CAPACITY TO TREAT PEOPLE WHO GET SICK.
SICK. >> JONATHAN, I WANT TO ASK YOU
TWO POINTED QUESTIONS.
IF DONALD TRUMP’S GOAL IS TO BE
RE-ELECTED AND HE VIEWS ECONOMIC
STRENGTH AND THE VIBRANCE AS OUR
ECONOMY AS CENTRAL TO THAT, WHY
IN THE LOOK AT THE SOUTH KOREAN
MODEL OR THE CHINESE MODEL,
WHERE PEOPLE WERE TESTED, PEOPLE
WERE ASKED TO LEAVE THEIR FAMILY
HOME IF THEY WERE SICK?
WHY NOT BE MORE HAWKISH ON SOME
OF THE THINGS THAT COULD HELP
HIM ACHIEVE HIS POLITICAL GOALS?
>> IT IS A TERRIFIC QUESTION.
HE’S OBVIOUSLY CHANGED HIS
STANCE NOW A FEW TIMES.
FOR WEEKS HE WAS NOT TAKING THIS
NEARLY SERIOUSLY ENOUGH.
WE HAD A SWITCH THERE A WEEK OR
SO AGO, HE BILLED HIMSELF A WAR
TIME PRESIDENT, SUGGESTED THIS
WOULD BE WITH US UNTIL JULY OR
AUGUST, THAT’S WHEN THEY
SUGGESTED THE GUIDELINES FOR
SOCIAL DISTANCING AND CLOSING OF
BUSINESSES AND SO ON AND
SUGGESTED AT THE TIME THAT WOULD
BE -- THERE WOULD BE OTHER
MEASURES LIKELY TO FOLLOW.
WE HAVE SEEN A CHANGE THE LAST
FEW DAYS.
FEW DAYS. IT IS BORN OUT OF THE PRESIDENT
AND SOME SENIOR ADVISERS AROUND
HIM BELIEVING THAT SOME OF THESE
MEASURES ARE TOO HARSH.
AND THEREFORE THEY NEED TO EASE
UP AT LEAST IN CERTAIN PORTIONS
OF THE COUNTRY.
THAT’S -- THAT’S WHAT WE’RE
HEADING TOWARDS, CERTAIN AREAS,
BIG COASTAL CITIES, NEW YORKS,
LOS ANGELES, PARTS OF THE BAY
AREA, WASHINGTON, SEATTLE,
WASHINGTON STATE, WILL BE STILL
ISOLATED.
ISOLATED. NEW YORK AT LEAST FOR THE TIME
BEING WITH THE STRICTEST
MEASURES.
MEASURES. AND THEY WANT THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY, PORTIONS OF IT, TO
START COMING BACK.
THEY MADE THAT CALCULATION.
NO QUESTION, IN FACT, JUST A FEW
MINUTES AGO, THE PRESIDENT
TWEETED AND SAID THAT HE
BELIEVES THAT IT IS JUST THE
MEDIA WHO IS CALLING FOR THE
COUNTRY TO REMAIN SHUTTERED
BECAUSE THEY’RE HOPING TO DAMAGE
HIS RE-ELECTION HOPES.
THERE YOU HAVE IT.
HE SPELLED IT OUT FOR US.
HIS ATTEMPTS AT THE BEING
RE-ELECTED IS FUELING A LOT OF
THESE DECISIONS RIGHT NOW, ABOUT
POLITICS, FAR MORE THAN PUBLIC
HEALTH.
HEALTH. >> IS THERE ANY REPORTING THAT
SUGGESTS HE HAS ANY CONNECTION
OR AFFINITY FOR THE CITY HE
CALLED HOME FOR SO MANY YEARS?
>> HE HAS HAD A VERY UP AND DOWN
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAJOR
POLITICIANS AND ELECTED
OFFICIALS HERE.
OFFICIALS HERE. SINCE LEAVING, TAKING A STEP
BACK, SINCE LEAVING NEW YORK TO
BECOME PRESIDENT, MOVING TO THE
WHITE HOUSE, HE’S ONLY BEEN BACK
A DOZEN TIMES OR SO.
THIS WAS SOMEONE WHO SPENT HIS
WHOLE LIFE IN NEW YORK,
CONSIDERED A MAJOR HOME BODY,
WOULD FLY BACK NEARLY EVERY
NIGHT BECAUSE HE LOVED BEING IN
MANHATTAN SO MUCH, HE TURNED HIS
BACK ON NEW YORK.
HE’S NOW OFFICIALLY A RESIDENT
OF FLORIDA.
OF FLORIDA. HE CHANGED THAT EARLIER THIS
YEAR.
YEAR. WHICH ALSO IS IN PART DUE TO
HELPING HIS ELECTORAL
CHALLENGES.
CHALLENGES. AND ALSO BECAUSE OF A MASS
PROTEST AND DEEP UNPOPULARITY IN
HIS HOME STATE.
YOUR INTRODUCTION NAILED IT
CORRECTLY, HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH
CUOMO HAS BEEN HOT AND COLD
DURING THIS CRISIS.
IT CAUGHT THE PRESIDENT’S
ATTENTION, HOW SUCCESSFUL, HOW
MUCH CREDIT CUOMO IS GETTING FOR
HIS DAILY BRIEFINGS.
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF DAYS
WHERE THE WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE
BRIEFING HAS DELAYED ITS START
UNTIL CUOMO FINISHES UP.
CUOMO, ACCORDING TO OUR
REPORTING, FIGURED OUT AS MANY
DO THAT FLATTERY IS THE BEST WAY
TO GET TO THIS PRESIDENT.
