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Trump Claims Vaccine Progress, Vows Quick Distribution; Biden to Speak in Minnesota; Jimmy Kimmel Hosts Social Distant Ceremony as Emmys Go Virtual. Aired 3:30-4p Et

Aired September 18, 2020 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you're saying is that Puerto Rico got too much money. I mean, just last year you said Puerto Rico is one of the most corrupt places on earth. Let's show Congress they have money. You said never again. You said Congress gave too much money to Puerto Rico. Why now --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because we're building that up as a great medical, pharmaceutical manufacturing area where we're going to be taking back a lot of the business that we let go for years and we're going to bring it back. They were very good at it. They did a fantastic job, but they destroyed it with their tax policy. They made it impossible for people to stay.

So, people went to China, mostly and to other countries. Puerto Rico has been very corrupt in terms of its politicians. You see that. They're one after another. It's been unbelievably corrupt and we're studying that and working on that. And we think we have a good group of people who are working very well with the politicians right now.

But I think more exciting than the -- than the dollars, and you have to do something with respect to their grid. Their grid is a disaster. Their generators are wiped out and they've been wiped out for years, long before Maria came, they've been wiped out for years.

So, if we can build Puerto Rico back into a pharmaceutical manufacturing area, we're going to designate it as such. I think it'll be unbelievable for Puerto Rico, unbelievable for the people of Puerto Rico, and we can make it very successful

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And a larger question on the vaccine and on other issues regarding the experts in your government, last night you criticized what Christopher Wray told Congress, your FBI Director. You obviously said that the CDC Director was flat wrong on a couple of things this week. How is it that you don't trust your own experts? Do you think you know better than they do?

TRUMP: No, I think I have. Yes, in many cases I do. I think we have a bigger problem with China than we have with Russia. I think China is a far bigger problem. And I said, well, that's OK, if you want to think about Russia, but what about China? I think that's appropriate. I thought that the definition of Antifa was an absolutely incorrect definition, so I speak up. I like to speak up.

I have fantastic people. That's why we're able to make these great trade deals. That's why we're able to do things like we're doing today. That's why the country has done so well. The country's done numbers like nobody -- had we not had the China plague come in, if that virus didn't come in, the plague, I call it, the plague from China didn't come in, the numbers we had were not only record setting, they were beyond anything anyone's ever seen in any country, frankly.

Now, we closed it up and now we're opening it up. By the way, the Democrats ought to open up their states and they ought to open them up fast, John. The faster, the better, because they're hurting their people. A lot of damage done with these extended shutdowns, but we saved millions of lives by doing it the way we did it. And now we're opening it up and you see the kind of numbers, the manufacturing numbers, see the retail numbers.

You look at the employment numbers, they're setting records. It's an incredible thing that's happening. Had the plague not come in, we would have been right now at a level that nobody's ever seen before. Nobody's ever seen.

But even before it was at the highest stock market, best unemployment numbers and employment numbers were up to 160 million people, just short of 160 million people employed. We were never close to a number like that, and now we're doing it again. And next year we will have a great economic year, I think one of our best, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Postal Service had planned on sending 650 million face masks to Americans back in April. That never happened. Why not and was it because --

TRUMP: I don't know. I don't run it, to be honest. That's run as you know, that's run by a commission and they run it. I think frankly, if they would raise the price of packaging, you'd end up making a lot of money or breaking even or doing something.

The Post Office has been a mess for many, many generations, but for certainly decades. And it loses a lot of money. It's always lost a lot of money, and one of the reasons it loses a lot of money now, is that it's delivering all these packages. And every time they deliver a package, they lose $3 a package, or whatever the number may be.

So I would suggest that they raise the price of packages. And you might get something where it loses very little or maybe broke even or maybe even made some money. Can you imagine a thing like that?

And whether it's Amazon or any of the other internet delivery services, if you did that, you'd have a whole different Post Office. So hopefully, they'll be doing that. In the meantime, I know so many people in the postal system, and I've known them over the years, they're incredible people. And they're very secure, they're going to be very secure.

[15:35:05] You know, the problem they have with the ballots, it's not the Post Office. The problem they have with the ballots is the people sending the ballots, and the people counting the ballots. And who are they are sending them to? Where are they being sent? Are they being sent to the wrong areas? Are they not being sent at all?

