Trump said he wanted to 'play down' coronavirus risk in March despite knowing it's 'deadly stuff'

President Trump at a coronavirus task force hearing.

(Image credit: NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

published 9 September 2020

President Trump always knew COVID-19 was dangerous, but admittedly didn't want to tell Americans that.

Trump talked to The Washington Post's Bob Woodward for Woodward's forthcoming book Rage back during in the early days of the coronavirus' arrival stateside. Trump knew the virus was "deadly stuff" back in early February, he said in a call at the time, but told Woodward on March 19 he wanted to "play it down," a preview of Rage published Wednesday reveals.

Trump had been getting intelligence briefings on the coronavirus months before it was confirmed to have arrived in the U.S. In one briefing on Jan. 28, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien told Trump the virus "will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency," Woodward reports. Others in the room agreed, comparing this virus to the pandemic of 1918. Trump recounted what he'd learned from the COVID-19 briefings to Woodward in a Feb. 7 call, acknowledging it's "more deadly than even your strenuous flu."

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

But at the same time, Trump was downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19 to the nation, accusing the media of hyping it up to panic markets. It took him weeks to start admitting how deadly the virus actually is, though he has downplayed its spread and mortality rate in the U.S. to this day. And in March, Trump told Woodward point blank that this was always part of his strategy: "I wanted to always play it down," he said. Read more at The Washington Post.

Explore More

To continue reading this article...

Create a free account

Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.

Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.

Cancel or pause at any time.

Already a subscriber to The Week?

Unlimited website access is included with Digital and Print + Digital subscriptions.
with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.

Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox