Recorded remotely on 5/13/20, Steve Adubato is joined by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D) – NJ, to talk about how New Jersey has been impacted by the coronavirus public health crisis in comparison to the rest of the nation; President Trump’s leadership during the pandemic; the role of the federal government during a crisis and the importance of being prepared for future COVID-19 outbreaks.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez says, “The only way that we will get to somewhat of what I would call a new normal, is by near universal testing and community contact tracing.” He says because the U.S. economy is controlled largely by consumer spending, and therefore, there needs to have consumer confidence. He adds that unless the government can tell people in New Jersey that their visits to public places have been dramatically mitigated in terms of their risk of catching COVID-19, New Jersey will never get the consumer confidence that it needs.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez says his colleagues from other states are not as understanding about the impact of COVID-19 on New Jersey as he’d hoped they’d be. He’s warning them that the virus is coming and he reminds them, “When I voted for funding for flooding in the Mississippi, wildfires in the west, hurricane Katrina and on and on, I never asked whether it’s a blue or red state, it’s why we call this country the United States of America.”

In regards to leadership during the COVID-19 public health crisis, he says we have lacked leadership both at home and abroad. He says, “There is a reason that a federal government exists. It’s in moments like this, of a pandemic, that you need a federal response.” He indicated that President Trump has been responding as if handling this crisis is not his responsibility and that it should be handled on state level.