As the coronavirus began to spread across the U.S., Trump's attitude has evolved from casual dismissal to reluctant acknowledgment to bellicose mobilization.

We trace the winding path of the president’s response to the virus, in his own words. https://wapo.st/2X4ws9s 

In the early days of the virus’s spread in the U.S., Trump repeatedly emphasized that everything was “under control” and that the virus would just “disappear” in warmer months

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As February turned to March, the first deaths were announced and cases continued to climb.

Trump began to acknowledge the virus’s spread in the U.S. but dismissed the potential danger to the public at large.

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The same week the WHO declared covid-19 a pandemic, the situation in the U.S. became more fraught.

Amid this backdrop, Trump shifted his tone and tried to paint himself as having taken the virus seriously from the start.

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Confirmed cases and deaths continued to rise exponentially.

However, after stock markets closed at their lowest point since Trump’s second week in office, he once again changed the focus of his efforts.

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Trump expressed doubt about N.Y. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s plea for 30,000 more ventilators to care for the influx of patients expected to flood hospitals.

As March came to a close, he began to embrace the image of himself as the leader of a country at war.

https://wapo.st/39yEXMT