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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now # Ad watch: Priorities USA’s timeline on coronavirus and Trump’s inaction * Ad Watch * Coronavirus ![\\"President](\\" President Donald Trump stands as Vice President Mike Pence speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, April 20, 2020. AP Photo/Alex Brandon ![\\"Emily](\\" By Emily Venezky April 21, 2020 #### If Your Time is short * An ad from Democratic super PAC Priorities USA outlines a timeline of coronavirus warnings and how Donald Trump ignored them. * Some of the dates or numbers are correct, but some are selected to put Trump in the worst possible light. * The CDC and WHO did not predict how far COVID-19 would spread in January, and Trump’s administration did take some steps to mitigate the spread in January and February. Priorities USA, a large Democratic super PAC, has been releasing a slew of ads featuring individual Americans talking about COVID-19. Some are about personal medical problems and social distancing; others are with health care professionals talking about supply shortages. One ad features Frank Mora, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense and professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University. Mora’s first line is \"President Trump’s response to the pandemic crisis has been, to say the least, disappointing.\" The ad goes back and forth between Mora talking directly to the camera, news clips and dates from the last three months. Mora’s voiceover says that Trump and his administration’s action against the coronavirus were too late and that there were signs that COVID-19 was a threat to Americans early on. The ads use the same slogan: \"Donald Trump keeps failing us. America is paying the price.\" The Florida ad with Mora is partially accurate but it also cherry-picks dates and exaggerates to make the case that Trump didn’t take enough action. > \"We have known since December the threat that this virus represents to > global health\" This is an exaggeration. Mora is referring to a WHO news release from Jan. 5 that said China informed the organization that there were pneumonia cases from an unidentified virus in the city of Wuhan on Dec 31, 2019. By Jan. 3, 2020, national authorities in China had reported at least 44 cases to the WHO, but they still hadn’t isolated what virus was causing these infections. The Jan. 5 WHO response didn’t recommend any specific measures for travelers and advised against restrictions on travel or trade, based on the information they had at the time. Chinese officials and the WHO still didn’t know if the disease could spread person-to-person, and infections were extremely localized. > \"On Jan. 8 of this year, the CDC raised alarm that the virus represented a > threat to the health of American citizens.\" Again, this isn’t exactly what the CDC said on this date. A CDC health advisory announced an investigation in Wuhan of a new disease that was leading to symptoms of pneumonia. The advisory stated that \"no human-to-human transmission has been reported.\" It didn’t identify the disease as being caused by a virus, and at this point the disease hadn’t traveled outside of China, or even Wuhan. On Jan. 10, after the disease had been identified as viral, the CDC said in a risk assessment that \"based on current information, the risk from the Novel Coronavirus 2019 to the American public is deemed to be low.\" > \"During the subsequent two months, the president of the United States did > nothing.\" This too is an exaggeration. President Trump did appear dismissive of COVID-19 at first, saying in a Jan. 22 CNBC interview, \"We have it under control.\". After eight cases had been reported in the U.S. on Feb. 2, he told Fox News host Sean Hannity, \"We pretty much shut it down.\" At a Feb. 26 press conference, he still referred to it as \"similar to the flu.\" But saying his administration \"did nothing\" is not accurate. The President’s Coronavirus Task Force was formed on Jan. 29 to \"to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus.\" That task force announced on Jan. 31 that the coronavirus presented a public health emergency in the United States and instituted a travel ban against foreigners coming from China. The Coronavirus Task Force went on to brief lawmakers and governors on the danger that COVID-19 posed in early February. However, it wasn’t until Feb. 25 that the Trump administration asked Congress for $2.5 billion in funding to combat the spread of COVID-19. > \"He called it a hoax.\" This quote from Trump is in dispute. President Trump is known for using the terms \"hoax\" and \"witch hunt\" regularly. Understanding how and why he used that word in connection to the coronavirus at a rally in Charleston, S.C. is a little more complicated. After accusing Democrats of \"politicizing the coronavirus,\" Trump blasted the 2016 Russia investigation and his impeachment in the House — both of which he has labeled a hoax — before briefly turning back to the virus. \"Think of it,\" he said. \"And this is their new hoax.\" The next day, Trump said he was referring to the Democrats’ response to the coronavirus as a hoax, rather than to COVID-19 itself. _RELATED STORY:_ The president who cried hoax? Experts weigh in on Trump’s use of the word > \"He held nine campaign rallies, went golfing on six different occasions.\" This is accurate. According to the Trump campaign website, he held nine campaign rallies before halting his campaign tour on March 11. There is also documentation from the press and social media that show he went golfing six times in 2020. _RELATED FACT-CHECK:_ Viral post compares dates on when Trump admitted coronavirus was a problem > \"The White House expects that between 100,000-200,000 Americans will die as > a result of this crisis and particularly as a result of two months of > critical time that were lost\" These numbers are outdated. Yes, the original estimate was that 100,000 to 200,000 Americans would die from COVID-19. Those numbers were released at a White House press conference on March 31. Six days before Priorities USA released this ad, however, the White House Coronavirus Task Force announced those numbers had lowered to around 60,000 deaths. This was largely attributed to successful social distancing. Mora also said in the ad that the projected deaths from COVID-19 are \"a result of two months of critical time that were lost.\" But Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the leading scientists on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said in an interview with CNN that the timeline can’t be connected so directly. \"Obviously it would have been nice if we had a better head start,\" Fauci said. \"I don’t think you can say that we are where we are because of one factor.\" Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter ### Our Sources Email interview with Priorities USA, April 17, 2020 Email interview with the Trump campaign, April 17, 2020 Florida International University, Frank Mora, accessed on April 20, 2020 Priorities USA on YouTube, Frank FL, April 14, 2020 WHO, Pneumonia of unknown cause – China, Jan 5, 2020 CDC, Outbreak of Pneumonia of Unknown Etiology (PUE) in Wuhan, China, Jan 8, 2020 CDC, Novel Coronavirus 2019, Wuhan, China Situation Summary, Jan 10, 2020 CNBC, Trump on coronavirus from China: \'We have it totally under control\', Jan 22, 2020 White House on Youtube, President Trump and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Hold a News Conference, Feb 26, 2020 The White House, Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the President\'s Coronavirus Task Force, Jan 29, 2020 The White House, Press Briefing by Members of the President\'s Coronavirus Task Force, Jan 31, 2020 The New York Times, As China Clamps Down on Negative News, Quarantines on Land and Sea, Feb 5, 2020 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Representatives of Coronavirus Task Force Brief Governors at NGA, Feb 9, 2020 Axios, Trump administration asks Congress for $2.5 billion to fight coronavirus, Feb 25, 2020 C-SPAN, President Trump Campaign Event in North Charleston, South Carolina, Feb 28, 2020 Donald Trump Campaign, Events, archived Jan 8, 2020 Donald Trump Campaign, Events, archived Jan 29, 2020 Donald Trump Campaign, Events, archived Feb 17, 2020 Tweet, Feb 1, 2020 Tweet, Mar 7, 2020 Public Pool, Subject: Out-of-town pool report #3, Feb 15, 2020 Palm Beach Post, Photos: PHOTOS: Trump in Palm Beach on Saturday, Jan 18, 2020 Palm Beach Post, Photos: PHOTOS: Trump in Palm Beach on Sunday, Jan 20, 2020 Palm Beach Post, Photos: PHOTOS: President Trump\'s visit 3-8-2020, March 8, 2020 CNBC Television on Youtube, Trump\'s coronavirus task force holds briefing as COVID-19 cases surge – 3/31/2020, March 31, 2020 CNN, Birx says drop in US death projection is due to Americans changing their behavior through social distancing, April 8, 2020 CNN, Fauci: Earlier shutdown \'could have saved lives\', April 13, 2020 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Emily Venezky slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Candace Owens stated on May 28, 2020 in a Tweet: Says George Soros is \"funding the chaos\" in Minneapolis via his Open Society Foundations. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • June 1, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on May 26, 2020 in Tweet: Video shows Joe Biden stuttering after being asked about touching women “without their permission” on The View. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • May 28, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 26, 2020 in a Facebook post: Italy “went against the WHO\'s ‘law’” against COVID-19 autopsies and “discovered covid is not a virus, but a bacterium” that “clots the blood and reduces the oxygen saturation.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • May 28, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 4, 2020 in a Facebook post: Says \"Pelosi blackmails Congress! She demands mail-in voting or no 2nd stimulus for you and your family.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • August 7, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Jeff Bezos stated on July 29, 2020 in a congressional hearing: “The retail market we participate in is extraordinarily large and competitive. Amazon accounts for less than 1% of the $25 trillion global retail market, and less than 4% of U.S. retail.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Emily Venezky • August 6, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 1, 2020 in in a post: “America was the ONLY country that ended” slavery ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • July 31, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 21, 2020 in in a post: Quotes Joe Biden as saying “We need to teach our children the ISLAMIC FAITH in our schools!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • July 23, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 13, 2020 in in a post: Quotes President Donald Trump as saying, “Everybody says I’ve done a tremendous job with COVID… I think a little gratitude would be nice. Maybe a big ‘Thank you Mr. President’ is called for.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • July 22, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on April 16, 2020 in a media website: \"New study: The flu vaccine is \'significantly associated\' with an increased risk of coronavirus\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • July 16, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on June 27, 2020 in a screenshot: Nurses submitting coronavirus tests say they all are coming back positive. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Daniel Funke • July 2, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on June 23, 2020 in a Facebook post: Video of man using an air-quality monitor proves that people are “not getting enough oxygen” while wearing masks ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Emily Venezky • July 2, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on June 8, 2020 in post on Facebook: “Cops in Norway: require 3 years of training, 4 people killed since 2002. Cops in Finland: require 2 years of training, 7 people killed since 2000. Cops in Iceland: require 2 years of training, 1 person killed since ever. Cops in the U.S.: require 21 weeks of training, 8,000+ people killed since 2001.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Emily Venezky • June 16, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on June 5, 2020 in a Facebook post: “More than 20 police officers are dead now because of the riots.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • June 10, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on June 3, 2020 in a Facebook post: “This man who was kicked and stomped” was killed by an “antifa murderer.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • June 5, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 31, 2020 in a Facebook post: Says “a rioter accidentally dropped” a riot manual with detailed instructions. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Emily Venezky • June 2, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Candace Owens stated on May 28, 2020 in a Tweet: Says George Soros is \"funding the chaos\" in Minneapolis via his Open Society Foundations. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • June 1, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on May 26, 2020 in Tweet: Video shows Joe Biden stuttering after being asked about touching women “without their permission” on The View. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • May 28, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 26, 2020 in a Facebook post: Italy “went against the WHO\'s ‘law’” against COVID-19 autopsies and “discovered covid is not a virus, but a bacterium” that “clots the blood and reduces the oxygen saturation.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • May 28, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 4, 2020 in a Facebook post: Says \"Pelosi blackmails Congress! She demands mail-in voting or no 2nd stimulus for you and your family.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • August 7, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Jeff Bezos stated on July 29, 2020 in a congressional hearing: “The retail market we participate in is extraordinarily large and competitive. Amazon accounts for less than 1% of the $25 trillion global retail market, and less than 4% of U.S. retail.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Emily Venezky • August 6, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 1, 2020 in in a post: “America was the ONLY country that ended” slavery ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Emily Venezky • July 31, 2020 ### Ad watch: Priorities USA’s timeline on coronavirus and Trump’s inaction * ![](\\" ![](\\" Jesse Watters stated on August 6, 2024 in a segment on \"Jesse Watters Primetime\": Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “forced schools to stock tampons in boys’ bathrooms.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • August 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 24, 2024 in a speech at a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina: “Vice President, Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to cut, as you know, Medicare by $273 billion. She cast a vote to cut Medicare.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jacob Gardenswartz • August 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 11, 2024 in an Instagram post: Craigslist ad shows “every single person” at Kamala Harris’ Arizona rally was paid. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • August 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 24, 2024 in a speech at a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina: “We’re losing 300,000 people a year to fentanyl that comes through our border. We had it down to the lowest number and now it’s worse than it’s ever been.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Jacob Gardenswartz • August 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 11, 2024 in a post on Truth Social: Photo of Kamala Harris’ Aug. 7 rally near Detroit was AI-generated and “there was nobody there.” Attendees pictured “didn’t exist.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • August 12, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Charlie Kirk stated on August 6, 2024 in a Threads post: “During Covid, Tim Walz rationed access to monoclonal antibody treatments based on skin color.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • August 12, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" J.D. Vance stated on August 7, 2024 in a news conference: Says Tim Walz said he carried weapons in war, but “he has not spent a day in a combat zone.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • August 12, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Lindsey Graham stated on August 6, 2024 in una publicación en X: El gobernador de Minnesota, Tim Walz, firmó una ley dando educación universitaria gratuita “a los inmigrantes ilegales”. ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Maria Briceño • August 12, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 8, 2024 in a press conference: “I went down in a helicopter with (Willie Brown). We thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together and there was an emergency landing.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Maria Ramirez Uribe • August 9, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 8, 2024 in a Facebook post: Says Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had his stomach pumped “after overingesting horse semen.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 9, 2024 Load more #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" ✕ * * *
On Jan 8 of this year the CDC raised alarm that the virus represented a threat to the health of American citizens