Trump Suggests US Slow Virus Testing To Avoid Bad Statistics

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President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, June 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday he’s asked his administration to slow down coronavirus testing because robust testing turns up too many cases of COVID-19.

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Trump told supporters at his campaign rally that the U.S. has tested 25 million people, far more than any other country. The “bad part,” Trump said, is that widespread testing leads to logging more cases of the virus.

“When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases,” Trump said. “So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down, please.’ They test and they test.”

The campaign of likely Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden, said Trump was putting politics ahead of the safety and health of Americans.

Trump opted to hold his first rally in 110 days despite concerns from local health officials that it could lead to further spread of the virus in Tulsa. Most of those in attendance declined to wear a mask.

“In an outrageous moment that will be remembered long after tonight’s debacle of a rally, President Trump just admitted that he’s putting politics ahead of the safety and economic well-being of the American people — even as we just recorded the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost two months and 20 million workers remain out of work, according to the Biden campaign’s statement:

The outbreak has killed about 120,000 people in the U.S., and nearly a half-million worldwide, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, though the real numbers are believed to be higher.

The number of newly confirmed cases per day has risen from about 21,400 two weeks ago to 23,200, according to an Associated Press analysis. And in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona — states that loosened their stay-at-home restrictions early — daily deaths have been quietly rising since early June.

“This virus has killed nearly 120,000 Americans and cost tens of millions their jobs, in large part because this president could not and would not mobilize testing as quickly as we needed it,” according to the Biden campaign statement. “To hear him say tonight that he has ordered testing slowed — a transparent attempt to make the numbers look better — is appalling.”

Rising case numbers can partially be explained by the wider availability of testing. Mild cases, previously undetected because of limits on who could be tested, are now showing up in the numbers.


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lipale
lipale
3 years ago

these DemocRATS will say anything against Trump even though they know it’s FAKE NEWS

achassidisheryid
achassidisheryid
3 years ago

What a hypocrite. This is from a man who gets tested every day, and everyone who come within 500 ft of him is tested.

achassidisheryid
achassidisheryid
3 years ago

What a hypocrite. This is from a man who gets tested every day, and everyone who come within 500 ft of him is tested.

D. Fault
D. Fault
3 years ago

Biden cannot defeat Trump. Trump will be defeated by Trump.

Prediction? Low turn out in November. No one is enamored of Biden so his supporters won’t show up and Trump is alienating his supporters with his nonsense so they won’t show up.

Normal
Normal
3 years ago

Maybe they shouldn’t test anyone. That way no-one will have Covid. They can say the 150,000 people who died were killed by aliens.

Liam K. Nuj
Liam K. Nuj
3 years ago

Once again, the Narcissist-in-Chief only cares about himself.
What a surprise (<— what's the opposite of an exclamation point?)

Educated Archy
Educated Archy
3 years ago

Fake news alert

“And in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona — states that loosened their stay-at-home restrictions early — daily deaths have been quietly rising since early June”

I just googled the death curve . And it has not been rising.
Rising means that if you draw a straight line across all the jig jags on your graph, does that line go up or down. When
Your state only has 40 deaths a day there isn’t enough credibility to say if it rises to 45 one day, that’s an uptick . But in the graph it’s an incline .

This is straight out fake news . More cases ? Yes. more deaths ? No .

Moishe
Moishe
3 years ago

He didn’t suggest less testing. He said he ordered ‘his people’ to do less testing. An actual order! The less people tested, the fewer know they are sick, and the fewer who know to get medical care. Nice. This is your President…FEH

Phineas
Phineas
3 years ago

President Trump can boast that he prevented a second wave by never addressing the first wave.

Mike
Mike
3 years ago

To all the people that against trump remember this a winner cannot loose and a looser cannot win !!!

Chaya
Chaya
3 years ago

Trump is totally RECKLESS for having this rally in the first place. And in a state where the numbers are rising. And mostly all not wearing masks. If this virus spreads because of his rally, he is finnished totally. He cares more about his votes then people’s lives.

vbtwo
vbtwo
3 years ago

My baby is totally convinced that I disappear when I close his eyes and he can’t see me. So COVID also disappears when you don’t test, and thus don’t know that you have it.

Ching Chong Chu
Ching Chong Chu
3 years ago

Did he say it sarcastically or seriously?