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Growing Chorus Within Trump Circle Urging President To Accept Defeat; Former President Bush Congratulates Biden, Harris On Historic Win; Alex Trebek Dies At 80 Years Old; Trump Vows Legal Battle Against Election Results; U.S. Hits Highest Daily New Case Count Since Pandemic Began; Harris Becomes First Woman Elected U.S. Vice President; Navajo Nation Congratulates President-Elect Joe Biden. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 08, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:01:04]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with growing pressure on President Trump to come to grips with his reelection defeat. That pressure coming from his own family members. A source tells CNN First Lady Melania Trump has advised her husband to accept the loss.

And CNN has also learned that senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner has approached President Trump about conceding the race.

But instead the president publicly remaining defiant, continuing to falsely claim in all caps the election was somehow rigged against him.

Meantime both the president and president-elect are facing an intensifying pandemic. Saturday set yet another devastating record, more than 126,000 new, it's the third straight day of more than 120,000 cases.

Globally the pandemic has surpassed another grim milestone. More than 50 million infections and counting.

In his victory speech last might president-elect Joe Biden pledged to name a new coronavirus task force by tomorrow comprising of leading scientists and experts, Biden making it clear the pandemic will be his top priority when he takes office January 20th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our work begins with getting COVID under control. We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or relish life's most precious moments, hugging our grandchildren, our children, our birthdays, weddings, graduations -- all the moments that matter to us until we get it under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: For the very latest, let's bring in Jeremy Diamond at the White House. So Jeremy, what more do we know about this mounting pressure from some of the president's families members that he needs to concede.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well look, there certainly is to begin with a growing acknowledgement at least within members of the president's inner circle and more broadly many of his political allies and Republicans in Washington that this outcome of the election has been decided. That President-Elect Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States and no matter what legal maneuvers the president tries to pursue there's very little that he can do to actually change that outcome.

But what we are hearing, our colleague Kaitlan Collins is hearing from two sources that Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser has approached the president about conceding this election.

And our colleague Kate Bennett is also reporting that the first lady, Melania Trump that she has advised the president that it is time for him to accept this election loss.

Jason Miller, the Trump campaign senior adviser is so far denying this report about Jared Kushner, insisting that Kushner is advising the president to pursue all legal remedies.

And we're also seeing a tweet from the first lady, Melania Trump, in the wake of all reporting about the first lady. She is taking to Twitter to say that the American people deserve fair elections. She says every legal, not illegal vote, should be counted. We must protect our democracy with complete transparency.

That is a message similar to one we have heard from many of the president's allies including those haven't been willing to go quite as far as the president has n terms of claiming victory himself and insisting that the results of the election as they stand now are fraudulent.

But nonetheless it does seem to be an acknowledgement that they will allow this process to play out and that that is something that the president wants to do.

Listen, while there is an acknowledgement from some this is the outcome that the legal maneuvers aren't going to do much, the president is also hearing from other advisers that he should continue to fight this.

The White House chief of staff Mark Meadows I'm told is one of those leading voices. And I've also been told that Eric Trump and Don Jr., the president's two adult sons, that they have been very vocal in terms of arguing for continuing to fight and contest the results of this election that Eric Trump has told people close to the president in recent days that he believes this election was stolen from the president.

[14:04:54] DIAMOND: And what is very clear is that that is where the president is

right now. He's refusing to concede as of now, Fredricka. And he is continuing to say that he's going to fight this in the courts.

WHITFIELD: So besides listening to that chorus from his sons, what is the president doing today?

DIAMOND: Well, the president is exactly where he was yesterday when this race was called for Joe Biden and that is at his golf course in Virginia.

The president was caught golfing there by our photographer Tony Emrani (ph) who captured that footage of the president on the golf course. And the president is also tweeting once again. He was mostly quote- tweeting other folks this morning who are making the case that, again baseless case, no evidence provided so far that this is a fraudulent election. And he's also tweeting recently, why is it that the media gets to call this election and insisting that he's going to clearly continue to fight this, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond at the White House. Thanks so much.

So at least one prominent Republican is congratulating President-Elect Biden on his victory. Former president George W. Bush spoke with Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris today.

CNN's Jessica Dean is live at the Biden headquarters in Delaware.

Jessica, are you with us? All right. There you go.

What are you learning about the conversation?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon to you. Yes, that's right. President-Elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris speaking with former president George W. Bush who, you know, has really stayed out of the political fray in the years since he'd left office.

But you should notice and we should take note of this very public congratulations to Biden and Harris. I want to read you part of the statement that Bush released. He said, "I extended my warm congratulations and thanked him -- him being Biden -- for the patriotic message he delivered last night.

I also called Kamala Harris to congratulate her on her historic election to the vice presidency. And though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country. The President-Elect reiterated that while he ran as a Democrat, he will govern for all Americans. And I offered him the same thing I offered Presidents Trump and Obama. My prayers for his success and my pledge to help in any way that I can."

President Bush also saying he believed this election to be fundamentally fair and the outcome to be clear, again standing in stark contrast from what we've heard so far from President Trump or what we haven't heard which is him conceding this election. It remains to be seen if he will do so.

But again those words of congratulations coming from President Bush, the only living former Republican president, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then Jessica, you know, President-Elect Biden is promising to tackle coronavirus, this pandemic on day one of his administration. This week expected to announce that he's working on a task force of his own. What are you learning?

DEAN: We expect to hear from the transition team tomorrow the announcement of this coronavirus task force, Fred. Of course, coronavirus and the pandemic was central to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' campaign making big promises to tackle this virus and get it under control. That is what they really promised the American people.

So to that end, we expect to hear the people who will be leading that task force, who will be taking the plans that they have and really turning them into actionable items. That includes free testing, guidance across the board that's going to be more uniform, Fred, and also increased access to PPE, among many, many other things.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica Dean in Wilmington, thank you so much.

All right. So President Trump remaining defiant, refusing to concede the election, despite the growing calls within his inner circle, reportedly, to accept defeat. Well today, he continues to claim without evidence that there was massive election fraud.

With me now to discuss this is Doris Kearns Goodwin. She is a presidential historian and the author of several books including "Leadership in Turbulent Times". Doris, so good to see you as always.

DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So President Trump refusing to concede, no invitation, you know, from a sitting president to president-elect, you know, to come on over, let's talk about things, you know, to help prepare the incoming president.

So how important is it that the sitting president sets a tone for the incoming president, even in defeat? Or perhaps especially in defeat.

GOODWIN: It is really -- it's really, really important. I mean it is the symbol of a peaceful transfer of power. It's a signal to your supporters that the fight is over and we're going to now try and unify the country.

You know, if the president really cared about history, historians would tell him this way you handle this, whether it's classy and gracious or not will be regarded badly or well by history. And maybe that matters to him although maybe he doesn't read history that much.

But when he was president, he talked a lot about the fact that, you know, he was going to be the greatest president for black rights for anybody since Abraham Lincoln, greatest on conservation since Teddy Roosevelt. 14:09:57]

GOODWIN: Well, if he wants to be a star right now, leaving this presidency on a graceful note, very difficult time, they get very hurt. But all the concession speeches that we've heard from various -- people from Governor Stevenson on when it was televised.

The thing about television is that when you watch it, you're part of the drama. It's like the Superbowl but even bigger because you're a participant. And you want an end to that story.

And all of them did the same thing. They understood that it hurt them a lot. They were willing to say that but they said the time is now over, we must close ranks, and I'm going to give my full support and I ask my supporters to do the same.

It's a really important moment in a democracy, the move from one to the other.

WHITFIELD: And while the race has been called, you know, it hasn't been certified. And perhaps, you know, the president, you know, is thinking about that and using that kind of as, you know, his reason or excuse as to why he's handling it this way.

But then what is the message that is being sent? Not just nationally, but worldwide? Especially when you have leaders of Canada, of Germany, of the U.K. who have reached out to the president-elect?

GOODWIN: Yes. I think what it means is that the transition itself gets delayed. You know, in a democracy -- and they're looking at us as a democracy. We've had a pretty chaotic time this last few years. And there was worry about violence during the election which did not take place. And now they might be worried about how his supporters will deal with this loss if he himself is not dealing with it.

So our standing in the world and how strong our democracy are is also at risk. Something else that should be taken into account.

Graciousness and classiness go a long way at a moment like this. It covers the hurt and it allows you to think you're moving to another day. You know, even Nixon decided not to contest the 1960 election, though there were a lot of people telling him it was so close. There might have been shenanigans in one place or another. But he realized that he would, if he wanted a future career, look like a sore loser. And he didn't want that carrying around after him. So he finally was willing to concede the election.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And exit is tough, I guess, especially if you're a one-term president, but even if you've got, you know, two terms, there's a classy, as you say way to do it.

And you know, former President George W. Bush left a nice note, you know, for incoming president Barack Obama. So much has been said about that note and the sentiment and how endearing it was.

And then, we know that former president, George W. Bush reached out to president-elect Biden. and as we heard from our own reporting said, you know, has his prayers for the success of Biden and that George W. Bush says he pledges to help in any way that he can.

Do you expect there's going to be at some point that kind of note, you know, or something that will be extended from this president to the next?

GOODWIN: Well, all you know is that there's a hunger in this country for it. You know, the fact that President Bush Sr. and then Clinton, and then Clinton and Bush Jr. all became friends is something that everybody applauds. I've actually moderated a few conversations with President Bush and President Clinton.

The audience loves it, that the fact that these two people from different sides can get together and be friends. So we're yearning for that now more than ever.

And the argument always is these are not our enemies; these are opponents. We are two different parties, and we know we're in a deeper, more difficult situation now than that. We can't be naive. But these moments of symbolism can somehow help you.

So, you just keep hoping until he doesn't do it. Maybe he'll do it. Maybe going out the door he'll decide I'm going to make a difference and I'm going to do this this way -- and historians will like me for it.

WHITFIELD: You're right. Hope springs eternal. And remember, as you just underscored, nobody ever thought that George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton would become the kind of dear friends that all the world got to see and just cherished all the way to the passing of H.W.

All right. Doris Kearns Goodwin, good to see you. Thank you so much. Author of "Leadership in Turbulent Times". Really appreciate your words.

All this, and of course it does remain a sad day in the world of television in particular, as we mourn the loss of Alex Trebek. He died today after a long, public bout with pancreatic cancer.

The long-time "Jeopardy" oversaw one of the most popular game shows in history. It was an instant hit from its debut in 1984.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alex Trebek.

ALEX TREBEK, TV HOST: Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of all of us, welcome to America's favorite answer-and- question game, "Jeopardy".

You know how we play it. We provide the categories and the answers and it's then up to our --

WHITFIELD: Over the course of decades, he transcended the show and became a beloved cultural figure on his own entertaining millions of Americans.

He passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends.

[14:14:50]

WHITFIELD: Alex Trebek, 80 years old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Americans and cities across the country are celebrating Joe Biden's presidential victory. Right now crowds are still gathering in the nation's capital at Black Lives Matter Plaza, which is right near the White House.

People coming out by the thousands to mark the historic occasion, but the margin of Biden's victory is still up in the air.

CNN has yet to call a winner in three key states -- Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina. Let's go through those three with senior political analyst Mark Preston right now.

All right. So let's begin with Arizona. Trump had hoped to climb back into the race because of that state. Is that still a possibility or what is the possibility there.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it still is a possibility in some ways. As you said, we have 42 electoral votes, Fred that are still on the table including 11 in Arizona. We haven't called the race because look at the margin right there, it is less one-half of a percentage point right now.

[14:19:58]

PRESTON: Now, the Republican Party is trying to stop the counting in Maricopa County, specifically because they say that there are some issues with how votes were tabulated. Let's see how that happens.

But what we have seen over the last couple of days is that Joe Biden's lead has shrunk in Arizona. And this is where it is right now.

We have two counties, Maricopa County and Pinal County that are still counting ballots.

Now, if you go to the east, you can get on to the East Coast where you are, Fred, in Georgia, gosh, that is political universe as we speak right now. In Georgia, you have the same situation, in the sense that there is quite a margin -- a slim margin right there between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Now, what has to happen is that these results, once they are certified, the Trump campaign can in turn ask for a recount because a recount can be asked for if it's less than half a percentage point. And right now it looks like it is less than half a percentage point.

I should note, though, even if all these states were to come in, Joe Biden is still president-elect of the United States, but you know, there is some solace, I think, in getting some of these electoral votes.

And the last state right here, this is probably his best shot right now is North Carolina. If you look at this, we're not going to have results in North Carolina Fred, until I believe it's going to be November 13th.

And the reason being is that people who requested votes, absentee ballots, there was about 116,000 of them had requested them. They haven't received them back. What they're trying to do right now is figure out, did people request them and then decide to go vote in person? Did people request them and decide not to vote?

So you have until November 12th in North Carolina with 15 electoral votes that were still on the table in North Carolina. If Donald Trump wins all these three states, in the end it's still is a minor victory having lost the presidency, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, if my math is right, it brings him to 256.

PRESTON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So still shy of the 270.

All right. Mark Preston, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

PRESTON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, Senator Kamala Harris makes history becoming the first woman of color to be elected vice president. One of her longtime friends joining me live.

[14:22:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Pressure is growing for President Trump to concede defeat. Sources telling CNN senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and first lady Melania Trump are telling Trump to concede.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney is now adding his voice to that chorus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I understand why the president wants to keep on fighting. I do believe, however, that it's destructive to the cause of democracy to suggest widespread fraud or corruption.

There's just no evidence of that at this stage. And I think it's important for us to recognize that the world is watching.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But the president remains publicly defiant and his legal team now have court challenges pending in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona and Nevada. I want to bring in Franita Tolson, she's a CNN legal analyst and vice dean of the USC Law School.

Good to see you, Franita.

FRANITA TOLSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hi, Fred. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. So you just heard from Senator Romney. When you take a closer look at these cases, do any of them have merit? Could it ultimately change the results in any of these states?

TOLSON: So let me just start by saying no. But I do think it's important to high light the disconnect between what the president is saying publicly, right. This idea that the election is marred by widespread fraud. That it's legitimate and what the Republicans are actually doing in court.

So this is a lot of very targeted, procedural objections, right. So there are claims that the observes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nevada, for example couldn't get close enough to see the vote count.

There were allegations that -- unprocessed ballots were mixed with processed ballots in Georgia. They've attacked (INAUDIBLE) Georgia as well. There's been claims about over-votes in Arizona.

So you really do see the campaign trying to target very specific areas, because they want to make sure that they're not bringing litigation that could result in the ballots of their supporters being thrown out.

But also, it's still a stretch, right. So there's a distinction between a plausible claim and a claim that could affect the outcome. So it is possible that maybe the observers didn't get close enough, but is that the type of litigation that would change the outcome of this race? No, it won't.

WHITFIELD: And the burden really is on these campaigns to have very specifics examples, have real evidence of any of these claims that they have to substantiate it.

So let's talk about Arizona, specifically the suit contending that Maricopa County improperly rejected ballots of some in-person voters. What is the burden of proof? How will they prove that?

TOLSON: So, the claim there is that voters who were trying to cast ballots in person, that there was a machine-triggered error message that indicated to the voter that they had voted too many times for at particular race. So it's called an over-vote, when a voter swipes more than one candidate for a particular race, the machine flags it and the voters gets an opportunity to fix it.

So the claim is that the voters weren't given that opportunity and the ballots were instead counted, because the poll workers told them to overwrite the machine error message.

So in order to prevail I think that you would have to come forward with some evidence, but one thing we're not seeing is there should have been an unusual amount of overvotes in Maricopa County if this was something that was happening systemically, right. If this was something that was happening in great numbers there will be more overvotes than we normally see.

TOLSON: I haven't seen any evidence of that. This is not to say that, in the course of litigation, the Trump campaign will come forward with such evidence.

[14:30:04]

But as things stand, it's really hard to see these lawsuits succeeding.

WHITFIELD: All right. Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court, that state Supreme Court, had already weighed in on absentee ballots and whether they were legit. What else can we prove in here? Because the Trump campaign says they're going to the U.S. Supreme Court on this case?

TOLSON: So part of the strategy here is that, with respect to the ballot deadline extension in Pennsylvania, a few justices on the Supreme Court seemed to be amenable to this idea that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had overstepped its authority in extending the deadline in the first place. So it's not surprising that the Trump campaign thinks that they have a very good chance if they go before the high court. The problem is that it involves a small amount of ballots, certainly not enough to erase the margin that Joe Biden currently holds in Pennsylvania.

And so like much of this litigation, the margins are just too big and the issues are too small.

WHITFIELD: Franita Tolson, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much. Good to see you.

TOLSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, Senator Kamala Harris breaking barriers as the new vice president-elect. One of her longtime friends from Howard University joining me live to reflect on the past, present and the future.

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[14:35:00]

WHITFIELD: The number of coronavirus cases around the world has now surpassed 50 million, this as the U.S. breaks another record, registering the most new cases in a single-day nationwide since the start of the pandemic. The U.S. reporting more than 126,000 new infections Saturday, marking the third straight day of more than 120,000 new cases.

Joining me right now is Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency room physician at Brown University. Dr. Ranney, good to see you. So, the U.S. likely to surpass 10 million total cases tomorrow. You're predicting 200,000 new cases a day by Thanksgiving. How concerned are you?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I'm quite concerned. You know, we're just heading into the very worst of this pandemic. We already see outbreaks of the virus in literally every state across the country, and we're about to head into Thanksgiving. So we're about to see all these little epidemics across the country cross and mix, and it's going to be an awful like pouring gasoline on a fire. I worry. I'm so concerned about later November and early December.

WHITFIELD: Because of all the expected gatherings, even though people are discouraged from gathering in large groups, it's just going to be hard for some people to refrain from, you know, family gatherings.

So when you hear President-elect Joe Biden say that he is expected to name a group of leadings scientists, experts, as early as tomorrow, you have encouraged people to follow the official Biden/Harris presidential transition on Twitter. Has the Biden transition team reached out to you? What would you like to see in their task force?

RANNEY: So, the folks that I know who are already leading the task force are absolute paragons of excellent science, excellent public messaging. They have a wealth of public health experience. And I have really zero doubt that they are going to lead the Biden transition team in doing the right thing for the country.

There are a few things that I and many others are hoping to see out of the Biden transition team. The first is a very clear emphasis on masks, on both masking up the American public, but also making adequate personal protection equipment available to health care workers and other frontline workers across the country.

The second is data. It's ridiculous that we're still depending on The New York Times and The Atlantic for our best sources of data on COVID infections. We need great data on not just tests but also PPE and then eventually on vaccines.

And then the third thing that I want to see is improved testing capability. I want to see it easy for every American to get tested quickly, to get their results quickly, and then to make it easy for them to do the right things if they have symptoms or if, God forbid, they do test positive. With those three things, we're set up to do well.

But, of course, none of that is going to take place until January 20th, and that's something that really worries me as we head into this fall. We've got 74 more days to go until that Biden transition team is in place.

WHITFIELD: Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb says Biden will take office at the apex of the coronavirus pandemic. The Biden/Harris transition team has laid out some a seven-point plan to tackle the coronavirus, including better testing, effective distribution of treatments, as you mentioned, in vaccines. And this nationwide mask mandate. What do you believe ought to be the priority as they lay out this seven-point plan?

