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The Situation Room

Trump Visits Kenosha; Interview With Martin Luther King III; Federal Panel: Convalescent Plasma Shouldn't Be Standard Care For COVID-19 Despite Trump Promise Of Breakthrough; Jill Biden Says, Trump's America Is Chaos; New Book: Trump Medical Visit Prompted Officials To Put Pence On "Standby" To Temporarily Assume Office. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 01, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: President Trump has just finished a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, despite pleas from local officials to stay away.

The president addressed the shooting of Jacob Blake during his remarks, saying he feels terribly for anybody who goes through that. Blake's family did not approve of Mr. Trump's visit and refused to speak with them. The president once again denied the existence of systemic racism in the United States, but he did orchestrate a show of support for local law enforcement in Kenosha, announcing $1 million in funding, so they can -- quote -- "go out and do what you have to do."

Also breaking, a big setback for a potential coronavirus therapy touted by President Trump. A panel convened by the National Institutes of Health says there's no evidence backing the use of convalescent plasma as a standard treatment for COVID-19. Mr. Trump had called the therapy a breakthrough late last month.

We begin our coverage this hour with CNN's Jeremy Diamond outside the White House.

Jeremy, what was the president's main message in Kenosha earlier this afternoon?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, President Trump spent nearly three hours in Kenosha today. He surveyed some of the damage from the fires there, visiting one destroyed business. And he also met with law enforcement.

He focused most of his rhetoric talking about -- quote, unquote -- "left-wing violence" and condemning anti-police rhetoric that he sees from some politicians. But, in those three hours, Jim, the president did not say Jacob Blake's name once.

That's the black man who was shot seven times last week by a police officer. The president only addressed the shooting when he was actually asked a question about it by a reporter. And, in that case, he said that he feels terribly about the situation.

But, of course, Jim, the president did not today meet with the family of Jacob Blake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A thing like this should never happen.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Tonight. President Trump surveying Kenosha, Wisconsin, a week after police here shot a black man in the back seven times.

But the president all but ignored that tragedy, instead lamenting the property damage caused by riots that followed the shooting and delivering political remarks.

TRUMP: Reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and our law enforcement are oppressive or racist. They'll throw out any word that comes to them.

DIAMOND: Also taking credit for a National Guard deployment he did not order.

TRUMP: This ended within an hour, as soon as we announced we were coming, and then they saw we were here. This ended immediately.

DIAMOND: Falsely claiming federal troops marched into Kenosha and ended the unrest. The reality, all National Guard troops in Wisconsin are under state control.

As for Jacob Blake, Trump addressing the situation only after questions from reporters.

TRUMP: I feel terribly for anybody that goes through that. As you know, it's under investigation. It's a big thing happening right now. I guess it's under a local investigation.

DIAMOND: Blake's uncle saying above the fray.

JUSTIN BLAKE, UNCLE OF JACOB BLAKE: We're not going to get caught up with him. He wished we would, and we're not. We're here to heal Kenosha and push forward our agenda for getting little Jake justice.

DIAMOND: Today, Trump denying the existence systemic racism in policing.

TRUMP: No, I don't believe that. I think the police do an incredible job, and I think you do have some bad apples.

DIAMOND: A day after he compared the police officer who shot Blake to a golfer cracking under pressure.

TRUMP: you know, a choker. They choke. Shooting the guy -- shooting the guy in the back many times, I mean, couldn't you have done something different? Couldn't you have wrestled him? I mean, in the meantime, he might have been going for a weapon, and you know there's a whole big thing there. But they choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt. DIAMOND: Trump also making excuses for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year- old charged with killing two people during Kenosha protests.

TRUMP: He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him.

DIAMOND: And while Joe Biden delivered blanket condemnation of any violence...

JOSEPH BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to stand against violence in every form it takes.

DIAMOND: Trump refusing to condemn violence by his supporters.

TRUMP: That was a peaceful protest. And paint is not -- and paint is a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets.

DIAMOND: Trump is also spinning new conspiracy theories. Controlling

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS: Who do you think is pulling Biden's strings?

TRUMP: People that you have never heard of, people that are in the dark shadows.

DIAMOND: And then there was this:

TRUMP: We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend. And, in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear.

A lot of people were on the plane to do big damage.

DIAMOND: The president providing no evidence to back up his strange claim.

