it is a responsibility that they have. it delivering the stakes a lot. that's why the governors have been very impressed. we enacted legislation of guaranteed sick leave at no cost to employers. so they get paid sick leave at no cost to employers. we are accelerating the use of new drug treatments. we are doing legislation to give payments to hardworking families throughout our country. americans are rallying together to treat the unseen enemy. striking our nation. we see the true greatness of the american character. we are seeing that. a lot of people are talking about that. 141 countries from what they are telling me. they are working very unified with us. i can say a good number of them.

it's doctors and nurses are working to heal the sick. they are delivering meals to the needy. truckers are making the long haul. working with the big stores and the big chains. walmart. they have been fantastic. and others have all been fantastic. we have made it much easier for them to stock. we are a lifting restriction so that they can get their trucks on time. we are seeing very few empty shelves. and yet the amount of volume that they are doing is unprecedented because people want to have what they have to have. what they feel they have to have. and they are also buying in the slightly quantities, which is good because we are not going anywhere. we are going to be here. so i want to thank all of those very great companies were working so well. they are coming together. and thanks to the spirit of our people, we will win this work.

we are going to win this war. america will triumph, and america will rise higher than ever before. we will be stronger than ever before, and we learned a lot. we've learned a lot about relying on other countries. and i can say that i think that is in a very good and very bad way. some good things came out of it, and some not so good things. so i would like to move now to invite our team to provide information on the new measures to prevent a viral spread at our borders. and i will start by asking the secretary of state pompeo to speak. he is doing a great job. like everyone else, he has been working very long and hard. and he is doing more normal jobs of secretary of state. but he got tied into this like everybody else. he has been doing a fantastic job.

>> thank you, mr. president. before i address the efforts that we have been engaging and against the chinese virus, i want to ask the american people, as president trump just said, the priority is focused on the other diplomatic challenges around the world. those included afghanistan, holding the iranian regime accountable. a counterterrorism efforts against isis remain a priority for our team here number one priority remains the protection of the american people. we are very focused on it. i want to thank my team working long hours all around the world to take care of americans. we will talk about that more in just a little bit. you have all seen dr. burke is with me. they are doing great work. i want to give a shout out to all state department teams here in washington and around the world that are doing overtime to help us push back against this pandemic.

under the president's leadership this week, we have to take important steps. first, as president trump announced, the united states and canada jointly agreed to restrict all nonessential traffic across our border. this decision goes into effect tonight at midnight. the restrictions that we reviewed after 30 days. they exclude traffic and movement across the border. other essential reasons. we are grateful to have such an outstanding friend to the north who is as committed as we are to defeating this virus. i also wanted to announce today that the united states and mexico have agreed to restrict nonessential travel throughout our shared border. both countries know the importance of working together to limit the spread of the virus and ensure the commerce that supports our economy continues to keep flowing. the united states is glad to have a friend that is working side-by-side with us in the fight. secretary wolf will talk a little bit more about the details of how we are working alongside our partners in mexico

to help keep our southern border safe and secure as well. on another note, yesterday, the state department issued a level for global travel advisory. this means that all international travel for u.s. citizens should be avoided. in countries where commercial departure, options remain available. u.s. citizens who reside in the united states should arrange for immediate return to the united states, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an extended period back of time. if you choose to travel, your plans very well may be severely disrupted. finally, i want to talk about the disinformation that people are saying on twitter answer on the world. coming from governments. some of it coming from other individuals. i just urge anyone, if you are seeing information that suggests that virus came from the united states military, information about lockdowns, everyone should ensure that where they turn to for information is a reliable source

and not a bad actor trying to create information that they know is wrong. this is a tough fight. the american people are tough. our diplomatic teams are working to help us save home and abroad. the global leadership that america has always delivered has been great to see countries around the world rally behind what we are doing. >> president trump: thank you very much. we will take questions right after this. >> let me start off by thanking the president and the vice president for their continued leadership and commitment to protecting the american people during this crisis. early on, the president again took unprecedented actions to restrict travel from areas affected with the coronavirus. and to date, we have screened over 200,000 individuals coming back from those affected countries. this has been an immense undertaking. one that the men and women of dhs have successfully accomplished.

