Coronavirus US live: Trump calls America's 1.52m cases 'a badge of honor', stirring outrage

President says number of US cases is good news
Trump threatens to withhold funding from Michigan and Nevada over vote by mail
Trump suggests hosting G7 in person
Florida scientist says she was fired for refusing to change Covid-19 data ‘to support reopen plan’
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Ponder High School graduates sit in chairs separated 6ft apart in Fort Worth, Texas Tuesday.
Photograph: Tony Gutierrez/AP

4.21pm BST16:21

Julian Borger

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo insisted state department inspector general Steve Linick’s firing could not be retaliation because the secretary of state had no idea what Linick was investigating.

This Week
(@ThisWeekABC)
NEW: Sec. Mike Pompeo says he recommended the State Dept. inspector general be fired “and frankly should have done it some time ago.”
Pompeo declined to specify a reason, but asserted that the firing “couldn’t possibly have” been retaliatory. https://t.co/XwQswccP65 pic.twitter.com/kICsxUcfla
May 20, 2020

“Let’s be clear, there are claims that this was for retaliation for some investigation that the inspector general’s office here was engaged in. It’s patently false,” Pompeo said.

“I had no sense of what investigations were taking place inside the inspector general’s office. … I didn’t have access to that information, so I couldn’t possibly have retaliated. It would have been impossible.”

But Pompeo acknowledged he was aware he was under investigation for approving Saudi arms sales without congressional authorization. Former officials have said it is very unlikely Pompeo was unaware he was under investigation on multiple fronts.

The secretary of state ended the press conference with an attack on the ranking Democrat on the Senate foreign relations Committee, Bob Menendez, whose office Pompeo claimed was behind the leaks about Linick’s investigations.

“I don’t get my ethics guidance from a man who was criminally prosecuted … in New Jersey federal district court,” Pompeo said. “That’s not someone who I look to for ethics guidance.”

Menendez was acquitted of bribery charges in January 2018. The justice department dropped its case against the senator at the end of January 2018, but in April of that year, he was “severely admonished” by the Senate ethics committee.

4.04pm BST16:04

Pompeo says claims of IG retaliation are ‘patently false’

Julian Borger

The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has been answering questions at a State Department press briefing about the firing of the state department inspector general, Steve Linick.

Pompeo was defiant, admitting he had recommended Linick’s be fired from his watchdog role “some time ago”. He would not explain the motives for the dismissal, claiming he did not talk about “personnel matters”, but called “patently false” reports that it was retaliation for Linick’s investigation of Pompeo’s behaviour in office.

Pompeo has been under intense scrutiny since Linick’s abrupt firing on Friday night, on the secretary of state’s recommendation.

Since then, it has emerged that Linick, in his capacity of government watchdog, was investigating Pompeo for his role in circumventing Congress in approving arms sales to the Gulf last summer and his alleged use of a political appointee to run errands for him and his wife, including walking the dog and picking up dry cleaning.

Aaron Rupar
(@atrupar)
“I’ve seen the various stories that someone was walking my dog to sell arms to my dry cleaner. I mean, it’s all just crazy” — Pompeo wasn’t thrilled to answer questions about ousted IG Steve Linick pic.twitter.com/j1EMmpwkHc
May 20, 2020

In the latest episode, NBC News has revealed that he has been using the state department to host dinners for billionaire businessmen, conservative politicians and media figures, the occasional celebrity and a relatively small number of diplomats – just 14% of the total number of guests, according to the NBC report.

The state department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told NBC the dinners are “a world-class opportunity to discuss the mission of the state department and the complex foreign policy matters facing our exceptional nation.”

Pompeo’s critics say the “Madison dinners” (as they are called, after former secretary of state and president, James Madison) suggest the guest list looked much more like a coterie of potential campaign backers, than a diplomatic salon.

There have been about two dozen Madison dinners, and the guests included the chairman of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, who is a significant donor to campaigns against same-sex marriage, and the head of the American Gaming Association, Bill Miller.

3.48pm BST15:48

Trump suggests hosting G7 in person

Trump has suggested the June G7 summit should take place in person at Camp David, despite previously announcing that it would be a virtual meeting.

“Now that our Country is ‘Transitioning back to Greatness’, I am considering rescheduling the G-7, on the same or similar date, in Washington, D.C., at the legendary Camp David,” Trump wrote in a tweet. “The other members are also beginning their COMEBACK. It would be a great sign to all – normalization!”

