This is trumps response for the first 2 months, with a couple of blunders in 2018/19 that led up to it.
May 2018
The Trump Administration disbands the White House pandemic response team.
July 2019
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) epidemiologist embedded in China’s disease control agency left the post, and the Trump Administration eliminated the role.
Oct. 2019
“Currently, there are insufficient funding sources designated for the federal government to use in response to a severe influenza pandemic.”
Jan. 22, 2020
“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.”
Jan. 24, 2020
Trump praises China’s handling of the coronavirus: “China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!”
Jan. 28, 2020
“This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency...This is going to be the roughest thing you face" Trump’s National Security Advisor to Trump
Jan. 30, 2020
"The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on US soil,...This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.” [Memo from Trump Trade Advisor Peter Navarro]
Feb. 2, 2020
“We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”
Feb. 7, 2020
“It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu... This is deadly stuff” [Trump in a private interview with Bob Woodward from The Washington Post made public on Sept. 9, 2020]
Feb. 10, 2020
“I think the virus is going to be—it’s going to be fine.”
Feb. 10, 2020
“Looks like by April, you know in theory when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.”
Feb. 24, 2020
“The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA… the Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
Feb. 25, 2020
“CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus.”
Feb. 25, 2020
“I think that's a problem that’s going to go away… They have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine.”
Feb. 26, 2020
“The 15 (cases in the US) within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.”
Feb. 26, 2020
“We're going very substantially down, not up.”
Feb. 26, 2020
“Well, we're testing everybody that we need to test. And we're finding very little problem. Very little problem.”
Feb. 26, 2020
"This is a flu. This is like a flu."
Feb. 27, 2020
“It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”
Feb. 27, 2020
“The ineptness with which the Trump Administration approached this problem is not only serious, it can be deadly if not changed in the approach.” – Rep. Lloyd Doggett [During a hearing, Rep. Doggett questions HHS Sec. Azar on Trump's refusal to take this virus seriously, warning about mask and test shortages]
Feb. 28, 2020
“We're ordering a lot of supplies. We're ordering a lot of, uh, elements that frankly we wouldn't be ordering unless it was something like this. But we're ordering a lot of different elements of medical.”
March 2, 2020
“You take a solid flu vaccine, you don't think that could have an impact, or much of an impact, on corona?” [Trump to health officials who answered "No."]
March 2, 2020
“A lot of things are happening, a lot of very exciting things are happening and they’re happening very rapidly.”
March 4, 2020
“Now, and this is just my hunch, and — but based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this. Because a lot people will have this and it's very mild.”
March 4, 2020
“If we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work — some of them go to work, but they get better.”
March 5, 2020
“I NEVER said people that are feeling sick should go to work.”
March 5, 2020
“The United States… has, as of now, only 129 cases… and 11 deaths. We are working very hard to keep these numbers as low as possible!”
March 6, 2020
“I think we’re doing a really good job in this country at keeping it down… a tremendous job at keeping it down.”
March 6, 2020
“You have to be calm. It’ll go away.”
March 6, 2020
“Anybody right now, and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. They’re there. And the tests are beautiful…. the tests are all perfect like the letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect. Right? This was not as perfect as that but pretty good.”
March 6, 2020
“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.”
March 6, 2020
“I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault.”
March 7, 2020
“No, I’m not concerned at all.
March 8, 2020
“We have a perfectly coordinated and fine-tuned plan at the White House for our attack on CoronaVirus.”
March 9, 2020
During a news conference, White House officials said the U.S. will have tested one million people that week and thereafter would complete 4 million tests per week. By the end of the week, the CDC had only completed a paltry 4,000 tests.
March 10, 2020
“Just stay calm. It will go away.”
March 11, 2020
The World Health Organization categorizes the coronavirus as a pandemic due to its alarming spread and severity.
March 11, 2020
“It goes away….It’s going away. We want it to go away with very, very few deaths.”
March 11, 2020
"the vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low"
March 12, 2020
“The system is not really geared to what we need right now...That is a failing. Let’s admit it.” [Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to Congress]
March 12, 2020
"You know, you see what's going on. And so I just wanted that to stop as it pertains to the United States. And that's what we've done. We've stopped it."
March 13, 2020
“I don’t take responsibility at all.”
March 13, 2020
The Atlantic reports that less than 14,000 tests have been done in the ten weeks since the Administration had first been notified of the virus, though Mike Pence had promised the week prior that 1.5 million tests would be available by this time.
March 14, 2020
“I’d rate it a ten,” [Trump’s rating of his coronavirus response]
March 15, 2020
“Relax”
March 15, 2020
“This is a very contagious virus. It’s incredible. But it’s something that we have tremendous control over.”
March 16, 2020
“Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment-try getting it yourselves,”
March 17, 2020
“The only thing we haven’t done well is get good press.”
March 17, 2020
“I felt like it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.”
March 19, 2020
I intended "to always play it down.” [Trump in a private taped interview with Bob Woodward, made public on September 9]
March 20, 2020
“I say that you're a terrible reporter, that's what I say. I think it's a very nasty question, and I think it's a very bad signal that you're putting out to the American people." [Response to reporter’s question: "What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?"]
March 22, 2020
“WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF.”
March 24, 2020
“I'm also hopeful to have Americans working again by that Easter - that beautiful Easter day.”
March 24, 2020
“We’ve never closed down the country for the flu,” Trump said. “So you say to yourself, what is this all about?”
March 24, 2020
“They have to treat us well, also. They can’t say, ‘Oh, gee, we should get this, we should get that.’”
March 25, 2020
“The faster we go back, the better it’s going to be.”
March 26, 2020
The United States becomes the country with the most confirmed coronavirus cases. A title it keeps for the remainder of Trump's time in office.
March 26, 2020
“Congratulations AMERICA!” [On Senate passage of third relief bill]
March 26, 2020
“I don't believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators. And now all of a sudden they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’”
March 26, 2020
“We’ve had a big problem with the young, a woman governor from — you know who I’m talking about — from Michigan,”
March 27, 2020
“I love Michigan, one of the reasons we are doing such a GREAT job for them during this horrible Pandemic. Yet your Governor, Gretchen “Half” Whitmer is way in over her head, she doesn’t have a clue. Likes blaming everyone for her own ineptitude!”
March 27, 2020
“Mike, don’t call the governor of Washington. You’re wasting your time with him…”
March 27, 2020
“I want them to be appreciative. We've done a great job.”
March 27, 2020
“We’re doing a great job for the state of Washington and I think the Governor...he’s constantly chirping and I guess complaining would be a nice way of saying it.”
March 29, 2020
“Where are the masks going? Are they going out the back door? How do you go from 10,000 to 300,000?”
March 29, 2020
“Unfortunately the enemy is death. It's death. A lot of people are dying. So it's very unpleasant.”
March 30, 2020
"Stay calm, it will go away. You know it -- you know it is going away, and it will go away, and we're going to have a great victory."
March 30, 2020
“I think New York should be fine, based on the numbers that we see, they should have more than enough. I mean, I’m hearing stories that they’re not used or they’re not used right.”
March 30, 2020
“I haven’t heard about testing in weeks. We’re testing more than any other nation in the world. We’ve got these great tests...But I haven’t heard about testing being a problem.”
March 30, 2020
“We inherited a broken test — the whole thing was broken.”
March 31, 2020
“...it’s not the flu. It’s vicious.”
