CNN’s John Berman Stunned By Dr. Birx Admission on Covid Response: ‘She’s Saying They Blew It on Testing!’

CNN anchor John Berman was stunned by Dr. Deborah Birx’s measured yet unmistakable admission — during her interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta — about the federal approach to COVID-19 testing.

On Friday morning’s edition of CNN’s New Day, Berman and co-anchor Alisyn Camerota talked with Dr. Gupta about the first part of Gupta’s interview with Birx. As is often necessary with White House coronavirus task force members, the trio provided something of a translation of what Gupta called Birx’s “measured” remarks.

“So interesting to hear from her directly, that is really valuable, and your questions were so good Sanjay,” Camerota observed. “I mean when you say was this, did we fail? I think that is obviously the overarching question. And she says that she worries, did we get the messaging wrong? Well, President Trump said it was magically going to go away. Was that the wrong message?”

“Right, no question,” Dr. Gupta agreed. “And she’s so measured, she’s so careful, she’s been doing this for a long time. But she was pretty candid, as you sort of heard there around that. Not coming right out and saying that, but essentially that was the inference she was making.”

“And also on testing,” Gupta said, summarizing Birx’s remarks about the CDC’s decision to stop recommending the testing of asymptomatic people, and added, “That was a mistake, essentially, she said.”

Moments later, Berman remarked, “Hearing her talk about the testing and the CDC decision, say it out loud, because I read the interview just before we came to air, but to actually hear her say it, it’s so much more clear now.”

“She’s saying they blew it. I mean, she’s saying they blew it with testing!” Berman said. “That they stopped testing asymptomatic people and that’s, you can’t do that. I mean that really doesn’t stop community spread there. Was so interesting to hear her say that.”

You can see Dr. Birx’s responses here, and watch the Berman clip above via CNN.