We KNOW he knew that the nation was facing a cataclysm. It's on tape. We know he admitted to "downplaying" the virus that has killed TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND Americans
He knew that it was far more deadly than the flu. That is was extremely contagious. That it was as bad as the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. And he knew that it most certainly infected children.
And he lied about all of that.
He claim he didn't want to panic the nation. Really?
Then why is he STILL lying about it? Still downplaying it?
Why did he not insist that we get functional tests QUICKLY? Why did he not invoke the DPA in FEBRUARY to get PPE and ventilators in place?
Why did he not shut down travel from Europe in FEBRUARY?
Why did he not quarantine or even TRACK returning travelers?
Why did he LIE about children being "basically immune" when he clearly knew differently?
He didn't care about "panic". He cared about trying to keep the economy going (and failing there because the virus simply will not allow that).
He lied about every aspect of this catastrophe and he's lying about why he lied
Trying to understand his motivations for repeatedly lying to the American public about a deadly global pandemic that was bearing down on us, when you're trying to understand a person with the profound emotional and psychological issues this man has, is a jigsaw puzzle at best.
It may really be that he's being honest: Maybe, in his mind, he was protecting us somehow. It didn't occur to him that lowering our guard in that situation would certainly increase the velocity and severity of the virus's spread. That's just a function of an individual who lacks the intellectual elasticity required of a normal President.
There are two problems with that theory, though: First, on tape, he told Bob Woodward that the virus was, in his words, "the Plague". So clearly he held back critical information when he lied to the country. Second, if he were
really trying to protect us, why did he
constantly mock Americans who were just trying to protect the health of Americans and their loved ones via masks and social distancing?
There's just no way to know. We may never know.