3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/MIKE PENCE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: [Reporter: What more, specifically, do you want the governor of Washington and the governor of Michigan to be doing?]

“All I want them to do — very simple — I want them to be appreciative. I don’t want them to say things that aren’t true. I want them to be appreciative. We’ve done a great job. And I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about Mike Pence, the task force; I’m talking about FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers…

You know what I say? If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call. He’s [Vice President Mike Pence] a different type of person. He’ll call quietly anyway.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Mar. 28, 2020

3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Today, I signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use any and all authority available under the Defense Production Act to require General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize Federal contracts for ventilators.”

-Donald Trump, “Statement from the President Regarding the Defense Production Act,” whitehouse.gov, Mar. 27, 2020

3/27/2020

CHINA/CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Last night, I spoke to President Xi. We talked about the experience that they had in China and all of the things that have taken place. And we learned a lot. They’ve had a very tough experience, and they’re doing well and he’s doing well. President Xi is doing very well. But we learned a lot and we have great communication together. We’re going to be sent great data from China.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump at Signing of H.R.748, The CARES Act” whitehouse.gov, Mar. 27, 2020

3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “[The Obama] administration spent a lot of time working with the incoming Trump administration, laying out exactly what could happen with a future pandemic, and that they were likely, not unlikely to occur…

We set up an office within the White House directly to stay focused on this, in the president — in the White House and — to deal with pandemics.

And the first thing this president did, maybe not the first but very first, he eliminated the office, took it out of the White House…

I just don’t think he has taken this [coronavirus outbreak] seriously from the outset.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by CNN, “CNN Joe Biden Town Hall. Aired 8-9p ET,” cnn.com, Mar. 27, 2020

3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/LEGISLATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I just signed the CARES Act, the single biggest economic relief package in American History – twice as large as any relief bill ever enacted. At $2.2 Trillion Dollars, this bill will deliver urgently-needed relief for our nation’s families, workers, and businesses. #CARESAct?? https://t.co/0WnTNFZPZD

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 27, 2020 3:34 pm

3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/MILITARY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and in furtherance of Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19) Outbreak), which declared a national emergency by reason of the threat that the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS–CoV–2 poses to our Nation’s healthcare systems, I hereby order… Emergency Authority. To provide additional authority to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to respond to the national emergency.”

-Donald Trump, “National Emergency Authority To Order the Selected Reserve and Certain Members of the Individual Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty,” govinfo.gov, Mar. 27, 2020

[Note: Read the full Executive Order signed by Donald Trump.]

3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The coronavirus is not Donald Trump’s fault, but his inept response is.

He ignored the warnings for months, downplayed the threat it posed, and failed to take the action needed to combat the outbreak.

It’s one of the greatest failures of presidential leadership in our history.”

-Joe Biden, Twitter.com, Mar. 27, 2020 12:26 pm

3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID/FEDERAL FUNDING/LEGISLATION: “CARES Act [H.R. 748 – The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act]

Became law March 27, 2020. [signed into law by Donald Trump]

The $2.2 trillion bill included $1,200 stimulus checks, enhanced unemployment benefits, created the Paycheck Protection Program small business forgiveness loan program, aid for state and local governments, and aid for corporations.”

-Nicholas Wu and Javier Zarracina, “All of the COVID-19 stimulus bills, visualized,” usatoday.com, Mar. 11, 2021

3/27/2020

CORONAVIRUS/DEMS/MICHIGAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I love Michigan, one of the reasons we are doing such a GREAT job for them during this horrible Pandemic. Yet your Governor, Gretchen ‘Half’ Whitmer is way in over her head, she doesn’t have a clue. Likes blaming everyone for her own ineptitude! #MAGA”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 27, 2020 9:29 pm

3/28/2020

CORONAVIRUS/ESSENTIAL WORKERS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “With the courage of our doctors and nurses, with the skill of our scientists and innovators, with the determination of the American People, and with the grace of God, WE WILL WIN THIS WAR. When we achieve this victory, we will emerge stronger and more united than ever before! https://t.co/sFmxKzXdGC

-Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 28, 2020 5:30 pm

3/28/2020

CDC/CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “….Federal Government. A quarantine will not be necessary. Full details will be released by CDC tonight. Thank you!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 28, 2020 7:19 pm

3/28/2020

CDC/CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the….”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 28, 2020 7:19 pm

