KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO" TO "IT IS FINISHED".
FINISHED". >> WE’LL DIG INTO THAT MORE IN A
MINUTE.
MINUTE. FIRST THE BIG NEWS OF THE
MORNING.
MORNING. >>> THE CDC ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY
A NEW CASE OF THE CORONAVIRUS
HAS BEEN CONFIRMED IN NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA, AND IT IS BELIEVED
TO BE THE FIRST INSTANCE OF WHAT
THE AGENCY CALLS COMMUNITY
SPREAD, MEANING THE PATIENT
DIDN’T HAVE ANY RELEVANT TRAVEL
HISTORY, OR EXPOSURE TO ANOTHER
KNOWN PATIENT.
KNOWN PATIENT. SO FAR THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST
TWO OTHER PERSON-TO-PERSON
TRANSMISSION CASES IN THE U.S.
THAT BOTH INVOLVED SPOUSES OF
PEOPLE WHO HAD TRAVELED TO
CHINA.
CHINA. THAT DEVELOPMENT COMES AS
PRESIDENT TRUMP HELD A NEWS
CONFERENCE IN THE BRIEFING ROOM
YESTERDAY ALONGSIDE TOP
ADMINISTRATION HEALTH OFFICIALS
IN THE BRIEFING THE PRESIDENT
ACCURATELY DESCRIBED THE RISK TO
AMERICANS AS LOW, BUT STILL SAID
HE’S ASSEMBLING A TASK FORCE,
WHICH WILL BE LED BY VICE
PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE.
>> WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 15 PEOPLE,
AND THEY’RE IN THE PROCESS OF
RECOVERING WITH SOME ALREADY
HAVING FULLY RECOVERED.
>> WE’RE AT THAT IT VERY LOW
LEVEL, AND WE WANT TO KEEP IT
THAT WAY.
THAT WAY. SO WE’RE AT THE LOW LEVEL.
AS THEY GET BETTER WE TAKE THEM
OFF THE LIST SO THAT WE’RE GOING
TO BE PRETTY SOON AT ONLY FIVE
PEOPLE, AND WE COULD BE AT JUST
ONE OR TWO PEOPLE OVER THE NEXT
SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
>>> AND, AGAIN, WHEN YOU HAVE 15
PEOPLE AND THE 15 WITHIN A
COUPLE OF DAYS IS GOING TO BE
DOWN TO CLOSE TO 0, THAT’S A
PRETTY GOOD JOB WE’VE DONE.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, AS WE’VE BEEN
BRIEFED, WHILE THE THREAT TO THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC REMAINS LOW OF
THE SPREAD OF THE CORONAVIRUS,
YOU HAVE DIRECTED THIS TEAM TO
TAKE ALL STEPS NECESSARY TO
CONTINUE TO ENSURE THE HEALTH
AND WELL-BEING OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS
COUNTRY CAN BE CONFIDENT THAT
UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP WE WILL
CONTINUE TO BRING THE FULL
RESOURCES OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT IN COORDINATION WITH
OUR STATE AND LOCAL PARTNERS TO
SEE TO THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
AND TO THE EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO
THE CORONAVIRUS HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
>> AND JUST IN THE COURSE OF
LAST COUPLE OF MINUTES YOU HAVE
DISPUTED SOME OF WHAT OFFICIALS
WORKING IN YOUR ADMINISTRATION
BEHIND YOU HAVE SAID ABOUT THE
RISK OF CORONAVIRUS AND ITS
SPREAD.
SPREAD. COULD YOU TRUST YOUR HEALTH
OFFICIALS TO GIVE YOU GOOD
INFORMATION?
INFORMATION? >> I DON’T THINK I’VE SAID --
THEY COULD IT COULD BE WORSE AND
I SAID IT COULD BE WORSE TOO, --
I DON’T THINK IT’S INEVITABLE.
I THINK WE’RE DOING A REALLY
GOOD JOB IN TERMS OF MAINTAINING
BORDER, LETTING PEOPLE IN AND
CHECKING PEOPLE AND ALSO ONE OF
THE REASONS I’M HERE TODAY.
GETTING THE WORD OUT.
SO WE’LL CAN -- THEY’LL NO.
>> A SOURCE FAMILIAR WITH THE
GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS TELL NBC
NEWS THERE IS INTERNAL TENSION
WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION ON HOW
TO CONTAIN PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT
THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
A RIFT THAT DATES BACK TO LAST
MONTH’S DECISION TO IMPLEMENT
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AND
MANDATORY QUARANTINES.
MANDATORY QUARANTINES. ALLIES OF THE PRESIDENT SAY THAT
HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE HIS TEAM
IS INITIATING THE APPROPRIATE
RESPONSES AT THE RIGHT TIMES
WITHOUT CREATING MASS PANIC.
THE REPORT SAYS THAT TRUMP HAS
LARGELY HINGED HIS FRUSTRATION
ON THE CENTER FOR DISEASE
CONTROL AFTER THEY ANNOUNCED AN
OUTBREAK WAS ALL BUT INEVITABLE,
YET EXPERTS OF PAST EPIDEMICS
CLAIM THAT TRUMP’S DECISION TO
DOWNSIZE THE WHITE HOUSE
SECURITY STAFF AND ELIMINATE
JOBS ADDRESSING GLOBAL PANDEMICS
IS LIKELY TO HINDER THE
GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO THE
VIRUS.
VIRUS. HERE IS THE PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE
TO A QUESTION YESTERDAY ABOUT
THOSE BUDGET AND STAFF CUTS.
