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Youngest Inaugural Poet Captivates Nation with Her Words; Biden Administration Outlines National Strategy to Tackle Pandemic; Sources: Biden Inherits Non-Existent Vaccine Plan from Trump. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired January 21, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A breathtaking moment at President Biden's inauguration. A moment where you had a sense that the entire world was stopping to pause, to lean in and listen a little more closely. We all heard from the nation's first youth poet laureate, Amanda Gorman.

[05:58:30]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA GORMAN, NATIONAL YOUTH POET LAUREATE: When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry. A sea we must wade. We've braved the belly of the beast. We've learned that quiet isn't always peace. And the norms and notions of what just is, isn't always just-ice. And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it. Somehow we do it. Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn't broken but simply unfinished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I have to say, the ending, "for there will always be light, if only we are brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it." Something, just aside from politics, that leaves you with chills, especially coming from a 22-year-old.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, I am guessing that she was the most Googled person of the day. So many people wanted to know more about her, hear more from her. My teenage daughters were so inspired. So we're going to answer that call, because Anderson interviewed Amanda Gorman last night. It was an incredible interview. So we're going to play that for you, coming up.

BERMAN: NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge and unity is the path forward.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is what President Joe Biden has called upon us to summon now: the courage to see beyond crisis, to do what is hard, to do what is good, to unite.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Seeing Kamala Harris is going to mean so much to so many millions of little girls and little boys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw the 15 executive orders and agency actions that have already been signed by the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world is watching us, and I think they're also saying to the world, this is actually the America that you believed in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Thursday, January 21, 6 a.m. here in New York. And the sun not even up on the first full day of the Biden administration, and already we have breaking news.

As President Biden wakes up for the first time in the White House, we're getting word from officials about the staggering lack of a coronavirus vaccination plan left behind. This morning, we are told they have to start from scratch.

Also breaking before dawn, minutes ago, the White House just released this new national strategy for coronavirus. We are reading through it, and we'll bring you the highlights shortly.

CAMEROTA: Overnight, President Biden signed 17 executive actions on everything from masks to immigration to the environment. And in an incredible video, three former presidents stood together, reiterating Mr. Biden's calls for unity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. President, I'm pulling for your success. Your success is our country's success, and God bless you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: It's something we've never seen before, as Biden's presidency ushers in a monumental reset for America. Are we up to that challenge?

And the mother of all fireworks displays lit up the D.C. sky last night to end this historic celebration.

Jeff Zeleny is going to follow Katy Perry, somehow, now from the White House -- Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Alisyn.

Those fireworks have now faded from the sky, but I can tell you, they certainly illuminated Washington. A sign that there is a new administration. And just looking behind me, the White House, the lights are not on yet

this morning, but we know that President Biden is already working on his first full day coming up here.

He is going to be releasing this, really, national strategy for coronavirus. He'll be talking about that later today.

This follows a day of, you know, it was pomp and circumstance in a very different way. It is a turning of the page, a changing of the guard, whatever metaphor you want to use.

But it's clear the task before him now is a great one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (voice-over): With the stroke of a pen, President Joe Biden using his first hours in office to address the multiple crises facing a deeply divided America.

BIDEN: With the state of the nation today, there's no time to waste. Get to work immediately.

ZELENY: The new president signing 17 executive actions. Launching a 100-day mask challenge, stopping the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, and extending the existing eviction moratorium and pause on federal student loan payments.

Biden also reversed some of President Trump's key policies. Among them, rejoining the Paris climate accord, halting the Keystone XL pipeline, ending travel restrictions from several Muslim-majority countries, and stopping construction of the border wall.

And unlike her predecessor, Biden's press secretary says she's bringing back the daily briefing.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: When the president asked me to serve in this role, we talked about the importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room.

ZELENY: The president also held a virtual ceremony to swear in top administration staff.

BIDEN: Everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity. That's been missing in a big way the last four years.

ZELENY: The Senate confirmed his first cabinet nominee last night, approving Avril Haines for director of national intelligence.

