Day 1,195: Trump’s response to 1 million coronavirus cases that he promised would be ‘close to zero’ months ago: I’ll ultimately be right

To date, the U.S. has seen over 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 60,000 deaths as much of the country has ground to a halt.

On February 26, Donald Trump said that there were only about 15 cases in the U.S. and that “within a couple of days [the number] is going to be down to close to zero,” before complimenting his team’s effort.

Tuesday, Trump was asked about that prediction from two months ago as the U.S. passed the demoralizing milestone. His answer seemed to indicate a belief that “within a couple of days” is somehow akin to “ultimately.” Trump also tried to explain how more testing was the reason that the number isn’t lower.

Trump’s answer used the word “ultimately” because that applies to virtually everything.

Ultimately, a more deadly virus will wreak havoc on the world.

Ultimately, drones delivering pizza will be ubiquitous.

Ultimately, the sun will expand and bake the oceans dry.

So, yes, ultimately, the number of COVID-19 cases will be zero, but nearly every expert expects the virus to exist into at least 2021.

Trump said that the number of cases would be close to zero by the beginning of March. Before April has concluded, the U.S. has over 1 million cases.

1,195 days in, 267 to go

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