Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Biden Criticizes Netanyahu in New Book; President Biden Provides Update on Hurricane Response Efforts; Interview With U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 08, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The current path of the storm is expected in the Tampa Bay area and cut directly across the state, east to west, all the way across the state, with the potential for this storm to both enter Florida as a hurricane and leave Florida as a hurricane on the Atlantic Coast.

This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, and God willing it won't be, but that's what it's looking like right now.

I immediately approved the pre-landfall emergency declarations in Florida. This is the second one in a week, the second time in a week, and there have been two before that, by the way. And I sent FEMA Administrator Criswell down to Florida yesterday to work intensively with the state and local partners as we prepare to deploy more resources.

She will continue that work between Florida and North Carolina in the coming days. I'm calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not to engage in price gouging, to just do it on the level.

And last night, I spoke again with the governor of Florida, DeSantis, and Tampa Mayor Castro and -- actually, Castor -- and I made it clear to them that they should reach out, including to me directly, with everything else they may need as they see this storm hits. I gave them my personal number to contact me here in the White House.

Most importantly, I have heard everyone, everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton's path to listen to the local officials and follow safety instructions. You all have been reporting on the highways, shoulders being open. Everybody's heading out.

And if you're under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now, now, now. You should have already evacuated. It's a matter of life and death, and that's not hyperbole. It's a matter of life and death.

So, let me add that FEMA has provided 300 ambulances to move people who can't move themselves out of health care facilities. And while we prepare for Hurricane Milton, we're still surging resources in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee to respond to Hurricane Helene. And it's real. The impact is still there. And we're going to leave -- we're not going to leave until the job is

done. It's going to take time. And before it's over, it's going to take tens of billions of dollars to get it done. And Kamala and I are keeping all of you in our prayers out there.

There's a lot of people. The good news is, just before we called you in, I received information that the number of missing persons has been significantly reduced lost from the first hurricane, but we will have more information on that later.

So that's the situation, and we're not going to leave until the job is finished. It's going to take a while.

QUESTION: Sir, what's the risk of political figures sharing misinformation during this time?

BIDEN: If past is prologue, it's real, but the fact of the matter is, I think we have -- I have been able to contact all the governors.

They are sticking up for what they have asked for. They're pointing out that they're satisfied with everything they're getting. But I can't speak for others on the Internet. And, I mean, just, look, those who do it do it to try to damage the administration.

Well, that's -- we can take care of ourselves. But it misleads people. It puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they're really, really, really worried, and they think now they're being taken care of. And it really is -- it's going to sound -- I'm using an old phrase.

It's un-American. It really is. People are scared to death. People know their lives are at stake, all that they have worked for, all that they own, all that they value. And it's just, it's just -- anyway.

(CROSSTALK)

BIDEN: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I will be -- plenty of time to talk about Angola. I still plan on going to Africa. I will have plenty of time to talk about what's going on in Latin America, in South America, in terms of the Amazon.

And I'm going to be talking today with my friend the chancellor of Germany, and we're going to try to work that out. We have already contacted all these people, OK? But I'm going to be on the phone today. I'm heading shortly -- when I get up from here, I'm heading out to Wisconsin, to Milwaukee.

And -- but I think we can -- I'm still planning on visiting all the places I said I'd be and all the conferences I said I'd participate in.

(CROSSTALK)

[11:35:01]

BIDEN: he governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he's gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday.

And I said, whatever -- I said, no, you're doing a great job. It's being -- all being done well. We thank you for it. And I literally gave my personal phone number to call.

So, I don't know. There was a rough start in some places, but every governor, every governor from Florida to North Carolina has been fully cooperative and supportive and acknowledged what this team is doing. And they're doing an incredible job. But we got a lot more to

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And thank you for your time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: We were just listening to President Biden at the White House talking about Hurricane Milton.

He said it could be the worst storm in 100 years. He just canceled his overseas travel to stay here in the U.S. to deal with the storm. He said that the administration is surging resources to states impacted by Hurricane Helene, as well as Florida, which is expected to bear the brunt of Milton.

He talked about all the misinformation too and said it's making people scared to death. He called it un-American.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:48]

BROWN: A soon-to-be released book by veteran Washington journalist Bob Woodward is offering a remarkable and shocking look at what President Joe Biden really thinks about some of America's closest allies.

Example one, Woodward quotes Biden as calling Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a bad guy," a -- quote -- "bad effing guy." But Netanyahu isn't the only world leader to earn Biden's wrath. The book "War" was obtained by CNN ahead of its release next week.

It was obtained specifically by CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel, who joins us now.

Wow, some of these revelations.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Here it is. Here it is.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Here is the book.

GANGEL: I will lend it to you. BROWN: This is a treasure trove of revelations. I have to -- I mean,

I'm not, like, exaggerating here. My jaw dropped at some of the anecdotes in here.

GANGEL: It's -- Bob Woodward is still bringing the receipts after all this time.

