Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Note: This page is continually updated as new transcripts become available. If you cannot find a specific segment, check back later.

January 08, 2021
• White House Releases Statement on Possible Second Trump Impeachment; White House Task Force Warns of Possible Fast-Spreading U.S. COVID Variant; GOP Senator Murkowski Calls on President Trump to Resign, According to Anchorage Daily News. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI); House Drafts Article of Impeachment Against President Trump. Aired 4-4:30p ET


January 07, 2021
• Pelosi Calls for Resignation of U.S. Capitol Police Chief; Biden Nominates Judge Merrick Garland As Attorney General; As Mob Stormed Capitol, U.S. Reported Record COVID Deaths and Hospitalizations. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Capitol Building Riot Security Failures; Interview With Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Interview with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rioters and Security Breaches at the Capitol; Pelosi: Congress May Impeach If 25th Amendment Not Invoked; Biden Announces Top Justice Department Nominees; GOP Lawmakers Blame Antifa for Capitol Riot; At Least 50 Cases of COVID Variant Now in The U.S. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Nancy Pelosi Appeals to Vice President Mike Pence to Invoke the 25th Amendment or Congress May Impeach Trump; First Trump Cabinet Secretary Resigns Over Capitol Riot; Total of 94 Arrests Reported So Far in Capitol Hill Riot. Aired 3-3:30p ET


January 06, 2021
• Did Not Air 4-5p ET


January 05, 2021
• Did Not Air 4-5p ET


January 04, 2021
• Interview With Former Gov. Chris Christie (D-NJ); Vaccine Rollout Debacle; FDA To Consider Giving Half Doses Of Moderna; Biden, Trump & Pence Campaign In Georgia Ahead Of Crucial Runoffs. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Leaked Trump Phone Call Stirs Outrage; Interview With Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Georgia Election Official Debunks Trump Election Conspiracies. Aired 4-4:30p ET


January 01, 2021
• Did Not Air 4-5p ET


December 31, 2020
• U.S. Defense Officials Split on Potential for Iranian Attack; Biden: "We Just Aren't Getting All the Information That We Need from the Outgoing Administration in Key National Security Areas"; Times Square Preparing for Celebration Like No Other. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Senator David Perdue in COVID-19 Quarantine Days Ahead of Election; Pandemic Out of Control; 140 House Republicans Expected to Vote Against Counting Biden Electoral College Votes. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Georgia Senator Perdue to Quarantine After Exposure to COVID- 19; Sen. Hawley Fundraising Off Efforts to Thwart Biden Win; California Identifies Case of Highly Infectious U.K. variant; Youngest Person Elected to Congress Rallies Youth Vote in Georgia. Aired 3:30- 4p ET
• Senator David Perdue in COVID-19 Quarantine Days Ahead of Election; Interview With Los Angeles, California, Mayor Eric Garcetti; Campaigning Heats Up Ahead of Georgia Run-Offs; Pandemic Raging Out of Control. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 30, 2020
• Vaccinations Falling Short of Trump Administration Promises; Chaotic Vaccine Rollout in Florida; Republican Senator to Challenge Electoral College Results; Interview With Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL); Trump and Biden to Campaign in Georgia on Eve of Senate Runoffs. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Republican Senator to Challenge Electoral College Results; Vaccinations Falling Short of Trump Administration Promises. Aired 4- 4:30p ET
• U.K. Approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine; U.S. Rollout Behind Schedule With 1 Day Left in 2020; McConnell Looks to Tank $2,000 Stimulus Checks with Poison Pills in Bill; Kemp Responds to Trump's Call for Him to Resign; Attempt to Force Vote on Election Results Setting Up Nightmare Scenario for GOP Leaders. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Republican Senator to Challenge Electoral College Results; Interview With U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services Admiral Brett Giroir; Vaccinations Falling Short of Trump Administration Promises. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 29, 2020
• Food Insecurity in America; Darkest Days of Pandemic Ahead?; Vaccine Rollout Going Slowly. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Will Senate Republicans Block $2,000 Stimulus Checks?; Biden Promises to Speed Up Vaccine Rollout. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• January Could Be Worse Than December?; COVID Patients Filling 49 Percent Of ICU Beds In Hospitals; Only 2.1 Million Vaccines Administered So Far, Well Below Target; GOP's Senators Now Support Trump's Push For $2000 Stimulus Checks; Trump Unhappy With Renovations At Mar-A-Lago; President-Elect Biden Speaks On COVID Response. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Vaccine Rollout Going Slowly; Interview With Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA); Kamala Harris Receives First Dose of Vaccine; Will Senate Republicans Block $2,000 Stimulus Checks?. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 28, 2020
• Novavax Vaccine in Phase 3 Trials; Post-Christmas COVID-19 Surge Expected. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Post-Christmas COVID-19 Surge Expected; Nashville Bombing Investigation; Trump Keeps Focus on Overturning Election Results. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Biden Blasts Trump Administration's Irresponsibility During the Transition; Nearly 2 Million Vaccines Administered So Far in U.S.; December Is Deadliest Month in Pandemic Yet; Surgeon General Very Concerned Following Holiday Travel. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Biden Addresses Nashville Bombing, Rebuilding International Relations; Interview With Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); Trump Keeps Focus on Overturning Election Results. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 25, 2020
• Did Not Air 4:30-5p ET
• Did Not Air 4-4:30p ET


