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Overwhelmed Czech Hospitals Could Soon Turn Patients Away; Michigan Democratic Representative: 2020 Race Is "Tightening Here"; Five Days Left In 2020 Campaign; More Congressional Races Shift In Democrats' Favor; Tight Race For New Jersey GOP Congressman Who Switched Parties In 2019. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired October 29, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it says, if it doesn't get more help, it will have to simply start turning away patients by Monday or Tuesday. But even more than the space, hospitals here are lacking in staff, and so to fill in the gaps, many are recruiting volunteers, some of them are medical students, others have no medical experience at all. At one hospital not far from here they are putting high school students, teenagers to work caring for COVID patients.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: And hello to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I am John King in Washington. Thank you so much for sharing your day with us. A crowded campaign trail today. We hear from the president in Florida this hour.

Five days left until American voters pick their president. Early voting numbers simply off the charge, nearly 79 million ballots have been cast already. That is an enormous number. And Democrats believe the higher the turnout, the better their chances.

Yet they have final days anxieties about making sure more mail-in- ballots get delivered on time, not to mention Democrats have a fair amount of 2016 PTSD that makes many of them afraid to trust what their eyes are seeing.

The polls however are crystal clear. The president is losing and there is little evidence of any momentum as he tries now to rally his way to another dramatic comeback. This is both the pandemic election and a referendum on the incumbent. He tells us everyday his Coronavirus strategy is working and that we are rounding the turn towards normalcy.

The case numbers may claim, though, that that is a lie. No states at the moment are pushing down their Coronavirus numbers. 41 of the 50, 41 of 50 states, you see them in red and orange recording more cases this week compared to last week. 41. The United States added just under 79,000 new cases on Wednesday. That ranks as the third worst day of the entire pandemic in terms of cases.

And look at the list. Four of the most painful Coronavirus days have come just in the last week. One expert says get ready, and he bets 100,000 cases per day by December. Another says we could pass 100,000 in a single day this week. The president tells every rally not to worry. The experts tell us the opposite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If things do not change, Jeff, if they continue on the course we're on, there's going to be a whole lot of pain, we're going to be in much worse shape a month from now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: And you hear Dr. Fauci there. We are five days from filling in this map in election. We fill it in with red; we fill it in with blue. Take a look at this. This is a different way to look at this election, because this is the pandemic campaign. And this is the COVID impact on the United States of America. The red, the deeper the color, the higher COVID cases, the higher rate of COVID cases per 100,000 residents.

Look at the red, look at the deep oranges, it is everywhere. It is everywhere. Nowhere in America has been spared. Some places obviously hit more than others. And it is noteworthy to note President Campaigns in Florida today. There is a lot of red; there is a lot of Coronavirus pain. He was in Arizona the other day.

There's a lot of red, there's a lot of Coronavirus pain. He moves out to North Carolina. Not quite as bad, there's more pink than red. But still a lot of Coronavirus pain. Up in the Midwest, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, all places the president needs to get back his way. He is losing right now; he needs to shift them back. Many of them right now dealing with this Coronavirus surge, Wisconsin in particular hard hit. This is the pandemic campaign.

We look at our maps quite differently. Because of the pain on this map, this map is very different in this campaign. And there's no disconnecting the two. There are other factors as well without a doubt. But in this pandemic campaign, there's a reason this map is tilted in Joe Biden's favor, five days out, 290 electoral votes in our outlook for Joe Biden right now, more than enough to win the presidency.

Those are the dark blue states, solid Biden, the light blue states, lean Biden. The dark red solid Trump, one light red, Texas. The Texas only leans Trump five days out from Election Day, tells you all you need to know about the national climate right now. It is a pro-Biden climate, the president trying to rally his way back, Florida and North Carolina today.

Biden will be in Florida as well. You see the toss up states, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida plus Maine's second congressional district. Guess what? You can find polling that shows Joe Biden leading in all of those. Joe Biden leading in all of those. He doesn't need them, but he is leading in all of them or tied maybe perhaps in Ohio.

Again, the president needs this without a doubt. He needs this without a doubt. Even though Biden leads, he needs this without a doubt. He needs this and he needs this. But what does this map tell you? Even if he won all of those, it is not enough. He has to turn something big. He has to turn something in there, the Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Wisconsin.

He was in Arizona, because he would like to turn that back. The president is losing at the moment, and yet Democrats remember, four years ago at this point most people thought Hillary Clinton was in a cake walk to victory. One of the states where they thought she was going to win was Michigan. She lost by about that much.

A congresswoman there who four years ago said we're in trouble, pay attention to me says Democrats better not get complacent this time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): It's tightening here in Michigan. So many auto workers who thought we're going to go back to Joe Biden that we're clear with me last night, they were voting for President Trump.

[12:05:00]

DINGELL: We had 90,000 voters that didn't even vote in the presidential election last time. We have to make sure that people vote in the presidential and the senate race. So, I'm not, you know, I am not sounding the alarm bells like I was four years ago. But it is competitive, it's tight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Joining our conversation to begin the hour, Margaret Talev of AXIOS, CNN's Jeff Zeleny. Mr. Zeleny, I want to go to you first, because you're out in Iowa out in the Midwest. You just heard the voice of Debbie Dingell there.

She says she is not on fire like she was four years ago, but she's still telling Democrats be careful especially when it comes to blue collar union workers. Joe Biden thinks that's his wheel house. She says he better pay more attention.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: No doubt about it. And this is something that is, the Democrats we talked to, former governors, current governors in these states, other elected officials, they do believe that Joe Biden is in command of this race. There are no polls that you mentioned that shows that President Trump is leading in many of these states.

All of them show that Joe Biden is narrowly leading. But it is within the margin of error. So at this point, let's forget the polls they say. Focus on who is turning out to vote. But John, the Coronavirus cases, just is as we said yesterday the sound track of this campaign is also the statistic of the campaign.

Today, just a short time ago here in Iowa, they passed 30,000 mark of new cases this month alone. 2500 new cases in the last 24 hours alone. So this is something that is driving this campaign. Now we should be clear. Republicans, people who support the president

are not going to turn against him because of this, but it is the voters in the middle, in the suburbs, the independents, a third of voters in this state and then most others are not registered with any specific party, not affiliated with any specific party.

So as the president travels around the country, he without a question is firing up and reminding voters on the other side not that it's his fault, but his empathy on Coronavirus. I talked to a Republican this morning who generally supports the president's policies, not necessarily the president's conduct in office.

They say we just want to hear the president talk A, about the economy and B, a bit of empathy about Coronavirus cases. Because most everyone knows someone who's sick or dying. The president essentially laughs it off, and says it cured him, he was cured. Why can't others be cured as well. So that is what Republicans here are looking for from their president in the final days here, John.

KING: And Margaret, to that point, it is fascinating. Again, if you're one of those people who subscribe to the theory the president is a narcissist, he only cares about himself, he is self interested. If that's true, I haven't been able to figure out why he hasn't changed his course on the Coronavirus because of overwhelming evidence that what he is doing right now is hurting him.

And to Jeff's point, cases were spiking all across the country. Many of them in Trump states that is absolutely critical, if he's got them to come back. And yet, when he talks about it at his rallies, number one, he says we're turning the corner, vaccine will be here in minutes or days, and he is mocking about Joe Biden in a way that's just not accurate. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If you vote for Biden, it means no kids in school, no graduations, no weddings, no Thanksgiving, no Christmas. And no Fourth of July together. Other than that, you have a wonderful life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It is not funny. He is trying to make light or make a joke about the Coronavirus, and sorry, it is not funny.

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It is not funny, but the president is sort of dug into a strategy. And I think you can see it play out just in terms of the fact that he is having all these rallies with thousands of people in the closing days of the race, bringing people together for events that have the potential to become future super spreader events.

It is because he is at this point like fully committed to a strategy where he's going to show he is leaving nothing, he's leaving it on the field, he's holding nothing back. And yet there is evidence that the rallies in and of themselves are turning some people off. He doesn't really have another choice at this point.

And if we weren't in the middle of a pandemic and this were just sort of normal year, you would say, the president is really pulling out all the stops, it seems like he wants it more than Biden. I'm not sure that messaging works, setting aside the real public health concerns.

And we had this polling earlier in the week that with our polling partners that it shows on the pandemic which just underscored the idea that it is the front and center issue that people are thinking about.

And that look since March to now, the public thinks that every other institution from state and local government to their own employers to area businesses, even the CDC is moving in the right direction in terms of getting a handle on how to deal with the virus.

But that the federal government, in other words, President Trump and his political team are not, that they are in fact handling it worse than they were back in the spring. 20 point deficit is what our surveys showed.

KING: And when you put those numbers up on the screen, because I think it's important to note, businesses in your area, plus 27, meaning people think they're handling it better than they were before.

[12:10:00]

KING: Plus your employer, plus 26 percent. The CDC plus 10 percent. So giving them OK, they're doing better now, the federal government, minus. So it's just - you're right, it's just the idea that the performance is simply not there. And so, then you look at the other numbers, Jeff, and Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report makes a very important point.

I went through some of these numbers in the last hour. We look at Joe Biden and yes, he is above 50, 52 percent in our national poll, he is above 50 in a lot of battleground states. And she says that's well and fine, you'd rather be above 15 - but she makes a very important point. President Trump is an incumbent president.

Feel like broken record, but stop looking at this, the margin between Trump and Biden, and focus instead on Trump vote share, in both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania he is stuck at 44, 45 percent for months.

That's the issue. It is the issue, especially because the third party candidates are not running as strong in this cycle. And Donald Trump's vote share tends to match his approval rating, which tends to be in the low to mid 40s. You can't win there, especially this year.

ZELENY: No doubt about it. And that's why President Trump is going to these deep red areas to try and mind more votes. They know that they need to turn out Republicans who may be sort of sitting on their hands or thinking about voting for Joe Biden or someone else.

So it's why the Vice President Mike Pence coming here to Iowa this afternoon, while the president is going to schedule another visit here to Iowa over the weekend where he won by 9 percentage points four years ago.

Joe Biden also coming here to Iowa tomorrow really to try and jumpstart some Democrats and independents. So I think the question here John is, is this going to be more a 2016 map or is it going to revert back to more of what it was four years ago.

And if you look at the late investments that are being made in this campaign, the Bloomberg Super Pac, for example, suddenly deciding to invest in Texas a week ago they said, they weren't doing that. Investing in Ohio, week ago, they said, they weren't doing that. So there are a lot of balls on the table.

But Democratic worries are that they keep their eye on the ball on states they can indeed win. It's still viewed as a bit of a stretch in some of these places. But John, I am struck by every time the president talks about how they're turning the corner, there won't be Christmas under Joe Biden.

There are big touchstone moments that have gone by in everyone's lives, state fairs, a big deal here in Iowa, in Minnesota, in Wisconsin, all cancelled because of COVID. Football games now being cancelled because of COVID. President Trump took credit for the big ten bringing it back.

Well, this weekend, the home opener in my state in Nebraska, Wisconsin playing them, not happening because of COVID. Too many players tested positive in Wisconsin. So despite what the president says, the reality on the ground is the reality and it is that COVID is not being taken seriously, not being handled appropriately in the views of the majority of people.

KING: He can't talk and tweet this one away. It's too personal to everybody, every day, every hour of their lives. Jeff Zeleny, Margaret Talev grateful for the reporting and insights. Up next for us, more congressional races appear to be shifting in favor of the Democrats along with the presidential race. Yet the president apparently not doing any favors for Republicans in tight races. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Come on, quick. You got one minute. One minute Martha they say. They don't want to hear this, Martha, come on, let's go. Quick, quick, quick, quick. Come on, let's go.

MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS HOST; OK, I'm coming. Thank you President Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

KING: Democrats hope to win not only the White House next week, but also to make a giant statement in Congress, control the Senate now within the Democratic Party's reach. Democrats need a net gain of three seats if Joe Biden wins the presidency, four if he loses. And Democrats are also poised to add to their House majority. The

inside election newsletter puts it this way. The president struggles at the top of the ticket are contributing to GOP problems down the ballot.

Trump's inability to match or exceed 2016 in key states has widened the Senate battlefield, giving Democrats multiple paths to the majority. Four years later, the shock of Trump's victory still cast a shadow over any political projections. But that's not reason enough to shun data-driven analysis. Even if the polls are a little off, Democrats are poised to have a good set of elections.

