Mark Meadows rejects Joe Biden's claim that President Trump is to blame for rise of violence in America
Joe Biden's words are not backed up by facts, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows tells Martha MacCallum on 'The Story.'
This is a rush transcript from "The Story," August 27, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: See you Bret. So we are just a couple of hours away now from President Trump taking the stage to again accept the nomination of his party and it is his party now after nearly four years in office, he will make the case that America should re-elect him to finish the work that he started, granting him four more years.
It is also been very much his convention from start to finish. Tonight we expect that the president will come out swinging, saying that he and Mike Pence have spent the last four years repairing the damage of the Obama- Biden White House.
He will also push for law and order amidst rising chaos in American cities.
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MACCALLUM: Unbelievable. That's just a small slice of what we have seen in recent days and weeks. We have watched now the Democrats pivot on this over the last 24 hours and it maybe, this may be part of the reason why, listen to this Minnesota Democrat calling into C-Span this week during the RNC coverage. Listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): I'm from Minnesota where all these riots and looting and burning started and I mean not a mention about us last week about saving our communities, helping our homeless, rebuilding our businesses and this convention just in the last two nights has awakened me that there is hope that there are people that are willing to fight for us people in our communities.
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MACCALLUM: Just one voter but an interesting take and Joe Biden today attempting to spin the riots back to the president.
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JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRTIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The problem we have right now is that we're in Donald trump's America. He uses it as a political benefit to him. You know, he's rooting for more violence, not less and it's clear about that. And what's he doing is keep pouring gasoline on the fire. This happens to be Donald Trump's America. Donald Trump's American.
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MACCALLUM: All right. On a windy rooftop up here, joining me now White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Mark, good to see you tonight. Thank you for being here.
MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Great to be with you Martha. Thanks.
MACCALLUM: You hear Joe Biden's argument. He says that this is Donald Trump's America and that the violence in the street goes back to the sort of chaotic reign of the last several years. What do you say to that?
MEADOWS: Well, I think Joe Biden is continuing with the words that actually are not backed up by the facts. Joe Biden is the one that has applauded those who have protested saying Defund the police. He's also the one that each and every time when we start talking about restoring law and order but more importantly making our community safe, he's the one, the first one to blame the law enforcement officers not the rioters or the looters.
And I can tell you it wasn't Joe Biden from his basement that send actual National Guard troops and law enforcement officers into Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was the President of the United States. He's all about restoring law and order and making sure that our communities are safe but he's also a man of action, not just of words like we just heard.
MACCALLUM: So as you know Joe Biden would say that he is not for defunding the police but on the record he has said that he would reallocate some of those police funds to other areas and I'll let you take that on with him another time.
MEADOWS: That's Washington speak for defunding. You know, you can't really allocate from one bucket without taking from that bucket to put in a different bucket.
MACCALLUM: That's a fact.
MEADOWS: So let's be real clear about that and let him go head and condemn it. I haven't heard a single condemnation from him or his running mate on all these people who are saying defunding the police. This president has spoken out loudly each and every time.
MACCALLUM: Well, I think all of America hopes that we'll see the opportunity for this debate to happen between these two gentlemen. Nancy Pelosi suggested today that she doesn't really think that it should happen at all, the debates, which obviously are tradition going back for many decades. Here's what she said.
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REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CA: I don't think that there should be any debates. If Joe Biden asked you what I thought about it, I don't think that he should dignify that conversation with Donald Trump.
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MACCALLUM: She went on to say Mark that she thought that that reporters should do individual interviews with the two of them. That would be more civilized way to do this. What do you say?
MEADOWS: Well, the reason why she doesn't want to debate is because 47 years of rhetoric is all Joe Biden has versus four years of a real record that this president has. Listen, I mean it's obvious what they want to do. They want to try to hide the Vice President of the Obama-Biden administration in a basement as long as they can so there's no tough questions so that you don't get to ask the tough questions or anyone else in the hopes that they can hoodwink the American people.
Listen, let's have the debates but even without the debates, this President's record will ultimately make sure that the people show up on November 3 and re-elect him.
MACCALLUM: Let me ask you something. You worked on the Hill and what do you read into what she's saying. Do you see her sending a signal here? Is she trying to open the door for a conversation where there are no debates? What do you see happening here?
