Trump says he would support government taking stake in certain companies

Reuters
·1 min read
U.S. President Trump leads coronavirus task force daily briefing at the White House in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday opened the door to a sweeping shift in the government's relation to private industry as the coronavirus outbreak upends the nation's economy, saying he would back the government taking stakes in certain companies.

Asked if he would support the federal government moving to take an equity stake in some companies, Trump said: "I do. I really do."

Trump, speaking at a news conference at the White House, added: "We will be helping the airline industry. We will be helping the cruise ship industry. We probably will be helping the hotel industry."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Alexandra Alper; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; writing by Susan Heavey)