Trump praised the way Xi dealt with the Covid-19 epidemic, apparently worried that the tough reaction would negatively affect the US economy.

"I had a long conversation with Chairman Xi two days ago, he is extremely confident. As I mentioned, he thinks that by April, high temperatures will kill this strain of virus," the President said. Donald Trump addressed the US governors last week, appreciating the leadership and toughness of the Chinese President in responding to the corona pneumonia epidemic (Covid-19).

However, many US officials seem to disagree with Trump's praise for China, because they think they are unfounded. American and international health experts have been concerned for weeks that China was not fully transparent about the scale of the Covid-19 epidemic.

The leader of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that China has not yet approved its experts to come to the country to learn about the disease, although a request for assistance was made weeks ago.

According to an unnamed senior official in the US administration, Trump repeatedly told advisers that promoting tougher views with China could backfire, because President Xi Jinping would not cooperate with America if Washington has any negative statements about Beijing.

Some sources from the White House argue that anxiety about financial markets is disturbed, their impact on the economy, as well as sensitive negotiations with China over trade deals have had a major impact. to Trump's reaction to the way China responded to the Covid-19 epidemic.

The US has confirmed 15 cases of nCoV, while officials warned there could be more new infections. On February 16, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said 44 of the country's citizens aboard the quarantine Diamond Princess yacht in Yokohama port, Japan were also positive for nCoV. Japanese officials today announced an additional 14 Americans on cruise ships positive for the virus.

When the disease first emerged, the US government broadcast the message that the threat to the people of the country was still low and that the nCoV had not spread widely in the community, though the situation could change. However, the increasing number of cases occurring outside of China has led advisers to change their minds, leading to adjustments in the government's response.

Late last month, when it became increasingly clear that the disease was much more dangerous than expected, many of the world's major airlines, including the United States, decided to stop flights to China. Washington even banned foreigners from ever going to China within 14 days of entry, and ordered mandatory isolation from Americans who had been to Hubei for 14 days.

The stock market plunged after these drastic reactions, making Trump worried that the US economy would be harmed if the government acted more aggressively. The US president told advisers he did not want the government to do or say anything that would further threaten the market, although he was concerned that the large-scale outbreak of the disease could be detrimental to the economy. his re-election campaign.

According to some unnamed senior officials, senior White House advisers are in disagreement over which information to provide to Trump as well as which message to send to the American public.

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials assured Trump that infection could be reduced by warmer weather, as most coronavirus and respiratory diseases are prevented in the weather. hot. However, even scientists are still arguing about how nCoV works and Covid-19 in the future.

"Someone told the President things on a practical basis. However, in the face of an entirely new pandemic virus, there's no way to know what will happen when The weather is warmer, "Fauchi admitted.

Despite Trump's soft speech to China, some of his advisers openly offered conflicting views. Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said Washington was "disappointed" with Beijing's response, while calling for more transparency.

Other officials, including Joseph Grogan, head of the Domestic Policy Council, also believe that China cannot be trusted. Peter Navarro, one of Trump's top trade advisers, has repeatedly called on Washington to take a tougher stance.

Trump's statements about the Covid-19 epidemic and the way China handled it were in stark contrast to his reaction to the Ebola epidemic in Africa in 2014, when he was not elected. At that time, Trump vehemently criticized the Barack Obama administration and called on the US to close the border, not allowing doctors who are treating patients in Africa to return.

Some officials revealed Trump's soft attitude toward nCoV stems from meetings between him and Minister Azar, who seem to be overly controlling the issue of responding to the public. He is said to have suggested that doctors not go too deep into epidemic details when reporting to Trump. The sources added that many White House officials disliked Azar.

However, Fauci said Azar took medical professionals with him in nearly every meeting and was "always on their own terms". "That's why whenever the President wants a short report, Alex always takes me and the CDC director Bob Redfield. He always wants us to provide frank scientific information to the President," he said. The NIAID director mentioned Minister Azar.

Despite conflicts in government, Washington's response to the Covid-19 epidemic in recent weeks has been judged to have been smooth and better coordinated among agencies, with daily exchange calls.

"Our public health system is the best in the world and it works. That system has detected 15 cases in the US," Azar said on February 14.