TRUMP: This was a firsthand account of a plane going from Washington to wherever. And I will see if I can get that information for you. Maybe they will speak to you. Maybe they won't.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND: And, Jim, the president was also asked today whether he supports the use of body cameras by police officers nationwide.

The president didn't seem to have given much thought to this issue previously, which is surprising, given it's been part of the national conversation for years now.

[18:05:03]

Instead, he punted the question to Bill Barr, his attorney general and then ultimately offered his response, which was to say the body cameras are very tough, but, ultimately, they offer both sides of a story.

ACOSTA: And, Jeremy, you have new reporting on the White House's response to coronavirus and some internal tensions between advisers. What can you tell us?

DIAMOND: That's right, Jim.

With two months ago until this election and coronavirus cases in the U.S. topping six million now, the president is increasingly turning to this new medical adviser, new coronavirus adviser. And that is Dr. Scott Atlas.

Now, he is not an infectious disease expert, like Drs. Fauci and Dr. Birx. Instead, he is somebody who has much more experience in terms of free market capitalism, and he is more aligned with the president's views in terms of reopening the economy, much less focused, it seems, on some of the mitigation and suppression measures.

And this has led to a lot of tension within the White House, I'm told, particularly between Dr. Atlas and Dr. Birx, the White House's Coronavirus Task Force coordinator. I'm told that they have actually clashed at the White House several times now.

Now, behind all of this, Jim, is this growing resignation, it seems, within the upper rungs of the White House to this virus. There seems to be -- rather than going all in on mitigation and suppression measures, there's a much, much larger focus on reopening the economy and, ultimately, this belief that this virus is going to continue to spread no matter what they do.

And so that is what they are focused on is ultimately a vaccine. That seems to be their ultimate hope here, is kind of just doing what they can to keep hospitals from being completely overwhelmed, but not doing the necessary to try and suppress this virus and bring cases down to near zero.

That is, of course, what Drs. Fauci and Dr. Birx would much prefer to see. Instead, this White House seems to be focused on simply waiting it out and waiting for a vaccine -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And it all begs a question, where's Dr. Fauci? Why don't we see him more on television? Why is he not at these press conferences with the president and so on?

He's obviously more trusted than most people in the administration on this issue.

All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much for that.

Let's get more on the latest developments out of Kenosha right now.

Our CNN national correspondent, Sara Sidner, is joining us.

Sara, you have been speaking with the Blake family. What did they have to say about President Trump's trip to Kenosha?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, there's a lot of people who have been asking why the president hasn't spoken to the Blake family. And the real answer is from the family members I have spoken with is

that they don't want to talk to the president. They don't like what he has been saying over his term that he has been in office when it comes to the racial divide in this country.

I want to let you listen to his uncle, Jacob Blake's uncle, Justin Blake, after we asked him if he had a message for the president, or if he or anyone in the family was interested in meeting with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Do you want to talk to the president? Does anyone from the family want to talk to President Trump?

BLAKE: Not that we're aware of. I can't speak for everybody. But it seemed like the general consensus was, he's been in office for years. The foul things that have flowed out of his mouth has been incentive for police officers all over this country to brutalize black young man, and it happened here in Kenosha.

And that's what he seems to be the chairman of. So there couldn't be any good conversation that we would have. We have to focus on little Jake, and let him focus on his agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Talking about focusing on little Jake, what they did today was have a community picnic, basically, a barbecue outside right in the area where Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back.

It was an uplifting event. There were children, there were families, there was barbecue and a lot of fun. And they want to keep it that way. They say, look, they are all for having peaceful protests, but they are against any kind of destructive protests, knowing what that means for the people who live here and how to deal with the aftermath.

I also want to mention just quickly that there is new information about the investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake. We're hearing from the state Department of Justice, and they say that they have collected at witness interviews, they have collected 102 evidence items, and downloaded about 28 videos.

It'll be interesting to see if those videos show a better picture and a longer picture of exactly what happened before Jacob Blake was shot -- Jim.

ACOSTA: People want to get to the bottom of this investigation in that community. I know that. And so do you, Sara.

Sara Sidner, thank you very much for that.

Let's bring in two attorneys for the Blake family for more on that, B'Ivory LaMarr and Patrick Salvi.

Patrick, let me start with you first. Can you give us an update on Jacob Blake's health? I spoke with his

father last night, and he said his son's condition is worsening, but he's still holding on for dear life, in the words of his father. What can you tell us?

