Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
White House Sows Confusion About Trump's Condition; How White House Rose Garden Gathering Likely Became A Superspreader Event; Trump Diagnosis Affects Suburban Voters; China Reacts To Trump's Positive COVID-19 Test; U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Could Number 2,900 Daily By December. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired October 04, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to you, our viewers joining us in the United States, Canada and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
U.S. president Donald Trump is currently spending his second night in the hospital amid contradictory reports about just how sick the coronavirus has made him. On Saturday evening Mr. Trump posted this video from Walter Reed Medical Center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm starting to feel good. You don't know over the next period of a few days, I guess that's the real test. We'll be seeing what happens over the next couple days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: All right. That was the story from the president. And we're also getting a look at how he's conducting business. The White House released photos supporting the claim that Mr. Trump is still working.
But here's where the narrative becomes a little fuzzy. A short time later, an administration source gave journalists a far less positive report, saying the president's vital signs were, quote, "very concerning" and the next 48 hours would be crucial. That source was identified as the White House chief of staff but later Saturday Meadows changed his tone for FOX News. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: And the doctor is exactly right. He is doing extremely well. In fact, I'm very, very optimistic based on the current results and as the doctor said, he's not out of the woods the next 48 hours or so with the history of this virus, we know can be, can be tough. And but he's made unbelievable improvement from yesterday morning.
When a number of us, the doctor and I were very concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And then there's the president's physician. The White House source confirms Mr. Trump has had supplemental oxygen treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Has he ever been on supplemental oxygen?
DR. SEAN CONLEY, TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN: Right now he is not on --
QUESTION: I know you keep saying right now.
But should we read into the fact that he had --
CONLEY: Yesterday and today he was not on oxygen.
QUESTION: So he has not been on it during his COVID treatment?
(LAUGHTER)
CONLEY: He is not on oxygen right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: If that wasn't enough, the doctor also sent heads spinning when he said Trump was diagnosed 72 hours earlier. That would mean Mr. Trump knew he had coronavirus Wednesday.
Later the doctor claimed he misspoke, releasing a statement saying he meant Saturday was day three of Trump's illness. To unpack the details let's go to Sarah Westwood. She joins us now live.
So many unknowns about the president's condition.
What's the latest?
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, the latest comes from a memo released from the president's physician on Saturday evening. In that memo, the doctor said the president has made substantial progress since his diagnosis, also that the president received his second dose of remdesivir this evening without complications and went into Saturday night not having a fever.
Of course, that came after a day of confusion and mixed signals from this White House. Beyond the doctor's evasion on the question of whether the president has needed oxygen at any point during his illness, a source tells us the president did before he was hospitalized.
The doctor painted a rosy picture of the president's health, with upbeat projections over what the next few days would look like. At a press conference on Saturday morning but moments after that press conference ended, a source told reporters at the hospital that the president experienced, quote, "very concerning" symptoms in the hours leading up to his hospitalization.
So there was not a lot of clarity about just how sick the president has been over the past couple days. Dr. Conley also made comments about the timeline of the president's illness that raised a lot of questions. He made it sound like the president may have gotten sick and started treatment earlier than the White House initially said.
The doctor later came out with a statement claiming he'd misspoken. The White House medical unit is conducting tests and contact tracing for people who may have come into contact with those in the president's inner circle who have tested positive for the coronavirus.
That list is growing still. It includes first lady Melania Trump, recovering from her relatively mild case of the virus at the White House; campaign manager Bill Stepien; Kellyanne Conway, Chris Christie, two members of the debate prep team.
[04:05:00]
WESTWOOD: And now three Republican senators have also announced their positive diagnosis. Tonight, we are learning the president's personal assistant, Nicholas Luna, is also positive. Perhaps not a surprising diagnosis there.
But we just still don't know the extent of the outbreak that has sickened the president and his closest aides because that testing effort is still underway. Mark Meadows said on Friday he did expect the number of positive cases in the White House to grow as that testing effort continued through the weekend.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Not surprising. Thank you so much, Sarah Westwood. Appreciate it.
