many of his opponents who tried to take

Donald Trump down for his past statements and his thin skin but they failed. Is it going to stick this time?

PRESTON: Well, look, she's been widely praised for the speech that she was giving today. I think a lot of people thought that Hillary Clinton had it in her to deliver this type of speech against Donald Trump.

However, I would caution that as much as I caution Donald Trump saying the long-term strategy for him is not to try to fight, you know, many political wars, for instance, he's fighting republicans in his own party. He's fighting the media now and he's fighting Hillary Clinton.

LEMON: Too many wars?

PRESTON: Too many wars. Too many fronts in his war. Hillary Clinton, though, my advice to her if, you know, if she would even care to listen is, I don't know if you can go toe to toe with Trump in a bare- knuckle fight. I think she's smart to try to draw policy differences and experience differences with Donald Trump, but to try to go toe to toe with him in a bare knuckle fight I don't think is a winning strategy.

LEMON: I think what she's doing here -- and clearly, and I'm sure you'll agree -- is that she's trying to get ahead and define him before she -- before he defines her, right? With the same way he did with low energy Ted and little Marco and all those things.

Clinton's supporters, though, Mark, have been waiting for this speech for a long time saying finally. How did it come together?

PRESTON: Well, look, in many ways, not only was she going after Donald Trump. I think we need to have to step back. Not only was she attacking Donald Trump and you're absolutely right. Feeding those supporters of hers who wanted her to go toe to toe with Donald Trump.

But what you also didn't hear her talk about today was Bernie Sanders. And that's really important because we all coming into basically the final primary contest that will be happening on Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton is going to be the presumptive democratic nominee after Tuesday night. So, there's no reason for her to be attacking Bernie Sanders or to be alienating those voters. How did she do that? Well, she doesn't engage Bernie Sanders or attack him. What she does is focus all her attention on Donald Trump.

LEMON: All right. Mark Preston, thank you very much. I want everybody to stick around. Stay with us, everyone. Because when we come right back, more from California where Donald Trump is speaking and protesters are gathering outside. We're live.

[22:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Back now live to San Jose where Donald Trump is talking about Hillary Clinton. Let's listen in. TRUMP: Totally dishonest newspaper. Totally. I mean, they are the

worst. But the New York Times, pretty bad. Hey, how about the story they did a week ago about Donald Trump and women and then all the women came back and they said "that's not true, we love Donald Trump." Right? Right?

(APPLAUSE)

The story was a fraud. In fact, I saw the women, I said oh, that's great news for me. They are going good and then I read the stuff, I said, man, I can't believe that she would say it or she would say it.

So, you had Carrie Prejean (ph) and she said no way, I didn't say that. And you had Roane (ph) and she said, there's no way, I had great respect for Donald Trump. He treated me great. He was a great guy. You had all these women, you had one woman said "I told her not to eat that piece of candy."

This is my -- I mean, I had a lot of friends call me up and they said we're really disappointed in you, man, I tell you what. And this was a woman, OK, like 25 years ago. I put her in charge of construction of a building. She was fine, OK. Then she went to another company. She went to...

LEMON: All right. That's Donald Trump talking about the media now pivoting from Hillary Clinton but he has been discussing Hillary Clinton. We'll keep an ear and eye on that for you.

Well, let's discuss a lot of this now, or some of this now. Stephen Miller is here, he's a senior advisor to Donald Trump. P.J. Crowley is a former State Department spokesman under President Barack Obama. It's good to have you both here, gentlemen. Thank you so much for joining us.

P.J., you first, Hillary Clinton took on Donald Trump today saying that Trump would be a major security threat to the United States. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: This is not someone who should ever have the nuclear codes because it's not hard to imagine Donald Trump leading us into a war just because somebody got under his very thin skin.

(APPLAUSE)

And I have to say, I don't understand Donald's bizarre fascination with dictators and strong men who have no love for America. He praised China for Tiananmen Square massacre. He said it showed strength.

