Shitstain's Big Business "Reopening" Meeting: CEOs Demand Massive Increase In Testing

[hatrack]

Donald Trump much-ballyhooed business council for reopening America had a pointed message for him Wednesday morning in his very first phone call with them: up your coronavirus testing game. The group of some three-dozen business executives told Trump that his administration must dramatically improve access to testing across the country before Americans would feel comfortable going back to work, shopping, and frequenting restaurants, according to the Wall Street Journal. It may seem like a no-brainer, but it's a hitch Trump has been trying to ignore for weeks as he sets his sights on jumpstarting the economy by May 1.

The White House first announced the members of Trump’s business council on Monday—a who's who of usual suspects, like daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. After people pretty much laughed at the lineup, Trump decided to revamp and substantially expand the council to include, well, basically executives from every business you've ever heard of. In fact, at Tuesday's White House coronavirus briefing, Trump reintroduced what he's calling the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups. Then he spent about 10 minutes reading off "dozens and dozens and dozens of names," as Politico put it.

Part of the mind-bending expansion seems to be an effort by the White House to insulate Trump from criticism if he pushes to reopen the economy too soon and coronavirus cases spike again. So Trump is clearly widening the circle in order to set up a giant sphere of scapegoats in case he blows it all over again.

Interestingly, the business council members who joined the first of four phone calls Trump conducted on Wednesday clearly weren't interested in taking the blame for his incompetence. Though no target dates for reopening the economy were discussed on the call, Trump is fixated on May 1 and has basically decided that's the date. But executives from the banking, financial services, hospitality, retail and food and beverage industries were reportedly very clear—U.S. testing levels are still far too inadequate to seriously consider easing social distancing yet.

EDIT

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/4/15/1937659/-Trump-s-business-task-force-rebels-demanding-more-testing-before-reopening-America-for-business#read-more

[exboyfil]

1. Which the Democrats have been saying since January

Three months later and we are still not there.

[SheltieLover]

2. Keep an eye on TN Gov Bill Lee as he announced free testing for all

yesterday afternoon. Surprised me when I saw this cuz, you know, workers come cheap.

[link:https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213295181|

So Gov Lee must be getting very quick marching orders.

Only a few days ago he abruptly announced reopening early May, in accordance with dump's wishes. Yes, he specified that, perhaps realizing he would be murdering many people in the process.

I think this asshat is a good barometer for what dump is likely to demand next.

[bullwinkle428]

3. My question - did he shout them down, and take away their microphone, like he

does whenever any reporter asks him the very same thing in the press conferences?