Report: Trump Privately Asks Why Government Can’t Just Let COVID ‘Wash Over’ The Country

on December 11, 2018 in Washington, DC.
President Donald Trump shrugs while speaking in the Oval Office on December 11, 2018. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Donald Trump reportedly has been privately suggesting an eyebrow-raising solution to the COVID-19 outbreak consuming the nation: Let it keep doing that.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that during a Situation Room meeting on the pandemic in March, Trump asked White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci, “Why don’t we let this wash over the country?”

Two unnamed sources told the Post that Fauci was stunned by the question.

“Mr. President, many people would die,” the doctor reportedly told Trump.

Other unnamed officials said that Trump has “repeatedly” (in the Post’s words) asked the same question in the Oval Office.

Trump reportedly began mulling over the idea after hearing about the United Kingdom’s now-abandoned “mitigation” strategy that would let COVID-19 spread throughout the country with few movement restrictions imposed on the population in the hopes of building a “herd immunity” against the virus.

However, a study by medical advisers to the British government found in mid-March that the strategy would “likely result in hundreds of thousands of deaths,” prompting the U.K. to drop the plan.

The same study also predicted that 1.1 to 1.2 million Americans would die if the strategy were adopted in the U.S.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. The criminal stupidity, it burns. Time to start the Trump Pandemic Tribunals ASAP before he kills any more people.

  2. Other unnamed officials said that Trump has “repeatedly” (in the Post’s words) asked the same question in the Oval Office.

    He’s a psychopath. We always knew this. If he wants a thing, that thing will outweigh mass death in his mind. What he wants outweighs any other consideration. He should be locked away where he can’t hurt people. But we live in a society run by a death cult led by a madman.

  3. Of course, he and his family only come into contact with people who have been tested, and tested again. Everyone else would be put into the GOP death lottery.

  4. Thank goodness for the Imperial College scientists who set Boris straight (and maybe Trump).

  5. The only thing shocking about this story is that anyone is shocked by it. Does anyone think Trump cares whether people live or die as long as it means the economy has a chance of recovery (and, therefore, he has an increased chance at reelection)?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

432 more replies

Participants

Avatar for ajm Avatar for playitagainrowlf Avatar for ghost Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for clemmers Avatar for inversion Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for bonvivant Avatar for lastroth Avatar for careysub Avatar for pine Avatar for darrtown Avatar for pshah Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for tena Avatar for tiowally Avatar for asturcot Avatar for redhand Avatar for justruss Avatar for kenga Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for emiliano4 Avatar for kovie Avatar for Hatmama

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: