p. wheelchair. so she became fdr's legs, if you will. i would put michelle obama very close to that standard. >> thank you very much. and i hope all of you hearing the excitement in her voice, don't miss the premiere sunday night at 10:00 eastern right here on cnn. thanks for watching. here's anderson. good evening. so what happens when the president of the united states is contributing by his words and by his silence, including today to what his own top experts in the department of homeland security call the most persistent and lethal domestic security threat now facing america? what do you do when that threat coincides with and could be directed at an election that the president has not promised to peacefully abide by? we'll be joined by a former top official, a republican who calls what he's doing now in the face of that threat treasonous. this danger is described in the department of homeland security own state of the homeland threat

assessment 2020. that was supposed to come out today, and just about an hour ago, we got word it would not be released. no reason was given forthe delay, only that there was not statutory deadline for the product. meaning no law said it has to be out by today, so shut up and wait. as you think about that statement, consider that at the same time, some drafts of the report were made public last month, a dhs whistleblower said that top officials in the department of homeland security were concerned about the way the report would reflect on president trump. according to the whistleblower, they wanted less emphasis on white supremacist and more on radical left wing groups and less about russian disinformation campaigns. and now the report is not being released. but as i said, we've seen some drafts of it, and they all contain the following language. among dves, which is domestic violent emdreamist, we judge that white supremist also remain the most lethal threat to the

homeland through 2021. white supremacists, bigger threat inside this country than isis, al qaeda, anyone else. now, as i mentioned, according to the complaint, the dhs told the whistleblower murphy to modify the section on white supremacy. in a manner that made the threat appear less severe, as well as including information on the prominence of left wing groups. if this was supposed to come out today, the dhs has already briefed the president of the united states on the threat from white supremacists. he's likely been briefed multiple times over the last three years. they say it's the biggest domestic security threat in america. it would be criminal if they hadn't briefed him about it. so it makes the fact that the president is not out there, and hasn't been out there for years, making multiple speeches or comments about the dangers of white supremacy, and white supremacist extremist groups, and how he's working to eradicate that threat, the fact

that he's not been out there making those speeches makes it all the more stunning. it makes what he has said even worse. because as you listen to what he has said, think about the fact that he knows it's the biggest threat in this country right now. he's been told that by the department of homeland security. and yet this is how he talks about it. >> are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups -- >> sure. >> do it, sir. >> you want to call them -- what do you want to call them? give me a name. >> white su prem cypremacists. >> proud boys. >> proud boys? stand down and stand by. >> they concluded any possible financial gain isn't worth the risk of promoting violent extremism. the president apparently sees it differently, something his

former national security adviser can't understand. >> are you satisfied with the way the president responded to that? >> no, he missed a huge opportunity, right? i mean, it should be super easy to condemn white supremacists. you have these extreme groups. at the same time as the president and others are diminishing our confidence in our democratic process. >> super easy, he says. or as he told the atlantic, a layup. in the next phrase, the general puts his finger on why the president has not taken it. listen to this last bit these groups, as the president and others are diminishing our confidence in our democratic process. >> he doesn't say for the same purpose or to the same benefit, but it's not outlandish to ask whether they have common interests here. it's not as if the president hasn't cast doubt on the electoral process. last night, talking to a mostly white audience in minnesota, he did both.

omar he mentions, congresswoman omar from somalia, there's no evidence for any of the harvesting. >> another massive issue for minnesota is the election of joe biden's plan to inundate your state with a historic flood of refugees. congratulations, minnesota. congratulations. and what about omar, when he gets caught harvesting? these guys in -- stand up. are you a big fan of omar? i don't think so. look at this guy. nobody is going to fight him. i don't think you're a big fan of omar, right? she's been crooked for a long time. this is the least of it. aoc also. it's time. you take a look at the corruption, the disgusting corruption. 700% increase in refugees,

coming from the most dangerous places in the world, including yemen, syria, and your favorite country, somalia, right? you love somalia. >> again, congresswoman omar immigrated from somalia, just as the president's grandfather did from germany. but the president doesn't put berlin and mogadishu on the same footing. >> how did you do where you came from? how is your country doing? >> our country and her country, he says, noting knowled acknowl they're the came. if you're looked for minimum white shared grievance, there's no shortage of evidence. there's also that shared interest, as he sees it, enforcing his will on election day and beyond. is that what the stand by is about? remember, he's yet to promise he's peacefully hand over power.

