[Lemon:] President Trump making a series of misleading claims during a press conference tonight on the coronavirus pandemic, veterans and of course, Russia. Our resident fact checker Mr. Daniel Dale is here to break it down for us. Daniel, hello to you. Thanks so much. I want you to take a listen to what the president said about Biden's plan to handle the coronavirus pandemic.
[Trump:] Do you know he said we want to shut it down. We would be willing to shut it down and you don't shut down when we're setting records. And by the way, we're rounding the corner. We're rounding the corner on the virus. Joe Biden's blanket shutdown would collapse our economy. It could cause countless death from suicide, drug, alcohol abuse, heart disease and more. You know, shutdowns cause a lot of problems, a lot of very serious problems, more so than the virus itself. Biden's plan is not a solution, it's a virtual surrender. And our country is doing so well.
[Lemon:] The facts, Daniel?
[Daniel Dale, Cnn Reporter:] Biden has not said that he wants to impose some sort of shutdown and he has not introduced any plan for a supposed shutdown. Biden was specifically talking in an ABC interview about the need to respect and listen to scientists. An interview pressed him on the hypothetical in which we the flu and COVID-19 at the same time. And scientists said we need to do a shutdown. What we need to do in that case. Biden said in that case I would shut it down. So, this was a future hypothetical. And subsequently in the following days Biden said he doesn't think there would be a need to impose a shutdown regardless.
[Lemon:] The president claiming again that he has done more for veterans than John McCain by this time. He's claimed that his was more on accurate than usual. Explain. What does that mean?
[Dale:] Yes. So, Trump repeated an egregious lie last night. He said he's done way more for veterans than McCain, of course, a famous veteran. And part of his evidence or supposed evidence was that Trump, he says, got the veterans choice healthcare program passed. As I've had to say over and over Barack Obama signed that into law in 2014. And it was Jon McCain's bill. So, Trump was wielding McCain's own bill as evidence that he, Trump, has done more than McCain. Now today we had some extremely rare fact check progress, Don. Donald Trump said for I think the first time that he signed the V.A. Mission Act which modified the choice program. So, this is something that I don't think he said before. He said what Obama signed was bad. So, he's still insulting Obama this small progress. But it's a little bit of progress nonetheless.
[Lemon:] Yes. Well, there you go. He also denied Russia poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Take take a listen to this.
[Trump:] We haven't had any proof yet but I will take a look. It is interesting that everybody is always mentioning Russia. And I don't mind you're mentioning Russia, but I think probably China at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so than Russia. Because the things that China is doing are far worse if you take a look at what's happening with the world.
[Lemon:] Give us the truth.
[Dale:] So, Mr. Navalny was taken to Germany. Germany investigated and found in the words of Angela Merkel unequivocal proof that he was poisoned with a nerve agent associated with Russia from the so-called Novichok group. Now the secretary of general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, subsequently came out and said the same thing. He said there is proof beyond doubt that Mr. Navalny was poisoned using a military grade nerve agent from the Novichok group. And he said that Russia needs to answer for this. Now Germany briefed the entire group of NATO allies. So whether or not Mr. Trump himself has seen that proof, Americans certainly have.
[Lemon:] Daniel Dale, the hardest working man in the news business right now.
[Dale:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] Our resident fact checker. Thank you, Daniel. I appreciate it. We'll see you soon. So, make sure you tune in. CNN is bringing you the stories of Joe Biden, Donald Trump and their fight for the White House. The back to back documentary event starts Monday at 8 Eastern right here on CNN. Make sure you tune in. And next, the president's new coronavirus adviser says that he laughs it off when people bring up the fact that he is not an infectious disease expert. OK. But shouldn't the doctor who has the president's ear on coronavirus, a very infection disease be an infectious disease expert?