There'll be tremendous corruption if they don't do something about it. Now, one big hope is that we're in front of numerous federal judges. In Nevada, we're in front. In Pennsylvania, as you know, we're in front, and Michigan. We have numerous court cases out there that are very well advanced, and you'll start seeing decisions.

Just like we won the case on opening up Pennsylvania. That was a great decision by a judge that came down two days ago. And that was a very important decision. So, a -- but we have a lot of very important decisions coming down on the scam of unsolicited ballots.

Where they're sending out tens of millions of ballots to everybody. People that didn't expect them. People are getting inundated with -- they'll be showered with ballots. Everybody in this room knows it's a scam, OK, everybody in this room, even John. Don't say it, John because --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the scam?

TRUMP: It's a scam. Sending ballots -- sending ballots at a level --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Voting by mail is a scam?

TRUMP: They are never going to be able to count them. Let me ask you --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vote by mail, sir. People in the White House vote by mail, are they part of the scam?

TRUMP: But that's different, that's called solicited. When you solicit, when you go out, it's called absentee or solicit. When you go out and you request a ballot, you want to say, I want to vote because I can't be in Florida or I can't be someplace, you request.

So you're sending something in, it's handled professionally. They send it back. It's a whole thing. That's much different than unsolicited when you get millions of ballots. I heard numbers like 80 million ballots.

You know, just this week, they had another one, another one of the disasters that took place, an election. But look at what happened in New Jersey. And they had another one in New Jersey, a very, very bad -- different than Patterson. Look at what happened in New York with Carolyn -- your Congressman Murphy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maloney.

TRUMP: Maloney, Carolyn Maloney. Look at that, I mean look at that race. Carolyn Maloney had a race, it was a disaster. Ballots are missing, ballots are fraud. These are small races. Look at what happened in Virginia. Look at what happened at various other parts of the country, even over the last short period of while.

And these aren't 80 million or 50 million or 20 million votes, these are small elections. These are Congressional elections where in theory it's easy. So what's going to happen on November 3rd when somebody is leading, and they say, well, what, we haven't counted the ballots. We have millions of ballots to count.

It's a disaster. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows it's a disaster. And I don't expect people here to say, although some people will, some people would say it. Everyone knows, you don't even have to know politics to know. And this has nothing to do with Post Office, by the way, where are these ballots going? Who sending them? Who's signing them?

You have in Nevada, you have a governor that signs something, where he doesn't even want verification of the signature. So what does that mean? So he doesn't even want verification of the signature.

So I think it's going to be a terrible time for this country. And we're counting on federal judges to do a great Constitutional job when they are -- they're right now, analyzing it. Many, many federal judges, many like, I think five or six. but many federal judges. I can tell you in Pennsylvania, big, in Nevada, very big.

I believe it's in front of a judge in Michigan. We have a lot of judges have not yet ruled on this. But if it's ruled in a different manner, or it's ruled where these millions and millions of unsolicited people that aren't even asking, is such a difference. You write in, you ask, they send it to you, you sign it, you send it back, that's perfect. That's absentee. There's nothing like going to the voter booth, by the way, nothing, where they check you as you go in. There's nothing like that. But that's absentee, that's OK.

But the scam of sending millions and millions of ballots. And you know, who knows this better than I do? The Democrats. They know it's going to be a mess. They know it's going -- there are going to be millions of missing ballots or tremendous numbers of missing ballots. You could be talking about large percentages of these ballots are going to be missing. There's going to be fraud. It's a disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So let me --

TRUMP: And everybody and it will be a lot easier for me not to bring it up, but everybody knows I'm right. And you don't have to know a lot about elections. You don't have to know a lot about politics. This is going to be the scam of all time. And hopefully, the federal judges, all respected, all highly respected, hopefully, they'll be able to see this clearly and stop it. OK, thank you very much, everybody. So --

[15:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, if you win --

TRUMP: So I want to congratulate Puerto Rico, and I think you're going to have a great period of time. I think you're going to see a rebuilding of Puerto Rico. Thank you very much Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it still a scam if you win, sir?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: OK, so we hit on a bunch of things that we need to make sure we debunk. Obviously, he's continuing, you know, this false claim that there is, you know, mail-in voter fraud and that there's some huge difference between mail-in absentee voting. There is not.

And he and his family continue to absentee vote. So we'll come back to that in just a second. I just needed to make sure we fact check that.

