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Obama Delivers Scathing Rebuke of Trump in Closing Days; Chris Christie's Mea Culpa Lectures Everyone But Trump; Pelosi: We're in a "Good Place" on Stimulus Negotiations. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired October 22, 2020 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself and his friends or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention.
And by the way, even then, his TV ratings are down. So you know that upsets him.
Can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for re-election? You think FOX News might have been a little concerned about that? They would have called me Beijing Barry.
I get that the president wants full credit for the economy he inherited, and zero blame for the pandemic he ignored. But you know what, the job doesn't work that way. Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things.
This idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this up is just not true.
Now, he did inherit the longest streak of job growth in American history. But just like everything else he inherited, he messed it up.
It has been coming in two weeks for the last 10 years. Where is it? Where is this great plan to replace Obamacare? They've had 10 years to do it. There's no plan.
Just like when Russia puts bounties on the heads of our soldiers in Afghanistan, the commander-in-chief can't be missing in action.
And with Joe and Kamala at the helm, you're not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day.
You'll be able to go about your lives knowing that the president is not going to retweet conspiracy theories about secret cabals running the world, or that Navy SEALs didn't actually kill bin Laden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Tim Naftali is CNN's presidential historian and a former director of the Nixon Presidential Library.
The question, Tim, is will this have an impact 12 days out from the election?
TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, with a combination -- Brianna, with a combination of humor and plain speaking, President Obama actually engaged in a bit of a role reversal with Vice President Biden.
Normally, it is the number two on the ticket that launches the indictment on the opposing nominee.
And in many ways, President Obama was playing the role of the scrappy vice-presidential candidate while the presidential candidate projects decency and unity.
So the speech was remarkable. Its effectiveness? Well, like most everything at this moment of the pandemic election of 2020, it depends.
Today, I believe we will cross the threshold of a larger number of people voting early than was the case in 2016. In 2016, by this time, with 12 days to go, about 21 million people had voted.
As of the last time I checked, 46.6 million have voted. In total, 47 million Americans voted early last time. So we're about to cross that threshold. That means baked in already are about 46 million votes.
I believe the president -- former president's pitch yesterday was to Democratic voters to increase turnout.
I don't think he was trying to persuade many people that were on the fence. I think he was persuading people to vote, take the time to vote. It matters. Don't be apathetic. Every vote counts. I believe that was his message.
And to some extent, I believe that will affect the turnout.
(CROSSTALK)
NAFTALI: Will it affect enough? I don't know. But it certainly will affect turnout.
KEILAR: Do you think -- I mean, look, the folks that Biden needs to win over are people in the Industrial Belt states that Trump was able to flip from Obama to when Trump ran against Hillary Clinton.
Is there any damage that is done by President Obama with those supporters? Is there any vulnerability there?
NAFTALI: No. Because those were Obama supporters. Many of those people voted for Obama, then switched to Trump.
And he did press the idea of working families. And many of those working families in the Chicago media area.
There were people in Iowa who remembered Obama as a scrappy, tough, energetic Senator. I don't think it hurts with those voters.
Those voters, by the way, are most attracted by the decency campaign of Vice President Biden.
And those are also voters effected by the day to day reality of COVID, not simply the disease but its effect on our economy.
KEILAR: All right. Tim, it's great to see you.
Tim Naftali, thank you
NAFTALI: Thank you, Brianna.
KEILAR: Chris Christie, who is recovering from coronavirus, says he is sorry for not wearing a mask at the White House. But he is missing something in this apology. We will roll the tape.
[13:35:01]
Plus, defense say Iran and Russia are interfering in the election and they've obtained the personal information of American voters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:39:59]
KEILAR: Chris Christie is now apologizing for not wearing a mask at the White House, for both his debate prep with the president and the now-infamous super-spreader event honoring Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, that took place in the Rose Garden and also inside the White House.
He has a new op-ed in the "Wall Street Journal" and it echoes part of what he said last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: We need to be telling people that there's no downside to you wearing a mask.
Leaders all across the politics sports, the media should be saying to people, put your masks on and be safe until we get a vaccine.
