'The Five' react to President Trump's COVID briefing

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'The Five' react to President Trump's COVID briefing

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," July 21, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: Hello, everybody. I'm Jesse Watters, along with Juan Williams, Greg Gutfeld, Dagen McDowell, and Emily Compagno. It is 5:00 in New York City, and this is THE FIVE. Fox News Alert, you're looking live at the White House podium, where any minute now, President Trump will be holding his first Coronavirus briefing since April.

It could be a boost to his re-election campaign, as cases of the virus continue to spike in the U.S. The president is expected to focus on vaccines and therapeutics, and is planning on taking questions from the press, Democrats not happy with the return of the briefings. They are furious at the president is talking directly to the American people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump demonstrates every single day not just that he's incompetent. It's also that he is dangerous. And people are dying because of this pandemic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you hear that, Donald Trump? You have created one of the greatest failures in presidential leadership in our country's entire history. When the White House Coronavirus briefings resume, President Trump should not take the podium. Every time President Trump takes the podium at one of these briefings, he's a threat to public health.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: OK. Emily, I'm always under the assumption when Chuck Schumer says the president shouldn't do something, he should do it.

EMILY COMPAGNO, FOX NEWS HOST: I am of that same ilk. I will say that I'm a full supporter of the return of these briefings. And I think it's a great way for the president to win back those voters that he might've lost to a potentially lost confidence in his handling of the pandemic, and also to turn around the narrative being pushed by Chuck Schumer and those on the left that his handling has been a failure.

But for this to work, he, in my opinion, needs to do three things. He needs to be realistic. He needs to not oversell a vaccine or any timelines. He also needs to be prudent and talk about the importance of social distancing and mask-wearing. And he also needs to highlight the successes, right? For example, sports are slowly returning because they are taking it seriously.

And I think the more that he sort of sticks to those data points, the more he comes full forth as a leader, the more that this will bode well for him and also potential voters.

WATTERS: I think those are three great things. And I will go to Juan Williams on one more thing. I think there was one or two moments in the briefings a few months ago where one of the news reporters asked just a horrific question, just a total set up. You know, how much blood are you willing to spill, Mr. President, you know, that kind of thing.

And he handled it really well. He kind of rose above the animosity of the question, didn't take the bait, and spoke kind of above her to the American people about how he cared and how compassionate he was. I think if he can do that again, in a less confrontational way, the American people will continue to tune in and get their information from these briefings, Juan.

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS HOST: Yeah. I mean, I think that's good advice. I liked Emily's advice. I liked your advice, Jesse. I mean, to me, the key here is that Coronavirus is the number one point of concern for Americans today. I don't think there's any question about it. It's a bigger issue than the economy. And voters clearly don't think that the president is doing a good job, not with 138,000 people dead.

Not with the economy still struggling with this virus. So you know what's interesting is the politics, because their opinions of the president's handling of the virus is very closely aligned with their choice for president in the presidential race. And right now, Joe Biden is up, I think, it's plus 17 in the Fox poll.

Sixty percent of Americans in the Washington Post poll say they disapprove of the way President Trump has been dealing with the virus. Now, until recently, the White House said he was too busy to attend the Coronavirus task force meetings. I guess that's changing. And I -- that's why I think your advice -- Emily's advice is good.

If he can come in with data, real information, as opposed to making this a new source of rallies or a substitute for the convention or just for, you know, berating reporters, I think that it would be great for the American people.

WATTERS: Dagen, you know what strikes me about that poll number about approval on the virus handling? As if Joe Biden were president, we probably would've had three times as many dead because he was against the ban from China. So I don't really understand that poll result, do you?

DAGEN MCDOWELL, FOX NEWS HOST: No. And I would like to see the likes of, say, Governor Cuomo or THE FIVE governors that sent COVID positive patients back into nursing homes. In this count -- 45 governors didn't -- I'd like to see how they poll with Governor Cuomo and his vomitus portrait of denial that he had a hand in literally killing thousands of elderly people just in New York State.

But I am irritated and bothered by the kind of lethal posture of some of these Democrats. Have they no shame? Because they are willingly standing atop the suffering and hardship of the American people for a higher political profile, and more -- more love from the chattering classes. We need, as a nation, to admit that people in government, they have no idea what they're doing.

Every American is going to have to take responsibility for protecting themselves and their families and even their elderly loved ones. Because certainly, these Democrats didn't do it in places like New York. And I know President Trump. One thing he's going to do is go through the long list of private companies that are creating vaccines and what the timeline looks like.

And if you start with AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Merck, and Johnson and Johnson, they are on it. And hopefully, we'll have something by early next year.

WATTERS: Yeah. Greg, it seems the Democrats saying everything -- I would've done everything Donald Trump did except I would've done it earlier, better, and faster. It's pretty easy to say.

GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST: Yeah. I mean, I said it yesterday. I'm still waiting for what alternative suggestions they have that counters Trump. All they do is they look at what he does and say, oh, I could've done it better. But none of them, none of them offered any real -- I don't know, suggestions early on. You know, we just -- we shovelled a bunch of Democratic narratives in the front of this show.

And we have to hit that with the data and the real info, as Juan mentions. Let us not forget that it's New York and New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts that have the worst death rates. These are Democratic-led states. Right now, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, they are one- third of the death rates, six percent of the population.

These are Democratic-run, Democrat-led. Through yesterday, two and a half times more deaths are occurring in Democratic states than in Republican states. So when you have this narrative pushed by the media and then they poll the narrative, right, they push this narrative that Republicans, and by connection Trump, are responsible for badness.

And then they poll it and they go surprise. People are dissatisfied with it. It's because you are running this false narrative. The fact -- I mean, the fact is Trump accomplished and America accomplished three things. We set out to flatten the curve, and we did. Then when we flattened, which helped the hospitals, we decided we'd get back to work in phases.

No one disagreed with any of this. And so we went back to in phases, and we knew if there was going to a problem that we would make adjustments while trying to find treatments, which we've been doing. Remember, it was the media that blasted the treatments like Hydroxychloroquine, and actually took pleasure in flawed studies that said it didn't work.

So the one thing we learned about COVID is that the only entity that made it worse is the media. And what Trump is trying to do is speak directly to the American people. And right, now he's more important than the experts who've been proven wrong on so many things, from masks, to a social distancing, to the shutdown. So remember, there are people saying do not change your life.

As far back as February and March, do not change your life. Live your life the same. And then all of a sudden, Trump listened and absorbed the information, and then made the right decisions. Americans fell in line. They'd made great sacrifices. Now, we are trying to get our economy back together. And by the way, it is bouncing back. But it's not going to be easy. We know that. We understand that. We are adults.

We can balance risk with benefit and risk with progress. We don't need to be lectured every day about how many people are dying when you aren't telling us the death rates, right? When you just sit there and tell us how many more cases there, but you don't talk about whether the death rates are declining. We know what they're up to. We know what the narrative is, and it's all baloney.

WATTERS: Yeah. Emily, to Greg's point, I wonder if the way the media has levelled these expectations against the president, if he had been a Democrat, maybe this would have been perceived as a humongous success that he had prevented the spread of more virus coming in from China with the travel ban, and then take an early action to shutdown the greatest economy in the world.

And then opened it back up based on the science, and is now encouraging your sons and daughters to get back safely into school. This could have been totally covered differently, and if, you know, if Barack Obama or Joe Biden had been Commander-in-Chief. I wonder if a lot of the perceptions have been so polluted by the 100 percent negative coverage of everything the administration did.

That's got to have been infecting a lot of the people's minds about how safe or successful they feel.

COMPAGNO: Oh, undoubtedly, Jesse, 100 percent. That's exactly what has happened. And I have to say, too that that's part of what's dangerous, because given that this is a public health crisis, people don't believe what they don't want to believe. So as you say, if they're inundated with pre-perception or they're carved into who they believe that they should follow.

Well, then, nothing will change their mind. No amount of data, no amount of facts. And that is the saddest part. However, with the president resuming these briefings and sticking to data, and everything that Greg just outlined, if he says that every day, day after day, first of all, the narrative and the messaging is back in his court. And secondly, it rebuts everything day after day.

(CROSSTALK)

DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Today, I want to provide an update on our response to the China virus and what my administration is doing to get the outbreak in the Sun Belt under control, seems largely in Sun Belt that it could be spreading. My team is also working night and day with Capitol Hill to advance the next economic relief package. We are working very hard on it.

We are making a lot of progress. I also know that both sides want to get it done. We will call it Phase Four. I think we are going to get it done. We will protect our workers, our schools, and our families, and protect them very strongly. As one family, we mourn every precious life that's been lost. I pledge in their honor that we will develop a vaccine, and we will defeat the virus.

We are doing very well with vaccine development and therapeutic development. But I want to thank our brave doctors and nurses and frontline responders. The job they do is incredible, and they are truly brave. My administration will stop at nothing to save lives, shield the vulnerable, which is so important. We have learned so much about this disease.

And we know who the vulnerable are. And we are going to indeed shield them. And again, the vaccines are coming, and they are coming a lot sooner than anyone thought possible by years. You look at the old system and look at the new system, I think by years. The China virus is a vicious and dangerous illness, but we've learned a great deal about it and who it targets.

And we are in the process of developing a strategy that's going to be very, very powerful. We have developed it as we go along. Some areas of our country are doing very well. Others are doing less well. It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better. Something I don't like saying about things, but that's the way it is. It's what we have. You look over the world.

