Donald Trump Speaking at NC Rally; Trump, Clinton Exchanging Fire Over National Security; Clinton: Trump Clearly Has Something to Hide in Tax Returns; Trump Charity's Donation to Florida A.G. Questioned
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, the breaking news. Donald Trump speaking live right now. New poll showing the race almost in a dead heat. Plus, Hillary Clinton demanding Donald Trump release his tax returns insisting he clearly has something to hide. And FOX settling a sexual harassment suit against ex-CEO Roger Ailes for $20 million. That same Roger Ailes now advising Donald Trump. Let's go OUTFRONT. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. Donald Trump speaking right now as you see at a major rally in the crucial swing state of North Carolina. The two candidates going head to head today. Trump speaking right now on national security and hitting Hillary Clinton over who would make a better commander-in- chief. Trump says Clinton will be no match for Vladimir Putin.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Putin looks at her and he laughs, okay? He laughs. Putin, Putin looks at Hillary Clinton and he smiles. Boy, would he like to see her. That would be easy.</s>BURNETT: Clinton losing no time firing back questioning Trump's judgment on the war against ISIS.</s>HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He says he has a secret plan to defeat ISIS, but the secret is he has no plan.</s>BURNETT: And in what might be the most surprising comment of the day, Senator Lindsey Graham. Now, remember, he's the guy who once compared voting for Trump to getting shot and that was maybe one of the nicer things he had to say. Here is what he just said a couple of moments ago.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Trump is getting better.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What makes you say that?</s>GRAHAM: Just the polling, and you can see more disciplined message. If he can hold it together for another eight weeks she's had massive political body blows that would knock anybody else out, and if he can cross the line in the eyes of the public of being ready for the job, then I think you're going to have one hell of a race.</s>BURNETT: That's a pretty stunning thing coming from Lindsey Graham and here's the hell of a race that you see. Right now, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, this is a virtual tie in our new national poll here at CNN. Forty five, 43, Trump slightly on top obviously in the margin there. Sara Murray OUTFRONT tonight at the Trump rally in Greenville, North Carolina. And Sara, Trump is really trying to chip away at Clinton's strong suit today. National security, going right for it where you are.</s>SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Donald Trump and his advisers believe that she has weaknesses that they can expose in this arena. He was in Virginia earlier today when he lobbed some attacks earlier. We are expecting him to keep that up tonight right here in North Carolina.</s>MURRAY (voice-over): In his final sprint the presidential race is coming down to a dead heat and quickly turning into a political dogfight.</s>TRUMP: Hillary likes to play tough with Russia. Putin looks at her and he laughs.</s>CLINTON: He says he has a secret plan to defeat ISIS, but the secret is he has no plan.</s>MURRAY: Today Donald Trump is looking to bolster his national security credential.</s>TRUMP: We have problems, folks. We have to figure it out, and if we don't figure it out we have to be careful and vigilant and strong.</s>MURRAY: While Clinton jabs at Trump for lacking the temperament to be commander-in-chief.</s>CLINTON: We'll going to work with our allies, not insult them. We're going to stand up to our adversaries, not cozy up to them.</s>MURRAY: That as the new CNN/ORC poll shows him trailing Clinton by five points on the commander-in-chief test. Trump appearing with retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as he slammed Clinton's leadership abilities and called for closer ties with Russia.</s>TRUMP: Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with Russia. We have to get along with certain nations very importantly because it would be awfully good to have Russia and others with us on major attacks on</s>ISIS. MURRAY: The Trump campaign also rolling out a roster of 88 retired military leaders who say they're backing the bombastic billionaire, but not without some reservations.</s>BRIGADIER GENERAL REMO BUTLER, U.S. ARMY (ret.): I think they are working in the right direction, and again, I'm here because some of his people on his campaign reached out to me. So, yes, you're not doing it perfectly, but you're getting there.</s>MURRAY: That as Clinton tries to make the case that Trump is too big a risk to take with America's national security.</s>CLINTON: This November the American people have a big choice to make when it comes to national security. On the one hand we have Donald Trump who has called the American military a disaster. Who disrespects our military leaders by saying, and I quote, "I know more about ISIS than the generals do."</s>MURRAY: Now, Donald Trump has been going after Hillary Clinton on immigration policy so far tonight here in North Carolina. But we are also expecting him to attack her on another issue when it comes to national security and that's from the private e-mail server. He is expected to make the point that she jeopardized national security by using that and that it disqualifies her from the presidency -- Erin.</s>BURNETT: All right. Sara, thank you very much. As we said live where Trump is speaking. As we monitor that, I want to go to John King right now in front of Washington. And John, I mean, the polls are pretty stunning here. You know as we said, a few weeks ago, people were talking about a possible landslide for Clinton and the polls looked bad for Trump. Now you have a statistical dead heat and he's technically on top.