President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are exchanging jabs over the coronavirus.
Ahead of the president’s news conference on Wednesday, the House speaker was asked what her reaction was to Trump saying the coronavirus is “under control” in the U.S.
“I don’t think the president knows what he’s talking about — once again,” she responded, in regard with dealing with the virus.
See her remarks below:
"I don't think the president knows what he's talking about — once again," Pelosi on Trump saying Coronavirus is under control. pic.twitter.com/SrTQziHTej
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 26, 2020
At the news conference, Trump didn’t resist unleashing in return on Pelosi when asked about her criticism.
When asked about Pelosi’s remarks and criticism from others, Trump told reporters at the White House, “I think Speaker Pelosi’s incompetent.”
“I think she’s not thinking about the country,” the president continued, adding, “Instead of making a statement like that, she should be saying we have to work together.”
He later added, “She’s trying to create a panic, and there’s no reason to panic.”
See Trump’s comments below:
Trump hits back at Pelosi's criticism of admin's response to coronavirus outbreak pic.twitter.com/LM3PKGFXNz
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 27, 2020
Pelosi, however, took a swipe back in her response to the news conference on the coronavirus.
She wrote in a statement accusing the Trump administration of “[mounting] an opaque and chaotic response to this outbreak.”
“The House will be advancing a strong, strategic funding package with transparency and accountability that fully addresses the scale and seriousness of this public health crisis,” the House speaker wrote.
Additionally, she told reporters that Trump’s efforts are “anemic” and “too late.”
“Hopefully we can make up for the loss of time. … and not be using scare tactics about people coming back to our country,” Pelosi said.
"Hopefully we can make up for the loss of time…and not be using scare tactics about people coming back to our country."
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 26, 2020
Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the Trump administration's response against coronavirus is "late—too late—anemic." https://t.co/GfPH6SyIMF pic.twitter.com/H6QZATNyeD
An official for World Health Organization (WHO), special adviser to the director Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, also blasted Trump’s news conference, telling MSNBC Wednesday evening, “I found most of what he said a little incoherent.”
At the news conference, Trump placed Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus response in the U.S., as IJR reported. He also said that “the risk to the American people remains very low.”
