Transcript: Mayor Bill de Blasio Appears Live On CNN’s New Day

March 14, 2016

Alisyn Camerota: Our next guest is not mincing words about Trump’s motivations saying in a tweet, “I didn’t realize this was in question. Behaves like a racist, speaks like a racist… of course @realDonaldTrump is a racist.” Let’s bring in New York City’s Mayor, Bill de Blasio. Mayor, thanks so much for being here. That’s the strongest language that we’ve heard yet. What do you mean Donald Trump behaves like a racist?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: He separates us, he divides us  - very openly and for his own purposes politically - for his own purposes strategically. He - look at what’s he said about the KKK. At first when he was asked if he would accept support from David Duke, you saw how long he hesitated. He said nothing about what the KKK has done in our history. So, he’s basically suggesting that people who like the KKK that he’s their candidate. Look what he said about Muslims; look what he said about Mexicans. It’s a clear pattern of division and using race as a wedge and using it as a strategic tool. That’s racism. And by the way, this is the worst kind of racism. It’s cynical racism for his own political gain.

Camerota: You’re talking about his words, but don’t actions speak louder than words. Do you have illustrations of Donald Trump - say - not hiring someone because they were black or passing someone over because they were Hispanic? Can you - when you say he behaves like a racist, is that going too far?

Mayor: No because I think in this case he’s on the national stage. He’s a frontrunner for his Republican - for the Republican nomination. His words are his actions in this case. He is literally encouraging people to feel negative things about people other than them. In fact, he’s taking advantage of it politically. He’s trying to encourage people who have negative feelings towards other kinds of people to see him as their standard-bearer. And then he’s encouraging violence toward people who are different - whether it’s that they have different political beliefs or let’s face it, if you look at these rallies the division in the rallies is clearly - a lot of the times - demographic as well. And he’s openly stroking that violence. He’s encouraging it; he’s supporting it. He’s lauding it when it happens. Look, we’ve seen these kinds of historical parallels before - the xenophobia, the racism, the call to violence. This is when democracies start to breakdown a little bit - when someone like this emerges and they’re not stopped and they’re not countered. So, this is the moment when people have to stand up and say Donald Trump doesn’t represent our democracy.

Camerota: Donald Trump says that outside organizations like moveon.org - basically professional protesters are being flooded to his rallies, and they’re the ones who are stirring up the unrest. Do they bear any responsibility for going in and trying to disrupt his rallies?

Mayor: Trying to disrupt someone who is trying to divide America - I  have no problem with whatsoever - peacefully, peacefully the appropriate way. Go to someone else’s rally and hold a counter-rally - that’s fine. But then to see him say let’s beat him up - you know - and, of course, I’ll pay the legal bills for someone who does beat them up. I mean, this is not normal, let’s be clear about that. The American tradition is a peaceful political protest. You don’t see candidates encouraging violence. We did back in the segregationist days, right? George Wallace and others - my wife tweeted about this - George Wallace and others used to literally call for violence on a campaign trail, and people thought that was normal because that was during the segregation period. But to have a guy it 2016 say I’d like to punch him or we should punch him that is suggesting, again, that we can somehow - that it is acceptable for a leader in our society to call for violence where people have different views or look different. And with Donald Trump the two concepts are not that far apart. Remember, how did we first start hearing a lot about him - with what he said Mexican-Americans; painted the entire community with a broad brush. And then -

Camerota: Well, Mexicans - not Mexican-Americans. He was talking about Mexicans and he was saying that they send criminals across the border.

Mayor: Right, but the problem is one after another he paints Mexicans with a broad brush. He paints Muslims with a broad brush. He doesn’t condemn the KKK. One thing - how many times do we have to see it to understand this is a racist appeal for votes? And now he is encouraging violence to go with it. This is not normal in American politics, and it is dangerous.

Camerota: So, both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton say that they are best equipped to beat him in a general election. Bernie Sanders says because he is most consistently beating him with the highest margin in the polls, and Hillary Clinton says basically because she’s been battle tested for the past 25 years. What do you think about that argument because he has threatened to basically throw the kitchen sink at her - if he runs against her in the general he’s going to bring up her husband’s sexual past. He’s going to go anywhere he needs to. And I guess I’m wondering is the American public prepared for that level of fight that might ensue?

Mayor: Hillary Clinton has been through every conceivable kind of political fight, and she is battle tested. By the way, here’s why she’s going to win - because she has the best ideas about how to address the underlying frustration in this country. What’s going on is economic. People are upset that they’re standard of living has actually gone backwards. They don’t feel there’s economic opportunity. They feel their kids are going to be worse off than they are. That’s what’s really going on. Trump has very masterfully tapped into that economic frustration and layered it over with a racial appeal and a divisive appeal. What Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both are doing is they are talking about the core reality of income inequality and how to address it; how to restore the middle-class, the need to tax the wealthy and stop the concentration of wealth and power in the one percent. Now, Hillary Clinton - what we can say about her is - she knows how to fight. And she’s had the kitchen sink thrown at her and she doesn’t stop. So, I have a lot of confidence in the Democratic nominee that she’ll do what the Republicans haven’t been doing. And this is what’s so amazing, Alisyn - Republicans aren’t talking about the fact that Donald Trump is a billionaire and part of the class of people that brought us a lot of these problems that we’re experiencing. Republicans are not talking about his many failed businesses. They’re not talking about the fact that he walked onto the stage of business privileged by his inheritance from his father.

Camerota: Well, I mean they’re trying to talk about it. They have mentioned some of these things at debates, but it doesn’t seem to effect his supporters. They understand he’s a billionaire - he touts that. Everyone knows that - they know he got an inheritance. 

Mayor: But the Republicans do not connect it to the fact that this society has become so unfair economically - maybe because the Republicans are compromised by their own beliefs and their own involvement in the wrong kind of policies. But what Hillary Clinton can do is say, look, here’s the problem in America - Donald Trump is a part of the class of people who brought you this problem. Donald Trump hasn’t done a thing to try to address these problems. Donald Trump has benefitted from the concentration of wealth and power in the one percent. Hillary can go right at him in ways his Republican opponents never have.

Camerota: Mayor Bill de Blasio - Hillary Clinton supporter in case people haven’t figured that out - great to have you on New Day.

Mayor: Thank you, Alisyn.

Camerota: Thanks so much.