REQUESTED THEY EXMEPEPEME DIET -
GOING TO BRING IN MY EXPERT, DR.
REDLYNNER.
I THINK IN NORMAL TIMES, THIS
WOULD BE SUCH CAUSE FOR
CELEBRATION, BUT THERE IS SUCH
DEEP SKEPTICISM ABOUT WHERE THE
SCIENCE HAS BEEN PLACED IN EVERY
CONVERSATION AND EVERY JUNCTURE
OF THE PANDEMIC.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE ALERT TO
BE READY TWO DAYS BEFORE THE
ELECTION FOR VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, NICOLLE, IT’S
SO BLATANTLY POLITICAL AND WE
HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO IS SO
MISTRUSTED, HE’S BEEN SO
DISHONEST WITH EVERYTHING,
THERE’S NO WAY TO DISCERN
WHETHER HE’S ACTUALLY TALKING
ABOUT A BREAKTHROUGH THAT WOULD
BE EFFECTIVE AND SAFE OR IT’S
COMPLETELY POLITICALLY
MOTIVATED.
THIS IS NOT A -- THIS IS NOT
NORMAL TIMES, IT’S NOT A NORMAL
PRESIDENT BY ANY STRETCH AND WE
HAVE NO WAY OF DETERMINING WHAT
THE MOTIVATION IS HERE.
THE FACT THAT THIS IS GOING TO
BE PUSHED FOR COMING OUT BEFORE
THE ELECTION PRESENTS SOME REAL
CHALLENGES.
WE HAVE NO IDEA IF THE VACCINE,
WHICH WILL NOT HAVE BEEN FULLY
TESTED, WILL BE SAFE FOR PEOPLE.
AND TO PUSH THIS OUT COUPLE DAYS
BEFORE THE ELECTION IS ABSURD
AND RECKLESS, IN MY OPINION, AND
THIS IS ALL ABOUT POLITICS,
NICOLLE, AND A PRESIDENT WHO IS
UNHINGED AND RECKLESS IN HIS
BEHAVIORS, STARTING AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE PAN DECK YOU
CAN AND EVEN BEFORE THAT AND
HERE’S WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
A CHALLENGE THAT WE CAN’T
UNDERSTAND EXACTLY.
>> SO, NICK, YOUR NEWSPAPER
QUOTES AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST WHO
MAKES THE SAME POINT IRWIN IS
SAYING.
LET ME READ HIS QUOTE FROM YOUR
PAPER TODAY.
HE SAID, THE TIMELINE IS DEEPLY
WORRISOME FOR THE POLITICIZATION
OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE
POTENTIAL SAFETY RAMIFICATIONS.
IT’S HARD NOT TO SEE THIS AS A
PUSH FOR A PRE-ELECTION VACCINE.
>> WELL, THE IMPORTANCE THING,
NICOLLE, IS THAT, I THINK, THAT
EVERY AMERICAN WOULD LIKE TO SEE
A VACCINE IN NOVEMBER, BUT THE
PROBLEM IS, WHAT WE HAVE SEEN
REPEATEDLY THROUGHOUT THIS
EPIDEMIC IS THAT WHEN THE WHITE
HOUSE TAKES THE LEAD ON SCIENCE
AND MEDICAL QUESTIONS, IT OFF
FALLS SHORT OF ITS PROMISES.
I TALKING ABOUT THE MIRACLE CURE
OF HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE,
DRIVE-THRU TESTING AT WALMART
AND TARGET.
THESE ALL FAILED.
I THINK WE HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.
BUT I WILL JUST SAY THIS.
I THINK THAT THIS IS A CLASSIC
CASE WHERE GOOD POLICY IS GOOD
POLITICS AND VICE VERSA.
THE PRESIDENT CAN DELIVER AND IF
THESE DRUG MAKERS CAN DELIVER A
WORKING VACCINE BY NOVEMBER,
THAT IS GREAT NEWS FOR AMERICA
AND IT MIGHT BE GOOD NEWS FOR
THE PRESIDENT.
BUT IF THIS IS JUST ANOTHER
HEADLINE GRAB FOR A SHORT-TERM
BUMP, IT’S GOING TO BE A
CATASTROPHE FOR THE PRESIDENT
WHO CAN’T AFFORD ANYMORE OF
THOSE IN THIS ELECTION CYCLE.
>> LET ME JUST PUSH BACK, NICK,
BUT IT WOULD REPRESENT A
GROUNDBREAKING MOMENT.
IT WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME IN
THE SIX MONTHS SINCE THE
PANDEMIC HAS STARTED COURSING
THROUGH THIS COUNTRY THAT HE PUT
SCIENCE FIRST, IF THAT’S THE
CASE.
HE DID NOT PUT SCIENCE FIRST IN
THE SHUTDOWN ORDERS.
HE DID NOT PUT SCIENCE FIRST IN
THE REOPENINGS.
AND EVEN WHEN THE SHUTDOWN
ORDERS WERE IN PLACE, DONALD
TRUMP WAS TWEETING LIKE A
RECKLESS 12-YEAR-OLD ON
DETENTION.
LIBERATE VIRGINIA, LIBERATE
MICHIGAN, WHEN IT WAS HIS OWN
CDC THAT PUT IN PLACE THE
GUIDELINES THE GOVERNORS WERE
ADHERING TO.
HE’S BEEN PUSHING
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE.
IF THE VACCINE STUFF IS ON THE
UP AND UP, THAT IN AND OF ITSELF
WOULD BE A BREAK-THROUGH FOR
THIS PRESIDENT.
>> WELL, LOOK, I WOULD SAY THAT
THERE’S ACTUALLY A TERRIBLE
IRONY HERE, WHICH IS THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS NOT BELIEVED BY
MOST AMERICANS WHEN HE MAKES
THESE PROMISES.
HE HAS SQUANDERED A LOT OF HIS
CREDIBILITY OVER THE LAST SIX
MONTHS BY MAKING THESE PROMISES
AND NOT DELIVERING.
IT WOULD BE A TERRIBLE IRONY AND
TRAGEDY FOR THE COUNTRY IF, FOR
SOME REASON, THIS MATERIALIZED
AND IT WORKED OUT, BUT THERE IS
SO MUCH MISTRUST IN THE
PRESIDENT AND DISTRUST IN THE
PROCESS, THAT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW,
ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE KIND OF
RELUCTANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
WHAT COULD BE A BREAKTHROUGH.
WE JUST DON’T KNOW AND WE HAVE
SEEN BEFORE THAT THE WHITE HOUSE
CAN TALK A BIG GAME ON THIS AND
NOT DELIVER.
>> AND DR. REDLENER, IT WOULD
APPEAR THAT A LOT OF THE DAMAGE
HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE.
HERE’S THE NBC NEWS VERY/SURVEY
MONKEY POLL.
WOULD YOU GET A
GOVERNMENT-APPROVED COVID-19
VACCINE IN ONLY 44% SAYS YES.
32%, NOT SURE, 22% SAY NO.
EVEN IF WE HAD IT, IT’S NOT
CLEAR THAT EVERYONE TRUSTS THE
GOVERNMENT ANYMORE AND PLANS TO
TAKE IT.
>> YEAH, NICOLLE, AND BY THE
WAY, IF, IN FACT, PEOPLE DO TAKE
IT, AND THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF
COMPLICATIONS ERUPTING IN THE
WEEKS, MONTHS AND MAYBE A YEAR
AFTER THEY’RE GETTING THE
VACCINE, WHAT WILL THEN HAPPEN
TO THE PUBLIC TRUST ABOUT THE
VACCINE?
AND WE WON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO
THOSE QUESTIONS UNTIL AFTER THE
ELECTION.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE POINT, FROM
EVIDENCE AND SCIENCE POINT OF
VIEW, NICOLLE, IS THAT WE WILL
NOT KNOW BY NOVEMBER 3rd WHETHER
WE HAVE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE
VACCINE, PERIOD.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A BRUTAL
EXPERIMENT TO GIVE PEOPLE
VACCINES BEFORE THEY’VE GONE
THROUGH THE FULL HUMAN TRIALS
PERIOD THAT THEY NEED TO GO
THROUGH.
WE WON’T HAVE A WAY OF KNOWING
BY NOVEMBER 1st OR EVEN THE
FIRST QUARTER OF 2021, IF THE
VACCINE WORKS AND IF IT’S SAFE
FOR PEOPLE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ONE LAST
QUESTION.
TONY FAUCI HAS BEEN ASKED ABOUT
A VACCINE LITERALLY EVERY TIME
HE’S BEEN ON CAPITOL HILL.
DID IT SLIP HIS MIND THAT THERE
WAS ONE THAT WAS GOING TO BE
READY ON NOVEMBER 1st?
WHY DIDN’T WE HEAR ABOUT THAT
FROM HIM?
>> WELL, I DON’T KNOW, I MEAN,
TONY FAUCI IS ONE OF THE COUPLE
OF PEOPLE THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY
TRUST AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK
HE’S ASSESSING THIS AND WE CAN
PRETTY MUCH BELIEVE WHAT HE
SAYS, IN MY OPINION.
STILL, WHATEVER HE SAYS, THERE’S
NO WAY OF ASSURING THAT WE WILL
HAVE AN EFFECTIVE VACCINE THAT’S
SAFE BY NOVEMBER 3rd.
THAT’S BASICALLY PREPOSTEROUS.
WE MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE
IF THE PANDEMIC IS RAGING, BUT
WE HAVE A LOT TO WORRY ABOUT IF