December 24, 2020
• Trump Sends Congress Into Scramble Over Stimulus Relief, Defense Spending, Possible Government Shutdown; Biden: We're Doing "Due Diligence" on Final Cabinet Picks; Birthday Wishes Pour in Dr. Fauci's 80th Birthday. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Millions Traveling Despite CDC Warnings; President Trump's Chaotic Final Days. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 23, 2020
• Trump Rushing to Build More Border Wall; Trump Pardon of Blackwater Massacre Participants Stirs Outrage; Biden's Plans to Stop Construction on Border Wall May Be Costly and Difficult; President- Elect Biden Nominates Miguel Cardona As Education Secretary. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Vetoes National Defense Authorization Act; U.S. Makes Deal For Additional Pfizer Vaccine Doses; Trump Sabotaging COVID Relief Bill?. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 22, 2020
• Interview With Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL); Pentagon Anxiety Over Trump's Final Days; First Latino Senator to Represent California as Governor Newsom Picks Alex Padilla to Fill Harris' Seat; 1.6M Ballots Cast in Georgia Senate Runoff Races, Rivaling State's Voter Turnout for Presidential Race. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Countries Restrict Travel From U.K. Over New Virus Strain; Biden Promises Response to Cyberattack. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 21, 2020
• Russian Plot; Bill Barr Rebukes Trump Over Election Claims. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Bill Barr Rebukes Trump Over Election Claims; President-Elect Biden Gets Vaccinated For COVID-19; Congress Set to Finally Pass COVID-19 Relief Package; Moderna Vaccinations Begin. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 18, 2020
• Microsoft: At Least 40 Orgs Targeted in Suspected Russian Hack; President-Elect Biden and Incoming First Lady to Get Vaccine Monday; Charities Struggle to Meet Skyrocketing Demand for Food as Pandemic Stretches Into Holiday Season. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Cyberattack Fallout Continues; COVID-19 Relief Bill Negotiations Drag On; Moderna Vaccine Nears Approval. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 17, 2020
• U.S. Cybersecurity Agency: Hackers Had Access Since At Least March; Sources: Biden Expected to Name North Carolina Environment Official to Run EPA; +913K Ballots Already Cast in Georgia Senate Runoff Races. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• U.S. Officials Investigate Massive Cyberattack; Where Is President Trump?; Congress Nearing COVID Relief Deal? U.S. Sets New Record For Daily COVID-19 Deaths; FDA Set to Vote on Moderna Vaccine. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 16, 2020
• Biden Nominates Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary; Vigilante Violence Over Election; Congressional Leaders on Verge of $900B COVID Relief Deal with $600 Stimulus Checks Included; Navy Vet Claim Sexual Assault at V.A. Facility, Inspector General Criticizes How V.A. Handled. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Who Will Trump Pardon? Trump Pushes For Special Counsels; Trump Science Adviser Pushed Herd Immunity. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Key Cabinet Members Absent from Meeting with Trump; Trump Pushing for Appointment of Special Counsels to Probe Hunter Biden And 2020 Election; House Minority Leader McCarthy Won't Say If Biden Is President-Elect; Town's Rules May Prevent Trump from Legally Living at Mar-A-Lago; COVID Nurse Practitioner One of First to Be Vaccinated in Iowa. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Trump Pushes For Special Counsels; Biden Nominates Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary; Trump Science Adviser Pushed Herd Immunity?. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 15, 2020
• McConnell Finally Acknowledges Biden's Win; Will Congress Pass COVID-19 Relief Package?; Biden Campaigns in Georgia; Survey: 71 Percent of Americans Say They Will Get COVID Vaccine; U.S. Government Agencies Breached by Russian-Linked Hackers. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Georgia Voting System Implementation Manager Gabriel Sterling; McConnell Finally Acknowledges Biden's Win; U.S. Passes 300,000 COVID-19 Deaths. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 14, 2020
• Did Not Air 4-5p ET