It's all over the world. And it tends to do that. The governors are working very, very hard. And we are supporting them 100 percent. Everything they need, they get. And we are taking good care. We have tremendous supplies and a great supply chain, whether it's ventilators or gowns or just about anything they need. So that's a big difference from inheriting very, very empty cupboards.

The median age of those who succumb to the China virus is 78 years old. Roughly, half of all deaths have been individuals in nursing homes or long- term care. In one study, 90 percent of those hospitalized had underlying medical conditions, whether it's heart or diabetes. But usually, it's some kind of a condition it seems that people have that. And if they do, it's a problem, no question about it.

Young adults may often have mild or even no symptoms. They won't even know they're sick. They won't have any idea that they have a virus. They won't have any idea at all. America's youth will act responsibly. And we are asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask. Get a mask, whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact.

They will have an effect. And we need everything we can get. Data shows children have the lowest fatality risk, 99.96 percent of all virus fatalities are in adults. Think of that. So that's much, much, much less than one percent for children, young people. By understanding these risks, profiles, and learning how to treat the disease, we've been able to greatly reduce mortality in the United States.

In fact, we will show you a chart and how well we do compared to the rest of the world. We have several treatments already available that significantly reduce the severity and duration of the disease, including Remdesivir, which has been very successful and a widely available steroid treatment. And we have many more happening in coming out.

We've learned best practices for treatment of the virus at every stage and have shared these findings with medical providers. And we have shared them all over the world. And the relationship with other countries has been very strong. We are all working together. This includes ensuring all hospitals are aware of the importance of different approaches to oxygen treatment.

Including high flow oxygen, the importance of steroid treatment for those on ventilators, and when you're on a ventilator, we have learned a tremendous amount about the use of the ventilator. And at the beginning, people never had an experience like this where we needed so many ventilators so fast, and even the use of the ventilators.

But the doctors have become incredibly -- and nurses and helpers have become incredibly good at the use of a ventilator, which is actually a very complicated procedure. And allocating Remdesivir to hospitals based on admissions since it works based early in hospitalization. And that's something that they have really started. They are using it much earlier.

Fatalities nationwide have fallen 75 percent since mid-April. It's a great number. As cases and fatalities rise in certain hard-hit states, which you're looking at right now. We are surging personnel, supplies, and therapeutics. We, again, have tremendous amounts of supplies. We are in very good shape, and we can move them quickly. Our case fatality rate has continued to decline and is lower than the European Union and almost everywhere else in the world.

If you watch American television, you would think that the United States was the only country involved with and suffering from the China virus. Well, the world is suffering very badly. But the fact is that many countries are suffering very, very, very badly. And they've been suffering from this virus for a long time. We have done much better than most. And with the fatality rate at a lower rate than most, it's something that we can talk about.

But we are working again with them, because we are helping a lot of countries that people don't even know about. I get calls all the time asking for help, especially as it pertains to the ventilators. They need help with ventilators. They have to get them. They are very hard to get. We are making thousands now a month, thousands of ventilators a month. It's been quite amazing.

We keep doing a good job. And things will get better and better. We will be putting up charts behind me, showing different statistics and different rates of success. And I guess you could say also things that we can do better on, but you'll see them. They will be put up as we go. In April, the average age of individuals who tested positive for the virus was over 50 years old.

Today, the average age is significantly younger. Hospital lengths of stay are almost half of what they were in April. So the stays are about half. The rate of cases requiring hospitalization has been reduced. And mortality among those admitted to the hospital is nearly one half of what it was in April. We have learned a lot. We have learned a lot about this disease, how to handle it.

The doctors have learned a lot, not only in the use of the ventilators but in many other things. And things are happening, too, like the Remdesivir and other elements, steroids et cetera. But these trends could change without our continued and relentless focus. And that's what we have. We have a relentless focus. And it's been that way from the beginning. But we have learned so much.

As you know, in recent weeks, we have seen a concerning rise in the cases in many parts of our south. You look at south, southwest, and west. This growth in cases first began to appear in mid-June, primarily among 18 to 35-year-olds, many of whom were asymptomatic. We are also facing the challenge of a significant spike in virus cases across the rest of the western hemisphere, including Mexico.

Mexico has been hit very, very, very hard. As you know, the president, a great gentleman, was here two weeks ago. And they have really been hit hard. Because we've achieved a nearly fourfold increase in testing capacity in two months, we are successfully identifying more asymptomatic and mild cases, some cases so mild that you really don't even treat them, some cases with children where they don't even know that they are ill.

And I guess there are not very ill because they recover almost immediately. Per capita, the U.S. is conducting 50 percent more test than Europe. And we have conducted nearly three times as many tests as all of the other countries in the western hemisphere combined. It would be over 50 million tests. This allows us to isolate those who are infected, even those without symptoms so we know exactly where it's going and when it's going to be there.

We are also working to reduce turn around time. My administration has been aggressively responding to case growth in the Sun Belt and we continue to do so, working very close with all governors. But right now, in particular, those governors. We are coordinating closely with hospitals and governors in the last three weeks.

