381,000 Passengers Entered the US from China After Virus Emerged, Before Restrictions In Place
Nearly 40,000 People Have Arrived From China After Trump’s Travel Restrictions Imposed
46 Countries Had Already Restricted Travel From China by Time Trump Did
Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus War Room will begin airing a new TV ad blasting President Trump for his failed response to coronavirus by debunking his claims about his much-touted China travel ban. The 30-second spot, titled “Bungled,” will first air on Fox News’ Fox & Friends and MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday morning.
Donald Trump has repeatedly pointed to his China travel restrictions as evidence that he acted early and effectively to curb the spread of coronavirus in the United States. But the facts show that Trump not only didn’t act early but that the so-called ban just wasn’t effective.
“Donald Trump keeps touting his travel restrictions on China to distract from his failure to prepare our nation for the coronavirus threat. But the facts tell a very different story,” said Zac Petkanas, Coronavirus War Room Director. “Trump’s so-called travel ban was smoke and mirrors from day one. It wasn’t early, didn’t effectively stop travel, and didn’t follow the advice of experts. Now, thousands of Americans are losing their lives, overwhelmed hospitals are facing massive shortages, and millions are without jobs. We will continue to hold Trump accountable for his failed leadership and ensure Americans know the truth about his record.”
Since U.S. officials became aware of coronavirus in the end of December, 430,000 people have traveled from China to the U.S., with thousands flying directly from Wuhan. There were over 1,000 flights to 17 cities before Trump signed his restrictions. In the two months since Trump restricted travel from China, nearly 40,000 travelers have flown from China to the U.S. on nearly 279 flights. Beyond the “ban” itself being ineffective, Trump continues to wrongly claim that he acted early and was “the first” to impose travel restrictions on China. By the time Trump’s restrictions went into effect, more than 40 countries had already done it.
The Coronavirus War Room is a project of Protect Our Care with focus on President Trump’s ongoing failure to prepare the nation for this pandemic.
See below for a transcript for the ad:
President Trump bungled the response to coronavirus from day one.
And the China travel ban he brags about — that failed too.
46 countries restricted travel from China before Trump did.
Nearly 400,000 people traveled here from China before his restrictions were in place and 40,000 people have arrived here since.
President Trump’s failure to act in the face of this pandemic has made America less safe.
Tell President Trump: Take action to protect the American people.
And see below for the citations used in the ad:
