As Trump played down virus, health experts' alarm grew
WASHINGTON (AP) Public health officials were already warning Americans about the need to prepare for the coronavirus threat in early February when President Donald Trump called it deadly stuff in a private conversation that has only now has come to light.
At the time, the virus was mostly a problem in China, with just 11 cases confirmed in the United States.
There was uncertainty about how the U.S. ultimately would be affected, and top U.S. officials would deliver some mixed messages along the way. But their overall thrust was to take the thing seriously.
Were preparing as if this is a pandemic," Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on Feb. 5. This is just good commonsense public health."
Trump, however, had a louder megaphone than his health experts, and in public he was playing down the threat. Three days after delivering his deadly assessment in a private call with journalist Bob Woodward, he told a New Hampshire rally on Feb. 10, Its going to be fine."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/as-trump-played-down-virus-health-experts-alarm-grew/ar-BB18Z6G8?li=BBnb7Kz