Timeline of Trump's pandemic response:
In May 2018, Trump ordered the NSC’s global health security unit shut down. In April 2018, Trump fired the head of the DHS epidemic team. Neither team was rebuilt.
The number of countries the CDC was working in was reduced from 49 to 10.
In May 2018, Trump ordered the NSC’s global health security unit shut down. In April 2018, Trump fired the head of the DHS epidemic team. Neither team was rebuilt.
The number of countries the CDC was working in was reduced from 49 to 10.
Trump on January 22, 2020: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.”
Trump on January 24: “It will all work out well.”
Trump on January 30: “We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five. And those people are all recuperating successfully.”
Trump on February 2: “Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China. … We can’t have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus. So we’re gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes.”
Trump on February 10: “A lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat—as the heat comes in.”
Trump on February 14: “We have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it. It’s like around 12. Many of them are getting better. Some are fully recovered already. So we’re in very good shape.”
Trump on February 19: “I think it’s going to work out fine. I think when we get into April, in the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that and that type of a virus. So let’s see what happens, but I think it’s going to work out fine.”
cnn.com/2020/02/07/hea…
cnn.com/2020/02/07/hea…
Trump on February 24: “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. … Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
Trump on February 25: “You may ask about the coronavirus, which is very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it, and the people that have it are … getting better. They’re all getting better. …”
Larry Kudlow on February 25: “We have contained this, I won't say airtight but pretty close to airtight.”
politico.com/news/2020/02/2…
politico.com/news/2020/02/2…
Trump on February 26: “When you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero. That’s a pretty good job we’ve done.”
whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…
whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…
Trump on February 26: “This is a flu. This is like a flu.”
factba.se/transcript/don…
factba.se/transcript/don…
Trump on February 27: “It’s going to disappear one day, it’s like a miracle.”
whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…
whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…
Trump on February 28: “We only have 15 people and they are getting better, and hopefully they’re all better. There’s one who is quite sick, but maybe he’s gonna be fine. … We’re prepared for the worst, but we think we’re going to be very fortunate.”
Eric Trump on February 28: “In my opinion, it’s a great time to buy stocks or into your 401K. I would be all in... let’s see if I’m right...” 
Trump on March 2: “We had a great meeting today with a lot of the great companies and they're going to have vaccines, I think relatively soon.”
factba.se/transcript/don…
factba.se/transcript/don…
Trump on March 5: “With approximately 100,000 CoronaVirus cases worldwide, and 3,280 deaths, the United States, because of quick action on closing our borders, has, as of now, only 129 cases (40 Americans brought in) and 11 deaths.”
Trump on March 6: “I like this stuff. I really get it. People are surprised that I understand it. . . . Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president.”
Trump on March 6: “I didn’t know people died from the flu.”
washingtonpost.com/history/2020/0…
washingtonpost.com/history/2020/0…
Trump on March 6: “Anybody who wants a test gets a test.”
politifact.com/factchecks/202…
politifact.com/factchecks/202…
Trump on March 7: “We closed it down; we stopped it. Otherwise — the head of CDC said last night that you would have thousands of more problems if we didn’t shut it down very early. That was a very early shutdown, which is something we got right.”
Trump on March 9: “The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything within its semi-considerable power (it used to be greater!) to inflame the CoronaVirus situation, far beyond what the facts would warrant.”
Trump on March 9: “At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”
Trump on March 10: “As you know, it’s about 600 cases, it’s about 26 deaths, within our country. And had we not acted quickly, that number would have been substantially more.”
Trump on March 10: “It will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”
Trump on March 12: “The United States, because of what I did and what the administration did with China, we have 32 deaths at this point … when you look at the kind of numbers that you’re seeing coming out of other countries, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it.”
Trump on March 12: “We have ’em very heavily tested. If an American’s coming back, or anybody’s coming back, we’re testing. We have a tremendous testing setup where people coming in have to be tested.”
washingtonpost.com/investigations…
washingtonpost.com/investigations…
Trump on March 13: “I didn’t do it.”
Trump claims he didn’t know anything about his administration disbanding the White House pandemic office.
Trump claims he didn’t know anything about his administration disbanding the White House pandemic office.
Trump on March 13: “No, I don’t take responsibility at all.”
After more than three years as President, with cuts in the pandemic response, Trump claim the lack of testing is somebody else’s responsibility.
After more than three years as President, with cuts in the pandemic response, Trump claim the lack of testing is somebody else’s responsibility.
