Vice President Mike Pence called in to the Brian Kilmeade show for a wide ranging interview on the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. As Chief of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Vice President Pence assured listeners that the federal government is doing everything in its power to slow the spread of the virus as well as working closely with the governors of the states most severely affected to get them the emergency equipment they need.
“We’ve given particular attention, early going, to Washington State, to California, now, of course, to New York, which is really the epicenter of the coronavirus in America, the greater New York City area, New Jersey. And I would say the relationship has been strong. It’s been a strong partnership. We’re grateful for Governor Newsom’s leadership. And frankly, we’re grateful for all the efforts the governors are making all across this country,” he said.
The Vice President went on to say that, in addition to the 4,400 ventilators already sent, more ventilators will be sent to New York as soon as today, but did not elaborate on how many that would be.
On the topic of China’s reluctance to be more straight forward with the facts early on in the crisis, the Vice President did not mince words.
“There is no question that had China been more forthcoming, America and the world would have — would have been more forewarned. And what seems evident now is that they were experiencing significant outbreak of the coronavirus long before they revealed it to the world, to the World Health Organization or certainly to the United States,” he said. “China’s lack of candor to the world impacted the way the world was able to respond.”
Listen to the full interview here:
