Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) is providing insight into how he would have handled the pandemic if President Donald Trump had not initially concealed the threat of the coronavirus.
Garcetti revealed on CNN’s “State of the Union” he would have “unquestionably” acted earlier, which would have resulted in saving more lives.
“We were the first city to close things down, the first city to offer widespread testing. But we had to go it alone. And we heard that consistently. That’s up to the states. That’s up to the local governments,” Garcetti said.
He continued, “And yes, if we had known and had leadership that didn’t say ‘calm’ but actually allowed us to do the work and provided us the resources to do so, we would have taken action much earlier, and thousands of lives in my city and, obviously, maybe tens of thousands if not 100,000 lives in America could have been saved.”
Watch his comments below:
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says he would have “unquestionably” acted sooner on Covid-19 if President Trump had not concealed how deadly the virus was back in February. https://t.co/YbBeW7Dgf2 #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/icDHHZtfWJ
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) September 13, 2020
Garcetti’s comments come just days after journalist Bob Woodward revealed Trump indicated during a March phone call he wanted to downplay the outbreak, as IJR previously reported.
The president received backlash for his comments from several Democratic lawmakers.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused Trump of “knowingly and willingly” lying about the pandemic, as IJR previously reported.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters Trump’s remarks showed “contempt” for Americans and their health.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Trump “doesn’t mind panicking people when it serves his interest.”
Trump received support from GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
Graham defended Trump’s decision to downplay the virus.
“The idea of the president saying we’re not all going to die seems smart to me,” Graham said.
Johnson explained he understands what Trump is saying and does not think “it’s an illegitimate point to make.”
Tillis recognized it is essential to inform Americans about public health, but it is also crucial not “to create hysteria.”
Trump defended his comments during his press briefing on Thursday.
“I didn’t lie,” he said.
