Sunday, May 31, 2020

Joint Statement From the United States of America and the Federative Republic of Brazil Regarding Health Cooperation

Office of the Press Secretary
Joint Statement From the United States of America and the Federative Republic of Brazil Regarding Health Cooperation
 
The American and Brazilian people stand in solidarity in the fight against the coronavirus.  Today, as a demonstration of that solidarity, we are announcing the United States Government has delivered two million doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to the people of Brazil.  The United States will also soon be sending 1,000 ventilators to Brazil.

HCQ will be used as a prophylactic to help defend Brazil’s nurses, doctors, and healthcare professionals against the virus.  It will also be used as a therapeutic to treat Brazilians who become infected.

Further, in continuation of the two countries’ longstanding collaboration on health issues, we are also announcing a joint United States-Brazilian research effort that will include randomized controlled clinical trials.  These trials will help further evaluate the safety and efficacy of HCQ for both prophylaxis and the early treatment of the coronavirus.

Going forward, the United States and Brazil will remain in close coordination in the shared fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing regional response to safeguard public health, further limit the spread of the coronavirus, advance the early development of a vaccine, and save lives. With President Donald J. Trump and President Jair Bolsonaro having spoken twice since March, the two countries are well-positioned to continue their work together to address the coronavirus pandemic, in addition to other matters of strategic importance.

May 30, 2020 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE South Lawn

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE

South Lawn

 
12:34 P.M. EDT
    
THE PRESIDENT:  We’ll be going to the Space Center.  We’re going to be hopefully seeing a great launch.  It’s about a 50/50 shot.  But it’s important, I think, as President to be there.  What we’ve done with NASA is amazing.  We’ve brought it back from the dead.  It was not essentially functioning, and now it’s one of the great centers in the world.  This is the greatest center in the world.

So I think I have an obligation to be there, and it’s very exciting, even though it’s about a 50/50 shot.  Otherwise, it will be postponed until Wednesday, I understand.  Not Sunday, but Wednesday.  But we’ll see what happens.

So we look forward to being there.  Some of you are going with us.

Any questions?

Q    Mr. President, are you -- with your tweets today, are you concerned that you might be stoking more racial violence or more racial discord?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, no.  Not at all.  MAGA says “Make America Great Again.”  These are people that love our country.  I have no idea if they’re going to be here.  I was just asking.  But I have no idea if they’re going to be here.  But MAGA is “Make America Great Again.”  By the way, they love African American people.  They love black people.  MAGA loves black people.

I heard that MAGA wanted to be there; a lot of MAGA was going to be there.  I have no idea if that’s true or not.  But they love our country.  Remember that: MAGA is just an expression, but MAGA loves our country.

Okay.

Q    (Inaudible) to hold a counter protest at all?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I don’t -- I don’t care.  I mean, I don’t care.  I want to just thank, though, the Secret Service.  They were so professional last night.  It was incredible.  They were so professional.  They were really great.  Really great.

Any other questions?  Anybody else going?

By the way, I want to say it again: Secret Service did a job last night that was incredible.  Minneapolis -- I love that city.  As you know, I’ve had very great success there.  Almost won the state for the first time in many, many decades.  I almost won that state, and it’s a great state -- Minnesota.

They’ve got to get tougher.  They’ve got to get tougher.  They’ve got to be strong.  Honor the memory of George Floyd.  Honor his memory.  They have to get tougher.  And by being tougher, they will be honoring his memory.  But they cannot let that happen.

When I saw a policeman, run by a mayor who I think is probably a very good person -- but he’s a radical-left mayor -- when I saw the policeman running out of a police station, for that police station to be abandoned and taken over, I’ve never seen anything so horrible and stupid in my life.  I’ve never seen anything so bad.  And then I see them trying to justify it.

Look, they’ve got to be tough, they’ve got to be smart.  We have our military ready, willing, and able if they ever want to call our military.  But we can have troops to the ground very quickly if they ever want our military.

They’re using their National Guard right now -- the, as you know -- I guess, as you probably know, they have their National Guard out.  We can have our military there very quickly.  They’ve got to be tough.  They’ve got to be strong.  They’ve got to be respected, because these people, the Antifa -- there’s a lot of radical-left, bad people.  And they’ve got to be taught that you can’t do this.

So I’m going now to watch a great launch, and we’ll see how we do.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.

                         END           12:38 P.M. EDT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AFTER VIEWING SPACEX DEMONSTRATION MISSION 2 LAUNCH Kennedy Space Center Cape Canaveral, Florida

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
AFTER VIEWING SPACEX DEMONSTRATION MISSION 2 LAUNCH

Kennedy Space Center
Cape Canaveral, Florida

 
3:25 P.M. EDT
    
Q    Mr. President, what did you think?

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s incredible -- the technology, the power.  I’m so proud of the people at NASA -- all the people that worked together, public and private.

When you see a sight like that, it’s incredible.  The power of that machine and the danger -- no matter how you figure.  When you -- when you hear that sound, and you hear all of that -- the roar -- you can imagine how dangerous it is.  When you feel the shake -- and we’re very far away, but you feel the shake over here -- it’s pretty -- pretty amazing.  A beautiful sight.  A beautiful ship, too.  That’s really a beauty.  Considered a beauty.  I would say it’s a beauty.

So they have a long way to go, but that’s a very dangerous part of it, right there.  That’s a big part of the danger, what you just witnessed.  So we’re very honored to be here.

Q    Have you talked to Elon Musk?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, I have.  I spoke to Elon.

Q    Today?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I won’t get into it.  But, yeah -- but I speak to him all the time.  Great guy.  He’s one of our great brains.  We like great brains.  And Elon has done a fantastic job.  But that was a beautiful sight to see, and I hope you all enjoyed it.  And we’re going to be saying a few words inside, so I’ll see you inside, okay?  Thank you very much.  A very great honor to have you here.

Q    Did you speak to the astronauts beforehand?

THE PRESIDENT:  I did.  I did.

Q    What did you tell them?

THE PRESIDENT:  Just “God bless you.”  Nothing else you can say.  God bless you.  They have a lot of courage.  More credit, more courage than -- I don't know, even our congressmen, I don’t think they have -- our senators, our congressmen.  I don't know, would you do that?  Leader?  Would you do that?  I don’t think so.  I don't know.  He might.  You know who would do it?  Brian would do it.

REPRESENTATIVE MAST:  Hell yeah!

LEADER MCCARTHY:  I’d be the first one.  If it was legal, Elon, to give us a ride, we’d go.
   
THE PRESIDENT:  You would do it, too.  I know you.

REPRESENTATIVE MAST:  I take up less space.  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  An amazing honor.  You know, four years ago, this place as essentially shut down.  The space program was over.  The shuttle program was dead.  One of the Secret Service men said they were here with the past administration -- I won’t tell you who -- and they were here to shut down the facility.  And now we’re the leader in the world again.

And this is just the beginning.  They’re going to Mars.  They’re going to the Moon, but they’re going to the Moon in order to go to Mars.  It’s a platform.  Jim, would you say that’s a correct statement?

ADMINISTRATOR BRIDENSTINE:  Yes, sir.  That’s right.

THE PRESIDENT:  Jim, I want to congratulate you.  I want to congratulate the Vice President.  (Applause.)  We have the governor of Florida, as you know.  Governor, congratulations to you.  Thank you for everything you’ve done, for the program.  (Applause.)  And you know Rick -- Rick Scott.  And Marco is here someplace.  (Applause.)  Rick -- Rick was a great governor, now he’s a great senator.  We appreciate you being here.  Marco is here someplace.  And we appreciate everybody being here.

But this was a tremendous sight to see.  I had no idea when you -- you know, I said, “Would you hear anything?”  Because we’re quite a distance away.  And then, all of a sudden, you hear that roar, and it’s incredible, the power.  You wouldn’t that machine, as big as it is -- it looks small from here -- could have the kind of power, that kind of -- make that kind of sound or that vibration.  But it’s really something special.

So I’m going to be saying a few words to you inside, so we’ll see you in a couple of minutes.  Okay?

Q    Given everything that’s happening in the country right now -- the protests that we’ve been seeing, the deaths from the coronavirus -- why did you feel like it was important for you to come here today?

THE PRESIDENT:  I think because it’s such a great inspiration for our country.  Our country is doing well.  It’s going to do fantastically well.  We think next year is going to be one of the best years we’ve ever had, economically.  We suffered something that was terrible.  It should have never happened.  It should have never come out of China, but it did.  They didn’t stop it.  They were unable, probably, to stop it.  They should have been able to stop it.  We would’ve helped them, and we would have helped them very effectively.  But they didn’t, and it spread to Europe, it spread to the entire world.  It spread to the U.S.  It should have never happened.

Now, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to be here today.  I thought it was so important to be here today.  And I think any one of you would say that was an inspiration to see what we just saw -- the genius, the money, the -- even the economy.  Ron, this -- what this adds to your economy is incredible, right?

GOVERNOR DESANTIS:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  This is incredible.  And real talent, real genius.  Nobody does it like us.

So it’s great to have this whole program back, and it’s just the beginning.  It’s just the beginning.  We have many more things to come.  It’s a lot of jobs.  It’s a lot of technology.

You know, we have Space Force now.  And thank you very much for being here.  We appreciate it very much.  (Applause.)  Number one.

You know, one of the things we’ve done is created the Space Force.  First program in -- if you look, I guess it’s 74 years now.  It was 72, and now it’s 74.  And time flies.  But since the Air Force.

So we have a major branch of the military, Joint Chiefs of Staff, everything.  Full -- full honors.  It’s called the Space Force.  We did that during the Trump administration.  Mike Pence was so helpful.  Everybody here was helpful, frankly.  Needed lots of votes, and we got them.  And, really, it wasn’t that hard, once we started explaining what it’s all about.

But space will be one of the most important things we’ve ever done.  I think so.

