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Trump wants to reopen US businesses in weeks 'not months' even as deaths rise – follow live | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Democrats voted to oppose motion on the coronavirus stimulus bill, while Dr Anthony Fauci and others warn against scaling back social distancing | Democrats voted to oppose motion on the coronavirus stimulus bill, while Dr Anthony Fauci and others warn against scaling back social distancing |
Will the press briefing “look like this forever”? Trump asks. | |
Trump asked his coronavirus response coordinator a question, as he looked out at the much-more-empty than usual White House briefing room, with many fewer reporters than usual, and many empty seats between each journalist. | |
Before, the briefing room had been full of lots of “angry people who don’t like me”, Trump said, referring to the White House press corps. And the room used to be “full to the brim”, people almost sitting on each other’s laps, Trump said. “Will we ever have that again, or ... it will look like this forever?” | |
He turned to attorney general Bill Barr, who was standing behind him, after he asked the question, and Barr chuckled, suggesting he thought this was a funny joke. | |
Birx dodged answering at first, but Trump asked it again: once the immediate crisis of coronavirus is over, will it be all right for the White House press room to be overflowing with journalists once again? | |
“I don’t know,” Birx said, saying that the briefing room at the moment looked like clinics around the world where people were taking preventive measures against the spread of tuberculosis. | |
An update from California: | |
Speaking at an afternoon press conference, governor Gavin Newsom updated Californians on where the situation stands with available hospital beds and hotel rooms for the state’s unhoused. | |
Here’s snapshot of the state’s preparedness, by the numbers, according to Newsom: | |
Rooms and hospital beds: | |
108,000: The number of unhoused in California who need shelter | |
51,000: The number of hotel rooms Newsom plans to provide for the unhoused | |
416: Hospitals in California | |
78,000: Hospital beds that typically exist in the state. | |
19,500: The number of beds that the state will have to have to meet demand due to coronavirus. | |
1,000: Number of beds at skilled nursing facilities Newsom is looking to add to assist the elderly | |
Unemployment claims: | |
2,000: The number of claims California sees in a typical day | |
40,000: Unemployment claims California saw a week ago Monday | |
140,000: Unemployment claims the state saw yesterday (meaning it may take additional time to issue payments). | |
“Uh-oh.” | |
A bizarre moment of comedy came earlier in this press conference. | |
“Saturday, I had a little low-grade fever,” Dr Deborah Birx said. “Uh-oh,” President Trump says, and backs away from the podium. (She said she got a test and tested negative, and the president eventually moved back.) | |
The context for this little interaction? Reporters had been pressing Birx about the continuing guidance that Americans only get tested if they show symptoms. | |
Trump has repeatedly suggested that a damaged American economy could create “more death” than potential deaths from the coronavirus. | |
“People get tremendous anxiety and depression and you have suicide over things like this, when you have a terrible economy, you have death, definitely would be in far greater numbers than we’re talking about with regard to the virus,” Trump said. “We have a double obligation. We have a great country, there’s no country like it in the world, and there’s no economy like it in the world.” | |
Major theme of this press conference: Trump wants to get the American economy going again as soon as possible, and is not open to the idea of restrictive public health measures going on for months. | |
Asked what he would do if, a week from now, public health experts asked him to extend public health restrictions, Trump said, “We’ll see what happens.” | |
Later, Trump said that very soon “we’re going to be opening up our country”. | |
Asked by a reporter if that meant “weeks or months,” Trump said, “I’m not looking at months, I can tell you right now.” | |
One early takeaway from tonight’s White House coronavirus press briefing: New York, New Jersey and Long Island are a center of coronavirus cases. | One early takeaway from tonight’s White House coronavirus press briefing: New York, New Jersey and Long Island are a center of coronavirus cases. |
More from the White House’s coronavirus press briefing. | More from the White House’s coronavirus press briefing. |
“Less than 1% of all mortality” is people younger than 50. That doesn’t mean that younger people may not get seriously ill, but “99% of all mortality coming out of Europe in general is over 50 and [people who have] pre-existing conditions”, said Dr Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for Trump’s coronavirus task force. | “Less than 1% of all mortality” is people younger than 50. That doesn’t mean that younger people may not get seriously ill, but “99% of all mortality coming out of Europe in general is over 50 and [people who have] pre-existing conditions”, said Dr Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for Trump’s coronavirus task force. |
That data does not change the need to follow social distancing and other public health guidances, Birx said. “It doesn’t change the need to protect the elderly.” | That data does not change the need to follow social distancing and other public health guidances, Birx said. “It doesn’t change the need to protect the elderly.” |
That’s the reassurance that the attorney general of the United States just gave to the American public, as he announced a crackdown on hoarding and price gouging of vital supplies. | That’s the reassurance that the attorney general of the United States just gave to the American public, as he announced a crackdown on hoarding and price gouging of vital supplies. |
The people who do need to worry, attorney general Bill Barr said, are people who might have a warehouse full of protective masks. Those people should “expect a knock on your door.” | The people who do need to worry, attorney general Bill Barr said, are people who might have a warehouse full of protective masks. Those people should “expect a knock on your door.” |
Barr said that no items have yet been officially designated as vital supplies that will be the focus of this crackdown. | Barr said that no items have yet been officially designated as vital supplies that will be the focus of this crackdown. |
Meanwhile: No deal expected tonight on Congress’ nearly $2tn stimulus bill to help Americans and American businesses during the crisis, PBS NewsHour reports. | Meanwhile: No deal expected tonight on Congress’ nearly $2tn stimulus bill to help Americans and American businesses during the crisis, PBS NewsHour reports. |
Asian Americans are not to blame for coronavirus and “they are working closely with us,” Trump tweeted. | Asian Americans are not to blame for coronavirus and “they are working closely with us,” Trump tweeted. |
So....who is “us”? | So....who is “us”? |
Trump opened his press conference with the promise that “the hardship will end. It will end soon.” | Trump opened his press conference with the promise that “the hardship will end. It will end soon.” |
“Our country was not built to be shut down,” Trump said. “This is not a country that was built for this. It was not built to be shut down.” | “Our country was not built to be shut down,” Trump said. “This is not a country that was built for this. It was not built to be shut down.” |
Life will return to normal, the president said, and it will happen a lot faster than the three to four months some have projected. | Life will return to normal, the president said, and it will happen a lot faster than the three to four months some have projected. |