President Donald Trump knew in early February that coronavirus posed a unique and deadly threat to the United States, and was “more deadly than even your strenuous flus.”
At the time, Trump repeatedly publicly downplayed the virus as no more dangerous than the flu.
“I wanted to always play it down,” Trump told Woodward on March 19, according to a copy of the book obtained by CNN. “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”
But by ignoring reality in public, the president didn’t prevent panic, he provoked it.
Joe Biden castigated Trump over the damning comments at an event for the UAW International Union on Wednesday.
“He knew how deadly it was. It was much more deadly than the flu. He knew and purposely played it down,” the Democratic presidential nominee said. "Worse, he lied to the American people. He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months.”
Nearly 190,000 Americans so far have died of COVID-19, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. | 
