'It's a hoax' to avoiding mask: 10 times Trump downplayed COVID before testing positive

Before testing positive for coronavirus, US President Donald Trump has consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. Even though the unprecedented virus has killed over 200,000 Americans and infected over seven million nationwide, Trump has repeatedly challenged several scientific conclusions about the virus made by his own administration, such as refuting the need for masks and face coverings in public places. 

From saying that the virus ‘affects virtually nobody’ to implying the shutting down business was not necessary, the US President, on several occasions, has said that the threat to the US from coronavirus will be over soon, magically. 

READ: TRUMPS COVID POSITIVE: US President Donald Trump & First Lady Melania Test Covid Positive

Trump refuses to wear a face mask 

The US President was repeatedly pressured to respond as to why the US President doesn't promote the use of masks in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 infection, despite the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly urging their use. To this, Donald Trump responded by saying that there were some people who just liked the idea of masks. 

Recently, in his first debate with Democratic leader Joe Biden, he also defended his decision to often appear in public without a facial covering, expelling that he wears a mask ‘when needed’. Previously, Trump had also vowed not to order Americans to wear masks to contain the spread of the deadly virus. He has very seldom worn a mask for the world to see and has said that he does wear one when he can’t practice social distancing. he even refused to wear a mask during the tour of Ford facility in Michigan.

Moreover, back in May, Trump had told media photographers, "I wore one in the back area, but I didn’t want to press to get the pleasure of seeing it". 

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Trump said virus will 'disappear' 

In the early months of the outbreak, Trump said coronavirus could “maybe go away. We’ll see what happens. Nobody really knows.” He predicted it is “going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle – it will disappear.”

Pandemic is ‘under control’: Trump 

The US President has repeatedly insisted that the pandemic is 'under control’ in the US even when confronted with the staggering death tolls from the virus. He has repeatedly lauded his administration for their ‘great job’ in containing the spread of the virus and even pushed to reopen businesses to revive the hard-hit economy. He pressured state leaders to quickly lift their strict social distancing measures and reopen their economies. 

Virus ‘affects virtually nobody’: Trump told crowd

Trump had downplayed the risks of the disease and had said that the virus ‘affects virtually nobody’. While speaking at a rally in Ohio, on September 28, Trump had implied that shutting down businesses was not necessary and had said, “We now know the disease. We didn’t know it”. Trump, on Monday, said, “Now we know it. It affects elderly people. Elderly people with heart problems and other problems. But they have other problems, that's what it really effects, that's it,” he continued. "You know in some states, thousands of people [are infected] — nobody young," he said, which is incorrect. "Below the age of 18, like nobody. They have a strong immune system, who knows”. 

"But it affects virtually nobody. It's an amazing thing," Trump said. 
 

Trump called the pandemic a 'hoax'

Trump has repeatedly downplayed the threat posed by Covid-19, criticising concern over the crisis as a “hoax”, fretting that letting infected Americans off a cruise ship would increase the number of confirmed cases and claiming that only a couple of Americans had it as cases began to soar across the country. He compounded this by suggesting social distancing restrictions be lifted even though public health experts warned this would cause hospitals to overflow with sick and dying patients.

Mocks Biden for wearing a mask

During the presidential debate, Trump mocked Joe Biden for frequently wearing a mask as he answered a question about downplaying the effectiveness of wearing a face covering to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

“You’ve begun to question the effectiveness of masks as a disease preventer,” moderator Chris Wallace said to Trump. “And in fact recently you have cited the issue of waiters touching their mask and touching plates. Are you questioning the efficacy of masks?”

Trump said 'no' and then pulled out his own mask to demonstrate that he does wear one. “I put a mask on when I think I need it.”

He then, however, went on to mock Biden for wearing masks often. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask,” Trump said as Biden laughed. “He could be speaking 200 feet away from it. And he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”

Packed rallies amid pandemic

Amid a raging pandemic, Trump has repeatedly choreographed scene experts warn could lead to illness or even deaths. Thousands of supporters have on many several occasion jammed together, mostly without masks, cheering for a candidate who has mocked precautions against the virus. The US president has been repeatedly spotted ridiculing and ignoring coronavirus related restrictions while holding packed campaign rallies across the country. Trump has worked to shift his focus to the economy and violent protests in the streets, looking to portray the pandemic as a thing of the past despite cases still rising in nearly two dozen states. 

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Trump says ‘I like the numbers being where they are’

In one of the most notable instance during the White House’s public credibility struggle amid the coronavirus outbreak, Trump said the diet part out loud. In the early months of the pandemic, Trump explicitly said they he would prefer to juke the stats on COVID-19. He said, “I would rather because I like the numbers being where they are”.

Compared COVID-19 to seasonal flu

In one of the press conference, Trump rattled a series of misleading claims about the virus when establishing the task force and putting Pence in charge in late February. Trump said that he leaders how tens of thousands of people die from the flu each year. The president said that coronavirus is like dealing with the flu.

"So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!" Trump said in a tweet in March.

Encouraged governors to reopen 'quickly' 

Trump had encouraged governors to reopen their states. He had also tried to focus the nation’s attention on efforts to revive the economy impacted by the pandemic. This has been the core of his re-election campaign for the presidential elections scheduled for November 3.

READ: Trump Opposes Changes To Presidential Debate Format, Says 'easily Won Last Time'