It was an odd remark from White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, especially nine days before the election. Appearing on CNN Sunday morning, Meadows said in an exchange with Jake Tapper, “We’re not going to get control of the pandemic.”

Meadows was a quintessential Tea Party Birther so it’s fitting he’s the guy telling us they’re not even trying to control the pandemic. This is the Republican Party and it’s not fit to govern anything. https://t.co/miFm0qH89B

— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) October 25, 2020

CNN writes:

The comments from President Donald Trump’s chief of staff come as coronavirus cases surge across the US, with the country having reported its second-highest day of new cases on Saturday. The administration is also facing a potential second outbreak in the White House, with at least five people in Vice President Mike Pence’s inner circle having tested positive in recent days, according to a source familiar with the situation.

But Meadows said on Sunday that Pence would continue to travel and campaign because he’s considered “essential personnel.” The New York Times is reporting Meadows tried to keep the information about the outbreak in Pence’s office from becoming public.

Two people briefed on the matter said that the White House chief-of-staff, Mark Meadows, sought to keep the information about the VP office outbreak from becoming public https://t.co/DvYa1p0rVQ

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 25, 2020