Trump says 'the great American Comeback is underway' as COVID-19 cases surge to record highs

• President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that there will be "NO LOCKDOWNS" as COVID-19 cases surge to new highs in the US.
• "Biden wants to LOCKDOWN our Country, maybe for years. Crazy!" Trump tweeted, referring to the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. "There will be NO LOCKDOWNS. The great American Comeback is underway!!!"
• Trump's claim that the US is on the verge of a "comeback" and is "rounding the corner" amid the pandemic is not supported by reality or data.
• This week, the US broke its daily record and reported more than 99,000 new cases, and nearly two dozen states have reported their worst weeks ever for new cases, The New York Times reported.
• Trump and Biden have repeatedly sparred over the handling of the outbreak, and the president has drawn sharp backlash for downplaying its severity.

President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that there will be "NO LOCKDOWNS" as COVID-19 cases in the US spike to new highs.

"Biden wants to LOCKDOWN our Country, maybe for years. Crazy!" Trump tweeted, referring to the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. "There will be NO LOCKDOWNS. The great American Comeback is underway!!!"

The president has repeatedly claimed that the US is "rounding the corner" and on the verge of a "comeback" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But those statements aren't supported by data or scientific evidence.

On Saturday, the US broke its daily record and reported more than 99,000 new cases. According to The New York Times, nearly two dozen states have reported their worst weeks ever for new cases. And the number of COVID-19 cases in some states, like North and South Dakota, matches that of the hardest-hit European countries, like Belgium and the Czech Republic.

As of Sunday, COVID-19 has infected more than nine million Americans and killed over 230,000, per Johns Hopkins University's database.

Trump and Biden have consistently sparred over the handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March. The president admitted on tape that he downplayed the severity of the outbreak despite knowing early on how deadly it was.

In a taped interview with the veteran journalist Bob Woodward on March 19, Trump said he "wanted to always play it down," referring to the coronavirus outbreak. "I still like playing it down because I don't want to create a panic," he added.

The president also refused to wear a mask even though the Centers for Disease Control and the vast majority of medical professionals and scientific experts said doing so would significantly slow the spread of the disease. He falsely claimed that he took "strong action" early on by shutting down travel from China. In fact, Trump did not impose a complete ban on travel from China, and thousands of people traveled to the US from China after the restrictions were announced. The restrictions were also implemented after the virus had already gained a foothold in the US.

The president also falsely said during the final debate with Biden last month that the US's mortality rate is "way down and much lower than almost any other country." And he's also repeatedly said that a new COVID-19 vaccine will be released within "weeks," even though CDC Director Robert Redfield recently told Congress that a vaccine wouldn't be out until mid to late 2021.

Biden has sharply criticized Trump for playing down the seriousness of the outbreak, not wearing a mask, refusing to condemn violence against US officials who impose stricter measures to stop the spread of the disease, and spreading misinformation about the virus to the public since it first hit the US.

The Democratic nominee also released a plan saying he will use a science-driven approach to combat COVID-19 if elected president. That will include asking the CDC to release guidance on when to open or shutter businesses and schools, when to restrict gatherings, and when to impose stay-at-home or lockdown orders.