"Mr. President, we've got
something that Biegun and Azar need to run by you," Mulvaney said.
?
Biegun opened with what he and
the group thought would be a basic overview of the effort to bring home
diplomats and permanent residents. as well as protections to ensure the
evacuated Americans didn't spread the virus after returning. The president
wanted to know how many people. Biegun estimated it would be several hundred
right away, and eventually could be a couple of thousand.
?
Trump exploded.
?
"We're not letting them come
back," he said. "You risk increasing my numbers. You won't increase
my numbers."
?
Trump didn't want sick Americans
landing on U.S. soil, even if they were working for the State Department, or
else the government would have to report a rise in infections, and that would
make the public - the voters - nervous. The president was always thinking about
the political ramifications for himself, even during a crisis.
?
Biegun and Azar explained the
measures under way to screen and isolate the passengers who had already landed
in California.
?
"The first flight was a
mistake," Trump said. "Those people shouldn't have been in China in
the first place."
?
Azar and Mulvaney exchanged a
look. The president was talking about Americans who had gone to China to serve
the U.S. government.
?
Carol Leonnig "I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's
Catastrophic Final Year" (2021)
?
