CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with former Gov. John Hickenlooper

Interview

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BLITZER: Breaking news, during a speech this afternoon in Wisconsin, President Trump lamented that he isn't able to use military force in the southern border of the United States. Earlier, he confirmed immigration raids targeting thousands of undocumented immigrants will begin on Sunday. Something a senior administration official says is, quote, "head scratching and could jeopardize the entire operation."

Joining us now in "THE SITUATION ROOM" is Democratic presidential candidate, the former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Governor, thank you so much for joining us.

JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D-CO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Wolf. Thanks for having me on.

BLITZER: So Denver, of course, state capital of Colorado. It is on the target list of these 10 cities that the administration wants to raid looking for undocumented migrants. What would you have done if you were still governor of Colorado in response to this upcoming I.C.E. operation? HICKENLOOPER: Well, I was mayor of Denver before I was governor so I think we and there are a number of laws that have gone through the judicial review, but the local safety, the state patrol, the local police are not intended to try and help the federal government do their immigration work. So that's the first place.

The second question you've really got to ask is why would the president create this sense of terror and hysteria - I mean if they've been found by a judge they should be deported in most cases, probably they committed some sort of violent crime. Well let's go through the process and be transparent. Let's have a priority list and do things the way that those of us who have actually been successful in governing, these are the processes that work. Why won't he do that?

BLITZER: The president says I.C.E. is focusing in on going after criminals and that Democrats like you, he says, are resisting his immigration policies because you want open borders. Do you want open borders?

HICKENLOOPER: No, I've said -- when I first ran for mayor in 2003 and I've never run for student council but you got to have borders that work and I believe you got to have laws that are obeyed. But that means we've got to go a comprehensive resolution of our immigration issues and that starts with making sure we have a humanitarian process at the border for the refugees that are coming, I think it means we also go back to making significant investments in Guatemala and El Salvador and Honduras to make sure that there is not a source of those refugees. But then we also have to make sure that we have a system here for all of the people that are here undocumented right now and make sure that -- we're not going to deport 11 million people. Let's get to a conclusion whereby this country can continue to move forward and be the beacon of freedom and hope that it has been from the very beginning.

BLITZER: A lot of Democrats and Republicans here in Washington and on Capitol Hill, they would like comprehensive immigration reform but they're not yet ready to take up that matter.

Let's talk a little bit while I have you governor about your presidential campaign. In a CNN poll just after the first Democratic primary debate, you registered at less than 1 percent. What are you going to do differently during CNN's debate later this month in order to stand out from the pack?

HICKENLOOPER: Well, I'm going to keep pushing that I am the - really the one person running who is actually done what everyone else is talking about. Colorado got to universal background checks, gun safety, we got to near universal health care coverage, we became the number one economy in the country. I mean people cared about that. I think now I've got to draw a better vision of what that means for the future of America and what means to have an economy that is really roaring forward but at the same time with the highest environmental standards, the highest ethical standards and making sure that we begin to re-grow the middle class.

BLITZER: According to a report in "The Washington Post," as you probably know, several of your top aides supposedly left your campaign because they advised to you drop your presidential bid and instead run for the Senate against the Republican incumbent Senator Cory Gardner. First of all, is that true?

HICKENLOOPER: Well, we had a disruption, let's call it that and not -- several weeks ago. You know in business, in politics, I've rebooted a number of times and oftentimes things have dramatically improved and I'm in Iowa now, I'm going to be in New Hampshire early next week and we're drawing that clear distinction that we were able to get the environmental community and the oil and gas industry to actually create methane regulations, right, methane, 25 times worse than CO2 for climate change.

[17:25:12] We were the one place where we could get it done. I think that message resonates with people in Iowa and I think it resonates with people in New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada.

BLITZER: Democrats certainly, as you know, could use another Senate seat. If your campaign, Governor, were to fail, and not gather the momentum you clearly want, would you consider dropping out of your presidential bid in exchange for a run at the Senate? You're a former two-term governor. You're popular in Colorado. You would potentially represent a significant threat to the Republican incumbent.

HICKENLOOPER: Well, Wolf, at this point I'm a 100 percent focused on trying to be the Democratic nominee for president and I feel like not only can I beat Trump, and I think in many ways I'm the one person that could legitimately say I'll beat him in Ohio, in Michigan and Pennsylvania and North Carolina. I created a strong economy. I've created those jobs but I think I can also bring the country together on the other side. And I think I've got a responsibility to myself and I think to the country that I've got to give it 100 percent. So I'm not -- people call or ask me questions that I don't even pay attention. I'm very, very focused on here is who I am, here is what I did in Colorado, here's how I can expand that for the United States of America.

BLITZER: One of your Democratic rivals, Senator Kamala Harris is directly taking on the front-runner Joe Biden. I want you to listen to what she had to say, an exchange she had today about the former vice president and his behavior in the last debate.

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SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're on a debate stage and if you have not prepared and you're not ready for somebody to point out a difference of opinion about the history of segregation in our country and what was necessary to deal with that, which at that time was busing, then you're probably not ready.

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BLITZER: Do you think her attack on Joe Biden is fair game?

HICKENLOOPER: Well, you could tell that the campaign is picking up steam when people are beginning to sharpen their tools and begin to attack each other. I don't think that is in the best interest of the country and I understand how that works. I still never have done a negative ad. I've never come out and attacked my opponents. Doesn't mean I don't draw a clear line of distinction and I'm open about those places where President Trump has made promises that haven't been fulfilled, but I think it is -- it is certainly in the Democratic primary if we're not careful and I think this also gets to the massive expansion of government that some of the Democrats are proposing. We got to make sure we don't help re-elect President Trump. You know I would argue he's one of the worst presidents we've ever had. We don't want to give him any extra assistance.

BLITZER: Governor Hickenlooper, thank you so much for joining us. Good luck out there on the campaign trail.

HICKENLOOPER: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

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