Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Dems Now Back Bipartisan $900 Billion Deal, But Negotiations Ongoing with GOP Senate; Obama, Bush, Clinton Volunteer to Get Vaccinated on TV; Groups Pressure Biden to Fulfill Promise to Build Diverse Team. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired December 03, 2020 - 16:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:31:01]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: In the politics lead now, Congress may be closer than ever on a new stimulus package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke about it by phone today about their, quote, shared commitment to make a deal.

There's also this today from President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they're getting very close, and I want it to happen, and I believe that they're getting very close to a deal. Yep.

REPORTER: Will you support it?

TRUMP: I will. I will. Absolutely, yeah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: One problem here. There are still major differences on who gets money and how the funding is spent.

CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill.

And, Manu, Mitch McConnell just left the Capitol and made some comments. What did he say?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he's actually sounding positive about the way discussions are going right now. He had that conversation with Nancy Pelosi. He and House speaker have been at odds for months, battling back and forth over who is to blame for the stalemate that's affected so many people.

But McConnell left the capital and said that he and Pelosi, quote, had a good conversation. They're both interested on getting an outcome, both on a bill to keep the government open passed the deadline of December 11th as well as some sort of stimulus package to help people who are struggling in this economy.

Now, the question is about whether they can actually reach an agreement and also tie it to that must-pass funding bill. Those are big decisions that will have to be paid in the next few days.

Now, there's still major sticking points, despite bipartisan talks that are happening. Two sticking points that really have been similar to what we have heard for months, including money for state and local governments. That's what Democrats demand. Republicans have resisted. There's a difference about unemployment insurance. They're still trying to figure out exactly how much money to give for small business loans.

And also liability protections -- Republicans have been pushing to ensure that workers and hospitals, businesses, are shielded from lawsuits. Democrats have concerns with that language.

So, they are sorting out a number of differences and a lot of this has to do -- centered around $908 billion proposal that's been pushed by a bipartisan group of senators. Now, McConnell has been cool to that approach. But behind closed doors today, he did meet with several of those senators and they walked him through that framework. He did not lay out how he intends to move forward.

But a number of Republicans are embracing that, and that's what Democrats say they want to negotiate around. So, there's signs that they may be moving around that and, of course, that means also, Pam, that Democrats have come down significantly from what they were talking about, which is $2 trillion plus. We'll see if they can agree to $900 billion, because the clock has been ticking here, Pam.

BROWN: It certainly is. It's been ticking for a while for those millions of Americans suffering right now.

Manu Raju, thank you.

RAJU: Thank you.

BROWN: Well, CVS says that they should be ready to get vaccines in the arms of Americans as early as December 15th.

As three former presidents, Obama, Bush and Clinton, vow they'll get their vaccines on camera if it will help instill confidence in the vaccine safety.

Joining me is now is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha.

Nice to see you, Doctor.

So, let's talk about this.

CDC Director, Dr. Robert Redfield, said that he could see businesses such as long term care facilities and airline personnel require proof of immunization for staff and consumers.

Do you think that would be helpful? What do you think about that?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yeah, so first, thanks for having me on. I do think it would be helpful. It's also certainly within the rights of these private businesses to do so. You know, as a physician, I'm not allowed to practice in my hospital unless I've gotten the flu vaccine every year. I'll lose my privileges.

And I can imagine hospitals doing the same thing with COVID. I can imagine airlines and others, and it will -- it will encourage people who want to work in those businesses to get vaccinated.

BROWN: That's really interesting. I didn't know that.

Let's talk about "Operation Warp Speed", expecting 100 million Americans to be vaccinated by February. Do you anticipate any issues with distribution? Do you think that's a realistic timeline?

JHA: Well, first of all, it's a very hopeful timeline. It's an aggressive timeline. Do I think they can pull it off? They probably can, but it will take a lot of work logistically.

[16:35:03]

It will require very close coordination with states and it will require a seamless transition from the Trump team to the Biden team. Is all of that doable? It is, but I worry, of course, that there might be hiccups and -- but I do think it's possible.

BROWN: Right, and just talking about requiring the vaccine. We were just talking about that. The Department of Defense has released images of the vaccine cards. You see it right here on the screen, the vaccine card which everyone will get after their first vaccine.

What is the purpose of this?

JHA: Yeah, presumably it's two things. One is to remind you to come back for your second shot. These vaccine cards used to be given out, certainly when I was a kid, I remember mine with all my various vaccines. But they may also be used for some places as proof of vaccination, whether that ends up being the standard or we have some other approach, I don't know yet. I think we'll figure out.

But some sort of proof of immunization is going to be necessary for a lot places.

BROWN: And what's also necessary to get this pandemic under control is for people to actually get the vaccination. And you're seeing these former presidents now offering to get vaccinated on camera.

Do you think that that will encourage skeptics to take the vaccine? You think it will help?

JHA: I hope so. I mean, again, we're talking about presidents with very different political affiliations. Different -- appealing to different parts of the American population. I want to see lots of people who are trusted voices get vaccinated in public because I think it's going to be important to building confidence in the American people that these vaccines, given the testing they've been through really do appear to be safe and effective.

And I think once all that data is out, I hope more Americans get to trust it by looking at people they trust getting vaccinated.

BROWN: So, that is the key, looking to people they trust. Meantime, the White House is hosting as many as 20 Christmas parties, no masks required. In the midst of this insane surge we're all experiencing.

What is your message? What do you think about that?

JHA: So my message very simply is please don't do that. There are so many people dying in America right now.

BROWN: That's very polite.

JHA: They know better. They should know better. And I don't understand why they keep doing this.

So many people are getting sick. People do look to the White House as a model. We've got to restore the White House as a place for responsible public health oriented behavior. It's very distressing to see things like this.

BROWN: All right. Let's end on positive note. You sounded the alarm we were going to go through what we're going through. And we are. You said it was going to happen. It is.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Do you think this is the last big surge?

JHA: There is light at the end of the tunnel. This is the last really horrible surge of COVID that we'll hopefully ever have to deal with. My hope is by late January, early February things really do meaningfully start getting better with vaccinations and by spring into summer, I really think life is going to look very, very different, much better.

We may have occasional outbreaks here or there, maybe for years, but we will never have this kind of a nationwide outbreak that we're experiencing right now, and that's something to look forward to.

BROWN: Just buckle down now. There will be some relief.

All right. Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you.

JHA: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: And up next -- what we're learning about the incoming administration's new plans on the pandemic as Team Biden meets with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:48]

BROWN: Soon, we expect the first clips of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris sitting down with our own Jake Tapper. That is why I am in his chair today.

And it comes as the Biden administration is preparing to take office in just 48 days faced with a worsening pandemic.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Wilmington, Delaware.

Arlette, what can you tell us about the team Biden is building to tackle the pandemic?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, President- elect Joe Biden has made it very clear that tackling COVID-19 is one of his top priorities when he takes office, and that includes assembling a team to handle the pandemic.

And our colleague MJ Lee reported that Jeffrey Zients is expected to be named as the White House COVID coordinator. Now, Zients is the co- chair of Biden's transition team and was a top economic adviser during the Obama administration. He is often known as a bit of a fix-it man. So, that is someone who can step into the role as the Biden administration starts planning for how to confront this pandemic.

Now, also today, Biden's transition team held a formal virtual meeting with Dr. Anthony Fauci, with the top infectious disease expert when it comes to this pandemic. Biden in the past has said that he hopes that Fauci would stay in that position in his administration. And so far, until today, Fauci had had these informal conversations with the White House -- incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain. But, today, he formalized that talking with those landing teams in the Biden administration.

BROWN: Now, he said he wished that had started earlier.

All right. Arlette, there's still key positions left to be filled in the Biden cabinet. And he's getting a lot of pressure from all sides.

SAENZ: Yeah, Pamela. Biden has said he wants his cabinet to look like America, that he wants it to be diverse. And there are certainly many constituencies trying to hold him to that promise.

He is facing pressure from both lawmakers and civil rights groups to appoint more Latino and black nominees for his cabinet. So far, Biden has only appointed four people of color to his cabinet and there are many who are pushing him to do more.

[16:45:04]

Today, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus held a virtual meeting with the incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain, as well as Jeffrey Zients and Ted Kaufman, two officials within that transition team.

And it was described to our colleagues on Capitol Hill as being a diplomatic but tense meeting where they made their case for Latino Democrats to be in the cabinet, including New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

So, Biden is trying to make good on that promise, and there are certainly people who are holding him to his vows that he made before for his cabinet to look like America.

BROWN: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for that.

I want to bring in now, CNN's Abby Phillip for more on this.

So, as you were just talking about there with Arlette, Abby, Biden is really facing the pressure from all sides. Some groups are asking for more diversity, the left wants more progressives and Republicans are pushing moderates.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. Some of this is what you would expect from any presidential transition where there's a lot of jockeying for these positions. But Biden is in a unique position because he has made this promise to make his cabinet very diverse. And also the constituencies that brought him to the White House, namely black voters and also Hispanic voters as well, are looking for evidence within his cabinet that they're going to have voices at the table.

At the same time, you're hearing paradoxically from Republicans who are saying, hey, we want input, too, so that we know that you can get these folks through in terms of Senate confirmation. Biden is used to this, obviously, Pam. This is something that he has been dealing with in Washington for about 40 years now.

So, I'm sure that this is not unexpected. But the pressure is certainly intense, especially as the nonwhite, people of color in the Democratic coalition are speaking up more forcefully and saying they really want more aggressive efforts to put diversity at the highest levels of his administration.

BROWN: And as we know, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris herself is already history making pick in a number of ways. How does she fit in the lineup of VPs who served before her?

PHILLIP: Well, Pam, the simple answer is that she doesn't. Of the 48 people who served in that office, every single one of them has been a man, and almost every one has been a white man.

But the truth is she's going to be taking office -- taking an office for which there is no blueprint. There is no job description for the vice president and she's already indicating that she'll be taking a unique approach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP (voice-over): When Senator Kamala Harris became Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, she delivered to the nation several historic firsts, the first African-American, first south Asian and first female vice president-elect.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.

PHILLIP: The vice president's role varies with every administration but there is one trait most have in common -- political expertise. Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and senator for the nation's most populous state. And she'll bring that breadth of experience with her to the White House.

HARRIS: I'd like to ask you --

PHILLIP: As a member of the judiciary and intelligence committees, Harris was at the forefront of some of the most consequential hearings of the last four years.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: She's ready to do this job on day one.

PHILLIP: And while Harris will assume office on January 20th with no formal blueprint for how to perform the job, President-elect Biden did offer something of a framework during his time serving under President Obama.

BIDEN: He asked me what I wanted most importantly. I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made important decisions.

PHILLIP: Biden says being a key trusted adviser was one of the most important factors he was looking for in his vice president.

BIDEN: I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room, to always tell me the truth, which she will. Challenge my assumptions if she disagrees.

PHILLIP: Harris displayed her ability to challenge Biden at the Democratic Party's presidential debate, attacking his record working with segregationist senators to oppose busing decades earlier.

HARRIS: You know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools. And she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me.

PHILLIP: Once a political rival, Harris will now be in the White House as Biden's right hand. And in her new role, offering a lesson to the nation's children.

HARRIS: Dream with ambition. Lead with conviction. And see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they've never seen it before. But know that we will applaud you every step of the way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP (on camera): And, Senator Harris, Vice President-elect Harris has announced a slew of senior positions for her office when she takes office and they are all women.

[16:50:07] Several of them are people of color, a strong indication of how she plans to run the vice president's office as the first woman, the first black woman and the first Indian-American woman to serve in that position -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Abby Phillips, thank you.

And Vice President-elect Harris is featured in a new CNN film called "PRESIDENT IN WAITING." Watch the premiere Saturday night at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

Well, from mouthing off on Twitter to being major players on the world stage, what's next for the Trump children without their dad in the White House?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:55:22]

BROWN: And our politics lead now. Today, Ivanka Trump offered to publicly take the coronavirus vaccine to help endorse its safety, just one more sign she may not be away from Washington for very long. But President Trump already discussing preemptive pardons for his elder children, what could all their futures look like after the White House?

CNN's Kate Bennett reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When January 20th ushers out President Donald Trump, it does the same for his three eldest children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump. The Trump kids, along with Tiffany Trump, spent Thanksgiving at Camp David, the rustic Maryland presidential retreat not often used during this administration.

A far cry from opulent family Thanksgivings at Mar-a-Lago or the White House, where President Trump dined with Melania Trump.

The use of taxpayer dollars for a Thanksgiving just for the kids, with Secret Service protection and Camp David staff called into work the visit, smacks of the privileges they have enjoyed and will shortly lose. Each Trump child now faces a different future path than the one they were on pre-White House.

Donald Trump Jr. before in the shadows of Trump's public appearances, now a Republican fire brand. One source saying Junior is, quote, the future of the base. Sources tell CNN Trump Jr. will also return to his day job at the Trump Organization to try to expand global properties.

The challenges could be many. His father has disparaged world leaders and Junior himself has used his social media to push conspiracy theories to the point that Twitter even suspended him.

Trump Org faces its own struggle, which will be Eric Trump's assignment, according to those familiar with his role, trying to pivot a luxury real estate and hospitality company, and corral the 70-plus million voters who supported his father into now supporting his father's business. As Trump says, we'll see what happens.

And while neither Eric nor Don Jr. are thinking about entering politics, their sister, Ivanka Trump, seems to take her lenient approach to the Trump platform, possibly do just that. While Don Jr. has been whipping up the base back home, Ivanka spent much of the last four years on obscured diplomacy missions with plenty of photo opportunities to discuss things like economic support for women-owned businesses or portray herself on the same footing as world leaders at global summits.

According to sources, Ivanka has a desire for a bigger political career, recently stating her pro-life stance and becoming more vocal in defense of Trump's policies, attracting his base as now many moderates and Democrats will be a more challenging group to draw.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BENNETT (on camera): Now, Ivanka Trump disbanded her brands, her fashion and accessories line shortly after she got into the White House. Returning to a branded fashion or some sort of label might be a challenge again now that her four years in the White House are up, at least for now -- Pam.

BROWN: All right. Kate Bennett, thank you for bringing us that report. We appreciate it.

And finally tonight, as this country recorded the highest single day death rate of the entire pandemic, we need to take a minute to think about just what that means, that people behind the numbers, 2,804 American deaths recorded yesterday. And behind each number, a friend, a family member or a co-worker.

And here's just one of their stories. Joseph Luna went by the stage name Joe El Cholo. He was a comedian and a dad. He was only 38 years old. The Los Angeles native was a double amputee but that did not stop him from keeping up with his kids. He documented his sickness on Instagram hoping it would serve as a warning to others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE LUNA, COMEDIAN: I lost my taste. I was in the hospital with stomachaches and I have COVID. It's just horrible, like anybody out there, man. Please, you know, take care of yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And now, now, he's gone. He died on November 23rd, the day he posted his last video. Our deepest condolences to the Luna family and all who have lost loved ones in this pandemic.

And coming up next -- CNN will release the first clips of the first joint interview since the election with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Jake Tapper is just wrapping up that conversation. You can see the full interview in a one-hour special tonight at 9:00 Eastern here on CNN.

You can find me on Twitter @PamelaBrownCNN or just tweet the show @TheLeadCNN.

Our coverage on CNN continues right now.