Under Intense Criticism, Trump Says Government Will Buy More Ventilators

His announcement came shortly after authorizing the government to “use any and all authority available under the Defense Production Act,” a Korean War-era authority allowing the federal government to commandeer General Motors’ factories and supply chains to produce ventilators.

It was the latest example of Trump’s mixed messages about how to ramp up production to meet a national crisis. Just 24 hours before, he had dismissed the complaints of mayors and governors who said that they were getting little of the equipment they needed for an expected onslaught of serious cases. And this week he praised companies that — General Motors included — were rallying to help provide necessary equipment.

But he turned on GM on Friday, accusing it of “wasting time” and seeking to “rip off” the government.

Trump appointed Peter Navarro, the China hawk among his trade advisers, to coordinate use of the Defense Production Act, and Navarro immediately made it clear that the White House planned to make an example of GM.

But it was unclear whether Trump’s use of the law would make much difference. He was essentially ordering it to do something it had already arranged to do: GM announced earlier Friday that it was moving forward with an emergency joint venture with a small manufacturer, Ventec Life Systems, even in the absence of a contract from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The president’s announcement at his coronavirus task force’s daily briefing came on a day of intensive criticism of the administration’s slow response and lack of leadership in a pandemic that has now resulted in over 1,500 deaths in the United States. More than 100,000 people have now been infected with the coronavirus, according to a New York Times database. It is the only country so far to hit that milestone.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .