CNN host Brianna Keilar’s interview with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro got heated on Thursday when she attempted to prod him to explain how the Trump administration was addressing the hospital ventilator shortages as the COVID-19 outbreak escalates.
“You’re wasting everyone’s time with this,” Keilar said when Navarro tried to invoke President Donald Trump’s talking point of blaming the Obama administration for Trump’s own blundering response to the coronavirus.
“It’s 2020. The President was elected in 2016,” the CNN host continued. “Can you get to a million ventilators?”
Navarro downplayed the number of ventilators needed and accused Keilar of “frightening America with that kind of stuff.”
“Peter, if you think that speaking in facts and truth is frightening to people, you have a problem,” she replied, pointing to the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s estimate that medical professionals will require approximately 960,000 ventilators to treat coronavirus patients under critical condition.
“Why do you keep shouting in my ear? I don’t understand,” Navarro complained.
“Well, because you’re not answering my question,” Keilar shot back.
The White House official then pontificated about how the nation needs to “band together and work with this in a unified way” while claiming that CNN was sensationalizing the coronavirus to “stir people up.”
By that point, the CNN anchor had run out of patience: “Peter, that is just a waste of time to say that.”
“We’re out of time and that’s just ridiculous,” she said over Navarro’s protests before ending the interview.
Watch the exchanges below:
WH trade adviser Peter Navarro during a contentious interview with CNN host Brianna Keilar: “Why do you keep shouting in my ear?” pic.twitter.com/LPkYATminU
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) March 26, 2020
CNN host Brianna Keilar says Peter Navarro’s comments about sensationalizing COVID-19 are a “waste of time.” pic.twitter.com/vM5NUWXfOT
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) March 26, 2020
