Trump says US' highest COVID-19 cases worldwide is 'badge of honour'

US President Donald Trump said it is a “badge of honour” that the United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases around the world, arguing it shows American is testing “much better”. The US has reported over 1.5 million coronavirus cases with more than 93,000 deaths related to the infection, according to John Hopkins University.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Trump said that the country is leading in coronavirus cases because it is testing more than “anybody else”. The US President added that he doesn’t look at the numbers as a “bad thing” rather he looks at it as a “good thing” because it means America is testing better.

“So I view it as a badge of honour. Really, it's a badge of honour. It's a great tribute to the testing and all of the work that a lot of professionals have done,” said Trump.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States has conducted 12.6 million coronavirus tests by May 19. While the US has conducted more tests quantity-wise than any other country, many nations including New Zealand, Russia, and Canada are ahead of it on per capita basis, according to Our World in Data.

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'Corrupt recovery effort'

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has hit out at Trump for his comments saying the US President delayed his response to the virus and led a corrupt recovery effort that has favoured the wealthy and well-connected over the small businesses. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidential race, said that Trump bears full responsibility for failing to protect the nation from the “worst public health and economic crisis in our lifetime”.

As per the latest report, nearly 5 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with over 324,000 deaths, overwhelming health care facilities across the globe. The United States, Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Spain are some of the worst-hit countries due to the pandemic.

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