Coronavirus: Trump corrected after lashing out over ‘misquoted’ virus comments

Donald Trump was corrected by the CDC director, after the President claimed the media “misquoted” comments regarding COVID-19.

US President Donald Trump has been corrected after claiming the director for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) was misquoted in a recent article regarding a second wave of COVID-19.

Mr Trump opened his daily briefing on Wednesday by calling Dr Robert Redfield, the head of the CDC, to address comments he made to The Washington Post about whether the virus will return in a few months time.

The article quoted Dr Redfield as saying: “There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through. We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time”.

The headline of the story was: “CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating”.

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US President Donald Trump claimed Dr Robert Redfield was ‘totally misquoted’. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

“I do want to mention, Dr Robert Redfield was totally misquoted in the media about the fall season and the virus. Totally misquoted. I spoke to him and he said it was ridiculous,” Mr Trump said.

“He was talking about the flu and coronavirus coming together at the same time, and we will knock it out. We’ll knock it out fast. That’s what he was referring to, coming together at the same time.

“I would ask Dr Redfield to straighten out. He didn’t say it was a big explosion. The headline in The Washington Post was ridiculous, which is, as I say, ‘fake news’ and CNN is fake news, which they knew.”

Dr Redfield then stepped up to the podium confirmed that he had actually been “accurately quoted” but said the headline on the article was misleading and clarified his comments further.

“Next fall (autumn) and winter, we are going to have two viruses circulating and we are going to have to distinguish between which is flu and which is coronavirus – the spirit of the comment that I made is more difficult,” he said.

“It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be worse, it’s just going to be more difficult because we have to distinguish between the two.”

A reporter then asked Dr Redfield to clarify if the quotes he gave the Post were accurate.

“I’m accurately quoted in The Washington Post as difficult, but the headline was inappropriate,” he said.

Dr Redfield confirmed that he had been quoted accurately but disagreed with the headline of the article. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP

The reporter then read out the headline from the article before Trump cut in, saying “That’s not what he said”.

The President then claimed a second wave of coronavirus may not even happen.

“It might not come back at all. He’s talking about a worst-case scenario where you have a big flu and you have some corona,’ Trump said.

He then said that even if it did return “it’s not going to be like it was”.

“We have much better containment now, before nobody knew about it. Now if we have a little pocket here, we’re going to have it put out, we’re going to put it out fast. It’s also possible it doesn’t come back at all,” Mr Trump said.

Dr Redfield’s comments to the The Post conflicted with the administration’s optimistic messaging that the country will soon move beyond the virus.

The President tweeted earlier in the day that Dr Redfield’s comments had been misconstrued.

Mr Trump has frequently taken an optimistic view regarding the severity of the virus, including declarations last month that COVID-19 would “disappear”.

In recent days, he has pushed for the nation to begin restarting its economy. But his own health experts on Wednesday continued to urge caution.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said later in the same briefing: “We will have coronavirus in the fall. I am convinced of that.”

He stressed that in the US’ autumn, the nation would be better prepared to manage it.

“Whether or not it’s going to be big or small is going to depend on our response,” Dr Fauci said.

Dr Fauci said that states beginning to reopen “should be careful” and that rushing to lift social distancing guidelines would likely accelerate infections.

With AP