PLUS WHITE HOUSE REPORTER WITH THE WASHINGTON POST, ASHLEY
PARKER IS BACK.
LET ME START WITH YOU, DR.
PATEL, ON WHAT IN THE LAST HOUR,
A FALSE CHOICE, THE AMERICANS
HAVE TO CHOIZ BETWEEN OPENING UP
AND RISKING THEIR LIVES AND
RISKING FRANKLY THE HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING OF THEIR GRANDPARENTS
OR CHILDREN, OR KILLING THE
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY. WHAT ARE THE REAL CHOICES WE’RE
FACING RIGHT NOW.
>> THE REAL CHOICES ESPECIALLY
WITH BURDEN ON PEOPLE TO RETURN
TO WORK, EITHER PHYSICALLY OR
EVEN THE BURDEN TO TAKE CARE OF
YOUR CHILDREN WHILE YOU’RE
TRYING TO RETURN TO SOME SORT OF
NORMAL WORK PROCESS.
THE BURDENS ARE ENTIRELY REAL,
PARTICULARLY, NICOLLE, WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT THE LACK OF TESTING.
WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT TESTING,
EVEN FLORIDA, SEEMS TO BE
REJOICING IN ITS LOWER NUMBERS,
ALL HEALTH EXPERTS AGREE THAT
THIS IS REALLY JUST THE FACT
WE’RE STILL NOT CATCHING A LOT
OF THE CASES.
SO THE CHOICE IS, HOW CAN YOU DO
YOUR BEST AS AN INDIVIDUAL TO
TRY TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST
THIS?
THIS? KNOWING THAT THERE ARE STILL AT
WILL OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE
NOT TAKING IT AS SERIOUSLY
INCLUDING SOME OF OUR LEADERS
AND SO THAT’S THE CHOICE AND WE
DON’T HAVE -- WE DON’T HAVE
VALIDATED TREATMENTS THAT GIVE
US ENOUGH SECURITY AND WE’RE
STILL A LONG WAY AWAY FROM A
VACCINE.
VACCINE. SO WE’RE SETTING UP OUR MOST
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS TO REALLY
HAVE TO MARCH INTO DISEASE AND
FACE THEIR OWN MORTALITY AND
THAT’S NOT TRIVIAL.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THE COMING
WEEKS HOLD FOR US AS A COUNTRY
WITH THIS PATCHWORK OF
REOPENINGS, WITH THIS DAUNTING
NEW MODEL FROM DONALD TRUMP’S
OWN ADMINISTRATION, FROM THE CDC
AND THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY, FEMA, THAT
SHOWS THE DEATH RATE DOUBLING,
THE INFECTION RATE QUADRUPLING
AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE
PRESIDENT SORT OF SEIZING ON
THIS MESSAGE OF WE HAVE TO GET
OUT EVEN IF IT KILLS US.
IN THE CASE OF GOVERNOR
ABBOTTLE, HAVING SOME PAUSE
ABOUT IT, BUT FOLLOWING UP ON
THAT EDICT.
THAT EDICT. >> I USED TO DO A LOT OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASE CONTROL LIFE
IN A FORMER LIFE IN SOUTH
AMERICA, IN THOSE COUNTRIES IT
WAS ALMOST NEIGHBORHOOD BY
NEIGHBORHOOD AND BLOCK BY BLOCK,
I HATE TO SAY IT, NICOLLE, IT
REMINDS WHAT WE’RE ENTERING
INTO, Y’ALL HAVE TO COME
TOGETHER AT A VERY LOCAL LEVEL
AND ALMOST KIND OF SHAME EACH
OTHER INTO SOCIAL DISTANCING OR
WEARING A MASK, BECAUSE THERE’S
JUST NOT AN UNIFORM STANDARD.
