Published March 10, 2020
This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," March 10, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST: I'm Laura Ingraham. This is "The Ingraham Angle" from Washington tonight. We have a huge show for you in a moment. My Angle on why the Democrats are totally incapable of handling this coronavirus outbreak.
And thank goodness, we have someone in the White House who is. Plus White House Chief Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow, he's here on set with me and he's going to tell us what the president is planning to do with this economy and what he might do with Democrats.
But first, it's Super Tuesday Part 2 and the majority of polls are closing in Idaho. One of the six states holding democratic primaries tonight. Let's go live now to our Fox News election team. We have none other than Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Bret, we thought this would happen but get out the brooms because it looks like a Biden sweep tonight.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS HOST: It really does, Laura. Thank you. It's another big night for Joe Biden and we've got projections now that the former Vice President has won the biggest prize of the night, Michigan and its 125 delegates.
MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS HOST: Biden also crushing Senator Bernie Sanders, Laura in Mississippi, where he won more than 80 percent of the vote. 96 percent of the African-American vote is the number in Mississippi and he cruised in Missouri with a close to 60 percent, I should say of the vote in Missouri.
BAIER: Still no results from North Dakota. That's a caucus there. As soon as we get any votes there, we'll start to bring those to you on the screen throughout the night.
MACCALLUM: Now some delegates have already been awarded this evening to Joe Biden with 766 is the number, we're reading 777. So those numbers continue to roll in and Bernie Sanders at 623 according to our decision team tonight.
BAIER: So we'll have a complete wrap up. Probably some more numbers, raw numbers from those other states at 11:00 PM eastern time when all of the polls will close in Idaho and Washington State as well.
Pretty interesting night. Big night for Joe Biden. Laura.
INGRAHAM: Bret and Martha, what a difference a couple of weeks make. Thanks so much. We'll be watching at 11. Well, we told you that Joe Biden - back three months ago Joe Biden was the man to beat. He had some stumbles along the way and continues to stumble but this is huge for him tonight. Bret and Martha will be back and shortly.
But first, gratitude and perspective. That's the focus of tonight's ANGLE. Now two months after the coronavirus entered the United States via China. Let's not forget where it came from, it's taken the lives of at least 27 Americans and infected nearly 800. Now these numbers will grow over the next weeks and months.
And they probably don't tell an accurate picture right now because of our relatively small testing sample. We've already talked about this. We all know that businesses and workers are already beginning to hurt. Working parents are dealing with the disruption of school closures, I'm one of them. My kids are out for the next week at least.
Yet amidst all of the bad news, we have to keep our perspective. There is some good news. Our economy is the best in the world. Why? Due to the policies and the foresight of President Trump. He understands the importance - remember this - it's very critical to remember this at this time of preserving strong nation states, namely our own.
And the solid foundation, the resilience of our work force, our ability to learn lessons quickly and these types of situations should give us full confidence that we're going to weather this just fine in the end.
But imagine how much worse the situation could be right now if we didn't have a President who acted staff to stop travel from key high risk areas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP: Had we not acted quickly, that number would be have been substantially more. We're taking this unbelievably seriously. The biggest thing that we did was stopping the inflow of people early on and that was weeks ahead of schedule. Weeks ahead of what other people would have done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: And what if - what if the Wuhan virus had hit after Hillary Clinton had won the presidency. If her handling of Benghazi is any guide, it would have been a nightmare and certainly her economy would have already stalled. Under her economic policies, no one would have seen the economic growth, we saw under President Trump.
And what about if Sanders or Biden were president? Same problem, only worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, D-VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Healthcare is a human right for all. Not just for the privileged or the wealthy. And that we need to pass a Medicare for all -
JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Take on the existential threat of climate change and you know creating - in the process, we'll create over 10 million good paying jobs. Not 15 Bucks an hour. 45-50 Bucks an hour with benefits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: OK. If you believe that. More government control, shut down oil and gas. And as to how they would actually handle a coronavirus outbreak, do we really think they'd move to stop travel and shut down the southern border?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you had to would you close down the borders?
SANDERS: No, we have a president who has propagated xenophobic anti- immigrant sentiment from before he was elected. What we need to do is you have the scientists take a hard look at what we need to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: I'll translate for you. No. He would not. Bring in more Chinese. That's how we have to handle this problem. And after your tax dollars are used to develop a vaccine, a Sanders administration would have wanted you to cover the costs for everyone.
OK. But also for everyone across the globe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: When that vaccine is developed, obviously, it should be made free to every person in this country and in fact every person in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Yes. Why not? And never content to let a good crisis go to waste, the Left would use this health emergency to spend money on stupid programs. Any excuse to grow are already bloated government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: We had to talk about unemployment insurance.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D-N.Y.: We want paid sick leave and emergency unemployment insurance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they do need is paid sick leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: All right, with Democrats in charge, we would apparently not be leaving our houses at all at least not to go to campaign rally. Let's be fair. Can't win - beat your opponent - can't win? Well, order him or her to stop holding all rallies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Trump-Pence campaign will continue to hold rallies given the fact that all these doctors and medical professionals are saying avoid large crowds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not really doing what they're telling people, older people to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact that he is not willing to cancel his various rallies suggests that he is willing to place even his most ardent supporters at risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Yes, That's what he's doing Jackie. By the way, both Sanders and Biden canceled their own election night rallies tonight and supposedly was out of concern for public health and safety. Really?
Was this done to save lives or save face? The great socialist dream of the Sanders crowd was over even before tonight. Let's face it. So why force yourself to addresses this embarrassment in front of the cameras this evening? And speaking of embarrassment, old Joe, he just needs to stay away from the microphones and perhaps take a nap.
Beyond the partisan bickering and fear mongering, now is the time for America to stand united. Preparation, not panic is the key to coping with this virus. If changes have to happen to our response, they have to be made and they have to be made quickly.
We all know by now that many of the CDC's early coronavirus tests were faulty. That was no doubt, very problematic. Yet President Trump acted fast and he cut through the FDA's red tape. Soon millions of test will be available. Even democrat governors have said some really nasty things about Trump are now lauding his administration's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a very long conversation and every single thing he said, they followed through on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe the agencies of the federal government are being very diligent in helping our state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: In times of crisis, it helps to have a president who makes his own decisions, who marshals the right resources and surrounds himself with the most competent people to do the job. He doesn't give in to the bureaucracy. He bends it to be more nimble.
He pushes obstacles out of the way and solves problems. He has a take charge, hands on approach to the coronavirus and every other problem he faces. He'll work with Democrats on a legislative package to help working families. He'll do for our emergency response system, what he's done for our economy, make it stronger and better day by day and that's The Angle.
All right joining me now, Larry Kudlow, Director of the White House National Economic Council. Larry, you said today during the task force briefing that the President can use executive authority apart from what the coronavirus task force has the authority to do, to make things happen. What specifically?
LARRY KUDLOW, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Well, let me just say what he said in the Oval Office yesterday in the meeting we had. He intends to use the full power of the federal government, the full power of the federal government to deal with the challenges, be the health challenges or economic challenges of the coronavirus.
He's going to be bold as you say, he's cutting through a red tape. We're getting things in order. Some glitches temporarily, all being dealt with and he's unveiled a massive economic program to see if we need any help in the next few months to deal with these challenges.
And let me just add this, because of his policies which you noted, he's cut taxes, he's deregulated, he's opened up, he's had good trade deals.
INGRAHAM: What would have happened if we got hit by this with a faltering economy?
KUDLOW: See, this is a strong economy. That's the key point. Going into this challenge, it is a very strong economy. There's a blow up jobs number last Friday. Over 350,000. Today, small business optimism remains at record highs, actually the Atlanta Fed GDP is -
INGRAHAM: OK, don't turn us into CNBC or Fox Business here. We got to keep it suitable for people.
KUDLOW: But it's important to note that going into this, the economy is fundamentally sound.
INGRAHAM: It's like when you're hurt, like you're injured - you get injured and then you're strong and then you can actually recover.
KUDLOW: I mean, facts are in short supply but yes, now there are challenges ahead. So he is unveiled first of all, a payroll tax holiday. OK? Which may extend until the end of the year. That is a middle class, blue collar, tax cut that will take care -
INGRAHAM: Now we got Republican senators Larry. That's the only problem. We got Larry, Kramer from North Dakota and other Republican senators who are throwing up caution flags. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KEVIN CRAMER, R-N.D.: Frankly, a short term deferral of taxes or a payroll - short term payroll reduction sounds more like a safety net than a stimulus package, quite honestly. It's a stimulus that the economy needs is for good handling of and management of the coronavirus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: So you're not only going to have Democrats saying no to a payroll tax cut as some kind of re-election bid by Trump. You have even Republicans who now claim to care about the deficit. Sorry, but they don't claim to care about the deficit when they're shoveling money to the Pentagon.
