Trump says disaster declarations in all 50 states means 'we are winning' the fight against the coronavirus

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 13 April 2020

President Trump approved a federal disaster declaration for Wyoming on Saturday in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Now, for the first time in U.S. history, all 50 states are under a federal disaster declaration. In a tweet Sunday evening, Trump portrayed the historic 50-state disaster as a sign of progress against the outbreak.

Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam have also had disaster declarations approved. Disaster declarations open the door to federal funds and allow governors to sidestep certain regulations, CNN reports. As of Monday morning, the U.S. has a confirmed 557,000 COVID-19 cases and 22,109 official coronavirus deaths, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, there are 1.86 million reported cases and 115,000 deaths.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.