TOMORROW NIGHT, BOB WOODWARD FOR
THE FULL HOUR.
"THE 11th HOUR" WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS STARTS NOW.
>>> WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE
AGAIN.
DAY 1,335 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, LEAVING 49 DAYS
NOW UNTIL THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION AND EXACTLY TWO WEEKS
UNTIL TRUMP AND BIDEN FACE OFF
IN THEIR FIRST TELEVISED DEBATE.
THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY HELD A
CEREMONY CLEARLY AIMED AT TRYING
TO REFOCUS ATTENTION AWAY FROM
THE MANY CRISES OUR COUNTRY IS
FACING TO MARK THE SIGNING OF A
NEW AGREEMENT BETWEEN ISRAEL,
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, AND
BAHRAIN.
YET BY DAY’S END, THE FOCUS WAS
VERY MUCH RIGHT BACK TO THE
PRESIDENT’S APPROACH TO THE
PANDEMIC THAT HAS TAKEN MORE
THAN 196,000 AMERICAN LIVES,
INFECTED OVER 6.6 MILLION
AMERICANS.
IN WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE
TOUGHEST QUESTIONING OF THIS
PRESIDENT YET, DONALD TRUMP
TONIGHT TOOK QUESTIONS FROM
UNDECIDED VOTERS AT A TOWN HALL
ANCHORED BY GEORGE
STEPHANOPOULOS OF ABC NEWS
IT WAS HELD IN PHILADELPHIA.
HAVING LIMITED HIS MEDIA
EXPOSURE TO LARGELY FRIENDLY
OUTLETS, HAVING LIMITED EXPOSURE
PERIOD TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,
THE PRESIDENT SEEMED TO BE
CLEARLY TAKEN ABACK BY THE SHARP
QUESTIONS AND SOME OF THE
FOLLOW-UPS IN SOME CASES
INDEED ONE OF THE FIRST
QUESTIONS CONCERNED TRUMP’S
COMMENTS TO VETERAN JOURNALIST
BOB WOODWARD ABOUT THE RISKS OF
THE VIRUS.
>> I WANTED TO -- I WANTED TO
ALWAYS PLAY IT DOWN.
I STILL LIKE PLAYING IT DOWN.
>> YES.
>> BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO
CREATE A PANIC
>> HERE’S WHAT THE PRESIDENT WAS
ASKED ABOUT THAT TONIGHT
>> IF YOU BELIEVE IT’S THE
PRESIDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO
PROTECT AMERICA, WHY WOULD YOU
DOWNPLAY A PANDEMIC THAT IS
KNOWN TO DISPROPORTIONATELY HARM
LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND MINORITY
COMMUNITIES?
>> YEAH.
WELL, I DIDN’T DOWNPLAY IT
I ACTUALLY -- IN MANY WAYS, I
UPPLAYED IT IN TERMS OF ACTION
>> DID YOU NOT ADMIT TO IT
YOURSELF, SAYING --
>> WHAT I DID WITH CHINA, I PUT
A BAN ON
WITH EUROPE, I PUT A BAN ON.
SO WE SAVED A LOT OF LIVES WHEN
I DID THAT.
>> THAT IS IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO
WHAT THE PRESIDENT WAS SAYING
ABOUT HIS COMMENTS TO BOB
WOODWARD JUST LAST WEEK.
>> DID YOU MISREAD THE PUBLIC BY
SAYING YOU DOWNPLAYED THE
CONSERVATIVE AND THEN YOU
REPEATEDLY DID THAT IN ORDER
TO --
>> WELL, I THINK IF YOU SAID IN
ORDER TO REDUCE PANIC, PERHAPS
THAT’S SO.
I DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO BE FRIGHT
FRIGHTENED
I DON’T WANT TO CREATE PANIC
I WANT TO SHOW CALMNESS.
I DON’T WANT TO SCARE PEOPLE
I WANT PEOPLE NOT TO PANIC, AND
THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I DID.
>> WHY DID YOU LIE TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND WHY SHOULD
WE TRUST WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY
NOW?
>> SUCH A TERRIBLE QUESTION, AND
THE PHRASEOLOGY.
I DIDN’T LIE
WHAT I SAID IS WE HAVE TO BE
CALM
WE CAN’T BE PANICKED
AND WHAT I SAID TO WOODWARD WAS
ACTUALLY GOOD.
I SAID CALM.
WE NEED CALM
WE DON’T NEED PANIC.
>> TONIGHT MORE OF BOB
WOODWARD’S RECORDED
CONVERSATIONS WITH TRUMP ABOUT
THE PANDEMIC HAVE BEEN MADE
PUBLIC
CNN TONIGHT AIRED NEW EXCERPTS
OF THOSE PHONE CALLS, INCLUDING
ONE IN JULY WHEN THE PRESIDENT
GREW DEFENSIVE OVER CRITICISM OF
HIS RESPONSE TO THE VIRUS.
>> I’VE HAD OPPOSITION ALL MY
LIFE, BOB, MORE THAN MOST.
AND LET’S SEE HOW IT ALL TURNS
OUT.
WE’VE GOT 105 DAYS
LET’S SEE HOW IT ALL TURNS OUT
I THINK IT’S GONNA TURN OUT --
>> OKAY.
TODAY AT 5:00 --
>> I WAS UNLUCKY WITH THE VIRUS
BECAUSE IT CAME IN AND --
>> SURE.
