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Pete Hegseth reacts to President Trump testing positive for the coronavirus: ‘He will keep working’

2020-10-02 | 🔗
‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ co-hosts weigh in on President Trump and first lady Melania Trump testing positive for the coronavirus
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
The live report from d dot c now, let us bring in our friends who are normally on the weekend couch and there they are right there. We have got PETE, Hegseth, Jedediah, Bila and will Cain good morning to all of you good morning, good morning, good morning, Steve, we will go ahead and go through everybody. Ladies first Jed, your observations about the president and First Lady Hope Hicks all testing positively for covid. You had covid yourself, you know what how this impacts- people, Jedediah, yeah, obviously, first and foremost wants them all to be: okay, hoping that they have mild symptoms, hoping that this goes away like a bad dream. What I learned from having it is that this effects earns body very differently. I was not on any medications prior, we know the president was taking some medication prior. That may ease his symptomoms a bit im, not a doctor, so im not going to weigh in on that, but you know we want them to be okay. We want all the steps taken, obviously to make sure that anyone that the president or first lady or hope, Hicks came
into contact with is tested. I think politically. This is a moment where a lot of the strategy we have been talking about the strategy of campaigns, fronts and center. A conversation about these rallies. Remember, the president of the United States is thankfully, luckily enough to have a team of doctors around him who are going to make sure, hopefully that he is okay, but that conversation will become what about the people at these rallies. How is this managed? Is this a good idea? Obviously, for all event in the future, we want to makes sure they are safe and everyone around them is safe and make sure its taken seriously. This virus can be a beast its not for everyone it can be, and it can have lingering symptoms that are odd for people, I hope thats, not the case for the first family. You just never know that he was the bottom line. You just never know. Ainsley PETE you just sat down with the put last weekend. We washed your interview with him. What does that mean for you today? Pete, I dont know I mean I feel fine.
First of all, I echo exactly what Jedediah said that we pray for the president and first lady, hope, Hicks and thats the way everyone should be feeling. This morning I havent felt any symptoms. I guess I will get another test and confirm that im still negative. I had gotten one the day before for something unrelated. I have been tested multiple times as well. I think, from the president wants perspective. This is a guy who has understood the risks from the beginning. Just like a lot of the Americans who have been watching cable news understand the severity of Covid 19. His mentality has been im an essential worker for the american people. I cant hide in a bunker. You have got truck drivers and nurses and police officers and construction workers going to do their job over a zoom call. They have to be done in person. They have to be out there working in proximity of people, they understand that risk and if they contract the virus
they will deal with it and be responsible. In the meantime, I think the president demonstrated to people here and pray is healthy. He can keep working, he will recover, he will test negative, he will move on and the campaign will continue now. There is all the political ramifications that come from this. I actually think the same applies to rally goers, I think differently. I think rally goers also Newt risk. They have been told a lot of things true and untrue. Over six months they made their own risk calculation as human beings, who can make choices as free individuals to go to a rally to wear a mask or not. There will be conversations about that. I get it, but I like respecting people and the president has respected people at every turn. In this case, we wish him the best and I think he will keep working guys. I have no doubt from wherever he is. He has a pen and a phone he will keep going Brian will? How important do you think it would be not only
for the markets or american people to see him today to have him make an address to the country? Do you think thats something that will be important? Will I do if not see him than hear from him? I want to echo again PETE and Jedediahs wishes. We send our best wishes and prayers to the president and first lady. As we have these conversations, and I have been watching the three of you throughout the morning, there is going to be a temptation to draw big arching narratives it about this. We have a choice. Look at this emotionally or factually. We will have questions. Does this reveal some vulnerability, presidents choices or in our nation, or I believe we can look at the facts we can understand. As PETE pointed out, every individual, including the president of the United States, makes their own risk assessment about what is in to their job and own life. More importantly, also highlight each if you are in the age, demographic that the president is your recovery rate is north of ninety nine point: five percent. I think its important that the american people understand the risk but also understand the
facts, and this is an opportunity for everyone to see that, and hopefully, as you point out Brian hear, that from the President Steve, the presidents physician Dr Conley says that the President is doing well and yet apparently, aides at the White House will not say whether or not the president has any symptoms. So you know what does well mean regarding symptoms, and you understand that, but my question to you, though, after the president has gotten to within thirty two days of the election, and he has tried to put coronavirus framing it like we are rounding. The corner on this coronavirus is now once again the number one issue in politics. Jedediah to your first point. Yes, asymptomatic is very subjective and I have been arguing that mild. The word mild is subjective. We talk about the coronavirus oftentimes in terms of life and death, which is important.
You need to also understand sometimes what sounds like mild. What doctors say is mild, doesnt feel so mild to the individual. This will be a front and center issue, Steve to your point, one hundred percent, the fact that the two campaigns handled this very differently will be a front and center issue, and you can argue that every single rally goer has he the right to make that decision for themselves, and I think there is some truth to that. You Columbus have to know, though people look to the president for leadership on these issues. Many people trust him on these issues, so if they feel that he has been in any way wavering on the issue of masks or in any way minimizing the risk of these crowds that will weigh in to their decision not all, but to some thats something the administration is going to have to factor in the primary story, though this is the leader of the free world, he is the president for all of us. We want him to be well. If you are talking about political implications, I think that the Biden Camp right now is strategically trying to figure out how to both wish the
president well and wish him okay, but highlight the discrepancy between the two campaigns and the reasons why the Biden campaign has decided to follow through with these virtual rallies and with these virtual events and not having the president front and center. That may be a talking point thats used today. That would not surprise me Ainsley PETE. What do you make of the critics, the awful things being written on social media? I told you so kind of comments even worse than that plans for the wore for him PETE. Would you expect anything else at this point, the level of hatred for Thiss President that they have dehumanized him? Could you thecould you the wild, Cue Vitter, individual vitriol? The best way forward for the put is to im going through what a
lot of other people have gotten through. Yes, I have more doctors and access to more care than most but im going to take the same precaution of others. I urge you to do the same im going to get back to work as soon as I have that negative test, which is hopefully very soon in the meantime, im going to do the work that I can. I actually think a lot of people who either had it or know someone who had it will relate to the reality that no one is immune. You cant put a bubble around yourself. Despite how many tests you may have so working through it, proving that as a 74 year old you are going to have, as will said, a ninety nine percent survival rate is demonstrating that science and fact ultimately show we can go about our lives, show we can go about our lives, evened a mist this and Theed a Brian NEWS, man, Brian Williams, president, has been outwardly and publicly from the start can be called a covid. 19 denier did his best publicly to diminish the threat.
There is somebody delivering the news with a lot of opinion and a lot of inaccuracy will. There is going to be a lot of that today, Brian, I suspect that will not bees first wasnt. The first and will not be the last and look everybody is going to wants to draw their own political narrative off of this. They will look for confirmation by it. We dont want anyone to get Covid 19 much less the president of the United States. The goal was never to zero transmission rate. That was never what anyone espoused as the goal. The goal was to balance the spread of this disease against the choices we have to make business. The fact that the President developed Covid 19 is not proof of political point. It is proof that you cant control the spread of this disease. Can you slow it and we can control the mortality rate to the best we can and science allows?
But this is not proof in my mind of any particular political point, its just proof that you cannot control the virus, Steve will and Jed and PETE. Thank you very much. We will be watching you all weekend long.
Transcript generated on 2020-10-17.