Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Trump Holding Campaign Rally In Wisconsin Despite New Record Number Of Coronavirus Cases; Trump On Rally Blitz As 10 States Break COVID-19 Records; Pelosi On Impasse: Critics "Have No Idea Of The Particulars"; McConnell Announces Votes Next Week On GOP Stimulus Measures; Former White House Chief Of Staff Tells Friends That Trump Is One Of The Most Flawed Person He Has Ever Met; GOP Sen. Ben Sasse Blasts Trump, Refuses To Campaign For Him; Trump Continues Harsh Rhetoric Against Michigan Governor Whitmer. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired October 17, 2020 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: 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. Tonight with only 17 days left in the campaign, the President of the United States this hour is holding a campaign rally in Wisconsin, after a rather chilling moment in Michigan.

Both states have set new record highs for Coronavirus cases only yesterday but even with Michigan feeling the full impact of the COVID surge, the president chose to engage in a stunning apparent endorsement of a political vigilante mindset among some in his campaign rally crowd this evening.

Barely a week after the FBI smashed a domestic terror plot to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer the President endorsed those in his audience who demanded that Governor Whitmer be jailed for her policies aimed at reducing the spread of Coronavirus. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Get your schools open. The schools have to be open, right? Lock them all there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He let the crowd lock her up speaking of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Earlier he said she was behaving like a dictator, he had tweeted "Liberate Michigan" all of that unfolding and it's only been 9 days since 13 people were charged in the alleged plot I should say to abduct the Governor, a 14th person has also now been charged, a plan in which prosecutors say one suspect suggested shooting the democratically elected Governor of Michigan when she answered the door at her home.

As we will show you this hour, that is not the only political rival the president now wants to see taken into custody, despite no criminal charges of any kind against any of them. Let's start our coverage this hour in Wisconsin where the president will be holding his second political campaign rally of the day very soon.

Jeremy Diamond is on the scene for us. Jeremy both states in the president's two-state trek today set record highs for new COVID cases. So what's the scene like in Wisconsin where he's headed, where you are right now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, I would tell you the scene here in Wisconsin at this rally that the President of the United States is holding is something that every public health expert would call reckless because this is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing not only during a pandemic but particularly when you're in a state that is experiencing a surge in cases?

You're supposed to modify your behavior, staying at home, social distancing, wearing a mask when you go out, not gathering in large groups. And all of those things are happening here, Wolf. We are seeing no social distancing whatsoever; very few people are actually wearing masks here.

And of course, it is important to note, Wolf, they are coming here at the invitation of the President of the United States. But Wolf, unfortunately, this is exactly what we are going to see over these next two weeks on the mad dash to Election Day.

The President has promised to have at least one event a day despite the fact that again, the cases in the country up 30 percent over the last two weeks, more than half the states across the country are experiencing surges of cases and Coronavirus.

Everything is heading in the wrong direction and yet the president continues to encourage his supporters to gather in large groups, tightly packed together and no requirement that they wear masks.

BLITZER: You know, Jeremy, we heard what the president told the crowd earlier in Michigan, which included another call to lock up his opponents. Can we expect him to hit that same point for the Wisconsin event?

DIAMOND: You know, Wolf, I wouldn't be surprised. The President often goes off the cuff and makes those kinds of comments at every one of his rallies. I heard a version at another rally I've been to this week with the president.

One thing we expect the president to focus on here is law enforcement. This event has been billed as one where the president is going to make remarks on law enforcement and we should note we are about 60 miles from Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake was shot by police and protests that followed.

[19:05:00]

DIAMOND: The president of course, he did go to Kenosha, Wisconsin, a couple of months ago. But the President focused not on the issues of racial justice, racial inequality, and racism in policing instead focusing on the unrest that had happened there in some of the businesses that had been burned down.

So I think you can expect the president to talk about those things as he arrives here momentarily in Janesville, Wisconsin. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, thanks very much, Jeremy Diamond in Wisconsin for us, right now. Meanwhile Joe Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris may not be on the campaign trail today but they have plenty of high-profile names campaigning for them.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, NBA great magic Johnson, Former President Barack Obama are among the all-star team giving the Biden Campaign a boost in this the end stretch of this long campaign season.

Let's go to our National Correspondent Jason Carroll. Jason, we are 17 days away from the election. President Trump continues his pack rallies practically every day, two, three times a day while Biden is rolling out his star surrogates. How is the Biden Campaign taking advantage of these final few days?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, stark difference between these two different campaigns, I mean, campaign is pretty much doing what one might expect, putting a lot of their resources, time and energy into battleground states and also, Wolf, into those states where we're seeing early in-person voting.

We're seeing some of the same images coming out of North Carolina, where you're seeing the long lines and the huge turnout. Tomorrow for his part, Former Vice President Joe Biden will be in Durham, North Carolina, speaking to voters there, trying to tell them to be patient, and to get out there and vote. For her part senator Harris will be doing the same in Florida on Monday.

She's going to be making two stops there. Vice President Biden not out on the campaign today a source within the campaign telling me that's meeting with advisers. Senator Harris, for her part, Kamala Harris you know that a couple people within her orbit tested positive for COVID- 19.

So out of an abundance of caution, they kept her off the physical campaign trail for a few days. She tested negative for COVID-19 today and again will be back out on the campaign physically, that's going to be on Monday.

Today as you said, a number of surrogates out there, you had Elizabeth Warren; you had people like in addition to that, Stacey Abrams. The big day comes on Wednesday, that's when Barack Obama will be throughout campaigning for Joe Biden, that's going to be in Philadelphia, and Democrats say if there's one surrogate that you want, he would be the one. Wolf?

BLITZER: You're absolutely right. They really want him out there. Thanks very much, Jason Carroll reporting the president campaigning today in both Wisconsin and Michigan, despite recent surges in new Coronavirus infections in those two states. Ten states by the way Friday recorded their highest single day case

numbers since the pandemic began. CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Seems Yasmin is joining us right now and also the Epidemiologist and Former Detroit Health Commissioner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is joining as well.

Dr. El-Sayed two hotspot location cooler, dryer weather, how could those facts affect the transmission rate at the rallies the President is hosting today with very limited social distancing and not many people wearing masks?

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, EPIDEMIOLOGIST & PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT: Certainly cool dry weather is not a good thing for COVID-19 transmission when it comes to thinking about how to protect one's self? These are some of the worst situations but there's a third factor that of course we didn't talk about, the president himself.

The fact that he is going out to these rallies trying to get as many of his supporters packed into had tight space as possible, in any circumstance, whatever the weather is a terrible situation for COVID- 19 transmission and shows a disrespect to have the basic health and well-being of his supporter supporters, let alone in this country where we are facing fall surge getting more serious every single day.

BLITZER: You know, Dr. Yasmin, the Minnesota State Health Department now tells CNN they're tracking an outbreak tied to the Trump rally last month in that state. So far they've identified 20 cases, 16 among people who attended the rally; four people took part in counter protests the same day and if people insist on going to the rallies, tell us what they should be doing?

DR. SEEMA YASMIN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: This is so heartbreaking, Wolf, because it was predictable and inevitable that when you have people congregating on mass, not wearing masks, not doing physical distancing, barely using hand sanitizer those are the perfect conditions in which you get the spread of the Coronavirus from one person to another and very quickly become these super spreader events.

Now, we know that people don't want to stay cooped up at home especially as we get further into the year, many more months since the pandemic. But where possible, if you have to be around others, you're going to congregate at some kind of event, you do not want that to be indoors. You want to be outdoors, where there's good air circulation.

You still want to wear a mask and keep at least six feet between you and other people to protect yourself from them and to protect them from you and it's tragic and it feels quite negligent that.

[19:10:00]

DR. YASMIN: There are so many officials who themselves are hosting these events that becomes a super spreader event and also not following the most basic guidelines and others follow their bad at that polls.

BLITZER: That's an important point as well. Dr. El-Sayed it took 98 days from the start of the pandemic for the U.S. to get to 1 million confirmed cases, back on April 28th but look at this. We had 7 million cases on September 25th, 8 million on October 16th, just yesterday. That's just 21 days later.

And take a look at this, if you look at this past week, you see a steady rise each day, on Monday there were 41,000, Tuesday 52,000 new cases, Wednesday 59,000 new cases, Thursday, 63,000 new cases and yesterday Friday 69,000 new cases. They're going up and up every single day. How worrying is this to you?

DR. EL-SAYED: I'll be honest with you, I'm extremely worried and epidemiologists have been predicting a fall spike for a long time is driven by couple of things. Number one we've all been talking about this pandemic fatigue, the fact that we've been now doing this for nearly seven months and people are starting to get tired of social distancing.

But right at the worst moment because of course we know that outdoors is safer than indoors and right now so much of the outdoor activity is just becoming impossible because of the changing weather in a number of the communities where we're seeing the worst spread.

But there is something that folks have to understand about this surge versus the last surge. The surge that we faced in the spring you had a couple of seeds of Coronavirus that spread in a couple of localities. Now over the last seven months, COVID-19 has gone everywhere.

As people are moving indoors and are starting to be lax on social distancing, now you're starting to see spread everywhere, and so you're going to see multiple fold the number of cases than we saw in the spring, if this surge persists. Now all is not lost.

We have the power to do something about this. Just as Dr. Yasmin talked about, if you make sure to wash your hands, wear a mask, stay outdoors for any sort of social engagement and don't go if it's crowded. You've got to protect yourself, your family and your community.

We can do this thing if we're willing to take this seriously. But if not, have to really worry about what this fall and this winter could look like?

BLITZER: Yes, all of us are really, really worried. We see those numbers going up and up and up even though the president says it's going away, playing it down. It seems to be getting worse every single day. Dr. Seema Yasmin and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, as usual thanks to both of you for joining us and thanks to everything you're doing as well. We are totally grateful.

Adding to the pain of the pandemic, Americans are suffering from mass unemployment and food insecurity right now but leaders here in Washington are still fighting over another desperately needed economic stimulus bill months after the first one expired. Stay with us. You're in "The Situation Room."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:00]

BLITZER: Talks over a new round of economic stimulus are still deadlocked here in Washington while millions of Americans have lost their jobs, they can't pay rent. They can't afford to even put food on their table.

These numbers are increasingly growing, and so many folks out there right now are desperate. In one small Texas town, lines at the food bank have more than tripled since the start of the pandemic. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For three months this year, Diane Lusk was out of work and watched unpaid bills pile up and her electricity turned off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE LUSK, WILMER RESIDENT FACING EVICTION: It scared me whenever I lost my job and I was like how am I going to make it? What am I going to do?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Now she's making $11 an hour cooking Philly Cheese Sticks in a little place called Happy Eats in Dallas. But when Lusk leaves work she doesn't know what she's coming home to?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUSK: The constable was in the driveway and handed me court papers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Lusk faces eviction from the house she rents for $600 a month, her landlord isn't renewing her lease. The 60-year-old cook is struggling to find a place she can afford.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUSK: I just never dreamed that I would see the days that I've seen. All I can do is pray. That's all I can do is pray.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: We met Lusk in this food line at Praise Fellowship Church in Wilmer, Texas, where she comes to get meats and fresh vegetables. It's stunning to see the endless car line that shows up every Tuesday in this unlikely place, a little church on the side of an interstate. Pastor Edwin Favors says COVID-19 struck and the crisis knocked on his church's doors. They went from helping 400 people a week to 3,000.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PASTOR EDWIN FAVORS, PRAISE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: This is a crisis that has literally hit every household. When a crisis comes, it doesn't stop. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: From the kitchen of his Dallas home, Mark Melton is witnessing the edge of the pandemic cliff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MELTON, DALLAS ATTORNEY: Normally evictions are a two-step process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Melton is a lawyer. In March he started offering free legal advice to people facing eviction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELTON: I got your message; I hear you're having sop trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: This woman is calling for a friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's unable to pay her rent tomorrow. She's been on unemployment since the beginning of this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So many calls poured in that Melton has recruited a small army of 150 lawyers to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELTON: There are definitely days where I just turn the lights off and sit in here and just cry my eyes out trying to figure out how to take the next step?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

BLITZER: Ed, thank you very much. The U.S. Department of Labor just reported that nearly 900,000 Americans filed for first-time initial unemployment benefits last week alone. Nearly 900,000 in one week and there's still no deal for relief.

Earlier today the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he will press forward with what's called a standalone economic stimulus bill to fund the Payroll Protection Program.

[19:20:00]

BLITZER: He says he'll bring that up for a vote on Tuesday, before another vote Wednesday and a $500 billion stimulus bill that Democrats blocked last month.

Joining us to discuss this in more Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, he is the Co-Chair of what's called the Problem Solvers Caucus in the House of Representatives that's a group of some 50 lawmakers, half Republican, half Democrat, who want to get things done.

Congressman thanks so much for joining us. So what do you make, you and your colleagues make of this impasse and what to you make of this do you make of the proposal that the Senate Majority Leader put forward today?

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): I mean, Wolf, as you have pointed out, people are really hurting. I'm sitting here in Northern New Jersey, businesses are going out, nearly 11 percent unemployment, food issues, of course, and for so many of our families trying to put food on the table. It's a very, very tough time.

We have got to do something. It's unconscionable frankly that we'd do nothing. We're so close to getting something done. We've been pushing now at the Problem Solvers Caucus, guys who have had 50 of us, half Democrat and half Republican.

We put out a framework a month ago to get both folks back to the table and what they're doing back at the table, they need to stay there. And the idea frankly that people would walk away before the election and not help people is completely unacceptable, so we're all urging everyone to stay at the table, we're very close.

The numbers are there. The question is getting our priorities met and I think we can do it. Senator McConnell, we've sent him two packages. It's great today that he now wants to do things piecemeal. He said also which I was hopeful about that he would consider a larger package between the administration and the speaker. I hope that's true and we'd love to get a vote in the Senate on that.

BLITZER: I spoke to the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, in the "The Situation Room" earlier in the week and listen to what she said. I want to get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Honest to God, you really - I can't get over it, because Andrew Yang, he's lovely. Ro Khanna, he's lovely. They are not negotiating this situation. They have no idea of the particulars. They have no idea of what the language is here.

BLITZER: Madam Speaker, I certainly respect you but I also respect Ro Khanna and I respect Andrew Yang and I respect members of the Democrats who are members of the Problem Solvers. They want a deal, because so many people right now are suffering.

PELOSI: Now the Problem Solvers by the way don't have any earned income tax credit in their proposal either. Let's not go into that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, so I want to get your response. You're the Co- Chairman of the Problem Solvers.

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I think and I have deep respect for the speaker. And it's true; we're not in the room at the table. But I'll tell you we put out a framework that could get 50 members of Congress and many more who has come on board who said that's actually a great place to move from.

It's between 1.5 trillion and 2 trillion and it meets our priorities that I think Wolf you've talked about making sure that people can pay their rent and their mortgage. Can put food on their table, extra stimulus, and help for our state and local governments, child care and of course testing all things that are critical.

So yes, I'm not in the weeds in all the specifics, of course that's in the room and I encourage and I'm so hopeful that the Speaker and the Treasury Secretary stay at it. I know they spoke tonight. They've got to stick with it, but I believe there's a way forward.

And Wolf to the point you asked about in that interview, the bottom line is there are Democrats, there are Republicans, there are lots of people who realize we must get something done. We can't wait until and if this president loses, wait until February to get another deal done to help people. We've got so many people who need help right now.

BLITZER: Of course, the president says he wants a big, fat bill. He goes way beyond what the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is saying and he has convinced that if Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary and Nancy Pelosi the Speaker can work it out he'll get McConnell and the Republicans in the Senate to support it. Do you believe that could happen before November 3rd, the election?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, I mean last week McConnell said there's no way he would actually bring that to the Senate. This week he says maybe. The president at first said that there was no - he was walking away from the table until after the election, now he is back.

And I'm glad that they're back at the table. I think they have to stay there, because I think there's recognition that if we don't get something done now, we're going to have to wait until February. And as you said, Wolf, you can't wait five months to help our small business and help our families and to make sure the test we need especially as we head into flu season.

We're in the middle of a health and economic crisis you can't just hope this will get better. We have to do something and you've got bipartisan support for it. So our goal is just to keep the negotiators at the table and get this done because frankly, we can't afford not to.

BLITZER: All right, so what does the Speaker say to you when you make that pitch?

GOTTHEIMER: Wolf, we've had many, many great conversations about what this can look like? And listen, she's right to keep making the point that it's not just the top dollar number that matters.

[19:25:00]

GOTTHEIMER: It's what's in it and actually what's behind all those dollars and making sure that our priorities are met. You don't want to put out something that's going to hurt people or put people in a worse place and so that's why it's important that we keep - we stay at the table and keep working through those details.

And I know she will and I know she's working on it now. I know she's back at the table and so is the Treasury Secretary. So they just have to keep at it and we're going to keep pushing to make sure we get there.

