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The Situation Room

Infected Trump To Hold Rallies In Florida, Pennsylvania And Iowa Next Week; Former Pandemic Preparedness Chief Predicts Explosion Of COVID-19 Cases; Biden Stumps In Battleground PA As Trump Hosts Packed WH Event; Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) Is Interviewed On Her Take On President Trump's Decision To Hold Crowded Event On The South Lawn; Trump's False Claims, Ballot Rules, Cyberattacks Stoke Concern. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 10, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:19]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I am Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

This is a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM.

Now, we begin tonight 24 days from the U.S. presidential election and with images from an event for President Trump that in a normal election year might have actually seemed ordinary, but with the United States now potentially facing a second deadly wave of the coronavirus, those images seem nothing short of reckless right now.

Yesterday, the nation saw its highest single day number of positive cases since mid-August, over 57,000 confirmed cases. But while it would seem to be a time for caution, take a look at this.

This was the scene at the White House earlier today where President Trump hosted hundreds of supporters for what the White House denied was a campaign event even as the President opened his remarks by saying his supporters needed to vote his opponents quote, "into oblivion."

The event packed in hundreds of people most wore face masks, but there was absolutely no social distancing. They heard from a President who himself is still fighting the virus, one day after that same virus claimed another 990 American lives in only one day.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us right now. Jeremy, it supposed to be -- it wasn't supposed to be, I should say a campaign event. It clearly sounded like a campaign event even though the President spoke relatively briefly.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No question, Wolf. Listen, the White House insisted that this was an official White House event. They organize it by bringing in participants from the Blexit Movement, which aims to attract African-Americans who overwhelmingly vote Democratic over to the Republican Party. And Wolf, it was very clear from the President's remarks, from the hundreds of people wearing Make America Great Again hats that this was a campaign event, pure and simple. The President making overtly political remarks, and especially focusing on this message of law and order, which we know is a central theme of his reelection campaign.

Listen to some of that just from earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every day, more black and Latino Americans are leaving behind left-wing politicians and their failed ideology.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

TRUMP: That's what they are. They failed for many years and many, many decades, Democrats have run nearly every inner city in America, and I mean for a hundred years, and their policies have delivered nothing but calamity, poverty and trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And Wolf, the President went on to claim once again falsely that he has done more for black Americans than any President since Abraham Lincoln, which if you just look at the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of '64 and '65, you would know that that claim is false.

Now, Wolf, of course, what was so striking about this event was the fact that you see hundreds of people there just two weeks after that super spreader event in the Rose Garden at the White House, this time most people were indeed wearing masks, but the C.D.C. says mask wearing is no substitute for social distancing.

You should be doing both of those things, instead, the White House holding this large gathering with hundreds of people tightly packed together an event that even the C.D.C. calls a high-risk environment for spreading coronavirus.

BLITZER: You'd think the White House, Jeremy, would want to set an example for the rest of the country and not show these kinds of events happening on the South Lawn. Especially as you pointed out what happened at that super spreader event a couple of weeks ago at the Rose Garden.

The President, as we know is now scheduled also to head to Florida on Monday for another campaign rally. He has more events planned for later in the week. What are you hearing about this move to get back on the campaign trail, even though we don't know for sure he is no longer contagious?

DIAMOND: That's right, Wolf, and we know the President is down in every poll that matters, whether it is national polls or those polls in those critical swing states. The President is losing this election right now and he is itching to get back on the campaign trail, seeing it really as his only chance to perhaps salvage his re-election prospects and he is heading to a trio of battleground states early this week.

But Wolf, the White House so far has refused to say whether the President has tested negative for coronavirus. The White House Communications Director, Alyssa Farah saying earlier in the day that they would release that once they have it.

But Wolf, it's 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and so far we have heard nothing from the White House or from the President's medical team to see whether he is going to be cleared for that campaign schedule, which of course the campaign has already announced on his website -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And, I mean, it's been since last Monday or so, since the last time we heard from the President's doctor directly answering reporters' questions, right?

[18:05:01]

DIAMOND: That's right, Wolf. All we have seen so far has been these memos that Dr. Conley has released to the White House Press Secretary who in turn has shared them with us, but we know, Wolf, that there have been very few details, and in fact, when they do decide to share details, that's because they're favorable to the President's condition.

But a number of questions still out there, Wolf, about exactly the details of the President's medical condition at this hour -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, I guess the President, Jeremy still believes in what he said when he emerged from Walter Reed, from the hospital. He said, "Don't be afraid of COVID. Don't let it dominate your life." And that's what he is going by right now.

Jeremy Diamond, we will get back to you. Thank you very much.

It's been just two weeks since that White House gathering marketing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. This week, Dr. Fauci specifically called that Rose Garden event, a super spreader event.

Let's discuss this and more with CNN medical analyst, Dr. Leana Wen, an ER physician, former Health Commissioner of Baltimore; also joining us, Dr. Peter Hotez, Professor and Dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Wen, will we be looking back, let's say 10 days from now, 14 days from now, taking a look at those hundreds of people who had gathered on the South Lawn of the White House. Yes, almost all of them were wearing masks, but they were very close, tight together for quite a while. Is it -- is there a potential this event could turn out to be yet another super spreader event?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Absolutely, Wolf, it's certainly something that is possible, although I certainly hope that it will not be the case. Look, this type of event flies in the face of every aspect of public health guidance. First of all, the White House should not be holding any events right now. There are dozens of individuals within the White House who are infected. If this were a business or school, it would be shut down.

Second of all, we shouldn't be having rallies or gatherings of this kind of size anywhere. We have cases across the U.S. that are surging. We should not be having crowds of people getting together with no physical distancing.

And I sincerely hope that all those who are attending events like this will quarantine themselves when they return home so that they won't affect others around them and get tested.

BLITZER: So they won't infect their family or their friends, or others. You're absolutely right.

You know, Dr. Hotez, I want you to look at the video today, both President Trump and Vice President Pence at very crowded campaign events, appearing to put their re-election before the health of their own supporters, so many of their supporters were there. What's your reaction to that, Dr. Hotez?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well, you know, his physician and the President have decided that after I think nine days or just about 10 days, to go ahead and be out in public and remember where that 10-day period comes from, the original recommendation from the World Health Organization was, you want to have two negative tests, 24 hours apart.

They changed that towards the end of May in order to accommodate the reality that testing was not widely available. But if you read their statement closely, it says, for individuals who are in high risk environments, which would include individuals who are interacting with lots of people, they would still recommend trying to do the testing, if at all possible.

So I hope that his physician and the President have decided that they're doing those tests 24 hours apart and they are both negative before he is out and about and interacting with people as extensively as he is and certainly in the campaign trail, because he still could be shedding virus and of course, his entourage, there's enormous amounts of transmission, as Dr. Wen has pointed out, and a lot of people infected.

So it's not just the President out on the campaign trail, it's a lot of people who could be carrying the virus as well, so this is not a time to be reckless.

BLITZER: And reckless is the key word. You know, Dr. Wen, you look at the crowd, so many young African-Americans, so many young Latinos were there. I'm really worried about them, especially since if we take a look at the overall numbers, African-Americans and Latinos, they are more susceptible for whatever reason to this deadly coronavirus. WEN: That's right. We know that this coronavirus pandemic has affected populations unevenly and it has unmasked underlying health disparities and exacerbated them.

And tragically, these same patterns of increased hospitalizations and deaths among African-American, Latino-Americans, and Native Americans, it is actually also married in children. Nearly three quarters of all the deaths that have occurred among kids are among black and brown kids.

And so this needs to be urgent. I mean, there needs to be an urgent call to action for everyone.

But I wish the President today, what he could have done, instead of holding this rally, if you really wanted to address this issue, he could have announced for example, testing programs that would specifically target communities that are under resourced right now.

He could institute worker protections. He could help with food security. He could bridge the digital divide.

I mean, there are all kinds of tangible actions the President can take in order to address this issue specifically that's facing black or brown communities across the U.S.

[18:10:11]

BLITZER: You know, and Dr. Hotez, the White House continues to sidestep questions about when the President last tested negative for coronavirus. Why is that so critical to have that specific information?

HOTEZ: Well, I think it's important right now we need to know it because even though he is reaching that 10-day mark, he still could be shedding virus. Remember that range of 10-days, it's really a range. It is if you look at the actual numbers, it's zero to 20 days especially for individuals who potentially had severe illness as the President might have before he received his treatment.

So he still could be potentially shedding virus and that's a concern, and we don't know exactly when that super spreader event two weeks ago, how it began. They never allowed contact tracing in from the Centers for Disease Control.

And remember, Wolf, this is happening at a time when we're starting again, to see a rise in the number of cases. We've hit that 50,000 new case mark. It looks as though, which is very concerning. I'm worried about a terrible fall surge especially we're already seeing that in the northern states. We could be in for a horrible fall in winter.

And to not be emphasizing that and taking that seriously really gives me pause for concern.

BLITZER: Yes, it's so worrisome, the I.H.M.E. model that just came out, Dr. Wen, says there could be close to 400,000 -- four hundred thousand deaths here in the United States from coronavirus by February 1st, unless tough decisions are made.

Do you see those tough decisions being made right now where about 214,000 Americans already have died over these past seven months?

WEN: We're seeing some policymakers do the right thing and implement mask mandates and even dialing up these restrictions once they see the case numbers headed in the wrong direction, but I am really concerned about where we are as a country. We have increasing number of cases. Our hospitalization rates are rising.

And I have to say, when people make decisions for themselves about increasing their own risk, that's one thing, but these decisions affect everyone else as well.

If hospitals will come too full, and individuals with heart attacks or in car accidents also may not be able to get healthcare. And because this is a highly contagious disease, if decide to do something that's risky, you're also committing others to a sacrifice that they themselves did not make.

I hope that we will all see this as a time that we have to be in this together, do the right thing for ourselves and our family members: wear masks, practice physical distancing, avoid crowds, and in so doing, we're also helping everyone around us as well.

BLITZER: You would have thought the President would have learned some lessons, given his own experience with COVID 19. That doesn't seem to be the case.

So Dr. Wen, thank you very much. Dr. Hotez, thanks to you as well.

And to our viewers, mare sure to tune in later tonight, right after THE SITUATION ROOM for a CNN Global Town Hall: Coronavirus Facts and Fears hosted by our own Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

It starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Five former members, chairs of the C.D.C. will be with Sanjay and Anderson.

Despite nearly a thousand American deaths from the coronavirus just yesterday alone, the President is planning to hold campaign rallies in three states, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We're going to talk about that and more very disturbing developments unfolding right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:45]

BLITZER: Two weeks ago, the White House was the site of a super spreader event in the Rose Garden. Today's gathering was even bigger, again, with no social distancing. The event was purportedly aimed at Black and Latino-Americans, two groups that have been hit hardest by the pandemic here in the United States.

Our Senior Political Commentator, David Axelrod is joining us right now. So David, the President actually told the hundreds of mostly young people who gathered on the South Lawn of the White House right below him, he was up on the Truman balcony. He actually said that the coronavirus is quote, "disappearing." He used the word "disappear."

What do you make of that?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it was kind of a COVID-palooza over there at the White House.

Listen, Wolf. It is in conceivable to me why he thinks this is helping him. One of the reasons he is in the predicament he is in, and he is you know, 10 points or better behind in the race right now is because of the way he has handled the coronavirus and the dismissal of it and the denial of it and the downplaying of it for so many months.

And now, he is downplaying it even in the midst of his own illness and in this burgeoning second wave that appears to be on us, and it is only making his situation worse, but I think the President is panicked by these poll numbers. He knows that time is coming -- is running short.

And he, you know, is hoping to impose his will on the situation, but he is digging himself into a deeper hole here.

BLITZER: You know, the former pandemic preparedness chief, Dr. Rick Bright, you know, David, he resigned this week over the President's coronavirus response. I want to play something very alarming. He told her own Jake Tapper on Thursday. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RICK BRIGHT, FORMER PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS CHIEF: This winter, we're going to have an explosion of cases of coronavirus. This winter we're going to have an explosion of influenza infections and other respiratory infections. It is going to overwhelm our healthcare system again.

