Watch This Interview of Donald Trump If You Want to Ruin Your Day

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

From Harper's BAZAAR

  • In a new interview between President Donald Trump and Axios reporter Jonathan Swan, Trump used questionable data to argue that the United States is doing the "best" in terms of coronavirus management.

  • While Swan attempted to point out the data on deaths as a proportion of the population, Trump replied that he "can't do that."

  • To date, there are more than 4.7 million COVID-19 cases in the United States, with the number of deaths approaching 160,000; case numbers have recently been surging in many states as regions continue with their reopenings.


The COVID-19 pandemic has swept through the United States, causing an unprecedented health crisis as more than 4.7 million have become infected and the number of people who have fallen to the virus is approaching 160,000, according to a daily tracker curated by The New York Times.

Now, as states forge ahead with their reopenings, case rates have begun to surge again in many areas throughout the country, including New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, and Hawaii. But despite the concerning numbers, President Donald Trump continues to insist that the United States is somehow winning.

In a recent interview between Trump and Axios reporter Jonathan Swan, Trump argued that the country is actually doing the "best" in terms of coronavirus management compared to other countries around the world.

As Swan attempted to explain that the COVID-19-related deaths are beginning to increase in the country again, Trump pulled out some loose-leaf sheets of paper to ostensibly prove his point.

"Right here, the United States is lowest in numerous categories," Trump said, reading from a chart. "We're lower than the world."

"'Lower than the world,'" repeated Swan. "What does that mean?"

Trump handed him a sheet of paper, which Swan scrutinized for a moment before saying, "Oh, you're doing death as a proportion of cases. I'm talking about death as a proportion of population. That's where the U.S. is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc." While the U.S. daily positivity rate currently stands at 7.13, percent, or over 22,000 daily confirmed cases on average, South Korea experiences a daily positivity rate at 1.02 percent, or 75 daily cases, according to research conducted by John Hopkins University. Germany also has a 1.95 percent daily positivity rate, with 1,120 daily cases.

Still, Trump responded, "You can't do that."

Swan challenged Trump, continuously asking why he can't use death as a proportion of population, to which Trump readily ignored the inquiry.

The clipped interview has been viewed more than 21 million times on Twitter, and users have some strong opinions about Trump's answers. Below, some of the best reactions to this bizarre presidential interview.

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