OPINION
Donald Trump’s Lie About Coronavirus Is Another Impeachable Offense: Signorile

This article first appeared in Michelangelo Signorile’s Substack newsletter. To see the article in its original location or to subscribe, click here.
We’re less than two months away from the presidential election and Donald Trump has now been exposed again as knowing how “deadly” coronavirus was even as he told Americans there would soon be no cases, that it would “fade away” and that it was even a “hoax.” But this time it’s with his own words, on audio recordings. There’s no getting away from it.
Trump continued to hold rallies, fought against mask-wearing and business and school shutdowns even as he knew it was “not just older people” but “it’s plenty of young people.” He even admitted on tape to famed journalist Bob Woodward that, even knowing all that, he wanted to “play it down,” and “I still want to play it down.”
That’s just the tip of the iceberg from Woodward’s new book, “Rage.”
Trump tells Woodward he played down the threat of the coronavirus.
“I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don’t want to create a panic.”He also tells Woodward that “plenty of young people” are vulnerable — different from his public message pic.twitter.com/fJZUZtJTIv
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 9, 2020
The 18 interviews Woodward conducted with Trump go back as early February and March, when Trump was downplaying the virus to the American people.
“You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed,” Trump said in a Feb. 7 call with Woodward. “And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. This is deadly stuff.”
This was while Trump was giving speeches and press conferences saying the flu was worse than coronavirus and that many more people die from the flu. It’s mind-boggling that he’d give this interview and not have an awareness that six months later it would be public and almost 200,000 Americans would be dead from coronavirus.
To read the remainder of this article, visit Michelangelo Signorile’s Substack newsletter.
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.
![]() |