Trump press conference starting now. They ARE evoking the defense production act to make ventilators and so forth.
FEMA at "level 1--the highest level" everywhere
Two DOD hospital ships--the Mercy and the Comfort--coming NYC and somewhere on West Coast.
Vaccine trials underway. (will still take a year to do the safety checks)
Making self-swab kits that "are not very nice. I can tell you because i did it."
STFU you giant self-centered baby
STFU you giant self-centered baby
"Exciting things" happening at the FDA.
All foreclosures and evictions suspended until the end of April.
He talks about how eager Americans were to enlist in WWII.
Reminder he got a "bone spur" deferment that is almost certainly false. Had his "personal Vietnam" by having unprotected sex in the 70s.
Reminder he got a "bone spur" deferment that is almost certainly false. Had his "personal Vietnam" by having unprotected sex in the 70s.
Kicks to Pence. Dear Leadering about to begin.
By mutual consent, US/Canada border is sealed to all non-essential travel (not goods).
(all this FEMA/DPA stuff should have happened weeks ago)
Pence says tests are...coming...should still be limited to symptomatic people.
DHHS new regulation: All doctors and medical professionals can operate across state lines.
All elective procedures should be delayed.
Pence says the 15-day social distancing guidelines are hugely important.
(also many places have already gone past 15 days and this will happen generally)
(also many places have already gone past 15 days and this will happen generally)
Dr. Birx soft blames millenials for the spread, their adherence to social distancing is key.
Says reports from Europe about mortality in young children are preliminary but worrisome. More study needed. Here's a story on that: nytimes.com/2020/03/17/hea…
Says reports from Europe about mortality in young children are preliminary but worrisome. More study needed. Here's a story on that: nytimes.com/2020/03/17/hea…
DOD drastically reducing travel of personnel and family.
Distributing masks and ventilators to DHHS.
Distributing masks and ventilators to DHHS.
Field hospitals to be deployed by military "at the direction of the commander in chief."
Seema Verma up. Reminder that she is truly awful: motherjones.com/politics/2019/…
Non-essential medical and dental procedures should be forgone to save equipment for true need, and to limit risks of infection during those procedures.
She heads Medicaid and Medicare, so some teeth there.
She heads Medicaid and Medicare, so some teeth there.
VA is limiting visitors and doing triage to see who can visit facilities.
VA also limiting all non-essential procedures.
VA may deploy its medical professionals to front-lines of crisis
Trump taking questions. Says he doesn't think this will rival Great Depression
Why do you keep calling this the Chinese Virus? People say this is racist, been bias attacks etc
"it comes from China"
"it comes from China"
What are you going to use DPA to do?
Trump...clearly has no grasp of the details.
Trump...clearly has no grasp of the details.
What size will the checks be sent out to all Americans?
TBD. Praises bipartisan efforts on this.
TBD. Praises bipartisan efforts on this.
"It snuck up on us"
No
It
Didn't
No
It
Didn't
Trump embraces the "war-time footing" with glee, and then says he had to close the economy down to defeat this enemy
"Hospitals are supposed to have ventilators too"
"Nobody saw these numbers coming"
(yes they did. In past scenarios and specifically as of two months ago.
"Nobody saw these numbers coming"
(yes they did. In past scenarios and specifically as of two months ago.
Pence says 10,000 DOD ventilators will be put to use.
Praises the "tremendous spirit" of industry leaders to make more
Praises the "tremendous spirit" of industry leaders to make more
Q: What was tipping point re Canadian border?
Trump: "no tipping point....just something we thought would be good for both countries"
Trump: "no tipping point....just something we thought would be good for both countries"
"We're playing with a lot of big numbers and a lot of small numbers"
"it was nobody's fault--well it was somebody's fault"
"it was nobody's fault--well it was somebody's fault"
Has FDA approved this self-swab test?
Trump: No, they're looking at it. But i think it would be great because the other is inconveinent."
Trump: No, they're looking at it. But i think it would be great because the other is inconveinent."
(So in other words he touted something at top of presser that does not yet exist)
Q: If you've shipped millions of test kits why have only 59,000 been processed?"
Trump kicks to Birx: Who says now private labs can process tens of thousands of tests a day, #s of confirmed cases will dramatically increase next 4-5 days. This doesn't mean curve worse than Italy
Trump kicks to Birx: Who says now private labs can process tens of thousands of tests a day, #s of confirmed cases will dramatically increase next 4-5 days. This doesn't mean curve worse than Italy
Birx also says that because the earlier tests caught in logjams were more likely to be infected, this is why infection rate will seem to jump
Asked why rich people seem to get tests even when there are no tests Trump essentially says: That's life
Trump says tariffs not partly to blame for lack of supplies
Not true
Not true
Q: A week ago you said unless you had sustained contact with someone with COVID you had not to worry...how do you reconcile with shelter in place orders
A: Kicked to Brix: the curves in other countries and surface contact research made us worry more...
A: Kicked to Brix: the curves in other countries and surface contact research made us worry more...
So the upshot here is that the shelter in place is as much about surfaces (hard surfaces) as human to human contact.
WOW
WOW
Q: Are you looking at cutting all travel?
Trump: does not answer that part of the question
Trump: does not answer that part of the question
Q: Brix name-checked millenials about not heeding advice, but what about your supporters?
Trump steers back to millenials.
Trump steers back to millenials.
"I know where it came from. I don't say China's 'to blame' but it comes from China."
Do you believe China is inflicting this upon our country?
No I don't believe they inflicted it. But they could have warned us a lot earlier.
No I don't believe they inflicted it. But they could have warned us a lot earlier.
Trump asked about approval ratings. He makes up a bunch of bullshit.
Also calls Biden "Sleepy Joe"
