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Biden Falsely Claims He Never Opposed Fracking; Biden and Trump Supporters Happy with Final Debate; Pandemic Is Raising Fears of a Global Recession; Still No Health Care Plan from Trump 11 Days Before Election; Biden Speaks on Coronavirus Response, Details His Plan. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired October 23, 2020 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But if you want to kill the economy --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: -- get rid of your oil industry.
You want -- and what about fracking?
(CROSSTALK)
KRISTEN WELKER, DEBATE MODERATOR: Let me have -- let me allow Vice President Biden to respond.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I have never said I opposed fracking.
TRUMP: You said it on tape.
BIDEN: I did -- show the tape. Put it on the Web site.
TRUMP: I'll put it on.
BIDEN: Put in on the Web site.
The fact of the matter is --
(CROSSTALK)
BIDEN: -- he's flat lying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And here is how Biden responded to questions about fracking in two previous Democratic debates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MODERATOR: Just to clarify, would there be any place for fossil fuels, including coal and fracking, in a Biden administration?
BIDEN: No. We would work it out. We would make sure it's eliminated and no more subsidiaries for either one of those. Either -- any fossil fuel.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Tell the fossil fuel industry we're going to move aggressively to wind, solar, stainable energy --
UNIDENTIFIED MODERATOR: Thank you.
SANDERS: -- and energy efficiency.
UNIDENTIFIED MODERATOR: Thank you, Senator.
BIDEN: No more, no new fracking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: It's not clear if the fracking debate will turn off any potential Biden voters.
CNN national correspondent, Jason Carroll, watched the debate with a group of Democratic voters in battleground Pennsylvania, and they were impressed with his performance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIDEN: Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Minutes after the debate ended, a group of Democratic supporters who had gathered for a socially distanced, backyard watch party in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, were ready to weigh in with their verdict.
(on camera): Who felt as though Vice President Joe Biden met or exceeded your expectation during the debate? Show of hands.
(SHOUTING)
DAMON WALKER, BIDEN SUPPORTER: Four more years of Trump is not going to work in America.
CARROLL (voice-over): Damon Walker, a correctional officer and father of four, agrees with Jasmine Schley, who says some of Vice President Biden's best moments came when he addressed the COVID-19 pandemic.
JASMINE SCHLEY, BIDEN SUPPORTER: When he talked about the families who have died because of coronavirus, it shows his humanity.
And that's one thing that you never hear President Trump mention. He talks about the economy, he talks about his poll numbers, but he never takes the time to acknowledge the suffering of Americans.
WALKER: I believe he did what he needed to do. He answered all the questions, and he stated the facts. He didn't veer off-point.
MACK DUNCAN, BIDEN SUPPORTER: He answered the questions, he had a plan, he explained it. That's it.
CARROLL: In this predominantly African American middle-class community, residents such as Billie Jo McKinney, a mom of five including a young son, says Biden's answer on race in America made an impact.
BILLIE JO MCKINNEY, BIDEN SUPPORTER: He showed compassion for all races. And the story about him saying that he's never had to teach his daughter about putting her hands on the wheel, that's a big deal for me because I'm going to have to teach my 6-year-old that. And that's painful.
CARROLL: Also important for people like McKinney and Walker -- who, again, is a correctional officer -- was to hear Biden's response to his past support of crime bills that resulted in high rates of incarcerating African-Americans for petty drug offenses.
BIDEN: It was a mistake.
WALKER: He answered the question by first apologizing.
MCKINNEY: He took accountability and he apologized immediately, something we have not seen from our current administration.
CARROLL (voice-over): Biden scored points on character and integrity with the group after hearing what he would say to those who do not support him.
BRIAN CLINTON, PHILADELPHIA MAYOR'S OFFICE: Joe Biden, when he said it's human decency, American values are on the ballot in November, I thought -- that really spoke to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump didn't answer that at all.
CARROLL: The watch party organized by City Councilwoman Cherelle Parker, a Democrat, who says beyond tonight's performance, it's Biden the candidate who will ultimately drive supporters to the polls.
