Speaker 1: Now from our nation's capital. This is Floomberg Sound On.
Speaker 1: Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan
Speaker 1: if it comes to that? As the President said, our
Speaker 1: one China policy has not changed. Floomberg Sound On Politics,
Speaker 1: Policy and perspective from DC's top name, Pennslvani is very
Speaker 1: good at what they do when it comes to elections.
Speaker 1: Contrary to what some former presidents might say. Donald Trump,
Speaker 1: you know he's won some and lost some so far
Speaker 1: in this election cycle, but his endorsement still really does matter.
Speaker 1: Bloomberg Sound On with Joe Matthew on Bloomberg Radio, Joe
Speaker 1: Biden says, yes, America will defend Taiwan militarily if China invades.
Speaker 1: Where did he say that? Welcome to the fastest hour
Speaker 1: in politics as the President makes news on his first
Speaker 1: trip to Asia, not just the kind of White House wanted.
Speaker 1: Discussed the impact of the trip, as well as the
Speaker 1: latest from Ukraine following a very busy weekend with David
Speaker 1: garden Stein Ross, the CEO of Valens and adviser at
Speaker 1: the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Later the White
Speaker 1: House monitoring the monkey pox outbreak. Are you up to
Speaker 1: date on this we're gonna speak with an expert, infectious
Speaker 1: disease expert Dr Matt Lawrence from the University of Maryland
Speaker 1: about what it might mean for policy and possibly the economy.
Speaker 1: And a day before the Georgia primary, we assemble our
Speaker 1: signature panel for analysis with Bloomberg Politics contributors Jeanie Schanzano
Speaker 1: and Rick Davis. So here we are back together again
Speaker 1: in a Monday, a new week of opportunities, or so
Speaker 1: we like to think, and we're starting to get used
Speaker 1: to this routine. As the White House moves to clarify
Speaker 1: comments from President Biden about Taiwan. This time, the President
Speaker 1: was in Tokyo news conference with the Prime Minister formal
Speaker 1: news conference reporters in the room. Joe Biden asked about
Speaker 1: the One China policy and our willingness to defend Taiwan
Speaker 1: from China. Again. We've been down this road a lot
Speaker 1: of times, and unlike many news stations today, we're going
Speaker 1: to play you the entire exchange. Okay, the reporter and
Speaker 1: the president. Here we go. You didn't want to get
Speaker 1: involved in the Ukraine conflict military lye for obvious reasons.
Speaker 1: Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan.
Speaker 1: If it comes to that, you are, That's a commitment
Speaker 1: we made. That's a commitment we made. We are not. Look,
Speaker 1: here's a situation. We agree with the One China Policy,
Speaker 1: we signed on to it and all the attendant agreements
Speaker 1: made from there. But the idea that that it can
Speaker 1: be taken by force, just taken by force is just
Speaker 1: not is just not appropol dislocate the entire region and
Speaker 1: be another action similar to what happened in in uh
Speaker 1: in Ukraine. And so it's a it's a bird that
Speaker 1: is even stronger. Okay. So the question was are you
Speaker 1: willing to get involved militarily in Taiwan? She said, if
Speaker 1: it comes to that very direct question. His answer was yes, period,
Speaker 1: one word answer. That almost never happens in politics or anywhere,
Speaker 1: one word a yes or no answer. But again he
Speaker 1: just mentioned the One China Policy. The President also said
Speaker 1: at the same event that the US was not changing
Speaker 1: its policy towards Taiwan, which the White House then underscored
Speaker 1: for the rest of the day. Nothing to see here
Speaker 1: moved right along, and a short time later the sect
Speaker 1: death chimed in. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hit that
Speaker 1: home from the Pentagon. As the President said, our one
Speaker 1: one China policy has not changed. Uh he uh reiterated
Speaker 1: that policy in our commitment to peace instability across across
Speaker 1: the Taiwan straight But as you'll read on the terminal,
Speaker 1: the president, the President or and or his aids have
Speaker 1: had to clarify his remarks on Taiwan four separate occasions,
Speaker 1: leading some to wonder if maybe that's actually how he
Speaker 1: really feels. Sometimes it comes out remembering that just last
Speaker 1: week China's top diplomat said that the US members going
Speaker 1: down a dangerous road when it comes to Taiwan. There
Speaker 1: were well aware of this, and after a meeting of
Speaker 1: the Quad nations here on the trip that's the big finale,
Speaker 1: the trip US Japan, Australia, India, you wonder how Beijing
Speaker 1: and be feeling. Then that's why we wanted to talk
Speaker 1: to David David Gartenstein Ross, the CEO of Valence, Senior
Speaker 1: Advisor on Asymmetric Warfare at the Foundation for Defensive Democracies. David, welcome.
Speaker 1: I want to start with these comments from Joe Biden
Speaker 1: before I ask you about some other things. Should we
Speaker 1: just believe at some point what he's saying. When it
Speaker 1: comes to Taiwan, I'd say no, because the US IS
Speaker 1: policy is more than just a policy of the president.
Speaker 1: You have this embarrassing spectacle each time Biden answers directly
Speaker 1: where the White House, which Biden, of course is the
Speaker 1: head of, then tries to walk back what he said.
