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President Obama Makes Midterm Election Push For Democrats; President Trump Hurls Blame at Media For Violence. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired November 2, 2018 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:03]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But you know what? We're not going to stand for people doing what they did to the Mexican military and to the Mexican police.

What they did to those people, they were very badly hurt, very badly injured, the military and the police. What they did with rocks being thrown in their faces, not going to happen to our soldiers.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: No, no, you know what? You're creating violence by your questions, you know? You are creating, you.

And also a lot of the reporters are creating violence by not writing the truth. The fake news is creating violence. And you know what? The people that support Trump and the people that support us, which is a lot of people, most people, many people, those people know when a story is true and they know when a story is false.

And I will tell you what. If the media would write correctly and write accurately and write fairly, you would have a lot less violence in the country.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: Well, we're going to see.

I think we're doing very well. Certainly, we're doing very well on the Senate, which is obviously very important. And I think we're going to do also well in the House. We're going to see.

I can only say this. The House is a lot of stops.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: What's your next question?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: How many questions do you have? No more.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) TRUMP: We're doing a perfect executive order. And the border is

closed to these people. They're not coming in. They will go through the system and then they will be shipped back, depending on what happens with asylum.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And from one president to the next.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I don't know why -- it tells you something interesting, that even the folks who are in charge are still mad, because they're getting ginned up to be mad.

That's the mind-set. So you want somebody who's actually going to work for working people?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Andrew Gillum is somebody who is going work for working people.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Andrew's mom is right here. That's where he got his good looks from.

Andrew was raised by a construction worker, a school bus driver, had to work his way up the hard way to become mayor of Tallahassee. He knows the promise of this country, so he's not going to work for people who had it handed to them. He's going to work for the people that had to work their way up, just like his parents did to look after him, for families.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Andrew has lived the American dream. And if you give him your vote, he will fight to make sure every child in Florida has the same chance that this state and this country gave him.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Let's talk about health care for a second.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Eight years ago, Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That law helps cover almost 1.6 million people just here in Florida.

That law made it illegal for the first time for insurers to discriminate against folks who had a preexisting condition. And, by the way, for the young people here, you may not think about preexisting conditions, but when you get to be 57, because insurance companies, they could categorize all kind of things as preexisting conditions.

If you had asthma, you might not get insurance, or it would be really expensive. If you had cancer, they might not give you insurance. Just being a woman was considered a preexisting condition, because they would charge women more than men for insurance, which, when you think about it, makes absolutely no sense, because the condition women have is the power to give birth to us.

[15:05:10]

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And it seems to me, you wouldn't want to charge somebody more for bringing us into the world. That's just my opinion.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So, we put in a law that says, no, you got to charge women the same at men. You have got to -- you can't discriminate based on preexisting conditions.

(SHOUTING)

OBAMA: And -- OK. That's great.

So -- and, by the way, on that vote, not a single Republican joined us. Not one. Zero. Nada. Zilch. None. Goose egg. None. None of them supported us.

Now, suddenly, it's election season, and what happens? You got Republicans out there saying, oh, well, we will protect preexisting conditions. Trust us.

Let's look at the record. Andrew's opponent was in Congress and voted to sabotage or repeal the ACA and protections for people with preexisting conditions every chance he got.

Bill's opponent, Rick Scott...

(BOOING)

OBAMA: Don't boo. Vote.

So, Bill's opponent is literally suing the government to overturn preexisting protections as we speak. When I was president, Republicans voted more than a dozen times to get rid of protections for people with preexisting conditions.

Last year, they fell one vote short. One vote. If they win this Tuesday, they will finally succeed. If they keep control of Congress, you better believe they're coming after your health care.

Florida, we can't let Rick Scott become the deciding vote that guts your preexisting protection -- conditions protections.

In all of his time in office, Rick Scott could have expanded Medicaid and covered 800,000 for Floridians with health care, 800,000. Those are -- those are families. Rick (sic) DeSantis wouldn't even try.

