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Trump Corrects Candace Owens: "The Vaccine Works"; Kentucky Native Raised Funds For Gifts To Tornado Victims. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired December 24, 2021 - 16:30   ET

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

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Secondly, it's very juicy because Candace Owens has been peddling nonsense, anti-vaccine nonsense online and to watch her face as the former president says what we all know, the vaccines are effective.

[16:30:10]

Quite soothing.

Ron, why is the former president taking this stance now? What is up with the timing?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's never too late to do the right thing, but the former president waited until the concrete had really hardened among his base and the Republican coalition more broadly. The numbers are unbelievable. The Kaiser Family Foundation polling, over 90 percent of Democrats are vaccinated. Over 60 percent of -- only 60 percent of Republicans are vaccinated.

The share of vaccinated Republicans who say they're going to get boosted is far lower than the share of vaccinated Democrats. The death rate is triple in the most Trump friendly counties as in the most Biden-friendly counties.

The former president is making what is a pretty obvious political pivot that he wants to take credit for the original development of the vaccines which he can. And I think he is putting himself in a position to argue at some point in the road that we gave the Biden administration everything we needed to handle this and then they fumbled the ball. I think you can argue that it is highly unlikely that we'll see 240 million separate people have gotten at least one shot. That required a big mobilization of every asset the federal government has, an aggressive use of federal power.

It's hard to imagine we'd have seen anything like that under a Trump presidency.

SANCHEZ: Margaret, Ron seems to insinuate that Donald Trump is planting seeds for something potentially in the future, right? I want to read something very quickly from CNN's Zach Wolf. There are things former President Trump wants to talk about like vaccines and things he'd rather keep quiet like what exactly happened in the White House leading up to January 6th.

It's not going to be possible for Trump to avoid talking about January 6th if he decides to run in 2024. So he's clearly going to lean into it.

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, I think you're right to note the narrative shift because the former president is good at two things and one is sort of trying to reset, reposition a narrative and the other is to change the subject. He has reason to do both right now. Joe Biden is really facing the consequences now of the pandemic being prolonged, of the delta variant lasting longer, of omicron now. And the former president sees an opportunity to claim -- to try to blame the duration of the pandemic on Joe Biden. Do that, he has to reposition his own role as well.

You'll note he's not talking -- he's still not telling people, you should take this vaccine. This vaccine will save your life. He's saying the vaccine saves lives. It's up to you to take it. So even now it's a strategy that seems to combine an understanding of his base's real reluctancy.

And, you know, Boris, we did this research, this ongoing poll with Ipsos on measuring how Americans perceive and are affected by the coronavirus and we took a year-end look at '21 comparing how the unvaccinated and the vaccinated behave and have experienced the virus and we learned two really interesting things. And one is that trust among unvaccinated Americans plummeted between the first half of the year and second half.

The people who are still unvaccinated, like don't trust the government at all. Unvaccinated Americans, 15 percent trust in the government at this moment.

But the other thing that we learned from this data is that the way unvaccinated Republicans and unvaccinated black Americans are behaving, along with their decision to be unvaccinated is completely different. And this goes to that messaging. It really, really does.

Black Americans overwhelmingly wearing masks, practicing social distancing, taking precautions because they take the virus seriously. Republican unvaccinated Americans very, very low mask use. Very little in the way of social distancing.

So it is about social cues. And Donald Trump, I think, is trying to change the way he's viewed. But he really helped drive unvaccinated white Americans into the position they're in.

SANCHEZ: Right.

BROWNSTEIN: The concrete is set pretty hard. T.

SANCHEZ: It is, sadly. And you pointed it out with some of the numbers. Let's talk about what happened today with Joe Biden and Jill Biden visiting Children's National Medical Center in Washington. He spoke with kids around the country as part of a Santa tracker event.

[16:35:01]

In one specific phone call, a father of four named Jerod made it awkward and political and just listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By the way, you guys have to be in bed by 9:00, you know, and asleep between 9:00 and 12:00 or he doesn't show up.

JILL BIDEN, FIRST LADY: This isn't to you, Jared, this is to the kids.

JARED: That's right.

JOE BIDEN: I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

JARED: Yeah, I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas as well.

JILL BIDEN: Thank you.

JARED: Merry Christmas, and let's go, Brandon.

JOE BIDEN: Let's go, Brandon, I agree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's go Brandon for those who don't know is slang for "F" Joe Biden.

Ron, the president is trying to be nice to kids. He doesn't really have to do this. They were very pleasant. What does it tell you that somebody is rude like that and disrespectful to the president to his face about the political climate in this country?