Speaker 1: So obviously we should believe that this is what Biden thinks.
Speaker 1: What the U. S thinks is different than what the
Speaker 1: president thinks. Find to make the difference. But but you know,
Speaker 1: sometimes the truth comes out when you speak publicly a lot,
Speaker 1: and so this does sound like it's coming from his heart. Right,
Speaker 1: realizing that's not necessarily the policy of the administration, he leads,
Speaker 1: that's your point. Well, yeah, and so if the question
Speaker 1: is should we believe that this is what's in Biden's heart,
Speaker 1: absolutely we should. He said it too many times to
Speaker 1: think otherwise. But US policy is a complex thing. You
Speaker 1: can see this even you can see this across almost
Speaker 1: every administration we've had recently. If you go to the
Speaker 1: Trump administration, there's Trump versus the Deep States, right, at
Speaker 1: least the way it was framed publicly. You know, what,
Speaker 1: what is the US this position, Well, that shows the
Speaker 1: US being an opposition with itself. In this case the bidens.
Speaker 1: It's nowhere near as extreme, but you still have this
Speaker 1: lack of unity and the statements that are being constantly
Speaker 1: walked back by the White House after the President says them.
Speaker 1: Of course, Beijing likes to read between the lines. I
Speaker 1: suspect as well, what is the combination the vat of
Speaker 1: these remarks based on just the projection of power that
Speaker 1: we've seen since the trip began, going through South Korea,
Speaker 1: going to Japan, culminating with the meeting of the Quad.
Speaker 1: Overall a successful trip on the whole um, there were
Speaker 1: you know, a few different issues at play. One big
Speaker 1: issue is North Korea. I think when it comes to
Speaker 1: the North Korea issue, we can see Biden this trip
Speaker 1: as being a win. What he wanted to do was
Speaker 1: make sure that US allies in the region were basically
Speaker 1: unified on North Korea issue, and that there is the
Speaker 1: appearance that all like the the US, that Japan and
Speaker 1: South Korea and other lies are ready to ACTI visit
Speaker 1: the North Korea nuclearization. There's the issue of China and
Speaker 1: its relationship with Before you move to China, though, David,
Speaker 1: there was no nuke test, right, isn't that a win
Speaker 1: for the White House? Absolutely? It was. Yeah, at least
Speaker 1: a perceptual win. One can debate causality and the like,
Speaker 1: but yes, I think there's no doubt that that's a
Speaker 1: win that the White House can claim. Do you read
Speaker 1: into that? I don't, because North Korea is so unpredictable. Um.
Speaker 1: If you if you look at even expert level North
Speaker 1: Korea watchers and look at how their predictions age once
Speaker 1: they get to a falsifiable clearing, the record is not
Speaker 1: great and so I don't read too much in I
Speaker 1: do say that the White House can claim credit. Whether
Speaker 1: it deserves credit is you know, a complex causal question
Speaker 1: that we will leave to the stages. Got it? So
Speaker 1: China's watching all of this happened from the well, the
Speaker 1: other side of the wall. I guess we'll say that
Speaker 1: what are they thinking in Beijing? I think, um, they
Speaker 1: probably have two opposed thoughts at the same time. On
Speaker 1: the one hand, UM, I think that the trip did
Speaker 1: a good job of showing that the US is on
Speaker 1: the same page with other allies who President Biden visited
Speaker 1: when he took his trip to East Asia on the
Speaker 1: other hand, I think they can take some solace in
Speaker 1: m Biden's statement being walked back by the White House.
Speaker 1: You're seeing the US and at least somewhat policy disarray
Speaker 1: is probably relatively heartening. So I think that that they
Speaker 1: can take, you know, more than one message away. But
Speaker 1: on the whole, I think the message was was one
Speaker 1: that Taiwan is not isolated, um that ultimately numerous states
Speaker 1: are concerned about a possible Chinese invasion into Taiwan, and
Speaker 1: that doing so would certainly be different braatically and economically
Speaker 1: costly for China to be. The backdrop here, of course,
Speaker 1: is a war in Ukraine, one that we are very
Speaker 1: heavily funding here on on behalf of the Ukrainians. The
Speaker 1: President couldn't answer the question about Taiwan without referring to Ukraine.
