WHITE HOUSE AS WELL.
YOU’RE GOING TO BE VERY BUSY,
KRISTEN WELKER, A BUSY DAY OVER
THERE.
MEANWHILE, PETER NAVARRO IS AN
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND
DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE
OFFICE OF TRADE AND
MANUFACTURING POLICY AND JOINS
ME NOW.
WELCOME, IT’S VERY GOOD TO HAVE
YOU HERE WITH US TODAY.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, ANDREA.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
FIRST NIGHT OF THE CONVENTION
BECAUSE THERE WERE SPEAKERS AND
VIDEOS PAINTING A VERY ROSY
PICTURE OF THE PRESIDENT AS A
CHAMPION OVER THE CORONAVIRUS,
YET THERE WAS NO MENTION OF THE
NEARLY 180,000 AMERICANS WHO ARE
DEAD, AND THAT THERE ARE NEARLY
40,000 POSITIVE CASES EVERY DAY,
CLOSE TO A THOUSAND DEATHS A
DAY.
THE CONVENTION SEEMED TO BE AN
ALTERNATIVE REALITY.
DESPITE RECENT HOPEFUL TRENDS IN
TREATMENT, WE’LL GET TO THAT IN
A MOMENT, WHY NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
OF THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT
HAS BEEN CAUSED?
>> LET’S TALK BROAD BRUSH ABOUT
WHAT I SAW LAST NIGHT.
I THINK TOO MANY FOLKS WENT DOWN
THE DARK, DIM PATH OF PAINTING
WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT.
BUT I DID ENJOY, UH, IF I CANNIK
TALKING ABOUT HER EXPERIENCES.
TIM SCOTT, THE COTTON FIELDS TO
CONGRESS, I THINK THAT WAS THE
LINE OF THE NIGHT.
BUT I ALSO, UMM, ENJOYED VERNON
JONES AND HIS -- UH, HIS TALK,
AND HERSCHEL WALKER.
SO I THOUGHT THERE WAS FINE
BALANCE LAST NIGHT.
WITH RESPECT TO THE VIRUS THAT
CAME TO CHINA AND HAS KILLED
OVER 170,000 AMERICANS, I TAKE
THAT ONE REALLY PERSONALLY,
BECAUSE I SPENT THE BETTER PART
OF MY LIFE, SINCE JANUARY 28,
WORKING ON THIS.
AND THIS IS AN ATTACK, THIS WAS
AN ATTACK FROM CHINA, WHETHER IT
WAS AN INTENTIONAL OR NOT, THEY
HID THE VIRUS FROM US, AND IF
THERE’S ANY PRESIDENT THAT
SHOULD BE BLAMED FOR THE
AMERICANS DYING, IT’S THE
UNELECTED PRESIDENT OF CHINA.
WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING, ANDREA, IS
WORKING REALLY HARD ON WHAT WE
CALL INSIDE THE WEST WING OUR
FOUR MAIN VECTORS OF ATTACK.
I THINK WE’VE DONE A GREAT JOB
BUILDING OUR DOMESTIC PRODUCTION
OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT, THE GLOVES, THE
MASKS, THE GOGGLES, ALL OF THAT.
WE’RE BRINGING OUR MEDICINE
ONSHORE SO IF PEOPLE GO INTO THE
ICU, THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED.
THAT’S VECTOR ONE.
THE SECOND VECTOR IS THE
TESTING, WHICH WE CONTINUE TO
RAPIDLY EXPAND.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY FROM AN
INNOVATION POINT OF VIEW, WE’RE
GETTING TO THE POINT OF
BREAKTHROUGH WHERE WE CAN DO
POINT OF CARE TESTING, LIKE A
PREGNANCY TEST, AND GET
IMMEDIATE RESULTS.
THE THIRD VECTOR OF ATTACK IS
OUR THERAPEUTICS.
YOU HAVE REMDESIVIR I THINK WAS
THE FIRST ONE OUT OF THE GATE
THERE.
WE’VE GOT DEXAMETHASONE.
AND THEN JUST ON SUNDAY,
INTRODUCED CONVALESCENT PLASMA
WHICH WE CAN TALK MORE IN DETAIL
ABOUT.
THE LAST VECTOR --
>> LET ME --
>> -- IS THE VACCINES.
WE’RE GETTING TO A VACCINE IN
THE THIRD OF THE TIME IT USUALLY
TAKES.
>> LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE --
>> -- OVER THIS CONVENTION.
>> AND REMDESIVIR INDEED.
I WANT TO TALK TO YOU, THOUGH,
ABOUT THE CONVALESCENT PLASMA
AND THE EMERGENCY USE.
FDA COMMISSIONER STEVEN HAHN HAS
NOW APOLOGIZED.
HE ALONG WITH THE PRESIDENT,
SECRETARY AZAR ON SUNDAY NIGHT,
SAID THAT OUT OF 100 PEOPLE WITH
COVID, 35 WERE SAVED BY
CONVALESCENT PLASMA IN A STUDY.
HE NOW SAYS THE CRITICISM OF
THOSE FALSE CLAIMS, EXAGGERATED
CLAIMS, WAS ENTIRELY JUSTIFIED
AND THAT HE SHOULD HAVE SAID
THERE IS A RELATIVE RISK
REDUCTION, NOT AN ABSOLUTE
REDUCTION.
IN FACT THE STUDY WAS ONLY A
SUBSET OF A SUBSET, NOT A
RANDOMIZED STUDY.
YOU ARE A Ph.D. ECONOMIST,
YOU’RE AN EXPERT, YOU KNOW
STATISTICS INSIDE AND OUT.
EMERGENCY APPROVAL OF USING
PLASMA THIS WAY REDUCES THE
POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A PROPER
RANDOMIZED STUDY.
AND IT FALSELY INFLATES HOPES.
>> I DON’T ACCEPT THAT.
>> SO --
>> THAT TO ME IS LIKE A CRAZY
TALKING POINT.
>> THE MAYO CLINIC, SIR, THE
MAYO CLINIC, WHICH DID THIS
STUDY IS SAYING THAT AND DR.
HAHN IS SAYING THAT.
IS DR. HAHN, THE -- LET ME JUST
GET MY QUESTION OUT.
IS DR. HAHN WRONG?
THE QUESTION IS, DR. HAHN HAS
SAID HE WAS WRONG TO SAY THIS.
>> ON THE ISSUE OF THE -- NOT
BEING ABLE TO DO RANDOMIZED
TRIALS, WHAT IS THE CALCULUS
HERE, ARE WE GOING TO WAIT TO
USE SOMETHING THAT CAN SAVE
THOUSANDS OF LIVES JUST SO WE
CAN HAVE A STUDY THAT TELLS US
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW --
>> YES, THAT IS SCIENTIFIC
PRACTICE, SIR.
EXCUSE ME.
THAT IS THE WAY VACCINES AND
DRUGS ARE APPROVED.
>> THIS IS IMPORTANT.
>> THAT’S THE TEST,
EFFECTIVENESS IS THE TEST.
>> ANDREA, ANDREA, ANDREA.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DEBATE FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND YOUR
VIEWERS TO HAVE.
DO YOU WANT TO WAIT FOR A
THERAPY WHICH LIKELY WORKS TO
GET THESE SCIENTIFIC STUDIES
WHICH ARE GOING TO TAKE THREE,
SIX MONTHS, WHATEVER, OR DO YOU
WANT TO HAVE THE RIGHT TO TRY?
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE RIGHT TO
TRY PRESIDENT.
HERE’S WHAT -- THE DEBATE OVER
CONVALESCENT PLASMA PUZZLES ME,
FRANKLY.
THIS IS A THERAPY THAT’S BEEN
USED FOR OVER A CENTURY.
>> FOR OTHER DISEASES.
NOT FOR COVID.
THIS IS A NEW VIRUS, SIR.
>> EXACTLY.
BUT IF IT’S USED FOR OTHER
DISEASES -- HERE’S MY CLAIM.
MY CLAIM IS THAT THE ODDS OF
THIS BEING, UH, BEING ABLE TO
HURT YOU ARE CLOSE TO ZERO, SO
IT’S SAFE.
THE ODDS OF IT BEING ABLE TO
HELP YOU ARE CLOSE TO 100%.
NOW, WHETHER HAHN -- HE
MISSPOKE.
>> CLOSE TO 100%?
THAT’S NOT CORRECT.
>> THE ODDS OF THIS BEING ABLE
TO HELP PEOPLE IS CLOSE TO 100%.
IT’S NOT GOING TO HELP EVERY
PERSON.
HAHN BASICALLY USED ABSOLUTE
NUMBERS RATHER THAN RELATIVE.
I’M NOT GOING TO DEFEND STEVEN
HAHN.
WHAT I AM GOING TO DEFEND --
>> BUT THE PRESIDENT SAID THAT
AS WELL.
>> ANDREA.
ANDREA.
>> IT WAS THE PRESIDENT, IT WAS
STEVEN HAHN, AND SECRETARY AZAR
TOGETHER ON THE PLATFORM AT THE
WHITE HOUSE.
>> YOU DO --
>> I JUST HAVE TO CORRECT YOU AS
WE MOVE ALONG.
>> NO, YOU’RE NOT CORRECTING ME.
YOU’RE NOT CORRECTING ME.
I’M TELLING YOU WHAT I SAW
BECAUSE I SAW THAT IN REAL TIME.
THE ISSUE IS SIMPLY -- THE
QUESTION FOR YOUR VIEWERS IS
SIMPLE.
PEOPLE ARE DYING OUT THERE.
DOES CONVALESCENT PLASMA LIKELY
HELP PEOPLE IN TERMS OF SAVING
LIVES.
AND I THINK THE ANSWER IS -- IS
YES.
THE QUESTION OF HOW MUCH IT