Omicron variant is here, what are next steps?
'Special Report' panel discusses potential strategy for the Biden administration to take as omicron arrives in the U.S.
This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," December 2, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: COVID-19 has been very divisive in this country. It's become a political issue, which is a sad, sad commentary. This is a moment we can do what we haven't been able to do enough of through this whole pandemic -- get the nation to come together.
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Nothing is off the table. We do have some protections, some strong protections in place already, including requirement of mask wearing, which is extended, doubling of fines if people are not in compliance.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R-FL): What I do hope the strategy isn't going to be is one that is counterproductive, that in essence forces people to do things that we don't need to do, because all that does is create more strife, more economic pain, and, frankly, more division in the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EMANUEL: So the Omicron variant is here. The White House doesn't want you to panic, but the question is next steps and how far they want to go to get a handle on it. We have popping up in new states. We reported just moments ago, five cases reported in New York state.
Let's bring in our panel, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, Harold Ford Jr., former Tennessee Congressman, CEO of Empowerment and Inclusion Capital, and Brian Kilmeade, co-host of FOX & FRIENDS and author of the new book "The President and the Freedom Fighter, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America's Soul." Look forward to reading that.
Ari, as a former White House press secretary, was this the president trying to get ahead of this today?
ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes. He has been trying to get ahead of it for years, ever since it happened, in a political fashion. So let's start with Joe Biden. He has been all over the map, and that's the problem with the president. He said we shouldn't politicize it. Of course, he spent all of 2020 politicizing it. He said he wouldn't support a mandate. He supported a mandate. So, Joe Biden has not been a steady leader. He has been a politician on this. Don't just stand there, do something is really Biden's approach.
And when it comes to the vaccine and the mandate, I do think this is gray area. I know a lot of people want to make it black and white, but I see this as gray. When you think about the principle of mandating vaccines for grave, health related issues, we crossed that line 150 years ago. In Massachusetts in the 1850s smallpox was mandatory vaccine. Since then rubella, measles, all kinds of things, in the state of Texas hepatitis b, polio are mandated vaccines in schools.
So I don't philosophically oppose a mandate necessarily, but I do think you have to be realistic and stop pushing when so many Americans will not accept it. Most Americans have, are double vaccinated, 71 percent of all Americans over 18 are fully vaccinated. But to those who don't want to take it, it shouldn't be a mandate.
EMANUEL: Brian, your thoughts on COVID tonight?
BRIAN KILMEADE, FOX NEWS HOST: Number one, according to this Omicron variant, over the weekend you want us to relax, not panic, but you ban eight nations of Africa from coming here and us going there. We're not the only country to do this, to overreact. And then you'll tell us on Monday tells how you feel about it. And then he tells us on Monday don't worry about it. And by the way, the South African medical community and these other African nations are saying I feel so ridiculous that I brought this just to be transparent, and now my country is paying the price for no reason, because the people that she has treated have a runny nose and a low fever. Are we going to get vaccinated to avoid a runny nose and a low fever?
It's restriction, restriction, restriction, that's what he is talking about today. I'm going to keep the mask on on planes, even though the air cycles through. They say it's one of the cleanest places you could actually be on the indoors. We are going to continue with these same things on trains and other things. And schools, there is no push to get the masks off kids, although we're the only developed country, I believe, making a second grader have a mask for two years.
The reason why we're polarized is because he has not done the easiest things possible. And Harold, I think you'd backed me up on this.
EMANUEL: All right.
KILMEADE: He did not say it's Donald Trump's vaccine. I am just getting it out quicker. So for those of you who don't feel good about Democrats or me, it's your guy's vaccine. He doesn't do that. He buries it with the Abraham Accords.
EMANUEL: Sorry, Brian, I jumped on the segue. Harold, take it away.
HAROLD FORD JR., FORMER TENNESSEE REPRESENTATIVE: First off, thanks for having me. And for those who have not read Brian's book, it's a good read and a good take on a big part, an important part of our history.
I would agree with Brian's last statement, and I disagree with the earlier part. His last statement is right. This is a vaccine that we would not have but for Operation Warp Speed, and I think the incredible work that scientists and medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies were able to do largely because the way it was paved for them to do it.
