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GSA Administrator Finally Allows Biden Transition To Begin; Biden Begins Naming Cabinet Picks; GSA Says Biden Transition Can Formally Begin; Michigan Board Votes To Certify Results Despite Pressure From Trump; U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 257,000 With 12.3 Million Cases. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired November 23, 2020 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to 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-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration. Key Cabinet positions are filling up very rapidly tonight, as Biden taps former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen to serve as the first female secretary of the Treasury. Among the other historic choices are the first woman to lead the intelligence community, the first Latino to head the Department of Homeland Security, and the first ever special envoy to tackle the climate crisis.
Also breaking, officials in Michigan have just voted to formally certify their election results, dealing a very serious blow to President Trump's desperate, desperate efforts to try to pressure states into overturning his defeat.
We're following the escalating coronavirus pandemic as well, which has now killed more than 257,000 people here in the United States. The surge in new cases has pushed the total number of confirmed U.S. infections past 12.3 million, with about one-quarter of those coming in just the last month alone.
Let's begin our coverage this hour with our senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny. He's joining us from Wilmington, Delaware.
Jeff, the Biden transition team is unveiling some crucial pieces of the incoming administration.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, they are.
And in symbolism, and certainly deeply in substance, they are setting up a dramatic rebuke of the Trump administration, pick by pick from department to department. An immigrant, for example, could head the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that is tasked with immigration policy.
The first woman could lead the intelligence community, could lead the Treasury Department. So these picks are being made here, Wolf, as Joe Biden is moving forward and setting up his government.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY (voice-over): President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet is taking shape tonight, announcing his intention to nominate seasoned advisers from the Obama administration into new history-making roles.
Janet Yellen, former Federal Reserve chair, will be tapped next week as the Treasury secretary nominee, CNN has learned, and would become the first woman to serve in the post.
QUESTION: Why are you going national security first?
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because it's national security.
ZELENY: Before a virtual meeting with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Biden unveiling key members of his national security team, including Alejandro Mayorkas, who would become the first Latino to run the Department of Homeland Security, the agency tasked with the nation's immigration policy.
Avril Haines, a former deputy CIA director, who would become the first woman to lead the nation's intelligence community as director of national intelligence. And John Kerry, the longtime senator and former secretary of state, to serve as an international climate czar, a new post underscoring Biden's commitment to fighting climate change.
The president-elect is wasting no time filling his team, expediting his announcements, in part, CNN has learned, because President Trump is still seeking to sabotage the outcome.
Biden making clear again today he is surrounding himself with experienced hands, many of whom he's worked with for years in the Senate and White House.
TONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: And now, on a personal note, it gives me particular pleasure to introduce a man who has been my mentor, my partner, my friend, and the greatest public servant I know, the vice president of the United States, Joe Biden.
(APPLAUSE)
ZELENY: That's Tony Blinken, a longtime adviser, now to be nominated as secretary of state, Jake Sullivan, another longtime aide, to be named as national security adviser, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a veteran Foreign Service officer who has served in posts around the world, to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Republicans were nearly silent about Biden's nominations, nearly all of which face Senate confirmation. When asked if he was concerned about the GOP putting up roadblocks to his team, he said this:
BIDEN: Are you kidding me?
ZELENY: Former President Barack Obama praising Biden's pick, saying they send a signal to allies of strength and stability.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are going to be greatly relieved and pleased to see people like Tony. There is going to be a lingering sense that America is still divided. Some of the shenanigans that are going on right now around the election, that is making the world question how reliable and steady the U.S. may be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BLITZER: We're getting some major breaking news coming into THE SITUATION ROOM right now.
I want to go to CNN's Kristen Holmes for the latest information.
Kristen, update our viewers on what you are learning.
[18:05:02]
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. We have breaking news.
GSA Administrator Emily Murphy has sent a letter to Joe Biden ascertaining that he's the winner of the 2020 election and making those resources available to him.
We know that this means that this is the formal start of the transition and something that we'd been waiting for, for weeks. And I want to go through some of this letter with you, because it's incredibly personal, as she walks herself through this ascertaining, again, that Joe Biden is the winner.
She says that: "I take this role seriously. And because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, I'm transmitting this letter today to make those resources and services for transition available to you."
Now, she goes onto talk about how she had no influence from the executive branch, from the White House. She says: "I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any executive branch official, including those who work at the White House or GSA."
She said she came to this conclusion on her own by going through the facts. She also says, which we have reported multiple times, that she has received threats, and she still was determined, she says, to do the right thing.
