Gov. Phil Murphy Visits Oval Office To Discuss NJ Coronavirus Response Efforts With President Trump
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy met with President Donald Trump Thursday at the White House.
They talked about next steps for the Garden Sate, and the need for more critical help.
New Jersey has been especially hard-hit by the coronavirus. The sate has had more than 7,000 deaths.
So today, Murphy made the trip down to Washington to meet with the president.
"And by the way, he's a democrat. So I'm getting myself in trouble. But that's OK," Trump said.
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Trump, a Republican, hosted the Democratic governor of New Jersey in the Oval Office. But political differences and jokes aside, the president had high praise for Murphy.
"It's a great place, a great state. And they have a wonderful man that's running it. He runs it with heart and with brains, and he's done a terrific job," Trump said.
Murphy thank the president for federal support during the pandemic. The two talked about coronavirus testing, and the dire need for financial aid for states.
"The financial assistance we need, and we need a significant amount, this is a big hit and this is, somewhere, in New Jersey alone, could be $20-30 billion. This is to allow us to keep firefighters, teachers, police, EMS on the payroll serving the communities in their hour of need. That's something we feel strongly about. We don't see it as a bailout. We see this as a partnership, doing the right thing in what is the worst healthcare crisis in the history of our nation," Murphy said.
CORONAVIRUS: NY Health Dept. | NY Call 1-(888)-364-3065 | NYC Health Dept. | NYC Call 311, Text COVID to 692692 | NJ Health Dept. | NJ Call 1-(800)-222-1222 or 211, Text NJCOVID to 898211 | CT Health Dept. | CT Call 211
After the White House meeting, Murphy returned to Trenton for his daily coronavirus briefing, where he announced that after the meeting, the president agreed to send much-needed PPE to nursing homes in New Jersey, along with hundreds of thousands of test kits and swabs to the state.
"This is a tremendous boost to our overall testing capacity. And as I have noted many times already, having a robust testing program is not just a key thing in the here and now, but a key principle for our being able to getting back on the road to recovery," Murphy said.
The governor is also strongly urging people to wear a mask or face covering in public places. Many parks across the state are set to reopen this weekend. Murphy again warned that if people do not practice social distancing, he could reverse his order, and close them again.
