PRESIDENT TRUMP'S NOVEL CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

By Xibai Gao

My wife is kind of pro-Trump but I cannot describe myself as a big Trump fan. Despite our settlement that Mr. Trump did some good deeds (to a TBD degree) and that his approach and management are not always neat, we have stir-and-fried many discussions during our breakfasts, lunches and dinners, especially during this no-where-to-go pandemic time

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lisa Cella Press, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781953266057

Xibai Gao

Xibai Gao practices law in the State of New York. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and Renmin University Law School (Beijing).

Book preview

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NOVEL CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

What He Said and Did

on COVID-19

Compiled and edited by Xibai Gao

Lisa Cella Press

This book and its contents, other than those from public domain, are copyrighted. Copyrighted parts and components of this publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permission requests should be sent to Lisa Cella Press via e-mail at [e-mail].

© 2020 by Lisa Cella Press

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in the quotations of this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the publisher or any individuals involved in this publication. Information contained in this publication have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein are not guaranteed and neither the publisher nor any individuals involved in this publication shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or claims for damages, including exemplary damages, arising out of use, inability to use, or with regard to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information contained in this publication.

Medical Disclaimer

All and any contents of this book, despite that President Trump and/or other government officials may have recommended, promoted and/or endorsed, are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. We do not recommend or endorse any specific plans, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be provided herein, reliance on which is solely at your own risk.

To my wife,

an irrepressible woman,

who never agrees with me on Trump

Preface

Here is how this book was born:

My wife is kind of pro-Trump but I cannot describe myself as a big Trump fan. Despite our settlement that Mr. Trump did some good deeds (to a TBD degree) and that his approach and management are not always neat, we have stir-and-fried many discussions during our breakfasts, lunches and dinners, especially during this no-where-to-go pandemic time. My wife put her iPhone on the table so we can quickly settle a storm in a teacup or rice bowl by googling the facts from the alternative facts. There is no consensus about Mr. Trump’s handling. Why don’t we compile a book so people can see what Mr. Trump actually said and did in the context of rapidly evolving pandemic situation and easily finish eating without fighting?

This book will help explain how the pandemic in U.S. gets where it is now. Did Mr. Trump do a tremendous job? The President calendar, especially of February through June, is packed with all kinds of rallies, briefings and meetings. The President, like an Uber driver, tirelessly sits in a front seat and meets different people all day long. The difference is a President’s action or non-action impacts millions and millions of Americans’ lives.

This book is not another debate with my wife, but a presentation of pure facts (what Mr. Trump said itself is a fact but not necessarily true, because, as Mr. Trump said, "everybody makes mistakes") for the readers. The U.S. coronavirus data are from the CDC’s website, if not otherwise specified. All tweets are from twitter.com and speeches verified on whitehouse.gov, factba.se and/or news channels’ websites.

I don’t believe Mr. Trump would sue me on this book. First, Mr. Trump’s tweets, as well as his speeches, are in the public domain because Mr. Trump uses his Twitter to conduct official government business, as decided by the Court in Knight v. Trump, No. 1:17-cv-05205 (S.D.N.Y.), No. 18-1691 (2d Cir.). So, I don’t worry about copyright issues. Nevertheless, this compilation work still is copyrighted.

Second, during editing, I realize this book basically benefits Mr. Trump since he, for good or bad, is never shy of self-praising and I did not include public comments or replies to his words. The balance is that, sometimes, when people talk too much, you can make up your mind just by listening between the lines and minding its consistency and sufficiency. I also recommend watching three interesting interviews with Mr. Trump: one by Mr. Chris Wallace of Fox News on July 19, 2020, one by Mr. Jonathan Swan of Axios on August 3, 2020 and one by Mr. Geraldo Rivera on August 6, 2020. In the three interviews, Mr. Trump had ample opportunity to answer some sharp and fair questions. Well, It is what it is, as Mr. Trump said. You are the judge, to be exact, the juror, who can cast vote on November 3, 2020.

My first book China’s Novel Coronavirus Response: Guidelines for Government, Communities, Entities and Individuals to Combat COVID-19 (ISBN: 9781953266026) may help answer Mr. Trump’s question: why China largely contains the coronavirus to the city of Wuhan within China. See Mr. Trump’s remarks on June 5. But don’t buy that book, unless you are studying China’s pandemic mitigation measures. It is a systematic compilation of Chinese guidelines and regulations on coronavirus, and could be boring to read through. Do buy this book because:

It is more fun to read some of Mr. Trump’s remarks, such as "The governor of Louisiana has been great on the bed – on that whole situation with the [hospital] beds" or Frankly, the governor of Michigan was very good with us on – on beds.

In addition, you and your significant other, by putting this book on the table, could save a lot of saliva from flying around thus lower the risk of virus infection. Enjoy this book and your meal. Good luck.

On August 29, Mr. Trump tweeted "About the only way a person is able to write a book on me is if they agree that it will contain as much bad stuff as possible, much of which is lies. It’s like getting a job with CNN or MSDNC and saying that President Trump is great. You have ZERO chance. FAKE NEWS!" Much of this book is Mr. Trump’s own words… So, looks like either Mr. Trump or this book is locked in this logic puzzle. But, give this book a chance, please.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this book. I guarantee you will not be exposed. But Mr. Trump said There's never a guarantee when you're dealing with people, right?

Contents at a Glance

January 2020

February 2020

March 2020

April 2020

May 2020

June 2020

July 2020

August 2020

January 2020

January 5:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 0

World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges some cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which are later named as COVID-19, standing for the novel coronavirus disease erupted in 2019.

January 6:

Secretary of United States Health and Human Service (HHS) Azar and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Redfield officially offer to send CDC experts to China.

January 7:

CDC establishes an Incident Management Structure for the coronavirus.

January 9:

China publicly identifies a novel pneumonia-like coronavirus.

January 17:

CDC begins screening of travelers on direct and connecting flights from Wuhan, China, arriving at three major U.S. airports: JFK International, San Francisco International, and Los Angeles International airport.

January 20:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 1

January 21:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 1

CDC announces the 1st (travel-related) case of coronavirus in U.S.

CDC activates its Emergency Operations Center to optimize coordination for domestic and international COVID-19 response efforts.

January 22:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 1

Cases of coronavirus confirmed in China: 571

Chinese government bans travel in and out of Hubei Province and Wuhan City is closed off (local time: January 23, 10:00am) known as Wuhan Lockdown.

President Trump makes his 1st publicly comments on coronavirus in Davos, Switzerland: We do have a plan, and we think it’s going to be handled very well. We’ve already handled it very well. CDC has been terrific. Very great professionals. And we’re in very good shape. And I think China is in very good shape also.

President Trump says on a CNBC interview in Davos, Switzerland:

No. Not at All. And we’re – we have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It's going to be just fine – when asked about the pandemic.

I do. I do. I have a great relationship with President Xi. We just signed probably the biggest deal ever made. It certainly has the potential to be the biggest deal ever made. And – it was a very interesting period of time – when asked if he trusts Xi of China.

January 24:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 2

President Trump’s first tweet on coronavirus: China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!

January 27:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 5

CDC issues a Level 3 travel notice for travelers to avoid all nonessential travels to mainland China.

The White House Coronavirus Task Force is formed and begins daily meetings.

HHS Secretary Azar says during a coronavirus press briefing: "We've been monitoring this virus and preparing a response since back in December, but it's more than that. Preparing for these kinds of outbreaks is part of daily life at HHS and for America's public health professionals."

President Trump tweets: We are in very close communication with China concerning the virus. Very few cases reported in USA, but strongly on watch. We have offered China and President Xi any help that is necessary. Our experts are extraordinary!

January 29:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 5

President Trump tweets: "Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China. We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7!"

January 30:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 5

CDC confirms the first person-to-person case of coronavirus in US.

WHO issues Public Health Emergency of International Concern declaration.

President Trump hosts a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa.

President Trump tweets: Working closely with China and others on Coronavirus outbreak. Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery.

