Donald Trump has insisted the risk coronavirus presents to the US “remains very low” – despite officials from within his own government warning of “the possibility of a pandemic”.
Appearing at a White House press conference on Wednesday evening, the president defended his administration’s response to the virus and said health experts were “ready, willing and able” to move quickly in the case of it spreading.
“The risk to the American people remains very low,” Trump said, flanked by public health officials and vice-president Pence, who has been named as the lead on the response to the virus by the president.
Trump went on to say that the spread of the virus was not “inevitable”, adding: “It probably will, it possibly will. It could be at a very small level, or it could be at a larger level. Whatever happens we’re totally prepared.”
His statement contradicted those made by health officials working for the US government.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases, said that while the virus was contained in the United States, Americans must prepare for a potential outbreak as transmissions spread outside of China.
“We have to be alert to the possibility of a pandemic,” Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in an interview.
US Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar said the United States has 59 coronavirus cases, including 42 American passengers repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan.
Trump’s comments came just hours before Australian prime minister – and close ally – Scott Morrison – warned that “the risk of a global pandemic is very much upon us”.
“We need to take the steps necessary to prepare for such a pandemic,” he added, becoming one of the world’s first leaders to acknowledge the threat of the virus spreading beyond global containment efforts
Trump might have played down the risks of coronavirus but he also gave an insight into the extent of his germophobia, which had been widely reported on even before his time in the White House.
“I do it a lot anyway, as you’ve probably heard – wash your hands, stay clean,” he said.
“You don’t have to necessarily grab every handrail unless you have to... View this the same as the flu. When somebody sneezes, I try to bail out as much as possible with the sneezing.
“A man came up to me a week ago, I hadn’t seen him in a long time, and I said ‘how are you doing?‘. He said ‘fine, fine’, he hugs me, kissing, I said ‘are you well?’ he says ‘no, I have the worst fever...’ and he’s hugging and kissing me.
“So I said ‘excuse me’ and started washing my hands, so you have to do that. I really think doc, you want to treat this like you treat the flue, right? And, you know, it’s going to be fine.”
Despite admitting to White House reporters that coronavirus fears had impacted the stock markets the president still managed to aim fire at the Democratic presidential candidates, accusing them of spooking investors.
“I think the financial markets are very upset when they look at the Democrat candidates standing on that stage making fools out of themselves,” Trump said in reference to the ongoing debates amongst Democratic candidates – one of whom will take on the president in an election later this year.
Earlier in the day, Trump accused two cable TV news channels, CNN and MSNBC, of presenting the danger from the virus in as bad a light as possible and upsetting financial markets.