Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield on Wednesday tried to temper remarks he made about the threat of a second wave of the novel coronavirus, saying the thrust of his comments was meant to urge Americans to embrace the vaccine for the flu.
“I didn’t say that this was going to be worse. I said it was going to be more difficult and potentially more complicated because we would have flu and coronavirus circulating at the same time,” Redfield said at the top of a White House briefing Wednesday evening.
The CDC director’s comments came hours after President Trump complained about a Washington Post report from Tuesday that included the top health official’s remarks, saying the CDC chief would make a clarifying statement.
“The key to my comments and the reason that I really wanted to stress them was to appeal to the American public and to embrace the flu vaccine with confidence,” Redfield said Wednesday.
Redfield acknowledged that his comments to the Post published Tuesday were quoted accurately, but he and Trump took issue with the news outlet’s headline, which characterized Redfield as warning that a “second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating.”
Redfield said during the briefing that he believed the public health infrastructure officials would have in place come fall — including contact tracing and surveillance — would prevent the need for Americans to resort to the stringent social distancing practices in place now.
Trump at the start of the briefing eviscerated the Post, calling the article “fake news” and the headline inaccurate.
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JUST IN: CDC director tries to walk back remarks on coronavirus https://t.co/hIj0zMF8uV pic.twitter.com/jZV9m4wgU7
— The Hill (@thehill) April 22, 2020CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus might be "more difficult" https://t.co/qnDhurVHkq pic.twitter.com/VxRVa1ZAKE
— The Hill (@thehill) April 22, 2020
He’s revving people up for things to open, and then he’s diving right in on Redfield being misquoted.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
Redfield is not actually correcting himself here. He is trying to spinet more carefully while the Dear Leader watches. pic.twitter.com/BEVn7J5Zji
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
Everything Redfield is saying right now underscores the fact that he wasn’t really misquoted, he just said it in a way that Trump didn’t like.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
This is a serious humiliation of the CDC director by a complete ignoramus.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
Redfield was just asked if he said what he said. Redfield is confirming that he said what he said, but he is trying to talk around it while Trump stands there looking at him.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
Redfield is desperately trying to get out from behind the podium.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
Every time he has asked about this, Redfield is changing the subject to saying that he just wants to make sure people will get their flu shots. This whole thing is very Soviet right now.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
Birx now trying to cover Redfield’s flank, i’m just trying to emphasize the flu shot. Trump is pressuring her to say it won’t come back, and she’s refusing to do that.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
Birx gently contradicting Trump, and Trump won’t let her off the stage. Birx just basically decided to walk off the stage while he’s talking. Trump desperate to say it will never be this bad again, and the doctors are staying off the stage.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
President Trump: "In my opinion, from everything I've seen, it can never be like anything we've witnessed right now." pic.twitter.com/JKF7SJ4MNk
— The Hill (@thehill) April 22, 2020
Fauci: “there will be coronavirus in the fall.“
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 22, 2020
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