Top Republican Calls Out Trump After Bombshell Recordings, 'Should Have Been More Straightforward' About COVID-19

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Friday that President Trump “should have been more straightforward” about the impact of COVID-19 after bombshell recordings revealed he was intentionally downplaying the early stages of the outbreak.

“I believe the president should have been straightforward with the American people. The American people can take hard facts, and he had an obligation as president to be straightforward with them and to tell all that he has known,” Collins said at a Maine Senate debate against Democratic state house speaker Sara Gideon.

In an interview with journalist Bob Woodward, Trump said he was playing down the virus in the early stages of the pandemic because he didn’t want to create a panic. Woodward has released recordings of the interview prior to the release of his next book about the Trump presidency, “Rage.”

"I wanted to, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic," Trump told Woodward.

Prior to the Woodward interview, Trump had been criticized for downplaying the coronavirus. In March, Trump stated that he wanted to reopen the country by Easter, or April 12, despite warnings from public health officials. In May, he said COVID-19 testing might be “overrated.”

Collins has previously criticized Trump, calling his treatment of protesters in June following the death of George Floyd “painful to watch.”

Collins has also stated that she hopes Trump “learned a lesson” from impeachment, although she voted to acquit.

Long considered a centrist, Collins’ controversial vote on impeachment, along with her decision to vote in favor of Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, has drawn scorn from liberals. Collins has served in the Senate since 1997 but now faces the toughest reelection battle of her career.

A Bangor Daily News poll from early August showed Gideon with a 5-point lead over Collins, 43% to 38%. Gideon has also outraised Collins in the first two quarters of the year.