Donald Trump is under pressure to more aggressively tackle the threat of a coronavirus outbreak in the world’s largest economy, as Democratic politicians accuse him playing down the crisis and expectations rise for a broader economic and financial hit from the crisis.
After returning to Washington early on Wednesday from a trip to India, Mr Trump was set to meet senior advisers to discuss the US response to the global coronavirus outbreak, which triggered a large drop in US equity markets early this week that was only partly offset by a rally on Wednesday.
In a pair of tweets on Wednesday, Mr Trump attacked media companies and Democratic political rivals for exaggerating the US’s vulnerability to the coronavirus and praised US health officials. He said he would hold a press conference at 6pm in Washington on the outbreak.