Democrats call on Gov. Cuomo to resign after sexual harassment report
Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the details on 'Your World'
This is a rush transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," August 3, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: All right, thank you, Trace, very, very much.
We are indeed monitoring developments at the White House. The president ostensibly going into today was going to use this moment to talk about COVID and some of the latest restrictions that are going on around the country right now on where he would be on this, but all of a sudden then came the Andrew Cuomo allegations that he sexually harassed a number of women and a growing call by Democrats, Democrats, who run the legislature there and the state Assembly, to say maybe the better part of valor is for the governor to go.
A lot for the president knighted states to get into it. We are there when he starts speaking.
Welcome, everybody. I'm Neil Cavuto, and this is YOUR WORLD.
And all eyes on Washington right now, even though Washington has very little to say about the fate of a New York Democratic governor, greeted as a rock star year ago at this time, now just a rock and a weight on the party today, and all because the New York attorney general completing a report that just excoriates him and his overall handling of relations and relationships with close to a dozen women; 179 people were interviewed on this, tens of thousands of pages of documents.
Not a criminal matter. Simply a civil one. Simply a report. The attorney general in New York says she is done. Now growing questions as to whether the governor is done as well.
Let's go to Bryan Llenas, who has followed this better than anyone I know from the very beginning, with the very latest.
Hey, Bryan.
BRYAN LLENAS, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Neil.
Well, you touched on this, New York attorney general's office releasing a stunningly detailed, substantiated and corroborated report, relying on 179 interviews with former and current employees and state employees, 74,000 e- mails and texts, and witness accounts from the 11 accusers accusing him of sexual harassment.
The investigators found that Governor Cuomo did indeed sexually harass all 11 women, groping an executive assistant, putting his hand under her blouse. They found that he inappropriately touched a state trooper on her waist and made inappropriate sexual comments.
The governor and his staff also retaliated against at least one employee and fostered a -- quote -- "hostile, abusive, intimidating workplace."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: These interviews and pieces of evidence reveal a deeply disturbing, yet clear picture. Governor Cuomo sexually harassed current and former state employees, in violation of both federal and state laws.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LLENAS: In a taped response, Governor Cuomo denied all of the allegations, his office releasing their own 85-page response to the investigation, but only 26 pages of it were texts, the rest, dozens of photos showing Cuomo hugging and kissing people and other politicians.
The governor claiming that his everyday actions are being weaponized against him by the accusers and others. He also called the investigation politically biased. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): We're living in a superheated, if not toxic, political environment. That shouldn't be lost on anyone. Politics and bias are interwoven throughout every aspect of this situation.
One would be naive to think otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LLENAS: He reportedly confronted Joon Kim, one of the two independent investigators and a former federal prosecutor, to his face during an 11- hour videotaped interview, questioning his fairness and independence because Kim had prosecuted a former Cuomo senior adviser in the past.
Now, Democrats, who control the state Assembly, held -- are holding an emergency meeting this afternoon to discuss the next steps, perhaps impeachment. His lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, tweeted that no one is above the law, but noted she could not comment further since she's next in line of succession.
The bottom line, though, is, Neil, is that she also did call the actions by the governor repulsive and unlawful -- Neil.
CAVUTO: All right, Bryan Llenas, thank you.
Let's go to Chad Pergram in Washington with how they're digesting all of this in our nation's capital -- Chad.
CHAD PERGRAM, FOX NEWS CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Neil.
New York congressional Democrats are turning on Cuomo. A joint statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says the governor should step aside. They add that New York deserves better leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY): We continue to believe that the governor should resign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERGRAM: Gillibrand was the first senator to call for the ouster of former Minnesota Senator Al Franken three years ago over sexual harassment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): Heart goes out to the women who have come forward, to their families, and to what they went through. And I thank them for their courage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERGRAM: Democrats stopped short of demanding a civil rights probe.
New York Democrat Mondaire Jones says they should let prosecutors do their job. But House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik went further.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): Joe Biden said he should be prosecuted and he should be, the U.S. Department of Justice, since there were federal crimes committed, examples of being unfit for office, impeachable offenses, multiple crimes committed.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PERGRAM: A trio of House Democrats say Cuomo should step down. They had not said that before.
They are House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Greg Meeks, and Tom Suozzi from Long Island -- Neil.
CAVUTO: Chad Pergram, thank you.
Let's go to Katie Cherkasky, the former federal prosecutor.
Katie, again, this was not in a criminal indictment. It was a probe, an independent one, conducted and led by the Democratic attorney general of New York. She stayed at the end now it's in the hands of the state legislature, the Assembly, as well as maybe the governor himself. Is she right about that; this can go no further than that?
KATIE CHERKASKY, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Absolutely not. This can go very far.
And that's the problem with Governor Cuomo making so many statements. They can be used against him in any forum, whether it's a criminal forum, whether it's civil forum, if he's sued, or an impeachment proceeding.
So, certainly, this is just an investigation and an investigation is not a finding of guilt or a determination of the matter. But it is a starting point. And, here, Governor Cuomo did give an interview, a lengthy interview, that supplied his side of the story.
