President Donald Trump held his first press conference focused on the coronavirus crisis in nearly three months on Tuesday, alone, without any experts from the White House task force.
“Today, I want to provide an update on our response to the China virus and what my administration is doing to control the outbreak in Sunbelt. It appears to be in Sunbelt, but it could be spreading,” Trump said to open the briefing in the midst of the meeting. Polls show that Americans sharply disapprove of how he handled the crisis.
Comparing the United States to the rest of the world, he downplayed the impact of the pandemic on Americans by emphasizing that it is a global problem, but also made a rare recognition of the bad news ahead.
“Probably, unfortunately, it will get worse before it gets better. Something I don’t like to say about things, but that’s the way it is. It’s the way, it’s what we have. You look at the world. It’s all over the world.” And it tends to do that, “she said.
“If you watch American television, you would think that the United States is the only country involved and that it suffers from the China virus. Well, the world is suffering a lot. But the fact is that many countries are suffering very, very, very badly, and they have I’ve been suffering from this virus for a long time. We’ve done much better than most and with a lower death rate than most, “Trump continued.
In fact, the US is among the top ten countries with the highest death rates.
Although Trump took a less defensive and sometimes more realistic tone than in the past, he repeated that the virus will eventually “disappear” and continued to try to minimize any criticism of his response, promoting his handling of the pandemic as a success story. .
“My administration will stop at nothing to save lives and protect the vulnerable, which is very important. We have learned a lot about this disease, and we know who the vulnerable are, and we are indeed going to protect them,” he continued.
In a kind of change, Trump also sent a clearer message about the masks, a day after tweeting a photo of himself donning one for the first time, calling it “patriotic.”
“We ask everyone when you can’t socially distance yourself to wear a mask. Get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They will have an effect, and we need everything we can,” Trump said, after months of resistance.
When asked why he doesn’t wear a mask more frequently, Trump said yes when he needs it, even though he was only photographed once wearing one at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“I have the mask here. I am wearing it and I will be glad to wear it. No problem with that, and I have said it and I am saying, if you can, wear the mask,” Trump said, showing the mask in his hand but not putting it on. “I have no problem with masks. I see it this way. Anything that can help, and that can certainly help, is a good thing.”
He continued to justify not using one in the meeting room, for example, saying that he and everyone in the room had been examined.
“Often, I will be with people who are fully tested. I have been tested. In theory, you don’t need the mask. I’m getting used to the mask and the reason is, think about patriotism maybe it is, help. Help.”
In another change to his message to “Open America Again,” Trump said his administration is now “imploring young Americans to avoid crowded bars and other crowded and indoor gatherings.”
“Be safe and be smart,” he added.
Questioned by ABC News White House Chief Correspondent Jonathan Karl about whether the US has a problem with evidence, the president defended the state of evidence and said, “We have done more tests than anyone else,” But he also admitted that it would be a “good thing” to reduce waiting times for results.
“We can get those numbers. Those numbers are similar elsewhere. They are also doing massive numbers, numbers like nobody thought possible, but those numbers will go down. I agree, I think it’s a good thing if we could do that, “Trump said, apparently referring to wait times and” numbers. ”
Although his administration has tried to zero out any additional test funding in the next round of aid funds, the president told Karl that he would agree to more if experts deem it necessary.
“Well, they will give me a presentation tonight and tomorrow about that,” Trump said, when asked if he supports more funding for the tests. “I think we are doing a lot of testing, but if the doctors and the professional feel that even though we are at a level that no one dreamed they would like more, I agree.”
Karl also asked Trump about a claim that White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made earlier in the day, which is sometimes evaluated “multiple times a day,” Trump couldn’t recall a time that has happened.
“Well, I didn’t know more than one. I do an average test every two days, three days, and I don’t know of any time I’ve had two tests in one day. But you could see that happens,” he said.
When asked why his doctors and experts were not with him for the briefing, the president replied that “Dr. Birx is right outside,” referring to the coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, but not He mentioned his other experts as Dr. Anthony Fauci, who previously said he was not asked to be there.
Trump answered some questions about what the White House had called a “press conference.” It lasted approximately 26 minutes compared to previous briefings that would last over an hour.
The president had stopped participating in the task force briefings that were held almost daily in late April, shortly after suggesting injecting disinfectants to treat COVID-19.
Aides urged him to finish his appearances at briefings, citing numbers of sinking polls, but with declining poll numbers and increasing coronavirus cases, the president returned to the podium.
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