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Don Lemon Tonight

CNN Polls: Biden Leads In Michigan And Wisconsin With Tighter Races In Arizona And North Carolina; Obama Back On Trail; Obama Tells Voters "We Cannot Afford To Be Complacent"; Federal Judge To Hear Challenge To Drive-Thru Voting Monday, Nearly 127,000 Ballots In Texas Are At Stake; Bruce Springsteen Narrates New Biden Ad About Biden's Ties To His Hometown Of Scranton, PA. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired October 31, 2020 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:00]

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: So glad you could join us on this Saturday night. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. We're going to start with some breaking news. This is really the final weekend. This is it.

The president and Joe Biden campaigning into the night in battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan Biden rolling out the big guns with the closer and that's his former boss who wasted no time going after the current president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT: He's going around having events, big events, no masks, no protective gear, no precautions, what is obsession with crowds anyway? I mean, he is still not wearing it. He is still talking about his inauguration crowd being small although he doesn't admit it. Does he have nothing better to worry about?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's the former president, the current president for his part blaming the Supreme Court for leaving in place decisions that allowed Pennsylvania and North Carolina to count votes for several days after Election Day

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a terrible thing that they've done to our country. And that's the United States Supreme Court I'm talking about, that's a terrible political, horrible decision that they made. We're going to be waiting November 3rd, it's going to come and go, and we're not going to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He said it again, and again, today, sarcastically thanking the court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If we win, if we win on Tuesday, or thank you very much Supreme Court, shortly thereafter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, listen, your vote is one of the most sacred rights that you have as an American, Joe Biden fired up about that tonight in Detroit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The power to change the country is in your hands. I don't care how hard Donald Trump tries, there's nothing - nothing he's going to stop the people of America from voting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We've some brand-new polls out brand new CNN Poll shows a tight race in the battlegrounds of Arizona and North Carolina and an advantage for Biden in Wisconsin, also in Michigan. The First Lady got in on the action today, with a very Trumpy insult taking a shot at Joe Biden for socially distancing in a middle of a deadly pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Apparently when you hide in a basement, you feel safe communicating your wishful thinking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Hmm, well, didn't she get the Coronavirus, by the way? Biden responding with this tweet, who let all these people in my basement? We got news tonight about the president's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania to tell you about.

For the second time this week the Trump Campaign has left supporters out in the cold literally when shuttles didn't turn up to take them to their cars people giving up and walking nearly three miles in the cold and dark streets.

So we have a lot to discuss and I want to bring in CNN's Ryan Nobles. Ryan is in Butler, Pennsylvania also CNN's Senior Political Reporter Nia-Malika Henderson joins us she is in Washington D.C. Good evening to both of you.

Ryan, we're going to start with you talk to me about President Trump's Butler rally, his supporters got stuck in the cold afterwards, this isn't the first time this week that it happened, what's going on? What is the campaign saying?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Don. We don't think that this situation was bad as it was in Omaha, Nebraska couple of days ago, where Trump supporters were left for hours in freezing frigid temperatures before busses came to retrieve them and take them back to their parking spots.

But I can tell you having been right in middle of it this was another logistical nightmare here in Pennsylvania. After the president's rally let out, you know it takes us a little bit of time to get out of the rally site in off to our cars because we have to pack up our stuff and leave.

We left about 30 minutes after Marine One took off with the president and we saw thousands of Trump supporters with literally nowhere to go, no one telling them where to go? No lines queued up to get in line for shuttle buses and no shuttle busses to be seen anywhere.

It was cold 41 degrees not freezing. These are Pennsylvanians so they know how to handle cold weather but it was still cold. And keep in mind that many of these people had been standing outside for upwards of four, five hours waiting to hear the president and then listening to him speak as well.

What we ended up witnessing where many of these supporters just giving up on waiting for the busses and walking to their parking spots. And these parking lots were not anywhere near where the rally took place. In some cases a mile, two miles we saw people walking as far as three miles away from the rally sight, with no light in the middle of the street hoping to get their car in time so that they could drive home.

Now the Trump Campaign pushed back on our reporting even though we were in the middle of it and saw it happened. About an hour and a half after the rally let out the Trump Campaign posted pictures of people lined up, getting on to buses, they said that they set up heating tents at that point and that some 41 shuttle buses came to take the people in and out of the event.

