May 14, 2020 | 7:04pm | Updated May 15, 2020 | 9:50am
WASHINGTON — President Trump says his administration did have a plan to deal with the coronavirus pandemic — and his press secretary on Thursday flashed a previously unknown playbook called the “Pandemic Crisis Action Plan” to prove it.
Kayleigh McEnany held up the binder for reporters before the president and his staff decamped to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to tour a mask manufacturing facility involved in the fight against the COVID-19 health crisis.
The unveiling of the pandemic action plan came as Dr. Rick Bright, a vaccine expert who led a biodefense agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, testified to Congress on Thursday that a “dark winter” was ahead because of the government’s failure to prepare.
McEnany also held up a copy of the plan the Obama administration left for the incoming Trump team — the “Playbook for early response to high consequence emerging infectious disease threats and biological incidents” — describing it as “insufficient.”
“The Obama-Biden plan that has been referenced was insufficient, wasn’t going to work, so what our administration did under the leadership of President Trump is do an entire 2018 pandemic preparedness report,” McEnany said.
“Beyond that, we did a whole experience on pandemic preparedness in August last year,” she continued, telling reporters they’d be given a full update at Friday’s press briefing.
Trump described his playbook as “much better, much more complete and a lot tougher” than then one left by his predecessor and was upbeat about a vaccine being delivered by the end of the year.
“We were given very little when we came into this administration, and they’ve done a fantastic job and I think we’re going to have a vaccine by the end of the year,” he said.
The document served as more counter-programming after Trump slammed Bright as a “disgruntled employee.”
“I watched him, and he looks like an angry, disgruntled employee, who, frankly, according to some people, didn’t do a very good job,” Trump told reporters before departing for Allentown.