Speaker 1: It's certainly present in the conversation here, and I need
Speaker 1: to ask you about what is going on in Ukraine's
Speaker 1: war against Russia, and of course our involvement. We heard
Speaker 1: today not only from the Secretary of Defense, he was
Speaker 1: briefing with General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
Speaker 1: and a lot of concern about what's going on in
Speaker 1: the Black Sea here, as Russia essentially helps to starve
Speaker 1: a good chunk of the world by blocking off ports
Speaker 1: that would Ukraine would be using to export wheat and
Speaker 1: other grains. UH. General Milly talked about the Black Sea
Speaker 1: as a very dangerous place here. We've got reports at
Speaker 1: this point that we may be equipping Ukraine UH with
Speaker 1: with more naval weapons, torpedo boats and so forth help
Speaker 1: go after the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. General
Speaker 1: Millie speaking to this part of the world today here
Speaker 1: he is, we don't have any U S naval vessels
Speaker 1: in the Black Sea. We don't intend to unless directed
Speaker 1: UH and right now it's a bit of a stalemate
Speaker 1: there between the Ukrainians. Wanted him to make sure that
Speaker 1: there's not any sort of amphibious landing against Odessa, UH
Speaker 1: and the and the right now, so that's it's a
Speaker 1: it's a no go zone for commercial shipping. As an
Speaker 1: expert on asymmetric warfare, divied when you consider what's happening
Speaker 1: there and the idea of the US staying in touch
Speaker 1: with and upgrading the weapons that we're providing, along with
Speaker 1: Russia's hope to cut off Ukraine from the Black Sea,
Speaker 1: what do we see happening in the next weeks. The
Speaker 1: next week is is hard to predict. But I want
Speaker 1: to talk a little bit about the stakes here, right
Speaker 1: because you mentioned the failure to open the ports, and
Speaker 1: that's come up um in a number of different contexts,
Speaker 1: including being raised by the head of the UN World
Speaker 1: Food Program at Davos at the World Economic Forum. Um.
Speaker 1: You know the there are Ukraine is the world's breadbasket
Speaker 1: in many ways, right the farmers grow enough food to
Speaker 1: feed four dred million people and right now you have
Speaker 1: um multiple people by some accounts, maybe fifty million people
Speaker 1: who are knocking on famine's door across multiple countries. Forty
Speaker 1: three different countries have the risk of major food crisis,
Speaker 1: and so the ripple effect is substantial in terms of
Speaker 1: human costs. So there's greater pressure to do something to
Speaker 1: fat absolutely there is. Does the United States get involved
Speaker 1: more in a naval battle in the Black Sea is
Speaker 1: my question. So if that's the question, I think the
Speaker 1: answer is a resounding note the US is not. In
Speaker 1: my opinion, the US is highly unlikely to get involved
Speaker 1: in direct military action. It's likely to continue indirectly as
Speaker 1: it has been. There's some unpredictability. But it seems that
Speaker 1: President Biden does not want a direct military confrontation with
Speaker 1: Russia and that part is not evolving. David Gartenstein Ross,
Speaker 1: the CEO of Valens, also an advisor the Foundation for
Speaker 1: the Defense of Demography. Democracy is great insights and thank
Speaker 1: you for being with us the panels. Next, this is Bloomberg.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Bloomberg you Sound On with Joe Matthew
Speaker 1: on Bloomberg Radio. So the actions in Ukraine helped to
Speaker 1: drive talk about Taiwan during President Biden's trip to Asia,
Speaker 1: and I suppose we should not be surprised by that.
Speaker 1: I'm Joe Matthew and Washington. Welcome to Sound On. It's
Speaker 1: time to assemble the panel from Bloomberg Politics contributors Jeanie
Speaker 1: Shenzano and Rick Davis with us on the fastest hour
Speaker 1: in politics. Genie, you know, with this president, with Joe Biden,
Speaker 1: sometimes the words just come out. Is he telling us
Speaker 1: what he really believes that about Taiwan? But he clearly is.
Speaker 1: He said it at least three times publicly, you know,
Speaker 1: and when you listen to it, I had a little
Speaker 1: bit of deja vous back to his last foreign trip
Speaker 1: when he talked about regime changed Visa VI Vladimir Poo
Speaker 1: and another white host walked it back. But you know,
Speaker 1: it's also a I think important to ask the question,
Speaker 1: who thought in this world that if Taiwan was invaded
Speaker 1: by anyone that the US would not be involved. Clearly,
Speaker 1: any war game you look at the US is involved in,
Speaker 1: Taiwan is invaded. So he is saying, I think what
Speaker 1: he believes, he's saying where US policy has long been
Speaker 1: drifting and should be. You know, the big question here
Speaker 1: is did he say it at the right time in
Speaker 1: the right way. You know, has he explained it clearly
Speaker 1: enough as it differentiates from Ukraine to the American public,
Speaker 1: Those questions are clear. But the fact is this has
Speaker 1: been US policy for some time. It's where we're going,
Speaker 1: and it's not really a surprise except that he sort
Speaker 1: of said it with a one word answer on this
Speaker 1: overseas trip. Yeah, he takes yet yes or no answer
Speaker 1: to that is is quite remarkable. Rick. Why was he
Speaker 1: trying to to poke the Chinese a little bit there
Speaker 1: to actually do this intentionally knowing it would be walked
Speaker 1: back within minutes. No, I think this is really his
Speaker 1: speaking from the heart. As was mentioned earlier in the interview. Uh,
Speaker 1: this is I think what he thinks, not what his
Speaker 1: policy United States. I mean, it wasn't just a yes
Speaker 1: or no answer. The thing that I thought was interesting
Speaker 1: is he says it's a commitment we made UH to
Speaker 1: defend Taiwan. And I'm not exactly sure what commitment that
Speaker 1: is because that is not the one China policy. We
Speaker 1: We've agreed to give Taiwan the necessary means to defend
Speaker 1: itself and so, but Jennie's right if he wants to
Speaker 1: then enter into a conflict with China, he's going to
Speaker 1: have the ability to do that. That doesn't necessarily have
Speaker 1: to be US policy, but it can be the actions
Speaker 1: on the Biden administration, and that that's probably what he's forecasting.