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/TAXES/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “’With the Tax Cuts and new Trade Deals, we were set for a tremendous growth rate this year…. and then the Virus came along.’ @larry_kudlow @MariaBartiromo We were breaking all records, especially on employment. It will all come roaring back again, and fast!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 29, 2020 11:07 am

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/FDA/OHIO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Hope the FDA can approve Mask Sterilization equipment ASAP. As per Governor @MikeDeWine, there is a company in Ohio, @Battelle, which has equipment that can sterilize masks quickly.”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 29, 2020 11:12 am

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/MEDIA/POLLS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Polls are showing tremendous disapproval of Lamestream Media coverage of the Virus crisis. The Fake News just hasn’t figured that out yet!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 29, 2020 11:53 am

3/29/2020

MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “’President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronavirus updates have attracted an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news, roughly the viewership of the season finale of ‘The Bachelor.’ Numbers are continuing to rise…”

-Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 29, 2020 12:48 pm

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/MEDIA/POLLS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “…The CBS News poll said 13 percent of Republicans trusted the news media for information about the virus.” Michael M. Grynbaum @NYTimes”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 29, 2020 12:49 pm

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As you know, every level of government — state, local, and federal — is working nonstop to obtain more personal protective equipment for frontline workers. We’re delivering vast orders of this material…

Even though this is different, something is going on, and you ought to look into it as reporters. Where are the masks going? Are they going out the back door? How do you go from 10,000 to 300,000? And we have that in a lot of different places. So, somebody should probably look into that, because I just don’t see, from a practical standpoint, how that’s possible to go from that to that.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Mar. 30, 2020

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “[A ]lot of people have been asking, ‘Well, what would have happened if we did nothing? Did nothing — we just rode it out.’…

Think of the number: 2.2 — potentially 2.2 million people [dying of coronavirus] if we did nothing. If we didn’t do the distancing, if we didn’t do all of the things that we’re doing…

And so, if we can hold that down, as we’re saying, to 100,000 [deaths] — that’s a horrible number — maybe even less, but to 100,000; so we have between 100- and 200,000 — we all, together, have done a very good job.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Mar. 30, 2020

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks. So, I’ll say it again: The peak, the highest point of death rates — remember this — is likely to hit in two weeks. Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won. That would be the greatest loss of all…

We can expect that, by June 1st, we will be well on our way to recovery. We think, by June 1st, a lot of great things will be happening.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Mar. 30, 2020

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I am issuing this challenge to the President: in the next 48 hours, direct the production and distribution of respirator masks, gloves, protective face shields and gowns to fill every supply request made by a governor to the federal government.

Lives are at stake.”

-Joe Biden, Twitter.com, Mar. 29, 2020 10:43 pm

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN: “The first thing we should do is listen to the scientists. Secondly, we should tell them the truth, the unvarnished truth. The American people have never shied away from being able to deal with the truth. The worst thing you can do is raise false expectations and then watch them get dashed. Then they begin to lose confidence in their leadership. So we should just tell the truth as best we know it. As best the scientists know it.”

-Joe Biden, “Meet the Press – March 29, 2020,” nbcnews.com, Mar. 29, 2020

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “[L]ook, the Coronavirus is not the president’s fault. But the slow response, the failure to get going right away, the inability to do the things that needed to be done quickly, they are things that are — they can’t continue. We’re going to go through another phase of this. And we have to be ahead of the curve, not behind the curve like we were last time.”

-Joe Biden, “Meet the Press – March 29, 2020,” nbcnews.com, Mar. 29, 2020

3/29/2020

2020 ELECTION/CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/VOTE BY MAIL: “I think we should be looking to all-mail ballots across the board to begin with because it’s an easier way for people to vote. But whether or not that’s required across the board in all 50 states and territories, I’m not sure yet. I think we can make that. But we should be beginning to plan that in each of our states. I think you have — anyway, there’s some legislation in the Senate that suggests that. I think it’s worth looking at quickly.”

-Joe Biden, “Meet the Press – March 29, 2020,” nbcnews.com, Mar. 29, 2020

3/29/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The President cannot resort to fear-mongering and also baseless downplaying or lying about the situation. The President needs to be honest, needs to follow. The science needs to be transparent with the American people. And we need information for people not to scare them, but to get people to pull together because that’s how we’re going to beat this. And together.”