CHERELLE PARKER, PHILADELPHIA COUNCILWOMAN: One of the things that I like about Joe Biden the most is what you see is what you get.
And people from all walks of life know that they want a steady leader.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Philadelphia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: CNN was also on the ground in Illinois, where Trump supporters gathered to watch the debate.
Elle Reeve has that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump 2020, baby, Trump 2020.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): We're in a baseball stadium called the Corn Crib in a town called Normal, Illinois, where hundreds of Trump supporters have gathered to watch the debate, an event hosted by the local Republican Party.
CONNIE BEARD, CHAIRMAN, MCLEAN COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY: This event has sort of snowballed. We have our McLean County Republican tent, of course, and our little Trump store.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
BEARD: We have a raffle for a semiautomatic shotgun that is apparently very popular.
(APPLAUSE)
KENNY MOREAU, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I just like the no-bullshit attitude of, hey, I want to make America great. I don't understand what the problem is of trying to bring everyone up in America to do good things.
REEVE (on camera): But is it no bullshit to have only paid, like, $750 in taxes?
MOREAU: And here's the deal, and that I would love to be able to comment on that. I don't know.
And it's one of those situations where you and I can both sit here and say if we made that kind of money, you know that you're going to play the tax game. It's set there for millionaires to be able to play this game.
[14:35:05]
REEVE: But would you want him to change it so that millionaires couldn't play that game?
MOREAU: Yes. In the grand scheme of things, it would be great.
(BOOING)
REEVE: How do you think it's going so far?
PAUL BROWN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: As I expected it to go. Mr. Joe Biden is talking a lot of trash and lies. He's not being truthful with the American people.
REEVE: Well, like, what made you cheer? Do you remember a moment?
BROWN: I guess when President Trump was talking about bringing out the details with the Biden crime family.
REEVE: So like when Trump was hitting him hard?
BROWN: Yes, oh, yes.
REEVE: Have you ever watched a debate in a crowd like this before?
BROWN: Not like this, no. It's pretty cool.
REEVE: Well, what do you think about it?
BROWN: I love it.
REEVE: Is there a moment that made you cheer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Everything that's coming out about how -- about Hunter Biden's computer. That was the -- I saw that as a grand slam.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
REEVE: How do you think the debate went tonight?
JEANIE QUIRAM, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Great. He was absolutely wonderful. Trump nailed him.
REEVE: Well, what was your favorite moment?
QUIRAM: Just all of it. I thought it was absolute -- the best debate by far, and it was great.
REEVE: Trump 2020. Look at this baby. There he is.
DAWN NOWLIN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I was really glad he brought up all the Biden Hunter e-mails.
REEVE: OK.
NOWLIN: Or the -- excuse me, Hunter Biden e-mails.
REEVE: OK.
NOWLIN: Let's get that right.
Honestly, I wish he would have been slightly more aggressive.
JOHN T. GRIFFIN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Oh, John, I saw my number, way up in the middle of the air.
Amen. Right?
REEVE: Yes, that was pretty good.
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEOTAPE) KEILAR: Next, the Senate majority leader fielding questions after he appeared on Capitol Hill with visible bruises and bandages this week. Hear what Mitch McConnell had to say about it.
Plus, we'll take you live to Delaware as soon as Joe Biden comes to the podium to detail his plan to fight COVID-19.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:41:09]
KEILAR: Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, is heading into a critical week with a Supreme Court nomination vote and potential relief bill before him.
But questions are being raised about his health after his hands appeared covered in bruises and bandages in recent days.
I want to go to CNN congressional reporter, Lauren Fox, who is on Capitol Hill for us.
Has the leader given any explanation for what appear to be very visible injuries?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: He was asked yesterday, Brianna, about the bruises and bandages that reporters had been spotting on his hands this week. He said, there were no concerns.
He was pressed on whether or not there's anything reporters should know about his health. He said, of course not.
We have continued to push his office with questions about if there's anything they want to clarify, if they can provide any explanation with the bruises and bandages we've seen on his hands. They said there's nothing further they plan to add.
We should note it's been a busy week, like you said, on Capitol Hill and it'll be a very busy weekend.
There's a procedural vote on Sunday to move forward with the Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barret. And the final vote will be on Monday.
We should not we have seen McConnell regularly coming to and from Senate lunches into the Capitol. We've seen him giving speeches on the Senate floor. So he's very much up on Capitol Hill.
But of course, continued questions from reporters over what is going on with the bruises and the bandages -- Brianna?
KEILAR: It seems like not very many answers, but we know you'll continue to dig.
Lauren, thank you so much.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is still in talks with the White House on a coronavirus relief deal, but the latest update does not sound too promising.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE MNUCHIN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We've offered compromises with the speaker on a number of issues. She's still dug in. If she wants to compromise, there will be a deal.
But we have made lots of progress in lots of areas, but there's still significant differences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Plus, new data shows the U.S. economy should be headed into a deeper recession. We'll have those details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:47:28]
KEILAR: As the number of coronavirus cases continues to surge across the U.S. and the rest of the world, the pandemic is raising fears of a global recession.
CNN politics and business correspondent, Cristina Alesci, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN POLITICAL & BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, as coronavirus cases grow in the U.S. and around the world, so does the risk of recession.
Business activity has fallen back into decline in Europe, according to data that tracks the manufacturing and services sector.
There's also signs the U.S. economy could be running into trouble. A survey of economists show they expect both manufacturing and service activity to remain roughly flat compared to the previous month.
That means the recovery could look more like a "W," a double dip, than the "V" that Trumped promised, especially if there's any delay in vaccine roll-out and additional stimulus -- Brianna?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: All right. Cristina, thank you so much.
The president was once again asked last night about his mysterious health care plan, the one that doesn't exist. He's been teasing a plan to replace Obamacare, the law that he's trying to kill without replacing it. And with 12 days to go and millions of Americans having already voted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I would like to do is a much better health care, much better. We'll always protect people with preexisting conditions. I would like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand-new beautiful health care.
The Democrats will do it because there will be tremendous pressure on them. And we might even have the House by that time. And I think we're going to win the House. OK. You'll see. But I think we're going to win the House.
But come up with a better health care, always protecting people with preexisting conditions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Still no comprehensive plan to protect Americans with preexisting conditions. No plan that could actually be sent to Congress to become a law. No plan despite countless promises, countless timetables and countless missed deadlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I will ask Congress to convene a special session so we can repeal and replace. And it will be such an honor for me, for you, and for everybody in this country.
But as soon as our secretary is approved and gets into the office, we'll be filing a plan.
We have a really terrific, I believe, health care plan coming out.
We're going to have a health care plan that's going to be second to none. It's going to be great.
[14:50:04]
We have two plans coming out.
Coming out in a very short period of time.
We're going to come up with a health care plan. We're not going to vote on it until after the election.
The plan is coming out over the next four weeks.
We're going to produce phenomenal health care and we already have the concept of the plan. And it'll be --
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Do you mind telling me what the plan is?
TRUMP: Yes. We'll be announcing that in two months, maybe less.
We have a great plan coming out. It's going to be -- if we can take back the House.
We're signing a health care plan within two weeks, a full and complete health care plan.
We're going to be doing a health care plan. We're going to be doing a very inclusive health care plan. I'll be signing it sometime very soon.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: It might be Sunday, but it's going to be very soon.
We're going to be introducing a tremendous health care plan sometime prior to -- hopefully, prior to the end of the month. It's just about completed now.
We're going to be doing a health care plan very strongly.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You've been promising a new health care plan. I interviewed you in June of last year. You said the health care plan would be coming in two weeks. You told Chris Wallace this summer it would come in three weeks. You promised an executive order on preexisting --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I have it all ready.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: His response on this has really become a joke at this point.
But voters say health care is actually one of the most important issues they have. And in the middle of a pandemic, no one is laughing.
Moments ago, Joe Biden arrived to the venue in Wilmington, Delaware, where he will be delivering a speech on coronavirus response. We'll bring you that live as soon as he comes to the podium.
First, though, we have an update on one of our "CNN Heroes."
