U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the fast spreading coronavirus to free up $50 billion in federal aid and said he would “most likely” be tested for the virus himself soon after facing possible exposure.
Mr. Trump made the announcement at a Rose Garden news conference as he battled to show Americans he is aggressively addressing the health crisis after facing criticism that he was slow to react and played down the threat until the number of cases rose.
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Mr. Trump cautioned that Americans will have to make sacrifices and change their daily practices, a stark difference from two weeks ago when he said people should use common sense but otherwise not change their routines.
“It could get worse. The next eight weeks will be critical,” he said.
The president appeared on stage with members of his coronavirus task force and business executives after meeting them inside the White House over how to accelerate testing of Americans for the virus to better track the contagion’s spread.
Shaking hands freely with the gathered business executives, the 73-year-old Mr. Trump later acknowledged he expected to be tested for the virus. He had come into contact with a Brazilian official last Saturday who later tested positive for coronavirus.
“Most likely, yeah, most likely. Not for that reason but because I think I will do it anyway,” Mr. Trump said. “Fairly soon. We’re working out a schedule.”
“We have no symptoms whatsoever,” he said to a question about whether he should get a test.
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Mr. Trump said Walmart Inc Chief Executive Doug McMillon had agreed to set up drive-thru testing at store parking lots across the