Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas issued the following statement in response to news that 1.5 million U.S. workers filed new state unemployment claims last week:
“Donald Trump’s failed coronavirus response just hit a new grim record: more than one million people have filed for unemployment for the 14th week in a row. That’s 47 million total!
“The American economy is in freefall, but the reality is that it wouldn’t have been this bad if Trump had taken the virus seriously and ramped up testing instead of wasting weeks downplaying the threat of the coronavirus.
“Around the world, countries like South Korea prioritized testing, and as a result never had to fully shut down — and their economies aren’t doing as poorly as ours is now.
“The evidence shows that the coronavirus didn’t alone cause our recession: Trump’s botched response to the pandemic is what allowed it to happen. And now, he’s only making things worse by continuing to undermine our nation’s testing infrastructure, holding indoor rallies without face masks and rushing states to reopen despite the spike in cases across the country.”