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Coronavirus US live: Trump attacks media in combative briefing with few virus updates Coronavirus US live: Trump attacks media in combative briefing with few virus updates
(32 minutes later)
‘I don’t mind controversy,’ US president says in White House briefing on coronavirus crisis‘I don’t mind controversy,’ US president says in White House briefing on coronavirus crisis
Fact check: Hydroxychloroquine
Earlier in the briefing, Trump talked about a “friend” who treated himself with hydroxychloroquine and got better. We’ve noted this before, but at this point, hydroxychloroquine is not a proven treatment for Covid-19.
In the week beginning March 30, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that is also used to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, with an “emergency use authorization” to use on coronavirus patients in some circumstances.
Clinical trials to test the drug’s effectiveness in treating coronavirus have begun across the world, and in the US. However, experts, including US public health officials, have warned that it is too early to know if hydroxychloroquine works.
So far, the evidence that it’s a cure for coronavirus is anecdotal and mixed. An initial French study that appeared to have launched the Trump administration’s obsession with the drug has since been discredited.
The drug is considered relatively safe for people without an underlying illness, but it’s unclear if it is safe for severely sick Covid-19 patients, who may have incurred organ damage due to the virus.
The surge in demand for the unproven hydroxychloroquine also risks shortages of the drug for those who need it most. It is used to help patients manage the chronic autoimmune disease lupus, but some are already complaining the drug is harder to come by.
Read more:
Does Mike Pence agree with Trump’s understanding of federalism and agree that the president has “total” authority?
He evaded the question.
“I support the president’s leadership under the National Emergency Declaration that he signed,” Pence said. “We’re standing before you today for the first time in American history when all 50 states have issued emergency declarations.”
The president said that he’ll decide by the end of the week whether the US will continue to fund the World Health Organization (WHO). The international body has been a frequent scapegoat for Trump, who blames WHO officials for the severity of the pandemic.
Read more here on why WHO’s responsibility far outweighs its power and capacity:
Fact check: Presidential powers, again
A president’s “the authority is total,” Trump said. State and local officials “can’t do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.
This is false. Federal power is divided between three branches of government — the legislative, the judicial and the executive. The president is part of the latter. Moreover, the US is a federal system — where state officials have significant authority.
Read the White House’s own explainer on how the government here. The section on state governments reads:
Fact check: Testing
“We inherited broken testing,” Trump said. It’s unclear from whom Trump is saying the US inherited faulty tests. Covid-19 did not emerge until recently, so there’s no way the previous administration could have overseen the development of a test.
The testing template that the World Health Organization (WHO) provided was sound. And in fact, some of the initial coronavirus tests developed and administered in US were seriously flawed. Part of the problem came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shunned the WHO template and insisted on developing a more complicated version that correctly identified Covid-19, but also flagged other viruses —resulting in false positives.
Donald Trump will decide whether he wants to ease back distancing and reopen businesses by May 1, “later this week,” Mnuchin said. “Of course there’s economic risks in both directions,” the Treasury secretary noted.
Asked again what authority he has to compel states to reopen businesses and reverse stay-at-home orders, Trump said, “numerous provisions”. Again, constitutional scholars disagree.
Even Trump — from earlier this month — disagrees. He refused to institute a national sheltering order, saying it should be up to the states.
But if local officials attempt to resist his wishes to reopen the economy, Trump said their political careers would suffer. “I’d like to see that person run for election,” the president said.
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Americans should be receiving their stimulus checks this week. More than 80m Americans will get their payments by Wednesday, via direct deposit, he noted. “We want to do as much of this electronically as we can.”Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Americans should be receiving their stimulus checks this week. More than 80m Americans will get their payments by Wednesday, via direct deposit, he noted. “We want to do as much of this electronically as we can.”
Fact check: presidential powersFact check: presidential powers
“I have the ultimate authority” to re-open the country and scale back distancing measures, Trump claimed. He was wrong.“I have the ultimate authority” to re-open the country and scale back distancing measures, Trump claimed. He was wrong.
That is not correct. University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck has countered that: “The president has no formal legal authority to categorically override local or state shelter-in-place orders or to reopen schools and small businesses. No statute delegates to him such power; no constitutional provision invests him with such authority.”That is not correct. University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck has countered that: “The president has no formal legal authority to categorically override local or state shelter-in-place orders or to reopen schools and small businesses. No statute delegates to him such power; no constitutional provision invests him with such authority.”
Trump himself has said that state governors are — and should be — ultimately responsible for managing state shelter-in-place orders.Trump himself has said that state governors are — and should be — ultimately responsible for managing state shelter-in-place orders.
When previously asked about whether he would issue a national stay at home order, the president repeatedly deferred to the governors.When previously asked about whether he would issue a national stay at home order, the president repeatedly deferred to the governors.
