MSNBC’s Ali Velshi destroys Trump’s claim he was being pressured to ‘ride out’ the coronavirus outbreak

During a segment on MSNBC this Wednesday, host Ali Velshi focused on President Trump's early downplaying of the coronavirus, playing a series of clips showing the numerous time Trump brushed off the threat. Velshi then noted how Trump's current tone is "very different" from weeks before and he's now taking things "much more seriously."

"But he continues to repeat this whole, 'They told me to ride it out ... and if we hadn't ridden it out, 2.2 million people were gonna die,'" Velshi remarked to NBC News reporter Shannon Pettypiece. "There was nobody who said that. There were some right-wing media people who were saying, 'This is a flu, it's a plot to undermine the president and it shouldn't be taken seriously,' but no real medical person gave the president that advice."

Pettypiece said that Trump was initially getting pressure from CEOs and economists who felt shutting down the U.S. economy would be more destructive than the virus itself. She added that today's press briefing was the most somber she's seen Trump yet.

Watch the full segment below: