Trump and his officials are at the CDC now blatantly lying to the press that "there was never a time" state/local officials who contacted the CDC to request COVID-19 testing and were turned down.
That's not remotely true. We still don't have enough nearly enough tests today.
That's not remotely true. We still don't have enough nearly enough tests today.
Trump is now talking about how he learned a few weeks ago that the flu kills tens of thousands of people a year, and he thought to himself "I wonder what's going on here," so he now thinks COVID-19 probably kills under 1% like the flu.
Trump was heavily implying that we shouldn't particularly care about COVID-19 deaths because we lose people to diseases all the time, but then gets distracted by asking where a reporter is from, and when she says CNN, starts talking about how he doesn't watch CNN.
Trump, asked if people should be canceling events to stop the spread of COVID-19, says that he probably wouldn't if it were him, but if people want to cancel events, they can, because "people have to feel comfortable to have a good time."
Trump is bragging about how, compared to the flu, COVID-19 has "great numbers" for younger people. He says so far it's only killed "older people," and those people could've died from the flu as well.
Trump was suggesting he doesn't want people on the cruise ship to be allowed off of the cruise ship because if they do then "the 240 number" will go up.
Trump, with absolutely no sense of irony, uses the briefing on COVID-19 to tell the media that "instead of being negative you should be positive."
The President is lying about the U.S.'s preparations for COVID-19 and telling the press that "anybody who wants a test gets a test."
This is not true. Only the smallest fraction of people requesting tests can get a test done right now, because there are so few tests available.
This is not true. Only the smallest fraction of people requesting tests can get a test done right now, because there are so few tests available.
Trump, on whether people should be allowed to leave the cruise ship where COVID-19 infections have been reported: "I like the numbers being where they are, I don't need to have the numbers double due to one ship, it wasn't our false."
This is some sick shit. The President is talking about how he wants Americans to be left on a ship infected with a pandemic virus, because if he lets them off the ship, then the number of people in the U.S. who are infected will go up, and politically that's bad for him.
Trump is talking about how the number of people with COVID-19 is really "much higher," but since we don't know they have the virus, it makes "the numbers" -- i.e., the death rate, -- look worse.
Trump literally thinks it's a good thing that we have tons of unidentified cases.
Trump literally thinks it's a good thing that we have tons of unidentified cases.
Trump is attacking WA governor Inslee as a "snake," and that he told Pence not to be nice to him or compliment how he's handling the epidemic, because he'll just attack Trump still.
CDC official is saying it's not in the U.S.'s interest right now to test outside of known infection areas, but eventually we'll start looking broader for the virus, so then we'll be able to say, "whoops, this virus snuck into Northern Maine! Whoops, it snuck into Kansas!"
Trump says he "doesn't necessarily agree with proactive testing," because he thinks we'll be able to find out where people are infected "by waiting."
The President has openly stated that he prefers not to proactively search for new COVID-19 infections, and that it's his preference to have infected people on cruise ships be left on the ships so that that the "official" number of infected people in the U.S. doesn't go up –
– and the U.S.'s response to the epidemic was crippled both by a massive, still-unexplained failure by to develop enough testing kits, and by the CDC's restrictions on testing that, if followed, had the effect of making it IMPOSSIBLE to detect any cases of community transmission.
And we're supposed to just assume that these two things are unrelated? That this massive fuck up by the federal government that left us all in greater danger just ~happened~ to also advance the President's goal of obscuring how many people here are actually infected?
I promise that, as bonkers as these quotes may sound, the reality of that press briefing was even worse.
Pence is now at the WH giving the grown up's version of the daily briefing on COVID-19.
The tone of this briefing is infinitely more appropriate, but the lies are coming just as fast.
The tone of this briefing is infinitely more appropriate, but the lies are coming just as fast.
Although Pence just acknowledged that Trump, in his briefing a moment ago, was lying about anyone who wanted to be tested being able to be tested; Pence says he promises that "in a matter of weeks these tests will be broadly available" to those who request it.
Pence, asked about this discrepancy, says the President was "absolutely right" that anyone who wants a test can get one, then gives the non-answer that's why Trump brought in private commercial labs, because they the capacity to create enough tests.
A reporter tries again, asks by what date we expect "anyone who wants a test can get a test."
Pence says because of Trump's regulation changes, all public labs now "can" do tests – but Pence means they are *permitted* to do tests, and does not mention that they lack the ability.
Pence says because of Trump's regulation changes, all public labs now "can" do tests – but Pence means they are *permitted* to do tests, and does not mention that they lack the ability.
Pence was asked about Trump calling Governor Inslee "a snake" earlier, but Pence ignored the question and no one has followed up.
No one has yet asked Pence about Trump's statements describing why he wants to keep the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases artificially low.
No one has yet asked Pence about Trump's statements describing why he wants to keep the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases artificially low.
CDC Head: We've shipped out enough tests for 75,000 people.
FDA Head, 30 minutes later: We just shipped out 900,000 tests.
Well, which is it? Does it take 12 tests to test a single person for COVID-19? Or are the FDA and CDC just making numbers up?
FDA Head, 30 minutes later: We just shipped out 900,000 tests.
Well, which is it? Does it take 12 tests to test a single person for COVID-19? Or are the FDA and CDC just making numbers up?
