Recordings between U.S. president Donald Trump and journalist Bob Woodward show that Trump was aware of how deadly the coronavirus compared to the flu in early February. Just weeks later at a rally in South Carolina, he compared thousands of flu deaths with none from COVID-19 at the time. At the Feb. 28 rally he also said "Whoever thought of this 2 weeks ago, this could be going on? Four weeks ago." His interview with Woodward was on Feb. 7.

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