Trump tells governors he hasn't heard about a lack of coronavirus test kits 'in weeks'

During a conference call with governors on Monday, President Trump expressed surprise that there were shortages of coronavirus test kits in the United States.

The New York Times obtained an audio recording of the phone call, in which Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) is heard saying his state doesn't have an adequate number of tests. "Literally, we are one day away, if we don't get test kits from the CDC, that we wouldn't be able to do testing in Montana," he said.

There are reports out of all states that people with COVID-19 coronavirus symptoms are not able to get tested due to a lack of kits, but Trump told the governors he hasn't "heard about testing in weeks. We've tested more now than any nation in the world. We've got these great tests and we're coming out with a faster one this week." He added, "I haven't heard about testing being a problem."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Based on how many people are being tested per capita, the United States is far behind other nations like South Korea, the Times reports. After the call, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said he was stunned by Trump's remarks. "It would be shocking to me that if anyone who has had access to any newspaper, radio, social networks, or any other communication would not be knowledgeable about the need for test kits," he told the Times. "I can be assured that the White House knows very well about this desperate need for test kits."