And now I'm going to go through this, and just bear with me here, because we have -- it's breaking news. It's coming out.
It says: "GSA does not dictate the outcome of legal disputes and recounts, nor does it determine whether such proceedings are reasonable or justified. These are issues that the Constitution, federal laws and state laws lead to the election certification process and decisions by courts of competent jurisdiction. I do not think that an agency charged with improving federal
procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally based election process. And I strongly urge Congress to consider amendments to the act."
So, this is huge here. Not only is she ascertaining the election. Joe Biden is now officially the president-elect, as we know. But now that formal process can take place. He will receive those funds. But she's also calling on Congress to not put someone else in the position here, saying that the personal in charge of federal resources and procurement shouldn't be in charge of this.
Now, we have been talking about how Emily Murphy, how she was trying to figure out what exactly she was going to do about this, looking at any sort of precedent, how she was basing this off that 2000 precedent, Bush v. Gore, the only other time that a candidate did not concede an election.
Of course, we know transition officials said this was completely different from that. But, clearly, what happened today, with Michigan certifying the election, what happened with Georgia over the weekend on Friday certifying their election, the writing was on the wall here.
We also saw more cases being thrown out of court from the Trump campaign. Clearly, this was the tipping point for Emily Murphy. And now, again, that formal transition period can officially begin for Joe Biden.
BLITZER: And this, Kristen, is so, so significant, because now that the GSA administrator, Emily Murphy, has done this, the outgoing administration has to start cooperating with the incoming administration with daily intelligence briefings for the president- elect, the vice president-elect.
The outgoing Coronavirus Task Force members like Dr. Fauci, Dr. Redfield, Dr. Birx, they are now allowed to start briefing the incoming coronavirus advisory council that president-elect Biden has put together. There will be national security ramifications, health care ramifications.
This will enable the president-elect, the vice president-elect, the new members of their incoming administration to get ready for January 20, when the president and the vice president-elect will be sworn in. And they will be able to start with a base of knowledge that until now, these past three weeks or so, they have been denied, right?
HOLMES: Yes, that's absolutely right. This was one of the biggest things we were watching, particularly when it comes to that COVID response and the distribution of the vaccine.
And keep in mind here this is national rollout. And the Biden team was completely in the dark as to how it was going to look. We talked to medical experts who said that this was completely unacceptable, that this could create a huge problem that would make it affect possibly hundreds of thousands of people. So, that is incredibly important to note. And I do want to note
something else, that surrounding President Trump, other than those really core loyalists, we were starting to see not just the career officials, but even political appointees really start to talk about how they wish this transition was starting.
We heard not -- multiple people I spoke to today, behind the scenes, administrators who, again, political appointees, who said they just wanted this to be over with, that they were ready to comply, that they were ready to help Americans and help the Biden administration help Americans.
[18:10:00]
So, now they can finally do that. The shackles have been taken off. And, of course, as we know, there were instructions that had gone on throughout the administration not to work with the Biden teams. That is now going to be over. They are going to have to work with these teams. National security, COVID, all of these things are going to have to move forward.
BLITZER: Stand by, Kristen. Excellent, excellent reporting, breaking this news here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Jim Acosta is over at the White House.
Jim, I have a copy of the letter that Kristen obtained, that CNN obtained. And it's interesting, because, at the bottom -- the letter is written by Emily Murphy, administrator, U.S. General Services Administration. It's addressed to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr., the president-elect of the United States.
But it's CC'ed, if you will take a look at the bottom. Among those who got copies of this letter, Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, Chris Liddell, a legal adviser over there, Edward Kaufman from the Biden team, Jeffrey Zients from the Biden team.
So, the White House knows about this. Are you getting any reaction at all?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're reaching outright now.
But if Mark Meadows, the chief of staff, has been CC'ed on this, that means that the White House has been notified and this process is under way. This is the process that a lot of Americans have been waiting on for weeks now, and it appears it's going to get started now, as Kristen Holmes was just reporting.
I can tell you, though, talking to a Trump adviser just a short while ago, that the writing was on the wall, when this decision came out of Michigan that the board of state canvassers there was going to certify the results for Joe Biden in that state, and even this latest news out of Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court decision there allowing some absentee ballots to be counted. I mean, Wolf, they were just losing over and over and over again. In
the words of this White House adviser, this is the end of the road for the president.
Now, in the meantime one of the things that we're going to have to keep our eyes on, Wolf, is, yes, this may be the end of the road for the president's attempts to sabotage the election, but we have not gotten into the universe of the potential sabotage of the incoming administration.
