During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump repeatedly argued that the high number of U.S. coronavirus cases was merely a byproduct of extensive testing. He famously stated, "If we stopped testing right now, we'd have very few cases"

FACTS: SOURCE: U.S. House Representative Lloyd Doggett: American lawyer and politician serving in the United States House of Representatives Texas Democratic Party, Doggett was a member of the Texas Senate from 1973 to 1985 and a justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1989 to 1994.

Timeline of Trump’s Coronavirus Responses Highlights:

MAY 2018: The Trump Administration disbands the White House pandemic response team.

JULY 2019: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) epidemiologist embedded in China’s disease control agency left the post, and the Trump Administration eliminated the role.

JAN 22, 2020: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.”

JAN 24, 2020: Trump praises China’s handling of the coronavirus: “China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus... I want to thank President Xi!”

JAN 28, 2020: “This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency...This is going to be the roughest thing you face." Trump’s National Security Advisor says to Trump.

JAN 30, 2020: "The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on US soil,...This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.” [Memo from Trump Trade Advisor Peter Navarro]

FEB 2, 2020: Trump: “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”

FEB 7: “It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu... This is deadly stuff.” [Trump in a private interview with Bob Woodward from The Washington Post made public on Sept. 9, 2020]

FEB 10, 2020: Trump: “I think the virus is going to be—it’s going to be fine.” and “Looks like by April, you know in theory when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.”

FEB 24, 2020: Trump: “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA… the Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”

FEB 25, 2020: Trump: “CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus.” and “I think that's a problem that’s going to go away… They have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine.”

FEB 26, 2020: Trump: “The 15 (cases in the US) within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.”

continued throughout 2020: Trump: “Well, we're testing everybody that we need to test. And we're finding very little problem. Very little problem.” "This is a flu. This is like a flu." “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” A lot of things are happening, a lot of very exciting things are happening and they’re happening very rapidly.” "...a lot people will have this and it's very mild."

PIVOTAL: MARCH 4, 2020: Trump: “If we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work — some of them go to work, but they get better.” [THIS LED TO BEING THE BASIS FOR TRUMP'S MAGA BASE TO REJECT QUARANTINE PROCEDURES]

2026 ESTIMATED CORONAVIRUS AMERICAN DEATH TOTAL: 1,237,889 - 7,010,681 WORLDWIDE