January 29, 2020

Trump’s economic adviser Peter Navarro sent a memo to Trump’s administration officials that stated “The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil,” Mr. Navarro’s memo said. “This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.”

During this time, Trump was playing down the risks to the United States. Mr. Navarro emphasized the “risk of a worst-case pandemic scenario should not be overlooked” and that more than half-million Americans could die.