EVEN IN PLACES WHERE THERE’S
ORDER, THERE ARE PROTESTS, SO
I’M AS A PHYSICIAN, I’M RELYING
ON THE FACT THAT THERE’S STILL A
LOT OF TRUST IN OUR FRONTLINE
WORKERS AND I’M HOPING AND
PRAYING THAT THESE FRONTLINE
WORKERS HAVE THE RESPECT THEY’VE
EARNED AND THAT PEOPLE WILL
LISTEN TO THEM BUT IT’S GOING TO
BE VERY LOCAL.
>> ASHLEY PARKER, YOUR
COLLEAGUES WROTE THIS, WITH
SEVERAL COVID-19 MODELS TAKING A
TURN TOWARD BLEAKER DEATH
FORECAST IN RECENT DAYS BECAUSE
OF REOPENING MOVES IN SOME
STATES MOST AMERICANS SAY THEY
WORRY ABOUT GETTING THE VIRUS
THEMSELVES AND THEY OPPOSE
ENDING THE RESTRICTIONS MEANT TO
SLOW ITS SPREAD ACCORDING TO
WASHINGTON POST, UNIVERSITY OF
MARYLAND POLL.
MARYLAND POLL. IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE PRESIDENT
IS ENGAGED IN A PERSUASION
EFFORT, UPWARDS OF 80% OF
AMERICANS DON’T WANT TO DO THE
THINGS THEY DID BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC, EAT AT RESTAURANTS, GO
TO MOVIES, HOW ARE THEY PLANNING
ON CHANGING PUBLIC SENTIMENT AND
WITH WHICH MESSENGERS AND SOME
OF YOUR REPORTING SUGGEST SOME
ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT DONALD
TRUMP’S CREDIBILITY HAS BEEN
DAMAGED BY HIS TURN AT THE
PODIUM.
PODIUM. >> WELL, THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT,
NICOLLE, AND IT WAS CALLING
AROUND INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE
XWHOUS TODAY TO TRY AND
UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS NEW FORM OF
THE TASK FORCE MAY LOOK LIKE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HEAR
THERE’S AN UNDERSTANDING THAT
THEY NEED TO CHANGE THE
PSYCHOLOGY, IS THE WORD YOU
HEAR, OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, BECAUSE
REOPENING ISN’T ABOUT GETTING
THE BEST BUSINESS LEADERS TO
ADVISE THE PRESIDENT, IT’S ABOUT
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE.
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE. PEOPLE FEELING COMFORTABLE
LEAVING THEIR HOMES, GOING OUT
TO A RESTAURANT, FEELING
COMFORTABLE TO HIRE A
BABY-SITTER TO COME INTO THEIR
HOMES.
HOMES. THE TRICKY THING NOW IS THIS
ADMINISTRATION SEEMS TO BE
GRAPPLING, THERE’S A PSYCHOLOGY
MARKETING PITCH.
MARKETING PITCH. AT THE END OF THE DAY, LOT THAT
WILL IMPACT THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
THE PUBLIC IS ACTUALLY PUBLIC
HEALTH AND MEDICAL DATA AND FOR
PEOPLE TO REALLY FEEL
COMFORTABLE.
COMFORTABLE. IT COMES DOWN TO SCIENCE, IT
COMES DOWN TO HAVING ENOUGH
TESTS SO YOU CAN FEEL
COMFORTABLE ENOUGH.
COMFORTABLE ENOUGH. IT MEANS COMING UP WITH
THERAPEUTIC TREATMENTS SO YOU
FEEL LIKE IF YOU GET THE VIRUS
IT MIGHT BE UNPLEASANT BUT YOU
WON’T DIE FROM IT.
IT INVOLVES A VACCINE.
THE PRESIDENT TALKED ABOUT IT
RECENTLY THIS IS PURELY ECONOMIC
DECISION BUT IN FACT THE PUBLIC
HEALTH ASPECT IS TIED NOW MORE
THAN EVER TO THE SORT OF WHOLE
OF REOPENING APPROACH.
>> YOU KNOW, RON KLAIN, AS
ASHLEY PARKER IS TALKING, I’M
SORT OF NODDING ALONG BECAUSE
IT’S -- IT’S EXACTLY RIGHT, AND
YOU JUST WONDER IF THAT’S
EXACTLY RIGHT, WHY WAS THE TASK
FORCE DISBANDED YESTERDAY AND
PUT BACK ON TODAY BECAUSE THE
PRESIDENT SAW IT WAS POPULAR?
DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO YOU FROM
THE OUTSIDE?
THE OUTSIDE? >> WELL, I MEAN, I THINK THE
PROBLEM REMAINS THAT THE
PRESIDENT HASN’T SOLVED THE CORE
PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM, WHICH IS
WE NEED WIDESPREAD TESTING, WE
NEED TO BE FIGHTING THIS DISEASE
ON ALL FRONTS.
FROM THE START HE’S TREATED THIS
AS A PR PROBLEM.
FIRST HE TOLD US IT DIDN’T
EXIST, IT WOULD GO AWAY LIKE A
MIRACLE.
MIRACLE. HE HELD PRESS CONFERENCES, THEY
WERE WENT POORLY, HE DISBAND AND
NOW HE BROUGHT IT BACK.
IF HE WANTS PEOPLE TO GO OUT
DINNER, GO TO MOVIES, HE HAS TO
FIX THE COUNTRY SO WE’RE NOT
GOING TO DIE GOING OUT TO DINNER
AND GOING OUT TO MOVIES.
ALL THE SPIN AND THE PRESS
CONFERENCES THAT’S NOT GOING TO
CHANGE THE REALITY OF WHAT
PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING.
YOU KNOW, THERE’S A POLL OUT
TODAY THAT SHOWS 1 IN 3
AMERICANS KNOWS NOW SOMEONE
WHO’S BEEN AFFECTED BY COVID.
AS LONG AS THAT NUMBER GROWS,
THE PRESIDENT AT HIS PODIUM
WON’T GET ME AND OTHER PEOPLE TO
GO OUT AND RISK OUR LIVE FOR A
PLATE OF SUSHI.
>> THE PLIGHT OF THE OTHER
PEOPLE ON THE FRONTLINE, NOT
JUST HEALTHCARE WORKERS, PEOPLE
IN A SLOWLY REOPENING ECONOMY,
PEOPLE WHO DRIVE BUSES, PEOPLE
WHO WORK ON PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION, WE’RE ALSO -- WE
HAVE THE LUXURIES OF DECIDING ON
WHETHER TO GO OUT, THERE’S A
WHOLE LOT OF AMERICANS WHO DO
NOT.
NOT. DO YOU THOSE DECISIONS ARE
CONSIDERED BY THIS WHITE HOUSE?
>> THEY ARE.
I SAID FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME
THIS STARTED, LOCKDOWN IN
ECONOMY WAS A MISSTATEMENT
BECAUSE THERE ARE MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS WHO WORK RISKING THEIR
LIVES SO SOME OF US CAN STAY
HOME AND BE SAFE.
THAT’S THE REALITY.
YOU ADD THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS
USED HIS LEGAL AUTHORITY TO
COMMAND MEAT PACKERS TO GO BACK
ON THE JOB, TO PRODUCE MEAT, FOR
US TO EAT.
HE WON’T USE THAT AUTHORITY TO
COMMAND BIG COMPANIES TO PRODUCE
TESTING KITS?
TESTING KITS? HE WON’T USE THAT AUTHORITY TO
COMMAND BIG COMPANIES TO PRODUCE
THE GEAR THAT HEALTHCARE WORKERS
NEED TO STAY SAFE?
BUT FOR HIS ALLIES IN THE MEAT
INDUSTRY HE USED THAT AUTHORITY
TO HAVE THOSE WORKERS TO RISK
THEIR LIVES TO PROCESS MEAT.
THAT SAYS EVERYTHING ABOUT HIS
PRIORITIES.
PRIORITIES. HE SAID HE’S A WARTIME
PRESIDENT, BUT HE’S SENDING ALL
OF US INTO BATTLE WITHOUT
ADEQUATE PROTECTION AND WE, WE
LOST THE SAME NUMBER OF PEOPLE