On the point of vaccines, Dr. Peter Hotez, the biggest headline to have come out of this whole thing for people who are just tuning in, that the President said that they will have 100 million vaccine doses before the end of the year and then we'll have hundreds of millions per month and that they said definitively that everyone, if they want one, everyone will be able to be vaccinated by April.

And then Scott Atlas jumped up there and he said that, you know, high priority folks, front line workers, folks who are more vulnerable will get those vaccines in January.

And again, this is in stark contrast to what we've heard both from the Director of the CDC, Dr. Redfield and also Dr. Fauci saying it'll -- no, it'll be closer to mid-2021. You were saying earlier that you'll believe the manufacturers. So when people are watching this, who to believe, Dr. Hotez, the President or the scientists?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well you always want to go to the scientists. I mean there's just too many unknowns right now for either the President or Dr. Atlas to make those statements. First of all, we don't even know if any of the three Operation Warp Speed vaccines in clinical trials actually work or if they're safe. We have to know that, of course. And we are manufacturing at risk, so I believe the manufacturing numbers are possible.

But then depending on which vaccine of the three works, or if all three works, well, we don't really have the details on the distribution. Let me give you an example, Brooke. The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a deep, deep freeze. Believe it or not, your local pharmacy or supermarket does not have that capacity for that level of freezing capacity and certainly at scale.

So it's not a matter of just going to the pharmacist to get vaccinated, we're going to have to implement a specialty system just for that purpose. If that's the vaccine that emerges as the one that's working and safe, can we vaccinate all of the country by April? I don't see how that's possible.

But so there's going to be a lot of unknown questions. We have to really take it in stages. We have to see which of these vaccines is working and then conservatively start making certain that all of the information is available to the scientific community to review.

If the vaccine is released under an Emergency Use Authorization rather than full licensure. And then sure we're going to start -- we have a priority list for which population should start being vaccinated. But I think it's not helpful to give wildly optimistic projections saying we're going to have the whole nation vaccinated by April.

You know, Dr. Redfield gave a much more conservative estimate which is still really fast. I mean, to have the nation vaccinated by the end of 2021 would still be a world land speed record. That's the number I've been saying all along, third quarter, 2021.

Dr. Fauci more or less now Dr. Redfield. I think that's a much more realistic time frame. And I'm not even certain why this is coming up today in this type of press conference. There's no news today. There's nothing -- we've not learned anything in the last 24 hours or anything.

BALDWIN: Yes, but Dr. Hotez, what's happening in seven weeks?

HOTEZ: Yes, of course. Yes, I mean, that's the point. So there's nothing scientifically that's happened that would prompt the President or Dr. Atlas to make any comment.

So clearly what, you know, from my perspective, and I'm not a political scientist, it looks to me that early voting is going to start soon so he's trying to put out any potential optimistic message that he can. But there's no news today, I think that's the important point.

BALDWIN: You know all things vaccine. I am listening to you very, very carefully. Dr. Hotez, thank you.

Stand by because Daniel Dale, let me bring your voice into this. Our go-to fact checker. Because one of the things that the President said pretty much out of the gate is he was, you know, taking on Joe Biden saying that, you know, Biden is against vaccines and we have heard, at least talked about it in, you know, our CNN Drive-In Town Hall, right, about how he and both -- we've heard from Kamala Harris too in that Dana Bash interview, where they don't -- they won't trust the President's word, but would trust the scientists. That's the difference, right?

[15:45:00]

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. Biden has not made any general comments in opposition to vaccines in general or specifically a coronavirus vaccine. He has not promoted any anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, all he said is that he does not trust Trump in general or on the issue of vaccines and that we need to hear from respected scientists.

He said if scientists approved a vaccine, I would take it and people should take it. And he specifically said if Dr. Fauci approves it, then he would take it and people should take it. And Brooke, I should add that that wasn't the only false claim here.

Literally almost everything the President said on the issue of mail voting was inaccurate. Mail voting as you said is safe, reliable and not fraught with fraud. There are not 80 million, quote, unquote, unsolicited ballots going out.

They are closer to 45 million being sent out to all registered voters in the states that send to all registered voters. It is not true that Nevada is not verifying voter signatures. That's just made up. It is not true that there were fraud and missing ballots in this New York Congressional Primary featuring Carolyn Malone. So people should just disregard all of what the president says on this subject because it's constant either misinformation or disinformation. It's just garbage.

BALDWIN: I appreciate that, Daniel Dale, thank you so much.

And Gloria Borger, let me just bring you back into the conversation. And now our good friend, David Chalian, he just shot me an email on the point of vaccines. And thank you, Chalian, and I just want to read this because he wanted to make the point about vaccines and how Americans are feeling in terms of trust, with whatever that first vaccine may be. Among -- this is just out today.

Among all adults just 49 percent say they would choose to be vaccinated if a vaccine for the coronavirus is made available to them. 44 percent say that they would not and that is a shark shift since August when 60 percent said that they would choose to be vaccinated. And that says the shifts comes across party lines and demographic lines.

Just given what we just heard, given what you heard from Dr. Hotez, saying, try and trust the scientists and how Americans are feeling, what do you think?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well I think that those numbers make an awful lot of sense and I'll tell you why. Because if you look at numbers on whether the people trust the President of the United States and how he has dealt with COVID, the answer is upwards more than 60 percent of them don't trust the way he's dealt with COVID.

So consequently, it makes sense that they would be very nervous about a vaccine. And I think that that is -- that is what we're seeing. And the reason we are seeing it's precisely this press conference today. This is the cart before the horse. So as far as I can tell, and the doctor was saying this, nothing has been approved by the FDA. Nada.

BALDWIN: Correct.

BORGER: Not one vaccine. We don't know what kind of vaccine it is. We don't know whether you'd have to be vaccinated twice. We don't know where it would be available. And on and on and on.

So the public hears this. And what's the first reaction? It is naturally, wait a minute, I don't know anything about this vaccine. Would you take a vaccine you didn't know anything about? BALDWIN: No.

BORGER: You would have to go to your doctor or, you know, say, well, this is for these people and this is -- you know, I mean you have to figure this out. This is your health, this your family's health. So, some election year promise -- and that's exactly what it is -- that, you know, I've got to get it done. Just like I'm going to give Puerto Rico that aid which I have not given them for their natural disaster.

BALDWIN: Can we talk about that for a second. Can we just -- hang on, OK.

BORGER: Yes.

BALDWIN: So he's giving $13 billion to Puerto Rico for aid. Like wonderful news for Puerto Rico. But let's remember, A, this hurricane happened in September of 2017, John Call pointed it out.

You know, he was checking the President and saying like, you sir, have referred to Puerto Rico as corrupt, you have said Congress has given them enough, they're not getting any more money. What gives?

BORGER: Wasn't there also a trade in the works or a -- think about Greenland for Puerto Rico or Puerto Rico for -- you know, we seem to forget all of these things.

Look, this is electioneering from the podium of the White House and unfortunately, you know, it involves people in Puerto Rico who need this money. The President says well, you know, I want to bring back pharmaceutical industries and blames Obama and Biden for something. That, you know, he could have done something about it a long time ago of course.

And on the vaccine, this is the same thing. This is, OK, when you go to the polls, just think about that I'm getting this done. And don't forget, today the President also tweeted about Virginia. Virginia has started early voting today. You see the lines at the polling places.

And what was on his mind? He was tweeting about how terrible the Democratic governor is in Virginia. So, everything is --

BALDWIN: It's connected.

BORGER: -- about the election. So, you know, we're already skeptical of politicians in our country and with good reason. But not when it comes to our health. I think we need a lot of information.

BALDWIN: Yes, agree, transparency and all of us, eyes wide open. Gloria Borger, you are so good. Thank you so much.

BORGER: Thanks.

BALDWIN: We're also waiting, let me show you more live pictures, to see the former Vice President Joe Biden. He is set to speak from Minnesota this hour and this comes as he launches a new effort to win over working class voters. I'm Brooke Baldwin, you're watching CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

BALDWIN: Television's biggest night is set to take place this weekend. But this year's Emmys will be unlike any award show in history here. Jimmy Kimmel will host a socially distanced ceremony from the Staples Center in L.A. while stars will accept their awards live from home.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You are the lady of the Emmys, everyone's talking about you.

(voice-over): Gone is the red carpet and the audience of stars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Things are going to be quite different.

ELAM: This year's are virtual with stars accepting awards from home.

RACHEL BROSNAHAN, NOMINEE, "THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL": Yes, I mean, I get to bring my dogs to the Emmy's. How often is that going to happen?

ELAM: Jimmy Kimmel will host from Staples Center, a larger venue than normal.

JIMMY KIMMEL, EMMY AWARDS HOST: This is what makes me feel comfortable.

ELAM: Social distancing is planned for the crew and star presenters like Morgan Freeman and Oprah Winfrey.

MARC MALKIN, SENIOR EDITOR, VARIETY: I do think this is going to be a moment where people are going to address "Black Lives Matter" movement, climate change, politics, we have an election just week as way.

ANNOUNCER: From 114 locations across ten countries.

ELAM: To boost the fun factor, live cameras were sent to stars' homes.

[15:55:00]

SCOTT FEINBERG, AWARDS COLUMNIST, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: We're hearing that the TV Academy is trying to feel out with the major nominees would they be comfortable having somebody essentially in a hazmat suit deliver an Emmy statuette to their door during the show should they win?

ELAM (on camera): As for Emmys' fashion, "Variety" reports that Kimmel and producers told stars to quote, come as you are but make an effort.

MALKIN: For some people that means they're going to wear, you know, tuxedo pajamas. Other people -- I spoke to Tracee Ellis Ross and she said, she doesn't care what is going on, she's dressing up. She is getting glam.

ELAM (voice-over): HBO's "The Watchman" is among the frontrunners. Which also include Pop network's "Schitt's Creek."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's excited, huh?

ELAM: Netflix giving the show a pandemic boost.

FEINBERG: People who are looking for things to watch have been bingeing past seasons.

ELAM: The Emmys are on Sunday night on ABC.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And now producers say that only about a dozen stars are going to be in Staples Center on Sunday. So, keeping everybody very far apart. But you know what, with all of that pandemic bingeing that people have been doing, folks might be the most prepared for this Emmys than they have for anyone in the past.

Well, I'll have to wait to see how the people dress or don't dress up or who's barefoot or who's in their underwear, who knows -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Tuxedo pajamas for me, please. Stephanie Elam, thank you.

ELAM: Sure.

BALDWIN: We mentioned a moment ago Vice President Joe Biden is on the campaign trail today in Hermantown, Minnesota. We're waiting for him to speak shortly as he continues to draw sharp contrast between himself and President Trump.

Here he is at last night's CNN town hall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I really do view this campaign as a campaign between Scranton and Park Avenue. All that Trump can see from Park Avenue is Wall Street. All he thinks about is the stock market.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN's Jessica Dean is there live. And so Jessica, if there was any doubt that Minnesota is a key battleground state, look no further than the fact that President Trump will be there today later as well. What is this trip along with

Biden's recent campaign stops just tell us about his strategy?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, I mean we're going to have President Trump about 150 miles from here later tonight. Joe Biden is just behind me. He's been touring a carpenter's union hall here just outside of Duluth, Minnesota near the Iron Range here in the state. And, you know, Brooke, you ask what are his travels telling us? Well,

if you look at where Joe Biden has been in the last several weeks since say, September 1st, you'll notice he's been to Pennsylvania quite a bit, three times. He's been to Michigan. He's been here to Minnesota. He's talking to people in Scranton, talking to union workers in Michigan when he was there.

And you heard that bit that you just played from last night's CNN Town Hall when Biden really started to frame this race as Scranton his hometown versus Park Avenue. And he kind of talked a little bit about how he views Donald Trump as someone who's protecting Wall Street.

That he as someone who's from Scranton really, you know, leaning into this middle-class Joe persona that he's had all these years is a person that understands white working class voters.

And those are places, Scranton, Michigan, here in Minnesota, where we are today. that's where those voters are. Those are voters that the Biden

campaign wants to bring back that perhaps voted for Donald Trump in 2016. They think that this message will resonate and that that will matter when it comes to election day -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Speaking of messages resonating, we know that the Biden campaign. Jessica, has spent a record amount of money on TV ads in battleground states as they are, you know, avoiding the door-to-door campaigning because of COVID.

What's the messaging there? 30 seconds.

DEAN: Yes, so you're hearing a lot of the same thing. We're hearing about his working-class roots. They just released a new one aimed at veterans and military families. Specific ads for Latino voters, black voters. They're doing a lot of targeted ads across television. And Brooke, they are using these record fundraising hauls to their full potential in the television ad world, really buying record numbers of television ads as we head into election day.

BALDWIN: Seven weeks away, here we go. Jessica Dean, good to see you. Thank you so much. And thank you all for being with me.