KUDLOW: Well, we should be worried about economic growth and as I say, what we want to do is keep the economy as sound as it is. It has been a blue collar boom and we'd like to keep it that way. Hence the payroll tax holiday. Now we're talking all the Republican leaders.
We are up in the Senate today for the luncheon with the president and the vice president and a bunch of us. We'll be negotiating with the leaders in both houses but I don't think anything wrong with this. Again, you talk about things like unpaid leave.
So we have a bunch of targeted assistance plans. Unpaid leave from sickness, that's something on our list. Dealing with small businesses that may be faltering, that is on our list. Dealing with distressed sectors, you know we're worried about airlines. We're worried about energy. That is also on our list.
INGRAHAM: The airlines have made an enormous amount of money in the past three or four years as well, right? I mean, people complain. The seats are getting smaller, there's more seats on planes. Is a bail out of the airline industry really what needs to happen? Or does this need to be going to the workers?
KUDLOW: No. I'm not talking about bailouts and this is a balanced package, most of which will go to the workers as I said. That's the beauty of the payroll tax holiday.
INGRAHAM: What's the big complaint from Republicans on the payroll tax?
KUDLOW: Well, I think they're looking at it by the way. I mean, I'm not giving up on this. I think a lot of people supported it. We heard it in the lunch today. President was very well received on this stuff. There's some issues. We will go through the issues.
We will look at the financing. We will look at the length of the payroll tax holiday but again, we're dealing - if you're sick at home and you're not getting paid, we're going to help you. That's very important. It's another middle class assistance.
If you have a small business, we have ways through FEMA, through SPA and other federal agencies, we don't need legislation for most of the stuff. We will help you. If you're in a distress area or - it's not a bail out but at the margin for example, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is said, maybe some tax deferral, some temporary tax deferrals will help out.
So the president is really being bold here to make sure that his strong economy remains as strong as possible.
INGRAHAM: If he has to cut a deal with the Democrats and go around some of the Republicans, would he do that and take a more popular - you're not as populous as I am, Kudlow but the president is and I am too.
So how about take the populist appeal to the workers, work with the Democrats on that and somebody's - Braun - Senator Braun, I like him but he's - he seems very adamantly opposed to payroll tax.
KUDLOW: This is the earliest stage so the president unveiled this yesterday. He did it again today. We'll be negotiating. We're going to talk to the leadership of both Houses I think that's the way to play this game.
INGRAHAM: Chuck Schumer never wants to let a crisis go to waste.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHUMER: Speaker Pelosi and I have released proposals that Congress must take. We need widespread and free coronavirus testing. We want paid sick leave and emergency unemployment insurance. We must expand snap and wick, School lunch and other initiatives.
We want to make sure that small businesses can continue. There should be loans and even grants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Is that -
KUDLOW: Some of that stuff, we agree with for example. I mean again, unpaid sick leave is something we were -
INGRAHAM: All workers would get relief at every level of the economic -?
KUDLOW: We will have a look at it. I mean you can tell through the numbers as they come. We're going to have a look at all the stuff. We're going to have a look at the small businesses. We'll have a look at some of the distress -
Look, the travel industry is in huge problem right now. We know that. Planes, we know -
INGRAHAM: But we also have Fauci out there - Fauci out there is - so I don't like cruises. I'm sorry but I really him but he's like I don't like cruises and indicating that a lot of people should stay home. I mean, do people really need to stay home when they're not in one of these hot spots like New Rochelle or right in the midst of we know, the outbreak in Washington State?
I mean, Americans want to stay at home. This is ridiculous.
KUDLOW: Dr. Fauci is a good man. Look, I'm not a health expert but what I hear from him -
INGRAHAM: But that's panic and that's hurting the market.
KUDLOW: But I think to some extent you got to listen to what he's saying. For example, if you're a senior citizen, if you're elderly, you better watch out because that's where the mortality rate is. If you're not healthy, if you have pre-existing conditions, you better watch out. That's where the mortality rate is.
If you're healthy and younger, you don't have much to worry about.
INGRAHAM: But if you tell people if you're older, you can't basically implicitly, you shouldn't fly. That is a killer for the airline industry. That in and of itself is a killer.
KUDLOW: I don't want to include flying because I haven't heard that yet. All I say is the cruise ship story with all due respect and we worry about the cruise business, may not be the optimal time if you're an older person and you have health concerns.
