CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta discussed President Donald Trump’s admissions to Bob Woodward about downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus even though he knew the virus was “deadly stuff.”
Acosta said, “When he was asked about excerpts earlier today and said at one point he wanted to be a cheerleader, he didn’t want to create panic. Anderson, he hasn’t been a cheerleader, he’s been a misleader. I mean, not giving people the opportunity to prepare to deal with this virus is essentially what this president is guilty of tonight in the name of not wanting people to panic. You know, Anderson, you mentioned some things just a few moments ago, the rally, the masks and so on, remember during the spring, the president was urging his supporters to essentially storm statehouses across the country and demand that their states be reopened. The president did that with the full knowledge that this virus was worse than the flu. More deadly than the flu. He was saying to Bob Woodward that this virus is not only dangerous for elderly people but for younger Americans, but President Trump is advocating for children to go back to the classroom. He said he didn’t want people to panic. That’s been echoed by Trump advisors, but that just glosses over months and months of lies.”
He added, “He lulled half of the country into a false sense of security. He told supporters around the country that the scientists aren’t to be trusted. I mean, remember Dr. Fauci said, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said on repeated occasions he and his family received death threats. They are being harassed because there are so many people whipped up in this mode of hostility against public health experts and scientists in this country. He’s brought people out to rallies and had them sign waivers, essentially signing their good health away to coax them into rallies so he can run his reelection campaign the way he sees fit. He’s subjecting people time and again to the coronavirus. We had a rally for all intensive purposes on the South Lawn of the White House for his Republican National Convention speech on the South Lawn of the White House as you remember, Anderson, people, were sitting shoulder to shoulder even though the president privately was saying to Bob Woodward he knew this was a deadly virus.”
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