MEADOWS: Well, I had a 25-minute phone call with Nancy Pelosi today about trying to provide enhanced unemployment to people that are hurting, about helping small businesses, about sending money to our schools, K-12 and making sure that we have additional resources for those that need daycare and what did we get from her is 25 minutes of nothing.
And so she's hoping that she can spin her story just like Joe Biden is hoping to spin his story but I think really the ultimate thing is they're afraid of the record. Listen, 47 years of service and you have two bills of which the Vice President Joe Biden actually passed, one of which he's running away from and that we're having to fix.
And so listen, give me the accomplishments from the first 100 days of this president up against the accomplishments of the last 47 years.
MACCALLUM: All right, any chance either you know we've become used to this week, seeing surprises that from the president. Any chance that there's a surprise announcement tonight along the lines of an executive order or something that was signed, anything along those lines because you're the Chief of Staff in your role now?
MEADOWS: Yes and Martha the great thing about a Chief of Staff is he keeps those secrets, a secret and so if I told you and the millions of people tuning in right now, it wouldn't be a secret.
MACCALLUM: So that's not a no.
MEADOWS: You need to tune in for just an unbelievable final night of the Republican National Convention.
MACCALLUM: We will be and we hear there are lots of protesters gathering outside. You guys concerned about that?
MEADOWS: Well, I haven't heard any protesters but you know at the same time, I'm not too concerned about it. We're well prepared for any condition.
MACCALLUM: All right, Mark Meadows Chief of Staff at the White House, thank you very much Sir. Good to have you with us tonight.
MEADOWS: Thank you Martha.
MACCALLUM: So let's bring in Democrat Senator Chris Coons, also advocate for Joe Biden. Senator, always good to have you with us. Thanks for being here tonight.
SEN. CHRIS COONS, D-DE: Thanks Martha. Great to be with you this evening.
MACCALLUM: So I hope you heard the introduction. There was a woman who called in to C-Span which was a Democrat voter from Minneapolis. She said that she was very upset. She almost sounded like she had tears in her voice when she spoke, that the Democrats at the convention did not talk about what's happening in her city.
And we've seen a pretty major pivot over the past 24 hours to Joe Biden starting to bring it up and other starting to bring it up as well so what's going on here?
COONS: Well Martha, here's what I heard in the last few minutes in Mark Meadows interview and earlier today from Joe Biden. The Chief of Staff to President Trump just said something that is flat out demonstrably untrue and Joe Biden spoke to it earlier today.
Former Vice President Biden is clear both that he finds these incidents, like the attack on Jacob Blake, like the brutal murder of George Floyd absolutely unacceptable. He thinks these are horrible. They should not happen in the United States and he's denounced them and has called for a full and thorough and prompt investigation.
And he joins the family of Jacob Blake in rejecting violence in saying that protesters who are peaceful and orderly, that's terrific. That is an appropriate way in the United States to express your concerns but when it becomes a riot, when there's violence, when there's looting, that violates our laws and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris do not support that.
MACCALLUM: Well, to be honest with you Senator, that's exactly -
COONS: Well, we just heard Mark Meadows say that -
MACCALLUM: Say that what?
COONS: We just heard Mark Meadows say a completely untrue thing about Joe Biden's record and where he currently stands so I appreciate the chance to be on here and to help correct that record.
MACCALLUM: Yes but everything that you just said about the concerns over the shooting of Jacob Blake and the killing of George Floyd, every American shares that feeling and every American, I think -
COONS: Well, I'm not sure we're going to hear that from President Trump tonight, are we Martha? Martha, are we going to hear from President Trump tonight that he has a plan, both for how we're going to heal the racial divides in our country and for how we're going to recover from this pandemic.
I'll remind you the United States has 5 million infected Americans. They have -
MACCALLUM: We'll come to Covid but I want to understand this topic for just a moment if I may Senator, that the fact of the matter is I covered almost every minute of the Democratic Convention. There was no discussion about the violence is happening in our cities and that's what you heard from that Democrat voter.
She said I've changed my mind. I can't believe that no one is talking about what's happening. The looting, the rioting. Every time I brought up the question about what's happening in the cities, I was told it's not a big deal. And you know, that it's mostly peaceful protests.
We don't have mostly peaceful protests with huge fires burning in the back of them and now suddenly there's a recognition on the part of Joe Biden and I think that's great. I think everybody says yes, it is time to recognize the pain of these people who have their buildings and their businesses destroyed, Sir.