Speaker 1: I don't know that this is remembered well or not, Genie.
Speaker 1: It's hard to tell within hours of something like this,
Speaker 1: But you total, has it been a successful trip? The
Speaker 1: President is making his first foray in the Asia here
Speaker 1: with a lot of very important allies he will be
Speaker 1: meeting with tomorrow the Quad following the visits to South
Speaker 1: Korea and Tokyo. How's it gone? You know? I think overall,
Speaker 1: it's gone as well as can be expected. You talked
Speaker 1: a little bit about the issue with North Korea. Um
Speaker 1: the Mini t p P announcement. You know, I I
Speaker 1: think that's a bit more difficult for the administration because,
Speaker 1: quite frankly, the problem Biden, in any US president has
Speaker 1: there is our problems with domestic problems with trade versus
Speaker 1: anything going on overseas. So, you know, to talk about
Speaker 1: a t p P, imagine him trying to get something
Speaker 1: like that through Congress right now. You know that is
Speaker 1: so prone to so political turmoil over here. That's a problem.
Speaker 1: But I think overall he's shored up relations in the
Speaker 1: best way he can. He's trying, I think rightly so
Speaker 1: to follow up response to Russia's invasion in Ukraine and
Speaker 1: tell China don't even think about it, because the United
Speaker 1: States has no choice, quite frankly, given our economic relations
Speaker 1: and everything else, but to respond. And let's just be clear,
Speaker 1: there's nothing ambiguous about that. Everybody knows it. The question
Speaker 1: is when do you say it. Well, that's right, Uh,
Speaker 1: Genie is referring to the t p P light if
Speaker 1: you will, the Mini t PP They call it the
Speaker 1: Indo Pacific economic framework about a dozen countries here, Rick, Uh.
Speaker 1: It's kind of a set of standards, but it's been
Speaker 1: criticized because it doesn't actually open any new markets to anyone.
Speaker 1: Is is this just window dressing to kind of have
Speaker 1: a point for the trip. Well, it's it's it's a message, right,
Speaker 1: I mean, it was. It was brought up during the
Speaker 1: Obama administration. Trump knocked it out as part of his
Speaker 1: administration signal he withdrew from it. It set a signal
Speaker 1: to the region that, um, we were going to vacate
Speaker 1: the region. China moved in with its own version of
Speaker 1: an exit export import Bank and a trade developed Bank. So,
Speaker 1: I mean, the big chess pieces of the region have
Speaker 1: have needed more US engagement, and so one this trip
Speaker 1: does that. It re engages the president ahead of the
Speaker 1: country in in the region too. It sends a clear
Speaker 1: signal that our trade lines are open, that they're not
Speaker 1: going to have to go to China to get a
Speaker 1: deal on trade. UH. And and I think especially UH
Speaker 1: the South Korea trip, they are in a tight position
Speaker 1: right there bordered by both China and and UH in
Speaker 1: North Korea, and I think showing support for them in
Speaker 1: a region where you know they live in a very
Speaker 1: dangerous neighborhood. Was particularly important at this time because they
Speaker 1: are such a great ally, as are the other members
Speaker 1: of the of the of the quad. So um, I
Speaker 1: think it's a very successful trip just because he took it,
Speaker 1: you know, and he had a few little things to
Speaker 1: go along the way to bolster the agreements. But the
Speaker 1: fact that he's there shows we can do more than
Speaker 1: one thing at a time, well, not just wrapped up
Speaker 1: in Ukraine. That the showing up is is something it
Speaker 1: hadn't happened yet. We talked a lot an about the
Speaker 1: pivot to Asia. What does it tell you that Kim
Speaker 1: Jong un decided not to set off a nuke? You know,
Speaker 1: it's hard to read anything he does or doesn't do.
Speaker 1: But I have to say, and I agree with Rick,
Speaker 1: the fact that you're we are handling our responsibilities visa
Speaker 1: of the Ukraine and Asia at the same time shows
Speaker 1: that this idea of a pivot is so twenty tens.
Speaker 1: We're so beyond that. We have to do both. We
Speaker 1: have to be able to handle our responsibilities in in
Speaker 1: Europe rather and Asia at the same time. And I
Speaker 1: thought one important thing the President said, unlike his Economic
Speaker 1: Advisor over the weekend. He said a recession is not
Speaker 1: inevitable in the United States, and we got that on tape, right,
Speaker 1: and that's maybe a political problem for him. His administration
Speaker 1: won't go so far. So I think that's another important
Speaker 1: statement that came out of this that's been under discussed.
Speaker 1: The first read from Rick and Jennie on the trip.
Speaker 1: Here there with us for the hour, and we will
Speaker 1: bring the panel back as we turned to monkey Box next.
Speaker 1: Are we ready for this? We'll talk with an expert
Speaker 1: on infectious disease and what this might mean for policy
Speaker 1: and public health. I'm Joe Matthew. This is Bloomberg broadcasting
Speaker 1: live from our nation's capital, Bloomberg to New York, Bloomberg
Speaker 1: eleven Frio to Boston, Bloomberg one, O six one to
Speaker 1: San Francisco, Bloomberg nine six to the country, Serious x
Speaker 1: M General one and around the globe the Bloomberg Business
Speaker 1: app and Bloomberg Radio dot Com. This is Bloomberg Sound
Speaker 1: On with Joe Matthew. We have yet to win the
Speaker 1: war on COVID cases arising again in a number of cities,
Speaker 1: including New York and Well, here comes monkey Pots. The
Speaker 1: White House tamping down concerns. We're gonna learn a lot
Speaker 1: more about it though, from an expert. Dr Matt Lawrence
Speaker 1: from the University of Maryland will be here next. The symptoms,
Speaker 1: they say, begin with fever, headache, general lethargy. Not talking
Speaker 1: about COVID, talking monkey pox up the speed. Here a
Speaker 1: rare and potentially deadly cousin of the smallpox virus, and
Speaker 1: it's now spreading in areas we tend not to see
Speaker 1: monkey pox Europe and North America. Now before COVID, you know,
Speaker 1: this may have just stayed under the news media radar.
Speaker 1: Not now though. It's a big story, whether you want
Speaker 1: it to be or not, whether it deserves to be
Speaker 1: or not. So we need to learn about a President
Speaker 1: Biden offered initial remarks when he was first asked on
Speaker 1: his trip to Asia. These are remarks that have since
Speaker 1: and clarified. Here's the first swing. What question, What if
Speaker 1: your health advisors told you your level of concern should
Speaker 1: be about monkey pox and the patents that in the
Speaker 1: United States around the world. Well, they haven't told me
Speaker 1: the level of exposure yet, but it's something that everybody
Speaker 1: should be concerned about it. We're working on art figure out,
Speaker 1: what can we do, whatev may be available for it,
Speaker 1: but it is concern, said spread spons a concern if
Speaker 1: it were to spread, consequential whoa uh what. The President
Speaker 1: then clarified his remarks not much later, as he spoke
Speaker 1: in Tokyo. I just don't think it rises for the
Speaker 1: level of a kind of concern that existed with COVID nineteen.
Speaker 1: But I think people should be careful. Oh well, that
Speaker 1: sounds better. The President's COVID response coordinator, they call him
Speaker 1: the COVID czar, says more cases are likely to follow.
Speaker 1: We heard from Dr Ashisha, the White House Coronavirus Response coordinator.
Speaker 1: Here's the state. I would not be surprised if we
Speaker 1: see a few more cases in the upcoming days. Anytime
Speaker 1: we haven't infections, these outbreaks like this, we should all
Speaker 1: be paying attention. So everyone's paying attention. But there's not
Speaker 1: a lot to worry about. Is that what I'm hearing?
Speaker 1: The President says the US does have enough smallpox vaccine
Speaker 1: stockpile to deal with the outbreak. Pretty great news. We
Speaker 1: didn't start COVID that way, But he says people still
Speaker 1: need to be careful and we want to compare notes
Speaker 1: with an expert, as I mentioned in this case, an
Speaker 1: expert in infectious disease. Dr Matt Lawrence, professor at the
Speaker 1: University of Maryland School of Medicine, is with us right
Speaker 1: now to help us learn a little bit more here. Doctor,
Speaker 1: Are you concerned about this or is the President getting
Speaker 1: right in his clarified remarks, Well, it's something that we
Speaker 1: should definitely pay attention to and something that we should
Speaker 1: track and trade. As far as the likelihood of it
Speaker 1: causing significant illness and hospitalization in the general public, it
Speaker 1: doesn't appear to be fatal for most individuals, so it's
Speaker 1: not rising to the level of concern such as COVID nineteen.
Speaker 1: Makes you feel better to know we have an ample
Speaker 1: supply of smallpox vaccine or does it not get that far? Well,
Speaker 1: absolutely so. We do know that the smallpox vaccine is
Speaker 1: highly protective against monkey pox. But as you know that
Speaker 1: the majority of the US population born in the nineteen
Speaker 1: seventies and after are not vaccinated against U smallpox, So
Speaker 1: this would be a concern for that piece of the population.
Speaker 1: But I'm not sure that we need to go and
Speaker 1: vaccinate everyone for small I'll come down. Yeah, Well, the
Speaker 1: level of transmission is very low for this illness. So
Speaker 1: with monkey pox, it requires contacts to spread, so it
Speaker 1: can't be spread through the air through respiratory droplets very easily.
Speaker 1: You'd have to be really close to someone and they'd
Speaker 1: have to cough on you pretty hard, and you'd have
Speaker 1: to be hit with those respiratory droplets to be infected.
Speaker 1: We understand that it is sexually transmitted. That is correct,
Speaker 1: Doctor it at Here's that that could be the case.
Speaker 1: We're learning more about this particular outbreak and there have
Speaker 1: been statements from Europe that that suggests that there is
Speaker 1: sexual transmission that's involved in the current outbreak that's occurring.
Speaker 1: But very little is known about this virus in terms
Speaker 1: of how it spreads and how it's evolved. Well, so,
Speaker 1: Dr that said, how do policymakers respond to this appropriately.
Speaker 1: We're coming off of, you know, the historic pandemic here.
