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The Situation Room

Interview With Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Trump Ends Coronavirus Relief Negotiations; White House Coronavirus Outbreak Grows; Updated FDA Guidelines Close Door On Vaccine Before Election; Michigan Health Officials Issue New Mask Mandate After State Supreme Court Struck Down Governor's Order; Biden: Mask Wearing, Social Distancing Aren't Political Statements; Source: Senior Adviser To Trump, Stephen Miller, Tests Positive For COVID. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 06, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:33]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're following breaking news on President Trump's abrupt decision to end negotiations on a new economic coronavirus relief bill, leaving millions of Americans in need right now, as he's battling the infection himself.

The Dow sliding nearly 400 points today, and Democrats fuming. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it's more evidence of disarray in the White House, where a COVID-19 outbreak is growing tonight. We just learned a fourth White House press aide has now tested positive since the president's diagnosis.

The pandemic also hitting the Pentagon, where senior military leaders are now in quarantine, after exposure to an infected U.S. Coast Guard official, all this as the president's doctor says his vital signs are stable and he's not reporting any COVID symptoms.

Despite Mr. Trump's illness and the time spent in the hospital, he's continuing to dangerously mislead the American public about the pandemic tonight, as the U.S. death toll rises above 210,000.

Let's go to our chief correspondent Jim Acosta.

Jim, the president is making some huge decisions while his health is still uncertain.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He certainly is, Wolf.

The president's doctors claim Mr. Trump continues to do extremely well as he recovers from the coronavirus here at the White House. Sources tell CNN aides remain concerned about Mr. Trump's health, even as the president would like to deliver some kind of an address to the nation on his progress, but it does not appear at the moment that an address in the nation will happen tonight.

As he's grappling with the virus, Mr. Trump did tweet out one major announcement, calling off negotiations with Democrats over a new coronavirus relief bill. That surprised some advisers, as more staffers here are testing positive for the coronavirus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): With the president's health cloaked in secrecy, Mr. Trump's lead physician, Dr. Sean Conley, released a statement, claiming the coronavirus patient in chief is doing just fine, saying: "The president reports no symptoms. Overall, he continues to do extremely well."

Back at the White House, Mr. Trump is throwing his weight around, announcing he's ending talks with House Democrats over a new coronavirus relief bill, tweeting: "I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election, when immediately after I win we will pass a major stimulus bill."

Sources tell CNN there are still lingering concerns inside the White House about the president's health after he appeared to be having trouble breathing as he stood on the balcony following his return from Walter Reed Medical Center.

In a White House video, Mr. Trump downplayed the virus yet again.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there's a risk, there's a danger, but that's OK. And now I'm better. And maybe I'm immune. I don't know. But don't let it dominate your lives. Get out there. Be careful.

ACOSTA: The president is still super-spreading misinformation about the virus, tweeting: "Flu season is coming up. Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the vaccine, die from the flu. Are we going to close down our country? No. We have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with COVID, in most populations far less lethal."

Twitter slapped a warning label on the tweet, saying the post violated the Twitter rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.

The fact is, more people in the U.S. have already died from coronavirus this year then from influenza during the past five flu seasons combined. Aides to the president are making blatantly false claims as well and defending Mr. Trump, insisting he was all alone when he removed his mask on the balcony.

HOGAN GIDLEY, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: The president is alone on the balcony outside. He takes his mask off.

ACOSTA: But that's not true. There are White House staff photographers and other aides nearby. The Trump campaign is also claiming the president is a leader on wearing masks.

GIDLEY: This president has led on the issue at every single turn and right now is no different.

ACOSTA: But that's also false, as Mr. Trump has mocked Democrat Joe Biden for using them.

TRUMP: Every time you see him, he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from them, and he shows up with the biggest mask I have ever seen.

ACOSTA: The president is sounding more desperate for a coronavirus vaccine. CNN has learned Mr. Trump has been pressuring some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies to speed up the development of a vaccine, as he keeps promising Americans one is coming quickly.

TRUMP: We have the best medicines in the world. And they will all happen very shortly and they're all getting approved. And the vaccines are coming momentarily.

ACOSTA: But the virus is still taking its toll, even at the Pentagon, where the vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard has tested positive, forcing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military leaders to isolate at home, as a defense official said in a statement: "Out of an abundance of caution, all potential close contacts from these meetings are self quarantining and have been tested this morning. No Pentagon contacts have exhibited symptoms, and we have no additional positive tests to report at this time."

[18:05:20]

As for the spread of COVID at the White House, more staffers, including a fourth press aide, are coming up positive. Still, a federal health official tells CNN West Wing aides have been rejecting help from the Centers for Disease Control to do contact tracing after a rash a positive test following the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court, though the White House is dismissing the notion that the event was a super-spreader.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Certainly, several of the people who tested positive were at that event, but many of these individuals interact routinely on a daily basis, certainly when it comes to White House staff. So there's no way to put a pinpoint on it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just slammed the president's decision to pull the plug on stimulus talks, saying, "Clearly, the White House is in complete disarray."

That is a quote from the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Meanwhile, the president's move to end stimulus talks had an immediate effect on the financial markets, as the Dow posted a big drop, 375 points, after that announcement, an indication that the president's decisions, which are coming as he is battling a deadly virus on intense medications, can have a major impact across the country, Wolf.

BLITZER: He certainly could.

Jim Acosta, thank you very much.

Let's bring in our experts.

I want to start with Dr. Leana Wen.

Dr. Wen, I want you to help us make some sense from this note that the president's physician provided today updating us on the president's condition. Let me read it to you and our viewers. Very, very brief.

"This morning, the president's team of physicians met with him in the residence. He had a restful first night at home. And today he reports no symptoms. Vital signs and physical exam remain stable, with an ambulatory oxygen saturation level of 95 to 97 percent. Overall, he continues to do extremely well. I will provide updates as we know more."

Dr. Wen, that certainly seems very encouraging, at least on the surface, given the apparent severity of the symptoms he had just a few days ago. What questions do you have for the president's medical team?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Wolf, if another doctor gave me a presentation like that about a patient, I would immediately wonder, what's missing?

Because here's what we don't know. We don't have the entire trend of the president's oxygen levels, which is what we would want to know. We don't just want to know one level. We want to know the trend over time.

We also, very critically, still don't know about any chest X-ray, chest C.T. findings, which absolutely there are some, based on the president's symptoms and signs, the fact that he had these two drops in oxygen level when he was in the hospital, the fact that he's on dexamethasone and remdesivir for treatment.

We know that almost certainly he has pneumonia. It's just a question of how severe that pneumonia is. And COVID pneumonia tends to be bilateral, affecting both lungs. So, we don't know that.

Also, we have no information about other lab tests. Coronavirus could also affect the heart and cause inflammation of the heart. It could cause damage to the kidneys. It could cause inflammation. And we have no lab values to indicate that.

And without those tests and information, we really have -- we're really left in the dark about what the president's prognosis really is.

BLITZER: And pneumonia for a 74-year-old, that could be very serious, right?

WEN: Absolutely. And we know that the president has multiple underlying conditions, which are all additive. Age itself is a risk factor.

But, again, on top of that obesity and maybe some underlying heart disease, these are all additive. And the president is certainly not in any way out the woods. If, by the White House's own timeline, day one was Thursday, today is day six, which means that he's actually coming to the time, day seven through 10, in the next few days that could be the most serious for him when it comes to a possible deterioration.

BLITZER: The president, Dr. Wen, is apparently still taking steroids to treat his disease.

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, she actually suggested in a phone call with House Democrats that the medication could be impacting his thinking, that it could have something to do with his decision, for example, to walk away from the economic stimulus negotiations.

Are cognitive effects are real concern from this steroid medication?

WEN: Yes, and I would even add on top of that, so, yes, steroids can induce psychosis, delirium, mania. There are real side effects from this medication.

In addition, somebody having a fever could itself alter one's ability to think. Now, I know that the team has said that the president is not having a fever, is not on fever-reducing medications, although, notably, that was not in the report today.

But I think just all of us have been ill before. And we know that, even when we're feeling ill, we're not ourselves. And if you have multiple conditions, pneumonia in itself could also alter mental status as well.

So there are multiple reasons for why the president may not be thinking as he normally might be and might have the mental capacity that he normally does.

[18:10:03]

BLITZER: Yes, he's taking various drugs, including experimental a monoclonal antibody cocktail. He's taking remdesivir.

I guess to the fifth dose supposedly was going on today, in addition to the steroids.

Abby Phillip, the president has stirred up a lot of controversy since leaving the hospital yesterday. First, he walked into the White House, took off his mask right away. Then he downplayed the severity of the virus once again, saying, don't be afraid of COVID, don't let it dominate your life.

Now he's ending negotiations over a potential stimulus bill. What's your analysis of these rather chaotic 24 hours since the president's return to the White House?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, from a practical perspective, what the president has been doing over the last couple of days does not make any sense.

Especially being a symptomatic, contagious coronavirus patient walking into the White House and interacting with staff with no mask on makes less than no sense.

But, from a political perspective, it's been so puzzling to watch these moves. The president's greatest weakness in this election going into his reelection is his handling of this virus and the perception that Americans have that he has a cavalier attitude toward the safety of the people around him and toward the handling of the virus, writ large.

He demonstrated that vividly yesterday in how he chose to depart the hospital and return back to the White House, and then walking away from stimulus talks at a time when the Fed chairman is begging Congress to put some fiscal stimulus into this economy to prevent a catastrophe, and where he can benefit politically from giving people desperately needed aid just ahead of an election.

Walking away from those talks and then saying that he is the reason the talks are collapsing makes little to no sense here. There is no sort of upshot to this. This is irrational behavior on the president's part. And it is going to hurt him at a time when he really can't afford to have these sorts of missteps, just 30 days before the election, literally a month from now.

BLITZER: Yes, our political commentator Van Jones is with us as well.

Van, so many people are suffering from the economic fallout from this pandemic. Millions and millions of Americans lost their jobs, nearly 11 million fewer jobs in the U.S. economy today, as opposed to last February, that according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

But the president now says he won't try for another economic stimulus bill until after the election. Is he essentially holding this money hostage, telling the American public that they won't get relief unless they vote for him?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, it sure sounds that way.

I mean, this is probably -- we focus a lot on what's happening inside of the White House, because, obviously, it's a nerve center for the country. But you have to remember there are 300-plus million Americans, many of whom are suffering in ways that have not happened in this country in generations.

We don't talk about the long, long lines for food relief, where people are sitting in their cars for two or three hours just to get a small box of food to take home.

There's the amount of economic suffering. This particular recession has hit the poor, has hit people of color in devastating ways. If you listen to what the president said, he says, I'm not going to do anything until you reelect me.

In other words, if, after the election, he hasn't won, he's not going to do anything in October, November, December, January. You're not going to get any help until spring. That is a shocking thing to say to a country that's flat on its back and suffering. And to do it 20-plus days in front of a national election is literally

insane. I mean, all he had to do is just -- if he doesn't want to do anything -- he didn't have to do anything -- but to literally pull the plug and not to even tell Mnuchin, not to even tell Republicans, there is something desperately wrong in this White House.

And it's now affecting the prospects of tens of millions of desperately needy Americans.

BLITZER: Yes, there are a lot -- millions of Americans right now who can't pay their rent, can't pay their bills, can't even put enough food on the table for themselves and their families and their kids.

And, David Gergen, by taking ownership over ending these critically important negotiations, isn't the president himself inviting voters to blame him if they don't see another round of stimulus money and don't see it soon?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely.

And to pull the rug out from under the negotiations just when it seemed that the Treasury secretary, Mnuchin, as well as Nancy Pelosi, they were still apart, but there was a spirit of trying to get it solved.

There was -- you sensed that this -- OK, they're ready now. They had been cross-purposes earlier, but they were ready. And here the president came and just pulled the rug out. It's just another day of madness at the White House.

Wolf, I'm a little reluctant to use another comparison to Ronald Reagan, but there's one that's so apt. When he got shot, he kept out of the public eye for a while. He said he wanted to recover fully. People saw a couple of photos of him.

[18:15:03]

But the first time he made a real appearance after he was shot was to come into a joint session of Congress, as you will remember, and ask the Congress to pass his major economic legislation. And there was such a wave of sympathy and support for Reagan, he got his economic package through by standing up straight, standing up tall, saying, I'm back, and he had to go to the country.

