Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Trump Falsely Claims He's Cured, Eager to Resume Rallies; Trump Campaign Wants Second Debate But Not Virtual; White House Won't Say When Trump Last Tested Negative; Pelosi is Open to Talks, But Deal Must Be Comprehensive; 13 Charged in Alleged Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor; Hurricane Delta Strengthens to Category 3. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired October 09, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to you our viewers joining us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Just ahead, President Trump claims he is healthy and wants to hold a rally this weekend a week after testing positive for coronavirus. He's now refusing to say whether he has tested negative.
Also ahead, the FBI says it foiled a plot to abduct and overthrow Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
And in Europe, new restrictions as several countries struggle to contain a resurgence of coronavirus cases.
Barely a week after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and spending last weekend in the hospital, U.S. President Donald Trump is now claiming he's cured and ready to get back to campaigning. The President has got a letter from his doctor saying he has finished his medical treatments and should be able to start hold public events on Saturday. With his poll numbers sinking nationwide, the President wants to hit the key battleground state of Florida as soon as possible but does President Trump still have the virus, and can he spread it to others? We just don't know. We get the latest from CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the President has now been back at the White House since Monday and in a letter released on Thursday, his President's doctor believes he's going to be clear to be back in public at events starting this Saturday. Though before he said he wouldn't breathe a deep sigh of relief until the following Monday. It's not clear why that's changed because we haven't heard from the President's doctor since the day that he returned to the White House.
[04:05:00] And we also haven't independently seen the President. Instead we've only seen him in these videos published by the White House that have been edited at times and we haven't seen him on our own. But the President continues to put his own spin on his health while we're not hearing from the medical experts on it. Saying he no longer believes he's contagious. Implying that he may have never been infected with coronavirus at all and saying that he is ready to get back on the road and might start holding a campaign rally this Saturday in Florida or potentially Pennsylvania.
That's what he told Sean Hannity in a phone interview on Thursday night where at times he seemed to be a little bit hoarse and have to clear his throat on a few occasions though. He spoke clearly for the other 20 or so minutes that he was on air with Sean Hannity.
But one thing he did not say was whether or not he has gotten a negative test result for coronavirus since he first tested positive on Thursday of last week. Sean Hannity asked the President that three times. But the President did not answer that question and said he would be tested on Friday. He said he didn't see the reason for testing a lot. Though of course, that seems to go against what the White House told us for months which is that the President was being tested on a daily basis.
Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, next week's second presidential debate may be on again. The Trump campaign changed its position for a second time late Thursday after clearance from the White House doctor. CNN's Jim's Acosta reports on the back and forth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Still dodging the White House press corps and opting for his own West Wing video crews to send out proof of life messages to the world, President Trump is backing out of his next debate with Democrat Joe Biden refusing to agree to a virtual virus free format.
TRUMP: I heard that the commission a little while ago changed the debate style and that's not acceptable to us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So --
TRUMP: I'm not going to do a virtual debate.
ACOSTA: Claiming the President won't be contagious in a matter of days, the Trump campaign proposed postponing that debate for a week, drawing a tart response from one top Biden official who said, quote, Trump's erratic behavior does not allow him to rewrite the calendar and pick new dates of his choosing.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We don't know what the president is going to do. He changes his mind every second. ACOSTA: It was just one week ago when Mr. Trump accused Biden of wanting to skip the remaining debates.
TRUMP: Now I understand he is canceling the debates, let's see what happens, I think that's not going to be a good move for him.
ACOSTA: Candidates have debated remotely before as John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon did from two different studios in 1960.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking.
ACOSTA: Democrats are accusing Mr. Trump of sexism after he called Kamala Harris a monster and a communist in response to her performance at the vice presidential debate.
TRUMP: And this monster that was on stage with by Mike Pence who destroyed her last night, by the way but, but this monster ...
ACOSTA: In the White House video the President who has been administered a combination of experimental medications is claiming he has been cured of the coronavirus but that's not true as there is no cure for COVID-19.
TRUMP: But we have medicines right now -- and I call them a cure. I went into the hospital a week ago, I was very sick. And I took this medicine and it was incredible. It was incredible. I could have walked out the following day.
ACOSTA: Mr. Trump is boasting his natural attributes are an asset too.
TRUMP: I'm back because I'm a perfect physical specimen and I'm extremely young.
ACOSTA: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi isn't buying that one.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Specimen, did he say specimen maybe I could agree with that. His disassociation from reality would be funny if it weren't so deadly.
ACOSTA: Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned the President could still suffer a setback.
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: One of the issues that we all have to be aware and his physicians are aware of this -- that the history of COVID-19 is that you could look and feel like you're doing reasonably well, and after a couple of days, you could have a downturn.
ACOSTA: Aspect of the president's health remains a mystery. CNN has confirmed some medical professionals at Walter Reed Medical Center were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements when the President made a last visit minute there almost one year ago.
Mr. Trump is speculating that he caught the virus that event for Gold Star families. But one Gold Star group says the families tested negative beforehand.
TRUMP: I'm not going to be in a basement saying I can't see you as you traveled in from California and all the different places. It's OK.
ACOSTA: The White House is trying to clean up that one too.
ALYSSA FARAH, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: And I appreciate you asking that so we can clarify. His point was merely that in the timeframe that he was potentially exposed, there were a number of different venues that he had been at and individuals he had interacted with.
ACOSTA (on camera): And White House officials say they won't be specifying exactly when the President had his last negative test for COVID-19, insisting that's Mr. Trump's private medical information. Adding that the doctors would like to keep that information for now private. Of course, Mr. Trump could make all of that information public. And as we reported here at CNN the President was not being tested daily prior to his positive results for COVID-19.
Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Now, U.S. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has of course been one of President Trump's staunchest and most loyal allies in Congress, but McConnell draws the line when it comes to protecting his own health. He says he stopped visiting the White House because it isn't adhering to public health guidelines on the coronavirus.
[04:10:00]
Here's what he said on Thursday while in his home state of Kentucky.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I haven't actually been to the White House since August the 6th because my impression was their approach to how to handle this was different from mine and what I insisted that we do in the Senate, which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: So two days after unilaterally ending talks on stimulus measures to help struggling Americans, President Donald Trump seems to have reversed course. A source tells CNN that Mr. Trump now wants a large scale deal. House Speaker Pelosi says Democrats are open to more talks but she made it clear that any agreement must be comprehensive and not piecemeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: This is deadly serious, so let's take a serious, not a skinny, not an emaciated but a serious, appropriate approach to crushing the virus, and then talk about some of the other good things that would flow from that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: We are down to the last 25 days before the U.S. presidential election. So much still in the air, the President's health, the status of the debate, obviously it's a race like no other. So to tackle some of these issues, I would like to bring in Julie Norman, a lecturer in politics at University College of London. Thank you so much for joining us.
I want to quote your words here. A week ago when the President was first diagnosed, you wrote that because it was assumed, he would have to isolate for ten days, cancel all his campaign events.
Quote, you said here, this really does throw a wrench in everything, it's unclear how the future of campaign will look for Trump.
But now it seems like some of those things, isolation, cancelling events might not happen. So how do you reassess the effect you think all of this will have on his campaign?
JULIE NORMAN, LECTURER IN POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Well, Kim, of course we see the President really trying to plow on ahead with his own agenda despite his recent diagnosis and his recent hospitalization. Which for pretty much anyone else, just for a point of caution, no matter how they felt would be still staying at home, playing it safe, and really crucially not putting others at risk. But what we see for Trump, someone who really thrives from the in-person rallies it does seem he's quite intent on moving forward. With that, of course, how that plays out in terms of other parts of the campaign, like the debates, are yet to be seen. But for Trump's own rally, he looks quite intent to carry on.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, you mentioned the debate, so much still up in the air. The President says, you know, he won't do a virtual debate. There's confusion over whether the debate on the 22nd will be the 2nd one or that's it. That'll be the last one. On one hand, the President is down in the polls, but it's, you know, not like he got a huge bump from the last debate. So who has the most to win and lose at the second debate doesn't go ahead?
NORMAN: Well, that's a big question right now. Of course after the first debate, which really was quite a debacle and as we saw a swing of insults back and forth, but especially from Trump. There would be some incentive for Trump to have another opportunity at the debate, especially in that town hall format. But debates are often where Biden does well too. So it's in both candidates' interest to have another debate especially in the late October time, moving closer to the actual election day.
But again, for Trump, it seems very important for him to have that be a live debate. His team has pushed back at the virtual option, which is, of course, something that the Biden team was very open to, again, for this public health reason, which they really underscored.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, speaking of Biden, a lot of the talk after the vice presidential debate was that it was from Kamala Harris, a front runner's performance, cautious, don't make any mistakes, and you know, there's a lot of glee in the Democratic camp with polls showing Biden with a healthy lead nationally, and leads in key swing states with 25 days left. So -- but could that be a mistake, the sort of low key campaigning as the presuming front runner after everyone is fond of pointing out Trump was down by a similar margin in 2016.
NORMAN: Absolutely, the Democrats, I think, have certainly learned the lessons from 2016 to not be too complacent. So it really is crucial right now for Biden and for Harris to continue to really keep up that momentum. That's important for getting their voters out to the polls or getting them to mail in their ballots, and especially in the crucial swing states.
We know that most people have made up their minds. It's more of a focus on getting the voters to actually vote. And so, that's where their emphasis will be, and they know from experience that they can't let up now.
[04:15:00]
BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much, Julie Norman in London. We appreciate you coming on.
NORMAN: Thanks, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: 13 people are now facing charges for allegedly plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Officials say the extremist also hoped to overthrow several state governments and insight a civil war. The governor is pulling no punches about who she believes inspired them. Here's Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH HAUXHURST, F.B.I. ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE: The alleged conspirators are extremists who undertook a plot to kidnap a sitting Governor.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): That Governor, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Investigators say the men planned to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home in Michigan before the November election and put her on trial for treason after she shut down the state to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the criminal complaint, the F.B.I. began investigating earlier this year after learning of the scheme through social media. They infiltrated the group using confidential informants. In June, the complaint says, one of the six main suspects, Adam Fox live streamed a video on a private Facebook group complaining about the State of Michigan controlling the opening of gyms. The suspect allegedly referred to Governor Whitmer as a "tyrant bitch."
The F.B.I. says it has an audio recording of Fox in July describing the plot as a "snatch and grab." Saying on the tape, grab the effing Governor. Just grab the bitch. In August, the complaint says another suspect stated during an encrypted group chat that one person should knock on the door and when she answers, "just cap her."
ANDREW BIRGE, U.S. ATTORNEY, WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN: The complaint further alleges that Fox purchased a Taser for use in the kidnapping, and that the group successfully detonated an improvised explosive device wrapped with shrapnel to test its anti-personnel capabilities.
KAYE: Of the six men at the center of this plot, five are from Michigan, the others from Delaware, according to the complaint. But they enlisted others, members of a Michigan-based militant group called Wolverine Watchmen.
The F.B.I. says this group was planning to assault the Michigan State Capitol using Molotov cocktails to destroy police cars. In all, 13 people have been implicated in the plot against Michigan State officials and law enforcement.
One says, the complaint, the group met in the basement of a business owned by suspect Adam Fox, a basement accessed through a trap door hidden under a rug.
This isn't the first time Whitmer's life has been in danger. She faced multiple death threats after issuing stay-at-home orders to help control coronavirus in her state.
In April, protesters gathered at the Capitol causing gridlock and demanding the stay-at-home order be lifted. Later that month, this was the scene inside the Capitol. Protesters demanding an end to the state of emergency, many openly carrying firearms which is legal in the state. That same month, President Trump tweeted, "Liberate Michigan."
Today after the plot against her was made public, Governor Whitmer called out the President who just last week refused to condemn far right groups.
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D) MICHIGAN: Hate groups heard the President's words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action.
When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight.
KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And Whitmer spoke earlier with our Erin Burnett. She said the Trump administration just isn't doing enough to stop hate and division in the U.S. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITMER: I have raised this very issue with this White House and asked them to bring the heat down. I have asked leaders, Republican leaders in the state, let's bring the heat down. I was aware of a lot of the threats that were being made against me and my family, and I asked for their help, and they didn't do a darn thing about it, and then denied even knowing that it was a problem.
And here we are, we came very close to a plot that was to kidnap me and to murder. That was what the affidavits say. Also to hurt law enforcement, to bomb our capitol, meaning all the press and the Democrats and Republicans in our capitol. This cannot stand, and we have to call it out for what it is. It is domestic terrorism.
And I quoted Ronald Reagan in my comments earlier today because there are good Republicans who stand up and take this on. I do have kids and a husband who have seen people with automatic rifles on our front lawn more weekends than I care to name how many. But this is a moment where, as Americans, we need leaders who can bring us together. We need leaders who recognize the enemy is the virus, not our fellow Americans, and these are hard times, but we're going to get through them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And the White House press secretary said Whitmer was the one sewing division, and a Trump senior campaign adviser called her a complete phony.
[04:20:00]
After the break, people in Louisiana are still recovering from the last hurricane that hit just a few weeks ago. Now they're bracing for a new one. We'll have the latest on hurricane Delta.
Plus, members of New York's Orthodox Jewish community protest new COVID restrictions on businesses and religious services. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Hurricane Delta is once again gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Evacuations are underway along the Louisiana coast with Delta expected to make landfall later today. Of course you'll remember just six weeks ago, the state was hit by hurricane Laura, so let's get the latest. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is tracking this ferocious storm for us. Pedram, where is it heading and how strong is it?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well you know, Kim, still a major hurricane, about 200 miles just south of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, which is precisely where hurricane Laura made landfall six weeks ago to the day. So really, a storm system here that we did not want to see, of course especially the way it is forecasted moving to make landfall in the same general region that was so heavily impacted just a few weeks ago.
[04:25:03]
And you'll notice the water temperatures in advance of it are actually going to be cooler. Right along the shelf there, a region of the Gulf Coast, we do expect this to weaken potentially just a little bit here before it makes landfall. If anything it could maintain that intensity. But we always say with these systems is that the ocean itself has quite a bit of memory behind it. So the water is already in motion is going to be in place there regardless of this various fluctuations of the speed of the storm once it arrives.
But you can kind of compare the tracks of these storms where we had Laura make landfall a few weeks back, to where Delta is forecast to make landfall literally within just a few miles of one another at the point of landfall. And we know with Laura, it was the fifth strongest storm to ever make landfall in the continental United States. Left behind upwards of $12 billion in losses, 1 million customers without power across this region, but some 100,000 homes also either destroyed or damaged across portions of Louisiana.
But really what's most impressive and notable to me is the 800 million cubic yards of debris that were left on the ground as a result of which only 1 1/2 million have been cleaned up. So quite a bit of debris, whether it be branches, portions of homes. We know a lot of homes here just have tarps on top of them. And the concern is with the storm of this magnitude with hurricane force winds extending 50 miles from the center, tropical storm force winds extending 150 miles from the center. It's going to be an expansive area of damage.
So a lot of debris that's on the ground really could be projectiles and could be very dangerous, and that's why evacuations we've had not only in place, but officials are saying evacuations are being taken even more seriously than six weeks ago when Delta -- or when Laura made landfall across this region.
So with Delta we do have hurricane warnings widespread across the areas of southwestern Louisiana, even parts of eastern Texas now are in line with the hurricane warnings. And the model comparisons here between the American on the left side of your screen, the European on the right side, pretty good agreement. Now that we're about 12 or so hours away from this storm system approaching and making landfall, a good agreement on where this will end up or we think it will be just south, potentially right around portions of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
But again, intensity to be pretty impressive here, up to a category 3 major hurricane as it is currently located. And you'll notice with that sort of a storm, storm surge up to 11 feet on the right or eastern side of the system as it makes landfall on Friday evening. So certainly a story we're going to be following here for the next couple of days -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. All right, thank you so much for that report. Appreciate it.
Coming up, we are live in Paris, London and Rome as Europe struggles to get a grip on the second wave of coronavirus. Stay with us for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
