Aware of the threat of a growing crisis, Donald Trump for a long time deliberately assured Americans that the situation was stable and under control.
This is reported by the international edition “The Guardian”, which published evidence of the upcoming pandemic that were received by Trump and his simultaneous statements that there was no danger and worsening was not expected.
During his visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 6, broadcast on air, Trump said the virus “came from nowhere”. Previously, he assured Americans that “everything is under control”, “the United States is in great shape”, “the news of the pandemic are fake”.
However, Trump was privately warned of the “full-blown COVID-19 pandemic” and “1-2 million” American deaths, which follows from an analysis of internal emails, memoranda, and other recently discovered evidence documenting internal discussions. It turned out that Trump was personally repeatedly warned about the growing crisis starting in mid-January, but at the same time he continued to give false assurances to the American public.
The Guardian gives a schedule of the main notifications received by Trump, and the false, knowingly distorted information that he was distributing at the same time. Excerpts from research are given below:
1. On January 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alarm signaling that they “closely monitor the identified outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology, the origin of which may be related to the large wholesale market for fish and live animals in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China”.
2. On January 18, Trump received a call from the Minister of Health Alex Azar, who warned the American President about the coronavirus threat. According to AP, Trump did not pay enough attention to the information.
3. On January 21, the first case of coronavirus in the United States was confirmed, and on January 22, during the Davos forum, Trump publicly commented on the situation with the spread of the infection in the country.
“We have everything under control”, – Trump said in an interview for the American CNBC channel.
4. According to the Washington Post, the Head of the White House Domestic Policy Council said on January 27 that the fight against coronavirus would dominate public life over the next few months, and that “the administration should take the current situation seriously”.
5. Axios reports that the National Security Council was warned on January 29 that the coronavirus could potentially kill half a million Americans and hit the economy in the amount of $ 5.7 trillion.
6. Following a briefing on the coronavirus with White House representatives, senators express concern that the administration is downplaying the threat. Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut said there was no request for ANY emergency funding.
Just left the Administration briefing on Coronavirus. Bottom line: they aren't taking this seriously enough.
Notably, no request for ANY emergency funding, which is a big mistake. Local health systems need supplies, training, screening staff etc. And they need it now.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 5, 2020
7. On February 19, Trump called on a group of governors with the assumption that “in April, warm weather would negatively affect the viability of the virus”, which would lead to its disappearance.
8. On February 23, the economic adviser fixes the fact that “there is an increased likelihood of a full-blown Covid-19 pandemic that could infect up to 100 million Americans, with the deaths of 1-2 million people”.
9. On February 24, in his Twitter account, Trump stated that everything was “very much under control”.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2020
10. On February 25, Trump reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and his administration were doing a lot of work to combat coronavirus, including the early closure of borders with certain areas of the world. Democrats resisted this, but it turned out to be the right decision.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1232492821501771776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1232492821501771776&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2020%2Fapr%2F14%2Ftrump-coronavirus-alerts-disinformation-timeline
11. On February 26, Trump makes traditional attacks on Twitter and says that MSDNC (Comcast) and CNN agencies with their low ratings and fake news, were doing everything possible to present the coronavirus in the most unfavorable light, spreading panic. He mentioned the USA was in great shape!
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…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2020
12. On March 9, Trump compared the new coronavirus infection with the flu on his Twitter:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1237027356314869761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1237027356314869761&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2020%2Fapr%2F14%2Ftrump-coronavirus-alerts-disinformation-timeline
Then it was decided to test 1 million people.
13. Dr. Anthony Fauci invites Congress to admit that the US does not have enough tests, which Trump vehemently denies.
14. On March 13, Trump declares a state of emergency in the country over coronavirus and says that Google is developing a program that could help people across the country find tests, but this is a hoax.
“We discussed with pharmacies and retailers to make tests available in critical places identified by public health professionals”, – Trump adds, but only a small part was completed in a month.
Finally, Trump says: “I don’t take responsibility at all”.