Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) Discuss President Trump's Reaction To The Chants Of The Crowd; Trump Says His Supporters Who Were Chanting "Send Her Back" Are People "That Love Our Country"
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: ... opposition, politicians, journalists and celebrities. Police had used tear gas on the crowds which have numbered in the 10s of thousands. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Thanks for watching. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, President Trump says he didn't like the racist chant at his rally, but that chant was based on his racist tweets, so does he really mean it? Plus, the U.S. brings down an Iranian drone with tensions escalating. What happens now? And a heartbreaking story that you won't see anywhere else, a father stopped at the border unable to see his daughter in the United States and when he finally is allowed in, it's too late. Let's go out front. Good evening, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan in for Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the tape doesn't lie. President Trump trying to rewrite history as the backlash grows over the racist send her back chant at his rally directed at Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The president now insisting he didn't like it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When your supporters last night were chanting sent her back, why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you ask them to stop saying that?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, number one, I think I did. I started speaking very quickly. It really was a loud - I disagree with it, by the way. But it was quite a chant and I felt a little bit badly about it. But I will say this, I did and I started speaking very quickly.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you'll stop them if they try to do it again.</s>TRUMP: Well, I didn't like that they did it and I started speaking very quickly. I started very quickly.</s>BOLDUAN: Very, very quickly, that is contradicted by the video. Just watch.</s>TRUMP: Omar has a history of launching vicious anti-semitic screeds.</s>CROWD: Send her back. Send her back. Send her back. Send her back. Send her back. Send her back. Send her back. Send her back. Send her back.</s>TRUMP: And she talked about the evil Israel and it's all about the Benjamins, not a good thing to say.</s>BOLDUAN: Thirteen seconds, that chant went on and the President didn't stop it, seemed to soak it in. That's not speaking very quickly at all. That's letting them finish before you continue on your attack. And if the President would like to know how you shut down a racist remark that might happen at a rally or at any presidential event, this is how you do it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab. He is not ...</s>FORMER SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ): No, ma'am. No, ma'am.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No?</s>MCCAIN: No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He's a decent family man citizen that I just happened to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about. He's not, thank you.</s>BOLDUAN: So there is that. But no matter what the President says today, let's be clear about one thing, this didn't start last night. That chant clearly didn't come out of thin air. It started with his tweet four days ago. They got the chant from the President. It's also noteworthy the President has tried this before and I'm talking about the last rallying cry from his rallies, "Lock her up." Well, here he is in 2016.</s>TRUMP: When I started talking about Hillary Clinton, the veterans who saw her 24 hours before started screaming, "Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up." And I said, don't do that. Now, I didn't do that for any reason. I really - I didn't like it and they stopped.</s>BOLDUAN: They really did not as we well know because that chant is still happening. In fact, it just happened at his rally in Florida last month.</s>CROWD: Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up.</s>BOLDUAN: See him stopping them there? We've been here before, so it is somewhat hard to believe the President when he says he's suddenly offended by this chant at his rallies now. Pamela Brown is out front live outside the White House for us. Pamela, why is the President trying to pretend that he tried to step in when he clearly didn't and did nothing when those chants continued?</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, after pressure from allies of President Trump is now saying he disavows that send her back chant at his rally last night and made sure he claims that it didn't last long, but there's no going back because the video tells a different story. Showing, as you point out, 13 seconds of the chants going louder and louder as the President stood and listened before speaking again. Now, defenders note he didn't join in on the chant, but the President told the audience just minutes later, Kate, to tell the four progressive Democratic congresswomen to leave if they don't like him or the country. Now, the President, of course, could have come to the opinion he didn't like the chant upon reflection today, but we have learned that many people in his inner circle, including his daughter Ivanka expressed concern to the White House, the President himself, that the chant could come to define another dark and racially charged campaign. The President also, Kate, dismissing the idea that he himself set the stage for the chant with his racist tweet a few days ago that the four congresswomen dubbed the squad should go back to the crime infested countries where they came from. Now, we should note the women have made controversial statements in the past, including about Israel and immigration. And White House defenders, they are quick to refocus the conversation on exactly that, Kate, their politics, not their race, claiming that they're radical and socialist. And that could be a window into Trump's 2020 strategy to make the four women as the face of the Democratic Party.