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, takes part in a remote G7 meeting. Photograph: Andrew Parsons/AP

The White House announced in March that the June summit between the world leaders would take place via video-teleconference, as other recent meetings have been conducted.

Trump is clearly eager to look ahead to the next stage of reopening the country, but the number of US coronavirus cases and deaths continues to climb. The country’s death toll is expected to hit 100,000 in the coming days.

With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine that world leaders will feel comfortable traveling to the US as it continues to grapple with the crisis.

3.27pm BST15:27

The Guardian’s Kenya Evelyn reports on Trump’s description of the number of US coronavirus cases as “a badge of honor”:

The president argued yesterday that the number of US cases of coronavirus, which is still climbing, simply means the country is testing more people.

“If we were testing a million people instead of 14 million people, it would have far few cases, right,” Trump rhetorically asked reporters.

CSPAN
(@cspan)
President Trump: “So, when we have a lot of cases I don’t look at that as a bad thing. I look at that, in a certain respect, as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better…I view it as a badge of honor. Really it’s a badge of honor…” pic.twitter.com/fUJJ2gQ2Ry
May 19, 2020

The backlash was swift. Most of the criticism came from former members of Trump’s own party. Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee tweeted he had “no head left to shake”.

Michael Steele
(@MichaelSteele)
Trump: “When we have a lot of cases I don’t look at that as a bad thing because it means our testing is much better. So if we’re testing a million people instead of 14 million people it would have far fewer cases right? It’s a badge of honor.” Folks, I have no head left to shake. pic.twitter.com/7On5izyz4S
May 20, 2020

Former primary challenger Joe Walsh insisted that even if the US had the fewest number of cases, “Trump would say the exact same thing.”

Others noted the true “badge of honor” should come from a different data set altogether, as the president has been largely criticized for the US’s slow response to the outbreak, initially resulting in one of the worst testing rates per capita.

Democrats appeared to largely ignore the gaffe, but supporters and prominent liberal voices called out the president’s remarks for their insensitivity.

Debra Messing✍🏻
(@DebraMessing)
“A badge of HONOR.” That’s right #TweetyTrump, you have the MOST dead citizens in your country! More than any other! Maybe you should have a parade to celebrate how goodly you’re doing. https://t.co/Qsjg7vrZ0d
May 20, 2020

The US currently accounts for more than 30% of global coronavirus infections,despite being less than 5 percent the world’s population.

3.12pm BST15:12

A number of commentators noted that several Republican-led states, including West Virginia, Georgia and Nebraska, have also pushed to expand vote by mail, yet Trump has not threatened to withhold funding from them.

A former senior adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign suggested the president would be much better served by developing effective strategies for vote by mail, which is supported by most Americans.

Kevin Madden
(@KevinMaddenDC)
The most effective, diligent Republican campaign operatives will be developing their own vote-by-mail strategies & programs because they know a) GOP voters want and need that option and b) to defend status-quo voting protocols in a pandemic would be a mistake https://t.co/1GOKCZi8kt
May 20, 2020

A Gallup poll released last week showed 64% of Americans, including 40% of Republicans, support allowing all voters to vote by mail or absentee ballot.

The issue will likely become increasingly important as the November general election approaches, considering many public health experts are expecting a second wave of coronavirus cases later this year.

2.54pm BST14:54

Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a member of the progressive group known as “the Squad,” mocked Trump for incorrectly saying her state was sending absentee ballots to all registered voters.

Tlaib applauded her state for promoting democracy “without jeopardizing people’s health” and accused Trump of “endangering people’s lives” through his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Rashida Tlaib
(@RashidaTlaib)
Nah, President Incompetent.
Michigan promotes democracy without jeopardizing people’s health. You would rather oppress people and suppress the vote (per usual).
Oh, and endangering people’s lives seems to be your approach to a pandemic. We won’t be following that method. https://t.co/lFAWhX5uG5
May 20, 2020

The president is visiting a Ford Motors plant in Michigan today, and he will almost certainly be asked about his (likely unconstitutional) threat to withhold funding funding from Michigan over the state’s vote by mail policy.

2.37pm BST14:37

A number of legal experts pointed out in reaction to Trump’s tweets about Michigan and Nevada that withholding federal funding from states over opposition to a specific policy would almost certainly be unconstitutional.

