President Trump in an early morning tweet on Monday accused the "Fake News Media" and Democrats of trying “to inflame” the coronavirus outbreak as the virus spreads globally and across the U.S.
“The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything within its semi-considerable power (it used to be greater!) to inflame the CoronaVirus situation, far beyond what the facts would warrant,” Trump tweeted.
“Surgeon General, 'The risk is low to the average American,’” Trump added.
It’s unclear exactly what prompted Trump's tweet.
Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have issued calls for putting politics aside as the nation grapples with the outbreak.
More than 500 cases have been confirmed in the U.S., and multiple people have died from the virus, mostly in Washington state.
At least eight states have declared states of emergency due to the outbreak, including Oregon, which announced its state of emergency Sunday after its number of cases doubled to 14.
Trump administration officials sought to ease fears in a series of appearances on Sunday morning talk shows, but some Democrats have questioned the administration’s response.
Despite Trump’s claim last week that anyone who needs a test can get one, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said that’s not the case in his state.
Issues over available tests make it difficult to assess the scope of the epidemic, Murphy said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the nation is entering a so-called mitigation phase and people should not panic even as more cases appear.
Trump in tweets later Monday praised Vice President Pence and others members of the White House coronavirus task force, saying his decision to restrict travel from virus-stricken nations “saved many lives.”
"So much FAKE NEWS!" he added in another post.
This article originally appeared on The Hill.
