President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus, Tuesday, March 24, 2020, in Washington, as VP Mike Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID, Larry Kudlow, WH chief economic adviser, and Dr. Deborah Birx, WH coronavirus response coordinator, listen. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Because the mainstream media prefers to focus on deceptive “gotcha” moments and doomsday scenarios as it relates to the Wuhan coronavirus crisis, an answer President Trump gave on Friday to a reporter’s question is not getting a lot of attention.
But it should be.
During Friday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing, Trump was asked by a member of the White House press corps what he would say to bored children sitting at home right now who couldn’t go to school and play with their friends like they normally do because of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. He gave a great answer. Here’s a transcript of the exchange:
Reporter: “Millions of school kids across the country are home, including my own. Bored, restless, learning a little bit online, but it’s better in the classroom. You know that. And they’re–and my kids, they want to crawl on the walls and climb on the walls and my wife is about to lose it, right? So many of them are watching right now. What would you say to those kids right now, elementary school, middle school, high school, what would you tell them right now who are watching from home?”
President Trump: “I would say that you are a citizen of the greatest country anywhere in the world and we were attacked like nothing that’s happened possibly since 1917. Many, many years ago. We were attacked and we are winning the battle and we’re going to win the war and it’s not going to take, hopefully, that much longer. But we have to win the war.
And I would say that they have a duty to sit back, watch, behave, wash their hands, stay in the apartment with mom and dad. They look like they’re lucky to have you as a father. And just learn from it. But you know, they’re–they’re–the young people have been tremendous. They–some of them are very happy not to go to school. You understand that, perhaps yours, perhaps not.
But they’ve been–we had to know–we’ve literally had no problem. But again, they should just sit back and be very proud of our country because we’re doing it for them. You know, ultimately, we’re doing it for them more than anything else if you think about it.”
Watch:
President Trump is asked what his message is to America's children who are at home during coronavirus: "They should just sit back and be very proud of our country" https://t.co/ocBDOZspI5 pic.twitter.com/IRpQCwlVVm
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 27, 2020
Press briefings being the acrimonious things they are thanks to a combative press, this was a welcome change of pace, a nice human moment between the president and a journalist, giving advice to young folks watching from home who may not fully understand what’s going on.
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