Vice President Mike Pence told Fox Business host Charles Payne on Wednesday that the Trump administration was aiming to lower the number of projected deaths from the COVID-19 outbreak, and that the American people need to understand that the numbers that they are hearing are “just projections.”

“We’ve been following the data every single day since the president stood up the White House Coronavirus Task Force in January and when he tapped me to lead it, now more than a month ago,” Pence said.

“We’ve been working with Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the leading experts on infectious diseases in the world, and her team, to try and model where we think we are headed in the Coronavirus epidemic in this country,” Pence continued. “And late last week looking at the progress we’ve made because of the mitigation efforts the millions of Americans put into effect over the last 15 days, and because of the strong efforts by states like Washington and California, New York, and New Jersey, she came forward to the president with the very latest numbers.”

“But they are just projections,” Pence said. “And let me be very clear, we hope for better. And the American people need to know that our future is in their hands, that it’s the reason why the president made the decision on the spot Saturday to extend for 30 more days the president’s Coronavirus guidelines for America.”

”We continue to make it clear that we want the American people to focus and be attentive to their state and local authorities in areas where there’s significant outbreak, but the way we hasten the day that we put the Coronavirus behind us as a nation and the way that we lower the number of heartbreaking losses in this country is by putting into practice the 30 days to slow the spread,” Pence continued. “And the president thought it was important that the American people see the same data that he had seen in making that call.”

Pence added, “And we’re very confident, just as tens of millions of Americans did in the last 15 days, that we’re going to see families all across this country put the health of America first, and recognize that by all of us doing all that we can that we’ll lower the number of losses, and we’ll also reach that part of this where we can.”

WATCH:

TRANSCRIPT:

CHARLES PAYNE, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST: All right, sir, as the head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the American public was hit with some very sobering numbers last night, a minimum range between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the ensuing weeks.

Can you give us an update from that line of thinking to just really zero in on how those numbers were — how you arrived at those numbers and what else can be done to perhaps make it less critical, less — to Dr. Fauci’s point, that perhaps we don’t have to hit those numbers?

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Charles, it’s good to be with you and thank you for the question, because I think Dr. Fauci touched on what we all hope also came through to the American people.

We’ve been following the data every single day since the president stood up the White House Coronavirus Task Force in January and when he tapped me to lead it, now more than a month ago.

We’ve been working with Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the leading experts on infectious diseases in the world and her team to try and model where we think we are headed in the Coronavirus epidemic in this country.

And late last week looking at the progress we’ve made because of the mitigation efforts the millions of Americans put into effect over the last 15 days, and because of the strong efforts by states like Washington and California, New York, and New Jersey, she came forward to the president with the very latest numbers.

But they are just projections. And let me be very clear, we hope for better. And the American people need to know that our future is in their hands, that it’s the reason why the president made the decision on the spot Saturday to extend for 30 more days the president’s Coronavirus guidelines for America.

We continue to make it clear that we want the American people to focus and be attentive to their state and local authorities in areas where there’s significant outbreak, but the way we hasten the day that we put the Coronavirus behind us as a nation and the way that we lower the number of heartbreaking losses in this country is by putting into practice the 30 days to slow the spread.

And the president thought it was important that the American people see the same data that he had seen in making that call.

And we’re very confident, just as tens of millions of Americans did in the last 15 days, that we’re going to see families all across this country put the health of America first and recognize that by all of us doing all that we can that we’ll lower the number of losses, and we’ll also reach that part of this where we can –

PAYNE: Right.

PENCE: — once again begin to reopen America and put America back to work.

PAYNE: I agree with you 100 percent. It feels like all hands on deck. And the American public is certainly behind you.

I’m looking at the Chris Murray model, and it suggests that April 16th could be sort of the high water mark if you will, 2,600 deaths.

How often is the team reevaluating its own modeling to give us an update in terms of, again, maybe these projections are too high, maybe they’re too low. And also how will it inform just how much longer the nation has to be shut down?