Speaker 1: I like to think we're coming off. It feels like
Speaker 1: sometimes they're going back in. But based on what we've
Speaker 1: learned from COVID, based on some of the hesitancy that
Speaker 1: we've seen from Americans in the age of COVID, what's
Speaker 1: the most effective approach for policymakers and for this administration absolutely,
Speaker 1: So what we should prioritize now are the standard epidemiology
Speaker 1: practices of identification of affected individuals, isolation and quarantine to
Speaker 1: stop the spread, and then continued monitoring of others that
Speaker 1: are coming from areas that are affected or who have
Speaker 1: been close contacts. These will help to contain the spreads
Speaker 1: of of the monkey park. Well, this will this result
Speaker 1: in new travel warnings, mandates, etcetera. Are we going to
Speaker 1: start keeping people out of the country coming from certain places?
Speaker 1: Probably not to that degree. There might be heightened surveillance,
Speaker 1: and individuals if they've been exposed to someone but simply
Speaker 1: traveled to an affective country probably will not have implications
Speaker 1: as far as limitations and restrictions. Well, I'll tell you,
Speaker 1: do you ever think we'd be talking about this one?
Speaker 1: I mean, has this been on your radar? Doctor? It
Speaker 1: certainly hasn't. But you know, as recently as last year,
Speaker 1: two cases were identified in the United States, one in
Speaker 1: Texas and one in a patient in Maryland. So it's
Speaker 1: not something that we've never seen before. It's just this
Speaker 1: particular outbreak appears to be large and and show different
Speaker 1: UH mode of transmissions. Potentially compared to previous outbreaks. Well,
Speaker 1: I hope that next time we talk to you it's
Speaker 1: to say, gosh, good thing you will, right, doc, because
Speaker 1: it does have a different level of urgency in the
Speaker 1: age of COVID. Dr Matt Lawrence. Great to have you,
Speaker 1: a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Speaker 1: an infectious disease expert with us on monkey pocks here.
Speaker 1: What's next, Well, the panels next. Maybe we'll get into
Speaker 1: this for a minute, but we have to prepare you
Speaker 1: for primary day tomorrow. It's a big one. Brand Trump
Speaker 1: on the line in Georgia, and Rick and Genie have
Speaker 1: the analysis coming up on the fastest hour in politics.
Speaker 1: This is Bloomberg. You're listening to Bloomberg Sound On with
Speaker 1: Joe Matthew on Bloomberg Radio. Three more states vote tomorrow,
Speaker 1: another important primary day, one of the most important yet
Speaker 1: with Georgia voting. It's personal for Donald Trump, they say,
Speaker 1: and a couple of big races that he could have
Speaker 1: trouble winning at least his endorsed candidates. But well, we
Speaker 1: still need still know the outcome of the last one.
Speaker 1: In Pennsylvania Republican Senate Republican primary this is the big one.
Speaker 1: We endorsed Dr Oroz over David McCormick. There within hundreds
Speaker 1: of votes now, and it does appear a recount is likely.
Speaker 1: Let's get into it with the panel Bloomer Politics contributors,
Speaker 1: Rick Davis, Genie Chanzano, Rick, Uh, this is I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go to our recount, right It's inevitable at this point, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's inevitable. Right now, the current count has the uh
Speaker 1: little over nine hundred votes between Dr Oz and David McCormick.
Speaker 1: So that's about as close as it gets. And right
Speaker 1: now the expectation is be a recount and then it
Speaker 1: should be over by and around June seven. They're already
Speaker 1: arguing about undated ballots. Genius, and we're gonna believe the recount.
Speaker 1: That's the big question. You know, you heard even Rna McDaniel,
Speaker 1: the the head of the RNC, she said ballots should
Speaker 1: not be counted with a date. But of course, in
Speaker 1: an unrelated case, you had a judge come out in
Speaker 1: Pennsylvania and say you can count on dated absentee ballots.
Speaker 1: What timing for that? And of course the McCormick campaign
Speaker 1: seized on that, and Oz's campaign shot back that they
Speaker 1: are acting like Democrats, and you know, so what I agree,
Speaker 1: there's obviously going to be a recount, whether people will
Speaker 1: believe it. What's so fascinating here is this is Republicans
Speaker 1: on Republicans, you know, questioning about this vote count and
Speaker 1: what you can trust and what you can't. And you know,
Speaker 1: you have to wonder if this keeps going on, at
Speaker 1: what point do Republicans start to question this entire idea
Speaker 1: that the election was stolen because now other people and
Speaker 1: their own party as saying their own votes shouldn't be counted.
Speaker 1: So it's a big mess for Republicans. John Federman out
Speaker 1: of the hospital, uh Rick Davis, we talked about this.
Speaker 1: He had a stroke couple of days before the primary. Wanted,
Speaker 1: uh without you know, any issue at all, a commanding
Speaker 1: lead here. Is this the best thing that could happen
Speaker 1: to him? This recount underway? Now, Well, it's certainly Stimey
Speaker 1: is a Republican launching and consolidating his campaign and consolidating
Speaker 1: the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. So sure, I mean, anytime
Speaker 1: you can get a couple of weeks head start in politics,
Speaker 1: you want to take it. But he's got to do
Speaker 1: it himself, right, He's got to convince people that he's
Speaker 1: healthy enough and vigorous enough to amount a campaign. So
Speaker 1: I'd say both Republicans and nevergrets have their own challenges
Speaker 1: to overcome. Uh, and it will be interesting to see
Speaker 1: who's best at doing that even before the real campaign starts.
Speaker 1: Speaking of stealing elections, Genie, it's onto Georgia tomorrow kind
Speaker 1: of the I don't know if you could say that,
Speaker 1: call it ground zero or for the controversy at least
Speaker 1: because Donald Trump blames governor, Brian Campy blames the Secretary
Speaker 1: of State, and these are the two races that we're
Speaker 1: watching here. It appears his chosen candidate, at least for
Speaker 1: governor and former senator for Due is just it's it's
Speaker 1: it's such a long shot that it's basically impossible for
Speaker 1: him to win this. Now he's he's down boy over
Speaker 1: twenty points. Yeah, it's pretty much over. Kemp has started
Speaker 1: focusing on the general election obviously versus Stacy Abrams. And
Speaker 1: you know what's fascinating to me was when Kemp has
Speaker 1: been asked by reporters, he says, oh, I have a
Speaker 1: good relationship with Pence who's obviously endorsing him and Trump,
Speaker 1: and then he went on to say I'm not mad
Speaker 1: at Trump, He's mad at me, which is you know,
Speaker 1: it's actually a really interesting response because you can bet
Speaker 1: that when this is over and certainly Kemp wraps this up,
Speaker 1: that Trump is going to find a way to turn
Speaker 1: this around. But I think Kemp has been telling voters
Speaker 1: throughout the state that listen, let's focus on what's going
Speaker 1: on here. We're not going to listen to outsiders, and
Speaker 1: that has worked for him. He's twenty points up over Perdue,
Speaker 1: who stopped even running ads at this point, so it
Speaker 1: is very much over. It's got the r g A
Speaker 1: behind him here. Rick. He's also got a guy named
Speaker 1: Mike Pence bold enough to campaign for him against the
Speaker 1: Trump endorsed candidate. Uh. There was a tweet earlier today
Speaker 1: from Jonathan Martin at the New York Times and came
Speaker 1: out with that most recent book about Trump that had
Speaker 1: all the Kevin McCarthy tape on it. He started the
Speaker 1: tweet by saying, the rupture is now complete? Is he right?
Speaker 1: You know? Look, I mean the Republican governors met recently
Speaker 1: in Arizona and said they're tired of this vendetta tour
Speaker 1: and they're gonna take a position against it. Um. So
Speaker 1: there are there are a lot of Republican governors who
Speaker 1: are pretty upset with this uh prosecution that that that
Speaker 1: that the president, the former president has done against them
Speaker 1: because they because they counted and certified an elections, got
Speaker 1: nothing to do with the election today. I would say
Speaker 1: Brian Kempt is right. Donald Trump does not like him.
Speaker 1: He spent two and a half million dollars of his
Speaker 1: pack money, which for him to spend any pack money
Speaker 1: is uh really interesting development. But uh, this is a
Speaker 1: hard fought race, and I would say not only Mike Pence,
Speaker 1: but his former chief of staff Mark Short who's now
Speaker 1: been working for Brian Kemp, wants to make sure that
Speaker 1: they exceed the fifty percent threshold to not have to
Speaker 1: do a runoff and that they can do a victory
Speaker 1: lap around Donald Trump. That is the number one thing
Speaker 1: that's gonna happen tomorrow. The brad Raevensburger the Secretary of
Speaker 1: State race, the other big one that people are watching.
Speaker 1: You ever heard rick of a congressman stepping I guess
Speaker 1: down to run for a state office like this? Well,
Speaker 1: this is another uh Donald Trump inspired campaign. I mean
Speaker 1: he really is to take out um Brad Rafsenburger and
Speaker 1: and recruited Jody Heist to run in this race. So
Speaker 1: you're right, Uh, he's taken one for the team in
Speaker 1: this regard, but the team Trump Uh really Uh this
Speaker 1: is another dangerous one though it's a dead heat right now.
Speaker 1: But if Brad Rathsenburger pulls this out, it'll be a
Speaker 1: real down day for Donald Trump. Well, that's for sure.
Speaker 1: Uh what's your expectation on that one, Jennie, You know,
Speaker 1: I think it's really too close to call, Like like
Speaker 1: Rick was saying that they are neck and neck at
Speaker 1: this point. But if you can imagine if you have
Speaker 1: Jody Heist, Wind and mast Triano in Pennsylvania, in two
Speaker 1: critical states, you will then have secretaries of state in
Speaker 1: place who questioned the validity of the election. And of
Speaker 1: course reports out this weekend shows that that is, you know,
Speaker 1: where we have many candidates on the Republican side and
Speaker 1: those that Trump endorsed, and that raises real trouble for
Speaker 1: well this time tomorrow and of course the once we
Speaker 1: have the results on Wednesday, we're gonna be talking a
Speaker 1: lot more about this. There's got some good ones in Arkansas.