COONS: Martha, it's not sudden. This is something that Joe Biden has a long record on. Supporting appropriate community policing. We're being presented with a false choice here. In the United States, we should expect justice for all Americans. We should expect to live in a country where we both uphold the rule of law, where we support law enforcement, where we expect folks to conduct themselves in peaceful and lawful ways.
And where it's unacceptable, it's not necessary to our safety and security that police occasionally conduct themselves in unlawful ways so it's the family of Jacob Blake that is joining former Vice President Biden in calling for calm and peace in Kenosha.
MACCALLUM: Absolutely we heard that from Mrs. Jackson.
COONS: It is important that the American people know that Joe Biden has a long and clear and positive record of both, fighting for racial injustice.
MACCALLUM: So if you - honestly, if you can find me an instance where he condemned the violence and the looting and the rioting during the Democratic Convention, I would love for you to send it to me because if it exists, I will be the first one to admit that he spoke about it at that convention but I did not see or hear him say that but please let me know if you did.
COONS: Martha, please play his statement from today.
MACCALLUM: No, that's different. I told you, I earlier I said that the tone is changed in the last 24 hours. I absolutely heard what he said today so I'm glad, I think most people are glad that there's a recognition. I know that woman voter for Minneapolis is glad that now that's being recognized on both sides of the aisle as well.
I want to ask about the debates. What do you think Nancy Pelosi was suggesting today when she said that she thought that there shouldn't be any debates and that if she were advising Joe Biden, she would tell him not to debate President Trump. Are you OK with that?
COONS: Well, here's what I know is true. Joe Biden has accepted the three debates. Donald Trump has not. Joe Biden is eager to debate Donald Trump about his record and I hope that tonight the American people instead of just a long string of attacks on Joe Biden, some of them untrue, we'll hear a positive plan from President Trump about how he's going to deal with both the pandemic and racial inequality.
Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House. She's negotiating with Mark Meadows. I appreciate her advice but former Vice President Joe Biden has already committed to three debates with Donald Trump. Donald Trump, our president has not.
MACCALLUM: Well, the last I heard he was pushing for a fourth debate and I think the consortium is also interested in that and they're waiting to hear a response from the Biden campaign because in 22 days people start voting and I think both sides feel that it would be helpful if the people who start voting in 22 days have already seen at least one of these debates.
So do you do you believe there should be a debate prior to the beginning of voting so a fourth debate?
COONS: There absolutely should be debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The argument in the Supreme Court of the United States in which President Trump, his allies and supporters in a dozen states are going to try to repeal, what is left of the Affordable Care Act of protection for 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, that argument happens the week after the election.
President Trump has talked out of both sides of his mouth about healthcare. He promised in 2016 that he would replace the Affordable Care Act with something that costs less and protect more. Instead we've got a system where he is still trying to take away healthcare for more than 100 million Americans.
I think he should present in dignity his defense for that course of action.
MACCALLUM: Absolutely and I would love to ask him that question in a debate as well. I think it's a great question and both sides should be asked about what they're going to do about healthcare and everything else. Senator Coons, thank you very much. It's always good to speak with you, Sir. Thank you for coming tonight.
COONS: Thank you Martha.
MACCALLUM: I do appreciate it. So coming up, lost among the headlines of the political conventions and protests, the story of real people like the people that I was just talking about whose livelihoods have been destroyed by this violence. One of them will join me with the horrific story about a very brave employee of ours when we come back.
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MACCALLUM: Sometimes lost in the unrest in cities like Minneapolis in Kenosha are the business owners of the places that you see being ransacked. Their life's work in some cases destroyed during the riots and the looting. Watch this employee of a pizza shop in Wisconsin confront one of the protesters. Watch this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are they trying to get Trump re-elected? Seriously? I got a family to support. I got a family to support. I got [BLEEP] kids to feed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These people don't represent our movement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm sorry but they're with you.
MACCALLUM: So my next guest, the owner of a mattress store in Kenosha that was burned to the ground. One of her employees had gone there to try to prevent anything from happening at the store. Watch this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, hey, no, no, no. Sir, sir, sir. Are you OK? It's his building. He was trying to defend his building and they beat the hell out of him.
