Trump floats payroll tax cut, other financial relief amid coronavirus outbreak

Cruise lines have also taken a hit. The government on Sunday warned that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid cruises, adding further pain to the already struggling industry.

“We are going to take care of and have been taking care of the American public and the American economy,” Trump said. 

“This was something that we were thrown into and we’re gonna handle it and we have been handling it very well,” Trump said of the U.S. response to the outbreak, which has been rising in severity since December.

The conference topped off a day of mixed messages from the administration after fell into a free-fall Sunday night.

On Monday morning, Health Secretary Alex Azar stressed in an interview on Fox News that the United States regards the situation with gravity, saying the coronavirus “is a very serious health problem. Nobody is trying to minimize that.”

But shortly after, as the stock market plunged, Trump downplayed the impact of the outbreak in a tweet.

“So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life the economy go on,” he said. “At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”

White House is inviting Wall Street executives to discuss the response to the outbreak, a meeting that Trump is expected to attend on Wednesday, ann administrative official told CNBC.

The coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, has spread to dozens of countries globally, with more than 113,000 confirmed cases worldwide and at least 3,996 deaths so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

There have been at least 607 cases in the United States and at least 22 deaths, according to the latest tallies from John Hopkins University. 

The outbreak has roiled markets and led governments to take drastic actions as it rapidly spreads across the globe. 

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/09/trump-says-hes-working-on-a-payroll-tax-cut-to-help-us-workers-amid-coronavirus-outbreak.html