'Stop ignoring facts for political advantage': CNN's Cuomo tears into Trump's refusal to lead on coronavirus

On Tuesday's edition of CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time," Chris Cuomo — still battling his own bout with COVID-19 — laid into President Donald Trump's lack of leadership throughout the crisis.

"Stop ignoring the facts for political advantage. Get real. The past is over," said Cuomo. "There can be no more letting politics reinforce our worst instincts. We need to build on our best instincts. And that said, what I'm asking you all to do now, the man at the top refuses to change."

He displayed a clip of Trump being confronted at the day's press conference, by his February claim that cases would soon be down to zero. "Well, the cases really didn't build up for awhile, but you have to understand, I'm a cheerleader for this country," said Trump in the clip. "I don't want to create havoc and shock and everything else. I'm not going to go out and start screaming, this could happen, this could happen."

"That's exactly what leadership is," said Cuomo sternly. "Anybody can tell people what they want to hear, and make it easier. And then you know what you get? Exactly where we are right now. That was the most asinine statement of leadership I have ever heard. That's clear thinking from him — I'm a cheerleader, so I'm going to lie to you about the realities that your parents, your loved ones and your parents face. I'm not going to tell you. We have to do better than that. This president must do better than that."

"The good news is, he can. The bad news is, he refuses to," continued Cuomo. "And that, I have no answer for. He said we'd be good by Easter. On Easter Sunday, you know what? I will be sick and I will be sick for some time to come. And somebody telling me something else doesn't make me feel any better. It makes me feel worse about them. I demand the truth for my situation. I demand the truth for you, as well. Again, too many of us have parents, loved ones and kids in the balance."

Watch below: