For four months, Trump railed against Obama’s handling of Ebola during the 2014 crisis. Trump demanded that all travel from Western Africa be immediately halted, promising that the crisis will “ONLY GET WORSE.” Saying that the government’s handling of the crisis was “almost like he’s saying F-you to U.S. public,” he warned about how “All the governors are already backing off of the Ebola quarantines.”
There were 11 total American cases of Ebola, resulting in 2 deaths. Neither of those who died contracted Ebola from within the United States. The CDC announced the first diagnosis September 30, 2014, and the last infected person was released from the hospital November 11.
Ebola outbreak in the United States / Wikipedia
During his Presidency, Trump repeatedly downplayed the severity of COVID-19. His administration implemented limited travel bans that only extended to non-US citizens and residents, failed to implement travel checks and tracing for the disease, and continually pushed for states to reopen their economies. Trump claimed he had total authority over governors to make policy in their states.
Fox News also drew attention for the discrepancy between their reporting on the handling of Ebola under Obama and COVID-19 under Trump.
An incomplete list of Trump’s tweets about Obama’s handling of Ebola follows:
Ebola patient will be brought to the U.S. in a few days – now I know for sure that our leaders are incompetent. KEEP THEM OUT OF HERE!
During an April 23 press conference, Trump suggested investigating if light, whether ultraviolet or “just very powerful light,” and injecting disinfectant, may be remedies to COVID-19.
So I asked Bill a question some of you are thinking of if you’re into that world, which I find to be pretty interesting. So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether its ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and I think you said, that hasn’t been checked but you’re gonna test it. And then I said, supposing it brought the light inside the body, which you can either do either through the skin or some other way, and I think you said you’re gonna test that too, sounds interesting.
And I then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute, and is there a way you can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it’d be interesting to check that. So you’re going to have to use medical doctors, but it sounds interesting to me, so we’ll see. But the whole concept of the light, the way it goes in one minute, that’s pretty powerful.
Dr. Deborah Birx, Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House COVID-19 task force, was on camera during the remarks.
At the time of his remarks, the United States had over 860,000 cases and 50,000 deaths.
Trump later claimed that his remarks were sarcastic:
I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen.
Multiple reports followed of people ingesting bleach and other chemicals to combat the virus. The Republican Governor of Maryland and Democratic Governor of Michigan noted that they’d received hundreds of calls asking about whether it was safe to do so, though Trump said he couldn’t imagine why.
As the COVID-19 pandemic began, Trump went from “It’s going to be just fine” to “I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic” in 56 days. As with that first timeline, COVID-19 case numbers for this post are taken from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/, and there may be a lag between Trump’s statements and the day’s reported numbers.
Mar. 18 – 10,091 total US cases, 171 deaths.
It’s not racist at all. No. Not at all. It comes from China. That’s why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate.
Mar. 19 – 14,896 cases, 240 deaths. Trump promotes unproven drug treatments, falsely claiming that it has been approved by the FDA for COVID-19.
And we’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that’s where the FDA has been so great. They – they’ve gone through the approval process. It’s been approved.
America’s Private Sector is stepping up to help us be STRONG! Many of the Nation’s distillers, large and small, are producing and donating hand sanitizer to help fight #COVID19. THANK YOU! https://t.co/bcjKA9Janw
Mar. 20 – 20,873 cases, 310 deaths. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo orders all non-essential businesses to keep their workers home. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issues a “stay-at-home” order. Indiana, Ohio, Louisiana, and others follow.
Mar. 21 – 25,969 cases, 376 deaths.
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)…..
You look at automobile accidents, which are far greater than any numbers we’re talking about. That doesn’t mean we’re going to tell everybody no more driving of cars. So we have to do things to get our country open.
Mar. 24 – 58,021 cases, 962 deaths.
Ultimately the goal is to ease the guidelines…Easter is our timeline, what a great timeline that would be.
Mar. 25 – 71,638 cases, 1,269 deaths. 3.3 million Americans file for unemployment.
Mar. 26 – 89,513 cases, 1,629 deaths. The United States now leads the world in confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Our country has to go back. Our country is based on that. And I think it’s going to happen pretty quickly. A lot of progress is made, but we’ve got to get back to work.
Mar. 27 – 108,537 cases, 2,131 deaths.
You call it a germ, you can call it a flu, you can call it a virus. You know, you can call it many different names. I’m not sure anybody even knows what it is.
Mar. 28 – 127,827 cases, 2,781 deaths.
On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the….
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…
Mar. 30 – 171,640 cases, 3,150 deaths. American deaths from COVID-19 surpass 9/11.
Apr. 1 – 224,651 cases, 6,465 deaths.
Did you know I was number one on Facebook?
Apr. 2 – 255,276 cases, 7,676 deaths. Global cases reaches 1 million. Another 6.6 million Americans file for unemployment.
Apr. 4 – 322,790 cases, 10,537 deaths. More American deaths than those from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) combined.
I may take [hydroxychloroquine]. I’ll have to ask my doctors about that. But I may take it.
Maybe we could allow special, for churches, maybe we could talk about it. Maybe we could allow them, with great separation outside, on Easter Sunday. I don’t know, it’s something we should talk about.
Trump has no idea how coronavirus is transmitted from person to person and therefore doesn't get why packed churches amid a pandemic is a bad idea. This clip of him talking about how he considered an Easter exemption from social distancing shows it. pic.twitter.com/G4LXzNIGKf
Apr. 6 – 381,262 cases, 13,488 deaths. Trump interjects during a question for Dr. Fauci about hydroxychloroquine.
I answered this 15 times. You don’t have to answer.
Apr. 7 – 415,992 cases, 15,755 deaths. Trump echoes past claims of fraud with mail-in voting.
Mail-in voting is horrible, it’s corrupt…sure I could vote by mail, because I’m allowed to.
Trump falsely claims in a Hannity interview that the US is not experiencing a shortage of beds and ventilators.
The good thing is that the number of beds needed, I think we were right about that. I was right. My group was right.
I just saw on your show and a couple of other people just reported back to me that everyone is in great shape from the standpoint of ventilators, which are very hard, because they’re expensive and they’re big and like — it’s, you know — it’s — and they’re very high-tech.
Apr. 8 – 448,806 cases, 17,966 deaths. Trump threatens to halt WHO funding.
They really called every aspect of it wrong…recently social media said they seem to be very China-centric.
Apr. 9 – 482,724 cases, 20,113 deaths. An additional 6.6 million Americans file for unemployment. The Federal Reserve announces a stimulus of $2,300,000,000,000 ($2.3 trillion).
This is a very brilliant enemy. You know, it’s a brilliant enemy. They develop drugs like the antibiotics. You see it. Antibiotics used to solve every problem. Now one of the biggest problems the world has is the germ has gotten so brilliant that the antibiotic can’t keep up with it… We’re fighting – not only is it hidden, but it’s very smart, okay? It’s invisible and it’s hidden, but it’s – it’s very smart.
Apr. 11 – 546,923 cases, 24,460 deaths. The United States now leads the world in COVID-19 deaths. Reports surface of Trump asking Dr. Fauci, “Why don’t we let this wash over the country?”
So now the Fake News @nytimes is tracing the CoronaVirus origins back to Europe, NOT China. This is a first! I wonder what the Failing New York Times got for this one? Are there any NAMED sources? They were recently thrown out of China like dogs, and obviously want back in. Sad!
Great businessman & philanthropist Bernie Marcus, Co-Founder of Home Depot, said that Congress was too distracted by the (phony) Impeachment Witch Hunt when they should have been investigating CoronaVirus when it first appeared in China. Media played a big roll also!@dcexaminer
Apr. 13 – 600,825 cases, 27,963 deaths. Trump plays video in White House briefing room titled “The media minimized the risk from the start.” He claims total authority over state governors.
Well I have the ultimate authority. President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do, which is very powerful.
Trump spars with a reporter over a gap in actions taken February.
You’re so disgraceful. It’s so disgraceful the way you say that…nobody thought we should do it, and when I did it, you know what we did? You know what we did? What do you do when you have no case in the whole United States…zero cases zero deaths on January 17. …we did a lot. Look, look, you know you’re a fake, you know that, your whole network is fake.
Apr. 14 – 629,827 cases, 30,592 deaths. Trump halts US funding to the WHO.
Apr. 16 – 691,619 cases, 35,537 deaths. Another 5.2 million Americans file for unemployment, totaling approximately 22 million. Trump declines to speak out against protests in Michigan and other states against closures and social distancing.
There’s death and there’s problems in staying at home, too. It’s not just isn’t it wonderful to stay at home. They’re having – they’re suffering. This country wasn’t built on that principle, it was built on an exact opposite principle, actually. And I watched in one particular state where they were, they want to get back, the want to get back… I think they listen to me, they seem to be protesters that like me, and respect this opinion, and my opinion is the same as all the governors. They all want to open.
Apr. 17 – 724,900 cases, 38,134 deaths. Trump tweets in response to reports of protests against state closures, even citing the 2nd Amendment, though he has suggested taking guns without due process.
On April 10, Trump’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) changed its COVID-19 reporting requirements to include only those in the healthcare industry. The loosening of requirements are not to apply if:
(1) There is objective evidence that a COVID-19 case may be work-related; and (2) the evidence was reasonably available to the employer.”
The OSHA statement explains that this is to allow employers to focus on prevention rather than making “difficult work-related decisions” amid community transmission:
This enforcement policy will help employers focus their response efforts on implementing good hygiene practices in their workplaces, and otherwise mitigating COVID-19’s effects, rather than on making difficult work-relatedness decisions in circumstances where there is community transmission.
David Michaels, epidemiologist and public health professor at The George Washington University who served as head of OSHA between 2009 and 2017, shared his disbelief on Twitter.
OSHA announces employers don't have to record Covid19 cases.
The reason: to "help employers focus their response efforts on implementing good hygiene practices in their workplaces, and otherwise mitigating COVID-19’s effects."
Jordan Barab, former OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary between 2009 and 2017, also criticized the decision. Barab noted that the eased restrictions removes responsibility from employers on determining and managing COVID-19 infections, potentially jeopardizing worker’s compensation claims.
So, #OSHA says the employers outside of health care no longer have to determine whether employees' COVID infections may be work-related. So all you infected bus drivers, grocery store clerks, poultry processors — you didn't get it at work. https://t.co/3kjXjx7gaM
Trump made the remark about the re-opening of US states amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contrary to what individual governors may mandate for their states, Trump said,
Well I have the ultimate authority. President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The President of the United States calls the shots…
When pressed about how constitutionally, it is not in the purview of the federal government to dictate such matters to states, and whether he had addressed such matters with governors, Trump said,
I haven’t asked them about it. You know why? because I don’t have to.
When asked to elaborate, Trump replied,
When somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total. And that’s the way that it’s got to be. It’s total. It’s total…but the authority of the president of the United States having to do with the subject we’re talking about is total…You can look at constitutionally, you can look at federalism…we have the power. Does the federal government have the power? The federal government has absolute power. It has the power.
On the day of the press conference, the United States had over 580,000 cases and 23,000 deaths from COVID-19.
Trump also previously claimed that Article II of the Constitution allows him to “do whatever I want.”
The timeline below includes Trump’s remarks alongside US cases and other major events. COVID-19 case numbers for this post are taken from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/, and there may be a lag between Trump’s statements and the day’s reported numbers.
Dec. 31 – World Health Organization first alerted to the existence of a new respiratory virus in China.
Jan. 5 – WHO publishes first Disease Outbreak News for COVID-19.
Jan. 8 – CDC issues first travel advisory, “alerting clinicians on January 8, 2020, to be on the look-out for patients with respiratory symptoms and a history of travel to Wuhan, China.”
Jan. 9 – Trump holds Ohio rally.
Jan. 12 – China shares genetic sequence of COVID-19.
Jan. 14 – WHO says evidence of human-to-human transmission is inconclusive. Trump holds Wisconsin rally.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China??. pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG
Jan. 18 – Trump receives a briefing from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who said the President viewed him as “alarmist.” The briefing was by phone, as Trump was at Mar-a-Lago golfing for the weekend.
Jan. 19 – Trump golfs.
Jan. 21 – First reported case in the United States.
Jan. 22 – 1 case. WHO declares evidence of person to person transmission.
“We have it totally under control. … It’s going to be just fine.”
Jan. 23 – WHO issues global advisory.
WHO’s risk assessment is that the outbreak is a very high risk in China, and a high risk regionally and globally…We know that there is human-to-human transmission in China, but for now it appears limited to family groups and health workers caring for infected patients. At this time, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Jan. 24 – 2 cases.
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!
Jan. 30 – 7 cases. First person-to-person transmission confirmed by CDC, indicating COVID-19 had been freely spreading for several days, possibly weeks. Trump holds Iowa rally.
“We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five. And those people are all recuperating successfully. But we’re working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it’s going to have a very good ending for it. So that I can assure you.”
Working closely with China and others on Coronavirus outbreak. Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery.
Jan. 31 – 8 cases. China travel ban issued; US citizens and legal residents are exempt. HHS Secretary Azar declares public health crisis. There are 11,950 confirmed cases worldwide, 156 of which are outside of China spanning 19 nations.
Feb 1. – 8 cases. Trump golfs.
Feb 2. – 11 cases. China travel ban goes into effect.
Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China. We have a tremendous relationship with China, which is a very positive thing.
