Trump’s National Address
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdhJZNxbq3c
The press conference started 43 minutes late. To watch the video move the timeline to the 43 minute mark.
The press conference was about two hours long.
Trump Comments
“We will be extending our guidelines through April 30 to slow the spread. On Tuesday we will finalizing these plans and providing a summary of our findings, supporting data, and strategy to the American people.”
“We will have an important statement tuesday, probably Tuesday evening, on all of the finding and all of the data and the reasons we are doing things the way we are doing them.”
“We can expect that by June 1, we will be well on our way to recovery”
Dr. Anthony Fauci Comments
“The decision to prolong, not prolong, but to extend this mitigation process until the end of April I think was a wise and prudent decision. Dr. [Deborah] Birx and I spent a considerable time going over all the data, why we felt this was best choice of us and the president accepted it. The idea that we may have these cases played a role in the decision that we don’t do something prematurely and pull back when we should be pushing.”
1.6 Million to 2.2 Million Deaths – Doing Nothing
The comments by Dr. Fauci were in reference to models, also mentioned by Trump, that showed if nothing was done, there would be 1.6 million to 2.2 million deaths.
80,000 to 200,000 Deaths – With Successful Intervention
“If we can hold that down, to 100,000 – it’s a horrible number, maybe even less, but to 100,000 so we have between 100,000 to 200,000 – we all together have done a very good job,” said Trump.
With social distancing, quarantines, and work stoppages, the models suggested a range of 80,000 to 200,000 deaths according to Dr. Fauci.
Easter Peak
Trump had hoped to reopen the economy by Easter, Sunday April 12, but instead accepted the advice of Doctors Fauci and Birx.
As I understand it, the best model now suggests acceleration through April 12 but no trough until June 1.
“Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before victory is won,” said Trump. “It’s very important that everybody strongly follow the guidelines.”
A reporter asked Trump about the Easter restart (now cancelled) and Trump said said it was not a mistake because it was “aspirational”.
Trump was also very testy with a reporter from CNN.
Empathy
Trump displayed a quality I have never seen in him before: empathy. He spoke of black body bags as long as trucks and said “it’s not supplies, it’s people. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
In reference to Italy, Trump says “We got lucky”.
That’s certainly a new behavior.
The Trump administration response was slow and nothing to brag about. But any administration in any party would have been slow then bragged if they did anything at all.
Importantly, Trump finally took the advice of his medical team seriously.
Now, June 1 is “modified aspirational because I think we are going to hit it.”
Pence came on at roughly the 2:17:20 mark. Pence spoke of the sacrifices the nation has made, and thanked the American people and the healthcare workers.
Press Conference Rating
- Trump: A
- Pence: A+
- Doctors and Industry Leaders: A+
Those are my ratings.
Other than getting into it with CNN and bragging about how early the US reacted, Trump handled himself very well and presidential.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
“Trump was also very testy with a reporter from CNN.”
Who cares about that. Who doesn’t get “testy” from time to time, and especially at unfriendly sources looking to find a way to make a person look worse. The media hasn’t been friendly to this administration since before the office was even won, so excuse a person for not caring about this part of speech analysis. What I DO care about is that the federal level gov is trying to ramp up efforts to halt this disease from killing a significant number of the population. There has been good and bad from them, and that’s how humans do things. When the world had to go on whatever came out of China as resource for learning it and fighting it off, the world was screwed royally, because China would rather lie than be honest.
is it more accurate to say trump gets testy from time to time or is it MUCH more accurate to say trump acts with dignity and aplomb from time to time?
Maybe we could bring back “Heck of a job Brownie.” I’m sure Jeb! would have been the sane choice, right?
At nearly 2500 USA deaths as I write this, there is a long way to go to get to 80-200k! I don’t think anyone is going to be able to justify shutting down the whole economy due to this scaremongering.
Probably depends on the actual damage they do to the economy. I can see it going to either extreme frankly. I can see anything from a complete currency collapse to a vigorous summer rebound when he removes most regulations on industry in the aftermath.
We’ll see what it looks like by the middle of April. It will most likely have put the seasonal flu in the mirror by then, and remember, a seasonal flu runs for a year, while Covid19 is just getting started, and will still be killing a year from now. Hopefully, thanks to the social distancing, they can keep the Covid deaths down to 1-200,000, and then people can say “see, it wasn’t that bad”.
Sad to say but I think a normal president would have handled this pandemic with more urgency. I will give out grades come September.
” But any administration in any party would have been slow then bragged if they did anything at all.”
You had me until here, sir. The bar for his performance is so low, one empathetic comment gets him credit?