Today, the governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut announced they had formed a regional advisory council. New York governor Andrew Cuomo said each state would name a public health official and an economic development official to serve on a working group alongside each governor’s chief of staff to design a “reopening plan” for their states.Today, the governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut announced they had formed a regional advisory council. New York governor Andrew Cuomo said each state would name a public health official and an economic development official to serve on a working group alongside each governor’s chief of staff to design a “reopening plan” for their states.
Shortly afterward, the states of California, Washington and Oregon announced a similar plan.Shortly afterward, the states of California, Washington and Oregon announced a similar plan.
Fact check: national stockpileFact check: national stockpile
“We inherited a stockpile where the cupboards were bare,” Trump said, seeking to blame the Obama administration for a lack of adequate resources tackle the coronavirus pandemic.“We inherited a stockpile where the cupboards were bare,” Trump said, seeking to blame the Obama administration for a lack of adequate resources tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, it seems that the stockpile was plenty stocked before Trump took office. Although the National Strategic Stockpile is a bit mysterious — it’s unclear where exactly the government has stashed supplies, and the stockpile’s contents aren’t generally public disclosed — an NPR reporter was able to visit one warehouse facility in June 2016, just a few months before Trump was inaugurated. “Shelves packed with stuff stand so tall that looking up makes me dizzy,” NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce observed at the time. In fact, it seems that the stockpile was plenty stocked before Trump took office. Although the National Strategic Stockpile is a bit mysterious – it’s unclear where exactly the government has stashed supplies, and the stockpile’s contents aren’t generally public disclosed – an NPR reporter was able to visit one warehouse facility in June 2016, just a few months before Trump was inaugurated. “Shelves packed with stuff stand so tall that looking up makes me dizzy,” NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce observed at the time.
“There are rows upon rows of ventilators that could keep sick or injured people breathing...Everything here has to be inventoried once a year, and expiration dates have to be checked. Just tending to this vast stash costs a bundle — the stockpile program’s budget is more than half a billion dollars a year.” “There are rows upon rows of ventilators that could keep sick or injured people breathing...Everything here has to be inventoried once a year, and expiration dates have to be checked. Just tending to this vast stash costs a bundle – the stockpile program’s budget is more than half a billion dollars a year.”
Making sure sick Americans have hospital beds and ventilators is “not even really our responsibility,” Trump said. The federal government has helped out regardless, he added — “even though we’re plateauing” and the US won’t end up needing all the ventilators, beds and other resources the US has stockpiled. Making sure sick Americans have hospital beds and ventilators is “not even really our responsibility”, Trump said. The federal government has helped out regardless, he added – “even though we’re plateauing” and the US won’t end up needing all the ventilators, beds and other resources the US has stockpiled.
These claims are — not true. Stay tuned for more fact checks. These claims are not true. Stay tuned for more fact checks.
Over and over again, Trump is touting his travel restrictions, which he’s referring to as a “ban on China” as evidence that he acted early, and saved lives. We’ve already fact-checked this claim, below — there’s no evidence that the travel restrictions would have made a difference because they were enacted after the virus was already spreading within the US.Over and over again, Trump is touting his travel restrictions, which he’s referring to as a “ban on China” as evidence that he acted early, and saved lives. We’ve already fact-checked this claim, below — there’s no evidence that the travel restrictions would have made a difference because they were enacted after the virus was already spreading within the US.
Moreover, the administration’s travel policy did not “ban” travel to and from China. Although non-US citizens were prohibited from entering the country if they had traveled to China within the previous two weeks, American citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members were exempt.Moreover, the administration’s travel policy did not “ban” travel to and from China. Although non-US citizens were prohibited from entering the country if they had traveled to China within the previous two weeks, American citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members were exempt.
Per a New York Times analysis, “Since Chinese officials disclosed the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonialike illness to international health officials on New Year’s Eve, at least 430,000 people have arrived in the United States on direct flights from China, including nearly 40,000 in the two months after President Trump imposed restrictions on such travel, according to an analysis of data collected in both countries.”Per a New York Times analysis, “Since Chinese officials disclosed the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonialike illness to international health officials on New Year’s Eve, at least 430,000 people have arrived in the United States on direct flights from China, including nearly 40,000 in the two months after President Trump imposed restrictions on such travel, according to an analysis of data collected in both countries.”
“I don’t mind controversy,” Trump said. “I think controversy is a good thing.”
About half an hour into the White House briefing, he has yet to provide any updates on the crisis in the US. So far, the president has taken a combattive stance, defending his record.
Trump said he’s not planning on firing Dr Fauci. Though he retweeted a post about firing the public health advisor, “I’m not firing him,” Trump said “No I like him. I think he’s terrific.”
“Not everybody is happy with Anthony,” he added. “Not everybody is happy with everybody.”
The campaign ad-style video that Trump played during the briefing was produced by his social media director Dan Scavino and “a group in the office”. So, in other words, American taxpayers paid for his office to produce the presentation.
Fact check: Ventilators
“Nobody is asking for ventilators,” the president said.
It is true that some states, so far, have ended up with more ventilators than they originally projected they would need. California has loaned 500 ventilators to states like New York. California hospitals managed to increase their stock from 7,500 machines to more than 11,000, according to the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. “That has put less strain and pressure on the state’s effort to procure additional ventilators,” Newsom said.
However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a national shortage. The US has roughly 173,000 ventilators, according to the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University. Experts from Harvard Medical School predict that the US could end up needing 31 times that number to treat coronavirus patients.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine published on Wednesday 25 March categorically concluded that the US does not have enough ventilators to treat patients with Covid-19 in the coming months.
The authors, American public health experts, wrote: “There is a broad range of estimates of the number of ventilators we will need to care for U.S. patients with Covid-19, from several hundred thousand to as many as a million. The estimates vary depending on the number, speed, and severity of infections, of course, but even the availability of testing affects the number of ventilators needed.... current estimates of the number of ventilators in the United States range from 60,000 to 160,000, depending on whether those that have only partial functionality are included. The national strategic reserve of ventilators is small and far from sufficient for the projected gap. No matter which estimate we use, there are not enough ventilators for patients with Covid-19 in the upcoming months.”
Read more:
Fact check: Did Trump act early?
The president’s highlight reel didn’t include any clips of the president playing down the severity of the virus. He repeatedly, inaccurately compared has coronavirus to the flu and told his supporters that growing worries about the coronavirus was a “hoax”.
By the time Trump announced travel restrictions from China on 31 January, most major airlines had already suspended flights, following the lead of several major international carriers that had stopped due to the outbreak.
In late February, the president said the spread of Covid-19 in the US was not inevitable and the danger to Americans “remains very low”. He predicted that the number of cases diagnosed in the country, just 15 that time, could fall to zero in “a few days”.
Trump was warned at the end of January by one of his top White House advisers that coronavirus had the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans and derail the US economy, unless tough action were taken immediately, new memos have revealed.
The memos were written by Trump’s economic adviser, Peter Navarro, and circulated via the National Security Council widely around the White House and federal agencies. They show that even within the Trump administration alarm bells were ringing by late January, at a time when the president was consistently downplaying the threat of Covid-19.
Moreover, the US intelligence community, public health experts and officials in Trump’s own administration had warned for years that the country was at risk from a pandemic, including specific warnings about a coronavirus outbreak.
An October 2019 draft report by the Department of Health and Human Services, obtained by the New York Times: “drove home just how underfunded, underprepared and uncoordinated the federal government would be for a life-or-death battle with a virus for which no treatment existed,” the Times reported.
Read more:
The video basically amounts to an extended campaign ad. Donald Trump is played clips from his preferred network from his favorite network, Fox News, as well as clips from other networks including CNN showing state leaders praising Trump’s record.
“We could give you hundreds of clips like that,” Trump said.
Fact check: Travel restrictions
Donald Trump once again pointed to his travel restrictions as evidence that he’d acted early to stop the spread of disease.
Epidemiologists have told the Guardian that these policies likely had little impact, as they were enacted after the virus was already spreading within the US. “Unfortunately, travel bans sound good,” noted Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, after Trump announced European restrictions. “But we’re way past the point where simply restricting travel is a reasonable response.”
The few studies so far that have investigated the impact of travel restrictions have found that such policies may have at best delayed the spread of disease by a few days or weeks. A recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that travel restrictions and airport screenings in several countries “likely slowed the rate of exportation from mainland China to other countries, but are insufficient to contain the global spread of Covid-19”. And in China, where officials shut down travel both in and out of Wuhan, the city where the Covid-19 outbreak began, the travel ban barely slowed the spread of diseases, according to a report published in Science.
There is no evidence that travel restrictions ultimately stopped the spread of coronavirus, or significantly reduced the contagion’s death toll.
Read more:
Dr Fauci clarified that “the first and only time” that he and Dr Birx “formally made a recommendation to the president” to encourage distancing, “the president listened to the recommendation and went to the mitigation.”
He insisted he’d made a “poor choice of words” yesterday when he suggested that earlier mitigation measures, which the president did not endorse, would have saved lives.
Be bristled at a question about whether he was speaking voluntarily. “Don’t even imply that,” he said.
“Even though we’ve had a really bad week last week,” said Dr Fauci, “we’re starting to see in some areas now, that kind of flattening.”
He also said that she’s spoken with the Congressional Black Caucus about the racial health disparities. “I made it very clear to them is what we have to do is get the resources to where the vulnerable are,” he said. The government is looking into improving testing and contact tracing in vulnerable “communities that are hurting” to stop the spread of disease.
The president has begun by expressing condolences to tornado victims in the south. It was a “tough grouping of tornadoes”, he said, noting it was a “bad deal”.
Read more about the storms: