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Trump Arrives for Congressional Lunch; Obamas Departing Joint Base Andrews. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired January 20, 2017 - 13:30   ET

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


[13:30:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you anticipate that President Trump, Manu, will walk right behind you on his way to this luncheon?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: That's what we're expecting. Right now, we saw Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner walk behind us, as well as Reince Priebus. They were at that event, just steps away from us with the president signing, formal papers after the speech he just delivered. We'll see if he says anything. We tried to ask him a question as he left the speech. I asked, what's your first step that you'll take as president, any executive action? He smiled and gave a thumbs-up and walked right by. Unlikely he'll address questions but we'll try to get a sense of what is the first steps he'll take as soon as he goes to the oval office later today -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Manu, if he stops by your microphone and you have words with him, let us know what he has to say. We'll come right back to you.

Manu Raju at Statuary Hall.

Jake, getting ready for this, you see the leaders, Democrats and Republicans, and former presidents all walking in right now for this formal luncheon at Statuary Hall.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Statuary Hall, for people who don't know, every state in the union donates two statues representing individuals from their states who have -- people of some notoriety. There are 100 of them scattered throughout the capitol, most of them concentrated in that one space.

BLITZER: Beautiful hall. The statues are amazing.

You see Senator Joe Manchin in the middle of the screen, a Democratic Senator from West Virginia. Although, he's up for re-election in a couple years. There's suspicion that he could vote along with the Republicans on some of these sensitive issues.

Dana, you followed him for a long time.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Some issues -- he already said he'll support -- being very clear he'll support some of probably -- hard to imagine him not supporting all of the President Trump's nominees. Yeah, he is one of several Democrats that Donald Trump thinks he can do business with, if for no other reason, he comes from a state where Trump did big. And that will be huge dynamic, and we talked about that before, the question about horse trading.

TAPPER: Manchin introduced the nominee to be secretary of energy, Rick Perry. Rick Perry, former Republican governor, Manchin, a former Democratic governor, they worked together before. It was unusual, and is unusual for somebody from opposing party, who is a current Senator, to introduce a nominee representing the other party's president.

BLITZER: John, this is a very nice way to start this first day of the Trump presidency, have a lunch, not just with Republicans but with Democrats. The Democratic leadership is there. Nancy Pelosi is there. You see her there walking in. Chuck Schumer, Democratic leader in the Senate. And former President Bill Clinton is there. And Jimmy Carter is there. It's a nice way to start off this first formal day.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a nice way to start and I'm told this tradition goes back to President McKinley. It's a nice start.

The question --

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Yeah. And the biggest question after we get through the ceremony of today and important visuals of today, and the message these visuals send to the people of this country and people watching around the world, is can you sustain it, will be the big thing. The Obama election in 2008 was about hope and change. But his fundamental message was he wanted to change Washington and make it work, to make it --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: On the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, you see Joint Base Andrews. That red carpet will take the now former president of the United States, President Obama, and the former first lady, they'll be walking up that carpet and they'll be going up the stairs and leaving Washington. Not permanently. They're coming back. They rented a house here in Washington so their younger daughter can finish high school. They're going to go out to California, Palm Springs, for a little while.

KING: No doubt --

BLITZER: A well-deserved few days off.

KING: No doubt, he'll miss this. The trappings of the presidency are extraordinary. We've all been blessed and honored to cover the White House and travel the word and cover the presidents and men and women in the military that serve. This is an Air Force base obviously. But it's a great honor as president. Great honor as a reporter when you get to see this, especially the service of these heroes. And the trappings of the presidency are something quite extraordinary. No doubt the Obamas will miss them. They'll also love the -- the president said in one of his farewell interviews he won't set an alarm tonight. They get out of the bubble and back to their life. But the point I was trying to make, when he came, President Obama, now

former President Obama, 2009, he said he would change Washington. He was elected on a wave of change. People were frustrated and wanted a new Washington.

We see this farewell wave here. Quite a shot.

BLITZER: They won't call it Air Force One. It is one of those planes that could be Air Force One. This plane that will take them out to California right now.

KING: They call it Special Mission. Executive One is the Marine. This will be Special Mission.

Just to button up the point, as we watch these amazing pictures, now the change mantel has been passed to Donald Trump. Very different agenda. The American people sending a similar message handing the change baton to a very different man and different party as well and going to an outsider --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Manu -- I want to go back to Manu because the president is walking near them.

[13:35:03] RAJU: That's right. Right behind us right now is the president of the United States along with the first lady of the United States walking to the lunch, smiling to the cameras. There he is walking in right now into this very ceremonial lunch, greeting members on both sides of the aisle. This lunch happens every four years. Something that is a tradition of sorts.

We'll take a listen right now -- Wolf?

BLITZER: As he's walking in, we'll pause for a moment.

