Trump returns to the stage with underwhelming testing promises

The rosy assessments of progress appear to contrast with the reality in the states, as fears mount that early openings in some regions could cause a spike in infections -- and with business sparse in shops and restaurants that have already opened up, for instance, in Georgia on Monday.

The President dodged a question over whether he bore any responsibility for the deaths of more Americans than those who perished in Vietnam in a pandemic that he denied was ever coming to US shores. Despite weeks of prior warning that the virus would spread around the world, the President blamed China for not keeping it confined to its territory, thereby absolving himself of a buck stops moment.

"Nobody, except one country, can be held accountable for what happened. Nobody's blaming anybody here. We're looking at a group of people that should have stopped it at the source," the President said.

He also claimed improbably that other nations were phoning up the US to find out how it had done so well in its misfiring testing program -- as Vice President Mike Pence misrepresented his own predictions about an expansion in early March.

Trump predicted the pandemic's death toll would top out at 60,000 to 70,000. At the current rate, that would mean the dying would end this week, despite there being only a high plateau in infections rather than steep declines in many worst-hit states.

Over the weekend, a top economic advisor, Kevin Hassett, had warned of 1930s levels of unemployment. But Trump, far from warnings of a Great Depression-style collapse in the economy, predicted Monday that growth in the third and fourth quarters is going to be spectacular. And the President included more lavish praise for the corporate chieftains he invited to stand by his side to promote the new testing plans -- plans that are welcome but hardly comprehensive.

Trump also revived some of his greatest hits.

He told reporters Monday that without him, the United States would be at war with North Korea -- despite the fact that every one of his modern predecessors did everything to avoid such a disastrous outcome.

And he claimed inaccurately that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was telling people to dance in the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco while he was banning travel from the communist giant. Pelosi did not have a party or a rally in Chinatown. Amid concerns about rising anti-Chinese bigotry, she walked around the district, ate at a dim sum restaurant and spoke to reporters to urge people to "come to Chinatown."