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Soon: President Donald Trump Lands In Kenosha, Wisconsin After Being Told Not To Come; President Donald Trump: Police Officer Who Shot Jacob Blake "Choked"; New Book: Pence Told To Prepare To Assume Trump Duties; Virus Fight Faces Key Tests With Labor Day Weekend, Return To School. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired September 01, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Hello to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing your day with us. The U.S. world worst Coronavirus case count now sits over 6 million infections. 183,000 have died.

The United States accounts for 22 percent of the world's virus deaths even though it accounts for only 4 percent of the world's population and there is big worry this morning that number could grow perhaps exponentially.

As a member of the White House Task Force argues the U.S. should pursue herd immunity more the urgent medical questions a bit later in the program. But we begin the hour with the president, nine weeks from Election Day off to a battleground state that at the moment is a racial tinderbox.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think a lot of people are looking at what's happening to these Democrat-run cities and they're disgusted. They see what's going on. And they can't believe this is taking place in our country. We have had such a big success in shutting down what would be right now a city that would have been Kenosha, a city that would have been burned to the ground by now.

I think it's helping because I'm about law and order and if you look at the black community, they want the police to help them. Stop crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That was the president last hour just before taking off for Wisconsin, important to note, nothing to do with the deployment of National Guard in Kenosha even though he is now taking credit for it. Both the Governor there and the city's Mayor say the president should not come to Kenosha today.

On the ground the president plans to meet with law enforcement and tour businesses damaged by recent protests, not on his list though a meeting with the family of Jacob Blake. Jacob Blake of course the black man shot seven times in the back by police nine days ago.

Elections are about choices, and the president has made his. He says the demonstrations in Kenosha and other cities mirror "Anarchy". He says Democratic Mayors and Governors are weak. He criticizes the "Black Lives Matter" movement and defends Trump supporters who fired paint balls on protesters this past weekend in Portland, Oregon.

And he will not criticize his supporter now charged with killing two protesters in Kenosha. Last night, listen to this, the president was asked about the Blake shooting, a chance for him to show compassion or to make a statement about police brutality or even about police training but instead the president compared the officer who fired seven shots into Blake's back to a golfer missing a putt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They choke. Shooting this guy in the back many times, couldn't you have done something different? They choke just like in a golf tournament, they miss a--

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: We're not comparing it to golf? Because that's what the media will say.

TRUMP: I'm saying people choke. People choke.

INGRAHAM: People panic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Wow. Laura Ingraham tried to save him from himself there but no he did compare it to golf. Let's get straight to Kenosha, CNN's Ryan Nobles. Ryan, a tense day on the ground there as the president comes largely unwelcomed at least by the political establishment.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right John. Things are quiet here in Kenosha right now and the president's brief in total is actually going to be a brief visit to this town.

But you can tell things are very on edge now as you make your way here to this school where the president is going to appear in a couple of hours. Strip malls, entire strip malls boarded up because of all the violence and unrest that is taking place here since the shooting of Jacob Blake.

And exactly what the president hopes to accomplish here is not really all that clear. As you mentioned in that sound that you just played from the Laura Ingraham Show he seems to indicate that the police officers here did not handle the situation all that well but when he comes to Kenosha he is going to be embracing law enforcement.

In fact, all of his meetings here today are going to be based around that message of law and order. He is going to have a roundtable with some of the law enforcement leaders in the community to talk about how they're responding to all the violence here.

And there seems to be a lot less focus on the original issue here, the shooting, the situation and the problems as it relates to policing in America as there is the outgrowth of that and the violence and all of the activity that takes place afterwards.

So John we'll have to hear from the tone of the president as he comes here latter today and of course we should not - we're missing mentioning that this is of course a key battleground and not just specifically Wisconsin as a state, which is a state the president narrowly won on his path to an Electoral College victory here four years ago.

But Kenosha itself is a swing area. This is a place that for the most part it voted for Democratic candidates for president up until last year. So it is a place the president wants to keep in his win column and it is clear that he's using this violence, this uncertainty and a city on edge hopefully to his advantage into the fall election. John?

