trump, and that didn't happen. high, but then they didn't send and at this point, i think we need to recognize that there is the cartridges to do the tests. not going to be any personal >> we have put in seven to nine growth in office for donald orders to fema and not received trump. you know, he is going to be the anything. >> this is mayhem. man who he was, and wetie shoult we need a coordinated approach between the federal government and the states. be surprised he wants to take >> i'm sure, mr. vice president, the credit where he can take the credit and shift the blame, you probably can recognize the voice of all 50 governors these because that's who he is, and to be fair, most politicians are this sunday, opening days because of how often you're on the phone with them, but going to be that way. arguments. on the other hand, i think he's >> we're opening up our country. those were three republicans and three democrats. in an extraordinarily difficult >> president trump releases i know you're hearing this, and it has to do with the new broad frail guidelines for a phased in return to normal. position. 22 million people have filed for guidelines that seem to indicate that states have to take the >> our national shutdown is not unemployment. when we talk about those a sustainable long-term lead on testing. it seems as if every governor is numbers, we're talking about solution. >> mr. trump leaves the decision people's lives. we're talking about people's but not money to governors. basically saying they would love to do that, but they need the >> you're going to say i'm income. we're talking about their providing no help. federal government's help to do no assistance, no financial wellbeing in ways that aren't about the coronavirus. money. >> and offers only limited plans it. why doesn't the president want and to want to give people hope the federal government to be the for increased testing. lead on testing? and the sight of a light at the >> today, we have sufficient >> well, chuck, thanks for end of the tunnel is something i amount of testing to meet the having me on. think the president needs to do. and it really is remarkable to requirements of a phase-one think about the progress the the problem is, of course, he also needs to be there helping american people have made over to provide the tools necessary reopening. the last several months. >> but health care proeflgs are on a state-by-state level. deeply skeptical. when the president tapped me to that's where the government and especially the fda, from my >> i don't understand why they lead the white house coronavirus

would even consider it. task force, he gave us the first standpoint, is falling down on not until we're in the clear. >> this as the president objective is to save lives. the job. encourages anti-shutdown >> yeah. and to focus on slowing the peter, the way this response has protests. worked in the past is that they >> i don't think that the government really has any business telling us what we can spread, bending the curve. dig their heels in, they're not and cannot do. and because of the extraordinary >> plus, the economy in fr going to do something, not going efforts of the american people, to do something, and literally we continue to see every day they'll do a 1 yathd. what's the likelihood they do a freefall. 22 million file for unemployment in one month. evidence that cases are 180 and say you're right, we >> the average working family is should take over testing? declining, hospitalizations are >> i think you saw them try to only comweeks away from not declining. that's a tribute to the american being able to pay bills. people. >> why some americans are faring frankly, it's a tribute to all detail what they view as the so much worse than others. of those governors, governors in national testing vatagy in your ply guests this morning, vice both parties across the country conversation with the vice president, but i'm struck by the who put these mitigation efforts president mike pence and two governors, republican mike into effect. secondly, the president made it continued mixed messaging. clear to us that we were to make dewine of ohio, and democrat consider the president with the sure that hospitals in impacted liberate tweets about minnesota, gretchen whitmer of michigan. michigan, and virginia, all >> also, joe biden's big week. areas had the resources and equipment that they needed to be three states with democratic governors, all thee states are three key endorsements. able to save as many battlegrounds. >> i'm so proud to endorse joe you have the president as the leader of the resistance against biden for president of the possible. and i have to tell you, the tens his own policies. united states. right? >> democrats are unified this the bottom line is, back and of millions of personal forth once again on this issue. protective equipment that we time. will it make a difference? have coordinated for delivery one day, he claimed total joining me for insight and around the country, especially authority. the next day, he's blaming the analysis are nbc white house in areas most impacted and the governors. they put out the guidelines, the day after that, he says, hey, we correspondent peter alexander, fact that ventilators have been delivered in areas across the need to remove the guidelines in effect in those places. consider his past mixed messages country so that no american who on issues like the masks, when danielle pletka, and jeh john n needed a ventilator has ever

johnson. been denied a ventilator. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press" and our the cdc put out its guidelines we're actually increasing the continuing coverage of the and moments later, the president stockpile today. but testing has been a focus of said, i don't really plan to wear it, and back and forth on coronavirus pandemic. >> announcer: from nbc news in ours as well, from the very the dpa as well. washington, the longest running beginning. it's the reason why the this is an unprecedented moment, president early on brought in show in television history, this sxin fact, we don't know what is "meet the press" with chuck this vast array of commercial the backlash, how this will labs that took us from 80,000 backfire here. it's a test. todd. we wait to see how americans good sunday morning. tests one month ago to now 4 respond. a week that began with president >> hey, jeh johnson, just very trump declaring that this authority was total ended with a million tests as of yesterday. quickly, do you think it looks odd that congress isn't working? death toll in the united states and as we'll make clear again to topping 38,000 and mr. trump that they're trying to do this governors tomorrow in our weekly telling governors it's up to remotely? look, at the end of the day, you them to decide when to reopen conference call, we look forward chose to be an elected official. to continuing to partner with you chose to be in public for business. governors all across the country but the president's broad service. you do probably have to risk guidelines leave many issues as we continue to scale testing your life more than somebody who unresolved like a lack of chose not to be. because we really believe that should they physically be here? protective gear for health care while we're doing 150,000 tests maybe protect their staffs, but work workers. plans to handle a likely these individual members? resurgent in the pandemic, and a day now, that if states around >> well, in defense of the the country will activate all of members of congress, the reality how to vastly increase the the laboratories that are is that most of them, just like testing needed to restart the available in their states, we we are right now, can do their economy. could more than double that mr. trump is being squeezed by jobs remotely. overnight and literally be doing they can't vote on the house hundreds of thousands of more floor or the senate floor, obviously, and maybe we need to tests per day in a very short depressionlike numbers that period of vry look at how, you know, you can prompt some to argue that losing lives may be an acceptable price make that work. to pay for getting the economy going.ncouraging anti-social stm but i'm sure most members of

clear, when the president o congress are pretty busy right now even though they're not physically in washington. his very own guidelines. outlined his guidelines for opening up america, we laid out a plan for both when and how we >> i guess, but i have to say we have a new poll on the federal government's handling of part of me says that it does the covid-19 crisis. seem odd they're not here, the by a 52/38 margin, registered governors are on the job, thought it was best according to everybody else is on the job. voters say they're more worries our best scientists and advisers anyway, i'm going to pause it the u.s. will move too quickly for states to be able to here. when we come back, why some to loosen restrictions than take responsibly and safely reopen. people are doing so much better than others economically during too long. we believe today, as dr. birx this crisis. 65% say president trump did not >> but first, here's some new take the threat seriously enough has said, as dr. fauci and york city firefighters thanking at the beginning of the crisis others have said, is there is a health care workers in brooklyn. while only 32% said he did. sufficient capacity of testing (slow music plays) across the country today for any 42% approve of his handling of the crisis while 52% disapprove. state in america to go to a now 50 governors are toad to phase-one level. ♪ which contemplates testing people that have symptoms of the (laughter) come up with 50 slolutions to a national testing problem. coronavirus and also doing the ♪ he tells them i'll take the kind of monitoring of vulnerable credit for opening the country while you take the blame for populations in our cities, in anything that goes wrong. our nursing homes, that we ought president trump lurching between to be watching very carefully ♪ declaring power. >> when somebody is the president of the united states, for outbreaks of the coronavirus. the authority is total. >> and denying responsibility. we believe working with g governors as we'll continue to >> going to be up to the partner with them, that we can ♪ governors. >> after prompting on activate labs around the country thursday -- >> we're not opening all at

and states today, if the governor so chooses, have sufficient testing to be able to once. but one careful step at a time. (baby coos) move into the testing ♪ >> on friday, the president contemplated in phase one. fueled reopening protests in a >> do you -- do you believe (laughter) handful of states with governors are not activating man on video chat: hey! democratic governors tweeting their testing capacity? i mean, these governors have man chasing dog: oh no no no no! liberate minnesota, michigan, and virginia. said they would love to enhance (baby crying) >> i hope it's not encouraging their capacity. ♪ more protests. but they're missing swabs or >> i do not have time to involve they're missing the reagents. myself in twitter wars. >> i like to know what they ♪ think we could have done differently because again, we're in one case, governor dewine leading as we were asked. told me there have been rations. we flattened the curve, we built that is what, i guess the up our ppe. question is this, why haven't you used the defense production >> mr. trump's tweets come as act to basically get swabs and media on the right is amplifying the protests and in some cases reagents prioritized? conservative groups are ? seeing the break in the clouds before anyone else. organizing and funding them. what we have done through >> this is great time, gentlemen together, we'll weather this storm. and ladies, fordience. services literally marshal the full resources of the american economy. we have been bringing medical supplies, including testing >> more t supplies, in from all over the applies for unemploy 7 ploploym world. and we'll continue to do that. but look, as you said, chuck, i last week. in a new poll, 22% say the have been working almost daily economy is excellent or good, [ aevery box has a mission: down from 53% in december. over the last two months with to protect everything inside from everything outside.

but even trump friendly republican and democrat republican governors have been governors across the country. slow to embrace the president's and this vast and complex system call to lift state-wide that is where the true glory lies. of testing using the commercial stay-at-home orders. >> in opening texas, we must be labs around the country and when what's inside matters, using hospital and public labs [ doorbell rings ] ...count on boxes. guided by data and by doctors. is a new concept, so we have paper and packaging. how life unfolds. >> i wanted to come here today been working with governors and announce that we can all around the country to make sure that they and their health ease up and reopen. officials know about all the [thunder] (mom) were you planning on mowing the lawn today? but we can't. resources in their states. (son) no. >> just 36% of voters trust what and we also have deployed a team (burke) seen it. covered it. at farmers insurance, we know a thing or two because the president has said about the from walter reed that over the coronavirus. last two weeks has been calling we've seen a thing or two. compared to 66% who trust their so get a quote at farmers-dot-com. own governors and 69% who trust every single laboratory in the ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ the cdc. country that can do coronavirus and 64% are not satisfied with testing, and tomorrow we'll be presenting all of those details the federal government's actions to governors so that they can on testing. activate those tests in their after months of promises -- >> anybody that needs a test states. >> mr. vice president, aren't gets a test. you making the case of why this they're there. >> only about 3.7 million tests needs to be nationally welcome back. have been conducted, an average coordinated? you just said you have data download time. identified this capacity, you another week, another set of of 146,000 per day, far short of have identified this. deeply disturbing unemployment this is why i think a lot of numbers during this pandemic. but not all states are feeling whateshperts say is required for governors have said the federal this the same way. reopening. government has to play point on and nbc news seen more the president once promised a national testing website and widespread testing in drugstore than 19% of their labor force parking lots. >> you'll be directed to one of who is so file for unemployment since these incredible companies that march 14th. none of them are new york, by

are going to give a little bit strategy in this country and how the way. of their parking lot so that are we going to expand it? people can come by and do a these are the states where less than 7% of the work force has >> chuck, we actually have drive-by test. >> now, a months late a coordinated it at the federal filed for unemployment. florida may change soon there. level. admiral brett girar of the u.s. beyond the state where you live, certain state, that's 2,000 our latest poll finds your miles away. it's ridiculous. socioeconomic status has a lot >> now, president trump is public health service spends all to do with how the pandemic is trying to shift the blame, of his time coordinating impacting your job security. tweeting, the states have to step up their testing. testing, deployment, and 14% of poor or working class resources deployment from fema. >> he said 11 times, i don't want to get involved in testing. what we're making clear to americans say they have already governors and i want the it's too complicated. american people to know is that it's too hard. lost their jobs and the jobs i know it's too complicated and we will continue to do that. it's too hard. while the president has made it that's why we need you to help. clear that we want the governors that offer telecommuting and those that don't. >> and joining me now from the 47% of americans say they could to implement testing and deploy work their jobs at home. white house is vice president mike pence. testing where they deem it's that means what feels like a mr. vice president, welcome back to "meet the press." most appropriate in their state, lifestyle headache for some is more of a tumultuous and life >> morning, chuck. we're going to continue to fully >> i want to start simply with partner with states around the changing events for others. country to increase the supply, what some governors have had to >> when we come back, why this to make sure that they have the year's veep st say on the issue of testing. ♪ reagents and the test kits take a listen, sir. necessary to perform those >> there needs to be more tests. but i want to say, again, it's a testing infrastructure, more open. remember having that feeling for the first time? test kits, more capacity to test. >> we need some assistance from tribute to the president's the first day you opened. the federal government when it leadership that early on in this comes to swabs and reagents. process, he brought in the top the first day you had a customer, >> one of our problems for our commercial labs in the country. the first day you taught a class,

hospitals who are doing testing they formed an alliance, and we had a client, a patient, a session. is lack of expectation very went from one month ago to 80,000 tests being done to 4 open... remember the night before you opened? million tests being completed as of yesterday. who could ever sleep? we'll continue to increase that. we'll continue to make governors open... aware of that. but there's a different question but our approach from the we are being asked now. beginning, chuck, has been we are you going to remain open? want in any health care crisis, even when your doors are closed? open. that's how we show who we are. we want to pmake sure the healt and there's another way to be open, care workers at the local level to pull together - or push, depending on the door. have the resources they need because it's locally executed. and we are making it work it's state managed but federally and we will continue to make it work together. supported. and the federal government at the president's direction will because open we stand. continue to support governors as they deploy the testing resources in the time and manner of their choosing. but we believe today, as dr. deborah birx has confirmed, is we have a sufficient capacity of testing today for any state in america to move into phase one and begin the process of reopening their state and their economy. >> who should pay for the

contact tracing? is that going to be the states? is it individual companies? or should the federal government, since you're requiring contact tracing be a part of this, is the federal government going to pay for that? >> the cdc has deployed across the country today, literally in every state. but at the president's direction, as we announced last week, the cdc is going to deploy teams in every single state in the country to do contact tracing over the next 12 to 18 months. the cdc is really the expert at contact tracing, and it really is, chuck, the way that we typically control the outbreak of infectious disease. you identify someone who has symptoms. you test them, and then you immediately find out who they have been in contact with. that's what the cdc does. and as we announced last week, we'll be deploying coronavirus cdc teams in every state in the country on top of the hundreds

of cdc personnel that are already embedded in states today. >> is one of the reasons we're behind on testing because of the -- i saw the fda came out and said basically the cdc's initial test was faulty, that they found a lot of bad parameters that weren't -- guidelines that weren't followed that ended up having that. you may not be thinking about blood donation, how much did that set us back as a country? but blood is needed to save the lives of people how many lives unfortunately might have been lost due to the who are sick with a range of illnesses. faulty test kit? >> i have seen that report in it's easy and safe to give. the papers this morning. i know that hhs is making if you are in good health, please donate. inquiries. but we believe those issues were we need heroes now. resolved on that particular test visit red cross blood dot org by early february. to schedule an appointment. but it's important for your viewers to know that that test, the slow lab-based test that is typical for cdc and public health labs, would never have been able to meet the needs of testing in this coronavirus epidemic. that's why president trump was

so right when he brought together these commercial labs and formed a consortium and literally took us from at that time in february, we had done some 20,000 tests total across the country. >> right. but again -- >> we're doing 4 million. we believe we'll have done more than 5 million tests before the end of this month. none of that would have been possible without the president's leadership, without the innovation, without the incredible efforts of companies like roush and abbott laboratories. the american people can be confident whether it's supplies, whether it's testing, we'll continue to make sure our governors, our state health care officials, and most especially, our health care workers have the resources and support they need. but i want the american people to know that sitting here this morning, we really are seeing encouraging signs because of what the american people have done. we believe we're slowing the welcome back. here's a couple of the political om of the items from our new nbc/"wall

street journal" poll. hot spots around the country. some of you want to see the big and now more than ever, it's head-to-head, trump v. biden. important that each of us biden continues to lead here. continue to do our part and i leads by seven in this new one. can assure the american people 49/42. he's essentially had about that kind of lead over the president that at the president's direction, we'll continue to throughout this calendar year. play our role. but here are some matchups on we'll have a full partnership with governors around the some specific issues. president trump leads biden on country. who best to handle the economy. >> let me ask you about the president. but it is biden that leads the >> some day in the near future, we'll put the coronavirus in the president on handling a crisis, and biden that leads the past. >> let me ask you about the president on responding to president's tweets on friday, he coronavirus. wants to liberate minnesota, danny pletka, we went back. the last three incumbent liberate michigan, liberate presidents when asked about who virginia. all three states have issued best to handle a crisis, obama was picked over romney. guidelines that follow the bush was picked over kerry, national advice that you have clinton was picked over dole. been giving them. they're following the president's guidelines to the best of their ability. it's rare to see an incumbent president not seen as better handling a crisis in the middle can you explain what the president is trying to liberate of a campaign. >> well, i mean, i think the minnesota from? evidence speaks for itself, i don't quite understand that doesn't it? we have seen donald trump handle use of language. >> well, no one wants to reopen this crisis, and that's where his numbers are coming from. america more than president i think people hope, would hope donald trump. and i think the american people for more from their president,

