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Obama: Even "Florida Man" Wouldn't Behave The Way Trump Does; President Trump Speaking To Reporters In Ohio; Trump On Rally Blitz As COVID Cases Spike; Jon Bon Jovi Campaigns For Joe Biden In Pennsylvania; Polls Show Tight Race In Battleground Ohio; Interview With Georgia Senatorial Candidate Jon Ossoff (D). Aired 4-5p ET

Aired October 24, 2020 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:06]

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PPESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't call them un-American just because they're of another political party.

Joe and Kamala understand that our ability to work together to solve big problems like pandemic depends on more than just photo-ops. It depends on more than just spin or making stuff up. It depends on a fidelity to science and logic and facts.

And these are not Republican or Democratic values, Florida. These are American values. This is what we learned from our parents and our grandparents. They're not black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American values. They're American values. And we have to reclaim them.

We can't just say, oh, it's fine if a president lies 50 times a day. No. My mother would whoop me if I was lying once a day. Once a week.

These are American values that we have to reclaim and in order to do that, we are going to have to turn out like never before. We have to leave no doubt, Florida. We can't afford to be complacent.

We can't afford to sit back and wait for somebody else to do it. It's on us. In this election, at this moment, we all have to do our part.

And I understand why there are Americans who get frustrated by government, who sometimes feel that it doesn't make enough of a difference. And I'm the first one to admit, government's not going to solve every problem. Government's never going to be perfect.

And in a country that right now is somewhat divided, you know, there are going to be times where we don't get everything we want, even when we have folks in power that support what we care about. You know, I've got experience firsthand watching how Republicans in Congress abused the rules to make it easy for special interests to stop progress, but just because government's not perfect, doesn't mean we can't make it better. And we sure can stop it getting worse.

A president by himself can't solve every challenge of the global economy, but if we elect a House and a Senate and a State House and a State Senate that are focused on working people and getting you the help you need, it can make a difference and put millions of people back to work.

A president by himself can't eliminate all racial bias in our criminal justice system, but if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and also at the local level, district attorneys and states attorneys and sheriffs that are focused on equality and justice, we can make things better.

That's what's vote -- that's what voting is about, not making things perfect, but making things better, putting us on track, getting the ball rolling. So that we can look back years from now and say, you know what, that was the moment when we turned the corner. That was the time when we started bringing the country together. That was when we once again began to move together to create a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

But it's got to start now. Voting is about using the power we have and pooling it together to get a government that's more concerned, more responsive, more focused on you. And if we don't get 100 percent, we just get 50 percent of what we want, then that's good and then we keep on going. We vote some more. And we get more done. And that's how progress is made.

And when I hear folks say, well, voting doesn't make a difference, because I voted last time and look, you know -- listen, we've never come close to seeing what it would be like if everybody actually voted. In 2008, that was the highest vote totals in recent elections, in modern (ph) presidential year.

But when I was running, we had the highest voting rates that we've seen. You know how -- how many people out of the eligible folks who could vote voted? Sixty-one percent.

[16:05:02]

That was the highest. That means 39 percent of folks who were eligible to vote did not vote.

Imagine if 65 percent of people vote. Imagine if 70 percent of people vote. Because the folks who tend not to vote, a lot of times, it's black folks and brown folks and poor folks and young folks and women.

So imagine if all those folks actually turned out to vote, and imagine January 20th, when we swear in a president and a vice president who have a plan to get us out of this mess, who believe in science, who got a plan to protect this planet for our kids, who care about working Americans, who are thinking about you. A president and a vice president who believe in racial equality and are willing to do the work to bring us closer together, to bring us closer to the ideal where no matter what you like or where you come from or who you love or how much money you got, you can still make it if you try, and you still get justice before the law.

All that is possible. All that's within our reach.

For all the times over the last four years that we have seen our worst impulses revealed, we've also seen what's best in our country. People ask me, they said, how have you been putting up with watching your successor do all this stuff? I say, yeah, it can be frustrating. I don't watch a lot of TV.

But you know, what I tell people is what I've also seen is folks of every age and background, packed city centers and airports and town squares just so that families wouldn't be separated. Or just so another classroom wouldn't get shot up. Or just so we could make sure our kids don't grow up in an uninhabitable planet.

We've seen amazing essential workers and healthcare workers risk their lives day in, day out to help somebody, to save somebody else's loved ones. We've seen people contribute and volunteer. For those who were especially having a difficult time right now.

