Amid increasing speculation that New York will be quarantined to stop people from departing the metropolitan area, President Trump answers journalist questions from joint base Andrews prior to departure. [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – Q Thank you, Mr. President. Just a quick clarification on the total quarantine you’re talking about for New York City. Would you —

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re looking at it. We’re looking at it, and we’ll be making a decision. A lot of the states that aren’t infected, that don’t have a big problem, they’ve asked me if I’d look at it. So we’re going to look at it. And it will be for a short period of time, if we do it at all.

Q Would it be —

THE PRESIDENT: It’ll be New York.

Q Would you call up the National Guard?

THE PRESIDENT: It’ll be New York, parts of Connecticut, and parts of New Jersey.

Q And then, do you close down the subway? Do you close down the bridges, the tunnels?

THE PRESIDENT: No, we won’t do that. We’re talking about leaving New York. Leaving New York. They go to Florida, and a lot of people don’t want that. So we’ll see what happens. We’re going to make a decision.

Q Would you use the military for that, sir? Would you call up the Guard?

THE PRESIDENT: We’re not going to need much. The people of New York, they understand it better than anybody, and they’ll be great. I’ll speak to the governor about it later.

Q Thank you.

Q Can you speak a little bit about the congressional oversight? Can you assure the American people that the money will be appropriately —

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, we have a great oversight — a great oversight committee. We have a lot of people watching. It’s a wonderful thing we’ve done for the workers and for the citizens. It’s really, potentially, $6.2 trillion. And a lot of people are going to work, and it’ll bring back the economy, I think, very fast. Okay?

Q But what do you think about Democrats criticizing you that you’re overriding this congressional oversight?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, they couldn’t be criticizing me because we got a unanimous vote. How can they possibly criticize me? They just gave me — she’s saying they’re criticizing me, the Democrats. Why did they vote for it? We got a unanimous vote.

Q Thank you, Mr. President.

END 12:38 P.M. EDT

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