[22:05:00]

NOBLES: You know Don this was a big event. People often tolerate dealing with standing in line for certain period of time in waiting to get to where they have to go after an event. But I can just tell you that the logistics of this weren't just practical.

You know everybody was shoulder to shoulder, there was no direction telling them where to go or how to get out of this situation? We should also point out, Don, we are in the middle of the pandemic, very few of these people were wearing masks. They were right next to each other. And even when those buses did come, they were packed onto these buses with no attempted social distancing.

LEMON: So you're not supposed to believe your own eyes, own ears or own experience but what the Trump Campaign is saying when they're miles and miles away already left on Air Force One. OK, so, we'll go with that, Ryan.

Nia let me bring you in and let's talk about there are four Trump rallies in Pennsylvania today, I mean that says everything right? He clearly sees the keystone state as essential to his re-election, he's got to win Pennsylvania he believes.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: I think that's right, 20 electorate votes up for grabs, he won a very narrowly in 2016, by about 45,000 votes or so. So you see him concentrating on that state in these last days, also concentrating on the Supreme Court.

And the Supreme Court might finally eventually have a say as well, and how those ballots are counted? Which ballots count as well, so the president trying to gin up support among voters in those rural areas, that's how they think they can win.

Those kind of voters an explosive turnout on Election Day, we know from the ballot returns so far that Democrats are doing well in the early voting, mail-in voting, but if you're Republicans and the Trump Campaign you think you have a superior ground game to Democrats and that on Election Day, there will be sort of a red wave of those Trump voters who can overwhelm the sort of early lead and the early voting by Democrats.

We'll see. It was very narrow in 2016. Obviously and one of the reasons it was so narrow and one of the reasons that Clinton lost was because African-American voters in places like Philadelphia just didn't show up.

So if you're the Trump Campaign on the one hand you want to generate enthusiasm and votes from rural white voters, working-class white voters, about half of the electorate in 2016, but you also want to see if you cannot only depress the African-American vote in places like Philadelphia may be peel off here and there some African-American men as well to piece together some sort of coalition.

LEMON: I want to put this is up if you look at these poll of polls, CNN's poll of polls Biden at 51 percent. Trump at 44 percent. It is close. It makes a lot of sense why Biden is heading there tomorrow.

HENDERSON: Yes, I mean, listen, if Biden wins Pennsylvania it's really hard to see how Trump can win the White House? So you see him going there you see obviously Obama his first big speech was in Philadelphia, again, that's where they're going to focus.

Biden has been there several times, always talks about how he's from Scranton, that's an area that he wants to do well. And he's doing well among some of the traditional Trump voters, working class white voters who are about 40 percent of the electorate back in 2016.

He's not going to win those voters but he can certainly do better than Hillary Clinton. And then he's doing quite well among those white college voters and he's doing well among seniors as well. These are traditionally Republican groups, they're big voting blocs and in a place like Pennsylvania, I think in 2016, it was about 21 percent of the overall electorate where folks over 65.

And you see in a lot of polling that Biden is winning those voters and these are voters of course that Trump won last go-around. But listen, Democrats are still very nervous. It is still very close. So we'll see what happens on Election Day and beyond particularly in a state like Pennsylvania exactly.

LEMON: Yes, there is still a long way to go. Ryan, I hope you got a ride to get out of there tonight. I think you're good.

NOBLES: Don, I appreciate your concern.

LEMON: Let me know if I can call anyone. I know some people. Uber, we'll get your location and send an Uber. Thank you very much. We appreciate it Ryan, thank you.

Donald Trump won Michigan by just 10,704 votes in 2016, now Joe Biden has a lead in the polls there but what will happen when they start counting the votes? And Former President Barack Obama not just back on the campaign trail there, he's back on the court.

[22:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So breaking news as we enter the last days of the 2020 campaign. More than 91 million Americans have cast their ballots in early voting and President Trump and Joe Biden are battling it out for every last vote Biden campaigning today in Michigan where he's leading in CNN's poll.