-Joe Biden, “Here’s the Deal with Ron Klain on COVID-19,” joebiden.com, Mar. 29, 2020

3/30/2020

CORONAVIRUS/DEMS/GOP/LEGISLATION/NANCY PELOSI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats delayed the Workers Help/Stimulus Bill by over a week, trying to add real ‘junk’ into the Bill. Got some bad things, having nothing to do with those affected by the Virus, included. Republicans need their votes until we WIN BACK THE HOUSE IN 2020!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 30, 2020 6:17 am

3/30/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I haven’t heard about [coronavirus] testing in weeks. We’ve tested more now than any nation in the world. We’ve got these great tests and we’re coming out with another one tomorrow where it’s almost instantaneous testing. But I haven’t heard about testing being a problem.”

-Donald Trump as quoted by Jonathan Martin, Maggie Haberman, and Mike Baker, “Trump Suggests Lack of Testing Is No Longer a Problem. Governors Disagree.,” nytimes.com, Mar. 30, 2020

3/30/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/FDA: “So with the hydroxychloroquine is something that I have been pushing very hard. I got the very early approval from the FDA. It was going to take a long time, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the Head of the FDA, gave us an early approval, a very quick approval, a 24-hour approval. I mean, it was incredible because the drug has been used and the other with the Z-Pak, azithromycin. It’s called Z-Pak, azithromycin, and the combination. And I think it might be successful.”

-Donald Trump, “Fox & Friends 3/30/20 FULL 10AM Trump Breaking News March 30, 2020,” YouTube.com, Mar. 30, 2020

3/31/2020

CORONAVIRUS/NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “’New York Governor Cuomo says President Trump has been ‘very helpful.’ @foxandfriends Thank you, everybody is working very hard!”

-Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 31, 2020 6:27 am

3/31/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “We’re at war with a deadly virus… this is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks…

The question is what would have happened if we did nothing? Because there was a group that said let’s just ride it out… 2.2 million people would’ve died if we did nothing. We just carried on our life. Now I don’t think that would’ve been possible because you would have had people dying all over the place. This would not have been a normal life. How many people have even seen anybody die? You would have seen people dying on airplanes. You would’ve been seeing people dying in hotel lobbies. You would have seen death all over…

I think the one thing nobody really knew about this virus was how contagious it was. It’s so incredibly contagious. And nobody knew that.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 1, 2020

3/31/2020

GOP/IMPEACHMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I mean, I got impeached. I think, you know, I certainly devoted a little time to thinking about it, right? So, but think of it: It was a hoax. It was a total hoax. And when you think that I got impeached only because they had a majority in the House. They didn’t get one Republican vote — 196 to nothing. Not one Republican. I don’t think it’s ever happened. The Republicans stuck together and they stuck together in the Senate — 52 to a half. A half.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 1, 2020

3/31/2020

ANTHONY FAUCI/CORONAVIRUS: “The idea of getting a much more broad community-wide use of masks outside of the healthcare setting is under very active discussion at the task force. The CDC group is looking at that very carefully. The thing that has inhibited that a bit is to make sure that we don’t take away the supply of masks from the healthcare workers who need them [to treat coronavirus].

But once we get in a situation where we have enough masks, I believe there will be some very serious consideration about more broadening this recommendation of using masks. We’re not there yet, but I think we’re close to coming to some determination.

Because if, in fact, a person who may or may not be infected wants to prevent infecting someone else, one of the best ways to do that is with a mask. So perhaps that’s the way to go.”

-Anthony Fauci in an interview with Jim Sciutto, “CNN Newsroom,” cnn.com, Mar. 31, 2020

4/1/2020

CONGRESS/CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Congress must pass the old, and very strongly proven, deductibility by businesses on restaurants and entertainment. This will bring restaurants, and everything related, back – and stronger than ever. Move quickly, they will all be saved!”

-Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 1, 2020 11:36 am

4/1/2020

CHINA/CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “But [China’s coronavirus] numbers seem to be a little bit on the light side. And I’m being nice when I say that, relative to what we witnessed and what was reported… As to whether or not their numbers are accurate, I’m not an accountant from China…

Nobody has ever seen anything like this, where large groups of people, all of a sudden, just by being in the presence of somebody, have it. The flu has never been like that. And there is — flu is contagious but nothing like we’ve ever seen here.

Also, the violence of it. If it hits the right person — and you know what those stats are — if it hits the right person, that person is in deep trouble.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 1, 2020

4/2/2020

CORONAVIRUS/NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “…It wouldn’t matter if you got ten times what was needed, it would never be good enough. Unlike other states, New York unfortunately got off to a late start. You should have pushed harder. Stop complaining & find out where all of these supplies are going. Cuomo working hard!”

-Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 2, 2020 7:57 am

4/2/2020

CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “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…”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 2, 2020 8:17 am

4/2/2020

CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “….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.”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 2, 2020 8:17 am

4/2/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “This is a war against this virus. There’s a number of specific suggestions that I know from in the past worked and some I think would work. And I’m prepared to offer them to the president…

This is beyond politics right now. I mean, the projections that I get in the morning when I speak to the docs that I work with could be really dire. We’re talking about a lot of people potentially dying. And we’re now leading the world in the number of cases and we’ve got to act more swiftly and more rapidly.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by Rev, “Joe Biden Virtual News Briefing on Coronavirus – April 2,” rev.com, Apr. 2, 2020

4/2/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/OBAMACARE (ACA)/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “During this outbreak, when health care coverage is more important than ever, Donald Trump is refusing to give those who have been uninsured access to the best resource we have: the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces…

This is no time to put pettiness and ideology above helping those who are in the greatest need.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by Scott Bixby, Sam Brodey, Hunter Woodall, Asawin Suebsaeng, “Biden Tells Trump: Stop the ‘Pettiness’ and Reopen Obamacare,” dailybeast.com, Apr. 3, 2020

4/2/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I want to remind small-business owners across America that the Paycheck Protection Program is launching tomorrow. Nearly $350 billion in loans will be available to small businesses, including sole proprietors…

Now, as we’ve indicated, we have ventilators in the National Stockpile. We pushed ventilators out. We’re holding ventilators to put to the point of need… By the way, the states should have been building their stockpile. We have almost 10,000 in our stockpile. And we’ve been building it, and we’ve been supplying it. But the states should be building.

We’re a backup. We’re not an ordering clerk.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 3, 2020

4/2/2020

CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. ‘P Act’ all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing – will have a big price to pay!”

-Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 2, 2020 7:52 pm

4/3/2020

CDC/CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The CDC is recommending that Americans wear a basic cloth or a fabric mask that can be either purchased online or simply made at home… So with the masks, it’s going to be, really, a voluntary thing. You can do it. You don’t have to do it. I’m choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and that’s okay. It may be good. Probably will. They’re making a recommendation. It’s only a recommendation. It’s voluntary.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 3, 2020

4/3/2020

2020 ELECTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VOTE BY MAIL/VOTING: “The general election will happen on November 3rd…

I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting. I think people should vote with ID — voter ID. I think voter ID is very important. And the reason they don’t want voter ID is because they intend to cheat…

It shouldn’t be mail-in voting. It should be: You go to a booth and you proudly display yourself. You don’t send it in the mail where people pick up — all sorts of bad things can happen by the time they signed that, if they sign that — if they signed that by the time it gets in and is tabulated. No, it shouldn’t be mailed in. You should vote at the booth. And you should have voter ID, because when you have voter ID, that’s the real deal.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 3, 2020

4/3/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “We continue to study the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine and other therapies, and the treatment and prevention of the virus. And we will keep the American people fully informed on our findings. Hydroxychloroquine — I don’t know, it’s looking like it’s having some good results. I hope that — that would be a phenomenal thing.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 3, 2020

4/3/2020

ANTHONY FAUCI/CORONAVIRUS: “[T]he information is that more and more accumulation of data indicate that people who are without symptoms at all can transmit the virus.

But, importantly, they can do it merely by speaking. So, there’s been a recent study that came out that said even the force from your voice of speaking, there is a degree of aerosolization…

I think what people don’t fully appreciate is that putting a mask on yourself is more to prevent you from infecting someone else. And if everybody does that, we’re each protecting each other, because the data is, it’s more efficient to prevent transmitting to others than it is to prevent transmission to yourself.

But you can completely cover that ballpark if, essentially, universally, when people go out and are in a situation where they might come into closer contact, that they wear that mask.”

-Anthony Fauci in an interview with Judy Woodruff, “What Dr. Fauci wants you to know about face masks and staying home as virus spreads,” pbs.org, Apr. 3, 2020

4/4/2020

AGRICULTURE/CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “America owes our very hard working food supply workers so much as they produce and deliver high quality food for us during this horrible COVID-19. Join me in thanking our Farmers, Ranchers, Processors, Distributors and Stores! @JohnBoozman”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 4, 2020 2:10 pm

4/4/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “[M]itigation does work. But again, we’re not going to destroy our country. We have to get back. Because, you know, at a certain point, you’ll lose more people this way — through all of the problems caused — than you will with what we’re doing right now…

But I’ve said it from the beginning: The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself. And we cannot let that happen. We have an incredible country. We were having the greatest period in our country’s history, from an economic standpoint and many other ways. We cannot let this continue. So at a certain point, some hard decisions are going to have to be made.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 5, 2020

4/5/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “You have to implement the Defense Production Act, empower a supply commander, create a Defense Production Act for banks that get out small business loans, ramp up testing, a whole range of things.

You got to go faster than slower. And we started off awfully slow…

It’s about — it’s about the urgency. And I don’t think there’s been enough of it, urgency.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by ABC News, “‘This Week’ Transcript 4-5-20: Joe Biden, Secretary Mark Esper,” abcnews.go.com, Apr. 5, 2020

4/5/2020

CORONAVIRUS/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I will be having a White House CoronaVirus Task Force meeting in a short while. May or may not do a News Conference after the meeting, depending on new information. Talks & meetings today are proving promising, but a rough two weeks are coming up!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 5, 2020 2:30 pm

4/5/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The virus is not his [President Trump’s] fault, but the response is his responsibility.

Look, there are a few things he can do — he can immediately and fully implement the Defense Production Act, which I and many others called for a long time ago. And he’s just getting underway with it. There’s still no Defense supply act — Production Act for gloves, masks, all the things first responders need.

We should create a bank Defense Production Act. We have got to get those small business loans out.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by ABC News, “‘This Week’ Transcript 4-5-20: Joe Biden, Secretary Mark Esper,” abcnews.go.com, Apr. 5, 2020

4/5/2020

AFRICAN AMERICANS/CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “We have got to save jobs. We’ve got to save people’s businesses. And they have to exponentially ramp up testing. We have been talking about 4 million tests are going to be available. Look where is all this — where is it? What’s being done?

You’ve got to open up enrollment for Obamacare. A lot of people don’t have insurance. This president is trying to take away Obamacare across the board, which will leave people naked to this problem that we’re facing. And we have to finally get some data how this Coronavirus is really hurting African-Americans and minority communities.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by ABC News, “‘This Week’ Transcript 4-5-20: Joe Biden, Secretary Mark Esper,” abcnews.go.com, Apr. 5, 2020

4/5/2020

CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “We are learning much about the Invisible Enemy. It is tough and smart, but we are tougher and smarter!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 5, 2020 2:35 pm

4/5/2020

2020 ELECTION/CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/VOTE BY MAIL/VOTING: “[W]e’ve never allowed any crisis from a Civil War straight through to a pandemic in ‘17, all the way around, in ’16, we have never, never let our democracy take second fiddle, we can both have a democracy and elections and at the same time protect the public health.

But I think it’s time we start thinking about how we’re going to hold elections, whether we’re going to have to spend a lot of time figuring whether we do — is it going to mostly be by mail, which is not the preferred route for everyone — how are we going to do that? How are we going to make it available to everybody?”

-Joe Biden as quoted by ABC News, “‘This Week’ Transcript 4-5-20: Joe Biden, Secretary Mark Esper,” abcnews.go.com, Apr. 5, 2020

4/5/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I really believe that the American people are doing a better job than anybody would have thought even possible, and that’s one of the reasons we can even be talking about the kind of number that we hopefully will be talking about, which is at the minimum level instead of the maximum or beyond. It’s not even the maximum — it’s much beyond a maximum level, which would be horrific…

But we see light at the end of the tunnel. Things are happening. Things are happening. We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. And hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we’ll be very proud of the job we all did. We can never be happy when so many people are dying, but we’re going to be very proud of the job we did to keep the death down to an absolute minimum — the least it could have happened with this terrible, terrible virus.”

-Donald Trump, White House, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 6, 2020

4/5/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Now, we have purchased and we have stockpiled 29 million pills of the hydroxychloroquine — 29 million… Also, we’re sending them to various labs, our military. We’re sending them to the hospitals. We’re sending them all over.

