According to two White House sources who spoke with The Washington Post, Donald Trump only began to take the coronavirus seriously after seeing political talk show host, Tucker Carlson, discussing the virus on his show last week.
Trump had downplayed the virus’ threat as recently as March 9, when he tweeted comparing the disease to the common flu, seemingly brushing it off.
“So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment, there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”
Carlson, who is a Trump supporter, did not conceal his feelings towards the president’s handling of the situation.
“People you trust — people you probably voted for — have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem,” Carlson declared. “It’s just partisan politics, they say. Calm down. In the end, this is just like the flu, and people die from that every year. Coronavirus will pass, and when it does, we will feel foolish for worrying about it.”
He also added, “Maybe they’re just not paying attention, or maybe they believe they’re serving some higher cause by shading reality … And there’s an election coming up. Best not to say anything that might help the other side. We get it. But they’re wrong.”
Carlson bluntly stated, “It’s definitely not just the flu.”
However, after news surfaced of the claim, White House spokesman, Judd Deere, rebuked the idea that Carlson motivated Trump to reevaluate actions and feelings toward the pandemic.
“The President took decisive action early on to close our borders to the source of the virus, and it is because of his leadership and relationships that he has brought together government and private industry for unprecedented collaboration to curb the spread of the virus, expand testing capacities, and expedite vaccine development,” Deere assured.
Carlson’s warning contrasted with other Fox News personalities, some of who claimed the disease was being exaggerated by Democrats and the media in an effort to damage Trump’s presidency and chances at re-election.
Carlson also added, “The real number is without question far higher than that — soon we will have a better sense of just how much higher.
“By then, this epidemic will have caused economic damage whose effects may dog us for years. People you know will get sick — some may die. This is real” when giving his take on the 500 cases that had at that point been recorded in the country.
