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World Reduced to "Friends," "Thugs" and "Filthy" Countries in Trump- Biden Debate; Marcus Rashford Promotes Grassroots Network to Feed Hungry. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 23, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:01]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He embraces guys like these thugs in North Korea and the Chinese president and Putin. He's legitimized North
Korea.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have a very good relationship with him. I was right.
BIDEN: I'm going to shut down the virus not the country.
TRUMP: This horrible disease that came from China.
BIDEN: He is xenophobic but not because he shut down access from China.
TRUMP: I'm the least racist person in this room.
BIDEN: His buddy, Rudy Giuliani, he's being used as a Russian pawn.
TRUMP: Joe got $3.5 million from Russia and it came through Putin.
I am the least racist person in this room.
BIDEN: He pokes his finger in the eye of all of our friends, all of our allies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe Biden won this debate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eleven days until Election Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with the Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And connecting this hour, a world that looks, well, rather nasty, at least, that is, if you are running to make it here
to the White House, your home for the next four years. But no one set themselves on fire in the last presidential debate. There was much of the
same as last time, just easier to understand to be honest. A lot more muted in tone and tenor.
The world didn't feature all too heavily, but where it did it wasn't so much about successes but rather it was basically using the world as a giant
prop for Donald Trump and Joe Biden to go after one another.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: He pokes his finger in the eye of all of our friends, all of our allies.
He's talked about his good buddy who is a thug. A thug.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, he was, of course, referring to Kim Jong-un there. Mr. Trump defended his meetings with the North Korean leader saying he avoided
war and the two had a good relationship, prompting this retort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We had a good relationship with Hitler before he, in fact, invaded Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And when climate change came up which Mr. Trump hasn't exactly had a pristine record on, he had this to say about the rest of the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia, look at India, it's filthy. The air is filthy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Speaking of China, both men used it as a punching bag. Joe Biden landing his blows saying he would force Beijing to abide by international
law. He didn't, though, say how he would do that.
The president defending his position on getting tough on China regarding trade and the coronavirus.
So how did all the bluster in the debate play out around the world? Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Selina Wang in Hong Kong.
Trump and Biden sparked several times during the debate about their approaches and ties to China. Joe Biden said he would force China to play
by the international rules if he were elected and said Trump embraces, quote, thugs, including the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump repeated his
tactic of claiming China for the coronavirus.
He also attacked Biden over unsubstantiated claims about his son's business dealings in China. Biden then criticized Trump for having a secret bank
account in China and for his business operations there.
Trump also called the air in China, Russia and India filthy, while defending his administration's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate
accord.
In response, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that, quote, the sky is blue today, adding that China is not interested in the U.S.
elections.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Fred Pleitgen in Moscow.
As the Kremlin has shown themselves to be disappointed by last night's presidential debate. A spokesman for the Kremlin saying that he believed
the debate was, quote, a competition of who dislikes Russia the most, the Kremlin especially took offense to the fact that President Trump called the
air in China, India and Russia filthy.
Dmitry Peskov saying, of course, there are dirty cities in Russia but Russia is working to try to protect the environment and also said that all
of this can only be done on an international level, seeming to take a swipe at President Trump for leaving the Paris climate accords while Russia
remains inside.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in Seoul.
President Trump and former vice president Biden have very different views of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of the last presidential debate. Mr.
Trump spoke of his good relationship with the North Korean leader whereas Mr. Biden called Kim Jong-un a thug.
Now, we did hear once again from the president that if it weren't for him then the U.S. and North Korea would be at war. He also pointed out that
having a good relationship is a good thing.
Now, the vice president's countered that with, quote, we had a good relationship with Hitler before he invaded the rest of Europe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Paula, Fred and Selena for you.
CNN's grantee of international diplomacy, Nic Robertson, is now standing by.
[10:05:01]
Look, Nic, let's be quite clear, what we got here was certainly more political theater than a genuine opportunity to help us understand how
candidates see America's role in the world going forward. What, if anything, did we learn?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, I don't think if you are a world leader watching it, you really learned anything new about
either of them. And let's face it, you know, Donald Trump has got a four- year track record, he is being judged on that. Vice President Biden was in the Oval Office or next to the Oval Office in and out of it with President
Obama over about eight years.
So I think everyone has got a measure of both of them on their foreign policy and if you can call it that, you know, in both cases. I think one
thing did jump out to me a little bit, but, again, not surprising that it came from President Trump when he said India's air was dirty. I mean, think
back a few months ago before the -- well, just as the coronavirus pandemic was hitting the world, President Trump's last major overseas visit was to
India. You know, an ally and a partner that is trying to build business relationships with and is seen as a strategic bulwark against China in this
increasingly fractured U.S./China world.
It was interesting to hear him call -- call out India as their air being dirty. Do you do that to a friend? That really plays to Biden's point that
is Trump sticks his finger in the eye of his friends.
So, no, I think the take away here is for international world leaders, it's how did this play in the U.S.? How is it going to affect the vote? Who is
most likely to win? Because that's the big issue now.
Who are we going to have to deal with as president going forward? That's what the real calculations were based on.
ANDERSON: Yeah, of course. And just to your point about India, I think back to the great state of Texas hosting the "Howdy, Modi!" gathering and
that was -- much was made of that, great fanfare by the Trump administration as he once again feted his friend from India.
As that example of how he has been tough on Russia, Donald Trump says he has persuaded NATO member nations to increase their contributions to fund
the alliance, to guard against Russia. His position on NATO has been controversial at best.
Nic, is what he said last night factually correct?
ROBERTSON: In terms of numbers, yes. Let's listen to him lay out what he thinks he got. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: There has been nobody tougher to Russia between the sanctions, nobody tougher than me on Russia, between the sanctions, between all of
what I've done with NATO. You know, I got the NATO countries to put an extra $130 billion going to $420 billion a year. That's to guard against
Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So numbers, yes, but, no, he hasn't got them to do that. They've been pains to try to meet some of his demands that they should
speed up getting their contributions to 2 percent of GDP.
But, look, that was a deal struck at the Wales NATO Summit back in 2014 and guess who was closest to the White House then, yes, you're right, it's Vice
President Biden. Guess what happens next, the deadline of everyone, all 29 nations not just nine as it stands now including the U.S., but making that
2 percent of GDP commitment agreed back in Wales this 2014, it would be 2024.
So whoever gets into the White House this time wins this vote, they will see NATO making good on that commitment.
So Trump right on the numbers, but not right on how it's all come about.
ANDERSON: You pointed out that we had some noteworthy you might say choice lines, comments, from Donald Trump when it comes to air quality in
countries around the world and filthy -- just filthy is a term that he used.
What do we hear from Joe Biden when it came to climate change?
ROBERTSON: Yeah, Biden's tone and he has spoken about this before was clear, that, you know, this is an issue and we have to deal with it. I'm
going to invest in renewable energies domestically and he talked about transitioning oil industries away or sort of oil producers away over time
from oil production. That was perhaps something that's going to impact him back home, particularly one thinks of Texas and Philadelphia as well.
But, you know, on climate change Biden was quite sure this is something we have to do something about, this is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Climate change, climate warming, global warming is an existential threat to humanity.
[10:10:05]
We have a moral obligation to deal with it. We're told by all the leading scientists in the world we don't have much time. We're going to pass the
point of no return within the next eight to ten years.
Four more years of this man eliminating all the regulations that were put in by us to clean up the climate, to clean up, to limit the -- limit
emissions, will put us in a position where we are going to be in real trouble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Yeah, and he went on to say that he would reengage with the international community on climate change. He will rejoin that Paris Accord
from a few years ago.
But I think, you know, the take away here is it's part of the narrative that Biden has been developing. You work with your allies and friends --
ANDERSON: Sure.
ROBERTSON: -- and you can use that work and working with them as leverage in other areas. He talked about dealing with North Korea as needing to
involve Xi Jinping of China. He talks about, you know, dealing with Russia and other issues as needing European allies back on board.
It is in essence Biden taking his finger out of the eye of his friends and putting it in the -- and putting his hand in their hands to work together.
I think that is a narrative there, that's how he would expect to be able to win whack some of those countries that might have been distanced by
President Trump.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's fascinating. All the perspective from outside of the States and some indication of how world leaders may have perceived what
happened last night. We are, what, just over ten days out at this point. So that's how both candidates see the rest of the world.
Thank you, Nic.
But what about their vision for America itself? Well, they ranged from dreams of a better future to nightmare visions on the pandemic, on health
care, climate change and indeed the economy.
My team wrapped all of that together for you. Here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We're about to go into a dark winter, a dark winter, and he has no clear plan.
We ought to be able to safely open, would they need resources to open.
I'm going to shut down the virus, not the country.
It's his ineptitude that caused the virus -- caused the country to have to shut down in large part.
TRUMP: We can't keep this country closed. It's a massive country, with a massive economy. People are losing their jobs. They're committing suicide,
there's depression, alcohol, drugs.
BIDEN: What I'm going to do is pass Obamacare with a public option, to become Biden care. Not one single personal private insurers would lose
their insurance under my plan, nor did they under Obamacare.
TRUMP: I'd like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand new, beautiful healthcare. The Democrats will do it because there'll be
tremendous pressure in them and he might even have the House by that time.
BIDEN: Climate change, climate warming, global warming is an existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it.
I would transition from the oil industry, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Transition.
(CROSSTALK)
BIDEN: That is a big statement because I would stop --
KRISTEN WELKER, DEBATE MODERATOR: Why would you do that?
BIDEN: Because the oil industry pollutes significantly.
TRUMP: I see.
BIDEN: And here's the deal --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: But that's a big statement.
BIDEN: Well, if you'd let me finish the statement -- because it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time.
TRUMP: The Paris Accord, I took us out, because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars and we were treated we unfairly.
When they put us in there they did us a great disservice. They were going to take away our businesses. I will not sacrifice tens of millions of jobs,
success is going to bring us together. We are on the road to success, but I'm cutting taxes and he wants to raise everybody's taxes and he wants to
put new regulations on everything. He will kill it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Whose arguments did Americans buy into most?
Well, according to a CNN instant poll of debate watchers overall just over half, 53 percent said Biden had the upper hand, 39 percent said President
Trump had the better night. The margin of error a tad under 6 percentage points.
Let's be clears, polls are all well and good but we are here to connect you to how it is.
So, we sent our colleagues out to send time with both sides, CNN's Jason Carroll hung out with Biden supporters in Philly and Philadelphia, but
first let's check in with CNN's Elle Reeve who watched the debate with supporters of President Trump in a small town in Illinois.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in a baseball stadium called the Corn Crib in a town called Normal, Illinois, where hundreds of Trump supporters
have gathered to watch the debate that had been hosted by the local Republican Party.
CONNIE BEARD, CHAIRMAN, MCLEAN COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY: This event has sort of snowballed, we have our McLean County Republican tent, of course,
and our little Trump store.
[10:15:05]
We have a raffle for a semi-automatic shotgun that is apparently very popular.
KENNY MOREAU, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I just like the no bullshit attitude of, hey, I want to make America great. I don't understand what the problem is
trying to bring everyone up in America to do good things.
REEVE: But is it no bullshit to only pay like $750 in taxes?
MOREAU: Here's the deal is that I would love to be able to comment on that. I don't know. And it's one of those situations where you and I can
both sit and say if we made that kind of money, you know that you're going to play the tax game. It's set there for millionaires to be able to play
this game.
REEVE: Would you want him to change it so that millionaires couldn't play that game?
MOREAU: Yeah, in the grand scheme of things it would be great.
REEVE: How do you think it's going so far?
PAUL BROWN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: As I expected it to go. Mr. Joe Biden is talking a lot of trash and lies. He's not being truthful with the American
people.
REEVE: What made you cheer? Do you remember a moment?
BROWN: I guess when President Trump was talking about bringing out the details with the Biden crime family.
REEVE: So like when Trump was hitting him hard?
BROWN: Yeah.
REEVE: Have you ever watched a debate in a crowd like this before?
BROWN: Not like this, no.
REEVE: What do you think about it?
BROWN: It's pretty fun. I love it.
REEVE: Is there a moment that made you cheer?
JILL HENDRICKSON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Yeah, everything that's coming out about how -- about Hunter Biden's computer. That was the best -- I saw that
as a grand slam.
REEVE: How do you think the debate went tonight?
JEANIE QUIRAM, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Great. Absolutely wonderful. Trump nailed him.
REEVE: Well, what was your favorite moment?
QUIRAM: Just all of it. I thought it was absolutely the best debate by far and it was great.
Trump 2020. Look at this baby, there he is.
DAWN NOWLIN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I was really glad he brought up all the Biden/Hunter e-mails, or the -- excuse me, Hunter Biden emails. Let's get
that right. I think he should have been more aggressive.
