President Donald Trump brushed off claims that his impeachment trial diverted his attention from the coronavirus threat, reports The Hill.
“I don’t think I would have done any better if I had not been impeached,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room Tuesday evening per The Hill. “I don’t think I would have acted any differently, or I don’t think I would have acted any faster.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier Tuesday blamed the Democrats’ push to impeach Trump in January for distracting the administration from the threat posed by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 850,000 people worldwide and killed more than 42,000.
“It came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment,” McConnell said in an interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”
More than 160,000 Americans have tested positive for the virus and more than 3,000 people have died.
China reported its first death from the virus on Jan. 11. Trump on Jan. 22 said the U.S. had the situation “under control” and that things would “be just fine.”
The U.S. recorded it first coronavirus death on Feb. 29, and Trump declared a national emergency on March 13.
The president’s impeachment trial ended on Feb. 5.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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