President Trump says in a speech in Michigan: Now we’re working very strongly with China on the coronavirus – that’s a new thing that a lot of people are talking about. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as some people think it could be. But we’re working very closely with them and with a lot of other people and a lot of other countries. And we think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment, five, and those people are all recuperating successfully. But we're working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it's going to have a very good ending for us … that I can assure you.

President Trump says in an interview with Fox News: Well what I'm doing is we're dealing very closely with China. We'll be making certain announcements over the next 24 hours and 48 hours and we are in great shape. China is not in great shape right now, unfortunately. But they're working very hard. We'll see what happens. But we're working very closely with China and other countries – when asked if he believes China is telling the truth.

January 31:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 7

HHS Secretary Azar declares a Public Health Emergency for the entire United States.

CDC has launched an aggressive public health response focused on early case recognition, isolation of those cases identified, and contact tracing around those individuals per Dr. Redfield, the CDC Director and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

President Trump signs a proclamation suspending entry into the United States of aliens who were physically present in the People’s Republic of China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau, within the 14 days preceding entry or attempted entry into the United States. The proclamation takes effect Sunday, February 2.

February 2020

February 2:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 8

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) instructs that all flights from China and all passengers who have been in China within the last 14 days to be routed through one of 8 U.S. airports for enhanced screening. Additionally, U.S. citizens who have been in Hubei province of China within 14 days of their return will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine.

President Trump says at an interview with Fox News:

Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China. We have a tremendous relationship with China, which is a very positive thing. Getting along with China, getting along with Russia, getting along with these countries...

Oh yeah, now we're offering them tremendous help. We have the best in the world for that. We've done a tremendous job in many other instances also on that even recently. No, no, we've offered China help, but we can't have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the Coronavirus. So, we're gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes – when asked if he offered China help with the Coronavirus.

February 4:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 11

Case of coronavirus confirmed in China: 20,471

Coronavirus death toll in China: 425

President Trump says in the State of the Union Address: Protecting Americans' health also means fighting infectious diseases. We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat.

February 7:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 11

Secretary of State Pompeo announces 18 tons of medical supplies have been donated to China.

President Trump tweets: Just had a long and very good conversation by phone with President Xi of China. He is strong, sharp and powerfully focused on leading the counterattack on the Coronavirus. He feels they are doing very well, even building hospitals in a matter of only days. Nothing is easy, but... ...he will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone. Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!

President Trump says before Marine One departure:

"No. China is working very hard. Late last night, I had a very good talk with President Xi, and we talked about – mostly about the coronavirus. They’re working really hard, and I think they are doing a very professional job. They’re in touch with World – the World – World Organization. CDC also. We’re working together. But World Health is working with them. CDC is working with them. I had a great conversation last night with President Xi. It’s a tough situation. I think they’re doing a very good job" – when asked if he is concerned that China is covering up the full extent of coronavirus.

"I think that China will do a very good job" – when asked if he is concerned about the coronavirus’ potential impact on the global economy.

President says at the North Carolina Opportunity Now Summit: Now we have a deal with China. I just spoke to President Xi last night, and, you know, we’re working on the – the problem, the virus. It’s a – it’s a very tough situation. But I think he’s going to handle it. I think he’s handled it really well. We’re helping wherever we can. But we have a great relationship. It’s incredible. They respect us again. They didn’t even respect us. What they were doing to us – they didn’t even respect us. They respect us again and we respect them.

President Trump says at an interview with Robert Woodward:

It goes through air, Bob. That’s always tougher than the touch. The touch, you don’t have to touch things, right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus. People don’t realize, we lose 25,000, 30,000 people a year here. Who would ever think that, right?

This is more deadly. This is 5% versus 1%, and less than 1%. So this is deadly stuff.

It’s not just old, older. Young people too. Plenty of young people.

I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don’t want to create a panic.

February 10:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 11

President Trump hosts a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.

