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United States President Donald Trump defended his response to the Covid-19 outbreak, saying he had no intention of firing his administration’s top expert on the matter, who had said that previous mitigation efforts could have saved more lives.
At a press conference last night, Trump defended his response to the crisis and attacked the media for his coverage of its handling.
He clashed with journalists and played a campaign-style video at the press conference promoting his response to the coronavirus.
Trump is also expected to convene a new economic task force today to discuss the reopening of the US. USA
Individual governors are deciding when to lift restrictions in their states, but last night Trump said he had full authority as president and would announce a plan to reopen the United States in the coming days.
In a contentious discussion with journalists, Trump lashed out at media coverage that focused on gaps in the US government’s response. USA After initial warnings about the pandemic, which has now spread across the United States.
The president asserted that he had the highest authority to reopen the largely closed economy despite previous deference to US state governors and constitutional questions about whether that decision-making was within his purview.
“The President of the United States makes the decisions. If we had not been here for the United States, he would have had a problem in this country like he had never seen before,” Trump said. “When someone is the president of the United States, the authority is total, and so it must be … It is total. The governors know it.”
Trump, who said a plan to open businesses again would be completed shortly, interrupted his daily briefing to replay a campaign video highlighting his actions to combat the virus, and including videos of Republican and Democratic governors who praised his efforts.
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The President also invited Dr. Fauci to the stage in the opening minutes of the briefing to make it clear that Trump had followed his recommendations on implementing mitigation efforts across the country.
Trump, who played down the severity of the virus in its early stages, was upset by media coverage, suggesting he didn’t do enough to prevent its spread.
On Sunday, he retweeted a call to fire Dr. Fauci after the top US expert. USA In infectious diseases he said that lives could have been saved if the country had been closed earlier during the outbreak.
At the briefing, Dr. Fauci said he was answering a hypothetical question in the television interview and made it clear that Trump had heard him when he recommended mitigation efforts.
Trump said that he and Dr. Fauci had been on the same page “from the beginning” and stated that he liked the respected doctor. “I think he is a wonderful guy,” Trump said, adding that not everyone was happy with the health expert.
Dr. Fauci has assumed national prominence, and some degree of popular affection, as a leader in the fight against the coronavirus, which has killed 23,543 people in the United States and infected 583,990, according to a Reuters count.
He has contradicted or corrected Trump on scientific matters during the public health crisis, including whether the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine is effective against the virus.
The Republican president in the past has repeated critical tweets from officials or enemies rather than criticizing himself. The retweet fueled speculation that Trump was running out of patience with Dr. Fauci and could fire him, prompting a White House denial ahead of Trump’s briefing.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Trump’s retweet addressed what he considered a false report of his travel restriction in China, where the virus originated.
Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was asked on CNN about a New York Times report documenting early warnings issued to the White House about the coronavirus. The scientist acknowledged that closing the country earlier could have saved lives, but warned that there were several factors involved.
Trump also denounced the Times’ story in tweets Sunday, calling it “false.”
Last week, during the White House daily coronavirus briefing, Trump stepped in and stopped Dr. Fauci from answering a question about hydroxychloroquine.
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