then i build, but i take your word for it. jonathan hunt, thank you as always. and thank you for joining us. i'm dana perino. don't forget, we've got the story time live on foxnews.com and facebook. it will also be available on >> bill: need to get the episode two. a promise me, it's good stuff. thank you, let's get rolling right here. i expect you to get back to me on that. i'm bill hemmer. a busy day at the white house in a busy day for the president set to hold a cabinet meeting right now. our cameras will be in the room and we will watch it live together. expecting to get more details on how to get the economy back on track, but here is where we are at the moment. last hour, the president spoke with reporters on the hill, talk about china and general michael flynn and hydroxychloroquine so more on that in a moment. earlier today, the president rolled out a $19 billion program

to support farmers and ranchers and protect u.s. food supply chains. a big deal yet again, leads a new hour on the north lawn there and good day. >> let's look ahead to the cabinet meeting the president will be holding in the east room of the white house in just a little while. expected to sign an executive order, which will designate to all of the cabinet secretaries and the agencies that they look at what steps they can take on the issue of deregulation to try to smooth the transition back to every opening and a rebooting of our economy. so that will be some big names the president will make this afternoon. reopening of the country, big top of discussion at the policy luncheon that the president just had a capitol hill. came out to the cameras after that meeting and been in there for a little more than an hour, talked about the process of reopening. here's what the president said. >> we are going to have a really good third quarter. it's already happening.

we are opening up, the states are opening up. numbers are going down, look at georgia than others, we have states that are opening up at the numbers are going down. but it's a transition to greatness. >> the transition to greatness as the president put it. he was also asked about the revelation yesterday that the president for the last couple of weeks has been taking hydroxychloroquine after a couple of white house staff members here in the west wing tested positive for coronavirus. the president was asked if there data that suggests this doesn't work at least for treatment of coronavirus disease. the president talked about that and also suggested that a lot of people who were working on the front lines to treat people with coronavirus are probably quietly taking it as well. listen here. >> if you look at the one survey, the only bad survey, they were giving it to people who were in very bad shape. they were almost dead. was a enemies statement, it's

been out on the market for 65 years for malaria, lupus, and other things. i think it gives you an additional level of safety, but you can say many are in favor of it. many won't go there unless they have it so this is an individual decision to make. >> on that veterans affairs data study, i talked to a senior official at the department of veterans affairs that that study was not done by the va, it was done by an outside group. was a retrospective analysis of cases that happen. i was told most of the people who were in those cases were older people, many of them above the age of 80 who have what are called comorbidities that they hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin accommodation was given to them as a measure of last resort because they were "in their last hours of life." it's not clear what the findings of that study would translate to

other patience, but the president is not sick. i can tell you that the va gives out 42,000 doses of hydroxychloroquine every day to veterans who are suffering from things like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and over the last 65 years, the veterans affairs administration and other people using that safety profile if you are not actively ill is pretty good. so that's probably what the president was discussing with his physician when he decided to take it. and again, big executive order coming from the cabinet meeting directing the agencies to find ways they can deregulate to spur the economy. >> bill: right now, the congressional budget office estimates u.s. real gdp to contract and the second quarter at an annual rate of 38%. >> what can you say? >> bill: we are inside that meeting here in a moment with cameras. i want to bring you the

republican vice chair of the senate republican conference, thank you for your time. take us behind the curtain today. what happened after lunch? >> it was great to hear from president trump in here with the administration was doing, and of course great interest to me as you mentioned coming from the great state of iowa and serving on the agricultural committee. was really wonderful to hear the president's announcement this morning at the direct assistance payments that will go out to our farmers and ranchers through usta, those supports were needed to enact country right now, and our farmers are very anxious to get the economy back where it needs to be so they don't need those direct assistance payments, but for right now, we are very grateful to the trump administration for getting this done. >> bill: if you don't get this, what happens to the nation's food supply? how dire is it really? >> it is dire, and we need folks all across this great nation to understand that their food does not come from grocery stores.

