AUTHOR OF THE FORTHCOMING BOOK, "THE WORLD, A BRIEF
INTRODUCTION."
INTRODUCTION." RICHARD HAASS.
RICHARD HAASS. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR THE
"POST" AND POLITICAL ANALYST,
ROBERT COSTA.
ROBERT COSTA. MODERATOR OF "WASHINGTON WEEK"
ON PBS.
ON PBS. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT FOR THE
"WASHINGTON POST," GREG MILLER.
HE CO-WROTE THE EXTENSIVE PIECE
FOR THE "WASHINGTON POST" THAT
DETAILS THE FAILURES OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE
TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
REALLY SPELLS IT OUT.
QUOTE, BY THE TIME DONALD TRUMP
PROCLAIMED HIMSELF A WARTIME
PRESIDENT, AND THE CORONAVIRUS
THE ENEMY, THE UNITED STATES WAS
ALREADY ON COURSE TO SEE MORE OF
ITS PEOPLE DIE THAN IN THE WARS
OF KOREA, VIETNAM, AFTER DPANGHA
AND IRAQ COMBINED.
THAT IS FROM THE LEAD STORY IN
YESTERDAY’S "WASHINGTON POST."
ON SUNDAY, THE PAPER PUBLISHED
THE RESULTS OF A MONTH-LONG
INVESTIGATION, A DEFINITIVE
ACCOUNT OF THE GOVERNMENT FAIL
YURS
YURS FAILURES TO PROPERLY ANTICIPATE
AND RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS
CRY SUS
CRY SUS CRISIS.
CRISIS. IT TRACES THE FIRST 70 DAYS OF
THE OUTBREAK.
THE OUTBREAK. QUOTE, FROM THAT INITIAL
NOTIFICATION FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP
TO TREAT THE CORONAVIRUS NOT AS
A DISTANT THREAT OR HARMLESS FLU
STRAIN WELL UNDER CONTROL, BUT
AS A LETHAL FORCE THAT HAD
OUTFLANKED AMERICA’S DEFENSES
AND WAS POISED TO KILL TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS.
THAT MORE THAN TWO-MONTH STRETCH
NOW STANDS AS CRITICAL TIME THAT
WAS SQUANDERED.
WAS SQUANDERED. HERE’S THE TIMELINE.
WE START ON DECEMBER 31st.
CDC LEARNS OF A CLUSTER OF CASES
IN CHINA AND BEGINS DEVELOPING
REPORTS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HOW MANUMAN SERVICES.
JANUARY 3rd, CHINA TELLS CDC OF
THE OUTBREAK.
THE OUTBREAK. AZAR IS INFORMED, WHO U IN TURNI
INFORMS THE WHITE HOUSE AND
SECURITY COUNCIL.
SECURITY COUNCIL. FEW DAYS LATER, SPY AGENCIES
WARN TRUMP OF THE OUTBREAK IN
THE DAILY BRIEFING.
JANUARY 8th, CDC ISSUES A PUBLIC
WARNING ABOUT COVID-19.
JANUARY 18th, AZAR FINALLY GETS
TO TALK TO TRUMP ABOUT COVID-19,
BUT TRUMP WANTS TO BERATE HIM
INSTEAD OVER HIS AGENCY’S
ATTEMPTS TO LIMIT VAPING.
THE PRESIDENT DISMISSES AZAR AS
ALARMIST.
ALARMIST. THE HHS SECRETARY IS SO WORRIED,
THAT HE ASKS ASSOCIATED ADVICE
ON HOW TO GET TRUMP TO LISTEN TO
THE WARNINGS.
THE WARNINGS. JANUARY 31st, SEATTLE MAN
BECOMES THE FIRST AMERICAN TO
CONTRACT THE VIRUS.
JANUARY 22nd, TRUMP IS ASKED BY
A REPORTER IN DAVOS IF HE IS
WORRIED ABOUT COVID-19.
>> IT’S ONE PERSON COMING IN
FROM CHINA.
FROM CHINA. WE HAVE IT UNDER CONTROL.
IT’S GOING TO BE JUST FINE.
>> JANUARY 424th, CHINA BLOCKS A
U.S. LAB FROM GETTING A VIRUS
SAMPLE TO STUDY, ONE DAY AFTER
SHUTTING DOWN THE CITY OF WUHAN.
TRUMP, IN TURN, LAVISHES PRAISE
ON THE CHINESE PRESIDENT.
JANUARY 31st, AZAR FOLLOWS
CHINA’S LEAD BY BANNING MOST
NON-U.S. CITIZENS FROM TRAVELING
FROM CHINA TO THE U.S.
U.S. HEALTH OFFICIALS AND NSC
PUSH FOR A EUROPE TRAVEL BAN,
BUT PRESIDENT TRUMP AND TREASURY
SECRETARY STEVE MNUCHIN REFUSE.
SAYING IT WILL HURT THE ECONOMY.
FEBRUARY 6th, THE W.H.O.
ANNOUNCES THE SHIPPING OF
250,000 TESTING KITS FOR
COVID-19 AROUND THE WORLD.
THE CDC ONLY HAS 90 TO SEND TO A
FEW STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS.
THOSE TESTS PROVE FAULTY,
SETTING THE PROGRAM BACK.
FEBRUARY 10th, TRUMP ADDRESSES
THE VIRUS AT A RALLY IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE.
HAMPSHIRE. >> BY THE WAY, THE VIRUS.
THEY’RE WORKING HARD.
LOOKS LIKE BY APRIL, YOU KNOW,
IN THEORY, WHEN IT GETS A LITTLE
WARMER, IT MIRACULOUSLY GOES
AWAY.
AWAY. HOPE THAT’S TRUE.
WE’RE DOING GREAT IN OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> FEBRUARY 26th, TRUMP, AGAIN,
TAKES OPT SS ON THE FUTURE OF TH
VIRUS.
VIRUS. >> WHEN YOU HAVE 15 PEOPLE, AND
THE 15 WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS
IS GOING TO BE DOWN TO CLOSE TO
ZERO.
ZERO. >> FEBRUARY 29th, THE WASHINGTON
STATE MAN BECAME THE FIRST
AMERICAN TO DIE OF A CORONAVIRUS
INFECTION.
INFECTION. THAT SAME DAY, AFTER A MONTH OF
CDC FAILURES, THE FDA APPROVES
PRIVATE TESTING FOR COVID-19.
MARCH 6th, TRUMP, DONNING A
CAMPAIGN HAT, VISITS THE CDC IN
ATLANTA.
ATLANTA. >> ANYBODY RIGHT NOW, AND
YESTERDAY, ANYBODY THAT NEEDS A
TEST GETS A TEST.
THEY’RE THERE.
THEY’RE THERE. THEY HAVE THE TESTS.
THE TESTS ARE BEAUTIFUL.
ANYBODY THAT NEEDS A TEST GETS A
TEST.
TEST. AND I LIKE THIS STUFF.
YOU KNOW, MY UNCLE WAS A GREAT
PERSON.
PERSON. HE TAUGHT AT MIT FOR, I THINK, A
RECORD NUMBER OF YEARS.
HE WAS A GREAT SUPER GENIUS, DR.
JOHN TRUMP.
JOHN TRUMP. I LIKE THIS STUFF.
I REALLY GET IT.
PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED THAT I
UNDERSTAND IT.
UNDERSTAND IT. EVERY ONE OF THESE DOCTORS SAID,
HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT
THIS?
THIS? MAYBE I HAVE A NATURAL ABILITY.
MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT
INSTEAD OF RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> NOT AT ALL.
YOU KNOW, MARCH 6th, MIKA,
AGAIN, HE SAYS THAT THE TESTS,
THEY’RE THERE NOW.
ANYONE WHO WANTS A TEST CAN GET
IT NOW.
IT NOW. THAT WAS ON MARCH THE 6th.
CHANCES ARE VERY GOOD, IF YOU
WANT THE TEST NOW AS AN
AMERICAN, YOU CAN’T GET IT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. THAT WAS NOT TRUE.
MARCH 9th --
>> THAT WAS A LIE.
>> -- TRUMP MOCKS SHUTDOWN
ORDERS, SAYING THE COMMON FLU
KILLS THOUSANDS A YEAR AND
NOTHING IS SUBSTITUTE SHUTHUT DO
LIFE AND THE ECONOMY GO ON.
IT’LL GO AWAY.
STAY CALM.
STAY CALM. MARCH 11th, TRUMP SHUTS DOWN
TRAVEL FROM EUROPE.
SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THE NSA AND
HEALTH OFFICIALS REQUIRED HE DO
SO.
SO. MARCH 31st, AT A NEWS
CONFERENCE, THE PRESIDENT
FINALLY SUCKFINAL
FINALLY SUCKFINAL LY SUCCUMBS TO THE CORONAVIRUS
REALITY, SAYING IT IS ABSOLUTELY
CRITICAL FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES FOR THE
NEXT 30 DAYS.
>> IT’S A MATTER OF LIFE AND
DEATH, FRANKLY.
DEATH, FRANKLY. IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND
DEATH.
DEATH. I KNOW OUR CITIZENS WILL RISE TO
THE OCCASION, AND THEY ALREADY
HAVE SACRIFICED A LOT.
>> HE HAD ACTUALLY CALLED IT A
HOAX BEFORE THEN.
>> CALLED THE PRESS COVERAGE,
CALLED THE PRESS COVERAGE A
HOAX, SAYING THEY WERE
EXAGGERATING.
EXAGGERATING. >> THE "POST" CONCLUDES THE
UNITED STATES WILL LIKELY GO
DOWN AS THE COUNTRY THAT WAS
SUPPOSEDLY BEST PREPARED TO
FIGHT A PANDEMIC BUT ENDED UP
CATASTROPHICALLY OVERMATCHED.
CATASTROPHICALLY OVERMATCHED. IT DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN THIS
WAY.
WAY. THOUGH NOT PERFECTLY PREPARED,
THE UNITED STATES HAD MORE
EXPERTISE, RESOURCES, PLANS, AND
EPIDEEM
EPIDEEM EPI DEEM LOJ
EXPERIENCE THAN DOZENS OF
COUNTRIES WHO ULTIMATELY FAIRED
FAR BETTER IN FENDING OFF THE
VIRUS
VIRUS VIRUS.
VIRUS. IT MAY NEVER BE KNOWN HOW MANY
THOUSANDS OF DEATHS OR MILLIONS
OF INFECTIONS FIGHT SS MIGHT HAV
PREVENTED WITH THE RESPONSE THAT
WAS MORE COHERENT, URGENT, AND
EFFECTIVE.
EFFECTIVE. >> GREG MILLER WAS A CO-AUTHOR.
DPREG,
DPREG, GREG, I THINK THE THING THAT
WILL STRIKE MOST AMERICANS WHO
ARE STILL HEARING THE PRESIDENT
IN DENIAL INTO MARCH, IS WHAT
HAPPENED, HOW EARLY ALL THE
WARNINGS CAME THE PRESIDENT’S
WAY AND EVERYBODY’S WAY IN THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. DECEMBER 31st OF LAST YEAR, CDC
BEGINS DEVELOPING THE REPORTS
FOR HHS AFTER GETTING THE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VIRUS.
JANUARY 3rd, FORMAL NOTIFICATION
CAME FROM CHINA.
A FEW DAYS LATER, EARLY JANUARY,
U.S. SPY AGENCIES BEGAN WARNING
THE PRESIDENT OF THE OUTBREAK IN
THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY BRIEF.
ON JANUARY THE 3rd, CDC CHIEF
RELAYED THE DISTURBING NEWS TO
HHS SECRETARY AZAR.
JANUARY 3rd, AZAR CHAIRED THAT
CHINESE VIRUS INFORMATION WITH
THE WHITE HOUSE AND NSA.
ON THE 6th, CDC OFFERED
ASSISTANCE TO CHINA.
THAT SAME WEEK, THE HHS CONVENED
AN INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON
COVID-19.
COVID-19. HHS’S AZAR, THE CDC HEAD, AND
DR. FAUCI.
DR. FAUCI. OBJECT
OBJECT ON THE 8th, CDC ISSUED A PUBLIC
WARNING ABOUT COVID-19.
ALL THAT, THAT’S ALL WITHIN,
BASICALLY, THE FIRST WEEK OF
JANUARY.
JANUARY. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. AND IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO -- I
MEAN, THE PURPOSE OF THIS STORY
WAS TO LOOK AT THAT TIMELINE
BECAUSE SO MUCH OF IT WAS
SQUANDERED.
