COURSE, A GOVERNMENT PRESENTATION THERE OVER THIS
PAST PERIOD.
PAST PERIOD. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE IT,
DOCTOR.
DOCTOR. WE LIKE TO START WITH THE
SCIENCE.
SCIENCE. I TURN TO STEVE SCHMIDT.
OUR VIEWERS KNOW YOU WELL.
JUST CURIOUS, BIG PICTURE,
STEVE, HOW DO YOU THINK THE
WHITE HOUSE IS DOING?
WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND?
>> WELL, I THINK THE WHITE HOUSE
HAS DONE, HISTORICALLY, VERY
POORLY IN THIS.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT CRISES IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
HISTORY. IT’S CERTAINLY THE LARGEST
CRISIS OF OUR LIFETIMES AND IT’S
BEEN THE MOST INEPT RESPONSE BY
THE EXECUTIVE, BY THE PRESIDENT.
I THINK, WITH REGARD TO ANY
CRISIS IN AMERICAN HISTORY BUT,
CERTAINLY, ANY CRISIS IN OUR
LIVE
LIVE LIFETIMES.
LIFETIMES. AND WE LOOK AT A PRESIDENT, WHO
IS SO CLEARLY IN OVER HIS HEAD
AND OUT OF HIS DEPTH, WHO HAS
BEEN DISHONEST, WHO HAS BEEN
IMPRECISE, WHO’S BEEN
INACCURATE, AND WHOSE DEADLY
INDECISION WILL BE PAID FOR WITH
THE LIVES OF TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF AMERICANS, AS THIS VIRUS
ESCALATED TO A PLACE IT NEVER
NEED HAVE GOTTEN.
AND THAT IS ALL BECAUSE OF THE
WASTED MONTH OF FEBRUARY, WHERE
THE PRESIDENT WAS HATE TWEETING,
FIRING PEOPLE THAT HE WAS ANGRY
WITH OVER IMPEACHMENT.
GOING ON CAMPAIGN RALLIES.
AND GOLFING.
AND GOLFING. AND, NOW, THE COUNTRY IS PAYING
THE PRICE FOR THAT.
WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL TO
UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN THE SAME
GUY SAYS, WELL, IT’LL BE BACK IN
SEPTEMBER BUT WE’LL MAKE IT GO
AWAY REALLY QUICK, IS THE SAME
GUY, WHEN THERE WERE 15 CASES IN
THE COUNTRY, SAID, SOON, IT
WOULD BE GONE TO ZERO AND IT
WOULD DISAPPEAR LIKE MAGIC.
THE LACK OF CREDIBILITY IN THESE
EVENING NEWS EVENTS IS EPIC AND
UNLIKE EVERYTHING WE’VE EVER
SEEN.
SEEN. IT’S A BAGHDAD BOB SHOW EVERY
NIGHT OF THE WEEK, DAY AFTER
DAY, THE AIRING OF THE
GRIEVANCES, THE AIRING OF HIS
ANGER ISSUES.
ANGER ISSUES. THE ATTACKS ON THE GOVERNORS, WE
SEE EVERY NIGHT.
ALL OF THE QUALITIES YOU NEVER,
EVER WANT TO SEE IN A LEADER, IN
A CRISIS, WHEN LIVES ARE AT
STAKE.
STAKE. >> YOU LAY IT OUT THERE.
AND THIS IS, ALSO, A LEADERSHIP
TEST.
TEST. GIVEN THAT YOU KNOW YOUR WAY
AROUND CAMPAIGNS AND,
HISTORICALLY, REPUBLICAN
HISTORICALLY, REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGNS, DO YOU VIEW THE
PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP AND
RECORD ON THIS VIRUS AS CRUCIAL
TO THE 2020 CAMPAIGN?
>> IT’S THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE.
IT’S THE ONLY ISSUE.
LOOK.
LOOK. WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT I
THINK IS THE DEFINING IMAGE
TONIGHT, WHICH IS MILES AND
MILES AND MILES-LONG LINES IN
TEXAS OF PEOPLE WAITING HOURS
UPON HOURS ON FOOD LINES.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEVER
ENVISIONED BEING ON A FOOD LINE.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE
HARDWORKING, WHO WERE EMPLOYED
NOT LONG AGO.
THERE IS A LOT OF EVIDENCE TO
SUGGEST THAT THESE FEDERAL
PROGRAMS, AIMED AT THE LITTLE
GUY IN THIS COUNTRY, THE SMALL
BUSINESSOWNER, AREN’T REACHING
THEIR TARGETS.
THEIR TARGETS. PEOPLE CAN’T GET THROUGH THE
BUREAUCRACY.
BUREAUCRACY. THEY’RE RULED INELIGIBLE FOR IT.