And Wolf, I think we've just got to keep the pressure up on not just at the House but on the Senate because McConnell has said every other day he is saying something new. He's quick to move on getting a Supreme Court Nominee on the docket but we've sent them two packages, it's been five months and he is not been willing to put anything before the Senate to help people. So I'm hoping that he is changing his mind here.

BLITZER: Well, good luck. It's so critical. You see so many Americans, millions of Americans suffering right now. They desperately, desperately need this help Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, thank you for joining us.

GOTTHEIMER: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, 17 days remain until Election Day here in the United States, and some top Republicans are trying to create distance right now from President Trump, warning that the president and Senate Republicans could be in huge trouble on Election Day. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:57]

BLITZER: CNN has learned of remarkable newly revealed comments about President Trump by his former White House Chief of Staff, Retired General John Kelly. According to friends, Kelly says this and I'm quoting, "The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it's more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life."

That reporting comes by the way from a news special hosted by my colleague Jake Tapper airing tomorrow night here on CNN. It's called "The Insiders: A Warning from Former Trump Officials," but even some of those who still would seem to need the President's support are now speaking out against him with less than three weeks, only 17 days to go until the election.

Let's bring in our political commentator, Michael Smerconish. He is the host of CNN's "SMERCONISH," which airs every Saturday morning here on CNN at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Michael, we're going to come back to the issue of those turning against the President. But I quickly want to return to the breaking news we're following. The President of the United States apparently endorsing this idea of jailing Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who just survived an alleged kidnapping plot.

Let me play it for you, the President's comments yesterday. And tonight, he is now openly suggesting the arrest of at least three of his political opponents should also take place. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm telling you that Biden family and others, but that Biden family is corrupt. It's a corrupt family. And with me and my kids, let me tell you, my kids -- I'll tell you something.

That's very -- lock them up. You should lock them up.

AUDIENCE: (Chanting "Lock them up.")

TRUMP: Lock up the Bidens. Lock up Hillary. Lock them all up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The President apparently wants to Bidens, Hillary Clinton, and the Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer thrown in jail. So what's your reaction, Michael?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it is in poor taste, especially with regard to Governor Whitmer given the recent events that we've all seen reported and individuals who had this horrible plot to actually kidnap her.

With regard to the other political opponents, I'm not defending the speech, but I'm reminded of, I think, it was Salena Zito, a fellow Pennsylvanian, who four years ago said there's a tendency for people in the media to take him literally while his supporters take him figuratively.

I think that raucous crowd in Michigan tonight was at least, I hope, not taking him literally.

BLITZER: He also tweeted today and I wrote it down, "Biden is a national security threat." We're talking about the former Vice President of the United States, and the President is accusing him of being a national security threat. What's your reaction to that?

SMERCONISH: You know, Wolf, he is incensed that the dominant media is not picking up on that "New York Post" story. I watched your package and your great reporting on it last night about how there's now an investigation as to whether that's really disinformation, but he is working overtime to try and get more media outlets to pick that up and have that conversation.

BLITZER: Is the Trump playbook that we're seeing now, is this going to continue for these final 17 days? What do you think?

SMERCONISH: The base, the base, the base. I'm struck by the sort of dichotomy between his pitch and that of former Vice President Biden, when Vice President Biden spoke, it was a unity pitch. It was a closing argument that one makes when they think the evidence is in -- and now they're just trying to come up with a unifying theme, as people are finally voting.

The President, as you can tell, is still trying to work the base. If you look at those speeches, both when he is on and off script, it's not really about expanding the tent, it is about motivating those who voted for him four years ago, and perhaps some who would have voted for him four years ago, if they had voted at all.

But it's been pretty consistent for the last four years. It's about placating the demographics that put him in office.

[19:35:12]

BLITZER: You think he'd be more interested in going after some of the middle of the road types to try to bring them over, but you're absolutely right. He is really working that base.

Let's turn to Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, condemning in very strong words the President this week on a call with some 17,000 fellow Nebraskans. He says he will not campaign for the President. Michael, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BEN SASSE (R-NE): He mocks evangelicals behind closed doors, his family has treated the presidency like a business opportunity. He has flirted with white supremacists.

