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Op-Ed: Trump's Infection Shows His "Masculinity" Is a Farce; Fauci Warns 400,000 Americans May Die from COVID-19 By End of Year; Update on Coronavirus Responses from Around the Country; NYT: Trump Officials Were "Driving Force" Behind Zero-Tolerance Child Separation Policy. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired October 07, 2020 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:31:02]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A few things President Trump wants the American public to know, he's strong, he's unwavering, he's manly.
But critics say his recent actions after getting diagnosed with coronavirus say just the opposite. Because he's still flouting guidelines designed to protect against and stop the spread of the deadly global pandemic. And he's still downplaying the virus even as he recovers from it.
I want to bring in S. E. Cupp. She's our CNN political commentator and host of CNN's "S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED."
She just wrote an op-ed for the "New York Daily News," titled, "What Kind of Man is Donald Trump? Not a Protector a Nation or Family Could Count On."
S.E., it's a good write. It's also entertaining. You have many things in there that made me chuckle.
Just explain why you say that Trump's version of masculinity is just a facade.
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR & CNN HOST, "S.E. CUPP UNFILTERED": Well, Trump likes to be judged by these sorts of outdated 1950s cartoonish ideas of what masculinity looks like, toughness, his language, the insults, objectifying women.
This is stuff that to him and his supporters make him a man.
But by that very hetero-normative evolutionary theory definition that men are meant to protect and provide, he has failed. He has not protected the American people.
He hasn't even protected his own family and friends and co-workers and the people that work around him.
So you have to wonder what kind of a man knowingly flouts precautions, knowingly endangers the people he cares about, knowingly endangers people who work with him during a global pandemic.
That does not seem manly to me under his own definition of masculinity.
KEILAR: You can also see how members of his party and his supporters play into this, how they try to appeal to him.
The Trump campaign posts a video of him as a 49er catching a pass. Senator Kelly Loeffler posts a photo of him at a WWE -- what do you call it -- performance --
CUPP: Right.
KEILAR: -- smacking around coronavirus. This is what Matt Gaetz has said, as you mentioned in your column.
These are the way they try to appeal to him.
CUPP: Yes. I was -- you know, it's odd. I was watching -- I've been watching "The Vow" on HBO, which is under our parent company.
It's about a cult. The cult members really revere the cult leader in this docuseries, despite the fact he's actively working against their own best interests.
I see a lot of similarities among Trump supporters, certainly not all of Trump voters but a lot of Trump supporters, this kind of obsequious behavior.
I'll be blunt. It is insane to look at a man, who dismissed the severity of this virus, actively flouted precautions to avoid getting it, contracted it, spread it to his friends and family and co-workers, and look at that and see a man that is protecting you.
There's no way around it. From the outside, it's very clear.
I think something happens inside to the Matt Gaetzs and Kelly Loefflers and the Trump addicts that changes their perception.
But to our friend, Kayleigh McEnany, Trump has not kept you safe. To our colleague, Chris Christie, Trump has not kept you safe.
To the people in the inner circle who are out there promising us that Trump will protect America and keep America safe, they sound a little cultish because, from the outside, what has happened is very clear.
[13:35:03]
KEILAR: A very good read. Thanks so much for sharing it with us, S.E.
I dare say, that strain of masculinity is a little contagious right now.
S.E. Cupp, thank you so much.
CUPP: Thanks. KEILAR: We'll be checking out your show this weekend.
Dr. Fauci issuing a new warning about this fall and winter and how Americans are at risk.
Plus, another New England Patriot tests positive and he played in Monday night's game. What is that going to mean?
And Ruby Tuesday becoming the latest American icon to file for bankruptcy during the pandemic. We're going to take you through the list.
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[13:40:27]
KEILAR: More than half a year into the pandemic and half the U.S. is trending in the wrong direction. And 25 states are reporting an uptick in cases with the nation averaging 44,000 new cases per day.
Experts are warning the sudden rise in U.S. cases may be followed by an increased number of hospitalizations and deaths.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, is issuing this dire warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The models tell us, if we do not do the kinds of things that we're talking about in the cold of the fall and winter, we could have from 300,000 to 400,000 deaths. That would be just so tragic if that happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And in the meantime, another New England Patriots player has tested positive for coronavirus. ESPN and NFL Network say star cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, diagnosed five days after quarterback, Cam Newton.