Based on progression from 3/10 (1000 cases) until today (139,773), cases are doubling every 2.666 days and will reach 1 million in 7-8 days.
Case rate is slowing, though. It will be about 200k cases and 3500 deaths by the end of the month, and will pass the seasonal flu between April 7 and April 15. Between that, and the horrific videos we can expect from New York, New Jersey, Boston, Detroit, and New Orleans, the dialogue will change a lot over the next couple of weeks.
Yes. Still caught between having a decent interval and sample size vs catching the changing rate.
Deaths are what matters, not cases.
Cases also matter, for three reasons:
Sure but there are too many that seem to believe that there is a 1-1 correspondence between new cases and deaths. Which there is not. We are still around deaths at between 1-2% of total cases, I believe, which is still not a super high number. People are not falling over dead in the street right and left.
… and then there’s this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVQbc7W2_68
Clickbait.
Massie was the only one in DC to realize he was bein played,ask yourself this……why if we are in a “pandemic”,the Fed printing $trillions almost daily,why is all that loot goin just 2 places….bail out (bankrupt)state and federal govt (again)and bailout (bankrupt)corporations (again),whatever crumbs left over will be used on main street to fight the “pandemic”
Congressman Massie should call out Trump for this bs!
Yes, but how were the TV ratings?
For the first time ever, I can say we are in unprecedented times.
Just sayin, look around.
Trump and empathy in one sentence? You need to be a trumptard to believe it’s not faked.
It’s all fake,pretty clear what’s goin on,DC was near default (collapse)on it’s dept,it needed cover for trillions in bailout cash,so with the help of China (in exchange for lifting tariffs)the Coronascam was born,how convinient!Now the Fed has cover to print quadrillions!
Or it was just the straw that broke the camels back. If we had a sane and functional economic system, the isolation would be a lot easier to deal with.
This thing was gonna burn no matter what.
The first case of COVID-19 or the coronavirus hit the United States Jan. 19, 70 days ago, but President Donald Trump sent 17.8 tons of personal protective equipment (PPE) to China as cases were ramping up here at home. The State Department sent out on Feb. 7 announced they would be sending up to $100 million in assistance to China so they could better handle the COVID-19 cases.
That’s actually not a bad strategy at the start because it’s better to handle things at the source. The problem is we didn’t make sure that the early quarantine is tight enough. We prevented flights from China, but let people in through the Eastern part of the country.
so sorry we can’t help stupid-but left is exactly that
hope you are in NYC living dream
“Trump displayed a quality I have never seen in him before: empathy.”
I don’t know which is less likely: him actually having empathy or him submitting to being coached on how to present as empathetic.
Special
High
Intensity
Training
And Donald Trump is the President. Best hope he does what is best because he has the job. There is no magic solution. I’d rather have the Florida State police shoot every person with a New York or New Jersey license plate or ID because they might be infected and kill me.r
Believe me in my part of the country the officer might be acquitted by a jury ‘for doing his civic’ duty.
This is a real life or death problem so I would advise New Yorkers and other diseased hot spots to tread carefully and hope Trump can keep us from defending ourselves.
You show zero understanding of the situation. The virus is already well dispersed throughout Florida, with a big boost from the spring break celebrators (who came from all over the country, and then returned to all over the country). If your governor had an ounce of common sense he would have shut down all of spring break, but then the business community would have been so very unhappy. If your biggest concern is a few New Yorkers flying into town, your priorities are upside down. I hope you stay safe and healthy, but to do so, you need to wash your hands, not touch your face, and exercise social distancing. Threatening to shoot out-of-town visitors should be pretty low on your todo list. Only proper hygienic measures can save Florida from not looking like New York in the next 2-3 weeks. Bless you and I wish you luck.
There are more cases in Florida. You just dont know about them because there arent enough tests. You probably can’t comprehend this.
I had hoped he would encourage his evangelical base to pack Easter services. MAGA
You are a fucking asshole.
Every time you post something like this, it creates a new Trump voter.
The dead don’t vote. Except in Chicago.
Bravo Dave. Spot on.
more for PRESIDENT TRUMP 2020 than ever
I hope we see more of this Trump. This is exactly what he needs to do. I set it out in a previous comment:
I could add #6
He made progress towards #2, #3, #5, and #6.
We had a very tiny change in the slope in the curve of the infection rate in Michigan today… very easily within the statistical error margin. Not looking good here at all. I think we are gonna be out til June.
why is fauci PANICKING???
could it be that c-19 is BIO WEAPON that mutates from S to L strain into deadly virus???
otherwise why would we care about avg 70,000 deaths from flu each year
now 2 million??? REALLY – please provide actual data or I HAVE TO CALL BULLSHIT MISH