I just think it’s something — you know the expression, I’ve used it for certain reasons: ‘What do you have to lose?’ What do you have to lose? And a lot of people are saying that when — and are taking it — if you’re a doctor, a nurse, a first responder, a medical person going into hospitals, they say taking it before the fact is good. But what do you have to lose? They say, ‘Take it.’…

And, again, you have to go through your medical people, get the approval. But I’ve seen things that I sort of like. So what do I know? I’m not a doctor.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 5, 2020

4/6/2020

CORONAVIRUS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “For humanitarian reasons, the passengers from the two CoronaVirus stricken cruise ships have been given medical treatment and, when appropriate, allowed to disembark, under strict supervision. Very carefully done. People we’re dying & no other countries would allow them to dock!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 6, 2020 6:49 am

4/6/2020

CORONAVIRUS/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Advertising in the Failing New York Times is WAY down. Washington Post is not much better. I can’t say whether this is because they are Fake News sources of information, to a level that few can understand, or the Virus is just plain beating them up. Fake News is bad for America!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 6, 2020 8:08 am

4/6/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “For months, I called on President Trump to step up and take the action necessary to combat COVID-19.

But week after week, he downplayed the threat it posed, misled the American people, and failed to act.”

-Joe Biden, Twitter.com, Apr. 6, 2020 6:55 pm

4/7/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Trump likes to say he’s a wartime president. Well, he needs a step up and act like it. I’ve offered him a 10 point plan. I call it the Make Work Checklist. It’s what the Trump administration needs to do to make sure that that $2 trillion in the Cares Act that Congress passed actually gets relief into the hands of as many American workers as possible as quickly as possible.

-Joe Biden as quoted by Rev, “Transcript: Joe Biden Speech to AFL-CIO Union Members on Coronavirus,” rev.com, Apr. 7, 2020

4/7/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The president should be laser focused on keeping as many people employed as possible and making workers financially whole so that we weather this crisis, come back stronger as a nation like we always have in the past. Because once we break the infection curve and stem this public health crisis, we’re going to face an immense job of rebuilding this economy, but we can do it.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by Rev, “Transcript: Joe Biden Speech to AFL-CIO Union Members on Coronavirus,” rev.com, Apr. 7, 2020

4/7/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19: “And they’re finding that people that — like in the malaria countries, that it doesn’t seem that those countries have been hit, because the people take it. You have countries that have massive malaria problems and they take the hydroxychloroquine, and they don’t seem to be having the problem with the — the virus that all other countries are having.”

-Donald Trump as quoted by Factbase, “Interview: Sean Hannity Interviews Donald Trump Live Via Telephone,” factba.se, April 7, 2020

4/7/2020

AMAZON/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/USPS: “I’ll tell you who’s the demise of the Postal Service are these Internet companies that give their stuff to the Postal Service — packages. [T]hey lose money every time they deliver a package for Amazon or these other Internet companies, these other companies that deliver. They drop everything in the Post Office and they say, ‘You deliver it.’ And if they’d raise the prices by actually a lot, then you’d find out that the Post Office could make money or break even. But they don’t do that. And I’m trying to figure out why.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 7, 2020

4/7/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: “The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?”

-Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Apr. 7, 2020 11:04 am

4/7/2020

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VOTE BY MAIL/VOTING: “Now, mail ballots — they cheat. Okay? People cheat. Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country, because they’re cheaters. They go and collect them. They’re fraudulent in many cases. You got to vote. And they should have voter ID, by the way. If you want to really do it right, you have voter ID.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 7, 2020

4/7/2020

TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VOTE BY MAIL/VOTING: [Reporter: “But you voted by mail in Florida’s election last month, didn’t you? So how do you reconcile that?”] “Because I’m allowed to. Well, that’s called ‘out of state.’ You know, why I voted? Because I happen to be in the White House and I won’t be able to go to Florida to vote.

Well, there’s a big difference between somebody that’s out of state and does a ballot and everything is sealed, certified, and everything else. You see what you have to do with the certifications. And you get thousands and thousands of people sitting in somebody’s living room, signing ballots all over the place.

No, I think that mail-in voting is a terrible thing. I think if you vote, you should go. And even the concept of early voting is not the greatest because a lot of things happen, but it’s okay. But you should go and you should vote. I think you should go and you should vote.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 7, 2020

4/7/2020

2020 ELECTION/POLLS/VOTE BY MAIL/VOTING: “Most Americans, including a majority of Republicans, want the government to require mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 presidential election if the coronavirus outbreak still threatens the public this autumn, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election this year, has been trying with other Republicans to discourage efforts to expand voting by mail, saying it would increase the chance of voter fraud.

But the poll conducted on Monday and Tuesday found that 72% of all U.S. adults, including 79% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans, supported a requirement for mail-in ballots as a way to protect voters in case of a continued spread of the respiratory disease later this year.”

