A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE HOPPER.
LET’S GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND
TALK TO MARK MEREDITH WHAT HE
IS HEARING FROM THAT STATEMENT
AND BEYOND POSSIBLY.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
>> GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THE MAIN
HEADLINE BUT ALSO SOMETHING THE
WHITE HOUSE HAS BEEN PREPARING
FOREVER SINCE THE PRESIDENT
TOOK OFFICE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THEY KNEW WAS
CERTAINLY GOING TO BE A
POSSIBILITY.
WANT TO GIVE YOU A SENSE IT’S
BEEN LIKE WHEN YOU GO INTO THE
ROOM WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES THESE DAYS.
THERE ARE STILL PRECAUTIONS
BEING TAKEN.
IF YOU ARE MEMBERS OF THE POOL,
A GROUP OF REPORTERS THAT GO
INTO THE OVAL OFFICE, STATE
DINING ROOM AND DIFFERENT
EVENTS HAVE TO BE TESTED IN
ORDER TO GET ACCESS INTO THAT
ROOM BEFOREHAND.
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE ANYBODY
COMING INTO CONTACT WITH THE
PRESIDENT WOULDN’T BE COVID
POSITIVE.
THE EVENT THAT HAPPENED LAST
WEEK WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS ON
THE SOUTH LAWN.
IT WAS AN OUTDOOR EVENT AND SO
MANY PEOPLE THERE, HUNDREDS OF
PEOPLE THERE TO TALK ABOUT GUN
VIOLENCE BUT THE EVENT WAS
OUTSIDE AND THE PRESIDENT HAS
MADE IT CLEAR HE BELIEVES THAT
THESE OUTDOOR EVENTS WOULD BE
SAFE.
THE WHITE HOUSE ITSELF RELAXED
A LOT OF COVID POLICIES
COMPARED TO WHERE WE WERE A
YEAR AGO.
IN THE SUMMER OF 2021 WHEN YOU
WOULD COME ON THIS CAMPUS IT
WAS A GHOST TOWN.
NOBODY WAS HERE OR THE PEOPLE
YOU WOULD RUN INTO WOULD BE
DOUBLE MASKED.
CASES CONTINUED TO GO DOWN AND
THE SEVERITY OF SYMPTOMS HAVE
GONE DOWN WITH VACCINATIONS
WE’VE SEEN THOSE RESTRICTIONS
GET LAX.
EVEN IN THE PRESS AREA IT IS
RARE TO SEE A MASK THESE DAYS.
THE BRIEFINGS WE SAW WHERE ALL
THE REPORTERS WERE SPACED OUT
AND EVERYBODY MASKED AND YOU
COULDN’T BE IN THERE IF YOU
WEREN’T WEARING A MAX.
THAT’S ALL GONE.
THE MAJORITY OF THE POLICIES
HAVE BEEN LIFTED.
WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS GOING TO
MASSACHUSETTS ON MARINE ONE ALL
OF THE STAFF THAT WAS FOLLOWING
BEHIND HIM WERE WEARING MASKS.
IT WAS INTERESTING.
THEY WERE GETTING ON THE
CHOPPER AND I SAW THE PRESS
SECRETARY PUT ON HER MASK
BEFORE GOING ONTO MARINE ONE.
THE PRESIDENT WASN’T WEARING
HIS BUT THEY WERE STILL TAKING
PRECAUTIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE TRAVEL HE
DID LAST WEEK.
WITH INTERNATIONAL TRIPS THE
STAKES WOULD BE HIGH AND WANTED
TO TEST HIM BEFOREHAND.
HE WASN’T GETTING TESTED ON A
DAILY BASIS.
WE WOULD ASK WHEN WAS THE LAST
TIME THE PRESIDENT WOULD GET
TESTED AND THE WHITE HOUSE
WOULD HAVE TO GET BACK TO US
AND CHECK WITH THOSE RECORDS.
WE KNOW IT WASN’T NECESSARILY
ON A DAILY BASIS.
LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW IT WILL
IMPACT THE SCHEDULE GOING
FORWARD.