December 11, 2020
• CDC Advisers Expect FDA Authorization of Pfizer's Vaccine Before Saturday Morning; Biden Says There is No Political Influence on Vaccine; Millions on Brink of Financial Crisis as Stimulus Talks Stall. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Supreme Court Set to Rule on Election Lawsuit; Interview With Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui; Trump Pressuring FDA to Approve Vaccine Faster?. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Biden's Cabinet Nominees Speak About Their Priorities; VP-Elect Harris Says, We Are Announcing Leaders Who Will Help Deliver Immediate Relief to Our Country; Sources Say Trump Told FDA Chief to Authorize Pfizer Vaccine Today or Resign. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• President-Elect Biden Introduces Cabinet Nominees. Aired 3- 3:30p ET


December 10, 2020
• Biden Adds More Former Obama Staffers to His Team; New Yorker: "Dianne Feinstein's Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats"; Critical Vaccine Meeting Happening As U.S. Hits 3,000 Daily Deaths; Stimulus Talks Stall as Millions Desperate for Relief. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Republicans Petition Supreme Court to Overturn Election; FDA Set to Vote on Pfizer Vaccine Approval; U.S. Hits 3,000 Daily COVID-19 Deaths. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump Supports Texas Lawsuit to Invalidate Millions of Votes; Pennsylvania AG Blasts Texas Election Suit as Seditious Abuse; Biden Adds Three More Obama Staffers to His Team; Pastor Preaches Pandemic Is Fake. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Republicans Petition Supreme Court to Overturn Election; FDA Set to Vote on Pfizer Vaccine Approval. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 09, 2020
• Trump Continuing to Push False Claims of Rigged Election; Vaccine Distribution; Bipartisan Group Releases Details on $908 Billion Stimulus Plan; Fauci: If the FDA Says Vaccine is Safe, I Will Take It. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Hunter Biden Announces Taxes Under Investigation; Two U.K. Health Workers Suffer Allergic Reaction to Pfizer Vaccine; U.S. Averaging 2,000 COVID-19 Deaths Every Day. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• GOP Rep Asks Are We the Party of List-Making Now; Senator Johnson Says I Won't Challenge Election Results; COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies to Begin Shipping Out Today; Florida Judge Who Signed Search Warrant on COVID Data Scientist Was Picked by DeSantis; FDA to Consider Emergency Use Authorization for Vaccine Tomorrow. Aired 3:30- 4p ET
• Two U.K. Health Workers Suffer Allergic Reaction to Pfizer Vaccine; U.S. Averaging 2,000 COVID-19 Deaths Every Day; Interview With Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI); Biden Announces Defense Secretary Nominee. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 08, 2020
• Senate Republicans Invite Vaccine Skeptic to Testify; Interview With George Conway. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Administration Passed Up Chance to Order More Pfizer Vaccine Doses; Biden Lays Out COVID-19 Plan; U.K. Begins COVID-19 Vaccinations; Trump Again Falsely Claims He Won Election. Aired 4- 4:30p ET
• Biden's Goals for First 100 Days Are 100 Million Vaccine Doses, Universal Mask Wearing and Reopen Schools; Interview with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Stimulus Package Progress in the U.S. Senate; Sources Say Biden Picks Retired Lt. General Lloyd Austin for Defense Secretary; McConnell Says Stimulus Talks Down to The Wire; Trump Says Will Veto Bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act; 33 Million in California Under New Stay at Home Orders. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• U.K. Begins Vaccinations; Trump Again Falsely Claims He Won Election. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 07, 2020
• First Vaccine Shipments to States to Fall Short of Need; Trump Consumed With Overturning Election Results. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT); Biden Announces Health Leadership Team; Pandemic Raging. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Sen. Loeffler Refuses to Accept Biden Victory on Debate Stage; Georgia Republican Lt. Governor Says Trump's "Mountains of Misinformation" Hurting Republicans in Runoff; Control of Senate Hinges on Two Georgia Races; Rare Access to Assassination Site in Iran; U.K. Reveals COVID Vaccination Cards; Trailblazing NFL Player Fred Sasakamoose Dies of Coronavirus. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Georgia Senate Election Races Heating Up; Record COVID-19 Numbers in U.S. Aired 3-3:30p ET


December 04, 2020
• One-on-One with Ousted DHS Official Who Rebuked Trump; New Key Model Predicts 539,000 U.S. COVID Deaths by April; Tomorrow Trump to Rally in Georgia Ahead of Senate Runoffs. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Christopher Krebs; Biden Delivers Address on Economic Crisis; COVID-19 Pandemic Raging. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 03, 2020
• 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
• Trump Erupts at Attorney General in Meeting?; White House Holding Meetings on Presidential Pardons; COVID-19 Crisis. Aired 4- 4:30p ET


