A Fireside chat from Donald J Trump, President of the United States

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/31/fireside-chat-trump-should-deliver

Dana Milbank

March 31, 2020 @ 5:18 pm

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats reassured and inspired the nation through Depression and war. During impeachment last fall, President Trump fancied himself likewise addressing Americans “perhaps as a fireside chat on live television.”

There’s no better time than the present! In these dark times, Americans crave the comfort of competent leadership. I have therefore taken the liberty of drafting for Trump a fireside chat for our times — using entirely his own words:

 

The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.

We have it totally under control.

I’m not concerned at all.

It’s one person coming in from China.

We pretty much shut it down.

It will all work out well.

We’re in great shape.

 

Doesn’t spread widely at all in the United States because of the early actions that myself and my administration took.

There’s a chance it won’t spread.

It’s something that we have tremendous control over.

 

Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.

One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.

Just stay calm.

It will go away.

The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus.

This is their new hoax.

 

Whatever happens, we’re totally prepared.

Totally ready.

We’re rated number one for being prepared.

We are so prepared like we never have been prepared.

Taking early intense action, we have seen dramatically fewer cases of the virus in the United States.

We’re very much ahead of everything.

 

This is a flu.

I didn’t know people died from the flu.

Here, we’re talking about a much smaller range.

It is very mild.

Some people will have this at a very light level.

Some of them go to work.

 

The mortality rate is much, much better.

In my opinion it’s way, way down.

I think it’s substantially below 1 percent.

A fraction of 1 percent.

I think the numbers are going to get progressively better as we go along.

This is just my hunch.

 

We have very little problem in this country.

We only have five people.

We only have 11 cases.

Out of billions of people, 15 people.

They’re getting better, and soon they’re all going to be better, hopefully.

We’re going very substantially down, not up.

 

The United States, because of what I did and what the administration did with China, we have 32 deaths at this point.

To this point, and because we have had a very strong border policy, we have had 40 deaths.

As of this moment, we have 50 deaths.

I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to be.

 

Frankly, the testing has been going very smooth.

The tests are all perfect.

Anybody that wants a test can get a test.

The tests are beautiful.

We have a tremendous testing setup.

 

I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators.

We are very close to a vaccine.

A matter of months.

You take a solid flu vaccine, you don’t think that could have an impact?

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.

Based on very strong evidence.

 

I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter.

No way I’m going to cancel the convention.

Stock Market starting to look very good to me!

 

We’re the ones that gave the great response.

I’d rate it a 10.

We’ve done a fantastic job.

I think they should be appreciative.

Gallup just gave us the highest rating.

The highest on record.

 

I like this stuff.

I really get it.

Maybe I have a natural ability.

We think it’s going to have a very good ending.

We’re going to win faster than people think.

I hope.

 

This blindsided the world!

Who could have ever predicted a thing like this?

This was something that nobody has ever thought could happen to this country.

 

I’ve always known this is a real, this is a pandemic.

I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.

I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously.

 

If you’re talking about the virus, no, that’s not under control for anyplace in the world.

I was talking about what we’re doing is under control, but I’m not talking about the virus.

I didn’t say Easter.

It was just an aspiration.

 

I am giving consideration to a QUARANTINE.

So you’re talking about 2.2 million deaths.

If we could hold that down…between 100,000 and 200,000, and we all together have done a very good job.

START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!!

FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!!

Invoke “P”.

 

I want our life back again.

It was nobody’s fault.

No, just things that happened.

I don’t take responsibility at all.