[Costello:] And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Welcome to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where CNN's big Democratic debate will soon takes place. It's beautiful here but it's time to talk to the Republicans for just a bit. Because Donald Trump is, you know, he's really mad with his own party over delegate rules. He's actually promoting a protest. Overnight, Donald Trump tweeted, "Big protest march in Colorado on Friday afternoon. Don't let the bosses take your vote." And by bosses, Mr. Trump is referring to GOP bigwigs. But Ted Cruz referring to a decidedly different kind of boss when asked about Donald Trump's campaign tactics at CNN's town hall last night.
[Sen. Ted Cruz , Presidential Candidate:] Donald and his team, it's almost like they are subjects in a clinical course in psychology. In the last few weeks, Donald's team, Roger Stone, his chief political advisor, was threatening to out the hotel rooms of delegates whose dared to cross Trump so they could be intimidated. They're acting like union boss thugs.
[Costello:] Cruz not the only one concerned this morning. Colorado's GOP chairman says he's been getting death threats. Indiana party leaders also getting some scary messages after they said they saw no reason to help Trump supporters win delegate spots. One reads, quote, "You know, traditional burial is polluting the planet. Tom, hope the family is well. Your name and info has been given me on a list that's about to go public. We are watching you." The Trump camp is denouncing those threats but let's talk a little bit more about that and more with CNN's Sara Murray. Good morning.
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Reporter:] Good morning, Carol. Well, it is pretty clear that Donald Trump and his supporters are not backing off of their complaints on this process. And look, the Trump campaign has a full plate right now. They are staffing up. The candidate is at war with the RNC. But they have at least one less distraction to worry about, and that is their campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. It looks like he will not be prosecuted in that run in with a female reporter.
[Murray:] Sources confirmed to CNN Trump's campaign manager will not be prosecuted for battery following this altercation with former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields back in March. Fields, who could seek defamation charges against Corey Lewandowski, tweeting, "Office of prosecutor asked two weeks ago if I'd be OK with an apology from Corey. I said yes but haven't heard back about it." On the campaign trail, tense moments outside a Trump rally in Pittsburgh as hundreds of angry protesters clashed with Trump supporters. Police in riot gear tried to keep the peace. Inside, the frontrunner intensifying his war with the
[Gop. Donald Trump , Presidential Candidate:] It's a rigged system folks. The Republican system is a rigged system.
[Murray:] And doubling down on claims his party is conspiring to block him from the nomination.
[Trump:] The bosses and the establishment and the people that shouldn't have this power took all of the power away from the voters.
[Murray:] Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus firing back.
[Reince Priebus, Chairman, Rnc:] The rules are not being changed in order to injure or benefit anybody. They are what they are.
[Murray:] At CNN's town hall, Trump's main rival Ted Cruz railing against Trump's tactics and accusing his supporters of threatening delegates.
[T. Cruz:] They're acting like union boss thugs. Well, I spoke yesterday to the chairman of the Republican Party in Colorado. Trump supporters put out his home address, put out his phone numbers. He got thousands of phone calls. He got death threats. Trump supporters were telling the supporters go to his house and bring their guns. Look, violence doesn't belong in democracy, and the Trump campaign encouraging it over and over again.
[Murray:] And on a lighter note, Cruz's wife shared how the couple met.
[Heidi Cruz, Ted Cruz's Wife:] It was really love at first sight.
[Murray:] But it was their 5 and 8-year-old daughters that stole the show.
[T. Cruz:] Caroline's daddy-daughter picnic at school, which featured all the dads running and playing games, and...
[Caroline Cruz, Ted Cruz's Daughter:] My favorite.
[T. Cruz:] Your favorite was that she got to dress up Daddy in, like, this pink boa and these, like, big goofy-looking...
[Caroline Cruz:] Underwear.
[T. Cruz:] ... underwear...
[Caroline Cruz:] And actually that was on a videotape the whole time.
[T. Cruz:] Uh-oh.
[Caroline Cruz:] And now it's a class video that they're sending out to all the parents.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Oh really?
[Murray:] Now, Carol, we got to see a softer side of the candidates in these CNN town halls. But today it is back to politics. All three Republican candidates will be speaking at the same dinner in New York tonight. So it will be interesting to see how much they want to contrast with each other when they're all going to be sharing the same stage and revolving through there tonight, Carol.