SQUANDERED. I MEAN, PREPARING FOR THE
OUTBREAK OF A NOVEL VIRUS, LIKE
THE CORONAVIRUS, EXPERTS AND
PROFESSIONALS WILL TELL YOU,
REQUIRES SORT OF WORST-CASE
SCENARIO THINKING FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING.
BEGINNING. IT REQUIRES TAKING PREPARATIONS
THAT ULTIMATELY MIGHT NOT BE
NECESSARY AND THAT YOU HOPE WILL
NOT BE NECESSARY.
BUT YOU WON’T HAVE TIME TO TAKE
CARE OF IT LATER.
THAT’S SORT OF WHAT WE ARE
FACING IN THE UNITED STATES NOW.
THESE DELAYS SET BACK THE
DEVELOPMENT OF TESTING, WHICH
CONTRIBUTED HEAVILY TO THE
INABILITY TO TRACK THE OUTBREAKS
IN PLACES LIKE SEATTLE, LOS
ANGELES, AND, OF COURSE, NEW
YORK.
YORK. IT CONTRIBUTED TO THE INABILITY
OF THE GOVERNMENT TO PROCURE
BADLY NEEDED SUPPLIES THAT ARE
NOW IN ACUTE SHORTAGES AT
HOSPITALS DEALING WITH THIS
OUTBREAK.
OUTBREAK. YOU HAVE TO LOOK BACK AT THAT
FIRST MONTH, AND EVEN THAT
SECOND MONTH, AS EXTREMELY
COSTLY FOR U.S. CITIZENS.
>> JONATHAN LEMIRE?
>> GREG, GREG, IT’S JONATHAN
LEMIRE.
LEMIRE. TERRIFIC PIECE.
TERRIFIC PIECE. THANK YOU FOR WALKING US THROUGH
IT.
IT. I WANTED TO ZERO IN ON THAT
IDEA.
IDEA. YOU JUST STARTED TOUCHING ABOUT
IT, ON TESTING.
IT SEEMS LIKE THAT’S THE BIGGEST
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES
THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESPOND
TO THIS EFFECTIVELY AND THOSE
THAT HAVE NOT.
THE U.S., SADLY, IS IN THE
LATTER CATEGORY.
LATTER CATEGORY. WALK US THROUGH IT.
TAKE US INTO A LITTLE MORE
DETAIL ON THE STEPS MISSED.
INSTEAD OF PRODUCING WIDESPREAD
TESTS, THE WHITE HOUSE NOT
MOBILIZING THE PRIVATE SECTOR
WHICH, AS YOU SAID, WOULD ALLOW
THE NATION TO EFFECTIVELY TRACK
WHAT’S GOING ON AND POTENTIALLY
STOP THIS SPREAD.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. BECAUSE INTERRUPTING, SLOWING
THE SPREAD OF A VIRUS LIKE THIS
REALLY COMES DOWN TO YOUR
ABILITY TO FIGURE OUT WHO HAS IT
AND WHO DOESN’T AND SEPARATE
THOSE PEOPLE AS QUICKLY AS YOU
CAN.
CAN. SO IF YOU DON’T HAVE A TEST, YOU
DON’T HAVE THAT VISIBILITY INTO
THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
THAT WAS A CRITICAL ISSUE IN
THIS CASE.
THIS CASE. AND THE BREAKDOWN CAME FOR MANY
REASONS.
REASONS. I MEAN, ONE OF THE FIRST WAS
THAT CHINA ITSELF REFUSED FOR A
WHOIL
WHOIL WHILE TO PROVIDE SAMPLES OF THE
VIRUS.
VIRUS. THAT WAS A SETBACK FOR U.S.
RESEARCHERS AND SCIENTISTS.
THAT WAS THE EARLIEST OF A
SERIES OF CASCADING FAILURES.
WHICH ALSO, I THINK, WHEN WE
SPOKE TO U.S. OFFICIALS IN THE
ADMINISTRATION, IN THE CDC AND
ELSEWHERE, ACKNOWLEDGED THAT
THERE WAS SOME INSTITUTIONAL HUE
BRIS HERE.
BRIS HERE. THE CDC MANY YEARS HAS TAKEN THE
LEAD ON DEVELOPING TESTS FOR
OUTBREAKS LIKE THIS, AND FELT
CERTAIN THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE
CASES.
CASES. THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT, NO
NEED TO ENLIST THE DOZENS AND
DOZENS OF PRIVATE LABORATORIES
THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS, THAT
ARE ALSO ABLE TO DEVELOP TESTS
LIKE THIS.
LIKE THIS. SO WHEN THE CDC TEST FAILED, AND
THIS WAS CRITICAL, THEY SEND
SAMPLES OUT.
SAMPLES OUT. THEY THINK THEY’RE READY TO GO.
THESE LABS START USING THEM
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THEY REALIZE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY
THEY’RE GIVING BAD RESULTS.
THEY’RE NOT RELIABLE.
THEN YOU’RE BACK TO SQUARE ONE.
THAT’S A SQUANDERING.
IT’S A CRITICAL SQUANDERED
PERIOD OF TIME.
>> AND THERE’S A DATE HERE,
FEBRUARY 27th.
FEBRUARY 27th. FDA OFFICIAL LASHES AT THE CDC,
SAYING THAT IF THEY WERE A
PRIVATE BUSINESS, QUOTE, I WOULD
SHUT YOU DOWN.
ONE FAILURE AFTER ANOTHER.
THE BBC’S KATTY KAY IS WITH US.
SHE HAS THE NEXT QUESTION.
>> GREG, IT CERTAINLY IS
STRIKING READING YOUR REPORT
YESTERDAY, AND THEN LISTENING TO
THE WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING, AND
HOW OFTEN WE HEARD THE PRESIDENT
AND THE VICE PRESIDENT SAY WHAT
A FANTASTIC JOB THE
ADMINISTRATION IS DOING.
IS THERE ANYONE IN THE
ADMINISTRATION, ACCORDING TO
YOUR REPORTING.
YOUR REPORTING. WHO WOULD RECOGNIZE YOUR
TIMETABLE AND ADMIT THAT THERE
WERE MOMENTS WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE,
WITH THE TESTS THAT WENT WRONG,
THINGS THAT WENT WRONG, OR THAT
THE TESTS THAT THEY PROMISED
WERE GOING TO GET OUT DIDN’T GET
OUT, OR LOCKDOWNS THEY SAID WERE
GOING TO HAPPEN DIDN’T HAPPEN ON
TIME?
TIME? HOW MUCH RECOGNITION AND
ACCEPTANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY IS
THERE ANYWHERE IN THE
ADMINISTRATION THAT THIS HAS
BEEN A CATALOG OF MISSTEPS?
>> WELL, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, IN
THIS ADMINISTRATION, IT’S HIGHLY
PERILOUS FOR ANYBODY TO
CONTRADICT THE PRESIDENT.
YOU DON’T LAST VERY LONG IF
YOU’RE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE WITH
THE PRESIDENT, OR YOU UNDERCUT
WHAT HE IS SAYING.
IN THIS CASE THOUGH, I MEAN, WE
WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY IMPORTANT
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HIGH UP IN
THE ADMINISTRATION WHO WERE ON
THE CASE FROM VERY EARLY ON.
MATT POTINGER IS THE ADVISER WHO
WAS URGING ACTION IN FEBRUARY.
HE WAS URGING THE STOPPAGE OF
FLIGHTS FROM CHINA.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BLOCKS
FLIGHTS FROM CHINA BUT ALLOWS
FLIGHTS TO CONTINUE INTO THE
UNITED STATES FOR WEEKS FROM
EUROPE, AFTER THE OUTBREAK IS
ALREADY THERE.
ALREADY THERE. HIS GUIDANCE OR ADVICE GOES
IGNORED FOR A MONTH OR SO.
IN PART, BECAUSE HIS VOICE IS
DROWNED OUT BY THOSE WHO WERE
GUARDING THE ECONOMY AND THE
STOCK MARKET, INCLUDING THE
CHIEF OF STAFF AT THE TIME,
MULVANEY.
MULVANEY. THERE WERE THESE FRICTIONS AND
BATTLES INSIDE THE
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. WHAT DO WE CARE ABOUT MORE,
PREVENTING THIS VIRUS FROM
SPREADING IN THE UNITED STATES
OR PREVENTING THE STOCK MARKET
FROM PLUNGING?
FROM PLUNGING? >> ALL RIGHT.
GREG MILLER, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING WITH US.
THANK YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES
FOR GREAT REPORTING.