President Trump was aware of the severity of the coronavirus in early February, telling Bob Woodward that it was much more severe than the flu. In public, Trump used the flu comparison in a different way: highlighting the flu’s high seasonal death toll compared to the few dozen early cases of coronavirus.

He admitted to Woodward in March that he was intentionally downplaying the pandemic in order to avoid panic.

Those revelations are contained in Woodward’s new book Rage.

The United States death toll from the disease will likely top 200,000 by the end of the month.

This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow, White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving.

Connect:
Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here.
Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org.
Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.
Listen to our playlist The NPR Politics Daily Workout.
Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.
Find and support your local public radio station.