Release: Ahead of Pence Visit, Louisiana Democrats Slam Trump’s Broken Promises

Ahead of Pence Visit, Louisiana Democrats Slam Trump’s Broken Promises

BATON ROUGE, LA – Ahead of Mike Pence’s arrival in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party, released the following statement:

“In January, Donald Trump told us the pandemic was ‘totally under control’ and promised that it would be ‘just fine.’ But instead of doing his job, he ignored his own advisors, picked petty fights on Twitter, and failed to contain the virus. Now, nearly six months later, more than 135,000 Americans have lost their lives, and millions more have lost their jobs. Mike Pence can’t spin that devastating reality.”

BACKGROUND ON TRUMP’S FAILED CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

Promise: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” [CNBC Interview, 1/22/20] Reality: After Trump wasted time ignoring his own advisors and downplaying the coronavirus pandemic, the United States leads the world with 3.3 million cases and 135,000 deaths.

Promise: “We are marshalling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people.” [Oval Office Address, 3/11/20] Reality: Even in the midst of a global pandemic, Trump and the Republican Party are attempting to overturn the Affordable Care Act — endangering health coverage for nearly half-a-million Louisianians and threatening protections for as many as 1.95 million Louisianians with preexisting conditions.
Reality: Trump’s testing “strategy” only aims to provide tests for 2% of Louisianians. And even as experts warned of a coming pandemic, Trump sent record shipments of N95 masks overseas.