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Trump Disappears as COVID Ravages Nation, Election Loss Gets Bigger; U.S. Shatters More Records with New Infections, Hospitalizations. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired November 13, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now. Have a good day. Stay safe.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar, and I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world.

You remember when the president of the United States said this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's all I hear about now. That's all I hear. Turn on the television, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID.

By the way, November 4th, you won't hear about it anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: You won't hear about it from him maybe. President-elect Joe Biden and his team have talked more about coronavirus than any other topic since his election. But Trump, who is president of the country that is currently breaking case records day after day, is MIA. Under his watch, America is breaking hospitalization records too, day after day, and we are now averaging a thousand American deaths per day, the positivity rate closing in on 10 percent. 44 states are going in the absolute wrong direction and death numbers will lag these records by weeks, the worst still i yet to come.

And still, Trump hasn't spoken publicly in eight days. He has golfed twice but has only been seen once, at a ten minute Veterans Day appearance that he was late for on a day it was hard to overstate the importance of being on time for an event, time to an armistice began on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. He refuses to begin the transition of power that keeps Americans safe and he is watching, standing by as Americans get sick and die.

He is burning up Twitter though, but instead of talking about the pandemic, its victims, families they leave behind or even offering condolences to six American members of the military who died in a helicopter crash in Egypt, he is slamming Fox. Until recently when that hotline blame, it could only one thing, not anymore. He is even mad at Fox. He has been re-tweeting supportive comments from the star Charles in Charge. He has been re-tweeting about widespread fraud that fact check isn't, and he stole an election that fact check wasn't, why? Because he is mad. He is standing idly by, screaming into the Twitter sphere because his former opponent is racking up more states and electoral votes. And in the end, it may be Joe Biden that built a bigger wall than Trump did.

And now to our breaking news, there are dozens of Secret Service officers, agents, who are self-isolating after being infected with coronavirus or they're quarantining after being exposed to those who are. I want to bring in the CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins. What do we know here?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't have an exact number, because what we are being told is the officers don't even know the exact number of colleagues who are either quarantining or now self-isolating because they contracted COVID-19. But what we do know, Brianna, is that this follows a week of travel, weeks of travel for the president, where he held almost 50 rallies in the lead-up to the election, those last few days doing sometimes three or four or maybe even five per day.

And, of course, every time the president goes somewhere, it requires a ton of officers and agents to go with the president, and often those officers have to go ahead of the president to be there, scope out where he is going, and then also remain on the ground long after the president has left. And so now it has lead what sources are telling us several dozens of officers to be quarantining or self-isolating.

And the Secret Service did not comment but an official familiar with this did tell us that they are taking the necessary precautions, they are testing these agents and these officers, and they said that they still -- this is not affecting staffing, basically, that they have enough officers. But, still, what you're seeing is these officers whose job it is to protect the president and the first family and people who work in the west wing are now putting their lives at risk by simply doing their jobs and going on the road amid a pandemic that is not only effecting the nation, but we're seeing just how much it is effecting even the Secret Service.

KEILAR: Yes. And it is making light of their commitment to put their safety and their lives on the line for the president. And it is not supposed to be for this kind of thing.

And, Kaitlan, also today, the White House was asked if President Trump will attend President-elect Biden's inauguration ceremony. I want to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STUART VARNEY, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST: Are you prepared to say that the president, President Trump, will definitely attend the inauguration?

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Again, that's many steps away here. We are talking January. And President Trump believes he will be President Trump, have a second term, and litigation is the first step, many steps away from that.

VARNEY: It would look pretty bad if he did not attend the inauguration, it would look like sour grapes, wouldn't it?

MCENANY: I think the president will attend his own inauguration. He would have to be there, in fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: But they won't say, Kaitlan, that if he -- well, he has lost. But they won't say if it comes to that and their acceptance of that, that he would still attend.

COLLINS: Yes. To be clear, in January 2021, there is not going to be a Donald Trump inauguration.

[13:05:04]

It is going to be an inauguration held for Joe Biden. And you heard Stuart Varney there of Fox Business say, is the president attending the inauguration, not his own inauguration. And so you see Kayleigh McEnany tried to twist that to please the president by saying he will attend his inauguration come January when that is something that simply isn't going to happen, Brianna.

