Trump Still Downplays Risk As Colleges Reopen And Campus Coronavirus Cases Surge

Coronavirus cases on college campuses are already surging as students begin to return to school for the fall. Yet Trump continues to minimize the risk posed by the virus.

Last night, Trump downplayed the risks of students returning to campus by comparing the coronavirus to the flu.

TRUMP: “So, nevertheless, certain colleges and universities have announced that they would suspend the in-person teaching. For older people and individuals with underlying conditions, the China virus is very dangerous, but for university students, the likelihood of severe illness is less than or equal to the risk of a seasonal few [sic] — a seasonal flu. And the seasonal flu happens and comes and it goes, and it can be very bad, but people don’t talk about it in the same way, and they shouldn’t. But if you look at that, the odds are less than or equal to.”

As students return to campus, some schools are already being forced to shut down again as students test positive for the coronavirus, and faculty and communities fear the consequences of potential new outbreaks.

Politico: “School outbreaks wreck Trump’s plans for return to normal”

Wall Street Journal: “New U.S. Covid-19 Cases Jump as Fears Grow Over Campus Spread”

CNN: “Hundreds of Covid-19 cases reported as students return to college campuses”

Associated Press: “Colleges Grapple With Coronavirus As Students Return”

NPR: “Michigan State And Notre Dame Suspend In-Person Learning Over COVID-19 Concerns”

NBC News: “UNC-Chapel Hill Goes To Remote Learning After 135 COVID-19 Cases Within Week Of Starting Classes”

Associated Press: “Colorado College And Air Force Students Have COVID-19”

MassLive: “Positive COVID-19 Cases Reported At Boston University And Emerson College As Fall Semester Approaches”

CBS News: “Oklahoma State University Sorority House Under Quarantine After 23 Members Test Positive”

WCAX3: “Vermont Colleges Start To See COVID As Students Arrive On Campus”

Altoona Mirror: “Mount Aloysius College Student Tests Positive For COVID-19”

6ABC: “Philadelphia-Area Students Have Renewed Concerns About COVID-19 On Campus”

Texas Tribune: “‘We’re Being Treated As Guinea Pigs’: Faculty Members Fear In-Person Return To Texas Universities”

The Verge: “College Towns Brace For A New Wave Of Covid-19”