Ilhan Omar stuns by praising Trump's measures to combat coronavirus as 'incredible and the right response'
Minnesota Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar sent shockwaves across both sides of the aisle on Wednesday, March 1 night after she heaped praise on steps taken by President Donald Trump to battle the coronavirus pandemic, saying it was "incredible and the right response in this critical time."
Omar has been one of the fiercest critics of the president and his administration, but this time she went on to quote Rep Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass, as saying "unprecedented times require unprecedented leadership" with Omar adding how "we are seeing that in our country right now."
"Finally, we should never let politics get in the way of good policy," Omar concluded. "This is a great start and hope others will be part of a united front to push for good policies that will help us work through the economic anxiety the country is feeling right now."
The Minnesota congresswoman's remarks came in response to a tweet by The Intercept's Lee Fang.
"Trump suspending mortgage foreclosures, demanding cash payments to Americans, now invoking the Defense Production Act to force private firms to produce needed supplies is incredible," he wrote. "Kind of a shell shock for anyone who reported on any economic policies in the Obama years."
Omar was not the only left-of-center personality to applaud the president's handling of the crisis this week, according to a Fox News report.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, March 17, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted how "his team is on it. They've been responsive... I want to say thank you." Meanwhile, CNN's Dana Bash said the president's tone during these trying times made him the "kind of leader that people need."
The resounding applause came after Trump invoked rarely used emergency powers to muster medical supplies to screening and treatment centers across the country.
On Wednesday, March 18, Trump gave the government more power to help production by private companies under the 70-year-old Defense Production Act. This would help overcome shortages in critical medical supplies including masks, ventilators and others.
Trump also signed an aid package approved by the Senate earlier Wednesday, thereby guaranteeing sick leave to workers who get COVID-19.
Describing himself as a "wartime president" who was fighting an invisible enemy, Trump likened his administration's efforts to the measures taken during World War II and said it would require national "sacrifice."
"It's a war," he said. "I view it as a, in a sense, a wartime president. It's a very tough situation."