THANKS FOR GIVING ALL THE
ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE.
>> HERE WITH ME NOW, TWO VETERAN
REPORTERS WHO UNDERSTAND THE INS
AND OUTS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,
GEOFF BENNETT AND JEFF MASON,
TRAVELING IN DELAWARE WITH THE
BIDEN CAMPAIGN.
GEOFF BENNETT, I WILL START WITH
YOU.
WE SHOULD SAY THAT THE WITHOUT
IS THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE, IT’S
WHERE THE PRESIDENT LIVES AND
WORKS AND IT IS A WORKPLACE FOR
MANY PEOPLE, YOURSELF INCLUDED.
THERE ARE WHITE HOUSE STAFF,
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN
THE KITCHEN.
THAT -- GIVE US WHAT YOU HAVE
LEARNED ABOUT WHAT EFFORTS ARE
BEING MADE TO RUN DOWN THE
TRACING CHAINS HERE SO THAT THEY
CAN ENSURE PEOPLE ARE TESTED AND
SAFE.
>> WELL, THE WHITE HOUSE, CHRIS,
SAYS THAT THEY ARE IN THE
PROCESS OF WHAT HAS TO BE A
HERCULEAN EFFORT TO CONTACT
TRACE THE GREAT MANY PEOPLE WITH
WHOM PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS
BEEN IN CONTACT THIS PAST WEEK
STARTING ON SATURDAY IN THE ROSE
GARDEN WHEN HE ANNOUNCED AMY
CONEY BARRETT AS HIS CHOICE TO
REPLACE RUTH BADER GINSBURG ON
THE SUPREME COURT.
YOU SEE ROW UPON ROW OF TRUMP
SUPPORTER AND ELECTED REPUBLICAN
ON THE SOUTH LAWN SHAKING HANDS,
HUGGING EACH OTHER, NO SOCIAL
DISTANCING, NO MASK WEARING.
AND THAT CONTINUED STRAIGHT UP
UNTIL THURSDAY NIGHT WHEN THE
PRESIDENT HAD THAT PRIVATE
FUND-RAISER IN BEDMINISTER.
SO WHAT YOU SEE IS HIS OWN
RECKLESS APPROACH TO THIS
DISEASE RIPLEY KATEEPLICATED ON
WING, ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, THE
PRESIDENT HAVING PUT AT RISK
PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR HIM, WHO
SUPPORT HIM, PEOPLE LIKE US WHO
COVER HIM AND THEN THE PEOPLE
WHO PROTECT HIM.
IN YOUR CONVERSATION WITH
DR. HOTEZ, I WAS WATCHING THE
SECRET SERVICE AGENTS WHO ONLY
HAD AN N-95 MASK AS PRESIDENT
HAD A COTTON MASK.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FACING THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT FACING A
THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT FACING A
SITTING PRESIDENT SINCE THE
NON-LETT AT SHOOTINGNON-
NON-LETHAL SHOOTING OF PRESIDENT
REAGAN.
AND IT WAS ALL AVOIDABLE.
NOW 1.3 MILLION AMERICANS
BATTLING THIS ALONG WITH HIM.
>> JEFF MASON, YOU HAVE SERVED
THE ASSOCIATION PUTTING OUT WORD
THAT THREE MEMBERS OF THE WHITE
HOUSE PRESS CORPS HAVE TESTED
POSITIVE.
THEY DON’T MAKE THE RULES FOR
WHAT THE POLICIES ARE.
I WANT TO PLAY THIS EXCHANGE
YOU’VE HAD WITH THE PRESIDENT
THAT INDICATE THE TENSIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN IN THAT WORKPLACE
AROUND SAFETY PROCEDURES WHEN
YOU ASKED HIM A QUESTION.
I WANT TO PLAY THIS CLIP AND GET
YOU TO SORT OF DESCRIBE WHAT THE
SITUATION HAS BEEN THERE
POLICY-WISE.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE
THAT OFF, PLEASE.
HOW MANY FEET ARE YOU AWAY?
>> Reporter: I’LL SPEAK A LOT
LOUDER.
>> IF YOU DON’T TAKE IT OFF,
YOU’RE VERY MUFFLED.
>> Reporter: I’M JUST SPEAK A
LOT LOUDER IS THAT BETTER?
>> IT’S BETTER, YEAH.
IT’S BETTER.
>> THAT WAS A NOTABLE MOMENT FOR
ME, JEFF MASON.
I WONDER DO YOU FEEL THERE HAVE
BEEN ADEQUATE PRECAUTIONS IN THE
WHITE HOUSE?
AND HAVE YOU FELT PRESSURE TO
NOT COMPLY WITH CDC
REPRESENTATIONS LIKE MASK
WEARING?
>> THE ANSWER TO YOUR FIRST
QUESTION IS NO, CHRIS.
THERE HAVE DEFINITELY NOT BEEN
ADEQUATE PRECAUTIONS AND THAT’S
ONE REASON WHY I THINK WE CAN
SAY COMPLETELY NEUTRALLY THAT
THE WHITE HOUSE IS IN THE
POSITION THAT IT IS IN TODAY.
IF EVERYONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE
STAFF HAD BEEN WEARING MASKS,
HAD BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO
SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES THAT
THE CDC AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE HAD BEEN
RECOMMENDING, THEN NO DOUBT IT
WOULD HAVE HELPED THE SITUATION.