So, if you want change, Andrew Gillum will expand Medicaid coverage. If you vote for him and you vote for a Democratic state legislature to help him, your vote could give 800,000 Floridians, just like that, the security of health care coverage.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Democrats aren't going to let Republicans gut your preexisting conditions protections.

Democrats aren't going let Republicans to gut your Medicare to pay for their tax cuts. They're going to protect your care, period.

But here's the main point I want to make, Florida. If Republicans thought their tax cut for billionaires was popular, they would be campaigning on it. Right? You don't hear a peep out of them.

This was their legislative accomplishment in Congress. They have not mentioned it in a single ad. If Republicans thought their endless boasts to sabotage or take away your votes was popular, that's would they would be campaigning on it.

You don't hear a peep from them about that. In fact, right at election time, suddenly, Republicans are saying they're going protect your preexisting conditions, when they literally have been doing the opposite.

That's some kind of gall. That's some kind of chutzpah. Let's call it what it is. It's a lie. They're lying to you.

A former Republican congressman, David Jolly, just cast his vote. He voted for Andrew Gillum.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: He said, the reason's simple. It's because I have served with Ron DeSantis.

(LAUGHTER)

[15:10:01]

OBAMA: That should tell you something.

Let me tell you. If somebody who had served with me in my party voted for the other guy, I would feel bad.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: I don't imagine Congressman Jolly and Mayor Gillum agree on a lot, but maybe they, just like all of us, agree that there are some things bigger than politics.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And that's -- that's on the ballot right now. What kind of politics do we want?

Do we want a politics where people are yelling at each other and making lewd gestures in front of the children?

AUDIENCE: No!

OBAMA: Mm-mmm. Can't do that in front of mama.

Look, throughout human history, politicians have made promises that turned out to be harder than they expected. And so they pump up the good things they did, they downplay the stuff that didn't work out. They try to put a positive -- they try to put a positive -- they try -- we're OK.

They try to put a positive spin on things. It's not just politicians, by the way, that do that. You all do that too. You know, sometimes -- maybe this doesn't happen with you and your wife, but, sometimes, I'm at home, and I'm doing the dishes. I say, hey, honey, look, I did the dishes. She said -- Michelle says, that's the first time in a month you have done dishes.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: Don't brag about it.

I'm putting a positive spin on things. Then she asks me, what did you do wrong? Otherwise, you wouldn't be doing the dishes.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: We all try to put a positive spin on things. But what we have not seen the way we are seeing right now is politicians just blatantly, repeatedly, baldly, shamelessly lying, just making stuff up.

That's what they're doing now all the time. And, by the way, it's not the first time. They do this every election cycle. Try to terrify folks. And then the election comes, and the problem suddenly magically vanishes. You never hear about it again.

In 2010, they said that Bill and I, we were setting up death panels to kill your grandma. Remember that? In 2014, they said, Obama's going to kill all of us. Shut the borders. In 2016, it was Hillary's e- mails. They were all wound up about that.

And the mainstream press picked up on it: This is terrible. This is a breach of security.

You know they don't care about that, because, if they did, they would be worried about the current president talking on his cell phone while the Chinese are listening in. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: They didn't care about it. They said it to get folks angry and ginned up.

Now, in 2018, they're telling you that the existential threat to America is a bunch of poor refugees 1,000 miles away. They're even taking our brave troops away from their families for a political stunt at the border.

And the men and women of our military deserve better than that.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So, there's just constant fear mongering to distract from the record. Now the administration suddenly says, we are doubling down on an outdated Cuba policy, which all that does is hurt families and entrepreneurs who are trying to open up the Cuban economy.

We need to get back to policies for the Cuban people, make their lives better. That's change. That's what Bill believes in. That's what Andrew believes in.

The point is, Florida, they make stuff up. But here's -- also, the problem is, too often, we fall for it. Too often, we fall for the distractions. You know, you all remember "Peanuts," right? Maybe some of you are too young.

Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football. And she would say, go ahead, I'm holding it. You can kick it. And Charlie Brown would say, OK. And then she would pull the ball away, and he would fall on his back. But he kept on doing it every time.

Don't be Charlie Brown. Don't fall for the okeydoke. Don't be bamboozled. Don't be hoodwinked, because when you get distracted, while you're distracted with all this stuff they're making up, they're also robbing you blind.

[15:15:25]

They will be like, look, look, look. Look over there. And then they're giving tax cuts to billionaires. Look over there. Then they're letting polluters poison your air and water.

They will absolutely take health care away from millions the first chance they get while you are distracted with stuff that is not true. It's like the con where a door-to-door salesman says you need a security system, while his buddy sneaks in the back and steals your stuff.

But it's not just the practical effect in terms of policy. When words stop meaning anything, when truth doesn't matter, when people can just lie with abandon, democracy can't work.

In our own lives, in our marriages, in our families, if, consistently, the people we are dealing with can't believe what we say, if our children see that it doesn't matter that you actually accomplish things, all you do is just make stuff up whenever it's expedient, society doesn't work, democracy does not work.

And that's what's happening at the highest levels. And the only check on that behavior is you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: The only check on that behavior is you and your vote.

And, on Tuesday, you can vote for a politics that's decent and honest and lawful and tries to do right by people.

If you're a Democrat, you better be voting for Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson and the whole ticket.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: If you're not a Democrat, you should still be voting for them.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Because it shouldn't be Democratic or Republican to say, we don't just lie with impunity. It shouldn't be Democratic or Republican to say, we don't just punish our political opponents, trying to use a justice system, that we don't threaten the freedom of the press because they say something we don't like.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It shouldn't be Democratic or Republican to say, we are not going to target certain groups based on what they look like or how they pray.

It shouldn't be Democratic or Republican to know that climate change is real and threatens our futures and our kids' futures.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And Florida is going to see some of the worst effects of climate change, unless we change course right now.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I know Republicans may think that government should only perform a few functions, but one of those functions should be taking care of folks after a hurricane in Puerto Rico.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I know that there are conservatives who think we should be fiscally prudent. Well, there's nothing fiscally responsible about trillion-dollar deficits.

I know there are sincere conservatives who are compassionate and must think there's nothing compassionate about ripping immigrant children from the arms of mothers at the border.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I'm assuming that they recognize that a president doesn't get to decide on his own who is an American citizen and who's not.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That's not how the Constitution of the United States works. That's not how the Bill of Rights works. That's not how our democracy works.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

[15:20:01]

OBAMA: People who think it's wrong to spend eight years trying to take away people's health care, and then spend the final days pretending your Mother Teresa, that you're Florence Nightingale,.

People who -- I'm assuming people must get upset when they see folks who spend all their time vilifying others, questioning their patriotism, calling them enemies of the people, and then suddenly pretending they're concerned about civility.

And we don't need more mealymouthed elected officials who say, oh, well, I'm very concerned, or I'm terribly vexed by this bad behavior, but there's nothing I can do about it.

We need leaders who will actually stand up for what is right, regardless of party.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Leaders who represent the best of the American spirit, like Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson, patriots who will stand up for anyone whose fundamental rights are at stake, our neighbor's health care, somebody else's kids getting bullied, who will stand up if they see their gay friend getting harassed, who will stand up for the God-given freedom to worship without fear.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That's what all of us need to stand up for with clarity and patriotism and purpose, the values that bind us to your fellow citizens, no at matter who we are, no matter what we look like.

That's what Americans do. That's what America is. That's what Andrew Gillum believes. That's what Bill Nelson believes. That's what you believe, a better vision of America.

And that's where I'm hopeful, Florida. I'm hopeful that we will cut through the lies, block out the noise, and remember who we are and who we are called to be.

I'm hopeful that, out of this political darkness, I see a great awakening of citizenship all across the country.

I can't tell you how encouraged I have been to see so many people getting involved for the first time, for the first time in a very long time, marching and organizing and registering people to vote.