THE PRESIDENT WAS SET TO GO TO
PENNSYLVANIA SCRANTON AREA
LATER TODAY TO TALK ABOUT HOW
HE WOULD COMBAT CRIME AND
SPENDING THE WEEKEND AT HIS
HOME IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.
HE WILL NOW BE ISOLATING AT THE
WHITE HOUSE.
THERE WAS ALSO SOME INTERESTING
MOMENTS EARLIER IN THE WEEK.
IT COULD BE PURE COINCIDENCE
THAT MONDAY AND TUESDAY HE
DIDN’T HOLD ANY PUBLIC EVENTS.
QUESTIONS AS TO WHAT WAS HE
DOING BEHIND THE SCENES?
THE WHITE HOUSE SAID HE WAS
HARD AT WORK HOLDING A LOT OF
MEETINGS.
THE PRESIDENT FELT WELL ENOUGH
TO TRAVEL JUST YESTERDAY.
SO WE LOOK TO SEE WHETHER OR
NOT THE SCHEDULE WAS ALREADY
CHANGED ONCE BECAUSE OF AN
EARLY SIGN OF SYMPTOMS.
THE WHITE HOUSE SAYING THE
PRESIDENT HAS VERY MILD
SYMPTOMS RIGHT NOW AND ALSO
POINT TO HIS VACCINATION STATUS
AS WELL AS BOOSTING STATUS.
THEY WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THEY
BELIEVE THE PEOPLE WHO HAD THE
VACCINES WILL BE OKAY.
THE MESSAGE WE HEARD FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE BEFORE EVEN WHEN
THE NUMBERS OF COVID CASES WENT
UP EARLIER.
>> Bill: ONE QUESTION FOR ME,
MARK.
WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS THERE
WASN’T A DAILY PROTOCOL FOR HIM
GETTING A TEST AND WHAT YOU ARE
SAYING IS THAT DID NOT CHANGE
EVEN WITH THE TRAVEL OVERSEAS.
>> HE WAS TESTED BEFORE HE WENT
OVERSEAS, WE KNOW THAT.
IN TERMS OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING
IN THE LAST DAY HE WASN’T
GETTING TESTED ON A DAILY BASIS.
REPORTERS WOULD ASK WHEN WAS
THE LAST TIME THE PRESIDENT GOT
TESTED AND THE WHITE HOUSE
WOULD HAVE TO SAY LET ME CHECK
AND GET BACK TO YOU.
IF IT WAS A DAILY BASIS THEY
WOULD SAY EVERY DAY.
>> Sandra: THE LAST STATEMENT
IN THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS
RELEASE HERE IS THAT THE
PRESIDENT’S LAST PREVIOUS TEST
FOR COVID WAS TUESDAY WHEN HE
HAD A NEGATIVE TEST RESULT.
HE WAS OBVIOUSLY TRAVELING AND
DELIVERING THE SPEECH YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON SO SOMETIME BETWEEN
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON WHEN HE
FLEW BACK TO WASHINGTON AND NOW
WITH THE POSITIVE TEST.
THIS COULD BE THE VERY
BEGINNING STAGES OF HIS
POSITIVITY.
ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY SAY HE
WILL DO, WORK IN ISOLATION
UNTIL TESTING NEGATIVE IT GOES
WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND EVEN AS
THE WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT NOTES
CDC PROTOCOL AS IT IS TODAY.
>> THE WHITE HOUSE IS A BIG
PLACE SO HE WILL HAVE PLENTY OF
ROOM TO SPREAD OUT.
I WAS LOOKING TO SEE.
I DON’T SEE A MARINE AT THE
WEST WING DOOR RIGHT NOW.
AN INDICATION THE PRESIDENT
WOULD BE IN THE RESIDENCE AT
THIS MOMENT.
HE DID GET BACK YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON.
I KNOW HE SPOKE TO SOME
REPORTERS AFTER HE GOT OFF AIR
FORCE ONE AND HE WAS BACK AT
THE WHITE HOUSE AROUND 5:00
P.M. YESTERDAY.
HE GOT BACK AT A DECENT HOUR.
