Earlier today President Trump traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, to thank support personnel and military crews who resupplied, refitted & launched U.S. hospital ship USNS Comfort.  Comfort is heading to New York harbor to support local medical personnel overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.  [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Mark. And you’re doing a fantastic job, and our country appreciates it very much.

And thank you, everybody, for being here. Today, I’m deeply honored to be at Naval Station Norfolk — the largest naval base anywhere in the world, and the home to the most powerful fleet that has ever sailed the seas. I just passed some of the most beautiful and, frankly, the most highly lethal ships that I have ever seen in my life, and there are a lot of them. And they’re in better shape now than they have been for many, many decades, with what we’re doing.

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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.

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Chopper pressers are the best pressers.  While departing the White House for Virginia, President Trump stopped to answer quick questions from the media.

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[Transcript] – Q Mr. President, do you think the Easter timeline is off the table now, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re going to see what happens. We want to get our country back to work. The doctors, nurses, first responders — everybody doing a phenomenal job, like beyond good.

I’m going to — as you know, the Comfort — the great ship, Comfort — is stocked up to the gills. It’s right up to the top. And we’re going over there. I guess some of you are coming with me. But we’re going to send that up to New York four weeks ahead of schedule. And it is loaded up with everything. So that’s great.

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Oh, this is almost too much winning.  Almost…  President Trump has appointed White House Manufacturing Advisor Peter Navarro to lead all U.S. coordination of the Defense Production Act.   Just like that… presto… Navarro becomes a bazillion times more powerful than CoC President Tom Donohue.   Delicious.

WASHNGTON – President Trump announced Friday he is appointing his trade adviser Peter Navarro to serve as his national Defense Production Act policy coordinator after using the act to force General Motors to begin making ventilators to treat coronavirus patients.

“He’s a tremendous guy and he will do a fantastic job,” the president said during a press briefing with his coronavirus taskforce at the White House. He said Navarro will serve as the national Defense Production Act coordinator for the federal government. (link)

Peter Navarro has been a long-term China hawk warning about the risk of U.S. multinationals doing critical supply-chain manufacturing overseas.  Navarro, working closely with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, has been the tip of the spear in the execution of America First policy and jobs.

This appointment, and these additional responsibilities, is a recognition for his efforts.

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Earlier today President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in the oval office.  [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all very much. This is a very important day. I’ll sign the single-biggest economic relief package in American history and, I must say, or any other package, by the way. It’s twice as large as any relief ever signed. It’s $2.2 billion, but it actually goes up to 6.2 — potentially — billion dollars — trillion dollars. So you’re talking about 6.2 trillion-dollar bill. Nothing like that. And this will deliver urgently needed relief to our nation’s families, workers, and businesses. And that’s what this is all about.

And it got a 96 to nothing. And, I don’t know, what was the number in Congress?

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Democrats and resistance media writ large have been demanding that President Trump invoke the Defense Production Act to force companies to make equipment for the fight against the coronavirus.   Until today, most companies voluntarily adjusted their manufacturing systems and networks to assist; so forced compliance was not needed.

However, General Motors now states an inability to meet their prior commitments for the manufacture of ventilators:

Now it really gets interesting… The CEO of GM is Mary Barra, considered a hero amid the political circles of democrats; and considered a potential pick for vice-president on a Democrat ticket.  Despite her generally weak leadership, democrats adore her resistance bona-fides.

The axiom: “be careful what you wish for” applies big time, because President Trump has just triggered the Defense Production Act to force General Motors to comply with their initial promise.  By playing games, again; CEO Mary Barra put herself in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.

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The White House COVID-19 task force briefing is being held today at approximately 5:00pm to 5:30pm ET.  Livestream Links Below:

White House Livestream Link – Fox News Livestream – Fox Business Livestream

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin calls-in to Maria Bartiromo to discuss some of the details within the coronavirus relief bill, including the ‘when’ and ‘how’ funds will be distributed.

On the business side Secretary Mnuchin is standing up a new funding mechanism for small businesses within the Small Business Administration (SBA).  The treasury is using the architecture of the ¹FDIC to be the point of contact for businesses who need short-term bridge funds to help carry them.  On the worker side the direct payments to middle-class workers should arrive in two to three weeks.  Excellent Interview:

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¹That is really smart.  All FDIC insured lenders can operate as point of contact lenders for small businesses that need emergency funding.  That means instead of navigating the matrix of big government, a business owner can just go to their local bank and get the funds.  The FDIC, already in a relationship with the bank, back-stops the funding while treasury underwrites the lending (a loan without payback).  Brilliant approach.

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President Trump called-in to Fox News host Sean Hannity for an extensive interview on the latest coronavirus developments.  Full interview below:

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President Donald Trump sent the following letter [pdf here] to our nations’ governors in response to the national COVID-19 crisis:

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