Biden's arrival to the White House without the usual crowds and pageantry, dampened not only by the pandemic, but also security threats.

LADY GAGA (singing): Oh, say can you see...

ZELENY: But the inauguration ceremony still went ahead Wednesday morning, Biden taking his oath at the U.S. Capitol. BIDEN: I, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., do solemnly swear.

ZELENY: Before sharing a message of healing and unity on the same steps that became the site of a deadly insurrection just two weeks ago.

BIDEN: We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this, if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.

ZELENY: His inaugural address, moments after Kamala Harris made history --

HARRIS: So help me God.

ZELENY: -- becoming the first woman and first black and Asian-American vice president.

[06:05:03]

KATY PERRY, SINGER (SINGING): Baby, you're a firework.

ZELENY: At night, fireworks brightened the sky across the nation's capital, as the president and first lady Jill Biden looked on from the White House balcony. An optimistic note amid a deadly pandemic, for an inauguration day unlike any other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: And it was a day of celebration at the inaugural festivities. The president starting it with mass in the morning, ending it with fireworks at night.

Now the first full day of his administration is starting, and he is focusing on coronavirus. We're going to hear from President Biden later today, talking about this new 23-page plan the administration is laying out. He'll be signing ten more executive orders, all focusing on coronavirus.

And that, of course, the central challenge of our time, of this administration, no doubt. And this is certainly one of the things they're working on.

But even as they are focusing on this, and underlying all of this, barely mentioned yesterday, impeachment. That is still a very, you know, real thing here in Washington. But the Biden administration wants to move beyond that and talk about the challenges of coronavirus, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Jeff, thank you very much.

And we do have breaking news on that front. Sources tell CNN that the Trump administration left the Biden team no coronavirus vaccine plan. One source says the Biden team are, quote, "going to have to build everything from scratch."

CNN White House correspondent M.J. Lee joins us now with her breaking news. What have you learned, M.J.?

M.J. LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, now that Joe Biden has been sworn into office, we are about to get a clearer picture of what exactly he inherited from the Trump administration when it comes to COVID and on vaccines.

And sources with direct knowledge, within hours of Biden being sworn in, told CNN that there simply was no vaccination distribution plan under former President Donald Trump.

Once source telling CNN, as you said, "There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch." Another person said it was "further affirmation of complete incompetence." The fact that the Biden COVID team would have to start, basically, from square one.

Now, this is obviously some very critical language that we are hearing. And part of what we have learned is that some members of the Biden COVID team, they were pretty reticent to be too critical in public of the Trump administration's handling of all of this, because, remember, they were already having a hard time during the transition, getting all the critical information that they needed from the outgoing administration from everything on COVID vaccine production.

And what they are hoping now is that, now that Biden is president, they can start to really figure out, what is it that we have inherited, what is the situation on the ground, including the different things that different states are going to need in terms of resources.

I also just want to point out something that Jeff Zients, the new White House COVID coordinator, told reporters yesterday. It kind of sums up what the White House -- the Biden White House believes they are inheriting.

He said, "For almost a year now, Americans could not look to the federal government for any strategy, let alone a comprehensive approach to respond to COVID; and we've seen the tragic costs of that failure. As President Biden steps into office today, that will change tomorrow."

Well, that day has come, because today is the first full day that Biden is in office. And we are learning this morning that he plans on rolling out, basically, a national strategy today at the White House and taking a number of executive actions that are entirely COVID- focused.

Just to tick through a few, they want to take action that is going to restore trust when it comes to COVID and the government; a national vaccination campaign launch; a whole bunch of different executive actions focused on masks, on testing, on setting federal standards and reopening schools, as well.

So, this is really going to be the test. We are about to see, in the coming days and weeks, how quickly the Biden White House can begin to turn things around, as they have been promising for a while now, John. BERMAN: Yes. M.J. Lee, reading to us from this brand-new 21-page

strategy book, just published minutes ago. Thank you so much.