I let my guard down and it was wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Christie says he felt fine for three days after the White House event before coming down with symptoms, and then spending a week in the hospital battling the virus.
The crux of Christie's op-ed is that masks shouldn't be divisive. It shouldn't be a partisan issue. It is commendable to admit a mistake. But this op-ed is about as low
on courage as a mea culpa can be.
Raising the question if it is more about preserving Chris Christie after his flagrant disregard for public health guidelines revealed him for what he is. An enabler of the administration's mismanagement of this crisis.
Christie derides division over masks, but not once does he name the source of that division, the man that he advises.
Let's go through some key lines.
Quote, "I mistook the bubble of security around the president for a viral safe zone. I was wrong. There's no safe zone from this virus."
Well, the safe zone was never sure proof around the president. Testing in the absence of masks was only ever a recipe for detecting spread, not for preventing it.
The only players that presented it as a way to prevent it were the president and White House enablers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we test once a week. Now we're going to go testing once a day.
MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Testing on a daily basis with all of the senior staff, we were testing on a daily basis.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is the most-tested man in America. He's tested more than anyone, multiple times a day. We believe that he is acting appropriately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Christie also writes, quote, "When you get this disease, it hits you how easy it is to prevent. Or maybe it hits you how ridiculous you look that you didn't take it seriously in the face of overwhelming data and countless stories about the Americans it has killed."
"You don't need to get this disease to understand the easy ways that you can try to prevent it or the impact it can have on your life if you do get it."
He goes on, quote, "One of the worst aspects of America's divided politics is the polarization of something as practical as a mask."
"It is not a partisan or cultural symbol. Not a symbol of weakness or virtue. It is simply a good method, not a perfect one, but a proven one to contain a cough or prevent the virus from getting in your mouth or nose. Wear it or you may regret it as I did."
KEILAR: And 100 percent accurate. Again, no mention of debate prep apprentice who has fueled this division by saying things like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: If I were a psychiatrist --
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Right?
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: No, I'd say this guy has some big issues.
And I don't agree with the statement that if everybody wore a mask, everything disappears.
Then they come out with things today, did you see, the CDC, that 85 percent of the people wearing a mask catch it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: OK, that is obviously false. Trump was attacking masks back in May.
This is what Christie was saying then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE (voice-over): We sent our young men during World War II over to Europe, out to the Pacific knowing, knowing that many of them would not come home alive.
And we decided to make that sacrifice because what we were standing up for was the American way of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Months later, this op-ed advocating for masks feels very tepid, coming from a politician known for being anything but.
Chris Christie, hard hitting New Jersey brand of politics. It might as well be described as F.U., buddy.
While governor, he famously told a protester at a Hurricane Sandy recovery event in 2014 this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE: You all know me. So if we're getting into a debate today, it will get very interesting and very fun.
You want to have the conversation later, I'm happy to have it, buddy. But until that time, sit down and shut up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: This isn't someone known for being delicate with other people's feelings.
Yet, in the op-ed about masks, he says, quote, "The message will be broadly heeded only if it is consistently and honestly delivered by the media, religious leaders, sports figures, and public servants. Those in positions of authority have a duty to get the message out."
One thing the president, without naming him in with all of those other people so he doesn't get mad, maybe, the problem is all of those other people have been getting the message out for eight months, the media, sports figures, public servants, writ large.
[13:45:01]
And when it comes to some religious leaders, the ones that noticeably did not encourage masks or social distancing, and turned their churches into super spreaders, they were taking their cues from the president.
On average, though, these figures did their duty to get the message out loud and clear. You just chose to ignore it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wear a mask. Keep some distance and be outside as much as possible.
IMAM YASIR BUTT, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF GREAT SALT LAKE: Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with warm water and soap. Or clean them with the alcohol-based hand rub.
RABBI SAMUEL SPECTOR, CONGREGATION KOL AMI: Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth.
INDRA NEELAMEGGHAM, HINDU COMMUNITY: Wear a mask when you are out in public.
REV. ELIZABETH MCVICKER, FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Please leave your mask on. Pulling it down exposes you to the virus.
