President Donald Trump announced Monday his coronavirus task force is looking into various financial relief actions aimed at curbing the disease’s effect on the economy.
Vice President Mike Pence confirmed at a White House press briefing Monday that Trump would be making an official announcement on the specifics of a financial relief bill on Tuesday. Trump faced criticism from all sides for downplaying the severity of the coronavirus threat on Twitter, with popular figures on the political right calling for him to stop tweeting about the disease.
“The president has tasked this economic team and is working already with leaders in the Congress to make sure that [no one] feels that they are at risk of losing their job or their paycheck if they contract the coronavirus,” Pence said. (RELATED: More Voters Disapprove Of President Trump’s Coronavirus Response)
If Trump supposedly handed off coronavirus handling to Pence, then STOP TWEETING. This is a time when chaotic leadership is a serious problem, both for the country and for Trump’s re-election prospects.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 9, 2020
Or alternatively he could not tweet and let VP Pence do the job Trump appointed him to do. The media are beclowning themselves in covering the administration’s response. It still doesn’t behoove Trump to step on rakes. https://t.co/5AkSdpAbxt
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 9, 2020
Pence also confirmed that the Grand Princess cruise ship had docked in California, that all 21 infected passengers have been isolate, and that none of the children on board the vessel have contracted the virus.
The briefing came hours after the Washington Post and Politico ordered its reporters who attended CPAC to self-quarantine. The CDC announced that one of the attendees had tested positive for the virus, leading several members of Congress to self-quarantine as well, including Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Trump’s formal announcement of the tax cut legislation will come Tuesday afternoon.