We still don't have enough personal protective equipment for our doctors and nurses. We still don't have enough tests. We're still not doing enough testing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:20:05]

BLITZER: And the President says the coronavirus is disappearing. What's your reaction when you hear Dr. Bright, who spent his lifetime, professional life dealing with these issues?

AXELROD: Yes, you know, I had a chance to sit down with the epidemiologist at the University of Chicago where I worked a couple of days ago, and she said the same thing. This is I think, consensus among public health experts and for the President of the United States to say that it is disappearing is borderline criminal, Wolf.

And, you know, and it doesn't -- and it flies in the face of the experience that Americans are having right now. So, you know, again, I think that he -- you know, I've said from the beginning, he is trying to spin crisis rather than confront the crisis, and he is just doubling down on it now at a critical time for the country and a critical time for himself.

BLITZER: I keep coming back to the words he said when he walked out of the Walter Reed Military Medical Center. He said, "Don't be afraid of COVID. Don't let it dominate your life," which was pretty shocking then, you look back on those words, you see the numbers as they are escalating right now horribly, you wonder what he was thinking then.

Despite the warnings that that we've heard from all of the experts like Dr. Bright, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, and everybody else, the President will hold several political campaign rallies this coming week. In addition to these events being a health risk, do you think they will actually hurt the President's re-election bid? Politically speaking, how do you think this is going to play out with 24 days to go?

AXELROD: I really do, because it just underscores that he is not taking the situation seriously, and you know, he is now, as of today and polling today, he has reached a new low in the way the public rates his handling of the crisis, just as the crisis is welling up again.

So I do think it'll hurt him. But you know, Wolf, that he first of all craves those events. We know that he loves the adoration of the crowds and he has a belief that this is how he got elected President by conducting these kind of rallies, and the absence of them is hurting him in this race.

Now, the irony is he could have spoken to an audience of 70 million to 75 million people on Thursday, if he had agreed to a virtual format. But he didn't want to do that, because that would have acknowledged that he had the virus and that the virus was a problem and he didn't want to underscore that point.

So he is in this mad spiral and he doesn't seem to have any desire or knowledge about how to get out of it.

BLITZER: Yes, 24 days to go until November 3rd, the election, but millions of Americans are voting right now. Early voting is going on in so many states right now.

David Axelrod, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it very much.

We're going to bring you more on the coronavirus developments, all the late breaking developments in just a few moments.

But we're also learning new details right now about that foiled terror plot against the Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer and the men that allegedly we're behind it.

Stay with us, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:27:48]

BLITZER: With just 24 days to go until the election here in the United States, Democratic presidential nominee, the former Vice President Joe Biden is making a big pitch to voters in Pennsylvania. That's of course a key battleground state.

CNN's Jessica Dean is on the ground for us in Erie, Pennsylvania right now. Jessica, what's the message that the former Vice President is delivering there today?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the message here today was heavily centered around the economy. It's a message we've heard from Vice President Biden going to Scranton versus Park Avenue really framing this race as he being from Scranton, understanding the working men and women of the country and that President Trump is only looking out for himself and millionaires and billionaires.

And that was the message that he brought here to Erie, Pennsylvania. It is in Erie County, which was won ever so slightly by President Trump back in 2016, and it's just the kind of place that Vice President Biden and his campaign think that they can win back with this message on the economy and with Joe Biden delivering it with his roots in Scranton, with working class voters.

Biden also had some very strong words about voting itself. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: But here's the deal, guys. We've got to go out and make sure you vote. Because the only way we lose this is by the chicanery going on relative to polling place.

This whole idea, not a single solitary, reasonable person in either party has said mail-in ballots are corrupt. No evidence, but he is trying to make it sound that way.

Trying to put people in polling places, the same guys you saw standing, blocking people's way in Virginia, with banners and rifles slung across their shoulders.

Folks, it's not who we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Again, Joe Biden trying to draw a contrast between himself and President Trump on every issue from the economy to how voters should be approaching the polls. And then also, of course, Wolf, to COVID.

The COVID response has been central to Joe Biden's campaign and that continues. This comes as, of course, President Trump had that event at the White House today and we heard the strongest rebuke from Vice President Biden of Trump since his COVID diagnosis, calling him reckless yesterday at a rally, at an outdoor rally, drive-in rally in Las Vegas, Nevada -- Wolf.