>> WHETHER IT WAS ME OR NEARBYAN
ELSE.
>> BUT YOU GOT IT.
THE COUNTRY’S GOT IT, AND THE
WORLD’S GOT IT
BUT YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF THIS
COUNTRY, AND, YOU KNOW --
>> WE’VE DONE BETTER THAN ANY
OTHER COUNTRY JUST ABOUT, DONE
BETTER THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN
HANDLING IT.
AND IT’S A BIGGER, MORE DIVERSE,
MORE DIFFICULT COUNTRY
AND WE’VE DONE BETTER THAN --
OTHER THAN WITH THE PRESS, OTHER
THAN WITH THE PRESS, I’VE DONE A
GREAT JOB.
WITH THE PRESS, I CAN’T DO A
GOOD JOB BECAUSE IT’S FAKE
IT’S FAKE NEWS
>> WELL, BUT WHAT --
>> IT’S A FAKE GROUP OF PEOPLE,
AND YOU KNOW IT, AND YOU WON’T
WRITE IT.
>> OKAY.
ARE YOU GOING --
>> IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS,
BOB.
>> THE PRESIDENT WAS ASKED ABOUT
THE WOODWARD BOOK THIS MORNING
DURING A LENGTHY LIVE PHONE
CONVERSATION ON "FOX & FRIENDS."
>> I ACTUALLY GOT TO READ IT
LAST NIGHT
I READ IT VERY QUICKLY, AND IT
WAS VERY BORING.
BUT THERE WAS NOT MUCH IN THAT
BOOK.
>> IS IT ACCURATE,
MR. PRESIDENT?
>> THAT’S A BORING BOOK.
IT’S OKAY.
I MEAN IT’S FINE
>> TRUMP’S OPPONENT, JOE BIDEN,
WAS CAMPAIGNING IN FLORIDA
TODAY, AND ONCE AGAIN ATTACKED
TRUMP FOR HIS APPROACH TO THE
PANDEMIC
>> THIS PRESIDENT’S TOTALLY
IGNORED -- LOOK WHAT HE DID.
THIS PRESIDENT KNEW.
HE KNEW THE DANGER
HE KNEW HOW DEADLY THIS PANDEMIC
WAS, AND HE DENIED IT.
HE DIDN’T TELL -- HE DIDN’T SAY
A WORD TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
STAFF AT THE CIA AND THE
PENTAGON, FORMER CHIEF COUNSEL
TO HOUSE INTEL
GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO YOU
ALL.
PHIL, I’D LIKE TO BEGIN WITH
YOU.
49 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE
ELECTION
THE CANDIDATE, MR. TRUMP, THAT
YOU SAW TONIGHT, WAS HE IN
DEBATE SHAPE AND DEBATE READY,
OR DID HIS PERFORMANCE ON THE
ABC NEWS TOWN HALL SHOW A GUY
WHO’S BEEN LIMITED TO FRIENDLY
AUDIENCES AND NO TIME LIMITS
>> BRIAN, TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK,
THAT PERFORMANCE TONIGHT BY THE
PRESIDENT AT THE ABC TOWN HALL
SHOULD SEND SHUDDERS AND SHOCK
WAVES THROUGH THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY.
THE FIRST DEBATE IS 14 DAYS
AWAY, TWO TUESDAYS FROM NOW, AND
THIS IS A PRESIDENT WHO’S
CLEARLY NOT READY FOR THAT
DEBATE
HIS ANSWERS, ESPECIALLY ON THE
CORONAVIRUS, THE NUMBER ONE
TOPIC FOR MANY VOTERS, WERE
CIRCUITOUS
THEY WERE CURIOUS.
THEY WERE SORT OF ALL OVER THE
MAP.
AT ONE POINT HE WAS EVEN
CHALLENGING THE SCIENCE BEHIND
MASK USAGE AND CLAIMED THAT SOME
PEOPLE DON’T THINK MASKS WORK.
AND WHEN GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS
PRESSED HIM ON IT, WHO THOSE
PEOPLE ARE, THE PRESIDENT SAID
WAITERS AT RESTAURANTS
IT WAS A VERY STRANGE ANSWER
HE WAS CLEARLY ON THE DEFENSIVE
TAKING QUESTIONS FROM SOME OF
THE VOTERS IN THE AUDIENCE, AND
IT WAS SO STRIKING AND RARE TO
SEE REAL PEOPLE, REAL AMERICANS
CONFRONTING THE PRESIDENT WITH
CHALLENGING QUESTIONS, WITH
URGENT QUESTIONS, AND HAVING THE
BACKBONE AND WHEREWITHAL TO
FOLLOW UP WITH HIM
AND WHEN THE PRESIDENT TRIED TO
INTERRUPT HIM AS HAPPENED WITH
ONE WOMAN, A PROFESSOR, SHE
SAID, NO, SIR.
PLEASE LET ME ASK MY QUESTION
FIRST.
IT WAS REALLY A SIGHT TO SEE AND
A SIGN THAT THIS IS A PRESIDENT
WHO’S RATHER RUSTY AFTER SO MANY
MONTHS OF REALLY TALKING TO VERY
FRIENDLY INTERVIEWERS LIKE JUDGE
JEANINE OVER THE WEEKEND AND
"FOX & FRIENDS" THIS MORNING AND