15 min ago
Hospital ships preparing to deploy, but could still take a few weeks to arrive in New York
From CNN's Barbara Starr
The US Naval Hospital Ship Comfort sits docked at the Port of Miami in Miami, Florida on June 18, 2019. Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images
The US Navy hospital USNS Comfort could still be a “few weeks” away from arriving in New York, a US defense official tells CNN.
Both Navy hospital ships have “prepare to deploy” orders, two defense officials said. President Trump said Wednesday they’d launch in the next week or so.
Both ships will start getting ready, with crew and medical staff.
It is expected at this point the medical staff will be trauma care specialists, at least to begin with, so their presence can free up bed space in New York City hospitals. They will try for all due speed to get there, the officials said.
"I mean, that's what we're fighting. I mean, it's a very tough situation here," he went on. "You have to do things. You have to close parts of an economy that six weeks ago were the best they've ever been. We had the best economy we've ever had. And then one day you have to close it down in order to defeat this enemy, and, but we're doing it and we're doing it well.""I view it — in a sense as a wartime president," Trump said after announcing he was invoking the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law allowing the government to mandate production of equipment.
41 min ago
Trump sees country on wartime footing, calls himself a "wartime president"
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
President Trump says he sees the country on wartime footing and himself as a "wartime president" amid a raging coronavirus crisis.
"I do," Trump said when asked if he sees the country at war with the disease. "I'm looking at it that way."
"I mean, that's what we're fighting. I mean, it's a very tough situation here," he went on. "You have to do things. You have to close parts of an economy that six weeks ago were the best they've ever been. We had the best economy we've ever had. And then one day you have to close it down in order to defeat this enemy, and, but we're doing it and we're doing it well."
Trump praised the nation's citizens for their response.
"The American people have been incredible — for the most part," he said.