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Trump Returns to White House, Removes Mask While Infected; Biden: Trump "Is Responsible" For Getting Coronavirus; NFL Doubleheader After COVID-19 Delays. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired October 06, 2020 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[05:00:18]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump sheds his mask knowing full well he could be shedding the virus in a heavily staged White House return from the hospital.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, October 6th, 5:00 a.m. in New York. Four weeks now to the election.

And President Trump back in the White House this morning after effectively checking himself out of the hospital last night while still being treated for the coronavirus. In this bizarre made for TV spectacle, the infectious, contagious president emerged from Marine One, climbed the staircase, pulled off his mask and walked into the building unmasked, risking exposure to anyone in his path.

A reckless and senseless act from the leader of the free world matched in worlds by this baffling pronouncement Monday on Twitter, don't be afraid of COVID. Don't let it dominate your life.

That tweet landing just hours before the U.S. surpassed 210,000 deaths from COVID.

More now from CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Christine and Laura. It was just 72 hours after the president went to Walter Reed that he made this dramatic return to the White House. It involved him climbing up the stairs, and removing his mask in front of live television cameras, as he lingered there for several moments, before trying to go back into the White House and then coming back out so a camera crew that was waiting inside could shoot his entrance back into the White House.

It was in a video that he later posted on Twitter where he downplayed coronavirus and his diagnosis that came just a few days ago as the president was trying to say you cannot let it dominate American life, not mentioning that he is on steroids and another drug that very few Americans have actually been able to get access to in the United States, those who have coronavirus, and a team of doctors at Walter Reed that were treating him and are going to closely monitor him over the next several days.

Christine and Laura, he's also returning to a very different White House where his daughter Ivanka Trump will not be there for a few days because she's quarantining at home, even though she tested negative because she did come into contact with people who tested positive.

Of course, his -- Hope Hicks is not there. His body man is not there. Two press aides aren't there. And Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany will not be there either because she is working remotely after testing positive for coronavirus, something that she did while as she continue to come to the White House, and despite having come into contact with Hope Hicks and being informed of such, she continued to brief reporters, while she wasn't wearing a mask, and now, she'll be working from home as she goes through this diagnosis of coronavirus.

And it's really making staffers inside the West Wing a little nervous to come to work, to not know if the people they're interacting with are truly negative, even if they have tested negative, and it's created a really different environment in the West Wing than we have seen any other time during this pandemic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: All right. Kaitlan, thank you for that.

Despite President Trump's tweet that he was feeling better than he did 20 years ago, serious questions remain about the actual state of his health. He is still in the middle of treatment, receiving powerful medications, and he suffered two dips in oxygen levels.

And that's just what we know about. Even the White House physician who has dodged, deflected and strain to reflect the president's more upbeat tone, while he expressed some caution yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SEAN CONLEY, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PHYSICIAN: It's been more than 72 hours since his last fever. Oxygen levels, including ambulatory saturations and his work of breathing are all normal. Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all of our evaluations and most importantly his clinical status support the president's safe return home where he'll be surrounded by world class medical care 24/7.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Dr. Anthony Fauci also offering this warning on CNN last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The issue is that he's still early enough in the disease that it's no secret that if you look at the clinical course of people, sometimes when you're five to eight days in, you can have a reversal. His physicians -- now, a reversal meaning going in the wrong direction and get into trouble. It's unlikely that it will happen, but they need to be heads up for it.

He knows it. His physicians know it. So, they're going to keep an eye on it. But yes, you're not out of it until you have gone several days out and doing well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Now, many -- many questions about President Trump's illness remain unanswered. What does a scan of his lungs show? Are doctors throwing the kitchen sink of treatment because he's the president or because he's more sick than he have let on?

Also, when did he last test negative for the virus? That information is critical to establish whether the president went ahead with official duties, possibly knowing he was sick, potentially exposing supporters and others to coronavirus.

[05:05:07]

Now, the list of those with ties to the White House who have been infected is growing, and yet, the White House has been dodging questions about the timing of all of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What day and time did you find out that Hope Hicks has been tested positive? And did you sit on it until after the president went out to his fundraiser in New Jersey?

MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Actually, as we look at this, I'm not going to get into the tick tock.

REPORTER: Doctor, what was the date of the president's last negative test?

CONLEY: I'm not going to get into the testing going back. He and the staff are routinely tested.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you answer the question as to when the president's last negative test was?

JASON MILLER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Well, as I said earlier, I'm not part of the White House medical unit.

REPORTER: Was he tested on Tuesday before he went to the debate, and was he tested on Thursday morning before he went to the New Jersey fundraiser?

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yeah, I'm not going to give you a detailed readout with time stamps every time the president is tested. He's tested regularly, and the first positive test he received was after his return from Bedminster.

REPORTER: Was he tested between Wednesday night and the time he went to New Jersey?

MCENANY: Again, I'm not giving a detailed readout of his testing, but safe to say, his first positive test was upon return or at least after Bedminster.

REPORTER: Can you tell us please on testing, can you tell us when he had his last negative test? Was it Thursday? Was it Wednesday? Do you remember when he had the last negative test?

CONLEY: I don't want to go backwards.

REPORTER: When was his last negative test, and what was his viral load?

CONLEY: Everyone wants that.

REPORTER: We've been exposed.

CONLEY: Yeah, I don't -- I don't have his viral load. Those are some of the diagnostics we're sending out, that really will tell us when it's safe to get back out and around people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: He's been around people. You heard the reporter there saying that they have been exposed to this virus because of the president's actions.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden insisting there's one person responsible for the president's illness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Anybody who contracts the virus by essentially saying masks don't matter, social distancing doesn't matter, I think is responsible for what happens to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: The former VP also had this reaction to the president's reckless pronouncement that there is nothing to fear from coronavirus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Just what the scientists tell us, this isn't complicated, the president is getting out, I saw a tweet he did they showed me, he said, don't let COVID control your lives. Tell that to the 205,000 families who lost somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: CNN's Arlette Saenz has more now for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Laura, and Christine, Joe Biden campaigned here in Florida, a critical battleground state on the same day that President Trump left Walter Red Hospital, as he continues to battle the coronavirus.

Biden wished the president a speedy recovery but also sent this message to President Trump. Take a listen.

BIDEN: I was glad to see the president speaking, and recording videos over the weekend. Now that he's busy tweeting campaign messages, I would ask him to do this -- listen to the scientists. Support masks.

I hope the president's recovery is swift and successful, but our nation's COVID crisis is far, far from over.

SAENZ: Now, Joe Biden and President Trump are set to debate here in Miami in just nine days.

The president's campaign says that he does plan on debating the former vice president despite going through coronavirus at this moment. Biden and his advisers have said that he intends to debate as long as the medical experts determine that it is safe.

Now, this comes just one day before Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence are set to face off in their first and only vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City. There will be plexiglass dividing the two candidates as they are seated 12 feet apart from each other on the stage, just one of the many changes being made to these debates due to the coronavirus -- Laura and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Arlette, thank you for that.

As she mentioned, Vice President Mike Pence, and Senator Kamala Harris still set to face off tomorrow night in the only vice presidential debate of 2020. It airs on CNN, with special coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

ROMANS: All right. The president often says Democrats will destroy the greatest economy in history that he has built. The COVID contagious president repeated one of his favorite warnings on Twitter on Monday, the Democrats would shut our economy and jobs down if they win in November.

But Goldman Sachs disagrees. In fact, Wall Street is becoming more comfortable with the notion of a Biden win and even a blue wave in November. Here's the thinking: a Goldman analyst wrote Monday, Democrats gaining unified controls of Washington would increase the chances of a fiscal stimulus package of at least $2 trillion, and longer term spending on infrastructure, climate, health care and education.

Goldman notes a blue wave could mean higher corporate taxes, yes, but a Democratic sweep would also likely mean easier U.S. fiscal policy, and reduced trade tensions.

[05:10:08]

J.P. Morgan told clients Monday, quote, a potential Biden victory should not be seen as a negative for markets.

What matters now is stimulus. While Wall Street players game out the scenarios, millions of families need help now. The economy is still in a jobs crisis, down 10.7 million jobs since February, Laura.

JARRETT: It's so interesting. It seems like the stimulus is the key there and the banks making the calculation that if the Democrats take back the House and Senate, they'll get it done.

ROMANS: And they don't want any trade wars, and they want spending on infrastructure, spending on the economy.

JARRETT: Yeah.

ROMANS: This economy will need help to heal next year, no question.

JARRETT: Yeah, such important reporting that goes against the conventional talk we hear so much.

All right. Still ahead, some schools in New York are closing again today, less than a week after reopening. The latest on coronavirus up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:06]

JARRETT: The FDA expects at least one company to apply for emergency authorization of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year. Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN's Chris Cuomo he agrees a vaccine could be ready soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: By the time we get to November, December, maybe earlier, I don't think it's going to be earlier, but it's still possible it would be earlier but I think comfortably around November or December, we'll know whether or not the vaccine is safe and effective. I actually am cautiously optimistic from what I've seen about preliminary data in phase one that there's a very good chance we'll have a safe and effective vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Proven safe and effective, of course, doesn't mean everyone will get it in November or December.

Meanwhile, New York City is taking action to try to curb a new up tick in case.

CNN's Nick Watt has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In nine New York City zip codes, schools are closing down again.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: It's time for us to rewind.

WATT: In those same zip codes, the mayor also wants nonessential stores, gyms, indoor dining closed again as test positivity rates rise, now too high for comfort. The governor won't go for that. Not yet.