AS FAR AS PRESSURE IS CONCERNED,
YOU CAN SORT OF ANSWER THAT
QUESTION BY WATCHING THE
PRESIDENT IN THAT CLIP THAT YOU
PLAYED AND IN ANOTHER MOMENT
THAT HE HAD WITH ME EARLIER
DURING THE PANDEMIC.
I THINK THE POINT OF THAT IS
MORE THAN IT’S ILLUSTRATIVE OF
AN ETHOS THAT THE PRESIDENT SET
WITH HIS STAFF AND MORE
GENERALLY WITH HIS SUPPORTERS,
SUGGESTING, FOR WHATEVER REASON,
THAT NOT WEARING A MASK -- OR
THAT WEARING A MASK, RATHER, WAS
NOT MACHO OR NOT COOL OR JUST
NOT ENCOURAGING IT OR SET AN
EXAMPLE.
AS A RESULT IT HAS BECOME A VERY
POLITICAL THING, AND
UNFORTUNATELY LED, AT LEAST IN
PART, TO THE SITUATION THAT THE
WHITE HOUSE FINDS ITSELF IN NOW.
>> I SHOULD NOTE WE JUST GOT
SOME BREAKING NEWS.
A STATEMENT PUT OUT, GEOFF
BENNETT, BY INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN
NORTH CAROLINA SENATOR THOM
TILLIS, WHO IS ALSO UP FOR
ELECTION, THAT HE HAS TESTED
POSITIVE.
WE BELIEVE THAT HE WAS ALSO AT
THAT EVENT AGAIN ON THE SOUTH
LAWN, THE EVENT IN CELEBRATION
OF AMY CONEY BARRETT.
THERE’S ADDITIONAL REPORTING
THAT THERE WERE INDOOR EVENTS
AROUND THAT DAY, INDOOR
RECEPTIONS
RECEPTIONS, PEOPLE GOING AROUND.
THIS IS NOW TWO UNITED STATES
SENATORS.
AND THOM TILLIS IS NOT A YOUNG
MAN.
THERE ARE SERIOUS REPERCUSSIONS
THAT CONTINUE TO EMANATE OUT
HERE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
AND WE SHOULD SAY THE TRUMP
STAFFERS AND TRUMP OFFICIALS
TODAY WHO TESTED NEGATIVE AND
THEY ALMOST SORT OF TOUTED THEIR
NEGATIVE DIAGNOSIS, THAT’S A
SNAPSHOT IN TIME.
IT’S A GOOD INDICATOR BUT IT’S
NOT A FINAL INDICATOR.
WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THESE FOLKS
WHO WERE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY,
EITHER AT THE VENT THAT PRECEDED
THAT ROSE GARDEN EVENT FOR JUDGE
AMY COHEN BARRETT, THEY’RE GOING
TO HAVE TO GET TESTED DAY AFTER
DAY AFTER DAY.
>> CDC GUIDELINES WOULD BE
QUARANTINE FOR PEOPLE EXTENDED
FOR AN
-- EXPOSED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
PERIOD OF TIME.
AND YOU WERE ON THE BUS WITH --
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND HIS WIFE
ANNOUNCING THEY TESTED NEGATIVE.
WHAT IS THE PERSPECTIVE FROM
THAT CAMPAIGN RIGHT NOW?
>> IF IS INTERESTING FOR
SOMEBODY WHO IS NORMALLY HANGING
OUT WITH MY FRIEND AND
COLLEAGUE, GEOFF BENNETT, AT THE
WHITE HOUSE, IT’S A MUCH
DIFFERENT ETHOS TO BRING IN THE
WORD AND THE CONVERSATION WE
WERE HAVING EARLIER.
PEOPLE DO WEAR MASKS, BOTH IN
THE PRESS CORPS, WHICH WE DO AT
THE WHITE HOUSE BUT ALSO AMONGST
THE STAFF, THE CANDIDATE OF
COURSE, VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN,
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN
WEARING A MASK WHEN HE GOT ON
HIS PLANE, WHEN HE GOT OFF THE
PLANE, WHEN HE HELD HIS EVENT.
SO THERE IS A MUCH DIFFERENT
SORT OF GENERAL ATTITUDE ABOUT
MASK WEARING AND OF COURSE THAT
TIES IN WITH THE OVERALL
CRITICISM THAT VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN HAS DIRECTED AT PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP WITH REGARD TO HIS
RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC.
HE DID, OF COURSE, HAVE MORE
GENEROUS WORDS TODAY FOR THE
CURRENT PRESIDENT AND THE FIRST
LADY, SAYING THAT HE AND HIS
WIFE, JILL, WERE PRAYING FOR
THEM AND WISHING THEM A SPEEDY
RECOVERY, BUT THERE WAS ALSO AN
UNDERCURRENT IN HIS REMARKS IN
MICHIGAN WHICH WE JUST CAME
FROM, IN WHICH HE SAID MASK
WEARING IS NOT ABOUT BEING MACHO
OR NOT MACHO, IT’S ABOUT
FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE AND IT
UNDERSCORES THE TEST THAT THE
PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT
HE WAS POSITIVE, UNDERSCORES HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS TO TAKE THIS
VIRUS SERIOUSLY.
>> ALL RIGHT.