THE PROGRAMS ARE OUT OF MONEY.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS 42% OF THE
COUNTRY HAS $400 CASH AVAILABLE,
AND IT’S NOT AS IF WE DIDN’T
HAVE A CRISIS OF HOPELESSNESS
AND DESPAIR OR A SUICIDE
EPIDEMIC, AN OPIOID EPIDEMIC,
BEFORE ANY OF THIS HAPPENED.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS FROM THE
GREAT DEPRESSION, YOU LOOK AT
THE JOBLESS CLAIMS FILED ON A
WEEKLY BASIS.
WEEKLY BASIS. AND ESSENTIALLY, THE JOB GAINS
OF THE LAST DECADE, ALL
ERADICATED OVER THE COURSE OF A
MONTH.
MONTH. YOU LOOK AT THE PROTESTS AND THE
INSANITY THAT YOU SAW IN
MICHIGAN YESTERDAY.
MICHIGAN YESTERDAY. WHAT YOU SEE LOOKING AHEAD IS
POLITICAL INSTABILITY, PERHAPS.
CERTAINLY, ECONOMIC INSTABILITY.
AND THE QUESTION FOR THE COUNTRY
IS WHO IS THE PERSON WHO IS
GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THE
COUNTRY, MOST QUICKLY, BACK ON
ITS FEET?
ITS FEET? WHO IS THE PERSON WHO IS GOING
TO UNIFY THE COUNTRY?
WHEN WE LOOK, NOW, WE’RE SHARING
THE LARGEST COMMON EXPERIENCE
THAT ANY OF US HAVE EVER SHARED,
THAT’S PROBABLY EVER BEEN SHARED
IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY.
THERE’S LITERALLY NO ONE ON THE
PLANET WHO IS NOT AFFECTED BY
THIS.
THIS. TRUMP, WHO’S DIVIDED THE
COUNTRY, SAYS I WANT TO HEAL THE
LAND NOW.
LAND NOW. I’M THE HEALER.
IT’S A LUDICROUS PROPOSITION.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS -- THIS
ELECTION IS -- IS AS
FUNDAMENTALLY AN IMPORTANT AN
ELECTION WE’VE HAD IN THIS
COUNTRY SINCE 1864, WHEN WE
DECIDED, IN THAT ELECTION, IF WE
WERE TO BE A COUNTRY AT ALL.
>> WELL, YOU LAY IT OUT THERE.
IT’S -- IT’S STRIKING.
WE’RE GOING TO PUT BACK UP WHAT
YOU MENTIONED.
YOU MENTIONED. WE JUST WERE SHOWING VIEWERS
SOME OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT WE
HAVE HERE THAT WERE NEW IN.
AND YOU BROUGHT UP BECAUSE IT’S
WHAT PEOPLE ARE FEELING AND
LIVING THROUGH.
LIVING THROUGH. WE HAVE FOOTAGE OF THE WAY
PEOPLE ARE LIVING.
THE CHECKPOINTS WHERE PEOPLE ARE
TRYING TO GET FOOD.
PEOPLE IN LINE, SIX FEET APART,
LONG LINES.
LONG LINES. HEARTBREAKING DEVASTATION.
HEARTBREAKING DEVASTATION. WE HAVE PEOPLE LIVING THROUGH
THE PANDEMIC AND HURTING.
THEN, WE HAVE THE PEOPLE WHO,
THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN,
STEVE, TALK ABOUT THE TASK OF
HOW WE ORGANIZED SOCIETY, NO
FAULT OF THEIR OWN, OUT OF A
JOB.
JOB. HOUSEHOLDS WITH BOTH PARENTS OUT
OF A JOB.
OF A JOB. WONDERING ABOUT FOOD, RENT, AND
EVERYTHING ELSE, WEEK TO WEEK.
THE UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS THAT WE
GOT OUT TODAY, AS YOU MENTIONED,
WHICH IS SOMETHING WE WANTED TO
GET TO IN OUR BROADCAST, BRING
TOTAL UNEMPLOYMENT TO 18
MILLION.
MILLION. ABSOLUTELY STAGGERING.
ABSOLUTELY STAGGERING. ABSOLUTE PAIN AND HEARTACHE
THERE.
THERE. AGAIN, WHICH IS A HALO THAT FAR,
FAR EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY CONTRACTING
THE VIRUS ITSELF.
WITH ALL OF THAT STACKED UP,
THAT BRINGS ME TO THE OTHER
QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK YOU,
STEVE, WHICH RELATES TO THE TWO
ANSWERS YOU’VE GIVEN US.