So I think Fauci is being very common sense. Mike Pence is running the task force. I sit on it. He's doing a terrific job and this too. Going back to the president's statement, he wants to use all of the federal powers available to get through these challenges.
INGRAHAM: What about the federal reserve? I mean, it's an independent agency but I mean, this - shouldn't the rates - I mean, they're always playing catch up on the rate lowering.
KUDLOW: You know they brought rates down, probably bring them down some more but more important than that, they're pumping liquidity into the banking system and I think that's very-
INGRAHAM: That's printing money for everybody's transaction.
KUDLOW: They're pumping liquidity.
INGRAHAM: OK, Larry, they print money. That's all we have to do -
KUDLOW: Sometimes you have to print money because there's a big demand for dollars out there.
INGRAHAM: Yes.
KUDLOW: And incidentally, this payroll tax cut, this payroll tax holiday -
INGRAHAM: That they say is not a stimulus, Republicans and Democrats.
KUDLOW: I think, it will be a stimulus. I think it takes pressure off middle income people and by the way, it gives them liquidity.
INGRAHAM: Not if they're not working.
KUDLOW: It gives them cash flow. Well, most of them are going to be working and we will take care of the ones who are home and who are sick and may not be covered.
INGRAHAM: Biden was out there today -
KUDLOW: We have agreements with the Democrats and we're going to have disagreement.
INGRAHAM: They're going to have to cut a deal with you. They're gong - I mean they're not going to want to come around to like the fall Larry, and be the people who blocked a pathway to stabilizing this economy. That's just - that's just - that's a disaster for any Republican or Democrat to be in that position.
KUDLOW: It's a hackneyed phrase but there is always hope for bipartisanship in this. There's always hope. I mean look you talked about how fast the president was moving, OK, on the original travel restrictions and so forth and you're right, you're exactly right.
Now he's moving very fast. He's way ahead of the curve on this economic - so therefore if they want to peck away at it, that's too bad because this will do us some good and it's - look, it's better than just giving everybody a rebate. Why not you keep your own money?
That's what tax cuts do. You keep your own money.
INGRAHAM: Well, Democrats want to keep -
KUDLOW: It's blue collar stuff. This is middle class stuff. This is exactly what we're aiming at and we've seen this succeed.
INGRAHAM: Does this prove that we need to pull back more manufacturing from China, more essential manufacturing of essential goods?
KUDLOW: I'd love to work the incentive model. OK? So let's give them - let's give them immediate right -
INGRAHAM: Larry's always got a soft spot for the Chinese on this.
KUDLOW: I have no soft spot for the Chinese. I'm saying now if you want to shift supply chains, which we do.
INGRAHAM: Bring it back home.
KUDLOW: Bring it back home to America -
INGRAHAM: Made in America.
KUDLOW: - you got to be clever about it though Laura and you can give a 100 percent appreciation. Deal with corporate tax burdens. Those are sensible things that people -
INGRAHAM: Antibiotics made in China, not the thing we want.
KUDLOW: Well, let's make it easy for them to come back home. I think that's what you have to do.
INGRAHAM: My policy.
KUDLOW: And you may wake up in a couple of months when this thing is calm down and we're in the middle of the export boom from China and other trade deals and the blue collar boom continues. That's what President Trump is trying to do. He's very bold. Bold is good.
INGRAHAM: Larry, great to see you and I'm glad you're on that task force.
KUDLOW: Thank you.
INGRAHAM: All right and up ahead, leave it to the media to ramp up the alarm when the nation needs calm and now the Left is using the coronavirus to call into question the president's health. Dr. Carlos Del Rio, Marc Siegel dispel the hysteria next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: As if thinking Americans can get the coronavirus just by walking outside wasn't bad enough, well, the liberal media are now trying to spark panic over the president's health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Why not get tested yourself after you interact with Matt Gaetz and Doug Collins, last week?
TRUMP: Well, I don't think it's a big deal. I would do it. Spoke to the White House doctor, terrific guy, talented guy, he said he sees no reason to do it. There's no symptoms, no anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: No symptoms. President has nothing. Well, that's not good enough for the experts at CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I hear so many Americans want these tests, right? I mean there is a dearth of testing and that is the big problem but when they hear the President of the United States saying, I don't think it's a big deal. Is that the right message?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: OK, you mean the message that the president is healthy? I think that's what Americans want to hear, right? And it's what the real experts are telling him to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will say Brook, that actually just moments ago, I got off the phone with an infectious disease expert and she said that in her hospital, even if you've been possibly exposed, even if you just got off a plane from Italy, if you don't have symptoms, they don't want to test you.