[12:05:00]

KING: Incredibly delicate moment nine weeks until the election. Ryan Nobles, glad you are on the ground there as the president visits Kenosha. Joining me now to continue the conversation Tarini Parti of "The Wall Street Journal" and CNN Political Commentator Errol Lewis, Errol, I want to start with you just on the perspective of listening to a President of the United States talk about the shooting of any citizen but in this case a black man seven shots in the back point blank range and he compares it to a golfer missing a clutch putt. What?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It is sad and shocking and disgusting. And unfortunately, entirely in keeping with Donald Trump's actions not only as president but his entire public career, John his entire public career I mean, decades ago when he was calling for the execution of what turned out to be completely innocent exonerated teenagers for which he never apologized.

His entire public career has been based on callous, violent, racial division. It is what the whole Birtherism movement was about, it is what all of his actions have been about when it comes to this. The fact that he's not going to visit the family, the fact that he said absolutely nothing about racial reconciliation and creating some sense of peace and stability he has never said a word about it and he won't say it today.

Frankly, I'd say based on his record the president is probably hoping for some kind of disturbance or even riots in his wake. That's what his public life is about, that's what his politics is about and it is again sad and disgusting that this is what we're dealing with about 60 odd days out from really an important election.

KING: And but Tarini to that point, the president clearly has made a choice here that he thinks is going to work. I want to get to a little more of what he said today but first I want you to listen here. This is the president talking about suburban women.

Now the president is going to Kenosha as Ryan Nobles just noted Kenosha voted for Barack Obama in 2012 by more than ten points. Kenosha was essentially a draw in 2016. President Trump beat Hillary Clinton just barely. That can make a difference in the state as important as Wisconsin.

One county, you swing it a little bit, it can make the difference. Listen to the president's take here on what his view of what suburban women want in this campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: For women, more than anything else, they want security. They want safety. They have to have safety. They talk about the suburban woman, what I did recently I ended the regulation that provided low income housing. Westchester was ground zero OK, for what they were trying to do? They were trying to destroy suburban beautiful - the American dream really.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: A lot of people read that as the president says I'm going to keep people of color out of the suburbs.

TARINI PARTI, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I think that's one way to look at it and the way that the president is talking about it is that - that seems to be the way that people are going to continue to perceive it because he is pretty clear in his messaging.

He thinks that this law and order approach and especially his - the way he talks about how that will help him win this election, especially with suburban women, that's all he's been talking about and using this, you know, the racial tensions in a battleground State in Wisconsin to his benefit.

And he's been pretty open in talking about it and we heard Vice President Biden this week try to really point that out to people, to say that, you know, Donald Trump might be talking about how it might be unsafe in a Joe Biden's America but currently it's Donald Trump's America.

And so I think you will hear him continue to try to make this point as the president tries to use - as he says his law and order message that he tweets out in all caps every other day, you know, as he continues to push that message.

KING: And this - a lot is not new Errol, it is just always different and I'd like to use the term on steroids in the Trump age in the sense that we had the Willie Horton ad back in 1988 George H. W. Bush against Michael Dukakis. In 1992 we had the Rodney King riots and Bill Clinton and then President George H.W. Bush had a conversation about race and policing in the aftermath of that.

But what struck me this morning was the president had a chance, he was asked do you want to talk about racial unity, racial reckoning? He said yes but then he said I'm the law and order president. And he said rightly so, black Americans want safety in their communities. Latino Americans want safety in their communities. They absolutely do but he would not continue the thought because he has made his tunnel vision choice. He did not continue the thought to say they also don't want their sons and daughters pulled over just because of the color of the color of their skin, they don't want their sons and daughters at risk of being shot more than a white guy because of the color of their skin. He never fills that sentence in.

LOUIS: That's right. Look. John, I grew up in Westchester County and it could not be more clear what those buzz words mean when he talks about this. Again he is not interested in any form of racial reconciliation. Frankly saying law and order is utterly inappropriate and almost senseless coming out of the words of this particular president whose lawyer is in prison today, whose campaign manager is in prison today and on and on and on.

[12:10:00]

LOUIS: In fact he said he wouldn't meet with the family of the man who was shot because there would be a lawyer in the room. This is someone that runs from the law. This is somebody who runs from accountability.

This is someone who runs from accountability in particular when it comes to the heavy burden of doing what so many good men and women have done over the years which is try and bring about some sense of stability and reconciliation and better policing.

That's what the country needs. If we're lucky we'll get some version of it but it's not going to be from Donald Trump.

KING: And to the point we are now nine weeks from the election, many people will start voting much sooner and then you can start casting a ballot in some states two weeks from now. Tarini, part of the president's argument is he beats up on the Mayor of Portland, he beats up on the officials in Wisconsin.

