In his latest press briefing, Trump somehow took his failed coronavirus response to a new low. Trump showed how out-of-touch he is with what Americans are going through by advising workers who lost their jobs to instead keep their jobs and keep getting paid.

DOWNPLAYED CRISIS:

Trump’s advice to Americans who lost their jobs was to keep their jobs and keep getting paid. Seriously.

Washington Post’s Cathleen Decker: “Asked what people who have lost their jobs should do right now, Trump says, ‘We want them to keep their jobs, stay where they are…keep their pay coming.’ Unemployment stats next week are expected to be through the roof.”

MADE FALSE CLAIMS: 

Trump continued to tout potential coronavirus treatments, despite being contradicted multiple times by health experts and his own administration that their efficacy was unconfirmed.

CNN’s Daniel Dale: “Trump touts what ‘possibly’ may be ‘very successful’ medicines to help people and help people not get sick, this time not getting into details. (Again, Fauci and FDA commish Hahn have made clear there are no proven safe and effective treatments.)”

Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey: “‘I’m not totally sure what the president was referring to,’ Fauci says of the president’s tweet about drugs this morning.”

Trump continued to falsely claim that testing is going well when there is a massive shortage of availability.

TRUMP: “The testing is going very well.”

Washington Post: “In hard-hit areas, testing restricted to health care workers, hospital patients”

POLITICO: “States still waiting on coronavirus tests as Trump tells them to do more”

Trump said he’s received tremendous reviews for getting supplies to hospitals, but doctors still can’t get the supplies they need, a fact that his own task force acknowledged remains a major issue.

New York Times’ Maggie Haberman: ‘We’ve also gotten tremendous reviews from a lot of people who can’t believe how fast it’s going,’ Trump says.”

ProPublica: “The White House Asked Manufacturers for Help, Then Gave Them No Clear Instructions”

Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey: “‘We don’t take lightly what you just read,’ Fauci says of concerns raised by many doctors about supplies. The concerns were read by @JDiamond1 in the briefing room. ‘You’re not making things up.’”

FAILED TO LEAD:

Trump refused to take responsibility and tried to pass blame for his failed response on previous administrations. 

REPORTER: “Given that this is one of the wealthiest, most powerful countries of the world, should [supply shortages] even be happening?”

TRUMP: “I’ll tell you the way I look at it: many administrations preceded me. For the most part, they did very little.”

MORE CONFUSION:

After touting that he invoked the Defense Authorization Act yesterday, Trump confirmed that he did not invoke the act.

CBS’s Weijia Jiang: “President Trump just acknowledged he is NOT using the Defense Production Act to speed up the manufacturing of supplies like masks and ventilators, even though just yesterday he said he ‘put it in gear’. He even said yesterday @GM was one of the companies he called on.”

After earlier this week saying FEMA would organize and lead the distribution of medical supplies, Trump continued to say states should obtain supplies themselves.

CNBC’s Meg Tirrell: “Trump, asked if there should be coordination over all states: States can do what they want to do. If CA can get masks faster than we can, we want them to. We’re going to end up with a big oversupply at some point.

NBC’s Heidi Przybyla: “FEMA to U.S. hospitals lacking protective gear amid #coronavirus ‘Buy it where you can find it. We will reimburse you.’ AMA President told @NBCNews yesterday this is the federal government’s job to organize what’s being produced and prioritizing hospitals most in need.”