We've seen Americans of all races joining together to declare, in the face of injustice and brutality that black lives matter. No more but no less. To proclaim that no child in this country should ever feel the continuing sting of racism.

We've seen young people like George who introduced me ask us, do we not breathe the same air? Do we not bleed the same blood? Do we not deserve safety, belonging, and mattering? That's true in Miami, and it's true all across the country.

I know this has been a tough and sometimes discouraging time, but I'm here to report to you, America's a good and decent place. We've just seen so much noise and nonsense, sometimes it's hard for us to remember. But I have been all across this country. I've been all across this state.

There are a lot of good people here. There are a lot of folks who share the values of looking out for one another and doing right by one another. And we've just got to make sure that our politics reflects that. And we do that by voting.

Miami, I'm asking you to remember what this country can be. I'm asking you to believe in Joe's ability and Kamala's ability to lead this country out of these dark times and help us build it back better.

We can't abandon the Americans who are hurting right now. We can't abandon the kids who aren't getting the education they need right now. We can't abandon those protesters who inspired us this summer. We got to channel their activism into action.

We can't just talk. We can't just imagine a better future. We've got to go out there and fight for it. We got out to out-hustle the other side.

We got to vote like never before, and we've got to leave no doubt. So make a plan right now for how you're going to get involved to vote. Do it as early as you can. Tell your family and friends how they can vote too.

Don't stop with Joe and Kamala. Make sure you vote all the way down the ticket. And if we pour all our efforts into these ten days, if we vote up and

down the ticket like never before, we will elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

[16:10:10]

And we will leave no doubt about what this country we love stands for and what we believe in and who we are as a people.

So let's get to work, Florida. Let's bring this home. I love you, Miami.

Honk if you're fired up. Honk if you're ready to go.

Are you fired up? Are you ready the go? Are you fired up? Are you ready to go? Let's make this happen.

Thank you, everybody. God bless.

(MUSIC)

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: There you see the former president, Barack Obama, those live remarks in Miami, Florida, this afternoon, and you heard him end on his sort of infamous or famous lines, "fired up, ready to go," trying to get the voters in Florida to the polls to vote early, he said, to vote by mail and to ultimately cast their ballots for his friend and former vice president, Joe Biden, and his running mate this time around, Senator Kamala Harris.

I want to bring in CNN's Arlette Saenz live in Miami, CNN senior political analyst and chief Washington correspondent for "Politico", Ryan Lizza, and national political reporter for "The New York Times," Lisa Lerer.

Arlette, let me start with you.

The former president, again, did not hold back as he went on attack against President Trump, on everything from the pandemic and healthcare to the economy to America's standing in the world.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Ana. This speech was just as much about promoting his own vice president as it was taking on the current president. President Obama didn't hold back in his criticism of President Trump, taking on his approach to the coronavirus, and he even talked about the president's behavior, comparing it to an Internet meme, saying that Florida man doesn't even act that way, that the president's behavior is not normal.

And you also heard President Obama kind of mock the president for his "60 Minutes" interview that ended, that he walked out of, and also some of that anti-media rhetoric that you have heard at times from the president. President Obama today essentially saying that if you walk out of a "60 Minutes" interview or you're complaining about the type of coverage you're getting, you're not going to be able to stand up to dictators and people like Vladimir Putin.

Take a listen to a bit more of what Obama had to say here in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: During the debate, Trump was asked, what is your plan for the new phase of COVID? Which is a pretty good question. Considering that we just saw the highest number of cases spike up yesterday.

So you think he'd be ready for a response. Instead, he just said, it wasn't his fault and he didn't have one. He said, it's now gone in a bunch of states, just as states are reaching new record highs nationwide.

He doesn't have a plan. He doesn't even acknowledge the reality of what's taking place all across the country. And it gets better, because he also said now with "60 Minutes" he was asked, what's your priority in your second term?

And let me say, I've run for president, Miami, so I just want you to know, it's a good idea to have an answer to this question. It's a good idea if you're running for re-election to say, here's what I want to accomplish.

What did Trump say? He got mad and walked out of the interview. He thought the questions were too tough. Too tough.

Miami, listen, if he can't answer a tough question like, what would you like to do in your second term, then it's our job to make sure he doesn't get a second term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: So, this is the second time this week that President Obama really issued another scathing rebuke of his successor, and you also heard the former president kind of take on these arguments from President Trump and Republicans painting Joe Biden as a socialist or a communist, particularly here in the state of Florida.

Obama said that Biden is not a secret socialist, that they shouldn't believe that type of garbage that is coming from Republicans, is the way that the former president took it as he is trying to defend his former vice president.

