Dire projections put new focus on Trump coronavirus response

Dire projections of U.S. deaths from the coronavirus are placing new scrutiny on the Trump administration's initial response while prompting questions about whether faster action could have lowered the death toll.

The White House presented sobering numbers on Tuesday that the best-case scenario with full mitigation measures in place is between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the United States. Those figures would exceed the U.S. death toll from the Vietnam War and Korean War combined.

The numbers have raised questions specifically about why the U.S. was slow to roll out tests to identify the virus, while bringing new criticism on President Trump for downplaying the virus’s threat earlier this year.

Furthermore, some say the U.S. is still not responding quickly enough. A number of states do not have stay-at-home orders, and Florida, where some officials see an emerging outbreak, only issued one on Wednesday.