Donald Trump says he has no plans to sack immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci from the White House coronavirus task force despite retweeting a post from a failed Republican congressional candidate that included the hashtag “#FireFauci”.
Meanwhile the White House has blamed Democrats and the media for "ignoring" the virus threats despite reports revealing how Mr Trump repeatedly ignored dire warnings for several weeks, as early as January, while the president claimed on Monday he has "total authority" to force states to abandon their quarantine efforts as he looks to re-open the economy.
The president otherwise spent his Easter Sunday firing out angry tweets against the media, laying into Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and being accused of “third grade name-calling” for his trouble, as he told Americans he was “working hard to expose” press coverage he disputes regarding his response to the current crisis, the proclamation coming as the US death toll from Covid-19 passed 22,000.
Dr Fauci has said that there would "obviously" be fewer deaths if the US had been more prepared, but is claiming that the country could be ready for "rolling re-entry" from the start of next month as the US prepares to end the quarantine measures that have stalled the economy in recent weeks and seen 17m Americans apply for unemployment benefits.
During a White House briefing on Monday, he defended the administration's response and clarified his remarks were "taken as a way that maybe something was at fault here".
In his attempt to dismiss a timeline of pandemic warnings from as early as January, revealed in reports that the president called a "total fake", Mr Trump showed reporters a video — set to inspirational orchestral music — with his own version of events that downplayed the threat in the US.
Asked why he made reporters watch a campaign-like video promoting his own response to an outbreak that has killed thousands of people in the US, the president said he did it to "correct" the "fake news".
He also lashed out at a reporter ("you know you're a fake") and others who pressed him on what the administration did in February after putting in place the travel restrictions on China in January. It was one of the last things the White House did until March, while the president contradicted health officials and claimed that the virus would be wiped out within weeks.
His attempts on Monday to bolster the administration's to the crisis arrives as millions of Americans are expected to begin receiving $1,200 as direct deposits following the passage of a $1tn congressional relief package.
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Hello and welcome to The Independent's rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in the US and the Donald Trump administration's response to it.
Trump retweets ‘Fire Fauci’ message as White House tensions deepen
Donald Trump has stoked speculation that he intends to sack his top immunologist, Dr Anthony Fauci, from the White House coronavirus task force by retweeting a post from a failed Republican congressional candidate that included the hashtag “#FireFauci”, although his doing so would surely provoke a major backlash given the physician's huge popularity with the public.
Donald Trump has stoked speculation that he intends to sack his top immunologist, Dr Anthony Fauci, from the White House coronavirus task force by retweeting a post from a failed Republican congressional candidate that included the hashtag “#FireFauci”, although his doing so would surely provoke a major backlash given the physician's huge popularity with the public.
The president has expressed his anger in private in recent weeks over the doctor's habit of contradicting or correcting his own unproven assertions at their daily press briefings, with Trump likely to have been especially angered by Fauci's appearance on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday.
There, the doc told Jake Tapper that an earlier response to the crisis from the US government "could have saved lives", an admission the occupant of the Oval Office will not have taken kindly to as he continues his battle to own the narrative having initially, disastrously dismissed the threat of the disease as a "hoax".
Here's Griffin Connolly's report.
President accused of ‘third grade name-calling’ for attack on Fox host Chris Wallace
The president otherwise spent his Easter Sunday firing out angry tweets against the media, laying into Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and being accused of “third grade name-calling” for his trouble, as he told Americans he was “working hard to expose” press coverage he disputes regarding his response to the current crisis, the proclamation coming as the US death toll from Covid-19 passed 22,000.
Most recently, he was heard raging at The New York Times after it published a damning article on Saturday entitled "He Could Have Seen What Was Coming" about his many failings in tackling the outbreak:
The president otherwise spent his Easter Sunday firing out angry tweets against the media, laying into Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and being accused of “third grade name-calling” for his trouble, as he told Americans he was “working hard to expose” press coverage he disputes regarding his response to the current crisis, the proclamation coming as the US death toll from Covid-19 passed 22,000.
Most recently, he was heard raging at The New York Times after it published a damning article on Saturday entitled "He Could Have Seen What Was Coming" about his many failings in tackling the outbreak:
But that was just the tip of the iceberg:
Here he is frothing at Wallace for refusing to debunk the aforementioned NYT article on Fox News Sunday...
...and here's that stinging defence from the latter's colleague, Jedediah Bila:
US could see ‘rolling re-entry’ next month, says Dr Fauci
For his part in all of this, Dr Fauci has said only that the country could be ready for “rolling re-entry” from the start of next month, ending the necessary-but-damaging lockdown measures that have stalled its economy in recent weeks and seen 17m citizens apply for unemployment benefits.
Once the number of people who are seriously ill sharply declines, officials can begin to "think about a gradual re-entry of some sort of normality, some rolling re-entry," he said.
"We are hoping that, at the end of the month, we could look around and say: 'OK, is there any element here that we can safely and cautiously start pulling back on?' If so, do it. If not, then just continue to hunker down."
Trump had hoped to have the country open for business by 12 April but instead had to pass the day wolfing chocolate Easter eggs and livestreaming a service by the notorious pastor Robert Jeffress from his Dallas megachurch via a laptop on the Resolute Desk in Washington as he pondered the "biggest decison" of his presidency.
Debate within the White House is ongoing about whether 1 May will be the date for the grand reopening Trump envisages. While their is pressure on the president to make a definite announcement, others are not at all sure that's wise and that May Day will be too soon, certainly for the country as a whole.
Stephen Hahn, the head of the US Food and Drug Administration, told ABC's This Week yesterday it was "too soon" to say whether that date would be safe.
Griffin Connolly has a little more on Doc Fauci below.
Trump reportedly asked if coronavirus could be allowed to 'wash over' US
Yep. The Washington Post reports that Trump said to Dr Fauci during a Situation Room meeting on Covid-19 last month: “Why don’t we let this wash over the country?”
The expert was initially baffled by the question but then understood with horror the implications of his half-understood reference to "herd immunity".
Yep. The Washington Post reports that Trump said to Dr Fauci during a Situation Room meeting on Covid-19 last month: “Why don’t we let this wash over the country?”
The expert was initially baffled by the question but then understood with horror the implications of his half-understood reference to "herd immunity".
“Mr President, many people would die,” came the eventual answer.
Meanwhile, the AP's Jonathan Lemire says Trump was first officially briefed on the seriousness of the coming outbreak on 18 January, taking a call from health secretary Alex Azar at Mar-a-Lago but not taking him seriously because Azar was than out of favour, preferring to talk vaping instead, which he was planning to restrict.
Meanwhile, the AP's Jonathan Lemire says Trump was first officially briefed on the seriousness of the coming outbreak on 18 January, taking a call from health secretary Alex Azar at Mar-a-Lago but not taking him seriously because Azar was than out of favour, preferring to talk vaping instead, which he was planning to restrict.
President tells state governors to ready testing: 'No excuses!'
Trump has repeatedly made it clear that he believes he holds no personal responsibility whatsoever for the manner in which the virus has taken over the US and yesterday laid the burden at the door of state governors:
Which is mighty interesting, as he once felt rather differently about the nature of power:
Trump has repeatedly made it clear that he believes he holds no personal responsibility whatsoever for the manner in which the virus has taken over the US and yesterday laid the burden at the door of state governors:
Which is mighty interesting, as he once felt rather differently about the nature of power:
Two NHS hospitals trialling anti-malaria drug hailed by Trump
The president's insistence that hydroxychloroquine is the miracle elixir we need right now has largely been met with heavy scepticism around the world but it is being trialled in Britain as a possible relief to coronavirus patients.
Andy Gregory has this report.
Trump could use coronavirus response to feather own nest, warns Adam Schiff
House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff - whom you will recall from the impeachment inquiry - has expressed concern that, without proper oversight, Trump could use the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic to enrich his own companies.
"In the absence of oversight, you can pretty much guarantee you're going to get corruption and competence and malfeasance," Schiff said in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday.
"The more that he is neutering the inspector generals... increases the risk that Donald Trump uses this money to reward his own businesses or businesses of allies and punishes companies that are run by people he doesn't like or won't praise him," he continued.
Schiff was on typically impressive form throughout:
Griffin Connolly was watching.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff - whom you will recall from the impeachment inquiry - has expressed concern that, without proper oversight, Trump could use the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic to enrich his own companies.
"In the absence of oversight, you can pretty much guarantee you're going to get corruption and competence and malfeasance," Schiff said in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday.
"The more that he is neutering the inspector generals... increases the risk that Donald Trump uses this money to reward his own businesses or businesses of allies and punishes companies that are run by people he doesn't like or won't praise him," he continued.
Schiff was on typically impressive form throughout:
Griffin Connolly was watching.
Trump rejects bailout for 'devastated' US postal service
The president has gone out of his way to block potential emergency funding for the US Postal Service, which employs around 600,000 workers, repeating the false claim that higher rates for internet shipping companies Amazon, FedEx and UPS are the proper way to right its budget.
The Postal Service projects it will lose $2bn (£1.7bn) each month through the coronavirus recession while its workers maintain the nationwide service of delivering essential mail and parcels, such as prescriptions, food and household necessities.
Conservatives like Trump appear not to care about any of that and see an opportunity to let it die off so they can go private instead.
Conservatives like Trump appear not to care about any of that and see an opportunity to let it die off so they can go private instead.
President applauds Russia, Saudi Arabia for historic oil deal
Trump was yesterday congratulating Russian premier Vladimir Putin and King Salman of Saudi Arabia for agreeing Friday's deal to cut oil global production to keep pace with drastically-reduced demand as the world grinds to a halt.
Here's our economics editor, Ben Chu, with his analysis of the agreement and its ramifications for the global recovery.
Trump was yesterday congratulating Russian premier Vladimir Putin and King Salman of Saudi Arabia for agreeing Friday's deal to cut oil global production to keep pace with drastically-reduced demand as the world grinds to a halt.
Here's our economics editor, Ben Chu, with his analysis of the agreement and its ramifications for the global recovery.
Jake Tapper to Trump: 'What is the plan for a way out of this?'
The CNN anchor and State of the Union host has taken to addressing the president straight to camera of late and did so again on Sunday, demanding to know - in a tone of deadpan exasperation - whether he has a strategy in place to end the Covid-19 crisis.
That Washington Post article I mentioned would suggest the answer to Tapper's question is an emphatic "no".
The CNN anchor and State of the Union host has taken to addressing the president straight to camera of late and did so again on Sunday, demanding to know - in a tone of deadpan exasperation - whether he has a strategy in place to end the Covid-19 crisis.
That Washington Post article I mentioned would suggest the answer to Tapper's question is an emphatic "no".
MSNBC host attacks Fox over 'dangerous' coronavirus misinformation
Another anchor with something to say over the weekend was Ari Melber on MSNBC, who took Fox News to task over its coverage of the coronavirus crisis.
Melber said the network's big beast anchors like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham had treated the disease "like a game" and that Fox "risks hurting their own audience" through the spread of misinformation. Quite literally, in this instance.
“This is a pandemic wiping out lives everywhere it goes,” he said. “Wiping out more lives in this country than any other on that map behind us here. This has frozen life as we know it. It’s tanked the economy because the alternative would be even worse, a higher death toll that would also still be tanking the economy.
“But let’s be clear. For Fox viewers, it’s especially perilous,” Melber continued. “The median age there is 67. That mostly older audience, especially vulnerable if they contract this virus. And as we just showed you, they’ve been told to basically downplay it.”
Another anchor with something to say over the weekend was Ari Melber on MSNBC, who took Fox News to task over its coverage of the coronavirus crisis.
Melber said the network's big beast anchors like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham had treated the disease "like a game" and that Fox "risks hurting their own audience" through the spread of misinformation. Quite literally, in this instance.
“This is a pandemic wiping out lives everywhere it goes,” he said. “Wiping out more lives in this country than any other on that map behind us here. This has frozen life as we know it. It’s tanked the economy because the alternative would be even worse, a higher death toll that would also still be tanking the economy.
“But let’s be clear. For Fox viewers, it’s especially perilous,” Melber continued. “The median age there is 67. That mostly older audience, especially vulnerable if they contract this virus. And as we just showed you, they’ve been told to basically downplay it.”
Florida Disney World to furlough 43,000 workers
A little non-Trump US coronavirus news for you now.
Disney is to stop paying 43,000 workers in its biggest furlough since closing its Florida theme park in March in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.
The employees will be able to keep their benefits for up to a year, including medical, dental and life insurance. The move will take effect on 19 April.
Phil Thomas has this report.
Six shot at house party in California during lockdown
Six people were shot and injured while attending a “large party” in California over the weekend, despite the state’s “stay-at-home” order, local officials have said.
The shooting took place early on Saturday morning at an apartment complex in Bakersfield, according to Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Samuel Lovett has the latest.
