CAROL LEE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE YOU
HERE.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR
REPORTING.
KASIE HUNT, I JUST -- I JUST
WONDER, BECAUSE I THINK ANY
DOCTOR THAT UNDERSTANDS THE
IMPACT OF COVID ON MENTAL HEALTH
OF PATIENTS, ESPECIALLY WHILE
HE’S STILL HALF COVID, WHICH WE
COULD SUSPECT LIKELY THAT THE
PRESIDENT DOES STILL HAVE COVID,
HE’S PROBABLY STILL SHEDDING,
IT’S PROBABLY STILL HAVING AN
IMPACT ON HIM, YOU COMBINE THAT
WITH THE DRUGS THAT HE’S TAKING,
WITH THE STEROIDS THAT HE’S ON,
ANYBODY THAT HAS BEEN ON
STEROIDS, STRONG STEROIDS FOR
HEALTH REASONS UNDERSTANDS THAT
IT DOES IMPACT THE WAY YOU
THINK, IT IMPACTS THE WAY YOU
RESPOND.
I DON’T EXPECT ANY REPUBLICAN ON
THE HILL TO BE TRUTHFUL TO YOU
ON THE RECORD ABOUT THEIR
CONCERNS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
STABILITY.
AND AT LEAST A TEMPORARY
TRANSFER OF POWER TO MIKE PENCE
UNTIL THE PRESIDENT’S OFF THESE
STEROIDS, UNTIL THE PRESIDENT
RECOVERS FULLY FROM COVID.
BUT HAVE YOU HEARD ANY
DISCUSSION FROM REPUBLICAN
STAFFERS
STAFFERS, OFF THE RECORD FROM
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS, FROM ANY
REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
THAT THEY ARE AT LEAST CONCERNED
ABOUT A PRESIDENT ACTING
IRRATIONALLY WITH THE NUCLEAR
CODES?
NOT THAT -- LET ME RESTATE THAT.
THAT THE PRESIDENT WHO HAS THE
NUCLEAR CODES, THAT -- THAT THEY
ARE CONCERNED ABOUT A PRESIDENT
IN THIS MENTAL STATE BEING ABLE
TO RUN THE COUNTRY WHEN HE
LIKELY WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO
RUN ANY COMPANY IN AMERICA IN
HIS CURRENT STATE?
>> WELL, I DON’T THINK I HAVE TO
SPECULATE, JOE.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" HAS
REPORTED THAT THERE ARE WHITE
HOUSE OFFICIALS WHO ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
CURRENT -- CURRENT MENTAL STATUS
BECAUSE OF THE DRUGS THAT HE IS
TAKING.
AND I, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN
DOCUMENTING VERY CAREFULLY EVEN
WITHOUT THE STEROIDS HOW THIS
PRESIDENT HAS GOVERNED OVER THE
COURSE OF THE LAST SEVERAL
YEARS.
AND THAT HAS OBVIOUSLY RAISED
MANY CONCERNS.
BUT, TO YOUR POINT, I THINK THE
LEVEL OF ALARM IS -- IS PRETTY
HIGH RIGHT NOW AMONG THE PEOPLE
THAT I’M TALKING TO PRIVATELY.
AND YOU’RE RIGHT, WE’RE NOT
GOING TO SEE A FLOOD OF ON THE
RECORD COMMENTS EXPRESSING
CONCERN ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
HEALTH.
BUT, THERE IS A SENSE THAT
EVERYONE IS ON BOARD A SINKING
SHIP RIGHT NOW AND THERE’S NO
GOOD WAY TO DEAL WITH IT.
AND IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO
SAY IN PUBLIC ANY OF THE THINGS
THAT YOU JUST OUTLINED TO
EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT’S STATE OF BEING, TO
TALK ABOUT THE DRUGS THAT HE IS
ON, WHETHER THAT’S HAVING AN
IMPACT ON HOW HE’S GOVERNING,
PARTLY BECAUSE THEY’RE OWN
POLITICAL FULT TURES ARETURES AR
HIM AND RAISING THOSE QUESTIONS
WOULD RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT
THEMSELVES AND THEIR OWN ABILITY
TO GOVERN WELL.
BUT IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT THERE
IS A DEEP RECOGNITION THAT WE
HAVE NOT BEEN IN A SITUATION
LIKE THIS BEFORE.
AND THAT THERE ARE POTENTIALLY
VERY SERIOUS QUESTIONS,
ESPECIALLY I WOULD SAY WITH THE
JOINT CHIEFS QUARANTINING, THAT
ADDS A LAYER OF CONCERN TO THIS
THAT IS PARTICULARLY
PROBLEMATIC, JOE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOME MIGHT ARGUE
THAT THE SHIP IS SORT OF TAKING
ON WATER DEBATE NIGHT.
AND THE QUESTION REMAINS WHETHER
OR NOT THE PRESIDENT KNEW HE HAD
CORONAVIRUS DEBATE NIGHT.
>> JAKE SHERMAN, I’LL ASK YOU
THE SAME QUESTION HE WAS GO TO
BREAK THAT I ASKED KASIE.
WHAT CONCERNS ARE YOU PICKING
UP?
AGAIN, BECAUSE IT’S OBVIOUSLY
REPUBLICANS ARE JUST AS
CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY AND
WELL-BEING OF THEIR CHILDREN AND
THEIR COUNTRY AND THE ECONOMY AS
EVERYONE ELSE.
AND IF THE PRESIDENT IS --
IT PRESIDENT IS IMPACTED BY
COVID, AS STUDIES WOULD SHOW,
IT’S MORE THAN LIKELY HE IS.
IF THE PRESIDENT IS IMPACTED
NEGATIVELY BY THESE STEROIDS AND
THIS TREATMENT THAT HE’S ON,
WHICH SCIENCE AND MEDICINE AND
STUDIES WOULD SHOW IT IS MORE
LIKELY THAN NOT THAT HE IS, THEN
ARE YOU HEARING ANY REPUBLICANS
SOUNDING THE SORT OF ALARMS THAT
OTHERS ARE SOUNDING?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, TWOFOLD.
NUMBER ONE, IT’S DIFFICULT FOR
THEM TO DO IT PUBLICLY BECAUSE
THEIR POLITICAL FORTUNE THEY
BELIEVE IN SOME OF THESE VERY
RED DISTRICTS PLIERN,, I MEAN, Y
DISTRICT WILL PROBABLY GO FOR
DONALD TRUMP 60/40, IF NOT
BIGGER THAN THAT.
A LOT OF REPUBLICANS REPRESENT
THESE DISTRICTS IN WHICH THE
PRESIDENT IS STILL INORDINATELY
POPULAR AND SO THEY DON’T HAVE
ANY INCENTIVE TO SPEAK OUT
AGAINST HIM.
THINK ABOUT IT THIS WAY, NO ONE
IS LOOKING TO -- TO LIE ACROSS
TRAIN TRACKS FOR THE PRESIDENT
RIGHT NOW.
YOU’RE SEEING THAT IN SENATE
RACES.
YOU SAW McSALLY LAST NIGHT IN
THE ARIZONA DEBATE REFUSE TO
ADDRESS HER SUPPORT FOR THE
PRESIDENT, SAY WHETHER SHE’S
PROUD OF HER SUPPORT FOR THE
PRESIDENT.
THERE’S DEVILFINITELY A CONCERN
ABOUT THE DECISIONS HE’S MAKING
AND THERE HAS BEEN FOR SOME
TIME.
AND THERE IS NOBODY IN THE WHITE
HOUSE, NOT THAT IT’S THAT MUCH
DIFFERENT THAN PREVIOUS WEEKS OR
MONTHS, BUT THERE’S NO ONE EVEN
TO TRY TO PUSH BACK.
AND THAT’S THE PARTICULARLY
DANGEROUS PART FOR THE
PRESIDENT, WHY SOME -- WHY HE’S
KIND OF OPERATING AS A LONE
RANGER HERE, I WOULD SAY.
AND I THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE
THAT IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS AHEAD AS THE PRESIDENT KIND OF -- IF
AS THE PRESIDENT KIND OF -- IF
HE STAYS HEALTHY --
>> -- POLITICALLY IRRATIONAL
WHEN HE MADE IT YESTERDAY IN
THAT TWEET TO GO OUT AND TAKE
OWNERSHIP OF THE FACT THAT
$2 TRILLION OF GOVERNMENT MONEY
WOULD NOT BE GOING OUT TO
PEOPLE, TO VOTERS FOUR WEEKS
AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY.
THEY STARTED ASKING AROUND
CAPITOL HILL, IT TURNS OUT AS
EVER, THERE IS NO FOUR
DIMENSIONAL CHESS HERE AT WORK,
WAS JUST A MOVE HE MADE,
SOMETHING HE THREW INTO THE
ATMOSPHERE WITHOUT THINKING
ABOUT IT.
IT WAS SUMMARIZED BY ONE
CONGRESSMAN WHO TOLD ME ABOUT
THE PRESIDENT, HE FEELS INSECURE
SO HE NEEDS TO EXPERTERT HIS POW
TO FEEL GOOD.
THAT’S NOT HOW WE OPERATE.
SO THE PRESIDENT PUTS OUT THAT
TWEET THAT CAN’T BE TAKEN BACK
AND SENDS A SIGNAL TO VOTERS
AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY, I’M THE
GUY WHO CUT OFF NEGOTIATIONS.
I’M THE GUY THAT ENSURED THAT
PERHAPS YOUR SMALL BUSINESS WILL
FAIL OR THAT YOU WON’T GET THAT
CHECK YOU WERE HOPING FOR.
>> WE’VE TALKED ABOUT FOR SOME
TIME NOW THIS PRESIDENT HAS, FOR
WHATEVER REASON, CONSISTENTLY
PUT HIMSELF ON THE 30% SIDE OF
ISSUES THAT ARE 70/30 ISSUES.
AND YOU COULD GO DOWN THE LIST
IN 2020, BUT HE’S DONE IT TIME
AND AGAIN.
I WOULD GUESS THIS IS LIKELY A
90/10 ISSUE THAT IF THE FED
CHAIRMAN AND THE MARKETS ARE
SAYING THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED
SOME STIMULUS GOING INTO THE NEW
YEAR BECAUSE 2021 IS GOING TO BE
DEVASTATING, FOR A PRESIDENT TO
UNILATERALLY KILL THE BILL AND
THEN TAKE CREDIT FOR IT IS -- IS
LIKE SOMETHING I’VE NEVER SEEN
IN POLITICS.
USUALLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS
CYNICALLY PRESIDENTS WOULD KILL
A BILL, BUT THEN FIGURE OUT A
WAY TO SUDDENLY BLAME THE OTHER
SIDE.
AND THEY WOULD DO THAT TO TRY TO
PROTECT PEOPLE IN THEIR OWN
PARTY.
TO TRY TO PROTECT THE MARTHA
McSALLY’S, CORY GARDNERS, THE
SUSAN COLLINS, THE STEVE DEIGNS.
DID NOT EVEN DO THAT.
SO PEOPLE IN MONTANA NOW KNOW
THAT STEVE DAINES SUPPORTS A
PRESIDENT THAT HAS KILLED ANY
STIMULUS CHECKS TO HELP THE
PEOPLE OF MONTANA THROUGH THEIR
CRISES.
>> THE HARDEST TIME THEY’VE
SEEN.
>> YEAH, IN YEARS.
AND SPREAD THAT TO MAINE, SAME
THING HAPPENING.
SUSAN COLLINS PRESIDENT THAT SHE
HAS SUPPORTED TIME AND TIME
AGAIN HAS CUT OFF CHECKS THAT
COULD HELP THE HARD-WORKING
PEOPLE OF MAINE.
AND DO THAT AROUND THE COUNTRY.
IT’S JUST ABSOLUTELY ILLOGICAL
AND SUGGESTS THAT THE PRESIDENT
IS, RIGHT NOW, NOT ONLY A
DETRIMENT TO HIS PARTY, BUT ALSO
A DANGER, IN FACT, IF, IN FACT,
HE IS IMPACTED BY THE DRUGS HE’S
ON AND THE FACT THAT HE PROBABLY
STILL HAS COVID, THAT HE’S EVEN