Trump said he 'didn't know people died from the flu,' but the virus took the life of his grandfather

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

• Donald Trump said he "didn't know people died from the flu" during a visit to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters on Friday.
• During a press conference, Trump spoke about the number of people getting infected by the coronavirus and how it compared to influenza. 
• "I never heard those numbers. I would've been shocked. I would've said, 'Does anybody die from the flu? I didn't know people died from the flu,'" he said.
• Friedrich Trump, the president's grandfather, became one of the first people to die during the first wave of the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 while living in Queens, New York. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump made the claim when speaking about the flu that he had no clue people could die from the virus — despite it taking the life of his grandfather. 

Mr Trump's claim came while he was in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday to visit the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters and meet with health officials about the coronavirus.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: Extremists turned a frog meme into a hate symbol, but Hong Kong protesters revived it as an emblem of hope

See Also:

• Trump is reportedly fixated on the number of US coronavirus cases and expressed that he wants them kept as low as possible
• Trump says he'll keep holding rallies amid coronavirus, but he has none scheduled after holding 6 in the past month
• Trump argues 3.4% death rate from coronavirus is 'false,' citing a 'hunch' in claiming it's far lower

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/2VQ8PB8