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Trump Virus Briefing Returns, Likely Without Doctors; Three Million More Infections And 86,000 Deaths Since Trump Last Held A Coronavirus Briefing; Trump: COVID Probably Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better; Trump Says He Would Wear A Mask, But Did Not Last Night At Trump Hotel; Florida Governor Claims State "On The Right Course" As Cases Surge; Florida Reports 9,400-Plus New Cases, 134 More Deaths. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired July 21, 2020 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: May their memories be a blessing.
Our coverage on CNN continues right now. President Trump is supposed to come to the cameras and talk to the American people. Thanks for joining us.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We're following breaking news. Any moment now, the President is scheduled to resume White House coronavirus briefings, but unlikely without any of the doctors from his Coronavirus Task Force.
There hasn't been a coronavirus briefing since April 27. Since then, COVID-19 has killed almost 90,000 Americans. Right now, the U.S. is nearing 4 million confirmed cases with more than 141,000 deaths.
But there is a small sign of a little bit of encouragement as of today, new cases are now steady, are falling in as many states as they are rising still. Let's not forget hundreds of Americans are still dying every single day.
Let's get the latest on the pandemic. Our National Correspondent Athena Jones is joining us right now.
First of all, Athena, we're getting some very troubling new numbers coming out of California.
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. And as you mentioned, you're absolutely right. There are some positive signs and more states holding steady than in recent days. But there are a lot of reasons for concern depending on where you look, Mississippi reporting a record number of cases for the second day in a row, Arkansas, setting a new record for hospitalizations, and California now on track to surpass New York in total number of COVID cases just the next matter of days.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONES (voice-over): Encouraging signs the tally of new daily coronavirus cases nationwide falling below 60,000 for the first time in about a week and the positivity rate dipping under eight percent for the first time since July 5.
And new cases now steady in 20 states and falling in five, still trouble spots abound in the South, the Midwest and the West, with nine states and Puerto Rico seeing their highest seven day average for new daily cases, and hospitalizations continuing to climb.
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIR., CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: This is why it's so important to get the message out. We're still at the beginning of this pandemic.
JONES: This as a new CDC analysis reveals the number of actual COVID cases is likely much higher than the official tally. Depending on the region, the number of people infected with sometimes six to 24 times the number of reported cases.
More than 50 ICUs in Florida have reached capacity and 39 hospitals have asked the state for additional medical staff. Dozens of nurses have tested positive for the virus.
MARTHA BAKER, REGISTERED NURSE: We're running out of you know beds and nurses and caregivers and, you know, the trend is in the wrong direction. We're barely, you know, I'd say dancing on the head of a pin right now.
JONES: In South Texas, Hidalgo County, where refrigerator trucks were brought in to hold excess bodies, a judge issuing a shelter in place order for all residents.
DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: South Texas is just getting hit incredibly hard. Hospitals are overwhelmed.
JONES: So overwhelmed that officials in neighboring Cameron County say the case and death tolls are much higher than reported.
JUDGE EDDIE TREVINO JR., CAMERON COUNTY TEXAS: It's literally impossible for us to be keeping up
JONES: This surge in cases in many states supercharging the back to school debate.
DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: The most important thing is what we do outside of schools before we reopen to lower the transmission rate.
JONES: Missouri has governor downplaying the risk to schoolchildren who catch the virus in a recent radio interview.
GOV. MIKE PARSON, (R) MISSOURI: They're not going to have to sit in doctor's offices. They're going to go home and they're going to get over IT.
JONES: Others arguing one child's hospitalization or death is one too many.
EDITH BRACHO-SANCHEZ: I like to say to this governor, it is frankly misleading. It is also irresponsible and it is not fair. Children deserve better than this.
FEDRICK INGRAM, PRESIDENT, FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: The startling statistic that you all need to know is we have 23,000 children that have been tested positive for COVID-19 here in the state of Florida.
JONES: Florida's Teachers Union now suing to block Governor Ron DeSantis' order to reopen schools.
INGRAM: We simply cannot be reckless with our public school. That's not fair to our students and our teachers who want to get back to work.
JONES: In fact, just this morning, Miami's Mayor announced summer camps there will be closed after at least three children tested positive for the virus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: And one more thing in light of the resistance, the ongoing resistance among some to wearing masks and keeping their distance from others, a new study out of the Netherlands finds that of 90 percent of people did those two simple things, in addition to frequent hand washing, large outbreaks of COVID can be prevented. So it's just another reminder that we have the tools to halt the spread of this virus even without a vaccine. Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes. Start with simply wearing a mask. It's not that hard. Athena Jones in New York for us. Thank you.
Let's go to the White House right now. Our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is with us.
Jim, when it's been almost three months since the last formal coronavirus briefing over there at the White House.
[17:05:05]
At that time, there were almost 55,000 Americans dead, nearly 1 million cases. Today, it's more than 141,000 dead Americans in almost 4 million cases. It's gotten progressively worst.
Spent almost three months since the last formal Coronavirus briefing over there at the White House at that time, there were almost 55,000 Americans dead nearly 1 million cases. Today it's more than 141,000 dead Americans and almost 4 million cases it's gotten progressively worse.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. President Trump is about to hold this news conference. But it looks like there will be one big difference this time around as it appears. Some of the main experts from those briefings from earlier this year won't be joining the President. Dr. Anthony Fauci will not join the President for this evening's briefing.