Now, one of Obama's central messages here today in Florida was to make a plan to early vote. The Biden campaign really believes that President Obama can help mobilize black men, Latinos, and young voters to get out there in these next ten days before the election.

[16:15:04]

The former president telling everyone to make a plan to either vote early in-person or by mail-in ballot as this election gets closer and closer -- Ana.

CABRERA: Ryan, as the former president pointed out, he won Florida twice before President Trump won in 2016. We heard him urge people to vote right now. And he said, you delivered for me, now deliver for Joe and Kamala.

Of what we just heard in that speech, what do you think will resonate most with voters there in Florida?

RYAN LIZZA, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, a number of things. I mean, he was talking to a number of different constituencies. There's obviously a very large Puerto Rican population in Florida and he talked to -- he hit Trump on his -- on once talking about wondering if he could sell Puerto Rico, and you know, Florida has been trending away from the Democrats since Obama's success there, so it would be a big breakthrough for Joe Biden to win there.

I was also struck by how personal and how much he really just hit Trump hard. You know, Obama does it with a smile. He has a very light touch.

But you know, he hit him on being cruel, on not paying enough in taxes, on having a secret Chinese bank account, on spreading conspiracy theories, refusing to condemn white supremacists, putting lobbyists in charge of the government and, quote, lying 50 times a day. It was just line after line of this attack and we have not really heard that kind of aggressive attack from one former president to a current president. Trump's given him a lot to work with, and he really weaved it together in a pretty powerful speech there.

CABRERA: And we also heard him take President Trump in an area in which the president has seen strength in the polls.

Lisa, we're -- you know, we're told President Trump's going to be focusing his message on the economy in these closing days because he thinks that's what's going to resonate with his voters and perhaps some of the undecided or independent voters.

But President Obama went right after Trump on this, saying Trump's trying to take credit for the economy that he and Joe Biden built.

Do you think that's going to move voters on this issue of the economy?

LISA LERER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I mean, look, the economy, for a long time, has been sort of the one remaining bright spot for President Trump. I'm not even sure it's all that bright anymore. We had a poll -- a national poll last week that said that Biden had sort of brought Trump to a tie on economic issues.

And Republicans have wanted the president to focus his message on the economy since basically he was elected. And he's been unable to show that kind of discipline. So, I think a lot of whether voters move on this depends in large part whether Trump is able to defy everything we've seen from him for the past four years and focus on that message. I wouldn't be holding my breath for that.

The thing that struck me the most was sort of what Ryan was saying, which was this was -- it felt like President Obama had been keeping these feelings about President Trump bottled up for four years and now finally, in the 11th hour, he's able to let them all out. It was a strikingly personal speech. At one point, I believe he said -- he said that president Trump's behavior was not normal behavior.

I mean, it was just intensely personal, and it was really striking coming not only from a former president but a former president like President Obama who's someone who's been known for his restraint, not knowing for causing a lot of drama. He's definitely been keeping score over the past four years. That seems very clear today.

CABRERA: Already, Ryan, more than 50 million Americans have voted. This is according to a survey of election officials by CNN, Edison Research and Catalyst, so record early voting across the country is what we're seeing.

And so, when it comes to the impact of these final ten days of campaigning, how much of it could be diminished compared to previous election years given how many people have already voted?

LIZZA: That's a good point. Both sides have banked a lot of votes already, but most predictions are that it is going to be record turnout, so there's still a lot of people who have a habit of voting on Election Day or if they're doing early voting, waiting until the final weekend.

So, you know, there are a lot more votes out there and so Barack Obama was the most popular person in the Democratic Party, so he's one of the most important surrogates out there. They really kind of waited to use him to the final couple of weeks here.

And, you know, he's won these states. They can send him pretty much anywhere. There aren't too many Democrats where you can send to the swing states in the Midwest, in the -- and across the Sun Belt that are popular in all those places. So, part of Obama's popularity is he hasn't been in the political fray for a long time, and he waits, you know, he did this in 2018 as well.

[16:20:01]

He didn't say much in 2017 or the early parts of 2018, and he waited right until the end, right before election day, to just let out all of his fire power against Trump and Republicans and obviously that was a big Democratic sweep that year. And so that's how they're deploying him again now.

CABRERA: And, Lisa, we heard Obama hit Trump on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his lack of a plan right now, saying he can't even take the steps to protect himself. He won't even acknowledge there's a problem.

Here's what President Trump said today on this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's all I hear. You turn on the television, COVID, COVID. COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. A plane goes down, 500 people dead. They don't talk about it.