ADMINISTRATOR BRIDENSTINE:  Amen.

THE PRESIDENT:  I think space will be one of the most important -- I put it up there with 280 federal judges, 2 Supreme Court judges.  I think space will be one of the most important things we’ve ever done.  (Applause.)

So we’ll see how it all works out.  Thank you very much, everybody.  I’ll see you inside.

                         END                 3:31 P.M. EDT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP BEFORE AIR FORCE ONE DEPARTURE Joint Base Andrews Prince George’s County, Maryland

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
BEFORE AIR FORCE ONE DEPARTURE

Joint Base Andrews
Prince George’s County, Maryland

 
12:56 P.M. EDT
    
THE PRESIDENT:  So we’re going to watch the rocket launch.  There’s a 50/50 chance.  We don’t know.  Depends on weather and other things.  It’s very delicate but very amazing.  So we’re going over, and we’ll be back in a little while.  But we want to watch the rocket launch.  We’ve come a long way.  It was dead as doornails, and now it’s the most vibrant place in the world for that.  And so I look forward to it.

I guess you’re traveling with me, so maybe we’ll see you on the plane.  We have a lot of great things happening.

I think that, before I leave, I want to thank Secret Service.  They were incredible last night at the White House.  They handled that group of Antifa, or whoever they were -- radical left.  They handled it very well.  They handled it very, very well.  They handled it incredibly.  And we owe a lot to Secret Service.  They’re incredible men and women.

I’ll see you on the plane.  Thank you.

                         END           12:57 P.M. EDT

Remarks by President Trump at Kennedy Space Center | Cape Canaveral, FL

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

Kennedy Space Center
Cape Canaveral, Florida


 
5:16 P.M. EDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.  Please.  Please.  Big day.  This is a big day.  And I want to thank our great Vice President for your fearless and tireless commitment to fulfilling America’s destiny in space.  Thank you very much, Mike.  Great job.  Great job.  (Applause.)

We’re also grateful to Mike’s wonderful wife, Karen, for being here and for all she does for our country.  Thank you.  Thank you, Karen.  (Applause.)

Before going further on this exciting day for all America in space, I want to say a few words about the situation in Minnesota.  The death of George Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis was a grave tragedy.  It should never have happened.  It has filled Americans all over the country with horror, anger, and grief.

Yesterday, I spoke to George's family and expressed the sorrow of our entire nation for their loss.  I stand before you as a friend and ally to every American seeking justice and peace.  And I stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, attack, and menace.  Healing, not hatred; justice, not chaos are the mission at hand.  (Applause.)

The police officers involved in this incident have been fired from their jobs.  One officer has already been arrested and charged with murder.  State and federal authorities are carrying out an investigation to see what further charges may be warranted, including against, sadly, the other three.

In addition, my administration has opened a civil rights investigation, and I have asked the Attorney General and the Justice Department to expedite it.

I understand the pain that people are feeling.  We support the right of peaceful protesters, and we hear their pleas.  But what we are now seeing on the streets of our cities has nothing to do with justice or with peace.

The memory of George Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters, and anarchists.  The violence and vandalism is being led by Antifa and other radical left-wing groups who are terrorizing the innocent, destroying jobs, hurting businesses, and burning down buildings.

The main victims of this horrible, horrible situations are the citizens who live in these once lovely communities.  The mobs are devastating the life's work of good people and destroying their dreams.  Right now, America needs creation, not destruction; cooperation, not contempt; security, not anarchy.  And there will be no anarchy.  Civilization must be cherished, defended, and protected.  The voices of law-abiding citizens must be heard, and heard very loudly.

We cannot and must not allow a small group of criminals and vandals to wreck our cities and lay waste to our communities.  We must defend the rights of every citizen to live without violence, prejudice, or fear.

We support the overwhelming majority of police officers who are incredible in every way and devoted public servants.  They keep our cities safe, protect our communities from gangs and drugs, and risk their own lives for us every day.

No one is more upset than fellow law enforcement officers by the small handful who fail to abide by their oath to serve and protect.  My administration will stop mob violence and will stop it cold.

It does not serve the interests of justice or any citizen of any race, color, or creed for the government to give into anarchy, abandon police precincts, or allow communities to be burned to the ground.  It won't happen.

Those making excuses or justifications for violence are not helping the downtrodden, but delivering new anguish and new pain.

From day one of my administration, we have made it a top priority to build up distressed communities and revitalize our crumbling inner cities.

We fought hard with Senator Tim Scott and many others to create Opportunity Zones, helping to draw a surge of new investment to the places in our country that need it most.  We must all work together as a society to expand opportunity and to create a future of greater dignity and promise for all of our people.  We must forge a partnership with community leaders, local law enforcement, and the faith community to restore hope.

Radical-left criminals, thugs, and others all throughout our country and throughout the world will not be allowed to set communities ablaze.  We won't let it happen.  It harms those who have the least.  And we will be protecting those who have the least.

The leadership of the National Guard and the Department of Justice are now in close communication with state and city officials in Minnesota.  And we're coordinating our efforts with local law enforcement all across our nation.

In America, justice is never achieved at the hands of an angry mob.  I will not allow angry mobs to dominate.  It won't happen.  It is essential that we protect the crown jewel of American democracy: the rule of law and our independent system of justice.  Every citizen in every community has the right to be safe in their workplace, safe in their homes, and safe in our city streets.

This is the sacred right of all Americans that I am totally determined to defend and will defend.  My administration will always stand against violence, mayhem, and disorder.

We will stand with the family of George Floyd with the peaceful protesters and with every law-abiding citizen who wants decency, civility, safety, and security.

We are working toward a more just society, but that means building up, not tearing down; joining hands, not hurling fists; standing in solidarity, not surrendering to hostility.

Moments ago, as we witnessed the launch of two great American astronauts into space, we were filled with the sense of pride and unity that brings us together as Americans.  That same spirit which powered our astronauts to the Moon has also helped lift our country to ever greater heights of justice and opportunity throughout our history.

So today, as we mark a renewed commitment to America's future in space, a tremendous commitment it is.  Let us also commit to a brighter future for all of our citizens right here on Earth.

When Americans are united, there is nothing we cannot do.  From day one of my administration, we put America first.  (Applause.)

This afternoon, I'm delighted to be with you at Cape Canaveral, in this storied home of American daring, aspiration, and drive.

This is the first big space message in 50 years.  Think of that.  And it is an honor to be delivering it.

Today, as we gather in this special place to celebrate not only the launch of a new spacecraft but also our nation's bold and triumphant return to the stars, it's a special day.  Moments ago, the world bore witness to the flight of the first new manned U.S. spacecraft in nearly 40 years since the Space Shuttle launched in 1981 -- a long time ago.

I am thrilled to announce that the SpaceX Dragon Capsule has successfully reached low-Earth orbit and that our astronauts are safe and sound.  (Applause.)

With this launch, the decades of lost years and little action are officially over.  A new age of American ambition has now begun.
Past leaders put the United States at the mercy of foreign nations to send our astronauts into orbit.  Not anymore.  Today, we once again proudly launch American astronauts on American rockets, the best in the world, from right here on American soil.  (Applause.)
 
Those of us who saw the spectacular and unforgettable liftoff this afternoon watched more than an act of history; we watched an act of heroism.  Every time our astronauts climb aboard a rocket -- which is many, many stories of only engine and fuel -- and vault across the sky, they display breathtaking valor.
What Colonel Douglas Hurley and Colonel Robert Behnken did this afternoon was pure American genius and courage.  They join the ranks of just seven prior American astronauts who have made the perilous maiden voyage to test a new class of spacecraft.

The names of Hurley and Behnken will stand in the history books alongside those of legends like Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Young.  Now these brave and selfless astronauts will continue their mission to advance the cause of human knowledge as they proceed to the International Space Station before returning to Earth.  We wish them Godspeed on their journey, and as one proud nation, we salute their fearless service.

Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

I also want to send our nation’s gratitude to the wives of these valiant astronauts, both of whom are astronauts themselves: Karen Nyberg and Megan McArthur.  We join them in praying for our heroes’ safe return.

As you know, this spring, our nation has endured the pain and hardship of a global pandemic.  As we usher in a new era of manned spaceflight, we are reminded that America is always in the process of transcending great challenges.  Our nation is blessed with limitless reserves of talent, tenacity, and resolve.  The same spirit of American determination that sends our people into space will conquer this disease on Earth.  It should’ve never happened.  Nothing -- not even gravity itself -- can hold Americans down or keep America back.

We are grateful to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Director of the Kennedy Space Center Bob Cabana for welcoming us this evening.  Very special.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Great job.  Great job.  Come a long way in three and a half years, Jim, haven’t we?  Huh?  A long way.

To the incredible men and women of NASA, from here at Kennedy Space Center, to the Johnson Space Center in Texas -- we love you too -- to NASA Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio: Thank you all for working so hard to make this day a reality.  We have many other great days almost ready to happen.

Also with us are many members of my Cabinet, including our great new DNI, John Ratcliffe.  Thank you, John.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  We have a great friend of mine, a special man, ran a great, great campaign: Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Ron.  Thank you, Ron.

Your Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.  Leader Kevin McCarthy.  Kevin, thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Great job you do, Kevin.

And Representatives Matt Gaetz, John Rutherford, Michael Waltz, Bill Posey, Gus Bilirakis, Daniel Webster, Brian Mast, Elise Stefanik, Bill Flores, Brian Babin, Rodney Davis, Roger Marshall, and Steven Palazzo.  Thank you very much, fellas.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  What a great group of people.  They’re warriors.  They’re really warriors.  They helped so much get this done, and so many other things.

With us also is our Air Force Chief of Staff, General David Goldfein.  General, thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you, General.  Thank you.  And Chief of Space Operations -- the first-ever named -- and now a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, because we created the United States Space Force -- General Jay Raymond.  Thank you very much. Jay.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Jay.  And senior members, also, of our great United States military.  It’s never been stronger than it is right now.

