'It was awful': Top Trump adviser Larry Kudlow referred to the pandemic in the past tense on a day the US recorded 1,147 COVID-19 deaths

Larry Kudlow speaks at the RNC.

Courtesy of C-Span

• Top Trump adviser Larry Kudlow referred to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the past tense, suggesting the worst was already behind the US.
• "Then came a once-in-100-year pandemic. It was awful. Health and economic impacts were tragic," Kudlow said at the RNC.
• The US recorded 1,147 deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday.
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Top Trump adviser Larry Kudlow referred to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the past tense at the Republican National Convention, appearing to suggest that the worst is behind the US on a day it recorded more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Kudlow touted the strong economy under President Donald Trump, and said it spiraled into recession due to the coronavirus outbreak.

—CBS News (@CBSNews) August 26, 2020

 

"Then came a once-in-100-year pandemic. It was awful. Health and economic impacts were tragic," Kudlow said. "Hardship and heartbreak were everywhere. But presidential leadership came swiftly and effectively with an extraordinary rescue for health and safety to successfully fight the COVID virus."

Read more: Stocks are making their most extreme moves in 20 years — and one quant expert warns the COVID-19 crash was a preview of more 'wild swings' to come

Many experts place some blame on the Trump administration for the federal government's disastrous response to the outbreak earlier this year.

Kudlow also painted a rosy portrait of the nation's economic recovery, calling it "V-shaped" though many economists believe it won't be a swift one. The unemployment rate is at 10.2% and jobless claims increased last Thursday after falling for two straight weeks.

He said there were housing, manufacturing, and consumer spending booms underway. The latter rebounded strongly due to the $600 federal unemployment benefits that expired last month, which the Trump administration opposed renewing during negotiations on another stimulus package.

According to the COVID-19 Tracking Project, the US recorded 1,147 deaths from the coronavirus as well as 37,000 new cases. The number of new infections has trended downward over the past month.

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