October 24, 2020

Coronavirus Cases Reach New One-Day Record, Trump Blames Media

Here are the facts.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty

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The United States recorded its highest one-day total of new coronavirus cases on Friday, according to tracking data collected by Johns Hopkins University. The additional 83,757 infections shattered a record previously set when new virus cases exceeded 77,000 per day in July. 

To mark the grim milestone, President Trump took to Twitter and blamed the media for reporting on the third major wave of coronavirus cases in the United States. 

Here are the facts: the United States, which has just over 4 percent of the global population, has more than 20 percent of the world’s coronavirus cases. Since January, Trump has repeatedly deflected and ignored advice from scientists and intelligence officials about the threat of the virus. Even after he was hospitalized while dealing with his own coronavirus infection earlier this month, Trump has continued to falsely claim that the flu is worse than COVID-19 and that his own experimental treatment is a sign that a “cure” is imminent. His refusal for months to wear a mask, and his advisers’ willingness to enable him, resulted in a likely super-spreader event at the White House where more than two dozen people close to Trump, including lawmakers and journalists, tested positive for COVID-19.

Nearly every day brings more news of coronavirus infections on Capitol Hill or among lawmakers on the campaign trail. On Saturday morning, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) announced that two staffers in her Washington, DC office had tested positive. Loeffler, who tested negative on Friday, is “more energized than ever,” her spokesperson said in a statement. 

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