"We had to close our gym for 84 days. We have had the business for seven years. I just want to point out, again, this all happened while Donald Trump is president," Tommy Stallings said.
July 29, 2020

"We are 98 days away from Election Day," Alysin Camerota said on New Day.

"And public opinion polls show President Trump slipping over his handling of coronavirus. I sat down with a group of voters in Florida and Texas, two of the states hardest hit by the virus. All voted for Trump in 2016. Half of them regret that. Here is our latest pulse of the people. Show of hands, how many of you voted for President Trump in 2016? Okay. All of you voted for President Trump. Show of hands, how many of you plan to vote for him again in November? Okay. Three hands went up. Daniel, tell us your thoughts."

"I believe that his handling of the pandemic has been horrendous. I think his lack of accountability and an old political term, he waffles on everything. He did say this, he didn't say that. and he meant this, but he didn't mean that. He's totally unpredictable," Daniel Turner said.

"I don't think anyone could have handled it any better. Listen to the health experts. When President Trump says something about ingesting Lysol, don't take it -- obviously an absurd statement. He should not be speaking on health matters, frankly," Ellie Bernstein said.

"But he is."

"He's not qualified to do it. He wasn't taking it as seriously as he should. but the entire government failed us. They were focused on impeachment as covid was spreading. That's what they were focused on. They were all missing the ball," Bernstein said.

"Show of hands, have you had a friend or know someone who got very sick with covid and/or died? So three of you. Tell us what you think about President Trump's response to coronavirus.

"Well, they didn't get extremely sick and die, but I had a nephew and several friends that have tested positive for covid. I will say this. I'm a business owner. my wife and I own a fitness, 24/7 fitness center. We had to close our gym for 84 days. We have had the business for seven years. I just want to point out, again, this all happened while Donald Trump is president," Tommy Stallings said.

"Trump has done what he can do. Okay?" Gracia said.

"This is exactly what's happening, small businesses are losing their businesses, their livelihood because of this pandemic. I have people who I do know who have tested positive for covid. My in-laws. One, she had to wear the mask, because she has allergies. I think the breathing of her own breath and having -- you know, deal with allergies, I think that got her sick. She started to get a fever. She's over 60 years old. She panics because there's a fear mongering going on. Oh, you're going to die. So she runs and they test her positive, she goes home, had fever for two days. she's fine now."

Camerota said, "I'm confused about your point. Do you think people are not dying around the country?"

"What I'm trying to say and make a point to is that 382 million Americans, 4 million have tested positive and 145,000 have died."

"So you're willing to live with those numbers, those numbers are okay for you?" Camerota asked.

Gracia said three times more deaths of accidents and car accidents "but we didn't shut down the interstates and take people's cars away."

"We didn't shut down the freeways because there's car accidents," Daniel Turner said.

"What we did was we did science and testing and we came to the conclusion that seat belts were necessary to keep us out there motoring along, as safely as possible. As far as heart disease goes, i can't walk into my local supermarket and catch that from the idiot standing next to me."

"I have a breathing problem, I don't wear a mask, I'm an idiot. You'd rather I die because I can't breathe with the mask on. Do you know how hypocritical --"

"You're going to come to my grocery store and use that feeble excuse, yes, you are. You can breathe fine with a mask."

"I cannot. I cannot."

"So, what is it like to hear the strong reservations of your fellow panelists here?" Camerota asked Dimani Felder.

"Well, you know, I think that everyone has a right to their own opinion but I also believe here in America we have a lot of serious problems that need to be taken care of, that honestly have been allowed to fester for far too long," he said.

"I don't think there's anything that Donald Trump would do that will make the supporters that are dug in not vote for him. If that were the case, then they'd be thinking like me right now," Stallings said.

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