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MACCALLUM: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Pamela Moniz is the owner of that store and she joins me now. Pamela, thank you very much for being with us tonight. I mean it's horrific to watch what happened to your friend and employee Robert that night. Can you describe to us where you were and how all of this happened and what was thrown at him that his jaw was broken?
PAMELA MONIZ, OWNER, THE MATTRESS STORE: Well, we had been watching the progress of the unrest and the protesters and had seen on our live stream that they were approaching our neighborhood.
So we decided to go there. I had asked him to wait for us you know so that it's just us and the building is just tough, don't be a hero. And when I got there, he had already been assaulted, beaten and on the ground with these group of people who you see in the video taking care of that.
MACCALLUM: Tell me about Robert and you know, I mean he's an employee and he put his life at risk.
MONIZ: He's more than an employee. He- I don't say he works for me. I say he works with me. We're like a family there and this man is so near and dear to me. But this is the type of man that he is. He is so selfless. Sorry, it's -
MACCALLUM: Oh, I'm sorry Pam, I can imagine. It's appalling to look at what happened to your friend and I'm so sorry and I don't blame you. I mean everyone understands how you must be feeling. It's terrible.
MONIZ: It's hard because he did that for me. He did that selflessly and I can't imagine what I'd do if something worse had happened to him. I don't even want to think about it.
MACCALLUM: Well, you guys are there for each other. You're at the hospital now as I understand and he had surgery today. How's he doing.
MONIZ: He's on recovery. I'm waiting for them to come back.
MACCALLUM: What is your message to the people who are doing this and do you feel like they're from your community? Do you feel like they're somewhere else? What is your - what would you say about that?
MONIZ: I do not believe that the people who did this are from our community. The people that are from our community were peaceful protesters and they had been since before the start of it.
There's no way that the things that were destroyed and the destruction that was done would have happened from anyone in our community and it saddens me because they're taking away the message that the peaceful protesters are trying to send and it's an important message and it needs to be heard.
I'm just afraid it's going to be lost.
MACCALLUM: In that Jacob Blake, you know the young man who was shot by the police lies paralyzed in the hospital and you just feel like you know, that part of the story gets very lost in what we have seen going on here as well.
The human beings at the core of all of this get lost when they we see this kind of destruction. Listen, we hope Robert has a full recovery and we thank you very much Pamela for being with us tonight. I know it's not easy so I really do appreciate you sharing your story.
MONIZ: Thank you.
MACCALLUM: So all right, tonight, there is a major development in the flight to slow the spread of Covid-19. How a brand new $5 test, the size of a credit card could be a game changer for businesses and schools, next.
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MACCALLUM: Brand new development potentially groundbreaking tonight in the fight to contain COVID-19. The FDA has approved a rapid test that can provide results in 15 minutes at the cost of $5. According to Abbott Labs the test is the size of a credit card. It sends results directly to your cell phone after you get it and it requires no other equipment, no big lab equipment that they put it all into to operate.
Joining me now is Dr. Gigi Gronvall, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a testing expert.
Dr. Gronvall, thank you very much for being here tonight. What's your take on this new test?
GIGI GRONVALL, SENIOR SCHOLAR, JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURITY: Well, any sort of advance in testing is so important because this is how we are going to fight this pandemic to know where the disease is, so it's really important. And so, it's exciting that there is a new advance and a cheaper test that can give rapid results and at the volume that we need. So, we are going to almost at least double the manufacturing volume that we -- in the next couple of months.
MACCALLUM: Yes. And one of the biggest problems and I think a lot of families experienced it. I know mine did, that it takes 10 days sometimes to get your test back.
GRONVALL: Right.
MACCALLUM: And by the time the test comes back you've already, you know, had contact with lots of people and it really isn't that helpful at that turnaround. And I saw that the administration is going to deploy 150 million of these tests under contract with Abbott Labs. But it's not the kind of thing that you can do yourself. I think that's one of the things. This has to be administered by a doctor, right?
GRONVALL: Right. Well, it doesn't -- it could be a nurse practitioner. It could be a school nurse.
MACCALLUM: Good.
GRONVALL: It could be a wider group of people. But, yes, unfortunately it's not a home test. It's not a test that we are looking for. And hopefully this will help pre-stage that kind of advance. But there's -- there are a few cons to this test. It's still a nasal swab test it would be great to have a saliva test and it would be great to have it, even though $5 is not exorbitant. It would be great to have --
MACCALLUM: Yes.
