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Trump Says He 'Always' Took Coronavirus 'Very Seriously,' but Past Statements
Contradict That

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump contended Wednesday that he
   "always treated" the global coronavirus pandemic "very seriously," but
   his public statements until recent days contradict his claim.
   Trump, on Twitter, said he has "done a very good job from the
   beginning, including my very early decision to close the 'borders' from
   China - against the wishes of almost all. Many lives were saved. The
   Fake News new narrative is disgraceful & false!"

     I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a
     very good job from the beginning, including my very early decision
     to close the "borders" from China - against the wishes of almost
     all. Many lives were saved. The Fake News new narrative is
     disgraceful & false!
     -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [1]March 18, 2020

   In January, Trump declared, "We have it totally under control. This is
   one person coming in from China. We have it totally under control. It's
   going to be just fine."
   Days after Trump minimized the threat, the U.S. Centers for Disease
   Control announced the first U.S. coronavirus case while the World
   Health Organization said the coronavirus posed what it described as a
   public health emergency that was a worldwide threat.
   Trump, however, said in February, "We've pretty much shut it down
   coming in from China."
   He told a political rally -- an event now abandoned in the U.S. to keep
   large crowds from assembling and possibly spreading infections, that
   with April's warmer weather, it "miraculously goes away."
   Trump also said, "We're very close to a vaccine," only to be
   contradicted by U.S. health officials who say that at best such a
   treatment is many months away.
   He claimed, as the number of U.S. coronavirus cases grew daily, "We're
   going down, not up."
   "We' have done an incredible job," Trump declared. "One day it's like a
   miracle, it's going to disappear."

References

   1. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1240243188708839424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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