Speaker 1: We've got three states voting tomorrow. Georgia, though, is going
Speaker 1: to be taken up all the ink, likely because of
Speaker 1: these two races. I'm gonna take this opportunity to just
Speaker 1: remind everybody, encourage everybody, especially if you're just showing up now,
Speaker 1: to subscribe to the sound on podcast. And I I
Speaker 1: feel more of a need to do that knowing that word.
Speaker 1: I didn't realize this. There's ever more competition. Even Ted
Speaker 1: Cruz has his own podcast now. Of course people use
Speaker 1: the term podcast loosely. This is an online video segment
Speaker 1: that he produces, uh and boys getting a lot of attention.
Speaker 1: He even got Genie's attention, which is why I'm talking
Speaker 1: about it now. I don't First of all, I don't
Speaker 1: know why every elected official needs a podcast, but then again,
Speaker 1: that's the age we're in. Everyone gets a show and
Speaker 1: he's making news. Not talking about a politician, but Pete Davidson.
Speaker 1: You guys watched Saturday Night Live Pete david I was
Speaker 1: actually excited when I found out, you know, we had
Speaker 1: to wear masks because I figured this sounds really crappy
Speaker 1: to say, but like I figured lest people would recognize me,
Speaker 1: but it didn't work, because everyone can still recognize me
Speaker 1: from my eyes. You see someone who looks like he
Speaker 1: just woke up and hasn't slept in days. That guy
Speaker 1: he just had his last show on Saturday Night dating
Speaker 1: Kim Kardashian. Now, and Ted Cruz just doesn't get it.
Speaker 1: He's got a podcast, it's called The Verdict. He talks
Speaker 1: to some other guy remotely about it while he's sitting
Speaker 1: in a big easy chair with a microphone, big mic
Speaker 1: stand the senator from Texas as they talked about something.
Speaker 1: I what was it? Toxic femininity? Kim seems fine, she
Speaker 1: U B s N L. Guy. I don't, I can't.
Speaker 1: I don't know what uh I mean? Pete david said,
Speaker 1: all right, how come that dude gets all of these
Speaker 1: like hot women because of toxic femininity? Senator? What that
Speaker 1: is the evidence that something has gone wrong? Pete Davidson
Speaker 1: was dating Kate beckins Dale. I mean, you're talking underworld.
Speaker 1: You're talking like super hot vampires in black leather trench code,
Speaker 1: and you're like, really this an L dude? Like wow,
Speaker 1: that's Ted Cruz, the senator, Harvard educated senator from Texas.
Speaker 1: It's even been mentioned as possibly being on the shortlist
Speaker 1: for the Supreme Court. Genie, you own this wouldn't be
Speaker 1: talking about it right now without you should elected members
Speaker 1: of Congress have podcasts for starters, well for starters. Everybody
Speaker 1: should go to sound On listen to that podcast is
Speaker 1: the best podcast. Um. And you know, I'm so sorry
Speaker 1: I brought this up. I was just so stunned. As
Speaker 1: much as I cover everything going on, he's making an
Speaker 1: ad with this, though, come on to learn that Ted
Speaker 1: Cruz had this podcast and it wasn't policy oriented. He
Speaker 1: was there focusing on why you know, women find Pete
Speaker 1: Davidson attractive and so you know, it was stunning to me,
Speaker 1: which is why I brought it up. And you know,
Speaker 1: I think I will just join with Bihar Joy Behar
Speaker 1: who said today that people like people men and women
Speaker 1: like Pete Davidson because he's funny. Ted Cruz, He's very funny,
Speaker 1: and I'll leave it at that. Just make him laugh, Rick,
Speaker 1: just make him laugh. Uh. But you know, look to
Speaker 1: hear the senator there describing his affinity for leather clad
Speaker 1: vampire women, seems like it might be a liability someday
Speaker 1: down the road. Is that just me? Well, I can't
Speaker 1: wait to see what his wife is wearing on Halloween.
Speaker 1: That's all I can say. Super hot vampires everywhere in
Speaker 1: the neighborhood, tidy, Come on now, I mean, this is
Speaker 1: the kind of stuff that that people wish for when
Speaker 1: they're running ago. Although I don't know in this day
Speaker 1: and age we're in the Trump age, Rick does it matter?
Speaker 1: I think it will help him if he's I mean,
Speaker 1: he's such a tweeve, I mean, Harvard educated lawyer. Are
Speaker 1: you kidding me? Anything that could get him more in
Speaker 1: tune with Joe six pack? He'd be doing well by
Speaker 1: doing that. Unbelievable. Uh, Genie, you're gonna make me subscribe?
Speaker 1: I mean, there's more where this came from. I'm assuming right,
Speaker 1: there's got to be. I am not a subscriber. I've
Speaker 1: actually never heard it until this crost sure, but I
Speaker 1: will say I am a subscriber to sound On. So
Speaker 1: so just well, just keep talking about sound on and
Speaker 1: maybe Ted Cruz can listen to sound On and get
Speaker 1: some tips. That's right to the Senator, who I know
Speaker 1: loves this broadcast as well. When he's here in the
Speaker 1: nation's capital. Are driving around with the satellite receiver. Do
Speaker 1: us a favor and subscribe to Bloomberg Sound on the
Speaker 1: fastest hour in politics, with the best panel, Rick and Genie.
Speaker 1: Back to my sorrow. This is Bloomberg.