Trump told Bob Woodward in February that Covid-19 was 'deadly' but wanted to 'play it down'

President Donald Trump told journalist Bob Woodward in a February 7 interview the new coronavirus was deadlier than the flu while continuing to compare them in public. Trump said to Woodward: "This is deadly stuff," and "You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed."

The February 7 interview was one in a series of interviews Woodward conducted with the president for his new book, "Rage".