Trump angrily shuts down questions about coronavirus testing at press conference on coronavirus testing

President Trump may have forgotten why he called you all here today.

On Monday, Trump held a press conference specifically dedicated to coronavirus testing, telling gathered reporters the U.S. has "prevailed" over its testing shortages and saying anyone could get a test if they want one. But when those reporters noted that thousands of Americans still haven't been able to access tests, Trump angrily shut them down.

Trump spent Monday's conference repeatedly bragging about how the U.S. has conducted more COVID-19 tests than other countries. ABC News' Jordyn Phelps brought up how a lot of that testing seems to be happening within the White House, asking Trump if he thinks there's a "double standard where members of your own staff can get tested frequently, but ordinary Americans cannot." "We can't win," Trump responded, ranting about how the media would be criticizing him if he wasn't being tested and then telling Phelps "I understand you very well. Better than you understand yourself."

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

Later, CBS News' Weijia Jiang asked Trump why he was making testing out to be a "global competition." "Maybe that's a question you should ask China," Trump said. And when Jiang, who is Asian American, asked why he told her "specifically" to do so, it soon led Trump to walk away from the lectern without answering anyone else. Kathryn Krawczyk