today's announcement is yet another one of the extraordinary steps the administration has taken to ensure the safety of the american public. before i comment on the cdc order that i'm sure secretary azar will elaborate on, let me talk about what secretary pompeo and others have made regarding cross-border travel. as we continue to evaluate measures that reduce risk and prevent further spread, it only makes sense that we have looked at the measures that are neighbors to the north and south are undertaking. we have been working closely with those partners since the earliest days of this virus. again, as the president said earlier this week and secretary pompeo, we issued an agreement with both canada and mexico to limit nonessential travel across our land borders. let me be clear that neither of these agreements with canada or mexico applies to lawful trade or commerce. essential commerce activities will not be impacted. we will continue to maintain a strong and secure economic

supply chain across our borders. a few examples of essential travel include but certainly not limited to individuals traveling for medical purposes, to attend educational institutions, for emergency response public health services, and those involved in lawful cross-border trade. the agreements with both canada and mexico will go into effect on saturday, march 21st. furthermore, we are also working collaboratively with canada and mexico to take joint action regarding individuals seeking entry between our ports of ent entry. the cdc order directs suspension of all individuals seeking to enter the u.s. without proper travel documentation. that is for both the northern and southern borders. the cdc director has determined that the spread of the coronavirus and border patrol stations, detention facilities presents a serious danger to migrants. our front-line agents, and

officers end of american people. it is helpful to note that foreign nationals from over 120 different countries around the world. the vast majority of those having coronavirus cases. many of these individuals arrived with little or no identity travel or medical documentation, making public health risk determinations all but impossible. it is also important to note that the outbreak on our southern border will likely increase the strain on health systems in our border communities, taking away important and life-saving resources from american citizens. tonight, mnf, we will execute the cdc order by immediately returning individuals arriving without documentations to canada, mexico, as well as a number of other countries without delay. again, they are positioned to execute these measures as we continue to keep our borders secure. before we conclude, let me just wrap up by thanking the brave men and women of dhs. across the government.

the work that they do day in and day out to give the american people say from the coronavirus. the department has a number of front-line officers have tested positive as well as others who are self quarantining. i am doing everything that i can to protect these patriots as they continue to defend their homeland during this crisis. thank you. >> president trump: thank you. thank you. >> today's announcement is just the latest in a long line of bulls, decisive actions of the president has taken to protect americans from the coronavirus spreading across our borders. in january, within two weeks of china notifying w.h.o. about the virus, and with only 45 cases in china, we began screening travelers from a wuhan. over time, as outbreak of all, the restricted travel. our health experts say that these measures have been truly effective at slowing the viruses

spread to our shores. just think about this. italy and the united states both saw their first travel related case of coronavirus around the exact same time. the last week of january. and yet we have had precious time to continue our work around vaccines, therapeutics, and other preparations, while italy has tragically been overwhelmed with critical patients for several weeks now. the president today is taking action to slow the spread of infectious disease via our border. under section 362 of the public health service act, the cdc is suspending the admission of certain persons hear their entry into the united states represents. this order applies to persons coming from mexico and canada. who are seeking to enter the country illegally. as it would normally be held in concord get setting like customs and border protection station. it does not apply to u.s.

citizens or lawful permanent residence. during this pandemic, a number of health challenges arise when illegal immigrants arrive at our northern and southern borders and are taken into immigration custody. we are talking about significant numbers of illegal immigrants. from this past october through february, dhs has processed more than 21,000 inadmissible aliens of the northern border and more than 151,000 inadmissible aliens at the southern border. facilities were never designed to hold large numbers of people and to protect agents and migrants from infection. during a pandemic pier nor to treat them for a novel virus are large numbers infected. these migrants are spreading the virus to other migrants. to health care workers. and even the united states population as a whole. in such circumstances, the kind of social distancing measures at the cdc and the president have

recommended are simply not possible. on top of that, any resources we are using to reduce the risk among health care workers and migrants in these facilities are drawing on american health care system that is already fighting the coronavirus pandemic. that is why the president and his administration are taking these important steps to keep americans and our immigration system safe from these health risks. as part of our whole government's approach to combating the coronavirus. thank you, mr. president, for the work that you have been doing throughout this crisis to slow the spread of the coronavirus and to keep our country safe. >> president trump: thank you. thank you. >> thank you. thank you, mr. president. so we continue to review the data very carefully from around the globe. as i know many of you are. we continue to see signs that again, individuals under 20, 19

and under may have severe disease, but the majority have recovered to date. we still see that same trend. and frankly, from italy, we are seeing another trend that the fatality seems to be twice in every age group. this should alert all of us to continue our vigilance, to protect our american veteran nursing homes. this requires all of the community, when you see the sacrifices that many americans have made, the sacrifices of the service industry has made to close their restaurants, close their bars, so that the spread is discontinued. and then you really understand how all of americans must make the same sacrifice. we continue to ask you to follow the presidential guidelines. no groups coming together of more than ten. that if anyone in the household is sick, that everyone quarantines in the house

