President Donald Trump reportedly called former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez for his opinion on the administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Several ABC reporters revealed the alleged exchange between Trump and the retired MLB star Friday night in a series of tweets.
Sources said Trump contacted Rodriguez from the Oval Office as part of outreach across the U.S.
Sources told ABC News that President Donald Trump (left) called former MLB star Alex Rodriguez (right) for his thoughts on the administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic
‘During marathon day of meetings earlier this week, President Trump continued outreach across the country regarding coronavirus & phoned former Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez,’ wrote John Santucci, who broke the news first.
Sources told ABC that Rodriguez said the call with Trump was ‘pleasant’, adding that neither Rodriguez nor his fiancé, singer Jennifer Lopez, were expected to shoulder any official efforts.
‘A source close to Rodriguez told [ABC News] the call with Trump was ‘pleasant’ adding that Trump was seeking thoughts from ARod about the coronavirus response.
‘Sources say there was no discussion of AROD or his fiancé Jennifer Lopez taking on any official effort,’ Santucci added.
ABC reported that Trump called Rodriguez as part of a larger effort to gain feedback on the administration’s handling of the pandemic
Sources said that Rodriguez said the conversation with Trump was ‘pleasant’
Trump reportedly spoke with American business leaders and others about the administration’s coronavirus response
ABC also reported that Trump had previously spoke with American business leaders and others for feedback on his administration’s coronavirus address.
‘The call – asking A-Rod for his thoughts – was part of Trump’s continued outreach across the country about the virus. Trump spent much of his week speaking to business leaders & others about how the country is handling the pandemic,’ wrote Katherine Faulders.
Rodriguez is neither a medical expert nor works in public health.
Neither Rodriguez (left), nor his fiance Jennifer Lopez (right) are expected to be involved in any official coronavirus efforts
Trump directly responded to ABC’s claims on Twitter, calling the reports ‘fake news’ and lashing out ‘lamestream media.’
‘So much of the Lamestream Media is writing and broadcasting stories with facts that are made up and knowingly wrong,’ Trump wrote.
‘They are doing it by quoting unnamed sources that simply do not exist. These are very dangerous & corrupt people, who will do anything to win. NAME YOUR SOURCES!’
Trump lashed out at ABC’s reports, calling them ‘fake news’ and took an particular grievance with their sources
Trump had previously publicly mocked Rodriguez over a previous scandal when he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
‘Druggie [Rodriguez] is now scheming to sue the [Yankees]. He will go down as the biggest sports embarrassment of all time,’ wrote Trump in a 2013 tweet.
In a 2012 tweet, Trump suggested that all ‘druggies’ have bad hips after news broke that Rodriguez would undergo hip surgery.
Trump previously mocked Rodriguez in the past over his use of performance-enhancing drugs
Pictured (left to right): President Trump standing with First Lady Melania Trump and Rodriguez
While Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has both been praised and criticized, number of infections continue to rise across the country.
The United States has recorded more than 100,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,700 deaths as of Saturday.
In certain parts of the America, cities like New York City have become epicenters of the pandemic.
There are more than 100,000 cases of coronavirus in the United States
Across the city, medical emergency calls were up 40 percent to about 6,500 a day, shattering historical records and leading to up to 170 callers being put on hold at a time, according to EMS union officials.
FDNY officials are strongly urging New Yorkers to call 911 only if they are having urgent emergencies, such as heart troubles or problems breathing.
‘Please allow first responders to assist those most in need. Only call 911 if you need help right away,’ the department said in a statement.
On both Thursday and Friday, another 85 people died of the virus here, or an average of one New Yorker every 17 minutes.
The city’s death toll is now 450, and there are 26,697 confirmed cases. In the state, there are more than 44,000 cases.
The coronavirus has resulted in deaths in several U.S. states as medical staff and officials work to slow down spread
Pictured: the number of coronavirus cases in New York City have surpassed those of Italy
On Friday, reports revealed that the state’s death toll soared to 519 after 134 people died in just one day.
Health care workers in the front lines are swamped with an influx of patients and a dwindling stock of important medical supplies.
‘Hell. Biblical. I kid you not. People come in, they get intubated, they die, the cycle repeats,’ said Dr Steve Kassapidis of Mount Sinai Queens, in an interview with Sky News.
As of Friday, cases of coronavirus in New York City surpassed 25,000
‘9/11 was nothing compared to this, we were open waiting for patients to come who never came. Now they just keep coming.’
‘The hospitals look like a war zone,’ Dr Emad Youssef of Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn told CBS News.
‘People lining up out of the hallway, through the EMS bay, through the ambulance bay, with masks on themselves, with oxygen on their nose.’
Doctors and nurses across the city report increasing shortages of vital personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gowns — though city and hospital officials are denying the problem.
The United States has recorded more than 100,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,700 deaths as of Saturday. Pictured: A patient with a face mask is seen at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, this week
As of March 27, 450 people have died of coronavirus in New York City
In response, Trump signed a $2.2trillion bailout stimulus to help American citizens financially affected by the corornavirus outbreak.
The package would give direct payments to most Americans, expand unemployment benefits and provide a $367 billion program for small businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home.
Most Americans making less than $75,000 as a single tax filer would receive a $1,200 direct payment under the bill.
The payments would go out by direct deposit for those who have recently paid taxes or received tax refunds that way, but for others physical checks will be sent.
Trump also authorized U.S. Navy hospital ships to dock in hard-hit cities like New York City and Los Angeles, California.
Marine workers have been forced to dredge part of New York’s Pier 90 as USNS Comfort (pictured), a hospital ship, prepares to dock on Saturday
The USNS Comfort, and similar hospital ship USNS Mercy, will be used to ease the tension at local medical centers and are meant to for non-coronavirus patients needing health care.
USNS Comfort houses more than 1,000 beds that is expected to free up space in packed hospitals.
Trump announced yesterday that he planned to see off the USNS Comfort from it’s departure at the Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia, Saturday.
‘I think I’m going to go out and, I’ll kiss it goodbye, I’ll go to – it’s in Virginia as you know, and I will go and we’ll be waving together, because I suspect the media will be following,’ Trump told reporters at the White House briefing.
Several moments after the president made the comments, the White House announced that he was serious and would travel to the Norfolk Naval Station on Saturday to ‘bid bon voyage to the hospital ship,’ a release to the press said.
The trip will mark the first time since the president has left Washington since March 9, when he hopped over to the suburbs of Orlando, Florida from his Palm Beach estate Mar-a-Lago to raise funds for his re-election campaign and then headed back to the White House.