Trump says he can’t confirm China’s coronavirus case numbers, warns of 'horrific' days to come

President Trump said Wednesday he could not confirm the veracity of the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths being reported by China, as he warned Americans to brace for more “horrific” days in dealing with the virus.

While Trump said the numbers being reported by Beijing “seem to be a little on the light side,” the president and National Security Adviser Robert C. O'Brien said they currently have no way to confirm the number of COVID-19 cases being reported by the Chinese government. The comments follow accusations from critics that China is underreporting its cases.

“We are not in the position to confirm any of the numbers coming from China,” O’Brien said during the daily White House coronavirus task force press briefing. “We just have no way to confirm any of those numbers.”

The president put it more bluntly: “As far as the numbers, I’m not an accountant from China.”