COVID, COVID, COVID. COVID, COVID. By the way, on November 4th, you won't hear about it anymore. It's true.

COVID. COVID, please don't go and vote, COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Lisa, what does it say that even with his presidency on the line in just over a week, this is his message, just the day after the U.S. recorded its highest number of COVID cases in one day since the pandemic started?

LERER: Well, look, I think the president has a major problem with the coronavirus issue, which really is the dominant issue of this campaign. And that problem is reality. I mean, he can get out there on his campaign speeches and say that the virus is going to go away, but I think for most people, it's fundamentally changed their lives. It's hard to imagine anyone in the country whose life has been completely untouched by this pandemic.

So, you know, I think you have people looking at their lives and seeing that maybe their kids aren't in school in the same way, they're not working in the same way, they're worried about their parents getting sick, they're worried about themselves getting sick, and it's hard to see -- and we know from polling, of course, that most people think that the pandemic is only going to worsen as we get into the winter.

So it's hard to see this message resonating with people whose lives have been upended by this virus, and we know, at least from what we have seen for polling for months, that it's not resonating with people.

CABRERA: And the reality is cases are going up. Hospitalizations are on the rise. Across 75 percent of jurisdictions, according to the surgeon general, and unfortunately, if history is our guide, the deaths will follow, sadly.

Thank you all for here being with us, Lisa Lerer, Ryan Lizza, and Arlette Saenz.

Let me take you live to President Trump speaking live in Ohio.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The numbers are coming in unbelievably well. I don't believe the media's talking about them. I'm not sure the media knows exactly what's happening yet.

But in Florida, we're doing very well. North Carolina, doing very well. Iowa, doing very well.

The governor was just telling me that in Ohio, we're doing great. I think they pulled back -- pulled out. Something happened. But they seem to have pulled out.

And we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens.

REPORTER: Mr. President --

TRUMP: Well, we have ten days, and you know, nothing worries me. It's -- I think we're doing just very well.

You look at the numbers in Florida. We're way ahead of where we were four years ago, right? Way ahead where we were four years ago. And I think I can say that everywhere else.

In North Carolina, we're way ahead where we were four years ago. I think it's very good.

I don't know if it's a hidden vote. I don't know exactly what it is. But we've had some polls come out, very strong polls and Trafalgar, he's one -- he called it very accurately last time, that we're two points up in Michigan, in the Trafalgar poll, which has been a very accurate poll.

And so, we'll be going up to Michigan very soon. But we're leaving, as you know, from here, we're going to Wisconsin. And tomorrow, we have a full day.

REPORTER: Mr. President, what specific indicators are you looking at in Florida and North Carolina?

TRUMP: Well, if you look at the vote, the early vote, it's not nearly what they thought it would be. Just not what they thought -- we're going to have a great red wave. It's going to be a red wave like you've never seen before, because people are tired of looking at the anarchists and all of the things taking place in Portland, Chicago, New York, with crime. They're tired of it.

But you're going to have a red wave the likes of which you haven't seen. And everybody knows it. And they -- you know, I don't think they're doing very well. They have no enthusiasm.

Look, Obama shows up for a speech and nobody shows. What did he have yesterday? Thirty-two people showed up? We've got 35,000 or 45,000 people half the time.

What's my smallest rally crowd been? Twenty thousand? Twenty-two thousand people? Right, Steve? You know?

REPORTER: Mr. President, there are some coronavirus cases rising in Wisconsin.

TRUMP: You used the word, cases. You know why there are so many cases? Because we test. Because we test more than any -- any country in the world, nobody tests like us.

Cases, everybody uses the word cases. Mortality, way down. Way down.

And a lot of those cases that you're talking about are young people. Very young people that get better 99.9, they get better almost immediately.

No. You use the word case because you're trying to scare people. Don't scare people. Don't scare people.

The fact is, that we're doing very well. The vaccines are coming out. The therapeutics are coming out.

But we have more testing than any country in the world. That includes India with 1.5 billion people. Nobody tests like us. We test more.

Now, the good news is, we know where it may be. The bad news is, any time you test, you're going to come up with cases. But you just used the word. It's cases.

REPORTER: Well, I just wanted to ask, sir, if there's any concern about bringing people together.

TRUMP: Say it? Say it?

REPORTER: People (INAUDIBLE) I was called foolish.

TRUMP: I don't -- I don't -- I can't hear you with your mask on. Thank you very much.

REPORTER: Did you vote for Laura Loomer today when you voted?

TRUMP: Did I vote?

REPORTER: Did you vote for Laura Loomer?

TRUMP: I voted straight Republican.

REPORTER: OK.

TRUMP: Thank you.

CABRERA: The president in Columbus, Ohio, as he prepares to head to another rally after his campaign stop in North Carolina earlier today, and as was just referenced there at the last question, he started his day in Florida where he cast an early ballot before he's hitting these three other states today.

Let me bring in Ryan Nobles, who is standing by where President Trump is headed next, a rally there in Circleville, Ohio, just outside of Columbus, and Ryan Lizza's also hanging tight with us.

Ryan Nobles, it looks like a pretty big crowd there. Set the scene.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, exactly right, Ana. This is a very big crowd in Ohio. Of course, a very important state for President Trump. This is a state that he won in 2016. It's a state that has trended Republican, and when you look at the map, Ohio is a state that he's got to have in the win column if he has any hope of winning on Election Day.

Now, it's been trending in the direction of Joe Biden over the last couple of weeks, and so that's why you see President Trump coming here to try and shore up the support that he has in a critical state like Ohio.

And it's interesting, Ana, the message that he's going to send at this particular rally is a very specific one. I don't know if you can see here behind me, but there are flags on either side of me that represent all of the schools from the Big Ten football conference, and of course, the big signs behind me say, Big Ten football is back.

Of course, Columbus, Ohio, in particular, the entire state of Ohio is a college football hot bed and of course the Big Ten football season started back up this weekend. Now, president Trump was very critical of the Big Ten when they initially decided not to conduct a season because of concerns about the coronavirus and put a lot of public pressure on the presidents of these colleges to start things back up again.

They ultimately ended up doing that. It's -- you know, some question as to whether or not President Trump played any significant role in that. But no doubt, he's going to take a victory lap here.

And just to emphasize just how important college football is to voters like this in a state like Ohio, there was a pretty big crowd here about three hours or four hours before the event even started and on these big screen TVs they were playing that Ohio State football game and the attention on those screens was paid very close attention to that football game. Ohio State won, by the way, Ana.

But that just shows how the president is specifically tailoring his message and it goes beyond Ohio. You know, states like Nebraska where the president's going to be in the very near future, Wisconsin, these are all Big Ten states where college football's very important, and he's making a very direct appeal to those voters -- Ana.

CABRERA: As I look behind you, I don't see too many masks but it is hard to tell because people's backs are to us in your live shot there, Ryan.

But stand by with me because I want to give a quick fact check on what we heard from the president as he walked away from reporters saying they're doing very well in Ohio when it comes to the coronavirus. Ohio just saw its highest daily case count. It was the third day in a row in which it topped its previous record.

And so, you know, Ryan Lizza, when we talk about the reality check here for the president, he's walking into this rally, states where he's defending that turf that he won back in 2016, we heard him say he's expecting a red wave which made me think of something you wrote just recently this week. You said that it's kind of the worst kept secret in Washington and that is that everyone's thinking Trump's going to lose in this election by a large margins, but no one wants to say it out loud.

And you write this, I quote: A growing number of insiders, including many Republicans, are starting to venture privately that this outcome is likely to be clear on election night, not days or weeks later, and Trump's collapse is likely to take Republican control of the Senate with him.

Do you still believe that, or do you think that Trump may be getting some momentum? LIZZA: I think he has a path to victory. He does. This is an unusual

election because the extreme -- the outcomes are cut on these two extremes, a narrow Trump victory all the way to a 400-plus electoral vote landslide for Joe Biden.

[16:30:00]

LIZZA: I think most people, most analysts are being very conservative because of what happened in 2016.

And the polls could be wrong. And so we should not discount the possibility that Trump does indeed have a path to victory. No doubt about that.

And a lot of Democrats are very nervous to, you know, talk about this big blowout that Biden could have.

But look at where Ryan Nobles and I am right now. The reason I'm in Santa Fe is because I'm going from Arizona to Texas.

The fact that Arizona and Texas are competitive states, the fact that Ryan Nobles and President Trump are in Ohio right now and that's competitive, that's really bad news for an incumbent Republican president.

Joe Biden has really pushed into deep-red territory this year and he's -- he has a path to a pretty big blowout.

Having said all that, a lot of state-level polls were wrong in 2016. And I think we, you know, we need to be cautious.

And let the public know that this is not over and that the president does have a path to re-election, despite the fact that the -- most of the polling and data we have is pointing to a pretty big Biden victory.

CABRERA: And we heard that from Andrew Yang earlier this afternoon in our 3:00 hour, saying Democrats can't get complacent and they can't take anything for granted.

Thank you both so much, Ryan Lizza and Ryan Nobles.

And, Ryan, we'll check back with you there in Ohio following the president's remarks at that rally.

Meantime, the Biden team has a whole who's-who list of surrogates spread out across eight battleground states today. And that includes Jon Bon Jovi in Pennsylvania. Let's listen in.

JON BON JOVI, SINGER, BON JOVI & BIDEN SURROGATE: I think that Joe Biden believes in a United States of America.

(HONKING)

(APPLAUSE) BON JOVI: These days, on the radio and at the rallies and on the TV, I always hear a lot of "me, me, me," but I do believe that Joe believes in the power of "we."

I believe that Joe knows that masks are not a sign of weakness. They're a sign of strength and respect. Respect for your elders, for your neighbors, for your families, for your friends, and for a stranger that you might not have met yet.

(HONKING)

BON JOVI: If you want to effect change and you can't do what you do, you can do what you can. Something as small as wearing a mask starts the ripple. Something as important as casting your vote next Tuesday is about the future of these United States that I so believe in.

(HONKING)

(APPLAUSE)

BON JOVI: After we get Joe into office, that's when the healing starts. Because we all have to come together and remember that under the great stars and stripes, we are all one United States of America.

(MUSIC)

BON JOVI: This is called "Do What You Can."

(SINGING)

[16:35:00]

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:02]

CABRERA: Welcome back. President Trump is campaigning in Ohio at this hour, a state that voted for him in 2016 after twice voting for President Obama.

And with just 10 days to go, the latest CNN poll of polls shows the race there in Ohio is so close. No clear leader right now. President Trump with 47 and Joe Biden with 46 percent.

CNN's John King is taking a closer look at Ohio's critical role in the race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No Republican in modern times has won the White House without winning Ohio. So it is absolutely essential to the president's comeback strategy.

So what can we learn from the 2016 map as we watch for the results to come in, in 2020?

One of the most interesting things we saw, the polls close early here. In southern Ohio, the small counties, one of the things we saw was the source of President Trump's white working-class rural support.

Look at the margins he ran up in these little counties along the southern Ohio border, 70 percent here, 66 percent here, 76 percent there.

That was the first sign that President Trump was overperforming even Mitt Romney, running up it in Ohio. We'll watch for that in 2020.

Is the Trump base solid or are some of those white working-class voters defecting to Joe Biden?

Other big things to watch, for Democrats, the most important part, turn voters out in the city.

Is African-American turnout high in Cleveland? Can Joe Biden get a bigger margin than Hillary Clinton did?

Something else to watch, what about the suburbs? Donald Trump narrowly carried is suburbs back in 2016, including here, a big margin in Lake County. These are the suburbs just to the northeast of Cleveland.

Can Joe Biden turn this blue or at least make it more competitive? If he wants to win in Ohio, Lake County, outside of Cleveland, will tell you a lot about where the suburbs are in 2020.

One more big test. I want to show you down here, Stark County. Former Vice President Biden went here after the first presidential debate.

Why, you might ask? Look at the margins back in 2016. Why would Joe Biden go to a place Donald Trump won by such a lopsided margin. This is one of the so-called pivot counties, Stark County.

Here's the 2012 race. It was for Barack Obama. If you go back to 2008, it was for Barack Obama. Pivot counties voted twice for Obama and then flipped to Donald Trump in 2016.

So, on election night, watch southern Ohio, watch Cleveland in the suburbs, watch Stark County. If it is red, maybe Trump has a comeback in Ohio. If it is blue, Joe Biden is on his way to the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: All right, thanks to John King.

I want to talk to three Ohio voters now that both President Trump and Joe Biden are trying hard to win over in these closing days.

They were undecided right after the first debate, so less than a month ago, which, again, was in Ohio. Just a few weeks ago, they were a part of my focus group that night.

Are they still undecided? Let's find out. I want to welcome Felicity Boykin, Gina Malley, and Eric Camacho.

It's great to see all of you again.

Felicity, this is going to be your first time voting in a presidential election. Have you made up your mind?

FELICITY BOYKIN, OHIO VOTER: Good to speak with you again.

I think for me, I am leaning a certain way right now. I've come a long way since the first debate. I think the last debate really showed me what Trump can do.

I don't know if one performance can persuade me a certain way, but yes, I think I am leaning a certain way right now.

CABRERA: What do you mean it shows you what Trump can do? What has you so torn?

BOYKIN: I think right now, the way they represent themselves. I think Trump, at the last debate, really gave me what I have been wanting to see from him.

I think he spoke fluently on things he wanted to touch on like coronavirus and other topics as well as Joe Biden. He did the same as well.

I think what has me the most torn is am I voting for a person that's going to represent themselves as a strong leader or somebody that I agree with the most topics on?

CABRERA: OK. I'm going to circle back with you in a minute.

But, Eric, I want to come to you. Have you made up your mind?

ERIC CAMACHO, OHIO VOTER: Ana, my mind is made up. I'm ready to go.

CABRERA: OK. So who are you going to vote for then?

CAMACHO: Joe Biden.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: How did you come to your conclusion?

CAMACHO: From the last time we spoke at the debates, I got in and did a lot of research and went back and looked at all the times that Donald Trump said something that wasn't true and just educated myself.

And it's just -- it's sad. Ten days can't go by fast enough.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: What was the deciding moment for you?

CAMACHO: You know, when he was sick and he went to the hospital and came back and just marched up the steps right there at the White House and took his mask off.

And I'm thinking to myself, no, that's not -- we can't -- that can't happen. We have to protect people. We have to do the right thing. We have to be smart.

And we have to get ahead of this thing. And he's not making any strides to do that.

[16:45:05]

CABRERA: Gina, I want to know where your head is at. Biden or Trump, who gets your vote?

GINA MALLEY, OHIO VOTER: I am also probably in a different place than I was after the first debate. I was kind of shocked and horrified.

The second debate, I was happy to see that the candidates were much -- had much more decorum and were more presidential in their character.

I'm also now, though, what the situation -- the health situation with President Trump showed me is that both presidents are very vulnerable to not succeeding the next four years.

And what I mean by that is that anything could happen to either one of them, health-wise,.

And before we were all concerned because of Biden's age and this particular situation showed us that we should also be concerned about President Trump.

So, I'm looking much deeper into the party alignment as well as the vice-presidential candidates because, one way or another, one of those vice-presidential candidates could very well be the leader of our country.

CABRERA: Gina, I understand you did not vote in 2016 because you weren't, I guess, sold on either candidate. Could you end up there this time around?

MALLEY: You know, in -- where are we? 2016. That was a very painful experience to me. It really, really was. And I do not want to be in that same situation.

I had done my research. I thought I was ready. I got to the polls. I saw both those names right there and I just couldn't pull the trigger. And for the last four years, I have regretted that.

And so what I want to say to the American people is, number one, don't be afraid. I mean, if you think that there's someone who you really, really align with, and that they speak to your heart, you know, go ahead and do it.

And I don't -- I'm going to make sure that this time, I truly vote for a candidate.

CABRERA: I know, after that first debate, everybody was left wanting. So let me play you the closing remarks from this last debate from each candidate. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Success is going to bring us together. We are on the road to success.

But I'm cutting taxes, and he wants to raise everybody's taxes. And he wants to put new regulations on everything. He will kill it.

If he gets in, you will have a depression the likes of which you've never seen. Your 401K will go to hell. And it will be a very, very sad day for this country.

JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I will say, I'm an American president. I represent all of you whether you voted for me or against me and I'm going to make sure that you're represented.

What is on the ballot here is the character of this country. Decency, honor, respect, treating people with dignity, making sure that everyone has an even chance.

And I'm going to make sure you get that. You haven't been getting it the last four years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Felicity, you've said you were looking for somebody who could be a role model, somebody you could look up to support their decisions. Did either of them provide that for you?

BOYKIN: Yes, certainly.

I think although President Trump's giving me the information that I want now, I think, in the long run, Joe Biden has really stepped up and shown that he has the power to be a role model and be the way he speaks and represents himself through this pandemic.

CABRERA: Well, I sure wish I had more time to talk to all of you because I appreciate all of your perspectives. And it's really interesting to hear how you're processing all of this.

Good luck in making your final decision, Felicity and Gina.

Eric, thank you for sharing where you're at. Good luck voting.

By the way, Ohio does have early voting as well as mail-in voting so I know you're anxious to cast your ballot. Those are some options for all of you right now.

Thanks again. Good to see you.

CAMACHO: Thank you.

CABRERA: Now, just 10 days to go, you heard from voters in Ohio, you've seen big crowds waiting for the president there in Ohio.

And also, in the battleground state of Pennsylvania today, a lot of the candidates hitting the trail.

I want you to listen in to Jill Biden, who is campaigning there with her husband, Joe Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Dr. Jill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(CHEERING)

CABRERA: This is live. And I guess Jill Biden just spoke and now they're going to introduce the former vice president, who's running to be president, Joe Biden. Let's listen.

(CHEERING)

(HONKING)

[16:49:59]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a proud member of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and a proud union member.

(CHEERING)

(HONKING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our members know that Joe Biden is our best hope to empower unions so that they can in turn restore --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:55:11]

CABRERA: Happening today, more voters in Georgia lining up to cast ballots in the 2020 election. Early voting there both by mail and in person has surged with more than 2.6 million votes cast so far in that state. And more than half of those ballots have been cast in person.

I want to bring in Jon Ossoff. He's the Democratic candidate for Senate in Georgia. He's running against incumbent Senator David Perdue.

Good to have you here with us, Jon.

Georgia has not supported a Democratic candidate for president since 1992. Can you explain to America why you believe Georgia might go blue for the first time since voting for Clinton in '92?

JON OSSOFF (D), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE FOR GEORGIA: Thanks for having me, Ana.

Look, first of all, Georgia becomes younger and more diverse by the day.

And the investment in voter registration, 800,000 new voters added to the rolls here since just two years ago when Stacey Abrams narrowly lost the governor's race by 50,000 votes. That has changed the game in Georgia.

But I think even more significantly, I was just listening to the president's comments while I was waiting to come on the show. Continuing to downplay and deny the severity of a pandemic that's claiming nearly a thousand American lives per day.

People's lives have been upended. People have lost loved ones and are still losing loved ones.

Here in Georgia, so many still out of work, struggling to get by. Families unable to provide for themselves and get their kids into schools in a regular way.

We need leaders who unite us to confront this crisis, not who deny it and downplay it.

And I think that's why Georgia voters are undeterred in the face of voter suppression and turning out in record numbers.

CABRERA: Your campaign hauled in nearly $2 million in fundraising just a couple of days after your opponent, Senator David Perdue, mispronounced and mocked Vice-Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris's name at a Trump rally in Macon, Georgia.

How are you going to spend that money?

OSSOFF: We are laser focused on voter protection and turnout efforts.

Because even though it has been this inspiring sight to see so many Georgians coming out, in particular, black voters and low-income voters are still being made to wait in outrageous lines.

So we have to have the resources necessary to protect ballot access in this state in the face of voter suppression.

And I urge folks who want to help to log ton to electjon.com and support the effort.

CABRERA: Let me ask you more about that. Do you feel confident the 2020 electoral process in Georgia is going to lead to a result that you can accept in terms of the integrity of the process and the vote?

OSSOFF: Look, my team and I spend a lot of time addressing the issue of voter suppression, expanding our voter protection efforts and doing everything in our power to protect ballot access.

It is a fact that Georgians still face threats to the franchise. It's also a fact that the people are undeterred. They're turning out in record numbers.

People are willing to wait in line to vote. It's a travesty that they are made to.

But when the stakes are this high, when nearly a thousand Americans are dying per day from an out of control pandemic, when we have leaders who are dishonest and incompetent and putting themselves and their own self-enrichment ahead of the own public interest.

I believe there's such a demand and desire for change to turn the page on this dark chapter in our history and rebuild, reunite this country, that we will be able to overcome voter suppression in Georgia and win.

CABRERA: OK, so, let me ask you. If you are elected, if Democrats win the Senate and Joe Biden is elected president, should Congress expand the Supreme Court?

OSSOFF: I don't support expanding the court just because you don't like the politics or policy or ideology of a recently confirmed justice.

But the reason that this Supreme Court fight right now is so important is that the health care of millions of American families is on the line.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act just days after this election.

My opponent, David Perdue, and Donald Trump are obsessed with getting rid of the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with preexisting conditions.

They're working for the insurance companies who don't want to be encumbered by regulations that protect the health of ordinary people by ensuring that if you have asthma or diabetes or heart disease you can't be denied coverage.

These protections for preexisting conditions are on the line. That's why they are rushing to confirm this justice.

And it's why the Senate matters as a check against this kind of hasty confirmation of a judge who may pursue a partisan ideological agenda rather than impartially uphold the law and defend the public interest.

CABRERA: Jon Ossoff, senatorial candidate in Georgia, thank you very much for joining us.

And I should note that we did invite his opponent, Senator David Perdue, on, and they declined.

[17:00:03]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CABRERA: Thanks so much for staying with me. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.