>> TODAY WE ARE NOT TRACKING A BRIEFING.
BRIEFING. THERE WILL BE BRIEFINGS
THROUGHOUT OTHER PARTS OF THE
WEEK.
WEEK. ABSOLUTELY NOT AN EFFORT TO CUT
BACK.
BACK. WE ARE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS
TO SHOW THIS PRESIDENT LEADING.
>> Katie: WHITE HOUSE PRESS
SECRETARY KAYLEIGH McENANY
ANNOUNCING THERE WILL NOT BE A
CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE BRIEFING
THIS EVENING, FOR THE THIRD DAY
IN A ROW.
IN A ROW. THIS, AFTER THE PRESIDENT ON
FRIDAY SLAMMED THE MEDIA WHILE
CALLING THE BRIEFINGS "NOT WORTH
THE TIME AND EFFORT."
SINCE MARCH, THE PRESIDENT AND
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE HAVE GIVEN
ALMOST 50 DAILY PRESS BRIEFINGS
TO UPDATE THE COUNTRY ON THE
ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE TO THE
PANDEMIC THAT HAS KILLED MORE
THAN 53,000 PEOPLE IN THE U.S.
DR. SIEGEL, LET’S GO TO YOU
FIRST.
FIRST. I THINK THESE BRIEFINGS HAVE
BEEN ENORMOUSLY HELPFUL.
GIVING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. I DON’T THINK THE SOCIAL
DISTANCING WOULD HAVE BEEN
UNSUCCESSFUL ABOUT WITHOUT THEM
UPDATING PEOPLE EVERY DAY TO
EXPLAIN THE DATA THAT WAS COMING
IN AND SHOWING PEOPLE THE
RESULTS OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
>> Dr. Siegel: KATIE, I
COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOUR
POINTS, NOT TO MENTION THE
DEMONSTRATIONDEVASTATION TO THE
ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING
ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING HOT SPOT AREAS, THAT OF COST
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
FOCUSING ALSO ON THE HEALTH CARE
WORKERS’ RESPONSE, TRYING
DIFFERENT TREATMENTS, HOW
PATIENTS ARE DOING.
ALL OF THIS BEING BROUGHT TO THE
SPOTLIGHT.
SPOTLIGHT. IT ISN’T JUST THE PRESIDENT
TALKING.
TALKING. THE TASK FORCE INCLUDES PEOPLE
LIKE DR. TONY FAUCI, WHO HAS
BEEN A TOP VIROLOGIST IN THIS
COUNTRY FOR MANY YEARS.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE. AND DR. BIRX, AS WELL.
AND DR. REDFIELD, WHO RUN CDC.
ALL THESE PEOPLE COME INTO THE
MICROPHONE AND INFORMING THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC.
AMERICAN PUBLIC. HUGELY IMPORTANT.
HUGELY IMPORTANT. THE ISSUE IS, THOUGH,
UNFORTUNATELY A LOT OF THIS
INFORMATION GETS POLITICIZED.
IT GETS BANDIED ABOUT IN THE
MEDIA LIKE SOME KIND OF CONTACT
SPORT.
SPORT. THAT IS SO DEEPLY DISTURBING.
ONE MISTAKE -- I’M NOT SAYING
MISTAKES HAVE BEEN MADE, BIG
ONES HAVE BEEN MADE, OBVIOUSLY
-- BUT THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE ARE
WAITING IN THE WINGS TO TAKE
THIS INFORMATION, ATTACK THE
PRESIDENT OR OTHER PEOPLE IN THE
TASK FORCE, IS NOT HELPING IN
THE FIGHT AGAINST THIS VIRUS.
>> Katie: YOU KNOW, LARA,
EARLY ON THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT
MADE THAT THE POLITICAL
REPORTERS IN THE WHITE HOUSE
PRESS CORPS SHOULD BE REPLACED
WITH HEALTH CARE REPORTERS.
THAT DID NOT HAPPEN, AND PEOPLE
ARGUE THAT MAYBE WE GET MORE
RELEVANT INFORMATION AND
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. AS THE DOCTOR JUST POINTED OUT,
A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT HAVE
BEEN ASKED OVER THE BRIEFINGS
WE’VE HAD WEREN’T ALWAYS SO
FOCUSED ON THE PANDEMIC AT HAND.
>> Lara: WELL, HOW ABOUT YOU
JUST REPLACE THOSE REPORTERS,
THE ONES WHO ACTUALLY DON’T HAVE
SUCH A HATRED FOR THE PRESIDENT
AND SUCH A HISTORY AND RECORD OF
HOSTILITY AND ALL OF THE
INTERACTIONS AND THEIR
REPORTING?