From a former federal prosecutor:

Elie Honig
(@eliehonig)
Federal funds can be withheld only if (1) the funds relate to the specific state policy and (2) the funding source is new (can’t interrupt an already-existing funding stream). https://t.co/dUN3uuCg0s
May 20, 2020

From a University of Texas law professor:

Steve Vladeck
(@steve_vladeck)
In a single tweet, the President:
1) Lies (that’s not what MI is doing);
2) Asserts without support that someone else is breaking the law;
3) Threatens action that would itself be unconstitutional; &
4) All in service of an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about voter fraud. https://t.co/wKoXHStd4U
May 20, 2020

From a University of Alabama law professor:

Joyce Alene
(@JoyceWhiteVance)
States run their own elections. Congress voted the funds to support voting in Covid relief bills. Trump, who has already publicly conceded Republicans can’t win if too many people vote, seems to think his power is limitless & includes controlling elections. https://t.co/uoncNjBHpt
May 20, 2020

2.27pm BST14:27

Michigan secretary of state Jocelyn Benson corrected Trump’s tweet about her state’s vote by mail policies, noting her office only sent ballot applications (not actual ballots) to registered voters.

Jocelyn Benson
(@JocelynBenson)
Hi! 👋🏼 I also have a name, it’s Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia. https://t.co/kBsu4nHvOy
May 20, 2020

Benson said yesterday that the move would ensure that “no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote.”

“We know from the elections that took place this month that during the pandemic Michiganders want to safely vote,” Benson said.

It will be interesting to see how Nevada’s secretary of state reacts to Trump’s threat, considering she is a Republican.

Updated
at 2.37pm BST

2.18pm BST14:18

Trump threatens to withhold funding from Michigan and Nevada over vote by mail

Good morning, this is Joan Greve taking over the blog.

Trump is tweeting away this morning, and a couple tweets in particular are catching the attention of Democrats and legal experts.

The president threatened to withhold funding from Michigan and Nevada, which have moved to expand vote by mail amid concerns that coronavirus could spread at in-person polling places.

Donald J. Trump
(@realDonaldTrump)
Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!..
May 20, 2020

Donald J. Trump
(@realDonaldTrump)
State of Nevada “thinks” that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can’t! If they do, “I think” I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections. @RussVought45 @USTreasury
May 20, 2020

Voter fraud is actually very rare, and it’s quite unclear what legal mechanism could use to withhold funding from the states, both of which have Democratic governors.

Michigan is key to Trump’s reelection bid, considering he narrowly carried the state in 2016, and the president has repeatedly lashed out against Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer over her stay-at-home order.

1.37pm BST13:37

Outrage over Trump ‘badge of honor’ comments

Good morning, US live blog readers, get set for another action-packed day of politics and coronavirus news in America, with all the up-to-the-minute developments.

Here’s what’s moving so far today:

Outrage is swelling over Donald Trump’s comment yesterday that the US’s 1.52m confirmed cases of coronavirus is good news because it’s a mark of how much testing the US is doing and is, in fact, a “badge of honor”. Harvard Law’s Larry Tribe didn’t hold back, likening it to “calling a trail of corpses a badge of honor for the police department that let the serial murderer run free for months.”
This as all 50 US states are now in some sort of phased reopening. Connecticut was the last to make a start. Governors are under daily pressure from the president to get business up and running, despite the fact that many states aren’t up to federal guidelines from Trump’s own administration recommending sustained declines in cases and other factors as a prerequisite for opening up. But the US death toll continues to creep up, now surpassing 91,000. Some of rural New York is opening, but not yet the nation’s hotspot New York City, as cases there continue to come down but the authorities warn against complacency.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has a busy day ahead. He has two virtual events in Wisconsin, a state that’s in the news daily in relation to voting and coronavirus issues mixed with fraught politics in the battleground state. Last night, in a virtual town hall Biden summed up many views on the news that Donald Trump is taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus despite his own regulators warning of serious risks. “C’mon, man. What’s he doing? What in God’s name is he doing?” Biden said.
Michigan is enduring a double-whammy. While dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, two dams have burst after days of record rain. The rushing waters have flooded central parts of the states in up to nine feet of water, leading to 10,000 people needed to be evacuated while also trying not to spread the virus. Governor Gretchen Whitmer already had her plate full, with right-wing-backed protests and death threats over quarantine and now entire dwellings being swept away in a crisis she described as “almost unthinkable”.

Source: Elections - theguardian.com

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