The first case of COVID-19 or the coronavirus hit the United States Jan. 19, 70 days ago, but President Donald Trump sent 17.8 tons of personal protective equipment (PPE) to China as cases were ramping up here at home.
Mother Jones reported Sunday, that a press release the State Department sent out on Feb. 7 announced they would be sending up to $100 million in assistance to China so they could better handle the COVID-19 cases.
That same day, Trump tweeted he had spoken to President Xi Jinping and that China would be "successful especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker and then gone."
Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT), tweeted about it at the time, saying that the White House wasn't taking the threat to the United States seriously.
"Local health systems need supplies, training, screening staff, etc…" tweeted Murphy, "and they need it now."
The United States is now scrambling to gather PPE along with ventilators to handle the shortage of equipment.