Donald Trump infamously said, “anybody that wants a test, can get a test.” Not only is that still not true, but based on what the president said Thursday night, even if the U.S. had the capability to test everyone, he doesn’t want to do widespread testing. While speaking from a medical equipment distribution center in Allentown, Pennsylvania where he again didn’t wear a mask, Trump said testing could be “overrated.” He then went on to give his analysis on why less testing would keep the number of positive results down (duh!).
Trump: “We have more cases that anybody in the world. But why? Because we do more testing. When you test, you have a case. When you test you find something is wrong with people. If we didn’t do any testing, we would have very few cases. They don’t want to write that.” pic.twitter.com/FsSq80TODg
— The American Independent (@AmerIndependent) May 14, 2020
Sure there would be fewer confirmed cases of coronavirus, but there are countless problems with this logic (or lack of logic). Less testing would most likely mean a higher death, more people left without the proper treatment, no contact tracing and the list goes on and on.
Somebody ought to tell him that testing doesn’t create cases. The cases are there, whether you test for them or not. Testing helps to isolate those with the virus from those without it and helps direct medical care for those who test positive. Too bad he can’t process that.
— Chybil ? (@MsChybil) May 14, 2020
Meanwhile, there is a report today that the White House did indeed talk about testing fewer people. The Daily Beast reports “Trump feared testing too many people for virus would spook stock markets.”
In a quote attributed to an unnamed Trump confidant who is said to speak to the president frequently, it’s claimed: “Jared [Kushner] had been arguing that testing too many people, or ordering too many ventilators, would spook the markets and so we just shouldn’t do it… That advice worked far more powerfully on [Trump] than what the scientists were saying. He thinks they always exaggerate.”
“If we just put ‘natural causes’ next to each gun death we wouldn’t have any gun violence” ?♂️
Pretty sound logic.
— Ned Balme (@NedBalmeLives) May 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/PeterGleick/status/1261156041196093441
The testing comment is also now the subject of parody videos.
How to more cases than anybody in the world pic.twitter.com/VA9bPJiQ6i
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) May 15, 2020
And it’s also magnified the obvious, there still aren’t enough tests.
It's May 15th, and President Trump still doesn’t have an adequate national testing strategy.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 15, 2020