Joining us now Nathan Gonzales, who is the Editor and Publisher of Inside Elections. Nathan, it's good to see you. I want to spend more time on the Senate. But I want to start with these two House races you have tilted. Because they also tell us about the presidential dynamic if you will, the mood out in the country right now.

First, we can just show a map of your projection of the house districts. Nancy Pelosi has the House majority, you believe she's going to grow it, perhaps even by double digits. But these two House races you have shifted, Colorado is third from leaned Republican to tilt Republican, and Virginia's fifth from tilt Republican to toss up.

So these seats are moving toward the Democrats, if you will. Leaned Republican to tilt Republican makes it less certain for the Republicans. Most of our focus the last couple of years has been on the suburban districts that made Pelosi speaker that if trended away from the president. But these are a little different which would be even a bigger warning sign for Republicans.

NATHAN GONZALES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think these are microcosm of the republican challenges across the country. First of all, these are both seats in which the incumbent member of congress lost either in the primary or in a convention in the case of the Virginia seat.

And so, you have two sort of new candidates who were underfunded and struggled to really gain their footing financially and on the ground after knocking off those members of Congress. These are also districts that the president carried by more than ten points in 2016.

And I think when we look at 2018, when Democrats came roaring into the majority, and Republicans, there was an expectation that was the high water mark for the Democratic Party. And that it couldn't get worse because Trump was going to be on the ballot in 2020 and he was going to do at least as well if not better than he did four years ago, and that's simply not the case.

He is struggling to win the districts and that is making it, that means there are fewer crossover voters necessary for these Democrats to win. And as you pointed out, these are just the same Orange County, California, this is not Northern Virginia, these are more rural districts that Republicans are struggling to hold.

[12:20:00] KING: It makes the year fascinating. So let's move to the senate now, and let's help set the table with the words of the Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, who may lose his job here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): We - we have a lot of a huge republic the majority in 2014, a lot of people - dog fights all over the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: There are dog fights all over the country. And again, what is remarkable is where some of those dog fights are that are starting to at least lean a little more toward the Democrats. You moved three races, Alaska. Alaska, we think of that as a pretty ruby red state.

Their Senate race there Dan Solvency incumbent from likely Republican to lean Republican so you're not taking it away, but it's more dicey. And in Georgia, David Perdue, tilt Republican to toss up. Kelly Loeffler, lean Republican to tilt Republican. Let's focus on Georgia.

We are having a conversation in a presidential election year about the Democrats having a possibility of picking up maybe one, maybe two seats in Georgia. What does that tell us, is that the quality of the candidates or is that the climate or both?

GONZALES: Well, I think it's a combination of a lot of different factors. Maybe most of all that the president's inability to - if the president were winning Georgia by five, six year ago, I don't think we would be having the same conversation. But where we are today is that Joe Biden is at worst running even with President Trump. He might even be a few points ahead of Trump.

We moved it at the presidential level to tilting Democratic in the State of Georgia and that is boosting democratic chances. Jon Ossoff, the Democrats were basically laughing at Jon Ossoff, the Democratic nominee against Perdue, because he lost that expensive special election, I think he is too young, and had a real job and he is - has a chance of even winning this race without a runoff.

And those of you that have normal jobs and are watching both of these Georgia races if no candidate gets the 50 percent, they move to January 5th runoffs. And if control of the senate is hinging on one seat or two, we might not know who controls the Senate until we get to the beginning of January.

KING: We may not. And the other race there is Kelly Loeffler, the incumbent right now. I just want you to listen a little bit yesterday, where she says something and I just simply can't believe. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're still not disagreeing with President Trump's statements and about personally sexually assaulting women.

SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER (R-GA): I am not familiar with that. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Access Hollywood tape, he's referring to the

Access Hollywood tape.

LOEFFLER: Yes, no. This president is fighting for America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: She is not aware of the Access Hollywood tape. You have to be in Osama Bill Laden's cave for a couple years to not be aware of the Access Hollywood tape. Not believable, is it?

