COVID-19. >>> THE TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN SHIFT
TO BLAME.
TO BLAME. WHITE HOUSE BUREAU FOR THE
WASHINGTON POST, PHIL RUCKER.
A NEW ENTITY, OR A NEW VILLAIN
TO BEAT UP AGAINST, OFTEN IT’S
THE PRESS, SOMETIMES IT’S
DOCTORS AND NURSES WHO HE SAYS
ARE HOARDING OR DOING SOMETHING
WORSE WITH MEDICAL SUPPLIES.
YESTERDAY IT WAS THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WHAT GIVES?
>> THE PRESIDENT IS IN THE
MIDDLE OF A CAMPAIGN A CAMPAIGN
TO AVOID ANY PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SLOW
ACTIONS OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT IN RESPONDING TO THE
CORONAVIRUS AND A CAMPAIGN TO
FIND OTHERS TO BLAME AND WE SAW
YESTERDAY HIM CAST DOUBT TO
POINT A FINGER AT THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION WHEN IN FACT
THE W.H.O. DID WARN ABOUT
CORONAVIRUS, ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT REALLY GOT TO THE PRESIDENT
FROM THE W.H.O. IS WHEN THEY
SPOKE OUT AGAINST HIS DECISION
IN LATE JANUARY TO RESTRICT
TRAVEL FROM CHINA, THEY THOUGHT
THAT WAS NOT A GOOD USE OF
RESOURCES OR A GOOD POLICY IN
TERMS OF STEMMING THE SPREAD OF
THE CORONAVIRUS AND IT REALLY
BOTHERS THE PRESIDENT THAT HE
HAD CRITICISM FROM AN
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTION WHICH
OF COURSE HE’S ALREADY INCLINED
TO NOT LIKE, REMEMBER, HE HATES
NATO, HE HATES MULTILATERAL
TRADE AGREEMENTS, HE HATES THE
UNITED NATIONAL.
UNITED NATIONAL. >> PHIL RUCKER, HE HAS A BEEF
WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS, HE HAS
A BEEF WITH THE MEDIA, HE HAS A
BEEF WITH DOCTORS AND NURSES,
DOES HE EVER WALK OUT THERE WITH
INTENTION OF COMFORTING THE
NATION?
NATION? >> YOU KNOW, THAT’S AN
INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE HE
WAS ASKED THAT DIRECT QUESTION A
WEEK OR TWO AGO BY PETER
ALEXANDER AND HE GAVE A VERY
OFF-KEY ANSWER.
OFF-KEY ANSWER. IT’S INTERESTING IN ALL OF THESE
PERFORMANCES THAT HE’S HAD AT
THESE NEWS BRIEFINGS HE’S NOT
SOUNDED PARTICULARLY EMPHATIC,
HE’S NOT REACHED OUT BEYOND HIS
BASE, A POLITICAL GAME, SORT OF
WHO’S UP, WHO’S DOWN IN THE THAT
MOMENT, WHO REPORTER IS HE GOING
TO SPAR WITH, BECAUSE HE THINKS
THIS WORKS FOR HIM.
BUT WE’RE IN A DIFFERENT
ENVIRONMENT RIGHT NOW IN A
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. WHERE ALL AMERICANS ARE LOOKING
TO WASHINGTON FOR SOME GUIDANCE
AND SOME CERTAINTY AND
CONFIDENCE THAT THE GOVERNMENT
IS DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN DO TO
SAVE LIVES AND GET THIS COUNTRY
BACK ON BOARD.
>> AND DOCTOR, TO BE FAIR, SOME
OF THAT GUIDANCE AND INFORMATION
IS COMING FROM DR. FAUCI AND
BIRX AND OTHERS, BUT IF YOU
COULD WHO GIVES US SOME GUIDANCE
AND MAYBE REASSURANCE, THESE
NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING AND THE
FACT THAT THE NUMBERS OF DEATH
IN NEW YORK, THE HIGHEST NUMBER
YET, THAT DEATH TOLL IS HARD TO
READ.
READ. EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. BUT OTHERS SAY IF WE NEAR THE
PEAK THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD SIGN,
JUST TAKE ME THROUGH WHAT THE
NUMBERS MEAN TO YOU.
>> SO, WE HAVE OVER 400,000
PEOPLE WHO ARE TESTING POSITIVE
AND THE SITUATION WHERE WE DON’T
HAVE ENOUGH TESTS.