I mean that the places where we differed on COVID, he -- at the beginning of the COVID crisis, he refused to treat it seriously. For months, he treated it like a new cycle by new cycle PR crisis rather than a multiyear public health challenge, which is what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So Michael, Senator Sasse also warned that the U.S. Senate is facing what he called a blue tsunami. Is this about standing up to the President on moral grounds as a political survival? It's pretty extraordinary to see this conservative Republican senator from Nebraska going after the President the way he is.

SMERCONISH: I've always said that there were limits to the common interests of Republicans. I think that there's a tendency to look at the G.O.P. from the outside in and say, okay, they are all on the same page.

I have no doubt that if you were to give a choice to Mitch McConnell and say, you could have one or the other, you can have the White House controlled by your party, or you can have the G.O.P. continue to control the Senate with you as Majority Leader, there's no doubt in my mind as to which he would select and I think in the in the final less than two weeks, you're going to see a lot more of that where for self- preservation, many try and put themselves at a distance from the President.

It might be too late for that, the dice has largely been cast, Wolf, by all the votes that have been cast over the span of the last four years.

BLITZER: Yes. I mean, it's amazing what's going on right now. He is still the President and enjoys a good amount of Republican support in the House and the Senate, his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett could be confirmed for the U.S. Supreme Court within a matter of a few days.

Are his Republican critics just giving lip service right now? What's going on?

SMERCONISH: Well, I listened to the report that that you offered based on Jake, and what he has pertaining to General Kelly, and I think the following: in any other administration at this stage of a re-election campaign, that would be a blockbuster of a story.

Instead, General Kelly's name, frankly, gets added to a lot of other names of individuals who have left the administration, and then had things to say.

I'll tell you what would be a blockbuster, if General Kelly were to say, I was the one who was the source for Jeffrey Goldberg in that "Atlantic" piece by now probably a month ago, when allegedly, the President disparaged the war dead.

If General Kelly's name were directly associated with that charge, that would be big.

BLITZER: That would be huge as we all know it. Let's see what happens, 17 days to go. Michael Smerconish, as usual. Thank you so much for joining us.

SMERCONISH: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we're seeing record early voter turnout across several states and we're still 17 days out from the election. Michigan's Secretary of State is about to stand by. There you see her. She is standing by, live.

We'll discuss -- she's going to tell us what they're doing in Michigan to protect voters against election related violence. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:59]

BLITZER: It's been a little more than a week since the F.B.I. foiled an alleged kidnap plot targeting the Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, which resulted in more than a dozen arrests. The President of the United States once more took aim at the Governor

at his rally in Michigan just a little while ago, stoking more anger against her. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Get your schools open. The schools have to be open, right?

AUDIENCE: (Chanting "Lock them up.")

TRUMP: Lock them all up.

AUDIENCE: (Chanting "Lock her up.")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, joining us now, Jocelyn Benson, the Secretary of State of the State of Michigan. Secretary Benson, thank you so much for joining us.

The President barely mentioned the kidnap plot today, but he didn't shy away at all, from even more criticism, very harsh criticism of Governor Whitmer, the democratically-elected Governor of Michigan.

The other day in a TV interview, by the way, he said she wants to be a dictator. He used that word "dictator." Of course, that's baseless.

So what's your reaction to what the President is saying about your Governor? And what he is allowing that rally in Michigan to say today about "Lock her up. Lock her up" referring to your Governor?

JOCELYN BENSON, SECRETARY OF STATE, MICHIGAN: Well, you know, Wolf, I think it's incredibly irresponsible and concerning for the President to be at a time when people are voting, people want to hear about in this time of great uncertainty, how their lives will improve as a result of the candidates they support, to be, you know, sharing instead of ideas and a vision, hateful rhetoric that really it belies what's happening in Michigan, which is that our Governor is actually working with the legislature now to ensure the health and safety of our residents are protected.

So, in that way, it's really concerning, but at the same time I'm hopeful and confident as we are, you know, just to and a half weeks out of the day that the polls closed where millions of citizens are already voting in Michigan that the voters are listening to candidates to hear ideas and hear solutions, and that they'll act accordingly and we're going to move forward.

[19:45:14]

BLITZER: Secretary Benson, yesterday, you issued an order: open carry of guns in Michigan will be banned on Election Day, November 3rd, banned from polling places, clerk's offices, locations where absentee ballots are being counted.

But you've not made that rule for early voting, which as you correctly pointed out, is now underway. How concerned are you about election safety security in Michigan?

