Trump declares that he's actually 'up-played' the coronavirus pandemic


President Trump told author Bob Woodward earlier this year that the coronavirus was "more deadly than even your strenuous flu," but he wanted to "always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." On Tuesday, he told undecided voters during an ABC News town hall that he "didn't downplay it. I actually, in many ways, I up-played it, in terms of action. My action was very strong."
The town hall, called "The President and the People," was held in Philadelphia and moderated by George Stephanopoulos. Trump fielded questions from audience members, including one who asked why he would "downplay a pandemic that is known to disproportionately harm low-income families and minority communities."
Trump denied downplaying the virus and said one way he "up-played it" was by putting in place partial travel bans against China and parts of Europe in February and March. Stephanopoulos asked Trump to elaborate on his comments to Woodward, but Trump remained focused on the bans. "Whether you call it 'talent' or 'luck,' it was very important," he said. "So we saved a lot of lives when we did that."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Another voter asked Trump about his Make America Great Again campaign slogan, saying this "pushes us back to a time in which we cannot identify with such 'greatness.' You've said everything else about choking and everything else, but you have yet to address and acknowledge that it has been a race problem in America."
Trump responded, "Well, I hope there's not a race problem. I can tell you there's none with me because I have great respect for all races, for everybody. This country is great because of it." He added that he has been "bringing people together," and before the pandemic he ushered in "the best unemployment numbers they've ever had in the Black community, by far."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' home
Under The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?
Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'