In an unusual start to the White House daily coronavirus briefing, US president Donald Trump announced a new focus on drug cartels. Trump was joined by attorney general, William Barr, the secretary of defense, Mark Esper and top military officials who did not seem concerned with social distancing. The president announced the sending of navy ships toward Venezuela as the US intensifies counter-narcotics operations. Trump touted a link between drug trafficking and the coronavirus: ‘As governments and nations focus on the coronavirus, there is a growing threat that cartels, criminals, terrorists and other malign actors will try to exploit the situation for their own gain. We must not let that happen.’ It comes a day after Trump said that up to 240,000 Americans could die from the coronavirus pandemic