The teams tell CNN they have canceled today's practice and players are meeting virtually. The Patriots are set to play at home on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
For more coronavirus headlines, let's check in with our CNN correspondents across the country.
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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Andy Scholes in, Milton, Georgia, where the Green Bay Packers won't be having fans at Lambeau Field for the foreseeable future.
The team says they won't reopen until there's a significant decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Green Bay area. Brown County, where the Packers play, declared a public health
emergency over the weekend with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issuing an emergency order limiting indoor gatherings to 25 percent occupancy.
The Packers had hoped to have fans at their home game. Twelve NFL teams have had fans at a limited capacity with the Falcons and Steelers set to join those teams this coming weekend.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Tom Foreman, in Washington, D.C., where the government is now going to require hospitals all across the land to report not only COVID cases but also flu cases as we head into the fall.
Flu, contrary to what the White House said, has produced nowhere near the number of fatalities in recent years that COVID has already.
Nonetheless, the combination of the two viruses heading into the colder months has health officials concerned. They want accurate counts from all across the country so they know exactly where it is and how hard it is hitting.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik in New York. Santa Claus will still make an appearance at the mall this year. But don't count on hugging or touching Santa or having the kids sit on his lap this year.
At some malls owned by Brookfield Properties, Santa will meet with families as he appears to sit inside a giant snow globe or behind a giant picture frame. The idea is to have a touchless experience with Santa.
Some mall operators are placing Santa behind plexiglass. It will have a bench in front of it so kids can sit down and take a photo with Santa.
Other mall operators are even offering zoom calls with Santa instead of in-person visits.
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KEILAR: Everyone, thank you so much for those reports.
A new report showing the White House officials are the driving force behind the child separation policy despite the White House denying there was even a policy. We're rolling the tape on that next.
[13:43:49]
Plus, after a string of negative tests, top aide, Stephen Miller, tests positive. It's raising red flags about who should be quarantining.
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[13:48:23] KEILAR: The Trump administration swore up and down that separating parents from their children at the border was never a policy. We knew that was a lie. But today, we're getting a look at the receipts.
"The New York Times" has obtained a draft report of an inspector general's report.
The report found that top officials in the Justice Department were the, quote, "driving force" behind President Donald Trump's controversial zero-tolerance immigration policy that separated thousands of migrant children from families.
And they were pushing it at the expense of the safety of Americans.
According to the "Times'" account of this draft report, Border Patrol officers were so preoccupied with executing the zero-tolerance policy, they missed felony cases involving undocumented immigrants.
They released sex offenders when they should not have a Texas prosecutor told top DOJ officials in 2018, according to the "Times."
The "Times" obtained notes kept by participants who were on a conference call with then-attorney general, Jeff Sessions. And Sessions made it clear on that call what President Trump allegedly wanted.
The "Times" reports that five U.S. attorneys, the top federal prosecutors from the southwest border, pushed back against the order to prosecute all undocumented immigrants even if it meant separating families.
Those prosecutors were, quote, "deeply concerned" about the welfare of their children.
But Sessions told them this, according to shorthand notes, quote, "We need to take away children. If care about kids, don't bring them in. Won't give amnesty to people with kids."
According to the "Times," Sessions' then-deputy, Rod Rosenstein, echoed the sentiment about a week later on another call, saying that it didn't matter even how old the children were.
[13:50:03]
In fact, he reportedly told the attorneys that they should have prosecuted two cases, even if it required taking children away who appeared to be not much older than infants.
In a statement to the inspector general, Rosenstein denied that he pushed for prosecutions, according to the "Times."
And the "Times" reports that then-attorney general, Jeff Sessions, refused to be interviewed by the inspector general for its report.
CNN is trying to reach Sessions and Rosenstein for comment.
Let's check this tape. Let's rewind to the spring of 2018 when the Trump administration was promoting and defending this policy.
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KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Our policy is, if you break the law, we will prosecutor you. You have an option to go to a port of entry and not illegally cross into our country.