altogether. and that we continue to focus on those who have the most vulnerability to this illness. now, to the moms and dads out there that have children with immunodeficiencies or other medical conditions, we don't know the level of risk. and i know you will also protect them in the same way. there just is not enough numbers at this time. to really tell them if they are out additional risk or not. i don't have any new data. is she seeing something new. i don't have any new data. i think it is important to be as honest with the american people as we can. finally, no one is immune. i sometimes hear people on the radio or others talking about i'm in the the virus. we know it is highly contagious to everyone. do not interpret mild or

moderate disease as lack of contagion or that you are immu immune. you just happen to have a better immune system. an ability to fight the virus in no way that may be older people with existing medical conditions can't. and that's why it's very important at this moment that all of you carry that message about the sacrifices that many have made, particularly our service providers and our frontline health care workers. they are making that sacrifice every day so that every american can move through this well. following the presidential guidelines. >> thank you very much, mr. president. i just want to underscore a few things that's i have seen to this group. you may recall that just a week ago or so, the two pillars, the two elements of our ability to contain the surge of infections in this country relies on two things.

keep infections coming from without, in. we have been very successful doing that with china. northern and southern border issues. there is a reason for doing that. we cannot prevent the people from coming in. when they can actually go into the other. so that is important. understand that there is a public reason to doing that. the second thing i think is really important is what happened in new york today, what governor cuomo mentioned about an hour ago, some rather strong issues that have been addressed. essentially orders. we have a group of recommendations at guidelines applicable throughout the entire country. there are places, regions, states, cities in this country that are being stressed much, much more than the country as a whole. clearly one of them was

washington. another one was california. governor newsom made some very important, difficult decisions. today, governor cuomo did the same thing. and i want to say, i strongly support what he is doing. and one thing, as a new yorker myself. you have figured out how my accent, i am from new york. i know what new yorkers can do. we are tough. i was in new york city on september 11th. i know what the new yorkers can do. cooperate with your mayor. >> thank you, mr. president. the white house coronavirus task force met this morning. we continue to bring the full resources. a full with our state governments. businesses around america. in partnership with the american people to respond to the start

of the coronavirus. and i know i can speak on behalf of the president when i say how inspired we are by the way the american people and businesses are coming together to help defeat this virus and our country. millions of americans are putting into practice. we encourage everyone, even those that are not in areas with significant outbreak, to review these guidelines over the next week and the more and put them into practice, and you will continue to do your part. later today, we will be talking with manufacturers around the country. the president and i continue to be inspired by the way american industry is stepping forward. we have businesses around the country that are literally volunteering to retrofit plans to help us meet the needs of our health care workers and system in confronting the coronavirus. as the president mentioned

yesterday, putting fema in the lead, the emergency declaration, we actually met with all of our nations governors from the coordination center. the president and i, our entire team could not be more grateful for the efforts of all of our governors in implementing the guidance that is being issued, not only from our task force, also in taking strong measures in our own communities to protect our citizens. we want to urge every american to tahiti or local authorities, listen to their guidance. and also do your part to slow the spread. we reiterated that the president, by putting fema in the lead, will continue to implement a plan that is locally executed, stage-managed, and federally supported that puts t. we received a report today as the president mentioned on our legislative team on

capitol hill, working with republicans and democrats others vary hour to pass an economic recovery package that the president described. and we hope to see the congress act on that early next week. on the subject of supplies, we continue to make steady progress on testing. thanks to the president's involvement of commercial labs. more and more americans are being tested every single day. they will update the american people on the status of testing. our state-based testing that is literally expanding by the hour. on the subject of medical supplies, we continue at the present instruction to pursue every means to expand the supply of personal protective equipment for the extraordinary and courageous health care workers that are administering to the needs of people impacted by the coronavirus. we have a policy of procuring, allocating, as well as

considering the resources that we have in our system. and now that the president has worked with the congress to make industrial masks wholly available for hospitals to be able to purchase, to be able to use as protective equipment, we are more encouraged than ever about the availability of those important masks to our health care facilities. and over this weekend, we will be announcing a major procurement from the federal government. and 95 masks as well. we are also encouraged that we are finding an increased supply of ventilators. we mentioned that we have a federal stockpile. some 25,000 on standby. but that doesn't count the tens of thousands of ventilators that are in our health care system around the country. but the president has challenged us to free up others from other sources around the country. and there are two different ways that we are doing that. number one, in our recent

discussion with anesthesiologist, we have literally identified tens of thousands of existing ventilators that can be retrofitted and converted tv ventilators with people struggling with the coronavirus. but also, on the president's behalf and on behalf of our task force, we want to continue to encourage every american and every facility to postpone any elective medical procedures. this will free up bed space, free of hospital capacity for people that are struggling with the coronavirus. and it will also free up equipment that are health care workers need. it is inspiring that we continue to see businesses around americans are donating n95 masks to their local hospitals, large and small. and in some cases, millions of n95 masks. i know how grateful the president's, and so are we.

the threat of serious illness to the average american remains low. every american can do your part to reduce the burden on your health, on your family, the burden on our health care system, and especially the threat to the most vulnerable among us. by putting into practice the president 15 days to slow the spread. and as the president said at the outset of his remarks, i know that millions of americans are doing that just now, and the greatness of the american character is shining forth. >> president trump: thank you, mike. thank you very much. okay, thank you. go ahead. >> you had a call with senator schumer. he said that you now agree to actually make those medical supplies for a severe shortage. is that what you are doing now? >> president trump: we invoked it i think the day before we --

and invoked it yesterday. we have a lot of people working very hard to do ventilators and various other things, he asked. ventilators, masks -- vice president pence: the things that we need, including some of the very important emergencies -- i would probably say ventilators. we have millions of masks, which are coming. and which will be distributed to the states. the states are having a hard time getting them, so we are using the act. it is very good for things like this. we have millions of masks that we have ordered. they will be here soon. we are having them shipped directly. to speak out you are signing this but not invoking. this is what you said yesterday. he would only do so in the worst-case scenario. >> we need -- it is no different, other than we need certain equipment that the states are unable to get by themselves. so we are invoking it to use the powers of the federal government

to help the states get things that they need, like the masks. like the ventilators. >> what governor cuomo has done in new york, is there any more consideration to a national lockdown? >> president trump: i don't think so. essentially, you have done that in california. you have done that in new york. those are two hotbeds. probably the hottest of them all in terms of hot spots. i don't think so. you go to the midwest. you got to other locations, and they are watching it on television, but they don't have the same problems. they don't have by any means the same problem. new york, california, miami. those governors are doing an excellent job. rick desantis in florida. we have some pretty hot spots in florida too. in the state of washington, of course. but that was largely, if you look at it, it was more nursing homes that have problems like you wouldn't believe. so we are working with the governors, and i don't think we will ever find that necessary. >> your 15 day guidelines, are

you happy with the progress -- >> president trump: i am happy with it. we will have to see what the results are at the end of 14 days, i would say it. to what we do. but i am certainly honored by the way the american people are working. because it is work. it is working out to work. this is the first time this has ever happened. we are working out a financial package for them so that they don't work. whoever heard of this? usually you figure out a financial package to get people working. we are asking people not to work. social distancing. that new term that has become probably the hottest term there is. no, i am very honored by the way the american people are taking this so seriously. yes, jim? >> a question for you and a question for dr. fauci, if i could. it is weighted too much in favor of corporations and not individuals. what did your conversations with

senator schumer yield on that? >> president trump: i think all of that, i don't want to have stock buybacks. i don't want people spending -- i don't want some executive saying we are going to buy 200,000 shares of stock. i want that to be for the workers and also for the company, to keep the company going. i would -- i mean, i haven't spoken to a lot of the republicans or democrats. we discussed it. and i don't like buybacks. i didn't like them the first time. >> are you and senator schume senator schumer -- >> president trump: we are discussing that. we are discussing many things. >> are you on the same page [buzzer] >> president trump: we are not so far away. >> and two dr. fauci, if i could. there has been some problems with hydroxy critically. is there any evidence to suggest that as with malaria, it might be used with covid-19 question mike >> the answer is no, and

the evidence that they are talking about is anecdotal evidence. so as a commissioner of the fda and the president announced yesterday, we are trying to strike a balance between making something that has the potential of an effect it to the american people available. at the same time, we do it under the protocol that would give us information to determine if it is truly safe and truly effective. but the information that you are referring to specifically is anecdotal. it was not done in a controlled clinical trial, so you really can't make any definitive statement about it. >> president -- >> president trump: i think without saying too much, i am probably more of a fan of that, maybe then anybody. but i am a big fan. we will see what happens. we all understand what the doctor said is 100% correct. it's early. you know, i've seen things that are impressive. we will see. we're going to know soon. we're going to know soon.

including safety. but when you get to safety, this has been prescribed for many years for people to combat malaria, which is a big problem. and it is very effective. it is a strong drug. so we will see. as i understand, is not a correct statement? it was fairly effective on sars. >> you have to be careful when you say fairly effective. it was never done in a clinical trial. it was given to individuals who felt that maybe it worked. that's the point. whenever you do a clinical trial, you do standard of care versus standard of care, versus what you are evaluating. that is the reason why we showed in a bullock, particular interventions work. >> with all the possible therapies, yesterday, mr. president, you said that they were for immediate delivery. >> president trump: we are ordering them.