When you compare that to Trump, who just wrecked his reputation once again, who had the opportunity to elicit sympathy and more warmth on his side. But since he's come back, he's been completely self- destructive.

It does raise the question of whether these steroids in particular are affecting his judgment.

BLITZER: Yesterday, you suggested he was behaving, and you used this word, David, like a madman.

GERGEN: Yes. Well, I do think that he's -- it often seems that we're in the grips of a madman. You know, the behavior is irrational. You sometimes ask yourself, whose side is he on? Who's he working for here?

Because this is a man who we saw -- we saw in the '16 campaign really was very smart about doing things. He was very shrewd. He made a lot of calls that turned out to be right and a lot of us watching him turned out to be wrong.

In this campaign, almost everything he's done has been wrong. It's just been a misstep. And he's not -- he can't find his voice. He can't find his footing. And now he's 16 points behind in the CNN poll? That's astonishing.

BLITZER: You know, Dr. Wen, it's -- there's going to be a vice presidential debate tomorrow night, the vice president, Mike Pence, and Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Apparently, the Debate Commission has decided to put some Plexiglas between them. They're going to be about 12 feet apart, but they were -- out of an abundance of caution, put some Plexiglas in between them.

But we're not being told that the vice president and his staff, they don't want any Plexiglas near them. And they -- apparently, they don't necessarily have to have it right now.

But what are your thoughts about making sure the vice president -- he's tested negative -- hopefully, he will remain negative. But at a sensitive moment like this, what are your thoughts about making sure that everyone is safe on that stage at the debate tomorrow night in Utah?

WEN: Well, I'm not just worried about the people on the stage. Of course, I want for Senator Harris also to be healthy and for Vice President Pence to be healthy.

But I worry about all the other individuals who may be put in harm's way by having this debate continue in person. Vice President Pence should not be traveling anywhere right now. He -- if he's to travel, then he's also not only endangering potentially himself, if he actually has coronavirus, but also all those other people that he'd be traveling with, the aides, the Secret Service agents, the others who may not be able to keep physical distancing from him during that time.

He should be quarantined for 14 days from the time of the last known exposure to someone who he has had contact with who has coronavirus. And we have seen him in all these pictures with these individuals.

He really should not be traveling anywhere, and he should set the example for the rest of the country. People with exposure should quarantine for 14 days, no exceptions.

BLITZER: And that's the recommendation, the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They say that.

We all saw the pictures of the vice president sitting right in front of Senator Mike Lee of Utah at that Rose Garden Supreme Court event. They were literally within two or three feet of each other. And the vice president has spent some time with the president as well and others who have come down positive for coronavirus.

Dr. Leana Wen, thank you very much. Abby, Van, David Gergen, guys, thanks to you as well.

Just ahead, the uncertainty over President Trump's health and how it may be impacting U.S. national security. I will speak with the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Adam Schiff.

There you see him. We have got lots to discuss, and we will when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:23:15]

BLITZER: We're following all the breaking news on President Trump's health and decision-making as he fights his COVID-19 infection back at the White House.

We're joined now by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Adam Schiff.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

How much of a national security threat is the president's decision to actually return to the White House? Because, potentially, it's exposing other administration officials, White House staff, White House workers.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): It's a big problem, and potentially a grave security problem as well.

You already have public reports of the West Wing essentially being vacant, with so many people who are quarantining themselves, either because they're sick or they're afraid that they might be sick.

And so the decision-making at the White House is already impacted. And, of course, there have been a lot of questions about the president's decision-making and the clarity or lack of clarity in his own thinking right now, when he's battling this virus.

And then not far from the White House, at the Pentagon, they're dealing with their own potential outbreak. And so, cumulatively, it has a big impact.

And, of course, our adversaries are watching all this very closely.

BLITZER: You heard the speaker, Nancy Pelosi, tell House Democrats in a phone conversation today that she questioned whether the president taking the steroid that he's taking, dexamethasone, was impacting his thinking, raising serious questions about his thinking.

She said, "Believe me, there are people who think that steroids have an impact on thinking."