He said you've got to give Kim Jong-un credit for taking over North Korea, something he did by murdering everyone he saw as a threat including his own uncle which Donald described gleefully like he was watching an action movie.

[22:20:06] And he said he would be grading Vladimir Putin as a leader, he'd give him an a. Now I will leave it to the psychiatrist to explain his affection for tyrants.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, she took on Trump over and over again saying he doesn't have the temperament to be president. Saying it would be a historic mistake to elect him.

What did you think of her speech today?

P.J. CROWLEY, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: I thought it was very effective speech. It had foreign policy elements to it, a political elements to it. But it was basically taking Donald Trump's own words and use them against him. You know, the fact that somehow he thinks that he knows more than the generals who are leading the fights against the Islamic state. You know, where did he learn about the Islamic state? Trump University? I don't know.

You know, he says that NATO is obsolete. You know, I served in the military for 26 years and while Donald was preoccupied with bankruptcy court in the early 1990s, we refashioned under the Bush administration and the Clinton administration new missions for NATO and that brought NATO into places like Afghanistan.

But now with the challenge in Ukraine, we see, you know, the fundamental responsibility of NATO being to protect America's allies in Europe and that's going to be very, very important for the next president to send the right signals to Poland, the Baltic states, others who are very concerned about a resurgent Russia.

LEMON: Stephen, he hasn't taken on the bulk of Hillary Clinton's speech. He talked about her just shortly tonight, but we saw him shoot off a few tweets during the speech saying that she doesn't look presidential taking aim at her teleprompter reading. (AUDIO GAP) the speech?

STEPHEN MILLER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR: Well, Hillary Clinton certainly looked very uncomfortable up there today. But I think more fundamentally Hillary Clinton has made a huge strategic blunder, kind of like her Libya invasion, in trying to turn this race into a referendum on foreign policy...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: That was not a Libya invasion, Stephen.

MILLER: Well, I don't know what you'd call it, then but...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: It was military action in Libya that she as a diplomat...

MILLER: That's right. And we can...

LEMON: ... also helped to -- also agree with, but there was not an invasion.

MILLER: The Robert Gates and others were very skeptical of the invasion and Hillary and others pushed for and it was turned a disaster.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: It was not an invasion. Let's just be honest about that.

MILLER: It was -- it was a military invasion. And when you use American power...

LEMON: It was a military action, it was not invasion.

MILLER: ... a NATO power to overthrow a regime, that is an invasion. But the point is that, her foreign policy decisions are now at the center of this race. Whether it's her decisions in Syria and sporting regime change that created the refugee crisis, whether it's her decisions in Libya that give ISIS control over that country, whether it's her decisions in Iraq and the precipitous withdrawal after her initial support of the invasion that led to ISIS taking control of Iraq, whether it's her support for the Iranian deal that's putting Iran on a path to nuclear weapons, everything Hillary Clinton has touched in the Middle East has turned to death and danger and blood and destruction. She arguably is the worst Secretary of State in the history of America.

LEMON: OK, Stephen, so that being said. How does -- my question was how does Donald Trump counteract that? How does he counter the speech? That was my question.

MILLER: Well, in his remarks in recent days he's talked at length, for instance, about Libya and I think you're going to see an increasing focus on Libya in the days ahead. Not only did her decisions in Libya produce a humanitarian disaster, but also she failed repeatedly to provide the security that was requested for our diplomatic personnel in Libya and that failure resulted ultimately in the assault on the compound in which we lost our ambassador and it was a national disaster for...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: So, again, how does he counter that? Again, you're not answering my question.

MILLER: Again, you draw...

LEMON: You're talking about the failure which is you believe of Hillary Clinton, but how specifically does Donald Trump counter that?

MILLER: By drawing a contrast. In other words, Hillary Clinton's foreign policy which has emphasizes democratic nation building whether it be in Iraq, whether it be in Syria, whether it be in Libya is a sharp difference from Donald Trump's policy which he outlined in his speech, which is to focus on common challenges with our allies like defeating Islamic terrorism and not on trying to spread democracy at the point of a gun.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: OK. P.J., your response.