</s>BOLDUAN: Yes. Take on people's positions all you want, but when you take them on race that's when you get into where he is right now. Thanks, Pamela. I appreciate it.</s>BROWN: Thank you.</s>BOLDUAN: Out front with me tonight Democratic Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence of Michigan. Congresswoman, thank you for being here.</s>REP. BRENDA LAWRENCE BRENDA (D-MI): Thank you so much, Kate.</s>BOLDUAN: The President says that he wasn't happy with the chants at his rally last night. You heard Pam's great reporting. He said he disagrees with it. If he really is disavowing those in his own remarks, is that good enough for you?</s>LAWRENCE: No, it's not. Listening to that crowd and I have repeatedly told friends of mine what scares me more right now in America is not so much Donald Trump, but the masses of people who seem empowered by his racist, his just really hateful comments and people are just soaking that up. So when you look at history, being a black woman in America and knowing there was a time where they would have gatherings of people in Lynch, black people, and it was considered a social event. Knowing that the Nazis used to gather up human beings and murder them and people embrace that and cheered on those leaders. This is what's so scary about this. We are in a democracy. We have freedom of speech. We can engage in dialogue and we should. This amazing democracy we have was not built on a Republican agenda or a democratic agenda. It was the two parties coming together just ironing out their differences and producing some of the best laws and policies in the world. But when we start addressing people and using these racist comments, that's where the fear factor comes in. That's where this releasing of it's OK for you to attack another person, what does going back to another country, what are you saying? As a young black girl, I remember hearing those racist remarks on the playground. "You monkey, go back to Africa." That is real. This is not a joke and he may not like it, but what are you going to do about it, Mr. President?</s>BOLDUAN: You said the masses. I will play for you what the President said, kind of his message to his supporters would be, because he was asked today what his message is to his supporters who were chanting that last night. Let me play that for you.</s>TRUMP: Well, these are people that love our country. I want them to keep loving our country and I think the Congresswomen, by the way, should be more positive than they are.</s>BOLDUAN: What do you say to that?</s>LAWRENCE: I say to that if you love this country, then you love the diversity of it. You can't love America and not appreciate that the greatness of this country is based on this influence and the contributions of people from all over the world that came together to call this place home. So loving America does not mean that you exclude people, loving America means that you embrace this democracy. And I will say to anyone, you have the right to support Donald Trump. If you think his policies are one that will move this country forward, you have that right. And I do not demonize anyone to be in that stadium and say that's my guy for President. But what I will say is that when you start chanting and embracing this thing of attacking and using racist rhetoric, and laughing and cheering as if that is America, that is not America. And we must stand up against it. We cannot allow it. There's been some dark times in America and we always stood up against it and stopped it and get this country back on track.</s>BOLDUAN: One thing that has come out of this week and what's happened with the tweets and this was before the chants, is the impeachment vote on the House floor. You were one of the 95 Democrats who voted in support of the impeachment proceedings that were voted on yesterday against the President, 157 democrats did not vote with you on this. So did this effort backfire?</s>LAWRENCE: I was sent to Congress to speak truth to power. I was sent to Congress not to join a club. I was sent there to represent the people and fight for the people. I am confronted daily of how this President has disregarded the laws and policies. I'm on government oversight. We are conducting hearing, after hearing, after hearing. I have been confronted with a president who has broken so many rules. We have criminal investigations.</s>BOLDUAN: Then did 157 Democrats not vote with you on that?</s>LAWRENCE: I will tell you where my vote was. It is time for us in America like we have repeatedly for Democrats and Republican presidents that when we see this type of blatant disregard for rules and policy that we begin in investigation. I continue to say that. I stand by that and if this investigation does not find this president guilty, then he will be exonerated, but I cannot sit here. Knowing the oath of office in the constitution that says this power rests in Congress and I feel that we should go forward with the impeachment hearings.</s>BOLDUAN: Congresswoman, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate your time.</s>LAWRENCE: Thank you so much.</s>BOLDUAN: OUTFRONT for us next, the 2020 candidates slamming President Trump for the racist chants at his rally as well.</s>SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's horrific. It's vile. It's offensive.</s>SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This President just keep finding new lows.</s>BOLDUAN: But, will a reelection strategy rooted in racism work in 2020? Plus, the U.S. Navy destroys an Iranian drone weeks after the Iranians did the same thing. Where does this go next? Plus, we are less than an hour away now from finding out which Democratic candidates are going to face off against each other, which stage, which night. We're going to break down the possible matchups, coming up.