BROWNSTEIN: Look, it's ungracious. It's juvenile. It's reprehensible by the father, but I don't think it's fundamentally about incivility. I think it's about insurrection. I don't know the individual, but the whole "let's go Brandon" kind of motif is a reflection of the view two-thirds of the Republican base driven by Trump's claims, false claims and the big lie that Biden is an illegitimate president and it reflects the findings in multiple polls by the American Enterprise Institute, Vanderbilt University and others that a majority of Republican voters now say the American way of life is disappearing so fast that traditional American way of life that we may have to use force to save it.

I think you're seeing this is a manifestation not just of incivility but of the fundamental view of the illegitimacy and ominous shores we're sailing toward quickly in 2022 and especially 2024.

SANCHEZ: Margaret, I want your take on what happened overall but it strikes me that it seems like the president wasn't aware that people have been saying this for months now about him.

TALEV: I think he's aware. I think he was on a Santa call and wanted it to stay about the Santa call.

SANCHEZ: And what did you think about the way that, as Ron put it, it speaks to insurrection, not just incivility? TALEV: Look, we're heading into -- I think we are also like

distracted by, oh, it's the end of the year and Build Back Better and all this stuff, but January 6th is like two weeks away. And we're going to see in that moment what happens in terms of protests, movement politics, how Donald Trump responds, how his base responds, how the White House responds, how Nancy Pelosi responds.

This is a moment of crisis for our country and the first anniversary of that moment is going to give us a real clue about what to expect between now and the midterm elections.

SANCHEZ: It is astonishing the former president will use that day to further sow the lie of election fraud and further his animosity toward this country.

Margaret Talev, Ron Brownstein, thank you so much both for the time. We appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you. Happy Christmas Eve.

SANCHEZ: Thanks. You, too.

TALEV: Merry Christmas.

SANCHEZ: Merry Christmas.

So, weeks after a series of deadly tornadoes devastated parts of Kentucky, one man is working to bring a little cheer to those in need this Christmas. We'll introduce you to him, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:43:14]

SANCHEZ: So, it's been two weeks since deadly tornadoes tore through the Midwest. Kentucky was especially hard hit. This week, Andy Beshear, the state's governor, said the storms left 76 people there dead, impacting the lives of as many as 25,000 Kentuckians. This Christmas we're joined by a Kentuckian trying to make it a bit more joyful.

Jordan Davis raised money to distribute Christmas gifts to storm survivors. It seems like we've got some technical difficulties, and he's not able to join us right now. We're going to go to break and try to get him after that.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:47:44]

SANCHEZ: So let's get back to that Kentucky Native who is giving back to his home state after some deadly tornadoes there. Jordan N. Davis joins us now. He's raised money to distribute Christmas gifts to storm survivors. Jordan, we appreciate you sharing part of your Christmas eve with us.

Very envious of your decorations.

First, tell us how much you've raised and how the gift distribution is going. We have some pictures from your twitter page to share with our viewers.

JORDAN N. DAVIS, FUNDRAISED FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTTS FOR KENTUCKY TORNADO VICTIMS: Oh, great. Well, Boris, thanks for having me and for your patience on the connection there. I really appreciate the opportunity.

We were able to raise just over $28,000 for this effort, and that translated into being able to purchase a little over 1,100 toys, which we were able to distribute at multiple distribution sites in western Kentucky. And we were really excited about how it all came together and again, thank you for giving us the opportunity to share a little more about it today.

SANCHEZ: Of course. I think that may be your dad in between these two trucks. He's been driving a truck to deliver gifts. Did you have enough volunteers to get the mission done to get all these gifts to people by Christmas?

DAVIS: Well, it was a bit of a shoestring operation. We were very surprised about the amount of money we were able to raise. And so, that translated into a bit of a scramble for me and my dad and actually my mom. You see there's two trucks there. Both my parents ended up having to be our drivers for this.

But once we got on the ground in Madisonville and Mayfield, there are a number of people, obviously, that are volunteering there every day and so all we had to do was make the delivery and the folks there on the ground were able to take what we were able to provide and get set up for distribution to kids both the day we dropped off and the following days.

SANCHEZ: Jordan, tell us how people are reacting when you are there presenting them with these gifts.

DAVIS: Well, there's a lot of gratitude. I will say one of the challenges we initially had was we had this idea we wanted to bring toys to the area that was just devastated and we're this close to Christmas but understandably, the people on the ground were more concerned about the immediate needs of -- people needed money and water and supplies, just the immediate aftermath.

[16:50:05]

So it took a few days to sort of -- for folks to think about Christmas is next week. We need to be thinking about what are we going to do for the kids in this area? We tried to time that with the relief efforts on the ground. And by the time we ere able to get our trucks into the area, there were consolidated distribution centers already in place that have been stood up by state of Kentucky and others that we were able to tap into and distribute there. So, you know, just the opportunity to put some smiles on kids' faces

or to give parents the opportunity to pick up some toys to give to their kids on Christmas, it was really important for us to do that, and it's just incredible to see it all come together.