comes from farmers and ranchers, and if we have an interruption in that supply, they will feel the hurt at their grocery stores and in their pocketbooks. so we want to make sure that we are producing as we should be producing and feeding and fueling the world. >> bill: while i still have you, let's move to another topic. lindsey graham will ask members on his committee of which you are one as to whether or not you will approve his subpoenas for people like james clapper and john brennan, susan rice, and james comey. how will you come down on that? >> i will be supporting that resolution and senator lindsey graham the chairman has modeled that after a move that patrick lahey had used a couple of years ago as they looked into methods of torture through the cia. so i will be supportive of that measure. what happened to the trump administration and the unmasking of people within the transition within the administration and within his family was

reprehensible. utilizing federal government agencies to spy on american citizens and especially political opponents is absolutely wrong, and we need to get to the bottom of this. >> bill: do you think there will be prosecutions in this, yes or no? >> i would love to take a look at the facts first. we need to hear through those subpoenas with those witnesses have to say, but certainly, if there is wrongdoing, there should be prosecution, absolutely. >> bill: you are sponsoring a bill to get hazard pay for members of the national guard. why is that necessary? >> it is necessary because what we have heard the president say time and time again is that our national guard members, those members of the military are fighting against an invisible enemy. this is war against covid-19, and if we can provide tax-free hazardous duty pay for our national guard members, those active duty military members to the tune of $150 a month, i

think we should be doing that. that's what we pay them when they are overseas fighting the good fight. i think we can allow for those members here in the united states as well. >> bill: thank you for your time today. the republican from iowa, thank you. as the united states pass is 90,000 deaths from covid-19, there are signs the rate may be slowing. has risen by fewer than 1,000 for the second day in a row, the first time this has happened going back to late march. it could be a glimmer of hope. we will keep an eye on that. later on, preparing to reopen after meeting the governor's criteria to start lifting restrictions. new york city, the epicenter of the pandemic will need to wait until at least next month. that's what we are hearing from the mayor. what have you got, david lee? >> right you are. remaining shut down for at least several more weeks until very

specific benchmarks regarding health and safety. but other areas of new york state continue to reopen. most recently, the latest area, western new york and this includes the second largest city buffalo and the area surrounding the state's capital albany will also begin to reopen. it is gradual and does not include restaurants or bars but for the first time, construction manufacturing and retail with curbside pickup in those areas will be permitted. and new york's belmont stakes for the first time ever will lead off the triple crown ahead of the kentucky derby. will be run on june 20th without spectators and will be a shorter distance than usual. comes as governor cuomo calls for sporting events to resume, but without fans. >> when the team plays even if there is no one in the stands, it gets broadcast, and that gives people at home entertainment value, something

to participate in. another reason frankly to stay home as opposed to going out and staying home is good right now. >> governor cuomo said today in his briefing that he recognizes the importance of honoring veterans this memorial day. and vehicular parades will be allowed in gatherings that don't have more than ten people will be permitted. the governor underscored the importance of paying tribute to those who give their lives. he said and i quote, "it's important that the vets be recognized it," and encouraged local tv stations to broadcast any of those ceremonies. >> bill: david lee miller here in new york, predicting real gdp down 38 present as i ge get a lk inside the white house for the cabinet meeting there. get this now, down 38% for gdp. and then up 21.5% in the third quarter, then up 10.4% in the

fourth quarter. that's a jigsaw. also sees unemployment at about 8.6% in the fourth quarter, which is right when you get a national election year. keep an eye inside the room they were in the white house, president trump expecting to hear more on the economy and how things work out for all of us. get a quick break in here, we will bring you back inside when the cameras are live. [squawks] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

>> bill: live look inside the white house now as a cabinet meeting is about to get underway. you expected to begin any

moment, we should hear a lot more with regard to the economy and how we get out of this mess. been waiting for this all day, very busy day for the president. was on the hill the short time ago with republican senators now back at the white house. let's drop in together. >> president trump: every member of my cabinet is working tirelessly to defeat the invisible enemy that should have never happened to our country, should have never happened to the world. it's a disgrace. could've been stopped at the source, but they decided not to do that. we are going to safely reopen our country and our economy, and it's happening very rapidly. and it's happening interestingly when numbers are actually going down. you look at florida, the state of florida, a great job. he look at georgia, you look at others, they are open, and some are doing extremely well, far beyond what people thought, and the numbers are going down. the numbers that we have been talking about for the last two

months are going down, so it's really terrific. in our drive to crush the virus, america has completed nearly 12 million tests and that number today is almost 14 million. nobody is close, germany would be second with approximately 10 million less than us, and we also have the best tests. south korea is doing very well, but 14 million of their numbers that are very small by comparison. what has been done with testing, what's been done with ventilators, what's been done with the distribution of product has been incredible. we've made a lot of governors look very good. we've actually made all of the governors look very good. some have done a good job but we've made them all look very good. we got them their gowns and their ventilators and their tests like nobody would've thought possible. vaccines are moving quickly into phase one and phase two trials, and trials of dozens of therapies and cures are

underway, and we are making tremendous strides with therapies, cures, and vaccines. i think we are way ahead of schedule, and you probably heard logistically we have our military engaged, and as soon as we have whatever it is we are going to have whether it's therapeutic or vaccine, it will be distributed very rapidly. her military is ready to go. they can deploy hundreds of thousands of men and women a day, and now what they're going to be doing is doing the vaccine, which we are geared up for even before we have it. but the chances of us having it are extraordinary. secretary azar will update us on all that we are doing to safeguard americans. talking in a second to protect our people and defeat the virus, we must also defend the health of our nation's economy. secretary mnuchin will report on the economic recovery efforts on the good numbers that are being

produced ahead of schedule. secretary carson will update us on the white house opportunity and revitalization counsel, and then you did a fantastic job. we appreciate it. looking at hud differently than other people would've and he has a way of seeing things as different and really good for our country. and ben is working on very hard, different plans to restore health and prosperity to disadvantage minority communities, and that's really working out well. one of the things we are proud of as opportunity zones. came to me with a proposal, and few people understand how successful the opportunity zones have been. a great tribute to tim and others in a senate who helped us with that. the pandemic has shown once again the vital importance of economic independence and bringing supply chains back to china and other countries.

probably got elected one of the primary reasons was that, make america great again, america first, call it whatever you want, but we went way out-of-bounds. we go to 12 countries to build a car. i want to build a car from one country. we make the parts need to achieve this goal, we slashed red tape and bureaucracy and unleash the largest industrial mobilization since world war ii. especially when it comes to big things like a ventilator, it's a very big, clumsy, highly sophisticated product, and we have now assembly lines, we are the talk of the world supplying them to other countries, helping other countries going through this plague, and they're never going to be able to do ventilators. it's really been an incredible thing what's happening. it's the biggest mobilization since world war ii. and we are fighting for the livelihoods of american workers,

and we must continue to cut through every piece of red tape that stands in our way, and that's why this is such an exciting meeting. beyond being a cabinet meeting, which is always good, because with millions of americans forced out of work by the virus, it's more important than ever to remove burdens that destroy american jobs. in a few minutes, i will sign an executive order instructing federal agencies to use any and all authority to weigh, suspend, and eliminate unnecessary regulations that impede economic recovery. and we want to leave it that way. we want to leave it that way. in some cases, we won't be able to, but in other cases, we will. and you've heard me say many times, and i said it very strongly that regulations, we have done more regulation cutting than any president in history. for years, eight years, or one case more, we have done more regulation cutting. i don't mean just in a year or

two years. i am late in the three and a half years that we've been here, we've got far more regulations by a factor of a lot than any other administration, any other presidency. so that's really something. i'm directing agencies to review the hundreds of regulations we've already suspended in response to the virus and make the suspensions permanent where possible. i'm also instructing agencies to use the emergency authorities to speed up regulation cuts for new rules that will create jobs and prosperity and get rid of unnecessary rules and regulations. we had cases where it would take 20 years to build a highway. he would have to go through various agencies to get the same permit. i lived with it in the private sector, so i know it better than anybody. when you go years and years to build a simple roadway or a simple building, it would end up costing an absolute fortune.

many, many times what it should cost. and it would take years before you could even seek final approval from a five years, seven years, 21 years, certain highway built recently, a small highway. i would call it a road. 21 years to get it approved. and then by the time they get it approved, it costs 100 times more. numbers that you wouldn't even believe. we are getting rid of all of that. down now on the roads, working with the department of transportation pinned down to a two year period. we want to see what we can do better. we have roads in there for 18, 17, 20, 21 years over the years. i'm not blaming alain for that but over the years, there have been a roads that have gone through a process for many years, roads, and highways. we'll be getting it down and maybe is not going to get past for environmental reasons are safety reasons. we are going to know quickly. but if it does pass, it's going to happen fast.

acting omb director, where is russ? did you hear what i said? soon to be permanent director. that's a big statement. some people would say that's big news. he's done a fantastic job, so congratulations. we will give you a congratulations just prior to approval, right? you're doing great, thank you very much very much. so acting omb director will present details on this effort, and we will go into that. so ross has done a great job on exactly what, he is to come into my office and say i think we can cut a lot of different things in terms of regulation. and i think also very importantly, will have a better product. it's going to give us a better result. and we are adhering to environmental impact studies that all of the other things we have to do to get these permits. so thank you very much.

i want to once again thank every member of that cabinet for your commitment to helping our nation to reopen, to recover and rebuild. i'd like to now ask a man who's done a fantastic job as the head of the task force, he's worked literally 24 hours a day sometimes to make sure everything was gone well. today, we had a really great article by rich lowry who talked about the tremendous job that we've done in terms of the task force, in terms of the coronavirus and getting things going and getting people what they need whether it's ventilators, testing, or many other things, and i appreciated that article very much because it has been a very false narrative. people have no idea what an incredible job the people and federal government have done, and that includes generals and admirals and lots of others. so i want to thank mike pence for the great job you've done and please say a few words.

>> mr. president, i think everyone around this cabinet knows that from the first day of this administration, you made it clear that you had no higher priority than the safety and security of the american people. in january when you took the unprecedented action of suspending all travel from china before there was a single case of community transmission in the united states, it is an arguable, mr. president, that your decision bought us a criminal amount of time to stand up a national response all across this country. at the same time in january, the task force and over the course of february, you began to suspend more travel, establish screening at more than 11 airports around the united states again with the priority of protecting the health and safety of the

american people. and from the first day that you asked me to leave the white house coronavirus task force, we have focused on the health of the american people. would be on march 15th at your direction that we released the white house coronavirus guidelines for america. we asked a lot of the american people, and the american people responded. 15 days would become 45 days, and in that time, it was our objective as you made clear to save lives. to slow the spread, to flatten the curve and because of what the american people did, because of the direction that you gave and all the dedicated members at hhs and fema and all of those around this table who served on the task force, because of the partnership that you forged with every governor of both political parties across the country,

we've made great progress. that being said, i know that you believe as we all do that one life lost is too many, and we grieve today for the loss of more than 90,000 americans to the coronavirus. in a time like this, the first cabinet meeting that we have had, since the advent of this epidemic, it's important to remember that when we ask the american people to make all those sacrifices, the estimates before you were that if we did nothing, we could lose between 1,000,002.2 million american lives. the estimates are still clear that even when we flatten the curve that we could still lose 100,000 to 240,000 americans. so while we grieve the loss of those more than 90,000 america

americans, we recognize the progress that we have made. among the progress that we made in flattening of the curve and slowing the spread was preserving as you directed the capacity of our health care system, one of the great concerns that we had early on was that our health care system, or hospitals would be overwhelmed by the coronavirus. that did not occur, mr. president. the truth is, as he reflected many times because of the ingenuity of the american people because of our partnership with states, because of a great logistics team that worked with the task force, no american who has needed a ventilator was ever denied a ventilator in the united states. is an extraordinary accomplishment, and the report that i received today is the national stockpile now has more than 15,000 ventilators, and because of the public-private partnerships that you forged, we

will see the manufacture more than 100,000 ventilators, over 13 billion supplies and critical ppe were also delivered to doctors and nurses and first responders and to americans on the front lines of this pandemic. on the subject of testing, mr. president, when you told me to leave this task force, we had fully done of under the old system of public labs, fully done over 800,000 coronavirus test at the end of february. but as you just reflected, because of the public-private partnership that you formed with commercial labs across the country, we've now performed nearly 12 million coronavirus tests, and more than 400,000 in a single day this past weekend. and as i'll share with the team as we are increasing testing, the good news to americans is nevertheless, cases are going down. he reflected on that in your

visit to the capital today and in your opening remarks. and in that, i hope despite the heartbreak on the hardship that we have all endured, i hope the american people can sense that they've made progress. that as we continue to scale testing all across the country, our team with fema at the helm estimates that we will be able to conduct 40 to 50 million tests a month by the september. and even as testing is expanding across the country, we are seeing cases coming down, and that's a tribute to the american people. has not just been the healthy american people that have been challenged, as you rightly observed, businesses large and small who have had to shatter their operations, we heard from restaurant owners earlier this week, and with the great work of our secretary of treasury and your leadership, mr. president, $188 billion in loans have been approved to small businesses, been awarded through community

health centers in all 50 states. we have been there at the point of the need for businesses large and small. we have been there for vulnerable populations and at your direction, we will continue to lean forward in that fight. the action that you're taking today in signing the executive order is going to make it more possible for us to build this economy back again for the american people. was in that spirit that one month ago as i close, you directed the white house coronavirus task force to release guidelines to open up america again. and i'm proud to report to the cabinet today that our best information is that all 50 states as of today are partially reopening their economies. and the american people are responding and breathing that free air again. they are doing it responsibly, they are enjoying the opportunity to open back up, the

three big automakers went back to work this last monday in ben carson ben carson's hometown of detroit. and america is on its way back through a great season of hardship. it's a testament to the resilience of the american people. so you charge the white house coronavirus task force to have one mission, and that was save lives. to have one team to forge relationships all across the country. because of your leadership, because of the great work of this cabinet, because of governors around the country, but mostly because of our incredible health care workers and the cooperation of the american people, we have slow the spread, we have flatten the curve, and we are reopening america. mr. president, i am proud to report to you that we are on our way, and i promise you this entire team is going to continue to work with governors around the country when we bring the american economy all the way back as you often say bigger and better than ever before.

so thank you, mr. president. >> president trump: thank you very much for doing a great job. so i'm going to sign this now, and then they will speak and we will go around the room a little bit and say what we want. i'd like to congratulate ric grenell for doing such a fantastic job as acting -- i don't think you want to be permanent, so i think you're very happy to be acting, but i think it will go down as the all-time great acting ever at any position. so thank you very much. would you like to say something? go ahead, please. >> sure. i would just say greetings from an intel community that is very interested in providing policymakers, everybody around this table with raw intelligence that is not politicized in any possible way, and i have to tell you that i have heard from

hundreds of members of the current intel community who are extremely pleased with transparency of their work, and that's what they're shooting for. and that's what they want to provide the policymakers is information that is not politicized by politicians in any way on any side of the aisle, but to be able to protect their intelligence estimates. we all know that they are estimates, and they are proud to get them when not manipulated by others. >> we appreciate your great work, thank you very much. i'm going to sign this now, so this is regulations going to be cut, and the potential is you're going to find regulations that nobody's ever thought of before, because you're going to be doing it yourselves, and this gives you great authority to cut regulations. so we've already had the record by a lot, not even close. but you will have a chance to cut regulations. when i look at epa sitting here

and the veteran sitting here in all of the different people, homeland security, i look at all of the great talent around this table. you have a right to do something that nobody would have ever thought you would have the right to do. and so i just want you to go to town and do it right, do it proper, make sure everything is safe, and make sure it's environmentally good for those of you that are in that category, but it's very important. you can do things that no one would believe in your department, department of transportation. so good luck, it gives you tremendous power to cut regulation. here you go, take this. [applause]

okay, would you like to say something? >> yes, thank you, mr. president. a big thank you to all the cabinet members. almost everybody has been deeply involved in their refocusing of the opportunity and revitalization. jared and kristen and broke also, big help. justice was done during the greatest generation, many sectors of our society are being reconfigured to meet the singular goal of winning our war against this invisible enemy. companies that made up bedding and are now making masks, and now producing ventilators. i worked in some of those plants growing up in detroit. and now house opportunity and revitalization console which was formed by you to help long forgotten communities achieve economic opportunity will

refocus and expand to help america's hardest hit communities and achieve economic recovery, overcome health disparities, and thrive through educational advancement. education being the ticket, you can write your own ticket. since your historic tax cuts and jobs act, billions of dollars from the private sector have been invested in these designated opportunity zones which are home to nearly 35 million people. through this initiative, we fostered partnerships between people who seldom sit down together. talking about business leaders, community leaders, faith-based leaders, housing advocates, investors, builders, state and local and federal officials. the revitalization console which i had the privilege to chair alongside our executive director scott turner who is here in this room somewhere -- there he is

over there, okay. has played a big role in the success of identifying more than 270 different federal actions to support an increase investment and opportunity zones through things like grant preference points, loan qualifications, reduced fees, eligibility criteria modifications and a number of other incentives. at your direction, we are now taking considerable capacity to discover opportunity and drive recovery in disadvantaged and minority communities that are disproportionately affected by covid-19. based on our work and analysis, revitalization console is identifying diverse policy approaches in areas including housing, education, technology, broadband, workforce, entrepreneurship, health, and long-term community development. under your leadership, this administration has shined a

light on the forgotten men and women whose job prospects and health disparities are often hidden in the shadows. mr. president, you've been a champion for all americans, especially our low income and minority communities. and we are committed to continuing your work not only to restore, but to advance the historic gains in prosperity many enjoyed before this global epidemic. your console will not only focus on better jobs, but will expand to better fortify public health services that will improve medical and social health outcomes and uplift our most distressed communities. the american people will come out and the other side of this crisis stronger and more determined than ever. thanks to the authority you have invested in the revitalization,

we will leverage these powers to heal america's hardest hit communities and return to prosperity and safely and swiftly as possible, and thank you for not giving in to the naysayers, and to the people who use fear to control people. and instead, giving people hope, not with just your words, but with your actions. thank you. >> president trump: thank you very much. i had to run against him, and he was very tough. he was even tougher when he would run onto a stage holding a bible up in the air. that was tough. i said that's tough to beat, but if i'm ever so lucky i have to get him into the administration, that's what happened, and you've done a great job. where are we and what are we doing? >> i am pleased to report your administration has been hard at work implementing the cares act. we have made incredible progress working on putting over $300 trillion into the economy.

