FORMER POLITICAL DIRECTOR OF THE
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND CHARLIE
SIKES, EDITOR-AT-LARGE FOR THE
BULL WORK.
YAMICHE, I HAVE TO GO TO YOU.
THIS IS QUITE DIFFERENT FOR YOU,
MADAM, COVERING THE WHITE HOUSE.
NO ONE SCREAMED AT YOU AND YOU
DONT HAVE RACIAL UNDERTONED
ATTACKS ON YOU, DISRESPECT FOR
YOU AS A WOMAN AND A JOURNALIST.
I JUST WANT TO GET YOUR SENSE OF
HOW DIFFERENT IT FEELS TO COVER
THIS WHITE HOUSE?
SO FAR?
>> IT IS A NEW DAY, JOY.
WE ARE IN THIS SITUATION WHERE
WE ARE COVERING A WHITE HOUSE
THE IDEA OF TRUTH, AND WE MIGHT
HAVE TENSE EXCHANGES, BUT
ULTIMATELY WE VIEW EACH OTHER AS
HUMAN BEINGS THAT WE CAN TALK TO
IN A WAY THAT DOESNT FEEL
AGGRESSIVE OR CHARRED.
I THINK IT IS A FEELING THAT I
THINK BOTH REPORTERS HERE ARE
FEELING A BIT OF RELIEF,
FRANKLY.
THIS IS AGAIN A WHITE HOUSE THAT
WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
WERE GOING TO ASK TOUGH
QUESTIONS.
IM GOING TO ASK TOUGH QUESTION,
BUT AT LEAST WERE IN A
SITUATION WHERE THEYRE SAYING
WELL LEVEL WITH YOU AND WERE
NOT GOING TO LIE UP FRONT AND
WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE THINGS
UP AND WHAT DR. FAUCI SAID ABOUT
BEING LIBERATED ABOUT A PAN
DEMMING, IT TO ME, SUMS UP THE
SITUATION WE WERE IN BEFORE THAT
THE SCIENCE WITH THE FACT, AND
THIS IS THE PRESIDENT AGAIN THAT
WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, BUT
HES NOT MAKING UP TRUTHS AND
ALTERNATIVE FACTS AND THAT IS
BEHIND US.
>> WELL, AND IN ADDITION TO
THAT, FAUCI SAID HE DIDNT HAVE
TO STAND UP THERE, LIKE, WHAT
WHEN SOMEONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT
INJECTING BLEACH.
THEYRE GETTING IN THE WAY OF
DAILY PRESS BRIEFINGS AND YOU
DONT HAVE TO WAIT FOR LEAKS
FROM ANGRY WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS
AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A
PRESS BRIEFING.
SO THERE WAS A LOT OF FOCUS
TODAY ON THE CORONAVIRUS, AND ON
THE PANDEMIC.
DID YOU GET A SENSE THAT WITHIN
THE WHITE HOUSE THEY WERE
SHOCKED AND ARE THEY PREPARED TO
DEAL WITH JUST HOW BAD THINGS
WERE?
WEVE SEEN SOME REPORTING THAT
IT WAS MUCH WORSE THAN THEY
THOUGHT IT WAS WHEN THEY GOT TO
LOOK IN THE BOOKS ABOUT HOW FAR
BEHIND WE ARE IN TERMS OF
ROLLING OUT VACCINES AND
TACKLING THE PANDEMIC.
DID YOU GET A SENSE THAT THE
PLAN HAD TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF
HOW BAD THINGS ARE?
>> I GET THE SENSE THAT THEY
KNEW THINGS WERE BAD AND THEY
WERE STILL COMBING THROUGH THE
DATA TO SEE JUST HOW BAD IT IS.
WHEN I WAS TALKING TO A SENIOR
BIDEN OFFICIAL TASKED WITH THE
ISSUE OF CORONAVIRUS AND WORKING
ON THE VACCINE DISTRIBUTION THAT
PERSON SAID WE INHERITED A MESS.
IT IS NOT STARTING FROM SCRATCH,
BUT IT IS ALMOST AS BAD AS THAT.
HE SAID THAT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WHEN THEY WERE
DEALING WITH VACCINES WERE
ESSENTIALLY DUMPING INTO THE
STATES AND THEN SAYING GOOD LUCK
WITH THAT, FIGURE IT OUT.
THERE WAS NO PLAN ON HOW TO GET
THE SHOT INTO AMERICANS ARMS
AND THEYRE TRYING TO GET THAT
TOGETHER NOW.
THERE IS A BIG CHALLENGE TO HOW
QUICKLY THEYLL DO THAT.
THE BIG QUESTION IVE BEEN
ASKING BIDEN OFFICIALS IS HOW
FAR AWAY ARE WE FROM GETTING
VACCINES TO ANYONE WHO WANTS ONE
AND THAT THERE ISNT A CLEAR
ANSWER ON THAT YET AND DR. FAUCI
SAID 70 TO 85% OF PEOPLE THAT
HAVE SOME SENSE OF NORMALSY BY
THE FALL.
NO CLEAR PICTURE FOR BIDEN TO
GET 100 MILLION VACCINES INTO
ARMS, RATHER, BUT TO ME ITS
STILL A BIG QUESTION ON WHETHER
OR NOT -- THERE WILL BE
QUESTIONS AND EVEN IN COVID
TESTING IS STILL NOT UP TO PAR
AND THATS SOMETHING THAT WE
FIND OURSELVES TURNING THE
CORNER ON AND THERES THE
VACCINE ISSUE AND THERE IS ALSO