>> CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who used to work at The Daily Caller, which
is a right-wing publication, I think that's relevant to this story is floating the idea
that maybe, just maybe the Biden campaign should shoot itself in the foot because Donald
Trump has now tested positive for coronavirus.
Now, I don't wanna put words in her mouth. Let's hear what she has to say.
>> That raises questions on Joe Biden's campaign too, Don, and whether or not he's going to
suspend his campaign. Or thinking back, someone much smarter than me pointed out tonight that
back in 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt had been in an assassination attempt, Woodray Wilson
suspended his campaign and waited for him to recover.
So is this a situation like that, where the Biden campaign takes a step like that? Do
they continue campaigning over the next few weeks, knowing that the President can't? We
are in a critical time frame. It was already basically, a pressure cooker inside the Trump
campaign, and now this diagnosis is their worst nightmare, Don.
>> So Ben, what do you think? I mean based on what happened in 1912, should the Biden
campaign suspend its campaign since Donald Trump was irresponsible and contracted coronavirus
when he could have easily prevented himself from contracting it?
>> It is what it is. That's the first thing that comes to mind from Donald Trump.
The second thing is what he said in regards to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, elections have consequences.
Well, ignorance has consequences. And this is an opportunity for Joe Biden to run up
the score board. Because let's not forget, despite the fact that everyone wants to have
sympathy for Donald Trump having COVID-19, Donald Trump was still on the edge of destroying
this country with his rhetoric, with organizing 50,000 poll watchers, who are basically Proud
Boys with AR-15s.
Donald Trump has been and still continues to be, so long as he's alive, an existential
threat to this country. So we need Joe Biden to continue to just dunk on him. I have no
mercy for people who have no mercy for us. >> So I, of course, agree with what you're
saying.
But what I find interesting is that Joe Biden has been criticized by the Trump campaign
for refusing to hold as many in-person rallies. I mean, Joe Biden has taken the pandemic very
seriously, which is why he has tested negative for coronavirus. Both he and his wife have
tested negative.
And so at first, I was actually really worried about that tactic because Donald Trump has
been out and about. He's been campaigning pretty aggressively. He's been holding in-person
rallies with tens of thousands of people gathered in close quarters without wearing masks. And
he's been spreading his message. Whereas Joe Biden, we saw during the debate, Joe Biden
actually doesn't punch back very hard.
He's very careful in what he has to say. Joe Biden is a little, for lack of a better word,
weak when it comes to attacking Donald Trump. And so I don't think that he's ever going
to be that person, even though I totally agree with what your analysis is, what Biden should
do.
But I am rethinking some of my criticism toward Biden earlier when I felt like he was kind
of hiding out and refusing to do campaign events. And also, I criticized Biden for not
having any type of strategy on the ground in some of these incredibly important swing
states.
Like for instance, there was a report a few weeks ago about how there was no canvassing
happening in Michigan. >> So I don't know, how do you feel about
all that? >> So I agree with you on that assessment,
right? And I think they're trying to find a balance between canvassing, the need to
canvas, but also being careful because of COVID-19.
And I think honestly, I think a lot of people would appreciate that but they still can do
phone banking. They still can do online events. They can continue organizing and canvassing
the way that they have been virtually. But personally, I don't want anyone knocking on
my door in COVID-19.
And I appreciate politicians not coming to knock on my door in COVID-19. There are other
ways of reaching me and I think Joe Biden's campaign needs to continue doing that and
enhancing that and pushing it even further. >> Right, you're exactly right. And in regard
to the comparison that Kaitlan Collins outlined in that video, I wanna share some commentary
by Tommy Christopher over at Mediaite, who I disagree with time to time.
But I think this line is actually on the spot, it's perfect. He says despite the Roosevelt/Wilson
example, or JFK's campaigns suspension while Richard Nixon recovered from a knee surgery,
there is no precedent for this because Nixon didn't go around holding knee-smashing rallies,
and Roosevelt didn't wage a campaign to downplay and lie about the risks from assassins.
The worst thing Joe Biden could do for Trump the Covid patient is stop trying to unseat
Trump the Covid ally. I think that's a powerful line. And I think he's on the money there
I think he's completely right. And for Kaitlan Collins, instead of helping Donald Trump out
by floating this ridiculous idea, let me just remind you of who Trump really is and how
he feels about the press, including people like you.
>> I was blocked from attending an open press event here at the White House because the
White House did not like the questions I posed to President Trump earlier in the day, during
an event in the Oval Office with the president of the European Commission. And then later,
I was called into the office of Bill Shine, the president's latest hire, who is his right
hand man for communications.
It was him and the Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders, who told me that I would not be invited
to an open press event here in the Rose Garden moments later at the White House. Because
they thought the questions that I posed to President Trump were inappropriate.
>> It's truly shocking.
It's really unheard of, I've never heard of that. This is an open event.
>> So it does amaze me how quickly reporters do Donald Trump's bidding for him. No, Biden
should not suspend his campaign. He has no reason to suspend his campaign. Biden has
done what a responsible individual would do during a pandemic and as a result, he's not
suffering from coronavirus right now.
He should move forward. He should continue campaigning because guess what, that is exactly
what Donald Trump would do. Donald Trump would laugh, absolutely laugh at any mention, any
suggestion that he should suspend his campaign because Joe Biden has fallen ill. He wouldn't
care. He would keep going and you would probably continue mocking Biden while doing so.
>> And can I add real quick? With Kaitlan Collins, it's funny how when it was something
personal to her, you see how much energy she had. It was I, this happened to me. They didn't
let me in. That's the only time I could feel that energy from her.
But now when it has something to do with the American people in general, it's like, no,
you need to suspend your campaign. So she loses that energy and that's typical, really
typical of conservatives. They become extremely progressive and they become extremely on the
offensive against Donald Trump when it has something to do with them personally.
But when it's somebody else or the American people in general, they don't really care
as much.