The White House Coronavirus Task Force was back Sunday with a briefing and, after a lull, the fireworks also returned as President Trump tussled with multiple reporters, most notably another throwdown with PBS NewsHour White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.
Alcindor asked about his comments to Sean Hannity about New York’s ventilator requests, but the President wasn’t having it. Instead, he told her to “be nice,” “don’t be threatening,” and reminded her that, despite how some in the liberal media behave, “we’re all on the same team” in hoping to defeat the virus.
She started to ask the first of two questions, but she didn’t get to finish before the President interjected, so here’s what she did get out: “[Y]ou said repeatedly that you think some of the equipment that governors are requesting they don't actually need. You said New York might need --- might not need 30,000.”
Trump claimed that he never said that and when Alcindor brought up Hannity, the President grew upset and thus cross-talk ensued with Alcindor saying “Mr. President, my question is” on a loop while Trump implored her to be “a little more positive” and drop the “get you” attitude.
He added her attitude was “why nobody trusts the media anymore”:
Listen, you know, why don’t --- why don't you people act --- let me ask you. Why don’t you act --- why don't you act in a little more positive. It’s always trying to get you, get you, get you, and you know what? That's why nobody trusts the media anymore. That’s why people ---you didn’t hear me. That's why you used to work for The Times and now you work for somebody else. Look, let me tell you something. Be nice. Don't be threatening. Be nice. Go ahead.
The President then went on about the work of Vice President Pence, the task force, and the various corporate CEOs that were in attendance before citing reports of ventilators meant for New York City being found in a warehouse (and thus staying unused) (click “expand”):
We're producing a tremendous number of ventilators, doing a great job on it… [L]et me give you one example. We sent thousands of generators to New York. They were put into a warehouse --- a New York warehouse that happened to be located, interestingly, in Edison, New Jersey. They were given to New York and we then went to other places also giving thousands of ventilators. The people in New York never distributed the generators. We said why didn't you distribute them? Now, you have to understand, they have New York people working at those warehouses. They knew they had them. So we said why didn't you distribute them? I hope they've distributed them now, but maybe they didn't need them so badly.
But just so you know, we're -- you, me, everybody, we're all on the same team. You know, when --- when journalists get up, and you're a journalist, a fine journalist, when journalists get up and ask questions that are so threatening. We’re all on the same team.
Alcindor again brought up his comments on the Fox News Channel and the President responded by telling her to rewatch it because something was up “[w]hen I hear facemasks go from 10,000 to 300,000 and they constantly need more and the biggest man in the business is, like, shocked.”
The PBS correspondent and MSNBC contributor tried to start her second question, but Trump moved to call on another reporter:
That's enough. Please, please, that's enough. That's enough. That's not fair to the other reporters. [INAUDIBLE ALCINDOR SHOUTING] It’s not fair. You had a long time, a long question. If we have time, I’ll get back to you for your second question. Is that okay? All right. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Almost 20 minutes later, CNN’s Jeremy Diamond handed the microphone back to Alcindor, who wondered what evidence the President had whenever he’s argued that more Americans could die from suicide and mental illness as a result of the pandemic than the virus itself.
Trump never did cite specific statistics for why he thought that, but he instead made it from a logical/philosophical perspective because of the painful and sudden economic downturn as a result of the coronavirus (click “expand):
[I]t’s common sense. You’re going to have massive depression, meaning mental depression. You are going to have depression in the economy also, but you're going to have mental depression for people. You're going to have large numbers of suicides. Take a look at what happens in a really horrible recession or worse. So you're going to have tremendous suicides, but you know what you are going to have more than anything else? Drug addiction. You will see drugs being used like nobody's ever used them before, and people are going to be dying all over the place from --- from drug addiction.
(.…)
It’s so easy to figure that. I mean, massive drug use, massive depression, mental depression, massive numbers of suicide, anxiety causes, you know, disease, they say, a lot of people --- you're going to have tremendous --- and hopefully we're not going to have that because, hopefully, by what we're doing, we get the best of both worlds. We don't have 2.2 million deaths. We have a number that's much less, much, much less, and at the same time, we get our country running again.
So after tussling with Trump at the March 18 and 20 press briefings (both over the liberal media insistence that saying “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus” was racist), the taxpayer-funded reporter made her way back into the headlines (along with throngs of adoring, blue checkmark journalists).
To see the relevant transcript from March 29’s press briefing, click “expand.”
White House Coronavirus Task Force Briefing
March 29, 2020
6:27 p.m. EasternYAMICHE ALCINDOR: I have two questions. The first is, you said repeatedly that you think some of the equipment that governors are requesting they don't actually need. You said New York might need --- might not need 30,000.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I didn't say that. I didn't say that.