I have sent senior officials into nine states to meet with governors and provide recommendations to the various leaders of the state, including hospital administrators, et cetera. My administration currently has zero unfilled requests for -- unfulfilled requests for equipment or anything else that they need from the governors. No governor needs anything right now.

And we think we will have it that way until the end, because frankly, we are stocked up and ready to go wherever we have to go. We have nearly 7,000 National Guard and military medical personnel in Texas, California, Florida, and Arizona that's helping us greatly. I want to thank them very much. The military has been fantastic. We are closely monitoring hospital capacity in the states.

Hospitals are open for elective surgeries and other procedures. So hospitals are open for elective surgeries. We want Americans to get the medical treatments they need. All of the governors, we have spoken with say they have enough bed capacity. That's a great thing. Our initial shutdown was to prevent the overflow of our hospitals and to allow us to meet the demands caused by this global pandemic, including the ventilators.

And a permanent shutdown was really never an option in terms of what we're doing right now. This would be completely unsustainable. Produce debilitating economic fallback and lead to catastrophic public health consequences. There are consequences to shutdowns. And we have saved potentially millions of lives by doing the initial shutdown. But now, we are very aware of this disease.

We understand the disease to a large extent. Nobody is going to maybe ever really fully understand it, but we will end up with a cure. We will end up with therapeutics. We'll up with a vaccine very soon, all three. We are instead asking Americans to use masks, socially distance, and employ vigorous hygiene. Wash your hands every chance you get while sheltering high risk populations.

We are imploring young Americans to avoid packed bars and other crowded indoor gatherings. Be safe and be smart. We are surging testing capacity to identify and isolate cases. This includes a newly improved testing platform to nursing homes across the south. We're being very, very vigilant with respect to nursing homes. Because, you know all of the problems that we've had with so many people so sadly -- they were infected.

So that all of the staff and residents can be routinely tested and isolated to ensure our elderly are even more strongly protected than anybody else. That's really the high risk people, the high risk wonderful people. Once this current surging cases decline, the same testing platform will enable people to visit their loved ones after taking a test, which is a big difference.

Ultimately, our goal is not merely to manage the pandemic but to end it. We want to get rid of it as soon as we can. That is why getting a vaccine will remains a top priority. Two vaccine candidates are entering the final stage of clinical trials this month. This was achieved in record time. It used to be years before you were in a position like we are right now.

Four other vaccines will enter final trials in the following weeks. And we are mass producing all of the top candidates, so that the first approved vaccine will be available immediately. And logistically, we have the military ready to go. We have great people, logistic military people, a wonderful general who is waiting for the vaccine so they can distribute it in record time.

That's what's going to happen. So our military is all set to go. We will deliver a vaccine, therapeutics, whatever it is as necessary and defeat the virus once and for all. And I'll take a few questions, if you'd like. I will say this. I want to thank all of the staff, the White House staff, and all of the doctors that we've been working with so closely. And just a lot a very positive things are happening.

It's a nasty, horrible disease that should've never been allowed to escape China, but it did. And it infected the world, and the world of suffering. But we are going to get it taken care of, and we are helping lots of other countries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, first, I just wanted to get clarification. Your press secretary said today that you sometimes take more than one test a day. Why is that?

TRUMP: Well, I didn't know about more than one. I do take probably on average a test every two days, three days. And I don't know of any time I've taken two tests in one day, but I could see that happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill had said they want to see more money for testing. They want to send billions of dollars to the states so they can do more testing. And you probably saw Mick Mulvaney the other day said that his kid, it took him a week to get test results back. He said this is simply inexcusable, given where we are in the pandemic.

Do you think we have a problem with testing in this country right now? Are you in favor of more money for testing?

TRUMP: We've done more testing by far than anybody. Some of the test, because it is a massive volume, it takes longer. Others are very quick, they're five minutes, they're 15 minute tests. Those are frankly the ones that I prefer. But we are doing massive numbers. And the numbers are coming down. And as we go, as an example, there are thousands and thousands of kits being made right now, which give you a 15 minute and a five-minute test.

So we will be able to get those numbers down. Those numbers are similar in other places. They are also doing massive numbers, numbers like nobody thought possible. But those numbers will be coming down. I agree. I think it's a good thing that we can do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you in favor of more money for testing?

TRUMP: Well, they are going to make a presentation to me tonight and tomorrow on that. And again, we're leading the world. I think we are the second country. We will be over 50 million tests. The second country is India with 12 million. And then you have 7 million, 6 million, and 4 million. I think that we are doing tremendous amount of testing.

But if the doctors and the professionals feel that, even though we are at a level that nobody ever dreamt possible that they would like to do more, I'm OK with it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are your doctors not with you here today? Where's Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx?