MILLER: That is a major difference between our two campaigns.

CROWLEY: Well, I think Hillary Clinton will welcome the opportunity to debate foreign policy with Donald Trump. I'm intrigued by Stephen mentioning allies are important. That's not what we've heard from Donald Trump up until now.

You know, North Korea, South Korea, you're on your own, Japan, you're on your own. Hillary Clinton believes that we, you know, the world should begin to, you know, move away from the nuclear weapons. You know, Donald Trump doesn't care if Japan becomes a nuclear power, South Korea becomes a nuclear power, Saudi Arabia becomes a nuclear power.

The last thing that we need in the world today is a nuclear arms race. And so, I think Hillary will take her experience. She knows what has worked. She knows what has not worked and she's going to pick up...

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: Well, she definitely know what hasn't worked. If anyone has proven what doesn't work, it's Hillary Clinton. And you want to talk about a nuclear arm's race? The Iran deal is going to create a nuclear arm's race in the Middle East. And if you go back...

(CROSSTALK)

[22:25:09] CROWLEY: Well, listen, the nuclear deal is going to prevent an arms race. The exact opposite of what Stephen is saying.

LEMON: One at a time, one at a time. Quickly, Steven, and then I'll let P.J. Respond.

MILLER: I guarantee you, I guarantee that if you go back and you look at Donald Trump's foreign policy speech, P.J., you'll see he talked explicitly about changing our strategy in the Middle East to working with our Arab allies to try and defeat Islamic terrorism and working on that shared goal. Even if it means working with regimes we don't agree with rather than trying to topple regimes for the sake of spreading democracy which is proven to be a disaster like it was in Libya, like it was in Iraq.

LEMON: OK. P.J., go ahead. Quickly, please, P.J., I'm running out of time.

CROWLEY: Well, I think that, you know, when you talk about the Arab Spring of 2011, these were revolutions that were started in the region, they were not started, you know, by the United States.

And to what Stephen just described as the challenge for the United States going forward, it sounds a lot like the Obama policy that has under -- the thing that have taken now that Hillary Clinton is going to, you know, strengthen. And then I actually believe a republican nominee is going to have basically the same policy without admitting it.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, P.J. Thank you, Stephen. I appreciate it.

Ahead, with her sharp words against Trump, are voters seeing a new Hillary Clinton as we head into the fall election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:30:00] DON LEMON, CNN TONIGHT SHOW HOST: All right. Lives pictures now. You're looking at San Jose, California, as Donald Trump often references his huge crowds. And there is a huge crowd there gathered to watch Donald Trump give this campaign speech tonight in San Jose. We'll keep an eye on that.

Here to discuss is Erin Elmore, a Trump supporter, Congressman Adam Schiff, a California democrat who is supporting Clinton, Kristin Soltis Anderson is here, a columnist for the Washington Examiner; and CNN political commentator, Bob Beckel.

OK. So, Erin, welcome to the show, and let's start with you. Donald Trump telling the Wall Street Journal today that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel had a, quote, "absolute conflict in presiding over one of Trump University's suits saying, quote, "I'm building a wall, it's an inherent conflict of interest." You agree, why is that?

ERIN ELMORE, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, I do agree that Donald Trump has a right to say what he's saying. You know, although race has never really comes into play, it does now because it's void dire, how you select a jury. You try to eliminate potential jurors with bias. This could potentially be a bias.

Although he was born in the United States, his parents are immigrants, so this is a new issue. Moreover, he was appointed by President Obama, a democrat, I think this is also a paradigm shifting issue here. We've never dealt with a presidential candidate on the other side who's dealing with a judge who was appointed by a current president. So, there are issues.

LEMON: Well, he seems to be saying that just because this judge is of Mexican descent -- he's not, I mean, he's an American, he's born here.

ELMORE: Correct, a Mexican-American.

LEMON: That he -- Mexican-American. So that he cannot -- that he can't be objective as a judge? That somehow there's some bias there. It doesn't seem -- it doesn't seem to make sense.

ELMORE: I think there's a couple of layers of bias. One it could be that he's appointed by Barack Obama, a democrat potentially, two, perhaps his heritage and his views, three, what about this factor that the plaintiff's attorneys in this case are Clinton supporters and donated about $700,000 to the Clinton campaign in speaking fees over this.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Why not object in 2014 instead of now.

ELMORE: I think it's more relevant now.

LEMON: He's been on the case since 2014.

ELMORE: Correct.

LEMON: And there was no objection until he started running for president.

ELMORE: Litigation proceeds and time passes. I think it has become of a prominent issue right now and the litigation is heating up, if you will, so maybe now it's more of a ripe dispute, if you will.

LEMON: OK. Bob, I want all of you to respond, but first, quickly, Bob. Everyone give their comments. What do you make of Trump's comments tonight about the judge?

BOB BECKEL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's absolutely ridiculous. I mean, he's a presidential candidate and he's talking about his own personal lawsuit about a judge that's been around for four -- for three years that he could have talked about before.

What he's basically saying is this guy can't give me a fair run because I'm going to build a wall between his parents' country and my country. I mean, it's nuts. This guy, I mean, somewhere along the line I think people are going to begin to realize that this is a man with a very thin skin who wants to get even with everybody who's ever in his idea and it mind a damage.

LEMON: Adam.

ADAM SCHIFF, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Look, Don, I think we need to call this what it is and it's just bigotry. That simple. It's one thing to take on the independent judge in this case to do a broadside against the judiciary. It's another to attack the man for his ethnic origins. It is just wholly inappropriate. It's bigotry at its worst, and just, I think, the most recent and most flagrant demonstration of how unfit this man is for office.

I honestly find it shocking. And I think this week will go down as seminal in a couple ways. Seminal in that his bigotry really revealed itself in all its full flavor and also for the really effective speech that Secretary Clinton gave using Donald Trump's own words against him and showing demonstrably, how unprepared, how he lacks the temperament, the judgment, the experience to be the commander-in- chief. I think this is really a seminal week in the campaign.

KELLY: Kristin, a conflict of interest. I want your response but a conflict of interest solely base on the race of the judge?

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, WASHINGTON EXAMINER COLUMNIST: I think it's horrible that Donald Trump is implying that you can only be a certain race or ethnicity and be an impartial judge in this case. With that said, from being an -- now I'm putting my analyst hat on, the reason why I think he's doing this is because Donald Trump knows that his campaign has done very well for the last 6, 12 months because people don't trust big institutions like the media.

They don't trust the government. And by making the situation where we shouldn't trust this judge, this judge is biased against me, there's a conspiracy against me. There are a lot of voters out there who, at this point, are willing to believe that, yes, there's a conspiracy against Donald Trump. Lots of people are trying to gang up on him.

And so he's just trying to fuel that fire even though he's doing so using what I think is really hateful rhetoric.

LEMON: And, Congressman, forgive me, I got ahead of myself calling you Adam, I don't mean to disrespect you, but I want to call Congressman.

SCHIFF: Adam is perfectly fine.

[22:34:58] LEMON: Let's talk about Hillary Clinton. She made a point talking about being in the situation room today. This is one story that she told. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, it really matters that Donald Trump says things that go against our deepest-held values. It matters when he says he'll order our military to murder the families of suspected terrorists.

During the raid to kill Bin Laden, when every second counted our SEALS took the time to move the women and children in the compound to safety. Donald Trump may not get it, but that's what honor looks like.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Congressman, she got a standing ovation for that. Is this the Hillary Clinton that we're going to see from now on and where has that Hillary Clinton been?

