Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) accused President Donald Trump and his administration of spreading “misinformation” about the coronavirus in a recent interview.
The Minnesota senator said the Trump administration “didn’t move quickly on developing” a test for the virus.
“I think that the most important priority that we all have is to contain this virus and to try to keep people safe and healthy. I strongly disagree with the president’s characterization, though. He’s acting as if this is a political problem and this is a public health problem. The facts are that the United States government and his administration didn’t move quickly on developing this diagnostic test and getting it out,” Smith said in a Sunday interview with WCCO.
She said the lack of available test kits is “slowing our response” and accused Trump of spreading “flat-out misinformation” about the virus.
“This is hurting people. This is slowing our response and there are people out all over the country, including in Minnesota, who don’t know whether they have been infected or not. We need to stay calm and be deliberate about this and that gets to the other point that I’m so concerned about, [which] is the contradictory and just flat-out misinformation that the administration, including the president, has been spreading,” Smith continued.
Preya Samsundar, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established its coronavirus incident management system on January 7 – when “Democrats were attacking the president for eliminating terrorist Qasem Soleimani.”
She also pointed out that the Trump administration was accused of “fear-mongering” when it “instituted a travel ban on individuals who could potentially have the virus.”
“Since the outbreak of coronavirus, President Trump has taken quick, decisive action to address coronavirus, but the Democrats and their allies in the media continue to undermine the work his administration is doing to combat the illness,” she said in a statement. “Democrats have done nothing but try to score political points against President Trump and politicize a public health crisis. Despite their attacks, the health, safety, security, and well-being of the American people is and always will be President Trump’s top priority.”
President Trump said on Twitter Wednesday that he is “fully prepared to use the full power of the federal government to deal with our current challenge of the coronavirus.”
I am fully prepared to use the full power of the Federal Government to deal with our current challenge of the CoronaVirus!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2020
“Together we are putting into policy a plan to prevent, detect, treat and create a vaccine against coronavirus to save lives in America and the world. America will get it done!” he said. “Someone needs to tell the Democrats in Congress that coronavirus doesn’t care what party you are in. We need to protect all Americans!”
….Together we are putting into policy a plan to prevent, detect, treat and create a vaccine against CoronaVirus to save lives in America and the world. America will get it done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2020
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