[18:30:13]

BLITZER: All right. Jessica, thank you. Jessica Dean in Erie, Pennsylvania for us and they were truly stunning scenes at the White House today, hundreds of people, mostly young people, not socially distanced, gathered very close together to hear the President speak, even though the CDC's guidelines specifically cite that events in Washington, D.C. should not exceed 50 people.

Joining us now the Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. Congresswoman Dingell, thanks so much for joining us. We got lots to discuss, especially what's going on in your state of Michigan. But what's your reaction, first of all, to the President's decision to hold this crowded event on the South Lawn of the White House?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): I like Joe Biden's word of reckless. I try to remain civil as you know, but I have been in just a steady seeds (inaudible) all week. His irresponsibility of leaving that hospital and putting other people at risk just to waive at his supporters, but then when he returned to the White House, knowing he was infectious, ripping off his mask.

He is a leader. People listen to him. They follow him. He is responsible for thousands of deaths, because he doesn't wear the mask. He doesn't listen to the science. He doesn't listen to the doctors. And this week he's just - I am so - I really am angry just in case you can't tell.

BLITZER: I can tell.

DINGELL: The irresponsibility of it all really - I wish it left me speechless. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

BLITZER: Yes, yes. You reflect a lot of opinion out there. Let's talk about this terror plot, this alleged terror plot we should call it to actually kidnap your Governor, Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Here she is, not mincing any words at all in discussing the President. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Just last week, the President of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups. Stand back and stand by, he told them. Stand back and stand by.

Hate groups heard the President's words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The President went on attack, himself, tweeting in part, I'll read it to you, Congresswoman. "Gov. Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job. She locked down her state for everyone except her husband's boating activities. I do not tolerate any extreme violence."

You would think that a sitting governor of any state, especially a big state like Michigan, if there's a plot to kidnap the Governor, the President would call up, say, what can we do. Yes, the Justice Department was involved in this investigation, the U.S. Attorneys, the FBI. But what do you think of that rhetoric that we see coming out of the President right now as far as Gov. Whitmer is concerned?

DINGELL: Wolf, I myself have been the target of some of the President's venom and you don't know, you cannot understand what it is like to be in the middle of that, I'm not even sure of the word to use, when he goes after to you. And I actually want to say that I think that this is broader than the President.

I mean, he has given people license to do some of this activity and I do want to say that the FBI did help the Governor, we need to thank all of law enforcement that thwarted that plan and it's an example of a good job that they do when they really did.

But there are people that need to - their hearts are hardening, they just don't care. They're ignoring what's happening in our country and we can't do that. It's all of our responsibility. So when people just want to ignore it or not vote as Joe Biden talked about today, it's not OK.

So yes, the President has probably been encouraging some of this but I think all of us have to take responsibility for speaking up and speaking out. And looking at social media and the license it's given to people, the bully and the ugly rhetoric (inaudible) the vitriolicness. We all need to take a look at what's happening around communities.

BLITZER: Yes. Because I remember back in April the President tweeted, let me put it up on the screen. These two words and it was pretty ominous at the time, liberate Michigan. I take it Congresswoman, you've received some threats yourself, if you can, share with our viewers what's going on in Michigan right now, not only the alleged plot to kidnap the Governor, but I assume others are being targeted as well.

DINGELL: It's probably best not to talk about it at all on cable.

[18:35:00]

But I have had militia in front of my house with assault weapons and you've seen the State Capitol where there were men with assault weapons up in the galleries while the legislature was meeting. And quite frankly, I do not understand why assault weapons are allowed in the state capitol, everybody not getting together and banning them.

There's a lot of anger out there. We could disagree with each other agreeably, that would bring civility back. I'll tell you, it's disturbing what's happening, but we all have to take some responsibility for it. We have to say, this isn't who we are. It's time for us to come back together. We're not each other's enemies. We are Americans first. BLITZER: And then we're showing our viewers some pictures of what was going on in the State Capitol. You could walk into the State Capitol in Michigan armed with an AR-15 or any other weapon, loaded, that weapon is loaded. I was speaking with your Attorney General yesterday and she told me you can't go into the state capitol with a sign because that might damage the wall, but you could go in with a loaded weapon.