Six people were shot and injured while attending a “large party” in California over the weekend, despite the state’s “stay-at-home” order, local officials have said.
The shooting took place early on Saturday morning at an apartment complex in Bakersfield, according to Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Samuel Lovett has the latest.
‘I’m anxious this week’
US supermarket workers increasingly fear going to work due to the coronavirus, says Abha Bhattarai, who has been speaking to some about their experiences.
Next to healthcare providers, no workforce has proven more essential to keeping the country running during the pandemic than grocery store employees.
US supermarket workers increasingly fear going to work due to the coronavirus, says Abha Bhattarai, who has been speaking to some about their experiences.
Next to healthcare providers, no workforce has proven more essential to keeping the country running during the pandemic than grocery store employees.
Trump to announce new curbs on WHO funding over handling of Covid-19 crisis
The president is likely to announce restrictions on US funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO) this week over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as the administration and conservative allies ramped up their criticism that the United Nations agency catered to China early in the outbreak and jeopardised global health.
Trump hinted at a temporary hold on US funding on Friday but said he wanted to wait until after Easter to announce anything. He said his administration would discuss the organisation “in great detail” this week, saying he did not want to go further “before we had all the facts”.
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and other US officials are expected to recommend to Trump how to dock or condition payments to the agency as Republicans in Congress seek documentation of WHO dealings with China.
The president is likely to announce restrictions on US funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO) this week over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as the administration and conservative allies ramped up their criticism that the United Nations agency catered to China early in the outbreak and jeopardised global health.
Trump hinted at a temporary hold on US funding on Friday but said he wanted to wait until after Easter to announce anything. He said his administration would discuss the organisation “in great detail” this week, saying he did not want to go further “before we had all the facts”.
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and other US officials are expected to recommend to Trump how to dock or condition payments to the agency as Republicans in Congress seek documentation of WHO dealings with China.
US sailor dies after coronavirus outbreak on ship whose captain was sacked for raising alarm
A sailor who tested positive for Coivd-19 has died after contracting the virus while aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the US Navy said in a statement.
The Navy sailor tested positive for the virus on 30 March and was then taken off the ship on 9 April and placed in the ICU at the US Naval Hospital Guam.
Nearly 600 sailors on the ship have tested positive for the virus and 92 per cent of crew members have received tests, the US Navy added.
Danielle Zoellner has this breaking story.
A sailor who tested positive for Coivd-19 has died after contracting the virus while aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the US Navy said in a statement.
The Navy sailor tested positive for the virus on 30 March and was then taken off the ship on 9 April and placed in the ICU at the US Naval Hospital Guam.
Nearly 600 sailors on the ship have tested positive for the virus and 92 per cent of crew members have received tests, the US Navy added.
Danielle Zoellner has this breaking story.
Trump takes credit for OPEC oil production deal
The president's first tweets of the day see him claim almost solo credit for Friday's massive deal with the OPEC nations to rein in oil output to keep pace with slowing international demand.
"If anything near this happens, and the World gets back to business from the Covid 19 disaster, the Energy Industry will be strong again, far faster than currently anticipated," he says, blending an eerie note of doubt ("if"?) with his familiar self-parodic bluster.
The president's first tweets of the day see him claim almost solo credit for Friday's massive deal with the OPEC nations to rein in oil output to keep pace with slowing international demand.
"If anything near this happens, and the World gets back to business from the Covid 19 disaster, the Energy Industry will be strong again, far faster than currently anticipated," he says, blending an eerie note of doubt ("if"?) with his familiar self-parodic bluster.
George Stephanopoulos reveals he has coronavirus live on air
The host of Good Morning America on ABC told viewers that he has contracted Covid-19 and says his wife, actress Ali Wentworth, has suffered more significant symptoms than he has so far.
Chris Riotta has the full story.
The host of Good Morning America on ABC told viewers that he has contracted Covid-19 and says his wife, actress Ali Wentworth, has suffered more significant symptoms than he has so far.
Chris Riotta has the full story.
US Supreme Court to hear two Trump tax return cases by phone conference in May
Oh ho. The president continues to be haunted by the hunt for his concealed financial records - and it seems even the coronavirus can't keep the issue at bay for him.
Oh ho. The president continues to be haunted by the hunt for his concealed financial records - and it seems even the coronavirus can't keep the issue at bay for him.
