Trump Ramps Up Campaign Stops Despite Coronavirus Pandemic
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Reported more than 21,000 newly-confirmed cases of the coronavirus. That brings the overall total there to more than 1.1 million cases. Of course, Brazil has joined the United States as the only two countries in the world who have reported more than one million overall cases. Meanwhile, here in Mexico, there have been more reported deaths from Covid-19 over the past two days than have been reported in Brazil. Now, granted, Brazil's figures are usually lower on Sundays and Mondays due to lower testing in the preceding days, but it is just further proof that the outbreak here in Mexico is very serious.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks to our reporters around the world for that. EARLY START continues right now.</s>LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: A dangerous spike in coronavirus won't keep the president out of Arizona. He'll speak to thousands of people today. Masks, however, not expected to be enforced.</s>ROMANS: And it looks like there will be a baseball season after all. How, when, and where teams will finally hit the field. Good morning, everyone, this is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.</s>JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett, 30 minutes past the hour here in New York. And presidential politics on a collision course with coronavirus today. President Trump heads to Arizona for several stops, including remarks at a Students for Trump event in Phoenix. Masks will be handed out but enforcement very much in doubt there. The state is one of the country's hotspots reporting more than 2,000 cases per day for six of the last seven days. Eighty-four percent of Arizona's intensive care hospital beds now in use. The state's Republican governor says this was expected.</s>GOV. DOUG DUCEY (R), ARIZONA: We knew that when we lifted the stay- at-home order we would have an increase in cases. The objective has always been so that we could slow the virus.</s>ROMANS: President Trump adding more confusion on the issue of testing for the virus. At his rally Saturday, Trump told supporters he ordered the administration to slow down Covid testing because it results in finding more cases. The White House tried to say he was only kidding -- kidding about something that's killed 120,000 people in this country. Then yesterday, he confirmed he did tell his people -- presumably, his staff or cabinet members -- high case counts look bad.</s>DAVID BRODY, CBN NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: Just to clear up, there wasn't a direct if you will to staff to stop the testing?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, but I think it's -- I think we put ourselves at a disadvantage. So you hear about all these cases -- so instead of doing 25 million tests, let's say we did 10 million tests.</s>BRODY: Yes.</s>TRUMP: We'd look like we're doing much better because we'd have far fewer cases. You understand that?</s>JARRETT: The president's return to the campaign trail was intended to project strength and enthusiasm but the Tulsa rally over the weekend showed a limited strategy leaning on old grievances about race, the virus, monuments, and more. The president had said he's planning visits to Florida and Texas, two other states hit really hard by the virus. But now, aides are debating what his signature rallies will look like going forward.</s>ROMANS: Half the country -- 25 states -- heading in the wrong direction today. Former Health and Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius says the U.S. is stuck playing catch-up.</s>KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, FORMER SECRETARY, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: We are still reacting, we're not ahead of it. The only way to get ahead of the virus is to way tamp down the cases in any area, any -- and then test like crazy when a case appears, contact trace, and make sure you quarantine. We can't do that yet because we're still finding all kinds of people who have the virus.</s>ROMANS: With more people now out in public, new types of outbreaks are emerging at bars, churches, and other venues. Florida and Texas and their 50 million residents, a big concern this morning. In Texas, cases and hospitalizations have nearly doubled over the past month.</s>GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: Covid-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas. If we were to experience another doubling of those numbers over the next month that would mean that we are in an urgent situation where tougher actions will be required to make sure that we do contain the spread of Covid-19.</s>JARRETT: In Florida, the Department of Health has now issued an advisory that masks should be worn by everyone across the state, but the governor has not made it mandatory. Some workers at Disney World have launched a petition pleading with executives to reconsider plans for a July opening. Days of record case numbers have now pushed the statewide total past 100,000. And in Louisiana, where cases have been falling, the governor says the state will not enter phase three of reopening for at least a month after a spike in just the last week.</s>ROMANS: All right. Comments from White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on China sent markets on a rollercoaster Tuesday. During an interview with Fox News Monday night, Navarro said China's complacency in reporting the coronavirus early on led to a breakdown of political and economic channels with the U.S. Then, this happened.</s>MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR, "THE STORY WITH MARTHA MACCALLUM": But given everything that's happened and all the things you just listed, is that over?</s>PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE TRADE ADVISER: It's over, yes.</s>ROMANS: Is that over, meaning the trade deal with China. Dow futures briefly fell 400 points after Navarro's comments. Now, President Trump tried to ease concerns, tweeting "The China deal is fully intact. Hopefully, they will live up to the terms of the agreement." Navarro later told CNN in a statement, "My comments have been taken wildly out of context. They had nothing at all to do with the Phase I trade deal, which continues in place." Taking a look at futures right now in the U.S., you can see futures markets are up a little bit here -- a 200-point rally for the Dow if this holds. The short breakdown shows investors still care about trade tension between the U.S. and China and the U.S. -- as the U.S. deals with the economic impact of the coronavirus.</s>JARRETT: Well, everybody you know ran out and bought hand sanitizer when coronavirus first hit, but a new warning says some of them contain a potentially fatal ingredient.