Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) lashed the Trump administration’s poor record on handling COVID-19, saying there was no way to spin the high number of deaths.
“I don’t think we really distinguished ourselves in a very positive way by how we responded to the crisis when it was upon us,” Romney said Friday in an interview with the Sutherland Institute think tank.
President Donald Trump has said that the death toll “is what it is” — and repeatedly insisted that America’s COVID-19 statistics were impressive.
“It’s been amazing what we’ve been able to do,” Trump said during a press conference last week about his record fighting the pandemic.
Romney took issue with the U.S. death toll, which currently stands at over 170,000.
“We have 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the world’s deaths due to COVID-19, and there’s no way to spin that in a positive light,” he said.
The U.S. has just over 4% of the world’s population and nearly 22% of the world’s reported COVID-19 deaths, according to data.)
“From the outset, there was a tendency on the part of the administration to dismiss COVID-19 as a threat not to consider how serious it could become,” said Romney. “There was no immediate action to, if you will, ring all the alarm bells.”
Romney said the federal government should have quickly taken charge by setting safety guidelines, arranging the manufacture of essential supplies and equipment and providing much-needed protective gear.
Check out Romney’s comments in the video below. His criticism of the Trump administration begins at 4:11.
- Stay up to date with our live blog as we cover the COVID-19 pandemic
- 7 essential pieces of relationship advice for couples in quarantine
- What you need to know about face masks right now
- How to tell if you need to start doing online therapy
- Lost your job due to coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know.
- Parenting during the coronavirus crisis?
- The HuffPost guide to working from home
- What coronavirus questions are on your mind right now? We want to help you find answers.
- Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today.