millions of units are ordered. one of the companies, as you know. a very big great company. millions of units are ordered. and we are going to see what happens. we are going to be talking to the governors about it. and of the fda is working on it right now. the advantage is that it has been prescribed for totally different problems, but it has been prescribed for many years, and everyone knows the levels of -- the negatives and the positives, but i will say that i am a man that comes from a very positive school when it comes to love particular one of these drugs. and we will see how it works out. i am not saying it will, but people may be surprised. by the way, that would be a game changer. we are going to know very soon, but we have ordered millions of units. it's being ordered from bayer. there are another couple of companies that do it. >> they say that there is no

magic drug for coronavirus right now. >> president trump: i disagree. maybe and maybe not. maybe there is. maybe there isn't. we we have to see. >> is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving americans a false sense -- >> president trump: now, i don't think so. no, i don't think so. >> not yet approved drug -- >> president trump: such a lovely question. it may work, and it may not. i agree with the doctor when he says it may work. it may not work. i feel good about it. that's all it is. just a feeling. i'm a smart guy. i feel good about it. we will see. we will see soon enough. and we certainly have some very big samples of people. if you look at the people, there are a lot of people that are in big trouble. and this is not a drug that obviously i think i can speak from a lot of experience because it has been out there for over 20 years.

so it is not a drug that you have a huge amount of danger with. it is not like a brand-new truck that has been just created that may have an unbelievable, monumental effect like kill you. we are going to know very soon. and i can tell you, the fda is working very hard to get it out. right now, in terms of malaria, if you wanted, you can have a prescription. it's very effective. it works. and i am not being overly optimistic or pessimistic. i sure as hell think we have to give it a try. let's see what happens. we have nothing to lose. you know the expression. what the hell do you have to lose? >> what do you say to americans who are scared? 14,000 who are sick, millions, aas a witness, who are scared right now appeared what you say to americans who are watching right now who are scared?

>> president trump: what i say that you are a terrible reporter. that's what i say. i think that's a very nasty question, and i think it's a very bad signal that you're putting out to the american people. the american people are looking for answers, and they are looking for hope. you are doing sensationalism. at the same with nbc and comcast. i don't call it comcast. let me ask for whom you work. let me say something. that's really bad reporting. and you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism. let's see if it works. it might, and it might not. i happen to feel good about it, but who knows? i've been right a lot. let's see what happens. john. you ought to be ashamed of yourself. >> are they for clinical trials or distribution to the patient population? >> president trump: we are going to be taking samples. governor cuomo is very much interested in this drug. they are going to work on it also after they get approval.

we will see what happens. but we will use it on people. that are not doing great. or even at the beginning of not feeling well. and john, what do we have to lose? it's been out there for so long. we hear good things. let's see. maybe it works, and maybe a dozen. >> i understand all that. access -- >> president trump: we are doing that, i guess. >> i would like to speak with dr. fauci. follow up on what the president is saying. it should americans have hope in this drug right now? i would like to follow-up on peter's question. could you please issue an address to americans who are scared right now. >> president trump: there really isn't that much of a difference. the president feels optimistic about something, his feeling about it. what i am saying is that it might be effective. i'm not saying that it isn't. it might be effective, but as a

scientist, as we are getting it out there, you need to do it in no way, while we are making it available for people who might want to hope that it might work. you are also collecting data that will ultimately show that it is truly effective and safe under the conditions of covid- covid-19. so it is just a question of how one feels about it. >> is there any reason to believe it's not safe? >> certainly has a drug, any drug, john, as some toxicities. the decades of experience that we have with this drug indicate that the toxicities are rare, and in many respects, are reversible. what we don't know is when you put it in the context of another disease. whether it is safe. fundamentally, i think it probably is going to be safe. but i like to prove things first. so it really is a question of not a lot of difference. it is the hope that it will work versus proving that it works. so i don't see a big difference.

>> president trump: i agree. >> people at home who have their children's in their homes, home schooling, they don't have the masks they need to do their jobs. your message to them? >> president trump: my message to the american people is that there is a very low incidence of death. you understand that. and we are going to come through this stronger than ever before. if you get it, if you happen to get it, it is highly unlikely -- it is looking like it is getting to a number that is much smaller than people originally thought in terms of the ultimate -- the ultimate problem, which would be death. my message to the american people as number one, you've done an incredible job. and credible. what you've gone through has been incredible. it wasn't their fault. it wasn't their fault. it wasn't the fault of 140 other countries where this has happened. and there is tremendous hope. i think we are going to come out stronger, better, bigger. in every way, i think we are going to be a better country than we were before. we learned a lot.

