Today on “MTP Daily,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy joined anchor Chuck Todd to discuss ongoing coronavirus response in the state saying “we’re still not out of the woods.”

When asked about the president’s threat to pull funding from New York City ultimately impacting northern New Jersey: “Listen, I have two thoughts on that — on that step that they took. Number one, the last thing, in my judgment, when you’re dealing with a pandemic, an all-time economic crisis, and, at long last, a reckoning with the stain of racism and social justice, the last thing we need is leadership at the highest levels of our country to be dividing us.  This is a time we have to find the right rhetoric and the right actions that bring us together.”

He continued: “And that’s not excusing. If there are criminal elements that are taking advantage of this period in our nation’s history, they need to be found and prosecuted and dealt with. There’s no question about that. But painting this with a broad brush, at a time when we need to come together, in New Jersey, we’ve had hundreds of protests, very few challenges, knock on wood, of violence. I, myself, have participated in protests, both with overwhelmingly communities of color and overwhelmingly white communities. America is overwhelmingly crying out for help with the pandemic, help with unemployment and the economic crisis, and a reckoning with the stain of racism. We need leadership that brings us together and does not try to separate us right now.”

The interview aired on MSNBC’s MTP Daily today. 

https://on.msnbc.com/2EU7ovm

TRANSCRIPT: 

CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST:  I’m joined now by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

Governor Murphy, first, I want to start with this order from the CDC on the virus to — that states need to have wide distribution centers ready on November 1.

Tell me how you took that order. And how easy or hard will it be to be ready on November 1, if somehow there was something distributed?

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ):  Chuck, good to be with you.

Listen. I hope it’s right, but we’re going to prepare for what we have been led to believe, at least, in speaking with the experts, including the folks who are developing these vaccines, that we will be prepared for a longer time frame. I hope it is shorter, please God.

As Kelly indicated, it’s possible that they could have targeted supplies for the front-line health care workers, vulnerable communities. Those are the folks who deserve to get it first, ahead of the general population.

But, based on our conversations, our sense of the time frame was more consistent with end of the year or into first or second quarter.

TODD:  Right.

MURPHY:  And again, if it can be done safely, it’s scaled, it’s equitably distributed — and equity here is going to be an important piece of this — obviously, if it meets all those tests, it’s a welcome development.

But let’s see how it actually plays out.

TODD:  I’m just curious, finding — finding large-scale distribution centers in New Jersey, will that disrupt your plans for mail-in voting and being able to handle the incoming on that as well?

MURPHY:  No, Chuck, it should not, and it won’t.

TODD:  OK.

MURPHY:  We feel very comfortable with the mailing — the vote-by-mail model, the hybrid model that we’re going to pursue.

We tried it in our primary, with success. We have tightened it even further for the general election, so you get the option to either put your ballot in the mailbox, or to drop it in a secure location, or to hand it to a poll worker on Election Day.

Or, if you don’t like any of that, you can show up and vote on a paper ballot. I don’t see anything that disturbs that. Obviously, we’re pushing the U.S. Postal Service to make sure that they’re going to be as big and strong as they need to be.

But I don’t see that crossing wires with any development on either therapeutics or vaccines.

TODD:  OK.

When New York City gets a cold, when something happens in New York City, it doesn’t help Northern New Jersey. So, the president’s threat to pull funding from New York City, first of all, how seriously do you take it? And what concerns do you have on the impact on Northern New Jersey?

MURPHY:  I mean, you know us well, Chuck, and you know that the virus hit hard in metro New York, and that includes a bunch of our northern counties.

And we’re a heck of a lot better than we were four or five months ago, but we’re still not out of the woods. This is very much still with us, and, today alone, over 400 positive cases in a state that is deemed to have done a good job with this. So, we’re still not out of the woods.

Listen, I have two thoughts on that — on that step that they took. Number one, the last thing, in my judgment, when you’re dealing with a pandemic, an all-time economic crisis, and, at long last, a reckoning with the stain of racism and social justice, the last thing we need is leadership at the highest levels of our country to be dividing us.

This is a time we have to find the right rhetoric and the right actions that bring us together.

And that’s not excusing. If there are criminal elements that are taking advantage of this period in our nation’s history, they need to be found and prosecuted and dealt with. There’s no question about that.

But painting this with a broad brush, at a time when we need to come together, in New Jersey, we’ve had hundreds of protests, very few challenges, knock on wood, of violence. I, myself, have participated in protests, both with overwhelmingly communities of color and overwhelmingly white communities.

America is overwhelmingly crying out for help with the pandemic, help with unemployment and the economic crisis, and a reckoning with the stain of racism.

We need leadership that brings us together and does not try to separate us right now.

TODD:  You know, it’s interesting.

You have taken pains to not criticize the president by name as much. You were very diplomatic with that answer there. And I noticed, during the Republican Convention, your sort of diplomatic way of dealing with him ended up being used as an endorsement of how well he handled the virus.

How did you feel about that?

MURPHY:  I actually missed that meeting, so I actually — I don’t have a comment on that.

I would say this, Chuck. And I will repeat what I have said before. I don’t view what I just said was diplomatic. The last thing we need is rhetoric or action that targets communities that separates us for no reason at all.

So, I just want to be as forceful as I can on that point. And that begins with the president.

TODD:  I get it.

MURPHY:  But I have said throughout the pandemic, we have been able to find common ground with the administration. And I will be forever grateful for that.

But we haven’t pulled our punches. There’s a long list of things that we’re not going to see eye to eye on. And this is one of them, how to deal with this moment, this unique moment in our history.

And, if need be, we will not pull those punches, and we will speak out and take action as needed.

TODD:  You are allowing some indoor dining, 25 percent capacity. Are you encouraging indoor dining, or is this something that you’re comfortable enough with, but you’re not ready to do it?

MURPHY:  Yes, we are absolutely allowing it.

We allowed our gyms to open with capacity limits two days ago. Tomorrow — you’re absolutely right — 6:00 a.m., 25 percent capacity indoor dining.

Our restaurant industry has been crushed. They deserve this. The data in our state, while we’re not out of the woods, suggests, over a sustained period, that we could take this step.

But I, for one, will repeat what we have said all along, with overwhelming data. This virus indoors is a whole different reality than it is outdoors. So, we’ve had a really successful summer of outdoor dining, and that continues.

But our restaurants deserve the ability to at least take this first step indoors. But there’s no question outdoors is a safer reality, regardless of what activity it is, eating or otherwise.

TODD:  I was just going to say, Governor, you sound like somebody that is not quite ready to eat indoors.

MURPHY:  Yes, well, I don’t feel like you need to.

I mean, I’m sitting here, Chuck. I don’t know how it is where you are, but it’s 85 degrees and sunny.

TODD:  Yes. Yes.

MURPHY:  It’s going to be a beautiful night tonight. We’re not there yet.

But, you know, a month or two from now, we probably don’t have that choice. And to allow our restaurants to begin to take those steps to get back on their feet…

TODD:  I get it.

MURPHY:  …assuming the data warrants it — and the data right now does — I think is the right, responsible thing to do.

TODD:  Governor Phil Murphy, Democrat from New Jersey, as always, sir, thanks for coming on and sharing your perspective. I do appreciate it. Good to talk to you.

MURPHY:  Thanks for having me, Chuck.

TODD:  You got it.