Also, Attorney General of Florida, Ashley Moody, and Chief Financial Officer of Florida, Jim Patronis, and many other distinguished guests.

Thank you very much for being here.  (Applause.)  We appreciate it.

I especially want to congratulate someone who truly embodies the American ethos of big thinking and risk-taking.  After achieving success as an Internet entrepreneur, he could have spent his fortune doing anything, including yachting, lots of things.  He could do lots of things.  But in 2002, he began pouring tens of millions of dollars of his own money into research and development for a new rocket.  He’s a little different than a lot of other people.  He likes rockets.  He assembled a crew of some of the greatest minds and talent in American aerospace.

In the years since, SpaceX has become the first private company to develop and successfully launch its own rocket into orbit, the first to launch and recover its own capsule, and of course, moments ago, Space X became the first private company to put humans into orbit around the Earth.

Elon Musk, congratulations.  Congratulations, Elon.  (Applause.)  Thanks, Elon.
For Elon and 8,000 SpaceX employees, today is the fulfillment of a dream almost two decades in the making.  For years on end, they have worked hand-in-hand with NASA, sculpting aluminum, tightening valves, tuning nozzles, testing parachutes, and filling massive tanks with thousands and thousands of pounds of kerosene and liquid oxygen.

Today, the groundbreaking partnership between NASA and SpaceX has given our nation the gift of an unmatched power: a state-of-the art spaceship to put our astronauts into orbit at a fraction of the cost of the Space Shuttle.  And it’s much better.

From now on, the United States will leverage the fast-growing capabilities of our commercial sector and the finest pieces of real estate on Earth -- which you need very badly -- to send U.S. astronauts into space.

Under NASA’s Commercial Crew program, we will use rockets and spacecraft designed, built, owned, and launched by private American companies, at a fixed price for the American taxpayer.

Today’s launch makes clear the commercial space industry is the future.  The modern world was built by risk-takers and renegades, fierce competitors, skilled craftsmen, captains of industry who pursued opportunities no one else saw and envisioned what no one else could ever think of seeing.  The United States will harness the unrivaled creativity and speed of our private sector to stride ever further into the unknown.

This launch also marks an exciting turning point for NASA.  This agency will now focus its unmatched ex- -- expertise, like nobody has ever seen, and power and integrity to do what NASA does better than anyone else -- and it’s not even close: embark on the most difficult, most daring, most audacious missions in the history of humankind.

When I first came into office three and a half years ago, NASA had lost its way, and the excitement, energy, and ambition, as almost everybody in this room knows, was gone.  There was grass growing through the cracks of your concrete runways.  Not a pretty sight.  Not a pretty sight at all.

The last administration presided over the closing of the Space Shuttle and almost all of the giant facility that keeps so many people working, so many brilliant minds going.  People were crying.  They were devastated.  But now it’s the greatest of its kind anywhere in the world and will get greater and greater with years to come.  I promise you that.  (Applause.)

We have created the envy of the world and will soon be landing on Mars, and will soon have the greatest weapons ever imagined in history.  I’ve already seen designs.  And even I can’t believe it.

The United States has regained our place of prestige as the world leader.  As has often been stated, you can’t be number one on Earth if you are number two in space.  (Applause.)  And we are not going to be number two anywhere.  (Applause.)
Nowhere is this more true than with our military, which we have completely rebuilt.  Under my administration, we have invested two and a half trillion dollars in new planes, ships, submarines, tanks, missiles, rockets -- anything you can think of.  And last year, I signed the law creating the sixth branch of that already very famous United States Armed Forces: the Space Force.  (Applause.)
 
For every citizen who has eagerly waited for America to reignite those engines of will, confidence, and imagination that put a man on the Moon, I stand before you to say: You need wait no longer.

Through NASA’s Artemis program, the United States is preparing for a crewed mission to Mars.  Earlier this week, I saw the Orion capsules being worked on in this building.  As part of the Artemis Moon-to-Mars program, those capsules will soon return Americans to lunar orbit for the first time in over 50 years -- half a century.

By 2024, our astronauts will return to the lunar surface to establish a permanent presence and the launching pad to Mars.  (Applause.)  And the first woman on the moon will be an American woman.  And the first nation to land on Mars will be the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Since I signed the order to establish these goals shortly after taking office, we have made rapid gains.  A new 22,000- pound capsule is already built.  The next generation of space suits are already made.  Colossal rockets are now being tested.  And the contracts for three separate lunar landers have been awarded and signed, and they are magnificent.

In the years ahead, America will go bigger, bolder, further, faster, and America will go first.  America will always be first.  (Applause.)

To be certain, we will meet the adversity and hardship along the way.  There may even be tragedy, because that is the danger of space.  There’s nothing we can do about that.  The power that we’re talking about is unrivaled.  There’s nothing we can do about problems.  But we’ll have very few of them.

We will confront all of those challenges, knowing that the quest for understanding is the oldest and deepest hope in our souls.  The innate human desire to explore and innovate is what propels the engines of progress and the march of civilization. We will preserve and persevere, and we will ensure a future of American dominance in space.

To that end, over the last three years, I reestablished the National Space Council.  I issued a directive cutting red tape for innovative space companies such as SpaceX.  We created the world’s first comprehensive space traffic management system.  Last month, I signed an executive order establishing U.S. policy for the recovery and use of space resources and minerals.  Administrator Bridenstine announced the Artemis Accords to govern the future of space exploration and development.

Together, we will assert America’s rightful heritage as the greatest space-faring nation on the planet.  And already, it’s not even close.

In the half a century since the United States stopped sending astronauts to deep into space -- 1972 -- no other country has ever done it.  The reasons are simple: cost, technological complexity, and tremendous danger.

For instance, I was told that the rocket you just witnessed had to be launched within one second, or it would be impossible for it to hit its target.  And I was here two days ago, and I said to Jim: “Jim, it’s okay.  Why don’t you wait 5 or 10 minutes?”  (Laughter.)  And he said, “Sir, we only have a window of one second.”  And I walked out of here shaking my head.  (Laughter.)  Is that true, Jim?  Yes, it true.

Space travel is not a feat of engineering alone.  It’s also a moral endeavor -- a measure of a nation’s vision, its willpower, its place in the world.  Exploration is a test of our values and of our faith.  America is a nation defined by its commitment to discovery -- to solve mysteries, to chart the unknown, to press the limits, to achieve the fullest expression of life’s potential, and to ensure that America is the nation that always leads the way, and especially in space.

This evening, I am more confident than ever before that America stands poised to thrive in this grand undertaking.  It’s incredible.  We are a nation of pioneers.  We are the people who crossed the ocean, carved out a foothold on a vast continent, settled a great wilderness, and then set our eyes upon the stars.  This is our history, and this is our destiny.

Now, like our ancestors before us, we are venturing out to explore a new, magnificent frontier.  It’s called: space.  Our most daring feats, our most epic journeys, our biggest adventures, and our finest days are just beginning.  America’s proudest moments are still ahead.  We are on the verge of our most exciting years, and next year may be the most exciting of all.  You just watch.
So today, as our brave American astronauts shake the Earth and blaze a trail of fire and steel into the heavens, we proclaim for all to hear that we have not yet tested the full strength of the American character, and the world has not yet seen the full glory of the American spirit.  For our country, for our children, and for humanity’s march into the stars, the best is yet to come.  (Applause.)

It was a great honor for me to deliver this speech.  God bless our brave astronauts now soaring through the heavens.  God bless the men and women of NASA.  And God bless America.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

                              END            5:49 P.M. EDT

Saturday, May 30, 2020

Resolute Reads FIVE STORIES PRESIDENT TRUMP DOESN'T WANT YOU TO MISS

Resolute Reads
FIVE STORIES PRESIDENT TRUMP DOESN'T WANT YOU TO MISS
Trump Pulls U.S. Out of World Health Organization, Slaps Penalties on China Over Hong Kong Action
-The Washington Times
“President Trump announced Friday the U.S. is terminating its relationship with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus crisis,” Tom Howell Jr. and Dave Boyer report. The President also took action on China for misleading the world about the virus, as well as for its security crackdown on Hong Kong.

🎬 President Trump: “Cover-up of the Wuhan virus allowed the disease to spread”
Coronavirus Task Force Chief Mike Pence: You Did It, America
-Washington Examiner
Early on, experts warned President Trump that without social distancing, the COVID-19 death toll could reach as high as 2.2 million. But with it, the range would drop to 100,000 to 240,000. “Today, as many states begin to ease rules near the Memorial Day holiday week turning point that [Vice President Mike Pence] predicted, the death toll, tragic as it is, stands at the lowest level on that chart,” Paul Bedard writes.

VP Pence: 167,000% surge in tests, 663M masks, and 110,000 ventilators ‘ready this fall’
Ivanka Trump Helps Treasury Prioritize $10B Funding for Minority-Owned Small Businesses
-Fox Business
“Ivanka Trump, senior adviser to President Trump, is working closely with the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration to help allocate $10 billion in funding for minority-owned small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic,” Audrey Conklin writes.
Trump’s Social Media Executive Order is Justified – Protects Free Speech, Combats Censorship
-Fox News
“President Trump was right and justified Thursday to sign an executive order calling for new regulations to strip legal liability protections from social media companies that censor posts and engage in political conduct on their sites,” Jim Hanson writes.

🎬 FCC Commissioner: Move shines a light on companies taking political sides
It’s Time To Stop Pretending Twitter Is Neutral
-The Federalist
“By stepping in to flag Trump’s tweet with a warning label and a link so users can ‘get the facts’ about mail-in ballots (which ironically links to a CNN article by Chris Cillizza), Twitter abandoned any claim it had to being a neutral facilitator,” John Daniel Davidson writes.