>> -- SYSTEM CALLED FOR ENORMOUS
CUTS TO THE CDC, NIH AND W.H.O.
YOU TALKED A LOT TODAY ABOUT HOW
THE PROFESSIONALS ARE EXCELLENT,
CRITICAL AND NECESSARY.
DOES THIS EXPERIENCE GIVE YOU
PAUSE ABOUT -- NOMPLTS.
BECAUSE WE CAN GET MONEY.
>> IT’S A QUESTION I ASKED THE
DOCTORS BEFORE.
DOCTORS BEFORE. SOME OF THE PEOPLE WE CUT
HAVEN’T BEEN USED FOR MANY, MANY
YEARS.
YEARS. FE WE EVER NEED THEM WE CAN GET
THEM REALLY QUICKLY AND RATHER
THAN SPENDING THE MONEY, I’M A
BUSINESS PERSON.
BUSINESS PERSON. I DON’T LIKE HAVING THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE AROUND WHEN YOU DON’T
NEED THEM.
NEED THEM. >> OH, BOY.
THAT DECISION KEARNS ME A LOT.
>> AND TALKING ABOUT A SIZABLE
BUDGET TO GET THIS MOVING.
SO, WILLIE, IT’S INTERESTING
THAT, I WATCHED THE PRESS
CONFERENCE.
CONFERENCE. FIRST OF ALL, WAS VERY GLAD HE
HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE.
>> IN THE BRIEFING ROOM.
VERY IMPORTANT.
VERY IMPORTANT. ROBERT GIBBS SAID AT NOON THAT
HE NEEDED TO DO.
THE PRESIDENT IN THE BRIEFING
ROOM WITH HIS TEAM BEHIND HIM
SENDS A VERY CLEAR MESSAGE THAT
HE IS ON ALERT.
NOW, LISTEN, PEOPLE MIGHT SAY
IT’S BECAUSE HE CARES MORE ABOUT
THE STOCK MARKET THAN THE
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. I DON’T REALLY CARE WHY HE’S IN
THERE.
THERE. IT’S IMPORTANT HE’S IN THERE.
WHAT ROBERT GIBBS SAYS.
ONCE AGAIN TODAY IS THE
NECESSARY TIME TO BE IN THE
WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING ROOM.
PLEASE BRING OUT THE PUBLIC
HEALTH EXPERTS AND WALK THE
NATION THROUGH THE RESPONSE WHAT
COMES NEXT AND WHAT AMERICANS
NEED TO PREPARE FOR.
WE NEED TO HEAR IT, PLEASE.
FOR THE MOST PART IT’S WHAT THE
PRESIDENT DID.
PRESIDENT DID. BROUGHT HIS TEAM TOGETHER.
HAD EXPERTS COME UP AND LAY OUT
THE POSSIBILITY AND, OF COURSE,
WE’RE GRADING ON A LOWER SCALE
AND, OF COURSE, WE HAD TO LISTEN
TO POOR MIKE PENCE BOW AND
SCRAPE AND TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT
DONALD TRUMP WAS EVERY THREE
SECONDS, BUT, AGAIN, ALL THAT
ASIDE, THE PRESIDENT CAME OUT,
GOT THE MESSAGE OUT.
YES, HE WAS BEING OVERLY
OPTIMISTIC, BUT THERE WERE
SEVERAL TIMES, I BELIEVE DURING
THAT PRESS CONFERENCE, WHERE HE
SAID, YES IT COULD GET WORSE AND
HIS HEALTH OFFICIAL SAID, THAT’S
WHAT WE NEED TO PREPARE
COMMUNITIES FOR, AND THIS IS
WHAT COMMUNITIES NEED TO DO.
SO, YOU KNOW -- I KNOW -- I KNOW
A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SLAMMING
THE PRESIDENT FOR WHAT HE DID.
THEY WERE BET YOU ARE OFF THIS
MORNING BECAUSE HE DID WHAT HE
DID THAN HAD HE NOT GONE OUT AT
ALL.
ALL. >> THE UNEASE THAT WAS
SPREADING.
SPREADING. >> I THOUGHT, THERE ARE A COUPLE
OF LITTLE SIDE BARBS THAT HE
THREW OUT THERE.
HE BROUGHT THE WALL ON PASSING,
AND ALSO ASKED ABOUT INDIA.
HOW GREAT WAS YOUR TRIP TO
INDIA?
INDIA? SET UP PERFECTLY.
I DON’T REALLY WANT TO TALK
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE VIRUS.
GRADING ON THE TRUMP SCALE,
LOWER SCALE, I WAS ACTUALLY
PLEASED AND COMFORTED THAT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
BROUGHT THE ENTIRE HEALTH CARE
TEAM OUT, AND THEY TALKED TO
AMERICANS ABOUT THIS VERY
IMPORTANT SITUATION.
IMPORTANT SITUATION. >> THE PRESIDENT OBVIOUSLY
EARNED EVERYONE’S SKEPTICISM
WHEN HE FIRST STARTS TALKING
HE’S TOLD SO MANY LIES,
PROTECTED HIS OWN INTERESTS
BEFORE THE INTERESTS OF THE
COUNTRIES AND DID WHAT
PRESIDENTS DO.
PRESIDENTS DO. NOT GET IN THE NITTY-GRITTY OF
THE SCIENCE OF THE WHOLE THING
BUT TRY TO EASE THE COUNTRY AS A
SENSE OF PANIC BEGINS TO XET INS
AROUND THE WORLD.
HE SAID THE RISK WAS VERY LOW
AND CDC OFFICIALS CAME IN SAID,