IN FACT, WHEN HE WAS DEEPLY
FRUSTRATED WITH TRUMP A WEEK OR
SO AGO, DID A ROUND OF
INTERVIEWS PRAISING HIM BEFORE
TRUMP HAD DONE ANYTHING, HOPING
THAT TRUMP WOULD SEE THE
INTERVIEW AND THEN AUTHORIZE
ASSISTANCE AND THAT’S EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED.
WHAT HAPPENED. >> YOU WROTE SOMETHING
REMARKABLE BEFORE I CAME ON THE
AIR.
AIR. I WANT TO READ SOME OF IT AND
ASK YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT THE
REST OF IT.
YOU WRITE, WHAT IS IT LIKE HERE
IN NEW YORK, NOW HOME TO MORE
THAN 7% OF THE WORLD’S
CORONAVIRUS CASES?
CORONAVIRUS CASES? EERIE, ANXIOUS, THE SCHOOLS ARE
CLOSED, SO ARE MOST STORES,
SUBWAY RIDERSHIP IS DOWN NEARLY
90%, DOCTORS WARN OUR HOSPITALS
ARE RUNNING OUT OF VENTILATORS
AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES, AND ON THE
BRINK OF DISASTER.
EVERY DAY WE LEARN THAT SOMEONE
ELSE WE KNOW IS SICK.
TUESDAY I READ THAT CRYSTAL
CADET IS FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE.
WEDNESDAY I FOUND OUT THAT AN
OLDER FRIEND IS LIKE A SECOND
FATHER TO ME HAS BEEN SICK FOR
DAYS.
DAYS. EVERY DAY WE WORRY, WE WONDER IF
OUR NEIGHBORS CAN PAY THE RENT,
WE GO STIR CRAZY, WE PRAY.
WE WAIT FOR HELP FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WE FEAR MAY
NEVER COME.
NEVER COME. TALK ABOUT YOUR WALK AND YOUR
WALKS ACROSS THE BRIDGE, AND
YOUR TRIPS TO THE 9/11 MEMORIAL.
>> THANKS, NICOLE.
I’VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF
WORKING, NOT MUCH ELSE TO DO
HERE IN NEW YORK.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ABOUT
WHAT WE’RE GOING THROUGH HERE IN
NEW YORK CITY IS THAT MANY OF US
WORK IN SMALL APARTMENTS.
IT IS NOT QUITE AS EASY TO KIND
OF SHELTER IN PLACE SO TO SPEAK.
I’VE BEEN WALKING MILES.
SUNDAY I WALKED 14 MILES AND
GOING ON A LOT OF RUNS.
AND THE ONLY THING KEEPING ME
SANE, I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT,
FOR THE MOST PART, FOLKS ARE
BEING RESPONSE, GIVING EACH
OTHER WIDE BERTH, AND I THINK IT
IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY,
YOU KNOW, NEW YORK IS SUFFERING.
THAT’S ALSO WHAT MAKES US WHO WE
ARE.
ARE. WE LIKE WHEN THEY POST TO OUR
NEIGHBORS, WE LIKE TALKING TO
THE BODEGA OWNER ON THE CORNER.
I THINK THAT’S PART OF WHAT
MAKES NEW YORK SO SPECIAL.
SO IT IS EXTREMELY PAINFUL TO
SEE A CITY ON ITS KNEES LIKE
THIS.
THIS. >> YOU ALSO COVERED GOVERNOR
CUOMO FOR A LONG TIME.
GIVE ME STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT HIS
EVOLUTION AND RISING TO THE
MOMENT IN THE VIEW OF MOST NEW
YORKERS.
YORKERS. >> I THINK THE GOVERNOR FOR THE
MOST PART HAS DONE A VERY GOOD
JOB.
JOB. I THINK THIS IS NOT -- WE’RE
SEEING RIGHT NOW WHAT THE
COUNTRY IS SEEING THE GOVERNOR
CUOMO THAT A LOT OF NEW YORKERS
ALREADY KNOW.
ALREADY KNOW. I MEAN, I THINK THERE IS A HUGE
BENEFIT TO ELECTING PUBLIC
SERVANTS WHO SEE THEIR JOB NOT
JUST AS A POLITICIAN, BUT,
AGAIN, AS PUBLIC -- GOVERNOR
CUOMO IS SOMEBODY WHO HAS PLENTY
OF FLAWS, BUT UNDERSTANDS HOW TO
MOVE THE LEVERS OF GOVERNMENT.
HE KNOWS HOW TO SET UP
HOSPITALS.
HOSPITALS. HE KNOWS HOW TO TALK TO THE
PRESIDENT AND GET WHAT HE NEEDS.
HE KNOWS THIS PRESIDENT REALLY
WELL.
WELL. SO THEY HAD A RELATIONSHIP UP
AND DOWN AS DON MENTIONED FOR
SURE, BUT FOR YEARS.
BUT CUOMO IS SOMEBODY WHO HAS
SPENT HIS LIFE IN PUBLIC
SERVICE, AND I THINK THAT GETS
LOST HERE.
LOST HERE. I THINK THERE HAS BEEN SO MUCH
FOCUS ON OUTSIDERS, COMING IN TO
GOVERNMENT, AND THERE IS NOT
EVEN THAT AS WELL.
BUT GOVERNMENT IS ACTUALLY AN
ART, AND PUBLIC SERVICE IS
IMPORTANT, AND POLITICIANS
AREN’T JUST THERE FOR THE GOOD
TIMES TO KIND OF CHEER US ON
THIS IS AN EXECUTIVE WHO IS
SENDING FOLKS ALL OVER THE WORLD
LOOKING FOR VENTILATORS, FOR HIS
CITIZENS, AND I THINK HE
UNDERSTANDS -- THE LEVEL OF MORE