(CNN) President Donald Trump has long been someone who sees the world not as it is, but as he would like it to be. That alternate universe he occupies has never been more stark -- or more dangerous -- than in Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over and over again, in public appearances aimed at informing and calming the public, Trump's tone and message regarding the virus has been wildly at odds with facts as explained by medical experts around the country.

His "performance" at a Sunday afternoon press briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force was the latest example of how Trump appears to be floating in his own world of happy talk and confidence.

To wit:

* Within the first minute of his remarks, Trump said four different times that he was "very happy" that the Federal Reserve had cut interest rates to zero. "I think that people in the market should be very thrilled," Trump added. (As of this writing, the stock market was crashing , with the Dow down more than 2,000 points.)

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