What do you think?

SCHIFF: Well, in my view, Wolf, on the best of days, the president's thinking isn't too sound. So, if there's any impairment, it's a real problem.

[18:25:01]

To me, this hearkens back to the president to proudly boasting that he's going to take responsibility for shutting down the government. Well, he's now proudly taking responsibility for denying the American people help in their time of crisis.

Basically, today, Donald Trump told the country, if you're a small business person and you're going under, too bad for you, I'm not going to bother with it until after the election. If you have lost your job and you're on unemployment compensation, and your benefits have run out, that's too bad, that doesn't affect me, I don't care, I will deal with that later.

You know, this is so irresponsible, when millions are suffering. And, of course, politically it makes no sense for him to do either. So it does call into question his judgment, certainly, but whether he's being impaired by these drugs.

BLITZER: You know, it's really strange, because, in the past few days, we were all getting encouraging word from Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker, others surrounding him, that they seemed to be making some progress on this coronavirus stimulus proposal.

They seemed to be getting a bit closer. But then, out of the blue, the president announced today, it's over, no more negotiations. How do you explain that?

SCHIFF: Well, I think it is -- the president, in a moment to pique, deciding, I'm done, I'm not going to be part of this, I can't be bothered with the problems of millions and millions of Americans.

Look, this is a guy who promoted himself as the master of the art of the deal. We have since discovered during the course of his presidency he's a terrible deal-maker. He's apparently a very good marketer. He markets himself well, but he doesn't know how to make a deal.

And I think you're right. It certainly seemed like the speaker and Secretary Mnuchin were getting close. Their numbers were coming together. They were working on the right language to make sure whatever funds were appropriated were actually spent in the right way, the surge testing to make sure we could get quick turnaround on tests, that we could really crack down on this virus, that the money going to small businesses would go to those that need it, not large businesses that are set apart in franchises.

So, it looked like there was a real chance to get to yes. And the president, for whatever reason, basically said, no, I'm not interested anymore, and those that are in trouble, be damned. I'm just going to do my own thing. And, right now, I think, politically, the best thing for me is to try to stack the Supreme Court. So, millions can suffer. I'm just going to do what's good for me.

It's another vindication, Wolf, of what we have learned over time about this president. He doesn't make decisions on the basis of what's best for the country, only what's on the basis of what's best for him.

BLITZER: And we did hear from Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, today saying, unless there is another economic stimulus package, millions of Americans are going to continue to suffer from the impact of coronavirus, millions of Americans still unemployed.

And they're desperate to pay the bills, pay their rent, get food on the table for their kids. This is a serious problem right now, getting worse and worse.

Congressman Adam Schiff, thank you so much for joining us.

SCHIFF: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, just ahead: Will a new move by the Food and Drug Administration help tamp down political influence on the coronavirus vaccine approval process?

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: We have breaking news on the possible timing of a coronavirus vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration has now updated its guidelines on vaccine safety calling for a stricter vetting process. The White House apparently backing off its earlier opposition, even though the move closes the door on authorizing a vaccine before the November 3rd Election Day.

We're joined now by Dr. Tom Frieden, the former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Frieden, thank you so much for joining us.

Do these new guidelines from the FDA removes some of the political pressure on vaccine development, the entire process, now that authorization before Election Day is off the table?

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: That's the way it looks. It's encouraging, frankly, if this holds. Because what it means is there aren't going to be shortcuts on safety. And the risk here is that one of the companies might have said, hey, it works, let's give it to people, let's make a big announcement, but that would have been done before the people who had gotten the vaccine had had time to have adverse reactions or even before we had known that the protection, if it protects, lasts a long time.

So this is a step forward. This is a step that should help with confidence for a vaccine if -- as I say, if it holds.

BLITZER: Because you have to make sure that a vaccine that's going to go to tens of millions, maybe 100 million or 300 million people here in the United States and indeed all around the world, it's not only effective but it's safe, and there are not going to be long-term complications for these people.

CNN has also learned, Dr. Frieden, that the White House is refusing the CDC's offer to help contact trace the coronavirus that's spreading within the White House, within the Trump administration. You're the former Director of the CDC. You're well aware of the agency's unparalleled skill and expertise. Does it make any sense to you at all that the White House would turn down CDC offers to investigate and launch some significant contact tracing?

