In his first official press conference on the coronavirus pandemic since April, President Trump admitted Tuesday that the public health crisis is likely to worsen as cases emerge across the country and called on all Americans to wear masks in public.
While Trump praised his administration’s response to the pandemic and the work to develop a vaccine, he bluntly revealed what many Americans already know: The crisis is likely to spread further before it can be contained.
“It will get worse before it gets better,” Trump said of the pandemic that has infected about 4 million Americans. “That’s something I don’t like to say but it is.”
Trump’s comments come after weeks in which he minimized the continued spread of the virus or focused on other issues, from riots over racial injustice in American cities to the removal of Confederate statues, despite cases of emergence of COVID-19, particularly in parts of the south and southwest.
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Noting concerns among many of his supporters that facial coatings affect their personal liberties, Trump pleaded with Americans to wear masks in public to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“We are asking everyone when you can’t socially distance yourself to wear a mask,” Trump said.
Although his comment does not fulfill a national mandate, it is the strongest support of the president, who until recently had questioned the effectiveness of the masks.
He added: “If you like masks or not, wear a mask.”
The president’s comments come just days after the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, urged Americans to wear masks in public, saying the pandemic could be under control within four to six weeks if every American wore a mask.
“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” said Redfield. “Cloth face covers are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus, particularly when used universally in a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. “
Trump on Monday tweeted a photo of himself wearing a face mask, calling it an act of patriotism, after months of resistance to being seen publicly on the covers.
“Think of patriotism,” Trump reiterated Monday.
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However, Trump repeated his claim that the virus “would disappear.” He has made the claim numerous times, most recently during a tense interview with Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”
“I will be right eventually,” he said in that interview. “It will disappear, and I will be right.”
Trump also touted the advances investigators in the country are making toward a possible vaccine, noting that the process is moving fast and promising results soon.
“My administration will stop at nothing to save lives, protect the vulnerable,” he said. “Vaccines are coming and are coming much faster than anyone thought possible.”
The president’s return to the meeting room to address the coronavirus pandemic comes in the next stage of the federal government’s response to the pandemic on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers and White House officials were initiating negotiations on a $ 4 trillion or more “phase four” rescue package.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Acting Chief of Staff Mark Meadows would meet privately on Tuesday with Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer about the new package. for help, a day after Trump called Republican leaders into the White House.
Democrats are pushing for the next bill to include funds for electoral protections, while some Republicans have broken with the White House looking for additional federal funds for testing and tracking contacts. Meanwhile, Trump has found few allies in his pressure for a payroll tax cut in the legislation.
Schumer, at a press conference, encouraged White House attendees to “keep Trump off the podium.” “It is a threat to public health,” he told reporters.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
