Sanders says the first thing we need to do to curb coronavirus 'is shut this president up right now'

When asked what he would do to save American lives from the novel coronavirus, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had an immediate answer for the CNN debate moderators on Sunday night: "The first thing we've got to do, whether or not I'm president, is shut this president up right now."

Sanders further alleged that "Trump is undermining the doctors and scientists who are trying to help the American people. It is unacceptable for him to be blabbering un-factual information, which is confusing the public."

The Trump administration has been widely slammed over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, with the president downplaying the crisis. Trump's address in the Rose Garden on Friday was described as "the worst speech of his political career" by The Week's Matthew Walther, and The New York Times' fact-check found that he was misleading about everything from a website Google is setting up to help handle the outbreak to unfounded criticism against the Obama administration over their handling of swine flu in 2009.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Sanders also had additional ideas for how to slow the coronavirus outbreak, which you can listen to below. Jeva Lange