NOW: @realDonaldTrump opens briefing by talking about @THEHermanCain, who he says "passed away from the China virus."
The virus is called SARS-CoV-2.
"We mourn their loss," he says of the 150,000 who've died from COVID-19.
The virus is called SARS-CoV-2.
"We mourn their loss," he says of the 150,000 who've died from COVID-19.
.@realDonaldTrump is now reading off a list of countries which he claims are having resurgences in COVID-19 cases as if it makes the complete failure to control the virus' spread in this country somehow better.
"Latin America leads the world in confirmed cases," @realDonaldTrump says, adding immediately afterward that because of a lack of testing it's not possible to know how many cases are in Latin America.
.@realDonaldTrump is once again falsely claiming that the 1918 flu pandemic happened in 1917.
"These facts illustrate the imposing
determinant — and it is a determinant -- that a blanket shutdown to achieve a temporary reduction in cases is certainly not a viable long term strategy for any country," @realDonaldTrump says.
Not sure he's reading that right.
determinant — and it is a determinant -- that a blanket shutdown to achieve a temporary reduction in cases is certainly not a viable long term strategy for any country," @realDonaldTrump says.
Not sure he's reading that right.
Trump is now praising himself for having done "the right thing" even though he browbeat governors into ending shutdowns before the curve was actually flattened.
.@realDonaldTrump once again seems sedated. He's not quite slurring his speech today, but it seems like he's struggling with the written remarks in front of him.
.@realDonaldTrump now urging folks who've recovered from COVID-19 to donate "plahhhhs-ma"
"remdis-a-var"
.@realDonaldTrump turns to efforts to "ensuring a strong economic comeback," bragging of "setting records on job creation" for the past two months (it's easy when a record number are out of work)
.@realDonaldTrump appears to be claiming that the economy added 7 million jobs because of the eviction moratorium.
"Next year is going to be one of our best years," @realDonaldTrump says (he may not be president next year)
.@realDonaldTrump calling for the temporary unemployment benefit extension that Democrats have already said is a non-starter
Trump says he wants more direct payments.
He's framing this as something Democrats are obstructing but the fact is the Senate GOP can't even agree on what should be in their bill.
He's framing this as something Democrats are obstructing but the fact is the Senate GOP can't even agree on what should be in their bill.
Trump now claiming without evidence that school closures will cause "death" and accuses governors of "maybe" wanting to keep schools closed for political reasons.
he's also calling for defunding public schools in favor of vouchers.
he's also calling for defunding public schools in favor of vouchers.
.@realDonaldTrump now claiming without evidence that everything will be opened up after the November 3rd election.
"We put America first," @realDonaldTrump says.
In terms of the number of COVID-19 cases/deaths, this is 100% true.
In terms of the number of COVID-19 cases/deaths, this is 100% true.
Asked by @steveholland1 whether he'll try delaying the election (which he has no power to do), @realDonaldTrump now claiming that New York's problems processing mail ballots supports doing so.
Trump now claims it could take "years" to determine who wins the election with vote-by mail. If no winner is declared by 1/20, the Speaker of the House (presumably @SpeakerPelosi) becomes Acting President.
.@realDonaldTrump now attacking @JoeBiden over fracking.
.@realDonaldTrump now making ridiculous claim that absentee balloting and vote-by-mail are somehow different.
"Where are they going to go?" he asks about ballots (they go to registered voters' addresses)
"Where are they going to go?" he asks about ballots (they go to registered voters' addresses)
.@realDonaldTrump getting a bit slurry, he's confusing a @WSJ editorial with the fact-based journalism in the rest of the paper.
.@realDonaldTrump now claiming without any evidence that foreign countries can forge mail/absentee ballots (they can't) and suggesting that mail ballots will "disappear" (which he's enabling by gutting the US postal service)
.@realDonaldTrump now says he does not want to see the date of the election change (which he has zero power to do anyway).
"A lot of people are saying" that the election will be "rigged," @realDonaldTrump claims (no one except him and sycophants are saying this)
"It's China's fault, and that's the way it is," @realDonaldTrump says of COVID-19-induced job loss
"Ore-gahhn"
"We think they don't know what they're doing," @realDonaldTrump says of Oregon's governor and Portland's mayor.
.@realDonaldTrump now threatens to send in the national guard against protesters, who he calls "professional anarchists who hate our country." He says they should be arrested for this.
Portland is a "beehive of terrorists," @realDonaldTrump says.
.@realDonaldTrump claims without evidence that young people are "almost immune" to COVID-19 (this is not even slightly true).