JOHN T. GRIFFIN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: John, I saw my number way up in the middle of the air, amen. Right?
REEVE: That was pretty good.
CROWD: Four more years! Four more years!
REEVE: And now to CNN's Jason Carroll with a view from the Biden side.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Minutes after the debate ended, a group of Democratic supporters who were gathered for a
socially distant backyard watch matter in a Mount Airy section of Philadelphia were ready to weigh in with their verdict.
(on camera): Who felt as though vice president Joe Biden met or exceeded your expectations during the debate? Show of hands.
DAMON WALKER, BIDEN SUPPORTER: Four more years of Trump is not going to work in America.
CARROLL (voice-over): Damon Walker, a correctional officer and father of four, agrees with Jasmine Schley who says some of Vice President Biden's
best moments came when he addressed the COVID-19 pandemic.
JASMINE SCHLEY, BIDEN SUPPORTER: When he talked about the families who have died because of coronavirus, it shows his humanity. And that's one
thing that you never hear President Trump mention.
He talks about the economy, he talks about his poll numbers, but he never takes the time to acknowledge the suffering of Americans.
WALKER: I believe he did what he needed to do, he answered all the questions and he stated the facts.
MACK DUNCAN, BIDEN SUPPORTER: He answered the questions, he had a plan. He explained it. That's it.
CARROLL: In this predominantly African-American middle class community, residents such as Billie Jo McKinney, a mom of five including a young son,
says Biden's answer on race in America made an impact.
BILLIE JO MCKINNEY, BIDEN SUPPORTER: He shows compassion for all races and the story about him saying that he has never had to teach his daughter
about holding her hands on the wheel, that's a big deal for me because I'm going to have to teach my six-year-old that and that's painful.
CARROLL: Also important for people like McKinney and Walker who, again, is a correctional officer, was to hear Biden's response to his past support of
crime bills that resulted in high rates of incarcerating African-Americans for petty drug offenses.
BIDEN: It was a mistake.
WALKER: He answered the question by first apologizing.
MCKINNEY: He took accountability and he apologized immediately. Something we have not seen from our current administration.
CARROLL: Biden scored points on character and integrity with the group after hearing what he would say to those who do not support him.
BRIAN CLINTON, BIDEN SUPPORTER: Joe Biden when he said it's human decency, American values are on the ballot in November. I thought that -- that
really spoke to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump didn't answer that at all.
CARROLL: The watch party organized by city councilwoman, Cherelle Parker, a Democrat who says beyond tonight's performance, it's Biden the candidate
who will ultimately drive supporters to the polls.
[10:20:06]
CHERELLE PARKER, PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCILWOMAN: One of the things that I like about Joe Biden the most is what you see is what you get. And people
from all walks of life know that they want a steady leader.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Philadelphia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We saw Elle in a town called Normal there in an election that is anything but, they. But hat's a look at the domestic front for you and we
started on the international one.
Well, next, we go super international as the International Space Station figures in this show, how this ties into the American election is up next.
Plus, we are live in Istanbul where there are new warnings of potential terror attacks and kidnappings against Americans in Turkey. That is later
here on CONNECT THE WORLD.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back.
Talk about making your voice heard in the U.S. election, at least one vote has been cast from the heavens. You are looking at U.S. astronaut Kate
Rubins getting her early ballot in, more than 400 kilometer miles from earth she made her choice from the International Space Station.
Well, she may in space, but she's not alone.
Back on terra firma, early voting is surging across the U.S. Look at this number, more than 50 million ballots cast already.
With just 11 days out from Election Day, then, President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden made their case last night in their final
presidential debate. Remember, we mentioned 53 percent of voters who watched it in a snap poll straight after the debate said that Biden was the
night's big winner.
But what really matters is what's going on at the voting booth, right? Millions of Americans turning out in large numbers especially in several
key battleground states like Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Georgia.
CNN's Harry Enten, the wizard of odds is here to help us navigate the bumpy and unpredictable yellow brick road to 270 electoral votes which are, of
course, Harry, needed to win the White House.
Good for you in your yellow shirt.
So, Harry, we are going to talk about why Joe Biden has a number of paths to 270 electoral votes. Assume that most of us, and I include myself in
this, need reminding every four years how this U.S. election works.
Why do you think that is?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER: Sure. So, you know, as you said, it's the path to 270 electoral votes, it's not the popular vote that
matters and last time, of course, Donald Trump lost the popular vote but got the majority of electoral votes, over 270.
Look at the seven closest contests that Trump won in 2016 and look at where the polls are right now.
[10:25:01]
What you see is that former vice president Joe Biden holds a lead in all of those seven closest contests. In Michigan, it's as high as nine points. In
North Carolina, it's as low as three points but he holds a lead in all of them. And that means even if he were to lose one or two of these he would
still have a number of viable pathways in order to reach 270 electoral votes.
ANDERSON: OK. So what is Biden's most obvious path at this point?
ENTEN: Sure, sure. The most obvious path is for him to basically win in a contest in which he holds a clear lead right now, five points or more, in
September and October. And that gets him to 279 electoral votes. So that's states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, those are states that Donald
Trump carried back in 2016. You add those to the states that Hillary Clinton did and you do, in fact, get Biden above 270 electoral votes.
So that is the clearest path for Biden to get to that electoral college majority.
ANDERSON: And what's his backup path?
ENTEN: Yeah, his backup path is pretty simple, right, which is essentially let's say he loses in Pennsylvania for whatever reason, but let's say then
you add up the states that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and you add in the states in which he held a four-point lead in both September and October,
and that gets him to, get this, exactly 270 electoral votes.
So in this situation he carries Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and that one congressional district in Nebraska, Nebraska and Maine have these weirdo
rules but if you win a congressional district in Nebraska you get that one electoral vote, you add that to the others and you get to 270 electoral
votes exactly.
ANDERSON: I knew you would throw in a spoiler just when I get my head around electoral votes once again in every state, there's always going to a
weirdo spoiler.
What happens if the Midwest just doesn't deliver for Biden, is there a map that could work?
ENTEN: Yeah, there is a map that could work and that is essentially what I would call his Southern strategy. Let's say he loses in Pennsylvania, loses
in Michigan, loses in Wisconsin. If he were to win in North Carolina which Trump won last time and Florida which Trump won last time, and Biden holds
the lead in the polls there, and you add that to the Hillary Clinton states, you do in fact get to 276 electoral votes for Biden. It is a tough
path but it is at least a plausible path.
ANDERSON: Isn't this fascinating.
What's Trump's most obvious path, then?
ENTEN: Yeah, his most obvious path is to hold on to most of the states he won last time, but then he needs to win in Florida, then he needs to win in
North Carolina, then he needs to win in Arizona and then he needs to win one of those, quote/unquote, Midwestern states, one of those states that's
in yellow on your screen.
I can't say this enough. If he doesn't win at least either Michigan, Wisconsin or Pennsylvania it's very, very difficult for him to get to 270
electoral votes and that's why I'm paying so much attention to those, quote/unquote, Midwestern battleground states at this point.
ANDERSON: Yeah, that is absolutely fascinating.
All right. Harry, pop quiz, were you listening a moment ago? Were you listening into this show? How many Americans have voted so far?
ENTEN: A little over 50 million Americans have voted so far in early voting and this is a huge, huge number. This is probably about a third of
the turnout that we are expecting in this general election. Those votes have already been cast.
ANDERSON: Wow.
ENTEN: That means that debate last night those people have already cast their ballots, the debate didn't matter for them. It's for the other 100
million that the debate may be the ultimate factor in who they vote for.
ANDERSON: Bingo. Well done. Thank you, sir.
ENTEN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Always a pleasure.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:31:07]
ANDERSON: Well, there is only one sorry in town this hour. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: You're sitting at the kitchen table this morning deciding, well, we can't get new tires, they're bald, because we have to wait another month or
so. Or are we going to be able to pay the mortgage. Or who's going to tell her she can't go back -- to community college?
They're the decisions you're making, in the middle class families like I grew up in Scranton and Claymont.
WELKER: Ten seconds.
TRUMP: That's a typical political statement. Let's get off this China thing and then he looks, the family, around the table, everything, just the
typical politician when I see that --
WELKER: Let's talk about North Korea.
TRUMP: I'm not a typical politician. That's why I got elected.
WELKER: OK.
TRUMP: That was -- let's get off the subject of China and let's talk around sitting around the table. Come on Joe, you can do better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, let's get a closer look at some of the facts from what was the last presidential debate of 2020.
John Avlon joining us now.
Look, it was calmer, it was more sober, people have described it as a real debate, there was a microphone muted button which I think the moderator was
-- didn't have to use as often as we had thought that she might. How did the candidates do, John?
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, I thought Biden actually had his strongest debate, better than the first, but all the attention has
been paid on the fact that Donald Trump had a relatively strong debate. I say relatively because that's the key. He did not light himself on fire
like he did in his disastrous first debate.
So, compared to the first debate, Donald Trump was a resounding success. He did not interrupt, he was constrained and probably benefited from the
presence of that mute button.
But compared to most standards of presidential debates, the sheer tonnage of lies as we've come to expect were extraordinary. He kept going personal
even though it was relatively restrained.
So, look, I think CNN's snap poll showed, Biden had a very good debate, Trump had a better debate, but on balance it was still Biden's night,
especially given the fact that he is in pole position at this point.
ANDERSON: Here is Donald Trump on Joe Biden last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He was there for 47 years. He didn't do it. He was now there as vice president for eight years and it's not like it was 25 years ago, it
was three and three quarters.
It was just a little while ago, right? Less than four years ago. He didn't do anything. He didn't do it. He wants socialized medicine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What did we learn about the candidate's plans for a second term? I know that this is something that you love to discuss when it comes to
Donald Trump.
AVLON: Yeah. I did a reality check on that yesterday because it's the question that he has the hardest time answering and, again, he did it again
tonight.
Whenever it's a forward-looking question, even the final question of the debate from the moderator who did an excellent job, by the way, said what
would you say on inauguration day to reach out to the people who didn't vote for you to reunite the nation and Trump didn't have anything, he just
defaulted to his campaign rhetoric.
Look, the clip you just played I think was an example of a strategy well- executed by Trump. It's something that his daughter has been saying on the stump. It's clearly a line that says, look, you are a typical politician,
you had time in office you didn't get things done.
He used three examples, health care, immigration, and criminal justice reform. I mean, in case, he didn't notice health care this he did get done
and it's been attacked nonstop ever since without a Republican plan to replace it. We are going to see a Supreme Court case about this in
November.
On immigration reform the reason that didn't get done is because Republicans blocked it and criminal justice reform the same thing. You
know, that divided government the last six years of the Obama-Biden administration made it difficult to do anything outside executive order.
These aren't exactly issues -- Trump got criminal justice reform done, he deserves credit for that.
[10:35:01]
It was with bipartisan margin.
He has not done anything on health care besides talk about it and try to kill Obamacare. And on immigration reform, he has done the opposite of
trying to fix it.
ANDERSON: Donald Trump has been accused of being a racist. I just want our viewers to hear this from him last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I am the least racist person -- I can't even see the audience because it's so dark, but I don't care who is in the audience, I'm the
least racist person in this room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump says often that he has done more for the black community --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's -- go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't even need to finish.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is full of (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Do you know what I'm saying? He has not done nothing.
I've had people say, well, he's not my president. I didn't vote. I said, well, did you vote at all? They said, no, no, you didn't vote. I said if
you did not vote you did vote for him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why didn't you vote in 2016?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't want Trump and I didn't want Hillary. I didn't really care who won that election.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what's your plan this election?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like Biden but I'm voting for Biden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I just wonder whether you believe much of what we heard last night will in the end move the dial for any one candidate. We have had 50
million people already vote in early ballots of course.
What's your perspective on the other 100-plus who still have to get out there and if they want to and cast a vote?
AVLON: Well, look, you know, the enthusiasm in the early vote speaks to the intensity of this election. Donald Trump supporters are hard core, but
the people who dislike Donald Trump are even greater numbers and they appear to be turning out. Look, decisions are made by people who show up
and I think one of the lessons that some folks took away from the last election.
This debate neither candidate did harm, it's a low bar but it's kind of the critical thing ten days out from a race, particularly from a person in the
front running position.
I think Donald Trump reassured his supporters, those who were maybe on the fence after a really bad first debate that he could be disciplined, he
could be focused, Republicans were taking it as a win because he did not light himself on fire, but I'm not sure that's enough. I don't think it's
enough at this point with a third of the electorate already voting to win out and reach new voters.
That's fundamentally Donald Trump's problem. His politics are always that of division not addition and that's why he's never been above 50 percent
approval rating in American polls. First president in American history never to be above 50 percent despite until COVID, a very good economy which
is actually hard to do.
ANDERSON: Harry Enten was with us just before we spoke to you and he was reminding us of the swing states, the states that really matter, the states
that this election will effectively be called on and there are a number of swing states where the African-American and Hispanic vote is
important/increasingly important.
Have a listen to Donald Trump last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: In 1994, when he did such harm to the black community and they were called and he called them "super predators" and he said that. He said it.
Super predators and they can never live that down. 1994, your crime bill, the super predators, nobody has done more for the black community than
Donald Trump.
BIDEN: I never ever said what he accused me of saying. The fact of the matter is in 2000, though, after the crime bill had been in the law for a
while, this is a guy who said the problem with the crime bill there is not enough people in jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I run that because you could argue that was one of Joe Biden's weaker moments last night.
In the ten days to go, were you a Donald Trump adviser and I know you are not obviously, but were you a Donald Trump adviser having had a more somber
-- you know, a more -- a less hot-headed, hot-tempered performance last night, what would you be saying to Donald Trump? What would his campaign be
telling him at this stage?
AVLON: Well, I think they will make a lot of what I think was actually Joe Biden's weakest moment of the night which was an answer where he basically
took Donald Trump's framing on the oil and gas industry and said he wants to do away with it.
ANDERSON: Sure.
AVLON: What he said in the past was he wants to get carbon neutral by 2050, but I don't think that will help Biden who is shockingly competitive
in states like Texas, possibly Pennsylvania, I think that's a message they will drive home.
Now, there's a method to the madness in Donald Trump, you know, making ridiculous claims about he has done more for the African-American community
than Abraham Lincoln which is totally absurd. What he has been trying to do is try to shrink Joe Biden's percentage of the black vote and the Hispanic
vote particularly among then men.
[10:40:03]
It's a game of margins. If he can get that down a little bit, it becomes more difficult, even though Biden has made real gains among senior
citizens. And so, that's what that's all about.
Attacking Biden over the crime bill, which they do persistently, given Trump's frankly racist law and order rhetoric, over much of his career,
including the Central Park 5, a case in New York, for them to be executed, who ultimately exonerated, has never made much sense. And, by the way,
Biden did not say super predator, that was Hillary Clinton, but they used it to great effect to depress the black vote in cities like Detroit and
Milwaukee and Philadelphia in those key swing states Harry Enten was talking about. That's why they're replaying that.
ANDERSON: All right. A fact check from John Avlon, do not say anything that you think is going to get passed Mr. Avlon. He is a fact checker
extraordinaire.
AVLON: That's it.
ANDERSON: Thank you, sir. That is why we enjoy having you on your show, the international community.
AVLON: Always a pleasure.
ANDERSON: And audience enjoys it. Thank you. That's a lot of election talk.
There's one lad who surely has everyone's vote right now, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, find out why and how we -- he took on the British
government, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This week, we've been tracking Manchester's mayor going up against the British government and losing.
But not so for Manchester United player Marcus Rashford. He is down but not out, dodging the government entirely to help feed kids in schools and
promoting private companies like this cab company, who are willing to help feed them for free. Fair play to him on that.
Christina Macfarlane is in the house for you.
For those viewers who don't know the background to this story, just explain, if you will, Christina.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, this has been a long campaign for Marcus Rashford, hasn't it, Becky. We've seen him in the
last three months pushing for food for underprivileged children in the U.K.
I can tell you we've been watching his Twitter feed all morning and it's topping about 100 businesses now across the U.K. pledging their support to
provide free meals during the school holidays. It's remarkable, Becky, that this young footballer just 22 has almost singlehandedly here started a
movement and done what no politician in the U.K. has been able to do and he's done it with poise, dignity, a laser focus whilst being able to shine
on the pitch for Manchester United. It is an incredible story and is still unfolding, this young player is quite exceptional.
ANDERSON: What a -- this is sort of a humanitarian we want to do more stories on, right? I know he wouldn't call himself a humanitarian, he's,
you know, he would probably call himself just a really good lad and that is exactly what he is and an exceptional footballer to boot as well.
I know you have a lot more on that coming up. We will be watching. We are going to take a short break.
"WORLD SPORT" is up after that break. I will be back at the top of the hour for you with the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD.
Stay with us.
(WORLD SPORT)
[11:00:00]
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