JEFF SESSIONS, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: If you're smuggling a child, we're going to prosecutor you. And that child will be separated from you, probably, as required by law.
If you don't want your child to be separated, then don't bring them across the border illegally.
(voice-over): Every time somebody gets prosecuted in America for a crime, American citizens, and they go to jail, they're separated from their children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Then in June, "ProPublica" released a tape of 10 Central American children separated from their parents, crying for their moms and dads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CRYING)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Daddy. Daddy.
(CRYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Another girl, a 6-year-old from El Salvador, begs for someone to call her aunt. She had memorized the phone number.
These tapes were recorded inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.
On the same day, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was confronted at a news briefing and she totally contradicting what she told the Senate a month before.
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NIELSEN: This administration did not create a policy of separating families at the border.
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KEILAR: Let me repeat. The reported Sessions quote from earlier that year, "We need to take away children."
Also in the same news briefing:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you intending for children to be separated? Are you intending to send a message?
NIELSEN: I find that offensive. No. Because why would I ever create a policy that purposely does that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Once again, Jeff Sessions reported, quote -- from notes taken during her call, quote, "We need to take away children."
Yet, Nielsen scolded the media for asking when, in fact, it wasn't just policy. It was reality. It was happening. She already had defended the policy to a Senate committee the month before.
CNN is right now trying to reach Nielsen for comment.
Last year, court documents show that the administration separated more families than it had previously disclosed after a government watch dog report revealed more than 2,700 families were separated.
The Trump administration also tried peddling another defense, that the parents chose to leave their kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIELSEN: The parents always have the choice to take the children with them. So these are parents who have made the decision not to bring the children with them.
ALEX AZAR, HHS SECRETARY: If any parent has been deported -- your other question, Maria -- if there's been a parent who was deported prior to, say, the court's order, without their child, that likely would be a scenario where the parent had actually asked that the child remain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Immigrant advocates and lawyers have argued that some parents were coerced into signing paperwork they didn't understand.
As for Jeff Sessions, he was all about pushing the policy until it became unpopular.
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SESSIONS: The American people don't like the idea that we are separating families. We never really intended to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Jeff Sessions, who has previously said we need to take away children, according to a participant -- notes from a participant from that conference call that was reported on by the "Times." CNN has reported that a December 2017 draft by the Justice Department
and the Department of Homeland Security included plans to separate families, to try to deter them from crossing the border, months before it announced this policy.
The section is literally titled, quote, "Separate Family Units."
It says, quote, "Announce that DHS is considering separating family units, placing the adults in adult detention, placing the minors under the age of 18 in the custody of HHS as unaccompanied alien children."
At the time, Sessions and others were peddling the defense that the Bible justified this process.
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SESSIONS: I would cite you to the apostle, Paul, and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to "obey the laws of the government, because God has ordained the government for his purposes. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves."
[13:55:07]
Consistent, fair application of law is, in itself, a good and moral thing in that it protects the weak. It protects the lawful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: According to a professor of American history at Messiah College, the Bible verse to which he's referring has been used as a justification during two significant historical times in the past: by opponents of the American Revolution, and in the 1800s, by southern slave owners who were defending slavery.
The pope condemned family separations. He said the policy is, quote, "contrary to our Catholic values." He called it immoral.
And Sessions wasn't the only Trump administration official to use religion as a shield.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The attorney general earlier today said that somehow there's a justification for this in the Bible.
Where does it say in the Bible that it's moral to take children away from their mothers?
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I'm not aware of the attorney general's comments or what he would be referencing.
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: I can say that it is very Biblical to enforce the law. That is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible.
However --
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: Hold on, Jim, if you'll let me finish.
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: Again, I'm not going to comment on the attorney's specific comments that I haven't seen -
ACOSTA: You said it's in the Bible to --
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: That's not what I said. I know it's hard for you to understand even short sentences, I guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Can she understand short sentences?
What about this one? Quote, "We need to take away children." What Jeff Sessions reportedly told federal prosecutors who were concerned about the practice of pulling children, babies, from their parents.
A short time ago, we heard from the president's doctor, who gave an update on the president's condition, with few details again.
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