TODAY HE’S HEADED TO GEORGIA TO
CAMPAIGN FOR OSSOFF AND WARNOCK.
EARLY VOTING HAS OFFICIALLY
KICKED OFF.
JOINING US NOW FROM THE
PRINCIPAL DEPUTY FROM THE
INCOMING BIDEN ADMINISTRATION,
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING, WILLIE.
>> LET’S START IN THE STATE OF
GEORGIA WHERE PRESIDENT-ELECT
BIDEN WILL APPEAR TODAY.
WHERE DOES HE SEE THE STAKES OF
THE RACE, BEYOND THE OBVIOUS, IF
YOU WIN THE RACE, YOU CONTROL
THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE.
>> YEAH, LOOK, THE STAKES ARE
HIGH ON JANUARY 5th.
LOOK PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN WON
GEORGIA WITH A WINNING
COALITION.
AND HE IS THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO WIN
THAT STATE IN 28 YEARS.
SO HE IS HEADING DOWN TO GEORGIA
TODAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT AND VOTED
FOR HIM ALSO COME OUT AND VOTE
FOR OSSOFF AND REVEREND WARNOCK.
LIKE YOU SAID, THE STAKES ARE
INCREDIBLY HIGH AND WE NEED
TO -- WE NEED TO WIN THAT RUNOFF
ELECTION.
IT’S NOT JUST HIGH FOR
DEMOCRATS.
IT’S HIGH FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE CHALLENGES
THAT THE PRESIDENT-ELECT TALKED
ABOUT YESTERDAY AND LAID OUT
VERY CLEARLY THAT WE NEED TO
START FACING NOW.
WE NEED TO TURN THAT PAGE AND
LEAVE THE POLITICS BEHIND AND
START WORKING FOR THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC AND THAT’S WHAT YOU HEARD
FROM JOE BIDEN LAST NIGHT.
>> YEAH, WE NOTED THAT
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN HAS
EXERCISED A GREAT DEAL OF
RESTRAINT LET’S JUST SAY OVER
THE LAST 5 1/2, 6 WEEKS.
HE PROBABLY DID WANT TO COME OUT
AND COMMENT ABOUT THE WAY THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN
CONDUCTING HIMSELF, THE WAY THAT
REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING
THEMSELVES THROUGHOUT THIS.
MORE FORCEFUL YESTERDAY THOUGH.
WHAT WAS THE OBJECTIVE WITH THAT
SPEECH AFTER THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE VOTED HIM IN?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT, WILLIE, WHAT
WE SAW YESTERDAY WAS DEMOCRACY
WORKED.
THE SYSTEM WORKED.
AND WE SAW THAT IN THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE VOTE.
AND THAT IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS HAVE
BEEN HARD.
THEY HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO
GET TO WHERE WE WERE YESTERDAY
AND SOMETIMES DANGEROUS.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY,
DEMOCRACY WON.
AND THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO
LAY OUT AND TO SAY AND HERE’S
WHAT WE BELIEVE ON JANUARY -- ON
JANUARY 6, CONGRESS WILL RATIFY
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE AND
ON JANUARY 20th AT NOON, JOE
BIDEN WILL BECOME THE 46th
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
AND THAT’S WHAT DEMOCRACY IS ALL
ABOUT.
>> IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT WHERE
WE ARE, THAT YOU EVEN HAVE TO
IDENTIFY THE DATES OUT LOUD AND
SAY WHAT THEY MEAN, BUT THAT IS
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WE HAVE GOT MIKA’S AUDIO
BACK.
ARE YOU WITH US?
>> YEAH.
>> HI, MIKA.
>> IT’S NOT MY DAY WITH AUDIO.
HEY, I’M SO HAPPY YOU’RE THERE,
AND IT’S SO GREAT TO TALK TO
YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> I KNOW YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE
TOUCHED ON THIS ON THE TOP, BUT
I’M WONDERING WHAT IT’S LIKE TO
PUSH THROUGH WITH THE TRANSITION
WHEN YOU HAVE THE LOSER SO
LOUDLY TRYING TO UNDERMINE THE
OBVIOUS RESULTS OF THE ELECTION
AND HOW WILL COMMUNICATION BE
DIFFERENT IN THE BIDEN WHITE
HOUSE?
I’M THINKING OF EVEN THE NUTS
AND BOLTS, THE DAILY BRIEFING,
BUT OVERALL AS WELL.
>> YEAH.
YEAH.
THAT’S ALL A GREAT QUESTION.
THE ELECTION IS OVER, MIKA.
BIDEN WON.
HE WON DECISIVELY AND IF YOU
LOOK AT IT, TOO, IF YOU GO DEEP
DOWN AND LOOK AT IT, HE FLIPPED
FIVE RED STATES TO BLUE STATES.
WE HAD SAID, IT’S TIME TO LEAVE
THE POLITICS BEHIND.
AND HE HAS A MANDATE.
JOE BIDEN HAS A MANDATE OF 81
MILLION PEOPLE COMING OUT AND
VOTING FOR HIM.
306 ELECTORAL COLLEGES.
THAT MATTERS.
HE WANTS TO START TALKING ABOUT
THE CHALLENGES.
THIS IS THE TURNING OF THE PAGE
POINT, START TALKING ABOUT THE
CHALLENGES.
WE HAVE COVID-19 THAT WE HAVE TO
FIGHT.
WE HAVE THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE
VACCINE.
WE HAVE TO REBUILD THE ECONOMY.
AND THAT IS WHAT MATTERS RIGHT
NOW IN THIS MOMENT AS WE’RE
HEADING INTO HIM GOVERNING IN A
LITTLE BIT OVER THAN A MONTH.
AS TO YOUR QUESTION TO THE
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, LOOK, I AM
HONORED TO BE PART OF THIS
UPCOMING ADMINISTRATION.
I AM HONORED TO BE WORKING FOR
SOMEONE THAT I BELIEVE IN,
VALUES THAT I BELIEVE IN, YOU
KNOW, A VISION THAT I BELIEVE
IN, AND I WILL WORK MY BEST TO
COMMUNICATE WITH THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC WITH HONESTY AND
TRUTHFULNESS, AND I WILL BE
DOING THAT WITH THIS AMAZING
GROUP OF WOMEN WHO WILL BE
LEADING THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM.
AND THAT IS WHAT WE’RE ALL
ABOUT.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PRESS
BRIEFING, LOOK, WE ARE GOING TO
BRING BACK TRUST TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AS WE TALK ABOUT THE
PRESS BRIEFING.
WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT
INFORMATION THAT WE PUT OUT,
THAT PEOPLE CAN RELY ON THAT,
THAT JOURNALISTS CAN RELY ON
THAT INFORMATION.
AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE
TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AS
WELL, MIKA.
SO NOT EVERYBODY WATCHES THE
WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING, SO
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
COMMUNICATE BEYOND THE BRIEFING
AS WELL.
WE ARE GOING TO BRING BACK AND
LEAD IN AND START TALKING ABOUT
FACTS, AND THAT’S WHAT WE ARE
LOOKING AT FOR THIS
ADMINISTRATION.