Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Campaign Trail Map Hints at Final Week Strategy for Biden, Trump; Biden Leads in Critical Battlegrounds with One Week Until Election; British Study Shows Evidence of Waning Immunity to COVID-19. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired October 27, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

BRITTANY SHEPHERD, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, "YAHOO NEWS": I think this crucial seven days like the folks who are maybe (INAUDIBLE) voters, black men and young people. And young people are overwhelmingly Democratic progressive, right? And we're seeing evidence that young people are going to vote in higher numbers than 2008. It's unprecedented. So that pressure from AOC and members of the squad will kind of energize those young voters.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We're up against the hour. We got to leave it there. We'll see you soon. Big week ahead. Brittany, Jackie, thank you. And thanks to all of you for being with us. We'll see you here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow.

JIM SCIUTTO: I'm Jim Sciutto. John King is up.

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing a very important news day with us.

One week out now from Election Day. And it is an active busy campaign day across America.

Joe Biden stops in Georgia, a state his campaign sees as a potential red to blue flip this election year. Kamala Harris in Nevada. The former President Barack Obama visiting Orlando, Florida. Jill Biden off to Maine.

The president hits a trio of Midwest states. Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska's second congressional district all went Trump red four years ago but lean Biden blue right now. Vice President Pence is in the Carolinas. The first lady traveling to Pennsylvania, another 2016 Trump prize now at high risk of slipping away.

Today is also deadline day for voters in 10 states to request their ballots. The map in the final week says a lot about where the candidates and the campaigns think they stand. The president without doubt on defense scrambling to rebuild his 2016 path.

The Georgia stop plus plans for Iowa just ahead tell you that Democrat Biden is bullish and sees the potential to recolor several states that traditionally break red. The president stays the course closing messages up against more than just Joe Biden, the coronavirus is again shattering records. And putting the president's mismanagement of the pandemic front and center in this campaign's final week.

The map underlines the giant trouble ahead for the country. 37 states. 37 states right now recording more COVID cases this week than last week. Only one, Washington state, recording fewer cases right now. This is a record setting week of the worst kind, just under 70,000 new cases per day is an unwelcome pandemic high. 16 states saw their highest 7-day average of new cases yesterday, on Monday. The Midwest is leading the wrong way trend.

The numbers don't lie. The president's tweets, well, they do. We are rounding the turn. 99.9 percent is the president's math and logic defying morning take. In a new closing message campaign ad out just today, Joe Biden frames the election choice this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Who we are, what we stand for, maybe most importantly who we're going to be. It's all at stake. Character's on the ballot. The character of the country. And this is our opportunity to leave the dark, angry politics the past four years behind us. To choose hope over fear, unity over division. Science over fiction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Let's take a closer look at the numbers right now. And they are simply not good and worse. If you look right now, as I noted, 37 states. 37 states, that's the orange and red, trending in the wrong direction, more new COVID infections today when you compare the data to a week ago. 37, Five of them, 50 percent more infections this week, 50 percent or more new infections this week compared to last.

You see, it's everywhere. It's completely across the country. We have 12 states holding steady, and just one, Washington state, where it all began, way back at the beginning, trending down at the moment.

If you look at the case trendline, this is where you watch the red line. It is trending absolutely in the wrong direction. Just makes it hard to believe 99.9 percent done, the president says, no. Heading back up the hill again, 66,000 plus new infections yesterday. Friday and Saturday were both above 80,000. The trendline now higher than it has been. The daily average higher than it has been at all.

If you look at it this way, just in the last month, just in the last month, 19 percent of the coronavirus infections confirmed in the United States have occurred in just the last month. September 26th, we're at 7.0, 8 million, now 8.7. 19 percent in just the last month.

That is taking a turn for the worst, not rounding the final corner. You see it going up. The hospitalization trendline again, follow the lines, starting to trend up. 42,900 just shy of 43,000 Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 as of yesterday. That trendline trickling up as well. Not as high yet as the summer surge. The question is, can you keep it below? We'll watch that as it goes up. This is why we have a problem. The positivity rates in many states across the United States, highlighted here the states where the leading candidates are today. Joe Biden going to Georgia. A 7 percent positivity rate right now. If you look everywhere else, that is relatively not bad, the experts say, get it to 5 percent and then shove it down. Georgia at 7 percent right now.

The president is going to Michigan. That's at 5 percent right now. But then Wisconsin 28 percent. Nebraska 22 percent. Look out here across the plains and the prairie, 40 percent South Dakota, 31 percent Wyoming, 36 percent Idaho. 19 percent Utah, 19 percent Nevada.

[11:05:04]

High positivity rate today tells you more infections today, the more likelihood more people get infected tomorrow, that impacts hospitalizations. It triggers on to deaths. We've been through this for months now. In the final days of the campaign, the coronavirus is front and center not just in what the candidates say about what they would do about the pandemic and where we stand in the fight against the pandemic but in how they campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He travelled from Delaware to a little tiny corner of Pennsylvania like right next to Delaware and he made a speech. And he said that he doesn't do these kinds of rallies because of COVID, you know. He doesn't do that because nobody shows up, that's why.

BIDEN: The big difference between us and reason why it looks like we're not traveling, we're not putting on superspreaders. We are doing what we're doing here. Everybody is wearing a mask and trying as best we can to be socially distant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Joining our conversation CNN's Jeff Zeleny and CNN's Abby Phillip.

Abby, it is a striking contrast, just as the coronavirus itself sending a late campaign message, the spike going up at this moment, the president essentially trying to say tough it out we're OK. All is well. And Joe Biden drawing that leadership contrast that he believes, he believes even though it's less energy, you don't have big rallies, he believes voters will reward him. We'll know a week from today.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean this is the contrast of the president chose going into Election Day. He chose to double down on one of his weakest hands going into this election. We know that a majority of Americans believe he's handled the coronavirus poorly. And that the federal government has handled the coronavirus poorly.

So it's an interesting choice on President Trump's part rather than try to narrow the differences over this virus with Joe Biden and focus on other things where he's stronger, like the economy, he's leaned into this idea that he's going to open the economy at all costs. The problem with that is that that is happening at the exact same time that as you just showed the virus is surging. People are seeing the consequences of reopening at all costs and that does not seem to be going in the president's favor. These are communities where they're seeing their hospitals already being overrun and it's getting worse going into Election Day.

KING: It's getting worse as he travels, he's seeing this on the front pages everywhere he goes. In a sense, it's a major story in all these states in addition to the campaign.

And Jeff, to Abby's point, let's go through some of the final day contrast here. This is president on the road yesterday. To Abby's point, his advisers wish he would spend a lot more time talking about the economy. When he does, he talks about Joe Biden and makes it sound like if you elect Biden, we'll have an apocalypse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's a choice between a Trump super recovery and a Biden depression. And it will be a depression. It's a choice between a Trump boom and a Biden lockdown.

We understand the disease. We have to take care of our older, wonderful people. Our elderly. Especially if they have heart problems, diabetes problem in particular. Different problems. And we do that. But look, I mean, I got it and I'm here, right? I'm here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: In contrast, Jeff, listen to Joe Biden. The president says I got it and I'm here, essentially tough it out. Joe Biden says, no, Mr. President, wrong call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: 200,000 could die between now and the end of the year and he said we're not going to control it. Not going to control it. The bottom line is, Donald Trump is the worst possible president, the worst possible person to try to lead us through this pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: You think in the final days of a campaign how are we going to be surprised? What new issue is going to jump up in this campaign? It is, to borrow the president's words, COVID, COVID, COVID.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is, without a doubt, John. And you said it is the headline news on the frontpage of local newspapers on the beginnings and in the middle and the end of local newscasts. It is simply the hospitalizations going up, the cases going up.

Here in Nebraska where the president is visiting, holding a rally this evening, which politically says all you need to know, he is chasing single electoral votes here. But the state of Nebraska has seen record numbers of cases each week for the last four weeks. So, regardless of the state that he goes to, red state, blue state, and he hasn't visited many blue states, of course. This is central to this message.

So, it is - you know the president clearly is on a base strategy here. He's trying to turn out his base everywhere he goes. He's also coming here to reach the Republican areas of the western Iowa. He needs those electoral votes as well.

So, yes, he's turning out his base. But a lot of Democrats believe, and some Republicans worry that he's also turning out Democrats and turning out independents. If there's anyone who possibly had not made their mind up by this, if they're you know still trying to wait for a little bit more information. This virus and seeing how it's handled is simply politically not wise.

[11:10:00]

No one has the same type of treatment that the president has. So, for him to say that at a rally, that does not comport with what anyone sees in their lives or who they know who have the virus. So, the president has tried many times to change the subject. The subject is locked in now for this final week of this race. And it's not good for him, which is why he's traveling to so many places. He has such a narrow path, John.

KING: And part of that traveling also is they're getting overwhelmed in early voting and they're trying to make sure people turn out late in what days are left for early voting and then on Election Day.

