Daniel Dale

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump: Sure, you could say I compared this to the flu, but the worst pandemic ever, in 1918, was a flu. So "the flu is nothing to sneeze at." This is revisionist history. In likening this virus to the flu, he was very much not saying this could be a 1918 pandemic. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Within minutes! https://t.co/V59gIacike — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump: "Social media" said that the WHO seems to be China-centric. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump says it's a "real thing" that African Americans are disproportionately affected. "Why is it that the African American community is so much...numerous times more than anybody else? And we want to find the reason to it." He says Fauci and Verma are "working on this." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump is now denying that he said he's going to stop funding to the WHO. He says he's going to look at it. That's what he said first at this briefing, but then he talked his way into declaring they were going to put a hold on funding. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump describes "some of the morning show hosts" as "not smart people." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump on his previous claim that the number of cases would go down from 15, etc. etc.: "I'm a cheerleader for this country. I don't want to create havoc and shock." He says he was taking action, with his China restrictions, even amid this (extremely inaccurate) cheerleading. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

He then adds that it was "all of Europe." It wasn't all of Europe. It was 26 countries in the free-travel Schengen Area, then Ireland the UK added days later. Still excluded a number of countries. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump falsely describes his travel restrictions as "closing it down to Europe." He has never shut down travel from Europe. He's exempted a number of countries, and a number of groups of people even from the covered countries. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump on the Navarro January memo: I didn't see it, but "I heard he wrote some memos talking about pandemic...that was about the same time that I felt we should do it" (travel restrictions on China). But Trump kept downplaying into March, even after the WHO pandemic declaration. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Asked what should happen know to Crozier, he says Esper is looking at that right now and "regular Navy channels" will determine what "they want to do." He says Crozier made a mistake, Modly didn't have to say "quite what he said," and didn't have to resign, but he did. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump: Capt. Crozier shouldn't have written a letter, he's not Ernest Hemingway, he's in the military, you shouldn't be sending letters, "then it gets out to the media" -- but he had a bad day. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump says he decided they'd go for "quality" ventilators, because: "There is a difference between a good ventilator and a not-so-good ventilator...so we're going top of the line." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump on the WHO: "They called it wrong. They called it wrong. They missed the call. They could've called it months earlier." Not sure what "called it" means; Trump has an extensive record of inaccurate downplaying of the crisis even after WHO warnings and a pandemic declaration. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump, praising himself for making good moves, again describes his China travel restrictions as "closing it down." As the NYT reported, nearly 40,000 people have flown from China since he imposed the restrictions, which are not a full ban. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

After saying he's going to look into the US contribution to the WHO, Trump, after some more criticism, says he's going to put a "very powerful hold" on money sent to the WHO. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump: The WHO receives "vast amounts of money from the United States," the biggest portion of the budget, and "they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban...they were wrong...they've been wrong about a lot of things." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump said earlier that the government will be receiving 110,000 ventilators by the end of June. He said he thinks they won't all be needed, hopes they won't all be needed, but, in that case, they can send some to other countries in need. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump touts the loan program for small businesses, which he says will keep them open and paying employees. He claims that there will soon be "a rocket upward." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump, reading, talks about how some people are struggling with mental health issues during this period. Ad-libbing, he says, "Some people are getting to know each other...some families...on a positive note." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump says that 1,870,000 tests have been conducted. That's up from 1,790,000 he cited yesterday. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump says they're seeing in the data the "disproportional" impact of the virus on African Americans. He says, though doesn't provide specifics, that they're doing everything they can to address the challenge. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump says he knows "for a fact" that some countries actually have more cases than the US but are not reporting them. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump claims that his administration is getting supplies to "everybody" like "they never thought possible." Certainly not "everybody" is saying the same. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump: "I will protect you if your governor fails." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump claims pharma companies -- "I call them the genius companies" -- are doing incredibly well with regard to "cures." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump says this period will be rough, and even one death is painful, but the "signs" are that "our strategy is totally working." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump says we pray for Boris Johnson, who has always been "very good to us" and loves the USA as well as his own country. He thanks Americans for their efforts. He says of the phrase slowing the spread: "Nobody ever heard of it two months ago." He says this'll be a painful week. — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump begins at the briefing: "Today we continue to send our love to the great people of New York and New Jersey...we grieve alongside every family who has lost a precious loved one." He says the people of NY and NJ are "tough and strong and brave." — PolitiTweet.org

Daniel Dale @ddale8

Trump: “We really inherited bad tests. These are horrible tests. And it was broken.” Epidemiologists: “Doesn’t make sense.” “Absurd.” “He is lying because he is trying to shift blame to others, even if the attempt is totally nonsensical.” https://t.co/JUMlQB0cah — PolitiTweet.org