Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Mike Pence Tried to Claim That Trump Never 'Belittled the Threat' of the Virus and Wolf Blitzer Was Not Having It

Mike Pence Tried to Claim That Trump Never 'Belittled the Threat' of the Virus and Wolf Blitzer Was Not Having It
CNN

The pandemic that thrust the United States into a national health crisis was repeatedly dismissed by President Donald Trump during its early stages, when prevention was most feasible.

Trump ignored simulations and intelligence briefings that warned the United States was not prepared for a pandemic. Then, the first US cases began getting diagnosed.


Trump and his administration continued to claim that the threat of the virus was being overblown by journalists determined to undermine his presidency.

Once the United States had reached 15 cases in February, the President said that cases would be down to zero in a week, and that the virus would disappear like a "miracle."

As recently as last month, the President compared the virus to a common flu—a talking point that his own officials warned would worsen the spread.

Trump reluctantly gave up an effort to have businesses and gatherings in the country back up and running by Easter, after health experts warned that wouldn't be enough time to slow the spread of the virus.

With Trump finally acknowledging the dangers of the pandemic, it might not be surprising that Vice President Mike Pence tried to convince Americans in a CNN interview that Trump had been taking the threat seriously all along.

Watch below.

Pence said to CNN's Wolf Blitzer:

"I don't believe the President has ever belittled the threat of [the virus]...the American people can be assured that President Trump is going to continue to be confident that we will meet this moment."

Wolf was quick to bring the receipts:

"He was saying at one point it wasn't as bad as the regular flu, and he was talking about automobile accidents. He seemed to be suggesting, at one point, there were 15 cases that would get down to zero very quickly."

Pence responded:

"The President is an optimistic person. We've been, from the very beginning when the President suspended all travel from China and stood up the...task force in January, we have been hoping for the best but planning for the worst."

A nationwide shortage of medical equipment and the President's reluctance to use federal powers to distribute resources to the states seem to contradict Pence's assurances.

People saw through his talking points.




Health experts—including those on Trump's task force—predict up to 240,000 deaths will still occur even with a nationwide lockdown, for which Trump has yet to call.

The President recently said that fewer than 200,000 deaths would mean his administration did a "good job," though many of these deaths could have been prevented with a more robust initial response.

Though Trump may find 200,000 deaths acceptable, others do not.




Don't fall for it.

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less