ACTION MAN
Trump says he ‘UP-played’ Covid threat after denying he ‘played it down’ and that virus will ‘go away without vaccine’
DONALD Trump last night denied downplaying coronavirus - insisting he had "up-played" the threat early in the pandemic.
The President has been rocked by claims in Bob Woodward's new book that he privately admitted downplaying the danger so as not to cause "panic".
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Last night was challenged on his record last night on ABC News' town hall debate The President and the People.
One undecided voter asked why he would "downplay a pandemic that is known to disproportionately harm low-income families and minority communities."
He denied ever minimizing the severity of despite his recorded confession to Woodward, revealed in his latest book Rage.
Trump said: "Yeah, well, I didn't downplay it. I actually, in many ways, I up-played it, in terms of action. My action was very strong."
The president cited the he imposed on in February and in March.
Pressed by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos about "his own words" about the virus threat, Trump asserted that he did "a very, very good job" with the travel bans.
He continued: "Whether you call it 'talent' or 'luck,' it was very important, so we saved a lot of lives when we did that."
He faced other tough questions including from a former Trump supporter with diabetes.
Paul Tubiani said: "I thought you were doing a good job with the pandemic response until about May 1.
"Then you took your foot off the gas pedal. Why did you throw vulnerable people like me under the bus?"
The President replied: "Well, we really didn't, Paul.
"We've worked very hard on the pandemic. We've worked very hard. It came off from China. They should have never let it happen."
'HERD MENTALITY'
It was the first time the President has faced questions from the public as he battles for reelection in November.
He fielded a wide range of questions from uncommitted voters at the event in Philadelphia, - a key battleground state in the upcoming .
Stephanopoulos also challenged Trump on past statements that the virus would "go away" on its own.
Trump said: "It would go away without the vaccine, George, but it's going to go away a lot faster with it."
";It would go away without the vaccine?"; the host asked him.
Trump replied: "Sure, over a period of time. Sure, with time it goes away.
"And you'll develop – you'll develop herd, like a herd mentality.
"It's going to be – it's going to be herd-developed, and that's going to happen. That will all happen.
"But with a vaccine, I think it will go away very quickly."
He claimed there would have been two million Covid deaths in the US without his actions - ten times the current toll of almost 200,000.
"I think we did a great job," he added.
Trump was also pressed on why his administration doesn't more aggressively promote the use of masks to contain the spread of coronavirus.
He replied: “There are people that don’t think masks are good.”
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The president has recently faced backlash for comments he made to journalist in March that appeared to conflict with his earlier beliefs that .
Early excerpts released last week from Woodward's new book Rage revealed that during a February 7 interview.
Woodward collected interview recordings with the president where he made several comments – including that could be five times "more deadly" than the flu.
But during several at , Trump would tell reporters and the American public that the virus was "under control" and would "disappear."
hours after his initial comments were reported.
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“You have to show leadership, and leadership is confidence in our country,” Trump said.
“I’m a cheerleader for this country,” the president said. “I don’t want people to be frightened. I don’t want to create panic.”
The president has slammed Woodward's book, which was released on Tuesday, as "just another political hit job."
Trump ‘confessed to Bob Woodward he DOWNPLAYED COVID and knew it was deadly’ despite claiming it was under control
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