President Donald Trump acknowledged the dangers of the COVID-19 epidemic in a Feb interview with reporter Bob Woodward & acknowledged downplaying the danger in an interview a mo thereafter, as per an account(a/c) of Woodward’s new book.
“I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I do not need to create a panic,” Trump stated in a Mar 19 call with Woodward, as per an audio video clip published Wed. on The Washington(WA) Post’s site. The news paper collected a copy of the book, “Rage,” that is planned to be declared next week.
Within the same interview, Trump acknowledged that the disease has been extra deadly than he formerly imagined.
“As of now it’s turning out it’s not just old citizens, Bob. However just today, & y’day, some of the startling facts went out. It is not just old, older,” Trump stated, as per an audio video clip, & afterwards added further, “young citizens, too, lot of young citizens.”
Trump is locked in a tough re-election battle over Democratic nominee Joe Biden, with his own poll numbers sagging as he continues to gain low marks from voters for just how he managed the reaction to the infection.
Trump, talking to journalists Wed. noon, stated he had being trying to avoid “panic” & has been demonstrating “command.”
“We’ve to show calm,” he stated. “Certainly I am not going to drive this nation (or) the globe into a frenzy. We need to show confidence. We’ve to show strength.”
He sidestepped a query regarding whether lives can were saved in case he were extra forthright regarding the dangers posed by this infection.
“I think in case we did not accomplish what we did, we had have had millions pass away,” Trump stated.
Of his own reach, Trump stated, “We do not need to go about screaming, ‘Look in this, look in this.'”