Fact Check: "President Donald Trump ordered the service to shut down in March."
What We Know
The claim that "President Donald Trump ordered the service to shut down in March" lacks specificity and context. In March 2020, the Trump administration did not issue a blanket order to shut down all services; rather, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic involved a series of actions and proclamations. On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency concerning the COVID-19 outbreak, which allowed for the mobilization of federal resources to combat the pandemic (Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning ...). This declaration was a response to the escalating situation, but it did not constitute an outright shutdown of services.
By March 26, 2020, many states had issued their own shelter-in-place orders, which were not federally mandated but rather state-level decisions influenced by the federal response (The Trump Administration and the COVID‐19 crisis). The federal government did provide guidelines for social distancing and recommended that gatherings be limited, but the enforcement of shutdowns was primarily at the state and local levels.
Analysis
The assertion that President Trump ordered a shutdown is misleading. While he did encourage social distancing and the closure of non-essential businesses, the actual implementation of shutdowns was largely left to state governors. For instance, on March 29, 2020, Trump extended the voluntary national shutdown until April 30, but this was not a direct order to shut down services; it was a recommendation to mitigate the spread of the virus (President Trump extends coronavirus shutdown until April 30).
Moreover, the Trump administration's response to the pandemic has been characterized by confusion and a lack of clear communication, which has led to varying interpretations of federal guidance (A timeline of the Trump administration's coronavirus actions). The claim also overlooks the fact that many health experts and state officials were already advocating for shutdowns based on the rapidly worsening public health crisis.
The sources used in this analysis are credible, with the first being a peer-reviewed article that critically examines the Trump administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic (The Trump Administration and the COVID‐19 crisis). The second source is an official proclamation from the White House, which provides a factual basis for the timeline of events (Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning ...).
Conclusion
Verdict: False
The claim that President Donald Trump ordered a service to shut down in March is misleading. While he declared a national emergency and extended voluntary shutdown guidelines, he did not issue a direct order for a nationwide shutdown. The actual enforcement of shutdowns was primarily a state-level decision, influenced by federal recommendations rather than mandated by the President.