ALCINDOR: You said it on Sean Hannity’s Fox News ---
TRUMP: I didn't say that. Come on.
ALCINDOR: you said --- that you might ---
TRUMP: Listen, you know, why don’t --- why don't you people act ---
ALCINDOR: You said some states ---
TRUMP: --- let me ask you. Why don’t you act --- why don't you act in a little more positive. It’s always trying to get you, get you, get you, and you know what? That's why nobody trusts the media anymore. That’s why people ---
ALCINDOR: --- my question is how that going to impact ---
TRUMP: --- you didn’t hear me. That's why you used to work for The Times and now you work for somebody else. Look, let me tell you something. Be nice. Don't be threatening.
ALCINDOR: --- Mr. President, my question is ---
TRUMP: Be nice. Go ahead.
ALCINDOR: --- my question, how is that going to impact how you fill these orders for ventilators or for masks. Your views that ---
TRUMP: It’s not going to impact.
ALCINDOR: --- it’s not going to impact at all.
TRUMP: We're producing a tremendous number of ventilators, doing a great job on it. Mike Pence, our Vice President, has headed up the task force which has incredible the job they have done. We have everybody in the White House working on it. We have everybody in the country is working on this in one way or the other. The fact is, we've done a great job of delivering. You've seen the biggest people in the business. I mean, there's nobody even close to this group of people. We had a meeting at 3:00. It lasted for long time. It was a great meeting with the generals and with everybody else and they have done a fantastic job. I'm just saying this, if they’re holding --- let me give you one example. We sent thousands of generators to New York. They were put into a warehouse --- a New York warehouse that happened to be located, interestingly, in Edison, New Jersey. They were given to New York and we then went to other places also giving thousands of ventilators. The people in New York never distributed the generators. We said why didn't you distribute them? Now, you have to understand, they have New York people working at those warehouses. They knew they had them. So we said why didn't you distribute them? I hope they've distributed them now, but maybe they didn't need them so badly, but just so you know, we're -- you, me, everybody, we're all on the same team. You know, when --- when journalists get up, and you're a journalist, a fine journalist, when journalists get up ---
ALCINDOR: You said to it Sean Hannity.
TRUMP: --- and ask questions that are so threatening. We’re all on the same team.
ALCINDOR: I was quoting you directly from your interview with Sean Hannity.
TRUMP: Take a look at my interview. What I want to do is if there is something wrong, we have to get to the bottom of it. When I hear facemasks go from 10,000 to 300,000 and they constantly need more and the biggest man in the business is like shocked, He knows all about the virus, by the way. He's not surprised by that. He knows all about it. He shouldn't be surprised. He should say well that's standard because this is really a very tough disease. This has been a very tough virus to handle. Okay? Please, go ahead.
ALCINDOR: Mr. President, my second question. Mr. President, my second question ---
TRUMP: Go ahead. That's enough.
ALCINDOR: --- Mr. President, my second question is ---
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
ALCINDOR: --- Mr. President, my second question is --
TRUMP: Please, please, that's enough. That's enough. That's not fair to the other reporters. [INAUDIBLE ALCINDOR SHOUTING] It’s not fair. You had a long time, a long question. If we have time, I’ll get back to you for your second question. Is that okay? All right. Thank you. I appreciate it.
(….)
6:49 p.m. Eastern
ALCINDOR: You’ve also said that, at one point, that you thought more people might die from the economic tragedies and economic problems in America, due to the coronavirus outbreak. What health officials are telling you that, and Dr. Fauci, could you speak to that idea that there might be mental health and suicide related to this, would that outpace at some point the virus's impact on the society? Thank you.
TRUMP: I could ask Dr. Fauci to come up, but it’s common sense. You’re going to have massive depression, meaning mental depression. You are going to have depression in the economy also, but you're going to have mental depression for people. You're going to have large numbers of suicides. Take a look at what happens in a really horrible recession or worse. So you're going to have tremendous suicides, but you know what you are going to have more than anything else? Drug addiction. You will see drugs being used like nobody's ever used them before, and people are going to be dying all over the place from --- from drug addiction because you would have people that had a wonderful job at a restaurant or even owned a restaurant. I spoke to great people today that have done a great job. In one day, at the top of their business, celebrity chefs, they’ve got the most successful restaurants, and in one day, they have nothing. They've gotten wiped out. One day, from our enemy, this invisible, horrible scourge. So when you ask me that, it’s --- it’s so easy to figure that. I mean, massive drug use, massive depression, mental depression, massive numbers of suicide, anxiety causes, you know, disease, they say, a lot of people --- you're going to have tremendous --- and hopefully we're not going to have that because, hopefully, by what we're doing, we get the best of both worlds. We don't have 2.2 million deaths. We have a number that's much less, much, much less, and at the same time, we get our country running again.