remember for years he's boasted that his bikers and police officers and his gun owners stand behind him. and in tuesday's debate, he would not give a simple yes to these two questions. >> will you urge your supporters to stay calm during this extended period not to engage in any civil unrest and will you pledge tonight that you will not declare victory until the election has been independently certified. president trump, you go first. >> i'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully, because that's what has to happen. i'm urging them to do it. i am urging -- i am urging my people -- i hope it's going to be a care election. if it's a fair election, i am 100% on board. if i see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, i can't go along with that. >> what does that mean? >> it means you have a fraudulent election. >> which is just the kind of

talk that violent extremism thrives on. apparently this president thinks he'll benefit from. it's not like this should come as a surprise. my next guest recently tweeted, i worked to develop policies and programs to prevent domestic terrorism. we tried to educate the president and his staff on this threat. initially i thought the rebuffing was due to other priorities. i concluded after the attacks in el paso, the president of the united states was complicit. elizabeth newman joins us now along with kathleen blue. you think the president's comments during the debate not condemning white supremacy full stop are going to lead to more violence and what he's doing is treasonous. what leads you to that

conclusion? >> yes, anderson, i was really concerned. look, it's so clear that he's doing this for political purposes. but as a counterterrorism professional, my concern is that what he did on tuesday night brought attention to groups and to a movement that is trying to feed on grievances and trying to recruit more people to their effort. and when you have somebody as prominent and powerful as the president speaking about white supremacy, it is a recruitment tool. so you're going to end up with more people moving towards that ideology, and that ideology at its core, that the deepest, darkest roots which kathleen can speak much better too, but at its core, it is about violence. they want to overthrow the u.s. government, and they look for opportunities to conduct acts of violence in order to accelerate and move into that hopeful day when they can overthrow the government and establish a white nation. what he did is made things more dangerous for us as americans.

so i understand he wants to win an election, and there's a political fight here. but the point at which you start using your tools to actually bring more danger to our country, that's a dereliction of duty. you took an oath to protect and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic. so it's treasonous. you are putting that over the lives of americans. >> you said in those tweets you tried to educate the president and his staff on those threats but you were rebuffed. the fact that the department of homeland security, at least in this draft report, according to the whistleblower, are trying to weaken it, say that white supremacists, extremists are the biggest domestic threat in the united states this year. the fact that if that is true, and that the president is not out there repeatedly talking about the dangers of it, and actually doing stuff about it, and informing people about it,

that is really stunning, you know? it's not even that he can't condemn it in the most perfunctory way, the fact that he's not championing that information and getting it out there, that's the number one job of a president to keep americans safe. >> absolutely right. and every other example of an outside external threat or internal threat, we have seen presidents speak from the oval office and a very direct way to the american people and they describe the threat. and then they rally the american people around that threat and say here's what we're going to do about it. this president hasn't done that. he's done the opposite. he's ignored the threat. he's deflected and pointed to the left wing violence, what he calls antifa movement that is causing more challenges for law enforcement in the last few months, but honestly, the only reason it's grown in the last few months is because he drew

attention to it. the real threat is clearly from statistics and facts and every single expert that's testified on this, whether you're in the government or out, it is this right wing extremist threat. and he's not willing to talk about it. >> kathleen, i know you say that whether or not president trump ultimately disavows these groups. and again, when he does it's in you say even if he did, it's too late, because he's issued this call to arms and he's already given them every clue and every dog whistle and full-throated endorsement in so many different ways that the message has been received. >> exactly. and this is a problem that's much bigger than the proud boys. this is a movement of a whole bunch of like-minded activists. many of whom are even more violent and extremist than the proud boys and many who don't need this clear of a signal to prepare for war and stand by to

do violence. this is a movement that has been interested in those goals for quite a long. we're talking about something that is decades, if not generations old. it's been with us, it's been under the radar. if there's no reason to think that this movement will not take this as a sign and a signal, and sort of carte blanche of be the exact problem that elizabeth points out, which is there is not will at the upper levels of government to do the surveillance and prosecution needed to really bring this movement to a stop. >> and elizabeth, the fact that the department of homeland security is unlikely to meet this deadline, do you think the report might be -- do you think the report is being held back for political purposes? if ken cucinelli is saying let's gettifa in there, that seems pretty obvious. that's according to the whistleblower. >> this report was supposed to be done in the spring. i understand a little bit of delay because of covid. we had to make some adjustments

