Live Blog below
5:45* PM EDT (*rarely starts on time) Started at 626 pm
Sunday, Apr 19, 2020 · 10:30:58 PM +00:00 · annieli
It begins 627pm
Trump rural hospitals, small business negotiations with Congress
now prepared remarks “more tests” blah-blah manipulates numbers “more than ____ countries combined”
ad libs right off “I should be tired”
Trump does lab capacity comments hypes Abbott
Trump holds up Swab prop (if he would only jam it up his nose)
Trump blah blah, claims states don’t know where their orders are.
Trump hypes WSJ editorial reads para. — more self-congratulations
Trump likes the word “aroused” like “ravaged”
We’re in campaign rally territory now complete with propaganda.
More Trump bafflegab “reaction under pressure” meme
mentions Fauci and Birx
Trump admits he didn’t read whole WSJ op-ed.
Trump claims he’s using DPA to increase swab production
“We are now the King of Ventilators”
More Trump blah-blah then goes to bafflegab about states’ responsibilities for testing. Confabulates PPEs numbers with ventilators numbers and demand — disinformation.
Trump pimps 1917 yet again because he cannot remember 1918 Flu. implies that the country should have never been closed. Uses “ad Nauseum”
Trump will show charts of other countries to show US is relatively not in trouble. Typical Trump hinting at alternative examples without identifying (note his comments on source anonymity)
“we would have had millions of deaths” Trump now self-congratulating about death toll for example he says the 60k number means that 40k lives were saved
Trump went to prepared text but now ad libs to happy talk about elective surgeries Verma will talk Pence is there
This bafflegab about bed demands (not about how ICU bed numbers could still spike) is meant to frame the “end to shutdown” meme.
There’s a lot of Trump digressions, mentions move of NY ventilators to MA.
Trump now pimps a “two-minute clip” that has Cuomo complimenting Trump.
How will Trump frame this — Trump thinks there was something else to be shown. Trump calls it “bipartisan”. This offsets the 11 minute rant against Trump Cuomo had.
Trump now mentions Civil War again (remember that serves Trump’s RWNJ boogaloo purposes)
Trump pimps “Dynamic Ventilator Reserve” (note that this is cartelization of supply, some diverted and seized state-level orders by Feds including FEMA)
Trump pimps air bridge and “young geniuses” “sir” example of young entrepreneur who sold company for $700M
Trump goes bafflegab on gowns Haynes Standard Textile
Trump now into corporate infomercial Honeywell in RI, and 3M
More blah blah credits DPA now into campaign speech 500M masks
now Trump self-congratulates again on sterilizing masks — more Trump dinner-banquet shout-outs, makes up math
Trump now pimps US manufacturing (note that most swabs come from China)
“I ran on that and against China” blah-blah campaign rally continues farmers, trade etc, implies blaming China for virus.
Trump now back to talking about death and G-7 more blah-blah
“nobody ever thought this could happen”
Now Trump’s onto supply chain riff (more Trump stupidity about comparative advantage) asks stupid hypothetical that supply chains get disrupted in a war — is that what he wants?
Now attacks WTO vis. China same-old memes “developing nations”
now campaign rally “I might have been elected….” NAFTA blah-blah
Looks like Trump’s got nothing today — repeats something from Fox News Bret Baier, Trump makes idiotic remark to support his inaction in February “Democrats didn’t mention virus in their debate”
Trump’s now back to prepared text finally, now riffing on implementation in FDA
therapies now, finally Trump throws to Pence. Trump is staying, probably to intervene again..
CNN has left, MSNBC is now fact-checking. Pence is trying to spin stable versus spread which are now actual spreading out beyond suburbs (for example Birx talked about the difference between New Orleans curve versus Louisiana curve.
Hopefully MSM will ask about Phase One compliance
Seema Verna now talks about elective surgeries $90B of accelerated payments
“reopen the healthcare system” under Phase One mentions nursing homes and transparency
we’re now at an hour, will Trump answer press questions, he’s going to throw to Hahn of FDA.
Now Trump takes questions
Q: what about RW protests?
Trump goes blah-blah, claims they’re social distancing (they’re not)
“I see protesters for all sorts of things, I’m with everybody”
Q: OAN — on Iran uses Feinstein as example
Trump says if Iran needs aid (ventilators) TRump digresses to his dislike of mosquitos, now riffs on John Kerry
Q: Which governors have “gone too far”
Trump uses it to riff on VA on guns
Q: more of problems with Democrats
Trump filibusters
Q: if VA MN MI tweets, how can you reconcile opening if they’re not meeting Phase One (plus Hahn question)
Trump punts … blah blah “great relations with governors”, mentions TX
Trump now yammers about “beautiful puzzle” of states
Q: Hahn re: Michael Fay at Alabama COVID survivor — why would the situation be different to justify “opening back up”
Hahn punts
Trump now interjects “missing clip” from his prior clip showing Cuomo Trump liked it but it’s a nothing-burger
Q: (CBS’s Jiang) quotes Trump on delay (Trump thinks Asian women look alike, asks “who are you with?”)
“Without telling us what you did in January again, can you tell us what you did in February?”
Trump gets patronizing and disrespectful Trump tries to catch her on numbers (this is a common Trump ploy) tells her to “keep your voice down” (this is as close as Trump gets to STFU) Trump is getting testy (she should talk about dead Americans in February) Trump doesn’t answer question.
Q: Las Vegas mayor?
Trump punts, refers to his own hotel being shutdown
Q: follow up — qualifications for shutdown ans funds
Trump punts
Q: about Cuomo remarks
Trump attacks her on inaccuracy Trump bafflegab “swabs are so easy to get”
Q: hotel closings?
Trump now goes blah blah mentions Doral
Q: (CNN’s Jeremy Diamond) is this really the time for self-congratulations?
Trump “here we go” Trump goes blah-blah Trump’s getting testy
Fake news Trump loves using “excoriation”
“you don’t have the brains you were born with” mentions Lincoln’s bad press
(Trump’s going to flee soon) invisible enemy blah-blah
40k deaths Trump now bafflegabbing over relative death toll
“nobody thought it was possible” NY streets mentions Fifth AV
“you just don’t have the sense to know what’s going on”
Q: small business?
Trump opines on franchisees
Q: governors’ death threats?
Trump punts … cabin fever excuse Trump says he doesn’t see Nazi flags at those demonstrations
Q: Roger Stone pardon?
Stone, Manafort — Trump claims “black book (ledger) is a fraud, Flynn, etc.
Trump now doing his campaign rally memes… human scum (in FBI)
Q: OAN blame PBO administration?
Trump now does his usual … blah-blah -— Space Force! — DRINK!
Q: “swabs are easy” even with state level shortages
Trump says by tomorrow we won’t (have shortages) repeats claims that governors don’t know where they are
Q: (CNN’s Jeremy Diamond) re:you praising President Xi in Jan / Feb — were you duped?
Trump: “You were duped” blah blah on trade
“Listen CNN, I told you I was not happy about it” refers to himself in the third person. “You people are so pathetic at CNN” now blames “Pelosi and parties in Chinatown”
“That’s why your ratings are so bad, you’re pathetic”
Q: (Bloomberg) foreign trade?
Q: Salt Lake Tribune? Mitt Romney
Trump “I’m not a fan of Mitt Romney”
Q: on Sen. Loeffler?
Trump punts
Trump flees
(well that was amusing)