who to rely on, who not to rely on. but our country, our country has been incredible. the way that they pull together. including the fact that i just spoke to senator schumer. we had a wonderful conversation. we both want to get to a solution. but it has been -- really for me, watching and seeing people that weren't speaking, getting along well. because we all have one common aim. that is to get rid of this invisible enemy, get rid of it fast, and then go back to the kind of economy that we had. and maybe even better. yeah, please. >> mr. president, a few questions. the first question -- many small businesses are concerned, worried about how long it will take -- >> president trump: we are going to be helping them a lot. including my conversation with mitch and with chuck. a big focus of that conversation was small businesses. because they are really the engine behind our country.

more so than the big ones. they are the engines behind our country. >> are you concerned about members of congress that may have used information to sell stocks? >> president trump: i saw some names. i know all of them. i know everyone mentioned. dianne feinstein, i guess. and a couple of others. i don't know too much about what it's about, but i find them to all be very honorable people. and they said they did nothing wrong. i find them -- the whole group, very honorable people. >> so, the whole group would include richard burr, the head of the intelligence committee. it also would include a senator tele loeffler. the question is whether they should be investigated for that. >> president trump: it also includes senator dianne feinstein, democrat. why didn't you mention her name? and i think she's a very interesting person it's interesting that you mention two names, but not when that happens

to be a democrat. >> any senators? >> president trump: i don't know. but i find them to be honorable people. >> you compared yourself -- you see yourself as a wartime president right now, leading the country through this pandemic that we are experiencing. do you think's going off on peter, going off on a network is appropriate? >> president trump: i do because i think peter is -- you know, i have dealt with peter for a long time. and i think peter is not a good journalist when it comes to fairness. >> he was asking about your message to the country appears to be six the country has to understand that there is indeed -- whether we like it or not, that there is a lot of really great news and great journalism. and there's a lot of fake news out there. and i hear it all, and i see it all, and i understand it all because i'm in the midst of it. so when somebody writes a story, when there is a story on television, and i know it's false, and they say they have 15

sources have said -- and i know there's no sources. there is no sources. they are just making it up. and i called peter out. i call other people out too. this is a time to come together. but coming together is much harder when we have dishonest journalist. it's a very important profession that you're in. it's a profession that i think is incredible. i cherish it. but when people are dishonest, they really do hurt our country. yeah, in the back. >> china has been in communication with the united states. hopeful that we will know more about coronavirus. two travelers from china on february 2nd, they have been in lockdown since january 24th. and this all happened almost two months ago. if you could have known earlier, and also you has been calling

coronavirus -- >> president trump: i can say for myself, i have a very good relationship with china and with president xi. i have great respect for president xi. i consider him to be a friend of mine. it's unfortunate that this got out of control. it came from china. it got out of control. some people are upset, i know. i know president xi. he loves china. he respects the united states. and i have to say, i respect china greatly, and i respect president xi. >> calling the coronavirus -- >> is it a deal breaker for you -- >> president trump: i never liked at stock buybacks. when we did a big tax cut, and when they took the money and did buybacks, that is not building a hanger. that is not buying an aircraft. that is not doing that kind of things that i want them to do. and we are not talking about buybacks. we didn't think that we would have had to restrict it because

we thought that they would have known better. but they didn't know better. not in all cases, obviously. some people did an incredible job. you see what's happens. until this invisible enemy appeared, we never had an economy like this. but there were some companies that used it to buy back stock, driving up the price of the stock in many cases. and as far as whether or not we will keep them in business because of the workers, frankly for the most part because of the workers. the workers are my number one concern, but the way we take care of the workers as we have to keep the company's going. i am fine with restricting buybacks. i would demand that there being no stock buybacks. i don't want them taking hundreds of millions of dollars and buying back their stock because that does nothing.

>> i have another one for dr. fauci and one for you. >> president trump: secretary estate mike pompeo is extremely busy. you know what i like to do? i like him to go back to the state department. or as i call it, the deep state department, if you don't mind. i would like to have him go back and do his job. so does anybody have any questions -- yeah, how about you? only for the secretary. >> on work travel, can you define that? anyone across the border? can you define a little bit the measures you have taken? >> great question. we are concerned in particular about agriculture workers that need to get across. we are going to make sure that we do everything we can to keep that working between our two countries. dhs and the state department will work together. we want to make sure we keep commerce between canada, the united states, and mexico

prepared for the day that the economy bounces back like we expect it will. >> mr. secretary, the mexican government has not announced any travel ban on the euro. you have been in talks with them on when they are going to do this. and then a second question, they also are telling us -- they said in the press conference that they will not take back any nonmexican citizen. any other third parties, we don't know what will happen to them. so can you address what will happen to those immigrants that you are saying will not be allowed to enter the u.s., and mexico is saying that they will not be allowed to stay in mexico either? >> i will say the first one, and then give you the second one. with respect to travel, i spoke with him a few times about this. i'm very confident we are going to get to a really good place that protects the mexican people in the american people from those who may be traveling where we have designations. so that they are not coming into

