NEW ORLEANS — President Donald J. Trump has been recently accused of playing down the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic in public while privately acknowledging it.
CNN's Pamela Brown brought this to the attention of Sen. John Kennedy, asking him about his stance on the president's different stances on the virus, during the early months of the pandemic that to date has killed about 190,000 Americans.
Here's a transcription of the interview:
Pamela Brown:
Senator, President Trump told Bob Woodward the first week of February that he knew the coronavirus could be spread through the air and that it was more deadly than the flu, but two weeks later he saidat a rally that coronavirus was the Democrats' new hoax. Is that acceptable to you? Is that misleading the public?
Sen. John Kennedy:
You’re talking about the Woodward book?
Brown:
Yes, the Woodward book.
Kennedy:
All I can do is share with you my point of view, Pamela. These gotcha books don’t really interest me that much—
Brown:
He’s on the record.
Kennedy:
These gotcha books don’t really interest me that much. There will be a new one out tomorrow.
Brown:
But this is different he did 18 interviews with Bob Woodward, so he’s recorded. You hear his voice, and you’re seeing that and contrasting that with what he says to the public. Wouldn’t that be something of interest to you as a United States Senator?
Kennedy:
Let me answer you again. These gotcha books don’t really interest me. There will be a new one out tomorrow.
Brown:
Senator, I let you talk. I wanted to hear what you had to say, but the bottom line is he told Bob Woodward privately that this was a deadly virus and that it was airborne. Didn’t the public and didn’t the citizens in your home state of Louisiana deserve to know that as well, so that they could change their behavior appropriately to protect themselves?
Kennedy:
Well, number one, Pamela, I’m not going to repeat what I just said, but all I can tell you is what my personal experience has been. Number two, let me say a word about this infatuation in Washington with who said what to whom. I learned pretty quickly up here—
Brown:
No, Senator. I’m sorry I’m not going to let you do this. I understand there's so much politics right now. We’re two months away from an election, but this is life and death. You have 5,000 people that have died in Louisiana from coronavirus. Republicans are reluctant as you are now to ever criticize this president, but as a human being how can you be OK with this?
Kennedy:
Well if I could finish my answer, um— I have learned in Washington DC, I'm’ sort of existential or Sartrean about Washington DC. To be is to act. You learn pretty quickly not to judge people by what they say you have to judge them by what they do.
And all I can tell you, Pamela, is what my personal experience has been, and that is that this administration has been very responsive early on. We were the first ones hit after New York, both to the coronavirus and to the damage we’ve done to our economy. Now, I understand some people disagree with that, but that’s honestly my experience.
Brown:
Alright so let's just put — so, you’re saying it’s about actions. They speak louder than words. The president knew in February. We have him on tape telling Bob Woodward that this was airborne, and yet he went on to hold six rallies packed with people that were not wearing masks. And he called the coronavirus the Democrats' hoax. Those were actions he took, and he had the knowledge. That’s OK with you?
Kennedy:
Well, you’re going to have to talk to the president and Mr. Woodward—
Brown:
But what do you think?
Kennedy:
Well, I don’t know. I haven’t seen the transcript.
Brown:
You haven’t heard it?
Kennedy:
Pam, let me finish and answer.
Brown:
Can I play it for you? Let me play it for you really quick, so you can hear it and respond.
Kennedy: OK
Brown then prompts clips of President Donald Trump downplaying the threat of the coronavirus to the public, and then a second clip of the president telling Bob Woodward he intentionally played down the threat of the pandemic to avoid creating a panic, to give Sen. Kennedy the opportunity to see for himself and comment.
Brown:
So, there you heard him say 'I want to play it down. I didn’t want to cause a panic.' He knows this. He’s saying he’s downplaying it, and yet, he’s holding these rallies where he’s calling it a hoax. You’re OK with that? With people crowded in together?
Kennedy:
Well, once again, Pamela, I haven’t read the transcript. I don’t know the context. You just played the excerpt for me. What I heard the president say was that he didn’t want the American people to panic. I don’t think any of us want the American people to panic.
Brown:
Right, there’s a difference between making sure you stay calm and that you don’t encourage people to panic, but also being forthright. So, that during a pandemic people have all the information. They’re armed with all the necessary information, so that they can take the steps necessary to protect themselves and their families. Would you agree with that?
Kennedy:
That’s a valid point, but once again, I can just tell you what my experience has been. And that is that the president by his deeds — and he’s never done it by his words with me either — has ever downplayed the coronavirus quite the contrary.
Brown:
But you’re focusing just on you, and not all the people at these rallies and in your state who were listening to the president back in February and taking his cues.
Kennedy:
Well, if you let me finish, you’re going to be able to find experts —
I remember the experts from Imperial College and from the University of Washington who told us everything that was going to happen from the coronavirus, and it turns out that those late-night psychic hotlines make those so-called experts look responsible.
And you’re going to be able to find experts who will say 'Well, if the president had done this and the president had done that we’d have saved x number of lives.'
Brown:
This isn’t about even what the experts are saying this is about what the president said publicly and what the president said to Bob Woodward.
The exchange above can be seen in the video below:
