Return to Transcripts main page

Inside Politics

Capitol Hill Reckoning With Coronavirus; NY Gov. To Deploy National Guard To A Coronavirus Containment Area In NYC Suburb Of New Rochelle; Voters In Six States Head To Polls In Biden-Sanders Showdown. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired March 10, 2020 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:33:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Keeping our eyes up on Capitol Hill. The President of the United States and members of his economic team going up to meet with Senate Republicans today to try to propose some economic steps to help deal with the coronavirus.

And just moments ago, a new number of confirmed coronavirus cases here in the United States, 773. Today, more signs as we wait to see the President of coming Capitol Hill reckoning with the coronavirus. Six lawmakers are isolating themselves after being exposed to an individual who tested positive for the virus. Three of them are over the age of 60, putting them in the most at risk of serious complications.

All the lawmakers say they have no symptoms and the decision is more adamant abundance of caution than immediate concern. Another lawmaker though, Texas Republican Louie Gohmert, came in contact with that same individual, but he is still strolling around the Capitol Hill hallways even leading tours. That drastic departure and approaches shows not everyone will handle the virus, in the same way. Take the President and his Vice President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've been tested?

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have not been tested for the coronavirus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has the President been tested?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he been in contact with people who were in proximity to somebody who had the virus?

PENCE: Let me be sure to get you an answer to that. Honestly, I don't know the answer to the question. But we'll refer to that question and we will get you an answer from the White House physician very quickly.

(END VIDEO CIP) KING: The White House said later that the President has not been tested as it feels he needs to be tested that he's feeling great. He has been in the proximity of people who at least have been in the proximity of people who met -- including Matt Gaetz, a member of Congress, as you saw there. But they have said, no, that is not necessary. The Vice President say, no, it's not necessary.

[12:35:02]

I don't know what the right answer is. What I do know is that people take cues from their leaders at a time like this, and especially in the case of the members of Congress or the President's incoming Chief of Staff, Congressman Mark Meadows, saying, you know what, we were in contact with this person, probably shook his hand. We're at this meeting. We're going to self quarantine for at least a number of days to be safe here. Louie Gohmert wandering around the Capitol leading tours, again, I don't know the right answer or the wrong answer. But consistency would help, wouldn't it?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I think no question. But I mean, I think the Vice President's answer there was very -- he's been a governor. He's, you know, been in not situations like this. But he, you know, was very much trying, I think, to get a little more information out there and perhaps the right information. The difference between the President and the Vice President on this is fascinating.

But look, I think going forward I mean, like Mayor de Blasio, as we saw at the beginning of the show, he's handling a different to than other places. But there's no question, we're seeing the cancellation of classes like at the Ohio State University, Harvard, and other places. This is going to spread and be slightly worse before it hopefully gets better. But that is happening because more people are being tested out there.

So it's hard to imagine that this presidential campaign, to put it back to politics, is going to continue in the same way with big rallies and other things. So the Trump campaign is very sensitive to this. So they're saying that they are going to announce a rally at some point. We'll see if that happens. But look, this is why we need, you know, honesty and credibility from government. And it's a challenge for this administration.

KING: It's a challenge. And that -- if you just look at it, I'll show you a map approach here just to deal with the, you know, the exponential growth in the number of cases and the spread of the cases. Now, that does not mean people have to panic, it just means people have to be careful. If you look at March 3rd, on March 3rd, there were 13 states, right, 13 states. Now we move forward to where we are now, 36 states, you know. You just see the map filling in, that means more state public health services, more school systems, more big transportation systems, more sports teams, pick your environment where people gather in large numbers, and you have to deal with it.

Here's another way to look at it here. We had these numbers prepared before the show and just before we came on the air, New York changed its number, it's now 173. So you see the numbers going up. And this again, this is what all the public health experts said to expect that this is a nasty virus. The number is going to go up. And the deaths have been confined largely to people over the age of 80 so far. But in terms of the number of cases and the public health challenge, and the challenge on state governments and local governments and school systems and alike, is only going to grow.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: President Trump is 73 years old. The top two leading contenders on the Democratic side are also in their 70s. Most members of Congress are older. And the fact that they are in the risks, basically, a higher level of risk, makes it very clear that something needs to be done to change the way that they're acting.

