White House trade advisor Peter Navarro and CNN host Brianna Keilar got into a heated argument about personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic Thursday.
Navarro was brought onto “CNN Newsroom” to speak about the supply chain and the issue of American hospitals not having enough ventilators to treat those with the coronavirus. The discussion quickly became heated after Keilar accused the Trump administration of being “clearly ill prepared” for the pandemic.
The long segment saw both Navarro and Keilar talking over each other numerous times. Keilar asked if the administration will be able to meet the demand of one million ventilators that experts have suggested may be needed.
“Peter, why are you wasting your time on this and not solving the problem that you have? Peter, why are you even talking about this?” Keilar interrupted as Navarro tried to give the history of what was inherited from former President Barack Obama’s administration.
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Navarro then said that Keilar had claimed the administration was “ill-prepared” for the pandemic. Keilar first denied she said this, and then said said that it’s “a fact.” Keilar continued to interrupt Navarro as he urged her to just “have a conversation.”
“You keep interrupting me. Let’s just have a conversation here … You keep talking in my ear and you won’t let me talk. May I speak, please?” Navarro said. Keilar said he could speak if he answered whether the administration could get to one million ventilators. (RELATED: Trump Says He Is A ‘Wartime President’)
“That wasn’t the question. You started by saying that this administration was ill-prepared,” Navarro said.
Navarro continued to defend the administration and said that they are doing the best they can. He re-iterated that the administration inherited systems that were “woefully inadequate” for this virus.
“Peter, I’m just going to tell you, you’re wasting everyone’s time with this. It’s 2020, the president was elected in 2016. Can you get to a million ventilators?” Keilar said.
Navarro pushed back, saying that the number Keilar cited was inaccurate and that America didn’t need that many ventilators. Keilar then began to interrupt Navarro again and the argument re-started.
“If I may, when you lead with, ‘your administration was woefully unprepared,’ do not expect me to accept that as fact.” Navarro said as Keilar said it was. “It’s not a fact! It’s not a fact, okay? But you should at least let me respond to it.”
“I’ll come on CNN anytime. All I ask is civil dialogue where I have the time to speak, and that we deal with the facts,” Navarro continued.
Keilar ended the segment by shutting Navarro down after Navarro pointed out that the country is doing its best and that America “got dealt a bad hand by China.”
“Peter, that is just a waste of time to say that. I’m gonna leave it there … No, Peter Navarro, we’re out of time and that is just ridiculous,” Keilar said.