Don Jr.: Last two months prove Trump 'was more right than we could have imagined'

Donald Trump Jr. says the coronavirus crisis has proven that his father has the right agenda for the country — even as the number of deaths from the coronavirus in the United States rose above 90,000 and the number of cases reached nearly 1.5 million.

“If the last two months has taught us anything, it’s that Donald Trump and the MAGA 2016 agenda was more right than we ever could have imagined,” Trump Jr. said in audio obtained from a Zoom fundraiser held Monday for Michigan Republican Senate candidate John James.

“We need American manufacturing. We need to control our supply chains,” he added. “Stupid leftist policies sent all of that abroad. Frankly policies for both sides.”

Trump Jr.’s claims, however, sidestep a number of errors made by the administration, which were reported widely in the media, including failing for months to take the necessary steps to secure enough medical equipment.

In January and February, intelligence agencies warned the Trump administration multiple times about the severity of the coronavirus outbreaks, according to a Washington Post report.

An investigation by Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), a member of the House Oversight Committee, revealed that the administration “should have been stockpiling medical supplies” during those first critical months of the year. Instead, the United States was exporting ventilators, masks, and other medical supplies at that time.

Porter’s report, published in April, concluded that the administration “failed to prepare for COVID-19 and to protect the health of Americans.”

The Trump administration’s failure to adequately prepare for the crisis meant doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals were at increased risk of getting sick due to a lack of proper equipment.

Even the White House seemed to contradict Trump Jr.’s suggestion that manufacturing in the United States could have helped his father’s administration better handle the pandemic.

Last week, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed the administration was fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus crisis.

Administration officials “did a whole exercise on pandemic preparedness in August of last year and had an entire after-action report put together,” McEnany said.

Neither the White House nor the Trump campaign responded to requests for comment about Trump Jr.’s comments. The Detroit News previously reported on the fundraiser where he spoke.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.