Trump, Jan. 22: The president
tells CNBC that “we have it totally under control” and “it’s going to be just fine.”
Top Biden adviser, Jan. 22: Ron Klain, a Biden adviser who managed the 2014 Ebola response,
co-writes a piece excoriating Trump for “brashly” dismissing coronavirus as “under control,” while calling for “expertise” to “guide critical decisions” and noting “reasons for great concern.”
Trump, Jan. 24: Trump
praises and gives thanks to China for its efforts to contain the coronavirus, and adds: “It will all work out well.”
Biden, Jan. 27: Biden publishes
an op-ed in USA Today hitting Trump for “shortsighted policies” that “have left us unprepared for a dangerous epidemic,” and warning that the coronavirus “will get worse before it gets better.”
Trump, Jan. 30: Trump
says at a rally in Michigan: “We think we have it very well under control.”
Biden, Jan. 31: Biden
tells reporters in Iowa that “science” must “lead the way,” adding: “We have, right now, a crisis with the coronavirus.”
Biden, Feb. 1: Biden
tweets: “We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with science.”
Trump, Feb. 2: Trump goes on Sean Hannity’s show
and claims: “We pretty much shut it down, coming in from China.” Trump extols our “tremendous relationship” with China, and adds: “We did shut it down, yes.”
Trump, Feb. 10: Trump
claims that “a lot of people” think the coronavirus “goes away in April with the heat,” adding that we only have “11 cases,” and that “we’re in great shape.”
Biden, Feb. 11: Biden
goes on “Morning Joe” and excoriates Trump for claiming the coronavirus will disappear in the warm weather, crossing himself while doing so, and adding: “You couldn’t make it up.”
Trump, Feb. 26: Trump
claims the media is conspiring with Democrats to hype the coronavirus to rattle the markets. Trump
also says the coronavirus is “going very substantially down, not up.”