[18:35:03]

FRIEDEN: There's so much to be learned from the outbreak of COVID at the White House. First off, the testing does not make you safer. Testing is part of a safety package. You still have to take safety measures. Testing alone is not enough. And, clearly, they became overconfident because of the testing that was being done. And without masks, you see a lot of spread. This is a highly infectious virus.

Second, you wish this had been an example, a good example of how to stop an outbreak, because we can stop outbreaks. In other countries, they're stopping the outbreaks. And because of that, they are able to get more of their economy back and their death rate is a small fraction of ours.

But without knowing who all the cases are, without knowing that they're rapidly isolated, without even knowing the last time the president was negative, without notifying contacts very proactively so that they can quarantine themselves, the likelihood is this will continue to spread.

And although we hope everyone with this infection does well, as the president appears to be doing well, the fact is that not everyone does, that it's so infectious that, ultimately, it reaches people who get very sick or die from it, just as more than a thousand people are dying every day in this country from it.

Last Thursday, Wolf, when the president was diagnosed, there were another 40,000 Americans diagnosed and another about 200,000 total who got the infection that day who didn't get diagnosed. Of those, another thousand will die every day, a thousand people from this. And yet we could stop it.

The kind of outbreak investigation that gets done finds people who are infectious before they spread it to others, finds people who are exposed so they can quarantine and not give it to others. That's how you stop an outbreak.

BLITZER: Yes. It's hard to believe they wouldn't accept the CDC's offer to help with some contact tracing, which is so critical. You see what they do in other countries, like South Korea, they've had very, very few deaths as a result of contact tracing. Dr. Frieden, thank you so much for joining us.

FRIEDEN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Just ahead, Michigan health officials are restoring a statewide mask mandate, struck down by the state Supreme Court, I'll speak with Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer. You see her there. We'll discuss when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: Michigan health officials have now issued a new statewide mask mandate after the state's Supreme Court struck down the governor's coronavirus-related executive orders. Let's discuss this and more with Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Governor, thank you so much for joining us.

We watched last night as a still contagious President Trump removed his mask immediately upon returning to the White House. How much more difficult does it make your effort to mandate masks in Michigan when the president of the United States repeatedly rejects the practice, and says, and I'm quoting him now, don't be afraid of COVID, don't let it dominate your life?

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): I mean, from day one, from the beginning when they started politicizing masking, they've undermined our efforts all across this country to get our arms around COVID-19. We are the most powerful nation in the world. We should be leading in this space and yet we are lagging in other countries. We see an outbreak in the White House that is bigger than what some countries are confronting.

The incredible irresponsibility coming out of this White House and effort to undermine masking in America is even happening while the president himself has COVID-19. It's unconscionable.

BLITZER: Parts of your state, Michigan, were hit very hard, as we all remember, by the pandemic back in the spring. You're fighting off another uptick, we're told, right now in cases. President Trump says, this virus is nothing to be afraid of while he's receiving unparalleled care, including treatment that is not available to the public. Do you worry the president's comments though will give Michigan residents a false sense of security about what's going on right now?

WHITMER: My worry his comments are going to give a lot of people a false sense of security but certainly I'm most concerned with what's going on here in Michigan. We are seeing our COVID numbers at a concerning level. We've been leading much of the nation after we went through the horrific beginning of COVID back in the spring. And our economy has come back on track and we've pushed our numbers down, and yet it's all very precarious. And every symbol of comment that comes out of this White House threatens to undermine that.

We know that, to this day, the most effective tool we have is a mask, that physical distancing remains important, that contact tracing is critical. This White House is undermining all of these efforts. And we see that being emulated by Republicans on our local level as well. On the very day that the president was admitted to the hospital for succumbing to COVID-19, our Supreme Court voted on a party line vote to undermine the executive orders that I've been issuing.

We're going to keep moving forward. I've got a Department of Health and Human Services that has additional orders. That we're going to use every power to keep people safe. But these efforts and actions from the White House undermine all of that work happening across the country.

