I came across Trump’s speech at CPAC three weeks ago. He blathered on for an hour and a half. Here’s what he said about the coronavirus:
In the early stages of the foreign outbreak, I ordered sweeping travel restrictions to prevent uncontrolled spread of this disease. I took a lot of heat, because I did it very early. You know, we had never done it before, Matt. Never done it before. And we had never done anything like that before. So not only did we do it, but I did it very early. And that decision has been now given very good grades, like an A-plus- plus-plus. (Applause.)
I took a lot of heat, even from my own people. But we did the right thing. The extreme fringes called us “racists” for imposing these critical lifesaving measures. They wanted to let infected people pour into our country. I don’t think they knew how bad it was, in all fairness, but nothing will deter us from protecting the wellbeing of the American people. (Applause.)
As you know, we took in approximately 40 people; they were Americans. And they may have had it. Some had it, but they will put in quarantine, and it’s working out. Many of them are in good shape right now, and they’re better and going home.
It’s time for all Americans to put politics aside and to come together to work for the health, safety, and security of the American people. They’re great people. (Applause.)
Because, you know, I watch — and maybe it’s a natural reflex — but I watch — because we have done a great job. I mean, if nothing else, making that very early decision weeks — weeks early. And we’ve done a great job.
And I’ve gotten to know these professionals. They’re incredible. And everything is under control. I mean, they’re very, very cool. They’ve done it, and they’ve done it well. Everything is really under control.
He blathered on for a bit about “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer” and “Nervous Nancy” being partisan but basically that was it. And he is still saying the same old garbage.
Trump understands the power of repetition. And I would guess that by now most Americans think Trump did something truly spectacular when he banned travel from China even if they know he’s dropped the ball since then.
This was the March 6th FactCheck on his claim. I’ve just excerpted this part of it but it’s worth reading the whole thing to see how much he’s been lying from the very beginning:
For starters, health experts say Trump was wrong to refer to the travel restrictions as a “travel ban,” as he did in a telephone interview on March 4 with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. During a town hall on March 5, Trump said he “closed down the borders to China and to other areas that are very badly affected.” That’s not accurate.
As Azar explained when he announced the travel restrictions on Jan. 31, the policy prohibits non-U.S. citizens, other than the immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled to China within the last two weeks from entering the U.S.
At a House subcommittee hearing on the coronavirus on Feb. 5, Ron Klain, White House Ebola response coordinator under the Obama administration, took issue with the characterization of the travel restrictions as a travel “ban.”
“We don’t have a travel ban,” Klain said. “We have a travel Band-Aid right now. First, before it was imposed, 300,000 people came here from China in the previous month. So, the horse is out of the barn.”
“There’s no restriction on Americans going back and forth,” Klain said. “There are warnings. People should abide by those warnings. But today, 30 planes will land in Los Angeles that either originated in Beijing or came here on one-stops, 30 in San Francisco, 25 in New York City. Okay? So, unless we think that the color of the passport someone carries is a meaningful public health restriction, we have not placed a meaningful public health restriction.”
Indeed, on Jan. 24, a week before the travel restrictions, the CDC confirmed two cases of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. from people who had returned from Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began.
Furthermore, Klain said, the import of goods from China is exempt from the travel restrictions, “and, of course, the people who fly the planes and drive the boats that bring those goods from China. We couldn’t ban that activity. We vitally need that. Ninety percent of the antibiotics in this country come from China. All kinds of vital medical supplies … we will use to treat people. So, travel bans … that’s not what we’re imposing, that’s not what exists.”
As part of the travel restrictions, Azar announced that any U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. who had been in Hubei Province in China in the previous 14 days would be subject to mandatory quarantine and health screening. U.S. citizens returning from mainland China outside Hubei Province were ordered to undergo health screenings and “up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine to ensure they’ve not contracted the virus and do not pose a public health risk,” Azar said.
He didn’t “take heat” from anyone for making the decision. And his claim that this was the single most important decision in this whole horrible odyssey that saved many, many lives is a lie. But it’s a sales pitch that may be working for him simply because he says it so relentlessly that it sounds like something we’ve heard forever and so it must be true.
He screwed the pooch then and he’s screwing it now.
