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Biden, Trump Blitz Battlegrounds On Final Day Of Campaign; Joe Biden In Cleveland For Last Pitch To Ohio Voters; Joe Biden Speaks At Campaign Event In Ohio; Trump & Biden Take Closing Messages To key Battlegrounds; Trump, Pence, Biden & Harris Campaign In Pennsylvania Today. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired November 02, 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]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: The choice is between two fundamentally different men. Between Scranton and Manhattan is the way Joe Biden likes to put it and between two very different strategies and - of the United States right now out of a pandemic is getting worse and worse by the day.

The Monday map tells you what you need to know. It signals each campaign closing hour, closing day priorities. Joe Biden in Ohio, then onto Pennsylvania the president checking in on four states North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Both vice presidential nominees with the final day focus on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Former President, Barack Obama, helping the Democrats with turnout voter stops right now in Georgia and in Florida. The early vote number well it is remarkable. It is enormous. Ballots cast so far, 95 plus million. It is important to remember those record numbers are not just votes for president but important votes for Senate, for the House, for statehouses, for ballot initiatives, judges, and so on.

Look at the polls. Two things are crystal clear on this final day of the campaign. One, Joe Biden, yes, does have a chance for a statement election, one that would remake the map, carry him to the White House and likely imperil the Republican grip on the United States Senate as well.

Two, President Trump right now sits in a worse position than candidate Trump did back on that final day of 2016. But, and this is a very important but, another Trump surprise is not out of the question. Pennsylvania is a big focus in closing hours. Just moments ago, the running mates say the keystone state, yes just might 20 electoral votes could decide the outcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA) VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There's a lot at stake and we want to make sure that everybody we know votes, OK? Because I think y'all know, that's why we are all here, keep coming back, because we care about Pennsylvania and because Pennsylvania is going to determine the outcome of this election.

MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Tomorrow we need the people of the keystone state to show America that Pennsylvania is Trump country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Why might Pennsylvania matter so much? So let's just look at the map. This is the 2016 map. Democrats don't like this map. But this is President Trump's path to victory four years ago. We all remember Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin the so-called Democratic blue wall. Those three industrial states haven't been red since 1992.

The Democrats had carried them in every election since 1992. The president flipped them. Now Joe Biden right now leads in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Just those three states alone, if all of the other Clinton states stay blue, just those three states winning there would make Joe Biden the next President of the United States, makes Donald Trump a one term president.

And the Biden Campaign will tell you and polls support it, they're competitive in Florida, in Georgia, in North Carolina, in Arizona, maybe even in Texas and places like Ohio where Joe Biden is today. So Joe Biden has a chance to expand the map, to make a statement.

But let's remember 2016. Let's watch the president in all of these rallies, go into these counties around America where he believes he can generate an enormous Election Day turnout. If he does, let's assume he holds Florida, holds Georgia, holds North Carolina, perfectly within the realm.

Those have been Republican leaning states in presidential politics for some time. Let's say he holds Arizona, wins again in Iowa and keeps Ohio. The Republicans have won the White House in modern times without Ohio.

If all that happened, then you come back to the so-called blue wall, right? Joe Biden's lead in Michigan has been consistent and comfortable. We'll see if it holds up but keep that one blue. Lead in Wisconsin 6 to 8 points tough but watch turnout tomorrow the president is going to make a run out again today but let's leave that one blue.

That is why this one becomes so important. That's why Joe Biden will be there, the president will be there, Vice President Pence is there, Senator Harris is there because it is under this scenario, Joe Biden keeps it he is president. Donald Trump gets it, he has four more years.

20 electoral votes, one of the biggest prizes if these other states stay in the Republican fold despite those narrow Biden leads, it could come down to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If it does and is close, the count there could take two or three days because of the overwhelming number of mail in and absentee ballots.

We may need patience in this election and despite what you hear from the president, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. So battleground Pennsylvania could be critical. But other battleground states factor in as well as both campaigns now they're focused on one thing, getting people who didn't vote early to vote tomorrow.

Let's visit three of the key battleground states for an update on the ground right now. We start with Gary Tuchman who is in battleground Ohio, Cleveland exactly.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, hello to you. This is the 24th and final day of early voting in the State of Ohio. This is the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in the city of Cleveland. And you can see there are lots of people here voting.

There was a line of hundreds of people just about five minutes ago when we walked outside. Polls open in this county and 87 others throughout the State of Ohio at 8:00 am tomorrow morning and they close at 2:00 pm.

You can see inside here right now and I don't mean to get in anyone's way, congratulations for voting. You look a little young, you're not 18. He is with his mom, that's OK. You could see it is crowded inside here there are 90 ballot areas, don't have enough space here to put them six feet apart.

[12:05:00]

TUCHMAN: So what they've put up kind of a plastic shower curtain to protect the voters. Like I tell you it was four years, Donald Trump won this state by 8.1 percentage points. Right now, polls show it too close to call. And that's why yesterday the Biden Campaign made a decision to come here for a campaign stop as we speak.

Joe Biden is speaking about ten minutes behind me here in Cleveland at a motor rally. This state has 18 electoral votes it's the 7th largest haul among the 50 states and District of Columbia. Now going to the east to the Battleground State of Pennsylvania and my colleague Kate Bolduan.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much Gary. We've just got an update from Pennsylvania Secretary of State who says more than 2.4 million mail-in ballots have already been received. That means 78 percent of the state's mail in ballots have been returned.

They're very happy with what they're seeing there. That also means that they're expecting to see ten times as many mail-in ballots here in Pennsylvania than they had in 2016. Here in Philadelphia, you can see behind me one of the drop boxes that are throughout the city.

People are coming by all throughout the morning to put their ballots in there very securely. The Mayor of Philadelphia put out an open letter to voters this morning asking for patience during voting and afterwards. He said it could easily take several days to tally all of the mail in ballots they're getting, and he is just talking about Philadelphia.

There's one big reason why. They're clearly trying to manage expectations. It is because Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes are critical to the path to 270 electoral votes for both candidates and they know that. Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are here in the state today. Let's now go south to my colleague Randi Kaye in Florida.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Kate, of course Pennsylvania is certainly very important. But let's not forget how critical Florida is. 29 electoral votes up for grabs here in the State of Florida probably why both campaigns are showing this state a whole lot of love.

Donald Trump was here for a late night rally last night in Miami. Barack Obama, Former President, coming here today. You can see the winds of the election are sweeping and blowing both ways, we don't know which way they're going to land.

But already more than 8.9 million votes have been cast here in early voting and mail in ballot voting in the State of Florida. That's 94 percent of the total number of votes cast in 2016. And Here at the voting equipment center behind me, they're already processing and tabulating those votes so they can have them ready to go for Election Day first thing in the morning tomorrow and they will release them tomorrow evening after polls close.

But Florida of course always a nail biter 7 of the 10 last elections here in the state have been within recount range and the last Republican candidate to win the State of Florida was Calvin Coolidge - I'm sorry the last Republican Candidate to win the White House without the State of Florida I should say was Calvin Coolidge back in 1924.

Donald Trump won this state by 113,000 votes. You know it well, John, that was 1.2 percent ahead of Hillary Clinton so certainly both campaigns have their eyes on Florida.

KING: Florida, Florida, Florida battleground Florida. Yes, it seared into my brain. Randi Kaye, on the ground for us in a critical state I appreciate that live report. Appreciate all of our correspondents spread across the country right now. This is Joe Biden right now in Cleveland, Ohio. Let's listen.

JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: --and the president has about $600 billion in contracts from the military on down. No government contract will be given to a company that doesn't have all of the products, including the supply line, all products made in America every product.

Look, our future can be made right here in Ohio. Folks, we're in a position that we can do so much more, so much more. Folks, Donald Trump forgot and betrayed Ohio workers quite frankly. I grew up with guys like Donald Trump. I grew up in neighborhoods like probably many of you did working class neighborhoods where most people didn't have a college education.

But we had guys like Trump that we played against when we played ball in Scranton, Claymont and that kind of because they had more money than we did, kind of looked down their nose on us. I've got to admit to you, I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder when I read about, I read once we won the nomination and things began to look a little better.

I read from serious press people, they're decent, honorable people, that if I get elected, I will be the first president who didn't have an Ivy League degree in a long time. Let me tell you something, somehow that's caught me night and long because I went to a state university.

[12:10:00]

BIDEN: But let me tell you what, it is about time a guy from state university graduated into the White House because if I'm there, you're going to be there too.

KING: Joe Biden speaking in Cleveland, Ohio an interesting stop on the final day of this 2020 campaign. Let's have a conversation now with Julia Pace she is the Washington Bureau Chief of "The Associated Press". Julie, let's just start right there.

Remember last four years ago, Hillary Clinton went to Arizona. A lot of Democrats said be careful, be sure you can expand the map. Joe Biden in Ohio, they obviously wouldn't be there unless they saw some data that tells them if we do some turnout, we got a chance. Is it a risk or is it a bold, smart move?

JULIE PACE, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Well, I don't think a lot of Democrats would have expected that their nominee would be in Ohio on the final full day of campaigning. It is a state that swung so overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016, Biden has been hearing from a lot of prominent Ohio Democrats.

Top of the list is Sherrod Brown the Senator from Ohio who says if you come, you might be able to swing this state. They are looking particularly today to try to ramp up turnout in these urban areas like Cleveland, Columbus.

They know that the early vote is looking pretty good for them, but it is that turnout on Election Day that will be critical for them. It is a risk because again Ohio has been so Republican leaning in the last couple years. But if Joe Biden were to win Ohio, I think you're probably looking at a pretty strong sweep for him on Election Day.

KING: Let's walk through this. You're the Washington Bureau Chief for the organization where I cut my teeth and got great training. I know what it is like to be in "The Associated Press" newsroom on election night. There is a lot of pressure on the Bureau Chief so welcome to the next 24 to 48 hours of your life.

We're looking at the map. Let's just start with what we're looking at first. There is a possibility, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania all say it may take a couple days, maybe a few days after the election so there's a possibility that we're waiting this one out. And I just want to make it clear, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

We are counting votes that are legally cast and it is going to take time. But we will get some clues tomorrow night. Battleground Florida is one. We expect a pretty quick count there. Battleground North Carolina is another. Georgia could be a third.

And then I will go west a little bit later in the night, Arizona. There are states the president must win. It is pretty impossible to get math together. What else are you looking for tomorrow night when you are thinking we may not get the industrial battlegrounds, so what's the biggest clue?

PACE: Yes, I think you're absolutely right. I think Americans do have to have some patience because there are states that are going to be slower to count and are dealing with a real influx of mail-in voting. But then you do have some states that count quickly.

Florida is going to be top of my list for tomorrow night. Florida counts quickly but also is extremely close in most elections, so what Florida tells us will I think be a good guide for the rest of that night. If we're able to call that race in Florida, that will give us a real sense of these candidates' paths.

For Trump, mathematically, he could win if he loses Florida, but that path gets extremely narrow. For Joe Biden, he has some options if he loses Florida but a win in Florida would position him for a strong night.

There is also though in Florida as Randi mentioned, a history of these races going to recount or a re-canvas. We will be watching that margin between those candidates extremely closely.

KING: So again, I want to tap your Bureau Chief responsibility here because I know how important it is. A lot of people on our country wait for The Associated Press" to make calls on election night. I know you're going to be cautious and take your time and get it right.

Listen to Jason Miller Senior Adviser to the Trump Campaign. Here the president himself says I don't like counts going past election night. I am going to have my lawyers ready. Listen to how Jason Miller puts it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON MILLER, SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: You speak with many smart Democrats they believe that President Trump will be ahead on election night, probably getting 280 electoral, somewhere in that range. Then they'll be going to be trying to steal it back after the election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So let me take the lead here and call out the last part, steal it back after the election. That is horse plucky and I could say it in stronger terms, and maybe I should say it in stronger terms because it is just undermining democracy and is wrong.

They'll have lawyers in the room in every state when they count these votes. If there is anything going wrong, they can raise their hands and say things. But this happens all the time. I just want you to take us inside because people will be looking to the organizations they trust, and that AP is one of them. Take us inside how A, if it takes a few days, that's normal? And B, how you're going to walk through your responsibilities tomorrow night?

PACE: Absolutely. So we take this responsibility very seriously. You know we've been calling winners of presidential elections at the AP since 1848. We have been preparing for these scenarios this whole year and I think it is really important for people to know, to Jason's point there, you don't win a presidential election based solely on the mail in vote, you don't win it solely on Election Day vote you win on totality of votes.

And so we are going to be looking at that. We're going to be looking at mail-in and the Election Day. We're also going to be looking for what vote is still outstanding?

[12:15:00]

PACE: There are several states in this country, including Pennsylvania that can accept mail-in votes for a few days after Election Day. It is well known to people. This is not a secret. If there's a very tight race in a state like Pennsylvania, we may have to wait until we get more vote count in. This will really come down to the margins.

