[456][457]

Initial response
Trump was slow to address the spread of the disease, initially dismissing the imminent threat and ignoring persistent public health warnings and calls for action from health officials within his administration and Secretary Azar.[458][459] Instead, throughout January and February he focused on economic and political considerations of the outbreak.[460] By mid-March, most global financial markets had severely contracted in response to the emerging pandemic.[461] Trump continued to claim that a vaccine was less than a year away, although HHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials had repeatedly told him that vaccine development would take 12–18 months.[462] Trump falsely claimed that "anybody that wants a test can get a test," despite the availability of tests being severely limited.[463]
On March 6, Trump signed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act into law, which provided $8.3 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies.[464] On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic,[451] and Trump announced partial travel restrictions for most of Europe, effective March 13.