Ducey says he doesn’t feel misled by Trump about severity of coronavirus
Sep 10, 2020, 3:30 PM | Updated: 5:29 pm
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Thursday he hasn’t felt misled about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic by President Donald Trump, who allegedly played down the virus in February despite knowing of its possible effects.
Ducey said the president has been consistent in handling requests made by the state to combat the virus.
“I do not feel misled,” Ducey said during a press conference. “Like I said and I will repeat myself, there has been a sense of urgency and seriousness about this since day one in terms of the cases in Arizona.”
Trump was accused by journalist Bob Woodward in a new book of saying he deliberately minimized the danger of the virus at its start as a strategy to avoid panic.
Trump said Wednesday he was just being a “cheerleader” for the nation and trying to keep everyone calm.
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Arizona wasn’t hit as hard as other states early in the pandemic, instead seeing its cases and hospitalizations rise after Ducey decided to reopen the state in mid-May.
Ducey cited filled requests for PPE, ventilators and National Guard funding as examples for how Trump has shown he’s serious about the virus in Arizona.
He added that he trusts Trump and his administration to continue following through on state requests for COVID-19 relief.
As of Thursday morning, Arizona health officials reported 207,002 COVID-19 infections and 5,273 deaths since the first case in the state was announced on Jan. 26.
“The responsiveness and delivery from the president and the coronavirus task force has been consistent with real urgency,” Ducey said.