[Costello:] Oh, it will be interesting. Sara Murray reporting live for us this morning. Thanks so much. So let's talk about all this and more with CNN'senior political analyst and senior editor of "The Atlantic", Ron Brownstein. Good morning, Ron.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Good morning, Carol.
[Costello:] OK, first off, I want to talk a little bit more about Ted Cruz's daughters. Because they really did steal the show. Especially Caroline. So I want our viewers to listen to a bit more of that.
[T. Cruz:] And indeed, just, what, a couple of days ago, I was back for Caroline's daddy-daughter picnic at school, which featured all the dads running and playing games, and...
[Caroline Cruz:] My favorite.
[T. Cruz:] ... your favorite was that she got to dress up Daddy in, like, this pink boa and these, like, big goofy-looking...
[Caroline Cruz:] Underwear.
[T. Cruz:] ... underwear...
[Caroline Cruz:] And that's, FYI, that was on a videotape the whole time.
[T. Cruz:] Uh-oh.
[Caroline Cruz:] And now it's a class video that they're sending out to all the parents.
[Cooper:] Oh, really? Hmm.
[T. Cruz:] But it does...
[Costello:] OK, it was so good, we had to show it to you twice. What a lovely moment. You know, we know Ted Cruz has problems with the likability factor. Does this help?
[Brownstein:] Well, I think the town halls have been an absolutely great addition to the presidential campaign dialogue. And in this further inundation of having the family come on with him has really been extraordinary this week. And, sure, it helps but only so far. I mean, I think voters kind of assume as a baseline that you, as the candidate, that you are nice to your family and your family likes you. I think that takes you so far. But ultimately you're being judged on your public life. And on that front, Cruz has struggled. But these were these were I thought not only charming moments, but very revealing moments. And, Carol, how long until that video makes it onto the Internet? That's what I was wondering, listening to that clip.
[Costello:] Exactly. That's what I'm wondering too, Ron, to be quite frank. OK, well, let's get serious now. Because Senator Cruz accused Donald Trump of union boss thuggery. You know, he got a dig in at the Democrats at the same time he could dig in at Donald Trump, so it was a good line, right?
[Brownstein:] Right.
[Costello:] But is it true?
[Brownstein:] Well, look, there has been an air of violence around many of the elements of the Trump campaign. I mean at the rallies I've been to it was not shocking to me that it kind of took the turn that it did in march with what we saw in North Carolina and Chicago and again last night in Pittsburgh. Tough for Trump, by the way, to go into any big city at this point and not face major protesting resistance. I do think that this is part of the problem Trump has and why he is facing this kind of unprecedented resistance. As we've said in times before, given the states he won early on in the process, almost in any precedent, what you'd be seeing at this point is the party consolidating around him and his vote moving towards 50 percent. He might hit 50 percent in New York, but except for that, it's just not happening. He hasn't 50 percent anywhere else and party leaders are kind of redoubling their efforts to stop him to reaching that first ballot majority. And I do think this is one of the reasons why, because the campaign has had this tone of if if we don't win, we are going to tear down the party by any means necessary.
[Costello:] So in any way could this backfire against Mr. Trump? Or will it only make his supporters more passionate about their candidate?
[Brownstein:] Well, the answer is both, right. Because I think what we've seen very clearly from the beginning is that Donald Trump has the biggest piece of the Republican coalition. There is no question he has a bigger, broader base of support than Ted Cruz, who has struggled among voters who are not evangelical. John Kasich really has not been able to get out of that very narrow, moderate, white collar wing. Trump has the biggest piece of the party, but it is not a majority piece. He is a plurality frontrunner, winning about 40 percent of the vote. You got to guess he'll do better in the northeast; when you get beyond that, there's probably where he's going to revert to as it goes forward. And many of the same things that he's done that inspired such passionate support from his supporters have deeply alienated anyone else. The "Washington Post" is out again today, his national negatives continue to be unprecedented and his negatives among Republicans who are not voting for him, two thirds in the last CNN poll. The Republicans who are not voting Trump say they view him unfavorably. So he has been on a treadmill where what he has done to deepen his support has also tended to narrow his support.
[Costello:] All right, Ron Brownstein, thanks so much. Always glad to have you. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump not the only candidate that has a beef with election rules. Why Bernie Sanders is sounding off too.