-Since our last "A Closer Look"
four days ago, the president's
head of fund raising, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who's also
Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend, was accused of showing [bleep]
pics from romantic partners and fans to an assistant
at Fox News, and then the First Lady
was caught on tape delivering a profanity-laced
tirade about migrant children and basically saying
[bleep] Christmas, and none of it mattered. We couldn't even have one day
enjoying those stories because immediately after that,
the president, a.k.a., the Grinch
who stole [bleep] Christmas, and a bunch of high-ranking
Republican officials tested positive for coronavirus, effectively hobbling
the US government, putting untold numbers
of people at risk. And then on Sunday,
after several days of brazen lying about the
situation from the White House, the president took a joyride
in his motorcade while he was still infectious, infuriating medical experts
and Secret Service agents. But, hey, at least
it's November, right? Oh. It's October.
October what? 5th?! You mean, like,
the fifth week of October? Five days?! Oh, boy. I better drink this Red Bull
to stay awake. I'm just kidding. I can't sleep. It's time for "A Closer Look." ♪♪ We are seven months into
a pandemic that has killed 210,000 Americans and infected
more than 7 million. On Friday we recorded
over 50,000 new cases, the most since mid-August, while only three states
saw declines, and there were 30,000 Americans
hospitalized with COVID-19. Among them, the president
of the United States. But don't worry,
the president reassured us all in a message from
his hospital suite that this has been a very
educational experience for him. -We have enthusiasm like
probably nobody's ever had. Our people that love the job
we're doing, we have more enthusiasm
than maybe anybody. So, it's been
a very interesting journey. I learned lot about COVID. I learned it
by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn't the
"Let's read the book" school. And I get it.
And I understand it. -First of all,
"Let's read the book" school is just school. That's what school is. It's like calling it a
"Let's eat the food" restaurant or "Let's do the exercise" gym. Second, now you've learned
a lot about COVID? Maybe you could have
looked into it a little bit before you and 7 million
other Americans got it. You can learn to cross
the street safely without getting hit
by a bus first. He's like dud in a full body
cast saying, "Great news. I learned a lot
about 'Don't walk' signs." This is a deadly disease,
and you sound like a retiree posting Facebook photos from
your trip to the Caribbean. [ As Trump ] It's been
an interesting journey. We tried mahi-mahi and learned
how to dance the merengue. [ Normal voice ] If only
there was a way to learn about this deadly and highly
infectious disease without getting it. [ As Trump ] Fauci,
why didn't you tell me this thing was so bad? Oh, you shouldn't touch
your face, Fauci. I learned that the only way
you can, by catching COVID. I'm basically a doctor now.
We're colleagues, Fauci. You're my best friend. [ Normal voice ]
Also, what do you mean this is the real school? You sound like a divorced dad taking his 12-year-old
to the OTB. [ Inhales sharply ]
[ Gruff voice ] All right. This isn't "Let's read the book"
school. This is where you learn
about real life. Now, when you go in,
remember, bet it all on three legs. What's that? No, no, no,
Daddy can't come in. Yeah, yeah, it does have
to do with a picture of my driver's license
on the back wall. Eh, it's hard to explain. You know that kite you fly
in the backyard? Well, Daddy did that
with some checks. [ Normal voice ]
And then shortly after that, Trump staged a shockingly
reckless photo op when he left the hospital
still infectious with a deadly virus and made
his security detail drive him past a throng
of supporters in his motorcade. Nothing projects strength
like waving from the back seat of an SUV like a kid
headed for soccer practice. Smart move keeping your
juice box between your knees. So when you said you learned
about COVID, did you mean you learned
how to spread it? Surprised he didn't jump out
of the SUV and crowd surf. Seriously, you're in an enclosed
space with other people. What's next, are you going
to cough on the Girl Scouts who sold the most cookies
in a Walter Reed elevator? This image captures all
the heedless negligence and disregard for human life
that has characterized the Trump administration and its
response to the pandemic. He exposed Secret Service
agents, among others, to a deadly virus
just for a quick ego boost. Doctors
and Secret Service agents were aghast at the spectacle. So what prompted
this reckless jaunt that put people in harm's way? According to
"The Washington Post," Trump told advisers on Sunday
he was getting bored being in the hospital
and was tiring of watching coverage
of his hospitalization. Oh, you were bored?
Well, that must be nice. Meanwhile, the rest of us
stop, drop and roll every time a CNN alert
pops up on our phones. Bored? You hospital suite
is basically a luxury apartment. I hate to point this out,
but that room and your top of the line
medical care probably cost more than the $750
you paid in taxes. You know what $750 normally
gets you in a hospital? Three Tylenol --
three regular-strength Tylenol. So not only are we paying for your top-of-the-line
medical care, but you're also missing work. I mean, did you even sign
that blank piece of paper like we asked you? Oh, you did. Okay. That's my bad. That's my bad. Thank you.
We needed that right away. I mean, these people don't
even know how to fake work. We should put out a photo
showing he's hard at work. Good idea. What would that be? [ Groans ] I don't know. This is crazy, but maybe signing
a blank piece of paper? Does a president do that? President, he looks like
he should have a booth at Comic-Con. By the way, while all this
is happening, there's still a presidential
election less than a month away. In fact, I can't believe
this is the case, but as we speak,
the president the entirety of the institutional
Republican Party, and its vast legal apparatus
are desperately trying to disrupt and undermine
an election that's happening in less than 30 days,
and it's like the, what, eighth biggest story in the news
right now? A prehistoric sea monster could awaken from
a thousand-year slumber and rampage through Manhattan. It would be relegated to page 12
of the real-estate section. Absolutely insane, shocking, eye-popping quotes show up
in the news all the time now. And we just flip past them
like we're browsing through paint swatches at Home Depot. For example, the A.P. reported
that Trump and the GOP are attacking voting rules
across the country. And buried in that story was
this quote from a GOP lawyer who led George Bush's legal team
in the 2000 Florida recount. "It's clearly based
on an overall strategy to disrupt the election
as much as possible." "You're really seeing
a broad-based, generalized strategy
to suppress the vote by the Republican Party." Okay. Well, that sucks. Too bad, I guess. It'd be great to spend
some more time on that. But CNN just reported
that our infectious president is at the US Mint
licking the nickels. [ As Trump ] I want them to
have that nice corona sheen. [ Normal voice ] But there's
a common thread here between Trump's denial of
reality when it comes to COVID and his denial of reality
when it comes to voting. The GOP's attempt to disrupt the
election is based on the lie that mail voting leads to fraud. At last week's
presidential debate, Trump said ballots were being
dumped in creeks and rivers despite the fact that obviously
no such thing has happened. And on Thursday,
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who today
also tested positive, held a maskless indoor
press briefing where she tried to defend the
comment about rivers in a clip that sadly was overshadowed
by the rest of the news because it's one of my favorite
exchanges from the Trump era. -The local authorities. It was a ditch in Wisconsin
that they were found in. I can get the article
to your inbox if you like. And you're missing the forest
for the trees here. The point is -- -There used to be curiosity. In fact,
"The Washington Post"... Said mail-in voting is not ready to scale up in the middle
of the pandemic. Now there's no journalistic
curiosity when we're finding -- 100,000 ballots were sent out
in Brooklyn. They were inaccurate ballots,
and then 100,000 more -- Shameful filibustering and lack
of journalistic curiosity. Yes? Yes? -Incredible. The president
and his aides are so deranged that for reporters to just
inquire about basic facts sounds like an argument between Lewis and Clark
if they were lost. "Where's the river, Lewis?"
"I'm looking." "Is there a river or not?"
"Clark, it's very hard to do this with you
badgering me. Oh! There it is. No. No. Ohh. That's a ditch." "Lewis!" Which brings us...
That's how they talked. ...brings us to the common
throughline from the mail ballot story
to the White House COVID cluster which now includes several cases
that can apparently be traced back to
the Rose Garden ceremony announcing the nomination
of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court,
an event in which attendees are seen hugging and talking
in close proximity and at which there were even
indoor events without masks
or social distancing. If there was an epidemic
of bear attacks, these people would be running
around in the woods wearing scarves
made of sausage links. The reason they were rushing
to have this super spreader gala in the first place
was so they could get their conservative
super majority on the court in time for the election Trump
is trying to undermine, and for a Supreme Court case
in November in which Trump is trying
to destroy Obamacare and rip healthcare away
from millions amid a pandemic including those with
pre-existing conditions, among them the 7 million
Americans who have now been infected
with COVID, and in doing so, they ended up
getting sick themselves. If this were one of Aesop's
fables, even Aesop would be like, "Do I really need
to spell it out to you guys?" They're all so brazen,
and their lack of empathy -- again, I can't believe
I have to explain this -- but it's not just about you. Even if you don't care about
your own health, you can get other people sick. For example,
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson took a COVID test on Friday. And then while he was waiting
for his results, went to a political event
anyway. -Senator Ron Johnson
also announcing he has tested positive
for coronavirus. He says he learned he was
positive after attending a fundraiser last night. Senator Ron Johnson says he took
a COVID test Friday in Oshkosh as he was headed
to an Ozaukee County event. The senator says he was socially
distant at the fundraiser and had a mask on
except when he was speaking. -What do you mean you had a mask
on except when speaking? You were addressing a crowd
indoors. That's like only taking
the safety off the gun when it's your turn
on the trampoline. You should have been
self-isolating, but instead, you were at an Oktoberfest
dinner? You're the "wurst"! [worst]
Danke. Danke schoen. Shoemaker, I give that joke
a "Nein!" [nine] out of ten. [ Laughter ] The attempt to undermine
the election, the Rose Garden
super spreader gala, the constant lying about
everything, in a way, it's all one story. That's maybe the most
bewilderling -- bewildering fact of life in the Trump era. Every day there's a shocking
new thing you could never have imagined in your wildest dreams.
