On Wednesday, ABC’s Good Morning America incredibly hailed China as a “glimmer of hope” in the coronavirus pandemic while seeming to blame the Trump administration for not doing more to combat the global health crisis in late 2019 – when the seriousness of the disease was being covered up by China’s authoritarian communist regime.
“It is wonderful to start with a glimmer of hope from where the pandemic began. After 76 days of lockdown, Wuhan, China, is open again,” co-host Robin Roberts proclaimed at the start of the broadcast. Without mentioning any of the serious questions about the credibility of China’s COVID-19 numbers, the morning show anchor touted: “The city has only reported three new confirmed cases in the past 21 days.”
As footage appeared on screen of Wuhan lit up with light shows and images of Chinese government propaganda, Roberts gushed:
The people counted down like it was New Year’s Eve, I don’t blame them, midnight light show, skyscrapers lit up with the words, “Hello, Wuhan.” Air, train, and bus service into and out of the area is back. Now we should say, some restrictions do remain, but, George, this is definitely progress that we want to see.
Fellow co-host George Stephanopoulos chimed in: “It is so good to see that progress, Robin.”
Just moments before that cheering of China, Stephanopoulos teased: “Breaking this morning, an exclusive ABC News investigation. American military medical investigators sounded the alarm about coronavirus back in November. So why didn’t the White House ramp up efforts to combat COVID-19 more quickly?”
Minutes later, co-host Michael Strahan reiterated: “...an exclusive ABC News investigation out this morning reports that the National Center for Medical Intelligence warned the military and the White House late last year about the spread of coronavirus in China.”
Rather than hold China accountable for clearly lying about the spread of COVID-19 in November and December, senior White House correspondent Cecilia Vega decided that President Trump was exclusively to blame:
So, it was just yesterday that President Trump said no one had even heard of the virus two months ago, but we are now learning that as far back as late November, American military medical investigators overseas sounded the alarm to officials right here at home about a contagion that was sweeping through Wuhan....But it wasn’t until late January that President Trump made his first public comments about this virus, saying that he wasn’t at all worried about it and that he had it totally under control. Of course, this is now raising serious questions about whether the administration could have ramped up the response efforts before it actually did.
During an interview that followed with White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, Stephanopoulos demanded: “We just had that report right there that the National Committee on Medical Intelligence first compiled evidence of a cataclysmic coronavirus event in China back in November. They briefed it to the military, they briefed it to the White House. So why wasn’t more action taken more quickly?”
Dr. Brix responded: “Well, I have to say I wasn’t here during any of those events. I was working in sub-Saharan Africa on HIV-AIDS so I don’t really know the situational awareness around that report.”
A dejected Stephanopoulos assured viewers: “Okay. Well, we’ll follow up with the White House later.”
After the interview, he decried: “It’s simply stunning that medical intelligence had reports of corona in China back in November, yet nothing was done for weeks and weeks and weeks.” Roberts agreed: “Many were taken aback hearing about that, George.”
Amazingly, China received no blame in any of GMA’s coverage on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the CBS and NBC evening newscasts similarly celebrated the end of the Wuhan lockdown while downplaying concerns over the credibility of China’s coronavirus statistics.
Here is a transcript of the April 8 coverage on GMA:
7:01 AM ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Breaking this morning, an exclusive ABC News investigation. American military medical investigators sounded the alarm about coronavirus back in November. So why didn’t the White House ramp up efforts to combat COVID-19 more quickly?
(...)
7:02 AM ET
ROBIN ROBERTS: It is wonderful to start with a glimmer of hope from where the pandemic began. After 76 days of lockdown, Wuhan, China, is open again. The city has only reported three new confirmed cases in the past 21 days. The people counted down like it was New Year’s Eve, I don’t blame them, midnight light show, skyscrapers lit up with the words, “Hello, Wuhan.” Air, train, and bus service into and out of the area is back. Now we should say, some restrictions do remain, but, George, this is definitely progress that we want to see.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It is so good to see that progress, Robin.
(...)
7:07 AM ET
MICHAEL STRAHAN: Now to that breaking news, an exclusive ABC News investigation out this morning reports that the National Center for Medical Intelligence warned the military and the White House late last year about the spread of coronavirus in China. Our senior White House correspondent Cecilia Vega joins us now with the details. Good morning, Cecilia.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Missed Warning Signs?; Sources: Intelligence Officials Warned of Crisis as Early as November]
CECILIA VEGA: Hey, Michael, good morning to you. So, it was just yesterday that President Trump said no one had even heard of the virus two months ago, but we are now learning that as far back as late November, American military medical investigators overseas sounded the alarm to officials right here at home about a contagion that was sweeping through Wuhan. Those concerns that the virus could be devastating were detailed in a report and multiple sources have described that report to our team.
Now, it’s not just that, there were repeated briefings for policymakers across the federal government through December, and by early January, the warnings made it into the President’s daily briefing. But it wasn’t until late January that President Trump made his first public comments about this virus, saying that he wasn’t at all worried about it and that he had it totally under control. Of course, this is now raising serious questions about whether the administration could have ramped up the response efforts before it actually did. Michael, so far no comment from the Pentagon or officials at the White House.
STRAHAN: Well, we know you’re going to stay on them today, Cecilia. But we also heard the President, in the middle of this pandemic, he threatened to cut off funding to the well world – World Health Organization – sorry about that.
VEGA: Yeah, no, he did, you’re right, Michael. And it’s because he says he’s angry with the group, saying that they’ve been too China-centric during this outbreak and he said point blank, “We’re going to put a very powerful hold on the money given to them.” But then just a few minutes later he seemed to backtrack, saying that he’s now strongly considering it, Michael. But if this does happen, it would be huge. The U.S. is the largest single contributor to the W.H.O., we’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars, Michael.
STRAHAN: And not long ago he was praising the W.H.O. Thank you so much, Cecilia. Gonna go to George now. George?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Thank you, Michael. We’re joined now by Dr. Deborah Birx from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Dr. Birx, thank you for joining us this morning. We just had that report right there that the National Committee on Medical Intelligence first compiled evidence of a cataclysmic coronavirus event in China back in November. They briefed it to the military, they briefed it to the White House. So why wasn’t more action taken more quickly?
DR. DEBORAH BIRX: Well, I have to say I wasn’t here during any of those events. I was working in sub-Saharan Africa on HIV-AIDS so I don’t really know the situational awareness around that report.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay. Well, we’ll follow up with the White House later. Let me ask you, though, about this potential threat from the President to cut off funding for the World Health Organization. Does that make sense at this moment?
DR. BIRX: You know, in the history of the United States and the World Health Organization, we have had times when we’ve done really in-depth analysis of what has happened. When the President said he was holding funds, he didn’t say he was restricting and keeping funds permanently away. But said instead, said let’s investigate what happened, let’s see what happened in our reporting. We’ve done that before with previous outbreaks and previous issues that have occurred at W.H.O.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So this – so there will not be a suspension of funding at this point?
DR. BIRX: So we give our contribution annually, the United States is the largest contributor, we always have been. Just as we are the largest contributor to a lot of different multilateral organizations. I think that the President wants to complete an investigation of what happened during this current outbreak. Believe me, they already have their continuation funds from last year so this is a year-by-year commitment to the W.H.O. This is our required – this is our required commitment. There’s also voluntary commitments that we’ve made to the W.H.O. through history, including over the last couple of years for HIV, malaria, TB. So a whole series of diseases.
(...)
7:14 AM ET
STEPHANOPOULOS: And today we are going to be following up on that investigative report. It’s simply stunning that medical intelligence had reports of corona in China back in November, yet nothing was done for weeks and weeks and weeks.
ROBERTS: Many were taken aback hearing about that, George.
(...)
