Read on Twitter
Trump says the United States federal government is a "back up." I wonder if all the people who voted for him because he was strong leader will finally realize how weak he is?
Is there an example where Trump has sent a state more equipment than they requested? Is there a scenario where that has happened and the governor complained? Trump just said there was.
Trump accused the governors of playing politics with ventilators. This is one day after his point man and son-in-law Jared Kushner said he knew more than the governors did about their needs. Also the only governors Trump has criticized are Democrats.
Thanks @JohnBoozman for reaching out to advise on food aid. I wonder if they discussed SNAP? A catastrophic hunger crisis is looming and Trump wants to cut SNAP benefits. https://fortune.com/2020/04/03/snap-benefits-coronavirus-hunger-in-america-food-insecurity/
Trump just said that there is a study that says people with Lupus cannot contract COVID-19. Lupus Foundation: "If you have lupus, you’re at higher risk for infections like the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19." https://www.lupus.org/resources/coronavirus-and-lupus#
These types of statements are dangerous. I really wish the American Medical Association would assert itself and demand Trump stop saying this stuff. But lying is Trump's one talent.
Trump says this is a "war effort" in the same speech in which he says the federal government is a "back up." Pitiful.
Trump continues to use the phrase "no one ever thought of this" and "no one could imagine" re: COVID-19. That's completely untrue. Trump was warned in 2017. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/covid-military-shortage-pandemic/
Fauci says the key stat is the number of new cases b/c it will show whether mitigation is working. The problem with that is that we're not testing nearly enough people.
Fauci says mitigation is our "most important tool."
Trump does not believe that all states should shelter-in-place. Fauci feels differently. https://bgr.com/2020/04/03/dr-fauci-says-every-state-should-be-sheltering-in-place/
As Trump pats himself on the back, read this. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2020/04/04/coronavirus-government-dysfunction/?arc404=true
Trump talking about governors being "gracious." Says Gov. Cuomo was not gracious today. Contrasts that with Mayor de Blasio and gov of CA who have been. Asked why it matters, Trump says it doesn't but then says it "would be nice."
Italy has taken more dramatic efforts than the US by far. Italy has been on lockdown since March 13. Only businesses open are grocery stores and pharmacies. There are strict orders about movement. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-03/italy-s-economy-suffering-record-blow-amid-mass-shutdown
Trump wants people to believe that the decision to stop people from coming in from China was significant. It wasn't. https://apnews.com/0dc271ad7f7917374a5a0cfb49273783
Fauci all but says the United States still not have the ability to test, identify, isolate, and contract trace, which is the only way to get ahead of the virus. Remember, the US could have marshaled national resources before Christmas. It's April.
Trump says if 3M does not treat our country well, they'll have a "hell of a price to pay." 3M is the primary U.S. producer of N95 masks, and health workers consider its products the best on the market. Good fight to pick. https://www.wsj.com/articles/3m-under-attack-from-white-house-pushes-back-11585922687
Trump believes these press conferences have tremendous value for him. He'll always stay at the podium, especially if he feels like he is doing well. His primary goal right now is to win the daily news cycle. The longer he talks, the more sound bites there are. 1/2
He also draw attention away from nightly newscasts, especially local news. In reality, he should have very little time to address the press. 2/2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-daily-reality-show-coronavirus-response/2020/04/04/97932e34-75c5-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html
Trump has said all along that the states are in charge and the federal government is a "back stop." What "big decisions" does Trump have to make?
Trump acknowledges that the US has "many Italys all over" the country. That would seem to beget the remaining states not imposing shelter-in-place to do so.
Trump continues blame governors. "The basic fact of the matter is that only the federal government has the capacity to secure the supplies—personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, ventilators, test kits—that hospitals need to fight the pandemic." https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a31954086/coronavirus-trump-states-take-lead-response-ventilators/
Trump calls the SBA program "flawless." Maybe not so much. The issue generally is why he insists on saying everything is "beautiful," "perfect," etc. when it isn't? https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/small-business-loan-problems/index.html
Trump concludes his 1:45 minute press conference with a lie. People are not being tested getting on and off airplanes. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/politics/fact-check-trump-plane-and-train-passengers-tested-for-the-coronavirus/index.html
I'll end this thread with an argument for all states having shelter-in-place. "It's like being on an airplane with a smoking section. All people are affected, even the non-smokers," said an infectious disease expert on @CNN.