All right. Let's dig into questions about the president's health and treatment. And for that we turn to Dr. Peter Drobac, an infectious disease specialist with the University of Oxford in England. He joins us live.
Thank you for doing this. We're trying to piece together details about the president's condition, based on what his doctor and aides are saying, at times confusing.
What stands out to you?
What can we glean if we sort of read between the lines?
DR. PETER DROBAC, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, ENGLAND: Well, thanks for having me, Kim. It was a day full of mixed messages. I think two things stand out.
The first is the president did receive supplemental oxygen on Friday. And that would presumably put him in the category, according to CDC, of severe COVID-19 infection. Certainly would be concerning and also explain why he's received such an aggressive treatment plan, including the antiviral remdesivir as well as an experimental antibody treatment. So that's number one.
And then number two I think is the ongoing question about exactly when the president was diagnosed and got infected. There's two possibilities. Either he was ill and was diagnosed earlier than expected. And that's concerning because he was traveling the country to several events.
Or that he was diagnosed Thursday evening, in this case it would be concerning that he developed symptoms as severe as he did within just a day or two. That could suggest an infection with a high viral load and maybe a higher course risk for him.
BRUNHUBER: To clarify with the oxygen, it's not something you would just put somebody on as a standard precaution.
It does sort of indicate that would be more serious?
DROBAC: Normally. I mean, it could be put on for comfort for shortness of breath. Usually supplemental oxygen would be given when someone's blood oxygen levels were below 94 percent. That's what the CDC would call a severe COVID-19 category.
BRUNHUBER: All right. You mentioned that experimental treatment, the cocktail of antibodies.
Should they be experimenting on the president?
Does that concern you at all?
DROBAC: I think in this case it makes sense. We have limited data about this antibody treatment and, in fact, it's promising.
So these are synthesized antibodies that can prevent the virus from infecting cells and in some cases destroy the virus. In the early research we've got in trials with a couple hundred patients, it did quite significantly reduce the viral load.
The medication itself is fairly low risk, apart from maybe a risk of an allergic reaction after administration. I think, on balance -- granted this is not something available to the public, to the thousands of others who are suffering from COVID-19. But given the circumstances, I do understand that decision.
BRUNHUBER: So the president reportedly said he feels like he could walk out of the hospital right now. Many are taking this as a cause for optimism.
But is there an asterisk there, given severe symptoms can manifest days later?
DROBAC: That's right. We know the president is in a high risk category and he had concerning symptoms, particularly requiring oxygen. And it's very early days; in most cases when people take a turn toward more severe disease, that happens between day 7 and day 10 of illness. So this is very much early days and is going to require patience and
observations. We won't know if we're out of the woods for several days.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So obviously we hope the president recovers fully.
But even if he does, what kind of effects might this have on someone of his age and profile, someone who will have to embark on a hectic reelection schedule?
How realistic is it that he'll be able to resume a normal schedule if given the all-clear by the doctors?
DROBAC: It's really hard to predict. It will depend on his course. The course we've seen, even in individuals who are older, there's a range of outcomes, that some people have fairly mild symptoms and recover quickly within a matter of weeks.
[04:10:00]
DROBAC: Of course, to much more severe outcomes. In between, though, it's quite common for people to develop long-term symptoms and have a slow recovery.
In the U.K. when the prime minister Boris Johnson was infected earlier in the spring, he was hospitalized as well in a second week of illness. But then it was several more weeks of recuperation before he was able to fully resume his duties. So there is a reasonable chance, actually, that the president may take some time in his recuperation.
BRUNHUBER: All right. We have about 30 seconds left.
Many people who thought COVID was a hoax, thought the danger was exaggerated, do you think the fact that the president got it will change public opinions about masks and risk taking at all?
DROBAC: I hope so. This is a full-blown outbreak in the White House right now. We have to remember that the pandemic is still raging across the United States. We have about 45,000 new cases a day. Cases are rising in 33 states. We all pray for the president and for a speedy recovery.
I hope also it can foster in him a new focus on actually trying to tackle the pandemic and trying to move beyond the misinformation and help us get this under control.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's hope so for all our sakes. Thank you so much, Doctor. We appreciate it.
DROBAC: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: President Trump's COVID-19 status is having a big impact on the Biden campaign. We'll have more on what we're learning about the former vice president's testing schedule ahead, plus the vice president is facing calls to self-isolate. We'll have details on Mike Pence's campaign plans coming up. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:15:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Many health experts are warning the vice president Mike Pence should self-isolate. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): You'll see here there he is in yellow at the White House Rose Garden event a week ago sitting close to others who tested positive for COVID-19. Pence has tested negative since the president's diagnosis. On Monday he will travel to Salt Lake City ahead of the debate on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mr. Pence is expected to attend a campaign event in Arizona.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is already in Utah. On Saturday, she toured This Is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. It honors the Latter-Day Saints pioneers who came to the area in the 1800s. She tested negative on Friday before traveling.
After President Trump's diagnosis Democratic nominee Joe Biden will get tested more often. A source sells CNN the former vice president will be tested each time he travels. And his campaign is vowing to disclose all the test results. Arlette Saenz is following the Biden campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Joe Biden is moving forward with his in-person campaigning and officials say he will be tested more regularly for coronavirus.
This follows the news that President Trump has tested positive for coronavirus as well as several other people in his orbit. The Biden campaign says they will release the results of the tests each time he is tested.
Biden last received his last negative test results on Friday and told supporters that, while he wasn't tested on Saturday, he will be tested for coronavirus on Sunday morning.
Now the Biden campaign has always adhered to social distancing and safety standards at his campaign events. Officials believe that the way that they've structured these events have promoted health and safety, not just for their candidates but also those involved in the events and for the general public. Biden is always wearing a mask when he is at these events. And they
have people at social distances from each other and him. And those are protocols that they plan to move forward with as he continues to campaign in person.
On Monday, Biden is heading to South Florida and, on Thursday, he will travel to Arizona, his first visit to the battleground state and his running mate, Kamala Harris, will also be joining him.
Kamala Harris is set to face off against vice president Mike Pence in their first debate on Wednesday. We are learning there have been some changes to the way that debate will play out.
The two candidates will be seated down for that debate and originally were only slated to be seated 7 feet apart. They will now be 12 feet apart from each other as this debate plays out.
We have also learned that masks will be required for everyone in that debate hall, except for the two candidates and the moderators. This follows Tuesday night's presidential debate when many in the audience on the Trump side were not wearing masks.
But going forward, anyone who is in that debate hall must wear a mask and if they fail to do, so they will be asked to leave, just one of the many changes that is occurring in this campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: As we mentioned, the next debate will be between Democratic vice presidential nominee Harris and Mike Pence. And CNN's special coverage begins at 7 pm Wednesday on the U.S. East Coast. That's midnight Thursday in London and 7:00 am in Hong Kong.
Well, what happens when you gather a large, mostly maskless crowd in a small space during a pandemic?
You get a superspreader event. The one we're talking about features several of the most powerful people in the U.S. government. Last Saturday president Donald Trump held a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden to announce his nominee for the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how the event became dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What you're looking at is the origins of a likely superspreader event. At least eight people, including President Donald Trump himself, are now infected. And that is among those who have had the ability to actually get tested.
GUPTA: You can't see the virus but what is happening during a superspreading event?
DR. ERIN BROMAGE, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: You know, it's a very rough analogy. [04:20:00]
BROMAGE: But if we think of a campfire and say that that's a person who is infected and releasing virus, it's not like it's the ring around the person that is actually going to be the risk.
It's those that are on the side where more of the virus is being projected, either through big talking or through the breeze, the air that's blowing it there.
GUPTA (voice-over): But it was also these moments that caught CNN medical analyst Erin Bromage's eye.
BROMAGE: When the event finished, when they're all coming up and hugging and shaking hands and saying congratulations, that's where -- if I was a betting person, I would be putting my money on of where this occurred.