Stunning reporting, by the way, that the Biden White House has to start from scratch when it comes to vaccine distribution with news that 400 new deaths reported overnight.

Jeff Zeleny is back with us. Also with us, Natasha Alford. She's the vice president of digital content and senior correspondent at TheGrio.

Jeff, how important is it? We are going to see concrete action from the Biden White House today. How important is it, officials say, for them to be able to show, we are doing real things that will have a real impact right now?

ZELENY: John, the first thing we are seeing here, the president is putting his attention and spotlight and bully pulpit behind coronavirus.

[06:10:05]

We have not seen that over the last year of this crisis. We've not seen the Trump administration doing that. We are seeing President Biden doing that in every way he can.

So that is behind the release of this report this morning, which really is something that, you know, we've all been living for the last year. We know that the vaccine distribution plan has not worked. We know that there are testing issues. We know there are challenges reopening the schools.

So what the Biden administration is doing is shining a light and bringing it all together to show that it is this administration's priority.

We heard something in the inaugural address yesterday and, indeed, on the eve of that, when President Biden, you know, was paying tribute to the lives of 400,000 Americans who have died. And again, yesterday he did that. He is talking about it. That is something that President Trump rarely, if ever, did and it certainly it was not a priority in the administration.

So as M.J. was reporting there, the Biden administration is finding that, you know, there are not plans in place. There are not, you know, structures in place. So the Biden team is building all of that.

But the issue here is, there is a short window in which they can continue to point out the Trump administration did not do this. Now the burden is theirs. They know that. They realize that, of course. But it is a significant challenge here, as this pandemic deepens -- John.

CAMEROTA: I totally hear you, Jeff. That there's a short window, and now it's the Biden's responsibility. But I think we're still in that window, actually, Natasha.

ZELENY: Sure.

CAMEROTA: Because, I mean, because this morning, yes, we knew it was bad. We knew that the vaccinations weren't going as planned. However, it's worse than what we thought, actually.

Because the Trump administration promised that 50 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of this month, January. At the moment, 16 million have.

And to now find out from M.J.'s reporting that they didn't leave a plan, there was no plan for more. I mean, I just think we do need to take a moment to recognize, we're in trouble. This is bad. Biden has to build it from scratch, at the time that it's at its height, Natasha.

NATASHA ALFORD, THEGRIO: This is definitely not the news that we wanted to hear. And unfortunately, I believe it's the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we will discover regarding the incompetence of the last administration.

And if you remember, Alisyn and John, lots of fanfare was made about the administration, the Trump administration creating a vaccine so quickly, right? Even up until the last moment when he flew out, he was bragging about how quickly the vaccine was made.

Well, if you don't have a good distribution plan, you've only gotten the job half done, which means the job was not done at all.

We're not surprised by the fact that there's no plan. This is the same White House that hosted holiday parties during the pandemic. But again, it just highlights the urgency, and it explains why the Biden administration is making COVID-19 No. 1.

You can talk about the economy. You can talk about all of these other issues, but until we get the pandemic under control, we will be significantly affected in every other area.

BERMAN: So, Jeff, I want to broaden this discussion, if I can. As a jumping off point, I want to read you what is item No. 1 in terms of the COVID strategy, just released by the Biden White House.

Item No. 1 is restore trust with the American people. And one of the things that was so striking to me about the inaugural address is that President Biden promised truth. He wanted to restore the concept of truth to the United States of America.

And I can't decide if I think that's an incredibly low bar or an incredibly high bar, given where we are. But talk to us about how this White House intends to approach that and some of the concrete things they're doing.

ZELENY: John, the word "truth" was really, perhaps, a key theme yesterday that we -- has been right in front of our eyes, but we weren't necessarily expecting. Of course, we knew that President Biden would talk about unity. But talking about truth and the consequences of not telling the truth. I was told yesterday, shortly after the speech was given, that truth

actually emerged as a -- as a rising theme over the last several weeks, as President-elect Joe Biden watched all of this unfold. Watched President Trump, you know, disregard the election results, watch Republicans in congress disregard, you know, what the will of the people was saying. So truth, as President Biden was saying yesterday, is central to all of this. And he talked about, you know, the -- what happens when we don't believe the same set of facts.