And Fauci had expected to be invited when the news conference was announced yesterday, I'm told, but that's not the case anymore. He won't be there. The President is betting on this plan for more press conferences as a cure for his ailing poll numbers, with one White House official saying there is a recognition that Mr. Trump is not viewed as leading on the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Hours before the President's first coronavirus news conference in months White House officials were already struggling to get their story straight, insisting there have not been any and consistencies in Mr. Trump's embrace of wearing masks.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The President's always been consistent on this that mask, according to the CDC are recommended but not required. He has said that he would wear one in the case he couldn't appropriately socially distance. On and he wore one and put up the picture on Twitter as you saw.
ACOSTA: But that's not true. For months, the President has waffled on using a mask even once conceding to reporters, he might change his mind on the issue.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just want to be doing I don't know somehow sitting in the Oval Office, behind that beautiful Resolute desk, the great Resolute desk, I think wearing a face mask, as agreed. Presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don't know somehow. I don't see it for myself. I just, maybe I'll change my mind.
ACOSTA: Dr. Anthony Fauci saw the President's sudden about face makes the White House more consistent on the practice.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I was very pleased to see the president wearing a mask and tweeting about masks. The Vice President does that consistently. So I think we've turned the corner around the road of a consistent message.
ACOSTA: Aid say the President hasn't always worn masks because he's tested regularly, even multiple times a day.
MCENANY: He's tested often. I'm not going to read out exactly how many times he's tested today, but sometimes it is more than one time a day.
ACOSTA: A tricky stands for the White House as Mr. Trump has suggested the US should pull back on testing.
TRUMP: So I said to my people, slow the testing down, please. ACOSTA: The President is still touting his response to the virus as a success tweeting, "by comparison to most other countries who are suffering greatly. We are doing very well. And we have done things that few other countries could have done."
But hold on, one Trump ally, Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters, "We have to up our game in testing. This is a worldwide problem. So the more hands on the better."
Other Senate Republicans are pushing back on more pandemic response spending.
SEN. RAND PAUL, (R) KENTUCKY: But I just came from a Republican caucus meeting that could be sort of the Bernie Bros progressive caucus. I'm alarmed that we're talking about spending another trillion dollars we don't have.
ACOSTA: It was Graham and other Republican advisors who urged the President to return to the briefing room and take questions on the virus. As polls show the public is rejecting Mr. Trump's handling of COVID-19. But the White House won't commit to including administration health experts like Fauci.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we expect to see members of the Coronavirus Task Force, will Dr. Fauci, will Dr. Birx be there?
MCENANY: You'll have to tune in to see.
ACOSTA: The President doesn't sound thrilled to share the stage with the doctor.
TRUMP: He's a little bit of an alarmist. That's OK, a little bit --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's little bit of an alarmist?
TRUMP: A little bit of an alarmist.
ACOSTA: Fauci sees his approach differently.
FAUCI: I consider myself a realist, as opposed to an alarmist.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, White House official says it's better to think of this evening's availability with the President as more of a news conference than a task force briefing like we saw earlier this year. Expect the President to talk about immigration and his opposition to renaming military bases, something that has Mr. Trump threatened to veto a defense spending bill this evening.
But with the polls sliding against the President all over the place and Mr. Trump's past shaky performances in these briefings, one campaign advisor described the decision to hold more evening news conferences to me this way, saying it's a gamble adding that the President, "better feel the pressure, because the pressure is on." Wolf. BLITZER: Jim Acosta, you're absolutely right. Thank you very, very much.
So let's get some more in all of this. Joining us now, our Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Sanjay, let me get your thoughts, first of all, in the return of this Coronavirus Taskforce media briefing now that we're supposedly going to be hearing from the President shortly. Dr. Fauci just told Jake Tapper he wasn't invited to attend this briefing.
Can these briefings really be informative without the President's presence of medical experts like Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, Dr. Redfield Dr. Hahn?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think we absolutely need to hear from these folks, Wolf. I mean, and I don't think I'm just saying that as a medical person.
[17:10:03]
I think, you know, there is a major public health crisis going on, the biggest that we've seen in our lifetimes. I mean, this is the biggest issue really in the world right now.
And some of the people that you've just named Wolf, you know, they are people who the world turns to, other countries like to solicit their advice. And how could it be that Dr. Fauci hasn't even briefed the President today before this type of meeting?
So, I think we have something to hear from them. I also think that they would be talking about a path forward, Wolf, right? I mean, we need to figure out how to best get through this.
And also, you know, sadly, Wolf, they're necessary to correct and fact check some of the things the President has said, which have been wrong and sometimes dangerous. So yes, they should absolutely be there, it would show a united front between the White House and the scientists.
BLITZER: You know, what's interesting, Sanjay, and I'm going to put it up on the screen. As you can see on this national trend map, the nationwide surge in new coronavirus cases seems to have stabilized a little bit compared to recent weeks, that'll be in at a very, very high level. Are we still seeing some of these? Are we seeing some of these new restrictions, mask mandates in certain places, for example, beginning to help what 56,000, almost 57,000 new cases just yesterday here in the U.S.?
GUPTA: I'd like to believe that Wolf. I think it's too early to tell. I mean, there is -- that's one of the challenges with this overall is that there is this lag time, you implement a measure and then it takes some time to see the impact of that. You could just have these, you know, changes and testing and little variables that affect things day to day. You really got to follow this out over weeks and months.
So, I think it's a little bit early to say. And, you know, we sort of got lulled into this before, right, Wolf? And we thought, OK, look it's plateauing. Things start to open up as a result, we're heading in the right direction and we saw what happened there.
