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Donald Trump Jr claims coronavirus proves 'MAGA agenda was 100% right' as president roundly criticised for pandemic response

‘So if one thing that this has shown us that Donald Trump was right all along’

James Crump
Friday 24 April 2020 17:11 BST
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Donald Trump Jr says coronavirus pandemic proves 'MAGA agenda was 100 percent right'

Donald Trump Jr has claimed that the coronavirus pandemic has proven the agenda of his father, president Donald Trump, to be right, days after congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said his response to the crisis was “akin to war crimes.”

During an appearance on Fox News’ Hannity on Thursday, the eldest son of the US president, said that the pandemic has proven his father’s approach to be the right one.

“If there’s one thing that coronavirus has taught us, (it’s) that Donald Trump and his agenda in 2016 when he (ran on) the MAGA agenda was 100 percent right,” he said.

“We do need to control our supply chains. We do need to have American manufacturing so the Chinese can’t do what they did.”

He added that other countries followed his actions and said that the president has led on tackling the pandemic.

“Look how quick Mexico shut down the border to the U.S. when they said, ‘Hey, you know, guys, it can actually be done,’” the 42-year told host Sean Hannity.

“So if one thing that this has shown us that Donald Trump was right all along,” he said. “Donald Trump is a guy that got it and saw that.”

The US currently has the worst coronavirus death rate in the world, and on Wednesday, Democratic congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, criticised the president’s response to the crisis.

She said that the Trump administration’s response has put the US behind where it needs to be, in order to adequately tackle the pandemic.

“As far as I’m concerned, what’s happening with this administration, it’s akin to war crimes — criminal negligence, science denials, a sluggish response,” Ms Pressley said.

“So we find ourselves in the position of playing catch up in the midst of a pandemic,” she said. “The last place that you want to be in the midst of any public health crisis and certainly not a pandemic, is working from behind.”

Later on in the interview with Fox News, Mr Trump said that his father is the right person to lead the US for the next four years.

“He’s also the guy that built the greatest economy America has ever known,” he said. “He’s the guy that can make America great again, again, once we get through this.”

Twitter users mocked his phrasing, with @RKJ65 tweeting: “So if he’s making America great again...again, then you must be saying that under @realDonaldTrump America ceased to be great.”

User @jmscuker added that Mr Trump “was was first admitting something here: they didn’t succeed in making America great again in the first place!”

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 869,172 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 49,963.

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