NEW PODCAST ABOUT THIS
CORONAVIRUS CALLED APPROPRIATELY
"EPIDEMIC."
GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO YOU
ALL.
JILL COLVIN, BECAUSE YOU COVER
THIS BEAT DAY TO DAY, HAD YOU
HEARD OF THIS PANDEMIC PLAN
BEFORE THE PRESS SECRETARY HELD
UP A BINDER PRIOR TO DEPARTURE
FROM THE SOUTH LAWN TODAY?
>> NO.
THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING
THAT WE HAVE HEARD THIS WHITE
HOUSE STRESS IN ANY OF ITS
BRIEFINGS.
LOOK, WE SPENT HOW MANY HOURS
WITH THE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE
DAY AFTER DAY, THE PRESIDENT
GIVING THOSE BRIEFINGS, HEARING
FROM DR. BIRX, HEARING FROM
DR. FAUCI.
AND IF THEY MAY HAVE MENTIONED
IT IN PASSING, THEY CERTAINLY
DID NOT SPEND ANY TIME OUTLINING
THEIR PLAN.
AND WHAT WE HEARD TODAY WAS
REALLY THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL TALKING ABOUT THEIR
CONCERN ABOUT HOW SLOWLY THIS
ADMINISTRATION RESPONDED TO THE
THREAT.
YOU KNOW, IT TOOK MONTHS FOR THE
PRESIDENT TO USE THE DEFENSE
PRODUCTION ACT, TO RAMP UP
PRODUCTION OF THINGS LIKE N95
MASKS.
THERE’S STILL HOSPITALS AND
DOCTORS WHO SAY THEY DON’T HAVE
ENOUGH SUPPLIES.
THERE ARE NOW CONCERNS ABOUT
TESTING SUPPLIES, STATES NOT
HAVING ENOUGH SWABS TO BE ABLE
TO COMPLETE THESE TESTS, THESE
ONGOING SMU ISSUES WHERE IF THE
ADMINISTRATION HAD PREPARED
EARLIER AND RAMPED UP PRODUCTION
EARLIER, YOU MAY BE HAVING FEWER
CHALLENGES NOW.
>> RON KLAIN, YOU HEARD THE
PRESS SECRETARY.
IT WAS YOUR PLAN THAT WAS
INSUFFICIENT.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT’S A FUNNY
THING.
AS JILL SAID, FOR A LONG TIME
THE POSITION OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WAS THAT NO ONE
COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING, AND
WE DIDN’T LEAVE A PLAN.
AND NOW APPARENTLY THEY READ OUR
PLAN AND THOUGHT OUR PLAN WAS
INSUFFICIENT, AND THEY WROTE
THEIR OWN PLAN.
IF WHAT WE’RE SEEING NOW IS THE
PRODUCT OF THEIR PLAN, THEN
THEIR PLAN WAS THE WORST PLAN IN
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
I CAN’T -- DID THEIR PLAN SAY,
DON’T RAMP UP TESTING IN JANUARY
AND FEBRUARY?
DID THEIR PLAN SAY HAVE THE
PRESIDENT GO OUT AND SAY IT’S
GOING TO GO AWAY LIKE A MIRACLE,
THAT SHINING LIGHT IN THE BODY
WILL MAKE IT GO AWAY?
SO I DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW
WHAT WE’RE SEEING NOW REFLECTS A
PLAN UNLESS THE PLAN HAS BEEN
THIS FROM THE START.
AS DONALD TRUMP SAID TODAY, IF
WE TEST LESS, WE’LL FIND FEWER
CASES.
MAYBE THEIR PLAN HAS JUST BEEN
DENY AND DELAY ALL ALONG.
THAT PROBABLY WOULD BE A VERY
THIN BINDER IF THAT’S WHAT THE
PLAN WAS.
>> PETER BAKER, YOU ALSO COVER
THIS BEAT, AND WHILE IT’S NOT
DISPOSITIVE, IT DOES STAND TO
REASON HAD THERE BEEN A PLAN,
SEEMS TO ME THEY WOULD HAVE
MENTIONED TO, TO JILL’S POINT, A
TIME OR TWO.
DO YOU THINK WHATEVER THIS THING
IS TOMORROW IS AN ATTEMPT AT A
PIVOT TO RUN ON A PLAN?
>> WELL, IT’S A STRIKING
CONFLICT OF MESSAGES, OF COURSE,
AS RON MENTIONED.
THE MESSAGE UP UNTIL NOW WAS WHO
COULD HAVE EVER PREDICTED THIS
WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
NOBODY EVER SAW THIS COMING.
WHEN WE OPENED THE CUPBOARD, WE
DISCOVERED IT WAS EMPTY.
THE OBAMA PEOPLE HADN’T LEFT US
ANY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
THE TESTING SYSTEM THAT THEY
LEFT US BEHIND WAS BROKEN.
WE WERE SURPRISED WHEN WE
DISCOVERED THAT, SO WE’RE JUST
TRYING TO CATCH UP FROM, YOU
KNOW, SQUARE ONE.
TODAY’S MESSAGE IS, NO, WE KNEW
THIS WAS COMING.
WE DID A PLAN.
WE’RE ALL READY, AND IT SEEMS IN
VERY CONFLICT OF COURSE TO THE
MESSAGE FOR THE LAST 2 1/2
MONTHS OR SO.
NOW, THIS EXERCISE THEY DID LAST
YEAR, WE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT
THIS.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE
WRITTEN ABOUT.
THE QUESTION IS OF COURSE WHY
HAD THEY -- GIVEN THAT THEY DID
THIS PLAN LAST YEAR OR THE YEAR
BEFORE -- I CAN’T REMEMBER THE
EXACT DATE -- THAT THEY WERE NOT
IN FACT PREPARED OR SEEMINGLY
NOT PREPARED WHEN THIS HAPPENED.
IT TOOK WEEKS FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION, THE WHITE HOUSE,
TO UNDERSTAND AND GRASP THE
LEVEL OF THREAT AND TAKE THE
KIND OF STEPS THAT WE’VE NOW
TAKEN IN ORDER TO FLATTEN THE
CURVE.
THERE HAVE BEEN STUDIES -- ONE
STUDY SHOWED HAD THE
ADMINISTRATION BUT IN PLACE SOME
OF THESE LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS
JUST EVEN A COUPLE WEEKS
EARLIER, THAT THE DEATH RATE
WOULD HAVE BEEN 90% LESS THAN IT
WAS AND HAS BEEN NOW.
SO BEING PREPARED ACTUALLY IS