PATRICK SALVI JR., ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF JACOB BLAKE: Well, thank you, Jim, for having us on.

I can tell you that Jacob's injuries are such that are not only incredibly painful, but they do make an ongoing threat to his life. He has multiple bullet holes in his abdomen. And so, when you think about it, he's paralyzed from the waist down.

[18:10:13]

And the extent to which he has core strength has been compromised by the severe abdominal injuries. So it's very, very challenging. They have begun (AUDIO GAP) and so hopefully that helps Jacob improve.

But it remains a very, very serious situation.

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

And, B'Ivory, the president traveled to Kenosha today, where he did not reference Jacob Blake by name, and he said he feels terribly for anybody who goes through that. He also says this is a -- quote -- "complicated subject."

What is your response to how the president conducted himself today?

B'IVORY LAMARR, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF JACOB BLAKE: Well, the -- and thanks, Jim, for having us on.

We -- the family has reiterated on several times that they didn't want this tragedy to become a political issue. We didn't want this to be -- to gain political points. And I think that it begs the question, the motivations in Donald Trump coming in for this visit.

I think that the conversation needs to be had. I think that there needs to be a dialogue among these issues, that this has been going on for far too long. The lead counsel in the case, Ben Crump, has said over and over again that enough is enough.

And I find myself right now echoing the same sentiment. I think that Jacob Blake should be the primary purpose and the primary focus. That is what is causing this country to be in an uproar, not only in the city of Kenosha and the state of Wisconsin, but all across this country.

We want to thank all the supporters. I mean, this is a local issue. It started as a local issue, but now it's a national issue. So, if we're really about looking for meaningful change, then we would expect that not only the local leaders look to find solutions in that capacity, but also the national leaders and the president to be the head on making sure that we effectuate that type of change.

ACOSTA: And, Patrick, President Trump also likened officer-involved shootings to golfers who choke and miss a putt.

It sounds as though that's what he's saying about what happened to Jacob Blake, that these officers choked. What do you say to that?

SALVI: Well, I think that's an unfortunate comparison.

And there are two main reasons why I think that. First of all, he made reference, I believe, to there only being a quarter-of-a-second with respect to decision-making. That's not true.

There were many seconds, if not a couple of minutes, during which -- and we believe the evidence will come out that the police officers were the aggressors. And so they did not de-escalate. They did not approach this situation trying to solve it peacefully, but rather, escalated, were the aggressors. And we know how this ended.

So that's not a quarter-of-a-second decision. Secondly, he seemed to make reference to this situation being akin to a kill-or-be-killed circumstance. Look at the video. This is not that situation. At no point in time was Jacob's momentum towards the officers.

And what you see is that the officer is pulling on his shirt and then fires those seven bullets into Jacob's back. If he was concerned that Jacob had a knife, why wouldn't he back away? So, that doesn't make any sense. This was not a kill-or-be-killed type situation that President Trump was describing.

And, really, as we believe the video evidence will reveal, the callousness and the recklessness of this officer is such that, when you look on the other side of the vehicle, there are people in the line of fire. There are people on the other side of that vehicle, all of which were African-American, that could have been hit by a bullet that missed or that went through Jacobsen through a window.

And so that just highlights the recklessness that these officers and this one officer in particular brought to the situation. So, that is in no way, shape or form similar to missing a short putt, not even close.

ACOSTA: All right, B'Ivory LaMarr, Patrick Salvi, thank you very much for joining us and offering those insights. And please keep us posted on how the family's doing, how Jacob Blake is doing. We appreciate all of those developments. And thanks for joining us.

A special note to our viewers. Join Wolf Blitzer tomorrow evening for an exclusive hour-long interview with Attorney General William Barr. That's tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

And just ahead, a major setback for a coronavirus therapy promoted by President Trump. A panel of government experts just announced that convalescent plasma should not be used as a standard treatment. We will have details on that.

Plus, I will speak with Martin Luther King III about all of today's developments from Kenosha.

[18:15:03]

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: And breaking news.

President Trump's visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, is sparking controversy and new questions.

Let's discuss with our senior legal analyst, Laura Coates, and Martin Luther King III, a global human rights leader.

Let me start with you first, Martin, if I can.

The president traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, today not to meet with Jacob Blake, who remains in the hospital after he was shot in the back by police, but to focus on law enforcement.

What did you think of the president's visit today and the message that he had with him today?

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, PRESIDENT & CEO, REALIZING THE DREAM: Well, I thought that his visit strictly a political visit to drum up support for his base.

[18:20:05]

And it's so unfortunate that the leadership to bring people together is not reflected. We heard the Blake family basically saying that they are ignoring what the president is doing, because the president, the way that he has presented himself in the past and currently is presenting himself is not the spirit in which they would want to see.

They're trying to rebuild and bring the community together, which I think is very appropriate.

ACOSTA: And, Laura, as you saw earlier today, as we all saw, when the president was in Kenosha, he dodged this question about systemic racism. Let's listen and talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Do you believe systemic racism is a problem in this country?

TRUMP: Well, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland and here and other places. It's tremendous violence. You always get to the other side. Well, what do you think about this or that?

The fact is that we've seen tremendous violence, and we will put it out very, very quickly, if given the chance, and that's what this is all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What do you think of that, Laura?

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well the president of the United States, by trying to avoid this question and calling it the opposite subject, when it really is the common denominator of all of the instances we have seen not only this summer, but over the course of time -- we have to confront the idea of systemic racism and its impact and influence on the very department he oversees, the executive branch, whose job it is to enforce the law.

And so we can avoid this topic if we're going to lead to accountability. And the president, by trying to off-ramp to a different discussion and trying to deflect to an area of violence and focus on that, rather than what the underlying issues are that are confronting the peaceful protesters, we won't really move the needle at all, will we?

ACOSTA: No, that's true.

And, Martin, Jacob Blake's father described this systemic racism that he sees in the justice system. He was talking to us about this on THE SITUATION ROOM yesterday and was very passionate about it. It was very moving.

He says there are two systems in this country, one if you're black, the other if you're white. Can you talk a little bit more about that reality? And why is it that so many Americans, and I guess including the president, don't seem to get that?

KING: Well, when you think about the fact that, in the criminal system -- and notice I said system, as opposed to justice system -- you see a heavily -- heavy population of African-American, 60, 70, 80 percent and more in some cases.

You do see a large brown population, and you see very, very poor whites. But the reality is, 14 percent of the population can't be committing 80 percent of the crime. It really is profiling and targeting.

And until we address this, again, it goes back to the systematic racism, a system that is inherently racist and does not acknowledge it is. Before we can ever address it, we have to acknowledge the problem exists. And then, as a community and as an nation, we will address this issue.

But I don't believe people are going to stop what they're doing, the peaceful demonstrations, the demonstrations in general. Every action creates a reaction. And the fact of the matter is, no one has talked about -- we never talk about the police actions.

No one was rioting or looting in Kenosha until Mr. Blake was shot. So that has to be addressed before anything can be addressed.

ACOSTA: And, Laura, in questioning why the officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake didn't do something different, the president likened their actions to a golfer who choked on a three-foot putt. What did you think of those comments? COATES: I mean, I'd like to offer the president of the United States a

dictionary, because his word choice is so incredibly tone-deaf.

The idea that we saw this entire controversy, the idea of the national conversation a reckoning about race and, as Martin talks about, the criminal system, because a black man was choked by a police officer under his own knee of Officer Chauvin -- and he's being charged for that right now -- I mean, the idea that you would now use the word choke to convey some sentiment about what the police officers have done, and to analogize it to a golf course or some sports analogy instead, is so tone-deaf.

But it also says to you, as Martin was talking about, the idea of -- that accountability is only reserved for some. The idea that you can have a benefit of the doubt that is extended to police officers because they make mistakes, and you can qualify it as that, but you don't extend that same benefit of the doubt to so many black and brown people across this country over time really does speak to those two parallel justice systems in America.

As a prosecutor, I saw thousands of defendants come into my courtroom all of the time in Washington, D.C., and I can tell you, a city that's not overwhelmingly African-American, I can count on one hand the number of white defendants who came across my radar.

And that wasn't because they weren't committing crimes. It has a lot to do with profiling. It has a lot to do with the types of community policing that goes under -- unnoticed.

[18:25:03]

And so you have got these cyclical issues. And the president of the United States using words like this suggests that he does not understand for one second what is at stake here. And that is so unfortunate when people are still fighting for their lives.

And, by the way, police officers also would not want this word choice used. They would like to make sure that they are not profiled in the same way that others are as well.

ACOSTA: And we have noticed the president has a limited vocabulary at times. So, perhaps that explains it as well.

Laura and Martin, thank you very much for that. We appreciate it.

Just ahead, breaking news: A panel of experts says there's no evidence backing the use of convalescent plasma as a standard treatment for COVID-19. The announcement comes less than two weeks after the president touted it as a breakthrough.

Plus, we will have new details on a mysterious visit President Trump made to a Washington, D.C., hospital last year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00] ACOSTA: And we're following breaking news. A panel convened by the National Institutes of Health has just announced that convalescent plasma, a potential coronavirus therapy touted by President Trump as a breakthrough, should not be considered standard care for COVID-19.

CNN's Nick Watt has the latest. Nick, this is a big blow to a coronavirus treatment. Many people were banking on it, including the president.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Jim. Listen, it was hyped by the president, it was authorized last week by the FDA with the commissioner exaggerating the benefits. It is a blow for two reasons. First, it's a promising therapeutic that might not be so promising but also this kind of back and forth just further erodes our trust in our leaders who, pretty soon, might have to convince all of us that it's okay to take a vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: Three potential vaccines now in crucial phase three human trials here in the U.S., but the FDA suggested one could be approved before those trials are over, now raising more than eyebrows.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: You don't want a vaccine to be available widely to the American public unless it has been shown to be safe and effective.

WATT: The FDA commissioner now intimating he'd consider resigning rather than green-light a vaccine under political pressure.

DR. STEPHEN HAHN, FDA COMMISSIONER: I think all options are on the table with respect. I hope you won't be in that position.

WATT: Such seismic statements now necessary because through previous misstatements and political pressure.

DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We have started eroding the trust that we've always had in these otherwise incredibly professional institutions.

You can't just have the vaccine. You've got to get it in people for it to work. And so trust is a critical element to make that happen.

WATT: If and when we get a vaccine, it will be initially in short supply. And independent committee now recommending it goes first to health workers and people with underlying people. Phase two would be other high risk and essential workers, including teachers, all of elderly and our prison population.

While we wait, nationally, new case counts are falling from a great height. Florida finally allowing some visitors into nursing homes again.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): They just would like to be able say goodbye or to hug somebody. So, it was, you know -- WATT: But there is a knot in the heartland where average new case counts are rising right now, near double in South Dakota in just a week. The White House coronavirus task force just warned Iowa it has the highest rate of cases in the nation, advising mask mandates across the state, bars must be closed and a comprehensive plan for college towns. More than 20,000 confirmed cases and counting at colleges in at least 36 states as students return.

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: The only way to find them in a university setting is doing the aggressive testing.

WATT: New York City just pushed back in person classes by ten days and announced it will test some K-12 staff and students monthly, hardly aggressive.

ADM. BRETT GIROIR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, HHS: It's great to talk about this utopian kind of idea where everybody has a test every day and we can do that, I don't live in a utopian world.

WATT: But as one CNN analyst tweeted, that's what White House staff and major league sports get now. Sure, let's call it utopia when it's for the less privileged.

Meanwhile, remember that summer Sunbelt surge sparked by Memorial Day? There is another holiday weekend coming up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we approach Labor Day, let me encourage people to be mindful the virus is still looking for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: And today, Dr. Fauci saying that how we all behave this weekend is pretty going to set the stage for what the fall might look like with COVID-19 when, of course, we might also have flu mixed in with all this mess. Jim?

ACOSTA: Nick Watt, very important information there. Thank you very much.

Let's get some more analysis in all of this from CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen.

Dr. Wen, thanks so much.

As you saw earlier today and mentioned by Nick Watt there, the National Institutes of Health now says there is no evidence to support the use of convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus patients.

[18:35:03]

What has studies of this treatment found and what do you make of this news that came out today?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: So the studies, so far, were not randomized controlled trials, which are the gold standards. So they compared actually just the low dose versus the high dose that people receiving convalescent plasma and the individuals of patients enrolled in these studies also about other treatments as well, including dexamethasone, remdesivir, these other treatments that are proven to be effective.

So this is not saying that convalescent plasma is not going to be proven to be effective eventually. It's saying that we need more research. And, frankly, we need more research to also figure out things like which patients will benefit, at what dose will they benefit? Is it early on in the illness or is it later on in the illness? We need to answer all these questions and we have to follow the science rather than taking shortcuts.

