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

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

published 31 March 2020

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.

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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."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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