CHINA/CORONAVIRUS: “We have to have leadership. We have to show leadership. And the last thing you want to do is create a panic in the country. This [coronavirus] was a horrible thing. It was sent to us by China. It should not have happened — should never have happened. This is a disgusting, terrible situation that was foisted upon us.
And we have to show — we just don’t want to use — the best word is ‘panic.’ We don’t want to have to show panic. We’re not going to show panic. And that’s exactly what I did. And I was very open — whether it’s to Woodward or anybody else. It’s just another political hit job. But whether it was Woodward or anybody else, you cannot show a sense of panic or you’re going to have bigger problems than you ever had before.”
-Donald Trump, “Remarks by President Trump on Judicial Appointments,” whitehouse.gov, Sep. 9, 2020
[Note: Donald Trump is referring to quotes he gave to Bob Woodward in February and March 2020 interviews that were made public on Sep. 9, 2020.]