AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus during a news conference in the press briefing room at the White House, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
- From claiming Democrats were making the coronavirus "their new hoax" to saying "it will go away," President Donald Trump has consistently tried to downplay the severity of the outbreak.
- Now enacting a travel ban and facing a possible emergency declaration, Trump and his administration are looking to calm the market and the American public by conveying credibility.
- But Trump's past statements and those of senior officials in his administration have demonstrated a habit of understating the extent of the virus when experts kept warning of its mounting danger.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump and his administration are now singing a different tune when it comes to the coronavirus.
With the rollout of a travel ban and possibly other more severe measures, President Trump is calling for the American public to rally behind efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 after contradicting experts over the past few weeks.
"I am fully prepared to use the full power of the Federal Government to deal with our current challenge of the CoronaVirus!" Trump tweeted yesterday, March 11, as the flood gates opened on events closing down, from the NBA postponing its games to college campuses suspending the spring semester.
Vice President Mike Pence, who is ostensibly in charge of the White House Coronavirus Task Force - despite reporting that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has the final word on its recommendations - even went so far as to vaguely condemn "some irresponsible rhetoric" over the severity of the outbreak.
This is all just days after Trump and other officials were on the record downplaying the deadliness and reach of COVID-19.
Here are some of the most blatant instances where Trump and other White House officials clearly contradicted experts in an effort to convince the American public that the coronavirus wouldn't be that bad.