After attack, US President Trump issues order to General Motors for ventilator production

President Donald Trump has issued an order that seeks to force General Motors to produce ventilators for coronavirus patients under the Defense Production Act.

Speaking in the Oval Office just before signing the $2.2 trillion stimulus package, Trump said he was forced to activate the order because General Motors was not producing ventilators quickly enough.

"We thought we had a deal for 40,000 ventilators and all of a sudden, the 40,000 came down to 6,000, and then they talked about a higher price than we were discussing, so I didn't like it," Trump said.

"So we did activate it with respect to General Motors. And hopefully, maybe we won't even need the full activation," he added.

Trump  said he spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier in the day, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Both leaders remain quarantined in their homes.

Johnson tested positive for COVID-19. Merkel was tested but the results came back negative.

Trump also spoke Thursday night with China's president Xi Jinping.  He said the U.S. has "learned a lot" from China and that he and Xi "have geat communication together."

Trump said China is providing data from its experience with the coronavirus pandemic for U.S. scientists to study.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.