Fauci says Trump hasn't ordered slowdown of coronavirus testing

[Cow Poke]

Fauci says Trump hasn't ordered slowdown of coronavirus testing

Trump often says stuff that appear to be engineered to freak out the media. At his recent rally, he made a dumb statement about "slowing down testing", and the media reacted reflexively.

"It's the opposite,” Fauci said in response to a question referencing Trump's remarks. “We’re going to be doing more testing, not less."

The government's top infectious disease expert told a House hearing Tuesday that he and other health officials have not been told to slow coronavirus testing, just hours after President Donald Trump again suggested he had asked for fewer tests.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the administration continues to focus on scaling up testing capacity and that, to his knowledge, none of the White House coronavirus task force members had been told to do otherwise.

"It's the opposite,” Fauci said in response to a question referencing Trump's remarks. “We’re going to be doing more testing, not less."

Trump earlier Tuesday said he was serious when he revealed at a campaign rally Saturday that he had directed his administration to slow testing that was inflating the U.S. caseload. White House officials and Vice President Mike Pence have since walked back the remarks, saying they were made in jest.

FDA Commissioner Steven Hahn, CDC Director Robert Redfield and Assistant Secretary of Health Brett Giroir also told the House panel they had not been asked by the president to cut back tests.

[Charles]

Fauci says Trump hasn't ordered slowdown of coronavirus testing

Trump often says stuff that appear to be engineered to freak out the media. At his recent rally, he made a dumb statement about "slowing down testing", and the media reacted reflexively.

[...]

Seems more dumb statements have been made:

President Donald Trump flatly contradicted his aides on Tuesday when he said he does not "kid," after they had for days been arguing he was joking when he said at a weekend campaign rally he had told officials to slow down coronavirus testing.

It was yet another instance of the White House scrambling to come up with language to play down one of his comments that had triggered a firestorm, only to have Trump himself, in the end, providing a completely different explanation. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/0...testing-335459

[Cow Poke]

Seems more dumb statements have been made:

Yes, Charles, I think he says those things to trigger the loony left.

Why?

It works.

[Charles]

Yes, Charles, I think he says those things to trigger the loony left.

Why?

It works.

It works to the extent that people focus on his dumb statements and less on the huge number of people who have died or will die because the president was more concerned with making dumb statements than taking appropriate action on this area.

And it works to the extent that some people like to promote him as being rather smart when he says stupid things. Seems they are happy to see the dirty tricks work and less concerned about truth and accountability. It is already starting to become a problem for the entire country though some people like to promote it as a smart strategy.

[Cow Poke]

It works to the extent that people focus on his dumb statements and less on the huge number of people who have died or will die because the president was more concerned with making dumb statements than taking appropriate action on this area.

No, Charles, the same people who are obsessed with his dumb statements are the same people who are obsessed with doom and gloom and death.

And it works to the extent that some people like to promote him as being rather smart when he says stupid things.

Street smart - not smart.

Seems they are happy to see the dirty tricks work and less concerned about truth and accountability. It is already starting to become a problem for the entire country though some people like to promote it as a smart strategy.

Thank you ever so kindly for gracing my thread with your presence.

[Charles]

No, Charles, the same people who are obsessed with his dumb statements are the same people who are obsessed with doom and gloom and death.

Feel free to describe the actual death of more than 120.000 people like that. I would say it is another dumb statement.

[Cow Poke]

Feel free to describe the actual death of more than 120.000 people like that.

Oh, give me a break. Stow the self-righteous crap.

Nobody is celebrating the deaths, but the doom and gloom group never seems to highlight the recoveries. It's always fear and... cue the spooky music!

I would say it is another dumb statement.

I'm shocked. SHOCKED, I say.

[Charles]

Oh, give me a break. Stow the self-righteous crap.

Nobody is celebrating the deaths, but the doom and gloom group never seems to highlight the recoveries. It's always fear and... cue the spooky music!



I'm shocked. SHOCKED, I say.

Once again... More than more than 120.000 people are dead. And those who focus on that are doom and gloom groups according to you. And a president who continues to make false or contradictory statements in this very serious situation is just out there to trick the "loony" left and the media... Again according to you. In other cases you claim to take life seriously, though...

[Cow Poke]

Once again... More than more than 120.000 people are dead.

Yes, tragic. People die. We need to do what we can to prevent deaths.

And those who focus on that are doom and gloom groups according to you.

If that's ALL they focus on -- and use that to scare people, and use bogus science to project MILLIONS of deaths..... ALL sides of this need to be reported, not just the [spooky music] DEATHS [/spooky music].

And a president who continues to make false or contradictory statements in this very serious situation is just out there to trick the "loony" left and the media...

I'm not defending, in any way, WHAT he said -- just explaining why I think he does it.

Again according to you. In other cases you claim to take life seriously, though...

I do. Wanna call me a liar?

[Mountain Man]

Trump may have asked for it, but it sounds like his administration is ultimately going to continue testing at current rates.

So what's the problem?

[Charles]

[...]If that's ALL they focus on -- and use that to scare people, and use bogus science to project MILLIONS of deaths..... ALL sides of this need to be reported, not just the [spooky music] DEATHS [/spooky music].[...]

That is a beatiful straw man. That straw man was created in the image of Trump.

And remember, it is in this very situation, a situation in which more than 120.000 Americans have died that your president is now (at best) making a joke of the efforts to stop this. Contradicting himself, making false statements and the like as if it was all just a media game.

[Charles]

Trump may have asked for it, but it sounds like his administration is ultimately going to continue testing at current rates.

So what's the problem?

So, the administation does not listen and that solves the problem in your world? Who cares about what the president says or what his intentions are as long as the administration just does the right thing regardles of what the president says... I think the Trump apologetics need to reconsider their explanations on this one.

[Whateverman]

Oh, give me a break. Stow the self-righteous crap.

You're the one who casually dismissed the deaths of more than a hundred thousand Americans in the last 4 months.

Maybe it's time for a bit of self-reflection?

[Mountain Man]

So, the administation does not listen and that solves the problem in your world?

A more charitable way to look at it is that Trump has his opinions, but he trusts the advisors he's put in charge even if they happen to disagree with him.

The lesson here is don't fixate on what Trump says, pay attention to what his administration actually does. I actually don't really pay much attention to Trump's speeches and TV interviews. Liberals always hyperventilate about "But Trump said! But Trump said!" and frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn

[Cow Poke]

Trump may have asked for it, but it sounds like his administration is ultimately going to continue testing at current rates.

So what's the problem?

I believe they said they're accelerating.