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Trump takes credit for Putin's largesse.
Facing a crisis that rivals Pearl Harbor, world'''s superpower pleads for coronavirus aid
WASHINGTON - As U.S. health care workers scrounged for life-saving medical equipment last week to protect frontline staff against coronavirus, President Donald Trump made a jarring claim: the U.S. would soon have an over-supply of ventilators - enough to distribute across the globe to other needy countries.
"We're going to be distributing them - the extras - around the world," the president said on April 1 during a White House press briefing. He listed Italy, France and Spain as likely destinations for America's sudden bounty as the pandemic ravages the planet.
What Trump didn't mention: Earlier that same morning, the Trump administration was preparing to receive a Russian military cargo plane - loaded with 60 tons of masks, ventilators and other items - to distribute to besieged American doctors and nurses.
"The plane is en route," the Russian foreign ministry tweeted on the morning of April 1, posted along with a video of the packed aircraft. With the hashtag #RussiaHelps, the Kremlin said the supplies would "save the lives of American citizens."
The Russian government tweet was a crafty propaganda coup - one that highlighted the stark disconnect between Trump's promises of American super-preparedness and generosity, and his administration's obvious scramble to secure supplies from abroad.
Experts say that it is an uncomfortable and humbling spot for the U.S. to find itself in - the world's richest and most powerful country, one that plays a huge outsize role in global security issues and international affairs, suddenly turned supplicant. (end)
Facing a crisis that rivals Pearl Harbor, world'''s superpower pleads for coronavirus aid
WASHINGTON - As U.S. health care workers scrounged for life-saving medical equipment last week to protect frontline staff against coronavirus, President Donald Trump made a jarring claim: the U.S. would soon have an over-supply of ventilators - enough to distribute across the globe to other needy countries.
"We're going to be distributing them - the extras - around the world," the president said on April 1 during a White House press briefing. He listed Italy, France and Spain as likely destinations for America's sudden bounty as the pandemic ravages the planet.
What Trump didn't mention: Earlier that same morning, the Trump administration was preparing to receive a Russian military cargo plane - loaded with 60 tons of masks, ventilators and other items - to distribute to besieged American doctors and nurses.
"The plane is en route," the Russian foreign ministry tweeted on the morning of April 1, posted along with a video of the packed aircraft. With the hashtag #RussiaHelps, the Kremlin said the supplies would "save the lives of American citizens."
The Russian government tweet was a crafty propaganda coup - one that highlighted the stark disconnect between Trump's promises of American super-preparedness and generosity, and his administration's obvious scramble to secure supplies from abroad.
Experts say that it is an uncomfortable and humbling spot for the U.S. to find itself in - the world's richest and most powerful country, one that plays a huge outsize role in global security issues and international affairs, suddenly turned supplicant. (end)