Monday, April 6, 2020

Free TV





And Fauci, silently chuckling, submits.


Trump's impromptu press briefing:




Trump on hydroxychloroquine: "What do I know, I'm not a doctor...but I have common sense...as you know, they've approved it...they gave it a rapid approval." It has not been FDA-"approved" for the coronavirus. The FDA gave it a limited emergency use authorization.
Trump says they've bought a "tremendous amount" of hydroxychloroquine. He claims there are "strong signs" it works on the coronavirus. (Again, Fauci and others emphasize that it hasn't been proven safe/effective). Trump adds, this time, that "we'll see." 
Trump is now doing his old economic boasts in the past tense. He says the airlines and oil and gas industry used to be doing great before they got hit with this. Trump: "We can use this time to turn to reflection and prayer and our own personal relationship with God." Trump: "We see light at the end of the tunnel. Things are happening. Things are happening. We're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel."
Trump on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: "There's a governor, I hear him complaining all the time. Pritzker...always complaining." "He has not performed well." He says the federal government is helping with an Illinois facility because Pritzker isn't doing what he is supposed to.
Asked why not just let the science speak about whether hydroxychloroquine works, he says, "I want them to try it. And it may work and it may not work. And if it doesn't work...nothing lost by doing it." "It may not work. In which case: hey, it didn't work." Trump cites the French data that's been widely questioned. He says, "I want people to live. And I'm seeing people dying. And I see people that are going to die without it. And you know the expression...what, really, do we have to lose?"
After @JDiamond1 asks him some intelligent questions about his touting of hydroxychloroquine, Trump concludes his response by saying, "Only CNN would ask that question. Fake news."
Trump wishes New York well, notes the decline in new deaths there, and says NJ Gov. Phil Murphy is doing a "great job." He notes the deployment of military personnel and the hospital ship to New York. Trump says he is very impressed with the emptiness of New York streets, and the "fantastic job" being done in California and by Gov. Newsom. He says he's proud of a lot of people "on the other side."
Trump: "The state of Washington's done very well." He says "we appreciate" that Inslee (whom he'd previously bashed repeatedly and said he didn't want to call) is able to give ventilators back.

These governors must have soothed his ego somehow.

Trump on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: "There's a governor, I hear him complaining all the time. Pritzker...always complaining." "He has not performed well." He says the federal government is helping with an Illinois facility because Pritzker isn't doing what he is supposed to.
Trump suggested a few minutes ago that he is the one who thought of the Right to Try law on access to experimental medications. These laws were pushed by a libertarian think tank and have been passed at the state level since 2014.
Asked if he's considering staying away from Pence just to ensure continuity of government, Trump says, "We have this tiny platform, and I'd love it to be wider." He jokes that he doesn't breathe when he's next to Pence. He notes they've both been tested.
Asked about Pelosi's call for additional money for Americans in a Phase 4 bill, Trump says, "I like the concept of it. I think it's good. We're talking about a different way of doing it, but I like the concept." He says he'd also like an infrastructure bill.
Trump keeps giving people bad medical advice about the safety of hydroxychloroquine: "It can help them, but it's not going to hurt them. That's the beauty of it...what do you have to lose?"
Trump: The hospitals, the states, should have been stockpiling ventilators.
Trump is complaining about bad highway construction. "They pour a new base that isn't as good...the concrete base was fantastic...takes forever...wait a minute...it starts to crack...it hasn't been set...they spend 10, 15, 20 times more money than they have to..."
Trump on why they're sending ventilators to Illinois and building a hospital there: "The governor couldn't do his job, so we had to help him."
Trump: Most of the governors are very happy, but "they'll try to act not so happy" because "it's politics." When I speak to them, he says, they're singing praises.
Trump: "Did anybody in this room think a thing like this could happen?" There were years and years of pandemic warnings from US intelligence, public health experts, and even from top officials in Trump's administration.
Trump: State leaders have to appreciate the others working on this effort, not me. "I don't care about me." Trump: "Me, you can forget about...I actually mean it."
If only we could.

Trump on his optimism today: "We're seeing things that we don't even report," because we think it's too early to tell the public about them.
Trump says a term for what has happened to the economy is "cold turkey" -- it has suddenly shut down "cold turkey."
Trump on wearing face coverings: "I would wear one if I thought it was important."
Fauci: It isn't contradictory to say this is going to be a bad week and there's light at the end of the tunnel. This being a bad week is a reflection of what happened 2.5 weeks ago; if we now see a flattening of cases, doesn't take away the fact that this'll be a bad week.
Fauci is asked to address hydroxychloroquine. Trump intervenes and says he's already done so 15 times. Fauci doesn't answer. (Fauci has repeatedly said, including this weekend, that its effectiveness for the coronavirus hasn't been proven.)
Wait a minute - I thought he tested negative. Why is he taking any drug?

Trump: "Right now, things are looking really good."
The beginning of this exchange:Q: On the equipment issue, records show that federal agencies did not begin --Trump: Oh stop it. Who are you with? By the way, who are you with? Trump, chastising another reporter, calls the Associated Press "not so great" and "not like it used to be."
Trump made this comment after he was asked why even have a few businesses open, why not shut everything. He said he'll answer "later," but "All I can say is that right now things are lookin' really good and opening up with a bang will be a great thing."






...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

No comments: