White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended on Monday President Trump’s claim that “99%” of coronavirus cases are harmless.
Fox News anchor Sandra Smith asked if it was “useful” for the president to characterize the virus in that way, noting that FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn did not endorse the statement in a subsequent interview.
“The president was saying that most people will recover from the coronavirus that they contract, that there are a very small fraction of people who are fatally affected by the coronavirus,” McEnany told “America’s Newsroom.”
McEnany explained that the fatal risk of coronavirus is minuscule because there are several treatment options that have been developed in recent months.
“We have therapies, we have ways to deal with this, and when you look at death rates around the world, we are way below Italy. We are below Germany, below France and it is due to the great work we have done, ”said McEnany.
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On Sunday, Hahn declined to comment when several Sunday program hosts pressured him about President Trump’s suggestion the day before that 99% of coronavirus cases were “harmless.”
Hahn’s appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC News “This Week” followed Trump’s July 4 speech from the South Lawn of the White House.
“There was no evidence for a new virus, but now we have examined almost 40 million people,” Trump said. “By doing so, we show cases, 99% of which are completely harmless, results that no other country can show because no other country has evidence that we have, not in terms of numbers or in terms of quality.”
When “State of the Union” host Dana Bash verified the president’s statement, Hahn said he would “not understand who is right and who is wrong.”
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“It is a serious problem that we have. We have seen the increase in cases. We must do something to stop the tide, ”said Hahn. “We have this in our power to do; is following the guidance of the White House working group and the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. “
Hahn also declined to comment directly on Trump’s “99%” figure during his appearance on “This Week.”
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McEnany said the United States has outperformed other countries in terms of fighting the coronavirus because Trump “takes COVID seriously.” McEnany said Trump is “monitoring” the increase in new cases in some states, but the “death rate” must also be closely watched.
“He believes that, as the federal government, we are equipped to handle those fires. We have great therapies, dexamethasone, convalescent plasma, Remdesivir, that are used to treat this. We are aware of the spikes and we are here at the White House, ”said McEnany.
