Donald Trump Vs. The Press: How His Defiant Attitude Is Fueling Anti-Quarantine Protesters

Looks like President Donald Trump’s tussle with the press, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, is far from over.

While the world criticizes him for taking necessary decisions too late and being the reason behind the high death toll in the U.S., Trump continues to downplay the accusations, stressing that he did what had to be done, making bizarre claims, and awkwardly side-stepping the questions of reporters during coronavirus briefings.

After telling a female reporter to “just relax” and keep her voice down at a briefing, Trump went on to make wild claims including that he “cannot tell a lie,” and that he hasn’t left the White House “in months.”

It all began when PBS NewsHour‘s Yamiche Alcindor, questioned the president about a family that got sick after not taking precautions “mainly because the president wasn’t taking it seriously.”

“Are you concerned that downplaying the virus maybe got some people sick?” she asked.

To which, Trump’s reply was: “And a lot of people love Trump. A lot of people love me. You see them all the time. I guess I am here for a reason, and for the best of my knowledge I won. And I think we are going to win again. I think we are going to win in a landslide.”

Completely sidestepping the question, he went on to boast about the White House’s primary response of banning China “when China can’t come in” back in late January, before adding that “we put on a ban on Europe, where Europe can’t come in.” He kept stressing that the restrictions against China were put in place “before anyone in this country died.”

“So how can you say I was not taking it seriously?” Trump asked Alcindor.

In reality, the ban on China only restricted Chinese traveling from their country, not Americans coming back from there. As for the European travel restrictions, they did were effective from March 13, two days after they were announced.

Alcindor then went on to question the President for continuing to hold rallies in February and March, leading to the gathering of a large number of people- an action that is proof that he downplayed the threat of the virus.

Trump replied. “I don’t know about rallies…I know one thing. I haven’t left the White House in months except for a brief moment to give a ship the Comfort…”

As the reporter quickly interjected to jog Trump’s memory, reminding him of the rally he held on March 2 in North Carolina, Trump once again feigned ignorance.

“I don’t know? Did I hold a rally? I’m sorry. I hold a rally,” Trump said. “Let me tell you. In January, when I did this, there were virtually no cases and no deaths.”