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, and Mrs. Melania Trump, accompanied by Chairman Roy Blunt and Mrs. Abigale Blunt.

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. ROY BLUNT, (R), MISSOURI & CHAIRMAN, JOINT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON INAUGURAL CEREMONIES: Welcome to this lunch. If everybody would be seated.

(INAUDIBLE)

(LAUGHTER)

So, Mr. President -- which I have said twice officially - Mr. Vice President, honored guests, welcome to this inaugural luncheon. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has been pleased to host this lunch at least since 1953 with President Eisenhower. In 1981, President Reagan's first inauguration, the lunch took its current form and moved to this grand hall, the National Statuary Hall, which served until 1857 as the chamber of the House of Representatives.

The statues that line the walls of this room are placed throughout the capitol and recognize important figures in our national history. The collection in Statuary Hall doesn't change very often, but actually since this lunch was held the last time, it has had several additions. Rosa Parks is now in Statuary Hall. And she, of course, is seated rather than standing, as she should be.

(APPLAUSE)

BLUNT: When Ms. Parks died in 2005, one of the few people who had never held public office or served in the military, to lay in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. Several of us were there that day.

Another addition, Norman Berglog (ph), the leader of the Green Revolution. This Green Revolution was about his great efforts to feed people, the demands in food production. And he was really a leader in that area. And talking to Governor Purdue last night about what will happen as world food demand doubles in 35 or 40 years and the great opportunity we have there.

Barry Goldwater, an inspiration to conservatives, was added to Statuary Hall over the last few years. And Thomas Edison, of Ohio, who discovered more than 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb until he discovered the one way to make that light bulb.

[13:40:01] The painting in the middle of the room is from a great Missouri artist, George Caleb Bingham. He a three-election series, the painting her. A three-painting series: one was Stump Speaking, one was County Election, and this is Verdict of the People. In the 1850s, when this was painted, often it was several days after the election before the results were announced. And all kinds of people are in this painting, people from all walks of life, people who are excited, people who are confused, people who wonder what's happened, and people who wonder what's going to happen, are all there. He painted this painting about the same time that, in this very room, some of the least successful debates in the history of our country were being held. And, of course, we paid the price for not being able to find solutions.

One of my favorite statues in the building is in a room that I have here in the capitol right now. I had it in the whip's office when I was the whip in the House. It's one of my favorites because nobody knows who it is. I don't mean nobody can guess who it is, but nobody knows who it is, and nobody has known who it was since 1930. Couldn't have been in the capitol building more than 100 years before people began to wonder, who is this person? I think it's a great reminder that what we do here is a lot more important than who we are.

So, we have work in front of us. It's a wonderful opportunity. It is a great day. I'm asking Barry Black, the chaplain of the Senate, to come and give

us our opening prayer.

BARRY BLACK, SENATE CHAPLIN: Let us pray. Eternal Lord God, our refuge and strength, we praise you that we have nothing to fear. We can stand fearlessly during this season of peaceful transition because we know your providence will prevail. Lord, we're grateful for this inaugural luncheon and for your providence that has brought President Donald J. Trump to this milestone moment. You have admonished us to pray for leaders and governments, so we pray for our new president. Lord, crowned his labors with success, leading him to the destination you have chosen. Surround him, his family, and the members of his cabinet with the shield of your divine protection and favor. May President Trump seek your wisdom, justice and grace, leading with your strength, which reaches out to those on life's margins, the lost, lonely, last, least, and left out. May he remember that those who would leave a legacy of greatness must strive to become servants of all. Lord, inspire our president to perform his God-appointed duties with such reverence for you that his tenure will be like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like a rainbow after a storm, and like the singing of the birds at dawn. Bless our food and fellowship, we pray, in your sovereign name. Amen.

BLUNT: Lunch will be served.

[13:44:45] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So, it's a pool-feed camera. We don't have control over that. They turn it off during the lunch.

We'll take a quick break. Coming up, Congress toasts the new president and then he'll leave the capitol to kick off the inaugural parade. Always a big question, will he walk the parade route? How long will he long? We'll find out all of that, ahead. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Welcome back, to what has been an extraordinary day in Washington, D.C., Inauguration Day, with Donald J. Trump, now the 45th president of the United States.

Former President Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama are on a plane heading to California for a couple of weeks off.

Donald Trump is currently inside the U.S. capitol, having lunch with political allies as well as adversaries who watched him take the oath of office at noon today.

Tens of thousands of people are lined up on the inaugural parade route hoping to get a glimpse of the new commander-in-chief. We're standing by for the start of the parade shortly after a traditional toast to the president on Capitol Hill.

There's a lot to talk about with our panel as we await more developments. We will bring them to you live from Capitol Hill.

