Donald Trump and coronavirus Photograph:( WION )
Trump, it's being said, chose at every moment the economy over trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus. And hence, the number of cases rose exponentially.
Looks like the Trump administration has finally announced its surrender to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" on Sunday.
The statement is being considered as an unconditional surrender from the Trump team by publications like CNN and The Washington Post.
The pandemic has so far claimed 230,000 US deaths -- a toll that rises by around 1,000 each day of Trump's inaction.
Trump, it's being said, chose at every moment the economy over trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus. And hence, the number of cases rose exponentially.
To this end, a CNN analysis says that Trump's team echoed his false belief that the choice was Covid versus the economy.
Trump's handling of the pandemic is one of the major issues the November 3 presidential vote is being contested on.
Also read | Covid-hit Trump team slams 'failure' Biden
Just a day after the US recorded largest single day jump in coronavirus cases, Trump said it was 'foolish' to test for the deadly infection. He was speaking at election rally in Lumberton, North Carolina on Saturday.
In his speech, Trump again sought to blame huge number of coronavirus cases on testing.
“You know why we have cases? It’s because we test so much,” the president told his rally crowd. “In a lot of ways it’s good, and in a lot of ways it’s foolish.”
“If we tested half, cases would be half," Trump said.
In the past also, he has gone on record to say things like coronavirus was "just a flu". He later said the position he took at the start of the pandemic was to ensure that there was no panic in Americans.
His Democratic challenger Joe Biden has also accused Trump of surrendering to the pandemic.
In a statement released by his campaign, Biden seized on the above-mentioned comments, saying Meadows “stunningly admitted this morning that the administration has given up on even trying to control this pandemic, that they’ve given up on their basic duty to protect the American people.”
“This wasn’t a slip by Meadows, it was a candid acknowledgement of what President Trump’s strategy has clearly been from the beginning of this crisis: to wave the white flag of defeat and hope that by ignoring it, the virus would simply go away. It hasn’t, and it won’t,” Biden added.
The outbreak among Pence’s aides marked the latest White House COVID-19 cases, which have included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their son, Barron, and numerous aides and associates. The president was hospitalised for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19.
Ahead of the presidential election, both campaigns are scrambling to make their closing arguments and win over the few still undecided voters.
Biden has maintained a stable lead of around 10 points in national polls, and narrower leads in battleground states like Florida that typically decide the winner of US presidential elections.
(with inputs)