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October 7, 2020

Trump Calls Off Stimulus Talks, Then Reverses Course in Erratic Series of Tweets
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The stock market tumbled on Tuesday shortly after President Trump
announced an abrupt end to negotiations over a COVID-19 stimulus bill
until after the election. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden
slammed Trump's decision, tweeting, "Make no mistake: if you are out of
work, if your business is closed, if your child's school is shut down,
if you are seeing layoffs in your community, Donald Trump decided today
that none of that matters to him." Trump's announcement came shortly
after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned of "tragic" results if
the government doesn't do more to boost the economy, which is facing its
biggest crisis in decades. In a bizarre move, Trump then retweeted an
article explaining why Powell feels a stimulus is needed.

After widespread criticism, Trump then tweeted on Tuesday night that he
would be open to signing a stand-alone bill solely designed to provide a
second round of $1,200 stimulus checks. On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi openly questioned if Trump's decision-making ability has been
impacted by the steroids he is taking for COVID-19.


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