Trump to address the nation on coronavirus in prime time Wednesday night

President Trump will address the nation in prime time Wednesday night on the coronavirus outbreak.

Mr. Trump said he will give the nationally televised address at 9 p.m., as the administration and Congress craft emergency plans to bolster the economy and slow the spread of the virus.

Asked if he plans to declare a national disaster, Mr. Trump replied, “We’ll be talking about that later.”

“We’re going to get the problem solved,” the president said. “The country is so strong, the institutions are so strong.”

The president again promoted a cut payroll taxes, although congressional Democrats oppose the idea.

“Democrats are not in favor of it, I’m trying to figure out why,” Mr. Trump said.

The last time Mr. Trump gave a prime-time televised address from the Oval Office was during the government shutdown in January 2019.

The president met with bankers and Wall Street executives at the White House Wednesday while markets suffered another steep nosedive to move into bear-market territory. The executives said banks are healthy and ready to help businesses get through an economic downturn.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,464 points, or 5.85%, to close at 23,553. The S&P 500 lost 4.89%, while the Nasdaq plummeted 4.70%.