SCHIFF: Yes. And I'm glad you played that because for me that was the most powerful moment of the speech because it was such a clear contrast in the values that Donald Trump has expressed and the values and vision of Secretary Clinton in highlighting the honor of those troops not to murder the family of even Osama Bin Laden but rather to usher them to safety.

It showed the highest ideals and traditions of the U.S. military. And as she was saying this is what honor looks like, I was thinking to myself to myself, this is what presidential looks like. And it's just the most stark contrast.

For those that know the Secretary, have worked with the Secretary, this is Secretary Clinton. I think the rest of the country is getting to see that side of her. It's a side of great strength and leadership. Great character and I was enormously proud of the speech today.

LEMON: There's plenty more of discussion where this comes from. I want everyone to stick around. We're going to get to a break, but first, listen -- let's listen to Donald Trump in San Jose. We'll be right back right after this.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Disgusting ObamaCare. We're going to replace it with something great.

(APPLAUSE)

We're going to save our Second Amendment from Hillary and all these people that want to kill it.

[22:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: And we are back live, there we go, San Jose, California. Donald Trump, finishing his speech and making his way through the crowds now, shaking hands and kissing babies as they say.

Back with me to discuss, Erin Elmore, Congressman Adam Schiff, Kristen Soltis Anderson, and Bob Beckel. Erin, I want you to listen more to Hillary Clinton what she had to say about Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: And I have to say I don't understand Donald's bizarre fascination with dictators and strong men who have no love for America. He praised China for the Tiananmen Square massacre, he said it showed strength.

He said you've got to give Kim Jong-un credit for taking over North Korea, something he did by murdering everyone he saw as a threat, including his own uncle which Donald described gleefully like he was recapping an action movie.

And he said if he were grading Vladimir Putin as a leader he'd give him an "a." Now I will leave it to the psychiatrists to explain his affection for tyrants.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Erin, you say that Trump is going to make our international situation more respected and feared. How is that?

ELMORE: Well, first of all, let's just say right now, congratulations Hillary, she got a little quippy, (ph) took a page from Donald Trump's playbook, so you know what, that's great. But you know what is also interesting is that when Hillary was talking

guess who was in that room? Not a bunch of undecided voters scratching their chin, it's all of her supporters so she's going to get the rave round of applause.

I think Donald Trump has the approach I'd rather be feared than loved. So, what he's going to try to do is work with these people, try to get smart people surrounding them to do the right thing but I think a little bit of fear isn't going to hurt anyone at all.

LEMON: OK. So, let's talk about this. Because Hillary Clinton gave a speech where she goes after Donald Trump, which is really right in his bailiwick, right?

ELMORE: Right.

LEMON: When someone goes after -- as he says he's a counterpuncher.

ELMORE: Correct.

LEMON: Do you think he could have handled this better today?

ELMORE: Well, today would have been great if it weren't for one little comment about the Trump University case. He could have spent his whole day saying I got Paul Ryan on my side, attacking Hillary's speech. You know, that would have been the best way to end the day.

LEMON: Except for the judge comment, is that what you're talking about?

ELMORE: Correct.

LEMON: Yes. He's making you work today.

ELMORE: He's making me work today. But I can do it.

LEMON: Yes.

ELMORE: But it would have been a great day to just talk about the positives.

LEMON: Yes. That happened...

(CROSSTALK)

ELMORE: And there are positives today.

LEMON: But there are also -- yes, there are. And when you're talking about Paul Ryan, but the same as when he had the speech with the media the other day. The -- Donald Trump surrogates came on and said it could have been such a great day for him, instead, we're going to go back and sort of clean up what he had to say. Why does he do this?

ELMORE: You know, I wish I knew. But he is a really smart guy and he is winning the votes of the American people and I think they like he's off the cuff and just sort of says what's on his mind and speaks from the heart and the gut as opposed to a teleprompter, quite frankly. So, I think that's just working.

LEMON: Yes. As we're speaking now we're looking at protests outside of the San Jose rally. We showed inside where it's a very large crowd inside, more people inside than outside, but you see the burning of the American flag there and I'm going to go now.

Bob Beckel, let me ask you a very similar question that I asked. Donald Trump as a counterpuncher could have had a very good day responding, you know, as Erin said, responding to Hillary Clinton's speech, that's what he does best, and also that now the Speaker of the House appears to be endorsing him.

BECKEL: Well, yes, he did it in an editorial in small newspaper in Wisconsin. I mean, but look, the other thing about Hillary talking in front of her supporters, who do you think those people in the room are? You don't think they're Trump supporters.

The other thing is she figured out something. Trump is not a counterpuncher. Trump has got a very thin skin and if you notice the terms she used to describe him, a loose cannon, somebody who's thin skinned, somebody who overreacts, the kind of person you don't want to see as commander-in-chief. You're seeing a strategy played out here.

Next Tuesday, she will be the presumptive nominee for president of the Democratic Party. You're seeing this campaign now unfolding. She saw it happen when the people that he went up against in these debates did not fight back.

[22:45:01] He's now got somebody to really good at fighting back and Donald Trump will have to learn to man up because I don't think he's much of a man when it comes to that.

LEMON: So, Congressman, I want to put up -- this is a Paul Ryan, I take out of what he said to this small newspaper if we can put that up for a moment of what he said. I won't read the entire thing.

But basically saying he's had a couple of conversations with Donald Trump and because of that and other things he feel that after his conversations, "I feel comfortable that he would help us turn the ideas into this agenda into laws and to help improve people's lives that's why I'm voting for him in the fall."

So, why bury this underneath a Clinton foreign policy speech, Congressman?

SCHIFF: Well, I think the reason is that Paul Ryan is not proud of this endorsement at all and wishes he could make the endorsement and no one would notice. This was a bad day for Paul Ryan. It was obviously a bad day for Donald Trump.

But particularly, for Paul Ryan because here he is putting his own legitimacy on the line, putting that of the Speaker of the House on the line. And what does Donald Trump do? He doubles down on the bigoted comments about this federal judge.

You can imagine how Ryan must fear now being asked how can you support this guy after what he says about this judge. How can you support a man who's continually alienating a huge segment of the American population with these insults?

So, I have to think it's a very bad day for the speaker and if he could have gotten no notice at all for the endorsement that would have been preferable for him.

LEMON: OK. We'll get to Bob and Kristen on the other side of this break. So, everyone stick around. Again, you're looking at protests outside of the Trump rally. This is in San Jose, California. He held a very big rally there this evening and now you see what's happening outside.

Protesters on a car. We're going to continue to look at these pictures, monitor these pictures and bring that to you live. So, stay with me, everyone. We're back right after this.

[22:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is a very busy night here on CNN. And as you can see a very busy night in San Jose, California, where protesters have gathered outside an event where Donald Trump was speaking earlier.

Donald Trump left the stage moments ago, still believed to be in the crowd shaking hands. But again, these protesters have taken over at least the perimeter of where Donald Trump is speaking.

We saw earlier the burning of the American flag and also protesters on top of cars. Not sure what their objective is there, burning the flag and jumping on top of cars but we will find out.

We have reporters there and we'll continue to watch those pictures for you. That's moments ago of the burning of the American flag. So, we shall see what's up in San Jose.

Back here with me now to discuss, Erin Elmore, Congressman Adam Schiff, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Bob Beckel.

So, to you, Congressman first, I want you to listen to what Donald Trump said tonight about Hillary Clinton's e-mails.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Anything Obama wants, she's going forward with because you know why? She doesn't want to go to jail, that's why, folks. That's why.

(APPLAUSE)

Remember, Hillary Clinton used to hate Obama. She used to hate him. Bill Clinton hated him. Bill Clinton hated him. He called Bill Clinton a racist, do you remember that? Bill Clinton hated him. And Hillary Clinton hated Obama, now it's yes, sir, Mr. President, sir. Yes, sir. What would you like? I don't believe our country can let her get away with this crime. I don't believe it. So we'll see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Congressman, that was much fierier, much more fiery than usual. A direct result of her speech today. Do you think did she get under his skin?

SCHIFF: Unquestionably. And I do want to say at the outset that that image of the burning of the flag. I find just repulsive and there's nothing just justify that.

But, yes, clearly Secretary Clinton got under his skin. He's not used to being confronted so directly and I'm sure what made it most painful for him is the fact that he was mocked using his own words. It's hard to refute when there were little quotes around those words, when those are the actual positions he has espoused.

I think he must realize just how ridiculous a lot of his statements have been, how counterproductive to our own national interests and national security. So, it hurts when your own words are used against you. And I think we saw him lashing out in a typically Trumpian way, and I think Americans are increasingly getting a sense of what a Trump presidency would look like.

It would begin with a morning press conference where sort of off the top of his head he would catalog all the insults he wants to convey that day against anyone who disagreed with him and he just demonstrates, I think, each and every day just how unfit he is to be commander-in-chief.

LEMON: Hey, Kristen, I want you to respond to that in a very similar question. I mean, it was almost breathless and speaking in a higher octave. Did she get under his skin?

ANDERSON: It seems like there's no doubt that she got under his skin. But he also knows that one of the best things he has going for him is Hillary Clinton being a very poor candidate. If you look at the polls, favorability numbers for both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are pretty bad.

And I think he knows that it's unlikely he's going to win over a whole bunch of new voters and make them fall in love with him between now and November. I think he's hoping that a lot of voters will say I make not like Donald Trump but gosh, at least he represents change, I don't like Hillary Clinton and she represents more of the same.

I think at this point he's banking this idea of it's all about him, that's not a good place, but if he's making it about her or her e- mails or things that are negative about her, he's hoping to keep the focus there and that that would be better ground for him.

LEMON: Bob, never let a good question I think, that was a good question go to waste. Same question to you. What do you think, did she get under his skin?

BECKEL: Of course. But look, he's got -- he's got a long way to go. He's got 50 million more votes to get. From 67 percent of a universe of people who don't like him. This is not a guy used to being on the defensive.

She's got exactly the right way to go at him and it's only going to get worse for him because he said so many things that she don't like to create anything.

[22:54:58] I mean, back in the days when I was doing campaigns I used to have to come up with quotes that weren't actually accurate in some cases against an opponent. In Trump's case there was a volume of them. And I think does he know that he has made a mistake when he said them, Congressman? I'm not so sure he did. I think they reflect who Donald Trump is.

LEMON: Erin?

ELMORE: Wishful thinking. Truthfully wishful, wishful thinking. I've said it time and time again, he is the Teflon, Don. Nothing really sticks to him. And the voters that are coming at him and vote for him in droves are anti-establishment, they want to see a change. The pendulum is swinging. he is swinging with it.

I think nothing really impacts him. Did Hillary get under his skin? Absolutely not. I think he's fired up. I think he's excited. I think he's out there giving a speech and being boisterous but I don't think she impacted him. He's tough.

LEMON: All right. All right. Thank you. Congressman, quickly, I know you're hosting an event for Hillary Clinton. She has to win California, right? I've got to run but quickly. She's got to win this or this is embarrassing for her.

SCHIFF: Well, she's certainly wants to win it. I think as a matter of the electoral math and the delegates and the number -- the millions of additional votes she's received. She will be the nominee.

But she certainly wants to win it. We want her to win California, but it's going to be close and competitive.

LEMON: All right.

SCHIFF: You have a lot of new young voters that are Sanders supporters. You have a very broad and diverse coalition that are Clinton supporters and it all will come down of who turns out on Tuesday.

LEMON: I got to run. Thank you very much. I appreciate it, everyone. We're going to keep an eye on what's happening in San Jose. We'll be right back, everyone.

[23:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We are beginning this hour with our breaking news tonight.