I think when you look at serious health professionals, which I consider every health professional to be serious, but when you look at the serious community of professionals and you take out politics, there are two things they agree upon, that the vaccine is our greatest weapon and protection against the COVID and against its mutations and variants, and that the variants are able to -- are able to, excuse me, develop amongst the unvaccinated, and that's how we are getting the breakthrough cases with those of us who are vaccinated.
I happen to think that Ari had had it most right. He had to contort himself a little bit to get to the end of it. We should have a mandate around this. As Ari so aptly said, we have a history of this in our nation. This is about public health. And unless you have a compelling health or religious reason for not getting the vaccine, I don't see why we wouldn't want to force people to make people get it, because no one is dying from the vaccine or getting very ill from the vaccine itself.
KILMEADE: Harold, there is a little bit of problem with the vaccine. A lot of elite athletes, including about five different ones I know going to college have a swelling of the heart. That is an issue, they never talk about it.
If I could just add to this. We've already got one shot, OK, we got Johnson. We got two shots. Now we want a booster, and now we've got to get one every year, because I looked at my card, it now expires in three months. I got polio, I got whooping cough, I understand that. But now with this new cycle of brand new vaccines which I got, and I was happy to do it, now I'm going every three months to go? Now we got a booster? Now we have a designed booster that could be coming for the Omicron variant? People are getting a little worried about it.
EMANUEL: OK, Harold, quick response?
FORD: Look, I follow the health professional's advice here. If getting a fourth booster, and I got my third booster two months ago. If getting a fourth booster come March is what is recommended to ensure that I don't get this virus and I'm able to be around my kids and my family, I will do it.
Everyone has to make this decision for themselves and there are consequences if you don't. And the biggest is you can get this virus and you can make others infected with it. And I hope that's not what we want, and I hope people choose to be vaccinated.
EMANUEL: OK, Ari, your turn.
FLEISCHER: The crux of the matter, though, isn't those who are getting the boost or a shot. It's those who are not, and can those people be treated the same way we treated rubella and measles. And I've come to the conclusion it's no. This is tantamount to a shutdown of the economy. If you think the supply chain is bad now, wait until you tell truck drivers who don't want to take the shot that they must or they're going to lose their jobs. Ambulance drivers, emergency personnel.
Government has to be realistic. Yes, it's a good thing to have incentives and push for the booster and the shot for everyone, but stop pushing when people won't accept it. You cannot shove a vaccine down someone's throat if they don't want it. The harm to the country, the harm to the economy and the psychology of our nation is immense. So, don't mandate it.
EMANUEL: And so there is ongoing political fight across the street on Capitol Hill over the vaccine mandates, also playing out across the country. Some of the fight also taking place in the nation's courts.
Panel, we will leave it there for now. When we come back, tomorrow's headlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
EMANUEL: So it sounds like we could be heading for a government shutdown. Now it sounds like they may wrap things up tonight a day early.
Finally tonight, a look at tomorrow's headlines, and hopefully none of you guys were going to talk about a government shutdown. Brian, why don't you lead us off?
KILMEADE: I will lead you off, because this big story in sports is how many people have fake vaccine cards, one of which Antonio Brown and two others are suspended for getting fake cards. They are out for three games with no pay.
My sense is, remember Aaron Rodgers started this whole thing off by saying that I'm immunized, but I'm not vaccinated. I think this is going to get bigger and bigger. They are going to ask everybody, and it turns out, I think, most of these athletes have fake cards. This going to be bigger than you know.
EMANUEL: All right, Harold, your turn.
FORD: U.S. Olympic team one step closer to not participating in the Olympics in China. From the human rights violations to now the Women's Tennis Association coming out with its strong statement and denying one of its season-ending tournaments to be in China, I think it paves the way, if indeed, we are not able to extract the concessions from China before the Olympics.
EMANUEL: So sports themed so far. Ari, your turn.
FLEISCHER: Sorry, back to COVID. COVID won't die. Whether it was the Delta variant or this variant or the next or the next one after that, get used to it. We're going to be living with COVID for years. That's the facts, that's science. And so live your lives. Don't let this stop you from living your life.
EMANUEL: Thanks, gentlemen.
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