Coronavirus National Emergency: Donald Trump's Latest Pandemic Press Conference Seeded Confusion Online

Andrew Roberts

03/22/2020 09:55 pm EDT

The latest pandemic team press conference at The White House took many forms across its 90 minutes. Donald Trump controlled the main podium on Sunday, with a far smaller group backing him up than Americans have typically gotten used to seeing.

Flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and FEMA administrator Peter T. Gaynor, Trump took the stage and talked about unrelated actions that had been taken to rescue Americans around the globe. It was a confusing moment but Trump soon brought it to the topic of the coronavirus and the current state of the U.S. response to the pandemic.

Trump addressed his utilization of the Defense Production Act and how his administration has ramped up efforts to get medical supplies to states in need while also authorizing increased National Guard support in New York, California, and Washington.

"Through FEMA, the federal government will be funding 100 percent of the cost of deploying National Guard units to carry out approved missions to stop the virus, while those governors remain in command," Trump said to start off the press conference.

A Strong Start

Many were ready to mark the change of tone for Trump to start the press event as refreshing. It was the president doing and saying things that many felt a president would be saying. He even provided a clear answer to the question asked by NBC News' Peter Alexander on Friday.

The president was on the mark and seemed to follow the script apart from a few references to the "Chinese virus."

Mitt Romney

Still, this didn't last long. After Vice President Pence and FEMA spoke during the press conference, Trump took control and began to take questions from the press corps. After being asked about his thoughts on Rand Paul testing positive for coronavirus and the decision by others to self-quarantine, specifically Mitt Romney.

This prompted what some are calling a sarcastic remark by Trump toward Romney.

China

The president also created quite a mixed message on China and its role in the global pandemic. While he continued to ramp up the blame for the nation with his naming of the virus, Trump also praised President Xi and China for their efforts against the virus.

He then quickly changed direction again later in the presser, questioning why China didn't warn the world about the virus ahead of time.

Stocks and Bailouts

Another question that sent President Trump into a jumble of words and thoughts involved stocks owned by the president and if he did similar actions as the members of Congress who reportedly moved stock funds after a classified briefing on the coronavirus.

Trump noted that he didn't own stocks, he just owned things. But it quickly devolved into a confusing statement on his campaign for president.

Confusion

It is safe to say quite a few people were very confused by some of what Trump was saying. There was also a lot of surprise about the president using a pandemic update press conference as a way to talk about his candidacy for president.

Mixed Messages

The mixed messages sent by Trump have eroded his trust with some people watching from home. The presence of Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has offered direct contradictions to the president's words on stage. His absence from the events is typically noted by people online.

While the president means well or is trying to be hopeful, the mixed messages are leaving a few struggling.

There will be another press conference tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see what changes.

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