</s>JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR, "INSIDE POLITICS": And let's look at the numbers Erin and I'll tell you this, Donald Trump was bragging about this number today from our new poll. It's the first national poll in a long time that shows Trump on top. Forty five-43 among likely voters. That's a statistical tie but it does have Trump on top. I can tell you this, Erin, inside the Trump campaign though, his own pollsters are telling them their numbers still show Clinton narrowly ahead. The Clinton campaign says, their numbers show her narrowly ahead but there is this poll that will help Donald Trump raise money and give him bragging rights. This is among likely voters, 45-43 and we'll see his other polls come out if they're match by the Trump in the lead. But let's just look at registered voters, Erin. There is no question there is a tightening in this race and that Hillary Clinton has lost her post-convention glow. Right after the convention among registered voters, she was up eight points. In our new data, she is up just three points. So, there is no question the glow is coming off. One of the reasons on the issues, I could list several. But let's just look at an issue number one, the economy. After her convention, she was about tied with Donald Trump after months of being behind him on the question of who can better handle the economy, now Trump has a 15-point lead among registered voters. One more quick one, Erin, we have been talking to a lot the last couple of weeks, Hillary Clinton's e-mail, the Clinton Foundation. Look at this question, which candidate is more honest and trustworthy. Not all they're honest and trustworthy, which candidate is more honest and trustworthy. After the convention Trump had an eight-point lead. Fifteen points now in our new data. No question, the character question is about e-mails and fund-raising and hurting Hillary Clinton.</s>BURNETT: Which is a pretty stunning gap as you point now, 15 points. Now, you can look though at that poll and then you say, all right, that would be how the popular vote goes of course as we have now seen in this country, it doesn't really matter, right? It's the state by state and what do you see there?</s>KING: So, that's what we need to watch now. We need to watch and see if the state by state polls come out and show anything like our new national poll. Because right now it is advantage Hillary Clinton. Right now, by CNN projections if the elections were today, Erin, never mind, one, two, three, four, five, yellow states, those are toss-ups, we have Hillary Clinton winning as of now, 273 electoral votes, it takes 270 with the states that are dark blue, solid Democrat and light-blue leaning Democrats. So, Donald Trump needs to change this map, let's watch in the next few weeks. But it's by no means out of reach. Donald Trump right now is only down a few points in Florida. If he could turn that around, that's the biggest states, 29 electoral votes. He's only down a couple of points in North Carolina, he has to win North Carolina, and he's only down a couple of points in Ohio. So, let's just say for the sake of argument, there is this Trump momentum starting out, and we'll see if it exists but if he can get Florida, North Carolina, Ohio in his point, then he is more in play and still needs to change something. Here is the plan. Plan A for Trump and try to change Pennsylvania. That would do it. Those four states. Plan B for Trump, Erin. He was in Virginia today. If he can't get Pennsylvania, if that stays blue, try to get Virginia which is about five point, Clinton lead right now in average. And then get Iowa. So, at the moment, that would do it for Donald Trump. At the moment, you have to go back to this map, it's advantage Clinton. Make it work. See, it works better when you do that. At the moment, advantage Clinton. But there is no question, the race is tightening, now let's watch what happens between now and that first debate in a couple of weeks.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, John King. And OUTFRONT now, Trump's supporter Kayleigh McEnany, David Brock, founder of the pro-Clinton Super Pac, Correct the Record. Monica Langley, senior special writer at the Wall Street Journal. Clinton supporter Karine Jean-Pierre who is also the national spokesperson for MoveOn.org. The co-chair of Trump's campaign in New York Joseph Borelli and Alex Burns, national political reporter at "The New York Times." David Brock, let me start with you. This is the first national poll as John said in a long time that has put Trump on top, sure a statistical margin, we don't know if others will follow. This is not something that you thought would happen again. Here we are. He's back on top. Worried?</s>DAVID BROCK, FOUNDER, CORRECT THE RECORD, A PRO-CLINTON SUPER PAC: No. You never want your candidate to be behind in a poll, but let's remember a couple of things. This race was tight in July, pre- convention. Two, what really matters is the national average of these polls, of these national polls and she's three to five points ahead there. She's ahead in I believe the average in virtually every swing state. This poll happen to weigh non-college educated whites more heavily than they turned out in 2012. That could be a right assumption but it could be wrong. And Hillary has said, she's going to campaign as an underdog whether she's ahead or not. And that's what she's doing. The more people see of her and the more they're going to like it. And the more they'll going to press her and she's going to win this race.</s>BURNETT: Trust obviously has not been going in that direction. Let's just be honest. But Kayleigh, you obviously think this is the beginning of a big momentum.</s>KAYLEIGH MCENANY, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: I do and I think we've seen it coming. You know, David mentions the average of polls while just last week CNN reported that CNN's poll of polls, that is to say the average of polls showed that he made up half the grounding of Hillary Clinton --</s>BURNETT: Yes.</s>MCENANY: -- and that was confirmed by our independent polling today and he's ahead by two and it's worth mentioning. He made up 11 points in four weeks. He's leading 20 points among Independents, that's a group Mitt Romney won by just five points. Married women, 17 points. It is not good for Hillary Clinton. This trend is so definitively --</s>BURNETT: So Karine, I want to ask you what the married woman point that she raises. Right? We always hear the women. It's just, forget about it for Donald Trump. But when you look at married women, she has a point. More than half of married women, 53 percent support Donald Trump. All right. That is an environment where frankly most of the coverage they hear is negative about Donald Trump and women. Why isn't she winning women across the board?</s>KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, NATIONAL SPOKESWOMAN, MOVEON.ORG: Well, look, I think this is one poll. We are just getting into the last two months of this election. Look, for me, I would rather have the conversation of, like, let's see when he wins Latino votes or black vote, right? Which is not going to happen. But look, what she's doing is she's putting together a Democratic coalition that helped Obama win in 2008, Obama win in 2012 and he can barely string along his Republican coalition that Romney lost by four percent, you know, in 2012. So, that's the key. You have to put together the coalition that helps you get to the win.</s>BURNETT: And Joe, are you going to do better here among women? Is that a focus? I mean, I would imagine the Trump campaign is pretty shocked about being ahead with married women.</s>JOSEPH BORELLI, NEW YORK CO-CHAIR, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Well, I think what Kayleigh said, we're leading very heavily amongst married women, so you have got to find allies where they're at. And I think it's worth noting that Trump is doing better with women than Hillary Clinton is doing with men and that's something that we never, ever hear from the media. Moreover than that, look at some of the other cross steps, Trump is absolutely killing it with enthusiasm. I think he has a 15-point lead among enthusiastic voters.</s>BURNETT: Yes.</s>BORELLI: These are people that don't live in a bubble. They see everything that's happening with Hillary Clinton and foundation of the e-mails and they're just being disgusted and turned off.</s>BURNETT: Monica, he's not leading on foreign policy, terrorism and the economy, his foreign policy, big, big drop there. Clinton is ahead of Trump by 16 point points. Trump may not be the right word. There is a big gap. Okay. Sixteen points ahead. But yet, we saw him today in Virginia, we see him now in North Carolina. Why is he spending all this time on foreign policy?</s>MONICA LANGLEY, SENIOR SPECIAL WRITER, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, that's where he needs to address his campaign. And so, he has the general with him today. And when I was traveling with him last week, he had Senator Sessions talking to him about foreign policy and national security so he's trying to go there. I talked to someone from the Clinton campaign today though, they just went up. With ads in Georgia and Arizona exactly on the point of foreign policy and national security. They're going after the women, the suburban moms because they believe that's the one area they can attract some women is because they're worried about Donald Trump's, you know, his character, his ability to stay focused and, you know, what she's always complaining about. Do you want his hand on the nuclear weapon?</s>BURNETT: And Alex today, 88 foreign military leaders sending out a letter backing Trump. Now of course, this comes after you had bipartisan groups coming out and saying, they could never vote for Trump, right? Some pretty damning indictments of him. But now he's got 884. Is that going to help him?</s>ALEX BURNS, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: I think there's no question that that's the direction that he needs to move towards.</s>BURNETT: Uh-hm.</s>BURNS: But the biggest -- for Trump declare in addition to just called the groups that he has grievously offended trying to bring back some of those people. I think what he has declared is just being seen as a possible commander-in-chief that up to this point --</s>BURNS: Right. I think that there are a lot of people who look at him and see him as, you know, a person who they sympathize with in some ways, they like some of the things that he says, is still can't imagine him as the president of the United States. Erin, I think if you look at the thing that really popped for me in your poll today was just that Trump was as high as 45 percent. I think there were a lot of people who were skeptical that he is actually ahead of Clinton at this point as John mentioned in his report. But up to this point, he's been stuck in the high 30s and 40 percent seemed like a ceiling.</s>BURNETT: Right. The ceiling has changed.</s>BURNS: If he seems credible enough to get into the low to mid-40s, suddenly you're looking at a much closer race.</s>BURNETT: Which is pretty fascinating. And again, the incredible nature of Lindsey Graham. I am being the one to say that. All right. All staying with me. Because next, we're watching Trump at this major rally in North Carolina speaking right now. Hillary Clinton is calling for Trump to release his tax returns and she says that his taxes have a story Americans must know. Plus, Trump saying the Federal Reserve tried to protect President Obama. Did he go too far? I'm going to ask my guest moneyman, Trump advisor Larry Kudlow and did Trump pay to play? It's a stunning allegation and our CNN investigation is coming up this hour.