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Trump Calls COVID-19 “The Plague” in April Interview with Woodward as He Called for U.S. to Reopen

HeadlineSep 15, 2020

On Monday, CNN aired new audio from journalist Bob Woodward from an interview he did with Trump on April 13. At the time, Trump was publicly urging the U.S. economy to be reopened, but privately he compared COVID-19 to the plague.

President Donald Trump: “This thing is a killer if it gets you. If you’re the wrong person, you don’t have a chance.”

Bob Woodward: “Yes, yes, exactly.”

President Donald Trump: “So, this rips you apart.”

Bob Woodward: “This is a scourge. And” —

President Donald Trump: “It is the plague.”

Four days after Trump said these words to Bob Woodward in April, he sent out tweets calling on supporters to liberate the states of Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia, sparking a series of protests against COVID-19 lockdowns.

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