Donald Trump claims 5 million tests daily demanded by experts are 'unnecessary' the day after appearing to say U.S. would soon be able to carry them out - and calls hitting that benchmark a 'media trap'
- President Trump continued to send mixed message about the country's COVID-19 testing capabilities
- He said a benchmark from a Harvard study of five million tests per day was 'unnecessary' but also said the country could hit it 'pretty easily'
- The president then complained that questions about hitting that number were 'a media trap'
- Admiral Brett Giroir, who's responsible for testing, said 'there is absolutely no way on Earth' a five-million-per-day testing rate could happen
- Asked about the five million figure on Tuesday, Trump said 'we’re going to be there very soon'
- Asked about the five million figure on Wednesday, Trump said he 'didn't say five million,' and said that figure came from a study
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
President Trump continued to send mixed messages on the country's COVID-19 testing capabilities, saying a benchmark of five million tests per day was 'unnecessary,' but that the country would also hit it 'pretty easily.'
'I heard the five million is totally unnecessary, now that doesn't mean we're not going to hit it pretty easily - but, again, I think it's a media trap,' the president complained to reporters from the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Trump's comments came a day after he seemingly indicated that the country would be conducting five million COVID-19 tests 'very soon,' while Admiral Brett Giroir, who's responsible for the government's testing response, said 'there is absolutely no way on Earth' a five-million-per-day testing rate could happen.
A TALE OF TWO TRUMPS: President Trump said in the Oval Office Wednesday that he 'didn't say five million' a day after he said in the East Room that the U.S. testing capacity 'very soon' would get to five million tests per day
President Trump said he was a victim of a 'media trap' when asked about previous boasts he had made about American testing capacity for COVID-19. 'It pertains to me, it doesn't pertain to other people, but it's what I've had to experience for five years,' Trump said
The five million mark came from a Harvard University study that was published last week.
It said that the U.S. needed to be able to arry out at least five million tests a day by early June and ramp that up to 20 million per day by late July in order to reopen the economy.
Giroir characterized that assessment as 'an Ivory Tower, unreasonable benchmark.'
He also said it couldn't happen with current technology.
'There is absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet, that we can do 20 million tests a day, or even five million tests a day,' he told Time magazine on Tuesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, NBC News' Kristen Welker asked the president about the five million figure and mentioned the study. She mentioned that the administration's current plan doesn't increase testing to get to that number. 'Why not? And can you get to that benchmark?'
'Well, it will increase it and it’ll increase it by much more than that in the very near future,' Trump replied.
The president then boasted about the country's testing capabilities.
Welker next asked to clarify if he meant that the country would surpass the five million tests per day mark.
'Oh, well, we’re going to be there very soon,' the president responded.
'If you look at the numbers, it could be that we're getting very close. I mean, I don't have the exact numbers. We would’ve had them if you asked me the same question a little while ago because people with the statistics were there,' he added.
One day later, a reporter quoted his 'very soon' comment back to him and asked about meeting the 5 million tests per day goal.
'I'd like to refer to these two people,' he said, motioning to Drs. Deborah Brix and Anthony Fauci who were seated nearby. 'Because I don't know where it came up. Everybody kept saying, you said there's be five - that was a study that came out, somebody came out with a study of five million people.'
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'But somebody started throwing around five million, I didn't say five million,' Trump said. 'Somebody said five million, I think it might have been the Harvard report.'
'We will be there, but I didn't say it,' the president added. 'We are going to be there at a certain point.'
Trump then complained that the demand for greater testing amid the coronavirus pandemic was a 'media trap' only meant to catch him.
'What's interesting about that number is that I remember when we did a million, we said we just did a million and the media said when are you going to do two million. I said soon, pretty soon. And we do two million and then they said when are you going to do five million,' Trump said.
'In other words, it's sort of a set-up because no matter what - and by the way when we hit five million, when are we going to hit 10 million,' he continued.
'It's a little bit of a trap - it's called the media trap - it pertains to me, it doesn't pertain to other people, but it's what I've had to experience for five years,' he said.
