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The Situation Room

Trump Speaks to Supporters Packed into White House Event Despite Rising Number of Coronavirus Cases; White House Virus Outbreak Sparks National Security Concerns. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired October 10, 2020 - 20:00   ET

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

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[20:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN THE SITUATION ROOM: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special edition of The Situation Room.

We begin tonight, just 24 days until the U.S. presidential election, and with images from a White House event for President Trump, that in normal election year might have seemed ordinary but with the country now facing a looming second deadly wave of coronavirus, these images seen nothing short of reckless.

Yesterday the nation saw its highest single day number of positive coronavirus cases since mid-August, over 57,000 new cases, once again, just yesterday. And more than 214,000 Americans have now lost their lives to the virus in the past seven months or so.

But while it would seem to be a time for caution, this was the scene at the White House and in Florida, by the way, as well, where President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence held large in-person political campaign events, some masks, but little social distancing, seemingly putting their re-election campaign ahead of the well-being of Americans.

The president who, just a week ago, was hospitalized with the virus is now saying he will hold three in-person rallies across the country next week starting Monday. And the White House, so far, has been coy about when President Trump last tested negative for the virus, a virus that killed just yesterday 990, 990 Americans in just one day.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us from the White House right now. Jeremy, clearly, the president is intent on returning to the kind of in-person rallies that he loves despite his own medical condition. And once again, he is claiming without any evidence at all that the coronavirus is just going to go away. Tell us more, first of all, about this White House event and the president's plans for the coming days.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. The president clearly not chastened by the fact that he is dealt with some pretty significant symptoms of the coronavirus over the last week. The president's gathering hundreds of his supporters on the south lawn of the White House earlier today, the White House claiming that it was not a company rally but it looks like exactly that. You saw a hundreds of people tightly packed together with Make America Great Again hats on.

Now, they were mostly wearing masks this time, which is rarity here at the White House, but, Wolf, there was no social distancing and, of course, the CDC makes very clear that masks are not a substitute for social distancing, you should be doing both.

As for the president's rhetoric, he's continuing to make the exact same claims that he made before coming down with coronavirus. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Through the power of the American spirit, I think more than anything else, science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, we'll get rid of it. All over the world you see big flare-ups in Europe, big flare-up in Canada, very big flare-up in Canada, you saw that today. A lot of flare-ups, but it's going to disappear. It is disappearing and we have vaccines that are going to help and the therapeutics are going to help a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: Now, Wolf, the reality in the United States is nothing like what President Trump is explaining there. In fact, new daily coronavirus cases have been rising in recent days, coming to close to 50,000 new cases per day on average, Wolf. It is a startling reminder that coronavirus is very much here in the United States, even as President Trump continues to downplay it.

And, Wolf, he president is expecting to return to the campaign trail as soon as Monday. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the president will visit a trio of battleground states. And we can expect to see the same scenes that we have seen over this last several weeks of this pandemic, which is thousands of his supporters tightly packed together, very few masks and the president rallying them at the same time.

BLITZER: Given the president's past messaging when it comes to race, Jeremy, how much support can he count on from black and Latino voters, and they were largely there on the south lawn of the White House today?

DIAMOND: Well, Wolf, interestingly with the president has actually over performs the last Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, as it relates to Latino voters and Trump campaign officials have told me that they expect the president to overperform again in 2020.

But as it relates to black Americans, which was the target of this event earlier today, it was organized by Candace Owens, the black conservative activist, who was organizing this event to try and get black Americans to essentially leave the Democratic Party, come towards the Republican Party.

But, Wolf, every poll has shown that President Trump's support among black Americans is in the low single digits.

But what this event is really about, Wolf, and trying to address black Americans, it's really mostly an effort that targeted at white suburban voters, trying to create this permission structure for white Americans who have heard time and again the president say racist things, to try and convince them that the president is not racist, and to encourage them to vote for him.

[20:05:15]

BLITZER: All right, Jeremy Diamond, at the White House for us. Thanks, as usual.

We're going to get more of this poll numbers coming in later this hour. Our own Harry Enten is going to be joining us here. You will want to stick around for that.

In the meantime I want to bring in Dr. Patrice Harris. She is the immediate past President of the American Medical Association. Also with us, Dr. David Shulkin, Dr. Shulkin was the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Trump. To both of you, thanks very much for joining us.

And, Dr. Shulkin, does President Trump's push for events, like the ones we saw today, an event that are be taking place in the coming days, actually contradict medical guidance? How much do you question his judgment right now by what he's doing? Given the fact that a week ago, just last Saturday, he was still over at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

DR. DAVID SHULKIN, FORMER SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS UNDER TRUMP: Yes, Wolf, I'm very concerned about this. I think that this is a big, missed opportunity to tell the American public the truth and to educate them.

I think, unfortunately, he is showing all the signs and symptoms of CVS, which is COVID Denial Syndrome, which, of course, COVID Denial Syndrome has four factors. One is you believe the virus is disappearing despite evidence that it's not. You believe that you're not infectious even when you haven't taken a test. You believe that you minimize the signs and symptoms of this illness despite the fact that we had 213,000 Americans who have died of this, and, of course, this can be a very series illness. And, finally, you don't recommend social distancing so that this pandemic is allowed to continue and continue to proliferate in a way that we're seeing it.

So I'm very concerned about the way that this is being handled, and, you know, unfortunately, as you said, we're seeing no evidence that this pandemic is going away in this country, or, in fact, around the world.

BLITZER: You know, Dr. Harris, today we saw not only the president but the vice president, Mike Pence, also hosted an in-person political rally at the villages in Florida, a huge retirement community. A CNN producer who was there estimated just maybe 20 percent of the audience was wearing face masks. Based on the age alone, these attendees potentially, correct me if I'm wrong, they're in a high risk category. What do you say when you see a gathering, a political gathering like this?

DR. PATRICE HARRIS, FORMER PRESIDENT, AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: Wolf, we are entering a dangerous time, and certainly, the science will be and is required for us to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. But these are not either/or activities, these are and activities.

And so I was glad to see at the White House that a lot of folks were wearing masks, as you noted, there in Florida, not as many. But also social distancing is required, washing our hands, avoiding large crowds. And it's not just that the numbers are increasing, it's the time. We are about to enter flu season. We are more likely to be indoors because of the cooler weather. Folks are getting tired and fatigued and are gathering in smaller crowds. But all of this increases the risk of COVID-19. So I'm very concerned and I want people to know it's all of the layers of mitigation that science requires.

BLITZER: As you know, Dr. Shulkin, the White House continues to avoid answering questions about when the president actually last tested negative for coronavirus. Explain to our viewers why it's so critical to have that information. They won't even tell us if he's tested negative already.

SHULKIN: Well, I think it's so important for us to know when the president first developed signs of having the virus as well as when the virus became significant enough to test positive, because that's the way we tell when and if it's safe for the president to go back out. Of course, we do recommend repeat testing, in fact, two negative tests. You should be symptom-free for 72 hours without being on symptom-mediating medications and having two negative tests separated by 48 hours is the best evidence to suggest that you are not spreading the virus.

But I think most important is, is that it's important to be transparent about this information with the American public. And when you're not transparent about the information, people assume that you're hiding information. And this is all part of the erosion that we are seeing in the confidence of those that are in scientific physicians and health professionals. And we need to have confidence in our health professionals during a time of a national pandemic.

BLITZER: Yes. The president's physician hasn't held a media briefing on the president's condition since the president left Walter Reed, which was last Monday. He issued a few very short statements in writing, but no opportunity for reporters to ask questions.

Dr. Harris, today, the president cited flare-ups in Europe and Canada and, yes, there are some flare-ups in Europe and Canada, but made no mention of the fact that the U.S. has had whole lot bigger flare-ups, more than 50,000 new cases for three days in a row now, or that forecast models are now projecting nearly 400,000 American deaths by February 1st. What do you make of his continued claims that this virus will disappear, that it's just going away? HARRIS: Well, I think the facts and the data really contradict that opinion. We are absolutely going in the wrong direction. And, certainly, those numbers are alarming. Now, those are projections. And, Wolf, as you've heard me say so many times, we don't have to reach those numbers. We have the power, each of us, within our own hands, to wear mask, watch our distances, wash our hands and avoid large crowds.

And the other thing, Wolf, we need to do now that we are just entering the flu season is to get a flu vaccine. And particularly it's important, and I want members of the black and Latin X community to certainly become informed and get a flu vaccine, because last year, over 400,000 of us were hospitalized. And if you look at data from the CDC over the last decade, black and Latin X communities were disproportionately impacted when it comes to hospitalizations for the flu.

BLITZER: All right, guys, thank you so much. Dr. Patrice Harris, Dr. David Shulkin, always important having your views here in The Situation Room. Thanks so much for joining us.

SHULKIN: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: The president faced the coronavirus himself and yet he is reverting to that rhetoric that the virus is disappearing as the virus has spread among the top levels of the U.S. government. What are the national security implications of all of this?

The president's former national security adviser, John Bolton, there you see him, he's standing by live. We have lots to discuss right here in The Situation Room.

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[20:15:00]

BLITZER: The coronavirus pandemic is certainly a national health crisis that is not slowing down here in the United States at all. And as the virus spreads to the White House, and top levels of the U.S. government, there are serious fears it could become a major national security crisis as well.

President Trump's former national security adviser, Ambassador John Bolton, is joining us right now. His best selling truly explosive and important new book has entitled, The Room Where it Happened, A White House Memoir, there you see the cover. Ambassador Bolton, thanks so much for joining us.

So, you worked for this president on a day-to-day basis. What do you make of his actions since coming out a week ago from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland? Is this the same person that you saw on a day-to-day basis or do you believe he has changed? JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: No, I think it's exactly the same behavior. He doesn't need steroids to behave this way. That's the way it normally is. He tries to shape the world to be the way he wants it, through his own rhetoric, by intimidating people, by denying facts, by creating facts. And he's trying to do the same thing here.

I think what is increasing the pressure is the proximity of the election, because he can see the numbers like anybody can, he's in trouble and he doesn't have a strategy to turn it around.

BLITZER: Why is it so hard for President Trump to simply say, wear a mask and practice social distancing? Why is it so hard? That would save thousands and thousands of lives, if he told his political supporters out there, the base, you got to do this.

BOLTON: Yes, it certainly would have. And I think they would have gone along. I think they would have followed his lead. But if you go right back to the very beginning and, I mean, really at the end of last year, even before the first signs were raised in this country, there was no effort by the president to develop a strategy against contingencies of what about might happen with the disease. It was exactly the opposite. He denied the reality of it. He denied there was a problem in China and he denied the possibility of that problem could come here.

It's the same approach. If I say there's no problem, if I say it's going to go away in the spring, it will go away in the spring. You know the virus didn't get the memo and we are paying consequences. But this is Donald Trump at work. And a second term would be no different and probably will be worse than the first term.

BLITZER: Yes, and that is why you're not supporting him. As you know, all but one member of the U.S. military Joint Chiefs of Staff, the generals, the admirals, they were forced to self-quarantine this week. If you were still the national security adviser over at the White House, what would you tell the president he needs to do to keep our country safe right now?

BOLTON: Well, I think him setting the example is the best way to do it. I think he needs to focus not simply on the re-election campaign but he's got to make it clear, it can be done privately. It doesn't have to be done publicly.

To our adversaries around the world, don't think this is a moment to try to take advantage of this, not just because of the campaign but because of the virus. Don't think that you're going to slip something by on us. I think that is very important.