have known that. and they haven't gotten it. from weeks ago when the on donald trump's side, though, president declared that the numbers you showed at the head of the show were important balance, we have to make sure that the cure isn't unbelievable. his approval ratings are exactly worse than the disease. the same now as they were a year because the reality is that for all of the sacrifice the ago. what that tells us is that american people have made, sacrifices that literally have donald trump has what he has to saved lives, the truth is that assess as a very, very solid base of support. there are real costs, including and they're not going to be the health and wellbeing of the affected, not only not by the american people, to continue to economy that we see now but not by the coronavirus or his go through the shutdown that we're in today. handling of it. and so the president laid out >> and peter alexander, we now new guidelines for every state have an idea of what the in the country. >> i understand that. negative campaigns are going to mr. vice president -- look like between both >> if you see cases decline for 14 days, if you're in a position candidates, with team trump to do the kind of -- deciding to make china the >> what's he tweeting? what's he tweeting? bogeyman, with biden frankly it was something obama did to >> we want to encourage -- romney back in 2012, was to hit >> mr. vice president, i have given you a lot of leeway here. him hard on china, and it was >> that's the new guidance we're effective in the midwest. giving. >> i understand that. i have given you a lot of lieway. doesn't the predundermine his i have not been wanting to own china attacks when he talks interrupt you. that's not true. i always want to jump in on some about his great relationship things. with xi.

i have given you a lot of >> that's what's striking when leeway. why is the president trying to you hear the president speak undermine the guidance you have about china. been laying out? and that he's been -- he laid he held back criticizing china in the early days. out this guidance on thursday. he attacked the w.h.o., the and undermined it on friday. world health organization, for saying china was being >> chuck, i don't accept your transparent. premise, and i don't think most early on, the president praised americans do either. the president's made it clear, china for its transparency he wants to reopen america. and we laid out guidelines for there. it's because the president was trying to maintain the good every state in the country to relationship with president xi because he thought the safely and responsibly reopen relationship in terms of the trade deal on which he thought their economy at the time and manner of their choosing. he would be judged when it came we laid out the criteria for to the political season would be so critical, but in when our best scientists believe conversations i have with white that would be appropriate. house officials, they say it's if it was 14 days of declining the president's effort to really cases, and they had proper focus on this economic issue, that's what's driving him, is hospital capacity. and we laid out the means to very much a political calculation with the belief, they say, that americans will be move into phase one. when you hear the president, making up their minds on the when you see people across the fact in their eyes that the country is going in the right or country, i'm talking about wrong direction. reopening, every american and in late august or early this president want to do that in a safe and responsible way. september, which gives the president three or four months, the guidelines for opening up which is motivating him to try to push people back to work so america are a framework for doing that. and we'll work with governors aggressively. >> bashing china is pretty

across the country to implement popular on a bipartisan basis, those because we want to put america back to work as soon as jeh johnson, and joe biden is we responsibly can. trying to respond saying you and at the president's think i'm close to china, what direction, we're going to about you? continue to work to do that what's the unintended consequence of that? every day. >> the unintended consequence is >> it does seem as if the it makes it much more difficult president wants credit for reopening the economy, and he wants the governors to get the to deal with a very large blame for not opening it fast economic power on multiple enough. that's what the tweet seems to fronts. and we will get through this. imply, that he doesn't want to own the responsibility of these the president's favorite tactic is to find somebody else to necessary shutdowns. >> the american people can be blame in a crisis like this. you know, it's i can do whatever confident that this president wants to reopen the american i want, but i have no responsibility for anything. economy as soon as we can safely and i look for somebody else to and responsibly do it. blame. and for some, china is a but we believe with open up ame convenient target. but we need to focus on what we need to do here at home. again, we have given governors around the country our very best >> one other topic that got a counsel about how they can do little bit of news this week, just that. and we'll continue to work with governors to make sure that they dani pletka, was the veep stakes have -- that they have the for joe biden. we're seeing some truth -- some guidance, that they have the counsel, and they have the actual honest responses. resources to accomplish that. and to put the coronavirus in we have got people asked about

the past some day and to put it, and not pretending they america back to work. don't want the job. >> and i just want to clarify stacey abrams says, yes, i would love to do it. one other thing. i'm ready. you said that you believe 5 and kamala harris, yes, i'm million tests by the end of ready. and elizabeth warren. april is a success story. the fact we have yet to -- that it's -- frankly, i look at it as will mean we have yet to test 2% a pleasant change. it used to be ridiculous when of the population. that is a success story on all these people would pretend they didn't want the job or testing? >> chuck, we believe that under weren't thinking about it. >> i agree with you. the phase one criteria tt have i think it's a completely pleasant change. in this time of social distancing, people can't sidle testing at that level to allow up to the vice president, vice states to begin to responsibly president biden, and say hey, you know, i would love that job. reopen. literally doing more than so they're being very frank. 150,000 tests a day now, a frankness in politics is something to be appreciated. number that we believe we could hey, you know, i want to add double once we activate all of the laboratories around the something about what my colleague said about china as country. we're confident that that would well. you know, this isn't just a enable any governor who has otherwise met the criteria of 14 convenient target. days of declining cases to be china is where this lies were able to have the testing capacity sufficient to monitor people that may have symptoms so that have cost lives. we can identify them and do china is definitely something we're going to need to talk contact tracing, and also deploy about and talk about distancing the resources to vulnerable from china. that's going to be a challenge

populations, nursing homes, and for both joe biden and donald particular vulnerable trump once we're done with populations in our city to dealing with this immediate insure that we don't see a crisis. >> and it has a global impact. resurgence of the coronavirus. so yes, we think we have laid a a definite global impact about sort of who is the leading light strong foundation for testing, for phase one. and we're going to continue to of the world. that's for sure. expand testing going forward for the nation in the weeks and anyway, thank you panel. you guys were terrific under months ahead. these social distancing >> mr. vice president, it was circumstances. that's all i have for today. nice to see some normalcy thank you for watching these days. please be careful and stay safe yesterday at the graduation out there. we'll leave you this morning ceremony at the air force with pictures of buildings academy. i think a lot of people are hoping for more and more workers. normalcy when the time is right. we'll be back next week because if it's sunday, it's "meet the thank you for coming on and press." sharing the administration's perspective. when we come back, president because you can't get to the theater, we're bringing trump has left the reopening of states to governors. some of whom are being pressured by what appear to be coordinated anti-social distancing campaigns from the right. i'll talk to two of those governors from michigan and ohio next. and as we go to break, numbers from our poll on the impact of coronavirus and how it's having an impact on americans.

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we're continuing to negotiate with the democrats to get our great workers and small businesses all over the country welcome back. on both coasts and now in the taken care of. midwest, governors are forming regional coalitions to figure i think we are getting close to out how and when to begip the a deal as we kick off another week tricky task of slowly reopening in quarantine, the battle begin their states. at the same time, demonstrations anew as protesters in many have broken out across the states are demanding businesses country, particularly in the be allowed to re-open. midwest, by protesters demanding governors are pushing back as the death toll soars past 40,000 states loosen their coronavirus restrictions and allow people to in the u.s. then to sweden which get back to work soon. two governors who have seen approaches the coronavirus social distancing with a bit of protests in their states are a light touch allowing a slow with us. spread o democrat gretchen whitmer of michigan and republican mike dewine of ohio. welcome back to "meet the press." i want to start with something the vice president said and i want to confirm it with you all. he says every state has enough testing capacity and enough equipment to begin enough testing to get through phase one. governor dewine, is that true in

ohio? >> well, first of all, chuck, we had a great partnership with the president and vice president. three weekends ago, i called the president about a real problem we had about sterilizing masks, the n-95 masks. and that was an fda problem. and the president got that done. our big problem today, i could probably double, maybe even triple testing in ohio virtually overnight if the fda would prioritize companies that are putting a slightly different formula together for the extraction reagent kit. and if the fda would do that, we have a shortage worldwide shortage of some of the materials that go into this. so we really need help. anybody in the fda is watching, this would really take our capacity up, literally, chuck, overnight. that's what we need to get moving in ohio.

>> all right. there's the answer in ohio. you need more federal help. governor whitmer, do you have enough right now, testing both capacity and equipment, to have enough testing to do this phase one guideline? >> well, similar to ohio, i think part of the story in michigan is we have the capacity to double or triple the number of tests we're doing, but wi need some of these supplies. the reagents and the swabs are absolutely essential. you can't process all these tests if you can't take the sample and protect it and move forward through testing. so while our capabilities are there, these important supplies are not. and that's, i think, one of the points you were making in your interview, is that if the federal government would use the defense production act and say we're going to make every swab people need, and we're going to expedite creation of the reagents, we would be able to know how prevalent covid-19 is. it would take down the risk associated with taking actions to re-engage parts of our economy because we would have a lot more data about how

prevalent covid-19 still is in our states. >> all right. let's talk about the issue of reopening the economy. governor whitmer, i want to start you. you saw those protests. so let me ask this. you have any regrets on any of the restrictions that you have put into place? >> i don't. and here's why. you know, michigan right now has the third highest number of deaths from covid-19. and yet we're the tenth largest state. we are having a disproportionate problem in the state of michigan. so we could take the same kinds of actions other states have, but it doesn't rise to the challenge we're confronted. and that's why we have to take a more aggressive stand. it's working. we are seeing the curve start to flatten. but as people come in from across the state and gather and congregate without masks, without standing six feet apart, without those important protections, it means that they might have gone back to these parts of our state and perhaps

brought covid-19 along with them. our rural hospitals are not equipped to handle a big surge, and that's why this important step that we have taken are just critical to continuing to flatten that curve. >> governor whitmer, i want to stay with you here a minute on this issue. i'm just curious, what have you learned about people's patience, i guess, and your citizenry's patience? and are you contemplating figuring out how to balance that a little bit? how do you essentially open a steam valve a little bit so that you don't -- so that these protests don't become distractions to the greater good? >> absolutely. you know, every executive order i have taken weighs heavily on me. i know when we pulled kids out of school, that means they're not getting the education they need. some of them aren't going to get the meals they have come to rely on. i know when we shut down bars and make restaurants dine-out only, there are businesses that may never open again and a lot

of people are going to get laid out. these stay home orders weigh incredibly heavy because i know there's an economic cost, there's a mental health cost. people are struggling with this isolation we have on top of all the other stressors. but the fact of the matter is we have to be really smart about how we proceed. i'm glad to see that the white house recommended opening in phases or waves or whatever terminology you want to use. the fact of the matter is we can't just turn back to what life was like before covid-19. we have to be strategic. we have to be careful. we have to look at different sectors of our economy, how often do they public, how close do they work together, are they indoor or outdoor? do they are share tools and machinery? all of these are factors that have to go into a really thoughtful situation where we start to phase back in sectors of our economy. but we're doing this calculation every day. and looking to when we can do that safely because the worst thing would be a second wave. >> governor dewine, congress is, as a former member of congress,

certainly, you're not surprised congress is struggling here to do the second response financially. there's going to be some partisan back and forths. you may have personal views on this, but let me ask you this. congress' priorities on the small business fund, unemployment insurance, help to the states, help to the hospitals, what do you want to see congress -- should they prioritize one or the other, or should all three, states, hospitals, and the small business fund be prioritized simultaneously? >> all of these are really important. what we really need at our local government levelas well as at the state level is more flexibility. we're looking, as you can imagine, chuck, when we have a downturn in the economy, two things happen as far as the state is concerned or local government. your revenues go dramatically down and the costs go dramatically up. so just more flexibility so that we can fight this virus but at the same time be able to educate our children, be able to take

care of people who have mental health challenges. that's really what we need. so flexibility would be the one word that i would ask from congress. >> let me ask you this, governor dewine, you had some protests. we have seen that the president is egging on these protests. is this wise to politicize social distancing right now? >> you know, chuck, the only thing i have asked our protes r protesters to do is observe social distancing. we're all big believers in the first amendment. they were protesting against me yesterday, and that's just fine. they have every right to do that. we're going to do what we think is right, what i think is right, and that is try to open this economy, but do it very, very carefully so we don't get a lot of people killed, but we have to come back, and that's what we're aiming to do beginning on may 1st, and frankly, it's consistent. very, very consistent with the plan, the very thoughtful plan that the president has laid out. >> okay. governors whitmer, governors

dewine, michigan and ohio respectively, thank you very much for coming on and sharing your perspectives frame your states. good luck, stay healthy, stay safe out there to both of you. when we come back, is president trump hoping to get the credit for reopening the states while leaving the blame for anything that goes wrong to governors? panel is next. but first, we asked respondents to our poll for a word or phrase to describe what america is going through right now. here's the word cloud. at fisher investments, we do things differently and other money managers don't understand why. because our way works great for us! but not for your clients. that's why we're a fiduciary, obligated to put clients first. so, what do you provide? cookie cutter portfolios? nope. we tailor portfolios to our client's needs. but you do sell investments that earn you high commissions, right? we don't have those. so, what's in it for you? our fees are structured so we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different.

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welcome back. the panel is with us from their remote locations. nbc news white house correspondent peter alexander,

danielle pletka, and former homeland security secretary jeh johnson. welcome. i want to show the president's job approval rating trend in our new nbc/"wall street journal" poll. here it is from april of 2019. i want to show you thee numbers here. 46% approved. 51% disapproved. now think about what's happened, guys. we had an impeachment and a pandemic. so an impeachment and a pandemic has happened between april of '19 and april of 2020 and the president's job ratings are 46% approve, 51% disapprove. peter alexander, obviously, the durable nature of the president at times knows no bounds. a pandemic, an impeachment, nothing seems to break through there. that said, the president seems to be, and i'm curious, peter, he seems to have moved on to a new phase. he seems to believe he's got a big part of his job on the pandemic done. >> yeah, chuck, i think you're exactly right. in my conversations with white house officials and those close

to the president, they agree. they say in the eyes of the president, this is a transition to a new phase. what's particularly striking here is you sort of have this me president and what is best described as a we crisis. the president who as you said earlier in your conversation with the vice president, is trying to sort of claim credit for the guidelines being out. they say they beat the may 1st deadline, saying he's trying to move the economy on, get things back to normal life, is now casting the blame for perceived failures on testing and other issues if the economy isn't to come back quick enough, on the governors here. you just compare that, chuck, to what millions of americans watched last night with leaders and artists together in this concert that was watched around the globe. right? this was something that focused on the sort of sense of togetherness right now. acting selflessly, working together with other nations, including frankly the world health organization and the effort to stay inside. most presidents you would see really raise their numbers, they would rise dramatically in

moments of crisis like this. it hasn't been the case for this president. >> no, there's been a temptation to engage politically. but jeh johnson, as a former head of dhs, how would a national testing strategy work if you were told to put together a national strategy? >> two things. first, chuck, i do have to put my public safety hat back on here. the president, the vice president, the white house are so anxious to say the worst is over, we're on a downward trajectory, we're flattening the curve. without delivering the equally important accompanying message that governor cuomo and others have been so good at, which is we're still in the depths of this crisis and we still need to be vigilant and rigorous in our social distancing and the like in order to get to where we all want to be. now, that aside, the vice president in his interview with you said three times we have the testing in place right now to go to phase one of the white house

guidelines. but if you read the white house guidelines carefully, phase one is still social distancing, keep the vulnerable population at home, no common areas, bars closed, nonessential travel should be banned, so phase one looks a lot like mid, early march. it's relatively easy to say we have testing adequate for that right now. to go back to normalcy, we need way more than what we have right now, which is why there needs to be a national federal effort at getting what we need to do the testing. >> danielle pletka, wetient be surprised by the president's eagerness to open. i get that, and that is to be -- to be charitable, one way to look at what he's doing. but he also seems to be desperate to engage politically in this. in ways that feel like they're unhelpful to him long term. >> you know, we have all been having this conversation since

donald trump was elected. at the donald