Kayleigh McEnany on Trump's condition, medical team confusion

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Kayleigh McEnany on Trump's condition, medical team confusion

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany joins Bret Baier with insight into President Trump's condition as her recovers from COVID-19.

This is a rush transcript from “Your World with Neil Cavuto" October 2, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

JESSE WATERS, FOX NEWS HOST: Recovers quickly and he can lead the country out of the pandemic. With

Again, we are watching Marine One awaiting the president to walk out from the residence where he'll be examined at Medical Reed after testing positive for coronavirus. Let's go to Bret Baier. SPECIAL REPORT starts now.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Thank you. Good evening and welcome to Washington. I'm Bret Baier.  Breaking tonight, you're looking live at the South Lawn of the White House. An October surprise the likes of which America has never seen especially in an election year. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are in quarantine tonight after testing positive for the coronavirus.

The president will work from Walter Reed Medical Center for the next few days. His upcoming events are being postponed or changed to virtual. There is no word on how this might affect the remaining debates officially. But what comes next, the president is moving to Walter Reed.

Our chief White House correspondent John Roberts begins our coverage of this most extra ordinary development in extraordinary few days. Good evening, John.

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's just another one of those pictures that you never thought that you would ever see. Marine One sitting on the South Lawn of the White House waiting to transport the president to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center because the president has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

We are told that this was being done out of an abundance of caution. The president is of the age of 74 and slightly overweight in a high-risk group for coronavirus disease. So, the president's physicians want to make sure that he has the best care available immediately to him. Not have -- would need to be transported from the White House up to a hospital facility that he would merely be down the hall. So he will work out of the suite of presidential offices at Walter Reed for at least the weekend if not longer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: President Trump today taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he will work for the next few days after he and the first lady tested positive for coronavirus and came down with what are said to be mild symptoms, including fatigue.

The president's personal physician Dr. Sean Conley revealing President Trump was treated with an experimental antibody drug from Regeneron which in human trials lowered the viral load from coronavirus. The president has also been taking zinc and vitamin D to boost his immune system.

White House officials say President Trump and the first lady are in good spirit.

MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: He continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic. We've talked a number of times this morning. I got the five or six things that he had tasked me to do like I do every single morning.

ROBERTS: The diagnosis immediately led to questions about national security, even continuity of government if the president were to suffer from severe coronavirus disease.

The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying, she is praying for the president and first lady.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): The continuity of government is always in place. I always say it's a relic of the past but nonetheless, they say we have our job we have to do and this is what we will do.

ROBERTS: While it is unclear how the president became infected, one of his top advisors, Hope Hicks, fell ill Wednesday on a camping trip to Minnesota. She was isolated aboard Air Force One for the ride back and tested positive Thursday morning.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Immediately when she got a positive result, there was contact tracing that was put in to place and all of the necessary procedures, contact tracing takes time.

ROBERTS: Hicks' positive test was already known by White House senior staff as the president prepared to leave for a fund-raising roundtable in Bedminster, New Jersey, Thursday afternoon.

MEADOWS: In terms of Hope Hicks, we discovered that right as the Marine One was taking off yesterday, we actually pulled some of the people that have been traveling and in close contact.

ROBERTS: Despite the fact the president had been in close contact with Hicks over the previous several days, it was cleared to board Marine One and make trip.

MCENANY: It was deemed safe for the president to go. He socially distanced, it was an outdoor event and it was deemed safe by at White House operations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who exactly assessed that it was safe for the president (INAUDIBLE) to travel to New Jersey?

MCENANY: White House operations made the assessment it was safe for the president, in consultation with others.

ROBERTS: Contact tracing has so far turned up no positives in the president's immediate orbit. The Vice President and Karen Pence, Barron and Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Mark Meadows, Kayleigh McEnany, Mike Pompeo and Steven Mnuchin all testing negative today. The one press office staffer tested positive from what is believed to be an unrelated transmission.

With just 32 days until the election, the Trump campaign is on a temporary hold. Events in Florida tonight and Wisconsin tomorrow canceled.

In a statement campaign manager Bill Stepien saying, all previously announced campaign events involving the president's participation are in the process of being moved to virtual events or are being temporarily postponed.

Vice President Mike Pence who has tested negative for COVID-19, plans on resuming his scheduled campaign events.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Unclear tonight is what will happen with the next presidential debate, it is scheduled for two weeks Thursday on October the 15th. It' is possible that if the president gets aggressive treatment at Walter Reed and test negative three times before then, that he could be out of isolation in time to make it to that debate in Miami, Bret.

BAIER: John, let's just paint a picture here real quick, you are on the North Lawn. We are looking live at an image of Marine One on the South Lawn. It's where the president delivered the Republican National Convention final speech that Thursday night, just outside of the Rose Garden. And we don't think, is this right, that he is going to speak to reporters?

ROBERTS: We don't have any indication that the president will stop. Don't forget, he is infected with coronavirus and while he could stand -- you know, 10 or 12 feet away, he might not want to stop and talk for fear of infecting someone else. He may also not feel up to it -- up to it either.

Just a note for you about that shot that you're looking at, that's a shot that we normally don't see. That would be from a local live truck probably parked on Constitution Avenue shooting back against the South Lawn. Just in front of the tale of the helicopter is assembled the White House press pool. That's the photographers and the camera men who will be getting pictures of the president as he exits the South Portico there.

