Woodward: Restricting travel from China wasn't Trump's idea

[sabra]

Source: The Hill

Journalist Bob Woodward said early Monday that restricting travel from China in response to the coronavirus pandemic was not President Trump’s idea.

Host Savannah Guthrie noted on NBC's "Today" show that Woodward’s book “Rage” claims that Trump implemented the restrictions on the advice of his administration’s health experts, including Anthony Fauci, after a Jan. 28 meeting.

“It's not that President Trump banned travel, people coming from China to the United States. He restricted it. and as we now know, there were some problems and lots of people from China instead of coming to the United States went to Europe. and then came into John F. Kennedy airport in New York,” Woodward replied. “And that's why there was such a firestorm of a virus in New York City at that time.”

...

“He had an opportunity -- he's saying well we're doing everything possible,” Woodward said. “At that moment if, like, Franklin Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor had told the American people the truth, a lot more could have been done.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/516284-woodward-restricting-travel-from-china-wasnt-trumps-idea

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Dafuq?

WTF is Woodward insinuating with that crack about FDR and Pearl Harbor? Maybe I’m going senile, but I grow weary trying to decipher meaning from obtuse analogies.

[Timewas]

2. I read

That if t-rump had done like FDR and told the truth we could have done more

[Cirque du So-What]

4. I see that now

I got hung up on wording I interpreted as a suggestion that FDR *didn’t* tell the truth to the American people initially. Maybe it’s just me, but shouldn’t a renowned journalist use language that isn’t so easily misconstrued?

[DENVERPOPS]

6. Totally Agree with you. NC

[LuvNewcastle]

11. I did the same thing.

That wasn't clear at all. Maybe Woodward is the one who's getting senile. But where was the editor?

[Cirque du So-What]

12. What editor at the WP would DARE challenge Bob Effin' Woodward?

Proofread a generated, veneered legend like that? UnTHINKable!

[Journeyman]

14. It was a television interview. The word "he" was left out, either by Woodward or the transcriber ...

“He had an opportunity -- he's saying well we're doing everything possible,” Woodward said. “At that moment if, like, Franklin Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor, he (Trump) had told the American people the truth, a lot more could have been done.”

[Captain Zero]

15. Yeah Woodward flubbed that analogy

Nt

[Mike 03]

3. Trump has been claiming Fauci opposed travel restrictions.

We can't let Trump get away with such shameless lies.

[Igel]

18. Lots of people slammed Trump for the travel restrictions.

They were racist. And they wouldn't do any good whatsoever.

That includes prominent MSM sources like the NYT, as well as variety of commentators.

Many of those pages have been changed or vanished because they were embarrassing.

Same for when restrictions for travel from Europe were in place. Same pandering patter.

Many were against them before they'd always been for them.

[dalton99a]

5. Trump left the back door wide open for flights from Europe

[LittleGirl]

9. I really wish we had a head count

Of all of those travelers and how many got sick, how many died or are long haulers.

[Lucky Luciano]

10. This was probably the single biggest super spreader event...

...of the entire worldwide pandemic.

Fuck tr$&p.

[Igel]

19. Perhaps.

But remember that early outbreaks and spread of COVID throughout the US were sourced to travel from NYC and NE NJ. And when some governors finally put mild restrictions on travel from there, it was a horrible transgression of human and civil rights. RI even had checkpoints, but got less notice because of the governor.

Cuomo really slammed those restrictions. Until he decided that restrictions on travel into NYS were appropriate, then it's as though the restrictions and his response never happened.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. But to add to that - when Americans were recalled from overseas they were directed to 13 airports

And this corresponded to outbreaks that occurred around the country beyond JFK (NYC, NY) and Liberty (Newark, NJ) airports, to including some neighbor states near these airports.

[MrsMatt]

13. Spouse and I were supposed to travel to Ireland

first week of March for a 10 day vacation; based on what was happening in China, we decided late January to pull the plug.

If we'd gone, we'd have been in the middle of the shit show.

[Dios Mio]

16. I'm here for years.

Moved from Texas. We were down to bout 20 cases daily. Up to over 200 daily now. Gathering requirements were eased and BAM!
PS: Mexican food craving never dies.

[OnDoutside]

20. They're going to have to do something about Dublin if it doesn't dip.

[iluvtennis]

7. t-rump should have just told the American people the truth and offered an initial mitigation

plan. Declare national emergency and request all states to shutdown, acquire test kits, PPE, mandate mask wearing (since he knew it was airborne).

The initial plan could be continually updated as more was learned about the virus.

What t-rump did is like knowing a hurricane is imminent and not telling people to take the needed precautions.

What a jackass that occupies the oval office.

[IronLionZion]

8. No screening for Americans traveling back home from COVID hotspots

no contact tracing, no testing, no quarantine, nothing.

Restricting travel obviously didn't do anything to stop Americans spreading the virus. Back then, racists believed Asians were spreading the virus, even if they never traveled anywhere. So Asian-Americans were experiencing racial discrimination and hate crimes here in the US while whites were flying back from China, Italy, South Korea, cruise ships, etc. spreading the virus all across America.

Early outbreaks in the US were in large cities with lots of international travel so that reinforced these idiotic ideas among deplorables: Diversity spreads it, 5G spreads it, liberals are being punished by God, socialist public services spread it, etc.

It's extra wild listening to them try to explain why the outbreaks now are all over southern states: northern liberals traveled south, the numbers are wrong, it's all lies, protests spread it around, etc. Sunshine and warm weather will end this pandemic so just wait until summer.... oh wait.

[tishaLA]

17. Even Azar apparently got this right

and was with Dr Fauci at re: the travel restriction.