I want to bring in now CNN Political Correspondent Arlette Saenz who is covering Biden's campaign and Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein. Good evening to both Arlette, Democratic Nominee Joe Biden, what's his message in Michigan these final few days?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, Joe Biden brought his closing pitch right here in the State of Michigan. It was similar to what we have heard from him across the country, really honing in on the Coronavirus pandemic.

Criticizing the president's response and laying out how he would respond to the crisis if he's elected? He also talked about the character of the nation being at stake in this election.

[22:15:00]

SAENZ: Take a listen to a bit of what he told voters here in Detroit, Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Three days. Three days to put an end to a presidency that has divided this nation. Three days. We can put an end to a presidency that's failed to protect this nation. Three days. We can put an end to a presidency that's fanned the flames of hate all across this nation. When Americans are heard I believe the message is going to be loud and clear, it's time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: So much of the focus today for Biden was that issue of turning out voters in these final days before the election. Biden doesn't want to repeat any of the mistakes that were made from 2016. And he was here in Michigan asking people to make sure that that they are out there voting as he's hoping that Michigan will be one of those states to help re-establish the blue wall for Biden heading into Tuesday night.

LEMON: So, I want you to check out this latest polling, Ron, this is out of Michigan, Biden is at 53. Trump at 41. This is a state that President Trump carried four years ago, should Biden feel confident there heading into Tuesday?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Short answer is, yes, look, Hillary Clinton in 2016 famously neglected Michigan and Wisconsin until the very end both in visits and television advertising.

Joe Biden hasn't made that mistake, Joe Biden has been laser focused from the beginning on the three states from the blue wall which is coined back in 2009. I always wait for my royalties every time somebody talks about the blue wall.

The three big states, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, he's just been laser focused on it. And Don, as we have talked about the coalition that he's assembling in those states is remarkably similar from state to state.

He's winning in the CNN poll in Michigan and in Wisconsin right around 60 percent of whites with college degrees extraordinarily high number. Around 80 percent of African-Americans in Michigan and then creeping up to about 40 percent of non-college whites in Michigan and even higher around 45 percent in Wisconsin.

And you know it doesn't sound like a great number. It's significantly higher than Clinton and with the movement in the rest of the electorate it leaves the president in a very narrow position. I can tell you that the Democrats at the very heart of monitoring the early vote.

You know kind of assessing what is happening believe that Biden is winning the early vote by a bigger margin then it is generally understood by the public modeling because many of the people are modeled there is Republicans a decent share of them are voting Biden in the early vote and that in these three key states that he is well over 50 percent in the early vote.

In a model final vote, based on what they are seeing in the early vote. So that is the potential to reassemble the blue wall through the Midwest and leave the president in a very difficult position at that point basically an impossible position at that point.

LEMON: Well listen, again, one never knows until the votes are counted. One never knows. So no one should be counting on anything, right? The polls are just also a snapshot in time. Once people start showing up on Election Day we'll see what happens. Thank you both I appreciate you.

BROWNSTEIN: Twelve points is a big snap shot.

LEMON: Well, we'll see. We'll see. Thank you both. I appreciate you. He helped Biden when his campaign seemed down and out and was reborn in South Carolina quite frankly. What is Congressman James Clyburn thinking three days until Election Day? I'm going to ask him, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:20:00]

LEMON: In little over 48 hours, Election Day will be here, tonight Former President Barack Obama hitting the campaign trail for Joe Biden urging voters to turn out, telling them they can't be complacent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We're going to have to turn out like never before. To reclaim what's best in this country, we can - we can leave no doubt, we can't afford to be complacent. Not this time. Not in this election. Last time we were complacent some of us.

Some of us said, you know, I don't need to bother voting. And listen, I understand why Americans get frustrated sometimes, they think government might not make a difference, because government is not perfect, elected officials, even the best aren't perfect. You know, government's not going to solve every problem but it can make things better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Former Vice President Joe Biden reaching out to black voters talking about a new wave of justice in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Protesting is not burning or looting, violence can't be tolerated and it won't, but these protests are a cry of justice. In an age of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake will not simply forget. They're inspiring a new wave of justice in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Joining me now to discuss is House Majority Whip Congressman Jim Clyburn. So good to see you Congressman thank you so much for joining.

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Thank you very much.

LEMON: We talked about this, you were the man who helped save Joe Biden in South Carolina when his campaign was down and out, where do you think of where things stand tonight congressman?

CLYBURN: I feel pretty good about it. I think that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both of them have acquitted themselves very well in this campaign, I think that Joe got his legs out to South Carolina I think he does us all proud.

[22:25:00]

CLYBURN: His motto about this being a fight for the soul of America, I think this is apropos because this country has always had challenges, will always have challenges, we're so diverse, different backgrounds, different experiences and we always work to try to reconcile those differences and try common ground, which means you're going to have times when people don't always agree but as he said, that doesn't mean you resort to violence.

LEMON: Let's talk about this particular election because - listen congressman this is all about turnout. Both campaigns fighting for black men are a matter of fact to turn up for them at the polls. Trump campaign hopes to get 20 percent of the black male vote, do you think they can if they did what would be - what would the impact be?

CLYBURN: Well, as he would do that in fact that would be a great in his favor. I don't believe that for one moment, yes, he'll get some black voters, I know black men who say they're going to vote for him for various reasons.

20 percent, I don't believe that for one moment. 13 percent last time, I just believed that was a one-off. It won't happen this time. It should not happen. I've said to various young people over the last 48 hours I've been zooming whatever it is all over the place and I have said to them.

I have three black daughters, they're grown women, all of them are active politically, I never going to even consider voting for anyone who would look into a camera and refer to one of them as a "Dog." That's what this president did and if there's any black person or anyone born of a black women can reconcile that, all I can do is pray for you.

LEMON: Listen, Congressman Clyburn, we lost John Lewis, we've lost Elijah Cummings, they fought for so much, is it all on the line this Tuesday? You know how they both felt about the right to vote?

CLYBURN: Absolutely on the line. You know John and I enjoyed a 60-year relationship, Elijah Cummings was a great friend. Elijah - in South Carolina, many of his relatives were a part of that decision brown board of education which started in South Carolina.

He and I talked a lot about our experiences, his roots in South Carolina, John and I were such great friends and we grew up and got married - both of us married professional librarians and those two women became fast friends.

They were great. They were legislators. But Don, we lost three other people that we ought to think about this in election. We lost CT Vivian.

LEMON: Well.

CLYBURN: We lost Joe Larry as they were just absolutely people who gave so much for the right to vote so much for the participation that - it would be central for us to allow their sacrifices to be in vein, for us to allow the clock to get turned back on all of this.

As Obama said in the - started out with, this is not a perfect nation. None of us are perfect beings. But, we'll always in pursuit of perfection. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that we're all working in pursuit of a perfect union.

LEMON: More perfect union, yes. Congressman, it's always a pleasure to have you and your words are always taken to heart and we need to hear them at this moment. We appreciate you. Thank you so much.

CLYBURN: Thank you very much for having me.

LEMON: More than 100,000 ballots could be thrown out in Texas, one conservative judge will make the call and that's on Monday, the day before Election Day, it's just the latest incident of the courts having an impact on your vote. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:30:00]

LEMON: A major league battle brewing in the critical county and the battleground State of Texas, Republicans looking to block nearly 127,000, these are drive-through ballots in Harris county, the largest county in the state and the Democratic stronghold that includes Houston.

Conservative Federal Judge set to hear to the petition on Monday morning after the Texas Supreme Court just last week ruled that drive- through voting could go ahead. So I want to talk now with Harris County Clerk, Chris Hollins, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate it.

This is critically important considering now that the courts are getting involved obviously in the vote of the people, are you worried that these drive-through ballots can be blocked? I mean, this is a very large number of votes, Chris.

CHRIS HOLLINS, CLERK FOR HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: Thanks for having me, Don. We have had over 1.4 million ballots cast this October and November so far, and more than 10 percent of the in-person votes in Harris County have been cast during drive-through voting.

[22:35:00]

HOLLINS: These are regular folks, folks coming to vote with their parents or their children, and the law's on the side here but we are deeply concerned that a judge is taking this case seriously.

LEMON: Let's talk about that, because originally the Texas Supreme Court has already - had already ruled in favor of drive-through voting but if these Federal Judge rules against it, do you think those 100,000 voters plus will be able to vote again?

HOLLINS: Well, this would be simply unprecedented in American history. Over 100,000 people who have cast their ballots fair and square, and those votes should count, it's un-American to be fighting this. And frankly it is not Texan.

Don, during this pandemic the laws of Texas have changed to allow us to order a margarita from our cars and the fact that people are challenging voting from our cars, because it's too convenient, is ridiculous.

I want to tell you the type of folks who are involved in this lawsuit, this gentleman who sued us, he sued myself the Governor, the Harris County Executive more than ten times this year alone on voting rights issues and on safety issues during the time of COVID-19 and he's lost every single one of them and this cot should throw out this case just like those other ones.

LEMON: Listen, I don't have to tell you I think you're making the case for yourself but you've been a big defender of drive-through voting as a legal and safe way to vote, are these repeated attempts, are they trying to undermine the voting process, do you consider this flat-out voter suppression, Chris?

HOLLINS: There's no other way to describe it. Regular Texans, regular voters here in Harris County just want to have their voices heard, Democrats and Republicans, and Don, I've spoken to election officials and candidates alike on both sides of the aisle and it's universal, folks want these votes to count. And so we're going to go to this hearing on Monday and we plan to win. It's concerning that a judge--

LEMON: Yes, it's interesting that two try to get fewer people to vote. I got the whole idea was to allow as many people as possible to vote in this country. We'll see. We're going to be watching this closely. Chris, we appreciate you joining us. Thank you, sir. Be well.

HOLLINS: Have a good one.

LEMON: So this case in Harris County is just one example of the election-related legal battles that are playing out across the country, many of them focused on key battleground states, over how long ballots can be counted even after Election Day?

So let's discuss now with CNN Election Law Analyst Rick Hasen is here. Rick it is good to see you heard my conversation just moments ago, more of these other battles in a moment but you say that there are a number of reasons that this lawsuit against drive-through ballots in Harris County should be thrown out, what are those reasons? Give me some of them.

RICK HASEN, PROFESSOR OF LAW, UC IRVINE: Well, I'll give you the top one, it's something that lawyers called latches, and what it means is if you take too long to sue, if there is an unreasonable delay and people are prejudiced then you can't bring your sue.

And the idea is if someone wanted to complain about this, they could have done it before 50,000 or 100,000 or 130,000 people voted. Now it is too late, you're going to try and un-ring the bell the day before the election. So that issue alone should be enough to get the judge to throw it out.

But more importantly, the main claim is that this goes against what the Texas legislature has said in terms of how vote kg takes place? But the Texas legislature in fact authorized this, the Texas Supreme Court on a 6-1 vote said that this was just find and so to try to reopen this now by going to federal court it kind of smacks of desperation.

LEMON: OK, so you say that's one the latches thing, do you have another or is that your main one?

HASEN: Well, so latches, is one issue and another one is that the main substance of their claim is that this is infringing on the rights of the state legislature to set the rules. But this is line with what the state legislature says so it is in line with yours.

And also there is a big question about standing, it's not the Texas legislature that's coming in and going to federal court and complaining that its right to set the rules is gone. It's one candidate, one member of the Texas House of Representatives and a voter and I don't even think they have a standing to complain about this even if there were a mere choice claim which there isn't.

I mean, this is just really kind of a Hail Mary attempt to try to disenfranchise people who followed all the rules. Who followed rules that the court said we're just fine and it's just an attempt to try and change the rules at the very end right when we're getting to the end of the voting process.

[22:40:00]

LEMON: To throw the ballots or to throw the suite out you mean?

HASEN: Yes, it is right throw the suite out not throw the votes out yes. There was a crazy ruling that came on Friday from the eight circuit involving some Minnesota ballots. So I can't say that it's impossible but any judge that's applying the rules fairly should throw this case out and the ballots should count.

LEMON: Thank you, Rick. I appreciate it.

HASEN: Thank you.

