Trump says he's a 'wartime president' now, activates Defense Production Act

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Trump on Wednesday said during a White House press conference he considers himself to be a "wartime president" as the United States battles the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's a very tough situation," he said. "You have to do things, you have to close parts of an economy that six weeks ago were the best they've ever been. We had the best economy we've ever had. And then one day you have to close it down in order to defeat this enemy."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.