Trump defends coronavirus response after release of Woodward interviews

Audio By Carbonatix

President Trump defended his administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic at the White House yesterday after questions arose following the release of several interviews he did earlier this year with Bob Woodward.

Earlier this week, several audio clips from the Woodward interviews were released. In one of the tapes, Trump noted that he played down the virus, suggesting that he wasn't publicly noting how serious the virus was. Since the release of the tapes, Trump has come under fire for not properly warning the public about how deadly the virus was and how easily it could spread.

During a press conference yesterday, President Trump defended his decisions and noted that he didn't want to create a panic. "I want to show a level of confidence," he said. "I want to show strength as a leader and I want to show that our country is going to be fine one way or the other." He added that he didn't want to go out and start shouting about how deadly the virus was.

He noted that China shouldn't have allowed the virus to spread in the first place.

He also noted that early on, he put a travel ban on China despite criticisms at the time from some Democratic leaders. Considering such a reaction, he said, "So obviously, outwardly, I said 'It's a very serious problem.'"

Since the pandemic started spreading in the United States earlier this year, over 190,000 people in the country have died from the disease.