So, to many people, this is an open-and-shut situation. Now, of course, he's entitled to due process, if there are actions taken, but there can be any number of actions that are taken against him, for sure.
CAVUTO: I remember, like, Gerald Ford said the that House or Senate can go ahead and subject someone to impeachment, depending on their whim at the moment. I'm paraphrasing to get to the point as to whether there's that kind of appetite in the New York state legislature, dominated by Democrats in both houses, to do that.
Now, to a man and woman, many of them are coming out to say, resign, or this is bad stuff. But to get impeachment going, are some of the charges brought up here the stuff of which impeachment measures are taken?
CHERKASKY: Absolutely.
I think, if true -- again, if true -- this is an investigation -- then certainly any sort of criminal offenses of touching people without their consent would, I would hope, be enough to qualify for an impeachment, especially your own people working for you, let alone members of the public that you're leading.
So, absolutely. I don't think that's a question, if true. Now, of course, again, Governor Cuomo has denied all of these allegations, and that's going to have to be proven by whatever body is trying to take action against him.
But, absolutely, if proven, I don't think that's a question whatsoever.
CAVUTO: So, let's play this out on what could happen. The governor has lost a lot of friends.
When I was mentioning earlier, Katie, and believe you and I were talking a year ago on this same sort of thing, that he was a rock star, a guiding light for his party, and, of course, now a pariah.
So I'm just wondering how much public will there is and how relevant he will be. Right now, all the attention has been focused on New York City's mayor, not the governor, on new restrictions and measures that are being taken, without the governor having any input on any of this, or so it would appear. What do you think?
CHERKASKY: I think that he has not done himself any favors in how he's responded to these allegations.
There's certainly ways -- and I defend people every day in sexual harassment cases, sexual assault cases. There's ways to handle that and to get the due process that you want. But when you're going to make these blanket statements, calling people liars, and not even having the decency to let the case play out in a court, then I think people are not going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you're really looking for.
So I don't believe that Governor Cuomo is going to have much support after his press conference or his statement that was released this morning, because he seems to not understand the problem here. And the problem is that that kind of behavior is not acceptable, even if that's how you have always behaved. That, in fact, makes it worse, perhaps.
CAVUTO: The irony is, a lot of these allegations came post whether he was understating the deaths and hospitalizations of older people in special care centers, nursing homes and the like.
None of that was the subject of the attorney general's investigation. So, the irony here seems to be that the one thing that a lot of people thought that Cuomo was the most vulnerable isn't even on the radar when it comes to these -- this latest case.
CHERKASKY: That's a good point.
And I think maybe that investigation or those allegations actually encouraged some people to come forward, realizing that this person is fallible, and maybe I can say something, and people will start to believe me, because you have that problem when you have somebody in the public eye taking advantage of their position of power, if that's what happened here.
But, yes, certainly that is a surprise. But perhaps that is what triggered these people to be able to come forward and make these reports.
CAVUTO: Where do you think this goes, Katie? I know it's just a crapshoot, but what's your bet?
CHERKASKY: I think that Governor Cuomo is in for a lot of litigation on the civil side. I think that he's going to be sued by these victims. If he's not prosecuted, there could be a question of whether there are jurisdictions and prosecutors that are willing to take these cases forward.
I see people prosecuted every single day for touching somebody in the workplace without their consent over the clothing. These allegations, if true, are much more egregious than that. So I think that a lot of people would certainly consider very seriously whether he is actually criminally prosecuted.
And then, of course, on the political side, whether he resigns, I don't think he's looking like he's going to after his statement. He seems very indignant at this point. But, certainly, the impeachment, I think will proceed, and I think it should. I think that would be warranted, given the gravity and the volume of these allegations against him.
CAVUTO: Katie Cherkasky, thank you.
To Charlie Gasparino on just that. Charlie's been working the phones and talking to a lot of his contacts in New York, of course.
Governor Cuomo is known as a relentless fighter, and he is fighting this, right? He is certainly not throwing in the towel, at least at this point. What are you hearing, Charlie?
CHARLIE GASPARINO, FOX NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, you never know.
If Joe Biden comes out forcefully and says, you must go, I mean, who knows what's going to happen? But I can tell you this. I spoke with people who were close to Cuomo. As of now, here's his political calculus, fight, fight, fight. Attack the investigation as politically motivated, done by people that are political adversaries.
I believe one of the prosecutors tried to prosecute one of his aides at one point. Letitia James has her eyes on the governor's mansion herself. She is looking to score political points. Attack it that way. And then basically say that -- and then basically roll the dice on this. The public itself is more concerned about COVID than they are about these allegations.
And he believes that if he can survive this, get some daylight and he gets to a primary, he's going to be facing a far left candidate for -- and a Democratic Party, which he believes he will beat. And then the Republicans are likely to nominate a conservative, a Trumpian conservative, someone like Lee Zeldin. He can beat him.
So this is his survival guide. Again it's hard to predict these things, because if Biden comes out there in a few minutes and says something very forceful, he may be a political pariah, where he figures that he has to -- he doesn't have much choice. He doesn't have any friends.
