Trump to Biden on media: ‘They give you good press, they give me bad press’

President Trump defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic during the first presidential debate on Tuesday, asserting that his only stumbling block is his bad press. 

“We’ve done a great job. The only thing I haven’t done a good job — and that’s because of the fake news. No matter what you say to them, they give you bad press on it. It’s just fake news,” Trump said before turning to Democratic nominee Joe Biden. “They give you good press. They give me bad press. Because that’s the way it is unfortunately. I don’t care. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“But let me tell you, Joe, you could never have done the job we did. You don’t have it in your blood. You could have never done that job.”

Biden responded, “I know how to do the job. I know how to get the job done.”

The president argued his pandemic response was successful because the government managed to produce enough gowns, masks and ventilators, and that fewer people who contract COVID-19 are dying now than were months ago.

The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths from the virus of any country in the world. More than 7 million people in the country have contracted the virus, and more than 204,000 have died.

Trump has been chastised for months over his handling of the pandemic, with critics noting that his administration was slow to ramp up testing production and the distribution of personal protective equipment. The president has also at times downplayed the severity of the virus, and questioned the effectiveness of masks, contradicting public health experts.

But the president has repeatedly given himself high marks for his response to the pandemic, conceding only that his public relations have not been up to standards.