After facing criticism for reportedly downplaying the dangers of coronavirus, Donald Trump attempted to compare himself to the British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill but managed to get it completely wrong.
In a new book written by journalist Bob Woodward, which documents a series of interviews between him and the president between December and July, Trump is alleged to have been fully aware of how dangerous coronavirus was but downplayed it in order to not 'create a panic.' Trump reportedly said:
You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed. And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flues.
I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic.
In an attempt to downplay this, Trump attempted to compare his words to that of Churchill in World War II, claiming the hailed prime minister for telling people to remain calm. Speaking at a rally in Michigan on Thursday, the POTUS said:
When Hitler was bombing London, Churchill, great leader, would oftentimes go to a roof in London and speak.
And he always spoke with confidence. He said we have to show calmness. No, we did it the right way and we’ve done a job like nobody.
This is fucking absurd https://t.co/VwyTaCZDtq— Acyn (@Acyn) 1599784076
However, it soon became apparent that Trump had gotten his quote and facts about Churchill completely wrong. As many pointed out Churchill was fairly blunt and didn't downplay the seriousness of the war to the British people at all and almost did the complete opposite of telling people to remain calm.
In light of the Bob Woodward tapes, Donald Trump is comparing himself to Winston Churchill, who famously told the B… https://t.co/2lhw6UOHEI— The Recount (@The Recount) 1599865829
Trump: "When Hitler was bombing London, Churchill, great leader, would oftentimes go to a roof in London and speak.… https://t.co/LGv9TscI6c— Daniel Dale (@Daniel Dale) 1599784455
@ddale8 “Ignore the Nazis and hope they just go away” - Winston Churchill— Attorney-at-Law (@Attorney-at-Law) 1599784336
Quiz: which one is Churchill and which one is Trump? https://t.co/AP80uIO8Kk— Daniel Dale (@Daniel Dale) 1599786153
How dare Trump compare himself to the great Winston Churchill. He spoke in plain and honest terms, and then rallied… https://t.co/Jgk0z9PaJs— George Takei (@George Takei) 1599828907
Winston Churchill totally downplaying things: https://t.co/WxcshwGXI8— James Pethokoukis (@James Pethokoukis) 1599785924
Trump is no Churchill. Good night.— Joe Walsh (@Joe Walsh) 1599796833
Things Churchill didn't say: - the Blitz is a hoax - the Nazis will miraculously be gone by April - going to a fal… https://t.co/AnkBSYiGwS— Tom Malinowski (@Tom Malinowski) 1599784672
Also at his Michigan rally, Trump falsely attributed another quote to the British government in World War II. He said:
As the British government advised the British people in the face of World War II, keep calm and carry on. That’s what I did.
ABC News report that the slogan was actually going to be used before WWII as a means to keep the public calm and distract them from the prospect of war. However, it was never actually used and only became well known after a poster bearing the slogan was found in recent years and was soon plastered across every piece of merchandise imaginable.
Oh dear, Donald. Time to get your head back in those history books.