In case you missed it, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency (“two very big words”) over the coronavirus pandemic during a news conference at the White House on Friday.
Which is rich, given that Trump isn’t even following his own administration’s guidance on preventing the spread of the virus — and especially since he recently had contact with someone who tested positive.
According to the Washington Post, Trump violated CDC guidance 31 times during the news conference by shaking hands, patting backs, and touching the microphone. And that’s not to mention the fact that he forced the White House press corps into a large, tight gathering, where they waited for the event to begin more than 30 minutes late.
From WaPo: Trump shook hands, patted backs and touched the microphone at the White House lectern at least 31 times Friday, the sort of behaviors health experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised against to prevent the spread of the virus. Over the past week, Trump has interacted with or been close to at least three people who were infected with the virus or who themselves interacted with virus-infected individuals. Trump earlier this week said he does not plan to get tested for the novel coronavirus, but Friday he said he “most likely” would get tested “fairly soon.”
More from the Daily Beast: Moments after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic, he violated one major rule his public health officials have advised against—by shaking several people’s hands. Trump, who spent the weekend with at least one person who has since tested positive for the novel coronavirus, also manhandled the microphone as he explained the need to declare a national emergency to allow the government to marshal more resources to cities and states struggling to contain the spread of the virus.
