Should Trump Try To Tone Down His Supporters?; Clinton: World Leaders Asking How To Stop Trump; Historical Context of Political Protests.
BERMAN: All right, the protests in the Donald Trump rallies right now -- really the violence, not just the protests. So much to talk in the political atmosphere right now, but where does this anger rank in history? Joining us now, CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. He's the author of a new book, "Rightful Heritage, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America". Doug, thanks so much for being with us.</s>DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Thanks for having me.</s>BERMAN: Look, we've seen some pretty awful pictures over the last three days, particularly what happened Friday night with people fighting at this event. And the minute that that happened Friday night we had a lot of people say hey, you know what? This reminds me of George Wallace. This reminds me of a man who was a Democrat -- governor of Alabama -- who ran for president a few times, and in some cases, flat out incited violence. He called on his supporters to beat people up.</s>BRINKLEY: Not only did he call to beat people up but he got shot, himself, in Maryland.</s>BERMAN: That's a whole other thing, though, we can get to also.</s>BRINKLEY: Yes, it does ring the Wallace bell, I think. I read Donald Trump is stealing pages from the Wallace playbook of playing racial politics -- kind of incendiary political posturing, but he mixes it with Richard Nixon. So he is both the Wallace populist and then the Nixon enemies' list guy. A revenge driven -- I'll send a tweet and destroy you. So, it's very Nixonian and Wallace combined into one person.</s>CAMEROTA: And how about the protests that we've begun seeing on this scale. Have you seen that historically?</s>BRINKLEY: In our lifetime, it's 1968, you would see. I mean, just look at footage from the Democratic Convention in '68 and watching Dan Rather getting hit, and the police barricades, and Mayor Daley spraying tear gas. Imagine Cleveland this year if this kind of hatred keeps simmering -- the protests you're going to have at the Republican Convention if Trump's the nominee. It almost guarantees some sorts of violence or mass arrests.</s>BERMAN: And you mentioned George Wallace being shot at an event in Maryland. Donald Trump -- the man ran up on stage with him this weekend. The secret service protected Donald Trump. The Trump campaign keenly aware of the history there. They put out a tweet this morning and they posted some video of Ronald Reagan from when he was president in 1992, and then there was a protestor who jumped up on stage with Ronald Reagan. And the Trump team -- in a tweet they said, "Reagan & his team didn't seem to have it easy either. LET'S WIN." So, obviously, Trump essentially saying he's a target just like Ronald Reagan, but you're playing with fire here. I mean, there have been presidential candidates, obviously, who've been at great risk.</s>BRINKLEY: Well, definitely playing with fire. I mean, the whole 60's is marred by the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. The killing of RKF in Los Angeles in '68 turned the politics of that year upside down. Eventually, Humphrey becomes the nominee, but Wallace then created the American Party -- his third party. And in that case you had a Democratic Party split. Now, we're seeing a Republican Party split into, much like in 1912 when Theodore Roosevelt created the Bull Moose Party and broke away from the attacked Republicans, which were the establishment.</s>CAMEROTA: But, historically speaking, is this a moment where Donald Trump could change the rhetoric? Could his leadership -- if he toned the rhetoric and stopped saying punch that guy in thenose, take that guy out on a stretcher -- or do these demonstrations take on a life of their own? Can he influence the tenor at these rallies?</s>BRINKLEY: Well, look, when Franklin Roosevelt became president, what was his inaugural? We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Trying to stop the fear in America. What's Donald Trump doing? Be afraid, be afraid, they're coming to take our guns, you know. Islamic terrorists are in your back yard. He's a fear monger, and you're asking a fear monger to stop doing what he's doing while he's successful at doing it -- unlikely.</s>BERMAN: Why would he do it? Why would he stop doing it if it's working?</s>BRINKLEY: Yes.</s>BERMAN: And it is working.</s>BRINKLEY: But the problem is it destroys any sense of civility in our country and it makes the United States a laughing stock around the world right now. They can't believe that we're really taking a guy that's willing to use this inflammatory rhetoric of the hard right -- almost a neofascism -- that we're willing to take it seriously.</s>CAMEROTA: I mean, and of course, people are getting hurt. That's the other downside. It's not just rhetoric. People are, actually, getting hurt at his rallies.</s>BERMAN: You have a book coming out -- or now out -- on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and we were just talking -- people forget that FDR was shot at during the transition period from when he was first elected to when he was inaugurated.</s>BRINKLEY: That's right. I write in my book about when FDR goes down to Miami or goes on holiday just to get a little rest before the inauguration. He went to a rally and was waving at everybody and a crazy, anarchist, would-be assassin started firing multiple bullets into the crowd, and one killed the mayor of Chicago. But, FDR got out of that unscraped, unhurt, but he did drive immediately to the hospital with the mayor's head in his lap, holding the mayor's hand. And the mayor died as soon as he got to the hospital.</s>CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh -- so graphic and, obviously, that's all in your new book. Historically speaking, what do you make of this current race? Do you think that we have -- I know you've likened this to 1968 -- have we often been here before?</s>BRINKLEY: Well, we're a country with a lot of violence in politics. And if you look at the 19th century it's just replete. There were duels all the time. Hamilton's in right now. You had the great duel with Aaron Burr, but that's just the famous duel. They were duel --</s>BERMAN: He actually killed dudes.</s>BRINKLEY: -- could kill people. And there are duels all the time, and caning was big in Congress. When they would start arguing, you'd just start whacking people with canes. So there is this violence involved with our politics. However, this is the 21st century and we would like to think that we've matured. But I'm afraid the opposite's happened because of the media -- the Internet now. We're getting images so if somebody gets roughed up today -- it used to be maybe in the back of a newspaper, there was a fist fight at this rally. Now, it's put in front of us 24/7 and we're all talking about it. And I think it helps raise the anxiety levels -- the Internet's ability now to spread the fear.</s>BERMAN: Thanks for the leadership. Douglas Brinkley, thanks for being us. Really appreciate it.</s>BRINKLEY: Thank you.</s>BERMAN: We have a whole lot going on this morning. A lot of news, including last night's Democratic town hall right here on CNN. Let's get to it.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Get him out of here.</s>GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is no place for a national leader to prey on the fears of people.</s>SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have a presidential candidate telling his supporters punch that guy in the face.</s>TRUMP: Knock the crap out of him, would you?</s>SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump, on a regular basis, incites his crowds.</s>SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Nobody is talking about building a wall around the United States. I beg your pardon. There is one guy who is talking about building a wall.</s>CLINTON: The Republicans have been after me for 25 years.</s>SANDER: The only way we really transform this country is when people stand up and fight back.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was just an airstrike here in the town of Arrehad (ph).</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Arriving on the scene our team found chaos and carnage.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.</s>CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Monday, March 14th, 8:00 in the east. Chris and Michaela are off this morning. John Berman joins us and we have a lot to talk about. So much happened over the weekend, so let's get to that because there's been violence at Donald Trump's rallies taking center stage ahead of Tuesday's crucial primaries. Trump under fire from Republicans and Democratic rivals after several incidents this weekend. A defiant Trump rejecting any responsibility for them.</s>BERMAN: Democratic hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders -- they just lit into Donald Trump during a CNN town hall in Ohio. All this as voters head to the polls tomorrow in five states, including huge winner-take-all contests for the Republicans in Florida and Ohio. That really could reshape this race. It could end it.