WHO MADE GOOD.

PLEASE WELCOME THE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED

STATES JOE BIDEN!

SIR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SITTING DOWN WITH ME TODAY.

>> THANKS, I ALWAYS ENJOY BEING WITH YOU.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING A TRIP DOWN TO WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

>> Stephen: IT'S ALWAYS NICE TALKING TO YOU, TOO.

I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY AND ENJOYED TALKING TO YOU ON CAMERA

AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS NOW, FIRST TIME I

INTERVIEWED YOU.

BUT NOW YOU HAVE A NEW JOB.

YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD,

AND MY JOB TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD.

WHAT IS PRESIDENT BIDEN GOING TO PUT INTO THE WORLD?

>> HOPEFULLY, WE'RE GOING TO -- WHEN I RAN, I SAID, STEPHEN,

REALLY EARLY ON, THAT THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS GOING TO INHERIT

TWO THINGS -- A NATION DIVIDED AND A WORLD IN DILLS ARRAY.

AND IN THE WORLD AT LARGE, WE'VE GOT TO SAY AMERICA'S BACK.

AMERICA'S BACK.

WE KEEP OUR COMMITMENTS TO OUR ALLIES.

WE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUR ADVERSARIES AND OUR FRIENDS,

AND THE AMERICANS -- I HAVE BEEN, ALREADY -- I'VE SPOKEN

TO -- I'VE CALLED SOME 25, 26 WORLD LEADERS, AND WE'RE --

AMERICA'S BACK, NUMBER ONE.

NUMBER TWO, YOU KNOW, THE -- I THINK THE NATION -- AND I DON'T

THINK I'M KIDDING MYSELF, I GOT CRITICIZED FROM THE BEGINNING

FOR SAYING THIS -- I THINK THE NATION IS LOOKING FOR US TO BE

MUCH MORE UNITED.

WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THIS KIND OF -- POLITICS HAVE BECOME SO

DIRTY AND VICIOUS AND PERSONAL AND MEAN AND CLINCHED FIST

INSTEAD OF AN OPEN HAND, AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FIRST

TO COME TOGETHER.

>> Stephen: WHEN WE SPOKE IN MAY, I ASKED YOU IF YOU WERE

GOING TO BEAT THIS GUY, I BELIEVE IS HOW I PUT IT, AND YOU

SAID, YES, I AM.

AND IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK PRETTY GOOD FOR YOU.

THE ODDS ARE PRETTY GOOD THAT YOU'RE COINGT GOING THE BEAT HIM

AT THIS POINT.

DO YOU TAKE IT PERSONALLY AT ALL THE REPUBLICANS WHO HAVEN'T

ACKNOWLEDGED YOUR WIN?

>> NO, LOOK, THEY'RE IN A TOUGH SPOT.

I KNOW EVERYBODY SAYS, WELL, THEY SHOULD JUST STEP UP.

HOW CAN I SAY THIS?

A NUMBER OF THEM SENT MESSAGES TO ME FOUR WEEKS AGO, GIVE ME

TIME, JOE, GIVE ME SOME TIME.

THAT'S FINE BY ME.

THAT'S FINE BY ME.

WE WON.

WE WON GEORGIA THREE TIMES.

NO, BUT ALL KIDDING ASIDE, LOOK, IT'S A TOUGH SPOT.

>> Stephen: BUT YOU UNDERSTAND THE SPOT THEY'RE IN?

>> I DO.

>> Stephen: BUT BECAUSE YOU UNDERSTAND IT, YOU ALSO HAVE TO

UNDERSTAND HOW FUTILE THE SPOT IS FOR THEM TO RESIST THE

REALITY OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.

LINDSEY GRAHAM -- LINDSEY GRAHAM, A FRIEND OF YOURS, HE

HAS SAID THINGS ABOUT YOU NICER THAN ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID

ABOUT ME.

I WISH SOMEBODY WOULD SAY THE THINGS ABOUT ME THAT LINDSEY

GRAHAM SAID ABOUT YOU.

DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS CAN PATCH IT UP AND WORK TOGETHER?

>> LINDSEY'S BEEN A PERSONAL DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE I WAS A

PERSONAL FRIEND OF HIS.

BUT, LOOK, I DON'T THINK -- I THINK THAT -- I THINK I CAN WORK

WITH THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, I

THINK WE CAN GET THINGS DONE, AND I THINK, ONCE THIS PRESIDENT

IS NO LONGER IN OFFICE, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE AN IMPACT ON

THE BODY POLITIC FADE, AND A LOT OF THESE REPUBLICANS ARE GOING

TO FEEL THEY HAVE MUCH MORE ROOM TO -- TO RUN AND COOPERATE.

>> Stephen: THE FIRST TIME YOU AND I EVER SPOKE TOGETHER WAS ON

THE OLD SHOW, AND IT WAS IN 2010, AND I ASKED YOU A

QUESTION, IN CHARACTER, BUT IT LEFT A REAL IMPRESSION ON ME

WHAT YOUR ANSWER WAS.

THE ADMINISTRATION HAS GOT SOME CRITIQUE, SOME CRITICISM FROM ME

AND MY CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS THAT YOU HAVE NOT GIVEN ENOUGH CREDIT

TO PRESIDENT BUSH.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW TO LOOK

OVER THERE AND SAY THANK YOU.

>> MR. PRESIDENT, THANK YOU.

YOU'VE HONORED THESE GUYS, YOU'VE HONORED THESE WOMEN.

YOU'VE HONORED THESE TROOPS, AND I'VE KNOWN YOU YOUR ENTIRE EIGHT

YEARS AS PRESIDENT, I'VE NEVER KNOWN A TIME WHEN YOU DIDN'T

CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

WE DISAGREED ON POLICY, BUT YOU DESERVE A LOT OF CREDIT,

MR. PRESIDENT.

>> Stephen: MR. PRESIDENT, I NEVER DISAGREED WITH YOUR

POLICY.

( LAUGHTER ) WELL, THE THING I LIKED ABOUT

THAT IS THAT, REGARDLESS OF THE DIFFERENCE OF POLICY, AND THIS

IS PART OF YOUR BIPARTISAN SPIRIT, YOU WERE WILLING TO

RECOGNIZE A CORE DUTY OF THE PRESIDENT THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT

PRESIDENT BUSH HAD TAKEN AND EXECUTED RESPONSIBLY, AND I

ADMIRED THAT, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO DO THAT WITHOUT HESITATION.

IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR PREDECESSOR, THE CURRENT

PRESIDENT, THAT YOU COULD THANK HIM FOR SINCERELY?

>> WEWELL, THE ANSWER IS THERE A SOME THINGS.

I THINKT WHAT HE'S DONE GETTING THE VACCINE MOVING HAS BEEN

POSITIVE.

BUT BY AND LARGE, HE HAS BEEN A PRESIDENT WHO'S DECIDED THAT THE

WAY HE SUCCEEDS IS BY DIVIDING US.

>> Stephen: WELL, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PRESENT CRISIS,

THE COVID 19 CRISIS.

YOU'VE SAID IN YOUR FIRST 100 DAYS, YOU WANT TO SEE

100 MILLION AMERICANS INOCULATED.

>> 100 MILLION INOCULATIONS, THAT'S 50 MILLION AMERICANS.

>> Stephen: 50 MILLION AMERICANS, 100 MILLION

INOCULATIONS IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS.

I FOLLOW THIS STUFF AS CLOSELY AS I CAN.

>> I KNOW.

>> Stephen: I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW HOW THAT'S GOING TO BE

ACHIEVED I DON'T KNOW THE PROCESS.

I'M WILLING TO WAIT MY TURN, BUT HAND TO GOD, I DON'T KNOW WHAT

THE PLAN IS.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS?

>> WELL, I KNOW PLAN I WANT.

I KNOW THE PLAN I'M LEARNING ABOUT.

IT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE -- MY ARGUMENT FROM THE BEGINNING HAS

BEEN IT'S ONE THING TO GET THE VACCINE DELIVERED TO X NUMBER OF

SPOTS AROUND THE COUNTRY, IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT THING TO GET THE

VACCINE OUT OF THAT TUBE INTO A SYRINGE INTO SOMEBODY'S ARM.