TRUMP: Well, Dr. Birx is right outside -- yes, please.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to know, in November, do you want to the American people to judge you on the ballot in November by how you handled this pandemic so far?

TRUMP: This among other things. I think the American people will judge us on this, but they'll judge us on the economy that I created and that already we are creating. We're setting record job numbers, as you know. I think we're going to have a very strong year next year. I think were going to have a very strong third quarter, a very good fourth quarter.

But I think next year's going to be a record year. And I think they're going to judge me on that. I think they're going to judge me on the tax- cutting and deregulation cutting, which nobody's ever done to the extent that we've been able to do it. On rebuilding the military, on how we've handled the VA, on the VA. We got veterans choice. Nobody thought that would be possible.

That's been many decades. They've been trying to get veterans choice. It's called choice, where they can go get a doctor, if they have to wait online for two weeks or five weeks or two days. And frankly, that's been a great thing. Veteran's accountability, I think they'll judge me on that. They'll judge me on all of the things we've done.

I don't think -- and I think we can say this with surety, and it's never been challenged in three and a half years, the first three and a half years. The first years of a presidency, I don't think any administration, any president has accomplished so much as we've accomplished, from energy, to health, to so many other things. And then this came in, the plague -- I call it the plague.

The plague came in. Terrible thing, should've been stopped, wasn't stopped. It came in. We had to shut things down to save potentially millions of lives. We did that. And now, we've started them up. And I think we've really started it up very successfully.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. You've been saying for months the virus would simply disappear. And now, you're saying that it's likely to get worse before it gets better. If it does keep getting worse, if Americans keep dying, are you responsible for that?

TRUMP: Well, the virus will disappear. It will disappear. I think that -- I always like to say, you know, either way, when you look at it, the governors are working with me. I am working with the governors. We are working hand-in-hand. I think we are all responsible. I view it as a team, very good relationships with the governors, very, very good relationships.

I could say I'm fully responsible. But, you know, one day we had a virus come in and I close the borders, did a lot of things that were very good. In fact, Dr. Fauci said we saved tens of thousands of lives when I closed the border. Nobody wanted to do it. I wanted to do it. We closed the border to China. We put on the ban. We didn't want people coming in from heavily- infected China.

Fairly shortly thereafter, I close the borders from Europe, coming in from Europe. Those were tremendous moves. We would have -- one person is too much, but we're let's say 140,000. We could have double, triple quadruple that number if we didn't.

So, we did a lot of things right. We did a lot of things right, including with equipment. So it's a shame that it happened. It shouldn't have happened. China should have stopped it.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Yes, go ahead, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, President Trump. If I could, two question questions. My first question is, we have a very quick testing platform here at the White House.

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great. You get tested, you know, very quickly. Do you think that it would be easier to reopen and restart businesses if we could produce more of this machine?

TRUMP: We're trying to do that? Great question. We're trying very much to do that. So rather than sending your tests in and you know, goes through the mail, one day comes back another day, no matter how they send them, it's a day and a day, so that's two days already wasted. And then if it spends -- by the time you get it back, it's three or four days if they do an efficient job. We're trying to get the testing on-site. I like it the best.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. And my follow up -- my second question is a little bit different topic, but it's one that a lot of people are talking about. Ghislaine Maxwell is in prison, and so a lot of people want to know if she's going to turn in powerful people.

And I know you've talked in the past about Prince Andrew, and you criticize Bill Clinton's behavior. I'm wondering, do you feel that she's going to turn in powerful men. How do you see that working out?

TRUMP: I don't know. I haven't really been following it too much. I just wish her well frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is. I don't know the situation with Prince Andrew. I just don't know. I'm not aware of it.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On unemployment insurance, how much below $600 are you willing to go? And you've said that the economy has gotten back strong, so why do we need to even cut it at all?

TRUMP: Well, the economy is getting stronger, and I think we have a chance to have a very strong economy, especially some of the things that I just spoke about were. We want to have people go back and want to go back to work as opposed to be sort of forced into a position where they're making more money than they expected to make, and the employees are having a hard time getting back to work.

So that was a decision that was made. I was against that original decision, but they did that. It still worked out well, because it gave people a lifeline, a real lifeline. Now, we're doing it again. They're thinking about doing 70 percent of the amount. The amount would be the same but doing it in a little bit smaller initial amounts, so that people are going to want to go back to work as opposed to making so much money that they really don't have to.

But we were very generous with him. I think that it's been a tremendously successful program. The whole thing has been successful if you look. I mean, we have -- we're in a pandemic and yet we're producing tremendous number of jobs. That was something that nobody thought possible, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, thank you very much. Yesterday you said that wearing a mask was an act of patriotism. If that is the case, why don't you do it more frequently?

TRUMP: Well, I do actually do it when I need it. I mean, carry the mask when I have to go -- I went into Walter Reed Hospital the other day. I have the mask right here. I carry it and I will use it gladly. No problem with it. And I've said that. And I say, if you can, use the mask. When you can, use the mask. If you're close to each other, if you're in a group, I would put it on.

When I'm in a group, if I'm in an elevator, and there are other people with me, including like security people, it's not their fault. They have to be in the elevator. I want to protect them also. I put on a mask. I will have -- I have no problem with the masks.

I view it this way. Anything that potentially can help, and that certainly can potentially help, is a good thing. I have no problem. I carry it, I wear it. You saw me wearing it a number of times, and I'll continue. Please.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you sending mixed messages though? Yesterday, you tweeted out an image wearing a mask, and then last evening, we saw you not wearing a mask at your hotel?

TRUMP: Well, I don't know. The hotel, I was pretty far away from people. But I would say this. I've explained it, I think very well. If you're close together, I would put on the mask. And if you're not, I would say that if you're -- for instance, I'll see -- like here, you've been tested, I've been tested. Oftentimes, I'll be with people that are fully tested. I've been tested.

In theory, you don't need the mask. I'm getting used to the mask. And the reason is, I think about patriotism. Maybe it is -- it helps, it helps. Now, we have experts that have said in the recent past that masks aren't necessarily good to wear. You know that. But now they've changed their mind. If they change their mind, that's good enough for me, so I wear it when appropriate. Please.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir. A lot of Americans may be surprised at your change of tone over all of this, more perhaps realistic tone, some would look at it that way, the sudden embrace of masks, social distancing, the --

TRUMP: Well, I've always agreed with that. I mean, I've never fought either one but certainly social distancing. I want to -- it's that's common sense. Six feet for me is common sense. I'd like to say maybe make it a little bit further.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea that things will get worse, perhaps before they get better here. And perhaps the realization that this resurgence, if you will, is for real, when you used to talk about it in terms of little fires being put out here in the air.

TRUMP: We have them too. You know, we have embers and fires and we have big fires and unfortunately now Florida is in a little tough or in a big tough position. You have a great governor there. You have a great governor in Texas. You have people that are very, very skilled people, and I think they're going to handle it very well.

Their hospital capacity Holding up, but Texas is a big state and it's very well run and so is Florida and I think they'll do a very good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you changing your tone though, sir?

TRUMP: Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to ask you about the issue of vaccines which you already mentioned. Yesterday, a study by a Chinese company shows some promising results for its Coronavirus vaccine candidate. If China were first in developing the vaccine, or even if it weren't, would the administration be willing to work with China to bring a successful Chinese vaccine to the U.S.?

TRUMP: Yes, we're willing to work with anybody that's going to get us a good result. We're very close to the vaccine. I think we're going to have some very good results. We're already in testing. Nobody thought that would be possible. Under the old system, it would be a year to two years before you could even think about using the word testing.

So I think we've had a lot of -- and the reason with testing is they've had good results. So now we have to see in the testing also for safety, because they have to make sure it's safe. And I think you're going to see something over the next fairly short period of time, maybe a very short period of time having to do with therapeutics and vaccines that are very good.

So we'll be doing these quite often. We're going to keep you abreast of this. And we'll also talk about some of the other topics like our economy, which is doing well. The stock market had another good day. I think they have a good day because they see a lot of positive things happening on this front, too. Thank you very much. Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATTERS: That was the president right there briefing the American people from the White House podium on the Coronavirus, saying that things are going to get worse before they get better, striking a much more serious and measured tone about the virus. Talking about some of the successes that the administration has had 50 million tests done. The mortality rate and hospital stays being slashed in half since April.

The National Guard medical personnel surging into the Southwest because it does look like the Sunbelt may be looking at becoming a hot spot. And the president saying we've learned a lot in the last few months about this fire sooner, much more and better prepared to take on whether it's a second wave or an emergence in certain different areas of the country.

The governors have everything they need, the President said, and warn people to avoid packed bars and said wear masks, but said there will be no more shutdowns. And we are in advanced stages of vaccine testing.

Let's take it around the table. Greg Gutfeld, what did you think about the President spoke for I think was just maybe 20 to 25 minutes there?

GUTFELD: I thought we -- you know, he reigned in the impromptu and improvisational elements of his delivery. So, what you got was a very straight summary, which then it becomes shorter, because there's not -- there's not a lot of the side commentary.

So I really don't know what CNN's excuses for not showing it. Because when you have someone go out there and it's delivering news to an American nation that needs it, it seems like -- I mean, imagine if you're watching CNN right now. Of course, you can't. But imagine if you did, you wouldn't have -- you wouldn't know this happened.

WATTERS: Yes, it looks like they dialed it in when the questions were asked, but they didn't take the top where he delivered all of the factual information to the American people.

GUTFELD: There you go.

WATTERS: Dagen, what did you think about the President's presentation on substance and style?