GRONVALL: -- a much cheaper test because --
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MACCALLUM: I think the short -- the short -- the short nasal swab is the best in my opinion, having been tested for some of these events. That one is easy. It's not the big one that goes up here, and for the saliva --
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GRONVALL: No. That's a brain swab. Yes.
MACCALLUM: The brain swab is no fun. I want to ask you about the CDC test sort of squabble this week. They came out and essentially said if you don't have symptoms you really don't need to be tested. Then they came back and sort of corrected that after they got a lot of pushback on that.
There was a suggestion that it was because they want to see more positive tests in this political season. What do you -- now they are saying you may be tested if you don't have symptoms and there is a good reason for it. What do you think about all of that?
GRONVALL: Well, it didn't make sense because more than 40 percent of cases are asymptomatic. So, to be able to stop spread you are going to need to test people who are asymptomatic. Unfortunately, this particular test, the E.U. way is recommend -- the emergency use authorization given by the FDA recommends that you only use it for symptomatic people.
MACCALLUM: Yes.
GRONVALL: So, we are still in this situation where we do need a more broadly available cheap test that could be used for asymptomatic and symptomatic people.
MACCALLUM: Amen to that. Everybody wants to know if they are OK to go here or there and to protect the people they love. Dr. Gronvall, thank you. Great to have you here tonight.
GRONVALL: Thank you.
MACCALLUM: So, coming up next, Senator Tom Cotton on the brand-new threat from China to cut off life-saving medical supplies from the United States. They brought this up before and now they are talking about it again, when we come back.
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SEN. TOM COTTON, R-AK: So many of our basic drugs are made in China. We need to stop that. We need to bring it back to the United States so we're not dependent on China in a pandemic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN, R-TN: Look at this as a national security issue, a health security issue. Let's bring this manufacturing back to the USA.
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MACCALLUM: Tom Cotton and Senator Marsha Blackburn, both of them have been fighting for this for quite some time sounding the alarm, warning that the United States is too reliant on China for life-saving drugs and medical supplies. In fact, almost all of our antibiotics a large percent of them are made in China.
Now a prominent Chinese official is threatening that China might use that lever to restrict our access to their drug exports which we very much need to have in this country suggesting that Beijing should, quote, "weaponize its export of medicine if the United States blocks companies like Huawei from access to American computer chips."
So, can you see where this whole fight is going? Tonight, China is also accusing the United States of violating international law after Washington slapped Beijing with new sanctions over their military buildup in the disputed South China Sea. This situation is heating up quite a bit.
The Chinese military launched ballistic missiles there on Wednesday in a warning to the United States.
Senator Tom Cotton joins me now ahead of his speech tonight at the RNC. Senator, good to have you with us this evening.
COTTON: Thanks, Martha. It's good to be on with you.
I just want to say at the outset I want to join you on expressing my concern and sending my prayers to everyone in Arkansas who is getting the rain and wind from hurricane Laura right now and especially those in Southern Louisiana who got it earlier today.
MACCALLUM: Yes. We've seen some real devastation in those areas and loss of life and we are thinking about all the people in your region, and certainly in Louisiana and Texas.
You know, I actually want to start by showing a piece of Chen Guangcheng last night who was just so remarkable and he's a Chinese dissident and activist. And I'm not sure everybody got to a chance to see this. So, let's just play one line from what he spoke about.
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CHEN GUANGCHENG, CHINESE CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The CCP is an enemy of humanity. It is terrorizing its own people. And it is threatening the wellbeing of the world.
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MACCALLUM: He was reading Braille off of the papers in front of him on that. And I think he spoke, you know, what you have been so concerned about really more clearly than any of us could, Senator. Your thoughts?
COTTON: Yes, I thought that was very powerful testimony by the Chinese dissident. He sees the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party. This latest threat by a high-ranking advisor to the Chinese communist reveals once again their true nature and the malicious intent they have to kill Americans because that's what it is withholding vital medications. Even basic medication is like Ibuprofen or Penicillin or other antibiotics.
If your child is sick and has a high fever of 104 to 105 and you can't get access to those, your child can die. And that's what they are proposing to do. Now they are doing so because we're going to restrict the export of high technology like semiconductor software and other semiconductor related technology.
Here's the difference. We can make Ibuprofen and Penicillin and antibiotics in this country if we choose to and we should. China cannot make in its country what we make here. They ought to take that into account before they start making idle threats.
