THE ANTIBODY TESTS THEMSELVES. >> BILL KRISTOL, WE HAVEN’T
SPOKEN RECENTLY SINCE A LOT OF
STUFF HAS HAPPENED.
BUT YOU WERE SOMEONE WHO WARNED
BEFORE PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
ELECTION THAT THIS WAS A PERSON
WHO AMONG OTHER THINGS WOULDN’T
REALLY BE ABLE TO DEAL WELL,
COMPETENTLY, WITH A CRISIS, WITH
KEEPING AMERICA SAFE, WHETHER
THAT WAS IN FOREIGN POLICY, OR
THIS KIND OF UNPREDICTABLE
CRISIS.
CRISIS. I’M JUST CURIOUS, BIG PICTURE,
BECAUSE STEVE SCHMIDT WAS
DISCUSSING THIS AT THE TOP OF
THE HOUR, WHAT YOU THINK, HERE
WE ARE, WEEKS INTO THIS ONE,
WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS REVEALS
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT AND YOUR
WARNINGS, YOUR CONCERN.
>> I THINK HE’S DONE A VERY BAD
JOB, AND I THINK IT’S VERY BAD
FOR THE COUNTRY.
WE’LL PAY A TERRIBLE PRICE.
THE SOPHISTICATED TRUMP
DEFENDERS WILL ALWAYS SAY, LOOK,
HE’LL SAY SOME THINGS YOU DON’T
LIKE, HE’S VULGAR, HE’S A BIT OF
A DEMAGOGUE, BUT HE’LL SHAKE
THINGS UP, HE’LL MAKE THE
GOVERNMENT WORK, YOU WON’T
ALWAYS LIKE IT, BILL, BUT IN THE
BIG THINGS HE’LL BE GOING IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION.
RIGHT DIRECTION. HERE WAS THE BIG CHALLENGE.
AND THE GOVERNMENT COULD HAVE
USED SOME SHAKING UP, THE CDC
DIDN’T COVER ITSELF WITH GLORY
IN LATE JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.
THE FDA MADE MISTAKES TOO.
THE PRESIDENT DID NOTHING,
RHETORICALLY LED THE COUNTRY IN
THE WRONG DIRECTION.
WE SHOULDN’T UNDERESTIMATE HOW
MUCH DAMAGE THAT DID.
WE HAD A WHOLE LOST MONTH OF
FEBRUARY WHICH DIDN’T HAVE TO BE
LOST.
LOST. THERE WERE PLENTY OF WARNINGS IN
THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY, AND
LOST THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF
MARCH.
MARCH. EVEN NOW GOVERNOR CUOMO HAS TO
GO AND PLEAD AND BE NICE AND
STRUGGLE TO GET EVEN THE MOST
MINIMAL KIND OF COOPERATION THAT
SHOULD BE JUST ROUTINE IN A
CRISIS LIKE THIS.
SO FORGET ABOUT TRUMP’S THINGS
THAT HE SAYS THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME
DON’T LIKE THAT DOES DAMAGE.
HIS ACTUAL PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN
A TERRIBLE FAILURE AND NOW HE’S
ENCOURAGING GOVERNORS TO OPEN UP
EARLY THAN IT SEEMS PRUDENT.
HE’S MAKING IT VERY HARD, I’LL
MAKE THIS FINAL POINT, HARD TO
HAVE AN HONEST AND CANDID
CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE WE ARE.
WE HAVE A TOUGH YEAR AT LEAST
AHEAD, REDFIELD, THE HEAD OF THE
CDC, SAID WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A
FLU SEASON.
FLU SEASON. WE’RE NOT GOING TO COME BACK IN
A MONTH OR TWO MONTHS.
PEOPLE SHOULDN’T KID THEMSELVES
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE A BAD STRETCH TO GET
THROUGH HERE.
THROUGH HERE. WE NEED LEADERS WHO SAY, YOU
KNOW, THIS IS GOING TO BE TOUGH,
BUT WE’RE A TOUGH COUNTRY, WE
CAN MAKE IT.
INSTEAD TRUMP MAKES IT EXTREMELY
HARD TO SAY THAT.
>> ON THAT VERY POINT, I’M
CURIOUS WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
DONALD TRUMP’S ILLOGICAL POLICY
MESSAGING THIS WEEK THAT THINGS
ARE, QUOTE UNQUOTE, SO GOOD WE
NEED TO EXPEDITE LIBERATING
STATES TO REOPEN.
THAT’S HOW ALLEGEDLY GOOD THINGS
ARE GETTING.
ARE GETTING. BUT THINGS ARE SO BAD THAT NOW
OUT OF THE BLUE, ALL OF A
SUDDEN, IS THE TIME TO SHUT DOWN
ALL MIGRATION REGARDLESS OF ANY
MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC TYPE ANALYSIS
OF WHERE IT’S COMING FROM.
>> YEAH, I MEAN, HE DUMBS
EVERYTHING DOWN.
EVERYTHING DOWN. LEAVING ASIDE THE DISTASTEFUL
PARTS OF IT, AND THOSE ARE
DAMAGING TOO, THE DEMAGOGUERY,
INCITEMENT OF NATIVISM.
HE’S MAKING OUR PUBLIC DISCOURSE
EXTREMELY STUPID.
EXTREMELY STUPID. WE’RE NOT HAVING A SERIOUS --
AND IT’S HARD FOR PEOPLE WHO TRY
TO BE SERIOUS, THEY SPEND SO
MUCH OF THEIR TIME CORRECTING
TRUMP.
TRUMP. POOR DR. FAUCI AND DR. BIRX HAVE
TO TRY TO DANCE AROUND TO CONVEY
A SENSIBLE MESSAGE.
THE GOVERNORS HAVE TO BE NICE TO
TRUMP.
TRUMP. JOE BIDEN DOESN’T WANT TO LOOK
TOO POLITICAL BUT HE ALSO WANTS
TO CRITICIZE TRUMP.
THE IMMIGRATION THING, HE JUST
PULLED THAT OUT BECAUSE I TAKE
IT HIS OWN POLLS SHOW HE WASN’T
DOING VERY WELL, PEOPLE WEREN’T
REALLY BUYING INTO HIS MESSAGE
THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE
FINE AS SOON AS THESE
RECALCITRANT PUBLIC HEALTH TYPES
GOT OVERRIDDEN AND WE OPEN
EVERYTHING UP AGAIN SO LET’S
JUST BLAME IMMIGRATION FOR A
WHILE.
WHILE. HE’LL KEEP ON DOING THIS.
IN MY VIEW IT REALLY IS A TEST
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,
ULTIMATELY.
ULTIMATELY. IT DOESN’T MATTER, ALL THIS TALK
ABOUT THE MEDIA SHOULD BE MEANER
TO HIM OR SHOULDN’T SHOW THE
PRESS CONFERENCES.
PRESS CONFERENCES. AMERICANS ARE ADULTS, DO THEY
HAVE THE SERIOUSNESS TO JUDGE
HIS PERFORMANCE IN A GROWN-UP
WAY, FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE AND
HASN’T DONE, OR ARE THEY GOING
TO GET DISTRACTED BY ALL THESE
SHINY OBJECTS THAT TRUMP IS
PRETTY GOOD AT THROWING OUT.
HE’S CERTAINLY DISTRACTED PEOPLE
IN THE PAST.
IT’S ONE THING TO DISTRACT
PEOPLE WHEN THE ECONOMY IS
PRETTY GOOD AND UNEMPLOYMENT’S
LOW AND THERE’S NO OBVIOUS
FOREIGN POLICY DISASTER AND
MAYBE PEOPLE WILL JUST DECIDE
THEY CAN IGNORE A LOT OF STUFF.