And that is obviously something that the Biden transition team is keenly aware of, they're going to be looking out for. And in the meantime, we're waiting to find out what exactly the White House is going to be saying. There's no statement from Kayleigh McEnany, the Trump press secretary, who's been doubling as a Trump campaign adviser and spreading some of this misinformation about what's been happening with these election results.
And my guess, Wolf, is, knowing what we know about how the Trump team is responding thus far, they are not going to -- I think many of them are not going to want to deal with the reality of the situation over here.
I will tell you, though, that there are staffers inside the White House -- and I have talked to a White House official about this earlier today, a Trump adviser about this earlier today -- who both said that, yes, there are some staffers inside the Trump White House who are already looking for jobs outside the administration.
So they know what's coming, Wolf, and this is the beginning of that process.
BLITZER: It certainly is. This is exactly what the Biden transition team needed to be able to get very, very critically important national security information, health care information, in order to help them better prepare for January 20, Inauguration Day.
Jeff Zeleny is in Wilmington, Delaware.
Any reaction yet from the Biden team, Jeff, to this really important news that the formal transition can actually begin?
ZELENY: Well, Wolf, it's certainly welcome news to them. And they have been thinking privately and quietly it's been moving in this direction. But they did have their eye on Michigan.
That is what, of course, moved this forward. But, as of this moment, there's no official response to them. We have been talking to people throughout the day. And one thing we have been hearing is that this validates, in their view, their decision to not take legal action.
We have been talking here for the last more than two weeks or so largely here in Wilmington about the decision, should they take legal action or not? And it was the president-elect, I'm told, who was taking a cooler temperature throughout all this when we have heard him speak about this publicly to not take legal action, to try and build up a public campaign.
And that is what the Biden campaign decided to do over these last two- and-a-half weeks or so, build a public relations campaign, if you will, to get Republicans and Democrats alike to write op-eds, to put pressure on this government to get to this point.
So, it's unclear what affect that had, but we have seen Republican senators really coming out all day long, Lamar Alexander and others, saying Joe Biden is indeed the president-elect.
So, from the Biden campaign's point of view, first and foremost, they were moving forward, announcing Cabinet secretaries, West Wing staffers, and not taking legal action, because they thought that could potentially tie them up.
So they're certainly feeling validated about this, Wolf, and as soon as we get a comment from them, we will come back to you.
BLITZER: All right, Jeff Zeleny, stand by. Jim Acosta, stand by.
[18:15:00]
I want to bring in our special correspondent, Jamie Gangel, and our CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers. He's the author of the new book "My Vanishing Country."
Bakari, this is really significant, the fact this transition can now begin. This is precisely what the Biden transition team needed, all the practical information they will now get to help them better prepare for taking office on January 20.
What's your reaction to this significant development, Emily Murphy, the administrator of the General Services Administration, now finally, nearly three weeks after Election Day, finally acknowledging that the president-elect, Joe Biden, is the apparent winner of this election?
I don't know if Bakari...
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you so much, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, go ahead, Bakari.
SELLERS: Thank you so much, Wolf. Yes. No, I got you. Somebody was in my ear. I'm sorry.
But, no, my reaction is that Joe Biden has won the presidency again. This is a big day. For anybody who thinks it's not, this is genuinely a big day. I know they're excited about it, because, finally, the transition, it actually can begin. It can begin in earnest.
We do know, however, that Donald Trump is going to try to do absolutely everything within his power to prevent this from happening. I want everybody to understand, Emily Murphy in this story, she's not a hero in this story at all. In fact, this is something, this is her duty, something that she should have done a couple of weeks ago. But I guess one can say better late than never. And the final piece of this, Wolf, even more importantly is I think
that this bears out what the president-elect has been doing for a long period of time. Joe Biden has said for the longest that his campaign was going to be disciplined, his presidency was going to be disciplined, and he was going to build some consensus, Democrats and Republicans together, to move this country forward.
This was a perfect example of that. The Joe Biden presidency is not built for Snapchat. It's not built for Twitter. It's built to govern. And by not suing, by being patient, by allowing some senators the time to breathe, by allowing some Republicans to come on board, he finally got the result that this country needed.
It wasn't when we wanted it, but it's right on time.
BLITZER: Jamie, this ascertainment, as it's officially called by the GSA, now will allow the Biden team to make some significant progress moving forward.