And yet, at the same time, every Trump story is basically
the same Trump story. We can't believe a word
the president or his aides say. We have no idea what to believe. It's the Sharpie map
over and over again. If Trump was your local
meteorologist, you'd have to leave the house
every day with shorts, a rain coat, tank top,
a sweater, snow boots, sunglasses, and an umbrella, assuming, that is,
you know how it use it. They're inveterate liars.
They can't help themselves. They're also really bad at it. Seriously,
what's more troubling, that they lie all the time
or that they lie all the time and have shown no improvement
in lying? It's like sending your kid
to math camp for a week. When they come back, they
tell you it was the toughest nine days of their life. Think of all the people put in danger
by this reckless behavior. Trump's getting the best medical
care anywhere in the world, as are the Republican senators
and officials who presumably have excellent
health insurance. But what about the powerless
people whose names you will never hear who might
have also been exposed? Just like Ron Johnson, Trump also continued traveling
after the White House knew that Hope Hicks had tested
positive on Thursday and that Trump had potentially
been exposed. In fact, we now know
from "The Wall Street Journal" that Trump had already gotten
his positive test result back when he called into
Sean Hannity's show on Thursday and said this.
-So, she did test positive. I just heard about this.
And I just went out with a test. 'Cause we spend a lot of time,
and the first lady just went out with a test also. So whether we quarantine
or whether we have it, I don't know. So I just went for a test, and we'll see what happens.
I mean, who knows? -You knew. He's such a bad liar. He's like a burned-out teen
who gets caught with weed. "Donald, is this pot
in your bag?" [ As Trump ]
Who knows? Smoke it? Should we smoke it?
See what happens? Also, poor Hannity.
He thinks he's your best bud. And you won't even
confide in him? He's going to be devastated
when he finds out you lied. Don't be surprised if he shows
up outside your hospital room "Say Anything" style. In fact,
"The Wall Street Journal" reports that there was a culture
of secrecy and an attempt to cover up any positive
test results in the White House rather than inform the public
as virus spread among the people closest to him. Mr. Trump asked one adviser
not to disclose results of their own positive test. "Don't tell anyone,"
Mr. Trump said. My God, man, haven't you
ever seen a zombie movie? That never works. You try
to cover up a zombie bite, and then the next thing you
know, your eyes are bloodshot, color's gone from your face
and you're yelling about Joe Biden taking Adderall
on "Fox & Friends." "Rudy, when did you get bit?" [ As Giuliani ] 1985.
I got bit by a rat, a bat, a zombie, and a potato.
New York was different then. [ Normal voice ]
And then this afternoon, Trump announced that
he'd be leaving the hospital and then used it once again
as occasion to downplay the severity of the virus.
-The president says that he is going to be leaving
the hospital. This is what he just tweeted, "I will be leaving the great
Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 p.m. Feeling really good," he said.
"Don't be afraid of COVID. Don't let it dominate
your life. We have developed
under the Trump administration some really great drugs
and knowledge. I feel better than I did
20 years ago." -Remember, he might get better
from COVID, but he will never get better
as a person. I mean, of course you can say
don't be afraid of COVID. You have the best taxpayer-funded medical care
in the world. It's easy to say
"Don't be afraid to jump out of this plane"
when you're the only one with a parachute. For seven months,
the president denied reality and said the virus
would magically disappear. The cases would go down to zero,
that we were turning a corner. And then he was hospitalized
with the disease himself after having potentially exposed
lots of other people, all so he and his allies
could rush to get a conservative supermajority
on the Supreme Court to help them steal the election
and destroy Obamacare. Trump has been uncomfortably
ensconced at one of the best medical
facilities in the world while he and his allies try to rip healthcare away
from millions. After months of denying reality, forcing workers back
to unsafe jobs, and pushing teachers
and students back to... -"Let's read the book" school.
-This has been "A Closer Look." ♪♪ God's Love We Deliver
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