AND, THAT IS, WHAT DOES THIS
EXPERIENCE, WHICH YOU SAID
EVERYONE’S LIVING THROUGH
TOGETHER IN AMERICA, AROUND THE
WORLD, WHAT DOES THIS DO TO
PEOPLE WHO ARE FACT-BASED OR
EVIDENCE-BASED IN ASSESSING
DONALD TRUMP’S CORE PITCH WHEN
HE RAN FOR PRESIDENT, WHICH
APART FROM ALL THE ATTACKS ON
HILLARY CLINTON AND WHAT WE
REMEMBER IN THE POLITICS OF IT,
I THINK YOU KNOW, AND I THINK I
WILL SAY, IN FAIRNESS, THERE ARE
PLENTY OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHEN
THEY HEARD A BUSINESS PERSON SAY
HE WOULD SHAKE THINGS UP AND
BRING A DIFFERENT SENSIBILITY TO
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. THEY MAY HAVE THOUGHT AND SOME
MAY SAY NAIVELY OR INCORRECTLY
BUT THEY MAY HAVE GENUINELY
THOUGHT, YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE HAVE TRIED A LOT OF
POLITICIANS.
POLITICIANS. OBVIOUSLY, GOING TO BE IN OFFICE
FOR THE FIRST TIME IF HE WINS.
LET’S TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
HE SAID HE WOULD DO THAT.
HE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HIRING THE
BEST PEOPLE.
BEST PEOPLE. A A POLITICAL EXPERT
AS A POLITICAL EXPERT, DO YOU
THINK THAT -- FOR THOSE FOLKS
WHO MIGHT BE FOLLOWING THIS
LESS, WHO MIGHT BE LESS
PARTISAN, ABOUT HOW IT’S WORKING
OUT, HIS STYLE OF LEADERSHIP,
WHERE ARE THE BEST PEOPLE WHEN
YOU LOOK AT WHAT HAS BEEN
DOCUMENTED ON "NEW YORK TIMES,"
ON-AIR, ELSEWHERE, A LOT OF
INCOMPETENCE IN HANDLING THIS.
>> AGAIN, THE INCOMPETENCE HERE
HAS JUST BEEN EPIC.
AND I THINK THE ONE WAY TO LOOK
AT IT IS TO IMAGINE OURSELVES 50
YEARS FROM NOW.
IMAGINE WE’RE OLD MEN AND WE’RE
TALKING TO HISTORIANS TRYING TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
ERA.
ERA. AND WHAT -- WHAT -- WHAT WE’LL
TELL THEM IS THAT, IN THE YEAR
2016, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, VERY
NARROWLY, LOSING THE POPULAR
VOTE, BUT WINNING THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE, PUT A REALITY TV SHOW
HOST AND A NEW YORK CITY
CONNECTICUTCON MAN
CONNECTICUTCON MAN INTO THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. WHO WAS UNEQUIPPED MENTALLY,
EMOTIONALLY, MORALLY, TO BE
COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE MOST
POWERFUL NATION IN THE WORLD.
HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ITS
HISTORY.
HISTORY. HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ITS
SYSTEMS.
SYSTEMS. HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ITS VALUES.
HE SPENT YEARS TEARING THE
COUNTRY APART, ATTACKING VITAL
INSTITUTIONS, ALLEGING
INSTITUTIONS, ALLEGING CONSPIRACIES, INTERNALIZING HIS
GRIEVANCES, CONDUCTING HIMSELF
IN AN IMMORAL AND CORRUPT WAY
THAT LED TO HIS IMPEACHMENT.
THIS HAS BEEN A THREE-YEAR
REALITY SHOW CIRCUS.
AND, HOPEFULLY, WHAT THIS
INCIDENT WILL DO IS BRING DOWN
THE CURTAIN ON THE REALITY SHOW
ERA OF POLITICS, ALL OF IT, WITH
FINALITY.
FINALITY. BECAUSE WHAT WE SHOULD
UNDERSTAND, ONCE AGAIN, IS THAT
POLITICS AND WHO WE PUT INTO
THESE POSITIONS OF POWER MATTER
PROFOUNDLY.
PROFOUNDLY. IT IS ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH.
AND SO WE’RE IN A LIFE-AND-DEATH
MOMENT.
MOMENT. AND WHEN YOU READ THE FIRST
DRAFTS OF HISTORY, YOU KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. NOT WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS LYING
ACT
ACT ABOUT EVERY NIGHT IN THESE
BRIEFINGS AND PRETENDING
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IS THIS IS
ONE OF THE MOST INEPT RESPONSES
TO A CRISIS THAT YOU COULD HAVE
SEEN COMING.
SEEN COMING. PEOPLE SAW IT COMING.
AND, AS A RESULT, THE COUNTRY
HAS BEEN DEVASTATED ECONOMICALLY
AND TENS AND TENS AND TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS WHO,
OTHERWISE, WOULD BE ALIVE, WILL
NOT.
NOT. THE CORONAVIRUS IS THE LEADING
CAUSE OF DEATH IN AMERICA.
HE RAN ON A PROMISE OF MAKING
AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
WHAT WE SEE IS DEATH, ECONOMIC
COLLAPSE, AND SUFFERING, ON AN
IMMENSE SCALE THAT NOBODY IN
THIS COUNTRY COULD HAVE IMAGINED
SEEING IN OUR LIFE TIMETIME, 60