Rep. Adam Kinzinger: Trump could do 'better job' reassuring public amid new coronavirus surge
'At no point did we ever think that we would stay in lockdown until this disappeared.'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Sunday that while President Trump is not responsible for the new coronavirus surge reported in cities across the U.S., he could do a "better job" reassuring Americans of the country's preparedness.
"Coronavirus obviously is surging," Kinzinger told "America's News HQ" co-anchor Leland Vittert. "I think where the president could do better at is explaining the process. It's not as much about, you know, the fact that more covered cases, it means a failure," Kinzinger explained.
"It's all about, do we have hospital capacity? Because, at no point did we ever think that we would stay in lockdown until this disappeared. The reality is, we just have to maintain that hospital capacity. So, I think things like the explanation of that could be better."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. SETS DAILY RECORD OF NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES
Five states reported their highest infection totals last week, marking the first time the single-day number exceeded 50,000. Over the weekend, Florida reported its own single-day high, with 11,445 reported new cases.
Kinzinger said that while he found Trump's explanation of the reopening process and subsequent new case totals to be insufficient, the president has been doing "pretty close to enough" on matters related to China, he explained, praising Trump's crackdown on the Communist regime in light of the Wuhan-originated virus.
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"I think we're doing pretty close to enough," Kinzinger said.
Kinzinger praised the administration's renewed focus on securing U.S. supply chains to reduce any longtime reliance on the Chinese Communist Party. "I think that, you know, the president, this administration has really stepped up its game on China compared to the last administration, the recognition of, you know, our issues with supply chain, the South China Sea."
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The U.S. had sent two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea to participate in military drills over the weekend. "The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability," Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff said.
"Compared to the last administration, it's an extremely low bar -- [but] this one is doing a great job on China," Kinzinger continued. "But, we have a long way to go because I think we're really just waking up to how susceptible we were in things like the supply chain."
Fox News' Leland Vittert contributed to this report.