On Friday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany held a formal press briefing for the first time in almost two months and, as expected, she didn’t disappoint by opening with a timeline on coronavirus vaccines the liberal media so desperately worked to undermine and ended by smacking down the hurt feelings of liberal reporters like CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after they weren’t called on.
Following her trademark closing statement (more on that shortly), McEnany closed her binder and thanked those called on for “very good and substantive questions,” but still irked by Thursday’s Coronavirus Task Force briefing, reporters began screeching (including Brian Karem blabbering about sedition).
When Collins complained about there not having been more Q&A, McEnany leaned back into the podium microphones to say, “I don’t call on activists.”
Collins replied: “I’m not an activist and you haven’t taken questions since October 1st and you just took about five.”
As for said closing statement, she delved into the fact that the left began working to delegitimize and keep President Trump from having the national unity and orderly transition that’s now being demanded for Joe Biden.
She began: “[I]t’s worth remembering, this president was never given an orderly transition of power. His presidency was never accepted. In fact, before the election — his election, we know Crossfire Hurricane was launched by Peter Strzok to pursue a baseless allegations [sic] about the President's ties with Russia.”
After citing the actions of Strzok and his colleagues (including the FISA warrant “to spy on the Trump campaign”), McEnany reminded liberal journalists and viewers writ large of the Democrats boycotting the inauguration, President Obama’s meeting about the Logan Act, and BuzzFeed’s release of the corrupt Steele dossier (click “expand”):
You had 70 lawmakers say we’re not coming to his inauguration, Democratic lawmakers. You had Elizabeth Warren saying we are going to obstruct the Trump transition by urging the Government Accountability Office to investigate the incoming Trump transition. In January of that year, you have President Obama having a “by-the-book” meeting where they talked about the Logan Act — using that act to go after Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.
Just before the inauguration, BuzzFeed promoting and publishing this bogus Steele dossier that has been widely developed and then for two years, you had the baseless Mueller investigation, which searched for collusion, found none, and exonerated President Trump while, in 2016, President Trump became the duly elected president, many sought to undermine him, discredit him, delegitimize him, and deny him his victory. There were no calls for unity. There were no calls for healing. So, while illegal vote is counted, let us not forget the inexcusable transition or lack thereof that President Trump had to endure in 2016 and for years into his presidency.
To be clear, McEnany’s opening statements shouldn’t be undersold either and Friday’s consisted of a thorough timeline in the federal government’s push to find coronavirus vaccine.
Since CNN and MSNBC chose not to air the briefing (and because of their incessant hatred for all things Trump administration), McEnany’s full statement can be found below (click “expand”):
The beginning of the end of this pandemic started with the leadership of President Trump. In recent days, Pfizer and Moderna reported the highly successful results of their vaccine development each achieving a COVID vaccine that is over 90 percent effective. We know Moderna is 94.5 percent effective, Pfizer 95 percent. That is extraordinary. In July, the Trump administration, as part of Operation Warp Speed agreed to provide Pfizer with $1.95 billion to manufacture and distribute their COVID vaccine, allowing this vaccine to be provided free for the American people. While Democrats were pursuing a highly divisive and entirely baseless impeachment endeavor as far back as January 13th, this President, the Trump administration, and the National Institute of Health was partnering with Moderna and working on this vaccine for the American people.
But that's not all. This administration has remained engaged on the development and distribution of a safe and effective vaccine throughout the year. It began in January and continued thereafter. On May 15th, Operation Warp Speed was launched. On September 16th, we released two documents outlining a strategy to deliver a safe and effective vaccine. These documents were the strategic distrib — strategic distribution overview and the interim playbook for state, tribal, territorial, and local health programs and partners. On September 23rd, we provided $200 million to jurisdictions to support plans for eventual distribution. On October 14th, we provided $31 million to Cytvia for vaccine-related consumable products. On October 16th, we made agreements with CVS and Walgreens to administer vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities. On October 21st, under the PREP Act, we issued guidance authorizing qualified pharmacy technicians to administer the vaccine. On October 30th, we announced that McKesson Corporation will produce, store, and distribute vaccine ancillary supply kits on behalf of the Strategic National Stockpile to help health care workers who will administer the vaccine and on November 12th, we announced a partnership with large chain pharmacies and independent regional ones to deliver safe and effective vaccines. The unprecedented response to this pandemic has already saved many American lives. And, as you can see, this timeline was ongoing. This was a long process and one that we are very proud of. Now, with multiple safe and effective vaccines just around the corner, we urge all Americans to wash their hands, socially distance, wear a mask when you cannot do so.
And in one notable back-and-forth, CBS’s Weijia Jiang surmised the American people died in masse because “the administration fail[ed] to communicate how serious this threat was to the American people.”
McEnany pointed out how one model showed “two million people that would lose their lives” and that the death rates for “have come down for every age group” thanks to having more information about the virus compared to the spring (when so little was known.)
Jiang tried again to trap her, demanding to know why Vice President Mike Pence could express support for federalism while McEnany decried the return of some of the harder COVID crackdowns as “Orwellian.”
The White House Press Secretary replied with the obviously, which was that “two things can happen at once and it’s this: taking COVID seriously, engaging in aggressive mitigation but also recognizing that the American people have certain freedoms and it is by definition Orwellian for a state like Oregon to say if you have more than six people in your family congregate in your home, we can jail you for 30 days.”
“That's not the American way. The American people know the CDC recommendations, know the guidelines. We’ve been talking about this for ten months, but the American people still have certain freedoms, still have autonomy, and still can make important, self-responsibility decisions themselves,” she added.
Since this was a White House briefing, there weren’t any ad breaks. But to learn more about the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back campaign, go here.
To see the relevant transcript from November 20's briefing, click "expand."
White House Press Briefing
November 20, 2020
12:10 p.m. EasternKAYLEIGH MCENANY: The beginning of the end of this pandemic started with the leadership of President Trump. In recent days, Pfizer and Moderna reported the highly successful results of their vaccine development each achieving a COVID vaccine that is over 90 percent effective. We know Moderna is 94.5 percent effective, Pfizer 95 percent. That is extraordinary. In July, the Trump administration, as part of Operation Warp Speed agreed to provide Pfizer with $1.95 billion to manufacture and distribute their COVID vaccine, allowing this vaccine to be provided free for the American people. While Democrats were pursuing a highly divisive and entirely baseless impeachment endeavor as far back as January 13th, this President, the Trump administration, and the National Institute of Health was partnering with Moderna and working on this vaccine for the American people. But that's not all. This administration has remained engaged on the development and distribution of a safe and effective vaccine throughout the year. It began in January and continued thereafter. On May 15th, Operation Warp Speed was launched. On September 16th, we released two documents outlining a strategy to deliver a safe and effective vaccine. These documents were the strategic distrib — strategic distribution overview and the interim playbook for state, tribal, territorial, and local health programs and partners. On September 23rd, we provided $200 million to jurisdictions to support plans for eventual distribution. On October 14th, we provided $31 million to Cytvia for vaccine-related consumable products. On October 16th, we made agreements with CVS and Walgreens to administer vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities. On October 21st, under the PREP Act, we issued guidance authorizing qualified pharmacy technicians to administer the vaccine. On October 30th, we announced that McKesson Corporation will produce, store, and distribute vaccine ancillary supply kits on behalf of the Strategic National Stockpile to help health care workers who will administer the vaccine and on November 12th, we announced a partnership with large chain pharmacies and independent regional ones to deliver safe and effective vaccines. The unprecedented response to this pandemic has already saved many American lives. And, as you can see, this timeline was ongoing. This was a long process and one that we are very proud of. Now, with multiple safe and effective vaccines just around the corner, we urge all Americans to wash their hands, socially distance, wear a mask when you cannot do so.
(....)
12:19 p.m. Eastern
WEIJIA JIANG: Yesterday, a lot of what we heard from the doctors they've been saying since the end of March and the projections was that 100,000 Americans would die. Now, as you know, we’ve surpassed that by two and a half times. Did the administration fail to communicate how serious this threat was to the American people? Or how else do you explain what went wrong?
MCENANY: Look, I would say the initial projection that our doctors gave us was two million people that would lose their lives, and it's a tragedy any time one life is lost but we are far below the two million that this could've been. We took very aggressive measures at the beginning of this, with the China travel ban, creating the greatest testing the system and the entire world, therapeutics — the fact that we have six working therapeutics right now, the fact that we continue to identify more and more, the fact that — I believe we have a chart on this, a fatality chart, it’s deaths by 100 for age and month and as you can see, deaths have come down for every age group and for those over 70, that line — that red line is a testament to what this president has done. Therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies — that is a recent one — that reduces hospitalization and high risk seniors with mild to moderate COVID by 70 percent. That’s American ingenuity rising to the occasion and President Trump oversaw all of this, but of course, we are seeing cases rise and it’s very important: wash your hands, socially distance. We’re taking this seriously.
JIANG: And do you think the mixed messaging contributed to that? Because yesterday, Vice President Pence wanted to make clear that they supported state and local decision-making. Just two days ago, you called some of those state guidelines Orwellian. So, how do you expect people to know what to do with all of this mixed messaging?
MCENANY: Well, two things can happen at once and it’s this: taking COVID seriously, engaging in aggressive mitigation but also recognizing that the American people have certain freedoms and it is by definition Orwellian for a state like Oregon to say if you have more than six people in your family congregate in your home, we can jail you for 30 days. That's not the American way. The American people know the CDC recommendations, know the guidelines. We’ve been talking about this for ten months, but the American people still have certain freedoms, still have autonomy, and still can make important, self-responsibility decisions themselves.
(....)
12:24 p.m. Eastern
MCENANY: Also, something I would note is just as we talk about transfer of power in the election and its worth remembering, this president was never given an orderly transition of power. His presidency was never accepted. [BRIAN KAREM YELLING] In fact, before the election — his election, we know Crossfire Hurricane was launched by Peter Strzok to pursue a baseless allegations [sic] about the President's ties with Russia, that’s before he was President trying to subvert the will of the American people. We know in August, Peter Strzok wrote a text message about an insurance policy against the Trump presidency, once again trying to silence the voice of the American people in 2016. We know in October that there was a FISA warrant — a FISA warrant taken out to spy on the Trump campaign. Then the American people spoke and they spoke commandingly in electing President Trump despite all of the odds and what happened after he was elected? You had 70 lawmakers say we’re not coming to his inauguration, Democratic lawmakers. You had Elizabeth Warren saying we are going to obstruct the Trump transition by urging the Government Accountability Office to investigate the incoming Trump transition. In January of that year, you have President Obama having a “by-the-book” meeting where they talked about the Logan Act — using that act to go after Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. Just before the inauguration, BuzzFeed promoting and publishing this bogus Steele dossier that has been widely developed and then for two years, you had the baseless Mueller investigation, which searched for collusion, found none, and exonerated President Trump while, in 2016, President Trump became the duly elected president, many sought to undermine him, discredit him, delegitimize him, and deny him his victory. There were no calls for unity. There were no calls for healing. So while illegal vote is counted, let us not forget the unexcusable transition or lack thereof that President Trump had to endure in 2016 and for years into his presidency. Thank you, everyone for the very good and substantive questions today.
[REPORTERS YELLING]
[KAREM YELLING ABOUT SEDITION]
KAITLAN COLLINS: You haven’t taken questions —
MCENANY: I don’t call on activists.
COLLINS: — I’m not an activist and you haven’t taken questions since October 1st and you just took about five.