The president-elect, the vice president-elect, they will get access to highly classified, that presidential daily brief from the intelligence community. And the incoming coronavirus advisory council will now be able to speak with the outgoing experts and learn more about the potential vaccine delivery to millions and millions of Americans.
This is really significant, what the GSA administrator has just signed.
JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a critical moment for the transition. It's also a critical moment for Republicans.
You may have caught me looking at my phone. I just heard from a source close to the White House it is over -- quote -- "This is a blaring wakeup call for the president."
And from a senior Republican official: "Based on calls today with heartbroken and angry Trump supporters, I can tell you the damage he has done by claiming this election was stolen is unparalleled and indefensible."
I think what we saw today with Michigan and with Pennsylvania and now with this announcement from the GSA is that, today, 16 days after we called the election for Joe Biden, is really a turning point, a turning point certainly for the Biden campaign, but also a turning point for the Trump White House and the Republican Party, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, we're getting reaction from the president of the United States.
Jim Acosta is joining us right now.
Jim, the president has just tweeted.
ACOSTA: Yes, no surprise, Wolf, this first reaction coming in a tweet from the president. It says -- and I can read it to you. It says: "I want to thank Emily
Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our country. She has been harassed, threatened and abused. And I do not want to see this happen to her, her family or employees at GSA.
"Our case strongly continues. We will keep up the good fight. And I believe we will prevail. Nevertheless, in the best interest of our country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same."
Wolf, that is interesting on a couple of counts. One is, the president at the moment appears to be showing the openness to this transition going forward. That, I think, is of some note. This is not a combative-sounding statement. It's obviously not in touch with reality, when he says, "I believe we will prevail" and so on, but he is showing some openness to this transition period starting and the GSA cooperating with the Biden transition team.
I will tell you, Wolf, I just spoke with a senior White House official in the last couple of minutes, who said that this news came as a surprise to some inside the building. They are learning this for the first time on CNN.
[18:20:03]
And while this official said, obviously, there are staffers like this person who will be cooperating with the Biden transition team, this person couldn't speak for everybody in the building, but that this is an indication, obviously, coming from the GSA that this transition from one administration, the outgoing Trump administration, to the incoming Biden administration, is starting -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, it's interesting, Jim, because if you read carefully what the president has just tweeted, he seems to be speaking out of both sides of his mouth.
On the one hand he says, "Our case strongly continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail." But then he goes onto say, "Nevertheless, in the best interest of our country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols and have told my team to do the same," meaning that he has told his team, cooperate with the Biden transition, make sure they are fully briefed on a wide range of issues, in order to enable the incoming team to be prepared on January 20, when Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.
It's not the first time we have seen the president speak basically out of both sides.
ACOSTA: That's right. He's speaking out of both sides, obviously continuing this fantasy that somehow he's going to prevail and overturn the election.
He can't do that, unless there's some sort of outright sabotage or coup. We're not going to see that happen here in Washington. The president just needs to put that out of his mind.
But when he says in that second tweet that he's indicating to Emily Murphy over at GSA and her team to begin the initial protocols, as he's describing it, that is showing a willingness that we have not seen up until this point to participate with a transition to the Biden administration.
Now, obviously, we -- you know, the president's mood can change from one moment to the next. And an hour from now, he may stomp his feet and decide he doesn't want to do any of this. But I think this is the most openness we have seen so far.
Keep in mind, Wolf, the president has been basically a hermit in the weeks since the election. We have not seen very much of him. When he's come out, if it's not been out on the golf course, it's been briefly in front of reporters, and he's not taking any questions.
And so this is the first time in his own words he's saying he's at least willing at some point or to some extent to participate with this transition process.
The other thing that needs to be pointed out, Wolf, is that he is hemorrhaging support inside the Republican Party quickly. Yes, this has been a profile in cowardice for some members of the Republican Party, but people like Lamar Alexander just came out with a statement earlier this afternoon saying the president needs to begin with this transition process, participate with this transition process.
Other sort of moderate-voicing senators on the Republican side have made similar sentiments in the last couple of days. And even Rush Limbaugh, one of the president's most ardent supporters, was on the radio earlier today saying that the president's legal team isn't delivering at this point.
And so, if the president's legal team isn't delivering, he has Republicans hemorrhaging, the president, I think, can see the writing on the wall at this point, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, it certainly seems like that.
Jamie, the president is saying he's going to keep up what he calls the good fight. But, for all practical purposes I wonder if you agree if he is, for all practical purposes, conceding?
GANGEL: I think he absolutely is as close you could get to a concession from Donald Trump.
