Listen to Trump privately say in February that coronavirus is ‘more deadly’ than the worst flu as he publicly lied about the threat – By John Haltiwanger (Business Insider) / Sept 9 2020
- Trump knew far more about the threat of COVID-19 than he publicly acknowledged in the early months of the outbreak, newly released recordings reveal.
- In conversations with veteran journalist Bob Woodward, the president said the virus was “more deadly” than the worst flus.
- Publicly, Trump said the virus was under control and nothing to worry about. He repeatedly lied to the public.
- Listen to parts of the interviews between Trump and Woodward below.
Recordings of interviews between President Donald Trump and veteran journalist Bob Woodward show that the commander-in-chief knew far more about the deadly threat posed by COVID-19 early on than he publicly acknowledged.
The recordings, conducted as part of a series of interviews for Woodward’s upcoming book, “Rage,” show that Trump repeatedly lied to the American people as he downplayed the threat of the virus.
On February 7, as he told the public that the virus was nothing to worry about, Trump said to Woodward: “It goes through the air. That’s always tougher than the touch. You don’t have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus.”
