President Donald Trump on Monday responded to the critical shortage of medical supplies at many US hospitals by dismissing a new inspector general report — based on testimony from hundreds of the nation's front-line medical facilities — as "wrong."
The inspectors general of the Department of Health and Human Services released a report on Monday claiming that “hospitals are reporting a ‘severe’ shortage of testing supplies and a ‘widespread’ lack of N95 masks and other personal protective equipment,” according to Business Insider. The findings came from interviews with the staff of 323 hospitals.
However, Trump dismissed the HHS report. “Did I hear the word 'inspector general'? Really? It's wrong,” he responded when asked during a press conference on Monday afternoon. “Give me the name of the inspector general. Could politics be entered into that?”
“We're the federal government,” Trump added. “We're not supposed to stand on street corners doing testing. They [state and local governments] do the testing.”
According to the findings of the HHS Inspector General, one of the major challenges faced by hospitals is the lack of testing kits, which limits their ability to monitor patients. “Hospitals reported that they were unable to keep up with COVID-19 testing demands because they lacked complete kits and/or the individual components and supplies needed to complete tests,” the report said.
Another problem is the lack of protective personal equipment (PPE). “Hospitals reported that widespread shortages of PPE put staff and patients at risk,” the report said. “Hospitals reported that heavier use of PPE than normal was contributing to the shortage and that the lack of a robust supply chain was delaying or preventing them from restocking PPE needed to protect staff.”
Fox News reporter Kristin Fisher asked Trump about the “severe shortage” testing materials mentioned by the report. “You should say ‘congratulations, great job,’ instead of being so horrid in the way you ask a question,” the POTUS replied, according to Vox.
Trump also berated another reporter for not telling him that the HHS Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm, who wrote the report, also worked under the Obama administration.
“You’re a third-rate reporter. What you just said is a disgrace,” he told ABC’s Jon Karl. “You will never make it.”