I think question now -- look, as Jim Acosta said, Donald Trump, you go minute to minute. He may change his mind and tweet something else five minutes from now. But I think that this gives people in government an opportunity to cooperate, to make this transition happen at a very critical time because of COVID.
And also I think we now have to see, if President Trump stays in this mind-set, what he's going to do next. Is he ever going to make a formal concession speech? Is he going to go to the inauguration? Has someone convinced him that there -- it is important to his future and to his legacy that he turn around what's been going on the last two weeks in the next 58 days?
BLITZER: Yes, that's really significant.
And, Bakari, we're watching all this unfold, and this is really historic right now in these days leading up to inauguration, the president of the United States finally, finally doing the right thing, going along with the GSA in providing this very important information to the incoming team.
SELLERS: Yes, I mean, first and foremost, Wolf, I think we have to be clear that this election, these election results were nothing like 2000.
2000 came down to 537 votes in one state of Florida. This, by all intents and purposes, was vastly different, when you're talking about Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania.
[18:25:08]
And so I'm not sure what took us so long to get to this point. But, again, I love Jamie. I just would have to say that my political dogma I would go with on this is, is trust but verify.
I want to see if this president -- and this is going to -- I know I'm going to blow up on social media, but I want to see if this president has the dignity to actually sit beside Joe Biden in the Oval Office, and we have that moment where they shake hands and the power is transitioned from one President Trump, from the 45th to the 46th.
I mean, by this time in 2016, we have already had visits by -- from Melania to Michelle Obama. We have already had visits from Donald Trump to Barack Obama. We have not seen that level of dignity from this White House.
When that happens, I think then we will be on the verge of having a new day, a new presidency, and a smooth transition of power. Until then, it's still another Donald Trump fiasco.
BLITZER: Maybe the president finally, finally beginning to see the handwriting that Biden has, what, 306 electoral votes. He has 232. That's a pretty lopsided win.
And Biden also has more than six million more popular votes than the president has right now. It's clear who won, who won this election.
Everybody, stand by. We're going to continue to follow what's going on.
Also, the president's former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster is standing by to join us. There you see him right there. We have got lots to discuss when we come back.
And, later, a surge in holiday travel despite urgent warnings from the CDC, and it's spiraling, coronavirus pandemic, concerns that it's about to get even worse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
BLITZER: We're following historic breaking news unfolding right now. A key federal government agency finally is initiating the formal, official presidential transition process after weeks of delay.
We're joined now by President Trump's former National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster. He is the author of the new book entitled Battlegrounds, The Fight to Defend the Free World. General McMaster, thank you so much for joining us.
So this is really significant developments, the administrator of the General Services Administration, Emily Murphy, now concluding that Biden is the apparent winner of this election. She says the actual winner of the presidential election will be determined by the electoral process detailed in the Constitution. But he's the apparent winner.
As a result, they are now allowing the outgoing administration to cooperate with the incoming administration, provide national security briefings and other related information to help the president-elect be better prepared when he's sworn in on January 20th.
H.R. MCMASTER, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Yes, Wolf, this is important news. And I think it's time to celebrate, right? It's time for Thanksgiving and we ought to be thankful for the strength of our institutions. As you know, a lot of the commentary over the last several weeks has been a little bit breathless and pessimistic. I mean, talking about the decay of our republic and some predicting even in the imminent collapse of it. So I think what you see, Wolf, is the strength of our institutions.
Record numbers of Americans voted in this election, and, of course, we're divided but that's okay. And I think now it's time for us to come together as Americans to foster the smooth transition ourselves to reach out to those who might have differences of opinion and have respectful and meaningful discussions about the challenges we face and how to build a better future.
BLITZER: You worked obviously very closely with President Trump. He just tweeted in response to this breaking news that he will, in his words, keep up the good fight. Is it time though now for the president to acknowledge the results of the election, participate in the transition for the good of the country?
MCMASTER: Well, you know I hope he does. But, you know, if he doesn't, Wolf, the electors vote on the 14th of December. Our framers were brilliant. I mean, when they established our constitution, they actually thought about what are the worst-case scenarios and they ensured that the executive branch really doesn't have a role in determining the nature of the transition. Once the electors vote and as you see already the GSA has allowed the transition work to go forward, I don't think we need to be concerned about it, Wolf. I think it is going to be a smooth transition.
There's so many people across our government in senior political appointed positions as well as those longtime -- those long-serving civil servants who are going to do their best to ensure that the new leadership that comes in is well-oriented and that our country is able to overcome the challenges that we face and to take advantage of opportunities.
