LIVE BLOG: COVID Taskforce briefing – why isn't testing at 1 M/day rather than 1 M/week?
5:00* PM EDT (*it rarely starts on time)
Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Hold a Press Briefing
The White House
The Trump premise continues to ignore the human costs in order to revive the national economy, because it is the last tangible rationale to re-elect him at least for the GOP. Blame-shifting continues. The GOP may now have wished that Pence became POTUS in January, but their senators decided to hold ‘em rather than fold ‘em.
36,721 dead
22 million+ unemployed
4 weeks
I have been told to be quiet on more than one occasion. I’ve been told I shouldn’t be allowed into a press briefing. But before Tuesday I had never made anyone threaten to leave his own news briefing.
Donald Trump did that.
At a Rose Garden briefing on April 14, the president also called me a loudmouth and said I was “nothing but trouble” and a “showboat.” You can watch the full exchange here.
All this because he pointed to me, recognized me and took my question, only the first part of which I was able to get out:
”Mr. President, I’ve spoken to hundreds of people across the country in the last few weeks who say they still can’t get tested and that they aren’t social distancing because they saw you and your coronavirus team not practicing it while preaching it. What do you say to the millions who simply don’t believe you? Do you take any responsibility for those who may have gotten ill because of your actions?”
Okay, technically it’s two questions. But there it is. He couldn’t answer it. Instead, after several interruptions, he said, “If you keep talking, I’ll leave and you can have it out with the rest of these people.”
Maybe I should’ve just asked, “Why do you continue to lie to the American people, Mr. President?” I’ve asked that a couple of times. It always raises his ire.
To recap, in the recent past Trump has said he takes responsibility for nothing. Monday he said he has absolute authority. Tuesday he said it was all up to the governors. But he has never accepted responsibility for anything that has gone wrong as we’ve tried to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s at least one reporter question:
Was Trump even working today.
This would be the basis for an interesting if random press question.