GONZALES: Well, Loeffler has a couple of challenges on her plate, first of all because all of the candidates are running together. She has to be sure she finishes ahead of Republican Congressman, Doug Collins to get where the top spots to get to the runoff. So if she chooses that moment to criticize the president or get sideways with the president, she risks not making the top two.

Now she makes the runoff, then it's an entirely different calculation where she will likely faced Reverend Raphael Warnock, and where those comments or lack of a comment come back to bite her in a general election runoff situation.

KING: Fascinating situation Nathan, really appreciate your time. We have to remind people what, not just a presidential race; we have a fascinating year at every level. Nathan Gonzales, I appreciate it very much. And Nathan, since - elections has changed the rating of New Jersey congressional race from toss up to tilt Democrat.

In this race, the Democrat who defected to team Trump last year, remember, Congressman Jeff Van Drew memorably pledged his undying support to the president last December. He was one of just two house Democrats who voted against both articles of impeachment earlier this year. Those pluses or minuses now on the campaign trail. CNN's Rebecca Buck has more.

REBECCA BUCK, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: It was a shocking political gamble from the congressman representing Atlantic City, New Jersey. Democrat Jeffrey Van Drew's switching parties and aligning himself with President Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have my undying support.

TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: That was in December. Now Van Drew faces the ultimate test of this decision with the voters in New Jersey's second district, one of the hottest House races this year. If Trump's shadow looms large in down ballot races across the country, it's especially true here. But if some candidates are distancing themselves from the president, Van Drew isn't one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JEFF VAN DREW (R-NJ): I don't want to be away from people and I don't think whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, whether you always agree with the president or not that you just betray him and walk away. I don't think that's the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: Yet Democratic voters like David Burr believe that's exactly what Van Drew did to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BURR, DEMOCRATIC VOTER: I really wasn't happy with that. I felt betrayed actually that he would do something like that. It just seem like he wasn't thinking about me, he was thinking about remaining in office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:25:00]

BUCK: So Burr cast his ballot this year for Democrat Amy Kennedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, how are you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: Former school teacher and a member by marriage of the storied Kennedy political dynasty. This says she also felt betrayed when Van Drew pledged his undying support to President Trump. And that's when she decided to run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. AMY KENNEDY (D-NJ): When I saw him do that, it felt like another redo of what we're seeing from the president in kind of me first and putting themselves and their priorities above what would be best for our area and for the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: The moment has become an inescapable symbol in the race, used in ads supporting Van Drew.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump endorsed Jeff Van Drew because he needs a conservative fighter in congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: And attacking him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He will say anything to help himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have my undying support thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But Jeff Van Drew will do a thing to help you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: Since his party switch Van Drew has been richly rewarded by the GOP with a Trump rally in January and a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention over the summer. The GOP's bear hug might have a down side though, chipping away at Van Drew's long cultivated brand as an independent minded politician.

With Election Day approaching, they Democrats and republican is aiming to reclaim that mantle once again, while also seeking to clarify his memorable words to the president in the Oval Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN DREW: The words didn't explain as well what I exactly felt. And what I mean by that, it's not undying support that whatever you say, I'm going to do or undying support I agree with whatever you say, it was undying support for the presidency, for the idea of the greatness of America, for friendship, but not necessarily that I'm going to agree with everything.

BUCK: Do you think voters understand what you meant versus what you said?

VAN DREW: I think voters understand that when you're in the Oval Office and you're having a very exciting day and you're making a little piece of history that sometimes we all say things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: Now Amy Kennedy, Jeff Van Drew's opponent in this race or she doesn't believe voters will be so quick to dismiss his party switch or what he told the president in the Oval Office. She says voters in New Jersey second district are looking for an independent voice in Congress and that Van Drew abandoned that position when he went all in for President Trump. John?

KING: Rebecca Buck, thank you. Another fun race to watch. Check on the map, sneak away from the presidential race, sneak a peek at some house races on election night. Rebecca, thank you very much. Up next for us, while the Former FDA Commissioner says, right now is the hardest point of this pandemic.

But first, another one of our campaign trail flashbacks. This, the final days of my first campaign, 1988.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This Republican Campaign is probably the most cynical and the most hypocritical I've seen in my entire political career, full of lies and distortions and a lot of garbage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you can't stand on the heat, get the hell out of the kitchen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)