BENSON: I think the bottom line for me is that voters have a fundamental right to vote in person on Election Day without worry or fear of intimidation, and instead that voting should be a patriotic thing, something we are proud to do on Election Day or early.

And so in order to give citizens certainty amidst a lot of uncertain things they may be hearing as we were just talking about, that they'll be safe on Election Day, that they'll have a clear path to voting that will be unencumbered by any threats or intimidation.

Our goal is to give them that clarity, to give them that certainty in light of the type of rhetoric we're hearing focused on Election Day. So I'm confident in working with our Attorney General and law enforcement that voting will be safe and secure, citizens won't have to worry about risking either their health or their safety to vote in person on Election Day.

And this directive was one part of our work to ensure that's the case.

BLITZER: But why not ban guns for those who are voting early?

BENSON: Well, we're mindful and the directive actually says "voting areas." So it does take into consideration clerk's offices and other places where people are voting. And we're also mindful of, you know, what my role is as Secretary of State, as the Chief Election Officer to, in particular focus on the Election Day operations themselves.

Right now citizens can pick up their ballots and return them at their clerk's offices, but we're actually also anticipating the highest concentration of voters on Election Day itself at those polling places and that's what this directive is focused on.

BLITZER: So as you know, Michigan has already seen more than two million votes cast. That's as of yesterday, Friday. How is the state dealing with this huge influx? People are really anxious to vote right now.

BENSON: It's really inspiring to see this enormous engagement. It's healthy. It's a good thing for our state, and we're seeing it not just in Michigan, but all across the country.

Voters are paying attention. They're engaged. They want their votes to count. They want their voices to be heard.

So you know, right now, we have, you know, close to three million citizens who have requested to vote early and over almost one and a half million have already voted. So that's just underscoring the incredible amount of energy that we see voters from all across the state expressing for all -- everything that's on the ballot this year.

And I think, you know, that's why it's so important for us, amidst all the other rhetoric that we're hearing to deliver clarity to voters that they're going to be safe, no matter how they choose to vote and how they choose to cast their ballot this year.

BLITZER: Are protesters still showing up at the State Capitol fully armed with AR-15s, loaded weapons as we speak?

BENSON: No, we did see that as you know, earlier this year, and we are all mindful of it. You know what? That's the other thing in sort of reflecting on the President's remarks tonight that -- and then I've certainly seen the Governor seeing the burden and the sort of the response to all of this, whether it's protecting our lawmakers, protecting our governor, protecting our people, it does fall on our law enforcement who have been working so hard to protect all of us and protect the people of Michigan.

And so, you know, when it comes to the Capitol, and we certainly hope, you know, that lawmakers will take seriously the importance of protecting those in the Capitol. Our State Police, our law enforcement have really been incredible in keeping us all safe, and we're really grateful for it.

BLITZER: Yes, indeed. The Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson. Stay safe out there. Thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for all the important work you're doing.

BENSON: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we're going to have much more in our breaking news with a number of new daily cases in Wisconsin spiking to new records. President Trump is about to hold another live campaign rally in that state tonight. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:53:42]

BLITZER: This week on "First Ladies," we look at the life and legacy of Nancy Reagan. She had much more than a supporting role in the first Hollywood presidency from President Ronald Reagan's first campaign for the White House back in 1980 to his Cold War ending triumph in 1987. Nancy Reagan was pulling a lot of the strings calling many of the shots behind the scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Ronald Reagan do solemnly swear that I will --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Almost 30 years later, Nancy holds the Bible as her husband is sworn in.

It's the first inauguration to be held on the West side of the Capitol, closer to California.

REAGAN: And will to the best of my ability.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): It was very glamorous, and very Hollywood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of these social people in their fur coats and their big jewelry. I think something like 700 corporate and private jets landed over the weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wanted him in a morning suit, and then she was in a very expensive dress. So yes, it might have been a little overdone, but Nancy did it her way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Watching the new First Lady so comfortable and elegant on the world stage. Few could imagine just how far she had traveled to get here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Be sure to tune in to an all-new episode of the CNN Original Series "First Ladies" that airs tomorrow night, 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

[19:55:07]

BLITZER: The White House was warned. According to "The Washington Post," Intelligence agencies told the White House that Rudy Giuliani was being used by the Russians to feed misinformation.

I'll speak to President Trump's former National Security adviser, John Bolton about that and much more. He is standing by live. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:00:00]