LEMON: Trump holding four rallies in Pennsylvania. Biden teaming up with President Barack Obama the Former President Barack Obama whose big final push will get voters to turn out where it counts, and that's at the polls.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:45:00]

LEMON: Fewer than three days to go and the closing messages of President Trump and Joe Biden could not be more different. In his four rallies across Pennsylvania today, Trump again falsely claimed that we're rounding the turn on the COVID-19 pandemic as new cases surged to record levels at making a bogus claim that counting mail-in ballot after Election Day amounts to fraud while, Biden campaigning with the Former President Barack Obama calling for unity in the country and vowing to put in place a forceful plan to defeat COVID-19.

Let's bring in now Jay Carney Former White House Press Secretary for President Obama and Former Director of Communications for Vice President Biden. Also with me is Mark McKinnon the Former Adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain also Executive Producer of the Circus by the way. I you're your show "Don't tell him'. Good evening to both of you.

Mark, I'm going to start with you, Election Day as I said, 50 hours or so, you know, under that, people are looking to see whether there are signs of tightening in the race, what do you see? The race always tightens at the end, doesn't it?

MARK MCKINNON, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "THE CIRCUS": It does. What happens is, you find places returning to form like Iowa right now the Des Moines register polls came out and shows that race has tightened quite a bit, Trump's back ahead and Therese Greenwald is not doing as well as Democrats hope she might be doing against Joni Ernst.

But the broad patterns are still the say and the thing has been remarkable about this race is that it basically structurally has not changed in any significant way in at least six months. So we don't see any fundamental things changing so we Biden closing on a note of hope and optimism of unity versus division of hope versus hate of truth of science - of science versus non-science so it is a good message.

By the way, I think it was a good metaphor anyway, Jay that your old boss hit a three from the corner today and for me is like these are better signs and things are going well than that. How did he feel after that?

JAY CARNEY, FORMER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: He's a game day player.

LEMON: You know what?

CARNEY: Do you remember when he did that before I worked for him in '08 campaign remember he was overseas I think he was in Germany at an army base and he was saying points without even looking at the basket, it was crazy, and he's got eyes in his veins and having him out there campaigning for the vice president that's just perfect right now for mobilizing folks.

LEMON: I don't know if you remember this but I started at CNN not too long before that may be a year or two, it was 2008 we were on the campaign trail, he was doing his barbershop tour in South Carolina, we were at a gym at a high school and he did the exact same thing.

He came he was walking around with folks, media came in and he just took a three, whoosh, right there from the side and its like this guy should have been a professional basketball player it is amazing.

CARNEY: He can play. I remember once when I was Press Secretary he came in and had a kind of sheepish look, and he was like I'm sorry I'm causing you so many problems, and I wasn't really sure what he was talking about I mean healthcare or something.

And he had been out doing some event where he was shooting some baskets out on the South Lawn, press was there, he missed a bunch, and he thought that was the worst thing he could do for a Press Secretary. Was out to oust him explain why the president didn't think of asking. But he takes it very seriously.

LEMON: Yes, and then he figured it out.

MCKINNON: You can tell he's having fun out there hitting three and just tweaking Trump on his inaugural crowds. I think Obama gets under his skin more than anybody way more than Biden.

LEMON: Listen, that's probably the best way to be, Election Day, everyone as it gets closer everybody gets so stressed and so nervous and it is better to just sort of just to chill out and have a good time with it because whatever it's going to be that's what it's going to be. Mark I want to talk to about Bruce Springsteen narrating a new Biden ad. It aired tonight during the Ohio State - seeking this is part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scranton, Pennsylvania, here success isn't handed down. It's forged with sweat, grit, and determination. This is his hometown, and Scranton good times aren't promised.

[22:50:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But here and in towns across America, times are harder than they ought to be. Lives on pause, dreams on hold and futures in doubt he's running to change that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So here's a question, is you know it is your hometown - hometown playing in the background there it is obviously --. So Trump turned Pennsylvania red four years ago, Mark Biden trying to take back those 20 electoral votes. How much will an ad like this with the boss narrating help? Will it help at all?

MCKINNON: Well, I mean, can you think of two better surrogates at this point of race than Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen? Especially in Pennsylvania we talked about this last night, Don. That is the crown jewel of the trifecta that Trump hit that he's really got to win again and that's why there has been so much focus and that's why Joe Biden is such a threat because he grew up in Scranton I think he was there until he was 10 years old.

