President Donald Trump is restlessly waiting to hit the road. Despite continuous warning from his health officials about not stepping outside until inevitable, the president has been advising his aides to add official events in his schedule, comprising photo ops and site visits so that he can leave Washington even for just a few hours. Three people familiar with the planning say these day trips will be similar to those made by Vice President Mike Pence.
Mr. Pence visited businesses amid the pandemic. During this week's coronavirus task force briefing, Trump said the only time he left the White House was back in March when he sent off the USNS Comfort from a Virginia naval base and visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s headquarters. Aside from that, Trump has not left the executive complex for six weeks.
This is an exceptional stretch of delimitation for a president who loves to play golf and visit his businesses, even while stuck in Washington. Trump's last trip outside the Beltway to the CDC in Atlanta wrapped up with a three-day fundraising event that took place in Florida where he stayed at his Mar-a-Lago beach club and played golf at a course he owns.
Trump is anxiously waiting to leave Washington while his administration urges governors to begin lifting restrictions on public gatherings, business operations, and even interstate travel. his is a part of a three-phase plan that the federal government released to reopen the country following a near-total shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Some state officials do not back the road map due to the lack of testing capacity, which is of utmost importance to reopen communities without jeopardizing people's safety with the timeline given by the president. Trump's officials, on the other hand, claim there's no dearth of testing, and the first phase of reopening can be handled without putting Americans in danger, Politico reported.
The Opening Up America Again strategy includes restricting small gatherings if following physical distancing measures isn't possible and limiting non-essential travel. State governors aren't willing to allow Trump or presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to host official or political events any time soon.
Citing the advice of American medical experts, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says hosting political events are among the last activities to be considered as America reboots its economy. Whitmer is a Democrat who opposed Trump's response to the COVID-19 crisis and sparred with his administration's ability to provide essential supplies such as ventilators and test kits.