Donald Trump held yet another wide-ranging press conference on Tuesday, this one lasting over 90 minutes.
Trump opened the presser by urging Americans to work from home and avoid non-essential travel, after yesterday recommending no gatherings of 10 people or more.
“By making necessary sacrifices we can protect our people and protect our economy,” he said.
Trump then laughably claimed he’s always taken the virus very, very seriously.
The man who first said words to the effect that the coronavirus was a Democratic party hoax and a media fantasy just emphasized once again, in this new week for Trump, how seriously everyone needs to take the virus. And how seriously he is taking it.
“We are looking at saving the maximum number of lives. Everything else will come back, lives do not come back,” the president just said at the White House briefing now ongoing.
“This is a pandemic,” he stated. Then he stepped outside the truth.
“I have always viewed it as very serious,” he said.
"I've been talking about this for many years, long before I decided to run for president, I've been talking about this" — Trump spent a month downplaying the coronavirus! pic.twitter.com/yWBmAPqqD6 [1]
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2020 [2]
Trump then defended calling coronavirus the “Chinese Virus.”
“China was putting out information that our military gave it to them. We have to call it where it came from, it came from China,” he said.
REPORTER: People are criticizing you for using the phrase "China virus." Your response?
TRUMP: I think it's a very accurate term. pic.twitter.com/IsDlzZP8Oj [3]
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2020 [4]
Trump was then called out for the repeated attacks he is lobbing at everyone from former President Obama, to Joe Biden, to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Trump then basically responded by saying he is always going to fight back, saying “if they are going to play fair, there will be nobody better than Donald Trump in terms of bipartisanship.”
REPORTER: You keep calling for unity. Yet you attack Democrats almost every day. Are you going to set the example?
TRUMP: "I only do that when I have to respond … if they are going to play fair, there will be nobody better than Donald Trump in terms of bipartisanship." pic.twitter.com/4jby3BWuzO [5]
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2020 [6]
Trump lastly claimed that the only thing he wasn’t doing well was…getting good press:
TRUMP: "The only thing we have not done well is to get good press." pic.twitter.com/92SPRF7MTs [7]
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2020 [8]