THAT PROBABLY SUGGESTS THAT WE
HAVE MAYBE TEN-TIMES AS MANY
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED
WITH COVID, IF YOU TAKE THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC AND
THOSE WHO AREN’T ABLE TO GET A
TEST, SOMEWHERE 1% OF THE
POPULATION HAS BEEN AFFECTED.
DEATHS ARE CERTAINLY GOING UP.
THE NUMBERS OF CASES MAY BE
REACHING A PEAK COMING DOWN, THE
DEATHS ARE GOING TO GO UP FOR A
WHILE AND YOU THINK YOU HEARD
FROM MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING THE
PRESIDENT’S OWN SURGEON GENERAL
AND DR. FAUCI THAT IN FACT THIS
IS GOING TO BE THE WORST WEEK,
WE’LL HAVE A LARGE INCREASE IN
THE NUMBER OF DEATHS, BUT, YOU
KNOW, WE MAY BE HAVE SOME GOOD
NEWS THAT WE MAY BE SLOWING
DOWN, IF THAT’S TRUE, IT DOES
SUGGEST ONE OVERWHELMING PIECE
OF INFORMATION WHICH IS THAT THE
PHYSICAL DISTANCING WE
RECOMMENDED, THE WEARING OF
MASKS THE, THE WASHING OF THE
HANDS, CLOSING DOWN OF
NONESSENTIAL STORES IS ACTUALLY
HAVING A POSITIVE EFFECT.
IT’S WORKING AS IT’S SUPPOSED TO
WORK AND THAT’S GOOD.
WHAT I WORRY ABOUT NOW IS, YOU
KNOW, AND THIS PRESIDENT, YOU
SEE HE WANTS TO DECLARE VICTORY
PREMATURELY, BEFORE WE PUT IN
THE INFRASTRUCTURE WHAT’S GOING
TO BE A SECOND WAVE AFTER WE
BEGIN EASING UP THESE VARIOUS
PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES AND THAT
I THINK IS A SERIOUS WORRY.
I WOULD ALSO SAY -- I AGREE WITH
PHIL, YOU KNOW WE HAVE HAD A LOT
OF ATTACKING.
OF ATTACKING. THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA, BREITBART,
TUCKER CARLSON LAST NIGHT,
THERE’S A TRIO, THEY HAVE GONE
AFTER TONY FAUCI, BILL GATES,
THEY ATTACKED ME BECAUSE I SAID
WE’RE GOING TO BE IN THIS FOR 18
MONTHS, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY
ARE SORT OF SOFTENING UP.
HERE ARE THE VILLAINS, IT’S NOT
THE ADMINISTRATION’S
THE ADMINISTRATION’S INCOMPETENCE, SO YOU HAVE THIS
SITUATION WHERE THEY’RE GOING TO
TRY TO BLAME OTHER PEOPLE FOR
TRYING TO DELAY AN OPEN.
YOU’LL HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS IN
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, WE’LL BEGIN
TURNING THE CORNER PRETTY
RELIABLY IN THE DATA AND THEN
YOU’LL HAVE PEOPLE RUSHING TO
OPEN THINGS UP AND I THINK IT’S
A VERY DANGEROUS COMBINATION
POTENTIALLY.
POTENTIALLY. >> YOU GAVE US SO MUCH TO
UNPACK.
UNPACK. DR. EMANUEL, LET ME MIX SOME
POLITICS WITH SOME MEDICINE AND
ASK YOU FOR YOUR TAKE ON THIS.
THIS IS PAINFUL EXAMPLE TO IT,
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH WAS ON AN
AIRCRAFT CARRIER TOWARD THE IRAQ
WAR, WITH THE BANNER MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED.
ACCOMPLISHED. IT DOES FEEL LIKE, YOU JUST
NAMED FOX NEWS, RIGHT-WING
ONLINE SITES, THE PRESIDENT, HIS
CLOSEST ALLIES, PERHAPS GETTING
READY TO DECLARE VICTORY.
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS NOT ONLY TO
OUR HEALTH BY TO OUR PSYCHE
DOING THAT TOO SOON AND HAVING
SOME RESURGENCE, WHAT DOES THAT
LOOK LIKE?
LOOK LIKE? >> WELL, I THINK IT’S GOING TO
GET HARD FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE
PHYSICALLY DISTANCING, WEARING
THE MASKS SERIOUSLY AGAIN.