There's something wrong with that image that we're seeing right now. Congresswoman Dingell, good luck over there. Be careful. We'll stay in close touch. Thanks so much for joining us.

DINGELL: Thank you.

BLITZER: Twenty-four days until the election here in the United States and millions of ballots have already been cast, but President Trump is continuing to sow doubt over the integrity of the upcoming U.S. election. We have details new information. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:43]

BLITZER: President Trump this week spread more false claims about voter fraud as his campaign ramps up calls for supporters to become poll watchers. Election Day officials worry it will lead to voter intimidation. Also, new ballot rules and key battleground states and cyber attacks are stoking concerns about the election here in the U.S. CNN's Abby Phillip has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEDRICK BROWN, DETROIT VOTER: I'm not comfortable sending my ballot through the mail. I'd rather just come in and drop it off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As millions of voters begin casting their ballots in person or by mail, the Postal Service acknowledging in court documents that there has been a significant drop in first class on time mail delivery. The USPS saying it will increase staffing and make other changes to fix the problem.

In battle ground Michigan, voting is ramping up and so are the worries from voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTEZ ROBERTSON, DETROIT VOTER: I want to personally make sure it got handed in. With all the talk of problems with the mail and that sort of thing, I wanted to be sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIP (voice over): In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is facing at least two separate federal lawsuits after he issued an executive order restricting ballot drop boxes to one per county because he feels they'll be more secure. Opponents say this is no less than voter suppression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS HOLLINS, HARRIS COUNTY CLERK: To make it so that our voters who have disabilities, our elderly voters have to drive over an hour, more than 50 miles in some cases to drop off their mail ballot, it's unfair, it's prejudicial and it's dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP (voice over): Millions of voters have just hours left to register to vote for the 2020 general election, including competitive states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas. Voting rights groups in Florida are scrambling to help some ex felons get registered to vote before today's deadline by paying off their court fees and fines owed before they can register.

Already some 2.6 million general election ballots have been cast according to CNN, and Edison researchers survey of election officials in 24 states reporting voting data. And in six of those states where party data is available, registered Democrats make up more than half of the ballots returned.

In Pennsylvania, ongoing disputes over the changing ballot rules, poll watchers, new voting machines and the spread of disinformation are adding to the challenges some from the President himself some from the President himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They had Trump written on it, and they were thrown in a garbage can and this is what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP (voice over): Today, we are also learning about a new cyber security threat. CNN has obtained an email sent by the Democratic National Committee warning campaigns about fraudulent Team Blue Take Action emails sent by a hacking group with malicious attachments.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: CNN's Abby Phillip reporting for us indeed.

And late last night a federal judge, by the way, blocked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's directive that limited ballot drop boxes to one per county no matter the size, no matter the population of that county. It's been four years of President Trump's America First foreign policy. I'll speak live with CNN's Fareed Zakaria about how it's impacted American standing with key allies and adversaries also. And as we witness a new wave of deadly coronavirus infections, the President and his running mate, they're holding huge campaign events today. In the coming days, we'll talk about what that means for both the health of their supporters and for the election now just 24 days away. That's just the head right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:43]

BLITZER: After nearly four years of Donald Trump's America First policy, what does the rest of the world make of the U.S. CNN's Fareed Zakaria's new special HOW THE WORLD SEES AMERICA airs tomorrow night 9 pm Eastern right here on CNN. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to sign three memorandums.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST(voice over): Three days after he was inaugurated ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've been talking about this for a longer time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA(voice over): President Trump pulled America out of the largest trade deals in history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: That's it. Great thing for the American worker, what we just did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA(voice over): The Trans-Pacific Partnership.

It had been brokered by President Obama in part to rein in China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have successfully concluded the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA(voice over): The U.S. and 11 allies making up 40 percent of the world economy had banded together to blunt Beijing's growing clout. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we don't do this trade deal, China will be writing the rules.

TRUMP: We're going to keep out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA(voice over): When Trump left the deal, the Chinese were thrilled.

[18:50:02]

Trump has given us a huge gift, a Chinese Major General setting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You can win against China if you're smart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA(voice over): For all of Trump's tough talk ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We can't continue to allow China to rape our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA(voice over): His retreat from the world has allowed China to surge forward. Forging new alliances, delivering its own marshall plan, coming one step closer to becoming a superpower.

This is the story of America First as seen through China's eyes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Fareed is joining us now live. He's also the author by the way of a very important brand new book entitled Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World. We'll get to your special, the documentary, just a moment, Fareed, but I want to know - I know you've been watching President Trump's event earlier today at the White House just a week after he was hospitalized, spent four days in the hospital with coronavirus. How is this recklessness being perceived around the world?

ZAKARIA: Well, it is central to the shifting perception of America, Wolf, I talk about this in my book, one of the big shifts that has taken place is the way the world perceives America, not what it does but what it has become. In other words, they made in the past have criticized American foreign policy, but they thought America was the gold standard in terms of its healthcare, its ability to do things like the CDC, the FDA, its institutions.

So they might criticize America for what it did, but they admired America for what it was. The fact that we have so completely failed in how we handle COVID has blurred that image target and, of course, at the center of it is a president who still even though he has COVID doesn't seem to get it.

BLITZER: Yes. He said don't be afraid of COVID, don't let it dominate your life. That's what he said when he emerged from the hospital.

Your special report, Fareed, takes a very close look at several moments where President Trump actually undercut close us allies. Will these alliances, do you believe, be permanently damaged?

ZAKARIA: Well, certainly there is a second Trump term I think that many of those countries will essentially go their own way. They will decide that they can no longer rest on America and expect the United States to maintain those alliances. I don't know if it's not irreparably damaged, but what has happened is that they have realized that there is an element in America that regards these alliances as wasteful as ones that in which American loses and they win.

This is, of course, entirely untrue. The United States has benefited enormously from having this web of alliances, the strongest Alliance system in the world, it's kept the world at peace, it's allowed for prosperity. But a lot of them worry that they will have to go their own way. They don't want to do it. But when I talk to Europeans and it's not just Europeans, South Korea, Japan, they all are asking themselves, maybe we have to freelance, maybe we have to go our own way.

And once you start thinking that way, there is a kind of chain of logic which becomes inevitable.

BLITZER: I mentioned earlier your new book, Ten Lessons for a Post- Pandemic World, Fareed. What effect has the pandemic had on American foreign policy right now?

ZAKARIA: For the most part what it's done, Wolf, is it's drawn America inward. It's kind of an irony, I talked about this in the book that the pandemic by nature is global. It's spread all over the world. It knows no boundaries. But the effect, paradoxically, has been to make nations turn inward.

Nowhere is that more true than the United States. So we are retreating even more from the world than we were before under Trump. Think about something like the World Health Organization. Trump has withdrawn us from that, of course, it's a terrible policy, because what does it mean?

It means we're not in the game anymore. The Chinese have stepped in and said they will provide all the funding that the U.S. used to provide, so you end up with a new World Health Organization that is more dominated by China. The U.S. is AWOL and that seems like a picture of the new post pandemic world in a microcosm.

BLITZER: It's amazing what's going on. Fareed, thank you so much. And to our viewers, you can see Fareed Zakaria GPS that airs tomorrow morning 10 am Eastern and Pacific. It's a terrific program. Fareed's special, by the way, HOW THE WORLD SEES AMERICA, that will air tomorrow night 9 pm Eastern only here on CNN and make sure you check out Fareed's new book 10 lessons for a post pandemic world.

[18:55:03]

Fareed is a very, very busy guy, a very smart guy as well. Fareed, thank you so much for everything you do. We are grateful indeed.

Meanwhile, experts are warning that if the US doesn't change its behavior, the pandemic could get a whole lot worse this coming fall. But the President who was hospitalized with a virus just days ago and the Vice President Mike Pence, they're both out there today campaigning in front of very large crowds. Just two weeks after a White House super spreader event took place in the Rose Garden.

We're going to talk about the impact of this for the pandemic for the election now just 24 days away. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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