ACOSTA: And, Dr. Wen, I mean, I'm sure you saw this. There was a lot of excitement about the use of convalescent plasma to treat seriously ill coronavirus patients. The president was touting it. The FDA was touting. We've heard the calls for those who have recovered to donate. Is this now becoming the latest example of another mixed message when it comes to finding a treatment for this deadly virus?

WEN: There is no doubt that that's true, Jim. I mean, we have seen this type of mixed messaging all along and it's really hampered our response, because public health depends on public trust. And where there is mixed messaging from our elected officials versus our public health experts, that leads the public to wonder who should I be listening to.

And in this case, again, we don't know. Maybe convalescent plasma will turn out to be an effective therapy, but we need to do the studies and really let science drive the process, not political expediency.

ACOSTA: And we're also learning Dr. Scott Atlas is increasingly having the ear of the president, overtaking doctors we've come to know and trust, like Dr. Fauci. What does this indicate to you about the administration's approach to fighting this pandemic?

WEN: Well, we've heard Dr. Atlas say some very concerning things. Even in recent days, he has touted, it sounds like something like herd immunity, which is a very dangerous concept. We've also heard Dr. Atlas talk about how asymptomatic people may not need testing, how children should be back in school because children don't get very ill.

I mean, these are things run against the sentiment and the understanding of science and public health experts. And so we really need to listen to Dr. Fauci and our top public health officials.

ACOSTA: Okay, absolutely. All right, Dr. Leana Wen, thank you very much for all of that. We appreciate it.

Coming up, an exclusive CNN interview with Joe Biden's wife, Jill Biden. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00] ACOSTA: And now, a CNN exclusive, Jill Biden, wife of the Democratic presidential nominee, says President Trump did not have a strategy to reopen schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. And she talks about education under a Biden administration.

CNN's Bianna Golodryga has the interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL BIDEN, WIFE OF JOE BIDEN: As a teacher and as a mother and as a grandmother, I mean, I just feel that, you know, we are in Donald Trump's America and there is just so much chaos. And I feel that educators don't know what to do, students don't know what to do.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: The education secretary has been asked time and time again whether there's a plan, what is the plan about reopening schools. And there doesn't seem to be one.

BIDEN: No.

GOLODRYGA: Does that surprise you and what would a plan look like in a Biden administration?

BIDEN: It doesn't surprise me coming from Betsy DeVos. I mean, I don't think she ever felt invested in America's public schools. She didn't have a strategy. Trump didn't have a strategy. There're so many things that Joe has already planned to do, and that includes replacing the secretary of education with somebody who has been in the public schools. Joe Biden will listen to the educators.

So he is already planning to give funds to schools so that they have enough supplies. He's already talking about handling some of the broadband issues, investing in broad band, so that every child across America will have access to the internet.

GOLODRYGA: We know the downsides of children not being in school. What is your response to those that argue that those repercussions aren't weighed as much as coronavirus is?

BIDEN: Oh, I hear it from educators all the time. Jill, we need more mental health support across the board. Because just like you're saying, now children are at home, domestic violence has increased, child abuse has increased, children are dealing with anxiety. And then now, when children come back into the schools, they're bringing all of that with them.

GOLODRYGA: This picture went viral of a five-year-old boy in Georgia who has just broken down in tears while he was learning online. What is your message to boys like this one, his mother, and, of course, he speaks for millions?

BIDEN: My message is when Joe Biden is elected that he won't be sitting there crying. He will be sitting there with his laptop with a smile on his face. Joe has empathy. He understands what families are going through. [18:45:00]

GOLODRYGA: Teachers are now having to focus on a syllabus, and that only has to deal with talking to children about a pandemic, but also racial inequality and injustice in this country.

What is your message to the black children in the classroom to remind them that their lives matter?

JILL BIDEN: I think that people, especially today, need to have hope that things are going to get better. Joe Biden will heal this country. Joe brought our family together and healed our family. And he will do the same for this nation. And that is who Joe Biden is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: And, Jim, both Jill and Joe Biden will be meeting with education experts tomorrow in Wilmington. They'll be talking to them about some plans going forward. That will be followed by Joe Biden giving an announcement and some plans about his own back to school programming and getting kids back to school on a safe basis and getting them back soon.

I asked Joe Biden, given her expertise as an educator, how often she brings up the subject of education with her husband. She says on a daily basis. I asked if she plans on having a future advising him if he's going to be president, and she said she does not think she would like to continue being a teacher though.

ACOSTA: Interesting. A lot of Americans are anxious about their kids going back to school, so a very important subject there.

OK, Bianna Golodryga, thank you so much for that.

Just ahead, a new book just revealed intriguing clues on President Trump's sudden visit to a Washington, D.C. hospital. Was Vice President Mike Pence preparing to temporarily assume the powers of the presidency?

We'll have details right after the short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:51:20]

ACOSTA: A new book is shining light on a medical mystery surrounding President Trump's unexplained visit to a Washington, D.C. hospital late last year.

CNN's Brian Todd has been digging into the story.

Brian, what are you finding?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding that trip by President Trump to Walter Reed Medical Center, now a new book seems to indicate that White House officials had concerns over what might happen during that visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): President Trump's unannounced visit to Walter Reed Medical Center last November, raising new and troubling questions tonight about transparency from the White House. In a forthcoming book obtained by CNN, "New York Times" reporter Michael Schmidt not revealing his sources says Vice President Pence was put on standby to temporarily assume the powers of the presidency, if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required anesthesia.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: But it makes you wonder what is that, and will it lead to anything more down the road? He was only in the hospital for just over an hour. So, you know, we know that it's unlikely he was anesthetized, it's unlikely had a procedure done, but something that day got people really worried.

TODD: Pence did not end up assuming the powers of the presidency that day. At the time of Trump's Walter Reed visit, the White House called it routine, a former White House physician who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton says there could be a straightforward explanation.

DR. WILLIAM LANG, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN: The president travels, the job of the military unit and medical unit is to make sure that all contingencies are covered. So we don't know what the details of this reported to, have the vice president on standby. This may just have been the routine. The president is going to the hospital, let's make sure we've got all of our standard -- standard operating procedures in place.

TODD: Trump tweeted: It never ends, and denies the suggestion from a fringe author that he suffered a series of mini strokes.

Trump's White House physician doctor, .Dr. Sean Conley, also denied that. And in a statement today said the president remains healthy and I have n concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him.

But CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, says they remain too many unanswered questions over unusual occurrences surrounding that Walter Reed visit.

GUPTA: They say that is the routine visit, but nothing about this visit was routine, on a Saturday, unannounced, doctors on the car with him. They say it had nothing to do with the brain or the heart, but, frankly, most routine things can otherwise be taken care of at the White House. So, this doesn't make sense.

TODD: There have been other attention grabbing moments. On two separate occasions, President Trump had to steady one hand with the other while drinking water during speeches. He seemingly walked hesitantly down a ramp at West Point this summer, steadying his feet at every step.

He made an unfounded claim at the time that the ramp was slippery, and he did not want to fall in front of the, quote, fake news.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This was a steel ramp, it had no hand rail. It was like an ice skating rink.

TODD: Through all of, it the president and his doctors have repeatedly contended he is healthy, but one medical ethicist is concerned about the secrecy.

PROF. ARTHUR CAPLAN, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF MEDICAL ETHICS, NYU LANGONKE MEDICAL CENTER: But this worry is we have an election between Trump and Biden, and Trump somehow in the middle of this became somewhat incapacitated, but covers it up, doesn't let us know that the person we are going to vote for may become increasingly disabled during second term.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: And we have this just in, a short time ago, Vice President Pence said he does not recall being on standby that day in November when the president went to Walter Reed Medical Center. In an interview with Fox News, the vice president said he has always informed of the presidents movements and is always ready, but he doesn't remember anything out of the ordinary about that day -- Jim.

[18:55:08]

ACOSTA: All right. The mystery continues.

CNN's Brian Todd, thank you very much.

And we'll have more news straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Finally tonight, we remember some of the lives lost during the coronavirus pandemic.

Deloris Janet Greene of the South Carolina was 73 years old. Deloris was a teacher for 37 years, and known as a great cook. She never missed a chance to make a Sunday dinner with the people she loved.

Hugh Fryer of New York was 86. He made his career as a banker, but also loved playing poker with his friends. His family tells us he was a life long Yankees friend and a loving grandfather.

May they rest in peace.

I'm Jim Acosta. Thanks very much for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.