And the parade route, the big question is, will the president and first lady actually get out and walk part of the parade route. It's been tradition over the last several administrations. Likely, they will. Where that will happen, how long will they walk, that we will have to wait and see.

Van Jones, you were talking about, just during the break, about how effective you thought this inaugural address was.

[13:50:23] VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I have my criticisms, but I think it was an effective speech. We forget there are people out there who are hurting, who don't have jobs and don't have hope. And when somebody says there's a reason for that, it's these people, and I'm going to take them on, that gets people's attention. And then he said some stuff that was interesting. When he talks about some of the pain and suffering in the inner cities, people say that's just rhetoric. There are people who haven't heard that well. He says he believes that patriotism is a cure for prejudice. That is a very powerful formula. Now, Dr. King would be surprised to hear that because so many patriots were the ones that were opposing him and calling him every name in the book. But there are some things happening in that speech that are interesting.

COOPER: Let's play some of that, the use of "carnage." Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation, an education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge, and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: J.D. Vance, wondering what you thought about this phrase, "this American carnage."

J.D. VANCE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Obviously, it's very strong language but it speaks to something that doesn't get talked about or reported on much is that crime has really gone up the past couple of years. We had this really long period there it was slowly creeping downwards. This has always struck me as one of the most appealing parts of Donald Trump's message, that he talks about something, in a lot of ways, that don't get discussed as much. Obviously, crime is low on historical levels, but if you're thinking about it on a shorter time period, it's a very appealing thing and it speaks to a real concern that's out there.

(CROSSTALK)

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yeah, I think it's easy for anybody to understand this. He said I'm going to fix your crumbling schools, keep you safe and give you jobs. And he has this way I think of telling a story and some people may think that story isn't necessarily based in reality, but it's very easy to get on board with and I can it's effective. He's thinking about keeping that coalition together, the folks out in the crowd, in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, who working class, who see globalism very differently than other people do, who see globalism when they call to get their telephone fixed and hear a foreign accent, and they wonder why that person has a job rather than somebody in America.

DAVID AXEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What was interesting about it, he added a lot of language about inner cities. The real test is when he says, this is going to end right here and right now. People are going to expect it to end right here and right now. And he is derogating to himself enormous responsibility. So as a speech, it really cut through, but he's going to be measured against those words as time goes on.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: He says, now comes the hour of action. This was forward thinking and he made a lot of promises. He kept using the word "action" because that's what he told his staff. He has told his staff, I want some wins, we need to move, so expect these executive orders where he can just change things with a pen, whether it's later today or tomorrow or even Monday, he'll do that right away, and the repeal of Obamacare and replacement of Obamacare, infrastructure, tax reform. This is somebody who doesn't want to sit still. And I think that was the most appealing part of it.

(CROSSTALK)

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR, SMERCONISH: Can we say there's a consistency about him? Because now the campaign has completely run its course. He was the same individual he was from the moment he descended that - not staircase -

(CROSSTALK)

SMERCONISH: -- escalator -- thank you -- at Trump Tower, all the way until his swearing in. The speech that he delivered could have been a campaign speech that he would have delivered out on the stump. And what I'm mindful of, Anderson, this campaign is never-ending. And tomorrow out the windows where we're now seated, there will probably be more people than today watching Donald Trump's inauguration. And so --

COOPER: People who are demonstrating.

SMERCONISH: Demonstrating, than in attendance.

(CROSSTALK)

JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: In terms of permanent campaign, if you will --

COOPER: With Bill Clinton.

LORD: -- that's pretty permanent.

(CROSSTAKL)

LORD: That's been going on with Bill Clinton, with Barack Obama, with George W. Bush. This is what presidents do. They have got their argument, they win the election based on win that argument, and that's what it's based on making that case repeatedly.

AXELROD: It may be what presidents do, but it's what presidents do is also what presidents, and you have to do stuff.

LORD: Yeah --

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

AXELROD: I lost you somewhere.

COOPER: OK, Doug, go ahead. We have to get a break.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It was an American populous, manifesto speech. It was solid. I think it was well written. There wasn't a lot to object to. However, our allies must be scratching their heads. I think, on the foreign policy part of the speech is what scared --

(CROSSTAKL)

BRINKLEY: Yeah. What do you think if you're in NATO right now? What do you think if you're in South Korea or Latin America? He's really saying we're drawing up the bridges -

(CROSSTALK)

BRINKLEY: -- we're reinventing everything.

COOPER: Yeah. From this day forward, it's only going to be America first. American first, every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, and foreign affairs -

(CROSSTALK)

VANCE: I'm from Ohio. If I'm in Ohio, I like this speech, but I don't know if they like it in Berlin and Paris.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: We're standing by for the big parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. They're going to be music, marching, and another appearance by the new commander-in-chief.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)