Trump is not suspending trade or all travel with Europe, White House clarifies after Oval Office speech
President Trump said a couple of incorrect things in his scripted 11-minute Oval Office speech on the coronavirus epidemic Wednesday night, Trump and the White House clarified afterward. First, Trump surprised the markets by announcing that his restrictions on travel between the U.S. and European Union countries "will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing." The markets did not react well.
Futures market reaction to Trump's Coronavirus address is...not good pic.twitter.com/G3BPqemOnT
— Joshua Green (@JoshuaGreen) March 12, 2020
The White House said Trump misspoke and the restrictions apply only to people, not goods, and Trump reiterated that in a tweet.
WH transcript: "These prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing."
Trump tweet: "trade will in no way be affected" https://t.co/BUn9Vtu72y
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) March 12, 2020
Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli drew the task of correcting the White House and explaining that not everyone is barred from traveling to and from EU countries.
This does not apply to American citizens or legal permanent residents or their families. https://t.co/iZ2nrILhMg
— Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli (@HomelandKen) March 12, 2020
The travel policy, in fact, "does not apply to legal permanent residents, (generally) immediate family members of U.S. citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation," the Homeland Security Department said in a statement. And the health insurance industry had to clarify Trump's statement that insurance companies will waive co-payments on all coronavirus treatment.
Trump's claim tonight that health insurers "have agreed to waive all copayments for coronavirus treatments" seems to be news to them.
“For testing. Not for treatment.” a spokesperson for the major insurance lobby AHIP says.
— Sarah Owermohle (@owermohle) March 12, 2020
It isn't clear how these errors got into Trump's teleprompter.
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