CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Cory Booker

Interview

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TAPPER: Profiles in courage on Capitol Hill -- Phil Mattingly, thanks so much.

Joining me now on the phone is New Jersey Democratic senator and 2020 presidential candidate, Cory Booker.

Senator Booker, thanks so much for joining us. I know you're running around Iowa. It's tough to get you on the phone, so I appreciate it.

The president denied his attack was racist. Take a listen to what he had to say.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And all I'm saying if they're not happy here, they can leave. They can leave and you know what -- I'm sure that they'll be many people that won't miss them.

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TAPPER: What's your reaction to that? SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): My

reaction is this is clearly bigoted, vile, dangerous language. This is the president that is trafficking in the same kind of toxic talk that white supremacist use on their platforms, what they proffer to try to divide the country and attack Americans. I never imagined that I would hear language like this coming from a president of the United States, endangering frankly, if you look at white supremacist violent attacks that we've seen in the country, he is literally fanning the flames of racial violence.

And to me, this is outrageous and unacceptable, and it is driving deep hurt and division in our country. The president should be a uniter, should bring our country together, should remind us that the lines that divide us are not strong as the ties that bind us, and dear God, he's ripping at the fabric of our country for his own political gain and proffering a brand of racism that we should hope will be the last time you ever hear that kind of language from a United States president.

TAPPER: Well, that's interesting that you mentioned he's doing it for his own political gain because the president continues his attacks today on Twitter. He wrote, quote: If Democrats want to unite around the foul language and racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular and unrepresentative congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out, unquote.

Do you think that the president going after these women in such a nakedly racist way might be effective for the president in rallying his base and getting re-elected?

BOOKER: No. No. I have faith in this nation. I have faith in who we are.

I just believe that this is not only going to be a strategy that leads to his political demise but it's going to rise up the conscience of this country to fight him and this sentiment in our country. And this is a time when Americans, it turns their stomach, I know this. I know this from Republicans. This is vile, vile trafficking and hatred and bigotry and divisiveness and it will not work.

We've had it before in our country. We've seen it from the know nothing party against Irish-Italians. We've seen from national radio hosts like Father Coughlin and his anti-Semitic screed. We've seen this brand of demagoguery and hatred before, and they've always been taken down, not by any individual party, but by the good conscience of Americans that rose up and said we are better than this. This is not who we are.

We are a nation that was called to put indivisible into a one nation that's under God.

TAPPER: Let me ask you, put aside for a second, if you can, the president's racist attack on these congresswomen and his record on these issues. Democrats have found issues with things that Congresswoman Omar and Congresswoman Tlaib have said. Some of your supporters have said that they made bigoted comments, certainly anti- Semitic.

What do you say to a voter who says, you know what, Senator Booker, I'm so offended by what President Trump said, but I'm also been offended by things I've heard from Democrats, like Omar and Tlaib, I'm offended by things I've heard from Farrakhan who a lot of Democrats are friendly with it? What do you have to say about that?

BOOKER: I actually don't agree with what you said. And I disagree with what Omar said. I found it problematic and I still remember her actually reflecting upon it and apologizing.

So this -- to even create an equivalency between what the president of the United States is saying, the vileness that -- of what he speaks, the unrelenting attacks, they are not just attacks on the four women, he said go back to where you came from, it is attacks on all who are here of ethnic descent. All, not just black folks or Latino folks, I'm talking about immigrants, Irish, people whose family came to Ellis Island. What the hell is he talking about?

[16:25:01] This is vile. This is racist. This is not -- you can't make it an equivalency in any way to -- to what they have said.

And he's doing it from the White House. He's doing it from the highest office in the land. What I know this country yearns for is the president should be someone that should not get into the gutter with white supremacists using their language, using tactics. They should be rising up to call us to come together at a time when we still have difficult racial issues and at a time you see a lot of problems that need to be healed and addressed.

He's failing miserably --

TAPPER: Senator Cory Booker, thank you so much for your time. Good luck out there on the campaign trail. Stay safe.

BOOKER: Thank you.

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