to how the workforce was operating. so i think that it's reasonable it was delayed until the summer. it does not make any sense why this was october. we put out strategic threat assessments all the time. it should not take this long. so until they can provide some other rational justification, it looks inherently political. it looks like they're hold thing because they don't want to get batted down like -- down by the president and director wray. >> kathleen, what do you make of the fact that the leader of the proud boys heads up something called latinos for trump, what do you make of that link? >> so it's not the first time that people of color have been involved in white power movements in one way or another. or in militia groups and affiliated groups like proud boys. but i gather that there's a little distinction between kind

of the grassroots version of latinos for trump and the more organized part of that movement. to me, the takeaway there is simply that there's just no credible way to believe that this administration is not fully aware of proud boys and who they are and the way that they have directly contributed to trump campaign events, to unofficial security. i mean, if nothing else, you know, the last time that the president was in the cross hairs of a major news story about not denouncing white supremacy was after the remarks that he gave about the crashes at the unite the right rally in charlottesville in 2017. that event was populated by proud boys. some of whom went on to do violence and continued to be in the news. so the idea they don't know what it is is just not credible. >> yeah. thank you both. coming up next, imagine what

it would be like to have one ballot drop box for a county of nearly 5 million people. you might say that wouldn't make any sense. well, it's happening in texas. the latest on that. later, melania trump on tape, and the former best friend who made the recordings, joins us. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 844-214-2424.

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the number of mail-in ballot locations to one per county. a single drop box for dallas. one for austin. one for houston's harris county, which at 1700 square miles is larger than the state of rhode island. it's about 70 miles across at its widest point. they get one box for the entire county. the democratic party's chair is labeling it a voter suppression tactic. the governor echoing the governor's language saying it's to prevent illegal voting. there's no widespread plot. joining me now are my guests. gloria, is this a defensible move from the texas governor? >> yeah, if you want to get donald trump elected, sure. it's a political move, it's absurd on the face of it. you are talking about, for example, the size of harris county in houston, you were

talking about austin. this affects democratic voters. this affects minorities. you're talking about one dropoff box for harris county with 4.7 million residents? it used to have about a dozen dropoff boxes. if anything, you should be adding more dropoff boxes. and if this is about election security, what sit about those boxes that is so insecure? the county clerk in harris county said okay, we'll put security there at the dropoff boxes if you want. but there's been no real response on that. so the only reasoning is, anderson, to make it harder for people to vote, who might vote for joe biden. >> carl, i mean, have we seen stuff like this before? obviously, we saw in many parts of america during segregation -- >> that's exactly when we saw it. during jim crow america, and since the voting rights act was passed in 1965, we have seen

nothing such as we're seeing from the systematic disenfranchisement of people who might be in the opposition to donald trump and to the republican party. it's systematic, it's purposeful, and it's overtly racist led by a racist president of the united states. and the really amazing thing is to watch the republican party, the party of lincoln, the party of the emancipation proclamation, go along with president trump's racist suppression of votes, of black african-americans. it's -- you know, you've got to ask yourself where are the 10, 20, 30 republicans in the senate and house who will condemn unequivocally the most despicable embrace of evil ideology by a president and the experience of all living americans? because that's what we have seen these last few days by the president in the debate, and now through this systematic

exclusion of african-americans from voting. >> gloria, if you're living in a huge county, you don't have a car, you know, you go places, you go to work on the bus. what do you do? >> that's a good question, because in the state of texas, it's not easy to vote absentee either. you have to be over 65, you have to prove that you're sick or you're disabled. so, you know, while other states are opening up the process for absentee ballots, particularly in a time of covid, texas is not a state that does that. look, this comes down to one thing, texas is a two-point state now. texas, of all places, believe it or not, is a battleground in this election. and that would be incredibly embarrassing for governor abbott, who is close to donald trump. if the state of texas were to somehow turn blue. i'm not going to predict that, but i'm telling you the fact that it is a battle ground is already embarrassing for abbott.

so what does he have to do? he's protecting the status of the state as a red state, doing whatever he can for president trump to make it hard for the voters you talk about to vote. >> and carl, the president continuing to refuse to -- it's not even disavow white supremacists, just to speak about a normal human being, to speak like a leader about what the department of homeland security, in their draft report at least before, you know, ken cucinelli and others are trying to, according to a whistleblower, manipulate it, is the biggest domestic terror threat in the united states right now, extremists, white supremists, far right extremists. the fact that he won't even warn people about it is stunning. >> it's stunning but it's donald trump. we have to look at the life-long history of donald trump as a racist. we have to go back to when he owned apartments in baltimore

and the justice department had to haul him in -- >> i get all that. what i don't get, though, is -- what i don't get is republicans who are just being outraged that he's not warning the american people about the department of homeland security says is the biggest threat domestically from a terror group. >> i don't like doing it. >> because they support him. >> that's criminal. that's insane. >> let's lock ok at one other aspect of this. he has said to people, making it clear, he is willing to blow up the basic american system of democracy so he can somehow hold onto power. he is willing to undermine the very basis of democracy, which is free elections. we've never had a president do this before. this is fundamental. it's criminal.

>> and donnie trump, jr., in some hotel room looking glassy eyed, talking into zoom talking about join the trump army. you know, as if he ever joined a military force. >> it's just remarkable that this is going on, and i think quite honestly, a lot of people don't actually believe what is occurring because it's not within our frame of reference here in america. we go vote. voting is type. we go in, we go out, we send in our ballots. we've never been afraid to go to the polls unless, you know, jim crow. i think that now it may be sinking in that you have a current president of the united states, who is actually inciting violence should he lose this election. i mean, that is stunning to all of us, and i think perhaps it is beginning to sink in. but what you need to hear from

these senators, these republican senators who are trying to protect themselves because they're running for re-election, it's not that oh, i will promise you a peaceful transfer of power. that is all they are saying. what they need to say is donald trump needs to stop talking about this. and that is what we are now hearing. >> it's like a promise from lindsey graham. what does that mean? gloria, carl, thank you very much. we should note we invited governor abbott on the program tonight, but a spokesperson said he was unavailable. there are a lot of remote studios in texas he could have dwo gone to, unlike drop-in places for mail-in ballots. up next, melania trump on tape. her phone conversations with her former friend who joins us next. one day we'll look back and remember the moment that things, for one strange time in our lives, got very quiet. some lost work

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more dangerous and corrupt president than trump. he's harming our basic values, giving rise to hate, and he's selling out america to big corporations. i'm working to protect immigrants, women, communities of color, and lgbtq people. and i'm making corporations like pg&e and insurance companies play by our rules. we need experienced leadership to wipe away trump's stain on america for good.

tonight, for the first time you'll hear first lady melania trump probably as you never heard her before. we obtained phone recordings someone that was part of the trump inner circle. a former close friend and adviser to the first lady. in 2018, her tie s were terminated. she kept talking to mrs. trump and recorded some of their phone calls using the quotes to write her new book "melania and me, my rise and fall of the friendship with the first lady." >> thank you for having me, anderson. >> i want to begin with a

recording that you made which you and melania trump are talking about her legacy. it's fascinating to hear her speak in this way. let's listen. >> that's fine. who supports melania? you do have a legacy. >> yeah, but they -- well, it doesn't come -- it came from me, they know about the children.

>> what did you think when you heard that, and i mean, it's so interesting, because there was this so idea of oh, people felt bad for her she's with this guy and sort of trapped in this situation. is that -- that doesn't seem like that's the reality at all. >> anderson, i just want to first start by saying, you know, when i first started taping melania, i had already left the white house a and had already been accused of a criminal crime. and i -- >> they threw you under the bus basically. >> very much so. the trump administration, as well as the presidential

inauguration committee tandomly created a narrative i wouldn't follow and i needed to be the scapegoat with. that being said, i genuinely went into planning the inauguration with honor, and helping the first lady set up her east wing office. unfortunately, there were too many roadblocks in the way. so for melania to create a legacy was going to be challenging regardless, just because of the palace intrigue inside the white house between the east and west wing, between ivanka and melania. and she didn't have the support at first she needed at all, quite honestly. >> does she have interest in the role of first lady and the responsibility it carries? and what is her -- what does she care about? >> well, at first, melania really did want to make a difference. she felt that if she had the right experts and the right team behind her, she would be able to facilitate and create a platform

