Trump says he minimized coronavirus, didn't want to create panic: Woodward book

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at Smith Reynolds Regional Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S., September 8, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump acknowledged in February he knew how deadly and contagious the novel coronavirus was but did not convey that information to the American people because he did not want to create a panic, according to Trump interviews cited in a new book.

 

The recorded interviews, obtained by CNN and based on a new book titled "Rage" by journalist Bob Woodward, came out just weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential election and as Trump's efforts to battle COVID-19 have come under intense criticism as being too little too late.

 

The Republican president, who has been hammered by Democratic opponent Joe Biden over the slow U.S. government response to the coronavirus, played down the virus for months as it took hold and spread quickly across the country.

 

"I wanted to always play it down," Trump told Woodward on March 19, days after he declared a national emergency. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic."

 

In that conversation, Trump also told Woodward that some "startling facts" had just come out about the virus' targets: "It's not just old, older. Young people too, plenty of young people."

 

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday pushed back against revelations that he downplayed the coronavirus' severity throughout the pandemic, saying he acted in ways to reduce panic among Americans.

 

Trump on Wednesday defended his handling of the virus, which has killed more than 190,000 people in the United States so far, with new cases spiking in the Midwest.

 

"The fact is I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don't want people to be frightened," Trump said at a White House event

"We've done well from any standard," he added.

 

According to the interviews, CNN and The Washington Post reported, Trump knew the virus was especially deadly in early February.

 

"It goes through the air," Trump said in a recording of a Feb. 7 interview with Woodward. "That's always tougher than 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."

 

A week after that interview, Trump said at a White House briefing that the number of U.S. coronavirus cases "within a couple days is going to be down close to zero."

 

After recordings based on a new Bob Woodward book revealed that President Donald Trump knew early on how deadly and contagious the coronavirus was, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Wednesday that Trump did not intentionally mislead Americans about the virus' severity.

 

Some Senate Republicans defended Trump's coronavirus response on Wednesday.

 

“His actions of shutting the economy down were the right actions," Trump ally Lindsey Graham said. "And I think the tone during that time sort of spoke for itself.”

 

Woodward conducted 18 interviews with Trump for the book, due to be released Sept 15.

 

Other revelations in the book include Trump's disparaging remarks about U.S. military leaders. He drew criticism this week following reports that he denigrated fallen military personnel and veterans.

 

In Woodward's book, an aide to former Defense Secretary James Mattis heard Trump say in a meeting, "my f---ing generals are a bunch of pussies" because they cared more about alliances than trade deals. Mattis asked the aide to document the comment in an email, CNN reported.

 

Regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, Woodward asked Trump his views on the concept of white privilege and whether he feels isolated by that privilege from the plight of Black Americans.

 

"No. You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you," Trump replied, according to media reports on the book. "Wow. No, I don't feel that at all."

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Andrea Shalal, Joey Ax, Jan Wolfe, Patricia Zengerle, David Morgan, and Alex Alper; Editing by Dan Grebler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-10

 

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Expect more of these “bombshell” reports and never trumper “book releases” in the coming weeks complete with pre-made Joe Biden speeches pre-loaded into his teleprompter. 
 

This is nothing new. Trumps been saying all of this publicly since March. 

29 minutes ago, webfact said:

"The fact is I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don't want people to be frightened," Trump said at a White House event

"We've done well from any standard," he added.

Searing honesty from man of peace and Nobel nominee Trump. He has done a magnificent job handling the virus. I don't care what the revisionists say, I remember him taking severe steps to limit travel and being bashed by the usual quarters with the usual lame insults. To my mind control fell apart when the leftist mobs hit the street in democrat run states. Hard to blame Trump for this, but maybe another party could rightfully take the blame?

 Looking forward to Trump's next moves in the corona fight. I hope he unveils a vaccine just before Nov 3rd. 

I think he was correct in not wanting to create panic. But he should have prepared both the people and health authorities, and he failed there.

4 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I think he was correct in not wanting to create panic. But he should have prepared both the people and health authorities, and he failed there.

You mean like when literally everyone from Fauci to Democrats and media talking heads were telling everyone NOT to wear masks? 

19 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

Expect more of these “bombshell” reports and never trumper “book releases” in the coming weeks complete with pre-made Joe Biden speeches pre-loaded into his teleprompter. 
 

This is nothing new. Trumps been saying all of this publicly since March. 

 

Absolute rubbish. There are more than a hundred quotes available on the public record with trump minimising the risk of Covid-19, including denigrating the use of masks, even though trump was fully aware Covid-19 spreads by airborne particles. trump own words were recorded by Woodward, there is no leeway for trump or his supporters to refute the facts, no matter how hard he, supporters or you try to obfuscate.

 

EDIT:

 

Fauci's response concerning his initial comments regards masks.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/fauci-doesnt-regret-advising-against-masks-early-in-pandemic-2020-7?r=US&IR=T

Edited September 9, 20206 yr by simple1

4 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

You mean like when literally everyone from Fauci to Democrats and media talking heads were telling everyone NOT to wear masks? 

Authorities were not prepared, no matter your blame game.

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

Absolute rubbish. There are more than a hundred quotes available on the public record with trump minimising the risk of Covid-19, including denigrating the use of masks, even though trump was fully aware Covid-19 spreads by airborne particles. trump own words were recorded by Woodward, there is no leeway for trump or his supporters to refute the facts, no matter how hard he, supporters or you try to obfuscate.

