Trump says 'I don't kid' after White House claims his coronavirus testing comment was a joke

The White House has insisted that a recent statement by President Trump about slowing down coronavirus testing was a joke, but now, Trump himself says, "I don't kid."

Trump on Tuesday was asked about his comment at his Tulsa rally over the weekend that he "said to my people, slow the testing down please" because "you're going to find more cases" when you conduct more COVID-19 testing. Asked if he was just joking about that, or if he really does intend to slow down testing, Trump told reporters, "I don't kid." He went on to repeat his claim that coronavirus testing is a "double-edged sword."

This contradicts numerous statements from the White House, as on Monday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a briefing, "It was a comment that he made in jest." White House trade adviser Peter Navarro also said over the weekend Trump's comment was "tongue-in-cheek."

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Despite saying on Tuesday that he doesn't kid, Trump did tell CBN News in an interview this week that the comment was "semi tongue-in-cheek," and he denied giving an order to stop testing. In another recent interview, Trump dodged a question about the comment and didn't say whether he was joking. Brendan Morrow