New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham last week requested a 248-bed Army combat support hospital from President Trump to fight the Covid-19 virus. She expressed fears that the “incredible spikes” in cases in the Navajo Nation could “wipe out” some Indian communities.
A recording of the phone call between the governor and the president was obtained by ABC News. Grisham was following up on a request that she made to the U.S. Department of Defense after she didn’t get a response.
She told Trump, “The rate of infection, at least on the New Mexico side—although we’ve got several Arizona residents in our hospitals—we’re seeing a much higher hospital rate, a much younger hospital rate, a much quicker go-right-to-the-vent rate for this population. And we’re seeing doubling in every day-and-a-half,” she said.
Trump responded, “Wow, that’s something.”
The governor added, “It could wipe out those tribal nations.” Trump promised to get the field hospital to her as quickly as possible. He followed it up by ordering his staff to follow up and rush the hospital, according to the recording.
At the time of the call, there had been 128 cases and two deaths of coronavirus on the 250,000 population reservation, which is the largest in the U.S. The outbreak is believed to have spread at a church rally in Chilchinbeto, Arizona, on March 7.
The Navajo Nation declared a state of an emergency a week later followed by a shelter-in-place order on March 20.
