In the weeks preceding the unconstrained outbreak in the United States, Trump repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus and claimed that his administration had done a great job in containing it.
China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!
Cryin’ Chuck Schumer is complaining, for publicity purposes only, that I should be asking for more money than $2.5 Billion to prepare for Coronavirus. If I asked for more he would say it is too much. He didn’t like my early travel closings. I was right. He is incompetent!
Among other remarks, he also claimed that warm weather would kill the virus, without evidence, saying, “Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.” He also claimed about US cases that “We’re going down, not up. We’re going very substantially down, not up.”
The remarks were all made in late February. By March 1, there were 98 confirmed cases in the US. Mid-March, Trump said he’d score his administration’s response to COVID19 a 10/10. By the end of March, there were over 160,000 confirmed cases.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and US stimulus packages, Democrats pushed for increased funding for absentee and vote-by-mail options. The proposal was for $400 million to be distributed through the federal Election Assistance Commission and subsequently distributed to the states to ensure that voting would be possible for all, with equal access, even if the pandemic persisted. Critics said the funding suggested was still far too little for such a nation-wide initiative.
During a Fox & Friends interview, Trump declared, “The things they had in there were crazy. They had things – levels of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”
Trump openly admitting if we made voting easier in America, Republicans wouldn't win elections
Trump: "The things they had in there were crazy. They had levels of voting, that if you ever agreed to it you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again." pic.twitter.com/x5HmX6uogo
When asked about his comments at a press conference, Trump said, “I think that mail in voting is a terrible thing. I think if you vote, you should go, and even the concept of early voting is not the greatest.” Several states allow for voting by mail, and Oregon, Washington, and Colorado do so exclusively.
He had also questioned the validity of mail-in ballots during the campaign.
On March 29, Trump tweeted multiple times to brag about his press conferences’ ratings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because the “Ratings” of my News Conferences etc. are so high, “Bachelor finale, Monday Night Football type numbers” according to the @nytimes, the Lamestream Media is going CRAZY. “Trump is reaching too many people, we must stop him.” said one lunatic. See you at 5:00 P.M.!
“President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronavirus updates have attracted an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news, roughly the viewership of the season finale of ‘The Bachelor.’ Numbers are continuing to rise…
On that day, the United States reported a total of over 161,000 confirmed cases and 3,000 deaths, more than 9/11.
He later again boasted of his television ratings on April 21, when the US had 824,229 confirmed cases and suffered 45,536 deaths.
I’ve had great “ratings” my whole life, there’s nothing unusual about that for me. The White House News Conference ratings are “through the roof”(Monday Night Football, Bachelor Finale , @nytimes) but I don’t care about that. I care about going around the Fake News to the PEOPLE!
In the video, Biden says, “Because we cannot re-elect … we cannot win this re-election … Excuse me, we can only re-elect Donald Trump.” The video cut the rest of what Biden said, “We can only re-elect Donald Trump if in fact we get engaged in this circular firing squad here. It’s gotta be a positive campaign, so join us.”
It is the first video marked as manipulated by Twitter since they announced such measures.
The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything within its semi-considerable power (it used to be greater!) to inflame the CoronaVirus situation, far beyond what the facts would warrant. Surgeon General, “The risk is low to the average American.”
In 2018, the White House global health security team, an office within the National Security Council, was disbanded. When asked about its closure amid the COVID19 pandemic, Trump replied, “Well, I just think it’s a nasty question…I don’t know anything about it. I mean, you say we did that. I don’t know anything about it.”
When the reporter asked to confirm that he didn’t know about a reorganization of the National Security Council, Trump continued, “It’s the administration, perhaps they do that, let people do, you used to be with a different newspaper than you are now, you know things like that happen.”
When the reporter persisted, her audio was cut as Trump said, “we’re doing a great job.”
While the original pandemic team was disbanded, it was then restructured into what was intended to be a leaner and more effective organization. John Bolton, Trump’s national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, stated that the change did not reduce the administration’s effectiveness against COVID-19. Bolton published The Room Where It Happened in June 2020 about his time in the administration, which sought to block its release.
Claims that streamlining NSC structures impaired our nation's bio defense are false. Global health remained a top NSC priority, and its expert team was critical to effectively handling the 2018-19 Africa Ebola crisis. The angry Left just can't stop attacking, even in a crisis.
The 2020 federal budget proposal for 2021 also included cuts to the Center for Disease Control. During a hearing about the proposal on March 10, 2020, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget confirmed that they still sought the same cuts to the CDC. On that day, the United States had over 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID19.
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains – Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)…..
Trump also falsely claimed that chloroquine had been approved by the FDA for treating COVID-19.
Hydroxychloroquine, a less toxic derivative of chloroquine, is an anti-malaria and arthritis medication. Azithromycin is an anti-bacterial drug intended to defend against secondary infections. They both have risk of various side effects. The more severe for hydroxychloroquine include allergic reactions, hypoglycemia, permanent eye problems, nerve damage, psychosis, seizures, and heart failure.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, flatly denied that there was any conclusive evidence to support the claim, noting that no clinical trials have been completed. Fauci explained during a subsequent press conference, “You really can’t make any definitive statement about it.” Still, Trump continued to express optimism about its efficacy. “May work, may not work, but I feel good about it,” Trump said.
The World Health Organization has not approved use of the drug for COVID-19. Its Director General noted, “small, observational and non-randomized studies will not give us the answers we need. Using untested medicines without the right evidence could raise false hope, and even do more harm than good and cause a shortage of essential medicines that are needed to treat other diseases.”
Nevertheless, there has been a run on hydroxychloroquine, with reports of hoarding and border crossing into Mexico for purchases. A man died from ingesting cleaner that contained a chemical he confused with what Trump promoted.
In a later press conference, Trump said he may take the medication, even though he hadn’t yet asked his own doctors about it: “If it were me – in fact, I might do it anyway. I may take it, okay? I may take it. And I’ll have to ask my doctors about that, but I may take it.”
Trump doubles down on hydroxychloroquine, saying he may take it as a prophylactic.
TRUMP: I may take it. Okay?… I’ll have to ask my doctors about that but I may take it.
Career scientists have warned that the science is unsettled + lupus patients currently need the drug. pic.twitter.com/ZBx6xHvvNG
Trump had a financial interest in Sanofi, a French company that produces the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine. While some trials showed promise, others didn’t; a Brazilian trial for chloroquine was halted when 11 patients died after 6 days.
In August, Trump’s testing chief Brett Giroir said it was time to “move on” from hydroxychloroquine.
During a COVID-19 press conference on March 20, 2020, NBC reporter Peter Alexander asked, “What do you say to Americans who are scared though? I guess, nearly 200 dead, 14,000 who are sick, millions, as you witnessed, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?”
Trump replied, “I say that you’re a terrible reporter. That’s what I say. I think that’s a very nasty question.” He went on to say that the reporter should be ashamed.
The exchange came after Trump promoted an unproven drug treatment, which Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, corrected.
When asked about what he expects of state governors after Trump previously said they should treat him well if they want assistance, Trump replied, “I want them to be appreciative.” He went on to say how the Washington governor Jay Inslee was a failed candidate that continually “chirps” to the administration. He also continued to reference Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer as “the woman in Michigan.”
Referencing Pence, head of the COVID-19 task force, Trump continued, “I say Mike, don’t call the governor of Washington, you’re wasting your time with him. Don’t call the woman in Michigan. It doesn’t make any difference what happens. You know what I say? If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call.”
“The federal government’s done a hell of a job,” he’d remarked during the conference.