SANCHEZ: Jordan N. Davis, we appreciate what you were doing. I was fortunate enough to report from places like Mayfield in Kentucky and just the outpouring of the people in Kentucky, it's heartwarming to see folks come together to help each other in a time of need.

Jordan N. Davis from Kentucky, thank you so much.

DAVIS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: When we come back, some interesting numbers. Actually, we're not going to commercial break. We're staying right here.

You have your wrapping paper, Christmas dinner plans. Did you remember the cookies for Santa? You might be surprised how many Americans have a similar list that they are checking twice if not three times right now.

Time to bring in CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten.

Harry, sampling might be difficult given the small numbers in the north poll but I understand you've got some numbers related to Christmas for us. What did you find that interested you?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Oh, a number of things. First off, Christmas is perhaps one of the most American holidays that are out there. I'm Jewish. I don't celebrate it, but it turns out if you ask Americans do they, in fact, celebrate Christmas, look how many do, 92 percent. That even includes 81 percent of non-Christians.

Again, I'm Jewish, I don't but that's a lot of people. And more interestingly, take a look about whether people have Christmas trees in their household. Look at this, 55 percent say yes I do. But it's artificial. 22 percent say yes, it's real. There's 22 percent who say, no, I don't. I'm one of those 22 percent.

But it's so interesting living in the northeast that there are so many people who have these artificial trees. That's just something that doesn't comport with me. I like a New England pine tree.

SANCHEZ: You like the smell, the scent and residue in your home?

ENTEN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: And maybe a pet attacking it. Just a few more hours to finish up holiday shopping, Harry. Who all, aside from me, waits until the last minute.

ENTEN: A lot of folks. It was a recent poll that essentially asked, when are you going to get done with your holiday shopping? And what did I show? Look, at this, 36 percent say they wait until the last ten days before Christmas to get it done. I'd like to know who the 22 percent are who got it done by December 1st. Is that Ned Flanders or somebody?

I guess my question is, why did you wait until the last minute to get it done?

SANCHEZ: I've been busy. I've been working. I'm going to tell my nephew the reason he's getting a size men's large hoodie that says CNN on it is because he should grow into it and celebrate this wonderful company that we work for.

So, Harry, more families coming together this year compared to last year. Obviously, if you're traveling, you to brace yourself for aunts and uncles and family members you don't want to see. What do people say is the most stressful part of getting together for Christmas?

ENTEN: Yeah, it's the fact that if you look at the polling, we see that it's, in fact, finding the right gifts. I'll say I have one of those problems. I tried to get my mom a gift. She then cancelled it on Amazon and said, no, I don't want that. We had it out a little bit. And traveling, 24 percent as you mentioned as well.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. So once everyone gets home, they have to figure out what movie they'll watch. What's the go-to Christmas movie in most households?

ENTEN: Not really a surprise "A Wonderful Life" is pretty high up there. "Christmas Story" which is always on TBS. "Elf", 6 percent, I don't really get that. But where is "Die Hard" on this list? That's my question. Where is "Die Hard"?

SANCHEZ: That's a very good moment. May not be classified as a Christmas movie. I personally love "The Shining." I think there's a lot of family warmth and sentiment that comes with that film.

ENTEN: Very nice.

SANCHEZ: It is. Harry Enten, thanks so much for the time. Appreciate you.

ENTEN: Go Bills on Sunday.

SANCHEZ: Go Dolphins.

Hey, if you were able to catch a flight to see your family, you were one of the lucky ones. Coming up next, the massive airline cancellations right before Christmas.

The next hour of NEWSROOM after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:59:04]

SANCHEZ: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for joining us. I'm Boris Sanchez.

This hour, hundreds of Christmas eve flights are grounded as the omicron variant hits airlines hard. We're tracking the holiday disruptions and the surge in COVID cases that's shattering records.

Also, newly released video shows a brutal three-hour battle on January 6th. Rioters attacking police in a capitol tunnel. One of the most violent clashes during the insurrection.

And a teenager's shopping trip turns deadly. A bullet tearing through a dressing room wall shot by a police officer firing at a suspect. How did this confrontation go so horribly wrong?

(MUSIC)

SANCHEZ: So, right now, thousands of people who expected to be boarding a flight this Christmas eve are stuck and frustrated. The omicron surge forcing the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights globally, including hundreds here in the United States.

We start this hour with CNN's Brian Todd. He's live at Reagan National Airport.