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Don Lemon Tonight
COVID Coverage Outpaces Trump; Rep. Kelly (R-PA) Mocks Joe Biden; Sixty-eight Million Americans Already Voted; Barack Obama Attacks President Trump; Joe Biden's Character Suited For A Leader; Wisconsin With Alarming COVID-19 Cases. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired October 27, 2020 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: "CNN TONIGHT" with D. Lemon starts right now.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Truer words have never been spoken.
[22:00:00]
"We've got to do better. We've got to do better. We've got to do better." It's unbelievable, right?
CUOMO: Kayla (ph), that poor mother.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: Chasing him around trying to keep him under control, trying to keep him away, trying to get the police to understand. It's just heartbreaking, especially when you know that we can do better than this.
LEMON: We can. Well, it's just amazing that this administration has done so little to deal with the situation that's obviously happening on their watch but wants to blame, you know, an administration that's not even in place, right. That is just maybe going to happen on Tuesday.
But it's just, it's really sad. And that's not the end of it. It's going to continue to happen unless we do better, as you said, unless we do something. I know that part of the restructuring of the police department that many in our communities want, meaning the collective whole not just in my community. All of our community is to have people who can deal with mental health issues.
CUOMO: Got to train them.
LEMON: Train them to go out and deal with it.
CUOMO: Train them or give them caseworkers, liaisons to go out with them. They've got to have de-escalation tools on them.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: All they have is the weapon. I mean, it's not easy to take a guy on with a knife out with your bare hands.
LEMON: Right.
CUOMO: They're not trained to do that either. Look, it's just, I'll tell you one thing that we have going for us right now. We have an election in seven days.
LEMON: Right.
CUOMO: And there is sure as hell as plenty of stuff for people to want to vote on.
LEMON: One week. And I made a promise to my barber to day. I don't know if you see I got like a little haircut. He said --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Cut a little bit of color you got too there, right?
LEMON: He said I got to cut. No, I still got the grays, they just cut them out a little bit. But I got to tell you. He said are you going to fight with Chris tonight? I said, yes, of course I'm going to fight. I fight with him every night. That's our -- welcome to our relationship. That's all we do. It's nice.
CUOMO: I really don't see it as fighting.
LEMON: I know.
CUOMO: I never ever left a conversation with you in all the years we've known each other sideways.
LEMON: It's not -- it's not personal. We just -- that's what -- that's what we do. That's what we do.
CUOMO: I love you. You make me better.
LEMON: Sometimes I love you.
CUOMO: On TV and off TV.
LEMON: I know I make you better, but you know, I'm glad you can admit that.
CUOMO: Well, I mean, just by basis of physical comparison. I look better when I stand next to you. Got you, D. Lemon.
LEMON: Thank you brother. I'll see you soon. I love you too.
CUOMO: I love you. And good night.
LEMON: Thank you. Good night.
This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.
So, we have big breaking news tonight. And we need to talk about the inevitable. What's going to happen on Tuesday? And what's happening now. Get this, early voting records being shattered all across this country, long, long, long lines of people waiting as long as it takes to cast their votes, even in the middle of a deadly pandemic.
People really want to vote this time. Those early votes, now more than half of the total number of votes cast in 2016. Can you believe it? And election day is not even here.
And with just one week to go until election day, I can tell you that everybody is out on the trail. You probably saw some of it. And if you did, we're going to show you some of it, campaigns putting it all on the line tonight with just one week to go.
But with more than 68 million Americans, get that, 68 million, already casting their votes time is running out. The Biden campaign delivering a one-two punch of the former vice president and his former boss, Barack Obama, teaming up again to take it to Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the spring the president declared in his voice as commander in chief, he says commander in chief is going to wage war on the virus. Instead, he shrugged, he swaggered and he surrendered.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF America: He said this at one of his rallies. CCOVID, COVID, COVID. He is complaining. He is jealous of COVID's media coverage. If he had been focused on COVID from the beginning, cases wouldn't be reaching new record highs across the country this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And the president, well he is at it again tonight in Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: COVID, you turn on the news, COVID. You know when they are going to stop talking about it so much? November 4th, you're right. November 4th. Now, it's a whole crazy thing. I mean, it's too complicated to explain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. Well, not that complicated actually. So, let me just take a stab at it. It's not that complicated. So, a pandemic hit. You, meaning President Trump you had a playbook for it. But you threw it away. You denied it to the public while the same time telling Bob Woodward all about it in private, failed to do the bare minimum that it would take to keep Americans safe while, at the same time, right, you are promoting ludicrous ideas for cures.