Since 2018, Woody Faircloth has been providing R.V.s to families who lose their homes to wildfires, to floods and other disasters. He's even given front line medical workers a place to stay as they fight COVID-19.
Most recently, he and his daughter, Luna, are giving shelter to people impacted by California's North Complex West Zone Fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOODY FAIRCLOTH, CNN HERO: Unfortunately, this fire has really affected a lot of first responders. Six of the seven volunteer fighters in Berry Creek lost their homes, including the chief. So Luna and do what we do.
We sourced a couple of donated R.V.s and we headed out to California and delivered one to Chief Reed Rankin. REED RANKIN, CHIEF, BERRY CREEK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT; I just
can't say thank you enough. I deeply appreciate it because water will be coming on here in a month and a half. At least we have somewhere to be.
FAIRCLOTH: He loves his community.
RANKIN: It's huge. I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
RANKIN: It's huge.
FAIRCLOTH: A couple of thousands of his neighbors are left homeless. Fifteen people were killed in the fire. They've been through a lot. But the chief is still out there every day on the line fighting the fire.
RANKIN: I think we'll start over somehow. I just got to get everything done up here and get the fire completely out and get people back in to see the stuff and then I can figure out what I'm going to do.
But I'm definitely staying in Berry Creek. I'm definitely going to somehow rebuild. Hopefully, FEMA will help us out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And for Woody's full story, go to CNNheroes.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:27]
BIDEN: -- he won't take responsibility for the crisis that should have been met with real presidential leadership.
Instead, this cost hundreds of thousands of America's lives and pushed millions into poverty.
We saw him diminish the pain felt by so many Americans.
President Trump said we're rounding the corner, it's going away, we're learning to live with it. Those are quotes.
But as I told him last night, we're not learning to live with it. We're learning to die with it.
This is a dark winter ahead. Already more than 220,000 people in the United States of America have lost their lives to this virus. And 220,000 empty chairs at dinner tables all across this country.
My heart goes out to every single person who has had to endure the agony of saying goodbye to someone they loved and adored over video chat, who couldn't gather their closest friends, even their close family to grieve together at a funeral mass or a funeral service.
Worse yet, a new study from Columbia University suggests that anywhere between 130,000 and 210,000 of those deaths were avoidable.
A leading medical journal in America, quite frankly, in the world, wrote an unprecedented editorial. To the best of my knowledge, they've never written anything like this.
They criticized President Trump's quote, "dangerously incompetent, end of quote, response. And stated that he, quote, "took a crisis and turned it into a tragedy."
COVID-19 dwarfs anything we've faced in recent history. And it isn't showing any signs of slowing down. The virus is surging in almost every state. We've passed 4.8 million cases.
When Trump was asked this week what he would do differently to get the pandemic response right from the start, his answer was, and I quote, "not much." Not much.
As many as 210,000 avoidable deaths, but there's not much you would do differently?
The United States is 4 percent of the entire world's population, yet we make up 20 percent of all the deaths worldwide.
If this is a success, what's a failure look like?
We're more than eight months into this crisis, and the president still doesn't have a plan. He's given up. He's quit on you. He's quit on your family. He's quit on America.
He just wants us to grow numb and resign to the horrors of this death toll and the pain it's causing so many Americans.
But he can't erase his own words or deeds.
In February, he knew just how dangerous this virus was. He told Bob Woodward in a taped interview this disease was deadly, far worse than the flu.
But instead of telling us how bad it was going to be, according to the "New York Times," his administration only gave Wall Street investors a heads-up.
And they made a bundle doing something called selling short or betting against the market. So Wall Street knew it was coming while the rest of us took the full brunt of it.
In June, when we began to see the resurgence of COVID-19, I called out President Trump for wavering and waving the right flag of surrender to the virus.
But then, he decided to go on offense for the virus. Holding rallies with no masks, no social distancing, where people contracted the virus.
[14:59:59] Inviting the virus into the White House, hosting what Dr. Fauci called a super-spreader event, endangering more people's lives by telling the public, don't worry, don't worry about the disease. Don't let it dominate you.