CONTACT TRACING, THIS IS ALSO
INTERESTING.
LET’S SAY IF I WERE TO TEST
POSITIVE WHEN I CAME TO THE
WHITE HOUSE THEY WOULD ASK ME
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I SAW
THE PRESIDENT.
THE WHITE HOUSE MEDICAL OFFICE
WOULD TRY TO SIGNAL WITH
ANYBODY COVID POSITIVE CAME
INTO CONTACT WITH THE PRESIDENT
OR HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIAL.
WANTED TO WORK BACKWARDS.
IN THIS CASE THEY’LL TRY TO DO
CONTACT TRACING TO FIND OUT
WHETHER THIS CAME FROM SOMEBODY
IN SENIOR STAFF, SOMEBODY HE
MET WITH WITH WHEN HE WAS IN
MASSACHUSETTS.
MEMBERS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION WITH
THE PRESIDENT YESTERDAY.
I BELIEVE IT WAS TWO SENATORS
TRAVELING WITH HIM.
WE’LL HAVE TO WONDER IF THEY
HAVE TO ISOLATE NOW.
THERE WILL BE A LOT OF SCRUTINY
HOW THE WHITE HOUSE MAY REACT.
SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IT
WOULD MEAN FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN
GIVEN HIS AGE AND RIGHT NOW THE
WHITE HOUSE SAYING EXPERIENCING
MILD SYMPTOMS AND CONTINUE TO
MONITOR BUT THE PRESIDENT IS
STILL WORKING FROM HERE.
>> Bill: STAND BY A MOMENT AND
HAVE DOCTORS COMING UP.
BE PATIENT WITH US.
I KNOW YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE
MEDICAL PROTOCOL FOR SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
WANT TO BRING IN BRET BAIER
AGAIN ON THIS.
THERE WILL BE A BRIEFING
THURSDAY AFTERNOON WE’RE TOLD
AND THE DOCTOR WHO IS IN CHARGE
OF THE COVID-19 RESPONSE
COORDINATOR TO THE WHITE HOUSE
WILL BE THERE.
HE WAS WITH HARVARD AND WENT TO
BROWN.
NOW HE IS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
HE WAS A GREAT SOURCE OF
INFORMATION FOR US DURING THE
EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC.
BRET, I WONDER AND THE DOCTORS
CAN ANSWER THIS FOR US IN A
MINUTE HERE GIVEN HIS AGE,
GIVEN THE VULNERABILITY WHEN
YOU ARE FIST BUMPING FOR
SHAKING HANDS OR BREATHING THE
SAME AIR OF OTHERS OVERSEAS IN
ROOMS WHERE YOU AREN’T SURE
WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE THE
VIRUS, WHETHER THEY COULD BE
INFECTED OR WHETHER THEY WERE
TESTED OR NOT.
IT WOULD SEEM THAT GIVEN THE
STAKES, HOW HIGH THEY ARE, THAT
A DAILY TEST WOULD BE
REASONABLE IN MY VIEW.
>> RIGHT.
LISTEN, THE PRESIDENT IS IN
THAT AGE IN THE VULNERABLE AGE
GROUP.
HE IS TAKING PAXLOVID, AN ORAL
ANTIVIRAL PILL CREATED BY
PFIZER.
IT IS DESIGNED TO TREAT
COVID-19 IN THE EARLY DAYS IF
YOU TEST POSITIVE.
YOU TAKE THIS PILL, THREE PILLS
TWICE A DAY FOR FIVE DAYS AND
IT IS, ACCORDING TO THE TESTS
THAT THEY’VE DONE ON IT, 89%
EFFECTIVE OF KEEPING PEOPLE OUT
OF THE HOSPITAL AND GETTING
VERY SICK.
ADD TO THAT THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAS BEEN TWICE VACCINATED AND
TWICE BOOSTED, HE HAS A LOT OF
VACCINATION AND NOW THE
PAXLOVID AS WELL.
WE DIDN’T HEAR A LOT ABOUT THE
ANTIVIRALS IN THE FIGHTING OF
COVID.
NOW A LOT OF DOCTORS THINK IT