\n\n“It\u2019s true that by February 23, Trump had restricted travel from China. But the virus was already spreading within the United States. And Trump\u2019s public statements belie the revisionist history he\u2019s now offering about how he took the coronavirus seriously from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For instance, during a news conference on February 26, Trump said<\/a>, \u201cwhen you have 15 [coronavirus cases], and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that\u2019s a pretty good job we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But instead of going down \u201cclose to zero,\u201d the United States now has nearly 400,000 cases less than two months out from Trump uttering those words. During Tuesday\u2019s briefing, a reporter pressed him on this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen Peter Navarro did circulate those memos, you were still downplaying the threat of coronavirus in the US,\u201d the reporter said. \u201cYou were saying things like, \u2018I think it\u2019s a problem that is going to go away within a couple of days \u2014\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich I\u2019m right about,\u201d Trump interjected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reporter continued: \u201cYou said \u2018within a couple of days the cases will be down to zero.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the current magnitude of coronavirus cases in the US, you might think Trump\u2019s comment about coronavirus going away on its own would be too much even for him to try and defend. You\u2019d be wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, the cases really didn\u2019t build up for a while,\u201d Trump replied.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Navarro\u2019s memo recommended significant immediate federal investment in personal protection equipment (PPE) for health care workers. But federal agencies largely held off on such expenditures until mid-March<\/a>, when the crisis was already spinning out of control. Trump\u2019s line on that point has been that states should\u2019ve done more to help themselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Trump really didn\u2019t learn of Navarro\u2019s memo until media reports about it in recent days, it\u2019s an indictment of his administration \u2014 after all, you\u2019d expect a top official\u2019s conclusion that as many as 2 million Americans could die from a deadly disease would be worth bringing to his attention. But if he did see it and not only didn\u2019t act but told the public that the coronavirus would go away \u201clike a miracle<\/a>\u201d as he did on February 27, then in some ways that\u2019s even worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What we do know is that, for whatever reason, Trump was indulging in wishful thinking during a critical period in which more proactive measures could\u2019ve saved lives. And as a result, the goalposts have now moved to a point where Trump is preparing to tout as many as 100,000 American deaths as a win<\/a>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n