unprecedented amount of support to american business and american workers and just want to highlight a few of the things. in working with spa, we were able to develop the paycheck protection program from scratch. that has now impacted over a 4.3 million companies, impacting over 4 million workers, $513 billion in lender's working. we are extremely pleased that we have increase the number of minority lenders and fin tech lenders now making sure we get this across the country with an average loan size of 118,000. it is really impacting american workers. working with the federal reserve, i have approved nine special facilities totaling two and a half trillion dollars, about half of our capacity and in particular, i'd like to highlight the main street lending program which is for

small and midmarket companies up and running by the end of this month. and then i would just comment on the economic impact payments, mr. president, have really had a big impact. we have delivered over $239 billion to 141 million americans. and i want to highlight, we couldn't be more pleased. 114 million of those, we did direct deposit into people's accounts. we did 27 million checks, and mr. president, we now have developed debit cards. so in an effort to expedite money to people even quicker in a very safe way, i can pres to show you what a debit card looks like with your name on it, mr. president. there is no money for you on it. this is a blank debit card, but i want you to see what many americans will now get so we can get their money to them even quicker and debit cards are safe and secure way of delivering

refunds. >> do i sign the letter again? >> the next time we send money, you'll get to send another letter. >> steve has had a great career, great educational career, tremendous student and went on to very, very tremendous business success, and all of that experience was necessary for what you're doing. but there is nobody better with money and controlling money and handling money, so i want to thank you very much, thank you. alex, please, say a few words. >> thank you, mr. president. your top priority has always been the health, safety, and well-being of the american people as we've been going through this pandemic and that's been our priority throughout this crisis. we've got to get life back to normal, and we have to restart the roaring trump economy, and we have the tools to do that. the right mind-set for reopening is not about balancing health versus the economy. it's actually about balancing health versus health.

by one estimate, the virus induced recession will see an extra 65,000 deaths from suicide, drug overdose, alcohol abuse in the coming years, possibly even more. states are seeing a decline in the reporting of child maltreatment because kids aren't at school. they are not seeing doctors and teachers who would otherwise report maltreatment in the home environment. and so it goes unaddressed. mammograms are down 87%. colonoscopies are down 90%. approximately 1.7 million new cancer cases are diagnosed per year in our country, and if we are seeing an 80% drop in cancer cases identified, we could already have 300,000 or more undiagnosed cancer cases as a result of this crisis. the cdc report found that 60% reduction in a vaccine's including for your kids, pediatric vaccinations, millions of kids not getting vaccinated. the good news is that under your

leadership, we built a path forward so we could have a safe reopening. we have the surveillance tools, we have the testing tools, we have the containment methodologies and resources, we are developing therapeutics, and we are developing vaccines, so we have the strategy and the recipe to support the safe reopening of our economy. and for the sake of americans health and well-being, we've gotten support this and move ahead with safe reopening. i mention some of the physical health risks of keeping our country closed down, but we have here today with us our assistant secretary for substance abuse or for mental health and substance abuse who is a psychiatrist and the first ever psychiatrist lead samsung, and if you don't mind, she was going to say couple of words about how extended stay at home orders can impose a lasting mental health challenges for us if that's okay. >> president trump: we would love that, please.

>> mr. president, vice president pence, members of the cabinet and colleagues. if i listen to states and communities struggle with mental illness issues that have arisen as a result of the virus, i wanted to ensure that governors yesterday heard these concerns from a medical perspective. as my physician colleagues on the task force have been careful to rightly note, their perspective and advice centers on one aspect of the pandemic, virus containment. however, even medically, it is not the full perspective. i felt it was important to offer the governors at different albeit equally important medical perspective. as such, i made the following remark. is my privilege to serve with the assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, but today, i really speak to you more as a psychiatrist who also happens to hold a phd in

infectious disease epidemiology. never did i imagine the nation would be experiencing the coinciding of mental health issues and infectious disease that my training addressed. the research literature is clear on the effects of quarantine and stay at home practices on mental health. we know that the longer the duration of these orders, the greater the intensity of the mental health problems experienced. we also know that these symptoms persist for years to come even one quarantine is the data tells us that when the lives of adults, children, and families are drastically changed for extended lengths of time, for many, anxiety, depression, and stress disorders will become manifest and will persist. these are real health conditions with potentially long-lasting consequences that must be taken seriously. to put all of this in perspective, i believe it is important to point out that prepandemic, we lose 120,000 lives a year to drug overdose and suicide.