Even if you might have been exposed as perhaps the president was, so what he's saying actually jives with what doctors are telling me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: That's the only thing like when you're in a courtroom, never ask a witness a question you don't know the answer to. OK, let's move on quickly. Now remember, Trump though, they say is the real science denier. But wait, CNN gave this narrative one last shot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me just get your thought. Should he get tested?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I agree with the President. If he has no symptoms, there's no reason to test - to test him. Without symptoms, I don't think people need to be tested and if the White House doctor says you're fine, you don't have any symptoms, you don't need to be tested. I agree with the White House doctor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Oh, let's go for a third time. Joining me now is the doctor you just heard aforementioned Dr. Carlos Del Rio, Professor of medicine at the great Emory University. Also with me is Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox news medical correspondent. Great to see both of you, tonight.
Doctor Del Rio, what's your message to those who are pushing this narrative that it's irresponsible of the leader of the free world in the midst of this crisis, not to himself rush out to be tested?
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, EMORY UNIV: I mean, they're - all day long you've been even hearing this in the American media.
Well, whether you happen to be the President of United States or not, if you don't have symptoms and there's no indication from medical position that you need to be tested, you should not be tested and we know this from several tests and this is no different than other test.
If you test people that have a low likelihood of having the disease then the probability that test, positive test will be a false positive increases significantly. So we don't like to test people that have - have a low likelihood of a disease and in the case of the president, he had not a direct exposure, not a direct contact.
He has no symptoms. There's really no reason to test him.
INGRAHAM: Yes and Dr. Siegel, we've seen this with this CPAC attendee who tested positive after the conference for the coronavirus and he shook hands, then they shook hands and then they matt Schlapp, the head of the CPAC came on this show and I shook his hand and I hugged his wife and also like I guess I - by this logic, I should be tested for the coronavirus and my throat has nothing to do with the coronavirus, it's laryngitis.
DR. MARC SIEGEL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: By the way, you forgot that I was in Nebraska meeting with the nurses and doctors who took care of actual coronavirus patients.
INGRAHAM: Right.
SIEGEL: And I didn't get tested.
INGRAHAM: So again it's a multi-level your responsibility on the part of all of us I guess. But this just leads a lot of people to go into deep panic, Dr. Siegel and at this point in time I think, we've - we've cornered the market on panic. We need calm and preparedness.
SIEGEL: Yes for sure. I mean, we have concern about this virus but we keep jumping to the worst case scenario and envisioning the worst and that spreads panic. That's what's destabilizing the markets. That's what's getting everybody sequestered in their homes.
In this particular case, the President actually showed the right example. I have met the White House physician. He's a very sober guy. He gave his judgment so first lesson here, listen to your doctor. Doctor said don't get tested, right? Second lesson here is, he didn't have direct contact with someone with coronavirus.
He had contact with someone who shook the hand or had a photo-op with someone who had coronavirus so how many times - is that, if he had gotten tested, Laura, he would have been sending a message to the United States. If you're walking down the street and you hear that someone in that hospital has coronavirus, get tested. We would have a surge of people that were convinced they had it.
So actually he projected calm in this situation.
INGRAHAM: Now Dr. Del Rio, tonight, this a big election night for the Democrats, OK? So Biden sweeps to victory in all these - all these races, all these primary races. Both candidates have canceled their big events.
Biden is addressing only his - I guess his close supporters in Pennsylvania tonight. But Bernie Sanders is not only not speaking to thousands like he was planned to do, he's not appearing in public, apparently out of concern for the coronavirus.
Does this make sense absent some presence in one of the hot zones or containment zone such as New Rochelle or maybe in Washington State?
DEL RIO: Well, part of the problem we have Laura, is that unfortunately as you know, there was a mishap in the testing and we are way behind testing in this country and as we ramp up testing in the country, we're probably going to find a lot of people who are infected, who we don't know about and at this point in time, until we have further data, we need to assume that there's a lot more communities that we are aware of that have community transmission of the virus. And when there's community transmission, one of the most effective strategies to control the transmission of a virus like this one is what we call social distancing. So it is prudent to establish social distancing. I think it's appropriate that in many of our communities we try not to bring a lot of people together until we have better data. One we have better data I think we can make better decisions.