We have heard that President Trump's personal doctor is sitting in on some of these coronavirus task force meetings to get a sense of the spread, figure out where the virus is spreading and whether or not President Trump should be going to some of these places. But his campaign has put out a very different message saying, you know, everything is as normal. We're proceeding normally. There's no reason for alarm. The President is going to continue to hold rallies. We saw him shaking hands yesterday.

So there's a difference between his administration who's saying that, you know, people who are older should be not traveling as much and taking precautions. And President Trump and his campaign were saying the President feels fine. There's nothing that needs to change. We're going to continue with our political schedule as normal.

KING: We will see if that changes as we go through the day since the number of cases spread. But let's just watch it from day to day.

[12:38:17]

And as we go to break, in China, the show of confidence that of course the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting the City of Wuhan today, saying the spread is quote, basically contained. Chinese officials are reporting a steady decline in the number of cases across Mainland China.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: More breaking news now on the coronavirus pandemic. The New York State governor says he's calling in the National Guard to do containment around a cluster of infections in his state that he believes is likely the largest such cluster in the country.

CNN's Brynn Gingras has the details. Brynn, it sounds like a big deal. How significant is this?

BRYNN GINGRAS: It's a significant deal, John. And this is really the biggest move we've seen taken so far, especially here in the State of New York. The governor is going to define a containment area in New Rochelle, which is a town in Westchester County, where they're seeing a significant number of cases, as you've said, calling it a cluster. And essentially, this containment area for two weeks time starting in two days is going to be shut down. Schools are going to be closed. Businesses are going to be shut down. Facilities are going to be closed. And the National Guard is going to go in and help deliver food to homes, help clean up public areas, all during these two weeks. So this is a significant move to show you the numbers of course 170 cases we now know about in New York State. A 108 of those cases are in Westchester County, again, with that cluster being in New Rochelle.

Remember, this is where that attorney, one of the first cases of the man tested positive for the coronavirus. And it seems to have just sort of expanded ever since that case happened. So again, we're still getting details about the definitions of this containment area from the governor himself. But those are the highlights there, John.

[12:44:29]

KING: We'll keep an eye on that in the days ahead, Brynn, appreciate the breaking news there. Again, we're waiting for the United States. He's going up to Capitol Hill. When you see stories like this, the President up on Capitol Hill trying to propose some new steps to help with the economic impact of the coronavirus, we'll keep an eye on the President. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLA KENNARD, MICHIGAN VOTER: I think there's a clear shift in the DNC where we're seeing Joe Biden become the establishment choice, which is concerning to me. My sentiment that this is a fight not just against Trump, but about the pervasiveness of racial inequalities in America, it's a fight against the forces that come against a woman's right to choose, it's a fight against failing education and healthcare systems. It's a fight against climate change. And quite frankly, I don't see this being prioritized by Joe Biden or the DNC.

(END VIDEO CIP)

KING: Now Kayla Kennard gets one vote like everyone else. So her take on Joe Biden isn't necessarily representative. But it does illustrate a Biden challenge. African-American voters have been a giant strength for the former vice president. But the antiestablishment pitch of Bernie Sanders does resonate with younger voters across the board. Tonight will be a test of this coalition building. Kayla lives in Michigan. She lives here in Wayne County. I'm looking at the 2020 map now. We'll get these results tonight.

[12:50:18]

But let's go back in time to the 2016 Democratic primary. Hillary Clinton ran it up big in Michigan even though she lost the state in Wayne County. She won big. We're going to watch that tonight. Another place to watch though is the suburbs. The coalition Biden has been able to put together, African American voters plus suburban voters. And if you look at the map tonight, we'll come back to 2020 and pull it all the way out for you.

Here's why it matters in three of the big prizes tonight in Michigan, Missouri, and Mississippi. African-American voters will be 21 percent or so, they were in 2016, 21 percent of the 2016 primary, Missouri, 71 percent more than seven and 10 in Mississippi. Biden hoping to put together the same coalition he had to win the Super Tuesday States, African-Americans, suburban voters.

And Sanders, let's be honest, has struggled so far to match that Biden coalition. So he's sharpening the case now that Hillary Clinton he tells Democrats should be proof to Democrats now, that establishment backing is not the way to beat Donald Trump in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A campaign like Joe's, which is frankly the same old, same old establishment politics supported by the wealthy. And they got all the governors and the senators supporting them. Does anybody really think that that is going to be the campaign of excitement and energy that's going to grow the base that we need to defeat Trump? I don't think so. I say that honestly as a friend of Joe's.

(END VIDEO CIP)

KING: Let me say this, honestly, don't we think that if all the governors and senators were with Bernie Sanders, he'd be kind of happy. I get it. I get it. They're not with him. But, you know, but as Joe Biden says, mounting this up, the Sanders take against it is that's bad, not good.

ZELENY: He's happy with the members of Congress who are with him and the others. I was at a rally in Grand Rapids on Sunday, Jesse Jackson was with him. He's not a member of the establishment, but you know, he's been around for a while.

So I mean the reality here is that Senator Sanders is sort of grasping at a few things and talking about Joe Biden's old voting record on abortion and other matters. I'm not sure that voters right now in the moment are that concerned about that, except on the arguments of the economy and other things.

So I'm fascinated to see how these voters choose. But the burden is on the Sanders campaign to get these younger voters and other voters out. And so far they've been unable to do it.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN COMMENTATOR: Exactly. All they talk about growing the youth vote, all -- as Tarini was saying like that he hasn't done that. So until he actually can put those numbers on the table. It's just talking points.

KING: But if -- go ahead.

TARINI PARTI, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I think the problems that Bernie Sanders might faces a lot of people's view establishment as safe, and that's in some ways what people are looking for in 2016. They don't want to take a risk because they want someone who can beat Trump. And making -- portraying Joe Biden as the establishment choice, he might view that as a criticism of Biden, but for some people, especially older black voters who are risk averse at this stage, might not view that as necessarily a criticism of Joe Biden.

KING: The flip side is, if Biden succeeds, he goes on to win the nomination, he is going to have some work to do with Sanders supporters with the young woman like a like Kayla Kennard there. We met her back before the debate a long time ago. She was originally Elizabeth Warren voter. Now she says she's likely to vote for Sanders because she doesn't like the establishment per se.

Up, the President of the United States up on Capitol Hill with the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri. You see the vice president in behind there, the Treasury Secretary as well. The President is up there to try to sell economic stimulus proposals. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President. Why not? Mr. President, why not get tested?

(END VIDEO CIP)

KING: Up the President goes into the Senate Republican luncheon. It happens every Tuesday. A thumbs up to the reporters there. No words. Nice try Manu.

Well, let's come back as we wait to see if we get any news out of the President's visit. Let's go back to the idea that -- so you're Joe Biden, let's assume you keep having success, you're going to have to reach out to the Sanders supporters. Last night on MSNBC, Joe Biden was asked what would you do if somehow the House passed Medicare for All and then Bernie Sanders got Medicare for All through the Senate and you were the President of the United States?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would veto anything that delays providing the security and the certainty of health care being available now. If they got that through and by some miracle, and there is an epiphany that occurred, and some miracle occurred that said, OK, is passed, then you got to look at the cost. I want to know, how did they find a $35 trillion?

My opposition is into the principle that there should be -- there should have Medicare. I mean, you know, everybody in healthcare should be right in America. My opposition relates to whether or not age doable, two, what the cost is and what the consequences for the rest of the budget are.

(END VIDEO CIP)

KING: Why not just say, hey, Larry, that's a hypothetical. I'm not going to answer that. If I'm president, we're going to expand health care for everybody. I'd love to have Bernie Sanders on my team. I might say I would veto it.

ZELENY: You know, he's been wanting to be president for a very long time. He's never had the veto event. Biden has a lot of things in his career. He's not had that. So look, I think that -- I'm not sure that that's going to change any votes. And it is a hypothetical in every degree. I mean, like even imagine a Democratic controlled Senate passing that. It's hard for me to get my mind around that.

[12:55:15]

KUCINICH: Exactly. It is a little bit like unicorns riding on a rainbow. That said, Joe Biden is no stranger to a gaffe. I think he was being honest.

KING: He's being -- always being incredibly honest. And maybe that's the best way to do it. If there's a more political answer to not alienate the Sanders supporters, but I guess you're right maybe authenticity sells, we will see.

Thanks for joining us to Inside Politics. I hope to see you here tonight for our special coverage of Super Tuesday II back here tomorrow to analyze the results. Don't go anywhere, busy News Day, President up on Capitol Hill. Brianna Keilar starts after a quick break. Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:00]