I THINK A GOOD LEADER, WINSTON
CHURCHILL, EVEN RONALD REAGAN
WOULD HAVE SAID, LISTEN, WE GOT
THE NEXT 18 MONTHS, HERE’S WHAT
TO EXPECT AND HERE’S WHAT WE’RE
GOING TO BE DOING IN RESPONSE TO
THAT, OKAY, YOU CAN EXPECT THAT
WE’RE NOT RETURNING TO NORMAL
PRE-COVID 18 MONTHS.
WE’LL OPEN UP A LITTLE BIT.
WE’LL HAVE TO KEEP THIS PHYSICAL
DISTANCING IN PLACE WITH
MODIFICATIONS AND PREPARE THE
PUBLIC FOR WHAT’S COMING.
THERE’S NO PREPARATION FOR THE
PUBLIC, YOU GET THIS CONSTANT,
YOU KNOW, CHLOROQUINE IS GOING
TO WORK, NO PROBLEM, YOU GET
THIS THING, I’M SURE THE WARM
WEATHER’S COMING AND IT WILL ALL
BE FINE.
BE FINE. YOU KNOW, I DIDN’T READ PETER
NAVARRO’S MEMO, WE DIDN’T HAVE
TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT.
I THINK THE PUBLIC IS NOT GOING
TO TRUST THAT -- THE
ADMINISTRATION OR THE GOVERNMENT
AND NOT REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO
AND THAT’S A VERY BAD SITUATION.
I MEAN, ONE OF POINTS THAT I
LIKE TO MAKE IS, THE SOLUTION
HERE IS NOT A TECH-DRIVEN
SOLUTION IT’S HUMAN BEHAVIOR,
IT’S THE OLD, OLD MILLENNIALS’
OLD SOLUTION, PHYSICAL DISTANCE,
WASH OUR HANDS, WEAR A MASK,
STAY AT HOME.
IT REQUIRES TRUST AND PEOPLE
DOING IT CONSISTENTLY AND IF YOU
DON’T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT, YOU
DON’T TRUST THE SPRUXS YOU’RE
GETTING AND THEN YOU SEE, WOW,
NONE OF THIS IS WORKING IT COULD
BE A REAL PROBLEM TO GET PEOPLE
TO DO IT FOR THE 18 MONTHS.
THAT 18 MONTHS, I DIDN’T EVENINV
THAT.
THAT. THE WHITE HOUSE MEMO HAS THAT AS
THE TIME LINE UNTIL WE GET A
VACCINE.
VACCINE. >> PHIL RUCKER, 18 MONTHS
DOESN’T SOUND LIKE A NUMBER THAT
WILL EVER COME OUT OF DONALD
TRUMP’S MOUTH, EVEN IF EVERYONE
INCLUDING THE VICE PRESIDENT
BECOMES CONVINCE THIS IS HOW
LONG THIS WILL TAKE.
TALK ABOUT HOW FAR APART DONALD
TRUMP IS RIGHT NOW ACCEPTING THE
FACTS ON DRUG TREATMENTS, ON HOW
LONG IT’S GOING TAKE OR THE
NEXT, YOU KNOW, THE REST OF HIS
FOURTH YEAR IN OFFICE IS GOING
TO LOOK.
TO LOOK. >> NICOLLE THE PRESIDENT ISN’T
THINKING ABOUT 18 MONTHS.
HE’S THINKING 18 DAYS.
HE’S EAGERED TO GET THE ECONOMY
OPEN.
OPEN. SOMETIME AT THE END OF THE MONTH
OF APRIL.
OF APRIL. I KNOW FROM MY REPORTING HE’S
BEEN FACING INCREASING PRESSURE
FROM HIS POLITICAL ADVISERS WHO
THINK, YOU KNOW, AS THESE
NUMBERS IN NEW YORK START TO
PLATEAU, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT
ELSE IS OUT THERE, THE
COLLECTIVE PUB LEK HEALTH MIGHT
BE WE’RE ON THE BACK END OF
THIS.
THIS. WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND, IT’S NOT
HIS DECISION.
HIS DECISION. THESE ARE DECISIONS THAT STATE
AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES ARE
AUTHORIZED TO MAKE AND A LOT OF
THE GOVERNORS THAT WE HAVE BEEN
INTERVIEWING THE LAST FEW DAYS,