BLITZER: Yes, finally, President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, they will get access to that highly classified presidential daily brief to help them know what's going on, because, as you know, General McMaster, our adversaries have traditionally viewed this transitions potentially as a period of weakness.
From a national security perspective, General, is our country in a better position tonight now that this process can move forward and the president-elect can gain access to this critically needed intelligence?
MCMASTER: I think so, Wolf, because what we're showing is the strength of our institutions. And, you know, of course, a transition period is always a turbulent period. And one of the reasons I wrote Battlegrounds is, as we were at each other's throats from a partisan political perspective this year, none of these challenges have gone away. And as were in the midst of this pandemic, they haven't gone away, either. In fact, I think, in many ways, the global pandemic has catalyzed some of these critical competitions, computations that are very important to our security, our prosperity and our influence in the world.
[18:35:04]
BLITZER: Let me turn quickly while I have you, General, to the incoming Biden administration, the president-elect naming cabinet level national security positions. You've seen all of these people, I assume, you know several of them. What's your reaction to these nominees?
MCMASTER (voice over): Well, these are long-serving professionals who, I think, are going to come in and obviously do their best for the country. And we might have differences of opinion on policy, but I think this is a team that I hope will resist kind of these twin temptations of either trying to turn the clock back to 2016 or do what I think several administrations have done in recent years, which is to define their foreign policy mainly as in opposition to the previous administration's policies. Because I think there are going to be elements of change certainly. But I think there are going to be really critical elements of continuity. For example, I think to shift to a competitive approach to the Chinese Communist Party.
BLITZER: Yes, important information. H.R. McMaster, thanks so much for joining us. I appreciate your service to our country over these years. I hope you have happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thank you very much.
MCMASTER: Thank you, Wolf. happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
BLITZER: Thank you.
Just ahead millions of Americans are still traveling for Thanksgiving despite the surge in the coronavirus pandemic.
Also coming up, officials in Michigan, they just officially slammed the door on President Trump's latest bid to try to overturn the states election results. The Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, there you see her, she's standing by live. We will discuss right here in the Situation Room.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
BLITZER: We're following the breaking news, truly important historic breaking news this hour, a key government agency formally finally approving the transition process from the Trump administration to the Biden administration.
I want to bring back our Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny, who's getting reaction in Wilmington, Delaware, from the Biden team. This is really significant -- a significant development, Jeff.
ZELENY: Wolf, it certainly is, and we're nearly three weeks to the day of Election Day. And we are just getting word in from the Biden transition.
Let me read this statement to you, has some very important things in it. It's from Yohannes Abraham, who's the Transition Director here, and it says this. The GSA administrator has ascertained that President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the apparent winners of the election, providing the incoming administration with the resources and support necessary to carry out a smooth and peaceful transfer of power. The decision today is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track.
This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies. In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests and gain complete understanding of the Trump Administration's efforts to hollow out government agencies.
Wolf, that is a very interesting final few words there, to gain complete understanding of the Trump administration's efforts to hollow out agencies. That is something that the Biden transition team has been wondering about. Of course, they served just four years ago, but so much has happened since then. So that is what's going to begin.
But, Wolf, I am told this is not about the president if he concedes or not talking to advisers, they say this is about getting the information, the vaccine plan, other matters for COVID-19. That is the central issue here. That's why that statement, Wolf, had no gloating in it at all. They want to get to work, Wolf. BLITZER: This is really significant, very practical information that the incoming team really needs right now, so they'll be ready on January 20th. Standby, Jeff. We're going to get back to you.
I want to continue the discussion right now with the Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. Governor Whitmer, thank you so much for joining us. We've got a lot to discuss.
But let me get your reaction to this historic breaking news now. Finally, the General Services Administration will allow the transition process to move forward. The Biden team will have access to highly- classified national security information and all the coronavirus information they need to get ready for January 20th. What's your reaction?
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Well, it's a really important moment and should have happened three weeks ago, but we're here now and we're going to be forward-looking. And I know that just the fact that they weren't acknowledged doesn't mean that they hadn't been hard at work preparing to take office on January 20th and do as much of a transition. But this will go a long way toward ensuring that they've got all the access to all of the information that coming in. And it will better arm them with the ability to fight the COVID-19, and focus our energies on protecting American lives and our American economy.
BLITZER: You know, it's interesting. The president tweeted just a little while ago that he said among other things, he said on the one hand, he said our case strongly continues, we will keep up the good fight and I believe we will prevail. But then he went on to say, in the best interest of our country, I am recommending that the GSA go and do what they are now doing. He says they need to -- they need to move on. It sounds almost like a sort of concession although, clearly, he's not conceding.
WHITMER: Yes. You know, I can't read too much into any of the tweets that come out of the White House.
[18:45:03]
All I can say is that I know that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had been hard at work. We as one of the governors who meet with them last week with the NGA, sitting down and virtually, of course, but talking about what we as states need.
This crisis is ravaging our nation. Any efforts to undermine that or slow things down are incredibly damaging and can be, you know, life -- can cost people their lives, and that's precisely why this moment is really important.
It's time to acknowledge it, it's time to move forward, and I know that's what Joe Biden and kamala Harris are focused on.
BLITZER: The news that the GSA has done this, it came right after your state Michigan voted to officially certify the result of the election in Biden's favor. But that was not without a lot of back and forth, a lot of drama, as you well know. Walk us through how this process finally played out?
WHITMER: So, today, the state board of canvassers convened and, of course, there was a lot of effort from the White House directly to their supporters to try to get this board of state canvassers not to certify the election. Ultimately, these are ministerial jobs. Three out of the four members voted in favor of certification.
So my hats off to the fact we were able to have a Republican on this board as well as both Democrats put our democracy front and center and not get caught up in partisan politics.
So, now, it is official. Joe Biden has carried the state of Michigan and our electors will be Biden electors.
BLITZER: Yeah, it's being certified in Michigan and Georgia, in Pennsylvania. It's over, and at some point, the president has to recognize that.
Were you surprised, Governor, at how the president actually tried to put his thumb on the scales in Michigan and some of these other states?
WHITMER: I think what I was most surprised about is that people were willing to go along and have the conversations. I mean, there's a lot of questions ethically and legally about whether or not a person who's on the ballot can exert that kind of pressure on a state board of canvassers and the legislator to undermine the will of the people.
At the end of the day, the right thing happened and we in Michigan are proud of that, and the result reflects the will of the people of this state, but it was very concerning.
BLITZER: I just want to point out that Biden carried Michigan not by 500 or 1,000 or 10,000 votes. He carried Michigan, I'm looking right now, 154,187 votes. In contrast, Trump beat Hillary Clinton four years ago by 10,704 votes.
I think it's fair to say this was an overwhelming victory for Biden in Michigan, yet for some reason, there were some who are questioning what was going on.
Are you optimistic right now, Governor, that the certification by Michigan, the start of the formal transition process by the GSA just now will make it possible for Michigan, other states to begin to recover from this incredibly divisive period?
WHITMER: I hope so, Wolf. You know, this has been very -- lots of vitriol throughout this campaign, a lot of deep divisions that we have to heal. I know we're not all going to, all of a sudden, agree on everything, but we have a duty to try and to engage in those conversations and to plot out a course, and to focus on the real enemy here, which is the virus. It's not our fellow Americans.
I believe we're up to this test. I know we can do it. With Joe Biden in the White House, I think it'll take us a big step toward that. BLITZER: I know you and your family have been going through some awful
times. We wish you only, only the best, Governor.
We hope you have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thanks for everything you're doing. Thanks so much for joining us.
WHITMER: Thank you. You too, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you, Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
Just ahead, millions of Americans sadly are ignoring the CDC's warnings to avoid traveling for Thanksgiving. I'll speak with the former CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden, about the dangers ahead.
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[18:53:30]
BLITZER: Breaking pandemic news tonight. The U.S. coronavirus deaths toll is now surpassed 257,000 people, as the country begins this holiday week with more than 12.3 million known confirmed cases.
Let's get more on all of this with the former CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden, is joining us right now.
Dr. Frieden, thank you so much for joining us.
We're also learning, and this is major breaking news, the Biden transition team now will start gaining access to critically needed coronavirus data as soon as tomorrow now that the transition is able to proceed.
How important is this development as the incoming administration prepares to take over the fight against this pandemic on January 20th?
DR. TOM FRIEDEN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, RESOLVE TO SAVE LIVES, AN INITIATIVE OF VITAL STRATEGIES: It's enormously important. We have heard from the Biden administration that they plan to have a response that is science-based, that is organized and structured, and that communicates openly, clearly, transparently. That will be a refreshing change.
But it's enormously complex. This is the most disruptive public health event in a century, and the vaccination campaign when it rolls out is going to be the most complicated vaccination campaign in American history. And because of that, it's crucially important that there's a warm handoff between one team and the next.
