President Donald Trump is responding to concerns about wealthy individuals receiving exclusive access to coronavirus testing.
On Wednesday during a press briefing, Trump was questioned about the positive coronavirus cases being reported among wealthier individuals and professional athletes.
Despite the limited availability of coronavirus tests, many NBA athletes have been tested. The reporter inquired about whether or not the “well-connected” has the advantage of moving to the front of the line for testing.
To that question, Trump replied, “You’ll have to ask them that question.”
A reporter asked, “Should that happen?”
“No, I wouldn’t say so, but perhaps that’s been the story of life,” Trump said adding, “That does happen on occasion. I’ve noticed where some people have been tested fairly quickly.”
Check out Trump’s remarks below:
“No, I wouldn’t say so, but perhaps that’s been the story of life. That does happen on occasion,” President Trump says when if professional athletes without symptoms should be going to the front of the line in getting tested for coronavirus. https://t.co/piDsmnkG0y pic.twitter.com/zwStW3Jyd6
— ABC News (@ABC) March 18, 2020
The president went on to suggest that slow testing is the result of “a very obsolete system.”
“This was a system that was out of date, obsolete, or it was a system that was never meant to take care of the kind of quantity,” he said.
Trump’s press briefing follows multiple reports about wealthy individuals, professional athletes, and politicians testing positive for the coronavirus.
So far, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, actor Idris Elba, NBA star Kevin Durrant, and other NBA basketball players are among the wealthy individuals who have all tested positive for the virus.
Although reports have suggested most people would not be tested unless they have symptoms of the virus, Elba and several NBA players have revealed they were tested despite not showing signs of the illness.