Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, have tested positive for Covid-19. The US president has given repeated conflicting, misleading and false statements on the pandemic.
As Trump goes into isolation, here are some of his most criticised comments on the coronavirus:
On the virus being under control or disappearing
“The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.” In a tweet on 24 February.
“Because of all we’ve done, the risk to the American people remains very low.” Remarks at a White House press conference on 27 February.
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“It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” At a White House meeting on 27 February.
“We’re very close to a vaccine and we’re very close to therapeutics, really good therapeutics. But even without that, I don’t like to talk about that because it’s fading away.” Speaking to Fox News on 17 July.
On face masks
“I don’t think I’m going to be doing it … I don’t know, somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful resolute desk, the great resolute desk. I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens. I don’t know, somehow I don’t see it for myself. I just, I just don’t.” Speaking to reporters at the White House on 3 April.
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‘I don’t want to’: Trump rejects CDC coronavirus face mask guidance – video
“My administration has a different approach: we have urged Americans to wear masks. And I emphasised this is a patriotic thing to do. Maybe they’re great and maybe they’re just good. Maybe they’re not so good.” Speaking to reporters at the White House on 13 August.
“When needed, I wear masks. I don’t wear a mask like him (Joe Biden). Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.” At the 2020 presidential debate on 29 September.
On untested and dangerous treatments for the coronavirus
“I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that.” Speaking to reporters at the White House on 23 April.
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Trump floats dangerous coronavirus treatment ideas as Dr Birx looks on – video
“Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light … and then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, and I think you said you’re going to test that too. It sounds interesting.” Speaking to reporters at the White House on 23 April.
On the dangers of Covid-19
“I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don’t want to create a panic.” Comments to journalist Bob Woodward on 19 March.
“Now we have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases, 99% of which are totally harmless.” South Lawn speech at the White House on 4 July.
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From miracle cures to slowing testing: how Trump has defied science on coronavirus – video explainer
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