What Trump has said

What has Trump said about coronavirus?

As we mentioned earlier, the US has the world's highest number of Covid-related deaths. But President Trump insists he responded decisively and correctly. So here's a look back at a few of his statements.

22 January (first case confirmed in US) - "We have it under control"

"We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It's going to be just fine." 

9 March - Compares coronavirus to flu

"So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on... Think about that!"

31 March - "This is not the flu"

"It's not the flu. It's vicious. When you send a friend to the hospital... he says goodbye, sort of a tough guy, little older, little heavier than he'd like to be, frankly. And you call up the next day, 'how's he doing?' And he's in a coma? This is not the flu."

3 April - "Choosing not to wear a mask"

“With the masks, it’s going to be really a voluntary thing. You can do it, you don't have to do it. I'm choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it and that's OK."

12 July - Wearing masks "a great thing"

"I think when you're in a hospital, especially in that particular setting, where you're talking to a lot of soldiers and people that, in some cases, just got off the operating tables, I think it's a great thing to wear a mask."

21 July - "Wear a mask"

"We're asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask."

10 September -  America “rounding the final turn” of the pandemic

“We're rounding the final turn, and a lot of good things are happening with vaccines and with therapeutics."

Unsurprisingly coronavirus has become one of the main topics in the race for the White House. Our Reality Check team has been fact checking some of Trump's comments, as well as those of his Democrat challenger Joe Biden. You can read more here.