Trump defends downplaying the threat of COVID-19

President Donald Trump is defending downplaying the coronavirus which he knew was “more deadly than your, you know, your, even your strenuous flus ...This is more deadly.” Since telling author Bob Woodward last February that "I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy,” more than 190,000 Americans have died from the COVID-19 pandemic. The president repeatedly said the disease as no worse than the flu and it would “disappear” “like a miracle” and “fade away.”

Class discussion: Do you trust what President Trump says about the COVID-19 pandemic? Why or why not? Do you trust what he says about other matters? If you had a serious illness, would you want a doctor to be honest with you or to play down the risks to avoid upsetting you? Could you plan treatment of an illness without good information? Do you think Americans have been confused by misleading statements about the pandemic? Has confusion increased the U.S. death rate?