STUART:
WANT TO GET BACK TO ALL THOSE ST
THAT HIT NEW HIGHS YESTERDAY,
PLENTY OF THEM, MORE THAN 70 IN
THE S&P 500.
NOW, NOT ALL OF THEM WERE BIG
TECH NAMES.
NOT ALL OF THEM.
THERE WERE SOME UTILITIES, THERE
WERE SOME CONSUMER GOODS
COMPANIES AND, YES, THERE WERE
MANUFACTURERS.
ON THAT NOTE, HERE IS PETER
NAVARRO.
PETER’S WITH US THIS MORNING.
PETER, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> BEEN TOO LONG, MY FRIEND.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
STUART: I’M READING A HEADLINE
FROM THE LEFTIST ECONOMIC POLICY
INSTITUTE.
TRUMP HAS NOT BROUGHT
MANUFACTURING JOBS BACK.
YOU WANT TO ANSWER THAT?
>> SURE.
WE WERE ABLE TO GO UP OVER
500,000 MANUFACTURING JOBS WHEN
IN THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION,
JOE BIDEN AND BARACK OBAMA LOST
200,000.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
REALLY HEARTENED ME LAST WEEK
WAS THE ISM MANUFACTURING INDEX
REALLY POPPED UP AGAIN.
IT’S, I THINK IT’S AROUND 56 NOW
WHICH IS A VERY ROBUST NUMBER,
STUART.
AND I THINK THAT WE ARE
CONTINUING TO WORK HARD TO MAKE
SURE THAT THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO
WORK WITH THEIR HANDS HAVE GOOD
JOBS AT OOH GOOD WAGES. -- AT
GOOD WAGINGS.
THAT’S A PRIMARY FOCUS OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND MINE.
STUART: NOW, SOMETIMES IT SEEMS
TO ME THAT CHINA IS ACTUALLY
DOING BETTER THAN US I EMERGING
FROM THE VIRUS.
WHAT’S YOUR COMMENT ON THAT?
>> WE ARE FOCUSED ON DEFEATING
THE CHINA VIRUS.
THEY ARE DOING WHAT THEY’RE
DOING.
WE WE LIKE OUR ECONOMY BETTER
THAN THEIRS.
THEY HAVE, OBVIOUSLY, A
MERCANTILIST, PROTECTIONIST
ECONOMY.
OURS IS A FREE MARKET, FREE
TRADING ECONOMY.
BUT WHAT WE’RE FOCUSED ON RIGHT
NOW, STUART, IS GETTING FOLKS
BACK TO WORK.
I THINK SOME OF THE UNTOLD
STORIES IN THIS PANDEMIC IS HOW
WE’RE ACTUALLY CREATING JOBS AND
AT THE SAME TIME DEFEATING THE
VIRUS.
IF YOU LOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, AT THE
STATE OF MAINE.
YOU HAVE IN GILFORD, MAINE, A
REALLY BIG RAMP UP OF THE
PURITAN COMPANY TO MAKE A SWABS
AND SCARBOROUGH, MAINE, ONE OF
MY COMPANIES, ABBOTT LABS,
THEY’RE TIP OF THE SPEAR FOR OUR
VIRUS TESTING.
IT WAS GREAT NEWS LAST WEEK WHEN
ABBOTT WAS ABLE TO ANNOUNCE THE
POINT OF COWER TEST, OVER 100
MILLION POINT OF CARE TESTS
WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET
INTO HOMES.
SO YOU SEE THAT AND YOU SEE IN
RHODE ISLAND, IN ARIZONA THE N95
MASK PRODUCTION.
SO WHAT PRESIDENT DONALD J.
TRUMP LOVES TO DO BESIDES DO THE
MACK -- MACRO STIMULUS IS REALLY
GO AFTER THE GRASSROOTS AT THE
MICRO E LEVEL AND CREATE JOBS
WHETHER IT’S SHIPYARDS IN
WISCONSIN OR PHILADELPHIA OR THE
PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA.