mexico and then coming into the united states. i'm very confident we will do that, and we will make that announcement shortly together. >> as we implement the cdc's order, we are going to take a number of individuals that cross the border illegally and repatriate some, move them quickly back to the northern triangle and any other country. we are going to do that in a rapid fashion appeared we will continue to work with mexico to make sure that mexican nationals go back, as well as other populations. >> what would you do with those countries that are not mexico? >> we are doing all of the above. stunning individuals back to mexico, back to northern triangle countries. cuba, haiti. 122 different nations that we see. i come across the border. we will be sending them back individually to their countries, but also working with mexico to send additional populations back there as well. >> president trump: what you sent, before use of the

nonmexicans going to mexico -- we are not sending them to mexico. we are sending that back to their own country. why would mexico take people that aren't from mexico? we are sending them back -- in the case of guatemala, honduras, el salvador. a lot of other countries. they go back to the countries from where they came. and please -- >> secretary pompeo, is there any particular -- >> we certainly have seen it come from places like china and russia and iran. with our coordinated efforts to disparage what america is doing. it doing all the things that president trump has set in motion here. >> other than what you're doing this morning, what are you doing to fight back? >> a lot of things. we want to make sure that americans go to trusted sources for information. they need to knock it off. we don't approve of it. and there are a handful of other things to make sure that the right information is out there.

accurate information is given. this idea of transparency is very important. how we protect american people from something like this ever happening again. >> you want the american people to be coming to trusted sources of information. does it undermine you when the president stands up there and calls us on trustworthy? >> i'm not answering that question. >> president trump: please. >> in terms of americans who find themselves no longer able to fly back to the united states, what efforts are being made to help them? >> i appreciate that question. we have had the first to go or maybe three flights out of morocco. we are going to work to get people back. we are urging individuals when they can't get back on their o own, they ought to try to do that. but we have a team set up at the state department, the repatriation talk for that is working with each of these instances. we have heard from individuals,

members of congress, trying to get them back where air travel has been disrupted. we will get that done over time. we will get it done successfully. >> is there any sense of just how big the problem is? >> we don't know the full scale of it, but we think we have the largest number identified. those who are watching that are someplace, you can go on the state department website. you can login, and we will track you, and try to get everybody back as soon as possible. >> how long are these border restrictions likely to last? >> they will last as long as we need to do it to protect the american people. i can't tell you how long. >> have you determine whether iran is responsible for that attack last week? >> president trump: maybe we shouldn't say. >> let me just get back to you on the answer to that. what we can say with certainty is this. we have made clear all along that the iraq he shiite militias

are -- we have urged the iranians not to do that. we have said that they will be held responsible for those attacks when they threaten american lives. >> peace corps volunteers that are in 60 plus countries, how they all been returned? >> i don't know if they are all back or not. i know that they have been directed. i couldn't tell you if we have all of them back at. >> to get back to the troops in iraq and afghanistan, can you give us the status on them? >> i know we have state department officials too. our team. we have had significant success on that to date. there are a few places we have not been able to get to. we will get them there appeared >> how exactly are you going to get those americans back, and do you have any plans to get the military involved? >> these first efforts are combine commercial private flights i will plan, bring them back to you destination here in the united states. we will do that.

travel back other ways as well. we have worked with the department of defense to save we will bring them back on those flights as well. it is a whole government effort to bring them back. they are going to help us in any way that they can. >> a question on iran again. [indistinct question] >> the whole world should know that humanitarian assistance into iran is wide open. it is not sanctioned. we have offered to provide assistance to the iranians as well. i have talked with the world health organization about this. we are doing everything we can to facilitate both the humanitarian assistance moving in and to make sure that the financial transactions can take place after that. there is no sanctions on medicines going to iran. no sanctions on humanitarian assistance. they've got a terrible problem there, and we want that humanitarian medicare assistance to get to them. we are working to do all the

things we have had in place for the first three years here to deliver security for the american people. >> president trump: they know the answer. they know the answer. the leaders. they know the answer to your question. >> time when thousands are working very hard around the world to come by -- >> i've worked with the president for three years now. i know how much he values the people on our team. i have known, and i know that he watches our team, to push back against this virus, to kim america safe. i know how much he values it. >> president trump: what a good answer. very true too. >> i apologize. >> president trump: please, go ahead. >> secretary pompeo, the cdc picked up that there was some sort of virus happening in wuhan

as early as december. when did the cdc start letting other agencies now that there was something in china happening, and then when did the whole government approach start to happen? >> so, i will let them -- >> doctor, please. >> so, we were alerted by some discussions that the director of the cdc had with chinese colleagues on january 3rd. it has since been known that there may have been cases in december. not that we were alerted in december. >> another question i have for you -- go excuse me. >> let me just say one more thing. there has been some discussion about china. what they knew and when they knew it. i have been very critical. we need to know immediately. the world is entitled to now. the chinese government was that first you know of this risk to the world. and that puts a special obligation, to make sure. this is not about retribution.

this matters going forward. we are in a live exercise now to get this right. we need to make sure that even today, the datasets that are available to every country, including data sets available to the chinese communist party are made available to the whole world. it is imperative to keep people safe. we talk about the absence of data, not being able to make judgments about what to do. this transparency, this real-time information sharing isn't about political gains or retribution. it is about keeping people safe. so, when you see a delay in information from the chinese communist party to the people who we wanted to get into china immediately to assist in this, every moment of the life to be able to identify the risk factors creates risk for people all around the world. so this is why it is not about blaming someone for this. this is about moving forward to make sure that we continue to have the information we need to do our jobs. >> mr. secretary, what message

do you think it sends to other countries when you have the presence of the united states lashing out at reporters? >> i have had my frustrations with reporters too. all i ask is that you listen to what we say and reported accurately. it's frustrating. it's frustrating. it's enormously frustrating. we have a responsibility to tell the american people the truth, and those who are reporting on what we are doing have an equal responsibility to report accurately. >> what message does it send to countries -- >> i have seen many things about the state department be reported at wildly and accurately on multiple occasions. i have spoken to those reporters each and every time. and i will continue to do so. >> mr. president, senator johnson -- >> i think i have worn them out, mr. president. >> mr. secretary, senator johnson has suggested that you and the administration

may be overreacting. he says we don't shut down our economy because 10,000 people die on the highways. we don't shut down our our economies because because tens of thousands people die from the common flu. at worst, 3.4% of americans will die from this virus. why do you say to people that have that view? that >> president trump: i say the entire world is agreeing with us, they have their choice. everyone is doing the exact same thing. you can do that, and we will see what happens in two weeks, three weeks. if we can save thousands of lives, and even millions of lives, you don't know where it goes. but you could be talking about millions of lives. you look at the world, they have some very smart people in the world, very smart leaders in the world. and everybody is doing it the way we are doing it. i think we are doing a better job then hopefully most, if not all. a very effective job, but we

will know better in 14 or 15 days. you are talking about hundreds of thousands and maybe even more then that numbers of people. we can bring our finances back very quickly. we can't bring the people back. >> reporter: mr. president, to follow up on that, there are millions of people out there that share that you that say i don't really need to shut things down. i don't really need to stay away from stores. i can go to the beach, and those people making multiple actions exponentially is the difference between life and death. >> president trump: i agree with that, but i would like anthony ut and answer that, because to be honest, that's what he does. we have a lot of talented people telling us what they think we should do. >> thank you, mr. president, that is a false equivalency to compare traffic accidents, that is totally out. we have something that is new,

and it is emerging. and you really can't understand totally the impact they will have. and you take a look what is going on in china. and you see what is going on right now, right now in italy and what is happening in new york city. i don't think what any moral conscience you can say, why don't we just let it rip and happen and let x percent other people die, i don't understand the reasoning at all. >> president trump: so the secretary of state will be leaving, any other questions? in the back. excuse me, i did not: you. >> reporter: thank you, mr. president, two things, the count is doubling every day, they fear that the supplies will go out of the waste. yesterday mayor de blasio said call on the military for supplies. for the state of new york city in the hands of one man, he has a new yorker, and right now he

is betraying where he comes from. i personally have spoken to emergency department nurses who say that they are being told not to wear a mask because the supplies are so low. how do you respond to those by mayor de blasio? >> president trump: i am not dealing with the governor. and the governor agrees with me. and i agree with him. so far we have been very much in sync. i guess they are not agreeing with each other, necessarily. but the relationship with new york. i love new york. i grew up in new york, as you know. the relationship is very good. and i think government and the governor have been getting along incredibly well with the federal government. okay. >> reporter: a question for secretary wolf if i could. on illegal entries, people who are otm, how will you turn that

process and taken to a common area and then put back on a plane, sent back, how would that process work? >> again, it is a public health crisis. what we are trying to do is limit the amount of contact to that we have with these individuals, not putting them in border patrol facilities, and the like. it will be very rapid. we will take them into custody and then send them back to a port of entry or other means. it will be very quickly, it will not be the six or seven or ten days that we currently have, it will be much more rapid. >> reporter: otm, will they be taken to an airfield? >> that is correct. absolutely. >> reporter: mr. president, the check to americans, years of checks and incomes, do you believe -- >> president trump: i believe in a lot of things. i want to give workers money. whichever is the best way to get it.