So we got to have definitive proof that the numbers are coming down 14 days in a row in all these areas before they start to, you know, move to the next phase.
BLITZER: Let me play something for you. Sanjay, I want you to listen to Dr. Fauci's answer to Jake about vaccine development and whether everyone should get the vaccine if there is a good new approved vaccine. Even if the first one released isn't necessarily, let's say 100 percent effective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: I would not wait to see if one was better than another. Because the very fact that it gets approved by the FDA means that it's good enough to protect you. The relative percentage of how good it's going to be, you may get one vaccine, that's a bit better than the other. But I would say that some protection by a vaccine is certainly better than no protections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You agree with Dr. Fauci's assessment?
GUPTA: Yes, I mean, I think people tend to think of this like a -- like an iPhone or something, right? I'm going to wait for the next model. Let them work out the kinks in the first model. Maybe that's sort of driving the question or the concern.
We need a vaccine. I mean, you know, we're in the middle of a pandemic. So, it is -- there are several different platform vaccines that are coming out.
And you may start to get a couple of options sort of arriving around the same time, Wolf. So I think in that case, people may have an option or there may be one that works better for other people versus another one. So, there may be some decision points.
But I think right now, you know, we'd like to think that we got to that point, right? That we're going to have multiple opportunities.
I think the vaccine that comes out that is approved, shown to be safe and effective is the one that we should, you know, sort of at least start to implement and distribute around the world.
BLITZER: All right, Sanjay, I want you to stand by we have more to discuss.
We're -- up next, the first White House coronavirus briefing in almost three months as the pandemic ravages parts of the United States and that includes California, which is about to surpass New York in the total number of cases. We have lost the report. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [17:18:25]
BLITZER: We're watching all the late breaking developments in the coronavirus pandemic. I want to bring in our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger and Dr. Leana Wen, the former City Health Commissioner of Baltimore.
Gloria, give us your thoughts on the return of this taskforce briefing in light of the President's apparent decision to not include actual task force members, medical experts like Dr. Fauci or Dr. Birx or Dr. Redfield?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, this is a president who wants this to be his show, doesn't want anyone else on the stage with him. And I think that what we know from the President being alone as that this is largely about his poll numbers and about his reelection, that there are people inside the White House, and I've spoken with two Republican sources about this, who believe that the President's falling poll numbers are because he isn't seemed to be in charge of handling the pandemic.
So, as a result they want to put him at out there. They want him to seem like he is the one leading the charge against the coronavirus. However, you know, this could also turn the other way for him. The other briefings which we saw for days and days, after the President briefed on the virus, his poll numbers started heading south. So this is risky for them. But there are those who feel that they have no other choice but to put the President out there talking about the pandemic because that is what the election is going to be about. Wolf.
BLITZER: That's the biggest issue facing the country right now.
Dr. Wen, you run an op-ed back in April about ways the White House could actually improve the coronavirus briefings. And now that the briefings have returned with the President, what would you like to see?
[17:20:11]
DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH COMMISIONER: Well, first of all, I would like to see, Wolf, public health experts leading the briefing, because this is a public health crisis and their voices should be at the forefront. Then I want to hear the science.
I want to hear real numbers about what is the state of the outbreak. Ideally, the CDC, Dr. Fauci, trusted messengers would tell us about what's happening, not trying to paint a rosy picture for what they wish for happening, what we all wish were happening, but what's actually happening. Where are the surgeons? What are we the most concerned about?
Then I want to hear them also explain the science. These are the top scientists and public health leaders in the world. I want them to tell us about what's happening with vaccine trials, what's happening with treatment, how do they come up with these guidelines, for example, around school reopening, what's the science behind that? That's top of mind for so many people.
And then finally, and I actually think most of importantly, I want to hear an acknowledgement of what are the problems that actually local officials, state officials, hospitals are facing. For example, the shortage of PPE, the fact that tests are taking 10 to 14 days, which is absurd to come back.
I want to hear them acknowledge the problems and then say, here's what we're going to do about it. This is the path forward. Here's how we in the federal government are going to lead on a national strategy. I'm not sure that that's what's going to happen in the briefing today, but that's what I wish, Wolf, because that's what the American people need.
BLITZER: Yes, you're absolutely right. That we certainly do need that kind of national leadership. I'm not delegating everything to cities, counties or states.
Gloria, you mentioned polls, that's a motivating factor for the President. His poll numbers are not good. The national polls, Biden is ahead by double digits over the President. The President's job approval numbers, the last one we saw was in the high 30s. Not very encouraging job approval as far as the President is concerned.
You think that this is what's driving the President primarily, the failing poll numbers right now?
BORGER: Yes, I think they finally convinced him that those are real. And if you look at his disapproval numbers on the handling of the virus, which as I said before, is the key issue. The disapproval number has increased about a dozen points over the last three months. And so if you're running for reelection, you have to figure out a way to get ahead of this.
And the problem is, Wolf, and I I've been told by sources close to the White House about this, is that the President doesn't seem to want to be briefed any more than he's already being briefed to spending a lot of time and in front of the television set, learns a lot of information there.
And so the President hasn't been attending the Coronavirus Task Force meetings. And so when you go out in front of the public and you want to answer the questions that Dr. Wen is talking about the real questions that doctors have and that the American public has about testing, for example. You have to be able to be informed enough to give the answers to those questions.
And so, if I were Donald Trump, and I'm not, I would want to have those scientists and those doctors surrounding me so they could give the American public the information that they crave and give the public the sense that Donald Trump is actually working with the doctors and not opposed to the doctor.
