During Trump's latest presser centered on COVID-19 containment efforts, he dedicated some time to again defend his continued use of the term "Chinese virus" and fielded a question about the public perception that wealthy and/or "well-connected" people appear to have easier access to getting tested for the novel coronavirus.
When asked by reporter Peter Alexander how "non-symptomatic professional athletes [are] getting tests while others are waiting in line and can't get them" and to clarify whether "the well-connected go to the front of the line," Trump both disagreed and chalked it all up to perceived preferential treatment being merely part of "the story of life."
"Well, you'd have to ask them that question. ... No, I wouldn't say so but perhaps that's been the story of life. That does happen on occasion. I've noticed where some people have been tested fairly quickly."
From there, Trump blamed testing frustrations on what he deemed an "obsolete system" that's either "out of date or [was] never meant to take care of" the current number of affected people.
As you may have guessed, that whole "story of life" thing quickly lit up the discourse, particularly in the wake of public figures like Idris Elba and Kevin Durant's recent announcement of positive COVID-19 tests:
Also on Wednesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Trump had agreed to dispatch a U.S. Navy hospital ship to New York harbor to assist with the problem of crowded local hospitals. Prior to the announcement, House lawmakers wrote to Trump and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday requesting immediate use of the ship.
"As always, we are confident that the Navy will rise to the occasion when called upon by our nation, and we thank you in advance for your assistance," lawmakers said in the Hill-cited letter earlier this week.
