Trump continues to downplay the importance of coronavirus testing, saying it is “overrated,” as testing shortages and delays hinder our response and more testing is needed to track and contain the spread of the virus.

Last night, Trump once again said that he thought testing is “overrated.”

TRUMP: “I personally think it’s overrated.”

Trump has suggested that we do less testing so there would be fewer recorded cases, but cases are increasing faster than testing.

New York Times: “Spike in U.S. Cases Far Outpaces Testing Expansion”

New York Times: “The average number of tests conducted nationwide has grown by 80 percent since early June, to 780,000 per day. Daily case counts have grown by 215 percent in the same period.”

Four months into the pandemic, states are still experiencing testing delays, which hinders our response and underscores Trump’s failures.

TIME: “People across the country are reporting lags of at least a week, and sometimes much longer, while awaiting their COVID-19 test results.”

Associated Press: “Laboratories across the U.S. are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are undercutting the pandemic response.”

Bloomberg: “Testing has found itself back atop a long list of logistical snafus the U.S. has encountered since Covid-19 hit. The absence of a quick, accurate and effective testing strategy that can be scaled to demand underscores just how much the world’s largest economy has struggled to manage the fallout of the novel coronavirus.”