BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — As America’s economy slowly reopens following a country-wide lockdown due to COVID-19, President Donald Trump announced there is enough tests to allow states to reopen.
During a Monday afternoon press conference, the president also touted an increase in testing and the development of new precautions to keep American workers safe on the job.
When asked by a reporter when tests will become available to allow U.S. workers to be tested daily, President Trump responded, “I mean, really very soon. It’s an interesting question because, normally, you would have said that you are not tested and you would have been, you know, knocking us for not getting tested. So if we get tested, it’s a problem, and if we don’t get tested, it’s a problem.”
The president then decried a “double standard” when pressed by an ABC reporter about the availability of daily tests for White House staffers versus those for the average American.
“You know what? If we didn’t get the tests, if we did no tests in the White House, you’d be complaining, ‘Why aren’t you getting tests for the White House?’ See, we can’t win,” said President Trump.
Two White House staffers tested positive for COVID-19 last week, which has since led officials to direct staff to wear masks and abide by social distancing measures at all times while in the White House.
According to data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 has claimed over 284,000 lives across the globe and sickened 4.1 million people. In the U.S., there are 1.3 million confirmed cases and nearly 80,000 deaths.
Health officials say the numbers may be much higher due to testing shortages and countries underreporting their numbers.