Again, it is possible that the president could stop to talk for just a second, tell us how he's feeling. We wouldn't blame him if he doesn't.

But you remember that iconic photograph from the Reagan administration, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan in the door of Marine One waving as he was being whisked off to Walter Reed Army Medical Center as it was knows at the time for colon cancer surgery. So, it's likely that we'll see a scene similar to that today.

BAIER: All right, John Roberts live on the North Lawn of the White House. John, thanks.

Let's bring in Dr. Manny Alvarez, he's Fox News senior health analyst. Doctor, thanks for being here. Your thoughts on this diagnosis and where the president is heading now to Walter Reed, the National Military Medical Center.

DR. MANNY ALVAREZ, FOX NEWS SENIOR HEALTH ANALYST: Well, listen, I don't read too much into him going to into the hospital because at the end of the day, the White House has limited resources to monitor the president.

You also have to remember that he's getting a medication like this polyclonal antibody, that needs to be monitored for any potential side effects.

So, the combination of giving him that medication in conjunction with any other signs and symptoms that they need to monitor, the proper way is to do it in the hospital. And I think that this is a sort of a routine if you will in the case of the president.

BAIER: What do you think of what he is receiving, this Regeneron, it is -- tell us about it. I mean, explain it.

ALVAREZ: Well, this is a polyclonal antibody therapy. Basically, these are antibodies that are generated from former patients in conjunction with antibodies generated in the lab. And what they do is they eat up the virus.

The whole point of this antiviral therapy if you will is to minimize the viral load so that there's no secondary effects coming from the coronavirus that can -- you know, impact a significant side effect in his lungs or in his heart.

So, I think that this is a very good therapy. The preliminary results that came out early this week shows a very positive results. And I think that it's the right thing to do.

BAIER: So, what is the risk? He's obviously in this age group, he is a little overweight. He goes hard. He's the energizer bunny when he's out there on the trail. What do you think about the possibility and the prognosis for President Trump, knowing him?

ALVAREZ: Well, a couple of things. He's 74 but he doesn't look 74. And I'm sure physiologically speaking, he probably feels like a 55, 60-year old individual. He doesn't have any negative vices. He doesn't drink. He doesn't smoke and he's very active physically.

You know, so, all of that plays a lot of positive things for him.

I think the on -- one of the factors of course for the president is that he's -- you know, he has been burning the candle on both ends with this election. You know, he's out and about going to 200,000 meetings a day.

So, that runs you down at the end of the day. So, when you get the virus -- you know, he -- they complain about the mild symptoms. Mild symptoms and coronavirus are all the same. You know, you get the fever, you get the tiredness, the fatigue, loss of appetite, your smell goes away.

So, if that's the worse, that you have right now with his physical -- you know, physical attributes of being so active and relatively healthy aside from everybody's talking about his weight. You know, but everything else being equal, I think he should recover.

BAIER: Considering he's getting as we're told, mild symptoms, the next what, 72 hours are important?

ALVAREZ: Yes, to me -- listen, to me, the next three or four days become very important. That's exactly what the doctors at Walter Reed are going to be monitoring. They're going to be monitoring his oxygenation.

If he doesn't have any major complaints of any chest discomfort or shortness of breath or anything like that, and it's just the low-grade temperature that goes away maybe one day, maybe comes back the next day. If that's the worst of it, then he's going to be fine. But the next 72 hours are very important.

BAIER: You and we should point out the first lady has also been diagnosed with COVID-19. And we haven't had any update on her symptoms or lack thereof. Doc, you've seen a lot of people go through this. What do you tell people who are going through it for the first time?

ALVAREZ: Listen, I think that you know, being alert about your symptoms is very important. Even people that we see with positive findings that may have mild symptoms. We know, we talk about what she -- you know, you should be looking for. You know, shortness of breath. Are you disoriented? Are you so tired that you can't get up? Those are the things that for anybody -- you know, you should go to the hospital.

But in general terms, if you're relatively healthy, the young, if you don't have any underlying medical conditions like chronic diabetes or hypertension or cardiovascular disease, this goes away.

BAIER: There are other things that are coming online. The president has talked about them on the trail a lot. Therapeutics that are increasing. He's obviously taking this cocktail as you mentioned of antivirals. What else could potentially he be doing or will they give him? Vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D?

ALVAREZ: Yes, I mean, all of those things improve the immune system. You know, Remdesivir is one of the other drugs and you know, it could have gone both ways. They could have started him and Remdesivir there's utilization for that in early phases of coronavirus.

And it's like a Tamiflu if you will for people that have been familiar with let's say with Tamiflu, it minimizes the viral side effects. But in this case, they chose something a little bit stronger, that's for sure, it's a little stronger medication but it's very effective but at the same time, as I said, because it is in phase two of trial, this is why I'm sure the doctors including the company suggest that you know what, it's better to monitor him in the hospital since we gave him the medication. Let's just make sure that he doesn't get any side effects and, you know, everything is on the up and up.

BAIER: And last thing, just the big picture here, now that the president of the United States has COVID-19. Does this change the perspective do you think of America, maybe those who were not taking it as seriously as they might have?

ALVAREZ: Well, listen, I don't think we could change the narrative. The narrative is the pandemic is coming slowly but surely under control. The vaccine trials are ongoing, they seem to be very positive, multiple vaccines.

So that is happening as we speak. When is the vaccine going to get approved? When is it going to be distributed? People talk at the end of the year, the first quarter of next year but it's going to happen. We're talking about -- you know, less than a year for sure.

I think that all the things with the masks and the social distancing and the cleaning and all of that is very positive. And people should still continue to follow that.

But you know, this is going to -- you know, this is important because it is the President of the United States and attention must be paid. But at the same time, his message is -- you know, we've been going in the right direction. And right now, what every American should do is pray for his health, first lady's health, and you know, let's stick together as a nation because we were heading in the right direction.

BAIER: Dr. Manny Alvarez, thank you very much. We appreciate your time. Chris Wallace moderated Tuesday's debate, saw the coronavirus protocols firsthand there in Cleveland, as did I. He joins us now.

Chris, it's hard to believe that was just three nights ago. And how things have changed so dramatically in that time.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Absolutely. You know, we talked about COVID-19 in the debate. It was one of the topics. And there was quite a disagreement between the president and former Vice President Biden about how to handle it. And one of the specific questions we talked about was masks. And I talked about the fact that the president has been much more reluctant to use masks. And Vice President Biden has seemed to wear a mask almost all the time.

The president took a mask out and said, look, I've got a mask right here and I'm ready to wear it when I think I should. But I don't need to wear it or -- and don't wear it so much.

And then, kind of mocked Joe Biden, and said, you know, he's got this big mask on all the time, and he speaks in -- into very small groups of people with, you know, circles around him.

You know, I think he took some shot at Biden that he can't attract a crowd. But, you know, that's -- that the handling of the virus is going to come back. It's interesting because back in March and April, that was the subject, and then, of course, we have race and law and order and violence. And then, with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court.

I think COVID-19 now goes back to the top of the political agenda. And in terms of just the political facts, if you look at the polls, people tend to trust president -- Vice President Biden more by about 10 points than President Trump on that issue.

So, it's not especially one that -- I think that Trump campaign wants to have on the top of people's minds right now.

BAIER: Yes, let's just talk big picture here, 30,000 feet for this moment. You've covered a lot of presidents, including Ronald Reagan, who went on Marine One on that same -- very same South Lawn to Walter Reed Army Medical Center back in the day to get colon cancer surgery. And he had this iconic image waving with Nancy Reagan in Marine One.

We haven't seen this in a long time. And just talk about the historical moment we're watching with this president.

WALLACE: No, that's right. We've been blessed to have presidents that were in pretty good shape, obviously, despite his age. Donald Trump has been -- you know, in constant motion during his four years, and I think has worn out the press corps and his staff with his times on the campaign trail.

So, you know, I think a lot of us are fascinated to see just what he looks like when he walks out from the Diplomatic Reception Room in the White House and takes those steps over to the -- to Marine One -- to the helicopter.

You know, is it the -- that Donald Trump of old, that maybe he has a -- isn't feeling so good, but it still has that same vigor, we sure hope so. Or is he somebody who's -- you know, we see the physical effects.

I'm going to say this and I -- and I want to make it clear, I'm in no way criticizing or casting any doubt about the Trump White House and the information they've been giving us. But you asked about Reagan, and there was a tendency during Reagan's illnesses to sugarcoat it and to underplay it, and we would find out after the fact it was more serious.

And because of that experience, and I have no reason to believe it's true of this White House, but I always have a take, you know, any statements by the White House about the president's in good spirits, and you know, mild symptoms with a considerable grain of salt.

BAIER: Right. Well, Chris, thank you. We were just told and we saw some activity there on the South Lawn that the president has walked out, he was wearing a mask, we did not see that live.

Again, this camera is from across the street looking towards the South Lawn. We are told he waved or made some gesture. He was wearing a mask on the way to Marine One and this will be what's called a pool turnaround of this tape that will be played out for us, and you'll see that right here on Fox News.

You can see some of the flashbulbs on the left side of your screen and that -- or that's the photographers and reporters gathered here. Chris, thank you.

Let's bring in our panel. Charles Hurt, opinion editor for the Washington Times. Mara Liasson, national political correspondent of National Public Radio. Steve Hayes, editor of The Dispatch.

Mara, we're getting Marine One about ready to take off now. The president and the first lady onboard heading to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He will spend several days there, we're told. Out of what the White House is calling an abundance of caution. He will work from the Walter Reed offices there. There are a suite of offices and he will obviously been be monitored for COVID-19. Your thoughts.

MARA LIASSON, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Right. Well, apparently, the situations -- the setup for the president Walter Reed is pretty commodious. It's like a whole floor, lots of bedrooms, offices -- it's kind of like a mini White House.

So, he's going to be able to work there. But I think there's going to be tremendous interest in what exactly are his symptoms, how he's feeling, and there's going to be a lot of pressure on him to actually speak to either reporters or address the nation.

I mean, this is a big deal. And you know, he's going to need to at some point reassure the country that he's OK.

BAIER: Steve, there's a lot of animus all over social media. There's a -- this a divided country. But in moments like this, praying for and wishing good thoughts for the first family of the United States, the commander-in- chief of our country is a pretty good thing to do.

STEVE HAYES, EDITOR OF THE DISPATCH: Yes, it shouldn't, shouldn't matter what your politics are, shouldn't matter what your views are on, on Donald Trump. I'm saying prayers for Donald Trump, I hope people who, regardless of their views, regardless of their -- of their religious beliefs will join me in saying prayers for Donald Trump.

I think it's a time for people to show restraint. I mean, we've lived through 2020 in a global pandemic. And the near-collapse of the global economy we've seen our cities on fire, we've had real racial tension. It's been, obviously, a strained and strenuous year. And everything has been turned up to 11.

I think now is a time for restraint and facts. I think the White House needs to provide good information as much of it in public as -- is humanly possible, and not as Chris Wallace said.

(CROSSTALK)

BAIER: Let's pause for a second. Let's pause for a second. Let me see if I can get the natural sound here.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, traveling via Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, now heading to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It's a short trip over to Bethesda, where he will be on the ground.

Steve, go ahead, finish your thought. I wanted to take that live.

HAYES: Yes, sure. My point was pretty simple. I think the White House has an obligation to provide as much information and truthful information as possible. But reporters have an obligation to be restrained as well.

I mean, it's important that, that we ask tough questions that we probe for as much information and detail as we can possibly get. But I think it's worth taking a step back and not allowing sort of on-air speculation and kind of irresponsible claims to take over. This is a time for facts and good information.

BAIER: I hear you. Charlie, your thoughts.

CHARLES HURT, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, certainly, these are dramatic images to -- without a -- without doubt. But I do think that following on your reporting out of the White House and what Dr. Alvarez was saying, I think it's important to remember that Walter Reed is precisely where the president of the United States should be today on a day when he's been diagnosed with COVID.

That they -- it is set up. It is the entire operation is designed for exactly this, no matter how serious or how minor the president's symptoms wind up being. This is where he should be. And so, so, I think it's important to remember that.

You know, on a personal note, obviously, it's heart-wrenching, and it's -- frightening to think of the president being vulnerable to some -- something that has been so horrible for so many people, and can be a devastating disease.

You know the president -- you know, he's a tough guy, he is a fearless guy and, and I -- you know, obviously, join Steve and Mara and you and everybody else in sending up. There are a lot of prayers going up from America today right now. And I think that that's undoubtedly a good thing.

BAIER: We are less than a minute from that video that we promised. The walk out of President Trump and the first lady from the White House to Marine One.

As we showed you earlier, the reporters, the photographers were gathered just to the outside of this door. And right now, they're getting ready to play out this tape for the president heading to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The president, according to the White House chief of staff was in good spirits. He made some phone calls today but was fatigued. And we had two statements from the White House physician today about his status, what he actually was taking, including a cocktail of antivirals that is not yet approved by the FDA. It's called Regeneron. And that the company put out a statement as well. Let's listen in.

And there you see it. It actually was just President Trump, making that walk from the White House. The First Lady Melania Trump not with him, but obviously, wearing a suit and tie, and also that black mask also with him.

The White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, also wearing a mask. He tested negative. We're told, the White House chief of staff did.

Mara, your thoughts on those images as we look live at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda as Marine One gets ready to land there.

LIASSON: Yes, yes, pretty dramatic. This has been a week, you know, you -- it's just been head spinning, you know, of how many big events have happened this week. But now he's off to Walter Reed, and I think that, you know, we're going to see what happens when he takes this drug. They say it's out of an abundance of caution.

NPR actually had several sources that said that in addition to being fatigued, the president did have a fever. How high it was, we don't know. But whenever the president of the United States goes to Walter Reed for anything other than a checkup, it's a really big deal.

You heard earlier in the show, Joe Biden has pulled his negative ads. That was a sign of respect. I don't know if the Trump campaign will do the same thing. But this is a really important moment in this presidential campaign.

BAIER: Let's go to Kristin Fisher. She's outside watching the -- watching Marine One come down there at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Kristin.

KRISTIN FISHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bret, you can see Marine One just behind me. We heard it just moments ago. It should be landing here at Walter Reed any minute now.

And you know, this is really the nation's premier military hospital. We often hear about it or see it in the news, when presidents come here to visit wounded troops that are staying here. But now, President Trump is coming here as a precautionary measure.

And I just want to go ahead and read you the statement from the White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany in full, because it really does give you a sense of what we can expect over the next few days.

And you can hear Marine One landing right now just behind me. It should be touching down literally within the next few seconds. But here is that statement from Kayleigh McEnany. She said, "President Trump remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day. Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days."

And so, a lot of people don't know this, but there is an entire suite, an entire complex inside this massive military hospital strictly for moments like this. It hasn't been used much, but it has been used in the past.

President Ronald Reagan actually stayed here overnight in 1989 after he had a minor surgery. And so, there is this whole suite of very secure offices. There's places for the president to eat, sleep, work, and receive treatment.

And so, the White House taking great pains to stress that President Trump is coming here out of an abundance of caution, just in case, you know, things spiral out of control quite quickly, as we know with this virus that can happen. And it has happened to a lot of people who test positive for COVID-19.

So, President Trump landing here at Walter Reed right now where he is expected to stay for treatment and work for the next several days. Bret.

BAIER: Let's hope and pray that doesn't happen. That it's a speedy recovery, and then, he gets back into action very soon. We're going to this live camera, it's a pool camera on the ground at Walter Reed. It looks like they are moving out of that area. You can see the people gathered outside trying to get a shot of the helicopter and the president arriving.

Charlie, you know, 2020 has been a bit surreal to begin with. Now, this is even more so.

HURT: It really has been. A week ago you would have said that it can't get any stranger, and then here we are watching these images. It's pretty incredible.

But people who love President Trump and people who don't particularly like his politics, I think everybody can agree he's a master showman. He's a master of style and imagery. And I was struck by watching him walk between the White House to board Marine One. He gave a couple waves, he gave a couple of thumbs-ups. But the detail that struck me the most was as he boarded the helicopter, when he got to the top of the steps going into Marine One, he tapped his hand on the railing of the stairs. And that was very intentional I think by him. It's a way of him saying it's going to be OK, or at least from his perspective he feels like it's going to be OK.

BAIER: Let's listen just in and see these images.

Wherever the president goes, it's a big operation, even a short drive to the actual national military, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Kristin Fisher is outside. And the president will be inside as he gives a little wave to the crowd and the pool right now. Kristin?

KRISTIN FISHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Bret, such a surreal scene out here. The entire street right outside of Walter Reed has been shut down. No surprise there. This happens a lot when the president is moving around town either via motorcade or when he is landing via Marine One. But there really is a different feel out here tonight. There are dozens of members of the White House press corps standing on the street.

And what's really notable is I'd say there's about 100 people that have gathered right outside Walter Reed, as Marine One was touching down here. And they were standing on the other side of the street, and as Marine One started to touchdown, they all ran across the street and crowded by this fence just behind me to try to see whatever glimpse they could of President Trump landing here just hours after testing positive for COVID-19.

We always say presidents come here quite frequently. This is where they come when they are receiving minor medical procedures are when they have to have a surgery, as President Ronald Reagan did back in the late 1980s. But to have a president of the United States touching down here where he's not just going to be here for the next few hours. The White House press secretary said he's going to be staying here for the next few days. And to have him touching down in the middle of this pandemic, it is one of the more surreal and odd developments in a year that has already been incredibly surreal and odd.

And so now we really just set up shop here right outside Walter Reed because this is where President Trump is going to be working. It's where he's going to be sleeping. And it's where he's going to be receiving treatment. And for those of that don't know, inside Walter Reed, there is this entire suite, this entire complex, very secure complex that is set up exactly for a moment like this. It really hasn't been used all that much of the past, but it was made for a moment like this, and now it's going to be put to good use.

And I will say so many of the president's recent trips to places, they're very loud affairs. When you cover a Trump rally, everyone is cheering. When you cover a protest, you get the opposite reaction. But here the mood, very quiet, very somber, nobody really talking or saying anything, Bret. And it really just feels like everybody here feels the gravity of the moment. Bret?

BAIER: Kristin, thank you.

It is sobering. This virus has reached our commander in chief, the head of our country, who is now seeking treatment at Walter Reed because of it. And this comes just 30 days from a national election.

Peter Doocy is covering the opponent to President Trump, former vice president Joe Biden. He joins us now. Peter, the former vice president starting today with thoughts and prayers for the first family, but continuing to campaign.

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: He is continuing to campaign in person, Bret, because the Biden brain trust is so confident in their ability to enforce very strict health and safety guidelines that are very COVID specific. Biden says he meets four times a week with a group of specialists and experts in public health, and those are the kind of people that he is consulting, while pushing off his trip this morning to when they are deciding whether or not he should go or not.

Notable today, he never took his mask off the entire time that he was speaking. He spoke through a surgical mask. It was pretty easy to understand what he was saying, but he made a point to never take it off. He's in a habit at events like these of wearing it a lot. In fact, I was an Alliance, Ohio, when he got off the train the morning after the debate. And he walked right up to a microphone and started talking for three or four minutes. And his aides were in the back doing this motion, telling him it's OK to take it off when you are socially distance and you are delivering your remarks in a microphone. But he is in a habit of doing that, made a point not to take it off today.

He also did not really go hard at President Trump the way that he does when he makes these trips every day or two. Something else that's going to change here in Michigan, and really the last couple weeks we've been going swing state to swing state. Every time you turn on the TV, no matter what is on, there are negative ads. A lot of them are blaming President Trump for failed leadership during the pandemic. But now that President Trump is suffering from COVID-19, they are not going to hit him with that or with anything else. They are pulling the negative ads for now, a Biden campaign sources told me a few minutes ago.

And so things are changing. But there has been a reversal of roles because early on in the days of the pandemic locked down, we spent a lot of time in Wilmington, Delaware. Joe Biden told us in the summer, it was early July, that he didn't think he had to leave because no matter what he said, if he was in Delaware, close to home, it got the same coverage as going to a swing state.

But today he is campaigning, like President Trump was in the beginning, and President Trump now is in the hospital. So it's a real reversal of roles, but it also goes to show how important states like Michigan are to Biden. They thought long and hard about whether or not he was going to come here. They slimmed down his schedule, they had a socially distance event. He came, talked for about 20 minutes, did a couple local interviews, and headed right back home. Bret?