PENCE: Well, you speak about the Murray modeling, and what I can tell you is that Dr. Deborah Birx and her team did modeling that very closely aligned to what the Murray modeling suggested, Charles. And that was the information that was presented to the president over this weekend when he made the decision to call on every American –

PAYNE: Right.

PENCE: — regardless of whether you’re in a community that’s impacted by Coronavirus, to continue to avoid gatherings of more than 10, work from home if you can, use a drive thru instead of going into restaurants. If you’re sick, stay home. All of those principles are available.

Although I must say to you, Charles, as you’re a great champion of American free enterprise, I’m sitting here at the Walmart Distribution Center in Virginia. This is one of the – one of the companies that we will refer to as critical infrastructure.

These are the folks that are keeping food on the table. You know, from the farmers working in the field, to a distribution center here, over 1,000 strong people are coming to work every day. They’re loading those 18 wheelers.

I had a truck driver today talk to me about how proud all of our trucker justifiably are, that they’re keeping the food supplies rolling.

And then you saw the president bring all the grocery store owners together more than a month ago –

PAYNE: Right.

PENCE: — and they all committed. Every grocery store in America is staying open. Many of them are having hours for seniors so we can protect those that are more vulnerable. I mean, the food supply in America is strong.

We’re developing vaccines and therapies at a record level. We’ve spun up a whole new approach to testing in America. And it’s all because President Trump has engaged free enterprise, the private sector in America in an unprecedented, all-of-America, public-private partnership.

And in conjunction with all of federal health officials, in conjunction with the great leadership at state levels, with conjunction with all those incredible healthcare workers working in hospitals, ICUs, and emergency rooms every day, I know we’ll get through this and we’ll get through it together.

PAYNE: It’s interesting that you brought that up. And again, you know, it’s amazing, when we talk about essential workers, we’re talking about folks who work – cashiers at the pet shop store, right?

So when I – when I suggest to you that I think the fate of free market capitalism is on the line right now and that the administration and big business have got to show the American people that this is the best system — and you’re going to have a lot folks saying, hey, you’ve got people who are uninsured, you have people who are being left out. You’ve got private equity saying that they want to get paid by the federal government.

This, to me, is the moment of truth when capitalism is being tested, and it is your administration – you and President Trump – that have got to prove that it is the best way to go about life.

PENCE: Well, I actually think American business is proving that every day. Other than the pride that we have for the courageous doctors and nurses and healthcare workers in this country that are on the front lines, I know President Trump and I couldn’t be more proud of the way American businesses have stepped forward.

I mean literally every business we’ve reached out to and asked us to increase medical supplies, or help us construct more of the N95 masks for healthcare workers or build ventilators, every business has said, we’ll drop anything, we’ll go to work, we’ll make it happen.

And companies like this distribution center that I’m at here in Virginia — I mean, I’m telling you, the fact that you have got farmers in the field working, you have got grocery store clerks working the checkout counter, it’s keeping food on the table for every American.

What you’re seeing is, the American people are rising to the challenge, our businesses across the country are rising to the challenge.

I mean, the president announced this weekend two of the largest health insurance companies in America waived all co-pays on — not Coronavirus testing, but Coronavirus treatment. I mean it is remarkable.

I had one company tell me the other day that they were building ventilators, and they were going to do it on a not-for-profit basis. I mean this is America at its best.

We know we’re all in this together. And we have a president, who from very early on has taken one unprecedented step after another. I mean, suspending all travel from China, screening all passengers from South Korea and Italy, suspending travel from Europe, the U.K., and Ireland.

But in the midst of all of that, what the president’s also done, Charles, is bring American industry to the table and say, we need you to step up, this is all hands on deck. And American industry has responded as never before in my lifetime.

PAYNE: Vice President Pence, I want to say thank you for your efforts. We appreciate it. And also thank you for taking the time. I appreciate it and hope to see you again very soon, sir.

PENCE: Thank you, Charles.​