[22:05:03]
Remember, injection, you know, the bleach and the disinfectant. And now more than 226,000 Americans are dead. Not that complicated.
And in coronavirus hot spots the president is still holding crowded rallies with cheering supporters all packed together, even though it puts them at risk. Well, he was gathering in a, you know, a crowd in Wisconsin, right, gathering a crowd in Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers says this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TONY EVERS (D-WI): There is no way to sugar coat it. We are facing an urgent crisis. And there is an imminent risk to you, your family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, going to that hard-hit state and trying to convince people not to care about this virus is what got us here where we are now. You might say it, you know, it is what it is. Right? That's what the president says, if you were president anyway. Joe Biden not mincing words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Time and again throughout our history we've seen charlatans, the con men, the phony populist who sought to play on our fears, appeal to our worse appetites and pick at the oldest scabs we have for their own political gain. They appear when the nation has been hit the hardest and where at the most vulnerable. Never solve anything but only to benefit themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, Biden, a Godly man, going to quote Pope Francis calling for the world's leaders to reach for a higher purpose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: In a recent and sacred goal Pope Francis warns us against this phony populism that appeals to, quote, "the basis and most selfish instincts." He goes on to say politics is something more noble than posturing, marketing and media spin.
These saw nothing but division and conflict and oblique cynicism. Except for those who seek to lead, we do well to ask ourselves why am I doing this? Why? What is my real aim?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And then, well, there is the Trump campaign. Proving that every time you think they have hit rock bottom they find a whole new way to go even lower, takes the pope's words completely out of context, the pope who was calling for politics to be noble. What they did was the opposite of noble, deceptively editing his words to make Joe Biden look bad. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Why am I doing this? Why? What is my real aim?
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Seriously, though, as I said, Joe Biden, a godly man and then you have the Trump campaign. I'm not sure what you would call that but you can figure out for yourself. How low can you go? Well, maybe even lower.
Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Kelly on the Trump campaign call today mocking Joe Biden for stuttering. Something that Joe Biden has struggled with his whole life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE KELLY (R-PA): So, when you look at Joe Biden. And I don't know anymore. I used to get mad when I would hear him talk and now, I am thinking to myself, this is a guy that we need to be able to go visit that whatever you do don't listen to him. Let him go ahead and mumble and bumble whatever he wants. Go, say hi to him. Drop off some tapioca or some other pudding and let him, let him make his way through that. And I don't want to be mean about this but honestly --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Wow. So, maybe even lower. We got seven days, probably going to get a lot lower. So, here's a pro tip when somebody says he doesn't want to be mean, but he is about to be mean. Right. Look, Joe Biden can take care of himself. But is this the kind of politics that we want now? Someone mocking someone's stuttering? I am sure some of you have kids out there who stutter. Would you want someone mocking them?
Is this what we want right now with Americans dying by the thousands while the president completely ignores their deaths while he doubles down on his own airing of grievances against state TV -- I mean, Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Fox. Fox is very disappointing. That Fox would have shown this -- this would not have happened with Roger Ailes, I can tell you that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Against his nemesis, Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Nancy Pelosi is only interested in bailing out badly-run crime ridden Democrat cities and states. That's all she's interested in. She is not interested in helping the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:10:06]
LEMON: Now compare that to the person I called godly earlier, I'm talking about Joe Biden saying he hopes to be a president for everyone, even people who don't vote for him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I'm running as a proud Democrat. But I will govern as an American president. I'll work with Democrats and Republicans. I'll work as hard for those who don't support me, as for those who do. That's the job of a president, a duty of care for everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Seven days to go until election day. More than 68 million Americans already voted. And the president he doesn't want every vote counted, nope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner would be planned on November 3rd instead of counting ballots for two weeks which is totally inappropriate. And I don't believe that that's by our laws.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Inappropriate? In appropriate to count every single vote? Inappropriate to have as many people involved in the process as possible? Inappropriate to make it as easy as possible for American citizens to be able to do their constitutional right, to be able to vote?
That's not just the president shooting off his mouth, right? That is un-American. The President of the United States saying that we should count some votes, and not others. That's what he saying. Because he is afraid that he is going to lose. That's all there is.
But that is not what our democracy is all about. Your right to vote is one of the most sacred rights of any American, don't forget that. And you deserve to know that your vote will be counted. You deserve to know that our government will protect our free and fair elections.
And if there is no clear winner on election night, we will just keep on counting. Just keep counting. Just keep counting. And we will keep rolling along, as we always do. We'll keep counting every single vote, because, you know what? That is the American way.
And just minutes ago the president wrapped up a rally in Omaha tonight and he is there fighting for one single electoral vote. Which tells you how hard-fought this race is, with just one week to go until election day.
We'll have the very latest on the trail on the road to the 270 electoral votes. That is next.
[22:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: One week to go until election day. Seven days. But over 68 million votes have already been cast. That's more than half the total number of votes in 2016.
Let's bring in now CNN's Chief Political Analyst, Gloria Borger, and Senior White House Correspondent, Jeff Zeleny.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey.
LEMON: Hi, guys. Jeff, it must be chilly, I see you there with earmuffs on. Good to see both of you. So, listen, Jeff, I'm going to start with you. The president is in Omaha tonight to try to secure just one electoral vote. What does that say about his position right now?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Don, it says the -- you know, he's trying to thread a very narrow needle here to winning 270 electoral votes. And this is a bit of a, you know, history 101 on the Electoral College. Maine and Nebraska, as we've been talking about, are the only two states in the country that divide their electoral votes by congressional district.
So that is why President Trump arrived in Omaha this evening. He just left a short time ago. And he is flying out west. But he is really in trouble here in Omaha, in the second congressional district. It includes Omaha, it includes the surrounding area.
And he talked a lot about suburbs, and how he would protect the suburbs. But the suburbs are exactly where his political problems are here in Omaha, and elsewhere across the country. So, he's trying to make this argument here.
But also talking, Don, as he has every -- all day long he was in Michigan, Wisconsin here, about coronavirus. He says COVID, COVID, COVID, the media focusing too much on COVID. Don, it was pretty quiet in this crowd when he talked about that. Nebraska, like other states across the country has had four straight weeks in a row with record high cases.
Iowa just across the river, he's also addressing Iowans, has seen 11 days in the month of October with record high cases. So, this is something that he cannot escape regardless of his belittling it and trying to diminish it. This is a reality that they live in their lives every day.
LEMON: Yes. Instead of trying to shape reality in the way that he wants it.
ZELENY: Right.
LEMON: Gloria, you heard Jeff say it, he knows he's in trouble with certain groups like suburban women. So, in order to win them back, he says things like this. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I love women, and I can't help it, they are the greatest. I love them much more than the man. Much more than a man. So, I'm saving suburbia. I'm getting your kids back to school, I'm also getting your husbands, they want to get back to work. Right? They want to get back to work. We're getting your husbands back to work. And everybody wants it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, is that going to help him the way he thinks he will?
BORGER: All I can say is -- I mean, it's just remarkable. It sounds like it's 1955, perhaps, getting their husbands back to work. More than eight times as many women than men have dropped out of the workforce, since the beginning of COVID.
It is a different world now. They are not suburban housewives, as he once called down. They are members of the workforce. Many of them are single-wage earners supporting their families. Many of them are the major wage earners in their families.
[22:19:57]
And for the president, who is, as you point out, trying to appeal to suburban women, and he does have support among some suburban women. To say they want to get their husbands back in the workforce, I mean, it's just so hollow. It's remarkable.
LEMON: Yes. I kept thinking, you know, listen I love "Leave it to Beaver" and I love (Inaudible).
BORGER: Of course.
LEMON: But --
BORGER: Yes.
LEMON: -- but this is not 1950 anymore. Great TV show, but not exactly this --
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: Not exactly the way the world is.
LEMON: Yes.
BORGER: Not the way the world is.
LEMON: Jeff, I want you to look at this. Sixty-two percent of Americans think that the government is making the country's recovery from the pandemic worse. So, most of the country not buying President's Trump's claim that they had done a really good job, correct?
ZELENY: There is no doubt about it, Don. We see it in poll after poll, in state after state, talking to voters as we do, they simply do not believe the administration has held it in the proper way. Now they don't necessarily blame the president. Many don't blame the president.
I talk to Democratic voters who say look, we don't blame the president but they don't think he's taking it seriously enough. And you could just see the faces on some members of the crowd here. Many were not wearing masks this evening. Some wore.