And the best line of that ad, I'm a former really bad song-writer, I'm an OK political consultant, but I just need to tell you that's a killer song and the line - it's one of the best lines of the campaign, it's not just where he's from, it's who he's for. Man, that's line of the campaign right there.

LEMON: Jay, you know, the former president as we discussed with Biden today, they were on the campaign trail for the first time in this campaign as a matter of fact. I want you to listen to what the former president said about his vice president. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: And I saw who Joe was. And I saw how seriously he took the work. And I saw how critical it was from his perspective to make sure that the voices of ordinary families were in the room when decisions were being made.

And for eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president. He's got the character and experience to make us a better country. And he and Kamala are going to be in the fight, not for themselves but for every single one of us. And you know what? You can't say that about the president we got right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well listen, Jay, you know the former president lights up the stage. It's not surprising that he is adding more events in the final two days on the trail.

CARNEY: Well, he is an enormous asset, clearly. He's more popular now in many ways than he's ever been, certainly since he's been in office. And he's certainly going to be very good at mobilizing sort of otherwise under motivated Democratic voters to turn out and make sure they vote for Joe Biden.

And I think what Mark was saying before about having somebody like Bruce Springsteen in an ad talking to, you know, some voters who listen to him and respect him, having Barack Obama out there talking as a former president who knows Joe Biden really well, I really think you couldn't ask for more.

Couple that with the message of unity and the beauty of that is that that's what Joe Biden has been talking about since the day he announced for the race. He didn't swerve left. He didn't vilify anybody during the primary. He hasn't had to swerve back to the middle for the general election.

He's had the same consistent message, which is not withstanding everything, he's an incredibly optimistic person about America and I worked for him for two years. He got up every morning believing that, like, today was going to be good.

LEMON: Got it.

CARNEY: And today we could do something.

LEMON: I got to get Mark in before we run out of time. Mark, because you know "The Circus" your final episode before - how are you going to cover this on these final days of the campaign?

MCKINNON: We're all, like, doing planes, trains, and automobiles. In fact tomorrow I'm going to be on Trump boat flotilla I'm going to hit a boom out in the water in the waves, causing waves with the Trump - watching the Trump supporters create waves for the president, which is something I've been wanting to do all season.

So I'm achieving one of my goals of the season. But we're all over the country, trains, planes, automobiles and boats. All of the swing states, we're just going to cover it all this weekend in the final push. It's just a mad dash to the end of the finish line.

LEMON: OK listen, if you want to, you should come out to the eastern end of Long Island. Chris and I see it every weekend with the boat parades and we just you know do honk as we go by and let them have their fun and do their thing. So all you have to do is call me up. You could have been one of them. I got some more time--

MCKINNON: How about Wednesday?

LEMON: It's late. It's a little late now. It's a little cold here. Jay, I got a bit more time now. I've been gifted by the producer gods for a bit more time. What are you looking to see in the final hours?

CARNEY: I just want to see--

LEMON: Are you nervous?

CARNEY: Yes, I'm nervous. I'm nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. We're all earned the right to be nervous and notwithstanding polls after 2016 and these things aren't done until they're done.

[22:55:00]

CARNEY: I was telling you off air about how I was terrified on Election Day in 2012 when I was working for President Obama. Everything looked great, the numbers looked great, but it is just you don't know until people actually vote.

Now, we're lucky because a lot of people have already voted. But it's really important that everyone works hard to turn out the vote right up through Election Day. But I feel good, but I'm nervous.

LEMON: Yes. I better see myself on "The Circus" tomorrow night and I'm going to be mad, or at least hear myself Mark.

MCKINNON: You're in every single episode, you're getting our main voiceover talent.

LEMON: So I want to see some residuals from that.

CARNEY: McKinnon is better than a bad songwriter, and he is a great political consultant but more importantly it's a great person. So it is good to have your show.

LEMON: Look at that.

MCKINNON: Well, as LBJ said press on my legs but it is--

CARNEY: We go way back.

LEMON: I'll see you guys. Thank you. More than 91 million people have already voted. That's more than two-thirds of all ballots cast during the 2016 election. John King breaks down where things stand and what could happen come Election Day next.

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