President Donald Trump told the American public on Wednesday that he indeed had downplayed the coronavirus pandemic, saying that «he didn’t want people».
«I don't want to create panic as you say, and I'm definitely not going to lead this country or the world into frenzy», Trump said when asked if he did it “to reduce panic”.
Trump's comments came hours after CNN excerpts and audio from Rage, the upcoming book by renowned journalist Bob Woodward, which shows the president admitting to Woodward that he underestimated the dire impact of the coronavirus despite knowing how deadly it could be.
«I wanted to downplay the seriousness of the virus», said Trump to Woodward, in an interview on March 19 that was published by CNN. “I still want to downplay the coronavirus because I don’t want to create panic”.
The incredible statements to Woodward came to light a week after Trump found himself embroiled in a controversy over offensive comments he allegedly made about members of the U.S. who lost their lives.
As of Wednesday afternoon, about 190,000 people had died from the coronavirus in the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins. Trump said nonetheless: “I think we’ve done a great job in every way.”
When asked by a reporter how he could convince the public that he could be trusted, Trump said, “We have to show our leadership skills and the last thing we want to do is create panic in the country,” and went on to say, “This is a horrible situation that came to us from China. It should not have happened. It should never have happened. It is a disgusting, terrible situation that has attacked us. We do not want to show panic. We will not show panic. And that is exactly what I did.”
The president of the United States continues to publicly show that he is not worried about the measures against the coronavirus and is optimistic about the success of his administration in controlling the virus, even as the nation's death toll continues to rise.
As the pandemic continues its devastating work, Trump is calling on states to relax their policies against the pandemic.
In a February 7 interview with Woodward, the audio from CNN showed that Trump is aware of how aggressively the virus can spread and made it clear in his interview that COVID-19 is “more deadly than any flu that’s out there.”
The comment about the flu was particularly striking, given that Trump has compared COVID-19 to the flu several times in an apparent attempt to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic.
The Washington Post also referenced the criticism made by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, towards Trump in Woodward's book: «The President’s attention span is very short», Fauci said, continuing: «His sole purpose is to get re‑elected».
