Yet the U.S. had ample time to see what was coming, as China writhed under the pandemic in January and then Europe began suffering just weeks later. Critics have charged the U.S. with squandering precious time that could have been spent building testing capacity or stockpiling medical supplies that are now hard to find. By Feb. 26, Italy was locking down whole towns and regions beset by the virus.
That day, President Donald Trump said at a White House press briefing that the U.S. had the situation “so well under control.” There were only 15 cases of coronavirus across the country, he said, and “we’re going very substantially down, not up.”
That day, President Donald Trump said at a White House press briefing that the U.S. had the situation “so well under control.” There were only 15 cases of coronavirus across the country, he said, and “we’re going very substantially down, not up.”