At a White House coronavirus task force briefing this afternoon. U.S. President Donald Trump announced he has invoked the Defense Production Act, "to compel General Motors to accept, perform and prioritize federal contracts for ventilators." Or, as he put it on Twitter earlier today:
General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!! FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!! @GeneralMotors @Ford
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020
Trump also announced that he is appointing Peter Navarro to be the policy coordinator for the Defense Production Act. Navarro currently serves as the White House's Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
When asked by a reporter whether current social distancing guidelines will go on for "months," Trump replied, "I hope not. I hope it's going to be sooner. I hope it disappears faster than that."
Note: President Trump usually opens these news conferences with his own remarks. His comments in a number of past briefings have later been contradicted by information provided by other officials. He has also repeatedly used stigmatizing language to describe COVID-19. Following the president's remarks, health experts and other adminstration leaders provide additional updates.
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