MCDOWELL: Well, he's owning it and he's leading. He was up there by himself with no one else speaking about what he, the White House, and the nation are doing to fight this virus. So, he is taking ownership of the future and the road ahead.

And to -- he was asked about the economy. I will point out that because of the shutdowns, the country lost more than 22 million jobs in a matter of months, it's regained seven and a half million of those that's about 34 percent of the jobs have returned. And what is -- and what are they going to be doing in the months ahead? Well, there's another at least $1 trillion aid package.

That's $600 extra per week, per week, extra per week that people have been getting in unemployment benefits. That has been a lifeline for many individuals. And he talked about extending that. It might be at a lower rate, at a lower amount, maybe sunset in the coming weeks, but that's not something -- despite pushback from some conservatives, that's not something that is going away. And that's going to give the economy a lift as we fight through this virus.

WATTERS: Yes, Juan, the president clearly right at the top framing it as a Chinese virus and then multiple times during the presentation, talking about how this emerged from China, how China failed to stop it, and let people from Wuhan fly all over the world. Definitely a different position than the President had taken earlier during the pandemic.

WILLIAMS: I think he's always been anxious to blame China. He didn't initially. Well, I think that was partly because he was involved in trying to get that trade deal done, Jesse. But subsequent to that he has been quick to blame China, to blame Fauci, to blame Obama. I don't know why he hasn't blamed.

But I think that what stands out to me here is the change in tone that we've all discussed so far. And what strikes me on that point is that this is a president who was very slow to come around on the seriousness of the pandemic, and very slow, therefore, to engage things like the masks, and still his administration is talking about cutting funding for testing, cutting funding for tracing. That's very concerning.

And also I would point out, he says, you know, 99 percent of these cases are in adults as if, oh, just reopen the schools when in fact, if the kids go home to mom, dad, two grandparents, to neighbors, they could spread the disease to people who are in fact quite vulnerable.

But it's -- what strikes me is the question of his credibility speaking to the American people. Before he went on you, Jesse, Emily, everybody said, we hope he's more substantive and more direct in terms of delivering data. And I think it's at least a mix that he's defensive, and he's lowered the bar of kind of sprinkling magic dust, it's going to disappear magically. We're going to open everything by Easter. Clearly, that's gone. But he's still a very defensive man on this issue.

WATTERS: I didn't see him as defensive. I thought he was pretty honest and forthright. Emily, what was your interpretation of today?

COMPAGNO: That's exactly right, Jesse. I thought it was excellent. It was clear, competent, data-driven. And Juan pointed out, it seemed to be a shift, but I will just note that one of the final reporters at the end, that was sort of his question. He said, Mr. President, we seem to have sort of a straight in your approach here, and I just thought that was excellent.

But to your question to me, Jesse, your second one at the top of the hour, it doesn't matter, that it's all about shaping. Because remember what the first question was from a reporter out of the gate was so Mr. President, we hear that you're getting multiple tests a day. There was no question on all of the facts and figures that the President presented in the beginning of the hour that was positive.

And the biggest debate of all, the biggest line of questioning was the mask debate. Why don't you were one and whatever. No matter what you put in front of these people, there's always going to be a different shiny object that they're following.

And respectfully Juan, to your point, that it's never going to be enough. If he sat there running out with his hair on fire. Oh, my gosh, this is the worst and most horrible thing. That still wouldn't be enough, even if the economy collapsed. But I thought right now, it was excellent.

WATTERS: I think that was a good point. And every single question was framed as the President and the election and how it plays politically, not on the substance of the war on the Coronavirus. More on THE FIVE up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIAMS: Welcome back. Joe Biden on the campaign trail today outlining a $775 billion plan for universal preschool, expanded childcare, and in-home elder care. Biden also taking shots at President Trump's leadership on rebuilding the economy. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This man simply doesn't understand. He can't deal with our economic crisis without serving and saving and solving the public health crisis. For all his bluster about his expertise on the economy, he's unable to explain how it will actually help working families hit the hardest.

You know, he's quit on you, and he's quit on this country. But this election is not just about him, it's about us. It's about you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: President Trump has said the country will be doomed if the former V.P. is elected. Dagen, let me start with you and just go over some of the basics here. Biden said today, his build better -- build back better economic message includes caring for the elderly, as you heard, caring for children. It was an appeal to working parents. I think it's at its heart. Do you think it's good economic policy, good politics? Is it a good idea?

MCDOWELL: I think that what he proposed today was actually really smart. And it will connect with people's hearts and their minds. And what I'm talking about is an appeal to older voters and even younger ones who are now taking care of their aging parents.

15 percent of the population was 65 or older back in 2015. It's going to be double that by 2060. And particularly during this pandemic, where you've seen thousands of elderly people die in nursing homes, and six out of 10 nursing home patients are already on Medicaid. He's proposing expanding the ability to take care of those loved ones in their houses.

This is something that he can talk about -- well, he can talk about, again, from his heart. And again, remember the Democrats, Juan, you talked about this, they had their knickers in a twist about the ballooning budget deficit. Well, not anymore because of the pandemic's spending. It's going to be $5 trillion, so he can talk about spending as much as they want.

WILLIAMS: Emily, the vice -- former vice president stressed a lot about empathy. Is that a shot at Trump and suggesting that the President is not caring, empathetic?

COMPAGNO: Certainly, it is, yes. And I think that's no surprise and it's not out of left field, right? The vice president has certainly made that clear that he -- how he feels about the President's empathetic qualities. I will say that the good thing about him outlining these specific proposals is that it enables the president to get specific in his critique of them.

We talked about yesterday the need for both the president and Biden to articulate what they would do in either the second term or his first term respectively, and now it's about each of them sort of being able to specifically critique, and for the President's part, not being able to just call him Sleepy Joe Biden.

I think the American people are a lot smarter, however, than Joe Biden gives them credit for, as they will see through the fact that he claims he's pro-union, but it's not a pro job policy.

WILLIAMS: Greg, also on the campaign trail, but in Congress today, you have Democrats asking the FBI for a briefing on interference in the 2020 race. Is it possible to stop it?

GUTFELD: I'm not interested in that. I'm more interested in the plan. We haven't even discussed the name of the plan.

WATTERS: Yes.

GUTFELD: The -- here's the name of the plan. The Biden plan for mobilizing American talent and heart to create a 21st-century caregiving and education workforce. So, my question is, is his staff intentionally creating titles for things that Joe Biden couldn't remember, because if that title gotten any longer, we would have to preempt a special report.

I mean, who came up with that? What working group sat in an office and came up with that garbage? It shows you that 95 percent of the people that work in government could not get a real job because they're incompetent. And it also shows you that even the sentences, even the sentences in government are bloated. It's embarrassing.

And it's amazing how the media treats Biden so lightly, they handle them like he's an IED inside of Faberge egg. I would have been laughing my butt off if I heard that.

WILLIAMS: You don't like Build Back Better? OK, OK. So, Jesse, last night, Biden said -- Biden said something about you know there are four black women on his V.P. pick but he's not committed. And the polls show Warren is doing best among independent voters, swing-state voters. What do you think? Where is this V.P. chase going?

WATTERS: I honestly don't care who he chooses for V.P., Juan. I'm not interested in that. I don't think Biden can remember who's on his list. He can't remember the name of his plan, as Gutfeld said. I tried to read this thing. It was soul-crushing, mind-numbing, and I threw it in a furnace when I was finished with it.

He basically says he's going to send people to take care of your grandparents, and then he's going to have people take care of your kids, but then he's going to shut down the whole economy again. So, who's going to take care of you? I have no idea.

WILLIAMS: All right, stay with us. A lot more to come on THE FIVE.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATTERS: It's time now for "ONE MORE THING." Some of you noticed but I've developed a new style here on THE FIVE, no tie. I got a little pushback from some people. There it is. So, what we're going to do, we're going to have the audience decide, leaving the tie, or put the tie back on.

Go to the Instagram page and vote. Should Jesse go back to wearing a tie? My mom says yes, but some of you disagree. We will see and read the results next "ONE MORE THING. Greg, you're up next.

GUTFELD: I would like to see you in a bolo tie and nothing else. All right, let's do this. Yes. Dogs on skateboard news. That's well done. All right, sometimes when you're skateboarding and you're a dog, you need another dog to help you out. Check out this pair, getting ready to go. It's a pretty slow commute, but then he gets a little help from his friend. Isn't that sweet? I told you this was dogs on skateboard news. That's enough for me.

WATTERS: Juan, you're up.

COMPAGNO: Cute.

WILLIAMS: All right, so you know it's a small, small world as they say it, Disney's exhibit on different people around the globe. Now, a third-grader in California has raised money to bring more color into her small world.

Take a look at Madison Wilson of Solvang, California, the seven-year-old, one of three black children in her school raised $37,000 to buy crayons on the color of different skin tones. Crayola has a new line of crayons perfect for her called colors of the world, 24 new colors representing 40 skin tones around the world.

She's going to buy not only crayons but books, multicultural books for several schools. I think they should have a color called sparkling big star because that's Madison.

WATTERS: All right, a lot of Crayola. Dagen McDowell.

MCDOWELL: Keep the tie or lose it but don't wear flip flops. Men should wear flip flops ever.

WATTERS: Sorry, I apologize.

MCDOWELL: Here's a dog eating a burrito with his human. There you go. it's not good boy Carl, cat temps dog. Corn dog Carl eats with chopsticks.

COMPAGNO: Oh, my god that is so cute, he's like a squirrel.

WATTERS: All right, everybody. See you.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Thanks, Jesse. Welcome to Washington. I am Bret Baier.

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