But even those who weren't it is clear that this reality of coronavirus, what, you know, if you think of it politically or not, that it is a reality in their daily lives. So, this is something that the president is trying to escape, and get beyond. It simply is not going to happen, over the next six days.
Now I was sort of struck at these rallies, we see the president holding so many of them, he's going to hold multiple once a day for the next six days. What's he really turning out here? Of course, his base supporters. But they are asking every single person here to find nine other people who are not already committed to him and vote for him.
So, if that's mathematically possible, I'm not sure. But there's a reason he is chasing single electoral votes here in Omaha tonight. Even he said it. He said, look, it's a freezing night out here, you need to get the hell out and vote for me. So, we'll see if they will.
LEMON: Gloria, I got to get this in quickly because I think it's important.
BORGER: Sure.
LEMON: I'm not sure what the strategy, and why he's doing this. But he repeatedly attacked Governor Gretchen Whitmer at a rally in Michigan today, saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Now your governor, I don't think she likes me too much. Hey, hey, hey, I'm the one, it was our people that kept her out with her problem. I knew I have to see it's a problem. Right? People are entitled to say maybe it was a problem, maybe not. It was our people, my people, our people, that helped her out. And then she blamed me for it. She blamed me, and it was our people that helped around.
(CROWD BOOING)
TRUMP: I don't get it, I don't get it, how did you put her there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, Gloria, look, that's just insane. And it's not just another crazy thing that he's saying. He is downplaying a domestic terror plot against a sitting governor.
BORGER: Right. And he says maybe it was a problem, maybe it wasn't. It was a domestic terror plot. And yes, the federal government did move in because it was domestic terrorism. It wasn't Donald Trump who said hey, you've got to do this. It is what the government would do when faced with domestic terror.
And don't forget, it was Donald Trump who kept having fights with Gretchen Whitmer, saying liberate Michigan. You know, he doesn't like Gretchen Whitmer. But somebody tried to kidnap her, and hurt her. And he is the President of the United States, and the best he can do is joke about it? I don't get it.
LEMON: Yes. Are you guys OK with that at home? I mean, that's a little -- that's beyond the pale.
BORGER: Yes.
LEMON: Thank you, Gloria.
BORGER: Thanks.
LEMON: Thank you, Jeff. Jeff, stay warm out there. I appreciate it.
BORGER: Stay warm, Jeff.
LEMON: The president is campaigning in states he won back in 2016. And so is Joe Biden. What their stops reveal about their strategy to win, that's next.
[22:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So, where the candidates stump today tells you a lot about their strategies in the final seven days of this campaign. President Trump holding three big rallies, potential COVID super spreader events in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. States he won in 2016, complaining about media coverage of the pandemic as if it wouldn't exist if we didn't cover it.
But Wisconsin's governor is issuing a dire warning to the people of his state. Calling the increasing number of COVID cases an imminent risk to everybody in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden campaigning in Georgia, once a reliably red state, he is hoping to flip it to blue.
Lots to discuss now. Stuart Stevens, former chief strategist for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, and Jim Messina, former Obama campaign manager. We love having you guys here. We secretly call you Messina and Stevens. It's a law firm or like, you know, Loggins and Messina or something, but it sounds good.
We love having you here. Thank you so much.
Stuart, I'm going to start with. Here is CNN, this is our electoral map which shows Biden currently leading in enough states to win the electoral college. Now we are one week out. Huge number of votes already cast -- casts. What are you looking at right now that could change the trajectory of this race?
STUART STEVENS, FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST, ROMNEY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, look, I would focus on Florida, and I would focus on Pennsylvania. But what's different now is probably have a number of votes in this election have already been cast. This is an election unlike any that we've ever had national. It's more like you have states like Oregon where everybody voted by mail.
And what happens when you work in those states at a certain point you realize, he would've lost hugely before the election day. I mean, what could very well happen here is that the dye will be cast in this race by say 79. This is just one candidate. Will they have enough votes bank to be able make it up? We'll see.
[22:30:06]
But that's the thing, we're not heading towards an election day, it's about noon on election day.
LEMON: So, Jim, you heard what Stuart said. He said, he said about half the people. So, I'm going to give you the names here. More than 68.5 million people, right, that's over half the ballots cast during the 2016 election. They've already voted. Does that mean higher turnout or it is just people voting early who would have voted election day and i's -- I mean, is any of this factored into the polling and into the models?
JIM MESSINA, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Yes, it's in the models, definitely. Because every morning both campaigns are getting the numbers of how many people voted the day before who they were. And a couple of interesting things are coming to light, Don.
First is that, both the Democrats and Republicans base of super voters are both voting in a very big number. But where you see Democratic advantage is, are in the kind of sporadic voters, voters who don't always vote in presidential elections and especially young voters.
I mean, a quarter of new voters who didn't vote in 2016 in Texas are voters under 30. If you are the Republicans right now, you are looking at that number and you are beginning to panic. The reason why Joe Biden is in Georgia today, isn't because of the polling, it's because 73 percent of the entire 2016 turnout has already voted, to Stuart's point, and they start to look at this and say hey, if we goose our turnout up a little bit here in some of these key demographics, we can even win Georgia.
The other thing I think that's interesting is to your point, look at where they are sending the candidates. Because --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I don't think Stuart like your last comment because he went away on the screen. But go on, sorry about that.
MESSINA: We have 169 hours until the polls close. And basically, the most valuable thing isn't money, it isn't TV ads, it's time.
LEMON: Yes.
MESSINA: And right now, the entire Trump campaign is on the defense. They're only going to states they carried last time. There is no offense. And if you are Biden right now, you are all on offense. You are in the Midwestern states, which Trump barely won. Now you are in Georgia, you got Trump trying to defend it at the same time in Nebraska.
You know, I think people are looking at these early voting numbers and saying whoa. The Democrats are really moving here. And this could be a tidal wave, if we can start to change these numbers for the Republicans.
LEMON: Jim, I'm going to stick with you until we get Stuart back, hopefully we can get him back. But Dave Wasserman over at the Cook Political Report Trump's decision to downplay the virus in a place like Wisconsin. It may be the biggest display of tone deafness ever. So are Trump's rallies the secret weapon he thinks that they are, could he be burned by them, could they backfire?
MESSINA: I think they are absolutely backfiring. We put together some numbers that show his numbers going down in medium markets after he leaves. Because what is --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Can I just say one thing? We just had before, and I want you to finish. But Jeff Zeleny was just right at a rally, and he said when -- when -- you heard that -- when he brought up the pandemic part, downplayed it because of the surge in numbers there, he said people in the audience were quiet. Sorry to interrupt, go on.
MESSINA: Boy, that's the truth. And in some of these focus groups when they start -- when you show President Trump's clip, and what are the clips on the news after he leaves a town, it's all about COVID. It's all about his response. And what he said about COVID. I mean, you ran it. You know, it's COVID, COVID, COVID.
Well, if you're him you should talk about nothing but the economy. But he is just steering right into the train that's about to run him over. And that's what swing voters are worried about. And instead of having a message, he is just going right towards Joe Biden wants him.
LEMON: Stuart is back. Stuart, let's talk about something that you mentioned just a little bit earlier, right? About Biden being in Georgia today, a state Democrats haven't won since 1992, trying to expand that map that we had up. A week out, does that make sense, though? I mean, you talked about it a little bit earlier. Should he focus squarely on defending the states President Trump turned red in '16?
STEVENS: I think what Jim said is right. They're driving this by data. I don't think they're sentimental crowded. I think they're trying to make history here. I think they're trying to win an election.
Georgia has been on the cusp for a long time. I've worked there in Senate and in presidential races, you could see what is probably happening now, that it was going to happen. And it's probably going to happen. I think there's a very good chance that Georgia could go for Biden. It's a very changing state. There is also a psychological factor here. I think it emboldened
Democrats across the board to see their candidate out there taking the fight to a broader math. You're not on defense, you 're on offense. I think it drives the Trump campaign crazy. They don't know what to do with this.
[22:34:56]
You know, Donald trump was in Macon, Georgia not long ago, the 4th largest town in Georgia, a Republican presidential candidate, an incumbent president. That's extraordinary.
And as Jim says, one thing every campaign has is exact same amount of time. I think it makes sense. They're playing on their side of the field, then usually that's a good thing to do.
LEMON: Jim, Stuart, thank you. It's a pleasure to have you both on. We'll see you soon.
Former President Barack Obama isn't holding back, telling voters in Florida what he really thinks about President Trump and boosting Joe Biden. His former national security adviser weighs in, Ambassador Susan Rice is next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: If this community, this region, this area vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the Democrats in record numbers, I'm very confident that we will win next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The former President Barack Obama unleashing a flurry of attacks against President Trump in Florida. It is the second time in four days he's campaigned for Joe Biden in the key battleground state and he is painting a very clear picture of just how different things can be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Imagine January 20, and we swear in a president and a vice president who have a plan to deal with this pandemic effectively, who believe in science, who have a plan to protect this planet for our children. Who care about working Americans, who have a plan to help you start getting ahead, who believe in racial equality, who are willing to do the work to bring us closer to the ideal that no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love and how much money you've got you can make it here in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well President Obama didn't stop there going after President Trump for his lies, for pushing conspiracy theories. And even something the current president loves taking credit for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: You got a president right now he wants full credit for an economy that he inherited. He won zero blame for the pandemic he ignored. But you know what? The job doesn't work that way. You've got to be responsible 24/7. You've got to pay attention 24/7. Tweeting at the TV doesn't fix things. Watching TV all day doesn't fix things. Making stuff up doesn't fix things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, almost as if on cue President Trump minutes later doing exactly what he was called out for and tweeting at the TV. There it is in black and white.
So, joining me now former U.N. ambassador and national security advisor under President Barack Obama, Susan Rice. She's also the author of "Tough Love: My Story of Things Worth Fighting For." It's so good to see you. Thanks for coming on. I appreciate it.
SUSAN RICE, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Thanks for having me, Don, great to be with you.
LEMON: So listen, trying to get -- let's talk about the goal here. Because trying to get Hillary Clinton elected was really important to President Obama in 2016. We know how that worked out. Is this even more important to him now you think, Ambassador?
RICE: I think, Don, it's even more important to all of us. We've seen what four years of Donald Trump has done. It's tanked our economy. Its killed 225,000 Americans. It reduced our standing in the world to nearly zero. And our kids in many cases are not in schools. We are living through a crisis of epic proportions, much of which has been made worse by Donald Trump's failed leadership.
So, literally, our lives are on the line here. They're on the ballot and so is our democracy and our national unity. So, yes. I think this is even more crucial election than 2016.
LEMON: Ambassador, the former president, the former president going after Jared Kushner for questioning black Americans want to be successful. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: His son-in-law says black folks want to be successful. That's the problem. Who these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to? Don't read. is that what is going on?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Listen, I have to be honest, it's good to hear the former president ridicule this kind of idiocy. But what do Kushner's words really say about this administration? How they see the black community? RICE: It says that they are elitist, that they are corrupt, that they
are out of touch, and they are racist. That's the fundamental bottom line. There's no other word for it. And as a result, you know, they are embarked on a set of policies and practices that completely disregard people of color in this country, Latino-Americans, African- Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Americans. You name it.
We are all less valuable to this president under Trump and his family. And they make it clear every day. And that's why, Don, we have to vote as I said like our lives depend on it. And it's not just people of color in this country. It's everybody. We are dying. We are losing our education. Our economy is in the tank and these people, Jared Kushner is the epitome of it but so is his father-in-law. They could care less.
LEMON: President Obama is uniquely able to speak for Joe Biden's character. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: He believes everybody counts. He believes everybody is important and that empathy, that decency, that belief in other people, that's who Joe is and that's who he'll be. I can tell you the presidency doesn't change who you are. It reveals who you are. And Joe time and time again has shown himself to be a man of principle and character, and he is going to be a great president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:45:04]
LEMON: I do have to say I think he stole that line from Michelle Obama, the former first lady because she, I remember her being the first person, she is the first person I heard that say that -- her say the presidency doesn't change who you are. It reveals who you are.
And I know that, listen, you had a very strong relationship with Joe Biden from your time working with him. Do you think that this election, Ambassador, is going to boil down to his character and how it contrasts with President Trump's character?
RICE: Well, I think, Don, that's a lot of it. Look, we have a president in Donald Trump who is corrupt, who cares only about perpetuating himself in power and making as much money for himself as he can. He has no regard for the American people and no regard for the national interest. He is a serial liar.
We have in Joe Biden a man of integrity, of empathy, of intelligence, wisdom and experience. I know him very well. We work closely together every day that we were in the White House together. And he will bring competence. He will bring caring and compassion. He will value, as Barack Obama just said, every single one of us, not just those who may have voted for him but all-Americans.
And that's what we need so badly now at a time when we've had leadership that thrived by dividing us and pitting Americans against each other. We got to get rid of Donald Trump. Those who have enabled him in the United States Senate and then we need to go about the business of helping Americans recover from this pandemic, growing our economy and getting our kids back in school.
LEMON: Ambassador, I'm so appreciative to you for coming on and my best to your family. Thank you so much.
RICE: Thank you, Don. Great to be with you.
LEMON: A warning from Wisconsin's governor of an imminent risk and urgent crisis, coronavirus overwhelming hospitals in the state. But the president held his rally there today anyway. The lieutenant governor will respond, next.
[22:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Tonight, Wisconsin in crisis over the coronavirus, a state -- that state, I should say, is seeing a massive spike in number of new cases. Over 3,800 new cases per day on average and then the number of people who are hospitalized there. So right now, more than 80 percent of hospital beds are already in use, that's according to a state data.
Governor Tony Evers saying that skyrocketing hospitalizations will quickly put a strain on the healthcare system. I want you to listen to the governor's warning to the people of his state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVERS: There's no way to sugar coat it, we are facing an urgent crisis. And there is imminent risk to you, your family members, your friends, your neighbors and the people you care about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes is here. Thank you for joining us, Lieutenant Governor. I really appreciate it.
MANDELA BARNES (D), LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN: Yes. Thank you so much for having me.
LEMON: These -- listen, these are pretty dire warnings as we sit here tonight. Is COVID overrunning your state?
BARNES: COVID is running rampant through the state of Wisconsin. And it is -- the governor put it, you know, quite plainly, there is no way to sugar coat it. We had first 100,000 cases, it took seven and a half months to get to that point. We got our second 100,000 cases in a mere 36 days. This is a critical moment. We are in crisis right now in the state of Wisconsin.
LEMON: Boy.
BARNES: And it's scary. LEMON: It is. Listen, Lieutenant Governor, 84 percent -- these are the
numbers that I have. I think they're correct. Eighty-four percent of hospital beds are already in use, nearly 90 percent of ICU beds. Are Wisconsin's hospitals going to be able to handle this? And what about frontline workers?
BARNES: Well, absolutely that's our biggest concern. And while, you know, a responsible president would look at this sort of situation and say we're going to do everything we can do to assist the people of the state of Wisconsin. And even if he were to politicize it, looking at Wisconsin like a swing state he should be coming in to do everything that he possibly could. But he's not.
He's showing up at these reckless rallies and not only is he's spreading misinformation. He is also spreading the virus. And of course, our frontline workers are being put at risk every single day as they have been since the beginning of this pandemic but now it's even worse. And the situation is even more dire for them.
LEMON: OK. So, you mentioned the rallies. Let's talk about that. Because at the same time the state is reeling from the pandemic, the president holding a rally in West Salem tonight, social distancing not enforced. Mask usage not required. Here's what he said about the pandemic. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: COVID. You turn on the news, COVID, COVID. You know when they're going to stop talking about it so much? November 4th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Is this making COVID in your state even worse?
BARNES: Absolutely. Not only is mask wearing and physical distancing is discouraged. They're not required as he's telling --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I can't hear the lieutenant governor. Can you start your statement over, please? You cut out.
BARNES: I apologize. I say not only is social distancing and mask wearing not required, it's being discouraged. He wants people to show up and gather because he has some sort of point to win, always picking a fight with somebody. He's picking a fight with this virus, assuming that everybody is invincible or has access to the same medical care that he has access to.
And while this happens, Wisconsinites are going to continue to struggle and bear the brunt of this president's ignorance and his ego.
LEMON: Lieutenant Governor Barnes, thank you so much. Best of luck to you. We'll have you back. Seriously, we are all thinking about you, and so be well.
BARNES: Thank you so much. We need your prayers.
[22:55:02]
LEMON: One week until election day and President Trump and Joe Biden are making their closing arguments. John King tells us who got -- who's got the edge on the road to 270, and that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So, it's seven days, exactly one week until election day. And I want you to listen to this. As of tonight, more than 68.5 million Americans have already cast their ballots in early voting. That's more than 50 percent of all the ballots cast in the 2016.
President Trump and Joe Biden stumping for final votes today. Trump holding three outdoor rallies, a potential coronavirus super spreader events in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
[23:00:02]
Biden making two stops in Georgia, a normally reliable red state that he is looking to turn blue.
