President Trump said Friday he will send US ventilators to three developing countries — adding to an already substantial list of nations Trump promised the life-saving breathing equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a series of tweets, Trump vowed ventilators for Ecuador, El Salvador and Indonesia.
He’s already promised ventilators to Mexico, Pakistan and Russia, and said the US would be willing to supply Italy, Spain and the UK. Meanwhile, US officials reportedly are planning to ship ventilators to Africa, in part to counter Chinese diplomatic inroads.
“Just spoke to my friend, President Joko Widodo of the Republic of Indonesia. Asking for Ventilators, which we will provide. Great cooperation between us!” Trump wrote in one of the Friday morning tweets.
Trump wrote that he also spoke with Ecuador President Lenin Moreno and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and promised them ventilators.
The soft power generosity follows Trump’s use of the wartime Defense Production Act to coerce companies into producing ventilators to fight a spike in US hospitalizations. General Motors was cornered into a 30,000-machine order from the federal government, most of which have not yet been built.
The White House muscled industry into ramping up production amid pleas for assistance from state and local officials as COVID-19 cases soared. But recently, some of the worst-hit states have acknowledged they have a surplus.
California this month sent 500 ventilators to other states. New York sent 100 to New Jersey, 100 to Michigan and 50 to Maryland — and offered to send 400 to Massachusetts.
The expensive machines cost from $20,000 to $50,000.
Trump did not identify the number of ventilators he will send to the three countries identified Friday.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said last week that Trump promised Mexico 1,000 ventilators. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, meanwhile, said that “Russia will certainly accept the kind offer if necessary.”
The US has the worst publicly acknowledged coronavirus outbreak with 870,000 cases and about 50,000 deaths. At least 26 million Americans — or 16 percent of all workers — lost their jobs due to the pandemic and government-ordered business closures.