Breathe, mate, breathe. I expect nothing less than the usual suspects acting like nobody remembers the early stages of the virus and what was being said at the time. 

18 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

He has done a magnificent job handling the virus.

Yes, magnificent! Only 190,000 dead!

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Authorities were not prepared, no matter your blame game.

Blame game he says, unironically, while blaming someone and ignoring everything else. 

1 minute ago, Mama Noodle said:

Breathe, mate, breathe. I expect nothing less than the usual suspects acting like nobody remembers the early stages of the virus and what was being said at the time. 

No, I don't forget what trump was saying, nor his praise of Xi at the time for self-serving purposes.

5 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

  There are more than a hundred quotes available

Quote them!

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

No, I don't forget what trump was saying, nor his praise of Xi at the time for self-serving purposes.

He has been very quiet about Emperor Xi of late!

1 minute ago, PatOngo said:

Quote them!

Little less exclamation marks and a little more coffee amigo. That’s not my post you’re quoting. 

3 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

He has been very quiet about Emperor Xi of late!

Yes, because trump lost the 'easy to win' trade war - who's the fool now? Would make good Dems' ads to use trump's words against him, in this and many other matters.

Edited September 9, 20206 yr by simple1

Hearing him speak with first-hand recordings makes it more challenging for defenders.

 

Anyone with half a brain saw this happening in real-time, in Feb & Mar.

 

So far my favorite exchange in the new Woodward book is 

 

Of KJU, Trump told Woodward: “You meet a woman. In one second, you know whether or not it’s going to happen. It doesn’t take you 10 minutes and it doesn’t take you six weeks. It’s like, whoa. OK. You know? It takes somewhat less than a second.”

 

 

He leaves us hanging, did he score with Kim or not?

 

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"my f---ing generals are a bunch of pussies"

Winning hearts and minds? I'm surprised he's not "grabbing" his generals!

This virus caught everyone off guard, but ultimately, dear leaders of all factions have downplayed this virus. The difference here is that an incompetent leader was recorded!!!

1 minute ago, mtls2005 said:

Anyone with half a brain saw this happening in real-time, in Feb & Mar.

More revisionist nonsense, but par for the course. In both of those months there was so much disinfo and downplay from literally every side of American politics up to and including the use of masks. Only when NY got bad did the script flip. 

1 minute ago, Somtamnication said:

This virus caught everyone off guard, but ultimately, dear leaders of all factions have downplayed this virus. The difference here is that an incompetent leader was recorded!!!

Recorded making the same statements he’s made publicly ????‍♂️

National security advisor obrien says in may that the virus is no big deal. Yet in january he told trump its the biggest threat to national security.

 

Trumps own secretary of defense calling him unfit and telling Coates that they may have to step in to stop trump.

 

This woodward book is the most damning on trump, he has taped conversations and trump looks like a complete goose.

South Korea 344 deaths

USA 195,000 deaths and counting

 

Pandemic handled nearly perfectly.  MAGA, again.

7 minutes ago, Sujo said:

National security advisor obrien says in may that the virus is no big deal. Yet in january he told trump its the biggest threat to national security.

 

January 28, 2020

 

Flash foward 3 months...

 

DNI o'brien publicly said on May 2 that ""Initially, no one understood the magnitude of this crisis,""

 

The trump tape on this aspect was amazing.

 

 

Fun watching the enablers fumble to defend trump.

 

 

 

 

13 minutes ago, Sujo said:

National security advisor obrien says in may that the virus is no big deal. Yet in january he told trump its the biggest threat to national security.

 

Trumps own secretary of defense calling him unfit and telling Coates that they may have to step in to stop trump.

 

This woodward book is the most damning on trump, he has taped conversations and trump looks like a complete goose.

 

 

 

Yet his supporters still go through amazing contortions to try and support him; bizarre.

Edited September 9, 20206 yr by simple1

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

Yet his supporters still go through amazing contortions to try and support him - bizarre.

Entertaining are'nt they! I find them amusing.

1 minute ago, Damual Travesty said:

Sum it up: Trump is not a racist, not a murderer, he does not hate the American troops. He is pro-American

But he is a pussy grabber!

How can you downplay something like a pandemic when you know exactly how dangerous it is?! That’s manslaughter in my book!!! 

Just now, PatOngo said:

Entertaining are'nt they! I find them amusing.

Not for me - think they're scary in thier fanatism - they all appear to support authoritarianism in one form o=r another. Quite possible if trump is re-elected he will cause enormous damage to democratic institutions and the Rule of Law.

Inflammatory, troll posts removed along with replies.   It might be wise to stop with the 'fake news' defense to pretty much everything.

 

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

Not for me - think they're scary in thier fanatism - they all appear to support authoritarianism in one form o=r another. Quite possible if trump is re-elected he will cause enormous damage to democratic institutions and the Rule of Law.

As as American, I value American institutions and the rule of law. I fear greatly totalitarianism, single party states, mindless bots who do the bidding of dangerous regimes.  I value secure borders, a strong national Defence, a healthy economy that can manufacture its necessities, fair trade, I value freedom - truth Justice, and the American way. I value liberty.