There are now more than one million confirmed Covid-19 infections in the US, according to data from John Hopkins University.
The country surpassed the grim milestone, becoming the first nation in the world to do so. There are now 1,010,717 and 58,365 people have died. That's more that the number of Americans who died during the Vietnam War.
There are around four times more cases in the US than in the country with the next most publicly declared infections - Spain. Although it's worth noting that the overall population is also significantly larger.
But it means that the US accounts for around a third of the world's three million total known cases.
The US President dismissed suggestions that the Administration was slow to respond to the threat of Covid-19, including reports that it was mentioned in his daily intelligence briefing in January and February.
He stressed his decision to restrict flights from China — though more than 40,000 travellers from China still made it to the US afterward — and said of the decision: "Whether it was luck, talent or something else, we saved many thousands of lives."
Florida, with a high population of older Americans vulnerable to the disease, has long been a source of concern, and DeSantis was slower to impose social distancing guidelines than other governors were. But DeSantis, a fellow Republican and close Trump ally, promoted his state's ability to test its residents.
He also raised the idea of testing airline passengers on international flights from areas where the virus is spreading. When Trump suggested DeSantis might be "cutting off Brazil," which is experiencing a major outbreak, the governor replied, "Not necessarily."
Gary Kelly, chairman and CEO of Southwest, was asked about airport screening during an earnings call with analysts and reporters and said: "We are talking with the Administration and members of Congress about what the protocols should be."
He added that an industry trade group was "leading the effort to advocate for some kind of health screening at the security checkpoint ... some kind of screening makes sense, and I think to get people flying again, they need to be comfortable, and I think that's one way to provide additional comfort."
Florida health authorities have attributed many of the state's cases to people who arrived from other hot spots, including Europe, Latin America and the New York region. DeSantis hasn't yet given a start date for a reopening but has said it would be "methodical, slow and data-driven." He also has been collecting information from a task force representing industry groups and medical professionals.
Asked why he closed his state later than others did, DeSantis contrasted Florida's "tailored" and "measured" approach with "draconian" measures in other states.
"Everyone in the media was saying Florida was going to be like New York or Italy, and that has not happened," DeSantis said.
- AP, Telegraph Group Limited