REPORTING? COMING FROM PUBLICATIONS WHOSE
REPORTING ON THIS PRESIDENT AND
ADMINISTRATION IS 99% OR 100%
NEGATIVE, 100% OF THE TIME.
THAT IS THE CONTEXT IN WHICH
THESE BRIEFINGS ARE TAKING
PLACE.
PLACE. IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE
PRESIDENT TREATED HIMSELF, HE
SAID, "WHY AM I BOOSTING THEIR
READINGS WITH FAKE NEWS, WHEN
THEY ARE ONLY HOSTILE AND NOT
REPORTING THE FACTS?"
FROM THE REPORTER’S POINT OF
VIEW, OBVIOUSLY THERE’S A LOT OF
JOURNALISTS AND PEOPLE WHO WOULD
PUSH BACK AGAINST THAT,
ESPECIALLY ONES WHO -- THERE IS
OF COURSE A NEED TO BE CRITICAL
OF THE ADMINISTRATION, AND THE
PRESIDENT, AND TO EXAMINE THESE
THINGS IN DETAIL.
BUT THE REALITY HERE IS THAT
IT’S NOT HAPPENING WITHOUT A
HISTORY AND A CONTEXT.
NOBODY’S FOOL BY THAT.
ASK ANYONE OUT THERE.
IF THEY DON’T LIKE TRUMP AND
THEY HATE TRUMP, THEY ARE
CHEERING THE REPORTERS.
AND IF THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE
AND THEY REALLY WANT TO KNOW
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE VIRUS
AND THEY ARE OPEN-MINDED OR THEY
SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT, THAN THEY
ARE FRUSTRATED THAT THESE
REPORTERS ARE NOT GIVING HIM A
CHANCE TO SPEAK.
STILL, THIS PRESIDENT IS SOMEONE
WHO IS UNPREDICTABLE.
HE’S BEEN UNPREDICTABLE FROM THE
START.
START. JUST BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ONE
BRIEFING OR A WEEK WITHOUT
BRIEFINGS DOESN’T MEAN THEY
WON’T RESUME AGAIN.
WE DON’T KNOW IT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. ANY TIME I HEAR A REPORTER OR A
NEWS ORGANIZATION PUTTING PEOPLE
OUT THERE WHO ARE GOING TO TELL
YOU WHAT THE PRESIDENT’S
THINKING AND DOING, UNLESS THEY
GOT IT FROM THE PRESIDENT
HIMSELF, I DON’T BELIEVE IT.
BECAUSE THEY’VE ALL BEEN WRONG
ALMOST ALL THE TIME.
>> Katie: SO, MELISSA, WHAT DO
YOU THINK ABOUT THE
WHITE HOUSE’S REASONING HERE,
THAT THEY WANT TO SPEND TIME ON
OTHER THINGS?
OTHER THINGS? IT’S TRUE, WHILE PRESIDENT TRUMP
IS VERY ACCESSIBLE, HIS THREE
HOUR BRIEFINGS OVER THE PAST TWO
MONTHS, THAT DOES LEAVE A LOT OF
ROOM FOR MAKING MISTAKES WHILE
YOU ARE RECEIVING NEW
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. >> Melissa: FIRST OF ALL, I
CAN’T BELIEVE HE KEPT IT UP THIS
LONG.
LONG. I MEAN, THIS PRESIDENT, IT
SHOCKS ME EVERY DAY THE AMOUNT
OF ENERGY AND STAMINA HE HAS.
I DON’T THINK ANY OF THE REST OF
US CAN KEEP UP WITH HIM, AND I
HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE DOES IT.
WE COULDN’T STAND THERE FOR
HOURS AND HOURS EVERY DAY.
I KNOW I COULDN’T.
I THINK IT HAD TO END AT SOME
POINT, AND IT MAKES SENSE TO
HAVE IT NOW.
BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING THIS -- WE
ARE SEEING THE CURVE FLATTENED.
WE ARE SEEING THE SERIOUSNESS OF
THIS, OR MAYBE THE NEW
TERRITORY.
TERRITORY. WE KNOW WE ARE DEALING WITH.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INSIDE.
IT FEELS LIKE WE ARE NOT OUT OF
THE WOODS, AND I DON’T MEAN TO
IMPLY THAT IN ANY WAY, BUT IT
DOES FEEL LIKE WE TURNED A
CORNER AND WE ARE GETTING CLOSER
TO OPENING THINGS BACK UP ALL
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
SO IT’S A PERFECTLY LOGICAL
TIME.
TIME. IT DID GET TO THE POINT WHERE
REPORTERS WERE GOING INTO
"GOTCHA" MODE.
"GOTCHA" MODE. BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS DO THAT.
THAT’S JUST SORT OF THE NATURE