President Donald Trump patted himself on the back on Tuesday afternoon for his response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., even as the death toll continues to climb.
When a reporter asked Trump during an appearance in the Oval Office if the intelligence community had warned him about COVID-19 in January, the President said he “would have to check,” then pivoted to his travel ban on China.
“When I did the ban on China, almost everybody was against me, including Republicans,” Trump said, pointing out that the ban was “very early.”
“Whether it was luck, talent, or something else, we saved many thousands of lives,” he added.
COVID-19 has caused approximately 56,700 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon, according to data from John Hopkins University.
Watch Trump below:
Trump claims he saved "many thousands of lives" in the beginning of the pandemic "whether it was luck, talent, or something else." pic.twitter.com/BgbPU0CdNg
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) April 28, 2020