INGRAHAM: All right, go ahead, Dr. Siegel.
SIEGEL: I agree with Dr. Del Rio about his principles here in the medicine of this. I would not come to the same conclusion because that's the paranoia again. We are going to assume every single arena we have has coronavirus in it? It's just not -- we don't have the sense that there is that much coronavirus here yet. There's definitely more than we know about, he's right about that, but we don't need this fear of going outdoors. It's agoraphobia. They have a diagnosis for that. Let's get the testing done, and then we can decide, not just avoid everything in the meantime. I went to the Knick game last week, by the way. There was no one there. The Knicks are terrible, that might be the reason
(LAUGHTER)
INGRAHAM: The NCAA men's basketball tournament, we all have our pool -- wait, we're not supposed to have a pool here. We have a fake pool here at Fox, so we want this tournament to go on, but we don't want anyone to be endangered. They've already canceled the half-marathon in New York, Dr. Del Rio. They're canceling conferences. It is doing huge harm to the travel and entertainment industry. And I think that in and of itself is sending people into some panic, so they are going to buy water, they're fighting over toilet paper. That can't be good either. You can get infected by fighting over toilet paper, I guess, you take it to its extreme.
DEL RIO: In fact, I agree with you. I think we don't need to spread panic. And I was talking to somebody today, and I was saying the biggest risk you have maybe of going to a big arena today, or go to a tournament may be drinking too much beer and falling and hitting your head to, and for that reason we are not canceling those tournaments. So I would say, again, we need better information, we need more data, and we need to sit down and really look at the data carefully. But I couldn't agree with you and with the doctor any more that we need people to be prepared, but at the same time, we don't need to spread panic.
INGRAHAM: And we got the testing finally set, which is a good thing, so millions of tests will be produced in the coming days and weeks. Gentlemen, great to have both of you on, extremely reassuring and informative, thanks so much.
And up ahead, the left's obsession with labeling everything as racist is now giving China covered two peddle lies about the coronavirus. Steve Mosher and Victor Davis Hanson sound off. Plus, Dinesh D'Souza explains what Joe Biden's viral exchange with a Michigan voter about gun rights says about some of his slippage. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: You have to be from outer space to not know that the coronavirus started in China in the Wuhan province, and thus it has been called the Wuhan virus. But now China says you can't say that, because to say that is -- wait for it -- racist. I kid you not. You've heard a lot of nutty things during this health crisis regarding the coronavirus, but that is one of the most infuriating things.
Joining me now Steve Mosher, author of "Bully of Asia," and Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Steve, the left is more obsessed with fact-checking Trump than addressing the lies of the Chinese here. What gives? And is this China's dividend from sprinkling so much money around the United States and holding these lavish conferences for journalists over the years, et cetera, et cetera.
STEVEN MOSHER, PRESIDENT, POPULATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE: First of all, Laura, this is the Wuhan virus. Actually, I prefer to call it the Chinese coronavirus, and the full title is the Chinese Communist Party's coronavirus, but let's follow the breadcrumbs. Back in November there were the first cases of the coronavirus in the city of Wuhan. By December the National Health Commission of the government of China had sent a commission down to investigate this new strain of pneumonia. They knew they had a problem. On January 1st they closed down all the military bases in and around Wuhan. They didn't tell the people of China, they didn't tell the world, but they closed down the military bases. The police force was protected, the military was protected from the virus.
Then several million Chinese left the center of the epidemic, went throughout China, throughout the world, spreading the virus everywhere. Only after the horse had left the barn did they close the barn door. So everybody who was a victim of the coronavirus, everybody who dies as a result of the Chinese coronavirus virus is a victim of the Chinese Communist Party.
And one more thing that as an American really, really gets my goat, and this is that the Chinese Communist Party is now whispering that the cause, the original source of the coronavirus was the United States of America.
INGRAHAM: Yes, the CIA.
MOSHER: We sent it over -- we sent it over with the military athletes who participated in the military games from October 17th through 20th in Wuhan. That's the story that they're quietly spreading.
INGRAHAM: Of course they are. But Victor Davis Hanson, this is par for the course, is it not, in almost every dealing that we've had with the CCP?
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON, HOOVER INSTITUTION: It is. And remember that they knew about this virus in December and January, and they allowed a 15,000 and more of their own citizens to fly on direct flights to the United States. So we have 60 days of a million people coming in from China, many of whom were probably exposed to the virus until Trump leveled the travel ban. And it's pretty miraculous, given what China did, that we've only had one out of 10 million Americans die, and one out of 500,000 be infected.
