The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

McEnany’s attempt to rationalize Trump’s conflicting coronavirus claims didn’t work

Analysis by
National columnist
September 22, 2020 at 4:55 p.m. EDT
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany calls on a reporter during a news briefing Tuesday at the White House. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

There is one point on which President Trump has been fairly consistent: his claim that the coronavirus that emerged last year poses a bigger immediate risk to older than younger people.

Granted, the way in which he articulates this disparity varies from accurate to wildly misleading. In early March, shortly after he began holding regular news briefings on the pandemic, he made the point in hyperbolic terms.