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Trump Floats Economic Stimulus in Response to Coronavirus Trump Floats Economic Stimulus in Response to Coronavirus
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WASHINGTON — President Trump moved on Monday to curb widening fear over the spread of the coronavirus by announcing that he would work with Congress to bolster the economy through tax cuts and other measures after the worst stock market drop in more than a decade. WASHINGTON — President Trump moved on Monday to address the economic effects of the widening coronavirus crisis by announcing that he would work with Congress on tax cuts and other measures after the worst stock market drop in more than a decade.
The president, who played down the virus threat earlier in the day, made an unscheduled appearance in the White House briefing room shortly after two Republican members of Congress who have spent time with him in recent days put themselves into quarantine after being exposed to the virus, including one who just rode with him on Air Force One. The president, who played down the virus threat earlier in the day, made an unscheduled evening appearance in the White House briefing room after two Republican members of Congress who have spent time with him in recent days, including one who just rode with him on Air Force One, put themselves into quarantine following exposure to the virus.
Mr. Trump said he would meet on Tuesday with congressional leaders to discuss a “very substantial” payroll tax cut and legislation intended to protect hourly wage earners who may have to miss work because of the spread of the virus. He said he would also discuss expanding loans by the Small Business Administration. Mr. Trump made no mention of his own contact with the affected lawmakers but, clearly unsettled by the plunging markets and the potential effect on his re-election prospects, offered an economic response without any new health measures.
“This was something that we were thrown into and we’re going to handle it and we have been handling it very well,” Mr. Trump told reporters. He added, “The main thing is that we’re taking care of the American public and we will be taking care of the American public.” He said he would meet on Tuesday with Republican congressional leaders to discuss a “very substantial” payroll tax cut and legislation to protect hourly wage earners who may have to miss work because of the virus. He said he would also discuss expanding loans by the Small Business Administration. He did not provide any details.
The president’s comments came hours after stock markets closed their worst day since the financial crash of 2008, losing about 7 percent of their value during the session. Mr. Trump, who regularly invokes the market as an indicator of his success, did not address the market decline during his White House appearance. Earlier in the day he blamed it on falling oil prices and the news media even though most market analysts attributed it to concern about the impact of the virus on the global economy. “It’s not their fault,” he said of affected workers. “It’s not our country’s fault. This was something that we were thrown into and we’re going to handle it and we have been handling it very well.”
He praised his own decision last month to restrict entry to the United States by foreign citizens who had been to China in the previous 14 days. He added, “The main thing is that we’re taking care of the American public and we will be taking care of the American public.”
“The big decision was early when we shut down our borders,” he said, overstating the action he took. “We were the first ones ever to do that. We’ve never done that in our country before. We would have a situation that would be a lot more dire.” The developments came on one of the most jarring days of Mr. Trump’s presidency as markets plummeted, infections rose, schools and universities shut down classes and other nations imposed drastic travel restrictions. With individual lawmakers now heading into isolation, members on Capitol Hill contemplated whether Congress should recess altogether for the foreseeable future to guard against a further spread among the nation’s legislators.
Mr. Trump made no mention of his contacts with the two lawmakers and uncharacteristically left without taking questions, including whether he had been tested for the virus. Vice President Mike Pence, who took over the briefing, said he himself had not been tested but that he did not know about the president. He said the White House would respond later on Monday night. The tension of the day was reflected on Air Force One as it made its way from Florida back to Washington. Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, boarded the plane steps behind the president in Orlando, where Mr. Trump held a campaign fund-raiser, only to learn shortly after takeoff that he had been in contact with an infected person at a conservative conference late last month. He then essentially quarantined himself in the air, left to sit in a compartment of the plane by himself.
Addressing one of the main lines of criticism of the administration’s response to the growing crisis, Mr. Pence said one million tests had been distributed across the country so far and repeated his assurance that the number would be four million by the end of the week. As the jet raced toward Washington, its television screens were tuned to Fox News showing the slow-motion progress of a cruise ship with 21 infected passengers heading to a port in Oakland, Calif., followed by overhead cameras under a “Virus Ship Watch” chyron, while a red box in the lower-left-hand corner showed the sinking Dow Jones industrial average, which finished the day down more than 2,000 points, or about 7 percent.
Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, who attended a party with Mr. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate over the weekend and traveled with him from Florida to the capital on Monday afternoon, announced an hour after getting off the president’s plane that he would remain out of contact with other people for the next few days. Mr. Trump, who regularly invokes the market as an indicator of his success, on Twitter initially blamed the meltdown on falling oil prices and the news media even though most market analysts attributed the bulk of it to concern about the effect of the virus on the global economy. He made no mention of it when he met with reporters in the evening.
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Mr. Gaetz boarded Air Force One in Orlando through the front door just steps behind the president, who had stopped there for a fund-raiser on the way back to Washington. Shortly after takeoff, Mr. Gaetz learned that he had been in touch with an infected person at the Conservative Political Action Conference late last month, according to two people informed about the situation. He did praise his own decision last month to restrict entry to the United States by foreign citizens who had been to China in the previous 14 days.
He then was essentially quarantined while in the air, sitting in a section of the plane alone. Reporters spotted Mr. Gaetz getting off the back of the plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland outside of Washington, where he was then escorted to a waiting car. “The big decision was early when we shut down our borders,” he said, overstating the action he took. “We were the first ones ever to do that. We’ve never done that in our country before. We would have a situation that would be a lot more dire.”
“While the Congressman is not experiencing symptoms, he received testing today and expects results soon,” Mr. Gaetz’s staff wrote on his Twitter feed. “Under doctor’s usual precautionary recommendations, he’ll remain self-quarantined until the 14-day period expires this week.” Mr. Trump has resisted canceling campaign rallies despite other large events being scrubbed, and a person close to the campaign said he would announce another one on Tuesday. But his campaign on Monday called off a “Women for Trump” bus tour featuring his daughter-in-law and other top election surrogates.
Representative Doug Collins, Republican of Georgia, who toured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta with Mr. Trump on Friday, likewise went into isolation on Monday after being told by the C.D.C. that it had found a photograph of him with the infected person at the conservative conference. The three-day bus tour through the key battleground states of Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania was to, featuring Lara Trump, the wife of the president’s son Eric Trump; Kayleigh McEnany, a campaign spokeswoman; and Mercedes Schlapp, a former White House adviser whose husband oversees the Conservative Political Action Conference, where an attendee has tested positive for the virus.
That attendee came into contact with at least four Republican lawmakers who have now quarantined themselves, including two who did so on Monday after spending time with the president.
Mr. Gaetz, who attended events with Mr. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach on Friday and Saturday night, met up with the president again on Monday at the Orlando fund-raiser. Mr. Trump then asked Mr. Gaetz to join him on Air Force One back to Washington.
In an interview, Mr. Gaetz said that he received a phone call from his chief of staff as the plane was taking off telling him that a picture had been found of him with the infected conference attendee 11 days earlier, meaning he had potentially been exposed to the virus. He said he told John McEntee, a top White House official, and asked to be separated from the other passengers.
“He walked me back to a room toward the rear of Air Force One,” Mr. Gaetz said. “I went in there by myself.” A physician traveling with the president then came back and told him that since he had no symptoms 11 days later he probably had not contracted the virus. But Mr. Gaetz said he remained apart from the rest of the passengers for the rest of the flight.
As Air Force One was landing, Mr. Trump summoned him to the front of the plane. “I would not go into his office,” Mr. Gaetz said. “I stood outside of it. He just wanted to see if I was all right which I am.”
He said the president used humor to lighten the situation. “He asked if I needed to be wrapped in cellophane,” Mr. Gaetz said. “I told him that I was willing to jump out of the plane without a parachute if necessary.” He added that he was tested after landing and expects his results back on Tuesday.
Mr. Gaetz drew attention last week when he wore a bulky gas mask in the Capitol for the vote on an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill to combat the coronavirus. Days later a resident of his Florida district died from coronavirus, prompting some to suggest that he had made light of the risks. Mr. Gaetz denied that, saying he was making a serious point about the risk to lawmakers who interact with so many people.
Representative Doug Collins, Republican of Georgia, who toured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta with Mr. Trump on Friday, likewise went into isolation on Monday after being told by the C.D.C. that he too had been spotted in a photograph with the infected person at the conference.