BAIER: Peter, is the campaign saying anything about the next presidential debate? Are they going that far, or are they just dealing with the former vice president's schedule?

DOOCY: So the University of Utah and the Commission on Presidential Debates are both saying they expect the V.P. debate, Kamala Harris against Mike Pence on Wednesday in the Salt Lake City area will go off.

As for the debate after that, less than two weeks from now in Miami, we have spoken to some sources within the Trump campaign who as of a couple hours ago were expecting that was still going to be something that they would be prepared for. But things are changing very quickly. And so in terms of future debates, the ground rules are negotiated up until just a few hours before the candidates actually walk out.

If there is a reason that President Trump cannot safely attend, it is possible that a ground rule could be worked out for him to participate and to debate Joe Biden remotely. But that would be a real heavy lift because, again, anytime that there is a change made to something like a presidential debate, it has to go through the commission, and then both campaigns have to consent to it. And they are nowhere close to that right now. As of right now, it seems like they are planning on going. But they will make those decisions about a big change or about somebody being off site only they really have to, Bret.

BAIER: Yes. As far as the V.P. debate, which is next week, the Trump campaign's Tim Murtaugh says we're open to more space between the candidates, which we'll be happy to discuss. This is a seated debate, so it's just a matter of moving farther apart at the table.

We should point out that Vice President Pence and Senator Kamala Harris both put out statements that they tested negative for COVID-19. So it appears, Peter, at this point that the V.P. debate is going forward, and then we'll see what happens going forward after that.

DOOCY: Absolutely. And we know something else to keep an eye on is going to be next Thursday in Arizona, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have already announced a joint appearance in Arizona. Neither one of them has been there in a very long time. And that is going to be something -- this event that was here earlier today, there were just really a handful of people in the crowd, not even really a crown, it's just a small group of invited frontline workers who were sitting outside a few feet apart and folding plastic chairs, which is exactly how the campaign wants these events to go, because they are really, really strict about social distancing.

But for something like putting Biden and Harris together, we don't know if that is going to happen. The two of them are very, very rarely in the same place at the same time. I believe the convention and then the memorial service for Ruth Bader Ginsburg are the only two times in the last six weeks, seven weeks that they have been in the same place at the same time. And so we don't know if the developments with the president falling ill are going to make Democrats want to keep Biden and Harris apart yet. But they are scheduled less than a week from now for a rare event together in Arizona, a state that they are trying to flip.

BAIER: Peter Doocy with the Joe Biden campaign. Peter, thank you.

Again, requeuing this story, the president of the United States is now at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. That is where he will seek treatment for the next several days, be monitored by doctors because of his COVID-19 diagnosis. He's, according the White House, receiving antivirals as well as seeing some mild symptoms, but we will wait to get an update from the White House physician.

The walk out to Marine One from the White House with the president wearing a mask could now be the singular image of the coronavirus pandemic. The signature of this president walking out to get on Marine One to go to Walter Reed changed the entire collective. And obviously you've seen a lot of outpouring of support, thoughts and prayers for the president and the First Lady who also tested positive for COVID-19.

Please stay tuned to FOX News and this FOX station for continuing coverage of this story. I am Bret Baier in Washington. Good evening.

I wanted to say goodbye to our FOX stations and bring back our panel, Steve, Mara, and Charlie. Where are we in this election now, as this has changed, Mara, a lot of the thinking? It has changed where we are going next. It has changed perhaps the focus of what people are thinking about.

MARA LIASSON, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Yes. Well, Democrats and Republicans that I talked to today said their first take was this isn't good for Donald Trump. Putting aside that the fact that the nation all wants the president of the United States to get better as soon as possible. You heard Joe Biden say that. But in terms of what it does for the campaign, first of all, it keeps them off the trail, makes his events virtual. So the big rallies that are the lifeblood of the campaign that he loves to do, he's not going to be able to do that. We don't know if the debates are going to go forward or not, depending on how well he's recovering.

BAIER: We know the V.P. one.

LIASSON: And it refocuses -- pardon?

BAIER: We know the V.P. debate next week will.

LIASSON: The V.P. will go ahead, absolutely. I'm talking about the two remaining presidential debates.

But what it does is it refocuses the debate on COVID. The president wanted to move past COVID and talk about the Supreme Court and the economy getting better, and his argument about why Joe Biden isn't fit mentally or physically to be the president. But instead his refocuses the campaign debate on COVID, and again, of course, on his leadership during the pandemic, the fact that until recently he didn't want to wear a mask. He said the COVID affects virtually nobody. And so it gets it back to an issue where Biden was stronger and the president was weaker. So in that sense, it's not good for him, for Trump.

BAIER: Panel, stand by for one second. We are getting a new video from President Trump before he left on Marine One for Walter Reed. He tweeted out this video. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- thank everybody for the tremendous support. I'm going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out. The First Lady is doing very well. So thank you very much. I appreciate it. I will never forget it. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: President Trump in the White House with that message, and that in and of itself, Charlie, is comforting.

HURT: Yes, it is, and also extraordinary. Look, I do think the Joe Biden campaign's decision to suspend during negative advertising at this time is a very classy move, and I think it's appropriate. But the campaign still has to go on, and there is still a big fight on very important issues that needs to be had between now and the election.

But this is a clarifying moment. And I think that -- just think about what the news cycle has been filled with for the past 24 hours. It's been filled with a secretly taped audio of a conversation between the First Lady and a former friend about what she was saying, just nonsense. And think about all this discussion about trying to get President Trump to denounce people who -- white supremacists that he's already denounced. It's just, it's nonsense.

And this is one of those moments, and I hope that everybody takes the opportunity to seize it, where it washes out all of that nonsense, and we can focus on the real important issues that face the country. And of course, as somebody who thinks that President Trump is doing a very good job, I believe that he's got a great case to argue on the economy, on the Supreme Courts, and also on his handling of the COVID crisis, something that we didn't -- a disease that didn't even exist as far as we know a year ago.

So I think this is a good moment and it resets things. And I hope the net result is that the temperature goes down and we return to talking about issues that are important to the American people.

BAIER: I want to go to John Roberts on the North Lawn of the White House, obviously just getting that message recorded from President Trump. Do we know any backstory there, John, about who recorded it or when he did it?

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Obviously he did it shortly before he left, Bret. And I think that the video sent a good signal, because there was speculation, if the president is going to Walter Reed then he has to be sick. He looked like he was a little bit fatigued. He looked a little bit drawn, but he looked like he was in good spirits. His voice was clear despite the fact that we're told he's got a little bit of congestion and he's running a slight fever. So I think that was reassuring to see the president still there, vigorous despite the fact that he is suffering from coronavirus and has mild coronavirus disease at this point.

I think from a personal standpoint, though, the president saying he is going to have the best of care, and he will there at Walter Reed. But I think that personally in his mind he's concerned about the road ahead. And one of the reasons why I believe that is because a good friend -- well, not a good friend, but an acquaintance, a real estate colleague of his from New York, a fellow named Stanley Chera, died from coronavirus disease back in April.

And the president has talked about this a couple times at coronavirus briefings, but when I was with him in Ypsilanti, Michigan, fly back on Air Force One, he invited me to come up to his office in the front. And he retold the story. Stanley was fine one day, then he heard that he had coronavirus disease, and then a day or two later he heard that he was in the hospital. A day or two after that, the president heard that he was on a ventilator, and then the president talked to his family to say how is Stanley doing? And apparently he had died.

And I think that that event really hit the president very deeply. That was, if you recall back in the spring, a moment where the president's view of coronavirus really changed. It became very personal for him. So I think somewhere in the back of his mind as he goes out there to Walter Reed for what undoubtedly is some of the greatest medical care anyone can receive anywhere in the world, he's got that story of Stanley Chera and what happened to Stanley in the back of his mind, which I think is why the president is not playing any games with this. And when his physician suggested he go up to Walter Reed so that he could have that quality of care seconds away, not a helicopter ride away, the president was happy to oblige his physician and go up there, Bret.

BAIER: And we heard the president in that video, John, mention the First Lady is doing well. She obviously did not accompany him to Walter Reed.

ROBERTS: No. She is staying in the residence. Clearly the rules for the president of the United States are different than they are even for the First Lady. And you want to make sure, particularly since he is in that category of elevated risk, given his age and his physical stature, that you want to have top-notch medical care seconds away, because God forbid, and we know with this virus it's capricious, it affects people in different ways. If the president were to start to have a more severe episode of coronavirus disease, you could get him into a high-tech medical situation quickly.

For all we know, the president may sort of just wait this out in that suite of offices, but have his medical teams on standby. Or if the president were to suddenly become severely ill, the intensive care unit would be only steps away as opposed to helicopter ride away. And I think that it's prudent that out of an abundance of caution they do this, because we still don't know all of the ways in which coronavirus works. We have a much better understanding of how the disease can progress. We have a much better understanding of things that we can use to treat patients who have it.

I was very intrigued to see that the president got a dose of this experimental Regeneron antibody therapy. That is not widely available. The president got it through compassionate use. And as well he's taking simple things like zinc and vitamin D, and what is essentially the generic version of Pepcid, and then a baby aspirin as well, because we know that blood clotting can be a problem. We know that how your stomach reacts to things can be a problem. We know that vitamin D deficiency can cause a greater degree of coronavirus disease. And we know that zinc is good at preventing viral replication, or at least slowing it down. It also boosts your immune system.

So the president does seem to be in good hands. I am sure they have remdesivir on hold should the president need it. He hasn't talked about hydroxychloroquine, though he did say that if he ever got coronavirus he would probably go to that well again. But I think at the moment, Bret, it's probably safe to say they are holding off on that one, at least for the moment.

BAIER: OK, John Roberts on the North Lawn, John, thanks. We heard from Dr. Manny Alvarez earlier. Let's go to Mike Emanuel on Capitol Hill. There is another coronavirus relief package underway, negotiations still continuing. And the question is, Mike, does this change that equation at all?