He forgets sometimes that he is the president of the country I think and this is all happening in the America that he leads. But he tries to say that if Joe Biden is elected Portland will come to all 50 states. Joe Biden yesterday delivering a major speech in which he says, Mr. President, you are dead wrong, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll be very clear about all of this. Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It's lawlessness plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: There's an effort by the incumbent president to paint Joe Biden as something his history in politics tells us he is not. But you also clear them scheduling that trip when the vice president going to Pittsburgh to deliver that speech in the Biden campaign they clearly have to be a little nervous that even if it is not true it might stick. PARTI: That's right. You are hearing that line from voters, I was in Pennsylvania recently and I spoke to a few Republican voters who said the same thing. They said we are seeing what's happening with democratically controlled cities and we don't want that to happen all over America.

And I was surprised that exact line did come up with a few voters so it is something that some people are picking up on. Obviously these were voters in some cases who would not even consider Joe Biden. So they weren't necessarily up for grabs but it was a battleground state where both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are trying this week alone to pick up some votes.

We saw Joe Biden in Pittsburgh yesterday. Mike Pence is supposed to be in Pennsylvania today. So you know this message could resonate with some voters, it is just interesting to see which type of voters if it's the suburban women that you know start repeating that line? If it's actually voters who are up for grabs who start thinking of that fear that the president is trying to incite?

KING: That's a critical point. We'll watch the president next hour in Kenosha. We'll continue this conversation through the election and beyond. Tarini Parti and Errol Louis very grateful for the reporting and the insights thank you both for coming in today. Up next for us, the president is firing back on a new report about the circumstances surrounding his unannounced visit to Walter Reed Hospital back last November.

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[12:15:00]

KING: President Trump now firing back challenging reports about his unannounced visit to Walter Reed Hospital back last November. A new book from "New York Times" Reporter Michael Schmidt says, "Word went out in the west wing for the vice president to be on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure which would have required him to be anesthetized".

The White House has stuck with the story that the president only went to the Walter Reed for part of his routine physical and the president now pushing this issue on Twitter. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live at the White House to help us with that one. Kaitlan, what is the president mad about?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, he doesn't like people talking about his health. This is something we've seen time and time again as he's tried to frame the debate about Joe Biden's health.

But now the president is tweeting about this, he says it never ends. They're trying to say that your favorite president went to Walter Reed having suffered a series of mini strokes he writes, never happened to this candidate, fake news. Perhaps they're referring to another candidate from another party.

Now, John, to be clear, no traditional legitimate outlet has reported that the president had a series of mini strokes. And Mike Schmidt does not write that in his book either instead he just says what you just read there about the vice president potentially having to be on standby in case the president had to undergo a procedure.

Now the reason there are so many questions about that visit to Walter Reed was it wasn't on the president's schedule like it typically is when he has a physical. They said he was completing the first part of his physical but that wasn't really believable given that he didn't complete that physical for another five months.

And if you talk to doctors and health experts they say you don't space out a physical over five months because then it wouldn't be able to be conclusive over what the state of your health is at the time that it's conducted.

And we didn't get the results of the president's physical until May of 2020 earlier this year and so that's why there's been so much confusion over this. It starts at the White House and so the president is complaining about what he sees I guess some tweets on Twitter that he is talking about him having mini strokes.

But really the White House could clear this up if they did come out and say why it was the president went to Walter Reed? But instead they've chosen to stick by that story about the first half of the physical happening and instead they have not given any more light on it.

And today with this new Mike Schmidt book this is how we're learning just a little bit more about what could be going on and just how quickly it seemed that was coming together if they wanted the vice president to be on standby something that has happened of course in the past.

I was just looking on CNN this morning where you wrote a story in 2002 saying that Dick Cheney was going to have to assume the powers of the presidency because George Bush was getting a colonoscopy. There can be routine reasons for this but instead the White House has decided not to disclose any of that.

KING: Back in the days when I covered that building behind you. Sometimes I remember them and sometimes I try to forget. Kaitlan Collins, very much appreciate that. Thank you very much. Let's get some important prospective now Dr. William Lang is Former Director of the White House Medical Unit and who is Deputy Physician under President George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

[12:20:00]

KING: Doctor, I'm grateful for your insights today because things like this can get confusing. If the president, if the president were just going to Walter Reed for a routine physical would word have gone out to the vice president be prepared to be on standby? You don't get an - during a routine physical, do you normally?

DR. WILLIAM LANG, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, WORLDCLINIC: No, you don't but at the same time what we understand about this report from the book is that it was an unnamed source and saying this was going to happen.

So whenever the president travels the job of the military unit, medical unit is to make sure that all contingencies are covered. So we don't know what the details of this reported to have the vice president on standby. This may have just been the routine, OK, the president is going to the hospital, let's make sure we have got all of our standard operating procedures in place.

KING: And one way we could be more clear about this is if this White House were more transparent about such things in the sense that and I get everybody tweets their privacy little bit differently. But it is an interesting gap if you will as Kaitlan Collins just reported. They described the trip is Walter Reed as part one of the physical but then part two of the physical isn't done for five months, that is not normal. Correct?

DR. LANG: Well, at the same time the scheduling that involved the White House make things difficult. One of the things we do know is that the president, current president tends to do things on his time. And so, to me it is not that surprising that if he had to have these first things done, because just you know you have - you probably have an annual physical.

There are certain things that you can do outside of the facility; other things are much better done in the facility. So someone saying, M. President, you need to get these parts of your physical done and he says, all right let's go do it now and off they go.

KING: OK. And again, it may well be that it is all just part of a routine with the added caveat of this president, President Trump, does things differently. But normally when I covered the White House we were given a heads up a day in advance so that nobody would be alarmed. So that people around the world or people in stock markets wouldn't start asking weird questions.

The president going tomorrow to the Walter Reed for his physical - this now that they two have been combined but this White House doesn't do it that way. Would it be better so that we're not having conversations like this if they were more transparent about the president's schedule and his health?

KING: Well, but I go back to then what Dr. Connelly said is that this was not done for anything that was urgent or acute. It was not an evaluation or treatment for anything like that. I take him at his word, military officer and he has never demonstrated anything that would make me think otherwise.

So taking him at his word that this is what was being done. The only conjecture I can come to is that this was part of the physical. There will be plenty of people trying to come to other conjectures but when I believe when you put together what was told and then what we got in the May/June timeframe when the rest of the physical came out it all came together.

So certainly people can conjecture but I just have tried to look at the objective statements that were made by somebody that I personally trust.

KING: That's why we have you here because you're familiar with the inside procedures having been there yourself. Dr. Lang grateful for your time and your insights sir, take care.

DR. LANG: Thank you.

KING: Up next for us, the nation's leading testing CZAR pushes back on the growing calls for daily testing for almost everyone.

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[12:25:00]

KING: A top Trump Coronavirus Task Force official bristling today at the suggestion that as America goes back to school and more Americans go back to work that we need more testing. Now September's going to be a critical month here, a test of whether the summer surge is finally tamed or whether back to school and back to work and the fall will bring another case spike?

Let's look at the trends of where we are right now. Just a snapshot of the country if you look here, pick where you live in the country. If you are in the United States, the deeper the color means the higher Coronavirus infection rates in your communities.

See across the south and the southeast, the dark red - infections for every 100,000 residents the lighter areas you see them they're largely - way fewer infections. Or you can look at it this way with our state by state map. You look at the 50 states 19 of them right now reporting more cases this week than last week that means trending in the wrong direction.

The overall case count not as big because you see Florida in green is trending down; California in green is trending down, Arizona in green trending down. Nine states trending down including those three which were a big part of the summer spike 22 states holding steady including Texas, also a big part of that surge.

If you look at the overall case trend, let's hope that this is progress meaning last couple of days below 40,000. The peak of the summer surge close to 70,000 cases a day. Infections a day close to 70,000 at the peak of the surge.

Two days now below 40,000. Let's hope it stays there. A lot of public health experts still though ask the question, why didn't the United States do more to keep it at 20,000 a day or push it down more at the beginning of that testing?

And in terms of new tests, the United States down a little bit, 680,000 tests Monday. There was a flat line of about 800,000 tests it is now down below that. A lot of public health experts say that's too few. On the plus side the positivity rate has been dropping, you see Monday coming in at 4.6 percent.

All the experts will tell you get it below 5 percent and then try to shoving it down more. There's been a big controversy about new CDC testing guidelines. Asymptomatic people maybe don't need testing as much as they thought weeks or months ago.