Mr. Collins was on the tarmac when Mr. Trump landed in Atlanta on Friday and shook the president’s hand before joining him on the tour of the C.D.C. “While I am not experiencing any symptoms, I have decided to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution,” Mr. Collins wrote on his Twitter feed.Mr. Collins was on the tarmac when Mr. Trump landed in Atlanta on Friday and shook the president’s hand before joining him on the tour of the C.D.C. “While I am not experiencing any symptoms, I have decided to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution,” Mr. Collins wrote on his Twitter feed.
That makes four members of Congress who have now quarantined themselves because of their potential exposure at the conservative conference, including Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, both Republicans. Mr. Trump started the day playing down the virus, reminding Americans that tens of thousands of people die of the ordinary flu every year. “Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on,” he wrote on Twitter. “At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”
Mr. Gaetz drew attention last week when he wore a bulky gas mask in the Capitol for the vote on an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill to combat the coronavirus. Days later a resident of his Florida district died from coronavirus, prompting some to suggest that he had made light of the risks. He dismissed the impact of the outbreak in fueling Monday’s market meltdown, the worst since the financial crisis of 2008. “Saudi Arabia and Russia are arguing over the price and flow of oil,” he wrote. “That, and the Fake News, is the reason for the market drop!”
Mr. Gaetz denied that. “Made light?!?!” he wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “I was quite serious. The threat to Congress is real, as I explained based on travel and habits like selfies and handshakes.”
Mr. Trump told reporters as recently as Saturday that he was not worried as the coronavirus seemed to be making its way closer to the White House.
“No, I’m not concerned at all,” he said.
But the news that he had spent time with two members of Congress now in isolation may change the calculus for a president who has sought to play down the threat of the outbreak and resisted making changes to his own schedule.
The latest development came hours after Mr. Trump’s campaign called off a “Women for Trump” bus tour featuring his daughter-in-law and other top election surrogates amid ongoing concerns about the coronavirus, two people close to the campaign said.
The three-day bus tour through the key battleground states of Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania was supposed to begin on Monday, featuring Lara Trump, the wife of the president’s son Eric Trump; Kayleigh McEnany, a campaign spokeswoman; and Mercedes Schlapp, a former White House adviser whose husband oversees the Conservative Political Action Conference where an attendee has tested positive for the virus.
But after an advisory was sent out broadly last week, the bus tour was quietly postponed, with notices going to reporters and attendees who were planning to participate. A campaign spokeswoman cited “scheduling conflicts.” But the two people familiar with the events said the decision came after Ms. Schlapp sought a postponement in the wake of the diagnosis of the person who attended the CPAC event.
After publication of this article, Erin Perinne, a campaign spokeswoman, said it was “untrue” that it was moved because of Ms. Schlapp. Ms. Schlapp, in a brief telephone interview, later said it was not at her request that the tour was postponed.
The delay came as Mr. Trump tried to reassure the public by once again emphasizing that coronavirus remained a relatively low risk for most Americans.
“So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu,” he wrote on Twitter in the morning as he arrived in Orlando for his campaign fund-raiser. “It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”
He appeared to dismiss the impact of the outbreak in fueling Monday’s market meltdown, the worst since the financial crisis of 2008. “Saudi Arabia and Russia are arguing over the price and flow of oil,” he wrote. “That, and the Fake News, is the reason for the market drop!”
He even sought to cast the decline in oil prices in positive terms. “Good for the consumer, gasoline prices coming down!” he wrote.He even sought to cast the decline in oil prices in positive terms. “Good for the consumer, gasoline prices coming down!” he wrote.
His advisers expressed more concern. “This is a very serious public health issue,” Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, told reporters on a conference call on Monday morning. “It’s a serious issue globally. The risk to any individual American generally remains low, but we’ve been very candid that for individuals, in particular the older individuals and in particular those with various elements of medical fragility, to take a special precautions.” The White House has debated how to proceed, with some advisers to the president advocating more aggressive action and others urging caution for fear of the economic impact. Senior officials engaged in spirited talks last week about whether to warn older Americans against traveling on cruise ships.
The delayed bus tour was the most visible sign of disruption for the president’s world after days of health experts offering increasingly urgent public commentary about the spread of the coronavirus. The president has said he will continue with the large-scale rallies he relishes, but for the first time in months, none are currently scheduled. As those discussions intensified, at least eight members of the administration’s coronavirus task force, including those with medical backgrounds as well as Cabinet officials such as Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, recommended sending the cruise notice
The White House doctor who treats Mr. Trump has been sitting in on meetings related to the coronavirus, administration officials said, and has been monitoring how many events are put on the president’s schedule. He has cautioned against overloading Mr. Trump’s day to the point where he gets run down, according to one senior administration official, who added that the doctor has given such guidance in the past as well. Another senior administration official asserted that nothing out of the ordinary had been suggested by the president’s doctor. But two senior White House officials — Joe Grogan, the head of the Domestic Policy Council, and Larry Kudlow, the president’s national economic adviser — argued that they should consider the effects of such a move on 150,000 jobs in Florida, where the tourism industry could be particularly hard hit, according to two senior administration officials. Ultimately the proponents of a notice won out and the State Department posted it on its website on Sunday.
Mr. Trump has asked advisers whether he needs to reduce how many hands he shakes, but he has shown reluctance to change his actual habits — long before the current outbreak, he made a habit of slathering his hands with sanitizer once he finishes with crowds. At a closed-door fund-raiser at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, he appeared to avoid shaking hands in video posted on social media, elbow bumping one guest instead. The White House doctor who treats Mr. Trump has attended meetings related to the coronavirus, administration officials said, and monitored how many events are put on the president’s schedule.
The president’s mood appeared grim Monday morning as the markets plummeted while he left Palm Beach, where he spent the weekend golfing, hosting a birthday party and having dinner with Brazil’s visiting president. He swiftly boarded Air Force One without waiting for news photographers to arrive on the tarmac below the stairs, to take his picture, as he typically does. After landing in Orlando, though, he made a point of shaking hands with Gov. Ron DeSantis and then briefly shaking hands with a crowd of supporters who had gathered to watch his arrival. He has cautioned against overloading Mr. Trump’s day to the point where he gets run down, according to one senior administration official, who added that the doctor has given such guidance in the past as well. Another official asserted that nothing out of the ordinary had been suggested by the doctor.
Mr. Trump has been accused of underplaying the danger of the virus even as his administration has imposed travel restrictions and struggled to expand the distribution of testing kits. In private, the president has complained that his own health secretary was being “alarmist,” but fear over the virus has begun to ripple through the economy and society in remarkable ways, as organizations cancel conventions and travel, schools and universities begin to cancel in-person classes and airlines and hotels weigh significant layoffs. Mr. Trump has asked advisers whether he needs to reduce how many hands he shakes, but he has shown reluctance to change his habits — long before the current outbreak, he made a practice of slathering his hands with sanitizer once he finishes with crowds. At a closed-door fund-raiser at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, he appeared to avoid shaking hands in video posted on social media, elbow bumping one guest instead. But on Monday, he made a point of shaking hands with supporters waiting for him at the Orlando airport.
The impact on American life was evident even in Mr. Trump’s own schedule. Aside from the fund-raiser, he had been scheduled to address a global health care conference in Orlando, but it was canceled because of fear of coronavirus.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to attend a conference of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas this weekend and has made no changes to his plans so far.
Former Senator Norm Coleman, Republican of Minnesota and chairman of the group, sent out a message to people planning to attend intended to reassure them about the low risk of coronavirus by citing the president’s participation.
“It’s important to note that we have the most protected and high-profile speaker in the country attending, President Donald J. Trump,” he wrote. “Our regular communications with both the White House Coronavirus Task Force and Secret Service indicate that the president would not be at risk at our conference and as such have every intention of joining us this coming weekend. Should that change, we will of course let you know.”
Matthew Brooks, the coalition’s executive director, denied that organizers were considering canceling the event. “It is absolutely categorically untrue,” he said in an interview. “We’ve had no conversations about canceling, no pressure. These are decisions we have made internally.”
“Ultimately people have to make their own decisions,” he added. “The amount of cancellations and attrition has been less than 10 percent. Part of our decision is letting the marketplace decide.”
Peter Baker and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York.Peter Baker and Annie Karni reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York.