Trump says 40,000 Americans have been repatriated who were stranded abroad

President Trump said as of Saturday that 40,000 Americans have been repatriated who were stuck abroad due to flying restrictions and last-minute lockdowns amid the spread of the coronavirus.
“We brought back 40,000 Americans who were literally stuck in other countries,” Trump said at a White House briefing Saturday.
Trump said the U.S. nationals were brought back on 400 flights from 75 countries.
On Friday, the State Department announced 37,000 U.S. citizens from more than 60 countries had boarded more than 400 flights back to the United States since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. Of those, more than 20,000 U.S. citizens repatriated in the past week alone.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Americans who are still abroad and wish to return to the U.S. should do so “immediately.” Pompeo has been particularly adamant about repatriating Americans during the crisis.
“Americans who wish to return home from abroad should do so immediately and make arrangements to accomplish that,” Pompeo said during a Tuesday briefing.
Trump has touted the State Department’s efforts to bring back Americans at previous briefings. On Tuesday he reported the State Department has repatriated 25,000 Americans from more than 50 countries, saying that “they were literally stuck in some cases, locked in.”
“Almost everybody’s out now, back home with their parents” or other family members, Trump said.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.