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New Day

Pence to Keep Campaigning Despite Contact with Infected Aides; U.S. Sets New 7-Day Average Record of More Than 68,000 New Cases. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired October 26, 2020 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With just over a week to go before election day, the president insisting we're rounding the corner.

[05:59:29]

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The way he's handling COVID is just absolutely totally irresponsible.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The vice president was in North Carolina yesterday, despite the fact that several of his top aides have recently tested positive.

MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: We're not going to control the pandemic. It is a contagious virus, just like the flu.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, but why not make efforts to contain it?

MEADOWS: Well, we are making efforts to contain it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We easily will hit six-figure numbers in terms of the number of cases, and the deaths are going to go up precipitously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at a dangerous tipping point right now.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Monday, October 26. It is 6 a.m. here in New York. Nine days left to cast your vote. And we are waking up to word that the United States has just suffered its single worst week in terms of coronavirus cases of the entire pandemic. No week has seen more new cases. The virus is running rampant.

And in terms of words and actions, it is clear the White House is no longer trying to stop it. It is all over the administration. And also now, reportedly hitting the president's favorite media network.

In the last few days, at least, five members of president -- Vice President Mike Pence's inner circle have tested positive, including his chief of staff and his body man. The vice president has been in close contact with at least one of these people.

And the CDC guidelines here are crystal-clear. He should quarantine for 14 days. But Pence, who is the leader of the White House coronavirus task force, the leader, he is ignoring these guidelines and staying on the campaign trail, perhaps suggesting that, to him, votes are more important than lives.

Also new this morning, "The New York Times" reports the president of FOX News and several of that network's top anchors have been advised to quarantine after being exposed on a flight to last week's presidential debate. We wish them all well.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight, more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases reported in the United States. That follows back-to- back days of more than 83,000 cases. Friday and Saturday set a record for the entire pandemic.

Cases are increasing in 37 states this morning. As you can see, there are no states in green again this morning, meaning they are all trending in the wrong direction.

Hospitalizations also going up nationwide. The death toll in the United States is now more than 225,000 people.

And the White House, as John said, sounds like they're admitting defeat and that they're giving up on trying to stop the spread of the virus. Chief of staff Mark Meadows telling CNN, quote, "We are not going to control the pandemic."

Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Dianne Gallagher. She is live for us in North Carolina. What's happening on the ground there, Dianne?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn, this is one of those states that's going in the wrong direction. North Carolina set and broke new daily infections last week. That didn't stop the vice president and president from coming and holding rallies here with little social distance -- distancing and very few masks over the weekend.

This, of course, comes, as a second outbreak is affecting the White House. This time, the vice president's team, although we're told that he himself has tested negative.

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GALLAGHER (voice-over): A new coronavirus outbreak inside the White House. This time, spreading among Vice President Mike Pence's inner circle. Among those testing positive, the vice president's chief of staff, Marc Short.

Still, the vice president headlined a rally in North Carolina, avoiding any discussion of the cluster.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to keep opening up America again.

GALLAGHER: According to the White House, Pence tested negative Sunday, and the V.P., who leads the White House coronavirus task force, is scheduled to continue campaigning, despite the exposure, his office calling him an essential worker.

MEADOWS: I can tell you that what he's doing is wearing a mask, socially distancing, and when he goes up to speak, he will take the mask off, put it back on.

GALLAGHER: Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris calling out Pence for staying on the trail, after she paused travel herself earlier when two campaign staffers tested positive for COVID-19.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He should be following the guidelines. We're doing it. I think we have modeled the right and good behavior, and they should take our lead.

GALLAGHER: The new White House cluster comes as reported coronavirus cases in the U.S. reach record levels. The president's chief of staff admitting that the White House is moving on from efforts to control the virus.

MEADOWS: Here's what we have to do. We're not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics, and other mitigations --

TAPPER: Why aren't we going get control of the pandemic?

MEADOWS: Because it is a contagious virus, just like the flu.

TAPPER: Yes, but --

GALLAGHER: Former Vice President Joe Biden saying this is evidence that the Trump administration has given up on controlling the pandemic, writing in a statement, "This wasn't a slip by Meadows. It was a candid acknowledgement of what President Trump's strategy has clearly been from the beginning of this crisis: to wave the white flag of defeat and hope that by ignoring it, the virus would simply go away. It hasn't, and it won't."

The president spending Sunday in New England, mingling with supporters without wearing a mask and brushing off a reporter's question about Pence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should the vice president come off the campaign trail?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You'd have to ask him. He's doing very well. Good crowds. Very socially distanced.

GALLAGHER: As Trump downplays the pandemic and holds rallies without social distancing, Biden says the coronavirus is the most important domestic issue.

[06:05:06]

BIDEN: Right now, the biggest domestic issue is our health. Right now, COVID, COVID, the way he's handling COVID is just absolutely totally irresponsible. He's telling people that we've turned the bend in one of his recent rallies. Well, he's gone -- as my grandpop would say, he's gone around the bend. I mean, we are in real trouble.

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GALLAGHER: Now, the coronavirus didn't stop the White House from holding its traditional Halloween event last night, although you definitely felt COVID-19 protocols there.

They did not hand out candy to the children, many of whom were from military families, some of them were local schoolchildren who had been invited by the White House.

And they wouldn't stand next to them. They actually had flowers, large potted flowers that were standing there, but they did take pictures with the children.

According to the first lady's spokesperson, as is protocol with the East Wing, all of the children and their parents had to wear masks. But you can see that the president and first lady were both maskless at the event.

The kids did get some kind of candy, Alisyn, from other White House staffers who were wearing masks and gloves. So they said they tried to take those COVID protocols while still holding the event, but again, the first lady and the president both maskless at it.

BERMAN: In a manner of speaking.

CAMEROTA: Dianne, thank you very much. Dianne Gallagher.

So last week was the worst week yet in the U.S. in terms of new coronavirus cases in the history of the pandemic. Overnight, more than 60,000 more cases were reported. Eight states are experiencing record hospitalizations. The state of Illinois reported the highest number of new cases on Sunday.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is live in Chicago with more. What's happening there, Adrienne?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, the numbers keep increasing, and experts warn the climb isn't done yet. And while many people across the country might be over the virus, the virus is making it clear, it's not done causing pain.

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BROADDUS (voice-over): Concern mounting as the United States sees new highs in coronavirus cases across the country. DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: We're at a dangerous

tipping point right now. We're entering what's going to be the steep slope of the curve, of the epidemic curve. These cases are going to continue to build. There's really no backstop.

BROADDUS: A weekend of record numbers. The nation seeing more than 228,000 new cases over the past three days.

DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: We easily will hit six- figure numbers in terms of the number of cases, and the deaths are going to go up precipitously.

BROADDUS: Thirty-seven states have seen an increase in new cases over the last week, and as cases surge, Dr. Anthony Fauci talking up a nationwide mask mandate.

FAUCI: If people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating it.

BROADDUS: Twelve states seeing record highs in coronavirus hospitalizations this weekend. In Utah, health experts predict hospitals may begin to ration care in a week or two. That's according to "The Salt Lake Tribune."

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Things are looking pretty bleak right now. In Utah, hospitals are looking at having to ration access to ICUs and ventilators now.

BROADDUS: And in El Paso, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott requesting use of an Army medical center for non-COVID patients, as hospitals hit peak capacity, forcing the county to prepare additional hospital sites. A new curfew of 10 p.m. has also been implemented in El Paso, and residents are encouraged to stay home for the next two weeks.

MAYOR DEE MARGO (R), EL PASO, TEXAS; We're just trying to stop this outbreak. We've had significant spikes to the point that our hospital capacity is really tapped. We're probably at -- at the end of our rope.

BROADDUS: And here in Illinois, cases are rising again. In Chicago, a 10 p.m. curfew in place, and indoor services at bars are banned. The state's top medical officer grew emotional, reporting the new case numbers and deaths on Saturday.

DR. NGOZI EZIKE, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR: Today, we are reporting 3,874 new cases for a total of three hundred sixty- four -- thirty-three confirmed cases since the start of this pandemic. Excuse me, please.

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BROADDUS: And the tears fell faster than she could wipe them away. The state's top doctor delivers COVID updates weekly, but she's not exempt. COVID-19 has impacted her family, as well. And over the weekend, on Saturday, Illinois recorded the highest

number of new cases in a single day, more than 6,000 -- Alisyn and John.

CAMEROTA: Adrienne, stay safe there. Thank you very much for the reporting.

The United States just saw the worst week in new coronavirus cases in the history of this pandemic, so our next guest is warning that Americans need to be prepared to see hospitals overwhelmed and that we may be heading to 100,000 new cases a day.

[06:10:09]

We discuss all of that, next.

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BERMAN: So election day now just eight days away, which means nine days left to vote, including today. And this morning, the Trump administration is dealing with a new coronavirus outbreak in the White House.

Look at the circle surrounding Vice President Mike Pence. At least five members of his inner circle have recently tested positive for coronavirus, including his body man and his chief of staff.

And despite crystal-clear CDC guidance that he should quarantine for 14 days, the vice president not doing it. He is the leader of the coronavirus task force, and he's out on the trail, no mask, yesterday in Kingston, North Carolina. He's headed to Minnesota today.

Joining us now, CNN senior political reporter, Nia-Malika Henderson. Also with us, William Haseltine. He is a former Harvard Medical School professor, and he is currently the chair and president of Access Health International.

[06:15:10]

Professor Haseltine, I want to start with you. Because to a certain extent, what's happening with the vice president is emblematic of where we are in this country.

We just had our single worst week of the pandemic in terms of new cases. The White House chief of staff says we are no longer trying to control the pandemic. We can't control the spread of the virus anymore. And as if to prove it, the vice president, who should be in quarantine, is out on the campaign trail. Your reaction?

WILLIAM HASELTINE, CHAIR/PRESIDENT, ACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: Well, this is a really dangerous and serious situation. I think we're looking forward to a number of record weeks in the very near future that will drive this daily rate above 100,000.

And I can see, if I'm looking across the world, looking at Europe as a predictor of what will happen here, as it was in the spring, that there could be 200,000 cases. Which, if you project forward, could mean up to a million deaths a year from now. It is a really dangerous situation.

But we're not hopeless. We do have hope. There are countries that have driven this infection close to zero. Ten, 20, one, two, three, zero cases. It's not impossible.

It's not too late to do it, either. All we have to do is universal household testing and paid family home leave for two weeks for people who are infected. We can do it.

CAMEROTA: Yes. But Professor Haseltine, the White House just admitted yesterday, they don't know how to do that, they don't want to do it, they can't figure out how to do that. I don't know what "We're not going to control the pandemic" means to Mark Meadows. I don't know why they've given up or feel so impotent to stop this. I don't -- I don't know what his thinking is, but they're not going to do any of that.

It's true, they're not. And they haven't. And that's where we are where we are. But it isn't impossible. You shouldn't give up.

I can't understand why a government would give up in the face of such a disaster. It is -- it's not rational. It's -- there are things to do. There are a lot of things to do. It's not just masks. Masks will help. But we can bring this close to zero with good government action. We have the tools. We have an emergency powers declaration. We have the Defense Production Act. We have tremendous expertise as to what to do.

It's this administration is not following what other countries have successfully done, and it is a big puzzle why they haven't done it.

BERMAN: Nia-Malika, what about the messaging? Because I don't know that it was a gaffe when Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, told Jake in this terrific interview that "We're not going to control the pandemic." That's nine days he said that before election day.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it didn't sound very much like a gaffe. It sounded like a statement of what their policy is, what their approach is to the pandemic. Essentially, everyone is on their own. If they want to wear masks, fine. If they don't, fine, too. And we've obviously seen that in effect at these big rallies that Donald Trump has had.

They seem to think that the sort of saving grace will be these vaccines, which we know won't be here for months and months and months and certainly not available to a wide swath of Americans for many, many months, deep into next year. So that is their stated approach to this.

And listen, there is even some evidence that they think herd immunity is the way to go with this. Let as many people get infected as possible, and somehow there'll be this sort of immunity. Of course, what they leave out is the million or so people that would die as a result of that kind of approach. You know, this -- it isn't even that this administration has given up

on fighting the coronavirus. They sort of never even really started, in many ways, and they've just sort of hoped that it would go away. Let's open up the schools without a plan. Let's open up businesses without a plan and hope everything goes well. And so that seems to be where they still are.

CAMEROTA: Professor Haseltine, the only reason we know about this outbreak in Vice President Pence's orbit is because of reporting. They hadn't disclosed that. We think there's five people. We can't be certain, because they're not -- they're not being forthcoming. They're not voluntarily disclosing it until reporters call and say, You need to confirm this or not confirm this. We have sources saying that people around you are very sick.

And -- and so when the head of the coronavirus task force, which is what Vice President Pence is, when he is flouting the CDC guidelines, he is not isolating and staying home for 14 days, which is what you're supposed to do when you come into very close contact, as he has, with his body man, you know, the guy who is with him during all waking hours, he's not doing it, because he says he's an essential employee, I guess, or an essential worker.

How is campaigning -- I mean, I guess, does campaign fall into the "essential" category?

[06:20:05]

HASELTINE: You know, I'm not an expert on that, but I think it makes common sense. You see the other vice-presidential candidate isolating under much more, let's say, generous circumstances, that she has not been as exposed as the vice president has been.

But this is emblematic of the whole attitude that this administration has not, as was pointed out earlier, taken this epidemic, this pandemic, nearly as seriously as they have. They're not using the powers that the federal government has.

And the result of that is the U.S. is, by far, the world's leader. We're now at an average of 60,000 people. And that can quickly go up much higher.

If we follow what Europe is doing, we're going to have four times as many people infected within a matter of weeks. And there's no end in sight following that through this winter. This is a tough time, and it's time to take tough actions.

BERMAN: I want to read you something that former homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said over the weekend about these rallies, about the types of events that both the president and vice president are going to.

He says, "Given the new case totals in the United States, if you have a gathering of a thousand people or more, the odds are almost 100 percent that at least one person in attendance is infectious," he says. Does that sound right to you, Professor Haseltine? And keep in mind,

the president and vice president are both doing these giant rallies. Keep in mind, the president once again tonight is going to host an event at the White House to celebrate the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. We know the last time they did that, it was a super- spreader event.

HASELTINE: That's a conservative estimate. There are going to be, as we know, people who are infected, and people who will transmit that infection to others in these types of situations. It's a certainty. And Bossert's statement is -- is a very conservative reading of the facts.

BERMAN: Professor Haseltine, thank you very much.

Nia-Malika, do not go far. We need your expertise. Because we've got to talk about what these next eight days are going to look like on the campaign trail with the pandemic now, in some counts, by some counts, at its worst level yet. Where's the president going to go? Where's the former vice president going to go? That's next.

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[06:26:33]

BIDEN: I'm one of those folks or competitors, it's not over until the bell rings. And I feel superstitious when I predict anything other than, it's going to be a hard fight. We feel good about where we are, but you know, I don't underestimate how he plays.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Former Vice President Joe Biden and President Trump offering their closing pitches to viewers in new interviews with "60 Minutes." Both candidates are stepping up campaign stops in this final week of the race.

President Trump is holding three rallies in the critical state of Pennsylvania today. Joe Biden is back home in Delaware but plans to campaign in Georgia tomorrow.

Joining us now, CNN senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson and CNN political analyst Margaret Talev. She is a politics and White House editor at Axios. Ladies, thanks so much for being here.

Margaret, Vice President Biden's in Delaware while President Trump is holding three rallies in Pennsylvania. How -- what's that strategy? How does that make sense?

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's totally reflective of each of their strategies in the closing week of the race.

Biden's strategy has been part and parcel with, you have to listen to the scientists. You can't have large rallies where you're bringing groups of people together who could get each other sick.

And President Trump's strategy has been, You have to show that you're tough and stronger than the virus. And plus, he's already had coronavirus. So get out there and get the base excited.

And that really kicks off this final week where the coronavirus, you know, we're seeing that we're not past it as a country. These are, like, the worst numbers ever. And it puts the focus squarely back on the pandemic, which I think is a tragedy, because of what it means in reality.

But for Biden, he's going to see it as what he wanted, which is to focus on the virus as the biggest challenge and not any of these other issues heading into that last week of campaigning.

BERMAN: Interesting. It's sort of a political jiu-jitsu, in other words. Mr. Vice -- Mr. President, Joe Biden is saying, if you want to be out there and have the picture of yourself surrounded by a thousand people when the pandemic is at its highest level in terms of cases that it's ever been, go ahead.

In addition to the story surrounding the vice president, where five people in his inner circle have now tested positive and the president -- the vice president is not quarantining, Nia, maybe by sitting back, it puts this in starker relief?

HENDERSON: No, I think that's right. And let's also be very aware of the fact that Donald Trump is out of money in many ways. And one of the reasons he's going to these places, Pennsylvania, and holding all these rallies is because it gets him local press coverage, whereas you have Biden, who is blasting the airwaves. There's, like, a really money advantage that the Biden campaign has over Trump.

So in some ways, they don't have a choice but to send the president out there, send Pence out there in this way.

Of course, the health risks are very well known, as we discussed in the last segment. But this is, you know, out of necessity for them in many ways, so they can get those local hits.

Granted, the picture of it, I think, goes against not only science, but what most Americans want to see, these big rallies with people outdoors and not wearing any masks and not social distancing either. But I also think it reflects the desperation of this president not only in terms of the money, but where he is in the polls behind, at least right now, in most of these battleground states.

CAMEROTA: Right. But a lot can change in eight days.

HENDERSON: Right.

CAMEROTA: And so, Margaret, I mean, it's also -- I mean, pundits say, possibly a really cunning closing strategy of President Trump, because as Nia-Malika just said, it's free media.