MORE: “33 Examples of Twitter’s Anti-Conservative Bias”

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP ON ACTIONS AGAINST CHINA Rose Garden May 29, 2020

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
ON ACTIONS AGAINST CHINA

Rose Garden

May 29, 2020


2:48 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Good afternoon.  Thank you.  I’m here today to talk about our relationship with China and several new measures to protect American security and prosperity.

China’s pattern of misconduct is well known.  For decades, they have ripped off the United States like no one has ever done before.  Hundreds of billions of dollars a year were lost dealing with China, especially over the years during the prior administration.  China raided our factories, offshored our jobs, gutted our industries, stole our intellectual property, and violated their commitments under the World Trade Organization.  To make matters worse, they are considered a developing nation getting all sorts of benefits that others, including the United States, are not entitled to.

But I never solely blamed China for this.  They were able to get away with a theft like no one was able to get away with before because of past politicians and, frankly, past presidents.  But unlike those who came before, my administration negotiated and fought for what was right.  It’s called: fair and reciprocal treatment.

China has also unlawfully claimed territory in the Pacific Ocean, threatening freedom of navigation and international trade.  And they broke their word to the world on ensuring the autonomy of Hong Kong.

The United States wants an open and constructive relationship with China, but achieving that relationship requires us to vigorously defend our national interests. The Chinese government has continually violated its promises to us and so many other nations.

These plain facts cannot be overlooked or swept aside.  The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government.  China’s cover-up of the Wuhan virus allowed the disease to spread all over the world, instigating a global pandemic that has cost more than 100,000 American lives and over a million lives worldwide.

Chinese officials ignored their reporting obligations to the World Health Organization and pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered by Chinese authorities.

Countless lives have been taken, and profound economic hardship has been inflicted all around the globe.  They strongly recommended against me doing the early ban from China, but I did it anyway and was proven to be 100 percent correct.

China has total control over the World Health Organization, despite only paying $40 million per year compared to what the United States has been paying, which is approximately $450 million a year.

We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engage with them directly, but they have refused to act.  Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving, urgent, global public health needs.

The world needs answers from China on the virus.  We must have transparency.  Why is it that China shut off infected people from Wuhan to all other parts of China?  It went nowhere else.  It didn’t go to Beijing; it went nowhere else.  But allowed them to freely travel throughout the world, including Europe and the United States.

The death and destruction caused by this is incalculable.  We must have answers not only for us but for the rest of the world.

This pandemic has underscored the crucial importance of building up America’s economic independence, reshoring our critical supply chains and protecting America’s scientific and technological advances.

For years, the government of China has conducted illicit espionage to steal our industrial secrets, of which there are many.  Today, I will issue a proclamation to better secure our nation’s vital university research and to suspend the entry of certain foreign nationals from China who we have identified as potential security risks.

I am also taking action to protect the integrity of America’s financial system -- by far, the best in the world.  I am instructing my Presidential Working Group on Financial Markets to study the differing practices of Chinese companies listed on the U.S. financial markets, with the goal of protecting American investors.

Investment firms should not be subjecting their clients to the hidden and undue risks associated with financing Chinese companies that do not play by the same rules.  Americans are entitled to fairness and transparency.

Several of the most significant actions we’re taking pertain to the deeply troubling situations unfolding in Hong Kong.

This week, China unilaterally imposed control over Hong Kong security.  This was a plain violation of Beijing's treaty obligations with the United Kingdom in the Declaration of 1984 and explicit provisions of Hong Kong's Basic Law.  It has 27 years to go.

The Chinese government’s move against Hong Kong is the latest in a series of measures that are diminishing the city’s longstanding and very proud status.

This is a tragedy for the people of Hong Kong, the people of China, and indeed the people of the world.   China claims it is protecting national security.  But the truth is that Hong Kong was secure and prosperous as a free society.  Beijing’s decision reverses all of that.  It extends the reach of China’s invasive state security apparatus into what was formerly a bastion of liberty.

China’s latest incursion, along with other recent developments that degraded the territory’s freedoms, makes clear that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to warrant the special treatment that we have afforded the territory since the handover.

China has replaced its promised formula of “one country, two systems” with “one country, one system.”

Therefore, I am directing my administration to begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment.

My announcement today will affect the full range of agreements we have with Hong Kong, from our extradition treaty to our export controls on dual-use technologies and more, with few exceptions.

We will be revising the State Department’s travel advisory for Hong Kong to reflect the increased danger of surveillance and punishment by the Chinese state security apparatus.

We will take action to revoke Hong Kong’s preferential treatment as a separate customs and travel territory from the rest of China.

The United States will also take necessary steps to sanction PRC and Hong Kong officials directly or indirectly involved in eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy and -- just if you take a look, smothering -- absolutely smothering Hong Kong’s freedom.  Our actions will be strong.  Our actions will be meaningful.

More than two decades ago, on a rainy night in 1997, British soldiers lowered the Union Flag, and Chinese soldiers raised the Chinese flag in Hong Kong.  The people of Hong Kong felt simultaneously proud of their Chinese heritage and their unique Hong Kong identity.  The people of Hong Kong hoped that in the years and decades to come, China would increasingly come to resemble its most radiant and dynamic city.  The rest of the world was electrified by a sense of optimism that Hong Kong was a glimpse into China’s future -- not that Hong Kong would grow into a reflection of China’s past.

In every decision, I will continue to proudly defend and protect the workers, families, and citizens of the United States of America. 

Thank you very much.  Thank you.

                                   END                 2:58 P.M. EDT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP IN ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES ON REOPENING State Dining Room

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
IN ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES ON REOPENING

State Dining Room
 
May 29, 2020
 
 
4:54 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Thank you very much.  Appreciate it.  I want to express our nation's deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathies to the family of George Floyd.  A terrible event.  Terrible, terrible thing that happened.

I've asked that the Department of Justice expedite the federal investigation into his death and do it immediately, do it as quickly as absolutely possible.  It's a local situation, but we're also making it into a federal situation.  And it's -- it’s a terrible thing.  We all saw what we saw, and it's very hard to even conceive of anything other than what we did see.  It should never happen.  It should never be allowed to happen, a thing like that.

But we're determined that justice be served.  And I spoke to members of the family.  Terrific people.  And we'll be reporting as time goes by.  We think that we also have to make the statement, and it's very important that we have peaceful protesters and support the rights for peaceful protesters.  We can't allow a situation like happened in Minneapolis to descend further into lawless anarchy and chaos.  And we understand that very well.

It's very important, I believe, to the family, to everybody that the memory of George Floyd be a perfect memory.  Let it be a perfect memory.  The looters should not be allowed to drown out the voices of so many peaceful protesters they hurt so badly.  What is happening -- and it's so bad for the state and for that great city.

So we are working very closely with the Justice Department.  We're working with local law enforcement.  We're working with everybody.  And we're speaking with the family, and hopefully everything can be fairly taken care of.  I understand the hurt.  I understand the pain.  People have really been through a lot.  The family of George is entitled to justice, and the people of Minnesota are entitled to live in safety.  Law and order will prevail.

The Americans will honor the memory of George and the Floyd family.  It's very important to us.  It's very important to me to see that everything is taken care of properly.  It's a horrible, horrible situation.  And so we'll be reporting back in due course and as quickly as possible.

I'm pleased to welcome American industry leaders to the White House as we continue to safely reopen America.  We're glad to be joined by Geoff Ballotti of Wyndham Hotel and Resorts.  Wyndham Hotels have been really a terrific company over the years.  Brian Goldner of Hasbro; David Hoffmann of Dunkin’ Brands; Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines.  Really good jobs they’ve done.  Rodney McMullen of Kroger.  Thanks, Rodney.  Oscar Munoz of United.  Thank you, Oscar.  United Airlines.  Brad Smith of Microsoft.  That stock has done very well, I will say.  Great job.  Great job.  Sonia Syngal of Gap.  And -- thank you very much.

Also with us are Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin and Secretary of Labor Gene Scalia.

Our nation continues to mourn for the lives claimed by the virus and grieve for the families who have lost loved ones.  We continue to battle the invisible enemy.  We're directing the full resources and support of the federal government to safeguard high-risk populations, especially in nursing homes.  We've been a very powerful strategy on nursing homes for quite a while.  The best strategy for public health is to aggressively protect the most vulnerable while allowing younger and healthier Americans to work safely.

Nationwide hospitalizations, new cases, and deaths are all declining.  We're tracking cases and hospitalizations daily, and states are demonstrating their ability to rapidly identify and contain new outbreaks.  Our testing is the best in the world.  We've now surpassed 15 million tests, which is much more than any other country by a factor of many times.  We've completed over 15 million, and that is -- I think we can say that's a record by a lot.

And we're going to give you a big report on testing tomorrow.  We have new tests coming out that are above and beyond anything that anybody would have thought even possible just a couple of months ago.

In many places, we've had more tests available than people seeking them.  Florida and others have said that they have testing and they don’t have enough people to take the tests.  So we’ve come a long way.  We started with an empty cupboard.  We didn’t have a lot that we inherited.  And we are -- I think, really, they’ve stepped up to the plate on ventilators, on tests, and on equipment and gowns and everything else, gloves.  If you look at masks, everybody has masks now.

To maintain the health and safety of our society, we must also maintain the health of our economy.  There’s a reason why our nation’s life expectancy is closely correlated with economic development.  A never-ending shutdown would increase, not reduce, the total loss of life in the United States, while failing to focus resources on the most vulnerable.

We’ve made a lot of progress in terms of the invisible enemy.  A lot of progress.  A lot of things have happened that have taught us a lot.  Nobody has ever seen anything like this, and there certainly hasn’t been anything like since over a hundred years -- 1917.

I want to thank all of these great companies for being here and representing their company and themselves and our country so well.  We're going to be having a discussion with the companies as to suggestions they have.  We think we're going to have a very strong opening, which has just started, really.

We had the greatest economy in history of any country, not just ours.  The greatest in history.  We had the best employment numbers that we've ever had.  We've had the best numbers in every way, whether it's the biggest tax cuts, the greatest regulation cuts of any president.  Nobody has even come close.

We’ve rebuilt our military.  We have the strongest military we've ever had.  New equipment coming in all the time; a lot of it already arrived.  And very importantly, all made in the USA.  And so many other things.

You look at what we've done for the vets with Choice and Accountability -- the combination.  They weren't able to get that done for over 40 years.  And we got them both approved.  Right to Try, got it approved.  We've done so much, and then we had to turn it all off in order to be in a position where we are right now.

Numbers were estimated to be two million deaths, one and a half million deaths, maybe one million, but it could have been over two million and maybe substantially over.  Unfortunately, one is too many.  It should’ve been stopped.  It could’ve been stopped in China.  It should’ve been stopped in China, but it didn't stop.  And the world got infected, and it's very sad -- a very sad thing.  But we turned off the greatest economy ever, and we turned it off very quickly, very rapidly.  We banned people coming in from China early -- very early.  In fact, most people said, “Don't do it.”  Even a month later, they were saying, “You shouldn't have done it.”  And we turned out to be right.

But we have -- we have now a long way to go, but we're getting very good early numbers, as everyone knows.  The stock market has been doing very well because people have a lot of confidence.  We're doing very well on therapeutics.  We're doing very well on vaccines.  I think we're going to have some very good answers soon.

And we're set up, logistically, with our military.  Our military is set to move and to act so that when -- I think I can say “when” -- we have that vaccine -- I think I can say it with pretty good surety, based on what we're seeing -- that rather than taking long periods of time and bringing it out slowly, we're able to bring it out very, very quickly.

So we have a general in charge of logistics -- that's what he does, and he's supposed to be the best -- usually moving soldiers and moving various things for other reasons, but now he's going to be moving vaccines or therapeutics, depending on what ultimately ends up.

But we're doing very well on vaccines.  We're doing very, very well on therapeutics.  And maybe I could use the word “cure,” as opposed to purely therapeutic.

So I want to thank everybody for being here.  We have a lot of positive things to report.  You see some of the numbers coming out with some of the states that have been -- have been opened.  And some of the numbers have been really, really beyond expectation.  So we’re very happy.

And I think what we’ll do is we’ll go around the room quickly, and we’ll say a few things about any ideas you might have, your company -- how well you’ve done with your companies.  And might as well give it a little build-up.  You have plenty of firepower back here.

So, please.  Maybe you’d start.  Thank you.

MS. SYNGAL:  Well, great.  Thank you, Mr. President.  I'm honored to be here today, representing Gap, Inc. and working with all of you to safely open our stores, which is very important for us right now.

I have the honor of running America's largest clothing company.  Gap, Inc. had over $16 billion in revenue last year, and we house four-billion-dollar brands, between Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic, and our namesake Gap.  And Old Navy is the second-largest apparel brand in the U.S.

THE PRESIDENT:  Wow.  That’s great.

MS. SYNGAL:  So, you know, we have serviced American families for our 51 years, and we -- these brands represent the best of American values.  And we're anxious to get going and anxious to open up the economy.

We have 2,500 stores here in the U.S., and we've begun the opening process.  You know, prior to COVID, we had over a million American customers walking through our doors every day.

THE PRESIDENT:  Wow.

MS. SYNGAL:  And so when we shut in March, we lost 70 percent of our sales overnight.  And we reacted very quickly.  We had to make really big, unfortunate decisions to furlough employees and to retrench.

We did have a very strong and powerful ecommerce business, so we're the second-largest ecom player for apparel, and that's really kept us going, along with our fulfillment centers.  We have five big campuses across the U.S.  And so that's been great.  We have, you know, over 100,000 employees that we're anxious to really bring back to work.

We -- you know, we've developed these safe shopping protocols with industry leaders in retail, and we feel really good about them.  We're anxious to reopen our stores with these protocols and have been excited about what's happening so far as we've opened.  Our employees feel safe, our customers feel safe, and they're coming back to shop with us.

And so we are committed to opening at least 800 stores this month.

THE PRESIDENT:  Great.

MS. SYNGAL:  And so we're on track for that.  In fact, we're a little ahead of that, but it feels good.  And as customers come in, you know, they'll have new protocols, social distancing, masks, and cleaning, et cetera.

THE PRESIDENT:  Right.

MS. SYNGAL:  So it’s going to, you know, create trust, and everyone is responding really well.  I visited our stores in Virginia last night, and I visited our stores in Texas and Arizona, California, over the last couple of weeks, and our customers are thrilled to be back, our employees are thrilled to be back.

In fact, one of our -- our store managers came up to me and burst into tears, thanking -- thanking me for giving her her job back.

THE PRESIDENT:  Great.

MS. SYNGAL:  You know, it's a really, very important thing.  And as much as the government has helped, our employees want to be back.  So, that feels great.

One in four Americans work in retail, as you know.  So this is now my time to ask what we need.  And during this closure process, half of retail stayed open and half of retail has been shut.  So we’ve really created this lack of level playing field -- you know, the haves and have-nots.

You know, as we look forward and as we think about a possibility of a resurgence or something, we must stay committed to these safe retailing protocols, and really stay there and work through any future issues with that so we can have an equal playing field.

So I look forward to working with you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Sonia.

MS. SYNGAL:  And Secretary Mnuchin has been fantastic to work with, so --

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s good.  He’s done a great job.  Thank you, Sonia.  Appreciate it.

Steve?

SECRETARY MNUCHIN:  Thank you, Mr. President.  I really want to thank everybody.  And, Sonia, thank you for all the work you’ve done, and everyone else.

I do want to just particularly thank Gary and Oscar.  As part of the CARES Act, we’ve worked with both of you and the rest of the airline industry.

I know many of the businesses here have been hit very hard, but the travel industry in particular, and we appreciate everything you’ve done with us.  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.

Oscar, please.

MR. MUNOZ:  That’s a heck of a lead-in.  Thank you as well.  Thank you.  The CARES Act was great and everybody that was involved.  Larry, you were terrific, as well, in the waning moments.

You know our story, so I won’t belabor it.  I have two slides -- really one -- just to give you a sense of the things that we’re doing.

One of the most conversed con- -- conversed discussions going: Are airplanes safe?  Is flying safe?  And I think that’s of paramount importance.  We’ve always been one of the, if not the safest industry in the world.  And so some of the things that we’re doing are on this chart.

And it’s simply everything you think: hydrostatic testing that disinfects; wiping everything down; the wearing of masks for everyone -- we were one of the first to be able to do that.  You know, touchless aspects.  You know, our customers get a chance to sit -- choose where they sit.

The HEPA filters on our aircraft.  I think it’s important for the flying public to understand: These HEPA filters are hospital-grade filters that remove 99.7 percent of particles in the air.  The combination of the filter and the mask that we’re wearing should completely eliminate, to a great degree, the (inaudible) if we practice all the other things.

And so we’re working through all of that.  But, again, it feels like we’re always talking into the wind with regards to that, so we took it a step further and have partnered with different people -- Clorox, in particular.  Right?  It’s a brand name that speaks of powerful disinfectant, and that branding aspect gives it a little bit of a sense.

And then we went a step further and used Mayo Clinic -- or Cleveland Clinic -- I apologize -- to guide us and direct us.  Here are the things that we’re planning on doing.  Is that meaningful?  It’s like having Ambassador Birx at our side to sort of support those things.  So those are the things that we’re doing with regards to our safety.

On the next chart, your question is: How do we -- how do we restart the economy?  So if I could get the next chart please.

The first one is obvious, and I think we’ve all been talking in the business community.  It isn’t just about airlines flying; people have to go someplace and fly somewhere, right?  The hotels of the world; you know, the hospi- -- I mean, the restaurants; the theme parks -- all of that has be collectively.

And I think everything we do as a business and as a government is to ensure that we take everybody into an account -- into account and not forget the fact that the airlines are only part of it.  And so that’s an important part.

And then, again, from a health perspective, I don’t know that there’s another nation that has more powerful pull back to branding than the U.S.  And anything that comes out of the U.S. is going to be accepted.

So thank you for the efforts.  Ambassador, it was wonderful -- those conversations.

And then, lastly, this is the big ask from our perspective: You know, we are global.  We fly over 60 countries.  And this isn’t a China question; this is just a general aspect of -- when the world restarts to fly, it's historically every government, every country will have its own regulatory scheme to start flying.  That is called patchwork.  That is not harmonization.

In order to get the economy going and flying, from a perspective of the entire planet, it's important that we work with your teams to get that harmonization and avoid patchwork.

THE PRESIDENT:  Good.

MR. MUNOZ:  So, thank you again for everything.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Oscar.  I appreciate it.  You've been very much a factor in what we've done.  You've been really helpful.  We appreciate it.

Larry Kudlow, please.

MR. KUDLOW:  Thank you, sir.  Thanks to everybody who has come here and worked with us.  And I hope everything continues apace.

You know, I -- we'd try to follow -- Kevin Hassett and I try to follow these high-frequency economic indicators, and my little list is growing.  I'll just rattle it off because things -- as things open safely -- I say that because Deb is here -- truckloads, freight shipping, air travel, hotel bookings, TSA travelers all starting to shoot up.  They're really green shoots.

You mentioned the stock market, sir, which has done very well.  Apple mobility, gasoline demand, tremendous housing demand, applications for mortgages, and so forth are actually now pre-pandemic levels again with low interest rates.

And we had a number today from the income report: The saving rates, sir, is 33 percent for the month of April -- 33 percent -- which is to say, we've given them a lot of income.  Government income has boosted things -- liquidity, cash, and so forth.  Steven's great efforts on Capitol Hill.  And, of course, the stores have been closed; they have nowhere to spend.  So they're saving at a 33 percent rate.  That's almost 10 times the norm.

So, that -- my final point -- as we open and as the stores open, we are going to see a boom in spending --

THE PRESIDENT:  I think so.

MR. KUDLOW:  -- and at the stores.

THE PRESIDENT:  I agree.

MR. KUDLOW:  A boom.

THE PRESIDENT:  I think we're starting to see it.

MR. KUDLOW:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  I think you're going to be very -- people going to be very surprised.  We're going to have a great third quarter, a great fourth quarter.  I think next year is going to be one of our better years.  So, that's really great.  Thank you very much, Larry.

MR. KUDLOW:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  So, Jay Clayton is the head of the SEC -- Securities and Exchange Commission -- and he's done a fantastic job.  And I thought, maybe, I'd invite him up.  And you could say a few words, if you'd like, Jay.

CHAIRMAN CLAYTON:  Thank you, Mr. President.  What I'm going to say is I appreciate the information that your companies have given us today.  Investors want to understand the operational and financial challenges you’re facing.  The more they understand them, whether they're good or bad -- the more your plans are solid for overcoming them, the more confidence they have, and our markets work better.

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Secretary Mnuchin and our friends at the Fed for the way they have supported our markets through this uncertain time.  And I really want to thank the many companies who've been very candid with their disclosure about where they stand.  That's what our investors expect, and I think you've done a terrific job giving our investors what they expect.  And I look forward to continuing to work with you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Jay.  Thank you.

Southwest Airlines, what a great company.  Go ahead.

MR. KELLY:  Well, thanks, Mr. President.  It's a pleasure to be here on behalf of all the Southwest people.  And my name is Gary Kelly.  And again, I want to thank you.  I want to thank Secretary Mnuchin.

The CARES Act was exactly what we needed.  The speed and the scope were just absolutely breathtaking.  Before the markets were closed and after that, the markets opened up -- and we've been able to do a significant amount of financing.  So, thank you.  It was -- it was just the right thing for our economy.

I'll just mirror -- echo what several have already said, in terms of the business.  We got down to about 2 percent of the normal traffic volumes, and are up well beyond that, thank goodness.  We're not there, but I'll take 15 percent, as opposed to two.  So, we've got a long way to go, but the trends are in the right direction.

I think what is important is to make sure that our employees and our customers know that it is safe.  And that is our number one priority: to make sure that we have a healthy and safe environment.  Again, I'll echo a lot of what Oscar has already covered.  But we published the Southwest Promise in early May, and it addresses cleaning of the airport, deep cleaning of the airplane.  We require a mask of our customer-facing employees, as well as our customers.  We are not booking the airplanes full, so that the middle seats are open to allow for physical distancing.  And it's a layered approach.

The one thing that we would like to see, and I know that the administration is looking very carefully at this, is to add a health screening at the TSA checkpoint.  I think a temperature check like we had today coming into the White House would be very sensible --

THE PRESIDENT:  Right.

MR. KELLY: -- along with a health declaration.  And we're working closely with the TSA on that point.

I think -- beyond that, I think ongoing tax burden reduction would be very helpful in terms of ticket taxes.  I know we've got a ticket tax holiday for 2020.  As sales begin to pick up and airlines begin to get back on their feet, that could be something worth looking at.

And I think for all of us, some sensible form of liability protection, which I know is also a topic that would make great sense.

But we applaud all that the administration is doing.  I think the key, indeed, is to get treatments for when people are sick, number one, so that they're confident that they will quickly get back on their feet.  And then, number two, ultimately getting a vaccine.  When that happens, I think that things will absolutely take off.

Lastly, again, I wanted to thank you all for the support with a Payroll Support Program.  We've never had a furlough or a layoff or a pay cut in our history at Southwest, and we sure don't want to have that now.  So, thank you, again, and we're going to fight the good fight here.

THE PRESIDENT:  And thank you, Gary.  Great job you do, for a long time.  Thank you very much.

Deborah, please.

DR. BIRX:  Thank you, Mr. President.  We've made amazing progress together with the American people and with you all.  As you heard, the President described new hospitalizations are down month over month by 50 percent.  Mortality -- the fatalities that we all grieve are down significantly, week over week.

We're excitingly really finding governors and mayors being able to respond to the epidemic in a new way: proactive testing, finding new cases, contact tracing, and stopping outbreaks.  We're seeing that over and over again, county by county, metro by metro.

I think we're working with all of the healthcare providers, because just as we want to open up America safely, we want to make sure every American has access to healthcare.  We want to see our babies immunized.  We want to see them at their well-baby checkups.  We want to see pregnant women cared for in their appointments.  And we want to see the hospitals back, caring for people, and doing elective surgery, and ensuring people are getting their cancer screenings.

So as we open up the economy, we also want to assure the Americans are not only COVID-free, but have all their healthcare taken care of.

THE PRESIDENT:  So you're seeing much improved numbers?

DR. BIRX:  Much improved numbers.  And I think this proactive testing -- having enough tests available not only for diagnosing at the hospitals and clinic, but having an abundance of testing available to really be able to do what we talk about is proactive surveillance.  Going into nursing homes and then testing 100 percent of the residents, 100 percent of the workers; working in food processing plants to test everyone that is there and really stopping outbreaks before they start.

This asymptomatic piece is a -- is unique among diseases.  And we have that in HIV; we have it in this -- in this particular respiratory disease.  And so you have to test proactively to find the asymptomatic.

No one intends to infect others; they just don't know they're infected themselves.  And so, working with states and governors and mayors to really set up those testing sites has really been extraordinary.  And having a testing available at that level -- I think we're about 350-, 400,000 tests today.  We're up to having tested 5 percent of every American in less than two months.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s fantastic.  That’s great.  I wish the press would report it.  But someday they will.  Someday they're going to do that.  Thank you very much, Deborah.  I appreciate it.  A lot of progress has been made.  Great job you're doing.  Thank you.

Please.

MR. GOLDNER:  Hi, Mr. President.  I'm Brian Goldner with Hasbro.  And thank you for your leadership and for working closely with the private sector to reopen the American economy.  You may know that Hasbro is a nearly 100-year-old, Rhode Island-based play and entertainment company with brands like Monopoly, Transformers, Play-Doh, Peppa Pig, and Nerf.  And it's really an honor to be here today.

It's also an incredible honor to see how our brands are resonating with consumers.  More people getting together and connecting and playing with games and brands like Play-Doh as they spend time together.  We were talking as we were coming together today just how people are making new connections.  And we're very excited about that.  And then the reopening of the economy.

And I also have to thank you for the partnership that we've had over time with Director Kudlow, and it's great to get the support that we've seen from Secretary Mnuchin as well.

You know, from health screenings, to interactive handbooks, safe return to the office, safe social distancing, staggering shifts in our warehouses and factory floors, we are safely reopening U.S. businesses.

If we could go to the next slide.

We've worked closely with governors in our region -- the Rhode Island governor, Raimondo, and the Massachusetts governor Baker -- to design safe reopening guidelines.  I'm especially proud of our Hasbro safety folks and operations.  We've set a standard in our factories and warehouse operations across the country for consumer goods manufacturers.  In fact, we're training other consumer goods manufacturers to help them open safely in the U.S., from Massachusetts to Texas.

So, again, I'm very pleased to be here. I'm very proud of our employees.  They're all very excited about getting back to work.  And we've been working all along.  And as our factories closed down during certain times over the last few months, our teams came together to make face shields in our factories -- 50,000 a week -- to give --

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s right.

MR. GOLDNER:  -- to healthcare workers.  And we've made good use of those factories.  And we're now happy to see them back up and running.  And so thank you again.  And thank you for your leadership.

THE PRESIDENT:  Great job, Brian.  That's really great.

MR. GOLDNER:  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  We appreciate that too.  Thank you very much.

MR. HOFFMANN:  Hi.  Thank you, Mr. President.  And great to be here.  Thank you to the team -- your leadership team as well.  And look, I'm here representing our great franchisees for both brands, Dunkin’ and Baskin.  I don't think a lot of people realize that we're 100 percent franchised, and so big brand names powered by small, independent business owners.

And we've got a -- we've got a saying in the company that we think we've been “getting America running” for nearly 70 years.  And when this crisis hit, it was about keeping the communities running, but it was also about getting America working again.

And so we've been guided by one simple principle -- on the next slide -- that we've been talking about is, it's been about doing the right thing in the communities we serve.  And 90 percent of our restaurants have remained open during the crisis.  We've rallied around that mantra of “people over profits,” and doing the right thing there.  And look, we're very proud that we didn't have to furlough or do layoffs during all of that.

And look, our great franchisees, I'm really proud of the work that they've been doing in the communities they serve.  They live in these communities.  They're proud to be there.  They serve probably coffee, doughnuts, ice cream to over 300 hospitals; they continue to do that.  They raised $1.5 million for food banks, including the Capitol Food Bank here in our backyard here in D.C. as well.

And so, as somebody said, we're starting to see a lot of hope and optimism in our business today.  We're seeing really good signs of encouraging green shoots right now.  We're working with the franchisees, again, to get America working again, looking at a really aggressive hiring campaign over the summer.

But I'd say it's three areas that we focused on that was really a good north star for us.  And the first was, we got in early on a lot of the safety measures, making investments in safety measures as brand standards across both brands.

But for us and brands like Dunkin’ and Baskin, our mission is to give the consumer as many ways to access your brand on their terms.  We know there's a lot of consumers out there that have varying levels of comfort in terms of what's going on right now.  So whether it's drive-through, curbside, pickup windows, delivery -- you'll hear a lot about digital today as well -- giving the consumer as many options, as many choices to access your brand is important.

And I think the last thing -- I'll repeat what a few other people have said -- thank you to you and your administration and the federal government for the PPP program.  That has really allowed us to keep our franchisees standing up, allowed them to continue to serve the communities and keep America working.

And my ask in all of this would be, the second round -- second version of this that sailed through the House, the flexibility plan on PPP, I'm just hoping that, you know, it's -- it sails through cleanly and gets to your desk to be signed because that's another great example of helping small, independent business owners, like our franchisees, keep America working right now.

So thank you for your consideration.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, David, very much.

MR. HOFFMANN:  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Appreciate it.

MR. MCMULLEN:  Thank you, President Trump.  And I really appreciate the invitation to talk about reopening businesses in America.  My name is Rodney McMullan.  I'm the chairman and CEO of Kroger.  I represent over 500,000 associates, and we've hired over 100,000 people over the last two months.  And, you know, our job is to keep our supply chain operating -- fresh, affordable food and essentials.  And we operate 2,800 stores, 35 manufacturing plants, 44 distribution facilities.

If you look at our associates, we've invested over $800 million in safety procedures and rewards for our associates over the last eight, nine weeks.  Obviously, we all do everything we can to make sure we keep our employees safe and -- on a daily basis.

If you look at our customers, we have 11 million people a day that come into our stores.  So, the things that we're doing to protect our employees, we're also doing the same thing to protect our customers.

We use every available way of trying to remind customers on social distancing: limiting the number of people in the stores;  we have an in-store radio network that, every 15 minutes, we remind people of, you know, social distancing.  But everything that we can do, we’re trying to remind people to stay safe and do things.

We also are supporting our business and continuing to make sure that we have a viable, strong business over time and supporting the communities that we operate in.

Over the last year, working with local food banks, we've been able to provide, over -- over the last three years, over a billion meals with local food banks.  And it's something that -- you know, in the United States, no one should have to go to bed tonight hungry.  We have so many resources as a country, and together we can eliminate food waste.  And when we eliminate food waste, we can make sure that no one goes to bed hungry.

Obviously, it was one of the things that we thought it would be helpful to pay forward.  As a company that's operated throughout the pandemic, we've learned a lot.  And one of the things you'll learn is: Be agile and move quickly, and if you think you should do something, you probably should do it.

With that, we developed a 59-page blueprint that we made public, and we've shared it.  And I know -- the other day, I was on the “Today Show,” and they asked me like four times, “Why would you do that?”  And one of the things that was incredibly helpful for us is other retailers across the world that were in front of us, from the pandemic standpoint -- was nice enough to share their learnings with us.  And we thought it was only fair and appropriate for us to share our learnings with others.

We've had over 100,000 site visits on that.  We've had over 26,000 individuals and companies download that.  We get a ton of notes from small companies, in terms of their appreciation.

You know, if you look at all the companies in this room, we have a lot of resources.  But if you think about somebody with 50 employees or 100 employees or 200 employees, the resources they have is just not the same as us.  So sharing that across is been something that's been important and it's a real pleasure to represent all the Kroger associates and being able to help America get started again.

So, thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Rodney, very much.  And thank you for all the help too.  You've been right from the beginning.  Appreciate it.

MR. MCMULLEN:  I’m happy to.  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.

Kevin, please.

MR. HASSETT:  Thank you, sir.  Sir, I think that you can sense the optimism around the room that businesses -- really, a cross-section of American businesses collected here are getting back to work.  And I think this cross-section is extraordinarily representative of what we're seeing all around America.

And, as Larry mentioned, as you know -- and as you require us, we watch every little detail of the economy every day.  And there are now 27 states -- 27 states where more than 75 percent of the businesses are open.  That was almost none a few weeks ago.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  That’s great.

MR. HASSETT:  And there are 28 states where 80 percent of the workforce is back to work.

And so the question then becomes -- and it’s last thing I'll say -- that the people in this room are saying, “Yes, but will we have demand for our product?”

And what we learned today in the personal income report that Larry said is, because you required historic policy action, we got money to people who needed it while they were laid off.  Because of big unemployment insurance checks and because of the $1,200 checks that we mailed people, they have the income -- now that the economies are starting again -- to go out and demand product.  And so we're very, very bullish on what's going on with the restart, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Kevin.  Appreciate it.

MR. BALLOTTI:  Mr. President, thank you, on behalf of 7,000 small-business owners.  Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world's largest franchiser -- great state of New Jersey.

And we have -- if I could have the first slide up -- remarkably remained open throughout this crisis.  Much like Dave and Dunkin’, our hotels here in the United States really never closed.  We were -- we were serving frontline workers.  We were serving the National Guard emergency workers.

And -- and a large part of that had to do -- if I could have the next slide -- to the support that -- and we really have to -- the industry has to call out Secretary Mnuchin.  And he -- you've been there for us all along.  You've listened to us.  The PPP act has been monumental.  Ninety-five percent of our franchisees have applied for either a PPP or an EIDL loan.  And we estimate, from the surveys that we're hearing back, that 80 percent of them have received one of those.  And they view it as -- as an absolute lifeline.

So, as what Dave said is most important -- this is going to be a long recovery, even though we've remained open -- the most important thing for our franchisees is -- is seeing this -- this amendment to the 75/25 rule, which -- which is in the bill.  Seeing the expansion of that loan term from two years to five years.  I mean, that's -- that's critical for our small-business owners.

And extending, as the Secretary and I were talking earlier, our ability to -- to rehire those employees that we have had to furlough, to be able to bring them back, not have it expire on June 30, but have that continue till the end of the year is -- is critical for us.

We also think the idea of a temporary travel tax to spur leisure travel is important, and we know the administration is in -- in favor of that.  And bringing back the full deductibility of necessary business expenses to spur business travel would be very, very helpful to opening -- opening our -- our country up again.

Because as -- as Oscar said, as Gary said, just as planes are safe, hotels are safe.  They're safe because we've been safe throughout this crisis with -- with, again, 90 percent of our hotels operating at low occupancy.  Demand is coming back, but we need -- we need those consumers to feel safe.

And we just thank you for everything that you and the Secretary and Congress is doing on -- on this industry's behalf because it's going to be a tough road back.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it’s going away, but I think we'll have vaccines, and I think we're going to have therapeutics, and maybe even beyond that.  Maybe a cure.  And it won't be in the long distance.  So I -- I really think that's going to be helpful.  And regardless, it's going away, but that would certainly speed up the process.  So we appreciate it, Geoff.  Thank you very much.

Gene?

SECRETARY SCALIA:  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. President.  Thank you for bringing together so many great companies -- different companies, different sectors of the economy that have -- some that have been affected really very different ways during the pandemic: some able to stay open, some really having great difficulty doing it.

But one thing we've heard today, and we had conversations earlier before the meeting got underway: I think all of them are very, very focused on safety -- safety of their customers, safety of their employees.  I don't think there's been a time when American businesses have been as focused on safety as -- as they are right now.  And that's a great thing for bringing customers back, bringing workers back.

It's -- it’s been a focus of ours at the Labor Department, actually, since January.  We've tried to help American workers through this crisis in so many different ways.  But as early as January, we were helping providing guidance, guidelines to businesses.  We've now put out guidelines to 16 different specific industries on how they can reopen safely.

We'll continue to do that so that companies understand what's expected of them, can have confidence in what they need to do, and -- and same for workers.  And -- and we're mindful that not every company is going to focus the right way on these things.  So we'll continue to respond to employee concerns, complaints as they come in.

As Larry and Kevin said, Mr. President, we -- we've turned a corner.  We put out unemployment numbers yesterday showing that, for the first time since February, the number of people on unemployment dropped.  And -- and that's -- that's great that the number filing is still much higher than we want.

THE PRESIDENT: That’s a -- that’s a good sign.  That’s a good sign, isn’t it?

SECRETARY SCALIA:  We -- we've turned the corner, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Good.

SECRETARY SCALIA:  And -- and we'll get back there to that extraordinary economy that you built so recently, and we're going to do it safely.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Gene, very much.

A man who's done a very good job -- Microsoft.  That's a good job they've done, Deborah, right?  Thank you very much.

MR. SMITH:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  And, you know, I just think this is a fascinating conversation because it really shows how each industry is unique.  And as an economy, we need to meet the needs of every industry and put the economy together.

You know, not surprisingly, when you're in a business, and you're in a sector that creates the tools that people can use to work from home, it's not difficult to have your own employees work from home.  And that's what we've been doing.

But I think our mission in this first phase has really been much broader than that.  It's been twofold:

One is to provide the data resources and the technology to support the public health needs of the country, from public health agencies, to hospitals, to the researchers, as you mentioned, who are on the quest for a vaccine and therapeutics and the like.

And I think more broadly, it is better to work with, frankly, many of these companies around this table to sustain the economy these past few months so that employees could work from home, so students could study from home, so that the government could operate from home when that was needed.

Now it's all about phase two.  And I think you put it well: It's all about both protecting public health and reopening the economy.  And here we see, in some ways, something that may look more like a dial than a switch as we go through a series of phases.  We think we'll likely continue to see different industries with different needs.

We do see technology playing some new and important roles.  And on this slide, which you have to stand within three feet of to read, you'll see the nine different areas where we see different public health needs.  But there's three I want to call out because I think they're especially important for the private sector.

The first is the ability to use technology to work with people to detect the disease.  I thought the reference to a health declaration was a really good one.  It makes sense at an airport.  Many employers are going to want that on some kind of self-attestation basis for their employees.  It doesn't make sense to do it on a piece of paper.

THE PRESIDENT:  Right.

MR. SMITH:  We were developing an app for our employees.  We realized, "Well, everybody's employees need this."  So we're now partnering with United Health Group so it can be made available to everybody.

The second layer that I think is really important for the private sector is that -- is the tracing capability.  And, you know, we're seeing both companies like Microsoft and others work to create tracing technology that can be used by individuals, that can be deployed by employers, or by public health agencies.

And then the last is notification -- exposure notification that can be done by individuals with public health officers.

I think the key to all of this is captured in the next slide.  We want people to be comfortable using this technology.  We need to protect people's privacy so that they know that they're not putting their personal information at risk when they use technology in this new way.  So we're very committed to doing that.

In closing, I would say, when you step back from this, this is also the right time to close the broadband gap, which you're addressing through stimulus efforts --

THE PRESIDENT:  Right.  We are.

MR. SMITH:  -- and I think there are more.  It's the right time to invest in more skilling, because we are going to see more jobs demand more digital skills than we did six months ago.  And it's the right time to maintain the focus, as you have said, on testing.

You noted the progress.  We've noticed the progress.  We appreciate the progress.  But I think even more than the progress is, frankly, the high ambition level the administration has set to sustain that progress.  Because, I think, by fall, if we want students to return to college campuses, if we want more employees to feel safe in the workplace, we're going to see more private sector institutions wanting the ability to test people even when they're asymptomatic.

And so that progress, I think, will be another one of the fundamental ingredients that we'll need.  So, thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.  And your first picture was so beautiful -- the picture of the White House.  I don't think I've ever seen one more beautiful than that.  (Laughter.)  I don't know.  You must have something very special over at Microsoft.  But wasn’t that was the beautiful?  We appreciate it.  Thank you very much, Brad.

Thank you very much.  Do you have any questions, please? Any for the great executives?

Q    Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.

Q    It's obviously been a long day for a lot of Americans.  But I'd like to give you an opportunity to address some of your tweets from this morning.  You tweeted, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts."  How would you know that phrase and not know its racially charged history?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I've heard that phrase for a long time.  I don't know where it came from or where it originated.  I view that phrase as --

Q    In 1967, the Miami Police Chief used it --

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I don't know.  I've also heard from many other places.  But I've heard it for a long time, as most people have.  And frankly, it means when there's looting, people get shot and they die.  And if you look at what happened last night, and the night before, you see that.  It's very common.  And that's the way that was meant, and that's the way I think it was supposed to be meant.  But I don't know where it came from.  I don't know where it originated.  I wouldn't know a thing like that.

But I will say it's very accurate in the sense that when you do have looting, like you had last night, people often get shot and they die.  And that's not good.  And we don't want that to happen.

Yeah, please.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  In the past, you've criticized NFL players for their protests against police brutality.  Given what we've seen with George Floyd and what we saw with the delays in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, does that change your views around those NFL protests?

And also, given that you had a message for those in the streets in Minneapolis, do you have a statement to make about the police that are involved in such police brutality incidents?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, I didn't like what I saw at all.  I thought it was a terrible thing, a terrible picture.  I think that it's -- it's sad in so many ways, from the standpoint of the family.  When you look at George Floyd and his family, and you see what that's done to them, just -- just a terrible thing.  It’s -- he was in tremendous pain, obviously, and couldn't breathe.  It was very obvious to anybody that watched it.  It was a very, very sad thing for me to see that.

We also know that most policemen -- you see the great job they do; they do a fantastic job -- but this was a terrible insult to police and to policemen.  And I know the Justice Department will -- as you know, it's a local -- local case.  But I know the Justice Department is also looking at it very strongly.

Q    And does that change your views around, like, the NFL protests?

THE PRESIDENT:  Say it again?  I can’t --

Q    Does that change your views around the NFL protests on this issue?  They were peaceful protests.  Does that change your mind -- your stance on that at all?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, it should be a peaceful protest.  I think, really, the -- in memory of George Floyd, I think it should be peaceful.  It's -- it's terrible.

They -- I spoke with his family today.  Terrific people.  I think it's so bad for the memory when you see a thing like that going on.  And hopefully that won't happen tonight.

And, as you know, the National Guard has arrived, and they're there.  But hopefully everything will be very different tonight.  Last night was very sad on many different levels.

Yeah, please.  Yeah, please.

Q    Referencing your Rose Garden event, we see tensions with China over the virus, now over Hong Kong.  Are we witnessing the start of a cold war between the United States and China?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we're certainly not happy with what happened with respect to China.  They have a virus that started, and when it got out of control, perhaps -- I assume that's what happened; it got out of control, whichever way -- and they stopped it from going to China, but they didn't stop it from going to the rest of the world.  So, nobody likes that.  That was not good.  They did not do a good job.

So I don’t know if it was incompetence or it was done for some other reason.  But I know that I didn't see anything in Beijing and I didn't see anything in other Chinese cities, but I did see them in New York, in London, in Paris.  We saw them in Spain and we saw them in Italy.  We saw that the enemy -- the invisible enemy -- come out.  And all over the world -- 186 countries, and probably more than that now.  And they stopped it in China, but they didn't stop it going to Europe and the United States and the rest of the world.  So what's that all about?  And we have to do a very strong study and figure that out.

Q    If I could follow up: Are you going to eliminate the special status for Hong Kong?  I know you announced the measures (inaudible).

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re talking about doing a lot of things.  And we're not -- we're very, very saddened by what happened to our relationship with China.

They should have never allowed this to happen.  They could have stopped it at the source.  We asked them to come in and help them and they didn't want help from anybody.  Even the World Health Organization, they wanted to go in and they were delayed.  But we asked to go in, very specifically, and they didn't want any help.  They didn't need any help.  And then it got out of control in some form.  But it didn't seem to get out of control when it came to going to other parts of China, because it didn't go very far.  But it did come to the United States.  It did come to Europe.  It went all over the world.

Q    Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, please.

Q    Your conversation with the Floyd family after the Rose Garden event, what was the thing you were trying to impress upon them?  And did they have a message for you?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I just expressed my sorrow.  That was a horrible thing to witness.  And I -- I've seen bad things.  I've seen many bad things.  And that was just a -- just a horrible thing to witness and to watch.  And it would certainly look like there was no excuse for it, frankly.

Q    Did they have a message for you at all?  Did they communicate (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT:  They were grieving very much.  Look, it was their brother, and they were grieving.  And I could see very much that they loved their brother.  Okay?

Q    Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, in the back.  Please.  Go ahead.  Please.  

Q    Thank you so much, Mr. President.  The United States and Brazil right now have more cases than -- of COVID-19 than any other country.  Can you understand me?  I want --

THE PRESIDENT:  “Brazil” you said?

Q    Yes.  I -- my question is: There are many comparisons between the way you and the Brazilian President handled the pandemic.  Do you think it’s a fair comparison?  And how long do you think the travel ban will be in place?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, the Brazilian President is a friend of mine, and he's working very hard, and they do have a big, big outbreak.  And I can tell you, he's a -- he's a very good man, and he loves his country incredibly well.  They've had a hard time.  There's no question about it.  They went a different route than we did.

Q    He is against --

THE PRESIDENT:  We did a shutdown.  They decided to do it a different way.  They're having a very hard time.

Q    He is against social distancing at the moment where the Brazil is --

THE PRESIDENT:  Could you take that -- just for a second?

Q    Sure.

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, it’s --

Q    He's against social distancing and lockdown at the moment where the numbers in Brazil are skyrocketing.  What do you think about that?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, he went a different way.  Brazil went a different way, and certainly they're having a hard time.  I don't want to be critical of anybody because I have great respect for him and he's doing a very good job with the country.  Then he got hit.

He got hit like everybody else.  They went about it differently than us.  I closed down from China, I closed down from Europe, and we did a lot of close-downs.  We had to close down from Brazil.  You're asking about Brazil; we closed down, as you know, the other night from Brazil.

But he's -- it’s a tough time they're having in Brazil.  It’s a great country, great place, great people, but they're having a very tough time.

Q    How long do you think the ban will be in place for Brazil?

THE PRESIDENT:  I hope we can --

Q    And are you also thinking Russia and -- and India?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  I’d like to take the ban off as soon as we can.  Okay?

Q    Yeah.  Mr. --

THE PRESIDENT:  Soon as we can.  Yes, please.

Q    Yeah, Mr. President, do you believe that there's a problem with police brutality in America?  And if you do, what -- what would you do about it?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think that police brutality certainly is something that we've been hearing about, reading about, studying -- I have -- for many years.  And we all have to say, and I think most people would admit, that most of the policemen and women that I've seen have been outstanding.

When you have something like this happen, you really -- you look at it, and you just say, “How does a thing like that happen?”  Because it just seems so bad to watch.

But our police have been very outstanding.  Our crime rates are way down right now in this country.  And -- way down.  The police have done a great job.  Something like this happens and you really say, “That’s so -- that’s so bad in so many different ways and -- and so unfortunate.”

Q    You see the -- the rate --

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, please.  Go ahead.

Q    Yes, Mr. President, it certainly seems like you're sympathetic to some of the frustration expressed by the protesters last night.  I want to ask you: First off, do you think there were good people out protesting in Minneapolis last night?  And also --

THE PRESIDENT:  Did you say were they -- say it.  Were there good people?

Q    Were -- were there good people among the protesters?

And then also, more broadly, what is your message to black Americans and others who just are really frustrated and saddened to see another video of a black man being killed in police custody?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, certainly there were a lot of different people, and they were good people too.  And they were protesting, and they were protesting for the right reason.  They were protesting in honor of a man, George Floyd, where something happened that shouldn't have happened.

My opinion, from what I've seen: Certainly something happened that shouldn't have happened.  And, yeah, you had a lot of people out there that were protesting out of sorrow.

And then you had people that got out of control -- some people.  And they did a very -- I think they did a great disservice to their state and to their city and to -- to, really, our country, what they did last night.

And we brought in the National Guard today and they're there, and that won't happen again.  It can't happen again.  We can never let that happen again.  That was run by the mayor of a city, and it got -- in all fairness to him, he was in a tough position, but I don't think they were very well prepared.  But we brought in the National Guard.  They'll be very prepared tonight.

Thank you all very much.  Thank you, please.  Thank you.

                                             END                5:49 P.M. EDT