Pence Asks Governors to Mislead Public About Coronavirus Cases

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Vice President Mike Pence asked the nation’s governors during a private call to mislead the public about the actual number of coronavirus cases in their states, according to audio obtained by the New York Times.

“I would just encourage you all, as we talk about these things, to make sure and continue to explain to your citizens the magnitude of increase in testing,” Pence said on the call. “And that in most of the cases where we are seeing some marginal rise in number, that’s more resolved by the extraordinary work you’re doing.”

Pence also encouraged to “share the progress” the Trump administration is making.

An official White House readout of the call notes that “Vice President Pence led a discussion of best practices from our Nation’s governors on reopening their States and communities in a phased-approach including efforts to support small businesses and workforce development, expanding testing, supporting long-term care residents and healthcare workers, and increasing healthcare capacity.”

“Participants discussed the significant surge in testing capacity across the Nation,” the readout mentions.

The news comes as several areas of the United States contend with significant spikes in coronavirus infections after reopening their economies, often against the advice from the medical and policy communities. Yesterday, President Donald Trump made headlines for dismissing the uptick in coronavirus cases.

“If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any,” the president said, the latest development in a week that’s seen him push even harder against concerns that his planned rally this Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, could result in a more dramatic spike in infections.