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Biden Takes On Trump With New Plan To "Restore" Government Ethics As He Shuts Down Questions About Son; Candidates Prepare For Tomorrow's CNN/NYT Democratic Debate; Hours Later, Trump Hasn't Denounced Fake Video Shown At His Resort Depicting Him Shooting Media & Critics; Two Killed, One Missing After New Orleans Hotel Collapse. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired October 14, 2019 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: And a fake video of Trump on a killing spree. It is too violent for me to show you. But it was shown at one of Trump's own properties. And we are still waiting to hear the president himself, his own words, condemning it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:34:57]
BALDWIN: The Bidens, Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, are now going on the attack to President Trump's criticism of Hunter Biden's foreign business ties. Joe Biden announcing an ethics plan he promised to put into effect if elected president. It would keep him and members from abusing power.
For his part, the former vice president's son, Hunter, just announced he will step down from a Chinese firm after being the target of repeated Trump criticism. He's promising to not serve on any foreign board should his father win the 2020 election.
Joe Biden made this vow while unveiling the ethics plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can tell you now, if I'm your president, the next president, I'm going to build on the squeaky clean transparent environment that we had in the Obama/Biden White House. And no one in my family will be involved in any foreign operation whatsoever. Period. End of story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: CNN Political Reporter, Arlette Saenz, is live in Westerville, Ohio, where CNN hosts tomorrow's Democratic debate.
Arlette, he didn't name names, but we know who he was taking a swipe at? ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Brooke, we sure did. And Joe
Biden, what he's trying to do here is present a contrast for how he would shape the White House compared to President Trump.
He also had another jab a little bit later during that gaggle with reporters where he said his family members would not be sitting in on cabinet meetings at the White House. A veiled reference to President Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, or Jared Kushner, who is an adviser over at the White House.
Over the past 36 hours, you've seen Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, ramp up their push back against President Trump. The two of them have been targets of the president for weeks now.
Yesterday, Hunter Biden announced he would be stepping down from a Chinese-backed private equity firm, which has drawn some criticism from the president.
There has been no evidence of wrongdoing on Joe Biden or Hunter Biden's part.
Yesterday, Joe Biden was speaking to reporters where he stepped up his defense of his son. Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The statement my son put out today, which I saw, when he put it out -- I was told it was going to be put out. I did not consult with what was being put out. It represents the kind of man and integrity he has.
What I'm not going to let you all do is take the focus off the problem. No one, no one has asserted my son did a single thing wrong. No one has asserted that I have done anything wrong, except the lying president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, in another rebuke on President Trump, Joe Biden released a government ethics plan that would prevent members of his legislation from interfering in Justice Department investigations as well as forming a new ethics commission to enforce anti-corruption laws.
This all comes on the eve of CNN's Democratic primary debate in Westerville, Ohio, tomorrow where 12 of the Democratic presidential contenders will be taking the stage. Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren at center stage. Bernie Sanders returning to the debate since his heart attack nearly two weeks ago.
These issues involving the former vice president and also the impeachment inquiry, which President Trump is facing right now, could be a hot topic at that debate -- Brooke?
BALDWIN: We'll be all tuned in.
Arlette, thank you. Tomorrow night, watch the fourth debate from the battleground state of
Ohio. It is CNN and "The New York Times" Democratic presidential debate. It airs 8:00 eastern on CNN.
[14:38:43]
Coming up, just a horrifying video featuring a fake Donald Trump on a killing spree. It's so violent we will not be playing it for you here. It was shown at a pro-Trump event. And we have yet to hear anything from the president himself on this.
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[14:43:35]
BALDWIN: Mr. President, why is it taking you so long to condemn this video. You tweet all the time. I don't want to hear from your press secretary who says you strongly condemn the video. I want to hear from you.
The video I'm referring to was been obtained by "The New York Times." It's extremely violent, disturbing. And CNN has confirmed it was shown at a pro-Trump political conference.
In case you have not seen it, it depicts a killing spree inside of a church, a scene from a 2014 film, but the video has been manipulated and features a fake Donald Trump.
To quote "The New York Times," "Mr. Trump stops in the middle of the church, pulls a gun out of his suit jacket pocket and begins a graphic rampage. As the parishioners try to flee, the president fires at them. He shoots Black Lives Matter in the head. And he shoots Vice News. The clip ends with Mr. Trump putting a stake into the head of a person with a CNN logo for a face."
And, yes, he kills members of the press in this video. And, yes, how could I not take it personally.
There's so much more to this. In this video, the fake president also attacks Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, shoots Hillary Clinton in the neck, and pistol whips the late John McCain.
This was played at Trump Doral in Miami, the president's own property, held by a pro-Trump group American Priority.
[14:45:05]
Scheduled to speak at this event, where this video was played, former White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, and Donald Trump Jr, both who denied seeing it. Sanders told "The Times," quote, "I wasn't aware of any video, nor do I support violence of any kind against anyone." The Trump campaign says it was not produced by them.
The organizer of the American Priority conference said in a statement, quote, "This video was not approved, seen or sanctioned by the festival's organizers." That the video, quote, "was shown in a side room." The group said they reject all political violence.
Now, we see a lot of videos, a lot of memes, a lot of satire. I know this is the YouTube, the Twitter generation. But this is different. This is beyond the pale. There's no excusing it, no OK-ing it. How could anyone involved in an event like this think that this is OK?
And then I thought, this isn't an isolated incident. The president tweeted out a similar concept, a video of himself body slamming a person, the CNN logo in place of their face.
Trump has condoned violence against his critics from the podium from his own rallies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that, when they were in a place like this? They would be carried out on a stretcher, folks.
The guards are very gentle with him. He's walking out like a big high-five, smiling, laughing. I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell you.
If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: OK? Just knock the hell -- I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: This president has amplified mistrust in journalism. He has mandated the media as the enemy of the people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They are the fake, fake disgusting news.
They are the worst.
Those very dishonest people back there.
Absolute dishonest, absolute scum.
It's frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write.
They are the enemy of the people.
I would never kill them, but I do hate them. Some of them are such lying disgusting people. It's true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: No one would have played this video before. No one would have thought it would be OK. But Trump's messaging has had an impact.
CNN has released a statement. Let me read this for you.
Quote, "Sadly, this is not the first time that supporters of the president have promoted violence against the media. In a video they find entertaining, it's by far and away the worst. The images depicted are vile and horrific. The president and his family, the White House and the Trump campaign need to denounce it immediately in the strongest possible terms. Anything less equates to a tacit endorsement of violence and should not be tolerated by anyone, end quote"
In this video, depicting a sacred space, a house of worship. I couldn't help but think of Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people murdered with their eyes closed in prayer at church. I have been there. I have stood in that room. I have interviewed the woman that that coward let live.
I have covered so many mass shootings in this country that I've lost count. There's no place for a video like this today in America. None.
Congressman Ted Deutsch is familiar with this kind of senseless violence, because Parkland is in his congressional district.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED DEUTCH (D-FL): He ought to have the good sense to at least on this one occasion stand up and speak up against this and deplore it and condemn it. If he's got any sense of decency, the president will do that today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:49:05]
BALDWIN: Mr. President, it is now 2:49 p.m., Monday afternoon. Condemn this video now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A desperate search is underway for one missing after Saturday's deadly building collapse at a New Orleans construction. We've learned the name of one of the two people killed, 49-year-old Anthony Floyd McGret (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The collapse happened Saturday when a Hard Rock Hotel just started to crumble. Rescuers believe the missing person is a worker trapped beneath the rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM MCCONNELL, CHIEF, NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT: It's still a very, very dangerous building. A very dangerous situation. That tower is still heavily damaged and unsecured. It's a long way from being in a safe mode.
We're asking people, and you'll hear it again and again, stay out of that area. Don't come sightseeing. We have established a collapse zone. We're asking everyone to stay out of that area. It's evacuated. Stay out of that area. We have a block beyond that because when the debris falls from that height, it can travel a great distance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:55:17]
BALDWIN: Officials says at least 30 other people were injured and have been hospitalized. Authorities have not said what caused the collapse but an investigation is underway.
Breaking news coverage continues from Capitol Hill today. The woman who was President Trump's top adviser on Russia is now testifying in this impeachment inquiry.
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