Feb. 5 – 11 cases. Trump’s impeachment trial ends as the Senate votes not to convict.
Feb. 7 – 11 cases. In tapes revealed in September 2020, Trump tells Bob Woodward about the severity of the virus.
It goes through air, Bob. That’s always tougher than the touch. The touch, you don’t have to touch things, right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus…This is more deadly. This is 5% versus 1%, and less than 1%. So this is deadly stuff.
Feb. 10 – 12 cases. Trump holds New Hampshire rally.
Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do — you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though.
The virus, they’re working hard. Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.
Feb. 15 – 15 cases. Trump golfs.
Feb. 19 – 15 cases. Trump holds Arizona rally.
Feb. 20 – 15 cases. Trump holds Colorado rally.
Feb. 21 – 35 cases. Trump holds Nevada rally.
Feb. 24 – 53 cases. “CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart,” Trump will halt funding to the World Health Organization within two months.
The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!
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!
And again, when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done.
Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape! @CDCgov…..
“Anti-Trump Network @CNN doing whatever it can to stoke a national Coronavirus panic. The far left Network pretty much ignoring anyone who they interview who doesn’t blame President Trump.” @trish_regan@FoxNews Media refuses to discuss the great job our professionals are doing!
Feb. 28 – 63 cases. Trump holds South Carolina rally.
Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus…they are politicizing it. We did one of the great jobs, you see…this is their new hoax.
35,000 people on average die each year from the flu. Did anyone know that? 35,000, that’s a lot of people. It could go to 100,000, it could be 27,000. They say usually a minimum of 27, goes up to 100,000 people a year die. And so far we have lost nobody to coronavirus in the United States. Nobody. And it doesn’t mean we won’t and we are totally prepared. It doesn’t mean we won’t, but think of it. You hear 35 and 40,000 people and we’ve lost nobody and you wonder the press is in hysteria mode.
It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.
Feb. 29 – 68 cases. First American death.
I’ve gotten to know these professionals. They’re incredible. And everything is under control. I mean, they’re very, very cool. They’ve done it, and they’ve done it well. Everything is really under control.
Mar. 2 – 100 cases, 6 deaths.
We had a great meeting today with a lot of the great companies and they’re going to have vaccines, I think relatively soon.
Mar. 5 – 221 cases, 12 deaths.
Gallup just gave us the highest rating ever for the way we are handling the CoronaVirus situation. The April 2009-10 Swine Flu, where nearly 13,000 people died in the U.S., was poorly handled. Ask MSDNC & lightweight Washington failure @RonaldKlain, who the President was then?
Mar. 6 – 319 cases, 15 deaths. Global cases surpass 100,000. Trump signs $8.3 billion funding bill for research.
Anybody that needs a test, gets a test. They’re there. They have the tests. And the tests are beautiful.
No, I’m not concerned at all. No, we’ve done a great job with it. … [Holding rallies] doesn’t bother me at all and it doesn’t bother them at all.
It’s an unforeseen problem, what a problem, came out of nowhere, but we’re taking care of it.
Mar. 7 – 435 cases, 19 deaths. Trump golfs.
Mar. 8 – 541 cases, 22 deaths. Trump golfs.
Mar. 9 – 704 cases, 26 deaths.
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.”
So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!
We’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.
Mar. 11 – 1,301 cases, 38 deaths. WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Trump extends travel ban to most of Europe. The bans still do not apply to US citizens and legal residents.
Our team is the best anywhere in the world…and taking early intense action, we have seen dramatically fewer cases of the virus in the United States than are now present in Europe.
Mar. 13 – 2,284 cases, 48 deaths. Trump declares a national emergency.
I don’t take responsibility at all…
To this point, and because we have had a very strong border policy, we have had 40 deaths related to CoronaVirus. If we had weak or open borders, that number would be many times higher!
Mar. 14 – 2,931 cases, 58 deaths. First widespread screenings at airports leads to mass confusion and several-hour wait times in crowded terminals.
This is unacceptable. The reactionary, poorly planned travel ban has left thousands of travelers at ORD forced into even greater health risk. @realdonaldtrump and @CBP: no one has time for your incompetence. Fully staff our airport right now, and stop putting Americans in danger. https://t.co/gswIaHwelx
Michael Atkinson, who had served as the intelligence community inspector general since May 2018, was the first to alert Congress last year of an “urgent” whistleblower complaint. The complaint was about Trump’s attempt to solicit foreign aid in the 2020 election by withholding military aid from Ukraine in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden. The complaint was submitted by a CIA official assigned to the White House under the provisions of the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, making it a lawful disclosure. Atkinson, upon further investigation, found the claim to be credible and urgent, submitting it to the Direct of National Intelligence. In this way, Atkinson served merely to determine if any further investigation was needed, acting as a messenger.
Trump was ultimately impeached for the ensuing findings. He referred to the impeachment as a lynching. He also lied about the Ukranian President having exonerated him. After impeachment, Trump was acquitted by the Senate, which requires 67 votes to convict. The only Senator to break party lines was Republican Mitt Romney. Trump made a teasing remark upon discovering he was in isolation for COVID-19.
Trump directly stated that his firing of Atkinson’s firing amid the COVID-19 pandemic was reprisal for the “fake report.”
President Trump on Michael Atkinson: "I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible. He took a whistleblower report, which turned out to be a fake report…it was about my conversation with the president of Ukraine. He took a fake report and he brought it to Congress." pic.twitter.com/nctqgPNQ7T
Trump made the remark during a press conference about the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the 10 million unemployment claims across the preceding two weeks, Trump claimed that the economic side of the crisis was “artificial” because of forced business closures.
Trump’s message to the 6 million people who filed unemployments claims in the last week is that “it’s an artificial closing. It’s not like we have a massive recession or worse. It’s artificial because we turned it off … we will probably do more.” pic.twitter.com/FGVi6xIvbq
As the United States surpassed over 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 5,000 deaths, Trump declined to reopen the federal health care exchange at Healthcare.gov for a special enrollment period.
While free testing for COVID-19 has been authorized, there are no provisions or support for Americans without healthcare that require further treatment.
As of 2018, over 28,000,000 Americans were uninsured.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he is responsible for saving provisions for pre-existing conditions. However, there is an ongoing lawsuit by Republican states to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which instituted the provisions.
Mini Mike Bloomberg is spending a lot of money on False Advertising. I was the person who saved Pre-Existing Conditions in your Healthcare, you have it now, while at the same time winning the fight to rid you of the expensive, unfair and very unpopular Individual Mandate…..
On February 26, 2020, Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence as leader of the federal government’s task force on COVID-19. At the time, the United States reported a total of 58 cases. One month later, the US reported a total of over 100,000.
Pence drew criticism when he toured the Mayo Clinic on April 28 without a mask, noticeably being the only one present without one. By then, the US reported over 1 million total cases.
Pence, former governor of Indiana, has a controversial past regarding his record on public health and science:
Smoking
In 2000, Pence claimed in an op-ed about smoking,
Time for a quick reality check. Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn’t kill.
The CDC considers smoking the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
Amid an AIDS outbreak in his state, after a 2015 meeting with officials from the Indiana State Department of Health and the CDC, Pence said he would “go home and pray on it.” A few days later, Pence allowed for the opening of an HIV testing clinic and a non-state funded needle exchange program. However, on the same day, he signed a bill into law that increased criminal punishment for possession of syringes without a prescription, even if unused. Within two years, 217 AIDS cases had been attributed to the outbreak. Critics claimed that Pence’s long-held attempts to close down Planned Parenthood, a leading HIV testing resource in the state, helped lead to the outbreak in the first place.
As a result of the outbreak, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said that Austin, Indiana had a higher incidence of HIV than “any country in sub-Saharan Africa,” and “more people infected with HIV through injection drug use than in all of New York City last year.”
In a 2002 interview with Wolf Blitzer, Pence claimed about condoms and their ability to prevent the spread of disease,
I just simply believe the only truly safe sex, Wolf, as the president believes, is no sex…The problem is it was too modern of an answer, Wolf. It was — it truly was a modern, liberal answer to a problem that parents like me are facing all over America, and frankly, all over the world.
Pence’s website in which he published his views on smoking also espoused support for conversation therapy. In writing about the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, Pence’s site stated,
Congress should support the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act only after completion of an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus. Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.
While Pence has also called being gay a “choice” and “learned behavior,” there is no known evidence of his otherwise specifically voicing support for conversion therapy.
Climate Change
Pence has repeatedly deflected questions on his beliefs regarding climate change.
Pence has long criticized evolution, espousing a flawed understanding of what constitutes a scientific theory. In 2002, he gave a speech to the House of Representatives, where he demanded that evolution be taught alongside religious alternatives:
Charles Darwin did offer a theory on the origin of species, which we’ve come to know as evolution. Charles Darwin never thought of evolution as anything other than a theory. He hoped that some day it would be proven by the fossil record, but did not live to see that, nor have we. …let us demand that educators around America teach evolution not as fact, but as theory.
He has also avoided directly answering the question of whether he believes in evolution in later interviews.