GUPTA (voice-over): We know that the safety protocol for the event was to test anyone in close proximity to the president. But it wasn't required for everyone attending the ceremony. And it clearly wasn't foolproof.
Again, take a look here, where the people who were diagnosed as positive were sitting not next to each other, which leads us to again look at what happened right before and right after.
Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, closely leaning in to speak with attorney general William Barr. Lots of people closely interacting with their guard down. It can be difficult to pinpoint these superspreader events.
This one ceremony, though, is giving us a look at the anatomy of how it happens all the time, not just here but anytime people aggregate together in large groups in the middle of a pandemic.
BROMAGE: There's no doubt that there has been transmission at the protests, the political rallies. It's just a fact that the virus doesn't discriminate.
Just because we haven't documented it, doesn't mean it hasn't happened. It's just that we've got an event now that is very visible, well documented, well tested and we're seeing the outcome from it.
GUPTA: So that gives you some idea of how a potential superspreader event could occur. And also keep in mind, as you heard, it's usually not just the event itself but sometimes people get together before the event, a pre-event.
Sometimes they get together after an event, closely clustered together in smaller settings. That's something the contact tracers have to look at as well.
What's tying people together that have tested positive?
Now it's also important to note the answer to this question. When was the president's last negative test?
Why is that important?
Because we know that he was -- we got a positive test on Friday.
But when was his exact exposure?
We also know he developed symptoms on Friday. But usually if you look at this timeline here, you'll see that, at the bottom, you learn that the people are usually most contagious two or three days before they develop symptoms.
So if you develop symptoms on Thursday or Friday, you're talking about Wednesday, Tuesday, possibly even Monday, where the president may have been most contagious.
Who did he come in contact with then?
It's a big job, contact tracing all those people. But that's what's happening right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Thanks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta for that report.
The spread of the coronavirus could jeopardize a quick confirmation for the Supreme Court pick. Two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have recently tested positive. That raises questions about the swift vote on Barrett's nomination. CNN's Phil Mattingly has more from Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not just the White House that is grappling with the magnitude of this moment, the president testing positive for coronavirus. It's also here on Capitol Hill, where now three Republican senators have also tested positive for coronavirus.
There is obviously the public health issues there, trying to figure out, one, how those senators will deal with it. Right now two senators have reported mild symptoms. A third believes he's asymptomatic.
But there is also the question of what happens next on a massive issue, the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to join the Supreme Court. Republicans have made it clear they're working on a compressed timetable. They want her confirmed before the election.
In fact, hearings are already scheduled to start October 12th. Well, two of the three Republican senators, Mike Lee, Thom Tillis, they are on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the committee that will move forward on that nomination. They will need to be present if the committee is to vote, likely starting the process October 15th.
So the big question now is twofold. One is will those senators who tested positive be OK in time to be back to consider that nomination?
The second one, this is what unsettles everyone, is anybody else going to get sick?
Right now, they don't have answers to those questions. They've made clear they want to move forward on the nomination but those answers could change that calculation -- Phil Mattingly, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: We're less than a month away from the U.S. presidential election. And voters are weighing in on Donald Trump's coronavirus diagnosis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE ELLISTON (PH), MICHIGAN VOTER: You should have wore a mask, dude. You didn't wear a mask and now you're going to pay the price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Just ahead we'll find out how that voter reaction may play at the polls in November.
[04:25:00]
BRUNHUBER: Please do stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to you, our viewers in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Our top story, diagnosed with COVID-19, U.S. president Donald Trump is spending a second night at Walter Reed medical center amid questions about just how sick he really is. His doctors say Mr. Trump is doing better but he's not out of the woods. He also says the president has been given a second dose of remdesivir.
Other sources are painting a much less positive picture. One said the president received supplemental oxygen even though his doctor was evasive about it when pressed by reporters.
An administration source said Mr. Trump's vital signs have been concerning and the next 48 hours would be critical. The source was identified by "The New York Times" and Associate (sic) Press as the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
We're less than a month away from Election Day in the U.S. The president's COVID diagnosis is reverberating in voters' minds as they decide which candidate to back. Jeff Zeleny spoke to voters in the key state of Michigan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Denise Hardaway (ph) cast her ballot on Friday she had President Trump's health on her mind.