SALVATORE MUSSO, OWNER, LA STRADA PIZZERIA: Very sad. We expect to move forward, but this will go behind.

WATT: Also concern over in New Jersey after that fundraiser Thursday hosted by a likely infectious president.

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D), NEW JERSEY: The actions leading up to and during the event have put lives at risk. Any failures to comply with our emergency orders will be referred to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

WATT: Case counts are now rising again across the Northeast, which was so recently a success story.

These five states saw at least 50 percent more cases this past week compared to the week before.

DE BLASIO: This is a wake up call to everyone in New York City to tighten up again, to do the things that work. Look, we overcame the worst problem in the entire country.

WATT: New York state's governor says a lack of local enforcement is a big part of the problem.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: You will see people die if we don't do more enforcement. The state is going to take over the enforcement oversight in all the hot spot clusters.

WATT: Meanwhile, this morning down in Miami-Dade County, another former hot spot, more than 22,000 kids returned to the classroom.

ALBERTO CARRVALHO, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT: Here to report happily I have seen nothing but happy faces.

WATT: At one North Carolina school, all 3rd grade now quarantined after a teacher, Julie Davis, tested positive. She later died.

There will be plenty more pain ahead. This past week, Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin have all reported records for most confirmed cases in a single day ever.

And nationwide --

FAUCI: I'm actually disturbed and concerned about the fact that our baseline of infections is still stuck at around 40,000 per day.

WATT: He's been saying that for weeks and we have only gotten worse, back-to-back days of 50,000 plus new cases Friday and Saturday. First time we have seen that since mid August.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: The pandemic of course raising concerns about how people will vote. To that now, the Supreme Court approving a request from South Carolina Republicans to reinstate a law requiring absentee ballots to have a witness's signature.

The order overturned lower court rulings that said it interfered with the right to vote during a pandemic. The justices made an exception for ballots cast before its ruling and received by election officials within two days of its order.

JARRETT: Well, the NFL is already changing coronavirus rules. We've got the bleacher report up next.

(COMMERRCIAL BREAK)

[05:23:26]

ROMANS: All right. Just three days after a player for both the Patriots and the Chiefs tested positive for COVID-19, the team's taking field on Monday night.

Andy Scholes has this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hi, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Christine.

The NFL, they pushed back the Patriots/Chiefs game a day after quarterback Cam Newton and a practice squad player for the Chiefs tested positive for COVID-19 but they were able to go ahead with the game because no other players or staff for either team tested positive in the testing leading up to the game.

But it was certainly a long day for the Patriots. They flew to Kansas City yesterday morning, spent a few hours in a hotel before heading to the stadium. They were hanging in there against the Chiefs, down 6-3 at the half. Couldn't get anything going with the back up quarterback, and Patrick Mahomes, he would finally find the end zone in the third quarter, ends up throwing two touchdowns in the game. The chiefs Win 26-10 to improve to 4-0.

Now, the NFL says they will not tolerate anymore violations of the COVID protocols. In a memo from Roger Goodell obtained by CNN, Goodell says future violations could result in teams forfeiting games or having draft picks taken away, to make sure teams are following the rules, the NFL is installing video monitoring systems in team facilities. Player gatherings also now banned.

This comes on the heels of the NFL finding ten members of the Las Vegas Raiders a week after they were seen failing to wear facial coverings while attending a fundraising event hosted by Raiders tight end Darren Waller back on September 28th.

[05:25:00]

All right. In a night cap last, Aaron Rodgers and the Pack has remained red hot. Rogers' four touchdown pass, as Green Bay improves to 4-0 with a 30-16 win. The Falcons meanwhile now 0-4. Head coach Dan Quinn is now red, red hot.

Now, Texans head coach, Bill O'Brien, meanwhile, not hot any longer. The team firing O'Brien yesterday after an 0-4 start to their season. O'Brien making any questionable moves during the off season and angered a lot of fans in Houston. He's the first head coach fired this NFL season.

All right. Baseball's post season continuing with the AL Division series. The Bronx Bombers, coming to play in game one against the Rays. Carlos Stanton, blasting a 9th inning grand slam. Yankees had four homers to beat the Rays, 9-3, to take a 1-0 lead that series.

The Astros meanwhile keep on winning. Carlos Correa with two home runs in game one of the series. Houston beats the A's, 10-5, take a 1-0 lead in the series. Astros and A's, Yankees and Rays, both play game two. You can watch our sister network TBS.

NLDS gets going today as well. You got Braves and Marlins, Padres and Dodgers. If that's not enough for you, you've got NBA finals, game four tonight, the Heat trying to even that series to two games.

JARRETT: All right. Lots of good sports coming up.

All right. Thanks, Andy.

Infected with coronavirus, President Trump checks himself out of the hospital, stages a bizarre return to the White House. But that house, it's not empty. And he's now put all the staff who work there every day at risk.

How this could backfire on him in the last weeks of this race. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)