-Chris Kahn, “Most Americans, unlike Trump, want mail-in ballots for November if coronavirus threatens: Reuters/Ipsos poll,” reuters.com, Apr. 7, 2020

4/8/2020

CORONAVIRUS/NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “’The number of New Yorkers admitted to hospitals has dropped.’ @ainsleyearhardt @foxandfriends Good news!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 8, 2020 7:07 am

4/8/2020

CORONAVIRUS/ECONOMY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten. Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before!!!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 8, 2020 9:52 am

4/8/2020

2020 ELECTION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VOTING/VOTE BY MAIL: “But they have to be very careful, because you know the things with bundling and all of the things that are happening with votes by mail where thousands of votes are gathered. And I’m not going to say which party does it, but thousands of votes are gathered and they come in and they’re dumped in a location, and then, all of a sudden, you lose elections if you think you’re going to win.

I won’t to stand for it. Well, we’re going to find out about the proof, because you’re going to see what’s going on. And I’m not going to stand for it. Our voting system — first of all, we should have voter ID. When you vote, you should have voter ID. And if you send something in, you should be sure — as a state and as a country, you should be sure that that vote is meaningful and it’s not just made fraudulently, because there’s a lot of fraudulent voting going on in this country.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 8, 2020

4/8/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN: “My heart goes out to everyone out there suffering from COVID-19. We all know the greatest tragedy in all of this is how many lives are being lost, how many are infected and suffering alone… This disease is not only tearing through the nation, it’s devastating families…

It’s wrecking the economy and we’re starting to see it magnify some of our worst systemic inequities. Early data shows countries and counties in this country have major black populations and Hispanic populations, the coronavirus infection rates in the black communities are three times as high as they are in white majority residents’ communities. Death rates, nearly six times higher. That’s unconscionable and never should happen.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by Rev, “Joe Biden Virtual Town Hall Transcript April 8,” rev.com, Apr. 9, 2020

4/8/2020

CONGRESS/CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOBS/JOE BIDEN: “We have to work with Congress to extend and boost unemployment benefits. That is the extra $600 however long this [coronavirus] crisis lasts, not just for the month, for however long this crisis last, so your unemployment check will be there every month for the entire month for as long as this crisis lasts. Look, Congress has to start working on the fourth relief bill out there. We have to get more relief, including a freeze and a halt on foreclosures and evictions so people don’t have to worry where they’re going to be out in the street. We have to restart the economy. There’s only one path forward, beat the virus.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by Rev, “Joe Biden Virtual Town Hall Transcript April 8,” rev.com, Apr. 9, 2020

4/8/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/ECONOMY/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Look, as I said, the President makes it sound like there’s a false choice. We either deal with the virus or we deal with unemployment and the economy. If you don’t deal with the virus first, you’re never going to get back to be able to have the kind of robust economy we need and get people taken care of. The first thing we have to do is make sure people are financially taken care of because their circumstances they’re in, whether they’re small businesses, they’re employees, whatever it is, is through no fault of their own. That’s a Government responsibility to keep them whole, as whole as we can do it and that’s got to come right out of the treasury and get paid for.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by Rev, “Joe Biden Virtual Town Hall Transcript April 8,” rev.com, Apr. 9, 2020

4/8/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN: “Until we have a vaccine, we’re not going to be totally out of the woods. In the meantime though, what we have to do is significantly increase, significantly increase the number of tests that are available, the testing kits that are available and all the protective gear that’s available so doctors and nurses can deal with this pandemic in a way where we don’t lose them, that they’re able to take care of our health.”

-Joe Biden as quoted by Rev, “Joe Biden Virtual Town Hall Transcript April 8,” rev.com, Apr. 9, 2020

4/8/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: [Reporter: So what specifically has to happen for you to feel that it is safe to reopen the country?] “I think we can say that we have to be on that down side of that slope and heading to a very strong direction that this thing is gone. We could do it in phases. We can go to some areas, which you know. Some areas are much less affected than others.

But it would be nice to be able to open with a big bang and open up our country — or certainly most of our country. And I think we’re going to do that soon. If you look at what’s happening, I would say we’re ahead of schedule.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 8, 2020

4/8/2020

CORONAVIRUS/TEXAS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “This morning, 450,000 protective suits landed in Dallas, Texas. This was made possible because of the partnership of two great American companies—DuPont and FedEx—and our friends in Vietnam. Thank you! @DuPont_News @FedEx https://t.co/8yhG6tYnQW

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 8, 2020 6:15 pm

4/9/2020

CORONAVIRUS/SOCIAL DISTANCING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “.@OANN A key CoronaVirus Model is now predicting far fewer deaths than the number shown in earlier models. That’s because the American people are doing a great job. Social Distancing etc. Keep going!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 9, 2020 10:08 am

4/9/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I can’t believe I have to say this, but we should be expanding the number of testing sites and surging the number of tests — not reducing them. Testing is key to finding a way out of this crisis.”

-Joe Biden, Twitter.com, Apr. 9, 2020 4:27 pm

4/9/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Through the FDA’s Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program, 19 therapies and treatments are now being tested and 26 more are in the active planning for clinical trial. So we have 19 therapies being tested currently, and 26 more are in the active planning for clinical trials. That’s a big statement. That’s a lot.

Trials for Gilead’s antiviral drug, remdesivir, continue. And the company has also expanded emergency use for new patients getting good, early results, by the way. The companies that manufacture hydroxychloroquine are massively ramping up production.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 9, 2020

4/10/2020

CORONAVIRUS/ECONOMY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “This week, in only 4 days, we had the biggest Stock Market increase since 1974. We have a great chance for the really big bounce when the Invisible Enemy is gone!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 10, 2020 6:30 am

4/10/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we’ve heard increasing reports of Asian Americans in communities across our country being targeted with messages of hate… These disgusting and racist acts must stop…

Trump’s attempts to deflect responsibility away from his own failures in addressing this pandemic by calling the coronavirus the ‘Chinese Virus’ during the White House press briefings stoked feelings of hatred and anger toward AAPIs [Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders].

The casual racism and regular xenophobia that we have seen from Trump and this Administration is a national scourge.”

-Joe Biden, “Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on Incidents of Racism Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” medium.com, Apr. 10, 2020

4/10/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Hard to believe that if you had 60,000 [coronavirus deaths] — you could never be happy, but that’s a lot fewer than we were originally told and thinking. So they said between 100- and 220,000 lives on the minimum side, and then up to 2.2 million lives if we didn’t do anything. But it showed a just tremendous resolve by the people of this country…

Staying at home leads to death also. And it’s very traumatic for this country. But staying at home — if you look at numbers — that leads to a different kind of death, perhaps, but it leads to death also. So it’s a very big decision. As I say, it’s the biggest decision I’ll ever make.”

-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 10, 2020

4/11/2020

CORONAVIRUS/ECONOMY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “’I think the situation is unprecedented, and there is no question about that. It’s whiplash! The economy was moving forward at a rapid pace in terms of growth, jobs and even wage increases, and all of a sudden the pandemic hit and the….”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2020 1:33 pm

4/11/2020

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “We’re working very hard with Congress on stimulus and taking care of our workers and taking care of people whose fault this was not… And I think the stimulus coupled with this pent-up demand and everybody wanting to get out and go back to work, I think we’re going to have just a tremendous surge. I think it’s going to be like a rocket ship, I really believe that.”

-Donald Trump as quoted by Factbase, “Interview: Jeanine Pirro with Donald Trump on Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox – April 11, 2020,” factba.se, Apr. 11, 2020

4/11/2020

CHINA/CORONAVIRUS/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “So now the Fake News @nytimes is tracing the CoronaVirus origins back to Europe, NOT China. This is a first! I wonder where the Failing New York Times got for this one? Are there any NAMED sources? They were recently thrown out of China like dogs, and obviously want back in. Sad!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2020 5:27 pm

4/11/2020

CHINA/CORONAVIRUS/EU/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “So now the Fake News @nytimes is tracing the CoronaVirus origins back to Europe, NOT China. This is a first! I wonder what the Failing New York Times got for this one? Are there any NAMED sources? They were recently thrown out of China like dogs, and obviously want back in. Sad!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2020 6:34 pm

4/12/2020

CORONAVIRUS/NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A very good sign is that empty hospital beds are becoming more and more prevalent. We deployed 418 Doctors, Nurses and Respiratory Therapists from the hospital ship Comfort and the Javits Convention Center to hospitals in NYC & State. Have more bed capacity than was needed. Good!”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 12, 2020 9:21 am

4/12/2020

CHINA/CONGRESS/CORONAVIRUS/IMPEACHMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Great businessman & philanthropist Bernie Marcus, Co-Founder of Home Depot, said that Congress was too distracted by the (phony) Impeachment Witch Hunt when they should have been investigating CoronaVirus when it first appeared in China. Media played a big roll also!@dcexaminer”

Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 12, 2020 11:14 am