From 'hoax' to 'pandemic': Trump's evolving reaction to coronavirus

The coronavirus is not as bad as the seasonal flu. US President Donald Trump is not worried about having had direct exposure to the virus. The United States is in far better shape than other countries.

News ID: 449703

Date: 22 March 2020 - 08:37

RNA - Those are some of the messages from Trump to the American public in recent days. US President Donald Trump's reaction to the new coronavirus has seen a gradual shift since the beginning of the year from minimizing the, now described, pandemic to a newly aggressive effort to reduce its spread in the United States.

Trump's words have contrasted sharply with his initial praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping and China's data sharing about the disease. At a rally last month in North Charleston, South Carolina, Trump dismissed criticism from his Democratic rivals about his handling of the virus, calling it "their new hoax," and said he liked his chances in November.

Trump's address to the nation last Wednesday (March 11) evening was his most somber public appearance to discuss the pandemic. He imposed the Europe travel curbs, called for unity and asked people to set aside partisan differences.

Indeed, just hours later, Trump again seemed to be relaxed about the risks. He got word that he had been in direct contact earlier this week with someone who later tested positive for coronavirus the communications director for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Asked if he was worried, Trump told reporters: "No, we have no symptoms whatsoever."

Trump is known for his informal style in attempts to, for instance, calm markets amid trade wars. The fast-spreading disease that jumped from animals to humans in China has now infected over 200,000 people and caused nearly 8,500 deaths in 164 nations, triggering emergency lockdowns and injections of cash unseen since World War Two.

In the United States, cases of the respiratory illness have now been reported in all 50 states, with known US infections surging past 7,300, prompting millions to stay at home and upending American life. More than a hundred Americans have died from the virus.

source: Reuters

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