Andrew Card, former White House Chief of Staff, joins Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Christoforous and Brian Sozzi to discuss how leadership has been responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

Video Transcript

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: I want to bring in now Andrew Card. He is former White House Chief of Staff under George W. Bush, and it's good to see you again, Andrew. Thanks for coming on the show.

I know that you were with the administration during the SARS outbreak, in the early 2000s. As you look at this administration work its way through this pandemic, what would you say about their response thus far, both on the fiscal side and the health care side? Because we are really fighting two different wars here-- an economic war as well as a health care war.

ANDREW CARD: Well first of all, thank you for having me on, Alexis. Good to be with you. My experience working for President George W. Bush, when we had a mild pandemic, if there is such a thing, the expertise were similar to what President Trump is getting today. Tony Fauci was at the frontline, was in my office almost every day, as we were dealing with that crisis, and Julie Gerberding and CDC.

So we were dealing with a lot of the same people that President Trump was dealing with, and I have great confidence in those experts. And what President Trump has done, he's provided strong leadership. He's really been attentive to everything. I'm not sure I agree with his hyperbole about saying we've turned the corner, or we can change things. I think the road is going to be very difficult going forward, because I expect the disease to expand in the United States.

The governors are the real champions. They're the ones at the frontline. They have to make the decisions whether people should close down businesses or close schools or restrict travel. Governors and mayors are at the frontline under the US system.

The president provides overall direction, and he also manages support to those governors and mayors. And that's what the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA is doing, and that's where President Trump probably has to step up a little bit more to get some of those critical health care equipment into our hospitals ASAP. Because there is a desperate need for it right now, and I'm glad that President Trump understands his responsibility and complements the work of the governors. But I do think he should do more to get some of the medical devices and the protective equipment that we need into our hospitals right away, because tomorrow is too late.

BRIAN SOZZI: Andrew, Brian Sozzi here. Do you agree with President Trump's view or that we might need to-- or that we should reopen the economy as soon as maybe the second week in April?

ANDREW CARD: I understand his desire to do that. I think it's more important for us to fight this disease and make sure it doesn't spread to the point that it cripples the capacity of our health care sector to deal with it. So I am still suggesting that we should all practice personal distancing.

We should be socially engaged but not in person. So I encourage people to stay home. Don't travel, even if you're in a state where you don't think there's a lot going on.

I live in New Hampshire. New Hampshire's governor just made a directive in the last 24 hours calling for us to social distance, to stay at home, and not go to work. And schools are shut down, graduations and commencements are canceled. I think that's the right thing to do, until we can find out that we at least have turned the corner so that our health care system can then better manage the responsibilities to take care of us in general health.

Right now, they are working to take care of us with dire needs. And I've listened to hospital leaders today saying they had just-in-time delivery mechanisms set up. It's no longer a just-in-time delivery system can work. We need stockpiles sent to hospitals ASAP, so they can deal with, number one, protecting their own employees.

And number two, making sure that care is given to the sick, so that they can recover, and then we can get the economy moving again. But I understand the president's kind of rosy scenario. I just hope that he doesn't take all of his advice from rosy scenario.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Right, and let's remember, we also have an election year here. And so some are saying that, you know, Mr. Trump would like to see the economy up and running again before we all have an opportunity to vote, in November. But about those health care workers and the things they so desperately need to keep themselves safe and to help others, what else can the federal government be doing right now? What should they be doing that perhaps they're not doing to help get those supplies to the frontline?

ANDREW CARD: Well, I actually think they have an infrastructure in place. It was stood up a little bit later than I think it should have been, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Defense, working with the National Guard is really doing a good job of mobilizing. They've already transferred a lot of stockpiled material from the federal government to state and local governments, but it's just not enough, and I think we continue to have to do more.

But there are also other things we do. We need better data, and better data is one of the things I'm also looking to talk to you about. Because a company named Dragonfly had a relationship with the University of South Australia, and they've had a relationship with them since 1999, where they purchased one of the first drones that Dragonfly made. But they have come up with new technology working with the Australian defense department, where they have a program that can actually get better data so that health care professionals can make better decisions, and politicians can make better decisions about what needs to be done.

Their material would allow-- their product would allow for us to measure the fever of people from a distance by drone technology, get better data, more accurate, more reliable, faster. And we can make better decisions about where is the pandemic today, and where is it likely to go, and how do we prevent it from getting there as fast as the coronavirus would like to get there? So I think it's important, and I'm proud to be part of that effort.

BRIAN SOZZI: You know, Andrew, just staying on the corporate side. You're also on the board of Union Pacific, the other big railroad operator. You know, as you take a step back here, and you talk to business leaders, what's your sense on the economic downturn? Do you think the US economy bounces back quickly, or does this extend into 2021?

ANDREW CARD: I actually think it can bounce back relatively quickly. The pipeline of transportation which feeds our economy is a strong pipeline, and Union Pacific has one of the best pipelines in the world. And they are doing everything they can to make sure that, when the economy is capable of reopening and getting those supplies from around the world to come into the United States to service the people but also more significantly to service the job engines in America, the small businesses and the big businesses. And I think that Union Pacific is well-positioned, but I also feel America is well-positioned to bounce back.

We'll be pent up. There'll be a lot of pent up demand, and that pent up demand will also help to give a jumpstart to our economy, but first, let's focus on the health care. Let's all socially distance. Let's do what the president has told us to do-- wash our hands, be very careful, and hey, stay at home, but call a friend. Get on the internet. Interact that way [INAUDIBLE]

BRIAN SOZZI: Well said.

ANDREW CARD: I think there's plenty that we can do. Be optimistic, but be very, very careful. This is a very serious matter, and we are not out of the woods yet. This disease is likely to continue to grow and capture more lives in the United States which is a terrible thing. And we want our frontline workers in the medical industry and with the National Guard and the police and fire, let's pay attention to what they're doing and help them out.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: All right. Andrew Card, former White House Chief of Staff, thanks so much, and stay safe there in New Hampshire. And keep on FaceTiming or however it is you are socially interacting these days.

ANDREW CARD: Thank you, Alexis. Good to be with you.