Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said Sunday that she does not regret initially downplaying the threat of coronavirus in late February.
“No, not at all,” Pelosi said on CNN’s State of the Union when asked if she regretted underestimating the extent of widespread infection in the United States at the time.
Pelosi wrote in a press release on Feb. 29 that “there are no current indications of widespread infections in the United States,” the same day that the first confirmed death from the virus was recorded in Washington.
Pelosi also visited San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood on Feb. 24 and urged Californians to “come and visit and enjoy Chinatown.” She said she thought it was “very safe” to be in a potentially crowded neighborhood.
On Feb. 26, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed the first possible instance of community spread of the virus.
Pelosi also accused President Trump of “causing deaths” through his response to the virus and called for a vote on another aid package.
