THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR 'THIS WEEK' ON August 14, 2016 and it will be updated.
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC HOST: Let's bring in Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama.
He was the first senator to endorse Trump and is now a top adviser with the Trump campaign.
Good morning, Senator Sessions.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALABAMA: Good morning, Martha.
RADDATZ: It's good to see you.
Let's start with that story in "The New York Times" based on interviews, they say, with 20 Republicans close to Mr. Trump, says, "Mr. Trump's advisers, who once hoped he would transform himself from political showman into a plausible American president now increasingly concede that Mr. Trump may be beyond coaching." And as we said, they added nearly out -- he is nearly out of time to right his campaign.
He Tweeted this morning, "The failing "New York Times," which never spoke to me, keeps saying that I am saying to advisers that I will change faults. I am who I am. Never said."
He says this story is fiction.
Do you believe it's fiction?
SESSIONS: Well, Martha, you've had this whole morning talking about nothing but negative on the Trump campaign. So this is the kind of thing that does build on itself and has, I think, made mountains out of molehills.
His issues and his strength are the fundamental challenges that America faces. Sixty-eight percent of the people in this country say we are on the wrong track. But...
RADDATZ: So do you think that story is fiction, in "The New York Times?"
SESSIONS: I -- I don't know about that story. I have no -- I have not read it.
What I would say to you is this campaign is not over. The American people want change. They know we're on the right track -- the wrong track. The American -- I believe the American people are right in that regard. And I think Donald Trump, when he's talking about trade, national security, protecting us from immigration and violence and terrorism, those kind of things he's correct on.
Now, you want to change the subject, I know.
RADDATZ: I want to go back to what...
SESSIONS: But I want to tell you...
RADDATZ: I want to go back to...
SESSIONS: -- why I think...
RADDATZ: -- my original question.
SESSIONS: -- I think he can still win and will have a very good chance of winning. And that's because the issues are what the American people believe in and he's right and they are right.
RADDATZ: And I do want to talk about the issues...
SESSIONS: OK.
RADDATZ: -- but I want to go back to this conflict that's being -- being reported -- in the campaign.
Trump, in his own words, in a "Time" magazine interview, sounds conflicted himself. He said, "I am listening to so-called experts to ease up the rhetoric and so far, I like the way I ran the primaries better," adding, "but I'm now listening to people that are telling me to be easier, to be nice, be softer. That's OK and I'm doing that. Personally, I don't know if that is what the country wants." is that a man you feel confident will stay on message?
SESSIONS: Well, I think he's wrestling correctly there. He was so exacerbate. He had a lot of fun in the primaries. He was really charging away. And he enjoyed that.
But it is a different thing to run a presidential election. You're dealing even with a different constituency. And so he's got to wrestle in his own heart, how does he communicate who he is, what he believes, the change he thinks he can bring to America, why what he's doing is fulfilling the desires of the American people. And so I -- I think there's no doubt. He had a good bump after his convention. She's had a long and sustained bump after her convention and he does need to communicate -- and I think he can -- more effectively.
RADDATZ: And stay on message?
SESSIONS: Well, I think that's important, yes.
RADDATZ: Look -- let's take a look at these new polls out this week that we mentioned. They show Clinton ahead in those battleground states, 11 up in Pennsylvania, five in Ohio, five in Florida -- states he must win.
Back in May, when I spoke to you, you cited polls showing he was ahead in Ohio by four, neck and neck in Pennsylvania.
What happened?
SESSIONS: Well, it has -- she got a good bump out of her convention and -- and this kind of negative press coverage of things that are not that significant really have impacted his numbers.
But he's still very competitive in Ohio. It's been 12 years since a Republican has carried Ohio. One poll recently had him up in Iowa. Republicans haven't won Iowa in years.
A "Los Angeles Times" poll, I think, has it virtually neck and neck, within the margin of error nationwide.
So I don't know that this is a -- these -- these numbers are also accurate.
RADDATZ: But let's listen to what Mr. Trump said on Friday about the state of Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The only way we can lose, in my opinion, I really mean this, Pennsylvania, is if cheating goes on. I really believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESSIONS: Well, look, Pennsylvania, is a state that Donald Trump and his campaign believe they can win. This poll shows an erosion of support there. But he's been neck and neck and Republicans haven't won Pennsylvania in many, many years. So he's going after Pennsylvania. He believes he can win Pennsylvania. And he's going to work at it.
RADDATZ: Well, but let -- let's talk about his accusations of cheating. The Trump campaign is also asking for volunteers to be Trump election observers.
Do you agree there could be cheating?
SESSIONS: Well, there's cheating in every election. And every party goes out in advance of the election and they call on poll watchers and those kind of things to make sure that they're not cheated out of an election.
And that just really helps create integrity in the system. So, yes, I think he'll be (INAUDIBLE)...
RADDATZ: I -- I think a study of elections from 2000 to 2014...
SESSIONS: I think too much has been made out of that comment.
RADDATZ: You -- you think...
SESSIONS: I think he believes -- what he was saying is, it's going to be a very close election. He believes he's going to win Pennsylvania.
RADDATZ: All right, the Senate majority leader, as you've heard, Mitch McConnell, said this week that the chances that Republicans will keep the Senate are very dicey.
SESSIONS: Well, it's going to be a battle, there's no doubt about it. We are so exposed. We have about three times as many Republicans up as Democrats. And so it's going to be a battle.
But we've got some great candidates. I'm thinking like Rob Portman is -- is leading. We've got other great candidates like Pat Toomey and others that are out there working every day and they're skilled leaders.
And I think, in the end, we'll be successful.
RADDATZ: But do you think your Senate colleagues in very competitive races should be embracing Trump or moving away from him?
SESSIONS: I think the Republican Party needs to listen to what Donald Trump's been saying. He's talking to the American people what they care about. These trade deals have not worked. I have supported them, Martha, in the past. I've looked at the results of them. They have not produced anything like promised. We're bringing in more workers than we have jobs for. Wages have declined by $4,000 per median -- median income has declined $4,000 since 2000.
And so I guess what I'm saying to you is our party, our leadership needs to be more sensitive to concerns of the people who are saying we're on the right track and if we can get more to the Trump message and work together better, it will benefit both Trump and the Republican candidates.
RADDATZ: And let's talk about tomorrow, if we can. Donald Trump is giving a big speech, which he says is on radical Islamic terrorism and will outline a plan. What's new in that plan?
SESSIONS: Well, he's going to talk about a number of things. He's going to talk about how we restore credibility with our allies and friends in that region who also are hostile to and resist this kind of terrorism. He's going to talk about how you target your enemies and work with your friends. You don't overreach and destabilize countries like the Obama/Clinton administration has done.
The pulling out of all the troops out of Iraq really created ISIS, that's what he's been talking about.
It did. And the disorder in Syria has led to 4 million displaced persons, maybe 300,000-plus killed. That was an Obama disorder that was caused there. You have got Libya -- Hillary Clinton prevailed over Secretary of Defense Gates over the Defense Department. Destabilized Libya, now we've got a million refugees there. Benghazi arose out of that.
We have got 8,000 ISIS people in Libya.
RADDATZ: So, lots of specifics tomorrow?
SESSIONS: Yes, he'll talk about those things.
RADDATZ: OK, thank you very much, Senator Sessions for joining us.
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