MIKE EMANUEL, FOX NEWS CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bret, great question. Good evening to you.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi this morning said she thought it actually did change the dynamic, that it really refocused everyone involved in these talks, showing what a vicious disease this COVID-19 is. And we know that she spoke for more than an hour this afternoon with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. We're hearing there are still significant differences, but there was a change in tone this afternoon from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell back in Kentucky saying that he thought they were getting closer to an outcome. And you know McConnell very well, as I do, and he is not one for hyperbole. So if he says they are getting closer to an outcome, that is significant.

Also on the House floor today, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, said that he thought the talks might produce a deal this weekend. He said they wouldn't have a vote Monday or Tuesday because they would need to produce any agreement into legislative language. So we are hearing from both sides a significant push forward after it looked like they were stuck last night. And so perhaps this national story, this national drama of seeing our president and First Lady test positive for this dreadful disease that's affected so many American families, maybe it's forced everybody back to the table to get serious about cutting a deal. Bret?

BAIER: Yes, Mike, and from a Capitol Hill perspective, both sides of the aisle, at least for one day, seemed to send out wishes of get well and thoughts and prayers to the president, as opposed to what we usually hear in statements from both sides of the aisle.

EMANUEL: Absolutely right. A lot of the president's harshest critics were extending their thoughts, their prayers for the president and First Lady from Chuck Schumer to Nancy Pelosi to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez.

It was also interesting that this news that they had tested positive came out at 1:00 a.m., and there was no Capitol Hill reaction for hours, not until probably 9:00 a.m. eastern, like eight hours later, because I think lawmakers were trying to find the right tone to strike. What do you say at this point? It shakes up the country when the president of the United States has a health issue. This is a significant issue that has killed several hundred thousand of our fellow citizens. And so they wanted to strike the right tone, and so the right tone seemed to be let's all pray for the president and First Lady, hope for their speedy, a full recovery, and we can fight about the issues of the day another day.

BAIER: Mike Emanuel live on the Hill. Mike, thank you.

Back with our panel, Steve, Mara, and Charlie. Steve, you can't sugarcoat where the big issue on coronavirus is, and you wonder whether this moment will change the perspective of talking about it, of dealing about it in some way from this administration or from some of his supporters.

STEVE HAYES, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I think that's right. And you hope that the country can set aside partisanship. I think if you are hearing from partisan voices making partisan arguments at this point, it's a good check on whether you should be listening to them in the future.

There are some people in our country who need to put partisanship on hold and need to focus on the jobs in front of them. I think the partisan politics can be set aside, we can return to that in a few days when we know better the condition of the president. But there are doctors, there are national security officials who need to be focused on doing their jobs regardless of the health of the president.

I think if you are Mike Pence, I think you should be quarantined. I think people in the line of succession should certainly be quarantined in case what we are all hoping for, a speedy recovery, a mild case, doesn't happen. You have Army medical doctors who are going to be attending to the president who may have to make some very difficult decisions about the president's ability to continue to serve the country the way that he has been serving the country. So I think there are people who we need to be thinking about, need to be praying for, who have important jobs in front of them that are far outside of partisan politics.

BAIER: Mara, well wishes, I mentioned, from Capitol Hill but also from around the world. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who we remarked earlier had already been through his own battle with COVID-19, sending his best. Just moments ago, we got word from Kim Jong-un, saying that he offered his sympathy to the president and the First Lady, sincerely hoped that they would be recovering as soon as possible.

You forget perhaps, that as the president goes to Walter Reed, the world continues. And there's a lot to worry about as president of the United States.

LIASSON: Right, there's a lot to worry about. And we are going to find out in the next couple of days, does he just do his regular job as normal from his suite of offices at Walter Reed, or are his symptoms severe enough that he is not able to do that? But it's interesting, there have been two other world leaders, Boris Johnson and Bolsonaro of Brazil who both friends of the president, but also who both got coronavirus. Neither of them were that close to a re-election campaign when they got it.

So the president is in this very exclusive club of world leaders who have gotten this disease, and hopefully he will come through it just like them. But we're going to find out in the next couple of days how this effects his ability to govern. Also, his ability to want to get involved in those negotiations on Capitol Hill. He has signaled several times that he was willing to spend more money than Republicans on Capitol Hill seemed to be willing to, that he wanted individual -- more individual checks to go out to people the way they were in the first couple of relief bills. So it will be interesting to see now that it seems like they are making progress, does he want to get involved in that? So this is a -- this is a fraught moment.

BAIER: Yes. It goes the other way, too, obviously. Nancy Pelosi could adjust what she is wishing for, Charlie, and get something across the finish line. Something is better than nothing, and it seems like they are getting closer.

HURT: Absolutely, and if it's a moment that, as we talked about earlier, that kind of clarifies the politics, that's a good thing. Obviously, the president is among an exclusive number of world leaders who have contracted COVID, but he is now one man in over 7 million Americans who have contracted this disease. And the vast majority of them have survived, and obviously we are praying that the same happens to him and the First Fady.

BAIER: Yes, and the First Fady. Panel, thank you so much in what has been a surreal day, a surreal hour. Thank you.

Thank you for inviting us into your home tonight. That's it for this SPECIAL REPORT, fair, balanced, and unafraid. One more look at the president leaving the White House, going to Marine One as he heads to Walter Reed Medical Center. It was quite a moment, and one that will be iconic in this entire time, 30 days ahead of an election. "The Story" hosted by Martha MacCallum in New York starts right now. Martha?

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