It was one of the more extraordinary exchanges between reporters and Donald Trump as he visited the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta Friday afternoon.

Trump has long downplayed the number of coronavirus patients, and when news broke that 21 passengers on the cruise ship Princess tested positive for the virus, the president said he wanted to keep the passengers on the ship to keep the numbers down.

perfect example of the reasoning behind trump not providing enough test kits around the US. he says it right here…. i would rather them stay on the ship because i don’t want the numbers to go up” which they would if they freaking tested!!!!!! https://t.co/y50sd9tV1l — TheMindOfColi (@TheMindOfColi) March 6, 2020