>>> 44 PAST. SO HERE IS THAT EXCHANGE ON
CAPITOL HILL YESTERDAY THAT MIKE
MENTIONED BEFORE THE BREAK.
ACTING HOMELAND SECURITY
SECRETARY CHAD WOLF WAS GRILLED
BY REPUBLICAN SENATOR JOHN
KENNEDY ABOUT THE U.S. RESPONSE
TO THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK,
WITH KENNEDY BEWILDERED BY
WOLF’S LACK OF SPECIFICS.
>> HOW MANY ARE YOU
ANTICIPATING?
ANTICIPATING? >> AGAIN, WE’RE WORKING WITH HHS
TO DETERMINE THAT.
>> HOW MANY ARE YOU
ANTICIPATING?
ANTICIPATING? >> WE DO ANTICIPATE THE NUMBER
WILL GROW.
WILL GROW. I DON’T HAVE AN EXACT FIGURE FOR
YOU, NO YOU.
>> DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE?
IS SOMEONE MODELING THAT?
DO YOU HAVE ANY WAY OF GUESSING?
>> AGAIN, HHS THROUGH THEIR
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS --
>> YES, SIR, BUT YOU ARE HEAD OF
HOMELAND SECURITY.
HOMELAND SECURITY. >> YES, SIR.
>> YOUR JOB IS TO KEEP US SAFE.
YOU CAN’T TELL US HOW MANY YOUR
MODELS ARE ANTICIPATING?
>> NO, SENATOR, AGAIN, I WOULD
DEFER YOU TO HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES FOR THAT.
>> SOUNDS LIKE YOU OUGHT TO
CHECK ON THAT.
>> WE WILL.
>> AS THE HEAD OF HOMELAND
SECURITY.
SECURITY. >> YES.
>> YES. >> HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED?
>> A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
>> TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE.
>> AGAIN, HUMAN TO HUMAN IS
WHAT --
WHAT -- >> WELL, OBVIOUSLY HUMAN TO
HUMAN.
HUMAN. HOW?
HOW? WHAT’S THE MORTALITY RATE SO FAR
NATIONWIDE -- WORLDWIDE?
>> WORLDWIDE I BELIEVE IT’S
UNDER 2%.
UNDER 2%. >> HOW MANY UNDER 2%?
>> I WILL GET YOU AN EXACT
FIGURE.
FIGURE. YOU’RE ASKING ME A NUMBER OF
MEDICAL QUESTIONS --
>> I’M ASKING YOU QUESTIONS
BECAUSE YOU ARE SECRETARY OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
AND YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO KEEP US
SAFE.
SAFE. >> YES, SIR.
>> AND YOU NEED TO KNOW THE
ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. I’M NOT SCARED AT ALL.
>> THIS IS -- AND, BY THE WAY,
TALKING ABOUT RATTLING THE
MARKETS, YOU HAVE DONALD TRUMP
ANGRY FOR PEOPLE IN HIS
ADMINISTRATION PREPARING
ADMINISTRATION PREPARING AMERICANS, TELLING THEM THE
TRUTH, YOU HAVE DONALD TRUMP
SAYING NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
HERE, MOVE ALONG, JUST LIKE THE
CHINESE.
CHINESE. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> IT WILL ALL GO AWAY IN APRIL,
WE WILL BE FINE.
YOU HAVE DONALD TRUMP HIRING --
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, FIRING JUST
ABOUT EVERY COMPETENT PERSON IN
HIS ADMINISTRATION AND HIRING
ONE ACTING SECRETARY AFTER
ANOTHER ACTING SECRETARY.
THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE POLITICAL
DUPES WHO ARE LOYAL TO DONALD
TRUMP, BUT THAT’S THE ONLY THING
THEY HAVE GOING FOR THEM.
IT’S THE RICHARD GRENELL MODEL.
HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE INTEL
COMMUNITY, HE FAILED THIS IN HIS
LAST JOB.
LAST JOB. >> MIGHT HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME.
>> HE MIGHT HAVE COMMITTED A
CRIME, BUT HE WILL BE LOYAL TO
US.
US. I’M TELLING YOU -- I’M TELLING
YOU THIS STUFF IS ABOUT TO GET
REAL WITH A LOT OF TRUMP
SUPPORTERS WHO SAY I LIKE HOW HE
SPEAKS HIS MIND AND HE’S
CLEANING OUT WASHINGTON.
NO, HE’S MAKING WASHINGTON NOT
ONLY MORE SWAMPY, BUT HE’S
MAKING WASHINGTON MORE STUPID,
MIKE, WITH PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW
WHAT THEY’RE DOING WHEN A
PANDEMIC COULD COME IN.
>> INCOMPETENCE KILLS.
>> AND IF A PANDEMIC COMES IN,
INCOMPETENCE KILLS, AND IT
DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER IT’S
KILLING PEOPLE IN BLUE STATES OR
IN RED STATES, THE PANDEMIC
SWEEPS THROUGH AN ENTIRE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. AND DONALD TRUMP IS ONLY WORRIED
ABOUT THE STOCK MARKET
COLLAPSING.
COLLAPSING. DONALD TRUMP’S INCOMPETENCE AND
HIS COVERING IT UP AND SAYING
EVERYTHING IS FINE, MOVE ALONG,
IT’S ONLY GOING TO FURTHER PANIC
THE MARKET.
THE MARKET. >> IF YOU JUST READ, JUST READ
THE NEWS ACCOUNTS OF THIS
EPIDEMIC GLOBALLY IT’S ENOUGH TO
OBVIOUSLY BECOME CONCERNED AND
SCARED.
SCARED. YOU ALSO WAY DOWN IN THE STORIES
AND THROUGHOUT OTHER STORIES YOU
REALIZE THAT THERE IS A PURGE
GOING ON WITHIN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION TO YOUR POINT
WHERE PEOPLE WHO ARE SKILLED AT
WHAT THEY’VE BEEN DOING FOR
YEARS IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS ARE
BEING PURGED, THROWN OUT OF
THEIR JOBS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT
LOYAL TO DONALD TRUMP.
IN THE CASE OF THE ECONOMY I
BELIEVE YOU HAD A FEW DAYS AGO
LARRY KUDLOW --
>> MIKE, I HATE TO INTERRUPT
YOU.
YOU. THEY’RE NOT BLINDLY LOYAL TO
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. THEY’RE BEING PURGED BECAUSE OF
THAT.
THAT. AND IN THIS CASE THEY COULD BE
PURGED BECAUSE THEY ARE TELLING
THE TRUTH AND DONALD TRUMP
DOESN’T -- SO BECAUSE THEY ARE
ALLOWED TO BE ABLE TO SAY
SHOULDN’T A PRESIDENT HAVE
SOMEBODY WHO IS LOYAL TO HIM?
YES.
YES. BUT IF TELLING THE TRUTH IS A
SIGN OF DISLOYALTY WHICH DONALD
TRUMP SEES IT AS A SIGN OF
DISLOYALTY.
DISLOYALTY. >> THEN WE ARE CHINA.
>> THAT’S WHERE WE ARE.
>> CASE IN POINT THE DIRECTOR OF
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ADMIRAL
JOE McGUIRE OUT, TOLD WE DON’T
LIKE BAD NEWS, WE DON’T LIKE THE
TRUTH.
TRUTH. OUT.
OUT. LARRY KUDLOW, I BELIEVE, A FEW
DAYS AGO INDICATED WHAT’S
HAPPENING TO THE STOCK MARKET
WAS A GREAT TIME TO BUY LOW.
THAT WAS HIS RESPONSE.
>> LOOK, I THINK IT’S WHAT A LOT
OF YOU GUYS SAID, YOU’RE DEALING
WITH A DIFFERENT KIND OF
ADMINISTRATION THAN WHAT WE’RE
USED TO.
USED TO. IF THIS WERE STILL GEORGE W.
BUSH OR BARACK OBAMA WE WOULD BE
IN A DIFFERENT PLACE.
LET’S REMEMBER IN THE EBOLA
CRISIS OBAMA -- WHICH NEVER EVEN
GOT ANYWHERE NEAR HERE -- OBAMA
IMMEDIATELY APPOINTED AN EBOLA
CZAR RON KLAIN AN EXTREMELY
CAPABLE GUY, THE WHOLE
ADMINISTRATION CAME TOGETHER AND
A CRISIS AND A PANIC WERE
AVERTED AND YOU CONTRAST THAT
WITH THIS.
WITH THIS. BY THE WAY, DONALD TRUMP IS ALSO
TRYING TO CUT THE BUDGET OF THE
CDC WHICH I THINK AT THE MOMENT
WE PROBABLY ALL APPRECIATE
SHOULD BE AUGMENTED NOT CUT.
>> BY THE WAY, THIS IS A GREAT
EXAMPLE FOR PEOPLE TO SAY
GOVERNMENT SHOULDN’T DO
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. THIS IS WHEN PEOPLE WANT
GOVERNMENT TO DO SOMETHING.
THIS IS WHEN -- YOU KNOW,
FOOD -- I MEAN, YOU CAN GO DOWN
THE LIST WITH FOOD SAFETY, WATER
SAFETY, AIR SAFETY, ALL OF THAT,
BUT I’M WONDERING -- I TALKED TO
THE BUSINESS LEADER LATE LAST
NIGHT WHO HAS A GLOBAL BUSINESS
AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS --
THIS COULD CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE
OF THE WORLD ECONOMY DEPENDING
ON HOW FAR THIS EXPANDS.
HE SAID THERE ARE HUGE
FREIGHTERS JUST FLOATING IN THE
WATER IN CHINA, PRODUCTION
LINES, CHAIN OF SUPPLY LINES ARE
BEING SHATTERED.
BEING SHATTERED. THIS COULD START A RECESSION, HE
ACTUALLY THOUGHT A RECESSION WAS
GOING TO START OUT OF THIS, AND
HE SAID THIS COULD CHANGE THE
WAY THE WORLD OPERATES DEPENDING
ON HOW BADLY THIS IS BECAUSE
CHINA COULD BE TURNED INTO A
GHOST TOWN.
GHOST TOWN. >> WELL, LOOK, ONE THING THAT
NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTOOD IS THIS
IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM -- THE
WORLD IS A DIFFERENT PLACE THAN
IT WAS WHEN WE HAD SARS.
THE WORLD IS A FAR MORE
INTEGRATED PLACE, GLOBAL TRADE
IS FAR MORE INTEGRATED, THE
SUPPLY LINES ARE FAR MORE
IMPORTANT TO PRODUCTION AROUND
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. IF THIS GOES ON CHINA WILL HAVE
NEGATIVE GDP IN THE FIRST
QUARTER OF THIS YEAR FOR ALL THE
OBVIOUS REASONS, IF THIS GOES ON
LIKE THIS IT COULD WELL DISRUPT
THE ECONOMY OF THE WORLD IN A
VERY SUBSTANTIAL WAY AND THAT’S
WHY THE STOCK MARKET IS REACTING
IN ADDITION TO THE DEALING THAT
THERE IS NOBODY REALLY IN CHARGE
HERE.
HERE. >> AND THE PRESIDENT HAS A DAILY
KIND OF HABIT OF LYING, I MEAN,
THEY’RE TRACKED BY THE
"WASHINGTON POST" AND TRUMP
SUPPORTERS HONG, OKAY, HE SAYS
WHAT HE THINKS, DOESN’T MATTER
IF HE LIES, THEY’RE GOING TO
CARE WHETHER OR NOT HE’S LYING
ABOUT THIS AND WE’RE NOT GOING
TO KNOW IF HE’S TELLING THE
TRUTH AND IF ALL THE SCIENTISTS
HAVE BEEN FIRED, WE ARE IN A BAD
PLACE ABOUT THIS.
IT ACTUALLY COULD CAREEN OUT OF
CONTROL.
CONTROL. WHO KNOWS.
WHO KNOWS. >> I DON’T KNOW WHO --
>> WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS AS
HE SAYS.
HE SAYS. >> DON’T KNOW WHO CAN GET THE
PRESIDENT’S EAR BECAUSE HE
DOESN’T LISTEN TO ANYBODY AROUND
HIM ANYMORE, BUT IF SOMEBODY
COULD THEY WOULD NEED TO TELL
HIM, MR. PRESIDENT, THE MORE YOU
TRY TO TAMP DOWN THE REALITY OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF A PANDEMIC
SWEEPING THE GLOBE AND COMING TO
AMERICA, THE MORE YOU HURT THE
STOCK MARKET.
STOCK MARKET. SINCE THAT’S THE ONLY THING YOU
CARE ABOUT, YOU NEED TO BE
TRANSPARENT.
TRANSPARENT. THIS IS A GREAT -- THIS IS A
GREAT EXAMPLE, MIKE, OF HOW
AUTHORITARIAN STATES HONG THEY
CAN TAMP DOWN ON INFORMATION,
HONG THEY CAN STAMP DOWN ON THE
TRUTH, HONG LIKE -- IN THIS CASE
DONALD TRUMP GETS ANGRY WHEN
PEOPLE TELL THE TRUTH.
THEY JUST IN THE END HURT THEIR
OWN CAUSE.
OWN CAUSE. IF CHINA HAD BEEN
STRAIGHTFORWARD FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING, IF THEY HAD SPOKEN
HONESTLY ABOUT THIS FROM THE
VERY BEGINNING, MOVED
AGGRESSIVELY AGAINST IT THIS
CRISIS WOULDN’T BE WHERE IT IS
NOW AND NOW WE HAVE DONALD TRUMP
RETURNING HOME ACTUALLY TRYING
TO COPY THE WORST TRAITS OF
CHINA FROM THE EARLY STAGES OF
THIS CRISIS.
THIS CRISIS. >> YOU KNOW, STEVE MENTIONED RON
KLAIN, HIGHLY COMPETENT HIGH WHO
WORKED IN THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AND THE EBOLA
CRISIS WHICH WAS HANDLED NEARLY
PERFECTLY WHEN IT AROSE.
IT’S NOT A VERY MUCH TO THINK
THAT THE WAY THIS IS GOING, WE
JUST SHOWED THE CLIP OF ONE
MEMBER OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WITH NO ANSWERS,
IT’S NOT A STRETCH TO THINK THAT
THIS ELECTION COULD TURN ON THE
ISSUE OF COMPETENCE IN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION SO FAR HAS BEEN
INCOMPETENT ON SO MANY DIFFERENT
LEVELS, BUT WHEN YOU’RE
INCOMPETENT WHEN IT’S A THREAT
TO PEOPLE’S HEALTH, WHEN YOU’RE
WONDERING ABOUT COULD YOUR
FOUR-YEAR-OLD CHILD GET THE
CORONAVIRUS, WHAT WOULD THE
AFFECTS BE, WHAT WOULD THE
PERCENTAGES BE FOR HIS OR HER
SURVIVAL, WHEN PEOPLE START WORE
YEG ABOUT COMPETENCE WHEN
DEALING WITH A HEALTH ISSUE
NATIONWIDE THIS COULD TURN
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. >> YOU HAVE JOHN KENNEDY A GUY
WHO HAS BLINDLY FOLLOWED DONALD
TRUMP OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
MONTHS UNDERSTANDING, WAIT A
SECOND, THIS COULD ACTUALLY --
>> THIS COULD BE BAD.
>> -- KILL A LOT OF PEOPLE IN
THE STATE OF LOUISIANA IF WE
DON’T GET AHEAD OF IT.
>> >> ANY OTHER ADMINISTRATION
WOULD PUT TOGETHER A TASK FORCE,
THEY WOULD BE MEETING EVERY DAY,
THERE WOULD BE A CZAR OR
SOMEBODY IN CHARGE OF THIS
THING, THE PRESIDENT WOULD BE ON
NATIONAL TELEVISION NOT UNDER
THE HELICOPTER BLADES MAKING
CRAZY COMMENTS BUT WOULD HAVE
GONE ON TELEVISION SAID HERE IS
WHAT WE’RE DOING, THIS IS TOUGH
BUT WE ARE FIGHTING IT AND I
THINK ALL OF THAT WOULD HAVE
MADE A DIFFERENCE NOT JUST TO
THE STOCK MARKET BUT TO THE
PUBLIC’S CONFIDENCE IN
LEADERSHIP.
LEADERSHIP. >>> STILL AHEAD, MONEY ISN’T
EVERYTHING BUT IN POLITICS IT
SURE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
STEVE RATTNER WAS A LOOK AT THE
2020 MONEY RACE AND BLOOMBERG
AND STEYER ASIDE, HOW THE
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES ARE DOING
AHEAD OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND
SUPER TUESDAY.
SUPER TUESDAY. "MORNING JOE" WILL BE RIGHT
BACK.
>> THE VIRUS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING TO DO -- A LOT OF PEOPLE
THINK THAT GOES AWAY IN APRIL
WITH THE HEAT, AS THE HEAT COMES