MACCALLUM: Well, it's pretty clear that they are feeling restraint, that they are starting to feel uncomfortable with some of these actions and they are concerned about Huawei which is one of their biggest telecom companies and the United States has worked really hard to prevent or to ask our European and British allies not to do business with them because of the national security threat that it poses.
But here is -- here is Kamala Harris. Because I think this debate over how tough to be on China is going to be very central in the next 60 to 70 days before this election. Watch what she had to say.
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KAMALA HARRIS, DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Right at the moment that we needed Donald Trump to be tough on the Chinese government, he caved. On January 24th, he praised the transparency of the Chinese government. He said, quote, "China has been working hard to contain the coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well."
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MACCALLUM: Well, she is quoting the president there and saying that he was not clear-eyed when it came to the beginnings of this virus, Senator.
COTTON: Martha, that's rich from a woman whose running mate has been celebrating the rise of China for 47 years, who in the middle of this campaign said China is not our competitors or aren't even bad folks. What Joe Biden says on the campaign trail right now matters a lot less than what he has done for 47 years and supporting terrible trade deals that send so much of our manufacturing to China.
Drug manufacturing or high-tech manufacturing sent so many jobs overseas to China. It's rich for them now to act like all of a sudden, they are the China hawks. It was Joe Biden after all who was responsible for China policy early in the Obama administration when China didn't have naval bases in the middle of the South China Sea. And they stood idly by while China built them from rocks in the middle of the sea extending their bombers and their fighters and their missile ranges by hundreds and hundreds of miles.
It was Donald Trump in just this week sanctioned all the companies and officials who were responsible for building those naval bases. But if Joe Biden and Barack Obama had taken action at the time, that wouldn't be the case today.
MACCALLUM: Yes. All right. We'll see where it goes. I just want to mention on the way out here that the senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi is now casting doubt on the origin of the coronavirus, saying that they have evidence that it perhaps did not start in China, which I know you will vehemently disagree with.
And we look forward to seeing your speech this evening, Senator. Thank you very much.
COTTON: Thank you, Martha.
MACCALLUM: Coming up, the boycott that started in the NBA has now spread to almost all of the other sports leagues, professional sports leagues including football, baseball, hockey.
Former NFL player and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker who you saw speak this week spoke in defense of the president and he joins me now with his response to what's going on right now in professional sports and whether or not it's effective. Great back drop there, Herschel. We'll be right with you.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don't know much about the NBA protest. I know their ratings have been very bad because I think people are a little tired of the NBA. They have become like a political organization. And that's not a good thing. I don't think that's a good thing for sports or for the country.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- filed after both teams exchanged the wave of caps to one another. So, it would appear as though after a poignant moment that the Mets and Marlins will not be playing baseball tonight.
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MACCALLUM: So that was just moments ago and that's just the latest that we have read of teams that are walking off the field or choosing not to play. Lots of professional athletes choosing this as an act of protest after the police shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
These protests now hitting baseball, football, soccer, tennis, basketball, hockey, games that were once stalled by coronavirus are now stopping play again in a call for justice this time.
And just hours ago, the NBA averted a boycotted season to finish their season coming to an agreement and they are going to start playing again on Friday or Saturday is what we are told now. The White House responding to this. Senior advisor Jared Kushner says that he would welcome a conversation with LeBron James.
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JARED KUSHNER, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT: I think that the NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they are able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences to themselves financially so they have that luxury which is great.
Look, I think with the NBA there is a lot of activism and I think they put a lot of slogans out, but I think that what we need to do is turn that from slogans and signals to actual action that's going to solve the problem.
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MACCALLUM: We'll see where that goes. Joining me now is Herschel Walker, former NFL star and Heisman Trophy winner. Herschel, good to have you with us tonight. Thank you very much.
I see that you are getting ready for the big night over at the White House and we are headed there ourselves just after this program to report from their live this evening.
But, what do you think about all of this when you watch all of these players in solidarity walking off the fields and walking off the courts?
HERSCHEL WALKER, HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER: Well, you know, it's good to do it in solidarity. But I must say this here. We cannot solve anything with a closed fist. I think right now we have to have an open hand and I would love to see every league get together a leadership the way we send people to Washington with coaches, with the commissioner. I would love to go along with it.
And we demand that the Republicans and the Democrats get together and come up with a solution. That is a problem. You had first, you know, you saw Senator Scott, that had a solution but no one wanted to meet. Until they decide that they want to come together, not stomp their feet and just protest but come together, go to Washington and change things, that's when it's going to happen.
MACCALLUM: Yes.
WALKER: Because, and I said that's what they have got to do.
MACCALLUM: I want you to listen to Doc Rivers the L.A. Clippers head coach going after the president and the RNC this week. Watch this.
WALKER: Well, you know. That's sad. That is sad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOC RIVERS, HEAD COACH, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: Just watching them in public (Inaudible) and not to mention and they are spewing this fear, right, all you hear Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear. We're the ones getting killed. We are the ones getting shot. It's amazing. While we keep loving this country and this country does not love us back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: Passionate appeal from him. You heard what he said. What's your response?
WALKER: Well, it's very passionate but let me say this. I know Doc -- Coach Rivers. And I will tell you what, I think you are a fine coach, you are fine gentleman. But let me tell you this here.
This president here has said that violence got to stop. What was so strange to me is until another station, someone on another station said, you know, we are losing in the polls so I think we better speak out on this violence. When did the Democratic side decided to speak out? It should have been spoken out a long time ago not just now.
And so, don't blame this president here. Don't blame anyone. Quit pointing fingers. If you want to solve it, what we got to do we got to get together and talk about it. Not protest. Not go off the court. Not do any of that. We need to get together leaderships and vote. Every league, go to Washington and you decide what you want to do. I said I'm happy to join you because I do know this has got to stop. We cannot go on like this.
MACCALLUM: Yes. I mean, your heart goes out to Jacob Blake's family and, you know, I walk every day by the signs down here and the pictures of faces of people on the wall. There is a pain and you want to get past the point. You want to move it towards the conversation that actually gets us somewhere because it does feel like the protest leads to the violence and that leads to both sides just backing harder into their corners.
WALKER: Well, you know, they are doing that because you are taking videos. You know, this looks terrible when you see the video it looks terrible. But everyone doesn't know all the facts. And the first thing they said was racism. You know, I'm not going to say this is racism. That is just an incident that happened, but I think whenever white cops shoots a black guy, the first thing they say is racism. You know, wait a minute, there may have been more to the story to just that. So why don't we wait until all the details come out before we make a conclusion.
MACCALLUM: Good advice. Herschel Walker, thank you very much. Good to have you here tonight, sir.
WALKER: Hey, thank you.
MACCALLUM: Thank you. All right. Before President Trump takes the stage on the south lawn that you just saw there behind Herschel Walker, here is a look back at some of the unforgettable moments in history on prior GOP presidential nomination nights. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER: I accept your summons. I will lead this crusade.
FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I proudly accept your nomination.
TRUMP: I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I am with you. I will fight for you, and I will win for you.
FORMER PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON: We see Americans hating each other, fighting each other, killing each other at home. And as we see and hear these things, millions of Americans cry out in anguish did we come all this way for this? Did American boys die in Normandy and Korea and in Valley Forge for this?
REAGAN: There are those who question the way we choose a president, to say that our process imposes difficult and exhausting burdens on those who seek the office. I have not found it so.
FORMER SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-AZ: I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it, not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency, for its faith and the wisdom, justice, and goodness of its people.
FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Congress will push me to raise taxes and I will say no. And they will push and I will say no. And they will push again and I will say to them, read my lips, no new taxes.
(APPLAUSE)
G. BUSH: True leadership is a process of addition, not an act of division. I will not attack a part of this country because I want to lead the whole of it.
EISENHOWER: You have summoned me on behalf of millions of your fellow Americans to lead a great crusade for freedom in America and freedom in the world. I know something of the solemn responsibility of leading a crusade. I have led one.
REAGAN: We came together in a national crusade to make America great again and to make a new beginning. Well, now it's all coming together. With our beloved nation at peace, we are in the midst of a springtime of hope for America, greatness lies ahead of us.
TRUMP: We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACCALLUM: Four years later tonight is the night when we hear from President Trump again.
That is “The Story” just for now on August 27th, 2020. But the story continues all through the evening. Bret Baier and I live coverage from the South Lawn of the White House 10 o'clock tonight, the final night of the Republican National Convention. I will see you there.
END
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