Trump just admitted he downplayed the threat of coronavirus: 'I knew it could be horrible'

Tom Brenner/Reuters

• President Donald Trump on Tuesday essentially admitted that he downplayed coronavirus at the start. 
• "I knew everything. I knew it could be horrible, I knew it could be maybe good," Trump said. "I don't want to be a negative person."
• Trump said he wanted to be a "cheerleader" for the United States and give people "hope," and that's why he downplayed the threat. 
• But public health experts have slammed Trump's handling of the pandemic, stating that his efforts to diminish the potential impact robbed the US of vital time needed to prepare. 
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President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he knew from the start that thousands of Americans could die from the novel coronavirus, but that he continued to downplay the threat because he wanted to stay positive and be a "cheerleader" for the country.

At Tuesday's White House press briefing, Trump was asked if he lulled Americans into a false sense of security by telling the public that the virus would go away quickly, even as it was clear that the number of cases and death toll were on the rise. 

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