Trump vs. Pelosi: What happened in Chinatown

Under fire for reacting too slowly to the coronavirus pandemic, Trump is trying to turn the tables and argue Pelosi was actually slower than he was. He points to his Jan. 31 decision (effective on Feb. 2) to impose some travel restrictions on non-U.S. citizens coming from China — and contrasts that with a visit Pelosi made to San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Of course, Chinatown is not China. And there are many things Trump keeps getting wrong about her visit. It was pretty uneventful, but he tries to spice it up with claims that she called for a “big parade,” a “street party,” a “street fair” and so forth. Then he tosses in some ridiculously false claims.

The Facts

Trump’s repeated remarks dismissing the threat of the coronavirus to the United States have proved to be a problem for his reelection campaign. A president sets the national tone. But, to be fair, other high-profile politicians also did not express early alarm or advocate the extreme social distancing tactics now set in most of the country. Continue reading.