The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again downplayed the severity of the coronavirus outbreak as America announces a record number of new cases.
In an interview with Fox Business conducted at the White House, Trump reiterated his claim that COVID-19 will just disappear.
Donald Trump downplays coronavirus and believes the disease will “just disappear” amid 48,000 new cases being recorded this past Tuesday.
Trump told Fox Business, “I think we’re gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think at some point that’s going to, sort of, just disappear – I hope.”
This statement comes just days after a record amount of new cases were recorded, with 48,000 new cases across the country on Tuesday, the highest daily number since the outbreak began.
However, this isn’t the first time Trump has seemingly whitewashed the impact of coronavirus. Back in February when the United States had just over a dozen cases Trump had a similar sentiment, saying “One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”
Since then, the virus has claimed the lives of 129,000 Americans, with 2.74 million cases confirmed as criticism of Trump’s handling of the pandemic has mounted.
Meanwhile, one of the country’s experts on infectious diseases and a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr Anthony Fauci, has contradicted Trump’s demeanour towards the disease.
Dr Fauci told senators, “I can’t make an accurate prediction but it’s going to be very disturbing. We are now having 40-plus-thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around, and so I am very concerned.”
With Trump’s approval ratings sinking and coronavirus rates spiking in many states, the President’s most recent comments may not put him in good stead with much of the American public come elections in November.