how many more lives are we willing to sacrifice in the name of containing the virus? when we look at strategies to reopen, as a medical doctor, i ask that you take into account whole health, not just one narrow aspect of physical health. we continually ask ourselves with the health costs and risks may be of reopening, but i ask what might they be if not reopening or reopening in such a restrictive way that american lives are not restored? of course, continued effects of coronavirus are critically important, but so too is preventing suicide. so too is keeping a person from being terrified to ever leave their home. so too is protecting the mental health of our nation's young people. i ask you to remember that not every home is a safe home. not every individual can withstand the trauma of not seeing or interacting physically with loved ones. not every parent can survive the mental anguish of not being able to feed their children because

of lost employment. not every child can exist in a healthy way without the structure and support of schoo schools. we have to take a step back and recognize the other effects of our policies while we contain the virus, are we increasing the risk for suicide and drug overdose? are we creating a future of substance use and addiction for millions of additional americans, and if we are doing those things, why have we decided collectively that this is okay? we have worked so hard in states and communities across this country to combat epidemics like the opioid crisis. why are we willing to forget those efforts were deemed them less important? as a psychiatrist, i would argue that a life lost to suicide is just as important as a life lost her coronavirus. in a family who loses someone to drug overdose experiences the same grief as a family who loses a loved one to coronavirus. let us not forget that all american lives are precious.

our citizens count on us to remember their health and safety in all aspects of life. the preservation of america's health on the health of our citizens cannot be measured by only one metric. virus containment cannot be our only goal no matter the cost to americans. we ignore the reality of the enormous mental health strain we put on our citizens, on the backdrop of an already overburdened health care system, i am sad sad and put certain the next major public health crisis of our time will be that of mental and substance use disorders, and it is not far behind. i urge you to factor this reality into your planning, and i think you for the work you've done. thus far, on behalf of millions of americans with mental and substance use disorders. >> president trump: thank you very much, doctor. very sobering. it's very tough. but we are getting there. we are getting back and it's very important, thank you, great job. i'd like to ask chad wolf from homeland security just to say

discuss the record low numbers we have of people crossing the border, our southern border in particular. >> absolutely, mr. president. at your direction, the task force, we have taken a number of measures that protect public health proactive and prudent measures at the border. those include nonessential travel restrictions that we have with both canada and mexico, it also includes continued construction of border law system and most importantly, new measures that we've instituted along that southwest border regarding illegal border entries and those of the numbers that you were referring to. last month in april, we had a little under 17,000 folks across the border illegally. compare that to a year ago, april of '19 was over 120,000 individuals. >> and they were all brought out, right? 17,000 cross, but 17,000 were brought out. >> 80% of those 17,000 were removed within 120 minutes, two

hours. the rest of just a little bit longer but are continuing to be removed as well. >> president trump: that's a first in the last 4 40 years. >> that's absolutely right. again, your leadership, we continue to make progress on that border. >> thank you very much. also, mark meadows who is our chief of staff and has been around washington for a while, very popular in north carolina had a seat that was easy for him to keep an eye talk to him long and hard for a long while, but he is a friend of mine, but he's going to go down as the ultimate chief of staff, so it's really nice to have you. you like to say a few words? >> thank you, mr. president. obviously your work on the behalf of the american people is very evident. is critical that we make sure that americans are healthy, safe, secure, and prosperous. and because of the work of everyone around this table and more importantly your leadership, we are setting the

example of how not only to tackle one of the most difficult silent killers that we've ever faced in our history, but also how to come out of that more united, and because of your executive order today, we are not only ready to reopen our country, but we are open for business once again, so i think you for your leadership, and it's an honor to serve you and the people of this great count country. >> president trump: thank you very much, you're doing a great job, appreciate it. working on the trade deal with the u.k., united kingdom, and i hear they want to very much do it, and we would like to do it. how are you doing? >> thank you, mr. president. we are doing well. in we will see how that works out that i would like to report that on july 1st, we will have usmca fully in effect, which is just in time for the reopening.

we will have the new rules that will help american workers and we are now beginning to see some substantial new sales for agriculture in a variety of others because of this and the other deals that you've done. but in terms of the u.k. deal, we are just beginning that. and as you said to me 1,000 times, we will see how that turns out. we will see how that turns >> president trump: you never know, you never know do you? we usually do. we've signed a great deal in japan. we've created a new deal with south korea which is many, many billions of dollars. it's a very good deal. the usmca is the largest radio ever made anywhere in the world. people don't realize the amount of business that we do with canada and with mexico is monumental. it is the biggest trade deal in

the world. bigger than the deal we made with china. most people don't know that. and that china deal is kicking in. or they are buying a lot. i feel differently now about that deal then i did three months ago. and we will see what all happe happens. but it has been a very disappointing situation. very disappointing thing happened with china, because the plague flowed in. that wasn't supposed to happen. and it could've been stopped. i want to thank you very much, bob. you are doing really fantastic. you have a lot of records. one of the people that i wanted to get when i was elected was bob lighthizer. he had a record and really has the reputation as being the best trade negotiator anywhere in the world. everyone respected. he was the authority. so i got him, and you've lived up to your reputation. now let's see if you can exceed it. you have plenty of work to do. >> four more years.

>> president trump: the first thing -- when fortunately he was better. boris johnson, prime minister. he called me and wanted to talk about the trade deal. how was i going? that was his first words to me. how's it going? i said, how are you feeling? mike pompeo has done a fantastic job at state. and he's been doing a lot of traveling. working hard. anything to say, mike? >> i will add in the course of this, we have brought 93,000 americans back home who were stuck because travelers had ceased. fantastic work getting these americans back to their families. we have more work to do. we are working to make sure the global economy gets back on its feet. along with the department of homeland security and department of transportation. we're trying to make sure the processes are and pray so people can travel before the virus affected this entire world. >> president trump: great job. i would like to maybe ask scott turner to finish.

he's somebody who is young and strong and powerful. and he has done an incredible job with opportunity zones and other things. maybe you could finish it off. we could take a couple of questions from the media if you would like. but scott, make the media so crazed that they say, boy, are they doing a great job. >> well, thank you, mr. president. for your leadership and -- thank you all. i'm sitting here listening to all of the remarks and what is going on. i'm very encouraged. and i reminded that my time playing peewee football all the way to the nfl. i want the time to be had as a whole. the last time i was with you, was last summer. we had a 21 season in 12 weeks.

you all encouraged me greatly. the opportunities on and their counsel. and much fruit came about in america, because of the white house counsel. and many of you, your staff members and your teams and your agencies have been tremendous. it's been a great team effort. not one person. it has been a great team in america to the people in the community. i was so pumped by that. we have a lot of work to do. our resolve is still the same. our spirit is the same. our fortitude is even stronger. the president has vision that's broader. and because of that, we will not quit. at i want to thank all of you for your leadership. thank you for your vision and your encouragement.

in the huddle, it was a time to refocus. it was a time to reset. and to encourage. i know you've got feet on that play. but she won't get beat on the next one. we are a team. on the other side of the ball. in america, we are a team. the enemy is cozy. i want to remind everybody in the world and everybody listening in america. we are all one team. this is the hub, today. we are encouraged at each other. we have each other's back. we know how to anticipate what is happening on the next play. we have a great game plan. we have great leadership. all the way around the world. it's called the united states of america. covid will get whelped. it will. but it's going to take all of us.

this is a blessing to me to be in this office. the enemy had better look out. because we are going to be victorious. against the enemy and have generational vision for america. long after we are gone, i want to encourage and thank you, mr. president. all of you in leadership. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> president trump: so, you know, we have a couple of seats available, congressional seats. i'm not overly impressed with the candidate. i think, would you like to move to a little different section of the united states? because i guarantee this guy would be in congress in about 2 minutes. i know somebody that knew scott from the nfl. what kind of a player was he?

he was fast, but more than anything, he was tough. he was mean and tough. that's what we want to. he's tough. he's got a great heart. i've known him now a long time, scott appeared we are lucky to have you. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] it's true. any questions, please? yes, steve, go ahead. >> about the china trade deal. could you amplify about that a little bit? >> president trump: you know, we do this. deal with china. they have to buy billions and billions of dollars of product, farm products and other products. it was very exciting, and one of the biggest deals ever made. actually not as big as the usmca, which suppresses people. but it could've been bigger over a period of time. because the potential there is just beginning in a sense. and it was very exciting. but once the virus came in, once

the plague as i call it came in, i said, how did they let that happen? how did they let that happen? and how, didn't go into other sections of china? why did they block it from leaving wuhan, but they didn't block it from going to the rest of the world including the united states. why is that? beijing doesn't have it. other places don't have it. or is it that it was blocked very effectively from leaving that area and going into china, but it went out to the rest of the world including the united states. and by didn't they let us go in and help them fix it? so i'm very disappointed in china. >> just to follow up. you've been talking about possible retaliation to that. are you any closer to a decision on that, sir? >> president trump: i don't talk about retaliation.