Democrats are “politicizing” the coronavirus outbreak — and criticism of the administration’s response to the crisis is a “hoax,” President Donald Trump said Friday.
Speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump decried the disapproval of his administration’s handling of the outbreak, The Hill reported.
“The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus," he said, the news outlet reported.
"One of my people came up to me and said: 'Mr. President they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia.’ That didn't work out too well," Trump said. "They tried the impeachment hoax."
"This is their new hoax," he said, apparently referring to Democrats' criticism of the official coronavirus response, The Hill reported.
Trump, who opened the rally by declaring the "fake news just doesn't get it," accused the press of being "in hysteria mode" in its coverage of the virus.
Earlier Friday, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney charged that the press was seeking to use the virus to harm Trump, while Donald Trump Jr. claimed on Fox News that Democrats are hoping coronavirus "kills millions of people" so it ends the president's "streak of winning."
Trump on Friday pointed to his weeks-old decision to curb travel from certain infected areas and repeatedly reminded the crowd that no Americans have died of the coronavirus, the news outlet reported.
"We have to take it very, very seriously," he said. "We are preparing for the worst."
"Two weeks ago, who would’ve thought this could be going on,” Trump said. "But things happen in life, and you have to be prepared and you have to be flexible."
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