So that is how they're operating as they move forward with coronavirus. They believe in science. They are not sugarcoating the challenges by any means. He said he will be straight with the American people.

But by saying truth and facts in this document, it is just another reminder that that is how they are going to try and govern. It doesn't mean it's going to make it any easier, but it means that they are not going to sugarcoat the facts and the challenges.

And that's something we've seen over the last year. They simply have not placed a priority on the coronavirus epidemic.

[06:15:05]

And this is something that President Biden again, his first address and his first full day in the White House, is going to be talking about this. He'll be signing executive orders on this in the Oval Office today.

So that is what they're doing. Shining attention and saying, look, it's the president's top priority. You better put this on your priority, as well.

CAMEROTA: And Natasha, it was interesting to see what his top priorities were yesterday. And some of them were directly on reversing some of President Trump's initiatives.

Such as, if we can put up the list again, the -- halt the border wall construction. You know, there were only -- there were billions of dollars that -- that President Trump had, you know, sent over for -- in an emergency action for the border wall. Only 47 miles of wall, I think, at the end of the day, were all built.

Cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. Rejoin the Paris climate accord.

And I heard some people yesterday in right-wing media saying, how is this unity? You know, he -- Biden talks a good game about unity. How is this unity?

And somebody had to remind them -- I think it was Chris Wallace -- this is called winning. This is what happens when you win. You get your policies, and voters have voted for those policies. But I can tell, it's going to take some adjustment, mentally, for people to understand that you can still talk unity, but you do get your agenda.

ALFORD: That's right. No one was asking President Trump for permission when he walked into the White House the first day and was signing executive orders left and right.

And you know, welcome to an alternate universe where press secretaries are civil and, you know, America wants to be on a world stage and partner with other people to reduce climate change.

I mean, so many of the things that President Biden put forth as a priority were really tenets of the American promise, the American dream. The idea that we would be welcoming to immigrants who are seeking asylum. The fact that racial equity would be a priority. You know, I think hearing these things is just a reflection of the agenda that he represented on the campaign trail and what the American people voted for.

So although we have, you know, many members of the GOP who are still kind of living in the twilight zone and in denial about what happened, the fact is this is what was appealing to the American people. People are ready to get back to a sense of normalcy.

But also, not just, you know, what didn't work, pushing America forward in a really progressive way. And I think that this signaled, that's the direction that we're going in. While we may not be able to do it all at once, this is -- this is how aggressively we're going to move.

Natasha, Jeff, thank you both very much for all of the thoughts and reporting.

So three former U.S. presidents showed up to honor America's new president and they emphasized Joe Biden's call for unity. We bring you this incredible video, next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:22:08]

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think if Americans would love their neighbor like they like to be loved themselves, a lot of the division in our society would end.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's what this means. It's a new beginning. And everybody needs to get off their high horse and reach out to their friends and neighbors and try to make it possible.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If, in fact, as George said, we're looking for what binds us together, the American people are strong; they're tough. They can get through hardship. And there's no problem they can't solve when we're working together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That's former presidents Bush, Clinton, and Obama all emphasizing president Obama's message of unity in that video message that was also just visually so interesting to see. That was last night.

Jeff Zeleny and Natasha Alford are back with us.

Natasha, I want to start with you, because there was something I found very comforting in seeing them also together, and Vice President Mike Pence, as well, at that ceremony.

Vice President Mike Pence, there was always a question, is he going to go? Which side is he going to be on? Is he going to go with Donald Trump, for whom he has been, you know, such a loyal, dedicated, devoted supporter, but there he was yesterday. And I don't know. Visually, there was something very comforting.

ALFORD: I agree. It again reflects the idea that democracy is bigger than one individual. And we've suffered through narcissism for the past four years, and it's become easy to forget that.

So the sight of Mike Pence at the inauguration, again, just sort of showing where his ultimate loyalty should lie, I think, was really powerful.

And whatever you were doing around the house yesterday when you heard all three presidents on television, you may have stopped and looked.

I remember growing up and -- and I think I was probably in high school. George Bush was a very controversial president. Like, let's not forget that. And really divided the nation politically in a lot of ways with the war. But, still, somehow, him and Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have this common ground that they can come around.

And so that is ultimately the message of America, that the institutions, us being a united country, are bigger than any one individual. So some people, you know, may still be critical of President Bush, but again, that show of unity is so much bigger than one person.

BERMAN: First of all, we heard the dig there, that you were in high school during the Bush administration. Don't think that that just goes over our heads. We heard that.

Secondly, Jeff, though, to the point that Natasha was making, it was arresting. When you saw that video, you stop in your tracks and you have some reporting on this, which to me seemed like presidential unity improv, is what it felt like.

ZELENY: It sure did. And this is something that I'm told was unscripted. It was a free-flowing conversation. It originated from President Biden and his inaugural team. It was part of the scripting of the unity and the, you know, calling Americans together.

[06:25:11]

But the fact that they did it. The fact that president Bush, of course, agreed to do this. And a little personal privilege note here, I met you, John, as you'll remember, in 1999, covering Governor George W. Bush. So that's how old we are. But it was striking that he, of course, was -- he agreed to do this.

And he, you know, called upon people to really -- the bottom line was, give President Biden a chance. Give him a chance to heal this country.

So this was a meeting of the former presidents club. We rarely see this except at presidential libraries and at funerals. And this was an extraordinary moment.

Of course, missing from this club was President Trump. He decided to leave town. He decided to take himself out of all of this.

So when I was watching all of those three former presidents on the stage right behind President Biden, that was the majestic moment of an inauguration. That is the point.

And Alisyn, you are right, seeing Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence sitting right there, as well. That is what this country is about. Republican or Democrat.

And we should point out, Bill Clinton, very controversial, as well, in his administration. He was right there, talking to Republicans. We certainly saw President Bush talking to democrats. So that is what it's about. It's about more than one person.

So I think the takeaway is, it was President Trump who's been the aberration here in terms of just the collegiality and the decency and civility. But the challenge now is President Biden's to try to heal this country. And it is a very deep challenge, and he knows that very well.

CAMEROTA: It's so weird that you guys were reporting on George W. Bush while Natasha and I were in high school.

Natasha, what were your thoughts on Kamala Harris and seeing her assume this role?

ALFORD: Well, as a Puerto Rican and African-American woman, watching Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor from the Bronx, you know, swearing in Kamala Harris from Oakland, it was just such a powerful visual, right?

But I've interviewed Vice President Harris multiple times, and she's always emphasized that, more than symbolism, government representing everyone is what it's supposed to be about, right? So it's not just about her being the first, but that she very much intends to open the doors for everyone behind her.

And I think you saw, not only from, you know, black women, but women in general, people of all different backgrounds and identities, this sense that a glass ceiling had been shattered, and this was -- this was a pivotal moment for America.

So I was -- I was really moved by the moment. I think she had all these amazing small touches. You know, a black designer who designed her outfit, the Howard University marching band, being escorted by Eugene Goodman, who was a hero at the Capitol. I think that this represents the best of America.

And yes, I can't imagine this election without her presence, and I think the fact that she will be a tiebreaker in the Senate only highlights just how important her role is. She's not just a first, but she's going to be crucial in terms of determining policy and what happens with the Biden/Harris agenda for the next four years.

CAMEROTA: Natasha, Jeff, thank you both very much. Great to talk to you.

ZELENY: You bet.

CAMEROTA: And we have some new reporting this morning on lawmakers discussing what the Senate impeachment trial against President Trump could look like. We are to understand it's going to be quicker than some people thought. We'll tell you about it, next.

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