Ledger · First term · № 141

very soon / the very near future

'We're going to be there very soon' on 5 million tests a day

Never delivered
“We're going to be there very soon... [capacity] will increase by much more than that in the very near future.”
Promised
, Oval Office remarks
Stated deadline
“very soon / the very near future” → May 12, 2020
Overdue by
6 years, 4 months as of September 22, 2026
Topic
COVID-19
Era
First term

What happened

Hours earlier testing czar Adm. Brett Giroir had said there was 'absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet' the US could run 5 million tests a day. Trump reversed within a day, denying he had said it and blaming a 'media trap.' The single-day peak at that point was 314,182 tests, and the US never reached 5 million tests a day.

Sources

  1. Coronavirus testing chief says 'no way on Earth' US can test 5 million a day, despite what Trump says CNBC, Apr 29, 2020
  2. AP FACT CHECK: Testing czar rebuts Trump PBS NewsHour, Apr 30, 2020