that would help so many children with social and emotional learning. unfortunately, when i had to go, and as she told me and the white house legal counsel explained that she and donald that due to a possible investigation that my term there needed to be severed. and that was the quote from stephanie grisham. but i do believe that, you know, she's complicit in everything that's going on. i mean, instead of falling out of line, she towed the line. there's so many incredible things that the first lady could be doing, should be doing. and it's unfortunate that our country is so limited to such a basic level of, you know, it's great to see the warmth and the children's smiles, but there's so much more that should be happening. >> she has this initiative be best, which i think you were involved with, and i know you sort of were concerned about the

hypocrisy of that, given how much president trump engages in that kind of behavior. she must be aware of that and just -- does she not see the strange hypocrisy of it? >> she did right away, but she was committed to that. and she was open to discussing that. in the overarching belief that the initiative would almost be an umbrella to addicted behavior, and that bullying, social media, opioids were, you know, would lead you to not being able to express yourself, not having the toolbox to know how to feel and express your emotions like our president. would enbe able the next generation to actually live a much more respectful and empathetic, kind life. >> what do you make of -- i mean, if she -- you're saying she's complicit. is she a cheerleader of the

president? is she a supporter of the president? does she like the president? >> actually she does, very much so. melania holds a role like no other person in the white house, anyone. she doesn't shake in her boots ever and tells donald exactly how she feels. she is his biggest cheerleader and she does believe if he's going to do it, he better do it right and do it with brass knuckles and he better do it now. those are her words. >> we reached out to the white house for response to this, and stephanie grisham, the chief of taf for the first lady responded saying secretly taping the first lady and willfully breaking a nondisclosure agreement is a clear attempt at relevance. the timing continues to be suspect. i want you to respond. >> well, i just think that she just lost the women's vote. i think that after watching the debate the other evening and how disgraceful and how upsetting it was to see our leader act in

such -- i don't have the words to express how blatantly rude it was to act that way, and then to see melania walk on stage to smile at him and gesture at him and to be okay with that type of behavior, i mean, the most important voice right now should be melania's voice. she has no voice as his wife. i mean, the one woman that we need more than ever isn't coming to the plate because she has no ability to do so. >> so the decision to start recording conversations with her, you were already out of the white house, and this investigation had sort of -- had begun. did you -- what was the thinking on recording? >> so here's the thing. i think most people don't understand, but i had already hired my legal team while i was still inside the white house, when i was asked to present a narrative to the press regarding the presidential inauguration financing, which i had no access or ability to sign off on.

i was just the person who complained about it all the time. so once i was handed 62 questions and some of them were regarding matters that are under investigation right now by the united states attorney general for the d.a. of columbia that i am working with, i became extremely concerned. i expressed those concerns to melania and donald. but melania was one person that i went to, and she and i talked about the need for a lawyer, and so the next day i did. i went and hired a lawyer, and made sure that everything in my communication with the white house since january was documented. and i have resigned before i was even severed. so none of it's true. >> well, we've got to take a quick break. when we come back, there's more recordings what the first lady said about her trip to the border, where the trump administration was separating kids and parents and detaining them. more on that ahead. our home was burned to the ground

in the tubbs fire. the flames, the ash, it was terrifying. thousands of family homes are destroyed in wildfires. families are forced to move and higher property taxes are a huge problem. prop 19 limits taxes on wildfire victims so families can move without a tax penalty. nineteen will help rebuild lives. vote 'yes' on 19.

so false, a judge ordered them bistruck from the voter guide. prop 15 are using scare tactics but the following facts are not in dispute. prop 15 closes big corporate tax loopholes, protects homeowners, and cuts small business taxes. but that's not all, by closing the loopholes, communities can invest in local schools, ppe for nurses, and our firefighters. don't be deceived by big corporate scare tactics. vote yes on 15. more now with former friend and east wing adviser of first lady melania trump. she's sharing phone conversations she has of the first lady. stephanie, i want to may another conversation you had with the first lady. this one is about her trip to the border when the trump administration was separating

kids from their parents and detaining them. let's listen.

