President Donald Trump is defending his notion that nationwide testing is not necessary to reopen the economy.
During Thursday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, CNN’s Jim Acosta asked the president how could the administration discuss the possibility of reopening the country without adequate testing.
Trump was also asked if there is needed a nationwide testing platform before reopening the company to which he said, “No.”
“We have a great testing system,” Trump said. “We have the best, right now, the best testing system in the world. But there are certain sections in the country that are in phenomenal shape already.”
While the president did indicate that there will be massive testing in some areas, it will not be nationwide.
“We’re picking up and what we’ll be doing in the very near future is going to certain areas of our country and doing massive testing,” he said.
“It’s not necessary,” Trump said of nationwide testing, “But it would be a good thing to have.”
See the exchange below:
Trump got asked how he can reopen the country without widespread testing. His answer made no sense.
— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) April 9, 2020
He claims we have the "best testing system in the world." That's a lie.
He says widespread testing "isn't necessary" as if there's any other way to know the scope of the problem. pic.twitter.com/SPqUqWWqUo
Acosta went on to cite concerns about the increase of social interaction as people would return to work. Without proper precaution, a “second wave” of the coronavirus could lead to additional problems, as Dr. Anthony Fauci has discussed.
Despite the reporter’s concerns, Trump insists nationwide testing is not necessary. He noted the task to meet the staggering demand that would come with attempting to test a population of 325 million people.
“We want to have it and we’re going to see if we have it. Do you need it? No. Is it a nice thing to do? Yes,” Trump said. “We’re talking about 325 million people. And that’s not going to happen, as you can imagine, and it would never happen with anyone else either.”
While Trump and members of the White Houses’ task force have noted improvements in testing kits and expansion of testing capacity, the majority of the people who have tested positive for the coronavirus are showing mild symptoms.
However, there has been concern about asymptomatic carriers who may be unknowingly spreading the virus to others.
As of Friday morning, there were more than 466,000 confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide.
