Trump Continues To Downplay Outbreak And Frame It As Foreign Threat By Focusing Response On New Travel Ban

The New York Times: U.S. To Suspend Most Travel From Europe As World Scrambles To Fight Pandemic
President Trump on Wednesday night blocked most visitors from continental Europe to the United States and vowed emergency aid to workers and small businesses as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, stock markets plunged further and millions of people cut themselves off from their regular lives. In a prime-time address from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump outlined a series of measures intended to tackle the virus and its economic impact as he sought to reassure Americans that he was taking the crisis seriously after previously playing down the scope of the outbreak. He said he would halt travelers from Europe other than Britain for 30 days and asked Congress to support measures like a payroll tax cut. (Baker, 3/11)

Reuters: Trump Curbs Travel From Europe As Coronavirus Disrupts Schools, Sports
Trump, whose administration has come under sharp criticism for its response to a public health crisis that he has previously downplayed, also announced several steps aimed at blunting economic fallout posed by coronavirus. The travel order, which starts on midnight Friday, does not apply to Britain, or to Americans undergoing "appropriate screenings," Trump said. "We are marshaling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people," Trump said in a prime-time televised address from the Oval Office. "This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history." (Alper and Bloom, 3/12)

The Washington Post: Besieged Trump Announces Europe Travel Ban In Effort To Stem Coronavirus Pandemic
Although he read from a prepared script as he delivered a rare prime-time televised address to the nation from the Oval Office, Trump incorrectly described his own policy. The president said in his speech that the travel restriction from Europe would apply to cargo and trade as well as passengers. But the text of the order, later released by the White House, stated that the ban would not include cargo, allowing for continued trade between the continents to maintain the free flow of commerce. (Rucker and Gearan, 3/11)

The Associated Press: In Battle Against Virus, Trump Restricts Travel From Europe
Trump said the restrictions won't apply to the United Kingdom, and there would be exemptions for “Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings." He said the U.S. would monitor the situation to determine if travel could be reopened earlier. The State Department followed Trump's remarks by issuing an extraordinary global health advisory cautioning U.S. citizens to “reconsider travel abroad” due to the virus and associated quarantines and restrictions. (Colvin, Miller, Mascaro and Taylor, 3/12)

Politico: Trump Ratchets Up Coronavirus Battle With European Travel Ban
Overall, Trump did adopt a more solemn tone during his address, a change for a president who, as recently as Monday, compared the rapidly spreading virus to the common flu and tweeted that “nothing is shut down, life and the economy go on.” The comparison to the flu was the latest in a series of inaccurate comments Trump has made about the virus as the number of confirmed U.S. cases has climbed over 1,000. Often, his public statements have contradicted top U.S. officials and Cabinet secretaries who have encouraged Americans — particularly older adults and those with chronic health conditions — to take the outbreak more seriously. (Orr, 3/11)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Attempts To Frame Coronavirus As A Foreign Threat
He said Americans should “take extra precautions,” but offered few specifics other than exhorting people to wash their hands frequently. He did go further than he has in the past to say that “older Americans should avoid nonessential travel” and that people in general should “stay home,” but at the same time, he continued to minimize the potential severity of the disease. (Bierman, 3/11)

Stat: Trump Suspends Travel From Europe For 30 Days In Response To Coronavirus
Trump also said his administration would advise nursing homes to suspend all “medically unnecessary” visits. Though many Covid-19 cases are mild, older Americans, and those with medical conditions including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, are seen as particularly high-risk, and have accounted for the bulk of deaths. “In general, older Americans should also avoid non essential travel in crowded areas,” Trump said. “My administration is coordinating directly with communities with the largest outbreaks, and we have issued guidance on school closures, social distancing, and reducing large gatherings.” (Facher, 3/11)

ABC News: Trump Announces Travel From Europe To Be Restricted Amid Coronavirus Threat 
"We are marshaling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people," Trump said, emphasizing that the pandemic started off of U.S. shores, and specifically pinpointing China. (Phelps, 3/11)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. To Ban Travel From Europe For 30 Days Due To Coronavirus
The virus has spread to more than 100 countries, roiled markets and disrupted daily life across the country and around the world. The sober address marked Mr. Trump’s most direct response to date, though he again tried to sound an optimistic note and defended actions already taken by his administration. “This is not a financial crisis,” Mr. Trump said. “This is just a temporary moment in time that we will overcome as a nation, and as a world.” U.S. stock futures and global stock markets dropped after the president announced the new travel restrictions. (Restuccia, Leary and Davidson, 3/11)

The Associated Press: Trump Officials Emphasize That Coronavirus 'Made In China'
There's one thing the Trump administration wants Americans to remember about the coronavirus pandemic: It carries the "Made in China” label. Trump administration officials, on the defensive about their own handling of the virus, have repeatedly reminded people that the virus started in Wuhan, a city in China's Hubei province, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referring to it as the “Wuhan coronavirus.” (Riechmann, 3/12)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Now A Global Pandemic As U.S., World, Scramble To Control Outbreak
He and administration officials later tweeted that the restrictions apply only to people, not goods and trade, and will not include a bar on U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Trump spoke sternly about what he called a “foreign virus” that “started in China and is now spreading throughout the world.” “The virus will not have a chance against us,” Trump said. “No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States.” (Zezima, Craig, Wan and Sonmez, 3/11)

CNN: State Department Raises Global Travel Advisory, Urging US Citizens To Reconsider Travel Abroad 
The State Department on Wednesday raised the worldwide travel advisory to Level 3: Reconsider Travel, urging US citizens to reconsider travel abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic. "The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to reconsider travel abroad due to the global impact of COVID-19. Many areas throughout the world are now experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and taking action that may limit traveler mobility, including quarantines and border restrictions," the department said in a statement. (Hansler and LeBlanc, 3/12)

CNN: Airlines Are Scrambling To Understand And Implement New Coronavirus Travel Restrictions 
An airline worker at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York addressed a crowd with only guesses as to how passengers waiting to board a flight to Dublin would be handled moments after President Donald Trump announced restrictions on travel from Europe. Trump said Wednesday he was sharply restricting travel to the United States from more than two dozen European countries in light of the coronavirus outbreak that is now labeled a pandemic. Soon after, his administration clarified that the ban only applied to foreign nationals and not to American citizens who had been screened before entering the country. (Holcombe, 3/12)

NBC News: Coronavirus: Europe Wakes Up To Chaos And Confusion As Trump Restricts Travel
The decision by President Donald Trump to restrict most travel from 26 European countries sparked chaos at airports and confusion early Thursday, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world. Many Americans and foreigners wanting to travel to the United States were scrambling to work out what it meant for their travel plans. Meanwhile, others questioned the logic of the plan, and whether it would actually help the effort to slow down the spread of the deadly contagion. (Smith, 3/12)

CNN: US Travel Ban: American Wonders What's Next After Finding Out Midair 
Cassie Pekarski was a few hours into her trip from New York to Madrid when her phone pinged with a message from her mother. She paused the "Friends" rerun on her inflight television and glanced at her phone. "So ... the US just banned travel between the US and Europe starting Friday," the message read Wednesday night. "You NEED to check with your tour guide group about coming back early." (Karimi, 3/12)

Politico: Trump’s Travel Ban Sidesteps His Own European Resorts
President Donald Trump’s new European travel restrictions have a convenient side effect: They exempt nations where three Trump-owned golf resorts are located. Trump is already under fire for visiting his properties in both countries as president, leading to U.S. taxpayer money being spent at his own firms. The president has been saddled with lawsuits and investigations throughout his term alleging that he’s violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause by accepting taxpayer money other than his salary. (Health, 3/12)

PBS NewsHour: What You Need To Know About Trump’s Novel Coronavirus Response
On the same day the World Health Organization declared novel coronavirus a pandemic, President Donald Trump and White House officials scrambled to lay out how the federal government would deal with the growing crisis. There are have been more than 1,000 cases of novel coronavirus in the United States and at least 30 people have died after contracting COVID-19, the illness it causes. Health officials said they expect the numbers to continue to grow. (Alcindor, 3/12)

The Hill: Read: President Trump's Oval Office Address About Coronavirus Pandemic 
President Trump on Wednesday gave a rare Oval Office address to reassure a worried nation about the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 1,000 Americans and killed more than 30 thus far. In the address Trump detailed new travel restrictions and targeted economic relief for small businesses and individuals affected by the virus, while calling on Congress for further action on payroll tax relief and benefits for hourly workers. (3/11)

The Associated Press: World Walls Off As Leaders Warn Viral Pandemic Will Worsen
People around the world became increasingly closed off from one another Thursday as sweeping travel bans accelerated, walling regions apart as a viral pandemic unfolds and financial markets plunge. It was an outbreak moving, at once, both glacially and explosively, with a virus first detected three months ago in China creeping across borders and producing eruptive outbreaks that have crippled areas. (Hinnant and Winfield, 3/12)

ABC News: Trump, Pence Flout Government Coronavirus Guidance To Stop Shaking Hands 
“Stop shaking hands” is the very first bullet point on the Trump administration’s list of recommended precautions workplaces and schools can implement to help blunt the spread of the coronavirus. But even as the administration pushes the public to follow the common-sense recommendations – available at coronavirus.gov – President Donald Trump is openly flouting the guidance and has been seen at multiple events in recent days shaking hands. (Phelps, 3/11)

The Hill: Poll: Trump Approval Dips To 46 Percent Amid Coronavirus 
President Trump's approval rating has slipped over the last month, a new Hill/HarrisX poll finds. Forty-six percent of registered voters surveyed approve of the job President Trump is doing, with 54 percent disapproving in the survey which was conducted from March 8-9. That marks a 3 percent drop in Trump's approval rating from a survey taken on Feb. 1-2, which showed 49 percent approving and 51 percent disapproving. Still, the decrease is within the poll's margin of error. (Schulte, 3/11)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Travel Restrictions Fuel Fresh Global Selloff
U.S. stock futures and global indexes plunged, adding new turmoil to a roller-coaster week for markets, as a U.S. travel ban stoked renewed worries about the coronavirus’s economic toll. S&P 500 futures were down 4%, suggesting U.S. shares could be set for another punishing session later Thursday, a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid into a bear market. European indexes fell at the start of trading Thursday, with the pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 shedding 5.4% and Italy’s FTSE MIB falling 5.8%. (Chiu, 3/12)

The New York Times: How Right-Wing Pundits Are Covering Coronavirus
Sean Hannity used his syndicated talk-radio program on Wednesday to share a prediction he had found on Twitter about what is really happening with the coronavirus: It’s a “fraud” by the deep state to spread panic in the populace, manipulate the economy and suppress dissent. “May be true,” Mr. Hannity declared to millions of listeners around the country. (Peters and Grynbaum, 3/11)