RANNEY: So, honestly, I think the first priority is what they do between now and that January 20th date, how they manage to work with public/private partnerships and with individual governors, state and county health departments in the interim. I'm not expecting the Trump administration to do a lot between now and then, and this is the time when we can stop the spread of this pandemic.

By the time that the Biden/Harris administration takes over, this virus is going to have already run rampant through communities across the United States. We're going to have seen potentially another 2,000 or 3,000 deaths. So what I want to see them do is put those seven points in place but also work now to help to set up the infrastructure, so that we can prevent it before they even get there.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Best of luck to all of you on the front lines as we now head into what could be a really dangerous season. Dr. Megan Ranney, thank you so much, I appreciate it.

[14:40:00]

All right, coming up, Georgia hasn't elected a Democratic senator in 20 years. Will two runoff races flip the state blue and shift the balance of power in the U.S. Senate? We'll hear from Stacy Abrams, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It was a history-making win for the Biden/Harris ticket in so many ways. Now, for the first time, America has chosen to put a woman in the White House. Kamala Harris will also be the first black and first South Asian vice president-elect, growing up in Oakland, California, attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., becoming a prosecutor, California attorney general and then U.S. senator, and now vice president-elect.

[14:45:05]

This was Harris last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: What a testament it is to Joe's character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country and select a woman as his vice president.

But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining me right now, someone who's known the vice president-elect since their college days as their freshman year, longtime friend, Sonya Lockett. Sonya, so good to see you.

SONYA LOCKETT, LONGTIME FRIEND OF V.P.-ELECT KAMALA HARRIS: Hi, Fredricka. It's so good to see you as well, fellow Bison.

WHITFIELD: I know. That's right. It is nice to connect this way. So, you all have been friends since freshman year, you all came in in '82 and graduated in '86. What has this moment been like for you to see your -- you know, your college bestie, you all remain friends, and to see her now, her ascension to the vice presidency-elect?

LOCKETT: I mean, so many emotions. I'm getting teary-eyed again as you -- as I watched her and as you say that. It is absolutely amazing. I'm not surprised. You didn't think of this moment and this office, but I'm not surprised because she's always been a superstar powerhouse person. And it's just -- you know, I think I speak for so many of us, we're just so overwhelmed with pride and with joy to see this, to see this person that we love. And now the whole country is loving here and getting to know her as well.

WHITFIELD: That's so lovely. And yesterday, really, was a double- whammy, wasn't it, because you got the announcement that the Biden/Harris ticket claimed victory by midday, and then her speech last night. I mean, walk us through emotionally what that was like for you to get the news and then to hear her words last night, and for her to talk about possibilities.

LOCKETT: I was on a flight, and I guess this is the reason I was annoyed because the plane had not taken off and realized -- three hours after we were supposed to leave. But, luckily, because of that, I was watching the news and watching the announcement and I just started bawling, and so much so that the stewardess runs over with napkins like thinking is wrong and I can't even get out why I was so -- just crying. And when they understood what it was and they got excited, then the celebratory cocktails started come out.

But it really was -- I think I just kept crying the whole flight and, yes, because you know what a brilliant, amazing individual your friend is. And then to now see her break -- shatter glass ceilings, but she's been doing that her entire career, this pinnacle of a glass ceiling to see her shatter, and to hear her words last night was just -- you think about everyone who now is going to look up to her.

I mean, we had all our people. We talk about the Shirley Chisholms and the Faneuil Hamers (ph) and the Barbara Jordans. And now know that Kamala Harris' name is going to be her name will be in that setting (ph), that you pronounce that when you talk to young people about what you can be and who's paved the way for you, that her name is now going to be in that. And that is just overwhelming.

And I think when I was watching her last night, once again, on the plane, because (INAUDIBLE), it was just -- it was beautiful, it was exactly the right tone. It was exactly what I would expect her to say. And it was just a reminder of just a legacy that we all come from, not only as black women, South Asian, Indian women, women of Howard, that we come from a legacy of people who told us that we can be anything, and that we can succeed and always leave the door open for people to come behind us.

WHITFIELD: So beautifully said, Sonya. And that really is the mantra of Howard University. I mean, here is, the byproduct of it, for her to talk about possibilities. And while and I were both students there and even beyond, that is what is cemented in your mind when you're a student of Howard University, that anything is possible.

[14:50:03]

You dream it, you achieve it. It's going to happen.

And I love too that you are Howard sister. You're not (INAUDIBLE). I mean, you're a Delta, she's an AKA, but the testament to the divine nine, these black fraternities and sororities who helped in the campaigning for her and Biden and helping to get people to register to vote. So, again, this huge family making it happen. Sonya Lockett, you too being part of helping to make history. It's so great to see you and talk with you.

LOCKETTT: We're so proud of you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. The Howard family, I mean, the love is big. We love each other. Thank you so much, Sonya. Good to see you.

LOCKETT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So glad you could be with us. I appreciate it.

LOCKETT: thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:00]

WHITFIELD: The Navajo Nation, America's largest Native American tribe, is offering congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden. The tribe spans more than 27,000 square miles across parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, playing a significant role in helping Democrats take back the White House.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse coalition in history, Democrats, Republicans, independents, progressives, moderates, conservatives, young, old, urban, suburban, rural, gay, straight, transgender, white, Latino, Asian, Native American.

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WHITFIELD: Joining me right now, Jonathan Nez, the president of the Navajo Nation. Good to see you.

JONATHAN NEZ, PRESIDENT, NAVAJO NATION: Thank you for having us, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, fantastic. I'm glad you were available. I mean, how meaningful was that to hear the president-elect very specifically give a big nod and a big thanks and incorporate Native Americans?

NEZ: You know, first of all, Fredricka, I just want to say that, you know, when CNN or whoever -- it wasn't you, Fredricka, but all of those behind the scenes categorized Native Americans as something else category on the exit polling on Tuesday was very offensive to all of us throughout the country.

But as you can see, we came out strong in voting, Republicans and Democrats. And with turnout, the history turnout, we are still looking at the numbers in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah to find out the overall percentage that went to Biden/Harris as well as the current president.

So, we congratulate V.P. Biden and Senator Harris, and we met them in Phoenix. And we did tell the DNC chair, Tom Perez, the Arizona Democratic Party, that they should not take the American -- Native American vote for granted. And, you know, we saw some great outreach happening. And we look forward to the Biden/Harris plan for tribal nations and Biden and Harris did say Navajo will have a seat at the table. So, as we all know, Native Americans have contributed greatly to this country, including the Navajo people.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. I mean, President Nez, what are your expectations? That had to be very hopeful to, A, meet with them, and now that the race has been called and they are president and vice president-elect, what are your expectations about what's potentially next as it directly impacts you and all of your colleagues, neighbors, family.

NEZ: Right. You know, first of all, we're not going to wait under January until Biden and Harris get sworn in, there should be a tribal leader on the transition team and to also begin to strategize. I mean, look at what happened here in tribal communities throughout the country. 30 to 40 percent of the Navajo people don't have any water.

So, here, our priority is getting infrastructure. And there should be a plan to improve the quality of life in terms of water, electricity, broadband throughout Indian country. And here is an opportunity to do that. And I think that's some commonalties all across the country to focus on our aging roads, our aging bridges, to improve water, to get water to communities that don't have water, as well as electricity.

So let's focus on the commonalties that we are where we are (ph), let's unite the people here and that's what Biden/Harris is all about, to unite and not to divide and to move forward on things that we are working and doing it right now. And that also includes coronavirus. You know, we got hit hard with a second surge here on Navajo.

WHITFIELD: The Navajo Nation has been hit very hard by coronavirus. And you heard the president-elect make a commitment and try to reveal tomorrow a team, a coronavirus task force team. What are your expectations there? What kind of difference do you believe a new administration could make? NEZ: I mean, when we had Dr. Fauci come and speak to the Navajo people, Dr. Fauci said Navajo could be a model in helping to push back coronavirus in local communities.

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