The tighter the margin is the more votes we're going to need to see. If a lot of that vote is still outstanding, we're just going to have to wait. We'll be incredibly transparent with people. We will tell you everything that we know about the state of the race, but there's no secret vote that's left outstanding. You will know what we're waiting for and what we need to count still.

KING: And I think that last point is critical. We here at CNN will do the same. We will be fully transparent of what we know, what we don't know, what we're waiting for and just urge you, no matter who you support, have patience.

People counting votes are trustworthy people. There's no fraud. It might take us a little while to get through it, but we will get there. Julie Pace grateful for your time today I know you have a very busy few days ahead. So I am exceptionally grateful you could take some time up for us today. Best of luck I know what it is like.

PACE: Thanks John.

KING: I wasn't there in the 1800s you mentioned when the AP started doing that. I missed that by a couple of--

PACE: A little before your time.

KING: Just a little Julie Pace thank you so much. Up next for us how the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania yes could well decide the election? But first another flashback this is the final Monday, 2016.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Here's Donald Trump's best case scenario. Maybe she does win Nevada, he takes Arizona, he wants to take Florida, he wants to take North Carolina. If he does that, then any one of these blues, either Pennsylvania or Michigan, will get him over the top.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:00]

KING: Final day of the 2020 campaign. As we say we're going to take you to the campaign trails much as we can. Right now let's go to battleground North Carolina, you see Fayetteville right here, that's Cumberland County that's where we find the President of the United States.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: --says to put anything in. They took "The New York Post" down for two weeks. They won't let anyone write. If you put out a little tweet and say that Biden is corrupt, they will knock out your whole account.

Nobody has ever seen anything like this. Have you noticed it is outside of what I say it is indeed fading away because you can't have a scandal if nobody writes about it so we have fake news not writing about it and you have the big tech not writing?

So how can you have a scandal, nobody is talking about it. Nobody is allowed to talk. It is called suppression. We don't have freedom of the press. We probably haven't had it for a long time. But we don't have, they say freedom of the press, the American way, we have suppression by the press. That's what it is.

What beautiful words. I should have done the speech this way, would have been much more interesting. No but seriously we have suppression by the press. This is not freedom. It really is. It is the exact opposite of freedom of the press, if you think about it.

Every corrupt force in American life that is responsible for cruel betrayals that hurt our family and, you know all of the people that we love, they're supported by Biden and they donate to Biden. You know, I could have been a much bigger fundraiser than him but I didn't want to call every head of a Wall Street firm or every head of the oil companies that we made rich anyway.

I did a great job we're energy independence that's how good. Failed establishment that started the disastrous foreign wars, they support sleepy Joe Biden because they get anything they want. He took in $300 million last month. Do you think he made any deals?

No, I don't think so. The career politicians that off shored your industries, decimated your factories, they support sleepy Joe. The open borders lobbyist that killed our fellow citizens with illegal drugs, gangs, crimes, the people that wanted to--

KING: The president of the United States campaigning in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You see him campaigning there the Air Force, 757 version of it behind the president. I just want to show you on the map where he is. We'll do this in the context of the 2016 map. We pull it up here North Carolina obviously a critical part of the president's victory.

Relatively close day. A little bit above 3 point, 4 point race there. The president right here in Fayetteville, Cumberland County. Hillary Clinton carried this but the president racked up votes there and he is also counting all these red counties around it. That's the president's goal in these final days.

Going to these places where he thinks he can turn out votes to overcome what we have seen a Democratic advantage in many of the battleground states. In the early voting later today, it will be from North Carolina among the president's stops, he will be back in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The president, Vice President Pence, Democratic Nominee Joe Biden and the Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris all in Pennsylvania today. Why because the state is absolutely critical. Its 20 electoral votes could be absolutely critical to end of this race.

Let's have a conversation now with a Democrat who knows the state, especially Western Pennsylvania quite well Democratic Congressman Conor Lamb is with us Congressman, grateful for your time on this important day. Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania of the rest of America is probably saying why is everybody talking about Pennsylvania?

But it could welcome down to Pennsylvania and it is 20 electoral votes. Joe Biden is going to be out in your part the western part of the state later today. So is the president on the other day. I'm just going to bring up Butler County; this is what I call one of the super counties where Trump thinks he can gin up turnout to overcome early voting.

You see what happened and you know this well in 2016, 66 percent to 29 percent more importantly, 64,000 votes to 28,000 votes. There are counties in your state and around America where the president thinks he can juice it up, super Trump counties. What's happening on the ground of Western Pennsylvania? Right now polls show a five or six point Biden lead. Do you believe them?

REP. CONOR LAMB (D-PA): Yes I do. I mean, it's hard to say exactly how big the lead is, but what I have seen consistently across the last six months or so is just that Joe Biden is talking about the actual problems in our community.

[12:25:00]

LAMB: Like the things that are happening in real life to people here who have family members in nursing homes and are worried about COVID, who lost jobs, who have seen construction projects postponed or cancelled in this area.

And in the clip you just played of the president, that's what we hear when he comes to Western Pennsylvania, too. And I'm sorry but talking about laptops and "The New York Post" is just not doing anything for anybody in Western Pennsylvania. That's why I think you know Vice President Biden has maintained this pretty serious lead. KING: One thing he has tried to talk about in Western Pennsylvania is the fracking issue. Let's just be honest. The vice president has given inconsistent answers on that question. You go back into the Democratic primaries, it sounded like he was against fracking, now he is much more saying no.

He is against some new fracking and he won't allow fracking on federal lands and the like, but it has caused a stir out in your part of the state, where that's a lot of jobs not just fracking and energy jobs but the domino effect then on small businesses, restaurants and the like. Is that still an issue or the vice president after the last debate he tried to clean it up, has he?

LAMB: It is going to be an issue up through to the close of polls on Election Day because this is about people's jobs and their livelihoods, and it has been such an important thing for our area's economy. But the fact is Vice President Biden's position the whole time has been perfectly consistent and it is a better position for Western Pennsylvania.

You know, we don't drill on federal lands here so you take some of that gas off the grid out in Texas or New Mexico, we're doing better. He is the one who actually commits to protecting a worker's entire paycheck, he is not draining the social security trust fund the way Trump is now and he is definitely not going to cut Medicare.

So he is clearly the better candidate and has the better policy for these workers themselves, which is why the key unions that get jobs from natural gas in Western Pennsylvania are with Biden. They're not with President Trump. So if the workers themselves are saying Biden is our guy, that's been a pretty powerful message here.

KING: So you are living, breathing example of a Democrat taking back a Republican seat out here in Western Pennsylvania. I just want to bring up the vice president will be here in Allegheny County. That's Pittsburgh, that's Democrat you see Hillary Clinton won it. President Trump got 40 percent there.

The issue is when you move around it. I mentioned just a moment ago Butler County, but you come down here as well, Westmoreland County, this is another one of these counties where the president gets 64 percent right wins by 40,000 votes.

And when you pull out the state, again in your part of the state, only blue is Allegheny County. You come to east, you know that we all know Joe Biden if he is going to win Pennsylvania has to run it up into Philadelphia city, ruin it up in the suburban collar.

But what does he need to do out in Western Pennsylvania and in places like Westmoreland? Is it going to be closer now how much closer must it be for Joe Biden to overcome all this red in the middle of the state?

LAMB: Right. I mean, what he already has done is made multiple trips to these places himself and with Dr. Biden and he has talked directly to the voters in Westmoreland County, he is coming to Beaver County this afternoon about their jobs and their paychecks, health and safety of their family members.

He doesn't make everything about himself the way the president does. He makes it about them and their community. When he went on a train tour through Westmoreland County, he got huge crowds. I understand that because if those maps that you just showed perfectly predicted every election that came after them, I wouldn't be on your show right now.

There were a lot of Western Pennsylvanians that were willing to listen when we went up close and personal to them just a little more than a year after the president was elected and said you know what, I have a slightly different understanding of what's important for this community and I'm willing to work with the president.

But I'm a Democrat and here's why, and just enough of them listened to me, gave me a chance, and I think they will for Vice President Biden, too.

KING: Democratic Congressman Conor Lamb, Western Pennsylvania sir I appreciate your time today. We'll keep in touch as we watch - we count them over the next 24 or maybe 48 hours when it comes to - some of the counties in Pennsylvania.

LAMB: Thanks John.

KING: Thank you, sir my best of luck in the days ahead and up next for us a judge in Nevada denying a Republican attempt to change the way that state processes ballots.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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