BLITZER: And we're told he really hasn't been attending many of those taskforce --
BORGER: Yes.
BLITZER: -- meetings in THE SITUATION ROOM over the White House. The Vice President is usually in charge of those meetings.
You know, Dr. Wen, the last time the President had joined a task force briefing, a media briefing was April 27. At that time, there were nearly 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. Nearly 55,000 Americans had died from the virus today.
Only three months later, there are nearly 4 million confirmed cases and more than 141,000 Americans have died. So, what are your thoughts as we look at these grim comparisons, especially when the President tweeted today, we are doing very well.
WEN: On what measure are we doing very well, we're seeing escalating numbers of infections. Now we're seeing hospitals. ICUs becoming overwhelmed once again. We thought we went through that once in New York, but now we're going through that all over the country. Now we're seeing mortality rates beginning to increase, we're seeing many more preventable deaths.
We are seeing also so many other countries that had cases around the same time that we did, they were able to not only flatten the curve, they crushed the curve. They got their cases, essentially to zero and then they were able to reopen their economies. They were able to get their kids back to school safely. They're able to resume lives in ways that we have not.
So, I really don't know what the President is talking about. I want to be optimistic --
TRUMP: We went so closely and just --
BLITZER: Hold on for a second. The President answering some questions now. I want to listen.
[17:25:04]
TRUMP: -- horrible disease that should have never been allowed to escape China but it did. And it infected the world, and the world is suffering, but we're going to get it taken care of. And we're helping lots of other countries
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Mr. President, first, I just wanted to get clarification. Your press secretary said today that you sometimes take more than one test today. Well, why is that? And how often --
TRUMP: Well, I didn't know about more than one. I do take, probably, on average a test every two days, three days. And I don't know of any time I've taken two tests in one day, but I could see that happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill both said they want to see more money for testing. They want to send billions of dollars to the state so they can do more testing.
And you probably saw Mick Mulvaney the other day, said that his kids it took him a week to get test results back, he said this is simply inexcusable given where we are in the pandemic. Do you think we have a problem with testing in this country right now? Are you in favor of more money for testing?
TRUMP: We've done more testing by far than anybody. Some of the tests because it is massive it might takes longer. Others of the tests, as you know, are very quick, they're five minutes and 15 minute tests. And those are, frankly, the ones that I prefer. But we're doing massive numbers and the numbers are coming down.
And as we go, as an example, there are thousands and thousands of kits being made right now, which give you a 15 minute and a five minute test. So we'll be able to get those numbers down.
Those numbers are similar in other places. They're also doing massive numbers, numbers like nobody thought possible. But those numbers will be coming down. I agree. I think it's a good thing if we can do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're you in favor of more money for testing --
TRUMP: Well, they're going to make a presentation to me tonight and tomorrow on that. And again, we're leading the world. I think the second country at 12 new world (ph), we're going to be over 50 million tests. Second country is India with 12 million. Then you have 7 million, 6 million and 4 million.
I think that we are doing tremendous amount of testing. But if the doctors and the professionals feel that even though we're at a level that nobody ever dreamt possible, that they would like to do more, I'm OK with it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why aren't your doctors not here with you today? Where is Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx?
TRUMP: Well, Dr. Birx is right outside.
Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. President. I have tough few questions for your, if that's all right?
Number one, I just wanted to know, in November, do you want the American people to judge you on --
TRUMP: Could you (INAUDIBLE), please?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want the American people to judge you on the ballot in November by how do you handle this pandemic so far?
TRUMP: This among other things, I think the American people will judge us on this but they'll judge us on the economy that I created and that already we're creating. We're setting record job numbers, as you know.
I think we're going to have a very strong year next year. I think we're going to have a very strong third quarter, a very good fourth quarter, but I think next year is going to be a record year. And I think they're going to judge me at that.
I think they're going to judge me on the tax cutting and the regulation cutting, which nobody's ever done to the extent that we've been able to do it. On rebuilding the military. On how we've handled the VA on the VA.
We got Veterans Choice. Nobody thought that would be possible. That's been many decades, they've been trying to get Veterans Choice. It's called choice where they can go get a doctor if they have to wait on line for two weeks or five weeks or two days. And frankly, that's been a great thing.
Veterans' accountability, I think they'll judge me on that. They'll judge me on all of the things we've done.
I don't think -- and I think we can say this, we're sure, and it's never been even challenged in three and a half years, the first three and a half years. The first years of a presidency. I don't think any administration, any president has accomplished so much as we've accomplished, from energy, to health, to so many other things.
And then this came in and the plague, I call it the plague, the plague came in, terrible thing should have been stopped, wasn't stopped. It came in we had to shut things down to save potentially millions of lives. We did that. And now we've started them up. And I think we've really started it up very successfully.
Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President.
You've been saying for months that the virus would simply disappear. And now you're saying that it's likely to get worse before it gets better.
If it does keep getting worse, if Americans keep dying, are you responsible for that?
TRUMP: No, the virus will disappear. It will disappear.
I think that -- I always like to say, as you know, either way, when you look at it, the governors are working with me, I'm working with a governor, we're working hand in hand. I think we're all responsible.
I view it as a team, very good relationships with a governor's, very, very good relationships. I could say I'm fully responsible, but you know, one day we had a virus come in, and I close the borders did a lot of things that were very good.
In fact, Dr. Fauci said we saved 10s of thousands of lives when I close the border. Nobody wanted to do it. I wanted to do it. We closed the border to China. We put on the ban. We didn't want people coming in from heavily infected China.
