President Donald Trump drew scorn on Twitter with his latest attempt to mislead Americans about the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump, whose administration has been fiercely criticized for downplaying the threat and mishandling the federal response to the public health crisis, on Wednesday said it “snuck up on us.”
A day earlier, the president claimed he’d “always known” it was a pandemic and even “felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.”
Tweeters rebuked Trump over his continued contradictory statements, reminding him how warnings about the virus had actually been circulating since early January. Trump initially dismissed the threat, saying it was under control in the U.S. and might disappear in warm weather.
I feel like we can say a lot of things about the coronavirus. That it snuck up on us isn’t one. We literally saw it coming. For months.
— Vicky Nguyen (@VickyNguyenTV) March 18, 2020
Trump just said it again — that the pandemic "snuck up on us." It's not true. Top intel officials and experts warned that the US was vulnerable to a global pandemic like #COVID. See previous tweets that quote the @ODNIgov assessment from 2019. https://t.co/vedvKvZed2
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) March 18, 2020
This is from February 12.
— Shelly (@TexHellCat) March 18, 2020
Trump today: "It snuck up on us."
He is a gaslighting LIAR, and his dithering cost American lives. #TrumpVirus https://t.co/bXKCNCw3Np
"It snuck up on us." Trump during today's presser. No, it did not. This was a major problem in China in December.
— jburcum (@jburcum) March 18, 2020
The arc of Trump's coronavirus responses:
— Adam Lance Garcia (@AdamLanceGarcia) March 18, 2020
-There's nothing to worry about.
-It's a Democratic Hoax
-It'll be over by April
-It's a pandemic
-I take no responsibility
-I always knew it was a pandemic
-This snuck up on us
-I'm just gonna be racist
“It snuck up on us.”
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) March 18, 2020
Uhhhh.
And he said “they blamed American soldiers.” Wtf. I just cannot with him. And “this snuck up on us”???? The lies and the gaslighting... how can we fix this? Now. We don’t have until November. I’m afraid of what’s coming.
— Jennifer Palmer 🇭🇷⚽ (@JenniePalmer) March 18, 2020
"It snuck up on us"
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) March 18, 2020
No
It
Didn't
that's the longest "snuck up" use i have seen. It started in December, masks were running out on many US websites and at pharmacies in early February. It's March 18.
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) March 18, 2020
Trump: “I call it the unseen enemy….It snuck up on us.” No, it didn’t. That’s the tragedy. The tragedy he has exacerbated. #coronavirus
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) March 18, 2020
"it snuck up us." -- said moron who didn't listen to anyone while it was NOT sneaking up on us.
— Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) March 18, 2020
“It snuck up on us,” Trump says of the coronavirus pandemic that didn’t sneak up on him.
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) March 18, 2020
This is also what someone who only watches Fox News would say. If you were watching Fox News up until a few days ago, this was no big deal, just the flu, then you tune in on Monday and boom full blown crisis. Totally snuck up on you. https://t.co/cVRCmiCvZD
— NYkrinDC (@NYkrinDC) March 18, 2020
The virus "snuck up on us" in much the same way that six month deadline I had snuck up on me, while I stared vaguely out of the window, talked to the cats, and fell down YouTube rabbit holes. https://t.co/NSmar0uK8M
— Michael Marshall Smith (@ememess) March 18, 2020
"It snuck up on us." President Trump with one of his worst, flat out virus misstatements. Every citizen should recoil at this inaccurate statement. Shameful now and for all history books to come.
— Tom Sherwood (@tomsherwood) March 18, 2020
The President says this “snuck up on us” re: coronavirus.
— Jason Page (@TheBackPage) March 18, 2020
No, it didn’t sneak up on US. YOU ignored it. You called the reaction to it a Democratic “hoax”.
This began in January and you’re just now taking it seriously.
It may have snuck up on YOU. It didn’t sneak up on US.
Trump says the virus "snuck up" on everyone.
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) March 18, 2020
A stampede of elephants covered in bells and sh*tting bottle rockets could sneak up on him.
He is not equipped to lead, and if the GOP won't remove him now, We The People will in Nov.https://t.co/YIC3z38VUw#TrumpLiedPeopleDied
"It snuck up on us."
— TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes) March 18, 2020
- Donald Trump on the pandemic.
No.
It didn't sneak up on US, Donald.
It snuck up on YOU.
Because you're an incompetent, aloof, disinterested moron.
‘Moron’ Trump shredded for claiming coronavirus ‘snuck up on us’ — one day after insisting he always knew it was a pandemic#gaslighting#Incompetence#GOPBetrayedAmerica
— HereToResist (@AkivaOro) March 18, 2020
@GOPLeader @GOP#GOPCorruptionOverCountry https://t.co/hHAmQPzknZ
@realDonaldTrump just said that #coronavirus "snuck up on us." It didn't. POTUS refused to take action, failed to mobilize, and spread disinformation. Acting like a wartime president is different than being one. POTUS is attempting to dig himself--and the nation--out of a hole.
— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) March 18, 2020
👀 Look at the date on this! Nothing snuck up on us. Trump was asleep at the wheel. https://t.co/DObyyJwmX1
— Zsenike (@Yaragreyjoyfan) March 18, 2020
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