The level of delusion that we are seeing from high ranking government officials is stunning because it is not just Kayleigh McEnany saying things like that, appearing as a Trump 2020 campaign adviser, her personal capacity, whatever that means, it's also the president's trade adviser earlier today, the secretary of state earlier this week, saying that there is going to be a second Trump administration.

And maybe there will be when the president runs, if he runs in 2024, as he has been talking about privately. But, to be clear, there is not going to be one starting next year. It will be Joe Biden in the White House and not the president.

And just to see how these officials are going above and beyond to appease the president by not just admitting reality and what is happening, when these are taxpayer-funded officials who are receiving six-figure paychecks for saying things like that on television, it is just remarkable to see how they are just not admitting what everyone behind the scenes is admitting. And what we are told even the president behind the scenes is admitting, which is that he has lost this election.

KEILAR: Yes. And you can see them squirming because it's hard to keep lies straight, right? We see them telling lies. It's kind of hard to keep playing that.

COLLINS: And the host is laughing.

KEILAR: Yes, very good point. Kaitlan, thank you so much, reporting for us live from the White House.

And now, that the president is receiving push back from within his own administration. Officials inside the Department of Homeland Security are sending a strong message to him about the election and we have our correspondents in Washington who have more about the growing rift between the president and his national security officials.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am Kristen Holmes in Washington, D.C.

Well, while President Trump to spew misinformation about the election, claiming on Twitter a baseless lead that voting systems deleted votes that were meant for him or changed votes that meant for him and gave them to Biden, a stunning rebuke from within his own administration.

A statement was released from an office within Department of Homeland Security, and here is what it reads. It says the November 3rd election was the most secure in American history. There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.

So, clearly, here, it actually seems like a direct response to President Trump's Twitter feed, and this was issued by the cyber security and infrastructure security agency, which is part of Department of Homeland Security, which is part of President Trump's administration.

Now, we, of course, have been saying for months that there was no evidence of the president's claims of widespread voter fraud, but more importantly men and women, election officials, Democrats and Republicans who went out during the pandemic to help support our democracy, they have been saying that. And because of that, and because of the president's rhetoric, some of them have actually received death threats.

So, hopefully, with this statement coming directly from the administration, from President Trump's own administration, that Americans' minds can be put at ease, we can put this behind us and move forward as a country.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I am Alex Marquardt in Washington. As the firings of national security officials grow, speculation has increased that CIA Director Gina Haspel could be one of the next to go. According to multiple current and former administration officials, she has fallen out with the president on a range of issues.

But what has put her on the chopping block now, we're told, is her reluctance to declassify and release documents related to the FBI's Russia investigation.

Now, Trump has been urged to refrain from firing Haspel by a number of Republican lawmakers, as well as some of his top advisers, including his national security adviser. Releasing the documents, Haspel believes, would reveal critical sources and methods, not releasing them, Trump and some of his allies think, amounts to lack of loyalty, fireable offense in this administration. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Alex and Kristen, thank you for those reports.

Former director of the CIA, John Brennan, joining us now to discuss some of what we're seeing. He is the author of Undaunted, My Fight Against America's Enemies at Home and Abroad. Sir, thank you so much for being with us.

JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Sure, Brianna, good to talk with you.

KEILAR: I wonder, Director, what you can tell us about what ramifications would be if Gina Haspel were fired.

BRENNAN: Well, I think it would send quite a chilling signal to women and men of the CIA and the broader intelligence community that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, is carrying out a vendetta against an individual because that individual is standing up to her obligations, which is to protect this country's source and methods, to ensure our national security is going to be safe and secure. Unfortunately, Donald Trump continues to try to be very selective in terms of what he says and what he releases as far as intelligence is concerned.

So I am very glad Gina Haspel is fulfilling her obligations and remaining strong.

[13:10:02]

KEILAR: It wouldn't be just one-off though, as you're very familiar with. This would be one of just many changes that have either happened or that are anticipated to happen. Trump has fired his defense secretary. He put in place a top policy job there, the top policy job, the retired brigadier general, Anthony Tat, who just, for context for our viewers, once tweeted at you, quote, pick your poison, firing squad, public hanging, life sentence as prison B word or suck on your pistol.

So, I wonder what you think the effect of first off that person who has faced bipartisan opposition in the past to be in this role, what's the effect of that person having this role?

BRENNAN: Well, I think it is unsurprising that Donald Trump selects individuals like Mr. Tata for these very senior positions, because he wants people to be personally loyal to him, not to their oath of office, not to the Constitution or the American people, but to him. And so, therefore, the firing of Mark Esper, as well as decapitating the civilian leadership within the Pentagon, I think, clearly is score-settling on the part of Mr. Trump.

But what I don't know is whether or not he is planning to do something such as politicizing the U.S. military or trying to and putting some people in there, handpicked that will carry out his orders, or is he thinking about doing something in the foreign field that could, in fact, compromise U.S. national security interests. KEILAR: Can -- you mean in the near term before Biden takes over?

BRENNAN: Sure, the next 70 days. People have been speculating that he is going to order a quick withdrawal out of Afghanistan and Iraq of U.S. troops. Well, the retrograde of U.S. forces, which is pulling them out, needs to be done very carefully, very safely and securely. And if he orders a very rapid and haphazard withdrawal retrograde, this could put our troops at great risk. Same thing is true is might he launch some military action against his perceived adversaries.

So he still has powers of the presidency in his hands the next 70 days. And I am hoping people around him are counseling restraint so he does not engage in rash and reckless behavior, which he has, unfortunately, been known for.

KEILAR: Can -- like you said, we are about 70 days out here. Can President-elect Biden, when he takes over, can he just undo what Trump has blown up or at least some of it, or is it just not that simple? Can Trump really burrow loyalists in these agencies and sort of forever change the makeup of them?

BRENNAN: Well, there are rules and laws against the burrowing in of political appointees at the end of an administration. So, I am sure the Biden team is going to look very carefully at these attempts to sprinkle people throughout the administration.

But there are some things that Joe Biden can move on very quickly such as getting the United States back into the Paris Climate Accords, looking at how to repair the joint comprehensive plan of action as far as U.S. adherence to the Iran nuclear weapons deal and other types of things.

But there are some actions that if Donald Trump decides to take will be difficult to undo, such as a military action or some type of politicization of the U.S. military that will further harm, I think, this country's reputation of being not just the world's oldest democracy but also the world's strongest democracy. But Donald Trump, clearly, I don't think, cares about anything at this point other than his own personal interests.

KEILAR: I do want to ask you or I am wondering before I move on to my final question, which is on a different topic, are you concerned when it comes to what the president knows, that he is not going to keep that to himself?

We know that even as president, he has struggled to not tell classified, highly classified information to America's adversaries, let alone its friends. Are you worried that he is going to spill some of the nation's secrets once he's out of office?

BRENNAN: Well, I've learned to never say never when it comes to what Donald Trump might do in the future. And I do hope he honors the obligations that he remains under, even once he becomes a private citizen again, not to divulge classified secrets. But I do worry. I think a lot of other people have expressed worry about what he might do in order to try to, again, enhance his personal, political, or even financial standing in the future.

KEILAR: I do want to ask you about something that a newly elected Republican senator, Tommy Tuberville, said, where he seems to confuse the origins of World War II and what the allies were fighting against. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R), ALABAMA SENATOR-ELECT: My dad, as you know, I said this last time, he quit school at 16, joined the Army, landed at Normandy at 18, drove a tank across Europe.

He said, I have never gotten the look on the people's face in Paris when we liberated Paris from socialism and communism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:15:04]

KEILAR: I mean, he clearly needs a history lesson. But this is someone who is going to have incredible access to highly classified information and that appears to be the foundation of his understanding of history. What is your reaction to that?

BRENNAN: Well, I think it just epitomizes the nature of some of the individuals that unfortunately not only run for office but are elected to the Congress. Some respects, I wish we had a civics test or a history test or a test on U.S. law that individuals would have to take before they would be qualified to run for office.

But I shake my head when I see that so many individuals up and all the way up to the White House who have no conception of this country's great history, as well as what the role is of the rule of law in this country and their obligations as public officials not only to honor the rule of law but also to conduct themselves in an ethical, principled and moral way.

KEILAR: Well, you know, we've heard that phrase of if you don't know history, you could be condemned to repeat it, which is part of the reason it is so important to understand different things, whether it is about the cold war or it's about World War II and the fact that it was the fight against fascism. Why is that so important for Americans writ large or for elected officials to understand that it was actually a fight against fascism?