DWAYNE JOHNSON, ACTOR: Wear your mask. It is a fact. And it is the right thing to do.
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CDC DIRECTOR: We have clear scientific evidence they work and they are our best defense.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Wear a mask. Avoid crowds. Wash your hands frequently.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: Christie goes on in the op-ed, quote, "If leaders level with the American people, we can trust in the outcome. When Americans are given proper and consistent information, they will overwhelmingly make good health choices, including the wearing of masks."
"But that doesn't work if partisan media and public officials send mixed messages."
Oh, you mean like this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute.
And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number.
Many doctors think it is extremely successful, the Hydroxychloroquine.
It's safe. It doesn't cause problems. I had no problem. Based on a lot of reading and a lot of knowledge about it, I think it could have a very positive impact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That's not proper, not consistent, not good health choices, as Christie says.
He goes on to say that taking precautions doesn't settle the issue how to reopen the economy.
Quote, "Those who deny the scientific realities of the pandemic undermine conditions that allow for rapid and complete reopening."
Oh, like this guy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It is going to disappear. One day, it's like the miracle, it will disappear.
It will go away. You know it is going away. And it will go away. And we're going to have a great victory.
If you look, the numbers are very minuscule compared to what it was. It is dying out.
Having a vaccine is good, but we are rounding the turn regardless. We are rounding the turn.
I just want to say that the end of the pandemic is in sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: No, it's not.
On the reopening, the president and his allies like to frame it as a lockdown-or-nothing debate. It is not. That's a false choice. Always was.
Why? Because there's proof and evidence from countries around the world that returned to some semblance of normal, that you can reopen an economy safely if everyone is on the same page and there's national strategy to test, trace, prevent the virus.
Christie goes on, quote, "I do believe that we can use this public health tragedy to bring our country together. It is never too late to start. It will take leadership that both challenges and trusts the American people," end quote.
It is too late, for 222,000 Americans and their families, and he fails to mention that.
He also says, quote, "It is never comfortable to deliver real criticism that includes yourself. But it was a serious failure for me as a public figure to go maskless at the White House."
"I paid for it. I hope Americans can learn from my experience. I am lucky to be alive. It could easily have been otherwise."
And it was otherwise for so many people. And it will be for so many more until politicians who have the president's ear, like Chris Christie, actually say what the hell they mean. This is no time for lukewarm leadership.
Many Americans won't be as lucky as Governor Christie who checked himself into the hospital as, quote, "precautionary measure," he said. A luxury that is not afforded to normal Americans.
[13:49:15]
And up next, Nancy Pelosi says she is close to a deal with the White House on a new stimulus bill. But is there any chance of it happening before the election?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Speaker Nancy Pelosi's deadline may have come and gone, but there may still be hope for another coronavirus relief bill.
Pelosi has indicated to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin that it is her goal to hold a vote on a stimulus bill ahead of the election.
CNN's senior congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, is covering all of this from Capitol Hill.
OK, so where do these talks stand, Manu?
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're still ongoing, Brianna. And getting a deal passed through both chambers of Congress before November 3rd is incredibly unlikely. A lot of it has to do with the fact that the speaker and the treasury
secretary still have to resolve so many major issues, including funding for state and local governments and liability protections that Republicans have pushed. Those are major issues that have not been resolved.
I'm told from Democratic sources that they really need a deal in hand by tomorrow if they want to pass it through the House by next week.
Then you have the whole issue about the Senate. Senate Republicans are balking at this price tag. They're talking about $2 trillion dollars. The Republicans want a $500 million bill instead.
So even if it were to get a vote in the House next week, which is possible, but unlikely, getting it to the Senate before Election Day seems incredibly doubtful.
[13:55:01]
But the two sides are still talking, so it still remains to be seen when Americans will see the relief they've been waiting for -- Brianna?
KEILAR: Yes. And they need it, millions of them do.
Manu, thank you so much for that.
We are now just hours away from the final face-off between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. There will be new rules, more Plexiglas. But will this help contain the chaos? We're live from the debate site.
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[14:00:09]
KEILAR: It is the top of the hour. I'm Brianna Keilar.