The incoming team will do some things the same. They'll do some things differently, but the smoother that transition is, the safer it is for all of us.
BLITZER: And so, it's really important on a practical basis that the outgoing coronavirus task force, whether Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, Dr. Redfield and the others, they start -- they are now allowed to start briefing the incoming Biden coronavirus advisory council as it's called, Dr. Vivek Murthy among the others, and they can have a dialogue to help the new team get ready.
[18:55:18]
Practically speaking, this is really significant.
FRIEDEN: I think, Wolf, that one of the major issues is the vaccination campaign. This is going to span administrations. It's likely to start next month. And it will continue through 2021, as the vaccine rolls out.
Getting it first and foremost to nursing home residents and staff, making sure we have really good communication so that you don't get the kind of vaccine hesitancy and suspicion that you might otherwise. You have to be very transparent. It's a new vaccine. We're not sure of everything, but the results from three now have been enormously encouraging. You have grounds for optimism, but at the same time, we're months away from the vaccine being widely available. Therefore, we really need to be careful, especially with the upcoming holidays.
BLITZER: Let's talk about this encouraging news, Dr. Frieden, on the vaccine front. The drug maker AstraZeneca says its coronavirus vaccine is 70 percent effective, with no safety concerns at all. So what do we know about this vaccine? The other two vaccines may be 90 percent, 95 percent effective.
FRIEDEN: Well, the AstraZeneca vaccine has an interesting characteristic. In a subgroup analysis, a smaller set of participants in the study, had they give a smaller first dose and a full dose, they had a 90 percent effectiveness.
So, they're going to have to tweak the effectiveness of the vaccine by changing the dosage, but the big message there, and we're also getting this from some epidemiologic studies that are coming out is that immunity against the virus appears to be good, either vaccine induced or from natural infection. Doesn't mean it's full-proof, but it seems to be good.
We don't how long it's going to last, and until millions of people get the vaccine, we won't know that it is fully safe, but this is really encouraging because we think the vaccine will be able to be rolled out in the coming months and through the course of 2021, we'll get to a new normal. But we're still going to have to be careful.
Until it's widely available and widely used, we're still going to have to use masks, avoid crowded indoor spaces, and get better at testing, tracing, isolating people quickly, so cases and clusters don't spread.
BLITZER: You know, here's what's so, so disturbing right now, Dr. Frieden. There have been more than 3.1 million new confirmed coronavirus cases reported in the United States this month alone, November, and it's only November 23rd.
Do these soaring numbers coupled with increased Thanksgiving holiday travel coming up point to what some are fearing could be a perfect storm? FRIEDEN: I think we are looking at really tough days ahead, even
without an acceleration from Thanksgiving celebrations, where people get together, we're looking at something like 100,000 hospitalizations in the country. That's the highest number ever. We're already at the highest number ever. We're looking at the likelihood there will be up to 2,000 deaths a day by the end of the year.
The risk of thanksgiving is really real. When people travel, the virus travels. When people are indoors for long periods of time without a lot of fresh air from a lot of different places, eating, drinking, without masks, that's a formula for a lot of spread.
We saw it after Labor Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving is kind of bigger than all of them. I'm worried we're going to have the Super Bowl, if you will, of super spreading events.
BLITZER: So, what's your message to those Americans who are watching us right now and still debating how to celebrate Thanksgiving?
FRIEDEN: It's a good year to plan for Thanksgiving 2021. It will be great by then. For this Thanksgiving, think of ways to meet virtually to the extent you can. Maybe you can meet with relatives who you wouldn't have been able to get together with by having a virtual meeting. Swap recipes, swap stories, but stay in your bubble with your family, with your household if you possible can.
If you end up joining other households, try to be as careful as you can. Open the windows if you can, wear masks when you're not eating. Avoid being close to people for long periods of time, keep the volume down if you can because that spreads the virus more.
But really, the best advice is stay with your own household for this Thanksgiving.
BLITZER: Yeah.
Dr. Frieden, I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Thank you very much, as usual.
FRIEDEN: Thank you.
BLITZER: Finally tonight, a tribute to some of the wonderful people we have lost to the coronavirus pandemic.
Frank and Trofimena Fraulo were siblings who lived together for most of their lives. They both loved the simple things in life like home cooked meals, puzzles, bingo, and the New York Yankees. Frank was 94 years old. As a young man, he served in the Navy during World War II. Trofimena was a telephone switchboard operator who died just a few weeks after her brother at the age of 95. May they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.