DENISE HARDAWAY, MICHIGAN VOTER: I pray for him, I home he recovers. I hope his family recovers.
ZELENY (voice-over): But she voted for Joe Biden, in part because of what she believes has been the president's mishandling of coronavirus for which she has now tested positive.
[04:30:00]
HARDAWAY: He has been denying the whole science behind coronavirus and so I hope this is a wake-up call for him. And I hope that it changes his administration's thinking and that he realizes and understands the importance of this pandemic that we're in.
ZELENY (voice-over): In Michigan, like many states, the election is already underway, with voters dropping off their ballots, even as the campaign is suddenly filled with fresh uncertainty.
BIDEN: This is not a matter of politics. It's a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.
ZELENY (voice-over): At a stop in Grand Rapids, Biden also wished the president well, hours before the president was admitted to Walter Reed hospital, a remarkable development that put the pandemic back in the forefront in the final stretch of the campaign.
TOM ORLOVSKY (PH), MICHIGAN VOTER: I hope it turns out right for him. But he was kind of pressing the limits with a lot of things he's done recently.
ZELENY (voice-over): Tom Orlovsky (ph) has supported many Republican presidents but Friday he voted for Biden.
ZELENY: Did the president's handling of the coronavirus influence your vote this year?
ORLOVSKY (PH): Sure, sure it did. I believe, again, based on what I know, that this has been poorly handled. And a lot of it could have been eliminated. I can't help but think it's going to be, obviously, a big issue in this election. People that know people that have died or been affected by it.
ZELENY (voice-over): Four years ago, Trump narrowly won Michigan, the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the state since 1988.
TRUMP: On November 3rd, Michigan, you better vote for me. I got you so many damn car plants. ZELENY (voice-over): His strength here in the suburbs of Detroit will
help determine if he does so again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we was dealt a bad hand.
ZELENY (voice-over): Philip Brown (ph) cast his ballot for Trump and does not blame the president for how he's handled coronavirus. Yet he said he's not surprised Trump tested positive.
PHILIP BROWN (PH), MICHIGAN VOTER: A number of people have tested positive in the White House. This is a very contagious disease. I think at some point with all of the protections he would have caught it.
ZELENY (voice-over): The president's COVID-19 diagnosis is the latest bombshell of the 2020 campaign. But conversations with voters suggest it may not change many minds.
LAURA LAURAIN, MICHIGAN VOTER: I can't believe it took this long it for him to get the virus because he just didn't follow any of the rules as far as staying safe.
ZELENY (voice-over): Linda (sic) Laurain said the president should have taken the pandemic more seriously but noted that she always planned to vote for Biden.
Dave Elliston (ph) was less charitable towards Trump.
ELLISTON: You should have wore a mask, dude. You didn't wear a mask and now you're going to pay the price.
ZELENY (voice-over): His words dripped with sarcasm but turned serious.
ELLISTON (PH): I don't want him to die right now. But he should get a little bit of a taste of his willingness to avoid what everybody tells him he's supposed to do and set a good example for this country.
ZELENY (voice-over): Yet not all voters here are as harsh.
STEVE, MICHIGAN VOTER: Nobody could have done anything different. Blaming him for all the deaths is ridiculous. This is something we've never experienced before ever.
ZELENY (voice-over): This Michigan doctor, who asked to be identified only as Steve, said he's leaning towards Trump because of his economic policies.
ZELENY: Will coronavirus play a role into how you vote this fall?
STEVE: No, not at all.
ZELENY: It's an open question if the president's case of COVID-19 changes the minds of any voters. But one thing is clear, coronavirus is now front and center in this campaign conversation one month before Election Day -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Birmingham, Michigan. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: We want to look at how President Trump's diagnosis impacts the election next month. For more on that, I'm joined by Robert Gutsche, an associate professor at the Department of Sociology at the U.K.'s Lancaster University. He's also the editor of the book, "The Trump Presidency: Journalism and Democracy."
Thank you for joining us today. I want to start with the big basic question with an unknowable answer.
How is that for a start?
How do you think this will affect the race, given that, seemingly no matter what happens, the polls seem fairly consistent?
ROBERT GUTSCHE, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY: Well, the difficulty here is not for Donald Trump. I mean, he always seems to find his golden goose and his way out of things, making him appear the hero and the victor in almost every snafu or bad policy.
The challenge is going to be for Joe Biden to not let the COVID issue or the delicate nature of attacking somebody who's in the hospital politically, it's going to be for him to keep the focus on police brutality, immigration, threats to issues of abortion, the things that have really upset Americans and his party for the last four years.
So it's going to be a balance between treating Donald Trump in his condition and his wife's condition respectfully. But also not forgetting what has angered and created a divide among this country.
[04:35:00]
BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, on that, the Biden campaign has withdrawn negative ads. Some are saying you shouldn't do that. You've got to be tougher, especially since the Republicans aren't withdrawing their negative ads.
Is that a mistake?
GUTSCHE: Well, I think it is a mistake. And I think that that's what we saw from the first debate. Despite everything there being a bit of a mistake. But the issue here is that Joe Biden, just like in the debate, has to figure out who Joe Biden is against Donald Trump.
He has to understand that, to get the people who might be on the fence, he has to appear presidential. And that means creating a policy, creating a rhetoric and optics that are consistent. And so he has to find a balance.
But the trick for Donald Trump is that he also can't give in to the concerns of coronavirus folk, that he's sick and ailing. But his video didn't help very much on that account that he came out with. So his strategy is going to have to say, look, I'm through this. I'm over it. Everything is fine, if that will be the case for him. BRUNHUBER: So then you don't think the fact that his message was
basically the coronavirus would magically disappear, that all of this will affect his credibility on the issue?
Obviously as you say, with his core vote, that won't change.
But with the undecided voters, will that change their minds?
GUTSCHE: Well, I think first of all, he's walking a fine line by call calling things "miracles" but we saw him moving toward a religious component, saying these are miracles coming from God. So he's speaking to a part of the electorate. With Donald Trump, even things that don't seem intentional are.
He's speaking to an avenue there to the White House. He's speaking to people who want to say, look, you know, this might be a bad flu. Maybe he should have worn a mask or shouldn't have. But have to believe that he's still better than Joe Biden at dealing with the pandemic that, quite frankly, very few people have been able to prepare for.
And so it's going to be a balance, again, on Donald Trump's side. But knowing what he's done over the last several decades and his business and then as a politician, he will find a way, assuming that his optics are a little bit better and he looks better on camera, then he can say, we're coming through this.
I now know your pain and here are the things we're going to implement going forward, whether they're implemented or not.
BRUNHUBER: We'll see about that. Already people are stopping me and asking me whether I have any inside information on whether the president's really sick, whether this was just a distraction from other issues, predictably online. We're seeing conspiracy theories abound.
How might the role of misinformation about the president's health affect views and the vote?
GUTSCHE: Well, that's really interesting. The same thing happened here in the U.K. with Boris Johnson when he went into the hospital with COVID. There were concerns that maybe he was just faking it. Right?
Especially because he came out so quickly and so well so quickly. But now what we're seeing with Boris Johnson is he's really slumping in the support of his peers. So he got a bit of a rise. He had a great response from folks.
But then afterward, he's losing the support of people in his party. We might see the same thing from Donald Trump. We might see some folk coming through, saying you know, this could be a hoax. This could be fake.
But they're hoping that people are going to come back and be compassionate. A lot of social media right now, even from people who are critical of Donald Trump, are wishing him well. Well, you know, you didn't say that six, eight, 10 months ago, when he
was doing things you didn't like. You weren't wishing him well then and, actually, wishing harm to the man. So there's a really weird moment, when people get sick or pass or when something is going on with their health, that we tend to give them a few bonus points.
But if those bonus points last into the election, we have to wait and see.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. These are truly unprecedented times. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Robert Gutsche of Lancaster university.
GUTSCHE: Thanks.
BRUNHUBER: For months, Trump has blamed Beijing for the coronavirus. So after hearing of Trump's own diagnosis, reactions in China have been a mix of sympathy and criticism. David Culver explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Between a range of responses to President Trump testing positive for the coronavirus coming from officials here in China, the original epicenter of the outbreak, as well as state and social media.
As far as officials are concerned, you got President Xi Jinping putting out what is a diplomatic, even compassionate well-wishing to the president and first lady of the U.S.
State media taking a different approach, partially criticizing President Trump.
[04:40:00]
CULVER: And one editor of one of these state-run tabloids putting out a very harsh critique on Twitter, saying that President Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his, referring to the president's, gamble to play down the COVID-19, going on to say the news shows the severity of the U.S.' pandemic situation. That coming from the editor of the "Global Times."
Social media is echoing that to some extent. It's also creating this rise in nationalism as, China is in the midst of Golden Week and just traveled within the past couple of days from Beijing to here in Shanghai. We feel as though we are living in a bubble that certainly state media wants to portray as a safe and sound environment, albeit one that is not easily penetrated for folks traveling from other countries coming in, could be rather challenging.
But for that reason, China believes they have been able to contain the spread of this virus. Daily reported numbers have ranged from single digits to upwards of 20 but really no more than that. Of course, all of that, according to the central government.
So the juxtaposition from what we are seeing on the ground here, as life has gone pretty much back to normal, to life in the United States and the president, the leader of the free world, himself, now being diagnosed with this virus, is quite striking.
Nonetheless, the reaction is expected to continue over the coming days, as folks here are closely monitoring how the president, first lady and other officials in the U.S. are able to move forward with this diagnosis -- David Culver, CNN, Shanghai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The number of people around the U.S. president infected with COVID-19 is raising new concerns, particularly about the potential spread of the virus on one of the most visible symbols of American strength. We'll have more on why experts are so concerned about Air Force One. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. president Donald Trump had a busy schedule before he tested positive for coronavirus.
[04:45:00]
BRUNHUBER: Monday he was in Washington, D.C., holding events on the South Lawn of the White House and in the Rose Garden. He also held debate prep sessions with others, who have since tested positive.
On Tuesday, he flew Cleveland for the presidential debate. The next day he traveled, holding a private fundraiser in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and attending a crowded campaign rally in Duluth.
Later that night one of his top aides, Hope Hicks, began feeling sick. And on Thursday she tested positive for coronavirus. The president still went to Bedminster, New Jersey, for a fundraiser. When he got back to the White House, he confirmed the diagnosis of Hope Hicks in a phone interview with FOX News.
And the next morning he tweeted he and the first lady had tested positive for coronavirus.
The new infections among with the president and his inner circle are raising concerns about safety around his recent travels. Experts fear it puts at risk hundreds of people who fly on, operate and maintain the presidential plane. CNN's Pete Muntean reports the outbreak is threatening a key national security tool, Air Force One.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Air Force One, a symbol of presidential power around the world. Now the question is whether or not how key it was to spreading this virus through the White House and to key members of the administration, including the president.
We know from administration officials that Hope Hicks got on board Air Force One on Wednesday night, flying back from the president's rally in Duluth and began showing coronavirus symptoms on board and was put in a separate cabin.
Air Force One is different than most airplanes that you and I fly on. Large plane, about 4,000 square feet, says the White House, with the president's cabin in the nose, a conference room over the wings and reporters in the back.
What's so interesting here is that those who study the spread of the virus, especially in the confined space of an airplane, say there's no way that Hicks could have been truly separated from everybody else on board.
And those who have flown on Air Force One say there's no way that the president could not have known about this.
Here's what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I traveled on Air Force One. It is a larger plane than others but it is not a huge space.
The notion that Hope Hicks would be quarantined on Air Force One and that the president wouldn't be made aware of that situation is really suspect to me.
At the same time, White House physicians' staff travel on Air Force One. They would extensively update the White House chief of staff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN: Researchers stress to me that flying on an airplane right now is relatively safe so long as you're wearing a mask. Commercial airlines have mandated that. Apparently, no such mandate on Air Force One.
We have seen Hicks and the president both boarding the airplane without wearing a mask, which brings into question another layer of the story, whether those who operate Air Force One could have been endangered. That could create a whole new security risk.
The 89th Airlift Wing, out of Joint Base Andrews, says it is following CDC protocols. It has not said whether or not any airmen have tested positive for the virus.
But our own national security analysts say Air Force One needs to be ready in case of a national emergency. It is a flying White House like we have seen right after 9-11 -- Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is reporting a staggering number of new infections months into the coronavirus pandemic. And one top researcher warns the death toll will skyrocket unless Americans take action now. We'll bring you what he says needs to be done to avoid a potentially disastrous future -- next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Growing coronavirus cases across much of the U.S. are alarming health experts. Nearly 50,000 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to John Hopkins University. More than 7.3 million Americans have contracted the virus that we know of. And more than 209,000 people have died from COVID-19.
On Saturday, California surpassed 16,000 total deaths from coronavirus. Officials in Kentucky reported the highest number of new cases for the state since the pandemic began, plus a record high case count in Wisconsin as well.
Now the U.S. is currently averaging more than 700 COVID deaths a day. But an influential research model predicts there could be as many as 2,900 COVID deaths per day by the end of December. The director of the group behind that forecast told our Anderson Cooper Americans can take steps right now to prevent the potential future from becoming a reality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CHRISTOPHER MURRAY, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION: We have a tremendous amount, you know, we, the American people, have a tremendous amount of control over what actually happens by how we behave, how much risk we take in terms of interacting with others and most importantly wearing a mask.
And that can make a huge difference.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Right. Your latest model predicts 363,000 U.S. deaths by the end of December.
Do you know if masks were worn what that, how many lives could be saved by December?
MURRAY: Yes, we, you know, given what we know about the effectiveness of masks. And given what we know about half of Americans wearing a mask when they're out, we think that about 86,000 lives could be saved if we can get mask use way up. So it's very much in our control as to what's actually going to happen.
COOPER: So this is so important, so you're saying, 86,000 lives could be saved in the next several months if people wore masks. And you said get way up.
What percentage of the population would you need to wear masks to save 86,000 lives? MURRAY: Well, we've got to get up to the level in places that we see like Singapore, that's 95 percent of the population wearing a mask when they're in a setting, where they're at risk of transmission, so out of the home, in any indoor setting or even outdoors when you come within close distance of other people.
[04:55:00]
COOPER: And currently you think what percentage of the population is wearing masks?
You said about half?
MURRAY: We're just under 50 percent are wearing masks in those settings.
COOPER: Wow. So less than half of America is wearing masks in settings that they should.
MURRAY: Absolutely.
COOPER: Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Well, we continue to see the impact of the pandemic on the sports world. Now the New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the NFL Network and ESPN. The 31-year old, who is most recently with the Carolina Panthers, has played three games with the Patriots.
They were scheduled to play the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday but the NFL decided to postpone their game after players on both teams tested positive. They hope to play either Monday or Tuesday.
The Patriots took to Twitter but didn't name Newton by name but confirmed a player is self-isolating. Any players, coaches and staff who came into contact were tested and the results came back negative.
Now this will be the second game this week that this -- has been postponed due to the coronavirus. On Friday, the league rescheduled Sunday's Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers game for October 25th after several Titans players and staff members tested positive for the virus.
CNN's Sports Analyst, Christine Brennan says more games could be postponed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: This is the worst week for the NFL during COVID and during a time that they're trying to play games in the midst of all of the issues that we are discussing as a nation. Obviously, it carries over to sports as well.
My sense is this will not be the last -- these will not be the last two games that are postponed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our viewers in the U.S. and Canada, "NEW DAY" is just ahead. For everyone else, "Tech for Good" is next.
