Trump: Didn't 'want to create panic' over COVID

President Donald Trump defended his remarks and actions regarding the coronavirus threat Wednesday, insisting he didn't "want people to be frightened" or "create panic."

Trump made the comments as excerpts of journalist Bob Woodward's new book were released, suggesting that Trump deliberately minimized the danger of the virus to the American public.

Speaking to reporters from the White House, Trump didn't dispute that he downplayed the effects of COVID, calling himself a "cheerleader for the country" and saying he was looking to instill calm.

"Certainly I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We want to show strength. We want to show strength as a nation. And that's what I've done," Trump said.

Woodward says in his book that Trump seemed to understand the severity of the coronavirus threat even as he was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than the seasonal flu and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control.

Trump also defended his actions in the early days of the global pandemic, saying his administration closed up the country "very, very quickly, very effectively."

"We immediately started buying all over the world, we started buying masks and gowns and everything else," he said, adding that by every measure, his White House did "incredible job."