Donald Trump Calls Coronavirus Democrats’ ‘New Hoax’

President Donald Trump cast doubts about the novel coronavirus during a Friday rally in South Carolina, calling the illness that has affected over 80,000 people worldwide the Democrats’ “new hoax.”

“The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. They’re politicizing it,” Trump said. “They don’t have any clue. They can’t even count their votes in Iowa. No, they can’t. They can’t count their votes. One of my people came up to me and said, ‘Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia.’ That did not work out too well. They could not do it. They tried the impeachment hoax.”

He then alleged coronavirus was their “new hoax.”

Trump went on to criticize Democrats’ looser immigration policies, arguing that it allows for coronavirus to spread.

“Whether it is the virus that we’re talking about or many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and well-being of all Americans,” he said. “Now, you see it with the coronavirus. You see it. You see it with the coronavirus. You see that.”

He continued, “When you have this virus or any other virus or any other problem coming in, it’s not the only thing that comes in through the border and we are setting records now at the border.”

Trump’s comments come amid criticism that his administration is not properly responding to the outbreak.

He put Vice President Mike Pence, who previously mismanaged an HIV outbreak in Indiana, in charge of the administration’s response to coronavirus. Additionally, a whistleblower alleged last week that federal workers were not given proper training or gear in dealing with the first group of repatriated individuals.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention continues to warn Americans of an outbreak.

Among U.S. citizens, there have been a total of 43 cases and two deaths, according to the CDC. Ten states have reported cases: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin.