15:39

Nicole McCullough, a global health and safety expert at 3M, demonstrates the correct way to put on a N95 respiratory mask at a laboratory of 3M in Maplewood, Minnesota. Photograph: Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters

The boss of one of the world’s biggest makers of personal protective equipment (PPE) has hit back at Donald Trump after the president warned the manufacturer “will have a big price to pay” and invoked the Defence Production Act to force the manufacturing giant to produce more protective N95 protective masks for the US coronavirus fight.

3M chief executive Mike Roman said accusations of price-gouging and unauthorised reselling is “absurd” and hit back at administration claims that the company is diverting supplies to overseas markets. He said:



I know how the narrative that is propagated broadly, and it’s just not true. [...] The employees of 3M around the world are working around the clock and in the United States to deliver and continue to increase production. The narrative that we are not doing everything we can to maximize delivery is delivery of respirators in our own country … nothing could be further from the truth. We are doing everything we can to maximise our efforts against Covid-19 and support healthcare workers here in the US.

3M came under attack from the president in a tweet on Thursday evening. “We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. “P Act” all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing - will have a big price to pay!”