And it really shows you that this virus is a very strange virus. As a historian, we are going to have tests and more cases are going to show, but I think a lot of it is going to show that people are still shedding the virus that got over, and that we're more in a static than a dynamic situation, and the situation is six weeks after the travel ban, if you look at the origins of this whole problem, it's China. China let people come into this country knowingly that they may be exposing Americans, and they didn't care.
INGRAHAM: Victor and Steve, you're 100 percent right. And Steve, I might add that now we're seeing all these articles pop up in "Bloomberg" and other media outlets saying look at the number of infected people every day is lower and lower because of China's great handling of this virus. So now they created it, and we are supposed to log their handling of it, are you kidding me? Just quick reaction from both of you, real quick.
MOSHER: They are celebrating the Chinese Communist Party. Well, They are celebrating the success, the Chinese Communist Party is celebrating its success at quarantining 150 million people, killing many of them, infecting many more within an ineffective approach to containing the virus. And now they are claiming credit for it. But they always turn truth on its head. That's their one trick. They're one-trick ponies.
INGRAHAM: They are masters of propaganda. Steve and Victor Davis Hanson, we'll have you on for much longer later this week. Thank you so much.
Joe Biden caught on tape testing a new campaign strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: You are full of --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, thank you.
BIDEN: Shush. Shush.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Joe Biden caught on tape testing a new campaign strategy -- cursing out voters. Biden's berating of a pro Second Amendment autoworker in Michigan is going viral, but not for the reasons the Biden campaign might like. For starters, it shows that Biden is fairly confused about his own stance on guns. More importantly, though, it's another glaring sign that Biden just isn't up to the task of being president, handling, forget complex issues, issues that have been around, Dinesh, for, what, I don't know, 50 years in American political life.
Dinesh D'Souza, conservative commentator and author of the upcoming book "United States of Socialism" hits the shelves in just a few months. Dinesh, if this is how he treats curious, interested voters, how do we expect them to deal with foreign leaders, especially someone as crafty as, I don't know, President Xi of China?
DINESH D'SOUZA, CONSERVATIVE FILMMAKER: Biden's behavior, I think, is shocking, because it's one thing -- Trump can be tough in dealing with powerful opponents the way he takes on Pelosi, or the way he takes on Adam Schiff. But here's Biden taking on an ordinary guy who comes up to him and asks him about his position on gun control. And I think Biden's irascibility, his indignation, his complete surrender to emotion over reason, I think this is the hallmark -- Shakespeare very gently used the term a second childhood. And what he meant is that we reach a stage in life when, ultimately, we return to the peevishness, the irascibility and a scum of the arrest ability of childhood, and Biden is showing all of those symptoms.
INGRAHAM: Dinesh, this is what Biden used to sound like when he talked about guns, just not too long ago. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: If you want to protect yourself, get a double barrel shotgun, have the shelves a 12-gauge shotgun. If there's ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, or walk out, put that double barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: You'd think he was giving us some how-to there, but ignoring the point that he is gung-ho about guns there, look at how he had a take-charge attitude. It's not Biden that we see now.
D'SOUZA: I think that's the point. There's a kind of a propaganda message out there from the left, oh, gee, Biden has always been like this. There is no change in him at all. But no. Biden used to be savvy, quick, look at the way he debated in the last presidential -- vice presidential debate. He was alert. So I think what we're seeing here is a new Biden, and this is a very distressing sight. And in fact it's rather startling to see that Biden has essentially become the presumptive nominee, a man who is ultimately having difficulty, I think, coming to grasp with the normal human interactions.
INGRAHAM: At one point he denied that he wanted to take away people's guns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I'm not taking your gun away at all. Do you need 100 rounds?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to take our guns away.
BIDEN: I did not say that. I did not say that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a viral video.
BIDEN: It's a viral video like the other ones that have been put out there that are simply a lie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Let's go to the videotape. Here's what he told Anderson Cooper back in August.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So to gun owners out there who say a Biden administration means they're going to come for your guns.
BIDEN: Bingo. You're right if you have an assault weapon. The fact of the matter is they should be illegal, period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Setting aside the fact that he called them AR14s, Dinesh, never heard of that one before, he seems to be forgetting the basics here.
D'SOUZA: I think part of Biden's indignation here is this, and that is that he is looking at people. He's looking at working class white guys who used to be the backbone of the Democratic Party. This was the base of FDR's coalition. And somehow these guys, the very guys that Biden 20 years ago could count on have now migrated into Trump supporters. And it's almost as if Biden is witnessing his own party undergo this transformation. They have embraced socialism, identity politics. So a guy like Biden is lost in more than one sense. It's not just that he's disconnected from reality. He's disconnected from the Democratic Party itself.
INGRAHAM: He is seeing his old party just completely eviscerated. That's a brilliant point, and I'm really mad I didn't think of it first, Dinesh. That's exactly -- that guy should've been a Biden voter. The shotgun, going behind, pulling the shotgun out and scaring the intruder and everything. That's perfect. Dinesh, great to see you tonight. Thanks so much.
And coming up, Joe Biden sweeping the primaries tonight, though Did Obama help him do it? Pollster Frank Luntz breaks down Biden's latest ad blitz and the messaging heading into tonight's races.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: Tonight, Joe Biden sweeping the big Tuesday primary states, including what FOX is projecting to be a huge win in Michigan. It also happens to be one of the states where he ran this new ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: This is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary career in public service. He revitalized American manufacturing. He led our efforts to combat gun violence, and all of this makes him the finest vice president we have ever seen. The best part is, he's nowhere close to finished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Of course, Obama still has not actually endorsed Joe Biden. He left that part out of the ad.
Joining me now is pollster Frank Luntz. Frank, great seeing you. How crucial, though, was that association with Obama to win especially the African-American vote in these states, specifically adding to this massive win in Michigan?
FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER: The top three Democrats, the ones that Democrats like, AOC is third, Michelle Obama is second, and Barack Obama is still first, again, among Democrats. So being able to not only have Obama's voice, which is what Mike Bloomberg had, but actually show that video with Joe Biden standing there, for Democrats it's a homerun, and it's one of the reasons why he's been running this ad not just in Michigan but across the country.
INGRAHAM: Biden's commercial with Obama, Frank, that came after Sanders tried his own ad featuring Obama. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: People are ready for a call to action. They want honest leadership who cares about them.
They want someone who's going to fight for them.
And they will find it in Bernie.
That's right, feel the Bern.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Frank, how did that one work out?
LUNTZ: Pathetic. People know that Barack Obama doesn't support Bernie Sanders. It would be like trying to show that Hillary Clinton supports Bernie Sanders. If it's not authentic, if it's not genuine, it's not going to do well.
INGRAHAM: Frank, Bernie Sanders is over after tonight. He might not say it, he's not coming out to speak tonight, he's not appearing anywhere tonight, but what was his big problem image-wise? Was it the shadow of the association with Obama, the eight years as his vice president that you could never cross? Or was it we're just still not ready for someone who uses the word "socialist" in a title?
LUNTZ: It's the latter, but make no mistake, Democrats still don't like billionaires, which is why Michael Bloomberg did so badly. And Democrats still have a left of center leaning, which is why Bernie will end up with about 40 percent of the vote. But in the end, not only are the American people not ready for him, the Democrats not ready for him.
But I want to state one thing. I do think that the Sanders supporters are going to be shocked about tonight. Bernie told them they were going to win, and they believed him. And so they are going to be really pissed off when we get to the convention.
INGRAHAM: Frank, it's like what the leftwing media was saying about impeachment and Trump and Mueller and Trump. We got him this time, and they never deliver, especially on the other cable network. That's why they're having a little trouble.
LUNTZ: Exactly. Exactly.
INGRAHAM: Frank, great to see you. Thanks so much.
And the latest from tonight's big presidential primaries, it's all coming up. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: Big night for Joe Biden. He is speaking right now in Philly after these big wins tonight. Let's take a quick listen.
BIDEN: I thought of a quote, some of you heard me quote many times, a fellow that I admired very much who passed away not long ago, a poet named Seamus Heaney. He wrote a poem called "The Cure at Troy." And here's what he said in one stanza. He said "History teaches us not to hope on this side of the grave, but then, once in a lifetime --
INGRAHAM: Joe Biden is wrapping up in just the next minute or two. He indicated that he didn't do an event in Ohio today, and that the governor of Ohio, I guess, is telling people no more rallies, maybe no more campaigning, maybe no more debates, maybe no debate with Donald Trump at all because of the coronavirus. We take this very seriously.
Preparedness not panic. That's the watchword. That's all the time we have tonight. Shannon Bream, next.
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