BLITZER: I'm just curious, as we all remember four years ago, then candidate Trump carried your state of Michigan. It was a big surprise, as we all remember. How does it look right now from your perspective?

WHITMER: Well, we are seeing incredible turnout when it comes to people that have requested absentee ballots and have already turned them back in.

[18:45:05]

Now, in Michigan, you can show up today and every day between now and Election Day and vote in person. That's a tool that was not available to us just four years ago.

And so, I really believe that we are going to see an unprecedented historic turnout. When the president won by less than 11,000 votes, two years later, I won by more than 400,000. This increased turnout gives me lots of reasons to feel optimistic. However, we can't take anything for granted as we learned four years ago.

BLITZER: I know, that's absolutely true.

Governor, as usual, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it very much.

WHITMER: Thank you.

Just ahead, Joe Biden travels to a key swing state delivering an impassioned plea for unity here in the United States at a historic site.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:29]

BLITZER: Joe Biden wrapped up an event in a key swing state just a little while ago, criticizing President Trump's handling of the pandemic and renewing his call to try to bring the nation together.

CNN's Jessica Dean is reporting from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, right now.

So what happened, Jessica? What's the latest? JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we are just now hearing in a statement from Vice President Joe Biden about President Trump pulling out of these stimulus talks. I just want to talk on that for just a moment. Vice President Biden saying that President Trump turned his back on those in need of relief and said he didn't even try to get a deal.

Now, earlier here in Gettysburg, just a little bit ago, Vice President Biden gave a speech aimed at unity and bipartisanship.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN (voice-over): Tonight, former Vice President Joe Biden delivering an impassioned plea for unity.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Today, once again, we are a house divided. But that, my friends, can no longer be. We are facing too many crises. We have too much work to do.

DEAN: With a backdrop of the Gettysburg battlefield, the site of so much American bloodshed and division, Biden made the case that America can come together once again.

BIDEN: There's no more fitting place than here today in Gettysburg to talk about the cost of division.

DEAN: The speech highlighted a consistent theme of Biden's 2020 run, his belief that the election is a battle for the soul of the nation.

BIDEN: Let's conduct ourselves as Americans who love each other, who love our country, who will not destroy but will build.

DEAN: Biden also calling for unity around the COVID crisis.

BIDEN: Wearing a mask is not a political statement. It's a scientific recommendation. Social distancing isn't a political statement, it's a scientific recommendation.

Testing, tracing, the development and all the approval and distribution of a vaccine isn't a political statement. It is a science based decision. We can't undo what has been done. We can't go back. But we can do so much better.

DEAN: Biden's unity speech comes as a new CNN poll taken after last week's debate and mostly following Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis, shows him increasing his lead over President Donald Trump to his widest margin in the election so far. Biden receiving 57 percent to Trump's 41 percent among likely voters nationwide.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I wanted to take a moment to remind you what's at stake.

DEAN: Meantime, one of the Biden campaign's most effective surrogates, former First Lady Michelle Obama, offering her closing argument to the Democratic nominee in a new video. OBAMA: We can no longer pretend that we don't know exactly who and

what this president stands for. Search your hearts and your conscience. And then vote for Joe Biden like your lives depend on it.

DEAN: Obama, speaking as a parent and a black woman in America, criticizing President Trump for stoking fears about black and brown Americans.

OBAMA: So what the president is doing is once again patently false, it's morally wrong, and yes, it is racist. But that doesn't mean it won't work.

DEAN: Still, Biden hopes his message of unity will prevail.

BIDEN: I do not believe we have to choose between law and order and racial justice in America. We can't have both.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: And, of course, Pennsylvania doesn't just have the history of Gettysburg. It's also a critical swing state in the 2020 election.

And today, we saw a new poll of Pennsylvania voters from Monmouth. We saw Biden increasing his lead here, now running 54 percent to Trump's 42 percent -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And, Jessica, the new CNN poll nationally among registered voters has Biden at 57 percent, Trump at 41 percent.

What are they saying in the Biden camp behind the scenes, what four weeks to go until November 3rd election day here in the United States? What are you hearing?

DEAN: Well, you know, Wolf, the Biden campaign does not like to talk about polls. They like to focus on the work. They'll tell you a poll is great, but they want to keep doing, they want to run through the tape. They want to keep doing everything that they have planned out.

[18:55:01]

I talked to someone on the Biden campaign last week, and they talked about how every day, they are focused on how do they get to 270? And how do they get to a win on the electoral map? That is what they are focused on right now -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jessica Dean reporting from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Jessica, thanks very much.

We're getting some breaking news right now. One of the closest aides at the White House to the president of the United States, Stephen Miller, we have now learned, there you see Stephen Miller with the sunglasses, we have now learned he too has tested positive for coronavirus.

The number of aides and staff at the White House growing and growing and growing, but he clearly is one of the most influential, one of the most important associates of the president. He has helped the president from day one, worked very closely to help get him elected in the campaign in 2015 and 2016. But now he too has tested positive, according to sources close to him for the coronavirus. Another disturbing development.

We, of course, wish him, wish the president, wish the first lady, all of the top aides at the White House, the press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, a speedy recovery. But clearly, clearly, this is escalating. It's not going away by any means. Very, very worrisome.

We also know that there are a lot of others in the White House who are not necessarily well known who are now in quarantine, given the fact -- given the fact that this has exploded the way it has.

Our chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is joining us right now.

I take it, Jim, when you walk around the west wing, it's usually very crowded but it's pretty empty right now.

ACOSTA (via telephone): That's right. It is very quiet, Wolf.

A lot of these staffers have gone home to work from home as a precaution. And I will tell you, just talking to some of them, you know, they're nervous about catching the coronavirus too in this late- breaking information that Stephen Miller, top domestic policy adviser to president, is testing positive for the coronavirus is not going to do much to allay these concerns. Obviously, if Stephen Miller can catch the virus, that means just about anybody else can catch the virus.

We should note, his wife, who is a spokesperson for Vice President Mike Pence, Katie Miller, she tested positive earlier this year. You'll recall, that was one of the very first case of the coronavirus that really rattled people inside the White House.

And so, obviously, this is another indication that there is something going on inside this White House. It looks like an outbreak. It looks like portions of the White House have become something of a hot zone, as more and more staffers, in addition to Stephen Miller, four press aides today who worked under Kayleigh McEnany, they have tested positive so far.

And so, just the list keeps on growing, Wolf. Another indication how very, very serious the situation is inside the White House right now, Wolf.

BLITZER: And it's clear that -- I don't think there are a whole lot of aides who are closer to the president than Stephen Miller, than Hope Hicks, another White House aide, another adviser to the president in the communications area, she tested positive as well. It's getting closer and closer and there's a list of those associates and supporters of the president. You see it growing and growing.

Of course, the president and the first lady, but so many others now have tested positive and there's great fear that they go home, they can spread this to their loved ones, they can spread this to others, friends and all sorts of others. It seems to be escalating big time right now.

You're there at the White House. How worried are you?

ACOSTA: I'm worried, Wolf. But I went in today with an N95 mask and a face shield in the event that we are brought into some kind of impromptu photo opportunity with the president. That didn't happen today. The president stayed in the residence.

But when you talk about the importance of Stephen Miller, you know, he's just -- he's not just the president's domestic policy adviser, he is the chief speechwriter for the president. So, when he goes and does rally and gives speeches, it is often Stephen Miller who was writing the script in the teleprompter for the president.

And so, it is a question, I think now, as to how much Stephen Miller can contribute to the president in these final four weeks of the campaign. As we saw in 2016 and all throughout the last four years of this administration, Stephen Miller has been instrumental in guiding policy and guiding the messaging of this administration in a very controversial way, as everybody knows Stephen Miller is a firebrand when it comes to the issue of immigration and so on.

And when the president utters those kinds of comments about immigration, often it's Stephen Miller who's writing the script for the president, Wolf.

BLITZER: And this picture we're showing Stephen Miller, Hope Hicks, Jared Kushner, they're getting ready. I think this was last Wednesday, they were getting ready to head off with the president to Minnesota. Of course, they went with the president to the debate and Jared Kushner still testing negative.

But clearly, clearly, it's getting worse over at the White House as we continue to watch all of this explode.

We're going to continue our special coverage. That's coming up next.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" will do so right now.