President Trump says at an interview with Fox Business News:

Well, I think China is very, you know, professionally run in the sense that they have everything under control. I really believe they are going to have it under control fairly soon. You know in April, supposedly, it dies with the hotter weather. And that's a beautiful date to look forward to. But China I can tell you is working very hard.

And I think the virus is going to be – it's going to be fine. They're working very hard and we are in communication with them.

President Trump says at the White House Business Session with the Nation’s Governors:

Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do – you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat – as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though. We have 12 cases – 11 cases, and many of them are in good shape now. So – but a very good question.

I had a long talk with President Xi – for the people in this room – two nights ago, and he feels very confident. He feels very confident. And he feels that, again, as I mentioned, by April or during the month of April, the heat, generally speaking, kills this kind of virus. So that would be a good thing.

President Trump says at a political rally in Manchester, New Hampshire: Last month, we signed a groundbreaking trade agreement with China that will defeat so many of our opponents. The money that's pouring in, people don't even believe it. And by the way, the virus, they're working hard. Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.

February 13:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 13

President Trump says at an interview with Geraldo Rivera:

Well, we're working on it very closely. I spoke to President Xi two days ago. They're working on it very professionally. It's a problem, we think and we hope, based on all signs that the problem goes away in April because – which is not too far down the road, because he kills this virus. We think, now we're going to find out, Geraldo, but we think, and they are having difficulty in China but they're working very, very hard. We're working with them. We're sending a lot of people and CDC has been great but it is – it's a problem in China. Has not been spreading very much. In our country, we only have, basically, 12 cases and most of those people are recovering and some cases fully recovered. So, it's actually less.

Well, you never know. I think they want to put the best face on it. So, you know, I mean, if somebody – if you were running it, you'd probably – you wouldn't want to run out to the world and go crazy and start saying whatever it is because you don't want to create a panic. But, no, I think they've handled it professionally and I think they're extremely capable and I think President Xi is extremely capable and I hope that it's going to be resolved. Again, the April date is very important. But you know this is a big thing. The April date is very, very important because if that's the case, if he does, in fact, kill that's when it starts getting hot and this virus reacts very poorly to heat and dies. So, we'll see what happens – when asked if China tells the truth about the coronavirus.

February 14:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 13

President Trump says in an address to the National Border Patrol Council:

That's tremendous optimism, which is a big thing. And 61 percent of the voters approve of Trump's handling of the coronavirus. And, you know, we did a very early move on that. We did a – I was criticized by a lot of people at the beginning because we were the first. We'd never done it before. We closed our borders through certain areas.

And we're – we have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it. It's like around 12. Many of them are getting better. Some are fully recovered already. So, we're in very good shape. And I spoke with President Xi of China, and he's working very hard on this. It's a tremendous problem. But they're very capable and they'll – they'll get to it. There's a theory that, in April, when it gets warm – historically, that has been able to kill the virus. So, we don't know yet; we're not sure yet. But that's around the corner, so that'll be a great thing in China and other places. But we have very strong borders, and that's what we're here to talk to you about today.

February 18:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 13

President Trump says before Air Force One departure:

I think President Xi is working very hard. As you know, I spoke with him recently. He’s working really hard. It’s a tough problem. I think he’s going to do – look, I’ve seen them build hospitals in a short period of time. I really believe he wants to get that done, and he wants to get it done fast. Yes, I think he’s doing it very professionally. We’re also working with him and helping him, as of the last few days, as you know – when asked if he is satisfied with Xi’s handling of the coronavirus.

Look, I know this: President Xi loves the people of China, he loves his country, and he’s doing a very good job with a very, very tough situation – when asked if he trusts the data from China.

February 19:

Cases of coronavirus CDC confirmed in U.S.: 13

President Trump hosts a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

President Trump says at an interview with Fox: "Well, I'm confident that they're trying very hard. I mean, I know President Xi [of China] – I get along with him very well. We've just made a great trade deal, which is going to be a lot of business for Arizona and every other place. But they are trying very, very hard, and I think the numbers are going to get progressively better as we go along. They're working it – they built they built a hospital in seven days, and now they're building another one. I think it's going to work out fine. I think when