Trump doubles down on coronavirus tests 'going very smooth' as administration comes up millions short

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 12 March 2020

President Trump's administration has been slammed by critics over the country's dearth of test kits for the new coronavirus, with the U.S. lagging behind many countries, including South Korea and Senegal. But addressing concerns on Thursday, Trump claimed that "frankly, the testing has been going very smooth." He added that "if you go to the right agents, if you go to the right area, you get the test," although CNN's Daniel Dale, who was reporting on the press conference, noted that Trump "doesn't say who are the right agents or what are the right areas."

When a reporter pushed Trump about reports of people failing to get tests even when exhibiting symptoms, the president added: "You're talking about one case. I mean, I could certainly look into it … it's one case. I've heard, also, it goes very well."

HHS Secretary Alex Azar claimed last Friday that "up to 4 million tests" would be available within a week. As of Tuesday, there had only been 5,000 tests in the United States.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.