Trump says he will invoke wartime act to fight 'enemy' coronavirus

By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus response briefing as Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie looks on at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump moved on Wednesday to accelerate production of desperately needed medical equipment to battle the coronavirus pandemic and said an estimate that U.S. unemployment could conceivably reach 20 percent was a worst case scenario.

 

Scrambling to address the virus after initially playing it down, Trump said he is invoking the Defense Production Act, putting in place a law that will allow the U.S. government to speed production of masks, respirators, ventilators and other needed equipment.

 

"We're going to defeat the invisible enemy," said Trump, who said the unfolding crisis had basically made him a "war-time president."

 

Trump said he would invoke another law that would allow U.S. authorities to turn back migrants seeking to cross the southern border of the United States illegally. The border will not be closed, he said.

 

"No, we're not going to close it, but we are invoking a certain provision that will allow us great latitude as to what we do," he said.

 

Trump has made staunching the flow of migrants across the border with Mexico a central pillar of his presidency and has poured billions of dollars into building a border wall that is far from completed.

 

Immigrant rights groups have slammed the idea of mass returns of foreign nationals to Mexico.

 

Trump said a hospital ship will be sent to hard-hit New York to help people affected by the contagion, and that a second hospital ship will be deployed on the West Coast.

 

He defended his description of the coronavirus as "the Chinese virus" despite concerns among some Americans that he was making an ethnic slur.

 

"It’s not racist, not at all. It comes from China," he said of the illness, whose origin has been traced back to Wuhan, China.

 

Trump, appearing in the White House briefing room for what has now become a daily news conference with his coronavirus task force, said he would sign the Defense Production Act later on Wednesday.

 

The law, which dates back to the Korean War of the 1950s, grants the president broad authority to "expedite and expand the supply of resources from the U.S. industrial base to support military, energy, space, and homeland security programs," according to a summary on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website.

 

Reuters was first to report last month that Trump's action was being considered. (https://reut.rs/2U0TVqk)

 

“We will be invoking the Defense Production Act just in case we need it," said Trump.

 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin fanned fears of economic collapse on Wednesday by telling lawmakers on Capitol Hill that 20 percent unemployment was an extreme possibility should the virus have devastating effects on American businesses, many of which are already under duress.

 

"That’s an absolute total worst case scenario," said Trump. "We're nowhere near it."

 

Vice President Mike Pence, head of the coronavirus task force, urged all Americans to put off elective surgery to allow hospitals to concentrate on the rising influx of patients with the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the new virus.

 

Deborah Birx, a member of the task force, urged young people to adhere to government guidelines, calling for a 15-day effort to slow the spread of the virus. Young people are considered key transmitters of the virus, which can be passed along even with mild or no symptoms.

 

There are now more than 7,300 U.S. cases of the illness and at least 118 deaths.

 

(Reporting By Jeff Masonm, Steve Holland, Alexandra Alper, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Lisa Lambert; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Alistair Bell and Steve Orlofsky)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-19

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Trump should do America and the world a favor and shut the <deleted> up

Edited March 19, 20206 yr by metisdead
8.) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities.

Good move. Expedites the return of manufacturing of medical devices and accessories, as well as drugs, to the US.

 

Watch how fast we gear up.

NOW, he's taking it serious.

regards Worgeordie

20 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

NOW, he's taking it serious.

regards Worgeordie

About 45days late oh well I guess when you know everything attack and destroy the Americans who try to tell you what you need to know I guess the outcome is inevitable please someone just shut him up and let the real experts handle it 

Does this also permit him to defer the  electoral processes?

46 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Good move. Expedites the return of manufacturing of medical devices and accessories, as well as drugs, to the US.

 

Watch how fast we gear up.

If the government steps up and takes equity stakes in biotechs and companies like Boeing this is going to be a very positive development. It's a different direction and if the gov bails out companies it should profit when things improve. Then it is also a large shareholder.

 

It's pretty funny that Donald Trump gets to bankrupt the country before the dems do. LOL 

2 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

If the government steps up and takes equity stakes in biotechs and companies like Boeing this is going to be a very positive development. It's a different direction and if the gov bails out companies it should profit when things improve. Then it is also a large shareholder.

 

It's pretty funny that Donald Trump gets to bankrupt the country before the dems do. LOL 

He’s had lots and lots of practice it’s what he does and keep in mind it was the Democrats who bailed us out last time

Edited March 19, 20206 yr by Tug

1 minute ago, Cryingdick said:

If the government steps up and takes equity stakes in biotechs and companies like Boeing this is going to be a very positive development.

I dont think Trumpis going to "give". I think he wants a piece for the taxpayers in return. Sort of like crony capitalism in reverse.

2 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Does this also permit him to defer the  electoral processes?

Under this administrations expansive executive privilege I am sure he thinks so.  Just wait

So if the US Administration ends up being forced to save business by acquisition and forming  SOE's won't that be "socialism"?

Bernie will be laughing !

21 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

If the government steps up and takes equity stakes in biotechs and companies like Boeing this is going to be a very positive development. It's a different direction and if the gov bails out companies it should profit when things improve. Then it is also a large shareholder.

 

Socialism 101. 

45 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

If the government steps up and takes equity stakes in biotechs and companies like Boeing this is going to be a very positive development. It's a different direction and if the gov bails out companies it should profit when things improve. Then it is also a large shareholder.

 

It's pretty funny that Donald Trump gets to bankrupt the country before the dems do. LOL 

It’s otherwise known as ‘State ownership of the means of production’.

 

A central plank of communist doctrine.

Anyone holding shares in a business Trump wishes to part nationalize sell now.

 

He has a long history of bankrupting any business he touches.

president's tweet on this subject, contains the usual "clarity"...

 

"only signed it"

 

 

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
·
5h
I only signed the Defense Production Act to combat the Chinese Virus should we need to invoke it in a worst case scenario in the future. Hopefully there will be no need, but we are all in this TOGETHER!

It's bizarre... I watched the U.S. TV news last night our local time with Trump's CV task force news conference from Weds. in the U.S.

 

Lots of talk of his proposed $850 billion or trillion dollar CV aid package, talk of $1000 or so checks being mailed out to (every?) Americans (apparently whether or not they actually need the money).  And thru it all, I heard not one word of how/where the feds are going to get the money to pay for all this stuff...

 

Trump and the Republicans already exploded the federal deficit with their corporate tax cuts giveaway. Now along comes the coronavirus, the U.S. stock market has dropped back down to at or below where it was when Trump first took office, trillions of dollars drained out of citizens' investment and retirement account values, the economy in freefall...

 

And now we're going to add another trillion or so in added federal spending for something that, up until a week or so ago, Trump was assuring everyone who'd listen was no big deal and would magically pass/cease with the arrival of spring. But now all of a sudden, he's suddenly discovered it's a crisis and he's a "war-time president"???  Too bad for America and Americans he couldn't have figured that out a couple months back when most everyone else did.

 

Re the federal deficits, this info below was all BEFORE the coronavirus impacts hit:

 

Quote

 

The CBO estimated the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and separate spending legislation over the 2018–2028 period in their annual "Budget & Economic Outlook", released in April 2018:

 

The budget deficit in fiscal 2018 (which runs from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, the first year budgeted by President Trump) is forecast to be $804 billion, an increase of $139 billion (21%) from the $665 billion in 2017 and up $242 billion (39%) over the previous baseline forecast (June 2017) of $580 billion for 2018. The June 2017 forecast was essentially the budget trajectory inherited from President Obama; it was prepared prior to the Tax Act and spending increases under President Trump.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States

 

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

It's bizarre... I watched the U.S. TV news last night our local time with Trump's CV task force news conference from Weds. in the U.S.

 

Lots of talk of his proposed $850 billion or trillion dollar CV aid package, talk of $1000 or so checks being mailed out to (every?) Americans (apparently whether or not they actually need the money).  And thru it all, I heard not one word of how/where the feds are going to get the money to pay for all this stuff...

 

Trump and the Republicans already exploded the federal deficit with their corporate tax cuts giveaway. Now along comes the coronavirus, the U.S. stock market has dropped back down to at or below where it was when Trump first took office, trillions of dollars drained out of citizens' investment and retirement account values, the economy in freefall...

 

And now we're going to add another trillion or so in added federal spending for something that, up until a week or so ago, Trump was assuring everyone who'd listen was no big deal and would magically pass/cease with the arrival of spring. But now all of a sudden, he's suddenly discovered it's a crisis and he's a "war-time president"???  Too bad for America and Americans he couldn't have figured that out a couple months back when most everyone else did.

 

Re the federal deficits, this info below was all BEFORE the coronavirus impacts hit:

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States

 

Our kids and grandkids will be paying for this president it amazes me how the republicans wanted to crucify Obama for bailing out the banks and auto industry and now they are falling over each other to bailout everybody after trump used up all the feds tools to prop up his stockmarket bubble just boggles my mind

"We're going to defeat the invisible enemy," said Trump, who said the unfolding crisis had basically made him a "war-time president."

 

My war hero Trump. Will he use stingers to kill the invisible enemy?

 

 

4 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

Trump should do America and the world a favor and shut the <deleted> up

C'mon...there is far worse, take it easy, have drink, he aint that bad.

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Our kids and grandkids will be paying for this president it amazes me how the republicans wanted to crucify Obama for bailing out the banks and auto industry and now they are falling over each other to bailout everybody after trump used up all the feds tools to prop up his stockmarket bubble just boggles my mind

Republicans in Congress have not acted like Republican's ever since the Trump train came to town. Behind closed doors they have plenty to say....but in public, fearing his anger (and their jobs) they all fall in line.

19 minutes ago, Silencer said:

Republicans in Congress have not acted like Republican's ever since the Trump train came to town. Behind closed doors they have plenty to say....but in public, fearing his anger (and their jobs) they all fall in line.

Actually it predates Trump. On the hand hand they claim to want balanced budgets. But starting with Reagan, they have passed huge tax cuts with the promise that these cuts would pay for themselves. And it's always turned out to be a lie.

3 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Does this also permit him to defer the  electoral processes?

Do you mean "cancel the November election" ? 

A post using a Twitter post has been removed, please do not post anything that is not from a reliable source, no links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.

 

A troll post using trolling comments toward Trump has been removed. 

According to the BBC News this morning Trump is sending a hospital ship to New York and another to the west coast.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51955450

 

The president said two US Navy hospitals ships would be pressed into service to help alleviate an expected shortage of sick beds.

The USNS Comfort is expected to be sent to New York Harbor, though defence officials said it is currently undergoing maintenance in Virginia.

The other vessel, USNS Mercy, is being prepared to deploy to a location on the West Coast.

 

It seems that one ship is in dock and the other is OK.

 

I read somewhere this morning (I can't remember where) that neither hospital ship has a medical crew on board yet. I can't find it yet but here is something about the hospital ships.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a31742957/navy-hospital-ships-new-york/

 

4 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

 

I read somewhere this morning (I can't remember where) that neither hospital ship has a medical crew on board yet. I can't find it yet but here is something about the hospital ships.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a31742957/navy-hospital-ships-new-york/

 

So he is sending 2 floating morgues.

4 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Does this also permit him to defer the  electoral processes?

Article 2 let's him do everything already!

Remember?

50 minutes ago, Sujo said:

So he is sending 2 floating morgues.

You could be correct.

 

OTOH if that is what they end up as, the deceased could always be buried at sea.

1 hour ago, Opl said:

5 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Does this also permit him to defer the  electoral processes?

Do you mean "cancel the November election" ? 

He cannot, according to this article.  But I can understand the concern.  Trump clearly has contempt for the Constitution...not that he's ever read it.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/18/politics/trump-cancel-2020-election/index.html

war, fighting, enemy. How would he know seeing he ran like a coward from 5 attempts to do Vietnam conscription.

4 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

It's bizarre... I watched the U.S. TV news last night our local time with Trump's CV task force news conference from Weds. in the U.S.

 

Lots of talk of his proposed $850 billion or trillion dollar CV aid package, talk of $1000 or so checks being mailed out to (every?) Americans (apparently whether or not they actually need the money).  And thru it all, I heard not one word of how/where the feds are going to get the money to pay for all this stuff...

 

Trump and the Republicans already exploded the federal deficit with their corporate tax cuts giveaway. Now along comes the coronavirus, the U.S. stock market has dropped back down to at or below where it was when Trump first took office, trillions of dollars drained out of citizens' investment and retirement account values, the economy in freefall...

 

And now we're going to add another trillion or so in added federal spending for something that, up until a week or so ago, Trump was assuring everyone who'd listen was no big deal and would magically pass/cease with the arrival of spring. But now all of a sudden, he's suddenly discovered it's a crisis and he's a "war-time president"???  Too bad for America and Americans he couldn't have figured that out a couple months back when most everyone else did.

 

Re the federal deficits, this info below was all BEFORE the coronavirus impacts hit:

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States

 

The good side of it for Trump, is that he will likely be able to hide his previous financial mismanagement. That will be all because of the coronavirus crisis according to his propaganda.