Vice President Mike Pence was an in-studio guest on the Rush Limbaugh Show Friday afternoon, speaking with Rush for about a half-hour on the coronavirus task force that Pence has been tapped to lead by President Trump. Pence appeared at Limbaugh’s Palm Beach, Florida studio at the top of the 2 o’clock hour Eastern Time.
Earlier this month, Limbaugh was awarded the Medal of Freedom by Trump at the State of Union address following the talk radio legend’s announcement he is being treated for advanced lung cancer.
Pence sought to assure Americans the administration is putting the lives and health of Americans first and is setting politics aside to work with Democrats in Congress and Democrat-run states like California.
Pence denied there was a ‘gag order’ on government officials from speaking out on the virus, however he did note the need for coordination to keep the government’s message consistent.
Pence said the risk of catching the virus in the States is low right now because of steps Trump took in January by imposing a travel ban from China and instituting quarantine policies for Americans exposed to the virus returning from overseas.
There was also discussion about Pence’s experience containing infectious disease outbreaks in Indiana when he was governor.
So far the U.S. has 61 (updated to 62) cases with no deaths with several thousand under precautionary observation and self-imposed home quarantine.
RUSH: We are happy to have with us today… You don’t know. The media has been trying to find you today. Vice President Mike Pence is here with us today.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling)
RUSH: They have been out of their minds because they haven’t been able to find you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling)
RUSH: They say you’re not taking this seriously enough because they think you were at a fundraiser or some such thing.
…RUSH: What should the American people know today about the status of the coronavirus in America and how it is being dealt with, and — as best you can tell — what the future is?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You bet. You bet. Well, look, President Trump has no higher priority than the health and safety of the American people. That’s why in the month of January, when we first learned of the coronavirus outbreak, the president took two steps that were unprecedented. No president in American history had ever done it. He suspended all travel to the United States from China by noncitizens of the United States.
Then he instituted a quarantine policy for American citizens that were coming home, that we would make sure that they were taken care of, but also receive treatment and the proper screening to determine that they were not in any jeopardy for their health, for the health of their family or their communities. We also instituted screening at about five different major airports around the country.
…THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right. I spoke to Governor Newsom yesterday. Very good conversation. You know, as the president said at that press conference, Rush: We’re all in this together. The president said to me, “This is an all-hands-on-deck effort,” and I talked to Governor Newsom, because, frankly, California has been a great partner with HHS and CDC. They have worked very closely with us already, as we’ve repatriated Americans. We’re working very, very closely on the patient that was identified. And I think, obviously, there’s concern about this.
But I want to assure the American people that we’re going to make sure that for our part, we set politics aside on this, and we work the problem. I, frankly, have been very encouraged, not only in my conversation with Governor Newsom, with the Democrat leadership of the House and Senate, with Governor Cuomo of New York. We are all going to come together as Americans and deal with this issue and put the health and safety of the American people first.
Washington is always going to have a political reflexive response to things. But we’re going to tune that out. We’re going to work the problem. We’re going to make sure that we have the resources necessary. But I want your listeners to know, as we sit here today, the threat of the coronavirus spreading in the United States of America remains low. With that being said, the president said — out of an abundance of caution — we’re going to continue to take very, very strong measures and to put the health and safety of the American people first.
…RUSH: You have, too, as governor of Indiana. The portrayal of you all as incompetent and in over your heads is also political, and I want to ask you how you deal with that, how you’re reacting to it, because there is public relations to this as well as the substance of what you’re dealing with. You’re being hit because you supposedly botched something in Indiana that you didn’t botch.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling) No.
RUSH: I saw the press conference with the president. I thought this was very, very important for people that don’t know him. He was being asked about the “inevitability” of this, and he said, “I don’t believe the worst is inevitable.” President Trump is a problem solver. He has been all of his life in business.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right.
RUSH: You have, too, as governor of Indiana. The portrayal of you all as incompetent and in over your heads is also political, and I want to ask you how you deal with that, how you’re reacting to it, because there is public relations to this as well as the substance of what you’re dealing with. You’re being hit because you supposedly botched something in Indiana that you didn’t botch.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling) No.
RUSH: So how do you respond to people who are making criticisms like this? Because remember: Everybody that I know wants you to succeed with this because we’re talking about the health of the American people and ultimately the world.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re going to stay focused on the American people and on their health and safety. The president made it very clear in that press conference — he’s made it very clear to our team — that we’re going to bring all the resources of the American people together around this. But he told me… He told me to call Speaker Nancy Pelosi and call Senator Chuck Schumer, and I did that, and we had very productive conversations. We’re already beginning to work on what they call a supplemental bill, and the president has made it clear that while we submitted an initial proposal, we’re very open to working with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to make sure we have all the support that we need.
End excerpt. Please read the complete interview at RushLimbaugh.com. Much more and a video of the interview can be seen at the link.
The reference at the beginning of the interview to a fundraiser is Pence headlining a Club for Growth event in Palm Beach and attending a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan at Buchanan’s home on Longboat Key near Sarasota later Friday.
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