[17:30:00] Fairly shortly thereafter, I closed the borders from Europe -- coming in from Europe. Those were tremendous moves. We would have -- if it's one person, it's too much. But we're at, let's say, 140,000. We could have double, triple, quadruple that number if we didn't.
So we did a lot of things right. We did a lot of things right, including with equipment. So it's a shame that it happened. It shouldn't have happened. China should have stopped it.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes, go ahead. Please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, President Trump. If I could, two questions. My first question is, we have a very quick testing platform here at the White House.
TRUMP: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great. You get tested, you know, very quickly. Do you think that it would be easier to reopen and restart businesses if we could produce more of those machines for people?
TRUMP: We're trying to do that. That's a great question. We're trying very much to do that. So rather than sending your tests in -- and, you know, it goes through the mail one day, comes back another day, no matter how they send them. It's a day and a day, so that's two days already wasted.
And then, if it spends -- by the time you get it back, it's three or four days, if they do an efficient job. We're trying to get the testing on site. I like it the best.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my follow-up -- my second question, it's a little bit different topic, but it's one that a lot of people are talking about. Ghislaine Maxwell is in prison, and so a lot of people want to know if she's going to turn in powerful people. And I know you've talked in the past about Prince Andrew, and you've criticized Bill Clinton's behavior. I'm wondering, do you feel that she's going to turn in powerful men? How do you see that working out?
TRUMP: I don't know. I haven't really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is. I don't know the situation with Prince Andrew. I just don't know. I'm not aware of it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President.
TRUMP: Yes, please. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On unemployment insurance, how much below $600 are you willing to go? And you've said that the economy is bouncing back strong, so why do we need to even cut it at all?
TRUMP: Well, the economy is getting stronger, and I think we have a chance to have a very strong economy, especially if some of the things that I just spoke about work. We want to have people go back and want to go back to work as opposed to be, sort of, forced into a position where they're making more money than they expected to make. And the employers are having a hard time getting them back to work.
So that was a decision that was made. I was against that original decision, but they did that. It still worked out well because it gave people a lifeline, a real lifeline. Now we're doing it again. They're thinking about doing 70 percent of the amount. The amount would be the same, but doing it in a little bit smaller initial amounts so that people are going to want to go back to work, as opposed to making so much money that they really don't have to.
But we were very generous with them. I think that it's been a tremendously successful program. The whole thing has been successful, if you look. I mean, we have -- we're in a pandemic, and yet we're producing tremendous number of jobs. That was something that nobody thought possible. OK? Please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, thank you very much. Yesterday, you said that wearing a mask was an act of patriotism. If that is the case, why don't you do it more frequently?
TRUMP: Well, I do. I actually do it when I need. I mean, I carry the mask when I have to go -- I went into Walter Reed Hospital the other day. I have the mask right here, and I carry it. And I will use it gladly. No problem with it. And I've said that.
And I say, if you can, use the mask. When you can, use the mask. If you're close to each other, if you're in a group, I would put it on. When I'm in a group -- if I'm in an elevator and there are other people with me, including, like, security people, it's not their fault. They have to be in the elevator, I want to protect them also. I put on a mask.
I will have -- I have no problem with the masks. I view it this way: Anything that potentially can help -- and that certainly can potentially help -- is a good thing. I have no problem. I carry it. I wear it. You saw me wearing it a number of times, and I'll continue.
Please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you --
TRUMP: Go ahead, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A quick follow-up. Can I ask you a quick follow- up?
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you sending mixed messages, though? Yesterday, you tweeted out an image wearing a mask. And then, last evening, we saw you not wearing a mask at your hotel.
TRUMP: Well, I don't know. The hotel -- I was pretty far away from people, but I would say this. I've explained it, I think, very well. If you're close together, I would put on the mask, and if you're not -- I would say that if you're -- for instance, I'll see -- like, here, you've been all tested; I've been tested.
Oftentimes, I'll be with people that are fully tested. I've been tested. In theory, you don't need the mask. I'm getting used to the mask, and the reason is -- think about patriotism. Maybe it is. It helps. It helps.
Now, we have experts that have said, in the recent past, that masks aren't necessarily good to wear. You know that. But now they've changed their mind. If they change their mind, that's good enough for me. So I wear it when appropriate.
Please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, sir. A lot of Americans, though, may be surprised at your change of tone over all of this -- a more, perhaps, realistic tone. Some would look at it that way. The sudden embrace of masks, social distancing, the --
[17:35:08]
TRUMP: Well, I've always agreed with that. I mean, I've never fought either one. But certainly, social distancing, I want to -- it's -- that's common sense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea that things --
TRUMP: Six feet for me is common sense. I'd like to say maybe make it a little bit further.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea that things will get worse perhaps before they get better here, and perhaps the realization that this resurgence, if you will, is for real -- when you used to talk about it in terms of little fires being put out here and there. Would you respond that?
TRUMP: We have them too. No, we have embers and fires, and we have big fires. And, unfortunately, now Florida is in a little, tough -- or in a big, tough position. You have a great governor there. You have a great governor in Texas. You have people that are very, very skilled people, and I think they're going to handle it very well.
Their hospital capacities are holding up, but Texas is a big state and it's very well run, and so is Florida. And I think they'll do a very good job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you changing your tone, though, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. President.
TRUMP: Yes, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to ask you about the issue of vaccines, which you already mentioned. Yesterday, a study by a Chinese company showed some promising results for its coronavirus vaccine candidate. If China were first in developing the vaccine, or even if it weren't, would the administration be willing to work with China to bring a successful Chinese vaccine to the U.S.?
TRUMP: Yes, we're willing to work with anybody that's going to get us a good result. We're very close to the vaccine. I think we're going to have some very good results. We're already in testing; nobody thought that would be possible. Under the old system, it would be a year to two years before you can even think about using the word "testing".
So I think we've had a lot of -- and the reason we're testing, they've had good results. So now we have to see -- and the testing also for safety because they have to make sure it's safe. And I think you're going to see something over the next fairly short period of time, maybe very short period of time, having to do with therapeutics and vaccines that are very good.
So we'll be doing these quite often. We're going to keep you abreast of this, and we'll also talk about some of the other topics like our economy, which is doing well. The stock market had another good day. I think they have a good day because they see a lot of positive things happening on this front too.
Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: All right. The President, wrapping up relatively short Q&A with reporters over there at the White House briefing room. A couple of important points he made, he said, unfortunately, he said things are going to get worse before they get better. That's a different tone than clearly, he's been suggesting for quite a while. The exact quote, it will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better.
He was also very determined to make the point that he wants people to wear masks and to engage in social distancing. And he insisted that was his position all along, but we know it hasn't been his position all along for months he was even at times ridiculing wearing a mask guy and as far as social distancing is concerned.
We all remember a few weeks ago that Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where there were several thousand people who were not engaging in social distancing and certainly weren't wearing mask.
Jim Acosta, you've been listening very closely to what the President says. I assume you heard a different tone coming from the President today, probably in part because of his low poll numbers in all of these national polls.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: To some extent, yes, Wolf. I mean, he doesn't have the band back together. This was more of a solo performance. But the song I think, basically remains the same.
The President was downplaying the severity of the resurgence that we're seeing right now. And he's painting a rosy picture, Wolf, of his own administration's response to the coronavirus saying that we've done much better here in the U.S. and other countries around the world. It's just not really the case.
We perhaps better than some countries, but as we're seeing in Europe and parts of Asia, where those countries are flattening the curve and moving in the right direction, the United States is just simply not. I think there were other inconsistencies throughout this press briefing, Wolf.
At one point, the President was talking about how he's OK with masks and uses them from time to time when he needs to. But when he was at the Trump hotel here in D.C. last night for a fundraiser, he was caught on camera not wearing a mask.
When he had a rally in Tulsa earlier this year, there were thousands and thousands of people, they're not wearing masks. And speaking of that, at one point during this briefing, the President seemed to be reading off of notes, you know, throughout this press conference. But at one point, he said, he wants people to stay away from crowded bars and so on. Well, what about crowded rallies that he would like to have all around the country?
So it was just one inconsistency after another, Wolf. And speaking of inconsistency, there was a glaring one. During this press conference when the President was asked how many times he's tested a day for the coronavirus. Earlier in the day, the White House Press Secretary Kaleigh McEnany tried to downplay the importance of the President wearing masks saying he's tested all the time and said at one point that he's tested multiple times a day.
And then the President was asked about that during this press briefing, and the President says that that's not the case that he's tested maybe once a day, not more times than once a day.
[17:40:07]
And so I think that calls into question -- some of the information that we're getting from the press secretary, she should know whether or not the President is tested multiple times a day. Maybe the President misspoke there. But he seemed to say that the Press Secretary was not correct when she made that statement earlier today, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, he said he gets tested every two or three days, as opposed to multiple times a day, which his Press Secretary suggested earlier in the day. He did say --
ACOSTA: That's right.
BLITZER: -- you know, we're imploring young Americans to avoid packed bars and other crowded indoor gatherings. Be safe and be smart. That's the first time I've heard the President say that. Have you heard him say that -- something like that before?
ACOSTA: No. I do think that there were moments and, again, Wolf, this was sort of like teleprompter Trump. He was reading from the notes quite a bit during this press conference. He was obviously given these notes by people like Dr. Deborah Birx, who is waiting in the wings outside the briefing room. And so he was saying the right things at times telling young people not to go to bars, telling people to wear masks.
I mean something that the genies out of the bottle on the mask issue, Wolf. How many meetings, you know, city council meetings and how many altercations have we seen around the country now, where people are just exploding with anger about not wanting to wear masks. And now all of a sudden towards the end of July, when the President's in hot water with his poll numbers, he's now telling the American people to wear masks.
The toothpaste may just be out of the tube on that one. But, yes, from time to time, Wolf, the President was trying to say some of the right things it seemed listening to his performance in there. But at the same time, Wolf, the overall tone, I think, was the President still not dealing with the reality of how serious the situation is in this country. He was talking about embers and fires and maybe some big fires.
When, you know, there is I think you would call a raging inferno in some states around the country. We look at the situation in South Florida and other states, I mean, this is a situation that is spiraling out of control for health care workers who are dealing with this on the front lines. And so, Wolf, you know, he was asked at one point, where is Dr. Birx, where is Dr. Fauci? And he said, well, Dr. Birx is waiting in the other room.
Well, why doesn't the President want to have people like Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci in there, when they are the ones who are the experts and can pass on the kind of reliable information that can help people get through this crisis right now? The President obviously wants to stage to himself.
BLITZER: You know, there was another unusual moment I briefly want you to explain. The President was asked about Ghislaine Maxwell, the confidant, the friend, Jeffrey Epstein. She's under arrest in New York City right now, and he, a couple times, wished her well. Has the President been wishing her well before?
