Jared Kushner reveals role as coronavirus mask chief after securing gear with help from dad-in-law Donald Trump’s ‘pals’ – The Sun

JARED Kushner is taking the lead on the coronavirus mask shortage after Donald Trump alerted him about the national shortage of protective medical gear.

In his first appearance at the coronavirus task force briefing, the White House senior adviser  revealed Thursday that he made calls to officials requesting more medical supplies be sent to New York.

Trump made his son-in-law aware of supply shortages in the state after he heard about them from a friend who lived there, Kushner said.

He added that the calls resulted in the Trump administration agreeing to "send a month supply" of medical equipment.

The president then tasked his son-in-law with helping his administration's response to the COVID-19 outbreak and ensuring that "we are doing everything possible to make sure we can keep Americans safe," Kushner said.

"Got a call from the president, he told me he was hearing from friends of his in New York that the New York public hospital system was running low on critical supplies," he said.

"We'll be doing similar things with all the different public hospitals that are in the hot spot zones."

Kushner then went on to lecture governors -many of whom have pleaded with the federal government to send more medical equipment amid depleting supplies – on crisis management.

"You have to take inventory in your state, and you have to be able to prove that there's a real need," he said, referring to the growing requests for more ventilators, masks, and other personal protective equipment for workers on the frontlines.

Governors should keep track of how many ventilators their states have "because that's the first thing a good manager will do," Kushner asserted.

"What a lot of the voters are seeing now is that when you would like somebody to be a mayor or governor or president, you're trying to think about who will be a competent manager during times of crisis," he said.

"This is a time of crisis, and you're seeing certain people are better managers than others."

Kushner's appearance sparked backlash from Trump critics amid reports of his expanded role in the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 5,800 Americans.

"Jared" was trending on Twitter for hours after the briefing ended.

Also trending was the phrase "nepotism", with more than 7,800 tweets sent Thursday evening.

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