Claims 15 coronavirus cases will soon go "down to close to zero"

In a White House briefing, Trump dramatically downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, claiming that the 15 confirmed U.S. cases would "within a couple of days" be "down to close to zero." He asserted "we have it so well under control" and contradicted CDC warnings about inevitable community spread, setting the tone for his administration's minimization of the pandemic that would kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.

"And again, when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done." — White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, February 26, 2020