Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Trump Has Brought Presidential Politics to New Lows

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "My assessment of Donald Trump's candidacy is that he's been an equal opportunity insulter. He has engaged in some of the most vulgar invective and rhetoric and really brought this presidential campaign, its tone and where the debate is on the other side of the aisle, to the lowest steps I've ever seen in a presidential campaign. So much so that my own daughters, when seeing his commentary on TV, ask me, 'Mom, why is he so rude?' That's not what we should strive for in holding up presidential candidates on either side of the aisle. We're supposed to want our children to emulate at least the leadership and values, even if you don't agree with them, of our presidential candidates. And unfortunately what's going on on the other side of the aisle has taken this to a new low in presidential politics."

MITCHELL: "Does it raise questions as to whether there is some risk involved in unleashing Bill Clinton, as popular a figure as he is in the Democratic party. He had his problems in 2008. We saw what happened in that campaign. But Donald Trump is going to raise this issue, as he is warning, of Bill Clinton's past and sexism. Does that give you any pause as Democratic chair?"

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "I think that Donald Trump or any candidate on the other side of the aisle would raise Bill Clinton as somehow a negative to their peril. I think every poll I've ever seen shows that if President Clinton were a candidate tomorrow he'd be reelected. He presided at that time over the longest period of sustained prosperity up to that point. Finished his term very popular and continues to be one of the most admired elected officials, and former elected officials, and men in the world."

MITCHELL: "What about sexism in this campaign? Donald Trump claims that he was not using a vulgar term when he said that Clinton had been schlonged by Barack Obama in her defeat in 2008."

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "Well, I would tell you--"

MITCHELL: Your take on that?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: "--growing up in my house as a little girl, had I used that term or had anyone used that term around my grandmother or my mother, it would certainly have been considered vulgar and would have resulted in a pretty severe punishment as we received anytime we used a term that was inappropriate. Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz. But the larger issue on the Republican side of the aisle is that all of them subscribe to policies that are harmful to women. Whether it's defunding Planned Parenthood--

MITCHELL: "But more to the point of the sexism that has been alleged, the bullying by Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump, because I think he is in a class by himself as far as the way he has responded.”

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: “He certainly has taken this to a new low.”

MITCHELL: "This is partly what he had to say about Hillary Clinton's campaign energy."

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TRUMP: “She does an event. She puts on her pantsuit. (LAUGHTER) She walks in. No. it's true. She walks in, does an event, you don't see her for four days, five days. You know why? She goes back home and she goes to sleep. This is not what we need as a president. We need tremendous energy.”

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MITCHELL: “Now, this low energy criticism worked against Jeb Bush. It really hurt Jeb Bush. Is it going to work against Hillary Clinton?”

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: “Like I said, Donald Trump has been an equal opportunity insulter. He's insulted and been vulgar about not only Secretary Clinton but Carly Fiorina, Megyn Kelly, even me. It's really outrageous the depths and how low he has allowed the campaign to sink. And the rest of the Republican field, Andrea, is going along with it.”

MITCHELL: “Why is it working so well for him? In head to head hypotheticals he's doing so well against Hillary Clinton.”

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: “It's very simple. Why he's doing so well in the Republican field is because this is where the Republican party of today is. They embrace defunding Planned Parenthood. They don't believe in equal pay for equal work. They don't believe that we should make sure that women have an opportunity to make their own healthcare choices. This is not where Americans are today. Americans are where the Democratic party is. Where Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley are, wanting to continue the economic prosperity that we've been able to create, bringing us from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression forward through 69 straight months of job growth. And that's where we're going to continue, because we'll elect one of those three candidates as the 45th president of the United States.”

MITCHELL: “We're going to have to leave it there, but thank you very much our Democratic party chair.”

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: “Thank you so much.”