Trump says doctors keep asking how he knows so much about the coronavirus

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President Trump mused about a career path not taken Friday.

Speaking to reporters at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, which is spreading across the United States and throughout the world, Trump mentioned how much he enjoys talking about "this stuff." He attributes his previously unknown interest in epidemiological research to his uncle, Dr. John Trump, who used to teach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The president, who considers himself a genius, raised the scale even higher for his uncle, who he described as a "super genius."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.