President Trump attempted to quell the panic that has ensued amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. during a White House press briefing Sunday afternoon.
After shouting out to his meeting with executives from Target, Campbell’s and Costco, Trump advised against panic-buying in response to the outbreak.
“You don’t have to buy so much,” Trump said. “Take it easy, just relax. People are going in and buying more. I remember — I guess during the conversation Doug of Walmart said — that they’re buying more than they buy at Christmas. Relax. We’re doing great. It all will pass.”
Trump later added that the executives he met with earlier Sunday “have asked me to say, ‘Could you buy a little bit less please?’” which he thought he “would never hear that from a retailer.”
Trump’s remarks came shortly after the Federal Reserve announced that it’s cutting its benchmark interest rate to zero in an effort to protect the economy from the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
The President’s remarks also stand in stark contrast to the sentiments shared by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director and coronavirus task force member Anthony Fauci during a series Sunday morning interviews.
Just two days after Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, Fauci said that it’s “conceivable” for a “very severe” scenario to arise as coronavirus cases increase.
Watch Trump’s remarks below:
Trump: “You don’t have to buy so much. Take it easy. Relax.” pic.twitter.com/WdwU5BFcaF
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) March 15, 2020
The very image of 6’+, nearly 300lbs, of walking, talking BS. The ONLY reason he has blue eyes is that he’s well over a quart short.
How many Americans will have to die before a military coup starts to sound really good?
A bit OT, but this is a FANTASTIC ad. Worth watching.
Trump also opened by claiming that Google had corroborated what he’d lied about the other day, when in fact they didn’t, and said the press should apologize to him. He’s such a dickwad.
Insofar as items like food and toilet paper go, of course it will pass. The supply chain isn’t actually disrupted. Items like TP will see a glut after the spike where stores can barely move the stuff because half the population has a four week supply on hand. However Trump being Trump, the stupid asshole had to imply the whole thing will pass. “All no big deal folks, our response has been tremendous”