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Trump offers boasts and insults at CDC press conference on coronavirus – as it happened – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

Trump offers boasts and insults at CDC press conference on coronavirus – as it happened – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

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Summary

We’re ending our live coverage for the day, thanks for following along. Some highlights and links:

  • Trump used a freewheeling CDC press conference , intended to provide updates on the coronavirus, as an opportunity to attack Democrats, praise his own intelligence, lash out at CNN and spread false and misleading information about the status of the outbreak.
  • The president made
  • false statements about the availability of tests .

  • Trump also said He wanted exposed passengers to remain on a cruise abroad so that the number of cases wouldn’t increase in the US.
  • The president insulted the governor of Washington state , who is currently overseeing the most serious coronavirus outbreak.

  • Trump’s re-election campaign sued CNN for publishing an opinion piece that argued Trump did not stop Russia from helping the campaign during the presidential election.
  • The president escalated his attacks on Joe Biden’s cognitive health .

  • In a newly released documentary, Bill Clinton claimed the reason for his extramarital affair with then White House intern Monica Lewinsky was “to manage [his] anxieties”.
  • Trump Congressman Mark Meadows announced as his new chief of staff.
  • The next debate will be Biden v Sanders , with the latest qualifications ensuring Tulsi Gabbard, who is still a candidate, will not join them on the stage.

  • A number of prominent Illinois Democrats endorsed Biden .

  • The president called Elizabeth Warren mean , but praised her attacks on Mike Bloomberg.

  • Some more on

    He replaces Mick Mulvaney, who was acting chief, and who will now become the US special envoy for Northern Ireland, Trump said in his Friday evening tweet: Donald J. Trump (@ realDonaldTrump) … .I want to thank Acting Chief Mick Mulvaney for having served the Administration so well. He will become the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. Thank you!

    March 7 ,

    Mulvaney was a key figure During the impeachment proceedings .

    (8.) (pm) EST

  • Trump announces Mark Meadows as chief of staff

    Trump has just announced Congressman Mark Meadows

    as his new chief of staff , replacing Mick Mulvaney:

    Donald J. Trump (@ realDonaldTrump) I am pleased to announce that Congressman Mark Meadows will become White House Chief of Staff. I have long known and worked with Mark, and the relationship is a very good one …. (March 7,
    (7.) (PM) EST :

    Some commentators are calling Trump’s CDC coronavirus press conference today one of his “most frightening” and “disturbing” appearances in recent memory, given his political rants, misinformation, bizarre boasting and callousness:

    Tough to decide what the worst part of Trumps CDC visit was

    – Saying he wanted to keep sick people on a ship to fudge the numbers – lashing out at the gov of the worst hit state – being preoccupied w / the ratings he got on Fox – or saying anyone can get tested when they can’t

    (March 7,

    He used the press event as an opportunity to attack Democrats, praise his own intelligence, slam CNN and spread false and misleading information about the status of the coronavirus outbreak.

    While wearing his red “Keep America Great” re-election campaign hat, the president went on a rant criticizing Washington state governor Jay Inslee as a “snake” and saying he disagreed with his vice president’s complimentary remarks toward the Democratic governor. Inslee, who ran for president last year, is overseeing the most serious outbreak in the US.

    In a moment that has sparked intense scrutiny, the president also said he would prefer that cruise ship passengers exposed to the virus be left abroad so that they don’t add to the number of total infections in the US.

    “I like the numbers being where they are,” said Trump, who appeared to be explicitly acknowledging his political concerns about the outbreak: “I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that was our fault. ”

    The president further implied that the coronavirus test was available to anyone who needs it, even though his own administration has acknowledged that there is currently a shortage among US health care providers. He called the test “perfect”.

    More on the latest here:

    :

    The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), the pro-Israel lobby group, has confirmed that two attendees at their major conference have now tested positive for coronavirus.

    As reporter Ryan Grim noted, there were 34, 0 people in attendance, including two-thirds of Congress, and many of attendees also visited offices on the Hill:

    (March 6,

  • Ryan Grim (@ ryangrim) From 2 days ago. (https://t.co/rLFIWlVKE5) (https://t.co/8vDMX4SXS7) (March 6,

    (pm) EST

    : 23

    Jay Inslee responds to Trump’s attacks

    Washington state governor Jay Inslee

    Governor Jay Inslee (@ GovInslee)

    My single focus is and will continue to be the health and well-being of Washingtonians.