ACOSTA: I don't believe so, Wolf. I know he has been asked about this Jeffrey Epstein case in the past and he has tried to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein. But I have to imagine, Wolf, that there are White House officials behind the scenes who were just tearing their hair out. You know, when they heard the President say that here's the situation, you know, where they're only a few months left in this campaign.
He's asked about Ghislaine Maxwell, who is an accused sex trafficker at this point, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced of, you know, finance here, who obviously is no longer alive, committed suicide. And the President is wishing Maxwell well, that is just something that is just going to, you know, just set the hair on fire of White House officials. They definitely don't want to hear the President asked about those sorts of things.
And those are the distractions, Wolf, that White House officials are worried about when he goes out there and holds these sorts of news conferences. That particular sound bite is obviously going to play over and over again, because it's one of those moments where the President really should have just taken the news conference back on track and put it back on the track of the coronavirus.
BLITZER: Yes, it's going to stick out. And he said he knew her well that they, you know, he -- from Florida, I guess from Palm Beach, he spent a lot of time with Epstein and Maxwell over the years. And I was sort of surprised to hear him wish her well, a couple of times right there.
All right, let's get back to the coronavirus --
ACOSTA: Yes.
BLITZER: -- pandemic. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us as well. You were listening very closely, Sanjay, to what the President had to say. What's -- what jumped out at you?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think it was a, as you mentioned, Wolf, a more serious tone, certainly from the President and, you know, more well-prepared. I mean, he had notes, he was talking about some of these medications like remdesivir and the steroid medication.
I think the things that did not get addressed that really need to be addressed right now, the big one, testing, we hear a lot about his own personal testing, as you mentioned, getting tested a couple, three times a week, whatever it might be. But there's still a huge problem with testing in this country.
And it's just worth pointing out for a second, Wolf, why. For, you know, a month, probably the month of February, and maybe into March, we really weren't testing for this. We really didn't have eyes on this and the virus continued to spread pretty wildly.
[17:45:09]
So when he says, we have more testing than any other country, that's true, but that's in part because we need more testing. And we're still probably missing 10 -- there's probably 10 times as many infections out there as we are actually finding. So Wolf, that's a huge concern. That means a lot of people out there don't know they have it. They're contending to spread it and the problem continues to get worse.
And the other big issue, Wolf, that, you know, I really wish some of the scientists could have been there to talk about schools. What is the scientific sort of thesis on this? How are they sort of approaching these decisions about schools? Frankly, Wolf, I think it's what every, you know, every community really wants to know right now that's coming up. We need to have some real evidence behind what's going to happen next.
BLITZER: And he did say, at one point, and I'm looking at my notes. He keeps saying this, this virus will eventually disappear. He said months ago, it's going to disappear very quickly. Now he says, it will disappear, the virus will disappear. He says that after he says it will get worse before it gets better and disappear. It's going to disappear at some point, but that could be years from now, right?
GUPTA: Yes, that's right, Wolf. I mean, first of all, you know, there are viruses that that don't disappear, right? I mean, they're, you know, we've had hepatitis, things like that, we think about some viruses. Then there are other viruses like SARS, which in 2003, I believe, you know, it was a significant problem. And then because it wasn't as contagious, it did start to wither away and disappear.
To get to, you know, worldwide herd immunity is going to take a long time. And at that point, Wolf, if you just think about it, it's harder for the virus to jump from person to person because you're more likely to have an immune person around.
So eventually the virus will stop spreading as quickly and then go to low levels. I mean, never completely disappear. May always be, you know, sort of present in communities and potentially even infect unvaccinated, unprotected people. But you're right, Wolf, that's a long ways away.
BLITZER: Yes. And it' -- and we all hope eventually will disappear. But this is going to presumably get worse, a lot worse before it gets better unless there's a vaccine, unless there's some major therapeutics. He did say, Sanjay, the vaccines are coming a lot sooner than anyone thought and then he said by years.
All of us hope. And Dr. Fauci says he's cautiously optimistic. Maybe by the end of this year, early next year, there will be a vaccine, but there's no guarantee.
GUPTA: There's no guarantee, Wolf. When we get to see the results of these final trials, I will say this, Wolf, just as someone who's covered this pretty intensely now for the last several months, and I talked to people who are working in that area, just about every day, Wolf. And I think there does remain a significant amount of optimism around certainly the speed at which this research is happening around vaccines.
But also the likelihood that there will be a vaccine, how effective it will be, how long it will last. We don't know the answers to that yet. But, you know, I talked to people both within private sector, I talked to people at the NIH, I talked to sources around the world, there is remarkable progress. We're further along in five or six months now, then, you know, typically is done in three or four years.
So it's forever medical innovations pace will have been accelerated by this, but it's still got to lead to a safe and effective vaccine. And we still don't have the answer to that question yet.
BLITZER: We still don't. All right, Dana Bash is with us as well, our Chief Political Correspondent. Dana, anxious to hear your thoughts. What stood out to you?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what stood out mostly to me is what we didn't hear. And Sanjay just touched a bit on this when he talked about testing. But even more broadly, you know, here we are many months into this pandemic. And we have seen kind of twisting and turning from the White House and more broadly, the federal government and what their response should and shouldn't be.
But here we are, with the President actually saying in a very somber way, it's going to get worse before it gets better. OK. So what's your plan? How are you going to address this in a holistic broad way? And we didn't hear that.
