Skip to main content

Trump Defends US Covid-19 Record, Calls High Infection Numbers a 'Badge of Honour'

N

Nyakundi Report

Newsroom 1 min read

On 20 May 2020, US President Donald Trump argued that the country's high number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is a 'badge of honour' due to the extensive testing.

Speaking at the White House, Trump stated, 'I look at that as, in a certain respect, as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better.'

The US has reported 1.5 million coronavirus cases and nearly 92,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, with Russia in second place with nearly 300,000 confirmed cases.

Trump's comments came during his first cabinet meeting since the US outbreak began, where he also addressed a question about a potential travel ban on Latin America, particularly Brazil, which now has the third-highest number of confirmed cases.

The Democratic National Committee criticised Trump's comments, stating that the 1.5 million Covid-19 cases in the US represent 'a complete failure of leadership.'

However, while the US has conducted more tests by volume than any other country, it is not first in the world on a per capita basis, according to Our World in Data, a scientific publication based at Oxford University.

Be the first to react

Support

Support this reporting

M-Pesa support recorded against this story.

Send support →

Stay close

Get the briefing

Major updates by email. No spam.

Get email brief →

Share

Save share card

Download a clean portrait card for sharing.

Save image →