    It’s important for leaders to speak with one voice. I just wish the president and vice president could get on the same page. (https://t.co/VAzB9nkcRX

    (March 6,

    The president also said he disagreed with his vice president’s complimentary remarks toward the Democratic governor. Inslee just tweeted:

    Governor Jay Inslee (@ GovInslee) We appreciate the vice president’s visit and our teams are working well together.

    (March 6, :

    Outside of the CDC, an update on the Biden v Sanders race today:

    – Sanders has directly criticized Biden over recent attacks against Nina Turner, the Sanders campaign co-chair:

    Bernie Sanders (@ BernieSanders) . @ JoeBiden must accept responsibility for his surrogate telling our campaign co-chair Senator @ NinaTurner that she doesn’t have standing to invoke the words of Dr. King. That is unacceptable and Joe must apologize to Nina and all the people of color supporting our campaign. (March 6,)

    Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist and Biden supporter, has faced

    Biden has not tweeted about the dispute, but he did condemn an ​​antisemitic attack against Sanders after a man unfurled a Nazi flag at one of his rallies:

    ) (@ JoeBiden) I don ‘ t care who you’re supporting, attacks like this against a man who could be the first Jewish President are disgusting and beyond the pale. Hatred and bigotry have no place in America – and it’s up to all of us to root out these evils wherever they’re found. https : //t.co/Q1Pz3hRUDS March 6,

    6. (pm) (EST) :

    Trump says he wants passengers to stay on cruise: “I don’t need the numbers to double”

    To recap what just happened at this Trump CDC press conference on coronavirus:

    The President wore his re- election campaign hat and interrupted the event to ask a Fox News reporter if his (town hall) on the network had good ratings.

  • He called the governor of Washington state, the epicenter of a major outbreak, a “ (snake) ”and“ not a good governor ”, and said he disagreed with his own vice president saying nice things about the governor while visiting the state.

  • Trump said he has
  • He made false and exaggerated claims about the availability of coronavirus tests, ignoring the reality that his vice president has acknowledged, which is that there is a shortage among US healthcare providers right now.

  • He said he would
  • prefer if people on the Grand Princess cruise remained on the ship so that US numbers would not go up.

  • He gloated about his “Natural ability” to understand the epidemic.

  • Kevin Liptak (@ Kevinliptakcnn) Trump is visiting the CDC lab where materials that go into diagnostic tests are generated. (The lab he’s currently standing in was totally empty before he arrived but he says there are folks down the hall working) pic.twitter.com/CelatKHjjG
  • The President took a break from sharing false and misleading information at his CDC coronavirus press conference to attack the Democratic governor of Washington state, (Jay Inslee) , who previously was running for president: Meridith McGraw (@ meridithmcgraw) Trump on Inslee : “I told Mike not to be complimentary of that Gov because that Gov is a snake … Let me just tell you we have a lot of problems with the Gov and the Gov of WA, that’s where you have many of your problems, OK? So Mike may be happy with him but I’m not OK? “

    (March 6,

    He’s also using the event as an opportunity to praise himself:

    Jackson Proskow (@ JProskowGlobal) Trump proclaims that the doctors around him wonder “how do you know so much about this?” “Maybe I have a natural ability” he says. March 6,

    (5.) pm EST : 60

    Trump makes false statements about coronavirus tests

    Trump is continuing to speak at the CDC about coronavirus, and just said, “Anyone who wants a test can get a test.” There is, in fact, a (test kit shortage across the country , as US health care providers have repeatedly reported. Trump’s own vice president has said there are not enough tests to meed the demand.

    , while visiting CDC, just said, “Anyone who wants a test can get a test.” That’s the govt guidance, but across US health care providers say they don’t have tests to administer. VP Pence said yesterday there are not enough tests to meet demand. # coronavirus (March 6,

    The president is also speaking with characteristic hyperbole, calling the coronavirus tests “perfect” and “beautiful”:

    (March 6,

    Dan Diamond (@ ddiamond)

    AZAR tries to explain that more tests are coming, but Trump waves him off to jump in.

    TRUMP: “Anybody that needs a test gets a test…. the tests are all perfect like the letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect. Right? This was not as perfect as that but pretty good. ” pic.twitter.com/A3hgYOJLUt

    March 6,

    The president has repeatedly pushed false statements attempting to blame the Obama administration for current coronavirus testing problems:

    PolitiFact (@ PolitiFact) NEW: @ realDonaldTrump wrongly blames @ BarackObama for limits on coronavirus testing. The policy predated Obama. https: // t. co / mnLhnfGxxR pic.twitter.com/e1TYY7nds8 (March 6,

    Here’s recent reporting from the Guardian on what this shortage looks like on the ground from the perspective of US nurses:

    Read More