Not that they would challenge us directly but they would try and take advantage of us in ways that we might -- they think we're not paying attention to.

[20:20:01]

And I think that persist right through the election, and if there is a change in the presidency through the transition too.

BLITZER: Well, do you suspect that adversaries, you know, whether Russia or China or North Korea, for that matter, or Iran, might seek to take advantage of the uncertainty our country is going through right now?

BOLTON: Yes. I think they can see the president is not paying any attention to much of anything other than his own re-election. So just today, for example, in North Korea, their 75th anniversary parade for the ruling party, they rolled out what they claim to be an important new intercontinental ballistic missile.

Now, rule one, is take everything North Korea says with a grain salt. But if, in fact, they have now develop something that, with any degree of accuracy, can hit the United States, that's a significant disproof of four years of the Trump administration, North Korea policy. Russia has crisis in Kyrgyzstan, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in Belarus, in Ukraine, all along it's perimeter, it could try and take advantage of. And China is always on the lookout whether in East or South China Sea or along the border with India.

So there a lot of potential flash points and danger points. I think this adversaries need to know this is not the time to think you could sneak something over on us.

BLITZER: I know the president's national security team, whether at the defense department, the CIA, the State Department, the National Security Council, they brief him, but do you think he really pays a lot of attention to this various crisis that you just mentioned?

BOLTON: No. I suspect he doesn't even know that some of them are going on. The president has never been interested in learning about facts he doesn't know about it, except to the vital extent that they affect his re-election campaign. And I suspect in a world where he generally doesn't pay much attention to intelligence briefings right now, he's probably paying almost no attention at all.

BLITZER: Well that's very worrisome indeed.

As you know the former CIA, NSA Director Michael Hayden recently endorsed Joe Biden. In fact, nearly 130 former Republican national security officials are backing Biden right now. So what does that tell you about the president's handling of national security? And you know most of these former Republican national security types.

BOLTON: Yes. Well, I'm not backing Biden, just to be clear. I'm going to write in the name of another Republican. But the fact is the president doesn't have his own philosophy. He doesn't have a grand strategy. He's not a conservative Republican. It's perfectly all right to conservatives not to support him. And I think in al second term, once he is free of re-election, if he wins, he's going to be even more erratic in his decision-making.

That's part of what is a national security threat, by the way he's handling the pandemic. It is the continuing confirmation that he just makes decisions on the spur of the moment without ever thinking through adequately the cost and benefits and the pluses and minuses of these decisions.

BLITZER: As a result of that, and as you know, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is actually supporting a bill in Congress that would give Congress a new and more sophisticated, stronger role in determining whether our president must be force out of office because he is incapable of doing his job. Do you think Congress deserves a new say, an added say in this given what's going on with this president?

BOLTON: No, absolutely not. Look, that was part of a constitutional amendment to deal with presidential incapacity. It's probably the worst single part of the amendment. And I have to say, I don't know who the political advisers to the speaker are and to the other in the House bringing this forward now. This has to be the single worst moment from their own perspective, because it looks like an effort to try and assume power from the president. Why they just wait and let the American people vote? What is so hard about that?

BLITZER: 24 days to go, people are -- millions of Americans are already voting. Early voting is going on in so much of the country. Ambassador John Bolton, as usual, thank you so much for joining us, stay safe out there.

BOLTON: You too. Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Up next, today's White House event was billed as a pitch to black and Latino voters, a group disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. Will that pitch work? As an infected president says COVID-19 is disappearing, his words, even as new cases are rising right now in 28 states. That's next.

We'll be right back.

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[20:25:00]

BLITZER: As concerns mount over a second wave of the deadly coronavirus here in the United States, and the CDC is now warning that events in Washington, D.C. should remain below, below 50, this isn't what the White House event looked like today, hundreds of people gathering on the south lawn of the White House, very closely together, not social distancing, by and large.

CNN Legal Analyst, former Federal Prosecutor Laura Coates is joining us now right now. Laura, this was an event to reach minorities. Do you think the president understands the toll this coronavirus has taken on minorities in our country?

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, even before today, it was clear that he did not, because, of course, he has been essentially downplaying the virus in a way that just really belies the data. And we know for a fact that the coronavirus is being able to exploit so many of the existing and equities we have, from the idea of even social distancing in some parts of the country being a luxury, the idea of environmental injustice that is taking the toll, and, of course, affordable and good access to health care in this country is also part of it.

[20:30:04]

And so he has an event where on the one hand he is ignoring the guidelines. And then he's having a crowd that has a large member -- a large number of people who are people of color and voters. It seems to be simply counterproductive and counterintuitive and says he doesn't quite understand what is really at stake here.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: You've hosted a really excellent CNN town halls on race and coronavirus. What do you make of the President's appeal to minorities today?

COATES: Well, one, I think that we mentioned at our town hall, over the summer, with a number of different mayors across this country was the idea that they were grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and people's desire to exercise their first amendment rights to speak out against social injustice, following the killing of George Floyd.

And even they had concerns, despite the extraordinary concerns and righteous concerns about social injustice in this country, they knew they had to temper it with the idea of being safe of making sure that people on the one hand could voice their concerns, air their grievances, promote change, and also be cognizant of the deadliness of this particular disease.

Now, you have the President of the United States who has an opportunity to reconcile the two and to try to promote, not only understanding and social justice, but also recognition of just how impactful it is. And he misses the mark on this particular issue. That and the notion that he talks about Black Lives Matter and continues to address that in a way that seems to undermine his understanding or perceived understanding about systemic racism in this country.

And frankly, one can't speak out of both sides of their mouths, you can't talk about the idea and the need for progress and change and reform, and then deny that there was ever a root cause to promote those changes.

BLITZER: The President, Laura, was asked yesterday about racial tensions in this country by the conservative radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh. Here was his take on the Black Lives Matter movement. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter. I said, that's such a terrible term, because it's such a racist term. It's a term that sows division between blacks and whites and everybody else. And it's a very bad term for blacks. But they're they were very angry. It's a Marxist organization.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: So, when you hear that, what's your reaction, Laura?

COATES: Well, I don't understand how three words that are, frankly benign, could be evoke a visceral reaction from the president of the United States. Think about the other words we have, we the people, I mean, phrases like this don't evoke the same visceral reaction. We're talking about the idea of acknowledging people's humanity, which is all it really is. Now, he wants to infer a great number of other things in there and apply this Marxist connotation to these three words.

But essentially, he again misses the mark by saying to himself and the entire world that he is offended by the premise that humanity should exist for all people. And so, I don't understand why he continues to do this, and on the other hand, try to promote his campaign among people who he is saying, well, I guess your lives don't matter. That term in and of itself is offensive. It does not sow division unless you are trying to transform those three words into divisive rhetoric. He's doing that when he makes comments like this.

BLITZER: Yes. He says the Black Lives Matter movement and Marxist. Earlier this week, he said Senator Kamala Harris as a monster -- called her a monster and a communist several times. You know, it's very, very disturbing.

Laura Coates, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it very much.

COATES: Thank you.

BLITZER: As the coronavirus pandemic still grips the nation, we're just, what, 24 days from Election Day. What are the voters watching for in these final few days? Stay with us, we'll tell you when we come back.

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[20:35:01]

BLITZER: Twenty-four days until the election here in the United States, and President Trump appears to be putting reelection before health, both his own health and the well-being of other Americans. Today, over at the White House, the President addressed the crowd largely of young black and Latino voters.

Meanwhile, in Florida, Vice President Mike Pence was hitting the campaign trail with several large in-person events, including a lot of elderly Americans. CNN senior political writer and analysts. Harry Enten is joining us right now.

Harry, President Trump is planning rallies in the next few days in three battleground states to events, like the one we saw today help the president with voters?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, Wolf, I just got to be honest with you, I don't know what the heck the President's thinking. I mean, we have numbers on this, which basically asked whether or not he's acting responsibly or irresponsibly given his infection. And when our own CNN poll found was 63 percent of American said that Trump's handling the risk of the COVID-19 infection and people around him that he's acting irresponsibly. I don't get it from an electoral angle. I simply just dumped.

BLITZER: Today's event, as you know, Harry was attended by members of the group Blexit, which works to persuade African-American voters to abandon the Democratic Party for the Republican Party. Is there any sign out there? And you look at all the numbers very closely that it's actually working?

ENTEN: Yes, I mean, all I do is look at numbers all day. You know, I stay inside, look at them. Here's the deal. Look, Joe Biden is winning black registered voters overwhelmingly. He's winning him by 75 points in the national polls, in my average of polls. Clinton won them by 79. You want to argue that Trump's maybe being a little successful in pulling more African-Americans into the Republican tent, you can.

But at the end of the day, the margins that he's gaining simply put aren't good enough, given how much more poorly he's doing among white voters than he did four years ago. So, the answer to that is maybe a little bit.

BLITZER: You know, Harry, the polls show that Joe Biden is ahead right now, but you say, and this is important, the President Trump is still in the race. Tell us why.

[20:40:07]

ENTEN: Yes. You know, the first thing -- the first part of your question right there, sort of, gets at it, right? Joe Biden is clearly ahead. He's up by 10 points at this point. He's over 50 percent. He's doing better than Hillary Clinton did four years ago. At this particular point, he was only at five and well under 50.

But here's the key nugget, you know, there are a number of elections, I went back and look 24 days before the election, essentially, where were incumbent presidents polling at this point, versus their final margins. And we do see that there are examples of presidents who did come back and when we're trailing at this point. Truman was trailing by six, he won by four. Bush was way down. He was down by 13. He only lost twice. And Barack Obama, eight years ago, was down by a point and he ended up winning by four. So, look, Trump's in trouble at this point, but there is still a chance he can pull off victory based upon history.

BLITZER: If he gets that base of this, actually, turn out and vote in big percentages, that would be his strong hope.

The President is going to Iowa, as you know this week, that should be a relatively easy win for him. Is his visit there more about the tight Senate race perhaps or what's going on?

ENTEN: Yes, I mean, perhaps so. I mean, obviously, if you look at the Senate map, you know, Joni Ernst, the Republican incumbent is in trouble there, but so is President Trump. You know, Iowa was a state he won by nine points four years ago. And right now, if you look at the polls, he's down by two to Joe Biden, in Iowa. So, you know, I think, yes, he wants to help out Joni Ernst, but he also wants to help out himself. And the fact is, if he doesn't win Iowa, he's trailing in other places that he desperately needs to win, such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. So, the fact that he's going to Iowa and the fact that he's down there right now, is a really bad sign for him, Wolf.

BLITZER: Harry Enten, always good to have you here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Thanks very much for joining us.

ENTEN: My pleasure. Great to be with you.

BLITZER: All right. Thank you.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended so many lives out there and the impact of sickness, loss jobs, uncertainty can be devastating. Today is world Mental Health Day, what you could do to keep you and your loved ones mentally healthy. Dr. Patrice Harris, she's standing by. We will discuss when we come back.

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[20:45:40]

BLITZER: Young adults who should be starting their lives or instead finding themselves stuck on pause, as they wait for the -- for an end to this terrible pandemic. They're also seeing the virus take a toll on their families and their friends.

CNN's Kyung Lah has more now on what some hard-hit members of Generation Z are going through.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hannah and Joseph Kim knew growing up would be tough, but the siblings never imagined it'd be like this.

HANNAH KIM, LOST BOTH PARENTS TO COVID: Towards the end of April, they consecutively went to the hospital. It was my grandmother first and then my dad the next day and then the next day, it was my mom.

