REMARKS
Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing
HEALTHCARE
Issued on: April 22, 2020
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
6:10 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Appreciate it. A lot of tremendous things are happening. The number of new positive cases continue to decline nationwide. Recent hotspots appear to be stabilizing. The hotspots are, in some cases, very interesting what’s going on. And they’re going down; they’re going in the right direction. Cases in the Boston area are now declining. The Chicago curve appears to have flattened, which is terrific. And Detroit is past its peak.
{snip}
Q Mr. President, I wanted to ask you about Rick Bright. He’s the head of the federal agency in charge of getting a vaccine out to — to Americans once it’s ready. He says he has been pushed out of his job because he raised questions about hydroxychloroquine and some of your directives on that. Was he pushed out of that job?
THE PRESIDENT: I — I’ve never heard of him. You just mentioned the name. I never heard of him. When did this happen?
Q This happened today.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’ve never heard of him. If the guy says he was pushed out of a job, maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. I — you’d have to hear the other side. I don’t know who he is.
{snip. Now it's Weijia Jiang's turn to get insulted again.}
Q Mr. President, yes, I just had a follow — a question for Dr. Fauci, if you don’t mind.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, sure.
Q And I’m happy to ask you one after. So Jon had asked the President about Rick Bright, and he said he wasn’t sure who that was, but I’m — I’m sure you’re familiar who he is since he was the head of BARDA. So this concern or an accusation he’s raised that he was removed from his job because he protested widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, are you familiar with the situation? And do you feel like public health experts feel they are able to speak publicly or to speak out in opposition to the things?
DR. FAUCI: Here I am.
Q Yeah.
DR. FAUCI: So you don’t feel like there’s any concern among —
DR. FAUCI: No. No.
Q — people at the NIH right now or in the public health community?
DR. FAUCI: At the NIH, absolutely not.
Q Dr. Fauci, knowing Dr. Bright and knowing what his gifts are as one of the country’s leading experts on vaccines, are those gifts best suited at NIH rather than BARDA? What’s he going to be doing with you?
DR. FAUCI: What is he going to be doing at the NIH?
Q So, first of all, are his gifts best suited to work with you rather than BARDA?
DR. FAUCI: No, I — I can’t — I don’t really think I can comment on somebody’s relative gifts. I mean, he’s — he’s going to be at the NIH, and he’s going to be responsible, from what I hear — again, this is what I’ve heard — that he’s going to be responsible for the development of diagnostics, which is very, very important.
The NIH is going to be involved in trying to develop new-generation diagnostics, which we feel is going to be very important for the future of being able to facilitate the kinds of things that now are sometimes problematic.
Q Are you concerned at all that he —
THE PRESIDENT: And why did you say that he has great gifts or gifts? What, do you know him?
Q Well, that’s his expertise. I mean, I’m just looking at his résumé.
THE PRESIDENT: No, no, but have you reviewed him? Have you — have you studied him? Have you reported on him? You said, “his gifts.” His gifts. I mean —
Q He’s worked his entire career developing vaccines, including the —
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that doesn’t mean you have gifts. I know a lot of people, they play baseball, but they can’t hit 150 in the Major Leagues.
Q Well, he helped develop the flu vaccine last year.
THE PRESIDENT: No, no, but you talk about his great gifts.
Go ahead, please.
Q Mr. President, thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Please, go ahead. You can go. Please.
Q Thank you, sir. I have two questions, one for myself and then one for a colleague of ours who cannot be here today because of social distancing.
THE PRESIDENT: From where? From where?
Q I’m with USA Today. First, the executive director of the National Association of Counties said today that the White House did not want to see money for local — state and local governments in the latest COVID assistance package.
THE PRESIDENT: And they didn’t want to say what? What does that mean? Tell me.
Q I’m sorry?
THE PRESIDENT: What does it mean? Repeat it. Say it a little differently.
Q The executive director of the National Association of Counties said today that the White House objected to putting funding for state and local governments into the latest COVID assistance package.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, really? That’s interest- — is he a Democrat?
Q I do not know, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, check it. How can you ask that questions without knowing?
Q Okay. Well — but what —
THE PRESIDENT: Check it out. You’ll find out.
Q I’ll check it out. But he says —
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, what’s the next question?
Q His question was —
THE President: You know, the numbers — you know, the money we put into states, local governments, everything else? And they have to be responsible for their own finances. But you check it out. Go ahead. What’s the next —
Q Well, his point was — he said that you felt like that this would somehow be a disincentive for states to open their economies. Is he correct about that?
THE PRESIDENT: How would he know what I felt? I never spoke to him. I don’t even know who he is.
Q I’m asking you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: You don’t know who he is either.
Q Yes, his name is Matthew Chase, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, it doesn’t help me, and it doesn’t help you.
Okay, go ahead, Jeff.
Q Mr. President, also a follow-up —
THE PRESIDENT: Do we want to keep going a little while longer or no?
Q Yes. Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: You’re not going to say, “Oh, he took questions all night long”?
Q No, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay? Right?
Q Yes, please. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, well, good. How many questions can you ask? Go ahead.
{snip}
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