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In an interview, President Trump said that he downplayed the severity of the virus to avoid panic.
US President Donald Trump has denied minimizing the severity of Covid-19, despite admitting in a recorded interview to having done so.
At a televised event with voters, Trump said he had “exaggerated it.”
The claim contradicts comments Trump made to journalist Bob Woodward earlier this year, when he said he downplayed the severity of the virus to avoid panic.
Trump also repeated Tuesday that a vaccine could be ready “in a few weeks” despite skepticism from health experts.
No vaccine has yet completed clinical trials, leading some scientists to fear politics rather than health and safety is driving the momentum for a vaccine ahead of the November 3 presidential election.
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- Coronavirus: the week everything changed for Trump
More than 195,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the US since the start of the pandemic, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Meanwhile, Scientific American magazine on Tuesday endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time in its 175-year history, endorsing Democrat Joe Biden for the White House.
The magazine said Trump “rejects the evidence and the science” and described his response to the coronavirus pandemic as “dishonest and inept.”
What did Trump say?
At Tuesday’s town hall meeting held by ABC News in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Trump was asked why he would “downplay a pandemic known to disproportionately harm low-income families and minority communities.”
Trump responded, “Yeah, well, I didn’t downplay it. In fact, in many ways, I took advantage of it in terms of action.”
“My action was very strong,” he said, citing a ban imposed on people traveling from China and Europe earlier this year.
“We would have lost thousands more if he hadn’t put the ban in place. We saved a lot of lives when we did that,” Trump said.
The US ban on foreign travelers who were recently in China went into effect in early February, while the ban on travelers from European countries was introduced the following month.
But Trump has been accused of being slow to implement measures to reduce the virus.
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In its statement Tuesday, Scientific American said that despite the January and February warnings, Trump “did not develop a national strategy to provide protective gear, coronavirus testing or clear health guidelines.”
What did you say to Woodward?
Woodward, who broke the Watergate scandal in 1972 and is one of America’s most respected journalists, interviewed Trump 18 times from December to July.
In February, Trump indicated in an interview with Woodward that he knew more about the severity of the disease than he had publicly said.
According to a recording of the call, the president said the coronavirus was deadlier than the flu.
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“It’s on the air,” Trump is heard saying on the tape. “That’s always harder than touch. You don’t have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it happens.
“And that is very complicated. It is very delicate.”
Later that month, Trump said the virus was “very under control” and that the case count would soon approach zero. He also publicly hinted that the flu was more dangerous than Covid-19.
Speaking on Capitol Hill on March 10, Trump said, “Just keep calm. He will go.”
Nine days later, after the White House declared the pandemic a national emergency, the president told Woodward, “I always wanted to minimize it. I still like to minimize it, because I don’t want to create panic.”
During the meeting, a group of ordinary people had the opportunity to pose questions directly to the president. It was an unusual event for Donald Trump, who has long preferred to speak at campaign-style rallies.
One of the participants, Ellesia Blaque, an assistant professor who suffers from an inflammatory disease, asked about the president’s health plan and whether it would support people with pre-existing conditions.
When Trump interrupted her, she asked him to let her continue and he was silent. It was a rare moment for the president. Usually she surrounds herself with supporters and when journalists ask tough questions, she attacks them.
But he couldn’t accuse Ms. Blaque of having an agenda. She and others at the town hall event demanded answers in a way few people have. He assured her that those with pre-existing conditions would be protected under his plan, but did not offer details.
It was the kind of real-time exchange she has tried to avoid, and how she and others in the audience, and across the United States, feel about her responses could help determine the outcome of the election.
What else did Trump say in Philadelphia?
Trump, who is seeking re-election, repeated his earlier claim that the virus would go away on its own because people would “develop … a herd mentality”, probably referring to “herd immunity” when enough people have developed resistance to a disease. to stop its transmission.
He also again questioned his own administration’s scientific advice on the use of masks.
“The concept of a mask is good, but … you touch it constantly. You are touching your face. You are touching plates. There are people who do not believe that masks are good,” he said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommends the use of face masks.
Trump has made conflicting comments about face masks, on the one hand, disparaging them as unhealthy and, on the other, calling on Americans to “show patriotism” by wearing them.
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The question-and-answer meeting with undecided voters on Tuesday came as the presidential election battle entered its final stages.
Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden is expected to participate in a similar show in Pennsylvania that airs Thursday.
Pennsylvania is seen as a key state on the battlefield in the race for the White House.
