Donald John Trump

“ But I would say to any American who might be concerned that they have symptoms, as the President said so well: We don't want every healthy American to get a test. But if people feel that they have symptoms that they identify with the coronavirus, call your doctor. Their doctor can call their state health authorities that can work very closely with our entire team, through HHS and FEMA, and work to identify the more and more tests that are available every day. ”

“ I also want to announce today that the United States and Mexico have agreed to restrict non-essential travel across our shared border. Both our countries know the importance of working together to limit the spread of the virus to ensure that commerce that supports our economy continues to keep flowing. Here, too, the United States is glad to have a friend who is working side by side us in the fight. ”

“ SECRETARY AZAR: Today's announcement is just the latest in a long line of bold, decisive actions the President has taken to protect Americans from the coronavirus spreading across our borders.
In January, within two weeks of China's notifying WHO about the virus and with only 45 cases in China, we began screening travelers from Wuhan. Then, over time, as the outbreak evolved, the President restricted travel from China, Iran, and Europe. Our health experts say that these measures have been truly effective at slowing the virus's spread to our shores. ”

“ We have now a great system and it's almost fully in gear, but it's able to test millions of people.
But we inherited a broken, old — frankly, a terrible system. We fixed it and we've done a great job. And we haven't been given the credit that we deserve — that, I can tell you. But the one that really deserves the credit are the American people because they are doing things that nobody thought they would do. What they're doing is incredible. And we're making a lot of progress. ”

“ And thanks to the spirit of our people, we will win this war, and we are. We're winning and we're going to win this war. America will triumph and America will rise higher than ever before. We'll be stronger than ever before, and we've learned a lot. ”

“ But if we can save thousands of lives, and even millions of lives, potentially — you don't know where it goes. But you could be talking about millions of lives.
So if you look at the world — I mean, you have some very smart people in the world. You have some smart leaders in the world. And everybody is doing it the way we're doing it. ”

“ And when you see the sacrifices that many Americans have made — the sacrifices that the service industry has made to close their restaurants, close their bars, and so that the spread is discontinued — and then you really understand how all of Americans must make the same sacrifice. ”

“ What do you say to people with the view that we are overreacting to the coronavirus Play on mobile device [1:05:08] CORRESPONDENT (PRINT POOL) : Let me ask you both if that's all right. Mr. Secretary, Senator Johnson has suggested that you and the administration may be overreacting. He said, "We don't shut down our economy because tens of thousands of people die on the highways. We don't shut down our economy because tens of thousands of people die from the common flu. At worst, 3.4 percent of Americans will die from this virus," he said. What do you say to people that have that view? ”

“ In normal times, these massive flows place a vast burden on our healthcare system, but during a global pandemic, they threaten to create a perfect storm that would spread the infection to our border agents, migrants, and to the public at large. ”

“ The CDC Director has determined that the introduction and spread of the coronavirus and the Department's Border Patrol stations and detention facilities presents a serious danger to migrants, our frontline agents and officers, and the American people.
So it's important to note that the Department currently apprehends foreign nationals from over 120 different countries around the world — the vast majority of those having coronavirus cases. Many of these individuals arrive with little or no identity, travel, or medical documentation, making public health risk determinations all but impossible. ”

“ So as the Commissioner of FDA and the President mentioned yesterday, we're trying to strike a balance between making something with a potential of an effect to the American people available, at the same time that we do it under the auspices of a protocol that would give us information to determine if it's truly safe and truly effective. ”

“ And tomorrow, Admiral Giroir and FEMA will update the American public on the status of testing and our support of state-based testing efforts that are literally expanding by the hour.
On the subject of medical supplies, we continue, at the President's direction, to pursue every means to expand the supply of personal protective equipment for the extraordinary and courageous healthcare workers that are ministering to the needs of people impacted by the coronavirus. We have a policy of procuring, allocating, as well as conserving the resources that we have in our system. ”

“ The American people are tougher. Our diplomatic teams are working around the clock to help them keep safe both home and abroad. And we're showing, once again, the global leadership that America has always delivered. It's been great to see countries around the world rally behind what President Trump and our team are doing. ”

“ And that's why it's very important at this moment, that all of you carry that message about the sacrifices that many have made, particularly our service providers and our frontline healthcare workers. They are making that sacrifice every day so that every American can move through this well. But we need every American following the presidential guidelines. ”

“ Furthermore, Mexico is taking action to secure our own southern border and suspend air travel from Europe. So we're coordinating very closely the air travel going to Mexico and then trying to come into the United States.
The actions we're taking together with our North American partners will save countless lives.
At the conclusion of my remarks, Secretary Azar, Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Wolf — we're going to be also taking some questions with Tony and Deborah, who you've gotten to know very well — but they'll be discussing certain things, and I think you'll find them of great interest. ”

“ When held at border facilities, these migrants risk spreading the virus to other migrants, to CBP agents and border healthcare workers, and even the United States population as a whole. In such circumstances, the kind of social distancing measures the CDC and the President have recommended are simply not possible.
On top of that, any resources that we are using to reduce the risk of infection among CBP agents, healthcare workers, and migrants in these facilities are drawing on American — an American healthcare system that is already fighting the coronavirus pandemic. ”

“ Do not interpret mild or moderate disease as lack of contagion, or that you're immune. You just happen to have a better immune system and the ability to fight the virus in a way that maybe older people or people with existing medical conditions can't. ”

“ And, frankly, once we get the economy back and once this enemy is defeated — the invisible enemy, as I call it — once it's defeated, we get the economy back, it's going to all come back to us very quickly. ”

“ We're doing things that a lot of people wouldn't be able to do. But the relationship with governors and states is, I think, very extraordinary, especially under the circumstances where this just came upon us.
We're working with Canada and Mexico to prevent the spread of the virus across North America, very closely. You heard what we did yesterday with Canada. And Secretary of State Pompeo will be making a statement in a little while having to do with Mexico and the border. ”

“ The measure and all of those measures that we're putting in place will protect the health of all three nations and reduce the incentive for a mass global migration that would badly deplete the healthcare resources needed for our people. ”

“ I sometimes hear people on radio or others talking about, "I'm immune to the virus." We don't know if the contagion levels are difference in age groups, but we know it's highly contagious to everyone. ”

“ And as we learn about the results that are being reported around the country of coronavirus tests, our experts continue to look at the numbers and see that some 90 percent of Americans that are tested do not test positive for the coronavirus and so it can give you a sense of the magnitude of testing that's going on. ”

“ And you have supply chains that are broken down for two reasons: because they can't supply that much and because people are sick. They can't be on the chain. So you have a lot of interesting things all over the world. ”

“ A lot of — if you look at your stock market geniuses — some of whom are not geniuses, but they think they are — a lot of people think that I'm right about that, that once we defeat the virus, I think you're going to have a very steep — like a rocket ship. ”

“ We've obviously focused on states that have been dealing with the most serious outbreaks of coronavirus — Washington State, California, New York, and others. We've been making sure the tests are in those areas, working closely with those governors. But I think the American people should be encouraged AT the progress that we are making. ”

“ Secretary Wolf will talk a little bit more about the details of how we're working alongside our partner in Mexico to keep our southern border safe and secure as well.
On another note, yesterday the State Department issued a Level 4 global travel advisory. This means that all international travel from U.S. citizens should be avoided. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who reside in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States unless they're prepared to remain abroad for an extended time. ”

“ On the subject of supplies, we continue to make steady progress on testing. Thanks to the President's involvement of commercial labs, the public and private partnership, more and more Americans are being tested every single day. ”

“ So I'd like to move now to invite our team to provide information on the new measures to prevent viral spread at our borders. And I'll start by asking Secretary of State Pompeo to speak. He's doing a fantastic job. And like everyone else, he's been working very, very long and very, very hard. And he's doing the other more normal jobs of a great Secretary of State, but he got — he got tied into this like everybody else, and he's been really doing a fantastic job. ”

“ A few examples of essential travel include but certainly are not limited to: individuals traveling for medical purposes, to attend educational institutions, for emergency response, public health services, and individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade. As the Secretary said, the agreements with both Canada and Mexico will go into effect on Saturday, March 21st. ”

“ SECRETARY AZAR: Yeah. So, first, we're making tremendous progress, in terms of lab testing. Tens of thousands of tests are being done every single day, both through the CDC and the public health labs, as well as now through the private sector commercial labs. They're getting to scale. They have supplies. They have high throughput.
We do hear anecdotally, occasionally, of, say, a public health lab or another one that has a concern about this supply or that supply. ”

“ We're talking about the people who need a test.
THE PRESIDENT: Three hundred and fifty million people — we don't want that. We want people that are sys- — that have a problem, that have a problem with — they're sneezing, they're sniffling, they don't feel good, they have a temperature. ”

“ Yesterday, he said, quote, "The fate of New York City rests in the hands of one man. He is a New Yorker and right now he is betraying the city he comes from." I've personally spoken to emergency department nurses who say that they're being told not to wear N95 masks because supplies are so low. ”

“ Later today, we'll be talking with manufacturers around the country. And the President I continue to be inspired by the way American industry is stepping forward. We have businesses around the country that are literally volunteering to retrofit plants to help us meet the needs of our healthcare workers and our healthcare system in confronting the coronavirus. ”

“ And as far as whether or not we'll have that, allow them — when we give them money — because we have to keep these great companies in business because of the workers; frankly, for the most part, because of the workers. The workers are my number one concern. But the way we take care of the workers is we have to keep the companies going.
I am fine with restricting buybacks. In fact, I would — I would demand that there be no stock buybacks. I don't want them taking hundreds of millions of dollars and buying back their stock, because that does nothing. ”

“ We have a tremendous economy. We do numbers like no other country has ever done before. Number one in the world, if you go back two weeks — and still, obviously. But if you go back two weeks, number one in the world, by far. ”

“ Our number one priority across those mission sets remains the protection of the American people. The President and our team are very focused on it.
I'll take this moment, too, to thank my team, the State Department team, who is working long hours all around the world to take care of Americans who are stuck at places around the world. ”

“ And so we are working very closely with Mexico, very, very closely with Canada. The relationship has never been better. We're all working for the same — toward the same goal.
Our nation's top healthcare officials are extremely concerned about the grave public health consequences of mass uncontrolled cross-border movement. And that would be mostly — and even beyond — but mostly during this global pandemic. ”