LAH: COVID-19 took them one by one, over just a few months, leaving the 22-year-old and 17-year-old Joseph, alone.

KIM: My parents are gone. And for the last three months, we didn't even have capacity to think about our futures. You know, we're just scrambling to save her parents.

LAH: She has no time to grieve, no time to show her loss.

Hannah is in college now. Joseph in high school with no extended family nearby or a clear path for how to make a living.

KIM: This is a memorial that we made for our parents, so we could just remember them and, you know, look in every day.

LAH: They're part of the hardest hit age group in the COVID economy, young people. Generation Z and millennials have America's highest rates of unemployment. About half say they or someone else in their household, have either lost a job or had a pay cut since the pandemic began.

JOSUE MARTINEZ, SURVIVED 45 DAYS IN COVID-19 COMA: You don't have a choice like I work or get sick, or I end up in the street.

LAH: 29-year-old Jose Martinez is the sole breadwinner in his household, paying the rent for this small converted garage he shares with his mother and girlfriend. He kept working at his job at CVS during the worst of the virus in California. Martinez says employees were notified that a COVID positive patient had visited the store in March.

MARTINEZ: That's when I started getting all the symptoms, that's when I started getting the fever, the cough. And at the end, I was like I couldn't breathe at all.

LAH: This is what happened to Martinez. For 45 days, he was in a medically induced coma nearly losing his life in intensive care. Weeks later, he survived, but he's dependent on a walker before the age of 30.

LAH (on-camera): Do you think that this will impact your ability to make money or to work in the future?

MARTINEZ: Yes, I do. So, any activity I would have been -- I was doing normally, like now, I'm like limited like I can't do.

LAH: Young Americans with no choice, but to deal with the hand they've been dealt.

KIM: I'm still alive and my brother is still alive and we're healthy and so yeah, I think that's just pockets of joy is what I'm looking for and is what keeps me going.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Wow. Thank you, Kyung.

In August, the CDC, by the way, released results of a survey showing that the pandemic is having a significant impact on American's mental health. They found elevated levels of anxiety, and depression, more substance abuse, and higher rates of suicidal thoughts impacting people of all ages and races across the country.

[20:50:07]

Dr. Patrice Harris is back with us right now. A very timely conversation. We're going to have Dr. Harris. You know that today is World Mental Health Day as a result, and you're a psychiatrist, can you explain to our viewers the mental toll this pandemic is taking right now as it drags on and on and so negatively impacting more people every single day?

DR. PATRICE HARRIS, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, Wolf, yes, today is World Mental Health Day. And it gives us an opportunity to stop a moment and reflect and raise the level of awareness about the importance of mental health as a critical component of our overall health. And such a powerful story we just listened to, because we know that pre-COVID, and I know this in my own personal practice as a child and adolescent psychiatrist, we were seeing young folks who were reporting and dealing with increased level of depression and anxiety. And since COVID, which has affected lives for so many of us, but particularly our children.

Survey after survey report an increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression and inability to cope, and also those who had a diagnosable mental disorder prior to COVID note that their symptoms are worsening. Now, again, these symptoms and these issues didn't start with COVID, but definitely COVID has negatively impacted the mental health of so many in our country.

BLITZER: What groups of people, Dr. Harris, seem most at risk of the field of mental toll of this pandemic? We're talking about frontline medical workers, caretakers, those who have lost loved ones, the unemployed, the young, the middle aged, the old, what do you think?

HARRIS: You know, Wolf, it's certainly everyone. Now, early on in the pandemic, we saw the toll it took on those who were working on the front line. I think you and I even chatted about physicians and other health professionals who were writing their own or rewriting their wills, updating their wills, living apart from families, which is very difficult and brings up issues of their own. So, I think that, you know, issues around mental health, no age limit, they certainly may impact ages in different ways, but certainly all of us, certainly.

And by the way, Wolf, it's normal in times of uncertainty to feel increased stress and anxiety. But if these symptoms are prolonged, if folks feel like they can no longer cope using their typical coping skills, if their ability to function is impaired, by the way, that's the time to seek help. And there is no shame, there should be no stigma around seeking help.

BLITZER: Dr. Patrice Harris, as usual, thank you so much. So important, all this information indeed. We really appreciate it very much.

Let's take a quick break. We're getting some major news coming in from the White House right now. We'll update you when we get back.

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[20:55:53]

BLITZER: There's breaking news out. We have a brand-new statement from the President's physician, Dr. Sean Conley about the President's health. I want to bring in our White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond.

So, it's a short little statement, I see, but what's in this new memo?

Well, the news, Wolf, from the President's physician, is that he is essentially clearing President Trump to return to public activities, saying that the President can -- did a coronavirus test this morning. One of those a molecular PCR test which are considered the most accurate types of test, and that it says that the PCR sample demonstrates by currently recognized standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others.

That Dr. Sean Conley goes on to say now a day 10 from symptom onset, fever free for well over 24 hours and all symptoms improved. The assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained revealed there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus. And he goes on to say that moving forward, he's going to continue to monitor the president clinically as he returns to act -- an active schedule.

So, obviously, Wolf, this is the news that the President had been waiting for, the news that the White House had previewed for us saying that they would let us know once Dr. Sean Conley had cleared the president to return to public activity, and once he had gotten a negative coronavirus test. Of course, Joe Biden has also been calling for the President to release that information once it comes in. And so now here it is, Wolf.

Of course, this is notable because President Trump is expected to resume his campaign schedule this coming week. He has three rallies scheduled Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And this is essentially what the President had been waiting for in order to have the full confidence of the doctor to say that he is able to go out there and resume a schedule where he is interacting with other people.

Of course, I'll let the doctors weigh in on the details of this, Wolf. But based on what Dr. Conley is saying here, the President is no longer a risk of transmission to other people as it relates to coronavirus.

BLITZER: Well, that's very important and very encouraging. Let's bring in Dr. David Shulkin, the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Trump. So, what's your reaction, Dr. Shulkin? A brief statement from the President's position Sean Conley?

DR. DAVID SHULKIN, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS: Wolf, it's very good that we're finally getting some information, it's just not clear to me why they haven't been transparent with this all along. We still should know when the President tested negative. Was there a test? Just yesterday that had been positive, did this just turn negative? So, it would be good idea, I believe, for the White House and for Dr. Conley is transparent as possible about what all these test results mean, so that the American public can understand what we're dealing with.

BLITZER: Let me read another sentence from the statement from the doctor, it says this. Now at day 10 from symptom onset, fever free for well over 24 hours and all symptoms improved. The assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained revealed there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus. So, translate that.

SHULKIN: Well, what that means is that he hasn't had symptoms for over 24 hours. Our general recommendations are to be symptom free for 72 hours, off all symptom mediating medications like Tylenol, aspirin, or Motrin. So, while technically, the PCR test shows that he doesn't have back the virus, 72 hours is a safe recommendation. The President has been symptom free for 24 hours.

BLITZER: So, the bottom line is there are still questions that need to be answered, but it's encouraging that at least this statement coming out on a Saturday night.

SHULKIN: It is. You know, all long, I think that they should have been transparent about what these lab tests were showing, and it's finally good news that at least they're releasing this one test. I believe that they should be able to release the results of the prior tests that have happened as well.

BLITZER: And what would also be encouraging and important is for Dr. Sean Conley to go out and meet with the reporters and answer questions, because even though there's some good news here, there's still plenty of questions that need to be answered.

Dr. Shulkin, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

SHULKIN: Sure.

BLITZER: A new CNN global Town Hall, "Coronavirus: Facts and Fears," that's getting ready to start right now. I'll be back tomorrow. See you tomorrow.