Trump insists again that states are responsible for coronavirus testing

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday repeated his insistence that states are responsible for coronavirus testing — saying it would be “easy” to accomplish widespread screening even though only 1.2 percent of the U.S. has been tested so far.

In a series of tweets, Trump lashed into the “radical left” and “do nothing Democrats,” accusing them of first raising false alarms over critical ventilator shortages as he looks to reopen the economy in coming weeks.

Last month all you heard from the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats was, “Ventilators, Ventilators, Ventilators.” They screamed it loud & clear, & thought they had us cold, even though it was the State’s task. But everyone got their V’s, with many to spare,” the president wrote.

“Now they scream “Testing, Testing, Testing,” again playing a very dangerous political game,” he continued.

“States, not the Federal Government, should be doing the Testing — But we will work with the Governors and get it done. This is easy compared to the fast production of thousands of complex Ventilators!” he wrote.

Governors, including New York’s Andrew Cuomo, have pleaded with the Trump administration for help to ramp up testing, saying rapid testing machines provided by the feds are sitting unused because they did not come with enough swabs.

State leaders on a call last week cautioned Trump against reopening the economy too quickly when they were still experiencing critical screening shortages.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo also said Friday that testing needed to dramatically increase before the Empire State could safely return to work.

Cuomo and Trump have also repeatedly sparred over ventilators, with the president accusing the governor of inflating his request for the critical breathing machines.

The president has lauded the country’s testing, saying the U.S. had completed more tests than any other nation, however the 4 million tests completed so far represents just 1.2 percent of the population.

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