>> i mean, it's so fascinating to hear. clearly, you know, people project things on to her about well, she went down to the border and wore that shirt and it was a message, wore that jacket and it was a message.

she thinks that they were happy to be in u.s. custody, and that all the stories about gang violence, which is, you know, huge throughout central america, is just gaming the system. >> well, you know, the jacket was a means to an end. it was a publicity stunt, and it was to garner the attention of the press, to make sure that everyone was aware that melania was going to the border. and i think it meant a lot, just like it means a lot to donald, that he has something over barack obama. so there's so many similarities here. they do things not for the purpose that, you know, good deeds are done for the intent of doing good deeds, not for the attention you get from doing good deeds. unfortunately, this administration and the people around them, and this family, are only doing things that benefit them instead of all of these children and people that are suffering. i mean, we have a huge

humanitarian crisis on our hands. people are dying every day in the hundreds of thousands now. and to watch, again, i'm sorry to go back to that debate, but it was horrifying and really, really embarrassing for our country. >> you also had a conversation with the first lady about her role as first lady and some of her duties including christmas at the white house. i want to play that.

>> it's so interesting. hearing her being hostile toward, you know, decorating the white house for christmas. you know, it certainly doesn't jibe with the fox -- you talk about war on christmas, it's funny that she would be leading

with that. but certainly, it's one of those traditional roles and, i don't know, it's fascinating to hear her talk like that. >> i think melania has an internal conflict. just back to the border for a moment. i think as a mother, those as a mother those internal instincts are set off and she did care but there is no husband, leader of the free world to discuss that with so she steps in line and just decides that what she has heard and been told is what the rule of law is in our country. and that's why i think, you know, we are watching our democracy turn into a dictatorship at this point. it is a brain wash, cultish -- people use that word so loosely but that is what i think of. on the flip side melania, the traditions of first lady and

president have gone out the window with this couple and i feel that if there were -- there is so much that could be done but, again, no support. no understanding. and no -- >> so she can't go to the president and talk to him, they don't sit around and talk at the end of the day or have dinner as a family and discuss things going on? >> they do but i think the policy is going to rule out always and donald is in charge of that. melania, again, as the person with more emotion than donald has to, again, like i keep saying, it is about towieing th line. >> that infamous jacket she wore on her trip to the border which said i really don't care i think, i don't remember exactly, but you had a conversation with her about it. let's play nah.

>> all the time that he's the only one for everything. you understand? >> i do. so what prompted you to want to buy that jacket? >> i'm driving liberals crazy. that's for sure. and that, you know, that's -- and they deserve it. you understand? everybody is like oh, my god this is the worst. this is the worst. after, i mean come on, they are crazy. okay? >> at the time stephanie grisham said, quote, it is a jacket. no hidden message. so what was the message? >> i do discuss it in the book and i think it is really important. the messaging in her office, in the east wing and the west wing, there is no synergy. when i had spoken to melania about it i said to her, didn't you really maybe mean that you weren't, you know, i don't care, do you? the message should have been i don't care what anyone thinks conservative, liberal, i don't care who you are i am doing the

right thing as a mother and first lady of the united states of america and going to the border and visiting the children whether it is covered or not? so she is in a position where she doesn't have the support either within the office to even have the proper messaging. >> so that is really interesting. she thought that was the message, like she is going to the border. she cares about it. you know, no other first lady has done this. i mean, it is totally not what the jacket actually said. it made it sound like she doesn't care and do you? >> that was my take on the jacket. >> i see. okay. >> i'm sorry. but again, importantly, melania should have come out immediately after that and made a statement to the press that her office had misspoken. that stephanie grisham as a spokesperson should protect the first lady and try and understand what does she mean? again, melania is going to do what melania wants to do.

she does not care what anyone tells her and she is very, very honest about that. >> it is fascinating. the book is melania and me, the rise and fall of my friendship with the first lady. thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me on. >> there is more breaking news. cnn has learned the white house senior adviser hope hicks has tested positive for the coronavirus. when was this discovered? when was hope hicks last near the president or the vice president? >> reporter: so we haven't confirmed exactly when she tested positive, anderson, but what we know about how they do things here at the white house it must have been today because yesterday we did see hope hicks getting on marine 1, flying with the president to joint base andrews and flying with him to that rally in minnesota last night and now we've learned she has tested positive for coronavirus. we still have to figure out when exactly the test was administered. typically they are done in the mornings when the senior staff actually meets with the president, gets into the west

wing, it is something they do basically as they walk in the door, drop off their phones. they also get tested for coronavirus. this is incredibly significant because we've reported about cases of coronavirus in the west wing over the last several months since this pandemic started with the president's personal valet, his national security adviser, a top aide to the vice president. but it has not been closer to the president than it is right now with hope hicks because there are few people who work closer with the president than she does. she has been traveling with the president not just last night but also for the debate in cleveland on tuesday. every other rally he's gone to this week. she was part of his debate prep where we are told they were not wearing masks as they were doing debate prep ahead of the meeting in cleveland on tuesday. so she is someone who has been around the president a lot in recent days. and of course we reported that people in the west wing do not wear masks. they do not social distance. it's just been a protocol that they've followed. time and time again, anderson, you've seen them rely on the fact that they get tested every

single day. with hope hicks she is living proof that just because you get tested every day doesn't make you immune from coronavirus. now someone incredibly close to the president has gotten it. we ask the white house about this. they did not confirm the story. we do have several sources who have confirmed that she tested positive after bloomberg news first reported it. they just said they do work with the physician's office to make sure if the president comes in contact with someone that they can find out what they need to know about doing that kind of contact tracing. but we can do the contact tracing ourselves, anderson. she has been around the president a lot and now today has tested positive for coronavirus. >> so if it was in fact today it would have been -- basically would have been -- i mean, if kept to a normal schedule it would be every 24 hours she would have been tested if it was day after day she was with the president, right? >> reporter: that's typically how it's been done. in the mornings is when they get tested and once they're cleared they go on about their day. they don't normally get tested again. so remember, the president was in minnesota last night. it was a pretty late night.

he got back to the white house really late. you've got to think of not just being at the rally. they're riding air force 1 together where often staff sits in a conference room on air force 1. you can see them on the plane in the back where the press sits but the president has his own office. aides are often in there conferring with him going over the schedule for the next day. watching fox news with him. helping him with his tweets if he wants to fire back at something. there is a lot of interaction face to face on things in a close space like air force 1 where there certainly is a lot of contact for the president to be talking to someone who now has tested positive for covid-19. >> appreciate it. stand by. i want to bring in cnn's medical analyst and infectious disease specialist. doctor, what do you make of this? >> well, anderson, we know that if somebody is in close proximity with another person for what we would consider to be close proximity, within a couple feet, and for 15 minutes or longer, that that constitutes a very real risk. now, because they are testing

everybody at the white house every day, every 24 hours or so, that would indicate that the real window of risk for the president would be the last 24 hours prior to hope hicks being diagnosed with this. but he is somebody who likely has a lot of preexisting conditions. he is obese. he may have high blood pressure. other cardiovascular types of conditions, which if he were to be infected would put him at very high risk for severe disease so i certainly hope he has not been infected with this. >> yeah. anybody who has a weight issue as he does, that is a concern. obesity is a pre-existing condition for this. i mean, if hope hicks was wearing a mask at all times around the president, you know, in those 24 hours, that would obviously mitigate the risk. if she wasn't the risk would be higher i assume. even if somebody has just then, i mean if she gets tested one morning and then the next morning is positive, tests positive, and she contracted it

then somewhere in between, is she able to spread the virus immediately? >> well, if she was testing negative the day before it was highly unlikely that the day before she would have been very infectious. so it is really in the time leading up to this positive test that we worry. in general, people can take up to 14 days to develop symptoms. but she was not -- she is not somebody who is a symptomatic case. this is being picked up early on the basis of the test and we have yet to see if she develops symptoms. >> all right. and the fact that they -- so what happens now? i mean, i guess everybody who was with her will be tested again. >> well, several officials who were on the trip with her were told today that she had tested positive because of course they've got to be informed that someone they were interacting with without masks and social distancing tested positive. and it does make you question, because we have been told the president was actually pretty paranoid about getting

coronavirus. you've heard him defend his rallies and saying well i stand back from everyone else. i'm not that close. remember, he's got rallies coming up this weekend so you have to wonder if it changes that travel schedule. >> appreciate it. dr. gounder as well. the news continues. we'll hand it over to chris cuomo for "primetime." chris? all right. thank you very much, anderson. i am chris cuomo. welcome to "primetime." as you just heard we have breaking news on covid. cnn sources say another one of the president's closest aides actually the closest aide to date has tested positive for coronavirus. it is his adviser hope hicks. she traveled with trump to and from the debate on tuesday and also to his rally in minnesota yesterday. hicks has traveled with the president multiple times this week. this video was taken yesterday. you see trump getting on marine 1 and about 30 seconds later you'll see hope hicks following behind wearing a tan coat. this is a still. the video will keep