BROWN: He is.

GANGEL: The book is based on confidential documents, notes, transcripts, firsthand accounts from participants. It is an unprecedented look behind the scenes at Joe Biden unfiltered, profane.

He likes to drop the F-bomb. We really learn how leaders and top U.S. officials speak to each other and about each other behind the scenes.

But there's also some notable news about Donald Trump in this book. There are new details about former President Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin. Specifically, the book reveals phone calls never before revealed between Trump and Putin, including a verbatim conversation where they discuss that Trump secretly sent to Putin scarce COVID testing machines for his personal use.

This was at a time during the height of COVID where everybody wanted one of these. And we actually have -- Woodward has the conversation between Trump and Putin in the book.

BROWN: Wow.

GANGEL: Here's what they said.

Putin: "Please don't tell anybody you sent these to me."

Trump: "I don't care. Fine."

Putin: "No, no, I don't want you to tell anybody, because people will get mad at you, not me. They don't care about me."

Woodward also writes that a top Trump aide, Pamela, told him that Trump had as many as seven phone calls with Vladimir Putin post- presidency since he left office. We do not know what the content of those calls...

BROWN: Fascinating, but just the fact that he obtained the transcript, like you said, bringing the receipts.

GANGEL: Correct. Correct

BROWN: There are also several extraordinary scenes between Biden and Putin in the lead-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tell us about that.

GANGEL: Right.

So Biden and his national security team, Woodward writes, obtained this treasure trove of intelligence. They call it the crown jewels. It even includes a human intelligence source inside the Kremlin, the most sensitive source.

And what Woodward writes is, what they knew were the exact battle plans, everything about how Putin planned to invade Ukraine ahead of time. You also hear, again unvarnished, what President Biden thinks of Vladimir Putin.

Here we go. He says -- quote -- "That effing Putin. Putin is evil. We are dealing with the epitome of evil."

So you're in the room behind the scenes as all of these things are unfolding.

BROWN: And bring us into the scene when Biden boils over with anger against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

GANGEL: Right. So there are actually a lot of these scenes.

So, publicly, of course, we know President Biden has been a staunch ally of Israel, standing behind Israel. But you really see how, after October 7, as the war in Gaza escalated, intensified, Biden loses his temper.

[11:45:00]

He says -- he's furious with Netanyahu, and he says to an aide -- quote -- "That son of a" -- you can read it on there -- "Bibi Netanyahu, he's a bad guy, he's a bad effing guy. He doesn't give a -- about Hamas. He gives a 'blank' only about himself. He's an effing liar; 18 out of 19 people who work for him are effing liars."

And Biden -- actually, there are scenes in the book that are extraordinary where Biden confronts Netanyahu directly. So here's a conversation between Biden and Netanyahu.

Biden: "Bibi, what the eff? You know the perception of Israel around the world increasingly is that you're a rogue state, a rogue actor."

Netanyahu: "We saw an opportunity and we took it." This was about going after a terrorist leader. "The harder you hit, the more successful you're going to be in the negotiation."

BROWN: Wow.

And also the book, we should note, is full of personal moments too, right?

GANGEL: There are some extraordinary scenes. You see a scene where Hunter Biden is talking about his legal troubles with his father. There are quotes in it.

And there's a notable scene that I believe is going to get a lot of attention in which President Biden says he regrets picking Merrick Garland as his attorney general. We have that scene.

Biden is quoted as saying -- it's missing here on my screen.

BROWN: "I should never have picked Garland."

GANGEL: "Should never have picked Garland. This is never going to effing go away."

On a lighter note, just to end quickly, you can never have too many telephones. There is an extraordinary scene where Senator Lindsey Graham is meeting with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, MBS. They say, let's call Trump. And an aide brings over a bag of 50 burner phones.

BROWN: Oh, my gosh.

GANGEL: Each one labeled for a different person. There's a Trump phone.

BROWN: Wow.

GANGEL: There's a phone marked Jake Sullivan. Some people have a lot of phones.

BROWN: I agree with that sentiment as a reporter. Never have too many phones.

GANGEL: There you go.

BROWN: And we should note that Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung released the following statement responding to the revelations -- quote -- "None of these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump derangement syndrome. President Trump gave him absolutely no access for this trash book that either belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section of a discount book store or used as toilet tissue."

GANGEL: It hit a nerve.

BROWN: I would say. I would say.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: Jamie Gangel, thank you so much.

GANGEL: Of course.

BROWN: Really appreciate it.

And still ahead this hour: The Israeli army says it is expanding its ground operations into Southern Lebanon, despite President Biden's pleas to limit the ground incursion there. We will take you live to Tel Aviv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:25]

BROWN: Well, this morning, FEMA crews are racing to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Milton. The powerful storm is expected to deliver a devastating blow to Florida, as that state and several others struggle to recover from the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Helene, two major hurricanes in just two weeks, and hurricane season is not over.

Joining us now is Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA.

Secretary, thank you for your time. I know how busy you are.

I just am wondering, given what President Biden just said, this could be the worst storm in 100 years, how concerned are you about Hurricane Milton?

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Oh, Pam, thank you very much for having me.

We are, of course, very concerned, but we are also prepared and prepositioned. And we are assisting the state and local authorities. I think the most important message that I can communicate is for people to follow the mandatory evacuation orders. If they know of someone who isn't, call them and urge them to do so, and to listen and follow the instructions of local officials, who know the situation the ground locally.

BROWN: You see -- you say FEMA does have the resources to adequately deal with these two major storms in just two weeks.

But given that we don't yet know the extent of Milton's damage and what may come after this hurricane season, which typically lasts through November, how confident are you that FEMA will have what it needs to take care of impacted Americans moving forward?

MAYORKAS: Very, very confident, Pam.

We have demonstrated that in response to Hurricane Helene with an extraordinary breadth of resources and support of state and local officials and survivors of that devastating hurricane. We also are already positioned to provide commodities, food, water, and the like, for individuals who are impacted by Hurricane Milton.

It is going to be a strong hurricane. All indications reflect that, but we have got to be working together, putting politics aside. Our history is to unite as one country in response to such devastating events, and we have to do so now.

BROWN: I'm going to get to the politics at play in just a second, but just to follow up on what you said, President Biden just said at the White House that his priority is to increase the presence of the recovery effort.

[11:55:04]

"The New York Times" recently reported that only 9 percent of FEMA's disaster workers are able to respond to Hurricane Milton. Do you anticipate using volunteers from other parts of Homeland Security or across the federal government to help?

MAYORKAS: The president and the vice president have directed an all- of-government response, all of the federal government.

FEMA has deployed more than 2,800 people to the hurricane responses. We have 900 people or so prepositioned in Florida. The Department of Defense, of course, has directed resources, at the president's and vice president's direction, as has the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, Health and Human Services and others.

This is a all-of-administration response in support of the state and local authorities.

BROWN: President Biden also said he may request Congress to reconvene to pass emergency supplemental funding for storm recovery, which he just said could cost tens of billions of dollars. Right now, FEMA does not have that.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has no intention of doing so before the election. Given what you said last week, that FEMA doesn't have the funds to get through hurricane season, do you think Congress needs to convene a special session to give more money to FEMA?

MAYORKAS: Let me be clear, and as we have been clear throughout, we have the funding to support the survivors and the communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, as well as Hurricane Milton. We have those resources.

As you correctly noted, Pam, hurricane season is expected to last until December. And, right now, we no longer really follow extreme weather events according to seasons because of the impacts of climate change. We have seen an increase in the frequency and gravity of extreme weather events, and it is our obligation as a government to be prepared for the long term.

And that is why we need Congress to act, and to act now.

BROWN: In a special session?

MAYORKAS: I believe that president noted it correctly. We need them to come back now. A continuing resolution is no way to fund disaster management and disaster relief.

BROWN: I want to get to the politics you brought up. Former President Trump is pushing this disinformation on FEMA. He accuses the disaster relief agency of shortchanging Republican areas in North Carolina, and that $1 million was stolen for migrants.

What is the real-world impact of these false claims that you're seeing?

MAYORKAS: So, I'm going to divorce the disinformation that is being spread from any one individual and just say this.

Disinformation harms survivors of a disaster, because they lose trust in their government and they don't seek the assistance that they need and to which they are entitled and that we can deliver. Individuals are reluctant to seek individual assistance, money in their pocket to address their immediate needs. It has a real adverse impact, harmful impact on survivors of a disaster.

It also is demoralizing to our federal employees and state and local employees as well that are risking their lives in the service of others. When we reach into water that has flooded a zone, we don't ask about the party affiliation. When someone's home is destroyed and we are there to help them rebuild, we don't ask for an individual's party affiliation.

There is no place for politics in response to the needs of survivors. And disinformation is harmful and really repugnant.

BROWN: How much do you think foreign interference is at play here amplifying this disinformation ahead of the election?

MAYORKAS: So we have not tracked foreign interference, although that is, of course, always a potential.

The political divide in our country speaks of a chasm, a gap. And our adversaries fill that gap with false information, and deliberately so. We have got to come together as one country.

BROWN: Are you -- is it fair to say you're concerned about the potential foreign interference with amplifying this misinformation and also how it could potentially be a harbinger for what's to come around the election?

MAYORKAS: Well, it is my job to be concerned and to be able to educate people about the false information that is impacting their access to emergency relief.

And we already have seen foreign adversaries disseminate false information to sow discord and to inflame discord around the elections.

BROWN: All right, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, thank you for your time. And best of luck dealing with Hurricane Milton.

MAYORKAS: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: Thank you.

And thank you all for joining me. I'm Pamela Brown.

"INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts next.