WE’RE GOING TO PICK IT UP RIGHT
NOW, THANK YOU SO MUCH, KATY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE, I’M
AYMAN MOHYELDIN IN NEW YORK.
IT’S BEEN EXACTLY ONE WEEK SINCE
THE ELECTION.
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN
CONTINUING TO LAY OUT HIS
TRANSITION PLANS BY PROMISING TO
SAVE THE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE OF
SOME 20 MILLION PEOPLE AND
TAKING HIS FIRST QUESTIONS AS
PRESIDENT-ELECT.
IN FACT, OUR OWN MIKE MEMOLI WAS
THERE.
HE ASKED HIM ABOUT THE WHITE
HOUSE’S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT THE
RESULTS.
>> THE ABILITY FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION IN ME WAY BY
FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE THIS -- OUR
WIN DOES NOT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC
AT ALL, WHAT WE’RE ABLE TO DO.
>> ALL RIGHT.
IT’S NOT JUST THE PRESIDENT,
THOUGH, HIGH-PROFILE MEMBERS OF
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND
REPUBLICANS ON CAPITOL HILL,
THEY ARE DENYING JOE BIDEN’S
WIN.
>> IS THE STATE DEPARTMENT
CURRENTLY PREPARING TO ENGAGE
WITH THE BIDEN TRANSITION TEAM,
AND IF NOT, AT WHAT POINT DOES A
DELAY HAMPER A SMOOTH TRANSITION
OR POSE A RISK TO NATIONAL
SECURITY?
>> THERE WILL BE A SMOOTH
TRANSITION TO A SECOND TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
RIGHT.
WE’RE READY.
>> SENATOR, DID VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN WIN THE ELECTION?
>> WE DON’T KNOW YET.
>> WE DON’T?
>> HASN’T BEEN CERTIFIED.
>> SENATOR, HAVE YOU
CONGRATULATED VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN YET?
>> NO.
>> WHY NOT?
>> THE PRESIDENT WASN’T DEFEATED
BY HUGE NUMBERS, IN FACT, HE MAY
NOT HAVE BEEN DEFEATED AT ALL.
>> NOW, IN HIS COMMENTS JUST
MOMENTS AGO, JOE BIDEN REACTED
TO THAT.
WATCH.
>> I THINK THAT THE WHOLE
REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS BEEN PUT IN A POSITION WITH A FEW NOTABLE
A POSITION WITH A FEW NOTABLE
EXCEPTIONS OF BEING MILDLY
INTIMIDATED BY THE SITTING
PRESIDENT, BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE
PRESIDENT AT A TIME.
HE’S PRESIDENT.
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE AN ELECTORAL
COLLEGE.
WE’LL BE MAKING A JUDGMENT IN
DECEMBER.
IT WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN EARLY
JANUARY.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE’RE GOING TO GET TO THE DEBATE
OVER HEALTH CARE IN JUST A
MOMENT CERTAINLY WITH THE
TRANSITION.
>>> WE DO WANT TO BEGIN WITH
THAT BREAKING NEWS.
THE FIGHT OVER THE ELECTION
RESULTS.
THOSE COMMENTS COMING OUT THERE
FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN
MOMENTS AGO.
JOINING US NOW TO DELVE INTO ALL
OF THIS, NBC’S KRISTEN WELKER
WHO’S BEEN COVERING THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT.
NBC’S KARA LEE AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
ALSO WITH US IS ARI MELBER,
MSNBC CHIEF LEGAL CORRESPONDENT
AND THE HOST OF "THE BEAT."
KRISTEN, LET ME BEGIN WITH YOU.
BIDEN CONFIDENT THAT REPUBLICANS
WILL COME AROUND TO
CONGRATULATING HIM AND WORKING
WITH HIM AND TELLING DONALD
TRUMP THAT IT IS OVER.
A LOT OF REPUBLICANS SEEM TO BE
HEDGING THEIR BET ON A
CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTORAL
VOTE AT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
JOE BIDEN DOESN’T SEE IT THAT
WAY.
>> I THINK WHAT YOU HEARD FROM
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN, AYMAN, IS
AN ATTEMPT TO WALK A VERY FINE
LINE.
YOU HEARD HIM THERE SAY THAT HE
BELIEVES REPUBLICANS ARE BEING
PUT IN A VERY TOUGH POSITION
RIGHT NOW.
THEY DON’T WANT TO BREAK WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO IS STILL IN
OFFICE, AND, OF COURSE, THERE
ARE STILL TWO RUNOFF RACES IN
GEORGIA.
AND THE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE
SENATE DEPENDS ON THOSE TWO
RACES.
AND SO YOU REALLY HEARD HIM TRY
TO CHOOSE HIS WORDS QUITE
CAREFULLY BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT
ULTIMATELY, HE IS GOING TO HAVE
TO TRY TO FIND A WE TOAY TO WORK
WITH THESE REPUBLICANS.
TO WORK WITH LEADER McCONNELL IF
HE WANTS TO GET LEGISLATION
PASSED, WANTS TO GET HIS CABINET
PICKS THROUGH SO HE’S NOT GOING
TO START THROWING BOMBS IN THIS
INSTANCE.
AT THE SAME TIME, HE CALLED WHAT
HE IS WITNESSING INCLUDING THOSE
REMARKS BY SECRETARY POMPEO AN
EMBARRASSMENT.
I THOUGHTS IT WAS NOTABLE, ALSO,
AYMAN, HE SEEMED TO WALK AWAY
FROM THE THREAT OF LEGAL ACTION
AGAINST THE GSA FOR NOT
OFFICIALLY CERTIFYING THIS
ELECTION, INSTEAD SAYING I DON’T
THINK IT’S GOING TO BE
NECESSARY, AND, IN FACT, WE ARE
MOVING FORWARD WITH THE
TRANSITION.
THERE’S A PRACTICAL SIDE TO
THAT, THOUGH.
THEY’RE BEING DEPRIVED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WOULD
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WOULD
GO TOWARD A TRANSITION, BUT HE
IS TRYING TO MAKE THE CASE,
LOOK, YOU HEARD ME TALK ABOUT
COVID YESTERDAY, I ROLLED OUT MY
ADVISORY COUNCIL, A 12-MEMBER
GROUP THAT’S GOING TO WORK ON
FIGHTING COVID.
TODAY I’M TALKING ABOUT THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND HOW
WE’RE GOING TO BUILD ON THAT.
SO HE IS TRYING TO MAKE THE
ARGUMENT THAT HE IS MOVING
FORWARD WITH HIS TRANSITION
DESPITE WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH
THE GSA.
THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF MEASURED
OPTIMISM THERE, BUT THERE’S ALSO
SOME POLITICS GOING ON BECAUSE,
AGAIN, AYMAN, AT THE TOP OF HIS