But, as of now, that's what I hear from people that are close to him, that work with him, that know him, and that have spoken to people directly involved with him. That's what they're saying. It's fight, fight, fight. And then there's a chess game that's going to be played. And he thinks he can win it.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: Yes, but how are they responding to the own -- the governor's own response? He said, look, I come from a family of huggers, my father, my mother, and all that.
Now, a lot of people raised their eyebrows at that, saying he essentially threw his dad under the bus. But I'm just wondering what you make of his strategy here? And, like you say, he's not up for reelection, and all indications are he wants a fourth term. We know, in the past, when his father was seeking a fourth term, and even the guy who beat him, George Pataki, was seeking a fourth term, after three terms, it gets to be problematic, doesn't work out.
Now we have these latest developments. What are you hearing about how he plans to just keep going through this, that time is on his side, that the opposition really isn't coalescing around a central figure? What to make of all that?
GASPARINO: Well, I think what he's going to do -- at least that's what they're telling me he's going to do -- he is going to throw some shade on the allegations themselves.
He's going to say, who hasn't said something stupid once in a while? Who hasn't touched someone by accident or in a -- what was inappropriate a year ago is -- what's appropriate a year ago is inappropriate today. These are some of the things he's going to do to try to throw -- to show that these instances weren't the -- weren't the huge disclosures that they were, they were much more innocent, is -- that's kind of what I'm hearing.
And then, if he can do that effectively, then play a chess game, a longer chess game, position himself against the Democrat. Democrats in the state are far left. We should point that out. They are -- they are AOC incarnates.
And people generally, the average New York voter, is not crazy about that type of -- even in New York, they're not crazy about that, although they keep electing these people. It's crazy.
So, the average...
CAVUTO: But it would be a different game, would it not, Charlie, if it were Letitia James herself, the attorney general?
She carries considerable heft and cache. That could be a game-changer.
GASPARINO: Could be.
But, remember, then he could attack -- attack -- and then the plans to -- because I know they're thinking about this. Then he attacks the whole probe as politically motivated, so that she can run against him.
CAVUTO: Right.
GASPARINO: I mean, this is -- and then it's -- and then it's -- then, if they get through the primary, it's like a one-on-one with a Republican...
CAVUTO: You're right.
GASPARINO: ... who will probably not be a George Pataki-type Republican. It will probably be a very Trumpian Republican. And that is -- that's not great in New York state.
But, again, we don't know. I'm dying to hear how forceful Biden comes out, because that could be a game-changer, as you know. I mean, if you have the president of the United States, no less, saying resign, it's hard to like - - it's not that easy to stay in office.
CAVUTO: Yes, to put it mildly.
GASPARINO: Yes.
CAVUTO: Charlie, thank you, Charlie Gasparino.
GASPARINO: OK.
CAVUTO: We are waiting to hear from the president of the United States.
Ostensibly, by now, he was supposed to address the nation's COVID response and the confusion over people having to look at restrictions across the country, to say nothing of companies that are pushing back in person return to work. And the president was going to weigh in on all of that, the whole mask thing, the renewed restriction thing and whether it was a reversal thing on his part.
And now, of course, he stands to weigh in on the New York Governor Cuomo issue as well. All that minutes away, we are told.
Ahead of that, John Bussey, The Wall Street Journal associate editor, FOX News contributor.
John, I was just thinking, knowing that you were coming, and you're a great student of history as well, those who rise quickly fall. I mean, it was a year ago that this guy had close to 80 percent approval ratings. We can go back in time to talk about presidents who were riding high, Richard Nixon in a landslide win in 1972, less than two years later, resigning in disgrace.
So fame and fortune can change quickly. What's your sense of what's happening here?
JOHN BUSSEY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, fame and fortune can change quickly. And that has an aftershock.
And the Democrats have got to be worrying about this. His fourth term election campaign kicks -- is already sort of under way with November of 2022 in mind. Well, that happens to be the midterms as well. And the Democrats have got to be thinking, do we really want this ballast in the hot air balloon, or is it time to really shove it out?
And if you look back in history, the Clinton impeachment trial ended up with him being acquitted by the Senate on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. But the knock-on effect of that probably cost Al Gore the election in 2000. Al Gore thinks so.
Clinton said you should have had me campaign for you, but you didn't want me there because of the scandal. Most political analysts think that Gore could have edged through if he had had Clinton board, but you couldn't. You had a guy who was...
CAVUTO: Right.
BUSSEY: ... who had been just impeached by the House.
And so too with Nixon, a very different type of scandal, obstruction of justice, many other things, but there too the pardon that Gerald Ford issued had knock-on effects for Gerald Ford's campaigned against Jimmy Carter, which he lost.
CAVUTO: That's a very good point.
But if memory serves me right, top Democrats never abandoned Bill Clinton. And the public didn't really back the notion of impeaching the guy, however offensive the offense.
But I do remember, in the case of Richard Nixon, with prominent Republicans, like Howard Baker and a host of others said it's over, you got to go. Obviously, we know what happened when top Democrats abandoned Lyndon Johnson in 1968. There was no impeachment going on there, just a very unpopular war. He decided not to run again. We know what happened after that.
So, it's when your party, I think, turns on you that it can be problematic, John. And, already, top Democratic leaders in New York state had turned on him.