Testing, obviously, is number one. And that is preventing places even like where we are in D.C. The numbers are relative to other places where there are hotspots, relatively manageable and low, I should say.
And yet, just before we came on, Montgomery County Schools outside of D.C. announced that they were going to go fully online. Same with Fairfax County. And why is that? Because they don't have the tools to go ahead and send their kids to school, primarily because of the lack of testing. They don't know who has it and who doesn't. That is such a huge, huge problem.
And so we didn't hear that. We didn't hear what the federal government is going to do led by the President of the United States.
[17:50:06]
BLITZER: Yes, Montgomery County, Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C. remote learning for the full semester.
BASH: Right.
BLITZER: Fairfax, Virginia outside of Washington, D.C. remotely learning coming up as well.
Daniel Dale is with us, our CNN reporter and fact-checker. So do some fact checking for us. Did you hear anything that required some fact checking, Daniel?
DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: As always, Wolf, I did. The President, for one just repeated some of the same false claims he was making when he was doing these briefings back in March and April. For example, he claimed that he inherited, quote, empty cupboards of ventilators. That's not true, Wolf. His own administration has confirmed to me that his administration inherited about 19,000 ventilators from the Obama administration.
He also repeated his claim that he banned travel from China and from Europe when, in fact, his travel restrictions contain multiple exemptions. Even straight off topic for one of his favorite lies claim that he's the one who got the veterans choice health care program passed. That was a law signed into law by Barack Obama in 2014.
I think the other important point, Wolf, is the distinction as Jim touched on between scripted Trump will be called teleprompter Trump and the Trump we saw in the Q&A. So scripted Trump was at least a bit more factual than he's been recently. For example, he acknowledged for what I think was the first time that we do have a concerning rise in cases in the Sunbelt. Previously, he just dismissed that as a result of great testing.
But when we got to the Q&A, you know, he was reminded in June, he was saying this virus would disappear. He again just said it would disappear. As Sanjay said, that's not quite the case. He again asked about testing. He said, well, we're doing way more than other countries, we have lower mortality than other countries. The U.S. is simply factually doing worse than its pure countries, Wolf, not better.
BLITZER: You're absolutely right. All right, Daniel, standby.
I want to bring in the Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, who was listening and watching what was going on as well. So what did you think, Mayor, the President just said the pandemic is going to get worse before it gets better. Is that what you're seeing right now in your beautiful city of Miami?
MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ (R), MIAMI, FL: I do think it's going to get worse before it gets better because a lot of the statistics that we look at are lagging statistics. So even if the new cases, which obviously is something we always focus on start improving, which yesterday we had 2,500 new cases it's an improvement over the 3,200 the day before.
Hospitalizations lag, you know, ICUs lag and deaths of course are the latest, the most lagging indicator. So even if cases start to improve, we are going to still see issues related to hospitalizations and deaths in the coming days.
BLITZER: Your Governor, Governor DeSantis of Florida sent today, he thinks your state is on the right course, his words, on the right course. Take a look at the trend line of new cases in Miami-Dade County. Does that look, we'll put it up on the screen, does that look like the right course?
SUAREZ: So, unfortunately, can't see your screen but I do know what the trend line of new cases is. And I can tell you that it's been an ascending trend line. We hit a peak on July 10th of about 125 new cases a day. As of Monday, we were at 60 new cases a day. So there is a slight or there should be on your trend line a slight, you know, slight reduction on the curve.
And, you know, like I said yesterday, we had 2,500 cases, so that'll probably flattened a little bit more by tomorrow's numbers that we get from our biostatistician. But I can tell you that over the course, obviously since we opened, we went from 533 cases, which was our high point to 3,500 new cases, which is a seven times multiplier. And the state had over a 10 times multiplier from 1,300 cases to over 13,000. I think they hit 15,000 new cases at one point.
BLITZER: Yes, you're right. You've already mandated mask wearing in Miami, you've stepped up enforcement at the same time. As we just heard over at the White House just now, the President is finally, finally embracing mask. Do you think more people in your city will comply with your order now that the President is finally on board saying the right thing. SUAREZ: I sincerely hope so. I mean, I've been asking him to do this for days now. I'm glad that finally his advisors have gotten, you know, to him, and he understands the importance of emphasizing this. We took away the warning, we used to have a warning in place, we took that away, and now we're only finding people $50, $150 and $500.
This week, we've dedicated 36 police officers, just specifically to issue fines, because we want to get that curve, that ascension curve that you showed, we want to get it to, you know, obviously to not only flatten but to start going in the opposite direction as quickly as possible so that we can get those lagging indicators, hospitalizations, ICUs and that's obviously down as much as we can, as quickly as we can.
BLITZER: Very quickly, schools in Miami, when are they going to reopen? And will there be in-class teaching?
SUAREZ: Well, they're set to open August 18th. I don't know that there'll be in-class teaching. I've spoken to superintendent. He has not indicated to me that there will be in-class teaching.
[17:55:03]
We just shut down some summer camps because we had a summer camp counselor and a few children who got coronavirus, and we wanted to protect the kids. So, you know, I don't know that it's safe right now to have, you know, in-person learning for children at this particular moment, so it may have to wait some time.
BLITZER: Mayor Suarez, good luck to you. Good luck to everyone in Miami. Thanks so much for joining us.
SUAREZ: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, coming up, we'll talk about all the coronavirus breaking news with the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She's standing by live. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM". We're following breaking news on President Trump's first coronavirus briefing since April, largely scripted remarks that ended a short while ago with some questions and answers.