December 02, 2020
• Mark Kelly Sworn in as U.S. Senator; Will President Trump Pardon His Family?; Biden Facing Pressure As He Vows to Build Diverse Team; Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is Interviewed About Biden Facing Pressure to Add Diversity to Top Admin Picks. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Will President Trump Pardon His Family?; U.K. Approves Coronavirus Vaccine. Aired 4-4:30p ET


December 01, 2020
• Who Will Get Vaccine First?; Interview With Joe Scarborough. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Joe Scarborough; Biden Introduces Economic Team; Attorney General Bill Barr Finds No Evidence of Widespread Voter Fraud. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 30, 2020
• Chinese Documents Show Early Mishandling of COVID-19; COVID-19 Pandemic Surging; Iran: Remote-Controlled Machine Gun, Self-Detonating Car Used in Assassination. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Vaccine Approved By Christmas? Trump Refuses to Concede Election; Biden Names Economic Team. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 27, 2020
• U.S. Aircraft Carrier Moving Back Into Persian Gulf for Cover as Troops are Moved Out of Afghanistan and Iraq; Iran Warns of "Severe Revenge" After Top Nuclear Scientist is Assassinated; Without Evidence, Trump Warns of Fraud in Georgia Races; Supreme Court Sides 5-4 With Religious Groups on COVID Restrictions; CDC Committee to Vote Next Week on Who Gets Vaccine First. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Former BARDA Director Dr. Rick Bright; U.S. COVID-19 Hospitalizations Hit Record High; Another Legal Loss For Trump in Pennsylvania. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 26, 2020
• Did Not Air. 4-5p ET


November 25, 2020
• Trump Issues Full Pardon to Michael Flynn; Thanksgiving COVID Surge?. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Issues Full Pardon to Michael Flynn; Biden Delivers Thanksgiving Address. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 24, 2020
• Food Insecurity; Millions Ignoring CDC Travel Warnings; Biden Transition. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Pandemic Surging; Biden Introduces Cabinet Picks. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 23, 2020
• Interview With Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ); Michigan Certifies Biden's Victory; Millions of America Ignore CDC Warnings, Travel Over Holiday; Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) are Interviewed About Michigan State Board Certifying Biden's Election Win. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• AstraZeneca Unveils Vaccine Findings; Trump Continues Denying Election Results; Biden Announces First Cabinet Nominees. Aired 4- 4:30p ET


November 20, 2020
• U.S. Sees Record-Setting 187,000+ Cases in a Single Day; President Stalls Transition Process by Refusing to Concede; Georgia's Two Senate Runoffs Will Decide If Republicans Or Democrats Control Senate. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Vaccines on Horizon; Trump Continues Quest to Overturn Election Results. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 19, 2020
• Biden Taking Questions After Meeting with Governors; CDC Recommends Against Travel for Thanksgiving. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Continues Attempts to Meddle in Election Results; Biden, Harris Update Pandemic Response Preparation. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 18, 2020
• Georgia Recount; New York City Schools Close Amid Coronavirus Spike; Georgia To Announce Election Audit Results Tomorrow; Interview With Georgia Secretary Of State About The Election Audit. Aired 4:30- 5p ET
• Trump Continuing To Deny Election Defeat; Interview With Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA); Trump Requests Limited Wisconsin Recount. Aired 4- 4:30p ET


November 17, 2020
• Did Senator Lindsey Graham Try to Get Legal Georgia Votes Cast Out?; GOP Senators Appear to Congratulate VP-Elect Harris; Iowa Governor: COVID Hospitalizations Doubled Since November 1st. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Resisting Election Defeat Reality; Interview With Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis; Trump Orders Troop Drawdown in Iraq and Afghanistan. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 16, 2020
• U.S. Economic Outlook; Trump Set to Reduce Troop Presence in Iraq and Afghanistan; Oregon Governor Kate Oregon is Interviewed About the Coronavirus Pandemic; Russia's COVID Reality Not What Kremlin Portrays. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Moderna Says Vaccine 94.5 Percent Effective; Biden Warns of Dangers in Transition Delay. Aired 4-4:30p ET


November 13, 2020
• Trump Touts Vaccine & Economy, Says No More Lockdowns. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Breaks Post-Defeat Silence; Interview With Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA); Pandemic Exploding; Joe Biden Wins Georgia. Aired 4- 4:30p ET


November 12, 2020
• Record 144,000 New Cases in One Day in U.S.; Karl Rove: Trump Lawsuits Won't Change Election Outcome. Aired 4:30-5p ET


Next Page