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Donald Trump abruptly ended a news conference on coronavirus testing after an irritating exchange with a reporter of Asian descent who asked him why he advised him to ask China about the global death rate. He then trained with a CNN reporter before leaving the Rose Garden.
The fireworks ended a surprisingly subdued presidential press conference in the White House Rose Garden and began when CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang put pressure on Trump about why he sometimes seems to see the Covid pandemic -19 as a “global race” on issues like country death tolls and distributed evidence. After not answering the question directly, he advised him to “go ask China” the same question. When he tried to call another journalist, Ms. Jiang lowered her protective face mask and asked if there was a reason she was asking him: Ms. Jiang is of Asian descent. The president also failed to address the premise of that question, except to say that he was instructing all reporters to put pressure on China about the virus that originates there.
Moments later, CNN’s Kaitlin Collins, whom the president had called, approached one of the designated microphone stands to ask questions, but Trump shot her down multiple times.
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“But you called me,” said Collins. When she was still trying to ask a question, even when he called another journalist, Trump ended the press conference.
In recent weeks, it has been apparent that both reporters have put themselves under the President’s shoes. Both often ask difficult questions that are critical to management’s response to the virus.
Trump was unable to tell Americans on Monday when they will have the same access to coronavirus tests as his own White House staff, suggesting that the country has “prevailed” on the tests despite experts arguing otherwise. .
Rather than answering a question on that topic directly, the media-conscious president chose to criticize the journalist who did so. “Look, we can’t win,” he said, arguing that the media would beat him regardless of whether or not he ordered the White House test after two aides tested positive. “I understand you very well. Better than you understand yourself,” he told the journalist.
He also rejected notions that the White House is flooded with Covid-19 and that his coronavirus system did not do its job, saying, “I don’t think the system has broken at all. It can happen. It is the hidden enemy. Things pass.”
“We have prevailed”
Another reporter gave the president the opportunity to clarify this line from his prepared initial comments, from which he repeatedly deviated with impromptu comments: “We have met the moment and we have prevailed.” He later said that he was referring to the number of tests that have been administered.
“You never prevail when you have 90,000 people, 100,000 people, when you have 80,000 people [dead] from today. That doesn’t prevail, “he said as a cool spring breeze blew six American flags placed behind his lectern in the Rose Garden.
Weijia Jiang, left, of CBS and Kaitlan Collins of CNN ask Donald Trump questions during a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House. After the exchange, the President abruptly ended the briefing and left (REUTERS)
There have been 1.3 million cases in the United States and nearly 81,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The president said 300,000 tests are conducted each day in the United States, claiming that “it will increase substantially from that number.” But, as always, it did not provide backup data.
Trump made several questionable claims during his prepared opening statement, claiming that the federal government has used “all resources at our disposal” to respond to the virus outbreak. At one point, he was enraged by the proposed southern border wall and bragged that illegal border crossings on the US-Mexico border are at a “record low.”
“Unmatched and Unmatched”
He called the federal government’s testing effort “unmatched and unmatched anywhere in the world, and it’s not even close.”
But when measured in tests per 1,000 people, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Canada have conducted tests at a higher rate, according to Statista, an independent research group.
Trump and Navy Admiral Brett Giroir argued that the United States has evaluated more people than South Korea or the United Kingdom. But the admiral did not include that slide in his brief presentation; it did include one for the total tests, with lines showing that EE. USA It has administered many more tests than the closest countries.
Both the President and Admiral Giroir claimed that any American who wants to be tested can be tested, but some governors have said that is not the case. And Trump again said that not everyone in the United States should be tested; The admiral said the test is not done every day because he has no symptoms.
The United States has been testing around 250,000 people a day, according to the Covid Tracking Project, a nonprofit organization.
But many public health experts and Democratic officials say the rate is too low to reopen the entire American economy. For example, the Institute of Global Health at Harvard University has asked the US. USA Have them perform 900,000 tests daily.
Experts and Democrats say the Trump administration was too slow to help states increase testing and laboratory capabilities, and they are still calling for the White House to come up with a national testing plan.
But the president said the tests are not a magic bullet, repeatedly saying that “some people” say the tests are not necessary. At other times, he has called the United States the “king” of testing, claiming that he has evaluated more people than any other country.