BUSSEY: That's right, yes.
CAVUTO: Chuck Schumer and others in Washington saying, you got to -- you got to go.
I'm just wondering how that plays out, because I think, sometimes, when you lose your own, you have lost period.
BUSSEY: Well, I think that's -- I think that's exactly right, Neil.
And, look, he's not a president. He's a governor of New York.
CAVUTO: Right. Right.
BUSSEY: We're comparing him to Clinton to Nixon.
But he's been -- was called out in March of last year and in April when he was giving those daily briefings as possible presidential timber. And, as you note, the ratings dropped from 70 or so percent in March of last year, when he was giving very sound advice to the public, in conflict with what was coming out of the White House. They have dropped about 45 percent approval rating in July.
And back in the Clinton days, too, even though he was acquitted, and very much along party lines, there were a number of Democrats who were quite forceful in their condemnation of his behavior.
And so it kind of created this fatigue within the Democratic Party and this kind of backwash and this recrimination and frustration with the leader of their party.
That, you can easily see happening here. As you point out, Schumer and Gillibrand have already criticized him and suggested that he resign. Does the Democratic Party really want for the next several months infighting over this, more recriminations, more denunciations, but no physical action on impeachment to drag on into the midterm campaigns?
I don't think they do.
CAVUTO: Yes, eventually, bad political baggage is just that, whether it's a governor or a president. But we will watch it closely.
John Bussey, thank you, my friend very, very much.
BUSSEY: Pleasure.
CAVUTO: I do want to let that, ostensibly, the reason why the president was going to be making remarks today was to address COVID and all of these latest developments, including one company after another apparently delaying in person returns to the offices, among them, Microsoft, demanding now proof of vaccination for anyone entering its buildings, including its employees, also pushing back until at least October workers' return.
What the president is going to say about that and what seem to be some serious reversals out of the CDC, not only on mask requirements, but getting back to work and how you get back to work and school and if you do -- after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAVUTO: I think this is the media version of waiting for Godot, waiting to hear from the president of the United States, not only on the Cuomo stuff and all that, but certainly the original intent on COVID, and some of these restrictions that are now being reimposed across the country, companies too delaying in person return to work.
Edward Lawrence following all of that from the White House right now -- Edward.
EDWARD LAWRENCE, FOX BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
Neil, I can tell you right now the pool has been taken in, waiting for the president to come out. Our own Peter Doocy is in that room. He's got some questions obviously for the president.
He wants to be talking. President Joe Biden wants to be talking about the mask mandates, the mask recommendations, as well as his vaccination campaigns. Now, the CDC has said that this Delta variant is more infectious even among vaccinated people.
And the president and others in the White House have been using those breakthrough infections to push vaccinations. Now, over the past seven days, it has worked. They have seen an increase in the number of people getting vaccinations, the president adding that vaccines are critical to health, saving lives and moving the economy forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The vaccines work, even as cases go up due to the highly transmissible disease the Delta variant.
We're not seeing a comparable rise in hospitalizations or deaths in most of the country because of the vaccinations. This is an epidemic of the unvaccinated, a pandemic of the unvaccinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Now, on that mask reversal, a senior White House official tells us that the Delta variant and the data they're seeing from last May is very different than the data coming in right now.
Still, some doctors I talk with think that making a sweeping reversal on mass recommendations based on a small study in a town in Massachusetts may be premature. But the senior White House official says more studies will be coming out and the CDC plans to follow whatever that science says.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic senators are now saying that mask mandates and wearing masks may need to be expanded. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I think, for right now, the most prudent course is to wear a mask when we're walking in the halls or close to other people.
I think setting a good example is important. And wearing a mask is part of setting a good example.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: And there are many cities that are going back to those mask mandates. New York is not one of those cities, but other cities are looking at the recommendations coming out of the CDC and saying this is something that we're going to reimpose -- Neil.
CAVUTO: Edward Lawrence, thank you.
To Aishah Hasnie now. She has been following all the companies and cities and states that have been imposing these new restrictions, guidelines, friendly advice, whatever you want to call it. She joins us from New York City -- Aishah.
AISHAH HASNIE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Good afternoon to you, Neil.
Yes, you could literally walk through multiple mask rules in a matter of a day, depending on where you live, work, eat and shop. It's been kind of hard to keep up with all of this. So let's try to break this down for you as simply as we can.
So, right now, eight states across the country have mask mandates, but only two, Hawaii and Louisiana, they have a true mandate. That means that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, they have to wear a mask indoors.
The other six, like California and New York, only mandate masks for the unvaccinated. But many local governments have their own true mask mandates. And that includes Kansas City, Missouri, as well as the counties of San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, and Saint Louis.
Now, New York City, as we just mentioned, does not have a mask mandate for everyone. The city, though, becomes the first in the country to require proof of vaccination to visit restaurants and gyms.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL DE BLASIO (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: This mandate is going to help us save lives. This mandate is going to help us bring our city back fully. And the bottom line is, it's time for everyone to get vaccinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HASNIE: So, now we're going to throw in companies. They're stepping in with their own rule too.
McDonald's, Target, Walmart, Disney, Ford, General Motors, they're going to start pushing mask mandates for their employees. McDonald's, by the way, now wants customers to also mask up in high transmission areas, so keep that in mind if you're heading into order a Big Mac anytime soon.
Look, the CDC strongly recommends people wear masks indoors if they live in an area where the Delta variant spread is high. That includes about 80 percent of the nation's counties, with states like Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and Alabama having the highest seven-day transmission rates.
And, Neil, the...
CAVUTO: All right, Aishah, sorry about that.
The president of the United States now at the White House:
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BIDEN: ... Delta variant.
This is a very different variant than what we have dealt with previously. It's highly transmissible, and it's causing a new wave of cases. It accounts for over 80 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the United States today.
Experts tell us that we're going to see these cases rise in the weeks ahead, a largely preventable tragedy that will get worse before it gets better.
What's different about this surge from previous ones is, we have the tools to prevent this rise in cases from shutting down our businesses, our schools, our society, as we saw what happened last year.
While cases are on the rise, it's important to note we have not seen a comparable rise in hospitalizations or deaths in most areas of the country. That's because 165 million Americans are fully vaccinated, including 80 percent of the most vulnerable Americans, our seniors.
And the best line of defense against the Delta virus is the vaccine. It's as simple as that, period, the vaccine.
I want to be crystal clear about what's happening in the country today. We have a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Now, I know there's a lot of misinformation out there. So here are the facts.
If you're vaccinated, you are highly unlikely to get COVID-19. And even if you do, the chances are you won't show any symptoms. And if you do, they will most likely be very mild. Vaccinated people almost never are hospitalized with COVID-19.
In fact, according to one recent study, 95 percent of overall COVID-19 hospitalizations are among those not fully vaccinated. And the data shows that virtually all the cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 are from the unvaccinated population.
Last month, a study showed that over 99 percent of COVID-19 deaths have been among the unvaccinated people, 99 percent. That means, if you're unvaccinated, you are much more likely to, one, get COVID-19, two, get hospitalized, and, three, die if you get it.
This is a tragedy. People are dying and will die who don't have to die. The data is absolutely clear. As I have said, we have a pandemic of the unvaccinated.
Think of it this way; 191 million Americans have gotten at least one shot, including 70 percent of adults over the age of 18; 165 million Americans are fully vaccinated. But about 90 million Americans are eligible for vaccines and still haven't gotten their first shot.
Now, I think there's a clear link between the lowest vaccinated -- I know - - I don't think, actually -- the lowest vaccinated states and the states with the highest case rates.
This past week, the most vaccinated state in America, Vermont, has seen just five new cases -- five -- per day of COVID-19 for every 100,000 people who live in the state. That means, on any given day, only 30 people in the entire state of Vermont got COVID-19.
Nearby Maine, which has vaccinated almost 80 percent of their adults, has seen just six new cases per 100,000.
But the states with the lowest vaccination rates are seeing 10 to 20 times as many new cases per 100,000 people. It's moving like wildfire through the unvaccinated community. And it's heartbreaking, particularly because it's preventable. That's why we're doing everything we can to get more people vaccinated.
And we're seeing real results. In the past two weeks, we have seen a 55 percent increase in the average number of new people getting vaccinated every day. In the last seven days alone, nearly three million Americans have gotten their first shot. That's the highest seven-day total in a month.
Importantly, over the past two weeks, the eight states with the highest current case rates have seen the doubling of the number of people newly vaccinated each day. The message is getting through, apparently.
Louisiana has seen a 212 percent increase in the average number of newly vaccinated people in that state per day, going from 3, 600 to over 11,000 people vaccinated per day.
Arkansas is up 99 percent. Mississippi is up 125 percent. Alabama is up 186 percent, going from 3, 200 to 9, 150 people vaccinated per day. This will make a big difference. These are encouraging signs. We have to continue our aggressive efforts to vaccinate the unvaccinated.
Last week, I announced additional steps to incentivize Americans to get vaccinated, including calling on states to offer $100 for anyone willing to step up and get a vaccination shot. And, already, Minnesota and New Mexico have done that. And North Carolina announced its 100-day incentive -- its $100 incentive today.
Places that have offered the $100,000 -- the $100,000 -- $100. That'd be really good. I'd go back and get vaccinated three times.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: But all kidding aside, offered the $100 to get vaccination, have seen an uptick in 25 percent in daily vaccination rates.
We also announced that small and medium-sized businesses will be fully reimbursed for offering paid time off for their employees to get vaccinated and for them to take a child or a parent to get vaccinated. Now, I announced some tough, sometimes unpopular steps to keep people safe and our economy strong. All federal workers must report their vaccination status, or be subject to strict requirements.
Any federal worker who does not attest to their vaccination status or is not vaccinated will be required to mask no matter where they work, test once or twice a week, socially distance, and generally will not be allowed to travel for work.
I directed my administration to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors. If you want to do business with the federal government, get your workers vaccinated. And I also directed the Pentagon to look at adding COVID-19 to the list of vaccinations that are required for our troops, because others are required.
I approved the Department of Veterans Affairs to require doctors, nurses and other health care workers who care for our veterans to be vaccinated.
And the good news is that now many are following the federal government's lead. In the past several days, states and local officials have come out to impose similar vaccination mandates. And the private sector is stepping up as well. Even FOX has vaccination requirements.
I want to thank Walmart, Google, Netflix, Disney, Tyson Foods for their recent actions requiring vaccination for employees.
Look, I know this isn't easy. But I will have their backs and the backs of other private-public sector leaders if they take such steps.
But others have declined to step up. I find it disappointing. And, worst of all, some state officials are passing laws or signing orders that forbid people from doing the right thing. As of now, seven states not only ban mask mandates, but also ban them in their school districts, even for young children who cannot get vaccinated.
Some states have even banned businesses and universities from requiring workers and students to be masked or vaccinated.
And the most extreme of those measures is like the one in Texas that say state universities or community colleges could be fined if it allows a teacher to ask her unvaccinated students to wear a mask.
What are we doing? COVID-19 is a national challenge. And we must together. We have to come together, all of us together, as a country to solve it. Make no mistake, the esc -- excuse me -- that escalation of cases is particularly concentrated in states with low vaccination rates.
Just two states, Florida and Texas account for one-third of all new COVID- 19 cases in the entire country, just two states.
Look, we need leadership from everyone. If some governors aren't willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, then they should allow businesses and universities who want to do right thing to be able to do it.
I say to these governors, please help. If you aren't going to help, at least get out of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives.
I have made it our first and top priority to have a vaccine available for every single American the day I got elected. That was my priority.
Let me be clear. We have a supply for every single American. And that will never change. At the same time, it's also in our national interests to share some of our vaccines with the world, which gets me to the second thing I want to discuss today.
From the beginning of my presidency, I have been very clear-eyed that we need to attack this virus globally, not just at home, because it's in America's self-interests to do so. The virus knows no boundaries. You can't build a wall high enough to keep it out. There's no wall high enough or ocean wide enough to keep us safe from the vaccine in other -- from the COVID-19 in other countries.
In fact, just like the original virus that caused COVID-19, the Delta variant came from abroad. As long as the virus continues to rage outside the United States, potentially more dangerous variants could arrive at our shores again.
We know that COVID-19 in other countries stifles economic growth, disrupts supply chains, risks instability and weakness of governments. As we have seen in the United States, the key to growing economies is to vaccinate people.
So, just as the American economy is recovering, it's in all of our interests to have global -- the global economy begin to recover as well. This is about our values. We value inherent dignity of all people, inherent dignity of everyone.
In times of trouble, Americans reach out to offer a helping hand. That's who we are. And I have said before, in the fight against COVID-19, the United States is committed to be the arsenal of vaccines, just as we were the arsenal of democracy during World War II.
And we're backing up that commitment. We have contributed more than any other nation to COVAX, the collective global efforts delivering COVID-19 vaccines across the world. We have supported manufacturing efforts abroad through our partnerships with Japan, India, Australia known as the Quad.
During my trip to Europe in June, I announced that the United States had purchased a groundbreaking 500 million doses of Pfizer, and then donate them, those doses, to nearly 100 low- and middle-income countries who don't have the vaccine. Those doses will start to ship at the end of this month.
We also announced that we would donate 80 million doses of our own vaccine to supply the world, which has already begun.
And, today, I have an important update. We have already exceeded 80 million doses that have been -- gone out. As of today, the United States has shipped over 110 million doses of U.S. vaccines to 65 countries that are among the hardest-hit in the world.
Let me say it again. As of today, we have shipped over 110 million doses to 65 nations. According to the United Nations, this is the more than the donations of all 24 countries that have donated any vaccine to other countries, including China and Russia, all those nations combined.
These vaccine donations from America are free. We're not selling them. There are no demands, no conditions, no coercion attached. And there's no favoritism and no strings attached. We're doing this to save lives and to end this pandemic. That's it.
In fact, we're donating vaccines to countries that have real issues -- we have real issues with. And we will continue to give tens of millions of the doses away across this summer and work to increase U.S. manufacturing and manufacturing of vaccines around the world as well.
And it's not just vaccines. We're continuing to provide countries with -- in need with more testing, protective equipment, and personnel to stem the surge of the virus. We have done it in India and elsewhere.
Let me close with this. I have said before, in the race for the 21st century between democracy and autocracies, we need to prove that democracies can deliver.
And the democracies of the world are looking to America to lead again in two ways, first, to demonstrate we can control this virus at home and, second, to show we can help address it around the world.
Vaccinate America and help vaccinate the world. That's how we're about to beat this thing.
We're always going to have enough doses for every American who wants one. Our work in donating the vaccine to the world is about following through on our promises and delivering what we say we will deliver. It's showing how American science and technology, American business and academia and our government can all work together.
Above all, it's proving democracies can deliver and yet again that America is back leading the world, not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.
We still have a lot of work to do. So, if you're unvaccinated, please, please, please get the shot. But just don't take it from me. Just read the news. Listen to the voices of the unvaccinated patients in the hospital. They're sending the most powerful message between their families and everyone around the world, a powerful message to everybody, as they're lying in bed, many dying from COVID-19, and they're asking: Doc, can I get the vaccine?
And doctor has to look them in the eye and say: No, sorry, it's too late.
Right now, too many people are dying or watching a loved one dying and saying: If I just got vaccinated. If I just.
Folks, this isn't about politics. The virus doesn't care if you're a Democrat or Republican. This is about life and death, life and death. I can't say it any more plainly than this. The vaccine saves lives, and it could save yours or your child's.
I know we can do this. We're the United States of America. We're prepared like never before. We have the tools and the resources to save lives at home and around the world. This is who we are. This is what we do.
This is why there's no nation like us on Earth.
Well, God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.
And I will take a few questions.
QUESTION: Mr. President, I have a question for you on coronavirus, but first I'd like to start with the news of the day -- given, back in March, you said that if the investigation confirmed the allegations against Governor Cuomo, then he should resign. So, will you now call on him to resign, given the investigators said the 11 women were credible?
BIDEN: I stand by that statement.
QUESTION: Are you now calling on him to resign?
BIDEN: Yes.
QUESTION: And if he doesn't resign, do you believe he should be impeached and removed from office?
BIDEN: Let's take one thing at a time here. I think he should resign.
QUESTION: Do you think...
BIDEN: I understand that the state legislature may decide to impeach. I don't know that for a fact; I've not read all that data.
QUESTION: And he's using a photo of you embracing him in his self-defense to say that these are commonplace kind of embraces that he made in the allegations against him. Do you condone that?
BIDEN: Look, I'm not going to flyspeck this. I'm sure there are some embraces that were totally innocent, but, apparently, the Attorney General decided there were things that weren't.
QUESTION: And on coronavirus, if I could ask you a question about the evictions.
BIDEN: Why don't you come up and take the platform?
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: No, thank you.
On the evictions and the moratorium that lapsed on Saturday night: What is your strategy to prevent potentially millions of people from being evicted from their homes, given what we are told your administration is considering -- a targeted moratorium -- is likely to face legal challenges?
BIDEN: Any call for a moratorium based on the Supreme Court recent decision is likely to face obstacles. I've indicated to the CDC I'd like them to look at other alternatives than the one that is in pow -- in existence, which the court has declared they're not going to allow to continue.
And the CDC will have something to announce to you in the next hour to two hours.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: President Biden, on overseas coronavirus vaccines, should other high-income countries follow the lead of the United States and increase donations to low -- and middle-income countries?
BIDEN: I think those countries that have been able to cover their population and have the ability to provide either dollars and/or vaccine for the 100 or so -- poor nations that need help should do so. We had that discussion at the G7. A number of those countries said they were going to do that. Some have followed through.
The point I was making is, though, I've kept the commitment -- we've kept the commitment that we would do what we said, which is more than all the rest of the countries combined thus far.
QUESTION: Mr. President, do you believe that Governor DeSantis and Governor Abbott are personally making decisions that are harming their own citizens?
BIDEN: I believe the results of their decisions are not good for their constituents. And it's clear to me and to most of the medical experts that the decisions being made, like not allowing mask mandates in school and the like, are bad health policy -- bad health policy.
QUESTION: Mr. President, I have a question about something that you just said.
BIDEN: I'm sure you do.
QUESTION: Thank you. You just said there is no wall high enough and no ocean wide enough to protect us from the virus. So what is the thinking behind letting untested and unvaccinated migrants cross the southern border into U.S. cities in record numbers?
BIDEN: There is -- what we're doing -- we have not withdrawn the order that is sometimes critical -- criticized -- saying that unvaccinated people should be -- go back across the border.
But unaccompanied children is a different story, because there's -- that's the most humane thing to do is to test them and to treat them and not send them back alone.
QUESTION: Mr. President, have you spoken with Governor Cuomo today?
BIDEN: I have not.
QUESTION: And then one other question on the virus. You just said we have -- we have to continue our aggressive efforts to get the unvaccinated vaccinated. Other countries have found a lot of success in requiring vaccines in public places.
New York City just announced today that they'll require vaccines for restaurants and gyms. Do you think more cities and states should institute rules like that?
BIDEN: I do.
QUESTION: And are you going to publicly call on them? Should they institute a vaccine passport-type system, or it's up to each city and state to figure that out on their own?
BIDEN: I'm sorry. What did you say?
QUESTION: Do you think that they should institute a vaccine passport-type system or some sort of verification to use public spaces?
BIDEN: I don't think they need to do that. I think they just need to give the authority of those restaurants or businesses to say, In order to come in, you have to give proof that you've been vaccinated or you can't come in.
I will take a couple more.
QUESTION: Mr. President can I ask you about news of the day -- one more on Governor Cuomo? You're calling for him to resign now. My question is: Do you think he should be prosecuted? And what is your message to the women who have now accused him of sexually harassing them and abusing them?
BIDEN: Look, what I said was: If the investigation of the Attorney General concluded that the allegations were correct, that -- back in March -- that I would recommend he resign. That's what I'm doing today. I've not read the report. I don't know the detail of it. All I know is the end result.
QUESTION: Mr. President, a question on COVID, if I could, really quickly. It's the eviction moratorium. Can you explain a little bit more why it took so long to have a possible eviction moratorium be put into place?
There was -- there are people -- this expired on Saturday. I'm wondering -- there are folks who are saying it took too long for this to happen.
BIDEN: Well, look, the courts made it clear that the existing moratorium was not constitutional; it wouldn't stand. And they made that clear back in, I guess, July 15 or July 18.
In the meantime, what I've been pushing for and calling for is we have billions of dollars that were given to states to provide for rent and utilities for those people who can't afford to stay in their homes because they can't -- an apartment -- they can't pay their rent.
And so, we're urging them to distribute those funds to the landlords. I believe that would take care of the vast majority of what needs to be done to keep people in their -- in their ho -- in their apartments now.
And so that's what we're working on. Some states have done it and some communities have, but they have not. The money is there. It's not -- we don't have to send it out. It's been sent out to the states and counties -- billions of dollars -- for the express purpose of providing for back rent and rent for the people who are in the middle of this crisis. And that's there; that's what we're pushing now. And we've been pushing that. That's the immediate thing to do.
I will take one more question.
QUESTION: Mr. President, thank you so much. There was an expectation that you would be announcing new vaccines to the world today -- a new -- other than the ones you promised. Are you ready to send more vaccines to the world?
And there is a delegation from the White House going to Brazil tomorrow. Are they bringing more vaccines? Are they announcing more vaccines to Brazil?
BIDEN: No -- are they announcing more vaccines overall?
QUESTION: Overall. And then to Brazil -- for the delegation coming to Brazil tomorrow -- will you be bringing vaccines?
BIDEN: The answer is: I don't know whether the delegation going physically has vaccines with them. We have provided vaccines to...
QUESTION: Are they bringing the announcement? Are they announcing there?
BIDEN: Well, no, there's a need for several billion doses around the world. We have committed to over a half a billion doses. And we're trying to provide for more and provide for the capacity of countries like India to be able to produce the vaccine themselves. And we're helping them do that. That's what we're doing now.
And we're trying to -- we're -- and, by the way, it's free. We're not charging anybody anything. And we're trying to do as much as we possibly can.
Thank you all very much.
QUESTION: Mr. President, we're learning that your administration is about to announce a new partial eviction moratorium, COVID related. Can you tell us any more about that? And are you sure it's going to pass Supreme Court muster?
BIDEN: The answer is twofold. One, I've sought out constitutional scholars to determine what is the best possibility that would come from executive action, or the CDC's judgment, what could they do that was most likely to pass muster, constitutionally.
The bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that it's not likely to pass constitutional muster. Number one. But there are several key scholars who think that it may and it's worth the effort. But the present -- you could not -- the court has already ruled on the present eviction moratorium.
So I think what you're going to see, and I -- look, I want to make it clear: I told you I would not tell the Justice Department or the medical experts, the scientists what they should say or do. So I don't want to get ahead.
The CDC has to make the -- I asked the CDC to go back and consider other options that may be available to them. You're going to hear from them what those other options are.
I have been informed they're about to make a judgment as to potential other options. Whether that option will pass constitutional measure with this administration, I can't tell you. I don't know. There are a few scholars who say it will and others who say it's not likely to.
But, at a minimum, by the time it gets litigated, it will probably give some additional time while we're getting that $45 billion out to people who are, in fact, behind in the rent and don't have the money. That's why it was passed in -- in the act that we passed in the beginning of my administration, and it went to the states.
We were under the impression that the states were moving this money out relatively rapidly. So, for example, if I'm in an apartment -- if you're in an apartment, and you're behind on four -- or five-month's rent, and let's say your rent is $2,000 a month -- I'm just making this up out of the blue -- and you're behind, you need $10,000 to catch up. Hardly anybody has that $10,000. But there is money that the states have that can give to the landlord that $10,000 to the back rent.
The future rent, it's unlikely -- at least the hope is, since they have been made whole to that point -- that they'd be inclined -- because the economy is growing -- inclined not to throw someone out in the street; keep that person -- no guarantee -- keep that person in the apartment, keep these kids in the same school district, and count on being able to have the opportunity for that person to be able -- who may now be employed -- to pay their rent.
But in the meantime, I've asked, isn't there any safety valve we can put in? And it's the one I explained to you. Again, CDC will announce that and the details of exactly how it works. I'm not telling -- I told them I want them to take a look. I didn't tell them what they had to do.
And my hope is, it's going to be a new moratorium that in some way -- and I'm not going to announce it now; I will let them announce it -- in some way covers close to 90 percent of the American people who are renters.
And so that's all I can tell you now.
Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Why not 100 percent? What's the difference?
BIDEN: Because it's a -- let them explain that to you, OK?
I don't want to get too far ahead of them.
Thank you.
QUESTION: Mr. President, is COVAX doing enough to get shots in arms?
QUESTION: Why not call Governor DeSantis, Mr. President?
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: To say happy birthday? What? I mean...
QUESTION: To deliver the message that you seem to be delivering today about get out of the way.
BIDEN: He knows the message. He knows the message. We had a little discussion when I was down there. He knows the message.
QUESTION: What did he say to you in that discussion?
BIDEN: See you all later.
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