Trump, One Day After Discharge: "Flu Also Causes 100,000 Deaths Annually"

Remarks Downplaying the Risks of COVID-19

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] President Donald Trump claimed that the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is not more dangerous than the flu.

On the morning of the 6th (local time), President Trump tweeted, "Flu season is back. Even with a vaccine, more than 100,000 people die from the flu every year. Should we shut down the country? No. We have learned to live with the flu just like with COVID, and it has been much less dangerous to most people!!!"

This was an argument comparing COVID-19 to the flu, suggesting it is not a big problem. The day before, President Trump also urged people not to fear COVID-19 when he was discharged from the hospital.

President Trump mentioned that he learned a lot after being infected with COVID-19, raising the possibility of changes in future COVID-19 response policies, but instead, he is emphasizing even more strongly that it is not dangerous.

In response, criticism from U.S. media has intensified. The political media outlet Politico criticized, "President Trump is making a misleading comparison between the flu and COVID-19." According to Politico, the average annual number of deaths from the flu in the U.S. over the past 10 years was 61,000. The congressional media outlet The Hill also pointed out, "President Trump downplayed the risks of COVID-19 by comparing it to the flu."