STUART: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
CDC TELLING STATES, HEY, GET
READY FOR VACCINE CONTRIBUTION
ON A MASS -- DISTRIBUTION ON A
MASS SCALE NOVEMBER 1ST, COUPLE
OF DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION?
IS THAT KIND OF A NOVEMBER
SURPRISE?
IT’S A VERY AGGRESSIVE
TIMETABLE.
>> SO MY ROLE IS THE DEFENSE
PRODUCTION ACT POLICY
COORDINATOR, IT’S PRETTY SIMPLE
RELATED TO THE VACCINES.
MY ROLE IS TO HELP MAKE SURE WE
HAVE THE DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR
MASS DISTRIBUTION OF THE
VACCINES WHENS IT IS READY.
SO I’M FOCUSED ON THINGS LIKE
VIALS WHAT THANS LIKE CORNING
ARE MAKING OR INJECTOR SYSTEMS
THAT ACTUALLY DELIVER THE VIRUS.
THAT’S ALL I KNOW, AND THE ONE
THING I KNOW ABOUT THIS
PRESIDENT IS USING THE DEFENSE
PRODUCTION ACT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO ENGINEER THE FASTEST
INDUSTRIAL MOBILIZATION, THE
BIGGEST ONE SINCE WORLD WAR II.
AND THIS VACCINE DEVELOPMENT, IF
WE’RE ABLE TO GET TO THE FINISH
LINE WITH IT BY THE END OF THE
YEAR, IT’LL BE DONE IN THE THIRD
OF A USUAL TIME.
AND THE WAY WE’RE DOING THAT IS
NOT CUTTING CORNERS, IT’S SIMPLY
DOING THIS IN A WAY WHERE WE’RE
GOING THROUGH THE TRIALS BUT
ALSO PREPARING THE MASS DELIVERY
OF THE VACCINES WHICH WOULD BE
VERY GOOD NEWS FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, STUART.
STUART: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT PANEL THAT’S
INVESTIGATING YOUR CANCELLATION
OF A VENTILATOR CONTRACT WITH
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
CAN YOU GIVE ME AN UPDATE ON THE
STATUS OF THAT INVESTIGATION?
>> NO, I CAN’T.
I REALLY HAVE NO COMMENT ON IT.
IT’S AN INVESTIGATION.
THE ONLY THING I CAN TELL YOU IS
THAT THAT CONTRACT WAS
NEGOTIATED BY HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, AND THEY BEGAN
INVESTIGATING BEFORE ANYTHING
THAT HAPPENED AT THE HOUSE.
STUART: ARE YOU THE TOUGH GUY IN
THE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT?
[LAUGHTER]
THE ECONOMICS SECTION OF THE
WHITE HOUSE?
[INAUDIBLE CONVERSATIONS]
>> I’M A PUSSYCAT, STUART.
HERE’S THE THING, I THINK OF
MYSELF AS A SOLDIER FOR THE
GREATEST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY,
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.
AND PARTICULARLY IN THIS
PANDEMIC, MY JOB IS TO DO TWO
THINGS; TO HELP THIS PRESIDENT
SAVE LIVES AND HELP THIS
PRESIDENT KEEP AND CREATE JOBS.
SO THAT’S WHAT I FOCUS ON.
AND EVERY DAY IN MY OFFICE WE’RE
DOING, YOU KNOW, 30 DIFFERENT
THINGS FOCUSED ON THAT MISSION.
AND RIGHT NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THE
STRATEGIC NATIONAL STOCKPILE, WE
CALL IT 2.0, WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO
NOT ONLY MAKE IT BIGGER AND FILL
IT, BUT ALSO MAKE IT SMARTER.
SO AS WE FIGHT THIS VIRUS THAT’S
ALL I’M FOCUSED ON.
YOU KNOW I’M A NICE GUY, STUART,
JUST LIKE YOU.
STUART: YOU’RE A TOUGH GUY.
WE’RE GOING TO LEAVE IT AT THAT,
NAVARRO, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY.
