Your Daily Dose of Trump and His Administration News
Coronavirus/COVID-19 Updates
- President Donald Trump criticized states and hospitals for requesting medical supplies to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, calling them “complainers” that should have stocked up on supplies “long before this crisis hit.”
Trump Tweeted: “Massive amounts of medical supplies, even hospitals and medical centers, are being delivered directly to states and hospitals by the Federal Government. Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied (politics?). Remember, we are a backup for them. The complainers should…have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit. Other states are thrilled with the job we have done. Sending many Ventilators today, with thousands being built. 51 large cargo planes coming in with medical supplies. Prefer sending directly to hospitals.”
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told lawmakers on Thursday that it has fewer than 10,000 ventilators left in its emergency stockpile, a troublesome number as states scramble to obtain the crucial devices for coronavirus treatment and cases of the illness climb exponentially.Most of the 100,000 ventilators that President Donald Trump promised the U.S. would obtain won’t be available until June.
- Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has fired the captain who raised the alarm about a spike in coronavirus cases onboard his aircraft carrier, which was sidelined in Guam last week, the Navy announced on Thursday.
- The Trump administration is set to recommend that people who live in areas with high transmission of the coronavirus wear masks in public to avoid further spread of the virus.
- President Donald Trump falsely claimed that airplane and train passengers are being given “very strong tests” for the coronavirus both before departure and after arrival. “They’re doing tests on airlines — very strong tests — for getting on, getting off. They’re doing tests on trains — getting on, getting off,” he said.
NOTE: There is no evidence that plane and train passengers are being tested for the coronavirus.
- President Trump lashed out at Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday, accusing him of “incorrect sound bites” on the administration’s coronavirus relief efforts in the latest war of words between the two New Yorkers.
Trump, in a two-page letter released by the White House, called the Democratic leader a “bad” senator and argued that he could lose a primary against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- President Trump lambasted Fox News reporter John Roberts for asking about his administration’s decision to disband the National Security Council’s pandemic response team. After falsely blaming the Obama administration, “Remember this, we inherited — the word is we inherited — bad tests,” We really inherited bad tests, these are horrible tests.” (NOTE: The tests were created earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is headed by Trump-appointed director Robert Redfield.)
Roberts called out Trump’s false claim, “You have talked about the failings of the Obama administration in leaving you with empty shelves and no plans,” Roberts said. “They have said you got rid of the pandemic office in the National Security Council–”
“We didn’t do that,” Trump interjected, pushing another false claim. “That turned out to be a false story.” “What are you, working for CNN?” Trump added.
“No, no, no,” Roberts replied. “I’m pointing out what they have said and what you have said – that’s all.”
“I thought you were with Fox,” Trump said. “But Fox isn’t so easy, either. Don’t kid yourself.”
“It’s not about Fox or CNN,” Roberts objected.
“Look, John, let me tell you something. You know that’s a false story,” Trump falsely insisted. “What you just said is a false story.”
Trump added that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, “knows this better than anybody,” though he quickly moved on to the next question.
Fauci did not comment on the issue during the news briefing but testified to Congress last month that the team was, in fact, disbanded and said he was not thrilled about it.
- White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on Thursday made his first appearance in the White House briefing room along with the coronavirus task force, outlining plans to use “innovative solutions” to help combat the pandemic. Kushner, who is also President Trump’s son-in-law, is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on supply chain issues related to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci said he doesn’t know why some states still do not have stay-at-home orders in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus. “I don’t understand why that’s not happening,” Fauci said. “If you look at what’s going on in this country, I just don’t understand why we’re not doing that. We really should be.”
- President Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus a second time and is “healthy and without symptoms,” the White House doctor says.
- The White House is creating a hotline for members of Congress to ask for action on coronavirus-related issues as they arise in their districts. The hotline was spearheaded by new White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and deputy chief of staff John Fleming, both Republican congressmen-turned-Trump staffers.
- The Navy hospital ship that was welcomed into New York City this week has a total of 20 patients as of Thursday as the city deals with thousands of patients infected with COVID-19.
The USNS Comfort, which has 1,000 beds and 1,200 staff, is only accepting patients without 49 medical conditions, including COVID-19, leaving the city hospitals to handle the influx of patients infected with the novel coronavirus.
Other Administration News
- Trump Tweeted: “Just spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry!” “Could be as high as 15 Million Barrels. Good (GREAT) news for everyone!”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted President Trump’s claims about a phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “No. There was no such conversation.”
- President Trump’s campaign is demanding that Jeff Sessions, who is running to reclaim his Senate seat in Alabama, stop tying himself to the president after Sessions distributed a campaign mailer that mentioned Trump 22 times
- With some of its golf courses and hotels closed amid the economic lockdown, the Trump Organization has been exploring whether it can delay payments on some of its loans and other financial obligations, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The New York Times.
Representatives of Mr. Trump’s company have recently spoken with Deutsche Bank, the president’s largest creditor, about the possibility of postponing payments on at least some of its loans from the bank.
In Florida, the Trump Organization sought guidance last week from Palm Beach County about whether it expected the company to continue making monthly payments on county land that it leases for a 27-hole golf club.
The Past 24 Hours Or So 