Phase Three: Containing the spread
Feb. 29: FDA eases guidelines to speed the broader use of testing.
March 4: House passes $8.3 billion emergency bill, aimed mainly at the immediate health response to the virus.
In a Fox News interview, Trump deflects criticism to his response by saying the Obama administration (including the vice president, Joe Biden) "didn't do anything about" swine flu. We rated the claim False.
Trump continues to blame the Obama administration in an exchange with reporters at the White House.
"The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we’re doing."
Our fact-check shows the process dated back to 2006, before Obama took office. So the claim is False.
March 6: Grand Princess cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers waits to dock off the California coast.
Asked about the docking of the Grand Princess, Trump says the following:
"I would rather (Grand Princess passengers stay aboard) because I like the numbers being where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship."
Trump went on to say that he thought it was more important for passengers to debark than to keep the numbers down.
In a news conference, Trump downplays the concerns around testing:
"Anybody that wants a test can get a test."
With tests in short supply, we rated the claim Pants on Fire.
The same day, Trump tweets out blame to the media and the Democrats for trying to "inflame" the situation "far beyond what the facts would warrant."
March 11: On the same day the WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic, Trump uses a prime-time Oval Office address to announce a ban on travel for non-Americans from most of Europe. He misstates a freeze on cargo and falsely said the health insurance industry has "agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments." In reality, getting tested would be free, but treatment would not be covered.
March 13: Trump declares a national emergency to access $50 billion for states and territories, and clear the way for fast-track waivers for hospitals and doctors as they respond to the virus.
March 14: The House passes a worker and business relief bill with paid leave guarantees for certain workers, expanded food assistance and unemployment insurance benefits, and employer tax credits. Trump signs it four days later.
March 17: Trump said in a news conference that for the next 14 days, "we’re asking everyone to work at home, if possible, postpone unnecessary travel, and limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people."
Trump says there was no shift in tone from the White House.
"I've always known this is a real, this is a pandemic. I've felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic."
As this timeline shows, Trump minimized the threat of a pandemic for many weeks. Pants on Fire!
Asked if the World Health Organization had offered detection tests to the United States, Trump said WHO had not, and that the WHO coronavirus test "was a bad test." False. WHO said three independent labs had validated the test, and the White House coordinator for coronavirus response said she assumed the WHO test is effective.
March 19: The U.S. Senate unveils a $1 trillion-plus economic stimulus package. California orders lockdown for 40 million residents.
March 20-23: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo orders all non-essential businesses to keep their workers home. Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois and many other states issue similar restrictions.
March 24: Having tweeted on the economic shutdown that "we cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself," Trump says in a Fox News town hall he would "love to have the country opened up, and just raring to go by Easter."
Trump responds to a request from Cuomo for ventilators, reading from papers in his hand:
"
He) rejected buying recommended 16,000 ventilators in 2015 for the pandemic, for a pandemic, established death panels and lotteries instead. So, he had a chance to buy, in 2015, 16,000 ventilators at a very low price, and he turned it down."
False. A state study said that many might be needed in a crisis, but it also said there were immediate pressing health needs, and there was no money to buy that many ventilators.
That evening, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells Fox News that Trump is flexible on economic restrictions: "The president clearly listens. I mean, he has this aspirational goal of hoping that we might be able to do it by a certain date. We talked with him about that. We say we need to be flexible. He realizes that and he accepts that."
March 27: Trump signs $2.2 trillion emergency spending bill. The act provides $1,200 per individual and $500 per child for households making up to $150,000 a year. Small businesses are eligible for loans — that can be forgiven — from a $377 billion fund. There’s a $454 billion fund for companies and state and local governments, and $180 billion for the health care sector. The details for families and small businesses are here. Details for corporations, states and health care, here.
Feb. 29: FDA eases guidelines to speed the broader use of testing.
March 4: House passes $8.3 billion emergency bill, aimed mainly at the immediate health response to the virus.
In a Fox News interview, Trump deflects criticism to his response by saying the Obama administration (including the vice president, Joe Biden) "didn't do anything about" swine flu. We rated the claim False.
Trump continues to blame the Obama administration in an exchange with reporters at the White House.
"The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we’re doing."
Our fact-check shows the process dated back to 2006, before Obama took office. So the claim is False.
March 6: Grand Princess cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers waits to dock off the California coast.
Asked about the docking of the Grand Princess, Trump says the following:
"I would rather (Grand Princess passengers stay aboard) because I like the numbers being where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship."
Trump went on to say that he thought it was more important for passengers to debark than to keep the numbers down.
In a news conference, Trump downplays the concerns around testing:
"Anybody that wants a test can get a test."
With tests in short supply, we rated the claim Pants on Fire.
The same day, Trump tweets out blame to the media and the Democrats for trying to "inflame" the situation "far beyond what the facts would warrant."
March 11: On the same day the WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic, Trump uses a prime-time Oval Office address to announce a ban on travel for non-Americans from most of Europe. He misstates a freeze on cargo and falsely said the health insurance industry has "agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments." In reality, getting tested would be free, but treatment would not be covered.
March 13: Trump declares a national emergency to access $50 billion for states and territories, and clear the way for fast-track waivers for hospitals and doctors as they respond to the virus.
March 14: The House passes a worker and business relief bill with paid leave guarantees for certain workers, expanded food assistance and unemployment insurance benefits, and employer tax credits. Trump signs it four days later.
March 17: Trump said in a news conference that for the next 14 days, "we’re asking everyone to work at home, if possible, postpone unnecessary travel, and limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people."
Trump says there was no shift in tone from the White House.
"I've always known this is a real, this is a pandemic. I've felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic."
As this timeline shows, Trump minimized the threat of a pandemic for many weeks. Pants on Fire!
Asked if the World Health Organization had offered detection tests to the United States, Trump said WHO had not, and that the WHO coronavirus test "was a bad test." False. WHO said three independent labs had validated the test, and the White House coordinator for coronavirus response said she assumed the WHO test is effective.
March 19: The U.S. Senate unveils a $1 trillion-plus economic stimulus package. California orders lockdown for 40 million residents.
March 20-23: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo orders all non-essential businesses to keep their workers home. Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois and many other states issue similar restrictions.
March 24: Having tweeted on the economic shutdown that "we cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself," Trump says in a Fox News town hall he would "love to have the country opened up, and just raring to go by Easter."
Trump responds to a request from Cuomo for ventilators, reading from papers in his hand:
"
He) rejected buying recommended 16,000 ventilators in 2015 for the pandemic, for a pandemic, established death panels and lotteries instead. So, he had a chance to buy, in 2015, 16,000 ventilators at a very low price, and he turned it down." False. A state study said that many might be needed in a crisis, but it also said there were immediate pressing health needs, and there was no money to buy that many ventilators.
That evening, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells Fox News that Trump is flexible on economic restrictions: "The president clearly listens. I mean, he has this aspirational goal of hoping that we might be able to do it by a certain date. We talked with him about that. We say we need to be flexible. He realizes that and he accepts that."
March 27: Trump signs $2.2 trillion emergency spending bill. The act provides $1,200 per individual and $500 per child for households making up to $150,000 a year. Small businesses are eligible for loans — that can be forgiven — from a $377 billion fund. There’s a $454 billion fund for companies and state and local governments, and $180 billion for the health care sector. The details for families and small businesses are here. Details for corporations, states and health care, here.
