Trump begins the April 23 #TrumpPressBriefing by claiming that he's spoken with unnamed "numerous" world leaders over the past two days and "they are saying we are leading the way" in the coronavirus response. (The US has the most cases and the most deaths.)
Trump claims "we're very close to a vaccine," but quickly walks it back. (We're likely still at least a year away.)
DHS official William Bryan: "Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect solar light appears to have on killing the virus on both surfaces & in the air. We see a similar effect with both temperature & humidity ... increasing them is unfavorable for the virus."
This slide summarizes some of the coronavirus research findings Bryan is highlighting
"The disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning. It gets in the lungs" -- Trump seems to suggests that injecting disinfectant inside people could be a treatment for the coronavirus
"I think a lot of people are gonna go outside all of the sudden" -- Trump on DHS's preliminary finding that the coronavirus doesn't do as well in sunlight as it does inside
Asked why he's stopped promoting hydroxychloroquine, Trump claims absurdly that he "hasn't at all." (He has in fact stopped promoting it in the last week.)
TRUMP: "I know a lot about economists and the answer is they have no idea. I think I have as good of an idea as anybody."
TRUMP: "Statistically we are doing phenomenally, in terms of mortality ... when you look, Germany and ourselves are doing very well." (Germany has 5,503 coronavirus deaths; the US has 49,605)
Trump says he doesn't agree with Dr. Fauci's claim that the US needs to do more to address its coronavirus testing shortfall
"We started with nothing ... we started with a broken test" -- Trump tries to pass the buck for the CDC botching the development of a coronavirus test in January and February of this year
"It is interesting that the states are in trouble do happen to be blue. It is interesting" -- Trump suggests Democrats are responsible for the financial troubles of blue states
Get a load of Dr. Birx's demeanor after Trump tells her, "I would like you to speak to the medical doctors to see if there's any way that you can apply light and heat to cure [coronavirus]."
"I'm the president and you're fake news" -- Trump to @PhilipRucker after he asks him if it's responsible to make all sorts of wacky and unproven suggestions about possible coronavirus treatments
"I hear the report was an incorrect report ... I think it was a fake report done by CNN ... don't talk to me" -- Trump denies reports that Kim Jong Un is in grave health and slams @kaitlancollins in the process
"I wasn't happy with Brian Kemp ... and I coulda done something about it if I wanted to" -- an angry Trump on Georgia governor's move to reopen businesses
Trump concludes the briefing by lamenting that "the media has not done the great job we've done" responding to the coronavirus. (The US has the most cases and deaths in the world.)
He also mixes in some whining about the Russia investigation and his impeachment.
Trump just mused about whether injecting humans with household disinfectants could treat coronavirus. Really. vox.com/2020/4/23/2123…
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