THE VACCINATION, THAT IS A MONUMENTAL TASK AND IT'S

PROBABLY THE SINGLE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFORT THAT TAKES

PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES TO DISTRIBUTE SOMETHING AROUND THE

WORLD, AROUND THE COUNTRY.

AND, SO, IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT MORE THAN WITH WE HAVE.

NOW, THAT'S WHY I'M PRAYING THAT THE HOUSE PASSES AT LEAST -- I

MEAN, HOUSE AND SENATE, BEFORE THEY RECESS NOW, PASS THAT

$900 BILLION PROPOSAL, AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED MORE.

WE'RE GOING TO NEED MORE VACCINE, WE'RE GOING TO NEED

MORE MONEY, WE'RE GOING TO NEED MORE TO BE ABLE TO GET THIS

DISTRIBUTED, BUT IT'S UNDERWAY, AND I BELIEVE WE CAN GET ONE --

I THINK WE CAN GET 100 MILLION VACCINATIONS TAKEN PLACE, AND

SOME OF THE VACCINATIONS, YOU KNOW, REQUIRE TWO DIFFERENT

SHOTS, TWO DIFFERENT TIMES.

>> Stephen: I KNOW.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'M PLEADING WITH THE PRESIDENT TO

DO NOW IS ORDER MORE OF -- WE STEPPED OFF THE WORLD STAGE, WE

WALKED AWAY FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WE DECIDED

WE WEREN'T GOING TO COOPERATE WITH ANY OTHER NATIONS AND

PARTICIPATE.

THAT'S A BIG MISTAKE.

WALLS CAN'T STOP THE VIRUS!

>> Stephen: I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD FROM WORLD LEADERS.

I UNDERSTAND THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN SENT YOU A TELEGRAM, WHICH I

DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD STILL DO, BUT WHAT DID IT SAY?

COULD YOU SHARE THAT WITH US?

>> THE ANSWER IS YES.

BASICALLY, IT SAID CONGRATULATIONS, ACKNOWLEDGING I

WON, BUT THERE WASN'T MUCH BEYOND THAT.

>> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA?

THERE HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY PATTY CAKE WITH RUSSIA FOR THE LAST

FOUR YEARS, REGARDLESS TO HAVE THE FACT THAT WE KNEW THEY

ATTACKED OUR ELECTION AND WE FOUND OUT FOR THE LAST EIGHT

MONTHS AT LEAST THEY HAVE BEEN SETTING UP BASE CAMP IN BOTH

ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ORGANIZES IN THE UNITED

STATES.

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THEY DON'T DO THIS AGAIN?

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE?

HOW DO YOU SEND THE MESSAGE OF A BRUSH-BACK PITCH?

>> I SEPTEMBER THE MESSAGE, THEY WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

THEY WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

>> Stephen: CAN YOU GIVE US AN APPETIZER OF WHAT THAT

ACCOUNTABILITY MIGHT BE?

>> INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS ENTITIES WILL BE -- THEY HAVE --

THERE ARE FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS FOR WHAT THEY DID,

BEING ABLE TO ACCESS -- AND WE HAVE TO INVEST A LOT MORE MONEY

IN CYBER, WE HAVE TO INVEST A LOT MORE MONEY IN THE ABOUT THE

RESPOND AS WELL AS THE ABILITY TO BE MORE -- PROTECT BOTH

PRIVATE AND PUBLIC ENTITIES, AND WE HAVEN'T MADE THAT COMMITMENT.

WE WILL UNDER MY ADMINISTRATION.

>> Stephen: WELL, SIR, AS NICE AS IT IS TO TALK TO YOU, I'M

SURE YOU'RE AWARE YOU'RE JUST THE OPENING ACT.

>> I DO KNOW THAT.

>> Stephen: AND WHEN WE RETURN, WE WILL GET TO THE HEAD

LINER, DR. JILL BIDEN.

>> I FULLY APPRECIATE THAT. >> Stephen: STICK AROUND.