Trump says he doesn't 'take responsibility at all' for lack of coronavirus testing
President Trump clearly doesn't mind shaking hands in the age of coronavirus, and he's making sure he flexes his finger-pointing muscles as well.
After attacking former President Barack Obama and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for contributing to COVID-19 coronavirus testing failures, Trump emphasized that he, the current U.S. president, bears no responsibility for the disastrous lag in testing kits being distributed across the country.
"No, I don't take responsibility at all, because we were given a set of circumstances and we were given rules, regulations, and specifications from a different time," Trump said during a press conference discussing the pandemic. "It wasn't meant for this kind of an event, with the kind of numbers that we're talking about. What we've done is redesign it very quickly."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As few as 77 kits were administered between Sunday and Wednesday, prompting Dr. Anthony Fauci to call the botched response "a failing." During the press conference, both Trump and Fauci iterated that the current testing system was not designed for the specific needs of the new coronavirus crisis.
When prompted later by PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor over the Trump administration's 2018 shutdown of a pandemic response team, Trump responded by calling the question "nasty," saying he didn't "know anything" about the disbanding she spoke of.
Trump didn't give exact details on when better testing will be rolled out, but he said to expect an announcement Sunday night and claimed they'll have the "ability to do in the millions over a very quick period of time."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Sitting in judgment on Trump
Opinion Who'd want to be on this jury?
By Susan Caskie Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published