At Thursday’s White House Coronavirus briefing, Donald Trump made a number of alarming and untrue statements in regards to the effect COVID-19 is having on states around the country. This comes as little surprise to most who have been following Trump’s reaction to the coronavirus’ impact on the US, but is still crucial to point out any claims that are not grounded in fact. The most worrisome statements were in regards to states that currently have no coronavirus problem, Trump granting states the power to reopen, and the reasoning behind a dip in nationwide testing. Now it’s time to look at these statements and set the facts straight.
States with “no” Coronavirus problems
Throughout the press conference, Trump continuously said, “you have states without any problem.” He was inferring that certain states within the US currently have no issue with Coronavirus or any population that was sick is now recovered. Trump’s bold statement could not be further from the truth.
Currently, there is not a state within the US that has less than 200 cases. On top of that, there is no concrete data consistent between states that puts a number to the amount of those who had COVID-19 and are now recovered.
Trump “Allowing” States to Reopen
Trump made bold claims that he is the one handing power over to the states to make their decisions in regards to reopening. Essentially saying that before this, he was keeping states closed, but now feels comfortable enough to hand those decisions over to the governors. This was never the case.
The real truth is that governors have a constitutional right and the power to make decisions for their state.
Nationwide Testing
Trump attempted to defend a drop in nationwide testing for Coronavirus. His defense pointed to “new and better testing solutions.” Basically, he was saying that since there are other tests that do not need to be conducted in a lab, we are seeing lab numbers and results taking a dip. This was yet again, not the truth.
There is not one clear reason as to why a dip has occurred. Some point to positive results, such as social distancing doing it’s part. However, there is also a real issue with a lack of supplies.