BRENNAN: Well, I think we are right now battling some fascist tendencies and amongst some people in terms of just highly nativist tendencies and instincts that I think Donald Trump harbors and has shown.

And so what we have seen happen around the globe over the last hundred years or so, I think we see elements of it here in the states, which is a very nativist, xenophobic and, in some respects, movements that are prone to lashing out and suppressing the views, the interests of others in their country. So it is very unfortunate what we have seen the last four years and I am confident that Joe Biden brings to office of the presidency the character, the dignity, the experience and an understanding of history and law and the Constitution that I think Americans have been desperately looking for the past several years.

KEILAR: John Brennan, thank you so much for coming on and talking with us today. We really appreciate it.

BRENNAN: thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Just ahead, the president used to praise the electoral vote haul that Joe Biden is about to hit. We're going to roll the tape on that.

Plus, as COVID explodes in America, a new study shows it has mutated into a strain that spreads more easily.

And the new Republican congresswoman who has been a QAnon supporter is attacking House rules requiring masks that she says are oppressive, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:00]

KEILAR: Another day, another coronavirus record shattered. More people than ever are in the hospital with COVID, that's more than 67,000. More people than ever are getting infected each day, an eye-popping 153,000 new cases reported Thursday alone. The rate of positivity is so high in South Dakota and Iowa that a test is more likely to be positive than negative.

And, once again, the nation is reporting on average about a thousand people dying each day with a new death projection saying, even with the declining fatality rate, the U.S. could see 2200 deaths a day by mid-January.

And as coronavirus ravages the U.S., the virus is changing. It is becoming more easy to spread from person to person, this is according to a new study by a team of researchers led by two experts on the genetics of viruses at University of Wisconsin and the University of North Carolina.

Let's talk about this new strain with Dr. Saju Matthew. He is primary care physician, he is a public health specialist as well.

Okay, Doctor, so I think especially as we're looking at some positive news about vaccines, one of the most pressing questions about this is this mutated strain, would this endanger any vaccine advances that could have been made at this point?

DR. SAJU MATTHEW, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good afternoon, Brianna. We're shattering records when it comes to the COVID virus. But this is actually pretty good news, believe it or not. This virus is so highly transmissible that once we get it into our nose and pharynx and gets into the lungs, it replicates, it duplicates very rapidly. We know that when this virus transferred, if you will, from or traveled from Asia to Europe and to the U.S., it mutated.

However, two good things about the mutation. Number one, it did not change the anatomy of the virus, so when it comes to vaccine development, the spike protein is still that portion of the virus that the vaccine can actually penetrate and develop antibodies against. So since the anatomy hasn't changed, even though it is more infectious, it is not as lethal and it will not affect development of the vaccine. So both of those are good news.

KEILAR: That is very good news. And I wanted to ask you about something a newly elect Republican in congress has said, Marjorie Taylor Green tweeted about her orientation. She slammed the House rule. She's going through the orientation for being a new House member, and she slammed the rule in the House that masks are mandatory. She said, quote, I proudly told my freshman class that masks are oppressive.

Now, in Georgia, we work out, shop, go to restaurants, go to work and school without masks, my body, my choice, #freeyourface.

[13:25:00]

What is your reaction to a member of Congress saying this?

MATTHEW: You know, so this is my take both as a physician and as a citizen that's trying to be responsible in the pandemic. I know it is going to be difficult in the U.S. to mandate masks. I still think that, hopefully, with the new administration that modeling of masks, the fact that masks can save lives, is going to be crucial. Because if you can look up to your leaders and they model behavior, then you will follow that.

Now, this is the problem that I have with a statement like that. If you make a decision to not wear a mask and it only affected you, then that would be okay. We live in a free country, that's the beauty about America. You can make your own independent decisions.

But the problem with this virus, Brianna, is if you don't wear a mask, not only are you exposing yourself, you could be infecting somebody else. So you're making a decision for not only yourself but thousands of other people that can get infected. So that's really the problem that I have when people say it is my right to choose if I want to wear a mask or not.

KEILAR: Yes. They're right on this only goes so far, it extends to themselves, but not to other people. Dr. Matthew, thank you for being with us.

MATTHEW: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Just ahead, there is a pattern of the president and his allies using paper stacks as problems, usually to make a B.S. claim. We're going to roll the tape on that.

And a former Republican election official is fed up with the president's stolen election attacks. He will join me live.

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[13:30:00]