These incredible, inspiring Parkland students -- I don't want usually wear bracelets, but...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: ... I saw some of the families backstage trying to transform unspeakable grief into a better world.

Young veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, record numbers of women who are running for office -- you know we need more women.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It's a movement of citizens who maybe never had much interest in politics, but they said, oh, this time, it's different. This time, it's too important to sit out. They're lacing up those marching shoes.

They're grabbing a clipboard, because they believe in an America that's better, that's kinder, that looks out for one another.

The antidote to government by the powerful few is government by the energized, organized many.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: The antidote to a politics based on division is a politics based on a sense that we are in it together.

That's what this moment is about. And I have to tell you, Florida, one election won't fix everything. Sometimes, I hear young people especially saying, oh, you know, well, I don't know. All politicians are the same. Nothing changes, everything.

You know what? It's true that one election is not suddenly going eliminate poverty in this country. One election won't eliminate racism or sexism or homophobia. One election will not suddenly give everybody health care all at once or insure that every child in Florida gets the kind of education they deserve.

[15:25:10]

It's not going to happen in just one election. But it will be a start.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It will be a start. It will make things better.

And when you start down that path of making things better, momentum starts to build. And then it gets even better, and it gets even better.

So, don't just sit back. If you don't like what's going on right now, don't just complain. Don't get anxious and freaked out. Don't throw up your hands in despair.

AUDIENCE: Vote!

OBAMA: Don't boo.

AUDIENCE: Vote!

OBAMA: Don't hashtag.

AUDIENCE: Vote!

OBAMA: Vote!

When you vote for an attorney general and state reps, they will have the power to protect our voting rights and make sure our criminal justice system treats everybody fairly.

When you vote, you have to power to make sure we strengthen laws that protect women in the workplace from harassment and discrimination and make sure they're paid the same as men for doing the same job.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: When you vote, you have to power to make it easier for a college student to afford college and harder for a disturbed person to shoot up places where our kids learn and where our seniors gather to worship.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: When you vote, you have to power to make sure a family keeps its health insurance. You could save somebody's life.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That power rests in your hands.

And if you get involved, if you knock on some doors, if you talk with some of your slightly trifling friends, you get some souls to the polls.

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: If you turn out on Tuesday to vote for this whole incredible Florida ticket, I promise you, something powerful happens. Change starts to happen. Hope starts to happen.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And with each new step we take in the direction of fairness and justice, equality and opportunity, that hope spreads.

It starts rippling. It enters into each of us. We get a sense of what is possible. And we remind ourselves of those better angels of our nature. It's up to you.

Let's make history happen right here in Florida.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Let's get to work. Let's go vote.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: God bless you, Miami. God bless you, Florida. God bless the United States of America.

BALDWIN: What a -- what an extraordinary moment and a day, just listening to both of these presidents, first, obviously, former President Obama.

You see him shaking hands with Senator Bill Nelson, hoping to hang on his Senate seat, Andrew Gillum there. He is lifting hands with the Tallahassee mayor who is hoping to become the next governor and would be the first black governor in the state of Florida.

You heard that message.

And just before then, we listened to President Trump there standing on the South Lawn with -- on his way to two rallies himself, West Virginia and Indiana, later tonight, obviously, stumping for the Republicans in those states.

And you could not have two different presidents with two different messages and two very different audiences.

But they may agree that you have an incredibly, incredibly important election coming up.

And before I talk to the three of you ladies, I just want to -- President Trump, one of the things he said earlier today as he was speaking to media -- Gloria, I'm going to start with you.

He said, "A lot of reporters are creating violence by writing fake news."

That was the strongest I had really heard from him, creating violence by writing fake news.

And I just have to say, Mr. President, you are absolutely wrong, full stop.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Brooke, and don't forget I mean, this is how many days a week -- I don't know -- I have lost track of time -- after a pipe bomber targeted people, including the media, including CNN, because the president has been screaming about fake news. And it seems that that is now sort of out of his mind, as is the call for civility, et cetera, et cetera.