WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States reached another tragic, once-unthinkable milestone: 200,000 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19. The devastating news follows weeks of chaos in the Trump administration, with revelations that the president knowingly downplayed the severity of the pandemic’s threat to America and reports that a top health department official attempted to muzzle public health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci in his comments to the public.

Six months ago, President Trump suggested that if the U.S. only saw 100,000 deaths — another horrifying milestone that the nation reached at the end of March — it would indicate a “very good job” done by his administration. In a Fox News interview this month, Trump re-upped this message, saying, “we’ve done a really good job… we’ve done an incredible job.”

Accountable.US President Kyle Herrig responded to the news:  

“From the first signs of COVID-19 in the U.S., it was clear that the Trump administration was mismanaging the nation’s pandemic response. And after President Trump’s admission that he purposefully downplayed the virus to the public, it’s clear that we have much more to learn about exactly how the government failed to protect the American people throughout this crisis. As COVID-19 continues to rage, the Trump administration must ensure that tests are widely accessible, and that relief reaches the families that need it most.”

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