White House and Fauci Deny President Trump Downplayed Coronavirus
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – The White House and Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, have denied that U.S. President Donald Trump deliberately misled the public about the coronavirus after audiotapes revealed he wanted to downplay the pandemic.
The recordings were provided to news outlets by journalist Bob Woodward ahead of the publication of his book “Rage” about the Trump presidency.
Speaking to the Fox News Channel, Fauci stressed that he never heard the president “distort” the threat of the coronavirus. He claimed Trump’s statements to the public were mainly in line with discussions he’d had with medical experts. When asked whether he ever felt Trump was downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, Fauci said, “no.”
Separately, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday defended Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying he “never lied” to the American public about COVID-19. She recalled that he publicly sought to express calm and hope that the virus would recede quickly while taking the threat seriously. “At a time when you’re facing insurmountable challenges, it’s important to express confidence, it’s important to express calm,” McEnany told reporters.
McEnany also mentioned Trump’s response to the pandemic, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) issuance of a Wuhan travel warning before there were any confirmed cases in the U.S. She also recalled the president’s decision to restrict travel from China in February, and his efforts to deliver a vaccine through Operation Warp Speed.
PRIVATE RECORDINGS
However, in an interview with Woodward on March 19 — one of 18 private, on-the-record interviews that the president participated in for the book — Trump told The Washington Post journalist that he “wanted always to play it down” about the coronavirus.
“To be honest with you, I wanted always to play it down,” Trump told Woodward in the March interview, according to a tape also monitored by Worthy News. “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.” And, Trump told Woodward in a February 7 interview that the virus was “deadly stuff” and “more deadly than even your strenuous flu.”
The potentially explosive material in a presidential election season was quickly picked up by Trump’s Democratic rival for the top job, Joe Biden. “He knowingly and willingly lied about the threat it posed to the country for months,” Biden said. “It’s beyond despicable. It’s a dereliction of duty. It’s a disgrace.”
On social media, commentators accused Woodward of valuing book sales over public health. “Nearly 200,000 Americans have died because neither Donald Trump nor Bob Woodward wanted to risk anything substantial to keep the country informed,” wrote publication Esquire’s Charles P. Pierce.
Woodward denied wrongdoing saying he needed time to check the facts before publishing the book. However, he admitted that he wanted to see his writings in book stores before the November 3 presidential election.
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