Abby Phillip, we're having a little bit of a Deja vu in the sense that in the final week four years ago, Hillary Clinton went out to Arizona. The Democrats thought we're going to change the map. We're going to span them up. We're going to flip a traditionally red state, blue.

This week Senator Kamala Harris is off to Texas. Listen to Joe Biden. He is not going to Texas himself, at least it's not on the schedule yet, but he did do a local TV interview where he thinks the big state of Texas, traditionally red, maybe it's in play.

Sorry I have got to read that one. That's here. I thought it was a TV interview.

"Kamala will be back later this week. I think on Friday. We have got a number of surrogates in there from around the country. We're on air in Texas in English and in Spanish and we're devoting an awful lot of money into Texas. And I think we not only we have a shot. But I think the Democrats are going to win back the House. We got some really good candidates running as well. So, I feel good about Texas."

New York Times/Siena College poll, Abby Phillip, has Joe Biden down four points in Texas. Four points certainly means it's in play. Do the Democrats really think they can swing Texas or are they trying to satisfy local Democrats who say we have a chance to flip the legislature. We have a chance, maybe to be competitive and maybe a stunning up, set it would be in a Senate race, please come help us. PHILLIP: Yes. And I mean that would not necessarily be a bad rationale for Joe Biden to go down to Texas, even if they don't think that they can flip it at the presidential level. There is a desire among Democrats in Texas and frankly across the country for there to be more focus on some of these local races, focus on picking up some of these competitive seats.

And so, Texas is one of those states where we may not know until Election Day what is going on there. One of the things that's been very intriguing to Democrats are these voting numbers. The early vote has been through the roof in Texas in the biggest cities in that state.

What will that mean for Election Day? It's hard to say right now.

But from the Biden perspective, you know they can send the vice president down there. They can invest money in that state. Many Democratic outside groups are doing the same thing. And if they lift some local races, if they lift some congressional candidates that might be money well spent for a cycle down the road when perhaps in four years, eight years it's truly in play at the presidential level.

KING: We'll watch that trend. But Jeff, this is week where you look at the map, you're in the (INAUDIBLE) I'm doing my math everyday trying to figure this out. And where you are is, as you noted, very important. The president is going to Michigan, Wisconsin and the second congressional district today. There are 27 electoral votes there. 16 votes in Michigan, 10 in Wisconsin and one in that congressional district that helped Trump to his upset four years ago.

They're all leaning blue right now. It is one. The district where you are today. It is just one, but the president is somehow looking at this map. He's on defense this time, trying to figure out, can I cobble together, forget getting over 300. Can I find a way to 270?

ZELENY: No doubt, John. And it's exactly to a 270. It is a very narrow needle he's trying to thread, which is why he's here in Nebraska. Of course, in 2008 Barack Obama won this as single congressional district electoral vote here in Nebraska. So, that gave some Democrats some hope. Well, he lost it. Four years later, Hillary Clinton lost it in 2016.

But this time Joe Biden is leading in polls here. There's a very competitive congressional race. And like other cities across the country, the suburbs are changing and turning against this president because of coronavirus and other matters. So, the same thing is happening here as well.

The president also is still chasing Iowa. He won Iowa by nine points four years ago but now it is very, very close. So, Iowa of course, just across the Missouri River from here. He will be addressing that audience as well.

Joe Biden coming back to Iowa on Friday. A lot of Democrats are wondering is it really in play? Could he really win that state? We will see what the mood is on Election Day next week. But there's no question the president is threading a very narrow needle here.

He was in Maine on Sunday. That's the other state that also splits their electoral votes. So, for all this talk about reforming the electoral college, at least we're getting a bit of a sense of what it might look like here in Nebraska and Maine. Of course, just a very small sense, and it's saying exactly, his map is precarious which is why he's coming here at the end of this day tonight, John.

KING: His map is precarious. And the fact that Biden is pushing to expand the map even after the experience of four years ago, tells you that they are very confident in their numbers because they don't want to repeat what they believe is the mistake from four years ago. We shall see.

Abby Phillip, Jeff Zeleny, here we go into the final week.

Up next for us, a new study that suggests coronavirus antibodies may not last long.

But first, just into CNN, Chief Justice John Roberts swearing in the newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. You see the picture right there. The Supreme Court now back to nine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:19:29]

KING: A huge British study out today shows evidence that immunity from the coronavirus lessens over time. Researchers led by the Imperial College London sent at home finger prick tests to 360,000 randomly selected people. And they found the following, a 26 percent decline of antibodies over three months. The decline was greatest in people 75 and older compared to young people. The decline was across all ages and regions but not in health care workers which the researchers believe could be due to repeated exposure. And the results confirm earlier studies that asymptomatic patients lose antibodies faster than those with more severe sickness.

[11:20:04]

Joining me now is Dr. Leana Wen, the former Baltimore City health commissioner and CNN medical analyst. Dr. Wen, what's the big takeaway from this? That if people who have coronavirus, what give it a few months and you could be vulnerable again?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I don't know that we can draw too many conclusions from this one study alone, John. I think it's still an open question that we have of how long of just how long does immunity last. So, if you have COVID-19 how long are you protected? And how well are you protected?

This study suggests that the antibodies you develop after getting COVID-19, that they wane over time but there are other ways for people to get protection as well. Maybe your body produces new antibodies if you already had the infection once and it produces new antibodies quickly. There's also T cell immunity, another type of protection you can have against this virus as well.

But I think overall, it's still an open question. Based on the fact this is a coronavirus, and other coronaviruses you can get year after year. Probably we will not have the ability to protect against COVID- 19 for more than a year. Which is another reason why herd immunity, this concept of just letting everyone get COVID-19 and see what happens, why that is a concept that will just lead to a lot of preventable deaths.

KING: A lot of preventable deaths. So, let's get a sense of where are we? Which is a question I've been asking for months. But where are we now? We look at the seven-day average of new cases, a 69,967. So, we're averaging 70,000 new COVID infections a day right now. And you see the trendline right there going up. And it's everywhere, 37 states trending in the wrong direction right now.

There's some interesting number. This is an Axios/Ipsos poll today, Dr. Wen. People were asked, have you socially distanced in the last week, right now seven in 10 Americans answer yes to that. Have you socially distanced in the last week? In April, it was 92 percent.

Have you visited friends or relatives in the last week? Half of Americans, 49 percent right now say yes, I visited friends or relatives in the last week. Back in April only 19 percent said that.

So, I think it's pretty fair we can connect those dots, right? People are visiting friends and relatives, they're not socially distancing as much and guess what, we have a record high of COVID infections. Any doubt?

WEN: We are in the middle of a major COVID storm. Every indicator, every metric that we have is trending in the wrong direction. But we're not seeing behaviors change. Back in March/April we did see behavior change that's why we were able to avoid catastrophe in the sunbelt in California. When now, we're in the middle of this major surge all over the country. And especially because of lack of federal action, we know that it's now up to individuals to do our part. And we really need to. It's time for us to have a national mask mandate.

But in the absence of that, we should all be wearing masks. It's the simple interventions that can save lives we should be following these recommendations that you and I in so many people have been talking about all along, wearing masks, stay socially distanced, avoid crowds and indoor gatherings, including with extended family and friends.

KING: Dr. Wen, grateful as always. Commonsense and proven by science. Hoping people would listen. Appreciate your insights as always.

Up next for us back to the campaign one week out, there is record early voting, the group seeing huge increases, some groups huge increases in turn out from just four years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:28:22] KING: A new Supreme Court ruling in a case out of Wisconsin is drawing fire from progressives. The high court ruling Monday that mail-in ballots in Wisconsin must be received by Election Day to be counted. That ruling rejected to the Democratic effort to allow the count to stretch up to 6 days past Election Day. As long as those ballots were postmarked by Election Day, November 3rd.

The vote was 5- 3 with the three liberal justices dissenting. A concurring opinion from Justice Kavanaugh is viewed by progressives as a marker for any post-election legal challenges to ballot counting. Justice Kavanaugh says keeping the Election Day deadline makes sense because, quote, "Those states want to avoid the chaos and suspicions of impropriety that can ensue if thousands of absentee ballots flow in after Election Day and potentially flip the results of an election."

In a dissent, the liberal Justice Elena Kagan gave voice to those who argue more leeway is needed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Kagan writing quote, "During COVID, the state's ballot- receipt deadline and the court's decision upholding it disenfranchise citizens by depriving them of their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. As the COVID pandemic rages," Justice Kagan wrote, "the court has failed to adequately protect the nation's voters."

Early voting as we know is shattering records and keeping the campaigns busy now, trying to understand its impact in key states. We're one week out from Election Day and look at that number, more than 65 million ballots already cast. That's according to a survey of election officials by CNN. That is in research in Catalist.

With me now is the CEO of Catalist, Michael Frias. Catalist is a data company that provides data analytics and other services to Democrats, academics and nonprofit issue advocacy groups.

Michael, thank you so much for being with us. I want to walk through some of these numbers to get your expertise on what they mean. They're eyepopping. Let's just start with the headline. The early voting is just eyepopping. But let's look at younger voters.