Sen. John Cornyn said President Trump “got out over his skis” when it comes to the coronavirus.
The Texas Republican said the danger posed by the coronavirus pandemic is still in full force despite some of the more positive messaging from the White House.
“I think he let his guard down, and I think in his desire to try to demonstrate that we are somehow coming out of this and that the danger is not still with us, I think he got out over his skis,” Cornyn told the Houston Chronicle on Monday. “And frankly, I think it’s a lesson to all of us that we need to exercise self-discipline.”
“He tries to balance that with saying, ‘Well, you know, we got this.’ And clearly, we don’t have this,” Cornyn added.
Trump, who has consistently praised his own handling of the pandemic, tested positive for the coronavirus last week, along with several other people inside his orbit. There have been questions about how severe Trump’s infection has been, but it was announced on Monday that the president will be leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after his three-day stay to return to the White House.
“I think the biggest mistake people make in public life is not telling the truth, particularly in something with as much public interest as here, because you know the real story is going to come out,” Cornyn added.
Cornyn is facing Democratic candidate MJ Hegar, an Air Force veteran and teacher, in Texas’s Senate election. Cornyn is polling ahead of Hegar by 8 points, according to an average of polls by RealClearPolitics.
